The Dooligans 4

Happy Birthday, Papa Larry!

2011-12-29T10:23:00.002-05:00

It was my Dad's 67th birthday yesterday. We had pizza and cake. Here are two pictures of the kids looking calm. The rest of the time they were acting like monkeys under the influence of something potent and illegal. Justine excluded, of course. :) It was a very nice birthday get-together.

(I really appreciate how both my dad and Jon are representing UCF in these pics. I wonder who bought them those shirts?)

Red Lentil Soup

2011-12-21T21:49:00.001-05:00

Ingredients:
1 onion
4 carrots
olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can vegetable broth
1.5 cups red lentils
2 cups water
1 bag baby spinach
Saute 1 chopped onion and 4 chopped carrots in olive oil in a large saucepan. Stir in 1 tsp. ground cumin and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon when the carrots and onions are cooked and lightly browned. Add 1.5 cups red lentils, 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 can vegetable broth, 2 cups water, salt and pepper, cover and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low, simmer, covered, about 10 minutes until lentils are tender. Stir in bag of baby spinach. I serve this over steamed jasmine rice. I love it with sour cream or plain yogurt on top. I also serve crushed red pepper on the side for heat.

Abe Visits Florida

2011-12-18T08:08:00.005-05:00

All the Smith cousins together! We tried to get them to line up in order of age in this photo, but Abe got very sad when Justine set him down by Anna. So here they are: Justine, 8th grade, Abraham, 18 months, Jonathan, 2nd grade, Trystan, 1st grade, and Anna, Kindergarten.
This one is cute! Jon, Justine, Abe, Trystan and Anna.
Trystan and Abe. Abe was trying to learn to dribble like Trystan. It was so funny. Abe can actually kick a soccer ball with one foot. He can also talk an incredible amount for a child his age. I had not seen him since July and I was amazed.

Aunt Jamie (me) and Abe.
Trystan and Abe.
Anna, Justine and Abe in the toy room at Nona's. Abe got attached to this little Elmo and when he would lose it, he would say, Where'd Elmo go? And we would have to go find it.
Justine with Anna.

Harris Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-18T07:59:00.004-05:00

Anna and Jonathan on the train ride.

Jonathan on the pony. (He has ridden much bigger horses than this before, by himself. I wonder if that's what he was thinking?)
Anna riding the pony.
Anna and Jonathan at Daddy's company Christmas party.

Bethlehem Walk 2011

2011-12-11T18:01:00.005-05:00

Every year we go to Bethlehem Walk in Satellite Beach. They recreate Bethlehem on the Eve of Jesus' birth and retell the story. There are different booths to visit. When you first enter, the Roman guards have you sign the census. This year we took Trystan with us. He was VERY impressed with the Roman guards.
Me, Anna and Trystan on our way into Bethlehem Walk.
Trystan, Anna, and Jonathan in one of the booths playing with a driedel.
Trystan and Jonathan.
Anna, Trystan and Jonathan learning about how oil lamps work.

Jon signing the census.
Anna and Trystan signing the census.

EVERYONE has to sign the census. :)
When we heard the shepherds tell the good news, and after we visited with the donkey, the lambs, the cebu, and the goats, we saw Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Bethlehem Walk is one of our favorite Christmas traditions.

Anna's 6th Birthday Party

2011-12-05T10:22:00.004-05:00

We had Anna's 6th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, at her request. We had it early, since her actual birthday is 3 days before Christmas and she wanted to invite her class. Anna had to wear her pink boots with her birthday dress. :) Here she is playing a dance game.
The birthday girl with her cake. It was a Muppets cake (we just saw the movie last weekend) from Publix.
Getting ready to go play some games with her cup of tokens.

Anna with Chuck E. Cheese himself. Wow.
Love it! Anna with her cousins, Trystan and Justine.
Above, she is with her Daddy in the Ticket Blaster. Only birthday guests are allowed to go in this wind tunnel of tickets. Her crown and safety goggles caught most of the tickets for her. Jonathan later on told us some sort of strategy he would have used. :) She is smiling at Herbie, one of the students from her class that came to her party.
Wow... Justine is turning 14 this year! I can remember when she was Anna's age so well. They remind me of each other so much. Justine is a wonderful young lady and I adore her.
Anna smashed her birthday crown down over Justine's face. Awww...
Jonathan had to show Anna that there was slots for tokens all the way around the crown. Anna had a great birthday party and loved all of the crazy antics involved in a Chuck E. Cheese party.

A Few Pics From Our Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2011

2011-11-22T20:07:00.009-05:00

We usually always take our pictures outside under an orange tree. One year we went to the beach. We decided we needed a change this year, and we wound up at a riverside park in Melbourne Beach. It was everything we needed... minus the sand. I LOVE how the photo cards (and address labels!) turned out and can't wait to get them in the mail so I can start sending them out!

Jonathan was perturbed that I asked them to step so close to the edge of the water. He clutched the dock and held Anna tight. She had to taunt him by curving her body out toward the water's edge. (He can swim well; she can't. He was trying to protect her.) So, in all of these pictures he looks like a combination of terrified and mad, and he kept grabbing her tighter and tighter and her tank top kept going up and up, making her belly hang out. I told him, Jon! If Anna falls in, I will go after her. And if you fall in, you know how to swim! He looked at me with disgust, and said, Yes, but not in fish pee. (Good point.)

So sweet. And I love the Melbourne causeway in the background.
I don't know what this was about but it is cute!

Does the wind blowing her hair in her face make this picture any less perfect? I think not.

While this one did not make the card, I absolutely love the look on Jonathan's face! :)

Ten

2011-11-15T22:20:00.009-05:00

Happy Anniversary to Us! 11-03-01 to 11-03-11
We stayed at the Addison on Amelia Island.

Last time we went to Amelia Island, it was for my birthday a few years in June, during a record heat wave! This time, it was during a cold snap, plus it was WINDY!
Me and Dave at St. Augustine.
Last morning at the B&B... Croissant french toast with mango peach orange syrup. The breakfasts were delicious... They had more than one course and there was always tons of fresh fruit involved. And the coffee was GOOD! Yummy! We absolutely loved staying here and will definitely return.
We went on a segueway tour. It was so fun... and a little terrifying. (For me! :)
They told us to get closer and touch each other; I said, No. My hands were not leaving the handlebars!
My favorite house, Tabby House, on Amelia Island. Luckily, it is right across the street from our inn. It was built out of a unique substance called tabby that slaves used; they have been trying in modern times to recreate it and they can't. I think this house is the most beautiful one on the entire island.
Getting ready to leave for the segway tour at Ft. George State Park. (I was trying to stay warm; not simply going for fabulous ;)
We took a carriage ride to dinner at Beech Street Grille. Delicious!
Okay, here I was just going for ridiculous!
Boomer the carriage horse is a local celebrity. He is such a great horse. The funny thing was he just decides which way he wants to go while on the tour and his owner just adapts her tour talk to his route.
We had a nice little porch outside our room. I was waiting to go to dinner.
The funny thing about this picture is it looks a lot like our wedding kiss. The man taking photos couldn't catch it at the altar, so he asked us to kiss again, and this is basically the photo he caught. We were still too fast! Kind of funny. :)
On the carriage.
Dave walking through the courtyard bringing our stuff up to our room.
One of my gifts from Dave. We went to a wine tasting on the way up to the island, so the glasses came in handy.

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-11-13T00:02:00.006-05:00

We brought out pumpkin over to Nona's to put on her front porch. We always trick or treat in her neighborhood.
Action shot!
Justine (Zombie Killer!) Anna, Trystan, Jonathan. Multiple cameras out so kids all looking various directions.
Get out of my way. There is candy to be had.

Anna looked darling in her costume.
Anna, Trystan, Jonathan. Kindergarten, First, and Second graders!!!
Tell me Jon doesn't look awesome... Green Lantern!
In preparation to be matching Crayola Tickle Me Pink Crayons, we put some pink streaks in our hair. Anna had her first awards ceremony ever for elementary school the next morning... and she got her award with the pink streaks in her hair. :) (It was really late when we got home! Too late for a bath!)
T-man! Trystan was a soldier. I think a desert one? He could explain it in far greater detail than I could...

Pumpkin Carving 2011

2011-11-07T11:40:00.007-05:00

Okay... so I got kind of uptight! Everyone else left and I kept working. Kitty Bat was the one we chose out of the kit. Jon was the only one who got it--Kitty Bat? Kitty Cat? See?
The kids by the finished product.
Once I got up on that stool (see below) I was able to finally get the rest of the guts out. We all worked so hard... It was a bigger pumpkin than we normally get!
My strong man Jon brought a step stool in for me... Being short is hard sometimes.
Anna and Dave working hard.
Teamwork AND smiling siblings? Why it is a Halloween miracle!!!
Love that face! And come on, kiddo... you had the gloves on!!!
Detail work.
Anna with her tools assisting Dave, who detests this sort of task, but was a very good sport about it! (Thank you!)
Love it! Anna, Daddy, Jon.
oops. out of order. Anna and Daddy heading out to Trunk or Treat at our Awana church. Anna was a butterfly princess, I think?

Pumpkin Patch 2011 by Anna as dictated to (and edited by) Mommy

2011-10-30T10:35:00.005-04:00

This is me and my Daddy and my brother in front of my pumpkin.
It was raining outside. This is my mommy, my brother, my daddy and me in front of the pumpkin I picked out in the rain. The umbrella is next to me.
I picked out a pumpkin and Jonathan didn't. Nanananabooboo. I had an umbrella and no one else did and I never shared it. Daddy came out to the pumpkin patch because it was too heavy for me.

Daddy took a picture of me and then they stuffed hay in me and they turned me into a scarecrow.
I was giving money to the pumpkin helper for the pumpkin.
I am taking a picture with my tiny pumpkin.
This is Jonathan with his pumpkin.

Happy 8th Birthday to Our Jonathan!

2011-10-23T11:13:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday, Jonathan! The past eight years have been SO much fun. As my firstborn, you have made my job easy. I have to admit, when I held you for the first time in the hospital eight years ago, I was in awe and wonder that you were a REAL BABY! I don't know quite what I was expecting? :) I was also terrified... Could I do this? What if I messed it up? But you made it all so happy and even the rough times were so rewarding. You have taught me every bit as much as I have taught you. I adore you and I can't imagine a better son. If I could have custom ordered a baby boy straight from God, I could not have possibly come up with something as unique and wonderful as you. You have made my life so much more joyful and rich. I think you are so handsome and funny and brilliant and wise. But the part of you that makes me most proud is your character and your heart. Just a tiny example of this? What you wished for when you blew your candles out on your eighth birthday... your buddy Isaiah to get better. You thought of this ahead of time. To you, it wasn't a big deal. But to me, it was. I am very proud of the ways you empathize with others and think about the world. I cannot wait to see what you are going to do with your life. Whatever you choose, I will be cheering you on, and I will always be proud that you are my son. Happy Birthday, JonJon. Love always, Mama.
Pokemon everything. Anna and Jon selected Pokemon clip art which we printed on card stock, cut out and used to decorate cupcakes. Nona made a chocolate sheet cake.
The pinata tradition. Jonathan said, It actually pains me to have Piccachu beaten on! :)
In line waiting to beat on pinata. We had some technical difficulties this year. Eventually Dave had to just hold the pinata. When it was Anna's turn, she kept saying to him, as she clumsily brandished her large pipe, "I don't trust you." It seemed a little mixed up to me! (No one was injured, thankfully.)
On Jonathan's actual birthday, the 13th. We made his favorite dinner, chicken and dumplings. Plus, the traditional ugly cake. It is a from scratch chocolate cake with caramel frosting. It started with me accidentally messing a cake up, but it was super delicious. Jon dubbed it Ugly Cake, and has requested it ever since. Now, I have to work at messing it up so it looks like an authentic Ugly Cake. It is actually way more fun than the crazy making and carpal tunnel inducing Spongebob Squarepants cake of years past. :)
Anna, Trystan and Jonathan checking out some presents.
These two are going to be some fierce teenage boys someday. Heaven help us. :)

Thank you to Nona for hosting Jonathan's birthday party! We appreciate all of the work and hospitality!

