The Herring Family

Logan and Cindy come to Visit!

2012-01-09T18:22:00.005-05:00

This weekend, we had a set of visitors -- Logan and Cindy! This is Stacy's old roommate from college, and a great friend.

Over the weekend, and boys and the girls got to play outside with some GREAT weather, and just generally be kids. Mom got to hang out and talk with someone with something called "Adult Conversation". Sometimes I wonder what this is.

It was a great weekend, and I think everyone had a good time. Just a good time to enjoy company and the nice weather!

Mom & Dad: March - Dec 2011

2012-01-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

Ah. The patriarch and the matriarch. Let's start with the latter!

Besides being the true "head of the household", Mom has started playing handbells at the local church, where she also helps out with PMO (Parent's Morning Out) at times. She had been lending some of her Graphic Design handiwork to come up with a logo for the shirts and bags that the group has been using, as well! Furthermore, Mom is back to doing some contract work for The Durham Visitor's and Convention Bureau, where she was formerly the Direct Of Marking and Communication. Currently, Mom has been doing a superb job raising two wonderful (and well mannered!) children, which frankly, takes more patience than I would ever have. All day, she organizes trips, plans activities, plays, cleans, resupplies, and does... every day. If there is ever a heart to a family, it is a lot of the time the Mom's and she has my total respect, and an open budget to do what she can with what we have.

I am impressed (as always)!

Then, the Dad. Notable events that have happened have been few. Mostly, I have moved out of racing, for the time being. I have sold the last "race car" that I had, and I am putting all my effort into my health, and into the family for a while. Playing lots of indoor soccer. Then, in September, I had an MCL 2 injury that still has me on the sidelines. However, it has been a great time to hang out with the family more, and make out schedules a little less hectic. I have enjoyed it, and I think I might be taking a step back for a little while longer to just be more of a Family Dad.

Overall, I think this has been a great year. We have started working on the house (which forced us to start working on it ;) ) and we are starting to develop into a family of four similar, yet unique, individuals. These are good times, and now that we are ending the 'baby' portion of the family, expect more updates, and hopefully with more pictures!

Remember to check the link on the side for the Shutterfly pictures, as words might not always appear here, but new pictures always will!

- Dad

Herring House Updates: March - Dec 2011

2012-01-03T14:00:00.001-05:00

Herring House - ah the place where we all live, and lately, where we all work.

In an effort to actually update the house and repair some items in the house, we have been busy working in this house that we love.

Since we have kids and dogs, we are not to the point where we are ready for a living area overhaul. So, to make the downstairs a little more exciting, we threw in some new rugs! It gave the room a little more plushness that we all needed. We will see show long we can keep the dog fuzz off the floors, but I am betting on `not long`. :)

Then we had The Great Oven Failure of 2011! This means, that the oven we had, a GE Profile, just failed on us. These are the types of occasions where you get to go back in time and see what previous owners did. Well, we got to see the 27" Drop-in oven we had was hard wired to a breaker. Then, we got to see the "handy work" that one person previously can do with a hammer to dry wall.

We attempted to fix the model we had - no dice. They quit making parts for out model. We attempted to buy a updated replacement... but they were about two times more expensive, with less features, than the equivalent free standing models. Ugh. In all, to be efficient as possible, we cut out the drop-in space, moved the counters down, removed the HULKING microwave hood for just a hood.

To replace these items, we got a free standing convection Oven, a good residential BROAN hood (connected to the exterior vent, mind you), and a free standing 1.1 cu inch microwave. In all, the same cost for all that work as just getting a terrible 27" updated model replacement for the oven we didn't like to begin with.

Also on the list was some "updating" of the house. Stacy and I are not really fans of gold. I am sure in the pantheon of house updates, they all go from Gold --> Antique --> Silver/Brushed Steel and back again in the span of 40-50 years. However, it was our houses' time for less gold, and more silver/Antique. To keep our house spruced up, but without breaking the kids piggy banks', we just updated some light fixtures, light switch panels, electrical box plates, and put CFLs all through out the house. Also, since we had a ceiling fan fail, we replaced it with a Westminster unit, and it is really a quality piece. I think we were both surprised at the great construction and quality. I highly recommend looking at their fans, which can be found at our new favorite store (that I should buy some stock in), Lowes.

The Herring Family has some more painting and HUGE projects on the horizon. Of them, we will be getting City Sewer and Water around May, so wish us luck! After that, only one more BIG project (Heat pump) and then some more niggly projects I have wanted to do for a while (replace rotting wood/masonite on the house).

Let's see if I can keep this updated, and let you see the progress!

- Dad

Sarah: March - Dec 2011

2012-01-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

Sarah... ah.. much has changed in the past 9 months. We have gained the ability to play on the iPad. We walk, run and climb on everything. We now talk in mostly complete sentences, of which I hear "nnnnn...nnnn...Mahna Mahna", which means "Dad, play Mahna Mahna on YouTube". And, finally, we are starting to enter the terrible Twos and still teething. :(

Speaking of which, we are developing a personality of our own now, as well. We like Mahna Mahna as our favorite song. Sarah LOVES to bounce and dance... and fall. She will jump and fall off of any and everything. Also, she loves to explore. And by explore, I mean we can climb up, on, over anything in our way. Doors? Not a problem. Locks? Getting there.

Development and trait-wise, Sarah is different than her older sister. She still has blonde hair and blue eyes (like Dad did), and has not shown a hand dominance. All of her teeth are still working their ways in. Sarah is always happy and bubbly until she is not, but generally, that means there is a real problem or I am really hurt. Sarah can do anything the big kids can do, and if not, she will try until she does it. She seems to have been latching onto what Megan learns, and is trying to learn at the same rate. She comes up with DOOZIES of words that we didn't realize she had learned. Also, she likes to say ":sniff sniff: Daddy Scchmeeells". :\

As for activities, the main one that Dad gets to see is the integrating of two separate and different personalities working together. Sarah and Megan are similar, and also very different. Sarah will take on things much bigger than her, and takes a knock and generally keeps on going. Older sister is a bit more of a rules lawyer, and sets up games and rules for everyone to follow. Sarah just falls along and tries to have fun.

All is well as we move into the New Year, and here's to more updates... and some more photos in Dad's Photostream so he can put more images into posts. :\

- Dad

Megan: March - Dec 2011

2012-01-01T11:59:00.004-05:00

Ah. So it is time to catch up.

Let's see. Megan. She is no longer playing any formalized ball sports. Mostly, she loves dressing up now, playing word games and puzzles, and is figuring out how to be a big sister. She is now regularly attending PMO at a local Lutheran church and is developing some childhood friends. Cannon seems to be in the running for the name I hear the most, right next to Nathan.

Toy-wise, there are a lot of toys. Surprisingly, many of these are books or puzzles. Lots of drawing and penciling. Most of this happens on the desk setup for her and Sarah.

Personality, we are the drama-queen. If I think about it, this is definitely something that she gets from Dad, and something we both have to constantly work on. Favorite color - purple, without a doubt. Handedness - Right. Hair - Long and messy without a natural part. Eyes - Blue. Coordination - Unsure.

Overally, Megan is turning into a very polite young lady, and seems to be a kid, which is great. However, both her and her sister use surprisingly grown-up (complex) words at times, which is always very strange to hear for me. :)

Still, all seems to be going well in the life of Megan, and The Parents will get back to making these monthly, instead of yearly, updates.

Now, back to dancing, playing, dressing up, and listening to Megan's "fantastical" stories!

- Dad

Little Kicker

2011-03-28T15:37:00.005-04:00

Megan loves to play soccer with Dad, so we enrolled her in a soccer program this winter. She enjoyed the class and it gave her a chance to spend some quality time with Dad. This weekend, she completed the class and there was a little award ceremony at the end where she received a "shiny medal" (as Megan calls it). Sarah and I went too, to cheer her on and take some pictures!

Even Sarah got in on the soccer action...

Trying to catch up

2011-03-22T10:00:00.007-04:00

Yes, I'm behind. But here's a little of what's been going on with us lately.

The Birthday:

Megan turned 3 at the beginning of the month! THREE!! Can you believe it? We've had a grand time celebrating all month long. We've been to Marbles Kids' Museum and Monkey Joe's and eaten a lot of cake. As we were putting the candles on her cake, she said, "Mommy, put my 3 on and light it up!" She just gets cuter with age!

(Please look past the hair in the last picture. By the end of the day it takes on a life of its own.)

Happy Third Birthday, Megan!!!

The Wedding:

On March 5, Uncle Kevin (Brian's bother) and Aunt Vicky got married! Megan was the flower girl and the whole event was just wonderful! Megan was very deliberate (and cute) in her flower distribution as she walked down the aisle. And she and Sarah both had a blast dancing to the music. But the highlight of the evening for Megan (and probably all of us) was the delicious wedding cake! When it came time to cut the cake Megan said something along the lines of, "Finally! I've been waiting for the cake ALL DAY!!" Congrats, Kevin and Vicky! Thanks for letting us be a part of your amazing day!

Sarah:

Sarah just turned 10 months! Whoa...that's almost a year old. It's been a fast and fun year. Sarah is into everything. She's been crawling since 6 months and standing, cruising and climbing since not too long after learning to crawl. She's been taking little steps here and there, but last night, she officially walked! Yay, Sarah!!

She's also saying a few words, mostly "Hi" and "Bye" as she waves to everything and everyone. Her growth continues to be in the 90-95th percentiles for height and she's already into some 18-month clothes. She's also just about to outgrow her car seat, so it's time for us to install the bigger one. Her appetite is quite healthy as well - she loves any finger/table food and mostly eats what we eat. Recently, she's started feeding herself with a spoon. Here current tooth count is 2 on the bottom with at least one if not two top teeth breaking through soon.

