Happy Halloween!

Our two little love bugs had a great first Halloween. We started the day off with breakfast out with Granny, who was in town for a visit this past week. The girls wore their costumes because Granny was scheduled to fly home in the afternoon before trick-or-treat time.

It turns out that Granny’s flight was cancelled so she did get to stay for trick-or-treating after all. There were two different parties on our street so we took the girls to both of them to say hello to the neighbors. Once again, I was amazed by how different their personalities can be. Lexi was lavishing all of the attention and was showing off her newly acquired skill of waving. She loved watching all of the other kids in their costumes. Kenzie on the other hand didn’t seem to be such a big fan of trick-or-treating. She was fussy and just wanted to be held by mommy or daddy – not sure if she was scared of all of the people dressed in funny costumes, or maybe just cold and tired.

Happy Halloween from our two little love bugs!

VBFFEAA

Becky and I met in the third grade and quickly became VBFFEAA’s. We called each other every morning before school so that we could plan our matching outfits, wrote each other notes during class - signing them VBFFEAA, had secret club-meetings and shared our first crush (on the same boy of course, writing his initials with big hearts on the bottom of our Keds and on the inside of our Trapper Keepers J). For two years, we were inseparable. And then I moved and went to a different school, and while we kept in touch for a while, we drifted apart.

Fast forward, nine years to our first year in College. It is move-in day at the University of Virginia and as I am walking around our dorm suite checking out the names on the various doors, I notice the name of my VBFFEAA. Ok, so maybe there could be another Rebecca Lee, but somehow I knew that it would be her … (and it turns out that Becky had the same experience but KNEW that there couldn’t possibly be another Antje Hoepner). And so we reunited and shared 4 very special years together at UVA … studying together, partying together, making new friendships together and creating memories that would last a lifetime.

And while after college, we once again went our separate ways, we knew that our friendship could survive time and distance. And while we don’t get to see one another nearly as much as we’d like, our friendship continues to grow stronger. We have shared fun girls’ weekends in various locations around the country (Austin, LA, Chicago, DC, New York, Cincinnati, Charlottesville), were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, and traveled through Italy and Switzerland together with our husbands. We have shared everything with one another, including sadly our struggles with infertility. For nearly two years Becky and I were on a similar journey and while I would not wish this journey upon anyone (especially not my VBFFEAA) it was so comforting to have her there with me. We shared our stories and our struggles and I love her even more because of it. And like only my VBFFEAA could, Becky has been genuinely happy and excited for me through every step of my pregnancy and new motherhood even while she continued to yearn for her own baby. I have continued to hope and pray for her each and every day. Well, now Becky is so close to realizing her own dream of motherhood through adoption and I am beyond excited and happy for her!

This past weekend Becky came to Cincinnati for yet another girls’ weekend. But this time there were two additional girls present to share in the fun – my daughters Kenzie & Lexi. We had a busy weekend, including a walk to our neighborhood coffee shop for breakfast, a Halloween book reading complete with costumes, an afternoon at the park, a dinner party & a walk to the farmers market. Thank you Becky for making the trip to Cincinnati to help me with the girls while Randall was out of town! The girls love their Aunt Becky and I’m so glad I got to spend so much quality time with you! I hope that they didn’t wear you out too much and that you got some good insider-tips for when “Small Paul” comes home to you! You are going to be one fabulous momma … I have know this about you since the third grade!

Lexi with my Very Best Friend Forever and Always

A Perfect Weekend!

We had such a wonderful weekend together as a family. Randall was in Asia all of last week for work and we were all so happy that he returned home on Saturday morning! I’m not sure who was the most excited … me – because being a single, working mom is hard work and I missed my husband like crazy, the girls – because they adore their daddy, or Tobi – because he was anxious the entire time that Randall was gone since he had to assume the huge responsibility of ‘man of the house’ :). Randall motored through his jet-lag and we made the most of the beautiful fall weather this weekend.

On Saturday we took a trip out to the pumpkin patch at Shaw Farm. The girls liked looking at the various animals and even seemed to enjoy sitting in the dirt among the pumpkins. Of course Kenzie turned a pumpkin into a drum – as she does with most everything these days.

On Sunday we took a family walk to the Hyde Park farmers market. We enjoyed ham & gruyere crepes for breakfast, bought fresh vegetables, bread and pasta for our dinners this week and listened to live music. The girls took it all in and then conked out for a nap on the walk home.

I love this time of year. I love my family. Combine the two and you have a perfect weekend :)

Getting to know our Opa

My dad came to visit us from Germany last week and the girls got to meet their Opa for the first time. Since they aren’t really used to being around men, besides their Daddy, I was a bit nervous about how the girls would react to him and feared that it may take them a while to warm up to him. My worries turned out to be for naught, because both Kenzie and Lexi greeted their Opa with big smiles and really enjoyed their time with him. As my dad said, “it was as if they knew that he was family.” I wondered how the girls would react to his beard and it turned out that they were both fascinated by it. They loved reaching out and touching it … and pulling on it (maybe they will actually like going to sit on Santa’s lap .. we’ll just have to make sure to find a Santa with a real beard or they might pull it off J) . Kenzie & Lexi enjoyed playing “Hoppe, Hoppe, Reiter” with Opa and they liked listening to him read “Die Kleine Raupe Nimmersatt” (the German translation of The Very Hungry Caterpillar). I am so happy that my Dad got to spend this quality time with his first grandchildren. I think he had as much fun as they did! We look forward to bringing the girls to visit their Opa in Fehmarn (a German island in the Baltic Sea) at some point in the next couple of years. I have so many fond memories of going to visit my Oma & Opa there as I was growing up and I want Kenzie & Lexi to have the same experience!

