Winter Break!

It's here! My two-week break has begun. What have I done with the first few days? ....work , of course. I went to school Monday and Tuesday to get caught up and ahead for third quarter. It'll be a busy third quarter for me so I need to be prepared. I'll be tutoring after school 2 days a week and coaching softball starting in February. I've been helping with cheerleading during this winter sports season but that has only been once or twice a week. I've caught the bug again, though. I've really missed coaching. I'm not thrilled to be away from my kids more but the seasons are short and it's extra money. I'll let you know how it goes. :0)

As for the rest of break, I'm enjoying my babies and getting ready for company to come for Christmas. I'm happy to have some r & r to get recharged for the second half of the school year. I love to have the time to play with my silly girls. Aren't they adorable?! I think so, but I may be a little bias. :0)

Uncle Keelan

Scott's brother Keelan came to visit us last week. It was great because he finally got to meet Avery and spend some time with Ryann. He stayed with us for a while last spring so Ryann got quite attached. She was very excited for him to come visit. Once he was here, she was a bit distracted by his friend, Kirsten. Ryann was super excited to have people to play with. They were here for 8 days but part of it was spent in Tucson. Keelan ran a marathon! I think he's nuts but we're proud of him anyway. :0) It was really great to see Kee and meet Kirsten. We love to have family visit.

Field Trip Time Again

Once again, we took 100 Third Graders to the Goodyear Baseball Park to learn from the experts. Our kids grow grass in cups so we wanted to let them see how it's really done.

We walked from our school across Estrella Parkway to the Ballpark. We had a police escort that kept us safe. I'm not talking a single cop. We had 2 motorcycle police and several traffic cops escort us all the way from our school basketball courts to the front gates and back. We felt pretty important. Of course, we did cause panic to several parents who wondered if there was some crisis at the school. Safety First!

We had the kids rotate through 4 stations in which Scott and his guys taught them different things about growing grass, mowing, field care and a tour of a locker room and batting cages. The kids and the parents who went thought it was awesome. The ballpark guys did a great job.

Here are a couple photos of Scott, the science teacher.

Christmas is Coming!

We kept our annual tradition of putting up our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Scott set up the tree and hung the outside lights. Ryann and I decorated the tree and put some decorations around the house. Ryann loves Christmas, even though she doesn't remember it last year and doesn't really understand. I don't think she even realizes she's going to get presents. She knows Santa and reindeer and likes the music and decorations. I think that's the extent of her understanding so far. We'll work on that. In the meantime, I'm preparing for the holidays. I even went out on Black Friday at 4am. This is the second year that I went. I do it more to say I did it than anything else. I did get a new bedding set for our guest room. It was 50% off! :0) I have several decorating projects underway in the house and that is one of the rooms I'm working on. I have 3 weeks left of work before our 2 weeks off for the holidays. I can't wait! We don't plan to do a lot of gifts for Christmas but I'm really looking forward to the time off and spending the holiday with family. I just love Christmas time.

Giving Thanks

It has been very nice having five days off of school. We've had lots of family time and I've had a chance to start some projects that I've been wanting to do. We had a very nice Thanksgiving. It was just the four of us. All four of us sat at the table together for dinner. Avery sat in the high chair and watched mostly but we were all together. I loved it.
With my time off, I've had time to sit back and appreciate what I have. I have so much to be thankful for!

I am incredibly thankful for my wonderful husband and my adorable daughters. I am absolutely gaga over my family. I love our home together and every minute we spend together, even during tantrums. :0)
I am thankful for my family and friends in NY. I don't get to talk to everyone as much as I want to. I'm terrible about the phone and I always feel so busy but I do think of them often and try to keep in touch through email.

I am thankful for my friends in AZ. They have made Arizona feel like home. I have an amazing little group of friends that I wouldn't trade for anything.

I am thankful for my job. In these economic times, it's great just to have a job. I'm very fortunate to have one that I love. It's exhausting and challenging but I love it.

I am thankful for Weight Watchers. I stuck with it for the holiday. I even took my food scale to the table with me. I had planned ahead and saved points so I had a great meal without cheating a bit. I even lost 2 lbs this week!

