'Tis the Season

I went to Kohls today to use my 30% off coupon and pic up a few last minute things. Kohls wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great either.

The road leading up to Kohls and between Lakeside and Kohls. That was another story. A normal FIVE minute drive home took 35 minutes. Holy Moly. It was a good thing I had the van and ACDC sirius radio. :)

I guess thats what I get for waiting till the weekend before Christmas. I also have to hit Target, but I was told they are open till midnight tonight so I will go around 11 and MAYBE beat some of the daytime traffic.

Jay's out in it now. He had to do all his shopping for me. I wish one year he would listen to me when I tell him to shop in EARLY December. I bet he'll never learn.

Be proud.

We had our first officially non-family baby-sitter last night.
My sister's friend, Kim, has baby-sat before but I consider her family.
We had the girl across the street over to stay with the girls.

We had gotten invited to our old neighbors annual Christmas party but it was a Friday so I knew we wouldn't be able to make it with Jay working. Then because of the snow, they called off work, so we were able to go. I called my cousin's first to no avail. Then, I called Cassie since her dad volunteered her earlier in the day. Her parents were attending the same party as us and Cassie was thrilled to come and stay with the girls. She didn't come over til 8, so everyone was already in their jammies and ready to sleep.

According to Em and Elle, she was a lot of fun and before I even left the house, Cecelia was feeding Cassie M and Ms, so I think she liked her too!

I am so glad that everyone had fun. It was nice to have a night out with my husband and friends. I think I could get used to having a sitter right across the street. I think we may have found a great match for the family- not that she will ever replace Busia and Dziadzia, but its nice to know we have even more availability. Especially on short notice things. :)

I'm so proud of me. I guess I am not as anal as I had originally thought. :)

Snow Glorious Snow

When I have no where to be I love snow. If I have to be out traveling in it, I am not a huge fan. And it's still pretty early in the year, so it doesn't bother be too bad. Ask me again in February and my answer may not be the same.

We got dumped on Friday! Like major! I measured 9 inches of snow (and that was before it offically stopped snowing) We had drifts in the back of the house that were up to my knees and the poor girls could barely walk thru the front yard cause the snow was too deep. I spent about an hour and a half out snowblowing at noon when Jay woke up and then he did about an hours worth, too. When Cecelia went down for her nap, the big girls and I spent two hours in the snow. We had so much fun! We even turned out 5 foot snowbank into a tunnel. I forgot how fun it is to get down and REALLY play in the snow. LOVE IT!

I took a zillion pics. I will upload them when I have more time.

My husband rocks

He is really on board with my chosen career path.
So on board in fact that he bought me a website.
And now he is designing it for me.


I'm feeling pretty lucky today. :)

I didn't think I would be this sad

but I am and I can't help it.

I think Cecelia is done nursing.
I was planning on 18 months or self weaning whichever came first.
Well, I have been slowly cutting back and have refused her in the middle of the night.
The last two nights when I rocked her to sleep, she showed no interest, so I didn't offer.
Trust me, she is the one to plop the suckie out as soon as I sit down with her in our big black chair.
So, she went to sleep last night and tonight without nursing. Thats TWO WHOLE DAYS without.
I am fairly certain she is done nursing. Just. Like. That.

Same thing Elle did to me, only Elle went from nursing 4-6 times a day to NOTHING. That was a whole lotta pain and a whole lotta tears.
This time, it's just a whole lotta tears. :(

The crappiest thing is I bought her the cutest pair of nursing advocacy overalls from a friend a while back. They are a 2T, so she isn't going to be able to wear them. :( And they are so cute, too. :(

Another one bites the dust.

Yesterday I ordered cards online. Today we picked them up.
I have them all addressed and have address lables on them.
Jay is stopping for stamps on his way home.
They will be in the mailbox tomorrow morning.
And BAM. Cross that off my to do list.
Woohoo!

Christmas decor...CHECK

Everything is officially decorated. Jay added blow up Homer Claus, two spiral trees and a row of candy canes outside today. I put up all the lighted window decor today and the rest of the window clings. Last night the empty boxes went downstairs. I guess you can say that we are all ready for the holiday.

It feels pretty darn good to have everything done. Now we can sit back and enjoy the season.

Gotta love a productive weekend!

Saturday my mom wanted to keep the girls overnight. We had other plans, but this was the ONLY weekend between now and Christmas that she could watch them so Jay and I could get out and do our annual Christmas shopping. So, we cancelled our other plans and away we went.

We dropped the girls off at noon and headed out. We got to Target around 1 and spent a good amount of time there. Dropped a ton of money, too. Thankfully I had a lot of cash saved up here and there so we didn't have to charge anything. Whew. We shopped the entire day stopping at 9:30 for dinner and finally finishing around 11. The good news is that aside from one big ticket item for the girls and three giftcards we are DONE! Everything is sorted and in piles in my secret hiding place ready to be wrapped. I do have to go out and get Jay something, but I can do that one afternoon by myself. No biggie.

Whew. That was a big weight lifted off my shoulders. There was a lot of money spent, but not as much as years past, so I think we did well. Now onto wrapping. Thats my favorite part. I am sure I will start that this weekend while the girls are tucked into bed.

Our Thanksgiving Turkey

The girls and I made this very large turkey for the back of the front door. I gave them all the feathers to decorate and Emily worked hard on writing things that she was thankful for. Elizabeth drew her own pictures and I wrote her words for her. We spent a good long time talking about all the things we were thankful for and all the things that we have. What a great project. Mr. Turkey is still up. I just can't bring myself to take him down. The girls figure that we should make a Christmas Tree this month and list the things we are thankful for on that. Now, thats getting with the spririt of the season!

My calling

I have been back and forth with this for a year or so now. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education. I loved what I did. I loved working with children and teaching them and helping them to learn and grow. That was my place. Since having my own children, I must admit that I still love the child development, but I found something I love even more.

I want to work with pregnant women, birthing woman, newborns and breastfeeding. I want to roll that all into one career. I thought about getting into nursing, but I can't get into the two classes I need to take before applying for the highly competitive program. I thought about being a birth doula because that is where my passion lies. However, as a mother of three I can't make myself readily available to laboring women 24/7. Then I found a program for a postpartum doula and I was sold. This is what I want to do. I seriously have my whole life planned now. I want to start off as a postpartum doula, move into birth doula and eventually get certified as a lactation consultant. It would be cool to start my own business, but I can handle being affiliated with a hospital. I want to help women have a positive breastfeeding experience like I was blessed to have with our three girls.

I have completed my five chapters of breastfeeding knowledge and done the five tests. I whizzed right thru without any problems. Now, I move onto the reading portion of the program and I need to purchase $60 worth of books. Won't Jay be thrilled. :) I will need to attend a 4 day workshop in April in Ann Arbor, but I can handle it. I have to step outside my comfort zone and do this because I honestly feel like I was put on this earth to do this. I have the drive. Now all I need is the motivation (and a whole lotta cash.) I did look into getting a scholarship in which they will pay the amount of my seminar, I just have to sign a contract that I will provide free doula care to low income/ high risk families to work off my scholarship. I think that would be very interesting and extremely rewarding work. Afterall, I think high rish women will be the ones to benefit most from my services.

I seriously cannot wait to get the show on the road. I know I can do this and what better time than now? It's totally doable and as I read somewhere, what better thing is there than to get paid for doing something you LOVE and something that you would most likely do for free?

Wish me luck. I will need all the support I can get. I would love to have this completed by the end of the summer next year. Maybe if I try really hard I can make that happen. I already have a few of the 18 steps completed, so it can't take that long. :) Wheeeee......

Almost there

After spending the last four days decorating, I am pleased to say that we are almost done. The outside is 80% there. We have two more blow ups that need to be put up and I think we are DONE. The inside is a glow from all the lights lit. Lets just say I highly doubt that I will be under budget on the electricity bill this month thats for darn sure. My goal is to have it all complete by tomorrow evening. After dinner we are going to decorate Cecelia's tree and put up a few more decorations. We will be done tonight inside. Though, this next weekend we will have to put up the REAL tree downstairs. Whew. It's a lotta work, but its a lotta fun and the final product is worth it. I am taking bids now for someone to come and put it all away in January. lol

The girls are busily playing with my all time favorite decoration that we have. There aren't many things out there that kee three kids busy for hours. I have the Little People Nativity Scene and they are BIG fans of it. I actually think I am going to add on a few more pieces for myself this year. LOVE IT! If you haven't seen it, you should really check it out.

Happy December

And the countdown begins.

21 days until our annual Christmas cookie baking
22 days until my nephew is "home." (and my brother and sister in law too) I can't wait to see him! (and them, too, I guess)
23 days until Christmas Eve. My favorite day of the year.
24 days until CHRISTMAS.
30 days left in the year. ZOINKS!

This is fixing to be another whirlwind month. I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, though. We are cutting way back this year and making a new tradition. One in which Christmas is about JESUS and HIS birthday not about how many presents are under the tree and how much credit card debt we have come January. It's so hard as a parent not to buy everything on the shelves at TRU, but we really want to make it about HIM and not US.

Happy December everyone. Enjoy what's left of 2008. Enjoy your families and your friends this season.

Now thats a challenge

We finished decorating the tree just now.

All my life, I have had a hodge podge tree. Every ornament from when Jay and I were kids and every ornament we have collected together as a family. There are a lot of ornaments involved. My parents buy us each an ornament every year, we buy one for each of the kids and each other. There is a minimum of 10 new ornaments every year on the tree. We actually have six trees in our house every year. This year I have to buy one more because I am short the one for our bedroom since I gave it to Cecelia last year. Em and Elle have Princess Pony trees and Cecelia will do another year with my Hallmark Winnie the Pooh collection because she isn't old enough to tell me what she really wants. Our tree is crystal and silver and the one in the kitchen has red and while bulbs on it. The one in the downstairs family room in a real tree that we save from the woods covered with S'more ornaments. They are my little downfall. I love those little S'more guys. I think to date I might have 30 of them? Sooooo cute! I love trees. I love ornaments.

