Some New Things

Plenty of new things happened over our Charleston weekend.

We ate out a lot since we weren't at home. Now, this isn't new, and neither are crayons and kiddie placemats. What is new is Abigail learning her colors. She can identify green, red, orange, and purple.

Our hotel room in Charleston was on the third floor. Abigail was able to count along with the elevator up to three and down to one. As of this weekend, she can count all the way to ten!

When we arrived at Jonathan's parents' Jonathan was able to put Abigail to bed as I took care of Sarah. For the rest of the weekend, though, I felt like we were joined at the hip. Abigail would not let anyone else hold her- not even her Daddy! Needless to say, this got a bit frustrating as it continued throughout the entire weekend. I guess it's good to know she loves me :-)

And we can't forget Sarah. This was Sarah's first long road trip. She did pretty well considering she is not a fan of being in a car. Also, this was the first time she met all of her Uncles (among other family, of course).

Jonathan and I also learned a valuable lesson. There is a difference between weather proof and water resistant. We bought a car top carrier that is weather resistant. We had rain most of the way from SC to Northern Virginia so our clothes got soaked.

Just so this isn't just a post of words, here are a few pictures our Aunt Charissa took over the weekend of Sarah. Don't you just love her ears? I think they are so cute!

Trips Back Home

The closer we got to home, the more we could see that our trip was getting to the girls-Sarah in particular. Abigail didn't mind snacking on pretzels and watching Veggie Tales. Sarah only seemed to enjoy the trip when she was napping. To try and keep her happy Jonathan and I took turns sitting in the back. The last 45 minutes before making it home though she was nearly inconsolable. Of course, she was all smiles once we got home ;-)


We had such a wonderful time with the Kapaldo family and in Charleston. Visits with Grandma, Papa, and Abigail and Sarah's Uncles is always well worth the trip!

The Big Day in Charleston

We took it easy Sunday morning knowing it would be a crazy afternoon/evening. We had a nice lunch with family and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for Michael and Jessie's wedding.

I knew when we arrived that there was no way Abigail would sit through the ceremony. So, we walked around for a bit, colored, and then ate grapes. It actually worked out well since it was an outdoor ceremony. Here is a picture of the two of us before things got started. It was taken by Aunt Charissa. Abigail is getting accustomed to saying "cheese" during picture taking time...


The ceremony (from what I was able to see and hear) was lovely. The bride was beautiful and the groom was beaming.


I was anxious about the reception for a number of reasons (1) no highchairs (2) Abigail was exhausted and (3) Sarah had only had a catnap in the morning. My fears were not realized though. Abigail was so tired that she didn't seem to mind sitting on my lap. Also, my brothers were very helpful in that they helped get us food and also provided entertainment for Abigail.

Once the dancing started Abigail had a ball. She really enjoyed watching the traditional dances (bride & father, groom & mother). She also liked dancing in her seat by copying her great-uncle's arm movements. Finally, toward the end of the reception I took her onto the dance floor and set her free. She went straight for the circle of dancing guests and had so much fun. We sent off the bride and groom with a couple dozen sparklers and then headed back to our hotel. Abigail fell asleep on the short drive and went to bed with ease.

I didn't have a chance to take pictures because Abigail was so attached to me. So thank you to Uncle James and Aunt Charissa for their pictures!

Free Day in Charleston

We took the girls to downtown Charleston for a long walk and site-seeing on Saturday. The weather was absolutely beautiful-a welcomed change from our New England winter. Abigail loved looking at the water, dogs that passed by, and horses drawing tour carriages.

We joined family and friends for Uncle Mike and the future Auntie Jessie's rehearsal dinner. Despite being exhausted, the girls were so well behaved.

Once again, Abigail fell asleep quickly and slept soundly.

Trip to Charleston, SC - Days 1 and 2

We left home at 6:00 AM on Thursday for Northern Virginia. Thankfully Sarah fell asleep shortly after we left. Abigail was too excited to sleep. Our trip to Grandma and Papa Kapaldo's house was very smooth and we made great time. One leg down, three legs to go.

