Sophie has learned a new song. Again, not out of us directly teaching her. Just out of pure exposure. The other day at Giant Eagle, Country Roads and Cotton Eyed Joe played over the radio. That's pretty much the playlist of our lives.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
dancing in the streets
My sweet cousin Brandi got married this weekend. She married a wonderful man, Chad. Of course I don't have any pictures of them. I let my Mom take most of the pictures and forgot to put them on my computer before I left. We were in New Martinsville Friday-Sunday. 3 of my 4 cousins from Georgia (The Georgia Sliders) came with their kids. We had 5 kids ages 1-5. 4 boys, 1 girl. We had never met their kids before and it was so very fun. The kids did an amazing job together. It was so fun.
In true Slider fashion, this wedding was like other. The reception was literally in the street in front of Brandi's childhood home. Ben DJ'd and we danced in the street. It was an evening to remember.
Ted is wearing the tie that my brother, Charlie, wore in my brother Jay's wedding in 1990! Or some year close to that.
Ted and Aunt Sara.
Dancing in the streets. Notice where Sophie plopped herself when I wasn't holding her and dancing at the same time!
Ben and Sophie dancing.She danced her little legs off when Ben was dancing with her. So sweet!
Ted spent most of his evening running and dancing with Matthew, Alex and Jett. They liked to spend time with Ben.
We have a new tradition when we get together . . . any cousins that are in town together for events will eat breakfast at Choo-Choo's. Always a great time!
We took the kids to my grandparents old house (my aunt still lives there) and had their pictures taken on the steps. This is where, every year, we used to all take our pictures as cousins. My grandparents had 20 children. This is 6 of the many great-grandchildren.
Kids and their kids.
We used to be able to fit a lot more of us on these stairs. Good times!
Two very tired kiddos on our way home.
Thanks for a great weekend everyone. I always love spending time with the Slider's!
In true Slider fashion, this wedding was like other. The reception was literally in the street in front of Brandi's childhood home. Ben DJ'd and we danced in the street. It was an evening to remember.
Ted is wearing the tie that my brother, Charlie, wore in my brother Jay's wedding in 1990! Or some year close to that.
Ted and Aunt Sara.
Dancing in the streets. Notice where Sophie plopped herself when I wasn't holding her and dancing at the same time!
Ben and Sophie dancing.She danced her little legs off when Ben was dancing with her. So sweet!
Ted spent most of his evening running and dancing with Matthew, Alex and Jett. They liked to spend time with Ben.
We have a new tradition when we get together . . . any cousins that are in town together for events will eat breakfast at Choo-Choo's. Always a great time!
We took the kids to my grandparents old house (my aunt still lives there) and had their pictures taken on the steps. This is where, every year, we used to all take our pictures as cousins. My grandparents had 20 children. This is 6 of the many great-grandchildren.
Kids and their kids.
We used to be able to fit a lot more of us on these stairs. Good times!
Two very tired kiddos on our way home.
Thanks for a great weekend everyone. I always love spending time with the Slider's!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
just curious
So, I'm just curious who reads this blog. Several people in the last couple of weeks have mentioned that they read it. People that I really had no idea. So, shoot me an email (lauratuel@gmail.com), make a comment or just hit the "follow" button. You know you want to . . .
PS - If you already follow or make comments, I know you're out there.
PS - If you already follow or make comments, I know you're out there.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
program videos
Well, here you go. Some of the videos from Ben's program. The link below will take you to 3 videos.
Be sure to watch the "Oh My Gosh" video. That was their camp tour video. JB rewrote the words to the Usher song. They recorded it in a sound studio and the amazing video intern at camp made the video. My kids sing/watch/listen to it multiple times daily. Ted knows all the words and can reenact most parts. Sophie is getting there. That's a video in itself. Enjoy!
PROGRAM VIDEOS
PS - Ted makes his first debut in a program. Don't blink or you'll miss him in the OMG video!
Be sure to watch the "Oh My Gosh" video. That was their camp tour video. JB rewrote the words to the Usher song. They recorded it in a sound studio and the amazing video intern at camp made the video. My kids sing/watch/listen to it multiple times daily. Ted knows all the words and can reenact most parts. Sophie is getting there. That's a video in itself. Enjoy!
PROGRAM VIDEOS
PS - Ted makes his first debut in a program. Don't blink or you'll miss him in the OMG video!
Friday, September 10, 2010
canaan valley
Over Labor Day Weekend, we went to Canaan Valley. Scott Berg put together a weekend for WV staff and their families. I'm not sure why I always have high expectations for when we stay in a hotel room and eat out 3 times a day. But as hard as that is, I'm grateful that Scott included us as families. It was a good (exhausting) weekend.
We ate at this restaurant where you could feed the catfish . . .
Gross! Sophie loved it.
On Sunday afternoon, we went to . . .
Blackwater Falls. Haven't been there since I was a kid.