When we first got married, it was an all day ordeal. We would sip cocktails, take a break, reminisce and have a day of it. Then Em came along, and Elle, and Cecelia. Now, I kind of hold my breath while we decorate the tree. Today was a task in itself. I had to unpack ornaments and hold Cecelia back at the same time. It was not an easy job. I suppose we could have waited till naptime, but what fun would that have been. Our entire wood floor is covered in quilts just in case anyone dropped one. I am going to finish putting on all the fragile bulbs when everyone is sleeping. Then Jay and I will have our quiet time by the tree. It's tradition and I wouldn't have it any other way.

So many things to be thankful for.

Yesterday we had dinner at my mom's house. We spent the entire day there from about 2-9 or so. We dined witm my mom and dad, my sister and her husband, my little sister, my grandpa and his lady friend. I looked around the table covered with food and drink and realized we have so many things to be thankful for.

We have the gift of life. We have GOD who is above all. We have our family. Without Jay and the girls, my life would not be as full as it is today. Without my mom and dad and siblings, I wouldn't have to support I have on a daily basis. Without my parents, I wouldn't have the best possible care for my kids when I need to leave them. We have food and shelter and heat and water. There are so many people out there- especially this year- that are going without the basic neccessities in life. Jay has a job. One that I am unbelieveably thankful that he has. He is still working a lot of hours and for that I am eternally grateful. So many others haven't got it as good as we do. There isn't one thing right now that any of us REALLY need. We ave everything we need to live and so much more. We are blessed. We really are.

Jay and I sat up and talked last night well into the early morning hours. I realized how lucky I am to have him and how lucky we are to have the relationship that we do. We were just like little teenagers bullshitting the night away. We talked about all the things we have and about all the things we have done and are going to do with our lives. I am thankful that he and I have such a connection and that we honestly and truly are one another's best friends. I am thankful that he is such an awesome father to our girls. They really are lucky to have him. We all are.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours. I hope your day was as filled with blessings as ours.

More great news from Laurence Land

I went to school to help with Emily's class Thanksgiving projects yesterday. I so enjoy spending time with the class and seeing Emily in a different environment. I am so thankful to my husband for working as hard as he does so that I can enjoy this time as much as I do. He was up EARLY yesterday so he could stay with the little ones while I was gone.

I got a note home yesterday that Emily has been awarded the ACES academic award for her class. She is the only one in her class to get the academic one for this quarter. I couldn't be more proud of her. We are invited to the assembly next Friday to watch her get her award. I can't wait!

I only hope and pray that this momentum keeps up thru the highschool years and she gets some super scholarship to some Ivy League school and gets a kick butt job as a doctor or lawyer so she can support her Daddy and Mommy. Hey, A Momma can dream can't she?

The Parade Company

We went on a field trip last Saturday with the Daisies. What a great time. We visited the Parade Company in Detroit and got a tour of all the floats from the Thanksgiving Parade. I am pretty excited to lay in bed Thanksgiving morning and watch the parade and see if we recognize any of the floats. The parade should have a whole new meaning this year.

I am so very excited to be a part of the Daisy troop and ecstatic that Emily likes it as much as I thought she would.

After the field trip, we picked Cecelia up at my mom and dad's and headed to Jay's parents house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Jay's sister in law has family in Ohio, so this is their year there and we won't have them for Thanksgiving so I suggested we do it early. It was a nice relaxed time spent with family and lots of food. What more could a girl ask for? I just love the holidays.

And so it begins....

My baby is walking! She stood up today and took 6 steps. She stopped and took 8 more. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so impressed with her. She just took off and has been walking all evening now. Granted, she still prefers the good old crawling, but she is walking now and its only a matter of time before she is walking then running non stop.

The weirdest thing is....Emily walked at 13.5 months. Elizabeth walked at 13.5 months and guess what? Cecelia is 13.5 months. What do you think the chances of that are???

Maybe now that I have to literally chase her around, I might lose a little of that baby fat?? Ya think?

For your viewing pleasure

Th hi-lite of our month thus far

Please be aware that this post contains MAJOR momma brags.

Not that everyday isn't better than the last, but we did have parent teacher conferences this past week. Our first "official" parent teacher conference. We sat in the hallway waiting for the teacher and laughed that we will be doing this for at least the next 20 years! Hard to believe, huh?

We had the best conference any parent could have asked for. Emily is a great student. She gets along well with her classmates and has developed a great voice and isn't afraid to use it (which is always one of my biggest concerns cause she always seems so quiet to me.) Mrs. Champagne told us that she is in an extra reading group that only 5 students total are in in all three Kindergarten classes combined. Emily is reading leaps and bounds ahead of her peers. I can honestly say that I wasn't shocked because the kid can READ and read well. With such enthusiam. I fear she is going to out smart me soon. Seriously.

Then came the shocker! Mrs. Champagne informed us that she thinks Emily is above and beyond and more than ready for FIRST grade! And not first grade next September. She wants her to go to first grade soon. YIKES! I have made mention on more than one occasion that I would like to have her tested just to see where she lies on the spectrum, but to hear another person say what I think is something totally different. She said that Emily is way ahead of everyone in the class and she feels she can't teach her any more than she already knows. She is doing things that the first graders do. The only thing she wants to work on is writing because she would like to see what Em is capable of. Well, Momma had a journal stashed away that I pulled out and Emily started writing. REAL words. REAL sentences. Complete thoughts with a capital letter and a period. I cried tears of pure joy. How she knows this? I am not quite sure. Nothing that has been formally taught to her by myself or her teacher. I think with a little practice and help, the kid will be writing novels soon.

The next step is Mrs. Champagne speaking with the principal to see if this is even a possiblity. Then if that gets us the go ahead, we will meet with the first grade teachers. I am a ball of emotions right now. I have no idea what to do. Do we keep her in Kindergarten and let her be ahead, but be with her friends that she has made? Do we leave her in Kindergarten so I can be selfish and have her home with me at lunchtime? Or do we put her into first grade. A new classroom, new friends, a bigger challenge? Dear Lord. Pray for me and PRAY HARD. I will need all the help I can get making this BIG huge decision.

Teeth!

Here she is 13.5 months old and FINALLY a tooth has popped out! I can't even imagine that it took as long as it did. I am proud to say that one is out and another is coming. Maybe she will have them all by the time she goes to Kindergarten. Though, I am not complaining. I forsee her being a "nipple biter." Thats a small inside joke, I suppose.



Since she is still nursing once or twice a day, I praise God for the lack of teeth. She might not be nursing that much longer. lol

November Weekend 2

We spent the majority of Saturday number two surrounded by insulation. After Jay checked out our attics when we bought the house, we realized we needed more insulation. So, after a few years of talking about it, I finally told him that we would be doing insulation "this weekend." We packed up the kids in two seperate cars and headed to Lowes.

We picked up 20 bags of insulation and the blower thinie ma bob and headed home. Cecelia took a nice nap and Jay and I got to work. He crawled up in the attic and it was my job to "feed" the machine. The girls helped but mostly ran around the yard. We had a lot of fun actually. After we did those 20 bags, I headed to Lowes to get 20 more bags to do attic #2.

After about 6 hours of work mixed in with a few breaks, we FINISHED. Our house should be a lot warmer this winter and our heating bill a lot lower. It gives me such a huge sense of satisfaction knowing that we put our mind to something and we finshed it!

We took the girls out for their Trick or Treat free meals at Big Boy for being so great! And we even got a Belgian Waffle for dessert. Yummy!

Halloween Weekend

Well since I can't figure out the new camera, I am gonna have to wait for Jay to hook the bad boy up. Ugh. I love being technologically impaired.

Halloween was rather uneventful. Jay took the night off work, which was super nice for him to have a three day weekend. The weather was so nice I felt as if we were doing something wrong with it being daylight and WARM. I felt like we were trick or treating in June!

The girls made it the entire 2 hours. Cecelia hung out in her stroller and the big girls walked. The plan was for me to take them for the first hour and meet Jay for the second, but he was busy chatting with the neighbor when we got half way done, so I kept going with the girls. By the time we got back, Jay was chatting with not one. Not two, but three neighbors and passing out candy.

The girls got home and passed out from the excitement of the day. We turned in early cause we had a BIG weekend planned.

Saturday we all got dressed up to attend the Past Grand Knights Ball for the Knights of Columbus. My grandpa and his family (thats us) got nominated for Family of the Year. We all surprised my grandpa because he had no idea. We danced and ate and partied with the family. It was a great tribute to my grandfather and all the volunteer work that he does.

Sunday we had Festivus with Jay's family. Its early Thanksgiving and Christmas spent with his parents, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, aunt, uncle and cousins. It's so much fun and so great to see everyone. The kids exchanged gifts and the adults did a White Elephant exchange. I ended up with a pair of candy underware and Jay with a foam finger from a Tigers game. All in good fun! After Festivus, I went and spent a few hours with friends of ours who had a baby on the 30th. I got to hold him and 'mash him a little and I have to admit that I had a little baby envy. I can't help it!

It was a busy and fun weekend- it was quick and over. Not the way I like the weekends to be these days, but at least we saw a lot of family and friends.

Our whirlwind November

Happy November! (a day late and a dollar short, eh??)

