Tuesday, March 31, 2009

quick update

Jilly has the flu, and we are trying to keep it contained. She was such a trooper, we went to the hospital (because I was worried she was dehydrated and would need an IV...thankfully she didn't) and she kept getting sick until 5 am this morning. She went to see "our special friend" Dr. Moore the Pediatrician and he said as long as she keeps drinking he thinks the worst is over.

In other news, we are having a conference call with Courtney's biological father this afternoon. Hopefully this will be the last step in a so far 3 year long process of Jeff adopting Courtney. We have been told that he is willing to sign the paperwork after this conversation. So please send us your prayers that this will end quickly and easily.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

new pic

Well, for those of you who didn't already know...here is pic of our newest. Due date is Oct 4th, which we all know to mean mid-Sept! So far so good, a possible concern about the cervix not being completely closed. Heart rate was 168, which Sunny will tell you means nothing, but for us the first heart rate has always been in the upper 160's and as you all know we have all girls! I really hope it's another girl (I have pink and purple coming out my ears, and don't relish the idea of an entire new wardrobe...I strongly believe in hand-me-downs!) even though Sunny wants a boy. Jeff doesn't have much of an opinion (go figure, either way he's still going to be sorely out numbered!) We are just happy that things are going well this time.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Feeding my addiction


I promised Sunny that I would cut back on my blogging...it seems to be stopping my creative juices when it comes to me scrapbooking. But I can't help this one...sorry Sunny.



Cooper and I crashed for a quick nap the other day on the couch. We both woke up sweaty, but Cooper had her first official "Wild Woman Hair Day". I think that her hair is going to be a bit more curly than Jilly's, but no where near as curly as Courtney's. Who knows, we'll have to wait and see.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Pony show




This weekend's pony show was an interesting one. Courtney was very relaxed to start the day (always promising), Moose Tracks was good getting on and off the trailer and was very easy to tack up. The first part of schooling (which was just hack work outside) went really well. They were both looking very good. Then we get to the schooling over fences. For what ever reason, Fox Chase decided to put flowers across the tops of the jumps. Now Moose has had issues with flowers before, but he seemed to have gotten over it, until Saturday. As soon as Tammy (One of the other Moms) let me know that Bug fell, I went running to the ring. (Now usually we have someone there with her, her trainer Fay was there, but usually one of the family is there with her...but there were doughnuts to be eaten. How guilty do I feel for eating when my kid needed me!) I get there and she is back on him, and taking jumps (but you could tell her confidence was not there). We get back to "base camp" get some Gatorade, try to finish getting dressed...(she lost a button while putting her show jacket on, and thankfully I keep a small sewing kit in her show bag, and I only poked myself twice!) make sure she doesn't have a head injury from her fall, and get her to relax a bit.




Thankfully, pleasure was the first division of the day. There were 23 riders in the class, so it was split in two sections, which made it drag on! Well, no ribbon for the first class...might have something to do with the fact that Courtney cut off another rider, and almost ran over the judge...twice! She came out and was fine, went back in for the next class, and placed second out of 23 riders! The last class, she went, they did their thing, and came out with a first out of 19 riders! I was very proud of well she did.




Then we got to the Short Stirrup. I was very happy that she wanted to try at all after her fall. She did the hack class, and came in first out of 14 riders, so we thought she'd be fine. Oh-no, we were wrong. She went in to do her warm up jump round, and Moose refused the same jump 3 times, and she was excused. Thankfully Fay decided that it wasn't worth it to make her do the next 2 jump rounds. Fay told Courtney that she was very proud of Courtney trying, but she could tell it just wasn't there for them in the jumping, so they are going to work on getting Bug's confidence back at the barn. (Can't tell you how much we love Fay!!)




So, all in all, a good day. In my mind, here's what happened. Courtney had fall, but had the courage to get back on and try again. I think that was the best part of the day, not the ribbons, but the courage and maturity that Courtney showed us all.

