Daughter's 1st birthday...

Ainsley got the total second child lame birthday...her 1st birthday party was a side event at a bigger party. No invitations sent, no theme to the party, no party favors given, no intricate cake made. But like someone told me, "you can always photoshop later to make her birthday look spectacular. Pick out a cake online and photoshop it into her pictures."  That might work.

So my sweet baby girl had her first birthday party at our Oktoberfest party. I made her a cake from a cake mix, not even from scratch, as of the start of the party I had not even decorated it. Thanks to a dear friend the cake did get iced and decorated with "Happy Birthday Ainsley".  My friend did a lovely job and this is no slight to her but I just want to show how much of a slacker mom I was for her birthday. This is a picture of my firstborns first birthday cake.

and this is the second child's birthday cake.

it appears that I didn't even take a picture of just the cake!

Fortunately for my children there are no plans to have a 3rd or 4th. The poor 4th child would probably only get a cracker for their 1st birthday.

But since my daughter is just one year old she doesn't know the difference and will probably never know until she is old enough to read this blog.  Ainsley's personality has been so different from Wythe's that I thought she would be the child to dive into her cake, that is not exactly what happened.

cake/present table (in theme with the blue & white for Oktoberfest) 

at first things are ok...

                                                        ...still kind of enjoying the attention...

a little bit embarrassed as we sing "happy birthday" to her...

blowing out the candles...

managed to kick the cake with her foot but doesn't want to touch it

Wythe is wondering "what we are waiting for?? just serve the cake already!"

Ainsley has decided she doesn't like any of this, not the cake, not the people standing around looking at her, not the flash from the camera....she is having none of it.  Wythe is edging closer and closer to the cake.

One last attempt to she if she wants to touch the cake...she doesn't.   By this time Wythe is starting to cry because he wants to touch the cake and no one will let him.

"this is not fun mommy!"

Wythe - finally happy, eating a piece of cake

"hmmm...I would like some more, surely no one will notice if I just help myself..."

"couldn't really cut a piece for myself but this will work..."

'til next time...

One year later...

My darling little girl,


Today you are one year old! This year has flown by so fast, it seems like we were just at the hospital and here you are trying to walk!

We were so excited when we found out that you were a girl, we felt like our little family was complete having a boy and a girl. I was so excited at the thought of buying little girl clothes but I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it. Before you were born I thought that you could use a lot of your brothers neutral clothes, and then you were born, and I dressed you in pink and you have worn pink almost every day since!

Before you were born I was so nervous about having two babies in the house. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to love you as much as I loved your brother. But the moment you were born my heart just doubled in size and I learned that there is no such thing as not having enough love for your children, your heart just grows so that you can love each with all your heart.

It has been fun watching you grow this first year, seeing your personality emerge, seeing the many differences between you and your brother. Although being bigger than your brother you were easier to bring into this world, and you slept more than your brother. I think maybe you tried to give mommy a break knowing that she had her hands full with the two of you!

I have worried at times that you aren't getting enough attention, felt bad that you haven't had much undivided attention from me. But you seem to be thriving just fine! I also worried that you wouldn't survive your brother, he was so rough on you at first! But you survived and seem to have no lasting effects! Now that you can get around you all have so much fun together, it is so cute to see you playing together!

You have brought so much joy to my life, you are my precious little daughter and you little grin just melts my heart. Every morning when I get you out of your crib and you greet me with "mama" and that big smile....priceless.

You are my adorable daughter, my sweet pea, my little munchkin. I cannot imagine life without you.

I will love you forever birthday girl!


~Mommy

two days old

 

One year old

'til next time...

Birthdays, 4th of July's, fireworks, new toys and stuff like that...

Wow, what a busy weekend! This will probably be just the summary instead of the detail I normally give because I am about to crash!