There are way too many great things to list them all but those are the highlights. This Thanksgiving, I give sincere thanks for it all. Life is good.

The Holidays Have Arrived

The holidays have officially arrived when we drag the whole family to get a portrait taken. We tried to kill 2 birds with one stone by doing it with Avery's six month photos. I think I blew it on several counts.

First, I made Avery wear the same dress Ryann did at 6 months. I just love it and it's like brand new. Poor kid.

Second, Avery has been in desperate need of a haircut. She had long, full hair until a month or so ago when it started to thin, leaving a scraggly mess. I have some sort of sentimental resistance to cutting it. Ryann has still never had a cut. After seeing the pictures, Avery got a trim.

Third, I forgot to have the photographer take a picture of the girls together without Scott & I. I was so worried about letting Ryann go play, I settled for "good enough." She was much better this time. I should have relaxed and thought about it.

Fourth, I looked horrible in the photos so I hate them all. I was having a bad hair day and I chose a bad outfit. I feel like all my weight loss isn't apparent at all. Ugh!!!

Lastly, I managed to abandon both kids during the outing. Ryann took off in the store while we were deciding what pictures to buy. We didn't notice until someone asked if anyone had lost a little girl. I frantically went searching and Ryann kept going around in JC Penney until I caught her. While Scott and I searched for Ryann, we forgot about Avery, sitting in the stroller in the portrait studio. It wasn't our most shining parental moment. Thankfully, everyone was reunited without incident.

As a result of our outing, we have our 2009 family portrait to dislike forever. I would love a mulligan on this one but I know neither Scott nor I are ready to try it again yet. Maybe next year...... (It's natural for me to say that, being a Mets fan.)

The Streak Continues

On Saturday, Scott and I drove to Tucson to see WSU play U of A. My mom came to town to watch the girls while we went to support the Cougs. The score didn't end up in our favor but Scott and I enjoyed having a day on our own. We don't get to spend much time together without the kiddies anymore. It was a fun day.

This was the fifth time I've been to a Cougars football game. Scott pointed out a disappointing trend. Each time I have seen the Cougs play football in person, they have lost. Not only have they lost, but they have given up 40 or more points. Wow!!! I'm bad news for the Cougs. Scott has seen them win many times, but never with me. Here's the run down of the games I've seen.

2006 @ Auburn -Loss (14-40)

2006 @ Arizona State - Loss (17-47)

2007 @ Arizona - Loss (20-48)

2007 @ Wisconsin - Loss (21-42)

2009 @ Arizona - Loss (7-48)

If this news gets back to WSU, I may be banned from all future games. Let's keep this to ourselves. We're hoping to enjoy some wins someday.

Happy Half Birthday, Avery!

Avery's half birthday was on Monday. She's officially six months old. It's amazing how fast time goes. I took her to the doctor on Thursday for immunizations and a check-up. She weighs 15 lbs 13.5 oz (45th percentile) and is 26 3/4 inches long (85th percentile). She's still long & lean, and quite adorable if you ask me. She is super cute with her 2 teeth and big grin. She's sitting up, eating baby food and trying like crazy to figure out how to crawl. She's really funny because she lays on her belly and swims with her arms and legs. If she ever gets that belly up, she'll be dangerous. She's already figured out how to roll from place to place and spin herself around. She's a very busy little girl. It won't be long before she's truly mobile. Then, Ryann will have quite a time keeping her stuff safe. :0)

