Adams Crossing

2011-08-31T09:28:00.001-04:00

Thinking of you Gramps, praying that God is covering you in his peace.

new digs

2011-07-19T15:10:00.000-04:00

3916 Canal Road, Spencerport---Come visit soon! (thus the severe lack of posts ...)

11-month-old lookin' for treasure...

2011-03-18T14:04:00.001-04:00

...his favorite place to find it? The downstairs bathroom. I know, wouldn't be my first choice either! But, if that door is open, his baby-dar picks it up and he zooms over as fast as his little scoot can take him.

Yup, we're feeling lucky to have this guy. Sad to have to (almost) say goodbye to his first special year. Now he's ramblin' all over the house and pulling up to stuff, getting into mischief.

Mom, it's about time you stop taking these ridicuous photos of me. A tiny leprechaun hat, seriously? Sheesh.

The chocolate caper

2011-03-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

After loading the dishwasher, we were sitting lazily in the dining room letting dinner settle. Hmmm, where has Wesley scooted to? I walked in the kitchen and found him here, smiling in happy chocolate delight. He had snagged a chocolate-covered spatula that we had used to make brownies. It just happened to be right within his reach in the dishwasher. He was so proud of his sweet accomplishment, we let him go right on licking!

Valentine's Day is for L-O-V-E!

2011-02-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

I love these guys!

Charlie wrote his pals' names and his own on each Valentine, very cute! (OK, I did have to bribe him a little with some conversation hearts, but there were some long names in there!)

Where did this crazy cat come from? I didn't have the 'heart' to tell her that there is such a thing as too many accessories...

Awww, this one, too cute for words.

He is so into the cupboards these days. He had a bang-up time in this drawer.

Oh yeah, and last, but not least, love-o-my-life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A milestone, few months tardy.

2011-01-18T14:57:00.006-05:00

After Wesley's nine month visit to the doctor where I had to sheepishly admit that Wes has still been getting up 1-2 times in the night, Bob and I decided it was time for the dreaded "cry it out." Some babies, like those in most parenting books, start sleeping through the night entirely on their own, in natural course--without any parental intervention. Whether it is something we are doing or not doing, we do not have those babies.

First came Charlie and at 6 months, the age that those parenting books say that babies no longer need to have a nightime feeding, we dutifully let him cry during the night. For a few nights it was painful, mom laying there with clenched fists (dad snoring) but then it was less and less so until, magically we woke up in the morning with the hip hip hooray realization that he had slept through. With Amelia, it was 8 months, same thing -- wailing in the other room, clenched fists and, ta-da, restful night! Now, with Wes, 9 months and man, we've been dragging our feet! It is a little more complicated with three kids and the boys sharing a room. The couple times we had let Wes cry a bit, Charlie would start yelling, "Mom--myyyy, can you get Wes?" Or, he would offer helpful advice like, "Why don't you try turning off the hall light because it's keeping Wesley awake." That may have, in fact, been true. But, we couldn't turn off the hall light because if we did, Amelia would probably wake up crying and say it's too dark.

I'm sure for some, even the crying it out method doesn't work. But, fortunately it does work for us. We let Wesley cry last Thursday and he cried for nearly 2 hours off and on. It was torturous for me and I had to go down to lay on the couch downstairs with the TV on to be able to bear it. Just when I was going to call it quits, he stopped. The next night was more crying, but not so long. The third night, just a half hour of half-hearted crying and finally, a whole night of quiet. Our little 9-month-old is sleeping through the night! And...is it me or is he just a tad bit cuter than he was yesterday?;)

Stats: 23 lbs, 28.5"
Chompers: 2 uppers, 2 down
Sounds: "da da", "la la" but NO "ma ma" yet!
Movin' and Groovin': n/a-- which, I must admit, is such a blessing considering the number of tiny lego bow n' arrows, necklace beads, my little pony shoes (why, oh why, do they make such things?) and such laying about, not to mention the beauty of knowing that Wesley will be more or less where I left him when I have to dash off to tend to some emergency or another. He does wiggle around a bit when he's on his back...but other than that, not much happening. I had to laugh when the pediatrician was trying to delicately tell me that, "the (pause while he searched for an appropriate word...) heavier babies tend to walk later." he, he.
Eating: ...everything! Whenever he is in his booster seat, the "happy hands" start wiggling and he waits eagerly for something to munch. He loves eggs, pasta, fish, ham, turkey, chicken, rice, fruit and veggies. Well, he loves whatever the spoon brings him. He does great with finger foods and loves to pluck up cheerios and bits of fruit or veggies. I am a little sad that the baby food days are ending. I have thoroughly enjoyed mixing up delicacies in my new food processor! He's also started to hold his bottle which is fantastic and he sucks a bit on the sippy cup too.
Other: He's started to wave and loves to have books read to him, especially 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear'--a family favorite. Then again, he also likes to eat the books so it can be a bit tricky. Still loves the tub and will stay in splashing happily til he's pruny. Looks awful cute in 2-piece flannel pjs. Laughs loud whenever he sees himself in the mirror and is also quite ticklish. Adores his siblings and always has a smile for everyone!

Farewell, Christmas- Hello 2011!

2011-01-05T12:44:00.003-05:00

So many wonderful memories this Christmas. Highlights include: Charlie's batman costume, the first Cherry Creek Christmas program with precious kiddo performances including a duet from Scott and Aaron, snowball fights, Russ and Wesley's first Christmas with us, cookie-making with Amelia, Ryan's cookie obsession, Aunt Kat's amazing cookie abundance (hmmm, is there a theme here), Expectant Aunt Beth, and Amelia's new dollhouse handmade by Papa and Uncle Jon.

Farewell, Christmas Part 2

2011-01-05T12:32:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-23T11:38:00.002-05:00

Because we once lived in a dark land, a time before the warming hope of Christ, but now we celebrate the Light of the World who now shines the Brilliance of Grace upon us! We wake to wonder! -"Beauty of Advent"

Merry Christmas, may you enjoy all the wonders of the season!

Wesley in the Wintertime...

2010-12-13T14:28:00.003-05:00

OK, let's be honest. It's probably not that pleasant to be stuffed into this snowsuit. But our sweet little blue-eyed boy found a reason to smile anyway. Cousin Andrew Hempel came by to take some pics of our kiddos for our Christmas card this year. After shots by the tree, we stepped outside to take a few in the backyard. The Bannister family sure is blessed with some good photographers!

Charlie looks like such a boy in this pic. I got him and Bob matching furry brown hoodies, they look so darn cute all matchy. They didn't have them in Wes' size ;(

Bearded Bob-o and his boy. I remember Charlie wearing that little wool airplane hat, love it. That's the great thing about having a second child of the same gender (or a third, Manda...Beth!), you get to relive all those wonderfully cute duds.

The Christmas mouse and a good soup

2010-12-01T11:47:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is here and, if you're anything like me, you are relishing in the pure delight of all December brings, from the taste of candy canes dipped in hot cocoa to the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree, to the oh-so-sweet sounds of holiday classics, the toe-warming crackle of a good fire, to the heart-warming good feeling of having family gathered close. Above all, I always cherish the aura of mystery and beauty that just sits above the earth at this time of year; I think that God makes everything just a little more special during Christmas because he too is celebrating his son's birth and the gift given to the world.

OK, back to reality. I had to post this pic because it illustrates so well the phenomenon of family photos (at least in our family). Someone is always grumpy. In my family, I was often this person and now, sweet Amelia is carrying on the tradition with her powerful pout.

Hmm, still pouting. She wasn't loving our search for the perfect Christmas tree. I think we made the best selection ever this year. We've found a farm that's close to us and not so busy for tree-fetching. We found this wonderful Tannenbaum (does that mean "tree" in German?) right away and got to work on the business of chopping. Charlie again brought his little plastic saw to help and I found myself regrettfully wondering if next year he will be too "mature" to bring his little saw along. I hope not. Anyway, Bob is cutting the tree down when I spot a little ball of fluff near the stem. I asked him if it might be a nest and back away to allow him to investigate. He pulled some of the fluff off and it blew away in the wind (like the 'down on a thistle'). Then he finished chopping and we went over to get it baled up for the drive home. We mentioned the 'nest' to the guy who was baling and he started poking and prodding the remaining fluff. Sure enough, out hopped a cute little field mouse and ran away through the field. The kids saw it too, so it made for a delighful Christmas memory! Of course, I did have the thought that if we had NOT mentioned the little ball of fluff to the baling guy, we might have had that little mouse jump out at home in our living room. I think secretly Bob may have thought it would be fun if that happened, you know how men kind of enjoy seeing women squirm and act all "girly"--accentuates their "toughness" I suppose.

Little Wesley's first Christmas this year. He was so cute playing with the lights and jingle bell on the tree. He probably would have enjoyed playing with the Christmas mouse too.

Since it is snowing beautifully outside and I have a quick and yummy tomato soup recipe handy from emailing it to a friend, I'll post it here. Buy some crusty bread, put on some Nat King Cole and enjoy!

Tomato Cheddar Soup

6-8 T butter

2 cloves garlic

8T flour

3C milk

1big can tomato juice

1tomato

6-8 oz. sharp cheddar shredded

Saute garlic in butter and add flour and milk. Simmer until thick. Add tomato juice, tomato and cheese. I also like to add half a can of diced tomatos and green chilies for a kick.

Chief Chews-on-Fist

2010-11-22T13:07:00.003-05:00

Our very drooly, very happy baby with a growing appetite and two shiny new teeth is now 7-m0-old. The kids get a kick out of Wesley's tiny toothbrush! Such a wiggler, he can somehow manage to cross the room just by wiggling to and fro. He is ticklish, especially those chubby legs and is slowly learning to nap twice a day. Trying lots of new food, from baby spinach to lima beans-- there hasn't been anything he hasn't gobbled right up. Last night, he picked up and ate peas on his own and it was oh so cute to see him concentrating so hard only to lose the pea in his fist. We sure are thankful that you have joined our family, sweet Wes.

Halloween in review!

2010-11-17T13:11:00.003-05:00

Has to be said, "Happy Hail-o-ween!" Ugh, this at least kept our candy quanities under control. We did a handful of houses and headed home to warm up at Beth's cozy Hedgegarth hearth.

