The Vopals

4 th of July 2011

2011-10-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all time favorite pictures!

Beach 2011

2011-10-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

We were all able to go on our first vacation to the beach this summer. We went to Ocean City with Pappy Clark and Weezie and it was a blast! The kids were so amazed by the beach! We had the best time!

Date nights!

2011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

James and I have actually had some date nights without our kids attached to our hips!

Swimming 2011

2011-10-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

It was so hot this summer we spent alot of time in the pool! The kids are finally floaty suit free and they were like little fish!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-10-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

We are huge fans of face painting, I love to paint and the kids love to be painted! It works out well for us!

Potty mouth

2011-10-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

So recently Fletcher has had a bit of a potty mouth here is one of our recent coversations

Fletcher: Mom can you clean up the dog shit

Me: Fletcher you cannot say that word

Sophia: He said dog spit (no hearing aids in)

Fletcher: No, I said dog shit

Me: FLETCHER, you cannot say that!

Not sure what we are going to do with him!

Funny Kids!

2011-10-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Our kids are so funny sometimes, you never know what look you are going to get!

Puddles!

2011-10-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

We have the worlds best puddles at our house! Summer 2011

Better late than never

2011-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

These pictures are actually from the summer of 2010....

Twinkle toes

2011-10-18T07:35:00.001-07:00

Sophia gave ballet a try she was not a huge fan but she enjoyed it while it lasted! She was so cute in her tutu!

Fletcher

2011-10-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

It has been an entire year since I have updated my blog, but finally here are some recent pictures of Fletcher, he is 4 years old now, almost 5 and he is a handful!

The aftermath

2010-07-29T08:05:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of my broken ankle/tibia after they took the splint off, this is 2 weeks post op. It looks bad, but really is healing better than expected! I am now in a leg cast and have a bivalved wrist cast. I am doing well, and trying to make the best of all of this!

Injured

2010-07-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Due to some severe injuries from a fall I wont be posting too much in the next few weeks! It is hard to take pics with only one good arm!

Birdfeeders

2010-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

The kids recently made pine cone bird feeders. They were so excited to see birds come and eat from them. Ironically these pictures were taken while the kids were napping. But at least we now have proof that the birds have found us! The first two pictures are of our tomato that the kids have named Mr. Stripey. It is the biggest tomato I have ever seen!

Coopers Rock

2010-07-01T18:38:00.001-07:00

We recently took a trip to Coopers Rock for James's research group picnic. We had so much fun, the kids thought it was a really neat place. I have always loved Coopers Rock, and we could not have had a nicer day to hike and hang out with friends!

Water Bugs

2010-06-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

The kids have become quite the little swimmers this summer. In the last two days, Fletcher started jumping off the diving board, and Sophia is now swimming without her floaty suit! She is amazing! We are so proud of them!

PARK

2010-06-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at the park today. We played on the playground and then hiked over to the nature center to check out the wildlife. The kids had a blast, and are not worn out!

This is the theme of my week

2010-06-12T06:46:00.001-07:00

"If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible warning"

Graduation 2010 take two!

2010-06-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

This was an exciting year, Sophia graduated from preschool and I graduated from nursing school! We are on to bigger and better things!

Graduation 2010

2010-06-07T16:58:00.001-07:00

Sophia graduated from preschool tonight. She was very nervous but she pulled through and sang her songs and danced like a pro. We are so proud of her! GOOD JOB SOPHIA!

Heartbreaker

2010-05-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

He is just too cute!

Hells Angels

2010-05-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Fletcher finally has mastered bike riding, he just cannot resist wearing orange from head to toe and he wonderful green sunglasses! He is just too funny!

Sleepy Head

2010-05-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sophia just does not want to go to bed without me lately. She usually ends up on the couch right next to me until I go to bed! Some nights it is aggravating but she is just to sweet and when she falls asleep she is just so beautiful!

My garden

2010-05-24T13:52:00.001-07:00

Our house has been pretty exciting lately, we are growing plants left and right and our first tomato is on the vine!

HOT STUFF

2010-05-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Not sure but I think we have the coolest kids in the whole world, they crack us up everytime they talk. Fletcher is a hoot, and Sophia has the attitude of a super model and the humor of SNL! We laugh alot!

