Nina Bunk

Lots of Visitors!

2012-01-27T22:06:00.002-05:00

Vivienne had lots of visitors on her big day!

She was the most gracious host as well! She didn't make a peep all day!

We are blessed with AMAZING family that is so excited for new babies, I can't believe so much of family came to see her, and on her 1st day!

I am missing several family members that came, I was a little tired to say the least!

Nana

Papa

Great Aunt Karen, with a broken arm!

Her cousin Hannah

Auntie Kyle

Aunt Katie

Great Papa & Great Nana

Aunt Bree

Uncle Chris

Zoey, who LOVED her new little cousin "Indian"

Grandy

Her Cousin Jacob, they are only 2 months apart!

Great Uncle Gary

Her cousin Amber, and her new little BFF too

Our little Viv

2012-01-27T21:28:00.002-05:00

Our little Vivienne arrived Thursday 1/26/12, weighing in at a perfect 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 18 1/2 inches.

She is as cute as can be!

I can't get over how much love I have for, all I want to do is hug and smell her!

She is perfect in every way, and LOVES to be cuddled, I can attest to that from our 1st night together!

We are now officially a happy party of 5!

They are madly in love with her as well!

She is the PERFECT big sister, all she wants to do is cuddle with her.

He likes her, but is a little more obsessed with everything else in my hospital room.

Conversations with my 5 year old

2012-01-23T21:57:00.002-05:00

I will admit, i have this tendency if i don't know something I will tell Madeline to ask Matt, he is smarter and much more eloquent with his words than i am, it hasn't failed me yet!

We were talking about homonyms on our drive to Target and I could only come up with 2 of them, so here is how it went down...

Me - Well lets ask daddy what some other words are when he gets home, he will know, he writes stuff as his job

Madeline - Mom, why are boys smarter and bigger than girls?

Me - Uh um, well not all boys are bigger and smarter. Some aren't big, and others aren't very smart.

Madeline - But how come daddy is smarter than you?

Me - Well daddy is just brilliant. He just knows everything.

Madeline - how did he learn everything?

Me - he paid attention better than mommy did in school

20 questions

2012-01-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

I am in love with Paper Coterie, they have the cutest designs, and are pretty reasonably priced.

I have been really lucky in getting some excellent promotion codes for their site.

Right now there are 2 codes out:

welcome2012

planning2012

I am also in love with pinterest, I'm not sure if I am in love with it or if I love that I have something that is constantly changing in the middle of the night when I lay in bed wide awake playing on my phone!

One thing I pinned awhile back was this 20 questions book to make for my kids, and do every year on their birthday.

I happened to have a Paper Coterie promotion, so I made 2 journals for the kids, I am so excited for them to get here and do them with the kids and hear their cute answers.

In case you were wondering how adorable my little books came out here they are...

Here is also a link to the 20 questions, she made it so easy for me to do this because there is even a printable pdf of the 20 questions, I may change up a few of the questions however.

He is almost 3

2012-01-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

This guy will be 3 next month.

I am madly and deeply in love with him.

I love spending my morning with just him, he makes me laugh, he flirts with me, and makes girls swoon at the store!

He has this new little flirty smile he gives me, and when he does it, I will probably buy him just about anything!

He might be the cutest little guy I have ever laid eyes on (I am partial)!

There is just one thing that always seems to interfere...BATMAN!

Matt and I can't understand how he got so infatuated with Batman?!!

I don't know if he forgets, or he is just trying to make conversation with me, but EVERYDAY I get asked these same 5 questions...

Mom, do you like Batman?
Mom, does Pepper like Batman?
Mom, is Joker a bad guy or good guy?
Mom, do you like the Joker? I do!!
Mom, is Robin Batman's best friend?

In other random Batman news, my little boyfriend, came up to me a couple days ago, lifted my shirt to see my belly button, stuck Batman's gun in my belly button and blew me up apparently!

I am so in love with this age with him, he is so completely adorable, except when he is whining, I can't imagine having another little guy as awesome as he is, I was really hoping this baby was a boy, and I am so happy it isn't!

Dear #3

2012-01-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

I should have known you were going to be the one who gave me a run for my money! What was I thinking, thinking you would be my easy baby.

you wake me up at 3:30am EVERY morning
you are the only one I have ever had contractions with, and no offense but your killing me with them today
you are stubborn just like your daddy, I should have caught on when I needed to go get my ultrasound measurements 4 times!
you kick me once to remind me your there, trust me I haven't forgotten, then you make daddy sit there for what seems like 30 minutes before you kick again!
you were so sweet your first 6 months, and then I opened my mouth now I can't keep enough Tums stocked in the house for the heartburn you give me!

I love you so much already and can't wait to meet you, neither can your brother and sister.

Christopher is dying to know if you will like batman and tools. He wants to share his "buddy" with you.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

This year may have been my most favorite Christmas with my kids, and yet my most uncomfortable. This little girl inside made me rather uncomfortable this weekend, I tried to not let her get the best of me!

Our kids are at the funnest age this year, at 5 and almost 3 their personalities are just the sweetest!

Here are just a few of my highlights to our Christmas weekend extravaganza...

Our North Pole breakfast on Christmas Eve
Enjoying Christmas day service, and the adorable history telling of the 12 days of Christmas
The sheer excitement in my sons eyes, when he opened his gifts
The sweet hugs and thank you's from my kids all day yesterday
Relaxing and junk food at my in-laws
The thought my husband put into picking out nail polish and philosophy shower gel for me
Enjoying nap time on Christmas day with my husband
Watching my kids give hugs to each other after exchanging gifts with each other
Champ's amazing dance moves as Google's Muppets commercial came on TV
Dance parties in the truck as we go to all our get togethers

1st annual Bunk/Pannecouk Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000-05:00

This morning we had breakfast at the North Pole. The kids had so much fun, Angela and Jason decorated their dining room with candy and Santa even came and visited! It was such a nice morning, just hanging with friends and laughing!

The kids LOVED Santa...
Madeline said to Matt "Daddy he knew my name"
Zoey said to Chris "I LOVE Santa"

I am sure Angela and Lori got much better pics than I did

Christmas at the Galas House

2011-12-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

I am so glad that both Lori and I have older children to document our evening of festivities, so we can eat and be merry! Here is Isaac's documentation of the evening and below you will find Madeline's!

I am also very glad that I have 18 blurry pictures of Isaac taking a picture!

Thank you SOOO much Aunt Kim, Uncle Walt & Nikki for the amazing food and very fun night!

Our Christmas Service

2011-12-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

I think it might be a Christmas miracle, that we were able to get an amazing family picture. I have no idea how we got Champ to actually look at the camera, and how we got Maddy to smile, but we did and I couldn't be happier!!

I love this guy so much!

The bigger Bunk family

Almost all the Bunk family

I LOVE how much these 2 love each other! I don't think I have ever seen them fight with each other. They are just the cutest together!!

