The Marcantonio Family

Outtakes

2011-07-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

I shouldn't be surprised, but this is the best I could get. :) Jack, Emma, and Sam with their cousin and second cousins (I think that's what they're called. Not really sure.)

And the Outtakes:

6 kids, 4 and under. This is about as good as it gets, folks.

Is Summer Here?

2011-05-28T09:26:00.000-04:00

We had a sprinkler playdate at Tiff's this week. Homemade popsicles, bathing suits, and fun. Sammy couldn't participate, so he sat on the porch and played with a dead branch. That's a good play toy, right?

Musical and Artistic Jack

2011-05-28T09:18:00.000-04:00

The little man is growing up. The other day while I was on the phone he assembled his own water xylophone, complete with straw and snot-sucker. Ingenious.

He's also been enjoying artistic endeavors. Here is the most realistic "person" I've seen him make yet.

It's supposed to be a self portrait. When he was done he said, "That sure is a silly looking Jack!"

Lunch conversations

2011-05-14T13:14:00.000-04:00

My kids like to pretend that they're adults and they play conversation at the breakfast and lunch table. Today I decided to sit at my computer and just start typing what I heard for posterity's sake.

E: What did you get at Home Depot today?
J: A Ladder. It was grey.
E: And where did you go after Home Depot?
J: I went to the flower shop and I saw Miss Noelle.
E: I saw Ms. Rachael, my friend, not my sister (referring to Mom's friend, not sister)
[Pause]
J: Time out, time out! Emma, will you miss me when I got to college?
E: I'm gonna go to my college.
J: But Emma, will you miss me when I got to college?
E: Um, yes. But I will go to your college with you.
[Pause]
J: Emma? I ate outside and when I went to the flower shop I brought some...
E: Apples?
J: No, a froggy water fountain, it didn't spray up.
E: It just sprayed to you or me?
J: No one. It just stopped. Next,, I went home.
E: To our house to visit us?
J: I brought some eggs and donuts.
E: You brought this many (gesturing for a lot).
J: Yes, a lot. Aaaaaand, I brought some raisins too.
E: And cereal?
J: Yes.
E: What about watter and applesauce?
J: Yes, and oranges....(this went on for a while)
E: Where did you go next after college?
J: I went home. And theeeeen,
E: Andy has his own house.
J: And theeeen...
E: Which color is Andy's house (referring to Toy Story)
J: Andy's house is blue.
(Meanwhile Mommy hears a spashing sound which alerts her to Sam's hand in the toilet--toilet Jack just peed in.)
[Pause]
E: I bought yellow pancakes at the grocery store.
J: Yeah, they were about seven dollars.
E: Did Sammy open the ottoman? Who closed the ottoman?
J: No one.
S: (crying)
E: Hurt his self?
[Pause]
E: Ah, it's a ghost light! That's what Mater says.
J: I gotta go poop.

Kris and my conversation must sound this random to them.

Since I didn't take pictures of today's lunch, here are a few from their somewhat recent hangout times together.

Easter 2011

2011-05-05T14:30:00.000-04:00

Sam is 8 Months Old

2011-04-21T14:24:00.000-04:00

He's crawling, climbing, bumping his head, nibbling finger foods with his two top and two bottom teeth, saying "Dadda", laughing often at his brother and sister, and finally sleeping through the night! Here are some pics from today, his 8-month birthday.

Sammy's New Buddy

2011-04-19T22:46:00.001-04:00

Kris and I enjoyed a lovely overnight together a few weekends ago. We split up the kids and Sammy got to spend the time with our friends, the Granges. Well, the youngest Grange took a liking to our boy and made him feel right at home, showing him wrestling moves, giving lots of hugs, even letting him slime his football. Gavin Buddy, thanks for being a stand-in big brother. I know it helped our boy a lot. And thank you, Janie for all the ways you cared for Sam as a stand-in mother!

The Abnormally Messy Day

2011-04-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

Today I did a load of laundry. Nothing odd about that. But this was a special load because this was a special day. This load included a shirt of Jack's that was peed on, pajama pants of Emma's that her diaper exploded onto, an entire outfit of Sammy's that he barfed on (twice)--I'm talking real barf, not cutesie spit up. And then best of all, four full-sized towels I used to clean up my bathroom from a toilet that overflowed. I won't tell you what was in that, but it wasn't pretty. Suffice it to say, my bathroom floor is cleaner than it has been in months and thank God for a "sanitize" cycle on my washing machine. Good night!

Our Budding Artist

2011-03-02T16:20:00.001-05:00

Black-Eyed Jack

2011-03-02T16:11:00.002-05:00

A chair arm ran into him about a week ago.

Between the black eye and missing tooth, you'd think he played for the Caps!

