The Nystrom's

Wood Christmas

2012-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

This year's trip to Uncle Joe's was a little different than last year's very chilly & snowy visit. Although the snow was pretty last year, the weather for a hayride was just right, and we all enjoyed getting to see our extended cousins for a little bit.

Will, Case & Aunt Margaret


All the Clo & Robert Wood Great Grandchildren for the time being:			Stacy, Bailey, Charlie with Cloe, Will, Matt with Case

Stacy, Laura, Matt and Me

Right out Joe and Kathy's. This is what I'd love for a view!

Hanging on the swinging bridge

Tommy

Will and Papa

The Crew

Will and Uncle Joe

Matt & Uncle Joe

Will, Matt and Papa riding Uncle Joe's Tractor

Aunt Alice & Stacy

Just your average Sunday

2012-01-09T22:05:00.001-05:00

This is what we get for trying to ignore the chaos and pull the covers over our head on a weekend morning....

The Magic of the Season

2011-12-30T17:31:00.001-05:00

This has been an awesome Christmas. Matt and Will started getting the concept of Christmas and Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve we put out food for the reindeer that came home from preschool. Our 'Rudolph' made it outside from the kitchen (after spending a few days blown up in there for fun) and I am not sure if Matt and Will thought the blow up was going to eat it or if Reindeer were coming overnight? Either way seems magical, I figure... Charlie also heard Santa's thump on the roof and the reindeer jingling bells.

There were lots of fun things this year that we all enjoyed...
- the Live Nativity at Discovery UMC, tigers, lions and all...
- the Tacky Light Tour in a bus. So much fun riding around looking at lights, listening to Christmas music and hanging out with friends.
- making Christmas cookies x2
- the bell service at church
- trains, trains and more trains

To Charlie's dismay, no snow, but we did make up for that with a trip to Deep Creek and hopefully have more on the way!

Merry Christmas to All!

Santa Tran

2011-12-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

Will, Matt, Cloe & Stacy

Matt and one of his crazy faces

Hanging on the open train car before seeing Santa

If you notice Santa's stance, this is probably the 1st time when Charlie asked him if he was the real Santa

Will, Matt & Charlie waiting to see Santa

The Crew

Our biggest train lover, Will

Hanging out after our train ride. Loved this picture of Charlie & Matt hanging out.

Saying goodbye to Santa out the window

Matt

100 Years... and 5 great grandchildren Later

2011-12-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Ken & Linda invited us to Blackstone to visit Bevell's Hardware Store for their annual train display, and to have lunch with Uncle Joe and Aunt Page.This has been an annual trek for Charlie, but Will & Matt had not yet met the trip.

The boys absolutely loved the trains, Will especially is a train nut. Since we rode the Santa train the previous Sat. we had to explain that these were "little trains" so we heard let's go see "little trains" several times on the way down from Matt & Will. The snow display was also a hit, and it all felt like a step back in time, seeing the town come together and celebrate with a packed house. We had a really nice lunch and then headed to the cemetery as Linda had flowers for Grandma/Mr Sharrer's gravesite. I realized that morning, that Dec. 17th was Mrs. Sharrer's birthday, but had no realization that it would have been her 100th birthday since her birth in 1911. Even more meaning for me in seeing her grave, with Jan. 5th as my Grandma Boaz's birthday, which was the day she died in 2002.

It was very special to watch Charlie, Matt & Will running around, placing flowers and singing (well, shouting) in the cemetery and thinking how much she would have loved it. The drive back really had me thinking about the Circle of Life and how much I wish some of my circles could've crossed more. I kept thinking about how many people have left this world since Jon and I got married and how many, especially our children, our nieces and our nephews have joined. It's hard to think of it all somedays, but for Saturday it was special to take part in that moment.

Will concentrating on the train display

Matt taking in the snow

Charlie catching flakes

Matt catching flakes

The Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

Walking into the program: Will in front and notice that big smile from Matt at the end of the picture

Matt & Will: Not so sure about standing up front & center at the Christmas Program

Charlie amongst the Girls!

Matt, Will and the infamous Ella that they both LOVE!


Will's Belly played a small part in the program this year!

Charlie, Matt & Will had their Christmas program this past Thursday with lots of singing. Charlie truly belted out with every song and we could hear his every word :o) I am not sure if Matt & Will knew what was going on, but did get involved when the had bells to ring with Jingle Bells.
Charlie loves singing with the Christmas music on the radio. His favorite song is probably the Little Drummer Boy... bah rum ba bum!

Living the Life of a Twin

2011-12-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

We often wonder what it would be like to live the life of a twin... We go from Matt rocking the crib and night so loud, that Will is yelling "stop" to Matt dumping out Will's water pitcher the following morning in the shower. But then you have a night like last night, where Will fell asleep to Matt singing "jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell."
They make each other laugh constantly and they give each other hugs, to the beating each other up and "xxx hit me!"
One thing we know, it's always interesting...

Matt & Will's 3rd Birthday at the school Halloween Parade

Matt & Will at the Train Day in Ashland

Will & Matt hanging in their "hole" at the Beach

My Race Day Recap

2011-11-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well, after a year of thinking about the Half Marathon, it has come and gone. My friends and I have discussed how it's like a wedding. It started in my head with the Richmond 8K last November, that maybe, just maybe, I would do the half marathon this year. A little more time went by and I trained for the 10K in the spring. Then, before I even knew it, an email went around. Sign up for the Half now - before prices go up. And with a few clicks of a button, I'd signed up.

All summer, we ran every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. We talked about the half marathon a lot. What will it be like, will we be ready? Yes, we'll be ready.

This fall, I ran a 10K at the beach and the Capital 10 Miler Race. Then I started having a weird feeling in my leg and decided I better get it checked out. The doctor said - no more running. You're going to run the race, but no more running until then. Just cross training. So, then came the G-Trainer, the elliptical and the running in the pool. Another check up- wait, let's do a bone scan at the eleventh hour. Finally, Thursday before the race. Yes, you're clear.

So, race day came. It was so exciting. All my running friends were there. Race time came and Amy, Angie and I lined up with Angie's husband. We were in the back. The first mile or two, I thought how heavy my feet were. I hadn't run in nearly a month with full body weight. But I got in the groove. It was pretty and the spectators were great. I kept thinking, I'll see Jon at mile 7. Amy's husband would be there. Lisa was going to join us at mile 7 and finish with us. We made it there and were doing ok. I hit mile 9 and I think dehydration started hitting me. I'd been so worried about my leg, I forgot to really hydrate especially with the head cold I had. That's right about where Kay joined us for the last 4 miles. Between Kay & Lisa, they joined with Amy and I and alternated back and forth. A little good cop, bad cop to get us going. At mile 12, I knew I could do it. I had about 10 more minutes. And I made it. So sweet. A couple of times along the way, I could've thought about stopping, but kept it going.

After the race, I said that raising a "Runner" is a lot like the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child. I couldn't have done it without the support of the girls out there with me, Jon taking the kids so I could run and the people that were constantly cheering for me and asking about my running, so Thank you!

Can't believe that "Joan Rivers" was beating me. I kept trying to get around her so she wouldn't block my picture. Ha!

Mile 7: Seeing Jon

My honking medal

Me & Amy

The Mother Runners (1/2 Marathon Team)


Katie, Joanna, Amy and I pre race. This is not my pink snuggie! I was merely holding for someone else.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-18T15:34:00.000-05:00

We decided to go a little more low key this year with our pumpkin patch visit and visited a patch literally just down the road from our house. It was a really pretty day, and we still managed to play in the corn, pick pumpkins and see a few animals around the farm.

Stacy Ann

The crew. This year's hayride was a lot less stressful than last year's screaming ride with Will & Stacy.

Matt

Charlie

Will

Charlie

Flying Squirrels

2011-11-18T11:40:00.000-05:00

Who's your guess to become the ball player? Someone sat very attentively the whole game....

1st Day of School

2011-11-18T11:33:00.000-05:00

Wow, I am really catching up. This is Matt & Will's very first day of Preschool with Charlie on his day 2.

Will, Charlie & Matt

Deep Creek: Summer Loving with the Cousins

2011-11-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

A few pictures from our summer trip to Deep Creek, boating on the river and celebrating Gavin's 4th Birthday.

Matt

Charlie, aka Shark Man

G Man> Gavin

Thor making Birthday Cookies

The Nystrom Grandkids

Brothers

Boating with Dad & Matt

Add caption

Super Hero's at Children's Musuem

2011-11-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

Charlie was having a blast... It was a little more of an adult plot than I anticipated...

Charlie meeting the good and the bad guys

Will was very in tune to what was going on

The place was packed!

Catching up: Where did summer go?

2011-11-03T14:26:00.000-04:00

I'm not really sure where the past few months have gone, as I feel like summer ended just a few days ago. Not weeks or months. Somewhere this summer, our computers stopped communicating so I didn't have pictures to post. Well, now we've fixed that and feel the need to document some of the great trips, visits, fun we've been having.

