the Morgan journey

South Side of the Sky

2012-01-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

Random Catch Up.

2012-01-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

Killing time at Karate

Couch Snuggles

Here's lookin at You

Saturday Mornings before the day catches up to us

He'd die if he knew he slept liked this...

Beauty & The Beast with Jenna.

Sunday morning breakfasts are the best

2 hour school delays are slightly inconvenient.

Watching Daddy's Band is fun

Tuckered her right out.

Robot

2012-01-23T19:07:00.000-05:00

We spent Sunday at a Kidney/Cancer benefit in honor of a friend that died late 2011.

The song below is one that our friend sang at the end of every gig. That band requested that Dan sing it in his place. Very touching.

Date Night

2012-01-13T06:58:00.003-05:00

The Boys went to Monster Jam
The Girls went painting & snuck in some ice cream.

It was a good time had by all

Cutie

2012-01-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

Today, we went outside to play and Audrey kept dodging the camera. She wasn't in the mood for pictures, I guess.

Managed to get this cute one before she realized it.

Saturday

2011-12-11T08:31:00.001-05:00

The kids and I went to the art museum Saturday. The place was huge and gorgeous. They had a room set up for the kids to do their own artwork and them we walked around to look at the rest.

Some having to explain weeeiiiird stuff there we did what we do best and had lunch.

Kids spent the rest of their evening doing Christmas homework

The Pledge

2011-12-06T23:28:00.003-05:00

http://youtu.be/2Du5Pi64XrA

Thanks

2011-11-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for mornings spent skipping rocks.

I'll take a stripe please

2011-11-15T20:16:00.001-05:00

Orange belt, 2nd stripe = Done!

We have a lot of work to do before the next test. This was a hard one to get through tonight and we were both very surprised they passed him.

Tricky Treats

2011-11-11T23:07:00.001-05:00

We had a Cat, Darth Vador, Rapunzel and two Thomas the Trains in our crew

What else do you do when power is out?

2011-11-05T22:14:00.002-04:00

2011-10-30T19:09:00.000-04:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PSNH-Outage-Update-10-30-5-00-p-m-.html?soid=1102549438859&aid=_lhVQMmeoGU

Sent from my iPhone

Salisbury huge waves.

2011-10-30T15:18:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiMAAQOhSvI

While powerless at home, we went for a drive to recharge electronics, get coffee and warm up. Ended up at Salisbury Beach with the huge waves

Sent from my iPhone

Start Packing!

2011-10-20T18:26:00.000-04:00

Here's a glimpse of just a small section of my new office space. It just goes on & on....
From what I'm told, we're moving in on Nov 18th.
It's huge and beautiful.

Here's the back of the building:

School Picture Day

2011-10-19T12:05:00.001-04:00

Thank you Mommy for buying me this dress, I feel like a princess!

Sent from my iPhone

What else do you do when the teachers not looking:

2011-10-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Cut your hair, of course!

Better watch out

2011-10-16T07:20:00.001-04:00

The cat is counting the seconds for the first spoonful to drop

How many 3 year olds are allowed to get pink hair?!

2011-10-15T10:35:00.001-04:00

Homework

2011-10-14T20:18:00.001-04:00

Counting and trading money for homework.

Gymnastics

2011-10-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

After every week, Audrey asks over & over how soon she can go back to gymnastics.

We pretend to have class at home, we count down the days.

I think she Likes it.

Mr Mannequin

2011-09-29T21:33:00.000-04:00

Almost had you fooled didn't he?

The Latest & Greatest Karate Belt

2011-09-20T19:40:00.000-04:00

IBG party part 2

2011-09-18T23:12:00.001-04:00

Note to self: Do not try to tour the castle with children.

It will Not impress them.

Gross Scar! I think he wanted to be like Audrey

Ice cream, elephants & butterflies make things better

What a long day!

Day after.

Daddys work parties are nothin but fun!

2011-09-17T13:42:00.000-04:00

Most times

In Her Glory

2011-09-13T14:29:00.000-04:00

When did THIS happen?!

