It's been a long time since I've posted...way too long!  A lot has happened in a year and a half including getting older! :)  Here is what had happened in the past 6 months in the Carroll household!

January

Spent New Year's back in DE with our families which was fun as always!  Josh and I also attended the Intel Winter Ball which meant a night out :) 

February

Spent Valentine's Day out with Josh since my Mother-in-law was visiting!  We went out for our favorite dinnertime meal...SUSHI!  It was delicious! The kids got little goodie bags filled with V-day treats which they loved :) 

March

The little Leprechauns were at it again this year causing havoc in our house for St. Patty's Day!  The kids had a blast looking at the mess they made including peeing green in the toilet, playing with their puppets and playroom and just creating a fun, filled mess in my nice clean house ;)

This month we also took our first trip to Disney World which was an absolute blast!  The weather was perfect (low 80s), the kids had few meltdowns and lasted about 7 hours in the parks each day, character breakfasts/dinners were fantastic and the fireworks amazing!  It was an awesome trip and the kids can't wait to do it again!

April

My parents came out to spend Easter with us which was a lot of fun!  My dad decided he needed to keep busy so he painted the inside of our garage which looks fantastic...thanks Dad!  We had a yummy Easter dinner and a nice hike too!  The kids got some yummy candy/goodies in their Easter baskets which they had to hunt for...they loved it! 

Another trip I got to do this month was fly back to Penn State, solo and direct! I lucked out with a direct flight out of San Fran which was cheaper than flying out of Sac.  The flight was great and I just didn't know what to do w/ myself since I haven't flown solo in yearrrrssss!!  My trip to Penn State was great though and I got to see my sorority sisters whom I haven't seen in 13 years!  It was a great and unforgettable trip!  

May

Mother's Day was fun once again and the kids made me some cute cards!  Josh and the kids took me out to eat at our favorite restaurant and then I did some shopping all by myself :)  I also got to go to a Mother's Day Tea at Mia's school and Keegan's school which were both super cute!

Family Update

It's been about 7 months since I've updated our blog and that is so unlike me! :) I've been quite busy since we moved into our new home on St. Patty's Day of this year and with Mia starting school a couple months ago. Seems like there is an endless to-do list! Guess there's always tomorrow! Anyway, here is what has been happening on our end:

APRIL
Here's our family picture we got taken at JC Penny's. They kids did great as you can tell!


We spent Easter with some friends of ours and although it was a chilly day, the kids had a lot of fun.


I hid little easter stickers leading from their rooms downstairs to the note the bunny left which we read out loud to them. They had to eat breakfast first then find their baskets which they had no complaints about :) They had fun finding their baskets and eating some candy of course! We also took the kids to a local easter egg hunt which they loved!



MAY

Josh's parents came to visit in the beginning of May and the kids had a blast with them! They loved having Nana and Pop Pop visit! I also did my first half marathon that weekend in 2:03 due to some pit stops :)

We also visited the train museum in Sac and rode on the train too which Keegan really enjoyed!


JUNE
The weather in Cali started warming up believe it or not and was even cool in the beginning of June?! It was weird, but I didn't mind since I'm not a heat person anyway.

This month, we got to go to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with Josh's group at Intel which the kids loved. We rode a Thomas train with the kids, they rode some swings and teacups which made me a bit nauseous. They really had a lot of fun and we plan on going back in November since we have a season pass.



Also this month, Mia graduated from preschool!

She had a great time there especially when her school had their monthly date nights. The kids loved going there and we loved it too :) Now that she is out of school, we take the kids to Kids Camp which they absolutely love going to. We look forward to Mia starting Kindergarten in the fall!

JULY
We spent a tad under 3 weeks on the East Coast visiting our families which was a ton of fun! I went alone with the kids on the way there since Josh couldn't get off the time, but we all flew back together. They did very well thankfully even with the layover and just loved flying! Wish I was like that! While we were there, Josh and I attended a good friend's wedding in South Carolina while my parents watched the kids. We had a great time!

We spent some time with both families, got to hang out with my Delaware friends which was great and finally got to meet baby Rowan who is such a cutie pie. Mia and Keegan just loved playing with their cousin Bella! We also spent the 4th of the July hanging out with my family which is always a great time. We stayed at my grandma's all afternoon, played some volleyball and lite some sparklers which the kids sort of liked. Keegan didn't like the fireworks we saw and just sat on my Aunt's lap along with my dad's covering his ears. My kids slept very well that night!

Finally, we had Mia's 5th birthday party on the 25th and swam in my parents' pool with cousins and Uncle John who was such a big help! It was a beautiful and fun day :) We had a great time visiting our families/friends and time just flew by as it always does!

AUGUST
Mia started Kindergarten on Aug. 4th and although her first day wasn't a great one (she clung onto me and wouldn't go in...pretty rough), she did pretty well once she got used to go the rest of the week. I really love her teacher and the parents whom I've met so far have been very nice. Mia has been in school for over two months now and is doing great. She goes to aftercare/extended day (at her school) after she gets out of school due to Keegan's nap and seems to like it. Despite some issues I have with aftercare, I like the idea of her staying at her school and the cost of her being there is inexpensive which helps. She has some friends from her afternoon class that go with her to aftercare which helped her in the beginning b/c she didn't want to go to extended day. Now she seems to like it though there are days where I think she just wants to come straight home. Thankfully the per hour rate is cheap which helps out if I have to pick her up earlier than what I was scheduled for.

Keegan also started school this month...preschool! He absolutely loves it and as soon as I brought him in the first day, he waved and said "bye mommy!"! It was priceless and very opposite of Mia's first day of Kindergarten (and preschool). Keegan's doing great at school and wants to go all the time! He also has a girlfriend named Kimberly whom he always talks about and whom I've seen him hold hands with on their playground and then another one named Sophia whose big sister goes to school with Mia. So so cute!

My first 10K (Shamrock Half Marathon Relay)

Well today I ran my first relay with a good friend and did 6 miles! I averaged about an 8:48 min mile due to stopping a couple times to tie my laces and take off my shirt. It was fun yet colddddd! I felt badly for my friend b/c she did the first 7 and was freezing! Luckily by the time I did my 6 and got going, it warmed up a bit. :) Next goal: Half Marathon on May 1st!

Februray Family Update

Hola!

A lot has been happening since I posted on here last (last Fall). Also, be sure to check out our pictures to the left under Links!



September
Josh got a job offer with Intel in Cali and we made the decision to move back! We put our house on the market and hoped for the best! We also made a visit up to my parents where I attended my 15 year class reunion which was fun. I also took the kids to dewey to visit with the carrolls which is always a blast. Josh left for Cali mid Sept and I was on my own! I survived thank god!

October
Fall arrived in Middletown and the weather for the most part was very nice! I took the kids to a couple pumpkin patches and wish Josh could have been there too. Keegan wasn't too fond of the pumpkins though and kept pushing them away when I tried to get a pic with it and him. :) The kids did love Halloween and trick or treating with Nana, Pop Pop, my mom, me and Josh who flew home for the weekend after being gone for over a month.


November
After 22 buyers looked at our house, we finally got an offer and sold our house around Nov. 14th! We were excited yet not to thrilled with what we sold it for. The market definitely still stinks! We also got to visit with Patsy and Bella who flew in a week before Thanksgiving to stay with us and to celebrate Turkey Day with the Carrolls at their place in Dewey. My parents, Linda and Paulie also came down and we had a lot of fun!





December
We got ready for Christmas and bought our Christmas tree the day before Josh left to go back to Cali on Dec. 5th. The kids and I decorated it which they loved! We also enjoyed decorating the house, visiting with Santa and making cookies! I got to enjoy a night out thanks to my wonderful in-laws and went to a Moms Club holiday party at a nearby bar/restaurant. It is always good to have time away! :) Josh flew back from Cali a few days before Christmas and shoveled us out of the 2 feet of snow that was on our driveway. We got hit with a huge snowstorm a few days before Josh arrived home and I really did not have a chance to shovel us out since I was gone for the weekend to visit my parents. Some melted by the time Josh got home but it was still a pain to shovel!




Christmas was a blast as celebrated Christmas Eve with Josh's parents, Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle at our house which was so nice. The kids had a blast and loved leaving carrots for Rudolph and cookies and milk for Santa! They woke up Christmas morning so excited and eager to open up their presents! Plus Nana and Pop Pop were there which they loved too! Later on that day we headed up to my parents and spent Christmas night there opening up a ton more gifts which Mia and Keegan enjoyed so much! We also got to see my grandmother and numerousssss cousins and aunts and uncles that night. It was definitely a great Christmas to say the least!






For New Year's Eve, Josh and I spent some time in Dewey with his parents and their friends. It was fun catching up and hanging out since it was going to be a while until we'd see them again. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and some yummy drinks as we brought in the New Year together!



January 2010
Josh and I spent the first week packing up clothes (luckily we had REAL movers do the dirty work!), cleaning out closets etc etc and getting ready for our big move to Cali once again! It was a pain but we did it and glad it is behind us since it was a lot to do. Thanks to Marti and Tom for watching the kids for us while we did the packing etc...they had a blast with you! We also enjoyed a pizza dinner a few days before left with some good friends and their kids. We had 11 adults and 8 kids and it was really awesome! Finally, I got to have a night out with some girlfriends a week before we left which was a lot of fun! I seriously have some awesome friends back east, ones that are hard to come by and ones that I miss a lot. I can't wait to see you girls again and miss you tons!

Our trip to Cali was pretty smooth thank the lord! The kids did awesome on the flights despite keegan trying to kick off the seat in front of him a few times. Luckily distraction worked well! Keegan sat in his car seat both legs and slept for an hour only sucking his thumb while rubbing his nipple (don't ask!). Mia did well also despite us having no battery in the DVD player (ran out which we knew it would and we couldn't find the cord for the backup) and kept busy with snacks and Rudolph/Unicorn. She watched the DVD player for about an hour I think before it cut out. Keegan watched a video on Josh's ibook thing I think and did well too. We had a layover in Denver for about 2 hours which worked out so well b/c we got to eat dinner and do potty breaks. The last leg of the flight went well with me sitting with the kids and Josh sitting across from us. Keegan didn't sleep but did well with playing with Mia and some of their toys we brought with us. They got to meet a nice flight attendant that came by to talk to the kids and Mia actually fell asleep during the last 20 mins of the flight! We woke up her right when we got off (last b/c we were in the back) and she was like a deer in headlights! She did fine though she was a bit cranky. We then got our bags after waiting for like 10 mins or so and then our ride came after another 10 mins.

The kids got cranky on the way home b/c I didn't have snacks and I felt badly b/c our friend's baby was in b/t of them. It was a bit loud with them being whiny, but we made it to our apartment and they were so excited! It was cute! They had some OJ and cheese sticks (thanks to our RE agent!) and ran around the apt. You would not have thought it was 1am EST! They hit the sack a bit later on after we got our rented beds made etc and were out like a light. Thank you God for letting them do so well flying and for making our move here a reality! :)

On to the kiddies!

Miss Mia
Mia is now 4 1/2 and is one busy girl! She loves to play dress-up with Keegan (yes he loves it too!) and looks too cute in her barbie dress and/or Cinderella dress. She'll get dressed and then Keegan wants to also so I'll put on a flapper dress on him...yes it's wrong but it's too cute! Mia also loves to go to the parks around here especially since we couldn't do that in DE in the winter! :) She loves to also read books, do craft projects, preschool workbook pages and draw her family (we look like little stick ppl!), she is such the little artist and watch Max and Ruby, Mickey Mouse, Dora, Team Umizoomi, Olivia, Little Bear amongst others. She is really a lot of fun, but a lot to handle at times also especially when she does not get her way. Watch out! She throws major tantrums and screams/cries but we don't give in no matter the stares we get or how much we want to give in. Eventually she does stop screaming but it usually isn't right away. Gotta love being 4!

School
Mia started school a couple days after we arrived in Cali and is doing very well. She actually asks if she is going to school and just gets so excited when I say yes! She neverrrr did that with the other school she went to, but did like it there too. Her teacher here is great and says Mia does very well there. It's an in-home school and is only 3 minutes away from where we are which is perfect when we are running late! :)

Sleep
Mia does not nap anymore but did once or twice in the past couple months. She will go right to bed (usually) around 730-8 and will sleep around 12 hours. :) We'll read books (she loves the Cinerderalla Poingo book) together in her room with Keegan and daddy and then she'll go right to bed. Once she's up in the morning, she's pretty delayed with getting dressed and ready for the day and lately I've been threatening her with taking things away (snacks, toys) to get her moving, which works! :) Overall, Mia is a very fun and active 4 1/1 year old girl and we love her so much!



Mr. Keegan
Keegan is almost 2 1/2 and is one busy toddler! He lovesss to play with Mia, draw and color, run around like crazy and chase his sister but most of all he LOVES to play with trains! He loves his Thomas trains and he sleeps with all 10 trains (could be more!). He even asks for them if he does not see every single one in his crib! Keegan also loves to read books (especially Thomas ones!), eat snacks and watch Max and Ruby, Dora (his favorite!), Mickey Mouse, and now he loves watching Team Umizoomi! He asks for it every time he gets up! It's cute!


Sleep
Keegan is a great napper but recently they've been a bit shorter. He generally naps around 3 hours (yes I do love it!) from 1-4 and will go to bed by 8. For the first three weeks here, he wouldn't go right down at night and would fuss/cry/whine etc. He literally wouldn't fall asleep until 1 1/2-2 hours after we'd put him down. I think it may have been due to the new place but who knows. Once he is down, he'll sleep for 11 hours or so. I love having great sleepers!


Biting (again!)
Yes Keegan is now biting again and I thought that stage was over with. :( He bit at the gym last week and if he does it again, he can't go back for two months! That will majorly impact my workout routine and I may have to get up VERY early to workout or workout at night which I would rather not do. I just pray the ppl at the gym can keep an eye on him more carefully b/c I really don't want to mess up my workouts once again. UGH!


The kids have been doing well and adjusted right way to Cali time. They do ask for our parents all the time and if we are going back "home". :( Then I told Mia we were going to drive by our old house in Folsom and she asked if our nextdoor neighbor (in DE) was going to be there. I thought it was just too cute b/c they don't realize how far we really are. I'm thankful that we get to see our families on Skype which the kids love. We've been going on every night just about to see Uncle Paulie and then once a week to see Josh's parents and sometimes our good friends from DE. Mia loves seeing her boyfriend Noah and always asks for him. I think they will eventually get married! haha! Hopefully my parents, Patsy and Linda will get a webcam so we can see them too!


Josh and Cathy
Well we are home owners once again! :) We bought a house on Feb. 10th (lucky house #42!) and are very excited about owning again. The house is very nice and has plenty of room for us all (considering we are living in a 1500 sq ft apartment which is veryyyy cozy!). Mia and Keegan will be happy to have their own playroom and so will we. haha! It will be nice to feel settled to say the least!


Josh is back at Intel and seems to like it. He is busier with this job but I haven't heard too many complaints...yet! I am still at home with the kids and love it. They keep me very busy as you can imagine and at times, I wonder how people with 4 kids do it! haha! Our routine usually involves taking Mia to school (MWF) and then heading to the gym with one or both kids if she doesn't have school. The kids like it there especially the play structure. We sometimes will hit a park on the way there or home which the kids always ask for. The parks around here are great and there are plenty to around! Keegan then usually naps around 1-4 or sometimes later and then Mia and I will hang out and do some crafts which she loves to do. I'll also utilize this time to do laundry etc while she plays. Not too hectic of a day but each day is different and unpredictable!

We are doing well although we are missing our family/friends back East a lot which is normal considering we just moved here. I think it will take some time to past that. We do hope to see our families before the summer, but not sure when yet. It may not be until July since we plan on going to see Patsy after she delivers late May. Thank god for Skype though! At least we can see our family when we can't be with them physically. :) We definitely are enjoying it here especially with this wonderful weather! It's good to be back west!

Stay tuned for my bi-monthly (or so) updates!

Love,

Cathy, Josh, Mia and Keegan

What's been going on with our family!

Hi Everyone!

There's been a lot going on since I wrote last...


September
Josh got a job offer with Intel in Cali and we made the decision to move back! We put our house on the market and hoped for the best! We also made a visit up to my parents where I attended my 15 year class reunion which was fun. I also took the kids to dewey to visit with the carrolls which is always a blast. Josh left for Cali mid Sept and I was on my own! I survived thank god!

October
Fall arrived in Middletown and the weather for the most part was very nice! I took the kids to a couple pumpkin patches and wish Josh could have been there too. Keegan wasn't too fond of the pumpkins though and kept pushing them away when I tried to get a pic with it and him. :) The kids did love Halloween and trick or treating with Nana, Pop Pop, my mom, me and Josh who flew home for the weekend after being gone for over a month.



November
After 22 buyers looked at our house, we finally got an offer and sold our house around Nov. 14th! We were excited yet not to thrilled with what we sold it for. The market definitely still stinks! We also got to visit with Patsy and Bella who flew in a week before Thanksgiving to stay with us and to celebrate Turkey Day with the Carrolls at their place in Dewey. My parents, Linda and Paulie also came down and we had a lot of fun!





