Very Curious

Old School Polaroid
Curious and Sophia giving fist bumps

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

self portrait while listening to the story

I just love Barnes and Noble. I really do. I never seem to make it to the library story hour, but we seem to frequent the B&N story hour. Plus, once a month they have costumed characters and that really makes it worth it. This time we tried the Town Center store and it was a madhouse!!! The saving grace was that the storyteller packed her old school Polaroid camera and took a picture of each child with Curious George. This really cut down on the parental craziness of trying to get your own picture. I was also very impressed with Sophia who patiently waited her turn, gave Curious many loves and hugs, smiled for the picture, and walked off stage. She was quite fascinated with the Polaroid, but didn't understand that you couldn't touch it which did result in a fashionable thumb print, but oh well! I wanted to get Leo's pic too, but there was just too much madness so we'll wait until next time!

Pretty Much the Same...

making Aunt Cathy work for it!

Shelby wearing glasses in a glasses shirt

So things around here have been pretty much the same, and by pretty much the same, I mean we're sick. Again. The good news (really?) is that I don't have strep, which would have made 4 times in 6 weeks, but I did/do have some other sort of throat/tonsil/yucky disease. Leo has and ear infection and RSV, which he promptly gave to Sophia. The good news here (and this really is good news) is that Leo's case of RSV seems to be mild. He is terribly wheezy, but that goes with the territory. He has zero appetite, hates his antibiotic and is completely off his previously achieved schedule...BUT he doesn't need breathing treatments, does not have pneumonia and did not visit the hospital. For those things I am thankful. Sophia had her worst day yesterday when she did not change out of her pajamas, watched TV, drank juice, and was fairly puny all day. Today she's back to her old self. The doctors don't know what I have, but decided that since I was still sick after they saw me on Monday that they'd go ahead and call in a prescription for me...gee thanks so much. I will admit though, that even after taking just one pill last night at 9 o'clock, it seemed to start working. I was miserable and when I woke up I felt just a little less miserable. I'll take it when I can. I made an appointment with an ENT, which isn't for a couple of weeks yet, but I'm happy to be seeing a specialist. Hopefully he can help me figure this craziness out. Charlie has been out of town all week and I am anxiously awaiting his return home which is now just in a matter of hours...hooray!

Today, in the spirit of socialization, I took Sophia to the pool with my friends Jodie and Julie. There was no way I felt Leo should go but Mom was off today and graciously offered to watch him. I was still a bit under the weather but Sophia needed exercise and I needed to see another adult. I am just so impressed with how good Sophia is becoming in the water. I was just looking into more lessons for her this summer and I am so excited for her to take them! Since Florida, she has been able to swim on her own with only a noodle...big steps! She is still learning how to kick but she is sort of starting to "swim" around using the noodle. I'm just happy she can now float on it without drowning, big peace of mind! Today at the indoor pool she even managed to sail the lazy river all by herself using only the noodle, no life jacket. I was of course right behind her the whole way, but she looked at me and declared that she could do it and floated away...indeed she could! She had more people tell her today that they were sure she was 3 by how well she spoke and she just kept telling them, No...I'm 2!! She really does speak so well and for that I am so thankful (most of the time! unless she's telling me off!;) It was so cute to hear her on the phone with Charlie the past few days. On Wednesday he called and she immediately grabbed the phone and went to town telling him about her day. She literally talked to him for 10 minutes, no joke. I kept trying to get the phone back and she would glare at me and tell me she was still talking. Uh huh. She told him all about her days, and about Gay Gay (imaginary friend) and that she and Gay Gay were going sledding and that she had made room for him on the sled to join them (cute!), and on and on. Yesterday she got on the phone and said, "hi, daddy. I watched TV all day. I got to watch Wonder Pets and Yo Gabba Gabba. I love you. That's all." Ahhh, the difference a day makes.

I'm really, really hoping that this is the last of our sickness. I don't think I can handle any more, either mentally or physically. I had to cancel a trip to St. Louis this weekend to see Kathleen which really kicked my spirit in the ass. I wanted to go, but didn't want to take RSV across the state! Something Baby William is probably really thankful about! Hopefully we'll make it out there in May, as April is pretty busy, so the boys can meet (like they'll remember!) and the girls can play. Sophia was pretty bummed to be missing her Lily.

So, send us mending vibes and pray for warmer weather! I'm ready to open windows, eat outside on the deck and wear capri pants! C'mon, spring!!

