Catching up!

Well the end of summer is here, but we've still been having lots of fun!!


Both the neighborhood and our country club pools sadly closed on Labor Day, but we ended the swimming season with a splash....for Bogey! Our country club opened up it's pool the day after it closed, for dogs to go for a swim! The girls and I took Bogey and we all had a great time!
It took Bogey a while to warm up to the diving board ramp into the pool...

But he eventually got the idea and jumped right in! The girls loved watching all of the doggies taking the plunge!

Despite the fact that Fall has arrived, our temperatures have still been HOT! Now that the "big kids" have gone back to the school, we decided to check out the neighborhood splash park for the very first time! We had the whole thing to ourselves and had a blast!

Well, Sadie had a blast!

Sadie, my "water-bug!"

Macy finally decides to check things out!

My girls! They loved watching the water go down the drain!

In other news, the girls turned 16 months a few days ago! They are changing so much everyday it seems, especially in language development. New words in our house include, Zoos (shoes) and kaka (cracker) by Sadie and boop/boopy (poop/poopy) by Macy! Ha! They are growing up fast!!

Philly and D.C.

Sorry for the delay, but I've finally gotten around to posting our pictures from our Philly/D.C. trip from a few weekends ago. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but since this was a quick trip, I spent most of my time chatting with family and chasing kids rather then being my usual paparazi self! We left Saturday morning at midnight after a few hours of sleep and arrived at Brad and Jane's mid-morning. The girls were so happy to finally meet their Great-Aunt Jane and see Great-Uncle Brad again. We had a blast with our extended family and swimming and playing!!


Here's Daddy and our "water-bug," Sadie!
Grammy and Macy!

Daddy and Macy

Grandpa-Chuck and Sadie

Surfing, Macy!

Thanks to Brad and Jane for opening up your home to our wild crew!!! We loved seeing you!

On our return from Philly we made a quick stop through D.C. to see Brian's grandparents. The girls were happy to see Great-Grandma Kippy, as they hadn't seen her since they were a few weeks old! She was so thrilled to see how big they have gotten! The girls also got to meet their great-cousin, Nicole, on our trip. Unfortunately the girls weren't allowed back to Great-Grandpa Mort's hospital room, but we were able to enjoy running around the patio area, while Brian visited with his Grandpa. We are so thankful that we made the trip, as sadly, Grandpa Mort passed away a few days later.

You should be grateful to see these next few photos, as we narrowly escaped having our camera confiscated for taking pictures in federal property! Oops...who knew?!?!

Here is Great-Grandma Kippy, enjoying the girls!

Just before our departure from D.C., we stopped at the Old Ebbitt Grille. It was a fabulous recommendation right across from National Treasury and in the heart of the D.C. attractions. The restaurant was recommended by an old college friend of mine and I was so excited when Julie was able to stop in to say hello and meet the girls, as I hadn't seen her since graduating in 2003. In my excitement, I forgot to take a picture!

But, we did however, get a picture of me and the girls at the restaurant. Macy was such a big girl and sat next to me in the booth. She did great!!

First ER visit...check!

Well we've added "First visit to the Emergency Room to our list of firsts for Macy. In a not-so-happy ending to their 15 month birthday, Macy took a tumble off of the couch while I was making dinner. I could tell the minute I got to her that something wasn't right. Her arm was pinned behind her and she looked shocked.


After 25 mins of non-stop tears (unusual for my tough girl) and trying to get her to move her arm, which she wouldn't do, we decided to call the on-call pediatrician. After getting advice to head to the ER, we called Muirfield Village to get Daddy off of the golf course, so that he could meet us there.

I had both girls with me and they were both troopers. Sadie could tell something was wrong, so she never made a peep and was so good, depite the fact that she didn't eat dinner until after her normal bedtime. Macy continued to cry and eventually had X-ray's done on her arm. The X-rays were rather traumatic for both Macy and myself and in fact we both cried, as she was taped to a table to try and get the right angle for the X-ray. My sweet girl immediately fell asleep in my arms when the ordeal was over.

We were relieved to find no broken bones, just a pinched ligament, commonly known as Nursemaid's Elbow. Her arm is a bit sore today and she is favoring her right arm, but she seems to be doing great, albeit a little tired!

Here are the first X-ray's of my Macy-Moo. Daddy thinks that she has the perfect bones for a great athlete!

