May Fun (Train Park, POLE dancing, and Children's Museum!)

May was a fun month for us. But a busy one too. We tried to hit some of the major attractions in the area before it got too hot and before the schools got out so that we could enjoy these places without dealing with the crowds! First stop was the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park where we met up with friends for a day of fun! It was great.

I just love the ambiance here. It looks old and historic to me, kind of nostalgic. The old trains available for touring add so much to the place...



And my girls loved exploring and playing!



And what trip to the train park is complete some of your girlfriends...



...and a ride on the carousel!



And of course when we took the kids to the playground all they wanted to do was hit the sand! Maybe they are all beach babies at heart!?



My girlfriends and I decided to take a fitness based POLE dancing class in May also! I loved the motto of the dance studio painted right on the wall of the waiting area... "Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes"



I firmly believe this and it is something I am trying to live by and something I am trying to help my girlfriends believe. Once you have sacrificed your body for child rearing you really need to let go of this ridiculous standard society has set that we strive to live up to. And we should just enjoy being our fabulous selves (stretch marks, cellulite and breastfed saggy boobs and all). And FABULOUS we are! Check us out:



We had so many laughs! It was hard to take photos cause the room was SO dark. But we managed to grab some good ones.


It was a little awkward in the beginning but once we started doing it and loosened up and starting not taking ourselves so seriously it was a lot of fun! And we learned a cute little routine for our Husbands! :)

We also went to the Children's Museum before school got out. With the exception of me getting into an argument with a retired male OLD museum employee who was treating me and my Mom friends like crap and telling us how to parent out children in the most rude and disrespectful way, we had a real good time with our friends! The girls always go nuts at the museum and like seeing and touching everything they can!



Ryen was fearless when it came to running blindly through "noodle forest". I was impressed! She was also fearless when it came to licking the giant ice cream cone at the pretend ice cream cart. UGH! Blah!!


Here are some more of my favorites from their time at the museum.

Weekly Trips to the Zoo!

I have not blogged much in a while. We just have been so busy this Summer traveling, playing, swim lessons, exploring the Zoo and Museums, reading, swimming and sleeping! :) Basically as Kelle would say "sucking the marrow out of life" But I promise to get caught up.

We got a jump start on Summer but deciding to commit to hitting the Zoo once a week throughout the entire Summer. We are zoo members and can go whenever we want for free. So we decided to get use of this asset. May weather was crazy. One day it was windy and cold and we were all freezing. The next day was super nice out and breezy and comfortable, the next time it would be hot and we were sweltering- but we make do. The kids never care and a little sweat never hurt anyone. My favorite part about trips to the zoo is the cool free photo souvenirs I get. Ok so technically they are not free and I do steal them from the zoo photo website (hence the big PROOF word on them). But I still think they are cool to share. Here are some of my favorites:





And of course we have our own photos of fun with friends:





And photos of our special trip with Aunt Lori before she moved back to MA :(



I finally had someone there to take photos of me and my girls! (Thanks Lori)



Both of them had fun going down the tunnel slide:





And of course who can forget about the animals... oh the animals!!


How about this little guy who just walked right up to us cause he wanted our cheerios. Ever seen anything as cool as this?? He must have really liked those cheerios cause he rewarded us by fanning his feathers.


And how about this one... while visiting our favorite baboons one of them perked up when he saw us coming and was chatting with us through the glass. One of the perks of coming to the Zoo so much is you make friends... The girls loved it!



And of course there is always the Carousel. A trip to the zoo is not complete with out the magical music and blinking lights of our beloved carousel. The place where my girls give out the most smiles, giggles, and excited squeals as their animals of choice ride up and down and we carousel in circles. They love it... it is our weekly tradition. And shhh.... Mommy loves carousels too.

Nothing like a Big Sister!

Most people would probably say my girls are really close. Yes they fight and taunt and toy with each other and push each others buttons. And they steal toys away and push and hit on occasion when they think we aren't looking. But they really love each other. Our decision to have our children so close in age was one we have regretted many times from pure exhaustion and frustration and the wish that things didn't have to be SO hard. And there are times I think I should have waited one more year...