Her hair is still pretty short and no matter how much pink I dress her in, everyone always thinks she's a boy. It is rather amusing, though, to see people's reactions when they ask what his name is and I reply, "Sarah."

I'll do my best to resume updates to the blog, and thanks to our readers who still check our blog for occasional signs of life. As Brian posted earlier, you can always check out our photos to see what we're up to! Happy Spring!!!

Yea... we are having a hard time keeping up

2011-03-08T10:37:00.003-05:00

http://herringfamilypictures.shutterfly.com/

If you want to see all the latest "hot freshness", please go here as upload photos is doable!

Thank you!

- brian

Daddy Season Two Indoor Soccer Ends!

2010-11-05T09:17:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since we have updated! I will update the page once I am at home tonight about the girls, but for the time -- Season Two is over! Dad played on two teams this time, and ended with 19 goals and 10 assists... along with body aches and joint pain that reminded him he is getting older.

See the results of the two teams I played on (Morris Villans and Blue Screen of Death) here:

http://xl-soccer-world.ezleagues.ezfacility.com/leagues/90293/Fall-2010---Coed-B-Wednesday-League-(2).aspx

http://xl-soccer-world.ezleagues.ezfacility.com/leagues/90297/Fall-2010---Coed-B-Thursday-League-(1).aspx

Dad is now onto Season Three, and only playing on one team, for now, so his body can recover.

We will report more later!

- Dad

Daddy Season One Indoor Soccer Ends!

2010-08-31T21:46:00.003-04:00

Hi all. Daddy here.

Just to follow up that I finished the 1st Indoor Season that I have ever played. I finished up with a team of fellow co-workers in the CoEd League in 5th, with a combined record of 2-5. For us, this is impressive, as our wins came against quality teams, and by the end of the season, we were playing as a team! And this is with a group of guys and gals that have never really played much before!

Dad finished up with 7 goals and 5 assists (second on the team, by 1 goal, most total points), which isn't too bad for a Sweeper ;).

Dad will be playing again in his second season on two teams, so wish him well! He enjoys it!

Results:

http://xl-soccer-world.ezleagues.ezfacility.com/leagues/86231/Summer-2-2010---Coed-B-Thursday-League-(2).aspx

- dad

Daddy Indoor Soccer!

2010-08-07T08:14:00.000-04:00

Hi again, all!

Dad is playing indoor Soccer with people from work on `Tekelec TeIam` (as we put an `I` in team).

Not a lot to show, but Dad has 3 goals, and is getting some exercise. These are all good things.

If you want to see Dad, or follow his team, feel free at:

http://xl-soccer-world.ezleagues.ezfacility.com/leagues/86231/Summer-2-2010---Coed-B-Thursday-League-(2).aspx

- Dad

Herring Limo!

2010-08-06T13:00:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the `joke post`! Dad had gotten a rental truck during the trade-in process, and Mom could not bare to not snap some photos of Dad in a truck. It was a really NICE truck, but not what I want right now.

So, without further wait.....

This is the new family car -- A 2010 Ford Flex. We were going to go used, but we got a fairly good deal, and traded in the Mommy car for this car. It has lots of room for everyone, and plenty of room to grow into. Also, this is a car that is all Mommy's, and she really appears to like it! I think the whole family will love it, and we are really going to put it to the test in September with a family trip to the Outer Banks. It should be a great time! The car rides VERY quiet, and has lots of comfort and intelligence features that we thought just were not possible with American cars. Ford has really come a long way, and we shopped EVERYTHING.

Below are a few parting shots, and if you want to see more, just visit us or the Family Photos on the right bar!

- Dad

Herring-a-sarus!!

2010-08-05T22:47:00.008-04:00

Hi all!

As the family as grown, so has our need for a little more space. At this point in time, we were running out of space in the family car. Everyone loves the family car, and it is really quirky and us. At no point has it ever let us down, and I think everyone loves it. However, with Stacy barely having room to ride passenger, Dad getting kicked by Megan, and the car 100% full with just our daily amount of stuff, the family car isn't fulfilling the role we needed.

This means that we have to unfortunately replace the car. This is something no one is really happy about. :(

So, last week, the Herring family, after a lot of quick, deep and long searching, found a replacement!

Welcome to Herring Truck-a-sarus!!!

See you soon in the Herring-a-sarus!!

- Dad

Egg Art

2010-06-18T14:27:00.004-04:00

Yes, we play with our food.

Megan thought it would be fun to decorate her egg sandwich this morning. After she gave the eggs the gift of sight, she looked at me with a surprised expression and said, "Mom! My egg has eyes!"

We continued the arts and craft theme in a more traditional manner with a morning paint session.

Surviving Month One

2010-06-17T14:12:00.007-04:00

Now I know why my parents were always calling me "Beth" and my sister "Stacy." That second child's name just hasn't become second nature yet...every time I try to type "Sarah," my fingers automatically start typing "Megan." Anyway...

Sarah is one month old today! So we have officially survived the first month and are still here and sane enough to blog about it. I'm not saying that every moment has been pure bliss, but it hasn't been as completely insane as I had imagined it to be.

In fact, there have been some downright sweet moments. Yesterday, for instance, a big thunderstorm rolled in after nap time. Megan has developed a crazy fear of the thunder, but when Sarah started crying during the storm, Meg ran over to her, held Sarah's hand and told her, "Don't cry, Sarah. It's thunder. It's just a noise. It's outside. It won't hurt you." I happened to catch this magical moment while I was doing laundry, and I was so proud of Megan for being so caring of Sarah that it brought a little tear to my eye.

And twice this week people have asked Megan if she likes being a big sister. And twice she has replied "Yes." This is a definite shift in Megan's attitude towards sisterhood; two weeks ago she would have told you - hands down - "No." Occasionally she does still tell me, "Megan no want Sarah to go," and she did try to get me to leave Sarah at Granddaddy and Grandmommy's last week, but I can tell she's softening.

So, yes, we are all adjusting. We're trying to keep to our routine and stay busy (not that staying busy is that hard!) It's challenging and we don't make it to too many places on time, but we're getting better. This morning we actually did make it to art class on time, fully dressed, diapered and fed, with almost no resistance to getting out of the house and into the car. Days like today fill me with hope!

Here are a few things that have kept us busy recently...

...hunting for tadpoles and crayfish with Grandmommy

...playing in the sprinkler at playschool

...hiding out in the fort

...just hanging out

Water Safety 101

2010-06-07T14:27:00.004-04:00

That's right, we practice water safety, even in 8 inches of water!

Actually, Megan just really likes to float on her back in the water with the life jacket on. The life jacket has become Megan's newest accessory...she wore it around the house and yard all afternoon, and even wore it around the block on our walk.

Sisterly Love

2010-06-04T12:09:00.008-04:00

After two and a half weeks, Megan finally decided she wanted to hold Sarah all by herself.

Megan also told Sarah that she loves her!

http://www.vimeo.com/12298051

Dad and the Girls!

2010-05-29T18:05:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Precious Playtime

2010-05-29T17:43:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, we've really been trying to stick with our normal routine as much as possible. Each week, Brian takes Megan to Gymboree for a play class. This gives Megan and Dad some one-on-one time and gives me a chance to get some things done around the house or just have some mom time. This morning, however, Sarah and I tagged along to the class, which allowed me to finally get some pictures of Megan in Gymboree-action!

This morning, the theme was "Butterflies" and all the activities revolved around pretending to be butterflies (ie, starting as a caterpillar, crawling through the tunnel/cocoon, and coming out the other side as a butterfly). There was a butterfly hide-and-seek and Megan found 2 of the butterflies, then she shared one with another little girl. So sweet!!

And not to be left out, Sarah had her own special playtime consisting of tummy time. Megan even joined in, too!

Life With Two

2010-05-29T15:56:00.007-04:00

Thanks, Dad, for posting about little Sarah's arrival. It's been almost 2 weeks since she was born and a little over a week since we came home from the hospital. We're all doing really well, though a tad sleep-deprived. Sarah's pediatrician is very pleased with how well she's doing, and on Tuesday she weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces (up from 7 pounds 12 ounces at birth and 7 pounds 6 ounces when she left the hospital). I'm recovering much better and faster it seems after this delivery than after Megan's. Though they were two completely different kinds of labor and delivery...I really don't feel like I just gave birth less than 2 weeks ago.

Megan seems to be adjusting okay to being a big sister. Other than the occasional sympathetic crying, she responds well to Sarah and is quick to tell us that "it's awake!" or "baby sister crying."

We've tried to maintain a pretty normal routine, for Megan's sake as well as my own. Megan, Sarah and I went to playgroup on Monday so that Megan could play with her friends. On Wednesday, I ventured out with the girls by myself to Chapel Hill to run an errand (my first trip with them alone!). We rode through UNC's campus, but didn't stop to reminisce since it was a quick trip. And on Friday, we had a very chic girls' outing to Rockwood Park, complete with a picnic lunch and gummy bears from Foster's Market.

And somewhere in there, Sarah got 2 sponge baths this week -- she was smelling pretty milky. Like big sister Megan, she appeared to like the water, but didn't like being cold. Thank goodness for the adorable, cozy bath bag!

I think that just about covers our first two weeks as a family of four. There are lots more pictures on the photo page so check them out. I'll add a few more in separate posts. Stay tuned for more "Life with the Herrings!"

Pictures are up!

2010-05-18T10:39:00.005-04:00

Dad is typing left-handed (one handed), so this is short.

Pictures are up!

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=herringfamilypictures&page=herringfamilypictures&album=3908

- dad

Sarah Ellen Herring is Here! 2:37am!

2010-05-17T03:43:00.002-04:00

Well, we were here for about 1 hr 18 mins, and then Sarah was born at 2:37am on May 17th 2010. Delivery took... oh, about 10 mins or so. It was ridiculously fast, and up until this point, Mom has been getting repaired. Mom did this delivery NATURALLY as she could not wait the 1hr to get the lab results back!

