Wildings' Warblings

Phone

2012-02-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

I had a friend comment to me a while back that she couldn't believe I had an actual corded phone. What can I say it came with the house. I forgot it was even there until she pointed it out.

I also think I should repaint the kitchen. This is a color I'd love to change.

Heart

2012-02-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

These three definitely have a hold of my heart!

Blue

2012-02-13T07:57:00.000-05:00

This little bit of blue always makes me smile!

This 40+ year old booster chair use to be my Grandma's. Everything about it totally screams Grandma Mart to me. I actually saw one of these advertised in a parenting magazine a few months back. Had a totally funky pattern and they called it a "Retro booster chair". Mine is retro. Love it!

Inside your closet

2012-02-13T07:05:00.000-05:00

The closets in this house leave much to be desired.

And no, we never shut this closet door because then where would Brad hang up his bathrobe?

Makes you happy

2012-02-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

So there are a million things I could have taken a picture of that make me happy.

However, I've limited it to two things that easily make me happy.

A clean kitchen

Popcorn

Self-portrait

2012-02-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

Like I'm ever just by myself. :)

Front Door

2012-02-09T16:35:00.000-05:00

My front door was open a lot today. We had friends coming and going, it's been a good day.

On a side note if I were to repaint my door what color would you suggest?

Sun

2012-02-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

Camille's version of the sun

New York's version of the sun.

Button

2012-02-07T19:12:00.000-05:00

Funny, I've been able to find these power buttons on all of my electronic devices but can't find a one on any of my children.

Dinner

2012-02-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

Dominican Beans with Rice

10 AM

2012-02-05T16:56:00.000-05:00

10 am on a Sunday for me equals church. So here is "ready for church" am.

a stranger

2012-02-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

How do you take a picture of a stranger? Pretend like you're taking a photo of your kid then aim a little off!

Yup, free kid workshop at Home Depot...the girls LOVED it.

Hands

2012-02-04T08:16:00.001-05:00

Been struggling with my internet so here are Feb 3rd's pictures:

This might be cheating but I just started working on Natalie's first year photo album. Yes, she's almost 3 (Don't judge)! And I came across these photos that I took 2 years ago. All about the hands :)

Words

2012-02-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

My View Today

2012-02-01T14:12:00.001-05:00

Sunshine, melting snow, and a little green grass.

I've decided to try this February Photo A Day Challenge from Fat Mum Slim. I'm NOT a photographer, I RARELY edit photos however, I thought I'd give this a try.

Mealtime Mirth

2012-01-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't like having lunch with friends?

gotta love of the mid chewing/munching shot

or dinner for that matter?

DOG PILE!

2012-01-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

Save your Marriage

2012-01-21T08:02:00.001-05:00

Save your Marriage in Five Minutes a Day. By Bonnie Jacobson with Alexia Paul

Let me start off by saying my marriage isn't in trouble. When I posted that this was what I was reading this I got a few comments to see if we were okay. Brad also saw me reading it and said, "You can't tell people you're reading that they'll think we have problems." Let them think what they will, I'm comfortable enough with my marriage that I don't mind saying I want to be a better person, spouse, mother, friend, etc.

With that kind of feedback I think it's clear there could have been a better title for this book. It's not just for people who have a marriage in trouble. This book has great insight and tips for ANY marriage. A more fitting title would be "Strengthen your Marriage in Five Minutes a Day" or "Improve your Marriage in Five Minutes a day." The author says right in the introduction, "I wanted to write a book...a marriage vaccination to be used for cure or prevention, depending on whether a union is floundering or flourishing." I really like how she likened it to a prevention. My goal would be to never get to a point where our marriage would need "saving" but that it would be on a path where we are continually striving to improve and strengthen ourselves and our relationship. We're far from perfect so our improvement path is LONG but the one we want to be on. She reminds us of the movie Groundhog's day where the character wakes up to the same problems each day until he changes himself.

Each chapter addresses a different dynamic and talks about them then at the end of the chapter there is a quick reference for things you could do in just five minutes a day to work on that area. She also shows easy ways to ask questions in a non-threatening manner to try to understand and help your spouse understand the why and how you differ in personality or points of view.

One of the chapters deals with affection and why it is important in a marriage. I like how she states, "You need continuity of affection to keep you and your spouse bonded; without it, you risk being together, but feeling alone." As part of the five-minute strategies she gives the reason why this is important. "Offering your spouse affection through touch is a simple- and quick - way to cement your love on a daily basis. A tender gestures only takes a few minutes, but like a stone thrown into a pond, it will reverberate throughout your day. And, in your darker moments, taking fave minutes to physically shore up your marriage will let the light back in."

