Home Sweet home

We enjoyed a weekend in Fort Myers----IT WAS AWESOME. We have been out of town so much, it was great to just relax and get some things done around the house. Chris's project materialized on Friday when I was going out to the car and noticed a SNAKE, yes a snake coming through the door jam. Granted, it was a VERY small snake, I was over it....all I could picture was it crawling into MC's crib with her----He would be fixing the door. I spent the weekend putting together a video documenting Maggie's birth. I had done this for MC and wanted to do it for Maggie as well. I think it turned out great, and will try to post it later this week. Until then here are a few sweet photo's of my sweet girls!

Cannot get enough of her precious smile

She is such a dream come true---a nice chunky baby

Pretty sure I am not going to get mom of the year for this photo---I cannot keep her from climbing everything

Climbing around

Enjoying her sandbox one night, when it wasn't too buggy

This is for my cousin Maggie===she could not believe Chris actually mowed the lawn in these socks

MaryCate in one of her adorable swimming cover-ups

I love this peanut

Will she be a dancer or fulfill her Daddy's dreams.....

......you decide. This is an old video I have been meaning to post for a while. I am using this weekend to download all of our video that has not been put on our hardrive yet. I am also putting together a video of Maggie's beginning's, since I have one for MC. My goal is to consolidate our video so we will actually watch it with the girls some day and not just have a TON of raw footage. Will hopefully post some of that later along with some recent pics-----but here is what I have for now, enjoy!

I have never been so happy to quit.....

I never thought I would utter those words, but I said that loud and clear to Chris on Monday this week. We attempted a 3 day boot camp potty training program for MC on Sat. Sun and Monday----and now we keep saying "we will never get those 3 days back." It was AWFUL. My first sign of failure probably should have been the fact that the smallest undies---2T---were a bit saggy on my sweet little girl. I do think she is beginning to grasp the concept, but the premise behind the program and the teaching tools were not best suited for MaryCate. I do believe it can be great for some kids, but not for mine, at least not now. Both Chris and I said we are fine if she is sitll in diapers at 5, so long as we never have to go though that again.

We continue to do our best to stay cool in the hot and humidity that defines the FL summer. All is well and the girls are doing great. Maggie is such a joy. She is laughing a TON now and is about ready to roll over. I love when I get to spend one on one time with her----either late at night when MC is sleeping or during MaryCate's nap. I forgot how amazing they think you are at that age----it's a great ego boost to just have to look at her and get the biggest smile. I am still nursing and am going to do my best to stick with it, but am not sure how long I will make it. I have struggled with some infections and some days it seems like it would take so much stress off if I went to formula. She does still get some supplements since I am unable to produce what she needs, but I also know how good it is for her to get the majority from me if possible.

MaryCate has been so fun lately. Her vocabulary is so good and she is constantly cracking us up. She picks up on things so quickly and always impresses us. We were driving to church the other day and her and Maggie were in the back seat. Maggie sneezed and we overheard MC say "Bless you Maggie"----Chris and I looked and each other and just cracked up. We had never taught her anything like that. Tonight we sat down for supper and she looked at both of us grabbed our hands and said "pray." She LOVED saying AMEN at the end of the prayer. Needless to say we are having a ton of fun with her.

On a more serious note, when we got back from WI I made an appointment with a dermatologist to get a few spots looked at, that came up while I was pregnant with Maggie. Ironically they were nothing, but the dermatologist found a different spot that he was concerned about and had it sent off for some testing. Long Story short, it was skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma. They removed it today and it should heal up with no other issue. I just have to be sure and go in for scans every six months to be sure they get any more that I might have and of course continue to wear plenty of sunscreen!!!

I have been horrible at picture taking but MC was wearing the sweetest outfit today and I tried to get some fun pics----they didn't turn out as good as I had hoped but I included them anyway! I will try to be better in the next couple of days to get some newer pictures up!!

I just found this picture and got a kick out of it!

This is TRUE bedhead

I cannot get this 2 year old to sit still-----it baffles me

Here she is coming after the camera

The picture does not do justice to how stinking cute this outfit is

Summer Vacation

That is pretty much what I have taken from blogging----a vacation!! We are finally totally unpacked and settled back into life here in Fort Myers. Both girls are doing great and had a wonderful time visiting friends in Virginia and family in Wisconsin. It is so hard to recall all the people we got to see and all the fun that was had, but needless to say, it was well worth all the driving. Both girls remained VERY healthy and we managed to leave Wisconsin without a visit to the hospital (except to visit our favorite NICU nurses at St. Mary's).

