What a weekend!!

And it is almost over, already. BOO!! It is amazing how fast a weekend can just fly by while on the other hand the week just drags, and drags, and drags. This weekend, of course, flew by and is almost over.

Saturday was a great day. The girls had swim lessons first thing in the AM. After class we headed to the mall to get some shopping done. Alexis had to pick out a gift for her friend who had a party today. She decided to get her a huge candy necklace making kit. It was pretty sweet, and in all honesty, I wouldnt mind having one myself ;) We stopped for lunch and rummaged through a few other stores picking up some odds and ends. Daddy B and I decided to spoil ourselves with a new wii game. We got the new wii resort and Im going to head back to get the mario and sonic winter olympics. We have a thing with buying wii games lately, but its one of those things we enjoy doing together in the evenings (although, let me tell you, 2 competative people playing against each other gets very interesting LOL). We headed to home sense to check out the christmas and general home decor...again. I swear, we have an obsession with that store lately. I love that we are finally decorating our home the way we want. Feels great!!

So after our little afternoon extravaganza we came home to get Brooke for a nap, which thankfully, she did not fight. We babysat my neice last night so my sister could go out with friends and enjoy her bday. We took the 2 girls alone with our neighbour and her 2 boys to see Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. GREAT movie! I recommend it to anyone with little ones. The girls adored it. That was the gist of our night. Came home and entertained 3 screaming girls and then finally got some much needed down time.

Today was another great day. For the cold summer we had, we have been blessed with a pretty decent fall. It was 15 out today (about 59 for you american peeps) and they are calling for 18...yes, 18 tomorrow!!!!! (64!!!) We, of course, are super excited about this and have been taking full advantage of the nice weather. After our whole morning spent at gym, shopping and bday parties, we spend this afternoon outside enjoying some time together, getting yard work done and playing in the leaves. Hopefully tomorrow we can enjoy the great outdoors just as much! I have some pics from today that I need to upload and share.

Tis all for now. The clean laundry folded on the couch is calling my name and the girls have beddie by in 40 short minutes.

Just had to share

I know its bright and over exposed, but when your 5yr old takes a self portrait because they like to look at their beauty, you just have to share! Look at this little ladies eyes. Do you see why this mama can't say no to her.





Add that face to the mix and this mama is one BIG sucker!

As of late

I have been a blog slacking tool. So, cheers to a new start and a daily pile of junk from me!

Life has been hectic. We all just got over a nasty run of the flu, everyone other then Daddy B that is. How on earth that man avoids getting everything is beyond me, but I would trade immune systems with him in a heartbeat. We are unsure of what flu we had as they are no longer testing here unless you are hospitalized but it was nasty! Alexis was in the ER for 10hours and we made about 8 trips to and from the doctors and clinics between the 3 of us. I still have the lingering cough but it is (way TMI here) finally losening up and Im able to get a bit of relief. For now anyways. Poor Alexis was down and out for 7 days and Me for 6. Brooklyn got off very easily and was only sick with a fever and such for 2, just mild stuff beyond that.

Alexis is in Senior Kindergarden and doing great. The things this child comes out with amazes me daily. Her teachers are always so impressed with her work but this mama believes she is way to smart for her own good. Testing will start next year, so that whole load will be very interesting! Lex just turned 5 on Thursday, which was spent at home as she was still battling the last bit of the flu. Luckily she was starting to perk up by that point and we were able to bake some birthday cupcakes together and enjoy a great dinner. Daddy B even got 1/2 a day off to spend with his special little lady.

Brooke...well...is Brooke. She is a pure 2yr old terror and honestly, we kind of love every minute of it. I know right, who on earth loves the terrors of a 2yr old. Let me tell you, this child is so full of charm, attitude and personality that my day would be an utter bore without her. Shes a little whip full of smarts and if you are not careful what you say or do around here, it will come back to bite you full force in the face at a later date.

