Johnnycakes

I have a special relationship with my cousin John, but for this post, we'll call him Johnnycakes. He is like a mix between and younger brother and a son. I am more than happy to report that my husband and Johnnycakes are also close and to my son, well he is his bestfriend. We can always count on John if we need help or to come along for some fun. When we built the addition on our house he and my cousin Mike helped us move our crap. When Steve built on to our deck, John was his partner. If I am stuck for a sitter, he'll watch David. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, he'll join us for dinner and a game. He'll go to Great Adventure or the boardwalk and be Steve and David's ride companion. He is an all around great kid that I am proud to be related to. Although he'll always be a kid to me, he will be finished college soon and be moving on with his life. I hope he knows that whatever he decides to do, he has our support. If he needs help, we are here. If he needs guidance, we are here - (well for that he should come to me and leave Steve out of it. JUST KIDDING DEAR!) When it comes to the ladies - well, I need to approve before he gets too involved. Girls can be cruel and I am not taking any chances on a broken heart.
So, thanks John, for everything. We love you.

Swim Class Pix

Here's my SWIMMER!

Next: The Swim Team!

For the past 2 weeks, David has been taking swim lessons at our swim club. He had 4 lessons the 1st week and 3 (due to rain) this week. My parents have taken him to all but 1 of his lessons. I was fortunate enough to be off on Monday and got to take him myself. He is great. All the other kids are crying because they are scared or because they want their parents. David goes off with one of the instructors - happy as a clam. They practice kicking, going under water, jumping in and using the noodle to float. He's a natural and loves every minute of it. I am SO proud of him. Today was his last lesson. I sent the instructors a card and some cookies for doing such a great job. When David got home, he had a little certificate with 2 stars and a list of things he learned to do. Perfect for my scrapbook! I think every kid should know how to swim and I am so glad David is on his way.

Summer in full swing

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We kicked ours off on Saturday by spending the day at the beach and the night at the boardwalk. We could not have asked for better weather. David loved the ocean. We jumped in the waves and I took him in a little farther so he could feel the waves break. At the boardwalk, he loved the rides. He even got to go on a few with his cousin Thomas. It was a great time.

Sunday we took a lazy day. David and I hung out outside for a while. I read my book and he played in his pool. Then I we went inside and I was hoping he'd nap, instead I napped. He and Steve played Playstation. We cooked dinner on the grill and ate outside. It was a much needed break from our busy schedule.

Monday Steve took on some overtime. I took David to swimming lessons. This was the 1st one I witnessed. He is GREAT! A natural in the water. He jumped off the side and went under water. I was so proud of him. After, we picked up my cousin John and headed to my parents. We popped in and headed to the beach. It was another beautiful day, but hotter than Saturday. We sat and watched David in the ocean. He did not come out for a second. My cousin Jackie and Aunt Kathy met us at the beach. Lucky for me Jackie brought David in the waves. Late afternoon, we headed back to my parents for the Pre-4th Party. We cleaned ourselves up just in time for Steve to arrive. We all ate a big dinner and relaxed. After dessert, we headed home.

To celebrate the 4th of July, on Tuesday we went to the swim club. My parents went early to grab a table and it was a good thing they did, because it was PACKED! Laurie, Walter and Thomas joined us mid-afternoon. David was in the kiddie pool ALL day. He got out to eat some grapes and that was about it. Thomas hung out in there too. It is so great for the kids. They guys made their way to the grill and cooked up some great burgers and hot dogs. Not long after, the rain came and we all headed out. The Danley's went home and we went to my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom's for a BBQ. We always have a great time over there. Uncle Tom is a great cook, not to mention funny as anything. My couins Mark & Jen had just returned from France, so I got to hear all about their trip. David had a blast, as he always does. He loves playing with the big kids. We were exhausted by the time it got dark, so we headed home. As soon as we walked in the door, David was out like a light. We never did get to see any fireworks, but that was ok with me.

Wednesday was back to the old grind - WORK. One of these days, I'll hit the lottery and work will be a thing of the past. Right?

Congratulations Jill & Joe!

