Blizzard of '09!

We had a huge snow storm that dumped about 2 feet of snow on us. It was over the weekend which was nice. Chris spent much of the weekend shoveling and even shoveled the deck because he was worried about the weight of the snow on the deck. He ended up with a big pile in the yard below and could not pass up the opportunity to have a little fun, Chris-style. It's not exactly like doing a flip on a snowboard, but it satisfied his urge to have some x-treme winter fun!

First Visit with Santa....worth the wait!

This is Maddie's 4th Christmas and we have never taken her to sit on Santa's lap. The first year it seemed crazy to wait in line with a 5 month-old, the second year Maddie definitely would have cried, last year she said she didn't want to and I respected that, thinking if we traumatized her at 2 1/2 we might never get a picture with Santa. This year, she was game. Especially when I told her she would get a candy cane at the end. We went the week of Thanksgiving and didn't wait at all and got a great picture with a great Santa!

Fun in the leaves!

Usually around Thanksgiving or my Nana's birthday we help rake the leaves at her house in PA. This year we went up for my Nana's birthday and Maddie and I played in the leaves and she was being quite a ham for the camera. I got some funny shots.

Giving the birthday queen a kiss!

Oh, so dramatic! Nothing was wrong, she was just acting.

Happy Halloween!

What fun, having Halloween on a Saturday this year! As usual, we had the big gathering and parade on our street and the Baums joined us for dinner and trick-or-treating. Madeline and Livia are so sweet together. They get along great. Maddie was a bumble bee this year. She started saying in January that she wanted to be a bumble bee and despite being so into princess things, she wanted to be a bee. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night.

Bumble Bee with an attitude!

There's my sweet girl!

Prayers

We have put Maddie's wonderful memory to good use and taught her some prayers. She now says the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Now I lay me down to sleep every night at bedtime. Then we pray for all of our family and friends. Maddie likes to add in "God bless Bailey (Kim's dog), and God bless my toys, and God bless the light and the fan," and basically anything else that pops into her mind. I love hearing her say them, it's my favorite part of bedtime! I wanted to capture it on video. She has some trouble getting the words just right. But didn't we all think for the longest time as kids that "forwhichitstands" was one word?

A funny little conversation...

Maddie cracks me up daily and I need to be better about writing some of the things she is saying down so I don't forget. Here was our conversation in the car on the way home tonight:
Me: Maddie, what animals did you see at the zoo today? (Nana took her to the Reston Zoo)
Maddie: I saw goats, and sheep, and a camel, and a cantelope!
Me: Oh Maddie, you mean an antelope?
Maddie: Yes Mommy, an antelope. Antelope.....Cantaloupe....that rhymes!
Me: Yes it does honey. Good job!
Maddie: Hmmmm (thinking).... Veggie...Wedgie.....that rhymes too!

Fall Fun

I love this time of year and always realize that I love the change of seasons. As much as I love summer, it has been refreshing to have cooler temperatures this Fall. We recently traded in the Pathfinder. I almost cried because I loved that car and it was our first car together, but we couldn't pass up the incentives. We got a new Toyota Tacoma truck. Chris won the truck vs. SUV battle and I have to say it's nice to have a truck. We are able to throw the bikes and the bike trailer in the back of the truck and we've taken advantage of it a few times and gone for rides on the C&O Canal, which is a bike trail that goes along the Potomac river. I didn't get any bike shots, but I did take some pictures down by the river.

On a Friday in September, we went with Chris's parents and dear friends Larry and Nerita (who were visiting from Nebraska) to see Samie play soccer at Georgetown. Villanova plays Georgetown every year and this year the game was in D.C. so we went and had a great time.


Then, the last weekend of September, we spent a weekend at Deep Creek Lake with my family. We didn't get a chance to all get away together in the summer, so when my coworker offered her amazing lake house to us, we decided to get away for a little R&R. I really rested because I ended up getting strep throat the night before we left. And the weather was pretty miserable, cold and rainy. But somehow, despite the weather and illness, we had a great weekend. I guess that says a lot for how much I love my family! We did manage to get outside on Saturday and went for a little hike at a state park there called Swallow Falls. Chris and I have been there before to camp with friends, the first time in 1994 and the second time in 1999. So it is a place near and dear to our hearts. I was able to use our new scanner to scan an old picture from our second trip. The scenery there is so beautiful and we all agree that another trip to the Deep Creek Lake area is a must!

The Little Ballerina

I was deciding between signing Maddie up for ballet class or soccer this fall and while soccer talen definitely runs in the Moskal family, I think I made the right decision. Maddie loves dressing up right now. She loves princesses, loves music, and loves dancing. So when I found a princess ballet class in which they have different dresses every week for them to wear and the whole class is princess themed, I had to do it. My little girl may not be girly forever, so I thought I would take advantage of this very girly phase she's in. She loves it and all the little girls are so cute! Maddie has turned the word "ballet" into a verb. So she likes to say, "Mommy, I love ballet-ing" or "Are we going ballet-ing today?" or "I want to put on my ballet dress and do some ballet-ing." I can't correct her yet, it's too sweet!

