Lady of Leisure

This is how I found Piper hanging out while I was getting Josie dressed this morning:

Things I Love Lately

Just a note to talk about some of the things I have been enjoying lately.  You know, to influence this HUGE audience I have.

My BlenTec blender.  Yes, it is pricey, but it is AWESOME!  This thing can blend anything.  We have been blending apples, carrots, celery, making muffin batter, juices, anything.  We all have a green smoothie every day with lots of spinach or kale in it, along with fruit.  This thing blends it up so well you can't taste the greens.

 Some good books lately: Cutting for Stone and The Imperfectionists.  Both read on my Kindle, which I am also obsessed with.  I would recommend these two books to just about anyone.

 The new Panic at the Disco album: Vices & Virtues.  Good for working out.

The Moosewood cookbook - full of vegetarian and low fat recipes, that are delicious.  We have been eating most of our meals out of this cookbook over the past few weeks and they are almost all good.

Big birthdays and Memory Lane

About a month ago, I took a quick trip up to Quantico, VA to celebrate Alison Raper's 40th birthday.  Josh offered to watch the girls, so I left on a Saturday afternoon and came back Sunday night.  We spent a half-day at the spa and had lunch in Old Town Alexandria.  It was a surprise and she didn't know I was coming, nor did she know about the spa day. It was a fun little getaway.

Here's the birthday girl with all of us

 Angela and me at the spa

 Alison and me at the restaurant

While I was there, I took a little trip down memory lane.  We were stationed in Quantico in 2003 from January through September while Josh was at TBS and Initial Flight School.  It seems like forever ago and also like yesterday.  The town where we lived - Stafford - looked like a different place.  There is now a Target!  And a Chili's!  And a lot of other stuff!

Here are some pics I took (with my iPhone, so they are crappy) of our apartment complex.  Not much has changed there.  I picked this apartment because it was the ONLY place that allowed us to have a big, huge dog (what is up with the apartment discrimination against big yellow labs??)

A bit about Superheroes

Piper has her frog, Josie has...a cape?  Okay, whatever works.  Last week, our babysitter Brooke tied a blanket around Josie like a cape.  Ever since, she has insisted we put it on her as soon as she wakes in for the morning and from her naps.  Our little superhero!

Speaking of superheroes, this morning we woke up to the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed.  Finally, they got him.  I am so grateful for the superheroes that went in and got him.  This blog is about our babies, not about current events, but someday my girls will read this and I will talk to them about what happened to our country on 9/11, why they were born in North Carolina - so far from our families, and why their daddy is a United States Marine.  I think they will be as proud of him as I am.

hippity-hoppity Happy Easter

We had a great long holiday weekend.  We spent some time down at the beach with the Koupals, made our usual visit to the farmer's market, went on lots of walks, and ate lots of Easter candy.  Side note: I asked for Josh to put healthy things in my Easter basket this year, so he put almonds, trail mix, PLUS lots of crap.  I have been eating all the crap.

Josh's basket.

 My basket

The girls' new toy we bought them because we are too mean to let them eat junk

We had a great time at the beach with the Koupals.  However, Josie and Piper did NOT dig the beach.  We aren't sure why...the sand and the wind was a little too much for them maybe?  Or they were tired?  They sat in our laps the entire time.  However, aunt Jess got some great pics of them.

And Blue had the best day of his life playing with Clyde.

Kleigh and Alden both learned how to surf and Grey had fun being Grey

April 12th, plus more fun stuff

My birthday was a few weeks ago and I failed to write about the DELICIOUS cake Josh made me, along with the Taco dinner with homemade shells.  It was great! 

The rest of the week sort of went downhill with Josie coming down with a 105 degree fever.  A week later, we had her back in to see the doctor, this time with Bronchitis and a double ear infection.  ARGH.  I asked the doctor - a little desperately - when we might have healthy babies.  They have pretty much been sick since November.  We were warned that it would be a rough year and they were right.  The doctor thinks this might be the last gasp of winter illnesses.  I sure hope so. 

Here are some pics of some happier times in our household.  The cake - with all 34 candles

 Hipster Josie

 The girls used to let us snuggle and hold them while they drink their milk.  Now they are too big for that and want to lay down by themselves. 

A Mother's Prayer by Tina Fey

This is all over the place right now, but too perfect not to post. 

First, Lord: No tattoos. 