Mom and Sarah are getting their first feeding together. We will be moving to the post-delivery room shortly, and then I will be doing whatever Mom needs.

If you need to contact us, please do.

- dad

Baby on the way!!

2010-05-17T00:47:00.002-04:00

We are leaving for the hospital. Of course it would be right after midnight.

Check-in afterwards.

Later!

- dad

Catching Up

2010-05-04T13:51:00.009-04:00

Thanks, Dad, for putting up the last few posts. With trying to keep up with Megan and get everything ready for the new baby, I just haven't really felt like adding "update blog" to my already too long to-do list. But I will add a few things here to bring all you readers up to speed on life around here.

So Megan turned 2 back in March. It's amazing to have a 2 year old and she's just hilarious with all the things that she says and does. She had a purple cake for her birthday (at her very specific request) and I'm sure she'd love to show you all what it looked like. Her favorite park of the cake - any cake for that matter - is definitely the icing. She's a sugar fiend like me.

Here are Megan's 2-year stats, as well as some other pertinent info:

Height: 36 inches (though I think the nurse was a little ambitious there, and I measured her a little closer to 35 inches)

Weight: 26 lbs, 4 oz (and I'm certain she's gained another few pounds in the last month)

Favorite color: purple

Favorite foods: grapes, blueberries, shrimp, elmo snacks, corn

Favorite letters: M and W (because a W is an upside-down M)

Favorite songs: Old MacDonald and the ABCs

Favorite activities: painting, washing her hands, taking pictures with mom's camera

Here's a Megan photograph...she's not too bad!

So, now you know!! She's also becoming insanely independent and I hear "Megan do by self" all day, with some "Mommy pick up" thrown in for good measure. She seems to have some grasp of the new baby's impending arrival. Last night I told her that my tummy was moving around a lot, and she said, "Baby Sarah come out soon." Bless her heart, I hope she's right!! She'll also tell me that some things are Baby Sarah's, like a pair of shorts that are too small for Megan or the new crib. Hopefully she'll adjust ok once the baby is actually here.

Here are some of the things we've done in the last month...

...Went to The Fork Stables in Norwood to see the horses

...Dyed Easter Eggs

...Hunted Easter Eggs and saw the Easter Bunny

...Went to the Museum of Life and Science and rode the train

...Went to a Durham Bulls Baseball Game and played in the Wool E. Bull playground

So that's it in a nutshell. Otherwise, I'm cleaning, organizing, doing lots of laundry, and just trying to make sure we've got things covered for the baby's arrival. I think we've got the big things covered: crib (check), diapers (check), clean clothes (check), hospital bag packed (check), and car seat installed (check). That puts us in pretty good shape. I'm hoping that all the newborn knowledge will come back to me. It's amazing how foreign it feels even after 2 short years...but Meg's been mobile and talkative for what seems like so long, that I often forget she's only 2. I'm just ready to have this little one out. I'm ready to get this show on the road, to stop being a punching bag for what is surely a world-class kickboxer or a kangaroo that is living in my tummy, to meet this little girl, and to be able to walk normally again (this pregnancy waddle has got to go!). It's sad to think that this will probably be the last time I'll be pregnant, because overall I do enjoy being pregnant - though this pregnancy has been tougher than my first, probably because chasing around a toddler doesn't leave a lot of time to just sit and bask in the pregnancy glow. BUT - I am excited about our growing family and can't wait to introduce little Sarah to you all.

Stay tuned, the next post will probably be "the one." Until then, take care! (oh yeah, and here's one more rare photograph of pregnant mama with the little one.)

Pop goes the Mommy!

2010-05-03T13:15:00.006-04:00

Hi again!

Well, it is almost time, but not quite. Since this is our last planned child, and actually carrying around a child inside of you for 9 months is an important time, I thought it was only fitting that we have some pictures to remember this time by!

I guess that it is fitting that our last child is going to be born near Mother's Day weekend. It is a special time for Mommy and the family.

On a related note, Megan and Mom are both born in March while Sarah and Dad are both born in May! This will lead to some interesting birthday situations and delegation in the future, I am sure.

We may not be updating this for a while (or we might have to rely on help from others!), but we should have some exciting news on May 11th 2010! Mom hit her first date 100%! Let's see what happens this time!

Here's to hoping we see you all happy and healthy on the other side!

- Dad

The Great Wolf Lodge!

2010-04-13T19:31:00.010-04:00

Hi all!

In trying to catch up with events over the past month, the retelling is not complete without talking about the Great Wolf Lodge!

Megan with the wolves!

Since our family is growing, Mom and Dad thought it was important that the family we have now had some good time together to bond. So, Dad took some vacation, and the family packed up and went to The Great Wolf Lodge in Concord NC.

The family spent 24 full hours at the park, and had a great time!

We got to visit the bear...

played in the water, and just had a lot of good fun! Megan really liked her time there, but I think the whole family agrees that "84 degree" water sounds fun, but when you are soaked, it is REALLY cold. We haven't seen so many kids running around with purple lips ever!

The family had a great time, and if you would like to see more pictures, just head over to the link below. The NEW family will head back in about 2 years, and we expect to have more fun then!

Ps. Scary talking tree -- we will hear your bed time story next time!

The Great Wolf Lodge Pictures

- Dad

Still Alive!

2010-04-13T08:43:00.008-04:00

Good week all! Sorry we have not been posting as much, but we are quickly approaching our due date of May 11th, 2010 for the birth of our second daughter!

What has happened since March 18th? Good question!

Dad has had a little spare time to get two races in (quite rare these days). First, he did a rallyX at Four Oaks with THSCC. Dad finished 3rd overall and 3rd in class. Not bad for a car that isn't supposed to be competitive, relative to his competitors!

Daddy Picture!

Following the rallyX weekend, Dad went back to ViR and entered a CircuitX. This is a race where Dad races on a real road course, but speeds don't exceed 100 mph. Dad had a dry course and a COMPLETELY soaked course. In the wet, Dad was the fastest, and in the dry, Dad did OK on a complete rally setup. Life is full of compromises!

Dad's ViR Partiot Course Class Results

Dad's ViR Partiot Course Overall Results

No pictures this time, but Dad loves it when people ask him how much MORE power he has, and he just let's them know it is a SOFTER car with stock power. ;)

Dad has another RallyX coming up on April 17-19th where he is setting up and teaching. In July, Dad has another CircuitX at ViR, and that will more than likely be it for a while.

Thanks for reading, and now I need to get busy writing another post about the girls!

- Dad

We Want Google!

2010-03-18T21:25:00.006-04:00

This morning, Brian, Megan and I went to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to show our support for a localized effort to bring Google Fiber to Durham. More than 700 people showed up to help spell out "Google" on the field. We're in the little "g"... in the middle section that connects the top circle to the bottom circle.

Megan's favorite part of the day was seeing Wool E. Bull, the Durham Bull's mascot. She was a little scared of him at first (he is a giant bull after all), but then she warmed up to him and even wanted to have her picture taken with him.

You can see more pictures of the event here and on our photo page.

All Dressed Up!

2010-03-18T08:57:00.004-04:00

Megan picked out her own outfit this morning. I think this is one of those rites of passage for two-year-olds.

Once we got the bathing suit on, Megan exclaimed, "Megan all dressed up!"

Happy 2nd Birthday, Megan!

2010-03-03T21:15:00.005-05:00

It's so hard to believe that little Megan turned 2 today! These last 2 years have gone by so fast! Megan had a great day today and was really excited to turn 2. She definitely knew it was her birthday and was very intent on having her "purple cake."

Daddy went into work a little late this morning, so that we could go out for Megan's birthday breakfast. We went to Elmo's diner where Megan ate french toast, sausage, eggs, bacon, gravy and orange slices. (Can you tell she finally got her appetite back after being so sick??)

After getting lots of birthday wishes throughout the day, we went to have some portraits made. The photo session didn't go all that great, but when the photographer started blowing bubbles and sneezing kitties off his head, we finally got some smiles. And Dad showed up just in time to play with Megan so I could pick out the photos.

From the photographer, we went to the mall where Megan got to make a birthday animal at Build-A-Bear. She chose a tiger and named him Fuzzy.

Finally back home, we had dinner followed by birthday cake. It wasn't purple, but I've promised her that she will have the purple cake this weekend. She blew out the candles, ate the icing, played with the candles, then tore the cake into pieces when I wasn't looking!

Happy Birthday, Megan. We're so proud of you and love you so much!!!

Megan sings the ABCs

2010-02-23T18:20:00.004-05:00

She's not even 2, but she's already a little performer! The ABC song is her favorite song to sing right now. I even hear her singing it to her stuffed animals in her bed when she wakes up in the morning. On this particular day she was singing while playing the piano.

Morning at the Museum

2010-02-23T14:47:00.004-05:00

Last week Megan and I went to Raleigh to the Museum of Natural History. Megan was really excited to see the dinosaurs, but she also got to see so much more! She touched live turtles, saw snakes, fish and other bugs, and saw lots of cool, hands-on exhibits. I could barely get her to leave the arthropod room. We had a lot of fun and were there almost 4 hours! Before we left, she picked out 2 little stretchy snakes from the gift shop to bring home with her, and she has given them a proper home in a small basket in the living room!

Megan in front of the snakes:

Stopping for a snack in the dino footprint:

Hiding in the grass in the arthropod exhibit: (She told me she was a caterpillar and was pretending to eat the grass!)

Touching the big black beetle with hairy legs:

Feeling the animal furs in the Discovery Room: (In this room she also got to see a big beehive full of bees!)

