When Daddy's Away...

It's not often that Daddy has to go away for work, but when he does we miss him a lot. Last week, Joe spent three nights in Arkansas. On the first night, the girls and I (and Ollie) held down the fort by ourselves.  I'm not sure how I made it through that day with those little sad puppy dog eyes following me around the house. We all miss Joe, but Oliver acts like Joe will never come home. It takes him a full twenty four hours to even start eating again when Joe leaves.

"What did you do with him, Mom?"

In case you think I'm exaggerating...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5V0I5Hh9sQ

While Daddy was away, we held any schedule loosely and went with the flow, which meant an extra long bedtime with lots of stories! Ella insists on reading us at least one story (in addition to the others we read) every night before bed. She is also really loving the "If You Give a Mouse" series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZaah0dQ04

Who doesn't love the smell of a hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store?  When I bring one home for dinner, I can't keep little fingers from picking at it before it's time to eat. Oliver follows the bag around even if he can't see it.  I think it might be his favorite doggy treat. So, that is why I laughed out loud when I walked into the kitchen after dinner to find him strategically laying in the most awkward spot just so he was directly underneath the leftovers.

Thankfully we weren't alone for long! Grammy came to stay with us for two nights. Having an extra set of hands around was really helpful, but we especially enjoyed her company! (Thanks Grammy!!) The girls love when Grammy reads them books from her Kindle.

Oliver missed Joe, but by day two he was pretty happy to take advantage of the perks that came with Joe being gone. Ollie was more than willing to keep Joe's spot warm while he was away.

While Abby was at dance camp, Ella and I had a Barnes and Nobles date with Grammy.

After lunch and a little rest, we headed to a nearby splash pad. We all welcomed the refreshing cool down.

Nothing says summer like these faces.

And just like that, it was time to pick Daddy up from the airport. We spent the rest of the afternoon together, taking turns talking his ear off and filling him in on all that he missed. We couldn't have been happier to have him home with us again.

He's home! He's home! (Look at that tail wagging.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN2JabneJoM

The next day, Aunt Cyncy came for the weekend. We had planned her visit a few months before we knew Joe was going to be away, but thankfully he was able to make it back in time. Our weekend was packed with fun activities, starting with our traditional trip to Joe's Crab Shack for some crab and special desserts.

One of the main reasons for Aunt Cyncy's visit was for her to "cash in" her Christmas gift from us, which was a promised trip to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home and presidential museum. It was a beautiful day to take a trip to the Hudson Valley and enjoy the national park. We toured his home and museum and finished up our time with a yummy lunch in Uncle Sam's Canteen.

It was fun to see the girls try to understand the significance of what we were doing. While so many of the facts were above their heads, they were both pretty fascinated by the history they could understand. They asked lots of questions and processed lots of information like:

• What is a president?
• Elevators used to be operated with a hand operated pulley system and old wheelchairs were wooden. (Abby's favorite part of the trip.) 
• Ella: Mommy, are we going to die? M: ...at some point...yes. Why? E: Because I want people to come see our house when we die and not be able to touch things. Can I put one of those ropes in front of my room? I want them to see my house, but I don't want them to touch my stuff because it's mine.
• They both saw the bed where FDR's mother gave birth to him. That sparked some interesting conversation about why they didn't go to the hospital to get the baby out. 
• Ella observed every part of the house and museum with the question, "is this the (car, room, desk, bed) of the boy who died? 
• Abby was affirmed in her desire to never leave home when she grows up and gets married because FDR, Eleanor and their many children continued living with his mother as their family grew. 
• What is a war? Why would people want to throw bombs? 
• Wait, this used to be what telephones looked like? 

Proof that it really is never to early to spark curiosity and a desire to learn. Though the girls were on the younger side, they really enjoyed the day too! Our trip was a reminder to us that often the best gifts are the ones that give us lasting memories together. :)

The next morning, Abby lost tooth #2! 

On Sunday afternoon, it was Ella's turn for her birthday gift from Aunt Cyncy, making her very own Build-a-Bear. Ella has been waiting so patiently since her sister's birthday in January and her built up excitement made the experience that much more fun. She chose a colorful bear and named her "Hearts".

