Birthday Week, Day 2

Yesterday (Monday), Matt had off from school because of the President's Day holiday and, since the children were with my mom overnight, we were able to sleep in! We took full advantage of that and enjoyed the low stress of having a quiet, lazy morning at home. The plan was to pick the kids up at my mom's around 10:00 and head over to Pottery Barn Kids to see the Cat in the Hat. She called around 9:00 she mentioned that they were all doing great and relaxing and offered to keep them until after lunch if we didn't have our hearts set on going to see the Cat in the Hat. Of course, we accepted! What to do with our newly free morning/afternoon??? We lounged around and paid bills, ate breakfast (slowly), and chatted. I ran out to do some shopping and when I came home, I got a call from my mother. She had gotten a phone call from the family who's home I stayed in for 6 weeks while I taught in England during college. (some background...we stayed in touch and visited each other on several occasions after college. Diane had suffered with cancer, had the cancer removed, and inevitably it would come back. A couple of years ago, we lost touch. We didn't hear from them on Christmas and my birthday like we traditionally had. They stopped e-mailing. Nothing. On several occasions I had thought about calling, but I was too afraid that I would learn that something had happened to Diane. I just couldn't handle that call. So I did nothing...just always wondered, in the back of my mind, what they were up to. Recently, my mom tried to contact them. Their phone number was disconnected, phone number unlisted. Fearful for the worst, she decided to write to them asking them to please get in touch with us. Thus the phone call.) Diane was okay and as chipper as could be. They talked for quite a while and then Diane called me but had to leave a message. So after my mom relayed the good news to me, I got right on the phone and called them back. It was so wonderful to catch up and be in touch. Right now, she is healthy and the family is all doing well...all grown up, but well. I was elated!

After that high, I randomly decided it was time to do something about the office closet. It is jam-packed with gifts, Christmas/gift wrapping supplies, MOPS materials, pictures, crafts waiting to happen, etc...I would never open it in front of anyone for fear that something might fall out. Seriously I am a fairly organized person, but this closet has just been taken advantage of since we moved in two years ago and it has been a thorn in my side. Today was the day. I pulled it all out and attempted to sort everything into piles (gifts, wrapping supplies, etc...) That's about as far as I got (and the office still looks that way). Check out the mess I have to maneuver through in order to get to the computer...

Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was fairly normal...naptime, dinner, bedtime.

Birthday Week, Day 1

Yesterday began the week of celebration leading up to my birthday (Yes, birthdays are a week-long celebration in our house). We spent the day doing normal Sunday activities (church, grocery shopping, etc...) and then we took C&C to my mom's for the night. Date night with my honey! Matt and I drove down to Chesterfield (yes, all the way down there!) and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bonefish Grill. YUM! Afterwards we went to Barnes and Noble and scoured the shelves for some fun reading material. We each picked a book and plunked ourselves down in some comfortable chairs. Unfortunately our evening ended short because we forgot that it was a Sunday night and the store closed early. It really wasn't too disappointing though, because although it was only 9:00pm, we were both exhausted! At home, my arms were tickled until I fell asleep...awww.... (that is my most favorite thing ever...to have my arms and hands "tickled" at bedtime). 6 more days of celebrating to go...

Handmade Valentines

In preparation for Connor's Valentine's Day party at school, I made his valentines. I knew the little 4 year olds wouldn't care about them one bit, but I was excited to have a creative project. "I Dig You" was the phrase that caught my attention and this is what I came up with...

I, of course, sought inspiration online and saw something along the same lines at splitcoaststampers.com and tweeked it a little. They were so much fun to make! I used my new Cricut machine to cut the tags and the little hearts and used scraps of ribbon from my own stash. Connor signed every one of them.

And this is what I finally decided on for Mrs. Hurt. A mug with a Starbucks gift card inside...the tag reads I like you a latte.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thankful Thursday

I have much to be thankful for, but this week it is simple. Two words. My mother.

Read this story below, written by her (sent to my mother-in-law, and she doesn't know I'm posting it!)

