Tale of Two Sisters & A New Brother

Caileigh got the chance to go to the Circus with Grandma & Grandpa tonite and had a great time. She couldn't stop talking about the dissapearing "gravity man", elephant and the tight rope walkers! What a fun time and she got the dvd so we can all watch it!

Keira missed her sister and kept saying "Caileigh, Caileigh" the whole night. I kept saying "she's at the circus" and she would say "circus?" but kept saying her name! She missed her!

Big Halloween parade in the neighborhood today! The Hello Kitties had a great time marching with their friends and eating lots of cookies. Unfortunately Keira stuck stickers on her face yesterday that were worse than bandaids trying to get them off her face, so she didn't have much makeup on today.

Can't wait for trick or treat tomorrow!

Yay how fun was trick or treat!! Keira, Caileigh & John got all dressed up and went out in the cold knocking on houses anc collecting candy. Keira made it about an hour but JOhn said that was because he carried her most of the way! She came back got warm and handed out candy with me while Caileigh stayed out for another hour. She enjoyed her "nets" aka raisinets. Caileigh brought home lots of chocolate and had a great time!

Check up day for the girls! Poor things both got 3 shots each and cried and cried! Caileigh grew 4 inches and gained 5 pounds since last year! Wahoo - her first growth spurt!! Keira only gained 7 ounces since her 18 month appointment but she sure feels heavier. Other than that great checks ups for the girls!

Keira is our resident "stink bug" spotter. It doesn't matter where they are - ceiling, lights, floor, bathroom .. she spots them a mile away and says "MINK BUG!!" and comes running to me to kill them. Pretty funny!

She and Caileigh are really having fun together- Keira will only wear what Caileigh is wearing unless I can convince her that its pink or really really cute. Unfortunately I don't have alot of matching outfits so they wear alot of the same tnings!

Caileigh is a little mother of course and makes sure if Keira is not behaving "properly" or doing what she is supposed to do! Keira loves it and doesn't hesitate to say NO! all.the.time. We're hoping that turns to "YES" soon!

Happy 5th Birthday Caileigh!!

To my Caileigh Cecelia, you are as sweet as you were when you were born. Loving, kind, funny, cautious, shy, concerned, helpful and giving and the light of our family! I hope the next 5 years are as fun as the first 5!

Love
Mom!

Its party day! Breakfast was fun with all the kids and then Caileigh went off to gymnastics. Jack stayed behind and helped me to get everything ready. We were blessed with a fantastic day weather wise again and so grateful that everyone came and celebrated with us. She has enough clothes to keep her in new outfits for months !

The end of September already and I barely posted a thing! Sorry! I don't even think I have many pictures to post except for the 100 that Caileigh took with my camera this weekend. Between she and Madison they were the amateur photographers in the group. But actually, the pictures are pretty good!

So backing up - Caileigh and I went to OSU this weekend to see some of my old friends. We met up with Fran, Madison & Megan, Kim Jess & baby Gryphon, Melanie, Doreena, Chris Stafford & her 4 adorable kids and Terri VanDeCarr! So nice to see everyone again! It took about 10 minutes before the girls to get reacquainted before they were asking if they could have a sleepover in the hotel! So neat to see them have such a great time together and even better to spend time with my girlfriends. So the field hockey team lost but the game was fun to watch. I think I could still play! Ha ha!!

John had some quality time with Keira and then played golf so Grammy had quality time with Keira! She was excited to see Caileigh again on Sunday and kept calling out "caaa lleeeee"! That and "Adios Amigos" - her new fun word to say!

I promise to go back and fill in some of the month & upload some pics and video soon!

Working backwards to recap the last few weeks since I've been slacking on updating. Yesterday & today John & I are at Nemacolin enjoying done r&r golf, pool, 40 ft ropes course while the girls enjoy being spoiled for two days by their grandparents! In sure they will be sad to leave when we pick them up tonite but I'll be glad to see them again! Even a few days and I miss the "Nos!" and " well mooom I told you that already!" sort of!

Caileigh started a new gymnastics class today. A new school opened up down the street so off she went with a friend from the neighborhood. She loved it! And she was doing all the things she did a few years back before Rising Stats closed so it was fun to see. Balance beam, trampoline, parallel bars- fun times. She really enjoyed it! Keira didn't go with us but I know as soon as she goes she'll want to do it too !

What a busy couple of weeks for the girls. It seems that Caileigh's ear is finally cleared up so maybe we can swim this weekend again! Keira's cough is pretty much gone & all her molars are IN so she's been sleeping well. Usually she gets up around 6:30 and we snuggle for awhile before getting up and ready for the day. Caileigh told me that she likes to sleep in so no cuddling with her anymore :( !

