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.

Fallen for Craig

Craig's List that is. A friend of mine had mentioned a few times that she uses Craig's List. I had heard of it, but never used it. In case you are not aware of it, Craig's List is a website people can buy or sell items on or even find an apartment, vacation rental or roommate. I emailed another friend of mine that uses the site to ask her advice/opinion and she told me about her positive experience so I dove right in. With our kitchen renovation underway, I thought I would use it to sell our appliances and furniture. Last Thursday night I took photos of our items and found the manuals (so I had the facts for the blurp) and posted 9 items on the central NJ Craig's List. By the time I was finished, I had about 50 emails in my inbox from people wanting to purchase our stuff! I could not believe it. I was hysterical. Steve - not so much. He thought I was insane for selling our stuff this soon (we will not have appliances till Sept.) and this cheap. I defended myself, of course, by explaining that I could have given the stuff away for free and admitted I was just as surprised at how fast the items were moving. Here is the breakdown:

While I was at work on Friday, a woman came to pick up the Island. Friday evening, a couple came for the sideboard and another for the stove. They came back Saturday morning for the table. Sunday morning a woman and her son came for the pantry. Last night some guys came for the fridge. Tonight a couple is coming to see the china cabinet. UPDATE: China Cabinet has been sold! Dishwasher too!

Moral of this post: USE CRAIG'S LIST. Advice - accept only cash (advice given to us, we have not had a bad experience).

Appliances and Kitchen Furniture For Sale - nothing over $100

• SOLD GE Stove top Range - White, $100 SOLD
  
  


• SOLD Roper Refridgerator - White, $100 (65 H x 29.5 W x 29 D) SOLD
  
  


• SOLD Admiral Dishwasher - White and Black, $75
SOLD



• Hotpoint Over the Stove Microwave - White, $75




• SOLD Huffman Koos Kitchen table, 4 chairs and bench - White and Wood, $100 (66 W x 48 D x 30H) SOLD




• SOLD Huffman Koos Kitchen Island with 2 Drawers and Wine Rack - White and Wood, $75 (42 W x 34 H x 21D) SOLD




• SOLD Jc Penney China Cabinet - Green, $100 (70 H x 48 W x 13 D) SOLD




• SOLD Double Door Pantry - White and Wood, $75 (70 H x 34 W x 16D) SOLD



• SOLD 3 Door, 2 Drawer Side Board - White and Wood, $50 (42.5 W x 31 H x 16 D) SOLD

The 4th and more

At the Milltown Parade


To celebrate our independence, we took in the Milltown 4th of July parade with Laurie, Walter and Thomas. The parade was great. The kids had so much fun catching and picking up the candy that the parade walkers were tossing their way. The weather turned out to be crappy, so after the parade we went to Laurie's instead of Brookside. The men went on a quick job and ran some errands while we went for a walk. For dinner we ordered from Carrabba's - delicious. Laurie and I did a little scrapping before we left so I could get our laundry done for our vacation.

Thursday we left NJ and headed south to MD. We vacationed in Ocean City for the next 3 nights and 4 days. Our hotel was The Castle in the Sand on the beach. It was pretty good. Older, but clean. The first night we hit up the rides on the boardwalk and ate dinner at SeaCrets on the bay. It was a real cool place - huge too. I had a great Crab Toast and Steve enjoyed the fired shrimp. David loved the fact that the floor of the restaurant was sand.

After breakfast at Dough Roller on Friday Jackie, Michelle and Michelle met up with us. We hung poolside most of the day and spent about 1 hour at the beach. After we showered up, we took a ride to Crab Alley. The kids fell asleep in the car and slept until our table was ready. David was great, Ava on the other hand - not so much. Steve accidentally left her formula in our hotel room and she had a bad diaper rash. Poor baby girl. The girls and I took turns trying to keep her happy. Thank God for them. Steve and Jackie got the all you can eat blue crabs, the rest of us got the crab cakes and David got a hot dog with applesauce. He ate the applesauce and I ate the hot dog. The crab cake was to crunchy for my taste. When we finally got back to our room, I fed Ava and fixed her rash and right to sleep she went.

Saturday we hit the beach, but not before another trip to Dough Roller. This time we went to the one on the Breaker's Hotel. I wanted to see the hotel, but Ava fell asleep so we went right to the beach instead. David had a great time running in and out of the waves. It was sweltering hot, so Steve spent most of the day in the ocean. Ava was a good girl, but we tried to keep her under the umbrella. We starting our evening a little earlier than the night before and went to dinner at Phillip's. Again the girls were my saviors. One rocked while the other made the bottle. Then another fed her and got her to sleep. LOVE THEM! I got to eat my crab legs and drink my banana colada. After we went to the boardwalk and put David on some more rides. We made a stop at Candy Kitchen and then went back to the hotel for the night.

Sunday we all wanted to get a head start on the drive home so we were on the road by 9 am. Steve and I had a 3:30 pm appointment at Lowe's to order our cabinets and counter top, so we wanted to make sure we were home early. We made it home by 1pm. I started some laundry and cleaned up a bit. Laurie was kind enough to offer to take the kids to Crystal Springs for us. We dropped off the kids and our car and went to Lowe's. After about an hour, we were all ordered and met Laurie, Walt and the kids at the swim club. Everyone was hungry, so we grabbed dinner at Stefano's. After an interesting dinner, we went back home and off to sleep I went. I was SO tired.

