Today is my beautiful baby boy's birthday.
Any mother with a son will understand that there is no love like this kind.

It does not compare to the love and friendship I share with my daughter - and one shouldn't try to compare the two.

It is a very special kind of relationship - mother and son.  The way this boy melts me, woos me, makes me laugh out loud...  the way I want to bite him, squeeze him, sniff him and cuddle him until he demands to be let go.

 
When my son was born I understood my mother-in-law in a way that changed our relationship forever.  I understand that her son is my husband - but first he was her son.

Today this sweet little monkey-man will turn 3.  These three years have gone by so quickly, too quickly.  I can't believe how time has flown.

He was born on a Monday morning.  The Saturday before I was elated, on Sunday I was petrified.
I remember wondering how I would handle two babies.  I remember crying about how I might be tired and busy and I might snap at my precious little girl for no good reason or leave her feeling neglected.  I remember wondering how I could love another baby as much as I loved my only baby at the time.
I remember feeling so overwhelmed and so exhausted and so dirty. 

But it went so quickly that I barely remember it. 

I barely remember Wyatt nursing.  I barely remember Wyatt screaming crying.  I barely remember the way he would cling to me and wail in crowded or noisy places.  {He still plugs his ears when things get too crazy around him.}

Now he's three.
He uses the potty and rationalizes with me in conversation.  He says "Daddy, come here, I need to talk to you for a minute." and "Mommy, you hurt my feelings and I'm going to cry!"  He asks me questions like "Mama, do you think Spiderman, Superman and Ironman like chips and pretzels?"


He tells me his cape (that I sewed for him on my machine!) makes him run faster than Superman.
He wants to visit the cows on the farm and chase the barn cats.

He climbs into my bed at 1am and slides me off of my pillow taking over my spot and then asking me to snuggle him.  Sometimes he just sleeps at the foot of our bed like a puppy.

He gets his own granola bars by climbing up onto the counter, opening the cabinet and climbing back down with it.

He opens the fridge and takes out his own drinkable yogurt.
He picks out his own clothes and gets dressed by himself.
He lets the dogs in and out.

My baby is a big boy.  I am so proud of him.  These three years have flown by but I can tell you for sure - we have enjoyed them endlessly - and look forward to millions more.

Happy Birthday, Wy-Wy!!

I love you so much.

After we dropped Abby off at school this morning, Wyatt and I were bopping around town.  I had a bin of clothes to drop off at my friend, Sue's house.
Sue just had an addition put on her house - an addition the size of my house to her home that was already the size of 3 of my houses.
On the one hand you want to hate her.  Her kitchen is literally the size of my first floor, her granite island seats 12.
But, truly, she is one of the kindest, most compassionate people on the planet so I didn't hold back my drool and adulation. 
She has an entire set of drawers for her cake decorating tools and baking pans. 
She had a custom cabinet built for her KitchenAid Mixer. 
She has a "Tea Drawer".

On second thought, I do hate her.
Good thing she doesn't read this.

After Sue's house I dropped by Kim's.  I knocked but left her bag in the doorknob assuming no one was home.  As I was driving away her husband came to the door, then her daughter, then her.  The whole family was there as I played Ring & Run.
Good times.

After the 2 visits I stopped and picked up a couple of mums and some bird seed at Wild Bill's.  Bill's is a catch-all store that you can spend very little at and walk away with very much.
For $16 I got 3 large mums and a big bag of Sunflower seed bird food.  Not bad.

Wyatt and I stopped at home after that, went potty and decided to head back out to grab some corn stalks to decorate the top of the driveway with.  The corn & mums complete the look up there and hopefully they will stay standing and blooming at least through next weekend for the Boy's birthday party if not through Halloween.

We headed out to the farm to the left where I knew the corns were $3.50 a bundle but they were empty.  So, we headed up to "the cow farm" where I figured I would pay more but, oh well.
I did pay more - but it was worth twice what I paid.

This particular farm is owned by Mr. Ellis whom I have met here and there through town though I'm certain he would not know me in a line-up of moms who he chats with.
He is a dairy farmer and his cows are part of the group that make up The Farmer's Cow.  They don't sell milk in gallon bottles so I don't buy it but I do try to buy their eggs and ice cream when I see the opportunity. 
We've went through the Farm's Open House Tour and I asked his son so many questions about cows, how they're milked, how they're treated, why and what-for - SO many questions that Jay was starting to walk a little behind me and other people were whispering and pointing.
But, I loved it.  It did make me stop eating beef for a while but I got over that.  {Oh, and I did Blog It!}
 
Anyway, the son was there today, setting the cows up for feeding time and when he saw us he smiled, waved and welcomed us to "take a look around".
How nice is that?
What year is this?

