A day off for mom

Today was a very lazy day for me. I slept in until almost 10a. Came down to a house of girls playing. I laid around, looked at the mail that stacked up over the week. Unpacked some stuff, made a grocery list, planned Hannah's birthday party and then took a nap. I have to say, it was a great day. Greg did the kid duty all day and I just kinda came and went as I wanted. And boy did I need it.

I have my second sleep study tomorrow night. This time they hook me up to the CPAP machine and see if I have any apnea episodes. I'll keep you posted.

Also Hannah took a good fall today and bit her lip pretty good. Her front tooth is also a bit loose so we'll have to keep an eye on that and hope that it heals up and doesn't fall out. But if it does she should have her adult tooth soon since that was one of her first teeth to get. I'll keep you posted.

Have a great night and a good labor day.

Home again, Home again

Bye Bye Do Duck Inn - shouted over and over from the car as we pulled away.


What a week. I don't know who vacation is suppose to be easy for but its not the parents of young kids of the world. But at the same time I had a great time hanging out and not having to do all the normal everyday things around the house - so that part was a great vacation. And I have to give my husband points because he rocks at being a hands on dad and really took allot of the normal kid stuff off my hands - did I mention that I got to sleep in EVERY day this week and it rocked.

We made it home in record time today, no beach traffic. It was a great week to go because allot of the kids on the East coast have already started school so the beach traffic was allot better than it would have been just the week before.

Hope everyone is having a happy and safe Labor day weekend.

A few last random pictures of our last day:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006244&l=cde0e&id=1122309468

The sun is out and I'm feeling great

The sun is out, the birds are chirping and I'm feeling great. Maybe I got a good night sleep or maybe just having the sun shine was enough but today was a much better day than yesterday. And Greg and I worked hard to make our last day of vacation full of fun.

We started the day off by climbing the largest natural sand dune on the East coast. http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
We had a blast. The girls got tons of energy out by running wild around the sand. The weather was great with a nice breeze. Once we got to the top we could see both the sounds side of the island and the Atlantic ocean. It was quite a view. After our hike we took a nature trail through some brush and found a great climbing tree for the kids.

And after all that hiking and climbing we were hungry so we stopped at a restaurant that was highly recommended by friends. Its called the Rundown Cafe and I highly recommend it if your ever in Nags Head. It has a very eclectic menu with a Jamaican flair. They also have a large coy fish pond that you can feed. So it kept the kids busy as we finished our meal.

We also got a quick swim in the pool for our last day of vacation, it felt great after our long hot hike.

Here are the pictures of our day:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006196&l=2b580&id=1122309468

Day 5 - will vacation never end

So why is it that we look forward to vacation for months and then on about day 4 or 5 you feel like you just can't take another day. Everyone is a little off today. The kids, me, Greg. We're all just so use to our schedules and time and craving that normalcy. I'm sure we'll get over this hump and the next two days will be better.

It could also be the weather getting us down. Its been over cast for the past two days so we've been stuck inside a little more than we would like. But we did get to the indoor pool today and had some fun. Also the girls got to open some belated and early birthday presents today. The Grandparents and Aunts live in NJ and don't get down as much as they would like so they decided to bring the birthday gifts to the beach so they could see the kids open them. The girls had fun and it helped because the girls had new things to play with and the distraction was needed.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006170&l=d814c&id=1122309468

Here's to a better tomorrow.

I won by 2 points

We're still on vacation and having a great time. Grandma and Aunt Nan took the girls shopping and out to lunch today and Greg and I got to have a date day. We decided to go play Putt Putt and have lunch. We placed a bet on the game, the loser has to put both kids to bed tonight, I tried to make it the entire week but Greg wouldn't go for that - guess he knew he was going to lose. The game was close the entire time and I pulled out at the end and won by 2 points. Yippie I have the night off. What will I do with all my free time???

The trip is going great. The weather is a little over cast today. A storm is approaching and its really windy. I took the girls down to the beach to get some cute pictures and they just about got blown away. Again, Hannah loved it and Kate didn't want any part of the ocean. But they did great and I got some really cute pictures.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006129&l=dfec7&id=1122309468

We did get some sad news this morning. Greg's Granddad (Janet's Dad) passed away last night. He was 94 years old. It has been so nice to be with family this week. We've been sharing great stories about Granddad, its nice to be around family when you get sad news like this. Janet is doing well and enjoying the Grandkids. She will make the trip down to FL for the funeral when the plans are made.

Hugs to all.

