Amazing Weekend

Wow, look at me - posting twice in the space of a week. I'm a regular blogging powerhouse! ;)

Actually, it was just such a wonderful weekend that I really wanted to write about it. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

Friday night, we went to the family bingo fundraiser at Sadie's school. We went last year for the first time and had such a good time that we were pretty excited to go back. Let me just say that this event isn't for everyone. It is crowded, noisy, chaotic and raucus - probably exactly why we love it! Seriously, I just get a kick out of seeing everyone come out to support the school. It is a nice chance to socialize with other parents and the kids love 'competing' and picking out their crappy, dollar-store prizes when they win. As a bonus, I love seeing Sadie work the room - running over and greeting all the kids she knows and just generally acting as if she owns the place. She has really blossomed so much out of the shy kid who was so intimidated by crowds not too long ago. Anyway, as if the night wasn't fun enough - our family ended up winning the 'grand finale' round and scoring $50. Go Team Cotler!

Saturday, I took Sadie ice-skating as part one of Abby's birthday celebration. Four girls, four moms. Oh. my. goodness. Thank goodness we had a 1-1 ratio - those girls got out on the ice and it was just a tangle of slipping and sliding limbs everywhere. It was a lot of fun, though, and by the end, Sadie was really catching on and skating unassisted (well, with frequent visits to the wall to steady herself). I had gone to a pilates class right beforehand, and the combination of the class and the workout I got skating (first time in probably 25 years) had me feeling it pretty good by Saturday evening.

That evening was part two of Abby's celebration. Carolyn and Kenny had a big crowd over for pizza, presents and adult beverages. We had a great time hanging out with some parents we already know pretty well, and some we got to know better while the whole gaggle of kids just ran wild all night. Good times!

I was feeling it (the drinking and the skating soreness) when I woke up on Sunday. But, we had a packed day ahead of us, so no time to lie in bed and recover. We had Evan's parents over for breakfast, then got our act together and headed in to the city for the day. The weather was perfect and we had a super easy trip in, picked up Jeff and headed up to the Bronx Zoo. The kids loved it (as did we). We then headed back down to Jeff's apartment and made a great dinner and celebrated the fantastic news that Jeff and Anonda are expecting!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for them.

We came back late last night, and after transporting to sleepy kids from car to bed basically just collapsed into bed ourselves. I got nothing done that I was planning on doing this weekend as far as errands and chores (oy, the laundry pile is frightening as this point), but it was just a glorious weekend all around, that sometimes you gotta just go with it. We were all exhausted this morning (no one got enough sleep all weekend) so I'm going to make a real effort to tone it down this week and have some quiet evenings and early bedtimes and hopefully we'll all be back on track in no time.

The better the weekend...

The harder the Monday! It was a great weekend - and went by much too quickly.

Friday, I had the day off, as did Sadie. We decided to have a 'girls' day', complete with lunch out, a movie (Up) and a little shopping. It was a lot of fun, and so nice to spend such an extended bit of time with just Sadie. I did feel a little guilty, though, when I picked up Eden. Such is the plight of us moms with more than one child, I suppose. Anything good and special with one, is usually marred by the feeling of guilt over what the other one isn't getting to do. Ah well...it was a good day.

Saturday we went to a 1st birthday party for one of our neighbors. My, oh my...what a party! We had intended to just go for a bit to be polite, but we ended up staying for seven hours. First of all, this was like no other first birthday party I've ever been to. There were a zillion people there. Someone counted and reported that at one point, there were 47 kids there. Tons of food and the liquor flowed (and flowed!)...a bounce castle for the kids...definitely a good time. We stumbled home just in time to get the kids to bed and everyone slept late, late, late on Sunday.

Yesterday, aside from being a picture perfect day, weatherwise, was our 11th anniversary. The girls insisted on making us breakfast (toast) and we spent most of the day at the beach. It was lovely - the perfect day and the perfect way to celebrate our family.

A glimpse into the future?

So, this blog really has become the 'weekend update' forum, but hopefully, it is still accomplishing what I set out for it to do 2 years ago...namely, keep a record of our life during these special years with the kids.

Anyway, that said, this past weekend was really nice, but it definitely gave me a look into what life is probably going to be like in the not so distant future.

Saturday morning we were lazing about in our PJs, thinking about what we might do on such a rainy day. I was in the kitchen and walked into the den to see Eden chatting away on the phone. Note to anyone who ever calls our house - I am so, so sorry. It is impossible to beat Eden to the phone, and half the time I don't even hear it ring before she has picked it up and trapped some helpless caller into a conversation. And oh yeah, furthermore, if your number is programmed into our phone, chances are good you have been the recipient of one of Eden's mad dialling sessions. Yeah, sorry about that.