This past Friday, my cousin Jill married her adorable fiance Joe. Although I missed the actual ceremony (damn job!), I was able to celebrate with them later during their reception. Not that I expected anything less, but she looked stunning and they were so happy. I was so excited for them. They had bought a condo earlier this year and spent a lot of time fixing it up. Sunday we went over to see what they had done. The place looks fantastic - I love the colors and furnishings they chose. It was so cute to see them 'playing house' - but for real.

I wish them the very best!

We just got back...

from my OB/GYN appointment. Everything is going well with the baby. We had an ultrasound and found out we are having a GIRL! I was shocked...Steve knew all along. Now it's time to work on a name.

First and foremost...

David is all better. As a matter of fact, he woke up Thursday and was back to his old self - PHEW!

On another happy note, Steve was able to fix our air conditioning! We noticed it was not working Wednesday night, but it was too dark for Steve to go outside and see what the problem was. So, when he got home Thursday evening, he and David got to work on it. I had some of the girls over for scrapping - I even got to work on 2 pages! My scheduled workshop is this coming Thursday and I am hoping to continue working.

I worked from home on Friday. Steve came home a little early because we had to get to PA by 5:30 pm. Rich got us tickets to the Phillies game for 7 pm, and we had to drop David off at their house. It was not pretty, but we made it. David went right down the basement to play with Ty and the adults headed to the game. We picked up food before heading to our seats. We all had cheesesteaks - YUM! The seats were great - 31 rows behind home plate. The stadium is real nice but small. It reminded me of the Somerset Patriots field. We had a lot of fun at the game, even though Phillie lost. When we got home I was surprised to find David ASLEEP! I asked Mary the babysitter how she did it and it seemed so simple. Maybe she can come live with us - hehehe.

Saturday the guys had their annual golf outing, so Tracey and I took the kids to Lancaster and shopped the outlets. I was able to pick up a few Father's Day gifts and use my Pottery Barn gift card. We had lunch at Cracker Barrell - it was good. When we got home, Tracey's neighbors invited us over for a swim. They just had a beautiful pool put in. Ally and Ty were water rats and David would not go in. He was only interested in throwing everything and anything in the pool. We did not stay long and when we got back to Tracey's, she threw the sprinklers on for them to run through. The kids played while we sat out on the deck reading magazines and eating chips and salsa. After a while we ordered pizza and calzones to be delivered. The guys got home about 8:30 pm and Steve was smashed. He played a little while roughing up the kids and then went to bed. I stayed up long enough for David to fall asleep on me. The 2 of us slept in Ally's room that night.

Sunday was Father's Day. When we woke up, David gave Rich and Steve theirs cards and wished them a Happy Father's Day. I gave Steve the shirts I had bought him the day before. Tracey had made us reservations at Brickside Grill for a 10 am brunch. There was a lot to choose from. First, I had an omelet, that they cooked in their pizza oven! Then David and I had pancakes that they made to order. Steve had an omelet too, but was not all that hungry. After breakfast we said our thank yous and good-byes and headed back to Jersey.

We unpacked the car and did a few things around the house. At about 2 pm, we went to my parents house. My grandparents were already there when we arrived. David got to play in his Banana Boat on the deck while the rest of us enjoyed the weather. For dinner, we went over to Brielle and ate at the Riverhouse. We were the only people in the dining room. Everyone else was eating outside. We all enjoyed our dinner and the beautiful view. Our ride home was not good. Right before the Tennent/Morganville exit, the traffic stopped. Steve and I argued about taking Rt. 9 and because I was driving, I stayed on Rt. 18. We finally made it home.

Once again, another great and eventful weekend. Boy, do I need to relax! Speaking of relaxing, I did finish Honeymoon by James Patterson. Loved it!

Sick Child

When David woke up yesterday he complained to my Mom that his foot hurt and he would not walk on it. When she called to tell me, I figured he slept on it. She emailed me a few hours later, that he was still complaining and not walking. I told her it was probably growing pains and to give him some Tylenol. At lunch time, my Dad called to suggest I call the doctor. I did and got him an appt in the evening. Well, he has been diagnosed with Toxic Synovitis. It is basically a virus in the hip and is seen mostly in boys between the ages of 3 and 6. His course of treatment is 3 days of Motrin 2 times a day. He should be walking by Friday. The weirdest thing is, he is happy as a clam! He was sleeping like an angel when I left this morning, so I have no update for today yet. I'll post again, if there is any change.