2011-09-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

Monkey Business

2011-09-11T07:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvG1Q70pVIU

Sent from my iPhone

Great day at Canobie Lake Park

2011-09-10T18:22:00.000-04:00

And We didn't lose a kid!

Am SO behind

2011-09-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

First Day of School!

Mrs Lippmann:

First Day of Gymnastics. Can you find Audrey?

in all her glory!

Innocence

2011-08-25T21:24:00.001-04:00

Did I mention vacation was awesome

2011-08-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

Cuteness

2011-08-10T16:31:00.000-04:00

Don't be jealous...

2011-08-09T23:47:00.003-04:00

..of what I'm going through to get ready for vacation next week

Dr's Orders

2011-08-05T21:11:00.001-04:00

Well, what else are you supposed to do after surgery but go shopping!

the good.

2011-07-13T22:29:00.001-04:00

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing

2011-07-03T23:17:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th!

2011-07-03T07:02:00.003-04:00

The Graduate.

2011-06-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

StoryLand - picture loaded.

2011-06-16T21:35:00.000-04:00

Two weekends ago, we went up to StoryLand with our friends Christine & Tait. We set out mid-Friday for nothing but Fun and that's exactly what we had. Park, eat, eat, StoryLand, eat, eat, and eat, park... The weather was perfect, the kids did fantastic, the views are amazing.

Story Land Morning... The boys plotted out their plan of attack for the day:

waiting for the park to open, we were 3rd in line

Mother Goose

Waiting in line to drive the antique cars

Getting ready to ride the roller coaster

Getting ready for the big drop!

We tailgated for lunch - plenty of pb&j's with fruit and juice

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe

Carriage to Cinderella's castle

We did so much more that I didn't take pictures of. Amazing time.

This friend greeted us early Sunday morning on our cabin screen:

And back to North Conway for shopping and fun before time to head home

Good bye for now...

Beanbag Bounce

2011-06-02T22:19:00.001-04:00

I have a feeling that when Auntie Betty gave them the beanbags at Christmas, she envisioned quiet moments, sitting in their own corners reading Cat In the Hat and Goodnight Moon.

I also have a feeling that THIS was no where near on her list of things to use a bean bag for:

Link back to You Tube here

The month of THREE

2011-05-22T17:21:00.000-04:00

The song that never ends

2011-04-16T22:48:00.000-04:00

She is one constant song.

Park #2

2011-04-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

She scares us

This is why you need more than one kid

And when in doubt, beat a tree with a stick.

Free therapy.

More from Friday night

2011-04-12T05:12:00.005-04:00

Playing their little hearts out

And the Winner is:

Dan!

And the contract is signed...

the park

2011-04-10T13:32:00.000-04:00

What a weekend.

2011-04-09T18:32:00.000-04:00

To Start, The winner of the Battle of the Country Bands 2011 is none other than Mr. Dan Morgan! Dan signed a contract with A1 Entertainment for a 1 year Artist Development Deal and Artist Management Agreement.

What this all means, we don't really know. We're not naive enough to think that it's a huge break. But we'll see what it's all about going forward.

Going back 10 years, everyone that "knew something" about country music kept telling Dan to play more covers and less originals. He fought this and fought this. Endless arguments with bar managers and association presidents.

Last night, he prevailed. Over the last 4 weeks, he competed against a total of 15 other bands. None of them did what he did at the quality he did. Others had different styles or more "show" but the music didn't back it up. Not to say they weren't good, they were. We had NO real thoughts about actually winning, it was all just for fun.

So he won. It was exciting & very unexpected.

Amazing things happened today. We went TO THE PLAYGROUND and WALKED IN THE WOODS!! No hats or gloves or boots or long underwear or shivering!! So beautiful, I took tons of pictures and will share more as the week goes on.

For now, I need to get in the shower for date night. We have the sitter coming again tonight so we can get back out for some celebration at the ol' MRB.

Photo Updates

2011-04-04T20:56:00.000-04:00

Practicing his Moves

And some special moves of her own

Let's Get Physical

April Fools!

I played a joke on the kids & told them we were having dessert first for dinner

What a shock when they realized it was meatloaf & mashed potatoes!

