So Long August

Our neighbor Charlie wanted a tree cut down - really a large shrub(?) - so he enlisted Daddy's help - and well if you know Mommy anything going on on the Lane is exciting, so the kids and I sat and watched....

Errrr.r..... Mommy & Chloe sat & watched, Matteo got in on the action!

And as we end August, we celebrated with some mexican (which we have 1x a year) and some ice cream

Good bye August - hope to see you next year ;-0

A mother's love

So Monday was a travel day for us here on the Lane.

We started with going to pay our final respects to our Dear Amy's Mom - a sad visit with Amy, but my Darling Amy held herself so beautifully in such a difficult time. Funny how I was thinking going up Amy and I have celebrated so much happiness together (I have known Amy since the 3rd grade) - drifted apart from time to time as is only natural and were there for each other for some family losses as well - I am so honored and privileged to call Amy a friend - the best there is. Amy your mom has an ageless beauty that was even present today - may you continue to find peace in your memories and reflecting upon your Mom's wisdom. You clearly have treasured Her thoughout her life as a daugther should her mother - as we only have one :-) One last note to Amy: Amy - I loved hugging you so tightly today.

Then we stopped by to lift our spirits a bit with a visit with Grandma and Gramps.

Daddy took the opportunity to help Uncle Jason take down the long anticipated swingset......and oh boy did she come down.



I shall never forget the ironic joke that was said - - and keeps me smiling to this day :-) :-)

Of course Chloe May enjoyed Gramps - she is probably the only grandchild that likes him better than Grandma - but they all do initially :-)

Oh Grandma trying to win Chloe May over with a cookie - yes it worked.

Sunday Chilling

Our neighborhood friend Lilly came for a dig in the old sandbox today - what an improtu but fun visit.



Also dare i say we finished the garage today?? Well about 99% - and then celebrated by heading to the local beach for about 2 hours and topped it off with some local ice cream! Mmmmm can't beat the old soft serve :-)

A repeat

A repeat of yesterday - - only the smile is starting to return more today and Matteo just cracks me up! Kudos to being three and finding humor in everything.

Also when we returned home late (8 PM) - I discovered just why Chloe May has been having some really bad screaming and crying fits lately - a third tooth just broke through....ouch I feel your pain Chloe May !! BUt in the same token::: Hip Hip Hooray! Only 23 more to go! :-)

The show goes on...

Having received Amy's sad news today, I didn't feel very jolly or jubilant, however for the sake of Chloe & Matteo the show must go on and so it did, they were able to enjoy some pool time at our friend's house and I had the privilege of making a new friend - - a woman I have seen at some of Marisa's get togethers, but only today really got to know better. Jessica it was lovely to make your acquittance.

Pat

Our hearts go out to our Dear Friend Amy - on the loss of her Mother - -



To Amy we say: May your memories comfort you because you had more of a relationship with your Darling Mother in 33 years, than most have in a lifetime - - how Blessed you are - - and may that Bond you shared continue to be shared with your Precious Katelyn.

You are in our Thoughts and Pat, your memory and traditions will continue in your three children and your three grandchildren.

Teeth

I've said it before and continue to utter the statement "Be True to your teeth or they will be false to you."

Crayola

Chloe May was introduced to crayons today ...



though she was more interested in dumping out the container and picking them up!

Walking better....

A visit from Grandma and Gramps had Matteo walking a bit today - though with a noticeable limp...

and while Grandma was going to stay overnight, caring for her own ailing mother prevented her from doing so. While we were sad over this, we appreciate Grandma's gesture coming out to see us - if only for a short while.

And how is the garage coming.......well have you ever watched paint dry :-)

I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Labor Day grand opening :-)

A sad day...

Today on the Tree was very very sad - although Mommy didn't let on until after bathtime just how sad she was.