We have had the busiest month to date. I haven't bloggesd since Halloween, so I suppose I should get all the pictures uploaded from the new camera and get this party started. If only I could figure out how to upload photos. Ugh.

I think I will turn this into a whole bunch of separate blog entries just cause there are a lotta things that happened in the last three weeks and I'd rather give each event their own special recognition.

Here we go!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
Happy Last Day of October.
Happy last day of my favorite month of the year.

It's fixin' to be a BUSY day! Halloween party at 10:15, Dentist at noon, trick or treating at 6. Add in the fact that I do have Hannah today, too and you have Busy! Thank goodness for husband who is gonna watch all 4 kids while I go have some pleasant deep cleaning done on my teeth. Oh the joys!

I am sure to have a zillion pics from today and the busy weekend. My new camera is awesome, so I am sure I will take more than my fair share.

Have a safe night!

Out for Delivery

Yay! My new camera will be here TODAY. I am beyond excited. I have been using a 35mm for a month now.

I just can't wait to try 'er out.

Let's just hope she works as well as I am hoping.

The Library

We have lived in our house almost four years. We have been to the library, but never to the programs they offer. The problem is before school started, we weren't the earliest risers on the block. All the programs start sometime between 10 and 11. Prior to September, we were lucky if we were out of bed by 10 or 11.

So, now that I am up at 7am and the girls are up shortly after, we put Em on the bus and the little girls and I hit the library. I am thrilled with the programs they offer. Most of the time we just hit story time at 10am. This week, though, they have had many different offerings. We went to a puppet show, a Halloween party with Trick or Treating and today we even took Em to Afterschool Explorers for school age kids. While she was in her program, Elle, Cece and I colored, read and did puzzles for an hour in the kids room.

I am very pleased with our library and I am thoroughly impressed that we use the resources as much as we do. The girls ALL love going- even little Cece. I couldn't be happier to be living where we are! :)

(okay- well. I lied- maybe about 10 more acres, a few cows and chickens and a big tractor in the barn and I could be A LITTLE happier.)

Emotional

Why on earth am I such an emotional basket case?

I was watching Deal or No Deal tonight. It was a great show. Well, the woman on there won the one million dollars and I sobbed. I couldn't control it. I had to get up and get a tissue it was so bad!

I have always been very emotional, but I swear becoming a mother made me all the more. I cry at EVERYTHING.

Geez Louise. Good thing I have some good waterproof mascara, huh?

Daisies

We had our first Daisy meeting tonight and while I was scared to death about being a Leader, I think I might actually enjoy it. It was a big thing for me to take on this challenge. I tend to be more of an introvert and spend my days at home with my family (can you even believe that???) I used to be very outgoing, but the longer I am a SAHM, the harder it is for me to get out. I challenged myself to do this and so far so good.

We had five girls total show up today, but I think I have 3-5 more prospects. I am thrilled since only two weeks ago it was Emily and me. Whew. Thank goodness we have a troop. I am excited to get to know "my girls" and see where things take us this year. I have informed everyone that this is my learning year and to bear with me, so wish me luck!

The best part is when we were walking out of the meeting, after she had helped me clean up all the chairs and tables, Emily grabbed my hand and said, "I am so glad that you are going to be my Leader forever. Thank you Momma, I had so much fun with my friends."

Yep! This is gonna be so worth it! :)

What a super weekend!

We had the best weekend! Saturday Jay's brother, sister in law and nephew came out bright and early. The Mommas went shopping for the morning, we hit up two Mom to Moms and Marshalls, Target, and Taco Bell. :) The Daddies stayed behind with all the kids and had some bonding time. Jay doesn't spend nearly enough time with his brother, so it was much needed. I think thats what happens when four kids get thrown in the mix.

After BIL and SIL left, we got the kids ready to head over to my parents house for dinner. They got home from Denver late Friday and we hadn't seen them in TWO WEEKS! My sister and her husband came over as well. My parents made a spectacular meal and we sata round and visited. Then we got the kids in their costumes and headed over to the farm.

We met friends at the farm who we hardly see these days- darn that Kindergarten! A great time was had by all- even Jay, the LONE husband. He says he likes hanging out with all the chicks. But, in a house full of girls, I think he is just used to it. :) Thanks ladies for inviting us. We had a super time and apparently the best part of both of the girls' day was the egg hunt in the straw. :)

Sunday we laid low. We were going to go to Greenfield Village just Jay and I, but after we saw the $60 price tag, we decided to wait until the spring when hopefully money won't be so tight. Instead, we did a little camera shopping isnce my digital died a while back. (thats why I haven't updated any pics lately) We went to three stores and played with them all then came home and ordered one online. I can't wait to get it! Should be here Wed. or Thur. in time for Halloween. Yay!

After dinner, the girls had baths and bed and Momma and Daddy watched the Sunday night line up. Nice relaxing evening. Love it!

It's so nice to be home

The day started at 7:01 am when my alarm went off. Emily requested pancakes for breakfast. I made a quadruple batch so I froze a few dozen.

Em and I were at the bus stop at 8:40. From there I came home and got Elle and Cecelia fed and dressed.

At 10:15, the little girls and I were at the library for a puppet performance.

At 11:20 we were at the gas station.

We actually came home and ran two loads of laundry. Waited for Em at the bus stop and grabbed her, threw the kids in the car and made it to my mom and dad's by 1:15 where we met my sister, Lisa, and helped her mow their lawn. Girls rode around in their jeep, then played ball and ran around like little maniacs. Cece spent the entire time I mowed the front lawn in her backpack carrier.

At 3:20 we left my mom and dad's and headed home. Threw in one more quick load of laundry and had a snack.

At 4:20 we left the house again headed for the carwash- my "baby" was mighty dirty and needed a bath.

At 4:30 we arrived at our friends house for playdate.

At 7:20 we got home and had a fast dinner. The girls brushed teeth, we read stories and by 8:45 they were tucked in. I sat with Cecelia and rocked until she fell asleep. Watched Private Practice and here I sit. I am exhausted and so ready for bed. It's been a long, fun filled day. :) Tomorrow promises to be just about as busy.

Out of the mouth of babes

The girls were all three in the tub tonight and at some point all hell broke lose.

Emily was yelling that Elizabeth was splashing.

Elizabeth yells back, "No! I amn't Mommy. I am NOT splashing."

Amn't? I thought that was the cutest thing I have heard all day. :)

Thats the craziest thing I have ever heard

We celebrated our anniversary yesterday. We started out at Jay's parent's church because it was also their anniversary (40 years!!!!) and they had a Jubilee mass for all the milestone anniversaries. So we went and celebrated with them and Jay's brother, sister in law and nephew. We had a nice little snack in the church social hall and we came home to meet my sister Lisa so she could watch the girls while Jay and I went to celebrate on our own.

Everytime we drive thru downtown Rochester I always say how much I would enjoy parking and walking up and down and visiting all the quaint little shops. Being that we had no big plans, thats what we decided to do yesterday. A nice relaxing day. We made reservations for dinner at Kruse and Muer and headed out to Rochester. We go there, parked near the restaurant since we knew we wouldn't feel much like walking after we dined and set out walking. We made it to one end of the block when we realized that none of the shops were open! *shock* It's Sunday afternoon at three o'clock. How can they not be open? Apparently shop owners in Rochester don't do business on Sunday. It was a perfect day and a lot of people were in town, so I thought it was pretty crazy. We ended up going over to the Village of Rochester and had a snack at the Toll house Cafe and shopped a little in Whole Foods. I guess we will have to plan another day in downtown Rochester. This time we'll shoot for a Saturday I suppose.

All in all we had a beautiful day together. I must admit that I do really miss my little boogers when I am not with them. It was pretty nice though to engage in some adult conversation at dinner and have a few drinks. The best part was that I didn't have to cut up any food for anyone. :) Thank you Auntie Lisa for taking such good care of the girls. We apreciate it more than you will ever know.

Money well spent

My sister and her husband have this tradition that for every wedding they go to, they buy a bottle of Dom for the happy couple. We got ours 6 years ago. A 1993 bottle which was weird cause my sister and her husband got married in 1993. We actually offered to give them ours and buy a new bottle.

So then we tried to decide when to drink it. We were going to wait till our tenth anniversary, but everyone said not to wait that long for fear of it going bad. Then we set our sights on our fifth anniversary. Well, that kinda got shot down cause I was nursing a two week old baber. So, last night as we sat and watched The Love Guru and Jay ate his peanuts, I decided we should open it. High class all the way, huh? We had a great giggle about peanuts and Dom.

I was kinda sad to open the bottle, but at the same time I knew we'd better. It was kinda like this little prize that we had and we kept it in the chiller and spun it and spun it again. Now there is nothing left but an empty bottle. Granted, the stuff was really, really good, but now its gone. My guess is that I probably won't see another bottle of it for a good long time. Good thing I enjoyed it as much as I did, huh?

Happy Sweetest Day

This is a big day for us! Technically it's not our anniversary. By date, that's tomorrow, October 19th. But by day, today, Saturday, Sweetest Day, it IS our anniversary. Jay and I got married SIX years ago this very day. Sweetest day was always a BIG deal for us. We never made it the Hallmark holiday everyone else did, but every year since the day we met, we sent Sweetest Day on Mackinac Island. It was the best time to go. Every shop was closing up for the winter and everything was cheap. There was never anyone there, so even the hotels were cheap.

For July 4th 2001, Jay and I had a trip planned to the Upper Peninsula and my friend Amy swore that he was going to propose. I kinda had a feeling, but then I knew it couldn't be because I had packed his whole suitcase (cause I am that kinda girlfriend lol) and I knew he didn't have the time to slip a ring in and I knew that he didn't get together with my dad which was something that was very dear to the both of us- my dad's permission. Anyway, I told my friend Amy that if indeed he did propose while we were on vacation, we would get married on Sweetest Day 2002. Sure enough. He did and WE DID. The rest is history.

