Why?

Madelyn has really started to talk a lot. The other day she lifted my shirt and so innocently asked, "Mommy, what's that?"

And, she asked if she could go upstairs. "No," I replied. "Why?" she asked.

Oh no...the questions have begun!

Great News!

It's been awhile since I've posted...mostly because I find my freetime is so limited. We're having so much fun playing outside in the beautiful weather, and by nighttime, I'm pooped.

We have some GREAT family news! Doug and Harriet are expecting twins! They are due mid-January, so she's just about 12 weeks along. All is well-besides normal fatigue, Harriet feels very well, and looks good. Her little belly has popped and tomorrow we will go together to buy some maternity clothes! This is an exciting time for our family. I am hoping the twins will arrive around Christmastime-what a wonderful reason to celebrate!

My dad's family came to visit from CA last weekend, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Laurie...Doug and Harriet shared the news with them first, and then slowly began spreading the word. When they told Kathryn she was elated! I knew she would be-she's obsessed with babies, and the whole idea of taking care of them. She loves to put baby dolls under her shirt to pretend she's expecting, so this should be a fun few months:) When our neighbor asked Kathryn why she didn't tell them Auntie was expecting twins, she replied, "Because Auntie told me not to say anything, I'm serious." It was very sweet...I guess if you have a secret you'd like to share, tell Kathryn. She's a good secret keeper!

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day...another first without my dad...we've been bombarded by these sad days throughout the weekend. It was Bill's day, too, which was so nice for him. We made our traditional trip to Manasquan, had breakfast at a new diner near the beach, and walked the boardwalk with the girls. Kathryn and Madelyn had so much fun playing in the sand and going for rides on their Daddy's shoulders. After the beach, my mom hosted dinner with the Sideris' and Doug and Harriet. It was a very nice evening. The girls love playing with their auntie and uncle, and their laughter made a difficult day much more pleasant.

Remembering Tim

Friday was a sad day here for two reasons...
The first was that it was my dad's birthday...the first without him, which of course made the day difficult. My dad LOVED his birthday. He celebrated for the entire month, not just the day like most people. The second reason was that our dear TV friend, Tim Russert passed away. Kathryn has been watching "Tim," as she called him, since she was about one year old. She and Bill would sit on the couch after church, and watch Tim go at it with various politicians. Kathryn now knows Tim is in heaven with Grandpa...she was very upset over this and actually sat on our bed with tears in her eyes after hearing the news.

Check Ups

This afternoon my mom and I took the girls for their 2 and 4 year old check ups. As always, it was a treat visiting the doctor's office. Although Kathryn didn't cry, she wasn't thrilled about being there, and Madelyn wasn't too fond of the visit either. She kicked and screamed while the doctor examined her. I am happy to report that both girls are healthy. Kathryn is 39 lbs. and 44 inches, the average height of a 6 year old. Madelyn is 24 lbs. and 33 1/2 inches. She is in the 50% percentile for height and 10-20% percentile for weight. No shots today, yeah! Madelyn is caught up until she turns four, and Kathryn needs two. However, to my surprise, the doctor couldn't do them today because her throat was very red. They took a strep culture and after getting the results we will go ahead and do the immunizations. Fun, fun, fun!

Yo Mama Obama

Thursday is Show-and-Tell day for Kathryn at her preschool. She takes the task of picking out what to bring very seriously, and we always try to plan the night before. Otherwise, we're running around at 8:45 searching for the "perfect object." So, last night when I asked her what she was thinking of bringing, she quickly said, "her duck." It's this little stuffed chick she has all of a sudden grown an attachment to. Then, we started to talk about Barack Obama. Being the daughter of a former history teacher, she knows a lot about current events. I suggested she bring in a picture of Obama for Show-and-Tell. She said, "That's a great idea, Mommy! How about pictures of John McCain and Hillary Clinton, too?" We spent the morning searching the newspapers for pics of all three candidates, and then I remembered a picture in TIME magazine I had just come across yesterday. Kathryn was so excited to share...we reviewed the candidates names, and what she would say when it was her turn to present her picture in front of the class. Of course the whole time she was at school I was wondering how this was going to go over. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall.

After school, Bill and I spoke with her teacher, Mrs. Geller. It isn't often we get to talk with her, but since Kathryn had a multicultural picnic after school there was some time. Immediately, Mrs. Geller shared with us that she was impressed at Kathryn's interest in current events and that her Show-And-Tell sparked a very interesting conversation among the class. Mrs. Geller told us Kathryn pointed to Obama and commented, "He won."

On another note, tonight was the Scholarship Awards Dinner at Edison High School. It was the night my mom would present the first of four $500 scholarships to a deserving senior in my father's memory-The Edward Schneider Memorial Scholarship. My mom picked a senior with average grades who is going to pursue a career in the electrical field. The vice-principal introduced my mom by saying something like this,

Mr. Schneider was a beloved substitute here for the last two
years. Mrs. Schneider was a former secretary here. He was the
father-in-law of Ms. Sideris and Mr. Donner. His family has created this
scholarship in his memory.

It was a very touching evening. My dad would have been very happy. His love for Edison High School and the students there was so evident.

Remembering Grandpa

Before Kathryn went to bed last night she asked, "Mommy, where's Uncle?"

"He's at work," I replied.

"Oh yeah, that's right...Grandpa's car isn't there (Doug now drives my dad's van). Mommy, I still call it Grandpa's car. I really miss him. Maybe I can get a new Grandpa."

"Well, maybe Mr. Sideris, Mr. Normant or John (our neighbor) can do things with you that Grandpa used to do. They were all Grandpa's friends and they are very nice."
"No Mommy...I want a new Grandpa."

When Kathryn woke up this morning, she told me she had a dream about Grandpa.

He wanted a purple ring and she gave it to him up in the sky. "Grandpa was very happy, Mommy."

Ughhh...these conversations break my heart.

Strawberries, Nails and Such...

Today is six months since my dad passed away, and also began "the month of his birth" as he called it. June was most certainly his favorite...

Friday morning was kinda crazy...it was a beautiful day, and our plans with friends were cancelled at the last moment. Just as I was about to pull out our new kiddie pool, our neighbors called to see if we would like to go strawberry picking. Kathryn was delighted. "Mommy that's just what I wanted to do today!" So, we packed up and drove to Giamarese Farm in East Brunswick. It's a great little place, close to home with a large strawberry field. Kathryn and Madelyn had a grand time picking strawberries, filling up our box which was too heavy for Kathryn to carry by the end. Madelyn wanted to help our neighbors carry their small box of strawberries (see pic), and for that she was very proud of herself. The highlight of our morning just may have been the ice cream I allowed them to eat during lunchtime...they shared an ice cream sandwich so nicely, but of course ruined any appetite for a real lunch once we returned home.


I brought Kathryn with me to the nail salon yesterday. We went to a different spot than our usual because I had a gift card. Well, about half way through my pedicure Kathryn remarked, "Mommy, I think I like Luxi better." Luxi is the other nail salon. Luckily the woman painting my nails didn't understand English very well. Then, as I was getting my manicure she looked at me very seriously and said, "Mama, do you want to get your eyebrows done?" The client next to me said, "She's a piece of work." Isn't that the truth?


We broke out our new kiddie pool courtesy of Bill's sister Veronica today. It has a giraffe that spits out water, which was a big hit with the girls. Madelyn didn't know what to do at first-she probably doesn't remember ever being in a pool. But, what fun they had chasing one another around the yard and throwing buckets of water at Mommy and Daddy!