In fact, I am still tired. So - off to bed I go. Stay cool!

Adding on

Once again (third time is the charm, so they say) we are adding on to our house. This addition, while not physically big, is huge for entertaining purposes. Our contractor (Brown & Glynn) have built a 8x6 area that opens the living room into the kitchen. I have always wanted that open and airy feeling of the newer homes and I think we have achieved that. They started the job last week and already the entire area is framed. Next they will put on the siding and then Steve and Walt need to run some electric. I am VERY excited about this and will post some pictures so you can see the progess.

We are also remodeling our kitchen. When we bought the house, the kitchen was not how we wanted it. Steve did a touch up job on it to update the floors, walls and countertop, but we still knew we'd want a total re-do. With this addition, it's the perfect opportunity. We spent about 3 hours at Lowe's yesterday picking everything out and we did not argue at all! I was very proud of us. After Steve measures the kitchen tonight, we'll go place the order. They are even running a promotion if you buy cabinets...depending how much you spend, you get a Lowe's gift card. YEAH! I LOVE GIFT CARDS!!

Here are the specs:
Countertop :Corian - Moss
Cabinets: Schuler - Monterey - Chesnut
Floor: Pergo - Global Passage - Dolce Mahogany
Paint: Vaspar - Montana Moss & Twilight Jungle

New Wheels

Friday I got a letter from the car dealer that I purchsed my Rendesvouz from claiming I could "Trade Keys" with them and no money would exchange hands. It peaked my interest, so Monday I called the dealer to get some background information and decided it sounded good enough for me to make a personal appearance. My Dad & David met me there after work and after a little back and forth, I bought a new GMC Envoy! It was the one right on the showroom floor. It is Red Jewel in color, has a DVD player with remote control and wireless headsets, nice BOSE stereo and leather seats. I love it and David does too! Here is a photo or two of our new family truckster...

Dad's Day

A Happy Daddy...

Happy Father's Day to all those father's out there. We celebrated the day very low key. The day started in PA at the Yoegel's with donuts and coffee (2 of Steve's favorite things). Once we got home, Steve opened his cards and gifts. David was VERY excited to give Steve the Darth Vader card. When you open it it says "I am your father". It was opened about 100 times :) Steve enjoyed the photo card I made him although Ava tried to eat it! His gifts were a Dunkin Donuts gift card, black golf shirt, outfit from Old Navy, Linkin Park CD and Beer League on DVD. A little while later, my parents and Grandparents came over. They opened their cards and gifts. Dad got 2 shirts from Old Navy and a book on Sandy Koulfax. Grandpop got lottery tickets. My poor Dad ended up returning everything I got him. He already had the book and the shirts he did not need. I treated everyone to dinner at the Grove. It was great. There was no one there and the food was good. Steve had buffalo wings, a jersey cheesesteak and onion rings, Dad had chicken parm and Grandpop had a grilled cheese with tomato. After dinner we went back to my house for dessert. Steve go to take a nap & Grandpop had to finish scratching off his tickets. I am not sure how much he won in the end. A great day was had by all the Dad's!

Born to be my Baby

Four years old! Can you believe David was born 4 years ago? I truly can not. It seems like just yesterday I was holding him all swaddled up in the hospital. He has grown up SO much. Sometimes when he talks to me I get chills thinking about how fast the past 4 years have gone. No matter how old he gets or how big he grows, he will ALWAYS be my baby boy.

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday was his kid party at Jenkinson's in Pt. Pleasant. Sunday was his family party at our house. Monday (his actual birthday) we took him to Great Adventure. He loved every minute of each celebration.

Happy Birthday Buddy Boy! We LOVE you.

I was fortunate enough to have both of my children born on the 11th on the month. So, Monday was also a birthday of sorts for Ava. She turned 7 months old! Our beautiful girl can do so much already! She turns over, eats fruits & veggies, waves bye-bye, says Baba and so much more. David loves his baby sister and plays so nice with her. Steve and I get so much joy watching them together.

We are so very blessed to have both of our babies. We love them so very much.

Party Time

Today is my Mom's birthday - Happy Birthday Mom! I left her gift and cards on the kitchen table so she would have them when she arrived this morning. She decided to wait until David woke up to open them. Well, she had to end up waking David up for school and he told her "We'll celebrate your birthday later, MomMom." What a riot! He comes out with some funny lines. So, sure enough, after he came home from school, they opened her gift. We gave her a gift card to Ann Taylor Loft. She loved it.
During my lunch break, I ran over to Target to pick up some other gifts that I need for my Big Birthday Month. I have 7 people that I buy birthday presents for this month - all born before the 18th of the month. I also grabbed gifts for a few other occasions. On my way home, I need to hit up Best Buy due to Target being out of stock on an item I needed.
My big plans for tonight are CLEANING! I will be hosting 3 parties this weekend - 2 of them at our house. Friday we are throwing a cocktail party for Mike & Laura-Ann to celebrate their move to AZ. Saturday David is having a kid party at Jenk's in Pt. Pleasant and Sunday we are having the family over for David's birthday. So, clean, clean, clean is what I'll be doing later.
Hope you have a good weekend. I'll let you know how our parties go!