Just to refresh you - in this morning I stopped by 2 friends' houses and then 2 farms and now here I am, walking around a local dairy farm with Wyatt, mooing at and petting the cows before we head home to finish decorating for Autumn.

It was the best distraction ever.
Any more questions about why I love Hebron? 

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life, the Fruit of my Loom, the Peas to my Carrots...

My heart, my soul, my provider, my best friend.

{& now Abby can stop telling everyone that Mommy is older than Daddy!}

It's obvious from my recent blog entries - or lack there of - that I really love summer.
I love the beach.  I love 'no school'.  I love being tan, having fun-filled days for next-to-no money spent.  We swim, we build sand castles, we play on the swings, take walks, play with friends - whatever - it is the weather that allows for, inspires such activities.  And while it is only August 11th, I know our days are numbered.  School starts on the 30th of this month.

We'll have a week of school and then head to vacation where we will indulge in one more week of fun-filled summer vacation.
But when we get back I will be ready for Mums in pots, Autumn transplants and Pruning, Crock Pot cooking and preparing for the holiday and birthday season.  I love Iced Coffee but I look forward to brewing a hot pot around 3:00 as I see the sun beginning to drop, hear the school buses groan through the neighborhood and get ready to start dinner.

I have always said that God graced me with October & January babies to help me kick-off the holidays and then wrap them up.
After Wyatt's birthday we start prepping for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And after Christmas, instead of being depressed, I start prepping for Abby's birthday.  And now that she is old enough to help me with that, it's that much more fun.
We're already putting our heads together and shopping clearance sales for her big 5th birthday bash.  It will be a Beach Party Theme.  And why not?  Why can't a January baby celebrate her love of summer?

A few things I was reminded of this weekend 

as we celebrated my baby boy's 2nd birthday:

• I am so very blessed with a
  loving, devoted, faithful and gorgeous husband.
  
  
• We are so very blessed with two beautiful, smart, fun and loving children.
  
  
• My heart can feel so full of love, pride and happiness
  that it literally feels like it might explode out of my chest. 
  (and I love it)
  
  
• I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am and loved I am.
  (and so often dismiss it from worry of what is not right or not how I wish it were)
  
  
• I have the two best girlfriends in the whole wide world. 
  (they have been by my side for better than 20 years -
  and they don't have to be)
  
  
• We have the greatest friends and family. 
  
  
• Celebrating the day my children were born are the most satisfying, most emotional, most fun days I have each year.
  
  
• I actually can make a cake and shape it into a Dinosaur.
  
  
• Life is full of joy.
  
  
• No matter how organized I am, I am still a last-minute-Lucy. 
  (I was up until nearly 2am finishing favors
  that could have been done a week ahead of time)
  
  
• We take a lot of pictures. 
  (and I haven't even seen them all yet)

All of these pictures are courtesy of my "Tio".  
You can see his awesomeness here:  
http://picasaweb.google.com/roadking1989/Wyatt2ndBirthday101709#

Happy Birthday to my 

beautiful, adorable, loving, lovable, 

funny, smart, brave, curious, challenging, strong, 

AMAZING baby boy.

Every day that I am blessed with being your mama 

is the best day of my life.

Is it too early for Christmas Music?
It's September 27th.
So, most of you will probably say "yes".  And I agree.  Sort of.
This morning while I made pancakes and looked out at the cold, Autumn rain...  I played one song.
Non-traditional.  Sheryl Crow.  It was good.  Bluesy Soul Rock, as I have come to expect from one of the greatest female rockers of, at least, my generation.  It was just right.
It's not like I busted out Johnny or Nat...  just a little sampling of what's to come.


I have said it before and it is oh-so-true.  God blessed me with babies in October and January for a reason.  (ok, several reasons, but here's the one I am talking about -)
By celebrating Wyatt in October, it puts my yearning for Christmas at bay.
By celebrating Abby in January, it puts my sadness that Christmas is over at bay.
Perfect!


I think I will start "tagging" my blogs with keywords.
I never understood why people did that.  Now, though, I see myself discussing many of the same things over and over again.  (I am officially into my second year of Blogging now, and come on - how many topics can one woman cover?)
Like, for example - pancakes.
I know we've discussed them before.
It will be interesting to see how many tags Abby & Wyatt get!
Also - I'm not sure how to do that, so I don't know when I will start.


Is it too early to change my header over to Green & Red?
Ok.  Yes, I know it is.


