My Girls

Ella, you love to draw, color, create and paint.

Madeline, you love to eat crayons, paintbrushes, paper and stickers.

Ella, you love to build puzzles and extremely tall towers.

Madeline, you love to destroy them.

Ella, you love to sit and read books and have since you could sit up on your own.

Madeline, you enjoy tearing the pop-outs from the books and you absolutely can't have a paperback for fear of what you would do to it.

Ella, you love meat and veggies and most fruits.

Madeline, you despise meat and could eat watermelon, broccoli, and mandarin oranges for every meal.

Ella, you could drink your weight in cranberry juice and strawberry milk....and you were never bottle fed.

Madeline, you really don't want to give up the bottle. But it's time sweet child.

Ella, you have always been my quiet one. Never acknowledging strangers when we are out.

Madeline, you will wave to people across a room, say hiiiii and blow kisses to the baggers at Publix.

As different as you girls are, together you both can make me laugh and smile like no other person in this world. Why God blessed me with two sweet, funny, daring, loving, little girls, I will never know. But I treasure you both with my whole heart. And thank you for the endless giggles to make this year go by a bit faster.

Ballerina Girl...

You are so lovely...

Ella started dance this month and she's in the beginning ballet and tap class. Anyone who knows Ella, knows just how shy of a girl she can be. But let me tell you, moving here was the best thing for her. She has come out of her shell and it's been an amazing transition to watch. She prances out of her dance classes with a huge smile and it warms my heart. I am so happy she is loving her life in Florida. 9.5 months left!

Ella with Auntie

It's September!

Wow! I love when another month comes and goes. Makes this deployment feel like it's sort of moving right along. We definitely miss the man in our lives. I think it's been harder on Ella than any of us. I believe she is confused beyond her wise almost 4 years of age. When Tom first left for Korea we would Skype a lot. Ella was only 18 months old and I really think she believed her daddy lived in the computer. Now, she knows he doesn't live in the computer and she will say "my daddy is in Iraq" if you ask her.

BUT the other day my heart was so broken. She was really quiet at her meet and greet with school so I was explaining to her that all of the children in her class are just like her and they are excited to go to school and they all have mommies and daddies who love them. And she said "well I don't." I asked her "You don't what?" She said "I don't have a daddy." Let's just say the waterworks turned on for me. I bit my lip, took a deep breath and let her know she most definitely DID have a daddy who loves her, absolutely adores her and wishes more than anything that he could be there everyday of her life. I told her his job is important, but it makes him live in different countries. I was so in shock that she even thought that way. I have to keep in mind she's 3 and by the time her daddy returns next summer, he will have missed two years of her life. In her world, that's entirely too much. In our world, that's entirely too much. For some families, they miss their daddy when he leaves for a quick business trip or a golf trip and he's gone for a week or weekend. It seems like a "nice" break for some;) For our family, that is our reality for 365 days. We miss him every second of everyday. We want nothing more than for him to return safe and sound, hold us all tight, and to be whole again.

So September, thank you for arriving rather quickly. Now go on and tell the rest of your calendar friends to speed it up as well. July needs to come back around and bring us our man home.

Tom finally sent me this photo of him and the girls taken about a minute before our goodbyes.

It's never too early to start a countdown, is it? My app on my iphone seems to think not.

And yeah that's a fat swimmer guy headed toward a pot of gold. No, Tom. You aren't fat. Yes, your family is as amazing as a pot of gold. (there weren't a lot of choices). And besides, it makes me laugh when I see it.

Ella's First Day of Preschool!

Yes, you read that right. Ella started school. (Although Tom likes to say "it's not really school".) Even though it's only three hours a day for three days a week, it's very real to me. Dropping her off was a little difficult for me. I brought my dad for moral support! Ha! The tears were coming (from me, not Ella) when I signed her in. (Actually, they started when I pulled into the parking lot, but I told myself to get it together.) She walked right into her classroom, said hi to the teacher, hung up her backpack, gave me a big smooch and sat down. I had to hurry up and leave so she couldn't see her mom cry. Call me pathetic, but I'm too emotional for this stuff. There is just something about your first born going to school. It made me really feel like a parent. I am entrusting someone else to take care of my sweet girl. I wanted to be a fly on that wall so badly, but Homeroom Mom will have to do;)

I missed her so much when she was gone. It did go by quickly, but when I was waiting in the car line to pick her up time started dragging. Seeing her walk out with her teacher, grinning from ear to ear, made it all worth it. Miss Holly said she had a great day...played, talked and smiled. And that's all I needed to hear to know my "baby" would be just fine without me...for a few hours anyway;)

And of course I went picture crazy!