Both the little ladies are in swim and gymnastics this fall/winter. Saturday morning swim class is alot of fun, both the girls are doing much, much better then expected. Lex, my child who fears the water, is the only one in her class who will now willingly swim under the water a few feet to her teacher. No fear on her. Brooke was a bit hesitant at first, which was strange, as she is not a hesitant person at all. She loves the water, but the idea of putting her whole head under was not a go at first. Now she will do under water throws (the instructor will take her, put her under water and "throw" her to daddy B) and put her face in without a second thought. Gym is as fun as always. Lexi is training like a little mad man and loving every second. SHe is so close to the 5 girls on her team that it is like going to play with your best friends every day that she goes. Brooklyn got placed in a class for 3/4yr olds (born in 2006) and the plan is to up her next summer to the spree team with the 06 girls as well. So far, so good. She definatly takes after her sister in the gymnastics department.

Well, that is all for now, stay tuned later this afternoon for our randoms of the day.

30 day Shred - Day 1&2

I just started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video. It consists of 3 20min workouts (levels 1, 2 and 3). You do one workout a day which is her 3-2-1 interval system. 3 Minutes strength training, 2 minutes Cardio, 1 minute Abs. Rotate 3 times. Let me tell you, it is TOUGH! I have never sweated and felt my heart pound so fast. It was worse then when I used to work out for an hour or 2 at the gym! I thought I would start blogging about my progress and journey with the shred. I have 10lbs I would like to lose, possibly 15. 1-2 pant sizes. Our vacation in Ocean City is in 12 days and I am **hoping** to drop a 1/2 pant size, which will put me in my clothes I bought for the trip (I had high expectations when I bought them).

So.day 2 is over. I did the workout during nap time. I sweated my non-existant balls off and feel to the floor panting after. The hardest part was working through the pain yesterday caused. I woke up this morning begging Brian to bring me Advil. I could barely get out of bed, let alone lower myself to the toilet. Even after a 40 HOT shower, I was still waddling like a duck. I hurt....hurt may be an understatement but Im praying this gives results. Something is definatly working those muscles! On top of the shred, I am also doing some ab exercises in the evenings while I watch my shows. Hope that helps with the pant size issue.

So Brooklyn.

These pics say it all, this is so Brooke and her sweet and cooky little personality.

A few days ago, playing with tangerines. She was creating a circle all around herself.







Upon trying to get Brooklyns bday pic, we ended up with quite a few cute ones. I just had to share.

My little goobers

Friday I was blessed with a day off, so the girls and I took full advantage. We spent the morning at the local indoor playland and went out for lunch at Boston Pizza afterward. Came home for naptime and spent the rest of the day outside playing and doing crafts. It was some much needed time together and we all had a blast. I tried to take as many pics as possible at Little Goobers, but of course Alexis was so all over the place having fun that she wouldnt hold still for a single shot. Hense, there is only one picture of her when I finally caught her going down the slide. Brooklyn had a bit of trouble there, she is still too short to climb up to the top but thankfully my neice was there to give her a helping hand. I went up with her often and somehow I squeezed my fat ass through the little gaps. On to the good stuff.

Little Goobers




Up we go


Across the bridge


Stop for a nose pick


Cheating her way through


That was hard work!!


Back to climbing


She made it!


Across another bridge


Down the slide, but mommy missed that picture.
Time to rock



and the one and ONLY pictures of Alexis, slide on the left

Hold me to it!

I keep saying Im going to get this awful winter weight off, and I slack. I'm hoping that by posting it on here, everyone can keep me accountable for it. I have 15lbs as of this morning to shed, and 4 months to do it (hoping for 3 months). 5 lbs a month, I think I can accomplish that. So far my plan is to do the Jillian Micheals wii game for 30min in the morning (she kicks your ass!) and the fit for 30min-45min in the evening, or vise versa. I am also walking for 60-90min 4-5x per week with Shannon, so that should definatly help. Im not going to stick to a diet, because I am the worlds worst dieter. I just love my food too much. I have cut back on late snacking, no pop, water and 1 cup of juice a day as well as making healthy meals for the fam. Cross your fingers!

What a weekend!!

