From our house to yours

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

2 Days Until.....

Sydney is very excited to see her Aunt Jackie. This is the first Anderson will get to meet her. They have alot of catching up to do. Can't wait for all the laughs we will share!!

Hello Again!

Once again I will apologize for my lack of posting. But with the laptop not working well going to another floor to blog with a baby makes it difficult. Especially now that he tries to bang on the keyboard. He has been growing like crazy & doing lots of different things. Syd is doing really well in school. She has been doing basketball now for about a month. Her first game is after the first of the year should be really interesting. Anderson loves going to practice & watch everyone run around. He even tries to yell out to them. Syd is very excited for Christmas as it is just a couple of days ahead. Today at school they were going to watch The Polar Express which they do every year. tomorrow she has her party. Not alot of learning going on this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hope everyone has a great day!!

The turkeys Syd & I made for the table.

Halloween

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. I was having trouble with my picture card. Lucky for me Steve fixed my problem. So back in time we go to Halloween.

Sydney went as a robot. Steve & her had actually made her costume over the summer for vacation bible school. Anderson went as a dragon courtesy of his Aunt Jackie. He was very cute but not exactly the happy camper he usually was. He was not feeling well that day. Lucky for me his big sister was pretty awesome & was okay with only trick or treating for an hour. See Sydney is not much for the candy she just wants to trick or treat. Most of it we go through and if we won't eat it she throws it away. We actually can leave it out on the counter & she doesn't touch it. I think she still has peanut butter cups left over and those are her favorites.

Well with the dreadful weather we had for Halloween we ventured out for the local parade & trick or treating. Since it was raining they cancelled the actual parade & judged costumes from inside the fire hall. They have about 5 different categories to choose from. Each kid stands under which one they think their costume fits into. Well Sydney went for Most Original costume. She actually cam in third place & won ten dollars. She was very excited for her win.

Mrs. Roboto

Our happy little dragon.

Visiting Family

Sydney, Jasmine, Anderson, MomMom, Mason, & Madison

This past weekend the kids and I packed up to go visit family at Alicia & MomMom houses. The car trip was about four hours so it was Anderson's longest car ride to date. Thank goodness both kids travel well. He slept most of the way and she of course asked questions most of the way. She was pretty excited about seeing Jasmine and Madison so sleeping was not an option for her. Of course rain was our travel partner for a majority of the trip. Sydney did spot some wind turbines on the way down. She actually scared me when she was trying to point them out. I thought something was wrong.

This was the first time for us to see Alicia and Steve's baby Mason and the first everyone had seen Anderson. Friday night was spent mostly catching up and feeding babies. Also wondering what the girls were doing that was making so much noise. And if they were asleep yet.

Mason Ray Fowler

Anderson & Mason marching together.

Can you believe we have to do this? These people are CRAZY!!

AWWWWWW!!

On Saturday Anderson and I went down to MD. Sydney stayed in York with Steve and the girls. They had a whole day of fun planned. Poor Steve! First they went to Madison's soccer game. Then later they were suppose to go to Hershey Park to trick or treat. Well of course the weather made this impossible. Luckily they hadn't paid to get in yet. Of course the girls were bummed out until they heard mention of Chuck E Cheese and roller skating. From what I heard from Steve, Sydney quickly caught on and was zipping around in no time. The rink looked really nice they even had a separate part for beginner skaters. A huge thanks to Steve for letting Sydney tag along and being so nice to her. She had a blast!!

Sunday was spent with a little more visiting, a good breakfast, a little shopping and lots of driving. Our trip home was alot nicer. This time Syd slept almost all the way home. We did try to find the wind turbines again unfortunately I couldn't get as good a picture. There was a bunch of them it was neat to see.

Some of the wind turbines we saw.

Beautiful fall colors.

Thanks to everyone we had a really great time. It was really nice to see everyone.

Day With Friends

Pumpkinland

On Saturday the kids & I ventured to the other side of Pittsburgh to visit my friends Bob & Kenny. They are friends I have met while showing dogs and have been like uncles to Syd since moving here. Bob has been wanting to take Sydney to Pumpkinland for weeks now.

When we pulled in we were surprised. There was so much to do we did not know where to start. Since it was really Syd's day we let her choose our route. First, was the petting zoo to see the goats, a calf, baby pigs, chickens, and bunnies.

Then we were off for Anderson's first hayride and to see the pumpkin patch.

