Skea-ton

Ever since a children's clothing magazine arrived advertising skeleton pj's, Meredith declared she wanted PINK "skea-ton" jammies.

Since I don't believe in paying $40 for pajamas, this created a huge problem because I couldn't find them anywhere. 

Well low and behold, my Mere found her pink jammies on an obscure outing one day.

She was super excited to model them and demanded that I take her photo.   

And just like that, we made bed time a little scarier.

Shopping Soon...

I haven't been shopping in nearly two weeks now. 
I am having withdrawl. 
So I have spent extensive hours a little while looking online in the evening 

I am not sure that anything will be as thrilling as shopping at the outlets (in Williamsburg) though.  I am really sold on the idea of getting more for your money (since the clothes are WAY cheaper). 

Not to mention that I could go broke shopping in Ann Taylor. 
I already purchased a bunch of the items I loved. 

But there are a few items I wish I could fit into my closet. 

Cable Knit Sweater

I love Gap with all my heart. 

And I love Cable Knit equally. 

I think this sweater's pattern is so pretty and it could easily be dressy or not.

Button-Collar Sweater Coat

I love everything about this sweater.

The lack of buttons, the openness, the color. 

I think I need it.

Textured V-neck Dress

I really, really love this dress. 

 I tried it on at the BR Outlet, and have regreted my decision to leave it in the store ever since. 

I can't believe I passed up the price of $50 (plus extra 20% off) -- compared to the $150 in the store.

Grey Silk-trim Henley

I have no words. 

I just love this. 

And yes, I realize I have a lot of grey. 

Good thing I didn't show you the rest of my list....

Snaggletooth?

On Monday, Lucas and Meredith had a dental appointment.

What we thought was a normal cleaning at the dentist turned into a very emotional day for me. 

We arrived and Lucas had his teeth cleaned first - with lots of silly songs from the hygentist to entertain him.

Meredith went next, and they figured out quickly that she loved the color purple. 

Everything checked out alright until the dentist did her exam.

Lucas' front tooth had absessed and needed to be removed. 

He broke off his front tooth in July 2008 - which can be read about HERE.

His tooth was capped at the time. 

Several months later, he fell and broke off the cap. 

To repair, they did a root canal and added a crown.

Unfortunately, all the pain (and money) poured into this did not deem effective, because his tooth had absessed. 

The infected tooth needed to be removed IMMEDIATELY.

She spoke to me about the options, of either numbing the gum area or giving him "woozy" medicine.

He had the woozy medicine for the other two procedures (at different dental office). 

I much prefer our new office and went with the option that the doctor said she would choose for her own children.  Lucas was going to be wrapped in a papoose and numbed locally.  I never felt comfortable with the woozy medicine (forgive me, but I can't remember what it is called - but it just makes the kid feel like they are drunk, and they still have a memory of the event). 

We told Lucas that he was going to stay a bit longer and watch a movie, so the dentist could take pictures of his teeth and look at a booboo in his mouth.  They told him to pretend he was going camping and to wrap up in a sleeping bag (the papoose). 

Lucas did wonderfully.  He cried when they pulled his tooth, but that is to be expected. 

The office was very kind to all of us, straight down to handing me tissues when I was tearing up. 

I obviously wasn't doing a great job of holding it together. 

The office had showered him with additional treats, including a glow necklace and zebra stuffed animal.  We were given his tooth in a little tooth box so the Tooth Fairy would visit.

I felt so bad for my baby. 

I did my best at playing it up and letting him see how special it was that he lost a tooth early.

He asked questions like "How am I going to eat if I am missing a tooth?" 

He was super cute and super sensitive so I knew we had to let him have something special.

We took him to his store of choice and let him choose anything he wanted.

After debating between Legos and a few games, he chose Yahtzee Jr - Toy Story Edition. 

My toothless child will remain so for the next few years until his permanent tooth breaks through.

Thankfully, it looks good on him!

