Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Our trip to MD

During our last excursion to MD we did more than just attend a baby shower.  We took every free moment we had and spent it with the people who meant the most to us and let me tell you, we were busy busy!  I always tell myself that I am not going to run myself like crazy while I am in town but I always do.  I figure that since we did travel over 500 miles to be there, we might as well make the most of it.  Most, not all, of the people that we really wanted to see agree with that...as for the others...we hope that next time you can fit us into your schedule!
I spent my days with my family...they even played hooky from work to spend the day with me (ssshhh) and most of my evenings were spent with friends!  As usual, my head and my heart were so full with what I take away from these amazing relationships and to be honest I was a bit bummed the week following my trip because I miss those fun girl talks with the ones who know me the best (you know who you are ;-) )
Here are a few images from the long weekend....
Cousins playing...

Snuggling my newest nephew Eli

My Mom with her Grandsons

Aiden with his buddy Jacob...

Having lunch with one of my best girls...

Seeing this Gorgeous Momma-to-be... 
Just a tad blurry...but my fave girls nonetheless 

Reminiscing with our awesome friends...


The best part about coming back to our hometown is that, although so much time has passed and we are all so incredibly busy, once we get together it is as if nothing has changed.  I am a firm believer that relationships take work...I often get discouraged when putting effort into a relationship and not getting any effort in return.  Over the past 2 months we have had to handle some pretty serious and stressful moments...so many of my (our) amazing friends and family have reached out in so many different ways...it is nice to know who your friends are...and sometimes, it is nice to know who they aren't...not in a bad way, but in a life is short and time is precious kind of way.  I want to spend my time and effort on those who truly value it the way that I do, and that is exactly what we did!
 

OH...I almost forgot to mention one of my loves that I spent a lot of time with....

We do not have a Chick Fil A around here so my old friend and I spent a lot of time together!!!!  I miss you friend!!!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Showered with Love...

This past weekend we traveled to Maryland to celebrate the impending arrival of Baby Bella!  Isabella Grace is due in April (hopefully on my birthday) and is so incredibly lucky to have 2 wonderful parents.  Nicole and Jose are two people who go way back in my life.  Here is a quick back story...Jose and I were lifeguards together starting at the age of 15...Nicole and I have been friends since, hhmmmm Middle School????  While life guarding during the summer Nicole and some other friends would come to the pool to visit me and occasionally try to convince my boss (Jose) to let me leave for lunch or dinner.  We would usually have to bribe him with a free dinner but he usually obliged our constant pestering!  So me being the match maker that I am, I decided to "set up" Nicole and Jose!  The rest is history and now we all anxiously await Baby Bella!!!
I was so incredibly thrilled to find out that Nicole and Jose were expecting...they are two of the nicest and most loving people I know and let me tell you, there is nothing I wouldn't do for my Nicole...and I mean it!  Aiden and I flew to Maryland....and boy was that a sight...Me, Aiden, a carry on, 1 checked bag, his car seat, my camera bag and 2 coats walking into the airport...not an easy task!  A delayed flight..."Mommy, when is it our turn to get on the airplane"...flying at nap time (bad planning on my part)...getting all of the aforementioned belongings off the luggage carousel, onto a cart and into a rental car was probably entertaining enough for a reality show (thanks Krystal for meeting me at the airport and helping me out)!  So like I was saying...there is NOTHING that I wouldn't do for my girl Nicole!  I would move mountains for this girl!
The shower was absolutely beautiful....it was a joint effort by both families and I was just lucky enough to be allowed to help!  I made the flower arrangements, arranged the decor, helped with the set up, and brought the games!  It was so much fun!  To say that Nicole and Jose (and Isabella) are loved would be a complete understatement!  Take a look for yourself...









  See...so much love for this amazing family!  They deserve it all and more!!!!  Congratulations to such an amazing couple!!!!
How cute is she????