Sammy is Half Way to One Year!

2011-03-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

He's starting to rock on his hands and knees, so crawling should soon follow. He no longer requires me to feed him at night, and he has finally learned to put himself to sleep (with the Nuk of course). Here are some pics of our happy lil' man.

When Daddy's Sick...

2011-02-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

It's movie time! Toy Story 2 to the rescue!

Life Around the House

2011-02-15T15:59:00.002-05:00

Not too much time to write these days, but here are some shots from "life around the house". Sam is nearing 6 months. His eyes sparkle, his waste expands, and his toothless smile is contagious. (We won't take too much time to mention that he is still waking up often--like 3 to7 times @ night--and not nursing well.) He's perfectly content to just lay on the floor and play with his feet, or gnaw on something for an extended time. He's currently recovering from his eighth cold since he was born, and I hope with the arrival of warmer weather and more time outdoors that he'll kick the habit of 2 weeks sick/2 weeks well. His cuteness makes up for a lot of the long nights though.

Emma's vocabulary is booming, her hair is still a frequent topic of conversation, and her "girlie-ness" shines. Since I was never really a girlie-girl I'm fascinated by her love for all things dolls. But she's also taken to her brother's love for puzzles. To see them working on them together as a team makes me smile every time.

Jack has been a "workin' man" a lot recently. He fixes little things around the house for me. Today he spent about 30 minutes stuffing different tools into his bike to fix it. He's still a big fan of Curious George, Word World, and Cat in the Hat, but asks more to play computer games now before he asks for cartoons. He's a couple months away from 4 and I really see a "big boy" side of him that I haven't seen before. His tantrums are less frequent, his "yes mom's" are more frequent, and by God's grace I am enjoying his company much more. :)

All in all, life is pretty darn good.

Sammy is 5 Months Old!

2011-01-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

Sammy, you bring so much joy to our lives. We love you!!

You want a bio picture?

2011-01-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

My hubby emailed me today asking if we had any pictures of him that he could use for a bio picture. I looked and looked. These are the ones I sent him.

Our Family @ Christmas

2011-01-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

Sam is 4 Months Old!

2011-01-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

Out little guy is getting cuter and bigger every day (that's a biased mother's opinion at least). Well, the bigger comment can't really be contested. He weighed in at 18 lbs 11 oz (95%) and I don't remember the exact height, but it was 90% percentile. And believe me, I feel all of it when I try to carry him around. He's rolling from belly to back and sports the world's warmest smile. Even on the toughest days, his smile always makes Kris and me swoon. Here are some pics from tummy-time today (complete with runny nose and all).

As a side comment, this little guy has suffered the consequences of being the 3rd child. He's now on meds for a double ear infection, just got over bronchiolitis and has had 6 colds since he's been born. He just keeps smiling though. We love you, Sammy Boy!! Thank you for being such a joy.

Emma

2010-12-01T22:36:00.000-05:00

From the Mouths of Babes

2010-12-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

This morning Jack was "reading the Bible to Emma". He said the cutest, truest thing, that I just had to jot it down. He said, "Emma, Jesus died on the cross for our sins because Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden." We've read the stories to him, but I don't recall ever communicating that thought to him directly. I doubt he really knew what he was saying, but it was such a wonderful reminder to my soul. Thank you, Jesus, for not leaving us in our sins!!

Our Summer Fort

2010-11-20T21:05:00.001-05:00

It's never too late to post summer pictures, right? These were two little "forts" I built the kids one day after a run to IKEA and purchase of 6 do-it-yourself chairs. It started primitive and then we brought out the duct tape which makes everything more official. Jack was pretty proud of our creation. So proud he decided to flex? And yes, for those who are perceptive, Jack is wearing his PJs.

Emma was a little more entertained by Jack's aforementioned shirt.

Kids. I love 'em.

My Window Washer

2010-11-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks for teaching him this trick, Mari!

Happy 3 Months, Sammy!

2010-11-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

Photos courtesy of a smitten Dadda.

An Attempt at "Bible Time"

2010-11-19T14:40:00.002-05:00

It lasted about 10 minutes.

Harvest Party 2010

2010-11-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

Bath-time Sammy

2010-11-18T16:36:00.001-05:00

Sammy, even though Mommy feels very busy most of the time, here is proof that I still made time to bathe you (or at least lay you on the floor in a bath towel to make it look like I bathed you!). Love, Mommy

Shoes

2010-11-03T14:54:00.000-04:00

Little Milestone: Our little Emma girl put her tennis shoes on all by herself today for the first time.

Labor Day with Mom and Dad

2010-10-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a little snapshot, in no particular order, of our Labor Day weekend visit from my 'rents. Can you tell I'm behind in posting picture?

