Only mark....

With our upcoming trip to Aruba I need to get Sam some sandals so I have been scouring the internet - I found some cute ones on sale but wasnt sure what size to get, so... I sent Mark a text asking him to pls measure Sam's foot - I was expecting a numerical answer - instead I get this:

Only mark.... lol

New Years Eve 2009 ...... or 1989?

When I got out of the shower this morning I got a little fright - Had I gone back in time? Was I in an episode of Back to the Future? I rubbed my eyes and looked again - what is that??? Clearly something looked out of place - where did that come from?? yuck! What did I see?

THIS:

That shirt is going in the goodwill pile as soon as he takes it off.... I love my hubby but come on!!! Its 2009 NOT 1989!!!!

Way to go there slick!

Zac went snowboarding for the first time and guess what happened......





He fell and used his hands to catch himself - broke a bone and gets to spend the next 5 weeks in a cast.....ugh!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge

New year - new goals! We are really trying to tighten the buckles on finances right now and Mark has already been successfully using cash only for his purchases - I plan to start that after the new year as well. I am also excited to join Money Saving Mom in her Eat From The Pantry Challenge -The plan is simple - eat from your pantry ! We all have frozen foods and cans of veggies tucked in the back of the pantry that we never use and the point of this challenge is to save money and eat food you already have. I will be stealing menu ideas from the Prudent Homemaker who has easy meals planned out for months!

Here are my goals which will be tricky since Sam is dairy free - he wont be able to eat what we eat and I may end up spending more money on his "special" foods but I will do my best!

1) To be realistic I am giving myself 2 weeks to do this - if i can manage longer - great!

2) Spend no more than $30 per week on food

3) No eating out

simple right?

I will try to post some of our meals and how we are doing on the blog as well! Wish us luck!

Merry Christmas!

Sam gave us a great Christmas present... he slept in until 7:30! That never happens, so thank you Sammy!! I set the tree on the floor for some good photo ops and of course Sam was thrilled that he finally had access to all the ornaments! He could care less about his gifts - he just wanted those ornaments! He pulled the tree down 3 times in the short 10 mins we sat there opening gifts - just glad we decided against the BIG tree this year - that would have been a disaster! We had a nice breakfast and then spent the rest of the morning packing and getting ready to head to MD to see my side of the family. We left around 11am and got there at 2pm - no traffic at all =) Michelle and her family and Jeff and his family were all there - Granny was there as well. We had a great dinner and then headed downstairs for pictures and presents! Once again Sam was more interested in other things... beth's dress, justin's DSi, and of course the ornaments on the tree =)

It was a great holiday! What a difference a year makes though - last Christmas Sam was only 3 months old and this year he was into everything - lots of fun!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! Love and miss you all!

Whats in your mouth??

Sam loves to carry stuff around in his mouth..... haha

Watch out for the guy in the big red suit!

Apparently he is pretty scary.... just ask Sam!

Blizzard of 2009!

We got a nice big snow storm this weekend - luckily we didnt have anyplace to go so we stayed home and enjoyed all its beauty - here are some pics of the backyard and of Sam. Sam also went on a few sleigh rides - he was ok on the first one then he decided he didnt like it - will have to try to upload the videos so you all can see.

God made dirt and dirt dont hurt!

Do you ever watch the show House? If not, its about a doctor who figures out all these medical mysteries - a few weeks ago a guy got really sick and eventually they found a bunch of worms living inside his stomach - they removed them all and then he got sicker! Turns out when he was a child he was too protected and was never in the dirt, around dust, anything and his body made these worms to protect his immune system. Anyway, Sam wont have that problem - he ate some dirt this morning....

I have learned by now when Sam is sitting quietly he is eating something he shouldnt be..... such as dog food and an eraser (to name a few). So, I walk out of the closet and Sam is sitting by the wall near the office area. I see him sitting quietly and notice he is slightly chewing so I go over and do the finger swipe and OMG brown stuff! My immediate thought was please dont let that be dog poop! I smelled it, whew! its not poop! Then it dribbled down his face -yuck! Mark was still home so he picked up Sam and took him the bathroom - when I washed my hands I realized it was dirt. I looked for more on the floor and dint see any - I guess a small piece must have come off one of our shoes or maybe Piper had a piece in her paw.

Anyway, it was bound to happen right?

3rd Annual Ornament Exchange

We had our annual ornament exchange today - now that I live in PA and Jen just moved a few weeks ago Tami graciously offered to host at her house - thanks Tami!!

It was alot of fun - we had lots of yummy food and we went retro this year - with old dishes of mac-n-cheese and chili and deviled eggs =)

Our craft was also with the retro theme - stringed popcorn!! We made little wreaths and decorated them with red beads and ribbon.

We all had a great time =)

Sam's first babysitter!

Mark's Christmas party was tonight and we needed a babysitter - luckily I was able to get Miss Morgan (his teacher at Goddard) to come over and watch him for the night. Sam loves her so it was very easy to leave knowing that he was in good hands! Miss Morgan said Sam was fantastic and loved showing her all his toys =)

My Little Picaso!

Every day at school Sam does art and I thought it would be nice to put some on display in his play room - all pictures are for sale to the highest bidder =)

First snow of the season!

