Do we really need a pet?

We've been debating getting another pet. One that Jack will not be allergic to. I wonder thought, with all of this in our backyard, do we really need one? These ducks make Kate insanely happy. They have the opposite effect on her dad - he can't stand them messing up his new dock!

Thank you Grandma & Pop Pop

Grandma & Pop Pop sent Mom a birthday present.... they also sent Jack a new little car (the white one on the end) and a Thanksgiving bear for Kate.

Jack LOVES his new car. The picture above is the cars' family. Jack told me his car was crying and needed a mommy, daddy and a gags (pronounced like it rhymes with 'dogs', this is his new name for Kate). We quickly remedied that & all was well.

Jack was quiet playing in the hall while I made dinner. I thought he was reading, this is what he was doing. Pop Pop, you'll understand.... :)

SeaWorld & A Scooter

Today Kate & Jack went to Sea World. The weather was perfect - cool- and, because we got there as they were opening, we enjoyed some time at the park with no lines. We rode the Polar Express and even saw some polar bears and walrus. The highlight of the day however, were the slides at the kids area. The carousel came in a distant second....

We hadn't even made it out of the parking lot to head home after lunch before Jack was asleep...


Kate soon followed ...


Later, after naps & a visit to Aunt Mia's, we played outside. Jack has a new scooter - even Scott took his turn riding it. Kate, stuck with the wagon...

Photo Editing; Remove Red Eye & Remove Crying

In an effort to get my blog current, I was quickly editing some photos to remove the red eyes that plaque my children in almost every shot. Sometimes, the red is so much that the red eye function can not even cover all of it... While working on the photos I discovered something missing from my suite of photo editing functions...

"After"photo first;

Before editing. What was really going on;
Kate had been playing happily on the bed with her brother just minutes before the failed attempt at a group shot

Don't you dare take my lotion or my paci Dad!

Enough already Mom - I don't like the flash!

Look at me... I'm SPIDERMAN!!

Hey Hollywood!

Practicing Stunts...

Kate masters the swing & Jack the flip

oops... this crash landing was not supposed to happen. Dad's quick hands saved the day!

Flip!

Kate speaks...

Well, she doesn't really speak. She says momma, dada, duck and up. BUT she can sing the chorus to "Old McDonald Had a Farm" like a champion. She had her entire preschool teaching staff in stitches today as she serenaded them with "EEEE -I- EEEE - I - OH" over and over and I do mean over again. She's no slacker when it comes to dancing either, she's the complete package. Watch out American Idol!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween didn't go exactly as expected... Jack refused to wear the "had to have" spider costume that I was forced to acquire via competitive bidding on eBay. His first choice was Kate's tutu. His second (Thank you Aunt Kathie!) was a pair of skeleton pj's passed down from his cousins... maybe he'll be a spider next year?

And Kate... another story. Kate was to be a ladybug, however the key elements of her costume (her wings and her antennae) spent the entire day of Halloween out on the FedEx truck for delivery, and, as luck would have it, arrived on our doorstep exactly 25 minutes after we had departed to meet friends for trick or treating & a hay ride in their neighborhood. I could have dressed her in Jack's octopus costume from last year, but she looked way too cute in her tutu. So, she wore her black leotards, leggings and her red tutu. Most people were too polite to ask what she was supposed to be dressed as. And gosh was she cute!

I'm cute enough with out my wings...

Anyone home?

Kate's vocabulary currently consists of hiya, mama, dada, and duck. She may also be spending alot of time calling for her brother by screaming ACK at the top of her lungs - I really can't say if that is at all intentional. Anyway, she spends a lot of time talking on the phone. If she can't find the phone (like she has in this photo) she'll find anything similar and cradle it on her shoulder while she wanders around saying Hiya, Hiya, Hiya. She is very serious about this and if you dare take the phone from her, you will certainly hear about it.

If you get a call from her, you'll now know what to expect. :)

If you have a headache

This is how you can fix it. Jack told me when I picked him up today that he was sad; he had a headache. Once we got home, he launched himself down the hall with an unusual sense of urgency.

This is how he solved his problem.

GreenMeadows Farm

The Sandman Comes!

I love watching my kids sleep. I don't think there is anything more relaxing. Maybe it's because I can finally get a moment of quiet... or really because I think they look like such angels.

Jack has always been a cuddler. He always has one of his many friends under his arm when he sleeps - tonight his "baby jaguar" and his beloved pooh get the coveted spot. He just always looks so comfortable...

Kate, on the other hand, is a restless sleeper. She is always thrashing around, and usually looks like she has just succumbed to sheer exhaustion and tumbled into her bed. She looks sweet, but not nearly, as Jack would say, "as cozy".

This is how they wound down from their busy day today. Today, despite all of the pushing and fighting over toys, they ended as friends.

Happy Birthday Cousin Matthew!

Today is our cousin Matthew's Birthday. He is 9. He is coming to visit us soon and we are going to have a party for him. Everyone (especially Jack) is very excited!

The Patient

Kate got tubes in her ears last Thursday. I thought she looked incredibly cute in her hospital gown so I snapped a pic with my cell phone. Clearly my cell phone camera is not one of its outstanding features....

Jack's school project

Jack made this t-shirt at school today; he could not wait to come home and show it to everyone...