Cooper Hannah

Cooper was on the floor just chilling, playing have a great time...next thing I know, I hear Jilly say (very loudly, and very grumpy I might add) "Cooper Hand-a"! Well, apparently Cooper had gotten a hold of one of Jilly's ponies, and Jilly was not pleased! I just love the fact that Jilly knows to middle name her sister when she's really upset with her!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

This weekend

This Saturday Courtney and Moose will be riding in a show at Fox Chase Farm out on Rt 50. It's going to make for an interesting day...on Friday she will be attending the 6th Grade party/dance with her new boyfriend, Noland. Other than seeing each other in PE, this will be officially her first date. (DAMN..now I really feel old!)

Coop's tooth


Here is a shot of Cooper's first tooth. I had trouble getting a good shot, she kept sticking her tongue in the way...but it is a good size, and sure packs a punch! Courtney seems to think it's more of a fang than a tooth.

This is why we wear pj's all the time!



For those of you who might be wondering why my ittiy bitties are always in their pajamas...here's why. For what ever reason, my kids really enjoy eating their socks. Good news is with the weather getting warmer, it might be time to shed the pj's for some shorts. As long as their feet are warm enough, you might just start seeing Cooper in more than just her pj's.

Monday, March 16, 2009

"I'm naked"

Just to set the scene...we just got back from Bloom, I have groceries all over the kitchen that need to be put away, I had put Dora on the TV to keep Jilly occupied while I fed Cooper...or so I thought. I've just started feeding Cooper (who is so hungry that I can't get it in her mouth fast enough) when I hear Jilly yell from the other room "MOMMY!! I"M NAKED!" I tell her to come out to the kitchen and talk to me. And here she comes, clothes in hand (but didn't take off the Jasmine panties) and proclaims "I don't like these clothes anymore." To which I tell her to find other clothes to put on, but she can't run around naked. So she vanishes back to the living room, and the next thing I know, she's tapping me on the back "Mommy, I can't find any I like." I tell her again she can't run around naked, and she goes off to look for clothes, and yet again comes back with nothing. (This is one of those times where I don't know whether to laugh or scream...I chose to laugh, but not when she could see me...no need to encourage bad behavior.) Finally she decides on the same shirt she had taken off a few minutes before, but this time instead of jeans, she chose brown comfy pants. She brought me the clothes (apparently she can get clothes off with no problem, but getting them back on is a different story) and I helped her get dressed, all while Cooper is laughing every time Jilly runs in.

Now I know how my mother felt when we lived in California when I was Jilly's age. I've heard the stories all my life..."I would send you out to play fully dressed, and you'd come back in with only your underwear on." I guess there is no mistaking that Jilly is getting more like her Mommy everyday. Just not sure how good that is!!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

just a quick one..or two

We discovered that Cooper now has a second tooth. This one is on the top. If she keeps up at this pace, she'll have all her teeth by her 1st birthday.

Not too much else going on around here. Jilly helped me make a "just because" cake yesterday. She's been to so many birthday dinners lately that she was getting the impression that you can only have "happy birthday cake", so I decided to show her we can have a cake for no reason at all. She was all about the sprinkles that we put into and on top. It was a pretty fun day.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

New family member

OK, don't get your undies in a bunch....I'm talking about a squirrel that the kids have named George/Frank. (Courtney calls him one thing and Jilly calls him the other.) There is a squirrel that has found his way into our shed, and from time to time scratches on the wall that connects the shed to the house. This hasn't been going on very long, and he usually does it when the kids are napping...until yesterday. He decided to start making noise while the power was out, and Jilly's first reaction was "What's that noise?!?" Courtney told her it was our squirrel George in the shed. To which Jilly said "I don't like that noise, Baby Cooper doesn't like that noise, and my Jasmine panties don't like it either!" Jeff, Courtney and I were all in stitches, mostly because Jilly was very serious about how the "three" of them did not like that noise. Then Jilly tried to say George, but told us "I can't say that word." That's when we decided that his name can also be Frank.