Up, Down, 'Round and 'Round

2010-02-08T14:40:00.003-05:00

Sometimes on the weekends we take Megan to Northgate Mall to rider the carousel. She absolutely loves to ride on the animals -- especially the reindeer and the zebra.

Last-Minute Snowman

2010-02-03T22:25:00.004-05:00

Finally, we built our snowman. Megan has asked to build a snowman since the snow first fell, and tonight was pretty much our last chance before the snow melted. Megan had a tons of fun decorating the snowman with a carrot nose, button eyes, and a pipe-cleaner mouth.

The Schumi Dance

2010-01-31T14:08:00.002-05:00

Apparently Megan thinks only one person calls Dad on his cell phone - our friend Stephen Schumi. Everytime his phone rings, Megans gets excited, starts dancing, and says "Schumi!" Yesterday she really wanted to dance to Schumi, and kept asking for "more Schumi dance!"

Snow Videos

2010-01-30T16:16:00.003-05:00

Last night when we were out playing in the snow, Megan had a fantastic time chasing Mocha around in a fun game of "snow tag" and trying to get the snowflakes off Mocha's back.

This video is from this morning.

It's Snow Much Fun!!!

2010-01-30T12:27:00.004-05:00

It started snowing around 6:15 or so last night and it stuck to everything!! Megan bundled up for a few minutes of playtime before dinner. Thankfully her winter coat for next year just arrived this week, so we got to test it out. Too bad I didn't order the snow pants, too...but who would have thought we'd get so much snow???

When Megan woke up this morning, the first thing she said to me was, "SNOW!!" and pointed to the window. I guess she remembered!! After breakfast we really bundled up - it was a chilly 24 degrees and windy - and went out. The snow was really deep in the grassy areas and Megan had trouble walking through it. But out in the driveway, the accumulations weren't as great, so she had an easier time getting around. We tried to build a snowman, but the snow is super powdery and wouldn't stick to form a ball. It's a beautiful snow, though!

The snow doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon, so I'm sure we'll have tons more pictures and video to post over the next few days. (Check out the photo site!) Stay warm and enjoy the snow. We will!!!

Riding My Tricycle

2010-01-27T21:56:00.004-05:00

For Christmas, Granddaddy and Grandmommy gave Megan a tricycle. She can't quite pedal on her own, but she loves to play on it and put things into the bin on the back. When it finally warmed up a bit last week, we took it outside to break it in!

The Yuckies

2010-01-27T21:23:00.004-05:00

Last week we went through a very unpleasant first: Megan's first stomach virus. And it was NOT pretty. I don't do well with throwing up, and now I can say with certainty that I don't do well being thrown up on. Poor little Megan didn't keep anything down - solids or liquids - for about 2 days. And during that time, pretty much all we heard from Megan was "Meggie tummy hurt."

After a reassuring trip to the doctor, she finally did feel better. By the middle of the week her appetite had returned in full force. She asked for an egg for breakfast, so I told her I'd fix a little egg, and she said, "No, Mommy, a BIG egg." She ate the egg (I fixed her a little one just to be safe) and a piece of toast. When she'd eaten that, she turned to me and simply said, "Yogurt." Then she ate the whole cup of yogurt. And she's pretty much been eating everything in sight since then.

I think we're back on track with everything now. It was so sad to see her feeling so bad, but at least it didn't last too long.

Last week I also had a doctor's appointment. Everything checked out just fine and mom and baby are both growing. The baby kicks all the time, especially at night. I've surrendered to comfort and am now wearing maternity clothes. At my next appointment in February, I'll have my glucose test. After that, we enter the 3rd trimester and I'll have appointments every 2 weeks.

It's My Potty and I'll Pee If I Want To!

2010-01-09T20:04:00.003-05:00

This is one of those posts that may not be one of the "cuter" aspects of our lives, but it sure is a proud one! Megan has started to use her "big girl" potty!

She started showing signs of potty awareness a few months ago, so I picked up a little training potty. We haven't really used it for much other than a step stool to reach the sink to wash her hands. She'd sit on it occasionally, but nothing happened.

This past Wednesday, Megan was reluctant to have a new diaper put on after her morning diaper change, so I let her run around diaper-less. I put out the potty for her just in case and told her to use it if she needed it. I went into the kitchen to clean up breakfast and when I went back into the living room, she had peed in the potty!! We took the little removable bucket into the bathroom, and Megan got to pour it out into the big toilet and flush it all by herself.

I know, it all sounds kind of gross, but we were both very proud of her accomplishment: Her first big girl potty!

She used it again twice on Friday, with me initiating and encouraging her to go.

But tonight, Megan came to me and asked me to take off her clothes and diaper, and then she got on the potty and peed again!

We're going to take this at Megan's pace and not push anything, but I'll continue to give her the opportunities to use her potty and hopefully she'll continue to tell me when she wants to go, too. I know this won't be without accidents (we had one of those tonight, too), but so far, things seem to be off to a good start. We're so proud of Megan!

(And I know I'm behind on posting some Christmas photos -- I'll get that done, I promise!!)

Snow Time

2009-12-20T19:25:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it? We got snow! And it's not even officially winter yet. On Saturday morning, we had maybe 1 1/2 inches or so on the ground, but by Sunday morning, it was melting fast. Nevertheless Megan had the best time playing in the snow over the last two days.

Our first order of business was to build a snowman, complete with a carrot nose. Megan stacked ice chunks on top of his head to make his hat.

We had to bundle up to go out since it was so cold. Megan donned a few extra layers and even asked to borrowed Mom's gloves.

Apparently snow makes a good snack - at least according to Megan.

We had to go back inside to warm up. But to stay in the "snow spirit" we made a snowflake hat.

You can watch more of our fun in the snow in this video:

How does a polar bear dig?

2009-12-17T20:26:00.003-05:00

Sometimes the things Megan says just crack me up...

Megan and I read a touch and feel book called Little Penguin and Friends. It's about a fuzzy little penguin who builds a snow den with his three fuzzy friends. Each friend does something different to help Little Penguin. When it's Little Polar Bear's turn to help, the book tells us that his paws are perfect for digging in the snow.

As Megan was feeling Little Polar Bear's soft fur and paws, I asked, "Megan, what does Little Polar Bear use to dig in the snow?"

Megan looked at the page, rubbed Little Polar Bear for a few seconds, and then replied, "Shovel."

Priceless...

Updates from the Belly

2009-12-15T18:09:00.005-05:00

I know this is the post a lot of you have been waiting for (us included!)

We went to the OB this morning for our big 19-week ultrasound. The baby was pretty active and moving around a lot. We got to see a lot of good pictures of the baby and all the major parts are there...arms, legs, brain, heart, stomach, hands, feet, etc... Everything looked right on track according to the ultrasound tech. The baby is about 10 ounces and measures right at 19 weeks. We also got a peek at the "goods" and boy are they right when they say every pregnancy is different, because boy was I wrong about what's growing inside me - We're having a GIRL!!! (I was just so convinced otherwise!) As excited as I was about the idea of having a boy, I'm just as excited to be having another girl. I think Megan will enjoy having a little sister.

Check out the chin on our little girl! Is that a Sinclair chin or what?!

In other pregnancy news, I'm finally feeling better. I still feel nauseous on occasion, but I've had no sickness since the 17th week...so hopefully the 11-week run of morning sickness is over. I've gained a total of 8 pounds, but so far don't particularly look pregnant. I've been feeling the baby kick and move around for about a month or so now which is a very odd but comforting feeling. Hopefully everything will continue to progress well, and we'll keep you posted!

Winter Preparations

2009-12-15T17:58:00.004-05:00

Megan is preparing for winter by pretending to be an igloo...or maybe a penguin inside an igloo.

(In case you're wondering, that blue thing is my ice cube sheet that I pack in the cooler.)

Santa Train

2009-12-15T15:54:00.004-05:00

Last week Brian and I took Megan to the Museum of Life and Science to ride the Santa Train. We happened to go on the evening that it was warm - almost 70 degrees! So the ride was really nice! We all loaded onto the train and took a ride through the woods, past the dinosaurs to Santa's house! We saw penguins, gingerbread men, and all kinds of lights and decorations. We also saw Santa and his Elf! The elf gave Megan a candy cane, and Santa came by and asked Megan what she wanted for Christmas. After we left Santa's house, the train took on through a tunnel and further down the track, we saw Rudolph's red nose flying through the woods. When we got back to the station, we hopped off the train and grabbed a cup of hot chocolate. There were face painting and craft stations set up, and Megan got to color a Santa Train coloring sheet which is proudly displayed on the fridge!

The Rambler

2009-12-15T15:11:00.004-05:00

Megan is quite the little chatterbox these days. Her vocabulary is expanding every day (so Brian and I really have to watch what we say around her!) She has even been putting words together to form simple sentences. She says things like "Meggie watch Elmo," "More gummies!" and "Mommy catch!" On that note, should Megan ever ask you to catch something, please pay attention. The girl has quite an arm on her and you've probably got about 3 seconds before something goes whizzing past your head.

One night recently Megan woke up coughing, so I took her a glass a milk and rocked her for a while. She didn't drink any of the milk; instead she talked to me non-stop for almost 30 minutes - I could barely get a word in! Our conversation finally culminated with Megan saying, "Mocha-Shoki-Tig-Tig-Back!-Bailey-treat-treat-Splash-apple-yummy!" all in one breath. I replied with "Megan, Quiet!"

And she still loves to dance! Here's a video of Megan doing a more lyrical-style dance to Elmo and India Aria's ABCs.

Dear Santa, I'm Sorry...

2009-11-26T08:33:00.004-05:00

Dear Santa,

I'm sorry I freaked out and cried when I went to have my picture taken with you yesterday. Mommy had told me all about you - how you're nice, red, soft, and have a beard. I even told Mommy you were yummy. I watched all the other kids sit in your lap, but when it was my turn, I got scared. Thank you for letting Mommy and Daddy sit in the picture with us. Mommy said that I should tell you what I'd like for Christmas: Can you help my parents be more photogenic?

