Goodbye February...Hello March!

February was filled with many blessings...here, I will name some of them:

• I got to see my Christ Renews His Parish Sisters on 2/8 for Tara's Baby Shower. Baby Micah will be here soon! Prayers for a safe and healthy delivery.
• We found out that our friends, Matt & Sarah Crosby are expecting their first born in September. Congrats Matt & Sarah!
• On 2/12 Dan & I celebrated Valentine's Day by going out to eat at Joseph Decuis. It was absolutely amazing!
• I was able to Zumba with my Zumba partner, Angie. She rocks btw! We also got to get together with her lovely family for dinner and games. I can't wait till we can do that again!
• My friend Pat opened up her photography business, PKC Snapshots, which is up and coming...very exciting!
• I got to have a playdate with my friend Angie (her girls Ava & Lucy) and my friend Kristen (her baby Luke and daughter, Gabby). Yay for Mocha Lounge...even if it was crazily crowded at first, we held out and then the room was ours...lol!
• I got to see my parents on 2/24 & 2/26...of which, now, thanks to Dan, my mom has an iphone 4 and we can FaceTime with the her! Olivia loves this! Thanks Dan, also for switching me back to a reliable network where I actually have a signal.
• Olivia has learned to say "Grandma" in addition to her normal "Bingo" and "Grandpa" which is more like "Giampaw"...precious!
• Gabe is now fully sitting up and is really trying hard to crawl!
• Olivia has taken an interest (on her own) of using the potty! This is a long road, but we will get there eventually and am fortunate that she is wanting to go sit on the potty! Happy day!
• Blessed to have such wonderful co-workers that make me laugh!
• My father-in-law went on a CRHP weekend last weekend at St. Vincents. I'm so very proud of him and his spiritual growth!
• My friend Sheila helped me take the kids to Lutheran Hospital to get Gabe's allergy tests. This was a huge help for me. She really helped me with Olivia! Gabe's tests came back negative for allergies, thank goodness! He does have viral-induced asthma though. The good news is that this can go away in the future.
• Thanks for our good health now. This winter hasn't exactly been healthy for us, or those around us, but glad that everyone is on the mend now. Let's keep it that way. :)
• The snow was so pretty! Notice I said was...we are over the snow now, got it?!

Happy March everyone! I look forward to Lent, nicer weather, possible walks outside (maybe thats a far stretch, but wouldn't that be nice), getting on a workout routine and eating clean. What are your February blessings & March wishes???

My Parents' Cozy Nest

Recently my parents decided to buy a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN as an investment. They have a management company that takes care of all the advertising, booking, cleaning of it and the nitty gritty details. They bought it completely unfurnished and had to do quite a bit of work to it, but this is what it looks like now. If anyone needs a nice little get-away in Gatlinburg, I know of a place...

SPRING FEVER

I have Spring Fever bad! Whose with me?! Let's start a countdown because this snow/ice crud has to go! I called my sister, Lori, in Florida today and she said its sunny and 75 there today. Blah! Meanwhile, we have freezing rain and snow here in the Frozen Tundra!

Other than that, I've been couped up in the house all day today, which is nice and relaxing because there is no pressure to have to be any certain place at a certain time. I was going to go to ZUMBA tonight, but its not worth it because of the weather plus it was cancelled. So, to not interfear with my fitness goals, Miss Olivia and I turned on some jams and danced today. We had a great time! She's so joyful!

Gabe has been great today too! He's so strong and always smiling. Gabe's constant smile reminds me that God is with me day in and day out.

Spring will be here soon my friends!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Funday Friday evening was filed with getting together with some new friends at their house for dinner. We had a nice time with their amazing family and even played a fun game at the end of the night. Miss Olivia was afraid of their kind Golden Retriever dog, so for the first hour or so, she was crying and wouldn't warm up to their kids, but she'll come around. Silly O! Thanks for being so welcoming Angie & Joe~we look forward to many years of friendship with our families!