Her Christmas Play

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Madeline had her school christmas play on tuesday night. She was so super excited for it, not only were all of use coming, but aunt kyle and grandy and poppy came too. She also ~~may have~~ HAD the cutest bow on her box, so she was extra super cute up there with her class.

We loved every minute of it, she had been practicing her songs since the 1st day of school, so she really knew them!

Madeline & her teacher Mrs. Munn

Her adoring fans!

BFF's

And of course, he needed to wear the box as well!

I'm getting excited

2011-11-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I have been a little on the fence about this pregnancy.

I'm pretty nervous, I feel slightly overwhelmed some days, and think why did God choose me to have 1 more?!
I've had all these fears that my sweet little champ would become "that 2nd" child full of neglect and I would miss all his cute quirks.
How am I going to get 3 kids out the door to church on Sunday morning alone when I barely get out with 2 now?
Coats, hats, mittens, seat belts in the middle of winter doesn't sound enjoyable with a newborn aded into the mix.
Both my sister-in-laws are amazing at balancing everything, and I can barely remember to brush my teeth some mornings.

Somehow since last friday, that has all disappeared.

We went to visit our new little baby Jacob.

Champ was so super excited to hold baby Jacob and to just look at him and touch him.

He sat there so well and just held him, he didn't want to let go of him.

I've never seen this sweet gentle side of him and it sold me on the whole new baby deal.

Watching him hold his tiny little hand and touch his tiny little toes reassured me.

I have not been able to get the image of my sweet little guy holding this tiny little baby out of my head since that night, and every day it gets me more and more excited for our little #3!

He has been asking to go hold baby Jacob every day since that night.

I may want to remember this...#1

2011-11-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

Christopher - 11/22/11

mom, you know my fwein Isaac, you know my fwein Isaac? My fwein Isaac like hockey!
good morning Pepper, it's me Champ. - as he lifts my shirt to kiss my stomach
heyyyyy, I not CHAMP, I CHAMPYYY

The #5!

2011-11-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

5 years ago I remember it like it was yesterday.

Our day started out at 6:30 in the morning and she didn't even arrive till a little after 6 that evening!

The Dr. said as she came out that "we had a big one" here and I started crying, thinking I had this enormous 10 pound baby, and Matt then reassured me she was just perfect, and SHE WAS!

This precious little face has been melting our hearts for the past 5 years, and we couldn't be more blessed! Madeline we fall more and more in love with you everyday!

Thank you for being the most joyful little girl, with the funnest personality!

We love you so much!

This is a REAL game of Simon Says

2011-11-18T07:22:00.002-05:00

The Birthday Extravaganza begins...

2011-11-17T22:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight Madeline got to have her very first friends party, and we went all out.

Including her and Champ, there were 7 little girls and 3 wild boys running around our house. Needless to say it was a bit chaotic, but LOADS of fun!

Everyone arrived promptly at 6, the girls were greeted with Hello Kitty bows for their hair and then quickly ran in to play with everyone else.

We got everyone settled down for a quick game of "Pin the bow on Hello Kitty" and then enjoyed delicious Hello Kitty grilled cheese sandwiches.

Following dinner was a quick wrestle match with Mr. Matt and cookie decorating, followed by opening presents and Hello Kitty waffles and ice cream.

We closed the evening off with a game of Simon says, and a very full pinata.

Just a few of the highlights...

Kate could not drink the juice box with the boy surfer on it, she could only drink the one with the girl surfer.
Zoey does NOT like grilled cheese sandwiches or sugar cookies
Alina forgot the special card she made for Madeline, which may have been my favorite moment of the evening seeing her fret over not having the card.
Not a single child cried
children have no clue what an indoor voice is
My amazing husband made all the waffles and my amazing sister in law made all the grilled cheese
Samantha, my amazing friend came and just blessed us by being there!
Rachel came and may have had more fun than the kids at the party!

A good time was had by all!

On a serious note, huge THANK YOU to my amazing husband, Rachel, Kyle and Samantha for EVERYTHING, there is no chance I could have pulled this off without ALL of them.

Brain dump on a Tuesday night

2011-11-15T22:14:00.001-05:00

I wish it was possible to stand in the shower and sleep
I also wish I had a robot like Rosie and she would rub lotion on my legs and feet after my hot shower.
I have lost the battle with my son by 10 am for candy, the last 3 days.
Madeline turns 5 on Sunday, I am an emotional wreck about this, but am physically ecstatic to have an extra set of helping hands!
I am so thankful Matt has been home early/on time this week, it has made for some amazing family nights.
Madeline came home from school asking to give her toys to kids who don't get toys, I was so happy!
8 o'clock bed times have not come soon enough lately!
I have not been able to get this ring out of my head since the day i saw it, and it is no longer available!
This lipgloss is amazeballs! and I am almost out!
I am so thankful I get to chat with my BFF Jaimie every morning, she encourages me and uplifts me more than she realizes, I can only hope I do the same for her!
I have too much to do and not enough energy or motivation to do it.
This makes me laugh, like really belly laugh for some reason...
THIS makes me cry, and if it doesn't bring tears to your eyes than you might have a heart the size of the grinches.
My Christmas tree is up, it is my most favorite decoration in my entire house, it is a little bottom heavy this year, but I LOVE IT!

STUDENT OF THE MONTH

2011-10-31T09:25:00.000-04:00

Last week I received an email from Madeline's teacher that she would be receiving the joyful spirit award at school, and we should come for her little ceremony. Little did I know she was getting student of the month!

Our Madeline showed joy through out the month in all she did at at school. We are so proud of her.

She was very happy this morning, knowing we were coming to see her get her award and Nana even came too, and coincidently it is "all about" Madeline week at school too, so she is even more thrilled to be bringing show and tell every day this week.

Fall Frenzy 2011

2011-10-31T09:16:00.000-04:00

Our churches annual Fall Frenzy was yesterday, and it was quite a success. The kids had loads of fun, and got lots of special treats and candy.

We had a huge turn out from our community, which was amazing!

The highlight may have been throwing pies in daddy's face! I am bummed I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but the few I grabbed capture our afternoon!

Obi Wan and Luke Skywalker

My little Princess Leia

These 2 were inseperable, everywhere Isaac went Champ was right behind him!

The annual mini X-games

2011-10-29T15:53:00.000-04:00

This was last year...(scroll down just a bit)

This was today! What a difference a year makes!

California Loove

2011-10-29T15:33:00.001-04:00

Matt and I just returned from 10 glorious days in ~~sunny~~ semi-sunny California. We had a ball, we needed it desperately too! We enjoyed just enough time with family and just enough without.

I barely took any pictures, but the ones i did are memorable to me!

I know that is going to be a very very VERY long time before we can ever do this again, so I am so grateful we took the opportunity to do it!

