Redfern family blog

A girl and her doll...

2012-01-29T21:36:00.006-05:00

For Christmas, Kaitlyn got a stuffed doll and matching PJ's. Tonight her doll was lucky enough to finish the night wearing clothes (a rarity considering how often they get their diapers changed!) - and even got to wear a matching outfit.

Then when it was bedtime, Kaitlyn decided to put on her matching pajamas - and was even willing to smile for me!

Christmas 2011- a bit late

2012-01-22T14:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, Christmas was nearly a month ago.... but somehow the time has flown by and I thought it would be better to post some fun memories and pictures later than not do so! We had a wonderful and magical holiday season and were so lucky to have spent it with our families and two little 'elves'.

First, of course, we had to get our tree. We have to travel less than a mile to a huge tree farm. This year they even had a hayride (with Santa, although the kids were a bit cautious) to see the "reindeer." Yes, they were in another field!

Getting ready to decorate the tree- antlers were required, of course!We headed to a Breakfast with Santa event one Saturday morning with some friends- Kaitlyn got to hang out with her buddy Audrey (and we braved a 30+ minute wait in line...whew....)

Yes, mommy had to be in the picture- but at least they're both smiling.

Then it was time to make some Christmas cookies. The cookie press was alot of fun, and both kids had a great time helping (and someone enjoyed the bowl too..). Paul III also got his glasses in mid-December so you'll see him sporting his new 'look'- which has been really helpful for him.

Do you think Kaitlyn used enough sprinkles?

Our first Christmas celebration began Christmas Eve at Gram and BB's.

This really was a gift for BB... but the kids wanted to use it too!

LEGO's!!! The gift of the season for Paul III.

And Kaitlyn got some dress up outfits (this one is for Cinderella). The only way we got her to take it off for dinner was out of fear of spilling her favorite cranberry sauce on it!

I got SHOES too!! oh my!!

After a good night's sleep (Paul III informed us that we needed to go to bed early so that Santa could start his journey, and was actually a bit scared of how Santa may come into our house overnight).
But, there was tons of fun to be had once they woke up!
Paul III somehow knew to open one of his favorites first- a full Giants outfit... helmet, pants, jersey with pads... wow, Santa is smart!

Kaitlyn seems to want to wear any gift- back in her Cinderella dress from the night before! This is a set of PJ's which matches a doll, but the doll wasn't allowed to wear the PJ's for long!

See, I'm even wearing mommy's new coat and my new sneakers while testing out a new stroller from my brother.

And a football goal post to go with my Eli Manning outfit!!! WOW!!
Time to go outside and test everything out (be sure to check out that Kate is still in Santa PJ's).

That night we hosted Gram, BB, Aunt Char and Uncle Charles for Christmas dinner. Kaitlyn opened an umbrella and had to test it out.

BB, can I take off your tie?

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wait, a family picture that actually looks good?! The best Christmas present :)

Then the silliness began.... Paul III kept trying to hold me up (how kind, but it tickled!).

Lego-land.... check out the bins against the wall... we had to reorganize them later in the week.

Then we headed to NJ for a few days and got to enjoy another holiday celebration. Paul and Paul III had talked about a Lego castle that he used to have with Uncle Chris, so they dug out the brothers' Lego collection and spent HOURS making creations!

Kaitlyn and Grandma T spent a leisurely (and adorable) breakfast together on New Year's Day. Kaitlyn ate 3 bowls of Cheerios and they chatted up a storm for about 20 minutes.

Presents, presents and tons of fun! We spent a good part of new year's day opening gifts with Nana, PopPop, Uncle Chris, Aunt Megan, Uncle Ryan and Lauren.
First the kids opened new fuzzy robes and slippers...mmm... cozy!

And sleeping bags to get even cozier (naps that day were taken with the new cozy sleeping bags, of course.

Paul LOVED a woodworking set with foam "wood" that you can cut, drill, nail, etc. We put the corresponding bench together too and he's made some neat creations.

Why not use my new saw to open gifts?

And some fun mustaches from Uncle Ry!

Kaitlyn opened a whole box of fun doll clothes, thanks to Uncle Ry and Lauren (no, the hat won't fit you!).

And then it was time to cook with Kaitlyn's new cooking appliances.

Another great family picture! Unfortunately for Uncle Ry, the Cowboys jersey didn't have a good night... ;)

Watching some of the Giants vs. Cowboys game before bed.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-11-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

The signs that Thanksgiving has passed in our house include....
-lots of yummy turkey left in the fridge
-plenty of extra side dishes to eat for the next few days
-the china has been used and put back away
-and, most importantly, I can put up Christmas lights outside

Getting Tom the Turkey prepped the night before (eeewwww...)
Thanksgiving morning- turkey-shaped pancakes.

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with a stuffing cook-off between Gram and Paul... Paul tried to bribe the guests to vote for his. Both Kaitlyn and Paul picked the legs for their dinner...and ate most of them!

Several attempts to get a picture of the kids...

Mmmm..... dessert time!

Opening new Christmas PJ's from Gram and BB:

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Paul's 5th Birthday

2011-11-24T09:44:00.001-05:00

These are a myriad of photos from the last few weeks including Paul's soccer game and birthday parties.

Coach Redfern getting the team ready to play.

Paul in action.

Daddy and Uncle Chris really look alike when Uncle Chris wears Daddy's clothes.

Kate took a liking to Mr. Jesse.

Making an appetizer.

Working hard on the cake with Aunt Megan. (note the lack of an "H")

The final cake for birthday number 5

2 peas in a pod

Daddy had to go to Chicago the next day so Uncle Chris was on LEGO duty.

helping Aunt Katherine with her hair

Getting Eli and Mater settled into their new home.

Paul's gift from Mom and Dad - a golf bag and clubs.

Monkey see - Monkey Do

More smiles at Gram and BB's

Gram and BB got Paul a new big bike for turning 5.

Last but not least - everyone lending a helping hand with Tom the Turkey.

Snow and Pumpkins - perfect together

2011-10-31T21:23:00.005-04:00

Who knew that we would be going sledding and carving pumpkins on the same day this year....

I think the kids were enjoying this run!

Kate on top of the snowman that they built with the Burkes and Mommy
Kate digging in...

Paul with a big smile....

Apple Harvest Outing

2011-10-09T16:10:00.006-04:00

his morning we spent a few hours at the 47th Annual Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, PA- just a few minutes from home. We had a fun time and the weather was beautiful.
Some of the highlights for the kids included:

-We rode in a school bus (WOW!!) from a fire station to the festival.
-They got to meet a real fireman who was there to help people, and explain his outfit. The kids also got fire hats.

-There was a petting zoo with a sheep.... Paul petted the sheep and Kaitlyn kept dragging us back to see him (but wouldn't pet him) and talked about him while reading Old MacDonald at nap.
-There was a place where you could pick apples that were floating...and eat them!

-We went for a hayride- which included riding behind a tractor (which was older than BB- 1939)

-Mommy got funnel cake :)

Kaitlyn loved that there was hand sanitizer all around- and she could reach it... I think there were a few extra potty trips (we still don't know why she likes it so much).

After getting some fresh apple cider we headed back on the bus to our car (and enjoyed a wonderful nap time for everyone).

Summer Vacation- Raquette Lake

2011-08-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

Now that August is almost over, I guess I should finish a post from our July vacation!!

We spent the last week of July with Gram and BB at Raquette Lake, and were so fortunate to have wonderful weather for most of the week.

We started out with some book reading with BB- Kaitlyn's favorite, Old McDonald had a Farm.
Although I never got a full action picture, the kids made the canoe and kayak into a variety of items many mornings (I'm sure our neighbors enjoyed their activities at 9am!)- a garbage boat, the WW Durant, a delivery boat and more. Of course they had to check the engines, ropes and bring lots of items from the porch as well as mother nature (including a really big log!) on their adventures.
Wait? They were sitting quietly?! really.... this did happen.
Hanging out with Gram.
Paul and daddy spent some serious time completing a puzzle- and it was saved for the entire week.
This was a HUGE highlight of the trip- little Paul got to help Uncle Steve put in his catamaran.... this involved riding in the Mule, attaching it via rope to the catamaran, pushing it into the lake, riding in the skiff to get the catamaran, towing it to the buoy.... wow.... he was speechless for most of the activity!
Coming to get the catamaran......
Daddy helped a little too....
Off we go!
There was also a golfing adventure to the chip and putt. The three boys started off...
This little guy has quite a swing (if he gets the ball)- but we need to work on yelling "fore" when your ball is headed towards a family member....
The annual picture in front of the kids' trees- both Paul and Kaitlyn as well as their trees are getting so tall!
More golfing....
Watching Gram, Daddy and Mommy take a few swings...
My turn! Kaitlyn tried hard to figure it out.... and might have made a divot or two in the grass (shhh.... don't tell BB!)
Headed back home- both kids loved riding in the Gator- and BB drives nice and fast :)
Enjoying a lunch at the leantoo- Daddy and BB came directly from a big project in the woods digging and installing a 20' culvert pipe to help a stream travel under one of the trails (especially when it rains).... lots of rocks and dirt to be moved!
Check out this hard working guy- he definitely earned his lunch!
Ready for the lake... or a puddle....
Aren't I cute? Frog boots are definitely the right accessory for a polka dot bathing suit.
We also celebrated my 33rd birthday a few weeks early. There was lots of interest in helping me to blow out the candles.
One of the funniest events was when we gave the kids new moose pajamas which we bought while out on a "dinner date"- during which we dodged rain storms to make out rip without getting drenched! The pajamas say "I moose have a hug" and the kids LOVED them.
Paul and daddy also got to test out the 'new' four wheeler- they both really enjoyed it.
The grand opening of the new 'bridge' - thanks to BB and daddy's had work. We had to stage the picture with all of the "toys"- Gator, loader and 4 wheeler
Gram decorated with the flags as well. Kaitlyn and I were in the Gator.
Daddy and Paul showing the stream which will be 'detoured' through the new culvert pipe.
Ready to take off on my own!
Okay, now we can really take off!
Who let her drive?
We enjoyed a wonderful boat cruise one evening for "happy hour"
You might see this one on the Christmas card:
The little daredevil loved sitting by herself....
And then the silly face...
The whole crew in front of the newly built (and stained, thanks to daddy and BB) leantoo.

