We were supposed to go to Raleigh today to celebrate Christmas with my mom, grandma, aunt and uncle, and Andrew & Angie and I was going to see my high school best friend Leena visiting from CA for her baby shower. The snow we got is beautiful, but kept us from our trip, which was a huge disappointment!!! The below video is for Gran to see Sydney and Ethan opening their Christmas presents from her.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My Birthday
My birthday was Friday. See the half eaten ice cream cake? Jeff brought it home around 3pm, and I could not wait till after dinner to eat it! So, Sydney, Ethan & I each had a piece while Reid napped.
Here's a close up of the cake. We were missing our 4 candle, so I decided to be 33 again. I should have picked 26, though! :-) Sydney decorated the cake with one of her LPS toys.
Good to the last drop!
Sydney & Ethan made me bookmarks for my birthday!
Grandma & Reid at church Sunday night.
Evening in December
On Sunday night, Sydney and Ethan sang with the Praise Kids Choir at our church's annual Evening in December. Enjoy the show!
Friday, December 11, 2009
This Swirl Is Just Not Working Out!
This morning, Sydney & Ethan decided to fix Reid's hair before breakfast. He has this swirl in the back (it looks like a hurricane- we call it "Cat 5"), and Sydney was unable to control it. She said, "This swirl is just not working out!"
In the photo above, Sydney was saying, "We have to push his bangs back to make his head look bigger."
Jeff & I took Sydney & Ethan to The Nutcracker at the Steven's Center on Monday. It was awesome! We took them out to lunch downtown afterward. It was a really nice day, maybe we'll make it an annual tradition. This picture was taken at Jeff's clinic.
In the photo above, Sydney was saying, "We have to push his bangs back to make his head look bigger."
Above: Reading in bed
Jeff & his dad cut down trees in his parents' yard the day after Thanksgiving. Here are Ethan & Reid with Papa and Jeff's chainsaw.
Jeff & I took Sydney & Ethan to The Nutcracker at the Steven's Center on Monday. It was awesome! We took them out to lunch downtown afterward. It was a really nice day, maybe we'll make it an annual tradition. This picture was taken at Jeff's clinic.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ethan and Reid
I heard the cutest conversation between Ethan and Reid. A few mornings ago, Reid was crying at 5:30am. I went up to check on him, and he was fine, so I put him back to bed. I stood in the hallway with the light on and heard this:
Reid: Mama goin'?
Ethan: Yeah, boss, she's going to rest just like you are going to rest.
R: Mama goin'?
E: She's going to bed, but she'll be back to get you in the morning.
R: Dada goin'?
E: He's in bed, too, boss, just like you.
R: Dada goin'?
E: In the morning, he'll go to work.
R: Dada goin'?
E: It's a place we can't go. They have candy there that we can't eat.
Then I turned off the hall light.
R: Mama goin'?
E: Yeah, boss, she turned off the light so we could go to sleep. But do you see that little dot of light? If you have to go potty, you can follow that dot straight to the door.
E: Let's talk, boss. Why do Mommy and Daddy get to go on trips and we have to stay with Grammy and Papa?
Silence
E: I don't know. Maybe one day we can go on a trip, boss.
Silence
E: Hey, boss. Did you ever want to ride a horse? I went to a horse farm once (he was 2.5 yrs old), but I was too afraid to ride the horse. But now I really want to.
Mel: No more talking...good night!
E: Good night!
Reid: Mama goin'?
Ethan: Yeah, boss, she's going to rest just like you are going to rest.
R: Mama goin'?
E: She's going to bed, but she'll be back to get you in the morning.
R: Dada goin'?
E: He's in bed, too, boss, just like you.
R: Dada goin'?
E: In the morning, he'll go to work.
R: Dada goin'?
E: It's a place we can't go. They have candy there that we can't eat.
Then I turned off the hall light.
R: Mama goin'?
E: Yeah, boss, she turned off the light so we could go to sleep. But do you see that little dot of light? If you have to go potty, you can follow that dot straight to the door.
