June 21

Well, Isaac's surgery is scheduled. He will be having a tonsilectomy, adenoidectomy and an extensive ear exam while he is under.

A bit of an update

Let's see what I can get posted before the babies wake up. Reid woke up at 7:30, chowed down and went back to sleep. Marin is peacefully sleeping in the swing and ripping some nasty farts. She's such a lady that one! LOL! Isaac is playing with his new Hot Wheels race track that he didn't need. I am a little tired of hearing HOT WHEELS! BEAT THAT!! He says it all the time

Things are good here. Friday is our 5 year anniversary. 5 years....it went fast. We aren't celebrating until Saturday though. Are there any GOOD movies out there?? Please don't say Spiderman 3. We are not interested. Seen one, seen em all. Friday will be a busy day. I broke down and said I would babysit until noon, Mike has an eye appointment in the morning and then after lunch Isaac has an appointment with the ENT. Hopefully we get some answers on his apnea issues. I just hope they don't take a "wait and see" approach. We have waited long enough. The poor kid is exhausted and is actually getting to the point that he physically holds his mouth open to breathe.

For those of you asking me when I am coming "home". I have no definitive answer yet. It all depends on what happens in the next few days. I was hoping to make it for the family reunion/my 10 year reunion. Taking it a day at a time for now though. All I know is that IF I do it will be sometime after June 21. Could be later than that though depending on what happens Friday. It also depends on gas prices. A trip north can get a bit pricey.

So, aside from his breathing issues, Isaac is doing well. Hoping that this fall he will go to pre-k. We are kind of dragging our feet on that one. He hasn't been without us since he was born. I think it will be good for him though. Good for me too ;)

Reid amazes me everyday. He is cruising...only a matter of time before he walks. He is a little nervous about letting go of things. He has started holding onto things with one hand and going from something like the couch to another big object. Isaac has a little chair that he loves to get up into and sit down. It scares me though. He mastered the getting up and sitting down part but hasn't figured out how to get out of the chair without doing a faceplant.

I guess that is all of my update for now. Will post some new pictures soon and will probably update again on the weekend.

Love
G

Reid's newest accomplishment.

Reid is sick of crawling so this is his new way of getting around. It might take a while for this video to work...sorry. As usual there is no sound. Still have to learn how to hook up the video camera!

I suck at this blog thing

Crap....blogger isn't playing nice. The pictures were supposed to come at the end but it won't let me move them and I am too lazy to copy and paste the codes so this will have to do. You get to see cute pictures first and then read a boring post!

The boys are both sleeping and Mike is watching the news (it's horrible as usual) so I figured I would sit down and update. I'm a little hooked on that little thing called facebook (Thanks a lot Alison!!) Actually I don't mind too much. I have chatted with people that I haven't seen in YEARS!! The fact that I can upload a ton of pictures in a matter of seconds is cool too.

So what has happened since February. Reid is crawling. Started with the army crawl and now he does the hand and knees thing. He started crawling 2 months ago. He is also pulling up...last week he was just getting on his knees...this week he is pulling up to standing and attempting to cruise furniture. I think he wants to keep up with the kids. He also sits up and can get to the sitting position on his own. I will get some more video on youtube in the very near future. We now have 4 teeth with 2 more ready to break skin. We have also had 7 ear infections. Isaac had 4 (both ears....2 separate occasions...obviously) and Reid had 3.....2 in Jan/beginning of Feb and then it came back. It was a nasty month. Guess that is what I get watching 1 kid that goes to pre-k. Isaac has also been referred to an ENT for his sleep issues. Last night was really bad...worse than I think I have ever heard him. I was putting Reid in his crib and in the minute that it took me to get him settled Isaac stopped breathing 3 times. It is scary and I want it taken care of!

Speaking of Pre-k we are looking into sending Isaac this fall. I don't know if I am ready for that. We have quite a few options. It's hard to decide. We can send him to a Catholic school, a "nursery" type school, or a day care/preschool. Keeping up with those last two?? All three are totally different atmospheres. All have great reviews and we know kids who go to or have attended all three. He is definitely ready for school.....and some days I think I am ready for him to go.....but it just seems like he should still be my baby. Enough of that.....gets me all teary eyed knowing he is growing so fast.

