Friday, May 27, 2011

Mckenzie had a rough night last night. I ended up sleeping in her bed. When I tried to sneak out, she woke up so I brought her to our room. Scott made a tasty breakfast for us and then we went strawberry picking. It was a great time and the strawberries are delicious! Abby was having a great time, looking for the juiciest strawberries. Every time she would find a really ripe one, she would get so excited. Mckenzie wasn't having much fun. She picked a few, but preferred to hold the basket while I picked for her. A quick ice cream cone for a treat and we headed home. We were going to let the kids play on the playground they have at the farm, but Mckenzie was getting really cranky so we called it a day. Turns out she was running a fever again today so after her nap Scott took her in to the walk in clinic. Luckily it is just a virus. Abby played at a friend's house this afternoon while I was at the spa. Scott surprised me with a massage. He has to be the sweetest husband out there! We played outside this evening and then it was off to bed for the girls.









11 pounds of strawberries!!!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Scott was sweet enough to get up with the girls this morning and let me sleep. Have I mentioned yet that it is nice to have help with the girls again? We spent the morning at the house. Lunch at Pei Wei and then Scott and Mckenzie had some shopping to do and Abby and I needed to get our nails done. Abby was so excited. She has been to the salon to get her nails painted, but today, she got her first pedicure. She looked so tiny in the big chair with her little toes dangling in the water. She had a cautious look on her face the entire time, but at the end, she couldn't thank me enough for taking her to get a manicure and pedicure. Pink for her toes and purple for her fingernails. She even got a dragonfly design on her thumbs, which she was so proud of! I think today was the first of many pedicure dates and it was so nice to have someone to share it with! Today Abby graduated from preschool. I can't believe my little girl is old enough to be headed to kindergarten! She looked so cute walking on stage to Pomp and Circumstance. The kids sang some new songs they worked on for graduation as well as some old classroom favorites. When Abby's name was called, she got a big smile on her face and practically ran across the stage, smiling and waving all the way! She is so sweet. She just melts my heart:) Abby had a great year in school with a couple of amazing teachers. Thank you Mrs. DiPaola and Mrs. Pratt! I hope the rest of her school experience is as joyous and wonderful as this past year has been. I am so proud of my girl!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Today was Abby's last day of preschool. EVER! Where did the time go? The kids spent most of the day playing and celebrating the summer birthdays. We arrived a little early to pick up so I could snap some photos of Abby and her friends. She was having so much fun running around with her friends. I know she is going to miss them this summer.

We went to a friend's house this afternoon to swim. Both girls were amazing! Two little fish! We don't get to swim very often so I was pretty sure they would be scared of the water, but I was wrong. Abby was jumping in the pool, going underwater, and having a blast. Mckenzie wore her float vest and she was happy to bob around in the water and jump off the steps with no help. She even slid herself into the pool from the edge. By the end of the afternoon, she was navigating the pool pretty well by herself. I am so proud of both girls!!!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Today was Mckenzie's last day of school. I was a little worried about drop off since she hasn't wanted to let Scott out of her site, but she did great! She was playing outside when we picked her up. Seems like she had a great last day of school. She had a green Popsicle for snack and it was all over her hands and dress. Must have been good! Scott had to run into work for a bit this afternoon. Mckenzie napped and Abby and I hung out. When Scott got home, I ran to Target (alone!!!) and Scott and the girls played outside. It was so nice out today and the girls had a lot of fun running around. Abby is getting more confident on her scooter and the girls played together so nicely today. We had dinner/choir at church tonight. It was so nice to go again as a family :) 