I can tell you this much I definitely fell more in love with my husband over this last 10 days!
he makes me laugh like no one else can
he makes me fear for my life when driving
he is dedicated
he never complained about how slow i was at everything!
he made sure within the first 2 days, i got my cupcake fix
he made the best mixes for our rides
he admitted to being wrong, on the last day when we were scrambling to find the kids souvenirs
he loves my family, so much so he went to the beach every morning with my dad in the 60 degree ocean
he adores me, for reasons i will never understand

Huge thanks to my Amazing sister in laws and in laws, for all their hard work! I know it was not an easy task taking on our 2 kiddies!

The view from our hotel, Matt is hiding somewhere in the image!

The cliff overlooking Blacks Beach (the only nudie beach in cali)

Pizzeria Luigi, Thanks Guy for the DDD tip!

My man paddleboarding, a born natural

THE WEDDING!

This picture does have sentimental meaning to it, I just have to dig up the one we took 5 years ago together!

Our first field trip

2011-10-29T15:20:00.000-04:00

I was so happy I got to go on Maddy's 1st field trip. We went to the Sterling Heights Nature Center. We watched a riveting documentary on animals across the world, and went on a nature walk to find insects and deer tracks, and then came inside to learn about and feel frogs, turtles, and snakes.

Madeline was not having the touching and feeling the snakes, turtles and frogs, although she did love coming home to tell Champ that only boy frogs ribbit and girl frogs just listen!

I fell so blessed to be able to not only go on my kids field trips, but to go with my best friend Jaimie too!

the 7 year itch

2011-10-16T10:49:00.000-04:00

7 years ago today I was as giddy as a school girl waiting to marry the man of my dreams. There wasn't a single nerve in me, I remember that day like it was just yesterday.

my hair looked amazing
I was jumping up and down in the church
my brother in law gave me a hug for the 1st time ever, when he saw me walking into the church
I was laughing without a single care in the world
I was still laughing after my dad told one of my bridesmaids to walk down the aisle before it was time
I was still laughing when my dad forgot HIS queue
I was grinning from ear to ear looking at the guy i would spend the rest of my life with standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me

7 years later, we have a few cares and worries, but as long as we are together we can conquer the world.

Matt, I love you more than words could ever even begin to express.

Thank you for being the GOdly head of this household at ALL times

Thank you for loving me no matter how much i drive you nuts at times.

Thank you for giving me 2 almost 3 beautiful children.

Thank you for providing for this family and being diligent in whatever you set your eyes on.

Thank you for making me laugh daily.

The best is yet to be...

with a grateful heart!

2011-10-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, today I am GRATEFUL!

GRATEFUL 2 kids woke up on the RIGHT side of the bed.
GRATEFUL I got to hug my husband before I rolled out of bed
GRATEFUL I will be on the west coast in 6 days
GRATEFUL we all walked out of the house this morning in good moods
GRATEFUL that a month later my son is still concerned with the burn I got on my stomach
GRATEFUL God has supplied all my needs
GRATEFUL my husband knows my wants
GRATEFUL I have a healthy LARGE baby brewing inside of me
GRATEFUL I have friends I can count on when I am in a jam (which is alot lately)
GRATEFUL I get the entire day to spend with my kiddies
GRATEFUL my son likes to smother me with kisses
GRATEFUL my daughter understands heaven

On another note, not so grateful my son has already spilled his cup of fishies twice in the time it took to type this!

Bring on fall pt. 2!!

2011-10-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

School has started, fall has begun and we are already at the beginning of October. I don't know how fall is just flying by us.
We celebrated Elijah's birthday at yates! The kids had a blast, we had a perfect afternoon, and Lori made everything look effortless as usual.

We then had our annual Canada trip to Erie Street and Colasanti's. Once again, a great afternoon, and lots of fun! I have found crossing the border to be much easier when you have a 2 year old in the back waving and saying hi every 30 seconds.

He makes it very difficult to get a picture at times.

Probably my favorite picture ever!

the fearless goat whisperer! they loved eating from his hands.

the reason there are no pictures of her, she was glued to rachie's side!

he still makes me laugh!

Once again making it difficult!

Bring on Fall!

2011-09-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a much needed family adventure yesterday morning at Yates Cider Mill.

It was amazing, we devoured cider and donuts and then headed out for a little nature walk.

The kids were eating up the "adventure" and loved taking turns being the leader.

The 1st week

2011-09-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

We survived our 1st week of school. I survived the 1st week of school.

Here are just a few things I learned from our 1st week of school...

Every one functions better on early bed times
My son is a riot, when it is just me and him
No matter how prepared I am the night before I am bound to forget something
I love that my friends kids aren't embarrassed to wave and say hi to me
Christopher is the reason God is giving me another girl, another boy couldn't be as cool, loud spoken, determined, loving, helpful, not helpful, rambunctious, and adorable all at the same time!
I need to embrace NOT helping Maddy get all setup in her class
Mrs. Munn is laying down the law AT THE DOOR!
I can make it to school in 10 minutes flat.
My 2 year old is determined to step on every stepping stone at school, just go with it!
On the morning that I feel I have EVERYTHING, don't forget the car/house keys!
Even if I do lock my keys in the house, Maddy is brave enough to be hoisted through a window to unlock a door.
Every one functions BETTER on early bed times!!!

Me & Her

2011-09-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

This is ME on my 1st day of kindergarten!

This is HER! on her 1st day of kindergarten!!

Kindergarten

2011-09-06T09:38:00.000-04:00

J-O-Y!

2011-08-31T10:15:00.000-04:00

This was today's My Utmost.

I don't get a chance to read it every day, but this morning I felt such a pressing to open it real quick while one was jumping on the couch freaking over a the bobcat next door and the other was being very NOT patient waiting for her breakfast.

I needed this, this morning!

ENJOY!

These things I have spoken to you,

that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full

John 15:11

What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the wordhappiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “. . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross . . .” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . .” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “. . . the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life . . . hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

Thank you Mrs. Pat

2011-08-25T18:05:00.001-04:00

Thank you Mrs. Pat and all the C4J teachers for pouring into her!

I love that she asks me to turn on Superhero!
Sorry it is so small, from my phone.

Dear Baby

2011-08-24T16:20:00.001-04:00

Dear sweet child in brew...

i love you dearly but here are the facts

You are making me crazy, i mean literally, I am on a low in the morning and a high in the evening.
My emotions are at an all time high!
You have changed my appetite DRASTICALLY, who knew this meat loving girl could ever crave salads?
I thank you for going easy on the heartburn so far!
How can you force one person to pee 6 times in the middle of the night, and don't fight me on this, I documented it one night.
You have single handedly turned me off to Coca-Cola Classic! Your father has tried to do that for 7 years!
You have turned me into a sleep-a-holic, i mean who goes to bed at 9 o'clock!
You brought back the bean burrito craving, taking after your sweet older brother, almost 3 years ago.
You bring me such joy at the end of the night while laying in bed and you say hello with your little feet and hands.
You make me nauseous, LITERALLY, can we cut that one out now??
You have brought your big sister such joy, however she IS NOT thrilled to be sleeping with your older brother. She has threatened to sleep on the couch if he moves in her room!
You know those sharp jabs you most likely feel during the day while sleeping, it kind of feels like an earthquake? That is your older brother, get use to it!! He isn't going anywhere.