BUT... then I see them playing with each other. And laughing with each other. Actually watching the same TV programs and still interested in the SAME toys (hence the fighting). And nothing makes me happier then to see them hug and kiss when I am not asking them to make up from a fight, or because I have my camera out, but just because they want to do it on their own. Or when I sneak a peak in the rear view mirror and they are HOLDING HANDS quietly as they watch TV in the backseat. Or how when we park at the gym Ryen repeatedly refuses my attempts at holding her hand through the parking lot cause only her Big Sister's hand will do. Oh.My.Heart... Tonight at bedtime Ryen was laying in bed saying "Ella bye, Ella bye!" I said "You want to tell Ella goodbye, goodnight" "Yeah" said her little voice. So we went and got Ella who climbed up and gave her kisses and hugs goodnight. It was so cute.

And something else happens sometimes that makes my heart smile. Like when a stranger gets a little too close to Ryen, Ella will move right in to protect her. She has even said "this is MY Sister" on a few occasions. When Ryen gets hurt Ella is there to help her up and make sure she is ok or tell me about it. And her sweet little voice says "Are you ok Ryen?" And it goes both ways too. If Ella is hurt or crying or in time out, Ryen walks over to pat her back or rub her head or try to hug her.

My kids are water babies. I have always taught them to respect our pool and the water but not to fear it. Maybe that is why I have a 3.5 year old who is in swim classes with all 5 year olds, who has been truly swimming unassisted since before 2.5 yrs. I always watch them closely around pools and they are never outside or in a pool without me. But I am also not afraid to let them explore the pool and the water. Ella learned to walk in our pool at 9 mos old and was walking on land at 10 mos. Ryen was a month behind her on both. Yes they lost balance or stepped off a ledge and went under once in a while and I was there to scoop them out within seconds and make sure they saw a smile on my face instead of a look of fear. I sternly warn them not to lean over pools or not to try to climb into the pool where there is no step (and many time outs have been given for failure to listen). But I ultimately let them "safely" learn from their mistakes and am there to help them when they make them. And today we had the best Big Sister moment of all...

While Ryen and Ella were playing on the steps of our spa, I was trying to shoo a menacing bee away. I took my eyes off the girls for a couple seconds and when I turned to look back I couldn't see Ryen. I was already springing towards them saying "I don't see Ryen" when at the same time I heard Ella yell "Mommy- Ryen slipped into the deep area" Ryen had simply mis-stepped and slipped off her play area (18" deep) and into the shallow spa (3.5 ft deep) But her Big Sister was right there for her. Ella is so tall she can already stand in our spa and she was trying so hard to pull Ryen up above the water as best she could till I could gather her. She actually did pick her up and hold her above the water and since Ryen weighs more than half Ella's weight it was no easy feat for her to hold her baby Sister up like that (even in water). But Ella knew to instinctively grab her for the short seconds it took me to get to her. I was so proud of her. As kids they are taught so many times when another kid is in trouble in a pool you tell a grown up and don't try to rescue them yourself. But she just couldn't resist when it came to her Baby Sister. So I told her how proud I was of her that not only did she immediately tell me when Ryen slipped off her step but that she tried to help her. Ella was smiling from ear to ear and looked really proud of herself as Daddy and I gave her high fives and tens!

Even though I felt bad that Ry Bunny was a little scared after she slipped in, I know she will be a little more cautious next time. And if not, I will be there to remind her that she fell and needs to be more careful of where she steps (it can be hard for them to see where a ledge stops under the water). And Ryen learned how to burp from some water she swallowed- ha ha. She even tried to run her naked but back to the pool when I was drying her off! But what made me truly happy today was how her Sister had been there for her when Ryen "needed" her. It is that kind of protective instinct that these girls have for each other that left me feeling peaceful inside. That lets me know that they will continue to look out for each other for many many years to come. Hopefully their entire lifetimes.