These pictures are from our trip to the River for Jon's Birthday, July 3rd!

Matt

Charlie

Matt

Will

Sally& Will (Will took a little convincing to get on the boat)

Jon & Charlie Tubing

Will, Sally & Matt

GG

2011-10-12T17:56:00.000-04:00

This picture came up today. It's one of my favorites. I've been thinking about Betty a lot the last couple of weeks as I'm thinking about Matt & Will's birthday, and Halloween and Christmas. It's all so different without her presence and I miss her a lot.

This blog is really my online "family diary" and something I want the kids to look back on and I want to share what I wrote after Betty passed away.

It's no wonder I thought that I would be something when I grew up. From the day I came to visit the Williams crew as a baby, I was told, here comes the future "Miss America" by my Aunt Betty. My aunt Betty always had big dreams for me, and I wanted to live up to them. Later, when I started working, we would go to eat dinner and Betty & Pat were there to tell me I was going to be the next CEO of my company.

Well, had any of these things been my desire, I am sure I would have accomplished them with Betty cheering me on. She had high expectations for everyone and provided the words of encouragement to help us all get there...

Rather than CEO or Miss America, I chose another direction and Betty was never more happy than to be known as GG. Great, Great, Aunt Betty.

She was the funnest person I have ever known. I remember being so excited to see Betty at the annual Williams reunion. She would always have smuggled a bag or two of toys from the dentist office for all of the nieces and nephews, and not only did she have a present for us, she would get down and play with us. She loved any toy that would make noise and made sure to keep them coming over the years as Mom found places to hide them.

My mailbox will never be the same without Betty. My college roommates would always wonder how I was so lucky to get a note about each week when I was in college, each time with $1 bill inside. For an ice cream cone. Then, I had Charlie and well, the ice cream fund began again. Balloons and stickers also became regular treats - every holiday was special and a reason to celebrate. Really, any time with Betty was a celebration. I know we have all said it, but Betty was the life of the party, spitfire, a firecracker. When Jon & I lived in Raleigh, we would love to go eat Mexican with Betty & Pat. We'd share a Miller Lite or two and if we had our favorite waiter, Jimmy, we'd have to share a fried ice cream so we could stay longer (Betty and I both liked Jimmy even though she said he liked me).

We shared a lot of the same loves. Whenever I think about going to the beach, I think of the memories of going to Emerald Isle and Betty and Pat's place. We would have the best time there, hanging on the pier, watching birds, playing Rummikub and watching basketball. Betty loved watching Christian Laettner and Duke play during those years. We were lucky to go back to Emerald Isle with Betty & Pat just a few years back when I was pregnant with the twins. She had the time of her life with our new "bubble gun" and blowing bubbles with little Charlie who was 2 at the time. You would think she had never seen bubbles before. Something really got me laughing and she had the best time watching my big old belly shake. She loved that story.

She knew every detail of my wedding and anyone's wedding that I knew. She loved weddings and showers. She loved any reason to have a fabulous party and entertain. But she loved babies the most and she loved the stories. I loved sharing my stories with her. She wanted to know every detail. Betty loved going to the kids birthday parties and taking in every moment. She loved to see their faces opening presents, blowing out candles and playing with their other little friends. She wanted to be a part of them all. Some years, I'm not sure who had more fun - Betty or the kids.

Just like birthdays, I've celebrated Christmas with Betty & Pat since I was 12. For a kid that may have lost the Christmas belief, it all came back when Betty & Pat came to spend Christmas Eve. Each year, there were cakes, cookies and presents. Later, came Christmas PJ's each year for the kids and presents from walking in the door days before the 25th until Christmas morning. Betty was all about presents. I always have wanted to have her ability to find those perfect presents for everyone, as she had just the right touch at finding something thoughtful for all occasions.
There is something in each room of my house from Betty, a cross stitch, a vase, a silver container with my married initials... Holidays, all the more.

Betty made everyone that met her feel like they had been lifelong friends. I always loved sharing her with my friends and family. Because, we all had such a good time when Betty was a member of the party.

School Days

2011-10-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

Matt & Will's preschool teacher shared a photo album with pictures from their 1st month of school, which I so appreciated. Although, they are talking a lot more, it is still nice to actually "see" what they've been doing. The first few weeks they have had a Teddy Bear Picnic, Fire Safety and worked with Apples.

Click here. I picked my favorites. It looks like it's just them in the class during this slideshow, but I just picked the ones for them. They do tend to stick together, don't they?

Charlie also had Fire Safety too and met the Firemen in class.

A rainy beach weekend

2011-10-09T20:55:00.001-04:00

We made it to the beach a couple weeks ago. Luckily we had a long weekend and started with a little sunshine and ended with a little sunshine, but we had solid rain in between including my 10k pumped for pink race that I did. We managed to keep entertained with a visit to the aquarium, watching a surf championship/fishing, the outlets and some football. Really hard to believe summer is over.

Charlie

Will

A nice guy let Charlie reel in his fish

Matt

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scholarly updates...

2011-10-05T16:09:00.000-04:00

This summer we got on the bandwagon and started working through Early Intervention services and luckily both Matt & Will qualified for speech services, and have been working with a speech therapists once a week for about 10 weeks. Each week, we see a little progress, but then there are the big spurts or the wow moments such as when they call Charlie or each other by name for the 1st time.

New words include:
yummy, "mo" (short for Nemo or Elmo depending on who is the man of the hour), "choclate",, school, stop, ah (yes), green, blue, pink, heavy, sand, dirt, monopoly, alligator, turtle, sgetti, 'hour' (shower), hot, cold... amongst I'm sure many more that don't come to mind at the moment.

This has been a huge improvement for us, as the screaming does become a bit exhausting, but that still happens. Not sure when I should expect that to phase out? Ha. :o)

Charlie, Matt & Will also started preschool on Sept 12th and they all love it. Charlie's teacher has told us over and over what a little social butterfly he is now and he just kinda seems to rule the roost. Matt & Will thoroughly love going to school and have great teachers. They love their art projects and playing on the playground. The school is really awesome and brings lots of outside guests in, such as the fire department last week. Tomorrow is a teddy bear luncheon with favorite stuff animals. Matt & Will's teacher says Matt is always on the lookout for Will and when it is his turn to do something, often wants Will to come up as well... Will hasn't gotten in trouble for hitting. And so far only 1 potty accident at school = success!

On another note, things have just been BUSY. I essentially changed client focus in mid-July with my company and have a whole new set of challenges to figure out, although these are really the cool challenges that people talk about when they say "how fun their job is." But it is keeping me busy, which makes Jon busier, which equals less time to blog. Would like to get back in a routine and with no travel plan, hopefully that is possible.

A little unwinding on the Mall

2011-09-12T21:42:00.001-04:00

After the morning and lunch at the air and space museum, we needed a little time to unwind, just as brothers do...

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Dinos and Trains

2011-09-12T21:30:00.001-04:00

Luckily right now we can capture just about everyone's attention with dinosaurs and trains. We spend hours building tracks in the family room, under the couch and off tracking with our battery operated trains around the house.

Dinosaurs are pretty popular too, with Dino Dan and Dinosaur Train being 2 of Charlie's favorite shows. Jon and I have refreshed our knowledge reading many Dino books from the library as well.

So, I thought why not take a day trip to the smithsonian and ride the metro into the city. My ever so patient and willing husband agreed to the plan and off we went Labor Day weekend.

I only thought to myself a few times, what in the world was I thinking, mainly when Will refused to exit the metro station to end his train ride....

Riding the metro in from King street

will, Charlie and Matt with Mr Triceratops

Charlie in the butterfly room

Riding the carousel on the Mall... will and matt loved it!

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Natural... and Unnatural Disasters

2011-08-30T14:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I have to write about the week at hand for record keeping - I am sure one day, I or the kids will want to remember where and what we were doing for the big East Coast Earthquake on August 23rd... especially as the memories are already getting fuzzy. At the time, I was talking on the telephone to someone in Colorado, and thought to myself, 'the house is really shaking - really, this more shaking than I am used to from the kids.' So with that, I said goodbye to the person on the phone and ran downstairs as Jon was running up to check on the washing machine. We both then realized, that our house was shaking from an Earthquake, not the kids or laundry. The usual occurences. Meanwhile, Matt, Will & Charlie kept playing with their trains, really not thinking much of it.

As we were talking over the Earthquake & aftershocks (we felt 2 so far) for the remainder of the week, we started bracing for Hurricane Irene. The forecasters were saying this could be a really big one - primarily due to it's path straight up the East Coast. As with any Hurricane in our books, we prepared. Ice. Beer. Bread. With 3 kids, we also had plenty of Milk. We were glad to take cover for the day as the winds reached up to 55 mph gusts in Richmond - pretty yucky outside, but nothing compared to what our beloved outer banks got. We, along with the majority of Richmond (well, it would seem) lost power. It really wasn't too big of a deal - we had luckily just finished dinner and got power back the next morning as Jon walked in the door with his coffee and more ice.

