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