Fiona Turns Three!

What a big girl Fiona is! And make sure you never call her "little" or a "baby," nothing upsets her more than that. We've noticed she's very good at sticking up for herself, and never backs down from a bully. Perhaps she's learned this as a result of being number two and having to be a bit more strong willed in an effort to get what you want. The other day the girls were at the playground with Oscar and a bigger girl was bullying her, telling her she was a baby and couldn't climb where she wanted to climb. Fiona stood her ground and told her "I NOT a baby, I a BIG girl, I grow so big." She's hilarious!

Seriously, Fiona is hilarious. The things she says and the way she acts is just amazing to me. She's always trying to be silly and funny. I have to threaten to close the curtains during dinner time because she watches her reflection in the windows and entertains herself. She's still a big loving gal, she loves to cuddle and loves to give hugs and kisses. The other morning she got up before Luli and came into me, I asked her if she wanted to go play in the playroom, she said "no, I want to cuddle you." How can you say no to that, especially because she's a great cuddler, not squirmy at all.

In an effort to be even more distinct Fiona decided she wanted a train birthday party. Not any old Thomas the Train party though, she wanted it to be a Diesel 10 birthday party! Diesel 10 is the villain train from the Thomas movie. We went all out, Oscar and Fiona made a Diesel 10 pinata, and I painted it. I also made a Diesel 10 cake which was going to be a bit more elaborate, but time didn't allow for that. We held the party at a local park that had lots of shade. It was a lot of fun and much more low key than Luli's gigantic policeman party. The kids had fun playing with water balloons, hitting the pinata, and running around the playground. It was also nice because Oscar and I actually had a chance to talk to all of our friends there.

That night we had an extra celebration for Nahnah and Pahpah, they weren't able to make it to the party because Pahpah took a detour to the hospital the night before (he's A-ok now, but he gave us quite a worry workout). Fiona and my father have an amazing connection, it's strange how when she was a baby she looked so much like him and now they are total buddies. Fiona is always telling me, "Mommy, I wuv Pahpah." Or when we call to talk to Nahnah, Fiona always says "Hi Nahnah, where Pahpah?" HA!

Summer Visit to Nahnah and Pahpah's

In the middle of July I took the girls up to NY to spend some quality time with Nahnah and Pahpah. The girls were pretty excited about the pool and spending time with them, but not very keen on the idea of me leaving for home without them. But while I was there we made the most of our visit. I was really excited to bring the girls to The Great Escape for the first time. Every other year Luli's been really freaked out by carnival rides and amusement park places. But this year at the Herndon Festival she did great, and Fiona was game for anything. So I figured it was a good time to try out the big park. Nahnah, Pahpah, the girls and I got ready early one morning and headed up to Lake George. We started out with the swan boat ride, amazingly a ride my parents both rode on when they were kids. It was really special to think of my grandparents, my parents, me and now my own children enjoying this quaint little ride.


After the boats we hit the big time...THUNDER ALLEY. So thunder alley has always been special to me because I have fond memories of riding it with my dad. Fiona rode with Pahpah (naturally) and Luli rode with me. Now I expected the steering wheel to be more ornamental than functional...um not the case, you actually need to steer these cars. Seeing both my father and I placed the girls in front of the wheel this made for a bumpy ride. (yes Fiona is in the car).







Then we were on to the Looney Toons area, where we rode a roller coaster (don't recommend that one), swings, cars, boats, and lots more. On the way out we got onto the Gondola, which goes high up over the park, the girls did great on it, and ended with the merry go-round and ice cream. It was a fabulous day and I'm looking forward to exploring the park even more next year!

Also while we were up we had my wonderful cousin-in-law Anastasia take photographs of the girls at Crandall Park. If anyone in the Upstate NY area wants family pictures done, she's really wonderful. Not only does she take lovely pictures, she's also a mom herself so she knows how to make yours kids feel comfortable and have fun during the whole experience. It's not in a studio, you can meet her where ever you want. It was a wonderful experience, and a great chance to spend more time with her!