Summer has arrived!

Last weekend my family welcomed in Summer with the Spring Lake 5 and an after party at my parents place in Spring Lake Heights. David was the first to ring in the season. Friday night he took 1st place in his heat of the Kids Race. Unfortunately, Steve and I missed it by about 3 minutes, but my Dad (Gramps) was there to be his coach. It turns out, David did not need much coaching. He took off like a bat out of heck - that is after the girl next to him bit the dust! Yeah, that's right...the little girl next to David was being pushed along by her Dad, when all of a sudden she was face down on the concrete with Dad on top. Why do people feel the need to 'push' their children? All the kids earn the same medal no matter how they do. People need to chill. Back to David. He was so cute when he got back to my parents to tell us the news. He was wearing his Spring Lake 5 Kids Race shirt and medal. The smile on his face said it all. We are very proud of him.

Saturday it was the adults turn. We all met at my parents and walked up to Ocean Ave for the race. By all, I mean: Mom, Mrs. Pfennig, Aunt Carol, Uncle Tom, John, Mark, Jen, Kate, Josh, Aunt Judy, Uncle Jack, Jill, Joe, Mike, Laura-Ann, Tony & myself. There were also some non-participants: Dad, Steve, David, Ava, Birthe, Ed and Anna. My Dad, Anna, Birthe and Ed drove up to watch us from the Breakers porch and later on one of the streets. The guys, Kate & Jill ran the 5 miles, the rest of us walked. It was a very warm morning. After the 1st mile, my heels were bleeding. By the 3rd mile I separated from my Mom and Mrs. Pfennig and picked up my speed. At the end, I was exhausted. I finished in 1 hr. 18 min. Not bad for my first try.

Unfortunately, my cousin Mike ended up having a heat stroke and did not finish the race. We could not even find him, until the ambulance he was in called my Dad's cell phone. I could not believe it when I saw him. He looked awful (Sorry Mike). It took him all day to recover and I do not think he really felt better for a few days. I am so glad that he is ok. It was scary.

Aside from that, it was a good day. The after party went well and as always the crowd was a lot of fun. We kicked off the summer!

My plan is to walk 3 times a week so that next year I can finish with a better time. I just have to let my heels heal first ;)

Happy, Happy, Happy

Happy belated Mother's Day. Happy Birthday Walter & Uncle Bob. Happy Graduation LeAnne. Happy Anniversary Grandmom and Grandpop.

There, that is enough well wishing for 1 week. Although, the Anniversary wish is a very special one. My Grandparents will be married 60 years! Can you imagine? We're celebrating with them on Sunday with a brunch for about 45 people. It will be a great time. My sister and I have hired a photographer to cover the party and the vows ceremony that will take place Saturday evening. I love pictures - as you all know :)

I am thrilled to report that I weighed myself this morning and lost another 2 lbs!! I can really feel it in my clothes. My pants are loose and my shirts actually fit. I need to step it up a notch though. Summer is closer than ever. With Steve's baseball coming to an end, I will be able to fit exercise back in my routine. The weather is also nice enough for me to take the kids for a walk when I get home from work. I'd like to lose 12 more lbs, but at the rate I am losing, it will take 6 weeks. That is too long.

My Mother's Day was very nice. Steve bought me beautiful flowers and a sweet balloon as well as 2 very touching cards. He did a great job. He is also paying for the kids portraits to be taken in June on the beach. SO looking forward to that. We met my Dad's side for breakfast at The Breaker's and had a BBQ at our house for my Mom's side.

This week my sister and her husband are here from FL to attend my Grandparents events. They are staying with my cousin Mar and her family. They brought the kids a bunch of gifts - which David thinks is great. Amy is going to babysit for Lizzie so Mar can attend a bridal shower. She'll love that.

Ava was 6 months old last Friday. I took her for her check up on Monday. She is 27" long and 17 lb 5 oz. They gave her the green light to eat veggies and fruit. I started her on sweet potatoes. So far so good. She has been sitting up by herself for about 2 weeks now. It's so cute to see her be independent. I love her to pieces!

That's enough info for now. Enjoy your week!

Scrapping, Golfing & Drinking

WHEW! What a week...

Wednesday we met up with our friends Corey & Jean for dinner at The Grove. It was great to catch up with them and hang out. The kids were pretty well behaved - which always makes dinner better. The food took a while to come out, but it gave us time to chat. They are doing well and we'll see them next weekend for Corey's 30th birthday dinner.

Thursday I met Steve at the Doubletree in Somerset for the Somerset County Scholar Athlete Awards banquet. However, I had about 2 hours between work and the banquet - so my friend (recently turned scrapper) Therese and I went over her house and worked on our albums. I started David's album - FINALLY! She worked on her wedding/honeymoon album. Before we knew it, it was time to freshen up and go. I headed to the banquet and she was meeting friends for dinner. The banquet went well. The food was not great, but it was nice to spend time with Steve out of the house.