Around the house

2010-05-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

The weather finally improved and we spent some time outside. Fletcher was being so goofy!

Almost 5 and fabulous

2010-05-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went to Oglebay Park today to enjoy some fresh air and take some pictures. Sophia will be five years old soon and I wanted to make sure we had a some great pictures of her!

It has been a while

2010-05-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

It has been ages since I have posted anything to this poor neglected blog! The kids are growing up so quick, I just graduated from nursing school, and James is still plugging away at his Phd. There is rarely a moment that we are not insanely busy. I am glad to be able to spend a little more time with the kids and a little less time with my head buried in a text book!

Fred and Ginger

2010-03-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official we are raising little ballerinas. Sophia will be taking ballet and Fletcher is taking a dance sampler class where he will learn tap, ballet, and jazz. They are really really really excited. I cannot wait to see them spin and twirl. More pictures are yet to come!

Long time no see!

2010-03-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

I has been so long since I have posted anything on here. Nursing school has consumed my life, luckily there are only about 7 weeks left and I am pushing through. I have had 2 tests that I have done really well on and the kids are allowing me a little bit of study time.
The kids are growing like weeds, Fletcher recently turned 3 years old and Sophia is 4 going on 24. They are so fun and full of energy.

Fletcher

2009-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Fletcher is always up to something! Usually no good! The other day he told me he did not want to be two anymore and he was going to tell people he was 4. Sophia then told him people would believe him because he is tall. It is going to be a fun year with Fletcher he says the funniest things!

Fall fun!

2009-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

The fall is the best time of the year, the kids love jumping in leaves and having fun outside! We were up at James's parents house and the kids managed to rake up enough leaves to have some fun! Sophia was so excited!

Boo

2009-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Boo at the Zoo I had my doubts about the kids being able to handle the scary masks, but they were so brave. We had a great time and even rode the spooky train. Sophia was a little scared on the train but there were not tears! We cannot wait for trick or treat so we can all dress up again!

hay day

2009-10-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

The kids love jumping in leaves but we have a shortage of trees in our yard so they settled for hay instead! We did this last year too and it is so much fun!

Bowling

2009-10-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

We took the kids bowling for the first time this summer and they loved it. Who doesn't enjoy bowling plus the shoes were awesome!

Silly Sophia

2009-10-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Sophia is so silly sometimes, she has a special talent of touching her tongue to her nose and she loves to show it off. The flowers are the ones she planted in her garden this year. They were beautiful!

Bark camp

2009-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to bark camp this summer to check it out. I had never been there and the kids thought it was really cool. I was not expecting the dirt beach that they had to actually be dirt, I was thinking it would be dirty sand. Needless to say everyone was a filthy mess when we left. We are sticking to the swimming pool from here on out!

Sophia summer 2009

2009-10-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

I recently took Sophia downtown to a little firetruck/ fire safety festival. She really was not into the fire stuff and the festival pretty much sucked but I did manage to get a few great pictures of Sophia! She is growing up so quick I cannot believe it!

Sophia's first day of 4 year old preschool

2009-10-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Sophia was so excited to go to preschool this year. She absolutely loves her teachers and the kids in her class are awesome. This was Sophia on her first day of school!

summer/fall pics

2009-10-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

we grew these pumpkins in our backyard, the kids thought they were so neat!
This is our famous heart shaped tomatoe, it grew like this and we thought it was soo cool, Sophia even took it to show and tell one day!

These pics were from around the house and at my inlaws house. We had a great summer and had lots of fun!

Oglebay Fest 2009

2009-10-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have not posted anything to my blog in so lone. We recently went to Oglebay fest and here are some pics of the kids dancing and us having a great time!

She caught a WHOPPER!!!!

2009-06-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Nanny Vopals house today and dug up worms to use for fishing. Nanny Vopal found a huge worm and Sophia used it first. We cast out her line about 6 times and all of the sudden she got one! She said "Something is pulling on it" I grabbed the pole and sure enough, she had one. It was about 12 inches long and weighed too much for her tiny Barbie fishing pole! I was a catfish! We were so excited!

