Responding To Nicole....

Told you I love this kind of thing. It helps me procrastinate. I welcome with open arms any opportunity to procrastinate!!!!!


Am I the only mother in the world who doesn't feel awful for their kids when they get shots? Nope, I don't feel bad. It's for their own good. I feel bad for ME when I have to deal with the seven year old who puts up the fight of a lifetime!!! Scott is so going next time......

Where do you buy your bras? Victoria's Secret. I need a little lift in my life and theirs do the trick! :-) I have at least ten. I like pretty underthings.... :-) Also, the undies must match!

Would you be offended if your husband bought you a CZ engagement/wedding ring and tried to pass it off as a diamond? What about if he told you straight up? What if you thought your diamond was a diamond but found out 10 years later it was a big honking CZ? I would be offended.... don't know why. Just would. Wouldn't like it at all... if he told me, I still wouldn't like it. If I found out later.... I would be pissed!

What time of day are you gassiest? Do you pass gas after meals? At the end of the day? When you wake up? This is the most hilarious question ever Nicole! :-) I have no idea....... ha!

Would you rather have a teeny tiny house and a really nice car or a large house and drive a rusty old beater car? If I had to choose, I'd say tiny house and shit car... but I don't like the choices. :-) I don't need a NICE car... a luxury car... but I do require certain basics like dependability and heated leather seats. ;-)

Do all of your stockings (Christmas stockings, that is...) match (identical), coordinate, or are they mis-matched? We just got coordinated stockings this year!!! Were mismatched up to this point and it made me a little crazy. We ordered four matching stockings from Pottery Barn Kids this year! I have the snowman, Ally has a reindeer, Scott a gingerbread man, and Luke a train!

Do you indulge your kids with gifts only on holidays or do you disperse it throughout the year and keep it simple on holidays? Or do you just indulge all year long and really go all out on holidays? I indulge all year long and go all out on holidays... it's a sickness :-)

Would you rather have wood floors or ceramic/slate tile floors in your kitchen?
Ceramic. I've heard of a lot of water troubles with wood.

Which one: Cherry or Coca-Cola flavored Slushies? Coca-Cola for sure!

How soon after New Years do you take down your tree? I agree with you Nic, so ready to take it down... it's taken down New Year's day if we're home! I love putting all the decor up and making the house feel cluttered and warm... then, come New Years I've had enough and can't wait for things to be clutter free again!

How often do you get your haircut? How much do you pay for a haircut? I get my hair cut every 5 weeks.... and I pay $55 for a haircut I think.... I don't know really... I always have so many other color processes on top of that!!!!!!!!!!

Does the sound of cotton balls squishing creep you out? Not at all. This one is funny.

How do you feel about putting a large flatscreen tv above your mantle? Would you do it? Do you have one? I don't have a mantle and probably wouldn't if I did... I think I would find another place for it.

What do you do with all the holiday cards you receive? We display them on this giant wire wall ornament from Pottery Barn that holds cards.... after the season, I keep the photo cards and dispose of the rest.

Do you hand write all the addresses on your holiday card envelopes? Do you run them through the printer? Do you print out sticky labels? How do you feel about each of these methods? I used to think you had to hand write them, now we run them through the printer! A lot of work this first year to set everything up, but with a Mac, everything is saved in envelope form and because I order my cards from Apple, it even knows the size of the envelope. Perfect!

When you're invited to a party, let's say a holiday party, do you go out and buy a new outfit? Any excuse to go buy a new outfit...... I'm all over it!

Postman Update...

So, Friday after work, I arrive home and get the mail. Inside my mailbox is a slip that says we have a package we need to pick up at the Post Office. :-)

Now, this does happen from time to time. Something is delivered that requires a signature... then, we have to go and pick it up. But I know FOR A FACT that this item does NOT require a signature. This item is from the Gap and I have had just about a thousand items delivered from the Gap Stores, so this in fact is the postman trying to get back at me.

I am convinced this is his payback....

So, now I have to go TO the post office IN CONCORD during the hours they are open. Which of course, are the hours I'm at work. Can't even really go grab the item at my lunch hour cuz it's not like the post office is in Jackson where that is more convenient.

This is war Mr. Postman. War. Game. On.

Survey Says....

I love these things... LOVE THEM cuz I'm a dork like that. Or maybe I think others actually CARE what I have to say. :-) I love reading them on others' blogs... so I am going to copy it. Plus, I'm eating lunch at my desk in the midst of a day of insanity and could use the mental break!

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper usually.... all the gifts under the tree are wrapped. I used to go overboard with bows and ribbon before I had kids. Kids do not care! Sometimes, if a gift is an odd shape and it is being taken someplace else, I will throw it in a gift bag because I always have a million on hand!

Real or fake tree? Real, thanks to my hubby. I never had a real tree growing up and was very accustomed to the ease of the fake tree you assembled. He was having none of that when we got married, so we now get a real one. I now prefer the real tree but that's because he usually deals with the hassle of it. :-) This year, we went and got the tree on a Sunday afternoon when the orchard was dead... we picked it out, and while we went inside to pay for it, someone wrapped it up and tied it to our car. Customer service at it's finest! Easy peasy!

When do you put up the tree? Now this is where my hubby and I disagree.. he has this thing about putting it up too early.... he would like to put it up within two weeks of Christmas, and I would like to put it up Thanksgiving weekend. He's afraid it's gonna die, get too dry, whatever. I say water it and run a humidifier... and vacuum up the needles. :-) We compromised this year... the weekend in between Thanksgiving and the two week mark before Christmas.