Trick-or-Treat

We had quite an eventful Halloween this year.
Ryann and I went out for our weekly grocery shopping trip right after breakfast. We stopped at my school to pick something up and got a little sidetracked so we were there 30 minutes or so. Then I realized that I had forgotten Scott's newspaper so I stopped at another grocery store. I was feeling lucky so I put $2 in the scratch off machine to get a Bingo card. Ryann pushed a button, giving me the wrong kind. I ended up spending $4 to get what I wanted and didn't win a thing. That'll teach me. I shouldn't waste my money anyway.
When we got home, Ryann and I made pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies. She was very good with the rolling pin and cookie cutter. She went a little overboard with the sprinkles but it was fun. She made sure her daddy tasted one right away. After her nap, we carved her pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. We had drawn a face on it earlier in the week so we cut the same pattern we had. She scribbled on it a lot during the drawing phase but.....it's her pumpkin. She supervised the carving and gutting of the pumpkin. She didn't care for getting her hands dirty. After that, we roasted the pumpkin seeds. She was hesitant to try them but seemed to like them. Ryann's friend, Andrew, came by to trick-or-treat. He was dressed as a monkey. Ryann thought that was fun. She liked giving him candy. She went trick-or-treating on our street for the first time. She was quiet but didn't seem scared. She said "trick-or-treat" at most houses and "thank you" at all of them. She did have a funny habit of going into the houses as soon as the doors opened. I apologized but everyone seemed to welcome her in because she was so cute. A lot of people here sit in their driveways to give out candy. I think that's kind of funny but I guess it beats answering the door every five minutes all night. We met some new neighbors so that was nice. Ryann and I both enjoyed the outing. As soon as we got home, she and her daddy wanted to eat her candy but she only had a little. I didn't ask how much her daddy had. :0)
We spent the rest of the night playing and giving out candy. Ryann ran to the door with excitement every time a trick-or-treater came. She loves Halloween. We ended the night with a Little Critter Halloween book. I explained to her that we wouldn't be doing it again until next year but I have a feeling that we haven't heard the last of the "trick-or-treats."
Overall, it was a fun day. I really enjoy doing things with her now that she's big enough to understand and talk about things. Avery didn't participate this year but next year should be super fun. At least Avery got to show her Halloween spirit on Thursday at daycare. They wore their Halloween stuff on Thursday because they didn't go on Friday this week. I wouldn't have wanted them to miss out on the festive clothes. :0)

Field of Screams

Tonight, we took the girls to the Goodyear Ballpark for a Halloween event. There were all sorts of community agencies and businesses there. They all had candy to pass out so we taught Ryann how to say "Trick-or-Treat" and to say "Thank You" when they give her candy. She's shy so she was talking really quietly but she said it. I think we might try a few houses on our street next week, just to be social. Of course, all the candy goes to her daddy. He graciously agreed to eat it to keep her from eating too much of the good stuff. Tonight, I did let her have a pack of Sweettarts. She was thrilled. We also had our picture taken in "the pumpkin patch." This is our little sweet pea and our kitty cat.

Our Annual Fair Outing

Today we took the girls on an adventure. We took them to the AZ State Fair. It's always interesting but taking two little kids qualifies as an adventure. We busted out the new double stroller today(Scott literally assembled it just before leaving the house).
Ryann saw lots of animals. She especially enjoyed the pigs and bunnies.

Then she got to play with big rubbery Lego blocks.

Then came Mommy's favorite part...funnel cake! I know, I usually don't let my child eat garbage, but it's the fair! I had to share because I couldn't handle all those WW points alone. (Yes, I was able to indulge in 1 fair yummy without breaking my diet.)

Ryann went on her first Merry-Go-Round ride. She LOVED it. She smiled & giggled the whole time. When the ride ended, she had a temper tantrum because she wanted to "ride the horsey." I'm glad she liked it but it was rough pulling her away.

After that, Scott got some fried deliciousness, a fried Whipped Reese's bar. He liked it. By then, Avery was out for the count.

Ryann made it all day without a potty accident. That's saying something at the fair. As you can imagine, the bathrooms aren't exactly nice... or clean. Yuck!

At the end of the day, we got Ryann something to remember the day by, a blow-up Dora toy on a stick. She loves her.

Overall, it was a good day. It was hotter than expected in October but we did fine. We had planned on getting a caricature of the kids but they were too hot & tired. Maybe next year. Despite the challenges of taking two little ones, we can call it a success. We'll look forward to next October when we try it again.

Sitting Up

Avery has begun to sit up on her own. She's so cute when she does it. She gets distracted really easily, though, and tends to topple over as she reaches for things. Even when I lay her back in her bouncer or swing, she pulls her head forward as if she's trying to get upright. She's way too busy to be lounging around.

A Walk in the Park

We had a nice morning today before my brother, Chad, headed back east. He was able to spend some time with us before and after his weekend working a race in Vegas. We took the girls to the park for a little while and got some cute pictures. Ryann experienced her first trips down the slide with no diaper. It doesn't seem as cushy. :0) Both girls had fun with Uncle Chuckie. Ryann refers to him as "my Chuckie." We think it's cute.

