A wonderful weekend

Waking up to this is heaven on earth...no photoshop, no messing with colors or filters. This is what my eyes are greeted with many a morning. It makes me grateful to be alive.

I managed to find some pictures of another weekend we spent in NYC a few weeks ago with my dad and Bill's mom ..for some reason they up loaded completely out of order. Sorry about that.

Back to this past weekend - I took Liam to his first professional ice hockey game with his Cub Scout pack. It was a fun night. Liam is in the middle below - all the scouts got a free jersey.Thanks to our den leader working at a local bank, he was able to get us seats in the company box. It was pretty awesome.

Next we made gingerbread houses with daddy. This went surprisingly well with a child who has food allergies. Pillsbury frosting in a can is mostly chemicals - Finn is NOT allergic to those - just the wholesome good stuff like eggs and milk and wheat. Still, it made it possible for him to join in an annual holiday tradition of ours.
Gumballs are dairy/nut/egg/gluten free! Yay!!!

So basically this is an excuse to just eat loads and loads of sugar in one sitting...right?

And here's a random pic from our NYC weekend with my dad and Krissy.
OH, we also made ornaments with that horrid, but amazing smelling cinnamon/applesauce dough. It's messy and a pain in the butt, but the kids had a great time (ALSO a Finn friendly activity!)

Bill found a tripod and had fun with the zoom lens...


Aww, my cute little honey. More amazing things to share in the very near future...stay tuned.

I didn't take any pics...

But my mom did~ Here are some pics from my Aunt Barbara's Thanksgiving celebration.

Chuck and Mira looking ready for yum yums.
On Black Friday we ventured into the city to go ice skating in Central Park. We ALL got on the ice!
Finn's first time on the ice. My back was killing me at this point. Finn only made it around once..but, he was hungry.
Good times!
It was definitely a perfect day in the city. It was probably 60 some degrees, sunny, and just wonderful.
I LOVE this picture. It really captures the New YAWKER in me!
And I love this picture even more. Me and my boys. Poor Billbers was stuck at home with his two best buddies playing guitar...oh well..
We ended the evening at a pretty nice restaurant. We met with Lauren's boyfriend, Jean-Paul, and his family. I have to say here that Liam was AMAZINGLY well behaved for the 2+ hours we were there. Finn on the other hand...oy. My cheeks look flushed and not because I've had anything to drink other than diet Coke. He is a holy terror in a restaurant. At one point I was letting him walk around the big table. Our waitress was taking an order from another table and Finn placed his hand on her butt to move her aside so he could walk by! That little bugger.
Back at my mom's Liam and Lauren got their architect on.

It's been a busy, busy weekend, but loads of fun.

I just don't...

wanna jinx it. I want to write about all the things on my mind about the exciting happenings around here...but I think I am just going to have to go and wait a month or so...which is so very hard. Typing it all out feels so good, but for once, I will wait.

In the meantime, I hope every one eats a lot of what they love tomorrow. You'll find me hoarding the stuffing. I look forward to seeing family I haven't seen in years. And I am excited to take Finn ice skating for the very first time ever in Central Park...

More good things to come...if you can wait...

Thank You Beach

When things go really well for me I immediately want to thank people. Every action and event in my life is touched and shaped by others, so I feel like any good I get should be acknowledged and shared with so many.

Things are going really well. Really, really well right now. And even though I have a migraine threatening to burst through my right temple at the moment, the boys are playing nicely in the tub and here is where my brain is at.

The beach. (And forgive me now, because I have that childish kind of mind that actually fantasizes things like this....at 36 years old while her kids are in the tub...) yeah, it's not that kind of beach. It's an island actually.

And my mom is there. And my dad. And my step mom and step dad. And my mother-in-law. Because, amazingly, they all love the beach. And if I had my way, I'd say thank you to them by taking them to a beach.

I'd write in the sand at their feet, "thank you for raising me to be grateful and hard working. Thank you for pushing me to excel at school and whatever it is that makes me happy. Thank you for believing in me and loving me. Thank you for being that financial crutch from time to time when, despite hard work, things just got too tight. Thank you for giving me purpose. Thank you for sending me out there. Thank you for listening to all my crazy hopes and dreams and hoping for the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My life is what it is, thanks to all of you."

That would take up a lot of sand...hence the island...not to mention they'd all probably want their own space....and I'd want to invite a big handful of friends who also have listened to endless ideas and scenarios of how my life would turn out...they should be at the "thank you beach," too, don't you think? I mean, hey, this IS a fantasy, so why not?

I suppose some of you are wondering what's so great that's worthy of all this thankfulness. Well, it's a little early to be getting into that....but soon. Soon I hope to have all sorts of good things to share. And if not, at least there's today. A day full of good news and hope and sun and friends...oh and a truly sinfully delicious chocolate pavlova.

Funny Finn...

If you can possibly ignore me in the background, just watch Finn's face. JUST WATCH..he is so engrossed in whatever he is doing on my iPhone and has no idea that Chuckie is filming him. Priceless.

Halloween 2011

While it was a little chillier than I had anticipated for my first Halloween back in New York, it was a great afternoon. Our gang of super heroes pillaged for goodies, our toes froze, and we just had a fun time.
Here we have Leah (Wonder Woman), Luke (Batman), Liam (Robin), Skyler (Super Girl) and on the floor Sean (Monkey), Finn (Super Man), and me - wearing an oddball wig that was on clearance at WalMart.

My totally awesome super heroes!!

A brave snowman out for an ice cream treat I suppose...
Finnster, while unable to eat any of the treats in his bag, did have a good time swing the loot all around.
A really sweet grandmother-type felt bad for the baby who couldn't eat the treats so she gave him an apple, which he gladly enjoyed.

Sigh

Oh how I miss...

Amber's warm embrace

inviting kitchen

and ever cheerful cheer...

Michelle's love of life

fancy free, fly by the seat of her pants

way to be

...and oh, her love of desserts and all

things sweet, chocolatey, bready,

and delicious.

Gretchen's unbeatable smile,

clever solutions to any odd bump

in the road, and

endless smootches.

Di's generosity,

kind open ears, and

always showing up with a yummy.

Carla's grace and

eloquence, the magic

she sprinkles all around her.

Oh my Texas sisters, I miss you so.

The hole in my heart weeps for you.

I think of you often with love and

remember all the good times with

great fondness....