Love,

Megan

P.S. I like your reindeer.

So that's how the Santa Photos went. Hope you get a kick out of our family Santa shot. It might have helped a little if the elf taking the picture had actually said, "Hey, I'm taking the picture now!" Then we might not all look as though we're about to be run down by Rudolph. But whatever, pictures and memories are priceless, and at least Megan was totally adorable in her gingerbread dress. We took a few other shots behind Santa in front of the big Christmas trees that turned out ok.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Gettin' Crafty

2009-11-15T13:58:00.005-05:00

Megan and I fill our days with lots of different activities. This week we got arts and crafty with some seasonal cutouts and glitter glue. I cut out some fall leaf shapes and Christmas shapes and Megan and I decorated them with glitter glue. Megan really got into it and got very excited about the glitter. She calls it "skoosh" (translation: squish) because she has to squeeze the glue out of the tube. Skooshing turned into finger painting, and then before I knew it, she had skooshed glitter all over her arms, legs and tummy. She was a very shiny baby! Smart mom that I sometimes am, I had the foresight to declare craft time a diaper only activity. Even though I only buy washable craft supplies, glitter still comes off the skin easier than off pants.

I have to admit, I had fun "skooshing" too! Here's a picture of our craftiness:

And here are two that Megan decorated that I really like. She picked the glitter colors and skooshed all by herself!

It's Not a Moose, It's a Reindeer!

2009-11-14T20:59:00.006-05:00

I completely forgot that I had taken these pictures until I saw them on the camera today! Last weekend, one of my favorite stores in Durham, Morgan Imports, held a Christmas open house. Santa was there and they had homemade doughnuts. And to be totally honest, we probably went for the free doughnuts more than anything else, but ended up seeing some really neat stuff. And yes, the doughnuts were awesome!

Megan enjoyed the store, too. They had all kinds of unique Christmas ornaments on the trees, and Megan picked out a cute little metal orange owl ornament for our tree. She also found a fun, cheap little paper toy which she had a lot of fun with, but it has since been eaten by one of the dogs. I suspect Mocha, who wasn't looking too innocent that day and has a history of eating paper products.

Anyway, Morgan's had a big reindeer set up for photo ops. Megan wasn't wild about being on the reindeer, but did enjoy poking around his nose and checking out his antlers.

On the way out we ducked into the children's corner where Megan fell in love with every toy and stuffed animal she saw! She had fun telling us what each animal was and giving them pets, hugs, and kisses.

Round Two

2009-11-10T13:11:00.007-05:00

I've thought a lot over that last few weeks what to title this post. I've considered, Our Big News (sounds kind of generic), Brian & Stacy Plus One More (but do I really want to liken our family to Jon and Kate?), or It's Not a Baby Bump, It's Too Many Roast Beef Sandwiches! (that's probably the most accurate of them all) ...but whatever I call this post, it all boils down to yes, we're having another baby!!

I'm 14 weeks now - officially in the 2nd trimester. We had an OB appointment this morning and heard the little whooshing heartbeat. I'm so glad to be out of the first trimester which I'll briefly recap: I ate, puked, slept, woke up, puked, ate, and puked some more. In the early weeks potatoes were my friend, so much so that I fully expected to see this on the monitor at our 8-week ultrasound:

Fortunately, our "proof of life" photos showed the standard little tadpole-baby:

Our next doctor's appointment is Dec 15. This will be the big 19-week ultrasound and we should find out the sex of the baby then. Our due date is May 11, 2010. So then we'll have a 2 year old and a newborn! I'm sure Megan doesn't grasp the concept of what all the new baby will entail, (though she does tell me that babies sleep) but I did sit her down and show her the pictures of the baby from the ultrasound and told her that the baby was in mommy's tummy. She then lifted up my shirt, pointed to my tummy, waved, and said, "baby." And if we ask her where the baby is, she'll point to my tummy.

I guess that's all the new baby news for now. In Megan-world, she's talking non-stop and learning new words every second it seems. She's started counting (she's got a handle on 1-4 and 5 on a good day) and she's singing. Mostly she sings her ABCs. A through G sound pretty good and the rest of it is a bunch of Cs and Es, but she's getting the tune down. It's really adorable and she's so proud of her counting and singing. Brian says I need to get videos of this, so I'll work on it. She wants to do everything by herself, too. Independence is great, but it leads to a lot of frustration. But other than that, things are good! Here's a picture of Megan couch-surfing:

We'll keep you all posted on the pregnancy!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T13:35:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween! Megan was a pumpkin for Halloween this year. She loved her costume and didn't want to take it off! We went to a Halloween party at Aunt Beth's work in Raleigh on Thursday night (where we also got to see Unc-Kenny). Megan had a blast. She made "friends" with a girl in a green monster suit, and wanted to follow her around. Megan didn't really want to get too close to the "monter" as Megan called her, so we kind of stalked her from a distance. She really liked all the games, especially the ball toss. She liked this game so much that she tried to run off with the green buckets! The mummy-wrap contest at the end of the night really caught Megan's attention, too, and she kept saying "mummy" on the way home. She also became a big fan of orange and green Jell-O.

On Saturday, she dressed up again, and we went out after dinner to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood. We put Megan in the wagon with the top off so she wouldn't have to walk (or rather, so we wouldn't have to carry her), and she had a great view of all the people out - and there were a bunch! Megan particularly liked a girl dressed as Minnie Mouse. Megan even went up a few driveways and said some version of "trick-or-treat" or "happy halloween" and scored some candy in her pumpkin bucket. On the ride home, she tried to eat her candy, wrapper and all, and she repeatedly said, "candy! yummy!" Until this Halloween, I didn't even know she knew what candy was!

I've got say, she is one cute little pumpkin (and not just because she's my little pumpkin)!!

Dancing to Elmo

2009-10-15T21:25:00.004-04:00

Megan is a dancing machine! And she's addicted to Elmo. So add them together and you get something like this...

Little Jumper

2009-10-14T21:24:00.003-04:00

Can you tell that little Megan loves to jump? Maybe it's time to enroll her in a gymnastics class!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2009-10-14T21:03:00.006-04:00

What happened to the nice fall weather? The cold temps and rainy weather may have me wanting to hibernate on the couch under a blanket, but not Megan. Despite the 40-something degree temp this morning, she still wanted to go out and play after breakfast. So we bundled up and went out. The cold didn't slow her down one bit - but it did turn her nose red!

Earlier this week, we welcomed fall by breaking out some warmer clothes and going "pine cone picking" in the woods.

Fun at the Track

2009-10-08T20:51:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we went to Virginia International Raceway to see the Koni Challenge race and so that Brian could take a few runs on the rallycross course. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. Brian enjoyed the rallycross course until his suspension broke. That cut our day a little short, but at least we were able to drive the car home. Here are some shots from the day:

Brian checking out Phoenix Racing Subaru:

Daddy and Megan sliding down the inflatable slide. There was also a bounce-house, but Megan was having much more fun on the slide.

Brian driving the rallycross course while the suspension was still in one piece. The course was really dry and he was throwing up LOTS of dust clouds.

Airplane!

2009-09-26T13:53:00.003-04:00

Megan has recently taken a big interest in airplanes. If she hears a plane fly overhead, she looks up, points to the sky, and says, "Airplane, airplane!" So we thought she might enjoy going to the RDU airport observation deck to see the planes take off and land. We went Thursday afternoon which turned out to be a good, though hot, day to see some planes.

There's also a small playground at the observation deck and a kid-sized landing strip. Megan had fun playing in the sand at the playground almost as much as she liked seeing the planes.

Feeding the Ducks

2009-09-26T13:46:00.004-04:00

A few Saturdays ago, we got up and went to Duke Gardens to feed the ducks. Megan liked throwing the bread at the ducks, and even tried to nibble on a piece herself, too!

18-month Updates

2009-09-26T11:53:00.005-04:00

Megan is now 18 months old, and recently went to the pediatrician for her 18-month appointment. She checked out really well and did much better with the doctor at this visit than her last. Megan weighed in at 24 lbs 4 oz (60th percentile); her height is 33 inches (88th percentile); and her head circumference is 45.9 cm (30th percentile).

She also had two shots: DTaP and Hib. She seemed to do really well with these shots, and had a lot of fun playing with the band-aids afterwards.

Megan has also started attending a new Parents Morning Out program at a local Lutheran church where Brian and I sometimes attend. Megan goes to the PMO 1 day a week for 3 hours. This gives her a chance to socialize with kids without Mom around, and it gives me a chance to get some things done that I can't always do with Megan in tow. I'll admit that it was really hard to leave her the first time, but Megan has seemed to really enjoy the PMO - especially the arts and crafts, and although it's weird not having Megan around, I'm enjoying my few hours of "me-time" each week - Even if I am doing housework!!

Albemarle Visit

2009-09-26T11:36:00.006-04:00

Last week, Megan and I took off down to Albemarle for a few days. As usual, we brought the rain with us, so much of our trip was spent indoors. But despite the cool and rainy weather, we had a fantastic trip and got to spend some good, quality time with Granddaddy and Grandmommy (and Bailey and Tigger, too!)

In front of the fish tank at Outdoor World at Concord Mills:

Megan and Grandmommy riding the carousel at Concord Mills:

Sliding down the broccoli slide:

Loving on Bailey:

Down by the River

2009-09-08T20:26:00.003-04:00

This afternoon, Megan and I went to the Eno River. We saw birds, fish and lizards, and took a long walk along the river and across a really neat bridge.

