Ohio 2009: Day 1

We spent our first full day visiting the great grandmothers and other family members. The kids had a great time going from place to place and we finished off the afternoon swimming at Aunt Cricket and Uncle George's house! They had a blast! Here's Noah on top of Uncle John's shoulders.

The kids and us with their great Granny both above and below .

Finally! The kids were wiped out after seeing all of the family and then spending the afternoon swimming!

We made it!

We are here in Ohio! The kids were relatively good on the plane. No real mishaps, thank goodness! Unfortunately, neither of them fell asleep, but they seemed fairly occupied with everything going on around them! Tim, the kids, and I had to run to Wal-Mart to pick up a few essentials. I had to take this picture above, which was in the parking lot of Wal-Mart.....you know you're in Ohio when.....!

Just bring the kitchen sink too!

Play-Doh, Magnadoodles, markers, coloring books, stickers, individual DVD players with as many DVDs as possible, dum dums, bubble gum and other exciting snack items, Leapsters, puzzles, books, flashcards......am I forgetting anything? We are leaving for Ohio in a few days and I am finding my entire plan of action is geared around the plane ride only. I would also add drugs such as Benadryl to this list, but my kids are special and have the opposite reaction to such a drug. Please spare me the stories about how your children sleep the second they feel any sort of motion, mine do not and never have. There's a good chance they'll be done and bored with all 20 activities I have planned before we even leave San Francisco. Seriously, though, if I'm forgetting anything.....let me know!

Father's Day

Sophie and Noah think their Daddy is the absolute best....and I would definitely have to concur. There are so many special reasons he is loved, but a few of the bigger ones are:

• Sophie believes Daddy is the best handyman ever. According to her, he can fix EVERYTHING.
• Sophie knows her Daddy works on a golf course, but she brags more that her Daddy is a weather expert / weatherman. I can't even tell her what the weather is going to be....that is strictly Daddy's department.
• Noah loves nothing more than to rock in the recliner with his Daddy while watching any sport on TV.
• Noah, at only 2, understands the importance of college football season. He is his Daddy's mini-me.
• Daddy does an awesome Mickey Mouse voice. Grover and Elmo come in a close second.
• Daddy keeps us laughing ALL the time. I'll admit it....he's pretty funny.

We love you for all the reasons above and a thousand more. Thank you for all you do for us....

Bittersweet

Finally, I am out for summer break! That probably sounds completely pathetic as I am fully aware most people do not get a summer break from work, but I don't care.....I'm sooooo done with this school year! I felt a bit like a high school senior, except I'm the only one staying here while everyone else is going off to new places. As much as I celebrate having finished another year, I am also incredibly sad about having to say good-bye to wonderful people. A few of my close colleagues and dear friends may not be back, one due to choice but the others due to horrible budget cuts. Lindy is moving far, far away to Chicago and three others may or may not be coming back due to cuts. I am quickly reminded how much these individuals mean to me and how much I took for granted being able to see them almost every single day. I work in an amazing environment and these girls keep me laughing, sane, and have faithfully been there whenever I needed someone to confide in (one of the many perks of working with trained counselors!). 

It makes me sad to think I will not be able to gossip with them next school year, joke with them about anything and everything, and just see their smiles on a daily basis. I am forever grateful to have a job I love and I pray my dear friends who have suffered from these awful cuts are back again with me next year.  

Sleeping Beauty Part II?

Tim often likes to sneak away for a period of time. Except he's really not sneaking away from anyone as we all know what he is up to! I went into our bedroom shortly after putting Noah down for a nap and found him like this.....surrounded by five pillows, one on top of his face, and all cozy with Noah's Cars blanket. Really?

I'm over it.

Ok, here he is. It's not at a good angle and you can't see most of the mess-ups, but there you have it. He's bald. Thank goodness his hair grows quickly and he's looking much better already, but for a while there he was getting a lot of second and third looks.....a few laughs and giggles, possibly a couple of actual points with the finger to his head....you get the picture. I'm now telling people he got bubblegum in his hair and I had no choice....it makes for a better story but is also a flat out lie (j/k). Gosh, what I'll do to escape responsibility! 

What did I do?!

So I gave Noah a really bad haircut. I accidentally used the same setting I typically use on my dad and the second I took the clippers to his head, Tim let out a big gasp. He now calls him cue ball. I try to play it off and call it his summer buzz cut. Nonetheless, I can't show him on the blog yet. I need to wait until his hair grows and he looks like a toddler again, because right now I pretty much have to put sunblock on his head when he goes outside. I pray his hair grows before we go to Ohio and he meets most of the family for the first time! Don't worry, he's still adorable, but I'm the one who is slightly traumatized!

