Christmas Magic

Some images from Christmas...

Lil Man on his new trike, Lil Miss is the best present under the tree this year~

& Jackie dog even got some frisbees from the man in red!

Lil man taking the trike for a spin...
& Lil Miss tries out her new playmat - cheese!

Christmas Parade

Brrrr! It was a chilly night at the Downtown Christmas parade!

Lil Miss

I decided one afternoon to have a photo shoot with Lil Miss & these are 2 of my favorites!

Happy Thanksgiving

We have alot to be thankful for this year - the arrival of Lil Miss, who is such a sweet little girl & loves to be cuddled! Lil Man, who loves to give kisses & Sissy, our teenager in training!

House Divided

Mama's Boy & Daddy's Girl!

Lil Black Dress

Every girl needs one & that's what her shirt says 'This is my Little black dress'

Happy Halloween/Birthday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mother - also known as Grandma Mell or as my son, putting his own spin on it, calls her Moe. I could talk about all her years of dealing with raising a daughter & the trials of such, but right now at the forefront of my mind is her invaluable dedication to me & my family during the birth of my 2nd child, Lil Miss. Having been admitted to the hospital 5 weeks before my due date, Mom was there every minute (I did let her go home to sleep). While she was in charge of me, my husband took care of Lil Man, but she still found time to go check on him, clean my house, start laundry & have the carpets cleaned! She became such a fixture at the hospital, the nurses said she should be hired to decorate rooms, after making mine so homey... & then did end up spending the night after I was readmitted with blood pressure complications... I could go on & on, but that's it in a nutshell - I can never thank her enough, or tell her I love her enough... love you mom! Halloween was pretty much rained out, so I was glad we went to 1st Methodist's Fall Festival a couple of days beforehand. Ironically when folks asked me how old Lil Miss was & I said '5 weeks', I also had to tell them that the day (the 28th) was actually her due date! Lil Man was Buzz Lightyear & Miss was a Lil Leopard & she won the best infant costume!

This was a pose I used for the kids Halloween cards - I can't believe she fit in the pumpkin!

I LOVE this picture!

Not Jealous

No, he's not jealous, he just wanted to go for a swing too ;)

Welcome Lil Miss

We had a big surprise this month! Lil Miss arrived early! Although, I can't really say it's her fault... my BP was out of control & I developed pre-eclampsia. So, to help the both of us, we had a c-section on Sept. 21st - this made her about 5 weeks early, but after more testing, she seemed even younger, possibly 7 weeks early! She needed extra oxygen & TLC for a few days - which was really tough on us. Also sometimes when born that early, babies don't like to be touched - so that was extremely tough! & as she was on the mend, my situation went downhill with the BP. The condition usually passes after delivery, but mine did not. I actually had to be readmitted for treatment & was quiet scared. Everyone is now home & I'm so thankful to have everyone under one roof. Lil Miss is doing great & my BP seems to be leveling off - thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers & support.

Chicago - My kinda town!

We recently were able to attend my cousin/Godchild Kimmee's wedding in Chicago! The ceremony was beautiful & of course having a family reunion is alway a bonus! My poor legs/feet were so swollen that I had to wear my flip-flops to the wedding! At least they were black :D Below is our visit to Grams' house (my maternal grandmother). She enjoyed seeing the kids & the kids loved the Jockey outside - which has been around longer then I have! K was telling us that he was her Prince & giving him kisses (like her mom used to)....

A visit to the Brookfield Zoo was also on the agenda - Lil man posed on the Lion at the entrance, just like I did at his age! We loved the Dinosaur exhibit - at least he did until they moved & roared! & I still can't believe I mounted that tiger on the merry-go-round!

Navy Pier was our last day - Thomas the Train ride got FIVE visits from Lil man! The Children's Museum was also a big hit with the kids - making pizzas, fishing, playing in treehouses, changing tires - whew! Wears me out all over again! A few micellaneous - Lil man lovin' on the baby belly & his time on the putt-putt course! When golfing, he'd knock the heck out of it & then pick up the ball & place it next to the cup to put it in - then, he'd yell - 'I DID IT!'

A great visit in all & thanks to our benefactors, mom & Payne :D

Belated Birthday Girl

This sweet girl made me a step-mother 4 years ago - literally. She was the one who one night turned to her dad & said 'Are you gonna marry Jenn or what?' Needless to say, both of us were quite shocked! She then added 'Cause that would be great, then I'd have 2 moms & 2 dads'. Dave said it really made him think that she was onto something - he proposed shortly after that!
I'm glad she & I get along so well - we love movies, books, dolls, fashion, cooking, you name it! She's also a great help with her little brother (& me). Not only does she have all these great qualities, but she's intelligent too - what a package! Happy birthday (yesterday) sweetie!

Close Shave

While Mommy was taking a shower, Lil man decided he'd be Daddy & 'shave'. Needless to say, there was a big scream & lots of blood! As I applied peroxide, he kept saying 'bad Daddy' (way not to take responsibility son) - he did love the Nemo tattoo band-aid though... Mommy reinstalled the kid proof door thingy-ma-bobs today...