The Eno River:

Looking at the river:

Walking across the bridge:

Knock, knock! Checking out the old grist mill:

Beth's Wedding Weekend

2009-09-08T20:06:00.004-04:00

The weekend of August 29 was very special for our family -- my sister Beth got married! We spent the weekend at Lake Norman for all the festivities.

It was a great weekend: I got spend time with "the girls" on Friday while Megan hung out with Dad - pretty much all day! I got my first ever pedicure and I confess, I may now be addicted to them (or at least the part where they massage your legs!). The only rough part of the weekend was that I got sick before the wedding and ended up losing my voice the day of the wedding. =(

Friday night, before the wedding, we had a dinner cruise on the Lady of the Lake. The weather didn't fully cooperate and an evening thunderstorm rained on the party - but we had a fun time anyway.

Beth and Kenny were married on Saturday under a huge covered porch with Lake Norman as the backdrop. It was beautiful, and since I had an up-close view of the bride and groom, I can tell you that they were glowing throughout the ceremony. Afterwards, we ate, partied and danced until Little Megan had to go to bed. (She held out until after 10pm!!)

Congratulations to Beth and Kenny!

Beth and Kenny with Mom:

Megan in her beautiful party dress:

And what wedding weekend isn't complete without a visit from the local fire department? The hotel laundry room had a small fire during breakfast and we all had to evacuate:

There are more pictures of the wedding weekend on our photo page. If you do look through the pictures, you'll see that I didn't get any good pictures of the Beth and Kenny at the actual wedding. If anyone who reads this blog was there and did get a good shot or two, send them my way and I'll post them! Thanks!

Weekend at Busch Gardens

2009-08-09T19:29:00.010-04:00

We took a family trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg this weekend. For early August we had suprisingly nice weather. The park didn't really feel all that crowded, either, despite the fact that we had to park out in Bavaria - literally! (Bavaria was the last overflow lot.)

When we arrived at the park, our first stop was the Sesame Street Forest of Fun where we caught the end of a dancing show featuring Elmo and friends. It was really crowded, so we didn't get to go too far into this enchanted forest!

Then we dined on sandwiches and cannelloni and watched the Festival Italia show in Italy. Megan loved the music and danced and clapped along. She also rode the Little Balloons all by herself, and rode the Little Gliders with Daddy. She liked the balloon ride, but was not so sure about the gliders...you can see her holding on tight to Daddy in the picture.

In Scotland, Megan played with the dragons, rode the carousel and water boats, and watched the Loch Ness Monster rollercoaster zoom by. We also saw the huge Clydesdale horses, and Megan rode the Little Clydes horse ride.

We saw wild animals, a macaw, kangaroo, wolves, and bald eagles on our way to Ireland. Before we left the park, we took a ride around the park on the train.

Check out this video of Megan riding the rides!

It was a big trip, and we're all very tired...but we're looking forward to going back.

Grammy Time

2009-08-05T21:42:00.007-04:00

Grammy Herring came up to visit this week. We had a really great time! We played in the yard, played games, and played with the neighbors and the animals. Grammy got to go to playgroup with us and see the new dinosaurs at the Museum of Life and Science, and went to the library with us for storytime. She also braved some card games with me and Brian at night after Megan went to bed.

Megan really enjoyed the visit, even if she was a little fussy - she cut another molar - and wasn't all that happy about it.

Grammy brought some fun toys for Megan, including these stacking and nesting blocks. Megan loved knocking them down!

The Dinosaur Trail at MLS has a fossil dig area where the kids can dig and sift through dirt for little fossils (shells and such). Megan was a real expert with the shovel!

Despite not feeling well becasue of the teething, Megan really perked up in the play area and had a ball in the playhouse...especially on the slide! I think she was showing off for Grammy!

Thanks, Grammy, for a great visit, and we can't wait to see you again soon!

Tooth Explosion

2009-07-30T19:56:00.005-04:00

On Monday night, Megan woke up around 1 or 2am screaming. Normally, I let her try to work it out and go back to sleep on her own, but that wasn't happening. So I went in, comforted her, and went back to bed. Then around 5 am - same thing. In my groggy state, I didn't really think too much about why she was up, I just wanted her (and me) back to sleep. So when I was changing her diaper after we got out of bed (again) for the day, I noticed some white inside her mouth, and sure enough...new teeth! I think I've mentioned before that her teeth only seem to come in around 3am...

I think there are 3 new teeth coming in: 2 on the bottom and 1 up top, and they are pretty far back, so maybe molars. She has 8 in right now (4 bottom and 4 top), and this will bring her up to 11. What a mouthful! She appears to be feeling better now. We did give her Tylenol Tuesday night to help ward off any nighttime pain, but haven't needed to give her more since. Here's a picture of her toothy grin. Ok, that's not much of a grin!!

In addition to the tooth explosion, we've also had little vocabulary explosion. Up until now, Megan's been pretty content with her dozen or so words that she says. But in the past week and especially these past few days, she's really started trying to say more things. She now says baby, moo, moon, owl, oink, diaper, pillow, and beetle. Granted some (ok, most) of them aren't crystal clear, but she's showing a lot of interest in trying new words and we're certainly encouraging her!

Then and Now

2009-07-28T21:39:00.006-04:00

Ok, last post for tonight...I promise! It seems like lately it always comes up in conversation about just how much Megan (or any of our friends' children) have changed in the last year. So I thought it was time for another "then and now" photo post.

Then (August 2008):

Now (July 2009):

New Tractor Game

2009-07-28T21:23:00.006-04:00

We made up a new game to play with the tractor. Instead of rolling the tractor down the driveway with Megan on it (which is still lots of fun!), Mommy rolls the tractor down the driveway and Megan tries to catch it! She thought this was a cool game, and was proud of herself when she caught it. She only missed catching the tractor once, and it was too cute watching her run all the way down the driveway after it.

After playing with the tractor, we found an earthworm in the driveway. Megan really likes worms, snakes, lizards, and bugs in general. She thinks all snake-like animals hiss and anytime she sees anything resembling a snake, she starts hissing. She also hisses when she sees any kind of hole, because she knows that snakes live in holes in the ground. She's a smart little girl!!

Playing at the Park

2009-07-28T20:27:00.004-04:00

Yesterday after swim class, we went to a nearby park for our playgroup. Megan must not have had enough of the water, because she got soaked playing in the sprayer.

Megan really liked bouncing on the bouncy-dolphin.

She and her friend Max also played in the little car, but they didn't get very far in it...it had a flat tire! They still had fun beeping the horn and turning the steering wheel.

Random Photos

2009-07-28T19:43:00.005-04:00

I copied photos from Grandmommy's camera this weekend, and have some new photos that were too cute not to share.

Megan practicing water safety on the boat:

Megan playing in Granddaddy and Grandmommy's new horse trailer:

Megan and Mommy:

Megan and the barn:

Swim Lessons

2009-07-27T21:00:00.004-04:00

This week Megan and I are back in the pool for swim lessons. The lessons have been so much fun - for both of us - but especially Megan. She's doing really well with them, too. We sing songs in the water and practice swimming by throwing little floaty toys and reaching and pulling for them. She splashes and kicks, and has even gone under water a time or two (she's not wild about that, though). Her absolute favorite thing is jumping into the water of the edge of the pool. She even practices jumping off her little tractor at home. She's also practicing kicking and splashing in the bathtub, and the other night, she laid down on her back in the tub and started kicking and laughing. I think we've got a little swimmer on our hands!

(Thanks, Grandmommy for taking awesome pictures!!)

Megan and the Kitty

2009-07-27T20:20:00.004-04:00

Our neighbor Tatum recently got the cutest little black kitten. Megan, who is obsessed with cats anyway, absolutely loves little Mini-Kitty. (That's what I call her, but her name is really Ellie.) One of Kitty's new toys is a mouse-shaped laser pointer. Kitty spastically chases the red laser dot all over the floor and Megan laughs so hard that you can't help but laugh at both of them. Megan even likes to chase the dot, too!!

Visit from Grandmommy

2009-07-27T19:49:00.005-04:00

This weekend, Grandmommy Sinclair came up to Raleigh for Beth's wedding shower. The shower was really nice and I had fun hanging out with the girls. The wedding is only a few weeks away now!!

Grandmommy stayed with us and got to spend time with Megan. We played with our neighbor's new kitten, and finally took a wagon ride down to the neighborhood park to swing and play on the slide. Grandmommy even got to go to swimming lessons with us this morning before she had to go back home.

We all enjoyed her visit very much. We'll see her and Aunt Beth again this weekend - and Granddaddy too!! Thank you Grandmommy for a wonderful visit!!

Horse and Wagon

2009-07-19T20:12:00.003-04:00

Megan took her horse for a ride in the wagon tonight. We thought horses were supposed to pull wagons!!

Playing with Brayden

2009-07-19T19:57:00.004-04:00

This afternoon Megan and I went to Raleigh to visit with our friend Jennifer and her son, Brayden. Brayden is 9 months old and just so cute! He's always so happy and smiling! Jennifer and Brayden had the pool set up on the patio so the babies splashed around while Jennifer and I got wet from all the splashing (Jennifer more so than me!) I was trying to keep Megan in the pool and chasing her around the backyard. I think at one point Megan belly-flopped into the water and Brayden, having just learned up and down, was having a blast plopping down into the water. We had a GREAT visit and can't wait to do it again!

Duke Gardens, Revisited

2009-07-18T23:08:00.004-04:00

Since I forgot my camera when we went to the gardens the other day, and since it was so nice outside today, Megan and I went back today to explore and to the see the ducks (of course!). As always, we had a great time and Megan loved smelling the flowers.

