While Mom was Pre-occupied

I was busy Saturday celebrating a 'baby sprinkle' with friends. Jeremy took the opportunity to foster brainwash Addy & Lilly's love for Indiana University with adventures in Bloomington. He packed healthy lunches bought them hot-dogs, popcorn, candy and milkshakes and kept hand-sanitizer close at all times let them play in the dirt. He kept them scheduled let them skip naps. He took pictures with our fancy Nikon his blackberry and handled the girls gloriously by himself all day only called in a few reinforcements.

I knew they'd had fun when they asked me this morning when I was going to go with them to "the mecca".

Addy & Lilly--their first adventure at Lake Monroe

Lilly and Jeremy's Aunt Julie

Addy, content skipping rocks all day if she could

By the clock tower--Indiana University class of 2015--not if this mama has anything to do with it!

Checking out the history on campus

Scouting IU's future basketball talent at a high-school basketball game with Uncle Joe

Blessed Beyond Measure-Christmas 2010

I'm procrastinating putting the decorations away and still eating leftovers, not quite ready to kiss the holiday good-bye. It was a good one. Magical, to say the least. A & L's excitement and anticipation had me awake at 5:30 on Christmas Day. I lived my best holiday through them. A great benefit of being a mom, I guess. We had visitors and gifts and I'll surely rank their favorites on a later blog when I see which span the test of some time. I'll get to my thank-you notes, clean the fridge and edit some pictures, slowly ticking off the to-do list. However, my biggest hope is that the feelings revisit my heart and theirs again before next December.

The tree-taken at about 6:30 a.m.--just before the girls walked down!
Letter to Santa--written verbatim--gotta love the potty reminder!

Evidence that he had come and gone and taken that silly Elf on the Shelf with him!

Bedtime stories with dad!

Holiday walk in the snow with Uncle Joe

Christmas Eve before church--Daddy post-lasik! It's still weird seeing him without glasses! (Lilly, on the other hand looks like she might need them :-)

Picture from the Ash grandparents holiday card!

Picture from the Sadler holiday card (yes, A & L graced 3 holiday cards in 2010-we are really trying NOT to let the popularity get to their heads!)

Humbled to host this crew at our home for dinner every year! We feel the love!

Guest Blogger: Daddy Duty

Not sure how and why I agreed to "lone" parenting for 5 days....but it sure did happen from last Saturday until Wednesday night. Aimee flew to Jacksonville, Florida for her annual work conference called AFA. She presented an educational seminar, facilitated the Gamma Sigma Alpha semi-annual board meeting/dinner, and "hob knobbed" with fellow higher-ed junkies from all over the country. Aimee also spent some time with one of her (and Jeremy's) favorite people in the world, Jenny Levering. I might add that although this was a heavy dose of work, it was a good change of pace for her. You might have to twist her arm for her to admit that though! :)

All this was going on in sunny Jacksonville and the "reliever" was brought in for 5 days of playing "zone" defense, changing dumpy diapers, and entertaining 2 rowdy toddlers. I was not alone during this 5 day period, as we shifted to "man to man" and a "full court press" defense with the help from Gaga Ian, Gaga Linda, Gaga Jody, Uncle Joe, and of course one of Addy and Lilly's favorite friends Jordan Underwood (Uncle Joe's lady friend). My mom and Gaga Linda helped me on Monday and Tuesday as I ventured to work, but Wednesday I was on my own.

All in all, I absolutely loved every second I spent with my girls over the course of that 5 day stretch. We made pancakes, french toast, sugar cookies, went to the YMCA, went to BW3's, played with poker chips (a new game I invented, where I hide poker chips all over the house), colored with crayons, paints, and magic markers, made paper snowflakes and put them on the tree, went to Jared and Ashley's open house, built a two-room fort in the basement with a secret entrance and a secret hiding spot that Lilly loved, and of course went to the Children's museum (see pics).

I was enlightened during this past Wednesday, as I realized that I am going to take off at least one day a month for "daddy" day. Be it spent at the zoo, children's museum, or just in the basement in the fort, it's going to be a day that I spend solely with my precious daughters. Mom, you're invited for lunch.

As usual, I did find myself being reminded as to why Aimee is sometimes a little tired when I walk in the door at 6:00 from work. It's hard work helping these young ladies advance through life.....not to mention how many times a day we still change diapers. Can potty-training be a new year's resolution?

Addy and Lilly laughing in a babies cradle in the Children's Museum "Playscape".

Uncle Joe and Lilly coloring

Jordan and Addy going down the one-story slide. Think Christmas Story slide. [Ralphie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up] "No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!"

"GERMS will drown if the lid is down" - Daddy putting anti bacterial gel on Addy's hands. (I had Jordan take a pic to prove to mommy that we were protecting ourselves from H1N1) .

7 Blogs in 7 Days....Day 2

I wrote about Addy & Lilly's flower girl debut here, so I'll hold back on writing again how cute the girls were, how well the gummi bears worked for bribery, and how lucky we were to be a part of this special day (shoot....I did it again!) But I had to share some of the pictures that have been shared since my first post. Enjoy the pictures....

Addy & Lilly hanging out with the bride & groom (Mike & Heather)
Daddy and his princess Addy

Lilly, showing our gummi bear trick to all who could see...

The girls and some of the men who love them!

(R-L: Daddy Jeremy, Groom Mike, Uncle Chris & Uncle Joe)

Addy

Lilly dancing with Grandma Linda

Easter 2009

Jeremy is privileged to work for a company that continues to put family first. During a time when most companies have cut these gatherings from their budgets a long time ago, they host a variety of family-friendly gathering over the year and Easter is no exception. We went to the Easter party a few weeks ago. The girls got baskets and as it turns out, Addy and Lilly like the bunny as much as they liked SANTA. Maybe this distaste for people in costumes may save us in the long run, making us avoid Disney until they have kids of their own?

As for Easter day, we've been busy!

Opening Easter baskets this morning and getting a surprise from Auntie Joyce & Uncle Norman in England--the girls got little backpacks! They are so darn cute and will use them to pack up toys to take with them on day trips and to Grandma & Grandpa's house! Thank you!

Getting all dressed up for the Easter service at church and realizing why we go so infrequently...the girls were certainly not well-behaved and after bribing with snacks and toys, we ended up leaving early....

Gathering for brunch at the location where Jeremy and I had our hometown reception almost 4 years ago (to the day!). Above we have 3 uncles, 2 girlfriends, 2 grandmas, 2 grandpas, a great-grandma, a great-grandpa and us. Nothing like Easter to realize how blessed we are!

We hunted for eggs in the backyard!

And got lots of special Easter goodies!

Phew...what a day! Thankfully it's almost bedtime!

We survived...

We all survived a pretty nasty stomach flu and finally a week after it started, we feel back to normal. We managed to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family and hopefully kept germs to ourselves. Jeremy and I planned to head to Louisville for a wedding with friends last night and we couldn't get there. The girls were so needy and we just didn't feel like we could leave them, so we stayed up at the lakehouse with Grandma & Grandpa Ash. I head to Denver this week for a board meeting of the organization I'm working with, so dad's on duty with help from my mom and his. Hopefully everyone stays healthy. Here's some pics from our Thanksgiving!

"Now, Grandpa Dave, tell me what card you are looking for and I'll try my sweet talk."--Lilly

"Uncle Joe, does your belly hurt from all that yummy food, I think I have heartburn."--Addy

"Yep, definately heartburn..."(Lilly on left, Addy on the right)

PS. Aunt Cat--we are sorry you are sick, do pictures of us make you feel better???? Get well soon!