Trampoline Time

I cut this video a little short.  You'll see why at the end....you never know what Emma will try to do to her baby brother.  And I'm not taking any chances when it comes to the trampoline!

Spinning!

For the past 6 months or so, I've become addicted to spinning.  But before I go off on this wonderful drug, left me explain the journey that got me to this addiction.

Last summer, I had had it.  I hated the way I looked in the mirror.  I hated my attitude I had towards myself.  And most frighteningly, I hated what example I was setting for my children.  Most obviously, to my daughter.  I had reached the heaviest weight I had ever been at in my life.  I was no longer feeling like myself, wearing my fashionable outfits and stilettos.  At that point, I was almost at the same weight when I was 8 months pregnant with Emma.  So sad.  And so gross!

So I told myself, "Enough!"  Enough of this gorging on food and feeling like a fat, lazy ass.

From that moment on, I started eating healthy and exercising religiously.  I got a full body assessment at Lifetime, where they gave me my target heart rate zones so that I could efficiently burn the most calories during my workouts.  (Best dang money I ever spent!)  Now, do I splurge and have a chocolate-dipped cone from DQ every now and then?  Heck yes I do!  I want to live and enjoy that wonderful deliciousness!  But I also know how to balance it out.  Which is what it's all about.

I'm not at my "goal" weight yet.  But I'm not worried.  It's not a race.  I'll get there.  Most importantly, I'm feeling so freaking fantastic, it's ridiculous.  I am the most fit I've ever been in my entire life.  I can spin for 2 hours straight like it ain't no thang!  When I'm on that bike, it's a beast takes over me and I feel like I can kick anyone's butt.  On most days, I wake up in anticipation, counting down the hours until my spinning class comes.  I just can't say enough, how much I love this drug! 

And I know that this attitude has benefited my daughter.  She loves to "stretch" and "exercise" too.  (It's hilarious, actually.  She looks at my fitness magazines and tries to emulate the Yoga poses.  It's claaaassic.)  Andy & I both want to raise our children in a healthy environment.  While we have no control over genetics (Hello, obesity on both sides!), we can control our eating and exercising habits, raising our children in an athletic and happy household.

So there you have it.  There's my spiel on this wonderful drug called spinning.  I can't WAIT for this weather to finally turn so that I can start riding outdoors again.  Bring on those 50 mile rides....hell, I might even do a century ride this summer!  Who knows?

The Little People's Guide To The Big World

The kid's school gave us the neatest book the other day, called "The Little People's Guide To The Big World." It's a book produced for children and their parents as a means of reference for everyday events that may occur in the child's life. General topics such as Jealously, Moving, Getting Lost, and Braces are discussed....all the way to more in-depth topics such Adoption, Being Different, and Dealing with Death.

I thought this was such a clever book. It's so simple in nature, which is just what children need. With Emma's ever-inquiring mind, this book serves as a good tool to begin discussions, not to mention it's a good reminder for some of the simple things. Like not picking your nose. As addressed on the Manners page.

First Ride of the Season

While the kids were away at Papa and Grandma Ann's, Andy and I took advantage of the warm weather on Saturday for our first ride of the season.  And let me just tell you how good it felt to be out on the road again!  I think I'm really going to be doing a LOT of riding this summer.

Green Dinner

We had a wonderfully [insert sarcasm here] green and nutritious meal for St. Patty's Day last week, including green noodles, green beans, green mashed potatoes, and green rice crispy treats.  Looks yummy, huh?

Top 'O The Mornin' To Ya

Today, we kicked off St. Patty's day with a trip to the bathroom! I've really pumped Emma up for St. Patty's day this year. Not sure why, I don't have like a weird fascination for it or anything. Nor am I Irish. But last night - well, for the past couple of weeks now - I told Emma that those mischievous Leprechauns do funny things at night while she's sleeping. Like turn the toilet water green. So she woke up this morning (after saying, "Top o the morning Mommy"), and went straight to the toilet. She was so excited for what she found...

