Our Christmas Card

We hope everyone has a wonderful and peaceful Christmas.

Love

Danny, Mary, Weslie, Gabbie, and Brian

It's Santa Clause

Yesterday we took the kids to go see Santa Clause. We got a pleasant surprise when we stopped to get a bite to eat before going to brave the crowds at the mall. It wasn't Santa Clause, but it was Santa Cow. Maybe he'll bring them some chicken nuggets for Christmas. Then we went to the mall to meet the real Santa. If you've ever seen A Christmas Story and remember the scene with the Macy's Santa, the long line and kids crying, then you have good idea what it was like and this was Tuesday night. I wonder what Saturday is like.

7th Grade Home Ec. Finally Pays Off

Happy Thanksgiving. . . I know it's a little late but I've been busy this last past week. First, there was Thanksgiving. A co-worker of Mary's, Greg, came over and we had a traditional Southern Thanksgiving dinner. Everything went great, except Greg kept beating me in chess. Then secondly, Mary has had this project she's been wanting done; something to cover this strange concrete filled brick planter downstairs. She thought some sort of cushion would be best, but this monstrosity is huge and oddly shaped. Where are we going to find a cushion that will fit it????

Handsy

In the last couple of weeks Brian has really started using his hands; that is for other things besides sucking on. He grabs at everything, food, hair, whatever's in front of him. It's pretty neat to watch him learn new skills but not so much when he decides to grab the half and half when your trying to make your morning cup of coffee.

First Snow???

Is this the first snow of the year? Sure, we had some flurries a couple of days ago but there was never any snow on the ground. As I look out the window right now it's a light but steady snow and it's starting to accumulate a little on the deck. I wonder if we'll get enough to play in.

Update: In just a couple of hours since this post the Sun has erase all evidence that it ever snowed.

Four Month Update

Brian just recently had his four month checkup and everything went great. I'm sure if Brian could talk he would probably say different since he had to get three vaccinations, but only two were shots. He's still growing like a weed and will probably be putting on even more weight now that he's started eating solid food and by solid food I mean mushy baby food.

Any Guesses

Weslie and Gabbie were playing and decided to dress up. Any guesses as to what they're supposed to be???

I Voted. Did You?

Unlike the voting polls in Virgina that are being feature on CNN our quaint little polling place had practically no waiting. Both Mary and I were in and out in less than 10 minutes; she went in the morning before work and I went mid-morning not to much before lunch. My trip was interesting since I had all the kids with me, but painless. After voting we grabbed some stickers from a certain candidate supporter and headed out to Chick-fil-a for lunch and a free milkshake for voting. That's right a free milkshake if you had the "I Voted" sticker or you could have gotten a free coffee from Starbucks or a free doughnut for Krispy Kreme.

Happy Halloween

This turned out to be a very good Halloween. Weslie and Gabbie had a blast and brought home a ton of candy. It was also Brian's first Halloween. Weslie and Gabbie went to their first Halloween party. All in all it was almost perfect. The only problem we had was that we didn't have very many Trick-Or-Treaters. Danny bought a ton of candy to give out but we still have most of it, plus what the girls got, makes for an awful lot of candy.

Getting Ready for All-Hallows Eve

Good old Halloween or All-Hallows Eve or Hallowmas or Feralia or Samhain (hey look, I know how to use Wikipedia) or whatever you want to call it is almost here and that means one thing. . . Candy. There's also costumes . . . OK, Halloween means two things . . . Candy and Costumes, and don't forget carving the jack-o-lantern. OK . . . Halloween means three things . . . Candy, Costumes, and Carving the Jack-O-Lantern, and maybe also halloween parties. . . . . . .

Alright, with Halloween almost here that means a number of things some of which are but not limited to: candy, costumes, carving the pumpkin thing, and maybe halloween parties.

I hope Michael Palin doesn't read this

15 Weeks

Not much going on, so it's a great time for an update. It turns out that Brian's rolling over was a fluke. Sure that one day he wouldn't stay on his stomach, but ever since then he's been more laid back. He's making all kind of sounds and smiles a lot. He really likes to be talked to especially if you say "hey" in a kind of exaggerated baby talk way. He loves any song your willing to sing to him, but what he like best of all are songs where he gets to do hand motions. His eyes look to be turning brown; shooting down Mary's last hope of having at least one kid with blue eyes. Brian likes to sit or stand. He needs help with balancing, but as long as you give him a finger to hold on to he can do it.

