Hot Diggety Dog!

WOW! This weekend was one word, FANTASTIC! We owe it all to this gorgeous span of weather we are having. If this doesn't get you into the summer mode, I dont know what will! By Friday evening the girls were finally feeling better and they enjoyed a lovely evening outside with Miss Brenna. We ordered takeout and had a blast watching the Sox wipe out the Yankees! There is nothing better than a warm night filled with friends, beer and the Red Sox.


Saturday, we started the yard clean up. It was sooo nice to be outside so early in the morning and get things done. We took a break to get Hannah to skating lessons and she did great! I can definitely see an improvement after only 3 lessons. I hope that Billy gets to take her to some public skating because I think his influence on her would be wonderful and would probably be more beneficial as well. Yet, sometimes I do have to remind him that she is a girl and that she very well may not be interested in hockey! HA!

After skating we headed on over to Auntie Ju Ju's to have lunch in the park with Reanna. It was soooo nice and sooo warm! It felt wonderful and Hannah really enjoyed running all over the play yard. Papa even made a surprise guest appearance at the park! Reanna is getting so big already and I cant believe 6 months have just flown by. It is going to be adorable to watch the girls at the beach this summer.

Sunday we spent all day in the yard and we got so much accomplished. It started out as a family affair before Billy got called into work. Yet even so, we got so much accomplished I feel great about it. The leaves were raked, loom spread, front porch and driveway hosed down and I even got a chance to continue where we left off in staining the fence. I really LOVE the color stain we chose. Granted it would look even nicer if the whole fence was new but I still love the color on the old part of the fence as well. Hoping we can get this finished within the next few weeks or so. Hannah also insisted that we plant some sunflower seeds throughout the yard and it should be interesting to see if they grow or not. Fingers crossed that at least one of them grows or else the kid will be crushed. Although.. it would be pretty funny if these huge sunflowers started sprouting all about everywhere as well.

I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this weather is being able to sleep with the windows open. There is nothing better than that. I swear I sleep so much better with the sounds of nature! Secondly, I love to watch the girls play. Both girls were so happy to be outside all day long and Hannah even set the table outside last night for dinner since she insisted that we eat outside. I love to see them getting all dirty and then washing their tanned little bodies up and putting on their summer pajamas. I love the smell of them just after a bath when their hair is still wet and curly.. well at least Hannah's is.. Layla is still working on the hair thing. There is just nothing better than the sweetness that the summer brings. Hannah kept saying all day long yesterday, "This is just the best day ever Mom." My heart smiled.

One last thing... TWO WORDS.. JACOBY ELLSBURY! Billy and I were watching the game last night and we went "OHHH what just happened?" Oh that was just Jacoby.. marking his name in history! LOL

Sick sick sick

I am utterly and completely done with these sicknesses! From Hannah's hive incident to Layla's scary weekend being covered in hives from head to toe, to me waking up this morning with a double ear infection and a throat infection! DONE! I have decided to put us all in bubbles from here in out, good LORD! I am so very Oscar the Grouch today as I am feeling terrible and Layla hasnt much improved either. The hives are not nearly as bad but her eyes are still bright red and gooping green gunk. Pink eye or virus? I am completely aggravated with the service we have recieved at the Pediatrician's office this week as well. When I went to get checked today I had explained to the doctor what we have been through this week and he asked if she were checked for strep. No! She wasnt! The doctor checked her throat and said it was very red, but simply stated a virus was to blame for all of her symptoms. I am getting completely frustrated with all of this! Moreover, Layla and prednisone do not mix and she has been quite unruly these past few days. I wish I could fast forward to our soon to be beach days when everyone is well and we are basking on the sand with our pails and shovels! I am going home to put my grouchiness on the couch and I am hoping the girls will follow suit!