In addition to her desire for more sleep is her new found love of pop songs. For instance she was singing "carry my" "carry my" "no you can (insert a non word here) poker face, and when I advised her they were the wrong words she didn't believe me. Thanks Sydney.

But her favorite song is "like airplanes and shooting skies I could really use a wish right now". Thanks Aunt Amanda. And finally the famous Rihanna & Eminem song that I won't type here but its about burning and lying. Thanks Aunt Kelly.

Where did my little girl go??

Fun sleepover for the girls tonite at Grammy & Pap Paps! John & I went to Allan's golf outing and then to the Harp and in the morning got to check out the new Consol Center! And, went to the pool without a huge bag of sunscreen, nodles, ear plugs or snacks. Just a book, towel and a hat! Fun day !

Well Caileigh's ear finally looks like its starting to get a bit better, she did have some kind of infection but hopefully these drops will take care of it. She'll be happy to be able to swim again! It was kind of nice not having the pool as an option so we could hang out in the backyard and get some things done around the house.

John gave Caileigh her first golf lesson with her two clubs and she was swinging away! Mostly hitting the ground but that's ok for the first time! Keira just liked chasing the bubbles.

But then when we came back inside and I went to put Keira to bed she had those welts on her legs again that looked like hives. We gave her benadryl and they went away some. Off to Trinity's birthday party and the welts got redder but then faded after more benadryl. Not sure what it is but she does have a cold & cough so it may be viral again. She's off to the dr Tues so hope we don't have to go sooner!

Caileigh is off school tomorrow so she's sleeping over at her grandparents tonite!

Congrats Aunt Amanda & Steve on getting engaged! Very exciting and a gorgeous ring! Caileigh is already asking when the wedding is!

Off to the store today with the girls to get thermos and lunch boxes since we have to pack their lunches starting this week. And Caileigh starts back to preschool already in a new room. Mr. Jarvis will be her teacher this year since she is one of the oldest kids now! He's a really good teacher and teaches the kids spanish so watch out Dora!!

Then it was off to get the girls much needed haircuts (well Caileigh anyway) although she said she only wanted a trim but Ms. Laurie cut enough so its a bit thinner at least. Keira wasn't too thrilled with cut but she liked it at the end. We had pizza with the new neighbors and stayed out way too late!

Happy 10th Birthday Kyle!! The kids went to Aunt Kelly's during the day and then over to Aunt Molly's for Kyle's party. It was a mean game of 4 square with the cousins, even Caileigh played! Kyle got an ipod touch which was the hit of the party! Can't wait until he figures out how to use it!

Well we're back and starting to come back to reality! Girls went back to Mt Nazareth after 2 weeks away and everyone was happy to see them. Keira is now saying "Emily" (her teacher) along with a ton of other words! She is talking on the phone saying "hello" and "loveyou" and "BYE" (all very loud!). You can definitely see that she is understanding a lot more now and also getting more obstinate! Her "NOs" are very loud too!

We have new neighbors too and they have two dogs - a German Shepherd named Apollo and a Mutt named Buddy. The girls met them on Saturday and as expected Keira went right up to them and petted Buddy again and again, walking away and then walking right back over. Caileigh was more reluctant and she petted them once or twice and that was enough for her. Surprisingly both dogs seem pretty calm so we'll see if that lasts!

Last day at the beach! And it figures its cold and windy outside! So we went for a walk on the nature trail this morning before heading down to the beach one last time. No surprise the beach was even windier and everyone was wrapping towels around their legs. No one went in the water because it was so chilly but that didn't stop Caileigh from playing and digging! She was thrilled she finally didn't have to wear a hat (it wouldn't stay on her head!). Keira was her usual self wandering around asking for "cackers" and "juice!" (won't she be surprised when we get back home and she doesn't get juice anymore!). She actually fell asleep walking back to the house and took a good nap with her suit on.

Everyone was sad to leave but a great week with our cousins and aunts/uncles. I think Caileigh will really miss all the "I Carly" shows on Nickelodeon that her cousins love to watch. Up early tomorrow to drive home bright and early!

Sorry we were having so much fun I forgot to update! Keira is finally used to the sand, she now likes to walk to the people next to us to say "HELLO" (or see if they have food) or chase after some random dog. She does love the pool and hopefully once John gets through all 1000 pictures he took you can see her do her famous "1-2-3" jump! She will let all the boys and guys hold her in the water but still isn't thrilled with Aunt MK (unless she has food of course!).
As for Caileigh well she's busy busy building digging for treasures, pouring water in the holes dug by her cousins, or finding shark's teeth. And she's loving the pool (no surprise) swimming like a fish all around!