Our wedding was THE BEST. It was laid back and fun. There was a lot of liquor flowing and I was barefoot. What more could a girl ask for? I was married to my best friend and I was having a riot. To this day, people still talk about our wedding- how much fun they had, how good the food was, how awesome the band was.....We had it at a K of C hall with a Polish band and an open bar. There were a few more than 400 people there and we all had a great time. One of these days we are going to throw the same kinda shin dig. Yeah, one of these days when I can fit back into my wedding dress. We say we'd like to do it for our 10th anniversary, but I think I'd rather see Europe instead. We'll see. I guess we have 4 years to figure it out. :)

Happy Anniversary Husband! We've made it thru six years. They haven't always been the happiest of times but I would do it again in a heartbeat! I'll take you: the good, the bad and the ugly. :) LOVE YOU! Here's to 66 more!!!!

Playing catch up....again!

Wow! We have been super duper busy these last few weeks again. I swear. It's a good thing all my business involves the kids cause I wouldn't be spending anytime with them if it didn't. We made it thru a first birthday party (of which I have NO pictures- our camera screwed up again and I lost them all- now I am waiting on Jay's sister in law, my parents, and my sister for some shots) We also made a trip up north (again...no pictures- Can ya tell I am a little peeved. We need a new camera with a quickness but my ever-loving husband is draggin' his feet) In between BIG weekends, we had a few playdates, went to the library a few times, put new glass block windows on the back side of the basement, (2 down 2 to go) found Halloween costumes, went to our first Halloween party of the year and I've been working on switching out summer and fall wardrobes....still. Its a lotta work with three kids. I'm also trying to weed out the clothes that we never wear cause they aren't my style and ones that just aren't going to make another kid. Some of our stuff is getting pretty well worn.

So, yes, it's been busy, but all in all fun. I couldn't ask for anything more- well, MAYBE some live in help. A nanny and a housekeeper and maybe a gourmet chef. But thats all. :)

A year ago this very day

I was sitting in my hospital room looking at my beautiful baby and praising God for her safe arrival. This was my first night as a mom of three and I was so very happy. Still in utter disbelief that I was holding a baby girl. My entire pregnancy I was convinced that SHE was a boy. I had a strong intuition and I don't think that you could have told me otherwise. We have never found out the sex of our children until birth, but I KNEW that she was a boy. I guess mothers intuition was way off this time around, huh?

I remember walking the halls at the hospital and in between I sat and listened to my hypnobirthing cds. I was so relaxed and things were going really well. Until the dr wanted to break my water. I panicked and got my epidural. In hindsight, I so could have done it. I just lost faith. Oh well, maybe the next time around. I did go VERY fast and within 20 minutes I dilated from 6 to complete and was ready to push. The nurses didn't believe me until I had Jay running the halls to find them. Must have been quite the sight. The dr was called as I literally sat with my legs crossed. I knew the baby was there and I had to push. Sure enough the dr walked in and I was ready. I was still totally in shock that it was time to have a baby and remember saying as Jay grabbed one leg and the nurse the other, "I can't believe I am having a baby right now." I pushed twice and the dr lifted up a baby. I fully expected him to lift up a baby boy. I looked once and then again and cried out, "It's a girl. Are you kidding me?" I couldn't have been happier at that moment. I felt so blessed to be the mother of THREE girls. I have two sisters and I know how close we are and I was so thrilled to know that my girls would have each other like I have my sisters. Not that brothers aren't cool, but nobody can have the same relationship with you as your sister.

First call was my parents. I told them the news, but made sure that they didn't tell Em and Elle what kind of sibling they had. I wanted them to find out for themselves. My parents brought the girls up to the hospital as soon as they woke up and had breakfast. We have always had a rule that no one was allowed to meet the new baby until the older sibling(s) did. The girls were so excited to have a new sister. I was so proud to show her off and introduce her to the important people in her life. What a glorious day. We had a few visitors, but mostly it was just Jay and I enjoying the first day with our new baby.

I remember feeling very overwhelmed at the thought of having 3 kids in 4 years. I remember thinking, "What was I thinking??" That lasted for such a short time. Cecelia melded right into our family as if she had always been with us. I ventured out quite a it on my own with the three of them and actually had fun. Cecelia just kinda jumped in and went with the flow. She has been a very easy kid from day one. She was the kid who got me into baby wearing hardcore and I swear that she spent the first 5 or 6 months of her life snuggled up next to my boob in the moby wrap. She was also the baby that got momma and daddy on board with co-sleeping (who'da thunk??) I slept for 5 straight months in a rocking chair with her to help with her reflux. She has been cloth diapered since birth (shocking, I know!!)

What a delight! I am so blessed to have Cecelia in my life and thank God everyday for her.

Happy Birthday, Lil Pumpkin. Momma's third little princess and Daddy's Lil Girl! We love you more than you can ever imagine.

This time last year part II

I ran into Emily's preschool teacher while I was at school doing a bulletin board. She asked how the family was and I told her the short version. She asked how the baby was and I told her she was going to be one tomorrow. She couldn't believe it. I said, "Seems like yesterday I was standing outside the classroom waiting for Emily while I was in labor." We had a good laugh.

One year ago at this very moment, I was tying up the lose ends at home while taking breaks in between to walk the stairs or rest on my birth ball. I was crying on the phone with my mom telling her to get home from my uncle's funeral as fast as she could and I was spending the last few hours with my TWO girls before I had THREE kids. At 6:30 pm, Jay's parents came to stay with the girls until my parents got home and we were headed to the hospital.

Seems like yesterday.
Stay tuned for part III...

Happy October!

I love October!
It's my favorite month hands down.
It's not my birth month.
It's not Jay's birth month.

It IS Cecelia's birth month.
It IS our anniversary month.
It IS the month of Halloween.

It's leaves, and pumpkins, and donuts, and cider, and fresh picked apples, and the orchard, and the cool weather, and the hot soups, and hayrides, and costumes, and trips up north, and the pumpkin patch, and snuggly evenings by the fire.

I love October!

Caseville

Jay's parents have had their trailer parked at Caseville all summer. They begged us to come up and use it. Unfortuantely, we didn't get up there half as much as we wanted to. With a garage that we redid and a new door that we put in, and a bathroom that we spruced up and Jay's crazy work schedule and the yardwork and the parties it just didn't happen the way we planned. We made it up for one weekend and then on two seperate occasions we made a day trip out of it.

This past week, Jay decided on Thursday that we should head up to Caseville on Saturday. He called his brother and the plans were set. Our two families were heading up for a visit. Jay had called his parents and left them a message on their never working cell phone but apparently they didn't get the message and we shocked the heck out of them. When Jay's brother and SIL and nephew pulled in ten minutes behind us, they were shocked beyond belief.

We had a super day spending time at the park, having dinner out, going on a nice nature hike at the nature trail and just spending time outdoors. The weather was perfect to say the least. A little cold for the beach and swimming, which disappointed Em and Elle, but perfect in every other way. I am so pleased that our children love the outdoors like they do. It makes me so happy to spend all this time together as a family enjoying the most simple things. I was a maniac out on the nature trail and freaked everyone out by pretending to eat wild mushrooms and dead mice. Good times. Fun times. It makes me giggle, but I am pretty sure my in laws think I am a nut job. Hey, isn't that what life is all about? haha!

Cleaning

I swear all I do on a regular basis is clean. I seriously have been cleaning since Sunday and walking into the house, you would never guess it. My mother even came over on Monday evening to entertain the kids while I cleaned. I got the basement all in order, but the rest of the house is another story. It seems like everytime I get one area picked up and move onto another area, the kids have the first area messed up again.

And Hurricane Cecelia? Dang, that kid can REALLY mess up a room. Especially if its a room with any kind of books or paper. You should see what she can do with five minutes alone in her bedroom with the book case. Or 30 seconds alone in the front room with my magazine stacks. lol. She is always into something.

I swear that from Friday evening till Saturday when the guests arrive for the party, I am locking the kids up in an empty room while I do the last minute details. Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe we'll have to have movie night on Friday while Momma cooks her little heart out and bakes a few cakes and a few hundred cookies. Good times. Fun times.

This time last year

I was beginning the labor process. My uncle passed away exactly a year ago Sunday and my family was making plans to travel up for the funeral. I knew I wasn't going, but being I had 3 weeks to go, Jay was going to go up for the visitation and the funeral with my sisters. It was a Sunday and I felt weird. I couldn't quite pin point it and I swore there was no way it was labor. I spent the day cleaning the house and sleeping. I was in denial. I told Jay that I thought it was a good idea if he didn't leave me cause all I thought about was everyone who was important to me was going to be four hours away and that I would have the girls here with me and go into full blown labor. And with my history of QUICK births, I knew no one would make it in time.

I remember very vividly my mom calling me at 12:03 pm on Friday September 28. I knew if she was calling so early in the day, it must not be good news. My favorite uncle, my Godfather, had lost his battle with cancer. We had found out right about the time that we announced we were pregnant with Cecelia. Now, at 37 weeks my mom was calling to tell me he was gone. She knew earlier in the morning, but was afraid to call me. She figured with all the stress, I would put myself into labor. I suppose she is pretty smart afterall. I cried and cried. I felt bad because I knew I wasn't going to be able to say a proper farewell. I had wrote him a note before he passed (only a week before) and told him if our baby was a boy, he was going to have his name as his middle name.

