The Marble House & Newport train

This past weekend we went on another mansion tour, this time to the Marble House. It was smaller than the Breakers, but still very nice. It was very beautiful, but hard to believe that the Vanderbilt family used to use it only as a summer house for about 6-8 weeks during the summer. I can only imagine what their main house looked like!

After the tour we went on a train ride around Narragansett Bay. The ride lasted a little over an hour and the girls had a great time. We saw an oyster farm....didn't even know there was such a thing.














This last picture is Adrianna's new favorite thing to do. She loves to go into Abby's room and climb in her bed. If Abby isn't there, she likes to sit there and play with her stuffed animals. If she knows Abby is taking a nap, she tells us, "Shhh" and puts her finger up to her mouth as if to say, "I'll be quiet!" She does just that and climbs in the bed and sits right by her, sometimes playing with her hair or just being close to her. It is really cute! This time she had just woken up from her nap, and was ready to play with her sister!

Spring-like weekend!

We finally had some nice, warm weather this weekend! It got up to 60-65 both days, which was a major change from the 8-10 inches of snow we had on Monday. We started off Friday night with "Girls Night" because Q went to the movies. We painted nails and had so much fun!




Saturday we went to the Breakers, which is one of the mansions in Newport. They only have a couple open in the winter, and this was beautiful. Quintin and I had been there before, but the girls hadn't. Abby loved it- the kitchen was her favorite part. She also really liked the backyard, which is right on the Atlantic Ocean!!






One of Adrianna's top teeth finally broke through, so now the count is 4. This is the cute face you get whenever you say, "Let me see your teeth." She loves to show anyone else around, and strangers get a big kick out of it!

We're so proud of our "Little Dragon"!

Abby had her yellow belt test in karate this morning. She has been working really hard and practicing a lot for this big day!


Getting ready!





Great push ups!


Way to go Abby!



Here are the kids that tested today. She was in a group with those testing for yellow, orange, and purple.






Adrianna wanted to wear Abby's old belt

Is it time for football again?

Today we went to the mall in Warwick and Q got the treat of a lifetime. There was a sports store that was closing because they are going to be seasonal only, and Quintin got an authentic Patriots helmet signed by Tom Brady! He is second on Q's quarterback list right behind Brett Favre. We thought we would have some fun and let the girls take pictures with it before we have to put it in a collector's case.

Abigail also wanted a football jersey so she got a Tony Romo Cowboys jersey- even though we aren't really cowboy fans. She was so cute she wanted to take a nap in it when we got home.

It's finally out

Abby is so happy that HSM 3 is finally out on DVD. They are doing a great thing now where they also include the digital copy of the video so you can play it on your ipod. Technology is great!

Our new house!

Our search for a home in Virginia is finally over. We purchased a great home on a culdesac with a large backyard with views of one of the best golf courses in Virginia. Abby will be attending a brand new elementary school that opened last fall and it is less than a quarter mile away from the house.

I have been a little busy with work and haven't been updating like usual, so here are some pictures. The first one is from Valentine's Day. We had a fun weekend. We went to see Aunt Dolores on Friday and went out for some yummy desert, and went bowling with some friends on Saturday.

These next few pictures really prove that kids don't need high-tech, expensive toys to have fun. The girls had the best time playing with a box we brought home from BJ's (Northeast version of Sam's Club or Costco)!







Here is Adrianna all bundled up in her little snuggly outfit. Oh, and we have some great news....after 5 months of having only two little bottom teeth, her third finally broke through last night. So now she will have three on the bottom! The top ones look like they will be soon to follow!

Go away germs

The girls have been battling colds for about a week now. Over the weekend Adrianna was running a fever and also started coughing, so we took her to the doctor on Monday. He was concerned because her fever really only started over night and then would go away during the day. He wanted to check and make sure her kidneys were okay so he had to run a catheter. The test results were normal, so he just told us to watch it and give her motrin rather than tylenol to help give her a longer break from her fever at night- which is good for us too because we need the sleep. We were so tired that we couldn't even stay up to watch 24 last night! Thank goodness for the DVR. Last night she slept a lot better and hasn't run any more fever so I think the worst is over. Here is a picture at the doctor's office and having a little fun at home.

What happened to lounging on the couch?

We have been so busy lately! My department head classes are pretty serious stuff so that means a lot of studying after work- even on the weekends. I got my first test back yesterday and did well, so now I just have to keep it up. We have another test next Monday so you all know what I will be doing this weekend!

Quintin also has his hands full. He is home with the girls all day and has been teaching Abby to read. She can sound out most words with up to five letters now! He is such a great teacher, and an even greater Daddy! He is also working on his Masters in Non-Profit Management at Texas A&M.

Right now he is in a class that is accelerated and has tons of reading every day, along with discussion posts and papers. We miss our evenings of lounging and watching tv together once the girls have gone to bed.... but it's all for a good cause.

Baby Yoga

Quintin and I have been doing a workout routine called P90X for about a month and a half now. One of the routines is Yoga, and sometimes the girls see us and try to follow along. Here is Adrianna's downward dog:



Pretty good, huh? She also does a cute upward dog but we couldn't get a picture of that yet.

Disney Character Brunch

Sunday Abby and I went to the O' Club for a character's brunch. Even though it wasn't authentic- like at Disney World- we still had a great time. She wore her new Cinderella dress she got for Christmas and looked so pretty! The face painter was really good and Abby decided she wanted Bolt. She really liked the ongoing battle between Peter Pan and Captain Hook. They kept chasing each other around the room and sword fighting.

One of her new favorite things to do is push around the baby stroller. She can barely see over the top, but that doesn't stop her from running all around the house!




Adrianna likes to make this face when she is getting into things she shouldn't be....it doesn't work, but she sure is cute!

Jack is back!

We are so excited that 24 starts tonight. We have missed the show for the past year and are glad it is back.

Kung Fu Master in Training....

Today Abigail started her new Karate class. Today was an introductory day so it was just her and another child learning some basics. Abigail had so much fun and she was so excited to earn her white belt.

And she's off....

Last night, to our surprise, Adrianna started walking! We were sitting in the living room and I had just finished reading bedtime stories. Quintin was on the floor with Adrianna and she was holding his hands- and then she wasn't!! She didn't just take one or two steps, but more like five or six! We were all cheering and clapping for her and she was just beaming. I ran and got the camcorder and we recorded a little. Don't mind my shaky camerawork or squealing- It was an exciting night!

Hula hoop challenge

Everyone likes to play the Wii- even Adrianna. Abby was playing her princess game and Adri thought she was waving her wand too!




Santa brought us the Wii Fit for Christmas and it is a lot of fun. One of our favorite games is the hula hoop, and Q and I have a little competition going on. Right now he holds the record, but I am close on his heels....or hips!! Here is a picture of his Mii breaking the high score!