Newborn Sammy with Coach and Nana J

Enter the Aviators...

Emma and her Uncle Josey.

Newborn Jack with his Grandpa.

Emma is wearing a dress I wore when I was her age. My mommy made it for me.

Magazine model in training.

Some of Emma's stuffed animal idols.

Skipping rocks with Dad.

More quality time with Dad.

Happy-to-see-daylight-Me and my boys

3 sleeping boys

What a day!

Fire House Field Trip

2010-09-24T14:21:00.001-04:00

Below are some of my favorite pictures from our fire house field trip today. More pics are here.

A Girl and Her Balloon

2010-09-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

This is my girl's birthday month. Almost 2! She's getting so big...especially her HAIR!

Mommy's All-Star

2010-09-10T14:18:00.003-04:00

Thank you, Mimi, for the super cute outfits! Here's our favorite one so far...

Do I look comfortable to you? About as comfortable as one without neck muscles can be!

I know I'm cute. You don't need to remind me.

Can I be all done posing now, Mommy? Don't you have other children to worry about?

Pssst...thanks, Mimi!

Ode to the Spitzbergs

2010-09-09T15:20:00.001-04:00

We have some friends

They are the best

They give their time

To let me rest

Aunt Mari cleans

And folds clothes too

She rocks little Sammy

So our home's not a zoo!

Uncle Dave plays bubbles

And helps the Littles ride bikes

He likes my tuna

And fixes busted lights

This is my ode to the Spitzbergs

You are so fine

Thank you for your kindness

And for all your time

Sammy's 2 week stats

2010-09-08T16:19:00.002-04:00

He's 11 lbs and 13 oz, exactly 2 pounds bigger than when he was born. It didn't seem like a lot to me, but our pediatrician seemed impressed. :) He's getting some chunk on those cheeks and sleeping longer at night, so Momma is happier. 2 weeks down. A LOT more to go. :)

I don't know how to flip this picture...Blogger!

My Big Boy

2010-09-03T13:45:00.000-04:00

Samuel James Has Arrived!!

2010-09-01T16:07:00.009-04:00

Samuel James was born late on August 21 at 11:30pm. The short story is that on Friday I went in for an appt., started laboring shortly after that and continued a slow labor for the next 48 hours or so. We finally went into the hospital and we decided to break my water since I was already 4cm dilated. Once that happened things progressed very normally, but not tooooo painfully until I was about 6 cm at which point I realized how tired I was (we had walked for about 5 hours total trying to get labor started without breaking my water) and I wanted to give up. Kris encouraged me to get in the shower. After an hour of him reciting Scripture to me or encouraging me with every contraction I had dilated to 9cm. That was encouraging of course, but then I had to get to the bed! They monitored me for 20 minutes while I longed for the shower. About 20 more minutes in the shower and I was ready to push. I told Kris and he went to look for my midwife. He returned to say they were looking for her. Looking for her! What?Ok, she arrived within a couple minutes and all I had done is get out of the shower. With some major help from Hubby I made it back to the bed and started to push. Four pushes later and Sammy was on me, gooey and gorgeous.

Here are some of my favorite pics so far.

Once we arrived back home big brother Jack took over. All he wants to do is "protect him" and "play with him." Precious.

And these are thanks to a new camera lens my Love bought me as a delivery/anniversary/birthday present. :)

"Strong-Willed" Children

2010-08-16T15:09:00.003-04:00

I so rarely, and by rarely I mean "never" post quotes, but this was too good (and I wanted to put it in a place where I could find it easily again). This was sent to me from a fellow mommy of young ones.

"Because all of us are born in sin, all of us are rebellious, some more than others. Some children seem to be born sweet and compliant, others are called "strong-willed" when what they really are is merely willful--governed by will without yielding to reason, obstinate, perverse, stubborn, as my brother Phil was in his high chair when he refused to drink his milk. Mother's steadfast insistence on obedience was not for her personal victory over a "strong" will, but rather to strengthen her small son's will to enable him to will against the thing he wanted to do. How many adults have remained willful, selfish, and immature becaue they were denied this essential lesson in childhood."

-Elisabeth Elliot's book The Shaping of a Christian Family

Time with Pop Pop and Nonna

2010-08-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

Massanutten 2010

2010-08-05T14:16:00.002-04:00

Click here to view photos from our trip to Massanutten.

Lunch quote

2010-08-05T12:36:00.001-04:00

Us at the lunch table today:

Me: Mommy has brown-green eyes, and Daddy has green-brown eyes. So I don't know how you guys got brown-brown and blue-blue!

Jack: Some workin' man painted our eyes.

I cracked up.

