Sullie's World

The Most Wonderful Time...

2010-12-14T21:58:00.002-05:00

I'm still here...just haven't been motivated to blog, or scrap, or do a lot of things. Hoping to get back in a good flow. I know...a blog post with no picture isn't a great blog post. I spent too much time updating to actually think about adding a picture today. Maybe tomorrow.

Today she is 4!

2010-07-14T14:41:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe that a mere four years ago she looked like this.
Today she looks like this.
Time has gone by so quickly and eternally slowly just the same.

I love you, sweet girl.

I know, I know...but look at this!

2010-05-30T21:06:00.005-04:00

Can I just say that I really love my new camera, and I really, really love taking photos, and the Pioneer Woman helped me do this: I downloaded the PW actions for Photoshop Elements...this one is "seventies" and I love the look of it. Brenna and Pa had been riding the tractor and they stopped just long enough for me to get the shot.
Yes, I need to post more often but life has been just plain busy. School is out on Friday and then hopefully I'll have more time. I had every intention of doing Photo-A-Day for May but it just didn't happen...I'll get there. Have a great Memorial Day!

It Arrived!

2010-04-19T20:57:00.003-04:00

My new camera came today...so excited to start shooting with it! I only took a few shots today because I had to wait for the battery to charge. No fun! Like a 3 year old with a pile of Christmas gifts, but being told you have to wait a few hours! It's definitely going to take some getting use to but I can't wait to see what comes of it! Yes I know it is a boring post without a pic, but I need to get some more before I post something!

In remembrance...

2010-03-22T05:01:00.005-04:00

My grandma passed away peacefully Sunday night. I am so thankful for the memories, the things I learned, and the time I had with her in my life. I'm thankful that she was part of Brenna's life. It's funny how Brenna was always so calm with Grandma, even when she was so little, she would just sit quietly with her for long periods of time. I'm thankful that she was part of the world and that she touched so many lives.I am thankful that she is at peace. She will be greatly missed...

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Commencement

2010-03-18T16:22:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on the front step of my grandparents house. It's the eve of my 34th birthday and I am saddened. Saddened because I'm not sure if this is the last time I will spend with my grandma. It's been coming for a while but that doesn't ease the wealth of emotion I am experiencing at this moment. What I am greatful for is the love that is being shared with her as friends come to wish her well as she moves on to the next chapter in her life. That we are bonding together and holding tight to the knowledge that she will be free from pain and confusion, that she will be shining her ever bright light onto us as we move about the earth. She has always been a most amazing woman and I am so fortunate to have had her for so long. Fortunate that our daughter has experienced all the love that great-grandmas give. Fortunate that I received so much love and knowledge and care and fun. Fortunate too that my little Brenna is sick, not that I ever want her to be sick but more that I can spend the time with her and with grandma, time that I otherwise may not have with either of them.The memories are many and fill my heart with joy. So today I am sad, but I will rejoice when she lets go because she will be in a better place, no longer tired, no longer in pain, but free.

Week 8 - I cheated...

2010-03-03T17:22:00.000-05:00

Journaling: I am cheating...I did not take one single picture this week. I find it funny that I went through a picture drought last year at this time too. Must be that the winter blahs get to me at the same time each year. I am hopeful that I will be successful with the rest of the year. I think it is ok that I skipped a week, at least I still have this...a photo from this week last year. Brenna’s first homemade pizza. She had such fun pushing out the dough and adding all of the ingredients. I love that it was Brenna-size! She sure loves to cook.

I am saving for this!

2010-03-03T17:10:00.005-05:00

I love taking photos and have taking almost 8,000 in the two years and two months that we have had our current point and shoot. I really want to be able to take better photos of our lives! It goes along with my word of the year CAPTURE...because it is so important to me that I capture the events of our lives, the smallest to the biggest and most important. I know, I know, a better camera doesn't necessarily mean better photos, but I think it will really make a difference for me. I picked this one because it is a good beginner DSLR, I can use my dad's lenses from his Minolta Maxxum - can't go wrong with that one, and it is a very affordable option as far as a DSLR goes...so I am starting to save. A little here, a little there, until I can save up enough. I have a birthday coming soon, and not that I need anything for my birthday, but if my dear family wants to contribute to my saving instead of buying me anything else, I'm ok with that! :) Have a happy day everyone!

Week 7

2010-03-03T16:56:00.002-05:00

Journaling: I didn’t take many pictures this week. I think I may still be traumatized by the camera almost being broken. I am very proud to share that Brenna can draw a dinosaur. It is a pink dinosaur, of course! Because “pink and purple is my favorite colors, Mommy.” We celebrated Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped pizzas from Papa John’s when Sean got home from being gone for four days. Another long trip but we all made it through. Thankfully the snow let up enough for him to get there and back safely. We have been innundated with snow...and I am sure there is more to come. I’m so wishing for spring.

Week 6

2010-03-03T16:35:00.004-05:00

Journaling: What to say about these photos...Brenna’s point of view while mommy takes a shower. The mother of them all though is the pure white photo that took as she dropped the camera right on the lens. Yikes, I thought for sure it was broken and I was really mad at myself for leaving the camera where she could get it. The camera, which had captured 7858 of our memories, that I tend to have as an extension of my arms, that my brother gave us as a gift two Christmases ago, that I cannot do without because something might happen and I want to get every single shot, the camera that makes me care about photography again, the camera that inspires to me to get the perfect shot, that camera had a very crooked lens. Said camera would not turn on, the lens wouldn’t retract, it was broken. I was crushed...thank goodness for Sean. I was afraid to push the lens back in, “Why? When it is already broken,” you may ask, “I really don’t know.” But my awesome husband just pushed on it...and it closed, and it turned on, and it took pictures and it IS NOT BROKEN! While I haven’t determined whether the quality has been compromised, I can still get the shots, and keep the memories attached to those shots. Lesson learned: keep the camera away from the small child that lives in our house!

Needless to say, it is apparently very important to a 3 year old to take pictures of whatever she may be watching on tv, and the dogs back end, and her chair, and the hall/kitchen floor on the way to show mommy that she has the camera, just before the deadly (or not-so-deadly)drop. She took 14 pictures in 4 minutes.

Here is that famous "oh my gosh, it's broken" photo...it makes my heart drop just thinking about it! Doesn't look like much does it?

Week 5

2010-02-04T21:22:00.003-05:00

This week has been fairly uneventful and for that I am very thankful. It was nice to have a “normal” week. We managed to watch the Grammys Sunday night. Sean taped Taylor Swift’s performance so Brenna could see her sing. She immediately ran for her guitar and started singing “You Belong with Me” right along with Taylor. Then she ran and got her “stand” which was a puzzle that she decided to stand on as her stage, I guess. We’ve continued to make this a nightly event, often 4 or 5 times in a row before she has had her fill. I managed to catch this on video and posted it to Facebook so the family and friends could have a peek into our evening. She is just such a funny girl. She’s destined to be a star, I think...or for greatness anyway...

Learning new things...

2010-02-02T16:45:00.005-05:00

So I tried something new with my PE6 today...thanks to this tip from Ree...check it out!

Before
After
Love it...I need to tweek it to really perfect it but not bad for my first try! I may even have to go back and edit my Week One layout to reflect this new little trick...I love that the snow is white, not gray!

Week 4

2010-01-28T17:19:00.002-05:00

Week 3

2010-01-21T20:29:00.002-05:00

I’m not sure how I managed to capture this look, but I did and I absolutely LOVE it! The anticipation of eating one of the cupcakes that “Auntie Michelle” (Michelle Carey) sent home with daddy for the little girl, the very specific choice of the cupcake with the mini, swirled chips, and the sheer delight in completely devouring half of said cupcake, makes this priceless in the mommy book of memories. This week we have pretty much been back to the normal routine, minus one smearing of toothpaste, lotion, baby soap and vaseline all over while a little girl was suppose to be napping. Sunday through Thursday have been pretty great. It’s much easier to be a patient Mommy when my little girl is back to her happy self. Brenna is VIK (Very Important Kid) this week at day care, it is a job she takes very, very seriously. We’re trying not to let it go to her head, tough when she is already a little princess. Yes, we admit it, we caused it, we know it, and we love her! We’re looking forward to having daddy home again on Friday after another few days of travel for work. Friday nights are so cherished in our house!

Super Excited!

2010-01-16T09:15:00.004-05:00

Wow, am I ever excited about my Saturday morning today! I decided it was time to enter the last of my Gifts to Grow Points from all of the packages of Pampers diapers and wipes (minus a bunch because I was saving the wrong thing for a while (all those preemie diapers?, yeah, they didn't count - boo).

Today I was able to score the following from Shutterfly
~one 12x12 photo book
~200 4x6 prints
~one photo package of 25 4x6 prints, 2 5x7 prints and 1 8x10 print

I am one happy mama! I have been wanting to do a photo book and now I get too...if only I knew what I was going to put in it...hmmm, I feel a project coming on! And to get 200 prints for free, with the way I have been editing and scrapping lately that could potentially be 800 photos printed (I like to put multiples on a print because let's face it, it doesn't matter the size of the photo sometimes, it's about getting down and being able to remember the moments right?). Luckily I have some time to figure it all out!

With my left over points I was able to donate 7 vaccines for Unicef, and entered to win free diapers and wipes for a year, not that we need them, but I could always donate those to someone in need as well!

And, because a post without a photo has been deemed boring, here is one of my favorites from this month...little girl's hair is getting longer!

Have a great weekend friends!

Calendar Time

2010-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

It occured to me that I forgot to post this on my blog since I posted it on FB. Our Paper Pin-Ups calendar is out for 2010. Hand or digi-scrapped by some really amazing women, we were all running a little behind this year but it is up and ready at Cafe Press...all proceeds will be donated to benefit children and women who have been abused. March was my month.

Week 2

2010-01-14T18:19:00.004-05:00

I've decided that I will copy the journaling into my post since it is difficult to read in the picture. It has been a rough week in the life of this little girl, but we are hoping that with a little time, consistency and lots of love, she'll get back on track... Journaling ~ week 2
This little girl is exactly three and a half today. It has been a rough week for her and us, to say the least. It has been a week of aggressive, unusual, and downright mean behaviors for her. Between not wanting to go to bed, to pushing, kicking and punching friends, to ending up in the office at day care on Wednesday...we're hoping it is just a phase. We're at a loss as to the reasoning and are happy that today was a good day all around! The focus now needs to be on getting her back on track and looking forward to what is to come. Brenna is such a smart and feisty little girl. We thank God everyday that she is fine~100%, absolutely, and wonderfully amazing. We know that we are very blessed that this is the case, because so many others in our position weren't so lucky. We know that her feisty personality and intelligence have gotten her to where she is today, and can only imagine what the future holds for her. Happy three and a half day, Brenna! We love you!

2010 - a year in weeks...

2010-01-08T16:53:00.004-05:00

Thanks to my friend Marie's template talents, I have managed to get my first week completed. I changed it up a bit to fit my needs but it is completed just the same. I think this photo-a-week is going to be a challenge in that choosing just one photo is hard for me, but I'm finding it much less daunting than actually completing Project 365. I'm aspiring to complete a 365 one year, just not this year. So here's week one, hope you like it...