Our days now are filled with continued therapy for MC, swimming lessons, and music class. Poor Maggie really gets drug around quite a bit, but she is so pleasant and willing. She continues to sleep wonderfully and has remained so healthy for traveling around so much and being exposed to so many new people and places. There are a few lingering pictures included below. I have not been good about taking too many lately, but now that we are settled I think I will be better!!

Here is Maggie at her VERY 1st brewer game. Her Uncle Ditty put a special message for her up on the jumbotron but the picture didn't turn out----it said the Brewers welcome Maggie Mustaine to her very first Brewer game. Now if they can only win a few games and do her proud

Snug as a BUG

This is where I found Maggie today---I had placed her under her play gym and went to feed MC lunch

She is a mover and a shaker---watch out world

I am not sure what I would have done without Big Mags, as we called her. Missing her and her delicious cupcakes already

Our birthday dinner---My brother and I and our Spouses do not get each other birthday presents, instead we go out to a fun dinner when we are all together. This time was no exception, we miss them already

We are back, and although I have a lot to blog about, I just want to post a few pics since we have been back. My cousin Maggie drove back with us. Despite the tropical storm, and my need to unpack after being gone for over a month, we have been trying to enjoy Fort Myers, and being together. Today we made some fun cupcakes and Maggie did the letters, for MY Maggie's room. I think they turned out great, here are the pics to prove it!!

MC and Big Maggie getting ready to bake

Putting the liners in the pan

MC is a PRO

Chris and Mags, pulling the cupcakes out

MaryCate loves Maggie, and now plays this game with Maggie where she goes through her legs and tries not to get caught

Maggie even let MC help decorate

Here is a pic of one of Maggie's cupcakes

And here is one of MC's----remember she is only 2 and clearly still can learn a lot from Maggie

All the cupcakes

MC taking a bite of the cupcake

MMMMMM, these are so yummy

The end result

The letters for Maggie Nita

A picture of the whole room with Maggie and MC's letters----WE love the way it all turned out, props to Maggie Field

Some pics before Chris takes off!!

Chris is getting ready to head back to Fort Myers and take the camera with him. My brother brought me a camera cord home so I could upload some of my pictures. The 4th of July was a blast. Both girls did great!! They loved the parade and both actually LOVED the fireworks, I was sure we would be running home with one of them. I am going to keep the commentary short because I have so many pics to comment on. Enjoy and I will be back when I get back to Fort Myers!

MC after 2 days of traveling----Mom, I am SOOO over being in the car

This is a picture of 2 of my dearest friends in VA and their husbands. We had a fun night out the six of us, and I miss them already

Me with my heart friends

This picture is so embarassing but a great picture of how much fun we had the week I was in Virginia

MaryCate enjoying some summer watermelon

This is Maggie with my Grandma Nita. Maggie's middle name is Nita and she is named after one of the sweetest Grandma's you ever did meet!!!

MaryCate with Grandma Nita

Maggie with her cousin Katie---Katie is my cousin's little girl!!

We went to Brady's t-ball game one night---he SOOOO takes after his Daddy and they look identical!!

MC decorating cupcakes for Pappa Denny's 60th birthday, we surprised him at work

All the kids decorating the cupcakes

This is what MC does when you ask her how old she is---add them up

Love those sweet eyes

My sweet girls, in their another matching outfit, thanks to Aunt Susan in Virginia

...and again, you wonder why we call him pretty---loving his aviators

Pretty sure Auntie Reba, the teacher, is giving a little lesson right here

How sweet is this boy

On the train

Relaxing with Clare

Pulling the wagon at Pappa Denny's and Grandma Mary's

MC in her 4th of July gettup

Ready to collect candy

I love my auntie REBA, she lets me wear her sunglasses!!

The sausages all knew timmy so we got a little extra attention attention at the parade

Maggie hanging with her Uncle Pretty

rub a dub dub, 3 kids in a tub

It was a hot day----MAGS hung out with Uncle Ditty inside, jealous of the big kids

Typical Clare

Eating her very first sucker