We were car number two of a three car caravan heading to SC on Friday. We left around 8:30 AM. The first few hours were great because Sarah had a nice long nap. We took our first break to gas up for another 90 miles. Those 90 miles were not great. The girls took turns crying. After a lunch stop they napped. Abigail got fussy again and it was at this point I decided I would sit in the back seat with the girls. It was a tight squeeze, but I was able to keep both girls entertained until we hit Charleston. Needless to say, after a long day of driving Abigail fell asleep pretty quickly and slept soundly through the night. Two legs down, two more to go.

Fun in the Snow

We got a good 6 inches of fluffy snow yesterday. Jonathan decided to stay home to avoid a messy commute home, which turned out to be a good idea. Because he "got home" from work early, he was able to take Abigail out to play for a little bit. This is the first time playing in the snow for her as a toddler. I can easily say that Abigail loves all forms of water. She loves the bath, pool, cups of water, and now frozen water. It took Jonathan a lot of work to get her to come back inside. She had a blast!

Four Months

Sarah is four months old today. Since three months she has been spending much more time awake during the day. We still need to work on getting a good napping schedule going. Also, Sarah still needs to learn how to fall asleep on her own. As far as nighttime sleep goes, Sarah seems to be regressing. Lately she hasn't slept more than four hours at a time. Nights seem more like a string of naps. Maybe once we start her on solids Sarah will sleep longer at night.

Sarah is very vocal during the day and happily squeals a lot. She hasn't rolled over yet, but is able to get on her side with no problems.

So that's our update on Sarah. We'll know height and weight information in the beginning of March when she has her next check up.

Valentine's Prep

Abigail made her Daddy a special Valentine. She loves coloring/scribbling and sticking stickers on paper. Abigail had fun doing her little craft project while Sarah napped.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Kapaldo Family had a great Valentine's Day. We started off with a great breakfast that Jonathan and I made together. Jonathan surprised me during breakfast with a Valentine's gift. He gave me a lovely heart locket necklace. During breakfast Abigail and Sarah enjoyed their gifts from Nonna and Papa.

We then headed to GENESIS for church. Abigail had a heart-shaped sugar cookie with pink frosting during GENESIS Kids. It was reported to me that she got the frosting everywhere. After the service Abigail got a hold of a Hershey miniature. No biggie. At least not until she took a big bite of it while it was still in the wrapper!

Jonathan and I have a tradition for Valentine's Day where he makes a special dinner and I make a special dessert. Jonathan made steak, potatoes and green beans. I made Oreo truffles for dessert. Abigail was throwing a tea party for her new dog, so she wasn't into having dinner at first. When she was ready to eat, she wanted to sit with us instead of on her high chair. Wouldn't you know Abigail ate more this way? You couldn't stop her from eating green beans off her Daddy's plate. GREEN BEANS! She has never really eaten green beans before.

Now Abigail is sleeping with Sarah following soon after. My Valentine and I will enjoy quiet, Oreo cookies, and The Amazing Race. Happy Valentine's Day all!

Four Generations

This past weekend we celebrated my Grandmother's birthday. We took advantage of the get-together and snapped a picture of four generations:

Sick Day

All mommies are well aware that we don't get to call in sick, unless maybe it's the weekend. I really wanted to call in sick Friday morning. Instead, we made it a laid back day. We wore our comfy clothes and took it easy. I thought I'd be a little creative and make Abigail a tent to play in to distract her a bit while I tended to Sarah, who was starting to get congested and wasn't sleeping well. Abigail enjoyed it, but not for as long as I hoped. Oh well, at least she had fun with it for a little while.


Oh, and I must add that Jonathan did come home early from work to help out with the girls since I was not feeling well, so I did get some relief. I have a wonderful husband!

Thirty is the New Twenty?

On January 30th I left my twenties behind and entered my thirties. Who would have thought that by the time I reached this point in my life I would be married with two little girls?

Jonathan and I celebrated by going out to dinner on Saturday while my parents watched the girls. On Sunday Jonathan, with the help of my parents and grandparents, threw me a bit of a surprise party. Jonathan bought 30 different muffins from The Gingerbread Construction Company. Their muffins are amazing. All-in-all I had a great birthday.