Earth Day

Happy Earth Day friends! I hope that you are all able to enjoy a beautiful day outside.

Hockey

I love that my little boy got to see street hockey in Philly when we were home a few weeks ago. A favorite past time for kids up there, and now he wants to play it at home (makes this Philly girl proud). We fashioned a hockey stick out of a spatula and a yardstick. He was having lots of fun!

Easter

A few pictures from Easter morning! Sam was excited about the treats in his basket. He got a new Elmo potty video and a potty book, some finger paints for the tub and a Mr. Potato Head. We also spoiled him with some sweet tarts and M&M's.

My family came up from Charlotte to spend the day and have dinner. The dads took the boys in the "warm tub" and they all had a good time splashing. Joe was a little unsure why he had to wear his clothes and a diaper to take a bath, but he soon forgot about it.

Cody made a wonderful beef tenderloin, and I made the sides: green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, artichokes and whole grain rolls. Dessert was peanut-butter chocolate pie!

A penny saved is a penny earned....

Back in the day, it was considered your patriotic duty to keep a garden...so given the tough times before us, the global warming fever and the fact that veggies in the grocery store are just plain blah! Cody and I decided that we wanted to start our very own "Victory Garden". We spent all Saturday preparing it. We got up early and headed out to the massive farmer's market in HP's countryside and stocked up on seedlings of all varieties. Since, neither Cody or myself has much of a green thumb...we decided on hearty plants that were pretty established already.

North Carolina soil is super dense clay, so tilling by hand is impossible. We bought an tiller attachment for the weed whacker. It was more expensive than we thought, but Cody said it was absolute back breaking work and he was glad that he had it. We got in several tomato varieties, eggplant, zucchini, squash, jalapenos, red peppers, and cucumbers. I am stoked!! I am going to start my herbs probably in a few weeks. My oregano and thyme from last is already coming back.
A hot hottie hubby, sorry had to sneak it in. He did all the hard work tilling and digging. We both hit the sack at like 8:30 that night, after taking some Advil. Getting old!

Holly took a peek at what we planted, she said we will have alot to harvest. She planted a garden last year and was very successful.

Delish!

I got all Martha a few days ago and created a super yummy dinner, had to share with all my ladies out there!

Mexican Meatloaf

1 package of ground turkey
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 small onion
1 small pepper or handful of small tri-colored
1 cup of stale tortilla chips
3/4 cup Salsa
1 tomato
shredded cheese

First, dice onion and peppers fine (I stuck them in the food processor). Then, crush left over, stale tortilla chips. Mix turkey, veggies, tortillas, salsa and half a packet of taco seasoning in a large bowl. Spray a loaf pan with Pam and mold turkey. Thinly slice tomato on top meatloaf. Stick in a preheated oven of 400, and bake for 40-45 mins. Sprinkle cheese in the last few minutes, and pull out when bubbly!
I also made some guacamole and topped it when I served it to the boys. They devoured it! I steamed some green beans on the side. But, you could do rice and beans or a salad or whatever veggies you want.
I hope you try it, it was so good.

Weekend

It was a family weekend of just hanging out together. Sam and Cody headed up to Main Street for a fundraiser held by the Richard Petty's Victory Junction Gang a local hero and famed NASCAR driver. Cody was hoping to get a snapshot with either Richard or Kyle, no such luck. Just a shot of Sam in his car with Kyle's car . Sam with the kids next door, he was having a blast getting pulled all around the street in the wagon. He is such a thrill seeker already.

Sam and Stuart

I don't know why, but he likes climbing in the dog kennel...so strange. I hope this says nothing for the future and his penchant for being behind locked bars.

Chillaxin'

We are having the new windows installed all last week and this week too. They look great, they are a complete replica of the original ones to this old timer house. By the way, in the pic of Sam and Stuart, you can see the new windows in the back. The process has been slow, about 2-3 windows a day. The workers have commented on how some of the frames have shifted off balance over time, and it is taking them longer than expected to get a good fit. It is an extremely loud process! It hasn't been fun working around it with Sam...as I have complained before my child is a light sleeper. He has been so exhausted, yesterday, I started making dinner and this is how I found him at 5:30....
Poor lamb. He has been like the walking dead.

BBC Top 100

I love a list! And, I really love books and reading...so how perfect is this?! Back in '06, when I was having a hard time finding a regular job and I had plenty of "free time" I made the resolution to read beloved classics. Here's how I made out according to the BBC.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller1
2. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I've got 26! How about you?

April Showers

It has been raining here for like eternity! We got out yesterday while it did that cold, misty rain thing. Sam and I were both going stir crazy and we can't really go anywhere because we are having new windows put in. He wanted to go on a "venture" around the yard. The flowers are all blooming and he looks super adorable in his yellow slicker. He is begging me to go see Hamp, who is currently covered in mud. I said no. This is his "pretty pleasing face"...also the same face he makes when he is going the #2.

Almost.

In exactly one month, I will be turning 30. Whoa.

