I Actually Have Time

Today is my birthday (agh! 27!) and I have free time to catch up on my blog and I actually want to. After spending a week with my sister, I am mildy obsessed with pictures so here are a bunch that I've wanted to share for a while.

Super and I went to Target one day and naturally stopped to get a coffee. Since they didn't have the childrens chocolate milk that they normally have, I just got him a cup of it but I asked them if they'd blend it with ice and put some whipped cream on top as a special treat for him. He LOVED it and watching him dig out the cream is so cute.

More Pictures from DC

These were taken by my phone camera or by Penny's so they aren't the best resolution but I love them.

Our DC Trip!

We had such a good time in DC with my sister and her family. The best part about going on "vacation" to visit family is that there isn't any stress to do the tourist stuff and no pressure to keep a schedule. Our days were filled with the park, playing with babies and Dr. Mario competitions, eating too much, going shopping with screaming kids, sneaking away for time as adults and changing diapers. Getting to know Penny's kids is so special to me and I'm so thankful we got to stay for a while. Annie is a little pistol with a screech that could wake the dead, Alex is a smart little man that will serenade anyone with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and randomly bust out with the word Corn when he can't find the word he wants. Annie has an engaging little laugh and the sweetest dimples, Alex loves his trains and wants to tell you all about the world of Thomas and his friends. Super fit right in with this own destruction and loved playing with his cousins.

Penny took me out for a birthday dinner of never ending crab legs and yummy seafood, we watched a hilarious movie and got dressed up together (something we haven't done in YEARS). We went on Slurpee run after Slurpee run, I couldn't' get enough since we don't have 7-11's in GA.

Picture time!

Pumpkin Carving


Horsey Back Rides

Swinging at the Park

(I LOVE this picture of us)

Climbing Fences

Being Cute

Going on the "Weee" Slide

Making Funny Faces

Poor Penny got sick one of the days we were there but I got a chance to serve my sister and I couldn't have been happier. Cleaning her house, doing her laundry, cooking dinner, serving her soup in bed and playing with her kids makes me feel closer to her and I'm thankful she got to really rest when she didn't feel well. It also gave me a chance to hang out with my brother in law, Shaun, whom I've know for 10 years but don't get to spend time with often without a lot of family around. We got to work together to keep the house going and I'm glad we got to do our own hanging out.

I also got to see my friend Laura! It was for only an hour but I haven't seen her since before Danny and I got engaged. She caught the Metro from MD to VA and she got to meet Super (who wasn't even an idea the last time I saw her), we had lunch and froze in the windy cold playing at a park. Certain circumstances put a damper on the visit but as true friends do, she totally understood and I'm so thankful for her. It was just nice to see her in person and to pick up where we left off (she left for Costa Rica right before Danny popped the question in 2005). Hopefully the next visit will be longer and easier (and not as cold) but there is always the phone and email until that day comes.

For everyone that made my trip possible (including the encouragement from a great friend), I thank you. We all know I needed a trip to de-stress and today I feel lighter, happier and like a better mother. Also, I read the best book How to Make your Children Mind Without Losing Yours and it works. If you are a mom, read this book. I started using his suggestions and noticed a big change in Super and I love it. More pictures of the trip will surface as we organize everything (Penny, I love that your camera is in constant use and I want to emulate that) and I cant wait to share more.

Going to DC!

My awesome Big Sis is bringing me out to visit her and I couldn't be more excited! We haven't seen each other since early this year and we both can't wait to see the changes in each others children. I'm not looking forward to the plane ride with a very squirmy almost 2-year-old but I'm sure we can both get through it...hopefully. I'm going to have to put my sweet little ruffian in one of those baby leashes and I pray (and so should you) that we don't have a full fledged meltdown. However, a few hours of frustration will all be worth it for Super to see his cousins. After Penny told Alex about us coming to visit she got the best response..."Mommy, I going to share my bed!" ...how sweet is that?

Family Pictures!

We got portraits done a few weeks ago and I have my pictures! I'm posting them here in case anyone wants to download them since I'm not a nice person that actually hands them out. Enjoy!

The Thrill of Defeat!

As I have previously stated, Danny never lets me win at anything...ever. He is Mr. Competition at all times and I've come to terms with it. I know I may not always be the best at something and having it rubbed in my face time and time again has made me just as blood thirsty as he is. I know it may be stupid but I beat his high score on Brickbreaker! After we got our new phones, I wasn't really interested in playing the stupid games on it... until I gave it a few extra tries to see if it was really that hard.... well, it is. I don't care though because I got to send Mr. Competition a text message with my new high score and ranking above his and I couldn't be happier. People always say it's the small things that count, well, this counts! Whoo hoo! Now I just have to work harder to make sure that he don't get back on top.

The Smell of Distraction

I was making hamburgers tonight and since I put the buns in the freezer for longer keeping, I needed to thaw out a few for me and Super Destroyer. I fed him and put one for me in the microwave... then I got a phone call. I picked up the phone because it was my lovely husband and totally forgot about the bread. Then I got a call 30 seconds later from Sue, my mother in law, and since we had been playing phone tag, I really wanted to make sure we got a hold of each other. A minute later (while the bun was cooking on HIGH) I turned around to see yellow smoke billowing out of my microwave!

I thought the smell of puke, runny baby diapers and rotten eggs was the worst thing I could ever smell.... boy was I wrong. I don't think I'll be able to have anyone over for a week due to the nasty smell that is nuked bread burned beyond recognition.

Awesome Wedding!

On October 4th, our good friends Mandy and Bryan tied the knot and we were lucky enough to celebrate with them. The wedding was gorgeous, the bride was beautiful and the party afterwards was so much fun. We got to meet a lot of great people, eat some amazing food and saw some good friends of ours make the ultimate commitment. I don't have pictures because we were too busy getting our party on to remember but I'll snag a few when I get the chance. Congrats you guys! May you have a long life in love together...

My Silver Lining

As we all know, the economy is going down the drain. It's been hard on everyone and we are feeling the squeeze just like everyone else. Well, I have good new for me... as everyone obviously saw, I gained a LOT of weight when preggo and some more afterwards (thanks to a lovely friend that introduced me to Starbucks... yes, at one point I was NOT a fanatic). I tried so hard for so long with little results but my hard work is now really paying off...I got on a scale today and I have lost 50lbs! I'm roughly 8lbs over what I weighed when I met Danny so I'm not all the way back but I'm getting there quickly. If I can do it by new years, I won't have to make it a resolution like I did for 2008. I can wear almost all my old clothes (the stupid stretched skin I am still left with after delivering my 8lb 6oz child is still making it difficult for all of them to fit correctly) and I feel amazing. I'm still depressed that money is a problem but I can look in a mirror and not feel bad about that too and I'm thankful that I'm so much stronger. Carrying around a 40lb toddler would strengthen anyone and even though it's hard, I'm thankful for my heavy man, without him I don't think I'd be halfway to my goal instead of almost there. Thanks Baby!