It blows my mind that people still smoke cigarettes.  Unless you're 90 years old and have been smoking Camel filter-less for 74 years, what is your excuse?
And with your kids in the car?  Don't even get me started.  We all remember sitting in the backseat of our parents' station wagons getting ashes flicked onto our foreheads...  but that was "the old days".  You have no excuse today, folks.
It's disgusting and if I was ok with the government telling us how to act, eat and consume down to the very details of our day, I would be ok with it being illegal.  But I'm not.  So use your judgment, people!


This weekend is Halloween.  Spidey is very excited.  He asks to wear his costume every single day and will have the opportunity to wear it three time over the next 4 days.
Tomorrow is Abby's Costume Parade at school, Saturday is a party at our friends' home and Sunday is Halloween which will be kicked off with our "Pre-T-o-T Pizza Party"!  We're having friends and neighbors over for a pizza & BYOB warm-up before we all swarm the neighborhood.
I cannot wait!
Halloween has never excited me much, not beyond the great movies on cable and the season in general.  But with the kids, that has changed.  They are so excited to go trick-or-treating, see all their friends, walk in the school parade and eat candy, candy, CANDY!  I don't blame them - it's all pretty exciting when you're barely 5 & just 3.

Their costumes, originally, were to be Buzz Lightyear and Rapunzel.  I was oh-so-thankful when Abby changed her mind.  THe hair for the Rapunzel costume was giving me major anxiety.  Plus, the movie hasn't even come out yet - why so excited?
But I was really sure that Wyatt was set on the Buzz thing...  he loves him, he ran around the house yelling "to infinity and beyond" and shooting lasers at us (read: spitting while touching his arms).
But, I underestimated both of their love of Superheros.
Abby has liked the X-Men for some time and in my attempt to allow that, I had introduced the older cartoons to them because the newer X-Men, Spiderman and Batman shows are very adult.  Thus spawned the love of all things "Super".
Abby spied the SuperGirl costume and was immediately taken with the gold belt and fancy skirt.  Wyatt took one look at Spiderman and hasn't looked back since.
Example, this was at his birthday party after much of the crowd had dissipated:

He shoots his webs with laser precision, folks so look out.

Each day that we head out of the house Wyatt is a different "man", be it Batman, Superman, Spiderman or Iceman.  Iceman shoots his ice walkway for us as we walk wherever we go.  Batman flies, as does Superman (yeah I know Batman doesn't fly, not sure where that came from) and Spiderman shoots his webs everywhere and at everyone.  It's a good thing he's cute because when I say at "everyone", I mean that.
They both enjoy the cartoons, specifically "Spiderman and his Amazing Friends" narrated by Stan Lee.  While we had his eyes covered on his brithday so that we could present him his Spiderman Bike from Grammy and Granbear Jay turned on the theme song to that show and he nearly bounced out of his skin trying to see what was going on.  He was not disappointed:

I'll leave you with this exchange with Abby from this morning.  It was the kind of conversation you wish others could hear but the precious kind that only ever happens while you're driving and you can't record it or write it down.
Abby:  "I don't think Flash is a superhero, Wywy.  He doesn't have any powers."
Me:  "Yes, he is, Abs.  He's Flash!  He's got super speed!"
A:  "So, what can he do?"
Me:  "Run really, really fast!  Catch bad guys!"
A:  "Oh, so he can run really fast and catch the bad guys for the real superheroes to fight?"

Love it!

Last night I took my husband out on a date.  It was a celebration of his accompolishment.  After 3 years of hard work, he finished his Bachelor's Degree.
He managed his career (upwards), his family and his personal life while managing to fit class after class after class into the mix.  Not to mention paying tuition out of his own pocket at the same time.
It took sacrifice on his, on our, part.  We had to think of the financial aspect of it, the stress aspect and the time aspect.
There were often nights that we didn't see Daddy.  He had work then he had schoolwork.  He also needed time to relax - don't we all - and let it all slide off him.  We worked around him.  We supported him.  We loved and cheered him.  But, ultimately, he did the work and he earned the degree.
I couldn't be prouder of him, of his determination, his perseverance and his good old-fashioned work ethic.
These are qualities I have admired in him for all of the years I have known him.  These are the qualities that have brought us to where we were (broke twenty-somethings living on ramen noodles and canned beer) to where we are...  which is a much better place.

