It Was One of Those Days

...that just got uglier and uglier as it went on. It was my fault for not napping the kids. What was I thinking?

Just when I thought I could take no more.

Just when I thought it might be better for me to walk outside to get away for a moment.

Just when I really wanted to sit down and cry right along side of them.

Just when I wanted to drop kick them.

They went and did this...







Got all cute and cuddly on me and started playing nicely together.

I have a feeling my days are going to yo-yo from one extreme to another at any given moment. Those two will either be the best of friends or the worst of enemies!

*on a side note, I know I am always saying how cute Drew is, but look how pretty my Izzy girl looks!

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

It was one year ago today that I posted my first blog entry. Obviously there is still so much for me to learn - I don't know how to do a fun little "link" to that date? I have yet to go back and read it, but here it is...

A Daily Dose of Swyt: Just do it...

Today is a super busy day. We just got back from going to the gym and then Ben & Jerry's for free ice-cream. Now we are having a snack and then it is off to dance class. This will be Izzy's first trip back to dance since she broke her leg on February 12th.

Later~

Catching Caterpillars

I know, I know...you are waiting on the Disney / Florida pictures. I promise they are coming soon. Honestly, the pics from Disney are not that great. It is really hard to take pictures while on a ride ;)

On Sunday we were lucky enough to catch caterpillars! The kids got new bug boxes while we were in Florida and all of us were itching to use them for something other than ants. We got word that Jack's house had a gazillion caterpillars so armed with our boxes we headed over.

This is the only picture I have of the caterpillars. How gross are these? The little things grow in huge nests high up in the trees and then overtake the yard. So gross!



They were long and fuzzy.

Izzy immediately went straight for them and would either pick them up by hand or use a stick. She ended up settling for 12.





Drew took a while to warm up, but then just went straight for them with his chubby little fingers.







Look at this face. How cute is he? He is either off the wall crazy or oh so serious.

Drew came home with 5 caterpillars, but I am not sure how many were actually alive once they reached the box?

Finally after many exhausting minutes of caterpillar collecting it was time for a break.


I promise that I will try try try to get some FL pictures uploaded in the next day or two.

Happy Birthday Uncle Andy

We had a great time visiting with Uncle Andy in Florida.

from waking him up...


to swimming...




To helping him celebrate his birthday...




Today we want to wish him at Happy 32nd Birthday! We love you!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanks for being such a great uncle!


Next up...the rest of our Florida trip!

Spring Break Fun

We got back from Florida just in time for Izzy's Spring Break week. The last couple days have been spent having lots of fun with friends!

Izzy's friend Delaney came over Tuesday from 10-2. All the kids played so well together that I was able to unpack almost everything from our trip. After she left Drew took a nap and Izzy had quiet time. Then it was off to meet up with our friends Kelly and Jack who are in town for a visit. We met them at McDonald's where the kids ate and played. After an hour or so we dumped, I mean dropped, the kids at the drop in childcare (my first time using it) and then we went next door for Mexican. Jen met up with us for dinner, and Delaney joined the other kids next door. It was SO nice to have a couple margaritas and catch up, all the while knowing the kids were having a blast playing together next door.

I pick up my kids and we returned some Redbox movies then came home for bath and bedtime. What a fun Tuesday we had!

Wednesday brought even more fun and excitement. Once we were up and ready we headed out to meet a bunch of friends at a bounce house place. I was SO proud of Izzy for her willingness to want to bounce again. ...and only slightly worried she might freak once we got there. I did not bring up her leg because I didn't want to put any unnecessary fear in her. While we weren't going to the same place she broke her leg, she was well aware that we would be bouncing. She even commented how Bj's (where we went yesterday) was going to be so much fun - just like J&F (where she had her party).

She did GREAT!

Starting off slowly.


Then getting a little more daring
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And taking the plunge


Ironically this place had the same apparatus that Izzy broke her leg on. She didn't even hesitate to "get back on the horse" as the saying goes.

Way to face your fears head on! ...or maybe she really just isn't scared?

She had so much fun that she even posed for a couple pictures sitting on top of it.


And all is forgiven for the broken leg.


And a couple of Drew for good measure...






After all our jumping fun we decided to let the good times roll and take our party outside. We hit up the Panera patio for some food and fellowship. All the kids worked up a nice appetite with all that jumping.






Once we left lunch the kids and I grabbed milkshakes and then headed to Izzy's 4 year well visit.

Izzy's 4 Year Well Visit

Due to Izzy's broken leg, we have rescheduled her appointment twice. Once for a week after her cast was due to come off, and then once more because she still wasn't weight bearing on that leg at that point. Today was the day.

I like to prepare the kids prior to an appointment so I can answer any questions or alleviate any fears. In my talks with the nurses when figuring out the best time to see Izzy based on her walking ability, I learned she would not be getting any shots. I decided if she didn't need them yet, and could wait to get them prior to kindergarten then that is what we would do.