We thought we would put Sophie in the stroller and stroll her down . . .
but that idea was quickly squelched.
So Ben carried her. She's starting to act kind of sensitive to loud stuff. She liked the water but wasn't crazy about the noise. Even though it really wasn't that loud.
Ted took this for us. Having him hold it vertically was a bit of a challenge.
It was as we were coming to the top of the hike that we realized we had locked our keys in the van. THANKFULLY, AAA was a life saver. While we waited we visited the gift shop . . .
which was more like a giant yard sale and hayday for Sophie. It made me think of a lot of things my Grandpa would've had in his house during his yard saleing days. But it only took about 30 minutes for someone to get there and 2 minutes to get the van open.
We saw lots of deer and the kids loved it.
And this was at the gas station on our way out of town. I couldn't resist. Yard Sale in the back room. This was the same gas station who didn't have any gas and had handwritten signs on the beer cases that they couldn't sell it b/c they were waiting on their license. Classy!
We ate at this restaurant where you could feed the catfish . . .
Gross! Sophie loved it.
On Sunday afternoon, we went to . . .
Blackwater Falls. Haven't been there since I was a kid.
We thought we would put Sophie in the stroller and stroll her down . . .
but that idea was quickly squelched.
So Ben carried her. She's starting to act kind of sensitive to loud stuff. She liked the water but wasn't crazy about the noise. Even though it really wasn't that loud.
Ted took this for us. Having him hold it vertically was a bit of a challenge.
It was as we were coming to the top of the hike that we realized we had locked our keys in the van. THANKFULLY, AAA was a life saver. While we waited we visited the gift shop . . .
which was more like a giant yard sale and hayday for Sophie. It made me think of a lot of things my Grandpa would've had in his house during his yard saleing days. But it only took about 30 minutes for someone to get there and 2 minutes to get the van open.
We saw lots of deer and the kids loved it.
And this was at the gas station on our way out of town. I couldn't resist. Yard Sale in the back room. This was the same gas station who didn't have any gas and had handwritten signs on the beer cases that they couldn't sell it b/c they were waiting on their license. Classy!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
our house
Finally, pictures of our house. I don't have any of the outside. But then again, I don't want to show the whole world. I've done some curtain rearranging since the pictures. So, here you go. . .
Sophie's room. The bed before rails. Her room has this weird closet in the middle that makes it kind of odd shaped. So this bed is very helpful. My dad made this bed for my brother when he was little. Ted opted for the room with the play room in exchange for the bed. After this picture was taken, we put up those removable stickers of flowers and butterflies and pretty stuff. We made a flower garden on the wall at the end of her bed.
Our room.
I like to call it the green room!
This is Ted's room. The room you walk into is their toy room. Then you walk through the blue curtains to Ted's room. The blue curtains are his stage. He loves it!
Another view of the toyroom. The toy room got some of Sophie's stickers and some of Ted's.
It's so nice not to have toys overflowing and overtaking the living room.
Ted's room. Beside his dresser he has Millie's blanket waiting for her arrival home. We're going to get her this weekend. We've been Millie-less since April or May. I really can't even remember. A long time. Ted got the sports removable stickers. And he grouped them together all in one spot. Hey, it's his decorating job.
The living room - like the road map rug? You'll see the square carpet in just a minute . . .
This is our gym-itori-nasium (aka multi-purpose room!). Do you remember that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond? It triples as a dining room and play area (the kitchen wouldn't fit up the stairs). . .
and office. Ben's office situation is unbelievable at the moment - it really is another subject for another day. He'll have an office on campus at a church soon. But until then, he's been working from home or Panera.
The square carpet is under the table because, well, my children are slobs. And carpeting under where they eat is BAD. Our square carpet has seen better days, so under the table is a good spot for it. I have a feeling we won't be holding onto after this!
Hallway when you come down the stairs/walk in the front door - although the back door is our main entrance. There is a great front porch with a beautiful view.
The kitchen. Where I'm standing to take the picture is the washer/dryer and back door to a great back porch. There's a bathroom to my left.
So, that's it. We love this house. I thought I would leave more of their furniture around as to not have to rearrange and stuff. But I couldn't not have our stuff. And I'm so glad that we did. Now you can have a picture in your head. Come visit!
Sophie's room. The bed before rails. Her room has this weird closet in the middle that makes it kind of odd shaped. So this bed is very helpful. My dad made this bed for my brother when he was little. Ted opted for the room with the play room in exchange for the bed. After this picture was taken, we put up those removable stickers of flowers and butterflies and pretty stuff. We made a flower garden on the wall at the end of her bed.
Our room.
I like to call it the green room!
This is Ted's room. The room you walk into is their toy room. Then you walk through the blue curtains to Ted's room. The blue curtains are his stage. He loves it!
Another view of the toyroom. The toy room got some of Sophie's stickers and some of Ted's.
It's so nice not to have toys overflowing and overtaking the living room.
