Because I have a sister, I will always have a friend...

The kids' pirate party.

Party planning Divas at work. Is this a picture of you and me, or you and Dawson?!

I thought this picture was fitting since your birthday is on Halloween. Don't you think Mom should've dressed you in the angel costume rather than me? Wishful thinking on her part I guess.Happy 33rd birthday Stephy!! You have always been like a sister to me. Wait a minute...

Thank you for being my partner in crime, my room mate, my best friend, Auntie to my kids, the person I could always sit with in the lunch room, even if I was the MUCH younger, annoying little sister. We had matching hair do's in grammar school, but that's where the similarities end I think. You are the yin to my yang and God knew what He was doing when He made us sisters. I think the fact that we are so different is what makes us such a great pair. Remember being banned from playing Pictionary on the same team because you would draw a line and I'd say "cruise ship!" and I'd be right?! I have a lifetime of cherished memories with your cute face in the forefront. I love you!

I've Got Cabin Fever Burning in My Brain, I've Got Cabin Fever, It's Driving Me Insane! (The Muppets)

So after a week of being holed up in the house, we all officially have cabin fever. Aside from 2 doctor's appointments this week, we've been stuck between these 4 walls. The kids are at each other's throats and I can't wait to go to the store today. You heard that right, I can't wait. You know it's bad when you're excited to drag the kids out to get groceries. Dawson reverted back to newborn sleeping habits this past 2 weeks, so that has added to the mix. If I hear one more screech over stolen Legos, or one more ball whizzes by my head to which I see 2 tots scurry to the nearest exit like cockroaches scrambling when the lights come on, I'm going to to lose it. Now that I think about it, Ella does have a prescription for Codeine, hmm... Ella is so stinkin' tough, even though she was in a lot of pain I had to hog-tie her just to get her to relax a little. High fever, Strep infected ears (her doc said it's the worst case, necrotic tissue around her tympanic membranes - ouch) and she still won't nap, this kid must be part robot. She is completely back to normal now except for one small problem, a hearing deficit. This creates some really funny conversations and for the most part is very amusing. But after repeating myself, literally everything I say for days now, it's losing it's charm. Here are some conversations we had this morning, within a 30 minute period of time alone. (See "Ella-isms" for another).

Ella wakes up. "How are your ears feeling today?"
"My hair smells like what?"
"No, I said how do your ears feel?"
"Your hair smells good!"

Ella is going potty. "Mom, we're out of toilet paper!"
"OK, I'll grab you some."
"MOM, WE'RE OUT OF TOILET PAPER!!!"
"Ella, I said I'll grab you some!"
"What's fun?"
"What?"
"What are we doing that's fun?"
"Nothing, I just said I'd grab you some."
"Muffins?"
AHHHH!

"Mom, can you turn on the Christmas music (yes, we're listening to Christmas music)?"
"Sure, just a sec."
"Mom, can you turn on the music?"
"I did."
Ella crying.
"What's wrong?"
"You said you'd turn on the music."
"I did!"
"What?"
"Ella, the music is on right now!"
"Why can't I listen to music now?!"
"Ella, the music is ON, RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, can you turn it up please?"

FALLing in Love

There is so much beauty in the changing seasons. The leaves are putting on quite a show until they make their decent and settle on the cold ground. As gorgeous as these rich, warm shades of gold and orange are, nothing is as breathtaking as watching my sweet babies play together. And they are changing just as quickly as the weather. It scares me sometimes how fast they are growing up. I want to hold on so tightly to who they are right in this moment. But just as Spring turns to Summer, and Fall to Winter, the days and weeks will pass and will bring new discoveries, new adventures, new memories. Then I'll wish that moment would never end...

Arachnophobia Cured

If you ask me, spiders are one of the creepiest creatures God invented. They are wrong on so many levels and nothing gives me the heeby-jeebies quite like those 8 legged freaks. Even Todd, my bug-loving husband hates them. But as Ella and I made the spider cake for Miss Spider's Tea Party, I began to daydream about how fantastic it would be to have 8 appendages. I could get so much done around here... Laura multiplied by 4, now that's some powerful cleaning action. So maybe I'll look at spiders differently now, with a tad bit of jealousy and wonderment.

Dawson wanted to join in, so he pulled up a chair and helped too. That is if you call eating the leftover mini donuts "helping."

Ella made the spider hat at school and cut out all of the paper legs herself. Good job Sweetie!

Am I The Only One Who....

.... lies to their kids when they're eating in the car? "Mom, I hear crunching, what are you eating?" "Oh, just some cashews Honey." Yeah, cashews disguised as M&M's.