DOGS!

2009-05-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

We could not ask for two nicer dogs to have as part of our falmily! They love the kids and are so much fun!

Outside

2009-05-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

We recently had the kids outside and they were having so much fun, I had to take some pictures!

Smiling Sophia

2009-05-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sophia loves to swing, it is her very favorite thing to do! She is growing up so fast and has been very dramatic lately. I guess it is a girl thing!

Collin

2009-05-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is our nephew Collin, we watched him a couple of weeks ago and managed to catch a few smiles while we were playing with him.

My Little Buddy

2009-05-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last night Fletcher would not go to sleep so I let him stay up and play outside, he was wearing James's hat and he was so funny!

The Bike Buggy

2009-04-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

We recently bought a trailer for the bike so I can take the kids for a spin around the neighborhood. The kids absolutely love it. I have to admit that if I was a little kid this would be awesome. The trailer also converts to a stroller. It is pretty nifty!

We hooked a big one

2009-04-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I am not a master fisherman but we had the best time on Sunday. We took the kids to Wheeling Park to fish. The pond is so full off fish that you are basically guaranteed to catch one. We took the rocket fishing pole that Pap Mick and Grandma Karen bought Fletcher for his birthday and it actually worked! I had my doubts, it seriously launches a hook with bait on it across the lake! It even has a safety! James won the prize for catching the smallest fish ever!

Easter day!

2009-04-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Easter day, first we searched for eggs at our house and found Easter baskets, then off to Nana's for lunch and finally dinner to go from Nanny Vopal's! We are all exhausted!

Egg hunt

2009-04-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did dress my kids in matching shirts, and I don't care what anyone thinks, they look awesome! We had such a big day on Saturday, I took the kids to the Highlands and we shopped around and went to Cabela's to feed the fish. Then we stopped at the playground for a few easter photos. Next stop Easter egg hunt, the kids had a blast. We ended the day with a trip to the zoo for their annual easter treasure hunt!

Egg Coloring!

2009-04-12T17:19:00.001-07:00

The kids did a great job coloring eggs this year! Fletcher threw one egg on the floor but I guess 1 egg lost is not too bad! Now we are preparing for the Bunny to come!

Chuck E Cheese, "Where a Kid can be a Kid"

2009-02-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today, Ashley and I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. We loaded into Ashley's car and off we went. The kids were really well behaved and they all seemed to have a great time. We won some tickets and cashed them in for a bunch of junky toys, but that is what Chuck E Cheese is all about! Ashley spilled an iced coffee on herself but that really was the only mishap we had..lol...I could not leave that little bit out, sorry Ashley!I was totally amazed that Sophia and Colton could play air hockey, it was impressive. Everyone except Fletcher loved the clock that you could ride on. Fletcher enjoyed putting coins in the slots. The pizza was actually pretty good. All in all everyone had a great time!

A new Do!

2009-02-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Sophia finally agreed to get her hair cut, THANK GOD!!!! It was really long and she was chewing on it. I lover her hair short she looks so cute. Aunt Jules bought Sophia a flower making kit and she sat and made flowers for a couple of hours on Sunday and then we put one in her new hair do!

Hmmmmm.....

2009-02-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

Who knew that pull ups could double as hats? The kids thought this was hillarious, they had pull ups on their heads for about an hour!

Birthday Boy

2009-02-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

Fletcher is now 2 years old. I cannot believe it, He seems like such a big kid all of the sudden. On Saturday we had his party. He had a Thomas cake and balloons, all of the kids seemed to have fun and James and I were exhausted so it must have been a success!

Fletcher's Preschool Diary

2009-02-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Day 1 : Scream fest, apparently he screamed for 7 hours on and off and Sophia screamed for 3, like sister like brother. Fletcher sat in Miss Mary's office for most of the day!

Day2: Fletcher went to Nanny Vopals, Sophia went to Grandma Karens house! I just did not have the heart to send them back after they screamed all day!

Day3: Slight improvement! Fletcher did not scream as much, Sophia only screamed for 1/2 an hour and they both napped! Fletcher did not tell me he cried when I asked him what he did at school!