Celebrating Small Victories

Today was a day to celebrate small victories.

First, I stepped on the scale this morning for my weekly weigh-in and found that I had lost 2.5 pounds. That brings my total to 31 pounds since I started Weight Watchers in June. I'm pretty excited about that. What do I get as a reward? Less food each day. Each time you drop 10 pounds in WW, you lose a point from your daily budget. I'm happy about the progress but that doesn't seem like much of a reward. :0)

The second victory to celebrate is a little progress toward potty training. Ryann has gone 2 days without diapers, except when she sleeps. She has a cute little froggy potty and Ariel undies. However, I have been doing a lot of clean up and laundry. Day 1 was rough but Day 2 brought only 2 accidents. She has proven that she has control when she wants to. I have had to bribe her with TV or trips outside at times. My child is quite stubborn. Where on Earth does she get it from? I'm looking forward to an even better day tomorrow. I am determined to win this potty war whether she likes it or not! (Maybe I know where she gets the stubbornness from.)

Over Achiever

Tonight, we went to church, as we have been on Saturday nights lately. We arrived, unloaded the car and realized that neither of us had brought the baby bag. We normally check her into the nursery but couldn't do it without a bottle or diapers. Rather than scrapping the whole plan, we decided to take Avery to the service and hold out as long as she could. Ryann loves to go play at church so I knew it would be a disaster if we turned around and headed home.

Fortunately, Avery sat through the entire service with us with only a few whimpers toward the end. We were able to avoid the hungry screaming and nasty diaper that we anticipated. Instead, we discovered a wonderful development. As we played with Avery during the service, Scott said, "she has teeth." I thought he was insane. How could I have not noticed one much less more than one. I looked in her mouth and there they were, two brand new teeth growing in side by side on the bottom. Wow! Not only did they sprout seemingly overnight but there are two at the same time! I remember Ryann getting one when she was 6 1/2 months then another a few weeks later. I guess since it was Avery's 5 month birthday, she just went for it. Maybe next week she'll get the rest. Who knows?! I think she's just an over achiever. :0)

Ahhhhh!

That's a big sigh of relief because the quarter has ended at school. I finished my assessments, grades, report cards and parent conferences. After working until 8pm last night, getting to work at 6:15 this morning, teaching and conferencing again today, I can finally relax. I came home early this afternoon and spent the evening with my girls. I missed them a ton yesterday. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of my husband yet. Scott had the kids at home today because it was suppose to be his day off. When I got home, he headed to work to do a few things. When he got there, he realized there were a ton of things needing his attention so he's still there (It's 8:40pm). Things are really hectic for him at work right now. The Reds are there now in addition to the Indians and they have a lot of other events as well. He's been working long hours. I'm really going to enjoy being home with the kids for 2 weeks but I wish he could have a break too.
Well, I hope to have more time to blog in the next 2 weeks so check back soon!

Weekend Visitor

This last weekend, we were fortunate enough to have a visitor. My brother, Chad, came for the weekend. It was an especially nice treat because he came just to see us, well, probably more for the girls. :0) He usually comes before or after working AMA races in Phoenix, Vegas , or California. This time, we had him all to ourselves. He was able to spend lots of time holding Avery & tickling Ryann. Ryann loves "Chuckie." We took him to church, shopping, and the park. He and Scott got to watch football together as their fantasy teams battled it out. It may not seem like much excitement but that's as crazy as we get lately. We're grateful for his visit and look forward to seeing him again in a few weeks when he has a race in Vegas.

First Foods

Avery had her first baby food today! I gave her some rice cereal with formula in it for breakfast. She did pretty well. She sucked the first few spoonfuls but seemed to catch on. She had a habit of pushing it back out with her tongue and putting her hands in her mouth so it was quite a messy experience. Overall, I think it was a success. She seems ready. Here are a couple of pics of the event. You'll notice that Ryann needed to eat a bowl of baby oatmeal as well. She likes to do what Sissy is doing.