Obviously, not everything in the book applies to everybody but there is a little something for everyone, I think. "Five minutes a day is nothing. You likely take that much time to look for your keys or shave, What could be more important than devoting the same amount of time to offering your spouse a daily affirmation?"

One of my favorite quotes from the book has to do with happiness and joy. "Happiness is transient. It is the fun meal out, the day at the spa. Joy is deeper--and more challenging. With joy often comes struggle, but when you get to the other side, it provides deep satisfaction."

All in all I liked the book. There are some good useful tips that I'm trying to incorporate and other items that it was good to be reminded of.

I received this book complimentary from Thomas Nelson via their Book Sneeze Book Blogger program in exchange for an honest review.

10 months....I mean 11

2012-01-19T18:14:00.002-05:00

I totally spaced doing a 10 month photo shoot. In my defense I did spend most of the day traveling.

At 11 months Em is walking, has two teeth, and is quick to smile.

I feel like she's gained about 5 pounds in the last week...seriously she feels so heavy to me suddenly.

She wouldn't let go of the ducks as we where playing today.

"Hey give'em back!"

"What does this say?"

Yummy

Totally strutting her stuff. (With duck in mouth)

(Yes, I should have been folding all that laundry but playing with the baby was more fun!)

We love this kid!

Real Snow

2012-01-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

We finally got some good snow. The girls wanted to go build a snowman. (You know when small children want to build a snowman what they mean is they want you to build a snowman while they run around and play and give you direction and pointers and tell you to make it bigger, etc.)

Snowball fight!

Ems "playing" in the snow.

Emily enjoyed the snow for awhile but was ready to be done by the time we took snowman pictures.

Finishing touches

2012-01-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

The girls were dying to get out and play in the snow. No time to take off their dress-up clothes. They just donned their snow clothes right on top.

Excited to be outside.

It's looks like she's praying to Mecca but she's just tasting the snow.

A little peek at Christmas

2012-01-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a little taste of how our Christmas turned out.

We had fun getting packages in the mail.

(Especially the ones filled with packing peanuts.)

We made cookies for Santa and bread for the neighbors.

Christmas Eve included a candlelight dinner, a movie, matching pjs, and a sleepover in the family room.

Daddy got some pjs too, just not pink zebra ones.

(Although I was SOOO tempted to make his pink.)

We woke up to stockings, new bunk beds, & a doll house.

We opened all kinds of fun presents:

hats from Cathy,

hats from Aunt Lisa,

(I don't want to hear anyone saying they can't find a hat to wear.)

Emily enjoyed her first Christmas of

Homemade blocks,

first official steps,

and climbing the stairs.

Of course, we enjoyed all kinds of Christmas goodies.

How was your Christmas?

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

We might have to try this photo shoot again. It'd be nice to have a picture of the 3 of them together, all smiling and looking at the camera. (I know, I'm setting mighty lofty goals but that's what the new year is all about.)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

Trimming the tree

2011-12-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

This is the first year since we've been married that we bought ornaments to put on the tree. We went with red and silver. The girls were excited to put them on. I put on the tinsel and then we let Camille and Nattie put the ornaments on all by themselves. (Besides the lifting them up so they could reach the high parts.) In the end I only moved 5 or 6 around. Next year maybe we'll spring for a star that lights up and a real tree skirt. (I just always use a red blanket that we have.)

Loved that the glitter was getting all over their hands!

Our little elves.

Nattie also tested out some stockings.

We're getting excited for Christmas! :)

I think it's time for...

2011-12-09T15:19:00.001-05:00

...another comparison. I took Emily to her nine month check up today. She went in "well" and came out "sick". (Apparently, she has an ear infection and low iron.) Here's how she did:

Height: 28 1/4 inches
Weight: 16.6 lbs.

Natalie:
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 17.9 lbs

Camille:
Height: 27 3/4 inches
Weight: 18.6 lbs

Looks like with every girl they get longer and leaner. :) I sure love them and love that they like playing together.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times

So much to be thankful for!

One size fits all

2011-11-23T07:07:00.000-05:00

It's so nice that my girls are able to share clothes. Although sometimes it surprizes me who can share.

Camille wearing Emily's 6-9 months dress and pants.

Granted on Camille they become a shirt and shorts but it works for me.

Niner -niner

2011-11-21T18:59:00.001-05:00

Two teeth have broken through the gums
Can pull herself into a standing positions
Likes to stand up and then let go to see how long she can stand on her own
According to my measurements she's 16.5 lbs
Learning how to give kisses
Opinionated
Has a snotty nose in every one of these pictures (despite Mom's constant wiping.)

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

First we partied at Camille's preschool:

She's the crocodile on the back row.

Later we had dinner:

Almost all of the food ideas were stolen from my awesome sister-in-law.