Capture

2010-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

The last ten years have brought some pretty major changes to my life...getting married, gaining a dog, and having a child...memories that I will not soon forget. I am so looking forward to what will be ahead in the next decade. Not so sure where the road will lead us but I'm sure we're up for the adventure, as every year of the past 10 have been, so will the next be a continuation of that trend.

I feel a little nostalgic as I write this, knowing that I can't go back but can only hold to the memories that have been made. Would I change anything you ask? Not one, I can honestly say I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't experienced every single thing that has come my way. It wasn't always easy, and sometimes it was downright difficult, but I made it through and know that everyday it's my choice to decide how I will respond to whatever may take place ~ easy or difficult, good or bad.

So I have decided that this year, I want to CAPTURE the important moments...there are so many things I feel like I miss - and I want to be able to remember those important moments. So my word for the year will be CAPTURE. How? I'm not completely sure yet, I don't think I am up for the 365 challenge...I started it last year but didn't make it past February. Maybe it will be a 52 week challenge...a photo a week for 2010 that I can scrapbook. Maybe it will be completing a 10 on Tuesday every week for the year. I'm not sure, but I will be deciding today.

It's important to me to make sure that I capture all of this. I want to record the important and the everyday so Brenna has something she can look back to when she is my age, to know what she was doing and what was going on in our lives.

Happy New Year friends...capture your memories in whatever way you can...

The last post of the year...

2009-12-31T20:09:00.004-05:00

I managed to take all but one of my December daily album photos and have even added the first 7 days of photos and journaling to the album. That is a major accomplishment over last year's attempt at a 12 days album. I'm pleased! I'm also excited that I already have the paper for next year's December Daily album...and I may be scraplifting the general idea from Missy...mine definitely won't be as polished as Mis' but it will still be an attempt at something less haphazard and more put together.

So Happy New Year to all of my family, friends, and blog readers...if there are any left after this sad, sad year of few blogs...

Yes, this is the cheesy last post, but I am excited about my first post of 2010! Check back after midnight...

PS...I actually digi-scrapped...check out the new banner!

December so far!

2009-12-13T18:36:00.003-05:00

We've had a busy December so far. Sean has been travelling a lot but our family has been great, we appreciate all of their help.

I have been working hard to keep up with my Photo-A-Day for December 2009. I have even set up my ae December Daily album. This year I will actually get this done! I am very determined. Here's a sneak peak (maybe not) apparently I have exceeded my uploads. That's what I get for trying to back up my photos online. I have too many photos! I guess part of Christmas break will be spent backing up photos to cd, or I will just break down and pay the 5 bucks to get 20gb worth of storage for a year at Picasa!

Brenna has discovered video games...she has figured out how to do her 2 button plug and play Sesame Street game and does pretty well. Not sure how I feel about this!

So I guess that is all since I am annoyed about the whole photo thing. Back soon to update and add more posts!

It's Time for the 12 days of Cookies!

2009-11-30T22:09:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow starts my Photo-A-Day for December. I'm going to do my best! But it also starts the Food Network's 12 days of Cookies. While I haven't ever made the cookies, it puts me in the mood to bake and decorate and really get even more into the spirit of the holidays. I'm even looking forward to seeing some snow!

Tis' the Season

2009-11-28T15:52:00.006-05:00

And so it begins in the Sullivan house...Christmas, that is. We decided to get the house decorated early this year since we didn't have much of a chance to enjoy it with all of the basement work we did in an effort to be ready for the holidays last year. Brenna woke up this morning and before her little feet hit the floor she asked, "Mommy, where's all my presents?" Oh my, are we in for it this year? I sure think so. I hope to have time to get a countdown paper chain made so that she can see how long it is until Christmas, hopefully that will bring her excitement down at least a little bit. Without further ado...our tree, and a very excited little girl.

The other little girl was quite out of sorts with all of the holiday decorating and rearranging. She was a bit upset that we moved her bed...this is the face I got for all of our hard work. She is so sweet.

Getting into the Spirit

2009-11-25T12:35:00.004-05:00

We plan to get the tree up and decorate this weekend which I am very excited about because last year we were so busy we barely got the tree up with a decent amount of time left to enjoy it. I always struggle with how to best display our Christmas cards, they usually end up in a little Christmas basket that we have, or stuck to the wall with blue painter's tape (which I love for hanging B's projects on the wall of her play room, easy to put up and take down). This year though, I got a little crafty. I saw this at one of the scrapbooking blogs I read and thought...cute, maybe I should make my own! So I did...the photos aren't the greatest but you get the picture right? I love being crafty and just don't make time to do it more often. I dressed up the clothes pins with Making Memories FaLaLa Paper and inked the edges. Thank goodness for glue dots! My tape runner just wasn't gonna do the trick. P.S. I used some of last year's Christmas cards which should be in my 12 Days album that I haven't started yet...oops.

The Other Thing

2009-11-25T12:30:00.002-05:00

I would love to have more time for lots of stuff...spending time with Sean and Brenna, family, friends, scrapping/crafting, and photography. Here are a couple of my faves from my recent trip to San Diego.

A monument for Veterans at the top of Mount Soledad in SD. Definitely the place to go for a 360 degree view that looks down on the entire area.

Mast of the Star of India.

Not bad for my little point and shoot huh?

Dreaming of the day I can even think about getting a DSLR!

He was a good boy

2009-11-10T08:11:00.001-05:00

We got the news last night that our niece's dog Chooch was hit by a car. We were so sad to learn that he didn't make it. Rest peacefully Choochie.

I spent a long time giving Bailey the attention she deserves but doesn't get as often as I know she would like. We would be devastated if we lost her - we are firm believers that we have Brenna because Bailey put the thoughts and stress of trying to get pregnant away. She is our first child, our furry baby, who is a true member of our family. We are trying to determine how to explain this life changing event to Brenna. She's old enough now to notice that Chooch is gone, and that people are sad that he isn't with us anymore. While I want to protect and shield her, death is a part of life that she is going face, hopefully not often. It's such an abstract concept for a child, so we will do our best and know that this sad event for our niece and family will lead us down one of the more difficult roads of parenthood.
We are a dog family, and all of our dogs are so much a part of our lives. Sammy, Bailey, Chooch, Bella, and Pepper make all of our lives better.

Rest peacefully good boy. Your family loves and misses you.

The pics of Chooch are from when he was a puppy...

Technical difficulties!

2009-11-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

Let me just start by saying that I love my iPod, my hot pink, 2nd generation shuffle. I'm a little frustrated though. While perusing iTunes, I discovered a couple of audiobook selections, and thinking that might be an interesting way to pass the daily drive time, I downloaded them, assuming they would load into the pod with no problem. Hmpf! I got all excited because I know that my library has downloadable audiobooks, so I went over and downloaded a couple of books from their site as well. I definitely got ahead of myself...first, the library books wouldn't transfer to my itunes, which the website assured me they would. Then, the books that I got right from itunes wouldn't load! There must be a way, but sometimes, I am just technically challenged! So, I guess I'll stick with my music for now until either a) I figure it all out or b) I upgrade to a "big girl" ipod. Stupid technology.

Family

2009-10-30T07:56:00.000-04:00

As I woke Brenna up to go to school, Sean stood in the doorway watching. I pulled back the blankets, she sat up and stretched, saw her daddy and ran to him, sleepy faced and crazy haired. As they shared that good morning, sleepy hug, I had to take a mental picture of that warm and cozy daddy-Brenna love. It brings tears of joy to this momma's eyes. I love our family so much and have a deep need to hold tight to every one of these moments. Some moments aren't photo worthy because a photo simply wouldn't capture the true feeling and love. Plus, that would mean I would need the camera to be permanently attached and while I love taking photos, I'm not taking the camera every single place this body goes! Happy Friday!

Officially spoiled (AKA the really old post!)

2009-09-26T15:03:00.007-04:00

From the mouthes of babes....

The text I received from Sean today(9/26/09):

So she's officially spoiled "daddy I need new shoes" no you don't "yes I do daddy," why do you need new shoes? "because these have rain on them" do you mean you need a different pair? "no I need new shoes daddy, you by them for me?"
Shoes get wet and she needs a new pair, nice huh?

Have we created a monster? I hope not!

In other news, B has started the new school year at her "big girl center" which is the next building up at her day care since she is a big girl now. This is the second day at her new school - I was sick the first day and forgot to take her picture...she's saying "big girl center!"

She seems to like it and I already notice a difference in the things she is saying since she is around both more and older kiddos. For example: She has finally learned how to say yellow correctly. It has always been lello. She was eating a cookie a week or so ago and I asked her what colors the cookie had and she said yellow. I didn't even realize she had said it correctly but she looked at me with a very surprised and happy face and said "I say it perfectly mommy yell-ow (very drawn out)" She's so silly!

She is experiencing show and tell and learning about different letters and sounds so we have taken her Pinkalicious book, Minnie Mouse, a leaf and her pink football for show and tell. M and F have been her letters so far. She's starting to make the connection between letters and the sounds they make. They have since added N, T, and B.

We had a lazy hang out in our pajamas all day Sunday...nice to be able to do that now and then!

She had a very exciting day Thursday - it was "Wear your favorite football jersey" day at school and she made it all day in the same clothes (no potty accidents) and even pooped on the potty at school...I normally wouldn't share anything this, shall we say, disgusting, but it was a HUGE deal for her. She's still having her fair share of accidents but it's definitely getting better! In recent news, her accidents have been limited to when she is with us (go figure) and she's taking care of said poop on the potty all of the time. They also had crazy hair day...she was all about it!

We went today and picked out B's pumpkin...just mommy and Brenna.

That's all for now...hopefully I will be able to keep up better with the blog...life is just plain busy.

And now I am no longer the last on Erin's Good Blogs List! Thanks for the motivation, friend!

Three Year photos & update

2009-07-30T15:23:00.005-04:00

My baby is three and I have posted these pics to my facebook page but they are just too good not to post here also.

Dear Sweet Potato:

You are three! Daddy and I are so proud of you and all that you are able to do! You have certainly beaten all of the odds and taken on all of lifes challenges that you have had to experience.

You love to sing songs and play with your babies. You love your puzzles and reading books - your favorite right now is "The Three Little Rigs" (yes Rigs, not Pigs - with the mean wrecking ball who will crash and bash and smash!) You love picking books out at the library and will sit on the couch and look at them over and over.

You love going to gymnastics and dance class and you crack us up with all of your little antics. Who knew that a three year old would say "...but I thought I was gonna do insert whatever you think you wanted to do here" or "I want to go somefin else I want to go." You love to dress up and always remind us how beautiful you are and that you are the princess.

While I don't love when you're sick, I love that you will snuggle with me and hang out when you don't feel well. You love, love, love your daddy and can't wait for him to get home every day, being sure to ask him "How was your day, daddy?"

You still nap (although sometimes you just rest for a while) and you're a pretty good little sleeper - once you actually go to sleep which sometimes is an hour or longer after we put you to bed. Mommy can't seem to put the baby monitor away yet but at least I can hear what you are doing when you really should be sleeping! Thankfully you still stay in your bed until we come into your room to get you up from nap or when you wake up in the morning and you usually say "I have a good nap - even after sleeping at night, or "I sleep well mommy."