Let's see what else I can ramble about. Next month Mike and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary. I am trying to think of a traditional 5 year gift. It's wood and silverware. I could grab a branch off the tree by our balcony and tie a bow around it. Actually...I think I will. That would be typical of me...being a smartass and all. I'm doing it!!! Don't tell him though...I want it to be a surprise!

Well...I think that is all the fun stuff that is happening here! Oh wait...Isaac would be disappointed if I didn't tell you what he got last month!!! He got a new set of bunkbeds. They are cherry and gorgeous. he picked the colour. He also got a cars bedspread. I have a bunch of pictures on the camera that I need to put on the computer. I have a few I think that I can share now.

I'm too tired to edit that last paragraph....just some extra reading!

Love Me

Update

Imagine that. i actually have some time to update. Mike is home early tonight. Jason had to get an early ride into work so he said he would cover the rest of the evening. So, since Mike is home I get some unexpected downtime. Which is good because I wasn't feeling so great.

So where do I start?? Lot's has happened in the past few weeks. Mike and I were blessed with another beautiful niece. She is absolutely adorable!! I got notice to be in the Bronx for biometrics. More immigration stuff. We were not impressed.....that's a 3 hour drive on a good day with minimal traffic. On a whim I decided to call immigration because it was storming. After calling 4 times I got 2 people that gave me the same answer and went with it. I skipped my Bronx appointment and yesterday we drove 1 HOUR....yes only 1 hour.....to Latham and had them done. We were there by 8 am and back by 10 am. Think someone screwed up my appointment??? I think they did! I have also made the decision to go for citizenship. I think in the long run it will be easier and I am comfortable with this decision.

Isaac is doing well. He turned 4 on January 27. 4 YEARS OLD!?!?!?! Where did that time go??? I will post some new pics from his party and stuff later. I need resize them. We have to take him back to his pediatrician soon to be referred to an ENT. We (Mike, the ped and myself) think he may have obstructive sleep apnea. That could mean surgery soon to take his adenoids and tonsils.

Reid is 5 and a half months old. It is incredible how fast this kid is growing. At his last appointment he was 17 lbs 10 oz and a whopping 27.5 " long. He is almost off the charts. He is definitely going to be tall like his mama. He has 2 teeth through with one more (maybe 2) close to poking out. He is sitting up and has started the army crawl. I have some video that I need to put on you tube. Today he was on his hands and knees. Before I know it he will be walking. He absolutely adores his big brother. He is the happiest baby I have ever seen. ALWAYS smiling and giggling. I love it!!

I guess that is really all of the updates I have for now. I would like you all to know that the pool opens up in May so we are taking reservations now for visitors. Don't worry...we will feed you ;) So who wants to come visit New York????

I am off to watch American Idol and pray that Antonella goes home tonight (highly doubtful if dialidol is right)

My boys

Until I have time to do a real update this will have to do. There is no sound. I was going to embed it but unfortunately it doesn't show the whole video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWeDDwpZoqY

:(

I'm sad.....the Patriots gave the game to the Colts.

Off to sulk.........

"Strongest Dad in the World"

*Grab a tissue and turn up your volume*

I am a self proclaimed "Daddy's Girl"....anyone that knows me (even a little) knows that my father is my Hero. They know that I always speak highly of him and love him a whole bunch. Maybe that is why this following article and video brings me to tears everytime I read/watch it. I can say, without any doubt in my mind, that my Dad would be the Dad in this article if I needed him to be. How many people can honestly say that?? My Dad is the strongest man I know. If I wasn't BLESSED with the father God gave me then I would want the one in the article. Read the article and then watch the video.



[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''
"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.
``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''
And the video is below....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B-r8KJhlE

Another year gone

Well it's my birthday. Just another day really. We celebrated last night since Mike had to work today. Got some great gifts. My favourite is a framed picture of my boys. Enough about that though.

Christmas was a blast. Everyone, including us, went overboard on the gifts. Isaac got his kitchen so he was a happy boy Christmas day. Reid just sat in his exersaucer and took everything in. He was awake the whole time. Isaac would unwrap a gift for him and show it to him. It was cute. I will post some pics soon. Just need to resize them.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and wishing you all a happy and healthy 2007!!

