Oh The Sweet Things Kids Will Say

Samantha was recently playing with her Little People, the ones that my brother and I used to play with when we were the Madore-ables age.  This particular day, Samantha was pretending that the Little People were having a wedding.

I am not surprised seeing that Jeremy and I photograph weddings.  Whenever I'm looking through the photographs after the ceremony, sometimes Sam will come down to watch Jeremy doing his edits.  Sam will ask questions about the photos, so she understands that (traditionally that the father walks the bride down the aisle and the bride's husband waits for her at the end of the aisle.

So when Samantha was pretending, I wasn't surprised that she decided to have a wedding ceremony that day.  Jeremy and I have been talking a lot about the weddings we have coming up, so of course they were on her brain.  It's cute to listen to the things that come out of her mouth, but I was so moved by this that I had to share.

So Samantha was moving the pieces around the room making sure people were getting ready for the wedding ceremony.  I was actually very surprised that she was paying so close to the details.  She talked about her bridesmaids getting ready to walk down the aisle.  She talked about the florist getting the flowers ready.  Then she pretended that the bride was talking to someone (not sure who exactly).  Her conversation consisted of:


"That's alright sweetie, it's ok to be excited.  You need to get ready though because you have someone very special waiting for you at the end of the aisle".

Oh the Sweet Things Kids Will Say

I think parents everywhere have moments like this.  Moments where you think you're not doing a great job.  I for one have days like that.


This morning, I was reminded that Jeremy and I are getting somewhere.


Samantha came downstairs to say good morning and give me a big hug.  When I asked her what she would like for breakfast, she told me the following:


"Mommy,  I got my own breakfast this morning because I could reach it.  I got myself a paper towel so I wouldn't get crumbs all over the place.  I thought I would give you some rest this morning.  But, the only thing I couldn't do was get my juice.  The gallon in the fridge is still really full [and very heavy] so could you pour me some juice in a few minutes?"

How can I say no to that?  :)

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1. We're winding down to our last full week of Summer vacation.  I can't believe how quickly the Summer went by.  Although, it seems like forever ago since we attended Samantha's final preschool performance.  We certainly had a wonderful Summer.  We began it by going camping, then celebrating Samantha's birthday, followed by many days of play dates at the playground, play dates at friend's houses, swimming in the pool, and trips to the beach.  We had a great Summer and are very fortunate to have been able to celebrate it with so many wonderful people.
2. This past week has been pretty busy for our photography business.  Last weekend we photographed a senior portrait session and this weekend we have another senior portrait session scheduled and a wedding scheduled as well.  The weather is looking great too for the weekend, so hopefully no surprise rain clouds come our way. 
3. Both Samantha and Sarah have been practicing their letters and playing "school" during the week.  Samantha has been writing little notes to her teacher saying how excited she is to start school, so we have these little scrap pieces of paper all over the place.  It's sweet though to come down to my pillow after work and find a little note from Sam that says, "I love you Mommy".  It never gets old to see them.  Samantha is also sounding out more and more words and making a big effort to read signs.
4. This past week I went to pick up Samantha's clothing for soccer.  I was able to pick up next to new cleats, brand new socks, brand new shin pads and shorts for $8.00 at my favorite consignment shop down the street!  I just need to find a team shirt, but one of the Mom's of the girls on the team said she has an extra one that she's willing to let Samantha borrow.  Sooo excited!
5. It doesn't happen too often, but I love it when Netflix makes a "mistake".  I recently added Finding Nemo to our queue list and received an email saying that Netflix received our last video we mailed and would be sending out the next on the list.  Well, I completely forgot about Nemo and just accepted what was being sent our way.  So, we received what I thought was next on the list, and then received another email from Netflix saying that they didn't have Nemo at the time but they were going to send it to me.  I love it when Netflix mails out 2 movies at once when we're only paying for 1! 

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1.  Just when I thought Samantha didn't listen to me.  When Jeremy and I photograph a wedding, I usually show Samantha some of the wedding photos that we took.  If she has questions about the photo, then I'll explain to her.  Fast forward to yesterday afternoon.  Samantha was playing with her Little People figurines and pretending they were in a wedding.  She was making all sorts of sweet comments but she said one that just stood out in my mind.                        

[Talking to her Little People] "Daddy has to walk me down the aisle. [a few seconds later] No you go ahead sweetie. You have someone special waiting for you at the end of the aisle".   

