{5th annual crawfish boil}

It was a hot one!  70 lbs of crawfish + 45 lbs of shrimp + 20 lbs of catfish + a jumbo pot of jambalaya + 100 friends & neighbors = a successful 5th annual crawfish boil!  Here is a recap instagram style ...

A big thanks to Gene & Gail who drove up from New Orleans once again to make this happen!

{missing my girls}

I had a last minute work trip to Geneva this week. It is only the second time that I have had to travel for work since the girls were born, and I must say that I am happy that I don’t have to do it often. I just don’t like to be away from my babies. It didn’t help that on Monday the day that I left, I decided to go have lunch with the girls before heading to the airport. They were still sleeping when I left for work that morning, and I wanted to see them and say goodbye before leaving for the week. Well this was a mistake. Kenzie & Lexi knew that I was leaving and this is the first time that they really understood what that means. Lexi immediately started being very clingy and when I went to put them down for their nap she started sobbing saying, “Mommy, no go bye bye! No go bye bye!” I would rock her and get her to calm down and she would say, “Mommy go bye bye. No cry.” But as soon as I would lay her back down in her bed the tears would start again. I finally had to leave her crying so that I didn’t miss my flight. Talk about mommy guilt.


There were moments on the flight where I teared up thinking about my girls…missing them already. At 8:30pm I thought about how they would be taking their bath and getting ready for bed. I wanted to be there with them. I really don’t like the flight time – the feeling of being completely disconnected from them and not knowing if something is wrong. Of course everything was okay, but I don’t like the unknown . I said a prayer and asked God to watch over Randall and my babies.

While in Geneva I had the chance to go for a run one evening. It was a gorgeous night and running through the old familiar places made me very nostalgic for our time in Geneva. So many memories in the cobblestone streets of old town, our old apartment overlooking Tobi’s park, around the lake … Being there made me want to live there again with our girls. I thought about all that I would show them, all of the new experiences they would have. I thought about them learning to speak French, trips to the market to buy fresh baguettes and cheese, teaching them to ski. It was so fun to daydream as I ran. I want to show my girls the world and share new experiences with them. Living abroad with Randall and our girls has been added to my bucket list. Not sure when but hopefully one day. At minimum lots of travel. .. maybe not when they are two but soon.

I am on my way home now … wishing away the 9 and a half hours until I get to see my girls & Randall & Tobi again. I love to see the world but I also love to return home (especially when those that make my home a home aren’t traveling with me). And I am returning home to a busy weekend … our 5th annual Crawfish boil is tomorrow. That means 100+ people will be arriving at our home in ~24 hours. I owe Randall big time as he has been doing a lot to prepare this week while I have been gone. Excited to celebrate with everyone tomorrow … let’s just hope I’m not jet lagged :)

{mother's day in the windy city}

We celebrated mother's day weekend in the windy city.  We talked about our plans to go to Chicago for several weeks before we departed and by the time we loaded up the car to go the girls were quite excited about "Cago!"  We stopped at a rest stop about 2/3 of the way there and the girls were soooo excited.  They were running around, doing somersaults and yelling "Cago!"  I think they thought we had arrived and they were not disappointed :)  They were however disappointed to have to get back into the car, but when we did actually arrive in Chicago their excitement returned.

The girls were so excited when we checked into our hotel room. The hotel that we stayed in had a “VIK” (very important kids) program so we had adjoining rooms and the girls room had child sized furniture, games and was decorated with an aquarium theme. Kenzie & Lexi loved it! They also loved looking out the window and were mesmerized by all of the tall buildings and quite excited that they could see the lake and boats from our window.

When we starting talking about going to Chicago one of the things we mentioned was that we could go on a boat tour while we were there. Somehow that stuck with Lexi and she had been talking about going on a “boat ride in Cago” for weeks. So that was our first order of business. We walked down to Navy Pier and took a skyline city tour by boat. The girls were very excited, but not very happy about having to stay seated while on the boat.

