Well, let’s start with cookie sales.  With the help of grandparents and us, Ashley was able to sell 175 boxes.   She ended up just one box shy of top seller.  We got all of the cookies delivered rather quickly and even took a trip down to Va Bch to deliver cookies sold by my parents.  February saw the completion of potty training for Natalie.  It seemed like one day she just decided that that was it and we haven’t had any accidents since then.  I told her she could invite a couple friends to Chuck E Cheese’s as a reward, so we did lunch there one day.  At the end of the month we also went to Toby’s Dinner Theater to see High School Musical.  The girls really enjoyed it and we appreciated the tickets from John’s parents as a Christmas gift.

In March we went to the animal park with some friends and soccer started at the end of the month.  This is the first time we have signed Sydney up as well as Ashley so we ended up splitting up on Tuesdays to take one to practice at one school and the other to another school.

The first weekend in April we decided to go down to DC for the Cherry Blossom Parade.  It was fun to watch even though it was very windy and we got a really nice picture of the John & I in front of a cherry blossom that Ashley took.  For Spring Break I was going to try to make it down to GA but changed my mind and ended up in VA BCH a couple days.  The girls always enjoy visiting with their cousins and grandparents down there.

On May 2nd Ashley took her First Communion with my parents and us all in attendance.  She looked so pretty!!  I was suppose to run a half marathon the following day but due to knee problems that really started to bother me after a 10 mile run the previous week I decided to forgo the race.  It was disappointing but probably for the best.  I would still like to run the Rock N Roll in September but I am going to see how my knee is doing as I work back up to that distance.  The following weekend I was lucky enough to take a day trip to NYC with some girlfriends.  The Parks & Recreation sponsor a bus that picks up and drops off in Leesburg.  It was a lot of fun!

We are finishing up soccer now and next week starts swim team practice.  School gets out on the 19th of June and we will be celebrating Sydney’s 6th birthday that weekend.  I will try to do better with my updates but no promises

Picture updates are in the Spring 2009 & Memorial Day Weekend Albums.

I am not very good at posting regularly so instead you get it in big chunks.  I have several pictures for you to enjoy in the album named Fall Times.  You will see that the girls & I took a trip to PA to visit my cousins and her family.  We even went to a pumpkin patch and made smores both night- YUM!  Unfortunately the trip up there included Sydney throwing up strawberry milk in the car and the way back we made a record for slowest trip ever.  It took us 4.5 hours for a 3 hour drive.  No traffic but many potty stops and a brief trip to Wal-Mart for some dramamine.  Since then, Natalie had a field trip to the farm.  It was a little chilly but still nice to have only one kid on a field trip.  I did have to make arrangements for Sydney after school since she gets home at 11AM normally.  The past several days have been busy starting with Friday night.  John & Ashley attended a Girl Scout Dance that was a costume party.  They were both vampires.  On Sunday, Ashley, Sydney & I went to see High School Musical 3.  On Monday, there was a Sarah Palin Rally less than 1/2 mile away so John worked from home and the 3 of us went over there.  We got there around 7:30 for her 9:30 appearance but at 8:30 I got a call from the school that Sydney was sick.  I had to leave before ever seeing her.  I had hoped that John would at least get a good picture with the big lens on the camera but our battery died right before she came on.  The picture I have is from a friend.  Coming up, we have Halloween on Friday and on Saturday we fly down to Florida for some UCF football and Disney fun.  I will try to add that shortly after we get back.

Today, John & I ran our first 5K together.  It was sponsored by a middle school PTA and except for the start which was uphill, it was mostly flat.  I have only started running since the beginning of September and only about 2-3 times a week at best.  Neither of us had any illusions of finishing in the top 3 for the 30-35 year olds.  My finishing time was 29 min 15 sec. and John’s was 31 minutes.  I had to leave him behind at the 1.5 mile marker

Ashley and Sydney began school the day after Labor Day.  Ashley is in 2nd grade now and Sydney started Kindergarten.  Of course, around here Kindergarten is only a half day so she is back home at 11AM.  This past week Natalie began preschool at the Presbyterian Church that both of her sisters had attended.  She will go 8:30-11:30 on Thursday and Friday.  That gives me a little time to myself although I am hoping to use some of it to volunteer at the elementary school.  They all seem to be happy with their teachers and class.  Natalie fussed a little the first day but did fine the second.  She loves the bus and calls the minivan the “Natalie Bus” that takes her to school.  Sydney is most excited about whether she chose chocolate or strawberry milk but is doing really well with her writing.  Ashley has actual math homework this year but it isn’t too challenging yet.  She has yet to start with spelling homework which I am grateful for.  That starts up the 22nd.  She does have to read for 15 minutes daily which is sometimes hard to get her to do.

Well, there is only a couple weeks left until school starts and we are all shocked at how fast the summer has gone by.  To pick up where I last left off- the girls spent several days with my parents in Virginia Beach followed by several days in Niagara Falls in NY with us.  There were a couple days of rain but we did get to go down to the falls twice including a ride on Maid of the Mist.  We also went to the aquarium and got some frozen custard- YUM!  We visited with both of my grandmothers, 3 aunts, and two cousins.  The girls haven’t seen many of them ever so it was good to see everyone.  We just got back and will start Girl Scout Camp next week.  The drive back included me, my parents, and the girls in the car for 8 hours.  John had flown from Buffalo to Florida for a conference.  I was thankful that I wasn’t on my own since Sydney threw up once and Natalie threw up twice.  Fun Stuff!!  Pictures can be found in the End of Summer album.

I have a couple pictures and videos to share from swim season (Album Name-Swim Season).  I was stuck in concessions during most of the meet so I wasn’t able to get as many pictures.  Ashley did an excellent job swimming both backstroke and freestyle.  She even got to swim in the 8 & under Freestyle Relay a couple times.  Tonight we have the swim team party and then we are all done.  She will definitely miss seeing her friends and coaches but not getting up early each morning.  I will miss seeing her swim but not working concessions.  Her coach was very young and was all about spirit so each meet had a theme.  If you see a picture with her face painted it was for gladiator/toga theme.