The Harding - Wheeler Family

Baby Girls

2012-01-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

I can't help but take pictures with the subjects I have! The sound of little girl giggles is one that we hear constantly in our house - the sound of little girl screaming, little girl whining and little girl crying is also a common sound but we won't go there!There is nothing better than hearing the sounds of our three little ones laughing, playing and loving each other. And that means Mommy has to get the camera out and snap a few pictures of my little angels.

These little faces make my heart skip a beat every single time! I am such a lucky Mommy!

GNM - ILY!

Just some random little stuff!

2012-01-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

I was reading through some of my older blogs and realized that although I label lots of pictures and record lots of moments I don't do alot of what bloggers call "journaling" for the kids. Not than anyone wants to hear more from me about my amazing kids - but that is the point of the blog right?

Let's start with Peter. School is boring! When you ask Peter anything about his life that is what he will tell you. Despite the complete and utter boredom that he experiences for 6 hours a day he is learning quite a bit. He dislikes science but is actually pretty good at - it makes sense to him in ways that it doesn't to other kids. He loves experiments, weather, biology and all of the other fun stuff that his Mom could talk about for hours. Peter is really into the magic tree house books and the Percy Jackson book series. He watches Dragon ball Z Kai any chance we give him and is obsessed with his IPOD Touch that Grammy and Papa bought him for Christmas. He and Daddy are "fighting" each other on some weird game that involves jet fighter packs. Peter could play the card game 31 100 times if you let him - he beats me all of the time but he and Daddy get pretty darn competetive!

Molly is just Molly - sweet, loveable, bright, energetic and an amazing big sister. She never tires of reading stories, bringing the kids outside or just doing playdough with the little girls. She LOVES school but still misses Miss kelly - her teacher from last year. Molly loves the Fairy books that Auntie Ann has made sure she has lots of and anything by the author of Ella Enchanted. She reads a book or two a week but still struggles in math. That wont be for long since once a week she gets time with the best tutor ever - her grandmother! Molly usually weasles her way into staying at Grammy's for dinner and a game of cards afterwards. Molly and mommy have a ritual of watching Glee together and then downloading our favorite songs! Molly and Abby recently watched the Glee live concert and have decided to be performers now - I don't doubt that they could be with all the singing and dancing they do. Molly is still taking Irish Step Dancing and is truly amazing at it. She still, after five years, has a huge grin on her face when she dances and can't wait to perform this year in her hard shoes. I love to watch her play soccor and basketball but I am in awe when I watch her dance!

Annie is sugar and spice that's for sure. She has Bob's easy going, laid back attitude about life but when she gets fired up watch out! I always say that Annie is just pure magic - she loves anything whimsical - fairies, princesses, gardens, butterflies. She loves being outside no matter what the weather or how appropriately she is dressed for it. Annie literally talks to the animals outside and is convinced that the entire universe is just hers to enjoy. When I asked Annie what she wanted to be when she grew up she told me that it was very hard to decide, "She might want to be a mom but that is too frustrating. She might want to be a dancer but that is tiring so she is thinking she might just be a butterfly who lives in a fairy garden." Annie is just like Molly in that she was made for school. Her teachers adore her because they say that she is polite and kind and her Daddy and I can't wait to hear the stories at the end of the day. She is also a reader - she reads everything in site and begs Bob and I for one more story at night. She is already recognizing site words just from the shear repetetiveness of the books we read. Annie also takes Irish Step Dancing and is in love with it. She truly gets the beats and the rythm of the dancing - which is surprising given who her parents are!

Elizabeth is a little on the grumpy side these days but when she is in a good mood her personality is bright and fun. Lizzie's smile brightens the room and her giggle is truly infectious. She is a smart little things, mastering puzzles in 5 minutes and learning letters and numbers just by listening to Annie recite hers. Lizzie loves Dora and Diego but her true love is Cookie Monster thanks to Auntie Meg and Uncle Brendan - when I started having kids I swore that I would never be a mom who indulged in characters but since the kids don't watch alot of TV anyways I have embraced it! When Lizzie was two we feared she would never speak and now she never stops talking. She tell us elaborate stories about animals and where they live and what they eat. Lizzie is another reader - she prefers to have us read to her but can listen to the same book 20 times. When she reads a book to herself she sings it - cutest thing ever!She still has a binky because, quite frankly, she defeated us! We tried to take it away and after one night turned to each other and decided it was not worth it - she can be a monster. Lizzie also loves to sing and dance and listen to music. She is going to be a natural next year when she starts Irish Step Dancing with her sisters. Lizzie is by far our biggest snuggler - especially with BOb. She is a Daddy's girl through and through! Bob is sure that lizzie is going to be an athlete and I have to admit she is pretty fearless and a natural at certain things!

And that brings is to Ellie or Number 5! We don't call her #5 but one day Annie did and we thought it was adorable - someone must use that term! Ellie is the ultimate baby of our family. She loves to be held and would prefer to be held rather than walk, run, play or dance. She loves to be close to your skin - especially Mommys. Ellie has, what I call, a sparkly personality. She is all giggles and grins and people are attracted to her wherever we go. She loves dresses and ribbons and bows and can make anyone smile! Ellie also has a bit of a grumpy side - what is it about our twins? She can be sulky and whiney one minute and happy and dancing the next and its hard to tell what is going to bring on which pesonality. Ellie loves Elmo! When we met Elmo in Sesame Place she was a bit withdrawn and scared but now she carries the pictures from that trip with her everywhere. Ellie started school this year and loves it. She has lots of friends who she plays with, loves the homework packets that come home every weekend and can't wait to see her teachers on Mondays. She rides in a little bus and adores her busdriver, Jayssa! Ellie is amazingly bright and quick with new things and her love of learning makes it fun to teach her new things! She is a homebody like her brother but she loves to be outsie in the yard - especially with Dizzy (lizzy)!

Last weekend when it snowed Bob was out all day shoveling so we had to come up with fun things to do in the house - baking always works!

Annie likes to lick the bowl more than bake the cake!

Lizzie is loving her cake batter!

Kind of amazing that we had enough batter to make a cake!

Molly even got in on the decorating - the girls love using sprinkles - lots of sprinkles!

My girls helping bake, frost and decorate our cakes.

I adore those eyes!

Since Daddy was out we decided to have cake for dinner and pizza for dessert. Ellie LOVED that idea!

Like I said - lots of sprinkles!

Ellie and Peter loved their cake!

My good friend Amanda had a baby today. Mason James was born at 5:48 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. I headed there as soon as I was invited and held the little peanut! I love newborns!

I hope that wasn't too boring for you - less words and more pictures next post! By The way - we don't know when Auntie Beth is coming homes next so she does not have a ticker yet - a few people asked about that! We do miss Auntie Beth alot but she is busy busy busy doing taxes so she can come home in May so we are being patient!

GNM - ILY!

Happy 7th Anniversary!

2012-01-21T22:06:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Bob and my 7th Wedding Anniversary. I loved our wedding. I loved our ceremony. I loved our beautiful reception. I loved the blizzard, the bridesmaid dresses, the pink gerber daisies that the florist was embarrassed by. I loved dancing with my Dad and walking down the aisle with my Mom and Dad. I loved hearing Molly's shoes "click - clack" in the back of the church and I loved that Peter refused to tuck his white shirt into his tuxedo pants. I love the songs from our wedding ceremony, the toast that my brother gave, the pictures, my dress, my pearl and crystal tiara that KK surprised me with and I love the cross that Uncle Ig had presented to us in his absence. I guess most women love their wedding day - can think of one thousand things that make it special. I loved my wedding day but not nearly as much as I love being married to Bob.

I won't bore you with all of the things that I love about Bob - he is nauseatingly wonderful! I won't bore you with why everyone should have a partner in life - but I will admit that having someone to wake up at 3am when you can't sleep and want a game of Skipbo is a huge plus! I will tell you that for every obstacle that comes our way there are many more moments of joy and laughter. I will tell you that there is nothing better than sitting at a dance recital, school performance, doctors appointment, PPT meeting or anything else and having a strong hand on your knee sharing your happiness, pride, anger or hurt. Being married is hard - compromise has never been my strong suit - but loving Bob is the easiest thing I have ever done. In a world where 50% of marriages end in divorce I am not dumb enough to believe that these 7 years have made me an expert on marriage. I worry about how to be the caretaker of our marriage in the midst of a chaotic life but I love Bob and I truly believe that I love him just a little bit more each day. I love who Bob is as a husband, father, son, son-in-law, uncle, brother, brother-in-law, friend and a man! I am so lucky!

