Only 1 month

Yes, that's right - it's been a month since I posted. Life has gotten in the way. Where do I begin?

Well, Ava turned 1 on 11/11/07 and she had a beautiful party in our new kitchen! My mom bought her a gorgeous party dress that she had on for about 15 minutes. She did seem to enjoy her guests and her party.

Most of the month of November someone was sick. Ava had ear infections, bronchitis and a sinus infection. Steve and I also had sinus infections. Thanks to the brutally cold weather.

Thanksgiving was fun. Aunt Mary cooked us a great dinner at her house. We ate like kings. I always enjoy catching up with my cousins. This year Chris and his girlfriend Julie were there. She is a sweet heart. We had a good time. That evening we spent at Aunt Carol's. We had our Kenny grab bag name drawing and ate WAY too much dessert.

Last week David had some teeth issues. He had an abcess that the dentist tried to fix, but ended up at the oral surgeon having to remove the tooth. He was such an angel - we're very proud of him.

Saturday I hosted a Crop n Shop that did not turn out so well. At least I got to scrap with my friends Jean and Laurie. That night Steve and I went to dinner with Laurie and Walt and had quite the experience. Steve found a silverfish bug IN his paella! So gross! Through it all we did have lot of laughs and fun. Sunday we took a day trip to Tracey & Rich's for the Giants vs Eagles game. The kids enjoyed themselves and Rich and Steve were glued to the laptop. They won their fantasy match up. Tray and I got to chat - it was a real nice visit.

Well, that is all for now. Happy Shopping!

You say it's your birthday?

This past weekend I spent running around trying to get some things done for Ava's 1 year old birthday party. I was able to get some cool prizes and party ware. I am going with a purple butterfly theme. Wondering where I got this cool stuff? The Dollar Tree! I started off at Target and was extremely disappointed in their selection. Then, I was about to hit up a party supply store when I remembered hearing my mother say she got some great stuff at The Dollar Tree recently. What a great deal I got - 20 butterfly plates for $1 and matching accessories. Target wanted $1.99 for 8 plates and I did not even like their patterns. Needless to say, I was very pleased with my purchase.

So, this weekend is the big 1 year bash. I have to admit, I am shocked to realize a whole year has gone by, but at the same time, it feels like she was always with us. Overall, she is a great baby girl - although she has her drama mama moments. I love her sweet little smile, her cute little voice and her beautiful face. I love how she cuddles up to me for her bottles and how excited she is to see me. I love and admire how she has no fear. Most of all, I love watching her with David. She absolutely adores him. He can do wrong, even when he knocks her down. I am so thankful for her.

I'll let you know how her party goes and post some birthday pix.

Happy 1st Birthday Ava - we love you!

Happy Halloween!

We dressed up on Sunday for my cousin Katie's Homecoming Halloween Booffet. It was so good to see her. She looks awesome as always - she is so beautiful. She is doing very well in CA and Josh is too. They will be coming home for Xmas and I am thrilled about that. We miss them.




David and I were party animals this past weekend. Aside from Katie's party, David went to 2 birthday parties. Saturday was Christopher's Halloween party and Sunday was Ryan's karate party. Steve and I snuck in a 40th Birthday party Saturday evening for my friend Therese's husband John. We were busy, but we sure had fun!

David really liked Karate so I have decided to sign him up. He had a one on one session on Monday and has a class session this coming Monday. He looks so cute in his uniform. It is not cheap to attend, so I am asking for it for Xmas. He certainly does not need more toys!


Our kitchen furniture was delivered yesterday and I LOVE IT! David was so excited to eat at a table - how funny is that? I just want to get some cushions for the chairs.

Well, I hope you have a very Happy and Safe Halloween!

BOO!

Much needed vacation

We're back! My husband and I took a much needed trip to Cancun, Mexico Friday Oct. 12 to Tuesday Oct. 16. We stayed at the Riu Palace Las Americas - an all inclusive resort. The place was unbelievable. Absolutely gorgeous and VERY clean. The food and the restaurants were spectacular. We had fantastic weather and spent most of our time relaxing by the ocean. The pools were cool too - the kind that look like they keep going. They had a swim up bar and plenty of other bars. I drank quite a few margaritas, pina coladas and daquiri's. Steve stuck with Corona and lime. We met a really nice couple - Jenn and Chris - and spent a lot of our time with them. They live in New Foundland, Canada and have 3 adorable children. We exchanged email addresses and hope we can see them again. They were a lot of fun. Our last night there, we watched the Michael Jackson show and it was awesome. The impersonator was a dead on match. He could sing, dance and talk JUST like him. I had so much fun.

