Hmmm, Interesting......

Matt loves being just like his daddy, so it was no surprise finding him sitting on the couch "reading" the newspaper one Saturday morning. It was funny how he would look at the paper and then look up and watch the cartoon that was playing on the television - very much like a multitasking adult reading and watching the news. After a short time, the cartoon won out and the paper was given back to daddy for him to read. You have to laugh when your kids start mimicking your actions. It can be a very eye opening experience - sometimes good and sometimes not so good. Of course, we are all for reading, so we don't mind this being a trait copied by either Matt or Emily.

Cold Feet

Emily really dislikes dressing for the fall/winter weather. It seems like it will take months to get in her head that it is colder outside and you need warmer clothes. Every morning we "battle" over the fact that she needs to wear a long sleeved shirt and not a short sleeved shirt (of course, the short sleeved shirts are changed into as soon as she comes home from school, that is our compromise). That battle is followed by the debate between pants/jeans and a skirt. Today I asked her is she was going to wear jeans and she told me, "No mom, I'm a skirt girl". Thankfully she has taken to my requirement that if she wears a skirt, she has to wear tights (most of the time footless, so she can wear ballet styled shoes) or knee high socks. The coat is whole other story. We now debate over whether she can wear a sweatshirt, spring coat or winter coat. Most of our clothing conversations are started by my saying one thing and Emily replying, "here's the deal" followed by options. Just an FYI, "here's the deal" those are my words coming back to haunt me. Nighttime wear is no different. Emily loves nightgowns and even though I bought her 3 long sleeved ones, her first choice is to wear the summer sleeveless nightgowns. The only area that Emily has without any word from us conceded to fall/winter wear is putting socks on before going to bed at night. She says they keep her warm.
So, the one morning after Emily left for school I went into her room to make her bed and this is who I found -piggy with socks on. I guess piggy has been getting cold at night too. It brought a smile to my face when I saw the extra special care she took to make piggy comfortable.
I'm sure, make that positive, Emily and I will continue to have our daily "battles" over what she needs to wear but it warms this mommy's heart to see the care she takes of another...especially her well-loved piggy.

The Bad that Comes with the Good

As parents, we await the new milestone/accomplishments our children achieve. What we fail to remember is that with some accomplishments a little bit of "bad" comes with the good. This would be very true in the case of Matt learning to dress himself. Just recently he has taken it upon himself to pick out his clothes and get dressed (he still needs help with his shirt getting over his head). The one morning I told Emily to get dressed then went upstairs to finish getting myself ready. A few minutes later Matt came up with pants changed and his shirt in hand for help. I was such a proud mom! When I went into his room a little later, this is what I found...a drawer full of shirts totally disheveled. Now for most people this would be no big deal but for an organizing freak like me this is a nightmare. I already have to fix Emily's clothing in her drawers every time I dare to look in them (I've learned not to check too often). It is like I said sometimes there is a little bad that accompanies the good. In this case, I'm willing to take the "bad". After all, this means I only have to get myself dressed now. I thought that this day would never come, so I'll overlook a little mess. I just have to teach Matt to close the messy drawers so I can claim ignorance until I choose to look inside like I do with Emily.

Revisiting the Past

We are revisiting the kids of Halloween past - October 2006 to be exact. Emily was 4 and Matt was 16 months old. Emily was already princesses obsessed at this age and ended up having two costumes. She wore the one to school (this is the pic in front of the fireplace) and then changed into the other "princess/fairy" attire for the evening festivities (the picture with Matt). Matthew on the other hand only had one costume and even then didn't have a choice in what he would be - a monkey. This year we will have Emily as Glinda the good witch from the Wizard of Oz (thank goodness not a princess) and Matthew a firefighter (that is a no brainer). We are looking forward to a very full day on Halloween and a lot of treats to share with mommy and daddy.

