Ansley's Last Day of School and Graduation

May 9th was Ansley's last day of school at Mother's Day Out.  It is so hard to believe the changes she's made in just one school year!  We are so thankful for the sweet heart she has and spunky little personality all rolled up into a cute little package.  Over this past year she has learned to say and recognize all the letters in her name (along with several others) and spell them aloud, count from 1-20 with pretty good accuracy, and she's getting really good at writing her name.  She loves to make sound patterns with clapping, etc, color with paint, and sing "It's My Father's House".  She is doing extraordinary at recognizing bible stories by looking at pictures and her prayers usually bring us to tears.  She loves to joke, laugh about saying booty and poop (yes, we are trying to break that), and her favorite phrase is.....Awww!  I'm just kidding!!!

First day of school 2012

Last day of school  2013

She gave us a big wave before her program

She looked so big up there!

Singing next to her friend, Elizabeth

Charli was so proud of her big sister

She was so excited for the whole program

Ansley's favorite supporter that night was Brynn.  She was so concerned if she was going to be able to make it!

I mean...precious.

We tried to get a family pic, but you can see how that turned out.  Charli was NOT in the mood!

We got one with our sweet girl before the night ended.  

Just can't believe the difference in a year.  I'm sure we'll be surprised every year following too.  Love our girl and can't wait to see what God does in the future.

Charli Suttyn: 11 Months

I don't see how in the world it's possible, but this little girl is 11 months!  It's unbelievable that in a few short weeks, she'll be ONE!!
*You are starting to realize you're a little rough when it comes to your hands (sometimes they flail violently at us), so after you take an eye out, you pat us ever so gently. As if to say....I know that I'm rough... but look, Mommy, here's how I can be gentle.  Little turkey! :)

*You are quite the crawler and you pull up to everything, but no walking yet!  We have bets on when you'll REALLY be on the move!

*Blowing kisses is your new favorite thing to do....with your hand over your mouth, nose, and practically your whole face, you blow us sweet kisses.  

*You're appetite has dramatically decreased over the last couple of weeks.  Peas, cheerios, oatmeal, crackers, blueberries, strawberries, puffs, and cheese are just about the only things we can get you to eat these days.  Actually, you would nurse all day if I'd let you and IF I had enough supply.  Needless to say, weaning you has not quite happened yet. :)

*We've learned that taking you to a restaurant is getting more and more challenging.  You're quite the squealer and we usually can't keep you occupied during an entire dinner.  Staying in the highchair for that long is grueling for you, so our days of restaurant hopping is slowing just a bit. :( 

*You LOVE to play in Ansley's room. Usually that's where you can be found.  You're fascinated with all her barbies, princesses, and books.  I love that the two of you play so well together, side by side.

A Day at the Conservation Center and the Tunnel!

Ansley's class took a field trip to the Conservation Department last Thursday.  My mom, Jason, Charli, and I went along for the fun.  We first took a hike on the trail and then into the Nature Center.  It was our first time going and I was impressed!  Ansley loved to look at all the fish, turtles, even gar!, and enjoyed some of the activities that they offered there, including the turkey call station :).  It was great to finally see Ansley interact with some of her little friends that she always mentions.  I usually try to sneak a peak in her classroom just to see how she plays, laughs, and talks with her buddies.  I've been hearing an awful lot about Chase these days and I finally got to meet the little feller.  He was hilarious while we were walking the trail with the naturalist.  He would spout out some of the funniest answers to her questions and then take off running without the rest of us.  He is so cute!  

This was his camera face.  He looks so funny with his rolled eyes and shaved patch of hair (that he apparently did while no one was watching).  

I finally got a normal one!

Listening to our guide :)

Inside with the fish

Our sweet little elk :)

Our family shot, which turns out, Ansley wasn't even looking and Jason was in a suit! Oh well.

After the conservation center, we went home to play before naptime.  Ansley and Charli decided to get out the princess tunnel and I've never heard them laugh so hard in all my life.  They LOVED it!  It's our new form of entertainment.

In and out of the tunnel they went

She was so excited to hide in this from Charli

It was a fun day!

Charli Suttyn: 10 Months

You are doing so many fun things.  I can't even believe the cuteness most days.  You are just adorable with your infectious and sweet smile.  Our hearts are bursting with love for you, Char.  

*We are loving your open-mouthed slobbery kisses these days.  We can't seem to get enough of them.  Ansley loves to sign "more" to you, so she can have just a few more.  That seems to do the trick.  We are just smitten with you.