Braids

2010-07-03T20:45:00.001-04:00

Just another Wednesday

2010-06-24T09:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday a wrestling match broke out on the couch between Jack, Meg, and Matthew. Emma was sorta in the action. :)

Later in the day, Emma hopped on her giraffe rocker and went to town. It was such a cute moment I had to take pics.

Doesn't she seem older with her hair back?

Friends

2010-06-05T14:42:00.004-04:00

The kids had a chance to host some of their favorite friends recently. I found Jack playing with Aaron in the living room...

while Emma and JJ ate a snack/breakfast.

And on another day, Jack's buddy Noah was over for a play group and they decided to be "worker men" together.

Of course Emma wanted to join in the action (I don't know if Jack was too excited about that).
This boy loves his tools.
And here are just a couple pictures of my Emma girl. It's hard not to talk about her hair with every picture I take, but the next couple are fine specimens.
Talk about bed head!

Bates' Buddies

2010-06-01T20:29:00.002-04:00

We love these cute children...

Thanks for hanging out with us, guys!

A Walk to Remember

2010-05-28T14:51:00.006-04:00

A couple Saturdays ago it was one of the most beautiful days of the year so far. Kris took us all on a walk at Lake Needwood. It's just 10 minutes down the road and I didn't even know about it! It's a gorgeous lake and walking paths. We brought the kids bikes and a lunch and made a wonderful memory.

Thanks for the adventure, Daddy!

Breakfast Time

2010-05-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Bono-Emma at breakfast time...

The Big Race!

2010-04-24T14:34:00.007-04:00

Today Jack participated in a Tot Trot at Kris' school. It was a little event, but we enjoyed rallying around him.

Before the race Kris was trying to pump Jack up.

But when the race was about to start our little man wouldn't let go of Daddy.
It took some encouragement to get him running.

But he made it and got his green ribbon.
And finally Little Miss got to go to the "wee" (playground) she had been begging to go to.

Post-race Jack had some quality rest time with Pop Pop.

Then after watching the 5K race he felt inspired to run for it. He ended up running close to a mile when it was all said and done. Needless to say, he slept well for his nap this afternoon.

It was kinda cute...when he would finish a lap around the 5K trail he would pretend to take his "tag" off and hand it to me just like the finishers of the real race. He was watching closely.

Park Days are Upon Us

2010-04-16T15:09:00.006-04:00

Today we joined some friends at a nearby park to enjoy the weather and company. I brought bikes for Jack and Emma and they ended up being a hit on the tennis courts. It was one of the more peaceful park visits to date.

Here is Jack plotting his next parkly adventure...

Emma, my little tennis pro...
I think Jack took about 20 trips around both tennis courts on this trike. Nothing like flat surfaces and a tricycle on a sunny day...
My Tennis Diva...
"Push? Push?" She's always asking to push something.
Peak-a-boo!

Yesterday we were at another park. The kids enjoyed playing under the apparatus more than on.

Our big boy...

They both love walking down the stairs...

Gotta love this weather!

Happy Birthday, Jackie!

2010-04-15T16:00:00.007-04:00

Jackie celebrated his 3rd birthday surrounded by his family and closest friends. Don't you love the grumpy faces kids make at their own parties!

These pictures show most of the people who came, in no particular order (blogger is not sophisticated enough to give me that option).

My brothers and Dad...
My bro and his girlfriend, Caroline.
Nonna having a special moment with Emma... (thanks for getting this picture, Mom!)

Aunt May...

I loved this picture because Kris did the exact same thing at his 5th birthday party. Although, Jack was just playing a game here. In Kris' case he hated everyone singing to him.

Here are some of the rugrats at the party:

Jack White (J.J.)
Matthew (Duko)

Aaron (Double A)

Emma Kate, of course
His big present was a new bike. He already looks too big for it, but it's for 3-6 year olds. Hopefully it will last through the summer.

Emma was excited about the gifts too!
Nana J

Aunt Cawa and wide-eyed Esme
Miss Tiff and Aaron
More present opening...
Quintessential little boy birthday party. Other little boys playing with the way cool toys.
Reading his Curious George coloring/sticker book from Aunt May...
Excitedly opening presents...

And Daddy doing a Mr. Wilson impersonation...

Happy Birthday, Son! We love you so much.

I Heart Verizon

2010-04-14T14:22:00.002-04:00

I don't normally blog about anything other than my family, but I couldn't help take a jab at my "friend" Verizon. I have had numerous encounters with their customer service and about 9 of 10 of those interactions have ended in them hanging up on me, misleading me, mischarging me, misinforming me, shutting off my service and charging me to turn it back on, and ultimately not fixing my problem. But I just read a story about a woman who recently called Verizon customer service to shut down her father's phone number because he had recently died. Verizon said they needed his secret pin number to do this. When she tried to explain she couldn't ask her dead father for the number they laughed at her and said, "I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do to help you."