Then we headed out Trick or treating:

This year our theme was the song Five little monkeys sitting in a tree teasing Mr. Crocodile...

We had some monkeys: (Daddy monkey not pictured)

A tree:

A crocodile:

Some teasing:

And some snatching:

And we came home with buckets full of candy.

Pre-Halloween

2011-11-06T20:16:00.000-05:00

Our Halloween celebrating started on Friday the 28th with pumpkin carving.

Natalie wanted a ghost

Camille was excited about a bat.

Saturday we went to six flags then a barn raising party followed by a chili cookoff / trunk or treat at our church.

This is the girls' favorite ride. Sheldon Speedway

Camille decided she'd rather sit with a girl she didn't know then with Natalie. (Really, she just wanted to be in the "pink" car and this little girl was already sitting there so Camille just climbed in with her.)

As we entered the trick or treat trail, Spruce the Moose decided he wanted to trick or treat with our girls.

I didn't take any other pictures the rest of the day. (Lame, I know.)

Halloween Day post coming soon...

Totally Wicked Cute

2011-10-30T15:54:00.001-04:00

There will be plenty more Halloweeny photos to come but here's just a taste these adorable girls.

Rockin' the socks.

Love these skinny little legs!

"Cute shirt Sis."

Work it,

Cheese it,

Love it.

The weather man says

2011-10-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

that it's suppose to snow tonight. Here's some pictures from a week or two ago so I can remember how nice a fall we've been having!

Yup, this is how we chill at the pool!

Bibbidi-Bobbidi

2011-10-19T14:47:00.001-04:00

BOO!

I told you have had more plagiarized projects on my list. I saw this ghost dress and just knew my girls needed some. Thanks to pillowcases from yard sales and $1.66 a yard cloth at Wal-Mart I think it cost me all of $3.00 to make these. (I had enough leftovers to manage one more little dress for a friend)

The baby kept escaping...

Gotta have the "no one is listening shot"

At least they're happy...

Miss Camille

Nattie J

Emmie Em

It's Autumn time

2011-10-17T16:26:00.001-04:00

We are total leaf peepers. We were told that it was prime season for leaf peeping up in the "High Peaks" of New York. So, last week we took a little trip up to Lake Placid to enjoy the fall colors. It did not disappoint.

We drove to the Olympic Sports Complex. You can ride the bobsled course from the 1932 and 1980 games. I thought it sounded great but it cost mega money, so we decided against it.

Next, we went and hike High Gorge Falls

Excited to get hiking!

Being this close the waterfall/cliff made Camille nervous. (She's got a little Grandma Myrna in her.)

Looking down to the water below.

Three little monkeys sitting in a tree...

GORGEOUS!

Natalie is still learning the technique of hiking.

Brad and his hiking buddy

The girls thought this root "ladder" was awesome.

Relaxing after the hike

At least she's not a thumb sucker...

It's like the mountainside is on fire

On the way home we stopped at The Wild Center just to see what it was all about. The guy at the desk let us in for free. The place is awesome. We really liked watching the otters swim and play. There was lots of hands on stuff for the girls (and adults). Next time we're up that way I think we'd pay and go again.

Plus, they had some really cute moose!

The big Three Zero

2011-10-09T21:26:00.001-04:00

What's a birthday without some cake?

I just finished reading Unbroken and couldn't resist making shark infested waters.

Birthday girl wearing one of her presents

Thanks Cathy I love it!

All I have to say is, "30 you don't scare me!"

A quiet Monday night

2011-10-02T19:44:00.000-04:00

Brad was out of town enjoying a boys weekend (see below) and I thought I'd spend the evening reading my book after I put the girls to bed. Somehow, I ending up not reading my book but making baby food.

I roasted and skinned a squash.

Used my Kitchen Aid with it's awesome attachments to puree the squash.

Had a little helper that kept sneaking downstairs to spy on me. After the third time I made her unload the dishwasher.

When she came down again I threatened to make her eat the baby food for breakfast if she didn't stay in bed. She came out again and seriously asked, "Mom, were you just joking about making me eat that for breakfast?"
"No, I'm serious! You better get back up to your bed." She scampered pretty quickly. I thought I had conquered then I heard a pitter-patter on the stairs. Using every ounce of self-control not to lash out at her I said through gritted teeth, "Camille!" To which she replied, "Natalie has diarrhea and needs you to help." THAT is a valid excuse to get out of bed. Good thing it was true. I suppose we need to start telling the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf at bedtime.

Finished baby food ready for the freezer. (No, I didn't get to read my book. By the time making baby food was over it was my bedtime!)