Our vacation was great and we can't wait to do it again, but we did miss our kids. I know they missed us too, which is nice to see.

It's beautiful!

Our countertop is in and we love it. It is so pretty - pictures don't do it justice. It needs to be seen in person to appreciate how gorgeous it is! Steve spent the whole day hooking up the water and the garbage disposal. He hopes to have the disposal and the dishwasher working tonight.

Steve and I are off to Cancun tomorrow morning ;) We are SO looking forward to it. Part of me feels guilty leaving David behind because he keeps asking to join us. The rest of me knows I need a break. My parents have a whole bunch of cool things planned for the kids, so I know he'll enjoy his time without us.

Talk to you when we return - ADIOS!


Drawer pulls

Cabinet base molding

New valance #1

New storm door

New valance #2 & new clock

COUNTERTOP!

Desk

Specialty Cabinet

Faucet & sink

The wait is almost over....

tomorrow between 9 am and 11 am, the countertop company will be installing our new Corian countertop!!!!! Do you think I am excited????????

No award this year either

This past weekend, Ava was up during the night. Then again Tuesday night. For hours! SCREAMING! All along I was attributing this to her top teeth. Well, I was WRONG. She has a severe right ear infection, asthma and possible croup. Yes, I said CROUP. According to our pediatrician, it's 'going around'. She is on anti-biotic for the ear infection and using the nebulizer machine for her cough. As of today, she is doing much better. She only woke up once Wed night, but Tylenol worked. Last night, she slept like a baby. Needless to say, I will not be getting that Mother of the Year award again this year. UGH :)

On a good mommy note, I did carve David a jack o' latern and he loves it.

For a good cause

We've been working non-stop on the kitchen, so we deserved a weekend off.

Saturday morning, my Mom and I walked in the Memory Walk in Pt. Pleasant. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to be out exercising. I learned of the walk through my Creative Memories business, but I do it in memory of my Nana. She passed away on December 23, 2005 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. This year I raised $525 for research. I am very proud of that. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease for the people that suffer from it and for the people that watch their loved ones suffer from it. If you would like to donate, please click on the link above.

When I got home, we took the kids for some pizza because I was starving! Once we got home, I took the kids outside to enjoy the beautiful day. David had a great time running around and jumping in the leaves. Ava was in her glory watching David and trying to eat the leaves. Steve broke out the new blower I bought him and made our lawn leaf-free. The Rutgers game came on at 3:30 pm, so we went in side to watch them lose. They looked AWFUL! I was so annoyed with watching them lose, that I started cleaning. I could not take all the dust anymore so I windexed everything I could get my hands on. I went to bed feeling a bit of accomplishment.

Sunday was another gorgeous day - thank God - because Ava did not sleep well Saturday night and I was not happy. Her top 2 teeth are on their way down. She was up at 3:00 am and wanted to play. I did not. Anyhow, after the sun came up I went to the bagel store and picked up some coffee, hot chocolate, strawberry milk and 2 pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches. Steve was having a melt down when I got home attempting to finish the Pergo floor so the coffee helped. I decided to do a tad more cleaning - toilets, sinks, floors - and then it was time for Football. I LOVE my football. My cousin John came over to watch the games with us which was a treat. I made some appetizers, Steve got some beers and we were all set. By the end of the day, I had a SPLITTING headache. Ava did not help matters by waking up an hour after I put her down for the night and screaming her head off. Lucky for me, I have a terrific husband that took care of her so I could go to sleep before my head exploded.

After work on Monday, I decided to clean some more and start to put the house back together. Steve put all the knobs on the cabinet doors and cooked dinner. The kids went to bed and stayed asleep and I got some much needed rest. Unfortunately, I did not get a Fantasy Football win. UGH!

Deadline

With the countertop people coming Friday, we have a deadline to meet! Steve was busy spackling, sanding and painting the new addition to the kitchen yesterday. He also put up the light in the working kitchen area. Enjoy these pix!

ceiling and trim done, 1st coat of paint on the walls

new light fixture in working kitchen

pantry open

Light at the end of the Tunnel

We are having the countertop templated on Friday!! I can not tell you how excited am I about it. I thought we'd never get to this point. Not quite sure how long it takes to make and install the countertop once it is templated, but I will be asking that question on Friday.

