Welcome to blogland Tim

If you want to be challenged and encouraged in your faith, take a moment to stop over to my hubby's new blog "Thoughts From The Secret Place." It's pretty good stuff. I'm sure he would love some "comment" love from y'all.

Firsts

It has been about six months since I've written much of anything on this blog. I guess I knew myself fairly well when I titled this blog a few years ago.

I know, I know, you've missed me. Well, you can put your Kleenex away because I'm back. Well, back to my "not-so-daily self" that is. I decided I couldn't start blogging again unless I recapped the last six months. Don't worry, I'll be brief.

Samuel went on his first camping trip.

He also had his first day of pre-school.

Gabby ate her first apple off a tree.

And she also won her first award - best costume at our super hero themed harvest party. She was "Grape Girl with Antioxidant Power!"

Samuel had his first experience inside a fire truck.

My husband attended his first party as a Doctor!!!

Gabby wore her first ponytails.

The cousins celebrated their first Christmas all together.

I made it to Courtney's "new" place for the first time.

And... I got highlights for the first time EVER!

Photo Shoot

Earlier this summer we had the wonderful opportunity of doing a photo shoot with one of our favorite people, Miss Amanda! If you have not yet checked out her photography site, you really should do so. She's awesome!!! We laughed, we cried, we had the time of our lives...

Well almost.

Anyway, here's the finished product. Samuel was not totally cooperative and Gabrielle only balled her eyes out once. Amanda picked some interesting locations... a beautiful lake, a grassy knoll behind an Arby's drive thru, a wasp infested shack...

We really did have fun and we certainly laughed a lot!

Wordless Wednesday - A Day at the Park

Almost Wordless Wednesday

In we stay...


while the boys go out to play.

A "Real Life" Valentines Day

Can I just tell you how awesome my hubby is?

OK. Good.

Friday he arranged for a babysitter and took me out to a very romantic dinner for 3 (we took Gabrielle, of course). He really went out of his way to make the date special since we've not been out in a LOOOOOng time. We ate some spectacular Italian food. I had Chicken French with greens and beans au gratin on the side. Yummy! I love anything green and the greens and beans were to die for! During dinner, he gave me a fun card with a heartfelt letter inside. And yes, I teared up while reading but was able to keep my composure in public. Gabrielle kept things light as she chucked a gazillion cheerios onto the floor and tossed every toy we brought along. Overall, she was very pleasant company.

During dinner I realized what a good listener Tim really is. I've been complaining ALOT about wanting a snickers bar lately (I've been watching my chocolate intake after overdosing on OREO's last week) so he busted out some Godiva Chocolate Pearls after our meal - what a good man! I've also had some major fights with my closet lately and they have left me in some bad , down-right foul moods. He also informed me that he spent some time shopping for an outfit for me to wear to dinner but it never materialized because of my inconsistent clothing size these days - so now I get to go out and pick some clothes myself. It was a great Pre-Valentine's Day UNTIL...

3 AM - when Gabrielle decided she would exercise her lungs for several hours. Holy cow -is that girl LOUD. She must take after me. We finally got back to sleep at 5:15am and our Samuel woke up promptly at 6am with Gabrielle following closely behind at 6:45. Tim, nor I, were expressing a "Valentine's Day Spirit" to say the least. So, I took a nap and hubby in his exhausted state took the kids. Once I got up, it was Tim's turn to sleep, UNTIL...

Samuel's nice quiet play turned into hysterics when he decided to shove a small purple fluffy pom-pom up his left nostril. Samuel kept shoving his finger up his nose trying to get it out only driving that little purple pom-pom further up. Oh-boy, our first object up the nose experience. Tim had to hold him down, while I gently tweezed that snot cover pom pom out. He never thought he'd survive, but he did. And so did we, UNTIL...

Gabrielle picked up an itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy unknown object from the kitchen floor with her newly perfected pincher grip (even though I vacuum and sweep like a mad woman) and began coughing, choking, gagging, crying and spitting up. Whatever was lodged in her throat (probably some crusty piece of food - gross) eventually made it's way down after a minor freak out from mama and then some prayers. She survived, and so did we, UNTIL...

Gabrielle found her way into the food pantry while Daddy was getting out some stuff for dinner. She's perfected the forward crawl and so she will hunt you down wherever you may be and promptly get under your feet. Daddy accidentally dropped a can of tuna fish and it landed on the poor baby's hand. Oh my did she cry. After a small freak out from mama and some prayers, she was just fine - just a little bruise.

Thankfully all the incidents of the day were minor and we celebrated our Valentine's Day the best way we knew how. With lots of patience, hugs and heart-shape cookies. Heart-shape cookies always make the day a little brighter. Thank you Eileen!

Play Date

My wonderful husband decided a few weeks ago to have his own play date with Samuel and one of his buddies. I was around, but let him run the show. I'm so glad that Tim loves to play with his children and goes out of his way to make life exciting for them.

This is what they played...

This is what they looked like...

Way to go - Dadio!!!!

The Inevitable

It was bound to happen.

I mean it was totally out of his control.

There was no preventing it and no way around it.

It was simply inevitable.

Tim turned 30 this past Monday.


That is a picture of yummy carrot cake that I was supposed to make but things being as they are, Eileen (my mom-away-from-home) made it for me.

Notice I spared him 30 individual candles and put the big ones on. I thought it might be a fire hazard with little children around.


That is a re-enactment of blowing out the candles. I was too slow to get the picture the first time around. Ooops!

And that is a photo of a kid in a candy store. His big gift from several friends and family was a smart phone of his choice.

Honey, Even though you're no longer twenty-something, you still look like a babe to me!!!
I love you!

Bon Jovi to the Rescue

Tension was high.

Talking about finances will do that to ya.

We decide to hug and make up.

In the midst of a long embrace, Tim says: I'm sure you can come up with a good 80's song to sing right now. You know, one that says we are gong to make it through this season.

Me: I sure can... (Then Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi erupts from my lips along with guitar solo and all.)

Then we really made up...

Hey, who would have thought Bon Jovi would light up the night.


And if you are wondering why I posted this, Courtney told me to do it.

50/50

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Just curious what the good old look alike meter would say. You know it never lies! And boy was I surprised! I just don't see any of myself in her at all.

I did the look alike meter with Samuel when he was about a year and it came out that he looked 39% more like Tim. If you had the chance to see him as a baby, he really was a mini Tim. Check out this photo...

No Michelle in there at all, right?

Then I did the meter again when he was a bit older and it came out equal as well. I knew my genes were in there somewhere!