Winter time fun!

We've had an exciting month so far! We've been busy with work, school, Santa & Christmas coming. Seems like this year just sneaked past us! Where did November go?!

We wrote some letters to Santa and he wrote back! The kids were pretty excited, although Vincent kept asking me "What is taking Santa so long?!" So we made a calendar to count down for him. He's very excited to see if Santa brings the new truck he's been asking for and Mia keeps asking for "Cinderella!"

We went to our Rec Center's X-mas party and Mia jumped up on Santa's lap and started smiling away and told him what she wanted. You can see the pictures below. Vince wasn't quite as keen on him till he saw Mia sitting there and once Gabe threw him on Santa's lap he got over it; a little... The last picture kind of captured their personalities- Vince is being shy and Mia is being cute.

Well, gotta get back to babysitting, cards, cookies and packing for a weekend in West Virginia!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Santa wrote us back!!

Wonder what kind of pudding Mia was eating?!

Vince took a picture of mommy and daddy- I wasn't expecting it to

really turn out so I look weird...

Dressed in our Christmas finest at a little work party for dad.

Mia doesn't smile much...

Vince making a cookie at the Christmas party at his school.

Yummm.... cookie!

"This guy is great!!!"

Such a cute Santa!

"Well Santa, we've been TRYING to be good..."

Fall Fun Days

We've been busy and having some fun this fall! Vince is finally LOVING school. He told me last week "Mom, remember when I was little... and I didn't like school? When I was 3? But now I'm 4 and I like school!" What a turn-around!

Vince and I celebrated our birthdays on the 11th and 14th; Vince turned 4 and mom turned 25! Vince got a sweet new bike (and a bunch of trucks!)he loves and had a fun party. Mom and daddy celebrated our 5 year anniversary on the 15th- we like keeping everything together! Mia decided to shoot for February because she doesn't like sharing- so like her!

Mia has been trying the potty and actually peed on it over the weekend! An actual full one! Hasn't happened since, but ehh- we're getting there!

We went to a Halloween party last Friday night at one of our little Rec Centers down the street, where the first picture is from. It was a lot of fun and Vince loved the games and all the candy. Mom even talked Dad into dressing up and we all had a fun time!

The following day was Saturday and we went to Circle S Farms for daddy's birthday. It was such a fun time! There were hayrides, hay slides, hay tunnels, hay mountains, roosters, goats, pumpkins, hot dogs, nachos, and did I mention hay?! We had a great time and suggest everyone come with us next year!

Spooky family! Thanks for chewing on that

candy Vince and looking crazy!

Walking into the farm

Our little cow and piggy!

Enjoying the hayride into the pumpkin patch!

Happy Birthday daddy!

The girls

Picked her "punkin"!

Trying not to drop his pumpkin- those vines were killer!

On the hayride

Enjoying our Carmel apple!

Bye Circle S Farms!





Mia
Hears the trains blowing their horns- : "Who dat mommy, who dat?!"

"Hoppy Berfday daddy!"

" (C) 'mon brudder!"

Stitches- all around...

The last 2 weeks have been crazy!!!!!!!! It's unbelievable really.

The week before last started off as any other. It was Vince's second week of school and the novelty had worn off. He decided he didn't like being left at school and had started crying about it on Tuesday. He was fine after he got there, after a little while his teachers told us and had a great time. But he keep telling me "NO SCHOOL Mommy! No school, nuffin! I just wanna stay home with you and Mia." Well, Friday was going to be my first drop-off for him, and I knew he was gonna be terrible for mommy- I get the hardest time from him of course.

So, Thursday night rolls around and I send daddy and kids off for a walk for a much needed break for me. After 10 or 15 minutes I hear a loud cry off in the distance and think- that was one of my kids. But I don't hear anything after the initial yell so I go back to reading. After a few more minutes I hear a little cry, and then some giggling of Mia and then Vince screams my name and Gabe is pounding on the screen door. I run back there and Vince is gushing blood out of his mouth from what I can tell and Mia is half laughing, half crying because daddy ran them both through the field in his arms. We start checking out his mouth and see a nice gash out of his top lip, toward the corner and at first it looked like his lip was also sort of smashed (it wasn't). Once we wiped it off some more we knew we had to get to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care which thankfully is very close to us. After quickly getting in they said yes, 2 stitches should fix it right up. I won't go into the details of that but lets just say there was a hook and some nasty shots into his lip causing some terrible screams from both kids and mommy.

When Friday rolled around I knew that I wasn't going to drag him into school and of course he didn't want to go- his lip was still quite swollen and I was to emotionally exhausted, as he was I'm sure.

Weekend came and went with no more mishaps and when Tuesday and Friday rolled around for school there was literally kicking, screaming and dragging involved. Good times, but we made it. We wouldn't drag him in except that he has a great time and his teachers say he's great after he gets in the door and has a wonderful time and when he gets home he says "I had fun Mommy!" In my head I'm screaming "Then WHY do you act like we're torturing you to get you in the door?! AHHHHHHHHHH!" Oh, the joys of Motherhood.