Anyway, turns out it was Carolyn on the phone, calling to see if the girls wanted to come over and play with Abby and Joey. Of course, they were all over that, so they were dressed and on their way over in no time. Suddenly, I had a free afternoon - what a novelty! I ended up going grocery shopping, visiting my aunt, then hitting the gym, then coming home and doing some cleaning. Cleaning, it turns out, goes MUCH faster when there aren't two little people with endless interruptions around. I even finished early enough to have time to just sit and read. Crazy! By the time Eden came home at 4, I was overjoyed to see her - it was nice, but too weird to be in the house without the kids for so long.

Sadie ended up staying for dinner and a sleepover at Abby's, so we didn't actually see her until almost noon on Sunday. I missed her! On the one hand, it seemed kind of inconceivable that these children could be old enough to be away from me and Evan (outside of school/daycare) for so long. On the other hand, I have to say, it was kind of neat to realize that they day is coming (maybe it has come already?) when the kids are growing up enough that spending time with Evan and me isn't always going to be their first choice of activity. It is bittersweet, I think. It certainly made me cherish the afternoon we spent with them yesterday that much more, realizing that the weekends of all kids, all the time, are probably numbered.

We spent the afternoon up at Sandy Hook, just playing and exploring the cove side of the hook. The weather turned beautiful in a really sudden and unexpected way, so it was great to be out and enjoy it.

All in all, it was another great weekend. Often, by Sunday night, I am ready to head back to work and a change of pace from the weekend, but I don't feel that way now. That must be a sign that I'm getting ready for summer vacation, right?

City Fun

Saturday we spent the entire day in the city. It was so much fun. We headed up early to go visit Lisa and family out in Queens. The trip was really smooth until we got stuck in traffic for the last 5 miles or so of the BQE. The girls were actually really patient with it - Evan, not so much.

Lisa's baby is so adorable. She's just at that age (almost 3 months) where she's smiling and so snuggly and has that heavenly sweet baby smell. I had a good time getting my baby fix on cuddling and feeding her. I even got spit up on (it's been a while!).

Mid-afternoon, we cruised into Manhattan and parked near Jeff's apartment. There is a great park nearby (Madison Square Park), so we hung out there and let the girls play on the playground and just enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon. We then headed up to Jeff's apartment and spent the rest of the evening there.

The girls were both so incredibly well-behaved...it was a pleasure having them there. I guess we really have moved on from the baby years now that we can spent 12+ hours in the city without having to worry about naps and diapers or finding specific things to do to entertain them. They both crashed out almost as soon as we got in the car to come home, which also made for a quiet drive home.

Yesterday was a productive day as far as cleaning the house and doing yardwork. Evan and I have become a really good team as far as knowing what needs to get done and just doing it. In the space of two hours we cleaned the whole house top to bottom. We then let the girls just hang out and play outside while we began the first of what will probably be many days of spring cleaning the yard.

All in all, it was a great weekend. We were all exhausted, though - I don't think anyone in the house was awake after 9pm last night.

And so, a new work week begins. This one should be MUCH less busy than the one that just passed.

Weekend Recap: We are really on a roll here!

It was another really great weekend, with a bonus snow day on Monday, to boot.

Friday night we had dinner at Evan's parents' house. For as close as we live to them (five minutes away), we don't see them as often as you would think. So, it is really nice to get together on Friday evenings and catch up.

Saturday, Evan spent the whole day up in Brooklyn, brewing beer with his friend Jeff. I did manage to get out and have a good run before he left, so I felt like a tiny bit of the day was actually mine, if that makes sense.

I had been a bit apprehensive about how the day was going to go, being on my own with the girls all. day. long. I'll admit it, I rely heavily on having Evan around to co-parent - I am spoiled. Anyway, it ended up being a really good and busy day. we ran errands in the morning, then headed to a playground after lunch. We stopped by my parents' house (close to the playground we went to), so Eden could catch some zzzzz's. Mid-afternoon, we met up with my friend Cara and her family for some play and pizza dinner. The kids really had a good time, and we got home and ready for bed without a hitch.

Sunday I attended a baby shower for my neighbor (baby is six weeks old already). It is always nice to get together with the n'hood girls and I got a nice 'baby fix' and got to hold a snuggly and sleeping baby Isabelle.