As we were disembarking the girls spotted the Thomas the Train ride, so that was our next stop. They marched right onto the ride … no fear or hesitation.

We then walked and found a nice spot for dinner and then made our way back to the hotel. To keep the excitement going we took a trip up to the pool on the 42nd floor for a pre-bedtime swim. This may have been their favorite part of the day. Our girls are little fish and did not want to exit the pool. Swimming with a nighttime view of the city was also pretty cool – even for Mom & Dad.

Saturday was rainy but we had big plans and didn’t let the rain get in the way. First stop, brunch at the American Girl Store. The girls got dressed up – we loaded them in their raincoats with their Itty Bitty baby dolls into the stroller and were off. It was a fun experience. AG is really marketing genious … and executed with perfection. Brunch was really fun – the girls had a blast, the food was actually pretty good and I loved all of the little details. After brunch we told the girls that they could pick out a new outfit for their babies, but they really had no interest. Lexi spotted the Lego store next door and said “I want to go there!” So we got some new legos instead of new doll dresses – our girls prefer their dolls naked anyway :)

We did a bit more shopping … as much as is possible with 2 two year olds in the rain … and then headed back to the hotel for a nap. After nap time we made our way to the Aquarium. It was a really impressive aquarium and we all had a great time (except Kenzie who got a bit scared in the dark exhibits).

Then it was time for dinner and the hotel recommended a great little Italian place – super kid friendly & yummy!

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I didn’t want to do anything fancy, just wanted to go somewhere where we could all hang out and enjoy time with my girls. It was a glorious day – bright and sunny – so we walked down to Centennial Park and just relaxed and had fun.

We stopped at the “Bean” – which is where we came up with “bean & sprout” (the girls’ nicknames when they were in my belly) on a visit to Chicago over 2 years ago, - played in the fountain, walked along the lake and then came back to the fountain for some more fun! It was perfect. My girls were happy and therefore I was happy. As I sat in the grass with the sun shining down upon me – my 2 beautiful daughters playing in the fountain, squealing with delight, only pausing to run over to me to give spontaneous hugs every now and then – I was so happy & so grateful. I am one lucky momma. I am so blessed.

It was a perfect Mother’s Day weekend ! I love watching my girls experience new things – and there was lots of that this weekend. Watching their wonder and amazement s my heart burst. One happy momma :)

{a very happy mother's day}

“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” 

― Donna Ball, At Home on Ladybug Farm

Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to all of the fabulous mothers in my life!  I felt very loved today thanks to my wonderful husband and these 2 lovely ladies that made me a mother.  We spent a fabulous weekend in Chicago - much more on that in a separte post.  I am so blessed. 

{cheese flowers!}

Lexi is obsessed with my iPhone, particularly the camera on my iPhone. At the end of the day I typically have about 100 random pictures that she has snapped. Yesterday she was walking around our yard with my iPhone camera saying, “Cheese flowers! Cheese flowers! Cheese flowers!” It made me smile when I encountered these pictures on my phone today.

We also finished planting our garden last night. We transplanted our seedlings into the wine crates and planted some new seeds as well. The girls got a little carried away with the cilantro seeds so we’ll see how things turn out … we may have some cilantro popping up in random spots throughout the yard :) Kenzie loves watering the flowers. I think she ran inside with her watering can no less than 5 times yelling “More water peese! Water flowers!” Let’s hope our poor plants don’t drown :) I’m excited to see how our garden grows. I definitely do not have a green thumb … so fingers crossed.

{motivation}

This past weekend was marathon weekend in Cincinnati.  Randall ran the relay with some members of his work group, so the girls and I went downtown to cheer him on.  The girls really liked all of the people wearing pink tutus and other flying pig paraphernalia and were so excited when they saw daddy run by.   It was so fun to watch all of the runners and provided just the motivation that I needed. 

