Happy 2nd Birthday Sydney (3.5 years and 2 years)

Nana came up to visit Sydney on her birthday weekend.  She arrived on Saturday afternoon.  Austin was really excited that she was coming up.  Sydney didn't completely understand but she was excited nevertheless.  It was great that she was able to come up and spend quality time with the kids.

On Sunday we all went to Wild Water Kingdom.  Nana couldn't believe Sydney and the water.  Sydney is convinced she can swim and will not allow anyone to help her.  She loves the water and wants to do everything herself.  In some places her head is barely above the water but she still manages somehow.  We had a great morning at the water park.  We are so happy we got passes this year.

On Sunday after nap we celebrated Sydney's birthday.  Meemaw and Papa came over too.  We had meatloaf for dinner.  We enjoyed our dinner together.  After dinner Sydney (and Austin) opened presents.  Austin really wanted to open all the presents but he did good allowing Sydney to try first.  Sydney got a Minnie Mouse outfit and socks from Nana.  Meemaw and Papa got her Dora dishes, dress, and a helicopter.  They got Austin a helicopter too.  Auntie Pam and Uncle Dennis got her a zoo flip book.  Auntie Melissa, Uncle Jonathan, and Camden got her dresses and PJ's dresses.  We got her a baby stroller and puzzles.  She loves puzzles.  She puts them together every night.

After presents we had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  Usually Lauren makes the kid's cake but this weekend didn't work out for her.  So I figured I would try an ice cream cake.  We haven't had one of them in a very long time.  Austin and Sydney loved the cake.  I wanted to get her an Elmo cake but they didn't have it.  They had Dora and Sydney loves Dora too so it worked out fine.  I thought the Dora cake was cute.  

On Monday, we went to the Akron Zoo.  We have passes to Cleveland however I do enjoy the Akron zoo.  It was very nice.  Austin and Sydney had a great time with Nana.  It was a beautiful day.  They had a few playgrounds to play on too.  It was a great day.

Tuesday was Sydney's second birthday.  It is crazy that she was born 2 years ago.  Time is going by way too fast.  Every day I am so grateful for Austin and Sydney.  They make our lives complete.  Brian and I could not imagine our lives without them.  It's complete craziness most days but it's totally worth it.  We are so happy they were born.

I took Sydney to her 2 year check up doctor's appointment.  It was so nice Nana was here because Austin stayed home with her.  It's so easy to just take 1 child to the doctor's office.  Sydney weighs 25 pounds (35 percentile for weight) now and her length is 34.25 (75% percentile for length) inches.  The doctor says she is doing well.  Physically she has always been ahead just trying to keep up with Austin.  She now talks all the time.  We can understand her pretty well.  She forms 4-5 word sentences and lets us know what she wants.  It's never quite in our house unless they are sleeping.

Nana and Austin watched a tree getting cut down a street over while we were at the doctor's office.  They watched for about 2 hours.  Austin absolutely loved it.  He sat on a big rock and would slide down it.  He told everyone about it later that day.  It's cool that Nana did that for him.  I would not have just because I wouldn't be able to stay there that long with Sydney.  Plus I feel weird standing in strangers yards but Nana didn't mind at all.  They had a great time together.

That evening we had dinner then I had to go to my mommy club meeting.  There are a lot of field trips I wanted to sign up.  Brian, Nana, and the kids played at the playground near by while I was at the meeting.  Afterwards we went to McDonalds for 49 cent ice cream cones.  Austin and Sydney were very excited about that.  Sydney had a wonderful birthday.

Nana put Sydney to bed a few nights.  It was amazing because she would have her asleep within 15 minutes without any crying.  It was awesome.  She takes over 30 minutes every night for Brian and I.  She loves puzzles and books so she wants to do that instead of sleeping.  But she listened so well for Nana and went right to sleep.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Sydney's birthday with Kaitlyn, Keith and Lisa.  They came over and we had ice cream cake and played outside.  They got Sydney an easel.  Sydney loves it.  They will probably use it a lot this winter.  Austin, Sydney, and Kaitlyn love playing together.  They fight over toys but they enjoy playing together.  It was fun to have them over.  We usually go to their house in the summer.