I was not prepared for Disaster # 3 of the week. Jon and Ken had made a quick trip to the beach to check on things (all fine). So, after we laid Matt & Will down for a nap, Charlie & Linda went out for a bit. Not knowing exactly when they walked out, I didn't think much of the noises I was hearing. However, after a few minutes I started smelling something and thinking that it was very loud downstairs. Turns out, Matt & Will had escaped their crib tents (these are tents on their cribs that zip up so they are not supposed to jump out). Keep in mind, that Matt was sleeping in Charlie's room (in the spare crib) and Will was in their room. I believe Matt escaped first and then freed Will. Matt & Will were both running up and down the hall, with no diapers on (diapers for nap & bedtime only these days). I look into their room and my reaction was pure furor. There was poop everywhere. On both cribs, the rug, carpet and stuffed animals. Turns out, both of them had it on their feet and who knows where else as well. Then I went into Charlie's room and found the crib was wet - all 3 cribs had to be changed, the carpets steam cleaned and the rug hosed off. Needless to stay, they were in big trouble and knew it. The problem is, the thought it was HILARIOUS. Thankfully, Linda & Charlie came home to help and we managed to get things back in shape.

So my game is up - you have to stay one step ahead of these partners in crime. One day... just one day...

Here's to hoping for a calmer 7 days than last.

Sherbert night at Grandma & Papa's

2011-07-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe what just 2 people can start when they get together, isn't it? 3 kids and now 5 grandkids later...

Cloetta Kathleen

2011-07-01T15:33:00.001-04:00

Cloe made her entrance to the world on June 21st! She is named after my dad's mom and Tommy's mom/grandmother. I still forget just how little babies are when they enter the world, as it changes so fast. I am thrilled to have her and Stacy as my nieces. I hope that I get to go on many of their girl trips over the years, and maybe Laura can go with the boys some too... well at least until she has a boy if that is in the future :o) I know these are my girls and my ONLY girls, and love them dearly.

part 3?

2011-07-01T15:27:00.001-04:00

Cousins chilling on the porch with ice cream sandwiches!

The only way to get 3 kids sitting still... Will, Charlie & Matt

Will pulling the wagon to the beach - he insisted daily that he pull it...

I helped rescue this poor pelican with a broken wing...

Poor delight: Charlie

Matt & Will

Charlie & Dad

Will & his bucket

Picnic lunch on the beach last day

Matt & Dad

Southern Shores, part 2

2011-07-01T15:13:00.001-04:00

Matt digging

Ice Cream sandwiches on the beach! Can't beat that for your 1st night!

Matt loved playing in the surf! Night one, when we didn't think to go for the full swim apparel and had to strip to our diaper...

Brothers

Will checking out the scene at the surf...

Charlie

Jon & Chris coming in from kayak ride #1.

Mom & Will

The little Nystrom crew

Matt - he may be signing up to model for Abercrombie & Fitch before we know it. Watch out world.

A week later...

2011-07-01T15:05:00.001-04:00

A week later and I'm still in denial that summer vacation is over... we went down to Southern Shores from Friday to Friday with the Baltimore cousins and Ken & Linda and had a really relaxing, chill week. The weather was perfect and we spent most days at the beach in the morning, some chill time at the house for lunch, pool in the afternoon and dinner out or in, but low key! The house had a great screened in porch for containing kids, and nice amenities... No complaints!

The Crew before Fish Taco night at Mama Kwans

Cousins

Will & his bucket.

Will was not very fond of the ocean, but loved swimming in the pool. Most days he would hang by the umbrella/tent with his shovel, content as could be.

Matt in the bucket!

Digging, digging digging pools...

Will

Our big boy

2011-06-14T17:09:00.000-04:00

It is really hard to believe another year of preschool is done. We recently had Charlie's end of year preschool program and I was foreseeing the tears at High School graduation in a mere 14 years?
It is really amazing how much our sweet Charlie has grown up. His teacher's comments for the year, were Charlie is such a sweet kid and could melt your heart with his eyes. So yes, he is already a ladies man.

This fall, Charlie will do another year at Christ Church Episcopal, showing his brothers the ropes and getting a good steady base for Kindegarten or the new 1st grade so I hear. We want him to really be ready for elementary school, as well as we do, and thought it wouldn't hurt to have another year.

This little light of mine - Note Charlie's light shining in the back row

Charlie & his bud Mason

Charlie hanging outside of school

Charlie's last soccer game

Running Get Together

2011-06-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

Had a great time Saturday, Will decided he is joining the group too.

Well, I signed up

2011-06-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

Not sure what got into me. Maybe the 1st time peer pressure has really been a positive for me. I guess that is a good thing when you are 35. After the 10K in April, Sportsbackers sent out their email for the next price increase for the Richmond Half Marathon. Wheels went in motion.... And the next thing I knew, my running gals and I decided to make the leap and sign up.

Since the 1st of the year, I've been running with 2 of my Body Back friends, Amy and Angel. With the 2nd session of Body Back, we added a few more to the group: Lisa, Kay, Kim and Angie for a total of 7 of us. Each week, we run Mon & Wed at 5:30 am together and have started having our big Sat. runs here in TH at 6:00 am instead of the group runs. We like to get up early and be done with our run before the larger group runs...

I feel so lucky to have this group. Have wanted this since I started running last August and glad that I kept with the running until I found the group. We see each other some weeks, 5 or 6 times a week between Body Back class, Running and Kickboxing and it makes a real difference.

Saturday we are gearing up for our 1st 7 mile run together. And then we are going to celebrate Sat. night with the husbands and kids.
So 155 days from now, we'll be running 13.1 miles. Watch out world!

Here's a couple from the 10K

Sally, Kim, Kay, Lisa (someone else that jumped in with us for the pic?), Back Angel, Amy & Angie

Douthat Camping Trip

2011-05-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

This weekend was probably what Jon would consider Monumental. We made the 1st camping trip in the new Westafalia. If you didn't know, Jon found this gem about 2 months ago and sold the VW 73 Bus.
We've had this trip planned for what seems like a year, maybe 6 months to visit with Jon's crew, see some of my family and enjoy the outdoors.
As my dear friend Judy said, I started with really low expectations (I mean that in the nicest way) and it was a fabulous weekend. The weather was the perfect temperature, with no rain or humidity and the kids were thoroughly entertained every step of the way. Friday we made do without a nap, and explored the campground, hiked by the creek and finished the day by making smores... Sat. we visited the playground, went fishing and had a great dinner with the extended family.
Charlie loved sleeping in his new batcave and spent his 'free' time adding to his caterpillar family and building out their habitats which were our dinner centerpiece.
Matt & Will loved throwing rocks in the water, pushing their trucks around and fishing too.

Will & Charlie checking out something, just not sure what.

Matt & Will throwing rocks

The new Westy ~ batcave is in the pop up in the top.

Will checking out the jumbo marshmellows

I drank coffee, a half a cup, but needed something to get moving. A coffee and a diet coke actually... who knows what the world is coming to...

Jon, Linda & Charlie. Please notice the caterpillar condominium front center. This was much entertainment to all.

Thought we'd try and get a group shot with Ken & Linda. But yet, there is always one kid that is trying to escape.

Matt & Will. This picture says twin synergy to me. How about you?

Matt

Will

The falls

Will & Matt fishing with Jon

Jon

Charlie

Matt really had the lucky touch. I would take him if you want to catch something. He was at the rod all 3 times a fish was reeled in.

Charlie with "his" catch - Brown or Brook Trout.

The extended crew: Paige, Joe, Ginger, Daisy, Earl, Sally, Will, Jon. Front seated: Linda, Charlie, Alice, Matt & Ken

Getting Ready for Another Niece!

2011-05-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

Saturday we decided we needed to have a little precelebration in honor of Laura and Baby Girl #2. It was a fun day to get together and celebrate!

this pictures speaks to me

2011-05-17T16:58:00.000-04:00

When things look normal enough in my life, there is still usually someone bouncing off something in the background.

tempers

2011-05-17T16:55:00.000-04:00

I will say I am about at a breaking point with one of my children. He is so cute and adorable when he smiles at you, and he loves to cuddle and give kisses. But........
He is giving a run on having the best temper (I should probably say at this point in time he wins). I think he gets frustrated because he can not communicate what he wants. Really sometimes, even though he is not communicating with words, I know what he wants and when I say no, get the same reaction... These reactions range from knocking over a chair, to throwing a toy, to throwing another toy, hitting something or ripping up the doormat and throwing it in another room. The lip tucks in and the cheeks poke out. Screaming is also common.
It takes all that I have to be rational in these moments, and I have to say I don't think I keep it all together that well, under these conditions. I think the hardest part so far of parenting is trying to stay rational when everyone around you is acting irrational.
Today I met with the county health services department for an intake appointment. No, I am not giving anyone up for adoption. Rather, requesting speech evaluation services for the twins. Hopefully this will get us on track. It seemed to get us going with Charlie when he was about the same age.