So, I took my man out for a decadent evening.
We started at the Raw Bar where we drank pints and sucked oysters out of their shells.
Then, we sat in our romantic booth where we were greeted by my (previously arranged) gift of chilled champagne.
Our waiter, Carrig, popped the cork and wished us well.  We toasted, drank and chatted through the bottle.

Our first courses were, for me, an Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese & Tomatoes (I opted out of the bacon) and, for Jay, Lobster Bisque.
My salad was crisp, cold but not too cold, and loaded with creamy, delicious blue cheese dressing.  Jay's soup was hot, creamy and loaded with lobster chunks. 
We already had the raw bar and were almost through our champagne so this really would have been enough.
But we marched on!

Jay ordered the Soft Shelled Crab and I had the Filet Mignon.  Both dinners were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Served hot and perfect, exactly as we ordered them.  The timing was perfect, as well.  We were neither rushed nor left without.  As waiters walked by our table, they poured our champagne for us.  A separate server brought our Raw Bar, our appetizers and still another came by with well-wishes from Brian, the manager that I had arranged the reservation with that morning.  We were treated like special guests with plenty of attention without being made to feel overwhelmed.

On my plate with my filet was wilted spinach with garlic and just a touch of salt.  And a "baked potato with gorgonzola & bacon".  Let me tell you about this "baked potato".
It was, by FAR, the most amazing potato dish I have ever put into my mouth.
I am having trouble finding the words to describe to you how amazingly, mouth watering, extravagant-ly delicious it was.  I gushed on and on to Carrig about it as he smiled knowingly.
It was sort of shaped like a muffin.  It must have been baked in a cup of some sort.  It wasn't your traditional baked potato it was simply potato that had been baked.  But first it was mashed, creamed and had garlic, gorgonzola and bacon mixed into it.  Then it was brushed with butter or something equally delicious that made a slight crust around the cup shaped potato.  When I put my fork into it, it oozed like lava cake.  I couldn't eat it as fast as I wanted to because it was so hot.  Really, I could have stripped naked and rolled around in it - it was that good.

We chose Max Fish because as far as restaurants go in this great state, you can not go wrong when you choose a Max.
The service is always impeccable, the food is always impressive, the atmosphere always welcoming and classy.
When I look back at my career in Sales, the one and only thing I will ever admit to missing is the dinners, drinks and social hours.  And Max played a huge part in that.

So, we chose wisely, but to say we were not disappointed is the understatement of the year.
From the Raw Bar to the Irish Coffees and the unbelievable "Hot Fudge to the Max" dessert, this visit was Legendary.

Tonight we headed up to 10P.  It was time for the Quarterly and that is a guaranteed night of good friends, good food and fabulous conversation.
{As well as a fair amount of off-color humor, sarcasm, foul language and raucous laughter.}

The six of us have been hanging out for several years now and our bond has grown tighter as the years have passed.
We've seen love, marriage, divorce, miscarriages and births.
We've moved and moved again.
We've changed jobs and changed careers.
Through many hours of conversation we have learned that while we are 6 very different people, we are very much the same.
Life is not always how you plan it, life is not always how you want it but life is always a gift.
And friendship like this is the cherry on top.

And that is something we gratefully share with these guys:

Our Kiddos:

Timmy, Matthew, Wyatt and Abby with her new "best friend", Baby Gabriella.

Each New Year's Eve, for at least the past 8, we have held the tradition of a quiet - yet decadent - night in.