Mickey's Halloween Party

2011-10-16T08:42:00.006-04:00

Trystan and Anna (a soldier and Super Girl!)
Not just happy... DISNEY happy!
They like to call this pose fabulous-fierce! :)
Jonathan, (has just turned 8!) Anna, 5, and Trystan, 6. They had such a great time! I am so glad we went.
Trystan and his Mom, Janenne.
Anna and her Daddy on the way in. Their wigs were both looking pretty good at this point.
Super Girl with her purse!
Three cousins!
I had so much fun with my Jonathan! We went on Space Mountain together. He did happen to mention something about me being the worst mother in the world when the ride ended...? But he recovered and we had a very special time that night. :)
Anna went off with her cousin T and her aunt Janenne most of the night. I couldn't believe after a full day at school, all three kids were going strong till 1 in the morning!
Crazy cousins!
Tired out, waiting for the ferry.
About to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. (Jon and Anna found it scary, which I always did as a kid also.)
Of course, we had Captain Jack with us, so I don't know what they were worried about!

Jonathan's goal of the night was to seek revenge for Space Mountain and try to make me sick on any ride he could control. But he did not succeed. :) We had such a good time, and I think we actually fit more of the Magic Kingdom in than we normally could during a day at the park because there weren't as many people there. Also, it was not hot-- the weather was PERFECT! AND free candy! And adorable costumes everywhere!

Jonathan's Back to School Days: A Look Back

2011-08-11T15:38:00.005-04:00

2 years old! August 2006. Ready for his first day of school ever!

You got that backpack there, buddy?
Jonathan had a great first year of preschool in Wee 3s. :)
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4 years old! August 2008. On his first day of VPK.
With his sister Anna, 2 years old.

Jonathan had an awesome year of VPK! He was ready to go to Kindergarten!
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Anna and Jonathan on his first day of Kindergarten! August 2009! 5 years old!
This was his first year with the red and black backpack that he says he intends to keep until it falls apart! We shall see!

Anna, 3, and Jonathan, 5! Jonathan had a great year of Kindergarten! We could not believe how much he learned and progressed over that year.
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August 2010! Jonathan, 6 years old! First day of first grade! Rezoning in our district brought us to a new school, but Jon did just fine. Same red and black backpack.
Jonathan 6, and Anna, 4.
Our first grader and VPKer! :)
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Which brings us to this year! August 2011! Jonathan is 7! First day of SECOND grade! His third year with that red and black backpack!

Jon is 7 and Anna is 5. Our second grader and our kindergartner! Amazing scrolling down on this post how they just grow up, huh? If there are any typos, forgive me! It is hard to type when you are crying! Sniffle! I am so proud of my boy! He is growing up so strong, so tall, and so kind! He has always made me so proud.

New Hampshire: Summer 2011, Part I

2011-07-27T21:14:00.011-04:00

Anna and I on the top of Mount Washington, or as Jon has renamed it: Mount Puke-ing-ton

We caved and bought some hats at the gift shop at the summit. Partially because our ears were freezing because we were up in the clouds, and partially because Anna was just so darn cute in hers! See her modeling it below? Awww!

Anna, 5 years old, found the drive up the mountain and the weather to be exhilarating. Jon? Not so much. I tried to pretend to feel like Anna, but I was really feeling more like Jonathan. But it was a very neat experience, and I am glad we had it! It was an awesome view and a fun adventure!

Anna, Uncle Cory, and Jonathan. Jonathan was wearing Daddy's shirt that we had bought at the gift shop... He was not so pleased with this.

Baby Abe, 1 year old! On the porch at his house. He was the best part of New Hampshire!

After he got home from school, Abe liked to forage in the garden for a snack.

As you can see here, Abe enjoys his meals.

Mia (German Shepherd puppy), Jon, Uncle Cory, Abe (in stroller) and Anna out on a walk

Aunt Erin with Mia and Jon

Abe out in the garden

Jonathan and his Mama (me) after our swim/picnic at the lake (okay, I never got in because that water was COLD!)

Anna doing her thing and rocking out to the music they were playing at the lake... She is so funny. According to her, it doesn't matter what kind of rock music it is, as long as it is LOUD!

Anna said, Get a picture of me being like the Little Mermaid on these rocks! (As if I need any encouragement to take MORE pics!)

Uncle Dave, Abe, Jonathan and Anna. Cousins! Jonathan, 7, Anna, 5, and Abe, 1. Seeing Anna and Abe together brought back lots of memories of Jonathan and Justine together... Anna loved spending time with Abe. She took lots of pictures and video of him, and at one point proclaimed, He is just so cute I want to put him in my suitcase and take him home with me!

Aunt Jamie, Abe and Jon.

Uncle Cory had fireworks! Yay! The kids had not had any fireworks or sparklers this year so they had lots of fun with this.

Anna, Jonathan and me. I love my babies. They are going to start 2nd grade and the big K in a few weeks! I would say, where does the time go, but Jonathan looks so tall in that picture? I can totally see him as a third grader! And Anna has been ready to go to Kindergarten since um, like, DECEMBER! When she turned, FIVE! DUH! SERIOUSLY! (her words, not mine!)

Front porches are just fun! The end!

Jonathan made a great new friend! They had so much fun together!

Baby Abe with his mama, Erin, by the lake.

Jonathan, talking about something funny. Cory, Abe and Anna in the background.

Is Jon 7... or 17 here????

Abe giving his cousin Anna the staredown... maye thinking, is she going to eat ALL those chips? Is she going to SHARE whatever is in that green bottle? Hmmm...

Kentucky, Summer 2011: Hammock

2011-07-25T14:41:00.006-04:00

Okay. Above, you see a posed picture. Below, you see an unprompted one. See the difference?

Anna and Jon used Grandma Jane's hammock for everything except for its original intended purpose: relaxation. If anyone else tried to relax in it, they quickly switched into anti-relax mode and either climbed into swing and started jamming their bony appendages everywhere, or they started pushing the hammock like it was an amusement park ride meant to catapult the rider out. There is a large stone in the ground under the hammock and I think maybe there was an angel on assignment at Grandma Jane's hammock the week we were there. I don't know how everyone stayed unhurt and the hammock stayed intact. It was fun. :) And I love all the many pictures I snapped of them acting like siblings do... Taking off their shoes and beating each other; Trying to bite toes; Pinching ears; Screaming "Push me push me! Okay stop stop it! No, no, come back! Okay, again!"

Happy 31st Birthday to Me

2011-06-20T13:16:00.003-04:00

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. --Anna Quindlen

How did 31 happen? I swear it was just last summer and 30 was here. This past year has been full of momentous things and mundane things. I am trying to figure out if it has been a very good year or a very bad year. My babies are still healthy and growing strong (and I, myself, am still present!) so I will have to say it has been a good year. I remember my 10th birthday party. I remember turning 11. I can remember turning 13. I remember who was there, and who was not... and why I thought them not being there was probably the end of the world. When I turned 15, I remember thinking some things that happened that summer were the beginning of my real life... And I remember thinking that some things that happened later that year were the end of the world... But every day came and went and I learned a little bit more about how to survive. How not to let other people control how I felt so easily. How to decide some things for myself. How to make up my own mind and not to look to others to tell me what to think or how to feel. I am still working on this. Every single day. And probably always will. But I am definitely no longer as weighed down and suffocated by it as I was 15 years ago, or even 5.
I blew out my 31 candles this year surrounded by people I love. I was just going to have 24 pink candles but for some reason I really wanted all 31 years represented there. So we found some more candles. I was happy to see them all glowing there, and that it took me more than one breath to get them all out. They have all been valuable to me. Every year got me to the next year, and the next... And even years that were painful, if I had a time machine, would I go back and change what happened? I don't know. I am not so sure I would. Would one little step in my path made easier lead me away from where I am now? Would Jonathan and Anna still be here? They have made every little bit worthwhile. If I had a time machine, maybe I would not use it to go back and change events. Maybe if I got one as a birthday wish, I would go back to when they were babies. Those late night feedings, just me and one of them. I would love to smell their sweet baby hair again, feel their tiny hand wrap around one finger, see them look up at me while nursing, studying my face in a most calm and studious manner. I would like a time stretching machine. I wish I could go back to those especially sweet moments in life and just make them last a little longer.
In ten years, when I am 41, and they are 17 and 15, I will probably again wish for a time machine. Except, maybe then I will want to go back to now. When they were 7 and 5. Right now is precious. Maybe that is part of what I need to figure out. :)

Nickelodeon Hotel Weekend 2011

2011-05-31T18:12:00.007-04:00

Jonathan, 7, and Anna, 5.

Thank you, Nona Donna! Nona sent us with beach towels, snacks, water bottles, gatorade, and arcade money! Anna won the ring and Jonathan the Whoppee cushion.

Somehow we lucked out and got a Spongebob room! Yay! It was nice since it took them 30 minutes to get us checked in, then our room wasn't ready for a full hour and a half after check in time! I was sort of irritated. But then when the kids saw the room... It was all okay. We had our own room with a door, and then there was a living room with a kitchen area and a bathroom, and the kids had their own bedroom with their own tv. (And that would be called... a suite... riiight?)Anna said, we should just move in here! But then when we got home today, she ran in and started kissing the floor. She was tired of all the walking because the hotel was huge. When we separated, Dave said to Anna, "Help mommy find the way back to the room." I think he was sort of kidding, because I always get lost. Well, she did! I tried to take a whole bunch of wrong turns, and she kept saying, nope, not this way, and walking ahead. She led me all the way through this maze to the correct elevator, then told me which way to turn to get to our room, all the way to the door! I could NOT believe it! She must have gotten the great Dooley direction sense or something.

The kids are looking out from our safe vantage point waiting for the daily mass sliming down by the pool. :)Anna and her Daddy. You can see Jonathan in the background. I couldn't see anything I was taking a picture of because of the blinding sun so I was just sort of snapping any which way. I love this one, though. :) (The little girl, really close to Dave? We don't know her. This is how the children were at this place... no sense of personal space or boundaries. And apparently... Maybe this is a Southern thing, but when you see something really impressive, it is totally acceptable to exclaim, Holy Hell to your parents and grandparents? Oh, and spitting right on the ground in front of a grownup's feet? That is also permissible. I actually was so startled when one young woman used manners and courtesy when she almost bumped into me that I almost forgot how to reciprocate! When I saw her with her parents, I went up and told them what a nice daughter they had and how proud they should be! :) When you see one shiny thing in a giant mass of poo, you must acknowledge it! Anyways, that was my little rant... sorry. We had a wonderful weekend.)