Summer Vacation- Lake Sunapee

2011-08-12T17:01:00.008-04:00

We spent the second week of our vacation with the Redferns in New Hampshire. It was fun to spend time with Nana and PopPop, as well as getting to visit with Grandma T (or "TEEEEE" as Kaitlyn would yell). We even overlapped for a few days with Uncle Ryan and Lauren early in the week and then Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan (and their Baby Redfern who is due in February!! we can't wait to be an aunt and uncle ourselves :).

Kaitlyn's favorite part of our NH vacation may have been testing out all of Nana's flip flops... here she is trying to make a getaway with some up the stairs.Paul III also spent a lot of time digging in the backyard- he was digging some type of a trench or drain, and it was quite amazing how quickly he could work. PopPop was a great on-site supervisor for this project, and tried to encourage him to dig one on the other side of the stone deck which would help it drain..... somehow that project got tabled to next summer!
Of course Kaitlyn had to help too (at least not in her flip flops!)
We also spent ALOT of time at the beach and in the lake. The water was wonderfully warm (for a New England lake) and the beach wasn't too crowded. The kids became really comfortable in the water this summer. Kaitlyn had a blast 'swimming' with a noodle and would cruise around on her own. Paul liked going out 'deep' with daddy and Uncle Chris with the help of swimmies and a few times just the noodles!
Paul and Uncle Chris exploring 'out really deep'Of course, there was a lot of construction... Paul was into the pipes this year and his uncles (and father) tried repeatedly to make a really neat self-contained water system. Be sure to check Kaitlyn out in the background :)

Monkey see monkey do....

We also got to be with Pop Pop to celebrate his birthday!
The Elmo hats were for the 'kids'- young and old :)
There was also a lot of fun in the driveway- including some stroller rides....

And then back to the beach... Kaitlyn and Aunt Megan had such a fun time swimming!

And of course more building... what you may not be able to see is that Chris is actually sitting in a hole they dug....
This was a silly book reading adventure.... which Kaitlyn wanted to join wearing her silly (and large!) moose pajamas.

A weekend at the pool

2011-07-18T21:24:00.005-04:00

As the summer seems to be quickly going by, we spent some time this weekend enjoying the water and some warm, sunny days. Kaitlyn spent the weekend with a fever and was quite grumpy, but seems to have recovered (strep test negative today at the dr's and fever-free) and she is back to "full force"- she'll also tell you that "I'm feeling much better- can we go swimming?"

Saturday afternoon Paul and I headed to Gettysburg to join some friends at a local pool while Kaitlyn and daddy laid low. We had a blast and he had a big accomplishment- jumping off the side of the pool (standing up) into the water- he loved it, head underwater and all. I did promise him ice cream if he did this, but he soon figured out that not only was he going to get ice cream, but he was actually having fun :)

Sunday we got our own "pool" out so that we could enjoy the water- and to not share Kaitlyn's germs with any friends or our wonderful neighbors who invited us for a swim in their pool. I was quite impressed that it only took a few minutes for little Paul to remember that we can use their slide to make a waterslide.... which this year became a "diving board" for him (he was 'brave' and jumped in from the slide).

Here we go... the Redfern water and amusement park (nothing like the Enchanted Forest-Water Safari which we went to with Paul for the first time over the 4th of July vacation, but still okay).

OOHH- nobody told me the water was cold!

Don't worry- I'm okay....

The "brave" Paul III attempting his tricks.

The best part- hot dogs and chips/dip on the porch (under the long-overdue-and-finally-replaced umbrella) for lunch!

Raquette Lake and 4th of July

2011-07-13T20:49:00.015-04:00

We returned this Saturday afternoon from a great trip to Raquette Lake, including the annual Green Point 4th of July picnic, lots of time in the lake and sand, a leantoo staining project for BB and Paul and many good laughs. Kaitlyn was under the weather for much of the trip, but seems to have made a good recovery.

Kaitlyn and I tested out the tube- she wanted to cruise around and loved being able to kick with mommy.Getting ready for the big 4th of July picnic with 60+ neighbors- in the fancy new leantoo which was just finished!

Gram and her buddy Kaitlyn!

Gram and BB catching up with Mr. VanderLinde.

Mmmm.... the best part-dessert! Kaitlyn enjoyed Aunt Susan's cupcakes the best way- icing first.
The weather was wonderful, so we spent a lot of time relaxing at the lake, especially once the three loads of sand were delivered by Paul and Paul III (with some help from the girls).
The kids loved hanging out on the porch- they often dragged their chairs out each morning and would wait to see the boats go by. One day the chairs were turned into lawnmowers and had to be repaired!

BB's morning exercise routine also provided some good laughs- and at least a few minutes of entertainment for the kids!

A fun picture of our little gal on the porch....
To celebrate the 2nd coat of stain on the leantoo (apparently a third coat was done by BB after we left), we had a cookout for lunch with hot dogs and marshmallows on the fire.
Check out this beautiful leantoo!The post-lunch activities included some silly things with BB- from some in-depth conversations to rolling down the hill.The big kid showing how to do the roll....
This was hillarious- little Paul had to run out of the way pretty quickly!
Now it's our turn to try it!!Relaxing with Gram....
Even though the weather was great, BB had to water some of his grass.... but a lot of the sprinkler water got used by his little friends before it made it to the grass!
More playing in the lake...

And lots of digging in the sand!!

Paul had fun testing out a little green play boat... simliar scene was about 30 years ago when I was playing with the same boat!

There was plenty of help while we enjoyed some delicious cantaloupe.

More entertainment from BB in the morning.... getting all wrapped up and ready for the work day.
Somehow when we got home one of the first things Kaitlyn wanted to do was play with my "dress up shoes".... so she went from bug-spray covered clothes and camp experiences to pretty sandals with little heels!

Some pictures from June...

2011-06-22T20:14:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts again! We've survived strep throat (Kaitlyn), bronchitis (Kaitlyn and then little Paul) as well as Kaitlyn deciding to be a "big girl" and use the potty in the past two weeks (not sure how many kids decide to switch out of diapers when you're sick, but she was determined to do so... providing additional insights into her personality... don't you dare hold me back!). Here are some fun pictures from earlier this month...

Little Paul finished up his t-ball season with some great fans- Uncle Chris, Uncle Ryan and PopPop were here for a golf tournament, and Aunt Megan came to visit as well! Daddy was the head coach for the team, and it was incredible how much progress was made over a few short months (and very few practices and games due to all of the rain and resulting muddy fields).

A pretty neat backdrop- the first day's battle of Gettysburg. Little Paul and daddy are on the right in this picture.

