its that time of year - time to sift through all of the pictures from the year and get them printed in a book to celebrate 2008. It's a tough job, there are so many memories to sort through, (and i take a ton of pics!!) its hard to decide which ones to print and which ones to leave out - but ultimately it's fun to go through and remember everything that happened this past year - well everything i remembered to take pictures of! I'm guessing i don't have quite as many this year as i did last year because i've got 2 kids now! And not just 2 kids, 1 kid plus a TODDLER.... enough said.

Here's a pic of the kids boogeying to some music on Christmas Eve.

its been really quiet here for the past few days. everyone but Jayme is well now, he's apparently got Strep throat and is headed to doc today. the snow has all melted but for a small hill and a pile of decorations that used to be our snowman! well it was 65 degrees yesterday - a strange fluke of a day, and i opened all of the windows in the house. it felt like a spring day and it was wonderful. We've been playing some of Ava's new games, which has been so much fun - I have always loved to play board games, card games, any kind of games! and she is now old enough to enjoy many of them with me.

Smokey had her first night sleeping upstairs with all of us and she settled on various spots on our bed, usually right between Jayme and I where she was nice and cozy. It has been really nice having a pet in the house. Ava is in love with her, and Vann is a little jealous i think, but overall he's very tolerant of all the attention we give her. i cant believe the new year is right around the corner. Time to start thinking about those resolutions!

here i am! i havent forgotten to blog, just still buried under the plague of sicknesses STILL running through our house. We had to cancel our trip to Georgia because of the UGLY bug that keeps coming back - we're pretty sure it's the norovirus or 'cruise ship' virus, which has been going around here lately. Poor Vann just gets over being sick only to be hit with something else a couple days later. So we are quarantining ourselves at home over the holidays to try and eradicate the thing and get on with our lives!!! Jody and Scott came up over last weekend and we had a great time running around the city with them, but then they both got very ill at the airport on the way home!! I'm not sure they will ever come back!! We are really bummed not being able to travel to see family, especially since we stayed home for Thanksgiving as well!

We did had our first winter storm of the season come through and dump lots and lots of beautiful snow on us. Ava and I built a 'special' snowman. He looks a little like Jabba the Hut to me... Jayme and Vann watched from the window.

Here's a couple recent pics....

the saga continues with most of the house still sick - we've been giving Vann breathing treatments with the nebulizer for his terrible cold and wheeze in his lungs, he is making great improvement, and both kids have had the stomach bug again over the past few days (again!! ugh!!) It seems to be running thru the community as well, we know of lots of people getting it. But we will be getting better this week since Jody and Scott delayed their plans to come and visit us, we have to! i just found out one of the girls in her class has head lice, so now i'm praying she does not get that - i don't do well with small bugs eww!!!

monday news

well i finally did it - i gave Vann's 30 days notice at his nursery school and i will be taking care of him at home starting after Christmas holiday - and juggling work too. It will be an adventure! Jayme will be watching him one full day from home so i will be able to also work a full day in the office. I think it will work out fine, though it will be a little crazier around here that's for sure! I'm glad our situation is so unique that this is an option for us. We are definitely feeling the slowdown in the economy lately. I know it's short term though and we'll see it through just fine.

In other news, here's a shot of one of our 2 trees coming down in the back yard. They created nice big stumps for the kids to play on (when the weather warms up again)-- it's freezing out there now!! It was amazing to watch the guy get hauled up into the trees by the crane, then jump on the branches and start cutting! 2 hours later, and they were done. You can see all of the power lines in the yard they had to work through - it was very cool.

Oh and we all seem to be healthy again, thank goodness!

Good Morning

was planning on heading back to work today but Vann still sick, so i'll be here today. Lots of excitement for the next 2 days - a tree company is coming to take our (only!) 3 trees off of our property. our Japanese Maple in the front contracted some sort of bacteria and is almost all dead. And our 2 Silver Maples (huge) in the back yard are looking so dead that I am they would fall on the house soon. So they are all going away, it will be tricky work since we have many power/phone lines converging in our backyard. I will try and get some pics, it should be interesting! Then tomorrow our final work will be done so we can get our HVAC installation inspected. Jayme and I spent lots of time painting last weekend, and more this coming weekend. We are all looking forward to Thanksgiving for a nice break (hopefully no more sick kids around here!) - at our pastor's house this year, and then Jody and Scott will be coming the next weekend for a visit. Oh and it's so cold here, we had snow flurries yesterday and it's only November! It's gonna be a cold winter, i can feel it!

sick house

hi - long time no post!- i am just poking my head above water in this sick house - we've all been down and out in one form or another for the past 2? 3? weeks... apparently we have a stomach virus that keeps coming back! that mixed with colds, fevers, chills, a migraine, and now a confirmed case of pinkeye, and you have one very tired mommy.... i felt good enough today to go out and find a very strong bleach cleaner and start majorly sanitizing our surfaces. i'm telling you it's been ugly around here for awhile. Poor Vann has been starting off each day with a bath because of his diaper blowouts (ewww). Not to mention the laundry that creates... oi vey! Jayme was a champ and took care of us all this weekend.. I'm convinced we're getting it all out of the way now, then we'll be germ-free the rest of the winter. i'll end this post with another cute kids shot - this is Vann giving Ava a full body slam - he calls it going "boom". And she actually enjoys it...