2.  I took the Madore-ables grocery shopping recently.  The girls absolutely LOVE grocery shopping. I absolute love it myself.  The girls (for the most part) are very well behaved and we play a lot of games while walking about the store.  Sarah will help me find the items, and Samantha will sound out the items on the grocery list.  So while we were on our recent trip to the store, I noticed that there were some soft lunch boxes being sold in a display case to which I brought attention to to Samantha.  I showed her all of her options, and she made her choice.  A little while later, a store manager had actually moved the display and we discovered that there were more soft lunch boxes underneath.  Sam and I discovered a purple soft lunch box with glitter and butterflies.  I thought for SURE that Samantha would go for that one.  When I gave her the choice between the purple glittery butterfly and the one she chose before, she decided to stick with her first choice.  Sam then told me why she decided to stick with her first choice.  "I do love the purple one with the glitter and the butterfly, but this one [Sam's first choice] has pockets, and you can do a lot with pockets Mommy.  Besides, some other little girl who really loves purple or butterflies can choose that one".

3.  The house hunting continues to go very well.  I love receiving the daily updates from our realtor every morning with new homes for sale, or price changes.  I get very itchy every morning just thinking about owning our home.  We've been looking forward to owning for a long time now.  So please keep us in your prayers as we both know that this is a long process.

4.  I absolutely love listening to Sam and Sarah sing in the backseat of the car.  I also love listening to them say their nightly prayers before bedtime and each meal time.  It amazes me that their brains can hold all of those song lyrics and information!

5.  We have been very fortunate this year for our photography business.  We're going to be really busy in the next coming weeks.  We photographed a maternity/family portrait session.  This weekend we have a High School senior portrait shoot.  In the next six weeks, we have 5 weddings to photograph.  So excited!  If you know someone who may be interested in booking a senior portrait or a family portrait session, contact me.  Sessions are FREE, you only pay for the prints that you want.  Email me at photos [at] capturedinmoments [dot] com to schedule your session.

Family

For the last few weeks, we've been fortunate to have my Grandmother (a.k.a Nanny Olive) from Florida up at our house to visit.  We haven't been able to see her since 2009 when Samantha was just two years old and Sarah was just 8 months old. 

During her visit, we were able to grab some 4-generation photos.  The Madore-ables had a great time while Nanny O was here and were very sad that she had to go home to Florida. 

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1. My sister in law, and my brother in law FINALLY had their baby early this morning!  Our nephew/cousin Matthew was born just about 3am this morning.  Hooray!!
2. I'm looking forward to everyone coming over this weekend for our family cookout.  My Mom's cousin is home visiting from Italy; my Grandmother is up visiting from Florida.  It should be a great time.
3. I thought we would have to wait until Monday, but we found out Samantha's Kindergarten teacher today, and also found out that there are 2 children from Sam's preschool class from last year that will also be in her K class.  We're so excited!
4. Jeremy and I have been having fun looking at homes online.  It's a good feeling to know that we can afford one now, and there are SO many options available to us.  It's so hard to be patient!
5. This coming weekend, Jeremy and I are photographing a maternity shoot and a family portrait shoot.  The weather is supposed to be really nice.  We're really looking forward to it!

Love Notes

Back in the day, before my girls knew how to write letters, I would write letters to them.  I would tell them I loved them.  I would give them hugs.  And days later, I would find the notes right next to their bed.

Today, I still tell them I love them.  I still give them hugs.

But the tables have turned just a little bit this time...

There's nothing like receiving a little note like this as a reminder after coming home from work and getting ready for bed for the night.

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1. I received my yearly review at work and received very positive comments and feedback and a nice raise to go along with it.  With house hunting and figuring out if we're going to send the girls to private school that's going to come in handy.  It's so rewarding and refreshing knowing that my hard work is actually going somewhere.
2. Jeremy and I don't get a whole lot of time to spend together much since I've been back to work.  Sure, having that extra income on my end helps quite a bit now, but it also means that I'm not home at nighttime until after the girls go to bed.  So tomorrow, my brother and his girlfriend are taking the girls for a few hours so that Jeremy and I can photograph a maternity shoot.  I know the Madore-ables are really really excited about it.
3. Samantha's swimming continues to advance.  She was really interested in the Olympics while they were on television.  She would ask in the morning if there was any swimming on.  Then, she would try the butterfly, or the overhand stroke.  Well, now she's also swimming under the water too.  Holy cow!
4. Sarah is loving her big girl bike.  She has turned our dead end street into a drag strip.  On the same breath, Samantha is really enjoying rollerblading with Daddy.
5. The girls are really enjoying Summer...oh heck.  I'm enjoying our Summer time too.  The swimming.  The freedom to worry about what we're doing for a playdate.  I don't know if we're ready for Fall yet.

Sarah's New Wheels

Sarah has some new wheels!

Over the weekend, she received an upgrade.

She went from trike:

To bike:

If It's Broke...Fix It

Last weekend, Jeremy and I had plans to attend my cousin's college graduation party in the afternoon, but we thought we would take the girls to Plum Island Beach in the morning before all the beach goers arrived.  Halfway there, we realized that either of us did not have any cash on us to pay for the parking fee.  So we stopped at an ATM.  When Jeremy got back into the car, the car did not want to start.  Thankfully we were broken down in a parking lot with a CVS, so we purchased some jumper cables and found someone to jump the car. 