Izzy was full of smiles for the entire appointment!


She weighed in at 34.00 lbs.
She is 38.25 inches tall.
According to them her BMI is 75% and anything under 85% is normal.

Allyson is our doctor's nurse and she ROCKS! She asked Izzy if she could play some games with her. Of course Izzy was super excited to play games.

The hearing game.

She passed this one with no problem.

The vision game.

Her vision is 20/32 in both eyes. This is normal according to the doctors and the distance will probably improve next year as her she learns better how to focus.

The arm squeeze game (or blood pressure test).

I think her blood pressure was 88/55, but I can't be sure?

Finally Izzy wanted to take a picture of me and Drew


...and then Drew wanted a turn

not too bad for a 2 year old.

Georgia Aquarium

With Pete in meetings all day today (Thursday, April 2nd) the kids and I decided to hit up the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. I was fortunate to reconnect with a friend via Facebook who happens to work there. He was nice enough to get the kids and I in for free and then show us around for 90 minutes. We hit up the most popular attractions and then got a behind the scenes tour of the penguins.

Before we headed out though, we discovered this really cool tunnel in the parking lot of our hotel that went under the road.

You will never guess what was on the other side??? My favorite...STARBUCKS!!!

Ready to hit the exhibits - snack in hand. Are my kids the only kids that think if we get in a car or stroller that food is needed immediately?


It was very crowded that day - cold, rainy, and spring break. We probably would have stayed longer and explored more if it weren't so hectic. The kids were a bit overwhelmed with the crowds and me rushing them through a couple exhibits due to the people in line behind us.

There were some really cool highlights though: walking in the first exhibit which had you walking through a tunnel of sea life. Fish to the left, right and overhead. It was really cool! This led into a room with an enormous water tank filled with the same fish (and some whale sharks which I only know of from Diego). There was stadium seating, though you could also walk up to the wall of water, just because it was easy to sit and watch for a very long time. If we weren't with my friend, and I would have had a magazine, I am quite sure the kids would have been happy to sit and watch this exhibit for an hour.



touching the stingrays, and trying to touch the shrimp.

the octopus

beluga whales


Perhaps my favorite was the Spider Crabs. Aren't they cool?


The kids did like this bubble that they were able to stand in and peek through to see me on the other side of the tank


Izzy was on a mission to find a pink fish...you can't see the fish in this picture, but she found one


On the way out we bumped into this guy. Izzy then asked me if next time we come back can we just see him :)


The kids finally asked to go back to the hotel so we grabbed some lunch at Pizza Hut and headed back. With Pete being gone through dinner the kids and I looked up another friend of mine. Kristine and I grew up together and our families are still very close. In fact, may Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays get celebrated together. She lives in Atlanta and invited us over for a drink :) The kids were exhausted, but I put them in the car and headed to her place at 6:30 anyway. We had so much fun just visiting that we didn't return back to the hotel at 9:30 - just as Pete returned as well!

Friday would find us killing time until Pete got done around noon and then off to Orlando we would go!

On the Road

So I am writing this post from Omi and Papa's house in Florida with the plans to post all entries when I get back home.

We left for our vacation on Wednesday, April 1st. ...but first let's go back a day or two.

Monday the kids and I had a VERY busy day. We started by dropping my car off for an oil change. I had taken the stroller so the kids and I could run some errands in the surrounding stores while our car was worked on. First stop was haircuts for both kids. Then onto lunch at McAlisters. I ordered the BLT only to find a hair intertwined in some stray bacon on my plate. YUCK! After lunch we went to Brusters for ice cream and then to get my car. From there we went to make a couple returns at Carter's. Next stop REI. We purchased a Thule for the top of my car only once we got it home we found out that it was locked and we didn't have the keys. We had been told the keys were inside and it was unlocked. Yes, we should have checked, but we didn't. Oh well. A quick stop home to pick up Pete and off to the hospital we went. Pete had a follow up procedure for his bleeding ulcer and would not be able to drive (due to the amazing mind numbing drugs). While his procedure was being done the kids and I headed over to Alisha's house to play. Some may remember that Alisha is our photographer friend who took our amazing family photos back in September. She has an almost 2 year old daughter who is a spitfire. Izzy loves her, and Drew has a love/hate relationship with her. It is exhausting comedy to witness. After an hour or so we headed back to get Pete and then finally home! We got home around 6:30 and I thought the kids would be in bed by 7, but just as they had finished up with dinner our neighbor showed up. He brought a truckload of pine needles for us. Since Pete was passed out on the couch I helped unload the truck. The kids entertained themselves with a new racing game they invented. The raced berries down our driveway. Fun fun!

Finally at 8, I took both kids into the house for a bath. Finally at 9 both kids were in bed!

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike

We love you Uncle Mike. Have a great day!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com