Friday during lunch, Therese and I scrapped! We had planned on going back over to her house, but they were paving her road. So, we scapped in her office. Did not get as much done as we liked. If we do a lunch thing again, we're going to have to get out of the office. David attended the Vo-Tech nursery school from 8:30 am to 11:00 am. Steve took him in with him in the morning and my parents took Ava in to pick him up. While he was there, he got a real nice haircut in the cosmetology shop. He had a good day. When Steve got home from practice, I ran over to a 'design your own purse' party at my friend Jennifer's house. Cute stuff - a tad pricey. I bought the Reagan bag in a pink paisley. Good for the summer.

Saturday was jam packed. My friend Jenn and her son Drew picked up David and I for a birthday party for Morgan - the daughter of our friend Jennifer. The party was at Sandy Deck's Parties in Manalapan. The theme was Princess and Pirate. David was in his glory. He loved riding in Jenn's SUV and watching Cars with Drew. Then at the party he had so much fun with all the kids. They had bagels and ice cream. Steve, John and Ava picked us up after it was over and we went to my parents. Steve, John and I golfed on their course. The kids and my parents went to the beach. Golf was fun. I have not golfed a real game since 1994, but I did not do that bad. The guys were giving me pointers and trying to cheer me on. I can't wait to go again. When we got home, I went food shopping for our Cinco de Mayo fiesta. I got mini tacos, mini quesadillas, tequitos, jalepeno poppers, chips, salsa, hamburgers and sausage. Then I got beer and Margarita's. Mark, Jen, Jill, Joe and John were our guests. We ate A LOT of appetizers and drank a lot of beer and ritas. The guys played cards and the girls chatted. A happy Cinco de Mayo was had by all.

Sunday we ate breakfast at IHOP. YUM! David got the Funny Face pancake and hot chocolate. He LOVES whip cream. After we went home and hung around. Then Ava and I took a ride to Flemington for a Framing party at my upline Melissa's house. Creative Memories will be offering custom framing as part of their services. Leaders are already offering it. It's pretty cool. I framed 2 5x7 of David in Disney from November of 2005. I can't wait to get them back. We had dinner when I got home and I was asleep by 9:30 pm.

Manic Monday is here and back to work I went. Steve has a game tonight - he needs to win. My Aunt Mary is coming over to work on the scrapbook with my Mom and I. I am looking forward to that.

Enjoy your week!

May Day

I can't believe it's May already. This year is flying by. May is a good month. The weather is usually pretty nice and the days are bright. I like the sunshine when I get up in the morning a lot better than the pitch dark of the winter.

Anywho...It's been a while since I wrote and we've done a bunch of stuff, but something I must report first is....AVA IS SITTING UP!! She is too cute. Sometimes she forgets and falls back, but overall, she is a SITTER!

Okay, now to what we've been up to. The weekend of 4/21 was beautiful. I took the kids, picked up my cousins and headed to my parents down the shore. On the way, I learned that Mike and Laura-Ann will be moving in June to AZ! I am very happy and excited for them. I know this is something they've always wanted to do. I'll miss them lots, but wish them a lot of luck. At my parents, we hung on the deck and took a trip into town to browse. In town, I found a great little shop with gorgeous portrait pictures. The pictures were taken by the owners sister and I took her info. **SIDE NOTE: I gave it to Steve and told him I want the kids pictures as my Mother's Day gift. So I have an appt on 6/20 at 6 pm for photos on the beach. I am SO very excited.** That night we had dinner at Edgar's. Steve never made it down, his game went long and he was not in a good mood. Sunday was a lazy day and I loved it.

During the week Steve had a game every night. I took the kids to the Monday game and we hit Houlihan's on the way home. Tuesday I attended Ethic's Day at work. I was not loooking forward to it, however, I ended up enjoying it. They had a speaker by the name of Randy Cohen who writes for the NY Times. He did a great job. Very funny and full of info. Thursday I went into NY for a conference for work. It was ok. A tad on the boring side. That evening the kids and I met Laurie and Tom at the Mall. We let the kids play and go on the rides. They had fun. Friday Steve's game was rained out. For dinner we met the Danley's at Jensen's, but the wait was too long. So, we ordered and brought it back to their house.

This past weekend I held a Honeymoon Album party. My friend Therese came and started her first scrapbook. She went home with 3 beautiful pages. Aunt Carol started an album and using a Snap Pack got quite a few pages done. Laurie worked on Tom's album and finished 3 pages she was struggling with. My Mom got a bunch of pages done for my Grandparents album. Overall, it was a productive day. So productive in fact, I finished a Disney album I had been working on Sunday. Steve powerwashed the house and the deck and they look brand new. We ate dinner on the deck and watched some TV. Again, a nice lazy Sunday.

Yesterday I met my Mom at the pediatrician's office because Ava was not feeling too good. The doctor thinks she might have allergies or the start of an ear infection so my Mom is bringing her back Friday with David. They'll both have their ears checked.

That's all for now. Hopefully I can post again this week. Take care.

We weathered the storm

I have never seen so much rain! My Mom and I ran out to Pathmark on Sunday and came home drenched. Then at about 4:30 pm, Steve and I went out to dinner in Old Bridge and were caught in a downpour as we left our house. From the time we got to the restaurant until we got home, the rain stopped. All night it rained, thunder roared and lightening flashed - too weird.