E: Let's talk, boss. Why do Mommy and Daddy get to go on trips and we have to stay with Grammy and Papa?
Silence
E: I don't know. Maybe one day we can go on a trip, boss.
Silence
E: Hey, boss. Did you ever want to ride a horse? I went to a horse farm once (he was 2.5 yrs old), but I was too afraid to ride the horse. But now I really want to.
Mel: No more talking...good night!
E: Good night!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
For Halloween, the theme was Narnia. Sydney was Queen Lucy, Ethan was King Edmund, and Reid was Aslan. Thanks to the Garretts and the Gentles for lending out costumes to us!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Great-Grandma Barto's 95th Birthday Party
Last weekend we went to Tennessee for my great-grandmother's 95th birthday party! There were 60 people there from all over the country- California, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida.
Millie Silverthorne Barto has 8 children: my grandmother, my 6 great-aunts, and my 1 great-uncle. While I lived in NY, I grew up with this family, but many I had not seen in over 2o years!! It was amazing to see my family that I had not seen in over half my life, to see cousins I had played with as a child, and to see the youngest family members (that I met for the first time on Saturday) playing with my own children. It was an experience so deeply amazing, I have a hard time putting words around it. Sydney and Ethan were thrilled to meet cousins they didn't even know they had! It made me miss living near family, and made me sad for my kids as I realized they are missing out on these rich extended family relationships.
Grandma Barto blowing out her 95 candles (with a little help from Raven and Mason!)
Our trip home was detoured as there was a big rock slide on I-40 outside of Asheville, which will take several months to clean up. We ended up stopping off in Elizabethton, TN, where Jeff lived from age 4 to 4th grade. Here we are in front of his old house. We drove through Boone to get home, and with the nice weather, the whole drive was bliss (minus Sydney getting carsick!)
5 Generations of Women: Millie Barto, Marie DiGiovanni, Pamela Wentworth-Tyler, Melanie Chandler, Sydney Chandler
Millie Silverthorne Barto has 8 children: my grandmother, my 6 great-aunts, and my 1 great-uncle. While I lived in NY, I grew up with this family, but many I had not seen in over 2o years!! It was amazing to see my family that I had not seen in over half my life, to see cousins I had played with as a child, and to see the youngest family members (that I met for the first time on Saturday) playing with my own children. It was an experience so deeply amazing, I have a hard time putting words around it. Sydney and Ethan were thrilled to meet cousins they didn't even know they had! It made me miss living near family, and made me sad for my kids as I realized they are missing out on these rich extended family relationships.
Grandma Barto blowing out her 95 candles (with a little help from Raven and Mason!)
Our trip home was detoured as there was a big rock slide on I-40 outside of Asheville, which will take several months to clean up. We ended up stopping off in Elizabethton, TN, where Jeff lived from age 4 to 4th grade. Here we are in front of his old house. We drove through Boone to get home, and with the nice weather, the whole drive was bliss (minus Sydney getting carsick!)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
More Stitches and More
A few updates from the homefront...
Here are Sydney & Ethan in their Old Testament outfits eating a lunch of lentils & rice with flatbread (corn chips!) and dates for dessert. We are studying Ancient Times in history. This week we studied Abraham and Joseph, hence the Genesis clothes and food! We also have a chicken we are in the process of mummifying from our study of Ancient Egypt.
Ethan and his second, yes second, set of stitches. Last Tuesday we were at a friend's home when Ethan scored this injury. Thankfully, a friend of ours from church was there within 5 minutes, and had us meet her at her office to stitch him up. Since this is his second set within one month, he felt like an old pro. He laid there still and silent the whole time, holding his piece of gum from Otis...the promise of good things to come when "my surgery is over!"
With our friends at the Baa Moo Farm, where the kids got to do and see all kinds of fun things, like milking a cow!
Dates on the cob...a Sydney invention.
Reid at Old Salem. Twice a year Old Salem has Homeschool Days; it was fantastic!
