Celebrating Life on a Cold November Weekend

Well the weekend was certainly filled with much excitement! Friday evening I had the girl's doctors appointments. It is always so stressful trying to figure everything out there! Hannah's ears were still a bit off the doctor said and she wasn't sure if it was the beginning of something, or the end of her previous ear infection. She didn't want to keep putting her on antibiotics so we are playing the wait and see game with her. It is so tough because of everything she went through, she has such a high tolerance of pain. We never know when she has an ear infection because she never complains! (Sigh) Layla's ears looked great and although she had a few more teeth cut through, the Dr. felt that this wasn't the cause of her discomfort. When I brought up the whole stomach/diarreha issues she said "Ah Ha". (Sometimes I really stink at Motherhood because whenever I think something is wrong, it isn't. When I am lackadaisical about symptoms, it's a cause to be concerned.) The doctor put her back on formula which I was relieved about. It seems that when we took her off, was when all the problems began. So hopefully, this will help her start to feel better!

For the first time in a very long time, I ventured out with some girlfriends on Saturday evening. The reason for the gathering was to celebrate life. My dear friend Shannon's. Shannon has finally reached her final chemo treatment and with her head newly shaven for the very last time, we all gathered together to celebrate this major milestone. What a remarkable person Shannon is and with Sandy by her side, the evening was truly a fantastic one!

We gathered at our forever favorite Tony's pizza to begin the evening. We chatted away as we ate another spectacular dinner prepared by the Revis Family. It was great to see and hug the girls that I haven't seen in literally 15 years. (I mean.. that is insane.. and we are OLD!) As it was also great to catch up with the friends that I have kept in touch with. Everyone truly looked sensational and I swear the girls haven't aged a bit. I believe that they have even become more beautiful as many of them have entered into the wonderful journey of motherhood. Shannon, with her makeup on (I don't think I have ever seen makeup on this girl) looked wonderful as she bent over to show us her bald head revealing the word "cancer" with a line through it. Her strength in dealing with her battle of breast cancer never wavering and this being her 2nd battle with this horrible disease, makes her all the more inspirational.


After filling our bellies with some great food and a beer or two, we decided to take it to the alley.. the bowling alley that is. What a riot this was. We had more fun goofing around and I swear it was as though those 15 long years of not being in each other's company all together never existed. I am sad to say however, that I do believe I got the award for being the worst bowler in the place. (Bowling.. not my forte) Renee, you are truly the most hilarious fun loving person I have ever met. Your zest for life and laughter are truly infectious. Alexis, you have not changed a bit and I swear you have not aged the slightest amount.. it was as if you were frozen in time for 15 years. Melissa, you are beautiful. Truly a doll and I can tell how much you love being a Mom. Jenn.. it has been years but you too, have not changed and it was great to see you out enjoying yourself. Missy, you always just make me laugh and I loved exchanging our stories of the trauma of getting our girls dressed in the morning! Nicole, you are so fun to be around. You are so silly it makes me feel young again to join in your goofiness. Alyson.. oh Alyson.. there is just nobody like you. You just have this gift of making everyone laugh by bringing up the most insane of things. The topics of discussion around you are just down right hilarious. Jill, my chaperon for the evening, you know how much I love you. You put up with all my drunk talk (after one beer) and you are the easiest person on the planet to talk too! I love being around you! Sarah, I didn't get too much time to chat with you, but for a woman who has just given birth to her third child, girl, you look amazing!!! Jenny, you know how much I love being around you as well. Even though you didn't get to come bowling, I love being around you as you are my glove box girl. I want to stick you in my glove box for rainy days and open it so I can laugh my pants off at your hilariousness! (Is that a word?) Plus you smell good.. LOL I need to order that!) Sandy, you are truly a remarkable person! You have stayed by Shannon's side through thick and thin. Supporting her and carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. You are truly a special and caring person. Shan.. you know how much I look up to you. I think you are the strongest person I have ever met and I sit in awe of the way you have dealt with your cancer. I don't think I have ever, or will ever see anything like it. Your attitude towards life is undeniable. May you now have all the time in the world to mend and heal and how I look forward to the day when we can get a picture of us together.. with both of us wearing our curls. We must not let so much time go by before we do this again. Rollerskating.. here we come!

I came home just past midnight to see my adorable family all sprawled out on the couch. Billy had a night with the girls and they had a wonderful time bonding. He bought them the most adorable outfits from Gymboree and he did such a great job of picking them out. It really was the sweetest sight to come home to and it made me appreciate my life all the more.

