The summer is drawing to a close, which means soon we can break out the blue jeans and say goodbye to the beach and swimming pool. We've had one awesome summer and while their little personalities may be trying at times, I am really enjoying this age. I am finally getting to "know" my children and who they truly are!

This is a bit dated, but cute all the same. 4th of July at Will's house was a blast, as were our matching swimsuits!

Grammy came to visit and we loved her so! We played dress up, went to church, went to the beach, and learned how to say our bedtime prayers :-)




Haircut count
Reid-5
Eva-0


And to wrap it up- some fall news. Eva is officially a ballerina! She's starting ballet class at her school this Tuesday and couldn't be happier. She did a trial run to see how she'd do since most kids can't start until they are 3 but she was a rock star and got in early! Reid starts PlayBall this week as well, so we'll have to post a picture of him in his uniform. He will learn ball coordination skills, which will be very important for a future all-star quarterback of course.

Welcome July!

Summer is flying by, though officially it's only been here for a week or so. Work is busy, life is busy, but we're all happy and that's what matters. The kids vocabulary is just cracking me up. As Meema says, the way they reason things is just insane! Eva's turning very bossy and Reid, sweetly, is going right along with her every wish (don't know where they get THAT from!)

As mentioned in the previous post, we are absolutely digging the beach this year. When given the choices of what do on the weekends, hands down the beach is first choice (with the swimming pool thrown in here and there). This past weekend we introduced cousin Will to "Eva & Reid's beach" (as Eva self proclaimed it) and a good time was had by all.




Princess Eva strikes again. She's all about princesses. Where are we going for her birthday? Cinderell-D-a's castle! What's your name? Princess Eba!




And to catch up on a recent zoo trip, here's a few hot and sweaty pictures to admire. We had fun but holy cow we won't be going back until maybe October at this point!






Lastly, closing thoughts from Princess duck-duck.

Why I Love Being a Mom

Today is a day that reminds me why I love being a Mom and how far we've come.

2 years ago when we went to the beach, we packed 1/2 the nursery, intensely rubbed down two 6 month olds with sunscreen, planned for what seemed like hours, and then spent 30 minutes at the beach until they got cranky and it was nap time.

1 year ago when we went to the beach, we packed a wagon full of 'stuff' (swim diapers, change of clothes, an array of snacks, tons of sunscreen, etc.), drug the kids down to the beach, spent an hour until they cried because the ocean scared them and the sand rubbed in their eyes, then went home because it was nap time.

Today we went to the beach. We put on swim suits (and only 1 swim diaper for Reid- yeah potty trained Eva!), sprayed on lotion, grabbed some ice water and grapes, and walked down the boardwalk with nothing but ONE bag of 'stuff' and ONE bucket of toys. We spent almost TWO hours at the beach, and they laughed, giggled, splashed, swam and generally have an awesome time. We left, went to Cruisers for lunch, and then went home because it's now nap time.

Awe, this is the nirvana of motherhood. A good day with good kids and a good husband. No crying (well, maybe just a bit here and there), no loads of 'stuff', and no rushing home. Just enjoying ourselves.

And this is why we are not having anymore babies :-)




As a closing note, take a look at our budding princess. If you ask Eva, her favorite princess is "Cinderelduh" because "she had blonde hair and blue eyes like ME!"

Spring Gardening with Black Thumbs

Ross and I have never been super successful at growing much (if you don't count the twins & the one plant we got as a housewarming gift from my Mom 6 years ago). So, this year we decided to get down to our roots, so to speak, and plant a raised vegetable garden. With tips from Papa, a lot of dirt, and a little hard work we're off. The kids are loving it so far and can recite a list of the things we planted! Here's a few snapshots of our venture thus far.

Our seedlings- grown indoors for a couple of weeks.


Fun with dirt!




Work is over... time to play with water!


Riding the the borrowed Papa's yard cart. Reid proclaimed 'I sit with Eva.'



I'll update as the spring continues....

Oh, and a nod to our favorite newly wed couple Brad and Lori. They were married in a beautiful ceremony April 10th. Congratulations! We are so pleased to officially have 'Aunt Lowy' part of our crazy family!



And a fancy picture of Ross and I to close :)

Hello March, Wasn't it just December?

Where do I begin? Oh, yeah, we've been, um, busy. Doing what may you ask? Well, I get up at 5:45 to be out the door by 7. Ross gets up with the kids at 7, gets them to school, then does stuff around or goes fishing until he has to leave for work at 1:30. I get off at 4:30, pick up the kids, do dinner, do bath, and get them to bed by 8. Then it's either off for a run (don't worry- the neighbor comes over to house sit!) or get laundry, cleaning, etc. done around the house. Usually it's a combination of the two. Then it's off to bed by 10:30, right around the time Ross is getting home from work. Wash, rinse, repeat. Yep, busy.

