We've decided on our trip destination...

The Bahamas!


We found a fantastic deal on a cruise to the Bahamas! The cruise is cheaper than the airfare! So we are Bahama bound and this will be our 10 year anniversary gift to ourselves as our 10 year wedding anniversary is in May! We can't wait... only 12 more days!!!

Where to go?

Ed and I are going away on a mini-vacation (yes ~ alone!) and we don't know where to go. We have just about exactly two weeks to plan it... any tips on a place that is fun and yet not very expensive? I've always heard Vegas has some good deals but I'm not finding them... Florida seems very expensive? Any ideas?

The Joys of Potty Training Twins

We are in the midst of potty training Kevin and Ryan... and although they are sort of getting it, we have a long way to go. At any rate, I bought these Gerber training pants from ebay (after many unsuccessful attempts at purchasing them locally). They are an all in one type of pant with the training pant inside and a rubber outer... Great for in the car incase there is an accident. Great. They come in the mail today and they are excited to try them on. We have to go out to get Eddie from school. We come home, get our jackets off and all that good stuff. I start the tea kettle for some oatmeal... Kevin has had an accident in his new pants... doesn't it just figure that it's our first time wearing them and it's a poop accident. Sorry for the visual... but if you haven't experienced this type of accident, it's really no fun... but OK, not a big deal, it's par for the course... so in the bathroom we go to hose him down and clean out the pants... I'm cleaning out the pants and trying to keep him still so I can clean him up and get new underwear on him when Ryan comes screaming in the bathroom because the tea kettle is whistling and he can't stand the noise and this startles Kevin and he falls (yes poop side down) on my favorite pair of jeans.... needless to say, I have a good bit of laundry to do... too bad it wasn't summer and we could go outside to potty train!!!

Cold?

15 years ago, outside Dunkin' Donuts, after I punched the clock to go home, a young lad asked if I was cold... and even though I wasn't, I said that I was just so he would put his arm around me. That night he asked me if I wanted to "go steady" and the rest is history! Ed, thanks for 15 amazing years! Here's to the next 15!!! I love you!

Then and Now

Ok, so is it me or have these boys GROWN a lot taller since last year! I don't think it will be long before they are towering over me (and I'm pretty tall) and I'll have to look UP at them when telling them what to do!!! WOW!

50% is now 75%

I happened to be at Target today and figured I'd check the kids clearance incase there was anything else I wanted to pick up and all the toys in the clearance section) are marked down 75%... you could say my present closet is fully stocked. I love clearance. If you have not made a trip to check it out, do it now as the shelves are looking pretty bare!

A quiet afternoon...

I had some peace and quiet, watched a funny movie... and had a parafin wax treatment done....

Oh yeah ... did I mention I did this all while I *was at the dentist* getting two fillings?

I love my dentist! As a former dentaphobe, I get anxious prior to a dental visit even though *I know* it's not going to hurt... I just get nervous that maybe it will hurt and then I worry about how I will let him know that it hurts... Will I try to say something? Will I raise my hand? Will I cry? They use this rubber dam thing and it clamps around the area they are working on so they don't have to be constantly suctioning out your mouth every 5 seconds. It rocks. Well, even though I was watching one of my favorite movies and even though I told him to blare the volume, I could still hear THE DRILL... Oh, how I hate the drill and even though I TRIED to relax, I was so tense through the drilling... Well he said I "only" need two more fillings and two more crowns!!! UGH! I already have two crowns... these are not he kind of crowns you want to have... I will be so glad when all my dental work is behind me... it's all my fault, I have not always taken excellent care of my teeth - but I do now! And I'm vigilant about brushing and flossing my kids' teeth every day... they will NOT turn out like me!!! And now they have sealants which I think are the COOLEST things on the planet so as soon as they get their 6 year molars, they are getting sealants... I think they are like $100 a tooh or something but they are getting them... anything to help prevent cavities!!!

Happy Birthday Connor!

The birthday boy!



We went to a really fun birthday party yesterday at My Gym in Kingston for Connor who turned two! My Gym is like a cross between Gymboree and a Gynastics Gym. The kids had a blast. The party was really cute! They had some really fun activities for the birthday party. One of the really cute things was at the end of the party, they pulled Connor around on a sled as they brought him to circle time to sing "Happy Birthday". It was really, really cute!

Here are some pictures:

They made a really cool tent out of the parachute and some gym mats:


I loved this trampoline!


Eddie & Ryan "hangin' out" on the parallel bars:


Connor & Mom enjoying circle time:


Kevin diggin' the ball pit:


Kevin's Puppy:


And the COOLEST thing they had... was the zip line ride!!! Kevin and Ryan thought they were DIEGO!

