What a strange, strange day it's been

It was a day just like any other. We woke up around 8:00am, got dressed, had breakfast, went to the pool, met up with friends, ate lunch, went down for naps, etc, etc, but...

Well we did it all with no tantrums, no crying, very little arguing. It was weird. I kept waiting for the explosion. So far, so good. Sean has the girls up in baths, and it is even quiet up there. The girls swam with their friends at the pool great. When it was time to eat lunch they easily left the pool area and went to eat. And they actually ATE. Their whole meals. On the way home B fell asleep so I just carried her up to her crib. Mags asked for "one show" (which she always does) before nap. She watched two, but I was on the phone when it was over. She walked right by me and upstairs. I followed her up, and she was lying there with her paci in. When I asked what she was doing, she said taking a nap... and she did! She put herself down for a nap and stayed there for about a 3 hour nap! Mo and I colored and played hide and seek. When Mags woke up, they played together. Both of the older girls took turns playing nicely with B.

Yes, it was a wonderfully weird day. Would it be too much to ask to do it again tomorrow?

They play so nicely together

Today the girls were out in the yard playing together. There was a lot of laughter and giggles. They came running in together to tell mommy and daddy what they had done... they were so proud. We, the proud parents waited to hear all about it.

They pretended they were Jameson and peed on the back patio. They made Daddy come out and see it. True enough, they had. Mo had just a little puddle, Mags was big. At least they are playing nicely together!

Better than Disney World

What, you ask, could be better than Disney World? That would have to be a pretty fancy shmancy vacation... right? Well not to my girls. This weekend we drove up to the Poconos for a (basically free) weekend. We stayed at a Hampton in standard room, two queen beds and no refrigerator (and with a quick 90 minute tour, had it paid for). We drove up Friday (I picked Sean up from work at 4:00pm) and all the girls could talk about was the pool where you don't have to put sunblock on!! It had a small indoor pool at the hotel. As soon as we got there (already after dinner time) we had to put on our suits and hit the pool. After about an hour of jumping off the the side and doing the "back stroke" (they are really getting great at it), we headed to dinner. We ended up just getting takeout pizza because Mo said her belly hurt. She was crying and very sad. I was worried we might be spending alot of our vacation in the hotel, until Daddy showed up with the pizza and ice cream cones. All of a sudden, her belly did not hurt anymore! They got to eat dinner in bed. How cool is that?

Sleeping was even better. We all slept in the same room. Mags with Daddy; Mo with me, and B in her pac-n-play. After a few minutes of tears (from B) and giggles (from M&M) we settled in for a pretty long rest. We did not get up until after 8:00.

Breakfast (the free one) really was a hit. They had Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks. Maura got a box of each. She did not eat either; she just carried them everywhere she went for the next 24 hours. She was very protective of them. All this great stuff and we still did a water park, magic show, and Bushkill Falls (and of course, more pool time). The girls had an absolute blast. They were hoping when we got home we could all sleep in one room again. Not so fast, my friend. Tonight they were all put in their own beds. So far it is quiet up there. We will see.

Thanks girls

Thank you M, M & B for being so adaptable. It was so nice for Daddy and I to get to go away to celebrate our anniversary last night. You ladies stayed with Mimi and Papa and were "perfect angels" (Mimi always says that; I am not sure how true it always is.) You went to bed easily, slept all night and didn't get up till after 8. You didn't cry when you left mommy, in fact, you were thrilled to go. Yet, when you saw mommy for the first time again, you were excited and full of little questions (for example Mags said, "Where's my milk?). It really is nice to be able to go away without feeling guilty.

Daddy and I had a great time, and I am excited to get back to being your full time mommy again!

Happy Birthday B!

B turned 1 this week. She is just a sweet little baby who is turning into a fun little toddler. On Wednesday, her actual birthday, we had a little playgroup lunch in the park. It was nice to have her cousin Ryan there to celebrate. She loved her cookie cake. She also loved eating the sand... yuck.

That night for dinner the O'Reillys came over for dinner with Caitlin and Logan. We had another meal for B's birthday. We had lasagna.. one of her favorites. I debated between lasagna and Shepard's pie (she is in to the casserole type dishes). We had ice cream cupcakes for dessert. She devoured them! She was so lucky to celebrate with almost all her cousins on her actual birthday.

On Sunday we had her big birthday bash. I had it at a park down the street. It was supposed to be easy and casual, but easy and casual is not too easy for me to do. I have a problem with that. So we had around 40 people or so attend B's Bumble Bee party. It was complete with Bee cupcakes, hot dogs, popcorn machine, watermelon, and of course Popsicles (It was 96 degrees!) . Moon bounce, bee hive bean bag toss, duck pull, face painting, bee antennae for all the little ones, bug catchers as favors, and of course, the reason why I had it there in the first place, a playground and the biggest sandbox, ever!. We had a lot of fun despite the heat. B loved splashing in the duck game, and especially loved the cupcakes (she had two) and Popsicles. She was asleep as soon as we put her in the car, before we even pulled out of the driveway. After long naps for everyone (me included, the girls headed to the O'Reilly's for dinner and I headed to a dinner with girlfriends from playgroup to for Jenna's sprinkle. B (well, mo and mags) has been slowly opening all her gifts. I am not sure if she likes them, but M and M sure do! They now cannot wait until their birthdays! I am trying to convince myself to do small parties for the girls. They would be fine with it. I am the one with the problem!