Mommy and Molly - Girl

Peter loved his tuxedo! The best part of the ceremony was when he jumped off the alter and yelled "Yippee"!

Meghan, my Bridesmaid Extraordinairre walking Molly and Peter down the aisle.

My gorgeous bridesmaids!

The family Unity Candle lighting

My silly boy!

With my Man of Honor - Patrick.

The bridesmaids - what gorgeous cousins I have!

The love of my life! I loved him even more when he offered to stand on the step for pictures so he would be a bit taller than me! He is so secure and confident!

My father, literally, sweeping me off my feet as we dance to "You Raised me Up".

My sweet boy.

The blizzard of 2005 threatened to ruin our wedding day but it did anything but. We had a beautiful day to start off a beautiful life as a family. We are so blessed to have each other and our five little miracles! Happy Anniversary, Bob!

GNM - ILY!

Winter Wonder

2012-01-08T15:53:00.002-05:00

WOW - what a January we are having! It seems like Mother Nature is trying to make up for pummeling us at the beginning of fall and is treating us to some beautiful weather right in the middle of winter. On Saturday we woke up to a beautiful 55 degree day with the sun shining and blue skies sparkling. It was immpossible not to think of an adventure that would take us outdoors. One of Peter's favorite places when he was little was the Dinosaur State Park right down the street. Since every kid in our family is independantly mobile at this point (strollers - even jogging ones - are very hard to maneuver along the trails) we decided to check out some of the harder hiking trails. The kids were so excited to be outside and running around together that we ended up having a beautiful family day. Mommy was quick to grab the camera on the way out the door and snapped plenty of pictures - the sun was so bright that I barely had to edit them and there are some really cool effects from the sunlight streaming down. The little girls kept saying that they wished we could go every single day. The big kids can't believe that the trails that seemed enormous and long to them a few years ago are actually fairly small and easily managed. It was a wonderful day topped off with a potluck dinner with Auntie Meghan and Uncle Tim and the twins!

Molly and Annie quickly found this cool rock! Turns out that we had done a phot shoot with a friend on this same rock when Annie was just a year old and we have the pictures on our living room wall - all the kids remembered it from the picture!

Our five beautiful children ready for a hike in the woods.

This picture is my favorite - I rarely get all of the five kids to look at me and smile but they were so excited to be goig on an adventure that they just sat down and smiled!

I loved how the light was shining on Peter and Ellie and they were both very cooperative for a few minutes. Ellie kept kissing Peter on the head after every shot - it was a very sweet moment!

Another one that I turned to black and white - look at the beautiful rays of sun on my gorgeous babies!

Kisses for her brother - I love Ellie's tiny little hands on her brother's shoulders!

Annie Bananie is ready for a walk in the woods - she couldn't wait to find some animals.

Sister Love!

Our big strong men agreed to protect us if we saw any bears.

Molly found us some souveneirs from our trip!

Poor Annie got a huge scratch on her face from the branches on the walk! She was quite a trooper just begging us to not make her go back home yet.

Another one of my favorites! The five loves of my life - they take my breath away each and every day!

Daddy loving on his babies!

Molly found this seat in the woods and asked Daddy to bring it home for her to keep in her room! It was just a little too big for Daddy to carry!

Annie checking to see which path we should take.

Baby girls!

Our twins loving each other and their seat on the log!

Pete found a branch to do some chin ups on!

Running through the paths in the Butterfly Garden.

Annie looks like she is concentrating very hard on running!

Our beautiful girls - the picture is light because of the sun on their backs!

Jumping off the wall in the Butterfly Garden.

Molly caught Bob and I hugging and took a picture of us! We were holding onto each other and smiling about how very lucky we are to be the parents of these beautiful children! What a life we have!

My handsome boy!

Meg, Tim and the babies came over and brought pasta and hamburgers for dinner. We got the rolls, beans and drinks and we had an awesome time together. This might become a ritual if I have anything to say about it. I love having Lila and Brendan here but it is twice as much fun when Tim and Meg are here too!

Brendan loves playing the piano - I love his shaggy hair!

Our handsome boy! Brendan loves the ride on toys and being a big boy playing in the playroom with the older kids. He pretty much runs the place when he is here simply because he has the puppy dog eyes down pat and can get anything he wants from Uncle Bob and I.

Lady Li finally giving in and letting me take a picture!

Lila loves showing off her belly! I love seeing her belly!

Checking out her belly button!

Brendan found a horn to play - good thing we love him because boy did he play loud!

Handome boy - love those tiny little fingers!

Lila wearing her new pajamas from Auntie - love this kid in pajamas!

All in all it was a wonderful day and a great relief to be having some fun outside after a really long and really awful week full of lice treatments and cough medicines.

Our gorgeous girls before getting de-loused! Apparently Lice was going through Noah Webster but Annie had some real trouble getting rid of it. We did the treatment several times and then had to invest in a really expensive prescription treatment. Luckliy Grammy and Papa came over and helped comb out the girls hair. On top of the lice issue poor Lizzie had an awful cold and could not stop coughing. It was a rough week!

Lizzie fell asleep on Grammy while getting her hair combed!

Molly and Annie don't seem to mind getting the spa treatment - or that's what we told them it was!

Lizzie did NOT like her plastic shower cap but she loved having her head massaged and combed!

Finally cured! The binky fairy was coming this week but Lizzie ended up with a bad cold and Bob and I ended up with no sleep so we gave in and decided to wait on the binky fairy!

Ellie is ready for school! She is loving life at Bright Beginnings!

Our beautiful baby girl - she loves her headbands and dresses! Mommy loves how her eyes sparkle when she smiles!

So thats all for now. I am trying to update the blog more often but sometimes we are just out living life and there isn't much to tell! We are looking forward to a bright and beautiful 2012!

GNM - ILY!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T20:24:00.001-05:00

We got the house ready for our annual New Year's Eve family party but then we headed out to Middletown to go to Middnight on Main. There were fireworks at 6pm and the Harding - Wheelers love our fireworks! They shot them off from a building at an intersection on Main Street - it was amazing!

Grammy and Papa were at mass in MIddletown so they surprised us and met us on Main Street!

Lizzie is such a Grammy's girl!

Mommy and Daddy loved being with our family to ring in the New Year on Main Street with fireworks and food! It was a great event and we can't wait to see what they are going to do next year!

Grammy and Papa on Main Street.

My favorite people in the entire world on Main Street in Middletown, CT.

I didn't get a picture but Bob's idea of heaven was on Green Street. 20 street vendor trucks in a parking lot filled with food and smells - the kids thought the food was great too!

Ellie getting a ride from Papa!

The fireworks!

Annie loved fireworks - especially when she is holding her Daddy's hand.

Lizzie looks like a little orphan - the poor kid! I swear that we do wash her face and brush her hair occasionally! You have to love those gorgeous blue eyes!

Molly was a little cold but had fun watching the fireworks - Papa ended up taking Ellie back to the care because she was a little bit scared of the noises. Peter and Grammy had opted to watch from the care earlier on because it was so cold out!

Warming up in Papa's car!

Bob and I were fighting over which one of us loved Molly more and her response was adorable.

"Hey, people, relax- there's enough Molly to go around!" There can never be enough Molly!

Annie Bananie loves her cucumber teeth!

Playing around with KK - did I mention that the party was a pajama party!

Queenie and Lila hanging out!

Lizzie Bug in her Grammy piggy tails - she likes the way Grammy does them so I don't try to compete!

Daddy and Lila having a snack to ring in the New Year!

Lizzie and Brendan having some auntie fun!

The big kids - they look like teenagers and during this vacation they have started sleeping like teenagers too!

Uncle B and Peter - they loved the pigs in a blanket!

Brendan always finds the oddest things in the playroom - like the bike helmets!

Brendan Walter - I still remember the New Year's Eve when we found out Meg was having twins!

daddy and his girls! Yes - the binky fairy is coming very soon! Gives you a hint as to how challenging Lizzie is that at three she still has it all the time!

Auntie Beth and Molly - they look alike in this picture!

Auntie Beth and Annie - Annie keeps asking why she can't go back to LA with Auntie Beth - "Just for a little bit of whiles!"