Yesterday we woke up to almost a foot of snow on the ground. The day was spent shoveling, playing in the snow, baking, and watching movies. I even managed to get in some reading and a nap of my own - I guess the times really are changing in our house, and the girls are getting big and independent enough for me to have some down time while they are awake. Sadie must have spent 4 or 5 hours outside playing in the snow with Abby. She was in heaven. When she woke up and looked outside she said, "It's a Waltham day outside!" I'll say this for the snow, it sure wears the kids out (especially Eden who had to work so hard just to walk around in it), and they were happy to go to bed last night. It also wore the dog out (or, maybe tying a harness to him and making him pull the girls around on a sled did it...). In any event, all the young'uns in our house were happily snoozing at an early hour last night.

So anyway, here I sit on a Tuesday morning with a load of stuff to take care of this week. Best get to it.

Wish they all could be this good.

The weekend was just so good. I think we're on a two week streak here ;)

Friday, I volunteered in Sadie's classroom to help out with the Valentine's Day party. It was a lot of fun - I love seeing all the kids in their element. I'm so thankful that my job is flexible and close by so that running over for an hour or two is possible.

Saturday was lip synch rehearsal (the dress rehearsal is tomorrow night, and the show is on Friday!), then errands. Saturday night, we took the girls out for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. Honestly, it was the best VDay I've had in ages. We went to Old Man Rafferty's - Asbury Park was hopping, with all the stores open late and lots of people out and about. The girls were so excited to be going to a 'fancy' restaurant. The food was good, the atmosphere was great and the girls were on their best behavior. Who could ask for more? It ended up being a late night (for them), but it worked out ok.

Yesterday was go, go, go from the second I opened my eyes. We headed to Philly to squeak in a visit to the Please Touch museum before attending an afternoon birthday party nearby. The museum was really cool, though it was packed. It might have been more aptly called the Please Wait in Line museum. In any event, the girls loved it, and I had been wanting to get there, so it made sense to do it on a day when were headed that way anyway.

From there, we headed to Lyd and Stephen's to celebrate Sofia's first birthday party. I can't believe she is one already! It was a nice party and filled with pizza and cake, we loaded the girls in the car and I guess the food and the day wore them out, so they both slept most of the way home. Bliss!

We ended the weekend with a thrown together dinner, a bubble bath and two very sleepy kids. Utterly satisfying!

I'll take another, please.

Weekend, that is. It was such a good one that I would like to just bypass the workweek and head into another.

In keeping with my plan for the year, Friday night I met up with some friends of mine that I haven't seen in 18 years. No, that's not a typo. Eighteen years. It was a mini-reunion of the sleep away camp crew, and it was so great to connect again.

Yours truly, Suzanne and Elana.

Saturday, I took the girls out to lunch, and it was actually a lot of fun. Lots of giggles - definitely one of those times that you envision when you realize you're having a daughter and hope that you're getting a friend, if that makes sense. My girls can be such a trip sometimes. Then, Sadie and I dropped off Eden at home for her siesta and went to visit Aunt Leila. It was a good visit, and she has made so much progress in two weeks. I left feeling really proud of the work she is doing and hopeful that she is going to make a remarkable recovery.

The weather was gorgeous so after we got home, I took advantage and went for a run. I hadn't run outside since December and it was really, really cool to see how much progress I'd made since I last ran that route. I kicked that run's ass, I'm proud to say.

Saturday night we did a repeat of last weekend and held another 'family movie night', which the kids think is just the cat's meow. After we put the kids to bed, we did the cleaning for the week, and knocked out the laundry, mopping, bathrooms and even steam cleaned the carpets. I am so much calmer and happier when that stuff is taken care of. I wish I could just let it go and not worry about it, but I have accepted that I can't. Good thing for me, Evan has also accepted that I can't, and he pitches in and gets it done, too.

Yesterday was all about family. We had Evan's parents over for a bagel brunch, then hit a playground, then went to my parents house for dinner. I probably did too much eating, but that's life. I'm back on the wagon today. And, that's the rundown on the weekend. Hoping the week flies by and we can head into another one.

Happy Monday

Indeed! It was a really good weekend and looks to be an equally good and busy week.

First up - my eating/exercising progress. The good news is, I'm sticking to it and it seems to be working.

First, the eating. It has gotten progressively easier each day to eat a bit less, and I don't feel nearly as hungry overall as I did a week ago. I've been journaling everything and it has been a great tool for looking and seeing how I'm doing. there is nothing like writing down "Chocolate Chip cookie - 220 calories" to make me realize that I could have made a better choice. I am definitely stopping to think (and calculate) before I eat and it has made a big difference.

Keeping healthy choices on hand at all times has been key. I've kept the kitchen stocked with fruit, nuts, yogurt, whole grain breads, brown rice...I even experimented with two new Weight Watchers recipes for dinner last night (Butternut Squash Risotto and Baked Zucchini Sticks w/marinara sauce) and they were really good. The kids even gobbled everything right up. so, I'm super happy with how that is going.