Mckenzie and her teacher, Mrs. Yeash


Mckenzie and her teacher, Mrs. Bachman

Sunday, May 22, 2011

What a busy day. We didn't get moving in time for church so we went out to breakfast instead. As soon as we got finished with that, we ran home to change and Abby was off to a fairy princess birthday party and Mckenzie went to her gymnastics performance. She did great and it gave her a chance to show Scott how her skills have improved over the last few months. The only part she didn't like was the parachute which I can't say I blame her. All the kids sat in the center of it and then us moms had to walk it around in a circle. Mckenzie had never done it and there were a lot of kids. One of the kids fell on her and she just started crying and didn't stop until it was over. I felt horrible for her, but once she was off the parachute, she was happy again. Each child got a medal for participating and she was so proud of that medal. Me too:) Scott picked Abby up from her party and brought her back home to get ready for her gymnastics performance. She had fun at the party and even got her face painted! Abby did great at her performance, scoring as high as she could! I love how she constantly looked for us in the crowd and gave a wave and a smile. She got a medal too and was very proud of her very first medal ever!!!! We decided to run by the grocery store after Abby was done. Mckenzie fell asleep in the car so Abby and I went in to shop while Scott and M stayed in the car. I didn't think we were gone very long, but it was long enough for Scott to almost fall asleep too (poor guy is still adjusting to the time change)! We picked up some Salad Works on the way home (yep, we just did major grocery shopping and then ate out!) and the girls had some cold cereal. It was a busy day so I thought we could get away with putting the girls to sleep a little early, but that didn't work out so well. They may have been in bed, but we had to go into their rooms every five minutes or so. At least we could take turns. Have I mentioned yet how happy I am to have the worlds greatest Daddy/husband back home yet? Cuz, I'm kind of happy about it ;-)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

What a wonderful feeling to wake up next to my husband. I really missed that:) And, he even got up with the girls this morning! We had a relaxing morning around the house. It was beautiful outside so we decided to take the girls to the park and have a picnic lunch. Abby found some new friends to run around with and Mckenzie didn't want to leave Scott's side. They played on the swings together and played on the slide. It was strange not to be the one pushing Mckenzie in the swing while straining to keep and eye on Abby. Strange, but good:) When we got home, everyone was tired so we took a nap. Mckenzie had a birthday party for a class friend this evening (her first birthday party where the invitation was addressed to her!) and Abby went with Scott to do a little bowling and game playing. It was one of the places that Abby wanted to take Scott when he got home, so I think it was extra special they got to do it as a date night. Abby got two strikes and she was so happy! They also rode Go-Karts and played in a jungle gym area and topped the evening off with a little Chinese take out :) Mckenzie had fun at the birthday party. She went rollerskating for the first time, and as she put it, she rocked it! She was able to keep her balance for the most part and was able to move all on her own. She wasn't actually gliding, but she was sort of rollerwalking. When she first got out on the rink, she was scared and wanted to leave, but after a little gentle prodding by mom, she started enjoying herself and didn't want to leave the rink! When it came time for cake, Mckenzie ate the frosting off the top and declared she was done. I wonder if she will ever eat cake...

Friday, May 20, 2011

One of the best days ever!!!!!!! My girls are in love all over again with their daddy. Mckenzie rests her head on her hand and stares lovingly at Scott. Abby is constantly touching his hand or his head and cannot stop smiling at him with a twinkle in her eye. It melts my heart :) I don't think I have any more tears to shed. At the airport Abby asked us why she was crying. I guess she didn't know you could cry from being so happy! It was wonderful. The day was wonderful. I will write more later. I think I may be in love all over again too;-) and would like get a few snuggles in!

















Our day was so fantastic. We left pretty early for the airport because I had no idea how rush hour traffic into Philly was going to be and we had to drive through a construction zone that is always slow. We got to the airport a little early so I let the kids stay in the car to watch a movie. Scott's flight was delayed a bit but he did get bumped up to first class! What a treat! Once we got into the airport, the girls started to get really excited and anxious. Mckenzie got tired of waiting and started begging me to go home to ride her scooter. The moment finally came when we saw Scott walking to us. The girls could hardly contain themselves and as soon as I told them they could run to their Daddy, they took off! It was so amazing to watch our girls hug and kiss their daddy. Mckenzie couldn't stop smiling and touching Scott. Abby was crying and just wanted to be held by Scott. I don't think I have the words to describe how wonderful the moment really was. The second Scott's arms were around me, I felt so safe and complete and happy. And, I was relieved he returned home safe! The butterflies in my stomach melted away and everything felt right in the world. I imagine that is how the girls felt too from the look on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes. It was overwhelming! We are all just so happy (feels kind of like the honeymoon phase of marriage right now). We spent the afternoon together at home. The girls wouldn't leave Scott's side. I can't blame them. I didn't want to be away from him either. Our friends arranged for the local fire department to do a visit to our house as a way to welcome Scott back from his deployment. It was great to see them support Scott and also, it gave us a chance to personally thank them for what they do for us :) I just have to say that I have met some truly amazing people through Abby's preschool that have been a tremendous source of support and friendship during this deployment. From watching the girls to getting our lawn cut since our own lawn service wouldn't do it to just being there. I don't know what else to say except thank you. And it wasn't just these gals that got us through this. Our family and friends that live away were always just a phone call away. So thank you too! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and that Scott arrived back home safe. I know it will be an adjustment for Scott to get back into our routine. Small things have changed while he was gone. I can't imagine how he is feeling right now, but I do know that he is so happy to be back home with his girls :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