In the spirit of new foods, Ryann decided Avery was ready for goldfish crackers. I was in the kitchen and heard Ryann say, "You're welcome, Sissy." I looked in and Scott was intercepting 2 goldfish crackers from Avery's mouth. Ugh! I'm so glad she didn't start choking on them. I guess Ryann thought since I fed her cereal, she was ready for other stuff as well. She's really something. :0)

4 Month Check-Up

Avery went to the doctor this afternoon for her 4 month check-up. The doctor said she's doing awesome. She's 13 lbs. 10 oz. and is 26 inches long. That puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and 95th for length, "long and lean," as the doctor said. She had to have immunizations but she was a trooper. She cried when they did it but stopped as soon as I picked her up. She did great.

Over the weekend, we introduced a new passtime for her. We put her in the jumperoo for the first time. She didn't do much the first time but by yesterday morning, she was a little maniac. She might be a little unorthodox in her method but she has fun. She gets really tired when she bounces. She took two really long naps yesterday and still went to bed at 7:30 for the night. I like the jumperoo. :0)

Avery at 4 Months

This morning, I woke to the sounds of cooing and giggling on the baby monitor. It's a nice way to wake up. Avery's happy sounds always make me smile. When I went in to get her, I found that she had rotated herself so her feet were in the place her head had been at bedtime. She certainly is a wiggly little thing. I don't remember exactly when it was but I think it was after 6 months when Ryann changed positions in bed. She used to be exactly where I left her, every morning. Avery is definitely different. She's always on the move. She rolls herself over, back to front, when she's in her play gym. She kicks like a maniac to splash in the bathtub. She gets herself rocking in the bouncer due to all the kicking. Ryann used to just sit in it and let it bounce or vibrate. Avery's bouncer doesn't even have batteries, ...no need. Here is a picture of our little wiggle worm playing with her butterfly, which was also Ryann's first best friend.
I also thought I'd throw in a video from this morning. I just think she's so cute. :0)

What a Month!

August has come and gone in a flash! I can't believe it's over already. I am starting my 5th week of school already. Our mid-quarter progress reports go out this week. I've been so busy, I haven't taken many pictures or done much to share on my blog. I did take a few minutes today to upload pictures from the camera from earlier in the month. They are from when my mom came to babysit while we went to see the Mets. We won't discuss the Mets. Baseball is virtually dead to me right now.

Anyway, here's a picture of Ryann in the ladybug tent my mom brought her.

This is a video of Ryann running around the splash pad at the park. She might seem scared but she's actually just being a goofball.

I did manage to have a little fun amidst the chaos this month. Playing with my girls is always fun. Scott and I went to 2 baseball games and a movie. Getting out together is a big treat. I also hosted our first Bunco of the school year. A bunch of girls from work get together about once a month during the school year to play Bunco. I had 13 people over yesterday. We had a really good time but, as usual, I didn't win anything. There's always next time. :0)

A Little Progress

I'm happy to report that after 10 weeks of doing Weight Watchers, I have reached my first milestone. I have lost 21 pounds as of today. :0) I have a long way to go before I hit my goal but it feels good to make progress!

Taking a breath...

My first two weeks of the school year are done. Ugh! It's been crazy these last few weeks. The beginning of the school year is always busy but when you add 2 little maniacs at home, things get nuts. The girls are going to daycare 4 or 5 days per week, depending on Scott's schedule. They're both doing very well. Avery is the youngest there so she gets lots of extra love. Ryann has started participating in preschool-like activities so she comes home with all kinds of fun projects. :0)

Things at school are insane. I have 27 kids + 2 part-time kids so my room is full and they keep me hopping. I can't complain, though. Due to budget issues, we have 30+ per class in most grade levels. Our kindergarten classes have an average of 33! Yikes! That's a lot of shoe-tying and nose-wiping. Teaching kindergarten was once my dream. This year, it looks more like a nightmare. I like third grade very much, especially this year.

I'm frantically trying to catch up on work every night and over the weekends. We have Back to School Night on Thursday. I'll be doing presentations for the parents. I'm working on that tonight. So...I'll get back to my work. Hopefully, I'll find a chance to breath in the next couple of weeks. Then, I can blog some more.

