Christmas 2012

Christmas has come and gone, the tree is packed away and we are in full on birthday mode for Dylan's party this Saturday.  We had a great Christmas as a family.  My parents came to visit and we had a Christmas Eve gathering with my two uncles and some of my cousins.  We left cookies and milk for Santa and filled our stockings and put presents under the tree once the kids went to bed.

Christmas morning we had coffee and opened presents.  Surprisingly, Marissa was not that into opening presents.  She is so dainty and careful when she opens a present and has to hand every.single.piece of wrapping paper to me as she opens the present.  I'm not sure where she got that from. :)

After opening presents we had a Christmas casserole and I started preparing for our big Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes and dessert!  We reconfigured the house and moved the kitchen table to the common area so that we would all have room to eat and not be cramped in our small dining room.

I think we all had a nice Christmas.  Danny is too good to me, he definitely spoiled me this year.  I got a robot vacuum cleaner called a Neato, a double stroller (hopefully for our Disney trip next September) and a camera upgrade to a Nikon D7000!  I was SHOCKED that he got that for me.  I was not expecting it at all.  And I'm in love with it.  I can't wait to really break it in.

Marissa looked thrilled, as usual. 

Danny got most of his Christmas presents early, so I felt like he didn't get much.  As early presents he got a 24 gun/fire safe and a "Judge" hand gun.  Christmas morning he got some Redskins memorabilia, some shirts, special computer glasses, a new wallet, some new house shoes and some other goodies.

Marissa got her very own Nabi Tablet.  Danny was tired of her always using ours, so we got her one that she can play with.  She loves it so far.  She also got some clothes, dolls, puzzles, Go Fish and the Hungry Hippos game.  Both of the games have been big hits so far!  She also got Minnie Mouse house slippers that she has not taken off since she got them.  She even slept with them on last night.  Silly girl!

Dylan got a mega blocks dump truck, a metal Tonka dump truck, some clothes, bath toys and some little cars and trucks.  He also got an early Christmas present on Christmas Eve...his very first tooth!  While cleaning up down stairs yesterday I found another gift that we forgot to give him, a Little People's airplane.  He really likes that as well. Marissa likes most of his toys and seems to think that everything is hers.  We're still working on sharing!

They both also received money for their savings accounts which was really nice.  We have so many toys as it is, so it's nice to have money to put into their accounts for when they are older.  They will have long forgotten about the toys when they are older and I am sure they will appreciate the money in their accounts for college.

As a joint gift they also received a white wooden table and chairs set.  I had originally decided to not get them a small table but since Dylan is now done with the swing and almost done with the jumperoo, we have more room for the table and chairs.  We've also set up a small play area in the basement where we can take some extra toys.  And anything that hasn't been used in months is going to Goodwill.

Playing Hungry Hippos on her new table with Daddy, PupPup and Uncle Fuzz.

All in all, we had a fantastic Christmas spent with family and friends.  Danny's brother and sister are coming into town on Friday so we will do round 2 of Christmas then!  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Photo Shoot

I attempted to get some pictures of the kids dressed up in their Christmas outfits.  It was mostly a fail but I did get a few that were Christmas card worthy. Well, they were Christmas card worthy for us...maybe not for others.  These two, along with a family photo were on our Christmas cards this year.

This was as close to a smile as we were going to get that day.

Dylan usually hams it up for the camera, but I guess he was feeling all serious in his man suit. 

And this is what a typical photo shoot at our house looks like...

Marissa looked so pretty in her dress.  She kept saying she was a Princess. 

Toddlers walking in the camera view...

They kept fighting over the chair, so I tried putting them in it together. Fail!

Mr. Lashes. He looked so handsome in his suit.

Attempting a photo shoot with Danny helping is hard enough so I'm not sure why I decided to try it by myself.  Oh wait, that's what two cups of coffee before lunch will do to me.  I get all hyped up and have these elaborate photo shoots in my head of gorgeous photos, kids that cooperate and the perfect Christmas card of our family.  Then I realize I haven't eaten, I start to get shaky, sweaty, feeling sick to my stomach and throw in the towel.  Live and learn.

BFP

Don't worry...I am not pregnant.  Today marks the third anniversary of my big fat positive (BFP) of when I peed on a stick and saw two lines that would change my world forever.  Today...three years later, I am so thankful and blessed for the two children and wonderful husband that brought my world to life. They are my everything and I am nothing without them. I can barely remember the girl I was before I saw those two lines, but I can't imagine never being "Mommy."

"Where's My Teddy?"

We had a situation the other day.

Teddy went missing.

There were lots of tears.

It was traumatic for all involved.

For anyone that doesn't know "Teddy" he is Marissa's pink teddy bear lovey.  He has made appearances in our family Christmas cards, he is a requirement for bed time and he makes the world a better place.