A Moment Caught in Time

Nothing new going on, but the other day I was playing with Gabbie and I thought to myself that I hope I never forget this time that I have with her right now. So, I got out the camera and shot this video from my point of view. . . just in case.

Milestones

Brian is just about to be three months old, so that means he is about to enter "The Magic Time." From around three months to about six months babies really start coming into their own. Their personalities really start to come out and developmental milestones are reached quicker and quicker.

I know these milestones don't mean anything or have any kind of bearing on what they will do in the future and this being our third time going through it you'd think it would be old hat.

However...

When Brian rolled over today, stomach to back, three times in a row I was so excited I thought I was going to pee my pants.

Gabbie's Third Birthday

I don't think that there is a phrase in the English language that so excites and thrills small children while at the same time brings a foreboding ache of dread in adults as much as, "It's going to be a Chuck E. Cheese party!". Well Gabbie's third birthday was a Chuck E. Cheese party and I have to admit it wasn't actually all that bad. The C.E.C hostess was a master of a rigid but flexible schedule and controlled chaos. Gabbie loved it and that's all that really matters.

It's Pumpkin Time

It's that time of the year again. We usually always go to Applewood Farm to pick our own pumpkin and this time Danny's parents were in town so they came along too. Applewood is great place for the kids. They have lots of things like pony rides, train rides, and other stuff for them to enjoy. Plus they get to take a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick their own pumpkin, with a little help of course.

Ballet Today

Gabbie started her ballet class today. I'm not sure if I've ever seen her more excited than when we walked into the dance studio. For some odd reason they won't let parents watch the actual class, but I thought I could hear her laughing. At the end of class she came running out and said, "That was so fun! I want to do it again!"

AWANA Girls

Weslie has been going to the AWANA program at our church for the last couple of years and now it's Gabbie's time to join her. Gabbie is going to start as a Cubbies just like Weslie, but Weslie has graduated to the coveted red vest of the Sparks.

That's not Weslie

Gabbie is really growing up fast. If learning how to use a computer wasn't enough, she decided to start riding a bike. Every time I see her on that bike it's hard for me to believe that it's not Weslie.

Let's Go Camping (kind of).

The weather has been beautiful here lately and seeing how Danny finally finished the deck, which he's been working on for over four months, we thought we should spend some time outdoors.  This was Weslie's and Gabbie's first time to go camping.  It doesn't matter if the tent was setup on the deck and they had all the amenities of thier room in there.  They still spent the night outside.

Robot Expert

Ever since Weslie has been playing games on the computer Gabbie's been trying too. Usually it's just pushing a bunch of random buttons and throwing the mouse around, but something's changed. She can now turn on the computer and find her favorite games and actually play them. She can even print her "Job Well Done" certificate, though she usually prints about 20 of them.

Two Months Already???

It's hard to believe but Brian is two months old.  He just got back from his check up with the doctor and he's doing great (despite have a hard time getting over some Trush).  He's 12 lbs - 11 oz. and 24 inches tall.  Right now one of his favorite things to do is to stand.  If you let him hold your hands for balance he'll stand.  His eyes get real big and he looks around.  

The Art of Catching a Smile

Brian has been smiling every now and then for a while, but they had always been fleeting and not in response to anything. So, as you can imagine, trying to photograph or video him smiling has been next to impossible. That's all changed now that he can be coaxed into smiling, at least sometimes.

Don't Forget About Me.

With all the craziness of Weslie starting school you might think we've forgotten about Brian, but we haven't. Brian is now seven weeks old, growing like a weed, doing well, and best of all . . . on the verge of sleeping through the night. He's also starting to smile, though getting a picture is proving difficult, and make ooh and ahh sounds.

All These Toys Belong to ME

Weslie is finishing her first week of school and everything has gone great. So far the only tears have come from Gabbie. When Weslie got on the school bus for the first time Gabbie cried and said, "Weslie leave and never come back." She got over her separation issues when she realized that she now has everything all to herself.

First Day of School

Today was Weslie's first full day of school... by herself... without us... all on her own... working without a net...

I hope she has a good day...

I hope she eats her lunch...

I hope she meets some new friends...