You don't have time for the potty most of the time. You can go on it just fine, you just don't want to be bothered so we are working on that one. We have decided that this is it for the pull-ups, when we run out, we're done, no more pull-ups during the day. I think we'll be sticking with them at night for a while but maybe you'll get the hang of that faster once your dry during the day.

You don't like water in your face which has made for some interesting bath and pool times. You love to play tea party with your tea set and water - pouring from one thing to another is one of your favorite games. The world tends to revolve around you - I sometimes wonder what this will do to you later - but you are very well behaved and almost always Please and Thank You and May I. You love to wear dresses and get dirty. You do a pretty good job of taking care of your Bailey dog and your beta fish Dude (with lots of help).

Eggs are still so yucky and you're a pretty picky little eater - peanut butter and jelly, macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, chicken fingers, the usual kid foods are your favorites but you love your fruit and oatmeal too, and you love to drink your milk. Thankfully you are growing just fine (at 27 and 1/2 pounds - 20th percentile for weight, and 34 7/8 inches - 5th percentile for height), according to the number of pounds and inches you should grow from one year to the next.

You understand that my name is Stephanie (even though you know you are suppose to call me mommy). You know your colors and you can count to 15 without forgetting any numbers. You can sing the days of the week and you know your shapes and many of your letters. You love to "write" things when we tell you what letters to write (usually a line or a squiggle for whatever we tell you). You love me to paint your toes but don't always like me to do your hair. You know that your birthday is July 14th and you know your street, your city and your state. You recognize lots of places when we are driving and sometimes say "my home, my home" when we get near our house.

The best thing about you, my little Brenna, is how much you love your mommy and daddy and the rest of our family. You can't wait to see everyone and tell them everything.

You are very curious about everything and I hope you stay that way. Happy Birthday little girl...mommy and daddy love you very much!

Sick Monkey

2009-07-27T16:41:00.000-04:00

We ended up in the peds ER last night with a sick and very uncomfortable little girl. Thankfully it is just a stomache virus and not anything serious. We spent the day lazing on the couch and napping. This is a very boring post! Yuck is my word for today.

update

2009-07-24T13:47:00.002-04:00

Brenna has turned three and she just had her first visit to the dentist! She did great and even let the dr. check her teeth (didn't let him clean but did let him count and put the mirror in her mouth). I'll update more later.

Last of the Cali Pics

2009-06-25T19:38:00.002-04:00

Yes there are a lot of photos, I can't help it. It helped when daddy had to stay home and work. So, for family and friends who want to see every single vacation photo...their all officially here on my blog. If you don't want to see all of them, that's really ok!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T23:17:00.000-04:00

Daddy - I love you and can't wait to see you when I get home! You are the best daddy because you play with me and love me and take care of me. Happy Father's Day Daddy. I love you!

A Girl and Her Uncle

2009-06-20T23:20:00.000-04:00

Pics from today

2009-06-18T01:06:00.002-04:00

Yes...these are just from today...I just can't control myself!

Finally

2009-06-17T16:40:00.003-04:00

So I finally figured out how to load simultaneous album slideshows that won't disappear when you upload a new album. Yea for Picasa! Like it so far. I have even tried doing a little photo editing and managed to do this to a shot of Brenna that I love.
There may be a secret photographer hiding in me somewhere?!

Just hanging out today, had lunch with Freddy and are going over to bbq at his place and play at the park. Tomorrow will probably be sightseeing and playing with our trip to Sea World Scheduled on Friday.

Oh and I finally got to go here earlier in the trip...I've been waiting for six months to visit this shop and was NOT disappointed...it is a cute litte papercrafts shop that I found online when we setup our trip out here. I found some great summer paper (Cosmo Cricket - Snorkel) and of course some new Thickers and some fun sparkly brads, for the album that I am making from the first trip that we made out here two years ago. I even managed to complete one layout...I'll be saving that for later when the camera isn't in with a napping B!

More photos as we go!

well that didn't do what I wanted it too...

2009-06-17T16:31:00.003-04:00

hmmm....let me try this

testing out picasa

2009-06-17T12:31:00.001-04:00

please forgive the mess during a bit of reconstructions...I am trying to figure out how to post multiple albums without having them go away like the shutterfly ones have done! I'll get it all figured out soon!

Zoo Day

2009-06-17T01:42:00.002-04:00

Went to the San Diego Zoo today. Brenna's first words when she woke up this morning is I want to see the hippos and I don't want to see the birds. OK. She had a great time and even decided that petting a goat would be ok! After a late and short nap, it was time to play with her zoo animals and jump on the trampoline while we got dinner going. She enjoyed some ice cream and crashed around 8:30. Hopefully she will sleep in tomorrow. We're enjoying our time but miss daddy. Lots planned for the next week and then home. Looking forward to Legoland, Sea World, the beach, visiting with family, and relaxing. I love seeing B with Freddy and knowing that they are building a really special bond. His words the other night were that there really is a downside to living so far away...missing his family, but we all know that he is really happy here and doing well so that is the best thing for him! We love the times we get to spend together and I think the times we do spend together are more meaningful because they are so far between. Just glad Brenna gets to know and love her uncle so much...they are practically inseparable when they are near each other and I love it! The latest pics are posted...I love the trampoline jump shots. Apparently Shutterfly can't post links to multiple albums in the same blog at the same time. I may try Picasa soon to see if that works better. I know it has a blogger link....that's all for now...it is bedtime for me!

Meeting the Newest Cousin

2009-06-11T17:55:00.005-04:00

I have to say the look on little girl's face when she was holding her little cousin Darrin was priceless.

On a side note...the sleep adjustment is going well. B tried to get up at 4 this morning (7 home time) but after about an hour she went back to sleep until 7:30 so we did get some good sleep and a nap in also! So I'm hoping that in another day or 2 we'll be sleeping on more normal schedule.

A couple of pics from yesterday...Blowing bubbles at Pepper with Uncle Freddy Mid-jump on the trampoline!

We've Arrived!

2009-06-10T17:11:00.001-04:00

So after an early morning - before 4 am to be exact, and two flights with a two and a half year old, we are in San Diego. I think I might even see the sun..shocking during June Gloom. Brenna was a true champ on the flights...no problems, no heading to the ridiculously small bathroom to change diapers mid-air, no arguing and complaining. She did great, especially considering it was just the two of us and we had a layover in Atlanta of all places. The trip far exceeded my expectations! I am planning to post every day on this trip to keep the fam updated on our adventures. Here are today's pics: Me & B on the plane, and a sleepy girl...only a 30 minute nap during our whole trip (10 hours total).

Pictures from Stephanie

2009-05-21T21:31:00.001-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Ten on Tuesday - Sick Day

2009-05-12T07:48:00.009-04:00

1. So I am sitting at the kitchen table catching up on blogs while B sleeps...posting (I know! Can you believe it?) and putting a new spin on the look of my blog...so fun to have found a fun background site (thanks Sara!)

2. still since 8pm last night. This is rare, very rare that at almost 12 hours later there is no sign of her waking up any time soon.

3. Because she had a horrendous cough that kept her up most of the night Sunday night and ended with me getting a phone call at school yesterday to come pick her up.

4. Trip to the Dr. - no pneumonia, but certainly a yucky virus.

5. Almost no coughing last night which is huge, she also had a 20 minute nap (if you can even call it that) yesterday, so to say that she is tired is probably a severe understatement.

6. Thankfully I am able to stay home with her today while she is on the mend.

7. Saturday she received her first medal at gymnastics. Ta-da! She absolutely loves gymnastics and seems to have very little fear of anything her coach (Coach the Chrissy - as B calls her) would like her to try. It is hard for me to not hold on to her for every hanging on bars, walking on balance beams, etc, but she just doesn't need me to. Silly girl.

8. My friend's little girl has been chosen as a finalist for a Scrapbooks Etc. magazine cover, so please, go vote!!! You can vote once a day...she is the one in the jean jacket, photo titled First Day and FYI she is currently in the lead!!!

9. Summer vacation is getting closer. We are on the countdown at school and with so many activities going on for the rest of the year I think I might have about 10 days of teaching time out of 18 days that are left. Between field trips, 6th grade orientation, 5th grade graduation, field day, and that is not a complete list, I'm trying to find ways to keep my students motivated. They have been great and this has been a really amazing year! It just confirms that I am doing what I am meant to in my chosen profession. I can't wait to see what next year brings!

10. Speaking of summer vacation, we are so excited to visit Uncle Freddy when school is out. I can't wait to just relax and have fun without having to worry about lesson plans and testing and getting us where we need to be when we need to be there. A few more weeks and I get to be at home with B for the summer, going to the library, zoo, play dates, pool, and any other fun things we can think of. I'd like to scrap again sometime in the next 6 months...

Testing Guidelines

2009-05-05T08:59:00.002-04:00

A teacher at school gave me this today and it is just too funny not to post....

Guidelines for Testing in the Event of Severe Weather
~Please do not look out the window for approaching tornadoes. You must monitor the students at all times. To do otherwise would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.
~Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of tears and sinus drainage.
~Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet or answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.
~Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room, have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure that no one accidentally bleeds on the answer documents. Bloody answer sheets will not scan properly.
~Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test booklets and answer sheets into their shirts being very careful not to bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.
~If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please make sure they mark at least one answer before departing and of course make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You will have to account for those.
~Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all of your testing materials when you land, so please take extra precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never leave your hands.
~When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make sure they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not be allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests. Unless of course they have been through standardized test training.
~Please do not pray should a severe weather situation arise. Your priority is to actively monitor the test, and a student might mark in the wrong section if you are praying instead of monitoring. I'm sure God will put war, world hunger, crime and politics on hold until testing is over. He knows how important this test is!

For all of you teachers out there...enjoy...it brought some much needed laughter to my day!

Friday Five (ok, six)

2009-03-27T10:16:00.007-04:00

1. It has been more than a month since I last posted...I really need to work on that!

2. Brenna cracks me up every day...our conversation about oatmeal this morning after she finished one entire bowl.
B: I want some more Mommy
M: Would you like some fruit?
B: No, more oatmeal please
M: How bout some applesauce (I know full well that a second bowl of oatmeal will not be eaten!)
B: I really just want some more {oatmeal}.

That's my little stinker! Talking like she's 10 when she's two

3. We got her "report card" from day care - She's progressing on most things, trying on others. My favorite is the P+ for Stands up for Own Rights. I can only imagine her yelling at someone else that "it's mine!" or "you no do that!" and "no me no!" (no means no). Not surprisingly she also received a P+ in Participates in Music - from the little girl who loves to sing "Bottle of Sunshine" by Milkshake in the car and tells me "I want it louder mommy." She also likes to know "do we have any 'yaks' (I Like Yaks by Roger Day) in here mommy?" Sean doesn't always have the same songs in his car as I do in mine so she has to check to see if we have what she wants to listen too. Thank goodness for the Shuffle - now in both cars thanks to my birthday Target gift cards, so now there will be matching music in both cars. I love that she likes Laurie Berkner and wants to hear Shady Tree, Victor Vito, and many others. It seems that we are moving away from The Wiggles - finally - at least for the time being. I'd much rather have her interested in other kid's music that isn't specifically related to characters...even though she will pick songs from her favorite Noggin shows too.