We had quite the adventure this weekend. Let me start off by saying no kids were hurt in the escapades, they were safely playing at Nanas house.
Saturday DH and I went car shopping. We are looking for a new van because our little car just is not holding up in the space department. We decided to head to Toronto because we had found some "awesome deals" on autotrader. We are driving, everything is dandy. As we start to pull off the highway, into the ghetto, the car starts acting funny. DH pulls over and we find out that we have a flat. Yay. He gets out of the car on the side of the off ramp and changes the tire. All those times I gave him grief for not being handy, he proved me wrong. He can change a tire in a few short minutes. SO he changes it and off we go. Around the corner with our beautiful donut on the car and boom boom boom. The donut is FLAT! WTF!! So there we are, downtown Toronto, in the GHETTO, with no tire. Luckily, there was a little mall (if you can call it that, it was so run down I was afraid to step inside) and we were able to call a Taxi. Thank goodness for a decent taxi driver, he knew of a tire place just around the corner. Off we went. Get to the tire place and they were wonderful. Took our tire back (which we had to bring in the cab with us) and fix it right away. As we were waiting, a homeless man comes into the shop and starts asking me for food. I tried to be polite but he was VERY persistant. Dh had to end up talking to him and he finally left me alone. We get our tire, call the taxi and back to our car. DH changes the tire for the third time in a matter of an hour and we were left with one whopping hour to look at cars. We got to two places that had "deals" online. Funny, NONE of the cars they advertised online were on the lot. ALL with high miles and shitty body. NOTHING like what they showed online. GRR!! All that for nothing! Back home we go. We made it home and took the car in the next day for new tires all around. What an adventure.

Oh a side note, the girls had a blast at my parents and they had quite a few stories of their own when we got back. Leave it to papa to make the day interesting. :)

Gosh Im a slacker

Its my promise to stay on top of this thing. So dang hard, life is such a rush lately. School is keeping me on my toes. I really didn't think it would be this hard and this much work. BOY was I wrong!! I love it, dont get me wrong, and have no intentions of stopping before Im done. Its just hard. I give credit to all those school mamas out there.
Things for the girls have been great. Alexis is still keeping strong at gym. She has accomplished quite a bit in training the past month. She is now able to do a full pull over unassisted on the bars and swing herself back around and up (cant think of the name for this). She can do a diving front roll on the high beam unassistant and a roundoff dismount. She has also 100% mastered cartwheels and gets her 1 hand 95% of the time. She can do back walkovers off the wedge unassistant and flat on the floor with one arm support. This is huge for her, especially only being 4, and her coaches and I are so extremely proud of her. She just adores gym and likes to practice everyday. We got word that next near her hours up to 6hrs/week (either 2 3hr sessions or 3 2hr sessions) and they may up it as of the summer, depending on parents schedual. Luckily, they are very understanding about summer time off because we are going away a few times this summer.
School is still going good. We had a meeting with the teacher regarding her reading (she was becoming frustrated at home with her bag-a-books) and we all agreed it was a good idea to up her to a level 6 because if she does not find challenge, she gets very upset. Level 6 is the cut off for senior kindergardens entering grade 1, so she is officially reading at an entery grade 1 level. We will see where the rest of the year brings us in that aspect. Everything else is school is dandy, she adores math (crazy kid)and science, and thinks that she needs to be doing work during snack. Her teacher laughs because she is suprised at the strong cliques that have already formed at such an early stage. These kids grow up too fast but luckily, she is close with a very good group of little girls (and 1 boy...gotta have that token boy!)
Speaking of summer, we are headed to Ocean City in July for a week, which I am totally looking forward to. We are also possibly heading back to either PA for idlewild early summer, or a trip to NYC. I love summer, we have so much planned and it can not possibly come soon enough.
On to baby Brooke. So not a baby any more. That child suprises me each and everyday. She is her sister mentally through and through. Her speech is doing wonderfully and she is nothing but a compelete clown. Always wants to make you laugh and will come out with some very random things in order to acheive that. She loves to color lately, especially on things she is not supposed to. Oh geesh! Keeps us on our toes that is forsure. This summer her and Alexis will be in swim lessons and as of September, off to gymnastics she goes. She is already egging to go, so I am sure she is going to be utterly in love with it just like her big sister. Now for the fun part, some pics!









Enjoy :)

Mommys Little Monkey!

Momma loves this outfit, so I just had to share with all of you. Suits her well, she definatly is my little monkey!! :)

Did I forget 15?

Brooklyn has picked up counting like it was her second language, but she casually forgets the same number or two everytime. We will get there one day!

Its been that long?