I hope she gets off the bus at the right stop...

I wonder if the school will let me just kind of "hang around", just in case?

Dutch Wonderland

In just one week Weslie will be starting school, so we thought we'd do one last thing before she starts. We took the girls and Brian to Dutch Wonderland. It's a amusement park that's mainly for smaller kids. Weslie and Gabbie had a blast and it was pretty much non-stop action all day. Brian, on the other hand, had his typical day of eating and napping.

Crazy Week

It's been a crazy week. First there was Weslie's birthday party. It was a bowling party and surprisingly enough everyone was able to get the ball down the lane. Also surprisingly enough we forgot to bring either the camera or camcorder. We had to stop on the way and buy one of those disposable cameras. Then there's the fact that Gabbie's sick. She's trying to be a tough little trooper, but it's been kind of hard on her. Lastly there's Brian. There's nothing wrong with him or anything. He's your typical four week-old, which is hard enough on it's own.

Happy Birthday Weslie

Weslie turned five this week and she wanted a bowling party, a Spiderman bowling party. There was some concern that the bowling balls would be to heavy for some of the kids, especially Gabbie, but everyone found a way to get the balls down the lanes. All in all it was a very good party.

Some Much Need Girl Time

It's hard right now not to be consumed with all things Brian and let everything else just fall to the side. However, that's not fair to the girls, so today was girls day out. We went to one of those paint-your-own pottery places and the girls had a really good time. Weslie painted a penguin and Gabbie painted a giraffe.

More of Brian

Here is some video of Brian's first day. As you can tell he spent most of it sleeping. The video is a little long but I think he can pull it off.

We're Home!

Well, after 2 days at the hospital we are finally home. The stay went well and Weslie and Gabbie really enjoyed visiting their new baby brother at the hospital, but I think everyone is more happy to have finally gotten back home to our own house. We are just trying to get settled in with little Brian and so far so good. Enjoy the pics...I'm sure they'll be more to come soon!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Brian Thomas Wade.

Weight: 8lbs. and 4oz.

Length: 20 and 1/4 inches.

Beautiful.

The 4th Means Fireworks

We didn't really do all that much for the forth. It was kind of rainy and we were having to much fun hanging out with our neighbors. Tom and Seth we're in charge of the fireworks and also looking out for the police.

Just Around the Corner

It's hard to believe, but baby Brian's arrival is imminent. Soon there will be sleepless nights, lots of bouncing, walking, and rocking, and tons of diapers to deal with. But in truth, this early era of midnight feedings and inconsolably crying is short and is not as bad as it sounds.

Happy Father's Day

This year we had a nice surprise for Father's Day, Danny's parents were visiting. Ok, it wasn't really a surprise and it was actually a few days before Father's Day. So what did Danny do for his father on not-quite Father's Day? He put him to work helping him build a deck.

Happy Father's Day Dad.

T-Ball Comes to an End

After a marathon three inning game against the Braves, Weslie's t-ball season came to an end. She did very well in her last outing. She had some pretty good hits with and without using the tee and had a couple good plays in the field. After the game everyone received their trophies and more importantly their snacks.

Heat Wave

With still a couple of weeks left to go before the official start of summer, Baltimore and the rest of the East Coast is experiencing somewhat of a heat wave. It's been in the mid 90's for the last couple of days and it's suppose to continue for a couple more. It wouldn't be that big of a deal except that our air conditioner quit on us just as the temperature started to rise. So as we wait to get our air fixed, we're trying different ways to stay cool.

T-Ball???

If this is T-ball, where's the "T"? In Weslie's t-ball league they have moved from hitting off the tee to slow, coach pitch. The kids have really taken to it fairly well. They bring out the tee every once in a while, but over all the "T" has been removed from their T-ball.

Andrew and Elizabeth's Wedding Day

Danny flew down to Chattanooga for his brother's wedding. The wedding was held on Lookout Mountain right beside Rock City and provided a stunning backdrop and the weather was absolutely beautiful. However, none of this could compare to the wedding itself.

Congratulations Andrew and Elizabeth.

Weslie's Derby

Today Weslie had her Awana Pinewood Derby race. We tried to make her car a fast one and it did win some races, but in the end it just wasn't fast enough. She still had a victory though. Her car won First Place in the "funny" design category. In case you can't tell her car is a mouse driving a car made out of cheese.