Next, the exercise. Good news there, too. I have been hitting the gym almost every day. I did even make it there both days of the weekend. I seem to have suddenly hit my stride (literally and figuratively) with running. I am now easily running 1.5 miles, and am eager--impatient, really--to push it further. I am staying true to the C25k program, though, and not rushing ahead. I've also been just casually doing arm work with my 3 lb. weights while I'm watching tv in the evening. Also, the kids are always up for a family competition of DDR, so that gets me moving, too.

So, food and activity are good...and the BEST part of all is that I stepped on the scale this morning to see that I am down 3.5 lbs from a week ago. Woohoo! I still need 3 more to go to get back to where I was before I got pregnant with Sadie, and about 8-10 more to get to where I really want to be, but I am encouraged and motivated.

Other weekend updates...lots of socializing for the kids this weekend. Eden had a birthday party to attend and Sadie had a friend from school over yesterday afternoon. In between we managed to do the usual weekend stuff - housecleaning, food shopping...I also brought the girls to visit my aunt yesterday. I think they were a little nervous and unsure about it, but I could tell Sadie was relieved to have done it and seen that although she is different in some ways, she's still Aunt Leila. She seemed really happy that I brought the kids, so I think I'll try to do that more often.

Oh, and Sadie and I had a movie date on Saturday - saw "Hotel for Dogs". It was cute. Wouldn't have been my first choice of a movie, but she liked it and it was nice to get out with just her.

Looking ahead at the week - I'm meeting Priya for coffee tonight. Can't wait to see her and catch up. Then, just lots of the usual running around for Sadie (lip sync rehearsal, another playdate with Victoria, Brownie meeting) and I'm sure it will be the weekend again before I know it.

Anyway, off to get some work done...

Weekend Update

I want to get back in the habit of doing these, as so much of the memory-making stuff I want to be capturing happens on the weekends. So anyway, this past weekend was nice. Thursday, Eden had a bout of a stomach virus and spent most of the day puking. I have to say, that girl may be feisty and keep me on my toes most of the time, but she is a dream to take care of when sick. No complaints, no whining/crying...just lean over, throw up in her bucket and go back to whatever she was doing. Thankfully, the virus only lasted a day, so our weekend plans weren't impacted.

Saturday we attended Chris and Pearl's birthday(s) party. It was fun to get together with all the high school friends and to see our kids interact. Sadie discovered fluffer nutter sandwiches, and life may never be the same for her again.

Yesterday, Sadie had an all day birthday party to attend, which gave us an opportunity to spend the day with just Eden, which was really nice. We did some shopping and then visited the Popcorn Park Zoo. Of all the animals she saw (lions, tigers, bears, camels, deer...), she seemed to enjoy the sheep the most. Go figure.

Anyway, it was a busy one and it went by very quickly. I'm glad this is a short work week....

Spectacular

The weekend was really great, overall. Highlights:

• Sadie's birthday party! I think we found just the right formula this year (just a few friends, dinner out and then back to the house for make your own sundaes and presents). She was so happy and comfortable, and it seems like everyone had a great time. As a bonus - my house wasn't trashed (woot!) and it didn't really cost much more than if the four of us had just gone out for dinner (double woot!).
• Sadie's big day in NYC. Her grandparents took her in to see Mary Poppins, which she loved. My MIL said the look on her (Sadie's) face when the lights dimmed and the orchestra drumming started was just priceless.
• A gorgeous beach day! At this time of year, any days spent on the beach are precious, so yesterday was a nice treat. It was beastly hot and humid at our house, but there was a great breeze at the beach, and the water was perfect. Eden, my mom and I had a nice 'girls day' out there.
• The Oyster Fest in Asbury Park. Even though we got there too late for oysters, we enjoyed good food, good beer and great music. It was great to see the city buzzing with people out enjoying themselves. Definitely a good time.

All in all, a great weekend.

Hot.

It is steamy, steamy hot here. So much so that the schools are closing early. We spent the better part of the weekend either at the beach or in the air-conditioned house, as doing anything else was made unbearable by the heat.

We did set up the girls' kiddie pool yesterday morning so they could take a 'dip'.


As you can see, they loved it, and don't seem bothered by the heat. Eden did decide at some point that Buddy had the right idea and decided heading inside to lay on the cool tile floor and pant was just the ticket.



Another highlight of the weekend was that we celebrated our tenth anniversary! I can't believe it has been 10 years...it really has gone by so quickly. Anyway, we had a great dinner out at a new (to us) place in Belmar, and than capped the evening off with a lovely walk on the boardwalk.