Emma was very excited to have her picture taken: 

While Drew wasn't having it.  He is actually saying "NO!" here. 

And again.  Sissy's trying to sit all nice and cutesy, but Drewbie just wanted to play with the remote control instead. 

Thriller!

As a long-time MJ fan (pre-craziness, that is), it makes me happy that Emma shares the love for fantastic music videos.  One of them being Thriller.  Or as she call's it, Michael Jackson's ghoul song.  Check out her dancing skills as she tries to mimic his moves.  (And, being the ever competitive one that she is, you'll hear her saying "I can dance better than they can.")

For Grandma

When checking in on the babes before heading off to bed last night, I saw something that I know will just make my mom go gaga!  So for all you other readers out there, this video will be extremely boring.  But I know this will bring a huge smile to my mom's face.

So mom, here's a look back at "me", sucking my tongue while sleeping:

Drew's Recovery

Well, we made it through the surgery! The procedure itself only took about 45 minutes, so it was a rather quick process. I only got choked up as he was being wheeled away in a cute, little wagon because he started crying for us. And then, of course, I started thinking about what exactly was happening to him. Although he had no idea what was about to happen to him, being such a young toddler, the scariest part about surgery - I think - is being carted back into the surgery room. I remember when I had my surgery back in college: the worst part was walking back to the surgery room. You're in the hospital gown and slippers, pushing your own saline drip, walking into an extremely cold and sterile room. It's at that moment that everything comes rushing at you, like "Ohmyholyhell, what am I about to do? Is this really worth it? Do I really want to do this to myself? Why the hell is it so cold in here? Who are all these people in this room, looking at me through there masks? What the HELL am I doing?!?"

But like I said, I know those thoughts never entered his mind. But all I could think about was my little baby being carted off, to complete strangers.

So, anyway.....to keep my mind off the surgery itself, I made a Starbucks run, read up on some of my gossip blogs, and before I knew it, the surgeon was walking out to tell us everything went as plan and that Drew did great! Whew, such a relief! About 15 minutes later, we were able to go back to the waiting room to be with him as he woke up. And let me just tell you: that was the sweetest, yet saddest thing. Holding my little man, who was completely out of it, dazed and confused. There was no screaming, no fits, no outrageous behavior from coming out of the anesthesia. (I had heard horror stories of babies who went crazy in the hospital rooms, as a reaction to coming out of the anesthesia.) But not my little man. He would just look up, scratch his nose (as a result of the morphine), then lay his sweet little head back on my shoulder.

After about 30 minutes of "wake-up" time, we took our "drugged-up" little man and headed home. By the time we reached our house, he was awake and ready to go! Immediately he wanted to do his usual stuff: grab the remote, asking for "Gabba Gabba," play some basketball, and tear up the house. So I knew from that, that he was fine and ready to roll. So far, about 6 days after surgery, he hasn't had any problems or pain. The area is just tender to the touch, slightly bruised and swollen....but all in all, things are looking good and most importantly, Drew is doing wonderfully!

Pre-surgery, hanging out in the waiting room.

Playing on daddy's lap, with the remote!

Post-surgery, coming out of his fog:

My drugged up little man, staring out at the window.

And, by time we got home, he was back to normal, watching Yo Gabba Gabba!



Drew's Surgery

For a while now, I debated if I was going to go public and post this entry. Due to the personal nature of this surgery, I didn't want to compromise my child's privacy, nor did I want to reveal anything that could potentially haunt him down the road. But after weighing the consequences, coupled with the purpose behind this blog, I decided to post this entry.

However, I will keep it brief and vague.

My baby boy is undergoing a procedure tomorrow morning. Everything is fine - he's not ill; nothing has tragic has happened. It's an optional procedure that Andy & I have elected to have done on him. Again, I'm going to be vague. His classmates further down the road don't need to be reading anything that could be used against him, or in some hurtful manner.

