Sunglasses & a Fight

He did this all by himself. Notice the one glove.
He's so proud of himself. He's my little comedian.
The next two pics have a story to go with it. Daddy was the witness. He was in the kitchen tending to unloading the dishwasher when he heard a little scuffle in the other room. He didn't think too much of it until the screaming and crying started so he came to find out what was going on and encountered this on his way.
Yes, the fight was over the sunglasses and look who won...one lense less but still victorious!

Eating Toast

Ahhh, that's better. The pics look much more clear. So, Uncle Wally, if you are reading this, yep, I have to edit each one. :o( But it's worth it. :o)

Pool Pics and a test

To save time, the last couple of photo posts had pictures that were unedited. I think they look a little fuzzy unless you enlarge them. So here are some edited pool pics. Let's see if there's a difference.

Summer Recap ~ vacation

Toot toot chugga chugga big red car.


March, march, march.
Yeah, she did that herself. She did it so fast. Little monkey.

Whoosh!

Awwww
Dutch Wonderland. We had an awesome time.

Love Note to my Children ~ Mark

Dear Mark,

Your smile melts my heart. I love how your eyes sparkle and those perfect cherry cheeks appear, perfect for pinching. I'll never forget the day I first saw your hair curl. You were around 12 months old and I was giving you a bath. I was so excited that I called Daddy to come see. You are so very handsome and will be sure to steal a girl's heart one day. Though I must say, you are already quite a flirt and (Eh-Hem) have your eye on older women! I've seen you flirt with teenagers. That's my boy!

I love how thoughtful you are. You take care of those that love you. When you offered to help grandma down the stairs that day, you made me so proud. How can a 2.5 year old be so compassionate?

You are super smart, learning words in leaps and bounds lately. You are a whiz at Peezles (oh how miss how you used to say puzzles). You love to count, sing songs, and Fire Fighters! How you care about other's I could definitely see you choosing that as a career (but please don't, I'd worry about you too much).

You love to dance and boy do you have rhythm! My favorite move is the shoulder roll.

You always say please and thank you, "Oh, Thank you" to be exact. You open the fridge now on your own to get juice and for you and Ria. Oh yes, you always remember your Ria.

I never believed that I could be so close to my son, but you, Mark, I have a close bond. Your expressive eyes and juicy kisses tell me all.

I love you, my handsome boy, very very much.

Love, Mommy

Love note to my children~Maria

I started to write this about 3 weeks ago. Before my memories fade, here's the first of 2 posts.

So the twins are now 2.5. Can you believe it? I can't. They amaze me everyday with what they learn. I wish I could remember everything they've done or said that has made me happy, sad, astounded and mad. So to put it in writing, here's how I see them both today.

Dear Maria,

You are my little spit fire and sweetheart. I adore your smile and the crinkle in your nose. You have the most adorable walk, always bouncing around like tigger. If I had a nickel for every compliment I have received for having such a beautiful daughter, I'd be a rich woman. Your eyes are amazing, so bright blue. You also have the cutest leggies, footies and belly in town. Even now, you comment on your own tiny hiney that we made a song about. Then again, doesn't mommy make songs up for just about anything, from Good Morning to potty stuff, to bedtime, to brushing teeth and eating cheerios. I think it's so funny that you've picked up my style of singing, always inserting claps, clicks with the tongue or popping noises to add some interest. You've also started clearing your throat more and more just to mimic me.
I love the fact that you sing along with me now and even sing to Mark. When you were just a little peanut in my arms in the NICU, I made up my first song for you.
Maria, Maria, who is Maria? She's the girl with the cute button nose, and cute little piggy toes.
My Maria Girl, My Maria Girl.
She's the girl with the beautiful eyes, the cute pinchable cheeks and she makes funny faces walkin' down the street.
My Maria Girl, My Maria Girl.
Oh yes, she's my Maria Girl, She's My Maria Baby, She's My Maria Girl.
You are as smart as a whip, remembering what you did days ago. You know so many songs, sing your ABCs and retain what you learn every day with ease. You are a little mommy to everyone especially Mark. You are so very loving and know in my heart will make an excellent mother one day. You hug and kiss Mark so much at times, that he has to fight you off. And I have to admit that for someone so petite, you give freakishly strong bear hugs.
You have a temper, since the day we brought you home. You are fiesty and passionate. When you don't get your way you WAIL (which doesn't even seem strong enough a word)! This goes right through all of us, but you certainly know to open your mouth when you are upset so perhaps you will grow up to be an excellent communicator (or opera singer).
I love the bond we share. I love the way we can look at each other and just giggle over the littlest and silliest things. I pray that we always share that closeness. I vow to try my best to keep it that way.
I love you my Maria, so very very much.
Mommy

Friends

Adam's 44th Birthday Party. Someone doesn't look so happy. Just look at those droopy cheeks, so cute.

Mommy and me.

Maria LOVES Olivia. She recently learned to say her name. She takes very good care of her. Here she kept saying "ahhh" so Olivia would open her mouth for more food. And she also took it upon herself to wipe her mouth after every bite.
Jen and I have been best friends since we've been 14. Gosh, that's 21 years! Here were are with each other's daughters, our goddaughters.

CHEEZ!

My Covergirl

These photos kinda speak for themselves. As I reviewed them, I could only think, "Work the camera, baby!"

Happy Belated 4th

We didn't do anything special last weekend, but it was nice to spend the extra time together. Here's a couple pics from their first time eating ice pops. MJ ate his whole pop. He was so excited about it that he kept wanting to high-5 me. Then when I joined them eating a pop, he wanted to high-5 pops together. So funny...

I just loved the way he looked in this pic. I can rarely get him to smile at the camera. Daddy had some luck.

Yee-haw!

We went to the Turtle Back Zoo last Saturday. They had a free family day. When I saw that they had pony rides, we decided to check it out. I got the tokens and leaned down to ask them, "Do you want to ride a pony?" I got a resounding "OK!!" from MJ. So of course, he got to go first.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous, but as you can see from the pics, I was WAY more nervous than them. 

Keansburg, NJ

We made our annual trip to Keansburg and guess what?! They are tall enough to ride a bunch of rides! Gosh, I think I was more excited than them. They looked so grown up and acted though this was serious business. The pictures do not express their excitement. They had a great time and loved each one.

Day out with Thomas!

We went to go see Thomas. We all enjoyed the day. We had spectacular weather. I can't believe how big these kids are getting. Time is flying too fast for my taste.

We stopped by Kitchen Kettle Village on the way back from Thomas and sampled some delicious jams and spreads. As we were getting ready to leave, I spotted the sign and how perfect; there were 4 berries! :o)