I Love You!

Your Mommy

soccer camp

2011-08-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

last week maddy got the opportunity to go to soccer camp. it was every night for 5 nights for 2 1/2 hours! needless to say by the end of the night she was pooped! it was loads of fun watching her play and enjoy herself, especially with her friend drew, and cousin isaac. it was so interesting to see their little personalities come out on the field.

what a difference a year makes

2011-08-11T12:28:00.000-04:00

I feel this summer is flying by, and it doesn't really help that i was sick for the whole 1st half of it. so in an effort to make up for the lost time, i have been trying to pack in the days, i mean as much as a pregnant mother with 2 kids can.

we did sterlingfest again this year. what a difference a year makes, last year champ didn't get out of his stroller, this year i couldn't contain him. auntie kyle joined us for the festivities, and thank the Jesus she did, i don't think i could have handled these 2 alone there, it was sensory overload!

so true...

these 2 are connected at the hip, BFF's!

she hated this ride and wanted to make sure everyone knew it was so lame!

convo's with my 4 year old

2011-07-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Matt was in the truck with the kids last night while I ran into CVS, this is what they talked about while I was gone...

Madeline - Dad, Isaac is coming over tomorrow.
Matt - Why?
Madeline - Because mom has to go buy all the stuff for your birthday party at the store
Matt - You and Champ aren't going with her?
Madeline - No
Matt - Why?
Madeline - Because she has to buy a lot of stuff and we are wild at the store, do you even understand what wild is??

operation sunflower...3

2011-07-21T11:10:00.000-04:00

our sunflowers have not had much growth, i think they might be midget sunflowers. they are perfect though, just the right size and we are getting 3 blooms!

maddy was so excited when we went out to take a picture this morning, we saw a little yellow poking out, so any day now we should have some cute little midget sunflowers!

The Fingers

2011-07-18T12:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon as we skipped into Grandy and Poppy's for a quick dip Maddy got her fingers slammed in the hinge of the door! After lots and lots of tears we were ready to go for our quick dip. we headed home and didn't think much of her fingers until i took a pic and sent it to my aunt, so after a little consulting i thought maybe we should take her to the ER just to make sure everything was ok, her fingers looked nasty.

those are the very bottom of her nails that popped out of the nail beds under her skin

Our favorite PA amber was on, and boy did she have a night! She was so very busy, she came rushing in and then promised to come back and see us, she was so patient and trying so hard to not let maddy see the needles or scissors she had to use! However, when that all failed the nurse and i just held her down while amber repaired her little nails that popped out of their nail beds. It broke my heart how scared and in pain my little girl was, and then my heart broke even more when she started yelling to amber to stop. amber did such an amazing job on her little hands, now she is all bandaged up and on the mend!

HOWEVER, in a moment of weakness i made a horrible promise to go to the toy store tomorrow if my little 4 year old could be brave, in hopes she would of course forget about it the next morning.

Oh but that girl is smart! 7:45 am and the first thing out of her mouth "is toys r us open yet?"

I don't want her to grow up...

2011-06-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Madeline - Mommy, I don't want to grow up

Me - I don't want you to grow up either

Madeline - but I don't want to have to move out of your house

Me - Well, you won't be doing that for a long time until you get married

Madeline - Then I will have to live far away from you

Me - Well you could live down the street from me, just like Aunt Laurie lives by Great Nana

Madeline - No I couldn't, there aren't any houses on our street with signs that say for sale

Me - Yes but maybe when we are all older we will be in a different house and then there will be another house for sale by us.

Madeline - kind of like uncle chris and aunt lori?

Me - What?

Madeline - Well Uncle Chris and Aunt Lori had to move because they were having ANOTHER (big sign and eye roll, like why do I have to explain this to you) baby, so maybe we could have another baby and then move.

Me - Well, maybe IF we had another baby you and Champ could share a room and the baby could have their own room, or something like that.

Madeline - Oh I KNOW! When I get married the boy i marry will live in the house next door and I can just stay in my same room.

dinos!

2011-06-15T16:55:00.000-04:00

We did a quick run through at the zoo this morning. I was feeling rather generous and decided to take the kids in the $4 a person dinosaur exhibit, it was WELL WORTH IT, seeing my little guys eyes brighten as we came up to every dino made it well worth it. He loved every second of it, now his older sister not so much!
On another note, after falling and tearing his knee up a bit, i have come to find out, my poor son is still traumatized by his last urgent care visit, as he wouldn't even sit still for the nice zoo lady to put a bugs bunny band-aid on his knee.

Kudos to Rachel and Julie for all the help and picture taking...

julie - champ come here lets take a picture

champ - more dino (pointing)

kissing the dino good bye, probably not the most sanitary idea.

the reason we go to the zoo...the mingos!

Florida

2011-06-09T13:35:00.000-04:00

We took a little trip down south to Florida, it was much needed.
I for some reason did not take the camera out very much so i only captured a few fun moments, however I am going to copy my sister-in-law and give you the highlights

Favorite things on vacation...THE BEACH, pizookies (if you don't know what they are google them), chick-fil-a, my husbands creative video antics, the kids LOOOVVVEEE for the beach, cheesecake factory with 2 of my most favorite people, hilarious conversations with the same 2 people, charming charlie, THE BEACH, my husband and his sisters 8 year old humor, wonderful in-laws, THE BEACH, my childrens rashguards (which saved us on sunscreen and them on sunburns) bruster's ice cream, THE BEACH, mexican coke, spending 11 glorious days with my husband!

Not so favorite things...Poor Madeline's over exaggerated run in with the barnacles, and getting a call that there is 3 inches of water in our basement at home!

operation sunflower...2

2011-06-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

We have been patiently waiting for our sunflowers to start growing, and then we got busy, and by then we were leaving for vacation. So...we planted our sunflowers a few days before we left and I am just now getting around to posting.

Here they are, our homegrown sunflowers, Maddy was so excited to plant them in the ground!

My little champ "showing his muscles"

Rain, Rain Don't Go Away

2011-05-18T20:30:00.000-04:00

I so so so love capturing my kids in all their glory playing in the rain.

I am so glad it was warm enough for them to go out barefoot, considering we left the rainboots in the rain and they were soaking wet.

she was getting rather impatient with him!

cupcake jar

2011-05-18T10:56:00.000-04:00

I saw this super cute idea to hold all those pesky cupcake holders, and fell instantly in love with it. I was dying to get a jar and put it on my shelves.

So I found this awesome jar at Marshalls/Homegoods for a whopping $8!! Scoresy!

I think this little guy fits right in with his homies!

Homemade Magazine Storage

2011-05-09T16:50:00.000-04:00

For those who know me, I really do not like to save stuff. If it is sitting on my counter for more than a week, it will end up in the trash. However, now that Madeline is nearing the end of the school year, I noticed I have thrown none of her papers/crafts out. I have had them piling up in the garage or in my truck.