Shark mommy shark

Made ya look.

We went to the NC Aquarium today. The girls had a blast. We walked around and looked at all fish and then we turned the corner and saw the sharks. Kate said over and over "shark mommy shark". I couldn't tell if she was happy to see them or terrified. But either way she was mesmerized. And Hannah was just silent and in Aw. We had to peel her away from the tank. Her eyes large and watching all the fish.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006084&l=94ed6&id=1122309468

The day was a bit overcast, but we still went down to the beach. Well, Hannah and I went down to the beach. Kate wanted no part of it. In her very sweet voice she said "I'm sorry, but I will not be able to join you." She is a hoot with her big words and very dramatic voice and sad face.

But Hannah and I had a blast until a large wave hit us and knocked us both down. Then Hannah was done with that and we came home and jumped in the pool.

We're off to dinner to celebrate Greg's 40th birthday. Looking forward to a great meal at the Blue Point. http://www.thebluepoint.com/history.html

Vacation Rocks

What a great trip we're having. The girls are enjoying themselves and I'm feeling relaxed. We got up this morning, had Duck donuts for breakfast and then went for a swim in the pool. What a way to start the day. We then took a walk to the beach. Kate was still freaked out by the ocean but Hannah was having a blast getting hit by the waves. We then headed back to the house and went for another swim. The girls are having such a great time hanging out with the family and getting tons of attention.

Here are some great pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006045&l=5fb64&id=1122309468

Gum silences Kate - who knew

So for our trip to the beach I packed a bag full of things to keep the kids busy on our 4 hour drive to the beach. And one of the things I brought was gum. Now my girls have not had gum before so this was going to be a huge treat. I really had no idea how the kids would like it, but I thought it would be something to keep them busy. And for all the people who know Kate, she talks non stop. And in the car she really talks non stop. So about an hour into the trip I told Greg to pull something out of the bag to keep them busy, he pulled out the gum and the girls thought it was the best thing ever, and Kate was silent for an hour just chewing away - it was heaven. I will forever have gum with me.

We made it to the beach in record time. We had about an hour before we could pick up the key so we took a walk down a pier to the sound side to see the water. The girls really needed to get there wiggles out. And then once we got the key to the house we jumped in the pool for a quick swim. Eat some dinner and put them to bed.

Its great to be back at the beach and fun to be at the same house.

Pictures from day 1 at the beach:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006037&l=50f12&id=1122309468

A long day for mom

I am so over the top tired today. I went for a sleep study last night to find out if I had sleep apnea and, well, I tested positive. Now I know why I am so tired all the time. I mean I know I chase two kids around all day, but it was more than that. I would sleep 9-10 hours a night and not feel rested in the morning. So off to the doctor I went. And long story short I had the test last night and didn't sleep all that great hooked up to all the machines. So I'm really tired today, and like I said yesterday Kate and Hannah have been out of control this week, and for them its unusual behavior. But it has been horrible this past week. So we've had a long day around here.

But despite my exhaustion and the girls behavior we met some friends at Chat-n-play cafe for some play time and lunch. Its a really fun place for the kids and moms. Check out the website: http://www.chatandplaycafe.com/

Hope everyone has a great weekend. We're off to the beach on Sunday so we'll be packing and traveling. I'll start my blog back up on Monday from the beach. With lots of pictures.

Tea Party

Today was the last day of summer camp - summer is almost over. I can't believe how fast it has gone. It seems like yesterday that it was the last day of school - where has the time gone. Its been a great summer and next week will be a great way to cap off all the fun - To the beach we go.

After Romp-n-roll today we went over to our friends house for a play date. We baked chocolate chip cookies and had a real tea party. The girls where so cute using their manners and being so big. Sherry got some cute pictures of them so as soon as I get those I'll pass them along.

Other than that our day was just another day. I don't know if the girls are excited for the beach or just done with summer but this afternoon was a bit rough. Neither of them where listening very well. It was like they has no control of their arms and legs, and Kate had no volume control. But we all survived and now they are sleeping and dreaming of sunny days and chasing butterflies.

Big smiles

A fun day had by all. I took the girls to their second dentist appointment today. And they did great. I have to boast for a moment about my girls. They are two of the sweetest kids. They listen and take direction so well. They are very trusting in their environment and it shows in situations like today. No tears, no fear, nothing. They hopped right up in the "big" chair and let the dentist, who they have only met once, clean their teeth and poke around their mouths. I was a very proud mom, because as any mom knows this day could have gone many different directions, but today was a great day had by all. They both got a clean bill of health and the dentist said they where doing a great job brushing those tiny teeth. However, Hannah has to stop sucking her fingers soon and I'm not looking forward to breaking that habit. I was hoping that she would do it herself but it looks like we have to help. I'm sure I'll blog about it when the time comes, I don't know who its going to be more tragic for, me or her or maybe dad. I'll let you know.


