Beach Day

We celebrated Labor Day by going to the beach!  We had such a wonderful time at the beach with the kids, my brother, his girlfriend, and our neighbor.  It was the perfect way to end the summer (although it will still be quite warm for awhile) and get ready for the fall!

Stevie spent the day riding the waves in on the boogie board and also in an inflatable raft that my brother bought for the day.  He was really enjoying the ocean like he never has before.  I think he would've stayed ALL day long if he could have!

Jilly enjoyed the ocean also.  She clung very tight to me and wouldn't really go in with anyone else so I got in there with her.  The water was clear, calm, and warm.  Just like I like it!  She LOVED jumping waves with me and letting them hit against our backs, splashing all around us.  At first she was a little scared of walking on the sand, but by the end of the day, she looked like a regular beach comber :)

Here are some of our fave pics from that day...

Getting the courage to boogie board

Little beach diva... loved lounging in the chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the raft boat, too much fun!

Lovely beach ladies

Maybe no one will notice!

Love the waves

I can do this all day LONG

Countdown to Disney!

So the kids are very excited that we are going to Disney in a few days.  Well, Stephen is VERY excited and literally runs down every morning to tear off a Mickey Ear from our "Countdown" poster.  Jillian is just excited because her brother is.  She's good like that. :)

Our Disney Countdown... almost there!

This is our first trip to Disney and I believe it is going to be a great one.  Stephen seems to be at "that" age where he is interested in meeting the characters and looking forward to riding the rides.  We also have family in the Orlando area, so he knows that he gets a chance to visit with his cousins and that makes him super excited as well.

In other news... we have added a new puppy to our family.  We still miss Buddy terribly, but the house was too quiet without a dog.  Hmmm... does that sound funny: a 5 yr old, a 1 yr old, a cat, and a never-ending noisy deck project AND our house was TOO quiet.  Either way, he is super cute, laid back, and just what we needed to smile again.  His name is Tyson and he is a labbe or beagador, whichever you prefer.  He is a lab-beagle mix.  He had us from the moment we saw his little face on Petfinder.com.  This is our first "rescue" dog and my son thinks that means he just that, a RESCUE dog.  He asked me how Tyson will rescue us... from fires?  from bad guys?  with Super Heroes?  "Yes," I replied, "with Super Heroes."  He loves telling that ONE to his friends!

He LOVES the camera :)

The other funny thing about having Tyson is that he is the first puppy my darling hubby has ever had.  We decided that he would be the "Master" so to speak and be primarily responsible for everything puppy duty.  Well, about two nights into a relentless barking puppy in the middle of the night, my husband turns to me and says... "You never told me a puppy cries at night!?!"  I just rolled over and laughed... to myself. ;)

If looks could kill...

The next morning (hubby is extremely sleepy) he says, "Umm... how did you do this with two kids? Meaning getting up in the night for feedings and diapers and crying?"  He is beyond exhausted and sometimes questionably delirious.  The puppy is waking up ONCE a night...  I think this may have been one of the most eye opening conversations we have ever had in our marriage.  He was dead serious.  I just replied, "You wanted to be the Master."  We had a good laugh.  Tyson is now sleeping through the night.  I'm not even going to get into house training Tyson, that is a whole new post.  Needless to say, I'm not sure if: 1. Stephen will ever want another puppy and 2. He will ever want to be "Master" of another puppy.

Summer is winding down here and we are looking forward to the cooler weather that may hit us in... October?  This time of year is my favorite time of year.  I love cool autumn nights, wearing jeans and nice sweaters, and cooking the heartier meals that we love so much.  Another reason I love this time of year is because it traditionally signifies the beginning of school.  Ironically, Stephen tracks out next week for 3 weeks on his first break.  But, I have accepted a job at Jillian's preschool where she will attend a morning or two.  I am going to be the "Art" teacher.  Am I truly qualified to teach Art?  Not sure, I am not a professional artist, but I'm creative and I've found a great curriculum.  I think we are going to have a great time with the kids at school.  I am really happy to get back into the teaching world, even if it is only at a preschool.  I long for the day when a SmartBoard is my BFF again... but that is a long time down the road. :)

Buddy

On Friday, we had to say goodbye to my best friend for the last 14 years.  Buddy, our yellow lab, passed peacefully to Heaven.  We are heartbroken, but it was the best decision for our pup.  He was on the elderly side and just not enjoying life as much.  My husband and I are saddened by the everyday things we did with him.  The hardest part for me is just walking into our house and not seeing him wagging his tail and looking at me.  A part of me wanted to keep him hanging in a little longer, but there was no use.  Buddy gave me the "signs" that he was ready.  So, we hope he is a happier pup, running free with his puppy friends in Heaven, awaiting for the day (far, far from now) when we are reunited with him.  RIP Buddy...

