Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Logan bits

Logan got used to Dominic being home from school and playing with him.  Today, when we put Dominic on the bus, Logan said "Dah" all the way back home.  Then he wondered around the house asking for him over and over again, knocking on doors to see if Dominic was in there.  "Dah? Dah?"  To which I have to answer that Dominic is at school and he would be home later.  Then the little munchkin started saying "Dah awkool?"
My poor little man misses his big brother and it breaks my heart.

We have always taken things away from Logan when he should not have it and say "Thank you." Well this weekend when he was playing with something he shouldn't and it was taken away, Logan began to tear up.  He went back over to his Dad and began taking the item back all the while saying "gank eww" as tears streamed down his face.  So cute and funny and the darn little thing is learning so quick!

Our Christmas tree had a few ornaments that Logan called "balls" on it.  He would take them off and play with them, eat the string and then throw them back at the tree.  Then on Sunday, Gary had to put them up on the mantel.  Logan took them off the tree, said "kick it" and then decided to kick them around the living room. Oh, I laughed forever at that!  

Monday, November 29, 2010

Whirl of a weekend

I blinked and my 4 day weekend was GONE in what seemed like a flash.

Wednesday my niece was baptized.   It is hard to keep kids quiet for over an hour in church ;)




Thursday was of course Thanksgiving.  It was a different for my family without my Dad here.  He worked most holidays so it was few and far between that we actually got to eat dinner with him BUT it was still obvious that he was only there in spirit.  My Aunt said a prayer for dinner and my Dad, most people were in tears...including me.  I went to my Moms to help cook and my Aunt was there bright and early to help out as well.  Logan had a wonderful time playing with Ethan.
Friday was shopping day for me!  I had fun with my brother and friends as we went store to store getting some awesome deals. Most people tell me that I am nuts for going out.  I have fun with it and love to people watch while going out!  I got 90% of my shopping done that day and am so happy with the amount of money we did NOT spend this year!  The rest of the day was spent napping for me and then family time with my husband and my kids.  Logan colored for the first time with crayons and every few seconds he ate them.

Saturday we did our normal Christmas decorating.  I will post more on this later with some pics :)

Sunday night I watched The Blind Side with Dominic.  He is very much into helping others as much as possible.  He loved the movie and was brought to tears on more than one occasion. We have made it a tradition to donate to toys for tots every Christmas and adopting a less fortunate family.  This year we changed it up and I donated money to (a friend of a friends blog) toys for kids and then bought presents for toys for tots. Dominic loves to donate money to cancer research (stemming from my Dads cancer I assume) and he likes to buy the bracelets no matter what the cause to donate his money to help some one else!   I think we did great in teaching him to give back and he is only 8 :) I pat myself on the back a little for that one!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Giving Thanks

After a year full of events, some good and some not good, one needs to reflect on what they are thankful for.

Family.  This is basically a given.  However, I want to go through and thank them each!  Gary-he is a wonderful husband.  I do not have much not to be thankful for with him.  He is one that cleans, helps with the kids, jokes around and loves me unconditionally.  Dominic/Logan-my two little love bugs.  They keep me on my toes while making laugh to the point of tears on occasion.  My Mom-I really could not have gotten where I am today without her.  She is loving and helpful without ever pushing me toward something not wanted.  My brother-giving, kind and helpful with his nephews all the while spoiling them in a good way.  My sister-she is upfront, thoughtful and we never pay for hair cuts! We can always count on her to babysit the kids and even on only a moments notice.  The Inlaws-each of them help in their own way and I am very lucky to have them.

Friends. Another basic given.  I have a few groups of great friends. Some I have had forever, some I have just reconnected with and others I have just met within the last few years.  You are all wonderful and I can share good times and bad with you without judgment.

New Home.  This had been put off for years.  It never seemed like the right time for Gary and I buy a home.  This has been perfect.  The whole process was stressful and not all that pleasant but I am thankful for the outcome in the end.  We are putting a stamp on it in a neutral tone as to be able to sell within a few years to obtain that dream home awaiting us!

Having a job where I work from home.  I know how lucky I am to have this.  Make a decent living while not getting out of my jammies.  Leaving me to have my morning sickness in peace and not let everyone and their mother see how sick I really get.  Everyone complains about their job at one point and I am no exception to that rule but I am thankful to have a good job!

The time spent with my Dad this year.  I am very thankful that my Dad made it through another birthday for us to celebrate with him.  He was still able to come out for us to sing to him at the dining room table, still able to open his gifts (even if he never got to use them) and able to see my kids one last time without appearing to be in too much pain. (although appearances can be deceiving)

This Thanksgiving is going to be difficult but I am thankful to have another one to spend with my family.  Happy Thanksgiving and be sure to thank those who we sometimes forget to thank (hubs this is you ;) dear!)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Day of Events

Busy is a great word to describe this Saturday!