Yee haw. Another round up of preschoolers for the annual harvest party. Love my little (big) cowboy and cowgirl. Worked out rather nicely that Amelia wanted to be Jesse from Toy Story this year, costume fit both occasions. Amelia was quite the spirited cowgirl--happy to belt out a robust "Howdy!" and happily prancing around on her "horse". fun times.

Love this pic, appears Buzz was having an olfactory malfunction--must have been a Zurg-related injury. I think each kid in this photo has worn the pea pod costume at one point or another, this year was Wesley's turn. Aaron and Ryan as batman and Robin- sweetest little super heroes! Love those muscles...

"Punkin tunes..." -click here

2010-11-03T15:48:00.001-04:00

Our little pumpkin at 6 months

2010-10-29T14:59:00.004-04:00

There is something so sweet and tender about you, Wes. You seem to be just waiting patiently wherever you are, waiting to catch someone's eye and spread joy with your smiles and sparkling eyes. I hope that tenderness is always a part of you. Wesley is a healthy 20.2 lbs and 27 inches long. He is so content and plays happily almost anywhere you put him. He still loves to snuggle with Mom and Dad and thinks his bro and sis are just so darn hilarious. You can really get him giggling if you tickle his sides! Oh, and he loves food--especially bananas and sweet potatoes!

Amelia in Autumn

2010-10-20T13:13:00.000-04:00

Ah, Amelia. What a character this girl is turning out to be. Back in my teenage years, I remember my mom saying to me (repeatedly as I looked at her insolently over some rebellious incident or another)--"I hope you have a daughter just like you someday." Well, back then, I probably just snapped back, "I hope so too and I'll treat her a lot better than you treat me!" or something along those lines...

Anyway, I have started to reconize the, how do I put it nicely, "spunk" in my daughter that oh-so-closely resembles my own. She has this awful growling sigh of frustration that she utters when she's asked to do something undesirable or when things aren't going quite her way. Bob so generously pointed out that I make the exact same noise! OK, so this behavior might be learned, but the lack of patience and the drama behind the behavior, I'm afraid, is my own little genetic gift to my daughter. This same "spunk" though, translates into so many wonderful things--like the excitement that flutters around in Amelia's eyes, her little dancing antics, and the gusto with which she dives headlong into everything she does. And she has a decidedly sweet side too. If your chair is close enough to her at the dinner table, she'll start sidling over and, before you know it, she'll be on your lap snuggling in and giggling. She's the one always trying to sneak extra books into the night time book pile so that the time that she's cuddled in close with mom or dad keeps going and going.

Recently, there's been a new development too. She is super into her little doll who she has named "Sonna". Amelia carries this doll everywhere she goes, except outside. When she goes outside to play, she'll bring Sonna to whatever adult is nearby and give her instructions. "Here is her bottle for when she cries. Here is her book for you to read to her. Here is her blanket so she can take a nap. This is her cracker if she gets hungry." It is very cute and thrills my heart since, up to this point, she has shown little to no interest in dolls and I had kind of given up on the whole deal. But, back to the spunkiness... One day, she wrote all over Sonna's head with a red pen and said that a cat had scratched her. So she's spunky, but loving and nurturing too. Hey, who am I to judge? I think it's a great combo. But, when she drops her cup at the dinner table and, when told to pick it up says boldly, "No, you pick it up Mom," I can clearly sense that the day is coming when that same comment will fly from my own mouth...."I hope you have a daughter just like you someday, Amelia!"

Farewell to summer

2010-09-25T22:01:00.003-04:00

My pal Lora and I were chatting the other day about how, as a parent, you find yourself wanting to freeze your kids at a certain age. Then, they get a little older and you love that phase just as much and decide this is your favorite phase. I kept thinking thoughts around these lines over the summer--thinking that I just wanted the summer to last forever and that the kids were at such a wonderful spot. Charlie and Amelia are the best of friends. Of course, they fight bitterly at times, but mostly are buds. Wesley is sweet and cuddly and so deliciously dependent on his mama. I just wish we could always have a baby around. Since it was 94 degrees yesterday, I will use this opportunity to say a fond farewell to a wonderful summer of memories.

Are you ready for these characters?

2010-09-20T13:56:00.001-04:00

First day of preschool for the crazy kiddos. Love this pic since it is true to form--offering a glimpse of the oh-so-huge personalities that live inside these two. Charlie will go to preschool three mornings a week this year and Amelia for two mornings. She's already loving it. When I picked her up the first day, she greeted me exuberant, "Mom! I learned something today!" I asked her what she learned and she proceeded to strut around the house singing "Open, shut them. Open, shut them..." Ah, soon I will have double the macaroni masterpieces to display!

July visit to the Koepp rellies

2010-08-30T21:52:00.003-04:00

4 Koepp cousins together for the first time! Bob's cousin, Aaron and his family are missionaries to Morocco and are currently home on furlough. It was wonderful to spend a short, but special weekend catching up!

Our kiddos are pretty close in age: Sonora is 2 and their new little girl, Sahara, is 5 months (just a week younger than Wesley!) Nana bought matching camo outfits for the kids to wear and everyone got a kick out of this photo shoot!

Wesley was snuggling with Great Nana Koepp. We wish Wesley could have met his Great Grandpa too...

Cousin Jesse with one of his adorable little twins, Joshua--love the red hair, just like his mama.

Wes was a great sport, getting passed around and giving smiles from whatever lap he landed on! Here he is with Nana.

...and Aunt Toodie.

A visit to the grandparents would never be complete without a hard core tickle session between Charlie and his Grandpa!

Blue-eyed boy is 4 months old!

2010-08-24T15:26:00.005-04:00

"4!" [4 months old and 4 arm rolls of fantastic baby chubbiness]

Do we have a baby genius on our hands?

"Calm down Mom, I was just deciding which page to eat."

"Do I have the coolest siblings or what?"

Month 3

2010-07-16T12:17:00.003-04:00

Wesley continues to be a chill baby -- with a couple exceptions: in the car or in the evening between the hours of 8pm-10pm. Seems like he should be hitting the earlier bedtime by now, but this week he has been a night owl. The timing could be better since I took on my first grant project on this month. Needless to say I've done a lot of one-handed typing while holding cranky baby with the other arm--not ideal (especially since our little chunk weighs in at a whoppin' 17 lbs.!) Daddy-o and Wes have done lots of bonding too and I think Bob definitely had his fill of the solo bedtime routine--but it sure felt great to be writing again!

A good illustration of just how happy Wesley is...whenever I look at him, he tries to smile no matter what. He smiles when he coughs so it makes a funny sound and, I'm assuming is not very efficient! He also tries to smile when spitting up which is quite messy since it comes out from a much wider area--eww, but cute in a grody kind of way.

2010-07-12T13:25:00.001-04:00

Wesley loves his Papa!

2010-07-08T16:29:00.006-04:00

Here is Charlie, proudly displaying his lunch--made entirely by himself! The lunch contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzel stix, and applesauce garnished with one blueberry on top. I was just overcome with pride at his accomplishment until I discovered a piece of bread, peanut butter side down on the floor. Charlie saw me looking at it and said matter-of-factly, "I messed up that one." Work in progress. He can toast his own bagel and spread it with cream cheese too (very helpful for a non-morning-person mom like me) and is constantly making me giggle when he uses words like "actually" and phrases like "that's impressive!" --not to mention that he seems to grow an inch each day!

Speaking of Charlie's helpfulness...
I'm constantly perplexed by the strange phenomenon that not one of our children have enjoyed car rides as an infant. Most parents I talk to say that a trip in the car is a the quickest route to dreamland for their baby, but not ours. Even if deeply asleep when they enter the car seat, the click of the buckle seems to wake them up abruptly and ready us all for a hair-pulling trip to Screamville. We've even wondered if our infant car seat could be the culprit--although we're way too cheap to buy a new one to see if it would bring about a change in said crying. Anyway, all this to say, we are sooo thankful that Charlie is a super wonderful seatmate since the only thing that will soothe our wailing Wesley while in the car is a snack. (Maybe this is how he got to be so chubby?) I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "Ever heard of a pacifier, root word being 'pacify'"--yeah, I forgot to mention that none of our kids have liked the pacifier either! So, anyway...each time we travel, Charlie buckles into his booster next to Wes and then dutifully places the bottle in his seat side cupholder. Then, once the crying inevitably begins, he methodically uncaps the bottle and gives it to his bro while crooning a lullaby or saying sweet things in a soothing voice like--"It's ok honey." If it were not for Charlie's bottle service, I think I may have just resorted to staying home forever--or at least until Wesley graduates out of the infant seat. Big brothers certainly do come in handy.

Happy Father's Day...

2010-06-20T11:26:00.002-04:00

...to a guy who will do almost anything for his kids!

So glad we're in this together!

Proud Little Preschooler

2010-06-14T23:20:00.002-04:00

Just the other day, my sis (Beth) and I were lamenting the fact that next year our dear little boys will be leaving the happy preschool bubble. Inside this bubble they have wonderful Christian teachers who love and nurture them and consider it a privilege to teach our kids. Twice a week, the boys scamper away happily for a pleasant, manageable couple hours of crafting, cooking, stories and romps. They rush into our arms after school ends and proudly brandish their egg carton caterpillars and paper bag frogs which Mom dutifully displays on any open wall space she can find (since the fridge front is long past full). Charlie's teacher (in the blue above) teared up as she said good-bye to the kids and told Charlie, "Thank goodness you're coming back next year or I'd really be sobbing!" Then, in her choked up voice, Mrs. Hadzima read a quite touching book ('Curious You') about Curious George growing up and discovering oh-so-wonderful adventures. She and her assistant, Mrs. Dean, spent hours creating these amazing scrapbooks (below) chronicling the crafts and pics of the preschool year (especially nice since my own scrapbook is woefully behind). We are so incredibly thankful for the special teachers at Charlie's preschool. He has come so far this past year and the patience and creativity of his teachers has touched this mama's heart. Sniff Sniff. Just yesterday, I was chatting with Charlie about school and feeling very sentimentally thankful for the friends and teachers there. "Do you kind of miss school a little, Char?"
"Nope."
Eh--what do toddlers know anyway?