Kindergarten... week 2

This is how today started off (9 days into his school career)...

"Momma, my foot hurts, don't think I can go to school today."

"Yes you can, your foot is fine."

"But Momma, my belly hurts now"

"No, your belly is ok too."

"Ok, but really my hand hurts and I can't hold the pencil."

"Stephen, you are going to school, please go brush your teeth."

"Ughhhhh...ok"

Is this how it starts?  After all these years of being a teacher, thinking that kids love going to school and spending the day with me, I'm on the other side.  The "I don't want to go side."  Bummer!  Hopefully Jillian will love school like I do.

In front of his classroom

Batman obsessed!

Take me too!

No Excuses...

There are none really... I'm a busy lady with little free time these days.  I apologize, but I am really enjoying my time with my kids.  As fortune would have it, I am blessed to stay home again this year instead of going back to teaching (which I seriously miss).  Thanks Hubby!!

So on Wednesday, there will be a huge milestone in our family time line, Stephen will start Kindergarten.  How crazy is that?  I know what you are thinking... they go year round here.  He starts now and goes for about 8-9 weeks with 3 weeks off.  He follows that routine until May, when he breaks for summer (5 weeks).  I think I might end up liking this... maybe?

Jillian is our little fire cracker.   She is loud and in charge at all times.  If you don't think she's in charge, well, she'll tell you what she thinks of that.  Completely different personality than Stevie (but I guess that wouldn't come as much as a surprise).  She is our little princess, peanut, chunky monkey, honey bunny, and pumpkin all wrapped up in one.  I believe (and hope) the bond she has with Stevie will be unbreakable.  They are beyond sweet with each other.

We just returned from a "vacation" to NJ.  This time it kinda felt like a "vacation" because we did somethings outside of my parent's backyard.  Haha... kidding.  We had a lot of fun times these past few weeks and to it was sad to see it come to an end.  While in NJ, we went to Stevie's very first Yankees game (loved it!!), Hurricane Harbor (get there soon, tons of fun), FunStation (great indoor play area), and the County Park.  Did I forget to mention the Fourth of July Parade in good old RP?  Can't miss that.

We have been back on the "get our house the way we want it" kick.  Stephen (with help of a friend and his dad) has ripped apart our old teeny, tiny deck and replaced it with a beautiful, oversized deck!  I will post pics as soon as it is completed.  He is about 90% done.  It even has built in planters (he knows how to make me happy) for my lovely flowers.  So he's been pulling 16 hours work days between the deck and his other job... the one that pays for all this.  Not sure the neighbors are loving his impact drill buzzing until midnight or so each night.  I figure we can invite them over for a lavish barbeque when it's all done and win them back over with charm and delicious food (and maybe a few drinks!)

So a few months ago, I had a complete hysterectomy.  Not really what I wanted for myself since I'm just in my 30s, but I guess with the symptoms I had, it was the best and final option.  On one hand I feel very good physically, like the best I've felt in years!  On the other hand, I feel very emotional and weepy and angry and resentful.  The emotional and weepy I'm getting better at.  Stevie has stopped asking "Mommy, are you crying again?"  But the anger and resentment (towards everything that has happened and what we have been through in 5 years) is still very real and came back up to the surface.  I've thought of numerous ways to deal with this... maybe a counselor, journaling about it, and the option I'm most excited about... physical exertion (as in 1:1 fighting, kick boxing, whatever I can pound on and blow some steam off).  I'll let you know which option I go with ;)

Here's some pics that I hope you enjoy...'

Fourth of July

 Carolina Beach

First Yankees game!

Cannon ball!

Cruising for chicks on the 4th...

