Always there...

I really don't say too much about Anthony, but I should. He is really and truly always there when I need him. I had a not so great weekend and what arrived at work today? A beautiful bouquet of flowers!!!! To top it off... the note was even sweeter! I won't say everything he wrote, but he did say that he "can't wait to marry me." Amidst my anger and frustration, entangled with lack of sleep... I couldn't have been that pleasant. But there he was. By my side. Picking me up when I was feeling down. For that, my love, you simply are the best and I cannot wait to marry you, too!
p.s. MAJOR BROWNIE POINTS!!!!

Putting myself on BLAST!!!

When I was pregnant with Abby (who is 21 months old), my belly was HUGE!!! Everyone thought I was having twins or a 20lb. baby. These pictures were taken in about a week before Valentines day. Abby was born March 15... so yes folks... I got bigger. I did have Diabetes with both of my girls, but this is abnormal, right? I put this on my blog for 2 reasons:

#1. I need to get a wedding dress and can't put it off any longer... I need motivation from ALL angles. Maybe if I can look at the havoc pregnancy put on strictly my belly, I can do a few more sit-ups, run a bit more, etc. Seriously, I carried ALL my weight in my belly and I still am - BOOO!

#2. When my kids are older I can archive this and say "see what you did to your mama?"

I will probably regret this, but I can find the humor in it and I have never had any vanity issues... maybe just a couple other ones;).

p.s. Abby was 7lbs. 10 oz. and 22 1/2 inches(tall, but not big:0)

p.p.s. Don please refrain from commenting or saving these pictures to blast me in a different way later.

Anyone Awake?

Seriously... I feel like sometimes I cannot get a break. Abby has been crying for almost 2 1/2 hours now. I have tried everything. This seems to happen almost every Sunday night. Every Monday morning I drag myself to work and all I can think about all day long is when can I sleep. She is currently back in her crib... still crying. I think she has been more sick than not in her young life span. She still has a cold that is weeks old and I don't know if that is what is bothering her. She doesn't have a fever. She pooped and ate fine all day today. I even didn't watch the end of a juicy Dateline because I had a feeling I was going to have a bad night and I am. Anthony is at work... so no relief there. To top it off, I am supposed to leave my house early tomorrow because some jerk broke into my car and shattered my window and bent my window frame and I need to bring it in to get fixed and still try to get to work on time. So, what would have been a good 41/2 days off, has turned into my car getting broke into(while taking the kids on a hike at the El Darado Nature Center), my purse and wallet stollen, and a baby that is STILL crying.
p.s. Kim's car was broken into also. they made out with her purse and camera(no wallet, thank god) merry christmas you jerk!!!!

Christmas Traditions:

I have tried to post video the last couple of days... but you all know how that goes. So, thanks for all the suggestions... our tradition is going to be as follows:

This will be a Christmas Eve "thing".
We (I) will make homemade lasagna(I may back-track on making my own noodles;)).
We will listen to Christmas music.
We are going to make homemade ice cream with an old bucket my family has had for years... we used to bring it camping and make it - so good!
We are going to make Spritz cookies and decorate them. I am going to decorate the wagon and take the girls out to bring cookies to our neighbors - I bought some tins and tissue paper - so cute!
When we get back they will open one present - Christmas p.j.'s:)
We will then sit back and watch It's a Wonderful Life - or something else that may be more kids friendly, sip on hot chocolate, and eat the ice cream.
Just before they go to bed we will put out Santa's milk and cookies!

I am so excited to start a new tradition for our family. I am so lucky to be able to spend the holidays filled with so much love. I can't wait to see the girls open their gifts and enjoy the spirit of the season!

***I am considering making home churned butter and home made eggnog... but we will see:)

Suggestions

I am going to start a new tradition this year. I want to do a Christmas Eve tradition for our family that focuses on the the true meaning of Christmas. I have never been a "religious" person, so that makes it confusing. I don't want to be that family who goes to Church for Christmas and Easter. I do want to focus on the idea that Christmas is a time for family. It is about giving from your heart to make people feel special. I know, it is about getting, too. Does anyone have a family tradition that you can share? I am open for any ideas! So far I have decided that I will make homemade Lasagna(even the noodles:)) and in the girls and I will make cookies for Santa. I thought about letting them open one small gift... but then that seams to stray from my point. HELP!

Candylane in Buena Park

Last weekend we took the kids to Candylane in Buena Park. It was a cute Christmas festival with Santa, snow, a petting zoo and bounce houses. I would say that it was a lot of fun, but to be honest, it was terrible. I am not going to say much about it, but my little Abby has been more than a handful lately. She screams, cries, and bows her back. All she wants is me or to run and it has been so stressful and gives me so much anxiety. I personally believe she is punishing me for being a working mom.

The rest of the kids had a great time.

Taylor and Ruby throwing fake snow.

My kids stayed out of the petting zoo and just watched. Trevor went in for a couple minutes and then wanted out.

I love this picture... Trev and T.T. on the sled run!

Abby HATED Santa and Ruby was incredibly bashful. She just sat next to him and told him she wanted a doll house for Christmas.

We got our tree on Saturday night and kept Ruby up a bit too late to decorate. Bean was asleep, but the look on her face in the morning was priceless. She kept saying WOW Mama!

The beginning of the video is a little long, but it is worth the wait. It's Ruby and Taylor going down the slope:)

Happy Birthday Kim!!