When Sydney went back to school, I made her Elmo cookies for her class.  Austin also wanted cookies for his friends so I made him Cookie Monster cookies.  I am not that artistic but I tried and I think for me they turned out well.

Virginia Beach (3.55 years and 23.75 months)

Last weekend we went to Virginia Beach.  We drove down on Thursday.  We left around 7 am. For some reason it took us 12 hours to get there.  We stopped for lunch and dinner for an hour each though.  We did take our time getting there.  The kids did really well in the car.  They watched their Kindles.  Their favorite car games were stickers, toy house, toy computers, and happy meal toys they would get.  We also had letter flash cards that they enjoyed doing too.  Austin really liked that.

When we finally arrived in Virginia Beach,we unpacked then went out to enjoy Beach Street.  Beach Street is probably our favorite thing about Virginia Beach.  We saw a street performer that juggled fire.  The show was 45 minutes and the kids stayed and watched the entire show.  Austin really enjoyed it!

On Friday morning we went on a pirate ship ride.  We drove down to the parking lot and then had to take a bus to the boat. Austin was so excited to ride the bus.  He has always loved buses.  Before the boat ride, Austin said his favorite part.  We arrived to the pier and we got on with about 8 other families.  So it was not too crowded.  We walked around the ship and then we took off to the ocean.  We saw dolphins right away.  We were close to them.  I really enjoyed that.

On the boat, they started to train the kids on how to be pirates.  Austin and Sydney were not too in to that.  They tried to participate some.  They did get a drawing on their arms.  They also got to squirt water into the ocean.  Then one of the pirates shot off the cannon.  It was loud but they liked it.  The end was the best part, the kids got to squirt black beard who was trying to take over the ship with water.  Austin loved it.  After the kids won that challenge they got to get a map and pick a piece of treasure from the treasure chest.  Austin was first in line.  He was so excited about that.  His face was priceless!

After nap, we went to the beach. They kids played in sand and ocean.  They love sand.  It's hard to believe that Austin didn't like sand the first year of his life.  Now he loves it.  Sydney and Austin can play in sand for a long time.  They were not too sure of the ocean at first. But the warmed up to it quickly.  Playing in the waves was fun for everyone.

That evening we went to beach street again.  Sydney made friends with a statue.  They really liked each other.  We enjoyed some entertainment.  That night we went to Sweet Frogs for ice cream.  The kids loved it.  Austin calls the place "Frogs".  It works out nicely because we each get a little bit of ice cream.  The price is reasonable and we are all happy.

On Saturday morning we rented a bike and rode on the bike trail for 2 hours.  It was fun.  It's harder to pedal than I thought.  It was good exercise.  The kids enjoyed riding in the front of the bike.  We stopped and played on the playground.  And later stopped for a fruit snack and juice break.  Brian and I enjoyed renting the bikes and were glad we did.

After bike riding we went swimming in the pool.  Austin and Sydney love swimming in hotel pools now.  They love wearing their life jackets and swimming by themselves.  They are good swimmers for their ages.  They will put their heads in the water.  Jump in all by themselves.  Sydney still forgets to keep her mouth closed all the time though.  Austin keeps his eyes open under water.  They really enjoyed the pool.

That evening we went to a restaurant for dinner.  We waited a long time for the food.  Luckily the food was good.  We sat outside on the oceanfront which was nice so the kids could watch the bikes and boats.  Then we enjoyed beach street again.  We had our ice cream and while eating our ice cream we heard fireworks.  We ran and watched them.  It was another awesome night.