Weather has cooled off but the ocean water got warmer! Go figure! Enjoying every minute!!

Gorgeous day today! Much cooler than yesterday perfect for building sand castles on the beach! Caileigh is content to play in the sand and build castles the whole time and Keira even walked in the sand for awhile. She refused to sleep on the beach so she took a long nap back at the house. Still isn't thrilled with going to anyone exc. Aunt Kelly Aunt Molly and Uncle Joe.

Happy 14th birthday to Meghan-- her first away from her parents!!

First full day started with good night sleep for both girls. Got up early to walk to the beach - a bit further than we thought. Well it appears that Keira will not be a happy camper at the beach given her refusal to even out her feet down on the sand. Something tells me we'll be spending lots of time at the pool!

Caileigh on the other hand was thrilled to play in the sand all morning, building castles digging holes. Too bad the water was like ice! Strange considering it's 100 degrees here! Keira took a nice nap on the beach and then even walked a few steps for some Graham crackers. Progress!

Back to the house for lunch and naps and then some fun in the pool. Keira is a big fan on 1-2-3 jump in the pool but so far she's not letting her dad hold her in the pool--ugh!!

So now we're relaxing waiting for dinner made by the Ryans! Hope everyone is having fun in Pittsburgh!

Ps. John is in charge of picture so we'll see when we get some uploaded.

We made it! What a long journey complete with a stop at the "minute clinic" for both girls to check ears (caileigh won the prize for swimmers ear), Keira puking after lunch and lines and mess of traffic! It was nice to see Aunt Mk and uncle Kevin Aunt Beth and Kasey! More details to come throughout the week. I need some sleep now!!

Its been way too long since I've updated but life has been busy and crazy so I haven't had a chance to journal. I'll backtrack and hit the highlights!

One week until we are at the beach....that's all we'll talk about this week!

Fun day at St Sebs festival although Keira didn't think so. She only rode the Merry Go Round and would only sit on the bench. However as soon as it started she started to wave to everyone like she was in a parade!! Caileigh is quite the roller coaster/ride lover now. Too bad John got stuck taking her on the spinning rides!

What a fun day with Aunt Amanda & Aunt Ashley taking the girls to the zoo! They saw all the cool animals and then went to Grammy & Pap Pap's house after to take a long nap (well Keira did anyway). AnnAmanda and Steve brough them home after a long day and Keira kept waving and saying
"bye bye"!!

Quick update on Keira.... what a difference a few days makes, her skin is almost 100% better today and her cough and runny nose are almost gone! Whew what a relief! She went from looking like a burn victim to her normal self. We didn't even make it to the dr since she looked so much better this morning. The nurse thought it was viral rash and daycare said they had another girl with the same thing so that seems to make the most sense. We'll follow up with an allergy dr just to be safe.

Yay for seeing Keira's skin again!

Wow - its been awhile since I brought everyone up to date - what a busy month!

Good news, this site is staying up so I'll continue to post here as long as I can!

Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day! Ours started out at Children's ER for a rash all over Keira. You can check it out in the pictures! She's a trooper, it got worse today so hopefully it will be much better tomorrow. Not sure what it is from so we'll be digging into that more as we go. Just hoping it goes away soon and her cough gets better.

We were entertained tonite by Caileigh performing her 2nd favorite musical - Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Wicked is her first!) Act one is in her regular clothes and Act 2 was after a bath in her pajamas. Hope you enjoy the videos!

Well we just spent a few hours at the pool this morning before heading to Aunt Kelly's for a picnic. Caileigh swam great and did a few cannonballs off the diving board. Keira and John stayed home, neither feeling 100%. Then Keira got a red rash on her legs that looked itchy so we had to give her some benadryl and call the dr. Hope it goes away so we can avoid the ER on a holiday!

What a great Saturday to open the pool! Caileigh started asking what time we were going the minute she woke up. You can tell she was excited b/c she didn't even want to come to the MALL with me! Which was fine b/c I had little time and much to return!

The weather was gorgeous and Caileigh was like an old fish back in water! She went right to the diving board and jumped over and over. She & John stayed until 6 pm and she had a nice sunburn to show for it (grrr!). Keira on the other hand is still fighting a cough and runny nose so she wasn't thrilled with the water until some time passed and then she was mad I made her get out! She took quite a nap when we got home. Yay for summer!

Well poor Keira can't catch a break. Her cough isn't getting any better and she's spiking fevers again so off to the drs she went. Respiratory infection so another round of antibiotics for her. Hopefully it will get rid of her cough once & for all!

Another big day for Caileigh - her gymnastics show at Jewarts! The whole gang was coming so we actually had to get a babysitter for the first time for Keira! Caileigh did great doing all her tumbling moves to perfection, and was thrilled to see everyone after the show. We celebrated with ice cream of course!