I got some awesome photos of the beautiful flowers in bloom. There are a ton of pictures on the photo page, but here are some of my favorites:

Unexpected Dip in the Pool

2009-07-18T22:50:00.004-04:00

I filled up the pool the other day and put it in the sun to heat up the water. However, we never got around to getting into the pool for one reason or another. But today, I guess the temptation was too much for Megan, so she hopped in - shoes and all! The water was warm and she seemed to have a good time! She's going to have her fill of swimming this week. We're going to splash around with Brayden tomorrow and Monday starts her swimming lessons.

Tractor, Part 2

2009-07-18T21:44:00.006-04:00

Part of Megan's daily routine includes pretending that the tractor is a jungle gym. In her newly found state of independence, she insists on climbing up onto the tractor all by herself, bouncing on the seat, "driving," and climbing back down.

Tractor Ride

2009-07-17T12:48:00.007-04:00

Megan loves to ride her little tractor. You've probably seen pictures of her on the tractor on the blog before. We take it outside to ride in the afternoons. This day - with Kitty in tow - she was looking particularly cute on the tractor, so I snapped a few shots.

We've also found that the tractor rolls really well down our gently-sloped driveway, so Megan can go for a fun ride.

Don't worry - no one was harmed in the making of the video. It was just a small tumble, and Megan and Kitty both got up, brushed themselves off, and got right back on for another ride!

Duke Infant Study

2009-07-17T12:06:00.003-04:00

Megan and I participated in our 5th Duke Infant Congnition Center study yesterday about infants' non-verbal understanding of numbers. If you are interested in the details, you can read more about the study by clicking here. Megan did really well, especially since this was a much longer, 3-part session. She even made it all the way through the 15-minute touch-screen portion of the test (which she didn't make it through last time). I even got to participate in a portion of the test at the end while Megan hung out and played with the lab assistant in the other room.

Our refridgerator is getting full with all of Megan's "diplomas."

Afterwards, since we were already on Duke's campus, we went to Sarah P. Duke Gardens and strolled around. We saw tons of ducks up close on the little footbridge at the pond, and there were lots of beautiful flowers in bloom - mostly lilies that I could identify. We found some really neat "off-the-beaten-path" nooks and crannies in the Asian garden that we will go back and explore. The gardens aren't always stroller-friendly with all the gravel paths, but we managed ok. We also went over the terraces, which were amazing. Megan really liked the lily pads and the rose blooms. I forgot to take my camera (since the Gardens was a spur of the moment decision), so we're watching the weather for a nice day to go back and get some new photos.

Megan's Pet Kitty

2009-07-15T13:47:00.005-04:00

Megan has a best friend, her pet kitty. Kitty is her little stuffed cat (I think it's really a jaguar, but that's still part of the cat family!). She loves to take Kitty with her pretty much everywhere. He naps and eats with her. She feeds him whatever she is having for lunch and gives him milk, too. Here, she's sharing her grilled cheese sandwich with him. We love Kitty-kitty-kitty!!!

Where's Megan??

2009-07-14T12:03:00.003-04:00

Megan has a bad case of "morning hair."

Sticker Crazy

2009-07-14T11:53:00.004-04:00

Megan received an adorable sticker book from Granddaddy and Grandmommy for Easter. The stickers are removable and Megan absolutely loves to play with the stickers and stick them on the pages and peel them back off. Yesterday she spent almost the whole day playing with the book and the stickers. When she got tired of sticking them on the pages, she found a new place to put them!

Sweeping the Dog

2009-07-12T12:46:00.014-04:00

Granddaddy and Grandmommy's dog Bailey loves to be swept with the broom. Megan remembered this and on our last trip to Albemarle, Megan got out of the car, went straight into the garage and got the the broom, and proceeded to sweep Bailey. But of course, one broom was not sufficient for the job, so Megan went and got the second broom. Bailey is very easy-going and loved the attention and the sweeps! (Unlike our own dogs, Bailey does not run away when Megan comes wielding the broom.)

Granddaddy and Grandmommy also recently got a new puppy, Tigger, who thinks it's cool to have a little person more her size around to play with.

And there's still plenty of puppy love left over for our own puppies as Megan shares a hug with Shoki.

Mocha is still camera shy and declined to have her picture taken for this blog post or for any other reason.

Signed up to Swim

2009-07-12T12:24:00.003-04:00

Megan is officially signed up for the Parent-Tot swim class at our nearby community pool. I can't even begin to tell you what an accomplishment this is - and we haven't even made it to the pool yet. Apparently Durham swim classes are akin to Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets. I arrived at the pool to sign up around 9:15 Saturday morning (registration opened at 9:30), thinking it would take about 15 minutes and I could get back home. Wrong. When I arrived, there were only half a dozen parking spaces available in the far corner of the lot and there was a line of people stretched almost as far back as those parking spaces. One Mom had arrived at 6:30 that morning to secure her spot at the front of the line. People had brought chairs, books, and snacks...they looked prepared for a day at the beach. Hello, people!!! It's a swim class. I think I would have had an easier time getting Megan enrolled into an Ivy League preschool =).

At least I was in line with some nice folks, so that helped pass the time during my 2-hour wait. That's right -- TWO hours. We had fun laughing at the expressions of Oh My Gosh! and You've Got To Be Kidding! on the faces of other people arriving after us. I also got to play nurse to some of the kids in line who came off the playground with banged up hands and knees. The first aid kit came in handy for sure!

Nonetheless, we are excited about our upcoming swim lessons (they begin on the 20th), and for future swim class sign-ups...we may finally have an occassion to break out the camping tent!

Riding Big Al

2009-07-04T21:08:00.005-04:00

During one of our last trips to Albemarle, Graddaddy let Megan "ride" on Al. Megan adores the horses and thought being on Al was awesome!

Playgroup at the Museum

2009-06-15T12:00:00.003-04:00

We spent this morning at the museum with our playgroup. We played mostly in the indoor play area, and Megan showed a lot of interest in the toys and exhibits and interacted well with the other kids. Megan especially liked the weather exhibit (because it has big spinning balls). Even though we didn't stay too long - about an hour - Megan was still really tired and ready to come home for a nap. For the most part we're down to one nap a day now. I had tried pushing it until after lunch, but I think Megan seems happier with late morning - around 11:30 or so.

Megan and the ball maze:

Megan and the weather ball:

Megan and the clouds:

Farmer's Market

2009-06-14T21:20:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning, Megan and I went to the Durham Farmer's Market. There were a ton of people there, lots of dogs, and a whole lot of veggies. We passed on the healthy foods and decided to support our local farmers by buying a piece of homemade vanilla pound cake...yummy!!! We listened to several groups of people playing music and dancing, and even saw wax candles shaped like ears of corn. Across the street from the market is the Durham Central Park - home to a huge turtle and and giant cardinal with whom Megan enjoyed playing.

Megan and the Beach

2009-06-10T07:09:00.002-04:00

Since Brian's computer is no longer the only one that can make movies, I decided to put together a little movie of Megan's first time playing in the ocean. And in case you get into the movie and wonder why Canon in D is playing in the background, at Ripley's Aquarium, Canon in D along with ocean sounds played over the speakers the entire time we were there. I told Brian that when I made our video I was going to do the same so we'd always remember our trip!!

Talking on the Phone

2009-06-09T13:17:00.007-04:00

Megan really loves to talk on the phone. It doesn't matter if it's her toy phone, the house, phone, a cell phone, or the TV remote! If it's got buttons, she'll push them and try to talk. Unfortunately, she does prefer to talk on Mom and Dad's cell phones. I think it's the flip-action that does it for her. She says hi, maybe she'll talk a bit, and then flips the phone shut and says "bye bye!" I caught her in action one morning:

I have also compiled a list of the top 5 reasons you may not want to let Megan play with your phone:

1. She might put it in her mouth and get it wet, and it will be days before it works properly again.

2. She might hang up repeatedly on people who are trying to call you.

3. She might drop it in the middle of the mall (when you aren't looking), and you'll have to go back to find it.

4. She might call your former co-workers who you didn't clean out of your phonebook, and haven't talked to in more than a year.

5. She might set the alarm to wake you up at 4:40 am while you are on vacation.

(And yes, Megan has done all of the above!!)

15-month Check-up

2009-06-05T13:41:00.009-04:00

We just got back from Megan's 15-month check-up with the pediatrician. She weighed in at 23 pounds 7 ounces (that's only 5 ounces up from her 12 month visit), but she shot up 2 inches to 32 inches - that puts her in the 90th percentile for height. This explains why she can suddenly reach so many things on the countertops now.

So aside from some good measurements and reassurance that Megan is devleoping just fine, the rest of the appointment was pretty much terrible. Megan started crying as soon as she saw the doctor's stethescope coming towards her. Crying turned to yelling as the doctor checked her tummy and hips. From yelling she moved onto the shreiking when it came time to check her ears. And then came the worst part of the visit: the vaccines. That's right: the crying, yelling, and shreiking was the good part. She got MMR and chickenpox vaccines today. She pretty much screamed MAMA MAMA MAMA through the shots, but the nurse did a really good job and administered the 2 shots quickly.

Now we're back home resting (except that Megan just woke up -- no three hour nap today i guess). Hopefully the rest of the afternoon will go better than the morning!

What I'm Reading

2009-06-03T20:43:00.004-04:00

I've been an avid reader all my life. In fact, I was born breech and my uncle always said it was because I was sitting up reading in the womb. I've never really cared what I read as long as I was reading something -- though I am particularly partial to Stephen King novels. In the last few years I haven't read much - especially since Megan was born. Other than a few pregnancy and baby related books, I haven't read many books recently that don't rhyme or have farm animals as the main characters.

But since we've started going to library storytimes, I've gotten back into reading. I didn't realize how much I had missed it! Mostly I've been reading fiction: novels and short stories. I highly recommend Slumdog Millionaire (as is typical, it's better than the movie, which was really good).

