Ponytail cutie

Lauryl finally has enough hair for a ponytail. I think I prefer pigtails (puppy dog ears) cause then I can convince myself she's still a baby. I can't get over how much she's changed and how fast it seems to be happening.

She's a little spitfire and so much darn fun! Despite the regular tantrums and typical two year old antics, you can't help but smile when you look at her.

I mean, seriously, who couldn't be head over heels for a little girl that would tuck her baby in for a nap like this?

Her older sis is pretty fantastic too, but we'll focus on her another day;-)

Fishy Fun

Rob took Kendyl to wash his truck last Sunday and came back with a slip and slide and an aquarium! We can't afford for those two to go out together alone!!!!

Rob left to go out of town on Sunday without setting the fish tank up, so after much begging I gave in and put it together on Tuesday. I set out a 2qt container with water to let the chlorine evaporate out overnight. Good planning on my part if only we hadn't bought a 2 gallon tank, so we had to put more water out and wait another day. The water was ready for fish today so Rob made it home just in time to go with us to pick out the fish. The girls were thrilled and brought home two platy fish, one named Sparkles and the other Lily.

Checking out their new fish

Don't they look happy?
Meet our newest additions:-)
Okay, while we won't get the girls a dog we will let them have fish...wonder how long this tactic will keep their mind off of what they really want??

Spring has Sprung...FINALLY

We have had a fantastic weekend. The mulching and planting is done, the kids have enjoyed massive quantities of sunshine, fresh air, and fun with the neighbors, and we've welcomed the warmer weather with open arms. I really couldn't ask for much more.

Lauryl enjoyed her first melty, messy red popsicle of the season (check out those flyaways!)

Kendyl in her favorite warm weather attire

The girls hangingout in the pool at the end of their new slip and slide! They had a great morning playing with the neighbors and sharing an impromptu cookout. Good times. I'm so glad we have kids the same age in our neighborhood. These are memories they will have forever.
We hope the sunshine is here to stay!

Kinda Sweet/ Kinda Scary

I see this and I can close my eyes and imagine the girls as teenagers riding around town and laughing it up. I hope they will be as close then as they are now. It is so darn sweet. I also hope they maintain this sweet innocence for as long as humanly possible.

Lauryl actually learned to drive herself in the jeep this weekend too. She's growing up soooo fast! She's a much better driver than Kendyl was when she first started. There are definitely some advantages of being the second child;-)

MS Walk 2009 - Walking for Mom

This year we decided that the MS walk would be a family affair to show mom how very much we love and support her. We couldn't have special ordered a more perfect day. The reality is that MS is an awful disease and it affects the lives of so many people. The people battling hard against this monster deserve a great day filled with comraderie and sunshine and happiness. I hope the fundraiser was as big of a success as our day was! Special thanks to friends and family that supported the cause through their donations-your funds help wage the search for a cure!

We started out with a team photo. (Robbie was behind the camera and Steve and Billy somehow escaped us) Lauryl and Kendyl were in GREAT moods despite being woken at the early hour of 6:30am.

Uncle Joe enjoyed his first visit to the zoo in ages and really let the kid in him come out.
The girls were thrilled that the rides were open for the first time this season. Despite the crowds at the zoo there were hardly any lines at the rides and with Joe and Linda to accompany her Kendyl went crazy! I even got in on the action and rode the big ship ride with Joe- I haven't giggled like that in ages, it was fun being goofy with my little brother again. Also didn't hurt that Linda was cracking us up b/c she was truly NOT enjoying the ride!

Joe & I after the ride
Lauryl on the teacups
Joe & Kendyl on the swings
Lauryl Driving Daddy in the Jeep
A fun time was had by all. We love you mom!

Go Team Linda!!!

Happy Easter!

As always, our Easter was jam packed with activities with our various local family. I would never want to live away from family, but it definitely makes for tiring holidays.

Saturday night we went to Aunt Robin and Reggy's to hang out with the Burns side of the family (Rob's brother, sister-in-law, and their kids, plus Robbie's cousins, and his mom and dad). Dinner was delicious and the girls LOVED wrestling with Uncle Rick and giving lots of attention to sweet greyhound doggie, Kay!

After a fun evening we headed home to get the girls in bed. Kendyl decided that she wanted to leave the Easter bunny cookies, but b/c we failed to bake any Rob had to think fast and suggested carrots-also didn't have any! We convinced her that bunny rabbits loved vanilla wafers and that they would suffice;-) Lauryl had her own present to leave: her beloved binkys! Despite talking about doing this for weeks, she was NOT a happy girl.

We gave in to the hysterics and let her keep them. Afterall, if she only has them in her bed anyways, is it really that bad???

Morning arrived quickly and the girls were excited to search for their baskets. The Easter Bunny hides them at our house. It didn't take them long to find the loot!

Here they are with their baskets. They each got a movie, a couple books, and a few spring outfits. They seemed happy with the contents.
Next, it was off to MawMaw and PawPaws for the much anticipated egg hunt. Here they are at the starting line.

