Sunday, February 21, 2010

There she rolls!

We spent Sunday afternoon at Claire's friend Maeve's 5th birthday at the Anderson roller skating rink. After spending the first 15 minutes discussing with the Anderson natives how the place hasn't changed since middle school - not the carpet, bathrooms, snack bar or music. Do roller skating rinks ever change? Nope.


Claire suited up into her head-turning, stylish rentals and promptly wiped out, with Jason giving her a yank back to her feet before she hit the floor.








Claire & Maeve


It took them 45 minutes to make a pass around the floor - Claire kept the same scowl on her face all the way around while big kids whizzed by.






After fueling up on some pizza, ice cream and cake frosting (why bother with the cake?) she begged to go back out onto the floor.... and got the hang of it!

She shuffled her way around and around with only a few bobbles - but no hands needed! Chloe and I watched from the sidelines and cheered her on.








Patrick & Bailee




Then came the small meltdown when it was time to leave, a definite indicator of a good time!

Happy Birthday, Maeve!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Or so I thought...

... that I was going to survive this week.



Jason is out of town for the week - first time in a while, and I was looking forward to this week with dread. Chloe is in the I-must-be-held-by-mommy-constantly stage every week night, making things a bit of a challenge to get dinner ready. I just find it difficult to hover over boiling pots or open a 400 degree oven door with a screaming child glued to your knee cap.


Claire was very sad about Jason going, but trying not to be too pouty about it. We walked in her classroom Monday morning and she had a sad look on her face - a genuine one, not the fake lip poke. Her teacher asked her what was wrong and the crocodile tears started to flow - "daddy is out of town and not back until Friday..."


Monday night we walked in the house around 5:45 (early!) and I got dinner started. About half way through dinner I noticed that there was NOT something clinging to my leg. I glanced around - and Chloe and Claire were playing together! Riding their trains around the house and cooking in their own kitchen. It was fabulous! To commemorate the occasion I even snapped a photo of our lovely dinner: Parmesan crusted baked tilapia, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, garlic bow tie pasta and salad - and fully intended to post a blog entry about how my little Chloe is becoming so independent! *sniff*

Then Tuesday came. When grocery shopping this weekend, I picked out some quick and easy meals that would not make a ton and were kid friendly. Claire asked what was on the menu tonight while we were driving home from school - Tacos! Yes, the one from the "kit." Claire asked why we just didn't go through the Taco Bell drive through if we were having tacos? Insulted, I explain that HER mom cooks meals for her. Not (gasp) pick up some heart attack in a paper bag. (haha - like Old El Paso makes a "healthy" taco...)

I knew I was in trouble when I walked in the door and Chloe had the death scissor grip of her legs around my waist. Maybe she realized that she forgot to cling on Monday? Whatever the reason, there was nothing that could convince her to put her feet on the floor - not a snack, not a trip to the potty with big sis, not refilling the dog's food bowl. Nothing.

So, the tacos were cooked with one arm - the other toting a 26 lb toddler. Next time we're going to Taco Bell.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

A Valentine's Dance!

The excitement has been building in our house all week.... for the annual Goddard School Valentine's Dinner and Dance! What is more cool then having mom and dad and your little sister enjoy a hot dog, a bounce house, and a awesome DJ playing all your favorite tunes in your school's gym??

Before bed last night Claire insisted that she and Chloe HAD to wear "red dresses with leggings underneath." Understanding the importance of being fashionable to the school's big event, I dug out appropriate outfits.

When we arrived, the party was in full swing and Claire immediately sprinted outside to the "bouncy thing." It was freezing outside, but Chloe and I hung around until Jason got there - then headed inside to check out the dining options. Claire and Jason eventually came in to join us for a hot dog, chips and huge cookies - all number one fav's for kids!


The Valentine's "Tattoo:"




The gym was packed with kids, the big kids in the front and the little ones clinging to mom and dad's legs. Claire and her pals danced the night away to "Ride that train" and "The Hokey Pokey" and others like it.


Claire and gal pal Ava:


Chloe and buddy Carter (his mom is Claire's teacher):



Caleb working on standing alone so he can hit the dance floor:




Chloe retreating to the corner when the big kid dancers get a little wild:

It was a very nice party with only a small meltdown when it was time to go home. We really appreciate the school putting on this event!

Monday, February 8, 2010

A snowy vacation!

We've been saying for years that we were going to go visit my cousin Carrie and go skiing in the Poconos. (So she's not really a 'cousin' but she is my mom's mom's sister's daughter's daughter. Did you follow that?) Regardless, she and my mom have always been like cousins, so cousin it is. Carrie and her husband, Brian, and her boys, Andrew and Michael, have come down to the lake a couple of times to visit, always leaving with the invitation for us to come up in the winter to visit and ski.

Finally we decided this winter was the time, and my mom and dad booked their flight from Florida and mine from South Carolina - and decided February would be a good time where snow would be a sure thing. After all, they have a condo in the Poconos near Jack Frost / Big Boulder ski area and a snow mobile all about 2 hours north of their home outside of Philly.

We head out for a VERY early flight out of Greenville - girls happy (so far) with their sausage McMuffins. The flights actually went pretty well even with a plane change in Atlanta with a cold rain that eventually moved up the East coast and turned into "Snowmageddon."

Friday we hung around the condo and played with the girls in the couple of inches of snow that was outside. It doesn't take much to thrill them when it comes to snow!

Saturday we headed to Jack Frost early in the morning to enroll Claire in the Snow Monsters ski school. According to the weather guy, it was 16 degrees when we headed out with an expected high of 18. That is why we all look like bank robbers in the pictures - but the 15 layers of clothes did actually keep us warm. The huge snow storm hit the Mid-Atlantic states Friday night and into Saturday. Unfortunately, the Pocono's only got 3 inches - which was really a good thing because it would have been difficult to ski on all that fresh powder.

We took turns with Chloe in the lodge, and Claire did fantastic in school. She couldn't wait to hit the big slope and Brian skied with her using their harness, and she just loved riding the chair lifts. All the skiing was great - no broken bones or frostbite!

Sunday we went back to Thornton (20 min from Philadelphia) where the boys dug and blew through the 28 inches of snow. We got the sleds and saucers back out and all had a great time playing! I couldn't believe how much snow there was! That night, Uncle Steve and Stephen (Carrie's dad and brother) came over for pizza and the Super Bowl. What a family reunion!

Monday was our travel day, and thankfully we didn't have any major delays with it being the first day the airport operated in 3 days.

We took tons of pictures, so here they are in a slide show. (All the good ones were taken by Carrie!)