Think Like a Fish

Sophie started swimming lessons for the summer and she is really starting to come along! Other than the fact that she cannot stop talking and insists on having to get out of the pool to use the potty every single time, she is really becoming quite the swimmer. Thankfully, she has a great teacher, Samantha, who is very patient and knows how to work with Sophie and her personality! I'll take the credit too since her swim teacher is one of my former students;) 

Tim and I have been making sure she uses the potty before her lesson and encouraging her to try and hold it through her lesson if she feels the need to go (it's only a 20-minute one-on-one lesson!). The last time she had a lesson she didn't need to use the potty and she was so excited she asked us afterward, "Mommy, Daddy, did you see me not use the potty?" Too funny...

She does a great job swimming, but is currently working on how to come up for air and continue swimming.

Getting ready to jump in!

Sleeping Beauty

I had to take a chance at possibly waking her up because this is such a rarity I had to document it. Here's Sophie actually taking a nap....during the day....for an hour! This child has not napped since she turned three and she is typically nonstop. Seriously, she's nonstop with energy from the second she gets up until the moment she goes to sleep at night. Thankfully, she didn't wake up and enjoyed a decent nap on Daddy's recliner!

Congratulations Sophie!!!

Sophie successfully completed pre-school on Monday! Lots of emotions were going through my mind this week, but I was thankful to be completely present and happy for her on her last day. Prior to that, I spent a lot of alone time in the evenings looking through old photos and reading old blogs, from potty training to becoming a big sister, all of it has been so memorable and beautiful to look back on. I am trying my best to live in the moment and not be so scattered with our busy schedules, enjoy as much as I can in the present so I don't sit around in disbelief about how quickly my children are growing up. Unfortunately, a lot of this stuff sneaks up on you and I am often hit with the reality that I can't slow time down no matter how hard I try. I'm already feeling very grateful for this blog and for documenting such an important time in their lives. I can't wait to experience the next chapter as Sophie begins school, forms new friendships, and learns more about the world around her. We are so incredibly proud of her already and can't wait to enjoy this summer before she enters the big K. Congratulations my dear Sophia Hope.

Getting ready to show off everything they've learned!

Sophie with her good buddy, Emilie.

Sophie and Catherine.....is it just me or can you totally picture these two as high school graduates? Gosh, they look so mature!

Tee Time!

We decided to play a little golf this afternoon since the weather was finally cooperating. Unfortunately, my short game was not cooperating, but we made the most of it and had a lot of fun! It's nice that the kids are finally at an age where we can go out and actually hit a few holes without it being too chaotic! Here's a few cute photos of the kids during our outing.

Noah is training to be the youngest caddy at The Bridges. 

Noah walking around like he owns the place.

Auntie Michelle and Sophie chillin' in the golf cart.

Noah fought back when I accused him of cheating on his scorecard!

Rain!

California is best known for the amazing weather. A winter storm out here is probably known as a rain shower in most places. Yesterday, Sophie and Noah experienced thunder for the first time.....and not the knock-you-out-of-bed type thunder I've experienced in Ohio. This thunder was the tiniest rumble, barely heard, so faint in the distance it could be mistaken for Tim's growling stomach. Anyway, Sophie was completely freaked out and hid under a blanket for most of the event. Noah pretty much thought it was funny and still played outside with Daddy. If the weather Gods can do anything to make sure no thunderstorms occur while we're in Ohio, I'd appreciate it....thanks.

Sophie is anxiously awaiting the rain....this is before she heard thunder.

Noah trying to feel the raindrops.

Now they're just clowning around....

Ok....bored with the rain now...here's Noah giving Sophie a lift on the quad.

We're Still Here

Life has been crazy. My aunt is still recovering and staying at our house. She still can't look after the kids, so my dad has been coming out every week and watching them. Sophie and Noah are bunking together while my aunt is sleeping in Sophie's room. My dad is living in my family room. I still have two more weeks of work left and Sophie is sick again with an ear infection. On top of things, I have been working a couple of nights a week at work with events and such. There are moments like these when I can't stop and process the stress, otherwise I'll go insane. Anyway, we are surviving, thankful for my aunt's improved health, grateful to my Dad and his patience, and so excited that this school year is almost over!!! I thought I'd post some pictures of the kids in case the grandparents forgot what they look like;)