Do you like eggnog? No, I just can't get over how thick it is.... gives me the chills just thinkin' about it!

Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie dream house. Hands down best Christmas ever!

Hardest person to buy for? No one...... I love buying gifts and consider myself damn good at it! :-)

Easiest person to buy for? Kids for sure! Specifically, Ally. She's like her Mom and has a running wish list at all times....... and is not afraid to share. She also puts together a mean Christmas List, categorized, in order of preference. She is so my daughter!

Do you have a nativity scene? Yes we do! It's the Willow Tree scene and the kids love it... especially Luke. He likes the donkey the best... calls it a horse... and puts it random places. Like the dishwasher.

Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail! I used to be very traditional and only wanted to send out cards that I had to actually sign my name to. Then, I had kids. F that. Now peeps get the photo card with my name printed on it. God bless that invention. This year, we ran the envelopes through the printer too. Hell yes we did! :-)

Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Painted scene sweatshirt with a built in collar (that made it look like you were wearing a shirt underneath). Pretty.

Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. HILARIOUS! It makes me laugh every time......

When do you start shopping? I'm always shopping... there is never a time in the year I'm NOT shopping..... :-) But, I usually start around Thanksgiving sometime.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so. This year, I am going to recylce a present...... Luke recieved three of one thing last birthday... and a child in our life is going to get one of them. Brand new. In box. Same as I could buy this year! :-)

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sugar cookies... love me some sugar cookies!

Lights on the tree? Yepper... small white lights and not enough this year but I'm not going to complain cuz I didn't put them up!

Favorite Christmas songs? Oh Holy Night, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, River

Travel at Christmas or stay home? A bit of both I guess.... home on Christmas morning for kids... then, we usually have dinner at Scott's parents and have a low key day there. Christmas Eve, we will probably go see my Grandma and family....

Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen...... does Rudolph count?

Angel on the tree top, or a star? We own both... but an angel is up there this year.

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning for the kids and mine and Scott's exhange.

Favorite ornament theme or color? No theme or color scheme.... I like the mismatched ornaments that I have gotten over the years that remind me of something that happened in my life.... most of my ornaments were given to me in my lifetime from my mom and she always gave us one that signified our year. I love that! I can look back on the ornament with the tan santa under the palm tree and remember that was the year we went to Hilton Head for Spring Break and I got FRIED!!!!! Or the year we got our dog Shadow... stuff like that. She always wrote on them and dated them and I love that....... am trying to do it for my kids too!

What do you want for Christmas this year? I always want something... I'm just that way. :-) I would like Ugg slippers, a new robe, anything Tiffany or an SLR camera!

Another One...

There was another box at my door this morning. I am now wondering if my mail man has made some sort of voodoo doll of me and is stabbing me.... I cannot stop laughing. I am obviously evil....

In other news, we decorated the tree yesterday!!! We got it Sunday afternoon then, last night, we put up the lights and decorations... had hot cocoa... and listened to Christmas music. Truly one of the best parts of Christmas!

Luke is not so much a helper when it comes to decorating the tree. When we decorate the tree, I like to take all the ornaments out, unwrap them, and place them all out on the table. That was especially important this year, as we got a smaller tree and I wanted to prioritize my ornaments since not all of them could fit on the smaller tree. :-)

So.... as I took them out, Luke just got more excited than he could stand. I had to put the glass and breakables up high... and allowed him to play with the ornaments he could not destroy. He really enjoyed the process. In his excitement... he grabbed a ball ornament with a snowman on it. Screamed "BALL!!!!" Placed it on the floor and yelled "I KICK!" and proceeded to kick it across the room.........

It was freakin' hilarious! He is all boy that one. ALL BOY!!!!! Thank god it was not a precious glass ball of any kind... just a fabulously unbreakable one. I will definitely be investing in more ornaments of that type! Little boys don't have a lot of "gentleness" in them. :-)

Crazy little man...

Special Delivery!

Ha! When I got home last night, there were FOUR boxes on my front porch. The postman HATES us. Four fairly large boxes..... A single Amazon order had to come from three different places.... hahahahaha! And, then there was a Piperlime order. :-)

Oh Mr. Postman... I am so sorry that you have to get out of your warm car and walk the ten feet to my front door....

In other news, I have three more packages on their way!!!!!!!

If we get TP'd this weekend, I so know who did it................

Mail Order...

It is the holiday season... and my holiday shopping is in full force. Who am I kidding, my shopping is in full force year-round... but let's just say, if at all possible... it greatly increases this time of year. :-)

I do not discriminate when it comes to shopping. I like to shop at the mall, at Target, at gift boutiques, at Best Buy, and yes... ONLINE! I love to shop online. The great world wide web NEVER closes.... the lines are short and the crowds are manageable. Give me a free shipping code, and I'm yours forever. Deliver it to my door for free. And if you WRAP IT TOO.... I will forever remain, your loyal customer.

Amazon is truly one of life's great little gifts!!!!! Love me some free super saver shipping!

I also posses a Banana Republic Luxe Visa card... which means all my purchases from the Gap, Banana, Piperlime, and Old Navy are always free... not to mention FAST! I usually get my items from those stores in a couple days. Nice for those of us that are impatient!

So....... needless to say....... I have been doing a lot of online shopping this season. Do you KNOW where I live? Have you met my daughter? The American Girl Store is not exactly down the street.... :-)))))) I have placed orders galore at the Gap, Banana, Amazon, Gymboree, American Girl Store and of course, eBay. It seems like every day there is a box at my front door.

