Life with Leah, Sydney & Jake

Merry Merry!!!

2010-12-13T14:04:00.001-08:00

Gleeful Gifts Christmas Card

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Making My Lists.... Checking them Twice

2010-12-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

How does this time of year always sneak up on me? Gee, wait-- I know.... it goes like this: Halloween (costumes, parties, trick or treat), Thanksgiving (20+ folks at our house), twin birthday (a tea party for 18 girls which I created and hosted), Hanukkah (8 crazy nights).....and oh, the rest of the holiday season!

As usual, I am so far behind on holiday cards it's not even funny. I've selected the outfits, i'm attempting to update my mailing lists. But I have yet to wrangle all three kids in to some decent light and snap a picture that is card worthy.

Thankfully, I know I'll order my cards from Shutterfly. I like to try to find a holiday-neutral design that's not too Christmas-y but still festive enough.

I'm leaning towards some of the modern choices for Christmas Cards and loving the flat stationary choices.

Maybe something like this?

I did create a photo book for Jake’s first birthday recently and it came out just amazing. I did the Simple Path with a selection of photos. It would have been totally fool proof except the book came out a tad too long. I had to edit it down a bit and try to stick to a theme (mainly just Jake photos) and ended up with about 33 gorgeous pages. The full bleed photo pages were my favorite ones.

Some of my friends create a new book for every vacation they take and now have a shelf full of custom-memory books. Perhaps that could be a goal for us as well? I do a good job with our online albums but it would be great to have some more tangible keepsakes. Meanwhile, those books or calendars make amazing photo gifts.

Jake also scored a gorgeous birth announcement from Shutterfly. Back when the girls were born in 2003 getting custom-designed card stock announcements or cards was totally cost prohibitive. Those types of photo cards have gotten considerably more affordable.

So perhaps the new New Year’s resolution will be to keep up with my photo projects? Start a year-in-review book early in the year? I really treasure all our family photos – they deserve to be seen off the screen every now and again!

If I can't get my shopping in order perhaps I should peruse my photos for a few great last minute gift ideas. I certainly have enough content to work with!

Giving thanks....

2010-11-17T18:54:00.001-08:00

Brown Orange Band 5x7 folded card

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Raffi, Blankie and our Happy Interfaith Family

2009-04-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Raffi and Blankie on the Road to Florida, May 2008

Sydney has two very special things in her life: Raffi and Blankie. And in case you're curious, Blankie is a "girl" and apparently also Jewish.

She adopted Blankie as her most "special" thing many years ago (age 2?) which was once a lavender receiving blanket with little bunnies on it. Over the years it's faded and beome extremely thread bare which is part of blankie's allure. See, those frayed edges are her special "tickler" things--- and she self soothes by holding the edges between her thumb and forefinger-- or stroking the loose edges against her face (or yours if she's feeling affectionate).

Raffi was a stuffed animal purchased at Zoo Atlanta by my mom after a visit there 3 years ago. He is THE animal that must be with us at all times. His fur is matted, eyes, scratched and has quite the floppy neck.

Today Raffi and Blankie took on entirely new personalities as Syndey announced shortly after waking up: "Blankie is Jewish, and Raffi is Christian."

Scott and I, who were still laying in bed tried very hard not to laugh and simply said "OK."

At that point Blankie attempted to "say the blessings" however apparenly he doesn't know Hebrew so she sang "Shabbat Shalom" instead.

I found the whole thing hysterical and realized that all our open discussions of who-is-what, and who belives what is starting to sink in..... and that they hopefully have a very healthy respect for all people regardless of belief or religious affliation. Of course they also now think "Irish" is a religion... having a hard time with that one.

Right now they both accept and proudly state that "Mommy is not Jewish. We are." And there is no value judgement attached to that declaration. I hope it always stays that way as they explore their identify and parts of their heritage. Religious education begins this fall and it will hopefully allow them to get a clearer picture of what they're in for the next 8 years (Bat Mitzvah Age) or the rest of their life if they choose to stay in the faith.

At the same time, I know that exposure to the love and support and values at St. Andrews has helped shape them into the wonderful kids they are today. They'll likely always be surrounded by more non-Jews that Jews-- that's just how the world works.

But if Raffi and Blankie can get along so well-- can't we all?

A few pics from this weekend

2009-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

It was HOT this weekend! Took a trip to the Inman Park festival..... and it was at least in the mid 80's. Big crowds + heat meant not much actual shopping.

Sunday was laid back with yard work and a movie night for the girls while Scott saw "The Boss" in concert again. I'm a tad jealous but have my Vegas trip coming up in a few weeks so I'll survive!

Sydney is so sensitive and kept crying during "Babe" anytime she thought the poor pig might loose his life (a recurring theme of the film of course). And as usual- the floodgates opened when the movie was over. Nothing new here-- this habit goes back about 3 years to the very beginnings of their movie-watching career.

What's New........

2009-04-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

My last post was more prophetic than I knew. Facebook has become a pretty instantaneous way to share updates in 140 characters, and easily updated mobile photos from my phone.

This combined with no camera since Thanksgiving (blackberry only, and a new cool Flip Video) has made capturing all of our time with the girls difficult.

However, looking ahead I think that this blog will merit more attention, and may even warrant a name change.