Today B took a lot of steps all by herself! She is standing up from the floor very easily. The smile on her face when she does it is priceless. She is so darn proud. As are we. I love seeing her grow up each day (but not too fast) and turn into this sweet little girl with a big personality!

I can't believe it...

Just three more days until B's first birthday! What a sweetheart she is. She is standing for longer periods of time. And the other day she even took a step towards Sean during bedtime books. I am excited to get to know her little personality as it is coming out more and more everyday.

Sometimes when Maura gets a little frustrated or overwhelmed (or just plain mad) she will say "I don't want to be a sister anymore." Of course I quickly remind her how much she loves her sisters and how lucky she is. Mags says "You be nice to me, I your sister", but honestly, I can see how it can be frustrating... to ALWAYS have to share, your toys, your books, your mom, your room, your time... everything. I don't blame her for getting frustrated. But, I am also 99.7% sure they are really going to appreciate each other when they get older. I really do pray all the time that they will form a bond that will help them appreciate what they have for their whole lifetime.

I sure do love those little girls, and I can't wait to meet the next one!!

Cruising along

B will be 1 year old a week from tomorrow. It always goes so darn fast (and then painfully slow at times too). But I can't believe she will be a year old. She really is turning into a cutie too.

She was always a great baby. She rarely cried, slept well, ate well, smiled on command. Now, she still does all those things but with a little of her personality coming out. She is such a little flirt. She smiles at just the right time, to whoever is looking at her. If you aren't paying close enough attention to her, she'll throw her hands in the air so you will say "Who is so big." Out comes the biggest smile. She is really getting around, and fast. If you turn your head for a minute (which I do all the time) she is probably upstairs or on her way up. She even climbs up the slide!! And pretty well too.

She says uh oh, but mostly sounds like some ancient dinosaur I can't spell. Lots of high pitched happy squeals. She loves her sisters, who most of the time treat her well. Sometimes it is hard to understand why she just crawled over the puzzle you worked for the last half hour on and broke it all up. Understandable.

I really hope b keeps this great personality. I think she will be a happy person if she does. Although i must note she has a bit of the Irish temper. If she is on her way to get something and you a) close the gate b) pick it up, she will a) stop in her tracks b) scream. But she is easily distracted, so that is good.

B will be having a Bee first birthday party on the 20th at a local park. I have been working on it for a month now. I hope it turns out nice and does not rain! Not that she'll know. But she will see pictures when she is older.

Just like her dad

Sean is always telling me to use my mirrors when I am backing out of somewhere. I prefer someone, preferably not in the car, to tell me how much room I have. Mind you we have one of the biggest cars out there right now, a Suburban! (Note, today I filled up my gas tank for $113.00)

The other day I was backing out of the driveway. Sean was in the front yard with Mo and B. I asked him how much room I had before I plowed over the car parked in the street. Maura perks up "Use your mirrors, Mom." Just as I do with Sean, I made an excuse about not being able to see out of it. She said "Not that one mom; the other one (passenger side)."

She was right.

Chore Etiquette

The other day I was mopping the kitchen floor, something I must do a lot now that B is on the go. Maura wanted to help. She took the mop form me and began going over what I had already done. I kept telling her to come do this side. She would come over for a minute then back to the already done side. We had friends on their way over, so I was in a bit of a time crunch. After politley reminding her a few (hundred) times, she stops what she is doing looks right at me and says:
"Mom, I don't bother you when you are mopping the floor, do I?"

Mags is hanging with the big girls

This week Maura and Maggie are both in a summer camp. It is through the township and is designed for children 3-5. Last year Mo did it when she was almost three. This year Mags is doing it too. Even though they are only 13 months apart Mags seems much younger then Mo did this time last year. She just is much more needy and , well, just a lot less independent. I signed her up thinking, why not; Mo did it last year and if I am already driving Mo there, why not (same reason she went to swim boot camp? This past weekend I was really regretting my decision, both for Maggie's and for the teacher's sake. She is not ready, I thought. She'll need her milk at snack, they give juice; she does not like juice. I thought about going into a litany of things for the teacher of her quirks and my concerns, but I did not.

I am glad I did not. She did great. Without prompting, the teacher came over and told me how impressed she was with Mags. She could not believe she was so potty trained, put on her own shoes, and basically kept up with the older kids. I was relieved, impressed and proud.

We walked to the car, Mags started yelling "milk." I gave her her milk (I brought one knowing she would need it).She then screamed at me that she wanted her "wa wa." She basically broke down less then 15 feet from camp. I guess acting like a big girl really took a lot out of her.

The girls have been back every day this week and love it. No tears or even hesitation and drop off. It is amazing to see how they are growing up. I remember last year when I would drop Mo off she would call me back 10 times to "see this" or "tell me something." This year, I think if she could unbuckle her car seat (she can officially buckle herself in!!!) she would just jump out and go. They have the rest of this week and next. Hope it goes as smoothly.

