Happy New Year

The days pass quickly. I promised myself I would be better about writing and yet this is my first post in 8 months. Since my last post in May, there have been many changes. Daniel found employment with Dell, we moved back to Sobe, and Charlie has become mobile!!
Oliver and Oscar are now ages 5 and 3. They got Kickboard scooters for their birthdays and are scooting everywhere. The scooters make walks down Licoln Road fast and entertaining. Oliver's favorite toys are

Safari animals. Oscar remains loyal to his Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars.
Charlie spends more and more time vertical. She holds onto walls, furniture, and toys for balance. Yesterday she crawled onto Oscar's bed. Charlie adores Oliver, Oscar, and Lucy. She says a few words but her favorite lately is "go away". She says this in the sweetest voice imaginable.
Daniel and I are busy keeping up with the kiddos, training for the ING marathon, and finding quiet moments together.

Photoshoot May 11

Ft. Myers beach May 11

A Sunday at the beach May 11

My world has shades of PINK

My world has shades of PINK
The past nine months have been chaotic to say the least. Danl and I closed the business, moved to VA for two months, started a Ed.D. program, and welcomed Charlotte Jones. Updating this blog has remained on my to do list for months so tonight I am seizing the opportunity.

I completed my reading for tonight or rather I closed my books for the night. I am waiting for Charlie to wake and announce her hunger. Some days it is hard to believe I have a daughter and other days it seems like she has always been with me. I am in love. Oliver and Oscar are growing at a mind boggling pace and have endless energy. We go to the playground nearly everyday for two hours and yet they still bounce off the walls with energy.

Oliver is going very interested in helping with EVERYTHING. Oscar on the other hand is going through the terrible two's and tests me every second of everyday. Charlie is a sweet, calm baby who always seems to be waiting for me. I am learning to divide myself by four.

Danl is still looking for work and each day we are hopeful. Although we know this time of unemployment will pass, it often feels like it will last forever. We are both running to help with the stress and provide balance. We are thrilled to be back in the warm Florida sunshine.

Charlie calls.....

Time flies

I realized the other day how long it has been since I have updated my blog (many, many months) and I promised myself that I would get to it this week. Here I am at 4:42 a.m. stealing a quiet moment and decided that this was as good of time as any!

The boys are growing so fast and each day I watch them transform before my eyes. Oliver's newest interest is tigers and each day he ROARS at his brother, me, and other random people. He has a Big Cats book that he loves reading and tells me that he wants to be a tiger for Halloween. (I am not purchasing a costume until October!) Oliver is still fascinated with sharks and sleeps with his stuffed sharks every night. This upcoming weekend we are taking the boys to Sea World for the first time and I can't wait for Oli to see the shark tank!

Oscar is an energetic little boy and fights hard to keep up with his brother. Physically Oscar is able to do most everything his brother can. Oscar's favorite book is Goodnight Gorilla. Oliver also loved Goodnight Gorilla at this age. I weaned Oscar five days ago and he is now sleeping better but still wakes up once a night. Weaning Oz was bittersweet, I love getting more sleep but I miss the connection with Oz. Breastfeeding moms totally get this....others do not.

The boys and I are spending our summer in the pool, at the playground and with friends. Patrick arrived this week and will be with us for three weeks. Oli and Oz are both crazy for Patrick (as is Lucy) so the poor kid gets no breaks:)

The photo above was taken from our three week visit to Big Grandma's house. The boys were definitely in their element.

Chasing my boys

My last post was four months ago....I guess that says something about how quickly my days pass. At times I feel as though one day flows into the other and everything I do is working toward the end goal of having two happy, fed, clean kids in bed asleep at 8:30 pm.

Oscar is quickly gaining on Oliver and is in constant motion. Oz chases Oliver and has started to protest when Oliver takes things away from him. He also climbs EVERYTHING and I spend the day moving objects out of his path. Oscar talks and signs to ask for the things he wants (ex. cookie). He is still crazy about his shoes and wants to wear his Crocs all day.

Oliver is crazy about sharks and has memorized the words to three early reader books about Sharks. Oli requests to watch Daniel's shark dive video regularly and also loves the documentary Shark Island. Oliver watches out for his brother and is quick to report to me when Oscar is doing something he shouldn't be. Oliver has started going to music class with Oz and I and is now singing in class and at home. It makes me so happy to finally have him singing.

Two more weeks and Daniel will have completed his training at ATI. I am so excited to have more family dinners together. Danl plans to return to triathlon training upon his completion. I am busy chasing the boys when Danl is at the shop or school. Sadly, Erica is no longer with us because she got a job in her field. We miss her very much but the boys and I are adjusting. This past week my dear friend Natalie visited with her two children (Will and Gwen). We had a wonderful time together and managed to keep four toddlers/preschoolers happy (ages 4,3,2, and 1)!

The photo is Oscar in his favorite place...ON TOP of Lucy.