Saturday night he went missing.  I knew he was at home during nap time and we left the house that day to go to the parade around 3:00.   So we lost Teddy in about an hour span of Marissa waking up from her nap and us leaving the house.  I knew that Teddy didn't come with us because Marissa was asking for him in the car on the way to town.  We arrived back home past bedtime and we couldn't find him...anywhere.

So we tried to put her to bed without Teddy.

Never.again.

She cried, and not just little I want my Teddy cries.  They were big, sad, I need my Teddy tears.  Heart.breaking.  Danny ran over to his parent's house to get a replacement teddy that they have at their house.  He's not pink, he has arms that Teddy doesn't have, but he has a rattle in his head.  I thought for sure, if I keep the lights off, she would fall for it.  I walked in her room, gave him a little shake and her cries stopped.  "My Teddddy!" she exclaimed.  She grabbed him from me, stuck her thumb in her mouth and put teddy up to her face like she always does.  Yes!  It worked, I thought to myself.  Then, she quickly pulled him away and as clear as day said "Not my Teddy!"

Listen folks...you can't out smart a 2 year old and her lovey.

So at 10:00 PM Marissa got out of bed and we searched for Teddy some more.  With no luck.  I was finally able to get her to go to sleep after many tears and asking "Where's my Teddy?"

After she dozed off, I got on ebay to look for a new Teddy.  This Teddy that was once bought from Target for $7.99 new was being sold for $30+ on ebay.  Can you believe that people are actually buying baby lovey's knowing that one day a desperate mom will need a replacement in a pinch?  Well, that's my theory, at least.

Fortunately, I was able to find a like new but used replacement for much, much less!  And an August Mom friend has been so kind to also send another Teddy replacement.  We will never, ever run into this debacle again.

I woke up Sunday morning a bit sad that Marissa's beloved Teddy that she has had since birth was gone.  I was bound and determined to find him.  I searched and searched and finally I found him behind a box of cloth diapers in Dylan's closet.  I'm not even sure how she got him in there, but alas, Teddy was found and all was right in the world.  She was so happy to be reunited with him and kept thanking me for finding her Teddy.

See, there still are happy endings in the world!  This is the life of being a mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hail to the Redskins

Danny was supposed to go to the Skins vs Giants Monday night football game with a friend.  He got a call around 11:00 Monday morning saying he would have to find someone else to go with him.  Lucky for me, I got to go to the game with him! 

Since I am off on Monday's I scrambled around to find a baby sitter for the kids and get everthing straight for the game.  Our regular babysitter was kind enough to keep the kids for us Monday night, so I dropped them off around 4:00 and then we headed to the game for some tailgating.

The game was so much fun and it was even better that the Skins won!  We saw a Giant's fan get escorted out of the game for picking a fight with a Redskin's fan.  We saw a guy puke in the middle of FedEx stadium.  And we cheered for a victory, 17-16!  It was a blast.

Unfortunately, we didn't get home until almost 2:00 in the morning and I had a meeting at 9:30 the next day.  So I didn't get much sleep, but I made it to work on time.  Nothing a little coffee won't fix. We don't get the opportunity to be spontaneous that often, so it was a fun date night together!

Christmas Parade 2012

For the past three years we have gone to the local Christmas parade with Jeremy and Mickey.  It's a fun little tradition where we grab dinner before and watch the parade together.  It started with no kids, now there's 4 kids under 3 between us.  Last year Mickey and I were both pregnant, and this year Dylan and Peyton enjoyed their first Christmas parade with us.

Miss Rosy cheeks, it was a little cold out

Marissa & Dylan

Our little family

Of course both kids can't look at the camera at the same time.  

Here's a fun comparison of last year's parade 2011 (below)

Hunter and Marissa play so well together, but she did not want him hugging on her while she was trying to hug on Daddy.  Hunter and Marissa 2012

Hunter and Marissa 2011 (below)

They both had so much fun running around and playing together.  These pictures make me realize how quickly time goes by.  

Dylan looked so adorable all bundled up!

Watching the parade

Dylan slept through sirens, marching bands, honking horns and lots of floats.  Can you believe those lashes, though?  He's going to be a total heart breaker. 

I love having fun holiday traditions.  I love that our kids will get to grow up together and be friends.  I love that we have friends we can count on and I love making memories with my family.

Here's to many more years of Christmas parades and good friends!

Thursday Ramblings

So I was posting about our vacation to St. Maarten when I got a blogger error that I was out of my free 1 MB of storage.  Talk about a blog killer.  How can you write a blog post without pictures?  Okay, so maybe I go over board with the pictures...so I am going to have to find a work around for this little problem of mine.

In other news...

