What's going on?

I'm really trying to get on here and update more often! Life just seems to keep getting in the way. Anyway, here's what's been going on around here lately...

The weather has been a little crazy here, beautiful one day and cold and rainy the next. On one of the beautiful the girls and I ventured outdoors for a little chalk therapy. Munchkin loves to color but she usually ends up drawing on her sister's pictures.


Curly Girl is totally infatuated with flowers. She spends hours sniffing all the flowers that are blooming. It's a challenge to keep her from picking them.


But how can I turn down a beautiful bouquet when it's delivered to me like this?


She's a total girly-girl. She loves all things pink, butterflies and flowers.


Her shoes totally match her personality!

We colored eggs at a friend's house one day. This was the first time that Munchkin actually was able to do it herself. She was in heaven! She was still working on her eggs after Curly Girl and her friend went out to play.


Curly Girl loved painting the eggs.

Curly Girl's finished products...


Easter was beautiful if a little chilly. The Easter Bunny was very good to the girls. They loved getting dressed up in their Easter dresses.



We had breakfast with my in-laws. Here's the girls with their big cousins.


Then it was off to my parents house for Easter dinner. Munchkin and my niece are just 11 days apart. They love to play with each other and get so excited when they're together. It's so funny that my niece looks more like me than my own daughter.

Here's my sister, Cookie, with her youngest son and my two nieces.

My two beautiful nieces. I think they're going to be trouble when they grow up!

All of the grandkids. Christmas is a lot of fun around here!


In addition to all these goings-on my birthday was the other day. It was nice. I had a nice lunch with my parents and then Hubby took me and the girls out for dinner.

I also joined a gym and have been going regularly. It's working! I've lost about 12 pounds in the past month so I'm happy with that.

I also decided to become an Avon representative. So I've been pretty busy around here but like I said I'm going to try to keep things up to date around here!

Pumpkins, parties & Big Bird!

Wow! We had a busy weekend!

Saturday we went to our favorite pumpkin patch. It must now be everyone's favorite pumpkin patch though because it was so crowded that we quit early and then went to a friend's daughter's birthday party. Here's some of the pumpkin patch pics though:






Today we used our tickets that we had left to visit Sesame Place. We brought our two nieces with us which was great because Munchkin is just 11 days older than my one niece and my other niece is just 2 years older than Curly Girl. We had an awesome dinner at Red Robin and had Happy Birthday sung to Munchkin and my little niece. Their little eyes just lit up, it was so cute!

They all had a great time and passed out as soon as we got on the road to come home. After a quick bath they went right to bed. Here's some pics from today:

How was your weekend? What fun fall things did you do?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Sorry to have been MIA lately but we've been so busy! We've been potty training (very successfully!),

going on a class trip to the pumpkin patch and

Finding the perfect pumpkin

Fresh, hot cider donuts and apple cider! Yum!

we had a birthday party at the park for Munchkin,

Collecting nuts with her cousins

Cousins, just 11 days apart!A Mickey Mouse cake, of course!
Playing at the playgroundClimbing trees

not to mention, I'm trying to keep up with my homework so I can maintain my 4.0 average.

Some great things that happened to us this week:

1. I made the President's List for the spring semester!
2. I was invited to join the International Honor Society!
3. Munchkin has been doing awesome with potty training!
4. Curly Girl is loving school and dance class!
5. Hubby received recognition at work for his 10 years of service!

We have tons of stuff planned like a family trip to the pumpkin patch, a trip to Sesame Place, a visit to the Philadelphia Zoo, just trying to squeeze in as much as possible to enjoy fall!

It's such a busy time of the year but I love it!

Happy Birthday Munchkin!

October 2006

October 2007

October 2008

Dear Munchkin,

You're turning 2 today. I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by. You seem to be growing up before my very eyes. Please slow down, I'm not ready for it.