Sadie was playing with my camera this weekend, snapping pictures of random things, and I thought this one was apropos, given the occasion.

There's always a silver lining

I am sitting here reflecting on the really great weekend that is drawing to a close. It was full of the things that I enjoy the most - beautiful weather, activity, down time, and family. In spite of an iffy weather forecast, Saturday turned out to be a gem of a day. We got to try out our kick ass new trail a bike, and it is a huge hit. We did a nine mile ride, and Sadie pedaled almost the entire way. I couldn't see her but Evan said she had an enormous grin on her face the entire time. We also hit a great playground down in Spring Lake and enjoyed lunch out at Sadie's new favorite, Schneider's. During our bike ride, we took a brief break and stopped in to visit my aunt and uncle. I hadn't seen them since February (my bad), so it was good to catch up. Saturday night, we had my parents over for dinner.

Today was, true to forecast, cold and crappy out. But, it was the perfect day to catch up on laundry, vacuum, organize the toy shelves in the den, go grocery shopping and bake brownies. All things that needed to be done (well, I guess we didn't really need the brownies...), and so it is good to know that the week is going to start on an organized foot. We went over to Jen and Jason's for dinner, and the girls were all adorable together. At the end of the evening, Eden and Sophia went to hug and kiss goodbye, and the sight of each of them puckering up and leaning in was hilarious. I'm really looking forward to the two of them spending lots of time together this summer, as they are pretty darn cute together.

Anyway, as I sit here thinking about what a nice weekend we had, I'm remembering that this weekend was the original date we had planned on for our 'couples only' trip to the tropics. And, while the thought of lying on a beach somewhere and enjoying quiet time with Evan is pretty appealing, I'm not sure that it would give me the same warm, fuzzy, and satisfied feeling that my decidedly NOT couples only weekend does. If I were there, now, I wouldn't have had this wonderful weekend here.

What a great weekend

Great weather, lots of family, and too much good food were the recurring themes of the long weekend.

We woke up to an unseasonably warm day on Thursday, so we were able to get in a good bike ride down to our favorite playground on the beach before the foodfest began. The good weather continued through the weekend (though, it did turn colder), and we were able to get out to various playgrounds each day. The girls are finally getting really good at playing together, so it was extra pleasant to be out.

Sadie and Eden got a kick out of the various cousins they encountered over the weekend - and much running, shrieking and laughing ensued. Kids really do make the holidays that much more special, I think.

I ate way too much over the entire weekend, and so today, without delay, I'm getting back to the gym to try to do some damage control. Between the actual Turkey Day meal, the dinner we had at Evan's dad's house the next night, the dinner party we hosted on Saturday evening, and the Syrian food fest we made last night, I think I consumed enough calories and fat to sustain me for weeks. Almost makes a colon cleanse sound appealing. Almost ;)

Here's a few pictures from the weekend:

Whew!

It's Sunday night, and sitting here, sipping a glass of wine and catching up on a bit of blogging is pretty much the first bit of 'down time' (aside from sleeping) I've had all weekend. The weekend was supposed to be very different than how it turned out. We were scheduled to head down to Maryland on Friday for my niece's first birthday party. We were totally looking forward to it, and worst of all, had yet again made the mistake of psyching Sadie up for a trip.

Wednesday evening, Eden seemed to be coming down with a cold. I was worried that it wouldn't be a good idea to expose my niece and the entire party to my snot-nosed kiddo, so I checked with my sister-in-law to get a read on it. Turns out, the guest of honor (Kayeigh) was sick, too. :( She had a fever, diagnosed as a viral infection by the doctor. So, Alyssa and I each reassured eachother that we were fine with getting the kids together, and we still planned to go, as of Thursday afternoon. So, Thursday evening, we have dinner with my mom, and in the course of that meal, the two of them (Evan and my mom) pretty quickly convinced me that it wasn't a good idea to go. The following terms made their way into the conversation "always sick", "usually turns into an ear infection", "Maryland has a new set of germs for her to be exposed to" and "Remember last Thanksgiving?!?!?". Anyway, we made the decision not to go.

As I understand it, Kayleigh rallied and recovered enough to be the belle of the ball on Saturday. So, I did have some regrets about not going. But, and maybe this was said simply to make me feel better (it worked, BTW), my MIL told me this evening that she thinks K still isn't herself and that it was probably better for all involved (meaning K, S, and E) that we didn't go.