Meeting the Grands!

2010-06-14T21:44:00.002-04:00

The face says it all! Charlie and Amelia loved having Grandpa and Nana up for a visit and certainly gave them a workout! I'm sure Bob was happy to surrender the responsibilities of resident 'Tickle Monster' to his Dad. You did a bang-up job, Grandpa!

Wesley got some serious snuggle time with all the new relatives on the scene. Here he is with Aunt Maureen.

The littlest foreman

2010-06-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

"Make sure you lay it on thick there Dad, we don't want to have to re-do that grout."

Well hello there, Great Gram!

2010-05-26T14:46:00.003-04:00

Just a few more months and I'll get to try your applesauce!
[Great grand #10, 8th boy and Levi makes 9...no pressure Marla;)]

Snoozin'

2010-05-21T15:36:00.001-04:00

One Month Old Wesley

2010-05-14T16:34:00.001-04:00

What a darling he is. Wesley gave me a wonderful Mother's Day gift--his first baby smiles! Those first gummy grins never cease to fill my heart with joy and erase all of the spit-up, stress, and sleepless nights from memory (not that I have much of a memory these days--due to aforementioned sleepless nights)! Actually, the nights are much-improved--considering he's still so little. He has started, this week, to go to bed at 9:30pm and sleep until 3am. Then, he'll usually get up one more time before morning (my "morning" being 7am). He's having lots more happy alert times now which is fun--especially listening to Charlie and Amelia "baby talk" with brother.

Baby W [1 Month Stats]:
No recent doctor's appt but, according to my bedroom scale and one of Charlie's tape measures--weighing in at 13 lbs and measuring 21.5 inches.
Likes...going anywhere in the Moby carrier, wiggling in the sunlight, his crib mobile, napping in the swing, sleeping in with mom, frequent meals
Dislikes...the infant car seat, being naked, mani/pedi-cures, hats, delayed meals

Overall, a delightful first month getting to know our little guy!

Spring!

2010-04-20T20:17:00.002-04:00

Introducing...

2010-04-11T21:59:00.004-04:00

Wesley Carl Adams
-welcomed into the world on Friday, April 9 at 1:21 am
8 lbs. 11 oz. 20 inches long

God Bless us everyone...except Mom apparently??

2010-04-07T15:49:00.002-04:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

And Mom could use a blessing as we count down the final days to baby--due on Friday!!
PS: Did you catch the hiccups?

Arrrrr ya feelin' like a 4-year-old?

2010-03-28T08:16:00.006-04:00

Charlie's 4th b-day...

Dad made another birthday cake masterpiece--this year a pirate ship. Both of our kiddos continue to be quite the buccaneers, brandishing their foam swords as they run up the stairs to the "crow's nest" a.k.a the top bunk of Charlie's bed. Bob and I were laughing as we picked up a large skull and crossbones balloon, thinking that actual pirates may find it quite ironic that piracy is a common theme for toddler birthdays. "Everybody grab an eye patch and pass the ice cream or you'll end up in Davy Jones' locker!" Ah blimey, just another irony of parenthood...

Grandma and Papa came up for the weekend and we continued last year's birthday tradition of lunch at Dogtown on Monroe (featuring hot dogs of every variety). On Sunday, we picked up one of Charlie's bestest little friends, Kyle, and met up with Charlie's cuz Aaron-- and went to see an Amerks game. I had to laugh as Kyle climbed in the car and handed Charlie a wrapped present saying, "Charlie, you're going to love this!" Of course, the present being a nerf sword-- Charlie did. The boys had a blast, not so much into watching the game but very into brandishing their balloon swords and soaking up the commotion (along with a slightly alarming amount of cotton candy and fruit punch).

Not sure where little boys learn this, but somehow each seems to know that the proper place to store your weapon is ninja-style at your back.

Some pirate phraseology for your enjoyment...[man I'd hate to be keelhauled!]...:
Avast ye - stop and check this out or pay attention

Batten down the hatches - put everything away on the ship and tie everything down because a storm is brewing

Bilge-sucking - insult

Blimey! - exhortation of surprise

Blow me down! - expression of shock of disbelief akin to "Holy Crap!"

Blow the man down - command to kill someone

Booty - treasure

Bucko - a buccaneer

Cat O'Nine Tails - a whip with nine strands

Crow's nest - small platform atop the mast where the lookout stands

Cutlass - short heavy curved bladed sword used by pirates

Davy Jones' Locker - fabled, mythical place at the bottom of the ocean where the evil spirit of Davy Jones brings sailor and pirates to die

Doubloons - other coins or found in pirate hoards and stashes

Feed the fish - will soon die

Hang 'im from the yardarm - punishment of those captured in battle

Heave Ho - give it some muscle and push it

Hempen Halter - a noose for hanging

Hornswaggle - to defraud or cheat out of money or belongings

Jacob's Ladder - the rope ladder one uses to climb aboard a sloop

Keelhaul - punishment in which a person where dragged underneath the pirate ship from side to side and was lacerated by the barnacles on the vessel

Landlubber - big, slow clumsy person who doesn't know how to sail

Mizzen - third mast from the bow of the ship on ships that have three or more masts

Old Salt - an experienced sailor

4th B-day!

2010-03-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

What a joy you are to have in our lives, Charlie-boy! We certainly were lucky on that St. Pattie's Day 4 years ago to receive such a fun-loving, sincere, compassionate, curious and imaginative child into our family. So many things have changed as you become more independent, but you still love tractors, tools and basements and you still make us smile every day!

"Come out soon, Baby Tummy"

2010-03-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

OK, so I've been decidely bloggone awful at updates lately. I'll go ahead and play the 'nine months pregnant and mother of two toddlers" card unashamedly. The days are moving on way too quickly these days. The kids are changing so fast and the pregnancy has flown by on a whirlwind. Charlie will be four in just a couple of weeks and I had to switch my 2-year-old up to 3T jeans since apparently she is shooting up like a weed these days. The tiredness is setting in for me. The other day, we were playing 'Eskimo' which had me in the role of Mom Eskimo--an awesome role which requires only for me to lay in the 'igloo' on the living room floor while my 'baby Eskimos' bring me fish. Apart from making appropriate gobbling noises when the 'fish' arrive, this part is relatively easy to handle--unlike the role of 'Black Spiderman' which we will save for another blog entry. Anyway, I awoke to find that, somewhere along the way, I'd fallen asleep in the igloo and twenty minutes had passed. These little spontaneous naps seem to be occuring more and more often! Yesterday we got out the bin of infant clothes and the kids oohed and aahed very sweetly at each tiny pair of pants or onesie. Washing up the clothes and sniffing that baby detergent smell certainly helps to make all of this more real. Still hard to believe though that a new little boy Adams is coming in less than 6 weeks. Many sweet and wondrous things to ponder in these final days, such as--how on earth can I handle more laundry....?

Practicing...

2010-03-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

Colden is so kind to be our "baby brother" sit-in so that the kids can learn protocol. Let's hope our arrival is as happy a baby as he is!

Cookie dough bandits

2010-03-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

Hope you got to enjoy something sweet!

Good Tidings!

2010-01-05T14:34:00.001-05:00

On Christmas morning, we started with an extra special present. The kids were a little annoyed to be interrupted during the opening of their stockings being that they were completely enamored with their 99-cent retractable tape measures...but they reluctantly gathered to open "the envelope." I'm now almost 7 months along in my pregnancy and, back in October when we had our ultrasound, the tech wrote down the gender so that we could save our big reveal and share it with the fam on Christmas. Amelia long ago nicknamed our little one, "Baby Tummy" and the envelope was labeled as such and stuck on the tree. We had Charlie open the little slip of paper and asked him what it said. He looked at us blankly. Is there a "B" on it I asked him? Yes, he said.

It's a Boy!

Getting a shot...

(a good shot)

with everyone happy...

(even Mom)...

and with no one deliberately covering up the number on their shirt...

and no one making farting noises on their arm...

everyone looking at the camera...

and no one tickling or being tickled...

was very nearly impossible. This was the best we could do!

Merry Christmas one and all!

2009-12-25T14:44:00.001-05:00

leaving cookies and milk for Santa...

Caught in the act!

2009-12-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Charles in charge

2009-12-06T13:40:00.006-05:00

Woe is me. Bob is in Vegas for 7 days. I must clarify that this is for work, but I am no less feeling abandoned and a bit jealous. He's staying in the Trump tower in a gorgeous room and gets to be wined and dined by pharmacy equipment sales reps. Well, he does also have to sit through boring lectures such as: Metformin use in renal dysfunction or Withdrawal symptoms after dicontinuation of transdermal scopolamine therapy. But, he probably gets to listen in while consuming unlimited amounts of good coffee and probably mini muffins. Anyway, we're here on our own for the week and Bob made the 'mistake' of telling Charlie that he was "in charge" while he was gone. This morning as we left for church and I gave my usual, "You need to listen to Mommy and be quiet" speech, Charlie informed me, "But Mom, you need to listen to me because remember Daddy said that I'm in charge?" On a sweeter note, Charlie gave Bob his stuffed penguin ornament "Pengly" to take with him and "keep him company." So, Bob has been sending shots of Pengly in Vegas to humor us all while he's away.

As if I'm not forlorn enough, Amelia has officially grown out of the cutest boots ever (a gift from Aunty Beth). Boo hoo below:

But, as usual, there are too many cheery things in the world to stay gloomy for long...

Charlie came home from pre-school the other day "hee-hawing" and told me that he is going to be a donkey in the school Christmas play. It is embarrassing to admit how excited I was and am--to see my little boy in a play.

A Christmas house is so heart-warming. We have this little mantle advent calendar of sorts where a ceramic snowman slides along the dates. Somehow, the snowman keeps ending up on Christmas (hmmm, Charlie)? Here he is, once again, sliding Frosty back to his rightful spot on the calendar.