I was shocked Monday morning to get a call from Steve that I should stay home due to the flooding. There was no way for me to get to my office. Rt. 18, Easton Ave and River Road were closed. I spent the day working in the kitchen on my laptop. I got SO much done and the kids were happy Steve and I were home. I had an appointment with the Dermatologist that I ran to and our architect came to review the plans for our kitchen. It was an ugly day.

Tuesday I had planned a work at home day so that I could attend David's Spring Concert. Steve decided to attend too as well as my parents. The show was adorable. David did a great job. He sang loud and did all the moves. We are all so proud of him. After we picked him up from class, we had a conference with his teacher because I missed Parent/Teacher conferences last month. His teachers said he is doing great. I knew he was a smart cookie. We got home a little before noon and I worked the rest of the day from the kitchen on my laptop. Steve headed off to baseball practice around 2:15 pm. David played and Ava slept. Once Steve got home, we cooked dinner, ate, cleaned up and watched the Yanks. I was shocked they were not rained out. Steve and I placed a bet on the game. If the Yanks won, I got a massage and if the Indians won - he did. Guess who's back will be feeling better soon? Yup, ME!

Today I weighed my self to find that I lost another 2 lbs!! I am VERY excited. Only 14 more to go - woo hoo! I am back in the office today. The kids are with my parents. Steve is at work, then has practice and then a meeting. He'll be home pretty late. I plan on eating my left overs from Sunday and scrapping a little bit. That is all dependant on the kids behaving :)

One more thing...here are the kids being kids....

Sleeping

Devilish Smile

Where is spring?

I am FREEZING and sick. Does not sound like Spring does it? Well, it does not feel or look like it either. The weather made for a very somber Easter. Aside from David getting the gifts he wanted from the Easter Bunny and the kids getting dressed up, the day was pretty blah.

We did go to my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob's beautiful new shore house for breakfast and that was great. I love the house - very big and airy. Perfect for the beach. Lots of bathrooms and bedrooms. They are going to have a great summer. As always, the food was delicious and the company was fun. We did not stay too long, because I felt like my head was going to explode! I slept in the car on the way home. Something I NEVER do.

Once we got home, I rested on the couch (something else I never do) to try and get rid of my throbbing headache. At about 4:30 pm my parents showed up and we went over to the diner for our 5 pm reservation. I got my usual egg white omelete and David got his 'million dollar pancakes' (otherwise known as silver dollar). Steve got a chicken sandwich that he sent back because it came with a cream sauce on it and my Mom was served the wrong thing. Not such a fantastic Easter dinner.

I had cancelled dessert at our house with my Mom's side because I just was not up to it. So, Steve, David and I cuddled up and watched Star Wars IV. That made my night. Now I have a Bunny ice cream cake in my freezer. Anyone want to celebrate Easter when it gets warmer?

I hope the bunny is good to you!

The eggs are hidden, the baskets are stuffed and I am tired. Off to bed I go, but not before I wish you a Happy Easter!

May the Force be with You

I see it's been a while since my last post. Everyday I have been meaning to write, but I get distracted.

Steve and I celebrated our 8th wedding Anniversary last Tuesday March 27. After attending his scrimmage in New Brunswick verse St. Peter's HS, my Mom watched the kids and we went out to dinner. We were planning on going to the restaurant where our reception was held, but we stayed close and went to Ria Mar in South River. We both had paella. It was very good, but not as good as The Armory (where we wanted to go). It was nice to spend some time together and be 'kid free'.


Thursday, David had an Easter party at school. He came home with a bunch of candy and prizes. He loved it. He does not have school this week (spring break) so they had to celebrate a tad early.


This weekend was uneventful. We took it easy Saturday. Ran over to Lowe's, had lunch at Chili's and saw the Easter Bunny at the mall. Sunday Steve went up to North Jersey for a memorial service for the father of a friend of his. Laurie came over to scrap for a little and then I took the kids to the A&P. It was real nice not to have any big plans.

I saw in the Target circular on Sunday that they had Star Wars egg dying kits. David is really into Star Wars, so I was VERY excited to get this for him. I went to Target on my way home Monday and they had NONE. I was SO upset. I called my Mom, who in turn called my Dad and after a little drama, they found it. I had them buy 2, just in case. My Mom boiled 2 dozen eggs yesterday and let them cool so that Steve, David and I could decorate them last night. It was a lot of fun. David had a blast and Steve came out the hero for figuring out how to 'shrink wrap' the eggs. David was very excited to show MomMom this morning.



Steve's baseball team is off to a good start. They beat St. Peter's on Monday in their first game of the season. He seems pleased with the team. I helped him pick out their new uniforms earlier in the school year and Steve came home in his. He looked very handsome. The unis are real sweet.


Although I had a rough night with Ava being up due to her teeth, I had a great morning. I weighed myself and lost 4 lbs! Even without losing anything the past 4 weeks, I am 12 lbs lighter since starting the diet 7 weeks ago. Tonight I will be sweating it out at Jazzercise to give myself that extra boost.

Ok, I think we are all caught up. I am off Friday - YEAH - so if I do not get a post in before hand, have a very Happy Easter!

How was your weekend?

That is the question everyone asks on Monday when you walk in the office. I thought maybe my readers would like to know what we did too.