Wow. Why am I not surprised?

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T17:17:00.005-04:00

Easter: What a wonderful holiday. We got to celebrate with the Marcantonios and family. Here are the pictures from the day.

Measurements

2010-04-12T13:45:00.004-04:00

We just got back from Jack's 3-year check up and Emma's 18-month. They're both big kids, but that should come as any surprise. Jack is the size of an average 5-year old according to our pediatrican. He's off the charts for weight and way off the charts for height. Our darling little girl is 97% for height and head size, but only 50% for weight. Maybe she has a chance of turning out tall and skinny! She certainly doesn't look that way now!

Here are some recent pics of the kids in action...

Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-11T21:03:00.008-04:00

This past Monday we joined our friends the Wilcox's for a Cherry Blossom's adventure in DC. This is a random note before I start the real post, I just didn't know where to fit it. On our way back to the metro the presidential motorcade came through after President Obama returned from throwing out the first pitch at the Nats home opener. It was our closest encounter with the President! Let' s just say I'm glad we were walking and not driving at that point. Traffic was locked down for blocks and for a long time.

Anyway, back to the cute pictures of the kids. Kris and Emma had a great time together on the metro.
Little pouty face.
Making our way to the tidal basin (Matthew is admiring the intricacies of his dad's metro fair card).
My darling girl.
We're here!

My big, toothless boy.
Buddies.
Serious chocolate milk drinkers.
Esme was a little angel the whole trip. Cara was pretty nice too. ;)
Back to the metro in the bright sun and heat. Go daddies!
We really enjoyed out time with you guys, Dave and Cara. What can we do next?

Hair Cut for Jack

2010-04-11T20:36:00.003-04:00

Jack was eventually very brave for his second professional hair cut (it took a few bribes and some pep talks). The first professional hair cut experience was about a year ago, and poor Nonna was the one who took him in for the cut. That time even the novelty of a lollipop wasn't going to salvage the experience. This time Mrs. Erin came to our house and patiently gave Jack a big boy cut. I wasn't going to trust my "skills" right before his 3rd birthday party.

He didn't want to wear the cape, so hair was everywhere!

Little sister sat by with her drooly encouragements.

Our brave, focussed little boy! Thank you, Erin (not like you read our blog, but thanks anyway).

Rocko

2010-04-07T15:28:00.002-04:00

He's a he! Now we're just getting ready for August 18th (give or take a couple weeks). And we're calling him Rocko for now. No Mom, that won't be his real name. ;) Kris talked me out of it.

Playgroup Last Week

2010-03-22T14:48:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the pics, Beth!

One of my favorite moments of the day...

2010-03-09T19:45:00.003-05:00

Emma has now graduated to getting a bed time story. She follows her brother's excitement for Curious George and asks for it every night. Daddy even uses voices when he reads! These are such sweet, quiet moments.

Now that it's 60 degrees...

2010-02-26T11:20:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd post about a little snow! :)

We had the biggest snow storm that I've ever seen about a month ago. Here are some pictures of fun and evidence...(we were in Frederick for fear of losing power at our place again!).

Aunt May

2010-02-26T11:06:00.002-05:00

Emma can't say Meg yet, but she has begun to consistently call her Aunt Meg by Aunt May. Its caught on and that's what I find myself calling her now.

Recently Aunt May has come up big in helping us take care of the kiddos. On top of her normal monthly babysitting, she recently took care of the kids for a whole morning so Kris and I could attend a marriage seminar at the church...then, only a few days later I called to see if she would be willing to meet up with me at my baby check-up appt. and watch the kids while I was in the office. She jumped at the chance.

Aunt May, thank you so much for the way you love our kiddos. They love you right back!

Daddy's Basketball Games

2010-02-01T21:27:00.004-05:00

During basketball season Kris is in the gym a lot. Not only does he teach PE 3 days a week, but he oversees home basketball games about twice a week. We love it when we can come and enjoy the game with him. Go Cougars! (Jack watches the referees more than the players I think. He wants to be one when he grows up.)

Dinner on the go...

Game time...
My future Gamer...
(Thanks for the pictures, Mrs. Mays!)

Feb 1st

2010-02-01T19:23:00.005-05:00

Here's what we did today: Jack helped pack Daddy's lunch, watched his favorite cartoon Curious George, ate breakfast, waited for Emma to wake up, helped me clean the kitchen floor. Emma woke up at 9:30 (don't worry...this isn't normal), she ate breakfast, well, sorta, she spilled breakfast mostly. Then it was play time. Here are some pics from that time.

We love our tools, Coach! Thank you!

