Out of the mouths of babes--September

9/5--Deep thoughts by Whitney: "Why doesn't Winnie the Pooh ever wear pants?"

Where's the modesty, Pooh?

9/5--We went to Whit's school today to meet her teachers and classmates. Andrew called when we were home to see how it had gone. She was SO excited to talk about it on the phone and told him, "There are trains and blocks and a kitchen AND a little....tiny...potty...that is SOOO cute!" Way to get to the important stuff, Whit.

9/5--B's money hungry side unveils itself again: "Wouldn't it be cool if we lived in Money Town? Then in winter when it rained, it would be quarters and when it thundered, there would be dollars." Watch out below!

9/7--I started teaching Whit about opposites yesterday. She caught on really quickly and enjoys being "quizzed" on them. So, today at the lunch table, I started off by asking her some opposites: hot and cold, open and closed, fast and slow, etc. Then it was her turn to put me in the hot seat.

W: What's the opposite of picnic?
Me: Having dinner at the table?
W: No. It's something slippery and slidey.
Me: A water slide?
W: Yes. What's the opposite of mad?
Me: Happy.
W: No. Surprised.

9/8--W played with imaginary friends for the first time today. Their names were Lulu and Whitney. She even walked down the stairs "holding" Lulu's hand.

9/9--Whit is done buttering up her daddy in her prayers. Now she's moved on to me. Tonight at dinner she said, "Thank you that mom was so excellent in church today."

Thank you for noticing, honey.

9/12--I was so confused when W asked me, "Is today my hotel?"
Me: What hotel?
W: At my school. When I do my voluntation.
Me: What's a voluntation?
W: When I tell my friends about something.
OOOH...Show and Tell, not hotel.

9/13--When I picked up Whit from school today, one of the first things she said(with much enthusiasm) was, "Mom, we learned that it's Sick-tember!" So close, sweetheart.

9/16--This afternoon I was working on a little painting project with the kids. Whitney said, "When Daddy comes home I'm going to show him my treasure box and he'll think I'm an artist." Brandon said, "Yea. We ARE artists, like Tony. [Andrew's brother who is AMAZING.] I'm pretty much just like Tony because I'm staying in the lines. And Whitney's looks good, too... [then whispered to me] for a three-year-old."

One of my ar-teests

And the other--with an attitude.
Smack talking on his Uncle Tone
(sidenote: he tells us that those scratches on his
cheek were the result of a lightsaber fight. hmmmm)

9/22--While filling out a Mad Lib with Andrew, Brandon used the words defensive, fearsome, and villain. Where does he come up with these things? Not only can he do math in his head faster than me, but he's going to have a larger vocabulary than me pretty soon, too!

You want a noun? Mitochondrion
verb? Patronize
Memory card still not full

9/25--More creative money-making schemes from B. When he found out his Grandma and Grandpa were going to be at the airport tomorrow, he said, "Grandma, when you see one of those empty carts, turn it in and collect all the quarters and bring them back and we'll split them." Hmmmm....sounds like he wants someone else to do all the dirty work, but he still wants to get paid.

What should he be when he grows up?

9/26--This morning Andrew and Whit were having a debate about the title of the movie she wanted to watch. She INSISTED it was called "Alison and Wonderland." He tried to correct her and tell her is was "Alice in Wonderland." He tried to end the debate by saying, "It's Alice in Wonderland, Whit. I'm positive." She responded, "No you're not. You're handsome." One point for Whit.

Need some pointers on interpersonal communication?
Just ask Whit.

9/26--I don't know where this came from, but B-train just came around the corner and said, "Yo, Andi. You wanna get in on this game?"

Quick prego update

**edit** I forgot to give the answer: Andrew was hiding his glasses behind his back. He photographs better without them. I just thought he looked very suspicious. You were SO close, Nicolle. You get the points. Thanks to everyone for your amusing guesses.

I finally feel a little sick today and I can't tell you how comforting it is. I had to take naps while Whit napped both yesterday and today. I feel like I have a brain cloud. I still don't feel nauseous, but at least it's something.

How terrible is that? I have to feel sick in order to feel pregnant? It has just been a little unsettling over the past couple of weeks to not feel pregnant AT ALL. To just feel like I'm gaining weight. I never realized I could be so happy to be feeling yucky. :)

Fun in the sun

Andrew's parents are in town visiting and we are having a blast. (Too much fun to even take a blogging break!) We picked them up at the airport and headed straight out to the beach and spent three nights there. LOVED it. Here are some pics.

The first day there was very overcast,
but thankfully the water is warm enough that
we could still enjoy the beach.

Drew and the kids

Brandon has no body fat left on his body after his stomach
virus last week, so he was too cold to get in the water.
Finally at the end of the afternoon, the sun came out and
he took a few rides on the boogie board.

There were LOTS of cute father-son bonding moments.

Grandma brought a rocket that the boys built and we
got to launch. It was awesome, but my photography skills
didn't capture the launch very well.

Here are the boys...

and the girls.
(Yes, I still refuse to call myself a woman.)