Connor


Kevin


Ryan


Thanks for looking! We had a great time! Thanks, Kyra, for the invite! I'll post some videos after I upload them... ENJOY!

Teddy Bear Picnic

Kevin had a Teddy Bear Picnic at school today. He brought in his Pooh Bear that he made at Build a Bear for his birthday... and they made a teddy bear out of Twinkies, a Hostess Cupcake, a regular cupcake, some cookies and some candy! Kevin had a lot of fun. When we dropped him off, Ryan brought his teddy bear to show Kevin's teacher. I'm hoping they'll have a spot for him soon. We have a meeting next week to discuss his evaluation (that was on Wednesday) and hopefully we can get the ball rolling after that.

Kevin showing off his teddy bear:



A close up of the teddy bear... Kevin had already eaten the ears!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia... now what?

So Santa brought the kids Chia pets for Christmas and they LOVE them. Each pet came with a little plastic Chia shaped alarm clock which was probably one of their favorite gifts. When the alarm goes off (and you never know when that will be they way they are programmed!), the "alarm" is the Chia song. Kevin has a special Chia song jig... it's so funny. If I can ever get it on video, I'll post it here! Our Chia's are fully "grown" and that brings me to my "now what" question... they look nice and all but is that it? We just keep watering it? Because quite frankly, they kind of smell. I know you can do other herbs and it would be cool if we could grow something we could actually use in the kitchen. Any Chia experts out there?

Here's Eddie's Chia Elephant:



Here's Ryan's Chia Kitten (he's looking a little floppy in this picture):



And lastly is Kevin's Chia Dog:

JINXED!!!

So, you remember the ABC poll I did the other day... and it asked your worst fear... and I debated what to write down but I wrote down "falling down stairs" because it is something I worry about... well, wouldn't ya know it... I think it was a day or two later, that I went downstairs to check on the laundry and BAM BAM BAM I went flying down the basement stairs and bounced all the way down on my back and my legs. Can you say OUCH? Good thing I already have a chiropractor appointment on Monday for a previous back injury!!! After the first back injury gets better, I'm due to start some physical therapy. Only thing is I am not sure when I can squeeze an appointment in when I am not taking someone to or from school.... I'm sure we'll figure it out though and I'll keep you posted with all the juicy details right here on the blog! Thanks for reading!

BUSTED!

So, when you shop for NEXT year's Christmas presents and NEXT year's birthday presents, it's a good idea to hide them right away lest they be discovered by curious kids in the car! Even though I did my shopping in Ryan's plain sight and was just fine, I guess 5 year olds are a bit more clever. Well, it would have been fine, I had the goods in the back of the van but Eddie was looking for a lost car and voila... "Mom, is that Spiderman Web Blaster for me?" Oh, shoot! I did quickly hide the rest of the stuff... but it IS nice out so I might let them have some fun with it outside... after all, it WAS 50% off!!!

Cha - Ching!

I'm so excited! Yes, folks, I did a good amount of Christmas shopping today! Yes, Christmas 2007 shopping! If you haven't visited your local Target lately, do so! Their clearance in the toy department is fabulous! I got a bunch of stuff for Christmas and for my kids upcoming birthdays as well as birthday parties I know I will be going to over the next year. Everything was 50% some of which I just paid close to full price for THIS Christmas! Oh, man, I was so excited!!! I have two more stores to hit and I'm gonna get some more stuff... I'm even going to have gifts on hand for the last minute birthday invite! Woo hoo! I'm loving it!

Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco

Ate a burrito with tabasco... and we'll be there to watch!!!!!!!!!!

YES! I scored tickets to the LAURIE BERKNER BAND today for the kids and I am so pumped about it. Wait a minute, did I really say that? Yes, I am truly pumped about it. After we bought the Diego tickets, then heard about Laurie playing in Boston, I knew they'd like Laurie better... I got the email with the pre-sale password and was all ready to order... just A WEEK TOO LATE! Then they added on a second show. YESSSS! I was all set to go... just AN HOUR LATE! What is WRONG with me? Anyway... after a few mixups.. and trying to get 5 seats together which I guess is just NOT POSSIBLE, I got a set of two and a set of three... and we are going to see LAURIE BERKNER!!! The kids will go nuts! Kevin and Ryan don't call her Laurie Berkner - they call her "Shady Tree" (One of her songs is called "Under a Shady Tree") It's gonna be a blast, we are not going to tell them til we get there! Yippee!!

Anyone want to buy 5 Diego tickets? They are all together!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I had a doctors appointment today. There were three other people in the waiting room. One of them was a heavier fellow. Every time he would get up to be seen and then sit down again, Kevin would say "BIIIIIIIG boy"... how embarrassing is that! And then I'd say "Yes, Kevin, you are a big boy." Phew!

