Will's first haircut

Everyone has been telling me that I couldn't cut Will's hair until after he turned one. (I guess this is some unwritten rule that I don't know about.) Well he was beginning to look like Shaggy and Jason was threatening to get out the clippers and give him a buzz cut. Totally not happening to my baby!! I took Will in this morning for his first haircut and as is typical with Will, he didn't even cry. He just sat there and tried to attack everything that came within arms reach. Let's see if Daddy even notices he got a haircut.

then and now

We just returned from a quick to CBus for the weekend. We had a family reunion and went to pick up Nene, who will be staying with us for a few weeks. YAY!! We love the extended Nene visits. Jason and I have a wedding coming up in Indiana but I will post about that later. According to Isabella we have not officially arrived in Ohio until we drive by the Miranova and pass through downtown. Then she announces we are finally in Ohio and "the big city". It is the same every time.


Saturday morning Isabella, Amelia and I headed to Easton for some shopping. There are probably less stressful things to do on a Saturday morning than lug two toddlers shopping but there are very few things that come between me and chance to go to Nordies or Easton in general. After a few hours shopping and lunch we headed off to see my 4H Club. We spent Saturday afternoon with a very special family that I used to nanny for. Halston, Holland, Helena and Holden and their wonderful parents Marian and Shreve. When I started watching them 9 years ago, the twins were 8 months, Holland was 4 and Halston 6. Holland is now almost as tall as me and Halston is over six feet tall. The twins who were babies are now in third grade. When I think back to all I learned from taking care of them I know that I am a better mother because of it. I am amazed at how they have grown and how well mannered they still are. I still enjoy sitting and talking to them and hearing what is going on in there lives. My little Helena watched and entertained my girls the entire visit..she has always been the little mother. Even though they aren't my own children, each of them will always have a special place in my heart.

a bizarre tradition

When we moved into this house I loved the light colored carpet and the open feel it gave the house. After two years, three kids and scrubbing out countless stains, I am no longer feeling the love. The carpet also has to be vacuumed often or it looks disgusting and drives me crazy. I guess this is a lasting side effect of growing up in a house that was vacuumed daily. Vacuuming in our house is a bizarre event the kids enjoy. Maybe it is my own fault because since they were itty bitty I have worn each of them in the Baby Bjorn whenever I vacuum. I guess I thought the white noise would soothe them. Maybe I thought being so close to it from the beginning would keep them from being afraid of it later or maybe I was trying to send them subliminal messages to someday help mom out with the vacuuming..just not quite this early. Regardless of my earlier ideas about the vacuum cleaner each child is obsessed with it now. No matter what I get the them involved in before I get it out, as soon as they see the vacuum cleaner everyone immediately stops what they are doing and grabs their appropriate vacuum "equipment" to help me. Isabella has her own mini vacuum, Amelia pushes Bear-Bear in a stroller and Will is Johnny on the Spot trying to crawl up the vacuum cleaner and stick his fingers under the front. As soon as he sees me wheel it out of the laundry room the look of determination is on his face and he tucks his head, crawling as fast as he can around the house following me, Bella and Amelia. There is a distinct pecking order in our bizarre vacuuming train. So not only do I have to vacuum around furniture, I also vacuum around children that are supposed to stay behind me at all times out of my way...a rule when Mommy vacuums. It is a task that once completed I feel like I could use a good drink. Yesterday I decided I would try vacuuming while Bella was at preschool and see if I could quickly accomplish it without having to maneuver around the kids. No such luck. As soon as the Eureka came rolling out of the laundry room, Amelia grabbed the stroller and Will came motoring on over. Of course it was not a quick job. I snapped a few pictures when I was switching outlets, the worst part of the entire experience because then they overtake the vacuum and I have to remove each child and get them back to their appropriate equipment. And some people think I sit on the couch all day.

First Day of Preschool!

Today was Bella's first day of preschool. She has been acting a little different all week and said she was a little nervous about starting school. Jason went in late to work so we could both drop her off on her first day. She decided on the drive there it was okay if just Mommy walked her in. I took her to her room and hung her back pack up and when I turned to give her a hug goodbye she was already playing. I waved goodbye and she waved and still no hug. I guess Miss Bella was more ready for preschool than she thought!! She made a special hand print "kiss" to bring home to let me know she really did miss me. And she is pretty excited about being able to play on the playground, eat lunch with her new friends and go to music class. Her only complaint is her purple backpack still hasn't arrived. Once she has it, I think she will be just fine.

Preschool Open House

Isabella is very excited about going to preschool and has been asking me all summer when school is starting. The county schools started Wednesday and she has become even more anxious now that the school buses are driving by our house again. We finally had our open house this morning! Bella was able to meet her teacher Mrs. Brandy, play in the classroom and look around the new facility. She even saw a few of her friends and her dance teacher! She is pretty excited and is already asking me when her "real" first day of school is.