The Gymnast

Weslie just finished up here first year of gymnastics and they had a parent's day so we could see what they learned. Needless to say we were not the only ones there that had a camera. Weslie did great and we couldn't be more proud of her.



...and about the music, yes that is Steve Burns, the green striped shirt guy from Blue's Clues.

Let's Play Ball

This is Weslie first T-ball game just minutes after her first T-ball practice. I am happy to say that she did really well. Now all we have to do is work on her letting other kids field and throw the ball.

A Source for Future Embarrassment, Part 2

Well Gabbie and Weslie will have this in common - there is a picture of them using the potty on the internet. And like Weslie, Gabbie had no problems. It could be that we waited until she actually showed interest in the idea, there was an article in some parenting magazine somewhere that said kids are being potty-trained later than they were a couple of generations ago, but hey she's only two and a half.

Back from Disney

Well, we've been at Disney World for the last week and now that we're back home I think we need a vacation from our vacation. It was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the girls, but man... there was a lot of walking involved. Everything went perfect, the weather was nice, it wasn't too crowded, the girls got to meet all the Disney characters they wanted too. The very last day was our only bad day. Gabbie woke up sick and then had to go through the misery of flying home and our flight was delayed by a couple of hours.

Happy Easter

This is a very condensed version of our Easter weekend. The girls had a lot of fun at our church's Easter egg hunt. Then the Easter Bunny brought way too much candy. The girls looked beautiful in their Easter dresses, but for some reason Gabbie didn't want her picture taken.

Two New Babies

We've been trying to get an early start on having everything ready when the new baby arrives, by the way we're thinking "Brian" for the name. The nursery is painted, clothes, blankets, and such have been sorted, borrowed, or bought, and the crib has been put together. During all of this Weslie and Gabbie have decided that they want to be babies too.

Do You Know these Guys?

Weslie loves to draw and color but like most little kids sometimes her drawings need a little explaining. That is until recently. Can you tell what Weslie's favorite show is? My favorite part, Mr. Crabs is holding a bag of money.

Growing Like Weeds

Let's see how the girls are growing. It's been four months since the last time the girls were measured and they both have grown a little over half an inch in that time. There are some formulas that can predict how tall your kids will be and using one of them, doubling their 24 month height, Weslie should be around 5'-6 and Gabbie around 5'-5. I guess we'll see in about 15 to 16 years.

It's a BOY!!!

Happy Leap Year Day (is that right, Leap Year Day?). Well if you read the title then you already know our big news. We went in for the sonogram today and everything looks great, no problems at all, and we found out that we're having a boy. Poor little dude is going to have to grow up with two older sisters. That shouldn't be too tough, should it?

It's My Money

You might think that Weslie's and Gabbie's favorite thing on TV is Dora or SpongeBob or something like that and basically you'd be correct. However, there is this one commercial that comes on every now and then that really gets their attention better than anything else. It doesn't matter what they are doing this commercial will stop them in their tracks. It's not even a commercial for kids. At least I don't think it is.

If the you're having trouble viewing the embedded video try clicking on the "movies" link to the right.

Happy Valentine's Day

We're being kind of lazy today in celebration of the holiday. Sure, we're doing some stuff, like Weslie and Gabbie got balloons, candy, and stuff and everyone got cards, but that's about it. We're so lazy that we didn't even get a photo for this post so we're using some generic clipart. The big news is that in two weeks we're going for the all important "do you want to know what the sex of the baby is?" sonogram. Mary says she thinks it's a boy . . . carrying high . . . been sicker . . . feels different than from with the girls . . . that kind of stuff.

Oh . . . BABY!!!

Well, the picture says it all. 2008 is surely going to be a busy, busy year, but we can't wait.

Gabbie's Treasures

So far not much is going on in 2008. So, here's something you might find a little amusing. Some children have their favorite doll, toy, or blanket that they take everywhere and can't sleep without. Gabbie doesn't have one treasured item. She has little treasures. They're not always the same, but there is a core group that stays fairly consistent. There is the little prayer book, that she calls her Bible book, Sam the puppy, Sammy the shark, her black day planner, and her good night book.

Happy 2008

2007 was a good year for us and we have a lot to be thankful for. 2008 is already off to a good start and we're sure that it going to be a special year for us.