Did you notice every picture with Emma she is wearing a hat? I just don't know what else to do with her hair sometimes. Lastnight Kris said to her, "Don't worry Sweetie, we're going to do something about that hair." I don't think she's real worried about it.

And yes, in that picture with Jack and his tool belt he is checking himself out in the mirror behind him. :)

I love days with my kiddos.

Emma's 15-month Check-Up

2010-01-21T09:21:00.003-05:00

Stats: Weight 24.6 lbs (75%); Height 33.5 in (off charts); Head 48 cm (95%)

Here are some recent pics of the girlie with her auntie, friends, and Dollie...

MLK Day in DC

2010-01-18T14:13:00.006-05:00

We joined the White family for a trip the Natural History museum today. It was a beautiful day to be in DC and the kids had a great time. Here are a few pics from the day.

We first had to capture a picture of the moment (always easier said than done with 4 kids under 3!). I thought all these pictures were worth looking at in their own right.

What goofballs.

And here's my little girly in the mammal exhibit. She found a little seat just her size.

Did you notice how "Dolly" didn't leave Emma's arms the whole day?

My Jack and Emma

2010-01-15T14:28:00.001-05:00

I love watching them play together...They can be such good friends sometimes.

Oh, Fall How I Miss Thee

2010-01-15T08:18:00.005-05:00

Three's A Charm

2010-01-08T13:28:00.004-05:00

Yes, we're pregnant with #3. This was my parent's reaction to the news :)

I think that captures it for me as well, excitement and "Whoa!". August 18th is the due date. I went in today for my first appointment and heard that beautiful heartbeat.

Jack and Emma were looking at the sonogram picture like, "Where's the baby you've been talking so much about?" Jack even went so far as to say he saw a dog and not a baby. Needless to say, he's as excited as a 2-year old can be. He insists he wants a baby brother.

Emma's pretty excited too, but she's excited any time you mention the name Baby. She can't get enough of babies. She is always asking me to follow mommy's around in the grocery stores so she can see the baby. Yesterday we were at the Soccerplex in Germantown and she followed this little 12-month old around the entire time calling her Baby. I'm working on it, Sweetie. Just give mommy at least 7 more months.

I had to borrow this quote from another friend's blog who is due the same week as me. It's from one of my favorite books (actually, one of the few I've read more than once), Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss:

“She says [Elizabeth Prentiss' sister in law] I shall now have one mouth the more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music, and drawing. Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers!"

We can't wait to meet you Baby!

More Snow Fun

2009-12-22T14:46:00.006-05:00

On Saturday snow poured on us. The kids took a few runs before it was time to come inside and warm up. Jack White let us use his sled and hill. Thanks, JJ.

I love this picture. Jack White is yelling "cheese!" while Emma appears mortified and frozen, and Jack is still trying to figure out what just happened. At least it looked like he was having a good time in the previous picture!

While the snow fell outside this weekend we had fun inside too. It felt like such a treat to have Daddy home the whole weekend! By the way, he just finished up his second grad class, and got an "A"! Way to go, Honey-Sugar-Doodle-Plum-Cakes (if you're gonna call your hubby a sweet nickname on the www you may as well go all out)!

Emma, our roaming photographer...She just does what she sees mommy doing. She walks around the house saying "Cheese!" and holding the camera up over her eyes.

Jack continues to grow in his air guitar skills. In this case he is practicing on Daddy's measuring tape.

And these were just some adorable pictures that I could never have captured without my new camera!

The Blizzard of 09!

2009-12-21T15:27:00.008-05:00

I had to laugh when every news station kept referring to our snow as the Blizzard of 09! I guess 1-2 feet of snow counts as a blizzard. It sure counted as a fun weekend for us!

If you think the pictures on this post look better than most posts past, that is because I have some amazing friends. Bryant and Tiffany White totally blew me away when they gave me their newly replaced DSLR Nikon Camera. It's a never-thought-I'd-have-one dream come true. I love photography, but a nice camera like this was always out of our price range. I can't believe they just gave it to me! Anyway, I'm still reeling from their generosity. You can enjoy the byproduct of their generosity in these pictures from the weekend. Thank you Bryant and Tiffany!!

Within 1 minute of our little girlies first snow adventure she was face first into the 18+ inches.
She didn't like it much, needless to say...
Despite some initial wimperings, she slowly got used to it.

And Jack seemed to be in his natural element. He played outside for over 2 hours straight!

My little snow angel.

Still not sure about all this...
Trudging his own path...

"Hey, I can handle this!"
"I was just getting used to it and you stick me in the middle of it?!"
Backyard play time...
The "monster hill" created thanks to Mr Snow Plow.

He was going down at quite a clip.
So Daddy decided to try it (on a smaller hill)....
I didn't get a picture of it, but with his first attempt he actually tumbled backwards and rolled to the foot of the hill behind him. It was quite funny. But now he's got it in the right direction...