Why watch the game when you can get tickles from Aunt Megan?!
Can I play PLEASE?!!
Another fun part of summer- ice cream and popsicles!!
The other weekend I took the kids to an antique car show at a park near our house- it was way more impressive than I expected. We ended up staying for lunch and then ice cream... the only problem- I didn't think we would do so and didn't have enough cash for my own ice cream! One of the best things we saw was an amphibian car. Little Paul was fascinated by this, and Kaitlyn was really intrigued as well (despite this picture). Early in the morning we took some pictures next to it- check out the two propellors! We got a fun surprise when later in the morning we got to see it take a ride in the pond!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

A fun (but buggy!) Memorial Day at Raquette Lake

2011-05-31T20:35:00.010-04:00

We returned late this afternoon (to some ridiculously warm temperatures!) after a wonderful, but too short, trip to Green Point. It's amazing what you can cram into a four day trip (2 of which are primarily spent in the car- thankfully it's our wonderful new van and there was more than enough room).
We went for hikes, drove the Gator, went for boat rides (thanks to BB and Gram getting a fast new engine we HAD to take the boat out each day to "break it in"), went for a swim (yes! the warm weather near 80 degrees helped make this possible!), ate lots of yummy meals, played games inside, danced to BB's silly music and the kids got TONS of bugbites. You'll see in our pictures that anytime we were outside we were covered from head to toe- and the little buggers still found a way to our skin. We also had to wear our boots anytime you went outside- the ground is so muddy that even the normally "dry" spots are mushy. Fortunately Gram couldn't kayak in the front yard- which she could a few weeks ago.
On Saturday night BB taught Kaitlyn how to smush her cake with her fork to get the "extra" pieces which were too small to fit onto the fork by themselves.... so on Sunday night she decided to smush all of her cake rather than eat it nicely... hmm... ;)
Watch out... look who's driving the boat...The kids were both "driving" the Gator to various places... Kaitlyn wore BB's headphones as well anytime they were "driving." Their imaginations were quite fun!This was another 30 minute adventure for 2 minutes of work... repairing the front screen door...
Another scary scene.... dancing to BB's bluegrass music! Kaitlyn never seemed to run out of energy while dancing!!
Another great event... watching BB tape up his ankles and shins... which the kids wanted to do as well. Little Paul would adjust and check his every now and then. We also got to participate in the "big" placement of the Moose Lodge Chip and Putt signs.... this took us 30 minutes of 'prep' to get everyting in the Gator (primarily due to all of our "help"), about 2 minutes of installation, and 5 minutes of pictures.... clearly BB has done too good of a job having the holes for the sign and pin prepared
Hello.....Goodbye.....At one point Paul and the gang drove right past BB at the Chip and Putt... vroom vroom! Even BB's new four wheeler couldn't keep up! Make sure to check out the look on little Paul's face if you can see it.... he seemed to learn to LOVE driving anything fast this trip!The kids also had a great time sitting in BB's loader.... I think Gram had to carry Kaitlyn away from the Gator and tractor this morning since she didn't want to say goodbye to them!
To finish off the trip was a "bath" - without any smelly soaps as to make the kids even more tasty for the bugs this morning as we headed home. In case you don't know, Moose Lodge doesn't have a bathtub... so we improvised (and have on our list for the next trip a bigger "bath"!!).

Uncle Ryan's College Graduation!!

2011-05-18T22:02:00.014-04:00

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Ryan's graduation from Susquehanna University. We started with a delicious dinner at the Lewisburg Inn- Paul III wore his "Uncle Ry" outfit and it seemed that many of our group had on blue!
Let's just say that who got to press the elevator buttons was a very important decision all weekend....Couldn't resist this one of three generations of Paul Wayne Redferns walking down the street...Are we still at the restaurant? Mom and Dad, we're really trying to be on our best behavior... but it's not going to last long....

If you ask the kids, one of the highlights of the weekend (sorry, Uncle Ry!) was the TWO pools at the hotel. As Paul III will describe, "the big one was cold and the little one was warm. I could stand in the small pool on my toes." Note that the very smart adults in the picture, Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan, have coffee and the kids are about ready to jump up and down in excitement!

There was also a race between Paul, Uncle Chris and Paul III:

Uncle Chris- do you mind if I make some international calls? It's so nice of you to loan me your phone. (note- Kaitlyn asked to use Uncle Chris' phone during graduation and proceeded to dig into all of his pants pockets looking for it- even though he told her it was in the car... it was quite a sight- and she figured out that we might have been lying!)It was fun getting everyone ready- fortunately Paul III took some of his grooming into his own hands. He then watched some cartoons in his jacket and tie for at least 30 minutes... he loved his dress up outfit (until it was actually time for the graduation).What are you doing taking our picture, mom?Getting settled in with Nana- note Pop Pop in the right-hand side, the roving photographer for the ceremony. Thanks for keeping me entertained, Uncle Chris!But why face towards the ceremony?!A quick preview of the graduate after he walked in to the ceremony!

Yeah!! It's official!
The kids and I caught a glimpse of Uncle Ry as all of the graduates were processing out of the ceremony.

Ironically we ran right into Uncle Ryan outside within a few minutes as well- very lucky.

Paul has been asking for weeks about the funny hats the graduates have to wear- so he was lucky enough to try on Uncle Ry's!
A nice picture of Uncle Ryan and "Laur Laur" who is also a member of the Class of 2011.Yeah! More congratulations!And I'm done.... ready to pick grass in the corner...

The family pictures begin...
Unfortunately the kids were DONE by this time and we couldn't get a great picture...

Kaitlyn and her godfather and buddy :)
Mom- I made this sign for Uncle Ry but am way too tired to hold it nicely... can't we go to the party yet (we may have hyped up the post-graduation reception a bit too much... thankfully dinner with Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan at Red Robin made up for it!).

What an exciting weekend- we're so proud of Ryan!

Easter Take 2 (long overdue!)

2011-05-09T19:54:00.002-04:00

I finally had a few moments to add some pictures from our Easter trip to NJ a few weeks ago. We had a fun time visiting with our family and had a wonderful time getting to see Paul's cousin Gretchen and her husband Scott and meet their adorable daughter Natalie (who Kaitlyn and Paul talked about for several days after we left!). Before we left for the weekend, Kaitlyn (and Paul) built their Bunny Houses- Kaitlyn was very proud of hers and did ALL of the stickers herself (I don't think I've ever seen her so focused at 6:30 pm!)We also hosted the Smith family for the 2nd year of Easter Egg decorating. Elizabeth and Paul sped through their eggs while Kailtyn and William painted plastic ones. We're still eating the leftovers.... The fun begins with some Play Doh with Nana....Who left the dip near her? (or mommy!)Gretchen, Scott and Natalie Chris and Megan's first Easter as Mr. and Mrs. :)
Kaitlyn and her Pop Pop- they look like they're getting into trouble... ;)
The whole crew! Sorry for the lopsided and not great picture, but it's better than no picture. Paul III, Paul Jr., Kaitlyn, Leigh-Anne, Nana, Chris, Grandma T, Megan, Ryan, Pop Pop, Gretchen, Natalie and Scott. The egg hunting begins on Sunday morning.... the girls had a great time finding the eggs and discovering their contents.

Hooray! We found our baskets!
Lots of fun with Uncle Chris.... MMMM.... what yummy snacks!
Grandma T (or Great Grandma T for Natalie and the kids!), Gretchen and Natalie.
Testing out the goodies from our Easter Baskets from Nana and Pop Pop.

While playing outside, Paul brought over a play stroller to 'guard' the sidewalk... Natalie is beautifully outfitted in a cute Easter outfit and a spare pair of boots :)
Paul testing out Uncle Ryan's old light saber.

Little Paul's first T-Ball Game

2011-05-04T19:45:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday was finally little Paul's first t-ball game. After three games have been rained out (or cancelled due to muddy fields), the excitement was quite high. Coach Paul did a great job keeping his group of 4-year olds focused (as much as possible!) and three innings (every kid got to hit the ball in each inning) and 1 1/2 hours later we were done.... I think Coach Paul and I were the only ones tired out!
Kaitlyn enjoyed playing with the rocks around the field- clearly next time I'll have to bring more for her to do!

Last week was also Little Paul's final swim lesson at the Y until next year- he had a good time and has been showing off his bubble-blowing skills in the bathtub. (not sure who booked swim lessons 2x week, tball practice and tball games in the same month... ;) whoops!

Paul's Birthday, Easter Part 1 and April fun

2011-04-20T20:20:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Paul's 33rd birthday with birthday cake on Sunday evening, a dinner at Friendly's on Monday evening (VERY exciting if you ask Paul III and Kaitlyn), cinnamon rolls at breakfast on Tuesday (his actual birthday) and some well-autographed birthday cards from the kids. The best part of the day may have been when Paul came back into the house from getting the newspaper yesterday morning and both kids yelled out "Happy Birthday Daddy!" from the landing!

We had Easter- Part 1 last weekend at Gram and BB's along with an early birthday celebration for Paul. At one point Paul III tried to make off with daddy's Captain Morgan birthday gift... I believe this happened before...
We had to do our Easter egg hunt inside since the weather was so nice all weekend... (we won't talk about what happened to our downstairs family room thanks to the rain...)

Gram and her buddy Kaitlyn:
Some cute pictures of the kids reading in bed the other night- Kaitlyn loves to snuggle under her covers when she's reading her stories... most of the time she lets you read them to her, too!
During one of the few sunny days, we did get to play oustide and had a blast...

Where did March go?

2011-03-29T21:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay in posts- no good excuse (other than a wonderful trip by Paul and I to Cancun for an almost 2-year delayed 5-year anniversary trip last weekend/week!). The kids have been tons of fun recently and have been playing well together (most of the time!).