Ok, so I'm a slacker but after the constant battle of words with family about keeping them updated, here I am. I vow to be better! So much has happened, I dont even know where I begin. Alexis turned 4 and had a great birthday at the animal farm/pumpkin patch. She had about 17 of her friends join her and they had a great time. Shes been on the countdown to turn 5 ever since the party ended. She is still enjoying kindergarden and Im a very proud mommy to say that my baby girl can read! She is doing great, and really loves it. They upped her to a reading level 4 and she can go through the books with ease. Her gym team is doing really well. She has mastered her cartwheels and with a bit of encouragment she is able to do them 1 handed. She loves the days she gets to go to gym. Thats my girl!!

Brooklyn had her 18m appt and it went well. She was 24lbs and I believe 33 inches. Growing like a weed. Her vocab is unreal, Ive lost count of her words. She strings 3 and sometimes 4 words together and is definatly the chatter box of the house. I have the sweetest video of her counting to 20 I am going to post and I need to get one of her singing her ABCs. So sweet!

Now, on to some pic posts!

Reno blog#1

Dh and I are on a kick of renovating/redecorating the house. It has been a LONG time coming, and finally we have the cash flow allowing us to do this all little by little. Feels great, and finally feels like "ours" even though we bought it 2 1/2 years ago! No longer anothers awful style, but little by little the rooms are becoming our own.
Here is our "new" upstairs main bathroom. Trust me, its a long shot difference then what it used to be like LOL






Notice the burnt out lightbulb, how did I not notice that until I took the picture???



Lastly for today, the master. We painted the walls (no more tacky pink!!!) and bought a new bedset. We are searching out a new dresser and curtains, then I can update with a picture of the WHOLE room!! The last thing on the list for this room, replace ugly pink carpet. We have saved half (who knew carpets would be SO expensive!!) so they will be done next spring.





Last on the list for the 2008 year is.....THE KITCHEN! Yuppie. Ive actually started, but wont post about the work in progress. That will be all until after christmas. The rest of the house will have to wait until after jolly old saint nick makes his way here. Enjoy!

My Kindergardener :)

That's right, my baby is now in school. She goes everyday for 1/2 a day and is loving each and every second that she is there!!! Despite a bit of kindergarden drama (thats a whole other post!), she is adjusting perfectly. I spoke with her teacher today who said Alexis is a gem and was adjusting very well and catching on quicker then anyone could expect. She is currently doing Senior Kindergarden work, while only in Junior K. I asked what would happen next year when she IS in SK, and she said we will fight that battle when we get there if she is still ahead of the rest. So enough blabber, time for pics!

My little lady all dolled up for school


Where on earth did my baby go?


And were off!


Ready - Set - Learn!

Playing the hero

**note to the wise** This is my opinion, take it as it is. Opinions = Assholes. Mine may be more hairy, or less, then you like, but it is mine. It is with me for life and I wont sew it up and pack it away.

As Hurricane Gustav makes it way towards land, I begin to catch myself questioning the sanity of people in its path.

"Overnight, Hurricane Gustav's winds decreased enough to make the storm a Category 3. But the 8 am ET NHC advisory says it could restrengthen in the next 24 hours."

Why risk it? Human error, these stats are not facts. No one knows how strong this storm is going to be until it gets here. Im tired of hearing out the hero. I must stay for my possessions and pets. My house survived Katrina, it will survive again (damn, to be a psyhic). The rest of my family is staying. I don't think it will be that bad.

HELLO! Does everyone forget what happened during Katrina? Who is to say this storm is not going to be worse? Who says your house, after all the battery it took from Katrina, will stand this time? Who says a tree will not fall through your child's bedroom window, who says your house will not be flooded with you stuck in it with 6ft of water?

I just do not understand. They give you warnings, they give you evacuation orders and you stay? Why are you playing hero. Don't tell me your not, your either playing hero or your playing stupid ignorant fool. Put your life, your children's life, you pets life on a higher petestal. You can rebuild your house and buy new possessions, you cant bring a life back. Get out of the mind set of being stronger then the storm, and realize that this is a serious threat!

Call me an idiot, but if I saw a storm like that headed towards MY family, Id be looooong gone without second thought. My children are worth so much more to me then that. You can tell me over and over that it dosnt make you love your child any less. You may love them, but your thought process is all wrong. You are your child's decision maker and protector, do your job!