What a fun day!!

A Boy Among Men

2009-12-02T15:32:00.004-05:00

(You should be able to click on the picture to see it bigger, Nonna and Nana)

The Frederick Fair

2009-12-02T15:24:00.003-05:00

There were so many great pictures from this day I think a slideshow is the quickest and easiest way to post them all. Yes, these were taken back in September. It only took me 3 months to post them. I'll try to do better.

Emma had a Birthday!

2009-12-02T15:14:00.005-05:00

Well, Emma is 14 months old now, but about 2 months ago (how's that for a delayed post!?) we celebrated Emma Kate's 1st birthday. We took a bunch of video but only two pictures have surfaced. Needless to say she's a big fan of the cupcake. Ok, let's be honest, she ate two cupcakes and was reaching for Jack's when we caught on.

Sophie & Emma

2009-12-02T15:07:00.004-05:00

Just put them side by side and I love to see what happens. :)

Looks like one of them is going to grow up to be happy and the other to be worried!

Poolside with the Divas:

Where are the kids?

2009-11-14T14:44:00.002-05:00

It's been two months since my last post. So, in an effort to catch up I posted a bunch of pictures on Flickr. You can see our photostream here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31233337@N06/. I don't know if this will be permanent or not, but it sure is easier! (Especially since no one really reads what I write anyway!) :)

Ice Cream, Cows, and Cuddles

2009-10-11T20:47:00.005-04:00

Last month we went up to Middletown on a Saturday. When the rain clouds cleared long enough for us to get out of the house Nonna and Pop Pop took us to get homemade, fresh from the cows, ice cream.

I think we have a fan.

And of course Jack also got to enjoy one of his favorite spectator sports: cow milking.

I also took a few pictures of Emma and Nonna together because it was one of the first times Emma let someone else hold her happily (and I thought her hair looked really cute...not to mention the pants).

My Cheerful Chubber. :)

Emma's 1 Year Check-Up

2009-10-09T16:29:00.001-04:00

Our little Emma weighed in at 23 lbs and 5 oz (85%) and 31.25 inches long (96%). Her head measured 48cm which I'm told is too large for the charts. :)

Birthday Girl!

2009-09-29T14:59:00.008-04:00

Our precious little girls turns 1 tomorrow. My oh my, so much changes in 1 year...

Happy Birthday, Little Lady.

A Night at the Bates'

2009-09-27T09:43:00.005-04:00

After an exciting and exhausting night of playing outside, it was time to come inside and clean up. When Jack heard that Viv's kids were taking a bath he asked if he could have one too.

Then it was pajama party time. Milena and Carson seemed to take a liking to little Emma Kate.

Freedom...
And finally, it was time for the "after party." For a 4 and 2-year old there is nothing more fun than jumping on the bed (especially when you should be sleeping in it!)
Emma had to get in the game as well, which resulted in a head-bonk for Jack, but no hard feelings.
We had a great time at your house Sam and Viv! Thanks so much for your hospitality and unexpected kindnesses.

My Little Emma

2009-09-15T21:49:00.008-04:00

The Fair

2009-09-15T19:29:00.002-04:00

SGM Picnic

2009-09-14T07:50:00.005-04:00

Photo props to Karen Ballinger.

Fun in the Sun

2009-09-13T20:50:00.006-04:00

While Emma was bathing poolside Jack was in the front working up the courage to run through the sprinkler. For some reason having a football in hand seemed to help.

But there were also the times where he tried to take a nap under the water shoots.
Pop Pop was the one who had to help him work up the courage initially...(this picture is worth clicking on to see the facial expressions.)
Singing in the rain...

Hmmm...Let's see here...How do I get that ball without getting any more wet?
Drink break...

Another run with Pop Pop...

He graduated from drinking from a sprinkler to a hose.

Good old fashioned outdoor fun.

Poolside with Emma

2009-09-10T16:08:00.002-04:00

I'd be upset too if my mom took all those pictures of me with my hair looking like that!

A Day in the Mountains with the Raglands

2009-09-10T15:53:00.007-04:00

This post has been way overdue. We took a trip to my parents back in August. The weekend consisted of an alumni volleyball game (go AHS VB alumni!) on Saturday and a trip to Skyline Drive on Sunday (of course it was a free National Parks weekend or else neither my mother nor I would have paid the price!). It was a gorgeous day!

Emma even let the big bearded guy hold her.

The girls in pink and stripes...Good taste thinks alike I guess.
The boy with his glove hanging out as close to the "woods" as possible.
Wouldn't you show off your legs if they looked like hers?

Some tickle time with Uncle Josey...
And one last pose.
[Not pictured: Kris] How did he get our of those photo ops?

