Saturday, March 28

{87/365} When I woke up at 8:30 this morning, things were quiet. Liam was up at 4:30am, wet as usual and after getting changed, fell back to sleep. About a half an hour later, I heard both kids and Emily asked if she could go hang out with Liam. I said "yes" allowing me to get a few things done before the day began. Imagine my surprise when I walked into Liam's room and found this! Emily decided it would be fun to play in her sheet...how does she come up with this stuff? Although Liam looks like he's saying "help me", I actually heard more giggles than moans coming from that crib!

Friday, March 27

{86/365} Growing up both my mom and my grandma were excellent cooks. Without the kids at home my mom doesn't cook as much as she used to, but when she does...it's GOOD! When my grandma passed away, the one thing I wanted more than anything were her recipes. Many of them are hand written and many were cut out of newspapers with little comments like "excellent" or "delicious". For me, comfort food is that the food from my past that we have made for decades. Today I decided to make our sweet and sour meatballs....substituting ground meat for turkey (it's still yummy). The ingredients always surprise people since they are made with chili sauce, grape jelly and lemon juice! They may sound strange but they are absolutely delicious!

Thursday, March 26
{85/365} While many 7 year old girls are into Hannah Montana, Emily loves two Nick shows, Drake and Josh and iCarly. She watches these shows over and over again and is constantly talking about the episodes! While there are many "older kid"shows that I dislike, I think these two are fairly cute. Granted, they still discuss older issues but it's not completely over the top. While getting a few necessities at the store the other day, I came across these iCarly pajamas. When I showed Emily, she let out a scream that was beyond belief! She begged me to wash them right away AND requested that this be the photo of the day!

Wednesday, March 25

{84/365} When Emily was a baby, life was fairly simple. She was our only child and she slept well, played well, ate well...everything was "normal". My experience with Liam has been very different! From the very beginning he had milk issues and breathing issues and sleeping issues. He started talking and reacting and then he had his seizure. Life has been a whirlwind and sometimes I feel like I haven't had a moment to really get to know my boy. Things have been improving though and we are finally connecting and having so much FUN! This afternoon, after his nap, I was greeted by this handsome face. My heart started melting reminding me once again that every crazy moment is worth it. :)

Tuesday, March 24

{83/365} My house is never quiet. If it's not Emily talking a mile a minute, or the dog barking, it's Liam running from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen yelling... "ahhhhhhhhhh", over and over again. Tonight the kitchen looked as if there was a minor explosion. As I'm cleaning away, Liam is running around as usual and then...silence. I would now face one of two things...either he has managed to get into a drawer that's off limits (and he's pulling everything out) or he's escaped upstairs and is menacing about. Imagine my surprise when I peeked around the corner and saw this. I've heard that Yo Gabba Gabba is a good read. :)

Monday, March 23

{82/365} Liam has needed a haircut for the longest time. Unfortunately, the place I bring the kids isn't around the corner and I've been so busy lately. Last night I saw him push the hair out of his eyes and I knew I HAD to make this happen! Without an appointment (I'm not that person) I went first thing this morning and .it was closed! I realized that many haircutting places were closed on Mondays. :( So, I let my frustration out in AC Moore next door. .;) Luckily I drove by one last time before heading home and I saw the lights on. The receptionist was late and didn't hear the phone! WHEW! He was so good and enjoyed watching Dora as the stylist worked her kid cutting magic. As soon as he was finished he ran to this train to hang out. Ah, my handsome little guy can see again!

Sunday, March 22

{81/365} Well, I worked for hours yesterday and today when we got back from a birthday party, I finished the desk! It came out great and one of the best features is the "roll out" drawer piece. This way, Em can pull it out if she needs extra space and when she's done, under the desk it goes. It comes with a printer stand too! Tomorrow I hope to remove the old desk and place this one in it's spot...that will be no easy task. In the meantime, Emily had no problem filling it with her markers and working on a project right in the middle of the room! She was seriously so excited and felt like she was "working in a real office". ;)

Saturday, March 21

{80/365} About a year ago I bought a desk for Emily. I thought getting a more compact desk was a good idea but it's an odd shape (basically it's an octagon cut in half) and just didn't give her enough space to work. About three weeks ago I stopped into Staples and there in front of me was the perfect Emily desk. Not too big, not too small, storage space for her stuff and a great price. Little did I know it would sit in the garage for weeks...and she would beg me to take it out of the box for weeks. ;) This afternoon I finally got it upstairs and we began the long process of putting it together. Emily even helped with the nails in the back...she was VERY excited about that!