There was a (very) mini- mini golf course next to the water slides. Jonathan loves to play mini golf and he is pretty good at it. I was quite concerned for my children's safety and all of my family's dental well-being because of one (unsupervised--if I had to sum up the atmosphere of the children at the Nick Hotel in one word, I would say that: unsupervised!) child who did not understand the concept of what to do with the club and was swinging it wildly and causing us all to duck and flinch... We all stopped playing except Jon went ahead and played for a while. Anna used the curbs separating the holes as balance beams and I thanked God that the balls weren't real golf balls but plastic in nature.

This is one of the worst pics of me ever, but I like that you can see how tall Jonathan is next to me, and I love his silly expression, and Anna's funny posture and face. :) She is still into Dora. We went to three short 4-D movies: Spongebob, Speedracer, and Dora and Diego. Jonathan, Dave and I thought Spongebob was the best; Anna preferred Dora. The fourth dimension is where they blow bubbles, spray water, blow air, poke your seat, mist odors that go with the story line like pickles or bananas, etc.

Two children, two very different feelings towards Dora, Dora the Explorer!

The reason this is so cute and not punk is that Jonathan is not normally like this, and let's be honest, you get past the age of five, and Dora loses her big-headed charm. Amen?

Big hotel, lots to do... One of the best things there were the birds. Ducks, ibis, one giant swan, cranes, herons, etc. For 25 cents you could get some bird food to throw at them. Anna is gutsy so she threw some at the swan when it was asleep. It gave us the meanest look you can imagine. We had a lot of fun looking at all the birds together, and all the neat cartoon character sculptures out on the lake: the Rugrats, Patrick from Spongebob, Wild Thornberries, Spongebob...

The kids were doing some air guitar/robotic dance moves here. It was pretty awesome and I don't think this picture or any words can possibly convey it to you.

I always loved these tourist brochure stands as a kid. Jonathan loves them too.

On our last morning, Jonathan got me to go on the slides with him. I was actually really nervous when we got to the top to go down the tallest slide. I told him, I went to Water Mania and stuff like that growing up, I guess it has just been a really long time! He chuckled and said, Mama, are you saying you've turned from a dog into a cat? (I thought this was exceptionally clever!) I did go down the slides. It was really fun although a little indignifying at the bottom... As a teenager, I worried that my top would come off or my bottom would be wedged upwards. I didn't want anyone to see my business. Still, now, I don't want anyone to see my business, but for very different and very similar reasons... :)

Anna and I both got our hair wrapped. This was really fun. We basically got the same colors: dark purple, light purple, aqua, except she got pink and I did not. She got a horse charm with a pink gemstone in the center and I got a sea turtle with an aqua charm in the center. I have always wanted to get my hair wrapped, and I don't think 30 is too late, in spite of what some people from North Carolina might say ;)

Jonathan chose a caricature over an airbrush tattoo. He was totally fascinated with the artist's methods. He watched intently as someone else had their picture made, and then held perfectly still for his own.

On our last morning, Anna didn't feel like going swimming. So we got a spot under the umbrella and she studied some of Jonathan's drawings from the night before.

The kids by the front lobby Spongebob as we checked out. They really got along well on this trip. They both said they thought it was more fun than the cruise... And I might just agree with them a little tiny bit :)

Anna's First Graduation

2011-05-24T10:36:00.004-04:00

On her way to her last day of VPK for her graduation!
Pretty as a picture.
We are so proud of our baby girl!
The wonderful Mrs. Hoffmann. She taught Jonathan and Anna. We will miss her and will always be grateful for her love and guidance of our children!
Anna loved the scrapbook they made her of her year of Pre-K.
She was checking out her graduation picture. :)
At this point, Anna wanted to eat. She was not all about the pictures. :) Nona Donna, Mama, and Anna.
Anna with Mrs. Hallsworth, who also taught Jonathan. We will always be so grateful that our children had her in their lives during their preschool years. We love you, First Friends! Thanks for all you've done for our babies! Now, on to the big K for our Anna! I know she will handle it like she handles everything else, headfirst and no fear and all in! :) She couldn't be any different than I was at this age, but I couldn't be any prouder of her. You go, Anna Banana!
PS When she walked the stage, they announced she wants to become a chef. In her graduation scrapbook, she said a teacher. For months before that, she said a missionary pilot. I think when you are five years old, it is important to keep your options wide open!

Words from Today

2011-04-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Mama, I wonder how small an ant is to God. Jonathan in the car, casually, like he was asking me about what we were having for lunch.
Mama, there is this boy at school that everyone is in love with. I'm not even kidding. Everyone, even the BOYS. I am in love with him too.
Me: No, you aren't, Anna. You are NOT in love... You don't even know what that means.
A: YES I DO! It means you want to marry him when you grow up.
Me: No, you aren't getting married!
A: Yes, I am! To, C. from school! But not till we are grown ups! (With a major hint of DUH in her voice.)I start to tell her that she should set her sights on someone that the entire preschool class isn't in love with... How will she ever compete? But then I realize this is inappropriate on several levels. And this is Anna... have you seen her? Cause she is gorgeous.
Jonathan leans over to take a drink out of my Coke. I screech at him, NOOO! (mostly because I wanted to avoid catching his puking virus from yesterday).
He looks at me calmly, and says, what is the matter?
I take my straw out and put another one in, telling him about viruses and also the issue of Coke being bad for him. Being Jonathan, he asks, logically, without a hint of attitude, Well, then why do you drink it?
I reply, Because I am a grown-up! I can make my own bad choices! When you grow up, you can make bad choices, too!
He just blinks at me calmy and then turns away, saying nothing. Just like his Daddy.

On this day...in 2010. Art Work and Computer Time

2011-04-22T17:12:00.007-04:00

Jonathan and Anna. They are a lot alike in a lot of ways. :)
One of Jon's spongebob pics.
Another one... And below this is what I call his Evil Flowers period. He was drawing a lot of beautiful yet angry flowers.

Everyday Anna

2011-04-09T17:28:00.008-04:00

Nona bought Anna a Build A Bear kit. It required sewing far beyond my ability (which is very little to none). After two hours and a very impatient Anna, we had a bear.

Anna looks cute in my glasses. Okay, she looks cute in everything.

Anna had her outfit picked out weeks before St. Patrick's Day. It was VERY important to her. She asked me, Mama, do they really pinch little children? I told her, not at her school. :)

One thing I have noticed about Anna lately is she is starting to gain more patience and stick to it-ness. She made this Lego creation and was very proud of it, as was I! She has been able to work on jigsaw puzzles by herself lately also.

What does it take to wear our Anna Banana out? A full day of school, play, and horseback lessons, a bath, followed by more playing, and then she will finally fall asleep watching cartoons in living room!

Anna loves to copy words. She copied the word Freedom off of her t-shirt. I think that is why it is backwards.

Anna and Jonathan have been attending AWANA since January. They are still eager to go every week and they have been keeping up with their verse memorization. Jonathan is really into reading the Bible on his own.
Anna picked me a bouquet from the yard.
Anna is learning to write and copy words. There are some words she can already remember and spell on her own, but others she copies from around the house.
Nona took us out to a lunch at Fujiyama. Anna got in the Kirin boat for a picture opp.

Anna and me went on a special date while the men went to a baseball game.

Anna is growing her hair back out and she let me put it in these little pigtails. She is so cute! She is completely ready to go to Kindergarten.

More Cruise Pictures

2011-03-30T08:47:00.007-04:00

Cruise March 2011

2011-03-29T22:47:00.007-04:00

A friend in need...

2011-03-29T13:08:00.006-04:00

Please go to my friend Jessica's blog and read her post regarding her sister Janet.
http://rockyandjessica.blogspot.com

Please also go to Janet's site and consider making a donation to NFT, and if you do, please follow directions so the donation goes directly to help Janet.
She needs a kidney and pancreas transplant. She has been devastatingly ill for so many years now and she is still so very young.

http://sunshineforjanetmccrary.blogspot.com

Also, here is the link to the NFT site:
http://www.transplants.org/donate/janetmccrary

You should be able to see Janet's picture as you donate if you've followed directions properly.
If you can't donate, then please help by reposting this on your own blog or on Facebook. If everyone could help where they can, a little would add up to a lot!
THANK YOU

Happy Birthday David Daddy Dooley!

2011-03-19T11:18:00.003-04:00

On Dave's actual birthday, we made him an orange soak cake with white chocolate drizzle and fresh strawberries. It was simple, and the orange juice, butter and powdered sugar glaze seeped into the cake and made it unbelieveably moist. The kids liked poking the holes in the top and watching the glaze soak in. Dad made corned beef and cabbage and potatoes and carrots and onions... (Two days early since I had class on St. Patty's Day.
We had a nice little dinner. The kids assisted in all aspects of the cake making process. The kids worked together a week before to write a poem for their Daddy and the day of his birthday Anna labored over writing each word of it onto a homemade card. She kept having to tape pieces of paper together to add more room.Then, my Mom threw Dave a dinner party at her house. I had said I would bring the cake... and I FORGOT! Whoops... So she just stuck some candles in a round loaf of bread that she served with the delicious dinner she made. THEN we got to go on a cruise ten days after his actual birthday... and I think it is safe to say we all had a very happy David Daddy Dooley birthday! :)

Horseback Lessons

2011-03-19T10:58:00.003-04:00

I love the way Jon rides with his chin up and a smile on that sweet face. You can just tell how good he feels about himself. Worth every penny (and it costs LOTS of pennies!)

I love this picture of Anna... she reminds me of Chelsea Clinton for some reason? But I love it because she looks so confident and proud.

Pretty little girl, pretty little pony. Anna wants to get back into gymnastics, though... She says she can't stop thinking about it and it is her dream to go back there.

I love when Jon and Anna are side by side so you can see the difference in their horses. :). I love the two of them together. God couldn't have put two siblings together that complement each other more. Jonny and Annie forever.

Jonathan has been on a different horse named Vegas. I guess they needed Buttercup for someone else?

One great thing about the time change is that it is still bright outside for horseback lessons. Dave was able to get some great pictures this time.

Trystan's 6th Birthday Party!

2011-03-04T11:47:00.006-05:00

Uncle Dave going down the slide.

Anna going down the slide.

Trystan on his birthday throne.

Jonathan

Trystan's beautiful sister Justine!

Anna Recites Her Memory Verse

2011-03-04T11:27:00.004-05:00

Anna has memorized 13 verses so far at her AWANA club. She looks forward to going every week and has earned 2 patches for her vest so far. The video clip on the left is Anna saying the verse without holding the book. Jonathan sort of accused her of "reading" the verse in the clip on the right. She does look like she is reading it! But, not yet. She is only in Pre-K.

In case you can't understand her, she is saying:

He said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven.

Right now...

