New Discovery

Ok, the new discovery isn't something really new, but it is new to me.  My new discovery is pizza on the grill.  It is fantastic.  It all kind of depends on where the pizza is from, the better the pizza quality the better results.  These three pieces are from Walmart and they were pretty darn good.  I also warmed up pizza from Pizza Al's in Morgantown and it was amazing. 

I know this isn't a blog about the girls and some of you readers will probably make smart comments about how this post sucks....blah, blah, blah....their post is to follow soon...so for now fire up you grill and warm up some pizza and check back tomorrow for a post about the cutest little girls in West Virginia.

Summer Park Tour: Park Nine

Our tour continues with another trip to a park.  This time we visited Veterans Park in Clarksburg.  The girls really enjoyed the visit and they were excited about the interesting and different park equipment.  Overall, this was a great park.  I would give it 4 swings out of 5.  The only thing separating it from receiving a 5 swing rating is the lack of shade directly over the park.  Other then that, I have no complaints and the girls once again had a blast.  Enjoy!

Here is an overall picture of the park...pretty impressive

This is a cool climbing object that looks like a fish

This is the inside of the fish...

...I like how it looks like scales on the inside

Charlotte having a go at it

Hello? Is anyone home?

Is it me or does Drea's head seem like it is in the wrong place?

I told Char I wanted to take her picture...instant pose

This slide was pretty tall, Drea went on it several times...however, Char didn't.

Drea turning the wheel

These two things were pretty cool...the equipment, okay the girls, too

T-bird crossing a bridge

My little monkey climbing the wall...

...now the chain ladder

Charlotte's turn

Bye, Hope you enjoyed our trip to the Park!

Bedtime Snack

Drea, Lilly, and Charlotte (sleeping).  Drea and Lilly having a bedtime snack.

On occasion the girls will ask for a snack while we read books at bedtime.  We try not to give them one because the feeling is they are just trying to do something to stay up later and not fall asleep.  So last night Drea says to me, "Daddy, I am really hungry can I have a snack?"  I told her,  "Look, Drea it's late, it's time for bed."  Drea proceeded to beg and plead with me about having a snack.  Again, I told her it was late and we had already read books and said our prayers and it was time for bed.  Of course the waterworks started and then she fell asleep. 

Fast forward to 5:30am this morning and someone tapped me on the shoulder, "Daddy, can I have a snack now?"  I told her to just wait a minute and I would get her one. I was thinking she would fall back asleep.  Nope.  Every five minutes she woke me up and asked for a snack.  Finally, I gave in and agreed to get her a snack.  I figured I could give her some crackers and she would go back to sleep.  Nope.  She wanted me to peel an apple and cut it in slices.  So there I was at 5:45am peeling an apple and slicing it up.  Do you want to know why?  BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO BACK TO SLEEP!  Guess what it worked.  She ate her apple and then she told me she was going to close her eyes for a little while and slept until 9am.  I guess I learned something, next time she gets the snack because sleep wins every time.

The Girls

Recently, I have been thinking about how special our girls are.  Obviously, since they are our kids we are bias, but they are pretty special and it's worth noting.  They are growing up so fast and I would hate to forget some of the things they are doing and saying.  I usually start with Drea, but we will mix it up a little and start with Charlotte.

Charlotte's two biggest phrases right now are, "I want to do what I want to do." and "When you lose, you win."  The first one needs no explaining, she is three years old and stubborn.  We have had some battles and I will admit that she wins sometimes, but more often then not she loses.  The second phrase is from playing the seat belt game.  (If you don't know what the seat belt game is read this older blog post:  http://wvniessners.blogspot.com/2012/02/our-girls.html )  So when Char loses the seat belt game she says, "When you lose, you win.", meaning she wins the poop sandwich.  I know, I'm warped, parenting does that to you, I think.

Charlotte has always been a great helper.  She still is.  It doesn't matter whether I need her help or not she wants to lend a helping hand.  There are many times that I could get the job done a lot faster, but she wants to help.  I don't want to turn her away if she wants to help because it is a great thing.  She wants to help with the dishes, put clothes away, sweep, take the garbage out, clean the bathroom, or any other helpful job around the house.  However, she doesn't like to pick up her toys, go figure. 

My favorite thing Char likes to do is snuggle.  She loves to have anyone just sit with her and watch tv or read a book.  Her love language must be touch.  She just enjoys that closeness.  I don't know how many times when watching tv with her, that I get up to do something and she says, "I said, I want you to sit with me."  I have learned rather quickly, that is all she wants. 