Then we were going to have "breakfast for dessert"

White Chocolate with M&M centers, Tootsie Roll bacon

Teaching them young to help with chores. Tonight it was dishes, he washed, she rinsed.

Play on words?

2011-03-29T20:55:00.001-04:00

"Audrey are you Peter Pan?"

"NO!!! I Peed in the Potty!!!!"

Happy Birthday M-C!!

2011-03-24T07:08:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for Special message at the end.

Octagon?

2011-03-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

Mickey: Is that a circle?

Audrey: No, that's a triangle

Mickey: Is that a circle?

Audrey: NO! Thats an Octagon!

Audrey Singing

2011-03-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

In the meantime....

2011-03-15T23:42:00.001-04:00

I have some videos that I wanted to post tonight but they'll have to wait. We just got sucked into a way long, very deep movie and I need to get to bed to rest my overworked Leonardo DiCaprio brain.

You'll have to settle for a pre-dinner picture from tonight:

Getting them BOTH sitting still in the same picture is NOT an easy task. Mazie has gotten quite fat the last few months. She doesn't run anymore, she flops. She will only play with things if they're laying in front of her. Kitty diet is coming soon. Is there a Jillian Michaels for 1 year old cats?

Max the Monarch

2011-03-14T21:13:00.000-04:00

Max came to karate last week for a special class. He led the class and they did some games.

Great time.

Job well done.

2011-03-06T08:04:00.002-05:00

Elliot Hospital has added another building at a new location, overlooking the River.

Guess who did the windows, the exterior panels, trims, and more and more..

It's opening mid April. Pretty impressive.

The Cousins

2011-02-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

Today is Austin's birthday and we got together for the greasiest burger & fries that I've ever had.

Nathaniel - 5

Austin - 12

Emily - 17, almost 18

Haleigh - 7, almost 8

Audrey - 2

Princess Audrey vs. Sir Nate

2011-02-14T06:19:00.002-05:00

Because what else do you do with a balloon, bib, remote control, grocery basket and a magician's hat????

Broken Board

2011-02-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

Those that play hard....

2011-02-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

...Sleep hard

Sleep seems to be catching up to them when they least expect it.

On top of the big chair:

Another day, they both fell asleep after creating some sort of pillow-blanket snuggle fest

Here's a good one.
After a long, heavy play party upstairs, it got reaaaaaly quiet and we started to wonder, Where's Audrey?

Oh THERE she is!

This picture was taken at 5pm. We moved her to her bed and she slept through the night.
That's the sign of a good fun day if you ask me.

Tonsils, Sledding and more!

2011-01-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

The tonsils are Gone! She's doing awesome.

She was So brave going into surgery, slept the day and night away. She's blown us all away so far with how well she's handling it all. We got home from the hospital around noon and she instantly went back to jumping on the trampoline. Her day never stopped. They say it will get worse... We'll see

On Sunday we went sledding.

It's time to move up. Karate has been going great, it's time to graduate to the next level class. He has two trial classes to show he can handle the harder class. They do NOT mess around in this class.

One more trial class, another test and if he does well in all that, then a graduation class next Thursday.
Here's a glimpse of some self defense they're learning. First step of what to do when grabbed by a stranger or in a fight:

Weekend Fun.

2011-01-23T05:53:00.002-05:00

Audrey & Colleen

2011-01-22T10:03:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to summer.

2011-01-22T08:27:00.001-05:00

Morning snuggles

2011-01-21T06:06:00.000-05:00

Martin Lutten King

2011-01-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

Heading to the gym tonight, I got an earful about who Martin Lutten King was, what he did, how old he was and the whole rest of the story.

Tried to get it on video tonight, some of it is there the rest of it seemed to get lost in distraction of the camera lights.

More Christmas...

2011-01-10T06:08:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday - I hope it is. New boss starts today, his poor reputation has been heard all through the office so we're on the look out for some bad behavior. We've deemed it black Monday - everyone is wearing black. Pretty mature of us right? Hey, gotta have SOME fun with all these changes.

