The dog ate WHAT???

I'm so glad that I took a photo of the handprint ornament that we made for Dominic because very shortly after the photo was taken, the ornament disappeared. My first reaction was to question Dominic. He's known to leave things in odd places so I wanted to get it out of him while he still remembered where he may have put it. Not one to know to lie his way out of trouble yet, he told me that he in fact did NOT touch the ornament.

After asking hubby about it's whereabouts and getting the same answer that only leaves one more option: the dog! That dirty ol' dog must have thought it was a tasty treat just sitting out in the open like that and decided to make off with it in the midst of the night! Scoundrel!

Now we have to make another one!

I also had an impromptu photo shoot with the babes the other day. I made my mom a card using the photos:

What do you think???

We are having 5 of Dominic's close friends over Friday night for a special viewing of Elf in anticipation of the holidays! I put together a salt dough ornament mix for each family to take home and will be including an x-mas cookie cutter with it, too. We'll have all kinds of Christmas snacks and we're so excited to see everyone. I'll be sure to post pics of all the fun!

Fourth Fun

Today being the Fourth of July, I thought I'd start with a festive photo and then do a catch up post.

Here we are this morning:

Jillian is really feeling in the spirit, no? Hee Hee!

This week we actually had it together enough to make it out of the house on a few occasions. We made it to a local rec center and met K and B for some running and bouncehouse bouncing. Fun!

I've made contact with a few ladies from church via email. We have been playing "tag" for a while now, trying to synchronize our calendars. So far we have tentative plans to meet next week with one family and the following week with the other. I'll be sure to post how it goes once we meet up.

Jillian is ready to eat now so I'll sign off for now!!

A Day in the Life: Jillian edition

I just put a call in to Jillian's pediatrician regarding her numerous reflux symptoms. We have been in a haze the last 3 weeks with her being in pain and us being helpless to help her. It's gotten pretty unbearable and has really stressed the family out. I tried changing my diet but it's apparant that we need medical intervention. I feel like Dominic has really gotten pushed aside and I really hate that.

That being said, I thought it would be interesting to document what a day in Jillian's life looks like, partly because I like to photograph her and partly because I know that this existence we are currently in will not stay etched in our minds forever. Believe it or not, we will forget how much she cried due to reflux, making those old man faces. We will forget trying so hard to figure out what will ease her pain. We will forget...eventually.

So here's an adapted version of Jillian's day yesterday.

Let's begin with a morning stimulating activity.

Ten minutes is about enough of that!

Time for a snack.

A quick snooze!

Wardrobe change! (due to spit up, NOT her diva attitude)

Some brotherly love.

Hanging with a good friend.

The bewitching hour (aka: cry time!)

That's about it for the day. I spared you having to see her cry at 3am. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day, eh? Minus the hurt and crying, that is.

I wish I could, but I just can't...

Today is National I Don't Give a Shit Day and I would normally LOVE to participate in this great day of observance, but I just can't bring myself to do it!

I've got so much going on in this house that I need to really give a good shit today and get this house back in order! Last week David was out of town on business all week. The first 2 nights were okay. Then it started to get harder. On Thursday we had to take a run to the ER with Jillian and thank God my parents were staying the night with us. I don't know what I would have done! Luckily, she's okay and we are coping with the idea that our little angel may have reflux. Yuk!

I am doing an elimination diet to rule out any sensitivities she may be having that would cause this reaction and man is it HARD! I thought giving up Cokes for Lent was bad. I can't have ANYTHING it seems!! The only way I can seriously cope is to look at little Jillian and know that this may make her feel better and keep her off meds, although I'm pretty sure prevacid is in our near future.

She is growing like a weed! Already up to 7 pounds!! My sister is supposed to come today and take photos of the little lady and I'll be sure and post some of her cuteness soon.

We've got some family coming in to visit (Hi, Aunt Suge!!) and we are really looking forward to that, as well. Dominic keeps talking about Aunt Suge's house. He seems to think that she lives right down the street because every time we pass a certain house he points and says, "Aunt Suge's house. Let's go!"

Other than all that, we have been pretty much home bodies, except for the occasional mall visit. Yesterday's trip was an epic FAIL so we tried again today and were able to redeem ourselves. Both kids are napping now so I'm going to get in some zzzz's while I can. Wish me luck!