Saturday started with me going to Zumba (by myself for the first time ever, usually I bring a friend or two). Going by myself wasn't so bad, I got the job done and it felt great. Kandi's class rocks by the way, just sayin! It was a great way to kick-start my Saturday.

Then we relaxed at home and got stuff done around the house (aka...laundry that still needs folded...my laundry fairy is in TN and needs to come help me....there is your official invitation MOM ;) I call my mom my laundry fairy bc whenever she comes to our house she is a HUGE help and can run circles around me as far as getting laundry done.

Dan got the carseats all situated and installed. Dan ended up taking Olivia's carseat out and putting it behind the driver's seat and Gabe's infant carseat was removed and Dan put in his Convertible Carseat behind the passanger seat. We then went to Babies R Us to take my coupon & receipt in to get $ back from the carseat we bought Gabe last weekend. Woo hoo $50 back in our pocket!

Then we went to dinner at Buffallo Wings & Ribs to see Amber, who was working that night. The kids missed seeing her and the food is great! Thanks for the great service Amber! You're the best! Miss O loved seeing you!

Today was a nice relaxing Sunday! Dan went to the Cathedral with his candidate for RCIA (he's a sponsor for a friend at St. Elizabeth's), therefore I was left to take the kids to Mass at St. E's by myself. I was a little nervous because Gabe is not in his Carseat Carrier anymore, so 2 at tow with my huge diaper bag was quite a challenge. I did it though and am so glad that I did! When I pulled up to St. E's Olivia said, "Mommy, I get to see Jesus!" Precious!

Then we hung out at home more and I went to Zumba with Deedra at 5pm. Good times!

Now I'm just winding down for the night and felt that a recent post was in order. I hope everyone else had a great weekend and that this coming week goes better for everyone. Take care my friends! Peace~

Turn that frown upside down :)

It seems that this year has been much colder than recent years and it has def made an impact on how people act, including myself. I am more than ready for Spring, but am trying to stay positive.

Here are the positives of the moment:

1). My children are currently healthy (knock on wood).
2). We have a nice warm roof over our head.
3). Dan and I are going out to eat at Joseph Decuis and then going to a movie tomorrow night to celebrate Valentine's Day. Sweet!
4). iphone's FaceTime chat with my sisters...so glad that Lori & Molly now have iphone 4's. :)
5). We get to go to a Komet's game as a family on Sunday...fun!
6). Blessed to have a good friend who wants me to be her Business Manager with her new business. Woo hoo! Something fun on the side~
7). My wonderful husband Dan who I am so very proud of~~~
8). Family---so very blessed that we still have living parents and siblings!
9). Good friends to have playdates, zumba, text and share our faith together!
10). God is always good, but I see how he is with me all of the time, no matter what! He brings sunshine to the cold days!

My Day in Pictures 2/7/11

2:00am

5:00am

9:00am (Woo hoo for sleeping in)

9:30am

Olivia likes her new Dora toothbrush and Pony paste. She now wants to brush her teeth only half a dozen times a day. Hilarious!

9:45am

Silly times ...Olivia wanted for Gabers to come sit in her bed. She got a kick out of it but he thought otherwise.

10:00am

Fun with toys...Olivia likes to help Gabe or have Gabe help her. It's precious!

12:00pm

Lunch time. What can I say, my kids like food.

3:30pm

Olivia found a sharpie marker and decided to write on her white pants. Luckily I discovered this before anything else left its mark (furniture, walls etc). Oh to be 2!

5:00pm

Olivia pushes the dog food bin all the way from the kitchen pantry to the living room while I am cooking dinner. I kindly tell her to please push the dog food bin back into the kitchen and she tells me, "I'm fine Mommy, cook dinner!" LMAO! Oh my am I in trouble when she gets to her teenage years!

7:30-8:30

Zumba (my time) with Lisa Saxe and Nikki Riemer. An absolute blast thanks to Kandi! ;)

10:00pm

Gabe lays down for final bedtime...look at him still wide awake. Wow! This kid hardly sleeps, I don't know how he does it. I need some of that energy!