.... would rather buy 14 shirts or pants in different sizes, colors and styles and have to bring 13 of them back just to avoid cramming the kids and myself into the always hot fitting room/torture chamber?

.... puts sprinkles on applesauce, yogurt, refried beans, meatballs ... just to get your fussy eater to actually ingest something? Ella is the human equivalent of a garbage disposal, so sprinkles weren't in my arsenal until Big D arrived on the scene all picky and stuff.

.... gets just as excited as the kids to open up new containers of Playdoh? I'm famous around here for my Playdoh roses.

.... buys Christmas presents months in advance to save money, but gets so excited that you give them to the person ahead of time? Needless to say, I'm not allowed to go Christmas shopping before October anymore.

.... has an entire compartment of their purse devoted to candy in case all heck breaks loose? And I don't just mean the kids.

.... listens to Christmas music in August?

Ricky Ticky Taco

Oh Rocky, where to start with you. You were an unexpected surprise and if you ask me, the best gifts are always the ones you are least expecting. Your smile lights up any room and we just can't imagine this world without your sweet little face. If your first year of life is any indication, you are going to be one of the dearest souls on the planet. Happy 1st birthday Rocco, we love you!

Daddy's Little Buddy

As soon as Dawson hears the garage door open he runs to the closet and gets Todd's shoes out. Not his work shoes, not his Adidas, not his flip-flops, his outside shoes, because he's hoping beyond hope that Daddy will take him on a 4-wheeler ride. And if you know Todd at all, you won't be surprised to hear that Dawson usually wins. This is why I thank God for cameras. A simple moment captured forever, simple but profound in a lot of ways. It's an everyday moment that might be forgotten if it weren't for the proof. This one picture is worth a thousand words to me. It reminds me of the love my "boys" have for each other, and seeing that makes me realize how lucky I am to be the one watching it.

Baby come back, you can blame it all on me

Is there anything better than a plate of gooey home-made mac 'n cheese? Comfort food indeed. I just made myself a late supper. I fed the kids earlier but wanted to enjoy my dinner in peace and quiet. Todd is working late again tonight, I miss him so I'm hoping the overload of carbs will ease my pain. I just want to say how grateful I am that my husband is usually home for dinner. Aside from business trips or the occasional late night, he is usually home just in the nick of time - that wonderful hour when the kids and I start to lose our minds. Now he does wake up at 5 am on the dot so that he can be home at 4:30, and I appreciate the sacrifice he makes with his sleep so that he can preserve my sanity. Thanks for working so hard for us Hon.

A SUPER Fun Day!

Here are a couple of pictures from Torre's party. Ella and Gabe had fun playing together all afternoon, they are 2 peas in a pod, 2 super peas in a pod to be exact. Torre was SO into his cake, which made it one of the cutest 1st birthday bashes I've ever been to. That just makes the party when a one year old goes diving in to a chocolate cake!

Happy 1st Birthday Torre!

Our youngest nephew turned ONE today! I remember meeting him for the first time, he looked just like his big brother Gabe. Torre is such a sweetie, always smiling, easy-going, a happy camper for sure. Hopefully he retains his laid back personality when his Mommy has a baby girl in a few months. We love you Torre, keep smiling big guy!

Calling My Bluff

We went up to Green Bluff to pick out the perfect pumpkins, which we do every year. The kids rode the train, and it was a small miracle that neither of them wound up with whip-lash. They of course thought it was hilarious, but I cringed every time the "engineer" (an elderly man wearing overalls and a hat, I guess that makes you qualified to operate the train) whipped them around a corner. Apparently the cervical spines of children aren't as fragile as one would think. Ella and Dawson were the only ones on the ride, maybe that should've been a clue. It was a beautiful sunny day, chilly, but sunny, and that's a good compromise in my book. We of course got hot chocolate, apples and anything else we could get our dusty little hands on. It was a fun day, I love making memories with my family that will last a lifetime. I feel like singing that song from "Fiddler on the Roof" - tradition, TRADITION, tradition!!!

I Sense A Disturbing Trend

I think it may have something to do with his infatuation with Mommy. He watches me put on my makeup, do my hair, put on earrings and necklaces. He loves my silky robe and nighties because that's the first thing he sees me in when I get him out of his crib in the morning. He also has a big sis that is by no means "all girl", but does have her fair share of tutus, hair accessories and sparkly jewels. He's surrounded by estrogen all day, every day. Poor guy doesn't have a chance. Carrying Ella's purse.
Wearing Ella's Mary Janes, which he does often lately.