We've learned that when you're starting to think that Kaitlyn's been too quiet for too long, your gut is probably right... one day I found her trying to use glue (from a fun leprechaun project- she apparently can reach much farther onto the kitchen table than I thought!) as "lotion" on her face... this weekend we had to let her fabric doll rest in the sun naked since Kaitlyn had used at least 25 of the wipes from her travel diaper bag (on the couch from a grocery store trip) to do an outstanding job of cleaning up the baby's "poopy diaper"... in case you haven't been at our house recently, most of her dolls are naked since they constantly require their diapers to be changed (which, of course, means she has to get on her 'gloves'- just like her teachers do at school for poopy diapers- and clean them up).

Here's our construction crew working on the stairs (which always seem to need to be fixed):

And on your next visit to the doctor's, I'd run the other way if you see her coming to your room....
Kaitlyn has fallen in LOVE with her big girl bed. She seems to really love snuggling under her sheets, and we all admit that it is a very cozy bed. She seems very content to hang out in bed in the morning and we often hear a random song (wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle, etc.) in the morning rather than "Mommy and Daddy, I'm waking up!!":

Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday Pictures

2011-03-06T21:56:00.002-05:00

I'm trying something new- there were so many fun pictures from Kaitlyn's birthday party and weekend with our family, that I made them into an album which you can view..... let me know what you think!

Click here for my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos.

Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday

2011-03-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend celebrating Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday. More pictures to come, but at least for now here she is enjoying "Happy Birthday" (getting ready for her cupcake-shaped cake... made of cupcakes!). She gets really excited at about 0:18 and had so much fun!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kaitlyn!

2011-02-17T21:20:00.005-05:00

Today was Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday... she is recovering from strep throat so it may not have been her best day, but we tried to make it as special as possible. We started with a special breakfast of cinnamon rolls (which her brother enjoyed more than she did) and then Gram came over to play while Paul and I headed to work.Before dinner she got to open some presents.

Her big gift is her new big girl bed (which is in pieces downstairs!) so she opened up the sheets and comforter ("polky dots!") but she quickly tested them out to see if they will be comfy (and rest for a few seconds):

Gram made us some yummy cupcakes which we enjoyed after dinner- Kaitlyn blew out both of her candles without any problem and seemed to really like having Happy Birthday sung to her.

She seems to be feeling a little better as after bath and bedtime tonight, she was talking to herself for a while in bed... a few times we actually heard her singing "happy birthday" to herself :)
Here's a video of her blowing out her candle and our family rendition of "happy birthday"

A January and early February update...

2011-02-12T21:30:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posts- no good excuse, other than enough to do at work and home, a comfy couch (and warm blanket) making it difficult to get downstairs to the computer and enjoying our family time when we're all together.
In case you didn't know, it snowed... and snowed... and then iced over. We've enjoyed as much of it as we can (and continue to be thankful that we bought a snowblower several years ago!) and I'm trying to pass on my love of sledding. Today the kids were 'racing' down the hill on their sleds, so I'm getting there.

We also had a fun visit with Uncle Ryan and Lauren last weekend. There were lots of laughs and it was great to see them. Kaitlyn made them a lot of tea and coffee, and there was a good deal of tickling.

The other weekend the kids and Paul decided do "work" together- unfortunately Paul was at the kitchen table the longest.
The other day Paul and Kaitlyn were both 'reading' on the couch after dinner- and invited Woody to join.

This week is Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday... how quickly those two years have gone by!

Story time with Paul

2011-01-17T20:14:00.002-05:00

Tonight Paul gathered many of his friends for story time on mommy and daddy's bed. There wasn't a full story, but it was really cute.
After story time I was told it was circle (share) time in the living room and then art when I had to color some pictures for him.. and follow his instructions!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T20:45:00.015-05:00

It was a wonderful Christmas! Back to work tomorrow, so here are some long overdue pictures...
"Daddy, can't I please try to sit next to the fire?"
Not sure who is more engaged- if you look closely, you can see little Paul crunched up investigating something in Kaitlyn's new play house!The gang on Christmas Eve....At least for now I can play with it by myself....Paul opening up the introduction to his new bike- a new helmet!How nice of Gram and BB to have a huge basement for me to test out my bike in the winter!Kaitlyn wasn't far behind!Gram and BB opening up their "Moose Lodge" moose glasses... lots of fun.Paul and I opening our gifts from the kids which they picked out at the Gettysburg craft fair.Kaitlyn and Uncle Ryan playing with one of her favorite gifts- a teapot from Uncle Ry! There ha been lots of coffee and tea made, and served, in our house this week.Paul and Uncle Ry playing Candy Land. We're still not sure if they really followed the rules....Bring on Play Doh! Making ice cream cones with Uncle Chris.Opening Kaitlyn's first Cabage Patch baby from Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris (which she is constantly checking to see if it has a 'poopy diaper' so it's often naked!)
Another of Kaitlyn's favorite toys- a shopping cart! She filled it up for several days (especially on Christmas day) with anything she could find... somehow it was empty at this moment.Please note a few things in the following picture... Paul is in his 2nd set of PJ's on Christmas morning (Spider Man PJ's- which he put on in the living room immediately after opening them... yes, he got naked at 11am and changed without a blink of an eye in front of all of us!) as well as the scarf to their snowman decorating kit ... Kaitlyn is wearing a pair of plaid pants and a polka-dot jacket which were also gifts (from Uncle Ryan and Santa)- most gifts had to be put on immediately!Paul's newest Eli Manning Jersey from his Uncles!
Uncle Ryan and Daddy need to go to Lego school- it took a LONG time to put together the Toy Story car!

This is on Christmas Eve- Paul set out cookies for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer. He told us that Rudolph was allowed into our house to keep Santa safe.
We also had a fun visit with Aunt Kerry- which resulted in a long game of Toy Story Memory (thanks, Aunt Katherine) and the building (and playing with) an awesome Lego fire truck.

Christmas- Part One

2010-12-23T09:58:00.009-05:00

We had a fun weekend in NJ last weekend with Nana, PopPop, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Chris, Aunt Megan and Grandma T (or just "teeh," as Kate calls her) to celebrate our "first" Christmas for the season. The kids liked watching at the door and helping PopPop as some of our visitors came and went. The kids opened their presents in under 15 minutes, so we're hoping to delay their warp-speed unwrapping a bit on Christmas morning in 2 days! The kids both 'tried on' some of their new clothes, including pj's for Paul with a red canoe and moose and a cozy purple fleece for Kaitlyn. She also "HAD" to put on her ladybug slippers. Unlike the male Redferns, she enjoyed trying on every item of clothing... Paul III this year opened up some clothes, and in classic Redfern male fashion, handed the box to daddy without much interest!

Who needs presents when you have a box to drive?!Nana and Kaitlyn at dinner.Pop Pop and Paul playing with one of the favorites- a fuzzy, squeezy orange ball.We also got to meet Lauren and Dave Ahlert's adorbable little guy, Logan... he was all smiles during our visit along with Aunt Terri and Uncle Lou. Paul and Uncle Ryan made sure that Uncle Ry's fish was getting some attention too.

The kids also made sure to check out all of the singing and dancing items.

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-13T20:26:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone- yes, we're still here! No excuses for the lack of posts this month.... I may have to do some back-tracking with posts to update Thanksgiving pictures and holiday decorating. Our tree is up (and finally fully decorated- for several days there were only ornaments on the bottom 4 feet or so- within the reach of Kaitlyn and Paul's help). This Saturday we went to a great breakfast with Santa in Gettysburg. The kids seemed to really like it - they were more enamored with the Rudolph who was there. Paul kept asking where the other reindeer where ("watching the sleigh, mommy") and Kaitlyn spent most of the morning pointing to her nose and reminding us that she saw "big nose" at breakfast.Although not the best picture, I have to share it... Paul did give Santa his Christmas list and this is the closest he's gotten so far to Santa (at the College's holiday party last Monday he clung to me and was close enough for me to ask Santa where the reindeer where staying while he was at the party- but no farther) and since he was so scared he made usually-brave Kaitlyn very cautious (note that I am with her in the picture).

Kaitlyn dancing with Santa

2010-11-28T22:03:00.001-05:00

Here's a cool YouTube video some fun at home this afternoon!

Happy 4th Birthday, Paul!

2010-11-07T20:30:00.007-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon and evening celebrating little Paul's fourth birthday. He had several of his own friends over for dinner (and playing and cake), and our house was certainly lively- but we all had tons of fun.

After last year's John Deere tractor cake, this year the Redfern-Cornock baking and decorating crew (Paul, Katherine and myself) created a fire truck cake.... here it is:

Paul was soooooo excited to have his friends come over... he waited, relatively patiently, by the door for them to arrive. Of course Kaitlyn had to come see what he was up to and keep him company (she was a great sport all weekend).