Due Date!!

Today is my original EDD and Jillian is now 15 days old. We had our 2 week check-up yesterday morning and were shocked and thrilled to discover that she is now over 5 pounds! She has grown 2" and is doing great! I have designed her birth announcement and just need to print them out and get them in the mail. I would share one here, but it's got information that I don't want to post in a public place. You understand, I know...

Dominic has been warming up to his sister little by little. He loves to stroke her soft hair and hold her tiny hand. He repeats, "I think she likes me." It is really very sweet. Just look how proud he is:

We are starting to get into somewhat of a routine. The doctor recommended that we stay away from any playdates for another two weeks, but we are okay to have private playdates. This week we are meeting my friend, S and her daughter B, at the outlet mall to buy Little Miss some clothes. She only has 7 outfits that fit properly. Her NB clothing will probably start fitting better in a few more weeks if she continues growing like this.

I contacted a former LLL buddy via Yahoo Groups and we are planning to get the kids together next week sometime. She has a daughter who is a little older than D and she just had a son a few weeks before Jillian so we have two sets of kids close in age. Of course, Dominic has fallen in love with her oldest daughter, who talked with him at church one Sunday, thus earning a spot on his "cool list". Her "flashing" shoes helped her rise to the tippy top of the list.

Cabin Fever

Having two kids is slowly sinking in. Before Jillian was born I tried to prepare for just how to deal with two kiddos, but in reality there really is no way to know what to anticipate. For instance, we are totally sequestered this week. With us being homebound until Jillian gets her shots next week, we have all had a bit of cabin fever.

Tuesday we had AM and M come over to drop off dinner and they stayed for about an hour and a half so the kids could play. That was a wonderful distraction for both D and I. Jillian happily slept the entire visit!

Yesterday after Daddy got home from work and we'd eaten dinner, D and I headed outside to play hopscotch and to blow some bubbles. In the shade it wasn't too bad and we stayed out for about 30 minutes before his cheeks got all red.

This morning I had it all together enough to gather the two kiddos and head outside before the heat got brutal for some sprinkler jumping time! M and O spied us outside and headed over to join us. The boys had fun running after one another and seeing who could get closest to the water sprinkler before conceding defeat and fleeing to Mom. I'm proud to say I think D won that "contest".

Tomorrow we are planning on baking a little sweet goodness. What we'll bake is still up in the air, but we'll see how we feel tomorrow.

Only 4 more days and we are free to roam about the country (or at least the city).

And now a photo just because it's so cute:

Arghhh, Matey! There be thieves, afoot!!

Recently Dominic has been obsessed with pirates. We picked up a few books at a consignment sale a few months ago and one of them was Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure. He and Daddy read it most nights at bedtime and Daddy even does the different voices. **swoon**

We recently expanded our Pirate Pete collection when Daddy got on Amazon and ordered the other 2 in the Pete series. We are partial to the Giant Adventure, but that is simply b/c that was our first one to be exposed to AND there are many fun voices to play with.

Last night while Dominic was sleeping I crept into his room and stole one of his new prizes: a longhorn that he chose to buy as a reward for doing his daily chores. See the chart below:

Anyway, I found a blank treasure map online that I have had printed out for about a week and decided it was time for a full-on treasure hunt! Daddy and I had fun sketching out the details and route. I got it all set up and rolled his map up just like a real pirate would and left it by his bed.

I took photos along the way, because that's the way I roll, you now.

Pirate D after finding his sword and hat.

Using his "spyglass" to help find the next clue.

X marks the spot!!

Avast ye, we found the gleaming booty!!

I must say Dominic was pretty into the whole treasure hunt. I think we'll have to design one for Daddy one day so he can go on a hunt of his own. Maybe the treasure will be in the oven! Not the baby in the oven kind, the sweet chocolate-y kind, I mean.

Birthday Blessings (aka: Can life get any sweeter??)

Today is my 36th birthday. I have a mere 23 days until I get to meet my only daughter, I am crazy in love with my husband and I have the world's sweetest little boy. My cup truly runneth over.

Here is how we celebrated my birthday tonight. Can life get any sweeter??

Click me! I'm a video!!




Happy Birthday to Mama, indeed!