You see at 5:30 AM Matteo awoke upset because he could not find what he fell asleep with. So I asked Daddy to find it and then to lay with Matteo. However in laying with Matteo he pulled the covers and if you've ever slept with matteo (only cousin Jesse has) - you know he tangles himself in the blanket. Well Daddy needed some covers and pulled the blanket and Matteo started to cry. Not thinking much of it I hushed him and we all went back to sleep. However when he awoke 90 minutes later Matteo could not walk. And all day today Matteo - kid you not - could not walk. He had to be carried from one sitting position to another. When I prompted him to walk he could only take 2 steps and then would cry out in pain. ** heartbreaking**. Matteo can weigh-bare on it which is a good sign - so Daddy thinks it is just sprained. However Mommy is so sad for my little Matteo - I even rented him a movie from the library which is so out of his ordinary and thus a treat.

Finally at bathtime from watching him immobile all day I started to cry and he was so great to - telling me not to cry and then proceeding to limp terribly to get me a tissue. What a trooper.

I hope tomorrow is a better day for Matteo - though to be honest I doubt it as this is not something I foresee going away overnight.

Matteo did fall asleep holding the green caterpillar JJ gave him - a favorite stuffed animal for him all week. JJ must know we love green on the Tree. Matteo also told Jules that it's okay if he slept with him, but to please not pull the covers again :-(

A whirlwin of a day.....

Started the day with a "getting ready for school" program at the library and though difficult with a crawling/exploring Chloe May and trying to focus on Matteo - I did receive some helpful tips and fun games to incorporate into our days.

Happy 6th birthday to our friend Cecilia - a girl whose Mommy I met when Matteo was 10 days old and who taught me how to communicate with my Son well before he could even talk - a priceless gift.



Cecilia's party was very simple - and thus very relaxing. We made Harry Potter wonds....

Enjoyed some sparklers....

and what could make so many kids sit so nicely .....



the promise of an ice pop!! Great fun had by all.

But our day didn't end yet.......

we were then invited to our neighbor Yuuki's house for some sushi and sashami, homemade of course. Though I neglected to bring my camera, I can tell you about all the delicious food we had - well I would, but I can't spell it, but in a word: OMG our friend Etsuko put the local Japanese resturants to shame..... and saaki (again sorry for the spelling), well because I"m nurisng I should not have had any....but Chloe has yet to register a complaint, then again she's crawling a little crooked (kidding!). Daddy learned how to make the "rolls" that you make, and much to her disliking Chloe did not like the wasabi - Mommy took over the feeding of her at that point (DADDY!).

And you know it's a long day when Matteo is complaining his legs hurt and is tired and then starts crying because Chloe May is in the shoe closet haha. Thank you to our Dear Friends for the invite over. A good friend is a wonderful find!

Ziti

The reminents of Chloe May's baked ziti that I made late last night when the kiddies were in bed.



So delicious (I was actually craving it for over a week), well worth the late night bedtime :-)and we gave half to Patrick's Mommy as today is HER birthday!

backyard

Just spent today getting reacquainted with our backyard. Missed you old tire swing - still my favorite. :-)

Until next time coon.

Oh I forgot to tell you about my run in (literally) with the garage yesterday..... so Grandma and I had just had a... "discussion" about who was flooding my bathroom sink.... and then we got in the car to run some errands and Matteo was doing some high pitch scream at Chloe May...and I was a bit distracted and, only have about 1/2 an inch on either side when I pull into the garage knocked my mirror off the car (or rather cracked the glass)...and what is ironic about this is I can call DAddy from ACROSS the house - he doesn't hear - but one SMALL *crack* and he's on me like white on rice :-) So alas that was yesterday, today we had the car serviced, and it is as good as new....except on the way INTO the garage, I hit the mirror again (new one) and thus it sustained a minor scratch. Oh well such is life on the Tree.

Anyway, today was a day filled with downs and ups - first Grandma left, with the promise she would visit soon.

And about an hour later we went to our friend Patrick's 5(!) birthday party!



And in between the above two events, Yuuki came to play for about 90 minutes.... a great day for all. See you soon you old Raccoon :-) haha Grandma probably won't like me calling her that, but I'm getting a chuckle from it.