We sip champagne, eat food normally reserved for cocktail parties and guests and reflect on the year we've had and what we'd love to see in the year to come.
Last night, we changed things up a bit.  For 2 reasons.  The first being that our children are coming to an age where being included matters and the second is that we were able to go out, have a wonderful dinner with our very good friends, but still come home and have our quiet evening after the kids were put to bed.  So we were able to have our cake and eat it too, bascially.
We had a wonderful night.  We cooked lobsters and ate appetizers and sipped champagne at Debbie & Dave's.  (My pregnant friend sipped sparkling cider!)
The kids played and chased the cat.
And we were able to toast in the New Year (even if it was barely 8pm) with our great friends.  We truly enjoy being together - our kids are great friends - and the next year promises to be full of more great memories just like last night's.
Sometimes you are just lucky enough to find people in your life that you really, really like and feel comfortable with and the feeling is mutual.  That is what we have with Deb & Dave, and I felt very lucky to be in their home on that special night.

By the way, here's the picture I was telling you about earlier:

So, here we are on Day One of 2010...

The Kitchen TV (the newest and most welcome member of our family since Wyatt was born!) is on the official New Year's SVU Marathon, the kids have Diego (or Dora) blaring in the living room, I am sipping coffee and I am thinking about my last 12 months.

A lot has happened.  A lot happens every year.

My daughter started school.  That was a biggie.

Wyatt is talking.

Jay's new job, while not technically "new" for 2009, really took off and proved to be a risk that showed reward.

I promised to lose 50 pounds, lost about 12 and gained about 20.  (I'm gonna promise that again, btw.)

We spent a fun, relaxing and family-oriented week in Florida.

We camped with our very good friends for 2 nights.

We spent a cold but very fun weekend in Boston.

Abby took swimming lessons and the first class in what will prove to be a lengthy career in Ballet.

Countless visits, parties, celebrations and gatherings.

This year we have lots of plans, dreams and considerations...  and there is nothing more satisfying than a clean slate and a whole year ahead to live, love and laugh.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

We kicked things off with "Christmas Eve's Eve" - it's a fun way to rev up to the big day.

Auntie Dink and Uncle Thomas sent some totally fun Play-Doh toys that both kids totally loved!

I was able to talk them down that night but we spent a good part of

the following morning elbow deep in spaghetti and ice cream!

Christmas Eve was a quiet day. 

We had a fun morning of playtime and just hanging out.

Mommy was a bit under the weather so I napped when Wyatt napped

while Abby & Daddy prepared our Christmas Eve Feast:

Prime Rib, Spiral Potatoes and spinach!

We took the kids to church and it was really a wonderful, wonderful night.

It's hard to put into words but the feeling was there. 

Christmas, as a family, celebrating our Lord, celebrating with each other. 

It was truly perfect.

When we got home, we put out cookies & eggnog for Santa, tucked the kids in and waited for Santa.

Santa did not disappoint.

Jay and I were up at 6am (me with my ridiculously painful head cold, him with a sick wife).

The kids didn't wake up till almost 8:00!!

That was ok, though, the anticipation was fun for us and being able to enjoy a cup of hot coffee before the circus started was an added bonus.

Barbies, Matchbox cars, Choo-Choos, Polly Pockets and...  of course...

The Barbie Dream Town House!

Daddy finally got his "Kitchen TV" and Mommy's enjoying her new Keurig and gearing up to make her new sewing machine earn it's keep!

There is no "one thing" for me to mention about Christmas 2009.  It was "the best yet" as each year is.  As the kids get bigger, they get more excited, which makes it more exciting.

It also makes it more important that we remind/teach them about why we celebrate Christmas. 

It's not about Santa or lists or toys. 

It's about Joy and Peace and Faith and Celebration of our Lord.

It's about Family and Friends and Charity and Love.

Over the past few years we have celebrated Christmas with my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins on the weekend prior to the actual holiday.  That day was this past Saturday.
It used to be that we ("we" being my family pre-marriage - parents & sibs) would gather with my mom's family on this weekend.  Then, after we all had kids of our own and sort of spread out across the states, it became our only day to celebrate together.
That has made it the official "Christmas" with my parents and siblings and a day that I truly treasure.  I absolutely love the day with my family.