A Taste of Spring

I love swinging, even if it is with my little brother!
hey mom!

Oh my gosh, why has no one told me about this thing sooner!!?

Here, ducky, ducky!

maybe if we just throw full pieces of bread at them
they'll come running?

Belinda has to swing too

In the end, the swing won

It has been just warm enough to make you really want it! Since I scored a whole loaf of unusable bread and since we've been cooped up so much, I figured it was time to hit the park! I also invited along some friends figuring that the fresh air and wind would make it less likely to spread germs! Luckily they agreed because besides being sick, we've been kind of lonely too! This was Leo's first experience in the swing and I think he's a lover for life! At first I put them in together and Sophia was not so pleased. She was irritated the entire time and kept asking me to take him out. Once the other swing opened up, I obliged and they both enjoyed swinging in solitary, although I don't Leo minded either way!

House Party Fun!

A super delicious spread!
mom, Julie, and Tracy

Craig, Cari, Nancy, and Jenn (+1)

Shelby, Chris, Angela, Andrew, Stacy and Meredith

even Walter found the refreshments!

Sophia giving Cookie a push!

We hosted another successful gathering this past weekend, this one thanks to House Party! If you're not familiar with House Party (and yes I do have to do a little commercial for them b/c I said I would!) you should check out their website because, really, this is a site designed for a girl like me! ;) Go to www.houseparty.com to really see what they're about! In a nutshell...they offer theme parties and after you fill out an application you wait to see if you were chosen and then they send you the essentials to get started, the rest is up to you. The first House Party I hosted was over a year ago and was for a TV show called Leverage on TNT. This one was for Oroweat Sandwich Thins...a very tasty treat. All commercialing aside, these things are really good! I made a spread of treats for the party goers and here were the fan favorites:

• PB&J Grillers: make a pb&j on your favorite Sandwich Thin variety, dip in an egg wash, grill on a griddle, top with powdered sugar and enjoy! These are also tasty with Nutella!
• Fruit Pizzas: Use one half of a Thin, top with a mixture of low-fat cream cheese and marshmallow fluff, top with sliced fruit! (I used kiwi, banana, and strawberry)
• Chicken Salad Melts: Use one half of a Thin, top with chicken salad and a piece of 2% Provolone cheese, heat until cheese is just melted

I also made a veggie sandwich and a turkey pepperoni pizza plus various other dips and desserts...all with a healthy flair!

It was a pretty nice day outside, in fact our first in a long, long time, so everyone got to spend some much needed time outside. The kids enjoyed climbing and playing and the adults just enjoyed the fresh air! We are really looking forward to spring and I personally can't wait much longer for the warmer weather!

Almost There

Leo is looking good from the front...
...and the back!

Sophia wanted him to sit up so they could play ball together

snuggles!

look at that fine use of abs (and I don't mean the fatty in the background!;)

Standing is pretty good stuff

but so is sitting on my own!

Whoa! This falling down stuff is for the birds, though!

Leo is almost officially sitting on his own! Yay!! This is my favorite stage of the under one year crowd and I've been anxiously awaiting it! It will be so nice to plop him down in any room, put some toys in front of him and watch him go at it! Plus, he will be able to interact more with Sophia and me when we're playing on the floor. Here are some other highlights that come with being 6 months old:

• halfway to a year!
• eating food, which although I've been avoiding up until now, marks an exciting time
• risk for SIDS goes way down!
• becoming more independent
• going to the gym and being able to place both kids in the day care! (even though Sophia is still afraid and cries every time --we're working on it, because I'd kill to get back to the treadmill!)
• I told myself that I should go on a girls' trip after he's 6 months...it's already in the works!

It's hard because I'm not necessarily in a rush for him to grow up, it's just that I am eager to move past the baby stage and forge into walking, eating real food, etc. Six months marks (in my mind) the first of those major hurtles to getting there, and although we still have a few more weeks until the official birthday, I'm excited to see things already happening!

In other news, we introduced oatmeal this week and it made an even bigger difference in his sleeping, there is a but coming, which was good to begin with, but the oatmeal kept him for a solid 11-12 hours each night...here it comes: BUT now his eczema is back in full force...coincidence?? We're going back to rice cereal tonight and we'll see if that helps. It's really the only thing I can think of because all other dietary and laundry needs have stayed the same...so we'll see!! I am also trying to coordinate their afternoon nap time to aid in my sanity. Some days it works, some days it doesn't. Today is a doesn't day. He was sound asleep finishing his bottle and then I go to put him to bed and it's "hello, Mommy!" I just cherish the days in which it does work and know that someday they'll be on the same schedule..right?