Making a wish as Snow White

Mommy's Little Helper

Madeline is becoming very interested in helping me clean. I found the perfect thing for her to do, the Swiffer. We had music on while we were cleaning and I decided to get out the camera and record her dancing and cleaning at the same time. I tried to record her talking since that's all she seems to do these days, so the video is kind of long. And of course, she didn't talk a whole lot because she was so busy dancing and cleaning. It's fun to have her help. I have such vivid and fond memories of helping my mom clean when I was growing up in New York and we used to listen to Air Supply! It's fun to be making those memories again with my own daughter.

First Week of Preschool

Anyone who knows me knows that I put a lot of thought into big decisions. Thorough analysis runs in my family. It's in my blood. So when it came time to decide on a preschool for Maddie, all factors were considered. Was it a clean, safe, fun place? What days would she go? Where is it? Will it work for both me and my mom to take her and pick her up? Etc., etc., etc. I was very pleased with our decision on a preschool and excited for her to start. It is a 2 day program, Mondays and Tuesdays from 9-12. My mom will do one day (I work on Mondays) and I will do the other. The location is centrally located between our house and my parents'. Perfect!!!

I hate to focus on the negative part of this first week of school, but her first day is one I'll never forget. Despite all my perfect planning, the first morning did not exactly go smoothly. I decided to take the morning off so that I could take her myself. It was a short day from 9-10:30 and she would meet her teacher, see the classroom and get acquainted. I had my mom meet us there since she'll be doing Monday preschool. The most direct route to the preschool is not the normal route I take in the mornings when I work because I always drop Madeline at my parents' house first. I anticipated traffic and left at 8:15, allowing 45 minutes to go 10 miles. It's Northern Virginia, there's lots of traffic. I HAVE NEVER SEEN TRAFFIC LIKE THIS IN MY 8 YEARS LIVING IN LEESBURG!!!! That morning it took me 1 hour and 25 minutes to go 10 miles! Maddie and I arrived 40 minutes late to her first day! I started getting upset on the phone with my mom who was giving me the play-by-play of what we were missing (which wasn't really much to tell the truth). Maddie could tell I was upset, so then she got upset and started weeping and saying, "Mommy, I'm sad that we can't get to my preschool." It was so pitiful. But long story short, I pulled myself together for her sake and when we got there, she caught up quickly and was very comfortable right away.

The second day I left at 7:45 and paid $4 to take the toll road and skip the traffic. We arrived with enough time to spare to go to Target nearby and we were still the first ones in the door once it opened! What's most important is that Madeline had a great time and so far seems to like it. I was warned that there would be tears when she goes to school, I just didn't think the tears would be over traffic! But in the grand scheme of things, I'd rather have us both shed a tear or two over traffic than have Maddie or me crying over leaving her there :)

The Lake (again!)

We had one last fun weekend at the lake with the gang in August. Kaitlyn and Maddie were two peas in a pod with their matching bathing suits and Laura and Andy are adorably excited about their two peas in a pod (they are expecting twins)!! And Maddie went on her first jet ski ride with Daddy and loved it! The lake is definitely one of our favorite weekend getaways and we are so grateful to be welcomed there every summer!

Buffalo Trip

In August, Maddie and I went on a road trip to Buffalo with my parents. Sigh.....yes I survived the car trip being the member of the sandwich generation (having my parents and my child with me)! Maddie just watched videos the whole time, didn't sleep a wink, but she is a great little traveller. And other than getting a lecture once on where the cooler goes in the car, I had a great time with my parents. It's been a while since we've had 9 hours together to just chat. I dare say the car ride was even enjoyable.

We went up there to visit my Grandma and my dad's Uncle John who was visiting from Brazil. We stayed with my Aunt Joanne and her family and visited with my Aunt Mary Beth and my cousins. Everyone has a pool in Buffalo. When the weather's warm, they know how to enjoy it since it's rare! Maddie's buddy the whole weekend was Uncle Mark (Joanne's hubby) who brought home toys from his fun place of employment, Fisher Price. He also played with her lots in the pool. Mark says that Maddie reminds him so much of my cousin (his daughter) Katie at age 3, who is now looking at colleges!

Fun with Nana in the pool

Napping in the pool? Nope, just a good actress. She had some people fooled for a few minutes....but I know my girl. She would never fall asleep instead of having fun :) But it was convincing.

Uncle Mark

Aunt Joanne

Great Grandma and Great Uncle John (the priest)


Kissing cousins!

I was playing around with my camera settings and had some fun. Joanne and Mark's yard is so beautifully landscaped and made for a good background.