10:30pm

Peeking in at Miss O. She was sound asleep on her floor down by the bookshelf with some Golden Books on top of her blanket. Daddy put her back in her bed. She must have wanted to play after he put her to bed. So sweet!

Nighty night all! Here's to living each day to its fullest and thanking God for each day he gives us!

Blessings to you and yours!

This n' That

Happy February Everyone!

Today was nice because it was a snow day for the whole family. Dan's work was closed because of the Level 1 Emergency, so it was great to have him @ home. I thought that it would be fun to have Olivia play in the snow, but then the responsible parent got the best of me and I opted not to because of all of the sickness our family has encountered lately. Therefore, we let Winston out in the snow to go potty and Dan out to snow blow the driveway instead...which was much more productive. Dan even snow blowed our neighbors driveway just to be nice. Good job honey~

Then after that, he made us a nice lunch and let me take a nice nap. What does he want?! Just kidding! I really appreciate it!

Olivia has the right idea, to bake cookies (see pic above)mmm...too bad I'm trying to lose weight. Which brings me to my next subject of Zumba...I miss it already. I didn't go yesterday because of the bad weather and I needed a family night and tonight it was closed, but they would have just had Turbo Kick anyways (which sounds fun). I am going to try to go tomorrow night, if anyone wants to join me. It's a blast and I am already feeling like something is working, whether it be mental or physical. Happy Day!

I also think that Zumba is giving me more energy to handle all of the late nights with Gabe. Woo hoo! Party in his crib @ 3am...bring it on! I know, I'm crazy, it's cool!

Well, it has been so nice having 5 days off in a row...now back to reality, working tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. Momma's gotta, "Make that money!" Ha! Olivia has also been saying the sweetest thing, "Thank you for the dinner, Mommy!" Priceless! It makes me want to cook everynight. So precious!

Ok, I better go get the bottles & diaper bag ready for my mother-in-laws tomorrow, feed Gabe, then off to give the kids their baths, fold laundry, shower myself and wind down for the night...just the life of a SUPER MOM, right.

Peace my friends!

Good Times: O's Visit to the ER

Good Times: O's Visit to the ER: "It was Sunday evening, January 30th, around 9:00pm and Olivia really didn't seem herself at all and spiked a high fever out of nowhere. She ..."

Join the Zumba Party!

Here is the updated Zumba schedule at Tumble X. I have highlighted the days/times that I plan on trying to make it.

I love it! Zumba has been a great workout, I just feel guilty doing something for myself and leaving Dan home with the kids. He's been super supportive though, which I really appreciate!

IF you are interested in going, please let me know and I would LOVE to have you join the Zumba party with me!

Woo hoo!!

O's Visit to the ER

It was Sunday evening, January 30th, around 9:00pm and Olivia really didn't seem herself at all and spiked a high fever out of nowhere. She hadn't been herself since Wednesday. We got her into the Dr. on Friday and she thought it might be influenza and put her on Omnicef. O also had not been drinking very much at all and had only 2 diapers a day for the past 4 days. Olivia also developed a deep cough, so we were worried about pneumonia & dehydration. Her eyes were sunken in, lips were dry, skin coloration was very pale. Therefore, we took her to Lutheran ER..

Poor baby! The ER experience was actually not terrible, like all of the otherLutheran ER visits. They got us in and out after treating the problem...DEHYDRATION. Little O had to get an IV, which she did NOT like (who does?!), but it really helped her. They did a Chest X-Ray, but that came back clear (thankfully).

Today my little girl is back to herself, drinking plenty, playing with her toys, teasing our dog...I'd say she's back to good. She is complaining of her arm hurting, but thats bc of where the IV was. I just give it a kiss for her and she says. "Thanks Mommy!"

The gift of motherhood is priceless and I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be a mommy!

Go Away Germs!