Saturday we had a cookout in honor of the 4th of July and Wythe's 2nd birthday. My parents came up that morning to help out prior to the party. It seems no matter how much you plan and prepare there is always a last minute rush. The party started at 3:30, I had it set up on the patio again. In honor of the holiday everything was red, white and blue. If I continue to have Wythe's party in conjunction with the 4th he will grow up thinking that is the official birthday decor! We had invited a number of people but of course not everyone was able to come. I'll list the ones who were able to attend otherwise in a few months I'll be racking my brain trying to figure it out!
   Mom  & Dad, Julie and Andy, Molly and Sofia, Kirsten, Deb, Lowell & Paul, Margarita, Brandon & Gabriela, Katherine, Jeff & Teddy,
As usual I had way too much food, we are still eating it! We did have leftover ice cream though, homemade vanilla, that is a nice thing to have left over.
Wythe got lots of new toys, so much that I set some aside and will give them out as he gets bored with what he has.
It was hot, but considering that the East Coast has been under an unusual heatwave it was to be expected. It was quite different than last year though, last year it was rainy and cool, so cool we had jackets on. We did get a break in the heat though, it probably didn't even hit 90 that day which was a break from the 100's we have been having.

the birthday boy

Ainsley and granddaddy

Wythe trying out a new toy

Wythe's cake - I made it at about 1AM that morning

We had practiced blowing out the candle but when the time came the pressure was too much!

Sunday Mom & Dad were here. Dad and Peter worked on the addition, getting more done in the area that used to have a wall. That evening we went to see the fireworks up in Sperryville. Wythe walked all over that place, he was on the go. It always amazes me how he will just take off and doesn't seem to care if we follow! At one point I was walking around with him and he made his way over to the dance floor that was set up by the stage. At that point there were some ladies doing the Electric Slide, he was mesmerized! After that I couldn't drag him away, he wanted to dance!  I let him stay out there for a while but when I finally took him away he fell apart! I was hoping that the kiddos wouldn't be scared of the fireworks, fortunately they weren't. Wythe really liked them for a while, saying "WOW, oh wow!" every time they went off. But after a bit he got bored and wanted to walk around. Ainsley was laying on a blanket and seemed entranced by them, until she fell asleep. Yes, she actually fell asleep during the fireworks, she put her arm over her eyes and conked out! The kids did really well considering that it was way past their bedtime! Aside from almost being backed over by a most likely drunk driver....the evening was lots of fun! That incident happened when we were walking to our car, everyone was lined up in rows out in the field. As we were walked behind a small SUV he started slowly backing up, we really couldn't move because of people in front of us and a car beside us. My mom and I started banging on the back of the vehicle and a bunch of people starting yelling. The vehicle rolled back into us and the stroller but didn't hurt anything. I don't know where the guy thought he was going since there was a car right behind him. But fortunately no one was hurt, Wythe started screaming but I think we was just scared from all the yelling. I was carrying Ainsley, she was asleep, so it was good I didn't have to break out my mommy karate and hurt someone!  hehe...most likely myself...

Wythe & Ainsley watching the fireworks

Ainsley fell asleep watching the fireworks

Today mom and dad left in the afternoon. Wythe had a great day playing with his new toys. Ainsley joined in by trying out the Tonka dump truck. Everyone was having fun til Wythe tried to sit on Ainsley's lap, she was sitting in the back of the dump truck, that didn't work too well!

Ainsley trying out the new truck

Wythe trying to sit on Ainsley's lap

And now, I'm going to crash...

'til next time...

End of an era...

After about 20 years of working for AMS today is Peter's last day. It is exciting and a little scary at the same time. I know the work has been really stressful for him for quite some time so I'm looking forward to a change for him. On the other hand I have some fondness in my heart for the company because that is where we met. It is easy to bash your employer but for us some very good things came out of our work place!

Peter is taking a week off before he starts his new job, same industry but different company. He plans to get a lot of work done on the addition and catch up on some other things at home.