7 Years already???

Happy Birthday to my Mandy girl. My sweet sweet girl. I can't believe she is 7 already. I feel like it was just yesterday she came into my life. I remember the first time I laid eyes on her. I had waited SO long for her. I had wanted her all my life and couldn't seem to have her and then there she was. A gift, a surprise from my husband actually, and ultimately an unbelievably life changing addition to our lives and home.

Seriously? Cutest baby picture ever:

Our first week home with her:

She took no time getting herself comfy in our house! LMAO!

Mandy prepared me for Motherhood that would come 3.5 years after her. She was there at my wedding and there to greet both my babies when we came home from the Hospital. She has just now started to like our two kids and I think is coming around to forgiving Jimmy and I for bringing them into the house. ;)

Here she is at our Wedding:

She also forgave us for bringing Cali home who
had ZERO concept of Mandy's personal space:

She is the best dog ever. Even people who don't like dogs cant help but like her. She is too cute. Her nose/snout never got real long like an adult dog so she still has a puppy quality to her that makes people melt. See...

Some of our favorites from the past few years:

Last night me and the girls baked Mandy a carrot cake (her favorite) and topped it with Peanut Butter as Frosting (especially her favorite!) She was so excited to have it tonight she practically jumped out of Jimmy's arms and onto the table and right into the candle...

Oh yes we had cake!!!

Happy Birthday Mandy Girl! We love you!!

Motherhood

There was a time when people thought I was pretty negative or that I didn't enjoy motherhood. It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying Motherhood, in fact I was LOVING it most of the time. What I wasn't enjoying was what I perceived to be a constant state of failure that I was putting myself in. I was always looking around at grout seams that I know you should be beige but are brown instead. Dust balls of doggie hair that would whisp past me in the hallway as my slippers gently shuffled the air around them. The kitchen floor that I swore I was going to start mopping every other day and yet for some reason I think it has been over a week. The arts and crafts in the corner that I swore I would sit down and do with Ella, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. The alphabet sheets and workbooks and color wheel I needed to teach her. The breastfeeding I tried SO HARD to Master for both my littles, and ultimately ended up doing the best I could. My priorities were out of whack. I never slept. Never. Not one nap through both pregnancies. Through all of Ella being an infant. Always felt guilty about it. There was some bill that needed to be paid, an email that needed returning, a grocery list that needed tending, a trip to the store for paper towels, a rug that needed vacuuming or my personal favorite... me with my ONLY chance to take a shower that day. Motherhood is HARD. Especially when you stay home with your kids all day, everyday. Let no one tell you it isn't. But we are paid in something better than money... we are paid in love... and sometimes hugs and kisses if we are lucky. ;)

And then those twos. Those make you or break you as a parent twos came along. And us being first time parents just happened to have one of the kids that is OFF the charts STRONG WILLED. Stubborn, Independent, and a FIGHTER. Great! lol. But we survived it, (barely). And the way I survived it wasn't by being negative, it was by being brutally honest about it. There were days I yelled more than I wanted to. There were days I called them names I wish I could take back. There were days I couldn't stand to be in the same room as them... but there were days we laughed so hard I thought I would never stop. There were days when they ran up to me and threw their arms around me and said I love you without being prompted or asked. Days they picked me flowers cause they wanted to on their own. Days when they showed me that they accept me as imperfect as I am, and I can and should do the same for them. They love me in spite of the times I act in ways that I am not proud of, just as I still love them in spite of the times when they act the same. Talking about these hard times was to let it out into the Universe and expunge it from my mind, so I could start fresh with a new day. And I have been told over and over that so many of my friends appreciated the honesty. They could lighten up on themselves a little bit more. They weren't the only ones who had done things, said things and had days they wished they could take back. They were... imperfect... and that was OKAY!

