We're halfway there...

Well, I am officially 1/2 done this school year. We gave exams Wednesday and Thursday. Today was a "teacher only" day to finish up grades and get everything ready for Monday when we welcome all new classes :)

I was lucky enough to have 2 former students come in for 2 hours (they earn National Honor Society service hours for it) to help me. Read: I only had to worry about my actual plan for Monday and they got to do all my menial tasks... wash transparencies, wash the boards, type all my new names into the computerized gradebook, move books, file, etc.

As they were working, one mentioned an argument that he and his girlfriend had last week. Turns out, he said something stupid and she got mad... but he didn't realize that wasn't ok to say... Anyway, we chatted some more and the other kid remarked that I must look younger than I really am. No wonder he got a better grade from me than this other kid ;P So next, the kid who ticked off his girlfriend says to me, "you don't look old, just really tired all the time".

Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh... put that on the list of things you should not say to a girl!

Lily is a big sister!

This morning, my cousin Jeff and his wife Chasity welcomed baby boy Nathan into the world!

6:03 a.m.
9 lbs 1 oz
21 inches long

We went for a really quick visit today after work. Children weren't allowed in the room, so Tony and I had to take turns going in to visit. Lucas was bummed he didn't get to see baby "Nafan" and even more bummed Lily wasn't at the hospital either.

But, everyone is well and we can't wait to go visit once they get settled in at home...

Daddy in charge

This is what happens what Daddy gets ahold of the camera...

10 months!

Last Sunday, Charlotte turned 10 months old. She sure has come a long way in the last 6 weeks or so. She is moving ALL over the place. Crawling and pulling up on anything and everyone.

She gets into way more than Lucas ever did. She will open Tony's closet door and pull out clothes. While I'm putting those back, she's emptying all the diapers from the changing table baskets. And while I'm picking those up, she's up to something else... Silly girl!

She's making all kinds of noises. Like I mentioned the other day, she says mama, dada, and this weekend said ba-ba (bye-bye) once. But she's constantly blabbering, and good lord she loves to scream. It's super loud and high-pitched and she just loves to do it.

She's a good eater. In a day she usually eats a yogurt and 4 tubs of baby food... Oinker. Plus a few snacks and people food when we're eating. I'm still breastfeeding her a couple times a day. She gets one bottle at daycare, and we've been giving her one before bed instead of nursing... because then she sleeps ALL NIGHT. Yup, you read right... after almost 10 months of getting up with her 2-3 times each night, she has slept all night for the past 2 weeks. Hope I don't jinx it by writing it down.

Charlotte absolutely LOVES Lucas. She wants to be everywhere he is and gets super excited when he talks to her and interacts with her. However, he tends to get a little frustrated that she constantly wants to grab his toys and get close to where he has cars set up, etc.

Here are a few cute pics of her from the last 2 weeks or so:

Hats

Saturday afternoon we received a package from my parent's old neighbors from when I was growing up. We loved visiting with Ms. Mary and Mr. Ed. Ms. Mary loves to knit and made the kiddos some hats! Soooo cute. Lottie wouldn't leave hers on, but it's big enough that it'll fit next year too.

Boat Show

Saturday morning we headed downtown to the Baltimore Boat Show. Lots of cool stuff to see and we even got some free stuff - a swim noodle, water bottle, fake tattoo, coupons - can't beat that!
For once, I hardly took any pics! There was someone dressed up as Spongebob, but Lucas was terrified of it.

Jabber-jaws

Lottie woke up this morning with a new tooth! I've been waiting several weeks for this one to pop out. Also, she has been jabbering away... always making some kind of noise. She will say mamamama and dadadada. Sometimes in the right context, other times not. She also furiously shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want to do something. Just now, Tony and Lucas were leaving for the grocery store and she was sitting by the front door. As they walked out, she waved her arm up and down and said "ba ba" - too stinkin' cute!!!

Thanks Uncle Matt!

A few days were slightly warmer this week, so we got outside a little bit. We opened up the baseball set that Uncle Matt gave Lucas for Christmas. He LOVED it, and it was a little frightening how good at it he was. Lucas kept saying, "It's Christmas all over again!"

Purple princess

Yesterday, we went to Riley's 3rd birthday party. The theme was "purple princesses". Out of all of us, only Charlotte dressed the part.
At first, Lucas was a little shy around the other kids, but before we knew it he was his usual self - hoarding trains, eating chocolate, and telling someone "my name is LUCAS" after they had the nerve to call him Luke. Charlotte really surprised us - she was in on all the action. Crawling everywhere and fast, grabbing toys, and using the big kids to pull up on!
This morning Lucas got decked out in his party favors - aka - purple princess jewelry/make-up that was also candy!

Decisions, decisions...

What you see here are most of Lottie's 9-12 month clothes ONLY! She's got tons!

Hallelujah!

Today the high was in the mid-40's (as opposed to the 30's that it's been for weeks). We took the opportunity to get out of the house, meet some friends at a park, and play some disc golf... It was a nice 3 hour hike through the woods and Lucas didn't stop once! He should sleep well tonight...

Vegas baby!

Sooooo, Tony and I are taking a little trip by ourselves during my Easter break - Vegas here we come!!! Our neighbors are getting married there, and Mommom and Pop have agreed to care for the little ones. This is where we'll be:

Already?

Lucas found this old Nintendo controller that has literally hundreds of the old Nintendo games loaded in it... You simply plug it into the tv and play one... Mario Brothers, Excitebike, Paperboy, Pacman, etc. Lucas loves it and can even play some games all by himself!
Completely entranced!

Post Holiday Gingerbread House

I got this on clearance just before Xmas. We put it together this week just for fun. It's been so frigid that we've been cooped up in the house more than we like :) Lucas thoroughly enjoyed eating all the cookies, icing, and candies while I constructed the actual tree... And Charlotte enjoyed watching from her high chair.

Trip to the mall

Saturday, we went to the mall cause I wanted to hit a sale to stock up on Lucas' clothes for next winter. We walked around a bit, and Tony took the kids to the book store to play with the big train table. Of course we had to go in Bass Pro Shop on the way in AND out :)

New Year's Resolution

We got a nice elliptical trainer a little before Christmas, and Tony surprised me by installing a TV in front of it... Makes it a little less boring! And he was clever enough to install it in the top shelf of the white curio cabinet. Do you see it?

For the next year...

I will miss this terribly :) The crazy "Griswald house" of our neighborhood. For the entire Christmas season, I LOVE driving by it every time we're out in the dark!!! It's insane... they staple lights to the siding, roof, yard...

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year everyone! We had an early New Year's Eve celebration (that's what happens when you have kids) at Carrie and Jason's. Lucas took a nap on the way there and we hit the road at Charlotte's bedtime. We had some yummy snacks and had fun hanging out. The kids did a late Christmas gift exchange and even got to drink sparkling grape juice from a goblet. Fancy!