If I think back 10 years at where I was at 20, I can't believe how much life has changed...how much I have experienced. The last 10 years went by so fast, what does that mean for the next 10 years? I am not freaking about turning 30 so much...I am at where I want to be at. I have accomplished what it is I set out to accomplish.

I graduated from school.
I worked in autism and made some small difference.
I moved across country and started from scratch.
I married my dream guy.
I moved back across country.
I bought my first house.
I had a beautiful baby.
I stay at home and rock the mom thang.
I am happy.

This is what I thought when I was younger, "...okay by the time I am 30 I will have done this-this-and this". I did all those things. So why is it weird to be turning 30? I certainly don't want to be 20 again. No way, I had my fair share of bad dates, bad hangovers, bad roomies, bad bad badness. I guess it is time to make a new list "...okay by the time I am 40 I will have done this-this-and that!" Here is the problem, I don't know what to put on that list...I honestly am so happy and feel so blessed with the current condition of my life, I'm a bit stumped. Is that pathetic?
I have got all of the standard things thought out, like "travel more"..."save more"..."volunteer more"..."read more"..."cook more" But, nothing huge.

I kinda feel so satisfied, that maybe I should just set life on cruise control and simply enjoy
while it lasts. I know that it will go by in a *snap*.

Birthday boy

Sam and I spent the last week up in Pa so we could help Damien Jr. celebrate his 1st birthday in style. That is one totally loved little boy, Karen and Damien's house was packed with adoring aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents. The boys all had a great time and the meltdown were minimal, thankfully. Sam was a bit wonky from not getting a full nap, but he managed to hold it together. Another attempt at a group shot of the boys, this is the funniest with poor Jr. in a choke hold by Dennis.

We got Damien a comfy chair for his birthday, as well as, some paper and finger paints. He seemed to like the Elmo card best!

Joey being adorable, it isn't hard for him.

Mommy, Daddy and Damien for the first year party picture...

Jr. is a little ham bone, the singing of "Happy Birthday" was met with big grins, giggles, and arm waving. He was delighted to be the center of attention, unlike his Daddy who according to Nana cried for the first 4 birthdays when people started to sing.

I got to do alot of relaxing and visiting while I was up. I am usually on a tight schedule, but I decided to take my time coming back. I met up with an old high school friend, and got to meet her two precious little ones. And, Lora had everyone from the pub crew who could make it over for dinner one night. I miss my home girls so much, and it amazes me how time can tick by and we can pick up where we left off all those years ago and still laugh till our faces and bellies hurt. As I walked back to my car that night I couldn't help but feel nostalgic, I wanted to grab them all and run to one of our old haunts...have a few pints and stay up late talking or lounge in Rittenhouse people watching and soaking in the sun of early spring. Alas, we had to get back home to our babies and our husbands and our jobs. And, I was definitely ready to be back home with Cody, Sammy missed his Dada and I missed my bed.

Happy St. Pat's

We are having a mellow St. Pat's, our little man isn't feeling to hot. Or, actually he is feeling really hot, with a fever ranging from 103.7 to a steady 99.9 with Motrin. He seems to be fighting a little virus. All he wants to do is lay around and drink water, I have gotten a little food into him here and there. I hope he doesn't puke. I hate puke. I hate it for other people, but I really hate it for me. Moms don't get sick days. I usually make Lisa's famous soda bread, but I just hadn't the heart this year. I am trying to diet down for my birthday trip and I could eat a whole loaf of that stuff. I also skipped the Corned Beef and Cabbage this year. Instead, I am trying a new stew recipe. I changed out the lamb for beef, because it is leaner and the Teeter was fresh out of lamb. It smells wonderful!
I am gonna splurge and indulge in a Guinness with my meal.

Changing so fast...20 months

I haven't done a post on Sam's development in months and months. I don't know why I stopped, it just kind of got away from me. I guess since turning a year, he isn't having well visits as frequently. So here goes, what is the little guy doing these days...
He is starting to look more like a boy than a baby, he is wearing exclusively 18-24 month clothes and some 2Ts. He remains long in his torso, but those legs are starting to catch up! He wears a size 4 diaper and has for almost a year, he is about 28 pounds maybe even more. I can't say how tall he is, probably pretty average. He is running at top speed, but still trips himself up when he is in shoes. He can climb steps and go down pretty easily, although he still favors holding hands to go downstairs. He wants to do everything by himself and is starting to resent the stroller and the carts when we go shopping. The park is a lot of fun now, he can navigate most playground equipment without needing help. We go every day after running errands and the gym, if the weather is nice before we go home for lunch and nap time.
He is still on one long nap a day, it is anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. Unfortunately, he is a light sleeper and I have to keep the house quiet for him to sleep well. At night, he is a whole different animal. He sleeps about 11 hours without much fuss and noise from the house doesn't typically bother him. Sam is a routine boy and nighttime is no different...he likes books and rocking with Daddy. And, prayers and "smoochies" with Mommy. He sleeps with his crew, Diego, Jack-dog lovee and Touee (his rat). Oh, and baba (his paci). Sitters are always impressed with how easy he is to put to bed.
We packed away the high chair, and he sits at the table like a big boy in a booster seat. He is eating so much better since we changed his meal times to coincide with ours. He drinks from a open cup at the table, and is mastering the fork and spoon. Unfortunately, he does "forget" his table manners from time to time and will dump his cup all over the table. We also got out the potty chair, and he sits on it before he gets a bath--no pee-pee yet!
Sam loves big kids! He gets lots of exposure and attention from my HP friends children, who are almost all older than him. The girls really like to "take care" of him, and the boys are all anxious to hand down their outgrown toys. He is beginning to really develop strong bonds between himself and the other children he is around, he has started to talk about his friends when he isn't around them. The other night before we were going to bed, I checked on him, and could here him talking in his sleep about my friends little girl, Evelyn. It was so funny! It is really exciting for me to see what a social little character he is.
This age and stage has been super fun. His language is exploding! He speaks more and more in sentences rather than words and gestures. He is beginning to understand a back and forth conversation, and has started to even get when things are funny, sad, or scary. He is affectionate with people he is familiar with, and a bit cautious and shy with new people.
He is still really into trains, but is all about airplanes. It is his favorite topic of conversation, and he loves to pretend and play planes. He has got favorite books and we read them so much he has many of them memorized. He also has favorite movies, lets just say if I never see "Finding Nemo" again, it will be to soon.
Super long post, probally will only be interesting to his grandparents- lol.