On another B related note, she loves wearing dresses. It is often a fight to get her to wear something other than a dress. It's really hard to give in when she says "my wear a dwess, mommy, I pick it?" Usually she wins that war. Just not a battle I feel like fighting. Thankfully we have been able to stock up on some cute Carter's dresses at Costco...gotta love the costco.

4. We're on the countdown for vacation...still on the hunt for a relatively inexpensive portable DVD player for the plane ride...more for my sanity, not because B can't go 4 hours without watching tv. She can. While I'm really looking forward to the trip, I will really miss my wonderful husband! I'm definitely looking forward to his vacation time in July.

5. Spring Break has gone by entirely too fast. I have managed to catch up on laundry...finally..now if only I could stay caught up. I always have good intentions but just never seem to manage to keep up with it. I will say I am doing less laundry for B now that she is older.

6. I LOVE THIS MAN....even though he hates when I take his picture. He and little B are my world...

I know, I know...

2009-02-22T21:11:00.004-05:00

it has been entirely too long since I last posted. I have lots of stories and happenings to catch up on but am just plain too tired and busy. I promise to update soon...with pictures.

In the mean time, some highlights.

It rained in our house.

I finally got my hair cut.

Brenna is in a big girl bed *sniff.*

School, lesson plans, grading and more grading. Gearing up for testing.

Laundry, more laundry, more, more laundry.

There was time for scrapping ~ a while ago.

Neurotically planning for vacation in June ~ it makes me stress less to organize and plan now.

and last but not least...."as a matter of fact Jack, I like Yaks!" Moms may agree...

Snow Day!

2009-01-28T21:15:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how much snow we have...thank you to the guy who plows our driveway...I can actually get out of the garage which is quite important if I am going to make it to work tomorrow. The drive should be interesting. Hopefully it won't be too bad. B and I had a wonderful day together. We played with playdough, fingerpainted, played in the snow, colored, snuggled, read stories...had a great mommy and Brenna day.

I interupt this post to say that the weather man said that we are going to get more snow on Friday...MORE SNOW! Seriously, I think we have had enough.

Ok, ok back to the blogging. I even managed to complete another layout today and get some of my work done for renewing my teaching license.

Pictures to come soon...

The once a week blog

2009-01-18T14:04:00.003-05:00

So apparently I am only blogging once a week...better than not at all I guess...it's still cold and snowing, snowing, snowing (again). I'm just glad we seem to be out of the really bitter stuff.

Right now: blogging, Sean playing Tiger 09, Brenna napping

Should be: doing laundry, taking a shower, changing bedsheets, and a very long list of other things.

Getting ready to: nap? (doubtful - although I could really use one), upload photos to costco to be printed...getting ready for hooky scrapping!

Don't really have anything else to say today.

Things I did Today

2009-01-11T19:37:00.007-05:00

*Played with a funny, funny, little girl.
*Started my 2009 Projects List ~ a ridiculous list of things I would like to accomplish this year, mostly comprised of reorganization in each room of the house, some professional stuff to complete for my license renewal, and some mini-projects in the house. I have already checked-off one thing...backing up photos, thanks to being snowed in yesterday. While this is on-going, all of the old stuff is done.
*Went to calling hours for a friend of our family.
*Spent time with my parents (thanks again for coming to stay with B today).
*Looked through some "new" scrapbook treasures~ Thanks Missy! I already have plans for some of the papers!
*Booked airline reservations for our vacation this summer (thought, discussed, clicked and paid within an matter of 45 minutes).
*Played with B some more.
*Started stressing about seat assignments on an airplane when I can't do anything about it for 60 more days! I'm a little obsessive and sometimes a little nuts, in case you haven't already figured that out.
*Put B to bed.
*Called airline to get seats changed with some success...now I have to wait the 60 days before I can be sure the changes took.
*Updating blog, getting ready to spend some time with the husband, zoning in front of the tv before I fall asleep early on the couch as usual.

Here's my sweet girl...sleeping with Baby Annie - she slept this way most of the night. It was very cute.

Over all a good day...the snow seems to have subsided but I've heard we could get more later in the week...that and some very cold weather. As if temps in the 20's and teens aren't cold!

Here's to a great week!

Snowy Saturday

2009-01-10T13:31:00.003-05:00

We're sort of snowed-in today. We might venture out later for food but other than that I think a quiet Saturday at home is in order. I put B down for her nap at 10:45 and she has yet to wake up - almost 3 hours later. Sean's been working and I am currently burning back-up CD's of all of our digital photos. I'm finding that in my attempt to back them up to flash drives I have multiple copies of things but I guess it doesn't hurt to have that either. I know, I know...the only true way to not lose these files is to get them printed but I am not excited about footing the bill for the over 3000 photos I took in 2008, let alone the previous 2 years of B's life. While I know I won't print them all (lots of them are blurry, dark, etc), there is still a quite hefty amount that need to be printed and scrapped or put into photo albums. I think I need to do it methodically so that there is some order to the albums. I did manage to sort them by date taken so each month has a folder. There are the few hazy months before we got the new camera that are date questionable because I dropped the camera in a baby pool while on vacation in Californa 2 summers ago. Luckily I didn't lose any photos and believe it or not the camera still worked - not well - but we were still able to capture the important moments. Thankfully we received a new camera for Christmas last year and the photo organization has been much easier. So far I have everything from when Brenna was born to May of 2008 - I had already backed up some of the photos previously and forgot that I had done that...saved lots of time!

Enough about that...here's a funny photo to brighten your day...Thursday, while getting ready to head to daycare...B decided that this was how she wanted to brush her teeth.

My first official tagging...and first post of the New Year!

2009-01-07T21:10:00.003-05:00

I've been tagged! Thanks, Marie for getting me back into the blogging mode!

Q. Five Names You Go By:

Mrs. Sullivan
Steph
Stephie
Stephanie
Mommy/Mom - whichever she chooses at any give time.

Q. Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:

Cream Colored Zipper Shirt
Brown Pants
Cozy Socks

Q. Two Things You Want Very Badly At the Moment:

Sean to be home safe with us instead of on his way home from work.
MORE TIME!!! To spend with Sean & Brenna, to get things done, and to scrap!

Q. Two Things You Did Last Night:

Played in our new finished basement with Brenna - we make the most obnoxious band ever!
Slept through the night with out waking up - yea for me (I've been waking up a lot lately!)

Q. Two Things You Ate Today:

Pirate's Booty (Brenna's "popcorn")
Ritz Crackers

Q. Two People You Last Talked To On The Phone:

Sean
My Mom

Q. Two Things You Are Going To Do Tomorrow:

Teach my students how to be persuasive writers...obviously not going to happen in one day.

Play with my little sweet potato!
Q. Two Longest Car Rides:

Coming home from Spring Break in Florida with Freddy with the heat just barely on in 30 degree weather while everyone else in the car was asleep, just so we could get back and go to sleep.
Coming home from our band trip to the Florida Gator Bowl with a crazy bus driver who was driving too fast and weaving, and wouldn't turn the heat on (thanks for sparking that memory Marie!).

Q. Two of Your Favorite Beverages

Pumpkin Spice Latte (Starbuck's Style)
Diet Dr. Pepper

Q. People You Would Like to Tag

Missy M
Helen
Missy B

Check out the rest of the 12 days of Christmas below...it took me long enough to post them, I know...

On the 1st Day of Christmas

2008-12-25T21:06:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Brenna, you were so excited to see all of the presents Santa left for you! You opened each present scrap by little scrap of ripped wrapping paper. We thought you might never finish. You loved your guitar and Wiggles microphone, books, and most of all your pink and purple tricycle. You can't quite reach the pedals enough to push them yet, but don't worry, your little legs will get there eventually. Our Christmas was magic through your 2 year old eyes.

On the 2nd Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Brenna...
You were insistent that we leave 5 cookies for Santa on the "Cookies for Santa" plate. Not more, not less, just 5. You weren't too sure whether you really wanted Santa to come to our house but finally just before falling asleep you decided "yes Santa, Mommy, Santa bring presents." I love that you were so excited! I can't wait to see your face and watch you open your presents on Christmas morning...
It's hard for me to decide which picture to use for the 12 days scrapbook. The cookies or this ready for bed picture:

On the 3rd Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

We're almost done...well, done enough that we can host Christmas Eve. Thanks honey, for all your hard work and effort...thanks too to everyone who helped to make this project go as quickly as it did. We appreciate all of you!

Little Girl got to spend some time with Uncle Freddy. He came home for Christmas. While we don't get to see him often, I love that he loves her so much and wants to spend as much time with her as he can while he visits.

On the 4th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-22T20:39:00.000-05:00

It's cookie baking time! Brenna got to help this year, she poured ingredients into the mixer and supervised as it went round and round. Somehow I didn't get a picture of her while this was going on but I did get this photo...
~Note - this is the 3,000th, yes there are 3 zeroes there, image taken on our current camera since we got it for Christmas last year. How is it that I can take 3,000 pictures in a year and not a have a photo from every day of the year...I am working on that this year. This is also not the photo going into my 12 days scrapbook. This one is...

On the 5th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

"Jack Frost nippin' at your nose"

The view from our kitchen window...it was so cold the storm window frosted over on the inside.

On the 6th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

To My Princess...Love Uncle George.

Brenna received a beautiful floral arrangement today. He loves her so much...

On the 7th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-19T20:24:00.000-05:00

I love when our home is decorated for Christmas. It is so full (aka cluttered) with Christmas that it makes it feel cozy and full of the spirit of Christmas. We got this cool mirrored star from one of our "white elephant" Christmas Eve exchanges a few years ago. The reflections from the candles is so pretty.

On the 8th Day (Before) Christmas...

2008-12-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

When we arrived home this evening I took Brenna out of the car and put her down so I could carry things in from the car. She is certainly big enough to walk on her own and the driveway had a clear path to the house that wasn't covered in snow or ice. I'm getting things out of the back of the Jeep when this happens:

B: "my walka the no {snow} mom" (oh yeah...mom, not mommy, mom).

S: "please stay out of the snow Brenna, you don't have your boots on and I don't want your feet to get all wet"

B: giggling - walks immediately into the snow - "my walka the no!"

She then proceeds to take her little fingers and run them through the snow, grabbing as much as she can in her unmittened hands. She didn't have her mittens or gloves because she threw them in the car, it's not a far walk to the house, and it wasn't too terribly cold. I thought for sure she would start complaining immediately but she got this huge grin on her face and said "cooollldd"! She continued to play for another minute until I told her it was time to go in. Of course I didn't have the camera handy while this was going on...it's another one of those mental memories. I did manage to get a few shots of little fingerprints and shoe prints in the snow!

On the 9th Day (Before) Christmas...

2008-12-17T20:36:00.005-05:00

So many of our ornaments tell a story, like this shamrock tree from last year. My mom is the giver of ornaments in our family. Every year for as long as I can remember we have gotten an ornament in our stocking, and every year when we're decorating the tree I remember that specific Christmas. Last year the three of us received our Irish ornaments...appropriate for us Sullivans.

I don't remember the year that I got this ornament, but it reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. In read aloud time with my 5th graders we read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. Imogene Herdman - the most unholy young lady - plays Mary in the pageant. She comes to a realization in the middle of performing about the true meaning of Christmas and that really got me thinking about Mary and all that she must have gone through. She was so young and unsure of herself and her role. Joseph did his best for her with the full knowledge that this child was not of him. I can only imagine.

