On the Eve of 41

So, tomorrow I'll be 41, if you were talking to my mother she would say "not until after 6 p.m." Age doesn't really bother me. Probably because being the youngest in my family, I'll always be the last to reach the age at hand. This year I've thought about the "age" more. Last year when I turned 40, I hardly even noticed the day, of course, it helped being on our first cruise at the time. Maybe I've thought about it more because going past 40 indicates the later part of life. This is also the age range I remember most of my parents and I can't believe I'm there. To date, I have lived a great life. Although I married later in life, I know that is how God wanted it because I was content in my single hood when he brought into my life the most incredible man (younger than me by 4 years). People are still amazed when I tell them our story and how it was our fathers who introduced us...mouths drop at that little tidbit. We had almost 6 wonderful years together filled with lots of great times (ah... Vermont and the Maple Leaf Inn) before Emily entered our lives. My kids are another incredible blessing that this life has produced. When I look at Emily, I see myself. She is a little version of me - have you seen the pictures! I love how creative and funny she is and how hard she tries to accomplish things - she even scribble writes on notepads and pictures, just like her mom! Emily is so kind hearted. It is Emily who out of the blue will take me by surprise and say "mom you're beautiful" just when I need to hear it. We had 3 wonderful years with her when Matt decided to join our little family. Matt was a handful from the beginning - low fluid and breech. He is all boy and way too cute for his own good - you've seen those pictures too right! He loves to take things apart and tinker with things he shouldn't. Matt is very passionate, he goes all the way, love it or hate it. His main loves are fire trucks, trains, police cars and tow trucks (notice a flashing light theme here). Matt is sociable and loves to talk to everyone and anyone he meets - like Papa Joe. With all the good that has happened, how can I not look at 41 as anything but filled with great things to come. God placed me here for a purpose. There are many days I feel that I have let Him down but when I reflect on my life and children I can't help but think I have honored Him in some way. What the year holds, God know. What would I like it to hold: health and fitness for me, Dave and the kids (have I mentioned I love kickboxing), getting caught up on my scrapbooking, visiting with family and most of all bringing honor to my God. I guess all I can say at this point is "Happy Birthday to me! Bring on 41!" The picture is one Emily drew of me jumping rope at my kickboxing class....being the official family photographer you tend not to have many pictures of yourself. I love this one Emily did!

Our Philadelphia Story

So, we just returned from an extended weekend in Philadelphia. We left Thursday morning and headed to a enormous mall in King of Prussia until we could check into our hotel. Let me tell you this mall is massive. It is actually 2 complexes - we only made it through one and that was huge in itself. It definitely wore out the kids and we all took naps when we got to the hotel. Friday we headed to downtown Philly. We took a 20 minute tour in a horse drawn carriage. Because the kids are not all that into history, it was the perfect amount of time and they were very amused by the method of transportation. Matt loved hanging a little over the side watching the street go by and the wheels turn - my heart jumped a couple times on the bumps thinking he was going out of the carriage. Emily fell in love with our horse, Blue. At the end of the tour, the kids were able to feed Blue carrots. They loved that part. Then, we did a ton of walking. The last area we visited that day was a kids park that Emily and Matt really enjoyed. We hit the outlets the next day to get a few things Emily needed for school, Matt too. Both were really excited to get their first real pair of crocs and some jibitz to decorate them. We went to Pat's for cheese steaks that night. Emily ate some of hers and Matt decided before we even got there that her did not like cheese steak, so he took about 2 bites and declared he didn't like it again. Each night we were able to go into the hotel pool and hot tub. Matt once again made friends with anyone who would talk to him and Emily was always right behind him. We had a great time there and would like to go back when the kids are a little more into history. It was a nice escape before the craziness of school starts on Wednesday. Goodbye summer!