*Our nightly ritual has turned into a humming embrace from you and some soothing little pats on my back.  It's actually the ONLY moment during the day that I can keep you still.  I soak in my much needed loves from you and then you let me know you're ready to lie down.  I always blow a kiss and then most of the time you clap as I'm closing the door.  It's just our way of saying goodnight to each other right now and I never want to forget these sweet moments with you.
  
*When you're upset, you've started the most pitiful thing ever.....you plop yourself flat on your face (almost in a little ball) with your face in your hands, and bawl.  It is awful and hilarious all rolled up.  I've started noticing it when you've fussed a little bit (maybe I don't get there in 2 seconds flat) or you get frustrated with a toy.  This is your "my feelings are hurt" fit.  It's awful because I feel bad that you're soo upset that you fall on your face, but on the other hand, I laugh because you're seriously too little to already be having these little meltdowns!  I love coming to your rescue, but I'm afraid what these little "fits" might turn into :/

*We celebrated your first Easter!

*You might be allergic to something.....We're still investigating but as of right now, I think it's eggs.  Yikes!  I'm praying you grow out of this.

*You like to sit with one leg bent in front of you and one bent behind you.  I think it's adorable, so I thought I would mention it. :)

*We have started to do some signing with you.  You have gotten pretty good at signing "more" and "all done".  It is such a sweet feeling to know that you are able to understand and communicate with us (other than grunts and squeals :)).

*You say "Aggie" for Ansley and "Allay" for Alleigh.  It is so precious.

*You are a squealer (especially when you're with daddy)....plain and simple.

*You like to walk while holding our hands and you have just started becoming pretty independent with your walker, but you'd prefer to crawl.  You even stand for a few seconds before easing yourself back down into a sitting position.  One of your favorite places to pull yourself up is by our barstools in the kitchen for some reason. ?  It must be the perfect height because you stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down....all the while grinning from ear to ear at your big accomplishment.

*You are sleeping all of twelve hours, but most nights even more with a wake up time of 8:30.  You love to sleep on your belly and snuggle with your pink minky blanket.  You usually nap from 10:30-12 and 2:30-4, unless you're at Pamaw's.  Lately, your average is about an hour max (not good for Pamaw)!

*You have become quite the little singer here recently.  Your humming and sweet sounds are so soothing. :)

*Your favorite toys right now are your barnyard refrigerator toy, the gear caterpillar, Little People's house, Elmo phone, and makeup mirror.

Final Days in Boston

Friday was a day we'd never thought we'd see or experience first hand.  The entire city of Boston went on lock-down (all forms of transportation were shutdown) and no one was to leave their shelter because the bombers were identified and had been discovered in the MIT area. I was shocked by the news and a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to see more of the city, but to be honest, it was one of the most relaxing days I've had in forever! Jason went to his meetings as usual, while I basically stayed in the room the entire day watching every newscast I could find.  I surfed channels looking for the most up-to- date info.  EVERY station was covering the manhunt.  This day of lock-down actually turned out to be perfect and needed (after being in and out of naps and ordering room service) :) That evening the shelter in place was lifted and we moseyed out into the city to find some grub. Unfortunately, nearly everything was closed, but we found some Italian restaurants open in the North end. Woo hoo! Can't keep an Italian down! We ate at Giacomo's with about 20 others MAX packed into about a 15 x 15 room (we could barely get to our table). Let's just say...it was quite personal!  We LOVED our cute little waitress, Rosemarie. She was hilarious. After filling our bellies with some amazing pasta and calamari, we realized they were cash only (the host said to Jason..."Hey Booosss, it's caaash only Haire"-in the best Boston accent you can imagine.  Needless to say, we repeated his phrase the REST of the week!). Not good when you are $20 shy of what you need (and we didn't have our debit card), kinda puts you into a scramble! Jason immediately took off out the door trying to find a solution. Thankfully, after being gone for 20 minutes, he came back with cash in hand (whew!!!). Good thing, I was getting some nasty looks my way for holding a table for that long. The line was all the way down the street and it was nearly 9:30. I felt horrible, but we had no choice other than washing dishes!

This was the entire size of the restaurant

After leaving, we headed to Mike's Pastry (a famous Italian pastry shop that we had tried to go to 2 years ago with the Ogburns, but gave up when the line was wrapped around and down the street!). We got in because not many other Bostonians were searching out food at that hour after the previous events that occurred.

Don't mind that he's stuffing his face with the best canoli ever!

Our final day in Boston we walked through the Boston Commons, took the trolley to all the historical places, watched the Red Sox and Bruins play in one of the most famous local pubs, took a boat ride around the wharf, and shopped on Washington Avenue.

This sweet man told us about some of the 9/11 victims that were on this memorial.  He has researched their lives and tried to learn their stories.  We thought it was so touching that he knew so many of them. 