And surprisingly, I've even read a few non-fiction books. I'm not a big non-fiction reader. Reading is an escape for me and I see little reason to escape into reality, especially when the topic is historical politics. But I was really shocked to find myself plodding through and enjoying George Crile's Charlie Wilson's War. (I did not see the movie before reading the book, but have since seen the movie, and while Tom Hanks was a far better Wilson than I was expecting, Philip Seymour Hoffman was the real star.)

Another non-fiction work I stumbled upon is a recently published book titled You Are Here by Christopher Potter. It's described as a "portable history of the universe," and is supposed to examine and help explain man's position in the universe relative to all other parts of the universe. But so far it's a really condensed layman's textbook covering major philosophies, mathematics, science, astronomy, all rolled into one. Think: Plato, Newton, Einstein, Galelio, etc. I think I would have enjoyed reading this one more in college, but am slowly making progress through it. Maybe I'll get it finished before a large asteroid collides with Earth and wipes us out -- or at least before I have to renew it.

As for my fiction and other selections, I'm also currently reading Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie and next in the queue is Chris Gardener's autobiography The Pursuit of Happyness. If anyone has any suggested readings you think I might like, let me know!

I'm signing off to go curl up with my book!

Fun at the Library

2009-06-03T20:21:00.004-04:00

Each week we go to the library for storytime. But today, storytime was cancelled (we found at once we got to the library). A lot of the other moms and kids showed up, too, so we invaded the children's section and held an informal library playgroup. The library has some large toys for the kids to play with, including a big cardboard castle. We played with the other children (most of whom are younger than Megan), read a few books, played in the castle and ran through the aisles of books. The other kids were having fun crawling around and at one point several of the crawlers zeroed in on the magazine rack and had magazines all over the floor. I'm guessing the library will think twice before cancelling storytime again without some advance warning!! It was still really fun, though!!

Megan picks out a book to read:

Megan playing in the cardboard castle:

Weekend at the Beach

2009-06-01T16:11:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we went to the beach for my sister's bachelorette party. It was also Brian's birthday, so we were celebrating lots of things. This was Megan's second beach trip, but by far her most fun trip. She loved playing in the water and sand, and the waves crashing on her didn't bother her at all -- she loved it!!! She also chased birds and waved at everyone that passed her on the beach. Sometimes she would attract on-lookers who would stop to watch her play in the ocean.

Megan splashing in the ocean:

Megan & Daddy playing in the sand. Megan loved digging in the sand.

Megan, Mommy, and Aunt Beth on the beach:

Family picture:

Megan at the sting ray tank at Ripley's Aquarium:

(LOTS more pictures on the shutterfly site)

I had a really great time going out with all the girls for Beth's party -- I haven't done anything like that in a very, very long time (maybe not ever!!). I know Beth and all the other girls had a good time, too, and I'm glad I got to share it with her. Congrats to Beth & Kenny on their upcoming wedding!

Parents Say the Darndest Things

2009-05-01T20:26:00.002-04:00

I know that as Megan begins talking more, she'll say all kinds of funny things, but there are times when I can't believe the things that come out of my own mouth. You would never think there would be an occasion to say something like that until a 1 year enters the room. I think only a parent can fully appreciate the situations you get into with a child -- especially when they are in the stage of constant exploration.

Here are some of the things I've said to Megan recently:

"No no, Megan, the bunny does not go into the diaper genie."

"Why did you put a spoon into the ball popper?"

"Batteries do not belong in the Starbucks cup."

"Yes, Shoki is gray and crazy-looking, but he is not a rhinocerous."

As funny as these are (at least to me!) it is facinating to see how her brain makes connections and to watch her explore things.

Beating the Heat

2009-05-01T19:53:00.005-04:00

It's been super-hot here lately so we've been trying to come up with ways to enjoy the sunshine, but stay cool with out being cooped up inside.

We started with a trip to VIR (Virginia International Speedway) to see the Rolex/GrandAm race. There was not much "staying cool" at VIR, but we did find a nice shady spot under a tree with some friends and watched the cars zoom by. Dad and Megan read Speedy Little Race Cars and we all took turns following Megan around on her quest for balls, which we think we actually pine cones (Thanks to Adria for figuring that out!).

Sunday afternoon we splashed around in the back yard in Megan's new kiddie pool. The water out of the hose was really cold, but she still enjoyed splashing - a lot! Afterwards we took a short wagon ride to warm up (ironic, i know...). And speaking of the wagon -- that has been money very well spent. I can't begin to count how many miles we've logged in the wagon in the two months that we've had it.

We even tried our hands at fingerpainting one afternoon. Megan tried to eat the paint more than actually painting with it, but she still had fun and made a few cool paintings.

And of course we spend a lot of time running around in the yard kicking balls, chasing the dogs, and going after the kitty-kitty-kitties!!! (her second favorite word after duck.)

Time to Catch Up

2009-05-01T19:31:00.006-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update. Things have been moving pretty fast around here, or should I say Megan has been moving very fast. That girl is like the energizer bunny. By the time she goes to bed, I'm so exhausted I don't have the brain function left to blog.

I guess I should start with Easter. We spent Easter weekend in Albemarle where we got to see grandparents and family. We went to church and then played with the horses. Megan got a very special easter egg, or rather goose egg when she slipped and fell face first into a small stool, and came home with a black eye...her first, but I'm wagering not her last.

A food first: Megan ate a whole banana right out of the peel! You can also see her black eye pretty well in this picture. Oh yeah, she had some kind of tomato-based pasta that night, hence the orange hue.

Family time: Megan got a special surprise visit from her great aunts from Conover. And Grammy Herring came into town while she was on Spring Break, so we went to Kevin and Vicky's to visit and Megan got to play with the kitty Patita.

The Spaghetti Incident

2009-04-09T20:39:00.006-04:00

I made spaghetti and meatballs the other night for dinner. It was nothing particularly homemade, but it was pretty delicious just the same. Megan especially liked the meatballs and ate a bunch of them, but not before getting the tomato sauce everywhere. In between bites I snapped some pictures of our little Oompa Loompa. And though it probably goes without saying, after dinner Megan went directly from the highchair into the bathtub. Check out the whole orange mess on our photo page.

Pigtails and Lawn Chairs

2009-04-06T20:46:00.008-04:00

The past few days have been pretty low-key around here. We've just been enjoying the outdoors (when it hasn't been raining) and taking it relatively easy. Megan really likes being outside, running after the dogs with frisbees, kicking the soccer ball, picking flowers, and of course, riding in her wagon. We picked her up a little adirondak chair to sit in outside. It's just her size! Granted, she doesn't spend a ton of time just sitting still, but she likes to climb in and out of it and drag it around the yard.

On Saturday we went to Raleigh to visit Beth and Kenny and spend some time at their new house. Megan had fun running through all the empty rooms and checking everything out. And that evening we watched some of the Final Four games, but I must confess that I've been only barely aware of the tournament this year. But I hear that UNC is going up against Michigan State tonight in the final game, so GO HEELS!

Oh - back to the outdoors. We finally got our riding lawn mower fixed. It runs, sounds great, and cuts better than ever. The break in the weather from all the rain gave Brian and chance to mow the yard. Megan and I helped pick up sticks and carry them up to the woods. Good thing he mowed yesterday because it rained - again - this morning. I know it's only early April, but if there is a drought this year, I'll just be flabbergasted.

The last topic on my mind tonight is Megan's hair. We've been experimenting with some different hair styles this week to keep it out of her face and eyes. If it's not pulled back, she looks like one of those long-haired toy dogs whose eyes you can never see.

She's got so much hair (but I'm not ready to cut it yet) that the little bows just can't hold it all. So we've been using hair ties instead. Our favorite style right now is the little water spout on top of the head, but we did go bold with some pigtails one day. I'm still fighting the ongoing battle of how to keep Megan from pulling out the ties and bows in her hair without having to glue them in!

I think tomorrow we will go visit the Easter Bunny at the mall for some photos. We're supposed to have a park playdate tomorrow morning with the DMC, but it's supposed to be in the 40s tomorrow and I'm not sure that's the most fun park weather. We'll see how we feel in the morning.

Storytime

2009-04-01T21:52:00.007-04:00

I try to keep Megan involved in several activities so that she can socialize with other kids, try new things, and learn within a structured environment. We belong to a small playgroup and go to a weekly gym class, and this morning we went to the library for lapsit story time.

I'd heard good things about the library storytimes from one of our playgroup moms, and Megan loves books (Brian and I read a ton to Megan at home, and she loves to "read" her books by herself), so we thought we'd try it out. Plus, I figured that it couldn't hurt Megan to have to sit relatively still for half an hour. =)

The books this morning were cute and the storyteller - who was great - had some fun props to go along with the books and really involved the children. We also sang songs and had a short play time with some toys. For one of the songs, the kids got to pick Easter eggs that rattled from a basket to shake along with the song. Megan picked the largest one and immediately pulled it apart, spilling dried beans all over the floor. After storytime, we checked out some books to take home.

When we got home, Megan flipped through her books and even started "reading" her very first Stephen King novel.

Carousel Ride

2009-04-01T21:23:00.004-04:00

Last week, while visiting with Granddaddy and Grandmommy, we went to the mall. Megan and Grandmommy rode the carousel. This was Megan's first time on the carousel and she was a little startled when the ride started and the horse started moving, but by the end of the ride, we think she was having a good time.

Morning at the Park

2009-03-20T12:57:00.004-04:00

This morning Megan and I went to the park with the Durham Mother's Club. The park was super-nice and had tons of play areas and lots of jungle-gym equipment. Megan even went down the slides by herself -- and liked it!!

As a side note, the baby question on my mind today: Why do Megan's teeth only cut through the gums between the hours of midnight and 3am? Tooth number 4, the bottom right, made its first appearance last night.