Random Fun

This is the famous "Ten Questions" as popularized by James Lipton on "Inside the Actor's Studio," originated by French television personality Bernard Pivot, after the Proust Questionnaire.

1. What is your favorite word? silhouette- it just sounds pretty, it looks pretty

2. What is your least favorite word? toss up between brat and boundaries- I had a supervisor that over used this word. It drove me and my co-workers crazy.

3. What turns you on? smarts, athleticism, optimism

4. What turns you off? elitism, negativity, judging, dirty ears

5. What sound do you love? Cody and Sam laughing together

6. What sound do you hate? the alarm clock

7. What is your favorite curse word? shit

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? marriage & family counselor

9. What profession would you not like to do? ear doctor

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gate?
"I'm proud of you."

I love this part of the show, I always love to hear what sound people love & hate, and what they think God will say to them when they arrive in heaven. I TAG everyone who reads this and blogs.

Weekend

The first ice cream cone of the weekend! We spent the weekend with the Hauck's in Mooresville, the boys played hard together outside all day Saturday. The temperature hovered right at 80 degrees, it was fantastic.It must be the age, because it is next to impossible to get the boys to look at the camera! Let alone get them to smile.The boys really enjoyed showing Sam there truck. Dennis drove the little ones up and down the street. It was a little nerve racking watch them take that down the steep driveway, but Big D followed them and made sure there wasn't any accidents.Sam, of course, worships little Dennis. They played so well together. Dennis is so good with him, and really pretty patient for a three year old.Joey and Sam sharing a snack. It was sweet how Joey was feeding Sam, this went on for like 10 minutes. I wanted to do a short video, but by the time I got back with the camera they were done "sharing".Best picture I got of the three of them all weekend, and not a very good one.Sam was really into his game of football with his Uncle! He liked going long...

Fun weekend! We grilled out, Cody made an excellent beef tenderloin and Holly made a killer dessert, called Banana Pizza. It was so nice to catch up and as always get out of HP for a day or two. I am looking forward to the upcoming trip to Damien Jr.'s birthday and visiting with my parents and brother's family. Hopefully we will get a killer weekend, and some nice weather. Now, I have some housework and finishing my bathroom that I am redoing since we were gone all weekend.

awesome.

I really don't want to sound braggy, but I am so flippin' excited about this.

Snow!

We got a good bit of snow last night, about 4 inches. It has been a pretty dull last couple of days with rain, ice rain and snow. Sam, Cody and I have been holed up for what feels like days and days. We got bundled this morning and took Sam out. He wasn't all that impressed, in fact, his hands were "col" and this didn't make him to happy. We promptly went inside. Maybe next year will be more exciting for him.The house looked so pretty all snow covered.
Sammy in the snow! It has been years since I have seen snow like this...it was kind of nice.

Sammy and me

I think when Cody gets home from work, he is going to try and sled with him. Check back for sledding pictures.

Dental Emergency

Sunday afternoon, we received a call from one of my girlfriends, Condon, that there was a definite dental emergency that only Cody could handle. Maggie, her daughter, had a loose and very stubborn front tooth that wouldn't budge. Maggie requested the expertise of Dr. Fielden to remedy the situation. There are many tools and instruments that are used in a tricky extraction such as this, however, Dr. Fielden likes to employ a tried and true method...the string and pull.


Maggie bravely waits as Cody gets prepared to "pull" with only the technique an Ivy League trained dentist could finesse.Alas, a success! The tooth came out without a fight, and a grateful Maggie left with tooth and Popsicle in hand. Cody called the Tooth Fairy later that evening to give a rave review of Maggie's behavior, her mom later reported that the Tooth Fairy of the Piedmont-Triad left a whopping $3 for her bravery, it is good to see that even in such dark economic times a these Miss Fairy doesn't let the children suffer.