Yes, the girls will be big sisters to ONE baby, some time in early October! This is going to be quite an adventure. Really the timing is pretty cool, since they'll be a few months in to kindergarten. Their reaction was priceless: shock, excitement, and even some doubt ("you're not joking???") which quickly turned to a practical and nuturing attitude. I sense they'll be old enough to enjoy this and be helpful at the same time. They're ready to set up a nursery now! Hopefully they can wait a few more months before they start redecorating.

But, really, Scott and I are thrilled. Amazing how life changes your perspective on what you thought you wanted......

So my hopes for this blog moving forward are to get some of our fun videos up here ...... as well as perhaps their thoughts on what it will be like to be "Life with Leah & Sydney and Baby.....".

Here are links to some recent albums

Spring Break

Spring Break 2009

Some Thanksgiving through January

December 2008

Fall/Halloween

Cagle's Dairy, L5P Parade and Halloween

Labor Day Beach Photos (hybrid of Shankmans and Garricks)

Labor Day 2008

This blog is nice but Facebook is more fun

2008-09-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

So what have we been up to for the past 9 months? It seems that all of our life cycle events that occured were for the most part captured on the camera.... occassionally posted on Picasa........ and then in between its been "fun with facebook"-- posting stories, pictures, videos, status updates and more.

My friends get it, of course, but I feel bad for family members who used to look here to see what was new with the girls and the rest of us.

I don't think it's possible to make up for lost time but here is a list in NO ORDER of some highlights (and photos too!)

- Our big trip to Disneyworld in December 2007! Highlight of the year!
-A "first"- going camping for one night at Stone Mountain
-Two broken arms, fixed in time for the 4th of July
-Starting pre-K (at the same school)
-Finding more confidence in swimming at the pool with some lessons and as many evening/weekend visits as we could squeeze in
-A fabulous week at the beach with us, GramE, PopPop and Uncle Keith
-First "salon" manicures courtesy of DeeDee
-An unfortunate bout of pneumonia during spring break landing Leah in the hospital for 1 nite bookended by a fun visit to D.C.
-Another sucessful season of Tiny Tykes Soccer, a semester of Kindermusik, and a totally over the top dance recital!
-Visits from Aunt Myra, Uncle Alan, Isaac, Sara, Dee Dee and Poppy Joel
-Too many random colds, sniffles, coughs to mention
-Plenty of fun birthday parties with friends and outings to Zoo Atlanta, Children's Museum, High Museum of Art, and The Braves

So no promises on keeping this thing up to date. It's just too easy when I have facebook open all day! Even if no one ever looks at this blog, I find it's a great way to take a look back at what's been happening, outside the chaos of our day to day.

2008-04-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Leah in the Light

2008-04-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Finally dumping my camera after, oh 3 months-- this one was last week after dinner and the light was just so pretty I couldn't resist. A few more to follow

Egg Dying with GramE

2008-03-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

This past thursday pre-easter. Took some convincing that you could EAT the eggs... but now they love em!

Welcome to the Dollhouse

2008-03-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl my Poppy (Lauren Hansen) made me a dollhouse that he created entirely by hand. It was fully lit and lovingly decorated by my mom. It went in to storage sometime in 1987 when my family moved from CT to SC and stayed in a box for the past two decades. Just recently, my mom took the dollhouse on as her new 'project' to bring it in to the next century-- with new furniture and details, updated "people" and a fresh coat of paint. The girls LOVE IT and have named everyone in the family and play for hours on end with this new and improved version. I'm so happy to see them get such joy from one of my most favorite childhood memories.

Me and The Girls on Easter

2008-03-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sydney and Her Bunny

2008-03-24T09:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Sara & Isaac

2008-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

We had a great weekend! Saturday was all snow and lots of indoor fun (though they did brave the snow for about 30 minutes). Leah declared "I want MORE snow than THIS!"

Snow Day

2008-01-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Little Drummer Girl

2007-12-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

Birthday Photos from Ellis

2007-12-17T09:17:00.001-08:00

Click the post title for all the pics from Ellis of the girls' birthday!

Here's one during the cakes

Laurie Berkner

2007-12-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we went to see kiddie icon Laurie Berkner perform at symphony hall. Alison and Ginny went with us. Honestly, I think I may have been more excited than the kids. Sydney danced the ENTIRE show-- we sat in the first row of the loge so there was plenty of room to squirm around. She performed all the "hits" and everyone had a great time! We hung out next door at the High Museum for a while after the show to get a snack and admire the Lichtenstein house, and the Oldenberg sculptures. My kids are big fans of pop art!

Laurie Berkner Concert

America's Dorkiest Home Videos

2007-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

While in their gymnastics attire, Sydney performs a "tap dance" while Leah-- I don't even know WHAT she was doing but watch the left side of the screen.

All I Want for Christmas

2007-12-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

Is everything! This was taken at Northpoint Mall yesterday afternoon........ the girls were overhwelmed with the "REAL SANTA" and gave him high-fives and inquired as to how his reindeer were doing. 'Tis the season .... we're on party 4 of 4 tonight and are having lots of fun!

The Girls are FOUR!

2007-12-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

The girls had their own "parties" in school on Friday--- Sydney joined Leah in her class to sing Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Leah & Sydney

2007-12-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Year One
Year Two
Year 3

This year's photo to be added soon! We can not belive that you are 4 today. Every day has been a joy (even the hard ones) and we love you so much!