Which brings me around to my point........

This past Saturday, when we were home... the mail man pulls into our driveway and LAYS on his horn. Okay. I can see honking your horn to let us know you're there. Coming to the door or the like... but he pretty much laid on his horn until Scott went out into the driveway. The guy pushed the mail and the box he had to deliver to Scott out his window...... and said "you guys have to stop all this, you're killing me!"

HAHAHA! Oh my little friend..... you have made such a comment to the wrong lady! :-)))

As I checked my recent purchases and tracking for this week... I see that my mail man will be angry at least two or three days.... as the boxes continue to roll in.

Maybe I will get him a nice fruitcake for Christmas........

Christmas Tree...

We decided to get our Christmas tree today.... haven't done so yet... but we are going to after Luke wakes up from his nap. Right now, I am sitting here with some time on my hands. Of course, there are about a thousand other things I should or could be doing... but I'm not. I am enjoying the aroma of turkey noodle soup simmering in the kitchen (our dinner this evening)... and watching Ally do an art project. Scott is at the store picking up noodles for his soup. Oh how I enjoy a hubby that loves to cook!!!!!

The rest of our Christmas stuff is out already... we did that yesterday afternoon. Listened to Christmas music.... danced around the house as we put the decor up. Luke has been such the helper. He will not leave the nativity alone.... he must carry the animals around. I found the donkey in the dishwasher this morning. Nice. Must consider investing in the Fisher Price nativity for the kids! I hate to tell them to leave the nice one alone... it's all a part of the magic for them, ya know?

I remember just being so excited to get all the decorations out... as we pulled everything out, I had such great memories and it seemed that each item evoked an awesome feeling! I love seeing that in my kids. Well, in Ally at this point at least.

We have an advent calendar, and she loves to put the ornament on it each day and press the star which makes Jingle Bells play. This is her favorite tradition so far. She gets so excited when we put that calendar up..... :-)

I love getting all the ornaments out. Love it. My mom always got us a new ornament every year... and it signified something from that past year. I can look back on all those ornaments now and it's a "this is your life" trip down memory lane. I love that most of all!!!! I am trying to do the same for my kids... and our family. We try to get a family ornament that signifies our year. We don't always remember to do it.. but I want to try harder to do that... for us and for each of the kids. I know I like looking back on my ornaments.... hope Ally and Luke will be able to do that someday....

We have had a good weekend. Yesterday, Scott and I went to Vinology in Ann Arbor to celebrate my birthday. I am 34. Wow. ;-) I got all dressed up in my new black dress (see previous wish list) and my new black boots from NYC. We had a very yummy dinner... a great bottle of wine... then, walked down to The Black Pearl for a martini after..... a very nice, adult night out! We love and miss Ann Arbor so much. Just being there reminds me of how much....

I had a great actual birthday day and evening this past week.... Jane and Adam were kind enough to throw a little gathering for me and made me a yummy dinner of roasted squash soup!!!! Jane made me a photo album - which I absolutely love and can't thank her enough for.... and my in-laws gave me the black scarf and gloves I have been in love with and wanting! Scott gave me a most amazing Pandora bracelet..... LOVE IT! I was quite spoiled this birthday..... :-)

Well, the peace is coming to a close. Scott is back. Ally is itching to do something.... and I should get dressed and ready to go before the Little Man wakes up!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Black Friday...

Today, we got together with the Macklin side of our family... we all gathered from near and far... one brother came from Maryland... another brother from Minnesota... and we all gathered at my Dad's in Plainwell for a great time.... celebrated my birthday a little early... and enjoyed great food, wine and time together....

Turkey Day...

Just some quick pics for now... too tired to write...

First Thanksgiving...

So, Scott and I are hosting our very first Thanksgiving at our house!!!!! We are more excited about it than we are worked up, or stressed...... we are just happy to do it. We are having his parents, Jane, Adam, Grace, his Uncle Jared and Aunt Colette and their three kids, Gannon, Graydon and Calvin! Eight adults and 6 kids. I am having an adult and a kids table. Very excited about this...... total dork. Whatever. :-)

I totally ordered all the Pottery Barn kids items for the kids table... the turkey plates and cups... the runner (which is far too long for the table and unfortunately, going back now). I found the cutest little turkey napkin rings... and we have a stuffed turkey (toy) for the centerpiece. I found these heavy felt giant bright colored leaves that I am using under the turkey in the center... the table will be fun and bright and very "kid-like." I even got all these specialty chocolates from Gilberts that have fun turkeys on them to put at their place settings. They will so eat those before dinner!

Ha!

The adult table will be the anti-kid table... with rattan chargers.... fall colors.... leaf napkin rings.... and candles all around......... no candy... plenty of WINE!!!!! :-)

We are very much looking forward to having everyone over. Very. Much!!!!!

The best part is my brother David, his wife Mary and my neice Maggie will arrive later in the day to spend the weekend with us... during this time, the more the merrier I say!!! So nice to fill a house to the brim........

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving....... I am anticipating that the coming days will be too busy to blog.... but I promise to post pictures of the madness after the fact!

Remember to be thankful for one another............

Real Quick...

So, we had a pretty good weekend! Nothing too special. A quiet night of catching up on what was on the DVR Friday night.... and some wine. Saturday, a good friend from Chicago came to visit and we had a great meal... and night of drinking... the next day, he spent some quality time with the kids.... and it was a great day all around. I just loving having overnight guests.... :-) Ally loves company too and even BETTER when the company loves to play Mario Kart with her!!!