Vacation Week

This week was Hannah's vacation week from school and we have somehow managed to do something fun every day! Two kids at the office every day has been a bit challenging but I have been determined to make it fun for them! Monday night Hannah and I had a date night and I took her out to dinner and to see the much anticipated Hannah Montana movie. I need to rant a little bit on this subject because up until this movie I was a little unclear about how I felt about Miley Cyrus. I do like watching her show and I like to listen to her music with Hannah. Hannah sure gets a kick out of her and wants to be just like her even at such a young age. I have always been a fan of Billy Ray as country music has my heart and soul, yet I was a bit afraid of Hannah looking up to a pop star that was much older than she. Although adorable, HM's character has a bit of a little attitude in the show and I was afraid that Hannah may pick up on this and it is not exactly what I wanted her to look up to. I also was a little concerned about the pictures that had surfaced of her on the Internet and on the cover of Vanity Fair. However, I do believe that the media is to blame for some of these issues and is often found manipulating these young actors and actresses. This being said, I do believe this show was created for teenagers and low and behold it caught on to the youngsters as well. I have also followed many news articles about how Miley was raised and how her parents keep a tight hold on her so that she doesnt end up this teenager running all over Hollywood. All in all Hannah got hooked on Miley because of the name thing and many family members would buy her items because of the name thing as well. What I am trying to lead up to here is that we went to see the movie Monday night and I have to tell you, I would see it again a million times over. It was sooo good and it put any fears to rest that I had about Hannah looking up to Miley Cyrus. I adored everything about this movie, what it stood for and the message it was meant to send. Everything about it was adorable from the characters right on down to the music and I will even admit there was a part where I got teary eyed (the Butterfly Fly Away song)! The all star cast from Miley, to Billy Ray, to Taylor Swift and the Rascall Flatts was phenomenal. Again.. a country gal at heart, this was truly delightful and entertaining to watch! Okay, I am done my rant.

The most important part of the evening was that I finally got to spend some one on one time with my Hannah. We had more fun giggling and skipping into the movie theater. Although I think I may have actually embarrassed the kid at one point. She made me stop skipping! Whoa.. already this is starting! HA! I am in for it. She got a big kick out of how we kept the whole evening a big secret and wouldnt tell anyone where we went and what we did. It was so wonderful to have this Hannah time and a nice change of pace.

Tuesday we went to Toys R Us with the girl's Easter gift certificates. Although this wasnt without incident as I had gone to get Hannah out of the car seat and the poor kid's face was covered in hives and these huge welts. What??? I mean this is Hannah now? I had to run to CVS and grab some Benadryl to get it to calm down. It did and we went skipping through the isles of Toys R Us no problem! Hannah ended up with a beauty salon kit and Layla.. a 6 pack of high heels. Yes, she is my high heeled kid. I can't open my closet without her freaking out and putting her feet in my heels. Usually we see her strutting around with just one on and it is hilarious! If Hannah takes her shoes off, Layla is right there putting her feet in them. Ahhhh the fun of having girly girls!

Yesterday we established Hannah's face hives were from Cadbury Mini Eggs after we had another episode of the facial hives. RANDOM! Yet, in looking up the ingredients, apparently they have Hazelnut protein in them and this could be the cause. Hannah was always able to eat peanut butter without an issue but I did read that you can be allergic to one and not the other. So it is between this and the dyes in the candy that must have caused her to be allergic. I swear there is never a dull moment in our household and Lord did I get it back 10 fold! After dinner our treat was to walk to Cool Licks. Although it was quite cold, I bundled the girls up and off we went! Hannah ordered her usual vanilla Dole Whip with rainbow sprinkles and Layla and I shared a vanilla Dole Whip as well. She seemed to be alright with it, which is good to know for this summer as it is dairy free so hopefully she'll be able to have some here and there.

So this is what we have been up to all week! BUSY BUSY BUSY! I have also been trying to work some extra hours throughout the week so that we may take a half day tomorrow as cousins Arielle and Addison are coming over for a play date!