i'm getting out of the house today!

good morning. long time no post, we've been sick again here, and i havent been up to a whole lot lately! Another stomach bug swept thru the household, hanging on for quite a few days for everybody. I won't go into too many details, but I found out Vann had it when Ava asked me in their bubble bath the other day -- mom, why is the water so dirty?? (ewwww!!!) We're headed into the office today to get some work done and Ava is coming with - her school closed until Monday. rainy day all day, but not too chilly out. We're starting to consider getting a kitty cat sometime after Christmas. We miss having an animal around, but dogs can get so darn expensive, especially with boarding and vet bills and such. Plus we don't quite have a secure yard yet. That and Jayme and i haven't come to an agreement yet on the size of dog we should get - he wants a big dog for protection and all i can imagine is our Jackson (who now lives with O.G.) who shed about 3 buckets of fur every day, and bathing the monster in our bathtub during the winter. uuuf... Although I have heard about the poodle mix dogs, who are bred not to shed at all - which is one of the best ideas ever, except that pound puppies are the cutest dogs , no matter how much they shed, and i would like nothing better than to save a puppy from the pound! We'll see..
Here's Ava is her kitty cat costume for Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

is anybody else still undecided on who to vote for on Tuesday? I am down to the wire and still haven't made up my mind, so i'm spending some time today looking further into the issues.. I wanted to post a picture of my beautiful little girl and her unique sense of style as she went off to school today.. She is really excited to go trick or treating this evening... We'll be headed out with her old buddies Enzo and Ryan. I'll be sure and post pics.

Halloween fun today

lots of halloween excitement today - Vann's first Halloween show at school and Ava's class Halloween party where i will be reading a story to the kids later today. Ava will be dressed up as Tinkerbell this year. I have a sneaky suspicion that Jayme will volunteer to stay home with Vann while we go trick or treating! it is supposed to warm up a little tomorrow thankfully - only high of 47 today, brrrrr.

Gearing up for Winter...

each time we have a beautiful warm day here i think it's our last before the cold weather is here to stay, but this has to be it...we actually had a 65 degree day yesterday, it was so nice! we took the kids to the park for a little bit. We had to drag Vann kicking and hollering through the door back home, he wanted to stay out all day. so instead he stayed inside and climbed onto the kitchen counter, the dining room table, the sofa arms and the kitchen stools. oi.... then he rooted around in the trash can and found some jalapeno seeds to eat. (!!!) I can only imagine what he'll find to keep himself amused through the winter when i don't want to go outside in the cold to let him burn some energy!

Mommy Ava

here is Ava's plastic stroller getting probably its 10,000th ride - i don't think there is a toy in the house that has gotten more play over the past 4 years. Vann's already outgrown it though, he has to sit sideways to fit in the seat! This was one of Ava's I'm the mommy pretend play days - soon after, he got a barrette put in his hair... poor kid...

monday monday

good morning

running this morning (of course -) time to get the kiddos up and going for school. looking forward to Ava's very first field trip tomorrow - she is beside herself because she gets to ride a bus for the very first time ever! I am in charge of three little girls - Ava and her two new best girlfriends in class and we're going to a farm for pumpkin picking, hayrides, corn mazes, etc.. It will be alot of fun i'm sure!

update

i'm gonna get my days mixed up this week because of the school holiday. it feels like monday, but i think it's tuesday today... ava was off school yesterday and has a short day later this week. our handyman is almost done patching the various holes around the house and is starting on some support work in the attic. its constant work in this old old house!! he should be done today and then we can call for a final inspection of our heating and air system and get that little yellow card off of our front door window. yeiii.... Everyone seems healthy after our latest intestinal bug that went through the household over the weekend - i am hoping to take Vann out of daycare again for the winter so we're not all constantly sick! We'll see.. Work is getting more interesting with the troubled economy and we have just implemented a new company wide software program, which will take the next few months at least for everyone to get used to. Also Vann grew a whole inch over the past 6 weeks! and i think his rubber band wrists are starting to disappear!! I dont want my baby to grow up, i'm telling you he's edible right now...

what a goof

here's the goofy boy trying on his sisters shoes (of course she helped him!) and balancing a stuffed animal on his head. why? because he can! and because he likes hats :)

baby boys

boys are full of mischief, and so very active. i know ava wasn't this active, because we were able to take her out to eat where she would sit politely and eat her goldfish and be the shining example of a good mannered baby. Not so with Mr. Vann - strapping him to a chair is NOT his idea of a good time. He feels that climbing and running are what he needs to be doing. I tried taking the kids to IHOP the other day - yeah a family place, right? no one would mind a baby who occassionally throws his fork on the floor because he's mad at me for not letting him run around the restaurant. But the ear-splitting shouts of "get me out of this seat!!" changed my mind pretty quickly... I asked the waitress to put our food in a take-out bag instead and vamoosed out as quickly as i could..... oh well, i'll try again soon -- sometimes i do get lucky :)