Art 101

So, the "holiday" of the week is, of course, Halloween and what better way to commemorate this holiday but with a drawing from Emily. Emily drew this in school during here afternoon free time. Of course, no one in the family was left out of dressing up for Halloween -we will have to see what happens on the actual day, but I have a strong feeling that mommy and daddy are going to be just a mom and dad.
Emily is of course a witch, but a good witch. She is going to be Glynda the good witch from the Wizard of OZ. Mommy Kathy, that is what she calls me if not just Kathy, is an angel. I guess all my mommy frazzled moments are easily forgotten. Daddy Dave is a bat - don't know why, he just is. Matthew is what else but a firefighter on a truck. All of us have candy pails but Matt, he has an axe and a fire hose....poor kid, no candy for him. Maybe I'll share some of my pretend candy. He is of course dressing as a firefighter for Halloween.
Later this week you'll get to see a real picture of their true Halloween costumes, but in the meantime enjoy the drawing.

How I Eat is Personal

Matt loves to eat....has always been a good eater. I don't think he even went through the "classic" 2 year old hunger strike. Matt is our kid that likes variety (unlike his sister, who I must say is getting better). He likes eating meat (chicken on a stick - satay style -is preferred), apples by the bushels full, pretty much all fruit, loves broccoli and even surprised us last night at the Chinese restaurant by eating fried quid tentacles - it wasn't breaded for disguise purposes. I put it on my plate to expand my culinary horizons took just one bite of the rubbery "treat" and decided it wasn't for me, then there came Matt and pretty much polished it off .

If you ask Matt what doughnut he wants from Dunkin Donuts, he'll say "the messy one". Creme filled and powder covered. At first, I thought he only got the doughnut to drive me crazy with the mess the powdered sugar makes but he really likes it. Why? Because he loves licking the powdered sugar off the dough. The last time he placed his order for the messy doughnut he finally took a bite or two once the powder was removed. The funny part was he got a bite of the creme inside and gave us this "yuk" look. So I guess he'll stick to licking the doughnut from now on.

Now normally something like this would make me a little irritated but he is a great eater and just watching him "lick" his doughnut clean puts a true smile on my face. So Matt, go ahead and keep eating the "messy doughnut". And please keep being a lover of so many foods.

Not so scary in the Daylight

One of the annual field trips for Matt's preschool is to a street called Clinton Place in Hackensack, NJ where the majority of the houses are decorated for Halloween. The houses have themes some scary (Carrie's prom night, spiders attacking a house and other items on the lawn, the death of Wall Street with tombstones - a new addition this year, wonder why -, etc.) some more kid friendly (Nemo, Charlie Brown's great pumpkin, Shrek, Wizard of OZ, Willy Wonka, etc.). The idea is that the kids get to see decorations but they are not as scary in the daylight. The most interesting part, which the kids never realized, was that on the lawn of the Carrie prom night scene there was an actual dead rat. It was so gross. We think it ate an electrical wire and got fried....I get the heevie jeevies just thinking about it. It was a nice little outing with the kids.

Little Imaginations

This past Saturday we went to visit the Bergacs family at their new home in Sussex county NJ. Jacob had a soccer game, so we all headed to the field. Right next to the field, there was a gradual downward slope leading to a large area of grass. We thought the kids would have a great time running up and down the hill, little did we know what their imaginations would concoct. Jonathan and James brought along their "large" Tonka dump truck to play with which they ended up using as a mode of transportation on the hill. Each of them, with the exception of James, still too little, took turns riding in the back of the truck down the hill. They were having so much fun they didn't even notice how cold and windy it was outside. The kids also rolled their bodies down the hill but the real winner of the day was the truck riding. It just goes to show you that you never know what will be produced from a child's imagination.

Revisitng the Past

I recently told you about the very strong possibility of Matt following in his father's fire boots. As you can see, the thought of fire trucks has been ingrained in him from a very early age. Matt was only 6 months old when this picture was taken. The fire hat was Emily's and Matt decided he must wear it - look at that grin, like he secretly knew he would become fire obsessed. The funny part about this picture is that he is wearing such a "manly" hat and is playing with Emily's dress up jewelry at the same time. Another obsession made obvious here is that of being a Yankee fan. Matt really didn't have much of a choice in baseball teams seeing his father is a third generation Yankee fan....it was inevitable that the fourth generation would follow suit. Matt, what ever you decide to do in the future, even if it isn't a career in fire fighting or supporting the Yankees (please keep in mind 3 generations), we will support you all the way.