After carrying him around the pumpkin patch I was glad to get back on the hayride for a rest. Next we were off to the corn maze. It was alot of fun & pretty long. With Syd leading the way we were able to find our way out. We finally convinced her to get in line for a horse ride and that the line was not going to get any shorter.Then off for face painting, painting pumpkins, swings & walking through the country store. It was quite a busy day we were all tired!

Going through the corn maze

Thankfully the weather was wonderful. When we left the

house it was rainy & gloomy. Syd was very concerned the whole way til Bob called & said It was not raining there.

4 Month Checkup

Tuesday Steve & I took Anderson for his four month checkup. Lucky for me Steve was off & got to go also. Everything went really well Anderson thought the doctor was pretty funny while his was getting his exam. He did not think the shots were so great but stopped crying as soon as I picked him up.

Well the big news literally is that Anderson weighs 19lbs & 4 oz. And he is almost 28" long.

Alot of our visit was spent discussing Anderson's future menus. When we should start solids, how long he eats each thing & what to watch for incase one doesn't agree with him. After learning he was where he should be for his age we left for the store. We picked up a variety of veggies & fruits for him to try. He is suppose to eat one for 4 days & it was at our discretion which ones we give him.

Well Sydney decided his first meal should be sweet potatoes. Although she will not eat them she was going to make her brother eat them. Amazingly enough he was not too bad for his first solids. He seemed to enjoy them and when he thought I wasn't going fast enough got a little mad at me. We really didn't even get a nasty faces. We hope all the others go just as well.

Here is a little video. Sydney is taking it so it is not the greatest. Volume is not really needed unless you want to hear Steve talk about what was in the baby food. So please forgive my family for talking!

He Needs A Hug

I am not sure exactly what was going on here. But I could hear Sydney from the kitchen saying "Oh he needs a hug! Oh He needs a hug!"

Its not like he was screaming mad he was just a little fussy. She like a little mother hen. He seemed to enjoy being hugged by his big sister wonder how long that will last! I am just very thankful she has taken to him the way she has. Your the best big sister Syd!

Some New Stuff

Last week we were lucky enough to get some new things for Anderson. Well they are new to us. Sydney's teacher from last year Mrs. Hill was really nice & gave us some larger baby items. So now he has an excersaucer & a jumperaroo. Needless to say our living room looks like a daycare with all his stuff. He has tried them both & though he cannot reach all the toys he seems to like them both alot. I realize he does not realize how to make the jumperaroo bounce but he does do it even if by accident. He has turned halfway in the excersaucer. It is really funny to see the looks he gives when he makes them move. Sydney has been kind enough to show him how all the toys on both work. She is such a good big sister.

Being cute.

I think he looks funny with his legs hanging down.

Showing great concentration playing with his toys.

Sweet Dreams

Today Anderson & I went into Kittanning to eat lunch with our cousin Chris. He has become quite chatty lately. This is the first time he has talked in the car it was funny hearing him from the back seat. Of course it was an extended lunch as Chris & I have not been together for awhile. So he took a little nap woke for a quick trip to Walmart. Then chatted to himself on the way home. He & I then went to pick up Syd from school. It is Book Fair week so he went & charmed all his PTO lady friends. He was wide awake when I got him out of the car. When I got to the house which is not far at all he was totally passed out. I guess

shopping & lunch wears a little guy out!

Watermelon & Tomatoes

At the beginning of summer Steve bought Sydney a watermelon plant for fun. None of us figured anything would actually happen. Man did that thing take over it even grew up into my tomato plants. Which is a story in its self. Well as summer progressed there were tons of blossoms. We did end up with one good sized watermelon. We noticed some others but they disappeared. The fruit of their efforts.

I am sad to say when I cut it thought it was not ripe all the way :(

This watermelon was a late bloomer that was hanging from the tomato plant.
Syd took the photo so it is close up. But it is about 5-6 inches long.
Unfortunately, our tomato plants did not fair as well. We or at least I (no one else eats the tomatoes) was really hopeful. The plants were huge & had tons of tomatoes on them. Well we ended up having a "blight". They say many things factor in to cause a blight. Most seem to think our overly wet summer did not help things. Needless to say tomatoes are in high demand around us because everyone were bad. The Cherry Tomatoes were just fine though. You should of seen me slicing them to put on a sandwich pretty funny.