Oh yeah, and then there's this little 1/2 marathon thing I trained for and completed on Ross' b'day. Yay me :)


We've had a few tragedies in our lives lately and I fear more to come. Thankfully, the kids are sublimely oblivious to all of these and keep plugging away merrily. They started a new school in January and we all love it! Since Bank of America purchased my company - Merrill Lynch - we get to use their on-site daycare. Unfortunately it's not on MY site, but it's not too far away. It's awesome and cheaper than where we were. So far, it's a win/win situation.

The kids' vocabulary is just sky-rocketing. Eva told me the other day "no thank you, Mommy, I'm fine" and Reid is our little performer. There's not a song or dance the boy won't attempt. We are in the middle of potty training with Eva right now. She's doing really well and we're taking it slow. This has lead to Eva discovering how much she loves being in her 'natural' state, shall we say. The other night we had a dinner party at our house with a few friends. Eva proceeded to streak much to everyone's amusement. This has become a weekly, if not daily occurrence now.

We've had a lot of birthday parties to attend lately, which have been super fun. Here's a few pictures from our latest at Build-a-Bear for our neighbor Abby's 3rd birthday. For those who want to know, Eva picked out a pink bear (shocker), a karate outfit (she's creative), and named it 'Pinky.' Reid picked out a blue bear (shocker), a biker outfit (huh?), and named it 'Bob.' They crack me up.




Grammy and Pops came to visit us back in January as well. We had great weather and a great time. Here are a few of our pictures and one of the 4 of us at the zoo.





I know I've made promises before but I 'promise' to post more often. Welcome Spring!

Ho Ho Christmas..

So, it sounded like a sweet game plan. We've been talking up Santa for WEEKS now. What does Santa say? Ho Ho Kiss-mas (see previous posts). What does Santa bring you? Presents. Do you love Santa? Yes (I know, this one's kind of pushing it).

We show up at the Dison's Christmas Cookie Exchange today. We are ready. Too cute camo Hunting For Santa outfits on (again)? Check. Happy, well fed/well rested twins? Check. Getting familiar with our new surroundings for Santa's big arrival? Check (see below)


We here the bells. Yes, Santa is here! Do we want to go investigate? Yes! Is that Santa? Yes! Do we want to go see Santa... pause... look up at Mommy... RUN! No, No, No! Ok, let's give it a 10 minute break and try again. Want to see Santa? No. Well, darn. Ross, want to just make them do it anyway? Ok...


Better luck next year :o)

Holiday Happenings

2009 is almost at a close and we're really enjoying the holiday season thus far. Last year we had 2 still crawling children on our hands who were transitioning, grumpily, from 2 naps to 1 and not quite 'getting it.' This year, oh boy do they 'get it!' All they can talk about is Christmas lights, presents, Santa Clause, presents, and baby Jesus' birthday. According to Reid, Santa says "Ho, Ho Kiss-mas" and baby Jesus wants Happy Birthday sung to him every day. Eva wants presents! More presents PLEASE! (Well, at least she said please).

Let me back track a bit. Thanksgiving was wonderful! It started with a family 6K run/walk we did first thing in the morning and ended at Susie and Uncle Scott's house. The kids were all bundled up for the race and then played with their 'favorite' cousins all afternoon.



Ah, and next came the annual family oyster roast. Actually, the boat parade was the night before, but I forgot my camera and Meema has all of those pictures. I'll have to back track a bit in my postings later..

They Annual Barkoskie Oyster Roast was a great success! The weather was pleasantly chilly, perfect for oysters, s'mores, low country boil, and of course, hayrides. Oh, and Ross made his absolutely fabulous chili. There wasn't a bite left!

Meema and Papa got the kids matching outfits. They say 'Hunting for Santa' and were absolutely adorable. Here they are posing with cousin Will.


They hayrides were a blast as well as the s'mores. Once again, the kids really 'got it' this year and it just makes everything a whole lot more fun!







Next up is holiday cookie baking tomorrow, our buddy Brosnan's 1st birthday Saturday, our neighbor's party Saturday night, and then a cookie exchange Sunday. Whew, I'm going to be exhausted by the time Christmas actually gets here! But it sure is a blast :-)

Happy Belated Birthday to Y'all

The twins are officially 2, in both physical form and 'spirit' if you know what I mean. Welcome to the terrific twos!

They had an absolute blast at their birthday party. It was more low key this year with just family and, of course, Elmo. The little furry creature was everywhere. Eva was so overwhelmed she just started jumping up and down and could hardly catch her breath when she saw all of the decorations! I even made Elmo cupcakes. Just call me Martha Stewart. or not.


Meema and Papa got them new tricycles and they were a hit!



Eating cupcakes and opening gifts were fun since this year; they 'got it.' Can't wait until Christmas!





And finally- the aftermath of all the fun. What a great day. Happy Birthday Eva! Happy Birthday Reid! (Yes, I made everyone sing the song twice :)