If it snowed, we'd be crazy to drive in dangerous conditions.
But we'd be crazy to want to cancel our day together, too.
So - we gathered earlier than planned.

Our party was supposed to start at 3 with a kick-off (of appetizers and gifts) at my Aunt Carol's at 11:30.  The whole day was planned.  The gifts were wrapped, the cookies were baked.  I made a pie and a salad, Jay made (awesome) sausage & peppers.
With the impending blizzard - my aunt graciously allowed us to cancel our plans there and we headed to my parents' house for 11.
Everyone was there before noon (we were actually there by 10:30!) and the day went off without a hitch!

We sang our carols, ate our chow, opened our gifts and really enjoyed each other for a good, long time.  And then we all got home safe & sound in time for what promised to be (and didn't diappoint in this neck of the woods!) a fabulous snow storm.

The thing about my family that makes it so very special is so very simple:
We really like each other.
The enjoyment we get from just being together is priceless.

Sometimes,  you have to take a step back, really observe what is right in front of you and realize - honestly and deeply - how luck you really are.
My family loves me.
I love them.
And we had the merriest Christmas.

Abby said it best - "I got everything I ever wanted!"

So did I.

 

A very special Thank You to OmaReenie for the Mets glasses.

To quote Jay, "I just hope we don't choke when we drink out of them!"

Gramps.  Our patriarch at 90-somethin' years old.  He's gotten considerably quieter & the ride to Brewster isn't as esasy as it once was, but his presence is still lovingly anticipated and appreciated.

I have gotten such a good jump on my Christmas Shopping.
I always plan ahead but I rarely stick to my plan and I rarely get much done, actually purchased, before Thanksgiving.  So, I'm pretty psyched!

My goal, before I die, is to make every single "cooky" in my Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  It is the book we used growing up.  My mom was not a domestic diva by any standard but she liked to bust out the flour and sugar at Christmastime.
At some point in my life I want to be able to say "I have made every single cookie in the "Cooky Book".

Tonight, Abby and I made Thumbprints.  Kids loved 'em and we packed them up to be sent to our Troops!  Tomorrow we will make Snickerdoodles.
I have made these before so it's not helping my cause, but I know I love them and I know how they are supposed to come out so they're a good one to make for the troops and for Thanksgiving.
I have a few others I'd like to make this season - Candy Canes (another repeat, darnit!), Pecan Spice Cookies (for my mom), Mini Fudge Tarts (yum!), Krumkake and a few more.
Will I make it a whole Christmas without baking Chocolate Chips or Sugars or Oatmeal Raisins or Peanut Butters?
Probably not.  But I am looking forward to broadening my "cooky" horizon!


Lots of activity on the Blog lately.  A while back, I got rid of my "stalker log".  Or, so I thought.  I hadn't noticed that it was still on my page until I did my Thanksgiving decorating.  I flipped through a few pages and noticed lots of traffic coming in from some new locations.  I mean, lots!
So, I deleted the counter, once and for all.  I'm glad I thought I had already and glad I really did this time.
I write a public blog because I enjoy expressing myself.  For myself.
If you are reading, you must enjoy my expressions.  And I thank you for that.

Quiet around here lately.
Last year we partied like it was 1999.  We had Jaybor Day in September, Wyatt's 1st birthday in October, my mother-in-law's 60th in November, Christmas Eve and then Abby's birthday in January.  We really packed it all in - and we throw a pretty good party!
This year, we had Jaybor Day and Wyatt's birthday and we'll have Abby's in January but nothing in between.  It's a nice break.  And nice to be able to relax, enjoy and take my time with no one to attend to but the 4 of us.

