Down on the farm!

We went to Farm days at the local humane society shelter today. They take in all sorts of animals, including barnyard friends that are abused/neglected.

A trip to the park

Here's the highlight of our park visit. Sort of mundane but it feels SO good to be outside of our cave for awhile.

Victoria riding her big girl 2 wheeler...




I love the toddler safety swing at the park...


Allie, smiling as always


Allie's first trip down the slide. It's blurry because she was going so fast!

Our Staycation

It's spring break time here. We decided to spend the time exploring Rochester and its offerings. Today's adventure was a trip to Powder Mill park, to see the fish at the hatchery. The hatchery was founded in 1933. They raise brown and rainbow trout and eventually release them into the wild. Victoria had so much fun feeding them. When you throw the food in the water, they all start jumping for it and reminded me of piranhas.


Up close and personal with the trout. These were 4-5 yr old brown trout.






Another feature of the park is the mushroom house. Its a private residence and has been there since I was a child and I'm sure long before that. They are set quite far from the road and it is hard to photograph them. The bottom of the house is a thick mushroom stem type design; they are actually quite high up in the air, near the treeline.

Allie, 9 months old already!

Alexandra had her nine month check up today. She is soooo petite. She weighs 18 lbs and is 28 inches long. That puts her in the 50th for height and the 20th for weight. Its odd to have a child at the other end of the spectrum. Vix was always in the 90's for both. Allie loves to crawl around and get into all of her sister's stuff. She has also developed great facial expressions to go with her moods. Here's her latest, the angry face:


It may be to early to tell, but she definetly seems to favor her left hand over her right. She has her own unique personality and is very strong willed. It takes me forever to get out of church on Sunday morning because all of the ladies stop me to tell me how picture perfect she is. Allie loves to snuggle, play clapping games and bounce in her jumper. She has taken a few steps but finds it faster to crawl. She has more nicknames than I can count but here's a few: beanpod, jumping bean, Allie McBeal, blue eyes and Alliebelle. She's such a blessing to our family!

Potty Training, part 2

Today was our first venture into public since the completion of Operation: Potty Training. Let me preface this, for those of you that don't know, by saying that I am completly germaphobic, especially when it comes to my children. They MUST be clean and not touch icky stuff.
I had errands to run today so off we went. In the middle of the grocery store Victoria utters those words I was NOT prepared for... "Mommy, I gotta go potty!". Ug! I was by myself (adult wise) and had Allie with me as well. The dash to the bathroom seemed to take an eternity, and the entire way I am praying for her to make it, and a moderatly clean facilty etc. Being a germaphobe I cannot let V sit on/touch or otherwise contact a toilet seat. I had bought nifty seat liners, but left them in the van. I have Allie in my arms and can't "hold" Victoria over the seat, so I set about using one hand to line the seat. Meanwhile, Victoria is running circles in the bathroom yelling I GOTTA GO POTTY NOW MOMMY!!! Long story short, we made it. It just made mde realize I need to learn to be prepared!!!

Yeah Vix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are pleased to share our excitement that Victoria is potty trained!!!!! Now, some of you ( and I know who) are thinking well, she's nearly 4 she should be. And you're right, sort of. In a perfect world, she would have been, well over a year ago. My big girl hasn't lived in a perfect world! She has faced 2 moves (1 major one), a new sister, surgery, and a communication delay in a very short amount of time. That would be a lot even for an adult to go through, not to mention a toddler. We have been patient and worked on it diligently and have finally said "so long!" to diapers.
I find it amazing how much of our life hinges on being able to hear, speak, and understand. I imagine it like being in a foreign country and having someone yell at you in their native tongue and you being clueless to translate. Victoria's speech has improved incredibly now that she had the tonsillectomy and all those missing pieces (like potty training and following directions) are falling into place.
I've never seen Harvard ask what age you were potty trained on their application!! Go Vix, we are so proud of you!!!

Early Spring Fun

Winter is finally beginning to loosen its hold on us Rochester folks...although it is far from what I would consider warm.

We emerged from our cave, foraged for food and spent some time in the park.
Victoria played on the swings ...
and walked on the pier...


And when we got home Allie was so happy to have been out in the fresh air, she smiled so I could take a picture of her new teeth!!

Ashleigh's Sweet 16

Saturday was my niece Ashleigh's Sweet 16 party. Her parents surprised her with a DJ for the big event. Victoria loves all sorts of music and loves to dance. She got Alexandra in on the action. I wish I could have photographed both of their faces. Allie was so excited. She had the hugest grin on her face and was doing her little nosey scrunch laugh.

Our Visit to Phoenix

It was great to see our AZ family and get to spend time with them this past week. Thank you so much to Jenn and family for hosting us, the girls for giving up their bed, Clarissa for babysitting and everyone else for all you did. It was a crazy week filled with visits and appointments. We went to the zoo with cousins, and had a lovely family dinner.

Victoria will no longer accept bagels made by anyone other than Uncle Burt. :) Hope she moves on to a new breakfast food soon!

Vix in a tree at the zoo...



Spending time with cousins


Allie with Gramma and Grampa. I'm surprised Victoria isn't in this picture. She was totally territorial over grandma and grandpa, not wanting to share them with any cousins. I have made it my personal mission to nurture that relationship. She treasures her grandparents!




I am blessed to have 2 little girls that are incredible fliers. Both girls enjoyed the flights, they played with toys, catnapped and looked out the window. When we got off the plane in Rochester a woman came up to me and said that she had been on all 4 flights with us and that my girls were "beautiful, so well mannered and perfectly behaved". I was practically beaming. To me, the best compliment I can receive as a mother is that my children are well behaved.