And finally, I just want to send a little happy message to my friend, Kimmie.  She's having a Christmas Baby this year and I am so excited for her.
This morning her Facebook status was something about cold Autumn rain and warm Beef stew - and it made me so happy.
I might have to go on-line shop for "Baby's First Christmas" crap right now.
XO

Happy Birthday to the LOVE of my LIFE.

My Best Friend.

Daddy to my Babies.

Ying to my Yang.

33 Years Old,

The past 12 of them with Me!

I love the sound of my kids running through the house on the hardwood floors.
I can't wait to replace the living room carpet with more wood for more pitter-patters... ok, more like thud-thuds... especially from the one who's feet are taller than they are wide. Often referred to as Barney Rubble.

The kids have decided they no longer need the child-safety cushions around the brick hearth of the fireplace. They have pulled them off and use them as swords.
As far as I can remember, neither child's head has ever been spared because I placed those cushions there, so let's hope it doesn't come up now that they're off!
It is nice to have the brick back completely.

Making Beer Bread right now. Kimmie made it one time and I haven't been able to get it right since. I am also making the "Garlic Dip" by Tastefully Simple that she paired with it. The bread is Pampered Chef, tho - wonder if that's the difference? How different can Beer Bread be?
Using Guinness, never fear, my friend!

Planning our "Non-Consecutive 5th Annual Jay-bor Day BBQ". Can't decide on decor. I might just skip that expense and concentrate on food & drinks.
Thinking about placing on the invitations "please bring a salad or side that you love" and that avoids everyone asking and the aggravation of prep and fridge-room.
I will make the main courses and appetizers, and of course - DESSERT!! Is that tacky?
My aunt did it one year and she said it was awesome - so many different sides and salads, and a great conversation starter for people.
We'll invite the family and our smallest circle of friends - because just that is about 35 people.
Inevitably, it becomes bigger because my big mouth invites everyone I run into between now and the actual party, but whatever - once you're doing it, you might as well do it, right?
{I promise I won't do it this time, babe, in case you're reading this!}

After Jay-bor Day comes Wyatt's birthday. I cannot decide between one more Sesame Party, Dinosaurs or Diego. I am leaning toward dinosaurs... but if I don't do Sesame Street this year, I'll never get to do one again. And it is so cute, and Wywy really loves Elmo, Ernie and Cookie - and Grover and Zoe, too. And, he's 2, so it's really up to me.
I think it will come down to availability when I hit the Party Store. We'll see. I'm sure you'll see considerably more as Labor Day actually kicks off "Entertaining Season" here at 131. And I really love that!

This...

was not..

a funeral!!

It was my big sister's Surprise 40th Birthday Party!
Christine, my eldest sib at 7 years my senior, was shocked to see a room full of people who absolutely love and adore her waiting to celebrate her 40th anniversary on Earth.
And lemme tell ya - Lots of Love for her in that room. It was THICK.
I love her. She's the best.
Everything you could want in a big sis -
from the nagging aggravation to the un-ending love and friendship.
And her friends and relatives love her, too.
And we are cryers.
I come from a long line of 'em - so Look Out, folks -
the freakin' carpet was probably wet from the gallons of tears
that were shed on this day.
Happy, lovey, sappy tears!

Here is my cousin, Ray and my pseudo-sister-in-law, his wife, Christina;
then Christine, Mike, Me and Jay.

I say "P-S-i-L" because of the way we so quickly and easily bonded and because Ray & I grew up so closely that we always felt more like siblings than cousins.
And I love her.
L. O. V. E. her.
Isn't it awesome when you see how much someone you love is so loved, taken care of, understood, adored?
I see that in my cousin's marriage.
Wouldn't it be awesome if all of our loved ones could have that for themselves?

Christine with my Dad.

There was a CONSIDERABLE amount of beer consumed at this party.
People who don't usually drink beer were suckin' 'em down like it was the newest, hottest thing. And there was a full bar with booze, wine, soda - whatever -
but it was just the mood,
the atmosphere, the hot day.
It was FUN.

Check out the Slideshow that Jay and I put together for the Birthday Girl.

Cheers!

con·sid·er·ation noun

1: continuous and careful thought consideration he agreed to their requests>
2 a: a matter weighed or taken into account when formulating an opinion or plan considerations forced her to leave college>
b: a taking into account
3: thoughtful and sympathetic regard
4: an opinion obtained by reflection

I open this post with the official Webster definition of the word "consideration" because it has been the theme of my week, it seems.
It started with the woman who ignored my stares when I wanted to move over, out of the turn lane that I got into by accident, when the light changed. She had plenty of time and plenty of room for me to scoot right in and not make a mess but she ignored me. Clearly, rudely, ignored my waving and staring from 3 feet away. The man behind her let me in after she peeled out. She was completely inconsiderate, he was quite considerate.