Kk and her appendage - when Kk is here Ellie never leaves her side unless she has to!

Tim celebrated his 30th Birthday on December 30th and since Meg worked all night we didn't get to have a party! The kids picked out a Strawberry cheescake - because we know Uncle Tim loves cheesecake and we all got to sing happy birthday to him!

Lila and Brendan helped him blow out the candles on his cake!

Brendan is ready for some cake!

The kids did not get cheescake - they had purple frosted cupcakes instead!

I love this kids smile!

Annie had frosting up her nose!

Ellie Bean loving her cupcake!

The men hanging out in the kitchen - don't let those macho faces fool you - they had cheescake and sparkling cider too!

Lizzie was planted on Grammy's lap for most of the night!

Ready for our "midnight" toast!

"Cheers" for Papa and Peter

Brendan having some "Champagne"!

Lila walked around the room trying to get more "champagne" once Daddy's was gone - it was kind of adorable!

Ellie is excited to be a big kid and get a glass!

Annie and her BFF all in pink!

Grammy and Buggy

Bob getting his Lila kisses - he can not get enough of this little girl!

We had a wonderful night despite the fact that we were all battling a little bit of a cold and we had some cranky sleepy kids! We missed seeing Auntie Ann and Sister Anne at the fireworks in Middletown but the weather did a number on everyone! The kids have a had a wonderful vacation with lots of time with Auntie Beth, their friends and Grammy and Papa - I am going to miss having them home next week but I think a return to the normal pace of life is going to be good for everyone!

I hit the Winter Market today for our farm box and we got lots of great stuff to try with the kids! A friend is helping me with meals so that I am cooking lighter and healthier in the New Year for the kids and I have added a lot of homemade Spanish and Mexican spices to our pantry thanks to a friend at work! KK (My hero!) found me the Vegetarian Chili I have been looking everywhere for so my lunches will be set for next week and the kids are stocked up on fruit and veggies for their lunches next week! The family goals for the year 2012 are officially set in stone and Molly and Pete are responsible for typing them up tomorrow!

1. Eat more raw veggies and fruits (especially for snacks)

2. Exercise 60 minutes per day

3. Family meals at least 5 times per week

4. Less TV and Video games

5. Start a savings for a trip to LA

6. Brush teeth 3 times per day - including the little ones!

7. Practice kindness and compassion daily

8. Involve kids in cooking meals

9. 30 minutes of family quiet time before bed - NO TV

10. Mass every single weekend without fail

Wish us luck! Thanks to all of you who are a part of our lives - we are so blessed to be surrounded by loving and supportive people that nurture and love our children!

Happy 2012!

GNM -ILY!

More Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T21:15:00.002-05:00

The whole Harding - Wheeler family enjoyed four long days of Christmas celebrations. I already posted Christmas and Christmas Eve pictures and now I am moving on to the Mack Christmas on the day after Christmas and the Harding Christmas two days after Christmas. The Mack Christmas was smaller than usual with two of the aunts having illnesses that kept them away but it was still fun to see everyone and see the kids open their presents!

Uncle B had his hands full with Harding - Wheeler girls who were very excited to see him!

Peter is still trying to catch up to Uncle B - he's getting closer!

Abby and Molly are thrilled to be together for the third night in a row!

Grammy has a binky from each of the kids hanging on the tree as an ornament. Lila just saw binkies and knew that she wanted them!

She finally figured out how to get it in her mouth without taking it off the tree!

Brendan looking handsome in his green Christmas sweater!

Those blue eyes make my heart skip a beat!

Lila and Annie looking out the window.

Macklin was adorable and didn't mind being passed around at all.

Auntie Ann and Macklin.

Ellie and her Godmama!

The kids were singing and dancing until I came in the room!

Brendan and Annie were hiding in Grammy's curtains - she didn't even yell because she thought they were adorable.

Katie in her sparkle dress!

Brendan loved when Annie "found" him behind the curtains.

Sweaty, trired boy was not interested in pictures - he wanted Auntie to pick him up.

Annie and Daddy

The kids love Grammy and Papa's singing, dancing animals - the adults can't stand them!

Lady Li in her reindeer antelers!

Auntie Beth and Lila

Brendan was a little bit more cooperative for pictures.

Cutie pie!

The uncles playing with the girls! They laughed harder than I have ever heard them laugh. At one point I turned to Shannon and asked if she remembered our uncles loving us this much and her response was, "Of course - your Dad was like this all the time!" Now he is like that as a Papa!

Reillyn loved the dancing chipmunk!

Cutie Pie posing for Auntie Kasey!

Auntie Beth and Lila.

Abby with her Daddy and Bff - Auntie Shannon.

Brendan was SO hot by the end of the night!

Lila had her binky and was ready to go home!

Auntie Shannon and Macklin!

Grammy and Lila hanging out!

Auntie Beth and Annie - is it me or is Annie always on auntie's lap if its open?

Annie Bananie looking tired!

Papa and Ellie Bean

Katie and Annie

Annie fell asleep that night with her American Girl Doll right next to her - so sweet!

Auntie LuAnn was home for a week for Christmas so we got together with Patrick and Karla and decided that we should have a Harding Christmas and invite all the cousins. It was great how many people came. We ordered pizza and salad and just hung out with everyone!

My camera was having some issues but this is my cousin Chris and his fiance, Sandra. they are getting married on November 17th of 2012 and we can't wait!

The girls hanging out!

Annie loves her antelers!

My beautiful girl - I just love that smile!

Look at that gorgeous smile - makes my heart skip a beat!

Cassidy Jane - my cousin Todd and Michelle's daughter who was born a few weeks after Elizabeth! They got along great and all we could hear at one point was all the little girls giggling!

Ellie was giving me lots of smiles and I can't resist a picture!

Luke, Jack, Brooke and Justin all came down with my cousin Bobby and Bridget for the party. It was great to see them!

Colleen and Auntie LuAnn

Jack and Bobby - brothers!

Sam and Sandra with Auntie Peggy

Uncle Bob could not get enough of Jillian Mary - she was named after Auntie Cathy.

Chris and uncle Chuck - Uncle Chuck had hip replacement surgery and was up and moving around perfectly! He looks great and seems to be feeling better!

Todd and Jill

Bridget getting to know the newest member of the Harding Family - Ivy. Pat and Karla got Ivy and few days before Christmas and the Harding kids adore her! The Harding - Wheeler kids are still getting used to her but I am sure that they will come around!

Peter and Auntie LuAnn

Pete asks for Auntie LuAnn alot - he misses her now that she is out in Las Vegas!

Uncle Chuck and the girls.

Cassie and Ellie having fun!

Jillian - what a sweetie pie!

Sam was not happy about leaving so early but he had a big day the next day!

Colleen's daughter Nora - what a little beauty she is! Annie, Katie and Nora went upstairs and we hardly heard from them again after that.

Nora giving Ellie a hug good bye!

The Christmas season was wonderful - filled with the most precious of gifts - time with our family and friends! The kids were amazing - loving evey moment of attention, affection and time they got from their families and enjoying time with relatives we don't see often. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful week of parties and fun! Happy Birthday, Jesus! We are So happy that you were born!

GNM - ILY!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T22:57:00.001-05:00

We are heading into Day 4 of Christmas 2011 and what a Christmas it has been. At 11 and 9 Peter and Molly just about believe in Santa still and even if they do have an inkling about what happens they still have that belief in the magic of Christmas. The three little ones have spent the last 4 weeks in a flurry of Christmas preparation at school, home and church so they were pumped up by Christmas Eve. It was truly the BEST Christmas ever - the kids are old enough to appreciate things other than the presents but still get incredibly excited about their presents - the big and the small ones. As a Mom I couldn't take my eyes off of my children - the smiles, the hugs, the incredible joy that came with each new Christmas surprise.

Ellie loved her hat and flower but refused to pose for a picture!

Two of my favorite guys!

Abby and Uncle Bob having some fun before dinner!

Papa and his girls!

Our 2 Peters!

Annie and Katie - BFF's

Silly girls - these two have spent 3 full days together and they cannot get enough of each other.

Auntie Renee and Grammy hanging out on Christmas Eve.

Auntie Karla cooked all day and made an incredible meal!

The kids watching "Santa Tracker" to find out how close he was!

The kids made these adorable little name cards.

The kids table - it actually turned out to be the quiet table!

The raucous adult table! Karla made three lasagnas, fresh salad and bread - it was delicious!