The part that I wanted to take the time to write about is how I'm feeling, and what led me - US - to the decision to go forward with this procedure. As a parent, you want nothing more than for your child to be healthy, happy, and successful. You do anything and everything for your child. You make decisions that you think, hope, and pray for, are the best for them. Which is where we're at today. Andy & I have made a decision for my baby boy that I only hope is the best decision for him. It was a painstakingly hard decision to make, but I believe I am making the best decision for my little man.

I can't express how the next 24 hours will go for me. I can only take deep breaths and continue to think that what we're choosing to do is the best for my little baby Drew. I'll continue to write and keep everyone updated.

Nail Time With Emma

Taking the dress-up game to the next level, I got Emma a press-on nail kit a while back. Just as something fun for us to do at home in these yucky winter/rainy seasons. Don't worry; I won't be trying out for the next season of Toddles and Tiaras or anything. Emma enjoys it, and I get a kick out of playing a game of dress-up myself!

Fondue With Friends

This weekend I met up with two of my good friends from high school. Instead of going out to dinner, we thought it would be fun to do Fondue! So we went to the grocery store, got all the ingredients for cheese, meat, and chocolate fondue...and then what do we end up doing?!? We forgot one key ingredient. The white wine!

To make the cheese fondue properly, you need to add about a cup of white wine to the cheese mixture. Well, being the smart ladies we are, we just figured Sherry would do. And being the smartest lady there, I just thought that one cup of Sherry would equal one cup of white wine.

Holy Sherry, batman! Let's just say Charlie Sheen would've probably been the only one who would have enjoyed that fondue!

Hey, at least the chocolate fondue was heavenly!

In a later post, I'll share a video that I dug up from middle school, which was one of the main reasons we got together this past weekend. In the archives o' Ginny Wells, I found a VHS tape from my 14th Birthday Party. Circa 1993. One word can sum up this video: WINNING! More details and descriptions to follow. I'll leave you hanging in suspense until then.

Jumping Drew

It's always a good time at Grandma's house! Why is it, that even simple things like stairs  are so much more fun and glamorous at Grandma's house? We have stairs, but the kids don't go gaga over those. And we have chairs and blankets, but the kids don't think they're nearly  as cool as the ones at Grandma's house. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I often wonder what kind of drugs Grandmas and Grandpas give our children to make them think that everything is better at their house?!?...

Emma's Sleeping Positions

It's always a fun discovery, when I go to check on Emma every night before I go to bed.  She always seems to be in a some hilarious position, or have some random item in bed with her (umm, remember the open umbrella?!?).  Here's a couple of shots I took this past week.

See that white thing on her cheek? That's a sticker. There were 3 others on her belly, which I discovered the next morning when we were getting dressed.

Apparently, her dollie had some interesting secrets to share..... 

And this was a classic. Where's Emma? Oh, just hiding underneath the covers. That's her hand that's peering out underneath.

View #2 under the covers. 



Uncle Pat's 40th Birthday

Uncle Pat turned the big 4-0 last week, so we celebrated at Dave and Busters on Sunday. Despite some sub-par service (to put it nicely), everyone had a good time playing games, eating, and redeeming tickets for treats! Emma rocked all the rides, while Drew showed off his throwing arm at the football toss.

I love this picture below of my two men.  Holding footballs.  Playing the best sport in the world.

The Flood of '11

Here we go again.

Our house flooded.  Again. 

At this point in time, I am just so over it.  Because I know that not only will it happen again, but it will happen more frequently.  So we just need to get out.  We need to get out of this damn house that's caused nothing but an empty bank account and a heavy heart.  We've put so much sweat and money into it already, but really...it's just a notch on the belt.  It still needs so much more work.  But in the spirit of thinking positively, we're reaching out to our realtor to see what he says.  His motto is "Mr. Bill Sells Houses."......so let's see what kind of magic he can work to sell OUR house.

And get us the heck out of there!