I am not feeling 100% great... fighting a bit of a cold. BLAH!!! I am feeling very unmotivated today and frankly, I'm in a really bad mood. I find myself avoiding people at work (very uncharacteristic of me) and just holing up in my office. I have to leave early today to pick Ally up from school. She has been coughing for quite a while now.... really bad at night, and yesterday, she was complaining about her side hurting. First, it was "her tummy"... but then, when I really asked her to show me where the pain was, she was pointing to her chest, just on the side a bit. I had her breathe deeply and asked if that hurt... to which she responded "not a lot"....

This concerns me because Ally is afraid of being sick and not going to school. She would rather to go to school near death than miss school at all..... she's crazy. But, I think it's a good crazy! :-)

Then, this morning, she was crying cuz she was afraid to go to gym today and have to run. She said her chest has really been hurting after she runs..... hmmmm??? A call to the doctor was made today. Better to have her lungs listened to..... be safe rather than sorry. And, since the holidays are coming up.... better get her in now!!!!

So... off to the doctor we go. She will not like this one bit.... going to have to bribe her with a trip to the Gap after.

Wish us luck!

Gettin' it Done...

So... I started my Christmas shopping. God bless the internet. Seriously! What did people DO before the internet? Online shopping? How did they multitask and get anything at all done? I know, I know... I am probably hurting the local economy by purchasing things online... but I have to get some things online... and I will try to do some things local.

For now... I got a great start!

It's an American Girl Christmas for Ally for sure. She's getting all sorts of American Girl stuff. She has three dolls. Kirsten, Felicity and Mia. She received Kristen and Felicity as hand me downs.... thank god... :-) Mia, she got when her BFF Isabel got her Mia.... my friend Beth and I took the girls together to the American Girl store in Chicago and it was so much fun to see the girls get so excited........

So... Kirsten recently got sent to the American Girl hospital to be "spruced up".... she is actually getting a whole new head. :-)))))) This is still much, much cheaper than a new doll. Kirsten is also about to be retired, so Ally is very anxious to have her fixed and get a new dress for her. Her nana is getting her a new dress for Kirsten...

Santa is going to bring her a new dress for Felicity and Mia's ice skating outfit and skates. She will also get a carrying case for her dolls, a hair care kit and the books "introducing" the historical characters. She is also getting Mia's "pets" - a dog and cat and their carrying cases. Plus a matching skirt for Mia's outfit... she already has Mia's matching sweater.

Outside of the American Girl stuff... Ally is getting some Junie B books.... a friendship bracelet making kit... the bilibo thingy (totally facinated by it)... and... drawing a blank... but that's what I got so far. A nice start.

Luke is getting some blocks.... Chuck the Talking Truck.... a bilibo.... a remote control bus.... a bus book...... and probably some Maisy item that I will hold back from his Birthday loot cuz I overspent there.... :-)

I also got a couple items for Scott... but on the off chance that he ever looks at this, I can't divulge!

Must think nieces and nephews now!

Top Ten Tuesday...

I have stolen this from Leslie... it's almost like a Christmas list.... maybe my hubby will read it. :-))))) Not that he EVER gets anything off my list. It's like his claim to fame that he completely ignores my list each year....... still, I create one for him. ;-)

Ten Items on my Wish List:

1. Ugg Slippers
2. Frye Boots
3. Tiffany Circles Bracelet (the Earrings were my Luke present)
4. Black dress from Banana
5. An SLR Camera
6. More Origins Ginger products (cuz I can never have too much)
7. A new robe
8. New black leather gloves and black scarf
9. The garment bag in my Vera Bradley pattern (Peacock - only available on eBay!)
10. A big tote for work - something nice... not sure exactly what though!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year....

I think I know why I like the holidays so much... Christmas... even Thanksgiving... and all the events that surround it. It allows me to do one of the things I love to do (and frankly do best!)... SHOP!!!!!

I can shop without regret. No holds barred!!! There are things to buy for others. Outfits that must be had for myself for all the gatherings. Santa Claus is comin' to town baby!!!!!!! The big man... he's bringin' the toys.....

God, I love the toys! I truly love to get the kids (Ally in particular) the items on their lists. See her eyes light up on Christmas morning.

We are living in a material world... and I am a material girl..... HA!

It's true. The reason for the season is lost here, isn't it? Ugh.... I do so enjoy the "feeling" of Christmas too, ya know? The warmth. The gatherings. The wine. Seeing those you rarely see..... it is the best time of year....

But, for now, I find myself surrounded by people who have started their shopping, gotten most of their shopping done... or -GASP- FINISHED THEIR SHOPPING!!!!! I am feeling the pressure to jump on the bandwagon. Shop til I drop.

I have spent far too much time online researching all this crap. For Luke - it's anyone's guess. He cannot make a list quite yet. His freakin' birthday is right before (20th) so we have both days to buy for. Lord. Their are a few things I really want to get him. Chuck the Talking Truck (don't ask, I've been sucked in by the commercials!), a bilibo (for both kids actually), and a boy baby doll. I'm also considering more Mega blocks, this Melissa and Doug pizza thingy (he freakin' loves pizza), a little potty, and some toddler appropriate crayons and coloring books. Two year old boys are TOUGH!!!!