Pray for us. We all want to make it out of the terrible 2's alive.

have you seen this Cinderella & Royal Wedding comparison?... on Twitpic

2011-05-13T13:29:00.000-04:00

have you seen this Cinderella & Royal Wedding comparison?... on Twitpic
I just think this is hilarious.

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T16:27:00.000-04:00

We headed back out to Chesterfield Berry Farm for our 2nd annual tradition of strawberry picking. The morning started a little rough (picture kids crying, tired mommy) but once we got on the road, all was fine. The weather looked a little questionable which was in our favor, since it didn't start so crowded. We were practically the 1st ones there. The kids loved feeding the animals, jumping in the bouncy tent and picking and eating strawberries. We had a nice BBQ picnic lunch and headed home for a nap and more Mother's Day celebrating.

Linda & Ken joined us this year. Matt & Linda looking at bunnies.

Matt inside the bouncy tent

Ready for picking!

Ken and Matt

Will & me

umm good

yes, I'll sneak one in too - Will

Bike a Thon

2011-05-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

Charlie's school has a really cool event, a Bike A Thon. It was a great day for the kids and raised money for S.C.A.N. (stop child abuse now). He liked getting to ride his bike, but it is definitely funny to watch how the kids are all at different levels and interests. You can see this often -but on bikes, was doubly accentuated. Charlie probably tends to take more after me - laid back, "it's not a race" and taking his time around the course. Then there are some others, especially the kids with older siblings that are racing around the track and zipping by without training wheels. I enjoyed my morning volunteering, as I think Charlie did. A police officer also came to talk about safety, and showed his cars. Us moms commented that it was hopefully the only time they see a backseat of a policecar!

photo technology

2011-05-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I have been trying to work on 'tagging' our pictures. You can not believe how long it takes to take some 100,000 pictures (no, I do not think I am exaggerating). And this one came up this afternoon for me to tag - our girl Greta.
It is hard for me to believe she left this world almost 2 months ago on March 30th. Jon and I were just saying this weekend, how much we missed her. When I come down the stairs in the morning at 5:30 and the downstairs is empty or when we finish the peanut butter jar or see a frisbee or another smiling dog - all these things make me think of her.
Greta was the most loving, patient and beautiful dog. I know a part of my heart went with her across the Rainbow Bridge.

Beaching it on Spring Break

2011-05-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

Will

Digging holes

Matt

Will

Matt

Cousins

Hatteras

Watching kite surfers

Kite surfing in Hatteras


Watching the kite surfers

Catching up on pictures from the past month. It's been hectic, what can I say.

The BIG 5 - Charlie's Birthday

2011-05-06T11:17:00.000-04:00

Charlie's 1st Glove

It is so hard to believe it has been 5 years since Charlie entered our world! This year we took things a bit easy and celebrated at the beach with cousins!

Soccer

2011-05-06T10:58:00.000-04:00

Charlie in Action, #1

Future soccer star in the making, Will

Mischief

2011-04-22T21:26:00.001-04:00

This has been a long month or so. I haven't wanted to write or known what to write as my aunt Betty, or GG, suffered from the effects of chemo and probably the lymphoma too. Every day, when not there, we would wait for an update. Was it a better day or worse... I was able to visit a couple of times and was so happy to have had the chance to see Betty, and for those visits I tried to will her on, but everything seemed to happen so fast. After about 10 days in hospice Betty passed away April 11th.

Yesterday I had one of my many moments missing Betty. We spent the week down at the beach and decided to do a day trip to Hatteras. Will and Matt have recently discovered Charlie's love of gum. Probably like many moms and dads debate - whether you listen to the whining or give in to the whining, I finally decided to give Will gum. Then, he wanted another piece. Somewhere after what seemed like an hour of whining, we gave in to another piece of gum. But if you have met Will, you know he has a temper. Sometimes if you fight his will you get something thrown at you, or hit. Well, as I sat back in my seat after turning around for the 500th time I realized I was sticking to my seat. He had thrown the only thing he had, his waded up gum.

You may wonder how this relates to my aunt Betty. Well, she loved hearing the stories of the kids. The more mischief the better. Sometimes, the mischief was almost worth the trouble, because there would be a great story that she would love to hear. I'm sure the stories are somehow getting through to her, but I am sure going to miss sharing them with her.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cell phone download

2011-03-22T16:56:00.000-04:00

Like my friend Kylie says, cell phone pictures really capture a "moment" so much more than you get by the time you go and grab the real deal camera. Thought it would be a good idea to download some of mine over the past year. Not sure how they got all out of order, but nonetheless, they capture some fun moments.

Matt & Charlie coloring sometime this winter on a weekend morning trying to kill some time when it wasn't so pretty outside.

Matt swinging the first time at our neighborhood park. I think this was probably about Feb 2010

Will coloring. Plus decorating his face with green marker. Why do they love markers so much more than crayons?

Will swinging... circa Feb 2010

Will & Matt peeking out the window at a schoolbus or trash truck probably. You have to watch out in the morning when they come around and make sure you don't flash the whole street!

Goldfish snacktime.

Costco ends happy when you get smoothie -Charlie

Charlie building a damn near our house - circa March 2010. Can't believe how much he has grown since then.

Will & Matt agree. Shopping is so much more pleasant when you have a smoothie. We must have gone through 20 straws that day b/c they kept pulling them out.

3 brothers on the infamous fire truck.

Took this shot just to show how crazy the family room can turn in a matter of 30 minutes. Notice new hobby, moving the train table across the floor.

brotherly concern - can't quite remember what Will did, but thought it was awfully sweet when Charlie came to the rescue with bandaids and Matt looked on. Circa Jan 2011

Matt and star sunglasses.

M & W's favorite spot to hide or try and escape - the top of the suitcase in the master closet under my clothes.

the only time I can really get a picture of all 3 kids still - snacktime. This is at the beach. circa Feb 2011

again, snack time capture all 3. This is a "movie" night with popcorn, plus Greta. Popcorn is her favorite too.

Will & Matt demonstrating their climbing skills on the sand table. Circa March 2010

Our newest parent saver - the crib tent. Will demonstrating day 1.

A good trip to the beach - exhaustion on the trip home, 3 sleeping kids. sometime 2010

Will watching Hokie Basketball. Not so happy with the outcome. Sunday.

Will & Matt, day 1 of last year's beach trip 2010.

Impromptu trip up to Cafe Catura with the girls during last summer's visit. I like this picture, b/c I can tell how far we have come since then.

I've wised up. This was a popcorn night in my bed. Not such a good idea, although it was a very peaceful evening.

2010 Football season kick off. Unfortunately, that game did not go so well, but a great fan base.

Shannigans

2011-03-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

Well, not that this is a shocker to anyone, but 2 two year olds can get in a lot of trouble in just a very short period of time.

This is becoming more evident with each passing day. Let me provide a shortened recap of a couple good examples.

March 17. I was requested to provide green jello for Charlie's preschool class. Being a mother of equality and opportunity for all, I thought Matt & Will should have some green jello for lunch too. Well, let's just say they enjoyed it, but not the way I intended. After one of Jon's "minutes" away, he came back to find the green jello removed from the refridgerator and dumped in the living room corner behind our new double chair. Thankfully on the hardwoods, not the carpet. Oh, and an unopened gogurt.

Today. Jon is gone for a "minute" to talk to a contractor. He comes back to a wide open fridge. 2 2 year olds riding around in a firetruck with about 20 gogurt sticks loaded in the seat (this is the 1st place to look for something if you are missing keys, cell phone or milk sippy in our house) minus 1 gogurt that is cut up (yes with scissors) in the middle of the living room floor.

Next "minute" break, Jon returns to find 2 kids pushed up against the kitchen sink, scrubbing dishes soaking wet. After already drenching themselves with the water dispensor on the fridge.

Guess what was on the target list today? A lock for the fridge. More child locks. Now if we could just find more high spots that they can't reach when they climb on the kitchen chairs.

2011-03-05 Jamaica

2011-03-11T15:37:00.001-05:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Jamaica Mon!

2011-03-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

Truth be told, we have planning a trip since my 30th birthday. For our 30th birthdays, the girls and I each celebrated the big year someplace different. The Outer Banks, Blacksburg, etc... While we liked celebrating, we thought, why don't we just plan something big for our 35th birthdays and do 1 trip.

Hence, the planning began. 3 couples and 9 kids = need for: very relaxing, close & inexpensive as possible yet warm, & all inclusive. After some research (mostly done by everyone but me), we landed at trip to The Jewel, Dunn's River, Ochos Rios, Jamaica.

We had an amazing time. If I've said it once, I've said 100 times... we kept saying, "we have no idea what time it is! We eat when we want to eat, we sleep when we want to sleep and get up when we want to get up." No schedules whatsoever. To each their own to satisfy their own needs and wants. The weather was nice and sunny - we did have rain twice for about 20 min. each, but everyone can take a little break.