Drea's favorite phrase right now is, "Can I tell you something?"  There is never a day that goes by that she doesn't ask me that.  I am never sure what she is going to say, but I am always eager to listen.  Usually it's some question about toys, tv, or something we are doing for the day. 

Drea loves to laugh.  She always wants to play tickle fight.  Always.  Most mornings she wakes up and says, "Dad, can we play tickle fight?"  I'll admit that sometimes, I don't want to play.  That is until I read this story a couple of months ago:(http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/2012/05/confessions-of-a-monster/ ) Then I realized how much this game means to her.  So if you ever see us just playing tickle fight in public, that is why. 

The one thing Drea does that Charlotte has yet to master completely is the ability to play by herself.  Drea enjoys going into her room and just playing with her toys.  I feel like she has always been able to do this.  She enjoys her time with her things, whether it is toys or art or now reading.  This is good because she is comfortable being with herself and she is creative enough to entertain herself without others. 

Another aspect I am loving right now is how the two of them play together.  They are sisters so it isn't always perfect, but it's great when they just play together.  I will just sit and listen to them.  Occasionally, you can get five minutes alone with one of them, which is always a pleasure because they are fun to talk to.  If this happens it usually occurs at bedtime.  One of these moments occurred last night and I was proud of Drea.  I was teasing and I told her I was going to sell Charlotte.  I told her I could probably get $100,000 for her and we could redo Drea's room.  She told me, "That's okay, Daddy, I would rather have sissy, and my old room."

Summer Park Tour: Parks 7 & 8 - NJ Edition

While visiting my Mom and friends in New Jersey we had to take time to also visit some parks for our tour.  We put in extra time by visiting two parks in the same day.  What I am beginning to like as we visit all of these parks is the differences.  Most good parks have the same things swings, slides, monkey bars, and some type of climbing apparatus.  I like to find the thing that makes the park different and possibly better.  I guess that makes sense since I am rating them, but I am finally noticing those differences.  The first park we visited in New Jersey was the park at Patty Bowker Field.  This park is right around the corner from my Mom's house so it took us no time to get there.  The girls really enjoyed this park, hope you enjoy the pictures.

Here is an overall picture of the park

This piece of equipment the girls played on the most

This was a smaller version of the larger equipment

Drea helping her doll Hailey up the ladder

Now Charlotte helping her doll Alice down the ladder

Charlotte loves the slide...she will always go down them

Drea's favorite is the monkey bars.  These were pretty tricky, there height was staggered.

Charlotte's turn to climb

Drea climbing one of the two rock climbing walls on the big equipment

This was the rock climbing wall on the little equipment

Just hanging around

Here Daddy, I'll help you up

Swinging their babies

Now you listen here

Walking on the trail that surrounded the park

Running on the baseball fields...can you spot us

  Overall, this park is very nice.  It scores high in several areas and there are some cool differences.  I like that there were two giant rock climbing walls.  There was also this cool swing that the girls wouldn't swing on, that was different then I have seen at other parks.  Usually for me the thing the hurts the rating of the park is what it lacks.  For this park it lacked shade.  Not only did it lack shade, it did not have a water fountain.  Granted we were close to my Mom's house so it wasn't that big of a deal, but in my rating system it matters.  I give this park 3.5 swings.


Now for our second park of the day we went to Smithville Park.  This park is amazing.  I usually rate the park at the end, but for this park there is no sense in waiting for the rating.  It gets 5 swings.  There are cool differences, which you will see in the pictures, shade, bathrooms, water fountains, swings, and slides.  The only thing it didn't have was monkey bars, but the other climbing things make up for it.  Another reason I know it was a great park is because I had a hard time getting a picture with the girls looking at the camera.  

These were the two main pieces of playing equipment, but they were not the only pieces

This was a smaller piece in front of the green swing you will see Charlotte in later

I liked how they had the rope for the climbing wall

These climbing things were different.  I really liked them and so did Drea...until she fell off one of them.

I thought this was different because those little black piece slid back and forth so you could count them

Here is Charlotte in the green swing...she loved it

Drea on the zipline...another of her favs

This balance beam moved when you walked on it

Drea climbing the fake tree

Trying to reach the top...

...so she could pose

Charlotte's turn to climb

See I told you I couldn't get them to look at the camera

I have a scary feeling this won't be the last time she is behind bars  :)