Dad met with the Oncologist today

to review the results of his PET scan. The cancer is still there but now instead of being dormant, it's active and has spread to one lymph node. They said if he chooses to have surgery (which he has never wanted to do), he has a 50/50 chance and if he doesn't do surgery, he's got 6 months to live. The doctor encouraged him to meet with a surgeon even if he SAYS he doesn't want to have the surgery, he can at least make an informed decision.

My turn

Look what you've started Paige!

A- Available or Taken? Taken
B- Best Friend? Edwardo
C- Cake or Pie? Pie
D- Drink of Choice? Sweet Tea
E- Essential item you use everyday? My Reach flosser, toothpaste and deoderant
F- Favorite Color? Purple
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? The German Bears
H- Hometown? I think of Scituate as where I grew up
I- Indulgence? Warm foods, comforting things like lasagna, mac and cheese and everything else that is bad for you.
J- January or February? Neither but at the rate we're going this year, January is not too bad.
K- Kids and Names? Eddie, Kevin and Ryan
L- Life is incomplete without? Family
M- Marriage Date? May 17
N- Number of Siblings: 5
O- Oranges or apples? Both all the time and any time
P- Phobias or fears? Falling down stairs, heights
Q- Favorite quote? I like Norma's: "Judge not lest ye be judged"
R- Reason to Smile? Family and friends
S- Season? Fall
T- Tag 3 or 4 people? I think they've all done it
U- Unknown fact about me? I'm allergic to mold. (I know, and boring too!)
V- Vegetable you don't like? Can't think of any.
W- Worst Habit? Overeating
X- X-rays? Teeth, just had one on my back today... am getting one on my shoulder soon, and an MRI on my shoulder soon... had a CAT scan on my brain and will probably have an MRI on my brain again soon too.
Y- Your favorite food? I like warm foods (wierd, huh?)
Z- Zodiac: Gemini

Update on my Dad

My Dad has been in the hospital for about 2 weeks now. As most of you know, he has esophogial cancer. He's had it for a couple years now and has been doing pretty well. He did a round of radiation and chemo and subsequent scans showed that the tumor was encased in scar tissue and had become dormant... well now they say it's activated again but we are not sure what that means. He has had urinary problems so he had a cystoscopy on Dec 18th to find out if the cancer had possibly spread to his bladder. The procedure went well... they didn't find anything... but he started falling down, was really weak and was slurring his words... so my Mom took him to the hospital to find out what was going on. Turns out he had an infection from the cystosopy and the infection was causing all the problems. We almost didn't believe it but it was really true. He was supposed to go home the Tuesday after Christmas but he is still there. He has had every test under the sun including a PET scan on Tuesday. That will give us the true picture of where the cancer is and if it has spread at all. When he is finally discharged from the hospital, he will probably go into a rehab to gain some strength back before heading home.... If you have any extra prayers, say a prayer that my will recover and be able to go home soon.

Say CHEESE

Kevin and Ryan had their first dental cleanings today! They both did GREAT although Ryan was a bit apprehensive at first. They both took turns cleaning the dinosaur's teeth and that was fun! Then they each got a sticker, a bag containing a new toothbrush, a Buzz Lightyear flosser, and some toothpaste samples... and a TOY from the giant tooth shaped toy box! What great fun! They both had excellent teeth, great bites and the dentist was very impressed that we floss every day! PS Notice the haircuts!











UPDATE:

I *thought* they were too quiet. Well, Kevin and Ryan were sitting together on the reclining chair (which is typical)... they were being all cute and giggling... for some reason I decided to check on them... and they were COVERED in toothpaste! Guess that's what you get for trusting two 3 year olds with new containers of toothpaste... I figured I was safe because they were sealed - BAH HAH HAH HAH!

OK... you can stop laughing now because I really wanted new sofas and this doesn't help my case... but at least if I get leather, it will wipe clean, right????

Kevin's First Day of School --- Success!

Kevin had a GREAT first day of school. He was so excited about it in the morning but cried when it was time to line up and go in. HOWEVER, he was all smiles when I picked him up... had a great time... loved the Cheddar Bunnies I gave him for a snack AND the teacher said what a well behaved boy he was! Doesn't get better than that! Here are a few pictures from the day. Don't mind the long hair... he got his hair cut today!

His backpack is packed!

Kevin's backpack is by the door! Tomorrow is the first day of preschool! He can't wait! School is from 8:00 am - 10:30 am M, Tu, Th & Fr... No, I am not a bad mother! Ryan will be starting soon too - they just don't have a slot ready for him yet! As soon as they do, though, Ryan will be going too! They will be in separate classes and I think that will be SOOOO good for them. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures tomorrow... wish us luck!