A Day at the Bronx Zoo

We took Emily and Matt to the Bronx Zoo today. The weather was absolutely perfect and both kids were excited to go. Dave and Emily plotted out a map of all the areas and animals we had to see on our "adventure". A new attraction at the zoo is their Madagascar exhibit. We knew Emily would love this because she has watched the movie and has fallen in love with lemurs (she already has a small stuffed pink ring tailed lemur). This was the first visit to this zoo where we took their monorail and got to see a large variety of animals on the grounds - loved the elephants. It reminded us of the safari ride at Disney but a lot less bumpy. At the end of our day heading through the park on the way to the car, I heard Emily say to Matt "hold my hand" so the one picture is a result of that request. It made me feel good to see them caring for each other. In the car, we each told our favorite animal that we saw today: Matt's was the tiger, Emily's had three - the giraffe, flamingos and lemurs (which she got another stuffed animal a sifaka which is part of the lemur family), Dave liked the black leopard and Kathy liked the Butterfly garden. If you would like to see more pictures from the zoo, you can look at an album I created on my facebook. It was such a great day together as a family.

A Day of Science

Yesterday, Emily and Dave had a date and went to the Liberty Science Center. This was Emily's first visit there. From what she would tell me, it sounded like they had a lot of fun. She came home with a large stuffed tree frog - Emily and her stuffed creatures!

Revisiting the Past

Okay, you'll need to forgive me for being in a nostalgic kind of groove right now (maybe it is because another year is about to be added to my age) trying to preserve the things happening and yet at the same time relive the past. In honor of this nostalgia, I'm beginning another weekly post entitled "Revisiting the Past" where I will post a picture appropriately from the past and give a few details about it. So here is the first addition. Yes, this is Emily. She was just 2 months old here - that seems so long ago. It's hard to believe she is headed for first grade. Emily always had a great smile for the camera when she was a baby. Now she usually has her face directed toward the camera but her eyes looking off in another direction. Look at that bald little head you would never believe she would end up with the thick head of hair she has now. This is truly one of my favorite pics of our baby girl.

Art 101

Seeing Emily loves to draw and there is no way I could send copies to everyone of the pictures she makes, I decided I would do a weekly post called "Art 101" in order to share these creations with you. This particular picture was made about 2 weeks ago while Emily came with me to my kickboxing class. She is really missing school so she drew a picture of it. There is the school, the bus she takes with her driver, Mr. Griffin, and the aide, Ms. Mae. Her teacher, Ms. Lisa, and the three aides, Ms. Cathy, Ms. Carmen and Ms. Tiz. The kids are just her special ed classmates, Chiara, Esther, Megan, Miguel and Anthony (with his glasses). She is so anxious to go back to school. The other night I told her it would only be a little over a week and she would be back at school (she starts September 3rd) and she told me that it was to far away.

Our Little Bookworm

Matt loves "reading" books. Yes, his reading is looking at the pictures. We have so many books here at home between his and Emily's collection but it never stops him from looking at more when we are in the stores. Matt knows where every toy and book aisle are in certain stores (Target, Walmart, Kmart, etc.). The Stop and Shop, our supermarket, is no exception. Matt made himself right at home looking at a Thomas the Train storybook. Fortunately, the aisle is not a high traffic area so he was able to enjoy his "reading" time.

Matt...the Cleaner

Matt is definitely becoming our resident cleaner of the house. Every time I bring out the glass cleaner he takes it from me and very generously sprays all the glass surfaces in the house. We are still trying to teach him that after you spray you need to wipe the spray away. On this particular day, Matt decided that he needed to wear daddy's shoes while using the Swiffer Wet Jet to mop the dining room floor. He loves pushing that button and spraying the cleaning solution all over the floor. Once again, still trying to teach him you have to mop the floor after you spray it. The most recent cleaning tool being taken over by Matt's is the vacuum. No matter where I am in the house as soon as I start the vacuum he comes running to where I am saying "my turn, my turn". The problem is that the machine is so much taller than Matt that the front lifts off the floor when he pulls the handle toward him to move the machine. The result is nothing gets vacuumed up. I figure with a little more tweaking I just may have my very own housemaid...free of charge! Now if only I could get him interested in cleaning the bathroom. Just kidding!

