Summer Happenings

Okay, I know I need an update...and I have nothing!!!!  I only found 2 pictures on my camera from the girls playing in the pool on Saturday....so I'm posting them and then will have fun updates this weekend!  

Tiny Teachers

I spend my day teaching my girls important things:  letters, songs, manners, how to walk.

Last night, as I rocked my baby to sleep, I was thinking about all of the things I have learned from my girls.

I may be teaching them important things for life, but they are teaching me even more important lessons in life.

Abigail

Abigail taught me that there is no fight "too big".  She was 3 lbs and she fought harder than most 8 lb babies.  She had to fight for every breath.  She had to fight to keep her body temperature normal.  She had to fight to learn to swallow 1/16th of an ounce.  So when something comes along that requires a little "fight" in me, there is no fight too big.  I learned how to be strong from the strongest little person I know!

I have learned to stop and appreciate the little things in life.  I can not imagine how many times this bird has flown over me as I have walk out to get the mail.  However, yesterday, not only did I notice it, but I really watched it.  To Abigail, it was the funniest, most exciting thing of the day.  And as I actually watched it, I saw how amazing it is.  How many little things pass us by that we don't notice?  This little lady is teaching me to stop and notice it today!

She has taught me how important it is to set a good example for your children.  She's a sponge.  If I say it, there is a 99.9% chance she'll say it...good or bad.  Her mannerisms, her word choices, her personality....she's learning these from Rob and me.  So, living my best life means more to me now than ever before!

Caitlin

Caitlin has taught me to relax and let the cards fall where they may.  We had a few scary months.  When a doctor says "neurologist" or "cardiologist", you don't ask questions, you just go.  There is nothing we wouldn't do for our kids.  But at 5 months we were being told how concerned they were with her development, and now at less than 8 months, she ahead of a typical 8 month old development.  So....we relax!  We relax and let her develop as she will.  We watch and celebrate her development, but we relax.  No speech therapist, no dietician, no physical therapist.  We just relax...and encourage....and celebrate!  If her health is at risk, we will stop relaxing.  But now....relax!

I have learned about the important things in life from her.  Taking the extra time to rock my baby to sleep.  Stopping doing the dishes because Caitlin is curious about a book and this is a perfect time to read together.  Appreciating when my kids nap at different times because it means some quality one-on-one time with the other girl.  It's easier said than done some days....but it's a lesson I'm learning.  My tv shows may be on downstairs, but I'm upstairs rocking my baby girl to sleep who in a few short months will be too big to rock to sleep....and that's what's important in life!

Quality, not quantity.  We may have gone from a lifestyle of fancy cars, amazing trips, city life, and high-end clothes to a lifestyle of minivans, weekends at the zoo, our suburb, and a new clearance shirt every once in a while.  But this time is passing us by so quickly already and I'm so blessed to be watching my girls grow every day and being the one setting the examples for my kids.  Bills have to be paid, food has to be bought, and not everyone can stay at home like I can.  So I am appreciating it!!  Everyday!  We may have traded our trips to Jamaica eating at 5 star restaurant for a weekend at Wisconsin Dells eating Pizza Hut...but you know what????   It's the best vacation of my life!!!!!  One day I will have to return to work, but now, we make sacrifices....lots of them....and we are grateful for them.  I am so grateful for my husband who works so hard everyday while I am at the pool with the girls.  I am so grateful for my girls who appreciate the books from the library as much as a new book.  I'm just grateful!

Last night, as I rocked my baby to sleep, all these thoughts went through my head, and I wanted to make sure I wrote them down so when I'm having a day where life is passing me by or I'm feeling sorry for myself, I can look back and realize all I have learned from my girls!  And continue to teach them as much as they teach me!

On Tuesday, we met the Holtz girls at Lake Arlington.  We met the Holtz's through our friends Jenny and Ryan.  We have a lot in common with the Holtz.  Not only do we both have 2 girls and the dads love hockey, but we both had itty bitties....only their itty bitty Ava made our itty bitty Abigail look like a giant weighing in a whole 3 lbs!  So Kristine and I got all the girls together for a day at this small beach in Arlington Heights.  We weren't sure what to expect, but it was a perfect little outting for us!  You can't "swim" but you can go in the water (up to ankles) so for toddlers, it's perfect!

Caitlin loved the sand....a little too much!  It was her lunch!

Kristine and Ava

Lila and Abigail

I tell you....this one....So I left Caitlin in her stroller but didn't buckle her in, and I came back to see her standing next to her stroller.  Um, hello, you're 7 1/2 months old!  Yes, I learned my lesson...always buckle from now on!

That evening we celebrated the big 2 1/2 birthday.  We started at Toys R Us where we were going to let the girls pick out a new outside toy, but we really couldn't find anything, so Abigail choose new "food" for her kitchen.  Then, we came home for BLUE Popsicles...Yes, I usually do 1/2 cake, cupcakes, or brownies, but she wanted blue ice cream...and it's her day!

Then it was time for presents.  We always do one present for a half birthday.  Nothing big, just something little to celebrate how special they are 2 times a year!  ;)  As luck had it, as we walked through Toys R Us earlier, Abigail saw the "present" I had already bought and was begging for it, so I knew we had a winner!!!

What is it???? 

PRIN.CESS TIA.NA!!!!!  Just what I wanted!!!!!!  The princess and the frog is Abigail's favorite thing right now(although Toy Story is making a run for it's money).  We don't really watch much tv, but when it comes to a movie, it's Princess and the Frog!  (Although she likes the princess part but not the parts when she's not a princess and she's a frog...which is most of the movie.)  Since she opened it up, Princess Tiana gets carried around on a pink pillow like the princess she is!!!!

Wow...2 1/2....half way to 3?????

Abigail Here!