We had Field Day at school today. It is a day filled with food and games and crafts for the kids. All the kids from the school attend and it was a lot of fun. The weather held out so everyone got to enjoy the day. The kids made necklaces from fruit loops and it was fun to watch Abby eat her necklace. She wasn't sure if she should eat it at first, but then she went for it and it was gone in no time! Abby was a little social butterfly and she was hard to keep up with. Mckenzie found her friend Ava and they spent most of the day together. Mckenzie filled up on ice pops and watermelon and cookies. Abby loved the popcorn and ice pops. The girls went over to their friends' house for a playdate after the event so I could take care of a couple more errands before Scott's arrival! I can't believe it is tomorrow!!!!! I cannot wait to see how happy the girls are and I cannot wait to wrap my arms around that man! He called a bit ago to let me know he was in the States:) Tomorrow can't come fast enough!!!!
I will post some pics soon from today. I need to figure out what I am going to wear tomorrow and get some shut eye!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Today was my last day in the classroom with Abby. I am sad that I will not be able to have this experience with her again. It has been so amazing to see her blossom with her classmates and get to be a part of her education. It was her last day in her afternoon Chef class so they had a big feast. Each child brought in his/her favorite food they learned in class. Abby decided to bring in jungle juice! It was great and I enjoyed seeing Abby playing with all her little friends. Mckenzie was a little cranky, but she was tired.

I will post pictures later. I am charging my camera battery!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I am so ready for this day to be over. I have spent most of my day on the phone or email trying to resolve a situation at Abby's school that I don't think should even be a situation (and it still isn't resolved!!!). I am so ready to be done with the school year and my time as a Board of Trustees Member at Abby's school. I only joined the board because I thought I could make a difference, but it feels like I haven't accomplished that at all. People will be immature and the problems seem to stem from that. There is no way I can cure immaturity so I am thankful I will not be serving on the board next year when Mckenzie attends.

Abby and I had errands to run while Mckenzie was in school this morning. I seem to slowly be checking things off my list, but I also feel like the list keeps growing everyday as we get closer to Scott's return. Abby got a haircut and when the stylist asked what we wanted to do, Abby told her to cut it super short. We compromised and I can still pull it back if I need to. I like her hair longer, but she has been asking for a cut for awhile so I finally gave in. After all, it is her hair not mine.
We had dinner/choir at church tonight. Mckenzie found a new friend and had a blast running around with her. We got to skype with Scott tonight and he is doing well. Ready to come home and everything is still on schedule.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Another Monday and another day of running errands. I was able to check off a few things on my get ready for Scott to come back list so I am happy about that! Abby was sad it was her last day of Ooey Gooey, her science class she takes on Monday afternoons, and she told me how much she was going to miss going to class. I am thankful she enjoys school. Mckenzie ended up taking a nap again today. We were seriously in the car for less than 5 minutes and she was out! I had one of my last meetings as a board member for Abby's school. Things are winding down and we are getting ready to pass it on to the incoming board members. I think I am going to miss doing it, but I'm not going to miss all the drama that goes along with it! The girls were good for the babysitter (yea!) and went to bed even though Mckenzie had napped! I was a little surprised when I was talking to our babysitter's mom and she told me I was paying her daughter too much for babysitting and asked me to cut it in half at request of her daughter! I don't know how my friend did it, but she raised an amazing daughter and we are lucky to have her watch our girls! Scott is safely on his way to where he belongs :) I even got to skype with him tonight :) :) I can't wait until I can ditch the skype and talk to him in person! I know the girls are beyond ready to hug their dad. I can't wait for our magical day to come!!!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

