Tuesday, August 26, 2008

11-month profile



Nicknames: Mia Maria, Moo
Likes: cheese of any variety, Elmo, bun-bun, pink blankie, swings, Great Grandma B's applesauce, the sandbox, anything her brother is holding.
Dislikes: strangers of any variety, anything on a spoon, being alone in a room, diaper changes and nose wipes.
Milestones: new words (doll and milk), first steps, going to sleep without crying (occasionally), giving open-mouth kisses, dog and cow noises, new teeth (up to six now).





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Another day, another crime

So I was just remarking how nice it is that the kids are starting to interact so much more. Thought this was a good thing, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe they will use their joined forces to wreak even more havoc on Mom. I was cleaning up in Amelia's room and left Charlie and sis alone in my room for maybe ten minutes tops. I smiled to myself as I heard Charlie giggling and Mia shrieking. Then, I went in to check on them and I found Amelia's face striped with heavy black streaks and Charlie in a similar state, him guiltily holding my mascara. Yeah, I now buy Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in economy six packs.






At least he's repentant!

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Monday, August 25, 2008



I have to tell the bike ride story. I talked to my sis Beth (9months preggo at the time) on a Friday morning and she said that she was having a few contractions but didn't think much of it. I told her to call us if she needed anything, but since it was a week prior to her due date I wasn't expecting 'news' anytime soon. So, off we go on a bike ride down the canal since Bob was working the weekend and had this Friday off. We were in Pittsford eating ice cream cones when the call came. Beth said, "Um, I'm pretty sure I'm in labor and am heading out to drop Aaron off at your house on the way to the hospital. Where are you anyway?" My heart started racing as I told her that we were not quite at home and it would take us 30 minutes to get there. I rushed off the phone and started wiping the biggest chunks of mint chocolate chip off of Charlie's shirt as I picked up Mia, shouted to Bob and ran for the bikes. Speed wasn't exactly easy to call up at this point since Bob was lugging a 40 plus pound load in a bulky bike trailer. So, as we were riding, he called out to me that I ride on ahead and get the car and then call him to arrange a rendezvous at whatever point of the canal they were at. To further complicate things, Bob had the car keys. Of course we couldn't stop riding so I dropped back to complete a kamikaze keys exchange with both of us still maintaining considerable speed on our bikes. What a great memory that ride will be. Anyway, we were red-faced and panting when we got to our house and saw Beth sitting uncomfortably, yet patiently on our steps. She had Ryan less than 4 hours later!



"Hold on Aunt Beth, we're coming!"


Thanks for waiting Ryan.
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Rockin the kiddie rides

Seabreeze, Charlie's first amusement park...











It's official, we are now those parents that you always pity when you see them at amusement parks...standing in the sun waiting with their kids for some lame ride that goes less than five miles an hour. The thing is, it's actually fun when it's your kid. Yes, we're also the parents snapping 8 million pictures, giggling and pointing and calling out the child's name, while said kid rides around in a slow slow circle. Actually, Charlie seemed the most bored of the group and quickly decided that he wanted to go on the "big boy" rides instead answering his characteristic "Sure!" --whenever we asked him if he wanted to try a new one. Dad was happy to oblige. He even tried to sneak Charlie on to the log ride even though he was clearly under the height line! Didn't make it in though, much to Mom's relief. He was such a brave one on these rides though--ok, a kiddie rollercoaster, but not to shabby for a 2-yr-old. This one above even scared me a little because when you turned the rutter the plane would fly to one side. OK, I've come to the realization that I just might become one of those Moms that waits with the stroller and drink boxes while Dad goes on all the scary rides with the kids.



Man, this thing corners like it's on rails. haha;)



There is nothing worse than a backseat kicker. Charlie gets so mad at Mia who never stops kicking his seat and his turning around to yell at her only eggs her on!






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At the lake

This trip to the lake was a while back, but I had to put some of these cute photos on because they have been some of my favorites for the season. We went out to Keuka Lake for our second annual trip with our pals Danyelle and Eric and their daughter Mallory. I just love the pure glee on the faces of the kids ... they had such a great time!








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Congrats Libby and Scott!