After work on Friday, I went to get my nails done and my lip and eyebrows waxed. I REALLY needed that done. My nails were outgrown and my face was hairy :) I got to my appointment early and they took me right away, so I was home before my Mom and the kids returned from a birthday party.

I started cleaning the house by vacuuming. In the middle, my Mom and the kids showed up. I finished vacuuming and then began to dust. Next, I hit the kitchen. My Mom was kind enough to clean the downstairs bathroom, wash the throw rugs and sweep the kitchen floor. I cleaned the counters and the sink in the kitchen. Steve came home with pizza, so we ate dinner. Then, I took my vacuum upstairs and did those rugs. I finished up by cleaning the upstairs bathroom.

My next task was to get all my stuff ready for Memoranza on Saturday. I put together all the folders and labeled all the catalogs. Then I priced all the product and packed up everything. This took ALL night. I finally got to bed after midnight.

I was up at 6:45 am Saturday and began with Ava and her bottle. When she went down for her nap, I hit the A&P to buy snacks/drinks for Memoranza. When I got home I got the kids ready, myself showered and then did a scrapbook page using the free gift to show an idea of how to use it. I ate a quick diet sandwich and then the Yoegel's showed up. Before I knew it, it was time to get to my event. My Mom, Tracey, Steve and I loaded the car and we headed out. Luckily Steve was able to help us unload and set up the room. There was no way we could have done it ourselves. Memoranza went well. 2 people could not come, so there was only 7 scrappers, but the 7 had fun and got a lot done. I love to see the great ideas people come up with. Very creative bunch. I ordered some pizza, eggplant and a salad for dinner so we took a break to eat. 9:00 pm came so quick and Steve showed up to help us break everything down and return the room to order. I was exhausted. The kids (except for Ava) were up when we got home, so we put them to bed, got into comfy clothes and began playing Family Feud on PS2. I however, fell asleep on the couch :( Sorry Tray and Rich!

Sunday morning Ava let me sleep till 8 am! After her bottle we all went to the Colonial Diner for breakfast. Of course I was STARVING and they forgot to make my omelet, but it was good once it showed up. The Yoegel's headed back to PA and we went home. I put together Ava's exersaucer, un-packed and put everything away from Memoranza and got ready to go the my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom's for Katie's going away party.

As always, my Aunt and Uncle threw a great party and we all enjoyed each others company. We told funny stories and took silly pictures. Of course there was drinking and eating, and believe it or not, I drank A LOT more than I ate! Josh got to meet all our crazy family members and he seemed to even like them :) I know they all thought highly of him. We were the last to leave because I had to get up enough strength to say Good-Bye without falling apart. I promised Josh and Jill that I would hold it together and I did. I will miss my Kate very much (tearing up now just thinking about it), BUT we will see them often and she is going to be very happy in CA. She picked a great guy that will take great care of her. This is an awesome opportunity for both of them and I wish them the best of luck. I can't wait to hear all about their journey west and see pictures of their place. I will be sending them lots of pictures and videos of the kids so they do not miss a beat. Hopefully, we'll plan a trip to visit them later this year. Maybe we could even meet them in Vegas!

Today it was work as usual, except with a HUGE headache and upset stomach :) Tonight I plan on going to Jazzercise to work off the Creamsicles I drank last night :(

Some new things

Ava is laughing! It is such a great sound. After dinner last night, David was acting silly and Ava loved to watch him. All of a sudden, I heard a giggle! Then another and then a whole bunch! Every time he laughed, she laughed. It was hysterical. She makes the cutest laugh. I took video so I never forget it. I love that she has turned out to be a happy baby girl.

I cut my hair! I searched through old pictures yesterday and found a hairstyle I liked. It was from Sept. of 2004. I printed a front and back shot and brought it with me to the salon last night. First she colored my hair and then it was the cut. There was a lot on the floor when she was done. So far, I like it. When I have to style it myself tomorrow - I may have a different opinion. I lost almost ALL my curl, so it will not look exactly like the picture I gave her, but I needed a different style.

I don't need shocks! I took my car in last Monday for an oil change and when I went to get it, was told I had big problems. One of which was the shocks. Steve told me to get a second opinion and I did that this morning. I just heard back from the mechanic and NO SHOCKS NEEDED!! I do have a leak in the transmission, but the quote to fix it is a lot less than Firestone quoted. They are going to order what they need and I'll bring the car back next week to have it fixed.

David and Steve cleaned the basement! While I was working yesterday, the boys went to town on the mess in the basement. After dinner, David took me on a tour. It looks great! Steve even patched up some dings in the wall and hung up the US map Santa brought David. I sure hope it stays nice and tidy. David said he'd put a toy back before he'd take another out. That would be so nice :)

One not so new thing...I did not lose any weight again! I am really getting upset. With the exception of St. Pat's Day, I have been VERY good. I even used up some extra energy at Jazzercise on Monday. I have to say that my pants are loose, so maybe I am losing inches and not pounds right now. Who knows! Next week better show me something or I am going to FREAK :(

The scale is NOT my friend!