I guess Mckenzie wasn't in the mood for church today. She was soooo noisy during the sermon and I ended up taking her out of church.  Our church is usually pretty laid back about noise, but I couldn't get M to be quiet for anything. Maybe if I had given her a pacifier.... somedays I wish I hadn't taken it away!  We picked up our groceries after church. I just love online grocery shopping. It makes my life so easy :) We skyped with Scott today :) Today was just one of those days. Everyone seemed to be cranky at a different point in the day and so even the simplest task like playing outside wasn't fun. Thank God this is our last weekend alone. I know everyone likes weekends, but not me. At least not recently. The days are so long and get so repetitive. I live for the weekdays where we have a routine and I am not responsible for entertaining the girls all day long. Probably sounds selfish but it doesn't mean I don't love my girls- they are my world and I can't imagine it without them. I just think I am done :(  Being a single mommy/daddy sucks!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The girls must have been exhausted from yesterday because they both slept in until 8:30AM! I couldn't believe it! I love sleeping in, although I must be getting older because it felt like I wasted half the day. It rained off and on today, just enough to keep the kids inside. We finally ventured to Target and I thought about the grocery store, but Mckenzie was super cranky and I didn't want to deal with that in the store. I may just order groceries online tonight and pick them up tomorrow :) She was kind of funny though in the car today. There was a car that was taking forever to make a turn and she shouted from the backseat "Come on dude!"

Friday, May 13, 2011

Both girls had school this morning and I have to say, we made it out of the house without a lot of repetitive requests from me to the girls to get ready. And, we even made it to school early!!! Yep that's right folks. Early! Probably the first time all year :) Scott and I skyped this morning since the girls were super chatty yesterday and didn't give us much time to talk at all. Thanks babe:) The dog had a vet appointment this afternoon and it looks like I need to get better at cleaning her ears and at brushing her teeth. (to be honest, I have never brushed her teeth. Last time we were at the vet, they talked me into buying a toothbrush for her, but I still have yet to use it. One day, I will be better...) We met some friends at the park this afternoon. It was a gorgeous day to play outside. The girls and I took a walk on one of the trails that runs around the park. Abby started out in speed walking mode and ended up complaining about how long of a walk it was. Mckenzie never picked up speed faster than a snail unless I was carrying her. Not an easy task to step over branches, carrying a 30lb toddler who doesn't like to hold on while wearing wedges that I can't seem to walk in on pavement! But, we made it and even stopped to take a couple of photos. I really want to improve my skills, but when I got home and looked through my photos, most of them really sucked. Part of me says throw it on auto and get a photo that is at least in focus, but the other part of me says there is no reason I can't learn to shoot in manual mode. That is the only way people took photos for years (although maybe that is why they only ever had super stiff posed photos where everyone looked uncomfortable!) I decided to take the girls to one of their favorite restaurants (or bar/grill) for dinner. The girls were super well behaved and I didn't have to remind them to sit down and eat every 2 minutes.





(Laurie, any critiques are appreciated.  The countdown was taken on auto a long time ago, but the last two are from today. Maybe one day I will be as good as you!)

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Abby had a friend over to play this morning and I just love it when her friends are willing to include Mckenzie too. I spent most of the day cleaning the house and organizing my drawers and closet. It was time to throw away/donate all the things I haven't worn in over a year. I really don't know why I hold onto things for so long. We skyped with Scott and then it was time for gymnastics. I think I say it every week, but I just love watching the improvement from week to week.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Abby had school and Mckenzie and I hung out at the house. Not a very productive day since I didn't get the house cleaned, but M and I had fun playing. When we picked Abby up from school, she was sad because she had fallen down on the playground earlier and scraped up her knee. Her teacher said she had been sad ever since it happened and there was no cheering her up. Usually I can get her to laugh if I ask her if I need to take her to the doctor because it is so bad, but not today. I think she is ready for Scott to get home.  I know Mckenzie is. Last night she was crying for Daddy in her sleep and I felt so helpless. I don't know how other people can survive even longer deployments because this has really taken its toll on my baby girls. It breaks my heart to know that no matter what I do, they still want what I can't give them. We had to run to the store to pick up some batteries. I really wish the girls' toys didn't need so many of them! On the way there, Abby's leapster batteries gave out and she started throwing a fit because Mckenzie was getting to have so much more fun than she was. Then she started in on how she always has to go to school and her teacher is sooooo boring and she doesn't like to sit on the circle rug at school because that is always sooooo boring too! She told me she didn't want to go to school anymore and would rather stay at home and play all day like Mckenzie. So, I told her she could stay home from now on and as soon as I said that, she was begging to go back to school because she loves it so much! Poor kid was having a rough day! So, we did a popcorn and movie night when we got home. Both girls seemed to like that and then we went outside to play and try to take some photos. I am getting braver and tried to use the manual settings on my camera. I have a loooong way to go but a couple came out ok.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