Rambling with a side of pictures

Know what I hate?!? I hate that it is December 20 and there is NO SNOW and no forecast for snow within the next 5 days. It is hovering around 50°F (10°C for you Canadians) It just sucks. They are saying we *might* have snow by Dec 26. i won't hold my breath though. Maybe I will be lucky enough to have some for my birthday. Isaac wakes up every morning and looks out his window for snow.


On a good note.....the US Department of Homeland Security cashed my cheque so I guess my recent filing of I-751 was accepted.


Ok I have too much to do to be sitting here rambling....enjoy the pics. Reid loves his tummy time so there are a couple of those. He is rolling over like a champ now. He has been going from tummy to back since he was 5 days old...shocking I know. He started going back to front a couple of weeks ago. The other one is from a photo shoot gone terribly wrong. It started with the ear pulling and went downhill from there. Love the picture though.

YUCK!!

The two kids I babysit just left. The both came in the door well. The oldest left with a runny nose and a fever of just over 100. I had given him Tylenol (with the permission of his mother of course) Had he started running it earlier I would have had his Mom come pick them up immediately. But he started running it 15 minutes before she was due to pick them up. Please pray that the kids don't get whatever he has. I really don't want sick kids for Christmas. Not to mention that we all just got over a nasty cold....yes we have been sick since Thanksgiving! That is just over 3 weeks and I am so sick of blowing my nose!She has until Wednesday to make the kids well again....at least fever free. I won't take them back until they have been without a fever for 24 hours. I am anal like that.

I thought I was finished Christmas shopping. It appears I am not. Actually *I* am. Mike isn't. I refuse to set foot in a store this close to Christmas so I am making Mike do it.....LOL. I am sure he will have a blast walking around Toys R Us. I figure he can handle scrubbing toilets so he can handle some last minute shopping. Sorry but I am going to brag for a minute. My husband cleans. I don't make him clean. I will do housework....I don't mind it too much. I would rather cook all day than clean but we can only eat so much food in a day. Mike, on the other hand, cleans everyday. He vacuum, sweeps, scrubs, does laundry, SCRUBS THE TOILETS!!! He does EVERYTHING and I LOVE IT!!! So that's my little brag for today...LOL.

Off to eat some dinner. Might come back later to dump some pics.

Dreams Pt. 2

One more time.....***NEWSFLASH*** For those who don't know....I am weird. I have known this for quite some time but I figured I would warn you all before I write this post. Just do me one favour.....don't comment negatively on what I write here in this post.

These dreams are the ones that have truly gotten me through some tough patches. These are the dreams that make me wonder if they are in fact dreams. When I was 7 my Grampie passed away. He was the only grandparent I ever knew and I couldn't have asked for a better one (though I am convinced the Grandparents I never met were just as wonderful.....they would have to be for me to have the parents I do :)) Anyway....not long after he died I had a dream about him. It was a short dream...nothing extravagant. I was outside playing and sitting in a truck was Grampie. I noticed him just sitting there watching. I got up to go to him and he drove off. Odd I know...considering he didn't drive. That was the last dream I had about him until 4 years ago. I started dreaming of him again. Many of them the same as the one I had when I was 7/8. One particular dream stands out in my mind and I am convinced this wasn't really a dream. Call me weird...I can handle it. This one was about 3 years ago. This dream had EVERYONE in it. Mom, Dad, Jackie, Derek, Emma, Isaac, Me, mike, aunts, uncles, cousins......you name them...they were there. We were at a wedding reception. It was Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Jack's reception (I wasn't there so I don't know what their reception was like) Grampie was there. Sitting at a table, just watching everyone. He was in his work pants and plaid shirt. His legs were crossed. He was Grampie as I remember him. I went to him and sat down. We talked. Actually....I talked. I told him EVERYTHING that had happened since he died. I really don't think I left anything out. Even though this was Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Jack's wedding I even told him about my own wedding, Emma being born and Isaac being born. I even told him about all the ones that were expecting babies. The whole time I talked, he listened. Even though everyone else in the room could see him nobody interrupted. They would stop, look, smile and move on. This dream seemed to last forever. After I filled him in on all that had happened all he said was "I have to go now. I love you!" I guess it's what happened after this dream that has me believing it wasn't really "just a dream". After he said those words to me, I woke up and could smell him. I could smell the wood stove, his chewing tobacco and the way he smelled after coming out of the shed. This all happened at a time I needed some reassurance of sorts.