On Sunday, we spent the entire day at the beach.  Brian set up our beach tent first thing in the morning.  We played in sand.  Brian got some key chains at the store and buried them in the sand for the kids to find.  Austin had fun with that.  We played in the ocean a lot.  Sydney wanted to swim by herself.  She didn't like that we had to hold on to her.  She really thoughts she could swim alone.  She has no fear.  Brian would hold her by her bathing suit and let her swim around.  She loved it until she realized Brian was still holding her.  I couldn't hold her much because she was too out of control for me.  We would be in waist deep water for Brian and I and she would want down to touch.  It was crazy!

We would walk the beach and find seashells for Meemaw.  Meemaw told Austin to get her some seashells so of course he did.  Walking the beach is so relaxing.  I really enjoyed that.

We also rented a bike and biked the entire beach path along the ocean.  It was very good exercise for Brian and I.  Austin and Sydney had fun sitting in the front.  It was really fun to do!  Once we got to the end of the path, the kids played on the playground before we rode our bikes back to our hotel.

Austin is very funny. The things he says now are so funny.  During the trip, I was inside the room with Sydney changing her and Austin and Brian were outside the room in the hallway.  Sydney starting crying because she didn't want dressed. Austin looked at Brian and said, "I didn't do anything to her".  Then later on in the trip he told us, "Sometime I have a few issues and then I go back to being good".

We had an awesome time in Virginia Beach.  There is so much entertainment for the kids and adults.  It's great family time for all of us.  It truly is one of my favorite vacation spots for us.

Auntie Melissa and Camden Visit (3.5 years and 23.5 months)

Melissa came in on Wednesday night.  My schedule this week was supposed to be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but I switched and worked Monday instead of Friday.  On Thursday night Melissa and Camden came over and we went to Chick Fil A for dinner.  They were having a celebration with all kids of games and prizes.  We had dinner. Then kids played on the playground, and then we played games outside.  Austin enjoyed spinning the wheel for prizes.  We won a lot of free food from Chick Fil A.

On Friday, Melissa, Camden, Austin, Sydney, and I went to the Cleveland Zoo.  We have been there a lot lately but this was Camden's first trip so it was great.  The kids even got to feed the giraffes.  The kids really like the zoo.  We had McDonald's for lunch.  We went home and the kids slept in the car.  However once we got back home Camden decided he didn't want to take a nap.  It was crazy.  He's the youngest and didn't even nap.

On Saturday we went to Memphis Kiddie Park.  It is a little amusement park for young kids.  They have about 10 rides there.  From one of the local mommy clubs we had a discounted price and the kids could ride all they wanted for 2 hours.  Austin, Sydney, and Camden loved it!  Camden did so well.  He would ride by himself like a big boy. We had a great day there.

That evening we had dinner at our house with our aunts and cousin Lauren from Cleveland.  It was great seeing them.  We don't get to see them often. Lauren is having a baby next month so it's great talking with her and remembering back to when that was us.

On Sunday, we went to Wild Water Kingdom.  The kids love it there.  I am so happy we got passes.  Camden was a little young for it.  He did enjoy the water and all and all it worked out fine.  Austin and Sydney love water too.  I am so grateful for that.  I love swimming in a pool.  It's a great summer activity for us.

On Monday, we went to a picnic for the local mommy club.  It was raining so we didn't stay too long.  Then we went to McDonald's for ice cream.  The kids of course loved it.

We had such a fun week with Melissa and Camden.  Camden is such a cute little boy.  He enjoyed playing with his cousins.  It made me wish they lived closer.  Everyone had such a good time together.  Hopefully we will see them again soon.  It's sad not being able to see Camden grow up.  Kids grow so fast and next time I see him he'll be so different.  Luckily we do get to see them a few times a year.

Austin found a frog in our backyard.  He really liked him a lot.  He was so gentle trying to catch him and put him down to play.  He was sad when we had to go inside for the night.  Luckily he found him several times so he could continue to play with him.