So a year ago this very moment, I was mourning the death of my uncle and preparing to meet the newest addition to our family. Though I still remember thinking that this wasn't it. It just couldn't be. Boy was I WRONG!

Splash Village

It's been almost two weeks since we went, so I suppose I should blog all about it. I was really hoping to have a bunch of new pictures, but my camera crapped out, so I guess I got nothin'.

We had a great time! We got up EARLY Sunday morning and dropped Cecelia off at my mom and dad's at 10am! We had donuts and coffee and juice with them and headed out. The rain on the way there was horrible. It was pouring so hard, it was near white out conditions. We kept going and finally got there. The girls were so excited when we pulled in and they weren't even that worried about getting wet while running into the hotel. They actually had our room ready when we got there at 1. I was surprised. We changed into our suits and headed to the waterpark. The girls went on ALLLLLL the waterslides- even the big ones with Jay and I! They were thrilled!

We had lunch at the cafe there and went back. In all, I think we spent something like 7 hours in the waterpark. The best part was that we were 4 of like 35 people in the whole waterpark. There was NO ONE there! We got back to our room and ordered pizza to our room and ate it in bed. How often do my kids do that? Ummm..never! Then we loaded in the van at 9:00 and went to look at all the Christmas lights in the Bronners parking lot. The girls crashed out and Jay and I stayed up and watched HGTV and talked about how lucky we are to be so blessed.

Monday morning we got up to hit Birch Run for a few stops and headed back to pick up Cecelia. I missed her something fierce. I think that she missed me too cause she smothered me in kisses when I picked her up. She was so happy to see me, but I KNOW that she had a riot with Busia and Dziaz. This was the first time she got complete and total one on one time with them and she was so excited. She learned a few new things and I think she might have grown over night.

We are so lucky to have what we have. Three beautiful girls, a great relationship and the ability to be able to take a little trip here and there for quality family time. We are also EXTREEEEMELY blessed to have people like my parents in out lives who drop everything to help us out and who genuinely enjoy time spent with our kids!

Elizabeth...oh Elizabeth

I figured that I should do an "Elizabeth post" just to keep everyone equal. Th kid cracks me up and there is never a dull moment with her. She likes to accessorize more than any kid I have ever met. She is all about dresses (and matching hats- see side pictures) and wears the same few dresses all week. I am not sure what we are going to do come winter time and we have to put the sundresses and nightgowns away. She was the first one to take on the challenge of swimming underwater this summer and actually does it quite well. She is almost brave enough to attempt sommersaults underwater. I guess we will save that one for next year.

I was seriously feeling a little guilty for not enrolling Elle in 3 year old preschool this year. Emily never went- only to 4 year preschool and thats my plan with all the kids. Well, I assumed it was going to be very hard for her to say good bye to Em and not be going anywhere herself. Was I wrong! The kid is doing SOOOOOO well being at home with Cecelia and me. She is a whole different person when she is the "big kid" and she and I are having a riot during Cecelia's naptime. I am allowing for more one on one time with her and the time is just precious. She is growing and learning by leaps and bounds and I think she really enjoys our time together now more than ever. I have a very good feeling now about keeping her home one more year. I love the feeling you have when you know a choice that you have made turns out to be the right one. Ahhhh...such peace and happiness.

11 months????????????

Where did the time go? Cecelia is 11 months old and I have been working hard on FIRST birthday invites. I am a little behind this time around. I think I am in total denial that my baby is going to be one! It's so hard to comprehend when just yesterday (or so it seems) we were bringing her home from the hospital. My, how fast the time does fly!

We are busy all day long with her. She is actually a VERY good baby, but she is just that. A baby. She LOVES the stairs still, so we are always one step behind her on those- literally. And she loves to play with Emily and Elizabeth- so we are extra careful with the My Little Ponies. She has taken a new interest in "reading" and will seriouly sit with her legs crossed and "read" nice and loud while she thumbs thru a book. Cracks me up. I have snuck up a few times trying to get it on video, but she seems to sense me and crawls over to give kisses. One of these days I will get it!

Kindergarten

We officially have a Kindergartener in the house. Emily had her first day of school and she is hooked. She loves it. She likes her teacher, likes her friends, and loves the work! Geez- just wait until she gets into highschool and lets see if she is still saying that.

I think her favorite part of school right now is the bus ride to and from. She gets so excited to see the bus coming down the street to pick her up. And the bus driver in the afternoon has to remind her that it's time to get off the bus. I think Em would sit and chit chat for a few more rides around the block. :) Thats my girl. Today she got off the bus and informed me she sat with Will. He is a boy she met last year in preschool and he is now in her Kindergarten class. Personally I think he is like the cutest kid ever. She has good taste, thats for sure. lol.

I have decided after two weeks that I kinda like this school stuff. I like our new schedule and *gasp* I like getting up early and getting everything accomplished by noon. Its amazing to me that so many people are up and moving at 8am! We were at Michaels the other day as the store was opening. Can I tell you that has NEVER happened in our house. It's mind boggling to me!

So here it is the third week of school on Monday and Em won't be there. We got a smokin' deal on a hotel room at Splash Village and we decided to take the big girls for a little relaxation and a lotta fun. Cecelia is going to spend a little one on one time with my mom and dad and we are gonna hit the waterslides hard. Woooohooooo!

Labor Day Fun!

We started our Labor Day weekend with a impromptu trip to Oak Beach (up near Caseville) to visit Jay's parents. They have had their camper up there ALLLLL summer and this was only the second time we were there. Its been too busy of a summer thats for sure. So, we hit Oak Beach and spent the entire day hangin' out and spending time as a family. We went to Prot Austin in the evening and watched the sun set over the lake. It was gorgeous!

Sunday we dropped the girls off at my mom and dads and went to the craft show at the Peach Festival. Then we went back and swam and had dinner. After that, we headed back up to The Peach Festival and watched the bed races and classic car cruise. We headed over to the fair and the girls had a riot on a few rides, had an elephant ear and some cotton candy compliments of Auntie Lisa and Uncle Rob. I think we got home Sunday night just before midnight. Good times. Fun times.

Monday we hung out at home and relaxed. I had a TERRIBLE day and was very emotional thinking of the start of Kindergarten. I cried half the day- a few times in the pantry and few times in the bathroom. (couldn't let Em know how sad I was feeling) I am not sure what the deal was. I think it was a combo of feeling old, feeling like my baby was leaving, I'm not so sure. I was a wreck, though. We did get out of the house and went to Home Depot and Lowes and went out to dinner. Then we came home, had baths and got to bed early.

A great weekend to wrap up our fun filled summer. Can it be that fall is right around the corner already? YIKES!

Happy Birthday Dear Em!

My first born turned 5!!!!!!!! Five years ago we bacame parents. I became a Momma! Its so hard to believe that five years have flown by and that two more kids have been added. It seems like yesterday. I am certain the kid is going to be 25 before I know it!

We celebrated with a Barbie Party per Em's request. I made a huge dinner for our family and a Barbie Cake of course complete with a PINK dress. She got so many nice gifts- the best of all, according to her- is her PINK Barbie bike from mom and dad.

On her actual birthday we went off to the mall and got her ears pierced. She was such a great big girl and never even cried. What a trooper. She is just so very proud of her pink flower earrings and has shown them off to everyone!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! You will always be my baby!

Bathroom DONE

We finished the bathroom just in time for Em's birthday party! We celebrated in style with newspaper on the windows still since Jay ran out of time to hang the new blinds and no doors on the cabinets since we ran out of time to hang them. Oh well. It still kicks butt. As soon as I download some pics, I will be sure to post them. Its bright green and beach themed. So cute and so very happy and bright!

Playin' Catch Up!

Over the next few posts, I am going to try really hard to get my arse caught back up. Bear with me. :)

Bathroom update

We are plugging away at the bathroom. Jay and I are the only people I know who would start a painting project a week (6 day to be exact) before a party. We are that crazy.

The bright side is that we got two coats on bright white on the celing yesterday so the ceiling looks all pretty and new. Last night after I got the kids to bed, I slapped a coat on the walls. I was up till 2am! Today we'll put one more coat on the walls and I will paint the cabinets. By tomorrow afternoon we should be hanging up the shower curtain. It goes fast once you get started, but you have to get started first.

After the party, I am going to attempt to paint the countertop to look like granite. (anything is an improvement at this point and we can't afford a complete remodel just yet) And Jay is planning on putting up crown moulding- which is good since I have a few mishaps trimming in the ceiling. Haha!

I swear that our house is a never ending project zone. There is aways one project or another going on here. We have a list that we keep crossing stuff off of and updating. Eventually we will have everything the way we like it. By then we will be shopping for a new house. lol

It's a BOY!

We have been looking for Mr. Purrfect for a long time. When we got our 2 year old Himalayan Miss Lilly, I told Jay I was going to look for a little boy. I was lazy about it for the last two years, but finally decided to start perusing the pets section on craigslist. Today was my lucky day. I found an ad for a 6 month old male. I called the woman and she laughed cause she had only posted the ad 5 minutes before.

After talking with her for awhile, I decided I wanted to meet "Frankie." She offered to bring him over since she was on her way to her daughter's in Shelby. I secretly think she wanted to check out the house so she knew he wasn't going to be living in the house of skank. The girls fell in love right off the bat and were so excited. I have never seen a more beautiful himmie. He's gorgeous. Lilly is kinda freaked by him, but they keep getting braver and braver and closer and closer. I think we will all be a perfect fit.

And to top it off, I KNOW we are going to love him up. I was nursing Cecelia for bed tonight and Frankie came and jumped up with me and rocked with us. He's a keeper!

Oh and Frankie is his name per his giant blue eyes. "Old Blue Eyes." Its a cute name and he answers well to it, so I am not even going to think of changing it.

