First Haircut

Wesley really needed a haircut so we headed to a local Hair Cuttery that does a great job with kids. I decided to get Lydia's hair trimmed so it would be more even. At first she hated

even sitting in the chair. As she screamed, I snapped photos. Everyone in the place was looking at her and saying how cute she was. I told them all, "Last time my son got his hair cut, she threw a fit to get her hair cut. Now she is actually getting it cut and she is throwin a fit."

One of the older ladies said, "That is because she is a woman." I have noticed that Lydia likes to change her mind.

What was Wesley doing during all of this fussing? He was enjoying his own Merry-Go-Round.

Near the end of the haircut she stopped crying and actually started smiling (and enjoying her lollipop).

At the end she was all smiles.

Her hair does have more of a shape to it now but it doesn't look that different even though at least a half inch was cut off of it.

Six More Weeks of Winter?

Maybe we are going to have a warm February. If it isn't going to snow (and not ice over) then I want Spring to come early.

We took advantage of the warm weather this weekend to play outside. Wesley got to ride his balance bike for the second time. He did much better this time. He still doesn't love it because it is more challenging than his tricycle. I think he was pleased at how much better he did this time.
Lydia was better about walking outside this weekend. She often wants me to carry her even as we are leaving the house. She will often just sit down or stand and wait until I come back to get her when I try to walk away. Wesley would have happily run away from me at her age but she just gets mad if I won’t carry her.

I was actually hoping Chris and I could ride our bikes this morning but 45 is a little cold for the kids to be in the bike trailer plus it was windy. It warmed up to 65 this afternoon. It was still windy but it was a warm breeze (at least until about 4:30 or so).

I love seeing Wesley and Lydia having fun. Look how happy Wesley is in this picture. He is starting to briefly pump his legs when swinging. He mostly just screamed at Chris and me to push him higher. "I want to go higher!"

After riding his tricycle to the playground and back (he had some help on the hills), he took the scooter for a spin.

For dinner tonight I made shrimp scampi. Wesley kept asking what "scampi" meant. I told him it meant I used a lot of butter. I cut the kids’ angel hair pasta into small pieces. You can see a piece in Lydia's hair by her ear.

Bike Riding at the Rec Center

Today we went to the local RECenter for Toddler Time. I paid $3 for each kid and it was well worth the money. We took Wesley's tricycle and scooter and Lydia's ride-on toy.
Here is Wesley on his scooter. I know he probably didn't need his helmet in the gym and I would have left it at home but he said, "I need to wear it, Mommy."
Here is Lydia on someone else's ride-on toy.

When we first got there, they had a moonbounce set up. Of course my kids were all over that.

Lydia tried out a tractor but her legs weren't long enough to pedal it.

I think this was Wesley's first time on a bike with training wheels. He got to try out two or three different "big bikes". I really appreciated that there were so many kids and moms who were sharing their toys.

Rachel brought her tricycle and it was very popular.

Even Baby David tried out a ride-on toy.

Lydia tried riding the scooter for the first time. She made it go several feet before giving up.

Here is Wesley trying to help Lydia on Rachel's tricycle. Lydia doesn't really like her ride-on toy, a hand-me-down from Wesley, but all the little boys had fun riding it today.We had a great morning and now the kids are napping.

Baby Wesley - Wordless Wednesday

I walked out of the kitchen for a minute and returned to find Wesley in the high chair. "Look Mommy. I am Baby Wesley."

Then Lydia climbed on the table to feed Baby Wesley.

Girls' Weekend

Ahh, a girls’ weekend…

First I have to brag on my husband. When I asked him what he thought about me going to see Janet, my friend from high school, he said, “I think you should go.” Janet and I picked a date and I assumed I would drive to Raleigh, but Chris said I could fly. Woohoo!

This past weekend Chris took excellent care of the kids. He took them to swim lessons, picked out a ceiling fan and hung it up. He took them to church on Sunday and even out to a sit-down restaurant. I think they all had a great weekend.

I had such a great weekend!

Janet and I have been friends since 8th grade and it is always fun spending time re-connecting. She took me to a fabulously funky restaurant in Durham on Friday. We both loved the beer battered asparagus. We slept in until 8:30 on Saturday (that is a luxury for a mom!), Janet made us breakfast, and then we walked for a hour and a half around her neighborhood.

In high school, Janet and I were in great physical shape. We ran track, lifted weights at the only gym in town, did step aerobics, and walked and walked. Now when we see each other, we love walking together. I have walked and worked out with other friends but never on such a regular basis. I have yet to find other girlfriend who is so content and happy to walk and walk.


What is a girls’ weekend without a trip to the spa? We had deep tissue massages. Wow, that was relaxing. It was also a great deal. We got a special "book an appointment with a friend and recieve 25% off". My 60 minute massage was $60.

On Saturday evening we went to church. It was great and I will blog about the sermon and its affect on me tomorrow. After church we went out to dinner with some of Janet's friends. It was another fun and yummy dinner.

For Sunday morning, Janet offered me several options including a fancy jazz brunch, shopping (she has great taste is very helpful with shopping for clothes or home stuff), or walking. I chose walking. So, we went to a state parked and hiked 5.8 miles! It was wonderful. It was a pretty day with lots of sun and the hike was very picturesque.

I think the above picture of Janet is beautiful.

After the hike, we went to get lunch. As soon as I walked in, I saw these cupcakes. Now, I like dessert but I usually don't see something and have to have it but I had to have a chocolate cupcake with blue icing. It was so good that I brought half a dozen back with me. I held them on my lap during the short flight. For those of you who are used to Northern Virginia prices, those cupcakes were $1.69 a piece! And they were a million times better than a certain famous place that is popping up everywhere around here.

After lunch, Janet dropped me off at the airport. As I walked to end of the beautiful new terminal, my legs and feet were so tired. I am sore today but my heart is filled with gratitude for a lovely weekend.

Snow Plows

On Tuesday evening Michelle brought her boys over to play in the snow. Hunter and Wesley had fun "plowing" the snow.
We have misplaced a pair and a half of Wesley’s gloves. He didn't want to wear just one glove. Right after I took this picture, he agreed to wear a pink pair of Lydia’s gloves.

We gave Lydia a tractor but she wasn't interested in it. She just wanted me to hold her. Maybe she was too bundled up.

Baby Colten was doing some snow plowing of his own. He loved crawling around in the snow!

Baking On An Icy Day

The beautiful snow is now covered in ice so we haven't ventured out yet today. I was a little bored this morning and decided to do some baking with the kids. You can see our winter wonderland in the background of this photo. And if you look real close, you can see Lydia trying to get in on the mixing action.
Once I had both kids situated at the counter, I tried to take some photos. I missed Lydia's mischievous look.

Apparently she wanted a turn at dumping. She dumped the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. That was not how the recipe suggested doing it, but the Peanut Streusel Bread still turned out really yummy (even with substituting cashews for peanuts in the streusel).