DAY 4 : D DAY! Fletcher screamed until he puked! He stayed until about 11:00, the preschool called Kim and then Ashley. Ashley was the only one with enough car seats so she picked him up and took him to her house! Thanks to good friends my baby was safe! Fletcher napped for 2 hours at Ashley's.

SOLUTION: Fletcher will not be going back to preschool for at least another year, I think he is too little!

Puddle Jumper

2009-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Fletcher was on a mission and no matter how many times we said no he was bound and determined to go through the puddle. He ended up soaking wet and cold but he did not care one bit!

2009-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

These are just some more pictures from outside today. Fletcher looks so grown up and Sophia was riding her bike like a pro. Fletcher was not so great at peddling so he hitched a ride with Sophia!

Warm Weather

2009-02-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

It was almost 55 degrees outside today and we took advantage of the nice weather. The kids colored with chalk and rode bikes. I took the dog for a walk without a hat and gloves. All in all it was a nice day!

Sophia and her tongue

2009-02-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Sophia has special skill, she can touch her tongue to her nose. The other day she was being a ham and showing off. Fletcher unfortunately did not inherit this talent!

Dog Days

2009-02-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the cold weather, the dogs have been spending most of their time indoors. They are not complaining one bit!

An Icy Mess

2009-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

We have been under a coat of ice for over a week now. Our front sidewalk was like a skating rink. The kids have enjoyed the cold snowy weather so much. We have come up with all sorts of fun things to do in the snow.

Artsy Farsty

2009-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

we did some self portraits the other day, the kids really enjoyed this project. It kept them busy for hours!

Surgery

2009-02-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

I had clincals yesterday and it was so exciting, I got to go to the O.R. to see surgery. I was totally shocked that #1 they let someone without any O.R. experience go and watch surgery and #2 that my teacher let me leave her supervision and go to the O.R. by myself for almost 3 hours. It was so awesome, I cannot even describe it, mainly for confidentiality reasons, but it so topped the staple removal from last week! This was by far my best clinical I have had since starting nursing school, I hope the work I turned in gets a good grade.

On another note I am sitting here by myself, the kids went to bed a 6:00pm like the little angels that they are....lol....and I am having a glass of wine and waiting for James to get home. Apparently frisky husband syndrome is running rampid and I am on the look out...lol...Dijea.

I hope everyone has a good night. See you tomorrow!

Cabin Fever

2009-01-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

WE NEED OUT OF THE HOUSE! An entire week stuck inside is no fun with 2 small children. I am running out of ideas! If anyone has any ideas on ways to entertain 2 small children please let me know.

What a long day

2009-01-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

Aside from the blizzard we had last night, I still had to go to my clinical day at the hospital today. It took me 20 minutes to get to a hospital that is literally 1/2 a mile from my house. The day started out ok, we had a tour of the hospital and learned where everything we would be using in the future was. Then the fun began, I like to call it being thrown to the wolves. You get your patient and then it is on. The teacher starts asking questions and the assessment of your patient begins. Just so happened that my day was cut short since my patient was gone (moved somewhere else) NOT DEAD! So I was allowed to remove staples from someones head! It was so cool. It seriously was just like taking a staple out of a piece of paper, aside from some blood and the sterile gloves. I was so excited when I got home that I could not help myself but do a little dance around the living room. James thought I was a little crazy.

James had a great day, he had a snow day and got to stay home with the kids all day. Sophia actually went to preschool until 11:00 when they decided to cancel and send the kids home. James started a fire in the fireplace and let the kids roast some marshmallows. The kids must have been exhausted since they were in bed at 6pm.

I have been doing school work non stop since I came home and I still have 23 drug cards to do. I think I am going to call it a night and finish them in the morning. I cannot stand the burning of my eyeballs any longer.

I am hoping with everything that I have that WVNCC is cancelled tommorow so my school work will not be due until Thursday!!!!!!!!