Hanging out in the downstairs play room... (there were fire trucks and firemen to color, foam pumpkins to decorate and eventually "pin the face parts on the pumpkin") The kids (and me who got stuck on the wrong side of the table!) having dinner....The other kids' table- which served wine and beer. (Ryan is actually in one of the kids' fold-up chairs!)Time for cake! He blew out the candle on the 2nd or 3rd try.Looking at the wonderful pictures from Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan's wedding with Aunt Megan and Gram. He was fascinated by them.

Today Paul got to open some of his other presents- and there were many great gifts!! He first opened an awesome remote control train from Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris (and a set of gloves and a hat... which you'll see Kaitlyn took over- and wore for quite a while this morning!).

Kaitlyn also got a hold of Aunt Katherine's blackberry and may have accidentally called 911... we're not sure... she was also able to 'unlock' they keyboard...

A chainsaw from Uncle Ryan and Lauren (to which Kaitlyn yelled "yeah, Paul" since he was so happy- and had to get her goggles since Paul had gotten work goggles!). Some great building sets and a 'town road map' from Aunt Katherine- they built the police station together:

Relaxing with Daddy while watching some football.
Playing outside tonight... while Paul trimmed some of our front bushes..

And since neither of the kids understood the concept of daylight savings time this morning and woke up bright and early, it's time for bed! More to come from the official birthday on Tuesday.

Happy Halloween 2010!

2010-10-31T20:44:00.007-04:00

What a fun night! After MUCH anticipation tonight was trick-or-treating and Halloween for our family... little Paul tried to explain to me tonight that his un-stellar behavior this morning (and fantastic behavior tonight) was due to being soooo excited for trick or treating (and sad that we couldn't do it in the morning)... hmm...he's either very honest or smarter than we think!
We got the kids treat bags from Pottery Barn Kids- too hard to resist this year since they had ones which matched their costumes. Kaitlyn figured out what to do with it a bit quicker....
Either way, we showed up at Gram and BB's by 4pm ready to trick or treat....and managed to successfully pass the time by having dinner, playing outside and then getting ready by 6pm to head out.
Our ghost and cupcake:

Paul and Kate checking out Gram and BB's candy supply to make sure that they have enough.
Can you tell they're excited?
And they're off!

At the first house:

At the second house Kaitlyn hadn't yet gotten the concept of trick-or-treating and figured why not play with the big rock (don't worry, she figured it out.... "trich tree")
We ended up being out for about 30 minutes, and that seemed to be plenty for our gang (no complaints from those of us starting to get cold!). Then back to the house for a treat.
After a busy night, Paul and BB had an intellectual conversation about the 'new' leantoo at Raquette Lake and how it was built.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Now onto celebrating Paul's 4th birthday in 9 days....

Pre-halloween activities and silliness around the house

2010-10-31T09:28:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday we went with Gram to the Growing Place's Fall Festival- it was lots of fun for the kids to see all of their friends from "school" in costume. Gram even won the pumpkins that both kid's classrooms decorated for a silent auction.In case you can't tall, Paul is a ghost and Kaitlyn is a cupcake this year!

Although it took a while for Paul to warm up to all the activity, he and his friend Elizabeth, who was a great Dorothy, ended up playing for a bit (after he found the masks to play with at one of the stations).
Paul checking out his "Paul" side of the pumpkin at night:
Kaitlyn checking out her side of the pumpkin:
The other day the kids somehow got a hold of their goggles and decided to wear them around the house for a while!

My favorite part of this pictures may actually be the beautiful fall trees outside our front window.

Pumpkins and Football

2010-10-24T20:17:00.007-04:00

We had a great day today- pumpkin carving (and painting) with Uncle Ryan and Lauren, and finished with some football watching in bed with daddy and Uncle Ryan. Kaitlyn LOVED painting her pumpkin.... she painted and dug at her pumpkin's "guts" for over an hour. In the process, she also painted herself a few times!
She had pumpkin parts EVERYWHERE, including aobut 10 pumpkin seeds on her bottom.
Paul was more serious in his work and eventually wrote his name on his pumpkin.

He and Lauren also had some fun with the leftover carvings from some of the pumpkins.Then we played outside for a bit... and Kaitlyn of course had to play with the pumpkins some more. She figured if she likes going down the slide, so would the pumpkin.

Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan are MARRIED!!!!

2010-10-17T21:55:00.004-04:00

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend in NJ celebrating Chris and Megan's wedding (Friday, October 15th). Despite a chilly, windy day on Friday, it was a magical day- and we were so happy to be a part of it!
More pictures to come (fatigue and very slow internet aren't on my side tonight!) but here's a quick preview of the flower girl and ring bearer who were very excited for their 'jobs' at the wedding. Paul carefully walked the 'rings' (or at least a pillow!) up the aisle and Kaitlyn pretty much ran/bounced/smiled the whole way down.

As well as the Redfern family of four
And the larger family, including the 'newest' Mrs. Redfern!

Where did September go?

2010-09-27T21:45:00.007-04:00

Somehow it has been almost three weeks since our last post... where did this month go? I'll try to recap, although both Paul and I feel that the first few weeks of school when you work on a college campus move at warp speed (the fact that I have a new job and that he has some new responsibilities adds up as well). And thanks to all the pictures we took this summer (which I at least now have printed), combined with a few very busy weeks, I haven't cleaned off our THREE camera cards- and therefore haven't taken many pictures.

Paul traveled to NJ for Grandma Turchette's 100th birthday on Sept 11th (yes, quite a milestone!)- here's the video from her birthday cake at dinner at Forest Hill:

Our whole family went this past weekend to NJ as a belated birthday trip (little Paul and I were sick for the official birthday trip). This weekend I also got to celebrate with Chris' fiancee Megan at her bachelorette party (including Aunt Katherine), which ended with a 5K race on Sunday morning- and even squeezed in a quick visit to see Chrissy and Lyla in NYC. Here we are after the 5k race and with Grandma before leaving:
Unfortunately Kaitlyn sandwiched our trip with sickness- throwing up on the way to NJ Friday afternoon (I had been meaning to wash her car seat cover anyway...) and then fever on the way home yesterday (and a sinus infection at the dr's today).

Kaitlyn and Paul continue to find ways to make us smile each day (or at least most days!). They seem to be developing a very special bond as Paul protects Kaitlyn ("Kaitlyn, don't forget your coat- it's chilly out today") and also makes sure that she knows the rules ("Kate, we don't put our feet on the table"... somehow in my tone of voice!). Tonight they were both hiding under a blanket while sitting on their chairs and totally cracking each other up (a good time for a picture, right... yeah... none taken).

As Paul's 4th birthday approaches, he is very proud that he will be four and "soon" will get to go to kindergarten (soon being fall 2012). And then proceeds to tell us that when he's in 2nd grade Kaitlyn will be in kindergarten since he's older... and that she will be sad that he won't be at the Growing Place anymore when he's in kindergarten (apparently Kaitlyn wants to try and play on the 'big kid' preschool playground rather than the toddler playground at daycare- Paul always tells us when he sees her outside at "school").

Kaitlyn continues to be a ball of energy and smiles... with a little smirk on the side. She's picking up new words every day, including "moohseey" today. She is a big fan of "uh oh" and "oh my" and wakes up in the morning and will walk around saying "Paul... Paul" until she finds him. She has a great confidence (which isn't great when you tell her she can't climb up the 20' tall slide at the playground) and will say hello to anyone or anything.

I did get a few pictures recently:
The kids reading in their chairs by the window
Relaxing with Gram during her quick visit to PA last week
Paul 'practicing' wearing his dress shoes for Uncle Chris' wedding (we've encouraged him not to wear white socks with his tuxedo on the big day!):

Hopefully there will be more posts in October!

Kate Sings

2010-09-06T22:18:00.001-04:00

Fun with Aunt Kerry

2010-08-30T21:24:00.004-04:00

Also a part of the birthday fun was a visit from Aunt Kerry. Despite the sadness which ensued after her departure (from the kids as well as from me!), we had a great visit. She even tried to get Paul to practice his 'big arms' as we swam in our neighbors pool, but I think his big swimming debut will have to wait until next summer.
Showing off their serious play doh creation from the "hamburger builder":
There was a serious sleeping bag tent/fort/play area/nap area created yesterday morning in which we were all "going to bed" and playing.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

2010-08-30T21:09:00.004-04:00

Last week we celebrated my 32nd birthday. As it was a busy week for Paul and I at work requiring us to have some night commitments, we celebrated "early" last weekend with cake and ice cream.... but my 'cake' was actually a series of cupcakes arranged (and iced) to look like an ice cream cone!

We also went out for a pre-birthday dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, although Paul seemed to be confused why I didn't pick Friendly's... the obvious choice of where to celebrate your birthday.