Little Rubber Boots

This is a picture I recently emailed to Dennis & Kim but thought all of you would enjoy seeing it. I immediately thought of his cousin Shellie and her constant wearing of her little yellow boots when I saw Matt wearing this ensemble one morning. Of course, Shellie is much older now and I'm sure the her boots are in safe keeping. We just purchased the Cars rain boots the prior day and the back pack was also a recent purchase for his preschool/daycare. Imagine my glee when I turned the corner and found this awaiting me in the living room. Matt decked out in all the things he loves this moment in his life - Thomas the Train t-shirt, Cars backpack, Cars rain boots and it is hard to tell but Cars underwear too (it was potty training time so pants were not a required piece of clothing in the house). I think there must be something in the gene pool about one child having an obsession with little rain boots - in this case blue not yellow. As a side note, there was no rain that day...this was all for the thrill of the boots and added accessories.

Just like my Papa Joe!

Matt is just like his Papa Joe in that everywhere he goes he can and will start a conversation with someone. He made no exception while we were at the beach. As soon as the planes started, he went over to a lady laying next to us and told her about the planes. It turns out she is an art teach in Perth Amboy so the fact that a little kid wanted to talk to her didn't bother her. She was so nice to Matt. Every time he would go and talk to her she would have a little conversation with him. She even played with him burying shells in the sand. We have recently started saying he is going to become the mayor because he greets every one he meets or sees. He usually starts by saying, "Hello, I'm Matt, we went to Disney World". I think everyone in northern NJ knows the Wessels went to Disney World. Let me tell you he can wrap people around his little finger in minutes. His cute little hello even got him a little sit time on a prized Harley Davidson at the local Dunkin Donuts. His outgoing nature, I think has helped Emily become more outgoing too. She usually follows him up to whoever he is talking to and says "This is my brother Matt, I'm Emily". Or maybe it all comes back to the genes from Papa Joe....the original mayor. Love ya dad!

No Not the Water!

While on the beach in Atlantic City, Matt showed us emphatically that he does not like the water at this stage of his life. He clung so hard to Dave and came out crying whenever we would get him wet in order to clean him off. Matt's preference was playing in the sand. Dry sand, wet sand, holes dug in the sand, hills of sand it made no difference so long as it was sand. Maybe next year he will like the water a little better.

Water Baby...oops, Water Girl

Well, we found out that Emily has the same love of water as her daddy. When we were on the beach in Atlantic City, we could not keep Emily out of the water. Even when Dave would bring her back to rest, more for himself than her, she would be ready to go back in only a minutes time. She loves being in the surf and was pretty adventuresome, so different from her first reaction to the beach and water when she was just a little baby/toddler. We took a very small boogie board, like the one she uses at her swim lesson and she tried to ride it but it was too small. She will definitely be on a boogie board the next time we are at the beach. For all the time she spent in the water and sun, we were surprised when she didn't fall asleep on the 2 1/2 hour car ride home. She made up for that today taking a 2-3 hour nap which if you know Emily naps only happen when she is exhausted. It was so much fun watching her have such a good time.

I Never Imagined I'd Be....

Remember when you were a kid and your parents did things and took you to places that you said you would never do that or go there if it were your choice. It is funny how in most circumstances we find ourselves doing exactly what we vowed we would never do. First example of this would be wearing slippers. I remember my dad would always come into the house remove his shoes and put on his schleepies (slippers). I think numerous attempts were made to have us kids wear them but to no avail. Can I tell you right now what I have on my feet...schleepies. Not only do I put them on when I get in the house, I tend to wear them outside (quick little outdoor tasks - not to stores) and I always take them with me when we travel. They have become a staple. My next example has to do with a little trip we took this week to Atlantic City to watch an airshow. Dad was always into planes and airshows. It was something I didn't really enjoy as a kid but went along for the ride. So, I find myself amazed that I ended up 2 hours from home, on a beach, waiting to see planes fly over me. I have to say it was fun. Of course, it help to be on the beach, with an umbrella and activity for the kids between flights/demonstrations instead of on a hot tarmac. Dave was remembering the planes he use to hear when he lived in Florida....it was like memory lane for both of us and a great experience. I even called my dad and left a message saying "guess where I am and what I am doing right now". Funny how the things you didn't always enjoy as a kid come full circle and end up being a lot of fun and something you enjoy. I can't say airshows will become a staple like my "schleepies" but I do know Dave already has plans for us to attend a "Wings and Wheels" show at Teterboro airport in September. One thing I can promise that will not come full circle - gun shows...sorry dad, but my feet thank you for the schleepies and my eyes for a good plane show...the ears not so much when the Thunderbirds flew by but what is a plane like that without a big noise. (This is a picture we took of the Thunderbirds at the show.....getting pics not easy thing when something goes so fast.)

