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!