On the 10th Day (Before) Christmas...

2008-12-16T19:00:00.001-05:00

A call to the doctor for me.

Better this week than next....

2009 Calendar - Check it out!

2008-12-15T20:11:00.002-05:00

It's official! The 2009 Calendar is up and ready for purchase! The proceeds are going to one of the causes in the calendar...to be chosen soon!

Check it out here http://www.cafepress.com/marietaylor

I created February!

On the 11th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-15T20:05:00.003-05:00

Hopefully this will work....I know I can't scrap a video but I may capture an image and journal about it!

The Sunday Six aka The 12th Day (Before) Christmas

2008-12-14T12:08:00.008-05:00

1. We're on the countdown to Christmas! The tree is up ~ with 5 decorations carefully placed by Brenna. The dog's crate is in the middle of the living room - she is currently sleeping in there all curled up, it's rather cute! Brenna is napping - although I am not sure how as her daddy, pa, and uncle are downstairs sawing and nailing up paneling so that we can have a relatively finished basement by Christmas Eve...it's our turn to host the party ~ we hope we can do it!

2. I have entered all of my grades for my students' interims...yea - something else I can check off the list.

3. I currently am not remotely close to having our shopping done but if we would like to have clean clothes, clean bathrooms, and a finished basement, then shopping is on the shelf until next weekend.

5. A story to top all previous crazy mom stories - Friday Brenna had a doctor's appt. so I had to take the morning off to take her. We decided she would spend the remainder of the day with Grandma instead of going to day care. We finished up at the doctor fairly early so I decided we would do a quick Target run before we went to Grandma's. Shopped quick, loaded B into the car, not remembering that I had bumped the lock button on my keys, threw the keys in the front seat with my phone, closed her door. Went to open up the back of the Jeep to put our purchases in and OMG!!! it won't open. Yes, I did the thing all mothers are terrified of doing...locked my daughter in the car with not only my keys, but my cell phone. Luckily a woman in the parking lot took pity on me - thank you whoever you were - and let me use her cell phone. I called the police because who else would I call? The longest 5 minutes of my entire life. Standing on the outside looking in at B...who's looking at me like I am absolutely crazy. I'm crying and playing games with her through the window to keep her occupied. She was oblivious to what was really going on thankfully. I know this because she said to me "no mommy, you no do that (tap on the window and make faces at her). Thank you Officer Young for saving the day. I do solemnly promise to never throw my keys in the front seat while placing my child or my packages in other locations of my car. The only true damage was to my motherly soul...may I never lock her in the car, in the cold, with no phone, or keys again. Thanks mom for making me feel better by sharing a similar story of woe when I was about B's age!

6. Here is my first photo for my 2008 - 12 Days of Christmas Scrapbook

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Tuesday 10 Spot

2008-12-08T20:52:00.003-05:00

Ok so really it's Monday but it is close enough for me!

1. The basement is well on it's way to being a great place for playing and having family and friends over. Many of you know we had to un-finish our finished basement because we found mold and water damage. We think we have solved the water part and are now in the process of re-finishing...insulation is in and paneling is going up next...the ultimate goal is to have it ready so that we can host Christmas Eve. Sean is working so hard trying to get it done.

2. Still having a hard time trying to decide what to get the little girl for Christmas. She's at that age where she's to smart for the baby toys, but not really ready for big girl stuff. Her attention span is about a minute - ok maybe longer but she's 2 & 1/2 - it isn't very long! We want to find something that will keep her interested for more than the first 10 minutes she has it.

3. Speaking of Christmas, we started decorating but now we have to get the tree up. Unfortunately it is more than just pull it out and put it up. It is cleaning out whatever we need from the front closet - coats, vacuum cleaner, and any games we may want to play during our vacation, so we can move Bailey's crate. She doesn't ever get locked in the crate, but it is her safe place/house and she just doesn't do well when we take it down, especially when Sean is out of town. Then we move the crate into the area between the front door and closet door. Then we move the footstool into the crate spot, put a piece of wood on it, and then the tree goes up (up a little higher to keep dogs and little hands from touching things that they shouldn't causing said tree to become up-ended (my husband has rigged it so that we string the tree to the window and the magazine rack to keep it from coming down). Then we can think about decorating.

4. Sometimes I love when Thanksgiving is late because it means Christmas will be here sooner, but sometimes I just need more time!

5. We have started our shopping, but just for the little girl. I don't really know when that is going to happen either. Between work and school, the little girl, family time - as much as we can get, activities, and working on the basement there just isn't enough time in the day to do the normal house stuff, let alone extra stuff.

6. I have joined the world of facebook, not that I will ever do anything with it. Fun to think that I can find old friends if I put in a little effort.

7. It has been very, very cold...to cold to wash my car which is absolutely disgusting. I am embarrassed that it is so dirty - both inside and out. I need to make that a priority when the weather gets a little warmer, even if it is only clean for a few minutes!

8. I can't wait for a warmer snow day to take the little girl out and play in the snow! We went to the grocery store yesterday and all she wanted to do was walk in her boots in the snow. Who knew that 3 steps in a tiny patch of snow could make a little girl so happy!

9. Little girl is working on her potty training...she's getting the idea but just not interested in doing everything in the potty yet. We've tried panties but after an accident yesterday I think it is just time to let her be and get back to it during break.

10. Only 16 more days my friends...I can't wait, can you? Merry Christmas!

PS ~ pictures coming soon!

Paper Pin-Ups 2009 Coming Soon

2008-12-04T21:06:00.004-05:00

Keep your eyes peeled! The 2009 "Paper Pin-Ups for a Cause" calendar will be ready for purchase very soon. As many of you know, I have joined with 11 other crafty women to create a 2009 calendar. It will be available for purchase soon and all proceeds will be donated to one of the causes in our calendar. Stay tuned for the release date!

Happy Birthday Husband

2008-12-04T08:25:00.000-05:00

Dear husband:

It's your birthday...the 10th birthday that I'll spend with you. I hope you know how important you are to me and our sweet litte girl. I'm so proud of all that you have accomplished, of the wonderful daddy you are to Brenna, and the amazing husband you are to me. I love that little girl loves you so much, it's so sweet that she tells you to be careful when you are traveling and that she is a "mini-sully". Every time I look at her I see our love. I love that you are the calm in my storms and know just what to say to put a smile on my face. Thank you for all that you are and for all that you do for our family. I love you so much,

Happy Birthday!

Love, me

The End of a Great Weekend

2008-11-30T19:38:00.005-05:00

So I'm sitting here on the couch after a wonderful, long, holiday weekend wishing I still had a few more days off so I could spend more time with the husband and the little girl (even though 2 1/2 year olds have a tendency toward having multiple personalities). We had a great time together these last few days. Thanksgiving was the usual whirlwind as we traveled from family to family. Saturday brought a day of hard work for my husband in the basement (I love the sound of nails being shot into basement walls with a nail gun and .22 loads - how Brenna could nap through that and how my husband and dad can hear at this point is still beyond me).

Today was another great and relaxing day. Laundry and some dishes were my only chores. Brenna and I made a Santa Claus fill-the-beard countdown calendar and a red and green paper chain to count down the days until Christmas. Can you tell that I am a Christmas maniac? I love it...all the excitement and the family time and the snow and the songs...I love it all.

Munchkin napped, daddy watched football, and I got to scrap! Finally! I haven't scrapped any layouts since I started teaching my 5th graders, usually I'm too busy doing school work. I did four pages (2 - 2 page spreads) for Brenna's NICU album. I have to figure out how I can post them...I haven't figured out whether I can somehow scan 12x12 pages or if I am just going to take pictures and hope they come out well.

Luckily, Christmas break will be here soon and my scrappy friends and I are planning a crop - I can't wait to have several hours to devote to good times with friends and my scrappy self.

Oooo...we made snowflakes today too (well Sean & I did with Brenna coloring and hanging out with us at the kitchen table), and B had her first mug of hot cocoa. I don't think I have to tell you how much she loved it, it is chocolate after all.

Overall a great holiday weekend.

Here are a couple of pics of the little girl - it's her first official nightgown...

and an exact replica of a face I use to make when I was her age. Thanks Dad!

Oh yes...lest I forget...we have moved into the "WHY?" stage of life.

B: What doing grandma?

G: Sewing, Brenna (grandma is working on another quilt - currently piecing a few squares)

B: Why?

G: Because I like to make quilts.

B: Why?

This continued for a little longer until grandma turned it around on B, asking her why - this utterly confused the little girl.

I can only hope that these little memories will be saved here in cyberspace forever as I know that while I stop to commit them to my memory, it can only hold so much. Brenna, my little sweet potato, I hope you know that daddy and I cherish every moment with you!

A Wonderful Evening

2008-11-04T21:26:00.003-05:00

I was able to spend some quality time playing outside with the little girl tonight. She discovered the pure childhood bliss of playing in the leaves...a great big pile of leaves. An unsure start turned into a wonderful round of jumping, rolling, throwing, and playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie in our neighbors' leaf pile with some of the little ones in our neighborhood. She really had a great time and had the dirt smudge on her little face to prove it. I'm not sure the cell phone really did it justice but I'm pleased with the quality of photos from my Curve (thanks for spoiling me again, honey!).

A Historic Election

2008-11-04T21:14:00.005-05:00

Did you vote? I hope so. While you will not normally find me discussing politics or my own personal political views in my blog, on this night I feel like I need to say something. As Americans, I believe it is tremendously important that we practice our most basic of rights whenever we have that opportunity. No matter who you chose to vote for or against, this will be a historic evening. As we watch and learn who we have chosen to take on the most challenging of roles, we have changed the way we will forever look at the leaders of our Nation. America will either have its first woman Vice-President or its first African-American President. As a teacher, I find it exciting, regardless of my own personal political views. It's not often that this type of historic occasion happens in one's life but here we are America...you've made the history books tonight.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

All did not start well as we had a very cranky little girl after day care. But with this question the whole night changed. "Do you want to put on your bumblebee costume?" "oh, yes!" Here she is...the cutest bumblebee!
She managed to make it to 13 houses (thanks to daddy carrying her most of the way), and then spent quite a while taking the candy out of the pumpkin and putting it back into the pumpkin. Such fun!

snow plows in october

2008-10-29T07:53:00.000-04:00

On my way to work I saw something very disturbing, a snowplow :( I know I said I find something magical about the first snow, but this is ridiculous. I don.t even have my snowbrush in my car yet. Nor did I grab gloves because it was not snowing at home. there's easily 1-2 inches! Hello, it's october.

Some Photo Favorites

2008-10-28T20:34:00.004-04:00

I've been working on better photographs and strive everyday to get better and better pictures. So here are a few of my recent favs!

Tuesday 10 Spot

2008-10-28T20:04:00.004-04:00

1. I can't believe I have now created two, yes two tens in two weeks in row! That is fun!

2. Our little girl has turned into a RAGING two-year old the last few days. Even going to Target to purchase new Wiggles DVD's, a pair of snowpants and one pair of hot pink snow boots was a bit of a challenge.