Ally - easy peasy - what DOESN'T the girl want? Like her Momma, the girl always has a running "wish list" in her head. :-) She wants many American Girl items... so I'm trying to get what I can. Some, of course, are retired... so it's the upcharge on eBay for me! She also wants books... books... books galore. And, that is one thing I never mind spending money on!!! Junie B Jones are some of her favorites... and I am trying to find some other age appropriate chapter books for her. She loved Up and wants the book now. Didn't ask for the movie... asked for the book. Atta girl! :-)

Then, there are the nieces and nephews.... the hubby... the parents.... whew. Good times. I really do enjoy this part. And the wrapping!!! Love the wrapping!!!! The big dork in me has always wanted to have a gift wrapping party! Serve drinks.... wrap gifts... listen to music. Total. Dork. Maybe I will do this. :-)))))))))))

Maclaren Recall...

I don't know how many of you out there might have a Maclaren stroller, but there is a recall on most Maclaren strollers in the US. You need to request an accessory of some type to prevent some sort of pinching injury.....

I love my Maclaren and will not stop using it for this reason... will definitely get the cover they say will fix the problem and move on. It is a stroller perfect for our needs... we don't run or even take long hikes with the little ones. We are "strolling in the mall, in and out, ease of use in folding the stroller up and down kind of people." Best stroller ever for that..........

That said..... here's the recall info, if you happen to have one!!!

http://recall.maclaren.us/

All About Luke...

This post is dedicated to Luke. That little man that has stolen my heart and kills me with those blue eyes and dimples.... and it's a good thing he's cute, cuz he can be so very bad....

Scott tells me it's in our genetic makeup... that we are convinced are kids are cute, so we don't kill them. It's a survival mechanism. I can see that. ;-)

But, Luke is as cute as can be these days. He has come out of a terrible phase we seemed to have there for a while. He was a terrible 18 month old. Now, at almost 2, he is communicating better and I believe that is so much of the reason he is becoming a happier little guy. He says a billion words these days, and his simple little sentences are just adorable.

Some of my favorites:

"Momma, ARE you????"

"I help Momma"

"My seat, Ally seat, Momma seat, Daddy seat"

"I go outside play Ally"

"Ba-ba, night-night Momma"

"I read Maisy mouse!"

Luke is in love with Maisy mouse. In love. We found some of Ally's old Maisy books, and he just fell in love. I love how he says "Maisy mouse" so I think I have fed his obsession. Maisy used to be on Noggin, but we haven't been able to find the show. Finally, Scott ran a search on our DirecTv app (god bless the iPhone) and found Maisy on some obscure channel at odd hours, so we set the DVR to record a bunch of episodes. I also ordered a bunch of Maisy stuff for his birthday. A few more books. He has "Where is Maisy," "Maisy on the Farm," and "Where are you Going Maisy." I ordered a few more and a DVD, a stuffed Maisy and I found a Maisy backpack... but it's coming from England and costing a small fortune. :-) I also plan to have his second birthday a Maisy theme, so I ordered Maisy party supplies from England as well. Nice.

Luke's favorite things to do these days are ANYTHING HIS SISTER IS DOING! I swear to god. I remember a friend giving me advice not to bother buying Luke any toys, cuz he would always just want whatever Ally has... and that could not be more true. He loves baby dolls. His favorite thing to do around here is push dolls, stuffed animals, or barbies around in Ally's stroller. I think he plays with it more than she does these days.

He loves to play outside... be outside. Run. Be active. Throw things. Kick things. Hit things. And he has been known to bite his cousin Grace now and again. He is all boy.... with the exception of when he's playing with his dolls. ;-)

He loves some of the toys we got for Ally and she never cared too much for. He loves this beaded wire toy... not sure what the hell it's called. Ally never touched it. I think it was a gift from someone (Mom of the year here!). He absolutely loves it. Will play with it forever.

He loves to take baths and requires lots of bubbles. He's not a very good eater, but still gets his milk in a soft spouted sippy cup. I totally baby him. He knows what candy and sugar cereal is. Things that never would have happened with Ally as baby number one!! He has me wrapped around his finger and I do spoil him. He is a little lover... loves to cuddle and snuggle more than Ally ever did at this age. She was much more independent. He definitely prefers to be held more and know you're near. Any time I am out of sight..... it's "Momma, ARE YOU???"

I'll take it for as long as he is givin' it.... soon enough it will be "Mom, can you leave us alone?"

He has grown to be a sweet, good natured little guy... and his hugs and snuggles are often the highlight of my day. My little heart breaker....

Joe Purdy

Scott and I took a little road trip to see one of our very favorite artists, Joe Purdy perform at the Rumba Cafe in Columbus last night. It was an AMAZING show!!!! We were right in front of the stage. I was inches from Mr. Purdy and it was a night I won't soon forget.

In case you all haven't caught on yet - I love music... live music in particular. One of Scott's and my favorite things to do is go to concerts!!!! Love it. We have David Gray in Windsor on January 2nd. I scored third row. I am giddy... and we cannot wait.

The show was amazing. He played about 20 songs... over two hours of music. Just him, a guitar and a harmonica. He took requests from the audience and talked to us all like we were a group of friends sitting around in someone's living room, shooting the shit.

If ever an artist you like comes to the Rumba Cafe... GO!!!! The venue is awesome! Small. Nice. Great drinks and great atmosphere.

We stayed at a hotel within walking distance... even better after we both enjoyed a good amount of gin and tonic.

A great night all around!!!!!!

Girls And The City...

On Thursday morning, three girls from Chicago boarded a plane at about the same time a girl from Detroit was boarding her plane.... and a couple hours later, they all met up in New York City... the rest, as they say, is history!

HA!

