Up until now...

Well we just got back from our trip out to PA, so here's the update since the last post. For Father's Day Elizabeth gave Brian a coupon for a date and they went to a movie. It's been a while since we've done dates, so I told Caroline I'd take her on one when they got back because she was pretty upset she didn't get to go. We decided to go bowling and it was a lot of fun. It's amazing to me how much more I enjoy my kids when they are alone then all together. It's some weird crazy dynamic when they're together, but separately it's like, okay, I really do love being with you. Brian told me that when he was out with Elizabeth, they were going to get a treat at the store and she grabbed his hand and said, "we need to hold hands 'cause we're on a date." Isn't that so cute? Caroline was so happy and fun and kept thanking me for taking her. It was a good time.

After we did our bowling we went and got a doughnut and called it a night. It was fun and I loved being with her, just the 2 of us.

We got tickets out to PA last minute and kept it a surprise. Brian was really pushing for driving, but I just knew that was going to be a bad idea. Luckily we got some tickets, not a great deal though, and were able to fly out but it was still a really really long day. We started at 6:45 AM and flew out to JFK. The nice thing about our flight was that it was direct. Then we had to take the train and changed trains 4 times. We met up with Julia 3 hours later in New Jersey and drove another 2 hours to the farm. We got there at just about 10:30, so it took nearly 14 hours. The kids were actually really great. Only towards the end of the train ride did they get antsy. They were loud, but not crying or fussing. Bella had about 10 minutes of crying in the car before she fell asleep.

The next day we surprised some of the family and then just had a great time with everyone. Within the first few days Caroline lost another tooth. It was her second tooth. She lost her first one about a week prior and was so excited. She came running into me and telling me that Bri had pulled it out. She was so so excited. She's been wiggling her teeth for months trying to get them out. Her second one came out and then the next day her third came out. It was crazy.

Even crazier than losing them so fast was how fast one of them grew in. It was like over night it was popping up and she was NOT happy. She cried and cried about how she wanted a hole there for a long time. I mean, she waited so long for it, and already it was closing in.

We had lots of good times. Tons of game playing, swimming, talking, breaking up Cooper and Jacob (cousin) from fighting. Lots of sleep overs, good food and a very thought out fashion show by the girlies. Suzanne helped them pick out their outfits and all accessories and then they got the music and walk down and Ali wrote the whole commentary for the show. It was really cute. Elizabeth didn't crack a smile. I couldn't tell if she was nervous or focused.

Caroline rocked it! She had the hip pop down and did her walk like she was born to do it. They covered all four seasons and it was really fun.

There were a few quick runs on the horses. They aren't really ridden anymore, but the kids got a lap or two in and they were happy. Isn't Brian such a handsome guy?! So rugged and studly in this picture. I love that guy.

                                                                      A cute picture of the boys.

Our trip back was less than fun by far! Bri's parents drove us to the airport and that actually wasn't too bad. A few irritations from the kids, but the drive wasn't bad at all. We left around 1:00 and got to the airport at just before 5:00. Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until just after 7:00, so we got some food while the kids were running around and fighting. That was the start of it. Then we didn't have our seating assignment, so we tried to get it and they told Brian to step aside while they finished the other flight and then they started loading our plane and we still didn't have seats. Finally they worked with us and our seats were in 6 different rows, so they had to shove us aside again and try and fix it. Turns out 3 were together and the other 3 in different rows, so to start out we had Caroline, Cooper and Bella in a row and then Bri was going to be in the row behind on the aisle, but they said they couldn't sit by themselves (duh!) and I was like, well we have 4 kids 7 and under so what do you want us to do? He was like, "

uh, that is a problem." One guy gave up a seat so there were 2 next to each other on the aisle, but the other one was still behind. Brian ended up with the 2 little ones, Caroline and Liz were by strangers on the aisle which I was NOT happy about and neither were they and then I was behind them watching these people making sure they didn't try anything fishy with my girls. All the while I'm wondering why the idiots next to me didn't offer up their seats to trade when clearly my kids were in front of me. I finally asked them and they were more than willing which almost bugged me more because I was like you idiots, why didn't you just offer. Oh well, so it worked out fine and the kids slept most the ride back, but then we had to drive back to Logan and I totally struggled. I got to a point where I couldn't even keep my eyes focused. It was probably the most tired I've been driving 'cause usually I'll pull over and switch Brian but we had both cars, so there was no out. We pulled into our driveway around 1:20, so another 14 hour day. Blah! Won't do that again, but we were glad we made it out there to see the family. We've missed them.

Not much happened the next day because my brain was in a fog, but I tried to get the girls a back to school outfit since it started today, but we went to 5 stores and they were so picked over and we didn't find anything for them to wear now. A few things when it cools down, but no first day outfit. They didn't seem to really care though. They had fun trying on the clothes. Liz kept saying she was nervous for her first day, but when I picked her up she was all smiles and said she really liked her teacher and it was a good day, so no tears here. Caroline starts next Tuesday and she cannot wait!

We haven't done a whole lot with the house lately. Well, mainly I haven't 'cause I just couldn't handle it and I've been so tired and blah blah blah, but here's kind of where we are at now with the kitchen. Still have to paint all the drawers, but we're functioning and it looks a lot better than when we started. The blue is a little darker than it shows in the pictures, but you get the idea. Still need to replace lighting fixtures, but we'll get there.... in 10 years or so. Ha! So that's where we are up to date.