The day started off with Logan waking up at 5 am AGAIN.  Ugh, Mommy is too old for that stuff kiddo!  I went to the craft show with my Mom and my sister.  We had a great time and even found some wonderful Christmas gifts and a flag for my Dad's grave (American flag with and Eagle...sums up my Dad perfectly!).

After the craft show, I hurried home to pick up the hubs and kiddos.  Off we went to Dylan's 6th birthday party.  Happy Birthday Buddy!  We had a great time with some good friends.  Everyone enjoyed a yummy lunch and chocolate cake while the kids decorated an ornament for the tree :)  Dylan was super excited about the lego sets we got him and Gary is very proud that he picked his favorite gift.


As soon as we were done at the party, we left with Amber, Audrey and Jack to go down town.  We went to see Garys office and hit the rest rooms before lining up for the parade.  A quick stop to get hot chocolate and we were set!  We lined up...on the wrong side of the road...so here we are running across the street right before the first horses come marching down the road.  The horses were beautiful, the kids were waving and smiling...it was a great site to see.  Logan was very excited to see all the lights.  I loved that the horses shook their heads YES when you asked if their name was (insert horse name here like King).




From the parade we all went to dinner.  WELCOME TO MOES.  It was here that we were all slightly embarrassed when Thriller came on and Dominic got up and started dancing in the isle.  Then Logan started doing his toddler dance in his high chair.  Oh my....

We had a fun filled day and each Saturday is filled with these types of events from now until the first of the year.  May the force be with me to get through it all!!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Accident Central

Yesterday Logan was playing in the kitchen with a bunch of plastic and metal mixing bowls.  He leaned down on the biggest one with his hand on one side.  The bowl tipped and the other side hit him in the upper lip, splitting it wide open.  My MIL picked him up and blood was pouring from his mouth.  She thought maybe it required a stitch because it would not let up...after a couple of ice pops it did stop, thankfully!  He now has a big lip with a pretty wide cut, just in time for Christmas card pics!

Not only did we have the lip incident yesterday but he managed to fall more than a few times, bumping his head.  Then this morning the little sprout shut his fingers in a drawer.  Oiy, no more kitchen for this kid.  I am starting to consider a bubble, anyone know where I can get one?

I will post some pics when I get the uploaded.  Hope everyone else is having a safe type week unlike ours!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Date Night

WOW I can hardly believe that Gary and I are actually going out to dinner in Robinson with no kids and no real time frame.  It has been so long since we went out to dinner by ourselves that neither of us even remember when we did.

Every family knows how hard it is to get out without the kids and how important it is to do for your marriage. You need to reconnect with your significant other in ways that do not include 4 handed diaper changes, baths or silly faces!  It keeps your relationship fresh, new and exciting. 

We are going to dinner at PF Changs and neither of us have ever been there.  The food sounds yummy and yes I have already looked at it a few times online.  I will actually be wearing make up, have my hair done and be dressed in clothes that are not flannel/fleece.  It is a big deal :)

To our friends, if you need a night out then hit us up.  I would be happy to watch your kids while you reconnect with the person who helped create your family!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Black Friday and the Saturday after

It is approaching...and I am getting EXCITED!

I was never one to go out shopping so early on black friday but one year my sister and I decided to give it a go!  Ever since then I have gone with friends and family and have a fun time doing it.  I love to watch everyone get crazy and some get really angry...it CRACKS ME UP!  Listen people if you want a cheap laptop/camera/tv ect then you better be prepared to be there for like 24 hours like the crazy other people who want it.

But seriously, I have fun when I go.  I make the most of it and get the deals I can to spread even more Christmas cheer.  I am never upset if I miss something that I want, never push people out of the way and enjoy every second of people watching I get waiting in lines :)  I also love getting great bargins that allow us to donate more to needy families which is a tradition in our family.  Dominic is well aware of everything that we do to help out others and he gets into it.  He loves helping others just like me!

This year things are going to be slightly different as Toys R Us decided to open its doors at 10pm Thursday night.  I have a few people that I am going with and we should have a blast again this year.  Stopping to grab a bite to eat in between our deal findings.  Plus my Mom has to work Thursday night into Friday morning so I am going to be picking her up from work and going to breakfast with her and my Aunt...along with anyone else in our group who decides they wanna join in!  After that, I come home and hit the hay for a few hours of a nap because I can.  My husband is AWESOME is like that and knows that I do the shopping and he cares for the kidlets.