May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”

-Tina Fey

Our New Ride

Josie and Piper got a new ride a couple of weeks ago.  We take a lot of walks around here and the stroller was getting old.  The wagon is fun because they can face each other and play together (or annoy each other).  Last weekend, we all went out to the farmer's market with the wagon.  The girls always get lots of attention.  One nice man gave them a couple of little American flags to wave, so we walked through the market with our flags in the wagon.

Sweet 16 Months: Things I Love

Josie and Piper are sixteen months!  We took this picture yesterday right before we headed to their friend, Ellie Kate's, first birthday party.  We had a great time - thanks for having us Larsons!

The girls are slowly starting to talk more.  Josie says more words and is more willing to learn and Piper is still content to point and grunt.  She gets her point across.  This month, I thought I would share some of the things that I love that they are doing right now:

I love...

• When they play with my hair
• To make them laugh, to listen to them make each other laugh, and when Josh makes them laugh
• When Piper points at things and says "dis!"
• When Josie "sings".  She just "learned" how to sing the other day and walks around singing her little songs 
• When they "pretend" to eat with a spoon and a cup
• Josie's recent interest cuddling
• Watching them explore outside, looking at pinecones and leaves
• When they pick up a book and turn around and reverse into our laps so we can read together
• Watching Piper's imagination develop.  She likes to sit her dolls on her chair and walk back and forth between them "talking" to them
• Listening to them play and talk before they fall asleep
• Having them show us their hair, their tummies, their ears and their nose

Story Without Pictures

Yesterday was a warm day.  The girls got up early and I put them in springy dresses without leggings or bums underneath.  They were in the playroom while I got breakfast ready.  It sounded like they were having fun, so I didn't check on bother them.  At some point, I looked over and saw a diaper had been thrown over the gate.  I squinted, "Is that really a diaper?"  I walked over to find Josie walking around with no diaper.  Then I looked a little closer and found Four Little Turds scattered throughout the playroom.

*There are no pictures with this blog post for obvious reasons

Shamrock Marathon: The Boston Qualifier

I ran my fifth marathon yesterday - the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.  It was a great race - one I doubt I'll be able to replicate for a long time.  I ran it in 3:34:35 and qualified for the Boston Marathon, a long time goal of mine.  It was a beautiful day - mid-40s to mid-50s - perfect for running.  I ran a 'negative split' race, which means the second half was slightly faster than the first.  For the first time in all of my marathons, I didn't fall off the pace at the end of the race and was able to maintain my 8:10 pace throughout the race.  And when I finished, I truly felt like I couldn't run one more step.

The best thing about this race was having Josh and the girls there with me.  It was not easy for Josh to deal with the girls AND Blue for the 4 hours that I was gone Sunday morning.  And it is a lot of work for our family to go anywhere for a night right now.  Josh did it all without one word of complaint.  He was also 100 percent supportive of my training over the past few months.  I try to do most of my running when the girls are sleeping, but there are times when that doesn't happen and Josh never complains when I head out the door for a long run.   I'm looking forward to stepping back and relaxing on the running for the rest of the year and running Boston next April.

Some notable memories from the weekend:

• We got to see the Rapers for dinner Saturday night.  They were in town house hunting since they are moving to Virginia Beach in a few months.  We met up at Carrabba's and had fun catching up.
• The girls were great little travelers again and slept about half of the drive up and half of the drive back.  
• Blue was also a good traveler and seemed happy to be with his family.  I hope he becomes as comfortable as Jackson was traveling with us.  
• Some of my favorite signs during the race: "Duh...Winning" and "You're Pretty and Smart".  They made me smile.
• At about mile 10, the race took us through Fort Storey.  There were about 50 army men and women cheering us on and I high fived most of them.  Then about 20 yards later, there were a bunch of navy folks.  Slapped them five too. 
• At the half, the course took us down the boardwalk and I saw a yellow lab running on the beach and playing in the water.  It brought me to tears thinking about how much I miss my best pal, Jackson. 
• I had some good tunes for the race with some good recommendations from Brynn and Conor.  It's a good thing too since I ran this completely on my own. 

Pictures...

Josie and Piper waiting in the stroller for mommy to finish.

 At the end - just about to cross the finish

 All done, so happy to be done!

 Proof - and notice how far I really ran! 

At the race expo.  I really should have gotten some pictures with Josh!

Babies vs. Puppy

Blue is starting to settle in as the fifth member of our family.  He's getting better with the potty training and getting more free time outside of his crate as a result.  He is also getting a lot of nice walks outside in our spring weather.  Piper still loves him; Josie still isn't so sure.  We definitely have our hands full.  I wouldn't compare having a puppy to having a baby, but they do require a lot of time and attention at this age.  We aren't complaining though - we love having him and figure we may as well have all the chaos at once.