Dear Blogger Friends,

Guess where we seem to live this season???...in and out of some sort of physician's office. Woo hoo!! (TOTALLY SARCASTIC)

It's getting old and I feel so bad for my kiddo's. A mother's heart breaks when her children are sick! This year has been filled with an overwhelming amount of sickness in our household!

It's very stressful too PLUS it isn't helping my fitness goals any...my ZUMBA has to be put on hold and then the whole eating healthy thing goes by the wayside when we decide to order pizza because life is too crazy to take the time to make anything.

I'm trying to stay positive and realize that this too shall pass and it will be SPRING soon!

Therefore, I'll say it now and I better not have to say it again (until the fall)...GO AWAY GERMS! Thank you very much!

Signed,

Lysol's #1 Fan

Good Times: TUTU CUTIE

Good Times: TUTU CUTIE: "I've randomly been thinking about having Olivia take dance class, but my question to all of you is this...is 2 too young?! Most places ar..."

TUTU CUTIE

I've randomly been thinking about having Olivia take dance class, but my question to all of you is this...is 2 too young?!

Most places around here don't start dance class until they are 3 years old. I did, however, call one place and they told me that I could come to observe a class with Olivia and go from there. I think she's a mature 2, for the most part, so it might work. Mature 2, meaning that she catches on quick and is fairly well behaved, except for the normal 2 year old tantrums. She does say, "I don't want to!" though, but this won't ever stop...I still say that! ;)

Pro's to dance class for Olivia:

~Development of fine and gross motor skills

~Cultivation of rhythmic awareness

~Opportunity to exercise her imagination

~Exposure to the wonderful world of music

~Olivia tells me all the time, "Mommy, I want to dance!" so we turn on some jams and she has a blast!

Con's to dance class for Olivia:

~Is this making her grow up too fast? Too young for dance class?

~Additional cost

~Can she just do this at home?

I'm interested to know your thoughts...

Have any of you had any experience putting your little ones in structured classes???

Thanks friends! You are the best!

Monday Evening Wrap-up

I had a fab evening at ZUMBA with Deedra & Sophie! Thanks for joining me! Also, thanks to Kandi for an amazing workout! I feel the burn baby. If anyone else wants to ever join me, please let me know. It's so much fun!

Upon returning home, Dan had Olivia to bed (yay) and Gabe was sleeping on him in the rocking chair. Life's little blessings!

(*This pic includes my little blessings)

Thanks be to God for a great evening!

...and so I ZUM

I tried out Zumba for the very first time last Sunday and loved it! Zumba was an excellent workout, although I felt like I had to either focus on the feet or arms part from time to time and not do both, for fear of falling on my face. I left Tumble X feeling like what did I just get myself into, but it sure was fun!

It is very addicting! Last Monday night I wanted to go to my friend, Kandi's Zumba class, but wasn't able to make it due to family-related responsibilities, so I went over to my friend Lisa's house to do Zumba on the Kinect. It's not the same at all. Although I had a great time with Lisa, the Kinect workout just isn't the same.

I wasn't able to make it to Zumba any other time last week because like I said earlier, family-related responsibilities. See a trend here, excuses, excuses...I just need to take time out for myself. Over the past few years I have lost myself in responsibility land, always trying to take care of others, insead of myself and the result is my health.

This isn't good! So, I am posting about it so that I can hold myself accountable for getting back into a fitness lifestyle! Back in the day when I met Dan, he helped me loose 1o0 lbs. by dieting and exercise and now I am back to where I started...2 babies later and a lack of self-control. It's very disappointing and I think that Zumba can help give me the energy I need to get my life back on track so that I can be a better wife, mother, co-worker and friend.

Therefore, I am off to ZUMBA myself away!

Poop Happens

This blog is dedicated to all the poop that happens in life...in every shape and form. I wanted to create a blog that would summarize the essence of my everyday life, so that you too can enjoy it when poop happens. Follow me as I blog into this great big crazy world!