Party Time!

here the birthday girl is crying because she just wants to eat the cake...who cares about a stinkin' candle!!

Sophia enjoys a tea party for one

after some chocolate therapy the birthday girl is up and rolling once again!

the girls play party games

both the Hirner children love trains!

Angela turned 2 this past weekend, quite a milestone! It's so fun that now family gatherings have so many kids running around! Most of the grandchildren are pretty close in age so it's great for kids and parents alike! Chris and Oli hosted a super fun party with plenty of cakes and toys! Although our big "Birthday Season" begins in August, we have a mini-run of it right now with 5 more birthdays, one (possibly 2) road trip, Easter, and Leo's baptism all within the next 6 weeks! Busy, busy, busy...always been my motto! ;)

Vacay Pics!

Customize your own free picture slideshow

Here are the much awaited vacation pics! I tried, I really did, to pare down the number of pictures, but we had so much fun that it was really hard! I will admit, that there are times in which even I wish I didn't take as many pictures, but sometimes you just gotta do it!



Here is a brief synopsis of our vacation so that you can follow along easier with the slideshow! ;)
We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and took full advantage of the mid 60 degree weather! We quickly donned swimsuits and hit the beach. Sophia was really more interested in the pool and since it was heated to a nice 85 degrees, we happily obliged. After exploring, swimming, and a bath for the kiddos, my Uncle Owen, who lives there, took us out for dinner. We hit up one of his favorite Cuban places and it was super delicious! I am a believer in trying to eat local as much as possible and we didn't want to go to any chains while we were there.



Wednesday it was rainy so we traveled out to Butterfly World. Just as you would expect, it was a great big place with various open-air, free flight butterfly rooms. Sophia LOVED it! We had a great time. Charlie was brave enough to feed some parrots, who really adored him, and we also saw lots of other birds and bugs too. We even bought Sophia a butterfly decoration to hang in her room. It's adorable! That night, we went to the Taste of the Beach. My Uncle works for the Chamber of Commerce, so he was working this event and we figured it was a perfect way to try all the local cuisine! It was a great deal because all the food and drinks came with the ticket price (which don't tell..but we got a REALLY great deal, wink, wink!)Lots of the vendors also had beer, wine, and/or cocktails, so we had a great night eating and drinking our way through the city! There was also a DJ/one-man-band and Sophia loved him too. She danced and danced all night. At one point, she looked at me and said, "sing with us, Mom!" Hilarious. It was great to see Owen dancing with Sophia. It made me happy and sad all at the same time. I really missed Dad in that moment, but this was pretty great. Owen is so much like my dad, in both looks and personality, that I knew I would have my moments, but I'm so happy that at least my kids have both Owen and Ellyn to grow up getting to know.



Thursday we spent the whole day hanging out as a family. It was pretty chilly in the morning so we walked to the little shopping/touristy district and had a Dunkin' breakfast and then shopped and visited the pier. After naps, we hit the beach and the pool and once again. That night, we hired the best babysitters in town (okay, maybe they volunteered!) to watch the kids while we celebrated our anniversary. We figured since we were leaving so early on Saturday, Thursday would be an easier night! We even got to cuddle in the hot tub before retiring to the hide-a-bed (Sophia lucked out and slept in our room that night!)



Friday was the nicest day of the lot, so we decided to forgo other plans and stay on the beach all day. We all made sandcastles and just generally had a fun time. It was the perfect way to spend our anniversary, with each other and our beautiful children! That night, we went out to dinner with Ellyn and Owen once again at one of his favorite places. The food was great, the margaritas were even better and it was the perfect way to end our trip.



We had such a great time! I really like being able to combine our vacations with some family time. We haven't seen Owen in over a year and it was a lucky coincidence that Ellyn was visiting at the same time. Charlie and I were able to have a perfectly rounded get-away...we each got a little alone time, some time alone together, and plenty of time with our kiddos. It was so relaxing and really just so much fun...I know I keep saying that, but it's true! ;) It rejuvenated us for our busy spring ahead...now only if we could have brought some of that warmer weather back with us!