2011-02-17T13:02:00.003-05:00

Right now, there's a kitchen sink under my dining room table which is in my living room next to the fridge that is by the front door in front of the fireplace which is stacked with drawers full of stuff from the kitchen. There is an oven and a dishwasher in my living room, in front of the TV. There is about 10 feet worth of modular IKEA storage crap that we usually keep in our dining room stuffed in Jonathan's bedroom, along with bins and garbage bags full of the contents of our kitchen drawers and cabinets... food, plates, utensils, spices, etc. Right now I'm supposed to be writing an essay that has to be uploaded by 5 and I am have to leave here to get to my Orlando class by 4 so I have less than 3 hours to get it done. I can't concentrate for some reason. We just had a nice Chinese takeout lunch picnic in Anna's room. We haven't slept at our house since Thursday night, but luckily we've been able to stay at my Mom's. We think we can sleep here tonight. Last night, it took me a long time to go to sleep, then Jon woke me up at 130 AM with nausea and a fever. It took him about three hours to fall back asleep. Then I finally fell asleep out on the couch, and then had nightmares about being trapped in a department store and being forced to try on dresses, all the while having to see all of these super awesome Michael Kors handbags on super clearance (and if you bought one you got your choice of a free pair of shoes!) but I kept being redirected to try on dress after dress after dress. I woke up and went to sleep back in the guest room with Dave. Then Anna woke us up an hour later. Dave and I were both sick starting yesterday so he stayed home from work, thankfully.
I have a terrible headache, neck pain/back pain, etc.
I am just hoping our problem is resolved, there will be no more leaking drain water coming up through the tile. The smell in our house was terrible. The new drywall/tile/paint etc., smell in the house smells like heaven in comparison. We have no idea if insurance is going to cover anything. But we have a good contractor who is doing things right and working really hard to get everything done, thank God. And we have my Mom who has been helping watch the kids all week and do dropoffs and pickups and feed us and do laundry and everything.
So right now, I am feeling a little insane because of the chaos of my personal space, and because of the chaos of trying to keep everything going with the kids and school and everything. Only 35 more days till we leave on our cruise. I'll tell you what I am NOT packing: anything school related. No books, no computer, nothing. NOTHING. Luckily, my spring break comes before the kids does so I should be able to get a lot done then while they are in school so I can mostly just be their mom during their spring break. I am STRESSED out right now. Although, I know, it could be worse. And I am excited to see how the kitchen turns out. I am just looking forward to the night when I can cook a meal and we can sit down in our dining room together and eat. I had better go and get my paper done. It will not be a good paper, but it will be turned in on time, and even though I feel awful, I will go over to class, 3 hours round trip and 3 hours sitting in class... I am so tired but it seems that action is better than inaction. Like if I just decided to stay home from class because I do have legitimate reasons to do so, I would just sit here and be totally stressed about missing class. And even though I feel like I will turn in a crappy paper, it is better than turning in nothing at all. Pictures to follow of the kitchen/dining room disaster and the finished product. I never get any time to blog anymore. :(

January

2011-01-29T16:44:00.009-05:00

After staying the night at Nona's, Jon and Anna hit some garage sales. Jon got a Star Wars book and a Choose Your Own Adventure book (does anyone remember those? I LOVED those growing up!).

Anna got a cute hooded vest and a tote bag.

Jon at school with his recycled robot. He was very proud of it. I thought he did a great job!

The kids joined AWANA club this month. Every Thursday evening for TWO hours, they go to a local church. They both LOVE it. They memorize verses in King James, and it is really interesting to hear them recite them.

Anna isn't ALWAYS loud. Often times she is quiet and seems to really be thinking some things over. She has been asking some really deep theological questions, such as "Did God invent himself? Because before He created the world, it was all black and it was all dark. So, there was nothing. Did God invent himself?" And other questions such as: "What causes the ketchup to stick to the chicken nugget?" Which doesn't seem deep at first, but really, when you think about how to answer it...?

At home with his robot creation. He made a trap door for the body, which holds a chip inside (that's what he is holding in his hand).

We had our buddy Jaiyden stay the night and we went to Banzai for lunch. Above and below, you can see that he thinks the Dooleys are a little nuts. :)

Jon and Jaiyden.

The Teaching Academy, UCF, Orlando campus. I have one class in Orlando this semester. I love graduate school and I feel really positive that I am in the right program, but I have discovered that it takes a lot more endurance and, you know, actually being focused and using my brain. My brain likes to be lazy, and I was never really challenged quite this way before. So I sort of love/hate it. I am so glad I waited until the kids are older.... I never could have done this when they were babies. I am hoping that between full time school and part time job, by the time I actually get a full time job (hopefully in the 2012-2013 school year, it won't seem so stressful to balance everything. That's what I am hoping, anyways.

Anna drew this on Tux Paint using the mouse. I think it is really good. She has suddenly become very interested in drawing and writing.

I make handwriting worksheets for her to practice writing her AWANA verse.

Anna loves to make large circles with toys. She spends a lot of time on this.

Anna made this picture of me and Daddy getting married. She has a paper doll book, but she likes to draw her own pictures and then tape the paper doll parts onto it. She also did a really cute one of the four of us when she was born, and she put me and her in pajamas because we are always in pajamas in the hospital pictures. She is so cute.

Anna, Trystan, and Jonathan at Nona's house.

We went over to Orlando for Jonathan's orthopedist checkup. Afterwards we ate at Bahama Breeze. Jon is going to be getting a new sort of brace for his foot. It is all plastic and we go and get him fitted for it this week. We have a new doctor and he seems to want to do something... even suggested surgery. We are going to try the orthotic first. It will fit in his shoe and go up to his ankle. It is supposed to correct the way his foot is positioned while walking.

We count down to AWANA every week. The kids look forward to it so much, all week long. I don't quite understand it, because it requires work on their part, but they both really love it.

Anna got her haircut (we are still trying to grow it all out from when she cut her own hair in the fall). They put a pretty bow in her hair. In the car, she looked at herself in the mirror, and said, "I look like a present!"

Anna colored this, and wrote Honey underneath (with me calling out the letters, of course.) Honey is the name of the horse she rides at lessons. It is interesting how all of the sudden she really wants to color and write. I think somebody is ready for Kindergarten!

Anna with her Makoto's leftovers, in the shape of a cat.

Jonathan with his Makoto's leftovers. He requested a foil dog.

Anna and Justine at Makoto's.

Jonathan and Trystan at Makoto's.

Anna, Trystan, Justine, and Jonathan at Makoto's.

Anna, 5 years old.

She is really focused.

Jonathan drew this design and then he and Daddy worked at making it out of popsicle sticks and glue. He gave it to Jason for his birthday.

Jon spying on Justine and her friend.

Anna and I met Dave for lunch at Carraba's.

Lately I've had little time to blog. Or take photos with our camera. I have been snapping pics whenever I can on my Blackberry. So here are some little moments from the past month or so.

Jonathan's Journal

2011-01-11T21:06:00.003-05:00

November 29, 2010 "On my break I had a playdate with my cusin. We played Hugrey Hippos and we played outside. Then we played War."

January 7, 2010 "Wen my sister rides the Dogs that makes me smile. And wen my sister says gidyiiup and the dog doe'st move. That makes me smile a lot." {Ok, so I wasn't actually aware that Anna rode the dogs. No wonder they don't move. They are only little shi tzus! But this sounds like a very accurate account of what Anna might do.}

January 10, 2010 "Yesterday was my uncels Birthday. We ate at Modos. I hade the chickin and rice. My cusin and me loved the flams." {We went to Makoto's to eat for my brother Jason's birthday. Jonathan loved the chicken and rice, but the most exciting part was definitely the flams (the flames).}

December 2, 2010
"Once I helped someone because he cant walk with out his stick. I took out the trash. Then I got him a soda. " {Referring to a family friend, Bill. Bill has MS and Anna and Jonathan visit him and help him sometimes.)

Kentucky Christmas Trip 2010, Part 4

2011-01-04T20:18:00.003-05:00

Anna and Jonathan on Aunt Meredith's scooter.

Aunt Meredith with Anna. She looks like she loves that scooter.

Helmeted Anna.

Jonathan and Anna.

Anna running around the stop sign like a nut.

We went to Louisville to visit Meredith's new house! We love her new house. I love the colors and the way it is laid out and decorated. It has a great sense of space, cozy and roomy at the same time. Anna was a little confused when were trying to find it. She kept saying, how can there be houses here? It's not a neighborhood. There are stores everywhere! (She is used to subdivisions and suburbs, I guess.)

The kids and me. I adore porch swing pics and try to take them at every opportunity. I was questioning whether this swing would hold Dave and I when it came crashing down. Thankfully we were not hurt and I just feel bad for Meredith's porch swing. I am feeling VERY sensitive about my weight so breaking a porch swing did not help. Also, I screamed my emergency word... one that starts with an F. I am pretty sure Grandma Jane might have heard me... I feel bad about that. She was inside watching the basketball game. (Kentucky won!)

Me: Wow, honey, look there is some sort of predatory bird out in that tree, like an eagle or something.

Grandma Jane: No. It is a vulture. We don't have eagles in Kentucky.

Me: Silence. (Inwardly thinking, that is the fanciest vulture I've ever seen!)

BUT I still don't know what kind of bird this is. Does anyone recognize it? It was QUITE large and beautiful.

Kentucky Christmas Trip 2010, Part 3 Snow Melts Away

2011-01-04T19:57:00.004-05:00

Yes, they will fight over anything. Even sticks. When there is nothing but sticks all around. I think competition for resources is what siblinghood is really all about.

Jonathan was very proud of his new boots! He said, Look, I am just like Daddy.

I think so, also.

Just my 3 favorite people in the world! Anna, 5, Jonathan, 7, Dave, 32.

Anna with the white cat. I am coming up on my tenth year in this family and I still don't know that cat's name. But she is a beautiful and sweet cat, and the kids are always happy to see her.

Jonathan LOVES being outside at Grandma Jane's. So much open space. So many sticks.

Anna set this pose up all by herself. It was her idea to put her foot up on the rock and hand on hip and hold onto the walking stick Jon found for her. She is something else!

Kentucky Christmas Trip 2010, Part 2 SNOW!

2011-01-04T19:37:00.003-05:00

Anna standing by her first snow angel. Anna kept insisting it would snow in Kentucky. She said it will be snowing when we get off the plane and there will be snow on the ground to play in! Well, I kept telling her the weather predictions didn't agree, but it turns out she was right. She told me it was all part of her magic. (Egocentric, much?)

Jonathan had a lot of fun working in the snow.

Anna looked so sweet in her jacket, boots, Hello Kitty snow cap... Love it!

Working on the snow angel. I wonder if she realized how cold the ground was going to be before she laid down on it.

Jonathan trying to figure out why this kind of snow wouldn't make snowballs.

Grandma Jane tied plastic bags over his shoes to keep them from getting soaked. He and I went and bought boots the next day so we could really enjoy the snow.

Anna Elizabeth, 5 years old.

Jonathan loved this giant icesicle!

Anna found an acorn in the snow. This is probably one of my most favorite pictures of her ever!