Vacation: Stage 2

2010-08-11T14:36:00.007-04:00

The weather in Sunapee, NH, has been wonderful- lots of sunshine (even to the point that it was too hot for me to spend all of nap time in the lawnchair in the backyard!) and we've been having a great time. Uncle Ryan and Lauren headed home today (to lots of waves from Kaitlyn and pouting from little Paul) and it was so fun spending time with them.
Lots of bike fixing and riding:
Paul has been the pilot for lots of "airplane rides"- Nana is a great co-pilot and Pop Pop is the 'tower' to clear them for landing:
We've also spent a lot of time at the beach, mostly playing in the sand. Both kids will get in the water to play a bit, but Kaitlyn would much rather sit in a big hole in the beach, dug by Paul:

Paul gave a few haircuts as well:
A family picture before Uncle Ryan and Lauren headed out:

Vacation: Stage 1

2010-08-08T14:54:00.009-04:00

Just like the Tour de France has many stages, we are taking a three-stage vacation this August. We spent the first stage of our August vacation at Raquette Lake, NY, with Gram and BB Bennett. The weather was great, so we did lots of swimming and boating.
We had a picnic lunch at Mr. Levi's golf course one day which, of course, included lots of rides on the golf carts:
Kaitlyn's tree at the Moose Lodge Chip and Putt- attempting to get a picture of her with the tree took three adults- eventually "Kaitlyn, put some dirt in the tree" got her near it (as she has spent most of her time in the lake or near sand digging and playing with dirt):
Paul's tree has gotten REALLY big:
Having a fun cookout at the leantoo with Paul and Kaitlyn's cousins Bruton and Avery who were visiting from Charlotte, NC:
Paul set up a "library" where he would have circle and story time, thanks to some of the great books he got from the Raquette Lake library on a bumpy boat ride with Gram:
A beautiful sunrise on our final morning (I was the only one awake to capture this picture):
Followed a few hours later by a pretty good family picture:

My new big chair, by Kaitlyn

2010-07-28T22:12:00.003-04:00

Earlier this month Kaitlyn moved from her high chair into a booster seat. She LOVES it and seems quite proud to be able to eat with the 'adults'.
Once she is done eating, she likes to 'talk' to her friends on her placemat (not in this picture), so Elmo and his buddies often get pointed out to us (for right now most of them are 'ehmoah').

Cooking with Paul and Paul III

2010-07-28T22:05:00.002-04:00

This past weekend daddy made one of his favorite meals- whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, spinach, white wine and garlic.... mmmm......

Paul III helped, as he often likes to do and was very proud to help stir.

Fourth of July vacation at Raquette Lake

2010-07-18T20:25:00.007-04:00

Although a week late, here are some of our memories from a great, but hot, week at Raquette Lake around the 4th of July. The lake water was 79 degrees during our trip, which prompted an afternoon float almost every day- some days it included Gram and even Aunt Susan- who never gets in the lake prior to August!
Lots of time in the lake... and the sand... and the mud...

Singing "Wheels on the Bus" with Gram on the porch:
An attempt at a family picture during the 4th of July picnic at Green Point: And a few seconds later... Relaxing on a boat cruise: Kaitlyn loved driving the boat (no surprise) and wanted to try and steer it herself. Paul drove our couch (his boat, which has bumpers, ropes, a throtle and steering wheel) from town to the house, loads up his gator with "groceries" (every toy in the living room shoved into grocery store bags) and repeated this trip several times today.
Paul and Paul III on our golfing adventure- to a '9' hole course built by one of my parents' neihbors... clubhouse, golf carts and all!
Kaitlyn 'helping' to get the water jugs ready for a trip to the spring (she played with these all the time... and got "good" at taking off their tops!)

Paul III and Kaitlyn showing off their bellies, which got so prevalent that I intentionally dressed Kaitlyn in onesie-style outfits for the first few days at daycare since she is so proud of showing off her belly (or more so that she can say it!).
Uh oh- BB's going to put masking tape on our bellies- watch out!

Video of Kate driving the Boat on Raquette Lake

2010-07-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

Here is the first of many memories of a very hot week at Raquette Lake:

We were on a boat ride to get ice cream in town after dinner on Thursday night.. mmm... Paul got strawberry, Kaitlyn got vanilla, and I learned that trying to hold your own cone of cookie dough is very tough when your one-year old is running away from you towards the dock!

2010-06-27T11:19:00.002-04:00

We had another fun morning in the pool and backyard- but were inside by 11 am as it was just way too hot! The 'waterslide' was a hit yet again:

Cooking with Kaitlyn

2010-06-24T20:28:00.004-04:00

While the Paul and Paul III were getting ice cream tonight (at a place about 10 minutes north of us- the 'local' ice cream place is for sale!), Kaitlyn was doing some cooking.
I'm not sure what she was making, but she loves to use our old spices to flavor things... including my toes. Fortunately the chili powder container she was using to cook was well cleaned!

Happy Father's Day (a few days late!)

2010-06-22T21:20:00.004-04:00

We had a great father's day (Paul and I have determined that mother's day and father's day may actually be more fun than our birthdays!), starting with "DAD" pancakes, thanks to Paul and Kaitlyn.

We were treated to a father's day dinner by Gram- she brought all of the fixings for a yummy dinner of steak, potatoes and salad. Although her apple pie may have been the best part!
We caught some silly pictures during the afternoon as well, including Kaitlyn trying on Gram's shoes:
An attempt at both grandchildren "sitting still"- note Paul trying to hug or keep Kaitlyn from wiggling away:

A day at the "pool"

2010-06-13T12:23:00.004-04:00

We spent our morning playing outside in the 'big' 3-ring pool and enjoying the warm day. It was hard to get pictures of Paul since he was always on the move.
Kaitlyn and Paul driving around the back porch.
Playing in the 'sand' table, which quickly became a swamp of 'ooey gooey sand', thanks to Paul.
Chilling in the big chairs just like mommy and daddy.
Why play in the pool when you can dump water into it?

Roller Derby Kate

2010-06-12T17:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday morning daddy got Kaitlyn dressed and got a few good laughs at the outfit I had picked out for her. I'm learning that little girl clothes are often cut much slimmer and tighter than the same 'size' in little boys... so Kaitlyn's 'roller derby' shorts, although a 12 mos. size, would have been better when she was fitting into 6 mos. shorts!
Paul kept trying to figure out how we could pretend to put roller skates on her all day.

Memorial Day at Raquette Lake

2010-06-02T21:38:00.004-04:00

We decided to take a 'quick' four day trip to Raquette Lake, departing at 7am on Friday and returning around 5:30 Monday evening. Despite almost 17 hours of traveling in the car, it was a great weekend.
Many of us provided a great meal for the black flies- they were TERRIBLE. Even though the weather was outstanding and very warm- even when compared with summer weather in the Adirondacks- we almost didn't want to go outside... but we did anyway, and you can still see our bug bites to prove it!
Paul was thrilled to be in the boat again, and was in the driver's seat with BB within a few minutes of our arrival on Friday:
Kaitlyn and Paul relaxing on their chairs on the porch (while waiting to get attacked by the bugs!):
Kaitlyn was more relaxed in the boat ride on the way back to town on Monday, but was very apprehensive on Friday:
There were ALOT of rides in the John Deere Gator:
Paul (and Kaitlyn) set up a kitchen inside- and made many yummy meals of chili, hamburgers, pork, macaroni and cheese and more...:
Paul riding in an old toy dump truck- at one point Kaitlyn was chasing him around as he did laps around the kitchen table:
One of my favorite series of pictures was when Kaitlyn got her hands on daddy's beer while he was grilling.... make sure check out her wailing in the 2nd picture when we took it away:

You know something is wrong when...

2010-05-24T21:45:00.005-04:00

1. Paul Jr.: You pull into the driveway at 6:30pm (after picking up your daughter's medicine for croup, a fever-cough combo) and there is an empty Troegs box covering the septic sand mound pvc pipe which your wife ran over with the mower on Saturday....clearly her attempts to repair it are not going well.

2. Leigh Anne: You have to make a second trip to Home Depot in two days to get parts associated with the problem in #1 during which the nice young man helping you purchase the correct pieces of pvc pipe suggests that you also buy an orange flag so that you don't mow over the pvc pipe cover next time. The picture below was taken on the first outing to Home Depot:
3. Paul III: Mommy says it's okay to make cookies for the third straight night.... she must be tired, but this is great!

4. Kaitlyn: I got to stay home with mommy today and daddy's my buddy tomorrow, but I didn't really feel all that great... talk about a waste of a day home to play all by myself!

PS- Kaitlyn has some medicine to help her cough and hopefully help her sleep better tonight, and we'll see if her fever decides to go away after two days tomorrow. And the pvc pipe problem was repaired tonight once we pried open the sealant container- which left me with at least one blister and two bruised hands.

Chillin' on the Couch

2010-05-13T20:33:00.003-04:00

Kaitlyn will sometimes wander over to the couch and reach "up" (with some "uhp uhp" sounds to correspond) to indicate that she wants to hang out on the couch- just like mommy and daddy do with their books or magazines (which we don't get to do very often!).

And although her big brother doesn't seem to enjoy the 'sitting still' concept very much, we enjoy every minute in which one of them insn't moving at full speed!

