Walking down the aisle

In total diva fashion, Addie stopped, at each camera she saw, to pose. It was a loooong walk down the aisle. Notice how she knew that she needed her own moment, so she stopped and let Graham and Liam walk ahead of her. Sorry it's so bumpy, but Ben was jumping on my lap to catch a glimpse. :)

Here's Brian's best man toast/speech. I wrote most of it myself, but do I get credit? No! :) His goal was to make Erin cry.

Some stills

I forgot they load backwards...but oh well.

Dancing the night away at the reception.


All four smiling faces, and three sets of eyes on the camera....close!

I believe he's thinking, "Wait? Do I hear someone saying how handsome I am?"

At the altar

Just outside the church. It was SUNNY and hot.

I'll post more videos tonight.

Get ready Taylor!!

If only everyone had the courage and self-confidence at almost 4 years of age! Notice how no one is on the dance floor at first and then as her singing carries around the reception  (and outside!) the audience grows.  Brian is beaming right now with pride from her performance.  It's just so much fun to watch her in her element with no fear.  Also how cute was Ben just trying to get Addie to dance with him? 

Rehearsal day

I can't believe it, but my camera battery wasn't charged! I got a few "emergency-before-the-camera-dies-pictures" but none are really that great.

Here's the best two.

Muddy made Addie's baby "Rosetta Pickle" a dress to match the one she's wearing in the wedding. She even made a basket of flowers for Rosetta Pickle to wear. :)

Rehearsal day

Today's the wedding rehearsal. I'm having flash forwards of Addie striking a pose or vogueing down the aisle tomorrow.  We'll see.

Since the weather is going to be 85 and sunny tomorrow, I opted for Addie to get a pair of white sandals to wear with her white dress.  They're open toed and we negotiated I would paint her toenails if she wore them. (Notice how I said negotiated, instead of bribed?!) So last night after baths both Addie and Ben got hot pink painted toenails.  This morning while Ben was still asleep Addie asked me to paint her fingernails as well. I thought of those precious Mommy-daughter commercials and thought I'd live it up too.  Tragically, Ben just made me very aware that he has no fingernail polish on.  Not sure how Brian will feel about Ben with hot pink fingernails! At least he can wear socks over his toes....

I'll try to post some pictures tonight after the rehearsal.

Favorite songs

Taylor Swift is still numero uno in our house, but there are a few others in the running now. Juliet/Love Story and Picture to Burn still rank right up there. We've also added Taylor's "White Horse" into the mix. I think that's because it gets stuck in my head and I like it. :)

Plain White T's: 1,2,3,4 is a great song.  Addie and Ben both love it.  I actually think Benjamin sings it better than she does.  He goes for the "ooouuuuuu" at the end of "I love you" each and every time. I'll try to record and post it.

Kris Kross: Jump, Jump. Remember this throw back? I remember being in 6th grade on our camping trip to Camp Tockwagh and having that song be very popular. We sat around the campfire, the entire 6th grade, jumping like idiots.  Anyway, it's On Demand right now in the VH1 section of One Hit Wonders.  I can't tell you how badly my quads and calves hurt from jumping! Addie and Ben both know that one can't jump unless they throw one hand up in the hair, just like KK does (those of you who know this song know exactly what I'm talking about!!)

We're really looking forward to this weekend with Rob and Erin's wedding and a dj.  Not only am I expecting Addie and Ben to steal the show all dressed up and really to thrill, but I CAN NOT wait for them to dance like madmen all night long.  They've been practicing their slow dance routine too, so that Brian and I may actually be able to dance together without one or both in our arms.  

Hodgepodge

Just some random pictures and updates of our lives recently.

At dinner last night Addie and Ben decided they were going to make silly faces. I took pictures.

Yes, they were having spaghetti!

Ben's "smile" face. Such a cutie.

Addie would give Madonna a run for her money in the vogue-ing category. Hard core voguer!

Silly face.

Posing, as she said, "with my washable marker."

On Saturday we invited Emma, Ben's friend from KinderCare, come over to jump in the moon bounce. He was so excited for her to come over. He wanted to show her how the moon bounce blows up, so he waited very patiently for her to arrive in the afternoon. This was taken from inside the family room window, looking out at him.

I don't know if it comes across clearly enough, but he's got his hands folded, just sitting there waiting for Emma to arrive!
This is how I was greeted when I arrived home on Friday...