Dylan will be 11 months old...tomorrow!  How? When?  My "baby" is going to be 1 in a month?  What?  Invitations are underway and party/decoration planning is in the works.  Add in Christmas.  Spending time with my family, Danny's family, Christmas shopping, wrapping and baking.  The next month is going to fly by and I am pretty certain that Dylan's birthday is going to sneak up on me.  We are going to keep his party fairly small since it will be in our cozy home.  Close friends and family will be invited and we will celebrate 1 year of life for my sweet boy.

Invites and his birthday party outfit

Dylan is working on his two bottom teeth.  He hasn't been sleeping too well, so I'm sure it can be attributed to those little gums hurting.  He is pulling up on furniture and getting into everything.  He will be walking before I know it.

Marissa is changing so much.  She has a little case of the "terrible two's" and she has turned into a bossy little thing.  She's still a daddy's girl through and through.  She loves Dylan but still needs to work on sharing.

I still want one more child.  Our family just isn't quite complete yet.  I'll keep working on Danny...he's not convinced that we need another adorable little baby. ;)  *One Day*  A girl can dream, right?

 

Dylan's 1st Thanksgiving.  He enjoyed turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie.  He was smacking his lips after each bite of pie.  

We opened a bottle of Merlot from our wedding night for Thanksgiving.  I am truly thankful for the joy that day brought me.  While Danny may drive me crazy at times, and I him, he is the love of my life, my soul mate and my best friend.

St. Maarten ~ Day 7 & Home

Friday morning we were determined to get in as much as we could, as it was our last day on the Island of St. Maarten.  We got up early and packed our beach bags.  We drove around the island until we found a fairly secluded beach on the French side called Baio Rouge.  We rented an umbrella and chairs and relaxed on the beach.  The beach was pretty secluded.  There were some rock formations on one side with caves where some divers were snorkeling and on the other side were...the nudists!  Sitting about 15 feet away from us were an old French couple, baring it all.  I guess they don't believe in tan lines.  We swam in the ocean for the last time on our trip and packed up for the day.

After spending most of the morning on the beach we headed to the famous Sunset Beach Bar & Grill next to the Princess Juliana Airport.  This is a famous restaurant because it is the closest restaurant in the world to a runway.  We saw airplanes land and take off while we enjoyed jalapeno poppers and island pizza.  They were so close it was unreal!

Later that evening we had some drinks by the pool and then hung out at the bar with some friends we had met during our stay.  The guavaberry rum and frozen margaritas were tasting too good that night and we were a little sad to be saying goodbye to the island.  We were ready to be home and to see our babies, though.  Our bags were packed, alarms were set and it was time to say farewell!

The next morning we were up bright and early.  We checked out of the resort, grabbed some McDonald's and drove to the car rental place to drop off the car.  They shuttled us to the airport and off we went.  I got some great shots of Sunset Beach Bar & Grill from the air and we landed safely back in Miami for our layover. Once we landed back home we were so excited to see the kids!  I got some beautiful sunset pictures as we were crossing back into Virginia and it felt so good to be home.

We had an amazing time together and I hope to do it again one day.  The Island of St. Maarten is truly  beautiful and different than any of the other Caribbean Islands we have visited.  I'm glad that we chose St. Maarten for our vacation. :)  

St. Maarten ~ Day 4 & 5

By Wednesday we had a pretty good feel for the island.  We both got pretty burnt from snorkeling on Pinel Island so we decided to head to Philipsburg for a day of shopping.  We picked up a few souvenirs at Rima's and then headed to the board walk for lunch and more shopping.

We got Danny a new wedding band while we were in Philipsburg.  He opted for Titanium and I think we got a good price on it.  I hate buying jewelry from unknown sources because you never if you are getting a good deal or if it's even real.  I guess if it turns his finger green we'll know it's fake. :)

We had lunch at a really good restaurant on the board walk called Barefoot Terrace.  I had chicken pasta and Danny had chicken with curry and rice.  Both dishes were very good!  And the prices were not bad, either.

We picked a busy day to go to Philipsburg as there were 3 large cruise ships at the port.  The board walk was very busy and tourists were everywhere!

After shopping we headed back to the Resort and got ready for our sunset sailboat cruise.  We were shuttled back to Philipsburg where we met 6 other people from our resort.  We set sail into the sunset where a cruise ship collided with the sunset on the horizon and it stole our sunset.  It was going to be such a beautiful sunset and of course the cruise ship ruined it.  We still had a nice time, though.  A nice couple that we met gave us a ride back to the Resort that evening and we exchanged email addresses to send each other pictures.

Thursday was the big beach bash with the resort.  We took two shuttle buses to Orient Beach.  You know, the famous nude beach.  We started the morning off by opening a bottle of champagne for our 4th anniversary.  By the time we got on the shuttle bus we were both feeling pretty good.  When we arrived at Orient Beach we were greeted with rum punch.  They were so good you couldn't even taste the rum in them (but there definitely was some in there)!  We found an umbrella and chairs on the beach and set up shop where we continued to order all the free drinks we could handle.  Danny thought the rum punches were so smooth that he started ordering double rum punches. Let's just say that his day ended by passing out on the beach!  But not before a hermit crab race, water balloon toss, a catered lunch and dancing.  Okay, maybe he missed the dancing, but I danced while he slept.  All in all, it was a good, fun day at the beach.