Watermelon and a Backpack

2010-05-11T21:05:00.003-04:00

Mother's day went by very quickly for all of us, and the only picture we got from the day was of Paul III gearing up for our mother's day 'cake'- a watermelon cake! We had a great family breakfast at Perkins (mommy's choice- no cooking or clean up!) and then daddy made a salmon (yuck!), chicken, tortellini and green bean dinner for two "Bennett" moms- Gram and I.
We also got some laughs as Kaitlyn proudly walked around with Paul's new backpack...

It's May already?

2010-05-06T12:21:00.005-04:00

Somehow the past few weeks have flown by in our family, and we're all excited that late spring (and summer!) are ahead of us. Both Paul and I have been very busy at work and our time at home in the evenings and on the weekends has seemed too short to get everything done.
A few pictures to catch up on life at the Redferns...
Enjoying the leftover birthday cake from daddy's 32nd birthday (yes, that was April 17th, so this is an old picture).
Paul pleaded for a 'vacuum' he can use (apparently the big one we got with hepa filters for his dust allergy is cool, but too big for him)- he was way too excited about this purchase! Kaitlyn also seems to like to model whatever behavior (good and bad!) she sees, including helping me to clean up after dinner:
Kaitlyn is also finally feeling better after about 4 days of fever, then 2 days of crankiness and eventually a rash- which apparently also comes with body aches, so she's finally back to about 90% today.

Fun in the sun...

2010-04-14T20:53:00.005-04:00

This past weekend Paul and Kaitlyn had a great time playing oustide- especially with the red fire truck, which Kaitlyn has figured out how to get off and on of (at least some of the time!).

I was also able to pull Kaitlyn's hair (which is very fine) into a small ponytail- which she pulled out every time within a few minutes.
This picture seems to be one I have alot of... Kaitlyn reaching for the camera when she sees me taking a picture:
And, Kaitlyn was just hanging out in the grass after too many rides....

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T20:54:00.008-04:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We had a great weekend- and couldn't believe how sunny and warm it was!

We hadn't even gotten all the way into Gram and BB's driveway on Friday afternoon when Paul spotted the first egg- and he's off:
His shorts are almost falling down since he was running so quickly to get this egg:
The Kaitlyn dance- it involves flapping your arms up and down as if you were trying to fly:
Why hunt for eggs when I can play with mulch?
Oh- wow- there's something in the eggs!
Why hunt for eggs when I can play with a hose? About 10 minutes later Kaitlyn was drenched, Gram got squirted across her legs and we were all laughing quite a bit.
Checking out the Cheerios from the eggs:
Paul III intensely preparing for easter egg decorating- with his favorite tools... scissors and tape:
Decorating easter eggs with Elizabeth Smith on Saturday morning (note in the 2nd picture that their hands have also been "decorated"):
Reading daddy's favorite childhood book with Nana on Saturday:
Making some phone calls with Pop Pop on Saturday:
Buidling the 'boat' the easter bunny gave him (7:15am on Sunday!):
Daddy and Kaitlyn enjoying their lamb chops together Sunday evening at our house:
Trouble.... need I say more?
"No mom, I wasn't trying to reach the plate of food on my own, just like my older brother."
Kaitlyn and Aunt Char checking out another egg:
Paul relaxing after a busy, busy weekend (with his cool Cars slippers!):

Lots of silliness..

2010-03-28T15:11:00.004-04:00

There have been a few silly-heads in our house recently...
Kaitlyn hanging out with daddy and BB (and then dancing a bit)- note that she's only halfway dressed as it was almost bedtime:
Paul showing off his new haircut from "Mommy's Barbershop" (as well as the entire side of a chicken nugget he covered with ketchup- eeww!):
Daddy and Kate sporting some shades last week:
Paul and Brian Sowers 'making sandwiches' during their visit:

Let the tournament begin...

2010-03-17T22:02:00.002-04:00

Paul III and I picked his teams tonight... his methodology was very scientific and not nearly as well-researched as BB's (which apparently has some type of numerical ranking I couldn't determine).

Flying butterflies, tonisilits, a new chair, a trip to Hershey and a bulging disc

2010-03-16T19:53:00.005-04:00

It has been quite a crazy two weeks in our house. I have a little game of multiple choice for you to try and guess which of our family members match the pictures/scenarios.
A- Paul Jr, B- Leigh Anne, C- Paul III, D- Kaitlyn
1. I not only traveled to Hershey for a conference, but also stayed at the Hershey Hotel. While I was gone, this is what Paul III got to eat with the other parent.

2. After climbing in my sibling's cool chair ALOT, mommy and daddy got me my own. But I like to sit in my brother's anyway.
3. This weekend was a lot of fun as Nana and Pop Pop and then Uncle Ryan and Lauren came to visit. One of the hits of the weekend was "Elefun"- a game which shoots little butterflies out an elephant's trunk and you use nets to catch them. Guess who liked this game?
4. A nice fever brought me to the dr's office for tonsilitis... which took several days to kick. My sibling even got to come back with me for a re-check four days later since I was still quite miserable (but am doing much better now!)
5. I squatted down to pick a fuzzy off the floor a week and a half ago so Kaitlyn wouldn't eat it, felt a horrible tweaking sensation in my lower back and ended up not being able to stand, sit or move (until some dear friends took me to the ER where I got some great medicines!). My loving husband also captured it on film- once he got me to the couch (thanks....). I was all dressed for a jog on a sunny Saturday.... in running tights and top which are a few years old (and okay to wear when no one sees you!).
Correct Answers: 1- A:Paul Jr., 2- D:Kaitlyn, 3- A-D:All of us, 4- D:Kaitlyn, 5- B:Leigh Anne

Young Daddy Paul

2010-03-06T13:54:00.003-05:00

Do you remember this picture?

See Paul do the Pop Pop Dance

2010-02-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

Drawing together, being silly and ear update

2010-02-25T21:14:00.005-05:00

I took this fun picture last weekend of both kids working on their own drawings. Kaitlyn seems to really like to use crayons (and keeps them out of her mouth most of the time!) so I strapped our extra booster seat to Paul's table in our playroom- it was perfect! You can tell in the last picture that Kaitlyn, thanks to at least one bottom tooth, a possible top tooth and probably a molar (or two?) is a bit under the "teething" spell.

Tonight Paul had quite a fun time running around the house after he donned these "silly glasses" which happened to be lying around (they're from halloween- possibly last year!.
And to wrap up little Paul's ear surgery, everything went well with his procedure on February 12th. He has tubes in both ears, his adenoid was removed- again (apparently it can grow back), the doctor cleaned out a lot of gunk from his ears/nose, and he tested positive for some allergies (including dust, so we've vacuumed his room quite a bit and have gotten him special bed covers, etc.) which we'll find out more about next week at his follow up. He recovered "quickly" but was tired for a few days.
He thought the whole experience was pretty cool- he got to drive in the car before the sun came up (we were at the hospital by 6:20am), stay in his PJ's until surgery time, eat as many popsicles, graham crackers and juice as he wanted after surgery (we knew he was feeling better when the "why" questions returned about 10 minutes after we were reunited) and is still asking why his ENT doctor (who he knows by name since we see him so often) didn't have a tie on that day.

Happy 1st Birthday, Kaitlyn!

2010-02-17T21:05:00.007-05:00

A year ago this evening, Kaitlyn Anne entered the world- and our lives have never been the same. She is full of smiles and has brought even more love into our house (as well as a few grey hairs onto my head!).
We had a wonderful birthday party on Sunday for her. Paul and I commented to each other that it was so special to be able to watch her enjoy everyone's company and see Paul III's total love for his little sister. He picked out a barn shape/animal sorter for her last Thursday and waited very patiently (as patiently as a 3-year old can!) to give it to her... he lasted until first thing Sunday morning, so at least he made it to the day of her birthday party- not the good morning hair on P3:
A few highlights from the birthday celebration...
Relaxing with mom before the big event:
Getting ready to open some presents:

The four of us:
The party gang:
Kaitlyn's first cake- she loved it... and was digging in her high chair for the pieces she spilled (not that she's shoving it in her mouth while daddy is cutting the second piece):
Where'd it go?:
Aunt Katherine got Kate a ball popper- a HUGE hit (for young and old- make sure you check out Paul III's face on the one picture):
Trying on some new clothes:
And modeling many of her new items: Playing with Godmother Aunt Katherine:
Being silly with Pop Pop:

Tonight we went to Friendly's with Gram for a birthday dinner- during which Kaitlyn stole 3 french fries by reaching over to Gram's plate... which Paul III joked was 'not good manners.'

Did you know it snowed?