The hunt was a blast and it was fun watching Lauryl since she actually "got it" this year. At the end of the day she said that her favorite part was "going hunting". Too funny!

Here are Kendyl, Lexi, and Jordyn after the hunt. They scored a second time with prepared baskets and presents too!
A visit from Buddy was a perfect end to our visit as far as Kendyl was concerned!

Then we were off to grandma and grandpa's for our last stop of the day. There we had a yummy dinner, cake for grandpa's birthday, and a hunt for MORE Easter baskets. How funny is it that Kendyl is wearing a leotard from my competitive gymnastics days? I can't believe mom kept it and that it fits her so well!
Kendyl loved her big toy (lovingly referred to as the human hamster wheel). I have no idea where they find this stuff, but it was a HUGE hit.

The amusement park toy for the Kelly dolls kept Lauryl quite busy as well. She also enjoyed her new tricycle that was JUST the right size (she especially liked being pushed by Uncle Joe).

A great day from start to finish, couldn't have asked for any better. We're so lucky to have so many loved ones to celebrate with us!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Easter Fun

In the spirit of Easter we decided to color some eggs. I'm sad to admit that this is the first time I've ever initiatedthis activity. The potential mess goes against my obsessive compulsive mess avoiding nature;-) However, I think I waited the perfect amount of time b/c the activity could not have gone better.

Here are Kendyl and Lauryl holding the boxes after I told them of our morning plans. They were beyond excited.

Here they are (very carefully) mixing the dye tablets into the water and vinegar.

And here is the finished product. Anyone want some delicious hard boiled eggs???

Isn't Easter fun?!

The New Baby Elephant

We decided to take a family trip to the zoo to meet the new baby elephant in person. We started the day with a trip to Bob Evans for a yummy breakfast and then we were off. We headed straight to the elephant exhibit b/c we knew there were limited viewing hours and we wanted to be close to the front of the line. All in all we probably waited forty minutes. A pretty long time for little kids, but the girls did great. The family behind us was having a much less enjoyable time with their VERY unhappy 1 year old!

While we waited the girls struck a pose with the baby elephant statue

The day was bright and sunny, but we were all a little chilly while waiting in the shade. Rob did his best to keep Kendyl nice and warm. Lauryl was mommy's cuddle bug, but refused to look at the camera!

The wait was worth it and the newest elephant was adorable!

We then went to visit the aquarium and manatees so we could be inside where it was nice and warm. We also did the required carousel ride and Kendyl convinced Rob to let her get her face painted!

Lastly, here's my favorite pic of the day--this is Lauryl after she ran back into the tunnel so she could scream and hear her echo one last time. She reminds me of the kid from Home Alone!
After a winter cooped up inside, the fresh air was fabulous even though we were a little cold. I love the zoo.

A visit to COSI

I have to admit that COSI in the new building doesn't hold the same luster to me as the one in the old building. I have so many fun memories from the old building and I honestly believe that the smaller space held so much more to do. Kendyl and I had a membership when she was 2 and three and I think we've gone once or twice since Lauryl, but I don't think we went at all in the last year. Our membership had expired and I decided not to renew. Luckily, Battelle is now partnered with COSI on some things and therefore they decided to offer memberships to Battelle staff at 50% off. At 50% off the bargain shopper inside me couldn't resist buying a pass and going to check it out again.

My first observation: All trips to COSI occur in the pouring rain. Granted it is an indoor facility and therefore it makes sense to go there on rainy days...the haul from the paking lot to the door in the pouring rain totally bites (Mindi- without you to make me laugh there were no near accidents this time!!).

The girls first request was to go visit the frog exhibit. I pictured an exhibit where maybe there would be some frogs to touch in following with the "hands on science fun" edict, but that was not the case. We walked through a room with a ton of glass display cases and every type of frog imaginable. The girls loved running up to each case, looking at the picture, and then racing to point out the frog on display.

Then it was off to explore the ocean and space exhibits. Lauryl did not want anything to do with ether of them and jumped into my arms, buried her head,and covered her ears. The dark rooms and loud noises were a little too much for my easily scared child. Kendyl saw her displeasure and agreed to head towards the play area where she would be more at ease.

The play area is always a hit. The first part of each visit is always spent playing on the slides. Then we hit the water table. Occasionally Kendyl will head to the doctor area, but there was no interest from either of them this time. Lauryl spent some time climbing around the ambulance, but that was about it.

Slide playtime
Water fun


After a few hours of playing we headed down for lunch and went to enjoy some of the fun things in the open atrium. The girls played with a large version of the toy with a ton of pins that you can push against and leave impressions of hands, faces, arms, etc. They also enjoyed the large light brite box and putting in and pulling out the colored pegs. While playing we ran into our good friends and neighbors, the Blausey's. Kendyl and Lauryl were excited to see them and all 4 kids sat together to watch the infamous static electricity show.

This was before the show started, don't they look thrilled?!
All in a all a fun trip. I'm glad we have a membership again and am looking forward to going back and exploring some more with my girls.