Racing to Bed

At least, we hope that's what the reults will be! We got Lil man this toddler bed, 1. the crib will be free for Boo & 2. Mommy can have her own bed as well ~ so far, so good!

Summer Belly LoVe

Lil man loves mama's baby belly - he usually says 'baby's hot',

but I like when he says 'Mama's hot' ;)

Sibling LoVe

Lil man had a great time during his Sissy's visit this week.

Here they are making kabobs, a favorite cook-out pasttime during summer visits. Another favorite pasttime is reading books! Sissy read 3 books every night! His favorite from the library right now is Flying & we also heard author Pete Litwin perform his book 'Pete the Cat, I love My White Shoes' at the library this week, so we got a copy for home.

Lil Man's Birthday #2

2 years ago today, this Lil man entered my life & changed it forever! Such a sweet natured boy & very precocious (if I do say so myself) - he amazes me everyday & I can't wait to see what he does next! I'm truely blessed!

Here is his birthday cake - my 1st atempt at a 'creative' cake & it didn't turn out so bad (if I also say so myself) - For those not 'in the know', this is Mack from the movie CARS - Lil man LOVES him & loved his cake! (red velvet with butter cream frosting).

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

YUM!!!

For his 'actual' birthday, we all ventured to the GA Aquarium - everyone had a blast (as long as we stayed away from the alligators!)

Father's Day & Birthday!

Happy Father's Day to my dad - this is him 'back in the day' - I recently found this pic & was able to scan it onto a card for him - he loved it!This is us at my wedding... I have to give dad credit for trying to teach me to play ball (hopeless), teaching me my 1st dirty joke (Custer's Last Stand - I still remember it to this day), with my grandfather also teaching me my 1st swear words & the value of fixing/doing things yourself - & always being there when I need him...
To the other dad in my life - my hubby - Dad to 2.5 - Sissy, Lil Man & soon-to-be Boo! Bet he never thought 5 years ago, he'd be married, 40(ish ;) & with 3 kids! It's fun (& interesting) to watch him teach the kids things everyday - of course golf is at the top of the list... & football season is right around the corner...

& guess what? It's MY birthday today too! Yep, 29 again - lol - Little did I know that I'd be 40(ish), married, with 3 kids either ;) This has been a crazy past year, with being unemployed for the 1st time since high school, but it has given me a great opportunity to spend time with my son & make him a 'real' Mama's boy ;) So, you can't look back on that as a bad thing, can you? It will be interesting to see what happens when the new baby arrives...

Pool Day

Floating in the pool today, Lil Man patted my belly & said 'baby swimming!' Awwww....

Daddy also put some gel in his hair to make him look 'like daddy' - the results!

It's a ....

GIRL!!! Can you believe they do these 3D ultrasounds at Dr. Miller's office now?!?! The little one was quite modest & kept her legs tightly together, but the technician felt sure the baby is a SHE! We also were'nt able to get a face shot in the 3D because she was facing my back, but at least we got this profile - at 20 weeks! Halfway there!

Bathing Beauties

Taking full advantage of the pool is my Lil man & 2 of his favorite girls, the Pressleys! He's learning to keep his water wings on, put on the inner tube & 'jump' off the top step into the water & wiggle furiously to spin himself... everyone slept well last night...

Spitting image

Think this is the Lil man? Think again! Look at the date on the side - yep, it's ME at 4! Scary huh?

Anniversary

4 years ago, I married my best friend - the guy who can one minute make me pull my hair out & the next, laugh my head off! Grilling out, dining out, laying out by the pool, drinking a good glass of wine or having friends over are many of the things we like to do together. Thanks honey for us never having a dull moment - to say the least... also for giving me a chance to be a step-mother to a beautiful, intelligent girl & mom to a wonderful little boy - not to mention having another on the way! Happy Anniversary to us!

Mother's Day Part 2

I tried to post this on Mother's Day & was having some issues.... so here it is, today!
Of course I have to mention my own mother - the lady that took me up my 1st tree - taught me patience is a virtue (I'm still working on that one) - you can catch more flies with honey - never burn your bridges - to always write thank-you notes - that you're always a mother, no matter how old your child is - that not everyone is as etiquette savy as we are & try not to judge them for it... ;) I could go on... I am always in awe of how she carries herself & how she thinks of everyone before herself - She is not only an amazing mom & example, but an inspiration. Love you mom!

Happy Mother's Day

We had a fun filled Mother's Day weekend! We started the weekend with a Family Day picnic at Hills & Dales Estate. Lil man liked to look at the horses, but not ride them - & he was REALLY surprised when one sneezed in his face! This is on our tour of the gardens, he LOVES to see water!

Next stop was church with Grandma Mell (aka Moe) & then to our favorite Mexican buffet at Los Nopales. Another stop at the water fountain too ;)

Then, I got to do my favorite pasttime, go to the movies with mom & see a total chick-flick 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' while Lil Man hung out with daddy at home. When I got back, I had this artwork waiting for me! Awwww.... love my guys too...