Kitchen Renovations

Here starts the renovation posts. I'm slowly going to work on getting the renovation posts up room by room. This may also encourage me to start getting things hung on the walls. I'm starting with the kitchen because it's frankly our most used space and it just came out so nice.

To start the kitchen was a big selling point with the house. After a year of looking we had really gotten accustomed to seeing a house for its potential and not the flashy good or bad things that hit you in the face. We knew kitchen remodels are wicked expensive, this kitchen was nicely remodelled and we were really happy with that and it's size, it was within the range we wanted it to be but didn't have gas. Frankly finding a house with gas was really difficult in this area, oh well, I'm learning to deal with electric :(

Again with the two tone and shadow boxes, and excessive molding. This project really began at the beginning of the house with the wall removal and arch install. Oscar and my father put the Arch in, which we got online. Seriously if you ever want to put in an arch this was the best way to go, you give them your measurements and in a few days your arch pieces arrive at your door. It went really well. So after some molding removal and my parents trip to VA we were able to start on wall removal. After the arch went in the kitchen was functional enough for us to move on to other projects and move into the house.

After we finished the priority move in projects we

started to focus on the kitchen again. We were originally going to keep the thin crown molding and paint it white and up to the top white so it appeared to be a continuous crown molding. Upon more consideration we just decided to remove it, and we're glad we did. After spackling, sanding, covering everything and priming we were ready to get our color on the wall, "moon mist." We also found that remodelling while living there and with the kids was easier at night for the most part. Once the kitchen was covered in plastic we were certainly motivated to move the project along in order to have the space in working order again.Of course ducking under plastic to make sandwiches was a good time.

First we painted the ceiling because it was ridiculously disgusting. And in the wisdom of John Sperry you always paint the ceiling. Frankly this wisdom had me cursing a few times but like all of his wisdom, he's right, it's a world of difference in all the rooms! We then primed the whole room and did two coats of "moon mist." The paint color really changed the whole room and it was amazing what just that did for the light there. It was amazing how much brighter and cleaner it felt. It's really nice to know that the only grime and mess in the house was made by you and not some stranger (or 20 as we've learned from neighbors). After we finished the color we uncovered the room and got it back in working order. I worked on the trim and crown molding in white while the girls took naps. I have the curtains, as you can see the rod in the corner of the picture, I'm just encouraging someone to hang them ;) And I'm trying to figure out placement of some other decor. I'm still really in love with this room and stare at it regularly remembering what it used to look like!

Happy 30th Birthday! Off to Miami

How many times can I say how amazing my husband is and how lucky I am that I have him in my life? Not enough, EVER! He planned a whole trip as a surprise for my 30th birthday, this past Saturday. I knew there was a trip but I didn't know where to. We both definitely needed a break from our regular lives. The house work and the regular stuff just needed to be left behind for a few days. My parents were amazing to come down on the 11th and help us with a lot of housework. As you may have seen in the pictures we are cruising right along for our move in date. My father continued to work on the house when we were on our trip, and the result is a beautiful hardwood floor.


Well back to the trip, Friday morning we left for our 6am flight and that's when I found out we were going to MIAMI! There were a few little hints here and there that I thought Miami was one of the top possibilities. Oscar kept joking we were going to St. Louis. I have nothing against St. Louis, but it's not really where I wanted to escape to. We had such a great time just relaxing and doing whatever we wanted. We slept in EVERY morning until 9am at least! I mean seriously do you know the last time I slept in? We did lots of stuff and ate lots of food. We visited Oscar's Aunt and Uncle and his Great Aunt, we went to Calle Ocho and drank lots of cortaditos (Oscar is now re-addicted to coffee), we walked South Beach, we snorkled on our drive to Key West, and canoed among the mangroves, we cuddled on the beach at night, rented bikes to see Key West, ate at the Taste of Key West, and just enjoyed being Jenn and Oscar. Just when you think you know someone pretty perfectly he does one thing that surprises you. For instance, I KNOW Oscar is not a person who enjoys the public spectacle restaurants can make of someones birthday. So I was pretty sure I dodged the bullet on having a group of waiters come and sing the loudest Happy Birthday...NOPE! We enjoyed a yummy cuban meal at Versailles on Calle Ocho, we ordered dessert and then it happened. Five waiters and waitresses came over singing Happy Birthday Panchita to me! Now I'm sure you can all imagine what shade of red I became. But it was really sweet and totally unexpected.