Last night I had another dream. It wasn't the same as they were before. Last nights dream seemed to be just that....a dream. I haven't had another like the one I described. There are days that I am feeling overwhelmed and just missing people and those are the days that I smell him. It's almost like he is reminding me that he is here. It reminds me that there are people that care. I hope that I can always "smell" him like I have been. It's comforting.So there you have it....Dreams Pt. 2. Probably wasn't what anyone was expecting but I will cherish those ones always.

Being sick sucks!

Dreams Pt. 2 will be posted soon....I PROMISE! Reid and I are both sick with colds. Nasty ones with an evil cough. So ready to be well again. I suppose now is better than Christmas.

Other than the colds, everyone is well. Reid is HUGE. He is the size of a 6 month old (in weight and length) It's insane. Could be worse I suppose. He could be the weight of a 6 month old all packaged into the length of a 3 month old. That would look hilarious. Little michelin tire man. Right now he is content on the floor playing with Isaac. They are rolling around. If he keeps this up he may be crawling as early as Isaac did. Isaac was 4 1/2 months when he crawled. I should figure out how to post videos. I should also quit rambling so much.

Sunday we went to visit the jolly fat man at the mall. We woke Sunday morning to the fire trucks going through the complex. Every year they do what they call Christmas cheer. All of the Depts in Ulster county have Santa atop one of their trucks and the kids climb up there to give him their lists. I knew this was happening Sunday but we slept in. Isaac seen him and wanted so badly to go down. I felt awful that we missed it so we got ready and headed to the mall. Mike and I thought Isaac would chicken out....but he climbed right up on his lap and the first words out of his mouth were "TARTAR SAUCE!!" He watches too much spongebob. Once he was over the initial excitement he told Santa he wanted a kitchen and tools. We had the boys picture taken with him. Reid was sleeping so there was no freak out. They charge $15 for a stinking picture! It's highway robbery!

Today I sent out my final paperwork to have the conditions lifted off my permanent residency!! This is the final step in the immigration process. From what I understand after I get my next green card I just have to file every 10 years unless I decide to go for citizenship. I always said I wouldn't but I am seriously considering it. Canada would still recognize my Canadian citizenship so I would be dual. I can hold a US passport then and it would make a lot of things here easier! After all of this is done we are going to apply for the boys dual citizenship with the Canadian government. The US doesn't recognize dual citizenship but it doesn't really matter anyway. I just want the boys to have more "options" once they are older. Thank God they won't ever have to go through the crap I have had to.

I guess that is all I have for an update right now. I may get a few minutes tonight to do Dreams Pt. 2. If not it probably won't be until Friday. Tomorrow is Mike's early day and Thursday he goes to Jersey for Manager's meetings so he has to be out of here by 6 am to get to South Plainfield by 9 am.

Just something random

I have been hurt in the past. I have ALWAYS forgiven those that hurt me but never forget. Sometimes I have wondered if that has made me a bad person or if I really truly forgave if I was unable to forget. I came to a conclusion, this year, that the easiest thing on this earth to do is to forgive. Forgetting, however, is impossible.

So as I was sitting here this morning fuming about some things that happened earlier this year and trying to figure out how on earth I was going to really, truly "forgive and forget" I came across this on a board I frequent....."You can and should forgive the trespass or hurt, and that makes you a good person. But it makes you stupid if you trust or tolerate someone again without reason. If you forgive, that's a change YOU have made. What change have they made? "

So that is my random thought for today. I have a teething 2 month old so I have limited time on the computer. Stay tuned for Dreams Pt. 2 sometime this week!!

Dreams PT. 1

***NEWSFLASH*** For those who don't know....I am weird. I have known this for quite some time but I figured I would warn you all before I write this post. Just do me one favour.....don't comment negatively on what I write here in this post. Some of these dreams I hold close and they helped get me through some tough patches.

I have always had quite vivid dreams. It is rare than any are "bad". For the most part I remember them and can wake up the next morning and write them down. I can remember lots of dreams from when I was a kid. The one "bad" one I remember from when I was a kid actually makes me laugh now. I guess as a 3 year old, a gorilla coming in your bedroom window to play would be sort of scary. As a 27 year old I actually find it hilarious. I have had one scary dream as an adult that made me wake up crying. Not fun.

