My Life In Sweats

keeping him little

2012-01-26T16:03:00.003-05:00

i wish i could keep him little for always.

i don't care if he is 2 or 22 he will always be my noey baby.

run, jump & play

2012-01-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

my girlfriend introduced me to this cool place last week and i am officially obsessed! it is called run, jump & play. basically, it is an indoor play place with swing sets gallore, trampolines, bounce houses, basketball hoops etc... it is kind of a hike from our house. but it is totally worth it to me to be able to take my crazy kids somewhere clean and safe during the long winter days to burn off some of that energy!

noah found this partially deflated balloon and he wouldn't put it down.

he is funny.

xo,

joanna

uninspired

2012-01-23T14:58:00.002-05:00

blahhhhh the weather and the let down of the holidays being over is totally hitting me. i feel uninspired to take pictures of my kiddies and blog. i need a challenge or something to get me out of my funk. maybe i will try and post one picture a day?

in the words of barney stinson (my hubby will like that reference!), "challenge accepted!"

i took this while i was waiting to photograph a sweet little family on saturday.

are feeling the january blues or is it just me?

xo,

joanna

Noah says part 2

2012-01-19T13:55:00.001-05:00

Noah is extremely attached to me. he doesn't like to be away from me for more then a few minutes. And when I am near him he must have my full attention. God forbid I am not completely focused on him playing cars, trains or angry birds!!

Usually within minutes of us being in separate rooms he starts to yell, " mom where are you?" Today he was extra cute......

Noah - "Mom where are you?!"
Me -" I am downstairs helping Gracie."
Noah - {walks over to me and looks me right in the eyes} "Mom you hiding me again?!"

I love his little booty butt! I hope he is always obsessed with me:).

xo
joanna

little diva & noah says!

2012-01-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

i don't know any other four year old that sleeps with an eye mask. how did she become a teenager before she ever stepped foot into kindergarten? special thank you to uncle tony, aunt jenny and g for the cozy blanket and eye mask! she obviously, loves it:).

noah is growing fast too and talking like nobodys buisness.

this is a conversation we had this morning...

noah - "mommy press the button please."

me - {{presses button to turn on toy story}}

noah - "good job mommy! you can have a treat!"

happy monday.

xo,

joanna

Productivity

2012-01-08T12:01:00.001-05:00

My kids are early risers. Think 6-6:30am every morning. Even though sometimes I grumble a bit, I don't mind too much. I like morning. I love drinking my coffee and watching Good Morning America. I love the way my kiddies are cuddly and have bed head and sleepy eyes.

I seem to get the most done before noon anyways. these are the things I accomplished this morning.

Made French toast for the babies.
Cleaned and organized my kitchen cabinets.
Steam mopped every hard surface floor in my house.
Took a shower & got dressed.
Dressed the kiddies.
Two loads of laundry.
Went to grocery store.
Cleaned the bathroom.
Ate lunch.
Made a "honey do" list for Corey:).

Not to bad for a Sunday morning.

What did you do this morning? Are you an early riser or do you like to get your day started later?

xo,
Joanna

Fail

2012-01-05T20:36:00.001-05:00

It's been 48hrs and I already give up. Curse you Mark Zuckerberg and your highly addictive invention. I love Facebook. I can't quit Facebook and I don't care who knows it!!

ox,
Joanna

P.s. what should my new resolution be?

photo challange : paper mama {sparkle}

2012-01-04T11:34:00.001-05:00

two years went so fast...

wordless{ish} wednesday - morning

2012-01-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

xo,

joanna

new years resolution

2012-01-03T11:29:00.001-05:00

i usually dont make resolutions besides the, "lose weight be healthy,"one everyone else makes. this year however i am making one and i am determind to stick with it. i am going to ease up on the facebooking.i think we can all agree facebook is extremly addicting and i dont want to be obsessed with it anymore. don't get me wrong facebook is super cool. you can find long lost friends, keep intouch with your currunt friends, network etc... but the bad things are that you can get sucked into facebook stalking and looking at some random peoples pictures for hours. i am guilty of this. i don't want to waste anymore of my time doing that. There are so many other things i could be doing! For example, spending time with my family, reading, blogging, taking pictures and so on and so forth. First things first I need to get the app off my phone. I do most of my stalking on my phone because it is so convenient. i will still keep my account but i wont be posting on it or checking it regularly.

i am still going to use one demensional social networking sites like instagram(mommypaff) and twitter(joannapaff) because lets be honest i still need a tiny fix.

this is going to be interesting.....

wish me luck!
xo,
joanna

2011-12-31T20:16:00.001-05:00

this is how we are ringing in the new year.

how are you celebrating the beginning of 2012?

cheers to a happy healthy new year!

xo,
joanna

a day in instagrams

2011-12-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

First post from my phone:)

2011-12-28T20:52:00.001-05:00

Just testing to see if this works! Like this picture? It was done by my lovely friend Andrea Boettcher {our family portrait} & coily photos.

Christmas

2011-12-27T15:47:00.002-05:00

we had a wonderful christmas. it actually wasn't too crazy. when corey and i had kiddies, we decided one party a day was plenty for holiday's. it works perfect for our family because we have christmas with my grandma either the day before christmas eve or the day after christmas, christmas eve with the paff's and christmas day with the witte's. it is always a little sad to not see everyone but being able to relax and enjoy being at one party and not having to cart two babies all over the world, repays us ten fold every year.

i need to upload all my good pictures from my camera then i can share. until then here are a few instagrams.