2009-11-24T10:48:00.001-05:00

“Sweet is the breath of vernal shower,
The bee's collected treasures sweet,
Sweet music's melting fall,
but sweeter yet
The still small voice of gratitude.” –Thomas Gray

Fall is such a wonderful time of year. It's also my favorite time to cook and bake because there are such wholesome and yummy foods to pick up at the market. I've gotten into butternut squash this year, pumpkin, apples of course, and leeks. Mmmm, I would love to make a different soup every day. Just the other day I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Shallot Soup that you actually bake in the pumpkin--probably not going to make in to our table, but how cool! There is also that subtle air of expectancy because Thanksgiving and Christmas are just a smidge away and there are projects to be dreamed up, started (and maybe finished); parties to plan; lists to make and revise; halls to deck; Christmas movies to watch; food food food; and visits to Wegmans galore--all of which are my favs. Of course none of this is related to the pics I posted below. I'm catching up to make sure that I've shared some Halloween photos and the shots of Charlie at his preschool "farm party"--love those! Heard on Halloween:

Aaron: "Charlie, you picked fruit snacks? That's not even candy!"
Charlie the Turtle when asked what (ninja) turtle he was: "I'm not any kind of turtle. (pause) Oh, I'm a snapping turtle!"
Amelia: Silent because she was too busy eating through the packaging of each candy she received. See last pic below of what we found in her bag, already sampled.

Feeling Thankful

2009-11-07T08:08:00.001-05:00

...for my husband this morning. Maybe since he ran to Wegmans after work late last night to get me the ricotta I needed, then also picked up some muffins and left them out on the counter to greet the kiddos and me when we got up in the morning. Oh and also because he and another brave dad are watching a gaggle of kids (8 total!) today so that us gals can go out and spend the day with our pal who is up from S.C. The great thing is, these little greatnesses happen often and sure do a lot to make life grand. I'm a lucky gal...oh, and the kids like him quite a bit too.

Carsada Farms Fall 2009

2009-11-03T12:51:00.005-05:00

three kiddos (on one chair) surveying the farm out our window on Friday morning...

We jumped at the chance, this Fall, for a long weekend up at the farm in Malone. Not-so-perfect timing though, Uncle David and Carl were headed out for an international cow show in Wisconsin. I kind of wondered what kind of animals were represented there; any Holsteins from Bangladesh or Guernseys from Timbuktu? he he. We did come on a weekend when there was a Huskies home football home game though, so we got to see cousin Sam "the slam" Moore in action on the field. We stayed at the cozy blue house, on the property of the farm, which is so cutely decorated and is the perfect little farm cottage. Charlie and Aaron loved roaming around and I believe Charlie may have added "hay mow" to his list of all-time favorite places.

Baling twine, favorite thing.

Poor Sam had an injury during the game -- he plays both offensive and defensive line--fortunately it was minor and the team still pulled off a win! Poor Aunt Kris (Sam's mom) was in a tough spot and, when the injury occurred, worriedly asked if she should go down to the sideline to check on him. Sam's younger bro Aaron said firmly, "Mom, he said you should never go down there EVER." Kind of made me chuckle;)

Rollin' down the hill at Malone High.

Super fans, Great Gram and Amelia.

Amelia and her Papa.

Calf feeding time. Our fam loves being part of this twice-daily fun. I'm sure our city slicker enjoyment entertains our rellies to no end. Mom (a farm girl at heart since she grew up here) and I always take charge of the bottle-feeding for those little spindly-legged newborns. It is a sloppy job (lots of calf slobber and I think a rowdy bull may have bit a hole in my jacket) but makes you feel very alive and utilitarian. Bob even set his alarm so he could get over early to do "chores" before we left Sunday. Needless to say, Mom and Mia slept in. Yeah, we're not that dedicated.

Loved to see little Ry Guy in the barn. He had no fear of the calves and stood there patiently as this particular Holstein sucked the life out of his fingers!

Till next time, we love you Moore fam!

Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze

2009-10-18T08:01:00.008-04:00

I myself don't really subscribe to the cheese and apples rule, but my Grandma always recites that saying and it makes me laugh!

I just could not get over the size of these apples! Uncle Rog has a bumper crop and their pickin' is in full swing with Jayne at the helm of the pallet sled. It was cool to watch them all in action. These apples are awesome for pie-baking, you can scale down your peelin' and corin' from 5-6 apples to just 3-4 of these monsters. For kid snackin', I liked this idea...

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/mini-caramel-apples-688916/

And if you're swimming in red and golden goodness like we are (but don't need to make applesauce because your 91-year-old Grandmother supplies the entire family!), here's another winner recipe:

Apple cake
2 C sugar
2/3 C oil
2 C flour
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
C chopped walnuts
5 green apples, thinly sliced

Beat eggs and oil until foamy, Add rest of ingredients. Bake in a greased 9 x12 pan 45 min. at 350 degrees. Frosting (If you're lucky enough to have Manda's frosting recipe, I substitute that instead--) Beat 2 C powdered sugar. 3 Tsp melted buter, 2 tsp vanilla and 6 oz cream cheese. Frost cake. Eat. Enjoy, Then eat another piece.

This recipe is pretty good too, Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars-with-streusel-topping-recipe/index.html. *If you're appletite is still unsatisfied, you can always try your hand at Apple Brandy, recipe below.

This piece of fruit is amazing, crazy to think that China produces more apples than we do!

The apple is a pomaceous fruit, prized for its high yields and long storage life. It is easy to ship, resistant to disease, and popular for its flavor which can be sweet or tart, depending on the varietal. Roughly 55 million tons of apples are produced each year.
Fast Facts
1. China is the largest grower, followed by the U.S.
2. Washington State accounts for 60% of the U.S. commercial apple market
3. Often made into apple pie, applesauce, apple juice and vinegar.
4. High in fiber
5. Fermented apple juice becomes Hard Cider
6. Fermented and distilled apple juice produces Applejack or Apple Brandy
7. Pippin is the name used instead of apple for several tart varieties.
Top 10 Apple Producers
Popular Apple Varieties
1. Granny Smith Apple
2. Gala Apple
3. Golden Delicious Apple
4. Red Delicious Apple
5. Fuji Apple
6. Braeburn Apple
7. Pinata Apple
8. Empire Apple
9. McIntosh Apple
10. Pink Lady Apple
11. Rome Beauty Apple
12. Pippin Apple
13. Ginger Gold Apple
14. Gravenstein Apple
15. Honeycrisp Apple
16. Jonagold Apple

What's yer favorite flavor???? I vote for Empire and Honeycrisp, although I love the name Pippin Apple...

Moo is 2

2009-10-14T22:37:00.001-04:00

Sweet Amelia M. Moo is officially 2! We celebrated with a "Tu-2 Tea Party" for the gals. When did my little bald babbling baby turn into a walking, talking, willful and wonderful toddler (no connection between the willful and wonderful obviously)? Between these birthday and pre-school milestones, I'm getting way too sentimental. Perhaps it's time for another baby...

Returning from upstairs to continue post...or perhaps the perceived "maturity" of my growing kids is just a mirage after all. I just ran up to check on Charlie who was moaning loudly in his bunk. He was obviously having a bad dream so I pulled him down to comfort him. He was muttering senseless dream mumbles in his sleepy state and it was kind of nice to snuggle with him for a minute. And then I realized he was peeing on me.

Almost 2!

2009-09-15T14:08:00.003-04:00

In Aunt Kat's tradition, she took Amelia to Build-A-Bear to 'construct' an animal for her 2-year-old birthday (Sweet Auntie that she is). Kathleen left Monday for Kentucky to start her travel P.T. job. We miss her terribly--seeing her little blue car in the driveway, her happy greetings each day after work, play time and tub time with the kiddos and, her scrubbing of my kitchen sink until it gleamed like the noonday sun.

Amelia chose to stuff a cat, no surprises there. The kid is in love with cats or "meows." Two of my girlfriends have cats and whenever she is at their homes, she follows the poor animals around chatting it up with them in a high screechy voice. Nana would be proud!!

We tried repeatedly to get her to name her cat, but she just kept saying, "Girl." This is also her reply whenever anyone asks her name. She likes to be very clear about gender--must be her brother's influence. A couple times of day, most days, she recites her creed of, "Mia-girl. Mommy-big girl. Char Char-boy. Daddy-big boy." Sometimes she mixes it up though. Poor Aunt Kat, for some reason, usually gets placed in the "boy" category--most likely because that statement results in a long tickling session with the offended Aunt;)

You know you're a redneck when...

2009-09-06T22:07:00.000-04:00

Get your motor runnin'

2009-08-26T22:06:00.001-04:00

Get out on the driveway...

Born to be wild.

Charlie has a new love in his life, his super turbo tonka bike. Pretty much every day, Charlie is hopping on and hittin' the road. We took our first family bike ride the other day with Charlie riding solo rather than bickering with sis in the trailer. Amelia, in typical "I too" fashion, insisted on also wearing a helmet. I guess we should have one for her anyway in the trailer...but haven't gotten one yet. Luckily, Charlie's orange hard hat did the trick. You can just see it in this last photo;)

Little Wood Nymph

2009-08-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Ry Ry!

2009-08-07T21:55:00.000-04:00

We love you so much!

Your smile, non-stop explorin' (and even your signature shrieks) make the world lots more fun...

...and thanks for providing a good show with the cake;)

Seabreeze 2009

2009-08-05T13:05:00.005-04:00

Movie star Moo cheesing it up on the way into Seabreeze theme park. This park is the perfect size for the little ones--not too big of a crowd, but some cute kiddie rides and a nice water park too. We played hooky from church and spent the day a few Sundays ago.

We got lucky and had a "balmy" day compared to what we'd been getting in Rochester's crazy cool July. OK, barely warm enough for the kids to go in the water, but seemed balmy compared to the low temps I'd been grumbling about! I thought Charlie might brave the toddler water slide this year, but for some reason, he still couldn't take the plunge. Funny he survived the log ride ... well, barely.

Favorite for the second year in a row: Bear Trax. Charlie couldn't get enough of this coaster. I went on with him and he instructed me proper protocol on the hill, "you have to put up your hands and say Whee, Mom."

Charlie's first carny game. Awesome-- we went home with another stuffed animal that Charlie will inevitably insist on sleeping with. Arghh.

This horse seems like the stuff of childhood nightmares!