But my kids lately have their own unique ways of showing me how much they love me. Ella's favorite thing to do now is just to come up to me and make up some ridiculously cute way to describe how much she loves me. Tonight it was this "I love you to the stars and back and to the rainbow, with all the glitter and sparkles and stickers in the whole world... and back... and then back again." Doesn't that just make it all worth it. I swear it makes my eyes fill up because to a 3 yr old that really is just about the biggest thing ever that her little heart could think to describe her love for me. Rainbows, glitter, sparkles and stickers. She loves me more than those things. ((sigh)) and my Bunny... oh Gosh my Bunny. I could never imagine our house or life or my heart without her. Her way to show me is when I put her to bed at night and we are all done singing our songs along with her light up glo-worm she simply says Mommy hug. And reaches her arms up to me. But this is no simple hug, I tell ya. We have a sleigh crib that is so tall that when I was pregnant with Ryen I used to have to use a stool to put Ella in and out of it or to lean over and tuck her in. So when Ryen asks me for one of these hugs it is no small feat. I try to lean over as best as I can but that is not good enough for Ry. She wraps her little hands around my neck and pulls me close to her. She pulls me so hard I almost fell in on top of her once. It is a balancing act and one that I have come to love. For while she is squeezing me tight not wanting to let me go I whisper in her tiny ears how much I love her and I kiss the little skin right by her ear lobes. And she sighs in response. A perfectly contented little "My hear is happy, I got my Mommy fix and can go to sleep now" sigh... And I sigh too. Especially since balancing on this crib to do this always leaves me hurting where I had my C-Section. But that just reminds me of the beautiful day this girl came into our lives and even that is worth every second of it.

Waking up AZ style...

Lying in bed this morning listening to the birds chirp outside my window and I hear a strange sound. WOOSHHHH! hmmm? Did I just hear something...? Close my eyes attempt to drift off to sleep again and less than a minute later there is again WOOSHHHH! It was so loud this time like someone was standing right outside my bedroom window. I jumped up out of bed and said "I know that sound!!" It is a sound you wouldn't really recognize unless you had been as close to one as we have been time and time again since moving here... I ran and grabbed Ella who was watching cartoons (and my camera) and said follow me outside quick!!

It seriously was hard for us to find what we were looking for at first cause we were looking in the sky for it. Then I looked at eye level and saw it just coming up over my fence. A GIGANTIC Hot Air Balloon! I wasn't expecting it to be that low and I fumbled to get my lens cap off. This video doesn't really do it justice as it was so much larger, so looming, and so much closer to us than the video might make it seem. But the two story home in this video is my next door neighbors house. You can see see how it looks like it will it barely clear her roof without hitting it. (of course it wouldn't hit the house, but it looks like it is very close to it!)

Enjoy: (for those of that you get this blog emailed to you click here to see it)

So fun! How could I go back to sleep after that?? Good Morning everybody! :)

The Cord

We are connected,
My children and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't be seen
By any on Earth.

This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my children to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied.

It's stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.

It pulls at my heart
Sometimes leaves me
Bruised and sore, but
This cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that we
Are connected this way
As Mother and child it
will never go away.

A BEANTOWN week in review...

The girls and I flew to Boston almost two weeks ago for play and fun with family and friends and the birth of my Niece Isabella! As you can imagine there are tons of photos, as we had so many events and things happen while there. I am trying to choose just a few from each day to put on the blog so I don't overwhelm everybody. Here we go!

TUESDAY:
obviously not much happened on Tuesday except us flying to Boston and snuggles with Nana and Grandpa before bed. The girls in spite of being SO tired were so excited to see Nana and Grandpa they did not want to go to bed and so we let them stay up super late!

Here we are in the airport ready to take off:

Playing and cuddling with Nana and Grandpa:

WEDNESDAY:
In the morning we stopped by Nana's work so her friends could see the girls. Then we met Auntie Lisa at her house and took her out for lunch and milkshakes at Friendly's, and then back to Auntie Lisa's for playtime.