Keira did well with the babysitter except by the time we got home she was up all hot & sweaty with another fever so we'll see what tomorrow brings...

Today was Caileigh's big play at preschool. I didn't know what to expect since she didn't tell us much about it but I was sure glad I went! She did great. They sang about 5 songs and did a bunch of polish, italian and american dances. The play was about going from Pittsburgh to Italy and Poland where the class' pen pals live. Caileigh spoke in the microphone twice (!) and wasn't nervous at all - I was so proud of her!! We have it all on video !

Good news that Keira is finally starting to feel better and seems back to her old self!

A nice nite out last night for John & I- first in awhile it seems and then golfing today (thanks both sets of Grandparents!). Gorgeous day to be out on the course while Caileigh & Keira reveled in all the attention of their aunts and grandparents!

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms especially mine whom we miss very much. Mom would have been so proud of Caileigh today. She braved the really cold weather, got up really early and did the Race for the Cure. Her 4th year "racing" or (5th if you count in utero). Keira had a cold/ cough again so she and John stayed home and got brunch ready for everyone at the house. It was a wonderful morning despite the cold, perfect way to honor moms!!

My wonderful husband made me a photo book of the girls which I love and Caileigh made me a book! Yes it's called "My Cat" - she wrote and illustrated it! You can be sure we'll save that for a long time!

Well Keira was supposed to have her first music class today but her teacher never showed up! Bummer! Caileigh is getting ready for her gymnastic show at the end of the month. We are all very excited to see her perform!

Happy Birthday Joey!! And good luck Aunt MK-- we'll miss you in Massachusetts!

Well Keira's (16 mos today) new favorite word is "bubble" which she says constantly. That and "dank you". She also finally has another tooth popping out on the bottom and I think one on the top. Cute as a button!

And it was Caileigh's second week at soccer and she did great! Check out the videos of her at practice and on the field!

What a fun playdate we had today with all our friends and their kids! Colin, Caileigh, Vivian, Jack, Corinne, Mitchell, Carter, Maeve, Keira, Tyler & Chloe (I hope I got them all). All the kids got along great and can't wait to get together again. The highlight was when Jack decided to eat lunch in just his underwear!!

Yikes, too long since I've updated so I'll go back and make up the missed days & fill you in on this weekend, b/c its a busy one! But before I forget (which I tend to do!) I wanted to add a few things that Keira has been doing that make us laugh!

-- she's starting to say more words, but mostly she just likes to hear her voice so she'll be in her car seat or at dinner saying "la la la, loo loo, daah daah" nonstop! And then she realizes she's being funny and will laugh and laugh!

-- she gets very upset when you try to change her clothes in the morning and she's not ready. Haruumph! And she pulls her arms away so you can't take her pjs off!

--- after bath, she no longer is content to lay down and get dried off, oh no, she likes to walk around with her hooded towel on her head naked! Me & Caileigh like to shake her dimpled butt!

-- she is so different from her sister b/c when she is tired, she wants to go to bed! I can rock her for less than a minute and she is squirming to lay down. AND lately (I shouldn't even say this..) but I'll hear her in the morning just talking to herself when she wakes up and I go in and she's just sitting up holding her blanket sucking on the bink! No crying!!

--- she's starting to take direction really well! So I can hand her socks and say "put them in your drawer" and off she goes to her room & puts them away! I was AMAZED! I must have forgotten these times with Caileigh!

--- she is still not a great sharer and that's ok but it sure is funny when I give her two crackers, one to share with her sister, she walks over to Caileigh and as soon as Caileigh puts out her hand, she beelines to the other side of the room, both crackers in hand! Luckily Caileigh is a sweetie and very patient with her sister!

--- mostly she loves to follow Caileigh around and do what she is doing & loves when Caileigh runs around and plays with her. They both start giggling and its the best sound ever!

In typical mommy style, I banged my toe on the bedpost and now am hobbling around again. So much for my exercise comeback! Ha ha!

We were sad to say good-bye to the Strongs but can't wait to go visit them in Chicago! Its so nice to have a life long friend and have your kids be friends too! We spent the rest of the day relaxing - everyone was tired!!

Well the weather didn't quite cooperate so we stayed inside most of the morning and the girls played & played. Keira was fascinated to have two more girls around so she just followed the girls around all morning. And she loved wearing a tiara as you can see from the pictures!
Then after lunch we went to the Jumping Castle until all 3 girls were sufficiently exhausted! Then after a nice dinner (with great stories by Madison!), smores & strawberry mousse it was off to bed for the kids and relaxing for the adults!