{daddy hard at work; santa's faves}

{mommy's dirty santa gift; yummy pick me up}

{noah's favorite gift; gracie's favorite gift}

{the gift that keeps on giving; christmas princess}

{kit's new dress; wild boys}

are you on instagram? follow me and i will follow you back. my handle is mommypaff (changed from joannapaff), check it out!

merry christmas

2011-12-24T12:04:00.001-05:00

xo
joanna

festival of lights in {instagram's}

2011-12-15T08:40:00.002-05:00

yesterday's post was a bit heavy. honestly, when i sat down to write it i wasn't even going to go there but once my fingers hit the keys it was like turning on a faucet and everything came pouring out. thank you for the lovely messages. it does my heart good to feel the love.

since i didn't post the pictures from our fun at the festival of lights i thought i would today. i didn't take my big camera. i have the iphone 4s and the camera on it does a good job at capturing moments without the bulk of the 60D.

xo
joanna

26

2011-12-14T13:33:00.002-05:00

yesterday was my birthday. i am now all of 26 years old. it was a perfect family day, just the four of us. we went to the festival of lights, dinner and ended with a short trip to the mall.

i couldn't stop thinking how wonderfully blessed i am and wishing i could freeze time, so i could have that warm happy feeling in my heart forever. lately, my heart has been so heavy with sadness it was a welcome change. last month i had a miscarriage. it was not my first or second...

corey and i weren't planning on having more kids but it was a very welcome surprise when those two lines appeared. things were going well, we had even seen the babies sweet little heart beat at 6 weeks. then when we went back to check on the progress of the pregnancy at 8 weeks, there was only still silence on the screen. my heart literally broke in that room. it was devastating.

we decided to do genetic testing and we found that i have a chromosome defect. this defect makes it extremely difficult for me have children without medical intervention and that i gave birth to two healthy children on my own, is basically a miracle. when corey and i were given this news we decided to close the door on growing our family. so, for the past month not only have i been grieving the loss of my baby but all the babies i will never have.

grief is a strange thing. sometimes i feel like i am turning a corner and then the tiniest thing happens, like finding a baby sock in the bottom of gracie's drawer and that pain in my chest starts to hurt so bad again that it takes my breath away. i know it will get better and the light at the end of this dark tunnel is coming, even if i can't see it yet.

lunch with santa

2011-12-11T12:04:00.003-05:00

the holiday festivities continue around here! yesterday we had lunch with santa at a local church. it was so cute. my favorite part was when my kiddies got their faces painted.

gracie got a snowflake and noah, a snowman.

they also had games which were a big hit, especially when they won:).

noah is not ready to get within 20 yards of santa but gracie is a pro when it comes to letting santa know what she would like for christmas.

xo
joanna

vino

2011-12-06T08:38:00.003-05:00

lately i have been totally into wine. i don't know to much about it except i love pinot noir, its yummy.

this is sam.

he is quickly becoming my favorite drinking buddy. this is why....

1. he doesn't hog the wine.
2. he doesn't judge me when i go for my third glass.
3. he doesn't make me watch espn or a sporting event while we drink.

do you drink wine? have any suggestions for something delicious to try?

xo
joanna

the best of delhi

2011-12-03T16:35:00.004-05:00

this morning we went to our neighborhood christmas parade. it wasn't anything fancy, mostly just highschool bands, local cub scout troops and the fire department but it was cute and sweet and my kiddos loved it! i think its hard not to be happy though when every five seconds someone is giving you a candy cane. jeeze louise, talk about sugar overload! my pockets where overflowing by the time we walked to the car.

xo
joanna

morning routine

2011-11-30T13:32:00.002-05:00

i am so very lucky to be a stay at home mom. the perks of the job are endless but one of my favorite things about being a s.a.h.m is that we don't have to kill ourselves to get anywhere every morning. we can take our time and snuggle, drink an extra cup of coffee and watch an extra mickey mouse club house.

i know this wont last forever, especially with kindergarten right around the corner {eekkk!}. so i am going to suck every last drop of goodness from our easy mornings because before i know it they will be just a memory.

xo
joanna

Turkey Day

2011-11-23T15:46:00.002-05:00

happy happy turkey day!

xo
joanna

Back by popular demand :)

2011-11-22T19:51:00.003-05:00

hi! lets fast forward through the apologies and lame excuses for my absents on the bloggy bloggy. blah, blah, sorry, blah, blah, busy, blah, blah, thanks for your forgiveness.

well with that out of the way. i've missed blogging and i have ton of stuff to share. lots going on at the paff house, mostly good but a little sad. i promise to share more, lots more but first here is a quick peek at what we have been up to...

i love instagram. are you on? follow me and i will follow back. i'm joannapaff.

promise to be back soon.

xo
joanna

flash back

2011-08-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

my little sass two years ago.

p.s. those shorts still fit her :).

home

2011-08-16T12:58:00.003-04:00

we were going to go do something today but somehow i got sidetracked cleaning noah's room and today turned into a cleaning/laundry/catchup day. as much as i love to go, being home is so very nice. my house is clean, my kids are playing {knock on wood}kindly together and i am almost, almost caught up on my mountain of laundry from the weekend.

my babies don't seem to mind, they played in the backyard, had a picnic lunch and of course watched a few charlie & lola's {we are on a charlie & lola kick right now}.

do you ever need a day to just stay home and recover? or are you just a constant "goer?"

xoxo
joanna

noah's new words

2011-08-11T14:29:00.003-04:00

noah is talking so much these days and we can almost make out about 75 % of what he is saying, yay! here are some of his new words...

"i want breakfast."

"i'm hungry."

"go away now, mom."

and the newest one...

"no way mama. no night night!"

i love my little stinky :).

xo
joanna

struggling

2011-08-05T12:21:00.003-04:00

first off let me just say, i love my children.

but today i am struggling to keep calm and be patient with them.

corey and i went to a concert wednesday night and the lack of sleep and one to many draft beers has caught up to me. my kids of course like lions praying on a wounded elk can sense my exhaustion and have been eating away at me all morning.

i hate when i feel like this. i regret every time i've snapped at them this morning but seriously sometimes can't a momma just get a teeny tiny break? it doesn't have to be long, i will settle for a ten minute shower without someone getting in with me and/or putting a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet.

do you other momma's ever feel like you just need to be alone? even for just a few minutes?

i will make it through this day. i will make it through this day. i will make it through this day....

xo
joanna

toys, toys, toys.....