Saturday in our house is spent hanging up Christmas decorations and I cannot wait to get everything out this year. I have had a huge blow up snow globe with snowmen in it that I have never used and bought a few years ago.  I do need to get some more decorations this year.  We also get to put up our white tree and decorate it in all black and gold in the family room...plus hang our Steelers stockings up down there too :)
I just hope that Logan keeps his little chubby fingers off of everything!!

What does everyone do on Black Friday and the weekend after Thanksgiving?

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Kidlet update

Logan walks around the house, knocking on doors and calling out people's names.  He went to Dominic's door, knocked and yells "Dah." Gary tells him that he is in the bathroom...so Logan walks over to the bathroom door and knocks saying "Dah, Dah."  He always goes to the front door & our bedroom door and knocks and says "Dada."  The smart little booger also says "Gaga" when he hears the front door open.

Dominic has had an issue with his belly for years.  Lately, its been worse.  We have the fun task of getting several stool samples tonight and tomorrow.  With my pregnancy gag reflex in full swing, it should be totally fun!  The poor guy has not slept for a full night in days.  He wakes up screaming and crying in pain.  Last night not only did Logan get up 5 times but Dominic was up twice.  Both kids were in our bed, it made sleeping interesting and for some sore backs in the morning!

Logan loves to sing and clap.  My Mom has been singing patty cake with him for awhile now.  Last night he started to sing and clap it on his own.  OMG it was so cute!  "Padah Cake" "Padah Cake" big smile and waits for you to finish the rest of the song! 

It is fun to watch Logan, Gary and Dominic dance around the living room.  Logan's version of dancing is running in place with the occasional hand flail.  Gary and Dominic will follow his lead and he giggles in delight.

Dominic gets his first report card this week.  I cannot wait to see how he did.  All of his papers that come home are always very good. I also have a parent teacher conference on Thursday, so I am interested to see how he is doing in the class.  He likes his teacher, which is a pleasant change from last year. I am hoping that helps with his impulsive talking behavior!

This third baby should be showing us either the "hamburger or hotdog" in just about 4 weeks!  I am getting excited.  Hard to believe that I am going to be half way done in a month.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Tired

This weekend was exhausting....

Take note that I will not schedule 3 full days in a row!!!  My prego self cannot handle it.

Amongst all of our gatherings 3 days in a row other things pop up.  For now, I might just go nap with Logan.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Holiday Cards

I have chosen to get our holiday cards this year from shutterfly.com because they have some of the cutest designs at a reasonable price! 

I love sending and receiving holiday cards, especially when they are picture cards.  It is a wonderful keepsake to give and receive.  It allows families to stay connected and see how families have grown with each year. 

This year I have chosen to go with a 5 picture monogrammed snowman card.  The card is adorable with bright colors and a smiling snowman.  In my opinion, it has the best of everything!  I can put 5 pictures of my adorable boys and it is monogrammed.  Who really could ask for more? Not me!!  I had a few favorites this year but this card seem to say our family in 2010!  Why not take a look on shutterfly and send your loved ones that perfect holiday card?

I am also looking into some Christmas gifts from shutterfly as well.  They have some really cute stationary designs that I know would be perfect for a special someone.

Happy designing to all this holiday season and remember Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards
or if you are on facebook or twitter: 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010 #SFLY

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Remembering loved ones

Tonight St Killian's had a special mass for all family members who had lost a loved one from Nov 2009-Oct 2010. 

I was not aware that they had a wooden cross hanging with my father's name and the date he passed on the wall.  It is a lovely cross.  A meaningful cross.  A treasured cross. A cross that I know will now reside in my mother's living room.  The hour long mass was filled with people who lost loved ones.  They were all receiving their departed ones cross.  It was a night full of emotions. 

I am not sure if anyone else has lost a parent but it is hard to put into words exactly what it feels like.  Everyone tells me that the first year is the hardest.  So far they could not be more right.  There is not a week that goes by that does not involve tears, memories, thoughts, prayers or the word cancer. 

The upcoming holiday season will be totally different for us from here on out. Although it will still remain a happy time filled with family traditions, it will also change in a way that we cannot control.   My Dad always picked out one present for each of us kids...on his own without help from anyone!  Last year was the first year that he could not do it from being too sick.  My favorite Dad gift was the white bear that he made for me from build a bear when I was pregnant with Dominic.  He even laughed as he told us the story of him making it in front of all those other people.  For those who know my Dad (manly, stern voice, hard working, flannel and jeans man)....can picture him now! 

Especially as we come into the holiday season, be thankful and cherish the loved ones you have and never forget the ones that have passed on.