So, it really is NOT that dramatic. I couldn't help myself though. I am still coming down from the high of a fabulous girls' trip to New York!!!

Thursday morning we all made our way to LaGuardia airport... where the four of us piled into a cab and told Mr. Cabbie to take us to our hotel in Midtown. Whew. That was a much more brutal journey than the plane for certain. It was right around noon, and traffic was WICKED. It took us a good hour to get from the airport to the hotel. We finally arrive, I check us in... and we head up to our room on the 17th floor to unpack, freshen up, and hit the streets to shop!

We open the door to our room..... and are hysterical immediately....

The picture really doesn't do it justice.... but our room is the tiniest room EVER.... and it has two beds. Yes... two beds... but these beds are SO NOT DOUBLE beds. No. Freakin'. Way. They are single and a half AT BEST!!!!!! We kinda freak out at first. Jackie calls down to the front desk and asks for a bigger room, or at least some normal sized beds. They say, no deal. This is what we get. They don't have rooms with two queens and these are their "doubles." Wow. Really? Nice....

Okay.... we laugh... it is really more funny than annoying... really, it is. We are at this point glad to be four fairly petite girls! :-)))))

As if our room isn't quite cramped enough.... the following morning after Beth and Sandy have gone downstairs, Jackie and I steal a rollaway bed from the hall and place it in our room to surprise the girls upon their return. It was hard to keep the secret all day, but worth it... and we really enjoyed having absolutely no space to walk around for a while... :-) Mature huh?

On that first day, we dropped our bags off in our walk in closet of a room, and then went to a great little French restaurant called Maison for lunch. It was so New York. Loud, cramped, busy and bustling with energy. We loved it. Had some great food and even better wine.... and were very anxious to hit the Fifth Avenue and get our shopping on!!!

We walked up 53rd to Fifth.... and I made the girls stop at the corner.... pause with me and enjoy the moment! Ahhh... Fifth Avenue... a shopper's dream. :-) I appreciate that they all humored me and put up with my moment.

We walked down to Bergdorf Goodman where we oohed and ahhhhed over gorgeous purses, outrageous clothes and tried on... what else... JEANS! :-) We all need more jeans like we need a hole in the head, but we can't help it. It's what we DO!!!!! I didn't find any there I had to have, but Jackie found two pair. She officially kicked off the purchasing leg of our trip!!!

We left Bergdorf and walked in an out of a few stores.... eventually coming to Anthropologie where we all tried on many, many things. We had a lot of fun in the huge dressing room, encouraging one another to purchase fabulous articles of clothing for ourselves. Beth ended up with a pair of jeans and a great top. I ended up with a great black sweater dress.

At Saks...... we once again, tried on jeans..... :-) But... we also made Beth try on this fabulous jumpsuit. You can't tell it has this open pouch in the front in the picture. They picture actually makes it look decent or it's because Beth is so gorgeous she can make a trash bag look good... but we all had a good laugh and were so happy Beth was a good sport and humored us.

At Saks, I found some great J Brand jeans on sale... SALE! They were begging to be bought... and I think Jackie got a couple more pair as well. :-)

It should be said... earlier at Bergdorf, Jackie fell in love with a Valentino purse.... she walked away... and then, we ran into it again at Saks. We all had to touch it, the leather was so amazingly soft and we just ooohhed and ahhhhed over it. After two days, we wore Jackie down, and she bought it. :-) We are all living vicariously through her amazing purchase!

After a great day of shopping and eating.... we needed to head back to the hotel to change and prepare for our evenings out! Sandy, Beth and Jackie were going to see Ricky Gervais at Carnegie Hall and I was meeting up with my cousin Sarah who lives in Brooklyn for dinner and drinks.

Sarah and I met up and had drinks while the other girls got ready in our room. We decided to get ready in "shifts" in our tiny ass room. ;-) Then, Sarah and I made our way through Times Square and over to the Hells Kitchen area where there are many fun restaurants to choose from. We ended up at a little Italian place... and enjoyed some great food, drink and conversation.....

Afterwards, we met up with the girls for a drink.... and then called it a night.... a perfect end to a great, but busy ass day!

They next morning, Jackie (the angel) got up and went to Starbucks... bringing us all back coffee, in bed. Talk about room service! When we were all dressed and ready to go, we went down the the concierge to ask about breakfast.... we waited and waited and waited while the dumb asses talked to the ONE concierge on duty for an hour about getting tickets for this and that... all we wanted to do was ask for a quick breakfast recommendation!!!!!!!!

Ten years off my life later... we end up at a typical cute diner down the freakin' street!!!!! Lou's. Whatever.. it was good, we were happy... we moved on. To more shopping on Fifth.... and then, we got brave... and ventured onto the Subway to go out to Soho for the express purpose of finding this yarn store that Jackie was dying to go to...

We were all just so proud of ourselves for getting on the subway... Jackie forced me to be strong... when all I wanted to do was hail a damn cab.... but we did it.....

And it was worth the time and the trip (and the possible exposure to disease, rats and crazies). Soho is AWESOME!!!!!! All neighborhoody... and not at all giant buildings, big city and touristy like Midtown. (but I still freakin' LOVE Midtown!!!!!!!) We happened upon some of the nicest little areas... fountains...

... parks... schools... brownstones... eateries.... shops... and we found Jackie's yarn store with the help of our iPhones and Google Maps!!! (how do people LIVE without an iPhone?)

Right next to the yarn store, called Purl... sat this adorable little shop.... called Once Upon a Tart. It was full of all sorts of sweet deliciousness!