2011-07-26T16:46:00.002-04:00

my kiddies are very blessed. they have more toys then any child would ever need.

that is why every two months or so, i go through their toys and put a couple big plastic tubs full away in the closet. they never notice. in fact it makes it easier for them to find things to play with because they aren't overwhelmed with the sheer volume of toys. then when we seem to need a little change i switch the toys out. it is my favorite trick for winter when we spend most of our time in the basement/playroom.

do you ever rotate your kiddies toys like this?

instagram's from today

2011-07-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

sometimes it is just to hard to lug around my big honkin' camera when i am already schlepping two kiddos around. that is why i love my iphone. the pics may not be technically perfect, crisp or clear but it gets the job done, it captures the moment.

noah showing some skin. slushies and buddies at the mall.

goof balls. pretty girls.

xo
joanna

too hot

2011-07-20T16:25:00.004-04:00

it has been positively scorching this past week. now i am the first to admit that i am in love with summer heat but this week has been a bit much, think temps in the 100's! we have been spending most of our time either at the pool or playing in our cool basement. noah doesn't seem to mind the heat. in fact, i think he prefers it! it gives him an excuse to be nakey :).

xo
joanna

ava day

2011-07-20T16:12:00.003-04:00

we had gracie's little friend ava over one day this week.

gracie was so excited, the night before she kept telling me that tomorrow was "ava day."

they played so nicely together all day and many times during the day gracie would come up to me and say, "mommy, i love ava day." holy moly talk about cute!

i love that they are such sweet friends because ava's momma is one of my besties. getting them together is a good excuse for us to get together :).
xo
joanna

photo challange : black and white

2011-07-20T16:05:00.001-04:00

black and white

4

2011-07-20T15:21:00.003-04:00

so i am a few days late but better late then never.....

my baby girl is 4. i can hardly believe it. where did the time go?

happy happy birthday sweet sass. i love you so very much. you are more then i could have ever wished for. love you to the sun.
-mommy

birthday party!

2011-07-20T15:08:00.003-04:00

hi loves! we had the kiddies birthday party on saturday and it was a total blast!

i am so lucky my babies are born so close together, so that we can celebrate their birthday's with one huge party.

i kept telling myself that i was going to enjoy the party and not stress to much about making everything perfect.

i think i did a good job but i still probably looked like a chicken with her head cut off most of the time with the way i was running around.

all in all i would chalk the party up as a success. we had good food, good friends and family, adorable kids and good weather.

thanks to everyone who came and made my littles special day perfect!
xo
joanna

gracie says!

2011-07-13T21:18:00.002-04:00

so if you follow my on facebook/twitter* you know that sassy started swim lessons. if you don't, sass started swim lessons on monday. right now, we are keeping our fingers crossed that she learns to at least put her face in the water and/or do one thing the teacher asks her.

today after her swim lesson she was floating around the pool with my uncle and he asked her to put her face in the water what did the little stinker do, she dunked her sweet little face right in like she has been doing it all her life.

this is what she said to me when i asked her about why she wouldn't do that in her class....

me: gracie, why didn't you do that during your class for your teacher?
gracie: i don't know. whats my teachers name?
me: miss diane
gracie: oh, i would like her and swim lessons alot more if her name was thumbelina.

*joannapaff

2

2011-07-06T09:49:00.003-04:00

my baby is two today. it seems like just yesterday we were here.

then here.

now look at him.

happy birthday baby boy. please, don't grow up to fast.
love, momma

where is charlie?

2011-07-03T20:06:00.003-04:00

i haven't addressed this yet on my blog because honestly it makes me very sad but i feel like i should tell you 5, maybe 6 people that read my blog.....

do we still have charlie?

very, very sadly we do not :(. unfortunately, when we brought charlie home he was a very sick puppy. after seeing two different vets we were told that he had a very rare parasite called balantidium coli. this particular parasite can be spread to humans and under the advice of my kids pediatrician, we had to give charlie back. even though it was a small chance that the parasite could be transferred to my babies, i could not in good conscious take that chance.

believe me when i say it was the hardest thing to take our sweet, little puppy who in such a short time had become a part of our family, back. it makes me teary thinking of it, even now.

wordless(ish) wednesday - instagram

2011-06-29T19:35:00.002-04:00

noah, first thing in the morning. my morning boast.

house guests for the next week. tired sass after a fun summer day.

{follow me on instagram - joannapaff. leave me a comment and i will follow you back!}

xo
joanna

gorgeous girl

2011-06-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

my gorgeous girl.

life as usual

2011-06-27T18:15:00.003-04:00

vacation is over and life is back to normal....

back to art projects on the dining room floor...

killing all plants that dare enter our home...

relaxing in the backyard...

and extra dirty, whiny faces.

xo
Joanna

we're baaaaaccckkkkkk

2011-06-26T13:10:00.003-04:00

hi all! we are back from a wonderful vacation at myrtle beach with my family. i have hundreds of photos i need to sift through but until then, here are some of my favorites.

view from our room.

beach lovers :)

p.s.
i am excited to clean up the cob webs on my blog and get back to regular posting. i started with making a new header. what do you think?

xo
-Joanna

Favorite Photo of June

2011-06-26T12:42:00.002-04:00

this is my absolute favorite photo from the month of june. i love it so much, i even made it my new header :).

i love that baby.

happy sunday!

new bling and some linky love

2011-04-22T16:11:00.002-04:00

my friend, so kindly linked his popular blog, to my little one because our girls just happen to be best buds...

amazing photo courtesy of andreaboettcher
and they both had their ears pierced this week!

however, i must apologize to those who skipped over here from this is reverb, looking for pictures of my beautiful girl and her new bling. but instead only got a picture of my 21 month old's butt!

please forgive me. i am lazy.

anyway here is my big girl in all her ear-piercing glory!

come on gracie, just one smile?

you little punk, i guess that will have to do.

happy good friday!

fluffy butt

2011-04-19T13:23:00.001-04:00

My stash

2011-04-14T13:49:00.003-04:00

so we have decided to go cloth! honestly when i had Gracie four years ago i never thought i would cloth diaper. now that i have tried it and LOVE it, i wish i would have started a long time ago. yes it does require a little extra effort but believe me when i say, it is totally manageable!

when i decided to test it out i did a ton of research, to find the best diaper for us. i decided on pocket diapers. then i narrowed it down to either the fuzzibunz perfect size or bumgenious one size 4.0. after trying them out, i decided bumgenious 4.0 hook & loop is what works best for us. i am not to pleased with the fuzzibunz perfect size, they just don't seem to fit noah as well as the bumgenius. however, i am going to try the fuzzibunz one size and see what i think.

i am in love with the bumgenius. they are basically fool proof. they go on just like a disposable and the keep noah dry! i was nervous to see how they would hold up overnight since noah sleeps 12hrs and is usualy soaked from head to toe in the morning. but with the bungenius 4.0 and an extra hemp insert, he is dry as a bone every morning!

i am still building my stash but this is what i have so far.