Friday, March 20

{79/365} Each morning when I wake up a take a peek outside to see what the day looks like. Imagine my surprise when we were greeted with a mini snowstorm on the first day of Spring! There were no reports of snow on yet there was about an inch on the ground and more on the way. Emily thought it was hysterical and couldn't wrap her head around it. She (and probably most kids her age) believes that the first day of Spring means it has to be warm. Not in the North East kiddo!

Thursday, March 19

{78/365} Today it's Thursday and another Daisy day is here! This year we are really concentrating on service projects. Today we had all of the girls work on something for "Project Linus". This is a non-profit organization that collects handmade blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. We gave our girls four very soft pieces of fleece. We pre-cut fringe on the edges and each girl tied a knot on top of each piece of fringe (this is called a "no sew" blanket). At the end of our meeting, we had four adorable and comfy blankets ready to be sent out! The girls were so proud of themselves...and we were so proud of the girls!

Wednesday, March 18

{77/365} Most elementary schools in my area have a school newsletter. I couldn't understand why mine didn't! Apparently it was done before, sporadically, and no one volunteered during the last school year. As the mother of a kindergartner last year I was in the dark about so many things...I didn't even know what the school book fair was! So, when I joined the PTO this year, I volunteered to do the newsletter. I sort have a love/hate relationship with the thing. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get people to send me information, other times it's a bit easier. I don't think anyone really understands the effort it takes to pull it together! In any case, I'm still plugging along and today I'm working on the April issue...only two more to go this year!!

Tuesday, March 17

{76/365} When Emily was about 2 1/2 we bought her two small chairs and a small table that came with an umbrella. She ate at the table and colored at the table...it became a part of her life! One day, while watching "Blue's Clues" there was an episode called "Cafe Blue". That was the day her favorite table was named "Cafe Emily". She even had a sign! There were many imaginary friends and stuffed animals that dined there and had tea parties, Cafe Emily was a real hot spot. Eventually, Emily started to get too big for her table but BEGGED us to keep it. I'm glad we did or I would never have a photo of Em at her Cafe with her brother enjoying some St. Patrick's Day playtime. :)

Monday, March 16

{75/365} Mondays are always busy days for me. After school Emily has gymnastics (and it's far) so my Mom comes to stay with Liam. I had to run to K-Mart to get a few things (it's good for household necessities) and I had hoped I wouldn't have to bring Liam along. It's not that I didn't want him there, I just knew he was getting tired. Well, shopping alone wasn't going to work out so I thought I would take my chances. This is what happened about 5 minutes after entering the store. Poor kiddo, that does NOT look comfortable!

Sunday, March 15

{74/365} Every year for St. Patrick's Day this Jewish girl makes corned beef, cabbage and soda bread for her Irish husband. It's the least I can do because it makes the guy so happy! I realized a few years ago that actually making the bread instead of buying it is definitely more tasty. :) Although I would love a family recipe, (apparently Frank's grandmother didn't write anything down) I keep trying different recipes and this year I found a good one. Frank thought it tasted just like his grandmothers! Here's my bread with it's "criss-cross" on top about to go into the oven. It was delicious!

Saturday, March 14

{73/365} This morning Emily and I went out to run a few errands. When we got back, Frank had to run to Lowes so he hopped in the shower. In the meantime, I left Liam downstairs with Emily for a few minutes. I had to to do some work on the computer and all I could hear was Liam running around and he was whining and falling and crying and whining some more! I was about to run downstairs when I heard the pitter patter of little feet and a gate slam close. Emily had sent Liam up to me and kept herself downstairs. When he walked into the office there was a round Post-It stuck to his back that simply read..."I can't take him!" I think I laughed for about 15 minutes. Her note said it all. ;)

Friday, March 13

{72/365} It's 11:45 pm and look who's not sleeping! Not only is Liam awake, he is jumping up and down in his crib and acting as if it's 10 o'clock in the morning. I just don't get it. He napped at a good time, ate dinner at a good time and while drinking his bottle his eyes were closing...and now THIS. Even when I took his photo he had this little "haha I got you mom" smirk on his face. I wonder why I'm so exhausted all of the time. I wonder. ;)