Its snowing!!! So pretty! We couldnt miss the chance to let Sam check it out =)

Sam loves peppers!

Mom and I were making a salad and Sam was eyeing the peppers so I handed him the green one and surprisingly enough he liked it!!

Today we gave him a red one and he liked that one too =)

The Raccoon Stage

I heard this term the other day on another website I visit and laughed – yep, that’s Sam – my little raccoon! He likes to open any and every drawer or cabinet and remove all its contents one by one. In the bathroom he likes to pull out my blow dryer and straightener – then he proceeds to the cabinet and gets the band-aids, and the Listerine, and marks hair brush (he likes to brush his hair), then he moves to the office area where he pulls all the books off the shelf. When he puts things back they are never in the right place and I have to search all the drawers when I need something.

In the living room he opens the drawers on the side tables and pulls out the remotes and papers and coasters – he LOVES remotes – I even bought him a “toy” remote but nope, he prefers the real thing!

In the kitchen he opens the corner cabinet with the lazy susan – he pulls out the K-cups for my Keurig and plays with them until he gets bored then he moves on to piper’s drawer – he pulls out all her treats, her brush, her nail clippers, and her bowls – he then proceeds to brush his hair with pipers brush – haha – next he moves to his drawer that has all his toys and usually pulls out sophie the giraffe and a few books and teethers then moves on to the next room.

Pre-baby this would have driven me crazy! But I think its cute and funny when Sammy does it


Authors note: Don’t worry, I am not a bad mommy, Sam is fully supervised as he explores the cabinets and he is not harmed while acting like a raccoon - lol - however, I will be installing cabinet locks in the kitchen this weekend since we keep cleaners under the sink

Yes! I have a cleaner!!!

I pick up Sam from daycare yesterday and all the kids are on the floor playing, except Sam! He is standing by the table with Miss Morgan helping her clean it off! Miss Morgan said that if she misses a crumb Sam wipes it off onto the floor - LOL!

Then we get home and Piper is going nuts taking out several bones and ropes from her toy bin - well, Sam decides they need to go back so he gathers them all up and puts them all back in the bin! Poor Piper was like 'hello! those are mine"! Everytime Piper got out a rope Sam would walk over pick it up and put it back in the bin once again.

Its so cute to see him "clean up" =)

Sam loves climbing the stairs!

Happy Thanksgiving

We are spending a quiet day at home with the boys and remembering all we have to be thankful for this year.

We love and miss you all! Happy Turkey Day!

Snakes and Snails

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails
That’s what little boys are made of!

I just found out that my friend Andrea is having a boy next February. I was thinking about when I found out that Sam was a boy and I was a little disappointed – I wanted manicures and dresses and pig tails – not trucks and frogs and dirt!

Boy was I wrong!
I love having a little boy!

Sam is still very young so most of the “boy” stuff is yet to be but there is just something about his quirky little smile and the way he throws his head back in a fit of laughter! He loves great big trucks and knocking over towers of blocks. If you lay on the floor he will kneel next to you and fall on top of you – repeatedly – thinking it’s the most hilarious thing in the world! When we are out and about he smiles and waves to everyone and all the ladies coo over him! He likes it when you chase him and flip him upside down. He likes to jump – A LOT! I definitley think he will be an “outdoor” kid, who likes to play in the rain and make mud pies (like his cousin Kevin) – I can handle the dirt and trucks and sports but if he ever brings me a frog I might have to run away…..…ewwww!!!!! He just learned the sign for frog (tongue in and out) and its so cute to see him do it!

Oh and boys really love their mommies =) heehee

Nick and Andrea: Congrats on the upcoming arrival of your little boy – I promise you he will bring you more delight than you have ever known! And of course Sam is stokked about having a new buddy to play with! =) We love you and cant wait to meet your son!

Oh and here is my advice to you for having a boy…. When changing the diaper remember to point the penis DOWN! It will save you lots in the laundry department ;-) I learned the hard way!

Obvioulsy I cant speak to the wonders of little girls but if I ever blessed with one I am sure I will be back on here saying all the wonderful things about them too =)

Hatboro Christmas Parade

Today was the Hatboro Holiday Parade! I have never been to a parade before and Goddard (Sam’s school) was a participant so we decided to join them. On our way there we get pulled over by a cop…. Tags are expired – ugh! So, after all that (luckily got a warning) we were running late! The original plan was for mark to drop off me and Sam, then he would park and walk back up to march in the parade with us. Well we hit York Road and its closed! We are 1.3 miles from the parade start so we start taking back roads (thank God for GPS!!!) trying to get as close as we can to the YMCA (where the parade starts). We see 3 fire trucks go by and follow them assuming they are going to the parade and mark manages to get us within about .1 mile of the parade start. So, Sam and I hop out and Mark goes to park the car at the end of the parade route. When I get the starting point everyone is already lined up – made it just in time! We are the 2nd group in line with square dancers in front of us and the Greyhound rescue league behind us – Sam loved all the dogs! By the time Mark found a parking spot we were well on our way –he met up with us and walked the last .1 mile or so. It was a beautiful day out! Did you know that parade participants throw candy to the kids on the sidewalk?? How fun! Sam was very intrigued by everything that was going on around him and I am looking forward next year to taking him to watch the parade in its entirety.

Sam in his Goddard shirt with a noise shaker!