3. I will say that watching B run around the shoe aisles in hot pink snow boots with fur at the top while still attached by the elastic string that they (the Target people) feel the need to use to keep the boots together was quite funny. And yes, I did say Running!! Full blast in attached boots with her coat half hanging off. She is a funny one that little girl!

4. If it is any consolation to my friends and family who do NOT reside in Ohio...it snowed here yesterday and today and will probably snow tomorrow. Not enought to stick but still it is October people. I will say that there is this little kid side of me that finds the first snow (even the tiniest of flakes)completely and utterly magical because it means that my most favorite time of the year is just around the corner.

5. I miss that my husband is not at the other end of this couch right now. We have been really lucky lately that he hasn't had to travel much overnight lately, not that he is traveling now, just a late work night for him tonight.

6. My scrapping friends and I are creating a 2009 Calendar so keep your eyes peeled for the link to purchase in the near future! I am pretty excited that I get to be part of this calendar. Our theme is...well I guess you'll just have to stay tuned.

7. We are going all out for Halloween this year. The grandparents are coming up and having dinner and then getting to see the little girl all dressed up and going out to get her "canny" as she calls it. She's been practicing for Haleleen. She brings me her pumpkin, says "trick a teat, canny pease" "thankyouwelcome" and "eat canny in my mouth". I seriously cannot wait for Christmas if Halloween is this much fun!

8. Report card time is here and I while this time we have to do them by hand we are piloting an electronic system that will make the process much more efficient. I can't wait to see how it ends up working out.

9. The weekend holds lots of work for us as we continue on the basement clean-out/revamp project. It is our great hope that we will be able to host something over the holidays. It will be great to have a place where Brenna can run around a little bit and get some exercise. We are seriously considering bringing in her climber so that she can use it year around. She loves to climb and slide so if there is room we are going to go for it.

10. I know I promised pictures from the Wiggle's Concert so here you go! Have a great week friends!

Who knew?

2008-10-24T07:06:00.000-04:00

Who knew that a Wiggles concert would bring a mommy to tears. Watching our daughter as the guys came out in the Big Red Car and she waved and said "hi wiggles" over and over with huge eyes was just too much! It's as if she realized that they are real people, not just people in the tv. Pictures to come soon although they just don't do justice to the utter awe in that little girl's eyes.

Ten on Tuesday

2008-10-21T21:14:00.004-04:00

Wow has it been a long time since I had time for a Ten!

1. I love my new job! Even though there is much more work, it is well worth it and my class is awesome. We are getting into our groove and really working well together.

2. Two days until the Wiggles - hopefully Brenna won't be afraid of them. I am hopeful since she loves to dance to all of the songs and sings along quite a bit too!

3. Thank goodness for furnace fixers who know what they are doing!

4. Having a wireless router is very convenient, I can sit on the couch, load grades into my gradebook, catch up on blogs, watch tv, and most importantly spend time next to my husband when I would otherwise be banned to the upstairs computer to complete my work!

5. I love that Brenna is really a little person with thoughts and feelings now. Not that she wasn't before but her personality is truly developing and she is definitely every bit of 2 that she can possibly be.

6. Day care keeps telling us that she is very well-behaved and they love her. I'll take that news any day!

7. Pain tolerance is apparently high in this little girl. We were in the ER over the weekend for a pretty serious ear infection that she didn't complain a bit about. The good news in all of this is that her tubes are still in their correct locations and working very well.

8. B likes to "read" her bedtime stories now. I start the sentences in her two favorite books and she finishes them, sometimes even telling the whole sentence before I have a chance to start. She is either very intelligent or we have read these books entirely too much. I am hoping the intelligence factor wins here.

9. I found some pictures from the summer that I love (taken by my awesome aunt!). Brenna is so lucky to have this photo - we have one when she is only 2 months old also - it isn't often that you can be part of a 4 generation photo.

Mommy and Brenna

10. I am happy that I can update the blog a little more often. I am trying especially since family and friends don't get to see the little girl too often!

Here's to being better about blogging. My goodness if my friend can move to another state and still manage to blog in the middle of it all I really have no excuse. Now if only there was enough time left in my day for a little scrapping...

Conversations with a 2 year old

2008-10-20T20:44:00.001-04:00

M: Brenna, what do you want for dinner?

B: I want pie!

M: We can't eat pie for dinner.

B(very matter of factly): I like salad!

Oh Brenna, the conversations right now are absolutely priceless!

"Punkin's Mommy, Punkin farm Daddy"

2008-10-19T20:51:00.003-04:00

"My punkin, my roll it!" Apparently pumpkin rolling is all the rage in toddlerland.

Our baby is not really a baby anymore! sniff, sniff

We did have lots of fun at the pumpkin farm...

Fall

2008-10-17T06:59:00.000-04:00

Three words for you...

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love fall!

It's Official!

2008-09-23T08:02:00.000-04:00

After many years of subbing and tutoring I've reached a major goal that has been on my life list. Last Monday I was offered and I accepted a 5th grade teaching position!

Woohoo! Happy dance!

I started last Tuesday, shadowed the teacher I am replacing (who, by the way, is now going to my principal - yea for her!), and am now teaching my class.

The students and staff are awesome and have made me feel very welcome. I have 16 students in my class and they are doing very well with the transition.

So here I am...hoping to not disappear from blogland for another two months. I'll try to update the events of the last few months as soon as I can....

Thoughts for Thursday

2008-07-10T11:45:00.003-04:00

Took Brenna for her 2 year photos today...my goodness...she is the sweetest!

Gearing up for the party. Why is it that when you have the most to accomplish, your body decides it is a good time to flake out and come down with something...I'm trying to burn it out with hot liquids although I don't think it is working. I don't have time to be sick!

I was cleaning and found these in the front closet...it was trash day but I couldn't bring myself to just put them on the curb so we loaded them into the car and took them to phone book recycling...there were 20, not including the bag of wet ones on the front porch which I keep forgetting about. Ridiculous I know but I never thought to get rid of the old as the new ones came I just shoved them in. At least the vacuum cleaner can be put away instead of hanging out in plain view all the time.

It is scary to delete the photos off the camera. I am now going to load everything onto my flash for back up....I should probably burn them to cd's as well...all in good time. I need to learn that it is ok not to keep every single picture that I take. Most of them are not good anyways. It was a friend who said "I take and take and take and take for a couple of really good shots!"

Brenna seems to be back to her old self. Full of toddlerisms that's for sure. I think her birthday is going to be fun for her this year. She has been walking around singing "Happy Birthday to me," all on her own...no coaching necessary. Such a silly, silly girl.

It's hard to believe that 2 years ago we were sitting in the hospital scared out of our minds about this little girl and the long road we thought we would be traveling down. In a matter of a few short days, we were amazed by the tiny girl born 8 weeks too soon. Nobody told her she was a preemie...preemie shmeemie mommy & daddy. Despite those long first weeks in the hospital (or short, as 3 weeks may seem to those who had a much longer stay than we did), she proved fiesty from minute one and has continued to be that way, proving to everyone that 8 weeks didn't mean anything to her. Size didn't matter in this case. Being her daddy's firey, fiesty, tempermental little girl meant everything. She's still has that same temperment and strong personality and I wouldn't want her any other way. The challenges were many but the milestones she surpassed and the joy she brings to us everyday makes every minute of that 32 week delivery priceless.

I'm getting all sentimental and weepy which that much worse because I don't feel 100% so I'm going to stop here. I need to rest so I can have energy when the little girl wakes up from her nap.

Home

2008-06-27T14:15:00.001-04:00

We were able to bring the little girl home late yesterday afternoon. It was such a relief to be able to have her home with us and for us to know that she is on the mend. No fever for over a day now. She's eating and drinking some which was the biggest challenge.
In this situation the effects of the illness ended up being worse than the illness itself. Who knew that 36 hours in the hospital would feel like forever. I'm just glad we're home.

Hospital Day 2

2008-06-26T15:15:00.002-04:00

So monkey ended up getting dehydrated and so here we sit....waiting and checking for wet diapers. At this point she's off the IV but isn't drinking much...her little throat hurts too much. Unfortunately it's hard to reason with an almost 2 yr old that if she would just drink enough she could go home. It stinks. So here we sit...hurry up & wait.

So I thought....

2008-06-23T13:12:00.004-04:00

That keeping Brenna home for the summer might make a difference in the sickness factor at our house...apparently not. Oh well. Hopefully its just a virus and not strep...waiting to find out. I guess that is what happens when you go to the park multiple times in a day and have lots of playdates and sleepovers. She's bound to pick something up somewhere right? Other than that Brenna is great...amazing us every single day with the number of words she can say and the fact that she is starting to string words to form sentences. I can't believe she will be two in a couple of weeks! Have a great day everyone. I hope to have new pics up very soon.

Ten on Tuesday ~ Finished on Thursday

2008-06-12T10:43:00.001-04:00

8. Brenna's new best friend is a stuffed Barney that she got from one of the retiring teachers. She loves him..."reads" to him, plays with, sleeps with, gives him drinks, brings him everywhere...who knew that that would be the thing she would become attached too. We knew it was only a matter of time.

9. Things to hope for over break...transition to big girl bed and master potty training. One might be fairly easy...the bed. The other rather difficult ~ potty training. It may just be a full week (or more) of staying home and being diligent with frequent potty breaks...this is probably going to be an end of summer event before school starts.

10. I have already missed a day on the photo a day for summer break but am hoping to keep up. I should have grabbed the camera last night when Brenna and several other kids in the neighborhood were running around and playing in our yard last night. It was fun talking to our neighbors and watching the kids play. I did manage to snap a couple shots at a red light this morning on our way to Grandpa and Grandmas. She was sleepy but loving Barney and wearing her baseball hat...which she always asks for if we are going outside. Thank goodness for that...it makes keeping the sun off her little head much easier.

That's all for now, hope to get pics uploaded soon! Have a great week.

Tuesday Ten Spot ~ Summer Vacation Begins!

2008-06-10T10:52:00.002-04:00

1. Blogging has once again gotten the best of me. Hopefully now that I am officially on Summer Break with Brenna, I will be a better blogger. I can only promise to try!

2. Yesterday was our first official day. I am going to try to do a "photo a day" of our summer together. We'll see how that goes.

3. Our day yesterday was suppose to look like this:
~Mommy gets up and walks Bailey and herself (exercise is good for you right? sure)
~Brenna gets up, has breakfast, gets dressed, plays while Mommy does dishes,
vacuums, showers.
~Story time at the library
~Lunch, nap, and afternoon playtime (inside because of course it was 9000 degrees)

4. Our day yesterday looked like this instead.
~Mommy gets up and walks Bailey and herself (exercise is good for you right? sure)
~Brenna gets up, has breakfast, gets dressed, plays while Mommy does dishes,
vacuums *oh wait, the vacuum won't suck...that is a problem when there is a whole 2nd dog's worth of dog hair on the floor and I just vacuumed 2 days ago!* and showers.
~Uncle George stops by to visit and picks up a stool that he needs for his apartment. Brenna loved this visit...running to him with arms out saying "unca grge", dragging him into her playroom to show him her toys.
~He leaves, mommy goes out to let Bailey out and start the car so it will cool off slightly from the 9,000 degree weather before we go to the library for story hour. *Garage door won't go up...car with car seat (and extra car seat) in said garage.*
~Call grandpa because he is luckily at home on summer break too...comes up to help save the day (he and action door man who fixed the broken spring and adjusted our apparently swinging garage door so that it is no longer a swinging garage door). Daddy is unlucky in that he doesn't get to have summer vacation all summer long like Brenna and I, and was stuck in the office with a tightly packed schedule.
~Brenna naps early, wakes up, has lunch of pbj, pretzels, banana with mommy and grandpa
~While waiting for action door man, Brenna stays and plays with grandpa while mommy goes and gets parts for the vacuum (belt - hasn't been changed since we got the vacuum 7 years ago, that's right 7 years, and filters) man at store says he can't believe it lasted 7 years...well believe it because it did. Return home, take vacuum apart, attach new parts, put vacuum back together, start it up....WORKS LIKE BRAND NEW! woohoo...fixed something on my own!
~go to Target just to get out of the house after feeling slightly trapped after having only carseated car stuck in garage.
~played with playdough purchased at Target with only 2 or 3 instances of attempted playdough eating.

