My MOY Award

What’s the MOY award you ask? My hilarious friend Kate was the creator of this award. MOY stands for Mother of the Year…but you have to say it in a very sarcastic tone. Why did I receive the MOY you ask? Well...I was really hoping that we wouldn’t need a safety rail for Mia’s new big girl bed so I never purchased one. Well...last night, she fell out of bed and hit the side of her face while crashing down. This was the end result…






































Yep, that’s definitely a valid reason to receive a MOY award…and I’m sure it’s not going to be the last.  I feel really horrible about this and am driving to Target to purchase a set of bed rails immediately if not sooner so that it doesn't happen again.

Read more...

Swimming Lessons Update

I’m happy to report that I wasn't able to capture the deathly look of fear on Mia’s face because something clicked at Tuesday's swim lesson. She’s definitely remembered what she learnt from last year and is now having fun in the pool. There’s a good chance that she’ll finish up her refresher this week and we won’t have to pay for another weeks worth of lessons. Woo hoo! Here’s a short clip of her amazingly fast progress so far. *Warning* ~ you might want to watch the video on mute since a kid starts screaming bloody murder about half way into the video.

Read more...

Swimming Lessons

We've been to the pool a handful of times this spring but Mia has always just played on the steps or used her boogie board to get moving.  Well, this weekend Rick and I actually got in the pool with her to see if she miraculously remembered how to swim.  HA, HA, HA.  She had pretty much forgetten everything.  She was petrified to let go of us and would do a funky version of a doggy paddle when she finally did.  Not good.  Oh, and did I mention that we decided to have a pool party for her 4th birthday next month?  Soooooooo, we called up the place where she did her swimming lessons last year and put her in a refresher class for two weeks.  She started yesterday afternoon and pretty much hated every second of it.  I know that will soon change and hopefully she'll be confident to swim by herself in no time...and then Rick & I will feel much better about having her 4th birthday party at the pool.  I didn't take any pictures because like I mentioned before, she hated every second of it.  Although, it probably would make for some pretty funny pictures because you kinda can't help but laugh when she has this deathly look of fear on her face.  Obviously, it's only funny because we know she's not in harms way.  And for those of you who think I'm being mean about laughing at my own child...you know you would laugh too!!!  :p

Read more...

And she's in!

I wasn't sure how this weekend was going to go with transitioning Mia into the new room/bed but I'm happy to report that it went wonderfully!  She was ecstatic to see her new bed all made up when she got home from school on Friday afternoon.  So much so that she had to jump in immediately...

She did wake up in a panic not knowing where she was once during the night on Friday and Saturday.  But heck, I wake up freaking out in the middle of the night when we're staying in a hotel or away from home...so I can't blame her.  However, she did awesome on Sunday night and even slept through the worst thunder storm that I can remember!

So proud to be sleeping in her new big girl bed for the 1st time...

Rick and I are stoked that we can now read books & cuddle in bed with her...and so is she!

Read more...

Progress!

This is what we've done in Mia's new room so far...























The walls have been painted, the bed assembled and the mattress came in today.  Woo hoo!  The next thing on the 'To Do' list is to put up some shelves and the adorable daisy wall decals.  Fun, fun, fun!

Read more...

Marley

The theme at Mia's pre-school this week is 'Pets' and this morning everyone had the opportunity to bring in their family pets to share with the kids.  I would have loved to have brought both Marley & Bindy but as we all know, Bindy doesn't play nice with other dogs.  So off this morning we went to school with Marley in tow.  As you could imagine, the scene was quite chaotic when we arrived at the playground but Mia was beaming with pride to show off her dog to her teachers and friends.  Only four brave mothers participated and we each got up in front of the kids to talk about our family pet.  I wasn't sure if Marley would perform all of her tricks in front of a crowd but she did awesome!  She sat, shook, laid down and rolled over all on queue!  The kids loved it and even the teachers got a kick out of it.  I might be biased but I'd have to say that out of the four dogs there, Marley definitely stole the show.  And I admit that it was nice to see Marley in the spotlight for a change.  Bindy tends to steal the spotlight since she is a much more social dog compared to Marley.  Bindy is literally at our feet every second of the day while Marley is a lot more reserved and likes her quiet time.  She is a good dog...okay, not really...but we still love her very much!!!  : )

Marley...aka Stinky Poo.

Read more...

More of our feathered friends

The ducks came to visit us for breakfast this morning.

Mia loves feeding them...

And stealing some of their bread while she’s at it…

Guilty! 

Read more...

A few pictures from the weekend

We had a pretty low-key weekend.  Mia went to her BFF's birthday party at a local splash park on Saturday and had loads of fun.

Maci (her BFF) & Mia

It rained all day on Sunday so we were pretty much stuck indoors all day.

Some snuggle time with Bindy...

One of our activities included manicures...

Didn't Mia do a fabulous job?  ; )

Read more...

26 Week Belly Picture

I thought it would be fun to compare my 22wk belly pic to my 26wk belly pic...






















What a difference 4 weeks can make, eh?  ; )

Read more...

Thanks OMGmom!

I wanted to give a shout out to OMGmom for giving me a blog award.  I have to admit that I felt a little famous when I saw that Mandy mentioned me in her post. : )  I only just started blogging and she has about a zillion followers.  My sister, Maria, told me about her and I found myself stuck in front of my laptop for hours the first time I visited her blog. She is HYSTERICAL!!!!  My favorite post of hers is the one where she accidentally gets drunk at 9 months pregnant.  So if you haven't already, go check out her blog and be prepared to get a serious ab workout.  She also has a beautiful daughter and an etsy store where she sells adorable couture burp cloths.

