Why I love my husband....

Top Reasons I LOVE my Husband.

1. He works a less-than-great-schedule, so he can spend the most possible quality time with his kids.
2. He cleans up after the dog.
3. He does whatever it takes to make his crazy wife the happiest woman in the world.
4. He loves his kids more than I can explain to you.
5. He builds awesome tracks that keep Joey occupied for hours.
6. He takes joy in cleaning the house. (freak)
7. He lets the wife control the remote.
8. He says things like, "Yes, wife, you are absolutely right, and I should have listened to you in the first place." And "Do you have enough cash, or do you need the debit card, too?"
9. He tries to reason with our two year old.
10. He never complains about my Starbucks habit.
11. He doesnt mind getting up with the kids in the middle of night.
12. He speaks the language of Joey and Ally almost fluently.
13. He would gladly go without to make sure his kids have everything they want and/or need.
14. Tells his wife how sexy and beautiful she is, even on days when she clearly isnt.

I love him, and would be lost without him. <3

Joey

I have to blog really quick about Joey. I've been talking about Ally so much, I havent been giving Joey equal blog time. :)

Joey is doing AWESOME! His throat (or FROAT, as he calls it) is all healed. And the sleep apnea has gone away!! He is sleeping better, and that translates to a happier little man during the day.

I was going back in time on our ebook of pics, and WOW, he has changed SO much. For fun, I found this little video of Joey skating when he was almost two.



When Joey was 2 1/2 he had a vocab of barely 10 words, and his doctor was concerned, so we had him evaluated. And thus began my fight with the public school system here. We accepted the help of a speech therapist, WHICH DID WONDERS. And he quickly began increasing his vocabulary. He was in birth to 3, and at the age of the 3, his speech therapist released his file to the public school system, which would take on his case from there.

To make a long story short, they wanted him to start their school readiness program that was 5 times a week, 4 hours a day. And they suggested he take the school bus so he can be like the other kids. It was my opinion, that was WAY to much for my sensitive little boy. And instead we opted for Monkey Business. And it was the best decision I ever made.

With patience, love and understanding, the staff at Monkey Business really helped him to blossom. And gain confidence in himself. Now, he talks NON-STOP. He sings songs, and makes conversation. He is a riot. He says things like, "Are you kidding me right now, Mom?" and my favorite "Mom, YOU ARE MAKING ME CRAZY." I love it.

I am so insanely proud of my little boy. I just wish he would grow a tad bit slower.

Miss Independent

So, Ally is two. And in the past week its become VERY clear that we have a two-year-old in the house.

Baths have been replaced by showers. There are no more diapers to be found in our house. She must do everything for herself, and if I dont permit her to do so, her world comes crashing down, and chaos ensues.

Miss Independent no longer needs mom hovering over her. She prefers to dress herself, two legs through one pant leg. Brushing her own teeth, water everywhere and baby tooth paste running down her arm. Buckling and unbuckling her carseat, she tries that one, and finally gives in to dad's help. Making her meals, or at least she wants to. I dont let her use the stove. Am I a mean mommy, or what? She seems to think so.

Heaven help anyone that tries to help her do anything.

She is in that difficult stage of testing her boundaries and her limits. We, as her parents, are holding tight to our rules and expectations. We are hopeful that if we stay consistent this stage will pass QUICKLY. It will, right?

RIGHT?

This seems like yesterday.


Where the heck did this toddler come from?

You've Got Mail

"You've Got Mail" back in the early 90s was a welcome greeting on AOL. Meaning just as it says, You've Got Mail.

Sometime in the mid-90s there was a movie by the same name. A Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks chic-flick. The kind of movie you wait for to come out on video. A cute little movie, but nothing spectacular.

Unless you are me.

I freakin love that movie. Its not the predictable plot that did it for me. Nope, not at all.

Two things I love about this movie. I love that its NYC, and Meg Ryan is running a mom and pop book shop on the upper west side. I love mom and pop shops. The coziness, the warmth, the friendliness, the knowledge. I'm a wise consumer, and whenever I can, I like to support small businesses.

The second thing that keeps me hitting the rewind button (thats right VHS, baby) is that the story unfolds in the fall. The story opens with Meg Ryan walking down the fall streets of New York. The leaves on the ground, a scarf around her neck, a Starbucks coffee in hand. Talking about back to school time, the smell of tape and freshly sharpened pencils.

They show a fall festival on the streets of NYC. Bobbing for apples, pumpkins, hay, sweatshirts, scarves, and everything fall.

I just cant get enough.

I love the smell of fall. The dryness and coolness of fall. In the morning that feeling that the bus will be here any second to pick me up for school. And that sudden relief, NO ITS NOT!
The way the breeze sounds different through fiery colored leaves. The hay rides, and pumpkin picking, glazed apple cider donuts, apple picking, The Big E, Halloween costume planning, cinnamon-sugar apple cider donuts, sweatshirt wearing, maple syrup, Thanksgiving recipe gathering, plain apple cider donuts, corn mazes, hiking, letterboxing, the way the guts of a pumpkin feel when you are scooping it clean. And we cant forget Grandma's homemade pies. Everything is better in the fall.

In New England there is a certain craziness about fall. We take pride in our trees and our fall tourism. There are so many fall activities to be had, and such a small window to have them in. Every weekend there is something fun going on. I just soak it all in and to try to enjoy as much of it as I can.

And then that one late afternoon comes. As the sunsets, the skies grow darker and you know rain is coming. All night long it rains. And in the morning, the leaves are gone. A few stubborn stragglers hang on. But for the most part, its over.

I can watch "You've Got Mail" 100 times over. No matter what time of year, and I can dream about a better season. Fall.

All these pics are from last year. I'll be posting new ones, as the season unfolds. :)

This is Steep Rock, one of our favorite hiking spots.

Picking out the perfect pumpkin. Ally was just a baby!

Practicing for Halloween.

My Little Brothers Wedding

My brother and his fiancee got hitched in Antigua a few weeks ago. They requested it to be a private ceremony, just the two of them, barefoot on the beach.

Of course, I protested. He is my only sibling, and being at his wedding was something that was important to me. Because, hopefully, he will only have ONE wedding in his life.

But, their mind was made up, and it was what it was. Just what they wanted.

And, I have to admit, after seeing the pictures, it was a beautiful wedding. He made a handsome groom and she was a beautiful bride.

The only way the pictures would have been better, is if I was in some of them.
But, I guess that is what Photoshop is for, right??


Grab yourself a pink drink with an umbrella in it, and enjoy the pictures.