Papa and the kids goofing around.

Goofy faces!

Buggy looking gorgeous in her Christmas dress!

I LOVE this picture of Peter and Ellie! They actually look alike a little bit in this picture!

Ellie Bean finally letting me take a picture of her! Her happy dance, special rendition of Jingle Bells and gorgeous smile made Christmas amazing!

Lizzie posing with one of Katie's babies!

My firstborn child - Peter looks like a teenager lately and now that Grammy and Papa got him an Ipod Touch for Christmas he is also acting like a teenager. He still indulges me in some snuggles and quiet conversation and I treasure that as I realize how soon it will be that I am not his primary source of support and fun!

Buggy dancing for Papa.

Katie fed herself dinner and then moved onto her cat.

Daddy and his girl!

Annie loves to style Uncle Ed's beard!

Grandma getting tickles and smiles from the girls.

Happy Birthday to Jesus!

My beautiful girl loved the cupcakes - she had three!

Ammie Bananie - making a silly face!

Nana and Papa Rucci - one of the best parts of Christmas Eve is getting to hang out with them! The kids adore them!

Bob and his Mom!

We left Karla and Pat's house at around 9 and got the kids home and in bed before ten. They were excited for Santa but so tired that they fell into bed and we were able to finish all of our wrapping and setting up! Auntie Renee stayed with us on Christmas Eve night so she helped out and was so exicted to wake up and see the kids open all of their presents!

The stockings are all ready for the kids to start on when they wake up!

We tried to keep Christmas simple but there were alot of presents!

Lizzie was groggy but the first one to wake up!

Molly had to wait a good thirty minutes before she could start on her stockings.

Annie found this present the second she walked into the room and could not keep her hands off of it - she desperately wanted to see what was in it!

Annie was VERY excited when she opened her American Girl Doll.

Lizzie Bug

Ellie would not put down her Elmo lotion to open presents.

The tag on Annie's gift - I love how she writes and know it won't last long.

Molly loves her books!

This was one of Lizzie's favorite presents - a dust mop, broom and apron.

Bob loved his Daddy mug with the kids pictures on it!

Playing with their gifts!

My beautiful girl loves her puzzles.

Auntie really liked all the stuff we put in her stocking - the kids helped me fill it up.

Daddy and Peter

We took some time to have breakfast and clean up a little and then we headed over to Grammy and Papa's house for brunch and more presents. Poor Katie got sick during the night and so Pat and Karla were not able to go to Vicki's house so we got to spend the entire day with them. Katie even started feeling better by the afternoon so it was wonderful!

My girl.

Making a heart for Mommy!

Lizzie dancing for Papa.

Ellie Bean looking beautiful in her purple dress from Grammy.

The girls LOVED the Dora book that Grammy and papa recorded for them. Now they can listen to Grammy and Papa tell them a story anytime they want.

Kk stopped over in the morning and took some cute pictures with her godson!

Ellie Bean loves her KK!

Papa always has a full lap!

My gorgeous goddaughter!

Abby and Molly love spending time together! They are such good friends.

Peter with his favorite gift - his Ipod Touch from Grammy and Papa.

Annie and Papa opening some presents.

Ellie loved this very loud toy!

Auntie LuAnn stopped over to say Hi and was great to see her. She is here from Las Vegas for a week and so we are having a Harding Christmas tomorrow night - I can't wait to see everyone again!

Katie and Annie loved their ballerina music boxes from Grammy and Papa.

Katie is finally starting to feel a bit better.

Abby loved her Justice outfit.

Lip gloss is always a hit!

The girls loved playing together with all of their Christmas presents.

Uncle Ed left for Utah the day after Christmas so he got there late!

Uncle Ed and all of his nieces and nephews! They were all very uncooperative!

Loving on Ed before he leaves!

Annie Bananie

Lizzie is out cold on the way up to Auntie Kate's house to see everyone else!

Uncle Ed and Peter

Uncle Ed gave Katie this Lion so she won't forget him while he is gone!

The dinner table - nothing like a full table on Christmas!

Anny's favorite - dessert!

My beauty enjoying some dessert!

Molly and Lila

Molly loved her gift from Auntie Meg.

Auntie Meg got Lizzie an electronic candy machine - she hates us!

Peter in his Red Sox hat - he loved it!

Lila opening her presents!

KK and Ellie snuggling!

Auntie Beth and her goddaughter! Such pretty girls!

Annie had to get in on the pictures too -she adores her auntie!

Love this picture of Auntie Beth, Grammy and Molly girl!

Auntie Meg and Mommy - Mommy is trying to get on the Auntie Meg's FB profile pic.

Molly wants in on the action!

Auntie Beth and Bob!

I still have pictures from the Mack Christmas but I am exhausted and ready for bed! We have had an amazing Christmas season filled with family, friends and love! We are so blessed!

GNM - ILY!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2011-12-18T20:55:00.000-05:00

Now that I don't keep the blog for the babies I have less time to talk about them - one of my favorite pastimes. Auntie Beth is coming home in a few days but I am still trying to keep up with pictures so she doesn't miss anything and my Harding - Wheeler fan club has now begun issuing requests for more twin updates! So here we go! Brendan is a ham - he loves the camera and putting on a show. I stopped over for a while the other day and Brendan grabbed his giant candy cane and started dancing, playing and hamming it up for Auntie! I LOVED every single minute of it! I was one lucky auntie this day - hugs, kisses, and snuggles galore from the moment I walked in the door!

Those big blue eyes are going to get this little guy anything he wants!

Miss Lila is not so fond of Auntie's camera obsession - she humors me but only when she is good and ready and if I push too hard I end up with lots of pictures of the back of her head! Here she is with a Dunkin Donuts munchkin - yep, I bribe them for my affection if I have to! As against picture taking as Lady Li is she is as affectionate and loving as a baby can get. She plays then lays her head in my lap for a minute then plays and then comes back for a hug - warms this aunties heart!

"I need more donuts, Auntie!"

Little Angel! Love her tiny little teeth!

My favorite Brendan look!

Once she was dressed Lila wanted only to run!

Pretty Lila smiles!

Laughing at Auntie making ridiculous faces! How cute are these two!

Now to the title of the post! My beautiful daughter has really taken an interest in recycling and tends to be our conscience when it comes to all things green! This year we decided to suspend use of wasteful products like aluminum foil, plastic baggies, sandwich bags and non-bio-degradeable trash bags. We also traded in some of our non-green products that use chemicals that are not safe for the environment because of Molly's research. The kids have now completed an estimated 76 days of school and thanks to our new lunchboxes and our no plastic rules we have saved over 1000 plastic baggies - Molly's goal! We have also decided that our cleaning supplies which we make ourselves are better that the old ones and with a little effort we are able to even do the bathrooms now! The one thing I was reluctant to give up - paper plates - is on Molly's list to go on January 1st! Ugggg! The moral of the story is that one inspired kid can change even this stubborn moms ways with the right information and enough passion! What a kid!

I also had teacher conferences this week and, although, it's a lot of business and less fun stuff in the older grades I am so proud of my kids. Both of the big kids got medals last month for high achievement on the CMT's - it was amazing since both of them felt as though they didn't do as well as they could have. Obviously, they both did an excellent job and Noah Webster (not that I'm bragging but...) was the top elementary school in the entire district for CMT scores! Peter and Molly both had excellent teacher conference reports - Pete needs some work in math and Molly could use some as well and that was the only caveat to their incredibly positive reports. They both do exceptionally well in reading and language arts. Molly and Peter both do terrific with their instruments (Maybe some musicians in our future despite Bob and my complete lack of talent) and excellent in science. Yes, you heard right - excellent in my beloved science class! Since I was the bozo who got an almost perfect score on my English section of the SAT's but barely got into college because my Math score was so low I figure there may be some tutoring in our future! Either way both teachers stressed to me how kind, respectful and polite my children are and as any parent knows that is such a compliment and so important! It is nice to know that they do it outside of our house when there is no one watching! I also (big gasp) had my first conference for Annie since she started school. Mrs. Careiro and I can gab for hours so we tried very hard to stay focused and I think its safe to say that Ann is thriving in school. She is a little quiet (especially considering the H-W who came before her) but social, polite, kind and a little sponge! She is right on target for kindergarten despite being on the younger side and Mrs. Careiro just adores her! Annie's best friends are Kasey, Molly, Gavin and Shiney. She loves going to school but still really misses going to Grammy and Papa's house on Mondays! Luckily Papa and Grammy spend lots of time with Annie other times so we generally get her to school on Mondays with just a few tears!