Now...Let's just hope and pray that he keeps on with his sweet demeanor. It makes me a little nervous, but so far so good.

I think we may be nuts!

We are having Emily's 5th birthday party at our house on Saturday. Five more days.


Yesterday on our way home from my sister's, I decided I wanted to get the bathroom painted.


We got home and started cleaning out cabinets and taking down fixtures.


After we put the kids to bed Jay and I primed the walls and cabinets last night.


As I sit here, my bathroom is in pieces covered in primer. Everything that belongs in the bathroom is sitting in our bedroom and again, we have a dinner party in five days. One that I haven't shopped for at all. I have to clean the house, bake a Barbie cake, cook dinner for 14 people, shop for a gift for, and buy all the party supplies for. And what the heck was I thinking?


Off to Lowes to pick out some paint. Hopefully we can get this bathroom done by Wed!! Fingers crossed. Maybe tomorrow morning I will take Em to Party City to pick everything out.

Did I mention that I have Hannah on Friday, too? Thats madness. We do work best under preesure, though, so we should have one beatiful bathroom! :)

Throwing in the towel

It was much more appealing to me to lay in bed with Cecelia this morning than it was to get up and go outside. I told myslef if the big girls got up before 10, then I would open the sale at 10.
Big girls slept till 10:30. I laid in bed till then playing with Cecelia. After such a crappy day yesterday, I threw in the towel. I think I am going to start ebaying and craigslisting this week. Maybe another sale in two weeks, but I think I am done with the garage sale business. Way too boring for me. lol.

B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!!!!!!

Geez Louise. What a boring garage sale day. Seriously. I think we made $44. We had such a small amount of traffic it was scary. Does no one garage sale anymore? We advertised in three different places and had a sign up at every corner. I spoke with the two other families in the neighborhood that were doing sales and they had the same kinda day. SLLLLLOOOOOWWWW Kinda stinks! I think I am going to be doing some ebaying and craigslistin' soon. I got lots to get rid of still. Hmmmm.....

Let's hope I get a little more traffic tomorrow. **fingers crossed**

Day one under my belt

We survived day one of the garage sale. Not too bad. We made close to $160!!! There were a lot of boring moments, but there were times when it was busy, too. I guess I can't complain. I am just TIRED! After staying up till 1am getting the last stuff together, my alarm was ringing at 6:31 am. EARLY! I can't wait to crawl into my bed tonight and snuggle in. I can assure you that I will not be up at 6:30 tomorrow! lol

So two more days....and if we can do as good the next two days as we did today, I am that much closer to paying CASH for my new fridge. Woohoo!

Let the sales begin!

I think I am ready. After spending the majority of the day yesterday and the evening today getting things set up, I think I am ready. The garage is FULL. Even if we sell half of what we have, we are still doing good. I have high hopes. I just hope they aren't shattered.

It's still shocking to me to see the things we have accumulated over the last 6 years of life together. I feel bad getting rid of it all, but I have to just close my eyes and let it go. I need to take control back of the house. Right now we are just over ridden with toys and clothes and stuff.

So. I will be up at 6:30 am getting the last of my stuff together. My sister will be here at 8 am with some coffee and treats and we will start selling at 9am.

Here's to an empty garage come Saturday afternoon. Cheers!

Digging out

We are STILL digging out from piles and piles of garage sale stuff over here! It is absolutely amazing how much stuff I have found to part with. I am ashamed to say that there are boxes in our storage room that haven't been unpacked. My guess is that most everything in them can be added to the growing pile. I think I am about caught up, but everytime I think that I find another box. I think we could have three garage sales and still have enough stuff to go around. :)

And somewhere along the road, my girlies all have colds. I'm not sure what the deal is...if it's the change of weather or a bug they picked up, but we have been snot nosed and coughing for a few days now. Cecelia started it, so I thought it was teeth, but then Em and Elle started and I knew better. O'well. Such is the life of a mommy. Lots of snuggling and loving and a few kids in my bed and everyone will be better (or so I hope) We missed the gym today cause I didn't feel right taking my boogers there, but you can bet one thing...we will be taking a nice long walk this evening to make up for it. :)

TGIF!!

What a great week, but I am so glad that it's Friday. I am glad Jay has two days off and home with us. We have a garage sale to get ready for. My house...not so much my house anymore. IT has been over taken by the massive pile of "treasures" that have been sitting in the basement waiting for the very moment when I was ready to do a garage sale. For the past 3.5 years that we have lived in this house, I have thrown all of our discards in a box in the basement. That box turned into three boxes and into six then just a pile on the floor. There are a lot of things. I have been donating right along, too. I figured if the girls could make a few bucks on their old toys, it might buy some pencils or a protractor when the time comes to start college. lol

So. A rather unevenful weekend upcoming, but one that is sure to send me a little more into organization mode. Jay still wants to head up to Caseville, but I keep thinking of all the cupboards and closets I can still clean out and weed thru. Whats a girl to do? I think we should stay home and work!!! Then enjoy the rewards next weekend. Sounds like a plan to me!

Sterling Fest 2008

REO Speedwagon was playing this year and lets face it- I sparkley love me some 80's music. So, we went in the afternoon with the kiddies and my parents met us there for a little craft-show action and then took the kids home with them. We stayed back and planned on hitting the concert then the beer tent.

Welllll...those of you who know me well know I HATE large crowds. I am not amused by loads of people touching me, bumping me, spilling beer on me. NOT FUN. Sooo...we headed over to the bandshell where I think everyone in the tri-county area was pushing thru trying to see the band. I nixed that idea right away and we ended up just going straight to the beer tent, but not before fighting massive crowds. It was unbelieveable.

After what seemed like an eternity, we did get into the Suds and Sounds tent and had a table outside. Not so bad. We had a nice visit with a few old friends and stayed till the place closed. From there we headed over to a brewery in Warren and finally got home about 3am!!

The girls (including Cecelia) stayed the night with Busia and Dziaz. Cecelia did wonderfully. I had my doubts, but apparently my mom would take her again in a heartbeat. It makes me so happy to know that I have the best place EVER to leave the kids when need be. Now that Cecelia has made her first official over nighter, I don't think there will be any more excuses to give to Busia and I am pretty sure she will have them even more often. How cool is that?

I'm back

back in the saddle again.....

I went to the gym this morning (thanks for the phone call Kim) :) It felt WONDERFUL! I told myslef last night that no matter how much the kids kicked and screamed, we were going and that was that. Then my friend Kim called this morning to see if we were going and we were almost ready to go.

What a great feeling. I felt wonderful after getting home and having my shower. Tomorrow I will be there and I WILL add 10 more minutes of cardio. I'm thinking of it as "me" time and less of a chore. It feels great to get it in and makes me a little more productive during the day, too. Woohoo!

Happy August

Can it possibly be that August is here already? I can not even imagine how fast the last 7 months have flown by. It's August!!!! It's nuts!!!! One last full month until school starts. The end of this month is Emily's birthday and then Labor Day weekend. How can that possibly be?

O'well. Happy August. Enjoy the last bits of summer. I know we will!

Fish

Yesterday we spent the day at my mom and dad's with my Aunt Rita, my cousins Renee and Karen and my cousins' kids Evan, Alivia, Caleb and Rachel. I guess Emily and Elizabeth were excited to show off a little. They always have been great swimmers and have loved the water since day one. I was so proud this year when neither of them needed floaties in the water but only rings to jump off the diving board.

Wellllll....apparently, Emily was all about keeping up with the big kids. Yesterday she put on a pair of goggles and plugged her nose and took off swimming UNDER the water. And she is good at it. I mean really good. Then she shocked the heck out of me by getting on the diving board with no armies or floaties and jumping off into nine feet of water with nothing but her goggles. Then, she swam to the side and climbed up the ladder. I was beaming with pride.

Not to be outdone, Elizabeth grabbed a pair of goggles and told me she was going under too. And she did. Not too shabby for kids who can't stand to have water dumped on their head in the bath. I think by the end of this summer or the beginning of next, she will probably be doing the same thing as Emily. I am so very proud of the little fish they are and only hope that they continue with their love for the water. Maybe that will help when we try and talk Daddy into a pool someday. :)

Life with Cecelia

Well. It seems as though my itty bitty isn't so itty bitty anymore. YIKES!

Tuesday night I plopped Cecelia in her pack and play long enough to vaccuum the upstairs. She was in her bedroom and I took the gate down so I could vaccuum. While I was in Em and Elle's room, Emily came in and told me she "had the most wonderful news for me." She grabbed my hand and led me to Cecelia's room and there was my itty bitty STANDING in her pack and play bouncing up and down. At that very moment I was so proud but yet so sad. There is no denying it- she's getting bigger.

The next morning, we were cleaning up and getting ready for breakfast. My morning ritual is to get Cecelia up, change her and take her downstairs to the third level living room/toy room while I make breakfast. Wednesday morning Elizabeth was semi helping and wandered off into the family room in the front of the house and was watching the birds in the front yard. I joined her at the window and we were counting the birds. All of a sudden I heard a close Cecelia sneeze and turned around to see her at the top of the stairs. Obviously she wanted to join in our fun, too. Thankfully she didn't fall backwards, though and knock herself out. I always used the living room as her safe place cause it's baby proofed. Now, though, I guess thats not an option anymore. Within 12 hours the kid learned to stand and crawl up the stairs. What's next? I guess only time will tell.

And you wonder why I have a hard time finding the time to blog. lol

MIA

Geez Louise. I always say I am going to get here more often and I swear I try. I have this thing in my house now called a mobile infant, so it makes my life a little more challenging. It's not like I can plop her down in a spot and she will be there when I get back. It seems as though little Miss might be figuring out the stairs already, too. YIKES!