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Resolutions for 20-somethings

While my boys were napping...my dog, my hubby, and my baby boy...I ran across something that I found pretty interesting.  Since I am still a 20 something, for the next 64 days but who's counting,  and I haven't posted about resolutions yet, I figured now would be a great time.  I have had the same resolution every single year and so far that has worked really well for me.  Every January I remind myself that the only way to stay in touch with friends and family is to constantly be the one to make the effort.  Sometimes it is very disheartening when you realize that the effort isn't reciprocated (especially when it's family) but each and every night when my head hits the pillow, I know that I am a better person for the efforts of my day!  Below is a list of resolutions for 20-somethings that I found on the thought catalog.  I think this is a great universal list, in fact I found a few that definitely already apply to or I will be applying to my life and I will be brave enough to highlight them...for the sake of honesty, forwardness and accountability.    (to be clear...I DID NOT write this list...hence the links)
       
  1. Before you status update, Tweet, Tumble or Instagram, pause and say to yourself, “is it entirely necessary that I share this morsel of thought with my entire social network?”and if the answer is not, “yes, I absolutely must,” then step away from the Internet.
  2. Know which candidate you’re going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, and know why.
  3. Enough with the 14-day juice cleanses. If you want to lose a little weight quickly, eat less and exercise like crazy. If you want to lose a lot of weight slowly, do whatever Jennifer Hudson did.
  4. If you really like the person you’re hooking up with and would like them to be your boyfriend/ girlfriend, find a way to tell them, and hope for the best. If you don’t and wouldn’t, stop.
  5. Find a way to save approximately 300 dollars and spend it on a flight to see a friend or family member who lives far away.
  6. Please stop liking the Kardashians, all of them. It’s not helping anyone, least of all the Kardashians.
  7. Spend less than or equal to the money you earn each month.
  8. Wear clothes that fit you, especially to work.
  9. Call someone on the phone at least once a week, and speak to him or her for at least ten minutes.
  10. Start preparing now to get over the fact that Facebook is probably going to change again in six months. You’re not going to deactivate your account. You don’t know how.
  11. Wait 30 seconds before you look up a fact you can’t remember on your phone, and try to remember it using your brain. This is what the olden days were like.
  12. Replace one terrible reality show you’re currently watching with one wonderful scripted show currently available on television.  Swap suggestion: Real Housewives of Anywhere for HBO’s Enlightened.
  13. Try that food you think you don’t like but have never actually tried, unless it’s brussels sprouts. They really don’t need any more attention.
  14. Cut one person out of your life who you truly do not like and add one person who you truly do. Note: not on Facebook, on Earth.
  15. If you’re still blacking out regularly, you should stop.
  16. Volunteer once over the next 90 days.  You’ll feel really good about it, and probably end up volunteering again over the next 275.
  17.  Tell someone who you love that you love them on a more regular basis. To their face, not in a text.
  18. Back up your entire online life onto an external hard drive, especially your photos.
  19. Crap or get off the pot. This applies to whatever thing you’re not doing that you should just sack up and do already.
  20.  And in the eternal words of Tom Haverford, “TREAT YO SELF!”
Resolutions written by JESSIE ROSEN info

What do you think?  Do any of these apply to you???

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Potty Time...

I am proud to say that my baby  little boy is potty trained!  I really can't believe that we have cut our last thread of babyhood (diapers) and moved on into the world of little boy (underwear).  If I am being completely honest, I really can not take any credit for the success of potty training.  Aiden has been ready for a while and selfishly I decided to wait until we were finally here in RI and had the holidays out of the way.  I knew that in the early stages of potty training, once the words "Mommy I have to go potty" come out, you have about 12 seconds to get the pants down and the boy on the seat.  The idea of multiple long road trips, potty training, public restrooms and pee pee accidents in a car seat seemed to be more than I could handle at an already stressful time.  So once we arrived back to RI after the holidays potty boot camp was in effect.  Prior to starting, I had a discussion with Aiden's teacher about how I was starting potty training on Friday so I hoped to have him in underwear by the time he returned to school on Tuesday...another mother overheard the conversation and walked over to us and said "that won't happen, Good Luck with that".  (thanks for the support lady)  On Friday January 6th, when Aiden woke up in the morning, the diaper came off and we never looked back!  He did amazingly well!  From that moment until now, including that following Tuesday when he went back to school :-), he has only had around 6 accidents all were at home except for 1 (Sorry Jimmy and Lindsey) and all were Pee Pee, Thankfully!!!!  He does wears a pull up at night...last night he woke up at midnight and by the time I got downstairs he was in the dark bathroom with the "big boy" toilet seat up, attempting to get his pants down, saying "Mommy I have to go pee pee".  I helped him up, he did his business, and was in bed asleep before I could wipe off the toilet seat, flush and check on him!  Most mornings he is dry...other times there is a little moisture!!  In an effort to not completely embarrass my child, I will refrain from posting any pics of him on the potty (although they do exist)....however, how cute are these???


