Little bear. A year in review

Munchkin's Easter Eggs

Doesnt it always seem that before a holiday or special event (where lots of pictures will be taken) that children will get a huge bruise or rug burn? In my darling daughters case, she now has had huge bruises on Easter twice. Let us exam her Easter history:

Here she is in 2006 on her first Easter, unable to crawl and thus avoiding any bruises that year

Here in 2007 no bruises....we were obviously good over-protective parents back then.


Easter 2008 - Sporting not one but TWO bruises! Yay for crazy 2 year olds!


2009 she somehow avoided any battle scars (but refused to smile for any pictures, oh well)


And here we are in 2010, 5 days away from Easter. At my parents house the other night she reached down to grab something and SLAMMED her head into their glass table. The sound created from this made me absolutely nauseous!

After a little ice and a cool compress...


...she is sporting the monster egg of all time on her forehead!


We decided today to make some REAL Easter eggs, and the kids had a blast! Its the first time i've done it too, but i knew it was going to be a very messy process! So I had munchkin put on one of Daddy's old t-shirts ( you know, one of the ones I'm always trying to get rid of because its so old and I'm hoping he'll finally open the new pack of undershirts he got 3 Christmas's ago).


First we carefully picked 6 perfect eggs!



I then used a safety pin to put a hole in the top and bottom of the egg. Making the hole on the wider bottom bigger than the hole on the top. I put the pin inside again to scrambled the egg and be sure to break the yolk. And then....munchkin blew out the insides!



I was planning on using the egg to make scrambled eggs or some muffins, but after it was done there were hundreds of tiny pieces of shell in the bowl. I was pretty bummed because i hate wasting food like that.

Little bear had fun watching us too - he ate some toast and banged on a stool with spoons. Which, if you have an 8 month old at home, you know is about the most fun you could ever have!



After the eggs were all washed and then dried we put them in their own color dye. Munchkin loved mixing them around to make sure the color was spread on evenly, and this is where i was glad she was wearing that old shirt!



After some time to dry then, and some beautiful decorative art and stickers we now have a half dozen of the prettiest Easter eggs around!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Tomorrow is the first day i will be starting my career as a nurse. I passed my boards 2 weeks ago and have been hired by the practice i have worked at for the last 7 years. So here it is, the culmination of 7 1/2 years of college. I have spent the better part of the last decade dreaming about what this day would be like and where i would be. I want to remember this time of my life, i want to remember this exact day. I am not burnt out or desensitized (as so many nurses say will happen if you stay in a place too long), but rather i am estatic and anxious to start working, to start helping people. I want to be that patient advocate that i've been molded to be for the last 7 years of my life. I want to be that person that can calm a new frantic mother or reach out to a depressed teen. In study after study nurses are named as the people that are trusted the most in this society. I want to earn that trust and live up to my title. I vow here and now to never forget the simple things, the things that make all the difference; a backrub, a hand to hold, a person who will sit with you in your time of need. THIS is the reason i became a nurse. Sure, i will hand out meds and spend the majority of my time doing paperwork and triaging ear infections. But the important part, the patients, will always get 110% of my effort and my support.

But thats not the only part of my life that is worth reflecting over. My family is amazing and changing before my eyes. My little man is learning to crawl. Hubby says he looks like an inch worm; he gets up on his knees, thrusts his chest forward, falls on his belly and then scoots his knees up to inch forward. He does it pretty darn fast too. Time to bust out the baby gates! He's been sleeping on his belly for the last few weeks and sleeps much better that way. We are signing him up to start daycare one day a week while i am working, and while this saddens me like you have no idea, we know he will be safe and loved by the teachers at his daycare. Our muchkin K has been going there for 2 1/2 years and the teachers are like family at this point. She will be there too and be able to keep an eye on her little brother and give him some kisses if he needs them.



Munchkin is blossoming into a wonderful little lady. Can you believe we are signing her up for Kindergarten next week?! She loves to talk to people when we are out and tell them EVERYTHING, and my mother swears her personality is just as mine was at her age. She is witty and clever and i am so proud of the little person she is becoming. Last weekend we were shopping with some good friends and D was holding the baby when someone pointed out a tie that he might like to wear to work. He explained that he could wear "this" (meaning his jeans and t-shirt) to work and no one would care. Without missing a beat K busted out with, "You can wear B to work?!"



D and I have been looking at houses and mini vans and talking a lot about our future and where we'll be in a year. This is such an exciting time in our lives and I love spending it with my best friend. The Olympics are on, the weather is warming, i am doing Bikram 3-5 days a week and we have started to incorporate a new cleaner diet into our lives.

Life is good!

Holy Snow Batman!

STILLLL Winter....

I dont know why this has been such a hard and long winter for me, but i am just so ready for Spring! Poor K wants to go out and play all the time, but with B still being little we cant spend too much time in the cold with him. Its just been really hard for all of us and I often feel stir crazy in our house! Thank goodness for the mall, library and scheduled activities!