I am also happy to announce that I am going to visit my new little man Luke who was born April 15th @ 2:30 AM. Both Melisa and Luke are doing great and I cant believe he is finally here! I cant wait to hold a little boy in my arms and I am dying to see this bundle of hair he is said to have. Moreover, I cant wait to turn my camera on him!

Unfortunately, I am ending on a sad note as Boxer puppy dog face, Bauer passed away Monday evening. I know how hard it is to lose a fur family member and I know how much Bauer meant to my dear friend Shannon who is a two time breast cancer survivor. Bauer was her chemo buddy and a wonderful dog. Both my girls had a bunch of fun with her on Thursday when we were doing their Easter shoot and I am so very glad I grabbed the camera and got some great shots of Shannon and Bauer. Who knew then what little time she had left. She lead a good life and was soo loved. She will be missed but I know that she is running around in fields of gold with my Mandy girl. Kisses to puppy dog heaven Bauer! xoxoxo

Here are the lyrics to the song that had me bawling in the movie theater!

Butterfly Fly Away

You tucked me in,
Turned out the light
kept me safe and sound at night
little girls depend on things like that

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair
had to drive me everywhere
you were always there when I look back

You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be

And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
you would hold my hand then sing to me

Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be
can't go far but you can always dream
Wish you may and wish you might
don't you worry hold on tight.
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly Fly Away
Butterfly Fly Away (butterfly fly away)

Got your wings now you cant stay
Take those dreams and make them all come true
Butterfly Fly Away (butterfly fly away)
We've been waiting for this day
All along you knew just what to do
Butterfly,Butterfly,Butterfly,
Butterfly Fly Away

(Butterfly Fly Away)

(Butterfly Fly Away)

Picture it Sicily!

Last night I took the girls over to my friend Shannon's house to do an Easter photo shoot with them. I actually held a Nikon 200 in my hands and went to town! Granted it was a bit of a crazy afternoon as the girls had been at work with me all day and by 3:30... well you know how it goes with kids. Yet, under the circumstances, they both did very well and let me get a few good shots in. Shannon's set up is unbelievable and I feel like a kid in a candy store when I go over there!

With Shannon editing and myself shooting.. we truly make a great team!

Shannon and dear Bauer.. Quite the Pair! Shannon is recovering from her second battle with breast cancer and poor Bauer is suffering from heart disease.. and yet they still look like movie stars!

I am off to get my work done and finish all of my Easter preparations! Have a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Easter!

20lbs!

Layla has finally reached 20lbs at 18 months! This was a huge milestone for us as her growth chart had started to decline back and January. Not only did she gain weight but now she is back up in the 10th percentile for weight and this is fantastic! YAAAY! For the first time in a long time, I finally feel like we are on the right track with her!

I did mention her breathing issues while sleeping, even though my Dad wimped out on coming with me to the appointment. (Dr. Papa) She was great about wanting to look further into it as one of her sons had a similar issue, although I am sure she was saying something in her head about me being a hypochondriac! LOL We went for an x-ray to see if possibly her adenoids or tonsils are large and we shall see what becomes of that.

We had another night of terrible sleep. She went down around 8:00 in her crib no problems. By 10:30 she was up. I got her back down right away and by 11:00 she was up. Much of the rest of the night continued like this. I am so tired these days I dont know where to put myself. And yet I have a "to-do list" of things I must get done before Sunday that keeps growing and growing and growing! AHHHH! It is possible her teeth could be bugging her as well. She had a night last week where she screamed for several hours and Billy couldnt calm her. When I got home I noticed a few specks of blood on her pj's and AH HA.. she was cutting a tooth. So this possibly could be contributing to our forever sleepless nights as well. Although doping her up on Motrin is certainly not doing the trick today for nap time!