After the yarn.... we found the most amazing little Italian place ever.... and enjoyed the best service, food and wine a girl could ask for.... next time we really hope to stay out in this area.... and of course, pay a visit to Fifth and Midtown... but explore the neighborhoods off the beaten path a bit more. There is still amazing shopping out there.... probably BETTER food... and it just feels comfortable. Kinda like home.

That night, we went to one of my fave Midtown restaurants, Nobu... where we enjoyed sushi, fish, sashimi and drinks!!!!!! Our final night in NYC was coming to a close......

We walked down to Times Square to stand in the middle of the lights and craziness... and absorb the City one last time.....

We returned to our tiny room and slept all close and cuddly together..... and once again, Jackie (plus Beth this time) got up and got us coffee. We sat around our room, drinking our coffee in bed... talking forever.... enjoyed our last afternoon with a bit more shopping and lunch.... and made our way back to the airport..... where we said our goodbyes.... and boarded our planes to come back to our kids... our lives....

But, I will never forget our trip. It wasn't anything crazy special. We didn't stay at the Ritz or do anything so grand..... but it was all the little things that added up. The people, the places, the everything about it... that made it one of the best times of my life!!!!

Thank you girls...... let's do it again soon!

3 Things

I am copying this from others... Cuz I'm at the airport wicked early!!! Traffic was nothing like it was the day we arrived and the airport is DEAD!!! Crazy.... So here goes:

Three Names I Go By:
1. Nicole
2. Nicki
3. Nina

Three Jobs I Have Had In My Life:
1. Environmental Policy Analyst
2. Case Worker for the US Senate
3. Gift Wrapper At JC Penney

Three Places I Have Lived:
1. Concord, MI
2. Ann Arbor, MI
3. East Lansing, MI

Three TV Shows That I Watch:
1. Flash Forward
2. Californication
3. Greys Anatomy

Three Places I Have Been:
1. Paris
2. New York
3. Boston

Three Places I Want To Go:
1. Seattle
2. London
3. Italy

Three of My Favorite Foods:
1. Sushi
2. Anything Mexican
3. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Hosting Thanksgiving this year
2. Giving my kids hugs and kisses when I get home
3. Wearing the new boots I bought in New York

Three Animals With Whom I've Been Friends With (agree Nicole. This is odd):
1. Fergus
2. Berkley
3. Duncan

Three Things I'm Scared Of:
1. Bodies of water... Not pools. Lakes, oceans
2. Spiders
3. Horror Films

Three of My Favorite Books:
1. This Much I Know Is True
2. My Sister's Keeper
3. Weight of Water

Three of My Favorite Bands or Singers:
1. Dave Matthews Band
2. David Gray
3. Joe Purdy

Three of My Favorite Movies:
1. Crash
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Lost In Translation

Three of My Favorite Drinks:
1. Pinot Noir
2. Martini
3. Vodka Tonic

Three Things I Find Attractive In a Guy:
1. Humor
2. Passion
3. Decisiveness

Three Things I Couldn't Live Without:
1. My friends
2. iPhone
3. Coffee

-- Post From My iPhone

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow....

Today I leave New York. We have had such a nice trip. So nice to get away. So nice to just be girlie girls for a few days. Shop. Eat. Drink. Giggle. It has been great weather and great times.... But I am looking forward to seeing my family. Hugging my kids and spending a quiet day at home. Looking at all my purchases. :-)))))))


-- Post From My iPhone

NYC

Having an amazing time with three great girls and cousin in NYC!!!!! Have had NO time to write. I've hardly even Facebooked! Crazy for me. We have eaten amazing food. Had some great wine. Explored Soho and Greenwhich Village on top of seeing every square inch of Midtown and Fifth Avenue!!!!

I have made some great purchases ... Some GREAT deals!!!! Purse.... Boots... Jeans.... And a dress! Love me some New York shopping....

We have a 10 pm dinner reservation at Nobu tonight and we can't wait. We're back in our hotel room resting until we get gorgeous to go out..... :-)



-- Post From My iPhone

Anticipation...

I leave for New York City bright and early tomorrow morning! I am so excited!!!!!!!! I am going with three girlfriends... Beth, Sandy and Jackie. They all live in Chicago... and we coordinated our flights (theirs from Chicago and mine from Detroit) to arrive at LaGuardia at exactly noon. We can all hop in a cab and drop our bags off at our hotel and hit Fifth Avenue immediately for shopping heaven!!!

It will be a whirlwind trip... we are just there through Saturday evening.... two nights. Three out of four of us have kids to get back too and a Sunday recovery day at home is always nice to have before going back to work! But, we really have three full days in the City! We plan to eat great good... see some amazing sights.... drink fabulous wine or martinis.... SHOP.... and mostly enjoy some time away, just the girls... no kids to care for... no boys to deal with. Just four fabulous girls in the City.....

I am also going to meet up with my cousin, Sarah, who lives in Brooklyn. We are going to have dinner/drinks with her Thursday at a minimum... hopefully, she will be able to join us more often... but there is that pesky work situation.... ;-)

So... today, I need to get through my workday... and evening... and PACK! I am a last minute packer.... I usually pack the morning of a trip.... but I need to be on the road by 7:30 tomorrow to get to the airport.... so I really need to make myself pack tonight. And, of course, I will stress over what to pack. So many needs for a trip like this. Comfy clothes and shoes by day for walking all over... and nicer things for dinners out! No way can I do this trip with a carry-on only. :-)

Here's to girls' weekends!!!!!!!!!!!