We spent a rather uneventful weekend painting the garage (I know! Sounds fun, right?) and catching up with the fam. My parents came and got the girls on Saturday and kept them from noon till eight in which time Jay and I spent painting the garage. Then Sunday we painted and went to my mom and dad's for a bbq and swimming with my family. It was a very nice relaxing day- well deserved after all the painting we did. WOOHOO!

I am preparing for a garage sale in two and a half weeks. I suppose I should prepare a little faster cause its really sneaking up on me. I had a date planned of August 14-16 and my mom took a few vacation days to help out. I think it was meant to be cause on Saturday someone dropped a note in our mailbox asking if we wanted to join in a block garage sale. Hell yeah! I called to woman today and told her to sign us up. Maybe thats a sign that this sale is gonna make me enough cash to buy a new fridge. We so desperately need one and I want to pay cash for it. I am all about cash these days as we are burying out from a little credit card debt. :)

Not much is happening otherwise. We try to get out and play at least a few times a week, but with all this crazy business we have had, its not always easy. My favorite aunt Rita and a few of my cousins and their kids are arriving tomorrow to spend a few days at my moms. Its our yearly shin dig, so my guess is that we will be spending the next 4 days driving back and forth between our house and my moms. Wednesday is pierogi making day (which I am more than excited about)

I will update when I can- I promise it will be soon!

Ummmm yeah.....

Apparently I need to get back in gear and get rid of my fat arse!

I've been slipping. BAD!

It's time to get back on the wagon and get serious about this!

The only problem I have is that we are contemplating if and when the next baby will come and I hate the thought of losing a bunch of weight only to put it back on. I know thats horrible.

But today we were out shopping and I am only sizes away from the women's section. No offense to anyone out there, but that is really hard for me to take. I want to wear JUNIORS clothes again for goodness sakes.

Dear Lorene,
Get off your ass and get to the gym. Stop eating all the crap that you eat and get healthy again. For yourself. You can do it. You go girl!

I already told Jay after the funeral services tomorrow and Thursday, I will be at the gym since he will be home with the girls in the evening. I don't care if its midnight, I WILL be at the gym for goodness sake!

Okay, I am done having my pep talk and pity party!

Make it stop!

Can someone please tell Cecelia that she needs to stop growing? Today my itty bitty started crawling. 9.5 months and she is finally crawling. I forgot how cute it is to watch them rock and rock and then finally take off. I was in no hurry for this day to come. Trust me. I'd rather she be small and immobile for a few more months, but no such luck. AND when we were at Kohl's today finding funeral clothes for Momma, she stood in front of the fitting room mirror giving herself kisses. Where or where has my baby gone?

Rest In Peace Grandpa John Stema

Today the world lost an amazing man. Jay's Grandpa John passed away this morning at the ripe age of 97 years young. He was an extraordinary man who lived thru many things. He outlived two wives and was still going strong. I remember when I met Jay for the first time, we were talking of my family's cabin and hunting property near Alpena and he asked me if it was near Posen. He told me he had a step- grandfather who grew up in Posen. Come to find out, Grandpa John knew my entire family. He grew up with my mom's father and knew my dad's family amazingly well (Posen is a SMALL town)

Grandpa John was Jay's step grandfather. He married Jay's mom's mother before Jay was even born. ALl his life, Grandpa John has been the only Grandfather he knew. Although they weren't super close, we all loved Grandpa John. He was at all three of our girl's christenings and first birthday parties. He was even at my Busia and Dzia dzia's 50th wedding anniversary with Jay's grandma (this was way before Jay and I even met.)

He was a fantastic man who will be dearly missed. I always felt special when he was around because even though there were times when he didn't remember who he himself was and couldn't recognize anyone, he always remembered me and called me "that Darga girl from Posen." I am going to miss his spirit, but most of all his stories about my family and about people in Posen. I am glad that Jay's Aunt Maddy spent countless hours dictating his stories so that it will be a memorial for all of us.

So long Grandpa John. We love you and will miss you always......

Busy busy

Thats us. Though, I don't suppose I can even recall what we did this week. We have just been going going going.

Emily now has the infamous rash that our nephew brought over last week. It spread like wildfire through our girls and now we are at the tail end. According to our ped who saw Cecelia on Monday for her 9 month check, the rash isn't contagious once it starts scabbing over. Fun fun fun! I missed a whole week at the gym because of it and it makes me wanna scream! I did make up for it with a few laps in my mom and dad's pool followed by a nice run next to the Power Wheels. A whole mile if you can believe that!

Elizabeth read the title of a book to me the other day. Yep! Elizabeth! I 'bout fell outta my chair. She is also quite the little vocalist. I crack up laughing when she asks for songs in the van by name. She is a fan of Kiss, Black Eyed Peas and a little KID ROCK. Dear Lord- we may have the next American Idol in our house and we may not even know it.

Cecelia had her 9 month well baby. My God! Where did the last 9 months go?????????????? She is healthy as can be and developing on schedule. I was telling the doc that she really isn't pulling up to standing yet and I kid you not that evening she did. She is getting on all fours and rocking and wants to stand and crawl so bad. I don't discourage it but I surely am not encouraging it. By the third time around, I wouldn't mind keeping her a baber just a little bit longer. Is that wrong?

Ummmm.....I think thats about all I got these days. I am really gonna try and get this thing updated more often. I think I just need about 24 EXTRA hours in a day! Tomorrow we are off to Jay's work picnic at Blakes in Armada. Then Sunday we need to decide if we are going to the Polish Festival like I want or if we are going to be responsible and stay home and work on painting the garage. I have to move all my hostas that I just planted last spring so we can paint. Ugh ugh ugh! I really don't want to do it, but I also don't want to risk them getting paint all over them or having my not-so-graceful husband trip over them and crack all the huge leaves off. I think I will go ahead and put them in the other garden- I need more there anyway. Then next year I will have an excuse to do more shopping at the nursery. LOL.



Have a splendid weekend........................

Somebody please hold my hand.....

I am back on the horse again. I have to get this done. We are doing okay, but could be better (isn't that the story of EVERYONE in this world?) I got started once, I can do it again. I have to stop being so afraid. I have to grab the bull by the horns. Suck it up and go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to go back to school. I have been talking about it for years. I wanted to start spring semester, but Cecelia was too small and needy. I am doing it this fall!!!!!!!! I am going to set up a meeting with a financial advisor and an academic advisor and I am doing it. As far as I know, I have ONE class to take until I can enroll in the nursing program and then one class to take while I am on the waiting list. I think it might be advisable to take a few of my classes over to boost my GPA but we will wait on that to see what "they" say. It's funny to look at my transcripts and see how my grades improved as I went from being an 18 year old college student to being a 22 year old "career" woman. Kinda makes me giggle.

I KNOW I can do this. I am smart. I am a go-getter. I USED to pull some great grades- honor roll ALL thru school- elementary-highschool. I just need to remember how to do this. I need to find the time. I need to rely a little more on my husband and a little less on myself all the time. He can take care of the house and the kids. He's good at it. I just never give him much of a chance since he works so freaking hard all the time. But, I have to stand back and realize what I want in life. I don't want to live my life worrying about money and Jay's job. I want to know that we have money for whatever we want. And I want to know that I am contributing and that IF Jay were to get laid off, we would have me to rely on. I. CAN. DO. THIS! I figure if I get into the program within one year of applying, I can be working by 2012- that seems eons away, but that's only 3.5 years!!!!!! Emily will be 3rd grade, Elle in 1st, Cecelia in Kindergarten (right??) and MAYBE if we have one more he or she will be in preschool or pretty darn close. Thats exactly when I wanted to go back. When my baby started school. So, four MORE years of penny pinching. We can handle that.

Now, all I need is a kick in the ass and someone to hold my hand and tell me it's going to be okay and that my kids will survive this. :)

It's easy being green

I bought Cecelia a onsie that says that. It's got Kermit the frog on it. It's so cute and so true.
We have switched over to a semi green household over here. We do a ton to preserve the environment and actually enjoy it. *gasp*

I know people look at me funny and I have a feeling some even giggle about me behind my back. I did tell my brother that I do these things to save the earth for my kids and grandkids. :)

Some "green" things our family partakes in.
1) We recycle. Our community offers recycling centers that we have to take our recyclables to. Its not too far. Our garage is generally packed to the gills with plastics, papers, glasses, anything and everything. Though, I can honestly say with all the recycling we do, we have dropped our output of trash from 4 cans to 1!!

2) We cloth diaper. This helps immensely with the trash situation, too. :) Elle was in cloth from 16 months till potty trained at almost 3. The girls wear cloth dipes at night as Pull Ups. Cecelia has been in cloth since birth- all almost 9 months of her life with the exception of trips (but we do use Seventh Generation)

3) We use a lot of cloth and a TON less paper towel. I use paper towel these days for one thing....cat puke. Thats it. A roll lasts 6 months or more. We have a lot of cloth towels and microfiber towels. Drives my mom and sister in law nuts, but hey, what can I say? We also use cloth napkins instead of paper and I can honestly say that I have not bought a paper plate in years!

4) We collect rain water for plants. I have a large 55 gallon drum out to collect water for my flowers. So far so good. I just found out about a contraption to hook the barrel up to my downspouts which might be Jay's next project.

5) I have started line drying all of our clothes. Jay hooked me up with some lines in the basement and I am going to eventually buy a clotheline for the backyard (wihin a week or so) I want to see the difference in our electricity bills in the next few months. Hopefully its a good difference. Instead of running about 3 hours a day, my dryer is only working 20 minutes a day on the air fluff mode. LOVE IT!