Kentucky Christmas Trip 2010, December 26th

2011-01-04T19:23:00.002-05:00

From left, Aunt Meredith, Jonathan, Grandma Jane, Uncle Chris, Ella, Aunt Jennifer, Jamie, Anna, and Dave. We had a wild evening and I think we looked pretty good all things considered.

The Dooley Cousins: Jonathan, 7, Ella, 1, and Anna, 5. Ella was fascinated with Anna.

A bunch of cutie pies!

Ella checking out Jonathan's gifts. Ella is SO cute. I love that toddler stage and I miss it.

Christmas DAY 2010

2011-01-04T18:53:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas! Jonathan, 7 years old, Christmas Day, 2010.

This is sort of a strange look for Anna but for some reason, I like it. Not sure if it pride, anger or determination...?

Lots of work to do in that sand. The kids had a great time, and I think anytime we can, we should go to the beach on Christmas day just for the bragging rights! It was 73 degrees and sunny that day. It was nice to get out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Anna made us a beautiful ornament with her picture on it.

Jonathan bought these for me at the Secret Santa shop. He said I like pink and I like hearts, so he thought they were good. :) He was really annoyed when I wore the earrings Daddy got for me instead.

Anna made us a beautiful card with her handprint.

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-25T08:41:00.011-05:00

I think this picture of Trystan and Jonathan is just too awesome!

Nothing like Nerf!

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Justine, 12 years old, 7th grade; Jonathan, 7 years old, 1st grade: Trystan, 5 years old, Kindergarten: Anna 5 years old, Pre-K.

I was actually having to fend her off with my leg while taking this picture.

See that face? T isn't messing around.

Justine made Anna and Jonathan pillows. They were both so happy with them.

Trystan with his Nerf sword.

Jonathan's rear.

Anna quickly shed her beautiful Christmas dress (on the way to church she was threatening to just rip it off with her hands {which, when she wasn't even one years old, she did manage to tear a Halloween costume half off with her bare hands in an itchy fit of rage, so I was taking her threat rather seriously!}) for a peace and freedom themed t-shirt which she accessorized with a bow from a present.

Jason and Janenne reading the RC helicopter directions.

Nona got Jonathan his very own robe. He hasn't taken it off since. And when he opened his own Nerf sword this Christmas morning, he was thrilled that HIS SWORD MATCHES HIS ROBE!!!

Trystan looking pretty handsome!

Sweet mom and daughter pic of Janenne and Justine.

Countdown to Anna's 5th Birthday! Year 5

2010-12-22T16:05:00.012-05:00

Anna is FIVE! Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Anna's first horseback lesson. November 2010.

Halloween 2010! Super Girl!

Anna and Jon on the first day of school. August 2010.

At my birthday party bowling in June.

Anna at her gymnastics. She tried it this summer and loved it.

Anna at summer camp preschool.

May 2010. On her way to her first ballet recital.

Can you see the attitude? Dave was trying to put her tights on.

Silly girl!

May 2010. Anna at her ballet pictures.

Anna and Jonathan at Dave's birthday party. March 2010
Superhero battle!

February 2010. Jonathan and Anna.

February 2010. Anna had a bad cold and needed her nebulizer. Dave played Candyland with her to make the time go by faster. She is a lucky girl to have such a sweet daddy.

January 2010. 4 years old at the park.

At Nona's. January 2010.

Countdown to Anna's 5th Birthday! Year 4

2010-12-22T08:44:00.011-05:00

Anna is 4! At Sea World, December 2009.

Christmas Eve 2009. Mixing up our magic oats to sprinkle in the yard.

Christmas 2009. Anna is 4! She is playing with one of her Christmas presents.

Jonathan with his scrapbook. December 2009.

December of 2009. Over Christmas vacation, the kids made their own scrapbooks. They really worked hard and made one from start to finish.

She wrote her name! All by herself! And the nice thing about the name Anna is that you don't even have to know that she wrote it completely backwards! December 2009

December 2009.

November. Using the Shark at Nona's in the playroom.

This was one of her favorite outfits! November 2009.

I wonder if these people realized they were being graced with the presence of an actual princess?

Halloween 2009.

Boating with daddy in Nona's pool.

At Jonathan's Pre-K Graduation!

May 2009. Uncle Cory sent us an ant farm in the mail. It was A LOT of fun!

Anna and Jon at the ice cream shop. February 2009.

And this is pretty much how she was at this age...ACTION shot! She never stopped moving!

January 2009. Anna's broken front tooth before we got her "princess crowns" that summer.

Countdown to Anna's 5th Birthday! Year 3

2010-12-20T08:26:00.005-05:00

Anna's 3rd birthday! She got a big girl bike.

Anna and me with her birthday cake. It was supposed to be Dora, but she wouldn't stand up (because of her big fat head) so we subbed some My Little Pony instead.

Halloween 2008. Anna in the pumpkin patch.

Fourth of July 2008. In Kentucky.

Anna's famous pink eye infection gone wild... We wound up in the ER. Fall of 2008.

Anna on the Metro. We were in DC for Cory and Erin's wedding. May 2008.

Easter 2008. She kept opening the eggs to see what was in them, until she figured out that she could shake them and hear if they had anything inside.

A little pre-Easter egg hunt fishing.

Easter 2008 Anna was 2 years, 3 months. We got this dress for her with a matching baby doll dress. I did rotate this picture before uploading it... or at least I thought I did?

Countdown to Anna's 5th Birthday! Year 2

2010-12-19T18:03:00.012-05:00

Anna's TWO! At her second birthday party, after the cake... In the tub.

This is my Happy Birthday girl! Happy # 2!

Anna and Jonathan at the beach. November 2007. 23 months.

A princess on her way out for Trick-Or-Treat. 22 months old!

Anna and me.

October 31, 2007. I looked into the backseat and Anna had put on some of her princess jewelry.

September 2007. 21 months. With Red Puppy, which she got at Justine's birthday party that February.

Total Anna... I can't even explain it! LOVE it!

August 2007 20 months old. Anna always had her own personal tub of Olivio at the table, and she loved to eat out of it.

I don't know what this was about!

August 2007. 20 months old; asleep in Mama's bed, on top of Red Puppy. She loved Red Puppy. I love the way her hair was always so crazy (because she did so much wild nursing during the night.)

Fourth of July, 2007. Anna was 17 months old.

Anna and I. She is about 16months old in these pictures. I had just gotten home from the gym in these pictures. It seems like this was yesterday. I had succeeded in getting her in a dress AND a pretty bow! And then she ripped it out and tried to eat it. She's still not into the whole hair accessory thing. But as she says, "I'm already beautiful, Mama. I don't need anything else!"

I wore the bow.

So Anna and me... That's my girl.

Just climbing around on the dining room table. Whenever I got a bow in her hair, I took a picture! Because it wasn't staying in there long.

January 2007: First Steps. This was at my brother Jason's birthday dinner. Love the dress up skirt. Now she wears it on her head!

Countdown to Anna's 5th Birthday! Year 1

2010-12-18T17:23:00.009-05:00

Christmas Eve, laying under the tree, chomping down on the carrot we left out for the reindeer.

Anna at her first birthday party! Twelve months old. I think she had drooled chocolate all over her shirt.

11 months old. Jonathan was 3 years old in this picture.

10 months old.

9 months old.

8 months old.

Anna. 6 months old, in the crib she never slept in. :)

Anna, about 4 months old, eating her first solid food with Poppa Ed. Smashed up bananas.

About 3 months old or so. She was always fascinated with Bubba.

First trip to the beach. She was not even a month old yet.

In the tub. About 2-3 weeks old.

We both had a rough night. It is tough being born. I refused to put her down or let her go to the nursery at all. The nurses kindly overlooked their no co-sleeping policy and let her stay in my arms all night.

Anna. She was a tiny baby, just a little over 6 lbs. We got to take her home on Christmas Eve.

This was taken hours after she was born.

Right after birth and her bath, on the warming table.

Bethlehem Walk 2010

2010-12-13T20:10:00.004-05:00

Can you see Anna's large signature across the bottom there?

Jon signed his full name and then put it in a box.

Signing in at the census.

My best friend till the end!

Me and my babies! Can you see the enthusiasm??

Jonathan petting the baby lamb. He was falling asleep in the man's arms. So sweet!

Jonathan's Artwork

2010-12-10T20:04:00.003-05:00

Jonathan did this self portrait in early 2009. The "Still Life" below he painted in late 2010. What progress! I can't believe how much my kids grow and change each year.

He just brings this home, all folded up and at the bottom of his backpack! I am like, WOW! Love it! I am totally framing this one. Jonathan is upset because he missed one part of class and didn't get to add "the golden colors." I think it looks fabulous!!! I think we were still finger-painting when I was in first grade! Crazy! (I know, I am little too proud of my kid here, but would you just LOOK at that pear! It is so beautiful! I like to paint water-colors and I know how hard it is to make anything look like something. Love, love, love!

The still life he brought home (which he refers to as his "still life") today next to another picture he brought home a few months ago. I love his artwork!

ThinkGeek :: Canned Unicorn Meat

2010-12-10T16:06:00.001-05:00

ThinkGeek :: Canned Unicorn Meat

Ahh, this catalog just cracks me up! There are SO many things I want and so many things I think Dave would like.

Anna's Christmas Song

2010-12-09T20:27:00.001-05:00

Jonathan's Hanukkah Dance

2010-12-04T08:25:00.005-05:00

Jonathan's class at school did this dance at their Christmas concert. He is the one without any Santa hat or reindeer antlers, and he has an orange stripe on his jacket sleeve. You can see his face at the end when they take a bow.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2010

2010-12-01T18:02:00.006-05:00

Normally we take the photos and I order the photo cards over Thanksgiving weekend. I am a little behind schedule, and the kids were a little less than cooperative, but I think I am really happy with our finished product! :) Of course, with kids as cute as ours, how can you go wrong?

Here are some of the good ones and some of the crazy ones.

Jonathan and Anna are thankful for...

2010-11-24T12:22:00.002-05:00

Anna:
Mama and Daddy
Mama's Dumplings
the color aqua
parties
cats

Jonathan:
My sister
Mama's dumplings
school because I learn to read
church
art class
food
water
doggies
trees

Anna's First Horseback Lesson

2010-11-18T20:40:00.003-05:00

Anna started horseback lessons today! She got to ride Honey.

Dave said she had so much fun and she wasn't scared at all. I asked her, "How was riding a horse?" She thought for a few seconds and said, "BUMPY!"