The whole fam in a teacup. But right after this photo was taken, Amelia started screaming and pretty quickly the operator decided the halt the whirling before something disastrous happened. Amelia really can scream, not sure where she picked that up, but it's impressive (unless your at church or in the library).

This ride freaked Charlie out too, not sure why. He was in line with Amelia and then dashed out at the last minute shaking his head that, no, he wasn't going on that one. These two girls in the pic offered to let Amelia ride with them and she blithely hopped in!

Love the way Moo is chillin out in this pic and caught a big smile on Char too!

The log ride...I don't think Bob was completely up front with Charlie about this one. You know, the 50 foot drop and all... The kid was all smiles until the hill. Coming off the ride, he was in a daze for a while and then gravely stated that he gave the log ride a "thumbs-down"

Pruny and tired at the end of a happy family day!

2009-08-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

Summer at last!

2009-07-28T07:44:00.000-04:00

discovering a lady bug

These two are certainly happy that the real summer, not that rainy record-low temperature summer impostor, has finally arrived. Strangely, there isn't much these kids like better than rambling around our small backyard in very little clothing and with a bit of water involved. For the most part, they enjoy playing together. But, there are exceptions of course. Amelia's new thing is that--whenever she gets hurt, whether Charlie did it or not, she'll say sobbing, "Mommmmmyyyyy, Char Char bonk Mia." At first, I fell for this one thinking that Charlie was taking a shot at her when I wasn't looking. And yes, sometimes this is accurate. But, then the other day I was watching them from the kitchen window. They were in the sandbox. Charlie was digging peacably, making a road out of some old bricks when Amelia (apparently without cause) began hitting him repeatedly on the head with a big yellow shovel. As you might expect, Charlie tolerated a couple strikes, but then turned around and gave her a push. Amelia then turned toward the house and started yowling. I came out and the report: "Mommy, Char Char bonk Miaaaaaa."

Patch Adams

2009-07-21T18:59:00.002-04:00

Pickin' and snackin'....Charlie, "Look Mom (holding up a handful of white berries), I picked all these baby strawberries for you!"

Nine quarts of juicy goodness.

Minus 1 quart for shortcake...

My mashers.

Mmm, Mom gets to enjoy a beer while jam simmers and Dad and the kids are mesmerized by Fox and the Hound.

A little watery which I think is a result of boiling such a big batch? But, oh so good!

Allegany Part 2 - "Soggy"

2009-07-07T15:50:00.007-04:00

On Saturday morning, we awoke to a "whoosh"--not a pitter patter, a downright downpour! Here is where our campfire used to be, insert river.

Of course, we made the best of it --chatting and, of course, eating ourselves silly.

Amelia and the birthday Papa.

I usually try to avoid posting those "naked photos" but, let's face it, our readership is small and I just love the curls on the top of Moo's head. Plus, I want to be sure to document the "bucket baths" that have somehow become a quintessential part of all family camping trips! It's so Laura Ingalls-esque, I love it!

Allegany cabins have received an upgrade for those of you who haven't been there lately. Cabins now have electricity and central heating! [Can you call it 'central heating' when there's only one room?] Yeah, it takes a way a bit from the roughin' it feel and the wood stove was cozy but, it is nice not to have to rig up lanterns when your getting ready for bed and ..and to not have to get up in the night to stoke the fire in those colder months.

I don't really remember the context of this one, looks like folks were getting a little hard up for entertainment...at Charlie's expense!

Gathered on the porch (for most of the day)

The skies cleared late in the afternoon and we headed out for a hike.

Mia the Spelunker

Did I mention it was dark and gloomy?

Aunt Kat came late since she was taking her Physical Therapy board exam on Friday. Early Saturday morning she found out that she passed, jumped up to tell everyone and promptly fell down the porch steps into the mud. It was pretty funny and (since there were only minor injuries) gave us a good laugh!

Seriously, it's still raining Mom?

Bob and Jon took the well-slickered boys out into the downpour to run around and enjoy the puddles.

I guess this technically belongs in the "Shiny" category since it occured on day 1 -- certainly no blue sky on Saturday! It's such a cute Uncle shot!

Here are a couple more from Friday. Amelia insisted on helping Papa make the fire. He gave her a small chunk of wood to take from the trunk to the campfire spot and thought that would be it. But, no, she returned for five more trips. I'd say she earned her Junior Woodsy badge.

"Papa's got me bustin' my hump" (movie quote for you Lora and T)

Allegany Part 1-"Shiny"

2009-07-07T15:10:00.005-04:00

Coming off a rather soggy weekend in Keuka Lake, I was more than a little dismayed to hear the weather forecast for our weekend at Allegany State Park. We'd all reserved cabins to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday-whoopee! Since Friday was sunny, we raced to the beach as soon as we got there to enjoy a little summer before the monsoon arrived.

Here's Mom and Amelia hanging out at the water's edge. Notice goose poop dangerously close to Mia's left side...)

The forces aligned and Amelia was perfectly accessorized. Not only did Mom find a lime green barette on the floor in our car (that perfectly matched the trim on Moo's suit), but the bucket coordinates nicely as well. Where is Aunt Kat to appreciate such wardrobing?

Two gals in polka dots.

A sandy beach (or box): Charlie's utopia

This shot reminds me of a line from one of Charlie's construction books, (read ad nauseum), "The loader is the building site workhorse..." Bob found this one online and it often travels with us.

Hmmm, perhaps all men seek solace in the sand. Notice, no kids anywhere and yet, Bob and Jon continue to perfect their estuary.

Uncle Jon-Jon gettin' down and dirty in the sand. He is so cute with the kiddos!

A bright smile...

2009-07-04T20:25:00.000-04:00

...for a rainy day.

Team Adams

2009-06-28T15:56:00.003-04:00

On Father's Day, the kids marched out with their toddler-sized baseball mitts to present Dad with a new mitt of his own. I couldn't resist this pink and purple one for Amelia.

"Dang it, how could I have missed that pop fly?"

We also made Daddy-o some "lawn mower" cupcakes. Charlie and Amelia helped me make em. Amelia made sure to push the "engine" waaaay down into the cupcake and then both kids proceeded to happily eat the wheels (M & Ms) until Mommy finally caught on. Such great "helpers"...

Charlie's mitt is black like Dad's. He is starting a notable pattern of vocalized gender inequality that isn't exactly p.c. For example, he doesn't think that women are able to mow the lawn or use tools, even yard tools. The other day when I was using a large shovel in the backyard, he had the nerve to ask me if Daddy said I could use it! Pulling into a gas station another day, he tilted his head and said, perplexed, "Mommy, you can't get gas. Daddy gets the gas." Hmmm, this kid needs to be schooled. Although, perhaps getting Mia the pink mitt isn't especially helpful in dispeling stereotypes...Unfortunately, baseball will not be the area for me to illustrate equity of gender. I'll let Bob have that one. I hope they have many happy games of catch in their future!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-16T15:28:00.002-04:00

From the kids (paraphrased): Thanks for always being excited to see us when you get home from work and for piggy back rides, chocolate milk, and trips to the hardware store. Thanks for all the times you convinced Mom to walk down to get ice cream after dinner and for always slipping those tiny chocolate covered donuts into the cart when she wasn't looking. Thanks for always having a project for us to do and letting us use your tools. Thanks for reading Dr. Seuss, singing "Twinkle, Twinkle," and making strawberry pancakes. Thanks for watching 'Cars' and 'George' with us and for vacuuming the popcorn out of the rug afterward. Thanks for the wrestling, tickling, lego-building, swimming, fort-making, dancing, bike-riding and giggling.

We're so gosh darn lucky to have ya!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-06-02T13:25:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms!

This year I feel blessed because two beautiful children scrambled unto my bed to wish me a Happy Mother's Day, because I only have one set of diapers to change now, because Charlie draws pictures of me with arms coming out of my head, because Amelia wears pig tails, because I get to answer the question "Why?" a thousand times a day, because I get to buy children's books, because I get to use glue sticks and googly eyes and pipe cleaners, 'cuz I get to watch Amelia dance, because Charlie and Amelia are occassionally the best of friends, and because I get to see my husband be an amazing dad. I'm also thankful that motherhood is not making me too sentimental-hardy har.

Came across these keepers and had to share...

2009-06-02T12:52:00.001-04:00

Well, this one didn't come out great and but we did manage to get all the cousins in the frame at least--7 of the 9 Bannister Clan Kiddos who were born in the last three years. Plus, Aaron's expression is priceless (far left). Does anyone have a better version, if so please share!

Capturing the mischief of two boys. We missed you, Manda and Mike, but thanks for sending the kids!

Kat and Ryan James.

Foxy cousins, Kat and Rachel.

Kat with the big little bro.

Aren't these grandparents just the cutest?

Congrats, Doc!

2009-05-21T13:42:00.000-04:00

No more school for Aunt Kat! She graduated with her doctorate in Physical Therapy and has taken a job at Highland Hospital for the summer. We're so proud of you and can't wait to see what the future holds Kit Kat!

South for Easter

2009-04-26T21:32:00.005-04:00

We traveled down South by car to visit Bob's parents. Despite the 17-hour never-ending feel of the ride, it actually went okay. Treats from Grandma Susan and Aunt Beth came in quite handy and we doled them out as needed. [This backfired a little bit due to a consequential sugar high which deferred naptime]. Oh yes, and we caved and bought the portable DVD player--dual monitors and all. We've officially become those parents;) The kids loved being outdoors in warmer weather and helping Nana and Dad do some gardening. Grandpa supervised since the poor guy broke his foot the week before!

Easter Sunday all decked out.

Aunt Kat is in Tennessee doing her last rotation before she is done with graduate school for good. She drove 6 hours to spend Easter with us. It was so great to have some sister time Kat--we even got to go out on the town in Greenville just the two of us. Oh yeah, you haven't lived until you've hit the late night scene in downtown G-ville.

The "best" family pic we got on Easter. Yeah, I know, kind of crappy. In the next one, Charlie is flipping out and Amelia is chewing on her purse.