Cincinnati (3.5 years old and 23 months)

Brian goes to Cincinnati once a year for work.  We go too since we love to travel.  We drove down Saturday afternoon.  We stopped at Chic Fil A for dinner.  The kids loved that because of the playground.  Chick Fil A does a great job with costumer service, cleanliness, and always having a playground.  Then we went to our hotel and checked in.  After checking in we decided to take the kids swimming in the hotel pool.  Now the kids are older and enjoy swimming, a hotel with a swimming pool is a must if we are staying any length of time.  It was a fun night.

Sunday was our day at Kings Island.  We got there about when it opened.  We went to camp Snoopy (the kids area) first.  We rode on the helicopters that went around the Camp Snoopy area.  Then Austin and Brian went on the roller coaster. Sydney drove some cars.  We were some what disappointed because there were only about 5-6 rides that Sydney could ride.  She is 33 inches.  The kids still had fun.  After riding several rides, we went for a walk around the park.  During the walk, the kids took a nap in the stroller.

During nap time Brian and I walked over to the water park to check it out. We decided it was worth it so once the kids woke up we took them to the water park.  The water park was very nice. I enjoyed it more than the dry rides.  We played for a couple of hours.  Sydney even enjoyed going down the water slides herself.  She was a little hesitant at first but Brian got her to do it and then she loved it.  We had so fun.

After the water park we rode the train. Austin really loves trains.  He talks about riding a train a lot.  Then we went up in the Eiffel Tower.  Sydney was a little scared of that. Austin didn't have any fear.  We finished our day at Kings Island riding a few more kiddie rides.

We realized we should of packed a cooler for lunch. The price of food in the park is ridiculous.  We decided to leave the park and find dinner on the way home.  We wanted to eat at Friendly's however there was not one near by.  We ended up at Ruby Tuesdays.  It was not the best choice. The kids were not well behaved and the food was just okay.  We have no plans to return there anytime soon.  It was a fun exhausting day.

On Monday morning we took Brian to work. Then the kids and I went back to the hotel. We went swimming. The kids had life jackets on so they could swim everywhere.  We swam for about an hour then we got dressed and checked out of the hotel.

I took the kids to the children's museum and the natural history museum for the day.  The Cincinnati children's museum is awesome!  I really love it there and so do Austin and Sydney.  They really like the ball area and the water play.  The construction site is cool too. We played there until about 1 pm. Then we went and had some lunch at the museum entrance.  After lunch we went to the National History Museum.  In there the kids got to play in sand and explore a cave.  They were a little scared of the cave but enjoyed it.  They had a lot of fun.  Then we went and picked up Brian and drove home.

The next weekend was Solon home days.  It's a carnival with rides and food.  We went with Lisa, Keith, and Kaitlyn. The kids got a pass for the rides.  They rode the rides all evening.  It fun to watch them ride the rides.  We are taking them so many places because before we know it they will be too old for a lot of these things.  Our outlook is the kids are only young once so let's do as much as we possibly can with them.  We are all enjoying it.

Unfortunately Sydney is entering into the terrible 2 phase.  She is loud and screams a lot.  She likes things her way only.  She will have tantrums now.  It's so sad.  Luckily she is still the most lovable girl.  She loves hugs and kisses.  She will say hi to Austin until he finally says hi back.  Sydney still sleeps on her floor most nights. She likes to arrange the blankets however she wants them.  She will tell me exactly where to sleep too.  Some nights she will want rocked to sleep too.  I am enjoying that because soon she will not.  She goes to bed between 9-9:30 pm and gets up around 7 am.  That is the same for Austin but Austin almost always gets up a little bit earlier.

4th of July (3.5 years and 22.75 months)

Before kids, we would have a movie night in our backyard several times in the summer and once in the fall.  We haven't been doing it since the kids have been so young.  This year we thought we would give it a try.  Austin is old enough and Sydney does everything Austin does so we thought it would be fun.

We had about 15 people come to the movie night.  It was a nice turn out for our first movie night in a long time.  We watched Frozen.  The kids loved playing with glow sticks and playing on the swing set.  Mostly the adults watched the movie.  Austin and Sydney had a great time!  We are so glad we did it.  We hope to do another one before the summer is over.