Quick Update

Monday June 5: David and I met Steve at the SCVTHS Activities Banquet in Manville, NJ. Very long and drawn out event, but Steve gave a nice speech about his Baseball team and we were happy to be there to support him.

Tuesday June 6: Theresa's Birthday! The girls from the office and I took her to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. Had Corey and Jean & Mark and Jen over for a BBQ dinner. Corey and Jean had just returned from France and Mark and Jen leave next week. They got to talk and get/give advise. We had a nice time.

Wednesday June 7: Mom's Birthday! Went out to Damon's for dinner. We had a good time, but Damon's was not all that great. Used to be better.

Thursday June 8: Steve worked on the paver walkway and I went to the new BJ's on Rt. 9 to shop for David's family party. LOVED BJ's. I belong to Sam's, but will let that membership expire - too crowded and no variety.

Friday June 9: Took my Mom into New Brunswick to Crossroads theatre to see my good friend Derrick in When a Man Loves a Woman. He was fantastic! Not only can he act, he is an awesome singer! We loved the play. We met Dawn, Shahida, Liz, Theresa, Birthe, Michele and Marci there. We all had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone outside of work.

Saturday June 10: Cleaned the house from top to bottom all morning. With 15 minutes to spare, I ran to Macy's for 2 maternity outfits. The Yoegel's had arrived while I was in the shower. As soon as I got myself and David ready, we were off to his Pirate/Princess Birthday Party at Sandy Deck's Parties on Summerhill Road in East Brunswick. It was a great party. For 1 1/2 hours they played games, ate pizza, danced, went on a treasure hunt, decorated a treasure box, got tatoos and had ice cream. I got to see some people I never see, Barbara, Sandy, Cathy and Niko as well as their kids. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Went back to our house for a break. Had dinner at Frank's Pizza, then went bowling. What a blast! Tracey kicked all of our butts, but I was able to squeeze in 4 strikes in my second game. The kids did real well too. It was David's 1st time bowling and he did pretty well. At least they all enjoyed themselves.

Sunday June 11: DAVID'S 3RD BIRTHDAY! Steve went out and got us all Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. The kids played and Tracey and I ran to Sam's to pick up the cake, a veggie tray and a fruit bowl. When we got back, they had to leave - Ally had a birthday party in PA to get to. Then I went to Toys R Us to get David's presents and A&P for some last minute party items. Steve set up the backyard while I showered. My Mom and I got the appetizers ready and my grandparents were the first to arrive. The party went off without a hitch! Everyone showed and David had so much fun. Steve cooked on the grill and I prepped in the kitchen. Great team work. Half way through, David opened his presents. He loved them all - especially his Red Game Boy! Mom Mom and Gramps worked extra hard to find that. We had a pirate cake that David enjoyed. We hung out a while and then the guests were gone. Another great birthday for my baby boy!

Monday June 12: David had his 3 yr check up and was horrible! He did not want to listen to anyone or do anything he was asked. The topper was that they never gave him his 4th DPT shot, so he had to get that. Not a good morning. After we picked up Johnny Cakes, we headed for Great Adventure. We did the Safari first - it was great. So many animals! When we got into the park, it was more crowded then we expected. Lots of class trips. The lines for the rides were crazy - 3 hour waits! After lunch, we tried the rides again and had better luck. It turned out to be a great day after all.

I think that is enough info for now. Stay tuned - we have another busy weekend ahead!

Happy Birthday to MOST of the people I know!

June is a crazy birthday month. It's starts off with my nephew Tyler. He turned 6 on the 2nd. Next, my cousin PJ was 7 on the 3rd. My sister-in-law Tracey was 30 something on the 4th. David's due date was today - the 5th. My good friend and co-worker Theresa will celebrate her birthday tomorrow - the 6th. My Mom will be 58 on the 7th. Uncle Richie's birthday is the 9th. My angel baby David was born on the 11th and will celebrate his 3rd birthday. PJ's Mom, my cousin Barbara was born on the 16th. My other friend and co-worker Kristen will be 20 something on the 17th. Do you think I will be spending a lot of time in the card store??