Wacky Wild World

2010-11-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

Pictured above... Anna's "Wacky Wild World"
Some moms may construe this as their child making a giant mess, and think of it almost like an act of aggression, but I remember what it was like to do this, to be this. I am this. I am mess. I understand this. When I create or do assignments or projects or even cook, I make a huge, sprawling mess. But that's how much room I need to accomplish what I want. And this may look like she dragged random pieces of junk out from her room, but to Anna, this is her own little world, and it all makes sense to her. She placed those objects there for a reason. The Minnie Mouse ears have something to do with it all. Giant Scary Barbie is wearing bunny ears. (Which I don't find incongruous at all, considering the way she is dressed!) The bunny ears reminded me of the I WANT TO BE A BUNNY controversy. I absolutely refused to allow my daughter to be a bunny for Halloween. Hugh Hefner has totally ruined the bunny dress up costume. She decided instead on Super Girl, which was one of the few that met my approval. Costumes even for preschoolers seem unnecessarily suggestive. Speaking of Halloween, how did it get to be almost Thanksgiving? How did this happen? And basically, every minute between now and the 3rd of January is planned out. Probably the holidays have crept up on me this year because every minute of my life has been scheduled since August. If I have 15 extra minutes, I think, How could I best use this time? I guess my husband is used to always thinking this way. But for me, not so much. My brain feels spongy and dry. I've written over 6,000 words since yesterday. Yesterday was such a bad day. We had an upsetting appointment at Arnold Palmer for Jonathan, and then our car completely broke down and died in Orlando. We almost made it into a gas station, and then the car was trying to roll back into the road. A kind local thug helped us push it in the general area of a parking spot. Luckily, we were only 3/10 of a mile from the service station that replaced the alternator (which was still under warranty from when my brother fixed it for us {AND that was WAY cheaper!} If only it had broken down near home, but I guess we don't get much say in these things.) That meant the tow truck only cost $90. But, the important thing about yesterday, Jon finally realized a lifelong dream: He got to ride in a tow truck. So it was all worth it. Somewhat. Anyways, feel like I am not making sense, and it makes absolutely no sense to be sitting out here typing even 10 more words to add to my grand total for the past 24 hours. Why am I not in my bed???

Jonathan

2010-11-12T11:06:00.002-05:00

On Monday we head back over to Orlando to Arnold Palmer to have someone who is supposed to be one of the best pediatric orthopedic surgeons around look at Jonathan again and re-evaluate. We have seen him several times, and he has never really provided a definitive answer for us. Jonathan's problems have gotten worse over the past few months. It is starting to cause some self esteem issues for him. He is starting to be really aware of his differences. I wish I could fix it. But I can't. And I don't think there is ever going to be a fix. I think we need a different way of managing his problems to lessen the impact on other joints. I don't agree with the current treatment plan... which is basically to do nothing. That is why we have another appointment lined up with a different ortho specialist for early December. I worry about him all the time. I know there is nothing critically wrong with him and I try to remember to be grateful for this. But it wears me down over time, so many, many years of dealing with it, and now having to deal more with the emotional aspect of his issues... it is hard. I wouldn't change one thing about Jonathan. But I certainly wish I could fix this one thing. And those two statements don't really go together. He asked me the other day whose fault is it about his leg? I said, I don't know, buddy. And he said, Well, maybe it is your fault because I came out of your belly when I was a baby. To which I had to leave the room and start crying my eyes out, because basically, deep down, I have always felt it was my fault. Maybe if I hadn't been considered high risk when I was pregnant. Maybe if I hadn't had high blood pressure or been so overweight when I got pregnant with him...Maybe if the ob/gyn had elected to do a c-section instead of letting me push for 2 and a half hours straight. I always think about my delivery with him when various doctors over the years bring up cerebral palsy. Birth-related injury... I know God made Jonathan, and I just carried him in my womb, but I do feel like somehow it is my fault, and to hear him verbalize that fear, it just made me crumble. Anyways, it seems wrong to have titled this post Jonathan, because this is just one tiny little facet of Jonathan. There is so much more to him than just his small physical issues. But when he is in physical or emotional pain because of them, it is hard for me to maintain perspective. I don't want him to be perfect, but I want things to be perfect for him.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T18:39:00.005-04:00

The whole gang before we left to Trick or Treat! Michael Jackson, Captain Jack Sparrow, Super Girl, a Gangster and a Pimp to name a few! Lots of variety!

Anna and me with our pumpkin we carved the day before. It was a group effort, and we added the Hello Kitty stick-ons at the last minute before lighting.

Who knew Super Girl's daddy is a pirate?

Super Girl giving Michael Jackson some attitude. Bakugun Dragonoid in the background.

All the menfolk together.

This was the worst of Anna and me together, but for some reason I think it is really cute.

That is a real sword. AND a real...stick.

What a cute group they made! We had fun with our friends Isaiah and Jaiyden. We went trick-or-treating for over two hours, and this was our first year with no stroller or wagon for a backup. We've never gone to that many houses before! We were all QUITE tired today!

Anna told me she didn't want to be another princess this year. She deliberated for about a month before choosing SuperGirl. I think she got it just right!

Daddy and Jonathan. My favorite part of Halloween was getting to apply eyeliner to Dave. I kept trying to even it out, and he wound up with racoon eyes. He was fierce!

Ready to go already.

Lots of candy, lots of friends, lots of fun... a great Halloween. :)

Jonathan's 7th Birthday Party!

2010-10-31T10:42:00.004-04:00

This year, instead of making myself crazy trying to create a fancy cake (involving 10 different colors of icing and complicated directions, also causing my hand to go numb and painful for days after), or a sort of ugly- yet- kid- pleasing cake (last year's Star Wars/Legoes fiasco), I went for simple. And...effortless, in that I put forth no effort. The kids pretty much handled the cupcake making (see below) and Dave handled the cupcake/candle decoration/arrangement (see above).

There's our handsome seven year old boy! It was a Spongebob/Pokemon/Generic Dragon themed-birthday party. I also sort of let go of The Need to Match this year.

Jonathan and his buddy Jaiyden, who is the son of my friend that I met when I was his age! Isn't that sweet?

The four Smith cousins... wish baby Abe-y were there to make it the five Smith cousins. :)

Present opening time. From left, Anna, Justine, Jonathan, Jaiyden, and Trystan.

Justine has been present at all of Jonathan's birthdays, and has always been right by him, helping him open up his gifts. He was born when she was just starting kindergarten and she has been such a wonderful cousin to him.

I think there was something exciting about this present. Star Wars, perhaps?

I LOVE this picture, with his hand up to his head. It is so Jonathan... I think he was all overwhelmed and happy about his gifts.

Anna (4) and Trystan (5) together at Jon's party. :)

Words from Lately

2010-10-30T07:43:00.004-04:00

So... it turns out that I have not had as much time to blog lately as I would like. I mean, it has been TWO weeks since Jon's birthday party and I haven't posted about that? Craziness! It does make me feel a little better that his mylar ballons my Mom gave him still have air in them. Once they all sink to the floor and there is STILL no birthday party post? Then we've got a problem! Part of the issue is that I don't know how to fix the redeye on them. I can't find that feature on our new(ish) laptop. So, I am waiting for Dave to help me with it. But he has been working A LOT lately. Like A LOT A LOT! The other night, Thursday, I got home from work at 4:30, and Jonathan had horseback lessons at 5:30. Which meant I had to get them dressed (appropriately) and fed, and then I had to navigate the Wickham road traffic to get him there on time. Well, let's just say, I did not succeed. It all went wrong before I even turned out of my neighborhood. The traffic was so bad that I could not turn left to go North. Deep breath... OK. So I will turn right, and then do a loop-around in a parking lot somewhere to get headed the correct direction. But then... the traffic was so bad that I could not get over...then I thought I would turn on 192 and head to US1, but I still couldn't get over. EVENTUALLY, I was finally able to get into the left lane, probably close to 2 miles from my neighborhood, took a little "shortcut", and got onto 192 to get to US1. Mind you, the stables should only be about 15 minutes from our house, and I have already SPENT 15 minutes just to get on an EASTbound road, when I really need to be going NORTH. So, we got on US1, which used to be the quicker road, and I have to say, it was worse than Wickham (but as a Facebook friend so helpfully pointed out, I "might have died if I took the other road.") I said a lot of words I should not have said with the kids in the car, or, rather, I said one word several times that I should not have said with the kids in the car. (It started with a D, not an F; I'm not that bad.)
We get to horseback lessons 15 minutes late (not SO bad, right?). And Jonathan is THRILLED that they have Buttercup waiting for him. He LOVES Buttercup. She isn't quite as pretty as the other horses there, so I don't know if they save her for him (most of the other riders are girls and I am not sure they would want to ride on a not so pretty horse), but he was SO glad to see her. He did great at his first lesson back. It makes me so happy to see him on a horse. I am not a horse person. I've never ridden a horse, except piggy back with someone else, or a pony ride, you know. I am actually scared of horses. But you know, ten years ago, I was adamantly against cats. I was NOT a cat person. Now, I have two cats. Ask Dave how that happened. It was all his idea.
We got into the car, and I told Jon that we could not go to the Dollar Tree on the way home (because it was only an hour from bedtime, he had homework, and his little sister had spent the entire hour at lessons literally rubbing dirt into her skin and all over her body and clothes, and I would venture to guess that even at the Dollar Tree, her appearance would not have gone over well!). He is totally upset with me and decides he simply won't speak to me the rest of the night. (That went fine until he needed help with his shower and homework.) While we were still in the car, driving home, I was listing all of my Reasons Why we couldn't go to Dollar Tree. He needed to do his homework, I had to get their dirty clothes in the wash, Anna needed a MAJOR bath, he needed a shower, I needed to pack their lunches for tomorrow, etc. Anna pipes up from the backseat, "Oh, no. We really need Daddy. How are you ever going to get all that done? We really need Daddy to come home. If he comes home, he can help Jonny while you give me a bath, and then..." She carries on, listing all the logical ways Dave and I normally work as a team to get everything done. I told her, "Mama can take care of it. Everything will be fine." Inwardly, I am thinking, I have a screaming bad headache, I am already exhausted, and I have no idea how we are going to get everything done and get to bed on time! I want Daddy, TOO!!!!
The next morning, in the car on the way to school, Jonathan says, "Mama, what if Daddy has an explosion at his work today?"
Before I even have a chance to respond... Anna replies, "Bubba, you have GOT to stop thinking of everything like Dustbusters!" She is referring to Mythbusters, of course. I explained to Jon that Daddy doesn't have a dangerous job, that he just works on computers. To which Jon replies, "Well, a computer could explode, Mama."
Later, I go and pick Anna up from school (is anyone else getting a sense of how much of life I spend in the car?). I let her call Grandma Jane on the cell phone. She has a very good conversation with her about Halloween and what each of us will be for Trick or Treating. Anna also tells her we are coming to see her in Kentucky at Christmas time. I assume that Dave has told the kids this, so when I speak to Jane, I say, yes, yes we are going to come up around Christmas time. (Later, I find out, that Dave has not actually decided if we were or were not going to go, {00psy!} but I think that Anna has decided for us! If you heard how cute she sounds when she says "Grandma Jane" "Kentucky" and "Christmas" you would totally be headed north over Christmas break!) Somehow her talk of Christmas leads her into one of her favorite stories: "Remember, Mama, when you had me at Christmas, and I was the best present you ever, ever got?" I told her this once, and she repeats it all the time. It is the truth, though... bringing home my baby girl on Christmas Eve, I can't imagine what could ever be a better Christmas gift! THEN Anna goes into another one of her little stories: "You always wanted a boy AND a girl, but you could not decide which one you got. So you did it two times, and you got exactly what you wanted! A boy AND a girl!"
Well, it was a little more complicated than that, and I just like to gloss over the "did it two times" part, because Lord knows that is a whole! 'nother! thing altogether. But basically, yes, I did get exactly what I wanted. :) I always thought I would have two little boys... but deep down, I really wanted to have one of each.
I drop Anna off at Nona's, and go to pick up Jonathan. I moved his booster seat into the front seat. He knows when I pick him up that this means we are going on a date! His other clue is that Anna is not in the car. I tell him, we're going on a date to the Dollar Tree. First, he says, "Did you bring my wallet?" I tell him yes. Then he says, "Can we not call it a date anymore? Can we please just call it a Happy Time?"
Umm... yeah. I am little weirded out by the term "date" too, so I am totally okay with that.