We took a trip to the NC Aquarium which I just LOVE.
I think I'm as thrilled by it as the kids are. Or maybe even more.

Taking photos of marine life behind glass is usually a disaster,
but there was THIS one tank that works.

Agh--Brandon was eaten by a giant crab!

Whitney got to pet a starfish.
They're rougher than I imagined.

Our little fam
Any guesses about what Andrew's hiding behind his back?


Whit LOVED playing in the sand and
REFUSED to get in the water. She would
do everything possible to avoid it.

But it almost snuck up on her and nipped her heels.

There were also several daddy-daughter bonding moments.
(All I did was sit in the sand and read, take pictures, and watch
Andrew being a cute Dad.)

On Sunday after church, we took one last stop
for some pics.

Brandon in a cool tree.

Whitney the angel

I tried to reenact my all-time favorite picture of W from
last year's beach trip. It's cute, but not quite a masterpiece.

And for everyone who thought I was exaggerating
about already starting to show, here's the proof.
Not quite huge, but definitely something.

Another cute shot of B-train

The kids with their Grandma and Grandpa

On the way home we stopped at a rest area to
let the kids burn off some energy.
At least that's the excuse we used.
In reality, Andrew wanted to practice his sweet Frisbee moves.

So fun to take a little break like this in the middle of the school year.

Watch W grow

I'm showing already. Is that crazy? I'm only 8 weeks along. I can't imagine how big I'm going to be by the end of this. I forgot how awkward-looking these first few pounds are. I don't look pregnant. I just look like I'm letting myself go.

While I sit here and watch my belly grow, why don't you enjoy Whit's slide show and watch her grow. It's much cuter than the growth I'm experiencing. Trust me.

Her look has definitely changed a lot more over her three years of life than Brandon's did. Notice her head turn in the first few shots. Poor little thing always had her head turned to the right. That must've been some kink in her neck!

The big game

Whit's first soccer game was on Saturday.

She could be the poster child for
girl's soccer, huh?

But she also has a game face.
Watch out!

The game started out really well.

She was kicking the ball and somewhat following
the action. Ok, she did spend a lot of time biting
her fingernails, too.

Then we saw a lot of skipping and twirling
on the field.

Then by the end of the first quarter, she was done. She wouldn't go back out and play. It was frustrating. We've never had to deal with that situation before. Brandon is the one who tries to convince his coaches that he can play the WHOLE game even if there are other players sitting on the bench. Whit enjoys her practices and doesn't get frustrated or quit. Maybe it was stage fright. Hopefully she'll get more excited about games as the season goes on. If not, at least she looks good!

Highly anticipated new addition

We've been anxiously awaiting...

spent lots of time and energy...
and we're happy to announce that....

We finally found a new couch!

What do you think?
(Brandon was home sick from school today.
That explains his PJ's in the middle of the day.)

We LOVE it. We thought we were looking for a sofa and love seat and hadn't found what we wanted. (At least not in our price range.) We tried SO many furniture stores. Andrew finally found this sectional and we both agreed it would be great. We borrowed a truck last night and got it set up. It's so fun. Now I want to have a party at my house and see how many people we can fit on it! Any predictions?

In other news, we have also been highly anticipating another new addition to our family. And we found out yesterday that we can expect to meet that addition sometime around April 26th.

Yep, I'M PREGNANT with our third baby.

Yippee! I'm just barely 7 weeks along and have a feeling they will move that due date to early May. (That always happens to me!) I don't feel pregnant yet. No morning sickness or anything. That's NOT a complaint, simply an observation. I'm sure it will be here soon enough.

The best part was when we sat the kids down and told them we had something important and exciting to tell them. Brandon said, "We're going to Chuck E. Cheese?" No, try again. "A flat screen TV? A Wii? Guitar Hero?" Where does he come up with this stuff? Whitney's guess: "A frosty?" They were both excited to hear that they'll have a new brother or sister next year, though probably not as excited as they would've been over a Wii or Guitar Hero. Brandon insists that it be baby brother.

Watch B grow

We're settling into the school and soccer routine and things are going great, but busy. I'm kind of missing the carefree summer days, but it's exciting to see my kids learning and growing and enjoying their experiences. When I'm going through the daily chores of life, time can pass so quickly that I don't take the time to remember how far my kids have come. So today I'm taking a step back and sharing a few photos of Brandon throughout his six years of life. Isn't he a cutie? I thought this would be a fun way to show how he went from a big-bellied drool machine to a tall, athletic, handsome boy.

I'll do one for Whit at some point, too.

May I suggest....

Here is one of the newest meals to make it into our dinner repertoire.

(Wow--I spelled that right on the first try. I'm surprised.)

Chopped Salad Italiano
Ok, I just call it Italian Salad.
I got the recipe from the quarterly Kraft magazine--
Food & Family

It is very tasty, really easy, but kind of a light meal. (Not "light" as low calories and fat, but "light" as in not too filling. I don't think anything with bacon is considered low fat.) Take a serving dish and top with Romaine lettuce. Then arrange in rows on top: chopped tomatoes, chopped ham (I just use the same cold cuts Andrew uses for his lunches.), chopped cucumbers, cooked whole wheat rotini, crumbled crispy bacon (this is best part according to the rest of my family), and cheese cubes. Top individual servings with Italian or ranch dressing.