Abby brought Glitter along to meet her new friend, Hearts. The Build-a-Bear worker even gave Abby a new box and some hairbows for Glitter. It was a sweet time.

After a good rest, Aunt Cyncy made one of Abby's dreams come true with her first ride in a red convertible. Abby always tells us that when she is old enough to have her own car, she would like a convertible and a minivan. Her smile says it all.

Thanks for coming, Aunt Cyncy! :) 

Now the countdown is on...only six weeks to go...

Summer Snapshots

I haven't had many specific pregnancy cravings this time around. This is why when I woke up one morning and felt the need for some loaded frozen yogurt, we planned it right into our afternoon. I'd say this is one of the sweet perks of having a pregnant mom!

That's right...my toppings included crunchy nutella, cap'n crunch and even some chocolate covered pretzels. Yum!

A trip to Walmart complete with all my grandkids. Can we just note how big and realistic Ella's baby is? Now imagine all the looks I got walking through the store hugely pregnant, with a "real" baby in the front of my cart and two kids in the bucket of the cart. Can't forget to mention that within minutes of getting everyone into the cart, someone needed to use the bathroom.

pool date with our buddy Carter

Ella and Oliver.

I shared in an earlier post how Ella's pa-pa (pacifier) disappeared the night before her third birthday. After trying everything to console my soon-to-be three year old (including inventing a story about a Pa-pa Fairy who comes and takes pacifiers from big girls to give them to new babies), you can imagine my stress over never finding the lost pa-pa. I just kept praying that Ella wouldn't find it before we did. Thankfully, when all of the furniture was being moved around for painting I happened to go in and see this on the floor before Ella went back in to get her toys! Too close for comfort, but definitely glad I found the pacifier before Ella had a chance to regress. I sent this picture to Joe and we both sighed in relief.
 

When I came out from getting the girls to sleep and found this, it was safe to say it was going to be a VERY relaxed Friday night. Cat ladies get all the credit. I introduce to you...Dog man.

 Abby spent a week at dance camp playing with friends, crafting and practicing ballet and tap with her favorite teachers. After the first day, she couldn't stop talking about how she wished she could spend the whole day at camp rather than half the day. That's always a good sign of time well spent! :) The girls are already excitedly talking about the start of fall dance in just a few weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WmOTl7_9sA

It's really fun when Daddy wakes up on a Saturday morning and loads everyone up for a trip to the park/Farmer's Market. The only bummer is that I had to stay home and rest because my body needed a break. Ollie kept me company, as we relaxed in a quiet house.  I loved the pictures I got throughout the morning of the girls and Joe having a blast and exploring. They played for a while, visited the ducks, had their faces painted and ate lunch. They even came home with a loaf of fresh bread and blueberries for mommy! :)

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bRzFdcPKVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pup33VfwUsY

Summer Birthday Celebrations

For as long as I can remember, summers were always full of birthday celebrations beginning with mine at the start of June. Growing up, we celebrated my birthday in June, then my dad in July and then my mom and brother five days apart in August. Now, with both sides of the family, we have six family birthdays in July alone.

With all of our travels this summer, we planned a belated birthday celebration for my dad when we got back home. We love any excuse to meet up for a family dinner. This cute little kid turned 62 this year! 

I wish we could express even a glimpse of how much we love and appreciate him.

I love watching my girls run ahead and insist on holding Papa's hand.

Uncle Cory turned 23 and Grandma turned 55 within days of each other, so the girls and I spontaneously hopped in the car and met them halfway for a birthday lunch on my mom's birthday. We had spent the afternoon laughing our heads off and eating seafood. Yum! 

Look at that little five year old guy all grown up!

I think that picture of me in my mom's arms look a lot like Ella.

 

These girls love their Grandma so much!

What's that Grandma? You need help with your birthday dessert?

These two together are peas in a pod. Abby spent most of lunch chatting with Grandma, taking selfies together and making silly helium videos on the phone.

The silliness abounds...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kk7Aznld_M

So thankful for your life, Mom! :)

If Ella's personality could be captured in a picture, I'd say this one does it!