Thursday, March 12

{71/365} When Liam turned one he started to HATE food shopping. I had the child who screamed and I was the mom who was forced to choose between embarrassment or leaving the store AND my groceries! It was so stressful. Then I found Peapod. :) For a few extra (well spent) dollars someone shops for me and places my groceries in my kitchen! No more stress, no more headaches, no more unloading the car. Truth be told, Liam has gotten better at the store...but I'm not quite ready to give up my Peapod. ;)

Wednesday, March 11

{70/365} The point of getting the 365 kit is that I won't have to do much work. When I do projects, I obsess over every detail. The beauty of this project is how simple it is. Just sort out the cards, do your journaling, add some day stickers and away you go! So why am I making a kit as well? A great friend of mine is doing this project with me, documenting her 40th year. As a birthday gift (her birthday was in January) I wanted to make her a kit. After obsessing (yep, that's what I do) over what paper to choose, etc I simply decided to copy MY kit! The good news is that the copied cards look great, the bad news is it will take me a long time to finish! There's a lot of cutting to do. Oh well, in the end she will have a cool kit too. (Oh and for the record, if there were more available I would have purchased another kit. Since there aren't anymore I don't feel guilty about my approach)!

Tuesday, March 10

{69/365} Well, the day is finally here and yes, I'm the one with the photo of my 365 kit! What makes this day so crazy is that I got the kit around 12:30 and proudly placed it on the table. Then I had to clean the kitchen and put Liam's toys away. Emily was home with a high fever and we had to go to the doctor. My mom came (hence the reason for the clean up), I had to get Liam settled, go to the appointment, get antibiotics (she has strep), pick up her homework and make dinner. The kit sat on the table, mocking me for hours! Finally, around 5:30 I opened up the box. The kit is great and I look forward to getting the first 60 photos developed. Now I have to figure out the journaling...I wonder if anyone notices that I write way too much?? ;)

Monday, March 9

{68/365} It was the end of the day and I wasn't sure what photo to use. I bought some new shelves and Liam was having a grand old time with the box...but this was the one. It's a bit overexposed but I love it. Each time I tried to take his photo he would grab the arm strap and lens cap. He was completely fascinated with them. My favorite thing is to watch Liam discover new things and how intense he gets when he is interested. To him, at this moment, that lens cap was the coolest thing on earth! It just proves that all you have to do is give a kid a box...or a lens cap and they will have something to play with all day. :)

Sunday, March 8

{67/365} Last night Emily decided that we should have a nice breakfast together in the morning. On Sundays I usually get to sleep in a bit and then I immediately start doing the laundry and other fun (yeah right) stuff. For the most part Em and daddy dine together. Today was different. Emily made little goodie bags and place cards and made a menu of what we would all eat. She is too much! I will admit, it made me think that we need to restructure things a bit and make this a Sunday tradition. Frank isn't always around but every Saturday night and Sunday morning he is there. It's the perfect opportunity for us to sit together as a family. It won't take much effort on my part and I KNOW it will make our Emily very happy!

Saturday, March 7

{66/365} Emily has been begging me to see the Jonas Brothers movie. Of course it's a "limited engagement" and only out for a couple of weeks. I was so sick last week and then there is Liam...I just couldn't swing it. So, grandma to the rescue! She picked Emily up last night, took her to the movie and back to her house for a sleepover. Today she and Em went to a friends house (my moms friend who had her grandchildren there) where they decided body art would be fun! I'm just glad Crayola makes washable paint! Emily wanted a quick photo before she washed off her ring and bracelets. ;)

Friday, March 6

{65/365} I had few photo choices today but I kept coming back to this one. When I returned home from dropping Em at school, I found her footprint in a patch of snow on the driveway. At that moment I realized just how much I miss her during the day. I miss the days when it was just the two of us, having fun with no schedule to keep. We would go out to lunch and talk and she would draw pictures and describe her adventures with her imaginary friends! Those days are long gone but I look forward to all of the new memories and the fun times we will share. I love this quote..."Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same". That about says it all. :)

Thursday, March 5

{64/365} It's Daisy Day today and once again we have the girls do a service oriented project. There is a guy who lives in our hometown that is serving in Iraq. We thought it would be great for him to get letters from the girls as well as a care package. I'm sure it's amazing to get anything but when it comes from your hometown, it's probably extra special. Emily worked hard on her card as usual. As the other girls were writing "thank you" Emily wrote the following..."Dear Christian...Do you like pizza? Love, Emily." Then she made a picture of a pizza pie with a smiley face! She is too much!