With his new job he won't be able to work at home anymore but on the plus side I can now use his office for something else. I think for the time being I will use it to store some of this stuff that is for the addition. Eventually I will move all of our paperwork out there since it is set up as an office. I may even set up the sewing machine out there so that I can leave it set up and ready to use. I joking said that I was going to use the office for a playroom and just put a baby monitor out there....I WAS KIDDING. I'm not really going to stick my kiddos out in a room that isn't even attached to the house! At least not while they are so young...

'til next time...

Fake fussing...

I was trying to post a video of my offspring in their attempt to convince me of what dire straights they were in but my Internet connection is too slow. Basically, they were both crying and periodically they would stop look at each other, then start again!
 It is so cute to watch the two of them learning to interact with each other. For awhile Wythe had little interest in Ainsley, and the little interest he showed resulted in hitting her, throwing things, etc. But now that she is sitting up and playing with his toys they are starting to "play" together and yes, fight over the toys. For a brief time it was easy, I would just hand her a different toy if there was an issue but now she is old enough that she knows if the toy she likes was taken from her.
The most precious thing is seeing their faces light up when they see each other, I think the next few years are going to be a lot of fun!

'til next time...

Storytime...

My kiddos love their books, and love to be read to. I know that is normal for this age but I am really hoping that they inherit my love of books!

'til next time...

Greek Festival...yummy, yummy...

Today we went to the Greek Festival at St. Katharine's in Bailey's Crossroads. I've been to that one several times and it is consistently good. For me, rating a Greek Festival as "good" is not unusual, I'm not sure that I've ever said one was "bad". However, some are more organized than others, I have been to some that you had to wait in horribly long lines for food, think Miller School! (Some of my friends will understand that reference) Some festivals have been set up so that the dancing overlaps with the food area, it is difficult to navigate a tray of food through a Greek dance!

Ainsley and Wythe - wearing blue for the Greek festival

The food was yummy as always, I just love Greek food! One of my favorites is always the Tiropita, though to pat myself on the back...I now make a pretty mean Tiropita dish!  But I have to say their Spanikopita was some of the best I have ever had! I couldn't figure out what was different about it but it was delicious!

The only complaint I had about this festival is that the musicians didn't preform on schedule and we ended having to leave without seeing them. Wythe had fun though, there were a bunch of kids running around playing and he joined right in. It was really sweet seeing him interacting with the other children. At one point he was standing near some children who were playing "Simon Says", they were running around and totally oblivious of Wythe but he thought they were playing with him. It was really cute, every time they would run by he would shriek with laughter. 

 

Wythe making friends

"ooo....lots of friends"

I love this picture of Wythe, he was so excited watching the other children play, I wish I could have captured the sound of his laughter and the smile that he couldn't wipe off his face!

Wythe and his friend having a stare down

It is so cute to see how quick children are to make friends, it is a shame that that trait gets squelched for most of us as we grow older. If we were as friendly as toddlers we would probably have a lot more friends and have a lot more fun in life.

'til next time...

Lovin' on the cloth...

I like cloth diapers. I like them for many reasons. I like the fact that they don't contribute to the overfull landfill problems, I like the fact that I don't have to rush out to the store because I have run out of diapers. (although I may have to delay a diaper change while waiting for a diaper to dry) I like all the cute brand names; Tiny Tush, Bum Genius, FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, Knickernappies, RumpARooz, SoftBums.  And most of all I how doggone cute little babies bottoms look swaddled in cloth!

I have been slowly transitioning to cloth as my collection of diapers grows. I am using them primarily for Ainsley. The plan was to find a one-size diaper that I could use for both of them. That is proving to be a little difficult. Wythe is such a big boy that the largest one size diaper is a little snug, doable but snug. I could buy a larger diaper that would fit him but if I have to buy separate diapers for both then it gets really expensive. I don't anticipate Ainsley being as big as Wythe is, so she may not get any use out of a bigger diaper.

Wythe shows no sign of being potty trained anytime soon so I should have time to to figure out what I want to do with him as far as cloth diapers goes. One of the many things I didn't consider when having children close in age, two in diapers, in diapers for a while!

'til next time...