15 Months!

Happy 15 Month Birthday girls! 1 and 1/4 of a year old, I can't believe it. Where has the time gone?!?! So, here they are, all dressed up with nowhere to go! So, to the playground it was...

Here is my Sadie-Bear...

Sadie at 15 months:
- Weighs 28lbs 8 oz (above 97%) and is 33 inches tall (above 97%)

- Sleeps from 7pm-7am and naps from 12-2 everyday
- Has 9 teeth (8 teeth and 1 molar)
- Can run and climbs on everything
- Says Dada, Mama, BaBa (Bogey), Baaaa (Ball), Uh uh (uh oh), Mmmm (yum), Baaa-Baaa (bye-bye with a southern accent

- Shakes head no

-Can point to her nose
- Waves hi and bye
- Drinks at least 20 oz of milk per day!
- Gives great hugs and has just started giving kisses too!

Here's my Macy-Moo!

Macy at 15 months:

- Weighs 24lbs 4oz (75%) and is 32.5 inches (97%) tall!

- Sleeps from 7pm-8am and naps from at least 12-2 everyday (she loves to sleep!)

- Has 12 teeth (8 teeth and 4 molars)

- Can run and climbs on everything

- Says Dada, Mama, BoBo (Bogey), Baaaa (Ball), Uh oh (uh oh), Mmmm (yum), Bye-byeee (bye-bye), Nooo (no) and Up (with arms raised)

- Shakes head no

- Waves hi and bye (with a different wave for each)

- Drinks at most 12 oz of milk per day!

- Gives tons of kisses and says Ma (muah!)

Pretty soon, we will be 1 and a half! Wow! I will post pictures from our most recent travels to Philly and D.C. soon. We should be done with travel for a while and our next trip is planned for Oct! We're excited to rest and relax at home for a while!!!

At last! The MN post!!

Well, I finally did it. I sorted through the over 200 pictures that I took during our FABULOUS trip to Minnesota last month and tried to pick a select group of the best shots! We couldn't have asked for a more wonderful trip to see family. It was packed with activities, meals, fun, games, and lots of cocktails (for the adults of course!), while enjoying all members of the MN family!! We wish we could turn around and go back again!

After 12 hours in the car (through the middle of the night), we (meaning Sadie, Macy and myself, since Daddy was safely driving us) awoke as the sun came up to this, a sight that we rarely see in Ohio...
While the wind farms of Iowa were a beautiful and magnificent sight, we were anxious to get out of the car and reach our final desination...

After a little while, we finally saw this....

Hooray, says Sadie!

As Macy lets the MN morning air, blow through her hair...

When we arrived, GG was soooo excited to see her great grand-daughters....

And after a while, cousin Beckett came to meet us too!!! GG and her three great-grandkids!

Of course, since they are family, all three kids LOVE to eat!

Beckett was wondering why someone made him sit in between these goofy girls?!?!

During one of our MANY outings, cousin Emily and cousin Mary took us to the Children's Museum. The girls had a complete blast in the toddler room, learning to walk up and down ramps and navigate different obstacles!

Macy and Emily

During one of our most fun evenings, the whole family (which included over 25 relatives) enjoyed a fabulous BBQ and Aunt LeeAnne and Uncle Harry's! The night was even better once the girls went to bed and several of us were able to take the boat out for some fun (and drinks of course)!

Sadie

The girls with Maggie, Katie and Mollie

Macy chatting with Gracie

Emily and her best-bud, Sadie

Okay, well maybe Macy had a few cocktails too!

There aren't too many things that I love more then spending a sunny day, on a boat, in the water. Considering that Brian and I had our very first kiss on the front of boat (many, many years ago!), I see it only fitting that the girls be boat lovers too! Here we are as the girls head out for their very first boat ride and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day!

Macy is clearly soooo cool and was a natural on the water!

But not to be out-done by her equally cool and boat-loving sister!

Three girls, happy as can be...

Well, except for the life-jackets....those made us a little cranky!

After our boat ride, we thanked Uncle Harry by giving him some love. Can't you tell that this guy has raised three lovely girls!?! He's a natural!

One of my all-time favorites, Uncle Harry and Sadie, walking hand-in-hand!

As our trip came to a close, we hugged Cousin Katie....

And had yet another wonderful meal with the family....Bye, bye Minnesota!
Thank you to all of the MANY family members who made our trip so fabulous! We love all of you and we cannot wait until we come to visit Minnesota again! We miss you!