I weighed myself yesterday morning and to my dismay...I DID NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT! I am very upset by this. Not only have I been very well behaved on my diet, I have started taking Jazzercise classes. What more does my body want me to do? I am going to see what the scale says next week before I do anything drastic. By drastic I mean 'start taking fat burners'. I was going to try them before I started Weight Watchers, but I am afraid of them, so I thought I could lose the weight with a diet. I even went as far as to research each ingredient in the pills I was considering online. I really do not want to have to resort to the fat burners, so I sure hope the needle on the scale moves next week.

Pictures as promised!

Look at those cheeks!

First we weren't too sure...
But in the end we liked it!

Chubsy Wubsy

Ava had her 4 month check up this morning. She weighs 15 lbs, 3 oz and it 25 inches long!! She is in the 75% for both weight and height. She is so cute and chubby. You could just eat her up. Her ear infection is all gone, as is David's. Everything else was good and she can start eating Rice Cereal! She is going to LOVE it. I'll post pictures of her first bites...they will be nice and messy, I'm sure :)

I brought my car for a long over due oil change before we went to the pediatrician. I went to pick it up after, and got bad news. My brakes, shocks and tires all needed to be replaced. There is also a leak from my transmission. YIKES! I left the car there for the brakes and tires. I am not looking forward to the bill when I go to pick it up later. If you hear screams at about 5 pm, it's me paying for my car :(

Orajel to the rescue!

Ava was pretty good last night. When I got home, she was sleeping in her carrier in the snap n' go stroller and my Grandmom was rocking it. When she woke up, she was smiley and giggly. After a diaper change, I tried to feed her, but she was not hungry. Once my Mom got back from the hair salon, I left to get my nails done. Ava took a bottle while I was gone. We ate dinner when I got home and then she took her 7:30 pm bottle and was sleeping by 8 pm. At about 9:30 pm, she was screaming in her crib. This was a first. I went up and got her, but nothing was helping. I noticed she was pulling at her ear/face, so Steve got the Tylenol. She took that and was still screaming. Next, we put Orajel on her gums. Finally - relief!! Looks like our little girl is cutting some teeth. Although I feel bad that she will be in pain, at least now we have a reason for her crankiness and we know how to help her. PHEW! I feel much better. Hopefully, tonight she'll be just as good as last night and if she wakes up, we know exactly what to do.

P.S. I am taking my first Jazzercise class tonight. I only lost 2 lbs this week, so I want to see if some exercise will do the trick!

Crying like a baby

Yes, that's right...Ava is a very cranky baby. When she wakes up in the morning, she coos and gagas in her crib and it sounds so cute. She is even happy after her 1st bottle and nap. Once 3 pm hits, it's all down hill from there. Sometimes, it's even earlier than 3 pm. This weekend was horrible. After working 8 hours a day for 5 days, I usually love my weekends. This one, I could have lived without. I cleaned the house Saturday morning while she napped and that was the only good I did all weekend. I had a Dermatologist appointment on Saturday afternoon and Steve said she was awful while I was gone. I sure saw what he meant when I got home. For the rest of the day, she was miserable. My cousins Mike and Laura-Ann came over and we grabbed a bite to eat at the Grove. I felt SO bad for them, having to sit through a dinner with a crying baby. When we got home, she was no better. I was so relieved to put her to bed. Sunday Steve let me sleep in and he said Ava was a doll while I rested. I got up around 9 and she was still a happy girl. Then, the afternoon hit. We went to Home Depot and she screamed. We drove in the car and she screamed. Again, I could not wait till it was her bed time. I know that David was an exceptionally good baby and we were probably spoiled, but I really feel like I am going to lose my mind. Sometimes I wonder if we spaced the kids out too far and Steve and I are just over the 'baby' stage. But than again, if she was a happy, giggly baby - I think we'd be enjoying it as much as we did when David was this age. Ava has her 4 month check up on Monday the 12th. I am going to talk to the doctor about her crankiness. Maybe she/he knows some tricks. They will also be starting her on cereal - that might help her. If not, I might end up needing something to help me :(

New Information

I have decided give my blog an update and give my readers some extra information. You'll notice off to the left hand side, I have placed my favorite links under Links I Love. Here you will find links that I visit everyday as well as links to my business website and the scrapping store I will be teaching at. Hop on over to each of those sites and see what else I am up to. I am sure you will not be disappointed :) Under the heading of Info:, I have given you an ID # so you can grab 20 digital prints for FREE! Now I know everyone loves FREE stuff, so use it!


Totally unrelated picture, but I love it!

Proud Loser

Yup, you read it right...I am a very PROUD loser! I started Weight Watchers last Wednesday and weighed in this morning to find that I lost 6 pounds!!! As you can see, I am VERY excited. I am so glad that I started the diet. I am doing the Flex Plan version and can eat anything I want, as long as I stay within my points for the day. Then, I get an extra 35 points to play with for the week. I used 10 of those points last weekend at my Uncle Tom and Aunt Carol's to enjoy a Margarita. I look forward to weighing in next Wednesday to see how much more I lose. My goal is to 30 lbs. Now I only have 24 more to go :)

Mi Bambima esta enferma!

My poor baby girl, she went to the pediatrician today and was diagnosed with a right ear infection. I made her an appointment due to a cough that she has and it ends up being her ear. I had no idea. Both my kids must be very pain tolerant which means they do NOT take after their Mother in that department. I HATE pain and even the slightest bit makes me complain. David has had 2 ear infections and neither time did he complain and according to the doctor that checked his ears, they were BAD. Ava was a bit crankier than normal, but nothing horrible. She still gave us big smiles and slept through the night. I heard her fuss twice in the middle of the night, so I put her bink back in, but she never really woke up. I can't wait to go home and cuddle her up to make her feel better.