It isn't worth the time to post the other consideration issues of the weekend, but I thought it was worth posting the definition.

Friday night our babysitter bailed. We had originally planned to head on up to Longmeadow-567 but had to cancel on our friends.
What did our friends do?
Packed their shit up and headed down to 131.
That's right. Just like that, we had 2 other couples turn around, change their plans, pack up their kids (and lots of food & booze) and hang out with us.
How Considerate!
We had an awesome time and Kimmie got some great shots of some excellent parallel play between our boys. :)

We spent yesterday at my mom & dad's house. My family, friends and a few neighbors gathered and my mom cooked her ass off. Steak on a Stick and Carvel Cake - does it get better than that?
And how about Regina with the Smorrebord(?)?? If you don't know what that is - you are missing out on the aboslute tastiest, most fabulous, fancy & delicious appetizers known to man. Or at least, known to Shore Drive.

Today is my birthday and I am sitting on the couch with my husband watching an SVU marathon while both of my babies are sound asleep in the middle of the day.
How awesome is that!?

Sadly, I forgot my camera at my mom's house and won't be able to share my pics until she either mails it back or I head back to NY - either way, you're looking at one sad, camera-less Blogger for at least a week.

Lastly, allow me to apologize - to atleast Belle & Gini - my faithful readers. I went cold turkey on my Scrabble addiction and I don't see myself getting wrapped up in it again.
I finished my Dr. Laura book after it sitting with 2 chapters to go for more than a week. I have Brooke Shields' book, Columbine and Twilight waiting for me. And when my MIL is done with My Sister's Keeper, I want to read that one, too.

Speaking of my MIL - she and my father-in-law gave me a Pandora bracelet for my birthday. I love it!!! I can't wait to start collecting my beads!
Happy Birthday to me!

Protein is good. Carbs are easy, but protein is tastier if you take the time to prepare your food. For example - start making lunch before you're ready to eat your foot.

I am down 11 pounds since I started this whole thing in February. And I've only been exercising for about 2 weeks. So, I feel ok about that.
There is also that period of time where Easter Candy was here...

Do you ever stop to think about some of the words you use on a regular basis. Words that come out of your mouth and are quite possibly insulting someone, but you have heard them your whole life so you never gave it any thought?
There is a group in Facebook called "Stop Using the R-Word."
For the life of me, I couldn't think of it. What starts with R??
RETARD.
I use that word all the time - and not in it's Webster meaning. I use it when something is fucked up. I call it retarded.
I call my husband retarded about 76 times a day.
When I stopped to think about it after seeing one of my friends on FB in this group, I though "wow, that is sort of mean."
So, I am going to try to stop it.
And what about "gay".
I am a huge believer in Equal Rights, Gay Marriage, "Love Makes a Family"... but I say "that's gay" all the time. And I don't mean "that's homosexual", I mean "that's retarded". (Oops.)
Anyway... something to think about. Who knows what else I say... Those 2 will be hard enough to work on.
But in all seriousness - when I think about it, if Abby were to say "you're a retard" or "that's so gay", I would be floored. And I would have only myself to blame.
I mean, she was saying "oh, fuck" at 2 years old.
I curbed those F-bombs, I can work on the rest of my vocab, too.

I want to run a 5K.
Are you done laughing?
Seriously. I do.
And I happen to be married to an ex-runner. (Meaning - he ran in high school and college and even a little in his twenties but we have aged and gained - blissfully - together.)
So, we'll run together.
Not together-together. I mean, who will watch the kids?
But we're going to train at the same time.

My weight loss adventure - this time - is more about getting healthy and living an active, healthy lifestyle. I want to be fun with my kids. I want to be comfortable with my body enough to chase them on the beach. I want to be able to keep up with them!!
And, not to be morbid, I want to live long enough to see them have kids, and maybe even their kids have kids.
People live a reeeeeeeeeeeally long time in my family. I want to, too, but I also want to feel and look good.

My Grampy turned 90 today. So, on Saturday we will pack up the family truckster and head to Queens to celebrate.
90.
Crazy, huh?
But I'll tell ya - that fat, old Sicilian is almost as fiery at 90 as he was at 70. He slowed a bit because he had a stroke but he still gets revved up at the big holidays. (And if you have any Italian in you, whatsoever, you know that a Sicilian with even a little fire is not someone to fuck with.)
So - Happy Birthday, Gramps! See ya Saturday!