Sunday was filled with dinner preparations (while watching the Pats squish the fish!) as we hosted my parent's 38th wedding anniversary dinner. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.. 38 years.. holy cow! It was great to have my parents and family over and I finally got a chance to feed my new niece, Reanna, a bottle. Poor Layla is not so fond of Reanna as she is such a little Mommy's girl, but I know with time those two are going to be the best of friends. Hannah flitted about with her Tinkerbell wings on and she had so much fun playing with Uncle Ra Ra.

I'd like to say a Happy Belated Birthday to Uncle Dave and Auntie Jill! I hope you liked your messages from the girls!

This week is going to be a busy one so I don't think I will be able to do much posting, however, I hope that everyone continues to stay healthy and that everyone enjoys a wonderful Thanksgiving with their families!

A conversation with Hannah

Hannah and I have many conversations on a daily basis however, my favorite ones are the ones that she gets excessively dramatic about. Let's face it, the kid certainly has a flair for the dramatics.. eh hem.. not sure who she takes after. She can tell stories like no other and there are times when I even have a hard time trying to figure out whether she has made the whole thing up or if she is telling the truth. Either way, they are hysterical and leave me laughing about them throughout my day.


A few days ago we were doing crafts and listening to Christmas music and she heard someone refer to Mrs. Claus in a song. She was completely thrown for a loop. She most often has an amazing memory of facts, people and places, but this afternoon, Mrs. Claus must have slipped her memory and she immediately stopped what she was doing and said, "Who on earth is Mrs. Claus?" I was shocked that she asked me this question and replied, "Han.. you dont remember who Mrs. Claus is?" She had no recollection. So me being the non dramatic person I am, (insert laugh here) started flailing my arms and explaining to her that she was the very reason Santa even existed. For without her, Santa would be skinny! That it was because of Mrs. Clause feeding him cookies and milk, that he stayed plump and round. Moreover, that she kept him well fed and up on the new "in" toys so that he could get to work creating them in his workshop. She looked at me with her head tilted and thought for a moment and then decided she would accept my story. I in return, realized once again, that parenthood is all about deceit. (Isn't that terrible?)


This morning during breakfast she still had Santa on the brain. Probably because I have had to make a few phone calls to him about Hannah's behavior. She asked me where Santa lived. "What Hannah? Are you still asleep? You know where Santa lives. Why the North Pole of course!" ..."Oh yeah.. I forgot Mommy. But what I meant was, where is his Vacation Home?" badum bum.. this is where the youth of America's minds are and sadly, we have created it as parents just trying to give our kids everything we can because we love them so. I mustered a simple "The South Pole" and she was a little leery because she felt as though his vacation home was at Santa's Village.


I hold these conversations with her so near and dear because I know that these will be the same memories I will hold onto when I am old and gray and longing for her companionship. What a miraculous child she really is. Lord knows she can pull my every string, but she certainly melts my heart most often.


Miss Layla is continuing to walk all about. She certainly is still my cuddle bug though and constantly wants Mommy to hold her! I still, am loving every minute of it.

The girls and I have been working on some great Christmas crafts for our family and friends. It has been a lot of hard work with much effort and time, but I have to say, I am truly impressed with the outcome. Hoping that my nieces will love their treats!


Lastly, I need to let you know of my recent purchase from itunes..(sorry Billy). I keep hearing a certain Christmas tune and havent been able to get it out of my head. Turns out, the entire album is spectacular! It is a must purchase! Called, "Holiday Spirit" by Straight No Chaser. This is truly a 5 star album!

The little love bug!
Doing some Christmas Shopping early and look what I got! LOL

Leo loves cuddling with her as well!


Auntie Leanne sent me this pic from the night of the pumpkins in the park and I just love it!

These feets were made for walking!

I have been so busy lately that I have hardly had time to post! The weekend was fantastic as I was able to catch up with some old friends. I had not seen Carla in close to 10 years! It was so wonderful to see her and meet her son. He was simply adorable and Hannah got along with him splendidly. They played for four hours on Saturday while Carla and I were able to catch up! Saturday night Billy and I actually had a date night and we went to a school auction with another couple. I have to say, what a great time we had! I truly do not get out enough and unfortunately it seems as though I am quite the lightweight as I spent most of Sunday paying for my good time. Yet, Sunday we were able to see Aimee and the twins and I believe it has been close to a year since our last visit with them! My, where does the time go?