Little Mermaid

Recently I watched an episode of Jon & Kate plus 8 where the mother took the girls for a day together at a pottery painting shop. I knew as soon as I saw that show I wanted to do that with Emily. She is very creative and loves to do all kinds of crafts. So, I located a shop in a neighboring town and one Friday afternoon we went to paint. We had one of her friends, Gianna, and her mom come to join in on the fun. Of course, out of all the items she could select to paint, Emily chose a mermaid just like Ariel. This is no easy thing though. In order for the colors to really pop off the ceramic, you have to paint each element 3 times. Not so easy or fun for a 6 year old. The majority she did herself, I just help out by putting more paint on her hair, did her skin tone, eyes and lips. The rest is all Emily. We had to wait a week to pick up the piece and as soon as we opened it she said her classic line with her hands covering her mouth "oh my goodness". Of course, she wants to go back, and so do I it is very therapeutic. Next time, I'll have her choose a piece with less elements. It was a very fun day - thanks for the idea Jon & Kate.

Matt & His Talents

Remember when you were a little kid, one of the things we all tried doing was hanging a spoon from our nose. Well, Matt has gone in a different direction. Imagine my surprise (and delight/laughter) when he came to find me to show me his accomplishment - hanging a bowl from his nose. It wasn't a one hit wonder either. The picture was taken after the original attempt. Look at the pride in his eyes. We can't wait to see what other talents lie ahead of him. By the way, the bowl was plastic, so no bowls were harmed in the process of this accomplishment.

A Look at the Future

We had a very nice evening out with a group of friends and these pictures are from that night. The little boy, Joseph, Emily has know all of his life (he is 6 months younger than her). We go to the same church and lately she has become "obsessed" with Joseph. She has even occasionally called him "my boy". Dating is something we know will occur in her lifetime and I think Emily just wanted to remind us that it WILL happen. Most of you know she is not necessarily boy obsessed but wedding/married obsessed. We must be setting a good example of that institution because if she could she would get married tomorrow. It would probably cost a lot less than what a wedding will cost when she is finally ready. No worries, we will keep her a little girl for as long as we can. You have to admit they are cute together holding hands.

Movie Day.

Yesterday we had the unexpected treat of Dave taking the day off of work. So, we took the kids in the early afternoon to see the movie Wall.E. Matt was so hilarious because after every preview they showed he'd say, "where's Wall.E?" We kept telling him soon. It seemed like there were 20 previews and 20 "where's Wall.E?" from Matt before the movie started. When it did start and they showed Wall.E everyone in the theater knew it because Matt kept saying (very loudly) "there he is, there is Wall.E". He did quiet down and we all enjoyed the movie. It was a very fun family afternoon together.

I didn't have a picture to commemorate this activity but thought I would share this one from the morning of July 4th. Emily "prepared" breakfast for everyone and Matt decided to pour his own fruity pebbles. As you can see he has a mountain in (and around) his bowl - Emily was not amused at the mess.

Oh What a Day!

So, today was a day that definitely proved our blog name to be appropriate. Matt had a field trip with his daycare/preschool to a local farm from 9-12 and seeing Emily is off from school she was able to come with us. Then after we dropped fellow classmates off at the school, we went straight to a birthday party, which both kids were invited to, that was scheduled from 12-2:30 at Chuck E. Cheese. I was able to bring Matt home to get him in bed for a nap around 2 and our good friend Corin brought Emily home later. I woke up Matt around 3:20 to get him ready to go to both his and Emily's swim lesson from 4-5. Now we are awaiting the arrival of daddy so we can go get something to eat.....mommy is a little tired and not up to fixing dinner.

The pictures are from the farm. Of course, we brought home their specialty apple cider donuts. YUM! I think we will all be having an early night tonight...at least I think that to be true what really happens remains to be seen.