Happiness Is..........

2007-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

Lollipops from their teacher....... Sydney was a "good listener" and got to take home the infamous sleep-over teddy filled with treats, stickers, a book, etc. Not worth mentioning that EVERYONE gets a turn, and um, there were only 2 kids left who hadn't taken it home yet :)

Halloween, Thanksgiving & Soccer

2007-11-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some albums I'm just getting around to putting online--- all of our soccer "season" (6 weeks including 1 out of town, and 1 with Sydney having pneumonia!), Halloween including some pumpkin carving and Thanksgiving weekend with Poppy Joel.

SOCCER

Soccer October 2007

HALLOWEEN

Halloween 2007

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving Weekend 2007

If Leah & Sydney Could Ski...........

2007-11-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

A Glimpse in to High School Dorkiness

2007-11-15T13:28:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago my alma matter, Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. hosted an all-class reunion.....I took some old slides we had and threw this together for fellow band members. Since it took many hours to compile, I felt the need to post here!

Warning- it's 9 minutes long (with music of course).

Perhaps someday Leah & Sydney will find this amusing!

Photos From Trip to Washington, D.C.

2007-11-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Washington D.C., October 2007

Blog, What Blog?

2007-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

It has been nearly two months since I've logged on and posted even a lousy picture!

No real excuse I'm afraid-- but there has been a non stop barrage of sniffles and other illnesses since my last post (sinus infections, pneumonia and strep-- with no break in between).

And we're officially entering the "busy season"-- Thanksgiving, birthday(s), Hanukah, Christmas and of course, our trip to DISNEY!

I'l throw in a few slideshows below-- but even our camera has a dead battery and nothing dumped on to the PC. Sigh.

This week is crazy, as Scott's in Philly--- the girls have not taken this lightly and we've had a few rough nights. Tonight they're with GramE which should keep them happily distracted.

TKCG at the KP Corporate Challenge

2007-09-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

Here's to another year of manning the tent (personally speaking). Go team TKCG!

Rest of photos (unedited) here:

TKCG and KP Corporate Challenge

Other Pics from Ellis

2007-09-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that Ellis is always "with camera" when we all hang out. Ginny & Alison have simply become used to life in front of the lens..... and I think it's wonderful how many moments he captures.

Here are two links to web albums of some of his recent shots that feature, among other things, Alison, Leah and Sydney just being kids!

Thanks Ellis!

First album: September 2

Second album: September 8

All Florida Pictures

2007-09-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

A month behind in posting photos- that's par for the course.

Here are all the pics from Florida, the first half shot by Keith, (who is currently working in Kenya!) and the second are my random snapshots including GrameE's birthday (who is in Alaska!). We're a scattered mess. Top it off with Dad leaving for Montana on Wednesday. I feel so homebound!

But all is well, we survived a crazy back to school virus-fest that had everyone useless except Scott, then right back in to the chaos with work, school and activities.

Seagrove, Florida 2007

Soccer! (Oh, and our anniversary)

2007-09-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Soccer TYSA Tiny Tikes

Today was the first day of 6 weeks of soccer with TYSA, Tiny Tykes division. It was hysterical-- near chaos, and extremely HOT! Lots of drills that involved the parents (!) and then last 15 minutes was 3 on 3 "game"---Leah kept walking off field pouting if people kicked the ball past her. Their other 'team mate' also got cranky and walked off leaving only Sydney at one point playing for her team. But when the ball came her way she took it all the way to the goal. Woohoo!

Oh, and it's our anniversary! (Yep, takeout on china. Though we did go out to Trois last weekend grown-up style so it's all good). Happy, 7th anniversary Scott-- I love you!

First Day of Preschool 2007

2007-08-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is their first day in the 5-day "3's". The bigger change is this is their first day in separate classrooms! Sydney is with Miss Fletcher (as she's been all summer) and Leah is next door with Miss Shields, who they already know quite well as she's the assistant director of the school.

Check out their fancy new tennis shoes (mandated by the school!).

Back From The Beach

2007-08-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

And back to reality. Deja vu-- Scott's in NYC again (for Donny's wedding, again). A wonderful week including Mom's birthday and Keith with us the whole time. He snapped dozens of pics I have to upload.

Perfect weather every day except rain first afternoon. Spent nearly every day outside from about 10-1 and then again 3:30 to 6pm. Than goodness for SPF 50 and a tent.

Til next year.........

Picnic @ Piedmont

2007-07-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Making Pizza

2007-07-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night.........

Tribue to the Babies of 2007

2007-07-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

And this ain't even all of them!! But as the cute pics kept landing in my in box I felt compelled to do something with them. Cuteness!

(From top left: Leo, The Nail Twins, Cooke, Graham, Xander, Lous, Witt, Molly and Xander again!)

Dress up at GramE's

2007-07-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Check out the "shoes" created by a creative GramE. They loved it!

All June Photos

2007-07-16T18:33:00.001-07:00

Family Friday

2007-07-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at Johnny Rockets before haircuts last Friday. Scott took a well deserved day off!

Happy Birthday America!

2007-07-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

That's the uber-patriotic message from Leah & Sydney. Click the image below for the whole July album-- video is first item in the album.

July 2007

Crazy Summer

2007-07-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is a "filler" post. Meaning, we've been so busy since the recital weekend, just having fun and doing day to day stuff, that I've lost track of the whole comcept of this blog.