So today, I made a little storage box for them. I can't say I will be saving everything for the rest of her school years, but there is something very sentimental about her graduating from pre-school!

I took an empty box of the Costco size goldfish, and cut it. I then wrapped it with some cute $1 wrapping paper from target.
The problem I had with the box was it didn't hold the papers in so I had to cut the back off, that is where the ribbon came into play to hold everything from falling out the back.

Simple and cheap.

today I am Thankful for #2

2011-04-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

Saturday April 16th, 2011

Today I am thankful for...

My extremely hard working husband
A 2 year old who makes me laugh every time I look at him
Millstone hazelnut coffee
$6 bathing suits at Old Navy
2 very healthy and active children
An amazing sister.in.law that LOVES her nieces/nephews
The beautiful spring blooms on the tree outside my bedroom window
This beautiful face

Drawer Labels

2011-04-11T15:13:00.000-04:00

My sweet sweet 4 year old daughter is getting to the age of dressing herself, and putting stuff away nicely. On one hand it is great, she can get her clothes, get dressed, and put her other clothes away. On the other hand, she picks out her own crazy outfits, and I mean crazy, plus I find pajamas in her pants drawers and pants in her shirt drawer.

I finally cleaned out all her drawers and got everything ready for spring/summer, and thought to myself, it is only a matter of time before I find some random goodness in each of these drawers

I love love love these drawer knobs, but lets be realistic, I am in a season and it is a short one and only a matter of time before she really starts to figure out what goes where. So I came up with these cute labels for her drawers, they aren't amazing, but for my simple 4 year old and husband they will work.

Maddy and I went down to the cricut and made some little clothes labels. She was super excited to pick out what color paper each piece of clothing would be.

Here is to clean drawers!

I happen to have the dress up paper doll cartridge, so we had to improvise on the pajamas label (we made a dress a nightgown)

She was so excited to hang each label from the coordinating drawer with a little curling ribbon.

i help

2011-04-05T08:42:00.000-04:00

My 2 year old loves to help. Ask him to pick up toys and he isn't that great, but if you ask him to help, he jumps in.

My garbage disposal was acting up the other night, so while the kids were awake Matt took it apart and there was his little shadow saying "i help? i help?" so after everything was fixed and done, Matt gave him a screwdriver and my little guy fixed the garbage disposal for me.

Needless to say this morning, he is still fixing it for me! He went and got all his tools too.

he is telling me it is all fixed here!

Radical

2011-03-30T13:16:00.000-04:00

He is taking back his faith from the american dream.

PS I couldn't have staged this if i tried!!!

operation sunflower...1

2011-03-29T17:04:00.000-04:00

And so it begins!

Thanks to Aunt Patti for getting us our starter kit for inside.

Let the growing begin!

In case you wondering how we did last year here is my last post on them.

Enjoy!

he IS 2...

2011-03-28T23:33:00.003-04:00

where are you spring?

2011-03-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

I saw this super cute idea the other day, and instantly got to work cutting out butterflies for our very own walkway of butterflies! the pictures don't even do it justice, but my kids had a blast, coloring and glitter glueing the butterflies. so while they were asleep i put them in our archway into the sunroom, along with their little paper dolls. they woke up and squealed with delight, seeing their mini masterpieces hanging.

Anthony turned 1

2011-03-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

My adorable nephew Anthony turned 1!

He is the cutest thing!

The kids had a ball, literally at Total Sports!

It is very difficult to get decent pictures in a wallyball court!

My son can dribble a ball at 2!!

he will be the greatest father someday! I love how he loves my kids!

I told you he is the cutest thing!

BFF's and they have matching tattoos to prove it!

Geting ready for the party

2011-03-26T14:07:00.000-04:00

I had a gigantic gift for my nephew Anthony for his 1st birthday, and realized the morning of his party that I didn't have enough birthday wrapping paper to wrap it.

So i improvised.

Using the back of some christmas wrapping paper, i wrapped it in white.

The kids loved that I let them decorate the gift, and that they got to sit on the table.

On another note, don't you love these adorable rice krispie treats.

I cut each of them out with a cookie cutter, and dipped them in candy melts.

Happy Birthday Anthony!!

B F F

2011-03-25T11:05:00.002-04:00

buzz - could someone help me up please?

champ - NO!

buzz - hello? are you still there?

champ - NO!

his lego birthday party

2011-03-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

My nephew turned 5 this week, and he is having a lego birthday party this evening. I was super excited to make his cake, i had these big plans to make a brick cake, however they got pushed to the wayside when lego discontinued their brick cake mold!

Yes i know i could have jerryrigged a brick cake like this, however there was no way it would have turned out that good!

so i opted for little lego men! The lego store did have an ice tray in the shape of lego men, so from there i was in search for something creative, and came across these.

The lego guys were sooo much fun to make, they were a lot of work but a lot of fun!

The worst part about having a creative sister-in-law, is you have the same idea, the best part is, it is no surprise what i am making so i can post this early.

They are by no means perfect, but for my 5 year old nephew he is going to LOVE them!

we went bowling

2011-03-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

it was so much fun, just my girly girl and i!

she even got a strike!

happy birthday isaac!

2011-03-15T05:57:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to the cutest 5 year old we know!

we love you so much isaac!

to aunt lori

2011-03-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

it might get loud

2011-03-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

You know the saying Silence is Golden, that saying will take on a whole new meaning in this house!!

Thank you Grandy & Poppy for the AWESOME birthday gift!

L.O.V.E

2011-03-07T18:08:00.001-05:00

No one knows how it is that with one glance a boy can break through into a girl's heart.

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Just like Daddy

2011-03-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

He is SOOO his Father's son!

Not only when we went to exchange his guitar did he pick out the one that looked just like his daddy's, the first thing he did with the pic for his guitar is stick it in his mouth, JUST LIKE DADDY.

Matt is going to LOVE showing him how to play, and he is going to LOVE playing with Matt!

when will they smile?

2011-03-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

Do you have any idea what it is like to try and get 2 kids to smile at the same time??

I will give you a glimpse into what it takes...

ok take a nice picture so i can show daddy please

champ look at mama!

ok just do cheek to cheek please

madeline please smile nice, champ LOOK at mama!

CHAMP!!!!!! maddy smile pretty

ok if everyone smiles and looks at mommy you can have a treat

LOOK AT ME!!!

i am going to tickle you guys!!!!

forget it, i guess we can't take a nice picture

Today I am Thankful for #1

2011-02-28T13:55:00.001-05:00

It's Monday!