On anther note, I have begun my annual fundraising for Boston Children's Hospital. I think this year is going to be tough because of how everyone is struggling with money. I feel terribly guilty asking people to support our 5th annual 7-mile walk but at the same time, I am committed to rasing money for this event. What this hospital has done for my family and I can never be forgotten and I truly want to teach the girls about giving back in such a tremendous way. If anyone would like to learn more about this great cause, join our team, "Hannah's Heroes" or contribute financially, please visit the following link: http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/walk/pfp/?ID=MK0065

Beantown at it's best!

I think I am still on a HIGH from our fantastic weekend! It truly could not have been a better one! Friday afternoon, after surviving 3 hours at the DMV with an 18 month old, I got my new car! I say new, because although it is 4 years old, it looks and smells brand spanking new! My parents have always kept their cars in tip top condition and I am proud to say that I am now an owner of a 2005 Acura MDX. Whoaaaa is that cool or what? I think I feel 18 all over again. The best feature about this car (for me) is that it has a third row. No more begging Billy for a minivan. I am sure he is relieved about that! Now however, I have enough room to fit another child (hopefully mine someday). If I go out with my sister, all three kids can fit and we dont have to take separate cars. Aside from this, the car drives unbelievable and I find myself making up errands to run just so I can drive it. Did I mention it's white? My favorite car color!

We dropped the kids off Saturday morning with my parents and headed up to the Bruins game. We started off at "The Greatest Bar" having our first cocktail and then we headed over to the TD Banknorth Center. Our seats were fantastic thanks to Mom Murphy. It was a great game and Billy and I totally enjoyed ourselves. We ate like pigs! Beer, nachos, hot dogs, chicken fingers... I think I gained 5 pounds in that 3 hours! The Rangers put up a good fight, but in the end the Bruins won 1 - 0. Billy finagled a T-Shirt from an ice girl and we left the arena to head over to the hotel.

The Lenox was absolutely beautiful and we checked into our gorgeous room (Thank you Helen). There were bathrobes! YES bathrobes! I wanted to steal one so badly but after seeing the hotel bill, I decided another $40 probably wasnt worth it. We got dressed for dinner and headed over to a restaurant called Sasso's which the concierge had recommended. After glancing at the menu, we both looked at each other and said, "We have to get out of here." It just wasnt what we expected and although we wanted to get dressed up and eat at a fancy restaurant, we also wanted to eat good hearty food. Not so much a dainty, delicate meal. We ordered an appetizer and a glass of wine, both which were very good and then headed over to Grill 23. OUR KIND OF PLACE! The second we walked in the place was all abuzz. The meal we had was by far the best meal I have ever eaten. Billy agreed. We finished the evening off at Grill 23 with some warm chocolate chip cookies and vanilla milk.. what was better than that?

Sunday we got up late and had breakfast in the room.. yuummmyy French Toast and strawberries. Seriously, I gained at least 10lbs this weekend! HA! We then decided to walk around the city after we checked out. We drove for a bit and then headed over to Fenway Park since it was Opening Day for baseball. We took a stroll around the souvenir shop and then walked around the park. We were heading up the street (which was barricaded to cars) when all of a sudden, there was Josh Beckett getting out of his car and handing his keys to a valet. Instantly I was star struck and we walked up closer. We realized that where we were was where the players drove in for practice. So we decided to stand there for a bit and were able to see more players coming in. Manny Delcarmen, Brad Penny (He is one big boy), Rocco Baldelli and Kevin Yuk Yuk Youkilis, "AKA Uncle Don". I swear it was one of the coolest experiences ever. I have never been that close to a player as whenever we go to a game our seats are always pretty far back. This was quite the experience though and it truly made Billy and I excited for this baseball season! We had hoped to see Big Papi, but it was pretty cold and windy standing there and after an hour or so, we decided to leave. We finished off our afternoon with a sausage sandwich...(ok.. possibly 12lbs I gained) and it was sooo good!

