Little Drummer Boy

During snack time the girls listen to Christmas music. One of the songs Apani heard and now loves is Little Drummer Boy. Thankfully, we have a Christmas CD with it. Josh Groban sings it and we listen to it almost daily on our drive to and from school. Other favorites include Andrea Bocelli's Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is coming to town, and O Tannenbaum and Celine Dion's Feliz Navidad.

I want to get a Christmas video ready, so I asked the girls if they knew of any Christmas songs they could sing. They couldn't think of any, so I suggested Little Drummer Boy and we began to sing. From across the room, I hear Maddy singing, "pum pum pum pum. I thought, no way. That's just a coincidence. So I grabbed my camera and tried to catch it. She wouldn't do it, so I turned my camera off and she would start to sing. I tried several times to catch it on video, but it was like she knew what I was doing. Camera on, Maddy off. Camera off, Maddy ON. Haha! But I finally got some. Here's a snippet.

Holiday Crafting

Michael's has these adorable foam kits (by Creatology) that are 60% off of $7.99. So I picked up a bunch. Most of the kits include everything you need, including glue.




The other day we put together a nativity. Today we did a Christmas tree. It kept Apani occupied for a good 2 hours!! She didn't even need my help. I just sat and watched...kinda jealous, it looked like a lot of fun. I'm thinking of getting more, so we could sit together and do our own.



For $1.00, I found some stained glass ornaments to paint, some foam reindeer, snowmen, and penguins, and some wooden angels, elves, and sledding snowmen. They have some really cute inexpensive stuff. I hope there's still some left tomorrow!

A tiny pink box, an excited little girl, and broke parents

Kaity bought this home today.




Cute, huh? Guess what's inside ...


HINT: She got it from the school nurse ...




... a tooth! She lost her first tooth today.




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I knew that when she turned 5, she would start losing some teeth, but I didn't think it would be only 6 days after her birthday! She is growing up too fast.




As I tucked Kaitlyn in, I told her to leave her tooth somewhere the tooth fairy can find easily..."make sure it stays under your pillow, don't play with it." I was surprised she fell asleep so easily considering how excited she was.

She had tons of exhausting questions about this tooth fairy.
Where does she live? ~ The Enchanted Forest
Who does she live with? ~ all the other fairies and unicorns
Will she bring candy? ~ No, just money
Do the boy fairies bring candy? ~ No they all bring money
To buy candy?! ~ I guess?

As if two birthdays and Christmas, all in December weren't enough, now I have to play tooth fairy? Thank goodness, she only cost a dollar!

Mine, again! (finally?)

My boobs and bed are once again, mine.

2 and a half weeks ago, after months of no sleep, I decided it was time to put Maddy in the crib and while I was at it, I might as well go full force with the weening. The first night was horrible. She woke up countless times and cried for what seemed like hours. It was so hard to leave her there.

Every night, though, got easier. A few days and she would wake up one less time until, she slept through the night (11 hours) for the past 4 days! Tonight was our biggest success when she went to bed without a single tear!

The weening...is going just as well. However, I must admit, my boobs were in tremendous pain, so after about 5 days I gave in and let her drain them. The poor baby tries to lift my shirt every now and again, only to be disappointed. And she goes to bed crying, saying, "boo boos." But other than that, things are going well.

I wish I could say I was sleeping better, but I'm not. Maybe I miss cuddling with her? Maybe I'm sad that my little baby isn't a baby anymore? Maybe I'm just stressed? I don't know. I definitely like the space though.

I stole this

...from my cousin's blog. It's a picture his wife, Rikki took Thanksgiving day. Maddy enjoyed my pumpkin pie and loved the whip cream.

Sometimes ...

I get some pretty good shots

Mad Maddy

She was upset because I told her it was time to come in. So she yelled at me. (You should zoom to fully appreciate the look) lol!

