Wordless Wednesday

Relief!

After weeks of temperatures nearing 100 degrees (just to give an example, it was still 96 degrees at 10 PM on Friday night!), we finally got a brief period of relief this afternoon!

Ella and Aidan were so excited to see rain (who the heck am I kidding, so was I)!

As the rain fell from the sky, we celebrated with rain gear, sunglasses, and magic wands!

3 Year Stats

Ella and Aidan had their 3-year check-up this morning. All went wonderfully and they are in perfect shape! They were great for the nurses and the doctor, but neither one wanted to have to lie down on the “crinkly paper”.

They are both quite tall for their age – it appears that Aidan is growing just fine despite his diet of nothing but fruit, yogurt, cheerios, milk and grilled cheese!

Ella:

Height – 40“ (97%)

Weight – 33.8 lb (80%)

Little Miss Ella is still quite the princess of the household. She is extremely independent, never stops talking or asking questions, and literally thrives in her constant quest for knowledge.

She loves doing art projects and is very skilled at using scissors.

Each night at bedtime, she says "Let's talk about my day", and then she loves to rehash all of the events of the day - down to every last detail of who we played with, what she ate and what outfit she wore. After chatting she follows up with "Let's get organized", and we have to place all of her bedtime friends in their proper spots in the bed.

Clothing is becoming more of a daily battle, as she has her own mind made up as to what outfit she wants to wear, as well as which bow and which pair of shoes. While her choices may not always be what I would prefer for that day, she is always concerned about her decision and asks me, "Mommy, does this match?".

Aidan:

Height – 39 3/4“ (95%)

Weight – 34.8 lb (80%

Sweet Aidan has truly come into his own since turning three. He is no longer willing to just go along with the flow of what Ella dictates (or Mike and I for that matter!), and had begun expressing himself with more small tantrums and lots of whining.

Aidan's favorite question these days is "Why?". If I had a penny for every time I heard that word from his little mouth I would be one rich Mommy!

He amazes us each day with his knowledge of just about every vehicle on the road! He can name them all and when we are out and about there is a constant stream of chatter from the backseat...delivery truck, concrete mixer, jeep, school bus, front end loader....

Aidan's bedtime routine is a little more energetic. He is a bundle of giggles as he acts out scenes between his Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Zurg.

Together:

Ella and Aidan amaze us each day as their little brains continue to soak in all that the world has to offer. They are both, according to both the doctor and their teachers, "crazy smart", and are mentally ahead of many other children their age. Our doctor actually told us not to be surprised when people are shocked to find out that they are only three.

That made me feel much better, considering that Aidan is not fully potty trained yet! But, true to their development from birth, both Ella and Aidan have always been ahead of their peers mentally, but later in terms of major physical milestones (they were late crawlers & walkers).

Our house and car are very noisy these days. If they aren't chatting, making up games, role playing with Ella's babies and Aidan's action figures (or fighting) with each other, they are singing various songs and nursery rhymes word for word. Some recent favorites include "One Two, Buckle My Shoe", "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee", and "I'm a Little Teapot".

They both (but especially Ella) love to talk on the phone and will actually have quite long conversations with Opa and Grandma Shushi.

We now have two little backseat drivers, as they know what each of the colors mean on the stoplights. Unfortunately, they do not yet quite grasp the concept of not being able to go as soon as the light turns green if there is a car in front of us (i.e. "Go NOW Mommy the light is green!!", or that you can turn right on red (i.e. "Uh oh Mommy, that light was red - you are in trouble and need a timeout!".

While the days are long, the years are very short. Sure, there are moments of pure frustration and even tears in the average day, but in the end, we are blessed beyond words and could not imagine life any other way!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Father's Day!

The kids and I were very excited about Father's Day this year and could not wait to begin Daddy's special day!

He opened his gifts first thing in the morning - even before his coffee! He was treated to a card personally signed by our little duo (they understand the concept of writing their names and are getting better and better at writing actual letters!), and then unwrapped his layered present.