Learning from Lucas

Last Tuesday, Lucas had a Fall Festival at pre-school. 
There was a bouncy house, a "petting" zoo with farm animals, and a pumpkin patch.

Each child was able to choose their own pumpkin to bring home.  

I was super excited for Lucas to see how much fun his day had been..... 

Until I saw his pumpkin....

His pumpkin was sitting under his backpack lined up with all of the other children's pumpkins. 
My heart sank. 

The pumpkin was a tiny, pale orange, bumpy mess. 

I picked it up and examined it.  Sure enough, his name had been carefully written on the bottom with a black permanent marker.   

I immediately wondered why he would choose such a pumpkin.  All the other children had chosen large pumpkins.  Smooth pumpkins.  Blemish-free pumpkins. 

If I had chosen a pumpkin, I would have found the smoothest and most perfect pumpkin.

But not my Lucas. 

He loved his little pumpkin. 

And if asked why, his answer was very simple.

Lucas loved his pumpkin BECAUSE it had bumps. 

He loved how the bumps made his pumpkin different from all the others. 
He is able to find the beauty in the imperfection (as I see it).

Although I initially felt disappointed in his choice, I realized how wise my baby is.

I had a three-year-old remind me that something doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. 
He is able to love things regardless of their blemishes. 

He is going through life just as I would want him to. 
And he is loving things just as God does. 

I couldn't be happier. 

Snotty Sunday and Update!

We have had snotty noses and coughing and fevers and crankiness being passed around these past few weeks.  Those things make life a little harder to escape to keep things updated on the old blog. 

So now, as my husband is getting his workout on with a Law Book and my kids are snoozing, I am making time to write instead of cleaning up the mess that we call a home.

But right now, as I am surrounded I am wondering if this is a good choice!

I am stressed out just thinking about it.  And to think I used to ignore the mess to keep you updated!

So let's list what we have been up to....

We painted our living room.  
We painted our front door.
We had one post of our front porch railing replaced because it had rotted.
We painted the new post and all old posts with 2 coats to protect it for the future. 
We had part of our roof support boards replaced.
(for your own knowledge, your gutter should not drip when it rains.  we were concerned, called a guy, who fixed the pitch on our gutter but also noticed a DIP in our roof, which indicated rotting boards.  We had these replaced and were praised for catching this early because it would result in our roof caving in (eventually).  Word to the wise, stay on top of changes in your home. 

We have picked apples.
We have gotten pumpkins. 
We have joined friends for dinner.

I will try to recap with photos soon! 
I would love to know what you are up to! 

Let's talk soon!

Weekend Recap - Wedding! Part 2

I had to split this into two posts because the blog couldn't handle all my photos at once without screwing up everything. 

Please look here for Part 1 of our Weekend Recap!

As we watched the sun go down....

We waited for the newlyweds to arrive and enjoyed the silliness that is our life....

 

And right on time, the new couple graced us with their joyful smiles. 

I am really not sure if they could be happier than they were this evening...

We enjoyed salads and dinner and dancing before we finally got to see and speak with the beautiful bride herself.  Meredith was very excited to see Ellen in her "pretty princess" dress.

I remembered to snag a photo of us before she had to take off

for the mandatory wedding activities....

like cutting the cake, and feeding the cake and toasting to years of happiness...

My hope is they remember to find joy in every moment throughout the rest of their lives together!  

The weekend was a fabulous time, and we couldn't be happier for them! 

Weekend Recap - Wedding! Part 1

This past weekend, we had a whirlwind trip across the state.

Saturday afternoon we drove down to our closest Army installation, Fort Lee.

My husband ran the Oktoberfest 10K (6.2 miles), as part of the Army 10 Miler Team.

He placed FIRST!

I didn't think the kids understood that Daddy WON, but Lucas told me later that Daddy ran the race so he (Daddy) could get a big trophy for his room!

The team is gearing up for the Army 10 Miler in Washington, DC in a few weeks.

After the race, we headed on to the eastern part of the state in celebration of a wedding weekend! My friend from undergraduate days, Ellen, was getting married. She had invited us for the rehersal dinner festivities that evening and we were pressed for time because of the race awards.

