Dusting Off The Keyboard For A Big Announcement

It's been way too long since I've blogged and I've missed it.
I miss catching up with blogging friends through reading others' posts and writing comments that are well deserved.  I miss the "me time" that I used to give myself after putting the little one to bed, and typing non stop on the keyboard until I could hardly hold my head up.  I miss putting my thoughts and my family experiences with pictures out on the world wide web (aside from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

It seems as though I lost my "blogging self" for awhile.  I have still written random thoughts into a journal that I have been keeping.  To catch you up a little on what has been going on with me, well that would take more than one post...which it's going to, so bear with me.

Here's the main thing that have been going on with me in the last few months.

Most importantly that definitely needs to be mentioned here on this blog is the biggest change yet that our family of three is going to experience.

We're going to become a family of 4!

Most of you probably have already heard the news in some form of social media or another.  As you may recall on this post and this photo in March, we were just beginning to announce that we were "officially trying" to grow our family.  Well, little did we know at that time...we had already conceived #2.  We definitely didn't expect it to happen so quickly, since Annaliese took 5 months to conceive and even that was fast for us.
So there you have it Blog, we're gonna have a baby! 

2 days before my 30th birthday(April 4th), I took my first pregnancy test

Annaliese is excited to become a Big Sister!  We announced the news to our close friends and family at my Surprise 30th Birthday Party on April 6th.

On April 23rd, we made the grand Facebook announcement.

Tomorrow on June 21, I will be 17 weeks along already.  We are officially due on November 29, which is the day after Thanksgiving.  However, since I delivered almost 2 weeks early with Annaliese ...and on a full moon, I am going to make an educated guess and say that I will probably deliver early with this baby and for kicks, lets just say around the full moon on November 17.  Justin and I are waiting to find out the sex this time and I couldn't be more excited!

Already this pregnancy differs much from my first.  Pretty much ever since I found out I was pregnant...I was sick...all day for over month.  Luckily in mid-May, I found the culprit and switched prenatal vitamins and have been fine ever since!  :)  Also a few weeks ago, I had some really bad dizziness to where I passed out.  Thank God that Justin was here working from home that day because I don't want to know what would've happened in any other case.  I have also had really had sciatica pain very early this time around whereas with my first pregnancy, I didn't get bad back pain until I was over 30 weeks pregnant.  Hoping some physical therapy or chiropractic assistance will help!

So because this has been the main thing going on with us, I figured I would get back on the blogging radar with this announcement, and will be filling in the timeline within the next few posts.  I promise it won't be a month until they happen.  I need to spit them out soon so I can get back onto track with actual current events :)

For those of you who are still around to read this blog, thanks for your patience and support!

XOXOXO,

Memories Captured - Blessed

It's Friday again.  September 7, 2012 at 9:38 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to be a little too exact.  Although you're reading this a few days later.

The baby is asleep.

The husband is asleep.

Even the cat is asleep.

I am left here alone.

Just me, my laptop and my 2nd glass of wine (that I usually never drink).

I just put my big, baby girl to bed.  She fell asleep in my arms tonight, which hasn't happened in awhile.  She has been pretty good with putting herself to sleep at nighttime and nap time.  We're very fortunate.  But tonight was out of the normal.

Annaliese has been very cuddly with me lately.  Oh believe me, I am soaking it up.  Every last minute.  I think she is unconsciously grasping the fact that her mother is in need of these voluntary moments, as she knows there will soon come a day when those cuddles will be too few and far between.

You see, there are exactly 34 days left until she turns one year old.  Only 34 days!  (and less by the time you're reading this)  It seems that the year has just up and vanished into thin air.

But tonight was another night where time stood still.

Just a mother and her daughter rocking in silence.

A mother who has learned a lot about herself in the last 11 months.  A mother who has seen herself on her strongest days where she felt on top of her game.  A mother who has seen herself through her weakest moments and spent hours crying along side her crying baby.  A mother who has previously promised herself, but has recently taken action to become healthier and live healthier for the sake of herself and her child.

And here in my arms, rests my dreams, my values, my future, all in this little body that keeps growing day by day.  My shirt covered in spaghetti stains, my hair a mess, my feet swollen and sore from running, my legs unshaven, I think I forgot deodorant again today...and yet I'm perfectly content because I am blessed.

I have been a little stressed out this week because of the stupid little things that get you all worked up.  The basement being flooded (for the 100th time), the washer being broken (after just months ago the dryer had broken), the finances wearing thin (due to a certain special someone's first birthday party), the physical pain of actually working out (from being so out of shape), and the tired eyes I meet at the end of every day from my husband (and his very stressful "seeing-computer-code-in-his-sleep" job).