-7 bumgenius 4.0 one size hook & loop

-1 bungenious 4.0 one size snaps

-1 fuzzibunz perfect size medium

-3 fuzzibunz hemp inserts

-2 kissinluv antibacterial pail liners

- rockin green diaper detergent

i need about 6 more diapers to be able to make through two days. that way i am not going crazy with cleaning them!

i am still getting into a routine but this is how i clean them. first i do a cold wash with no detergent. second i run a hot wash with detergent a soak and an extra warm rinse and go to bed. in the morning i throw all of my inserts into the dryer and hang the covers inside if it is raining or outside on my cloths line.

the best part is the money we will save. even with spending about $300.00 to build a stash and everything else needed to cloth diaper, that is a one time expense. where as now we spend at minimum $800.00 a year on disposables. so cloth diapering noah for the next year will save us $500.00, maybe more! if and when we use them with our next baby the savings will just keep adding up!

too me it was a no brainier once i realized how easy it was. plus, they are too cute!

happy sunday!

New do

2011-04-14T09:40:00.001-04:00

look who got a hair cut...

isn't it sweet?

or maybe that is just her in general :).

happy thursday!

wild girl

2011-04-12T20:18:00.002-04:00

gracie is our little, wild child.

her wild heart is only matched by her sass.

i love her.

happy tuesday!

Something right

2011-04-11T21:16:00.004-04:00

You know how somedays your kids spend half the day in time out? Or you leave the grocery store abruptly in the middle of the dairy isle cart full because your 21 month old is melting and no amount of bribery with get him to stop sceaming? I have those days. I have them far more then I care to admit. Those days make me wonder, what am I doing wrong? Am I a bad mom? Then this happens...

;

And I know I must be doing something right. I know for a fact I have and will make many mistakes as a momma. However, when I see the love between these two, my heart feels as though it might burst and I know, I am doing ok. Those teeny tiny victories are what will get us through the temper tantrums and timeouts. So tonight I will go to sleep thinking of only the good moments and triumphs we had today. Because I am a good mom, they are hands down the best kids ever and I am doing something right.

Happy Monday!

Something right

2011-04-11T20:55:00.000-04:00

welcome back

2011-04-10T20:42:00.003-04:00

hope you had a great weekend. we are loving the beautiful summer-like weather we are having. the best part is getting to play with our buds in the circle.

we missed you, sun. thanks for coming back.

happy sunday!

my guy

2011-04-08T07:24:00.002-04:00

ooppssy daisy! i already missed a day. good thing i make the rules or i would be in big trouble :). to make up for my lack of a picture yesterday here are five from my trip to zoo with my guy...

we had so much fun, just us. we moved at his pace. we walked slowly to look at the sticks and squirrels he thought we soooo much cooler then any of the animals we had come to see. every once in a while he would stop pushing his stroller to decide which way to go and when he would point and tell me where and i would agree his little face would light up. for once, he was to boss! we ended our trip with a ride on the train, like we always do. i think this was the first time he actually understood what we were doing. he would look at me with the sweetest smile as if to say, "mom, this is the best day!" and then hug me so tight. i am sure everyone thought i was crazy when we pulled up to the end of the ride because of the tears in my eyes. it was one of those days that you are trying to remember everything, so you never forget. i hope i never forget.

noey, i had so much fun with you yesterday. i love you to the moon. promise you will always be my baby.
love,
momma

they're here....

2011-04-06T19:37:00.002-04:00

look what showed up on my front porch this afternoon...

they've been prepped and my baby has a cute little fluffy booty as we speak! i am anxious to see how they hold up at night. noah's jammies are usually SOAKED by morning, in a disposable. if he is dry in the am with cloth, i will be hooked. not to mention they are so freaking cute!

think dry!

happy wednesday!

not quite there...

2011-04-05T14:37:00.003-04:00

she can usually go without a nap...

but some days he little 3yr old body remembers it still needs a rest during the day.

happy tuesday!

picture a day and cotton babies!

2011-04-04T12:48:00.003-04:00

hi all! whats happening? i am excited about a few things today such as, my new picture a day challenge. i have been sad abut two things lately, not taking pictures of my kids and not blogging enough. so, i've decided to kill two birds with one stone and challenge myself to take and post at least one photo a day for 30 days. hopefully it goes better then the other challenges i've tried. here is my first picture to start me off...

that's noeys whiny, i'm tired, gracie wont let me play with the ipad face.

i am also totally psyched because i ordered a couple cloth diapers from cottonbabies.com! i decided to start small and ordered two bumgenius 4.0 one size diapers.

one with hook and loop tabs

and one with snaps.

if you are already a cloth diapering whiz or just testing the waters, cotton babies is a great resource with tips, tons of different cloth diapers and great sales!! speaking of sales, they are having a sale on bumgenius right now! buy five 4.0 get one FREE!

i can't wait for my fluffy package to arrive so i can give cloth diapering a whirl!

wish me luck on both my adventures!

happy monday!

Cloth?

2011-03-31T16:57:00.002-04:00

I am thinking about trying cloth diapers. I have been going back and fourth with the idea of going cloth for a few months now. The thing that drew me to them was the cost. especially, since we are thinking about having another baby the savings can be as much as $1,000 with one baby and just goes up with ever child you use them on. Because they make them so well these days they supposedly can last through a few kids.