So what's new?
-Girls are excited for "Happy Birthday America" aka 4th of July. Hope to check out fireworks in Chamblee

-They started tumbling class (Tucker Tykes) at Tucker Rec Center a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Chris is the teacher, they LOVE him. I have pics to post at somet point in time.

-Scott went to Philadelphia for 6 days and we had a lot of "bonding" time together, just the girls.

-Before leaving town Scott spend the day with the ladies taking them to the Atlanta Botanical Garden (all by himself--gasp!) and realized, not only can he handle it, it was fun!

-For the past 2 weeks I've been in a psychotic Disney planning mode (we're going December 26-Jan 1) trying to get Princess Breakfast reservations and such..... but we got em!

-Things are going well at St. Andrews's Extended Day program-- they even napped for the first time last week, which made everyone very happy (especially their teachers).

-We haven't visited the Nottaway Pool as much as I'd like this summer. Getting home at 5pm and then trying to race against pending thunderstorms and dinner is hard. Leah is really in to putting her whole head underwater which is great. Sydney sticks to the wall but that's better than nothing.

I suppose that's it. I have some random snapshots to upload from the past month. For the most part, life is great!

More Recital

2007-06-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Recital

2007-06-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Prima Donnas

2007-06-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

At Dance Arts Showcase! Leah & Sydney and (most) of their classmates at Saturday's dress rehearsal. Today was the big performance-- a total hit. I have never laughed so hard while feeling so proud at the same time!

Poppy Joel

2007-06-09T18:46:00.001-07:00

Poppy Joel at the pool with the ladies this evening! We took a quick swim before dinner. Tomorrow is the big day-- recital!

I Knew I Will-- Sydney

2007-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

CLick the image to view the video on Picasa (turn your sound on!)

I Love to Ride my Bicycle

2007-06-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Beach Pics Slide Show

2007-06-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Updated May Pics

2007-05-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

Added a few more pics to the May Album

May 2007

Beach-- Memorial Day 2007

2007-05-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

I take no credit for this picture--- it's an oldie but goodie from Holden Beach taken by one of the Garricks.

Anyway-- I let them do all the "snapping" this weekend on the camera and will post some albums once they're online.

To Barbara With Love!

2007-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken last week when I got home from work. The girls will be starting extended-day at St. Andrews in a week and that unfortunately means their weekly "playdate" with Barbara won't be happening. I feel good that Barbara is helping someone else we know with their baby because she is one of the most genuinely compassionate people I have ever met. The girls love her so much and vice versa. Barbara will always be a part of their lives. And recently I think she got a great complement, one of the girls said that they had THREE grandmas "Dee Dee, GramE and Barbara!".

Adventure

2007-05-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Kids are great. Everything, if positioned correctly, can be an adventure

While en route to Holden Beach, NC this Friday night our trusty Ford Explorer decided to start mis-firing. Thankfully Scott heard the noise and then the check engine light started blinking. We were about 30 miles outside Columbia, SC and at least 3 hours from the beach. Of course it was nearing 6pm and we knew repairs shops would be closing soon. After consulting the owner's manual we found out that a blinking light means "get service now-- you're going to melt something." Verizon 411 actually came through for us providing the location of a Goodyear in Lexington, SC (the Columbia 'burbs). I need to write a big thank you to the mechanic who agreed to make our car a priority on a holiday weekend. At this point the girls were hysterical b/c they thought we were NOT going to the beach-- but when we positioned this as a big adventure, that we'd stay in a hotel (Holiday Inn Express, really not so bad!) and walk to a restaurant they were enthralled. This pic was hanging out on the bed before dinner Friday night.

Swim Lessons

2007-05-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Eden, Sydney & Leah at Nottaway Pool

Fun with Mosaics

2007-05-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Boston- April 2007

2007-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Scott and I were able to go up to Boston for Keith's thesis exhibition during Spring Break.

Here's an album from the openign reception and a few from dim sum with Ted/Andrea/Daniel/Summer.

Keri/Eric-- I have no idea where our camera was during our short/sweet visit but we had fun with ya'll too!

Meanwhile, DeeDee took great care of the ladies during our mini-break.

MFA Boston- April 2007

Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Dinner group @ our house! Also a few from Inman Park festival. Click post title to view May album

Spring Break Photos-- Part I

2007-05-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's an album of pics from our trip over Spring Break to DC.

Ones from Boston are coming next.

Spring Break 2007

Last Day of Kindermusik

2007-05-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is a pic with Miss June, Eliana and the ladies on their last day of Kindermusik (a week ago-- I'm behind).

Mom & Dad's 40th Anniversay

2007-05-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

A few pics from April 15--- Mom and Dad (GramE and PopPop) celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! We had a fun brunch at our house

Mom & Dad's 40th Anniversary

Luke Skywalker

2007-05-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is not just a TKCG shirt that has been cut off. THIS is the "Luke Skywalker" shirt, due to the fabulous "floppy" arms, just like Luke! She wants to wear it to bed every day. If Sydney had her way she would also wear it in public. While I'm proud of employee 9A (see corner of shirt), we had to draw the line somewhere.

Sweet Dreams

2007-05-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a litlte groggy today, mainly due to a very sweet incident with Leah last night.