Starting Early

Anderson was quite busy this morning after sleeping through our daily walk he decided to do his own exercising at home. He almost made a complete circle. He tore down his toys with his feet and started to make his rounds.

After his tough workout he decided to start the cool down portion of his morning with a good book. He sits and stares at the pages. He even turns his own pages. Who would of thought "Where's Elmo?" could be so interesting. Maybe he will follow in his sisters footsteps she loves to read.

On Sunday September the Rural Valley community dedicated it newly finished Shannock Valley War Memorial. The memorial is located at our community park. It was an amazing day it was really hot but fortunately we had a wonderful breeze. There was several hundred people there it was great to see so many people there to honor our veterans.

The ceremony started with flags being raised and the posting of the colors. Everyone joined in with singing the Star Spangled Banner & saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Kittanning Firemen's Band played all the songs from the different branches of service. They had everyone who served stand when there service song was played. I am not sure of his name but one of the soldiers that was up front helping was from the Army, when they played their song he stood out front and sang. It was great totally spur of the moment and you could hear the pride in his voice.
They had several speakers all boosting every ones patriotism.
I am so glad that I was able to go and see the dedication. It is hard to put into words how thankful I am to of all the servicemen who have made the commitment to serve our country. With so many of my relatives having been in the service and my brother in law and many friends in the Middle East right now I realize what a sacrifice it is. These people give up being with their families. Several of them are away from there children and are missing out on watching them grow.
Somehow saying thank you does not seem like enough!

Flags being brought in.


Mourning procession for the fallen soldiers.

The Kittanning Firemen's Band

Rifle Salute


The Shannock Valley War Memorial
The memorial has the names of 87 local servicemen who did not return from duty. These names on the black wall in the center. All around on the floor of the memorial our bricks that have been engraved with the names of servicemen.
The kids and I walked back down Sunday evening to get the photos of the memorial & bricks. There was so many people there it would of taken me forever to get photos.


Our grandfathers brick.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Did you ever get Highlights magazine as a child? Well I did & so does Sydney. Inside they always have a page of can you tell what's wrong with this picture. When I saw Anderson like this it was the first thing I thought of.

What in the heck is going on in his crib at night? Obviously, some major leg kicking. And believe me this is not a one time occurrence. Sometimes in the morning he is all the way at the top laying vertically. He is always pretty happy about it too. When I walk up there is always a huge smile to greet me. Can only imagine what he will be doing next....

First Day of School

Off And Running

Sydney is off to her first day of third grade. Can you believe third grade holy cow! She was really excited. She has been ready to go back to school since July. Last night she had her teeth brushed ten minutes before bedtime. Anyone who knows my daughter knows she would rather stay up and normally drags out her bedtime routine. Good luck to her teacher Mrs. Shaw.

Syd playing with Anderson before going to school. She told him that she would be gone for awhile.

Anderson covering himself up on the way to the car. It was quite chilly this morning. By the time we got to the car his head was all covered up. Sydney told him "Just wait til winter buddy!"

Good Luck Sydney!!!!

Buy & Clip

Have you ever seen this on any products you buy?

If so make sure you cut & save them. Box Tops For Education is a great an very easy way for schools to raise money. All you have to do is cut out the Box Top off of products you already buy. There are hundreds of products to clip from. With school starting back they may even have double or triple box tops. They are worth 10 cents each. I know you are probably thinking that is not alot but it does add up very quickly. Our school raised $2800.00 last year. Now that is alot of Box tops.

I know some of you do not have kids. If that is the case you should check with your nieces or nephews to see if their school participates. I am sure they would appreciate you clipping for them. If they are not participants our school Shannock Valley Elementary would be more than happy to have your help. Aunt Jackie & Uncle Aaron have been sending there's from all over the country to help out Syd's school. Sydney loves to get them in the mail. She always checks when we go to visit her grandparents also.

It is an easy way to help make a difference in a child's school! Our school has contests all year long as an incentive. So get out your scissors & start clipping!!! And if you need our address it is PO Box 171 Rural Valley, PA 16249.

If you are a coupon clipper like me check out the website they have a link for coupons on lots of General Mills cereals, yogurt, Pillsbury biscuits & Nature Valley to name a few. And of course they all have Box Tops.

Here is the website www.boxtops4education.com

Thanks for clipping!

Where do they learn these things?