My kids only wear pampers which just happen to be the most expensive brand! I tried a cheaper brand and Noah now has a wicked rash that has spread to anywhere the diaper touches his skin, including the outside of the diaper!!! That got me thinking about the chemicals in the diaper that are giving him a rash and honestly I am NOT ok with those chemicals on his skin!

Cloth diapering obviously is a commitment not only time wise but the initial investment is usually $200-$300 so you can build up a good stash.

Does anyone have any advice on getting started, best place to buy, best brand to use? I would love to hear from you!

his name

2011-03-07T12:36:00.004-05:00

hi all! i hope everyone had a great weekend. we did! it was wonderful, relaxing and fun. after a not so great week, sassy was sick, corey had meetings and commitments three evenings out of five and potty training the pup made for a hectic week. this week is already shaping up better, the sun is shining, the kids are (knock on wood) healthy and we are loving the puppy more and more very day.

so, what is his name? that was actually a difficult process but we all decided on a name together. these are some of the names sass was pulling for.

-big woody
-daisy sunflower
-sprinkles
-bubbles

if you know sass she is pretty stubborn and we almost had to cal the poor dog bubbles but then the lord had mercy on us and she said, "how about, charlie?"

we are so happy that he has a name we wont be embarrassed to scream from our back door.

so here he is, charlie.

happy monday!

learning

2011-02-28T15:40:00.002-05:00

things are little crazy around here since we added this little guy to our family on saturday.

all weekend was spent thinking about the puppy, playing with the puppy and training the puppy. it was fun and exciting. but then monday came and quickly brought me back to reality. i suddenly realized that having him here is like having a new baby in the house, who needs to be supervised constantly if he isn't in his crate which he hates! after an incident with dog poop in places it should not be, i started to think maybe we made a mistake and maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.

i needed a little guidance so off to the library we went for this.

i have only read a few chapters but i am already feeling better about the task of training our new pup. all he needs is a little consistency and some positive reinforcement. if you know me, you know i am all about the schedule baby! so the ideas from this book are extremely cohesive with our family life. yay!

i mean come on, i trained two kids to sleep 12hrs a night, nap, not to mention how to put themselves to sleep and potty trained one, i can certainly train this puppy!

plus, he is super cute, loves my kids, doesn't bark (seriously we haven't heard him bark yet) and we love him.

wish us luck!

que the rocky theme song please.

happy monday!

meet the newest member of our family!!

2011-02-26T14:09:00.003-05:00

surprise!

we brought this sweet little guy home today. isn't he cute?

he is a soft coated wheaten terrier and he doesn't have a name yet. any suggestions?

happy weekend!

sunny day

2011-02-16T18:30:00.002-05:00

hi everyone! today the weather around these parts was fan-freaking-tastic!! we ventured outside this morning with our coats and hats and by this afternoon my kiddies were running around sans winter gear.

it's like i have two totally different kids when we are outside. they are just so happy to be outside, using all there pent up energy that nothing can bring them down.

i love it.

i wish we could move somewhere where it's warm all the time.

obviously we won't but a girl can dream right?

happy (sunny) wednesday!

monday, momday, monday....

2011-02-14T11:48:00.002-05:00

hi all! how are you on this lovely valentine monday? corey and i just got home from a much needed weekend away in chicago, last night. it was fun, relaxing, fun, lovely and did i mention fun? it was nice to get away and remember why i married my awesome hubby. it's hard sometimes with kids, work, and the daily stresses of life to remember that corey really is my best friend, not just our kids daddy and that guy i live with :). i love him.

today has already been pretty challenging to say the least with the kiddies. they spent the weekend with my parents. it is very clear to me that the behavior expected from gah-gah and papa, is very different from what corey and i expect. its like they totally forgot how to listen, that i am in charge and how to behave in public. i guess that is the price you pay. oh, and by the way it was soooo worth it, even if we have a week of extra timeouts and tantrums.

corey and i have been debating the pros and cons of adding another little to our family. it is hard. i have this feeling that our family just isn't complete and the idea of a newborn in the house literally turns me into goo (i love newborns). then i have hard days like today and i think maybe a third isn't right for our family. i know we will never regret having more babies but i know i will regret not giving gracie and noah all love and attention they deserve. i think maybe since i came from a family of seven, two kids just seems like cheating. maybe if i was from a family of 2 or 3, 2 kids would be normal to me? i don't know. maybe i will never know and maybe that feeling of wanting more kids never really goes away? corey and i have been so blessed with these perfect beautiful children maybe we shouldn't press our luck? maybe we should just get a dog ?

anyway i have laundry to do and diapers to change so this is it for now. we are having a low key valentines because this past weekend was pretty exciting. homemade chicken and dumplings with the kids is as romantic as it's going to get tonight. it's ok though this way i get to celebrate with all my valentines.

happy (valentines) monday!

lovey

2011-02-04T17:50:00.002-05:00

Best Face Photo | i heart faces

2011-01-31T16:15:00.002-05:00

my sweetie girl and her best cousin!

Coffee

2011-01-31T14:31:00.002-05:00

i treated myself to this little beauty today.

my old coffee maker that i bought right after noah was born, was making coffee that had a very distinct burnt plastic taste ick! so, off to target we went for a new coffee maker. i have wanted a french press ever since i read this post but couldn't justify buying one while i had a working pot.

You wouldn't believe the goodness that is a cup of coffee from a press. it is so smooth and doesn't have that awful bitter taste you get from using a regular pot.

if you are in the market for a new coffee pot i highly recommend you look into a press. trust me you won't regret it!

ipad wars

2011-01-29T16:04:00.003-05:00

my kids are different. they insist on watching movies on the ipad.

instead of on one of the several very nice (and large) tv's we have all over the house. this causes fights between them.

it is always a competition to see who can get closer to the pad.

i love their little weird butts.

turning a corner

2011-01-25T10:08:00.002-05:00

we are turning a corner today whether we are ready to or not. we are all fever free but still pretty low on energy. we still have some pretty wicked coughs and runny noses but i have decided today will be a good day. we got dressed, i am going to tackle the mountain of laundry that has accumulated over the past week and i am going to cook dinner tonight. we may even turn off the tv for a little bit actually that's a lie we aren't ready for that yet. we need to pace ourselves. right?

today will be good and tomorrow will be even better. i decided that tomorrow we will be well enough to wonder the isles of target and thursday, gracie will go to school. i see the light at the end of the tunnel and it feels good. damn good.

happy tuesday!

