Back on track

Happy Monday!  Happy "chill" in the air!  LOVE IT!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my summers.  I love the beach, the grilling, the lazy mornings, the non hecticness of rushing kids off to school and all the other awesomeness that comes with summer.  The Fall though, I LOVE the Fall!  The cool, crisp air.  The apple picking.  Cider and pumpkins.  The colors of the trees.  The back to schedules and routines.  I always feel like it's a fresh start!  Like we are back on track and life is good!  So Happy Fresh Start and Happy FALL!  Officially in only a few more days!

We had a fantastic weekend which kicked off with Disney's Princesses on Ice.  This was fantastic and most definitely the best Disney production on ice we have ever seen.  What a wonderful job they did and the girls and I had a blast.  I was just as awe struck as they were, if not more.  We loved it and Tangled was by far our favorite with Princess and the Frog coming in at a close second!  It was so nice to spend the time with the girls and my beautiful nieces, minus one.  I love you Stella and in another year or so Auntie will take YOU! 

Saturday morning we woke up and got into hockey mode.  Hannah skated for the first time in a few months and to be honest, she did better than I expected.  It was also nice to not have the dance schedule interfere with us being at the rink and now I am able to actually go and watch her.  Well, intend to watch her but mostly I am running like maniac woman all over the rink chasing a certain little moose.  The kid is mass destruction on wheels!  It is so funny!  After hockey we came home and had just enough time to pull out the Fall decorations and adorn the house before my dear friend Tracey came over.  I can't believe it has been a year since I have seen her last.  I finally got to meet her little man and soak up some little Leah time as well.  I don't know how this time flies and days pass so quickly and a whole year goes by but damn I wish I could find more time to spend with the people I truly care about and miss so much!  It was so great to be in her company and catch up!  I have some of the world's best friends and even though I many not see you as often as I would like.  I do love you all so much!  Love you Trace!

Sunday, I got up early and took Hannah to Mass without the two little ones this time.  I wont even begin to get into how last Sunday went with me taking Cam.  I think I am going to have to wait a little while before taking him again because I nearly got kicked out of church.  So this Sunday it was just Han and I and it was great to actually be able to listen and pay attention.  I love that this Mass is a children's Mass and they are able to go up to the Alter for the Gospel.  The Gospel is geared towards the children.  This week's was all about how they shouldn't be jealous of their friends if their friends have something they don't.  Or if a friend does better on a test.  I loved this and it was one Hannah needed to hear as she often gets jealous over these things.  Hoping it hit home and reassured her to be happy for her friends when they do better and so on.

After Church and dropping Han off at CCD, I scooted back home to make the meatballs and gravy.  Yummy Fall Italian Sunday dinners.  Miss Layla helped and Cam tore apart the kitchen as we did so.  We even had time to sit down and color and create some masterpieces.  Layla and I made a Halloween chain so that we can rip off a link each day until it's Halloween!  We also drew and colored a pumpkin and Hannah and I created a crazy witch.  We ate and got ready for the rink again.  Han did excellent and we are so hoping she makes the Mite C's this year.  Tryouts are next week and we are keeping our fingers crossed.  She has grown so much and has matured so much that I am really getting excited to see her punch it up to the next level.  See her compete and really get into the game.  I cant wait to cheer her on from the stands.  Yes, I will be that annoying mother with the cowbell screaming her pants off.  And no, I wont care what people will think about it because that is my baby girl!  My baby girl that got a second chance at this life and I couldn't be more proud of her!  She's out there kicking butt along side the boys!  What's better than that?  You go baby girl!

We came home to watch my beloved Patriots kick the pants off the Chargers.  All I can say is Vince Wilfork.  That was the highlight of the game.  End of story!  LOL 

Onward to another fun week!  I can't wait to chaperone Layla's little Field trip on Wednesday!  It's going to be a blast!  God Bless and enjoy this awesome weather!

The swing of things

Well I will say that I had a productive weekend whipping the house into shape and getting organized for this school year.  There is still much more to do, but at least I started making progress!  I made the girls a little homework center where they can store their homework until it is finished and ready to be handed in.  Otherwise it tends to get lost in the shuffle of the mail and I am often searching frantically for it the night before.  Now they each have a folder, an array of writing utensils and paper for when they need it. 