School

I'm so glad we chose the school we did. We saw the Pre-K 3 class and knew Apani was too advanced. There was no way I was going to put her in. This was our last hope. NYC's cutoff is til the end of the year, but the rest of NY is December 1. I called countless schools before we moved, none of which were "allowed", I think willing to advance her. Apparently 29 days are a big difference when she'll be older and can cause many problems!! That's what we were told. Anyway, we saw the Pre-K 4 and asked if there was anyway we could put her in there instead. The principle paused, looked at me and asked, "She's already in Pre-K?" She then said, YES!!! I can't tell you how many schools I called trying to get Apani into Pre-K and not Nursery school. I had finally found one! I don't think I could have picked a better school.



They started school about 3 weeks ago now. It was hard on both of them. But Kaity ended up having a great day and when she walked into school the following day, all the little girls excitedly yelled, "Kaitlyn!" We LOVE this school. Everyone there is so welcoming and friendly. The entire school was excited to meet my two girls, they were the "talk around town". We were given a welcome basket full of cookies, a gift card to a local restaurant, and pamphlets about the surrounding towns and local events.



I was a little weary about bringing them to a Parochial school, but I couldn't be happier. I would rather them not have to memorize and recite prayers, but I like that they talk about God and Jesus daily. And I like that they say the Pledge of Allegience. Unlike our president, I'm PROUD to be an American, and my kids will be too!! It hadn't occured to me til I saw a painting in the foyer, so I asked Kaity about the pledge and she was clueless! I couldn't believe that they didn't do it at her public school in Brooklyn.



Kaitlyn took the bus last week for the first time. We ended up dropping her off in the morning because she was too scared. Thus, I was nervous about her coming home on it. I afraid the bus would pull up and she would be red from crying, but the bus arrived (10 minutes late) and she was happy. She wants to take it everyday!



The school is in Millbrook and that town is so charming. I love all the old, small homes, like this one.



And look at this: We pass it on the way to bring the girls to school. Isn't it awesome? I have no idea what it is, yet, but a sign boasts, "STRICTLY PRIVATE!" Behind the stone walls you can see a beautfiul lake and waterfalls. I want in!



I have to upload the pic of the DMV. It's so cute! Seriously, CUTE! It's only open 3 days a week, so I thought, I may be there a little while, but I got my permit today and was in and out in 30 minutes! Unbelievable. There is only 1 line and the same woman and desk you begin at is the same one you end at! So glad I didn't do it before we left!

Church

What a gorgeous drive! We don't hit a single stop light! We pass tons of cows (I'm starting to wonder if the town population is outnumbered by farm animals) and even at the end of Autumn, still beautiful scenery. When we hit CT, there are creeks everywhere, I can't wait to see what Spring and next Fall bring. I'll have to remember my camera this Sunday.

Church was pleasantly surprising. We were warmly welcomed.

Maddy enters a room and attracts attention. She walked down the aisle looking down every row, checking out each and every face. It was as if she was trying to recognize anyone. She is just so darn adorable, they couldn't keep their eyes off of her. And so meeting people was easy. After sacrament meeting, so many people came up to me...to ask about Madelyn!! Ha! Then they wanted to know about me. She made more friends than I! In Relief Society, I really believe she was looking for Elizabeth and London.

The girls did not want to go to the new church, but Kaity made a friend instantly and Apani's teacher bought doughnuts, (though she told me she normally bakes!)!
And if that wasn't awesome enough, after church, the children were lined up at the Bishop's office. Any guesses?? Why, only for the weekly candy line, of course!!

The only problem with this ward is that we are not zoned for it. It's only 30 minutes from us as opposed to the nearly hour long drive to our zoned ward. The Bishop needs to get permission from the stake to allow us to be members of this ward. One of the women came up to me and said, "We really hope you can stay with us because she [Maddy] has stolen our hearts!"

There weren't very many people my age, but I like the ward and the kids will have a lot of friends here. We're praying to stay here, but I know whatever happens, it will be for the best.

Hey, remember me???

So after a week + with no computer ... Here's some pics.



The girls love it here, especially the yard!! The first few days were awesome. The weather was perfect and all they wanted to do was play outside and they were there, ALL day.