You are such an easygoing, happy little girl. It doesn't take much to make you happy and you tell me every day that you're happy. Your eyes light up when you see your sister. The first thing you do in the morning is knock on your door and call "Mommy?" If I don't answer you right away you start calling "Sissy? Sissy?" until your big sister opens your door. You walk out with a big smile on your face and say "Good Morning!". You spend most of your time following your sister and trying to do everything that she does. When we drop her off at school you get upset because you want to be with her.

I'm amazed at the words that you learn every day. Yesterday we went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch and you kept calling the pumpkins "pumpkin balls". Then we saw a cow and you kept calling to the "Moo Cow". You're always telling me "Mommy, I funny!" and that totally cracks us up. You've also recently been saying "You're fired!". I wonder if you've got a little Donald Trump in your future?

You've developed an obsession with Mickey Mouse. Not Minnie, only Mickey will do! You have a Mickey that you take EVERYWHERE with you. He's your potty buddy, your bedtime buddy, your mealtime buddy. It seems that he's replaced Teddy as your one true love.

You still love our pets. Treach is your favorite though. It's a good thing that he's such a patient dog because you love to lay on him while watching television and he always a good morning hug and a goodnight kiss.

Your favorite foods are "pop cicle pops" aka lollipops, "appuhs" aka apples and "baggells" aka bagels. You love milk and apple juice too. You generally love all food and are usually willing to try anything we put in front of you. You'll eat salad, all kinds of veggies and meats. You do have a sweet tooth though, just like Mommy, and frequently ask for "cannie" candy.

You are doing awesome on the potty! I am so proud of you. You stay pretty dry all day and are great at telling me when you have to go.

I'm so excited about all of the new things that we're going to see and do this year! You have such a joy for life and it's contagious. I'm so glad that I was chosen to be your Mommy.

I love you Munchkin! Happy 2nd birthday baby girl!

This, That and Labor Day

This weekend we celebrated the end of summer by going to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. It was a little warm but the weather was beautiful. It was a lot of fun with people dressed in period costumes, lots of outdoor entertainment and beautiful gardens filled with butterflies.

The girls were tired and out of sorts the whole day though. Temper tantrums and picking on each other all day. Other than that we had a great time.

I am so ready to get back into the fall groove though. I start my classes tonight. I go to school several nights a week to finish my education degree. Curly Girl starts back at preschool and dance class next week.

We also have quite a few things planned for the next two months to do. We've been working around the house fixing things up, painting and such. We also plan to go apple picking, hayride to the pumpkin patch, to the museum of natural history. Plus, we'll have Munchkin's second birthday and party coming up so we'll be heading back to Sesame Place for that.

I'm ready to get the house decorated for fall and get back into our regular routine. How about you?

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday. She's always been my best friend, my closest confidant, my partner in crime, my Mom. She always knows when I'm having a bad day and when I just need a swift kick in the butt.
She has nine grandchildren but still manages to make each one feel like they're the most important. Everyone wants to go to Mom-Mom's house. She's taught each one of her granddaughters the fine art of shopping!

She always makes sure that we all have what we need because that's what a Mom does. Sometimes she worries too much about us but again that's what a Mom does.
She's taught me what it means to be someone's Mom. To be there for your children, to catch them when they fall, to let them make mistakes on their own because that's how they grow into independent adults. Because no matter what your children do they will always be your babies.
So Happy Birthday Mom! I love you so much and thank you for everything you've ever done in my life. Thanks for loving me even when I'm not perfect. And always being there to catch me when I fall.
Thanks for being the best Mom-Mom my kids could ever ask for. Thanks for all of the little and the big things you do for us every day.
Thanks for teaching my brothers, my sister and me what it means to be a family. You've taught us that we can always depend on each other. You are truly the matriarch of the family!

Thanks for letting me make mistakes and thanks for picking me back up when I fall. Most of all, thanks for showing me how to be a great mom to my own kids. I love you!

It's Party Time!

Today was Curly Girl's birthday party.
There were water balloons,
there was a pinata,

there was a water slide,
there was cake, there was singing,


there was candy,


there was lots of food,



there was lots of love all around.




The birthday girl had a great birthday. "The best birthday ever.", according to her.