I also got into Layla's drawers and began to go through her clothes.  With her it's difficult because she is still so tiny that a 3T still fits her.  Because she is tall however, the 4T fits her length but tends to be baggy in other areas.  So I tend to hold on to the smaller sizes and just pair it with leggins.  Thankfully this allows her many different options and we seriously love our hand me downs from Ant Denise.  I got into her flower basket as well.  We often tend to lose our favorite hair flowers and I am always searching everywhere for them.  I decided to organize them as best I could by clipping them to a long ribbon.  So much easier to find the color we want and Layla loves to be able to pick them out on her own in the mornings now.  Flowers are her trademark.  If you ask someone if they know her, they often say, "Oh the cute little girl with the flower?"  She still hardly has hair, so this is a must have accessory for us and one that I just feel is part of her and her personality.  She is my foofy flower baby girl!  I didn't realize the magnitude of my obsession with them until I began stringing them on the ribbon and actually seeing how many we have.  Slightly obsessed?

I also hung up ribbon for their school artwork.  They come home with so many beautiful pictures and projects that my fridge is just not big enough to display it all.  SO we created this ....

Monday, we ended up having a fabulous time after school.  I decided to not let my worry about dinner and getting it served on time bother me and I just ignored the fact that I needed to cook all together.  We got home, unpacked our bags and headed outside.  We played on the swing set.  We played ball.  Hannah and I played soccer and Layla became the hero when we kicked the ball over the fence into the neighbors yard.  Because she is a tiny bit, I was able to lower her over the fence to get it! LOL  It was so much fun just to let loose and play!  Cameron had a blast in the swing and the crazy man even goes down the slide and cracks up the whole way.  We came in at 5:30 and I somehow managed to put together a meal by 6:00.  It wasn't half bad either!  Steak Stir fry with white rice!  The best part was that the kids ATE it!  We are trying to get out of our macaroni and cheese, hot dog, hamburger, pasta every night routine.  I am trying to cook one meal.  One HEALTHY meal and have the whole family eat it.  This can be tough.  But I am on a mission!  They need to learn to eat healthy NOW and I need to be their example.  Here goes nothing!


Tuesdays.  Tuesdays are suppose to be my "day-off",  I can tell you that it is anything but a day off!  LOL  When I think of having a day off, I think about being lazy to wake.  I think about making breakfast for the kids but being able to make them something special like homemade waffles or pancakes.  I think about relaxing but doing something fun with the kids.  Slow moving day full of sunshine and rainbows.  Apparently, I live inside my head too much because that is SO not what my Tuesdays are like!  Instead, it's the hustle and bustle of getting the banana off to school, running to pick up Mom and then we are tossed into a whirl wind of "in the car, buckle car seats, out of the car, unbuckle car seats.  Running errands and going to eh market.  Layla dances from 1:00 - 2:00.  This is Cameron's nap time so we usually spend the hour chasing after him.  Then I drive around and try and get him to fall asleep in the car before we pick up Hannah from school.  Usually this is to no avail and Layla falls asleep instead.  We pick up Hannah from school and then go home to figure out dinner.  I make enough to send home with my parents and enough for my in laws to eat since they had to watch the kids this week while I had a 6:00PM appointment.  The glitch was that Hannah has dance from 5:00 - 6:30, so I drop her off and then come back to get the table set before I drop off Mom and head to my appointment.  My mother in law picks up Hannah from dance.. and so on until it is 10:00PM and I am completely exhausted!  Although.. dinner didn't come out too badly considering....

I did get to spend some time with Ana this week though and I just love this time we spend together.  I swear we could talk for hours.  I put the kids to bed and headed over to her house where we literally sat and talked for nearly four hours.  We sit outside in a stress free environment and just hash out life's problems.  The more I get to know her, the more I see how similar we are.  I am blessed to have her in my life and I swear God sent her to me at this crucial point when I really needed someone to make me feel like I haven't lost all my marbles.  Thank you Ana for "getting me".  For making me feel somewhat normal and for loving me for who I am. 

Hockey starts this weekend for Hannah and I am so excited to see her skate again.  I feel like it has been forever.  Billy took her to get some new gear since the squirt has outgrown everything!  Mommy's thrilled that she has a new helmet to wear as well.  I am anxious to see where she places and even more anxious to hopefully see her play some games this season.  I think Sunday will determine where we stand with all of that.  I am a little hesitant to see how many days a week it will tie up, but I am also excited to see her continue to excel at this sport. 

This is a picture of Layla's Family Project.  I think Hannah and I had more fun creating it than Layla did, but it certainly came out in the famous Layla style!  It's all about PURPLE!