Pictures taken tonight while the girls where brushing their teeth.

Today was just like yesterday

We had almost the exact same day as yesterday. The girls spent the morning at Romp-n-roll and then we spent the afternoon at the pool. No big happenings around here.

The girls are looking forward to their dentist appointments tomorrow. This will be their second time going. Hannah is very excited to get a new toothbrush. And Kate is very excited to show him all the teeth she has - mouth wide open :) So I'll check in tomorrow and let everyone know how that goes.

We're counting down the days to our beach trip. We leave in 5 days - yippee!!

Romp-n-roll camp and the pool

Another fun day for me and the girls. They have Romp-n-roll camp this week on M/T & Th from 9a-12n. Gives mom a few hours to myself and they have so much fun at this camp. They get to do crafts, music class and gym class. Check out there site for more info http://www.rompnroll.com/

And after camp today we went to the pool for a few hours. We haven't been to our pool in over 2 weeks. We've been so busy with other things and have really missed the pool. The girls love the pool and it always feels so good to be out in the sun. We're home now and the girls just got done with showers and now their watching some TV. I've got to figure out what I'm going to make for dinner.

I'll leave you with this line that Kate said "Mom, I just burped out of my butt" yep you heard her. Made ya laugh.

Harvesting basil & dragon hunting

About a month ago we planted a small corner garden in the yard. We planted 3 tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, 5 basil plants and a hand full of different herbs. The tomatoes and peppers haven't done anything yet, but the basil is growing by leaps and bounds. So the girls and I decided to harvest some today. The girls have really enjoyed the garden this year. They have been great little helpers in watering, planting and harvesting, now if I could just get them to eat it. But that is for another blog. Today we had a ton of basil so we picked it, washed it, chopped it and put it in little containers to freeze. The girls had a blast with each step. And where great helpers.

Another fun thing the girls got to do this weekend was go up into the attic with Dad. I'm still not really sure why, I think it was a father daughter thing. They made a big adventure out of it and searched the attic for dragons (I think). I'm hoping they didn't find any since I have no idea how to get rid of a dragon. Or what to feed it if he stays. But the girls have been talking all weekend about there adventure so it sounds like it was a hit.

Have a great Sunday night.

Cake on my face

I had one of those mom moments today. I completely blew off a little girls birthday party and didn't even know I had done it. I took Kate to her friend Dory's 3rd birthday party today. Dory was in Kate's class last year so I knew that we would be seeing allot of other kids from class at the party. We had a ton of fun, their was a clown, which Kate was not all that thrilled with but we managed. And they had a huge moon bounce that took about 20 minutes to warm up to. She was kinda clingy today - she is a funny little one. Some days she is the life of the party and some days she is the biggest crank pot - but I guess we're all like that she just shows it.

But anyway, back to my mom blunder. Another friend from Kate's class was there, Ellie, I was talking with Ellie's mom and she made mention about Ellie's birthday party. Well it didn't even dawn on me that it was last week. I thought it was tomorrow, or at least I had a birthday on my calendar for tomorrow but I started doubting myself about who's party it was since now Ellie's was last weekend. And yep, I got home and looked at the calendar and totally blew off Ellie's party last weekend. I feel so bad. I know as a mom how hard it is to put together a party and how much fun you want your child to have at the party and for someone to just not show up is so hard. My heart sunk when I realized what I had done. Silly mom brain strikes again. I guess the summer has turned my once organized brain into mush. I can't wait for school to start back up just so I can have some organization to my weeks.

The lonely banana

I don't have much to report today. Its been quiet around the Lyons house. Grandpa Dana has been hanging out with the girls and took them to Target to buy some fun summer stuff. Hannah got new flippers for the pool and Kate got a new "big" ball.