You Need the Right Surface to Color

I mentioned that Matt is not our resident drawing/coloring child but he reminded me today that I'm incorrect in one area of his love of coloring. Matt is particular about the surface on which he LOVES to draw and that is himself. It seems that he finds coloring his body most enjoyable. He takes his time and gets all areas colored (in this case in his ear and up his nose - YUK!) . Thank goodness I had the foresight to buy washable markers for Emily to use. Unfortunately, I forgot to have her put them away after her coloring time and while I was making dinner Matt decided to get a little artistic. Cleanup was not a joyful experience for him but I have a feeling that will not deter him from making another artistic expression in the future.

Our Budding Artist

Emily has really taken to drawing now. It is amazing when you look at the pictures she did when she first started kindergarten and now. There is so much more detail. It is funny because Dave and I have always said that Emily is going to be our creative kid and Matt our technical - and they are both proving us right. Emily loves drawing, dancing, making up stories but still cannot figure out the TV/DVD remotes. Matt can turn on or off any appliance in the house (not always a good thing), tinkers with his cars and loves watching fire trucks, trains and the Cars movie videos on You Tube (which he now has learned how to click the mouse and select videos) but make him color and he cries "I not wanna do a project". So yesterday Emily said that she had to make a picture and this is what she produced. Her first still life drawing of a fruit bowl (which we do not have one of). Isn't a fruit bowl the first still life you are made to draw or paint in art class? Anyway, she asked for me to contribute to the bowl after she completed her portion. Her request of me raisins and cherries. It is truly a masterpiece in our eyes.

Play Ball!

Last night we participated in the national past time of a good old baseball game. Although growing up I never experienced nor had an interest in baseball, being married to Dave, an avid Yankees fan (3rd generation), has changed my interest in the game - that and having kids who may want to play the game in the future. For our game, we headed to Newark to watch the Newark Bears (a less expensive option than a Yankees game). This is the second Bears baseball game the kids have been to and they are starting to enjoy it more. Of course, it helps that they have a kids section with the giant blown up bouncers to pass some of the time. The nice thing is that you are not held to sitting in your actual seats so you can go to different areas in the stands throughout the game. During one inning, we were far down on the foul line behind 1st base and almost got a foul ball but another kid got it on the bounce. Matt got a special treat because on that same play one the three players, #17 Bobby Hill, coming for the foul ball after it went in the stands looked at Matt and rubbed him on the head. Matt kept saying all night "he touch my head" (the picture of him is Matt's replay of the event). The best part was of course the 7th inning stretch where Dave, Emily and Matt joined in singing "Take me out to the Ballgame". Matt has been singing that song on and off all day. It was such a good time we are hoping to go to another game before the season ends although this time we may see the Jersey Jackals, an independent team, that play at Yogi Berra stadium.

NJ State Fair

One of our summer outings was a trip to the NJ State Fair in Suffolk county. The day we went we had fantastic weather. The kids enjoyed seeing all of the different animals. Matt's main attraction was to the farm and small construction equipment. He loves any kind of truck...really anything with an engine. Emily is our amusement ride daredevil and would go on every ride if she could. We had a great family day and plan on making it an annual trip.

Milestones Reached

We'll we reached a milestone here at our house and that is that Emily had her first away from home sleepover at her friend Gianna's house on Friday night. Most of you know of our ongoing issues with Emily's sleeping habits and realize what a giant step this is. Although she is much better at sleeping through the night, she does have a "required" bedtime ritual that includes mommy singing and praying and if she isn't asleep the same questions and statement are made: What are you going to do? What about daddy? If you need me, you come get me. So, we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't until the morning that we got a phone call just to tell us good morning. Our little girl is growning up.

Welcome to our House

Well, I've decided it is time to become a little more technologically savvy here at the Wessel home and find a new way to keep those we know better informed of what is going on here at home. There have been so many times when things have happened here and I try to make a mental note to tell someone about it the next time we talk and I forget. So with Dave's approval, the Wessel blog has been born. My hope is to use this blog as a means of communicating the happenings of our family. The name of our blog is taken from the infamous Disney world..the happiest place on earth. We definitely aren't Disney world... although we do have our own ups and downs that make for a terrific ride and boy we are busy. We hope you will find the information/stories we post informative and feel free to chime in.