What a weekend

2009-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

WOW we were running around like nuts this weekend. Friday night was crazy because James did not get home from Morgantown until almost 8:00 pm. He had to meet with his advisor for his research/Phd. Saturday we overcame our colds and went to Nic's birthday party which the kids totally enjoyed. James and I were exhausted when we got home. I did manage to muster up the strength to walk Birdie (our golden retriever) We walked 1.25 miles and I was frozen when we got home.
I have to explain the walking that I have just started. I have a class for school, it is a gym class. I had to take it to be full time and to get enough financial aid to cover all of my nursing classes. It is called the power of walking. RIDICULOUS HUH? So it is a class that you basically do on your own. You have a chart and you have to log all of your walking and report back to the teacher 4 times during the semester. I know people cheat in this class, I just cannot do it. I am going to walk the required 15 hours throughout the semester and maybe I will lose a few pounds too.
So today, Fletcher refused to nap again and my cold is getting worse. James and Sophia went to visit James's parents and were gone most of the afternoon. I managed to do all of the laundry, walk the dog (before James left, I did not leave Fletcher home alone), organize all of my school work, finish my work for tomorrows class, pack Sophia's lunch, clean the house, and entertain Fletcher. I am patting myself on the back for all of this. I just got back from the grocery store and now I am planning to watch the Heath Ledger Batman movie. I am kinda excited by kinda scared. Heath Ledger looks a little spooky. Hopefully I won't have nightmares!

A fun party

2009-01-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to Nic's 2nd Birthday party (Nic is the little boy with orange icing all over his face). The kids had a great time aside from a balloon popping and a walking dinosaur (these things terrified Fletcher). Nic had tons of great gifts and some tasty cupcakes that had about 4 inches of icing on them. The icing was so messy but made for some great pictures. Happy Birthday Nic! Thanks for having us!

We are being spoiled with a nice day!

2009-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am not sure what is going on with the weather but it was in the low 50's here today and we were pretty excited. We tried going to the playground but it was snow covered so we came home and went to feed the ducks. The people at the end of our street regularly feed the ducks so it is a guarantee that ducks will be hanging out waiting for a snack. The kids were thrilled to be outside and in the fresh air. We even made some snowballs with the last little bit of snow. I am hoping that the fresh air will dry up the snotty noses I have been wiping for a week now. I have a feeling this nice weather is the calm before the storm and we will probably have 4 inches of snow in the next couple of days. Tomorrows high is 20...Yippee!

Man on a mission

2009-01-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

It seemed like everything Fletcher did today was with such determination. He was truely a man on a mission. He put his mind to something and did it, whether I liked it or not. He is getting to be so stubborn and opinionated. I kinda liked it when he would just do what I told him and not question it. Now he acts like he knows more than me. I don't know what I am going to do with him when he is 16!!!!!

A morning of pee

2009-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

This morning was so much fun! I am being sarcastic. After waking up I came down stairs with the kids and everything was fairly normal. James went off to work and then I smelled something! It was cat pee, I know that smell anywhere and it is NASTY..... I was down on my hands and knees sniffing the dining room trying to locate it. I was unsuccessful and then it occured to me that maybe it was just the pork and sauerkraut I was cooking. But no, I smelled it again! Then I located the pee, one of our pain in the arse cats peed all over the kids red fabric/foam stuffed chair and Fletchers school pillow! Nice huh? So then after cleaning that up, Sophia had to pee and slightly peed in her underpants. Then off to petco for some sort of cat pee smell remover. We found that and headed home. Then it happened, Sophia peed in her pants in the car. I think this is more how those wonderful moments occurred, "I am wiggling, I am wiggling, I HAVE TO PEE MOM, MOOOOOMMMMMM IIIIIIII HAVVVVVEEEEE TOOO PEEEEEEEE NOW!, I am wiggling" then silence........." I NEED NEW PANTS MOM!" So when we returned home and it was 12 degrees outside she did not want to walk to the house because her pee soaked pants were probably freezing to her little legs, so I had to carry her and then I had pee on me! IT WAS A GREAT MORNING!!!!!!