Since our day has been so quiet I thought I would share a cute Kate story with you. A few months ago Kate and I went to the grocery store. Hannah was at school so it was only the two of us. We had just a few things to buy and one of the things was bananas. Kate eats a banana just about every morning - she loves them. Anyway, we got to the banana stand and for some reason there was allot of single bananas, you know the ones that people pull off the bunch when they only want a few. Well this day there was allot of single bananas. I went for a large bunch that was together and started putting the bunch in a bag, when Kate said "mom we have to buy all the lonely bananas". I had no idea what she was saying. So I said "what lonely bananas?". Those and she points to all the single bananas laying around. So with Kate's help I put down my bunch and we bagged up some "lonely" bananas. She was so happy with herself that she took home the lonely bananas. So the next time your at the store just think about those lonely bananas.

Hope your weekend is full of tons of fun.

A quiet day

We had a nice quiet day around the Lyons house. We met some friends at a new park for a few hours this morning. Then came home and eat some lunch, watched some TV and played in the back yard. It was nice to have some slow time around the house after a busy week.

I have a babysitting gig tonight. I belong to a neighborhood babysitting co-op and I have a sit tonight. Its always fun because you get some down time outside your house. I'm sitting two really cute little boys tonight (Ryan and Owen), just about the same age as Hannah and Kate. It is funny the energy level of boys, I'm really not use to that much energy. But they are great kids and Ryan is looking forward to watching some of the Olympics with me so that will be fun.

Hope everyones week is coming to a nice end. I'm listening to giggles upstairs as dad does bath time. Its always a cute time of the night. So many people find the evenings stressful, and I do sometimes, but for the most part its a fun time of the day. Gotta run and make dinner for two clean kids.

Another fun day with Grandpa and Jord

Today we took are great walk to Belle Isle, had a yummy pic-nic and threw rocks into the James River. Here is a fun link to watch a video about the history of Belle Isle. http://www.discoverrichmond.com/dis/sports/recreation/james_river/article/belle_isle/1455/

Kate's favorite part was running around on the rocks and and trying to find the biggest rock to throw in the water.

And Hannah's favorite was seeing where Grandma Sue is buried from across the water. We visit Grandma at the cemetery every few months and Hannah loves looking at the James River. And today she was on the other side looking towards the cemetery. We later went over to the cemetery and she got to look and she where we had walked - it was allot of fun to see her little brain working.

Whew what a day

We started the day off with a pretzel twisting class, tons of fun. The Auntie Annes in the mall had a great class for kids. http://www.auntieannes.com/
The girls had a great time, although I didn't get any pictures because I had my hands full of dough. And then the girls got to eat an entire pretzel for them selves, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. We always share everything, so this was a true treat.

And then our next stop was to ride the little train around the mall. This is always a funny site because the box cars are very small and the doors to the cars are even smaller. The kids can get in and out of them just fine, but to watch the parents try it just makes you giggle. You have to kinda turn your body as your stepping out - its quite a sight. But once the train starts you feel like a kid inside this little box car waving to all the people - its allot of fun. And of course here are more pictures from train ride and running around barefoot in the grass.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005529&l=3397d&id=1122309468

So then onto our next big adventure for the day, as if we haven't done enough. We're off to a 5 year olds birthday party. It takes a calendar just to keep up with the girls social lives.

The party was a ton of fun. My friend Kristen is over the top creative.
The theme of the party was The Little Mermaid under the sea treasure hunt. Her hubby was dressed live King Triton and lead the kids around the house (inside and out) to collect treasure. All the kids had a blast (young and old).
More pictures from the party. http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005530&l=f3b62&id=1122309468

We're now home and watching TV to wind down a bit from our day.

Mom needs a glass of wine :) It is almost 5 o'clock!

A day at the zoo

We had a great time at the zoo today. Grandpa Dana, Uncle Jordan, me and the girls all went to the Richmond Metro Zoo, which by the way is about 40 miles outside Richmond. Not really sure why its call the Richmond Metro zoo. But non the less it was fun. We got to feed giraffes, zebras and camels. We also rode the sky trolley, it made me a bit nervous at first but the girls loved it. It was a great way to spend my 36th birthday. For more pictures of our day go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005498&l=58ed9&id=1122309468.
Another year older and another year happier. Thanks to everyone for sending cards, leaving messages and wishing me a very happy birthday. Its so wonderful to have such a great group of friends and family.

XOXOXOXOXO

http://www.metrorichmondzoo.com/index.html

My birthday present

I've been having a great birthday weekend. Allot of R&R and its been great. Greg took the girls shopping yesterday for my birthday and he captured the entire day with the video camera. It was so fun to see the girls buying my gift and having so much fun. They got me this great charm bracelet. http://www.pandoracharmbracelets.com
Hannah picked out a turtle charm and Kate picked out a little house charm. I love it. And the best part is they can add to it year after year. It will be so fun to see what they pick out next year. I'll try and get the video down loaded so you can check it out. Also my back is feeling much better after 2 days on meds. Thank goodness for pharmaceuticals.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm looking forward to a fun week with Grandpa Dana, Jord and the girls. I think we might try and do the zoo tomorrow.