Reading

For Mother's Day, Steve bought me the new James Patterson book Beach Road. I finished it this past Monday - it was great. Loved it. I decided that I should read more books and was tempted to join Laney's challenge, but knew I could not commit. I did however decide on 3 books that I would try to read over the summer. I bought them yesterday and finished one last night! All 3 books are by James Patterson, by the one I read last night was by both James Patterson and Peter Dejonge (both wrote Beach Road) called Miracle on the 17th Green. No, I am not a speed reader, the book was short (149 pgs) and it was good. I plan on reading Lifeguard next and then Honeymoon. I'll let you know what I think...

Weather Happy

It feels as though summer has arrived and I am loving it. That coming from Ms. Prego says a lot. Although I was a tad uncomfortable Monday evening, the sunshine during the day made up for it.

Saturday Steve spent the day putting lattice up under the deck - the yard is getting there. Today he is putting new steps on the deck and if he has time, will build a bump out for the grill. We'll have some more room - that will be nice. I doubt he'll get to the pavers for the walkway- but you never know.

Monday during the day I filled up David's little pool and he had a blast. I even put my new suit on (still fits) and sat out to catch some rays. I wish I was home everyday to do things like that. Boy do I need to win the lottery!

Last Wednesday I went to the OB/GYN and all is going well. My next appt is June 21 and we'll find out what we're having - YEAH! Can't wait.

This past Sunday my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob threw a huge graduation party for their twin girls (my beautiful cousins). We had so much fun. I ate too much yummy food, but Steve and John drank way too much - surprise, surprise. Jen and I got to catch up and David played video games. The girls had a lot of fun and got so many gifts. I always have a great time with my family - I am lucky.

Looking forward to getting home from work and seeing the progress Steve made. I'll post pictures if there is something to see.

May Days

We had another good week last week. Steve had some baseball games and some cancellations. David and I even got to go to the St. Peter's game. It was a lot of fun. On one of the nights the baseball game was cancelled, Steve, David, John and I went to dinner at the Sayreville Bar. The food was awesome as usual. It is so much nicer to eat there now that there is no smoking in restaurants. David attended nursery school on Friday and did much better than previous weeks. On his way home, my parents brought him to my office and then we all (and Theresa) grabbed lunch at Tony's pizza in Bound Brook - YUM! Friday night we ordered pizza and John came over to watch the Yanks vs Mets game. On Saturday, Steve worked some OT, so David and I ran errands and did some shopping. That evening, we attended Jean's 30th birthday party at the Hyatt in New Brunswick. She hired a company that does Casino themes, so we played Blackjack most of the night. The food was very good and I enjoyed the company. At the end of the night, you traded in your chips for raffle tickets. She had 5 gift baskets that you could try to win. I did not win, but the whole night was a lot of fun and a great idea. Sunday afternoon was my 'Aunt' Kathy's retirement party. Aside from getting there (traffic) it was a nice party. The restaurant was in Asbury, NJ - Asbury Willows - very pretty. There was a band, so David got to 'play the drums' - he had a blast. My friend Melissa was there with her boys, and David enjoyed playing Power Rangers with them. Steve and I got to see people we have not seen in a while, so that was cool. We got home just in time to watch the final Yanks vs Mets game and relax.

So far this week, I attended a Creative Memories meeting on Monday night and am working from home today. Tomorrow I have a doctor appointment and Thursday I am holding my monthly worshop. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend - YEAH! Summer is almost here - can't wait. Love that warm weather.

Happy Mother's Day 

Pony Ride 

Pirates and the Lady 

Lions, Tigers and Mommies - oh my!

My title is a little deceiving, because we did not even see the Lions or Tigers, but we did see lots of other great animals at the Zoo on Saturday. David and I met Tracey and the kids at the Philadelphia Zoo on Saturday. We had not seen them in way too long. Unfortunately, Steve was working and Rich was busy so they missed another good time. We had fun anyway. Tracey bought David a zoo key and a canteen - he was so happy. We saw the monkeys, turtles, snakes, gators, lizards, elephants, kangaroos and hippos. The kids played in the tree house and took a ride on a pony. They even got their faces painted! Ty and David got Pirate faces and Ally got flowers. As we were eating lunch (next to some interesting people) the thunder started. By the time we were finished the rain started to fall. We had made it to the petting zoo where there was some cover thinking we'd wait out the storm but after about 30 minutes, we were smart enough to realize it wasn't going to stop. So we braved the rain and headed to our cars. My ride home was dry as a bone and it never did rain in NJ. Tracey did not have the same luck. Although we ended the day with rain, the rest of our trip was a great time.