What the kids don't know is his real name...Fuzzy Rat! Did I not mention that I hate squirrels?

Monday, March 9, 2009

Enough with the ponies already!!!




Once my Little Monkey's were done riding, they had some 'special blue juice' (Gatorade) and some snacks and granola bars. For those of you not familiar with the barn, there is a 2 person swing down by the out door ring that all the kids gravitate towards. And that's what happened to these two. At one point, Riley said to Jilly "Now I push you, when I do, you say WEEEEE." And she did, and now that's the new thing, to be on the swing and either say WEEEE or do the pushing. I love the way these two play together...we are very lucky that they can get together and play so nicely all the time. Ahhh, I do so love my Little Monkey's!

Cooper's pony day


Jilly made sure that Cooper had her new pony from Target (the whole 'you have to pay for that' day) for our trip to the barn. Cooper just hung out in her stroller and watched the ponies pass her by. Pop-pop took her out for a little bit, and every time a pony would pass in front of her she would "post". She started to jump up and down in his arms, and every time she did it, the harder he laughed. It's the small things like this, that make me thankful that we do have the opportunities to hang out and do things the kids enjoy with the family.

Everybody got in on the action


Bug rode Moose for a bit (even though I think she just wanted to play with the little monkey's on Friskey) and when she was done riding, she got the chance to put Moose on the new trailer. He got right on for her, so now all we have to do is sell the old one.

First ride




Beautiful weather means only one thing in this family...a trip to the pony barn! The great thing that made this different from just another day at the barn...our Riley-man got to come out and play with us too! At first Riley didn't want to get on Friskey Whiskers, but before long both he and Jilly were up in the saddle having a great time in the indoor ring. Then we walked down to the outdoor ring, and Jilly gave Riley a chance to ride on his own (well with out her on I should say). After a few minutes of trying to get some pics Riley says to me "Auntie Chris, I am done with this pony." And with that he tossed the reigns up Friskey's neck and wanted off. I found it cute that he knew what he wanted, and without a hissy-fit told us what he wanted, and was then off to play with Jilly.

eating solids already?!?




OK, so not really. But Cooper really wanted to eat her Daddy's hat. Now that she has a tooth, she is forever chewing on whatever she can get her hands on.

better late than never...






Here are a few quick pics of the snow from last week. Jilly-Bean loved to eat the snow, and had to have her shovel to help...just don't try to tell her it's for the sand box...you won't get anywhere! Bug and Bean were going to make a snowman, but Bug decided it was the wrong kind of snow, so it ended up being a "snow mouse". If you ask me, it looks kinda scary and maybe a little possessed!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

More bragging rights

Courtney came home with her interim on Friday, and when I looked at it I turned to her and asked her (in a very serious tone..but totally messing with her) "What did you do?!?" She looked up at me so thoroughly confused and I repeated the question "What did you do?!?". I couldn't take it anymore, so I let her off the hook..."Bug, you got an A...in math...way to go babe!" Her face...I really can't describe it, but she was so happy that I was kidding and I was really very excited about the A, she gave me the biggest hug I think she has ever given me (which was big, as most of you know, she is quite the hugger).

Now the reason for the big deal over an A in math, she is her mother's daughter, especially when it comes to math...we're allergic! The first interim of the year she had a C and by report card time pulled it up to a B. With Jeff's help, she now has a 96% average, which is amazing if you know anything about how the girl HATES math.

Way to go Bug, we could not be more proud of you!

Pay first

We were at Target the other day, and Jilly found a pony and declared "Mommy, Cooper has to have this pony!" Jilly has never been one of those kids who has a hissy-fit when she sees something she wants in a store, but she was very adamant that Cooper "needed" this pony. Seeing as how it was for Cooper, I agreed (I usually don't give the kids things they can't ask nicely for...first sign of a fit, there is a firm NO that won't change). Jilly gave the pony to Cooper in her car seat, and as instinctively as all babies do, the first thing in Cooper's mouth was the price tag. So I took the pony and removed the tag and stuck it in my wallet so I would remember to hand it to the cashier and pay for it later.