Lunch with still prego Auntie Lisa:

Playing at Lisa's house:

No sooner did we get back to my parents house on Wednesday night to have dinner with my Papa Walter, then we were in the car again to head back to the South Shore because Isabella came a day earlier than we expected! She was 7lbs, 21" and born at 7:14pm on Wednesday April 28th! (she is already two weeks old already... I cant believe it!) Luckily we all (me, my parents, my kids, and Papa Walter) all trekked up to the hospital to meet Isabella.

Here she is~ Isabella Grace Beatrice:

THURSDAY:
We hung at Nana's on Thursday having a lazy morning so Ryen would take a nice long nap before heading to the Hospital to visit Baby Isabella and Lisa and Dave. This time the kids would get to see her instead of being stuck in the waiting room. The girls did great. They sat on the floor and colored while we briefly got to visit with Aunt Lisa and while I held Baby Isabella. Later that night Daddy came to town and we picked him up at the airport. My favorite quote was from Ella "Mommy I am just so excited that Daddy is here that I cant go to sleep!" How cute... (PS she used that excuse for the next 3 days!)

Us visiting the new parents and Isabella at the Hospital

PS: This is what you look like after you rock it out in Boston! LOL

FRIDAY:
On Friday it was WEDDING TIME!! My best friend since 7th grade and my adopted 2nd family, The Yerardi's, celebrated the marriage of their son Michael. It was so nice to see Rose and Russ Yerardi who call me Baby Bear (I call them Mama and Papa Bear). I was very excited to have an excuse to put on a cocktail dress (being a SAHM we dont get many of those) and have a date with my gorgeous husband. My parents watched the kids for us and we got a room for the night, so we got to sleep in till 8:30am! Funny how 8:30am is now sleeping in for us! Ha ha! I also got some quality time with my friend Christine.

Christine and I being goofballs with party glasses from the DJ! lol


Me and Jimmy and Me and Christine!

Here are some more photos of my living it up on my night out! ;)

My kids got to spend the night hanging out with
Uncle Joey, Aunt Samara and Cousin Justin :

SATURDAY:

Saturday we picked up the kids and my nephew Justin from my parents and headed to our friend Chuck's house for a BBQ with some of our friends and some of Jimmy's friends from high school and college who made the trip up to see him from RI and CT. It was so nice of Chuck to host us at his house and we were so glad with our friends coming out to see us. Thanks everybody. Looking forward to seeing you guys again soon.

My favorite: Gotta teach them young... j/k it was sealed:

To see the more photos of the BBQ Click here

SUNDAY:

Sunday morning I took the kids to my Mama Bear's house to visit with Grandma Rose (Yerardi). Rose made coffee for me (as usual) and even baked!! So cute! We didn't have long to spend but Auntie Christine stopped by too and we took some photos with the kids.

Afterwards the kids played at Nana and Grandpa's again with Uncle Joey and Cousin Justin while Jimmy and I went to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Dave's to say Goodbye to Baby Isabella. It was Jimmy's first time being able to see their house and the new renovations they did for the baby. And funny thing is they had just gotten home from the hospital and were so tired that they both fell asleep on the couch while talking to us. We knew it was time to leave. LOL!!! Isabella is adorable and a little peanut. Here are some photos of our time with her. I miss her already...

Auntie Jill getting her baby fix! :)

Just remember us as your super way cool Aunt and Uncle that live in Arizona where you are welcome to come visit any time you want, Isa.

But seriously, who doesn't love sleepy baby yawns?

Ahh... that's more like it, Mommy!

All in all it was a busy and exhausting and constantly on the go type of trip. The one where you get home and you feel like you need a vacation. But it was a great time. Ella is finally old enough to start understanding having to say goodbye to people and that she wont see them for a long time. She has told me a few times she misses her Nana since coming home. Here are some more of my favorite random shots of the kids enjoying their visit to Boston.

We are already planning an April 2011 trip home for Isabella's first birthday party. And then starting in 2012 I think I will be bringing the girls back to Boston from about June 10-July 10 ish every Summer to visit family, spend time in Cape Cod, site-see, hit the beaches and get the hell out of this heat and into some humidity instead... ha ha. Just Kidding!