There have been some funny moments with Blue and the girls.  He is learning his limits with them and figuring out that he can't tackle them to the ground or put his teeth on them (although Piper just laughs when he does do that).  However, one thing I don't think he'll quite figure out for awhile is why he can't play with their toys.  They are spread out all over and look like the perfect chew toy for him!  The other day the girls were playing in the playroom and Blue kept running up to the gate to check in on them.  I heard Piper screaming and then break down crying.  I expected to look in to see her bleeding or something.  It turns out she threw her frog over the gate and Blue snatched it up.  Her beloved frog!  And Blue was happily chewing away. Another time, I spotted Piper walking around snuggling up to an old gross stuffed Turtle that Blue was playing with - an old toy of Jackson's.  Ewww! 

This is how it typically plays out.  Here the girls are luring him over to play.  

 And here are the toys they've thrown over the gate for him to play with...

 And finally, here's Blue who escaped to his spot to chew on a baby toy.

Stay tuned for more babies vs. puppy.

Beach time

It's officially spring here in eastern NC now, so we decided to take trip down to the beach.  We loaded up the car with the dog, his kennel, the girls, stroller and snacks, had some lunch at a pizza joint by the beach, and headed over.  We ended up pushing the stroller in the sand on the beach in the wind.  Sort of a workout!  The girls liked getting out and walking in the sand and Blue loved walking along the beach with us.  We can't wait to get down there a bit more this spring and summer.

Bath Time

The girls LOVE bath time.  They have 800 toys and daddy lets them splash around and have a blast.  Here's some video Josh took the other day of the splash fest.

Rise and shine

Every morning, we bring the girls their milk to drink in their cribs before they 'get up'.  It's like their morning coffee and they're a little cranky until they drink it.  But as soon as it's out of the way, they pop up for some playtime.  When I go in there to get them 20 minutes later, they have usually thrown both sippy cups into each other's cribs, as well as all the 'friends' they sleep with.  On this particular morning I decided to spy on their little game.

This is Piper's crib.  Both teddy bears that daddy bought while they were in the NICU ended up in there this morning, as well as Josie's doggy lovey.  Both sippy cups got thrown on the floor.  Sometimes I am not really sure who drank what milk.  I sat there and watched them pass everything back and forth to each other about five times.

Josie is ready to get up.

The one thing Piper won't give up is the green frog.  She loves that thing!  She usually brings it to her high chair with her to eat breakfast.  

15 Months

Here we are again - another month gone by.  The girls had their 15 month appointment yesterday and they have moved fully into the toddler stage.  Walking, starting to say words, and showing some attitude! 

Here are some updates on measurements and what they've each been up to:

Josie Bear
Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (10th - 25th percentile)
Height: 30 3/4 inches (50th percentile)
Head: 18 1/2 inches
Words: Thank you (sort of), mama, dada, doh doh (doggy), bye bye, mmmmmm (supposed to be moo for a cow)
Favorite things: snuggling, eating,  sticking out her lower lip when she's upset, showing us her tummy

Piper
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz (10th percentile)
Height: 30 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
Head: 18 1/2 inches
Words: DOGGY (said constantly all day long), daddy
Favorite things: DOGGIES, her green frog lovey, pointing at things, showing us her hair (random!), pulling my hair, 'pretending' to eat with a spoon and a bowl ( because she thinks she's so big), riding on her Winnie the Pooh car. 

Meet Blue

Meet the newest member of our family - Blue.  He is a Goldendoodle and came home to us last Saturday at 8 weeks old.  So far, he is a very good boy.  He is now used to his kennel (no more crying in there) and starting to 'get' the whole potty training thing.  He's also been on lots of walks already with our nice spring weather and has made it down to the road and back several times (1.3 miles).  We can already tell Blue is going to be a good boy.

The girls have had a mixed reaction to Blue.  Like so many things, they are approaching him pretty differently.  Piper's reaction was priceless.  To her, it was hands down the best day of her life.  Her favorite word is 'doggy' and she says it at least 150 times per day.  I don't even have to describe her excitement because it's all on video:

Josie is characteristically approaching him with a bit more caution.  She has figured out that he has sharp little puppy teeth and isn't interested in getting too close (while Piper repeatedly sticks her hands in his mouth over and over and then laughs hysterically).

Both girls think the kennel is pretty cool:

Welcome to the family Blue!