This is where the melt-down starts. "Mommy, you can't do that...you have to pay first!" at the top of her lungs in the middle of Target. I tried calming her down, and showed her where I put the tag so when it was time to pay we could. It took a few minutes of trying to reason with a 2 1/2 year old (near impossible when they are as headstrong and stubborn as Jilly can be) but we came to an agreement...when it was time to pay, Jilly could hand the cashier the price tag...and just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Jilly was ready to go back to shopping.

Now for the commentary...how many 2 1/2 year old kids would have such a fit...not over getting or not getting the toy, but the fact that she knew it had to be paid for. Nothing gets past this one, she is quick especially for her age.

Friday, March 6, 2009

let's review

OK, so there have been a few too many funny stories about Jilly's big girl panties to get into. Suffice it to say, she has not mooned anyone in public yet. She loves her panties, and loves to share with people that she's such a big girl.

Bug has a new boyfriend, his name is Noland. He asked her out during their only class together, PE. So you know if he can like her when he sees her at her uncoordinated best, he might be a stand up kinda guy. We'll have to wait a week and see...that's how long these things last in middle school.

Cooper has popped her first tooth, which kinda explains the not sleeping thing. Hopefully she will get back into a normal sleep schedule and I can stop looking like death warmed over. I'm all for chatty clerks at Target or Bloom, but I swear if one more tells me how tired I look, I just might scream. Oh, what I wouldn't do for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

I think that about does it, or at least the bare bones of what I have missed. No, I take that back...I do have some pics and stories left that maybe I can get to later tonight...but don't hold your breath!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Another First

Now I know that I have a few things to catch up on, but here's something I think everyone will enjoy. We discovered Cooper's first tooth tonight. Surprisingly enough, it's on the bottom. I guess all the times I've told her while she was glaring at me at the dinner table "You get some teeth, and you can have some." must have inspired her. Courtney was just shy of a year old when she got her first, and Jilly was a week past her 1st b-day when hers popped out. Leave it to Cooper to do everything sooner, bigger, better....

(I'm going to try to get a picture of it tomorrow, she's having her bedtime bottle right now, so I don't think she'll cooperate too much!)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

lazy

My apologies. Things as of late have been crazy hectic around here, and as such I haven't had much of a chance to get everyone caught up. I promise that I will try harder, and hopefully things will slow down a bit. I have so many stories and pictures that I will get on here very soon. Just keep checking, and be patient with me. :o)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

A good day


At the horse show this weekend, we had a good day despite the fact that it was 40 degrees outside. It came down to the wire during pleasure. She pinned 2nd in the first class, then flip-flopped in the second class with the girl who took 1st before. So going into the last class of the division, they were tied. It all came down to the walk-trot-canter class. Bug and Moose did great, and pulled it out. They took second in that class, and that was enough to make them Champions for the division. Bug was very pleased with their performance, as were the rest of us.


When it came to Short Stirrup, they took first in the flat class, and had a very good warm-up jump class. When it came time for the judged jump rounds there were a few issues. He broke stride coming out of one of the jumps, and he was so tired that he wasn't paying attention to much, but Buggy was. She was trying to count strides between the jumps and Moose wasn't too interested in listening. The absolute best part of the day was when bug was all done, came out of the ring and Fay had a few things to say to her. It was along the lines of "You're not going to pin, but that was some of the best riding I've seen you do since you came here. You were thinking in the saddle, and it was really good." We love Fay...she made Courtney feel good when it was hard for Courtney to see how well she had done.

Conked out

Jeff and Cooper after a rough night while she had her cold. Thanks to having the cold it seems that Cooper almost has her days and nights mixed up. She goes to bed much later now, but has been sleeping through the night since. Sometimes, being sick is a good thing I guess.