Jonathan has 45 dollars from his birthday and also some piggy bank savings. He plans to spend $5 on FIVE notebooks. He has a plan that each notebook will be for a different thing, such as Drawing, Wish Lists, and Rhyming... We get inside the Dollar Tree, and he is just in awe. He keeps asking over and over, you mean, everything's a dollar? Just 1 dollar, Mama? He gets to the school supply section, and he is THRILLED to learn that you can get THREE memo pads in a pack for, yes, just a dollar! He gets TWO, so he will have SIX notebooks! And for only TWO dollars! Next, he moves onto pencils. He selects a pack of 20 #2 yellows. I point out, "Look, buddy, there are all kinds of pencils!" Foil prism, ones with words, cartoons, etc. He gives me a look that his Daddy gives me often and this is what it means: You must be a little slow, but I love you, so I am going to stay neutral and try to explain this to you without revealing in my voice just how much smarter I am than you...
He takes a deep breath. "Mama," he begins, slowly, patiently, "Why would I buy those pencils when there are only 12 in there? For one dollar? When I can get these," shaking the box at me for emphasis, "TWENTY for one dollar? Do you see?"
The last things he purchases is a box to hold his twenty boring old pencils in (I think that I should have bought some of the shiny, pretty pencils for myself!) and he STILL has one more dollar to spend. So he selects a present for Biscuit and Mutton, a package of 2 tennis balls (for a dollar). We get to the checkout, and he says, "I just have to get my $5 bill out." The clerk says, "That will be $5.30!" Jon looks down at his items and up at her and then over at me, like, is this lady trying to take us for a ride, Mama? "Oh!" I say, "I forgot about sales tax! You need to give her another dollar." He tries to hand her the $6 dollars but he loses his nerve at the last minute and kind of throws it down near her hand and retreats a little. She gives him seventy cents back. I can see him doing the mental math, and deciding that this must be okay. He puts the change and the "coupon (AKA receipt)" in his wallet. As we are leaving, he says, "That was great, Mama."

Our Trip to Animal Kingdom

2010-10-17T11:27:00.004-04:00

Anna was so happy that she had picked out "the perfect jacket, even though I didn't even know I was going to Disney World this day!"

This was the look on Jonathan's face when he found out he wasn't going to school... but to Disney World! We tricked the kids by getting them up and ready for school with their backpacks and everything. He was defintely surprised... and then he said, But will I be LATE for school??? Sigh.

Jonathan, Anna, and Me.

Jonathan with Daddy.

I love this picture of Jonathan, Dave and Anna.

Anna and her Daddy.

Anna was quite offended by this gorilla's butt. She kept saying, WHY is he showing his BUTT!!! I think it looks so much like a big hairy man butt that it seemed indecent. Maybe Disney needs to provide some gorilla underpants.

This gorilla was lying still on the ground, and Anna exclaimed (LOUDLY), Is he DEAD?

Right then, the gorilla rolled its head over and looked our way.

We were on the safari ride and the driver told everyone to keep their fingers crossed since the bridge was supposedly iffy. (They have to make everything dramatic at Disney... why can't we just enjoy the amazing animals?) Jonathan took the driver seriously. We looked over and he was sitting with his fingers crossed.

Anna waited all day to go on this fun ride.

She loved it!

Jonathan wrote the Dooley for our rental stroller all by himself. :)
We had a great day! But, Sea World is still our favorite theme park.

Jonathan's 6th Year

2010-10-12T21:12:00.009-04:00

Happy Birthday Countdown!!! Jonathan's 4th and 5th years...

2010-10-11T18:45:00.006-04:00

Christmas 2008. Jonathan was one handsome 5 year old!

This was one of our many, many Christmas card rejects from 2008. Looking back through them just now, I think they are all completely precious. I have no idea how I ever eliminated any of them!

Jonathan and I at his 5th birthday party! I am so proud of my boy, always was, and always will be.

Ta-da! Jon was showing off the Spongebob Squarepants I made him for his 5th birthday. I think this was actually my practice one. I made the real one the day of. But they were both real cakes... and they were both somehow eaten. This was the first time I ever attempted to decorate a cake. It turned out to be a little more difficult and stressful than I thought! But Jonathan really did love it. And even better, we had a Spongebob pinata that year! It was like an I Hate Spongebob party... first we beat the candy out of him with a stick, and then we ate him. :)

We were at Grandma Jane's in Kentucky. Jonathan was giving Anna a piggy back ride. So sweet!

Winter of 2008. Jonathan was 4 and Anna was 2. As I looked through these pictures, I found it harder to find one of Jon by himself. He and Anna are together in most of them. In the above pic, he was using the mouse and playing computer. He was happy to let Anna tag along. MOST of the time.

Jonathan and Anna working together at the beach. Jonathan had just turned 4, which meant that Anna was approaching 2! I can't believe it has been 3 years since this picture was taken.

Jonathan at his 4th birthday party! He had a Transformers theme! This was also the year (2007) that we went to Disney for the first time. We were going to just take him, and leave Anna behind, but he insisted she go along because he knew "she would really want to see the princess castle." Always such a good kid!

Happy Birthday Countdown!!! Jonathan's 3

2010-10-10T18:16:00.004-04:00

Jonathan at the pumpkin patch again... right before his 4th birthday!

Anna and Jonathan had some fun getting in Mama's wallet.

When Jonathan was 3, he went through a major Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phase. Also, he took to wearing jackets even though it was July.

Jonathan at his school in Spring of 2007.

Jonathan was pretty excited about his first big boy bike!!! I still remember how surprised he was that Christmas morning. 3 years old!

Our annual Magic Oats Christmas Eve tradition. It is even better to attract Santa and his reindeer when you are dressed like Superman!

Jonathan selected a pretty heavy pumpkin. No problem for him!

Jonathan had just turned 3 in this picture! We were at the pumpkin patch.

Happy Birthday Countdown!!! Jonathan's 2!

2010-10-08T19:40:00.007-04:00

Jonathan had just turned 2 in this picture. He loved the beach, he always did his most important work there. He was always industrious at the beach, very intent on working hard in the sand.

So... when Jonathan was 2, he invented his infamous troll face. So ugly it's cute!

Jonathan, 2 years old, loved to climb up and down the sanddunes at the beach.

That's not a baby doll he was holding! This was Anna's first night home, which just happened to be Christmas Eve. Jonathan asked if he could hold her. It was such a sweet moment. I'll never forget.

Now, call me crazy, but I SWEAR Anna was smiling up at him a little. They really loved each other. Jonathan never let her cry for a second. "Mama! Mama! Anna is crying! She needs you!" He always spoke for her and stuck up for her and would include her in his play. Of course, now they are older, and they do fight. But they also still have fun together.

Jonathan in his pajamas, 2 years old. My sweet little man.

So... in this picture... I was about 7 months pregnant with Anna! I didn't show too much with her until closer to the end. Jonathan would have his baby sister in about 2 months. He was a great big brother right from the start, once he got over his initial disappointment that she wasn't a baby pony. He thought the fetal monitor always sounded like a galloping horse... I guess. Not exactly sure how that confusion started. He wasn't talking a whole lot at this point.

Summer of 2005... Jonathan is starting to grow up so fast! I like this picture because in the background you can see all of his toys. They gradually took over our living room. He was always a very happy go lucky sort of baby and toddler, always interested in everything, always able to stay content.

This was Valentine's Day, 2005. Jonathan's first trip to Sea World! We have spent many happy days there since.

Christmas Eve 2004! Jonathan started walking this evening! I remember it so well because we were at Christmas Eve service and he just started walking all over! He was 14 months old.

Nona's pantry is a perennial favorite for all the kids. He loved to get in here and pull stuff out and stack it. I remember those shoes. They had marks on the rubber toes from him crawling.

This was at Thanksgiving at Nona and Poppa's house! November 2004

Jonathan's Second Halloween! His first Halloween he was only about 2 weeks old. So for his first real trick-or-treating experience, he dressed up as Blue from Blue's Clues, which was his absolute favorite show! Justine was dressed up like... Cleopatra? I think? She was in first grade, the grade Jonathan is in now! And now she is in seventh grade. Time goes by...

Happy Birthday Countdown!!! Jonathan's First Year

2010-10-07T16:33:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday, Little Man! Here he was, totally immersed in his first birthday cake!

Dave took this of Jonathan at the park, and we both adore this picture. He always held onto his ear like this when he was sleepy. And that expression... totally him.

Jonathan sitting by his first pumpkin! We carved it on his first birthday. I don't know WHAT was going on with that hair! So cute!

About 9 months old... This was his first hair "cut" although I don't think it officially counted since I did it with kitchen shears with him in his highchair distracted by that orange popsicle! He went straight into the bath after that! I did this the night before we left to visit New York (see him in the suitcase below!)

Jonathan was ready for his first trip to New York! He climbed inside the suitcase.

Jonathan teethed forever. It took SO much drooling to get that first tooth!

Here he was, sitting on his blanket, playing with some toys. Maggie used to come over and try to get him to play tug of war with her. She never quite understood that he was a baby. They got along well and he always loved her.

Here is him a few months later... see how the hair has started to grow back in on the sides? He was sitting up now and playing. He loved to play with paper.

He lost all of the hair off the sides of his head, and kept this long combover piece on top! It was so funny!

This was when he was about 3 months old.

Jonathan turns 7 in six days! So I want to post once each day showing some pictures from his first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth years. I am selecting these pictures at random; some of them I can't recall looking at for years. It is neat to see how he has changed.

New Hampshire, Part 2

2010-09-24T20:47:00.003-04:00

Abe-y Baby

2010-09-23T22:13:00.002-04:00

Mama Dooligan is in New Hampshire for a long weekend!]
I got to meet my nephew Abe today! Or as Anna calls him, Abe-y Baby. Which I think is so sweet. I can't wait for Jon and Anna to meet Abe. Hopefully someday soon. It was only a 3 hour direct flight here!

Abe with his Mom and Dad, Erin and Cory. We went out to eat and he was so calm and chill the whole time. He is so wide-eyed and watchful. He is very interested in everything around him and I am pretty sure he is brilliant. Seriously. I mean, I don't know the statistics for how many geniuses you can have in one family, but it just keeps happening for us!

We picked him up from school on way home from airport. I sat in the backseat with him. He just kept staring at me, like, "Who is this strange lady they put in the backseat with me?" He was looking at me so intently. I really think he knew it was a new face.

So I will stay until Sunday. I miss Dave and the kids, but it is really so good to be here. Also, it is nice to get a break from the heat. I am wearing a sweater as I type this! A sweater! Those of you who live in Florida can appreciate the novelty of wearing a sweater in September!

