Our NYC Getaway

Last week my mom flew to Rochester to stay with Abby and Michael so Coley and I could spend three days in New York City together.  We made these plans before I knew I was pregnant.  For the past several weeks, I was praying I would feel well enough to enjoy our vacation. 

The day before we left for New York, I thought I'd check the weather forcast.  It was the weekend we had that crazy Nor'easter.  The morning of our departure, I woke up to snow.... yes, in late April!  Several neighboring school districts had canceled school.  We read that flight delays into NYC were very possible.  We weren't sure at that point if we would spend much time actually walking around the city, so we made sure we took swimming suits, etc. so we could just hang out at the hotel if necessary.

While the temperature was on the chilly side, we didn't have any rain during our stay in New York.  After several trips to the city, Coley and I were finally able to experience Central Park.  It really was a beautiful place.

The only pictures I have from our trip are from the park, but we also spent time walking around Manhattan, eating at a fun pizza place, and walking around Times Square.  The first night in the city, there were no plays showing, so we enjoyed delicious Indian food.  The second night, we went to see the play, "Mary Poppins."  It really was a lot of fun.

We had a great time.  Thank you, Mom, for staying with Abby and Michael.  I know they had a wonderful time with you!

Easter 2012

Easter is always such a special time as we reflect on the resurrection of our Savior.  I also love that it is in the Spring.  This year on Easter, I was just starting to pull out of the terrible sickness that I experience in the beginning of pregnancy.  I'm so grateful I was feeling well enough to enjoy the day with my family.

Abigail had a great time decorating Easter eggs the day before Easter.  Thank you, Nancy, for hard-boiling the eggs for me at your house so I wasn't overwhelmed with the smell.  If it wasn't for you, Abby wouldn't have been able to do Easter eggs this year.  (My "superpower" sense of smell due to pregnancy is back!) 

 Concentrating!

 Abigail was so excited Easter morning to see if the Easter bunny had found her.  As you can see, he didn't miss our house!

Michael checks out his Easter basket before church.  The Easter bunny was very careful to leave Michael toys and treats that were safe for him because of his allergies. 

It was a bit windy after church, but it was an absolutely beautiful day!

Later in the afternoon, we went to the Petruccis for Easter dinner.  We always love spending time with them.  When I asked Mrs. Petrucci what I could bring for dinner, her response was the same as usual... "You just bring the children!"  When we arrived, they had an Easter egg hunt for the little children and there was even a special visit from the Easter bunny!

Even though he couldn't eat the candy, Michael had a GREAT time looking for Easter eggs!

And there is the Easter bunny!  Michael wasn't so sure about getting too close to him.  I can't say that I blame him!  (Look how handsome Michael looks in his Sunday clothes!)

What a wonderful Easter it was!

P.S.  It was also Michael's first day in nursery at church.  I can say that he survived it.....barely!

Our Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

A week before Easter, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with the children in the neighborhood.  The sky was pretty gray and it was rather cold outside, but everyone had a great time.  Within five minutes of finishing the egg hunt, it started pouring rain!  Great timing!

 On your mark....

 Get set....

 Go!

(Abigail ended up winning a special prize for finding the egg with the "Golden Ticket!")

 Michael was starting to get the hang of it with a little help from our neighbor, Alessandra.

It didn't take long to teach Michael what to do!  He had a GREAT time racing around, putting eggs in his basket.



Michael's Poor Little Nose

About a week before Easter, Michael was playing in the family room and tripped over his own two feet.  He did a face plant and ended up with a nasty little rug burn on his nose and just under his nose.  He had scabs for several days.  Abigail felt sad for her brother and drew a picture of his "poor little nose."

 I did not get a great picture of the scabs before they disappeared.  You can see that he has a pretty sore nose in this shot.  This was two days later....

Here is Abby's picture of Michael.  She told me he was sad because of his poor little nose and that the marks on his cheeks are his tears.

Michael didn't seem terribly bothered by the whole ordeal.  He never scratched at his injuries.  He just kept pointing to his nose saying, "nose."  What a way to teach a toddler body parts! 



A Day at the Museum

After being stuck in the house for almost two months, I finally felt well enough a couple of weeks ago to brave the museum with Michael, Abby, and Gretchen (the young lady who was here helping me for several weeks).  Abby and Michael both had a great time!  They both played very hard, so it was tough to get many good pictures of them.  Here are a few from our adventure....

Abby poses for a picture while playing in the "garden." 

Michael checks out the ramp in the "Jack and Jill" area before running down it.  He went up and down over and over again without falling too much.  There were lots of giggles as he mastered his new skill! 

Michael loved the goose.  He even sat on her back for a brief moment....  long enough for him, but not enough time for Mommy to snap a picture!

We are all looking forward to Mommy feeling better so we can get out of the house a little more.

An Announcement....

Baby Duncan #3 is on the way.  Our new little bundle is due October 3 (three days before Michael turns two)!  I am just past the 14 week mark, so I'm already in my second trimester.  The last two months have been pretty rough as I struggled to survive the hyperemesis once again, but things are starting to get better.  I have had help for the past several weeks with Abby and Michael as well as help with cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping.  What a huge blessing!

For those of you who live close by and have wondered why I have basically disappeared for the past two months, this is my excuse.  I think it's a pretty good one. :)

 

A Preschool Parent-Teacher Conference

A couple of weeks ago, I had a parent-teacher conference with Abigail's preschool teachers.  I knew it would probably be entertaining to hear about what actually goes on after I drop her off at school, but I didn't anticipate just how entertaining it would be...

The teachers had a folder with several different assessments to share.  One was just their observations over time.  Another one was a very detailed one-on-one assessment of many different skills.  The assessment began with the teacher showing Abigail her name written on a paper.  Abby was then asked if she knew what it said.  Abigail passed that one with flying colors.  Then the teacher asked her if she knew what her last name was.  Abby looked at her teacher and responded, "If you don't know that, you must be having a really bad day!"  The teacher, trying not to laugh, told Abby that she DID know her last name, but wanted to know if ABBY could say her last name.

That was just the beginning.  The assessment continued with several other comical responses from our precocious four year old.  The poor teacher was trying to write down everything Abby said because it was just so funny.  She said at one point that she was worried that her pen was going to run out of ink because of how much she was trying to write.  I guess next time she should just record Abby talking and then transcribe it.  Part of the reason the teacher wanted to write everything down was that she wasn't sure which stories were true and what was Abby's imagination!

Some of you may remember Abby's conversation with my friend Kathy when Abby was three years old.  Kathy was coloring with Abby at church and said, "Look, this crayon is green like your dress."  Abby's response?  "My dress is chartreuse!"

At that point, Coley and I commented that Abby's Kindergarten teacher would have her hands full.  After Abigail's parent-teacher conference a couple of weeks ago, we are even more sure of that.  Prepare yourself future Kinder teacher of Abby....she is on her way!