Our household has hit full swing into the Christmas mode. I am not sure what is up with myself as I have been craving the Holiday and all that goes along with it! I am trying my very best to be organized and I have started shopping which is great for me! Usually, I am struggling at the very last minute to make my purchases and figure out how I am paying for them! I am determined this year to get it done early so that I can truly enjoy the month of December and revel in the pastimes of the month with the girls. I am so looking forward to it! Yes, I am one of those crazy people that have already tuned into all the Christmas music as well. Like I said, I am determined to get in the mood and enjoy this Holiday!

It looks as though this Christmas is going to be a Tinkerbell one for my Miss Hannah!

I had to take this picture this morning as they looked so darn cute cuddling together in bed. I have pretty much decided to stop fighting against them coming into my bed as my efforts are useless. In the grand scheme of things, is it really so bad that my girls like to cuddle with their Mommy? Time passes so quickly and in a few more years, Han will probably want nothing to do with me.. or my bed! LOL

My little angels



Hannah was killing me with this pose! Where did she learn this from?

Well it seems as though Miss Layla has finally found her walking legs. Yesterday was the breakthrough day! She started taking a step here and there about 3 weeks ago, but yesterday, she was really doing it! Up until now, she has preferred crawling, but it seems as though my little peanut is on the move! (Sigh.. another milestone..proving my little baby is growing up) She is just so darn cute I could eat her up! She is also right on schedule with her big sister as Hannah walked at 13 months as well!

Lastly, I would like to congratulate my dear friend Gina on the birth of her daughter, Samantha Rose! There is no denying that this child is Gina's as she looks identical to her Mommy! Congratulations Gina & Chip and big brother Shea! I hope you are all doing well and getting some much deserved rest!

Happy Halloween 2008

Well the weekend was a full one to say the least! Friday night the kids had a BLAST at our Halloween party. I am most definitely making it an annual event.. if only we could find a larger house one of these days to accommodate all these beautiful children! Every single person we invited came and even baby Reanna made a guest appearance. It was so nice to have Ben, Nate and Drew represent for the boys as the rest of the 12 children were all girls. The kids loved the story Auntie Leanne read and they loved making their little black spiders as well. (Great idea Auntie Melisa!)

The costumes were terrific and I loved seeing everyone truly enjoy themselves.. that is until Papa decided to scare the crap out of all the kids and run in the house wearing all black and a scary mask. Poor Makenzie was traumatized and Hannah even got a little spooked. When she ever realized it was Papa.. he was in big trouble! I am not sure if little Makenzie will ever visit our house again after that incident! Poor little doll.

The only other glitch in our evening was when Miss Layla got her hand into some peanut butter. Now my pediatrician had said it was okay to try when she turned a year old, however, I remember that with Hannah she had said to wait until she was 2. (Not sure why she told me 1 with Layla) My gut feeling told me to let it go a few more months and then give it a try since she seems to be so sensitive to things and has to have Soy milk instead of whole milk. If anyone was going to be allergic to it, I knew it would be Miss Layla. When I saw the peanut butter on her hand and realized she was chewing something, I really didn't get too nervous. Billy cleaned her hand and about our fun we went. About 15 minutes later I picked her up to change her diaper and all of a sudden her face was covered in hives and her lips were ballooning out. I swear she looked like a float in the Macy's day parade or something. Needless to say, I panicked. Yes, I lost it. Why I am not sure because of everything I use to deal with when Miss Hannah was sick, you might of thought I would have stayed calm. Nope.. I most certainly did not. After reaching the doctor we dosed her up with Baby Benadryl and thankfully the swelling started to go down. Needless to say we only made it to a few houses trick or treating and it looks as though we can safely say that the ravioli is allergic to peanut butter! OYE!

Saturday we had a bunch of errands to finish up and then we had my Memere's remembrance mass. The girls were great in church and Layla was actually quite comical yelling out "HI" in her deep raspy voice while the priest was speaking. We ventured out to eat afterwards while Layla slept in her car seat the whole time and then we headed to go visit baby Reanna so Billy could meet her.

Yesterday, was baby Addison's Christening and the day was just beautiful. The dress looked so adorable on her and she just has the most kissable face! Billy was so proud to stand up and be her God father. We went to eat afterwards and the food was just delicious. Hannah had a bit of a meltdown but after I nipped it in the bud, she was fine the rest of the day. Poor kid was pretty much completely exhausted and she fell asleep as soon as we got home.

I am looking forward to a not so crazy week.. I think??? As I believe I have come down with a nasty chest cold and I feel like I got hit by a truck!