The jumper cables didn't work

Thankfully we were walking distance from a Mobil gas station down the street.  So we ventured on over to see if they could help us out.  The Mobil staff was very kind and let us hang around in their lobby while they called a Napa Auto Parts to have a brand new battery delivered to us, and we walked it back to the car.  Jeremy went right to work and exchanged the old battery for the new one.  I turned the key.

The car still didn't start.

So we made another trip to the Mobil station with heavy car batteries and two Madore-ables in tow.  They were in great spirits the entire time.  In fact, we had some great conversations on why we thought the car wasn't working.  Samantha thought it was because we ran out of gas.  We told her that it couldn't be because we filled up our tank just before we broke down.  Sarah thought it was because the car was just tired and didn't feel like working.  All very good explanations to a 5 and a 3-1/2 year old.  So we hung out at the Mobil station.  We talked to the cool and patient attendants.  The girls loved the owner and were asking her questions.  Everyone just seemed to be friendly and the girls were just so easily entertained.  While the girls were entertained, Jeremy put some phone calls in to his brothers and was able to determine that it wasn't the battery.

It was the starter.

So we made a phone call to my Mom who came to rescue us.  The CVS was ok with us leaving our car in their parking lot over night, and we were able to carry on with our plans that day.  The following day, we trekked down to the car at the CVS which was still parked and then we remembered something:

It was Yankee Homecoming Day and we were in the middle of the parade route.

Fantastic.  Nothing like trying to solve a problem with added pressure or anything.  So, we managed to get the car started by Jeremy tapping on the starter a couple times with a wrench and we were able to drive it on over to the Napa Auto Parts store without being tangled in the route of the parade.

So while Jeremy changed the starter in the parking lot of Napa Auto Parts, I entertained the girls.  Here are some of the events that unfolded:

The girls made sure that baby was safe in the car seat before they did anything.

So responsible!

We played "Go Fish"

We took some time to look at the clouds flying by and feel the sun on our piggies.

"Mommy?  Let's take pictures together"

"Let's be silly Mommy!"

"Let's play some songs on your iPod Mommy!"



Go Fly A Kite!

I recently found kites in the dollar section at Target.

Seriously, best investment in awhile for the Madore-ables.

Every time we mention, "boy, it's windy today!"  they want to fly their kites.

We started to, and weren't able to fly them for long...

Because a storm was blowing in...and you know how New England storms are.

Oh well.  There will be another day for a longer kite fly.

Five Things Friday

Five Things That Happened This Past Week That Made Me Smile:

1. My Grandmother from Florida is here to visit.  It may only be just a few weeks, but the Madore-ables are having a great time with her.
2. Our photography business continues to get busier and busier!  This Summer has been kind of quiet, but we'll more than make up for it in September.  Mostly every weekend is booked with weddings, in fact we have 2 weddings in 1 weekend!  We have definitely been blessed this year.
3. The girls have been enjoying watching the Olympics on television.  I was trying to explain to Samantha that there are different kinds of swimming.  There's the butterfly, the back stroke, and a relay race.  Well, in the middle of my talking, she clearly lost interest.  So when we took a swim in the pool that day, Samantha blurts out, "Mommy!  Look!" I'm doing the butterfly!"  And what do you know?  Samantha was doing a pretty good butterfly and she was listening to me.
4. I've been enjoying receiving our realtor's email every morning in my inbox with new houses.  It's so nice to know that there are SO many options for us out there.  Now, we just have to be patient as we cannot actually start looking at the houses until after the New Year.
5. It looks like we're going to be taking a road trip this Thanksgiving to our brother in law and sister in law's house in Pittsburgh.  We haven't ironed out the details yet, but it's a strong consideration.

Taking Flight

Yesterday, the Madore-ables and I took a drive to Boston's Logan Airport to go pick up my Grandmother who has flown in from Florida.  She's going to be staying for the next few weeks, and we're very excited to see her.  The last time she visited, Sarah was only 6 months old.  Time flies!

We had an easy drive into Boston.  No traffic.  Coming home was another story, but that's besides the point.  We parked the car in the garage and waited around for about 30 minutes.  The girls kept an eye on Nanny O's flight status.  We checked the bathrooms.  We checked out the baggage claim sections.  The girls (especially Sarah) were fascinated.  Sarah really wanted to go for a ride on the baggage claim, and as tempted as I was to hop on there with her, I refrained.

The girls had a great time looking at the planes landing and taking off. 

The girls love escalators, but the concept of a "flat" escalator is even cooler

The Madore-ables worked very hard to make a sign for welcoming Nanny Olive "home"

Samantha and Nanny Olive haven't seen each other in 3 years, but they were BFF's right away.

Where is Nanny Olive's suitcase?

Back on the "flat" escalator again, and yes, Samantha carried that big suitcase all by herself.