Outside of our resort was a 5 star restaurant called Big Fish.  We had our anniversary dinner there and the food was delicious.  I had seafood pasta (I know, I'm a pasta addict) and Danny had "O's Favorite"...as in Oprah's Favorite.  Apparently she likes Big Fish, too.  We had a nice romantic dinner under the stars to celebrate the past 4 years but we were both starting to feel a little home sick...

St. Maarten ~ Day 3 & 4

Since we exchanged our timeshare to go to St. Maarten we opted to sit through a 90 minute sales pitch to get us to buy a timeshare in St. Maarten. We knew we weren't going to buy another time share but it came with free lunch (and drinks) and we got 1/2 off the Beach Party (more on that later).  While it was very enticing to buy, we kindly declined and went about our day.

We hung out at the beach and the pool and had a really nice, relaxing day on Monday.  We had dinner in and hung out at the bar for Happy Hour and watched some football with some new friends we met.

Tuesday we drove out to the French side of the Island and hopped on a Ferry Boat to Pinel Island.  We spent the day sipping on a bucket of Carib and relaxing on the beach.  The island was small with two restaurants and a few small shops.  The island does not have any hotels and everyone must be off the island by dark.  The last ferry ride ends at 5:00 PM.  

We packed a picnic lunch and we snorkeled for about 2 hours!  Within the first 10 minutes in the water Danny lost his wedding band.  Sad. Face.  When he said he lost it I thought he was joking.  Unfortunately he was not.

We hiked to the top of the island and saw some iguanas on our adventure.  The view from the top of the island was beautiful.

Once we got back from Pinel Island we went back to the Resort for karaoke night and ended the evening watching the Presidential race.  As everyone already knows, Obama won his second term as president.

St. Maarten ~ Day 1 & 2

We had a blast on our 4 year wedding anniversary trip to St. Maarten.  There was so much to do, see and drink!

Day 1 ~ Saturday:

We landed in St. Maarten on Saturday around 2:00.  Danny and I were separated on our connecting flight from Miami to St. Maarten which I was a little bummed about.  It turned out to be a blessing as the lady sitting next to me was a St. Maarten veteran, having been there for the last 11 years and just so happened to be an owner at the resort we were staying in.  Renee gave me the low down on the island from where to rent a car, which grocery stores to go to, where to dine and which bartender to be especially nice to.  She made the flight from Miami pass by quickly which was nice.

Per Renee's advice we rented a car right from the airport and navigated our way across the island to Oyster Bay Beach Resort where we would call home for the next week.  The roads were single lane, windy, mountainous, filled with scooters and motorcycles passing between cars and the most stunning views along the way. 

We were greeted with champagne and quickly settled into our room.  Of course the first order of business was to head down to the bar and get some cold drinks.  What can I say, it was a long day of traveling.  We found a grocery store and stocked up on essentials.  You know...ramen, frozen burritos, snacks, breakfast foods, liquor and wine.  We ate hand tossed pizza from Mr. Busby's outside of the resort and ended the night in the bar drinking one too many long island iced teas.  I was known as long island by a few people the rest of the week.

Day 2 ~ Sunday:

After a long day of traveling we decided to relax, lay on the beach and watch football at the bar that afternoon.  They had some entertainment at the court yard that included free frozen Guavaberry drinks, dancing and possibly a few black out moments for Danny.  It was all in good fun, though. 

The pool at our resort

Later that night we headed to Dinghy Dock with our new Chicago friends, Renee and Tom.  Dinghy Dock is on the French side of the island and Tom was nice enough to give us a ride.  We could see our resort from Dinghy Dock but there's no way we would have found it on our own.  We dined on fish and chips, listened to music and met a nice French couple and their two children.  While the French couple was very nice, there was a bit of a language barrier and we mostly spoke in broken Spanish to communicate.  I will say that a free drink is a universal sign language in itself.  We bought each other drinks during dinner and then they invited us for champagne at another bar.  We had what Danny thought was our own private boat.  In reality it was a stationary wooden boat attached to the dock with a table in the middle.  He kept asking where our captain was and when we were setting sail.  Much to his dismay, our boat never left Dinghy Dock. I'd say it was a pretty fun night, at least what we remember of it. ;)

Can you tell he's had too many Carib's and Guavaberry rum?

Dancing in the courtyard

He would probably kill me if he knew I posted these. :)

We definitely started out our vacation with a bang!  Stay tuned for the famous Sunset Bar, Orient Beach and more!