pictures

I have figured out an easy way to get our massive number of pictures to the masses!! On the sidebar there is now a link that features my Flickr account. The sidebar will show the latest 9 pictures that were uploaded. By clicking the VIEW FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM link at the bottom of the pictures, you will be taken to my Flickr photostream. From that point you should be able to see all the pictures available there. This should be easy for everyone to do, including me. :)

I am also very good at uploading pictures to facebook, if you have an account and aren't friends with me yet... please request me!

We are back!!!

We have returned from our trip. :) I have posted pictures on facebook under Alissa's wedding weekend. (If you aren't on my friends list please request me!!) I would post them all here but the process is tedious and I have a TON! I am also working on uploading pictures to Flickr as well. Just trying to figure out the easiest way for everyone to check out pictures. :) Stick with me, I will figure it out one of these days.

Our trip went off without a hitch. The kids did great on the train and the plane. Emma said she likes the train better because she could walk around. Arabel was unimpressed with the whole thing and slept through her whole 2nd flight. :) We did lots and lots of walking, ate a metric ton of delicious food, took multiple modes of transportation and spent quality time with family. We are already looking into going back to Chicago to spend some more time there. Thank you to Bev & Tom for dinner and lunch.... and for the ride from the airport to the train station. Here is a run down of our trip:

Thursday:
train from East Lansing to Chicago
cab from Union Station to our hotel
walk from hotel to Navy Pier
lunch
walk back to hotel from Navy Pier
dinner with Bev at Pizzeria Due
back to the hotel for the night

Friday:
hire a driver/car for drive to the airport
fly from Chicago to Minneapolis
cab to hotel
Happy Hour with the family

Saturday:
breakfast
wedding
lunch at Punch
reception
bed

Sunday:
hotel shuttle to Minneapolis's light rail station
light rail to airport
airport tram to correct terminal
fly from Minneapolis to O'Hare
picked up by Bev
lunch at SuperDawg
ride to Union Station
train back to East Lansing
picked up by Jason


I am a little tired just looking at the amount of stuff we packed into 4 days.


*side note: we didn't get the house. :( I will keep you updated on any news though.

Fingers crossed and updates

We have some news to share. We have a put an offer in on a house!! We are just now awaiting official confirmation that the offer was accepted, though everyone is very optimistic. :) I promise that I will put up pictures if/when we get the final word. The place would be perfect for us, so please keep your fingers crossed. The house is only a couple blocks from the elementary school, middle school and high school. I hope to be sharing the good news with you all shortly.

Kindergarten round up is in just over a week. I have to admit that as it approaches, I am getting a little nervous. If we end up at the elementary school that I am hoping for (if we get the house) there are 3 teachers for K alone. According to a dear teacher friend of mine with experience at that school, 2 of the teachers would be a great fit for Emma. I can't wait to see how she flourishes. She is showing a bit more interest in numbers, though not by much. I have decided not to freak out if she doesn't know everything in the readiness guides I have read. My guess is she will master all of the concepts shortly after entering school.



Arabel has started talking A TON!!! She sings along with songs, counts, is learning her ABCs, and has a fantastic imagination. She is currently obsessed with all things Toy Story. I actually really look forward to taking the girls to see Toy Story 3 in June. Belle is showing her temper now, which is actually really funny to watch. I can see that she is going to be following in her dramatic sister's footsteps. I wouldn't trade it for the world either.



Nothing much new for Rob and I. I am taking on more of a manager role at work. I am a little bummed that it is changing my schedule though.

now she can be a real princess

Nothing overly exciting has been happening on the home front, which explains the lack of updates. :)

We have booked our tickets and hotels for a trip out of town in April. My cousin is getting married in Minneapolis and I was not going to miss it. Rather than taking another road trip like we did in August, we decided not to drive. Don't get me wrong, I am all for road trips, but the idea of being in the car for like 30 hours in the span of a weekend wasn't all that appealing to me. We decided that we would take the train from East Lansing to Chicago. I figure that the girls will get a kick out of that, plus it is only a 4 hour ride. We are staying in Chicago that evening, which will allow us time to catch up with some family and enjoy some deep dish pizza. :) Rob hasn't ever been to the city, so it should be a fun mini trip. We will be flying out of Chicago to Minneapolis the next day. (Nothing like turning an 8 hour drive into 1 1/2 hours in the air.) We are doing the same thing in reverse on the way back (minus the overnight stay in Chicago). I think that it will be a fun weekend for everyone.