That's corn and strawberries, in case you can't tell.

Our welcome home Daddy, cat and dog we made.

It says "Welcome to our garden" on the pathway. Muddy says that Addie and Ben did help out too!
I braided Addie's hair the other morning too.

Cute, right?

Easter

Addie looking into Muddy and Guppy's house while the turkey was on the grill. It's out of order in the day, but oh well....


Easter morning was a very happy time for Addie and Ben. They came downstairs to find piles of their goodies and some hidden eggs. Note that they're wearing their new Sesame Street shirts from the previous day- no baths on Saturday nights!

This is Ben's extreme happy face nowadays. They both got bike helmets, which he wanted his on immediately.

Addie finding an egg.

Kota had an egg in his mouth too.

Ben was happy to receive a triceratops plate.

Then they found their bikes!! Very funny to see them immediately grab their helmets and sneakers to ride around the house on the bikes sans pants. This is Ben giving his sign of approval.

Addie was proud to show off her mad puzzle-making skills. Both got a new 25 piece puzzle. Not joking, within 8 minutes Addie had them both completed! I was impressed. I see many more puzzles in our futures!

Ben and his other extreme happy face grin. This is at Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house, where they each got a box of Scooby Doo gummy snacks. Ben's got a blue one squished in his teeth, if you look closely.

Graham and Addie. Muddy made Addie's dress of course.

Addie and Ben are lucky to have the Easter Bunny come to Muddy and Guppy's house and lead them on a present hunt. Here's the Bunny helping Addie find the last present hidden.

And for good measure, the reaction when the doorbell rang! :)

When Elmo Grows Up

We went to Sesame Street Live on Saturday. This year's theme was "When Elmo Grows Up," which surprisingly centered around what each character wanted to be when he/she grows up. Big Bird opened the show by coming out on stage and asking the audience "what do you want to be when you grow up? Shout it out!"
I think most of the kids were shocked or in awe of the fact that BIG BIRD was there in person talking to them, because it was silent. Then the voice heard round the Bob Carpenter Center rang out, "a songwriter!!" courtesy of my own Adelaide. Big Bird asked again and again the only voice heard is Addie screaming "a songwriter, a songwriter, a songwriter!" For whatever reason, apparently Big Bird's lines are scripted because he said, "A fireman? A police officer? A teacher?" It was adorable though to see Addie so determined to tell Big Bird what she wanted to be. And really, she's wanted to be a songwriter forever. Remember the time she woke up distressed because she thought, "Oh no! I can't be a songwriter and a princess!"
I should also share that this year we bit the bullet and bought tickets for seats on the floor of the Bob Carpenter Center. This way the characters run by and gives hugs, etc and the kids freak out. We were seated 7 rows from the stage on the end, so perfect seats for some serious action. Unfortunately the characters are all so choreographed that they have very little time to run around the audience before they have to be back on stage dancing and whatever. In fact they only have enough time to run back to the 5th row....so you can see where this is going. Addie was FURIOUS that the characters didn't come to her. We're talking majorly offended. We know for next year that if we're not in the front 5 rows, we might as well be in the stadium seats.
And yes I did take pictures, but my camera is whacky right now. Every picture comes out like it was being shaken. So there's really not many good ones.

More Easter mail!

Those bunny shaped chalk are SO cute!!  And isn't it funny how she has her usual gift senders?

Mail

Thank you

It's amazing how the simple words "thank you" can make someone feel.  

I have been at Nemours since June.  I left my old comfortable forever job of eight years to come to Nemours.  It wasn't a tough decision to move on, as I felt the timing was just right and the pluses were numerous.  

After about two months of being in my job, I received a written note at home from my partner at work, who is a physician.  It was just a "I'm so glad you're working for us; you're doing a great job; I'm excited about all you have to offer" type note.  But in it she thanked me for all the things I've brought to the table.  When I opened that envelope, I got all emotional at just the simple gesture of writing a thank you note acknowledging my energy and work.  Never in my eight years at my old job did I ever receive something like that from a superior, let alone receive something at home via the US mail.

On Friday I arrived home to another Nemours envelope in my mailbox.  This time it's a thank you from the Social Work manager in my department.  She thanked me for two things in particular.  Again, I got emotional reading her handwritten note of gratitude.