36 weeks and my mind is STILL running on high

This is my self portrait taken yesterday in a state of creativity. I was tired of the same old belly shot so I thought I'd try it from different angles. I dunno...I'm kinda liking this one for some reason.

Anyway, the school year is rapidly coming to a close and my neighborhood group is beginning to wind down. I will continue to be the coordinator for our playgroup and I'm starting to compile a list of activities we can do this summer to keep us all from losing our minds. Here are some of my ideas so far:

** Have a playgroup garage sale.
** Weekly picnics.
** Have a movie night.
** Host an etiquette tea party.
** Splashpark outings.
** First Tuesdays at the Art Museum.
** Pool parties.
** Potluck happy hours for mom's night.
** Day at the horse races.
** Putt-putt golf.
** Minor league baseball family nights.
** Arts/crafts themed playdates.

I realize some of these are lofty ideas, especially with me having a newborn on the way in 27 more days, but don't some of these sound so fun???

Project 3 completed!

So, my little cheater book for Jillian has taken a bit longer than I had originally anticipated. I don't mind at all, though, I want her book to be as detailed as Dominic's. It's only fair, right?

First, I printed out my belly shot photos from each month. Then I went through my journal and wrote down all the important dates and details for the month (dr appt dates, HR's, etc.). I made each month a double spread and started to place the photos.

Since this was a pre-made book, some of the pages had lame stickers and I did my best to rip them out without tearing the paper underneath. For the most part I did okay. There are a couple of pages that are totally not my style, but they are done, right, and that's what matters!

Now I just need to continue contributing to May and June and we'll be all set! It's hard to believe I'll be 36 weeks along this Tuesday!

I took some photos of the completed book and then it hit me...you probably aren't interested in seeing my pages. So, I won't post any, but if you are REALLY jonesing to see them just let me know and I can make a montage photo of the pages to post.

Easter Resurrection Cookies (a great Easter lesson)

In looking for some wonderful way to celebrate Easter with my little growing family, I came across a wonderful Catholic blog. I bookmarked this idea last year and decided we would do this last night after we returned from our family vacation.

The instructions and passages below are taken straight from the following blog: www.catholiccuisine.blogspot.com

"Resurrection Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar, plus some for your children to taste
3 egg whites
pinch salt, plus some for your children to taste
1 cup sugar, plus some for your children to taste

Tools: rolling pin or wooden spoon, plastic baggie with a zipper-lock, scotch tape

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. (this in important - don't wait until you are halfway done with the recipe!) Place pecans in the plastic baggie and let children beat them with a rolling pin or wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3: "And they came to him, and said: Hail, king of the Jews; and they gave him blows."

Let each child smell and taste some vinegar.

Put vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30. "Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar and hyssop, put it to his mouth. Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost."

Add egg whites to vinegar.

Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep."

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand.

Let them taste it as you put the tsp. salt into the bowl and explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27 "And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him."

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.

Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18, " And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool."

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and give some for your children to taste. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 33:9 (34:8 in Bibles with Masoretic numbering) and John 3:16. "O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him... ...For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting."

Then read John 3:1-3, "And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these signs which thou dost, unless God be with him." Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet (do not use a baking stone!). Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Mathew 27:57-60 "And when it was evening, there came a certain rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate, and asked the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded that the body should be delivered. And Joseph taking the body, wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth. And laid it in his own new monument, which he had hewed out in a rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the monument, and went his way."

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matthew 27:65-66 "Pilate saith to them: You have a guard; go, guard it as you know. And they departing, made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting guards."

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20-22 "Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So also you now indeed have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice; and your joy no man shall take from you."

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matthew 28:1-9 "And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold he will go before you into Galilee; there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you. And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him."

This was a family event and I'm so glad that my husband volunteered to participate with us. I didn't even have to ask!

Happy Easter, everyone!!

PS- I'll have a vacation storyboard in the next post. Also, I'm having a sprinkle shower this week!!! Can't wait!

Fishing, anyone?

Today we decided to make an impromptu visit to Gammy and Gampy at the farm. We haven't seen them in a while so we thought it was time to make the trek out there.

Along the way D played his harmonica and played with his flashlight. He told me they were his camping tools. I asked him if he wanted to go camping at Gammy's and he told me he'd like to go fishing!

