family caming trip

should have posted this a long time ago. cannot believe how fast the summer is going. couple weekends back matt and i got this great idea... at about 6:00 at night that we wanted to go camping. thankfully we have many campsite options... french creek, hibernia. so we threw everything in the car and headed out to hibernia park. we made it there just in time the park was closing in 15 minutes. we picked out a campsite and matt ran out to go grab things for breakfast in the morning. we spent a little while by the campfire and then crawled into the tent with the kiddos. thankfully aubrey was exhausted and leah was already asleep... so after a couple minutes of singing both kids were out. soon we were out too. the morning was so fun! eggs over the fire.... time by the lake. both kids did so great. cannot wait to do it again. maybe will actually go in the wood next time.

double trouble...again

this sunday i ran the double trouble again. (i ran it the june after aubrey was born). mostly, i ran it so that i had a goal in mind... as i tried to get out of the house a couple times a week to run. believe it or not, two years later it didn't seem as bad as it did before. i don't know if it was the fact that i knew what i was in for, but it really was over before i knew it. mind you, i am a little sore from the crazy rock jumping i had to do. poor legs only got to train on road so the quick stepping (trying not to break an ankle), kind of running i had to do left me a little tender. it was fun though! the BEST part, my parents came out to see me run (or see me finish rather... you can't really see the rest of the run, it's in the woods). it made me so happy to see them waiting at the finish line with aubrey, leah and matt. i am so blessed to have parents who would make a trip all the way out to french creek, just to see me finish.

summer fun

the last thing that i saw before i got hosed down.
you should have seen the next picture of grass.

our big girl

first there was the big girl bed... then came the loss of the paci... NOW (drum roll please!) we are potty trained! i say we because i am also potty trained (trained to ask all the time).

she's so cute... she sits there saying "do you hear the splash?" and then "i getta prize!?" she has gone on the potty consistently since thursday. i am so excited. just think of it. one less set of diapers to buy for. no more diaper butt in pants.

i know the photos aren't really about potty training. but they are about my big girl who also chooses her own music to listen to at barnes and noble. may i say she has good taste?!

uh oh... here comes trouble

i think we are insane. in an attempt for one last "girls time" before baby abbey was born...jen, april and i (and all of the children) headed out to lancaster for a trip to the new olive garden. sitting and having soup, salad and breadsticks would have made the whole crazy trip worth it, but to our dismay, they decided not to open until 4:00 their first week. this left us with only ruby tuesdays as an option. (which we could have done a lot closer to home...and isn't nearly worth the trip that olive garden was.) we had already hit the outlets and the kids were getting punchy. so in a last ditch effort to keep our sanity we let the kids climb under the table and ignored the judging looks from people at other tables. the kids were having a blast, and if you could ignore the screaming and giggling from under the table...it might have actually felt like we were alone.

we are now a group of three moms with 7, yes 7 kids... this means one less hand then child making anything we do together now even more of a production, but completely worth it.

check out the newest addition to our little group, abbey grace mclaughlin.

try not to blink...again

just six months ago we brought little leah home from the hospital. our sweet baby has grown so much these past few months. each day bring new adventures with our little "leah bean".

december 7, 2007


and now....

six years?

where has the time gone? seems like just yesterday we were holding hands on campus and going for long rides in the festiva. seems like just yesterday we were counting stars. seems like just yesterday we were snow covered in the windy city. seems like just yesterday you waited for me at the end of that aisle. seems like just yesterday we drove cross country without a radio. seems like just yesterday we walked the little shops of bar harbor and ate lobster by the sea. seems like just yesterday we brought our little girl home from the hospital. seems like just yesterday we became a family of four. time is moving too fast. it all seems like it was just yesterday.