Here are some photos of what got done this past weekend:

All the way from AZ!

Mike and Laura-Ann were in NJ this weekend to attend her cousin Kristina's wedding on Friday evening. Laura-Ann's parents, Tony & Anna, were kind enough to have our crazy family over to visit with them. As always, they threw a lovely party. The food was great as was the company. Mike and Laur look fantastic. AZ is really agreeing with them. They seem overly happy. David was very happy to see them. Ava was too, even if you couldn't tell. The kids also had plenty of playmates. Rosaleen was there and Laura-Ann's friend Cara brought her daughter Lucia and her son Ace. The kids ran crazy having a blast. I wish I had some more time to spend with them, but they will be home for Christmas - which will be here before you know it. I miss them already!

Clean bill of health

My Mom underwent surgery this morning to remove some cancerous cells from her tongue. I got the call from my Dad right before lunch that she got an 'All Clear' from the doctor! No more cancerous cells!

Thank you to everyone who was praying for my Mom.

Mom, I am so glad you are ok - I love you!

Kitchen Photos

The fridge and side panels

The stove and microwave

The pantry

Now we're cookin'

The oven and microwave have been installed and are in working order! WOO HOO! Steve worked hard on Saturday on the 'little things' like hooking up the water line to the fridge for the ice maker, venting the microwave oven and setting up the gas lines and shut off for the oven. He made himself a Jimmy Dean sausage sandwich in the microwave and it was great. He also set up the pantry - it's BIG, but it's beautiful! I need to take some pictures to post. I plan on picking up some hot dog rolls on my way home tonight so I can actually MAKE dinner instead of ordering it. My pots and pans are still buried and I do not want to put any dishes in the cabinets until the counter-top is in. So, hot dogs on the grill, tater tots in the oven and frozen veggies in the microwave will have to do. I bet we will have a lot more money floating around now that we can cook our food. Money that I can use to shop for a table and china cabinet (from Crate & Barrel)!

Hard at work

Sorry about the lull in my posting. We took a mini vacation and have been working very hard on the kitchen.

For our mini vacation, we went to PA to visit The Yoegel's and my in-laws on the 2nd. My In-Laws came up from FL for a few days and the 2nd was the only day we could get to see them. Tracey invited us over to celebrate Ally's 10th birthday and to spend time with Steve's parents. Tracey threw a nice get together and everyone enjoyed themselves. The next morning we drove to Hershey Park and spent the day with Laurie, Tom and Walt. We had a great time. We slept in a beautiful room at the Hershey Lodge that evening. On Tuesday the 7 of us took in the Hershey Gardens and they were beautiful. After, we got back on the PA turnpike and drove back to Tracey's. Steve was helping Rich draft his fantasy football team that night. David got to pick up Ty and Ally at the bus stop - that made his day. The kids played and enjoyed being together. The guys seem to have fun at the draft. Wednesday, we made our way home to NJ.

This weekend we really made some progress on the kitchen. We have 5 wall cabinets up and 5 base cabinets in. Steve has connected the pipes for the sink and the dishwasher is in place ready for install. Steve was able to get the floor put down in the entire 'working' kitchen area. Some of the walls have been painted. Our fridge comes tomorrow so we plan on putting up the panels and the fridge cabinet tomorrow evening. Here are some pictures:




Football started last week and the much anticipated Giants vs Cowboys game was Sunday night. Unfortunately, the G-Men lost, but the game was good.

Rocked!

My birthday was great. I received so many nice gifts and beautiful cards. Steve and I went out for dinner with Laurie and Walter to Bonefish WITHOUT THE KIDS!! Can you tell I was excited? The food was delicious and the company was great. We had a real nice time.

Saturday morning we took a family trip to Lowe's for the sheetrock. I helped Steve carry it into the house. I did not think sheetrock was so heavy! By the time he left for Joe's draft, he had finished the long wall. Sunday, Steve worked all day and finished putting up all the sheetrock. We have walls!! Today he'll tape and spackle. I am so thrilled. We might even get to start the floor this week ;)

59-27=32

Happy Birthday Dad & Me and BLOGGER? I just logged in to write a quick Birthday post and noticed that we share a birthday with this website. How funny is that? Love it.