The 4 days met my goal. Relaxing, sunny, warm, tropical drinks, swim up bars and great food.
Things we are missing right about now: jerk chicken, stone oven pizzas, Red Stripe, our boat rides on the Hobie Cat and hanging with the best of friends.

The view off our balcony

Jon and I, in front of the main pool

3 Hot Mommas! Deb, Me & Jen

Jon and I dining on the pier, Friday

The whole crew before our hobie cat "cruise"

Bri, Chris & Jon

Dinner at the Japanese steakhouse

Last night

More... A day at the beach

2011-02-21T20:38:00.001-05:00

Matt

Sally Matt Will

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A day at the beach

2011-02-21T20:32:00.001-05:00

Greta, loving a little frisbee time in February

Will

Matt

Charlie

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a few favorites

2011-02-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

Will (who must be laughing at pushing the chair around)

Charlie

Will - Doesn't he look ready for a magazine shoot?

Matt

Actual Valentines

2011-02-16T08:27:00.002-05:00

Will & his Valentine


Decorations!

Charlie & muffin #3 or 4 or 5?

Matt & his $1 from GG & Uncle Pat. Doesn't look like he's sharing!

Will, Charlie & Matt

Playing jumprope

2011-02-15T20:14:00.000-05:00

Isn't this how you play? pulling your brother through the foyer?

Winter Ride

2011-02-15T20:10:00.000-05:00

This is one of our first ventures outside when we had a slightly warmer day in January.

Going for a ride

Matt

Will

Matt & Mom


Brothers

Our attempt at Valentine's Day Picture of 3

2011-02-15T19:58:00.001-05:00

Cooperation at it's best. Will, Charlie & Matt

Moving on to other things. TV, whining and zoning out

Matt kissing Charlie

Will kissing Charlie

Another snapshot into pre-dinner time

2011-01-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

I suppose my job is crowd control when it comes to dinner preparations. Try to keep feet out of the kitchen and hands away from the stove. It's never been easy, but is increasingly difficult with the extra "legs" in the way and snack demands. Good thing this isn't my paying job!

Cohorts in crime

2011-01-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

You may have questions about this picture....

Yes, those are the kitchen chairs in the foyer.
Yes, those are 2 children without pants in the middle of January

Yes, that is Will trying to escape out the front door

Yes, that is Matt trying to do send morse code messages to the neighborhood

The Exhibitionists

2011-01-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

Well, a new pattern has started in our house. This 1st started as Will taking his pants off during naptime. Then Matt caught on and thought it seemed like a good idea. Next, came removing pants by lunchtime. Then as you recently heard, Will has progressed to taking his diaper off during nap. I am not sure what will come next, but thankfully we come from a family of duct tapers. We will use it if necessary!

Matt

3 Day Weekends

2011-01-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

Oh my word. It has been absolute craziness since Christmas. It seems that we have gotten a case of the "screamers" since then. Either you just look at someone under 3 ft tall and they just start hysterically screaming/crying or alternatively they get whacked by a brother and start screaming. Since Friday:

Watched a kid do a somersault off a kitchen chair head first land: 1
Walked in to a naked bottom after nap time: 2
Vomiting child in crib: 3
Pulled sheets off cribs, washed, dried and put back on: 4
Visited Children's Museum : 2
Talked to pediatrician on phone: 1
Visited pediatrician: 1
Target pharmacy fills: 3
Spent more than I intended at Target while waiting on prescription: 1
PBJ's made: 4
Happy Meals ordered: 3
Fights broken up: 1,976 and then some
Babysitters utilized: 2
Babysitters needed: countless

Just felt the need to log some of this, so one day I can reflect on what life is like with 2 2 year olds and a 4 1/2 year old.

Turning 35

2011-01-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I started the year seemingly falling apart. Someone (who will remain unmentioned) snapped my glasses in half. I was at the dr. for a gait analysis, had a ganglian cyst removed and am wearing an ACE bandage. I had to laugh that this all happened my 1st 3 days of being 35.

Last year, I think I realized I was going to hit a big number this year, and felt like I needed some 'change' in my life. Wasn't sure exactly what the change was, but maybe that I needed something for me or some focus on me. Since I work from home, have 3 kids and truthfully don't get out of the house much, life can become very monotonous.

So, I started the journey of Running in July. I told Jon I've never felt pride like that before. Well, maybe, minus 2 delivery dates. It's been an eye opening experience to set a physical goal and to go out to do that each day. I have my schedule and for the most part, I've really stuck to it. Now, I'm starting what I consider phase 2: Body Back. Body Back is an 8 week program, including 2 classes/week, meal planning, food journaling and no alcohol. It's a lot to take in. But - My husband is the bomb diggity and went grocery shopping Day 1, and made wonderful meals following the recipes. My goal is just to be the fittest ever at 35, and not to fall apart. There are 3 people that keep me running and I want to be able to keep up!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T15:55:00.001-05:00

Christmas has been awesome so far. We've had a big week, visiting with Betty & Pat and Joe & Liz who were in town and celebrating with the Wood's, the Kolkhorsts and the Nystroms.
Probably Jon and my favorite moment was Christmas morning when Charlie came and got in bed with us. Slowly as he woke up and started thinking about Santa, the conversation started to get more interesting. "Did you hear reindeer on the roof? Did you hear Santa eating cookies? Where do you think Santa is delivering presents now?" Needless to stay we were down the stairs early for us (7:15) and tearing through presents. This year was definitely a blow through anything wrapped in 20 seconds or less, while Will & Matt just enjoyed tearing through the paper whether the presents were theirs or not. Santa brought all the boys pillow pets (Will: Frog, Matt: Monkey, Charlie: Doggie and the younger boys like to call them their "baby." They also got a Cars theme geotrack train and rescue vehicles that have all been a hit. It's been fun and we're thankful for all we have.


Pre opening present distraction: Play duh. Elizabeth & Charlie


Front: Big Charlie, Matt, Elizabeth, Joe, Jane, Charlie, Back: Sally, Will, Jon, Laura, Stacy, Tommy, Betty & Pat

GG Aunt Betty & GG Uncle Pat

A true Hokie is always glad to get a new Hokie shirt: Will

Pre lunch snack, Stacy, Will, Matt, Laura, Sally & Joe

Deep Thoughts: Liz & Joe

Christmas morning: Jon, C, M & W

Matt

Chilling before Christmas

2010-12-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

Matt & Will

Matt

C Man

Matt & Will

Matt, Charlie & I'm not so sure I want to be here Will

Snow Day

2010-12-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Snow Day yesterday. I had taken the day off, having a little extra PTO this year, and plans to attend the Preschool Christmas Program. However, Mother Nature had different plans. We had a great time making soup, listening to Christmas music, building blocks, going out to play and baking cookies (Peanut Butter with Hershey Kisses, yum!).


Charlie making snow angels (very seriously)

Charlie, Will & Matt getting ready for departure into Snow

Matt making good use of his new snow boots that Santa dropped off early. Thank goodness.

Will & Charlie getting pulled down the street.

Dad pulling Will & Charlie

Matt liked pushing his truck in the snow just as much as in the sand

Will - Where am I?

Christmas Train

2010-12-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

This year, I really got it together in July, and bought tickets to the infamous "Christmas Train." I have tried for a couple of years, but they sell out in August! The train ride is put on by the Old Dominion Chapter. The train rides leave from Buckingham Station in Dillwyn, VA where you make a stop to pick up Santa Claus and ride for about 45 minutes. The day started with excitement with our breakfast packed and ready to get out the door at 7:30 to make the 9:30 train. It was freezing cold that day while we waited, but lots of fun to go for a ride.


Will

Matt: Do you think I am excited to ride a choo choo???

Will & Santa Claus (Notice Charlie peeking from behind)

Matt, Charlie & Santa Claus

Matt has his older brother's sweet tooth

as does Will

Charlie, Jon & Will

Buckingham Station, Dillwyn, VA

Tacky Light Tour, year 2

2010-12-12T21:36:00.001-05:00

We joined our friends for the tacky light tour last night. This year we graduated to a full Greyhound size bus, with a bazillian kids. Hopefully Matt and Will will be able to go next year, but decided it was best that the skip it this year due to the late hours and sitting still factor.
Charlie had a blast riding the bus, hanging with his buds and seeing the lights. Plus the cookies and popcorn...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Decorating for Christmas

2010-12-01T15:04:00.002-05:00

Sunday we decided to pull out our Christmas decorations. This is what I look like when I am about to pull my hair out.
We tried to set the mood - Christmas music playing, fire on... but the peaceful picture of everyone putting ornaments on the tree didn't really exist. Jon and I thought we were going crazy between all 3 boys trying to get ornaments, help put the tree together and sort out the fragile ornaments out.
You do have to try and phase out the craziness and appreciate the happy, peaceful, non-hitting your brother moments and appreciate them while you can.

