All Alone

I sit here this afternoon in the comfort of my very quiet home. Emily is at school and Ty is napping. I'm thinking that the next several days are going to be CRAZY. Rick leaves us Sunday morning for his guy golfing trip (good luck, honey). I will have the my kids to myself for those days that he's gone. HELP!!! Joking aside, HELP!!!. No really, HELP!!!

OK, seriously now. I do have some events planned. We are gearing up for Mirinda's baby shower. We are getting together this Sunday to put the invitations together and get them all in the mail and making the final plans and I'm taking Becca to see Dane Cook at the Pepsi Center on Sunday nite while my mom stays with my kids. After Sunday, it's all downhill.

I just need to mention this next thing because I'm so excited. Mirinda asked me yesterday if I would be in the delivery room with her and Anthony and my mom when she delivers her new bundle of joy in July. I was so touched by this moment, I cried. Mirinda and I have gotten so much closer in the last few months. It's been great getting to really know my new sis.

The Beginning of Spring Fun

So one day I told the kiddos I'd take them swimming, but much to my dismay, the pool wouldn't open for several hours yet. The kids were already in their swim suits and ready to hit the water. So we had improvise with the hose. Every time the sprinklers come on, Ty has to get wet so this was a perfect opportunity for him to run through them. Emily made the best of the situation and Ty really didn't enjoy the sprinkler as much as he just enjoyed being outside.

Ty and Emily tried out some finger paints that he got as a birthday gift from Chad, Christie and Brevon. They had a blast. Ty had me wipe off his hands every few minutes because he doesn't like to be dirty. GO FIGURE!!! We got some great works of art out of these two budding artists.

Birthday Celebration

So the Saturday following Ty's birth date, we had family and close friends over to help us celebrate. It was a great time despite the rainy, cold weather we had. We were all stuck in the house. It was funny, because at one moment, all the men were in the family room watching the NFL Draft and the girls were all in the kitchen. There was lots of good food (even if I do say so myself and Rick did a fab job at the grill), lots of laughter and tons of great birthday gifts for Ty. We got tons of great pictures thanks to Mirinda (my sis-in-law).

The kids had a blast with the Spider-Man pinata. It was absolutely hysterical watching them trying to break it open.

Thank you to all who shared this special day with our son. Thank you all for the wonderful gifts. Ty's absolute favorite gift was the trash truck he got from Acka (Becca).

Ty's 2nd Birthday

So, Ty turns two today. I'm very excited about this. He spent last night in his new big boy bed. We have finally taken him out of the crib (our aching backs) and moved him into a modified version of a bunk bed. It's actually just one bed that sits on the floor right now until we can trust that Ty is ready for us to raise the bed up on the two side units. I'm thinking this will take about the next 10 years for me to be comfortable with.


My daughter is the sweetest thing. Last night, she asked Rick and I if she could sleep in Ty's room in her sleeping bag. She wanted to spend his last night of being "one" with him. I cried. She was so sweet. Then this morning, she came into our bedroom and was in tears. She explained that Ty was awake and that he was still "one." We tried to explain to her that no, in fact, Ty was two today. She looked at us like we were off our rockers. So after Rick left for work, she still seemed worried. I asked her what was wrong. She then explained that he was still the SAME SIZE. I had to laugh. I guess she was expecting for Ty to morph into some super big kid overnight. Hence the reason she wanted to sleep in his room, she wanted to be a witness to this phenomenon that would not take place. The things that this girl comes up with. GOTTA LOVE HER!!!

Emily told Rick as he was leaving for work this morning that she was sorry that he wasn't going to be home to celebrate Ty's birthday with us. Rick then explained to her that he would be home this evening (as usual) to celebrate this big event. Emily looked at him in utter amazement, like I have to WAIT UNTIL THIS EVENING?

The kids and I came downstairs to begin our morning ritual of cartoons and breakfast. When breakfast was through, Emily asked for an ice cream cup. I had to explain for the millionth time that we do not have ice cream for breakfast. "Oh man," was her comment. So we hurried through the remaining of our morning (except for getting the kids dressed) so that Ty and Emily could help make birthday cupcakes. Once the cupcakes were done baking, Emily again asked for an ice cream cup, and was again turned down. She was so disappointed. Ty had a blast making the cupcakes and his sister just couldn't wait for the end result. So once the cupcakes were out of the oven, and she finished with her lunch, she got to have a cupcake, but still no ice cream. NO WORRIES, she'll

get her ice cream this evening.

So after a much needed bath, Emily helped Ty open up some bday gifts. I'm still not sure who had more fun.

Freaky Weather

Our daddy is goofy.

Spring time is upon us. It's funny to think that it can snow and rain both at the same time. We had gone out to dinner with a group of friends. When we arrived home, Rick shoveled the walk and then went to the backyard and built a snowman for the kiddos. Emily and Ty had fun watching him from the kitchen window. When he came back inside, he was inspecting his work of art. We soon realized that "Jack Frost's" head was sliding off of his body (due to the rain and snow that was still falling). So he ran back outside to fix it (with no coat). The kids were relieved.

We are so ready for Spring. Emily and I started our garden in one of those green house boxes. It has really taken off. We are just waiting for Rick to get the grass cleared and some soil down so that my daughter and I can get to our gardening. We are hoping that this vegatable garden does as well as my crazy tomato plant did last year. I'll keep you posted.

Gearing up for Ty's 2nd B-Day

We are getting ready to celebrate Ty's 2nd birthday. We are having him a Spider-Man themed party. He actually picked out the Spider-Man idea. We were walking through the store and came across the pinatas. Ty picked up Spider-Man and said "mine." There you have it. I couldn't pry the darn thing from his hands. My mom suggested that I buy an identical pinata, because she thinks Ty will be upset when Spidey is broky. I'm still trying to decide if I REALLY want a giant Spider-Man head and torso invading my family room for the next month or year. I'll keep you posted.

We are going to celebrate this day with family and a few friends. Ty is getting so BIG. It's hard to believe that my little guy is almost 2 years old. It could be because is size doesn't dictate his age. I cannot believe how fast he has grown. He is wearing 5T shirts and 4T bottoms. Who knows where his size comes from???? My little guy is growing so fast. He has so many words in his vocabulary. IT'S AMAZING that they grow so fast.

Emily is distraught over the fact that Ty's BDay comes before hers. She's older she explains, therefore her BDay should be first. I don't know how to explain to her that just because she's older doesn't mean that her birthday should come first. Any suggestions?

Easter Weekend

The day before Easter, Emily started her 2nd round of ice skating lessons. She has improved greatly from the very first time she tried. I might just have a little figure skater one day.

Anyway, that same Saturday, we had my mom, sister, Anthony and Mirinda over for the day. We dyed Easter eggs, chatted, ate and drank. It was a GREAT TIME. So for Easter Sunday, everybody came back over plus Jake and Lacey.

Rick deep fried a turkey, smoked a ham and smoke some beef tips. My husband, the chef. He did a great job. I love you, honey. All of the other food that I, mom and Mirinda made was delicious.

We spent the day, exchanging Easter Baskets for the kids. Thanks, Uncle Anthony, Auntie Mirinda and Jordan for the Easter Boxes. We love our new cups, they go everywhere with us.

Cousins, Jake and Lacey, thank you for the Easter Bags, Emily's been wearing her sunglasses every day and Ty has gone through a ton of bubbles already.

Nonny, papa and Acka, Emily loves the Jacks (Ty, too). Ty loves his new hot wheel cars.


WHAT A GREAT HOLIDAY.