Present Report

I received a beautiful diamond heart necklace from Steve & David and Ava gave me a onzie that reads "My Heart Belongs to Mommy". I love them both very much. I took pictures of my gorgeous necklace, so I'll post them later.

We ordered chinese from Sunny Palace and it was a VERY quiet night. David did not feel good at all, so he slept. Steve worked a very long day, so he fell asleep and I needed to get some work done, so I got Ava to go to sleep.

Steve and I plan on going to the movies to see Hannibal Rising and grabbing dinner one night soon.

Hope you all had a nice V'Day!

Happy V'Day!

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day! With the weather here in NJ, it's the perfect day to cuddle up with the one(s) you love. I gave David his little red bag filled with treats before I left this morning. Poor kid is sick with another ear infection. Unfortunately, he got that from me. I am the Ear Infection Queen! His treats were: skittles, marshmellow filled chocolate heart, fun-dip, stuffed animated dog and Go Diego Go video. Ava, Steve and my parents will get their stuff when I get home. I am looking forward to my gift :) Steve picked it out all on his own without any hints from me! This way I can be totally surprised. We're going to order chinese food from Sunny Palace for dinner and I'll pick up a dessert on y way home from work. Not quite a typical Valentine's Day, but spending it with the kids and Steve makes it even better!

Check back to see what I got...

Back to the old grind

Believe it or not, the day has come for me to return to work! Yes, today is my first day back. It was HARD to get up and out of bed, but I did it. It was even harder to kiss the kids good-bye. I know, thanks to my mother, that they are in great hands, but I miss them. So much goes on during the 10 hours I am away from them and I feel that I miss so much. Instead of it getting easier, I know from experience - it's only going to get harder. Ava will say her first words, take her first step, get her first tooth, etc. all while I am at work. The same things happened with David. I felt it then and I have heartache knowing it will hurt again. I truly wish there was some way to make money and be with them. It's just not practical. However, I am going to try my best to build up my Creative Memories business this year. You never know! I could be one of those ladies making the big bucks doing something I love.

Overall this day was not terrible. I got to see some people that I missed and catch up. Hopefully tomorrow I will meet my new boss and things will get rolling. There are a lot of new things in my department to get caught up with. BUT, I can't wait to get home to the kids! I hope they missed me as much as I missed them!

P.S. Here are some pix that I had taken Friday at Kiddie Kandids.

Our little girl is blessed

We have the privilege of having our very own Deacon in our family, my sweet Uncle Jack. He married Steve and I in 1999 and baptised David in 2003. This past Saturday was Ava's turn. She was christened at St. Bart's Church. My sister Amy and our brother-in-law Rich stood as the Godparents. The ceremony was beautiful and very intimate. My uncle gave a very inspirational homily and included myself and Steve in the ceremony. It really made me feel so proud to be catholic and so proud to be Uncle Jack's niece. After church, we had a reception at the American Legion in Milltown and our friend Nick did the catering. The food was delicious and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Once that party ended, we kept it going back at our house. After all, there were 1 1/2 cases of beer to finish! Did I mention we're Irish?

God bless our Little Ava Marie.

Back from Orlando!

Due to some illnesses, this post is late.

Orlando was great! The place we stayed (Orange Lake Country Club) was beautiful. There was a lot to do there, but we only had time for 1 dinner, 1 swim and a round of mini golf. Otherwise, we were at the theme parks. Steve's parents met us when we arrived. They were excited to see David and meet Ava. We had dinner with them Saturday and went to Universal Studios with them on Sunday. My parents came to Orlando Monday and met us in MGM. They did Epcot with us Tuesday and stayed home with Ava on Wednesday when the rest of us did Islands of Adventure. Thursday my sister came up and we hung by the resort. Her husband Andrew met us at The House of Blues for dinner that night. Friday EVERYONE was with us and we did the Magic Kingdom. We had 2 character dining experiences that day. I love those. Saturday we went to the Animal Kingdom before heading back to NJ. It was a lot to do, but we did it and had fun. I think John enjoyed his first trip to Disney, and we really enjoyed having him. He was a HUGE help. Love that kid! Here are a few cute pictures.

David and a pharro

John, David, Stormtrooper and Darth Vader

Steve's 34th Birthday

Mommy, Ava and Alice

Wolverine

And away we go!

We are leaving for Orlando on Saturday afternoon. I am so excited - I LOVE DISNEY! This will be Ava's first trip, but also my cousin John's. When we decided to take this trip, I thought it would be great to ask John to join us and I am so glad he decided to come. I planned a lot of fun days and he'll get to see it all - as will Ava and David (who's been there 4 times already in his 3 years). Steve's parents will be with us a few days and this will be the first time they'll see Ava. I am sure they are looking forward to that. My parents will be spending Monday through Saturday with us and my sister and her husband will join us Thurs and Fri. I am also hoping that my cousin Christa and her 2 girls can pop over too. As you can see we'll be very busy. Look for a LONG post after we return!