Art 101

Welcome to Emily's living room. You'll notice the nice blue couch with it's pink and green diamond patterned pillows (she was really proud of being able to do the pattern - even showed me how to do it). There are two pink end tables on either side of the couch. Emily is looking a little older in this picture....she also has pants on something unusual for her (she is usually in a skirt or dress). Of course, her cat pettyball made the picture. I'm not quite sure what the other creature is although to me it looks like a giant flea or tick. Out her window is a beautiful yellow sun and blue sky. This is the first time Emily has made a room other than a bedroom. She is branching into other parts of the house. I love the huge smile on "her" face. Nice job Emily!

Following in Daddy's Fireboots

With plenty of encouragement from Dave, Matt has definitely been lured into the world of firefighting and emergency services. We cannot pass our two local fire houses without Matt checking to see if the bay doors are open...and if they are, he lets you know. Last Saturday the Carlstadt Fire Department held their annual open house for fire prevention week. Dave is always ready to go to any fire related function and revs Matt up into going too - which isn't all that hard to do. Matt loved it. As soon as we pulled onto the street, he started screaming about seeing a fire truck. Dave barely turned off the car and Matt had his seat belt off and the van door opening. One of his favorite things was using the fire hose to knock down orange parking cones. The fireman on the hose, told Matt how he needed to hold the hose and open the nozzle by pulling back the lever. As soon as Matt pulled the lever and saw the water flowing, he made a little "manly" grunt of glee - kind of Tim the tool man Taylor like. Matt kept going from fire truck to fire truck....he even went into the smoke house demonstration alone (Emily went in last year and remembered she didn't find it all that fun). Emily did make some friends that she played tag and hide and seek with while daddy and Matt were obsessed with the fire trucks. It was a beautiful day and Matt and daddy really enjoyed themselves.

There will be more pictures on my facebook from this day.

Silence....PRICELESS

On our recent trip to the pumpkin "farm", Matt and Emily surprised us in the car with this little gem of personal expression. When we checked out with our items, the cashier put paid tags on the pumpkins. Both Emily and Matt asked if they could have a sticker too. At first, the stickers were on their clothes but when I went to put Matt's seat belt on him after loading the items we bought...this is what I found. I don't think Emily and Matt understood the irony of the fact that their mouths were "taped shut" and that at certain times mommy and daddy would pay unlimited amounts for that silence with much thanks to whoever could provide that silence. In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words....silence is golden and priceless. It was a great moment that brought about a lot of smiles and laughter......so much for silence. I guess silence can be overrated.

Art 101

This is Emily's mommy bird and her babies. Again Emily's detailing surprises me. Of course, she included the typical sun - with many rays this time - and a blue cloud but I think what took me most off guard was the branch that the birds are sitting on and the small twig with leaves poking out from the bottom of the branch. Also, a new detail was the outlining of the branch. I love how her mommy bird is red and the three babies are a magenta color and their little nest is the same color as the birds. I have to say that I was very impressed with this picture because it was very simple, with detail but well colored. Emily loves to draw but coloring is not a favorite "function" of art that she likes to do or do well. Most of the time she just "scribble" colors to get that part over with. I guess as you mature your art matures too. Good job Emily!

Revisiting the Past

Sorry, our phone/DSL line were "out" since late Monday morning. It was repaired Wednesday late morning but Wednesday is my busiest night and Thursday my busiest morning, so I am only now catching up on the blog. Thanks for being patience.