Brad, his brothers, and his Dad in Texas

I'm no spring chicken

2011-09-29T09:02:00.000-04:00

That's right I'm 30. I wanted to share what my Bradley made for me. He'll probably be embarrassed and ask why in the world I would post it on the blog but my birthday, my present, I'll do what I want with it. :)

Oh yeah and he's going to be turning half of the big hall closet into a pantry for me. Love my handy man!

The natural number following 6 and preceding 8

2011-09-19T15:44:00.001-04:00

That's right, seven. We've hit the seven month mark.

I like to do Yoga.

I can army crawl like nobody's business.

I'm still mostly bald.

I'm a happy little soul.

I'm toothless.

I'm pretty good at sitting on my own.

All in all I'm pretty darn cute!

Copy Cat

2011-09-15T13:16:00.001-04:00

I am not a creative person, however I'm really good at taking other people's ideas and attempting to do them.
So, after I saw this tutorial. I just knew I had to try it. I asked a friend who IS a seamstress to come spend the day with me while I sewed. (I wanted her around so I could ask all my dumb little sewing questions as I was working.) Not only did she bring her knowledge but also her serger. I. am. in. love. I now NEED a serger! I decided to make these for my nieces, who live in a HOT climate year round.

I took these pieces:

And made them into this:

It turned out to be a rather easy sewing project. (Time consuming but easy. )

The skirts were an afterthought but came together quiet nicely with the scraps I had lying around.

Ruffles are totally in season right now.

Here are the little fashionistas.

Don't worry I have more plagiarized projects on my to do list. And when they get "doed" I'll post some pictures.

Don't make me run...

2011-09-12T09:57:00.000-04:00

...I'm full of chocolate.

Our Labor Day weekend included Hershey Chocolate World:

The Tour:

Don't Wyatt's eyes say it all...CHOCOLATE!

The workers:

The chocolate:

"Swimming" at the hotel

We actually did go in the pool but it was so cold that we needed a warm bath to take off the chill!

Indian Echo Caverns

There was actually a man that lived in these for 19 years.

What a great group shot! Two with eyes closed, three sorta smiles, two not smiles, a passed out baby, and some of us cheesy it.

Scranton...what...the Electric City:
For those of you that are fans of "The Office". We couldn't resist driving through Scranton when we passed it. It's bigger than I realized.

Hello Lackawanna County

We couldn't drive on some of the roads we wanted too because there was some big Italian Fest going on.

Part of downtown Scranton

Harmony, Pennsylvania:
One other small detour was present day Oakland, PA, formally Harmony, PA for a Church History site. (For those of you who may be unfamiliar with our beliefs click here or feel free to ask me any questions you may have.)

While we were stopped here I saw a car with 1M Idaho plates drive pass, twice. I tried to see who it was but I didn't get a good enough look. Always makes me excited to "see" fellow Idahoans.

I love these blue and gold signs. They have them all over in New York to mark historical sites. (There's even some around the corner from our house.)

Sayonara Summer

2011-09-08T06:24:00.001-04:00

Camille started preschool yesterday.

Now, that might not seem like a big deal but she'll spend as much time at preschool as I did when I went to Kindergarten. We were fortunate that she got accepted in the a free program at the YMCA. She'll go five days a week, 2.5 hours a day, all school year long. I was not a fan of this set up at first. In my brain preschool should be a few times a week. Of course, we could paid to have her in a preschool that is only three days a week but have you seen the price of preschool tuition? (Yikes) Our school district has ALL day Kindergarten. I, now, feel that this will be a very good set up to get us all prepared for Kindergarten next year. She loved the first day, came home knowing the names of 2 new friends, a picture she drew of me, and ready to go back again. I was surprisingly unemotional about the whole event. I think that fact that I stressed, cried, pondered, and seconded guessed myself for weeks BEFORE she ever got accepted helped. There was a point (several, actually) that I told Brad we weren't going to let her go if she got in. So, the first day drop off went smoothly, one excited little girl and one content mama. Now, if I can just continue to get 3 little girls out the door every morning and not be late that will be a miracle!

I'm the happy green person, not the red mad person.

Of course, Nattie couldn't be left out of the first day of school photo.

Being the idiot that I am I've decided to sign Natalie up for story time and activities at the library. (As long as we're already going to be out and about, right?)

I don't want Natalie to get forgotten or lost in all the "big sister goes to school, little sister is a baby who needs a lot of attention" phase. Of course, if you know my Natalie I don't think it would be possible to "forget" her:

1.If she wants your attention, she'll get it.

2. She's SO stinkin' cute, she's hard to ignore.

3. She doesn't have, shall we say, a quiet personality.

4. She's learning how to bat those eyelashes of hers!

Here's to a new school year.

Vermont

2011-09-06T14:23:00.000-04:00

Last but not least, Vermont. I LOVE Vermont. I'm glad that it is close enough that we can take little day trips there if we wish.