5. While this was not the way our day was suppose to go and things happened that were definitely not part of the summer plans, we still managed to make the best of it.

6. Friday we took B to have her first ice cream of the summer. Her very own child size portion in a dish with a spoon...she had a little ice cream moustache but didn't make much of a mess and didn't seem to get brain freeze either which was impressive since some of the bites she took were huge!

7. Munchkin is up so apparently this is going to be a Tuesday 7 spot with no pictures.....I'll be back sometime soon to finish and upload some photos!

Uncle Freddy's Visit

2008-05-20T19:25:00.007-04:00

Freddy was in town over the weekend to spend some quality time with friends, family and mostly Brenna! Here are some fun pics from the weekend. It is so fun to watch him with B. She loves her Uncle Freddy that's for sure. "Uh peddy" since she can't say Uncle Freddy. She's still saying it even though he's not here. I definitely think there's a special bond between them.

Brenna is becoming increasingly more difficult to photograph. I have to catch her in the moment or take 1000 to get 1.

Seriously....
Uncle Freddy has been doing "Burt's Bees" with Brenna since Christmas I think. It's her "lipstick" (so she thinks anyway).

It's great fun to sit on and bounce on Uncle like he is my own personal jungle gym!
Hey Brenna, do you like this? OK, I'll get it for you...new toys are a little girl's joy and an Uncle's too I think.

We tried and tried to get some good ones...

Help please ~ shoe time.

Hug (complete with "aaawww" from the little girl)

While you probably can't see very well, they still have the exact same eye color.

It was a wonderful visit. Hopefully we'll be able to see him again before Christmas...thank goodness for cell phones, email, blogs and photo sharing!

Tuesday 10 Spot

2008-05-13T19:15:00.008-04:00

Success! This post beats the monthly quota! Yippee...

1. It was a beautiful day today...warm and sunny...and it's Ohio so I will take them any time I can get them and celebrate.

2. Brenna likes to say "I got it," "Oh Noooo!," "Have it?," among other things. Although at this point "NO" is at the very top of her list of things to say.

3. She has become quite the puzzle wizard these days. She has several of the Melissa and Doug chunky wooden puzzles. If we sit with her on the floor she will go through all 7 of them and put every piece where it goes. The only one she truly needs help with is the alphabet puzzle...but there are 26 pieces to that one...the rest she can do with ease. I've taken to turning the puzzles upside down just to make it a little more challenging...no trouble there either. I love that she can do that and she's not even two! So smart, my little girl!

4. While the terrible two's phase has definitely reared its ugly head, she can be such a little sweetie. With her "hi" first thing in the morning to her "daddy, where are you?" when Sean is away at work or out of town. We do love it tremendously.

5. She loves hats. I have to say that this may just be one of my favorite pics lately. Sean's comment was quite funny but will most likely stay as an inside joke...at least for now. There was also this funny moment...I'm not sure that socks are good as an appetizer, especially ones that have been worn all day. Hmmm...
6. Scrapbooking has been on hiatus minus some magazine and book browsing. I'm waiting to get together with Marie (if our schedules ever manage to work out!) to get started. I have finished my sketches and gone through and picked all the pics(at least I think I have the chosen few of 400). Now it is a matter of getting the right supplies and materials and putting it all together. Hopefully that will be the fun part.

7. Still on the quest for fabulous pics of my little munchkin. Here are a few recent shots...I may be partial but I sure think she is beautiful.

8. 16 Days and counting until school is out...Those are school days by the way, no weekends or holidays included. I'm so looking forward to Brenna time, play dates, going to the zoo, visiting family, and just plain hanging out.

9. Uncle Freddy is coming to visit for the weekend...I can't wait to get a new shot of them! These are two of my favorites and while they are older pics, it is fun to reminisce.

10. Tomorrow my little girl will be 22 months old...where did the time go? Love you, bug!

Tuesday Ten Spot...the Monthly Edition

2008-04-29T20:29:00.008-04:00

What can I say...life has this tendency to take over and computer time is lost!

1. I finally uploaded pics that have been in the camera for a MONTH!

2. I have been sketching layouts for Brenna's Special Care Scrapbook. I have definitely come down to a more reasonable number of pages. I think I am on the right track. Marie has graciously offered to give me a scrapbooking tutorial which I am definitely going to take her up on! I can't wait to see where I can go with this. I really feel like this scrapbook is going to be much more meaningful than 400 pictures stuck in an album. I already am thinking up layouts for my second scrapbook and haven't even started the first one....look out....here I go with a new crafty hobby! (I'm so glad summer vacation starts in a mere 6 weeks!) Ooo, I already made some purchases (yea for Target Gift Cards!): A self-healing cutting mat and a retractable craft knife with extra blades. I know this is only the beginning, but I do have some other supplies that were already part of my crafty side. And I got my first copy of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. I was pleasantly surprised to see pictures of layouts created by people I know, with pictures of people and kids that I know. How fun! Good for you Marie! I do believe I will be subscribing to this one. Simple, yet meaningful layouts that are perfect for important memories. It definitely helped to spark some creative thoughts in my brain.

3. Brenna is doing very well. We managed 6 weeks in a row at day care with NO sick days. Darn flu bug got her last week so we missed a couple of days but she is getting back to herself. She randomly sings parts of "The Alphabet Song" in her own little jumbled way but r..s.. and tuv...come out fairly understandable. I am so partial but SO proud! She is growing up too fast though!

4. I am still working on the photography...sometimes I even get some really good ones. Thanks to those of you offering advice. Who knew I would have to take 10,000 pictures to get 2 good ones? It's been fun so far.

5. Did I mention there are 25 school days left until summer break? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE TO TEACH, but with OAT testing the last two weeks in combination with some pretty good weather (this week Not included), I am feeling ready for a nice break.

6. The present daddy brought for the little girl during his last road trip to Indy...the BEST purchase by far, have paid for themselves already for outside play! Wash them in the sink with some hot soapy water...good as new...no worries about playing in the dirt and mud like canvas shoes. Plus, ask her to go get her shoes (from her bucket of shoes), she picks these every time! "Doorah's" she says.

7. I love piggy tails on little girl's head!

8. She keeps reminding us "I'm Brenna" over and over and over and over again...we know, sweet potato...we know.

9. She loves to play outside and have fun...

10. She has become an escape artist...in a very interesting way. (She was complaining and complaining last night before she went to sleep...went to check and this is what we found...that can't possibly be comfortable.

That was our month...how was yours?

Too much?

2008-04-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

So in sketching out a rough plan for my first scrapbook, I have 40, yes four zero, possible pages. Too many? This is after narrowing down from 400 pictures of B in the NICU. All you scrapbookers...help, I think I may be getting in over my head. What to do....

Bad, bad, very bad blogger!

2008-04-02T19:10:00.004-04:00

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth but I have been a very bad blogger...while this is far from my longest stretch, I had been doing pretty well keeping up-to-date, and then, well, life has been rather busy. Not as busy as my friend Marie, who, by-the-way, just had a baby and is doing better keeping up with her blog than I am. That is just sad on my part! But congrats to the Taylor family and welcome little Charlie. We are very excited to meet you!

All-in-all things are good.

School is winding down. Monday will be the beginning of the last 9 weeks of trying to get as much done as we can before testing and before the end of the year.

Brenna has been healthy (knock on tons of wood) and hasn't missed any day care days since tube surgery!! This is week 5 I am happy to say. We had a follow-up, no fluid, no infection....great news even though one tube was blocked. We are hoping that a second round of drops has taken care of the problem. Back to see the Dr. in about 2 weeks to make sure it is clear.

Sean hasn't had any major travel days for the last three weeks which has been nice. This week begins a new round but it was nice that he could be home for a few weeks in a row. It is nice too that he isn't usually gone for more than a night or two. Managable, especially with the weather being a little nicer.

I got to sleep for an extra half hour this morning because my wonderful husband took our daughter to day care. 30 extra minutes of sleep are sooooo valuable! Thank you!!!

I have started walking daily and doing my best to eat more healthfully. It is time. I can't set any kind of good example for Brenna while continuing on the path that I was on. I am not healthy and I have chosen to do everything I can to make a major change as far as my health is concerned. So far I am doing pretty well. It's challenging to make myself go for a walk everyday but I have been making myself go, even when I really have no desire. While today's walk wasn't long at all since it was a little chilly and Brenna was cold...apparently it isn't fun to be bundled up in the stroller when you want to be free. Mittens aren't fun when you want to be free either. So cold hands won today. At least we were able to get some fresh air.

I love springtime in Ohio...oh wait...it was 32 this morning...stupid groundhog.

I have been thinking about the bazillions (sometimes I think this may be more than a fair estimate) of pictures we have taken of Brenna and what to do with them all. I was great when she first came home....I printed all 400 (and I'm not kidding) that were taken before she came home from the hospital. And then I printed a few more. And diligently placed them in acid-free photo albums that had room for a little blurb about each picture (I even actually wrote something). And now I am looking thru folder after folder of photos that I have uploaded and don't really know where to start. I think scrapbooking would be great but there are SO MANY pictures~just of Brenna. First I think to myself "I'll do one of her days in the NICU", then I change my mind and think "maybe her first year" in an album. The task seems so big and there are so many little and big milestones that I don't want to leave anything out. Every moment filled with worry and hope and joy...how do you capture all of that in one or two scrapbooks? I want to do something that is more meaningful than just print, stick, write. I want something that she will treasure and that we can look back at and remember.

My dilemmas are this: 1 ~ where do I start, and 2 ~ what are the essential tools that I need to get started. The scrapbooking aisles in the stores are a little overwhelming when you don't even know where to start. If you are into scrapbooking....where do you start? what are your "must-have" tools? what advice can you give a beginner?

Here are a few photos to update any need for a "little girl" fix!

Reasons to be glad I'm 32

2008-03-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

On this cold, rainy, yucky day, I want to share why it's great to be me, being 32.

*I have an amazing husband who loves me and all my little quirks. He is a great husband and a fabulous father and I am so proud to be his wife.
*A beautiful little girl who makes me smile every day, makes me laugh every day, and makes me thankful to be a mother every single day.
*Family and friends who care about me. Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes and cards!
*An adorable yellow lab who makes me crazy but I still love her.
*A career that gives me the chance to do what I love, challenges me, and allows me to work with some pretty great kids.
*A home to live in that, while always a work in progress, holds some pretty amazing memories within its walls.