More snow = More fun

2009-01-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went to James's parents house for the football games. I was snowing like crazy and they have the best sled riding hill. We packed up the kids snow clothes and our sled and away we went. The niehgbors little girls even joined us for a little while. The kids had a blast and James and I had a great time as well. I especially love the first picture of Sophia, it is hard to get a good picture of her but when they are good, they are sooo good. She loves the snow but for the past two days we have been on house arrest due to some nasty runny noses and really cold weather. I did have my first day of nursing school today for this semester and I passed my math test!

Tea for two

2009-01-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

We decided to have a fancy snack today. The kids were so excited when I broke out Grandma Molly's wedding china and let them have a tea party. My mom passed away about 4 years ago and she was not a fancy person so I can think of nothing she would love more than seeing the kids having a tea party with the only fancy china she owned. I served the kids apple juice and M&M' s and a few graham crackers at their little table. They cleaned their plates, of course, since they were covered with chocolate candies. I thought Nanny Vopal would enjoy these pictures since she is family tea drinker. However, today I did drink some hot tea because it is so DARN COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!!!

We are in the deep freeze

2009-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

We are frozen. It is soooo cold outside that we cannot leave the house and Sophia has a runny nose. So out of shear desperations we got out the watercolor paints and painted some coffee filters. After they dried we turned them in to spring flowers. I guess it was wishful thinking. The kids thought this was so cool. They love doing little art projects. We try to do something creative everyday. I am just hoping that everyone will nap today.

Its a Blizzard

2009-01-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful !

Sophia's snow day

2009-01-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

FORECAST : snow snow and more snow

I am losing my mind!

2009-01-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

So this week was James's first week back to work after the long 4 week christmas break. I marked the calendar with my first day back to school and his first day back to work. THE 12th of JANUARY. We both got ready and were out the door a little before 8am. Sophia went to preschool and Fletcher went to Nanny Vopals house. I went to school........Then the stupidity set in. I was sitting in the class room at school waiting for other people to show up. The whole time thinking it was odd that I was the first and only person there. About 20 minutes went by and I decided to walk down to the nursing office and see what was going on. The secretary then informed me that school did not start until the 19th OF JANUARY!!!!!!!!!! You don't even want to know how dumb I felt. I was so embarrassed. I guess I will enjoy another week off. Hopefully next week will start off a little better than this one...lol..

A fun day with friends

2009-01-12T17:35:00.001-08:00

Today was a fun day for the kids. Colton and Kameryn came over to play and after a little ring around the rosie Kameryn was exhausted. Colton did not want to leave so I offered to let him hang out with us for the day. Sophia was thrilled and Colton was not complaining either. Fletcher was excited Colton was here that he would not nap. I truely think that the kids played with every toy in the house. Sophia and Colton glued noodles to paper and painted with water colors. We even headed outside for a little remote control car racing. All in all a good time was had by all. Will picked Colton up around 3:45 and I am sure Ashley had a nice relaxing afternoon.

Sophia strikes a pose

2009-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

These are Sophia's after dinner pictures. She was striking a pose and acting like a super model.

The Mouse House

2009-01-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

The kids have a pet mouse named Mickey and they really love him. He lives in a glass aquarium (that is cat proof) on our book shelf in our dining room. Once a week we clean the mouse house and it is a really exciting event. We have to get him out and clean all of this things and then we give him a special treat (some sort of fresh fruit or veggie). After his house is clean it sits on the dining room table for the rest of the night so we can watch him run around in his wheel and eat his special treat. I guess it does not take much to excite two small children and three annoying cats.

After dinner

2009-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

It seems we have a new tradition at our house, the kids want to have their pictures taken in their jammies after dinner....lol...Fletcher was sporting his little einsteins jams and he was so proud of himself. Sophia had some shiny silky ballerina jammies on last night and she was striking a pose against the kitchen wall. I will post her pics later when I load them into the computer. What a tradition.

"Show us how the piggies eat"

2009-01-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

That must have been some darn good pudding!

A New Year

2009-01-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with my camera the other day and I took some pretty cool pics of the kids. James gave me some new things for my camera for my birthday and now I have been snapping pictures left and right.

Some of my favorite holiday pictures

2009-01-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

We really had a wonderful Christmas this year. The kids were so excited to have Santa come. I think that James and I were equally as excited. The pictures of the ornaments on the tree were kinda neat because the Santa was one that I made when I was little and the other was one that James made when he was in grade school. I took so many pictures and it was hard to chose the best ones so these are in no particular order but I think that you can tell we had some fun just by looking at them.

