Kieren - First Day of School

Look at the changes from last year! Kieren had an awesome first day at school!

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So grown-up! And so excited to go back to school. Kieren started bugging me 2.5 hours before we really needed to leave for school. She wanted to go NOW!!!!

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"Would you hurry it up, Mom! We're ONLY 15 minutes early!!!!"
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This is the first time Kieren has ridden the bus home! She was so excited!!! Me? Not so thrilled. It took 50 minutes for her to get home. It only takes 10 minutes to drive it. Last year it only took them 15 minutes. WTF??? I'm not seeing this as a long-term thing. Kieren loves riding the bus so I will go along with it for a short time.

HeeHeeHee...

Our Scottish Terror (not misspelled in this case!) is pretty old. When he was a puppy, we lived in a condo so he never had grass to potty in just concrete. You would think that living in a house with a yard for the past 11 years he would've figured out to potty in the grass! Nope. He only goes on the concrete.

Anyway, Kieren wanted to play in her sandbox today. Her sandbox is located on our patio. So is Crombie's potty zone (stinkin' dog!). I usually go out ahead of Kieren and scoop the poop, but today we went out at the same time. Kieren climbed in the sandbox and pointed to a small mound of dog nuggets (a couple of which were standing straight up - weird dog!). She then said, "Look, Mommy! Crombie made a dog castle!" OMG!!! And the funny thing was, it did look like a sand castle made from poop!

This kid cracks me up!!!

And Happy Birthday, Aunt Julie!

That's right! We have one more birthday today! Uncle Matt's fiance Julie (to be known as Aunt Julie in October 2010) also had a birthday today. What are the odds here, people?! Sorry, I don't have a flattering photo of Julie (all I have is a candid shot from last summer).

Happy Birthday, Aunt Julie! (Are you sure you want to join this family?????? Really??????)

Happy Birthday, Aunt Chan!!!

Today is also Aunt Chan's birthday!!! Chan was supposed to celebrate it with us again this year, but things came up. We will have to take a raincheck for this year! Bummer!!!

August 2008

We love your sense of humor and sense of fun!!! That was one wicked water fight in June!

Your Harley and driver are waiting for your next ride!!! We miss you Chan!!! We love you!!! Can't wait to see you again!!!

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Today is Andy's 42nd Birthday!!! Since this was "his day", Andy chose what we did, where we went, and what we ate. The kids spent the night with Nanny & Pops last night, so we had a quiet morning at home and ate bagels for breakfast. Then we left a note on my parents' car to meet us for lunch at Smokey Bones.

After lunch (which was yummy), we went to Walmart then over to Pops work so he could show off his new building. Andy's main request for the day was to go to Carriage Hill Farm. Kieren got to ride the ponies. Cullen made a wooden spinning top with a lathe. We walked around and looked at animals. It was lots of fun! After dropping everyone off at home, I braved the grocery store to get dinner supplies. Andy wanted Toad-in-the-Hole with all the fixings. Nanny & Pops brought the desert (homemade carrot cake!!!!). It was a great day!

Happy Birthday, Andy!!!! You are the world's best Dad and husband! You are also my best friend!!! We love you!!!

How I Love This Face!

The beautiful eyes...the long lashes...the kissable pouty lips...
*SIGH*

My Little Artist

Kieren loves art. Any kind of art!

I put the hair band on Kieren to keep her hair out of the paints. After I put it on her, Kieren looked at me and asked "Am I beautiful, Momma?" OMG, yes!!!

Who can resist this smile?!?!?! Doesn't it just make you smile back?!

This is so cool! Kieren finished this painting and then told me all about it. I was speechless. The green parts are hills. The blue is a waterfall that ends in a pond. After she painted the red part, Kieren asked me what we call the red part of the sky when it starts to get dark. I asked her if she was talking about the sunset and she said yes. Then she told me "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." O...M...G... She's only heard us say that a couple of times, but she understood it and remembered it!!! What an amazing child!

After The Shopping Adventure...

After our shopping adventure a few weeks ago, we zoomed down the highway to spend the night at the hotel where my SIL is a manager. Aunt Heather and Ian joined us for the night. Nikki got us the most incredible connecting rooms!!! AND she comp'd them!!! That's not all - she also gave us coupons for free appetizers at Max & Erma's! I think I have the best SIL EVER!!!!! Our room had a pull-out Queen-size sleeper (Kieren's bed) and a massive King for us. The bathroom was bigger than Kieren's bedroom! Heather's room (which had a connecting door so we could go back and forth) had two Full-size beds, good sized and lots of room. It was AWESOME!!!
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After settling-in, we headed for the pool. Sandi and her daughter Katie (from our shopping adventure) joined us for a swim before heading back to Cincinnati. Our friend Keith joined us for drinks on his way to work and we had a wonderfully yummy dinner. After getting the kids to go to sleep (they were wiped out), Heather and I left Andy in-charge (gotta love that connecting door!) and went back downstairs for dessert and coffee/tea. It was very relaxing.
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The next morning, we had a nice breakfast then hit the road. Heather and Ian went back to the outlets and then home. We drove another 1.5 hours to pick Cullen up from camp. It was a beautiful drive (once Andy started listening to my directions)! We could've done without meeting that semi on the tiny dirt road (complete with ravine on one side and trees on the other). I think the guy in front of us messed his pants when he came around the hairpin turn to find a steep downhill grade and a huge truck coming at him!!! It was scary!!! Cullen had an amazing time at camp and told us he's going EVERY YEAR! It was a tight fit getting all his gear in our car (with our luggage and shopping bags), but we managed. From camp, we drove the two hours to Sean's house for a visit and swim (also had a pit-stop to see Aunt Nikki at the hotel and potty break). After swimming for a couple of hours, we crammed two exhausted kids in Nanny & Pop's car (they couldn't wait to see Cullen so they met us at Sean's) and headed home. I didn't know two days could last so long!!!
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Gee, I think Kieren missed Cullen!

