Just checking in. No pictures to post right now. The girls are pretty sick. This morning Joel stayed home with them and I went to two different churches - the early service (9:00am) at a church in Plymouth and the late (11:00am) service at a church in Brooklyn Park. I didn't feel like either one was the right place for us, although I thoroughly enjoyed the preaching at the 2nd church that I visited.

I wish the girls were healthy so that we could all go as a family. I'd bring them along if it was just the sniffles, but they have developed yucky coughs so we're laying low, drinking lots of fluids and running our trusty cool mist humidifier. Those of you who have spent any time with Marie know that she is a puker :-) She has an amazing gag reflux that can be set off by foods with weird textures, coughing, a runny nose ... or really anything. It's amazing. So, she has thrown up a few times (which is pretty standard).

If you think of us, please pray that the girls would get healthy. It is pretty challenging to make friends when you can't leave the house. Impossible, really.

We're here and are waiting for the movers to bring our stuff. They are over an hour late and unreachable (not answering their phone). Awesome. But other than this slight annoyance, the trip went well and Marie only threw up in the car once :-) No, seriously, she did. The kids are staying with Grandma and Grandpa Meehan for a couple of days until we get all settled in.

We just ate lunch at Subway about an hour ago. This is an excerpt from Joel's and my conversation:

Maggie: "Is your sandwich abnormally cold?"
Joel: "Yes, I think the lettuce is frozen. Or maybe it's the tomatoes."
Maggie: "Ya, I think all of the vegetables are frozen. That's weird."
Joel: "Ya, I think everything is colder in Minnesota."
Maggie: "Ice is probably a condiment here."

Parties, Parties, Parties....

Marie's little buddy, Lucy, had her 3rd birthday party last weekend. She doesn't turn 3 until November 29th, but they moved up her party so that Marie could come! Now, if only Melanie's parents would push her party up two months prior to her birthday, we'd be tickled pink. That might be asking a little much, though.




Lucy's mommy, Amy, booked a Kindermusic teacher to come and sings songs with the kids at a park. The weather was perfect and the kids had so much fun singing and dancing. That's Renee at the bottom of the photo shaking her little frog-shaker. She surprised Joel and I with how much she responded and enjoyed the music.





Parachutin'-it-up. This was fun! It was such a hit, I'm tempted to buy one for home.





Marie is singing "Happy Birthday" to Lucy in this photo. Isn't the birthday girl's reaction priceless? She also made a wish when she was blowing out her candles. It was, "I wish to be a mermaid." 3 year olds say and do the funniest things!





Best buds.










Renee and Momma at the park.





This is from another party. Joel's former boss had a going away party for us at her house on Friday. The big kids are pictured above and played together until 10pm with no fights! There were also 4 babies at the party (all baby girls) whom we put down in various bedrooms while the adults visited and played Euker.

Our last hike at William B. Umstead State Park:

The fall colors have peaked, so we decided to go on one final hike on our favorite path at Umstead.











We have a photo of me standing by this sign when I was about 6 or 7 months pregnant with Marie.





There were LOTS of runners and hikers out last weekend. One of them kindly took this photo for us.





On our way home we decided to stop at our old townhouse in Cary. When we drove up Marie said, "Why are we going to my old house?"





We lived in the end unit. Marie had her 1st birthday party here, took her 1st steps, slept in her first big girl bed, said her first words and the list goes on. She's standing on her stump, which we used to play on every day. We moved out of here a couple of months before Renee was born.

This blog is now private. We want to do a good job of protecting the little girls whom God has entrusted to our care.

If we've invited you to read this, congratulations. You are our friend :-) What a great honor we have bestowed upon you that you get to read our exclusive blog. Haha.

Well, anyway, have a great day.

Maggie: "Marie, did you know that Barack Obama is our new president?"
Marie: "But why isn't John McCain the president?"
Maggie: "Because Barack Obama won the election. He got more votes."
Marie: "Daddy voted for John McCain."
Maggie: "Yes, he did."
Marie: "But I wanted him to win."
Maggie: "Me, too. But Barack Obama will do a good job."
Marie: "Okay."

Well, we didn't vote for him, but we sure do think it's wonderful that the U.S. has its first African American president! Marie's warming up to the idea of an Obama presidency. It's crazy to think that by the next election our girls will be almost 5 and 7. And maybe we'll have another little nuisance...I mean blessing.

Bathtime:

Halloween 2008.

Unfortunately, I made a big mistake and told Marie over dinner, "If you don't eat your peas, you will not get to eat any of your trick-or-treating candy." She said, "Ok Mommy, no candy for me," and got down from the table. I think this is why she didn't enjoy trick-or-treating as much this year as she did last year. You can't take away a little girl's candy on halloween...and before she's even gone out and collected it! I'm the grinch that stole halloween.







Poor little renee.




















A view of the back of the skunk.





Marie and Mellie.





Katy and I trying to corral the kids for a photo. I'll have to see if she has a better shot on her camera.





Poor little Renee - again. She wasn't too happy about being buckled into the stroller in full costume. But thankfully a graham cracker cheered her up. By the end of our trick-or-treating outing she had figured out how to steal Emily's crackers. We were so proud!





Treat please!

Lazy Day "photo shoot"





Marie took this one. I've been letting her play around with our camera quite a bit lately, in the hopes that she'll break and and we'll be forced to buy a new one :-)