Quechee Gorge*

Vermont Country Store

A covered bridge (This one is actually in New Hampshire. One or more of the covered bridges that we saw on this trip were wiped out by Irene...sad.)

There you have it. A tour of New England Wilding style.

*Since this trip Vermont has suffered the wrath of Irene and some of the places we went have been severely damaged.

New Hampshire

2011-09-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

New Hampshire is home to New England's tallest mountain Mount Washington. Mount Washington is said to be the home of the world's worst weather. The day we went up the weather was BEAUTIFUL. 59 degrees 13 mph winds with gusts up to 25 mph. The drive and the view are spectacular. Brad and I have been up many a mountain and Mount Washington was definitely impressive.

We're headed to the top!

Can you tell which direction the wind blows?

It was a gorgeous day!

Part of the Appalachian trail comes through here.

You can ride a cog-wheel train to the top. (We didn't)

Clouds starting to roll in (Can you see Ernie?)

That's right we made it to the summit :)

People use to come and stay at the Tip-Top house...I can't even imagine.

We were all impressed with the view!

My mother would have closed her eyes the whole drive down. It was curvy, steep and has the potential to be frightening.

We also stopped and did a little hike at Sabbath Falls

Fun, easy, and SHORT. (Probably doesn't actually qualify as a hike but we can pretend.)

Maine part duex

2011-08-29T21:27:00.000-04:00

Acadia National Park

Natural Seawall

Nattie walking with Grandma & Grandpa

Working Lighthouse

Mount Cadillac - First place the sunrises in the US. At this point in the trip I WASN'T about to wake up 3 little girls to go watch a sunrise. We settled for going up at sunset and it did not disappoint.

One of my new favorite pictures!

Love Camille in the background.

Blueberries- Maine produces 98% of the nation's blueberries. We took advantage of that fact and found and ate wild berries while watching the sunset.

Bar Island - During low tide you can walk (or drive) to Bar Island. All of us really enjoyed low tide.

Here's Bar Island during high tide

Enjoying the hotel/pool

Brad took this picture from underwater looking up.

Human surfboard

Don't worry Grandpa I got your back!

One of the old carriage roads through the park.

Definitely worth the visit!

Taking a little break

2011-08-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

We need to take a hiatus from the vacation posts because somebody had her half birthday last week.
Here she is folks:

Work it girl

Height – 27.25 inches – 95%

Weight- 13 lbs 10.5 oz – 10%

Head- 16.75 inches – 50 %

They say she's long and lean. What do you think?

I love that they can all make a funky face in the same picture but can never seem to all smile in one.

Em wants to give a big shout out to all her new cousins that were born this month: Jocelyn Maiers, Dallen Wilding, and Victoria Hart. Can't wait until I can meet you and we can start terrorizing our parents together.

Here is yet another baby enjoying the famous green jumper!

Now for the "Maine" portion of our trip

2011-08-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

Maine was the reason for this trip. (Everything else was just a bonus.) Everywhere we stopped in Maine we could have easily spent a week. Prepare yourselves for some pictures!!

Ogunquit -Walking on the Marginal Way

Love how she runs from the waves!

Cathy's Beach (aka Old Orchard Beach)

The girls with the sand dollars and starfish we found

Cute little starfish!

Bucket of fun!

Us with our friend Cathy (Isn't "her" beach awesome!)

Grandpa Ron with the first starfish that we discovered that day!

Portland Lighthouse

I love how you can see another light in the background

They wanted to touch a lighthouse.

There's something about lighthouse that I just love.

L.L. Bean Store

Back to school, Back to school...

Swimming with the fishes :)

Pemaquid Lighthouse

Checking out the ocean

Climbing up

It made Camille a little nervous to be up there

View from the lighthouse

Lobster in Rockland -Can't go to Maine and not try the "lobstah". I'm NOT a seafood person but I tried some of Brad's, it was okay. Camille claims that she liked it.

Ron and Donna ready to dig in!

No better way to finish off a lobster dinner (or a day) then with some ice cream!

Next post will still be Maine. The Acadia National Park portion.

Massachuetts

2011-08-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

We stopped at Plymouth in Massachuetts, hit the Pilgrim Museum and when to see the "rock". Brad has ancestors that came across on the Mayflower so it was fun to read about them and see things that belonged to them.

John Alden and Priscilla are Brad's relatives

One of their cradles

The Mayflower replica

I love how Nattie is standing on the map...Who is she Mary Poppins?

Checking out the "rock"

Talking genealogy my Uncle Allan ( I have ancestors that were pilgrims too, just not Mayflower pilgrims.)

The house John Alden built when he settled Duxburg

The Massachusetts portion of the trip was short and sweet. Next up Maine...