So, it looks like I won't be posting a countdown photo for a couple of days until I catch back up. After skyping with Scott today, it appears he will return a couple of days later than anticipated (although there is always hope for an early return, at least in my head!)

I was the parent helper in Mckenzie's class so Abby went to a friend's house this morning. I had a lot of fun being in the classroom with Mckenzie. I was able to see a difference from when she started in how she plays with other kids. She is starting to engage a lot more and I am so excited for her! I had a year end conference with her teacher and Mckenzie is right on track where she should be. 

We had dinner and choir at church tonight. Abby just loves getting to sing and Mckenzie loves to run around with the other little ones.  I am hoping Mckenzie settles down soon. She took a nap (verrrry much needed) this afternoon and is still talking up a storm in her room, but as long as she doesn't come out, I'm not going in!

Monday, May 9, 2011

I love how Dakota left her mark in this photo too! If you look at the orange block, you will see some teeth marks. We lose probably a toy a week to that dog and her chewing habits!

Another Monday has come and gone. Only one more Monday until our family is complete. I have been so emotional lately about Scott returning soon. I can't believe it is finally (almost) here! I have imagined how excited the girls are going to be and what their little faces are going to look like when they see their Daddy for what feels like forever and soon we will get to experience that! I think it is getting to Abby too. She woke up crying for Scott this morning and crawled into bed next to me, hugging her Daddy doll as tight as she could. I can't wait until she doesn't need to find comfort from her doll. After dropping Abby at school, Mckenzie and I took the car in for an oil change. I was thankful that Mckenzie was well behaved while we waited. We stopped by Target to get some bubble bath and left with a cart full! I got Abby's year end progress report from her pre-k teacher today. She said Abby is doing great and most definitely ready for kindergarten. She even counted to 119 when her teacher was assessing her skills! Yay Abby! I asked about any concerns she has in regards to Abby and the only thing she mentioned was her lack of focus at times. We are going to have to work on that this summer. Mckenzie cracks me up sometimes. She is really into Diego and has taken one of Dakota's leashes and claimed it as her rescue rope. She goes around the house, saving anything from her dolls to the dog from unknown dangers. I bought her a set of princess keys at Target today and she thought they were real keys. She got so mad at me when I told her they wouldn't start the car or open the door to the house! Oh, and I think Mckenzie has the photography bug. She was setting up her play camera and snapping pictures of her and I. It was so cute!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful day with my girls. We went to church, but not before I got a backrub from Abby (it was less than 10 seconds and I had to ask for it, but she readily agreed and was so happy she could do something sweet for me!) and then one from Mckenzie (she loves to copy her sister!). I just love those little girls! They were great in church and Mckenzie only asked for her paci once and I didn't give it to her. Yay for me since church is the one place I am willing to give it to her even though she doesn't use it during the day! After church, I decided to go out to lunch and it was such a nice time. The girls didn't fight and they were so sweet to each other and to me. Both girls got up mid meal and gave me a hug and a kiss, totally unprompted! I couldn't ask for a better Mother's Day present than that! We went to the purple park after lunch and Abby was surprised no one else was there. Then she said "nobody comes to the park on Mother's Day except us because you want to make us happy!" Ummm, something like that. I want to tire them out and keep them from fighting. The park is a great place to do that! We got to skype with Scott this afternoon. I am getting so anxious to see him. I can't imagine how he is feeling about getting home. We were talking about him coming home today and he said there are so many things you don't realize you would miss until you don't see them every day. Like grass and children. I can't imagine not seeing a child run around for over four months! We are expecting to get some official travel plans soon. I can't wait to find out for sure! I tried to get a picture of the girls and myself today, but no such luck. I did add the photos of the zoo visit to yesterday's entry though.