Today I'm thankful for...

a well rested night's sleep
my 2 yr old not breaking down at the grocery store this morning
being able to get my kitchen floor clean with no little tiny feet prints on it
finding the perfect volume control so that i can listen to my ipod in the kitchen and the kids can watch caillou in the living room
my kids playing so sweetly together
getting a tiny bit more organized with my grocery shopping!
a very hard working husband!
the big pot of homemade chicken soup brewing on the stove
nap time
the way my 2 yr old son says "sisscle" (popsicle)

the party

2011-02-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

Party day came and went!

here is the run down

AMAZING homemade garlic aioli with paninis
chocolate cake
girl scout samoa ice cream
2 bunk kids with a run in with the pinata bat
the birthday boy falling down the stairs
lots of fun!
dinosaurs everywhere

2 little basketball buddys

the birthday boy singing happy birthday to himself

However the highlight of my evening was watching my little man eating his dessert with all his cousins. He then noticed that his 2 favorite men were sitting in the other room, so he grabbed his plate and walked into the other room to have his dessert with his papa and poppy!

my little old soul!

success

2011-02-19T22:06:00.002-05:00

I am sure you remember this post.

Well we held out till his birthday, and it was SOOOO worth the wait!

He is so madly in love with bullseye.

he IS 2

2011-02-19T10:22:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday my little wild man!

You have brought so much joy and happiness into our lives.

Here 10 things that I absolutely adore abut you my little guy...

you make the cutest dinosaur faces
you are a lover, not a fighter
you love to watch sports with daddy on saturday mornings
you love to play with anything that has a ball in it
you will go along with just about anything your big sister tells you to do
your smile brightens my morning
your sleepy laugh at night, tempts me to let you stay up later than you should
you are one of the craziest sleepers i have ever seen
please don't ever stop crawling on my lap and snuggling
you are way smarter than you let on!

I love you so much champ!

the new 30

2011-02-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

I turned 30 last week, it was monumental, I don't think I will ever forget the week that lead up to that birthday or the week that was 30. I have a few things up my sleeve for this coming year, however I want share a small journey I am still a little skeptical of diving into...digital scrapbooking.

I guess, I don't know how I feel about it...

I think it will keep my mind sharp trying to figure out how to maneuver through Photoshop
I can create SIMPLE pages, so when I get those free books/calendars from snapfish/shutterfly I have something I actually want to make.
I can keep a semi-record of something going on in a specific week/day
Or I can just cherish a simple picture
It gives me a creative outlet

With all this said write.click.scrapbook is talking all week about digital scrapbooking, like I said I don't even know if I have the PATIENCE for this, but I am going to give it a go.

My #1 on the list of accomplishments for my 30th year!

Here is my 1st attempt, what do you think?

he's almost 2....#6

2011-02-15T17:50:00.002-05:00

I am not going to be able to say that after this weekend!

This little guy is ALL boy, and by all boy i mean roar's, dinosaurs, trucks, drums, animals boy!

Our favorite book right now is How do dinosaurs say I Love You, it really is the cutest book, and I am very tempted to get the other ones in the series.

I feel this book was written about mine and my son's life, here is an excert...

"You woke in the morning in such a bad mood..."
"then sat at the table and fussed with your food."
"But then you blew kisses and waved from the door. I love you, I love you my dinosaur."

This little dino of mine, is feisty, but I sure do love him!

Oh were you wondering how many takes it took to get a decent picture of this little dino, wonder no more...

valentines part 2

2011-02-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

We made cookies for Madeline's valentine party this morning.

I don't remember how i came across these cookies, but i loved them when i saw them.

I thought since we were already making sugar cookies we could try them.

The kids loved putting the candies in the middle of them, and watching it melt in the oven.

i actually crushed some dum-dum suckers, i think jolly ranchers would probably work a little better.

they were super easy to make and look how cute they look.

My SIL found these adorable cookies, and i was determined to make them.

They didn't turn out as cute as hers but, my mom will be so happy!

52 photos:: morning

2011-02-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

Right after breakfast she asked me to teach her how to hula hoop!

She then went and sat down and waited for her lesson.

I told her to stay right there, sitting with her legs crossed like a little lady.

It was so nice to see that adorable smile again after 4 days of the stomach flu!

rice krispie hearts

2011-02-12T15:46:00.000-05:00

I have had all these adorable valentine's day crafts bookmarked and purchased. I had such high hopes to make this valentines day special for my kids this year, however life got in the way this year. Both kids were down with the flu for 5 days, and then we had a small family emergency happen, that really threw all of us for a tizzy!
So after several days back and forth visiting the hospital, I finally had some time to make some projects with the kids.

First on the list rice krispie treats, I knew both kiddies would love making the treats and dipping them. I forgot about what a mess it would be later.

They so enjoyed, taking turns stirring and pouring, and really really loved dipping them in the chocolate.

Their treats definitely didn't turn out like planned, but they sure are cute, in a 4 year old way!

not happy she had to share!

I turned away for one second and he was chowing down!

52 photos:: letter

2011-02-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

I feel a person can never have enough thank you cards.

I made these cards using...

cricut machine
create a critter cartridge
a little martha stewart glitter
some blank note cards

what do you think? simple and sweet!

the past 72 hours

2011-02-04T20:05:00.001-05:00

For the past 72 hours (it sounds so much longer than 3 days!!) my kids have been fighting the flu, and by fighting i mean it has been kicking their butts!

My poor babies have been laying on the couch, laying on my bed, laying on me and doing NOTHING!!!

Christopher has been taking 2 naps a day, today he took a 11/2 hour morning nap and a 3 1/2 hour afternoon nap. They ARE wiped!

However this afternoon for the 1st time in 3 days i saw this...

I have never been more happy to see this little guys smile!

stolen craft #2

2011-02-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

Once again my amazing sister.in.love lori did all the leg work for me!

We started going a bit stir crazy this morning, so after praising Jesus, having a dance party, watching toons, playing play dough, and reading books we decided to make some valentines gifts.

Lori found these clay dough hearts online a while back, however, instead of making heart ornaments, we made big hearts with the kids hand prints for daddy's office, and with the extra dough we made some extra critters for some friends.

This salt dough recipe is super easy to make, the kids are so excited to paint their masterpieces. I think the only problem with this super easy craft, is they have to bake for 2 hours, that is a very long time to make 2 kids wait to paint!!

a bedtime story for you

2011-02-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Madeline has been telling me for days that she can read Pinkalicious and Purpleicious to me now, because she knows how to read those books.

So this is for the select few who will sit and watch this movie, mostly my mother.in.love!

52 pictures:: shadow

2011-01-31T17:06:00.000-05:00

I had the best intentions of taking this super cute picture of my daughter making shadow puppets in the sun one morning this past week, but then the sun never came out so i opted for the wall, however truth be told, I got this new camera and really don't know much about it and this was the best I could come up with.

However, it probably works because not only is she trying to do shadow puppets, but she also has her little shadow watching what she is doing. Champ has become his big sister's shadow, doing any and everything that she does.

She is trying to teach him how to make a bird shadow on the wall.

Better luck next week.

check out other 52 photos here

how we roll #7

2011-01-31T16:52:00.000-05:00

My husband started these "cuddle parties" a while back and now blankets are everywhere in our house. For the next few days this is how we will be rolling.

Nice and snuggly warm in our cozy house.

Phineas and Ferb, Dispicable Me, and Toy Story 3 will be involved in our cuddle parties for the next couple days as well!