Tour of New England

2011-08-12T21:50:00.000-04:00

Brad's parents came out for a visit at the first of the month. We decided to tour New England with them.
As you may be aware New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of six states. We were able to hit sights in five out of the six states. I decided that I'll do a separate post for what we did in each state. First up Rhode Island...

Rhode Island

Newport is home to many fabulous mansions. We went and toured The Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff, The Elms, and Chateau-sur-Mer. Totally worth every penny. These "homes" were unreal.

The Breakers

The Elms

Chateau-sur-Mer - We really enjoyed the Beech Tree on the grounds

Providence -The Capitol building and Waterfire

Headed to church

Stay tuned for Massachusetts...

"Well, I'm a four year old now"...

2011-08-12T16:13:00.001-04:00

...As Camille told me repeatedly yesterday.

Here is a look at her cake. She requested to decorate her own cake with M&Ms. Her cousins got to decorate their cakes and that's one thing she's wanted to be able to do for the last SIX months.

We decided to make a rainbow cake with pink frosting and then let Camille and her friend decorate it.

"It sure is fun to make stuff for a birthday, Mom."

Blowing out candles is exciting!

After four years you know how to do it.

The "rainbow" part really worked.

Miss Millie...

2011-08-11T08:07:00.001-04:00

Camille, Camillie, Cameleon, Cam-o-mil, Ca-millionaire, Camel, Mil, Mils, Mildew, Monkey Fish. Really, it doesn't matter what you call her as long as today you say "Birthday Girl". That's right she's FOUR!

Here's a look at her over the last year.

Aug 2010

Sept 2010

Oct 2010

Nov 2010

Dec 2010

Jan 2011

Feb 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

Aug 2011

Wow, that was much harder then I thought to just pick ONE picture for every month. I guess that's what I get for having such a cute little girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMILLE!
(Don't worry world I'll be posting birthday/cake pictures after the festivities today.)

Track Season

2011-08-10T21:27:00.000-04:00

Horse racing in Saratoga is a big deal. So when Brad's parents came during racing season we had to hit the tracks.

First we headed to the National Museum of Racing to learn a little more about racing.

We groomed the horses:

We pretended to be jockeys and owners:

We were cowgirls:

On to the races:

Sam the bugler

Here they come:

And the winner is number 2:

We'll probably have to go again before the season is over. Don't ask me how the betting works because it looks mighty complicated to me.

Has it really been FIVE months?

2011-07-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

What, I'm 5 months old now?

Yup it's true.

I'm gonna get you.

Great facial expressions

Yum Toes!

Do you think I could fit my whole foot in my mouth?

Life is good.

Post 4th of July

2011-07-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

Wednesday - Laundry and recovery time
Cactus Birthday Cake for Ryan - We figured with all the green trees here he'd be missing the desert.

Wow, that's a lot of candles!

Call the fire department!

Thursday
Lake George Six Flags - Riding rides and swimming

Quiet a load Natalie is hauling :)

Who doesn't enjoy the water?

Nothing like the lazy river

Friday
Palmyra- Book of Mormon Printing, Smith Family Home, Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah Pageant

Saturday
Niagara Falls- Girls' (and Tara's) first time in a foreign country. Not happy about the 50 cent toll we had to pay to walk back into our own country!

Thanks for the great times Ryan and Tara

4th of July - Boston

2011-07-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

Monday
First stop "Cheers" - If you're unfamiliar watch this fun clip.

Boston Commons - Totally sweet wading pool for the kiddies

Freedom Trail -including the Old North Church and other historic sites - Another clip you may enjoy.

Mike's Pastries for Cannoli - Yummy (Thanks for the tip Jenilyn)

Bridge for Fireworks - Great view! Emily slept through the whole thing.

Dinner before the show.

Too many cannolis

Tuesday
USS Constitution - Old Ironsides -Glad we did it.

Revere Beach -Girls' (and Tara's) first time touching the Atlantic

Pre 4th of July -NYC

2011-07-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

We meet Ryan and Tara in NYC then dragged them all over for the next 10 days.
Thursday
Toys R Us -Purchase a new umbrella stroller

Times Square -Saw "I'm a Mormon.org" ads

China Town - Dinner
Ground Zero - Sobering

Friday
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - WOW

For those of you that know Natalie. This pretty much sums her up.

Museum of Natural History - Super fun

Madam Tussauds Wax Museum -Creepy but cool

They have matching hairdos!
Circle Line Cruise - Glad to sit down for a few hours

Top of the Rockefeller Center - I dare say better then the top of the Empire State Building

Saturday
Wall Street -Complete with the bull

Trinity Church - Yes, the one from National Treasure
Bodies Exhibit - AWESOME - Camille really soaked it all in.
USS Intrepid - One big ship!