Next week is Christmas and Auntie LuAnn is coming back from Las Vegas for a few days and the Russells from San Diego are coming home for a few days - we can't wait for Santa and all of our family to get to CT!

GNM - ILY!

Being different!

2011-12-11T20:31:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while having a family that is a little bit different can be hard for our kids. The little ones still don't notice it but Peter and Molly have certainly realized that we don't look like a traditional family and people aren't always kind when they don't understand. We went to Middletown yesterday for a day of fun on Main Street - Santa, sleigh rides, holiday trains and other fun. We all had alot of fun but Peter was a bit reserved on the way home and later in the day Molly and he finally confided in me that two things had made them uncomfortable while we were out. The first was when a very nice older lady who knows our family asked which of our children were adopted and which were our "real" children. I have gotten used to this question - specifically with the older generation so I quickly said "All of the kids our our "real" children and Peter, Molly and Ellie are all adopted." My theory is that we want to make sure the kids understand that we are a family through and through and they are all our "real" children but we also don't want to dismiss questions of adoption because that is also something very special about our family. It upset Molly that the woman did not seem sorry about making such an uncomfortable statement and we talked about how that is part of our job as a famliy - not to judge people for not knowing any better than to make that staement but to help them understand so they hopefully don't make the same mistake with other people. The second issue came up while we were in line for the sleigh rides and another older lady who does not know us was trying to figure out who Peter's mother was to ask if she could give him candy. He repeatedly pointed to Bob and I and the lady did not understand because we were a different color than Peter. He finally brought her over and she the understood that she had been looking for a set of black parents out of habit. This infuriated Peter because it happens quite a bit when we are at places where people don't know us. We had a nice talk about how Peter might handle the situation next time - possibly with a bit of humor and Molly acknowledged how hard it must be sometimes to be different from most of your family. We talked about how special our family is and how important it is to always remember that families are created by God and his vision is perfect in every way. Molly ended the conversation perfectly when she said "God brings children together with the parents they are meant to have - that's why we all fit perfectly into Mama's arms no matter how big or small we are!" I feel very blessed that the kids and I have an open relationship and we can talk about things that are uncomfortable or upsetting - I hope that they continue to come to Bob and I for guidance as they grow! Being a kid is not easy but we are raising some pretty incredible kids - Yes, its my blog and I get to brag!

Lizzie with her cookie monster backpack - she loves to pretend that she is going to school with Ellie!

My big girls ready for school!

Lizzie and I headed out to a playgroup with my two cousins - it was so much fun to see them and spend some time catching up!

My girl is loving going to school. She had a great first week. Miss Newman said she is wonderful - fits right in with the class and follows along with her classmates! She comes home exhausted and ready for a nap but energized but what she is learning.

Ready for some decorating of the tree!

Our five beautiful kids in front of our adorable Christmas Tree!

Everyone snuggled up! We were trying to get a Christmas card picture but it didn't really work out!

Elizabeth is all snuggled up in he giant stocking.

Molly looked like such a teenager to me - it was freezing in Middletown.

First stop - donuts at Park and Rec so Daddy can introduce the kids to everyone.

Next stop - Papa's office! He didn't know we were coming and left! We were not happy!

Molly loves the chocolate sign - my little goofball!

Santa came to hand out candy canes!

As you can see, some of the kids were more impressed with Santa than the others. Annie was thrilled but poor Lizzie was scared out of her mind! It was kind of comical!

My beautiful Bean!

Molly Girl - she was a trooper with just a sweatshirt on!

Annie Bananie loved the whole event! She is just like her Mama - she doesn't like to miss anything!

Mr. Grump -a-lump!

Buggy fell and would not leave Daddy's side!

On the sleigh ride going down Main Street in Middletwon - doesn't get better than this for Annie!

Annie could have stayed on the ride forever - she loved the horses and got her Daddy to agree to take her horseback riding when it gets warmer!

The kids with Danny and Star - the beautiful horses that we so friendly!

We had a great day in Middletown - they do the coolest things there! CHC is sponsoring Midnight on Main Street on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to go with Auntie Ann and Sister Anne! Amato's Toy Store on Main Street has the coolest holiday train display I have ever seen - if you are in the area you should stop in and see it! We are hard at work helping the elves get ready for Santa and we have five firm believers in this house - probably the last year for that!

GNM - ILY!

The Birthday Girl!

2011-12-06T21:16:00.001-05:00

Monday was a big day in the Harding - Wheeler house - Ellie turned three and started preschool all on the same day! I think Ellie initially misunderstood and thought she was going to school with Peter and Molly so at first she was very upset when they left. Once she realized she was still going she got excited and couldn't wait for the bus to get here!

Good Morning, Birthday Girl!

Once all the kids were up Ellie got to open her presents.

Just a little help from her sisters opening her presents.

Ellie got some ponies which she loved!

Our beautiful Birthday Girl!

Lizzie was not happy that this was not a joint birthday - she had gotten used to sharing in the present opening! Ellie was very sweet letting Lizzie open a present because she wanted her to stop crying!

Ellie's new baby!

Sister love!

Kk came over to see Ellie on her birthday and got to help us put her on the bus and wave goodbye on her first day of school. Everytime we asked Ellie what she wanted for her birthday she responded with "Tay Tay"! She got her wish!

Since it was her birthday Ellie was a little bit bejeweled for her first day!

Ellie posing in front of the picture tree!

When did she get so grown up?

Our little princess is ready for school - hopefully Miss Newman and Mrs. Donovan are ready for her!

Proud Mama, Daddy and sister loving on Ellie!

Special kisses for Mommy before she leaves for school.

A little pep talk from KK!

This is what Lizzie did the entire time we were taking pictures and watching Ellie get on the bus!

Looking for some reassurance - Ellie hangs onto KK!

Her smile melts my heart!

In her big girl seat on the bus! She is ready to go!

Bye Bye Mama and Daddy!

Okay already - lets get this show on the road!

Ellie's first day of school was a huge success! She came home excited and anxious to tell us, in her own way, what happened at school! The kids inundated her with questions about what she did and who she played with. It was nice because a friend of ours has a son, Noah, and he is in Ellie's class. They have known each other for a long time so Ellie had at least one person in her class that she already knew!Papa picked Ellie up at the end of her first day and she made his day when she sprinted into his arms!

The girls and Daddy started a gingerbread house while I was out for a while on Saturday but they needed some help finishing up when I came home. I was secretly excited that they didn't do all the fun stuff while I was gone - I really don't like to miss anything! The girls ate so much of the candy beforehand that I had to replace it with chocolate chips and peppermints.

Lizzie was the biggest culprit - even the chocolate chips started to disappear!

Our gorgeous girl with the sun shining on her perfect little face!

Tiny little hands decorating the house!

Very cool gingerbread house! The girls did a great job and we have another one to make next weekend!

On Sunday Molly, Annie and I went with Auntie Ann, Sister Anne to Mercy for the Catherine McCauley play. We got to have mass at Mercy then share brunch with "the nuns", as Annie called them and then stay for the play. Annie was still recovering from her double ear infections so she was quiet but she loved the play and she and Molly were both terrific!

Lizzie fell asleep on me the other day and Bob thought it was adorable so he actually took a picture!

Snuggle Bugs!

Annie Bananie had a rough week. She still has ear infections in both ears but we are having trouble finding an antibiotic that works. We were back at the doctor for the third time with no luck. The great thing is that Annie is a trooper and each time we go back we think her ear infections are gone because she never complains. We are hoping that we are on the right track now but who knows - this poor little thing just wants her tummy to go back to normal after all of these medications!

GNM - ILY!

Happiness is Being a Twin!

2011-12-02T16:31:00.001-05:00

We finally got around to having a birthday party for our baby girls - the last 2 birthdays of the year for the Harding - Wheelers! We had a great time and the house was actually clean for about 4 minutes!

Lizzie and Bob checking out the beautiful cakes that Auntie Ann made.

Lizzie was so excited for her princess cake!

Patrick loved the table lifted up for easier access.

The gorgeous princess cakes that Auntie Ann made for the girls.

Grammy and Macklin - he is such a good baby! He lets anyone hold him and smiles all the time.

Macklin!