I awoke in the middle of the night to hearing the girls' door open and Leah shuffling in to our bedroom. She said "Mommy, I having bad dreams, I need to sleep in your bed."

Knowing it would be a mistake to let her stay the night in our room, I begrudingly told her to hop in the bed. Scott and I talked to her and asked what the problem was. She repeated again that she had bad dreams, though she couldn't say what they were about.

It would have been easy to just scoot over and let her stay the night cuddled in our not-big-enough-bed, but we were terrified that she'd start to think it was OK to sleep in our bed every night. Instead we reminded her about thinking "happy" thoughts before falling alseep and asked her what some of those might be.

She answered without hesitation "Princesses! Picking flowers! Swinging!"

My heart swelled that she knew so quickly what thoughts would make her happy.

At one point we tried negotiating by telling her she needed to go back to her room since her sister would miss her. Leah didn't miss a beat and said "Sissy will be fine without me."

Once we went through a few more happy thoughts she agreed to go back to bed.

An hour later, the exercise repeated itself, this time I was too tired to argue and she simply crawled next to me and went to sleep. The only reason we noticed is by this point Sydney was up as well, yelling about her "special blankie". Again, we transferred Leah back to her her bed while settling Sydney down.

When the alarm went off just a few hours later we were both totally out of it. It took me forever to get out the door this morning, I felt like we had a night with twin babies all over again.

But their needs are no longer as simple as putting a pacifier in their mouth and turning the music box on. I just hope that we can always remind them of their happy thoughts (and that they take a nap today!)

Did I Mention

2007-04-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

That my brother rocks and just finished his MFA at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston this year? We went up over spring break to see his thesis exhibition and realize what a star he is. We're so proud!

Sleepover

2007-04-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

The girls had a sleepover with Alison this weekend while we went out to see the Hoax and grab some food at Taqueria.

Ellis took this pic right before bed time. Leah is sleeping in her newly acquired dress that was too short for Alison-- one of the first things they started doing was trying on eachother's clothes. I suppose some of these behaviors are just built in! They had a really long day including ballet in the morning and the Inman Park Festival that afternoon before even getting to Alison's so I know they were EXHAUSTED.

I am way behind on pictures and have to put together an April album and get all pics since September (eek!) on Kodak Gallery to order prints before their sale ends!

Gettin' Hitched

2007-03-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

The premise of this dress up occassion was that they were a "bride" (Leah) and a "handsome prince" Sydney. Now, i don't know exacty how they decide who gets what gender role but they both seemed genuinely happy. Sydney chose this sweater and hat since it was a "handsome suit."

All March Photos and Videos

2007-03-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here is our album of March photos--- there are also videos in it so be sure to have your sound on. Since I haven't had time to blog, I did manage to throw some captions in there so do the slideshow view.

March 2007

Link to Columbia, SC Pictures

2007-03-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the girls with Logan and Tate in South Carolina a few weeks ago.

We are leaving for Maryland on Saturday and I hope to post some pics and videos from the past month before we head out of town.

It's been a great Spring so far-- minus the allergies. We were lucky to have Sonia/Thomas/Emmie here in Atlanta for several weeks!

Great Blog: On Balance

2007-03-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

I discovered this blog the other day accidentally, and it is right on topic with many of the issues I am interested in as a part-time professional and full-time mom.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/onbalance/

Check it out.

Big City Kids

2007-03-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

After a day at the Children's Museum in Atlanta

Life Is Sweet

2007-03-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

A visit to the KK in South Carolina with Logan and Tate. Happy Birthday Tate!!!!

All pics taken on my phone which isn't too terrible, actually.

New Album of Photos

2007-03-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

January & February 2007

So "Fancy"

2007-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Not sure words can describe these fashion statements created by L&S this past weekend.......... but safe to say they were having fun.

Big Girl Beds

2007-02-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this when it happened-- but for the record the girls got their bunks.... here are some before/after pictures!

Their Room: Before & After

Too Cute Not to Post

2007-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

My Picnic

2007-02-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

I work a flex schedule at TKCG which is something that is increasingly important to me, even as the girls get older and more self sufficient. Right now it's 80 hours a month, which currently equals Monday/Wednesday working 5-7 hours and 4 hours on Tuesday/Thursday. I've kept my Fridays off since the fall of 2005 and really enjoyed that. I am constantly rewarded with more responsibility and get plenty of recognition for my work, which as a mom, is NOT always something you get at home!

It makes me feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to work outside the home, because i am just not cut out for the 24 hour mommy role. I'm a better mom, when i have that time to reflect on how wonderful they are, instead of just being frustrated by all the food on the floor.

I plan to increase my hours this summer when they start an extended day program at St. Andrews. Although I'll be putting in almost 50% more hours (28 a week), I plan to keep Fridays off. I know we'll really appreciate that in the summer when we can hang out at the pool. In the fall they'll go to school 9-12 on Fridays but we'll still have our afternoons together, and I will enjoy some unadulterated alone time to perhaps accomplish some projects around the house or attend to my many unfinished hobbies.

The photo above was from this past Friday-- we had a wonderful day just playing with toys around the house. They have been cooperating really well together and games like this ("let's make a picnic") are a great example. It all started with setting up a grocery store, then going home to put the groceries in the kitchen, then cooking up this feast which we enjoyed together.

Friday was also a big day as Sydney finally gave in and pooped on the potty (too much info, i know). Every one at Mellow Mushroom Northlake now knows about this success as well.