Empire State Building - CROWDED

Sunday

Statue of Liberty - Waited in the rain but like it. (The rain was a blessing it kept the crowd to a minimal.)

Ellis Island - Could spend a lot of time there.
Drive to Boston via Rhode Island - Yet another state to check off the list.

Phun with the Phillips

2011-07-06T18:11:00.001-04:00

We had Kaitlyn and Tim here to visit at the beginning of June and what a great time we had. The girls LOVED having an Aunt and Uncle visit.

We showed them around Saratoga Springs and drank the spring water:

We took them to the Saratoga Battlefield:

They went to Palmyra and Niagara Falls

We took them to Vermont:

We visited the National Museum of Horse Racing

We took them to Lake George and Albany.
And apparently they took all the picture with their camera because I don't really have a lot.

For those of you that don't know Kaitlyn and Tim are trying to adopt.
They are set up on LDS social services:
https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25493550/ourMessage.jsf

And Hoping to Adopt:
http://www.hopingtoadopt.org/index.php/family/letters/213

And, they have a website of their own here:
http://www.timandkaitlyn.com

Please keep them in mind if you are aware of any adoption opportunities and feel free to spread the word too. They really will make great parents.

Because I was curious

2011-06-28T17:47:00.000-04:00

After getting Emily's latest stats I was curious how she measured up to my other girls at four month. Here's the comparison:

Camille was

13.5 lbs and 25.5 inches

Natalie was

14.2 lbs and 24.5 inches

Emily is

11 lbs 15.5 oz and 25.5 inches

Guess who

2011-06-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

is 4 months old, weighs 11 lbs 15.5 oz, is 25.5 inches tall, and can roll from her tummy to her back...

She's a keeper!

Bringing down the house

2011-06-21T12:22:00.000-04:00

I'm learning that when you live in a humid environment things tend to rust out.
In our garage there are 3 metal support poles that have rust around the bottom. Brad went over and tapped on the bottom of one to see how rusted it actually was. Tap tap and broke right through. Apparently the "support" beam hadn't been supporting the house for awhile.

Our kind neighbors had a floor jack that we used to support the house with a temporary beam as we (well Brad) worked on putting a new permanent beam in place.

There should be a pole there...

Brad is a do it right kinda guy so he decided rather then just replace the beam he'd add a cement footer to ensure the new beam won't be getting wet.

Waa-Laa We now have the support that we need.

Where is your favorite place to...

2011-06-16T10:46:00.000-04:00

eat a popsicle?

Me? I prefer the cover to the septic tank.

Our Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-08T14:03:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend we were planning on going to Hersey, PA. I checked the weather and it was suppose to be 80 degrees (perfect!) but 90% chance of thunderstorms ALL weekend. So last minute we decided to go to Connecticut.

Friday - Brad's day off. After Brad finished securing the new support beam for the house.(Another story for another day.) We were off to Hartford. Since the decision to go to Connecticut was last minute we didn't do any of the regular planning or research we would normally do before going to explore a new place.

We happened upon the Science Museum in Hartford. AWESOME. The girls love it. They had a great waterworks area where the kids could just experiment (aka play) with the water. That was probably our favorite part but the rest of the museum was great too.

Nattie was in HEAVEN.

Preparing to build a dam.

Science is fun!

We discovered there was a free bus that would take you around downtown.

Downtown Hartford

When we told Camille we were going to take a bus she asked if we were going to school. We had it drop us near the Capitol Building.

Capitol Building

Saturday - We went to Lake Compounce- New England's Family Theme park. Camille and Natalie's first experience with rides and roller coasters (other then a Carousel) They love it. Camille even put her hands in the air as she rode the little kiddie coaster. I can't wait until they're taller so we can get them to go on some real rides!

Our favorite ride "Drop Zone"

Sunday- In the morning we went to church then it was off to explore. We found Castle Craig. A great lookout tower that gave a good view of Connecticut.
Then we drove toward New Haven and realized that it was the home of Yale University so we had to stop.
Future Students
We walked around the campus and looked at the gorgeous buildings. Camille informed us that this was where she'd like to go to college. Brad's answer, "If this is where you want to go, you can!" My answer, "Start saving your pennies!"

Who needs a double stroller?

We weren't that far from the coast so we thought we'd show the kids the ocean. We stumbled upon Rocky Neck Beach.

We let the girls wade. A. We weren't planning on stopping at a beach so we weren't prepared. B. We generally don't go swimming on Sundays. It was an excellent beach and the girls wanted to go back in the morning to "really" swim. (I doubt they would have actually done any more getting wet then we did but I guess having a swimming suit on makes the difference.) So we got a hotel in a nearby town with plans for the beach in the morning.