Watching all of the runners cross the finish line on a hot sunny day fueled my running fever. I started running again about 4 weeks ago. While I have run 5 marathons in the past, it has been a LONG time since I have really run. It seems so long ago, that is almost seems like it was something I did in a former life. My pre-fertility treatment, pre-pregnancy, pre- baby life. I think I almost feared that it was something I could no longer do. Now don’t get me wrong … I was never a great runner (as in fast) but I was disciplined and enjoyed going the distance. When I started running again about a month ago I remembered why I liked it. It gives me time to think and time to clear my mind. I have been going in the evenings after the girls go to bed. It is dark. It is quiet. It brings me peace and makes me feel strong. Some days Randall and I go together with the girls in the running stroller. The girls like to “exercise” with us especially if it involves a stop at the park along the way. Now, I have only been going a few nights a week and have only been running a 3 mile loop, so nothing extreme here. Some nights I am exhausted after a full day of work, cooking dinner, playing with the girls and the whole bed/bathtime routine so it seems easier not to go. In those times I think of 2 quotes to motivate me:

"Someone who is busier than you is running right now." and "You can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow.  You choose."

Sometimes that works, but sometimes the couch still wins. So a couple of weeks ago I decided I needed a little extra motivation to keep me going. In the middle of our work day I sent Randall the below email titled “Random Idea.”

“Would you want to sign up for the lottery for the New York Marathon on Nov 4, 2012?
The application deadline is next Monday. There is only about a 10% chance of getting a spot (the selection is on Apr 25), but I thought it would be fun to try to train for a race together and if we happen to both get a spot then maybe that is a sign that it was meant to be. I feel like I need something to really motivate me.
Let me know what you think. xoxo
A”
So we signed up and low and behold on April 26th a charge for $255 showed up on my credit card. I won the lottery! The marathon lottery that is. Of course this is probably the only lottery I will ever win … the one where you pay someone else $255 to run 26.2 miles. Some may call it crazy :)  Unfortunately Randall did not get selected. While I was really hoping that we could do this together, I am thinking I may still do this on my own. I am hoping that my body will hold up and that I can continue to find the time needed to do this. It is something that I want to do for me … but also for my daughters and my husband. I want them to see that I am strong. I want to take better care of myself for them. I'm in!

The New York marathon is exactly 6 months from the Flying Pig Marathon. So I’ve got 6 months to get back into shape and prepare … physically & mentally. Wish me luck and if you know anyone else running NYC let me know!

Now for the remaining instagram download from last week ... Enjoy!

{the things she says: missing my mommy}

This past Saturday Randall and I got to attend a Derby party at our old neighbors house.  It is their annual party and was a great time as usual.  The party started at 4pm.  I think this was the first time that the girls have had a babysitter (other than our nanny) come before bedtime.  The girls were very excited when Cara arrived and were playing happily with her while we got ready to go.  But as suspected when it was time for Randall and me to leave, they weren't so excited.  Lexi started sobbing and clung to my leg.  "No mommy.  No go bye bye!"  Kenzie started chiming in.  I was prepared for this and had purchased a pint of ice cream just in case this happened.  This got them inside, but as we left Lexi was still crying and throwing herself against the back glass door. 

About 5 minutes later I sent Cara a text asking if they had settled down.  "Yes! We are back outside playing!  They are both happy."  They had a great time the entire time we were gone. 

We made it home by 8:30pm so were there to put the girls to bed.  While we were snuggling after their bath, I asked them if they had a fun time with Cara tonight?

Kenzie:  Yes!  (very direct and to the point - that's my girl!)
Lexi: Crying.
Me:  Oh you cried when Mommy and Daddy left tonight, didn't you.
Lexi:  Yes, I crying (nodding her head and looking at me with big pathetic eyes)
Me:  But then you got to have ice cream and got to play outside with Cara and Kenzie and had a fun time, didn't you.
Lexi:  (still looking at me with big pleading eyes) Missing my mommy.