Grandma Betty and Sister Anne.

KK, Auntie Kake and Papa

Miss Sue, Auntie Ann and Aunt Renee

We cut Miss Sue out of this one!

Uncle Chris and timmy spent lots of time outside playing. It was a gorgeous day so the kids were able to play outside most of the afternoon!

Reillyn loves the playhouse - he plays in it for hours everytime he comes over.

Ellie Bean!

Auntie Eileen and Uncle Jeff

Lizzie had to get in on the action!

Uncle Chris and Aunt Randi.

Our baby girls ready for their cakes!

Cake time - we made all the kids come in for a few minutes!

Katie is waiting for cake.

Our girls - Ellie loves when everyone sings to her and Lizzie hates it! Go figure!

Macklin and Annie

Happy Brithday Lizzie and Ellie!

Ellie never stops smiling when we sing Happy Birthday to anyone! She especially loves when we sing Happy Birthday to her!

Lizzie turns her head when we sing to her - could they be more different?

Lizzie does love to blow out the candles!

Ellie's turn.

Sisters holding hands!

One of the Birthday girls!

Is it time for Cake yet?

Uncle B and KK!

Uncle B helped Lizzie open her presents!

Kk was in charge of helping Ellie open her presents - it was a little chaotic but we managed!

Auntie Kara and Reillyn

Uncle B and his beautiful goddaughter!

Ellie Bean loving opening her presents.

Paper fight!

Ellie and her godfather!

Macklin again - I just can't get enough of this kid - he is so cute!

Annie and Katie playing with the new toys!

Lizzie and Auntie Meg - could she be happier than to be sitting with her godmother?

Lizzie Bug and her godparents!

Kisses and a lollipop!

Molly and Ellie hugging!

Sisters!

Our beautiful birthday girl!

As Ellie's birthday approaches I can't help but think about they day she came home to us! Bob and I had gone out to lunch while Meg watched Annie and Lizzie for us (I was still on maternity leave). All through lunch Bob and I talked about how we just didn't feel like our family was complete. We love having a big family and thought maybe we could handle it getting bigger. No sooner had we finished our meal when God answered our questions for us - a social worker from DCF called and told us that Ellie was 5 weeks old and in need of a home - were we up for it? We asked if we could take a day to think about it and then hugged each other, laughed about the craziness of having newborns less than three weeks apart and called the social worker back 3 minutes later - Please, please, please could we get her today. A social worker dropped Ellie off the next morning at 8am - Peter got to kiss her first and Molly got to hold her first. I felt like no one would believe us so I packed Ellie into Lizzie's seat and headed to my parents. When I walked in my Mom was on the phone and she got very excited thinking that I had brought Elizabeth for a visit - I then turned the seat around so she could see who was in the seat and she let out a shriek! My Dad was on the phone and I believe her words were, "You need to come home, NOW!" Once my parents got over the shock we immediately sent out a picture of Ellie to all of the aunts, uncles and cousins. Thank goodness Kk kept the picture on her phone because it is such a great memory of all of the messages that started coming in. Meg was the first one to figure out that Ellie was resting on a blanket that Lizzie was often wrapped in so she must be at our house - she was there within an hour and everyone else followed to meet our newest bundle of joy! What a wonderful day filled with memories of all of the love and support we get on a consistent basis!

Happy Birthday to our Twins! We love you more than you can imagine!

GNM - ILY!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T22:13:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of traditions and fun. The kids were terrific and we had a relaxing Thanksgiving day knowing that we had a long weekend to relax and spend together!

My little beauty! Lizzie is so photogenic!

Meg and I made pies the night before thanksgiving and then she and Tim and the babies came over on Thanksgiving morning to deep fry our turneys! It was so much fun spending some time together before the chaos of the day!

Beautiful babies ready to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Silly Babies!

Lila blowing kisses to her Mama!

Buggy getting in on the action!

Brendan and those big blue eyes - I could just eat him up! Lizzie loves when he wears her piggie hat!

Brendand and Daddy having some fun!

Lila looked adorable in her little brown dress! She was NOT thrilled with my picture taking!

Lila and Brendan all dressed up to go visit their grandparents for Thanksgiving!

Brendan looking adorable in his matching outfit!

Handsome baby boy!

Annie loves being with the babies!

Annie and Brendan.

My gorgeous girl in her outfit that Auntie Ann picked out for her. She looked adorable right down to her little red headband.

Lila and the twins.

Ellie and Annie ready for some Thanksgiving fun.

Our three little ladies.

Lizzie would not get in any pictures.

Sister hugs!

Lila and Brendan playing some tunes on the piano.

Papa and his girls.

Auntie Renee and Grandma Betty hanging out with Peter.

Pap loving on Ellie Bean.

Grammy cracking some nuts for the girls.

Peter and Auntie Renee.

Molly is not happy about Uncle Ed leaving for Utah but he did agree to teach her how to ski when she comes to visit!

Mommy, Daddy and our big kids!

Bob and Ed having some pie.

Annie and her Goddaddy.

Grandma and her two sons.

My sweet Ellie.

Auntie Karla looks excited about that book.

Here we go again - trying to get a decent picture of Patrick and Karla!

We had a great time on Thanksgiving. Grammy made a phenomenal meal and the turkey seemed to go over well. It was very relaxing knowing we had a few days off after - we really needed to get the yard cleaned up and get ready for Lizzie and Ellie's birthday party!

Ellie Bean turns three on Monday and starts school the same day. We can't wait to see how she likes Bright Beginnings! Birthday pictures coming soon!

GNM - ILY!

Our beautiful Dancers!

2011-11-29T21:50:00.001-05:00

Molly and Annie both had their Irish Step Dancing parent observation a few week ago and i am just now getting to post a few little tidbits from them. Annie was a bit under the weather and her class is huge this year so it is hard to see her but she had a blast!

Annie waiting for her turn to dance.

They invited a special person to come up and dance with each of the girls so we sent in our ringer! Annie loved showing off how great her sister dances!

Ready for her across the floors but her partner was not so sure!

Molly looking very graceful in her ballet class.

Molly has really grown very graceful over the last few years of ballet and I love watching her dance.

Nora and Molly doing their leaps.

Molly in her hard shoes - she loves them!

Molly doing ballet.

Annie Bananie and her partner.

It is very hard to see videos before I upload them so what you see is what you get!

GNM - ILY!

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Mack!

2011-11-22T19:58:00.001-05:00

Is it possible that Lizzie is already 3 years old? It seems like her entrance into the world was just yesterday but here she is - walking, talking, and cracking us up with her sassy self! Believe it or not Lizzie does not love having all of the attention on her - well - unless the attention is coming from her ridiculously attentive godparents, Meghan and Brendan! We still were recovering from our lack of power but we threw together a little something to celebrate the day we met Lizzie and became a family of six - for about 3 weeks!

Auntie Eileen took some pictures of the girls while I was at work - so cute!

Ellie looking beautiful - even with her messy face!

Lizzie looked particularly beautiful to me this day so I snapped a bunch of random pictures!

Love those tiny little fingers!

Our sweet baby!

Good Morning, Lady Bug!

Lizzie could not believe all of her presents - she was so excited! Lizzie woke up a little early on her birthday morning but refused to open even one present until Peter woke up. She then allowed Annie to open most of her presents! She can be such a sweet baby!

Molly was never more than an inch away from Lizzie - she is such a great big sister!

Lizzie determines how good her presents are going to be based on size - she loved this one!

Her pajamas that Daddy picked out for her.

On Halloween we went to a friends house and Lizzie would not stop playing with the garage and cars - she loved them! Molly and Pete decided that she should have one for her birthday.

Molly made Lizzie a scrapbooked page with a poem, pictures and a message.

Playing with the garage and loving it!

Annie was disappointed to have to go to school on Buggy's birthday but then she remembered it was a gym day!

Molly Girl!

My handsome boy - I love Peter's smile!

More of the birthday girl spending the day with Mama. We had breakfast with Auntie Meg and the twins, then visited Grammy and Papa and then took a little nap.

Our twins!

Running in the leaves!

Some of Annie's artwork at school.

Daddy and I got to see Annie in action at school one day last week.

Annie's friend, Claire!

I love this little one, Shiny! Molly is the little blondie behind her.

Lined up for the turkey dance!

Our girl shows off her stuff!

Annie-Boo!

Uncle B came over expecting dinner so we had to make some Mexican Dip for him! The kids were more interested in playing with Uncle B.