The girls were well taken care of by Nahnah and Pahpah though I'm pretty sure Nahnah and Pahpah are going to retreat the Upstate NY and sleep for several days straight. Both girls took this trip a little badly. As soon as Nahnah and Pahpah arrived Luli just wasn't herself, acting really snotty and mean. I really couldn't believe her behavior and it apparently continued for 1-2 days while we were gone. Fiona on the other hand is our "feeler" and apparently she did a lot of crying and cuddling the last 2 days of the trip. The girls definitely tried to push Nahnah and Pahpah to see what they could get away with and I think getting away with things lasted a short period. They are amazing little ladies but they can be difficult if they want to be.


Now that we are home I'm really enjoying being with my girls. Luli ran in our room at 6am and showered us with hugs and kisses and then cuddled and laid with us until Fiona ran in at 7am and showered us with more hugs and kisses and we all cuddled. Today we took a trip to the library for new books and have enjoyed reading and playing together. They've been in good spirits. I think once the house is finished and we move the transition time will be over and they'll settle down. It's a lot going on for them right now and they are trying to process it all.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! We've had a lovely morning, taking it easy and enjoying a little bit of laziness before we get back to the house work. The girls woke up very excited for their egg hunt and their baskets. The Easter Bunny wrote a letter and it actually was listened to! In their baskets they received matching gymnastics outfits (as you can see here).





In house news, my parents arrived yesterday after our trip to the circus (more to come on that). We took them over to the house, gave them the tour and got them to work! Dad and Oscar removed the wall from the kitchen to the library, and it looks amazing! I really can't believe how much it changes the whole house. The wall came down pretty easily. We we're very lucky the tile floor continued under the wall and hadn't been damaged when they closed in the room. They closed in the room in order to rent out the room with the fireplace. The guys got the opening back to the original wall and will be installing the arch in the coming days, along with a new hardwood floor in the library.


I put primer coat number 2 on the girls bedroom, so the sewing room and girls' room are ready for our color choices! Today I'll be finishing the sanding in the master bedroom and priming that room. Hopefully we'll be getting some of our colors in tomorrow! Check out the album of the House Work, I added new pics this morning. Enjoy!

SNOW!

We unfortunately have not seen a flake of snow in Virginia but upon our arrival to Nahnah and Pahpah's house we were greeted with feet of snow! We actually arrived just in time to miss another storm that was tracking through that night and added a few more inches to the mass amount of snow they have. We've taken advantage and been outside digging, building and making snow angels every day! The girls love the snow and Luli is really worried it will melt away before she gets to play in it again. I have assured her that this snow will be here for awhile! (much to Pahpah's dismay).

Luli's First Race

On Saturday October 18, Luli ran her very first race!

Oscar had registered to run the Stone Ridge 5k Race for Education and we thought it would be great to register Luli for the 1k Fun Run. She got her very own race packet with tee-shirt and bib number! South Riding Pediatrics also gave a baseball cap, which she insisted on wearing for the race.It was really adorable and she was so excited.

Nahnah and Pahpah were even in town to watch the big event. They were returning home from vacation and stayed with us for the weekend. The morning of the race Nahnah could hear Luli in her bed, wake up and say, "Fiona today I'm going to run a race!" How adorable! It was a beautiful day and It was pretty cold in the morning and the sun wasn't shining on our course yet, so it felt even colder. While we waited to line up Luli and Fiona sat in the stroller with coats and blankets. Prior to lining up Luli and Oscar stretched their limbs, to avoid any injury from this grueling 1k race! Time came to line up and Luli and I took off our coats and hopped in line. The race started and we were off, she did so great! We ran the entire way and had a lot of fun holding hands, but sometimes letting go to run like a real runner (this is fists clenched, bent at the elbow, and slightly held out from the body - think John McCain in debates). It was an out and back course and on the return the wind was in our faces and Luli kept repeating "I'm so cold Mommy." But her smiled never faded. When we crossed the finish line we held up our arms Rocky style and screamed in victory. Then she received a very cherished prize, the gold medal. The gold medal has been shown off to anyone around, slept with and brought to school. It was very exciting! Nahnah took great pictures of Luli and I running I just have to get them from her.