For a side note: Audrey didn't start gymnastics this session. We'll either wait for next session or maybe even the fall. With all the flips and jumps she was doing around the house this weekend, I tend to think we'll start up in March.

Here's a few more Christmas shots:

Leaving Reindeer Food outside

Opening Christmas Jammies

Constant Motion

2011-01-05T06:08:00.000-05:00

2011 has started as a busy year. I feel like we're always going & doing. Which is fine, most of the time.

Dan's not on overtime so it's been great having him home more.

Karate is back in full swing. He's working on his orange belt, test in 4 weeks.

Gymnastics starts Saturday for Audrey.

I'm training for a Half marathon. There I said it out loud. That makes it real.

I rejoined weight watchers and have been loving the new program they introduced.

As of Monday, I'll have a new boss. Not so sure that's a good thing.

Audrey's having her tonsils and adenoids removed in 2 weeks.

More pics to come.

For Santa

2010-12-24T23:28:00.000-05:00

Can you tell me how to get...

2010-12-13T13:20:00.002-05:00

...how to get to Sesame Street.

Headed up to Portland, ME Saturday for a visit with Elmo & Friends. Just told the kids we were going for a drive to get out of the house.

They didn't have a clue what they were in for. It was a lot of fun.

You can watch the entirely too long video of the show starting and the kids straight faced reactions to it all. I love the look they give each other at 1:13.

Criss-Cross

2010-12-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

Do you remember doing these at 5 years old? I sure don't.

Girls Night In

2010-12-03T23:30:00.000-05:00

The boys went to karate tonight so Audrey and I had some hang time. I cleaned, she played.
Found her rocking one of her babies. Singing away....

In other news, Our precious tree is NEVER going to survive this beast. 3 weeks to go. Who will win.

Sing Sing Sing

2010-12-02T06:09:00.001-05:00

A little goofy as she watches herself on the screen.

Looks like a Japanese/American movie as the words don't match with her mouth.

Twenty Eight...Twenty Nine...Twenty Ten...

2010-11-20T19:16:00.001-05:00

Don't be alarmed with the aliens that take over at 3:20.

Dan & Nathaniel were hanging out in youtube land, learning about planets and the Family of the Sun song.

Can't figure out the quality of the videos. Seems that once you upload to youtube and then upload to Blogger, they turn into 1994 pixel quality. Working on figuring that out...

Sleepy Saturday?

2010-11-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

Apparently, we're raising roosters. There's no other explanation for why these children continue to wake at 4:45am regardless of what day it is.

They've played, we've baked muffins, now it's time to settle in a movie before we head out for a playdate.

From the looks of it, we only have One chair in the house.

Everyone makes mistakes...

2010-11-19T21:57:00.001-05:00

... even me.

I was dying for REAL chicken fingers tonight. We had a ton of chicken in the fridge and all the right ingredients, so we started the adventure. Audrey moved on and watched tv with her crackers while Nathaniel got all the ingredients out and followed directions to a tee.

Egg, flour, vinegar, baking soda, bread crumbs, milk and so on. We were doing great. 1 Quart of oil in the pan.

And that's where it all went wrong. I put it on high to hurry it along, I put a lid on it to avoid anything splattering out and burning either of us.

Took the marinading chicken out of the fridge, took the lid off the pan and BOOM, smoke filled the house instantly. Stop, Drop & Roll type smoke.

I took the pan outside, Nathaniel grabbed scarfs for us all to wrap around our faces, I opened windows, he got us all paper bags to breathe in & out of, I started some fans, he explained to Audrey that we were going to be ok. He was amazing.

The house was full of smoke, it was awful, I've never seen anything like it just from simple cooking. We froze during the airing out process but eventually things were back to normal.

We salvaged the oil, started over & ate delicious homemade chicken fingers followed up with pumpkin pie. Everything was right in the world again.

Things we learned:

   You shouldn't turn oil on high while trying to speed up the process
   You shouldn't put a lid on the oil that's on high
   Nathaniel really listened during fire safety week

Dinnertime thoughts.