I definitely believe that Aiden was just ready to transition.  Once we introduced the potty and Elmo's Potty time, he just began the transition on his own.  We really tried not to force him, or bribe him, or scold him.  Once he showed a continued interest and we were settled, we became more consistent and eliminated diapers all together (except pull ups at bedtime only)!
I recently read something about how most bloggers act as if their life, marriage, family, and children are perfect.  So in an effort to be honest...after a rough pregnancy, a rough delivery, moving 500 miles 3 weeks postpartum, a child who wouldn't take a bottle (wanted his milk straight from the tap every 2 hours), hated the car seat as an infant, had severe food allergies, was underweight, and didn't sleep through the night until he was 2...potty training was a breeze...and I deserve it!!!

ok...so maybe just a little embarrassment!!!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Huh???

A funny thing happened at the park yesterday...despite the frigid temperature we decided to bundle Aiden up and take him to the park to burn some of that endless energy.  Nap time has been so incredibly enjoyable  hard lately, so we were hoping that an hour of intense play would help our cause.  Aiden was so pumped...we usually have to spell P-A-R-K in the presence of Aiden otherwise he sounds like a skipping record.  "I want to go to the park, I want to go to the park, I want to go to the park, I want to go to the park" (you get the idea).  While at the park Aiden noticed a boy on his bicycle...he chased this 5 year old around for probably about 15 minutes.  Here was our view for much of that 15 minutes...


The hub and I were patiently following Aiden and laughing as he desperately tried to catch this boy on his bicycle.  Here was our conversation:

Hub:  Wow he is obsessed with that boy on the bike.
Me:  Well, I guess we now know what we are going to get him for his third birthday
Hub:  Yeah, a brother
Me:  I was thinking more along the lines of a bike!!!

KIDS HUSBANDS say the darnedest things!!!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Snow Days...

I am almost 2 weeks behind on this post...story of my life!!!
Two weeks ago we had 7 inches of snow here in Newport, RI.  Coming from Charleston, S.C. we were pretty excited about the thought of frolicking in the snow.  The flurries started late Friday evening and I was so giddy I wanted to wake my sleeping baby.  I know I know, never wake a sleeping baby...so I waited!!!  On Saturday morning Aiden was so excited.  He kept saying "look Mommy, it's sowing (snowing)"  I think the "n" got lost in the excitement!  Once we had the proper attire...I am pretty sure ballet flats wouldn't work in the snow so I had to get some real snow boots...we were ready to play!

I had visions of a 20 minute dressing session for about 5 minutes of play.  Much to my surprise, Aiden last a little less than an hour.  We had so much fun!  I think his favorite part was being pulled around the backyard on the sled!  The picture below is my favorite on so many levels...I am running around the yard in 7 inches of snow, Buddy is running around the yard, Aiden is laughing hysterically while laying on the sled, and he is still holding his water gun in his hand.




And of course, pretty white snow makes for a great photo op....


Once we were all worn out from the snow...we needed to warm up and relax...sounds like the perfect time for some yummy hot chocolate...

The snow was gone by Monday and we were OK with that!  On Tuesday while walking to the car after school, Aiden noticed a snow drift.  "Look Mommy, It "sowed""  I guess he wasn't quite ready for it to melt away yet!!!

Today....

Today...
-I was up before 7 am
-I made breakfast and lunch before 8 am
-Aiden went to school
-I went to starbucks (I deserve it damnit),  BJ's, the commissary, and Walmart
-I used a coupon and got $10 worth of Kraft products for $0.35
-I purchased 3 plane tickets using rewards points and bargain shopping for price
-caught up on my 3 out of 1 million phone calls I needed to make
-made the hubby lunch
-made homemade pico de gallo, chicken and beef tacos, and guacomole for our dinner guests
-picked Aiden up from school
-played the "I don't want to take a nap" game for 2 hours
-let the dog out approximately 4,762 times (loves the cold weather but doesn't want to miss a thing)
-cleaned the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen (sorry bathrooms, you didn't make the cut today)
-wore work out clothes all day because I was determined to work out ( at 4:55 I gave in)
-took a shower at 5p.m b/c our dinner guests were arriving at 5:30.
-finished dinner, set the table, and entertained a wonderful Navy Wife and her beautiful daugther!!!


To be honest...I wish I accomplished more...
Welcome to the world of a stay at home mom...I am still searching for all of that "free time"!!!!