Week 10

Here's a quick comparison to Lily's week 10.

Week 9

Back to work week. I was lucky to squeeze 8 weeks out of my maternity leave and looking back I really did pack it full of outings and adventures, so I can't be sad about that. It's just hard to leave my little angel. She is in good hands though as Mattie is taking care of her as well as Lily. In our eyes, she is our surrogate grandmother and a blessing to our family. Anna loaned me the baby scrubs, so I couldn't think of a more fitting opportunity to make use of them than this week pic. The reality of getting up with Caroline at night and going to work in the morning has already taken it's toll. I felt like a zombie this weekend, hopefully I'll adapt, and if not there's always caffeine.

Also, if you want to see a much better post about our recent roadtrip, go to Alison's blog at http://alisonandkyle.blogspot.com/. She put a great post together with a lot of great pics I don't have :)

Week 8

What an adventure! Anna got the wild hair to take a road trip with all the girls up to PA to visit her dad and step-mom. She, of course, proposed this to me only hours after coming home from the hospital with Caroline. To which my reply was reluctant to say the least. But, I obviously came around and we had a fantastic time! The week picture was taken at a lovely picnic area beside an Amish restaurant where we had a picnic after Thomas the Train (see below).


For such an adventure there really is only one vehicle up for the job....the dreaded minivan. Don't think we could have done it the way we did in anything else (still not convinced it needs to be a permanent member of the family, though). This pic was at our first big pit stop and the good ole' Golden Arches. We had a nice shady grassy area for the babies to stretch their legs and the girls to run around a bit. I found the look or our vehicle comical in the state it was in, all the doors open, stuff everywhere and the car top carrier to top it off...classic.


Luckily, since we had made it so far up the Eastern seaboard, Alison and her two boys were able to come down from CT (such a brave soul driving 5 hours alone with a toddler and an infant!). It was not the easiest endeavor to round up Lily, Hayes and Mary Hudson and get a group shot, but I thought this one turned out quite well!


And for one of the highlights of the trip Thomas the Train!! Patti (aka Mimi) had this whole trip organized, the kids absolutely loved it. It started out getting to ride a school bus from the parking area to Thomas (almost as fun as riding Thomas, it's so refreshing to be around kids, sometimes!). The big kids were SO good keeping together and behaving, as there were tons of people there. Lily was especially sad to see Thomas leave. She kept asking when he was coming back and when we were going to see him next. Who knew she'd love it so much!



For those of you who don't know, that's 'Mimi' with the kids. I think she certified herself as a rock star after this trip. The whole trip would not have gone as smoothly if it had not been for all of Mimi's hard work and preparation. Thank you so much!! We hope we'll be able to come back some day :)

Daytrip to the Carl Sandburg Home

The weather today was so nice that we couldn't help taking a day trip out to the Blue Ridge Parkway area in North Carolina and exploring around a bit. Fortunately, we found the Carl Sandburg Home, that featured a picnic area, beautiful flowers and a goat farm. Though it wasn't quite fall yet, you could feel it on the way. So the weather was just right for our little adventure and we made the most of it!



Sweet picture....


Not so sweet picture....


Sweet picture again....


Artsy


The only picture of the actual Sandburg home that we ended up with...but you'll see that we've got the goats covered!


Trailblazer


Just sweet.


Observing from a respectful distance.


Hmmm....there seems to be one too many things squatting in this picture....


What happened to that respectful distance?!?!


Family time with the goats.


Another artsy photo.


A small bamboo forest.

All 4 Children

Sisters



You can't forget about those other grandkids.....and their tongues!

Week 7

I felt my computer was the best prop for this week's pic. I'm set to take the 3rd step of my boards next month and knowing that my ability to study is now even further reduced with two kids to care for, I wanted to get a bit of a head start. Caroline has been the best study buddy! Whether it's at Panera, Barnes&Noble, or just here at home, she's such a great companion to have by my side! She is having longer awake times these days when she is so alert and appears to want to communicate. We've been having some very nice conversations lately.


Our new member of the family. Isn't she purty!


Making rice krispy treats for the first time...note to self...country crock is not an equal substitute for butter...second note to self Lily didn't seem to mind.





Here's a pic from 'make your own homemade pizza night.'