I will still be very busy, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, attending, helping and enjoying.  And celebrating!!!  I love the season so much, regardless of where, it's such a magical time of year.
And my kids are so excited already.  At 2 years old, Wyatt can barely say the words that he's thinking but they're coming to him, fast and furious, and among those words you'll hear:

"Merry Chitmas",  "Santa", "ho ho ho", "Chitmas Chee", "Thanksgivin" and lots more. 

Both kids freak out when they see anything Christmas-related but nothing beats Wyatt's near head-explosion in Target the other day when he spotted the area that they sell the trees, outdoor decor and other Christmas goodness.  I think he could have stayed there all darn day, just staring at the lights and trees and moving blow-up things that tacky people put in their yards.

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#

Is it strange to anyone else that I bought a whole new package of napkins for our party on Sunday, filled the caddy with the already-open package and - even though we fed about 40 people - never needed to re-fill and even had left-over napkins in that caddy?

***

Chilly out today.  Almost...  c.o.l.d. right now.  I love this weather, and I love Autumn - I've said it a thousand times.  But I feel like it really happened overnight.  The leaves are still green but the nights are practically frosty!

I plan ontaking pictures of one certain spot each week to sort of document Autumn this year.  I think of this every year.  We'll see if it works out this year.

***

Not a lot of action in the Blog world lately.  And as much as I bitch about my blog regulars not adding content, I haven't had much time or energy to say much lately, either.  So - peace.

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!

I just ate a hunk of Munson's Chocolate. Does that sound like a woman trying to lose 50 pounds?
No.
But it does sound like a woman who has been watching 2 kids in addition to her own 2 for 12 hours at a clip for the past 2 days and will be for the next 3, as well. That same woman who has been shit & puked on more times than she cares to recollect over the past 6 days. And that same woman who is just settling in to do some serious checkbook balancing and bill paying.
That is a woman who, although she is dieting, needs a hunk of Munson's.

Speaking of shit & puke. I don't know if it is the poly-blend or the cold water wash but I had to toss 2 sets of Wyatt's jammies back into the laundry tonight after putting them on his freshly clean and precious, puke & poop-free body. He had a nice tubby, I changed his sheets (for the 29th time this week) and was ready to put him in his crib, all cozy and sweet. But I smelled puke still. Convinced it was just burnt into my nose I called Jay in for a second sniff. Yes, he smelled puke, too.
Why is that?
I have been trying to use the Cold Water option on my washer to conserve energy. Is that it, ya think? Or is my All Free & Clear not puke-worthy? Or is it just the crappy poly blend that they make pajamas out of so the kids don't catch on fire?
I put the stuff back in, same detergent, same fabric - but with the regular, warm wash. If that doesn't work I'll be buying new jammies.

In my MOMS Club, I am a very active member. I love being a member and completely and totally appreciate the friends, connections and opportunities that have come my way since getting involved. I have been the Secretary on the Board and Editor of the Newsletter; currently I am the Calendar Coordinator and Mom's Night Out Planner.
With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, I have planned a fun night at a local, Gen-U-Ine Mexican Restaurant. They are having specials, give aways and a live band to celebrate! Fun, right?

It reminded me of a Mom's Night Out on Cinco de Mayo about 2 years ago.
It was a huge house party at one of the mom's houses. Her husband is a gourmet chef and they hosted this annual shindig, accepting only donations to a local charity for entry. When I say "gourmet", I am not kidding.
Anyway - I remember, very naive at the time, saying "wow, this is so fun, we should do this with our husbands, too." And one mom, Carissa, who I cherish as a friend now but didn't know very well then said to me "this ain't about them, this is our night out."
And I remember thinking "ew, guess she doesn't like her husband very much. I like to be with my husband as much as I can. I have the happiest marriage ever."
I laugh at myself now because I am where Carissa already was then, now. And recently a newer mom said to me "can myhusband come out with us to XX?"
My response?
"No. It ain't about him. This is for you. Go out with him another time."
I can only hope that her day will come, too, that she will know that I truly only have her best interests in mind and we all need a night out. Even if it is only once a month.
All of us need a night off. From all of it.