6) We use reusable cloth grocery bags. I have a few chico bags, I have a few Meijer bags and Kroger bags and Babies R Us bags. IF I do need grocery bags at the store, I always ask for paper so that I have something to put my paper recyclables in. I love not having a ton of plastic bags hanging about.

7) We have switched to all those flourescent light bulbs (well all except the dimmer lights in thehouse cause Jay says they are REALLY expensive, but are still fairly new so when they come down in price, he will get some- considering we have 6 lighbulbs in our chandelier, that could get pricey)

8) We are really watching how much electricity and water we are using. We are teaching the kids to turn the water off when they are brushing their teeth and to turn lights off when they aren't in a room and to use natural light instead. :)

9) I have switched to all natural cleaners. I use a ton of vinegar and baking soda and have done away with all the chemical cleaners. I use a lot of Method products from Target and good old elbow grease.

10) When we reinsulate the house this fall, we are using the "green" option insulation. It's made from recycled paper. Insulation was supposed to be done already, but Jay ran out of time. We are doing what we can to make this house as green as we can, but we can only do so much. Wait until I get my dream house in the country- totally self sufficient and TOTALLY GREEN!

You know, it's not much. It's not a lot of extra work. I don't do it because I am cheap or frugal (okay well, maybe a little) but I do it because I genuinely care about the earth. So, for those of you who look at me like I have three heads, at least I can say that I tried. :)

I miss the gym

With a week of sickies, I haven't been able to get to the gym. I would feel horrible taking a few snot nosed kids with me, so I just haven't gone. I have been trying to do as much as possible at home, but I miss the gym terribly. I am praying for rain tomorrow so Jay can't work on the garage and I can leave the kids home with him while I go and work out. Hopefully these sickies will get better soon cause I know the kids miss their friends at the gym and its just been crappy for all of us. :(

Butterflies

Emily is a tad bit obsessed with butterflies. She has been for some time now. I am not sure when or how I got the idea, but I decided I wanted to get a butterfly nursery to share in a learning experience with the girls.

One Friday afternoon, we trekked out to Lakeshore Learning Store and ordered our butterfly nursery as there were none on the shelves. It was right before Memorial Day that our nursery arrived at the store. We decided to wait until after our Memorial Day vacation to send away for our caterpillars so they wouldn't arrive when we were gone.

Our caterpillars arrived about a week after we sent away for them. Four black little creepy looking caterpillars in a plastic container filled with what looked like peanut butter with a coffee filter on top. We read the directions and it said to leave them alone and in 7-10 days they would turn into their chrysalis. We watched them grow....and grow....and grow. Then finally one day the first caterpillar turned...and then another and another and finally the last one.

We moved the coffee filter with the four chyrsalis' on it into the butterfly nursery. That was 5 days ago. Today, after breakfast, Elle was on her way up the stairs to wash her face and hands and she said, "Look Momma, a butterfly." I have been watching these things like a hawk and I knew that 15 minutes prior there was nothing, but now there was a beautiful butterfly just emerging from it's chrysalis. We watched it for a bit and spent the day checking on the rest.

While we were eating lunch, butterfly #2 was "born." Go figure. The minute our eyes were off it, it came out. We are now waiting patiently to see #3 and #4. My guess is the darn things will emerge tonight while we are sleeping. Thats just our luck. I am still amazed, though, that they all lived and we didn't kill them. Haha! We mixed up our first batch of sugar water for them and they actually seem to like it.

I can't wait to see all four of them out! And even more I can't wait to set them free. Did you know that a butterfly only has a three week life span? We are going to let them be free and not die in our care. That sounds like a great plan to me. :)

Father's Day weekend

This one's gonna take some time....

Our weekend started Friday. My brother, Leon, his wife Jaylene and little man Lucias flew in for the weekend. WE all met at my mom and dad's for dinner and our first visit of the weekend. We BBQ'ed and hung out with the babers and stayed way too late. It was so great to see the three of them and so so so very great to hold and cuddle my nephew.

Saturday we spent the majority of the day with Jay's family for his nephew Luke's first birthday party. I still can't imagine that the little man is a year old. I remember going to meet him at the hospital the day he was born. I was still pregnant with Cecelia and laughed to him that he was laying on his baby cousin. I could feel my baby kicking him from the inside and it was the most magical thing. The party was great, we had a lot of time to spend with Jay's cousins and aunts and uncles. After we left there we headed back out to my mom and dads cause my brother was having a party with all of his friends. We got there late, but had some time to visit. My dad lit off some fireworks and we all just hung out.

Sunday we went back to my mom and dad's after stopping to pick up a Dairy Queen ice cream cake since I had NO time to make my dessert I was supposed to bring. We had dinner with my dad's family- all 40 ish of us. I think everyone was there except my cousins Duane and Kerry and their two boys which kinda sucked cause we didn't get a pic of all 7 great grandkids. ugh. We met my cousin Tracey's baby Noilyn from Costa Rica. She's a doll. We took plenty of pictures that I will be sure to post as soon as I can. I need to play around with it and figure out how to post more than one pic at a time. (I know...I know...Miss computer illiterate over here)

Monday we took the day off from visiting cause Elizabeth was coughing and I didn't want her to spread germs. Especially since she sounded kinda croupy. Yuck! Tuesday (my birthday) we headed to Pizza Hut for our traditional birthday lunch. Everyone was there except Laura cause she got stuck in a meeting that she couldn't get out of and Rob cause his meeting got moved up and he was in Livonia. We got home from Pizza Hut and Elle was covered in a rash, so I assumed she had roseola, but by evening the rash dissipitated, so I am not sure what the issue was. My mom and dad took Leon and Jaylene and Lucias to the airport and home they went. I miss them already- they won't be back till Christmas!!!!

Thats our weekend in a nutshell. Busy, but fun! Lots of family and friends and great conversation. To me, thats more important than anything else in the world!

Happy Friday!

I miss the gym

It's been 5 days and I am sad. Elizabeth has a cough though that is almost gone, so maybe I can get back tomorrow. I am not taking a hacking kid to spray her germs everywhere. I have been trying to get things done at home- walking, dvds, etc, but its just not the same. I miss the gym terribly and can't wait to get back.

Happy Birthday To Me

I just woofed down a piece of carrot cake and a scoop of ice cream and I don't feel the least bit guilty. Okay....well maybe a little. It's my birthday and if you can't cheat on your birthday, then whats the point? Haha!

My nephew, Luke, turned one today and I am 28. I call him my 27th birthday present and the best present ever. After years and years of waiting to be an aunt, I got to be one on my birthday! Last year, it was also Father's Day. What a special day.

We had a busy weekend and as soon as I replant the plants that Em and Elle tipped over today, I will have time to blog about our wonderful weekend with our out of town guests. We had a lot of quality time together.

Fixing to be fun!

Only THREE more days until the day we have been anticipating for months. THREE more days until the girls get to meet their newest cousin. THREE more days until all my mom and dad's grandkids will be in the same state. My brother, his wife and our nephew will be at Metro airport at 3pm on Friday give or take. I CAN'T WAIT! The big girls can't wait! Cecelia doesn't know any better, but I am sure if she did she'd be jumping up and down!

Cecelia and I met Lucias back in February, but Em, Elle and Jay have yet to meet him. I can't wait to have some good quality time with them and take a ton of pics of the four of them together. I called to my mom's attention the other day that her grandkids are in opposite order of her kids. She had a boy then three girls and now her grandkids are three girls and then a boy. Kinda cool like that.

As if we weren't in for enough fun, our nephew Luke turns one in a week and his birthday party is Saturday. We will go and celebrate with him and the family. I can't wait for that one either cause we will see some family that we rarely see. A shame, I know, but it's so true.

Then, Sunday we will be back at my parents to celebrate father's day with the whole entire Niedzwiecki clan. My cousin and her new baby Noilyn from Costa Rica are in town- so my grandfather will get to spend his Father's Day with all 7 of his great grandkids. This will be a rareity, so we are going to make the best of it.

I am so excited for this weekend I can barely stand it. I can't wait to see everyone and spend time with the fam. It's really all that matters, isn't it??

I'm having a love affair

I'll admit it. I will own up to it. I am having a love affair with the gym. I am in love. (at least for this week and last) I was there 5 times last week and have started this week off right by spending 75 minutes there today. The girls love going to the Kids Club- yes, even Cecelia. Plus, the women in there love her, so she gets a bit of extra attention. I have been reading my Bob Harper book and in it he says to spend the first four weeks of your time in the gym doing cardio, so thats what I have been doing. I alternate between the stair master, the elliptical, the treadmill and the bike. Surprisingly I could spend the whole amount of time on the ellipitical. I love it. Thats amazing considering the first time I went I had a hard time cranking out 6 minutes and today I did 45!!! I am so proud of me.

So far the healthy eating thing has been a breeze for me. I am back to counting calories and even have enough left during the day to have a sherbert cone in the evening. I must be doing something right- I have lost 5 lbs in one week and while I know those results are not typical I am still pretty darn excited! Again, I am so proud of me!!

We had a slow uneventful weekend. We went out to dinner Saturday evening to celebrate Jay's dad's 70th birthday and Sunday we worked outside a bit and cleaned a bit and then watched the storms that left a big fat mess in the neighborhood. We are waiting for our neighbors behind us to pick up their LARGE tree limb that cracked and is laying in our yard, inches from the garage. In fact, I doubt Jay will get back there to paint unless its moved- so hopefully thats soon!

Hope everyone made it thru the storms okay and hopefully your power is all up and running. My mom called and they FINALLY got theirs restored at 7pm. Yikes. Until next time....