We love the 4th of July.  Our favorite fireworks are in Fairlawn.  We try and go every year.  We know exactly where to park so we don't get stuck in traffic.  A band plays music before fireworks and the kids like listening to music.  This year Austin and Sydney ran around a lot.  They were not as interested in the music.  They had glow sticks too.  It was a fun night. The fireworks were awesome.  We bring ear protection for them and they enjoy the fireworks.  It was a nice family night.

Donnie, Cheri, Zach and Maggie came in for the 4th of July on Sunday night too. On Monday morning I went down to my parents house with the kids.  Donnie, Cheri, Zach and Maggie came over too. It was nice to see them.  We decided to go down to Amish country for the day.  We went to the Smuckers farm first, then to Amish stores, and then for lunch at the Amish Door.  This was the first time Austin and Sydney have been down to Amish country.  We had a great time.

Dean came into town on Tuesday morning.  We met everyone for dinner that night.  Then on Wednesday we went to the zoo.  It was great because Brian met us at the zoo for a few hours that day too.  Austin and Sydney are really enjoying the zoo these days.  Brian got some awesome pictures of Austin and Sydney feeding the giraffes.  And the bear was in the water which he got some good pictures of that too.  We all enjoyed the zoo.

On the 4th of July, we all went to the parade.  Last year just Brian, I, and the kids went and we sat at the airport.  That worked out well for us.  So we did it again this year.  We got donuts in the morning and met everyone down there.  It's nice to have the airport field for the kids to run around. The parade was great.  The kids so way too much candy.  They had fun getting it though.  Going to a parade with little kids is so awesome.  They got to see firetrucks, trackers, horses, go carts, etc.  It's one of my favorite traditions.

Then after the parade everyone went home.  The kids took a nap. Everyone came up to our house for dinner.  We enjoyed to hanging out at our house.  I am so happy that they all came up from Texas.  We don't get to see each other often but I enjoy the time we do get to see each other.  It was a great week.  After dinner they went back to my parents house.  And then they went back to Texas on Saturday.

Since we had so much fun at fireworks in Fairlawn, we decided to take them to Solon to see them.  We had never seen them before there.  It was very crowded.  We ended up at a school which worked out because there was a playground for them to play on while we waited for fireworks.  Then the fireworks started and we enjoyed the show.  Traffic was a disaster but they kids fell asleep in the car so it worked out.  We had a great holiday week!

Unfortantely Mike's sister and law passed away from cancer.  The came up for the funeral.  They spent the day with us.  We went to Home Depot so the kids could make an project. They made a bug catcher.  It is so cool that Home Depot does this every month.  Austin and Sydney really like it.  They enjoyed placing the stickers on the bug catcher.  Austin couldn't wait to go catch some bugs!   That evening we went to Burger King for dinner so they could play on the playground.   Austin and Sydney enjoyed spending time with Nana and Grandpa for the day.

Sydney is talking more and more. It's hard for others to understand her but Austin, Brian and I can understand almost everything she says.  There is never a quite moment in our house.  They are always talking or screaming about something.  It's nice that Sydney is using her words now.

Sesame Place (3.49 years and 22 months)

On Father's day we had a relaxing day together.  We took the kids to the park.  They had fun running around.  Brian got a picture book of him with the kids.  It is neat to look over the past year and see how much the kids have changed.  It's awesome we can do so much stuff with them.  And Brian enjoys photography so much.  It forces me to remember to use the camera a lot too.  I don't always enjoy taking the pictures but I love looking back at them.

We have been having 2 teenage girls babysit Austin and Sydney while I am home.  It is getting the kids use to other people especially Austin who is very shy.  And it allows me to get some things done around the house.  On Saturday morning, the girls came over so I could pack and load the car for sesame place.  Austin and Brian were at swim class.  Austin is now in level 2 swim class.  He is doing so much better.  He participates and doesn't cry for Brian any longer. It is refreshing to see. I am always surprised when we are swimming to see how much Austin can do.  Since I don't go to swim class, I miss a lot.  He sticks his head underwater himself and bounces around the pool.