Copying scripture with a quill pen in books the kids made.
Walking over the bridge on our way home.
Reid lasted till about 2pm, but finally gave in to a nap.Monday, September 21, 2009
Beach Trip
We went to Atlantic Beach the first week of September. We had a wonderful time! It's the first time our immediate family has taken a vacation that was just us since Ethan was 5 months old! Here are a few pictures. I have more to write about, just not much time right now!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tobacco, Sleeping Boys, and Party Hats
The farm next to us has begun harvesting their tobacco:
Reid never falls asleep in the car, but he was so tired the other day, that he not only fell asleep in the car, he stayed asleep while we watched Sen. Kennedy's funeral on TV.
Ethan likes to fall asleep during his rest time. I walked in to check on him, and from his door it looked like he was reading. He fell asleep reading about Ancient Egypt. I thought this was so cute!
Jeff removed Ethan's stitches on Sunday. Sydney was so excited that she made us all party hats that say: I'm glad your stitches are out.
Cute pics of Reid from this morning playing Sydney's harmonica while holding Ethan's lamb and wearing my party hat!
Reid never falls asleep in the car, but he was so tired the other day, that he not only fell asleep in the car, he stayed asleep while we watched Sen. Kennedy's funeral on TV.
Ethan likes to fall asleep during his rest time. I walked in to check on him, and from his door it looked like he was reading. He fell asleep reading about Ancient Egypt. I thought this was so cute!
Jeff removed Ethan's stitches on Sunday. Sydney was so excited that she made us all party hats that say: I'm glad your stitches are out.
Cute pics of Reid from this morning playing Sydney's harmonica while holding Ethan's lamb and wearing my party hat!
This one is priceless!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Baby Steps
He finally did it!!!!!!!! At 17 months and 12 days, Reid took his first independent steps! Whew!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Weekend in VA
Our family spent this past weekend in VA. It was an extra special time because Jeff & I got to have an adults only weekend with our dear friends Mark & Trish!! Sydney, Ethan & Reid spent the weekend with Jeff's parents, and Harrison, Alexa & Emmaline went with Trish's folks.
It was so nice to have a weekend with our friends, and our kids had a blast with Grammy & Papa. Here are some pics from our weekend- you can see my new Locks of Love hair. Eight inches is a lot of hair!!
As much fun as we all had, the weekend had a bad ending for Ethan. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had a run in with our skeet thrower as we were packing up the car. He ended up needing 7 stitches. He was super brave throughout the whole thing, but the worst part of it was having the numbing medicine injected, which I know does sting and burn. Papa bought him a strawberry ice cream afterward, and he was happy about having to take grape Tylenol yesterday and today. Jeff will take the stitches out at the end of this week.
And Ethan is never too hurt to play with Reid!
It was so nice to have a weekend with our friends, and our kids had a blast with Grammy & Papa. Here are some pics from our weekend- you can see my new Locks of Love hair. Eight inches is a lot of hair!!
As much fun as we all had, the weekend had a bad ending for Ethan. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had a run in with our skeet thrower as we were packing up the car. He ended up needing 7 stitches. He was super brave throughout the whole thing, but the worst part of it was having the numbing medicine injected, which I know does sting and burn. Papa bought him a strawberry ice cream afterward, and he was happy about having to take grape Tylenol yesterday and today. Jeff will take the stitches out at the end of this week.
And Ethan is never too hurt to play with Reid!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Locks of Love
Yesterday, Sydney & I each gave 8 inches of our hair to Locks of Love. It takes 10 people to donate to make just 1 wig! Our hair turned out a bit shorter than we had expected, but every time we look at our short hair, we are reminded of the many girls in the world who have lost their natural hair and cannot grow their own. We are happy to be a very small part of blessing these girls and their families through the Locks of Love program.
Ethan started fall soccer this week. He'll practice 2 nights a week and have games on Saturdays.
Ethan started fall soccer this week. He'll practice 2 nights a week and have games on Saturdays.
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