Saturday momrning in bed.....

2011-01-22T09:35:00.002-05:00

Here I am laying in bed on a Saturday morning watching "Motherhood" on Starz, browsing the Internet and listening to my hubby and kiddies playing in the basement below me. Only two things would turn this into absolute bliss, a steaming hot cup of coffee and not being bed ridden with the absolute worst case of the flu!

This is my fourth day of having the flu, it has been no fun at all. A few days ago I blogged about never getting any privacy well be careful what you wish for folks because you just might get it. I am basically banished to my room and only allowed to come out to pee. I miss my kids so much it is actually hurting me even though they are in the same house as me. I think it is worse that I have been getting little peaks at there sweets face and hearing snippets of their tiny voices all the while knowing I can't scoop them up and kiss their cheeks. I love them.

My husband and mom have been tag teaming taking care of the kids and keeping the house from blowing up. I don't know why I am always surprised I know he is awesome but Corey is doing such a great job at taking care of the kids and everything. Like not just keeping the kids alive good, like giving baths, cooking dinner instead of going to the drive-thru, doing dishes, straightening up and laundry. I love him. I love him. I love him.

relaxing bath

2011-01-19T19:37:00.002-05:00

I decided to take a nice long hot bath tonight to clear my congestion and help me sleep. I had just settled in with my google reader app on my iPhone so I could catch up on my blogs and look who showed up.

Can't a momma get a little privacy? Oh wait, I forgot I know the answer to that question and it's a big fat "negative ghost rider!"

guilt and other stuff

2011-01-19T10:34:00.003-05:00

i am sick. i feel awful. i am coughing up a storm and running a fever. all thanks to my lovely husband who brought this wonderful little bug home from the office. ick! i don't know what is worse though how i feel or the guilt i have for letting my kids watch to much tv so i can lay on the couch. i hate when i turn to tv to entertain my kids but what am i supposed to do? i obviously can't take them anywhere and i have zero energy to come up with something fun and cool to entertain them. so a toy story marathon will have to do today. don't judge. i really am a good mom i just feel like poop in the pants today.

on a happier note something was delivered to our house yesterday.

talking jessie!!

gracie has been asking for her for a long time and in a moment of weakness last week i bought jessie online when i found her on sale. a special gift every now and them isn't really that big of a deal right? i find myself torn between not wanting to spoil my kids and wanting to give them everything their little hearts desire. i of course don't buy them everything they want, corey would kill me. i tell myself it is not that big of a deal, "she is a good girl. she deserves it." plus she is in l.o.v.e. with her new toy.

a little spoiling never hurt anyone. right?

Photo Challenge | A Different View

2011-01-15T19:29:00.001-05:00

snow pictures and noey baby

2011-01-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

we had all the fun playing in the snow on tuesday.

our buds accross the street were home so that made it even better.

noah, is doing great after his surgery yesterday.

he has barely cried just a tiny bit fussy, moving slow and needing extra snuggles.

which we are all, including sassy, willing to give.

he didn't sleep very well last night. because he slept basically all day yesterday. so i am hoping for a very, very, lllooooonnnnggggg nap today.

happy thursday!

these days

2011-01-11T08:45:00.002-05:00

hi friends. things have been very low key around here. lots of staying in jammies late, snuggling on the couch watching toy story 3 and just plain being cozy!
i am sure cabin fever will set in soon but for now we are loving it.

this morning we got up and started our normal tuesday race to get out the door to get sassy to school on time. i had already packed sassy's lunch, made breakfast and poured myself my coffee which i was going to chug down before i got everyone dressed, then a wonderful thing happened, the local news flashed that gracie's school was closed for the day on account of snow! so i warmed my cup of joe to a nice sipping temperature and settled in on the couch with the ipad and good morning america. bliss.

today will be a good day. we will definitely stay cozy for most of the day

but i have promised gracie we will play in the snow. it will be noah's first time out, yay!

i am hoping to post some pictures of our fun later today but we shall see if my littles allow it.

also, say a little prayer for my little noey baby he is having a procedure tomorrow morning :(. he has to have his circumcision redone, ouch!!! my poor little buggy, this will be his third surgery in a year. it just plan stinks. i think he deserves a new "talking buz lightyear" for being such a trooper, what do you think?

happy tuesday!

resolution

2011-01-06T10:55:00.003-05:00

i know i am a few days late but you lovely readers will forgive me. i have a two resolutions this year...

more sunscreen! no wrinkles or skin cancer in 2011 woot woot!
be kinder in my thoughts, words and actions.

part of my be kinder resoulution applies to myself. i really need to work on lowering my expectaions of myself. this doesn't mean that i am not going to coninue to try and be the best wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister etc... i can be but rather allow myself to make mistakes admit that i made them and move on rather then dwell on that imperfection and label myself a failure. i have decided its ok if my dishes don't get put in the dishwasher immediately, if laundry sits in the basket for an extra day or if my kids eat pretzel sticks and fruit snacks for breakfast (sometimes). this is going to be very hard but good challange for me. wish me luck!

happy thursday!

p.s. how cute are these kids?