Ted's room. Beside his dresser he has Millie's blanket waiting for her arrival home. We're going to get her this weekend. We've been Millie-less since April or May. I really can't even remember. A long time. Ted got the sports removable stickers. And he grouped them together all in one spot. Hey, it's his decorating job.
The living room - like the road map rug? You'll see the square carpet in just a minute . . .
This is our gym-itori-nasium (aka multi-purpose room!). Do you remember that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond? It triples as a dining room and play area (the kitchen wouldn't fit up the stairs). . .
and office. Ben's office situation is unbelievable at the moment - it really is another subject for another day. He'll have an office on campus at a church soon. But until then, he's been working from home or Panera.
The square carpet is under the table because, well, my children are slobs. And carpeting under where they eat is BAD. Our square carpet has seen better days, so under the table is a good spot for it. I have a feeling we won't be holding onto after this!
Hallway when you come down the stairs/walk in the front door - although the back door is our main entrance. There is a great front porch with a beautiful view.
The kitchen. Where I'm standing to take the picture is the washer/dryer and back door to a great back porch. There's a bathroom to my left.
So, that's it. We love this house. I thought I would leave more of their furniture around as to not have to rearrange and stuff. But I couldn't not have our stuff. And I'm so glad that we did. Now you can have a picture in your head. Come visit!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
sophie's ramblings
Sophie's vocabulary is increasing by the day. She is starting to say full sentences and use personal pronouns (he, she, I, me). And when we were at Canaan this weekend, out of nowhere she starts chanting, "Let's go, Mountaineers" - completely unprompted. We've never even tried to teach her that.
So, here's a little mix-up of some of Sophie's saying and singings as of recent. This was one video I had to split up into two to get them to upload.
A note on the "what's your name?" questions. Usually, she will first tell someone her name and then that's she's 2. Even if they ask how old she is first. Or even if they don't ask at all - like the cashier at Walmart or something. She is learning to hold up 1 finger on each hand to show that she's two. She's pretty infatuated with it at the moment - hence, skipping the "what's your name" question and going directly to the "how old are you?" question.
So, here's a little mix-up of some of Sophie's saying and singings as of recent. This was one video I had to split up into two to get them to upload.
A note on the "what's your name?" questions. Usually, she will first tell someone her name and then that's she's 2. Even if they ask how old she is first. Or even if they don't ask at all - like the cashier at Walmart or something. She is learning to hold up 1 finger on each hand to show that she's two. She's pretty infatuated with it at the moment - hence, skipping the "what's your name" question and going directly to the "how old are you?" question.
Monday, September 6, 2010
preschool & big girl beds
Ted started preschool last week. Monday he went for a couple of hours with a parent (Ben took him) to get aquainted with things.
This is Ted's new Transformers backpack. The funny thing about this is that he doesn't have any transformer toys nor has he seen the cartoons or movies.
Ben took him to McDonald's for breakfast on his first day.
He goes to school Monday-Thursday. I drop him off at 8:30 and pick him up at 3:15. He went whole days on Wednesday and Thursday last week. He came home an absolute WRECK each day. He still naps at least an hour (usually 2) everyday. They "nap" at school. But I don't think that he really does. Now he's in school all day. We're trying to figure out a way for him to decompress when he gets home in the afternoons. He loves it. I'm not crazy about the full day stuff. But it's free. What can I say?
In other news, Sophie moved to her big girl bed. I didn't want to reassemble her crib when we moved and I was feeling bad about her sleeping in a pack-n-play all summer. Those things don't have much support. Ted chose a room in the house that would not fit his bed. So Sophie inherited it. It's tall. She fell out the other night - I think she was trying to climb out. On Friday, she came be-bopping down the stairs during naptime saying, "I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" At least she's agile!
Doh, just so you know, that's the bunny we made for her at Build A Bear awhile back. It's her new favorite!
This is Ted's new Transformers backpack. The funny thing about this is that he doesn't have any transformer toys nor has he seen the cartoons or movies.
Ben took him to McDonald's for breakfast on his first day.
He goes to school Monday-Thursday. I drop him off at 8:30 and pick him up at 3:15. He went whole days on Wednesday and Thursday last week. He came home an absolute WRECK each day. He still naps at least an hour (usually 2) everyday. They "nap" at school. But I don't think that he really does. Now he's in school all day. We're trying to figure out a way for him to decompress when he gets home in the afternoons. He loves it. I'm not crazy about the full day stuff. But it's free. What can I say?
In other news, Sophie moved to her big girl bed. I didn't want to reassemble her crib when we moved and I was feeling bad about her sleeping in a pack-n-play all summer. Those things don't have much support. Ted chose a room in the house that would not fit his bed. So Sophie inherited it. It's tall. She fell out the other night - I think she was trying to climb out. On Friday, she came be-bopping down the stairs during naptime saying, "I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" At least she's agile!
Doh, just so you know, that's the bunny we made for her at Build A Bear awhile back. It's her new favorite!
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