Little Amelia liked being dressed up. Mom bought her this cute get-up complete with purse, bracelets and headband. To our surprise, she immediately cradled the purse in the crook of her arm and kept it there for quite a while. Love the elephant knee tights!

Such a treat to be able to visit our pals in nearby Greenville. Here are two of the three Watson girls doing some karaoke on their mom's new machine.

We celebrated Nana's birthday together. Charlie helped me make "worms n' dirt" cupcakes (his choice) for the occasion. It was so great to be able to eat all of our meals outside in the S.C. sunshine. Happy Birthday Nana!

Down the road a bit, we discovered a safari--at least that's what they called it. It was great! We bounced around acres of land in a windowless bus. There were animals everywhere! The kids were actually a little freaked out with the feeding bit, but they loved watching the animals. I just could not get over the size of these tongues (below)...there was a petting zoo-type area too and Amelia was in heaven chasing her "buck bucks". She continues to be completely captivated by anything with a beak.

He sniffs.

He scores.

Thanks for a wonderful week, Nana and Grandpa. We love you and miss you already!

Check out these Moo-ves...

2009-04-07T21:47:00.010-04:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Charlie and Amelia get movin' for a great cause!

2009-03-31T20:15:00.004-04:00

Fundraiser for Scleroderma Patient (the nephew of one of Bob's co-workers at Unity). It is an inspirational story!

Can you spot our dancin' kiddos? Charlie was so tickled to hear ths guy play harmonica (Char is obsessed with his and sleeps with it most nights)...
http://www.rnews.com/mediaplayer/players/wmplayerlite.aspx?sid=70802

From RNews: "Hundreds turned out to help a teenager in his fight against a rare, but crippling disease. Allen Sparrow, 16, of East Rochester suffers from systemic scleroderma, a rare auto-immune disease where a person's joints, skin and internal organs slowly stiffen. Sunday, Allen's Fight '09 was held to help raise money for Allen's treatment. He will head to Northwestern University in May for a stem cell transplant operation to slow the progression of the disease. The procedure is covered by insurance, but a three-month stay in Chicago is not. Allen did the cooking for the benefit, which raised thousands of dollars."

Bouncin it Out

2009-03-24T22:49:00.003-04:00

This place is so cool! We went on Charlie's actual birthday and took the cousins along. We had a great time. One grody tidbit though...we were having a snack when a girl emerged screaming from a bouncy house. The lady at the snack bar asked her what was wrong and she held up her thumb. So disgusting. It was jutted out in the strangest position and was a weird color too. So...they finally found her dad who came over and, completely calm, reached down and snapped the distorted thumb back into position. Dads can come in handy.

This pic is so revealing of their relationship!

How could anyone not be joyful when Ryan flashes this smile? (OK, maybe not the above-mentioned thumb girl)

Amelia loved this horse! She is getting to be quite the poser too. As soon as she sees the camera, she smiles and says "Cheese."

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Our "Deere" 3-year old

2009-03-16T15:15:00.007-04:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

We had a lot of fun celebrating Charlie's 3rd birthday. Started out the day with a visit to Ontrac Farm Equipment (Whoo Hoo) as a combo birthday/potty training treat since our boy is quite the fan of tractors, especially the green John Deere kind. Actually, it was quite fun. Grandma and Papa came along and we let the kids climb on the tractors, diggers and mowers. Amelia seemed to enjoy it almost as much as her brother. It has me thinking that maybe we should trade in the city home, buy a tractor or two and move out to the country. Then we'd have a better excuse for Amelia's persistent and very unladylike spitting habit...

So, of course, Charlie picks out a John Deere 1/64th scale combine as his birthday "treat." The combine happened to be $65. I'm not sure why. I thought it must actually work as a miniature combine or something, but no. I guess it was just very authentic. Anyway, we went home with a smaller, less authentic, but still exciting baler instead. From Ontrac, we headed to "Dogtown" for lunch. Again, right up Charlie's alley--a restaurant boasting 50 varieties of hot dogs. Charlie and Amelia each had a Pup plate, Bob had a Junkyard Plate and I had a German Shepherd--sauerkraut, yum. Papa was the most festive--ordering an Irish Setter! After that, Rochester's St. Pat's parade. Charlie must really think that his parents spare no expense on his birthday! Is it me or does Rochester realllly do up the St. Pats parade? We left after 1.5 hours and still had to cut way around the parade route to get home since it was still going!

Later, the fam gathered to do the whole cake, ice cream and presents thing. Bob constructed an amazing tractor cake (below) that was a big hit. I love how, in the video above, Aaron is excitedly yelling, "It's a donut!" when the cake is brought out-referring to the "tires". All in all, such a fun day celebrating our boy who touches our hearts in so many ways. Some current character highlights:

-Inquisitive. Charlie loves to talk about pipes and wires. Often when we are driving in the car he will ask me to tell him about the "treatment plant." This stems from the time when Bob explained to him (in detail) what happens to the contents of the toilet when you flush. As for the wires, he loves to hear about how the wires along the road bring electricity to the houses. These conversations could go on endlessly since, after each explanation you give, Charlie utters that famous childhood word, "Why?"
-Sweet. In the morning and after naps, Charlie is so sweet. He will amble down the stairs and find me usually drinking coffee on the couch and catching up on work or email (or some mindless TV). He'll snuggle up next to me and say, "I love you Mom" (followed by, "Can I watch a show?" in his asky high voice) Last night, he was calling for us from his bed. Bob and I went in and he said, "I wanted to say I love you guys."
-Good Bro. Lots of times Charlie surprises me by being concerned about his sis. Even when he was planning out his birthday and requesting a digger cake, he was very concerned about Mia saying, "Maybe we should make Mia a cake too, Mom, a princess cake." Usually the two of us (Charlie and Jen) are up first in the morning and he listens like a hawk for the first sound from his sis. As soon as he hears her, he tears up the stairs to give her a morning greeting. They are totally in cahoots together now. Yesterday, I came in the bathroom to see not one, but two rolls of toilet paper in the toilet. When I pinned Charlie down on who did what he said, "I threw one in and Mia threw one in Mom." A sure sign of trouble is when you hear a gleeful laugh--from either culprit. Toddler laughter means trouble in our house.
-Outdoors. Charlie will go outside anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Even in the dead of winter, he'll say, "I can just wear my sweatshirt Mom."
-Unique. Charlie will create contraptions out of anything--computer cords, Ipod earbuds (ughh), belts, ropes, buckets. He'll somehow wrangle these into the most complex tangles and then drag them around attached to one of his tools, a flashlight, a notebook. He also loves to store things in boxes and bags. Most days he's carrying some little collection around with him--a snack, a tool, a figurine, papers. Makes me wonder what he will turn into someday. Aunt Beth wrapped 3 bungee cords around his present and these have been especially helpful in his recent "engineering projects."

I wouldn't trade these days for anything. OK, maybe I will trade the lipstick day, the foam peanut day, the fireplace incident day, the mascara day and a couple of the extra nasty-potty training accident days. I know what your thinking, why don't you put your make-up out of reach, Jen? Well, here's the thing: Charlie can find mischief anywhere no matter how "safe" you think you may be. Honestly though, I know these stories will make for vivid memories someday, memories that will always make me smile and be thankful that no other boy in the whole world is quite like ours.

From your nieces and nephews with mucho amor!

2009-03-12T14:21:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Kit Kat! We love you and miss you very much.

PS-Sorry about the smudgy-ness. There is something on my lens. It might be peanut butter...

(tiny) new developments

2009-02-17T22:37:00.001-05:00

OK, lean in, closer...closer--there it is! The new bit of joy in our daily get-dressed routine. Amelia has expanded her daily "do" to include a (tiny) ponytail, (tiny-er) pigtails, and a "spike" as her dad calls it (this is a top of the head ponytail that sticks straight up in the air). It is so much fun to see her strutting around with her Oscar-worthy up-dos. Since she doesn't really let me put barrettes in and she hates shoes, this is the best accessorizing I can get out of her. [Well, she does love her pink snow boots and often tromps around the house with them on the wrong feet--smiling all the while.] The ponytail also goes great with her pout--another recent development. If she is offended (i.e. a parent tells her she can't eat the Cascade power ball detergent disk from out of the dishwasher door) she will turn toward the wall and put her head down slightly and puff out that lower lip. The profile, with the ponytail, is just perfect. Wish I could get a picture of that! Hmmm, I'll work on it. The pout does seem to be occurring quite often these days...

There is a fine line between...

2009-01-31T18:57:00.001-05:00

Guilt

and Innocence.

All too often, Charlie treads solidly on the dark side. Sadly, his little sis seems to be following in his footsteps (arghh!) What happened to the sweet demure little girl that we ordered? Here's an example:
The other day we were riding in the car on the way to church. Mia starts to whine and I pass her a book. Charlie whines that he wants the book. Mia rips said book in half and oh-so-witty Bob quips, "Well, at least now they can both have one!"

We miss you Aunt Kat!

2009-01-27T22:21:00.007-05:00

We so loved having my younger sis, Kathleen, stay with us for 3 months while she was completing her Physical Therapy clinical rotation here in Rochester. It was a teary goodbye last week...we wish you the best in Tennessee Aunty Kat and we'll see you soon for graduation! Whoo hoo!

Mia misses giving you hugs and kisses and says she's really sorry about being a not-so-good roommate. She thinks of you whenever she wears a really cute outfit and a matching hair accessory. Oh yeah, and she says, "Hi-Ya!"

Charlie misses pizza night and how you would chase him around the house everyday after work so that you could get a hug. He misses being called "Charlie Boo" and playing in the 'base-sent'. He misses movies and popcorn and bedtime prayers with Aunt Tat.

Did I mention Mia misses giving you kisses?

Jen misses: Your cheerfulness, Watching all our girly shows together, Sharing that first delicious cup of coffee in the morning and a tasty martini now and then too, Having my stairs vacuumed, Having my own personal eyebrow waxer and fashion consultant, the BABYSITTING !!!, having someone to talk about everything (even dumb things) with, Those surprise kitchen clean-ups, Having someone around who is actually as (or more?) sentimental as myself (sniff sniff), and, of course, your smiling face!