Hi Everyone!  It's Abigail!!!  Because today is my 1/2 birthday, my mom is letting me do the post today!

"I like birthday cake.  My cake.  And toast.  And chicken nuggets....with ketchup."

"I play with toys.  And brocks (blocks).  My dolly is Dolly Wennerstrom.  She likes to eat."

"Daddy's working.  Mommy's exercising."

"I wanna sing the beep beep song.  And Mickey Mouse song."

"Caitlin likes cereal.  And to eat.  My sister is Caitlin.  She's awake!"

"Toof.  It's hurting her.  One two three four." (She has 2 teeth)

"Caitlin pray (play).  She likes to play with this (showing me number flashcards).  And talk "Abigail". "

"Caitlin's awake Mom.  Go get her.  There's a bee up there!" (This is where we got off track!) 

"I made it for Ms Kelly's (at Mis Kelly's) for Daddy.  It's a surprise.  Happy Futher's Day!  I made the present for daddy.  Ms Kelly help me do my foot and my hand, but not this hand.  I do markers.  With teachers I color."

"Bid feeder....bird feeder.  Daddy have it.  Me and daddy have it!  In the tree's house."

So there you have it folks...a post done all by Abigail!  As for Caitlin, her first tooth popped through last Friday and her second tooth over the weekend. You still really can't see them, only feel them, but when they come through I'll definitely have a picture for you! And the last two pictures are presents the girls made Rob for Father's Day at Ms Kelly's (the home daycare they go on Wednesdays).  The second is hard to see because it's already in the tree...it's a pinecone rolled in birdseeds!

Pics to come tomorrow of Abigail's special day!  We celebrate our girls half birthdays because Abigail's birthday is so close to Christmas that she really loses some of the specialness of her birthday...and because they get so much winter stuff, it's nice to have an excuse to get them something for the summer!  ;)  We don't do anything big, just a special dessert and a present!  Doesn't everyone want to have a special celebration at least twice a year????

Father's Day 2010

Happy Father's Day to all the imporant dads, grandpas, great-grandpas, and godfathers in our lives!!!!!

We are so  blessed to have so many amazing men in our lives!  This includes my dad (grandpa), Rob's dad (papa), Great Papi, Great Grandpa, Uncle Joe, Uncle Brian, and Uncle Al!  We wish we could have seen everyone today and wished you a happy father's day in person...but we were thinking of all of you and hoping you had a wonderful day!!!!

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy in the world!  You are the best book reading, song singing, bath giving, wagon pulling, game playing, slide riding, hug giving daddy in the world!!!!!  We love you so much!!!!

***********

We spent our father's day up at Bass Lake.  It was a quiet weekend up there...which was really nice and relaxing!!!!

While the boys golfed on Saturday morning, the girls went shopping.  We had lots of new toys we had to play with all weekend!!!!

Abigail's new bubble maker

Caitlin loved the new pool

Right before sunset on Saturday, we went out for a quick boatride with a pretty great captain!

For Father's Day on Sunday, we attended our first father's day breakfast by the lake!  It's a tradition and we were so happy to be part of it this year!  Steve and Peachie did an amazing job with a great breakfast cooked over the campfire!!!!  So much fun...and delicious too!!!

And it wouldn't be a father's day cookout without the annual golf cart race!  We don't want to rub it in who won....but it was PAPA!!!!

After we headed back to the cabin, Rob and Abigail went out for a special father/daughter boat ride.

Then Abigail found her new favorite activity...jumping off the pier!  She loved swimming in the lake.  She starts swimming lessons next week and I am excited to see how she does this year!

It was a great weekend full of lots of playing!!!!

A random picture of Caitlin's first time at the Carol Stream pool!  She loved it so much!  She was crawling everywhere in the zero depth area of the pool!

My loves

Last week we met Nicole, Joey, and Jack at the Garfield Conservatory in Chicago.  It is such a great place to explore, and it's free!  We'll def. be back there, especially in the winter.  It'll be like an outdoor escape. 

This week, we decided to declare war on this ridiculous amount of rain...so we headed to the Dupage Children's Museum on Monday.  It was Caitlin's first time really being able to play and explore. 

She's at the perfect age for lots  more trips there!!!

"Look Mom, I'm standing!"

In the past 2 weeks, the girls really started playing together.  As Rob says, it's probably the thing that makes me happiest in life!

Uh, a bathroom door????  I know, it's weird.  But it's the first time Abigail ever went into a bathroom by herself (they have kiddie bathrooms) and she seemed very old to me!  I think she's offically ready for preschool!

Abigail 2.5, Caitlin 7 mo

Flashback:

Abigail 2, Caitlin 2 mo

And last but not least, check our our new ride!!!!  Our Swagger Wagon!  It's a Honday Odyssey, and we LOVE it!  The color is slate green (it looks silver).  This weekend it'll be making it's first of many, many, many trips to Indiana!!!!  IAnd I'm pretty sure I'll be driving while the 3 kids are in the back watching movies (2 little kids, 1 really big kid)!

"Wagon Queen Family Truckster...You may hate it now, but wait till you drive it!"

"It's a beaut, Clark!"
"Now, I owe it to myself to tell you, Mr. Griswald, that if you are thinking of taking the tribe cross-country, this is your automobile."

***Insert your own National Lampoon Family Vacation quote here!*****

We love Stanley....Cup that is!!!!

Rob and his dad had an amazing time at the Hawks Stanley Cup game!  It really was a once in a lifetime experience for them...and to be able to watch the Hawks win their last home game before winning their 1st Stanley Cup in 49 years was priceless!!!!!

Make some room...there's a new banner coming in!!!!!

"Tuh, duh, duh-duh!"

While the boys watched the game...the girls ate these to show support!!!!