Love that her backpack is bigger than she is.

She cracks me up.

SO excited!

In front of her class. Funny thing is, I am sure I was a student in this classroom at some point. She is attending school at the Catholic church we grew up going to. These were and still are Sunday School classrooms!

"Oh geez Mom. Enough with the camera. People are staring."

She's a natural;)

Last picture before I left. My little preschooler! (Where the heck have the last 3.75 years gone??)

Adventures in AdventureLand

Adventureland is a little amusement park on Long Island. Kids seem to love it there. I loved it there as a child and was always really excited whenever an aunt or uncle would agree to take us! I was equally excited when Aunt Bunny, Michelle and Sammie took the girls there the day before we left NY so I was able to pack and do laundry (and nap) in peace. I LOVE them!! I am telling you, my girls were spoiled rotten with love, attention and prizes the whole time we were there. Ella loves Aunt Bunny so much that when she heard Hurricane Irene was headed to NY she said "I have to call Aunt Bunny to make sure she is ok!" She kept asking "where's it headed to now?" It was sweet to listen to her being so concerned.

When the girls all returned from their adventure of riding tons of rides, eating Dippin' Dots, drinking Icees, and munching on pretzels, they were greeted by Rory, Caroline, Aidan and Keira. Ella was so happy to spend her last night in town surrounded by her "cousin friends". They swam in the pool, ate more ice cream and all climbed into bed to watch The Smurfs movie. It was the perfect way to end our two week vacation.

Madeline loving ice cream

Ella looks a little perturbed that her ice cream is smaller than Sammie's.

Fishin'!

Michelle bought her this Ni Hao Kai Lan character and Ella made me deflate it and bring it home with us. :)

Showing off her tongue after an Icee.

Yes, she really does drink through straws. She catches on fast.

I love this pic. My cousins are a blast. To be their age again...I wish!

Looking out at the view!

There's da Bunny and Madeline waiting for them!

Love this. Ella is so genuinely happy with her family.

Haunted house ride...those kids in the background really look like they want a ride.

Of course they have to take pictures in a photo booth.

Madeline all ready for bed in Aunt Kim's arms.

It's Flying Saucer time!

Movie time...Ella sure misses these kids. She talks about them daily.

Thank you so much to my sweet Aunt and Uncle and Michelle for housing us for two weeks and showing us amazing hospitality. We miss you all very much!

I love the NYPD

As many of you know our family is full of NYPD. I'm quite proud of it, too. I couldn't do what they do...I'm a weakling. While we were in NY visiting, my Uncle, who is retired NYPD, took us to his precinct's picnic. You would have thought the Godfather walked into this place the way people surrounded him. He is definitely very loved and respected. I bet he could have been the commissioner one day if he didn't choose to retire. I loved that he invited us to go and the girls had a great time. It was held at The Coleman Country Day Camp. It's this amazing camp for kids with tons of fun things. Mini golf, pools, paddle boats, endless playgrounds, petting zoos, art areas, movie/stage areas...I don't think kids could get bored there. The police really took care of everyone with plenty of food, cotton candy, fresh fruit, slushies, beer and much more. It was certainly hot outside, but the girls were sweaty little champs. (and so was I, but I had beer to keep me happy).

Mean mommy wouldn't let them play in the "balls". I just can't bring myself to EVER let them do that.

Look at our shiny, glistening faces! I love my girls.

On the back of a wagon...happy trails to youuuuu!

That's me in the background being neurotic with sunscreen as always. I think I sprayed them down 100x. I wish I could just dip them in a pool of it.

Ella was pretty good at mini golf. She stepped right up and got a hole in one. We have to work on her form a little bit.

Using the digger to pick up rocks. I like how her bow matches the digger. I planned that.

Ella's first ride in a police car. She wasn't happy when she first got in...to say the least.

But then the officer let her play with the siren and she thought she was awesome after that.

Dear Ella, This better be the ONLY time I see you in a police car. Love, Mama