We went to the Dayton fair on Saturday. Luckily, the chance of thunderstorms never happened. We got their early which was great because there was no lines for anything. First we tackled the animal barns to see the sheep, goats, pigs, cows & horses. Then off to the rides. Sydney talked Steve into riding the Spinning Dragons a mistake he would not make again. Of course we had some fair food. Good time was had by everyone even Anderson who managed to sleep through most of his first fair experience.

Later that evening when I was making sure Sydney had gotten all the shampoo out of her hair I asked her if she had scrubbed the "S" off her hand (we were stamped upon entering the fair). She turned her body & looked at her bum. When I realized what was going I gave her a look as if to say "Oh no you didn't!" I said to her again did you wash off your "S" stamp she replied "Oh I thought you said did I wash my ass" I tried not to laugh, but assured her I would never ask her that or use that word.

Where did she learn that? I know not from her father or I.

The Good & The Bad & ....

The Good

The Bad

(He is really good at giving you the pouty lip before he cries!)


And The Totally Cute!!

At least that's what I think!

16 Nights and Counting....

Anderson started sleeping thru the night while we were visiting in PA. I have not blogged about it for fear I would jinx it. So far we are at 16 days and counting. The only problem especially for the first few nights is that I was still waking up all the time to check on him. Although, he was allowing me to sleep I was keeping myself up.

When we got home we realized he was too big for the cradle my Uncle Bill had made for me when I had Syd. He kept hitting his hands on the sides & would scoot up & down then bump his head. He has moved into his big boy crib. He has adapted to it really well. I think he likes the extra room to kick up his legs.

Believe me there is nothing like going to get him out of his crib in the morning & have him give you a great big smile!!!

Another Visit to Northern PA

We traveled north a couple of weeks ago (yes I know I have been slacking). The first day we were there we traveled to Eldred,PA for what they call Old Home Days. They have vendors, rides, car show & food. Well with the way the weather has been all summer we ran between the raindrops. It was fun even with the weather. We went back over for fireworks Sat. night. They were awesome. For the size town Eldred is I had no idea what a treat we were in for. They went on for forever & they were what I expected to see in Pittsburgh. I would defiantly go see them again.

The next day we went to church which is always nice to see people we have known for a number of years. We went to Lionel & Alice's for lunch. Then later that evening we had friends over for a bonfire. Of course we were able to have a huge fire and eat some marshmallows & pizza pies. Our friend Sam showed us how to make cinnamon sugar treats with crescents. Everything was very tasty but I did not get my Smore as a storm blew in & we were running for cover. Anderson's First Bonfire

We also went to the state park while we were there so Sydney could go play in the water. They have 2 lakes we were on the Quaker side I must say I was impressed. Everything was very clean & the swimming area was quite large. Syd had alot of fun playing in the water & sand. Anderson enjoyed lounging under his umbrella & taking a nap. We had to tie the umbrella to stuff so he would not lose his shade. A little redneck I know but very functional! He loves to be outside & with the breeze we had he really enjoyed himself.Anderson Lounging at the State Park


Sydney was able to go on her first boat ride. We went out to Willow Bay. She was able to see Kinzua Dam from the water. We had stopped earlier in the week so she could feed the huge Carp that live below the dam . At least she attempted to feed them the birds are pretty quick to steal their goodies in mid air. She was able to get in the water a couple of times which I must say was eye opening. It was really cold! Getting her back in the boat was another story. Nothing like trying to lift your 8 year old back onto the boat while keeping yourself afloat! With her life jacket it was hard for her to maneuver but she figured it out. We had lots of fun swimming, eating, sunning the whole day.
Anderson had his very first babysitting experience. He spent the day with friends from church Ed & Shelley Wright. They were also keeping their grandchildren so he had a play date too. Bless them as they were very busy with Anderson, Evan (3 months) & Owen was is almost 2. I was very grateful that they were willing to do it.
Kinzua Dam

Syd riding at the back of the boat.

Sydney then headed over to my Dad's to attend her third vacation bible school of the summer. This is the second or third year she has gone up & stayed the week with her grandfather. This year she made a friend with a neighbor they had lots of fun riding bikes, swimming & playing. We went to Barb's family reunion. It was fun to catch up with her kids as we do not see them very often. Something always happens when you get a group together Justin's little girl stepped on nail about 10 minutes after we got there. She is recovering well from that.
All in all we had a great trip even with the weather not cooperating.