Per the request of Great Aunt Lois, here are some shots from our last snow storm!

The Best Relationship Advice *Quotes*

What is the best Marriage or Relationship advice that YOU have heard or been given? If you could tell a bride and groom one piece of advice on their wedding day, what would it be?

Here are some of mine!

"Pick your battles."

"Would you rather be right or loved?"

"Nothing else matters but the family you have now. Your mother doesnt matter, your father doesn't matter, don't give anyone or anything a second thought but the family you're raising right now."

"Men are not attracted to women who wear ugly, stained, ripped-up underwear."

"Some days will be easy and you will love each other. Other days you have to work at it. You never see the hard days in a photo album... but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next."

"It can't be 50/50, it needs to be 100/100"

"Never do anything for your husband that you don't intend on doing for the rest of your life. "

"Don't even THINK about marrying someone that can't say/do these two things-
"I'm sorry"
"I will try harder" -and then does "

"We are all allowed to have bad days just not on the same day!"

""Never treat your spouse worse than you'd treat a friend"

"Try to be a person that YOU would want to live with"


And my favorite from Captain Corelli's Mandolin:

"When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is!"

Little Gymnast!

For those of you that dont know, i did gymnastics for 10 years even competing for several years in middle school. So of course when my own daughter became old enough i enrolled her in our local community gymnastics program. I dont necessarily *love* the idea of over scheduling children, but i also appreciate the importance of sports in the role of balancing children's lives. Study after study has shown that being involved with sports decreases the risk of kids getting involved with drugs, decreasing the risk of teen pregnancy and increasing the confidence of children, ESPECIALLY in girls.



I in now way want to be that crazy mom pressuring her children to become an Olympian, and nor do i have any desire to live my childhood dreams through her. If she likes it i will support her, if she doesnt she needs to finish out the season/session/whatever and can stop.



At present she is having a great time and making some great friends! I had the opportunity last week to see the progress of their class and take some pictures, and OH-MY-GOODNESS are they cute! I was amazed at how much they doing and how well they listen to the teacher (why is it that kids dont listen to their parents as well as they do to other adults?) I love seeing her thrive in different settings, but more importantly - i love seeing her happy and having a great time!



And one more pic of little bear!

First Friends & Babylegs

Today B had his first playdate with some friends his age. We went to the mall and did some laps with the kiddos and then let them play in the play place. The kids had a great time, and it was so cute to see them "playing" with each other....or....ripping toys out of each others hands. Thankfully B is pretty used to that thanks to his big sister!




Doesnt she look so innocent?

Its been really nice to have some alone time with the baby, and time to do things with him that i did with K. I even signed him up for a baby lap time at the library which starts in a few weeks. I think I'm getting used to this SAHM gig! (but that doesnt mean i have stopped applying for jobs!)






In other news we got some new Babylegs in the mail yesterday! I LOVE getting fluffy mail (slings, cloth diapers...etc). Much to my husbands resistance our son is now the proud owner of 5 pairs of Babylegs. No Dave, they are NOT stockings. For those who dont know, they are used in the place of pants for when you're laying around the house. Its easier to change the baby without having to take off their pants, and they protect their knees while little ones are learning how to crawl....and PLUS, they are SUPER cute. See for yourself!

Ode to the Modern Dad

It is Sunday afternoon and where is my husband right now?

Smoking a cigar with friends? Golfing with work colleagues? Sitting by the TV watching a game? Nope nope and NOPE!

He is in the kitchen with our daughter making cookies.

I love him more than i can even describe. He is my bestfriend, my partner. He is an amazing father, involved in every aspect of our children's lives. I cannot even imagine being married 50 years ago and doing all the cooking, cleaning and child raising completely alone.

Our children benefit from his level of involvement and we have a balanced marriage where we both give 100%. As I'm sure its hard for every mother to go to work and leave their children behind, it is so comforting to know that they are with someone who knows them and loves them just as much as i do.

Yesterday i came home from work to music pumping in the Kitchen and my 4 year old dancing around. I could smell that dinner was cooking.....but it was THIS sight that made my heart melt:

My Baby Sister is 21

Happy 21st birthday to my little sister!!! Its funny how alike we are, and how completely opposite we are in other aspects. I called to wish her a happy 21st and screamed "Are you drunk?!"
"ummm...no" "Why NOT?!" Maybe she's just the responsible sibling =) I told her how we were getting closer in age (I'm 26, she's 21), but she corrected that actually we will always be the same distance apart in age. Yeah, shes the sarcastic one too.





*Warning sappy/emotional stuff*

I just cant believe she is 21! I am so proud of you for everything you have been through and everything you have become. I am truly honored to be your sister. I admire your strength and integrity and compassion. You are a wonderful sister and amazing aunt to my child. I love you so much!!! xoxox