Emma can now be a real princess. At least that is what she told me. Last week she was lamenting over the fact that all the real princesses have their ears pierced. I told her if she wanted them done, then we would get them done. I have been trying to use getting her ears pierced as a reward for years (to no avail, obviously). She was finally ready. I called ahead and made sure that two people would be available to pierce simultaneously. (If not, Emma would have jumped out of the chair and only had one ear done.) She was ummm.... less than thrilled with everyone when she got them done. The type of cry that she let out was one of those that tugged on my heartstrings. How in the world could I let these girls torture my poor little baby like that? A tear may or may not have escaped from my eye. After an hour of sniffles and cuddling her doll, she was proudly showing off her new earrings. She picked an adorable little set of rhinestone pink (surprise!!) flowers. Here is a picture I took right after. :)
Please notice that she is smiling in this picture, so I guess I didn't torture her too badly.

Another big development... I have received information that KINDERGARTEN round up is in like a month. Yup, Emma will be heading off to school in a matter of months. Oy. When in the heck did this kid grow up?? In 5 weeks I will have details on her first year of school. I don't know that I am prepared for this.

I am going to start potty training Arabel shortly. I got a copy of a book that I am willing to try the method. It is called 3 day potty training. 3 DAYS!! If it works, you will probably be able to hear my screams of joy from where ever you are. A kid that is potty trained in 3 days and before the age of 2?? I may just keel over and die from sheer excitement of the idea. I will keep you updated on how it is working. In the meantime enjoy this adorable shot of Bells. (She was getting the feel for the potty.)




I also wanted to give a giant THANK YOU!!!! to my dear friend Kristin. She made these gorgeous headers for my blogs. Her talents are endless.

milestones

Since I updated the pictures yesterday, I thought that I would update everyone on what everyone is doing.

Rob and I have been searching for a new place to live. We have outgrown our apartment and are itching for a yard (and storage space). I will keep everyone in the loop when we decide to move. Keep your fingers crossed we find somewhere that we like.

Arabel: She is growing so fast. I forgot how quickly kids learn and grow between birth and two. Arabel doesn't say much, unless you aren't paying attention. She doesn't like to talk to us, but talks to herself all the time. She is starting to use words more now, which is fun. Her vocabulary is huge, you just have to catch her when she isn't talking to you. :) On Christmas day she threw Rob and I for a loop and counted from 1-9, clear as day. (Thank you Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!)

Emma: She is very excited to be starting school in the fall. She is so ready to be in that type of environment. Emma has recently started pouring her own drinks and making her own sandwiches, so she helps with lunch quite a bit.

pictures galore

Here are some pictures for you. :)


Pictures from the Christmas card shoot:



Rob's Graduation:


Emma's birthday party, on her new bike.

Emma's birthday at Peacock Road Tree Farm:
taking the train to the North Pole
meeting Santa for the first time
Arabel meeting Santa
hot cocoa at the campfire

apologies... and lessons learned

I have been terrible about pictures. I apologize. I have been very busy, as have the rest of the clan. I covered the boss's vacation so I clocked a TON of hours in a nine day span. The girls have been busy playing with the 4,000 different toys they received for Christmas and Emma's birthday. That doesn't even include the new clothes. I guess I am pretty lucky that my 5 year old still is excited about clothes. What I am not excited about?? The fact that she changes her outfits 4 times a day. :)

Today Arabel learned a valuable lesson... we do not hit. It is a good thing that I was standing right next to her... or Emma may have learned the lesson called... let's get stitches. Here is the back story: The girls have been playing with a small flashlight. You would be amazed by the countless hours of entertainment a tiny flashlight can provide. Well, hours of fun until the almost 2 year old grabs it and is set on smacking her big sister in the head with it. I caught her mid swing and must have scared her half to death with the scream of NOOOOOOOO! Arabel was was definitely upset by the situation, but I can bet she won't be swinging objects at her sister's head anytime soon.