Uncle B and Wee B!

Queenie and Lila reading a book.

I love this picture of Peter and Auntie Meg!

Uncle Tim supervising the garage!

Papa and his girls.

The Lawrence Family!

Lila loved the garage almost as much as Lizzie and Ellie!

Happy Birthday to Lizzie!

Our shy girl did not love everyone singing Happy Birthday!

Her big brother stayed right with her!

Blowing out the candles!

Annie and Katie are ready for some of Grammy's cake.

Annie and her baby are dressed alike and ready to head out for some fun with Auntie Ann.

Our farm box this month - carrots, spagetti squash, apples, potatoes, rudabega, lettuce, cider, applesauce, It was amazing! The pears were the best things we have ever tasted!

Pretty giril rady to go on a date with Auntie Ann and Sister Anne to the Christmas Tree Shop - she could not have been more excited!

Ellie trying out some big girl underwear!

Girl time for some movies.

I hope these two are always as close as they are now! They are so much fun to be around.

Molly and I didn't get to spend much time with the girls because we went to Auntie Meg's and uncle Tim's to babysit the twins while they went out for a while. We had a blast and the babies were perfect!

Molly and Annie had their parent observation last week so there will lots of pictures and videos of that in our next post! In the mean time - Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Mack Harding - Wheeler! We are so happy that you were born! You make the world just a little bit brighter!

GNM - ILY!

The October Blizzard of 2011

2011-11-12T12:16:00.001-05:00

I like to tell the story about the year Peter was born. The very first snow fall that year was on October 18th! How do I remember? I was a first time Mom who thought that introducing her East Coast baby to the snow was the coolest thing ever. It was soon superceded by First holidays and first kisses but in October of that year waking at 6 a.m., bundling my lovebug up in his first snowsuit and allowing soft flakes to fall on his face seemed like a dream come true! I had waited a very long time to be a mom and not one special moment was going to pass me by. So.....the first snowfall in October is legendary in our house. And now - 11 years later there was the Blizzard of 2011 on October 29th! We lost power on Saturday, Octobr 29th at around 2pm and didn't get it back until Thursday, November 3rd at around 6pm. It was obnoxiously long, busy and gave us some of our greatest family memories yet!
The family was pretty far from a payday and pretty close to the mortgage being due so even though most people went to hotels or family members homes we had neither as an option. The rest of our family was in the same boat we were and hotels were full and way too expensive! So we hunkered down at 63 Orchard Street and survived the 40 degree nights (in the house, it was colder outside) by lighting a fire in the living room, hanging blankets in the doorways and snuggling up together with books, board games, decks of cards and Bob's fancy storytelling techniques! I won't pretend that we weren't jumping up and down when the power came back on but Bob and I both recognized the absolute gift of having a warm home, a roof over our heads, family to hang out with during the day and healthy children who made the best of the worst circumstances with laughter and fun! One night we headed to the mall until 10pm just to keep warm for a little longer and have something to do. Another night, Auntie Karla made dinner on her gas stove and we all hung out together there! Every day we were with Grammy and Papa. Auntie Karla, Uncle Pat and the kids and Auntie Kake and her kids. Even Halloween wasn't as bad as it could have been thanks to Auntie Karla!
We are so grateful for our family, friends and support system for making the power outage fun, exciting and a loving reminder that when all else fails - family always comes through!

Thi is a picture of Molly with her pink streaks! A friend convinced me that letting my kids mess with their hair gave them a sense of autonomy but was never permenant.

How cute is my girl in her leopard print? She looks like a teenager all day but I could not take my eyes off of her!

Lizzie snuggled up on the couch a few days before the storm!

Two days before the hugs stomr it snowed just a little bit one night. Bob was at poker and the kids were so excited that i let them get hats and boots on and go explore the winter wonderland for a while. Just as we walked out the door Peter called Papa to tell him it was snowing!

Annie loves being outside - rain or shine!

Lizzie loving the fall snow! We had no idea how we would come to hate the site of snow just a few days later!

The big kids in a moment of peace!

Annie went over and kissed her cold roses!

Guess who showed up a few minutes after our phone call - the BEST Papa ever!

Annie eating some snow!

Papa and his Molly-Girl!

And Annie getting in on the action!

But don't forget Lizzie!

Our two Peters!

My gorgeous girl - Ellie fell asleep before the snow so Molly kept running in to see if she was awake and wanted to come out with us! Needless to say - Ellie slept through the entire night!

Papa tried on a headband to keep his head warm!

Five very cold snowballs!

Lizzie and Eie setting up a library on the first day of no power!

And then everyone headed out for some fun in the snow - the power went out a few minutes later and we ended up having to bring the kids in because the snow was so heavy that branches started falling.

Annie-Boo!

My girl loves her snow!

Lizzie-Bug loving being outside!

Peter and Lucas had made these huge snowballs so the girls took advantage of them and hung out on them all day!

Our little snowman! Lizzie stayed outside for 4 hours!

Making snowballs!

Cleaning off the pumpkins!

Molly found a fun way to spend the first day without power!She got this art set for her birthday and could not wait to use it! She is a terrific artist with a flair for landscapes right now!

Our 6th child, Lucas, was here when the power went off and spent the first night with us! It was great having everyone in the living room sleeping and having fun! Ellie was the only one who preferred sleeping under ten blankets in her room than in the living room. Where Ellie is concerned we have learned that she often knows best soalhough, I checked on her 20 times a night we let her sleep in her room in her own bed!

Sleeping beauty!

Molly - reading with a flashlight. Remember - it was pitch black in all these pictures but when the flash went off it looks like we had full lights.

Daddy and Annie bonding!

Annie and Lizzie loving the beds on the floor.

Peter and Lucas playing DS under the covers!

Our house was 50 degrees during the day but my little monkeys still wanted to be naked all day! They wereocute snuggling together on the couch and playing! Notice Ellie - the only smart one who stayed clothed!

I love Lizzie's arm around Annie!

My sweet angel babies!

Sisters!

hugs!

Secrets!

Ellie couldn't help but join in the lovefest!

Sisters!

Luke and Peter realized their DS games were limited thanks to the lack of electricity!

Crazy Eights Marathon by candlelight!

Lizzie and Molly awash in sunlight!

They take my breath away!

Visitors who brought snacks!

Grammy and Lizzie enjoying some quiet snuggles!

Kk and her girls keeping warm together!

Three o y favorite people!

The Hardings all came over to play, too! Who knew it could be so much fun to have no power or heat!

Ellie hanging in the beds!

Sister hugs!

Singing to Mommy!

Our saving grace - our beautiful fire place! this is one of the reasons we bought our house and we love it!

Fun at Grammy's house!

I came home from work on Friday to a cleaned out fridge and freezer thanks to Bob! I stopped on the way home to restock some supplies but had to take a picture - this is as clean as our fridge and freezer will ever be!

Sad empty freezer!

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about our 6 days without power but it was a memorable time for our family. One thing I did forget to mention is the fact that the entire family got the stomach bug during the power outage! Imagine a stomach bug in 40 degree house! At least the germs couldn't survive long! Next I have lots of pictures from Lizzie's birthday! Our little Buggy is 3 years old!

GNM - ILY!

Nothing keeps the H-Dubs from celebrating a holiday!

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I have lots of wonderful (depending on how you look at it) pictures of what we did during the power outages last week but first...........there was Halloween on Monday. Nobody had power, the streetlights were out, family was displaced because of the weather and everyone was grumpy but Auntie Karla managed to pull off trick or treating and fun anyways!

The eight grandchildren ready for some trick or treating!

The four little ones lined up at the door to get moving!

Our little princesses!

The five Harding - Wheeler kids ready for some Halloween fun!

Our twister princess and Belle!The kids were so amazingly flexible - they made the best of everything and Auntie Karla made the night incredibly fun for everyone!

My little angel - she is just the sweetest little person I have ever known!

Molly - girl rocking her Twister costume!

C s for Cookie!

My beautiful cookie monster!

Ellie bean was tired and sick of no power but she LOVED her Tigger costume!

My happy girl loving hopping around like Tigger!

Papa and his eight dressed up grandchildren! So much fun!

Abby and Katie looked gorgeous in their Zombie princess and little princess costumes!

Shark boy and Molly!

Belle in her red cloak!