The next generation of Ice Hockey

2009-01-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

The kids were a little surprised when Santa left an early Christmas present. They unwrapped the gifts and found hockey skates. The rest of the surprise was that the next day they were going ice skating. They were so excited that they wanted to wear the newly sharpened skates all over the house and pretend to be skating. For some reason Fletcher only had on a diaper ???? I am not really sure how that happened but he did not seem to mind and it made for some terrific pictures. The skating the next day was unphotographed because we did not have a free hand to hold the camera.

January 1, 2009

2009-01-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!

The Plumbers Christmas Party

2008-12-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, James's grandfather invited us to the Plumbers Christmas Party. When James was a kid they went every year and we were really excited that our kids would be going this year. It was neat to think that James's grandfather has taken three generations of kids to this party. The kids were so excited to go. When we got there Fletcher was thrilled to see Santa. He could hardly control himself. They each recieved a bag of goodies (candy), and were able to sit on Santas lap. Santa had gifts for each of the kids, Fletcher recieved a fire truck with a little fire man in it, and Sophia recieved a June (Little Einsteins) Doll. Fletcher was a bit jealous that he did not get the June doll. We ate cookies and just relaxed for a little while. There were tons of kids there and Sophia and Fletcher found some new friends. We stayed for a little over an hour and then headed home. It was a really nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thanks to Grandpap Pelley for including us!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

Every year since we moved into our house we have taken Christmas pictures on the steps. It has become a yearly tradition. We don't bother with the professional pictures, there is too much drama involved. So this year, just like last, we dressed the kids in their Christmas outfits (which they will more than likely only wear once) and took some pictures. They were much more cooperative this year and actually smiled without being bribed with candy. Fletcher even tried to hug Sophia at one point. I guess maybe they do like each other sometimes.

The REAL SANTA

2008-12-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

We recently made a family trip to Robinson Mall in Pittsburg Pa. The REAL Santa comes to that mall and we have gone every year since Sophia was born to see him. He is the most wonderful man, he is so great with the kids, and they love him. He gives me chills everytime we see him. He really is amazing. He can speak 9 different languages and he knows sign language, he takes his time with the kids and never tries to rush them off. Sophia and Fletcher both sat with him and chatted for a few minutes and amazingly enough sat for a picture. Sophia requested a Barbie movie and Fletcher asked for a Little Einstein movie. We assured the kids that Santa would be able to take care of those gifts. This year christmas morning is going to be so exciting.

Happy Turkey Day

2008-11-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

Our turkey day was a success. On thanksgiving eve, we made our own dinner and invited our friend Sean and his mom over. We had a great time, the kids loved having people over and the food was awesome. On the actual thanksgiving we watched the Macy's Day parade and then went off to Nana's house for a thanksgiving lunch. We played cards and hung out with family. All in all it was a great holiday. Now we are looking forward to Christmas. Oh and our Christmas tree is up and we are ready for Santa!!!!!

The many Faces of FUN!

2008-11-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

Fletcher is a character, he is contastly cracking me up. He recently learned to count to 15 and do the ABC's which totally amazed me, and the pediatrician, since he is not even 2 yet. I cannot wait to see what he learns next. He is absolutely obsessed with the little einsteins and he refuses to watch anything else on TV. He is a loyal Annie fan! Christmas is going to be so much fun this year since the kids are a little bigger and really excited. Sophia still cannot figure out how Santa is going to get down the chimney and Fletcher does not care how he gets here as long as he has a Little Einstein movie in his bag.

Christmas Parade, Here we come!

2008-11-24T17:40:00.001-08:00

Sophia was able to go to her first Christmas parade. Thanks to Ashley and her family having the flu we were able to use their tickets and sit in the Children's Museum to watch the parade. Kim and Nic joined us and the kids had a great time. Sophia's friends from school were there and they all sat together right by the window. I especially love the pictures of Sophia and her school friend chatting it up before the parade started. They look like little ladies. Sophia dresssed up like a princess for the parade and she cheered for every float. When the dancers went by she yelled, "Go Cheerleader Go!".....She thoroughly enjoyed herself.