So while they were at swim, the car was packed and once they got home we finished getting ready to leave.  We left around noon.  It is about an 6.5 hour drive to Sesame Place.  We stopped along the way to eat and potty breaks.  Austin does a fabulous job traveling and staying dry. He tells us when he needs to potty and then we look for the blue signs to know where we can stop.

Once we arrived at our hotel we placed the second bed on the floor so the kids could sleep on it.  They always sleep on the floor together when we travel.  Sydney is a little hard to get to sleep because she likes to continue to play but once they are asleep it works out well.

On Sunday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel. They had a lady making balloons so Austin got cookie monster balloon and Sydney got an Elmo balloon.  Austin's didn't make it to the car before the balloons started to pop but at least Brian got one picture first.  Then we drove about 10 minutes away to Sesame Place.  It didn't open until 10 am. We arrived early and got a good parking spot.

There was a roller coaster by the entrance that Austin really liked and wanted to ride. Sydney was not tall enough yet. So Sydney and I waited while Austin and Brian rode it.  Austin loved it!  He ended up riding it at least 2 more times that day.

We ended to the little kids section of rides next.  They had at least 10 different rides that were all for little kids and adults.  We got to ride all the rides with them.  Austin loved everything.  Sydney didn't like some of the rides but most of them she did.  There were some lines but it wasn't too bad at all.  The weather was great because it was cloudy with highs around 80.

We ate lunch at Cookie Monster's Cafe.  Austin was happy because he got a cookie monster plate.  They also got cookie monster cupcakes for dessert.  After lunch we went and got our swimsuits on.  We went to the water area but they were not to into it then. They were tired. Then the parade started so we watched some of that. Sydney fell asleep and then Austin wanted to leave the parade so he could sleep in the stroller too.  While the kids slept in the stroller we walked around and sat for a while.

We had dinner reservations with Elmo and his friends.  I was excited about this.  I was thinking it was going to be similar to Chef Mickey's at Disney but I was wrong.  Brian and Sydney got there first because Austin and I were riding the roller coaster again.  It was a buffet meal. We didn't know when to eat because we were afraid if we ate too early the kids would get bored.  We realized we should of eaten right away. When the characters came out, they came to all the tables.  They were out for the entire hour.

The Count was the first character to visit our table. Sydney was terrified!  She was actually shaking she was so scared.  She really doesn't know who The Count is and it's easy to see why kids would be scared of him.  Sydney was really excited to see Elmo from a distance.  She would get scared when he came close to her.  After dinner, we went up to meet Cookie Monster.  We also danced with all the characters.  We had a really good time.  They do it so much better than Disney.  We were happy that we did this experience with the kids.

On Sunday night they had a night parade.  We got popcorn and got a good seat to watch it.  The kids really enjoyed it.  With it being at night, it was extra special.  There was a lot of singing and dancing.  We had a great first day at Sesame Place.

On Monday, we went back to Sesame Place for the entire day again.  We did all the dry rides in the morning again.  The rides were really fun.  We all liked them.  In the afternoon, we went on some water slides.  We decided to take Austin and Sydney on the big water slide first.  Austin liked it. Sydney got wet early on and she did not like it at all.  Then we went to a little calmer water slide but because she was scared of the first one she didn't like it.  She did like playing in the water though.

After playing in the water we went to an Elmo and Cookie Monster show.  When Elmo came out, Sydney was screaming Elmo.  She was so excited.  It was so cute.  They really enjoyed the show especially since it was each of their favorite characters.  Even though we don't watch Sesame Street, it's very easy to love all the characters.  It was fun to watch the show.

That evening they rode a few more rides after dinner.  Then it was sad because the park closed.  None of us wanted to leave but we had to go back to the hotel.  We were all exhausted but it was a fabulous weekend in Sesame Place!