We had two weddings scheduled on the same Saturday one weekend in July and were pretty bummed that we couldn't attend both! Bob's cousin Libby got married in Albany, NY in a beautiful ceremony and one of my bestest pals, Jessie Medema, got married in Grand Rapids, MI. Somehow Bob ended up with the kids while I got to take the leisurely flight out to Michigan to meet up with my younger sis and attend Jessie's big day. Bob did great with the kids though and got some help from his cousins. One such cuz, Julie, is a professional photographer in the Dallas area (www.juliebirdseye.com) who takes awesome and unique photos. She did a little photo shoot with our rambunctious toddlers and got some great shots. Here they are preparing for the shoot...





PS-You may notice the absence of pictures of the bride and groom. Even the one above was stolen from cousin Jesse! I was expecting some more too, but apparently our dear sweet angel children required a little too much attention to allow much time for Bob to catch photos! Regardless...congrats Libby and Scott!









Charlie's middle name was chosen in honor of a wonderful man and grandfather to Bob, Kenneth Koepp. Bob and Charlie visited his gravesite while they were in Albany. This picture brought tears to my eyes. I wish that Charlie could have gotten to meet his Great Grandpa.








Bob, Charlie and Bob's younger bro, Dave.













Julie's husband Stuart is a natural with the kiddos. I think he secretly enjoyed playing with blocks and reading books about construction;)
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Below are pics of the kids with Uncle Dave and cousins. In the last photo, Mia is having a chat with her Great Nana Koepp.


Monday, August 18, 2008

Big and Little

This just makes me laugh. My "little" brother Jon came into the world at 10lbs 10oz. I used to toss this number around casually until I had kids of my own and now it makes me salute my mom in complete awe! Anyway, you never know if birth weight determines anything or not, but in Jon's case, his grand entrance has translated into a current height of 6' 4" and a size 13 shoe. One size below Michael Phelps, but still! Makes it all the more special to see my big little brother bend way down and play with my little toddlers. He is such a great Uncle!

Incidentally, Amelia currently wears an infant size 2.
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Monday, August 11, 2008

An Adirondack Oasis



What with computer failures, summer vacations, new nephews and all--our blog has become dreadfully out of date! Here are some snaps of our recent vacation to the Adirondacks. We journeyed up for a week in a cozy little cabin on Lake Eaton. We met my Mom and Dad up there and they brought my nephew Aaron up to spend a couple days with us too. I'll always remember this special week as our first "vacation" as a family of four and what fun it was to see our kiddos interact with the outdoors. Charlie absolutely loved everything about our mountain hideaway and had a gallon of sand in his pants at the end of each day to prove it. It also gave us a sweet glimpse of a budding relationship between bro and sis-- which was nice to see. They puttered around the beach together like old pals.




Ah, the boys. What entertainment they provide. There were so many funny moments that I wish I could have kept a journal of "Things Heard Around the Cabin." A couple of favorites...we kept asking Charlie how if he liked vacation and he would throw up his arms and respond with a resounding, "I do!" An Aaron anecdote...Charlie was in the bathroom and Aaron kept trying to come in. Grandma told him that he needed to stay outside since Charlie was going potty and he replied, "Grandma, I just want a closer look."


Charlie continues to be enamored with construction vehicles, especially diggers of any variety. Grandma brought this vintage bulldozer that belonged to Uncle Jon when he was little and Charlie couldn't go anywhere without it. We decided to let him bring it up on the deck of this restaurant while we got lunch since it would mean a more peaceful meal for us. He would put his food in the scoop and then lift it up to his mouth with patient precision--this from a kid who can't sit quietly through a five minute prayer at church...



Amelia loves the beach. We'd have to keep an eye on her and occasionally pluck small stones and sticks out of her mouth, but she would sit and entertain herself for hours!


The boys couldn't get enough of "sweeping the deck"--and fighting over the brooms--and swatting each other with them when the adults weren't looking.









Bob is such a good sport. I got these shirts for the boys on Father's Day--Big Guy, Little Guy. Charlie has loved his from the first moment and, if he spots it in his dresser drawer, will insist on wearing it every day (good thing it's so often in the laundry thanks to Mom's efficient housekeeping). If Bob is home that day, he will tell Dad, "You wear Big Guy." Oh come on Bob, I know you secretly love it.


I love this picture for some reason--maybe it's Mia's cute little misshapen head...


Amelia swimming with the ducks.



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