I usually heat up some bake and serve rolls and we are good to go for our little family of four. Might make a nice side dish for bigger families? I also like that it's visually appealing. Let me know what you think if you try it.

Whit's BIG Day

Whitney hit not one, but TWO big milestones today. Exciting stuff.

First off, today was her first day of preschool.

What a big girl!
*sidenote: She doesn't have her ears pierced yet.
She got some clip-ons when we went to the Fun
Depot. I think they only lasted for 47 seconds
and they happened to be on during that patch pic.

I've enrolled her in a program that is two mornings a week and I think it will be perfect for her. She has been excited about it all summer and has been telling everyone that will listen, "I'm starting preschool in the fall."

She was so anxious to go this morning.

She strapped on her Tinkerbell backpack
(that is almost as big as her!) and walked right in.

She found her little cubby...

and was ready to go to work.
Here she is with her teacher.

Whit was pleasantly surprised to find out that
"schoolwork" for her is coloring, looking at books,
eating snacks, and playing outside. Sweet!

And the other monumental event--

her first soccer practice.
Phew--busy day for this girl.

Brandon decided to redshirt this year,
(Actually, we benched him. I wasn't ready
to deal with two practices and games every week.)

so he sat on the sidelines with his friends,
cheering for the purple team.
(They didn't have a team name picked yet.)

Whit did really well.
It was SOOOO cute to watch her and all
the other three-year-olds listening intently
to their coaches. Why doesn't that ever happen at home?

She is going to be a cute little soccer girl.
Her games will be on Saturday mornings, so if any of
our local friends(or long-distance, for that matter)
want to come watch, just let us know and
I'll email you a copy of her schedule. Should be a riot.

Choices

Would you like the Hello Kitty patch with the red, orange,
yellow, green, or blue bow?

Dr. Buckley said....

These are two STRONG eyes!

Yippee! We had a great visit to see Whit's boyfriend yesterday. (Even though we were in there for two hours...specialists.) Her vision is wonderful. She is 20/25 in both eyes. That's the best that she has EVER seen in her life. I was so thrilled to hear it.

When she looks far to her left, her right eye still doesn't go all the way, so he said we'll have to see what happens with those muscles over the next several months. Yikes--I took that to mean he is pondering yet another surgery, but I'm not going to stress over that yet.

So, the plan is to cut back on patching. He wants us to patch two hours a day every day instead of all day every other day. I'm still trying to figure out when will be the best time to do that. I don't want her to have to patch at school, so I think we'll try for after her nap. Here's my dilemma: I don't want to spend 5-10 minutes decorating patches that are only going to be worn for 2 hours! Time to simplify. I'm seeing lots of Hello Kitty and Dora patches in her future. I've gotten pretty fast at both of those.

Here are what might be some of the last elaborate patches
...if I can get away with it.

My little pony

Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot

Bob the Tomato with Junior

We'll try the two-hour patching routine for the next three months and go back to see him in December.

Lazy Labor Day

My dream vacations consist of lots of travel and exploring. I pack as much as I can into our time and we're always exhausted by the end.

Andrew's dream vacation includes LOTS of time for rest and relaxation.

He got his wish this holiday weekend. Since we were just out of town last weekend, we hung out here at home. I'll admit I enjoyed it, too.

We had our weekly date on Friday night. We FINALLY got to play tennis together. We've tried a couple of times this summer and got rained out. (I think those were the only two days it has rained here all summer long. Maybe it wasn't meant to be.) I LOVE tennis. It felt so good to play again, even though Andrew kicked my butt. Then we went out to dinner at Sonic and consumed MANY more calories than we had just burned.

Andrew went golfing on Sat morning. That was his first time all year--inspired by the Wyndham
Championship.

Then we went to the water park. It was COLD. Not the best water park day, but I won't complain.

Monday turned out to be a perfect water park day. It was 90 degrees and sunny. Beautiful. Apparently every other person in the Carolinas (and Virginia?) thought so, too, because that place was PACKED. I was glad we got there first thing in the morning because I got to ride a couple of the fun, scary rides before the lines got out of control. Brandon was talking brave before we got there and I thought he was going to join me, but when it came time to actually get in line, he backed out. Darn.

Here are a few pics. Yes, I got brave and took my camera. It didn't even get stolen. Yippee.

We love the water park!

Cute brother and sister

Nice shades, B

Happy to have Daddy home ALL DAY

Splash!

Here's my "Where's Waldo" pic to show how crowded the park was.
Can you find Andrew and Brandon?
(Hint: Andrew is crouched over because his back has
been killing him lately. He's living up to the nickname,
"Old Man Sweat.")

We're heading up to Duke this afternoon to see Whit's boyfriend, Dr. Buckley. Wish us luck!