That being said, my prayers are with all the families down that way. I really hope everyone makes the right decision to stay safe. I pray for all the children and innocent lives that are being forced to stay in this storms wake. May God watch over you and protect you.

Happy Birthday to ME :)

That is right, today is my silver birthday. I am offically part of the 1/4 century club (good god that sounds depressing). Well...not technically yet, not until 10pm tonight :D

Today was a wonderful day. We woke up after a hillarious and out right fun night of drinking (which I really needed!!) and I got breakfast served to me. Timmys in bed, nothing better, Brian knows me too well. I knew from yesterday that I had 2 "appts" for this morning, but had NO idea what/where. So I get ready and head out in the car. Brian drops me off for a nice relaxing massage!!!!!! It was amazing. He booked the appointment with a massage therapist/physio therapist and they were jsut amazing. I really was in need of a great de-stressing massage and that is exactly what I got. When it was time to leave Brian and the girls were there ready for the day and they brought me to the next place. Brian then set up an appointment at a spa for a mani/pedi. Ohhh it was nice. I was very pleased with the place.

Time for lunch. Brian (daring I may add because of the plans he had) asked me where I wanted to go for lunch. Of course, I said Jacks. Boy he is lucky he knows me 100%! We headed to Jacks for lunch and I was suprised by family and friends with a birthday lunch. It was nice to have people there to celebrate with us and we had alot of fun. Great food and great company. It was very sweet.

All in all it has been a marvelous day. We were planning on going to the drive thru tonight but Im not too sure at this moment. We are both SO tired from the day, so we may wait and go for the super feature night tomorrow. Im kind of excited at the thought of a quiet movie night at home with some gelato! YUM :)

SO that was my day. It was great and Im so very lucky to have such an amazing man in my life.

The list

I wrote out a list of all the words Brooklyn is saying, but need to keep it someone I wont loss it. So...here it is. I will add to it as time goes on.

mommy
mama
daddy
dada
sissy
baby
puppy
ducky
shusha (portugese for soother)
she she (another word she uses for soother)
baba
cheese
please
one
two
three
thank you
good girl
quack
no
nana
papa
doggie
up
hi
bye (or bye bye)
ew
pee you (when something stinks)
tub tub
tubby
night night
wow
toy
shoe
nose
out
nummy
yummy
eye
you
juice
dude
boobah
boobies
twinkle
start
high
sky
are
blue
red
toes
madi
kiss


She signs for:
milk
all done
more
kiss

Maybe I am a bit mistaken

Could someone fill me in on where I went wrong. I was very unaware that caring about an innocent child, being respectful and being the bigger person meant that I was kissing people's asses. Everyday of my life does not need to be about drama. I dont feel the need to be over dramatic about every little god damn situation. A child is sick (Yes...child...INNOCENT CHILD) and I want them to get better and offer suggestions....and im kissing ass? I comment on a child's pictures and Im kissing ass? Now I could see if I was constantly complementing those who have hurt me in the past. I could see if I was mailing out mother of the year awards, hell I could even see if I was playing best friend but matters of a child? Common! I am 25 years old, I don't need to stoop to the past levels of others to make myself feel ok. Save the drama for someone else, I dont need it!

oh wait...I thought that everyone deserved second chances. Right, only when it wasnt me in the good books. Gottcha. Ill make a mental note of that for nex time.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr

ok, vent over.

Baths are for babies

And Miss Brooklyn no longer things she fits in that category!! If I try to put her in the bath, she freaks. She points up to the shower head and says tub tub. All she wants is a shower, no baths for this big girl. She will though, let me eventually put the plug down and allow the bath to fill up. Once shes had enough shower she will play in the bath. Damn stubborn kid. Wonder where she gets that from...................................

Getting ready and all excited



In and getting adjusted



PLAY TIME!!!




An extra one for fun!!

Yes....I did it

I gave my baby her first set of piggy tails. Go ahead and laugh at me, I think it looks adorable. She is just too damn cute NOT to do this too. Geesh, how did I ever get so lucky? She is just like her sissy was from the beginning. She sat in my lap, played with her toothbrush and let mommy do her magic. Such a little angel she is!! Here are the pics, aint she darlin'??

Do you notice her hair getting even lighter? It's unreal!! You should see it in the natural light!




Mommys little ham, boy how I love this little lady.