As we all know, yesterday was Mother's Day. We started off my special day with breakfast at The Breaker's with my parents, grandparents, Uncle Bob, Uncle Jim, Aunt Debbie and cousins Jeff, Tom and Allison. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes and they were terrific! My Grandfather gave all the Mom's scratch off tickets and I won $1. After breakfast, we went to my parents so I could exchange gifts with my Mom. She gave me a gift certificate for Old Navy and some prego undies. I gave her the Mother/Daughter Willow Tree figurine and a book. David gave her sunless tanning stuff from Bath and Body works. My Mom left for church, so we headed back to East Brunswick. When we got home, David and Steve gave me my presents. I got a beautiful Pregnancy Journal, Beach Road and 50 First Dates (DVD). My parents came over later along with my Aunt Judy and Uncle Jack. We ordered some Chicken Holiday - it was tasty and NO COOKING! After dessert (Dunkin' Donuts) everyone headed home and Steve and I were settling in to watch my new movie. Just then, there was a knock at our door. It was my cousins Kate and John. They came to wish me a Happy Mother's Day - aren't they sweet! Best of all, John got me a card that made me teary. What a great kid - love him! He really is like a son to me. Once they headed out, Steve & I did watch the movie. It was great - Adam Sandler can do no wrong with me. I love ALL his movies, but this one was really sweet. I recommend it.

So there you have it. A great trip to the zoo and a fabulous Mother's Day! I hope you all had a great day too.

Appreciation

We can all take things and people for granted. For example, my husband. Overall, I know he is a great husband and father and I do tell him so, but I still get on him from time to time for things that he does or doesn't do. This past weekend I got a reality check. We took David to Pt. Pleasant boardwalk to go on rides and play games. As I was waiting for the boys to ride the roller coaster, I heard a familiar voice and when I looked up there stood my ex. It was his voice screaming at his son, that I recognized (scary). We said Hello before he took his 2 kids on the coaster and left me with his current girlfriend. She was a real sweet girl and we had a nice conversation. When Steve and David got off the ride, we went on our merry way. I told Steve about my encounter and he laughed. As we were walkling to the arcade, my mind started going. A feeling of great appreciation fell over me. I realized that my life could have been much different and certainly not for the better, had I not married Steve. So I reached for his hand and held it tight. I am so very blessed to have Steve as my husband and best friend. Although we have our disagreements and he does things that I don't like sometimes, that is nothing compared to what I could have been going through. Thanks Babe!

Feliz Cumpleanos Miguel!

I am embarrased to admit, that I forgot to call my cousin Mike on his birthday (yesterday). Now, some of my relatives are probably reading this saying 'how come she does not feel bad enough to post about missing my birthday?'. Well, the answer is that David is Mike's Godson, there is no good reason why I shouldn't have remembered to call Mike so David could say Happy Birthday. Now I said GOOD reason, because I sure have reasons. For example, we went over Mike and Laura-Ann's Friday night to celebrate, I cleaned the house Sunday morning before taking some of my CM hostesses to brunch, went food shopping for 2 hours Sunday afternoon only to come home to do laundry and cook dinner and last but not least, NEVER looked at me calendar. Oh and did I mention that I don't think my memory is as sharp now that I am pregnant. All in all, I really do apologize to Mike. Please do not be surprised if you get a phone call later this evening from your Godson singing Happy Birthday and please do not tell him Mommy messed up. We'll keep that between you , Me and the blogosphere!

Keeping the Peace

As I sit here crying and typing I decided to try to make peace with my brother-in-law. He left me a message a little while ago about how he is neglected by me in Blogland. He is right and I feel horrible. Not only does he do real nice things for us, he is a great guy. David absolutely loves him and so do Steve and I. He works extremely hard at QVC where he unfortunately has to spend a lot of time. Sometimes when we visit or Tray and the kids visit, we don't even get to see him. We miss him. So Rich, please accept my deepest apology. We greatly appreciate all that you do for us (all 3 of us) and think you are a terrific brother-in-law, not to mention a great guy. I know you said that you aren't reading this Blog anymore, so hopefully Tray will read this to you.
We love you!