But this moment is mine.  Right now.  Right in this very moment, none of that matters.  All of the stress in the world couldn't take away the peace I have has with my sleeping babe in my arms.  This very moment I will treasure forever.  This moment brings tears to my eyes because I am still in awe of this beautiful little life that I am blessed to be home with every day and make laugh and watch grow.  This beautiful gift from God.  Every day I wish my Father-In-Law were here to see this little girl grow, but I know he is shining down on his only grandchild and giving her a different reason to smile.

Wiping the soft tears from my weary eyes, this mother stands up, ensures that she will not wake her soundly sleeping daughter, and I gently place her in a crib with a beautiful matching crib set fit for a darling baby girl.  It seems only yesterday, Justin and I were finishing up our baby registry and wondering what it would feel like to be a parent.  Now there she lays, in the butterfly crib set we picked and were given for a shower gift from Justin's brother, Ashley and his wife, Jenn, in the espresso crib we bought and put together, in the pajamas that were handed down to us from one of my best friends from when her daughter was much younger, and beside her security blanket/teddy bear that my aunt and uncle had bought her for Christmas.

I turn off the light and say a silent prayer and ask God to watch over my sleeping baby, as I do every night.  I also ask Him to give me the motherly strength I need to make it through every day, to remember to wake up with a positive outlook every morning and remember that there are so many others who are less fortunate and living in undeserving broken and battered homes.

I am blessed.

Linking up with Alison @ Writing, Wishing and Galit @ These Little Waves for September's Memories Captured.

A Family Affair at The Renaissance Faire

Our weekends are usually busy in the summer.  Lately we've had our goals of rearranging house furniture to better suit our little crawler, help our mothers with house projects and look after their animals, and trying to get on the ball with ideas for Annaliese's first birthday party.  There is always something that needs done but sometimes it's nice to just go away for the day, just us.

Justin, Annaliese and I packed up the car last Saturday and drove the 80 minute car ride to the very large Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim, PA.  Justin loves movies and books that take place in that era but had never been to a Renaissance Faire before, so I was excited for him to experience his first time!

We arrived with everyone fed, napped and ready to go.  It was a beautiful day!  Low 80's and low humidity.  It was the perfect day to spend outside.

The sky on the way home

The jousting arena

Annaliese was enjoying the sunshine

 I love this place because everyone is always in character!  The vendors speak with English accents and accept cash (pounds) for payment as well as "Lady Visa and Master Card".  Everything in this little village is made to look like you're actually in the Renaissance era.  We did pass by the Queen, but she had her servants surrounding her so I wasn't able to get a good picture, but she was beautiful!

A Celtic band

One of the villagers 

The ship where many swords, axes and armory were sold

"Wee Dragon", a place for little princess attire

A quote from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Yes they even had Greek Renaissance food!  (this ones for you, dad!)

People who were there visiting also came in costume!  Justin enjoyed this the most, because there were families, couples and singles who wore outfits to join in the fun and they certainly fit right in!

Even a little bitty baby had on a costume hat

People dressed up in knight's armor

We got to see a few shows while we were there.  We were able to see a bird show where a guy who has been training birds since he was 7 years old showed us an owl, an eagle and a falcon.  That was really cool!  No pictures were taken because we were too far away and I have yet to get a cool lens for our camera to take up close pictures from far away.  We also got to see The Mud Squad perform a little skit but unfortunately before we got to see them play in the mud, Annaliese was getting hungry, so we headed to another area.

The Mud Squad's lair

The Mud Pit

One of the three from the Mud Squad

What made my day, other than having a great day out with my little family, was capturing some really good candid shots of Justin and Annaliese together :)

We had a great day as a family!

A great day with great memories :)

Linking up with Alison and Galit for August's Memories Captured.

Memories Captured- Mama Needs A Vacation

I'll start by saying that I really thought long and hard about what to write for my Memories Captured post this month.  I struggled all week and then this happened...and although it's hardly sentimental, it's definitely something I'll remember forever.

As you know, I'm a stay at home mom and aside from the daily tasks in taking care of the house and (sometimes) even write a blog post, I also like to watch some daytime TV.  One of my favorite shows to watch is "Live! With Kelly" on ABC.  
I use Twitter more frequently than I used to and it's apparently been in my favor!  One day back in March, I was watching the "Live! With Kelly" show and Michael Strahan who used to play football for the NY Giants was her featured co-host.  I tweeted to the show asking Michael "How can you even tweet?  Your hands are huge!"  In comparison to Kelly Ripa's tiny petite hands, they are huge!  Later in the show when they were reading tweets and emails from viewers, I heard my name mentioned on live TV along with my tweet!  I used our DVR and played it back just so I could convince myself that I wasn't going crazy and recorded it on my phone!

It's a poor quality video and I deleted it from my saved DVR recordings before I noticed it, so please forgive the bad quality and delay taken from my old phone.



Even though he called me "CASEY" (and boy do I hate that), it's still pretty cool, right?  :)

So...back to this vacation thing...