Silly me in thinking that our weekend was going to be quiet! Saturday morning I sleep in a little till 9:30 while Gabe got up with the kids and started breakfast. When I came down stairs I went into the kitchen and get a coffee mug out. Mia is standing right in front of me asking for me to pick her up even though I already had. As I pull out a mug, I forget that I haphazardly put one on top in there and it comes falling out onto the counter. It hits another mug and they both smash, sends pieces all over- although luckily it is shatter-proof one and doesn't shatter like it would have. I realize after Mia starts crying that she has been hit and as I grab her up, I notice the slice in her eyebrow that immediately starts bleeding. Someone get me my Mother of the Year Award please!

So after we get it stopped and take a look, it is obviously very superficial, but gaping and very obvious on top of her eyebrow. There is also a very light scratch on her cheek. We talk about what to do, call our Dr. and go to CVS to get butterfly band aids and liquid bandage thinking maybe we can fix it without having to go back already- it had been barely over a week! We put the liquid bandage on it and a strip to try and close it which of course doesn't work and I realize what a stupid move it was to use that liquid because that is helping it STAY open! So I call the Urgent Care and they don't open till 12 so we have wait and hem and haw about taking her.

But we do (how would we explain it to her that we took Vince and didn't want to take her?!)and get another stitch without the shots this time since that was the most painful part with Vince and with only 1 stitch, it was easier on her. We just so happened to have about ALL the same people we had with Vince including the 2 nice ladies that did his stitches and thought we had the cutest kids since Mia started crying when Vince was getting his done. At least today they gave them some super cute stuffed polar bears that immediately made Mia stop crying, say "Awww...!" and gave it a hug. Thank God because we forgot Mini Mouse, her favorite!

This better be the end of this story for a while, when it rains, it pours!

XOXO

Vince's 1st Day!

Vince made it through his first week of preschool! Yay!! The first day was just an orientation with mommy, daddy and the girls- Mia and Ellie, for just an hour. He went through a little bit of what school was like and met his very nice teachers. The second day he went and was still very excited. He ran inside and told daddy good-bye. Daddy told him they would get some McDonald's on the way home if he was a good boy and Vince asked if he had remembered his wallet this time- he promised him on Tuesday too, until he remembered he forgot his wallet. Way-to-go daddy!

When he got home he told me he had cried a little, he said he missed Mia. I asked if he missed me and he said "No, just Mia." Thanks Vince... way to break your mom's heart!

But he seems to like it and sounds like he'll still go back, so here's to hoping! Here are some pics below and a few of Ellie- the cute, little peanut I started babysitting a few weeks ago.

WELCOME FALL!!!!

Can't wait for school

Always has to get a car in there...

Ellie is 6 months old!

Help! These kids have big heads!

Looking back...

Trip down Memory lane since this was started after Mia came along...

As our son is about to begin preschool I have a little ache in my heart knowing that we have a long road in front of us that we are just beginning. We were watching Finding Nemo the other day and I got choked up on the part where dad had to let Nemo go and trust that he could do anything he put his mind to. As excited as I am for him and I, I'm also reluctant to share him. He's such a special little boy and letting him out of my sight for 2 days and week for 2 hours is going to be a little harder then I thought- and it's just going to get worse!

He was always a happy baby and big like his sister. His first word was "HOT" and his second practically was "BABY" when Mia showed up in his lap at age 2.4. I couldn't have asked for a better big brother and although they have started having their differences, they still love each other so much. Mia walked up behind him the other day and put her arms around his neck and said "Hi, bruddur..." Too cute. He is kind, smart, loving and funny and I hope that everyone else he meets sees it too, I hate to sound like a biased mama!

But I know it's time to let my buddy go out into the world and make new friends and trust that God will take care of him and that this is the beginning of a bright future!

We love you Vincent Thomas Martineau!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXO

Vacation 2010

Well, we're back from a fairly restful vacation to Manteo, NC in the Outer Banks! We had a nice time after a rough start with Mia who had a nice ear infection making her really sick. The condo we stayed at was really nice and had a nice pool for the kids and I! I feel like it was bigger then our condo and had space for the kids to actually run which was great for them.

Uncle Jim visited us the first couple days and that was nice to see him. He always has a new car for Vince which puts him at top of Vince's favorite uncle's list. It also gives Vince HOURS of enjoyment which is my gift! ;) Thanks Unc!

We were so glad to have Grammy and Grampy come with us and help out. It made it more of a real vacation for me! Gabe was glad to have some more time with the kids and get play with them and love them. And they loved waking up and taking naps with daddy!

We made it home after a stop at Aunt Doreen's awesome out out in the WV mountains- have to upload those pics! Thanks Aunt Doreen and Dan!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer :)

Vince and Mia were in St. Jude's Bike-a-thon! Here's their medals.

Vince fell asleep reading this book- passed out cold!

Mia found the diaper rash cream

Uncle and Mia doing some beading in the condo on vacation...
A good choice for a 1 year-old!

Mia's Little Mermaid tankini!

One of the views from the front balcony

Going to the beach

Grampy getting Mia all wet- her first time at the ocean!

Pretty view

Grampy and Grammy

Mom and dad

The whole fam

Weeeee...

Missing Grampy

Kisses

Mia and Grammy