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

11 things I know to be true

2011-01-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated my Aunt's wedding day at Addison Oaks.

Here is what I know

Going to a wedding with kids is fun and CRAZY!
My daughter love love loves to take pictures

These 2 are just adorable

These 3 are too cute for words

He would eat ice all day long if I allowed him

She might be my bestest friend! Please note our appetizer plates.

Curse independence, 1 grape at a time!!!

This is how she prays, isn't she beautiful?

My brother still makes me laugh!

He may have eaten over 10 godiva chocolate truffles

She is truly madly deeply in love with both of these guys! I mean TRULY MADLY & DEEPLY.

Valentines Activity #1

2011-01-29T17:35:00.001-05:00

Valentines day is probably my favorite semi-holiday. It is all things pink, lovey and heartsy. My sister.in.love found this on howdoesshe.com, which is an amazing site in itself.

I went to work making our little happy heart for the month of February. Our activity will be a little different than hers. Whoever gets the heart on their pillow in the morning, gets showered with LOVE that day. It could be anything from helping pick up each other's toys, making a bed, or sharing a snack. It is our little way of showing each other we love them a whole lot!

I happened to have some valentines fabric in a box, so I pulled out my sewing machine and got to work. I cut the hearts out of 2 different materials. Ironed, pinned and sewed up the heart, stuffed it with some fluff and stitched up the side.

My camera is in the truck, and I have no desire to go out and get it, so for now this is our happy heart

he's almost 2....#5

2011-01-27T14:58:00.001-05:00

I'm not saying he is high maintenance, but he did need 3 different cups just to eat a snack, and yes he did drink all 3 too!

sippy with milk
stitch with water
big boy cup with juice

I do not encourage this behavior, but he does ask me ever so nicely "peas mama, juce"

The Bow Holder

2011-01-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

I have been very hard at work making this really cute bow holder for my niece for her birthday. I found this great tutorial for it here. So I got the approval from my sister.in.LOVE and got to work.

I really should have taken some before pictures, the frame was actually a quite weird Norman Rockwell picture and a musty looking brown.

I sanded the frame a bit and then spray painted it black.

I got 6 different kinds of ribbon to make the holder and really just played with a pattern I liked. To make sure the ribbons stay in place I hot glued them to the back and then had my husband staple them as well.

I hope she loves it as much as i do, I am really happy with how it turned out!

katiedid crafts

2011-01-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

A girl I went to school with started her own little business. She makes the cutest things, check out her blog here and her etsy shop here. She is amazing at pretty much everything she makes. So when I came across this tutorial for a crocheted bullseye, I knew my champ needed this for his birthday.

Katie was so excited to make it for me, she had it done in like a week.

Matt and I are so excited to give it to champ for his birthday, Matt just said this afternoon he hopes this is like his little thing, the thing he carries around with him; which ironically is the reason I wanted to have Katie make it in the first place.

We both couldn't be happier with how adorable this little guy turned, every chance the kids are sleeping we pull him out and just can't believe how cute and perfect he is.

Katie, thank you so much!!

52 pictures:: evening

2011-01-22T20:09:00.001-05:00

This is probably a once a week occurrence, both my kiddies all cuddly in my bed watching a movie before bedtime.

Tonight they got to watch Honey, I shrunk the kids and are LOVING it!

Valentine Prep

2011-01-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

I found this adorable love book on etsy, I didn't think twice, I ordered it and was so excited to start working on one for Madeline and one for Champ. I printed out 1 set of the book the other day, and once Champ was in bed, and Madeline was having some quiet time coloring, i pulled it out with a fresh box of colored pencils.
Madeline was so excited to see what I was coloring and was also sooo excited to help me color it. I on the other hand was not, i really wanted this cute little book to be cute and perfect. So I told Madeline if she was going to help me she had to color very nice and not be in a hurry. She promised me she would color nice and not be in a hurry, and make it really pretty for Champ. I am happy to say she is doing a great job with the pages she is given, and boy will she be surprised when she gets a little book just like it.

Here are just a few of the pages we have done so far, i think I still have 4 or 5 more to go.

reason #567 why i love him

2011-01-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

He is just the funnest!

Hopes, Hopes and more Hopes

2011-01-16T13:30:00.000-05:00

madeline got this adorable devotional for christmas from Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris. She LOVES it and so do I, I so look forward to reading it together every night with her. We are on day 17 (somehow i screwed up the days) anyway I LOVED last nights devo, so I thought I would share it with you!

Make me hear joy and gladness

Psalm 51:8

Hope is a very good thing to have...and to share. So make this promise to yourself and keep it: promise yourself that you'll be a hopeful person. Think good thoughts. Trust God. Become friends with Jesus. And trust your hopes, not your fears. Then, when you've filled your heart with hope and gladness, share your gladness, share your good thoughts with friends. They'll be better for it, and so will you.

A Timely Tip

Think about all the things you have (starting with your family and your faith)...and think about all the things you can do! Believe in yourself.

A Bedtime Prayer

I have so many reasons to be happy. Let me thing good thoughts and look for the good in other people. And, help me be a joyful person now and always. Amen

52 pictures:: independence

2011-01-13T14:10:00.000-05:00

this week's prompt was independence.

I was having a really hard time thinking of something that me or my kids would do that made us a little more independent, until i captured this...

My boy is ALL mama's boy, i mean ALL! Every single person in my big italian family knows it, every person at my church knows it and all my friends know it. I'm used to it, i know when he is over-exaggerating and when he is in pain.

So this past wednesday we spent the afternoon at one of my aunt's house, i was so prepared to just sit and hold my son while Maddy went out ice skating. However, he surprised me, he enjoyed running around the semi-unfamiliar house, playing with all the phones, drawing on every sheet of paper in the notebook, and even staying in the house with my aunt so i could savor some time outside with my little girl.

I am by no means saying he is INDEPENDENT, but we are taking baby steps, and this was a pretty big one!

check out other 52 pictures here.

hey mom over here

2011-01-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

"Hey mom, take a picture of me like this, come on champ do what i am doing."

I love his face!

he's almost 2....#4

2011-01-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

NEED I SAY ANYMORE!

My saving grace is he gets 1/2 way over and then gives up.

Happy 83rd

2011-01-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Papa

We love you so so much!!

I am so blessed that my children have their Great Grandfather, they love and adore him.

Christopher loves that he will give him anything. Papa once gave him 5 personal size bags of bbq chips, and would have given him more if i hadn't caught him every time there after.

Madeline loves to agitate him and then when he swats her with his cane, she tells Great Nana and usually gets the pleasure of telling him "NO, you can't have this anymore b/c you tried to hit me with it, Great Nana said."

52 in 52...week 1

2011-01-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

I was reading over at write.click.scrapbook about resolutions, and was really challenged to get out and do something this year, whether it is once a week or everyday. so i am going to start 52 pictures in 52 weeks, she posted about it here.

I missed the 1st weeks challenge, but i made it up with it with this picture of my sweet son.