We headed home in the afternoon to pick up our petunias as I had missed them so. Both girls we well behaved for Nonnie and Papa and I was so excited to see them and give them cuddles. Papa said that Layla slept great til 2:00AM and then she woke up screaming. He got her back down and then she was up at 4:00AM. He put her in bed with him on his chest and she slept til 6:00AM. Interestingly enough, he brought to my attention that he thinks she could have sleep apnea. This thought has crossed my mind before because I have heard her breathing funny. However, I remembered reading somewhere that this was normal for a baby and I quickly dismissed the thought. He told me that when she was on his chest, he couldnt sleep so he was listening to her. Her breathing would go real heavy and then real low. There would be a long pause and then she would do a gasping breath and this is what would keep waking her up. She'd be frightened and wake up screaming and then go right back down because she was so tired and wanted to be sleeping.

I know that at this point I sound like a total hypochondriac with her and I really want my Dad to come with me to her 18 month appointment tomorrow. Maybe this is what has been causing all of our sleepless nights??? In looking it up online two things stood out to me. Children with allergies tend to have sleep apnea because their tonsils and adenoids are enlarged due to their allergies. Also, sleep apnea can cause failure to thrive. I think it is totally worth bringing up to the doctor, but I am also hesitant because I dont want her to think we are total crazy hypochondriacs. I am going to beg my Dad to come with us so maybe she wont think that.

So all in all, it doesnt get any better than the weekend I had. Unfortunately the Sox opening day game has been canceled due to rain, but you betcha I'll be watching tomorrow at 4:00 PM! Swing batter batter SWWWIINNG!

A day off

It's been a while but Mommy and the girls are playing hooky today! Upon me telling Hannah this last night, she was a little upset that she didnt know how to play this hooky game! HA! Yesterday my father had taken her on some errands and when they returned he had told me she had fallen asleep from one errand to the next. This was at 10:00 AM so right there I knew something was up. She then asked if she could curl up on the dog bed, (which I had gotten her in case she ever needed to nap at the office) and off she went to lay down. Within 5 minutes she was out cold and then slept for 2 more hours. When she got up.. BINGO 102.5 fever. I took her home, checked her ears (fine) and gave her Tylenol and she was fine the rest of the night. She still felt warm to me this morning though so we decided it was time we all took a break and just stayed home. I am sure it is just a virus that needs to run it's course and hopefully she will be bouncing around again tomorrow. However, I am totally welcoming this day! I will say that I had wished the girls would have slept past 6:00AM but all the same, we will hopefully get to snuggle up and nap this afternoon.

Layla cakes had a terrific week last week. She was sleeping better and going down in the pack n play at night (hates her crib). That is until Friday and then the sleeping all went to crap. Something is bothering her stomach and she is waking up in much distress and gas pains. She had tough nights Friday, Saturday and Sunday. She had a good night Monday and then Billy said she was up all night last night (I was on Hannah duty). So not too sure what is going on there and why she keeps having these restless nights. I am still waiting to hear on blood work for her and we have been sending stool samples to the lab as well. I am going to have to give the Pediatrician a call today to see what is going on as far as the results on these tests. That being said, I do feel as though she is starting to gain weight. She is feeling heavier to me and we will have to see what her weight reads when we go for her 18 month appointment next week. (AH 18 months already!)

On another note, I am so exceptionally thrilled for this weekend. Billy and I are celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary and literally the first time we have been away for a night together since our honeymoon! We are catching the Bruins/Rangers game on Saturday in Boston and then we are staying at The Lenox Hotel in a luxurious room thanks to my dear friend Helen who upgraded us to a fantastic room complete with a fireplace! I truly feel like a kid in a candy store! This will be my first time leaving Layla all night and I hope I haven't inflicted too much on my parents for watching them! HA! I told my Dad to get a good night's sleep on Friday because Saturday he surely wouldn't! He is very excited to be watching them though and I am sure things will go smoothly as the girls adore their Papa.

That's all she wrote for today and I must go have some QT with the girls before this day flies by and I am left wondering where it went!

HAPPY 34th Birthday DENISE!!!!!