Our pub stop for the games

Our boat ride around the wharf

After all that, we had dinner at the Red Lantern (an amazing Asian Fusion restaurant) not far from our hotel.  Their crunchy roll was unbelievable and their Lobster wontons were amazing too. Can you tell we're foodies?! YUM.   

Our Boston trip had to end some time.  We loved the city, enjoyed our uninterrupted time together, but missed the girls terribly.  We trekked home with a cooler full of milk for Charli, a crazy stuffed monkey for both of them, and almost another lady's luggage (thank goodness for cell phones!).  We're home in one piece.  Thank you, Lord!!!

Boston Strong....continued.

The next day, Jason had meetings so I walked the streets of Boston (let me remind you again...police were EVERYWHERE) and I nearly walked every street in the Boston area! My first stop was the marathon memorial at the exact moment when a man was placing the three white wooden crosses that you now see in just about every memorial picture on the news. It was such a humbling moment. To make this moment even more touching I could hear bells from a neighboring church playing "God Bless America". I was literally in tears as I mourned the victims, as well as, thanked The Lord for reminding me that every day is a gift from Him.  Thank you Lord.

The rest of the day seemed pretty insignificant in comparison. However, I did refresh some of my history facts and made a few stops into some of my favorite little shops in Beantown before heading back for dinner with the hubs.

Quincy Market eating lunch (did you know that Quincy Market is visited more than Disney World in a year's time?!! Just wanted to share that new factoid I learned.)

Next, on to the Chart House that evening (one of the best meals I've had). The lobster bisque was amazing! And guess who's prime rib that is....that's right.  Mine!  The hubs ate fish and it paled in size compared to my ginormous plate of food. Ha!

The trees at Faneuil Hall

After dinner, we walked along the wharf, around Faneuil Hall, and then along some of the freedom trail in the downtown area. We indulged in some Pinkberry and then headed in for the night around 11:30. When we returned to our room, the news was broadcasting a shooting of an MIT police officer with 2 accomplices (at this point, we didn't realize the two were connected to the bombings).  We had no idea what the next day would bring.

Boston Strong

We had an extraordinary trip to Boston this week. I know that phrase seems strange to most after the tragic events that recently took place, but it was just that....extraordinary. We've had the privilege of traveling to Boston 2 years ago with our friends, Alex and Meredith. Details of that trip can be found HERE. This year on Tuesday, we had to make an important decision to either, leave for Boston under the recent circumstances or stay home safely with our babies. Most people reading this would be thinking, these people are crazy if they even THOUGHT about going! Well, that's the funny part...we thought about it AND we went. And you can call us crazy. We know already.
The reason for going to Boston was primarily for Jason to attend his annual conference for work. We actually thought that the conference would be canceled, but they assured us Tuesday morning that the conference was still a-go and they were taking every precaution to keep us safe in Boston (including asking the FBI and other city law enforcement if they needed to cancel). So we went! This is the point where my friend, Sheri says (because she actually did)....this DOES NOT surprise me! You have always been the girl that is driving in the same vicinity as the oncoming tornado, walking down the same street as the neighborhood creepster, or going to the beach after an oil spill. She's right, I do constantly find myself in these situations! Here's how I look at it, God does NOT want us to live in a state of fear, so this is my opportunity to fully trust Him, because LORD KNOWS there are a number of other things that can sometimes cripple me with fear.
Our flight there was pretty typical for us...I received a full fledge pat down, my breast pump was confiscated for about 30 minutes because of my "mysterious" gel pack inside of it, our flight was delayed in the air because of an "emergency" on a plane in Philly, and Jason lost the credit card. Sounds fun, huh?! Not exactly. :)
When we arrived in Boston the amount of law enforcement there was unbelievable. When I say this, I'm not over exaggerating in the least bit....there was a police man, swat team member or FBI agent (most of the time 2) with their hummers on every street corner. No lie. We were FULLY protected. Like one SWAT team person said "you're in the safest city in the U.S., ma'am" and we believed it! It was like NOTHING we had EVER seen before!!

This was what we saw coming and going to our Marriott hotel

This was our view for almost every street. (Bolyston). You can see the Lord and Taylor building that caught the bombers on tape.

After arriving, we showered, rested, and caught up on some of the Boston news. We had dinner plans that evening with a company Jason has been researching with the possibility in the future of using their services at the surgery center, so dinner that night was free at Turner Fisheries (bonus!). The clam chowdah and the sweet potato pecan pie with gelato were our favorite dishes that evening. It was nice to meet and mingle with some people and see the city at night.  What a sight....even with all the commotions going on.

Days 2-4 coming soon!