I don't know how often people receive such thank you's. I know it's part of the management system to acknowledge people for doing "whatever it takes," and honestly I think it's a fantastic tool.

When I was in the Leadership Institute in the summer of 2007, we did a Leadership Inventory which was part self-assessment of our leadership styles and qualities and part assessment by our managers, direct reports and peers.  One of the areas I thought I was particularly strong on was Acknowledging Others.  It was one of few areas where I ranked myself higher than the other people did.  That was a wake up call for me.  Perhaps in my mind I acknowledged others' efforts, but didn't do it out loud or enough? Either way, I made a commitment to work on acknowledging others for their contributions from that point on.

The Nemours thank you notes is just an example of a really great way to acknowledge others and I wanted to acknowledge that.

Nemours is continually ranked high in the "Best Places in Health Care to Work" category nationally.  With strategies such as the thank you notes, I can see why.  Again, never before in eight years and then two within a seven month time period!? Amazing.

Catch up

Just some quick catch up things:
Friday night Brian and I went to see comedian Kathleen Madigan, with Muddy, Guppy and Aunt Linda. It was a Christmas present and WAAAY funny. Her opening act was a comedian named Selim (no idea how he actually spells it, but I'm sure if I cared enough I could google him to find out). We all laughed our heads off. It was nice to go somewhere where almost every other sentence contained a curse word and it was ok! Really, really, really funny.
Addie and Ben had a great time with Victoria babysitting them. Ben calls her Bictoria.
In a moment of extreme pride last week Addie successfully checked herself and Benjamin in at their doctor's appointment. I mean the whole thing: name, address, phone number, birth dates, and reason for their visits. It's one of the things I preach in my job, that really no one over the age of 10 should have his/her parent check him/her in. It drives me crazy how unempowered and uninvolved kids are in their futures and medical treatments. Just after Addie checked them in, I watched a mom check in her 17 year old son. I understand I'm at one end of the bell-shaped curve with promoting self-advocacy in my children (but is it wrong to think I'm at the "right" side?)
A funny side note to that is that Benjamin could have done it too. He knows all of that stuff! When Addie told her phone number, Ben broke out in exclamation "Hey, that's MY phone number."
Another reason it's important for children to know all of that information (including parents' names) is what happens if something happens to them? Remember the little boy a few months ago who was found alone at the Ohio rest stop, because his mom had just been murdered and he was kidnapped and left there? Without him being able to recite his identifying information, it would've taken a long time to find where he belonged and what happened. Ok, off my soap box! Needless to say, I was VERY proud of my two for being so independent.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday was the Easter Egg Hunt at work for employees' children. Since I'm the co-chair of the Employee Activities Committee, I knew I could help make this year's hunt the best yet...After all, not everyone has a very talented Easter Bunny year-round.

Guppy and Aunt Linda came too. This is while waiting in line to see the Bunny.

Addie and Ben were beyond thrilled to see the beautiful Bunny. She seemed particularly fond of my children too.

Neither one thought she felt familiar.

Happily posing with their loot and the Bunny, in front of the world famous Carillon. Mr. duPont and his wife are buried under there.

Giving some bunny love.

Overall a lovely day.

April Fool's Day

This morning I told Addie and Ben that today is April Fool's Day, and it's a day to play tricks and make jokes on people. I told Addie that when Muddy got to the house that she should tell her "I fell down the stairs and got hurt." Once Muddy responded, Addie should say "April Fool's!" Ben was supposed to tell her "I pooped on the floor." (I know, classy, right?!) When Muddy came in the house about 10 minutes later, I reminded them to play their trick on her. They bolted into the foyer and Muddy could barely get in the door before Addie said:
"Muddy, I fell down the stairs and got a big booboo" of course she's saying this with a HUGE smile on her face. Muddy looked stunned and said "what?" Addie repeated herself, "I fell down the stair and got a big booboo" SMILING hardcore. I had to to turn away to stop from laughing. Addie's body language and attitude didn't match what she was saying and Muddy looked equally confused. Then Addie blurts out "JOKE!" and starts cracking up. I said "April Fool's." Then Addie got sad, because she realized she said the wrong thing. So Muddy had to play up the surprise and trickery.
Ben then tells her that he pooped on the floor. And then said something like "Aprna bulls" or something like that.
We have to think of something tricky to say to Brian when he gets home. I'm thinking they'll be faking an injury with gauze-wrapped arms or something...