Wednesday, March 4th

{63/365} Today was an emotional day. My friend Tracy's sweet boy is in the hospital. I really wanted to see her but as usual, my buddy Liam was at my side. The Pediatric ICU is certainly not inviting 18 month olds to "hang out". My Mom came to the rescue. I met her at the hospital and she took Liam to the restaurant for some breakfast. While I was visiting the baby, Liam was having a grand old time with his waffles and applesauce. In fact, today of all days, he decided to eat with a spoon! This was the first time he accomplished such a thing and leave it to my Mom to allow him to do this in a public place! I'm so proud of my little boy and my Mom for allowing him to make the mess!

Tuesday, March 3

{62/365} Liam started Early Intervention last Thursday. It wasn't too bad and the therapist seems perfect for him. I admit, I don't like the idea of someone invading my space twice a week but that said, I would do anything for my son. Today was our second session and unfortunately the therapist was unable to make the 9 or 10am appointment that I was hoping for. Eventually we will get the scheduling together but until then, I'll have to yank my poor baby up from a peaceful nap. Needless to say, he was still tired here (with "bed head" and all) and I caught him mid yawn! This 1pm thing isn't going to work...but I'll let it slide. This time. ;)

Monday, March 2

{61/365} So here is a little secret about me...and it isn't pretty. I think it's funny when we have a warm day at the end of February and a couple of days later we get hit with a HUGE snowstorm! Everyone thinks spring is around the corner and BAM...snow! Can you tell I'm a "winter person"? Well, nothing is sweeter than a snow day...especially on a Monday! Today we were hit with about 6 or 7 inches and with that came the begging..." PUHLEEEEASE can I go out and play"?? It was snowing hard and freezing and Liam had to nap and eat and now it was 4:30pm. I felt bad but Liam is the slowest eater! Finally I told Emily she could get bundled up and go play with Riley...and she did! LOL She spent an entire hour on the deck with the dog (who came in 20 minutes later) making snow angels and playing imaginary snow games. She had a ball and I was able to watch her all warm and dry from the kitchen/dining room! ;)

Sunday, March 1

{60/365} I've been trying to clean my office for weeks...I mean really clean it out. With an 18 month old on the run, it's taken a lot longer than expected. Today I went through all of my unfinished CKC projects...and there were quite a few. Among them was my "Finishline Scrapbooking" project that we did with Stacy Julian. Unfortunately, the papers weren't my style, the technique wasn't my style and there was no doubt I wouldn't be finishing this book. Then it occurred to me...this book was Emily's style! The paper was perfect AND I had over 25 photos of just her and Liam. Some pages were started and many were unfinished...until today. She was so excited to make a book of her and her brother. She spent the entire afternoon working on her cool CKC project!

Saturday, February 28

{59/365} Tonight Emily thought it would be fun to make a fort. She set the two bed/couches on their sides and placed blankets and toys inside. She was proud of her little hut. Then she made a mistake. She ran upstairs...and the bulldozer spotted her masterpiece. In a matter of moments half of the fort was knocked down and a toy was in the bulldozers mouth. You can only imagine what happened after this photo was taken! Poor Emily, forced to have the patience of a saint. Ah, we do have fun around here! ;)

Friday, February 27

{58/365} Frank has had an awful work schedule for years. For the most part, he leaves and returns when the kids are asleep. I admit, it's been rough on all of us and it's not as if it's an important job. Some people save lives, others light Ugly Betty. ;) Regardless, he is such a hard worker and course these days we are grateful that he even has a job. Tonight Emily was really missing her daddy. She decided to leave him a little gift on the counter that he could have when he came home. She knows he loves chocolate so she left him some of those chocolate crunchies that she puts on top of her yogurt (that totally cracked me up). She also left him some Girl Scout cookies and a note that read "Dear Daddy, I Love You...Love, Emily". How could I resist taking this photo?