For me on the other hand, it's been hard. I miss my friends, I feel so alone. When we didn't have a computer, I was going crazy! We didn't have our TV up either for a few days. I couldn't even check the weather and I felt so disconnected. I've also been getting really sick. We're in the car all the time so I get motion sickness and it sits with me the entire day.



It's so nice to let them roll all over the glass and not worry about rolling into a pile of dog or cat poo.



I haven't been able to find any playgrounds yet. Google has offered little help. Thankfully, we have the huge yard.



We haven't gone to church yet, this Sunday will be our first. I'm excited but nervous. I hope it's a cool ward, however, they can't all be like Bensonhurst...



The girls started school Monday (but that's another post...I don't want this to be too pic heavy) So you have to wait! Sorry!!


























I don't have a lot of inside pics, my camera doesn't take very good pics inside. Once I have my nikon charged and clear the memory card, I will take and post pics of the interior.

Saying Goodbye

I didn't know it would be so hard!

I've got some great friends in the Bensonhurst Ward. At the start of every semester, someone would move in. It was exciting, but upsetting at the same time because I knew they would only be around for a little while, then I would have to say goodbye. But a few years ago families were moving in and they were hanging around. With these moms, I've made some wonderful friendships. I never thought I would be the one leaving. I was treated to Coldstone's and it was fun getting together, I'm going to miss our Mommies Night Out and playgroup! You guys reassure me that I'll make new friends, and I know I will, well I hope I will, but I'm really just upset about being away from you! No one can replace you guys. Motherhood would not have been survivable without your support! Thanks for being such amazing people and some of my best friends!! I'm going to miss you!!

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My first week at B&N, I met this girl who came off very strong, but not in a negative way. She was loud and in my face and wouldn't stop laughing. I can't remember what exactly she said, but I remember thinking about how opposite she was from me. She turned out to be one of my first REAL friends. She was by definition, what a friend should be plus more. She is just so awesome and I can't say enough good things about her.

I ran into her about 2 or 3 months ago. Funny, we live so close, but life got in the way and we haven't seen each other. I told her we were getting ready to move and since then, we've seen each other 5 times! Yesterday, she took me out for breakfast. Saint Germain on 83 and 3 is where we went. I've always wanted to try the place, you can see their pastry case as you walk by and it looks divine! However, the overwhelming lack of patrons has kept me from entering. She swore I would love the french toast and boy did I ever! It was AMAZING!!!!! Seriously, you've got to go!! Like NOW!!! You get these two large pieces of what must be home baked bread, toasted to perfection, laying on a bed of fresh berries & syrup. They are dusted with confectioner's sugar and topped with sliced bananas and a side of syrup. Delicious! I've had so much fun hanging out with you the past few weeks. I'm going to miss you!

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I was emotional today. I said goodbye to Kristin. I almost cried as I hugged her, but I knew if I started crying, I wouldn't be able to stop, so I fought it. She is an amazing person and I'm going to miss her dearly. She is one of the most generous, selfless people I know, I don't know what I would have done without her when Madelyn was born. Then I picked up Apani from school today and as we left the gate, I hear one of the girls calling her. It was Emiline, someone she speaks of often. She ran up to my girl and just stood there looking at the floor. Then another friend, Malak, came up behind her. They gave her a hug and told her they were going to miss her! I lost it! I was crying and couldn't stop.

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I love you guys. I'm going to miss each and every one of you so much, but I promise to visit! I won't be too far and you guys will always have a place to stay for a weekend getaway! We'll be at the park tomorrow morning, (staying out of the way of the movers) on 80 and 7th if anyone wants to come play....

'Til next time!!!

Halloween

Because Kaity and Abby still had coughs and rain had been forecast, I thought I was going to have to break two little hearts. Maddy was coughing and had a fever for the 4th time that week so we spent the morning in the Pediatrician's office. The Dr prescribed an antibiotic for precautionary measures. Now I had some justification to take sick kids trick or treating, we did it on our way to Rite Aid but took a small detour.

Here's Madelyn, I mean ... Madeline!




Goldilocks



Kaity was Alice (from Wonderland)







Enjoying the fruits of her labor!



Mmmm, PIZZA!