Happy Anniversary #11!!

We celebrated our anniversary this weekend. We had so much fun! Our anniversary is actually 10/2 but we decided to attend a special birthday party with the girls and celebrate the following week. Scott's parents were kind enough to come up and watch the girls so we could enjoy a day in the city.

It was a beautiful day. We enjoyed brunch at Balthazar and did some window shopping (including a stop at The Strand bookstore) and then we made our final stop at Eataly. We enjoyed yummy brioche french toast at Balthazar. Scott had some oysters too. Scott was then able to witness my addiction to children's books...well...books in general. I LOVE to buy books. We found some great stuff at The Strand. Our visit to Eataly was so yummy. They have several places you can eat inside but we went to this very casual area where you can have wine, cheese and antipasta and caprese salad...it was soooo good. We topped it all off with some gelato...of course!

It was so nice to just walk around the city and spend the day together. We don't get to do a lot of date nights or date days. I loved just hanging out with my guy. I am so thankful for the 11 years we have shared. We make a great team!

Apple Picking 2010

We made our annual trip to Alstede Farms this past weekend. For several years, we would go pumpkin picking but now we like to go apple picking there. We had a GREAT time! It was a beautiful day and everything is a lot easier now that Lauren is older (and pretty much potty trained). :-)

Lots of pictures....

We ate a lot of apples and also made some applesauce. I always look forward to these traditional outings.

First & Second Day of Preschool

Over the weekend, I had gone to Madison, WI to watch my sister, Jen, compete in her first Ironman. I'll talk more about that trip later but because I was away I couldn't go to Lauren's first day of preschool. It was more of an orientation day for one hour with the parents. Scott and Jessica took her and they had a great time. Daddy had to get her all ready by himself. :-) I think it went really well having Jessica there too. I was sad to miss the very first day but I think it was special that Scott could be there for her.

I arrived back from my trip to Wisconsin later that night. The next day was another Parent/Child day at preschool which included the Mother's Tea. I was excited that I could go this time. Jess came with us again too!

She seems very excited to be a preschooler!!

First Day of Kindergarten 2010

Our little girl is now in Kindergarten! Today was Jessica's big day. Jess was excited and couldn't wait for us to leave. I don't have to drop her off until 12:05 for afternoon Kindergarten. It was a really hot day so we didn't put on any new fall clothes. Jess chose one of her favorite sundresses and asked for her hair to be braided. She looked lovely.

We started the day with a pancake breakfast. The girls played and relaxed for a bit. I had Jessica fill out this little page I put together of just a few things to remember this day. Lauren wanted to do a page too. She knew today was Jess' day for school but she wanted to carry her new tote bag around too...and carry a snack in it.

I told Jess how proud of her we are and that I hope she had a wonderful day. I gave off a few little reminders about being kind, respectful and to remember her manners. I told her that some children may be a little shy and not have a friend in the class and just to include them when she can and think about how they might be feeling.

Lauren was by Jess' side the whole time...including picture time. When Jess went into school, Lauren cried. She kept calling for her in the car. I didn't cry but seeing how Lauren felt about Jessica made my heart melt. Love sisters!

And of course we had to follow up the big day with some Rita's Italian Ice. Lauren was very happy to have her sister with her again.

Labor Day & The End of Summer 2010

Today was another beautiful day. It is too bad that the temperatures are going to shoot back up tomorrow. We tried to have a low key kind of day since tomorrow is Jessica's first day of Kindergarten (more on that tomorrow). I took the girls for a walk to the pond. We've really been enjoying our walks lately. The girls played outside and had a picnic lunch in the backyard. Scott had a lot of work to do today but he was able to take the girls out to the playground while I finished my massive "organizing paperwork" project. It was just a simple day that marked the end of a wonderful summer.

I think a lot of people look forward to the start of school in order to get back into a routine and have more "me" time. The end of summer is bittersweet for me. I am going to miss being in control of how we spend our days. I used to love the start of school as a child - backpacks, school supplies, some new clothes - but as a parent now, it seems like we'll be doing so much running around. I really hope to keep up with our storytimes and to just help make our home a haven from all the busyness. I also want to make sure that the girls get plenty of time together too.

But as a last hurrah to the summer of 2010, let's look back at some of the things we got to do:

> Visit from Grammy

> Going to Great Adventure

> Vacation Bible School

> Town pool & Beach Visits

> Gymnastics Camp

> Outer Banks

> Crayola Factory

> Bronx Zoo

> Playgrounds

> Birthday parties

> BBQs

> Swim Lessons

> Dance class

> Library Summer Reading Program

> Potty Training

> Boardwalk Visits

It was a full and enjoyable summer. I am so thankful for all the special moments our family had together. I feel blessed beyond measure.

Bronx Zoo and #2

Well today was a great day!! First, it was Grammy's birthday...a very special day. I can't wait to see her next week and spend some time together. Next week is Jen's Ironman competition in Madison, WI!

Today, the weather was beautiful, we had a great family day AND Lauren did #2 on the potty! We started potty training again last Friday. I figured this was our last free week until December. She did great today...no accidents AND #2 (which was our problem the first time we tried training)! I still get nervous about waiting for her to tell me so I sometimes initiate taking her. I just put a pull up on at night. She is usually dry in the morning but better safe than sorry. She won't let me put on a pull up at nap time. I'm really hoping she's got it now and that we may be pull up and diaper free.

Today was a gorgeous day and perfect for taking the girls to the zoo. I wanted to do another special little outing before school starts this week. We had a great time and were there all day. We skipped the double stroller and Jess walked all day. Lauren walked lots too but still hopped in the stroller to take some small breaks. They loved the butterflies, monkeys, the special Dora show and the bug carousel. It was great just sharing the day all together.

Apparently Lauren had some important work to do on the drive over to the zoo.

I love this Eric Carle butterfly!

I can't wait for Fall!

Lemonade Stand

This past weekend Jessica really wanted to have her own lemonade stand. She was so excited about the whole thing. I was a little hesitant. It was super hot out, we live on a street with absolutely no traffic and many neighbors weren't around. Who was going to buy anything?? But I wanted to support her lemonade enthusiasm so...She made her sign. We put together our lemonade supplies and set up shop at the foot of the driveway.

The night before she was so excited she said: "I have to figure out what I am going to wear for the lemonade stand...yellow, yellow, yellow...I need to look like a LEMON!!" So funny!! (By the way, she wore pink anyway.)

Scott and I bought some lemonade. I took a few pictures of the girls in action...waiting to sell lemonade. And that was pretty much it until.....the man who saved the day showed up....our mailman! He got out of the truck, bought a cup of lemonade (which Jess was selling for 5 cents) and gave her a quarter. She was so happy!

After he left, I decided to bring the girls in for a little bit to cool off. 10 minutes later the doorbell rang and it was....the mailman...wanting seconds!! We all scrambled out the door and I had to get a pic of our mailman with the girls. He was so kind to both of them.

The lemonade stand was a success!

Fourth of July 2010

Well, today is July 5th and we have had a pretty eventful 4th of July...to say the least.

Last night, Scott got sick, my mom got sick, the power went out, it was 100 degrees outside and all our smoke alarms went off at the same time. Never a dull moment.

We still were able to enjoy a nice BBQ at Grandmom and Pop Pop's house and today I took the girls to our town's 4th of July festivities (bounce houses, pony rides, sand art, games, food etc.) in order to help give those who were sick a peaceful house...at least for a little bit.