2010-11-19T06:18:00.001-05:00

Nathaniel:

Dear God. Thank for you this beautiful day but not the strong wind I didn't like that. Please don't make tomorrow as windy...."

Two funnies:

2010-11-18T06:36:00.000-05:00

Me: OK Guys, I'm going to make eggs for breakfast
N: But Moooom, Eggs aren't for breakfast, they're for Dinner!!

----

When thinking we were out of diapers & pull ups:

Dan: Audrey, tonight you're not going to have a diaper or pull up, so you have to stay dry all night.
A: OH MAAAAN!

----

While I was working on Veteran's Day, the kids were home with Dan. They had some great fun outside.

Yellow Belt

2010-11-09T06:25:00.001-05:00

This is from October when Nathaniel tested for his yellow belt.

I had a hard time getting it under 10 minutes and still giving a taste for all of it. Forgive the shaky camera, I had Audrey on my lap.

You can also watch it bigger here

An Add On

2010-11-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

I don't know why this pic wasn't in with the others. I don't even know why I like it so much. But I do.

Maybe because they're each in their own little Halloween land of make believe. Taking it all in. Together.

This one is up there for grabs as #1 favorite too:

Here's another that was never posted. From a walk we took a few weeks ago, before hats & gloves.
And before the color Really hit our area.

Happy Baweeeen!!!

2010-10-31T22:57:00.002-04:00

That's how Audrey said it all night.

Trick or Treating was great. We went with Nathaniel's self-declared betrothed, Jenna. The kids had so much fun. Audrey was scared for the first dozen or so houses but then got the hang of it and started to just ignore the scary costumes all around us. Jenna's brother Carter, who is in Audrey's class, opted to stay home with Dad.

Unfortunately I'd left the bumblebee wings at home on the table. OOPS.

1st Grade

2010-10-26T20:42:00.001-04:00

Why hasn't someone created cliff notes about schools and all the options? It's so overwhelming.

Either he's tall

2010-10-23T09:33:00.001-04:00

Or she's just height challenged...

- Sent via Blackberry by the Verizon Network -

One of my most recent favs.

2010-10-16T06:55:00.002-04:00

Pictures are finally set.

2010-10-12T12:25:00.002-04:00

Way too many for me to post on this site so to see 190 pics of Dan's big birthday party: CLICK HERE

Birthday Boy!

2010-09-30T06:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to Dan!

The kids got up and sang Happy Birthday to him all on their own while he was in the shower. Too cute.
They gave him cards and are so excited that it's HIS day.

He gets to go to work, I took the day off. Maybe I'll take a nap in honor of today.

I'll make shepherd's pie and carrot cake for dinner.

He can be King for the day.

-------
On another note, Audrey woke up dry today! She's doing incredible with potty training.

10 years.

2010-09-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

Where we Stayed:

Our room was the second floor windows covered in ivy.

One of the many dining areas. Our dinner Friday night was a that corner table next to the fireplace. We got in late so we had it all to ourselves. I had lobster stuffed haddock. It was to die for.

Stuffed French Toast for breakfast Saturday. Life doesn't get any better than this.

We'd sit outside forever, watching the clouds lift from the mountains in the morning.

Another dining area. We ate in here Saturday night in that little spot next to the window on the left.

View from the hot tub.

We took a hide up Diana's Bath on Saturday. It was so peaceful & perfect.

Waterfall after waterfall. Tons of areas to just sit in the water - we held off tho until it gets a little warmer!

Then we headed over to the top of Cathedral Ledge. Breathtaking.

Then we hiked the trail around Echo Lake.

It's worth all the sweat when you have this room waiting for you:

New Playroom...

2010-09-15T10:01:00.001-04:00

- Sent via Blackberry by the Verizon Network -

Are you BOARD?

2010-09-10T22:27:00.007-04:00

It's been Karate week.

Tuesday night - tested for new stripe, he did great. 5 more weeks till a new belt!