Last week when I was watching the "Live! With Kelly" show, I saw they are doing a Cutest Kids Contest and the winner gets a Norwegian Cruise for a family of 4 people!  Hello!  Why wouldn't I enter?  This mama and her hubby could use a vacation!  So I got my laptop out, submitted Annaliese's picture and prayed (still praying).  A Facebook friend of mine helped find her name and photo out of HUNDREDS of cute kids on the show's website to help me confirm that they had received my submission.  So we'll see how far she gets.  I'll keep you posted on that.  Wish us luck!

In all this excitement, I wanted to tell all my Twitter followers and Facebook friends, so I put it out there on both accounts.  I received many "likes" on Facebook and some "good luck"s too!  Then out of the blue on Twitter, I received a reply tweet from a Staff Writer of the local paper asking if I'd like to do a story on entering my daughter in the contest.  It didn't take me long to decide and after talking with Justin about it, I decided...eh, what the heck!?  The short interview was yesterday over the phone and today the article is published in the local newspaper, The Public Opinion.  I had never done an interview for a newspaper before, so that was pretty cool too!  Click here to read the article.

So, I'm hoping to get a chance to win the cruise, but if not a girl can dream, right?  Even if nothing comes of this contest and news article, it is still a fun story to tell my daughter someday when she's older.  :)

Linking up with Alison and Galit for July's Memories Captured.

Your Friendly Mama,

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day was extra special this year because it was Justin's first Father's Day!  Annaliese, my brother Alex, Justin and I all packed in our car and headed up to New Jersey for the weekend to celebrate a few birthdays and Father's Day together.  June 14th was my dad's birthday, June 16th was my brother's birthday, June 17th was my step mom's birthday and also Father's Day.  Yeah...needless to say we're broke for the month of June, but it's always worth it! :)


We arrived to my dad's house on Friday evening, around 9pm.  It was Annaliese's first long road trip since she was 2 months old so we were a little nervous about how she would be in the car, but she slept the first hour, woke up to eat, and we played for the remainder of the trip (a total of 4 hours including a pit stop) and did really well over all.  Mommy and daddy were proud of her!  We unloaded the car and had some yummy pizza and winded down for the evening.

At the gas station- 10 minutes into the trip

Playing so well by herself

Saturday we woke up fairly early and began getting ready for the day ahead.  Two of my best friends from high school and their 3 kids had planned a going away party/1st birthday party(for their youngest kid) and since they are about an hour from my dad's house, we were able to see them before they leave New Jersey and head to Texas where they'll be for 4 years.  We all headed over to their house and spent a few hours with them and they were finally able to meet Annaliese!

Levi was very pleased to meet Annaliese

They hit it off right away!

Annaliese didn't know what to do with so many toys!

Getting to know each other

My good friend, Jason with Logan and Gabbie

Alex helped out by giving Annaliese her sweet potato puffs

2 cakes- One for birthday boy, Levi and one for Jason who turns 30 in Sept.

Jason with Levi and Gabbie

Annaliese was having fun with daddy and watching everyone

Levi chowing down on some yummy icing and big sister, Gabbie enjoying some cake too!

My best friend since 10th grade and my daughter :)

Logan- such a ham!  Also enjoying some birthday cake!

After we said our goodbyes and held back the tears, we met up at TGI Friday's to celebrate Alex's birthday!  Unfortunately Justin stayed behind because he had a bad migraine.  But we still had a nice time.  Annaliese was enjoying her time with Nana and Papou and had a blast playing with the menu!

Annaliese with Nana and Papou

Annaliese trying to decide on a cocktail.  Haha!

Sunday we woke up and gave out Father's Day gifts!  Annaliese got Justin a photo book made via Shutterfly and I bought him a "New Dad" Willow Tree Figurine for our family collection.  We also bought my dad the "Grandpa" Willow Tree figurine for his Father's Day gift.  And since it was also Jackie's birthday, we celebrated her too and also had some yummy ice cream birthday cake!


Click on the link below to view the photo book from Annaliese.


http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=b6ddb562a905597c6d9889752d9a603c&sid=0YaMWLly2ZuWA

We left to head back home on Monday.  It's always hard to part ways from my dad, but we know we will see them again in a few weeks.  He and Jackie plan to move to PA so we can be closer to them and see them more often and we are so excited for when that day comes!  

Although we had a wonderful weekend with my dad, we didn't keep Justin's dad far from our thoughts.  This was our first Father's Day without him.  He is missed everyday and we so wish that he could be here to share in the joy of smiles and laughter of our Annaliese.   We know he's in Heaven looking down on us and is very proud of all of us.  We're lucky to have him as our guardian angel and there's no doubt that Annaliese will know her Papaw and what a wonderful man he was from the day he was born till the day he passed away. We love you, dad!  Happy Father's Day in Heaven.  You are forever missed. 

Ron and I on Father's Day 2009

Justin, Ron and Ashley - Father's Day 2009

  


Linking up with Mama Wants This! and These Little Waves for Memories Captured June!