So, reliving the past I thought it would be appropriate to stay in the "fall" theme that I started by doing the smilebox album. These are pictures from November 2006. Matt & Emily were playing in the leaves that fell from the Japanese maple tree located in our front yard. They were so happy in that moment. Emily actually was helping me "sweep" the leaves with her play broom. I also love the picture of Emily laying in the leaves...oh, to be that carefree. The thing I love most about this tree is how red the leaves get prior to falling, it makes for a beautiful fall scene. Of course, the leaves also have that smell of fall. By now, if you haven't already figured it out, you have to know that fall is my favorite season. Happy fall everyone!

Make a Smilebox photobook

A Little Buzzy Bee

If you ask Emily "what is mommy's favorite flower", she will tell you "tulips" and she would be right. But my favorite flower of the fall season is always a mum. I love the vibrant colors of the flower: golds, oranges, burnt reds and even the yellow (not so much the purples, just not "fall" to me). So, during the months of October and November I like to place mums on my porch steps to offset the colors of the house and the vibrant red of our Japanese maple tree. The search for the perfect mums is always fun but sometimes unprofitable - I still don't have any on my porch to date. One thing that always comes from our "mum search" is great pictures of the kids checking out the flowers. Matt got very adventurous and went in among the flowers to give them a "smell". He looked like a little worker bee among all the yellow mums. Will I get mums for the porch? You bet I will, it is my mission and tradition.

Our Little Pumpkin

One of our favorite things to do this time of year is to go and purchase pumpkins and mums to decorate the outside of the house for the fall season. This year was no different. We headed out to a farm here in NJ close to the NY border. We don't go into the pumpkin patch to pick them...just not enough time or energy to do it. This is one of my main photo opportunities for my favorite season. For some reason, Matt was more of the pumpkin "poser" this year than Emily. We left with 3 pumpkins, apple cider, mulling spices, several oatmeal raisin cookies and last but certainly not least or forgotten - apple cider doughnuts. Yum! It was a great day and a tradition we will continue to do until the kids get tired of participating. Then, I'll just go get the pumpkins and mums alone.....what a sad and lonely day that will be. I'm sure we have a few more years of this tradition ahead of us.

Giddy Up Horsey!

This weekend we went to a fall festival in Ridgewood, NJ. The day started out a little cold and rainy but by the afternoon it got quite warm. One of the attractions at the fall festival was a pony ride. Emily and Matt enjoyed "riding" at the Meadowlands Fair this summer so we tried it again and they loved it. Matt went first on the smaller pony named "Chocolate" (today he still remembers the name of that horse) Emily went second on the larger pony named "Brooklyn" (she is not very good at remembering names, not even people names). Emily and Matt also got to play in the bounce houses, did a turkey hunt (toy rubber turkeys) for prizes and both got tattoos: Emily - Cinderella and Matt - a race car (this was Matt's first tattoo, Emily's second). They had food and tables with items for sale, so we did a little eating and shopping (one book each and jibitz for their crocs). It was a very nice family morning.

Art 101

This is a picture Emily drew for homework one night. She was suppose to draw a picture of something her family has fun doing and write a sentence about it. Of course the day is bright and sunny because that is how it is at Disney. Matt is holding his future pet fish (no name) in it's bowl. I'm in a lovely yellow dress (my hair is longer than it is and I'm made of triangles) holding Emily's hand. Emily is dressed in pink, of course, with her pink purse and future pet cat, pettyball (don't ask), in tow. I'm not quite sure what the orange square is next to Dave but he does have the honor of holding Emily's juice box. I tell you her drawings get more and more interesting every day. Good job Emily.... we did have a lot of fun on the rides at Disney.