Matt checking out the Virginia Tech football helmet ornament, the day after the Hokies beat the Hoos!
Will loved bringing over ornaments from the table to the tree, skipping along the way.
Life is good when you are 'double-fisting,' Will always likes to have a full milk.
Charlie loved decorating the tree.

Santa's video to Charlie

2010-11-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

Santa's video to Charlie
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/guest/JrUtTTloAwJbprMLqi9FWQ

Questions to moms of multiples

2010-11-29T11:58:00.002-05:00

Being parents to multiples, nonetheless 3 boys, we get a lot of "you've got your hands full" or "wow" or "did you plan you that?"
This video provides some insight into what I think when I get these questions. :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-lgB_HGEE

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T15:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was an awesome day at our house. We had 20 folks for dinner and enjoyed yet another fried turkey cooked by my dad. Everyone brought a dish or two which took the stress off. I love that Charlie, Matt and Will will have Thanksgiving memories with their cousins for many years to come.

I was the oven master which meant determining how to get everything hot at one time. This is a talent that I have yet to master... And already have ideas for next year. But in reality, my husband put together the mac and cheese and the corn pudding. All I did was heat the oven (and regrettably the microwave at times). As I reflected at the end of the day, I thought of my Grandma Boaz and my Grandma Wood. How many meals did they cook multiple dishes for lots of people and manage to get them ready all at one time? I will say I may prefer my method of having each person bring a thing or two, but I now really understand years later what an accomplishment each holiday meal was that my grandmother and mom prepared.

Race Day

2010-11-18T10:42:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday was the Richmond 8K. The whole week leading up was pretty exciting. I loved going to the expo Thursday and seeing all the Race gear and runners. Quickly, I realized, my journey in training was not too unique, and I was one of many 'old joes' that would be participating. I think I was more nervous whether I would wake up on time, find parking or have trouble navigating through the city! Thankfully, the kids spent the night at the Grandparents and I had Jon as my lackey/chauffeur/photographer/personal assistant/storage unit!

The race itself was quite interesting. I realized quickly that I had underestimated my time along with 2 of my other mother runner girls, starting too far in the back. The first 10 minutes or so, we spent most of our time weaving through walkers. We eventually got a rhythm , and carried on as usual. I was really relieve to be running with 2 other runners who kept me entertained with work stories, Thanksgiving plans, etc. It made the time pass quickly. Towards the end, we spotted 2 other Mother Runners up and ahead and caught up to finish together. Coming downhill on Cary Street was a great finish.

This is a picture of the "Mother Runners (including coaches)" before the race at 6:30 a.m. in front of the capital.

That's me coming down Cary Street in a SKIRT!

Lisa, Kenisha and me post race with our medals. Charlie said he was glad I was a winner :0)
Post race

I'm really thankful to have found such a fun group and have signed up for the winter maintenance program. Next up the Monument 10K.

Happy Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

I remembered that I had this picture of my papa or Sgt. David Boaz and his unit from 1944. They led General Patton across France.

It really is amazing that those in service willingly put themselves in danger, put their lives on hold and leave their families. I personally can't imagine making that sacrifice and am truly grateful for those people that volunteer or willingly go when drafted.
Thanks to my Dad, Ken, my uncle Joe, my Papa and the many others that have served.

More Halloween

2010-11-03T15:41:00.003-04:00

"What are you looking at?"

Batman and partner in crime (Greta has never worn a costume until this year. Can you guess who picked it out?)

1st stop had full size candy bars, score!

Batman, take 1

2010-10-29T21:20:00.001-04:00

Batman's smile says it all. Candy and SuperGirl all in 1 day.

Charlie's preschool had a Halloween Parade and Coffee for the parents. It was a really nice morning, the weather was gorgeous. Frankly, it was nice to get out of the house and meet a few other parents as well. Funny enough, both Jon and I ran into people from our high schools who have children attending the school.

Matt and Will thoroughly enjoyed it too. We started off as smart parents but after a little protesting from the stroller, we decided we could manage free rangers. Boy we were naive. Before we knew it, Will had joined the parade and Matt took several pictures with some other kids class. Hence, why I like the Director so much, I looked at her and said "we have no hope (of getting them back in the stroller and under control)" and she came through with fruit roll ups.
So sugar saved the day yet again.

Tell me why again it's not good to bribe your children?

Woody & Buzz

2010-10-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

As in the movie, Woody and Buzz, often take in off in opposite directions. This was our Woody and Buzz's 1st attempt of the day to make an escape.

Buzz Lightyear

2010-10-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

Buzz, a.k.a., Will dancing it up at Charlie's school Halloween Parade

Celebrate! We're 2!!!

2010-10-28T12:08:00.004-04:00

Matt, Stacy and Laura getting the party started with a little snack.

Greta was thrilled to have willing parties to throw the frisbee in the backyard.

Matt kicking the ball around.

Paw joins in the soccer game.

Will swinging on the big boy swing!

Cousins being pushed on the swings by Papa

Umm cupcakes... Will
Yum... Matt

Let's open presents!!!

Big Brother Charlie inspects gifts

2 years old TODAY!

2010-10-27T12:25:00.003-04:00

When I woke up this morning, I thought about my life 2 years ago and how far we have come since then. Being parents to 2 premies, being thrown in and out of hospitals and trying to figure out how to make an older brother still feel important were a lot to figure out. Although I am not sure that there is normalcy in our lives now, I do feel like we know what to expect and that is the unexpected. We can go from tears and knocking each other upside the head to laughter and hysteria all within minutes (it actually seems to happen more the other way around).

Since most days, I feel that these guys are thrown in as 1 entity, I feel like on their birthday of all days, it is important to recognize that they are individuals and both have their own personalities.

Matt can be quite the entertainer. One minute he can be super happy and the next can be screaming uncontrollably. At this point in time, Matt can understandably get so frustrated when he can not communicate what he wants. Matt likes to listen to books (sometimes momentarily) and points to pictures on the pages and often says 'Look.' He is very observant and my dad says, high on the social continuum. He wants to share and listens attentively. If we say, let's put on shoes, he brings shoes right over.

Will to me really does seem like the baby of the family. I think he would still be drinking from a bottle if we let him. He loves his milk and likes to cuddle. He is really into giving kisses now and will come and give you a hug if you ask him. He loves to throw balls, and is always doing something athletic. He was the 1st to successfully (w/o falling) and unsuccessfully (landing with a thud) climb out of his crib. He likes to stand on his head and jump. This kid likes to jump a lot.
Will can scream too, but he more or less just likes to let you know he's not happy with the world (while Matt usually is screaming b/c you aren't getting his message).

We are so lucky to have both in our world. Happy Birthday Matt! Happy Birthday Will!

Preschool

2010-10-26T11:29:00.003-04:00

Charlie is at a new preschool this fall and I absolutely love it. I think he does too, as much as a 4 year old can really love school. I am so impressed with his teacher and Director. I think they are wonderful and really know what they are doing. At least they exude it...

Each week, a letter (and number) is spotlighted and kids can bring in a 'small' show and tell item that starts with the letter. So far, he has shared D = Dinosaur, P = Police care and the all time favorite B = Batman. This exercise has been great, because all day every day, we are now talking about the names of our toys and what letter they start with. He is also working more on coloring, writing, etc. This is not one of his favorite activities as he is much more of a mechanical guy, so hopefully with time, we will be able to write C h a r l i e! Jon always jokes this is why his mom and dad named him Jon, 3 nice letters. Why didn't we think about this? Each one of our kids has 7 letter names. I am not open to Chuck as a nick name either. Matt & Will at least can shorten when they are learning how to write/spell their name.

These pictures are from last week's Fall Festival which included animals, pumpkin 'picking' and fall games. Matt & Will also went with Dad.
Friday was a Pajama Party for "P" with popcorn, pears and other p snacks. This week we have a Fall Parade and coffee for the parents. Fun stuff.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T15:10:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch, joined by Laura, Tommy, Stacy and Tommy's sister and crew. It was a perfect day for picking out pumpkins, minus the line for the hayride.
Charlie, Matt & Will had fun roaming the fields. Matt did keep tripping over pumpkin vines though and Will kept throwing pumpkins (a ball player at heart?).
Stacy and Will kept our entire wagon full of people "entertained" by screaming the whole way back from the field. Lordy, those two are wide open! But we did make it back in 1 piece.

I read an article about how important traditions are in a family - and this is one of my favorites.

2010

2009 2 1 year old's and moving = didn't make it
2008 (Can't quite see all 5 of us, but we are all there)
2007

Our girl

2010-10-20T16:49:00.002-04:00

Things are good in our household. Each day, I try and remember that there are people that have life a lot harder than I do. Sick kids or no jobs, and really I try to remember my life, in the realm of the world, is quite easy. It can easily be forgotten though... like when there are 2 almost 2 year olds emptying your bathroom drawers or riding their rocking horses in your bathroom while you try to get ready in the morning. Or someone is biting someone. Or someone else is getting clocked. But, I know that is small stuff, right?