Racoon eyes

Surprise! Old raccoon eyes Grandma woke up to an unexpected surprise today!



Though difficult to tell by the above-picture, Grandma, who never so much as took off her socks and shoes nor unbuttoned her shirt at the beach yesterday, was very sunburned in the face - - except for around her eyes where her sunglasses were, thus making her our old coon :-) While Mommy (me) found this very funny, apparently it was a bit painful for poor Grandma who has very sensitive skin, or so I was told over and over by Grandma. And yes, Grandma did stay the better part of yesterday (when at the ocean) under an umbrella in the shade, however that 10 minute walk we took along the beach must have done her in. Poor Grandma, hopefully the Friendly's ice cream made her feel better...actually it was more like WATCHING Matteo eat his ice cream (because according to Grandma she feels so sorry for this poor no tv, no fatty foods, no surgary cereal Matteo). Oh Grandma, if only you understood our simple enjoyment in life :-)!!

Ocean

We began our visit with Grandma at the ocean - much to everyone's delight.

The waves were crashing and big, but this didn't stop Mommy, Daddy, Matteo and for a wee bit Chloe May from enjoying the water (though with the cool temps no "cooling off" was in order).

Look Mom, no arms - or legs, or body!!

Still a dolly :-)

And Grandma was resting and Chloe May just crawled right over and up onto Grandma...Chloe don't you know Grandma is old :-)



And with Grandma here, you couldn't wipe those smiles off our face if you tried.....


Now if only I could convenience her to stay an extra day :-)

PS - Yes JJ, Matteo still sleeps with the dragon you drew for him - thanks again.

surprise surprise!!

Well today was a day full of unexpected surprises!

First we received a package from our cousins, JJ, Andrew & Kimmy - - - guess they went on vacation to Ocean City.

Matteo was tickled.....green...by his new t-shirt - thanks guys!

And surprise surprise Gramps and Grandma came early---- and boy oh boy does Chloe May love love Gramps!

Matteo and Grandma assumed the usual book reading position on the couch

And yes JJ Matteo does love the dragon you drew for him (see it in his hand upside down)



so much in fact that at 1:58 AM he awoke because he couldn't "find" his dragon and hence awoke me too...... Auntie Pooh was not happy about this but quickly found the dragon and matteo was back in dreamland before long!

real live spiderman

Recently we asked our neighbor to remove a dead branch that was on his tree, but hanging over our property.... what we received was not only a safe playing environment, but also a free show - - complete with SPIDERMAN (or so Matteo says)!!!

scooting along

With Chloe May's birthday over and done, and Matteo's still another 2 1/2 months away...Matteo has made out his list of who he is inviting to his party (though it changes daily so watch out!) and what he wants for his birthday. The want has always remained the same: a scooter - so to see if he really enjoyed one our friend Caleb was kind enough to lend us his......

and the jury has returned a verdict that he does indeed like scooters. Check back in late October to see if indeed Matteo's wish comes true.

And maybe the garage will be done by October as well

Oh wait, I did say it was 2 1/2 months away.....NEVERMIND!!!! hahah.

spider

So for about the last 4 or 5 weeks Matteo, Chloe, Walter (dog) and I have been taking early morning walks....eh around 7:30/8 AM. Pretty early for most.

On the rare occasion that Daddy comes our eyes are opened in a new fresh light....today Daddy showed Matteo a spider spinning a bee (which was still alive) in its web.

VIDEO MAY BE GRAPHIC



Actually it is really cool and as bad as I felt for the bee, Jules reminded me either the bee or spider is going to die - - so we let nature take it's course....I then proceeded to have chicken for dinner :-)

And on an *exercise* note today, we enjoyed a short - but felt like longer because it was so much fun * playdate at the park today with our friends Caleb and Rory and then an additional two friends from the library - - it was full of exercise because not only did we run around at the park, but Matteo biked to the park and I pushed Chloe May in her stroller, great fun, great exercise and great friends :-)

Happy Birthday Daniel

Happy 5th birthday to our friend Daniel today - whom we had the joy of celebrating his birthday with him!



