More Pictures...

We also got Kate's 2 year old pictures and Zach's 5 year old pictures done at the same time. Ginnie, again, did such a great job.

Happy "Ween"...

This year Zach was a SWAT Police Man and Kate was his Prisoner, or our little Jailbird, to make it sound sweeter. I am still in shock that I got Kate to wear this costume and manage to keep the hat on. It is so fun to have the kids' costumes coordinate or compliment each other.

Zach had a pre-school program at his school. They sang songs and had a costume parade, followed by their Halloween party. Zach's friend, Jack, dressed up as Gene Simmons, from KISS. I thought Zach was going to die! He could not keep his eyes off of him for several minutes, just trying to put it all together in his mind. You could tell he was just making the connection between the song, "I wanna rock n roll all night...and party every day!", and his friend's KISS costume. I was the room mom for their Halloween party and was glad I was there to see all the kids and their cute costumes. Zach is in the back left of all the videos by his friend Ian. The little girl he has a crush on is Lizzie, dressed as the black cat. Apparently they have already planned to get married. Zach tells me all the time that she is "beautiful". She is pretty darn cute!

We spent Halloween night with our good friends the Broadbents. Zach and Kate love Ellie and Gracee. They had so much fun trick-or-treating. The weather was perfect, and they got just enough candy to satisfy their little hearts. Kate's new saying is "Candy Now". She caught on pretty quick! At every door step she would greet them with a "Happy Ween", take several minutes to decide what candy she wanted, and then would say "Tanks" and "Bye" to everyone. She's pretty sweet. If only we could freeze her at this stage. She is making Justin baby hungry for another girl...

How Do I Pick...

From a handful of favorites? I asked Michelle to take some pictures of my kids before we left Philadelphia. I don't normally take pics of my kids at 18 months, but thought that Kate has changed so much that I better capture it before it disappears. It also gave us a chance to forever remember Valley Forge Park, and our time spent in Philadelphia while in Dental School. Thanks Michelle!

I Know Some Kids...

Who are ready for summer! We have been teased by the weather. Last week was gorgeous...this week, rainy. The kids are on their way to celebrity status, wearing sunglasses whenever... inside, outside, sunny, rainy...more like when I run out of ideas of things to do inside. Who knew sunglasses could be so entertaining.

A little randomness...

The New...

Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia is amazing. We met up with my friend Amber and her little girl Zoe to play for a few hours. Zoe snatched Kate right in! What Zoe wants Zoe gets. Not for long though. She is going to get a new baby brother any day now. Amber was such a trooper to even meet us there. She is 38 weeks along, and dying to get her pregnancy over with. So I guess chasing her little one as well as keeping an eye out for my two might be the ticket to moving things right a long. Here are a few pics from our morning. They don't even do justice to how incredible they have made this place. For anyone coming to Philadelphia with kids, it is a definite must see!

Right as you walk into the museum Zach was greeted by an over sized set of Drums and a Guitar. His eyes lit right up! This was his type of place.

Kate loved the shrinking hallway. She ran up and down so many times I lost count.

Zach learned how to work the life size hamster wheel. Poor Kate wanted so badly to be able to stay upright.

She eventually found her favorite thing...the slides. I am telling you, she is a little dare devil going face first like this.

This is the Jungle room, where there is, yet again, a million ways to make music. Zach could not get enough. Needless to say this will not be our last trip to the Please Touch Museum.

We Are Going...

From weather being snowy, icy, and cold last week,

to weather being warm, sunny and perfect to play in this week. It is no wonder both Zach and Kate wound up with ear infections in between the two. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

Kate's new love...the slide. And all by herself might I add.

Zach always pulls this face, and it always makes us smile.

Anyone who has lived here knows that this is a favorite play spot for all the kids. What is it with these darn mailboxes. My guess is that it is enticing for a few reasons, but the most being that it is right next to the street...where she should definitely not be playing.

As naughty as walking on the street to get to the mailboxes is, there is nothing sweeter than this. Who doesn't need a little smooch, just in time for Valentine' day?

The Long Awaited...

Christmas outfits. Zach finally got a suit just like his dad's and Kate is wearing her first church shoes, with a little heel of course. They are looking so grown up to me.

Presenting...

Pablo's best friend, and partner in backyard imagination...UnIqUa! Zach could hardly wait for Halloween to come to have Kate dress up with him. These costumes are so fun, and best of all, the easiest things to get on and off. They have been a hit! So far they have been worn to library story time and our church's Fall Harvest Fest...pictures to come. They will definitely get their wear this week, as well as months, and maybe even years to follow.

Pool Days...

Going to the pool was all we could do to get out of the heat wave that we went through over the past weekend. Temperatures reached the upper 90's, but when you mix HoT aNd HuMiD, it feels like 105+!!! To top it off we lost our power for 12 hours the last day of the heat wave. We lasted about 3 hours until we couldn't take it anymore and went up to Grandma and Grandpa's house so that we would be able to sleep. We are so glad they moved closer. We are lucky that we get to see them practically whenever we want. An added bonus is that they keep their house at igloo temperatures. Those who live in the East or the South over the summer can appreciate that.

Now that it will continue to stay hot I guess our days at the pool have officially started. Zach is perfectly happy about this. He is constantly asking what number the little hand and the big hand, on the clock, have to be on to make it time for us to go to the pool. He is a little fish. Kate, thinks she's big like Zach and attempts to crawl her way into the deep end, and loves splashing the water. Thank goodness for zero entry pools...

3 Years and 7 Months...

Between a wet Friday and a windy Sunday, the weather let up for a few hours and provided a close to perfect opportunity for us to get some pictures of the kids. A good friend and photographer, Michelle, worked her magic . Here are a few out of several favorites that she captured.