Revisisting the Past

It only seems fitting that we commemorate our anniversary by choosing for our "revisiting the past" entry a picture from that moment in time. So, this is not meant to embarrass anyone but commemorate that time of life. Can you guess who these two cute little kids are? If you said Brian and Shellie Papp, you are correct. Just to put this picture in perspective, Brian is a freshman in college and Shellie is a junior in high school. I know, it makes me feel old too. We were so thrilled to have them as a part of our wedding. Although we don't see them often enough, we are thrilled with the young adults they have become. Brian our avid baseball player and fan (sorry about those Cubs) is just sweet, sensitive and quite handsome - don't tell his friends I said that though. When I think of him, I always remember him "playing" basketball with Emily in his driveway. It was such a sweet moment between the oldest cousins of the Papp family line. Then there is Shellie who loves to sing and act and is also just as sweet as she is gorgeous. I remember how she drew chalk pictures on the sidewalk and tried to get Emily to run through the sprinkler and played with her while we were all in NY. Both wonderful kids who have become even better adults. Of course, the only person who isn't in these pictures is Nathan. Nathan is eleven and a great kid. He loves all things about the weather and is also a big Cubs fan (sorry). He took great care of Emily when we visited them in IL: showed her the toads by the house, went in the sprinkler and even had her join him in a swim in the bath tub filled with bubbles - yes, I have pictures to prove it too, sorry Nathan, I promise I won't show your friends. Then most recently he played with her in NY. So, this picture commemorates Brian, Shellie and Nathan - great cousins, great kids. We hope to see you this summer to make more great memories.

13 Years Together

It is hard to believe that 13 years ago tonight Dave and I took our vows and became husband and wife. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and other times I can't remember not being married. We have experienced a lot of things during these 13 years - job changes, traveling (ahh, The Maple Leaf Inn in Vermont), buying a house, having 2 kids - great times and sometimes times of struggle. All in all though we have led a pretty happy life together with our children, family and friends encouraging and helping us along the way. In my younger years, I always thought I would be married by 25 , have 3 kids and a job in the communications field - that wasn't the case. It was only when I became content in my single hood that God decided to hatch a plan in my father and Dave's father's head to try and have us meet. I know it was in God's time that Dave came along and that gives me a confidence that he truly is the one for me. So, instead of being 25 I was 28, instead of 3 kids it was 2 - we had 6 great years as a couple prior to them and are enjoying every minute (almost every minute) with them - and there is no communications job but I had an incredible career at UNIRISC and now have assumed my rightful role as a stay at home mom - the hardest and yet most rewarding job in the whole world. So, thank you dads for setting us up and thank you Dave for loving me as I am, marrying me and creating with me this wonderful life we lead with its ups, downs and inbetweens. I am looking forward to the next 13 years with you.

Matt, what are doing?

I think it is funny the little things our kids end up doing that make us genuinely smile or laugh in that moment or instance. On the afternoon of cousin Lisa's wedding, I had Emily and Matt play in the leaves while we were waiting for Grandpa and Grandma Wessel to get back to the house. This was my attempt at getting some nice Autumn pictures of the kids in their finery among nature. The kids were having fun throwing leaves at each other, playing tag, collecting twigs and looking for certain colored leaves. It was an endearing moment in time but what made me smile even more was watching Matthew collect his leaves. I noticed Matt looking down to the ground in one direction but what I didn't realize was that he was actually "collecting" leaves in his pants pocket until he turned to stuff the other pocket. Matt has only just recently noticed the pockets on his pants and how useful they can be. So, I guess I wasn't really surprised that he would fill them with leaves. Even now writing and thinking about this brings a smile to my face. The other funny thing is I'm not so sure that Dave or I emptied Matt's pockets before we gave the tuxedo to Uncle Norm to return to the shop. I hope if they found leaves, it made them smile too but I highly doubt it.

A Picture Perfect Setting

The weekend of cousin Lisa's wedding turned out to be a picture perfect Autumn day in the county. I knew that one of the pictures I wanted to get of Emily and Matt was of them walking to the church down the "county" road with the trees and stark white buildings peeking through the Autumn foliage. As you can see, the picture turned out beautifully. The other is of Matt and Emily hugging outside after the wedding. I love catching moments when I see or hear them being protective and loving to each other...it truly does warm my heart.

I have made an album of the pictures from the wedding weekend on my Facebook. I didn't include one picture of the kids and that is intentional because it will be our Christmas photograph, you'll just have to wait and see.