"I know some sisters who only see each other on Mother's Day and some who will never speak again. But most are like my sister and me... linked by volatile love, best friends who make other best friends ever so slightly less best." ~Patricia Volk

PS: Jen does not miss hearing, "Well that's because you're old."

PPS: Bob says he misses you being on snack duty.

Kiddo's Christmas Bash

2009-01-14T13:49:00.005-05:00

It was such a treat to host a Christmas party for the kiddos again this year. We had a great group of toddlers and preschoolers (13!) come out for a craft, lunch and cookies, of course.

Charlie and Kyle. These two are best buds.

We made wreath ornaments out of painted puzzle pieces. The kids did great with it. We passed out a cardboard wreath to everyone and then helped them to spread glue on it. Each kiddo had a small pile of puzzle pieces to place on the wreath. About a minute after the gluing began, Aaron shouted out, "I'm done!" He had poured the pile of puzzle pieces on his wreath and figured that was pretty much it!

Aaron, Kyle, Charlie, Mallory, Maddie, Ian, Will, Kaylynn. I was showing Charlie this picture on the fridge and asking him to name all his pals. He did and then announced, "Those are my friends!" Then he followed that by saying, "I love em. I love my friends Mommy." Adorable!

Mallory (in pink) had the most awesome hair-do. Too bad you can't see it in the picture--beautiful braids.

Sophie (in the front here) was playing with a toy plane when we were gatherin' up the kids for the craft. I asked Sophie if she wanted to make a wreath. "No," she said matter-of-factly, "I'm just going to stay over here and fly my jet plane." I had to laugh at that. She did end up meandering over later, after her flight, and made a very cute wreath!

Will and Kaylynn.

Peter, age 2.

Kaylynn is such a sweetheart. Most days that she arrives at my house, she will remind me, "I'm going to be your big helper today, ok?" I love little girls.

Speaking of hair dos--Violet is sporting the cutest curls around. I heard a rumor that Mom chopped em off. Say it ain't so.

Kyle Wolf Sahmel. Isn't that the best middle name ever? Kyle is going to be into cars someday, I predict. He always finds that set of John Deere keys within the first half hour of arrival.

Made by little hands--perfect!

Can't imagine a Christmas without cookies.

2009-01-14T13:45:00.001-05:00

Snowy Jammies, a series

2009-01-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

A Cherry Creek Christmas 08

2009-01-04T15:22:00.011-05:00

Charlie, being a year older, made Christmas extra special this year. Experiencing his excitement and curiosity just made the season all that much more magical. We weren't sure how to handle the whole Santa thing (since I still remember the story of a childhood friend who ran away from home at age 5 when he found out there wasn't a Santa Claus), but Charlie surprised me one day by asking, "Is Santa going to come down our chimney Mom?" while we were watching Rudolph on TV. So, needless to say, we went with it, at least for this year. A week later when we were getting ready to go to Gramma and Papa's house, Charlie asked me if Santa was coming to their house too. I said yes (piling on the "lies" at this point). Charlie thought for a moment and said, "Do they have a chimney mom?" I told him I wasn't sure. He replied, "Let's ask Papa, Papa knows everything." I love this picture of them together and the big smile on Charlie's face, he loves his Papa!

Amelia Moo shows off her new leg warmers that her Dad picked out for her. Good taste Dad, it draws the attention away from my waistline (he he)

Gram was in overdrive this season, as usual! Making monkey bread, egg casseroles, pies and chocolate buckeye balls by the dozen. Somehow she still finds time to have tea parties with the kiddos, break up cousin fights, and bathe and diaper as needed. Oh yeah, and we managed to fit in a sewing project!

Charlie got a couple of wonderful books from Aunt Beth; she is the very best book giver-- she found a sweet one about a little bear named Charlie and another about a dirty digger!

This is the best picture I could get of the three toddlers, yeah, I wasn't too impressed with it either. It is accurate to their personalities, that's for sure--not much for the sitting still.

Mom got the boys some John Deere duds this year.

Another dolly to love. Amelia got dolls from both Grandmas and her mom this year. Sometimes, she carries all 3 around the house together. She is a cute little mommy.

Here is Aaron with his brand new Talking Gustus (a super hero action figure). This was the toy for Aaron this year and the opening of Gustus was truly a crowd-pleaser. He shrieked and danced around the room.

Little Ryan's first Christmas! He worked on this present happily for quite a while.

Sweet picture of Susan Marie and Amelia Marie!

Aaron's face reminds me of a funny Christmas moment. I had given Aaron some Cars underwear that glowed in the dark. I knew it wouldn't be a big hit, but his reaction was priceless! He dropped the present immediately and groaned, rolling his eyes. He looked completely mortified! Then, dad Scott, piped up and said, "Aaron, what do you say?" Aaron mumbled a disgruntled 'thank you'. "What else?" Scott prompted him. "I like it," Aaron said. It was hilarious!

Amelia and Aunt Kat. Kathleen's been living with us for a few months while she does a rotation for her final year of her Physical Therapy doctorate. Mia and Kat are best buds.

Amelia opens a pop-on doll set from Aunt Beth.

Charlie and Gramma Susan. He just can't get enough of Gramma. Here's an illustration: Charlie recently got into doing knock-knock jokes. But, lately, every time we try to get him to do a joke for someone, it goes something like this--

Charlie: "Knock, Knock"
"Who's There?"
Charlie with giggle: "Gramma Susan!"

The cousins "sharing"

Sweet Ryan boy showing off his cute hairline.

Shirt reads, "All mommy wants for Christmas is a silent night." Aint it the truth, poor Beth.

Amelia and Uncle Scott, still pals. Nobody hangs her upside-down like Uncle Scott can!

Papa and Ry Guy.

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

2008-12-29T22:35:00.001-05:00

Got any ideas on the story here?
Merry Christmas from all of us Adams(es)!

2008-12-19T22:27:00.001-05:00

Hello snow!

We're ready for ya!

Giving Thanks!

2008-12-08T14:50:00.002-05:00

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

-PSALM 100

It was wonderful to be all together with the Adams clan this Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad Adams came up from South Carolina to spend the week. And we were especially thankful to have Nana healthy and back at home after her surgery.

Grandpa and Nana Adams brought a whole car-load of toys up for the kids. And we wondered why they didn't want to fly...

One of the toys Charlie was most excited about was a fire truck. Uncle Jon, who is a volunteer fireman, checked it out to make sure it was authentic. It was such a joy to hear the siren going off every five minutes for three days on end. Funny how grandparents always seem to prefer the noisy toys!

Amelia cuddling with Grandpa.

Charlie and Nana have tea parties so that Nana can rest. Charlie loves this little tradition since he gets special time with Nana and usually some treats too.

The kiddos in their snowflake jammies. I love the light blue on Charlie because it makes him look younger--my two babies.

Amelia is showing Great Nana how she feeds her baby. This baby (from Nana) is her new favorite. She screams, "Dolly!" whenever she sees it, holds her to her chest and pats her quite firmly on the back.

Charlie, Nana and Great Nana Koepp.

Charlie helping Uncle Dave open an early Christmas present.

Congratulations Jesse and Chris!

2008-11-20T22:13:00.001-05:00

Introducing...Mr. and Mrs. Jesse and Christine Koepp!

A cute new couple joins the married world. It was such a beautiful wedding and we were so happy that we could be there to share it (and to see Aunt Christine get down at the reception!)

Bidding farewell to fall (little sigh)

2008-11-20T21:50:00.001-05:00

Aunt Jan, ever the merry hostess, had bouquets of leaves scattered around our outdoor picnic area. It was a beautiful day for Hempelfest!

Charlie and Linc are getting to be buds, throwin' rocks, gettin' muddy, doin' boy stuff.

Manda, baby Malacai (7 mths) -- Me, baby Mia (1 yr) -- Jessica, tiny baby Tate (1 mth)

Welcoming the newest cousin,Tate Hempel, to the clan--yeah! Tate is the 8th boy born to the Bannister cousins in the past three years with Amelia remaining the only girl! Victoria, Rachel, Lyndsay, some help here?? he he.

Here's Moo in the fall jumper that I made her. I saw this little corduroy acorn fabric at JoAnn's and had to get it!

Buzz Lightyear and Charlie the Builder/miner? He insisted on the headlamp. Ok, we "cheaped" out on his halloween costume this year.

Buzz "crashing." This required the nearest willing adult to push all of his buttons until he became operational again.

Mad(ame) Butterfly. Amelia hated her costume with a passion. I forced it on her a couple times since her Grandma slaved at the sewing machine to make it for her. She could abide the wings, but the antennae hat was too much to bear.

Uncle Scott took pity on Moo and held her up in the air by her feet repeatedly until she was cheerful again (she loves this). Amelia designated Uncle Scott her new favorite and even had the gall to reach out to him while her mother was holding her. Now that's crossing the line!

I think Ryan may have felt similarly about his halloweenie costume.

A few more fall favorites...

2008-11-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

There were tons of pumpkins laying out in the fields at Brown's Berry Patch. We sent Charlie forth to pick a pumpkin and he came back with this one--not even a pumpkin, a small gourd. We should have gone for it, they were only 50 cents!

Such a gift to be able to go apple picking with my 90 year old Gramps! He still drives hundreds of miles each season to deliver his son's apples all over the state. I'm glad this vitality runs in the family (although I suspect he may have more energy than I do!).

Charlie and Uncle Roger moving pallets together. Uncle Rog was so patient with Charlie, teaching him which levers to move and explaining how everything works. He's had a bit of practice with his 5 kiddos so he's definitely qualified!

The audio was the best part of this photo...Mia's moo-ing.

Love the horses in the background! My grandparents have a very picturesque view out their windows.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-27T21:22:00.001-04:00

...from our goblins to yours. (We did actually have a pumpkin for each family member, but Bob's got moldy). Charlie wanted his to be a cat, pictured in the forefront. He also gave it two extra eyes in the back.

Fascinated with fire, great...just great.