When I am pregnant or stressed is when I have the weirdest and some of the best dreams. In fact...some of the "dreams" are so real that I am left to wonder if they are really "dreams". Stay with me here.....this will convince you that I am in fact WEIRD!

Let's start with my pregnancy dreams. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am very vocal when I am sleeping and I have an appreciation for GOOD music. "Bubblegum pop" does not fall under the "good" category (and here I am overusing quotation marks....reminds me a bit of Britney Spears...BLECH) Anyway.....I was sleeping peacefully one night. Here starts the dream. There were many people involved....most of them friends and family. Usually in my dreams there are 2 or 3 people talking. Everyone else kind of stands around like cardboard cutouts. In this dream the talkers were myself, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. I don't like either but if they were the last 2 artists on earth I would definitely pick Christina to listen to. Anyway.....we were at a pool. There was a stage and Christina and Britney were competing. This stage was probably 20 feet up. You had to climb stairs to get up there. There was a landing about halfway up. Christina and I were standing on the landing when Britney tried pushing her way through. She was totally bullying Christina (laugh cause I am laughing while typing this) Well Christina was a wimp and couldn't take care of her own business so I took care of it for her. I turned around and pushed Britney down the stairs. She ran off crying. Well the time came for her to perform. She climbed the stairs. She got on the stage and began singing. I woke myself up yelling "BOO!" That was the end of that dream!! LOL

Another dream, while it probably seems awful to some, was actually prophetic to me. I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Isaac and was starting to get a bit apprehensive about the end of my pregnancy. I worried very little about labour and delivery. I credit Jackie's labour and delivery with Emma for my sense of calm about my impending experience. I was more afraid of ending up with a c-section. Of course there were also the question of being a mother and what life would be like having a helpless child to be responsible for. Onto the dream. It was winter...lots of snow on the ground. It was a Sunday morning. The inside of the church was Burnham Road. The outside was another building. It wasn't familiar to me. I pulled into the church yard and got out of my car. I began walking towards the church. In my dream I was not pregnant. As I am walking I hear a wimper. I look down and see a naked baby in the snow. To this day I do not know what the gender of the baby was. Incidentally, at the time of this dream we didn't know Isaac was a boy. I scooped up the baby and was pretty calm. I never freaked out. I walked through the church doors and was greeted. The greeter (I have no clue who it was) asked if the baby was Emma. I responded yes. It wasn't though. As soon as I said yes I backtracked and said no it wasn't....Emma is 2 now. This baby couldn't possibly be her. So I got the baby dressed, warmed up and fed. Once the baby was taken care of I woke up. At first I tossed it aside as another of my weird dreams but I couldn't get that dream out of my head. As I replayed it in my mind it gave me a sense of peace about being a Mom. I felt prepared to take care of this little person. Sometimes I wonder if that wasn't just a glimpse of what Isaac would look like. I wish I could shove a DVD in my head and record some of these dreams.

That took longer to type out than I thought it would so I will have to come back another time to finish this. Look for Dreams Pt. 2. They aren't quite as weird as these ones.

ISO

Can someone PLEASE tell me where I put my wallet??? My wallet that has 3 credit cards and more important is my green card!! The green card that I need to even go out in public. The green card that I need to photocopy...front and back....so I can file my I-751 ASAP. Should have done that 2 months ago but I have been a little busy. It MUST be filed by Dec 29 or I face deportation. Here I am freaking out over the green card when there are 3 credit cards that someone can use.

Ok so I had my little freak out...no I haven't found my wallet. Waiting for Mike to check the car before I turn this place upside down.

Thanksgiving went well. My pie was a hit. Isaac, the not so subtle food critic, LOVED it. If Isaac doesn't like something he will tell you he doesn't and usually it goes something like this...."*cough*, *gag*, *choke*, That's not good for me...it makes me sick!" And Mike....well....Mikey'll eat anything. Not really but he loved it. The rest of the food was good. Might have been more enjoyable if we had full functioning taste buds. Yes, by Thursday, we were ALL sick. Now that Mike knows I can bake pies he has requested another pumpkin pie and an apple pie for Christmas dinner. Isaac is still thinking about it.