So, anyway we found ourselves in an unusual situation -- with an entire weekend stretched out in front of us without a single obligation or plan. Pretty rare for us, and admittedlly, a little daunting (I have this thing where I really hate to just be hanging around the house endlessly on the weekend...the kids just end up fighting and driving me crazy). All in all, I think we did pretty good as far as figuring out some last minute things to do (a trip to PetSmart to buy and set up a fish tank for the girls*, a beautiful four mile hike at Hartshorne Woods, lunch out at the Windmill, an impromptu pitcher of Sangria and resulting intoxication during dinner Saturday night**, a whole bunch of yardwork - pruning, fall cleanup of beds, and raking leaves, and a "midnight" walk*** around our neighborhood so the kids could finally use the neon lightsticks someone gave them to use for ToTing--with DST being extended a week and OT enforcing an early curfew, we were long done before dark).

Now, finally, the kids are in bed, the husband is watching something incredibly boring on TV, and I'm just enjoying the quiet, and getting mentally prepared for the workweek. Work has been...interesting...recently, and I'm gearing myself up for a stressful week. I don't like to blog about work, for fear of being dooced (BTW, I'm so addicted to her blog - check it out!), so ask me in person about what's going on, and I'll gladly talk your ear off about office politics, personality disorders, and potential promotions. But for now, I'll leave you wondering, and bid you goodnight.

*I totally dodged a bullet on this one. Sadie was nagging for a dog, and Evan has been itching for one. I have been the solitary holdout on this one, for years now. I do love dogs, and I know if we had one, I'd love it, but I have to say, I've been loving my dog-free house for quite some time now, too. Anyway, this weekend, they both started in again, and so, privately, to Evan (for once, I had the sense not to open my yap in front of Sadie), I relented and said we should go take a look at the SPCA. He got all excited, and began looking at the profiles of dogs on their site. After about 20 minutes, though, he came into the den and announced we were going to PetSmart to get...FISH! Sadie, of course, was all excited, and as soon as I got him alone, I asked what about the dog? And, he said that he started thinking about having to constantly take a dog out, and clean up 'accidents' and vacuum endlessly, and treat for fleas, and clean up steaming piles in the backyard, and suddenly, a fish seemed like a better idea. To which I replied, "Are you sure? Because I'm agreeing right now to getting a dog...". So, how cool is that? I totally look like the cool wife, and WE'RE NOT GETTING A DOG ANYTIME SOON.

**Just felt the need to clarify that no, we did not serve a family style pitcher of Sangria. The girls drank water with dinner, and Evan at least stayed sober enough to get them to bed. I, on the other hand...

***Ok, so it wasn't really midnight...in fact, it was about 6:30 pm, but man! This end of DST is really throwing things off. It felt like the middle of the night, and since the girls can't tell time yet, how cool to hang that over their heads all day "if you're really good, if you clean up the den, if you eat all of your brocolli...we'll let you stay up extra late tonight and take a midnight walk around the neighborhood with your glow sticks. Worked like a charm ;)

Monday, Again.

The weekend just flew by so quickly. Sometimes, I get really freaked out about how quickly time is just passing. It seems like it just gathers momentum the older I get, the faster it goes.

Anyway, so, the weekend. It was nice and fairly mellow. Friday night we had dinner with Evan's parents, and then I think I was in bed by 9pm. Saturday morning was spent grocery shopping and catching up on the laundry and other exciting things. We spent the afternoon out at a birthday party for one of Sadie's friends, and had a quiet evening at home.

We went apple picking yesterday - but it was kind of cold and all of the apples were on the ground already, so it wasn't quite the idyllic fall experience we thought it would be. Then, we had friends over for an early dinner (Sadie's friend Olivia's family) and called it a night. I think as of this morning, I'm finally caught up on sleep and reacclimated to the time zone. This week is pretty busy, between catching up at work and assorted appointments and commitments for the kids, so blogging may be kind of sparse.

Monday Report

We had such a great weekend, and it went by much too quickly. It was one of those weekends that you fantasize about when you first think about having a baby...nothing but pleasant, happy kids and fun, family-oriented activities. Of course, the reality of parenting isn't usually like that, so to get an entire weekends of it was just...all the more wonderful.

Friday night, we went out to dinner with my parents. I had some reservations about doing it, since we weren't able to get our act together until after 6, and I was afraid that the kids' timers would have popped before our meals came. However, they were both great, the entire time, and it was really enjoyable.

Saturday, they both treated us to a weekend sleep-in (they both slept until almost 9 - unheard of in these parts!). It was such a gorgeous day (I love this endless summer at the Jersey shore), so we were outside for most of it. Sadie and I planted some bulbs and did some fall cleanup in the yard. In the afternoon, we took a long bike ride down to the beach playground in Belmar. I can't believe how warm it was - there were tons of people on the beach.