baby blue eyes

little updates for our beautiful baby girl. leah bean is doing quite well, she is growing like a weed and is finally starting to fill out a little. she has just about turned over from back to belly while reaching for a toy (a feat her sister didn't master until about eight months). she LOVES the jump-a-roo and goes to town when you put her in it... kind of resembles the lord of the dance. she plays piano (i know she's a prodigy) on her excer-saucer...smashing her little fists into the keys and yelling in her loudest voice da-da-da-da-da. she love giving kisses. she'll take your face in both little hands and plant one on you (nice and slimy). adorable!

bathtime in the sink (again)

the middle child

chloe is our "middle child". she likes to get right in on the action all the time. if we happen to be paying attention to our children, she wiggles her little puppy bottom in. she loves jumping up into matt's lap with a toy (something we are trying to stop)... just to say "play with me daddy" it's like we have two toddlers in the house instead of just one. we were amused the other day with our two little ones fighting over.....a stick (log really).

"chloe not have my log"

spring and things

its funny how the time just slips by. it feels like just yesterday matt and i sat here in this very spot with aubrey at about the same age as leah. now our talkative (understatement) toddler entertains us with songs and stories while we bounce her little sister on our knee. saturday mornings we usually have to run to exton for one reason or another... lately we've managed to stop and relax for a few minutes over coffee. by relax, i mean keep aubrey from inspecting every cd on the cd rack at starbucks. as you can see aubrey's pick of the week, james brown. nice taste baby.


feels like just yesterday leah was coming home for the first time.... now she was a whopping 11 lbs 15 oz... tracking right along the 5th percentile, our little peanut. she's a crack up though. she smiles and laughs almost all the time and loves just about anyone who will make eye contact with her. but she does have a soft spot in her heart for her mommy. daddy is trying to break her of waking up in the night and has succeeded to getting her down to sleep from 7:30 pm to 5:30 am (with a small nap until 7:30 am, when mommy and aubrey get up). well, success is maybe not the best word.... it's a work in progress as most parents know. normal is never normal for long.


we have spent most of our days out in the beautiful sunshine. aubrey would rather "garden" then anything else. "mommy lets garden" is her tricky way of getting me outside. i think i am going to have a little helper as she puts on her gloves and kneels down.... it's only seconds before she abandons her spade and is perched up in her swingset asking for me to slide with her. "i thought we were gardening" i say, as i toss off my gloves and abandon my tools as well. needless to say i don't get a lot done.... plant a pansie here, weed a little there.

it's 8:45 and all is quiet in our house. matt ran out to grab a few things and the girls are both in bed. as i sit here still and think about my days with my family, i am reminded how blessed i am that they are mine and i am theirs and this was God's plan for us.... for us to be a family, chosen perfectly to compliment each other.

marsh creek

this is my absolute favorite picture from our adventures at marsh creek a couple of weekends ago. we all came out a little sunburned but it was well worth it. the chance to be outside and together as a family. for some strange reason i cannot keep my child out of marsh creek when we are there. (see post from last may HERE.) matt is chomping at the bit to get out the kayaks (I am too). think we might do a little kayaking on my birthday.... cannot wait. here's hoping the weather is nice enough for it. don't think we will be taking any babies with us this time (and there is NO WAY i am taking the dog kayaking.)

please don't leave valuables in the locker

our gym and swim class has come to a close. i meant to get some photos up sooner but kept forgetting the camera. here is aubrey playing peek-a-boo in the locker area. she totally enjoyed the gym class and now uses everything as a balance beam. she also does this thing where she tiptoes across the floor saying, "balance, balance" then tumbles over saying, "i lost my balance". which is only hilarious because she says it like it's lost....or missing. cracks me up. as for the pool it was a great experience for me (aside from having to wear a bathing suit) i got a lot of good ideas for playing in the pool with aubrey this summer... even learned how to get her to float. it should be interesting this summer.

this is how we ride

even at such a young age we have figured out that Leah's language is touch. matt spends most of our drives now holding leah's hand. she couldn't be happier. of course, poor matt's arm goes numb most trips.

the "what nice warm weather" post

ah, what nice warm weather we are having. taste of spring. why not go and wash our car in our underwear (not me). i finally got an opportunity to clean the car. no exaggeration there was about an inch of goldfish and cheerios crusted to the floor. while aubrey napped up in her room, leah napped in her carseat in the car listening to the radio and the white noise mommy vacuuming out the car. the washing of the car was a last minute decision to entertain a two year old for the last hour before daddy got home. poor daddy had to wash it again though. aubrey and i really didn't do a very good job on the outside... just soaped it up for fun (left mad soap spots and streaks.) it was awesome!