Start of Summer (3.45 years and 22 months)

We had a great Memorial Day weekend together.  On Saturday night we went to Chargin Falls for a hot air balloon festival.  We have never been there before so we didn't know what to expect.  We just went to the high school and watch the hot air balloons take off.  It was really cool to see.  Austin got to experience port a potties for the first time.  Unfortunately for us he liked it.  Sydney wanted to try it too but she was told no.

On Sunday morning we went to Thomas the Train with Kaitlyn and her family.  We took Austin to Thomas the Train 2 years ago but he doesn't remember.  This year he had a great time.  They got our picture taken early with Thomas.  They had some bounce houses that Austin and Kaitlyn really enjoyed.  Sydney liked it too but not as much.  She was still too little for some of them.  Then we road on the train.  Austin and Sydney wanted to be with Tutta more than us. Luckily she didn't mind too much.  It was a fun train ride.   Then we walked around the festival for a little bit and came home for nap time.

Then on Monday, we went to the water park for the first time.  This summer the local mommy's group I belong to was getting season passes to a water park for a discounted price.  Brian and I thought it would be fun to get them.  The kids love water and it's only 20 minutes from our house.  We only had to go twice to make the passes worth it.  We have went several times now.  Austin absolutely loves it!  Sydney likes it too but she gets cold and will say "all done".  As the summer gets warmer though she will probably like it even more.  It has taken Sydney a few visits but now she will climb up the stairs and go down the water slide all by herself.  At the end of the water slide the water is up to her neck however she refuses to let us help her. She just walks slowly to the stairs.  She likes being independent.

Sydney has started potty training.  On week, I did place her in underwear for a few days.  It went okay but not great.  She didn't mind being wet too much so we had a lot of accidents.  I am hoping as she gets closer to 2 she will be more aware and want to use the potty all the time.  She is starting to tell us after she goes pee-pee or poopy now so hopefully she will get there soon.  Austin still will not poop in the potty.  I am taking a break pushing it.  Hopefully he will just want to do it and do it.  I just wish it was sooner rather than later.

Sydney now calls us mommy and daddy.  Until now we were always mama and dada. I kind of miss the mama but mommy is fine too.  She is talking more and more. Sometimes it is hard to understand her.  Today she was saying something I couldn't understand and I told her that. She just laughed so she doesn't mind not being understood yet.

Last month was the first time we could finally use the playground.  We had such a wet spring that it was too wet to play on it.  Now the kids play on it everyday and love it.  It is so nice it is back there.

 The kids are going to bed around 9:00-9:30 and getting up around 6:30 everyday.  They are usually sleeping all night along.  Sydney sometimes gets up but not for long.  She just wants to move somewhere and falls back asleep.  It is nice to finally get 6-7 hours of consecutive hours of sleep every night.  I have been staying awake until 10:30-11pm every night. I am enjoying watching 1 TV show a day right now.  We haven't watch much TV in 3 years so I am starting to enjoy that again.

Our neighbor calls Austin cookie and Sydney cupcake because every time Austin would see her he would say cookie. Cookie is Austin's favorite word right now.  He just says it to say it.  But it's funny because every time we are outside and they see their neighbor Austin yells "Hi cookie" and she yells the same thing back.

The other morning I was outside talking to my other neighbor and Austin went inside the house.  He decided to make himself an ice cream cone. He got the cones out, the ice cream scoop, and ice cream. He made the cone. Put the ice cream back in the freezer and the ice cream scoop in the sink and came back with the ice cream cone. He was so proud of himself.  I was impressed he did all that himself that I let him eat the ice cream cone.

We have also started going to Home Depot for kids workshops once a month on a Saturday.  Sydney is a little young but she is learning to use a hammer and she loves painting.  Austin really enjoys it.  Austin has been able to use a hammer ever since he helped Daddy build the swing set.  Austin loves using tools and he's very good at it.  We really enjoy those workshops.