Adventures in babysitting

2008-10-22T21:59:00.002-04:00

This was my evening a couple weeks back. Among the challenges of hosting five kids-- sippy cup swapping. Needless to say, I think they all ended up with fairly similar germ-iage by the end of the night. We started a new deal with a few of our friends recently. We've entitled this group "Freedom Frenzy." On a pre-designated Saturday night once monthly, one of four couples takes all the (6) kids at once. Then, said couple receives one night out a month for the next three months. It's a pretty sweet deal and, to be honest, the high-energy chaos of the frenzy is almost as much fun as the freedom!

Oh, incidentally, this arrangement has worked out especially well for my husband who coincidentally had to WORK the evening that I had all the kids. Luckily, my mom was in town and she came over to assist...although she did bring two additional guests under the age of 3.

An orchard-inspired recitation

2008-10-11T22:25:00.001-04:00

As Charlie led all of us on a romp through the apple orchard at Excelsior Farms today, I was thinking that apples and orchards must have inspired a lot of poetry over the annals of time. Something about the sunshine, the brilliant colors and, of course, the crispness of a ripe red apple--combine to make you feel so carefree and happy. Googled and aha! This one made me laugh out loud and seemed fitting since Great Grandma B cautioned Charlie not to eat the ones on the ground until she checked them first!

The cow in apple time --Robert Frost

Something inspires the only cow of late
To make no more of a wall than an open gate,
And think no more of wall-builders than fools.
Her face is flecked with pomace and she drools
A cider syrup. Having tasted fruit,
She scorns a pasture withering to the root.
She runs from tree to tree where lie and sweeten.
The windfalls spiked with stubble and worm-eaten.
She leaves them bitten when she has to fly.
She bellows on a knoll against the sky.
Her udder shrivels and the milk goes dry.

Stokoe Farms

2008-10-08T22:47:00.009-04:00

We had so much fun celebrating buddy Mallory's 2nd b-day out at Stokoe Farms. It's one of those duded up pumpkin patches with tons of stuff to do. The kids and adults loved it! Here's Moo and daddy-o surveying the scene.

There's the b-day girl, Mallory, in green. Charlie and Hayden on the right. Charlie wore his baseball cap that day because it was raining. I guess we must have said something about him needing to wear the hat when it was raining one day because now, anytime we're headed out into soggy weather he says, "I need my hat Mom." And...if it's fair weather, he doesn't really see any reason to put it on.

Violet in pink with M & D.

Charlie liked that this wheel was "John Deere." Anything yellow and green is John Deere and, as a result, cool with Charlie.

Mia was checking out the baby chicks and, of course, growling. Growling is her go-to animal sound for all creatures although she does moo occasionally.

Violet taking Mom for a walk. She, like Charlie, loves tractors! Violet, that is.

Adams fam rockin' the caboose.

I'm not sure why the kids became so sullen in this shot! It reminded me of the expressions of that old couple with the pitchfork (shown below).

Charlie and Violet discussing the mechanics of the water pump.

This was Bob's favorite spot, the corn pit. We've been finding kernels around the house for weeks!

This is an unrelated picture of Charlie's loader hauling some cornflakes. During breakfast, I notice that Charlie was spooning the cereal into the scoop and then trying to pour it into his mouth from there. The world is a construction site to Charlie!

Another reason to love Fall...

2008-10-01T15:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks for making this oh-so-cute hat for me Gramma! I (ahem) just love wearing it!

Farewell to summer

2008-09-29T22:01:00.001-04:00

Next year Mia probably won't be tottering around stiffly --her kind dad calls her "Frank" (enstein) --and I wonder if Charlie will still be as devoted to sand and mud and any digger, loader, excavator, crane, cement mixer or tractor under the sun. It was such a great summer!

2008-09-25T22:18:00.006-04:00

As colored leaves fluttered in Fall
we were blessed with something small

crinkle smiles in those
deep brown eyes
How you are the light in mine.

Happy First Birthday Amelia Marie, we love you!

(finally) b-day pics

2008-09-23T22:11:00.008-04:00

Being 1 is the coolest! ...except that my big bro opened and subsequently claimed all my presents. You'd better sleep with one eye open though, Charlie, because I'm walking now and I know where you keep your tools...

Yes, first birthdays are big, but are they truly as "big" as the day you wear your first hair accessory? Notice pink barrette--may require zoom.

With gorgeous Auntie Kat.

This is Amelia's boyfriend, Kyle. Or, I should say more appropriately that Amelia is Kyle's girlfriend. She is not sure about him yet. Kyle gives Amelia kisses and hugs whenever he has the chance. She welcomes the affection for a spell, but then usually ends up giving him the straight arm...

Mia and Mama. She did obediently wear her birthday bib that I made to commemorate the occasion. Such a good girl.

This pic's a little blurry, but I had to put it in. Seems like there is always a moment like this at every one-year-old b-day bash. Plus, it always reminds me of the Berenstein Bears book, "Too Much Birthday."

As soon as Moo saw the cake and candle combo, she was all smiles again. But, I put this photo in mostly for my nephew's priceless expression (in the background). He absolutely loves the whole birthday deal--preferably his own, but he'll take anybody's really. His birthday is the day before Mia's, so he was in frosted bliss for the whole weekend.

Aaron's expression is even better in this one!

Sahmel clan bidding farewell to the birthday girl. Nice coordination on the outfits there!

Dude, these pieces are huge!

I know I should have a really good caption for this one, but it's late and I'm drawing a blank.

I'm not sure why this one is littler than the others. Little Violet giving Mia a birthday smackeroo.
How wonderful would it be if these two grew up being best buds just like their moms...minus
the six-pack in the closet at the dorm.

Violet 1 1/2 years-- has the most beautiful curls! Mia has barrette envy...

So glad that Gram and Papa could be here with us to share Mia's day. It wouldn't be a party without you guys!

Here comes Tori, another pal of Mia's.

The kids painted mini-pumpkins, well gourds, but mini-pumpkins sound cuter. Here's Mallory painting, and staying clean. Watch and learn Mia. Mom is counting
on you being "the clean one."

The littlest party guest--my sweet nephew Ryan just 6 weeks old.

I forgot to take pics of the decorations or cakes! But, this one kind of shows one of the cakes.
Kat and I decorated them together with cream cheese frosting and jelly bellies. Kat also
stayed up late with us making 100 slider hamburgers for the picnic. She helped me "pot" our fall hydrangeas in jars and put them in paper bags on all the tables. Oh, and she bought
Mia the cutest trendy butterfly long-sleeved tee and sweater set, remembering that Mia loves butterflies.
What a sis and Auntie!

Soggy sliders! We made all different kinds (herb-y ones, blue cheese, spicy turkey...) Thankfully, the boys kept our food dry. Poor Uncle Jon spent the whole party at the grill. Sorry buddy. I know you would rather have been playing with the toddlers!

First this.

Then this. I should have gotten a picture of Aaron's HUGE shiner. Poor kid. And of course, Beth had an appt scheduled to take Aaron's b-day pics a few days later. She figured it just added a dose of reality to the photos!

You can't beat bare baby feet in the grass.

Grandma cuddles with Ryan.

Yes, all those corny songs about daddy's little girls make me cry now. There is something so special about the big dad and the little daughter.

Mia's happiest when she has a finger or two to hold on to. She definitely likes to stay close, unlike her bro at this age who was much more independent. It's kind of nice, until you try to leave her
with a babysitter. I always said I wouldn't do that sneak away when they're not looking thing--totally do it all the time with Moo.

The kids love Uncle Jon Jon. Look at the guy, what's not to love? PS-what was going on here Jon?

Mia greets her guests: our pals the Austins and their boy Abel. I love having Abel around because he enjoys everything to the fullest and gives you those big smiles. His parents aren't so bad either!

So you say this hair runs in the family Uncle Jon?

Here's Mia unwrapping her birthday package from Grandpa and Nana in S.C. She loved the excitement of it all and was shrieking gleefully. I think in this pic she had just eaten some tissue paper.

This is the birthday where I get my license, right Mom? I've been wanting to get behind the wheel of this cozy coupe for-ev-er!

More presents!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Hot to trot.

11-month profile

2008-08-26T14:55:00.002-04:00

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).

Another day, another crime

2008-08-26T14:42:00.001-04:00

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!

Adams Crossing

new digs

11-month-old lookin' for treasure...

The chocolate caper

Valentine's Day is for L-O-V-E!

A milestone, few months tardy.

Farewell, Christmas- Hello 2011!

Farewell, Christmas Part 2

Merry Christmas 2010!

Wesley in the Wintertime...

The Christmas mouse and a good soup

Chief Chews-on-Fist

Halloween in review!

"Punkin tunes..." -click here

Our little pumpkin at 6 months

Amelia in Autumn

Farewell to summer

Are you ready for these characters?

July visit to the Koepp rellies

Blue-eyed boy is 4 months old!

Month 3

Happy Father's Day...

Proud Little Preschooler

Meeting the Grands!

The littlest foreman

Well hello there, Great Gram!

Snoozin'

One Month Old Wesley

Spring!

Introducing...

God Bless us everyone...except Mom apparently??

Arrrrr ya feelin' like a 4-year-old?

4th B-day!

"Come out soon, Baby Tummy"

Practicing...

Cookie dough bandits

Happy Valentine's Day!

Good Tidings!

Merry Christmas one and all!

Caught in the act!

Charles in charge

Feeling Thankful

Carsada Farms Fall 2009

Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze

Fast Facts

Top 10 Apple Producers

Popular Apple Varieties

Moo is 2

Almost 2!

You know you're a redneck when...

Get your motor runnin'

Little Wood Nymph

Happy Birthday Ry Ry!

Seabreeze 2009

Summer at last!

Patch Adams

Allegany Part 2 - "Soggy"

Allegany Part 1-"Shiny"

A bright smile...

Team Adams

Happy Father's Day

Mother's Day 2009

Came across these keepers and had to share...

Congrats, Doc!

South for Easter

Check out these Moo-ves...

Charlie and Amelia get movin' for a great cause!

Bouncin it Out

Our "Deere" 3-year old

From your nieces and nephews with mucho amor!

(tiny) new developments

There is a fine line between...

We miss you Aunt Kat!

Kiddo's Christmas Bash

Can't imagine a Christmas without cookies.

Snowy Jammies, a series

A Cherry Creek Christmas 08

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Giving Thanks!

Congratulations Jesse and Chris!