Grammy

nothing like the sweet little words "mommy, you not come" coming out of your dear little girls mouth. i think i vaguely remember my mother saying i used to do the same thing to her. it's ok with me.... i am glad she has grammy time. thankfully, i get to join in the fun sometimes.

date night with my hubby

i am mostly posting this because i realize that there are only pictures of our girls and no pictures of us. here's us. wednesday nights we usually have small group or date night (one or the other). our last date night was a trip to the world cafe live (of course i only have photos from the gas station on the way out of town). we went to see glen phillips play. I LOVE HIM. he is my absolute favorite solo artist ever, for all time, forever and ever.

there is something so right about sitting there with matt, his arms around me and just enjoying great music, great ambiance, a great night.

I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to do
Everything seems lost, everything but you
I’m not sure what it takes, I’m fuzzy on the rules
And everything’s so dark, everything but you

I’ve forgotten how to pray, forgotten what was true
And everything feels bought, everything but you
The battle of the bands, the rattle of the news
And everything’s so smart, everything but you

Take me to the town for torture
Break me on the wheel of fortune
All this entertainment’s no good
It just leaves me hungry for you

And I’m messin’ up the words, murderin’ the tune
And everything’s so slack, everything but you
I’m not sure what it takes, someone’s gotta choose
And everything’s sewn up, everything but you
Everything’s enough, everything but you

Take me dancing, pale and knock me
Spin me through the crowd and drop me
Dizzy in the middle of the floor

And oh my god, you terrify me
Oblivious you blow right by me
Spinnin’ wine and melted ice cream
Random, warm, and mesmerizing

You terrify me, you are everything
You terrify me, you are everything
You terrify me, you are everything
You terrify me

I’ll just stick to what I know, I’m proud to be a fool
And everything’s too much, everything but you
And everything’s a crutch, everything but you
Everything but you…

Glen Phillips

little miss personality

it's funny... you never knew you could have this much love in your heart such a little person. leah makes us smile everyday. she is such a joy to have around. she smiles anytime someone looks her way. (although this photo is misleading... she usually hates to be in her car seat. there is no one to look at.) she wakes up every morning kicking wildly and smiling at you. how can you not get up and get her (even though it's only 6:30 in the morning....eh, i'm getting up anyway.) still loves her baths. she lays in the tub and stretches out and puts her little hands up behind her head like she is just relaxing. she love when daddy puts lotion on her and she gets her little baby massage. she's started grabbing for things and looking intently at stuff (especially her hands) and she has officially found her thumb. hey, if she wants to self sooth, go right ahead... then i don't have to look for a paci all the time. (WHICH BY THE WAY AUBREY IS DONE WITH - HOORAY!)

permission

permission to sing out loud in public (with a bad voice). permission to scream at the top of your lungs while standing in a phone booth. permission to dance around and be silly. permission to roll down a grassy hill. i (heart) two year olds.

EASTER PICS...better late then never

here are some pictures from Easter. got yelled at for not putting any pictures up. we had a wonderful (busy) weekend. saturday we went to my parents for Easter dinner and an egg hunt with my sisters and their sweet little girls (who are all getting SO BIG). sunday was Easter at CFC and Easter dinner at JoAnn's house. lots of eggs, lots of goodies.... but most importantly the celebration of our RISEN SAVIOR... we even taught Aubrey to say "INDEED!"