Thursday night - Parent Coaching Seminar

Friday night - Kids Safety Seminar

Let's go back to Thursday night. The only reason I went was because for me going, he gets a really cool patch that goes on the pant leg of his uniform. I thought it was going to be a lecture type seminar about helping your kid thru karate's challenges. Whatever, I can give up 40 minutes to listen right? WRONG. It was a CLASS. I broke some serious sweat, I was NOT dressed properly for it and was shocked at how hard it really was.

I was lined up with this other girl. We had to kick, punch, duck and do all kinds of other awkward moves at each other. We'd punch each other and then immediately follow up with a "I'M SO SORRY!!!!!"

At the end of class, we were handed a wooden block and told to break it. I was first up. I was nervous. I couldn't look stupid in front of the Entire class. They'd all laugh at me! What if it was really hard?! What if it hurt?!? What if I got a splinter or broke a nail!?!

One strong heel punch, a loud KIAI, and I did it, snapped that thing in two. PHEW!

He'd better appreciate that patch! He'll be awarded it next Tuesday at class. I sure hope it's an iron on.

Then tonight, kids safety. They talked about strangers, fire, emergencies and other random safety issues. They taught them how to get out of a wrist grab from a stranger, how to pretzel yourself around an object so you can't get stolen and how to yell for help the right way.

At the end of class, they handed boards out to the visitors to bring back tomorrow. He managed to claim a board and they let him break it right there on the spot!

He did great! Split it right in half. Sure made me proud!

I only had my flashless cell phone with me. Would've been a great picture otherwise. Oh well.

It's almost Sunday

2010-09-09T06:27:00.001-04:00

While I can't seem to post NEW pictures, I can post old ones for now.

It's almost Sunday. Sunday is Canobie Lake Park day.

These two birthday boys are excited beyond belief.

technical difficulties

2010-09-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

So for whatever reason this site and my photo organizer won't talk to each other.

Maybe they're fighting.

I think it's time they kiss and make up. Or I'll have to move on.

Happy 5th Birthday!!

2010-09-02T22:20:00.002-04:00

He made this video Thursday morning before school:

For whatever reason that I don't feel like dealing with, the lips don't match up with what he's saying. It's probably a Japanese program.

We're so proud of him and everything he's become in the last 5 years. He amazes us and challenges us in ways we never imagined.

His birthday will include cupcakes at school, dinner with us - his request was to go to a place that sings to you, I think we're headed to Bugaboo, then presents & more cake at home.

Thankful.

2010-08-31T22:00:00.004-04:00

My car got a boo-boo tonight. It's going to take more than a bandaid and bondo to fix this one.

We were on our way to karate. Manchester has a lot of one way streets with cross streets and I will admit, the stop signs can get tricky. Especially to 80 year old nuns. I had the right of way, not a stop sign in sight. The other woman stopped but then kept going, she never saw me coming. I laid on the horn, tried to avoid but it was too late.

In the battle of Jeep vs Saturn, Jeep won. I was able to drive home, she wasn't.

I have car guts hanging out, I'm missing some pieces. At first, I didn't think it was going to be more than some door panel replacements but after we got home, I realized the frame is pushed in. It's all one big side piece. That should be a costly one.

Between my new engine and now new right side, it'll be like having a whole new car, almost...

I'm thankful:

.....that I have a big, tall car

.....that I have a strong car

.....that I had clear view of her not stopping for me which gave me time to prepare

.....that the kids were completely buckled and straps were tight

.....that the Airbags didn't need to deploy

.....that we missed the huge concrete wall along side the art museum that was precariously close to the scene. We both went flying that way.

.....that the other driver missed the concrete wall too

.....that I didn't hit her driver side

.....that I just got a carwash so the pictures of my car look shiny

.....that the car that hit us was a low car so she was clearly out of danger as it was her door taking impact. I never usually have Audrey with me for karate and tonight I made a last minute decision to bring her along.

.....for insurance and my knowledge of it

.....for rental coverage

I'm most thankful that these two precious little ones were completely protected and not even phased by what had happened.

Day One: DONE.

2010-08-30T22:52:00.007-04:00

Today went great! We were up & out the door early, everyone ready to go.

Audrey gets dropped off first. The conversation went like this:

A: That room Mommy?
Me: No
A: That room Mommy?
Me: Nope
A: THAT room Mommy?
Me: Not yet
A: WHERE'S MY ROOM?