We had S & L and their kids over for pizza and beer on Saturday evening. The four kids got along beautifully and it was such a nice evening. I remember being a kid and having tons of fun with the children of family friends, and it was so cool to see that happening with all of our kids. We ended up keeping the kids of waaaaay late and as a result...

They slept until almost 9 again on Sunday morning! Woohoo! I could get used to this. I know that this can't last, at least with Eden, so I'm just enjoying it for now. Yesterday was divide and play day for us. Evan, Sadie and my dad took a hike up at Terrace Pond. My mom and Eden and I went to this traveling petting farm and then out to lunch. We headed back to my mom's house for Eden's nap, and I sat outside in a lounge chair and snoozed - it was such a rare treat.

Last night, my parents babysat and Evan and I went out to dinner. We went to Moonstruck and had a great meal, though I definitely ate too much. Went to bed full and happy, in both stomach and heart. It really was a great weekend.

I leave for Seattle tomorrow, and it is nice to be leaving on a "I'm going to miss them all like crazy" note, instead of being excited to get a break. Well, I am excited to get a break, and it is going to be a fantastic trip, but, still. I'll miss them all like crazy :D

Our weekend had an identity crisis

Because yesterday we did the following:

Hit the beach, where it was hot, hot, hot.

Went to a fall festival, complete with hay rides and pumpkins and all that stuff.

Started buying Christmas presents.

Weird, huh?

In other weekend news, the birthday party was fun - the kids had a good time running around with the other kids, and it was nice to catch up with S____ and L_____ and some other people we knew there.

I had been a little nervous because the party was scheduled for 12:30, which conflicted with Eden's naptime (I have mentioned before that S and L don't ever worry about planning around their kids' nap needs, usually to disastrous results). Eden actually ended up falling asleep in the car on the way there, which is unusual for her, so I hung out in the parked car for an extra little bit so she could continue to sleep. She ended up with just enough of a nap to carry her through the afternoon in good spirits. I will say that every other toddler and preschooler there was simply miserable - I could see all of the other parents were having the same thoughts we were "why on earth does someone with small kids schedule a party in the middle of naptime?!?!"

Then, Saturday evening, I hosted my Simply Dish party. We had a great time, and our freezer is beyond full of meals now. Lydia came up for it, which was so great, and all of the women I invited seemed to click, even though most didn't know eachother.

So now back to the grind. Of course, I'm obsessing over the weather they are predicting for the next weekend. We have had day after day (week after week) of sunny weather. Now that we actually have specific plans that depend on good weather (our Lancaster trip), they are predicting cold, damp, rainy weather for Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the forecast is wrong or will change as we get closer.

Ok, so...the weekend

Friday night was a flurry of getting ready. Since I knew we would be gone all weekend, and I didn't want to start the new week behind as far as the normal weekend chorse, I felt compelled to add grocery shopping and housecleaning, in addition to packing, to the nights' activities. At the last minute, while packing, I realized that I couldn't find the tie Evan was planning on wearing. Since he isn't a dress up kind of guy, he only has one suit, and two dress shirt/tie combos. Shirt #2 was out at the drycleaners, and shirt #1 definitely does not work with tie #2, so, what does one do at 9pm on a Friday night when one needs a tie? One goes to Target, of course! Who knew Target had such a fantastic selection of mens' clothing?!? So, I found a great tie, got back home and managed to get to bed just after 11 - not bad, all things considered.



Isn't this a great looking tie? Picture it with a bright blue shirt and dark green suit. He looked great, if I do say so myself. This reminds me of something funny the pastor said at the wedding ceremony "when I asked Kristin and Matt to talk about their love for eachother, Kristin summed it up perfectly: 'Matt and I make so much sense. I showed him how to dress, and he taught me to sit down and breathe'. " LOL - that just speaks volumes, doesn't it?

We dropped the girls off at their grandparents' house by nine on Saturday, and hit the road. The ride was kind of long, but it was nice to just have the peace and quiet and be able to chat, or not, as we wanted. We stopped for lunch in Scranton (not exactly a booming town) where we got the giggles over the fact that there is a coffee place named "Sheetz". I looked everywhere for the Dunder Mifflin crowd there, but they were no where to be found.



So, we hit the road again and made it up to Syracuse by 2:30.

The wedding was really a lot of fun, and very beautiful. Kristin was engaged years ago, and due to get married just a few months before Evan and I. Right before the wedding, Ben (her college boyfriend) called it off and basically sent Kristin into a tailspin that took years to get over. So, it is especially nice to see that she has found, in Matt, a real partner in life. I'm so happy for her (them).