Where did we celebrate you ask - - well at his Aunt's house and pool. A fun day for all, especially Chloe May who has a found a great friend in our gal Kassidi

And always one to partake in the celebration:



our ever growing Matteo :-)

sluggish Monday

The below picture is becoming more and more rare :-)

And with Chloe May awake for 90 minutes last night (2-3:30 AM) - happy as can be, clapping, jumping on me, pointing to Matteo, kicking Daddy in the head, "singing", I told her she would find herself in her crib (not really) if that happened again.



**hasn't happened since**

And what do you get with a Mommy still so worn out from early August.......

l a z y b o n e s !

And though viewing these pictures you would think today was sluggish, on the contrary, we went to two library programs (AM and PM - both story times) and then went hiking with friends at library and then found more than books at library when we came out of the "forest" - were pretty hot and sticky from the walk, and I saw the sprinklers on in the field and Matteo and his two friends went running through them clothes and all for about 45 minutes :-) Initially I wished I had a camera to capture their innocence and fun and excitement, and then I decided it was so much fun to watch that a picture could never do it justice....so I sat back and enjoyed...Chloe May got wet too of course just not to such an extreme. Then for the car ride home I stripped him down to his underwear and off we went :-) I told you I"m a pretty cool mom..... :-)

sluggish sunday

We're all a bit tired today -

though I did run to Kohls and found some great deals for Matteo (size 4 - - no "t"- - when did this happen?). Augh summer is winding down but what a great/hot summer it's been!

whirlwind of a day

Today was such a whirlwind of a day - - - I think it will take me days to recover!! Well first things first, we started the day with some "back to school shopping" for Matteo. However as gramps informs me it is just "school shopping" as he has never been TO school - - excellent call Gramps.

Then on our way out of Target - Daddy found a praying mantis - - which I suddenly recalled our friend Caleb saying he was looking for yesterday at the bounce house (he did find another dead insect) - so we quickly scooped it up, put it in a bag (which Daddy left open for ventilation) and brought same home.

Caleb and his mommy came right over and the fun began! See the excitement below.



making our friend Caleb this happy: priceless.

And in case you are like me and don't know what a praying mantis is:

Buds....

Then we borrowed our neighbors bike and took the kids for a bike ride (which I don't recommend daily as a 3 3/4 year old need not be pulled around, however for a treat is acceptable).



and yes, Chloe May did fall asleep - for about 20 minutes at 5:45 PM!!!!!!!

bouncing and sparklers

After bouncing around this morning with our friends Caleb and Rory at a local bounce house (sorry these "houses" are not conducive to camera holding) - - we had some backyard pizza with the neighbors. And always one to entertain our guests, we brought out the leftover sparklers (which I just found out were f$ee - I love them even more) - and entertained the kids - big and small :-)

And it looks like Chloe May about to get her first kiss courtesy of Sal!

Chloe update

Another great day of swimming at our friends' house today - and Matteo is so happy he doesn't have to wear arm floats in the "shallow" end - - - though Mommy is always close by.



Prior to the pool we spent the AM doing the "doctor thing" for Miss Chloe May - who tips the scales at 22 lbs and 29 1/2 inches - - 75th percentile (as if that means anything). However a successful year of excellent growth. On a more "ouch/boo hoo" note, Chloe May did have to get blood drawn today - - but again this was over quickly and then we got to enjoy some great friends.

MORE PRESENTS!

Amy - how excited were we to open your present today - - - - well Chloe May was all over it like butter on bread :-)



And Matteo was so so happy to be remember as well (thanks chicky) - - he must have checked on his dinosaur hatching from the egg about 10 times today.

And you know how much i love that picture cube you give me -- - you're tops! But perhaps best was your note - - so lovely.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see what hatches :-) Also tomorrow is Chloe May's 1 year doctor appointment.... so it's still a busy week.