The Cosgers were sweet enough to invite us over to the neighborhood Halloween party since we were with Karla and Pat. They had a generator and fed the kids dinner, candy and then everyone went trick or treating through the neighborhood! It was a wonderful way to celebrate Halloween safely!

Auntie Karla's jack-o-lanterns!I barely found my kids costumes but Karla found time to carve pumpkins!

After trick or treating and going to the Cosger's for a Halloween party we headed up to KK's because she had power and everyone was hanging out there! Both Kk and Bob ended up getting the stomach bug that night - I guess its to be expected in a close family! If you share everything else - why not some germs?

The kids were pooped out from a long night but loved hanging out with Grammy and Papa, Auntie Kake, and KK. The perfect end to the day!

Halloween snuggles!

Kk and her girls - well, some of them!

Lizzie was so comfy on Grammy that she ended up falling asleep!

Then everyone fell asleep!

Annie Bananie was wide awake and looking forward to another night on the living room floor with her brother and sisters and her two parents! She thought that was the best part of having no power!

Molly was offered a sleepover at Kk's but she ended up not feeling good so they rescheduled! We avoided a major headache by getting Mols lots of water and having her head straight to bed when she got home. She is getting really good at recognizing the symptoms of her headaches (I refuse to call them migraines because I don't know that I believe that diagnosis yet!) and taking the proper steps to avoid them getting worse. She eats great, sleeps well and takes care of her body!

Lizzie found a comfy spot on the floor next to Daddy - these moments make my heart swell for my wonderful husband! He is such a great Daddy!

There are 5 kids buried in there somewhere!

Even after having the stomach bug all night Bob was on his A game - snuggling with the girls, getting donuts for breakfast and keeping the fire going all night and day!

She looks like a little teenager! We had to wake Molly up every single morning - that kid can sleep through anything!

So guess what November is??? National Adoption Month! The Harding - Wheeler's have a few different ways that we are going to celebrate but one of them is to be a part of a DCF awareness campaign about adopting through foster care so stay tuned for more! This proud Mama is also speaking at two different conference about foster/adoption interracially and open adoption. My one question was whether I could include pictures in my presentation! They said YES!

GNM - ILY!

Just some random pictures!

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Annie-boo all curled up asleep! Our sweet girl is very tired after a long day of school!

Honey Oat breadsticks made by Mommy and Molly!

Our little cookie monster!

Ellie posing for a picture for Mommy!

Our beautiful baby twins posing for Mama!

I love this one! Twin love!

Our gorgeous Irish Dancer is ready to go after two weeks of being sick! Miss Maybeth greeted her with a huge hug and everyone kept telling her how much they missed her!

"Okay, mom, I'm ready to go!"

Molly came to Annie's dance class to watch. When we walked in the door I lost track of Molly for a minute and found her wrapped up in Miss Marybeth's arms. They chatted for a while and Molly came over beaming. This has been a hard year in Irish for Molly because she is in competition classes at Dance 10 with Miss Deidra and Miss Keira so she doesn't see Miss Marybeth! Every week she talks about how much she misses her so it was nice that Miss Marybeth took so much time to talk with Molly and check on her classes! Just another reason that we LOVE Griffith Academy- every single teacher is warm and loving with our kids - caring as much for them personally as they do for their dancing skills!

First night in footie pajamas thanks to Auntie Ann and Sister Anne who supplied the kids with the fuzziest pajamas ever!

What could be more fun than a Sunday morning art project? For Lizzie a naked Sunday morning art project!

Finger painting fun!

The mess in the wake of the painting project!

Molly had a double header on Saturday and lots of her adoring fans showed up to watch. Nothing is better than having your Dad and auntie as your coaches though!

Lila - looking gorgeous in her pink coat and ready to cheer for Molly-girl!

Ellie had a cold but was ready to have some fun!

My favorite Lila look!

We joked that Auntie Beth came all the way from California to see molly's soccer game! Hey - you laugh, but she did it for Molly and Annie's dance recital!

These are out of order for some reason but Auntie Beth came to dance with us to watch Annie!

Big kisses for her auntie!

Lizzie and Lila hanging with papa!

Guess which color lollipop Annie had?

More hugs for Auntie Beth! We were so lucky that there were no events or parties to go to so we just got pure bonding time with Auntie Beth!

Molly and Lila

Kk is always loving on her godson! He said that he would play soccer but only if KK was his coach! She must be a really great coach!

In between the double header I got a quick picture of Molly with her coaches and fans! What a lucky girl she is!

Love this picture of the coaches consulting!

I was trying to get a picture of Annie in her I love Paris shirt which she wore in honor of her sleepover with Kk that night! I think its cute that Annie recognizes the word Paris and thei Eiffel tower and wants to buy anything with it for KK!

Cleaning the chocolate pudding bowl! These girls will do anything for chocolate!

Auntie Beth must have read this book to the girls 15 times - she was very patient!

Auntie and her girls! Reading the book - AGAIN!

Molly took this one of Kk later in the evening and yes, she is reading the same book as Auntie Beth was!

These pictures serve to remind me of how very lucky my kids are to have so many supportive family members who love them! We had an issue on the bus a few weeks ago and were reminded about just how amazing our school community and family can be when the kids need support. We have since decided to eliminate what had turned in to a very negative environment on the bus and drive the big kids to school with Annie and once again we were reminded of how God works in our lives. Peter and Molly are chatty and excited after school giving them time to bond with each other and Bob and I. Annie loves to listen and feel like one of the big kids and family and friends have offered to drive the kids anytime we need them to. The big kids now go to Mrs. Carrero's room after school to wait for Bob or I and so they get to interact with Annie and her classmates and get the added benefit of Mrs. Carrero's kindness and affection on a daily basis! It is sometimes hard to believe the blessings that just keep coming our way!

Auntie Beth left this week with the promise of returning for 2 weeks in just 61 days! You know what that means? That Annie now LOVES the number 61 and does not realize that it should change each day! We need to get a countdown up!

GNM - ILY!

The last beach weekend!

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This is the sign that met us at the beginning of Seaside Avenue!

The kids saw this sign and immediately panicked but there was no reason for concern - it was just the water that was off limits and it was about 50 degrees anyways!

The girls all waiting for Papa! Bob and the boys stayed in RH while all six of the girls and I headed down to the beachhouse for one last day of sun before the house is closed up for the winter! Papa came home with pizzas only minutes after we got there!

The big girls stayed behind with Grammy while the little ones headed over to the beach with Papa.

Papa and the girls!

My beautiful beach baby!

The girls posing for a picture!

Ellie wouldn't sit on the driftwood - she wanted to run!

Balancing on the driftwood.

Annie is the exact opposite of Oscar the Grouch but she loves her shirt!

Jumping off the log!

Annie loved writing in the sand and practicing her new letters.

Annie wrote her name in the sand!

My beautiful goofball!

Katie and Annie having fun in the sand!

Nothing like a warm beach day and a Papa who lets you take your clothes off!

Ready to run on the beach!

Hugs for Papa!

Loving on Papa.

Lined up and ready to go again!

Checking out how cold the water is!

I love this picture of Katie and Annie hanging out shirtless on the beach.

Lizzie-Bug wearing her sunglasses!

The big girls hanging on the sand dunes!

BFF's!

Last weekend Lucas came over to hang out. A little while later Katie, Abby and Tyler came on over to spend the day with us so we had a full house. Dinner was so muuch fun with 9 kids around the table that I tried to get a picture but as you can see I cut almost everyone out! It was a perfect day with lots of fun and laughter for all of the kids! We are so blessed to have time with our nieces and nephews anytime we want it!

A full table!

Just a random day when I came out and found the three baby girls hanging in a chair together laughing hysterically! Love my girls!

As you may notice, my blog entries are few and far between. The kids are in the full swing of school and very busy with sports, dance, ccd and family events. We just celebrated Uncle Ed and KK's birthday and are gearing up for Lizzie and Ellie's big Birthday number 3! Life is a little crazy but also lots of fun and Bob and I are always amazed at the blessings in our lives - Grammy and Papa home from the beach and dropping in more, Auntie Ann and Sister Anne taking the little girls on mystery shopping dates, Uncle Ed hanging out for Sunday Football, Auntie Eileen and Uncle Jeff watching the two babies during the week, Aunties and uncles galore stopping over to visit, fall festivals and fun to attend to and at the end of the day a warm house and healthy family to come home to! We are so very lucky!

GNM - ILY!