The weather was nice, the sun was shining and I was hoping the fish would be biting! Gampy got the rod and reel all hooked up with a fresh worm for bait and together we cast for his first fishing experience! We seldom get photos of the two of us together so this is a treasure to me.


We didn't catch squat! I used to be quite a catcher of fish so this is kind of a bummer. However, Gammy, the great angler that she is (HA!) caught two fish!! D was pretty interested in checking them out but wanted no part in touching them. Smart boy!


I'm not sure he'll be such an outdoorsman. That's okay with me, though.

Yesterday we noticed a caterpillar attaching itself to our front walk wall. I took a photo of it and promised D that we will capture a photo everyday in hopes that we can catch it turn into a beautiful butterfly.

Day One

Today's photo was blurry so we'll have to take another one first thing in the morning. It's already made itself a nice, comfy cocoon!

When is a dog just a dog?

As soon as you bring home a new baby!

When we were pregnant with Dominic people tried to tell us that our precious (HA!) beagle, Annabelle, would cease to live as the baby of the house and would be delegated to pure dog status. Neither my husband nor myself believed it. We were so in line with the idea that she was like a child to us that we sent cards on her behalf to our relatives and even had elaborate birthday parties for her.

Seeing as this is her 5th birhthday today, I thought I'd take a stroll down memory lane and re-visit her first two birthday parties. Notice she ceased having parties once Dominic came home?? Want to fancy a guess why??

First Birthday party:


Eating dog friendly ice cream out of a beagle mug, of course!


Dog friendly cake


The cake station complete with homemade doggie bag favors.


The birthday girl in her homemade birthday hat. CUTE!

Second Birthday party:


The birthday girl all dolled up. The hat's not homemade, but there's still some love involved.


Check out this fancy cake. My reasoning? We were expecting a little boy and I figured I'd never have the opportunity to buy a cutesy cake again...


The front of the invitation.
The back read: "Come and help me celebrate my last birthday as an only child." That about sums it up, folks.

Annabelle has had three birthdays as an older sibling. Sadly, I cannot recall that we have done anything special for her on any of these occasions. As a matter of fact, I almost totally forgot about today until the last minute! I told D we will make her a birthday cake tomorrow afternoon for April Fool's Day.

Don't feel too bad for ol'Annabelle. She still gets to sleep in the master's bed and only drinks filtered water. She has her own doggie door for easy access to the fresh air and/or air conditioning and she gets to eat anything that Dominic drops on the floor. All in all, I'd say her life isn't too bad, would you?

Playing catch up!

I did it again...got behind on our activities.

Thursday we had our own version of S.H.I.T. night. What is S.H.I.T. night, you may ask? Well, for MANY MANY years the men in my husband's family have gotten together every Thursday night and made dinner and enjoyed some good wine. That's right, they COOK!! They enjoy getting together and seeing what they can come up with. It stands for Sure Happy It's Thursday.

Anyway, we S.H.I.T. night widows have been meaning to get together ourselves, but have never followed through on our plans. So Thursday night we did! It was so much fun!!! We had it at hubby's Aunt Katherine's house and she was prepared for kids. She has a whole room strictly for the kids with all kinds of cool stuff! D was in toy heaven!

He got to play with some of his second cousins whom he only sees at Thanksgiving. They were all so gentle with him, I didn't mind enjoying the family talk while he was in the other room. I managed to sneak a shot of him playing with a baby doll. CUTE!

**pic coming**

Friday was my hubby's birthday as well as our 5th wedding anniversary. D helped me bake Daddy a cake. Isn't he cute???



Saturday we had one of DH's college buddies over for a cook-out. Their birthdays are one week apart so we celebrated them both. He has two boys and D loved getting to check out their i-Touch. Why are kid's so into electronics???

Monday we took it easy. Grocery shopping and a nap. We had an impromptu playdate with R and G at their house. G is learning how to share. I know I am biased and all, but I think D is a wonderful playmate to learn how to share with. He is pretty patient and doesn't mind having to play with a different toy in lieu of fighting over one.

Today we played over at Nana and Papa's. D was asking for them yesterday so we made a date for this morning.

So, there you have it! We are all caught up now.

Tomorrow we have a pool playdate. Thursday and Friday I have to set up for my summer camp that starts next Monday. My neice will be here Thursday to help me get organized. Everyone is excited to begin!!