The reception was a blast - Kristin has this amazing ability to make and keep friends from every aspect of her life. She keeps in touch with just about EVERYONE from the college crowd, so it was great to see not only my good friends that I'm still in touch with, but also the people that I only see from time to time, and even more thrilling, some of the people I haven't seen since I graduated. Of course, seeing Lyd (who is just about the cutest preggo I've ever seen) and Lisa was the best of all. I told Lisa I'm getting spoiled, since I've seen her three times in two months. It was a lot of fun to get to party with them (and, they both married such nice, fun, guys, too). And, it was defreakinglicious to get to sleep in, lounge around in bed, and stumble down to brunch at, what, for us, was unthikably late.

So, we got back to find kids who had a great time with their grandparents, but also missed us. As I mentioned, I think they've both got a touch of a virus, so there has been an extra amount of crying and whining since we've been back, but, thanks to a night away, I think both Evan and I feel refreshed and better equipped to handle it today.

More on the Party (and the weekend)

...anyway, as I was saying, the party was really good. I think Sadie got a real kick out of getting to show her friends how well she rides. She went off lead immediately, and was just tooling around the ring, controlling the horse beautifully.

The kids seemed to love the riding, too. I'm so glad we went with a smaller crowd and let them each have a mini-lesson (20 minutes) as opposed to a bigger group of kids and only a single ride around the ring.

Overall, it was a pretty low-key event. When they first arrived, they painted pumpkins. Then, they rode. As soon as a child was done riding, they got their face painted (patting myself on the back for that idea). Once all the kids were done riding, we had cupcakes and fruit, and then they got a little tour of the farm and got to feed the ponies.

And then, magically, the two hours had passed and they all left. It took us about 10 minutes to clean up (basically just rolled up all the plates and stuff in the table cloth and threw it in the trash - so easy) and viola! Party over and done.

I will never do a party at home again. This was so much easier and less stressful.

So, as for the rest of the weekend...

Saturday, the girls went with Grammy and Grampy to the kids' service at temple, so we had about an hour of quiet to ourselves (bliss). We spent a good part of the day running errands and getting everything set for the party on Sunday. Then, we went over to Evan's parents' house to break the fast (ha! we didn't fast, but we sure stuffed our faces as though we did). It was nice to visit with everyone, and we ended up staying out way too late, so we had some sleepy girls yesterday morning. Poor Eden got shortchanged out of much of a nap, due to the timing of Sadie's party, so I had figured I'd get her to bed early last night. Well, we ended up inviting friends over for dinner last night, and the girls were running around like banshees until almost nine - again, a super late night for them. Of course, Eden isn't big (smart?) enough yet to actually sleep much later in the morning to make up the difference, so come 6:30, she was up, and none too happy about it.

Tonight, definitely, is going to be an early night for both of them!

I'm Dragging Today

So very tired! It was a really good weekend, but very busy. To top it all off, I just didn't sleep well last night, and Eden woke at 6am, raring to go. Lately, we've been able to go in a rub her back for a second and just reassure her that we're still there and she'll go back to sleep for another hour or so. Of course, she wanted none of that action today. So, I've been up since 6, after a night of very little sleep. I'm already counting the hours until I can get to bed tonight (10 more!).

Yesterday, I took the girls to a birthday party of one of Sadie's former classmates, Jordyn. Her parents are really super nice, down to earth people, but they're also super wealthy, and so, with Sadie's party coming up soon, it is hard not to feel a little insecure about the party we're throwing for her, because all of the same kids will be at both. Last year, we had Sadie's party on a Saturday, and then Jordyn's party was the next day. I was so thankful it turned out that way, because Jordyn's party was a huge extravaganza, and Sadie's was pretty modest. This year was no different (they had a great kids' magician, rented a bouncy castle, and had everyone over for a pool party). In my heart, I know that the kids are going to have a great time at Sadie's party, but I worry a little bit that Sadie won't think it is anything super special, since she gets to ride horses every week.

In the late afternoon and evening, we had our neighborhood block party. That was definitely a good time! We have the best neighbors/neighborhood. The short stretch of Lake St. in front of our house was blocked off to traffic, and tables, chairs and grills were set up. Everyone brought their own meat to grill and alcoholic beverage of choice, and the the rest (side dishes and desserts) were potluck. The kids had a blast tearing around everyone's yards and getting to ride their bikes in the closed off street (without parental supervision-woot, woot!). The party ran until about 7:30 and then by the time we got everything cleared up and the kids bathed and in bed, it was close to nine. Even Sadie was dragging her tush this morning when I had to wake her.

Anyway, the week should be pretty quiet and uneventful (save for some back to school, meet the new principal event we need to attend tonight), so hopefully, we'll all catch up on some rest.