First Day of Kindergarten!

Sophie had her very first day of Kindergarten on Tuesday! Despite Mommy being a complete wreck before the big day, I was able to pull myself together and actually be excited for my little girl. She was so excited the moment she got up, jumping up and down and smiling nonstop. She has two whole days under her belt and she has loved every second of it. The best part of my day was hearing about how much fun she had......

Here she is posing before we left for school. So excited she can hardly contain herself.

Here she is in line to go to class. Tim and I cried like babies when she walked off and it took all my strength to not run up and peek in the windows to make sure she was ok! I was literally counting down the minutes to pick her up and find out what she thought of it....I know it's early, but I'm hopeful she will continue to love it!

Preparation is Key

I know last week I was all lovey dovey and saying how blessed I am on our anniversary....blah...blah. Just be prepared because this post may seem like it's written by a completely different person from last week, to the point where you may wonder if someone hacked into my computer a week ago. I am also fully aware I post about this subject on a yearly basis to the point where I should probably just cut and paste and save myself the time. But on a serious note, I think this year may be the absolute worst and I am typing as fast as I can because my feelings about it are very raw right now. Yes, folks, I'm talking about Fantasy Football. Year after year, this damn game produces new converts. "Oh Cheryl, I hated it too. But I finally decided to give it a try and whaddayaknow, I'm ADDICTED!" Fabulous....there's one less person to go shopping with to avoid all the mayhem. Anyway, it's about that time and I have decided to protect myself and meet with a professional to draw up a contract of some sort (all my lawyer friends, please call me...unless, of course, you are one of THEM). If I could, and don't put anything past me at this point, it would say something like this:

1) I, Tim, shall not lock myself in the bedroom with my laptop (or any laptop belonging to CHERYL) for 10 hours on Sundays or 4 hours on Monday evenings.

2) I, Tim, will not hover around Cheryl asking to use the computer because I will furnish my own laptop from work to check scores and receive real-time updates.

3) I, Tim, will avoid texting more than 50 times per day with my league buddies. And if I must, I will try not to giggle and share the text information with Cheryl assuming she will actually care.

4) I, Tim, will give 100% of any winnings to Cheryl to use on anything she wants.

5) I, Tim, am fully aware my wife may disappear without notice for the next 17 Sundays after football season. I shall not question nor complain.

So, these five just barely scratch the surface. I think I might be on to something here....

Cookie Monster Imposter

Tim takes pride and works very hard on his impersonations. Ok, maybe he doesn't work on them at all, but he definitely thinks they're good. He does a pretty good Mickey Mouse, Grover, Cookie Monster, Elmo, etc. I know there's many more, but I'll spare you the list. Sophie and Noah love it when he does voices too. Typically, they laugh hysterically and ask him to do it again and again and again. But for some reason, they HATE when he does it during story time. Sophie flat out told him she didn't like it when he read to her because he tried to use a different funny voice for each character. Apparently, this made the story much less entertaining and rather annoying to her. So, as Sophie usually does, she bluntly told Daddy he needed to stop.

Well, the other night, Tim is reading to Noah before bed and Noah chooses a book about Cookie Monster. Naturally, Tim thinks Noah would love it if he read it in his Cookie Monster voice. Hmmm, think again. After not even one page, as Noah is sitting on Tim's lap, he turns around and puts his hand on Tim's mouth and said firmly, "DON'T." Hysterical. Tim is dying laughing while Noah is visibly irritated and wanting him to read the story with his Daddy voice. Sorry Tim, I think the kids have spoken.

Who's the Boss?

Sophie and Noah love visiting Daddy's office and we tend to go often since he likes to check on things in the evening. They raid his secretary's candy jar, write notes all over his desk, and basically rearrange everything so Daddy has a hard time finding anything! They pretty much come and leave like a tornado, but Daddy doesn't mind!

Sophie pretending she's boss!

Noah ran in because he didn't want to be left out! He's in charge too!

Seven Years

Married seven years, together almost fourteen. Tim and I cleaned out the attic a few days ago and came across a ton of old photos from college. It's nice to know we look EXACTLY the same.....I mean, if "exactly" means fourteen years older and two kids later. And since 30 is the new 20, I'm really only 21. But really, let's not get sidetracked (ok, maybe it's just me).

Seven years ago today Tim and I vowed to be there for one another, in good times and in bad. We certainly have experienced both, but do our best to focus on the good while learning from the bad. We continue to grow on a daily basis as we navigate this journey as individuals, partners, and parents. Today, I am especially thankful and blessed. Happy Anniversary Tim! Love you always.

Not Cool

Noah was spending some time in the thinking corner for doing something completely opposite of what I asked and Sophie thought it would be funny to take a picture of him in his misery. Unfortunately, the good Mom I am, had no idea she took the picture until I went through my camera. Next time she does some hard time in the corner I think I'll let Noah pay her back.

Just a Tad Behind

I don't know if I can keep up this blog thing. I'm going to be hitting my third year as a blogger pretty soon and I can barely keep up with my life in real time, let alone remember to document it on a regular basis! But have no fear, I will do my best and keep posting (even if events occurred over a week ago....kinda like the pictures I'm posting below). What's a week going to matter when we're looking back on this five years from now? Anyway, my parents came out to visit last week and the kids loved spending time with them!

Mama and Papa with the kids.

Sophie and Noah proving to Mommy that they love each other!

TGIF

I am back to caring about what day of the week it is...my summer has come and gone and I have returned to work :( Usually, I anticipate this and blog about my dread for a good three weeks before I have to go back. This time, it snuck up on me and before I knew it I was putting on clothes that I haven't seen since June (thank God they fit!). I still am wearing flip flops for the next two weeks because I am not ready to give that up yet. Oh yes, I can make flip flops look professional. I'm going to try and wear make-up next week....I have to ease into these things. I figure I'll be ready to really work by October!

Happy Birthday Grammy!

So many birthdays in one week! Happy Birthday Grammy! Hope your day was as fabulous as you are! We love you!

They do like each other!

Some days I feel like all I do is referee their fighting, so it's important to document moments like this when they can actually sit in the same chair without screaming or hitting one another! I have to admit they get along most of the time, but on the not-so-good days I feel like popping a bottle of wine open at 9am. Thank goodness they're cute!

Happy Birthday Goppie!

We hope you have the best day ever! Wish we could be there to help you celebrate. WE LOVE YOU!

Palm Springs '09

Our girls vacation came and went so quickly! We had such a blast in Palm Springs. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard, any tension or stress quickly left my body the moment we arrived, and my spirits were lifted the second I saw my wonderful girlfriends (missing our Meaghan who just had another baby! Congrats and we missed you!). Once again, I am reminded why I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. My heart is overflowing.

Here's Kelli checking out the balcony.....this is the pretty much the only outdoor picture I took!

Palm Springs has beautiful scenery, but Natalie and I thought taking pictures in the car was far more appealing.

Natalie will do anything to be the center of attention, including doing an impression of Aunt Jemima in a Mexican restaurant.

Reunited with our dear friend, Amy. She met up with us in Palm Springs.....funny how an entire lifetime can pass us by, but put us in a room together and we suddenly pick up right where we left off.

All together!