He hadn't been feeling good all day, and finally i got him to crack a half smile for me, right before we sat on the couch and he fell fast asleep on my lap.

My little fighter

2011-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

This little girl and I got the stomach flu Sunday night/Monday all day. On top of the flu, she had a cough, so every time she coughed she would throw up. Her cough hadn't gotten any better through the week so we headed to the Dr. yesterday afternoon, once again my brave little fighter had bronchitis and an ear infection. This cough knocks her out, she won't show it, but a mother knows.

She is on antibiotics and on the mend, but man did she take a beating this week. Needless to say we have enjoyed our day in so far, doing puzzles, writing cards, and keeping warm.

writing with a 4 year old

2011-01-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

Madeline's birthday was in November, christmas came in December and her and i are just now getting around to writing some thank you cards to all her wonderful family for blessing her. We went down to my drawer of stationary and picked out these cute little cards with a little girl on them, until she saw the hello kitty cards. She was so excited. I let her pick out 5 of them to send out.

Here is her reasoning behind each card...

the eiffel tower card is going to grandy and poppy "because grandy loves the eiffel tower"
the ice skating one goes to auntie kyle and uncle justin "because auntie kyle has all hello kitties on her christmas tree and she will think this is so cute"
the ballerina goes to scarlett "because scarlett loves ballet just like me"
the green apple one to aunt katie and uncle tony "maybe aunt katie will like this one it is cute"
the pogo stick was a bit more of a challenge

me - well why don't we send the pogo stick card to isaac, zoey and jaliah
maddy - weeeeellllllll, do you have any boy cards?? isaac DOES NOT like girl stuff at all and he will definitely not like hello kitty.
me - no, but this one has a pogo stick on it so maybe he will like it because boys like pogo sticks and it is orange.
maddy - weeeeeellllll, i guess maybe he wouldn't mind that, i will have to write with a black marker in his card, because i know he likes black.

I had to jump in the shower, so i had maddy get started on writing a little something in her cards, and i promised i would come help her finish when i was done. So 4 cards in and she is telling me what she wrote in every card, she then started to get quite impatient with me...

me - maddy what does this say to aunt katie and uncle tony
maddy - i don't know i can't read
me - well didn't you write it, shouldn't you know what you wrote?
maddy - weeeeelllll, you read it i am writing another card.
me - i can't read it.
maddy - welllllll, you know how to read, so read it.
me - i'm sorry i just can't understand what you wrote.
maddy - ok let me see if i can read it, you should really learn to read better

seriously she kills me!!

he's almost 2...and ALL boy?

2011-01-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

this boy brings so much joy into my life. i amazed at the things he thinks of doing. he is totally 100% boy, and he is totally 100% a mama's boy. he may have had the best christmas ever, he got lots of toy story stuff, dinosaurs, and guns. what more could a curious little boy ask for. my days have been consumed with picking up nerf amo and pulling triggers on nerf guns, stepping on dinosaurs, not to mention all out nerf wars with my kitchen table on its side used as a fort.

however, he is still a sweet sensitive little guy as well.

my husband will kill me for this, and my brother.in.law will get a great laugh, but he loves to take buzz for rides in the stroller.

he brought 1 gun out for him, and one out for his dinosaur (which by the way never leaves his side)

merry christmas eve

2010-12-25T12:02:00.000-05:00

merry christmas! we celebrated christmas eve, at my parents as usual. my parents made an amazing dinner of some sort of pork chop thingy, homemade raviolis, eggplant parm, and mashed potatoes. AMAZING!
we had a dance party, played some crazy games, and just enjoyed being together.

my dad and his masterpiece!

she is so madly in love with her baby cousins!

he is in love with anyone with the last name piccolo!!

both maddy and champ LOVED their giraffes and dogs from aunt bree and uncle george!

baby belle from aunt katie and uncle tony, that got opened immediately!

he's almost 2...right??

2010-12-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

here is the backstory.
he helped me make snickerdoodles yesterday for a christmas party.
he must have thought he was entitled to eat ALL of them.
he went into the basement to get his stool, put it next to the counter grabbed a cookie and enjoyed.
i said no more cookies, he did it again.
i pushed the cookies up the counter so he couldn't reach them, and yet he somehow managed to get one more, not only for him but his sister too!
i finally put my foot down, "NO more cookies!"

he looked at me stuck out his bottom matt bunk lip, THREW his cookie on the ground and here it is!

please note the cookie!

mother knows best...

2010-12-22T17:09:00.009-05:00

my little girl has been going back and forth on how she feels about naps!

she is at that point where somedays she will fight me to the death to just have quiet time, and others she will go lay down and take a nice little kitty-cat nap (it's what we bunks call them). now me on the other hand, i know she NEEDS a nap every day, she is just exhausted by 7ish and can't even cope i'm her mother i know best. right??

so lately i have been giving her the option depending on her attitude whether she wants to have quiet time or a nap.

today i told her, as long as her room was clean instead of taking a nap, we would open the pieces she got for her dollhouse from her birthday, and she could just have quiet time. she was over the moon! she couldn't wait to have her quiet time.

fast forward 2 hours later and this is what i found...

prepare to fast forward...

2010-12-21T13:18:00.001-05:00

we have been running at full force.

it has been non-stop, and when it has stopped,

boy have we enjoyed some quiet down time around here.

in between everything my camera broke for a few days, so i actually missed 1/2 of our events. however my wonderful husband got it back up and running for me!

here is the recap...

met the big guy!

madeline told him she really wanted a rapunzel scooter.

he said he would make sure to get it for her!

big mistake santa, she isn't getting it!

had an adorable christmas pageant at school!

madeline and her teacher mrs. rogers

had the most amazing christmas service at church!

and even got a decent christmas picture too

made a killer gingerbread house

and finally some downtime to build our lego christmas village!!

it took them almost 2 hours, but it was well worth it!

dr. bahlhorn

2010-12-13T14:57:00.001-05:00

my new favorite dentist and her assistant!

we made an emergency run to visit dr. bahlhorn, after champ fell down the stairs and chipped his tooth. maddy loved seeing hannah and champ, well he was a champ, in fact i may have had the wrong child while there. we had him laying upside down on mine and hannah's lap and he never made a peep, i mean nothing, i was stunned!

luckily he just chipped it and didn't have any nerve damage, so she put a little sealant on it and we were off, however not before getting our very own masks and prizes.

once we arrived home, maddy was off to her room for quiet/nap time.
i went to peak in on her, and she had her mask on and her rapunzel doll was laying on her bed.

me...madeline what are you doing?
maddy...i'm playing dentist like hannah, i am checking supunzel's teeth.

christmas dance party

2010-12-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

this video may only really be amusing to a select few of you, so enjoy.

champ busts out a killer move at the 28 sec. mark, and then regrets it shortly after!!!

it is also sideways for the first 27 seconds sorry!

maddy would like to thank isaac for helping her master her killer breakdancing skills!

merry christmas from the daylights and the bunks!