christmas, christmas time is near....

well, friends it's been way too long. i just took my math final (LAME) so i'm up exceptionally late this evening. we have had a really great couple months. lots of fun things and watching my talia grow from a baby to a walker...she's right there...she'll be one in two and a half weeks...my baby....

max loves these jumpers...

perhaps you'll remember this from a few years past

"mama, look i got some boobies!"

chris and i are not emphasizing santa claus that much because we really want the holiday to be focused around Jesus' birth. well, along the same time that we decided to down play st nick, we started to talk about a "pez fairy" that comes at night and fills his pez containers...this is yoda, he's broken now...but we are starting a collection...

merry christmas!!!!

proud mama

my corner office

*i wish i had better pics. it's a great place to work*

"mom dad

talia xam"

 this blog is VERY braggy...from a proud mama

a few months ago, around when talia was born, max started becoming obsessed with writing letters. then his name. he loves phonics too. he gets frustrated with "c's" that say "kuh" and other things like that but he loves to write and asks me to spell things all the time. i phonetically sounded out "happy birthday" and he wrote it all, the "th" needed some help but it was incredible. we never even practiced writing his letters. we have magnets and toys, blocks and stuffed letters. he just one day decided to write...it's amazing to see him become BIG! i thought i would show a sample of his writing as well as a picture of my office at work...he loves to play there and as one of our interns commented, "what kid wouldn't want to". since i'm working on my play therapy certification, i have all sorts of great toys, a sandbox, mirrors, books, chalkboard, and loooots of craft stuff....he always wants to come to work with me. he would love it there and of course, they would love him....

whatta summer!!!

as fall approaches, it is bittersweet. i am headed back to school tomorrow...ugh. max begins preschool in sept. but there is so much to look forward to with the changing seasons. namely sweaters, leaves, playing outside in the crisp change, the time change, and ultimately the holidays...and besides, once christmas comes...summer is right around the corner...

here is a small summary of our summer...last week, my dad got us tickets to idlewild for the rest of the season AND next year...what a great way to end the summer. they are open on weekends until october...who knew??

with the changing of the seasons, comes a change in attitude for me. more on that to come...

idlewild park

such a fun place...and another pool to use!

swimming

the most common activity of our summer

as much as weather would allow

my babies are so gorgeous when sun kissed 

the beach

nothing is better than going on vacation to the beach. 

the ride down wasn't bad...the ride home i almost drove off a cliff. ROUGH!

that being said, it was a fun week. a lot of sun, no pressure to clean, cook, etc.

best of friends

right now, all they have is love for each other

once she's mobile, hopefully that will continue

fun with friends

bike and scooter

max learned to ride both and we spent A LOT of time on both

planets

he has become so obsessed with space. he knows

all the planets and some facts about each. we are getting

a telescope for christmas. he found this at a playground 

and started telling kids about planets...they weren't interested.

blueberry pickin'

fourth of july

we stayed at the hilton, we felt spoiled! it will be our family

tradition from now on.  it was so great not having to go through traffic to get home. 

rainy days

and there were plenty

library, dinos, science center...

it's hard taking pictures with two kids

proud poppy

keystone state park

halfway btn pittsburgh and johnstown

our meeting spot for our parents

that is...until we got idlewild memberships...

that's going to jazz up our halfway point jaunts

swingin' is her thing

reunion of old friends

slip -n- slide

the solution to hot days before the pool opened

sitter

she's upright! and soon will be fully mobile

soccer

as if the van wasn't enough...i officially became a "soccer mom" ugh...

mamere

hockey

this became a twice weekly event in our lives.

he's really good and SUPER fast...

boo hoo to running. more time off...

my bff's

so great to have carly off all summer with me. we had a blast hanging out. we laughed and talked into the night many times...

stace...married...lovely...and an incredible friend...

i'm the luckiest person in the world. 

from family to friends...it doesn't get better than this...

ahhhhh summer

oh wow...what a morning. i thought since it's a YUCKY day AGAIN...perhaps today would be a fun science center day. typically, i hate trips to places like this because the cost is soooo high but my parents got us a membership for max's birthday last year so we can go for free....great deal!!! $100 for a year OR almost $30 a person per visit...yuck...so i got up early, thanks to talia being sick but i was off to a great start. i had the whole house clean yesterday...but of course after the kids are awake for five minutes it's a wreck...not the kind that typically cares about that stuff...i refuse to let it get me down...carry on..."let's leave at 10" i tell the kids. they are both stinky from playing hard yesterday and without a tubby last night, i fear they will be viewed as "the dirty kids" at the science center. (did i mention nina is with us this week?) well, breakfast, baths, fighting with max over his outfit, talia's nap...it's already 1015 and i'm not showered yet. so our ten o'clock depart time is not going to happen...

as i face returning to work next week with nothing but dread in my heart, i look back over this summer of chaos and missed departure times and i realized so quickly that i got tears in my eyes that i have NOTHING but pure, unadulterated love for these kids. being home with them is beyond the greatest way i could ever pick to spend my summers off. i've never been more tired, dirtier, and less organized but i wouldn't have changed one minute of my summer, except maybe to add six more months to it.

lastly allow me to mention that i walked past max's room and the door was closed...i could hear them talking strangely and clearly playing make believe. i peeked in and he and nina were putting in mr potato head mouths in their mouths and talking to each other. you can't pay for this kind of entertainment. 

this is max when he was younger than talia.

he is hilarious...

tonite he said

"stacy, hey stacy. who do i thank for dinner?"

(we were at her rehearsal dinner)

she said "bart's mom and dad" (she pointed them out)

he said

"hey thanks for the swell meal."

without ANY prompting from me.

accountability

this is a picture of me (in the red) the christmas before our wedding...ugh, i thought i needed to lose weight...well, i won't post a similar picture of me now...it's NOT due to having babies....i just got lazy...i'm writing this done as a form of accountability...pray that i can kick it into overdrive and get back on track....thanks pals...