She was promptly rewarded with the much loved Princess Fruit Snacks (glorified candy, oh well) and although we haven't had a repeat performance yet, I know it will all come together at some point. She has been successfully wearing underwear though for the past week (minus the #2). Really, it HAS to all get dealt with before June 4 when their extended day session starts at the school!

Happy Birthday To Me

2007-02-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

The girls MADE me this cake (with a little help from Betty Crocker and GramE)...... and I was quite suprised! It was hysterical because when I walked in they kept going "sssshhhh.............cake!" which, is about as long as a three year old can keep a secret I guess.

It was a great birthday weekend including going out with Scott last night to Shaun's where we totally overdid it but it was all really good (even if we did wait 40 minutes for our table with a reservation). Spent rest of the day just hanging out but went on a mission to scope out bunk beds. It's really time but I do get nervous with them using the top bunk. Leah won't even do it, Sydney is pretty good at it. We took the ladder all over Pier One Kids and let them try climbing up.

Of course, they only liked the "fancy beds"-- especially the one that had a fabric tent on the front that looked like a house. Not sure if we NEED that accessory but it could hide a lot of clutter :)

Two Other Photo Albums

2007-02-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

The ones from the holidays

Christmas 2006

And a few random pics from January

Random January Pics

Pissed Off

2007-02-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Exchange with Sydney today:

"Sydney, are you in a bad mood?"

"Yes, I'm cranky"

"Why?"

"I'm pissed off at the Beatles who are dead. John and who? Who else? Oh yeah, George. I pissed off they dead."

That kind of sums up their latest obcession with the Beatles. Yes they can name them all. Not suprisingly their favorite songs are Yellow Submarine and All You Need is Love.

Getting Back on Track

2007-02-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

It's finally February. I'm not sure where January went but I'm personally glad it's over! It was a long hard month.

Since going to DC for Belle's funeral it's been a game of catch up with work, illnesses and I also had a vacation to Las Vegas that had been on the books for about seven months. Pics here.

Vegas January 2007

While I was out of town, Myra, Allan, Isaac and Sara came to visit for the weekend with the ladies. I know they had a great time and did lots things like going to Brody's birthday, the Aquarium, ballet class, out to eat and just hanging out and having fun.

The girls through it all have been wonderful. I'm going to make an effort to keep up with this blog again.

Grandmom Belle

2007-01-02T08:48:00.001-08:00

Grandmom Belle died yesterday at 4:30 p.m. She was Scott's maternal grandmother and the girls' great-grandmother. We were fortunate to be with her this weekend and she was continually surrounded by her children Diane and Myra, husband Ben, sister Marian, as well as her grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends.

Services will be in Maryland either tomorrow or Thursday.

I feel lucky to have met her 10 years ago. She cared so much for everyone. What I always found most suprising is under that ultra-nice exterior was a razor sharp wit that would have us laughing out loud.

I'm sad that I don't have many recent photos of her--here are a few from a day that she helped babysit the ladies.

We'll miss you Grandmom-- you are loved!

Last Night of Hanukah

2007-01-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ellis' pics here

Scott's Birthday

2007-01-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

It was 12/22 but here's a nice pic Ellis took

What's Wrong with Cinderella?

2006-12-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Funny enough we had this exact discussion on Christmas day as the girls' sat entranced in front of the TV, watching the digitally remastered DVD of said movie.

Reading this article today brought home some interesting points.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2006-12-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Rock On

2006-12-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

You make the rockin' world go round.........

Part I

Part II

More Random Thoughts

2006-12-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

It's happening again-- too long between posts and my memory is failing me.

Random thoughts:

Sydney named one of her babies "Swims-a-lot"
Leah thought a good holiday gift for Alison would be a pack of princess panties
Sydney puts on sunglasses and a bandana and tells me not to worry, it's just her in a "mask"
Sadly, Sydney also put an animal in a box recently and told me "it's dead"-- perhaps the nearly disposable fish aren't a good idea?
While enjoying some music Leah told me to "not rock out"
Scott is now officially Eric from the Little Mermaid
Our dear cat, Paddy is forever "Luk-a-feerr" or Lucifer from Cinderella
Sydney often makes Leah pretend to be Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty
For their birthday they got walkie talkies which Sydney rejected immediately as a toy "for boys"
She then changed her mind and decided she liked her "waakie-hockey" and she and Leah stood in different rooms screaming "Sisssy??? Can you hear me????" since of course there were no batteries in it
Many birthday gifts were opened to the phrase "OH MY GOODNESS!!!". They're three going on thirty
This story relayed by my mom the other day about Scott's records:
"GramE, squares have all sides EQUAL!"
Leah told my mom that she was "going to Tucker High with her notebook and pencils! That's REALLY school!"
They're really in to what they call "holiday music" right now. Faves are Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, Mr. Grinch and the Dreidel Song.
Favorite NON holiday songs are "We Want the Funk" by Parliment and "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen. I'm really not kidding, video evidence to follow.

There's No Place Like Home...........

2006-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yay! Uncle Keith (my little brother) got in last night for Christmas. He'll likely pop by after the girls wake up from their nap.

Christy should also get in this weekend, as well as Ted, Daniel and Summer. I wish I had more time off this week but I have to go back to put in some hours on Wednesday and Thursday.