Hotels are FUN!
Rapunzel Hair

Em enjoying the hotel

Monday- We awoke to some rain showers, (scratch the beach!) so we spent the morning in the hotel swimming pool.(Just as big of a hit.) We went to a Submarine museum. Brad works with all things nuclear so he wanted to show the girls real subs. Plus, it seemed like we needed to something in honor of the military for Memorial Day.

On our way home we took a detour to go see the William Gillette Castle. He played Sherlock Holmes in the movies and was quite wealthy. He build a castle to live in in the early 1900s now it's part of a state park .

During the drive back home we happened upon a turtle on the side of the road.

What a great weekend. We sure are enjoying getting familiar with the North East.

Natalie's perspective

2011-06-07T08:33:00.001-04:00

Natalie has informed us what the buttons on the fridge are.

She pointed to them and rattled this off the other day with complete confidence.

From right to left: light, dark, bananas, peanuts, bags.

Skirts Skirts Skirts

2011-06-01T13:36:00.002-04:00

We are definitely into skirts, shorts, capri wearing season around here. So, of course, I NEED to make my girls more skirts. (Like they really need any MORE clothes! :)

After seeing it on friend's blog I took this:

And made it into this:

It was so fun and easy and cute that I had to make one in black for a friend that recently had a little girl.

You can check out the full tutorial here.

I also discovered the half and half skirt. Easiest skirt EVER! I adjusted the sizes so I could make one for each of my girls.

For Millie (Size 3/4) I cut two 45 X 7 strips
For Nattie (Size 2ish) I cut two 45 X 6 strips
For Emmie (Size 3 months ) I cut two 32 X 5 strips

And yes, I made them all wear them to church on Sunday. I love when they match! It's also nice that I can accomplish something so simple and have it be cute at the same time.

"Make a joyful noise unto God" Psalm 66:1

2011-05-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that for awhile it will just be noise coming out of this piano but oh it will be a joyful noise!

Meet our new piano. Thanks to a friend we were able to get this piano for free.

It's older but was well taken care of, with a tuning I'm sure it'll sound great. I'm super excited to have a piano in our house. Not that I can play more than just the top hand even on the simplest of songs but I just think a home isn't complete without a piano.

I love that it originated in Albany

These girls will be taking lessons someday!

"Music has boundless powers for moving families toward greater spirituality and devotion to the gospel. Latter-day Saints should fill their homes with the sound of worthy music."

-- "First Presidency Preface," Hymns, 1985, x

Emily Ann is 3 months old

2011-05-19T14:28:00.006-04:00

What's Emmie up to?
She loves to smile.
She has started to laugh.
She sleeps through the night. (usually)
She likes to have her fist in her mouth.
She's super cute but don't take my word for it. These pictures are the proof!

Sewing from scraps

2011-05-14T22:09:00.002-04:00

The girls found some leftover princess cloth and wanted me to make them nightgowns. I knew there wasn't quite enough to make two nightgowns so I figured I'd make skirts. I rummaged through my cloth and found a chuck of pink to help supplement the other cloth. I managed to make two skirts then looking at the scraps I decided I could "alter" the pattern and attempt a little baby skirt too. Whaalaa 3 little matching skirts:

Finished product

sporting some great facial expressions

Lovin' baby Emmie

This is looking really nice

"I think we're really going to like these Mom."

Say what?

2011-05-09T16:15:00.003-04:00

I noticed this on my package of potatoes. I don't get it. Distributed by a Potandon Produce in Idaho Falls but Not Idaho potatoes.

You spin me right round baby...

2011-05-05T20:44:00.002-04:00

Nothing like a good office chair to entertain the troops.

Book Worm

2011-05-02T14:53:00.003-04:00

Now this is talent. Reading several books at once, some even upside down.

Ah the "assistant" (As in, "Let me set all these books up for you.")

I'm sure this is the first of many...

2011-04-27T15:51:00.001-04:00

bouquets that will grace my table this summer.

All things Easter

2011-04-25T07:51:00.015-04:00

Egg Tree

Bunny Buns

Dying Easter Eggs

Curlers to bed

Easter Baskets

Ready for Church

THE HUNT

Here comes Nattie with the basket

I see one

Success

How do you measure up?

2011-04-21T13:53:00.005-04:00

A 2 month old Emily
Height – 23 inches – 75%
Weight- 10 lbs 2.5 oz – 50%
Head- 15 inches – 25 %

A 2 year old Natalie
Height – 35.5 inches – 94%
Weight – 27.8 pounds – 75%
Head -19 ¼ inches -97%

Yes, my girls are tall. And I guess the reason Miss Natalie is so smart is because of her huge noggin.

The skill of blowing out a candle

2011-04-18T09:26:00.004-04:00

Maybe next year...