Read more...

Our Feathered Friends

We've had three adorable ducks come visit us for breakfast and/or an afternoon snack for the past week or so.  Last year we had two ducks come visit us so I want to believe it's the same ducks who have come back with a new friend.   : )  Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds. 

Aren't they cute?

Read more...

Double Digits!

I've reached double digits today!  Only 99 days left until baby boy Kiefer is due.  : )  When I mentioned this tid bit to Rick this morning, he replied, "that means we only have 99 nights of sleep left".  Funny guy! 

Read more...

Olivia's Christening Pictures

Truthfully, these are not the greatest pictures either.  The lighting in the Church wasn't the greatest and my sister was tossing the camera around to anyone available...so most of them are blurry...but they are still precious & pricless to have.

A better picture of the gorgeous gown and the adorable Olivia.

A close up.  Check out the hand stitched embroidery on the gown!

The Proud Parents & Godparents

The Da Silva Family

Read more...

I'm a Godmother!

My niece, Olivia Madeline, was baptized this past Saturday and I have the honor of being her Godmother. The entire day was just perfect. Olivia wore a Christening gown that my mother intricately sewed by hand. She was dedicated to sewing this gown for several weeks, but I assure you that all of her hard work paid off in the end. It was absolutely stunning and no store-bought gown could have come close to its beauty or meaning behind it. It was sewed with love and will most definitely become an heirloom piece in our family. Olivia was a trooper the entire day - we hardly heard a peep out of her during the ceremony and she didn’t even cry when the Deacon poured the holy water over her head. After the ceremony, Maria & Bryan hosted a celebratory lunch at their home which was absolutely delicious. The weather was gorgeous and we all sat outside in their covered lanai to eat, drink and mingle. Olivia slept through most of her party but I know everyone else thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I’m still in the process of getting some better pictures from my sister, Rachael, but in the meantime here are a couple that Rick was able to snap…

A little startled but no crying!

A sneak peek at the gorgeous Christening gown that my mum sewed...























The adorable Olivia Madeline...

Read more...

Easter Sunday

Mia was pleasantly surprised when she woke up on Sunday morning to see that the Easter Bunny had made a visit to our house.  We had a small egg hunt and then she opened her Easter basket filled with goodies...and by the looks of this picture, the Easter Bunny did good!

This was the best picture I could get of Mia in her Easter dress.  She stayed in the dress for a whopping 15 minutes before she changed into a t-shirt & shorts so she could play on her swing set.  So I'm very glad that I didn't buy her a new dress for Easter this year.

Oh, and for the record...those marks on her neck or not from possible strangulation marks. We don’t abuse our kid that bad. ; ) They’re from our dog leash (long story) and only look like possible strangulation marks. So please don’t call child services on Rick and I.

Moving right along...we spent a wonderful afternoon with the Huck's and had an absolutely amazing dinner.  The menu consisted of Ham, Beef Tenderloin with a caper horseradish cream, Lori's famous Hungarian potatoes, a Spinach salad and rolls.  I can honestly say that I enjoyed this meal better than Thanksgiving dinner...and that's HUGE since Thanksgiving dinner is usually my favorite meal of the year.  For dessert we had carrot cake, mini cheesecakes and cupcakes for the kids - all homemade since I really do love to bake.  I was bad and didn't take anymore pictures after our guests arrived, but I have a pretty good excuse since I was busy in the kitchen...and like I mentioned before - it was all worth it in the end!  : )

Read more...

Fun filled Saturday

We're absolutely loving this warm weather we're finally having and Mia took full advantage of it by taking her first dip in the pool this year.  The water was absolutely freezing but Mia couldn't care less since she is somehow unphased by extreme cold temperatures.  I, on the other hand, only got as far as dipping my big toe in the pool.  And now some pictures...which is why you're all here in the first place.  ; )

Just a tad bit cold...

But that didn't stop her from going in!

Having fun on the boogie board...

After a nice long nap, we had some more fun coloring Easter eggs later that afternoon.

I love the look of concentration in this pic...

Say "cheese"...

Our materpieces...

Read more...

Mia Funny

The other day Mia was talking about her friends at school.  Most of them already have siblings and she was telling me who has a little brother and who has a little sister.  Then she paused and said, “but my baby brother isn’t done yet”.  After a good laugh, I told her that she was exactly right – he’s not done yet since he’s got to cook in mummy's belly for another 16 wks!  : )

Read more...

24 Week Appt Update

This morning I had my 24 wk appt and it went very well.  Weight, blood pressure and uterus measurements were all good.  Truthfully, it was a pretty boring appt...but that's a very good thing!  I scheduled my 28 wk appt which involves the glucose tolerance test (gestational diabetes screening).  It's a good thing that Easter is this weekend and not the weekend before the test.  ;)  The Dr. also told me that I will start my bi-weekly appointments at 28 wks.  Holy moly - I can't believe how fast this is flying by!

Read more...

Our Nursery Theme

I finally found bedding and a theme for the nursery! I was getting so discouraged by the baby boy bedding selection until I found these 'Shooting Star' bumpers and absolutely fell in love with them.

Here is the photo that I plan on getting my inspiration from...

Of course, I still need to get Mia's room done first before I start on the nursery. I've made a lot of progress cleaning out the closet in that room and the zillion drawers in that armoire. The queen bed has been put on Craig's List and then we'll start painting once that is sold. I've already picked out a really pretty yellow color for her room...so it's coming together little by little.  Pictures to follow as soon as some more progress has been made.

Read more...