Every year I am so surpised at how quickly our birthdays come and go. I have been very fortunate to now have spent more birthdays than not throughout or long and wonderful friendship. We have had so many different phases in our life... through our crazy highschool (boyfriend and sports years), through the critical college years when most friends go their separate ways... we stayed true friends, through living on the beach in an appartment that I will never forget, through your beautiful wedding, and now to our life with kids. You have been a constant rock in my life and for one really crazy time in my life I will always be eternally grateful because I believe you(and my other girls Ang and Kel) saved me.

Here are just a few reasons why you mean the world to me:
1. With every ounce in your body, you define the meaning of friendship.
2. You have always been honest, even when the truth can hurt.
3. Your an amazing daughter and help me remember to be a better one to my parents.
4. You are always up for an adventure, with or without kids.
5. You always find the positive side to any situation.
6. You are incredibly passionate and undoubtedly one of the most compassionate people I know.
7. Whenever I need you, you have always been there... whether to crash at your house or cry on your shoulder.
8. You, like Kelly, are fiercly loyal.
9. You have that certain endearing quality that draws people to you.
10. You love unconditionally with all your heart.

Kim... I love you more than you know and I truley mean it when I say I don't know what I would do without you. Your an amazing wife, mother, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, niece, AND I AM LUCKY TO CALL YOU FRIEND! Happy Birthday and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Piant & Abby

Last night I had Kim and the kids over for spaghetti and a paint project. I always second guess letting Abby do the projects and crafts and this is why:

She had paint all over her hands, arms, belly, hair, and kept putting the brush in her mouth. As much as we tried, I could not get the blue off.

T.T. painting her Christmas tree ornament.

The man of the house:)

Just getting started.

It's already Friday and time for another busy weekend. Sunday is Kim's 29th birthday ;) so we are going to brunch to celebrate!!!!! I can't wait. We used to go almost every other month and have not been in forever!

Family & Friends

We started the long weekend off right... ordered B.J's (including pizookies) and had Kim, Kelly and the kids over. They were all great and every day seems to getting so much more fun. I said it out loud, so I have already jinxed myself, but Ruby and Trevor are getting along so much better... don't get me wrong... they just have a love-hate relationship:) Ruby is slowly starting to "toughen up" and Trevor is a little more gentle with her. It has never been that bad, but we (Kim and I) hate having to discipline them when they should be having fun. This is usually what comes out of my my when we are all together: "Ruby... don't start something you can't finish or Ruby... toughen up!" Lately our adventures have been so much fun because we are not yelling at them all the time:) Even Abby is catching on and has been so good. T.T.: you are an angel and I don't care if I am biased:).

Abby finished her portion and moved on to mooch off of T.T.'s.

Thanksgiving Day. I have so much to be thankful for this year that to try and convey seems impossible. To sum it up, I am most thankful for all of my family and friends. This has been an amazing year for me and I truly feel lucky and blessed. This is my Dad and Anthony carving the 2 turkeys we cooked. Bean was waiting patiently for her grub!

My camera is on the brink... A and Ruby eating the yummy food.

Friday we all went to Huntington Central Park. We told the kids if they fell in the water, they are on their on:)

Feeding the ducks.

The Park Bench Cafe has great food and a large field. It had to be the best lunch we have had in a long time. While we sat and chatted (Kim, Kelly, and I) the kids ran around chasing each other. Abby stayed in her stroller for the majority of the time and was REALLY good about it. When the food came, we just yelled for them. They came, ate, and went and played some more.

I love you and your rascally doo!

Burning off some energy.

I love this one... Trevor and his Rarrrrr, as he calls it:)

Friday night I got to watch T.T. so Kim could take Trevor to the football game. I decided we would have a girly night and started it off right with a milk and cookies tea party.

After we had a nail polish party. They are so cute how they sit so still while you put it on(not Abby... she's not tame enough for polish yet... it would end up in her mouth)

Next, we had a make-up party. They both insisted on applying it themselves, but kept putting the eye shadow on their foreheads. For Ruby, make-up is serious business. Seriously, who is this child and where did she come from?

Oh look... it's my little angel:) I fixed her shadow for her.

We ended the night in our bed to watch: Cinderella, of coarse!

The rest of the weekend was just as busy. Saturday we went to the El Dorado Nature Center and then to Kim's to eat some Turkey and watch the OU game. Saturday night my girls were up half the night... Abby has a yeast infection and Ruby... well, I think she is converting to her old ways. I was so exhausted from lack of sleep. They were both up for good at 5:30. I woke Anthony up at7:00 and told him I needed help. I felt like I was run over by a train. I needed to get some sleep to drive out to Angie's for our play date. I woke up at 8:15 and realized I couldn't make it. Sorry Ang... let's make it up. Poor Ruby was asking me ALL DAY when she was going to see you. My mom, bless her heart, let me bring the kids over at 10:45am. I got to sleep for another couple hours. When I woke up I felt worse!!! I thought... what the heck is going on with my body. I put the kids down for their naps around 2:00pm and slept for another 2 hours! I have never been so exhausted in my life. When I woke up I felt like a new woman. Is it possible to feel really sick when you are simply exhausted? I felt so much better that Anthony and I walked to Outback and had a nice dinner. Ruby was up at 3:45am. I finally got back to sleep(after her in our bed, then milk, then in her bed) My sweet Bean slept until 7:00. I think if I was a stay at home Mom I would have to re-evaluate going on so many adventures:) but it sure is a lot of fun.