Greta has been a wonderful teacher to us over these past couple of months. She is a dog, but she is our dog and our family member. Taking care of her has reminded us that life really can change in an instant and you can't take it for granted. Each day that she has been with us, we are reminded of how life can change and thankful for what we do have. It has been up and down over the past few months. The 1st month was the hardest - lots of yuck and scares. But over the past month, it's been almost easy to forget the Cancer. She has was in the best spirits at the beach and caught the frisbee like the frisbee champion that she is, she rode the waves in and ran on the beach. It has almost been like she was not sick most of the time.

It is hard to know what to expect. As of yesterday, she had her 1st 'episode' in close to a month. Today she seems to be feeling better. It's a day at a time.

8K here I come!

2010-10-12T11:49:00.004-04:00

We had so much fun last week at the beach ~ It was an awesome 10 days with visits from Grandma K & Paw, Grandma & Papa Wood, our friends Judy & Dave and kids along with Meredith and her crew - it was busy!

I have been keeping up with my training for my running program and am now running 2 miles consistently. I was pretty impressed that I kept on track during vacation, but I enjoyed the change of scenery, the warm weather and the mental break. Saturday I had my high point so far, running 3.5 miles. It is funny how your mindset impacts the workout. I think I woke up Saturday knowing that it was a beautiful day and that 2 people (Judy & Mere) were coming to visit, who are both in process of training for the half marathon on Nov 13th. Knowing that, I just took off with my ipod nano and hit the trails.

I'm looking forward to getting back to the group runs though this Sat. 4 more training weeks and then the 8K on November 13th here in Richmond!!!

Yes, We love the Beach!

2010-10-08T13:47:00.001-04:00

Will and Matt

Matt

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Hanging at the Beach

2010-10-07T08:54:00.001-04:00

The crew is having an awesome time in Southern Shores. Since the weekend we've had great, sunny weather. Jon and I always wonder, why don't we make it down here more?

Will and Matt

Deep thoughts by Matt

My Boys

Will and Matt

Bruden bruden... Charlie

Matt

Greta

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Wright Memorial

2010-10-02T15:49:00.001-04:00

We ventured to the Wright Memorial today for a kite competition. Of all our trips to the Outer Banks, this was our 1st visit for all of us.
It was a perfect day to fly kites (shall we say for the talented), as it was very windy!

Charlie and Matt bundled up on the sidelines

Jon got to try out a power kite, similar to his but a little bigger...

Big C

The "Crabbies"

Will

Matt

Ahh Brothers

Energy

2010-09-30T14:50:00.002-04:00

Having 3 kids that include twins, has reinforced my focus to go after things that only provide more energy vs. take it away. This has really come into focus this past year. So, I will say, I have gotten a little more selfish about what things I want to do and what I don't. Sure I still think I'm responsible and could do more, but as a random guy at the fair said to me, "ya know why kids have so much energy? They take yours."

Last week I had the chance to join a group of my fellow RAMOM (richmond moms of multiples) at a small cooking class. The class was for moms, who want to preplan and freeze meals. I thought it sounded like something I could learn from. Plus, working from home, I don't get out of the house much and I try to find good opportunities to get out.

The day had just been a crazy work day, probably a crazy day at home (what day isn't) and when the time came, I really didn't want to go. But, since I had paid for the class, felt that I needed to just go.

Honestly, I could've cared less about the cooking class part (although it was fun to have the time to hang out), but I really enjoyed the time we had to sit down, have a glass of wine, sample our food and just talk about what it's like to be a mom of twins. Or what it was like to be pregnant with twins. Or how our other children get along with twins. Or what it's like to work and try and figure out how to get everything done. It was really energizing.

That is my 2010 mantra, go after relationships and activities that provide me with more energy than I started avoid those that don't. It's a learning experience, but one I think we all need.

Charlie's 1st Virginia Tech game

2010-09-23T13:42:00.004-04:00

Well, I suppose it's taken us almost 2 weeks and 2 more VT wins to recover from our trip to Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech JMU game. Our friends that have a house in Radford along the New River invited us to stay with them, and take Charlie to his 1st game.

The day started off nice, playing by the river with their puppy Rex, the skies were clear and we were optimistic. However, after our 20 min drive over to Blacksburg, we got out of the car to freezing weather and very cloudy skies. After a trip to the bookstore for a sweatshirt, we were in better shape for a bit, but only briefly.

As we started walking to the game, the skies opened up and we were all pretty well soaked by a few minutes into the 1st quarter. Poncho's may have helped had we put them on early enough, but unfortunately, we just weren't well planned out this game. It usually takes a couple of games to get the rythem of being prepared for the circumstances that may present in Blacksburg. Our last few years of 1 or 2 games a season has made our minds a little more fuzzy at remembering just what might happen.

Despite the rain and the miserable loss, we did still have fun. Thankfully, just 1 bag of skittles was all it took to make it fun for Charlie.

Joey, Rex and Charlie by the New River

View out of Judy & Dave's

"Life is Good" while tailgating at Virginia Tech, this is the lot behind Derring.

4 year old style "tailgating"

Charlie, Joey & Henry commandeered another group's cornhole game.
Luckily, they agreed to let them play.

Enter Sandman is very loud

Melted Skittle Face

The River

2010-09-06T16:09:00.001-04:00

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Location:Claremont, VA

Yes, We are Ready!

2010-09-06T14:29:00.001-04:00

I hope today is the day where Tech beats a top 5 team. We have certainly done our part in adding to the booster club, cheerleading team or bench in waiting, how ever you want to look at it.

Here's a few hanging out while we are waiting!

M, J, C, S, W

Will, the monkey

Greta and Charlie

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Yes, we can Jump!

2010-09-03T14:25:00.004-04:00

We thought this was pretty funny as Will and Matt love to watch each other jump and see if they can jump higher. Guess, they are advanced! :o) They definitely act like little gymnasts. Who knows what will happen if they start Romp & Roll.

Hello, Sally!

Your toddler can probably hop off the bottom step of a staircase by throwing one foot forward and letting the other follow. But true jumping, where both feet leave the ground at the same time and then land squarely, is a skill that requires excellent balance and may take a few more months to master. You can help her practice two-footed jumping by putting some pillows on the floor and letting her leap onto them from something low, like a child-size footstool.

>> This Week: Cultivating fine-motor skills with crafts, and learning to kick

>> Read more about your 22-month-old

my husband, the artist

2010-08-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

For those of you that have been following the blog since the beginning, or even all of the "shared" photo albums since Charlie was born, you have probably picked up on the fact that we are photo nuts here. We have more pictures than I know what to do with, and I love them all.
Digital photography is so cool. I love how easy it is to share, store, etc. But I really like looking back and remembering the year or month or event through the photo story, even though they may not all be worth sharing.

Jon and I make a really good pair, as I like putzing with the blog, and 'distributing' the pictures, while he is getting more and more into the artistry of taking pictures and the complicated world of the DLSR camera.

Some of the below pictures are my (non-child) favorites from our trip to Maymont, but I feel like I am not doing them justice on this site. Let me know if you know a way to enhance on blogspot. If our photo/blogging friends, if you have any suggestions on how to do this better, let us know.

Maymont...

2010-08-31T18:05:00.000-04:00

Charlie made me feed the goats, yuck.

Will and Matt liked walking along the "curb" on the way up the hill.

Will

A visit to Maymont

2010-08-31T17:27:00.000-04:00

Matt thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Maymont on Saturday - he loved getting out of the stroller and walking up the hill. These pictures are of him pointing at goats and donkeys.

Charlotte

2010-08-31T14:02:00.003-04:00

Charlotte has moved onto our back deck and put on an impressive show each night with a new web. It is amazing that she has moved these 2 feet webs each day. For the most part, we are spider supporters here, although Jon and Charlie did take the opportunity to save a pretty butterfly.
Spider webs always remind me of my Aunt Kathleen and my mom.... and the variations of how we all like to keep our house. On one birthday celebration for my Aunt Betty, Kat visited with Jenny and spotted a nice spider web in the corner. She pointed it out to my mom, who responded, "well she lives here too!" Kat didn't seem to have much of a response to that. I've taken a similar, relaxed approach, although if Charlotte was living in my bedroom I might consider kindly moving her to another location. She is scarily BIG!

If I haven't said it before...

2010-08-25T11:10:00.004-04:00

I should definitely acknowledge it now. I love having Jon as a stay at home Dad. He just emailed the below picture, labeled: Snack Time. It made me think about how wonderful it is that our children have one of their parents with them every day, all day and that I on the other hand, get to be so closely involved, while still working.