We love you guys and we can't wait till we see you again!

Splash Park Funness

2009-08-20T16:46:00.008-04:00

Ok, so "funness" isn't a word, but that's the best way I know how to explain our venture to the Germantown Splash Park today. It was our first time there, and much thanks to the Wilcox's who shared their tickets with us.

Jack took a few minutes to get acclimated, and then he was all the way in.

Matthew got used to it pretty quickly as well after some reassuring from Mommy.

And Emma just squeeled her way through the day.

She also found some time to do some stretches.
Jack and the "whale from Nemo." (Anything related back to Nemo makes it fun and safe for him these days.)
Close up.
And back to stretches.
Jack was more "water brave" then I had seen him before. At one point he took Matthew by the hand and led him to the tallest water shoots and then ran away from him leaving Matthew confused and scared. Surely unintentional, but funny in a weird way.

"What is she doing?"
"Oh well, I'll join her."
"That wasn't so bad."
"See Meg, you gotta get your face real close to the water in order for it to shoot up your nose. I'll show you."

And then they were very ready for their naps. That's one of the best part about the Park. :)

What funness!

Georgetown Outing

2009-08-13T16:19:00.002-04:00

Emma wasn't the only one in Georgetown, but the only kid to be pictured this time.

MegDuko Wha?

2009-08-02T19:00:00.003-04:00

To any who may be wondering about the title of the last post, here is Cara's explanation:

"FYI to any who wonder: "Duko" is the Marc fam's pet name for Matthew. When Matthew was still a newborn, his big sister called him Duko for a while... we never did find out why. Now, nearly two years later, Meg has long since moved on, but Jess and Kris are still calling our boy Duko, or sometimes just "Duke." Jack, being an efficient little fella with no use for extraneous conjunctions, just calls our kids "MegDuko," hence, the title of Jess' post."

Wonder no more.

Pool Day with MegDuko

2009-07-27T20:27:00.009-04:00

This is what Jack's dates are going to look like for a while...

Of course with his date's brother keeping a close watch on his every move...

Always watching...

Ok, enough of that. :) This past Friday we spent the morning at the Marcantonio pool on a beautiful and sunny day. We had great dreams of it being a fun time of splashing and laughing with the kids. But, it was more a morning of convincing them that it wasn't that cold and that we really meant it this time that if they got out again we weren't going to let them get back in.

(Ok, so the picture above wasn't really from the same day, but I figured Emma deserved a pool picture too.)

Thanks for braving the cold water with us MegDuko, Baby Wilcox, and Cawa.

Vacation Snippets 2: Moon Bounce

2009-07-18T14:25:00.004-04:00

Vacation Snippets: The Pool

2009-07-15T15:46:00.004-04:00

In no particular order, here are some of our adventures in the pool during vacation...

Our Playgroup

2009-07-07T14:49:00.001-04:00

I love hanging out with you ladies and your kiddos!

(This picture brought to you courtesy of green apples and Renee's cool camera.)

Boys Will Be Boys

2009-06-09T09:32:00.003-04:00

Bryant and Tiffany came over this weekend for a grill out. Toward the end of the night the boys gave us ladies some gab time while they watched Cars. Talk about a sacrifice! :)

Then the Jacks decided it was time for some bonding of their own. They hopped in the ottoman and watched from there.

You can tell it's late because both the boys have their Nuks. Thanks for letting us gab it up, Boys!

The Jacks and Emma

2009-06-04T13:17:00.004-04:00

Every hot day deserves homemade yogurt-cicles, right? Thanks Tiff!

My guy definitely enjoyed it! I learned something about Jack. He's like me and not his Daddy when it comes to eating extra yummy foods. He takes his time. He's willing to let it drip all over him if it will mean the treat will last longer. Kris is more of a 2-bite-and-it-was-good kinda guy.

Then it was seesaw time. It was a bit tilted to Jack Marc's side though.

And some indoor play time for Emma Kate.

What a cheeser!

Where Did Emma Get Her Eyes?

2009-06-03T08:04:00.004-04:00

Below is a picture of Kris' dad when he was 1 year old.

I don't know about you, but I sure see some similarities in Emma Kate. The only weird thing is that Kris doesn't look much like his dad! Genes...they're weird things.

Pals

2009-06-01T21:19:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite things about having more than one kid is watching them interact. Within the past month Jack and Emma have started playing together a lot more. Jack loves to make Emma laugh and now that Emma can crawl she loves to chase him. Here are a few recent pictures of them hanging out together.

Reading in their PJs:

A picnic outside:
It was so cute the way Emma rested her chunky foot on Jack's.

And of course, we'll close with some pictures of Emma. Why? Because I think she's cute. :)