Catching Up

I'm really sorry I've been so bad with the blog! We've really been busy too... End of summer, beginning of school (I can't believe I haven't talked about that!!!). Swimming has been going great, and the kids have been active with our Mom's Club and having some fun play dates. It's been pretty awesome around here. So-- let's get caught up! 

Swimming

Have I mentioned that we have the B.E.S.T. neighbors on the planet (all of our neighbors are pretty great, to be honest). We have really taken advantage of the Marinelli's kindness and pool. This summer has been the wettest yet! I'm surprised we didn't turn into prunes. We were in that pool from morning to night for reals. I was so happy with the kids swimming skills- they have been doing fantastic. This last couple of months they have both moved up levels in their swimming classes. As a matter of fact, Mikey moved up so fast that he and Kaitlyn were both in the same class this past session! It's been cute to see them cheer each other on, not so cute to see them distract each other and distract the whole class! Oh well!

We've now moved up to the point where they are both swimming without swimmies and Kaitlyn can swim the width of the pool by herself front crawl and back stroke.

The First Day of School

We started a new school this year- we're attending a preschool at our church, St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. Mikey goes Monday and Wednesday mornings while Kaitlyn goes Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. They participate in a music class once a week as well as a computer class. We go on field trips and have great class parties. Mom has signed up for PTO duties and is Mikey's 'Room Mom' ...which has turned into a full time job on its own-- ha ha! We love it so far and the kids are learning so much. Mikey's teachers are Ms. Jenny and Ms. Becca and Kaitlyn's teachers are Ms. Lisa and Ms. Theresa. So excited for what this year is to bring!!!

Play Date Fun!

One of the great things about our new school is that a lot of our friends from our Moms Club go there too. Kaitlyns' friends Noah and Flora are in her class! I like that she gets to play with friends on a regular basis. Mikey too! We do tons of fun things with our group like meet at the park, museums,etc. Even just meeting at our houses to get the kids together and play and ride our bikes. It's a blast. I have to say, this is a great group of girls/moms and super group of kiddos. So super creative and crafty and fun. The kids and I love hanging out with them. 

We visited a local farm and petting zoo. They had rabbits and chicks, goats, a pony and a donkey. Miniature pigs and even a miniature cow! They had full size horses which Mikey loved to look at and feed, but when it came time to take them for a ride, he decided he'd better not (in layman's terms... screamed his head off, but whatever).

 A visit to the local fire station is always a hit- especially when Titi Ana is visiting too!! One of the firemen took a special liking to Mikey and gave him a special tour all for himself (of course, Kaitlyn wasn't letting that go down and hogged some of that action too). A lot of moms and kids showed up for this play date (yea!).

We visited a local pumpkin patch that had some super fun things for the kids to do: sand pit to play in, kid sized maze to run through (and mom to get lost in!), all kinds of bikes and trikes to ride, a corn maze with fun stamps to find, a hayride with a fun scavenger hunt of items for the kids to look for on the ride, and of course lots and lots of pumpkins! We had a great time:

So, as you can see, we've been busy in the last month or so. This is just a snippet of what we've been up to. I'll have to get better at keeping you updated, sorry! Have a happy October and jump into the Fall Y'all!!

Veda 1999-2013

I guess I've taken a little blog break. Sorry family and friends. I'll try to do better from now on.

We've had a loss in our family and I'd like to take a minute to say a little about our dear, dear part of our family and hearts- Veda. She came to live with Mike and I 10 years ago after living with my mother and brother. The first time Mike met Veda at my mothers house, she jumped all the way up to his chest and then to his face and gave him a kiss. It was love at first sight! Since Veda was my brother's dog, when he decided to move to Utah a couple of months later, Mike and I we more than willing to take over the care of Veda. She moved into our house and never left our hearts since.
Veda was queen of the house right away. She slept in the bed, right under the blankets next to Mike and snored just as loud- if not louder than him too. She loved to chase balls in the backyard. She loved to wrestle with Mike. She loved to sleep. When we had Kaitlyn, she was the best. Veda would sit next to the baby wherever she was, just watching, checking. When Katie was crawling, Veda would follow, slowly. Then the food started. Snacks started being carried around by Kaitlyn and Veda was in heaven! Then another baby?! More watching, checking. When Kaitlyn moved into a big girl bed, Veda did too. It was perfect for them, Veda didn't have to jump up high to get into our bed since Katie's was only a couple of inches off of the floor and Katie was so happy to sleep with Veda.
Veda loved when Mikey started crawling around with snacks, he was a great sharer/dropper. Veda would lick leftovers off of his face! Mikey like playing ball with Veda and they liked wrestling together (Veda always won!).
Kaitlyn and Veda had a special relationship. I think that since she was our first born, Veda may have always watched over her a little more? Or maybe Katie just always was drawn to her and her spirit. Whatever it was, they always had a unique connection. In the last year Kaitlyn loved to dress Veda up and 'put her to bed' like a baby (poor dog!). Katie became obsessed with leashes and always wanted to walk Veda on a leash or some type of leash contraption- any rope, belt, string, shoelace would do. Poor Veda being led around the house or backyard, but she didn't mind at all. She loved Kaitlyn and would follow her anywhere. Kaitlyn would always end her walks with a good belly rub and hugs.
Let's not talk about the details of the sad parts, but just say that on September 4, 2011 Veda left our family and this world for a better place. There is a hole in our family and hearts but we know she is certainly in a better place and no longer in pain. I've known you, sweet girl, for 14 1/2 years and you've made them wonderful. You've certainly lived up to your name.

We love you, my girl.