Hello 2011

2011-01-04T17:21:00.003-05:00

hi friends. i've missed you while i was away from blogging. i know, i have said it before (and i will probably say it again) but i am going to try, try, try to be better about posting. i like to blog. it is good for my soul almost like a diary, a very public diary. writing down our memories even if it is just a one sentence blurb or a single picture, will be wonderful to look back on in a few years.

did you have a good christmas? we had a great christmas!

lots of running around, going to bed to late and missing naps but it was wonderful all the same.

i am pretty sure it was harder on me then the kids.

i tried very hard to relax and enjoy myself but there always came a point where i looked at the clock realized it was hours past my kiddies bed time and i would have a panic attack.

then i would give corey the signal to round up the kids before things got ugly.

our new years was wonderfully boring.

it was perfection. it was warm

(warm enough for kids who have been stuck inside for the past month) outside so we played in the circle with our buds until the rain chased us inside for chinese and movies in our cozy basement. perfection.

we are just getting into the groove today after a lengthy break from our schedule. i have to admit it was nice to take sass to school, mop the floors, make dinner and just be regular.

happy tuesday!

Life Savers

2010-12-14T20:33:00.002-05:00

these little babies saved my life today.

they are like magic.

my kids played nicely with each other for an hour this afternoon.

thank you weird little pom pom thingys.

Saturday

2010-12-11T09:27:00.003-05:00

good morning! last night we went to a big outdoor light show with the kiddies.

as you can see sassy loved it and noey loved his shoes! all in all it was a great night and possibly a new family tradition!

this morning we are just hanging in our p.j.'s watching movies.

corey and i are going out this afternoon/evening for a shopping dinner date for my birthday woot woot!

happy weekend!

I do like my blog....

2010-12-09T09:33:00.003-05:00

I have been bad. I haven't been posting or even thinking about posting on my blog lately. I really do like my blog. Actually, I love it but things have been crazy busy and I just can't seem to find space in my day to sit down and blog.

Starting today, I have decided to make space to blog because I do love it. So my new goal is to at least post three times a week. Even if it is just a picture.

I usually do, "Gracie Says" but Noey is talking so much and I can actually understand him (sometimes (: ).

So here is the first ever "Noey Says."

Me: Noey you want to watch Fresh Beats (Fresh Beat Band)?
Noey: No Fresh Beats! Toy Story!
Me: Holy moly you said that clear as day!
Noey: YAY!!

I love his booty butt.

Challenges

2010-12-09T09:26:00.004-05:00

This is my absolute favorite photo right now. I even made it into a Christmas card for my momma!

Thankful

2010-11-25T10:04:00.002-05:00

i am so thankful for alot of things this year but most of all for my family.

my baby in footy jammies :)

my husband of 4 blissful years today!!

my spirited, wild hearted, beautiful and a maybe a little crazy sassy girl.

happy thanksgiving!

the case of the stolen Ugg Boots....

2010-11-15T08:38:00.003-05:00

if you know me you know that i wear my favorite ugg boots pretty much everyday from october until april.

two weeks ago i went out in my garage to put them on while i ran sassy girl up to school. to my surprise they were not there. so i checked my bedroom, nothing. my basement, nothing. scored my entire house, nothing. i would be lying if i said i didn't throw a mini tantrum. hey, it was cold out and i had dressed myself with the intent to wear my uggs.

i spent the next few days tearing apart my house, retracing my steps and interrogating my husband about if he knew where they were. he has always been jealous of my warm feet. after looking everywhere and not finding them, corey and i came to the conclusion that someone must have stolen them out of my garage!

my neighbor told me to file a police report. i did. the man at the police department asked me if i wanted an investigator to be assigned the case. i am still not sure if i sensed a hint of sarcasm in his voice. anyway, i said no. i already felt silly as it was to be filing a police report about a pair of four year old boots.

besides reporting it i proclaimed the thievery on facebook, warned all my neighbors and seriously contemplated starting a neighborhood watch.

on saturday, i decided to clean my messy room. there has been a small suitcase in our room since september and when i picked it up to return it to its rightful place in the basement closet, i thought, "gee this suitcase sure feels heavy. i wonder what is in it?" as i opened it up out tumbled my favorite bra, a sweatshirt, a bath toy, a highchair seat cover and my long lost UGG BOOTS!

I almost died of embarrassment alone in my bedroom.

i walked downstairs said nothing just showed corey.

he laughed.

while telling my parents about where i found my treasured boots sassy, who was in ear shot looked at me and said, "i do'ed that."

i guess i can call the police department and tell them the case has been solved.....

busy but cute

2010-11-11T15:32:00.002-05:00

things are busy around these parts.

but i am never to busy to take pictures of my sweet, cute, perfect, all around amazing kiddos!

happy thursday!

Cousin love

2010-11-06T16:30:00.001-04:00

Look at these cuties...

they are the best ones.

thinking...

2010-11-02T13:18:00.002-04:00

i have been following this blog for about a year now. i have linked up to it a few times to share some of the inspiration i get from this family daily.

last year around this time this family let go of there little boy and sent him back up to heaven. his momma is remembering him by re-posting what she wrote about the process of letting him go last year.

i read these posts last year and cried over the photos that she bravely took and shared but for some reason these re-posts have touched me in a very deep way.

i think it is because her family reminds me of my own. and when i see little gavin snuggled with his blanket i think, "this could so easily be my noey."

i am so blessed with my beautiful healthy children....

Halloween Pictures!!

2010-11-01T08:52:00.002-04:00

i want to go watch regis and kelly and drink my coffee. so i am just going to post pictures from last nights fun. i will tell you about it later!

my girl

2010-10-27T22:14:00.001-04:00

mom, mommy, mama, mama, mama......

2010-10-27T12:48:00.002-04:00

noah, woke up at early this morning. i am not sure of the exact time because without my glasses/contacts i have a hard time making out the numbers on the clock. i do know that the time started with a 5.

i am so tired i could fall asleep right at the computer desk.

i tried to ignore him but soon his, "mama's" got so loud they were bordering screams. i had to get him out of bed before he woke his sister. it didn't work. by 6:15 the kids were sitting at the table eating breakfast and i was standing infront of my coffee maker willing it to brew my (extra strong) coffee, faster.

why does sleep deprivation have to be apart of being a parent?

why can't kids be born with the ability to sleep as long as their parents need them to so we aren't zombies?

i used to pride myself on being the master of getting my kids to sleep well.

noah, has crushed that notion.

happy halloween!