Tues. a.m. we awoke to a covering of wet snow - the kind that makes great snowballs and snowmen. My first thought was what a great day to make a snowman with Connor and Carly after their naps. Unfortunately, when Carly arrived, so did the sun, and the snow quickly began to melt. She and I went outside to the shady side of the hill, and made a few snowballs and threw them. And since snowballs remind us of snowmen, I thought it would be fun to make a mini snowman with what little snow we could find, since we may never have the opportunity again this winter. Carly and I made a couple small balls for our snowman's body, found some twigs and pieces of wood for the eyes and arms. He was so cute that I was disappointed that Connor had to miss it since he was still in PreSchool. So, I brought the snowman to the patio and left him in a shady spot, out of the sun, hoping he would last until Connor could see him. He obliged, and as soon as Connor saw him, he ran to the refrigerator to get a carrot for his nose. He then got his hat and put it on the snowman's head.
After the photo session, I went into the kitchen to make lunch. Connor remained outside talking to the snowman. A few minutes later, I looked up, and Connor was crossing the threshold, dripping snowman in hand, despairing that we had to keep him cold as he was melting - all over the rug at the moment. I quickly got a plastic dish to put Mr. Snowman in, and Connor thought we should put him in the freezer to keep him cold. Which we did of course - until Mommy arrived. Connor proudly showed off his snowman in my freezer, and then asked Mommy if she had a freezer. An affirmative response was all he needed. We promptly transferred Mr. Snowman into an insulated bag, under Connor's care and protection until he reached home, and he is now residing in Mommy's freezer.

My mother never ceases to amaze me. She is always coming up with fun filled activities for Connor and Carly to do while they are with her. She actually plans activities in advance. As a former teacher, she definitely utilizes the teachable moments and lets them guide their day often times, based on whatever their interest of the day is. If they see a bird out the window, she will pull out a bird identification book and let Connor try to find the bird in the book. Then the next day, they will make pinecone birdfeeders with peanut butter and birdseed. After I mentioned that I wanted to begin potty training Carly, she took the initiative at her house and stuck with it. She devoted the time and energy to it. And we all know how much time and energy that takes!) She is so patient with them - how come I never got an ounce of that??? - I am so so so thankful that she is such an important figure in the lives of my children. I am truly blessed. I love you mom.

Warm Fuzzies

I was sitting in the office, creating, when I saw the mailman pull up and slide some mail into the mailbox. Then, he got out of the car and walked across our lawn. I could feel the excitement rising inside because I knew what he was delivering...my warm fuzzies package! Connor's former preschool teacher (whom I have developed a friendship with, and just absolutely adore) organized a seasonal exchange with several women. The first one we did was in November...Fall Faves. This one was themed "Warm Fuzzies". Wanna' see the goodies I found inside the box???So much fun! The recipes sound delicious, the stickers, stamp, buttons, and ribbon will make for some fun projects, the sprinkles will be perfect for Valentine's Day treats, the popcorn concoction looks yummy, the towels are just adorable, the snowman is just too cute (still trying to decide how I'm going to decorate him), the lotion, sanitizer, and lip balm are perfect for this cold dry weather, and the magazines are going to be such fun to poke through while cuddles up in my jammies! Thanks R!!!

Mommy and Daddy Dates

Yesterday was a special day. Matt took Connor skiing for the day at Massanutten and I spent the day with Carly (After church, we went to brunch with Nonnie, after naptime we went ice skating, and then we ended our day out to dinner with Nonnie again). Below are some pictures to document what a great day each of us had...

Thankful Thursday

It's been such a long time since I've made a TT posting...