Not So Bad...

Well, Scott is feeling much, much better today. He is still home, but he stayed home more to take care of Luke than anything else. I'm not sure if he had H1N1 or what... but what's important is that he's feeling so much better. It's hard when they really aren't testing for it. Just jumping to conclusions that you have it. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't....

If he did... it ain't that bad! I'm sure he was uncomfortable for a couple days... but he said it just wasn't that bad...... I've seen him more sick. Last year I think he was out for a week with something. Flu. Ebola. I don't know. He was sick as hell.

I took Luke to the doc and his temp was much, much lower there than at home. Makes me question my thermometer. I do take his temp rectally.... and I know you are supposed to subtract a degree when you take it that way.... but still, I was getting a full degree or two higher a reading...

At any rate... the doc saw pus (a lot from her comment) on his tonsils... and ran a strep test, which was inconclusive in the office, so she sent one to the lab for a better result. But, she's assuming it might be strep, so he's on antibiotics. If it comes back it's not... then, he just has a cold virus of some sort. H1N1 doesn't "present" with pus on the tonsils... so it's definitely not that. Whew... good news.....

Still.... today he had a fever of 100.7.... and wasn't looking so great when I left him screaming to come to work. :( Breaks my heart that one..... he just wants his momma....... :(

So, hopefully, he will be on the mend....... last night, he had an hour or so where he just must have felt normal, because he and Ally were just playing and playing and he was having so much fun. Laughing and acting as healthy as can be. It's those moments that give you peace and take some of your worry away. Nothing worse than a sick baby!

Ally and I are feeling fine (knock on wood) and I really, really hope it stays that way because Thursday I am off to New York City with girlfriends for a girls' weekend!!!!!!!!!!! I need to be healthy for this trip of food, drink, shopping and sight seeing fun....... I have been looking forward to it forever as we planned it months and months ago.

But, today, I need to focus on getting some work done..... two day work isn't so bad. I just wish it was under better circumstances. Staying home with the sick ones yesterday was not fun at all. Here's to a better ending to my week!!!!!!

Boo Hoo to the Flu...

It appears Scott has the flu..... and all the medical professionals tell us to assume it's swine.... he is achy.... headache.... extremely fatigued.... nausiated. It sucks.

Luke is once again, running a temp. Last week, on Sunday evening, he spiked a bit of a temperature. Only about 101... just under really... but this week, he's running around 102. Amazing how that one degree just FEELS so different. He is listless. Just laying on me. Refuses to let me out of his sight. Well, right now, he's playing for a moment. Tylenol must have kicked in and is giving him some relief.

He had the H1N1 vaccine, but only the first dose and supposedly they need two to be completely protected. Maybe he's fighting it. Maybe he won't get it "as bad"... It just started with a fever out of no where and then, 12 hours later, he was stuffed up.... he is coughing just a bit now. Imagine that might get worse?

On a positive note... Jane got some great pics of the kids to share!!! Take a look!!!!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween weekend! Busy for certain... and it's still going...

It all started with Friday night, when we went to Nicole's for a Halloween Party. We dressed the kids up and were required to dress up ourselves as well! It's been quite some time since I've dressed up for Halloween. I think the last time I did was for my sister and brother-in-law's party years and years ago. Pre-kids... and I went as a sexy black cat. Just wore all black with tall black boots, stuck some ears in my hair and a tail on my butt. Voila! Costume. ;-)

This year, we tried to think of a little family theme. Ally was bound and determined to be Hannah... so we had to build around her costume. I decided to be Miley... and Scott decided to be Billy Ray. But, he wanted to be old school trashy Billy Ray with a mullet... so most of the people at the party thought he was Joe Dirt. :-))))) We had to Google Joe Dirt yesterday and sure enough... his costume was definitely more "Joe Dirt" than Billy Ray... but whatever! At least he dressed up and got into the spirit of the event! It was a lot of fun.

Luke didn't really fit into our family theme.. but he was damn cute! We already had his monkey costume from Eli... so we figure maybe the Cyrus family had a pet monkey at some point. :-)

He was as cute as can be though... at first I thought he wouldn't wear the costume at all, but he totally got into it. He kept it on throughout most of the party and then, on Halloween itself, he wanted to wear it as soon as he woke up.... pretty darn cute little monkey boy!

We went over to Scott's parents to kick off our evening of craziness... cuz Jane had to get her annual picture. ;-) I'm so glad we did and I can't wait to see the pictures she got... since she always gets some great ones. Then, we went over to Ally's school for trunk or treating and the carnival... where the highlight for Ally was winning a fish...

I at least got once decent picture of the kids together... heavily relying on Jane here... so she'd better come through. :-)

They are a cute little pair if I do say so myself...

Luke was so into Halloween this year it was so freakin' cute. He loved carrying around his "punkin'" and getting candy. Of course, we had to eat every piece as we got it. We came home around 7 or so in time to pass out some candy ourselves. The kids really enjoyed that part, and like my friend Beth said, it's nice for them to experience some giving as well as receiving! Ally loved looking at all the costumes and Luke just loved saying "bye!" to everyone as they left. Every time someone came to the door and yelled "Trick or Treat" he would get so excited and run to the door, peer out, help me give the candy and then yell "bye bye!!!" Adorable....

Then, the kids bounced off the walls for a while... and I forced them to eat some real food to try to counteract the sugar....... they passed out by 8:30 or so...... Scott and I had a drink and passed out ourselves..... whew..... successful two days of Halloween fun....

Hope you all had a great time too!!!!