In his present we gave him a book all about Daddy's for him to read with the kids and a book from me that I picked up at Ground Zero in NYC written by a firefighter that survived the second tower's collapse.

We also included a special art project that we made just for Daddy....

....and the final prize - photos I had taken over a month ago of the kiddos and I in a field of wildflowers!

After getting dressed in our very special "Daddy's Day Outfits"....

....we met Grandaddy for a wonderful lunch at the club where Ella and Aidan devoured blueberry pancakes and fruit...followed by huge slices for cake for dessert!

In the afternoon we headed over to the pool for some fun in the sun with our little swimmers and capped off the evening with a nice poolside dinner!

We love you Daddy and hope you enjoyed your special day!

Sweaty Saturday Morning

The heat these days has been simply unbearable. It is over 80 degrees by 9:30 AM! Outside playtime is limited to early mornings, and even then the poor kids are worn down by 10:30 AM!

We decided to give the park a try this morning to meet up with our friends Libby & Savannah. We haven't seen them in quite a while and I was thrilled when their Mommy, Holly, reached out to me before I left for New Jersey to set up a playdate.

Despite the heat, the kids all had a great time.

Aidan is very close to mastering the fireman's pole, while Ella just likes to hold on and then jump into your arms.

The Curse Has Been Lifted!

It has become somewhat of a joke amongst our family that my birthday (June 18) is marred by some sort of stressful or sad event.

It all began the year that my Grandpa Mark passed away and we buried him in Ohio on my birthday. The very next year we suffered a miscarriage.

Luckily, we skipped the next year and rejoiced in the glory of sweet little Ella and Aidan who were just 6-weeks old.

Alas, it would return with a vengance the next year when we left to head to Pennsylvania for Chris & Emily's wedding, only to return with a very sick Aidan and spent two nights in the hospital.

I think we have officially broken the curse! Last year passed without ado, and this year, despite Mike's original plans being uprooted at the last minute, was simply wonderful!

Ella and Aidan did their very best to spoil all of Mike's secrets before I returned from New Jersey! Each time I would talk to them on the phone, one more tidbit would be revealed, from Ella saying "Mommy, we make you a birthday cake", to Aidan mentioning something about a bracelet.

They made me the most beautiful handmade cards and a bracelet with their names on it - every bit of it homemade. Exactly what I wanted!

We had a wonderful dinner at Kabuto that evening followed by cake and ice cream with Mike's parents, Mema and Aunt Pam.

Mike and I were a bit nervous about how dinner would go - it was either going to be a hit or a huge flop and we would have to leave with crying children.

As it turned out, it was a gigantic success and they have both been asking to back to the "volcano place" ever since!

They were mesmerized by the chef cooking right in front of us....

....loved the onion volcano....

....ate noodles, rice and vegetables with chopsticks.....

...and even fed each other!

What a wonderful, wonderful birthday!!!

Thank you to our families and great friends for making it such a special day!

Mommy's Birthday Present Vacation

After a whirlwind trip up to Jersey City to visit with Emily, Chris and Baby Mia, I am home and back into the normal routine!

The four days with my family was amazing! We not only spent lots of time with the new little princess, but we also explored our surroundings and walked, and walked, and walked.....and walked!!

Scenes from our trip include....

....the view of lower Manhattan around the corner from our hotel....

....Times Square....

.... a fabulous early Father's Day dinner at Carmines (Opa's favorite place in NYC) with just Chris, myself and Opa....

....followed by dessert in the West Village from the famous Magnolia Bakery....

....a stroll through Jersey City and Van Vorst park....

....the Path train....

....Ground Zero....

....the gorgeous walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (both ways)....

....a fabulous pizza lunch at Grimaldis after a 45 minute wait in line....

....and some pretty funny signs spotted along our travels....

And of course, the most important scene of all: