voss voyage

I'm not sure if its lack of sleep, or just a 3rd/4th child thing, but I have not been great about keeping up-to-date pictures of the twins. Allison & Mia had pics taken every month in the same place to compare their growth. Not so much with the twins. I'm hoping this blog will keep me more accountable.  Both girls are 'good' babies, whatever that really means. For me it means they will sit in the stroller for a long time at the park, go to nursery at church and not cry, sleep in the car A LOT, and be passed around to any willing adult ready to help me! This month, Natalie: * started army crawling * got her first tooth * started sleeping through the night (in the closet) * loves new foods, especially cherrios and pizza crust * smiles, giggles, "talks" and coos Jenna: * can now sit up pretty good * plays for long periods of time in the exersaucer & jumpy seat * has 2 teeth (got at 6 months) * tolerates extreme 'love' from older sibs

Patrick turned 40 this year. I wanted to throw a big party with lots of friends and good food--well, because that is what I would want. Turns out, he wasn't that keen on the idea. He has been wanting to go on a zipline   http://www.kerseyvalleyzipline.com/  for a long time, so I bought 2 tickets for him & a friend to try it out. They had a great time and he said it was the perfect way for him to spend his birthday. And yes, he did get Derby Pie for dessert (he didn't want a cake)!!!  Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and father!  Patrick & Lee Janoski ready to fly!

I attend MoPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) twice a month. It is a group of moms, just like me, who are in the busy stages of raising young kids. We have a very large group of women (about 80) that meet for a few hours to socialize, do a craft (my least fav thing), listen to a speaker and, MOST importantly, eat! We take turns bringing food and this week it was my groups turn. I scoured the internet trying to find something yummy so that I could win the Blue Ribbon award for the tastiest treat. Thanks to Paula Deen, I won! I made these Pumpkin Bars.

As soon as Allison could talk, she was asking to go somewhere. So at 2 1/2 we sent her to preschool. She loved it from day 1. She has continued to love going to Jamestown Presbyterian Preschool and is now in her 3rd year. She goes Monday-Thursday from 9a-1p and is in Mrs. Nutt and Mrs. Hamilton's class. She met Mrs. Nutt on the playground last year and we were so excited that she could be in her class and see her daily. In her class of 15 kids, she knows over half of them and they have grown up together in JPP. Brandon's mom, Robn, has been a tremendous help to me since having the twins; and we occasionally share carpool. Mia is not like her older sister. We put her in preschool so that I could have a break, but she is having a hard time adjusting. Since the cut off date for Guilford County Schools (GCS) is August 31st, she misses it by a week and is in the 2 year old class. Since she continues to need speech therapy, this is working to our benefit. Mia is in Mrs. Razik

Mia has had several parties this year to celebrate her birthday! We first celebrated at Tucker Pond with the rest of the summer birthdays. Then we went to Nana & Gramps (Patrick's parents) house and had a wonderful celebration there with lots of yummy cake & presents. Mia's favorite part of the parties is singing Happy Birthday. Her face shows her delight! Mia missed her birthday with the NC/Lacivita crew because she was sleeping--yes, Mia still naps about 3 hours everyday. But she got a piece of cake when she woke up (thanks Leigh Ann). We had a very low-key celebration on her actual birthday, September 5th. She had a few presents from us and a yummy pizza dinner. Mia, we are so blessed that you are a part of our family. You greet us with smiles and kisses each morning and your curiosity and spunk keep us on our toes. You love to play with your sisters, read books, pack your bags to go to the store, play doll house and snug