First Snow

2008-11-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

We finally got the long awaited first snow of the year, the kids were so excited. These pictures were taken at 7:00 am, James had to work and I had school, but we were not missing out on letting the kids enjoy the first real snow. The did not care what time it was, they had a blast.

Comments please!!!!!

2008-11-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

THIS IS FROM A BLOG THAT I READ EVERYDAY (usually unless my cat is puking under my dining room table) PASS THE WORD ON AND START COMMENTING!!!!!!!!

Though there may be 100 reasons why people blog, I've yet to meet a blogger who doesn't appreciate comments. For this reason I'm starting Blog Comment Day on December 3, 2008. Here's how it works:
On December 3, 2008 you will leave one comment on at least 5 different blogs.
Out of the 5 blogs you comment on, at least 2 of them will be blogs you haven't commented on previously.
That's it. Simple, right?
Where to from here?
I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know if you're participating by leaving a comment in this post.
Feel free to save and use the banner in this post.
Please consider promoting this on your blog. Feel free to copy anything I've written here to promote Blog Comment Day.
Encourage others to leave a comment here if they are participating.
Thanks for helping to make the blogosphere a more conversational place!

Yikes

2008-11-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

THE TEST WAS HARD!

Well....let me recap my morning!

2008-11-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

So this morning at 6:45 we were all awake. It had snowed about 1 1/2 inches last night and the kids were psyched. Sophia instantly wanted to go outside. I am sure our neighbors loved us more than ever this morning. Sophia (screaming mimi) and Fletcher were out making snow angels by 7:15. Then breakfast, Sophia will only eat Vanilla wafers dipped in milk...Healthy huh? Then off to school for Sophia. She did not want to go as usualy until she found out Grandma Karen was picking her up, then it was ok. Then I came back home, Fletcher was dressed and ready to go, he was as usual begging to watch Little Einsteins, "the balloon one" to be exact. To which I said NO 500 times then finally gave in. So then the cat puked under the table. Finally at 9:00 I showered, and managed to run the sweeper since my dad was coming to watch Sophia this evening. Fletcher and I got out the door and about 1/2 way to Nanny Vopals when I realized I forgot something that I needed and had to go back home. Finally at 11:00 Fletcher was dropped off and I headed to school to study....Which I am not doing, because I am typing on here and reading everyone elses blogs, THANKS GUYS!!!!! Wish me luck on my huge test that I should be studying for......TTYL

Dr Vopal in the house

2008-11-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I always thought James would be the doctor first, but now I am starting to wonder. We have called Fletcher Doogie Howser before, but Sophia really is into my nursing things. Who knows we may have a couple of doctors on our hands. The kids were so excited to put on my nursing isolation gown (never really used, only for practice). They were having a great time. Afterwards Sophia took my camera and was taking pictures of everything in the house. We really had some fun last night.

TRICK OR TREAT

2008-11-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

Trick or treat was something the kids were really looking forward to. However, the first trick or treater to come to our house had a scarey mask on and scared the life out of my kids. Sophia and Fletcher instantly began screaming and shaking. Fletcher was clutching my leg and Sophia was screaming HOLD ME! So, we managed to get Fletcher to about 3 houses then he had to go home because he was still screaming. Sophia finally loosened up and was able to trick or treat on 2 streets. She closed her eyes everytime someone scarey came near us. The nice thing was everyone was giving her double the candy since Fletcher was not there (she was actually supposed to share with him...yeah right!) By the end of the first street I had to carry the candy because it was so heavy. She had a really good time and helped me hand out candy for the last 1/2 hour of the night. Hopefully next year Fletcher can last a little longer.

Nanny Vopals leaves

2008-11-05T19:11:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend we went to James's parents house. They have tons of trees in their yard and James and Nanny Vopal raked a huge pile for the kids to jump in. Sophia and Fletcher think that jumping in leaves is sooooo fun. The kids had a great time and they even got to stay up late and eat tons of chocolate. It was a great way to spend a Friday night!