We had just enough time to check into our hotel, change clothes (Richard showered in record speed), and drive to the rehersal dinner.

The dinner was sooooo nice. Richard and I really enjoyed everything and discussed how we wished we had incorporated a little of their way into our own rehersal dinner -- not that it matters because 6 years was a while ago.  But it was really fun, and we feel super special being included! 

The kids were really good! We were complimented on how well-behaved they were. I was super surprised because Richard and I were both frustrated with them a little....but we have REALLY high expectations of good behavior.

I apologize for no photos.  I didn't want to be the crazy girl with the camera, so I left it in my purse. :)

************************

On Sunday, we checked out the outlets in Williamsburg before we had to head to the wedding.

We hit up our favorites and did some pretty good shopping considering our timeline, and how crazy busy it was (Columbus Day Weekend).

My brother was gracious enough to drive to meet us! The kids were excited that Uncle Travis got to see them.

They posed with him after getting dressed for the par-tay.

We did a quick change in the parking lot....well, I changed in the moving car...and went on our way. And don't tell me how tacky that is, I really don't want to hear it - bathrooms are disgusting and our options were null.

We arrived at the church a few minutes later than we had intended, but still were just in time!

Ellen looked soooo beautiful, as she was prepping to walk down the aisle.

This was the best photo I had, as I was holding a sleeping child!

Ellen's husband-to-be was of Greek heritage, so a majority of the ceremony was in Greek. The whole thing gave new meaning to "It's all Greek to me!"

Meredith woke up when all the singing began.
And Richard snuck in with Lucas. (It is hard to put a tie on when you are driving). Lucas was in shock at what was going on. He said "What in the world is he saying?"

Even though I had no earthy clue what was going on, the church was soo beautiful. That combined with how happy and  beautiful Ellen and Dino both looked just threw me for an emotional loop and I lost it. I truly think I was the only one in the church crying.

The reception was at Fort Monroe (where we spent Fourth of July with Ellen and Dino) - and was lovely. 

The weather was perfect, and quite warm for October! 

We ate a bit and wandered around, waiting for the happy couple.  There was a cool playground area that kept the kids occupied while the sun went down.

We played to pass the time, as the sun went down.....

Stay tuned for the rest of the photos in Part 2!

Meredith swims!

Going back through photos, I forgot that I didn't post photos from our trips to the lake. 

But way cooler than photos of the kids in the lake, I have a crappy video of Meredith in all of her swimming glory. 

Forgive me for ignoring Lucas, but he is way more timid in the water than Mere and she is super cool to watch!  

Enjoy! 

State Fair in September

I hadn't been able to sign on to blogger lately - I have no clue what it going on with that. 

So, although a little late, here I am to tell you about our super fabulous, yet miserable weekend that occured back in September. 

We wanted to go to the Virginia State Fair the first weekend that it opened.  More vendors, more animals, obviously it is better to go the first weekend. 

We went last year, and the kiddos had a blast.

Yet the forecast was a predicted high of 95 degrees (following the prior few days of being in the low 80's), so I was worried.  We decided to tough it out because we didn't really want to go the next day (plus rain was in the forecast). 

We arrived and were overcharged for tickets....which turned into a huge fiasco of people being incredibly rude because they can't do simple addition. 

So while Richard took care of that, I took the kiddos and checked out the horses for a while.

We wandered around and took a break to lift some weights...



Took a break for some cotton candy!

It was at this point that we decided we needed a new camera...we missed many cute moments because of the long delay/turnover for processing.

We stopped for a few photos!

At this point, we saw a bunch of tractors and animals. 

We had depleted our 2 Nalgene bottles of water and 2 kiddie sized thermoses of water.  

So instead of paying $4 for more water, we paid $3 for a freshly milk-ed Milk Shake.

The kids were super happy.

And we timed our day so Lucas could milk a cow again!

And there you have our miserably hot day....

that my Meredith still cat-napped in...