Some days I think we may want to flip roles, but we both appreciate our situation of me working from home and well, him working from home.... the convenience of more time (less craziness than trying to get 3 kids out the door, fed & dressed for daycare; nonetheless ourselves, the commute, the packing lunches, less errands at night and on the weekend), but also the enjoyment of many more breakfasts, lunches and dinners together because we can work with our schedules to make it happen.

Plus, he is also really good at managing the chaos and keeping everyone happy. Including me.

Will & Matt

Gloomy Day

2010-08-24T16:40:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone that has called and emailed about Greta. We had a follow up visit today to a Vet. Internist. 1 - for a 2nd opinion and 2 - to learn what to expect. We had originally had a visit planned for Wednesday, but after this past weekend, we pushed to get in as soon as we could get.

If you don't like gory, I would stop here.
Saturday, Greta had a little bleeding from her nose and we were having a hard time getting it to stop so Jon took her to the E.R. vet. It had stopped by the time we got there, and we got instructions to use cold compresses for the next time. Well, Sunday morning, we woke up to Greta sneezing in "her" room (aka the guest bedroom). Jon quickly peeked in and she seemed fine. 3o minutes later though, we discovered blood everywhere and Greta still sneezing quite a bit. After an hour and half of applying ice to her nose, the bleeding had subsided although not 100%. Jon and I looked at each other in those moments, terrified that that would be the end and we were not ready.

Today, the internist felt confident in saying that the tumor was cancer. Likely a 60% carcinoma / 40% sarcoma chance. She did give us a couple options, including catscans / biopsies followed by nasal radiation, offered at NCSU or in NOVA which may add 9-12 months OR chemotherapy which is usually only 30% successful. (radiation would have been 3 1/2 weeks away + thousands).

Jon and I had already decided against treatment for cancer, but did want to learn about the options, outcomes, likely prognosis and comfort care. So at this point, we are in a phase to provide comfort and love.

Meanwhile, we are trying to find the humor in this... Greta now is color purple at our Target pharmacy for her pain and clotting medicines but at least they didn't prescribe her Viagra as the Vet Tech told me they do with some dogs with vascular problems. I think she thought I needed a laugh, true or not.

Run Like a Mother...

2010-08-23T10:28:00.006-04:00

Earlier this summer, I made what seemed like a monumental decision for myself. I decided to join a training team for the upcoming Richmond 8K on November 13th. You may be scratching your head and saying, "I didn't know Sally was a runner?" Well frankly, I haven't been (I will say, I did stick out 1 season of track in HS). But, I wouldn't even say that I am a fitness nut or someone that has been too serious about exercise. But over the past year, I have been reading about some of my Facebook friends training for various races and talking about going on their runs. I was really impressed - many of these folks were moms, and moms with little kids. I began thinking, if they can do it - well, just maybe I could too? (sidenote - FB can be good for something). Then earlier this summer, I started reading about the Run Like a Mother Training Team. The team is led by a gal that runs Stroller Strides locally and also went to school with Jon from Elementary School through Virginia Tech. Although, I didn't know her personally, I had read about her through her website and Jon's FB updates and thought she would be a great leader.

Psychologically, it made a lot of sense to me to have a goal to work towards and that running would be satisfying. I also have just been looking for something, for me. Physically, not being the coordinated type, I felt I could handle putting one foot in front of another. Socially, it felt good to join a group of mothers who are also on a similar journey.

I started my pseudo training about July 1 - to try and get ready for the official training, which started Aug 14th. The schedule consists of 1 group run each week (Sat. mornings), 2 runs, 1 Xtrain (elliptical, etc) and 1 walk. So far, so good. Our running is starting out with interval training and advancing each week. We beginners started at 1 min run, 1 min walk for 20 min and now up to 2 min. run, 1 min walk for 23 min. So it helps that the schedule seems manageable although I am now really starting to feel that I am pushing myself. Hence my post. Get my irony here, but my wonderful insurance; whoops, wellness coach, states that by sharing my journey and having a support system, I'll find accountability to myself. Ha. Well, I think he may be somewhat right, but I do appreciate your support.

Greta

2010-08-20T15:09:00.004-04:00

Greta has been having crazy sneezes for several weeks, where we were worried that she couldn't breathe afterwards. The Vet put her on antibiotic/antihistamine in case it was a sinus infection and after trying that we took her back Wednesday to be further evaluated (under sedation). After looking at her, they found a blockage and believe it to be nasal cancer. Unfortunately, it was too far up the nose/near the eye for them to do a biopsy.

It has been a challenging few days. We are going to meet with the Oncology Services at Carytown Surgical Center next Wed. We want Greta to be as happy as possible and not suffer. It is hard enough to get the gal into the vet afterall... So far, our research has led us to believe that treatment does not extend life by more than a few months. Without treatment, research shows 3-6 months beyond diagnosis. So, we will see how to proceed.

We are obviously devastated, but trying to get through. She is a member of our family, and it hurts to think of her not here waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs in the morning, for walks/runs with me in the morning, lovingly cleaning up after the boys eat, "inserting herself" into a heated moment between mommy and child (she is there as a calming gesture) or laying on the couch with us while Jon and I unwind and watch T.V. Thankfully, we don't have to make any decisions right now as she is not in pain, can breathe fine and still her beautiful self.

Greta and Charlie hanging out in the new playhouse outback.

the good things from this week

2010-08-20T10:52:00.002-04:00

We made a quick trip to Busch Gardens on Monday. It was a really a hot day, but lots of fun. We left Matt & Will with Ken and Linda and cruised to Williamsburg. Charlie rode the Wiggly Worm, the Pompeii Boat ride (lots of splash) and the Grover's Roller coaster in Sesame Street Place.
Truthfully, he wasn't thrilled about the roller coaster, but did enjoy most everything else. It was a little nicer after we were cooled off (soaked) on the boat ride and then we also enjoyed the Oktoberfest show while eating lunch in the a/c.

Charlie and I had fun eating popcorn and drinking lemonade slush while watching Jon ride the Alpengist Rollercoaster. Unfortunately, we could only make out his orange Keen's as he went by :o).

Charlie meeting Elmo.

Riding airplanes

Wednesday, Jon took the kids to Kangaroo Jack's and met up with some classmates from the J.
Matt and Will also got to go and enjoyed the bouncies and little play area.

Charlie's last day at the JCC

2010-08-13T20:07:00.002-04:00

Today was Charlie's last day of summer camp, and last day period at the jcc. He started there when he just turned 2 after leaving his all day babysitter's. So he has been there for 3 summer camps and 2 preschool years. It really has been the best program that fit our needs at the moment. He started full-time with daycare and as we have been lucky enough to have Jon stay home transitioned to half days.
We were invited to watch swimming, which he has had the opportunity to do every day and join art. He has clearly turned into a fish this summer and loves the water. He made it down the slide today for the 1st time (although I wonder if the pretty instructor could have influenced) and showed us his diving moved.

We met in 1994...

2010-08-09T16:22:00.010-04:00

Wow, we go back. In the fall of 94 was when Debbie, Megan and I moved into Slusher Tower at Virginia Tech and I was introduced to Jen Miro. It is hard to believe that was 16 years ago!
Since that time, we've all gotten married and had multiple kids. 16 years from now, we'll have kids that range from 16 to 23...

Jen and Debbie came up with their families for the weekend and Megan came over with her crew for dinner Sat. night. We had such a great time hanging out, almost like the old days but with lots more little people running around. I told Debbie that while I often wish we lived closer, I doubt we would have these weekends that are so special and fun where we all go away together and just chill out.

Debbie, Jen, Megan and Sally

Jackson S up front, Carter & Caroline, Charlie, Byrson, Isa & Anna S, Samantha S

Jen & Alexandra

Charlie

Bryson

Charlie

Isa

Will

Charlie, Mom / Matt on motorcycle

Matt

Will

Matt

Debbie, Jen & Alex, Charlie, Sally

Thanks to my photographer husband!

Swagger...

2010-08-05T14:29:00.002-04:00

If you didn't get what "swagger" meant in my last post, this video should help explain it.

Doesn't remind you of Jon and I at all, does it?

Williams Reunion

2010-08-05T14:02:00.003-04:00

We may be the most reunion attending family you know. This weekend, we had the William's Reunion in South Boston. It is held the first weekend in August every year in honor of my Great Grandmother Sadie Williams birthday (My maternal grandmother's mother).
She most have been a remarkable lady and had more children than I can count on my two hands (frankly that's about a handful too many for me). But she apparently did so very well, and what amazes me, was during a time without washing machines, microwave ovens or 'swagger' vehicles such as the mini-van.

The descendants of Raymond and Sadie are invited along with many others who knew the family over the years. This has been a big year, with 3 weddings among the great-grandchildren.
I often wonder if they could have imagined how many grandchildren and great-grandchildren would come after their time.

This year was pretty unbelievable with weather in the 70's (absolutely unheard of for the 1st weekend in August), and with many fun guests including a 9 week old chocolate puppy. It made for a great day.

Charlie

2010-08-05T14:00:00.002-04:00