2010-02-07T20:19:00.004-05:00

If you haven't turned on a TV in the past week, you may not have known that a huge snowstorm hit us friday night into Saturday afternoon. We woke up on Saturday morning to about 18-24 inches of snow, depending where you measured. Needless to say, much of our weekend was spent playing outside (and watching Paul with the snowblower and thinking over and over that it was one of our best purchases ever!).
The beginning of our snowman, made Friday night when we got home from work (although we had to dig him out on Saturday!):
Kaitlyn's first outing (note that Paul III is in the background shoveling... which is what he did almost all weekend!):
Paul III had just a few inches on the snowfall, but not much:
Having a snack while helping daddy clear off the back porch- we need to be able to grill, right?:
Kaitlyn getting "into" the snow:
And recovering:
Playing with mom- yes, Paul III is still shoveling in the background:

Lots of Peek-A-Boo

2010-02-02T20:49:00.004-05:00

One of Kaitlyn's favorite games continues to be Peekaboo- she even tries to play by herself with a blanket, sheet, bib, hat... whatever is near her.
The other night at dinner Paul and Kaitlyn had their own game of peekaboo with napkins.

A picture by Paul- my sneakers- and tubes #2

2010-01-28T19:08:00.007-05:00

From Paul III- "This is my shoes in the car. I was sitting in my seat. I took a picture of them because you were driving to the ear doctor."
For those who have followed Paul's ear sagas, we have another chapter- at our every-3-month visit to the ENT this morning there was still a good amount of fluid in Paul's left ear and some in his right. For the past year or so we've watched as the fluid seems to have alternated between his left and right ears. One visit, the left would have some fluid; then three months later it was the right with a little bit in the left.
So he'll be headed to surgery for 2nd round of ear tubes on Friday, February 12, which is something we're not necessarily excited about but know it's in his best interest to prevent any long-term hearing problems. They're also going to give him about 20 pricks for allergy test while he's "under" to see if there is an underlying allergy which is causing his body to produce extra fluid, which is then getting trapped in his ear canal(s). The doctor told me that about 10% of children need a 2nd set of tubes, and he's felt all along that Paul might fall into that category.

An Ice Cream Picnic with Paul and Kaitlyn

2010-01-28T18:58:00.002-05:00

One of our recent family events has been periodic "ice cream picnics"- usually Paul, Daddy and I sitting on a "picnic blanket" in the living room eating a small amount of ice cream after Kaitlyn is in bed (this has been the big treat for Paul as he continues to have great success with his potty use).
Last night we decided to involve Kaitlyn in the ice cream picnic- it was her first taste of ice cream and she was quite shocked by the cold treat:

(sorry for the delay in posts- it's been a busy few days in our house).

A weekend with Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan

2010-01-17T20:31:00.006-05:00

We had a really great weekend- Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan arrived Friday night and left this afternoon after watching a bit of the Dallas game (sorry, Uncle Ry!).
Paul and Uncle Chris made some banana bread on Saturday morning:

There was some baseball playing (the sun finally came out and it was above freezing!):

I think we can all agree that this interchange involved something with "Uncle Chris, why.... why... why...":
And then some football:
The two buddies hanging out:
Some play doh playing this morning (the kids were too focused to even think about the camera):
Sorry Uncle Chris, the play doh head decoration was too good to pass up...
Kaitlyn is not only walking (she's taken several 5-8 step 'tours' of the house) but is also walking on the kitchen table:
And the best picture of the weekend- daddy and Uncle Chris both in the tent... note that neither of them are fully in the tent (I think little Paul was in it at the time):

The Birthday folks- inluding BB's 70th!

2010-01-12T20:34:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Gram's 68th birthday, Aunt Char's birthday and BB's 70th birthday. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey cooked by Paul and it almost seemed like Thanksgiving- but with happy birthday plates for the dessert.
A "70" cupcake arrangement (thanks, Gram, for the idea):

BB opening his scrapbook- with memories from about 30 friends and family (he stayed up until 11:30 Saturday night reading it!):

Paul pretending to use little Paul's fireman axe to cut the turkey (be sure to check out little Paul's hand reaching up to try and "help"):

My favorite quote from the night was when, since he didn't have his reading glasses, BB couldn't read little Paul's new "Bob (the Builder)'s birthday" book... so Paul asked: "BB, why can't you read?"

Looking at the great pictures in "This is your life, Bob Bennett" by Gram (pictures from all 70 years!):

Christmas 2009 Video

2010-01-05T06:56:00.000-05:00

Christmas went quickly- it's almost 2010!

2009-12-31T09:57:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful holiday as all of our family was visiting with us at one point or another this Christmas. We hosted a big Christmas Eve dinner with Gram and BB, Aunt Char and Uncle Charles, Nana and Pop Pop and Uncle Ryan. Christmas day we opened presents at home in the morning with Uncle Ryan, Nana and Pop Pop and then hosted Christmas Day dinner after Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan arrived- no pictures of that one as the beef tenderloin was way too yummy (and we didn't eat until 9pm!).
Kaitlyn getting into the "spirit" of things:
Hooray- an almost good picture of the four of us:
Christmas Eve group picture:

Kaitlyn's first Christmas:

Three generations of Paul Wayne Redferns:

The kids actually did a good job opening their presents... although Kaitlyn didn't have a lot of interest in anything unless it came with tissue paper:

Uncle Ryan "decorating" Kate:

Paul getting ready to have fun with Uncle Chris in his tent:

Hanging out the day after Christmas:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2009-12-21T20:35:00.003-05:00

We began celebrating Christmas this weekend with some visits from Gram and BB (as well as lots of snow- pictures to come soon!) and the kids had a ball.
Paul testing out some new Santa PJ's:
Paul testing out a new outfit for Kaitlyn to see if it will fit her:
Kaitlyn trying to help open Paul's present:
Paul and Kaitlyn have their own kitchen- so far Paul has made me an apple pie, delegated Kaitlyn to washing dishes since she can easily reach the sink and has served me a glass of milk which he warmed up in his microwave. mmm mmm.

Wrapping paper is the best gift

2009-12-21T20:32:00.007-05:00

If anyone is thinking about actually purchasing a gift for Kaitlyn this year, it's not needed. After two exposures to presents, all she needs is wrapping paper and some tissue paper to keep herself happy!
Her first "trial run" on Friday night:
Ah ha- this stuff is great!
Testing out an even bigger piece on Sunday night:Where'd she go?
If bored, she'll just try to wedge herself into a toy container.
And if you don't have wrapping paper, just get out the camera and see how quickly she crawls over...
Note my left sleeve which is being grabbed by a little hand trying to get at the camera:
And if she's really bored, she'll try to get the wine out of the fridge (somehow her brother, who now can get the milk off the same shelf, isn't interested in playing around in the fridge...)

I only want to use the big ones...

2009-12-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

Paul and i just finished making some "Christmas trees" which we decorated with pom-poms (he will probably call them our "pom pom's"). Interestingly enough, he only wanted to use the largest size ones for the 'lights' on his trees. He also made some big piles of glue- primarily in the middle of the trees.
At some point he thought he needed to call BB for advice on making his trees.
You can see that my trees were made with the little lights... and his had the big ones.

Christmas Tree Hunt 2009

2009-12-08T20:28:00.005-05:00

On Sunday morning we all headed out to get our Christmas Tree. The beauty of living in the middle of nowhere is that you can cut your own Christmas Tree about a mile and a half from your house- which is what we did!
Headed out to pick our tree:
Let's go that way: Here it is!
Paul was very interested in watching how daddy cut down the tree:
Kate and I overseeing the tree effort:
Kate seeing the tree in the house for the first time and wondering what it's for:
Our little helper getting the ornaments ready:
Paul helping daddy to hang up some ornaments "way up high" (his job was to hold onto Daddy):
And, although blurry, a cute picture:

Standing..1...2....3

2009-12-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

On Monday night Kaitlyn (after stealing one of daddy's slippers...why she chose that I have no idea!) ended up standing up on her own for a few seconds....
And she's off....
"cool, a slipper"

"whoa- mom, look at me- no hands!"

Jingle Bells 2009

2009-12-02T18:55:00.001-05:00

The Holidays Are Here....

2009-12-01T21:30:00.004-05:00

How can you tell? Other than the Griswold-esque amount of lights I have outside our house (just wait until next year when the 20 small white pines on the top of the hill are big enough for lights!).
Paul III and Paul watched our Christmas 'movie' from last year three times in a row (at least!) Sunday night on daddy's "puter":
Our Christmas stockings got hung up last night (Kaitlyn's will be here soon!):

"Playing" Together

2009-12-01T21:17:00.005-05:00

Paul and Kaitlyn have been having a lot of fun 'playing' together recently. Here they are up to a few recent antics.
Playing together in the 'ball pit' (mommy didn't let Paul get out the big ball pit to play with Kate, so we used her one-ring pool instead- the entire downstairs room was covered with the balls within a few minutes!):

Kaitlyn trying to hunt down Paul for a few tickles (translation: she climbs all over him):
Getting some blocks ready to build something:
Kaitlyn has also done a good job of stealing Paul's gloves off his hands in the car when he reaches over to say on the way to work/daycare. And when she drops her cube toy between their seats, Paul gets it for her... which they did about 5 times one morning!