December
We got ready for Christmas and bought our Christmas tree the day before Josh left to go back to Cali on Dec. 5th. The kids and I decorated it which they loved! We also enjoyed decorating the house, visiting with Santa and making cookies! I got to enjoy a night out thanks to my wonderful in-laws and went to a Moms Club holiday party at a nearby bar/restaurant. It is always good to have time away! :) Josh flew back from Cali a few days before Christmas and shoveled us out of the 2 feet of snow that was on our driveway. We got hit with a huge snowstorm a few days before Josh arrived home and I really did not have a chance to shovel us out since I was gone for the weekend to visit my parents. Some melted by the time Josh got home but it was still a pain to shovel!




Christmas was a blast as celebrated Christmas Eve with Josh's parents, Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle at our house which was so nice. The kids had a blast and loved leaving carrots for Rudolph and cookies and milk for Santa! They woke up Christmas morning so excited and eager to open up their presents! Plus Nana and Pop Pop were there which they loved too! Later on that day we headed up to my parents and spent Christmas night there opening up a ton more gifts which Mia and Keegan enjoyed so much! We also got to see my grandmother and numerousssss cousins and aunts and uncles that night. It was definitely a great Christmas to say the least!






For New Year's Eve, Josh and I spent some time in Dewey with his parents and their friends. It was fun catching up and hanging out since it was going to be a while until we'd see them again. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and some yummy drinks as we brought in the New Year together!



January 2010
Josh and I spent the first week packing up clothes (luckily we had REAL movers do the dirty work!), cleaning out closets etc etc and getting ready for our big move to Cali once again! It was a pain but we did it and glad it is behind us since it was a lot to do. Thanks to Marti and Tom for watching the kids for us while we did the packing etc...they had a blast with you! We also enjoyed a pizza dinner a few days before left with some good friends and their kids. We had 11 adults and 8 kids and it was really awesome! Finally, I got to have a night out with some girlfriends a week before we left which was a lot of fun! I seriously have some awesome friends back east, ones that are hard to come by and ones that I miss a lot. I can't wait to see you girls again and miss you tons!



Our trip to Cali was pretty smooth thank the lord! The kids did awesome on the flights despite keegan trying to kick off the seat in front of him a few times. Luckily distraction worked well! Keegan sat in his car seat both legs and slept for an hour only sucking his thumb while rubbing his nipple (don't ask!). Mia did well also despite us having no battery in the DVD player (ran out which we knew it would and we couldn't find the cord for the backup) and kept busy with snacks and Rudolph/Unicorn. She watched the DVD player for about an hour I think before it cut out. Keegan watched a video on Josh's ibook thing I think and did well too. We had a layover in Denver for about 2 hours which worked out so well b/c we got to eat dinner and do potty breaks. The last leg of the flight went well with me sitting with the kids and Josh sitting across from us. Keegan didn't sleep but did well with playing with Mia and some of their toys we brought with us. They got to meet a nice flight attendant that came by to talk to the kids and Mia actually fell asleep during the last 20 mins of the flight! We woke up her right when we got off (last b/c we were in the back) and she was like a deer in headlights! She did fine though she was a bit cranky. We then got our bags after waiting for like 10 mins or so and then our ride came after another 10 mins.

The kids got cranky on the way home b/c I didn't have snacks and I felt badly b/c our friend's baby was in b/t of them. It was a bit loud with them being whiney but we made it to our apartment and they were so excited! It was cute! They had some OJ and cheese sticks (thanks to our RE agent!) and ran around the apt. You would not have thought it was 1am EST! They hit the sack a bit later on after we got our rented beds made etc and were out like a light! Thank you God for letting them do so well flying and for making our move here a reality! :)

Cali has been treating us well and the weather has been pretty nice compared to DE! We do like it here but miss our family and friends a ton! Thank god for Skype and email! :)





Josh and I finally bought a house on Feb. 10th and can't wait to move in! We looked at 42 homes since we arrived on Jan. 8th, kind of crazy! We close on March 10th and should be moving in by the 15th! We lucked out with the asking price and are very thankful we did not settle for something we weren't happy with. I know the kids will be very excited to have all their toys back and a playroom of their own! I will be very happy too to be finally settled. :) Hope you are all doing well and stay tuned for more of my bi-monthly (or so!) updates!



Love,

The Carrolls