Wow, this girls knows how to milk it for all its worth and knows how to pull at my heart strings.  She melts my heart.

Me:  I missed you too Lexi, and I am so happy to be here with you and Kenzie to be able to snuggle now.  I love you both so very much!

{opa}

Kenzie & Lexi had such a great visit with their Opa.  "Opa sit here!"  "Opa blow bubbles!"  "Opa go for a walk!"  It is hard to believe that they were terrified when he first arrived, as by the end of the week they were best buddies.  It was really sweet to watch and I am so happy that Kenzie & Lexi got to know my dad better over the course of a short week.


I overheard my Dad talking on the phone the night before he left.  "It has been a fantastic week.  You would not believe how much the girls have opened up to me.  It has been so fun to actually get to play with my granddaughters.  I am so happy.  This week has given me enough joy to last for a couple of years."  Let's hope it's not a couple of years before we get to see Opa again, but I think it is fair to say that Opa enjoyed his week as much as the girls.

Since Opa left for California the girls have been asking "Where Opa go?" and have been having pretend conversations with "Opa" on their phone.  Too sweet.

{the things she says: i think i'm in trouble...}

On the way home from Lexington last weekend I was sitting in the back seat between Kenzie and Lexi.  At one point Lexi tugged on my ear.

Lexi:  Mommy, what's this?
Me:  That's my earring.
Lexi:  Mommy, my want earrings.
Me:  Lexi, you will have to wait until you are older to get your ears pierced.  Little girls don't have earrings.
Lexi:  No mommy.  Some babies earrings.
Me:  Well, yes you are right.  There are some babies that have their ears pierced.
Lexi:  Mommy, Isabella earrings (referring to her 4 year old friend who does indeed have her ears pierced, while nodding her head with a very smug look on her face, as if saying "Ha, Mommy!  I proved you wrong. TWICE!")
Me:  Yes, Lexi that is correct, but in our family you will need to wait until you are a bit older to get your ears pierced.

I think I am in trouble.  How is it that my 2 year old already knows what she wants and is prepared with rational arguments to defend herself?! 2 going on 16 ...

{Catching up...}

I think technology is conspiring against me ... Picnik, my favorite photo editing site, shut down, Blogger came out with an upgrade which I am not liking thus far, and Photobucket's "enhanced" photo editing features are not making my life easier. All 3 of these things combined have made my fairly simple blogging process much more complex ... ughh ... I usually embrace change, but I am not a fan of change that compicates my life. Okay, enough venting ... here goes my attempt to work around technological challenges and to catch up on the last couple of weeks.

Two weekends ago we celebrated Gavin's 3rd birthday. His carnival party was so great - Tara outdid herself with all of the cute decorations, games, prizes and to-die-for homemade cake & cupcakes! The girls had a blast jumping in the bouncy house, eating cake, and playing with all of the other kids. They are still talking about it!

Besides the birthday celebration we had fun going out to eat, playing hopscotch, taking trips to the park, putting stickers on everything ..including Tobi, playing dress-up, and holding hands on walks.



This past weekend my dad (Opa) came for a visit from Germany. At first the girls weren't too sure about him (they haven't seen him since they were ~6 months old), but within about 10 minutes they warmed up to him.

On Saturday we drove down to Lexington to the Kentucky Horse Park for the Rolex 3 Day Event to watch the cross-country horse races. When we arrived it was raining, but within 15 minutes the sky was blue and we started shedding layers. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and we had a great time. The girls loved watching the horses and also had a blast in the 2 bouncy houses that we stumbled upon.


We also visited the Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory. The girls were obsessed with having a butterfly land on them ... but when one actually did land on Lexi she was a bit freaked out :)


Kenzie & Lexi loved the German dirndls that Opa brought for them. We also had a fun trip to the nursery and a fun walk in the woods .. where we discovered a stage which inspired some great dancing from Kenzie :)