DC The Chicken Dog!

This is DC. He is my BIL Matt's dog. On Monday, Matt came for a visit (he lives in Columbus) and asked if he could leave his dog with us while he and Cullen went to lunch, the mall, and a movie. Matt was headed for Cincinnati and didn't want to have to drive all the way back home to pick up his dog before heading there. Kieren, who does NOT like dogs (except for tolerating Abercrombie) wasn't too pleased when DC plopped himself down in her sandbox (while she was playing in it, I might add) and refused to move! I call this photo The Great Standoff!
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By this point, Kieren was telling DC to get out of her sandbox and DC was blatantly ignoring her!
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So we had to release our secret weapon - Abercrombie, our old deaf-mostly-blind-definitely-senile-and-completely-neurotic Scotty.

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heh...heh...heh... I know it's hard to see (Hello?! Black dogs do not photograph well from a distance!), but Crombie is standing next to the sandbox while DC cowers next to the fence and grill!!!
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Meet DC, the Chicken Dog! A big black lab-mix who is terrified by our little old Scotty. How pathetic! (Crombie doesn't do anything to scare DC. He just sniffs him and stands his ground. DC has been scared of him since he was a puppy. What a big baby!!!) BTW, Kieren had no problems keeping DC out of her sandbox with Crombie standing guard.

Kieren & Her Sandbox

5th Annual Fall Shopping Adventure!

A couple of weeks ago, we had our annual Fall Shopping Adventure! Yeah, I'm just now getting a chance to download pics and blog about it. Anyway, it was a smaller group this year, but we had a blast!!! We had seven families this time. We spent lots of time playing and tons of time looking in the shops. The kids had a ball!!! The adults had even more fun than the kids! After shopping ALL DAY, our family, with Aunt Heather and Ian, spent the night at my SIL's hotel (she's a manager for the Holiday Inn Roberts Center). That's a story for later.

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Anyway, here are some requirements for a great shopping trip:

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Every great shopping trip should include a group shot of extreme cuteness!

From left to right: Katie, Addy (new friend), Jenna, Kieren, & Danielle

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Every great shopping trip should include trying on useless hats.

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Every great shopping trip should renew old friendships and make new ones.

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Every great shopping trip should include someone special!

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Every great shopping trip should start and end with lots of big hugs and smiles!!!

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And of course, every great shopping trip should include a cute group shirt!

(This year's shirt reads "BFFs (Best Friends Forever)" and has two aliens holding hands.)

Thanks for coming everyone!!! We'll miss you!!! See you at the Spring Shopping Adventure in March!!!

Cullen - First Day of School *UPDATED*

Today is Cullen's first day as a 7th Grader!!!

*Quote from Cullen on way home from school: "I LOVE 7th Grade!!! This is going to be the best year ever!!!"

I Thought She Was Going To Cry...

Tonight was Open House at Cullen's school AND at Kieren's school! (Cullen starts back tomorrow. Kieren starts back next Monday.) Two Open Houses for two different kids at two different schools in two completely different cities!!! UGH!!! Since Cull's started earlier and lasted longer (3-6pm), we started with his.

Cullen was so happy! It was great seeing his friends again and talking to past teachers. Cullen made us proud as he approached all the Jr. High teachers with his hand out (to shake their hand) and introduced himself. He found his locker and already knows the combination. He chose his electives himself. He was so excited he couldn't fall asleep tonight! Andy will take Cull to school tomorrow (as our local district doesn't start until Wednesday), and Kieren and I will pick him up. It's one of my favorite days to pick him up. He is always so excited and full of stories!!!

Then we rushed over to Kieren's school for her Open House (5-6pm). Kieren was pretty excited to be in her classroom again. She ran into the room, hugged her teachers, and gave them photos of her dance recital costume. Kieren's speech therapist was even there! She was so excited to see Kieren and give her a big hug. Kieren then rushed off to play with old friends and make new ones. When I told the ST that Kieren was speaking and singing, she almost danced across the room! The ST walked over to talk to Kieren who told her clearly and quite loudly, "Look! I got a new phone!" and showed her the new play phone she adores. The ST looked at me. I thought she was going to cry!!! But Kieren didn't stop there. She then showed the ST her new pink tennis shoes and said, "I got new shoes too!" The ST just hugged her and smiled!!! The Speech Therapist told us can't wait to observe Kieren in the classroom next week and start her sessions!

The Girls of Summer

Monday was the last playgroup of the summer at our friend Robin's house. Robin and her family were gracious enough to open their house and pool to a playgroup for the summer. The kids had a blast! The adults also had a great time talking and laughing at the munchkins! We are going to miss our weekly visit to Robin's pool. Kieren is really going to miss seeing her friends!


Lily, Kate, Olivia, Kieren and Maddy
(not shown: Lucy - who doesn't like photos & Danielle - who wasn't able to make it)

The Girls of Summer and Cullen (our token male) watching a movie while waiting for dinner.


Robin, Marty, Maddy & Sarah: Thank you so much for sharing the summer with us!!! Can't wait to do it again next year!!!