This morning we had a fun playdate with Lyle, Lucy, Bill and the twins at the Little Jumping Bean. We all forgot that school is out for everyone-- the place was insane. Leah & Sydney decided the slide was the thing to do and went up and down for about 45 minute straight (we got our $20 bucks worth of play for sure). They were a sweaty mess by the time we left at noon and are now out cold.

Tonight is the last night of Hanukkah AND Scott's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!!!!!

More Holiday Fun

2006-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Click here for an album of pics that Ellis took on the 1st night of Hanukkah.

These are a few of my favorites. Not sure why Leah is pulling such a pouty face but it's funny.

Ballet Last Week

2006-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

You know it's that time of year. Since last posting I've attended two holiday parties, hosted one holiday get together and managed to squeak in shopping during the hours my mom has been watching the kids.

Last weekend was the open house for ballet-- below is a link to an album of pics:

Ballet Class

Crissey was here and got to watch it with us. What a riot. All the kids were simply adorable and I don't know what hit me but I nearly burst in to tears when they did their little butterfly dance-- they laid on the ground as catepillars and then turned in to butterflies and basically ran around the room.

Sunday Funny

2006-12-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

Sydney looked at me in all honesty tonight and said "Happy Kwaanza, Mommy." I said "huh?" and then they both repeated "Happy Kwaanza Mommy!"

Sydney then proceeded to ask me what exactly Kwaanza was and I think I answered correctly.

Uh, and apparently Nathan and Brody celebrate it? Perhaps one of their parents can confirm or deny this one (I'm going with deny).

Nice to see the multi-cultural love going on in our house. Speaking of-- we desparately need to get our tree together while simultaneously dusting off the menorah. Five days til Hanukkah, 15 til Christmas. EEEK!

Birthday Photo Album here

2006-12-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Leah & Sydney's Third Birthday

And I think I mentioned that you can view Ellis' photos here using IE7, a Mac of Firefox as your browser.

Baaah Humbug

2006-12-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Not sure if you can see it in this photo but check out Leah's dubious expression! In the end our photo session with Santa @ Northlake Mall turned out just fine.... but I caught this moment as the poor photgrapher tried to wrangle a smile out of them!

Such Cultured Kids

2006-12-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Since Leah has refused to nap she's hanging with me on the couch watching Oprah on Tivo.

Today's guest is the international singing sensation Il Divo.

I gotta say these guys are CHEEEESSSEEEEY.

But Leah took one look and said "is this opera? I like opera-- do you like opera mama?"

Got to give her credit for knowing what this is trying to be.

We're Three!

2006-12-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's official: Leah & Sydney are three! Leah announced on her birthday morning that "all the kids at pre-school" are three and that she can "do everything a big kid can do." Almost totally true!

We had a great birthday WEEK starting with DeeDee arriving last Thursday. She got to watch the girls' dance class on Saturday morning and then come with us to Lyle's birthday party at The Little Jumping Bean

Photos of everything and some video clips are coming soon. Photo above courtesy of Ellis Vener

Ellis' web gallery is here--- it will only work if you are running IE7 or using a Mac

Their party day was Sunday and our theme was Under the Sea-- lots of bright tropical colors and lots of fish-themed items from the goody bags to the crafts and decorations. We hosted a big group and luckily the weather was good enough that some of the big kids played out back for a while before it got dark.

And the presents-- we owe everyone thank-you notes but we spaced the presents out over the past four days and each gift has been greeted with exclamations like "Oh my goodness!" and "I always wanted that!" even if they'd never seen one before. Right now the hit item is the Princess dresses (thanks Faith).

A big milestone-- they got rid of the pacifiers. The night of their party they were pretty distracted with all the new toys so I just hid the box full of nuks and told them that the Nuk Fairy had taken them away! I can't lie-- they would cry for a few minutes, then I'd come in the room and they'd just start talking and talking like nothing was wrong, until the door closed again. It's got to be hard, they lost their main coping mechanism for falling asleep. As I speak Leah is refusing to nap actually...................but they can do it.

DeeDee told them to think "happy thoughts" to help fall asleep.

Tuesday at school they had a party with cupcakes and hats.... the school took cute pics of them which was sweet.

FYI Sydney wished on her cake last night for a "shark, a dolphin and a fish." That's my girl!

New Pictures!

2006-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a new album of pics from trick or treating through our Thanksgiving weekend.

We're now in operation "Prepare for Birthday"-- Diane is on her way here (actually I just heard the car come in the garage!) and looking forward to a fun weekend.

Trick or Treat and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Leftovers Part II

2006-11-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

From Trick or Trea...

It really was a jam packed weekend. I'm not sure if I can even detai it all here, let alone throw in links and photos. So to summarize:

-Friday morning we were off with Poppy Joel to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to catch the "Niki" exhibit before it closes at the end of the year. Added bonus, the girls got to ride the special Holidaze Train around the Great Lawn. We grabbed lunch @ Rusan's Sushi before going home to crash (all of us).

-That night we had a leftover "party" with Ginny, Ellis and Alison. It was literally a repeat of Thursday with the girls' eating strike (crackers only!). By the time they left it was 10pm and Scott and I took advatage of Joel's built-in-sitter status to go see Casino Royale. It was MUCH better than I had anticipated. We've gotten spoiled having seen three movies in three weeks.