Wearing Ella's fairy wings, he was dying to get his hands on these all day after I bought them for her.

"Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn, on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born."

I just love this book. My sentimental, sappy heart usually gets the best of me when I read it to the kids. I bought it for them just after Dawson was born. I fell in love with it because both of my babies were born at night and it made me feel warm and fuzzy. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful too. If you're in the mood to buy your little ones a new book, or need a good baby shower gift, you'll love this one!
"On the night you were born the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you, and the night wind whispered 'life will never be the same.'

Note to Fellow Facebookers

I just wanted to put out this disclaimer that I will most likely be the worst Facebook participant on the planet. A few friends and family members "invited" me to join in and I think I'm a blogger at heart and can't quite get the hang of the whole Facebook thing. Plus, when I get 30 minutes a few days a week to get on the computer, I usually scramble to catch up on my blog. So, please don't take it personally if I don't know how to play Pack Rat, don't know how to plant things in your garden, don't return super-hero powers, or don't get a chance to write on your wall - I'm just completely confused and don't know what the heck I'm doing!! So for now, my blogspot is my security blanket, but I promise to keep trying my hand at the Facebook thing when I get a chance.

Celebrity Sighting Caught on Camera By Mommarazzi

We got to spend the evening with Aaron tonight. We all look forward to our dinner nights with him and catching up on the latest tidbits of his uber cool life. He is somewhat of a celebrity around here, especially with the kids. They see him enough to know and love him, yet he is still sort of mysterious and interesting - in a good way. Ella thinks he's the living end and talks his ear off non-stop. We dropped him off at his bachelor pad tonight (apparently it's not safe to drive when you're on crutches) and Dawson cried when he got out of the car. So sweet. I wish the kids could've grown up together, but this way is fun too. Aaron got to be an "only"child until he was an adult! Not a bad deal when you can say you have brothers and sisters, but get to leave at the end of the day when things go to heck.
We love you Aaron!

Warms the Heart

These pictures were taken only 3 weeks ago and look, everyone's wearing shorts (or underwear if you're Ella)! I can't believe how quickly the weather changed around here, it is definitely Fall. We had to bundle up in coats and hats today, I already miss the summer heat... But I am thankful for every day that we get this gorgeous sunshine, even if it is chilly.

I Jump, You Jump, We All Jump for Ice Cream

My sis-n-law and I took the kids to Jump n Play for a re-do of our original play date, which was replaced with Dawson's peanut butter crisis. Gabe and Ella had a blast and it was a good way to burn off some extra energy, and in my book, this is always a good thing. Dawson was of course attached at the hip the whole time, so I'm hoping he can dig down deep next time and find the courage to play a little more next time. We finished it off with some delicious ice cream at Maggie Moo's (their chocolate ice cream is SO good). I have a feeling we're going to be at the Jump n Play more often during the long winter months. I'd rather have the kids bouncing off the walls there then at home where there isn't near as much padding.

My Little Corner of the Planet

I love to scrapbook. I am obsessed with pictures and it's another outlet for my obsession. Todd and I technically share the office, but really and truly it's mine. Don't tell him that though. I love paper, ribbon, brads and punches. It's a sickness really, but if it's wrong then I don't want to be right. It's just one of those things that makes me happy, and makes me realize just how blessed I am. Blessed to have so much paper that I need a paper rack, blessed to have such a lovely home to put all of this in, and most importantly, a beautiful, healthy family - after all, what would I scrapbook about if it weren't for them?

The "E" is a little project I made in my handy-dandy little craft room using some fun paper and an Uppercase Living vinyl - I sell these products by the way!

The New Man In My Life

I am a happy girl. I finally got a new vacuum, our old one sucked big time (rather it didn't suck, that was the problem). We made a pact a few years back (when all of the stuff we purchased when we got married started breaking) that if we had to replace an item we wouldn't buy the cheapest thing, but that we'd try to get something that wouldn't have to be replaced yet again someday. We haven't always kept our promise, sometimes you just have to go with cheap. But I'm thrilled to announce that we bought a Dyson. No more searching 4 stores for obsolete filters, no more growling when I realize I've vacuumed an entire room with the hose unattached, sending all the stuff I supposedly vacuumed flying back into the house. It's a thing of beauty. It is purple, I wish it were pumpkin orange, but it's not and that's okay. I love him (yes, it's a him even though he's purple). Honey, thank you for coming home from Costco with this fabulous item, you may be romantic after all. Ella took this picture of me and my new love. Can you tell I'd just spent the whole day cleaning?!