Birthday celebration (#2)

Climbing the stairs

Preschool Graduation :'(

Finally a way to move on her own...

Swing batta, batta!

LOVE sunglasses

Mid-afternoon nap (too sweet)

5th Birthday!

Batman!

LOVES to play catcher!

Cooling off

Birthday celebration (#1)

Slacker...

Slacker...
Yes, that's me... slacker... I have valid reasons for not updating since Christmas. See we had a black cloud of sickness and surgeries that followed us from January until just last week. If it wasn't strep, it was sinus, if it wasn't appendicitis, it was tubes in ears... So, I was busy trying to get my family healthy and happy again. Plus, I started my own business! Yes, I am my own boss and I am loving it. But more on that later... family first.

Stephen is playing real-deal t-ball this Spring. They actually have the coaches pitch to them and if they can't hit it that way, they switch to the tee. It is going well so far, his first game is tomorrow and I hope they do great! Another big event is his life is that he is starting Kindergarten in July (they do year round school here) and he is going to "full-day" school, as he likes to call it. This is coming with mixed emotions as he is still my baby and I don't want him to start school because I know how quickly he will go through the grades. But, I know he is ready for this and I'm excited about all the new friends and experiences he is about to have.

He already has a few very close friends and two of them live on our block. He gets to see them often and they play well together. He enjoys riding bikes a lot now and that is most often the activity he wants to do outside. He also enjoys playing Wii games. He LOVES Batman Lego on the Wii. In fact, on the last ride up to Jersey, I connected the Wii in the car and he played the entire way up! Talk about a quiet ride (well for him atleast). Let's just say Jilly hasn't embraced the car yet.

Speaking of Jilly, she has hit a few milestones in the last few weeks. She has started to crawl and is on the move! She has also started to pull up and can walk down the couch as she holds on. She LOVES to eat gelato and pasta and guess what... no teeth yet! Not even a sign of them coming! She will be ten months next week. We received a wonderful piece of news this week, her adoption is finalized! Yay, Jilly! We were so excited to get this news and celebrated last night, just the four of us.

Jilly has just started to say two words: Dada and Baba. Not Mama, not even trying. Both kids said Dada first... go figure! She enjoys teasing Max and Buddy and giggles when she is near them. It is super cute.

Next weekend is her Baptism and I have really been reflecting this past week on our journey to Jillian. We waited so long, we tried so hard, and put all we had into having another baby. I am constantly reminded of a dream I had a few years ago. My Nana came to the end of my bed and in her pink pants and white shirt (with a flower on it) said to me "Relax, you're going to have another baby and it's going to be a girl." I held on to that dream for a very long time and it in a way became my comfort and strength when I thought we couldn't possibly go on. The other memory that has been in my mind is from a Fall Festival in Ridgefield Park (when we lived in NJ) and Stephen sat down with a psychic for a free reading. He did it just to do it, no other reason why. She told him two things that came true within 9 months... she told him he would be accepting a management position and that we would be moving again (which happened) and that we would have a baby girl. She went into a little more detail and said that the first trimester would be worrisome for us, but would turn out ok and that he would have a "different" kind of connection/attachment to her.

We pondered what that meant and at the time, we were still waiting to do a frozen cycle in India. We figured maybe it meant the first trimester with our surrogate would be touch and go, as sometimes they are. Then the cycle turned out negative. We were numb to it. We decided to try again later that winter and thought the same thing... it would be touch and go. Well, we lost that pregnancy too. Numb wasn't even close to describing how we felt. We decided to try adoption. And just like that, it was like God put us on the express lane to Jillian. It was totally meant to be and very, very easy.

Sorry, I drifted... but I feel like these are important words to get out.

So all in all, we are doing well. Stephen's work has kept him busy, which is always a good thing. Stevie is having a blast at school and with his friends. Jilly is trying really hard to grow so she can get out of the 5%tile for height. And I'm busy with my business. I took some online classes and opened up Social Butterfly Online Media. I basically manage FB, Twitter, and websites for small businesses in my area. I love what I do, although I do really miss teaching, but I've made some great friends and lots of connections. Plus, I get to stay home with the kids and not feel brain dead.

I wish all of you well and until next time!