Birthday Weekend

it was my birthday weekend. 34 years old.. ouch! i wanted it to fly past without thinking about it, but my 5 year old would never let that happen! bill and judy let me have an adult nite out with jayme, thank you!!!! and thanks for all the cards and birthday wishes to everyone, i felt very loved on my birthday!! We all went apple picking day yesterday up in Warwick, NY. too bad i didnt take my camera, it was beautiful. hope to get back up there soon maybe get some pumpkins too, halloween is just around the corner! Ava starts her gardening class after school today, and her music class after school Wed. ... back to work for me now...

another creze week

another busy week has gone! me and vann getting house in order for more company to arrive today -- we are all sick again with colds, so i hope we dont send it back home with Bill and Judy. Yuk! been driving Ava to school lately, it drops into the 50s in the morning and i wimp out when it comes to walking outside in that chilly weather! oh well... here are the kids "riding the pony to strawberry-town". Vann loves to play with daddy - he has been asking me every day with a question on his face "daddy, choo-choo??" he wants to know if daddy is coming home on the train yet!

Rainy weekend ahead

My dad's coming to visit this weekend, it's been a long time since he's been up from Florida, we are all looking forward to some good family time! running around doing last minute cleanups and laundry so we can just enjoy the weekend. supposed to rain but that's okay. we have had more than our share of beautiful summer and fall weather this year. ava has gymnastics today after school, so we'll do that then off to the grocery.. hmm what to cook for dinner tomorrow....

Fall is here

getting ready for another school day. it's actually autumn now, right on schedule the weather is getting cooler. so nice to have the windows open and go to sleep listening to the crickets! i guess i'll have to drag out the winter coats. soon enough it will take 20 minutes just to get everyone bundled up to get out the door in the morning! bleh.

a fall sunday

the leaves are starting to change, i am really antsy for us to get camping soon! haven't been with the kids since vann was born, i'm hoping he'll enjoy it. he should as much as he loves to be outdoors. if he could be outside all day long, he would be one happy camper... no pun intended... ava on the other hand.... she's so sensitive to the heat and cold, she'd rather stay indoors. but she does love to go fishing with her daddy. and roast marshmallows. who doesn't love that?? I suggested to jayme just pitching the tent in our backyard, why not?? all we need is one of those little back porch fire holder thingys. I'm just wondering if we would all last outside in the cold, knowing our nice cozy beds are mere feet away. i guess there's only one way to find out!

over the hump!

TGI Thursday! it's been a hectic week, tho we did have time last nite to watch Project Runway before i crashed. Jayme and i are hooked on it again this season! Headed to the first PTA/School Review meeting this morning to see what that's all about. Ava is still really enjoying school. I've been with her so much over the past 5 years, it's hard to let her go off to school and do her own thing, i know it's much harder on me than it has been on her! We always start with the same question when i pick her up, how was your day?!! Even if she doesn't tell me everything that happened during the day, at least i get a small snapshot of her new life in the classroom. And she gives me hugs and kisses when I pick her up. How much longer will she want to do that??! Well looks like its time to go start getting ready...

another school day

getting ready for another school day. another busy weekend coming up, i'm excited because the big arts & crafts festival is here this weekend. Always so many talented artists and fun crafts to see. Of course we have to fit in 2 birthday parties as well as some other things. I guess it's only the beginning with a school age child! I'm really having to use my time wisely. ava is taking gymnastics once a week with her buddy Enzo and there are so many fun after school enrichment programs offered that i have to stop myself from signing her up from too many things - i forgot how much fun school can be! well elementary school anyway! And then homework starts in October - that i don't remember... Apparently they expect much more from kids every year now academically. Well off to make breakfast!

Up early again! (it's a miracle)

Well we have successfully made it to school on time 5 days in a row! this new schedule is really getting us up and going in the morning, and i'm liking it. The brisk walk to Ava's new school gets my blood pumping in the morning and Vann enjoys watching all of the "dogs" and "burr" (birds) on the way. Then we're off to drop Vann at school and it's work for me most days until time to pick up Ava. I haven't left her at school yet for after care, maybe next week i'll start to do that. She seems to really love the new school, with all of the different 'special' classes they get to have, like Art, Music, Gym, Library, etc.. Last nite was back to school nite for the parents to meet teachers, see what she gets to do all day.

It's also Sept. 11 again today - 7th anniversary. It seems to be getting to many people up here, there were lots of teary eyes around town as we drove to Vann's school. The feel of the air and the beautiful sunny day are all reminders of that same tragic day. As much as we all want to forget the painful memories, i think it's nice to have a day set aside for people to allow themselves to mourn. I think it helps the healing... On a more positive note, we were planning on heading to the mountains camping this weekend but looks like rain, oh well, we've got plenty to do around the house anyway!