Three Month Pictures

We took Avery for her 3 month pictures today. We also got a couple pictures of her big sister while we were there. Avery was very cooperative. Ryann had to wait while Avery got her picture taken alone. She went over to play with some toys. I called her over to get her picture with her sister. She was quite grumpy and uncooperative but we did get a couple of decent ones. After we finished, we were looking at the pictures on the computer. Ryann walked into the studio area and said, "cheese," to the photographer so the photographer went with it. Ryann kept posing like a model. It was funny. We ended up buying one of those shots. Picture day is always an adventure.

Sniff...Sniff..

Well, I've had to shed a few tears so far this week. I'm back to work and Avery started daycare yesterday. I really got upset thinking about passing her off to someone else. I teared up every time I thought about it. Yesterday actually went pretty well. I dressed the girls in "Big Sister" & "Little Sister" shirts for the occasion. I had to take their picture, of course. (It's a little fuzzy because someone wouldn't hold still.) That did slow me down a bit but it was important. :0) Ryann really likes to go to daycare and she was excited for Sissy to go with her. Once we were there, she forgot all about Avery & went off to play. I feel very comfortable with our daycare provider and we had already met about Avery last week so it wasn't too bad handing her over. Although, it was a much slower process than when I drop Ryann off. I had to peel myself away from her slowly. I teared up as I left the daycare but didn't cry after that. It was much easier than I thought. That doesn't mean that I like it by any means but I'm not falling apart like I thought I would. Now that the school year is beginning, I'll be looking forward to weekends, holidays and our 2 week breaks to spend with my babies. It makes it a little easier having a job that I love to go to. It keeps me busy and the days go quickly. I am grateful to have a pretty good situation, even though I can't be home with my kids all the time.

Hand-Me-Downs

For some reason, I find it fun to compare pictures of the girls in the same outfits or poses at similar ages. I don't know why. It's just one of the ways I'll drive my kids crazy someday, probably.

I have discovered that it's much more difficult to get pictures of Avery than it was to get them of Ryann. My eldest child doesn't seem to like it when the younger one gets her picture taken. I'm not sure if it's the attention that Ryann isn't getting at the moment or truly the fact that Ryann is obsessed with pieces of technology. She begs to see pictures of "Ry-Ry" on the camera whenever I get it out to take Avery's picture. Avery is often confused by the commotion and her smiles are hard to catch. Oh well, maybe it'll get easier. :0)

My morning babies.... They're so happy when they wake up. Well, at least Ryann used to be. Now, it's more hit and miss with her. Avery loves to smile and "talk" when she wakes up.

I'm noticing that their pictures don't look as similar anymore. I guess they'll be more different looking than we thought. When Avery was born, it was deja vu. She's definitely becoming her own person in looks and personality. Ryann was always content and fairly independent as a baby. Avery is a snuggler and needs love all day. She sleeps well at night but demands attention all day. Hopefully, that'll pass. It's super fun when Avery is fussing for attention and Ryann is having a terrible two episode. Ahh...the good times.

Summer's Coming to a Close

If I were still in NY, I'd just be settling into my summer routine, with a month off of work ahead of me. Well, I'm in AZ. That means that summer is just about over. I start work on Tuesday, July 28th. I've already spent 3 days at school and countless hours at home preparing for the new school year. I've always loved the beginning of the school year, even as a student. I guess that's one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher. You get a fresh start every year. It's so exciting! I always have big plans for the most successful year ever. However, by the third or fourth week of school, the novelty has worn off and I'm ready for fall break. Unfortuantely, the first quarter is 9 weeks long. :0) The beautiful thing about our school calendar here is that we finish a quarter, get a 2 week break, recharge, and start a new quarter. It's sort of like the first day of school 4 times a year. Well, sort of. Nothing beats the real first day. :0)

On the flip side, there is one bad thing about the school year starting. I don't get to spend every day with my kids. I admit, I do get stir crazy and, sometimes frustrated, but I do love my time with my girls. Avery starts daycare on Tuesday. I'm very sad about it but I know she's in good hands and she's less than a mile from my school. Ryann loves it there and has always had a good experience. It's just hard to let go. If only I could take the girls to work with me. :0)

Here's a picture of something Ryann and I did almost every day this summer...the froggy pool.