Memorial weekend...

Wow, what a fun, busy, busy weekend!

Saturday morning Peter played golf with one of his golfing buddy's, who is the brother of our neighbor. That evening to went to our neighbors house for a cookout and the give the guys time to hash and rehash their game! (just kidding)  It was a nice evening so we sat out on the back patio, I set Ainsley in the chair beside me and she was as happy as a clam the whole evening. I think she really enjoys being "part of the group". Since Peter's golfing buddy and I both had birthday's that week we had a carrot cake fixed for us. Yummy! And of course there was leftovers to take home!

Sunday we had some neighbors over for brunch and mimosas. I had the fleeting thought of fixing a breakfast casserole or omelets or cinnamon rolls, but in the end logic prevailed and I kept it simple. Scrambled eggs, bacon, strawberries, coffee, mimosas and cheesecake. They had given me the cheesecake for my birthday so we had that instead of pastries! It's hard to start a day off better than with mimosas!

 Later that afternoon we went over to some friends house for a cookout. It was another nice evening so we sat out on the lawn and ate and visited. Wythe and their little boy Jack played in the pool and ran around the yard. I hadn't brought a change of clothes for Wythe but my sweet friend was able to supply us with clothing and diapers! They cooked sausages on the grill, I hadn't had grilled sausages in so long, they were delicious! My friend fixed a lemon pound cake with an orange  flavored frosting drizzled with chocolate. It was so good, one of those cakes you just want to grab and run away with so that you can eat it all by yourself!

I would love to take Wythe to see Rolling Thunder. He gets so excited whenever he sees a Harley, I think his little head would just explode to see so many!  Maybe when he's a little older and the noise won't damage his ears. That is one reason I'm looking forward to the kids growing up, it will be fun to take them to see the parades and ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

This morning I took Wythe over to our neighbors to swim with his little playmate. They have a little pool set up on their back deck. The nice part is the pool has a cover on it so the kids can be in the shade. It was really hot today so we were all trying to stay in the shade. Ainsley was too little to get in the pool but I would sit her in there from time to time to keep her from getting too hot.

This afternoon we went to one of Wythe's friends house for a cookout. They had a pool set up too so Wythe got to swim again. This time he had two girls to play with in the pool. He seems to be getting more used to the pool, he would sit down and splash around, looked much more comfortable. We had a great time visiting with our friends but when we got home this evening I could tell we had had a fun, busy weekend, we were all worn out!

Wythe, Abbie & Carson

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

'til next time...

A not so "kid friendly" store...

So today I was in town and had the brilliant idea of running into the ABC store to get some goodies. For those of you not in Virgina, an ABC store is not a kids toy shop or a shop that sells educational materials, despite the cute name it is the only place in the Commonwealth that you can buy liquor. Back to my brilliant idea....and yes, I had a 7 month old and a 22 month old with me, so with Ainsley strapped to the front of me and Wythe on my hip we entered a store that has nothing but thousands of expensive glass bottles stacked precariously in rows no more that 3 feet apart! I'm not sure who was more nervous, myself or the store clerk!!  I said lots of "Wythe, please keep your hands on mommy's shoulders" and "no touch, no touch" and we survived! The clerk carried my bag to the car for me and I'm sure went straight in and wiped the sweat from him brow. I loaded the kids in the car and wished I could whip up a martini right then and there. Later, when I recounted the experience to my hubby he mentioned that he doesn't think kids are even allowed in the store! If there was a sign to that effect I didn't see it, though it would make perfect sense!

'til next time...

"In my daughter's eyes" lyrics

This song plays on the CD that my children listen to at night. It is a favorite of mine and one I sing to my precious little girl, I thought I'd share the lyrics.

I believe the lyrics were written by James Slater and it was sung by Martina McBride.

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero

I am strong and wise and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see

She was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be

In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal

Darkness turns to light and the

world is at peace

This miracle God gave to me gives me

strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe

In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand

around my finger

Oh it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart

has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light

It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future

A reflection of who I am and what will be

Though she'll grow and someday leave

Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you see how happy

she made me

For I'll be there

In my daughter's eyes

 
 
'til next time...