It was cute. She went running in. It's most of all the same friends she's been with for 2+ years, so nothing really different there. There's no more high chair tables, it's REAL chairs at a little table. The main room is very large and is definitely showing signs of being less baby-ish.

The room has little tiny pottys in a side room, adorable.

When we picked her up today, she wouldn't stop saying "I went on the potty!!" She's talked about it all night.

Next stop, upstairs, Kindergarten.

A whole bunch of Nathaniel's friends were at the airshow yesterday. We didn't see them there but it's all they were talking about. Comparing notes about everything they saw.

They were all so excited to see each other. It's only been two days, You'd think it had been years.

He was very lovey but at the same time very ready for me to go so he could check out the whole area. I was showing him where all his stuff was and he was afraid I'd get in trouble for touching things. When it was time for me to leave, the teacher was standing with a clip board with a large handful of kids staring at her and hanging on her every syllable.

At pick up time, he went Flying up to Dan "DADDY I'M A KINDERGARTENER NOW!!!!"

Comfortable?

2010-08-29T06:16:00.004-04:00

She's sooooound asleep. In the Dangling position. Maybe she started to get up & then just changed her mind. I feel like that many days.

We're headed to the air show today. Very excited. It's the First time the Blue Angels have been here in 20 years. Gates open at 8, They don't start till 3:15. Its going to be 90 degrees. We'll be sitting on pavement all day. I hope we can make it that long.

More later

-
- Sent via Blackberry by the Verizon Network -

He's ready.

2010-08-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

He read this whole book all by himself tonight.

All 72 pages.

He is 4 years and 51 weeks old.

4 more wake ups

2010-08-26T06:17:00.000-04:00

We're counting down again. Monday is a huge day.

HUGE.

Nathaniel starts Kindergarten.

Audrey starts Potty Training.

Craziness.

We're going to the air show on Sunday.

Everything at school changes Monday.

Nathaniel turns Five Friday. He chose a day at Canobie Lake Park with one friend instead of a big birthday party. I'm cool with that! Doing that on the 12th.

Dan's company clam bake is on the 11th.

We're just a few weeks away from our 10th Anniversary Getaway Extravaganza.

Dan's birthday is following.

We don't have one free weekend anywhere in sight and I love it.

First Stripe

2010-08-22T16:16:00.006-04:00

I never did post these.

Back in early August, Nathaniel had his first testing week in Karate.

He got his first black stripe on his belt. They test every 5 weeks and I think it works out to be a new belt every 15 weeks.

We weren't sure what he was being tested on, so we drilled everything at home. Turns out, he didn't need to know the Star Block set yet and he was totally disappointed that he didn't have to show everyone that he knew it. I think he knew it better than the kids that were being tested on it. After class, he showed his instructor that he knew the Star Block. Since he did so great, he also got the "Great Effort" stripe for his belt.

Nathaniel didn't understand what the teacher said and keeps calling it his "F WORD STRIPE"

Awwwww

2010-08-21T11:45:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning cartoons at their finest.

- Sent via Blackberry by the Verizon Network -

Who is this tiny little boy?

2010-08-17T22:38:00.002-04:00

And where did he go?

Another weekend DONE

2010-08-15T13:17:00.006-04:00

We went to Maine Saturday.
We had a great lunch, overlooking the water
Even better ice cream
The Sun was shining
The breeze was blowing
Traffic was light both directions
We threw rocks in the water
The kids got new hats

Saturday night, I finished my first book on my Nook. I love that thing.
You can fall asleep reading and not lose your place.

Kids were fighting like crazy today. In fact, they still are, even while I type this.

I decided to get out of dodge with the younger of the demon children.
I pushed 30 pound child in the stroller for 5.25 miles. THAT is way hard. Don't believe me? Try it.

LOTS of hills.
I walked more than I wanted to, but at least I got some good miles in and lots of good hill work.

While on route:

The First Cut

2010-08-11T20:05:00.004-04:00

No more straggles & I did it all by myself!