Glub, glub... bubble bubble....

what else is there to say... they love swimming... by the end of this summer I'm sure they'll have gills and fins... enjoy the pics of the cutest fishies!!!

The Reedell Artists

What kid doesn't love doing finger painting... well, the Reedell chicks sure do!! They enjoyed getting all "smocked up" in one of scott's work t-shirts, and then off to they went to the backyard. They loved mixing all the colors and made some really nice pictures. Then it was suncatcher time. We were given a set a while ago and they went to it. They did a GREAT job and didn't make a mess at all. I knew Angela would be able to do it without a problem, as she can paint and color pretty much within the lines, but Elyse, I had no clue what she would do. But she did great. She put different colors in each spot and the finished products were great. It was a pleasure to do this with them... now the next project will be to refinish and paint a table that Scott's mom had given us and then I'm going to have them put their handprints on the table each year with the date... it will be fun to watch them grow....

A GREAT visit with our Great Aunt and Uncle!!!

So, we were soooo glad to hear that my great, great aunt Connie and uncle Allen were going to be making the LONG trip in from North Dakota and doing "their rounds". We weren't sure they'd get a chance to stop by my neck of the woods, but we were VERY fortunate that they stopped over on wednesday, August 19th for lunch and spend some time with "the Reedell gals". It was a great visit, exchanged all of our "contact info", showed them the house (they saw our townhouse last time they were in for a visit), got to know the girls a bit more, and a great lunch. Then they were off to Virginia and then the Carolinas for a few weeks... so it was a quick but VERY nice visit... and here is a pic of my mom, the girls and aunt Connie and Uncle Allen!!!

Thanks Aunt Connie and Uncle Allen for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and visit us... and hopefully you'll have a great rest of your trip and we'll see you again soon!!!

Welcome to the Triathlete Club Angela!!

Congrats to Angela on finishing her first triathlon on August 16th, 2009. She competed in the "Dog Days of Summer Kids Triathlon" held in Doylestown, Pa. Most kids tris are for ages 6 through 14, but this one was the first I had seen that had a "weebee" group, for 3 to 5 year olds. Their course was a bit shorter (alot short than the 14 year olds...) and parents could "help" as need be. It consisted of a 15 yard swim, .4 mile bike ride, and .2 mile run. But it was a GREAT experience, and Angela had the BIGGEST smile on her face as she crossed the finish line in around 12 minutes (couldln't time her exactly as I was busy taking pictures and trying to juggle/control Miss Elyse....). So, now we get to look forward to this race next year, but with two participants... Congrats again Angela... we are soo proud of you!!

The Smallest Reedell Triathlete....

You heard it here first... Angela will be "tri"ing her first triathlon on August 16th. The local YMCA is putting together a "kids triathlon", mainly for kiddos age 6-14 years old. But they have a "weebee" group which is anyone under the age of 5, so that is what Angela is going to compete in. They'll be doing the same order of events as any triathlete, but MUCH shorter distances. She'll be swimming in a pool (with daddy right next to her for the whole race for safety reasons), then will bike (with her training wheels of course), and then will run. So, keep checking in for the "story and pics" from this weekend, it will be GREAT... and Angela is stoked... even more than mommy and daddy!! And no, Elyse wasn't entered, maybe next year....

Brigantine Triathlon, Beach, and Ocean City... August 2009

I think we've been at the beach more times this year than ever... and it never gets old!! The girls LOVE every second they are running into the water and playing in the sand!!! We always look forward to the Brigantine Triathlon, as it was our "first ever triathlon"... and that was over 5 years ago. We've done MANY since, but this one is our favorite!!! This was Scott's 5th year and my 4th (I had to skip the race the year I had just had Angela... not evenough recovery and training time!). But as always it was a blast... thanks to Grandmom Reedell and Erin for coming down to "herd the kiddos" during the race!! And as we have done for the past few years, it was GREAT to cross the finish line with our kiddos...

Friday we went to Ocean City (NJ) for some rides and boardwalk time.

The girls LOVED every single ride and we thought the views from the HUGE ferris wheel were breathtaking....

Pictures from the race... both Scott and I did great... and the girls always seem to finish twice....
After the race we showered up and headed to the beach with "aunt Erin" for the afternoon... EXTRA fun!!!
In the evening we headed to Smithville with Aunt Gerry and Grandmom Reedell for some shopping fun. Elyse enjoyed a ride on the carousel (she picked a bunny...) and was all smiles!!
We picked up some wine and cheese and went back for a great evening at Aunt Gerry's house!

(pictures in the collage above!) Sunday was a very "questionable day" weatherwise... it looked like it was going to rain all morning, but we went to the beach for one last time (for this trip)... and of course the girls could care less about the weather, the beach is ALWAYS fun.....

Another "junie" meeting

A little background would probably help with this one... so when I was preggo with Angela, I was working and didn't know many other pregnant people, so I went online and met up with a group that was called the "Junies". We all were due in June of 2005. So, it's nearly 5 years later from when we all met up and I've met many of these "online friends".... and the girls and I got to meet another great family at Sesame Place (on August 10th). We met up with Melissa, (Matt the daddy), Natalie (the Junie) and William (who will be 2 years old in January). It was great to have Angela meet another Junie and to get to finally meet another Junie in person. Here is a fun pic of the moms and kids in "ernie's wave pool"....

left to right (Elyse, Megan, Angela, Natalie, Melissa, and William... )

yahoo... we LOVE our new windows....

So, we LOVED our house immediately, but very quickly we began to REALLY dislike our windows. The house is 31 years old and the windows were original, single pained, with storm windows. At first it didn't seem to be a HUGE deal, but over the winter you could tell there were some "drafts" and they were a "pain" to use.... So, finally we decided "it was time for new windows". We had a few people out, and ultimately went with Castle Windows. Their product seemed VERY good and their warranty is the BEST (it covers EVERYTHING as long as the windows are in our house, without ANY money out of our pocket!). So, we had expected the work to be done in early september, but we got a phone call saying the windows were in and they could do it the next day (if we could swing that). So, that worked out for ALL of us, the girls and I went to Sesame Place for the WHOLE day (from 10am till 4pm... the no nap thing was a challenge in the evening....) and the windows guys were here until around 6pm. We "camped out" in the basement and ate dinner, and then came up to a GREAT looking finished product. We are BEYOND happy with our new windows... and already notice a HUGE difference temperature wise near the windows, ease of use, and of course aestetically!!! So, if you need a window job done, call Castle Windows, they were great!