2010-10-26T15:32:00.001-04:00

happy halloween!

from: my family

to: you

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

call it....

2010-10-25T13:36:00.002-04:00

ok, lets be honest i am not going to finish the 30 days of truth challenge. i am sorry i just don't have time to be "deep" right now (keep the jokes to yourself, please (-: ). so lets just call a peach a peach, i'm out. so long challenge. nice knowin' ya. don't let the door hit you on the way out.

anyway how about a little, "gracie says!"

gracie: we need to get rid of noah.
me: what!?!?! no we don't we love noey baby.
gracie: yeah i know but he poops in his pants.

happy monday!

Photo Challenge | Black & White

2010-10-25T13:27:00.002-04:00

the paper mama photo challenge | black & white

i know i have posted this photo many times but i mean seriously, can you blame me?

finally!!

2010-10-23T21:19:00.003-04:00

so very excited that my photo

was chosen by the paper mama as a favorite for the photo challenge : fall.

as gracie would say, "woot! woot!"

30 days of truth day 3

2010-10-23T21:01:00.003-04:00

oops, i missed a day. sorry i am really trying but my hubby is sick and we had a funeral yesterday. what do you want from me. i promise to do better.

any-who....

day 3 : something you need to forgive yourself for.

i have horrible "mommy guilt," about being away from my children. i am not sure why i do. i mean i am with my children all. the. time. but it is just so unnatural for me to be away from them. becasue even though they do make me crazy and when i do plan a night out i find myself counting the seconds until i break free. that feeling of freedom only lasts for a moment. by the time i get to the stop sign at the top of my street, my heart is aching to see those little faces. it seriously takes all my strength not to turn the car around and go snuggle up on the couch with my babies.

i know i need help.

happy saturday!

30 days of truth day 2

2010-10-21T15:14:00.003-04:00

day 2 : something you love about yourself.

i love the family that i created with the help of my amazing husband. believe me it was/is not always picnics and roses. being a wife and momma is very, very hard but i wouldn't change one thing. i feel so blessed to have this wonderful life. i often ask myself how did i get so lucky?

30 days of truth... beter late then never!

2010-10-20T07:25:00.002-04:00

i saw this

on these blogs.

and though it would be a good way to give myself some accountability when it comes to blogging. lets face it i have been a suckie blogger the past month and i want to kick this lull in the rear. so here we go.

The questions I’ll be answering for my 30 Days of Truth Project:

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.
Day 2: Something you love about yourself.
Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 8: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14: A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30: A letter to yourself: tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

Since i am starting late i will be a few posts behind the other blogger's participating but oh well....

day 1 : Something you hate about yourself.

i am horrible with confrontation. i hate that when something/someone is bothering me, i can't speak up and say so. sometimes this is a good thing for example, "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all." but sometimes after the opportunity to speak my mind passes i am often left kicking myself for not speaking up. however, i have found that when it comes to my babies, i have zero fear about speaking up on their behalf. i should just channel those feelings of "momma bear," to everything else in my life.

to be continued.....

thoughts

2010-10-20T07:14:00.003-04:00

it's wednesday and the sun isn't up yet. noah and i have already been up for an hour. i dont like being awake before the sun it just seems unnatural.

i have been feeling sick for the past two days. i am in a constant state of nausea blahhhhhhhhhhh. NO i am not pregnant.

but let me tell you, feeling like this has made me remember those first 20 weeks (no that is not a typo i meant 20 weeks) of pregnancy when all i can keep down is gatorade chips. can you say, torture!

i have come to the conclusion that i don't want to be pregnant again. there is no way i can be sick like that and take care of my babies.

i mean two kids is still a lot of kids. right?

paper mama: photo challenge

2010-10-16T20:05:00.003-04:00

the paper mama photo challenge : fall

sweet sassy, searching for the perfect pumpkin...

fall...

2010-10-16T19:29:00.003-04:00

we went to a pumpkin patch today. it was so fun. it was so nice to spend the morning making memories and creating traditions with my little family. i want to write a ton more and maybe i will but there is a fire going, my little ares in footy jams and the bucks are playing. so, i will just show you some photos of the fun. enjoy and GO BUCKS!

Gracie says part 6

2010-10-14T16:49:00.003-04:00

{gracie: daddy, is a good daddy because he doesn't turn my shower on too hot.
me: that is nice.
gracie: you are a bad mommy because you turn my shower on too hot.
me: i am sorry, baby girl!
gracie: that's alright mommy, just try better next time.}

{gracie speaking to noah while he is throwing a fit about being in the bath tub because he popped all over himself and the world (sorry tmi, i know)...}

{gracie: noey, if you are good i will give you a sucker.
noah: [[crying]] [[yelling]]}

{gracie: mommy why did noah poop all over?
me: i don't know.
gracie: boys are disgusting!}

happiness

2010-10-13T13:27:00.003-04:00

so this post might be a little vain but i don't care. this is my blog anyway and i can post whatever i want. am i right or am i right?

ok, so every week my babies and i have lunch with my grandparents at a popular greasy spoon on the west side of cincinnati (name that restaurant!). any way, this particular eatery is very popular among those "advanced" in the age department :). and every week i just love how these folks respond to my babies.

they love them!

because we are regulars, my kids know most of the costumers and workers. when i see the smiles on the faces of those people when my babies wave high or give them high fives, it makes me so proud. so proud to be the momma of these beautiful souls, who literally put smiles on everyone's face, even if it is just a wave hello.

it makes me think corey and i should populate the world with our little lovies. i may be a little bi-est but i think it would make for a wonderful world.

happy wednesday!

Photo Challenge | Me and Mama

2010-10-10T14:10:00.001-04:00

{my entry to the paper mama photo challenge : me and mama}

{Oh please let me win...}

boy

2010-10-06T19:39:00.004-04:00

this little dude is so cute.

i just had to get that out.

my sister says, "he is so cute it makes my stomach hurt."

it's true looking at this boy makes me ache.

love you, stink!

today

2010-10-05T19:15:00.002-04:00

{this is what our day looked like.}

{it was a good day.}