-Saturday morning: thank goodness we had no ballet this week, the break was appreciated by everyone. Instead we slowly got ready and went with Joel and the girls to the recently rennovated playground at Peachtree DeKalb Airport. This place is definately cool for grown ups and kids. The play equipment is cool enough but it also overlooks the runways at what is one of the busiest commuter airports in the country. We all enjoyed sitting outside in the nearly 70 degree weather watching the planes take off. I, of course, was fantizing about being in one of the massive private jets. The airport has a a really cool family-run restaurant onsite, mainly burgers and salads. Perfect lunch spot while visiting the playground.

-Saturday afternoon while the girls napped, Joel and Scott went on a secret birthday present shopping mission for the ladies. By the time they came back it was already time for Joel's return flight to Maryland. Leah & Sydney had a great time with their Poppy--- it's funny ....their favorite game was to pretend to call him on the phone while he was sitting with us! We had to remind them that they can actually call him when he's not here too. :)

-Saturday night was a grown-up evening (for me at least)-- Heather, Susanne, Michelle and I visited Ecco --I really enjoyed it. Not just for the great food but the totally 100% adult atmosphere. Which means, Leah & Sydney got to have a mini-sleepover with Nathan & Brody!

-Sunday (is this weekend over yet???) we had a visit from Joan Pollack and her parents, Shirley and Ippy, old family friends of Scott's grandparents. Joan has visited a few times so the girls were a bit more responsive to her, but I think it was great the Shirley could visit and "report" on what's happening with the ladies.

Oh, and did I mention we're in the midst of getting ready for the girls' THIRD BIRTHDAY party this weekend? Diane flies in Thursday night so that should be great too.

I think by the time the girls' actual birthday rolls around (on the 6th) we might just pass out with sheer exhaustion. But seriously, we're enjoying living each and every day with them to the fullest.

Random: Oh lord, I'm watching Oprah and she is talking with Julia Roberts about twins, who are about to turn two. Oprah says "can you imagine that, having twins who are two??" Um, YES Oprah! As I continue to watch this she is asking Julia all those typical "twin" questions. Bleeech. Ok, enough of that.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

2006-11-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is only post #2 in a month. I know it's bad when the very few people who read this regularly (you know who you are) actually point out the fact that I've been behind.

Since last getting online we were busy preparing for Thanksgiving. This is the 2nd year we've hosted at our house and I think it's become a fun new tradition. The best part-- I really don't have to cook!

The girls and I spent last Wednesday standing in line in the freezing cold to get flu shots. They were certainly the bravest kids there-- they didn't even shed a tear. Quite honestly they were puzzled by those kids who sobbed the entire time in line. By the end they said "Those kids shouldn't cry! It not scary!" Let's hope that attitude holds up through next year, or even until December when they get the second round.

The rest of they day was scrambling to make the house look like 2 toddlers don't live there (ha!) and then the fun part, setting the table, etc. And at least two last minute trips to the grocery store.

Thursday morning we woke up and watched the Macy's parade. Since it is nothing more than a moving commercial, for things like Fisher Price and Barbie it proved to be a major hit with the ladies. Especially since two of their idols, Julie Andrews and kiddie crooner Laurie Berkner were both performers. Oh, Sarah McLachalan too which does not bode well for her career status.

Poppy Joel was our special guest and he arrived around 2pm Thursday just in time to help with a few last minute things. The meal was wonderful, we had a total of 17 folks (counting the triplets, which I do!) and everyone brought fabulous food. Oh, the Foley's stopped by for a post-dessert visit.

The big battle on Thanksgiving Day was the non-stop cracker eating and total rejection of any "real" food. The girls just were not in the mood to deal with the concept of nutrition, especially with so much to do. Dessert incited a near riot as they demanded at least three types of dessert-- and I'm pretty sure we gave in.

I hope everyone had a good time and we can't wait to do it all again-- I mean it!

A Bit Behind

2006-11-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how I've gone from Halloween to one week before Thanksgiving with out a single post.

I guess it's that time of year! Trick or treating was a blast-- we hooked up with a bunch of neighbors and it was a bit of a rolling happy hour. The girls ran from one house to the next with the big kids. I will never forget hearing Sydney shout out "Wait up Kayla!" as she sprinted across a lawn. So grown up. Since then it's been two weeks of whining for candy, and often getting it. Today I think I finally saw the bottom of the bucket.

As a testament to how busy we've been I haven't even dumped the photos yet off my camera, and the battery is dead and I haven't even put it in the charger.

Since Halloween we had our last day of Kindermusik and I'll miss the "Our Time" class format with parental participation. Starting in January they'll be with 3-5 year olds in "Imagine That" where the parents come in for the last 10 minutes. The schedule change will also mean a new teacher-- we loved Lisa Nall, she was a fabulous leader, and as it turns out she's a neighbor.

I posted below a funny video clip from nearly two years ago. Whenever it gets close to their birthday (coming up) I get very nostalgic for the "baby" days. Not sure why since they're totally more fun now, than ever. As you can see in this clip they were able to just crack themselves up by, well throwing vegetables on the floor!

I hope that the busy-ness of the next 6 weeks or so don't keep me from trying to take the time to enjoy each and every day with my family and hopefully throwing some thoughts online to share with you all.

Giggles at 1 Year Old

2006-11-13T19:44:00.000-08:00