This is a picture of Hannah from last weekend.  Auntie Jill, her personal shopper always tends to buy her EXACTLY what she loves to wear.  Uncle Dave and I agree that she often looks more like Elton John circa 1980... but just the same... I let her be who she wants to be... within reason of course.

Last but not least, here is a picture of the crazy, little Cameroni!  God I love him!  Even though I spend most of the day frantically chasing after him while trying to say a firm "NO"!  To which he laughs at me and continues to do the thing I am telling him not to do!  LOL

It's just me and the Ravioli at the office today and I am soaking her up.  The kid has had me in stitches most of the day.  Her current favorite songs are "I want to go all the way" by Brittany (oh boy), the oldie but goodie, "Who let the dogs out"  (she seriously makes me replay and replay it) and Foster the People's, "Pumped up Kicks."  She just decided that I must wear her flower and stuck it on my head....  my little booger..

 
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week.  Remember... September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!  GIVE BACK!  It will warm your heart!  I promise!

Reason #2 Why I Love the Spring....

Playing Street Hockey in the driveway! 

I spent the day with Nonnie, Layla and Cameron running errands.  As usual, our errands always turn into some sort of adventure and we ended up down city walking to and fro without a stroller!  I had to go to the Attorney General's office to get a BCI check form in order to volunteer in Hannah's school.  Of course there is no parking down town so we parked a million miles away and trekked it.  Only to find out that I needed a bank check to pay for the BCI check and cash wouldn't do.  We ended up walking to Kennedy Plaza, making a stop at Sovereign where they suggested we head over to the Post Office for the bank check as the fee was cheaper.  Did I mention that we had the two little ones and NO STROLLER?  LOL  It was a gorgeous day and we took our time, making pit stops to go potty and stepping into Starbucks to get Cam and Layla a treat.  Thankfully, the kids were excellent and Nonnie and I took turns carrying Cameron.  After this two hour errand, we headed home exhausted! 


Kenzie came over after school to keep Hannah company and I really can't even get over these two and how much they have grown and matured.  Their friendship is like that of two little old ladies and it can be quite comical to watch.  One second they are loving on each other and the next they are snapping at each other.  Yet, the two of them would be lost without each other.  I got some cute video of them dancing to the Biebs that I will have to post. 


Papa came over to meet Nonnie and have dinner.  After dinner we were about to clean up the piles of dirty dishes when I decided NO.  I wasnt going to spend the beautiful evening cleaning dishes and wasting precious time.  I made everyone stop and outside we went.  (I'm learning)  Every single one of us.  We played, we laughed and it was an AWESOME evening.  Then the hockey net came out and the rest is history!  LOL  What a wondeful Spring evening and a memory I wont soon forget.  I gave the kids their bath and then cuddled them to sleep. 

After bedtime, I received a phone call that ticked me off.  That's as far as I will go with it but I was mad and I needed to vent.  I texted my Ana at 8:30 and headed on over for some girl talk, venting and some heavenly wine!  We sat outside just talking and talking and listening to each other.  Why hadn't we thought of this before?  Put the kids to bed and THEN get together!  LOL  It was just pure awesomeness and her friendship is something that I totally cherish.  It's amazing how people come into your life at exactly the most perfect time!  Now if I can only get rid of this pounding (wine) headache.. I'd be golden!  Oh how I love my McGuire girls!  You know who you are... what a fun summer we are about to have!


We had a FANTASTIC night at the Circus on Sunday.  We went full throttle and I completely SPOILED them!  I didnt care.  It was our girls night and I was going to make it a memorable one at that!  Layla was so hyped up on sugar (a full bag of cotton candy) that she had Hannah and I in belly laughs most of the evening with her craziness.  She was even attempting to do acrobatics in her seat!  It was beyond hilarious!

Needless to say, they were exhausted by the time we got home Sunday night!

I went to open the curtains yesterday and found this on the bow window.  Apparently, Hannah was trying to revive a Dandelion... it was the CUTEST thing!

Nonnie and Layla playing "Ghosts" yesterday, although Layla looked more like Cartman! LOL

This was Joseph and Layla playing after school yesterday.  I thought it was so precious!

And this was my gorgeous girl this morning before school.  She needed to dress up for a Mother's Day surprise and delighted I was, that she looked so beautifully dressed.  So much so, that I offerred to buy her some new dresses after school today.. and she took me up on it!  THANK YOU HEAVEN!  How nice it will be to see her in some dresses!!!!