Oh and Oscar ran a great race too!

Enjoying the outdoors!

This type of weather is what makes you want to pick up and move to the Adirondacks! It's been so beautiful all week and we are certainly taking advantage.

Our days revolve around being outside and usually inside is reserved just for feeding times and naps! Yesterday and today were no different.

Yesterday we played with some balls and woke up the pool, which we do every morning (taking off the solar cover and yelling "GOOD MORNING POOL") I'm sure the neighbors love it! Then we tried the kaleidoscopes that Nahnah has kept since I brought them back from Japan 16 years ago. I moved the princess tent off the screened porch into the yard and we enjoyed some story time in there until it was too hot to handle! Then we moved on to hanging out in the pool house (Pahpah, Luli, Fiona and I), we were there for almost an hour playing house and chatting. It was a good time and really cute. As the sun started to go down it got a little chillier and we broke out the jeans and long sleeves, but remained outside and brought out some Polly Pockets to play with.

Today I hit the gym early in the morning and when I returned Nahnah and the girls were just returning from their walk. While out they gathered material to build a Fairy House, which we constructed after naptime. During snack time Nahnah had found a few things to share with the girls from my past! First up, the recorder, oh god. At first this seemed like a good idea but as the whistling continued it was clearly not a good idea. On the other hand, the two sets of my old ballet slippers were a big hit and incredibly cute. The girls have enjoyed wearing them around the house today. And it's really wonderful to see their tiny feet in my tiny shoes. I won't tell any lies, I wasn't good at ballet (this is a shock to those of you who know my grace, clearly I seem like someone well trained - HA!) these are probably the only two pairs of ballet slippers my mom has for me because I didn't stick with it!

The girls helped Pahpah tinker with the grill today. Luli and Fiona helped fasten bolts and measure widths and lengths. All in an effort to help Pahpah create a new and improved grease trap, or something. They love to help and were so happy and excited to be creating and doing something with Pahpah.

While the girls helped tinker Nahnah pulled together all of her crafty supplies and all of the gathered nature to create the perfect Fairy House. We spread out our blanket and read some books in the yard until Nahnah was all set up and ready for us. Then it was time to create. We gave the fairies a hard wood floor, a soft bed with a leaf blanket, a pine cone chair and rock table, leaf windows and even some wall decor, and a broom to help them clean. We decorated the top with moss so it would blend in and then scanned the whole yard for the PERFECT place to leave the house.

After the fairy house making, we went to the front of the house for bike riding and chalking. Everyone got their bodies traced on the driveway and then clothes drawn on. Then we took out the go-cart from Nahnah's car and tried to ride it. Luli wasn't into it until I tried to ride it, now that would have been a good picture. Unfortunately my feet were too big and kept getting caught on the wheel, which was rather annoying because I was totally into it. Then Luli was really into it and rode it around for awhile, with the assistance of a push from behind, it's hard and heavy to pedal it on her own.

Hammocks, Hammocks and Goggles

We've had the traditional hammock out back since we moved in. Frankly we are a hammock loving family! While Nahnah and Pahpah were here for Fiona's birthday party they were kind enough to bring down my hammock chair so I could install that outside also. Sunday afternoon we hooked up the hammocks set out the sprinkler and enjoyed a little time outside. The girls were not nearly as interested in the sprinkler as they were in the hammocks!

Then the girls found their bird feeder which had fallen off the deck and broken. Oscar repaired it and they all set out to paint it (this time with outdoor paint, rather than our child safe washable paints).

And lastly for our random happenings! ... Luli has decided wearing her goggles at random times is better than wearing them in the pool. This is Luli the other night at dinner!