I am thankful:

that Connor is back to his healthy, active self. We have been giving him Pulmicort twice daily to strengthen his lungs so we have no more hospital visits

that I am able to attend the RCC Women's Retreat at the end of February

that I will be training for a sales rep position at Bun Bun Bags at the end of this month. Let's get this party started!

that Matt will (hopefully) be home for dinner tonight - the first time since Sunday

that I had the opportunity to visit with my dear friend and her new little boy this morning. He was so snuggly!

that Carly is in the potty training process (thanks Nonnie!) - Pull Ups will be a thing of the past!

that my iPod has 69 songs on it! Now, I just need the headphones so I can listen to them!

that Carly and I get to spend a Mommy and Me day together on Sunday. Matt is taking Connor skiing, so we'll each get to spend undivided time with our children.

for my mother...the things she does for us and our children are endless.

that I celebrated the birthday of a dear friend on Monday

HELP!

OK, so for Christmas I was very excited to receive an IPod. Yup...and this is my first one. Can you believe it!? Anyway, I am very excited, but a little overwhelmed, I must say. Maybe you can help me. What songs you are listening to on your IPod (since I know anyone reading this probably already has one), or what you've recently downloaded??? Let's see if I can get this party started!

Happy Birthday Carly!

It is so hard to believe that our sweet girl was born three years ago. I can remember the day's events so clearly, and the overwhelming joy I felt when Matt and I determined that it was a girl!

She has continued to provide us with such joy in the three years she has been part of our family. Her beautiful smile and contagious laughter are enough to lighten any room. This year, she has gone from toddler to little girl. She has grown so much. This year, she...

learned to pedal a tricycle

felt very comfortable in the water and loves to swim

moved from her crib to a big girl bed

enjoys coloring and using Play Doh

fell in love with Elmo

began role playing with dolls and Barbies

started having tea parties (with people, dolls, and dinosaurs)

loves to dress up

received her first haircut

cut her hair herself three times (UGH!)

shows an interest in dancing and isn't afraid to show you her moves! (she gets her rhythm from me!)

rode in an ambulance and went to the Emergency Room

started potty training and loves her big girl undies

still uses her binky (Nope...she didn't give it up) and rubs her finger through the same tag on her taggie blanket

learned to play (and argue) with Connor

continues to become more and more sweet each day!

To see the photo book I made for her summarizing her third year, follow this link...

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbOGjNk4at2JO

A number of her friends came over to celebrate with us on Sunday. We had a house full of little ones. It was wonderful! They played "Pin the Birthday Hat on Carly" and then they wore their aprons I made to decorate "C" and "3" cookies. I must say they were awfully cute and the decorating process was hilarious! Here are some pictures from the event.

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

Ready to Exhale

Ahhh...the holidays are over! Although Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I love everything about it, I am always relieved when it is over. It is also exacerbated by the fact that Carly's birthday is today (the 5th), so we always have that on the heels of Christmas and New Year's. (I'll have her birthday post tomorrow...one step at a time!) With all of that said, maybe you will excuse my tardiness and lack of posting.

Our Christmas was absolutely wonderful. Connor was at the perfect age this year. We spent a lot of time talking about the true meaning of Christmas, of Jesus' birth, and I think he really understood that. We read stories about his birth and he was really intrigued and asked a lot of questions. It is such a delight to share stories and answer his questions, as he is really curious and his questions are well thought out.

Of course, Christmas day was so exciting. I don't think Connor slept a wink Christmas Eve. He kept waking up and coming to see me, telling me that he was hearing the bells. I took a lot of convincing to get him to try to go back to sleep. To say that he was excited is an understatement. Christmas morning, as Connor and Carly walked hand in hand down the stairs and into the living room, their eyes grew bigger and bigger and you could see the anticipation rising. Keeping with tradition, we stayed in our new jammies all day. Matt's parent's arrived mid-afternoon (we even convinced them to change into their pj's) as did my mom. We all enjoyed relaxing, eating, chatting, opening gifts, eating, and opening more gifts. Although we didn't do much, we were all exhausted by the end of the day.

Fast forward a few days...we drove up and spent some time on Long Island for New Year's. We all had good intentions of staying up to watch the ball drop...Matt's mom and I dozed off briefly, but woke just in time for the countdown and the ball drop. Then, almost immediately, we all ran into our rooms and went to bed. It's funny how things change as we get older! I think I go to bed (or get tired) earlier and earlier each year!

Some pictures...