Now that Thanksgiving is over we are starting to get ready for Christmas. Shopping is almost done. I need to get the box ready to ship north. I need to place an order with Chapters. One more trip to the mall for a gift certificate. Impersonal I know but I don't like dealing with the crowds. The one trip I am dreading...WalMart. I HATE WALMART!! Unfortunately Mike's God daughter has requested some things that I know we will only find at WalMart. Did I mention I hate WalMart?? The rest of the shopping I can do online.

Well I am off to go wallet hunting again. Unfortunately it wasn't in the car.

ETA: I found it...right where I put it! Imagine that!

Food makes me sick

So here I am making my first pie ever....and it looks fabulous even though I HATE pumpkin pie....when BAM (yes I watch too much Emeril) my nose is running and my throat feels like I swallowed nails. How wonderful for me. I drag myself out of the kitchen even though I haven't even made a dent in what I needed to get done today. So all I got done today was the dressing and the pie. The rolls must wait until tomorrow. Those have to be done by noon which means I have to be up no later than 8 am so I can get some coffee in me and be awake by 9 to get started.

Aside from this awful cold, things are going great here. We are all starting to gear up for Christmas. Isaac is planning his big trip to see Santa. We were talking about what he was going to ask for and he told me he wants a Spongebob puzzle, a spongebob cake and a kitchen. I'm sure if he seen a Spongebob kitchen he would ask for that. I am actually dreading that trip to see Santa because it means going into the mall......it means wading into insanity. Greedy, ignorant people roaming through the malls intent on making me miserable. No I don't really think that they are really thinking "Let's make Gina miserable today!"

Friday is Black Friday. Sounds a bit ominous doesn't it? Every year, the day after American Thanksgiving all the evil retailers open their doors at like 5 am to hoards of people who will then proceed to trample anyone in their way to get to that shelf that has the $3.98 12 cup coffeemaker. They all do it. Walmart, Home Depot, JC Penney, Toys R Us, Target.....even the grocery stores.....all just to get a little more money! Seriously....Walmart has a coffeemaker for $3.98 on Friday so if you Canadians want one you better get over to Presque Isle early.....take a stick or something though so you can beat down the little old lady with the walker. Just make sure you hit her first cause those walkers hurt!

Ok enough rambling...I have a 3 year old who needs to go to bed, a 2 month old who wants to eat and a kitchen that looks like someone did a science experiment!

Food.....so sick of thinking about food

Why must the USA have Thanksgiving in November. My life would be so much easier if they held it in October like Canadians. I have to figure out 2 menus at once so I don't have the same meal now and then again Christmas Day. I don't like Turkey enough to have Turkey Thursday and then again in 32 days. So we are having ham. Don't know what I am making for side dishes yet. Glazed carrots probably.....and maybe manchego potatoes. Then comes the dressing....I must make dressing. But what kind?? Potato....bread.....apple and sausage?? TOO MANY DECISIONS TO MAKE!!! Maybe I will cook the ham and slap two slices of bread on the plate. The one thing I am certain about, aside from the ham, we are having pumpkin pie. Homemade...not store bought. I want something else too.....just don't know what. I need appetizers too. I can't cook a big meal without appetizers. Something with artichokes.....I love artichokes. Did I mention it is just us for dinner?? Anyone want to join us for dinner??



For now I will leave you with a picture of Reid....it cracks me up....he was watching TV with his Daddy and had his tongue hanging out.

Because i'm bored

I was told by Tish that I needed to start a blog to keep in touch with family. I have 2 blogs...this one and another private one. I figured I should start posting on this one and transfer old posts over to my other blog. This one was over 2 years old. I deleted past posts because they were possibly offensive to some people. I know....I am usually one who doesn't care what others think of my opinion but I figure there will be some younger people who see this. Considerate ain't I!

Things are going great here. Isaac will be 4 in just a little over 2 months from now! Crazy huh! I guess we are having a Spongebob/Spiderman party. Should be interesting. Reid is growing like a weed...literally! Yesterday was his 2 month well visit with the pediatrician. He is the length of an average 5 month old! He is going to be tall like his mama.

So if you make it to my blog leave me a message. Until next time enjoy a couple pics of my boys.