Order Out of Chaos

2010-09-20T18:24:00.003-04:00

The kids have too many stuffed animals. Many of them are Webkinz and since they have names, adoption certificates, and virtual counterparts, it seems really mean to just get rid of them. Anyways, all on his own, Jon spent some hours sorting and classifying his stuffed animals. How many horses does he have? 5! There are several pages to his book that he made by stapling paper together, and he explained that he chose to use the sticky notes because if he gets another frog, for example, he can just lift that piece of paper off and replace it with "frog 2." Isn't that so stinking clever of my boy???? A 100 on his spelling test for the week in the row, and now he already knows how to spell all the words for Friday today. My son is so smart. Also, a little odd. Like this weekend he asked if he could turn a q-tip into a pet. He put it in a little container and then added water and some soap to nourish it. Then he added more q-tips and said they were his q-tip family. Then Anna had to make her own q-tip family box. Then they spent yesterday and today having territorial showdowns over 2 empty boxes they brought in from the garage into our living room. There is one box that is clearly more desirable, and they have had some good fights over getting time in that box. Why do we buy toys? Seriously!

Okay... as I type, Jonathan is doing his homework. Dave is telling him his words and he has to draw a picture showing the meaning. One of his words is that. He quickly drew an arrow pointing to a circle to symbolize that. Isn't that SO smart! I mean, I have had a really looong day, but if someone asked me to draw a picture representing the word that, I don't think I would have come up with that so quickly!

Jonathan's First Spelling Test!

2010-09-09T20:38:00.003-04:00

Jonathan was so proud of his 100% on his first spelling test ever! But then,this week,when we got the next list of words,and I started helping him study, he said, WHAT! You mean I have to do THIS AGAIN???

I barely had the heart to tell him... um,yeah, like every week until 6th grade, probably. :)

Since I was Super Speller Dork Extraordinaire, I always loved spelling tests. And now, I get to help him with his lists. But like he told me when I was helping him study last week, "I just don't understand. How can someone NOT know how to spell words like these?"

Words from Wednesday

2010-09-09T20:27:00.002-04:00

Jonathan: Mama! Today's the twenty-two-th day of school!
(getting in the car after school, talking about how he wonders if he will ever get to be student of the week... He figures he will since it is the twenty-two-th day of school and he has never had his name written in The Book. The Book is sort of like the clips of yesteryear.)

Anna: Hold on, Mama. I just have to blog on. Let me get blogged on to my account, OK?
(playing with her Leapster, and wanting to show me one of her new (virtual) pet poodles)

Jonathan: Um..., that's what I usually say to Daddy.
(I fell and hurt my right hand last week, and I have it in a brace off and on, and I was holding a Gatorade bottle out to Jon. I asked him, here Buddy, can you open this for me?)

**Speaking of Buddy, every once in a while, like on Wednesday, I absentmindedly call Anna "Buddy." She invariably replies: Who is Buddy? I am NOT Buddy. Bubba is Buddy.**

Anna

2010-09-01T18:13:00.003-04:00

"Yesterday we went to music class and Pastor Tim showed us a lot of instruments. We learned about the different instrument families. There is the drum family, the strings family, the metal family. He showed us a clarinet. There was a trumpet, which was metal but like golden."
(referring to her music class at preschool)

"My nose kept dropping."
(referring to her stuffed up nose)

"Mama, there is only one month left in August!"
(referring to the end of the month August)

"Well that's because you wore flip flops to school instead of sneakers! You're ALWAYS supposed to wear sneakers to school."
(referring to my tripping over stairs and falling at school; she wasn't exactly sympathetic)

"I wish I had a ladder up to God so I could see him. But I could never have a ladder THAT tall. Besides how could you even find him? Where would you even look, North? South? Cause there's clouds EVERYWHERE! Ok... let me get this straight. God has a REALLY big house to fit all the died people. So we are looking for a really big cloud. That might be his house."
(in car today, looking out the windows at the sky)

Jonathan's First Day of First Grade

2010-08-09T14:59:00.003-04:00

"I never peed all day. Is my bladder big or small? ...
I hope I didn't hurt my bladder by holding my pee all day long."
"The only reason I didn't pee all day was because I didn't know where the bathroom was."
"Daddy forgot to give me a fork for my pasta salad. So I didn't have any lunch to eat. Except my Doritos and my water bottle. But I am going to eat it right now, cause I can eat with my fingers in the car."
"Mrs. Cutshall is less strict and gives you less work than Dr. Rose did in Kindergarten. I only did 3 pages of work all day."
"I had someone from Kindergarten in my class, and I saw other people in other classes from my old school. I don't know there names but I just remember them from my old school."
"There were a hundred 1st grade car riders! Can you believe that?" (Um, yeah, since it took me 40 minutes to get from the school entrance to get Jon in the car. I got there 15 minutes before school ended. Tomorrow, I will try a half hour. At least maybe I can wait in the car loop and not out on the main road as much?)
"I only used some of my school supplies. I used my scissors, crayons and markers. I did not get to use my ruler."
"The best part of the day was when we got candy. I got Skittles and I ate them all. Only the ones who been good, Mama, got candy. Almost everyone got candy. The other best part was recess." "We went to the library but we just sat there. I had to sit there for 21 minutes, I think."
"Coleman did something kind of bad, but he didn't mean to, so it was okay. We got silly bandz from the teacher but he broke mine."
*******************************************************************************
"Mama, can you just be quiet while I am playing video games, please?"

8-9-10!!!

2010-08-09T12:51:00.006-04:00

Anna, 4, on her first day of Pre-K, and Jonathan, 6, on his first day of 1st grade!

Anna walking in with her Daddy.

Mama and Jonathan (Can you tell he is loving the early morning photo shoot?)

All dressed and ready to go!

Shoes and backpacks ready!

Still waking up on the couch.

***The kids both went back to school today, on 8-9-10! We had a rough time getting to sleep last night (Anna had the wiggles and Jonathan "could not stop thinking about school"), but an easy morning getting ready and out the door. Dave stayed home to see them both to their rooms. Such a good Daddy! The dropoff situation at Jonathan's new school was a little rough. Traffic was a little crazy. Hopefully it will calm down by next week. His teacher seemed very nice and there was one student from his old school in his class. The boy got all excited and said "Jonathan!" and Jonathan whispered, "hi!" and quickly got to work. He was very concerned about getting in trouble, being late, and not putting his lunch and backpack in the correct place. He was not late at all. Dave and I wish we could just take his worry away about school, but I guess we should be grateful that he is so well-mannered and eager to please. We took Anna to her school next. She is entering her third and last year at the preschool, so she kind of walked in like she owns the place. No worries there. She knows the whole routine. She wanted me to take her to before care already today. She is one of only 3 girls in her class, but it is all good because she can get along with boys, thanks to her cousin Trystan and big brother Jonathan. I picked Anna up already and she had a great first day. I am waiting until I can go pick Jonathan up. I imagine the traffic will be crazy at pickup also! I wish it were time to get him already. I really miss him today and I won't feel right until I see his face again and I know that everything went okay for his first day of first grade.***

Scenes from Today

2010-07-26T17:29:00.004-04:00

We came home from running a few errands. Guess what? It is Florida. It is July. It it hot. We stayed outside for a little while because, much to the kids' delight, a new family moved in across the street. They breed Golden Retrievers, and had four huge, beautiful dogs running around. The kids gathered sticks and threw them for the dogs. While I chatted with our new neighbor for a few minutes, Jonathan got my keys and let himself inside the house. I walked in and he had this ice pack on his head. It made me smile, because it was dorky, but also because it was a clever way to cool down fast.

I spent the entire morning cleaning our house. I basically got everything tidied, and did a little dusting and sweeping. I asked the kids to please help and they said okay (but continued to watch cartoons). I walked in the bathroom later and saw that Anna had filled the sink with soapy water and put all her bath toys in there. I think this was a good contribution to cleaning day. I would have never thought to bathe the bath toys. :)

We have a treadmill. I have said 10 times today alone, GET OFF THE TREADMILL! (We keep the electronic key hidden and up high, so there is nothing terribly dangerous about it, other than that the kids can't seem to refrain from climbing on it. I was in the other room getting ready to leave for an appointment. My Dad had come over to babysit, and I heard him say, Anna, get off the treadmill, you are going to get hurt. Then a crash,and screaming! Whadayaknow? She got hurt. I comforted her and she was totally calm when I left, but when I came back I noticed her lip was a little swollen, and I pulled it down, and she has quite a boo-boo! Poor baby. But seriously, maybe she learned to listen? I'm thinking, no. But the reason she was making this face, was that I told her she had a fat lip. She said, "I do NOT have a fat lip!" She was so insulted! I explained to her what I meant. But she still pouted and frowned.

I usually don't post bathtub pics, but I thought these of Jon in the bathtub were too cute. Only my Jonathan could give himself a bubble beard and then look so totally serious about it. When he was younger, Dave would always give him a bubble beard and call him Captain Bubblebeard. It was so cute.

So just a few events from our non-eventful day. The kids have grown up so much this summer. I can't believe we are approaching 5 and 7. Anna has learned to pick our bedroom lock. She is quite proud of herself. Jonathan figured that out years ago.

This week they are going to a local VBS. They are having fun and Dave and I get date nights. Everybody wins.

Jonathan's 1st Class at the Studio

2010-07-24T19:04:00.004-04:00

We took Jonathan to an art lesson this morning... The first thing he said to me when we picked him up was, "Can I come back here, please?" They let him choose his color of mat and they put it in a special bag for him. He wants to come back every week and eventually cover his whole wall with his artwork.

He explained the whole class to us: the teacher had them practice drawing different kinds of shapes; then they used those shapes to draw the rabbit and other parts of the picture; then they outlined some of the lines with black marker, and erased away some of the of other lines; then they used color to fill it in. He was really interested in the idea of putting simple shapes together to draw.

He loves to spend lots of time creating and doing projects (this was the same child that refused to particpate in art projects and preschool and Sunday school) and whenever I looked in on him during the class he was totally focused and intent on his work. I love helping the kids find activities that bring them both focus and joy. For Jonathan, it has been swimming, horseback, and art. Anna, gymnastics. It makes me so happy to see their faces when they are intent on learning something new, and the satisfaction they feel when they learn that they can do it.

Jonathan has always had this focused energy about him... even when he was a baby. I wonder how he will use it throughout his life. He is calm and methodical when he is playing or creating or learning. I can't wait to see all the exciting things that lay ahead for him. He is such a gift to us everyday. Even when he acts skunky. :)

Anna and Me

2010-07-24T18:44:00.003-04:00

Anna and me. She is 4 and SO sweet. I love her voice, I love the way she says what's on her mind and I love the way she carries herself. She makes me so proud. Whenever I watch her from a distance, like through the window at gymnastics, inwardly I cheer, and think, Yeah, that's MY girl! I guess most parents feel this pride in their children. I think she is a marvel.

People tell me all the time that we look alike... and I really don't see it all that much. But I guess maybe in this picture I can see it, a little. Mostly I think she just looks like herself.

I always wondered what my kids would look like when they were in utero, and when I saw them for the first time, it was like, oh of course, it's you. I could never imagine what they would look like, no matter how hard I tried, but then they came along, and their faces both make perfect sense.