What do I do now???

So I wake up on Friday morning, get out of bed and WHAM, my sciatic nerve is pinched and I'm stuck. This happens about once a year so I know what to do. I get the heating pad out, take a big dose of Motrin and I'll be good in an hour. But no, not this time, my back decided that today I was going to be in agonizing pain that wasn't going to let up. Now before kids this would have been just fine. I would have laid on a heating pad and taking some heavy pain meds that knocked me out and I wouldn't care what kinda pain I was in. But with kids thats not an option. And to top it off I was suppose to babysit my friends 2 girls for the entire day. That is a big job in its self ( 4 girls under 5), but today that was going to be impossible. So what do??? Think think think. I called a friend around the corner who also has 2 girls (under 5). We put our mom heads together and figured that the best plan would be to have all 6 girls (under 5) at her house. I can sit on the couch and be the referee and she can do the running around (potty breaks, meal making, diaper changes, etc.). The day was fun, the kids had a blast playing together and it all worked out great. The day was saved. Thank goodness for the support of other moms, I don't know what I would do without my support system of other mommies.

Count down to vacation

I just realized today that we only have 17 days until our beach vacation. For the past 5 summers or so we've been spending a week every summer in the Outer banks NC. And for the past 2 years we've been spending it in Duck NC, http://www.townofduck.com/
We as a family look forward to this trip more and more every year. The girls love swimming in the pool and walking on the beach. And I'm looking forward to an easier year than we've had in the past. Their where a few trips that I needed a vacation after our vacation. But this year Kate and Hannah are both at great ages that it wont be as much work as it has been in the past. We also travel with Greg's family so its great to have the extra hands of Grandma, Grandpa and Aunts to help out. The girls love spending so much one on one time with them. Now I just have to start making my lists and getting organized. AKA driving my family nuts before we leave for vacation.

Science and kids does not equal patience

Grandpa Len sent the girls those great little capsule that expanded in water and have little sponge animals in them. Well I thought this would be a great - quiet - thing for the girls to do this morning. I was trying to get us packed up for the day and needed about 30 minutes to get everything together (make lunch, pool gear, extra clothes for children's museum fountains - it was a full day). So I sat the girls down at the kitchen table and handed them the bowl of water and the capsules. Hannah put one capsule in the water while Kate jumped all 10 in at once (That is their personalities to a T). I then heard for the next 10 - 15 minutes, when will something happen, nothing is happening, I don't see anything, why aren't they coming out. I had to keep stopping and telling them that they will come out when they melt in the water. To just have patience and it will happen. Patience is not something that a 3 year old and a 5 year old have much of. But then the first one hatched. You would have thought it was alive. They where screaming and cheering for this little sponge to pop out. So although I had to stop what I was doing 400 times, it was worth the thrill in their voices when they got to see all these animals hatch out of little plastic capsules.

We then headed off to the Children's museum to see live turtles, snakes and lizards. We had a pic-nic lunch at the museum and then headed to the pool for the afternoon.

Fun day had by all.

Another day

(Picture was taken last year at the beach - its one of my favorites - what a happy family.)


I can't stop thinking about what to write. I was up at 4am trying to figure out what in the world people would want to know about my life. Do I write about the simple little things or do I search my mom head for some funny stories??? These are the questions that are making my head spin.

I live such a happy life. Even the bad days are other peoples good days. I have two wonderful little girls and a fantastic husband. I have support, love and nurturing everywhere I look. Sure we struggle with money and never have enough time in the day, but those things you can get through. We as a family have the strong fountation of love and support. I see so many of my friends battling with their families everyday on communication. The frustration they have set up with in the family is so hard and I just thank my lucky stars everyday that Greg and I have great communication and we have passed that onto the girls (or at least we are trying).

Communication is the most important thing to have. At work, at home and with friends and family.

Syd

My first blog

My days are full of running around with the kids and Keeping busy. But every once in a while their is a moment that needs to be written down. It might be a funny moment, a sad moment, a goofy mom moment, or the dreaded gripe session. But whatever it was I thought what better way then to start a blog and share it with you. So here is my life in a nut shell - enjoy.