Ok, now to my original rant...
Today I celebrate my 32nd birthday while Dad celebrates his 59th. As you can see from the equation above, he was 27 the day I was born. I was a very original birthday present, don't you think? My Mom could not have planned it if she tried. I too was given an awesome gift that day. Two fantastic parents that would stop the world for me.

32 years later I now have a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children. Those same 2 parents are still taking very good care of me and now of their grandchildren. I sure am a lucky girl.

Catching up

Last I posted, we were in the demo phase. In the past week, we have progressed to the rebuilding phase. Steve has layed a new sub floor and moved some of the electrical outlets so they will not be in the wrong place when the cabinets are installed. Speaking of cabinets, 34 boxes of cabinets were delivered last week and are taking up my entire living room. Not fun. The addition is almost complete. We are waiting for the trim to be done and then the contractor is finished. Steve's next move is to insulate the exterior kitchen wall. Once that is complete, he can start to sheetrock. It will still be some time before the kitchen is in working order. Sigh...

Through all this, we did host our yearly Fantast Football draft. With the loving support of my cousin Laurie (she took the kids), it went well. The weather was beautiful so we could be out on the deck. I feel my team came out well. I hope I can win some money this year.

Ava had been sick all week. She had bronchitis and a double ear infection. She took her antibiotic and nebulizer treatments like a little princess and is doing much better.

Friday night it took me 3 hours to get home from work due to the rain. They closed Rt. 18 at Commercial Ave and I was in the same spot on Rt. 18 for over an hour. That was NOT how I wanted to spend my evening. My parents had the kids and ended up keeping them. Which meant their plans had to be changed. All because of some stupid weather. Horrible.

This coming Friday is my birthday. I will be 32! I am hoping Steve gets me some nice gifts and takes me to Bonefish. I'll let you know!

Down to the studs

Saturday was demolition day at the Boettger house. With the cabinets being delivered tomorrow (Tuesday), we had to get a jump on the kitchen renovation. With Steve working all week at the Fair, Saturday was do or die day. We started ripping things apart about noon time. Steve smashed the cabinets off the wall and took off the countertop. David wanted to 'help' so Steve gave him a mallet and he started knocking through the sheetrock. I took care of the tile on the floor. After a while, there was SO much dust that Steve made David and I stop working and he finished up. By the time the Giants game started, we were down to the studs on the walls and a pile of sheetrock/trim/plaster was in the middle of the kitchen floor. There was A LOT accomplished in 8 hours. It was back to the fair for Steve on Sunday, so nothing more was done. Maybe today he'll get to do some more. Not so sure though, Steve is sick as a dog. Poor guy. He got the bug that has been running rampid in our house. However, knowing him, he'll do more work. Check out the pix...

Pierced Princess

I said I was not going to be the one that brought Ava to get her ears pierced due to the fact that I can not tolerate pain. Steve was going to take her. That changed yesterday afternoon when David and I went to the mall to make a WebKinz purchase. I saw the Piercing Pagoda and thought to myself "Ava is tougher than her Mom, she can handle it". Plus, Steve was working hard and I knew it would make his day. Sure enough, David and I picked out a cute pair of CZ's and on the count of 3, she was pierced! She let out a big cry that lasted for about 45 seconds and it was over. She is a tough little princess - thank God. Not the drama queen her mother is. She looks real cute, but they do not make her look any less like David. So, now we have a beautiful girl with pierced ears that still looks exactly like her brother - minus the piercings. Oh well!

Time flies with the second child

Guilt ridden. Yup that is how I have been feeling this week. I look at Ava and can not believe how fast she is growing. She'll be 9 months in 11 days and I feel like I missed them all. Obviously, I have not and I have pictures (many) to prove it. BUT, I can not seem to convince myself that I'm not missing out - because I am. I can remember sitting in the den watching David for hours on end and enjoying every 'new' thing he did or place he went. With Ava, I feel that I have not seen everything 'new' and that I miss a lot of her. My schedule was more flexible when I returned to work after David was born which entitled me to be with him more. I have not had that with Ava. When I do get time with Ava, David is there and requires attention too. I am worried that I do not divide my attention between them well. I do not want one of them to regret the other because of the time I spend or do not spend with each of them. I always knew being a working Mom would be rough. I lived through it with David and thought I came out unscathed. I was wrong. Being a working Mom with more than 1 child is ROUGH and I am not unscathed. I am bruised, battered and my heart is aching. It is up to me to change the way I feel. I just wish I knew a better way.