7 months old

K&L turned 7 months old this past Sunday. They are growing and changing so much these days. I’m not sure if it is because I am now away at work all day, but I really do seem to be able “see” them change on a daily basis. There are days where I swear their hair is longer when I come home versus when I left in the morning, and it seems like they are learning to do something new each day. They are so much fun!

The past month has been filled with lows and highs – I had to return to work on September 9, but you are both thriving with your wonderful nanny Sara. You both experienced your first illness (ear infection & cold virus), but now that you are feeling better you seem especially happy and smiley. I miss you so much while I am at work during the week, but I love coming home to your smiling faces each evening and cherish our time together on the weekends even more.

Kenzie: You cut your first 2 teeth in the car on the way back from Virginia when you were 6 months and 3 days old. You were a total trooper and we really didn’t even know you were teething until they had popped through! You have become a champion sitter and now that you have perfected that skill you would much prefer to sit vs. lying on your tummy. Crawling can wait. You love your sister so much and constantly want to be touching her – sometimes she is not so excited by this because it can lead to poked eyes and pulled hair – but it is all done with loving intent. You are also an excellent stander – you love to stand up by just holding on to one hand or by holding yourself up on my knees or the ottoman. You have started to develop a bit of “stranger danger” – at least when “strangers” are in our house. The cleaning lady and photographer both caused your lower lip to pout – and the heartbroken cry to ensue. Just when I started to worry that you and your sister aren’t verbal enough, you proved me wrong and started talking up a storm … and you now have this high pitched screech which I am pretty sure could break glass :)

Lexi: You also cut your first tooth this month – about a week after your sister. I’m not sure if it was because you were also sick at the same time, but it seemed to be a much more painful/traumatic experience for you. Thankfully, you are now feeling better and are back to your old self. You have a very strong personality and live in extremes – you are either very, very happy and have a big dimpley grin to show it or you are very upset and your “stink face” makes an appearance. You are an old-pro when it comes to sitting and have now embarked on your next challenge – crawling. You can go from sitting to crawling position and are able to move around pretty quickly in an army crawl position. You have started practicing raising up on all fours and rocking back and forth, but haven’t started moving in this position yet. You also like to stand and have started to look down and move your feet while standing – I guess you are trying to figure out how they work so that you can start walking J You are obsessed with feet – you especially love mommy’s painted toenails and sparkly shoes. You love “playing” with your sister at times and she can make you giggle like no-other, but other times you need your personal space. You still love watching Tobi and love to flirt with your daddy from across the room – giving him big dimpley grins! You have started sleeping much better at night, just in the past few days (still getting up once a night, but just briefly) … now if you could only teach your sister to do the same! You get excited about eating solid food – opening your mouth wide and diving in. Your enthusiasm waned a bit while you were sick, but you are starting to get it back.

Toys you are both currently enjoying are; Sophie the Giraffe, any books (especially those that can be chewed on), and a wooden multi sided Imaginarium toy with alphabet squares and shape maze that you can both play with at the same time. But what you really love to play with are random objects – the camera lens, daddy’s watch, mommy’s iphone, the video baby monitor, scarves, etc. We could probably save lots of money on toys J

I can’t wait to get home to you both each evening. Walking into the house to see your smiling faces is priceless. While I wish that I could spend all day with you, I really do think that you are enjoying your time with Sara. I am so thankful that we found a nanny that we can trust and that she takes such good care of you while we are at work. I love watching you both blossom!

Welcoming Fall

I love fall! The crisp weather, changing leaves, pumpkin scented candles, vibrant mums, pumpkin pie, getting to take out warmer clothes & jackets, huddling around a fire pit on chilly evenings, anything pumpkin flavored … so what better way to celebrate the first day of October than with a trip to the pumpkin patch with Kenzie and Lexi!

I am lucky to be off on Friday’s for my first month back at work and this past Friday was a gorgeous fall day so we went to pick out pumpkins at Burger Farm. The girls got to see pigs, goats, chicks, chickens, and a rooster while we were there and we picked out some beautiful mums, squash and pumpkins. Kenzie and Lexi most enjoyed “standing” among the pumpkins.

I am so excited for K&L to experience fall (my favorite season) for the first time. To witness the leaves changing from green to vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red. To get to hear the crunch of fallen leaves under their stroller. To feel the dampness of fallen leaves in our yard. To taste the flavors of fresh pumpkin and butternut squash. This past weekend we already got to bundle them up in cuddly hats and mittens as temperatures dipped for the first cold spell. I look forward to long walks in crisp weather, to playing in fallen leaves and to celebrating their first Halloween and Thanksgiving. Welcome fall! We’re so glad you are here!