A "first" not captured on camera...

Today I took the kids to Harris Teeter. Wythe loves to ride in the cart that has the steering wheel so when it is available I use that cart. Today for the first time I put both kids in that cart, Wythe and Ainsley, sitting side by side. They were too cute and I was so aggravated that I didn't have my camera to capture the moment. Ainsley loved playing with the steering wheel, so much so that she kept trying to play with Wythe's wheel too. Wythe would get mad and look at me like "mom, aren't you going to do something??"  Then to add insult to injury she kept grabbing everything from him. He seemed torn between excitement that his little sis was sitting beside him and frustration that she was being so annoying. I thought to myself, "buddy, if you only knew..."  I was the oldest sibling, I well remember the frustration of younger siblings! Maybe next time I'll get a picture just so I can show how absolutely adorable they are!

'til next time...

Georgia on my mind...

Last Thursday night we headed to Georgia. Normally the kids sleep well in their car seats so we had the great idea of leaving in the evening and driving through the night. I had this silly plan to be all ready to go on Wednesday so that on Thursday I could relax, take a nap with the kids, etc. Silly me!! In reality I was rushing around all day like a chicken with my head cut off. We planned to leave at 8 but we were a little late getting away, then we headed off towards Richmond. Wythe stayed awake the whole way there, that was an omen for things to come!  We got to Richmond, to my parents house and traded vehicles with them. They have a minivan and we knew it would make for a more comfortable ride. We got the luggage and car seats moved over and started out. Wythe was excited for a while, he could see all the trucks and lights and it was very exciting for him, so exciting that he didn't go to sleep UNTIL 4:30AM!!!  Unfortunately for us he cried a lot of that time, but he finally passed out.

Ainsley did better, she slept off and on and seemed to enjoy the car trip. She was a little mad to be in her car seat, she would have rather been in the front seat!

I would like to write the details of our trip but for now I'm just going to give the edited version. Unfortunately we all got sick on this trip, so parts of it seem rather fuzzy.

We stopped in Athens Friday morning and saw a Peter's sister, (we will call her Sister J) and one of Peter's  nephews. We were happy we got to see Sister J's house and visit with her and her son. After a short visit there we got back in the car and headed into Atlanta. We went to Sister M's house and got to see more family! Sister M, sister-in-law J and Sister R!  We were pretty tired having driven all night so we had a pretty quiet afternoon. Shortly after arriving we unloaded our bags, I wanted to get the playpens set up and see if we could get the kids down for a nap. The kids didn't want to go down for a nap, their schedules were all messed up already!  I tried taking them for a walk around the neighborhood but that didn't seem to calm them down.

That evening we had an adults dinner out at a charming little restaurant called "Feast". Sister M arranged for a babysitter so the adults were able to enjoy a "quiet" dinner. I was a little apprehensive about leaving the kids with a sitter, especially considering that their routine was all messed up but they did fine! They didn't sleep well that night though, poor Ainsley was sick and up coughing most the night. I had to walk around with her for hours because she would cry and cry if you tried to lay her down.

Saturday late morning we took the kids for a walk and went to the park. Wythe went down the slide once, but that was enough for him!

Wythe needing a nap, daddy trying to get him to relax on the porch swing

That afternoon was the party at Sister M's house to celebrate her graduation of her doctorate. They had a steel drum band, lots of food, great weather and about 125 guests, it was a fabulous party!

 

Sunday we headed back to Athens. We spent the day with Sister J and Sister D's family and then spent the night at Sister D's. That evening to realized we had a nail in our tire so Peter had to get that fixed. We ended up getting up early and heading home Monday morning. We were feeling so rough that all we could think about was getting home and in our own beds!

We are really glad that we went, despite getting sick. It was  great to see everyone and we are looking forward to going back and getting a good visit in!

'til next time...