Happy Independence Day!

We had a great fourth of July weekend. We were home the whole weekend, but had lots to do. On Friday our neighborhood had the annual parade and picnic. The kids decorate their bikes/wagons/scooters, etc. and walk around the neighborhood with a firetruck escort. Mo decorated her bike and mags decorated her scooter. She was very cute when I asked her if she wanted to decorate her tricycle or scooter. She chose the scooter because she could do that herself (the tricycle has a bar that we can push her on) and she wanted to be a big girl in the parade. Isabel and Chloe came over and we headed up for the parade. As soon as the parade started we lost Mo and Isabel. They were right up front behind the firetruck. They rode the whole way by themselves. Mags needed a little more help. we stayed for a little for moonbounces and games. We then headed back for naps.

That evening we went to Aronimink for the big picnic. More moonbounces, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, light up jewelry, dancing, and, unfortunately, RAIN. Luckily they had put a tent up so we stayed dry while the girls got soaked running around in the rain. They had a ball and literally just rain around silly in the rain for about 30 minutes until i bribed them in with dessert. Then out they went again. The rain stopped for a bit and the fireworks still went off. We were doubtful. Sean wanted to call it a night around 7:00pm. But at 10:00 when we were pulling out of the driveway, we were glad we held out. B LOVED the fireworks. She watched them in total awe. I remember this time last year thinking I would have a baby any minute. B made us wait a little longer then we expected, but I would willingly do it again if I had a guarantee that this next baby would be just as good as B.

Saturday Sean golfed in the morning and the girls and i hung out around the house. They were very cute playing together. Maura and Maggie actually cleaned up the toys that were scattered all over the room... on their own, without being asked. it was a big task too. I was very proud. And pleased, as I did not have to do it now.

That evening we went to the Phillies game with the Smiths. The girls had a ball again. The ran around the suite playing mermaid, watched the game a bit, and got the biggest ice cream sundae ever! In a Phillies Phanantic bowl! We arrived home at midnight. The girls were great.

The next morning Mags and B got up around 9:15 and Mo slept till after 10. Needless to say, we missed 9:30 mass. We headed to church at Saint Norberts to surprise Mimi. We ended up spending the whole day there. We did crash the neighbors pool. The girls had a ball. Mo jumped off the diving board a lot. Mags practiced her floating. I tried to use this opportunity to get mo to join me in my quest for a pool in the backyard (Sean is totally against it). I said "Gee Maura, wouldn't it be great to have a pool in our yard. We'll have to ask Daddy for one." She replied "We do have a pool Mom." She's right. I did buy a pretty fancy blow up pool at BJs last week. I felt a little spoiled! I went shoe shopping with B and worked on favors for her party. We got home around 8:00pm and straight to bed. This morning the girls got up and went to camp... a great weekend!

I heart prunes!

When the girls were little and got constipated I would give them prune juice. For some odd reason, they all liked it. Mo must have misheard me one day and called it "poopy juice." So, obviously, that is what we call it now. Well, when the poopy juice got too messy (it stains) and the girls could chew bigger foods, I bought actual prunes. They like them too, sometimes too much.

When one of the girls is on the toilet and having a hard time pooping, they call me in there, tell me of their woes, and ask for a prune. It is a great talisman. I bring it in, no sooner, they are pooping. Sometimes they don't even put it in their mouth yet and it works. The other day Jameson went in and stole Mo's prune, luckily he doesn't like them (that could be messy) and somehow, Mo still pooped within seconds.

Not following the rule...

I made a rule in our house... only one child can cry at a time (I know, I laugh at myself just reading it). I read it in a magazine, and that mother said it worked. Of course her kids weren't 3, 2 and 1. Every once in a while two will be crying and I will remind them of the rule and one will get annoyed, but will stop and wait a minute, then ask, "Is it my turn yet?"

Well today, no one followed the rule. I think it started with Maura, B joined in. Mo stopped, Mags started up, B continued, Maura jumped back on, Mags again, still B is going. I tried to remind them of the rule. In calm times both Mo and mags can repeat it. No one seemed to remember. I did what any good mother would.. I joined them!!

Let's Rock and Roll

Whenever i am ready to go somewhere and head out the door, I say "Let's Rock and Roll." (Thanks Dad) I am sure it is annoying, but i do not even notice it, that was until one of my little mimickers mimicked me. Mags says it all the time now. From her it is indeed very cute. She'll put on her shoes, pick up her milk (and doll, and bear, and book, and whatever other 20 things she decides she needs to bring with us) and say "Rock and Roll." It really is quite charming.

In other rocking news B is at the stage where she climbs UP on everything. I am not sure this is a stage ALL 11 month olds go through, but all my 11 month olds have. B will climb on to the kid size picnic table. The stands on the "sit" of the sit-n-stand. She was standing in the doll stroller in the basement today. And the standard O'Reilly gal move, today the was trying to get up on the rocking chair. Each girl has stood on the chair backward and rocked. They sometimes rock pretty darn hard too.

Let's Rock and Roll!