I awoke to birthday cards from my girls. Brenna thinks I am Super Mom and that makes me feel great! Bailey reminded me that she's my other baby who still needs my love and attention too.

My turning 32 makes me realize that I have accomplished a lot in my life and know that I will accomplish more. I am going to let the road of life lead and I will follow. I can't wait to see what is in store for me in the next chapter of my life.

Tuesday 10 Spot

2008-03-18T12:14:00.007-04:00

1. It's spring break for me which means:

2. Spring Cleaning ~ at least my version of spring cleaning ~ getting all the cleaning done in the same week!

3. Spending extra time with the little girl ~ she's still spending a few days at day care this week but will spend some time at home and visiting family and the Ear doctor for a hearing and tube check-up.

4. Turning 32. Tomorrow. Not sure how I feel about that yet. (Hey Marie...any chance the boy might make an appearance tomorrow? I'm more than willing to share my day!)

5. Relaxing here and there. Catching up on tv past and looking forward to BB9 tonight and tomorrow night and Lost on Thursday!

6. I painted my toes. Yea! That means that if I wanted to wear flip-flops I could. Not that I want to in 45 degree weather, but I could.

7. I am going for a haircut. Something I don't do as often as I should. I am looking forward to checking out the new location of Michael Christopher Salon. I have been going to them since Sean & I got married. I love what Carla does with my hair...at least someone can get it to do something.

8. Playing with the camera. Still trying to get great shots. Taking hundreds in the process. I have been able to get a few good ones. Like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:
And then there are a ton like this:
pics that would be sooo cute if they weren't so grainy. I am thinking grainy might = not enough light. Advice appreciated!

9. I am moving right along in the quest to catch up on some really good young adult fiction books. The books I have read so far really spark a great deal of thought which isn't always easy to pull out of middle school student minds. It may be time to do some adult reading at this point. I may actually have time to head to the library this week. I'm hopeful anyway!

10. I'm a lurker! I have been catching up on the lives of friends and friends of friends and wondering what the etiquette behind blogging truly entails...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T18:04:00.004-04:00

When Irish Eyes are Smiling.....

Learning new tricks!

2008-03-14T20:30:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited because I figured out how to blog from my phone! That means that while I won't be able to upload camera pics unless I take them on my phone, I can at least blog more often! I will no longer be the bad blogger well at least not so bad anyway.

Random Thursday Thoughts

2008-03-06T19:42:00.006-05:00

In my attempt to try some new things with the camera I was able to grab a couple of shots of the ice covered trees at school this morning before everything melted. I love how the morning light filtered through the clouds.

In the tradition of then and now photos with Brenna (the same towel)

Her first bath at home (about 3 weeks old):

Her bath last night (almost 20 months):

Someone asked me today "How little was she when you brought her home?" This picture puts true perspective on just how far she has come in 20 short months. To know that this picture is three weeks to the day from when she was born reminds me that yes, she was even smaller than this. And yes, she is the most amazing little girl I know. I know, I know, I get to say that because I am her mom, but really, she was a fighter from day one and she has beaten every odd that was stacked against her and I am so proud and blessed to be her mom. (It's ok to insert tears here, I did.)

Love you, Bug!

Tuesday 10-Spot ~ Wednesday Edition

2008-03-05T19:18:00.003-05:00

1. We had an ice storm last night...made the morning commute interesting and the afternoon commute rather pretty.

2. Brenna is 1 week post-tube surgery and is doing wonderfully. No major drainage and they don't seem to be bothering her in the least. It also seems as if she is picking up more words. I wonder how differently things sound to her now.

3. I am doing well on my reading list to this point. I was able to read both Gathering Blue and The Messenger over the weekend. The great thing about young adult fiction is that it is usually a quick read for me. I feel like I actually accomplish something when I can manage two books in one weekend.

4. Needless to say, between the Birthday Celebration for Liam (I can't believe he is 7 already!) and the Cleveland Auto Show (very helpful in allowing us to do research for our next vehicle), I didn't accomplish much else this weekend. NO Laundry...it's going to haunt me this weekend for sure! A little cleaning. Lots of time just the three of us which was fun.

5. Today was almost another SNOW DAY. Almost.

6. Brenna has learned the art of being a tattletale. Already. Someone at daycare today had gas and the teacher asked "who has gas" in a fun way. Brenna pointed to the little boy and calling him by name, said "osh gas". Oh My!

7. I am so looking forward to the summer when we can have lots of play dates with friends! The school year has been great so far but I do miss the time spent with friends. It just seems that there is always something going on that keeps us all from spending time together.

8. I am on to The City of Ember beginning tonight, after Big Brother of course!

9. Did I tell you that pucker kisses for the first time (complete with the sound effects), from our little munchkin, are wonderful?

10. I would like to learn how to take better photos with the digital camera. It seems they are always too close, bright, not bright enough, and always on the unnatural side. I know that our camera is capable...it's the user that's not doing so well...suggestions are welcome!

The Tubes

2008-02-27T19:19:00.004-05:00

Today was the day...Brenna had her ear tubes put in early this morning.

This was our day:

Up early~had to be at the hospital by 6:00 this morning to get checked-in. Good thing we got up early...the snow piled so high that Sean wasn't able to get his company car out of the driveway. His original plan was to meet us at the hospital so that when surgery was over he could head on to work, things didn't quite work out that way. Luckily we were able to barrel thru with the Jeep.

After registration we were able to hang out in the waiting room for a while. It was nice because B was able to play and get a little exercise instead of being stuck in a room on a bed where she couldn't do much.

About 6:50 they came out and took us back to the prep area. B changed into these very stylish doggie/balloon jammies along with some very bright yellow socks and a super cool hat!

The nurses did all of their checks, the anesthesiologist came in, her Dr. came in. It was a very busy and a little bit of a scary time for her because she wasn't really sure what was happening.

At 7:25 Daddy got suited up for his role as the blue man complete with hat, a blue zip-up suit, footies and a mask. I wish I had thought to snap a photo! Then at 7:30 Sean walked B down to the operating room where he was able to stay with her until she was almost asleep.

By the time he got out of his blue man suit and met us (Grandma, Uncle George, Nonny, and cousin Kaitllyn, and me) about ten minutes had passed.

We had just enough time to go over to the Starbucks (right across from the waiting area in the hospital) to grab a quick cup of coffee and get back over to the waiting area, by the time we got back and were getting settled the Doctor was out to get us to take Sean and I back to see her. We asked how it went of course: she had lots of fluid in both ears but she did very well. We asked how long it would be before she started waking up and he said "she's already awake"!

We were taken right to the recovery room where a nurse was trying to calm B while trying to get the pulse ox back onto her hand (B was NOT having it). She was crying but only because she was in a strange place with new people and it was part of the effect that the anesthesia had on her, not because she was in any pain.

There was a little bit of drainage from her right ear but nothing major and barely anything from her left ear.
It took about ten minutes to calm her down and get her to start taking fluids (in the form of Orange Pierre's Popsicle). As soon as she was done with her double popsicle and some juice, we were able to get her dressed and take her home. She was in a great mood and by the time we got her out to the waiting room she was ready to visit with family and wanted to get down and start playing again. The sheet we got from the doctor said that normal activity typically resumes within 6-24 hours...with B it was about 60 minutes...if that!

We were home by about 9:15-9:30, Brenna chowed her breakfast, played for a while and went down for a nice long nap like she would any other day. Just a little tylenol to take the edge off. Grandma came with us to spend a little time and make sure the little girl was ok and that I was ok too. Sean was able to head out after we got Brenna settled in at home (by then the driveway had been plowed).

This whole process was a lot less traumatic than I thought it would be. Probably more so for Sean & I than for Brenna.

All afternoon she played and ate and was very much herself! We couldn't have asked for a better outcome!

Sometimes I think there is just no stopping this little girl!

It will be interesting to see how the tubes work for her. We are hopeful they will do the trick and she will be back to her healthy self relatively soon.

Snow Day!!

2008-02-26T11:36:00.004-05:00

10. I woke up this morning, flicked on the TV...snow day? No luck, so I settle Brenna back to sleep, (she decided to try to get up at 5:30 ~ I don't think so little girl!), and hopped in the shower. Got ready as usual, slightly rushed, got B up and ready to go. Opened up the garage so I could warm up the car and then, as I was heading to the door...Ring Ring..." This is an announcement from...due to the current and expected accumulations of snow all classes and activities have been CANCELLED for today!" Just wish it would have been a little earlier, then I could have gone back to bed! Although a little girl I know probably would have prevented that one.

9. I decided to keep the little girl home with me today. She probably should have gone to get our money's worth out of day care for the week BUT

8. Ear Tube Surgery tomorrow...don't want to risk any other germs until the tubes are in. She can have a nice long nap and fun play time with mommy so she is well-rested and semi-healthy for tomorrow. I'll post details tomorrow.

7. You guessed it...she has yet another cold, hopefully the tubes will help with the saga of the little girl who catches everything from everyone everywhere we go! She hasn't had the chance to really be 100% healthy before she's on to the next thing. Will the tubes stop the colds? Probably not but at least it will greatly reduce the number of ear infections that could take place.

6. I'm trying, trying to get the laundry caught up, folded and put away so that I can try to stay caught up. I need a new laundry solution as trying to get it all done during the weekends is just not working for me. There is always something else (usually something much more fun) going on and the laundry always gets bumped to the bottom of the list until there just aren't any clean clothes. If the clothes are clean, they usually end up a wrinkled mess in the laundry baskets in the basement. Out of the dryer, into the basket, and there they sit until we need something, then it is back into the dryer with a damp cloth on the dewrinkle setting to hopefully allow the item to become semi-wearable without ironing! This and house cleaning would be at the top of my list when it comes to being able to wriggle my nose and have them both magically completed!

5. It's suppose to be 19 degrees tomorrow...thankful for a hardened front yard where the yellow lab can play without turning into a chocolate lab. Wishing for springtime so we can play outside and go for walks and air out the house.

4. Speaking of airing out the house. I woke up at 1:00 this morning to eau de skunk...it is February, we should not be smelling skunks. Apparently when Sean let Bailey out for the last time she frightened a skunk who managed NOT to spray Bailey (thank you thank you thank you) but did manage to spray near the basement walls...our house is a little airy to say the least and the odors manage to waft generously through the airyness, into the basement, into the vents which BLASTED the stink throughout. YUCK! Nothing better than waking up to eau de skunk in the middle of sleeping making it rather difficult to go back to sleep. Thank you thank you thank you again for not spraying our dog, Mr. Skunk!

3. In the spirit of keeping up with my students I am in the process of re-reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. I'll be heading to the library soon to find the other two books in the trilogy Gathering Blue and The Messenger. I haven't decided what the next books on my list will be. Maybe Hoot and Flush by Carl Hiaasen. These are easy read before bed kind of books that allow me to stay up on the books my students are reading.

2. Still trying to decide what to do with the chicken I cubed and seasoned this morning for a casserole that I am kind of getting tired of, may be time to check out www.foodnetwork.com and see what I can come up with.

1. Here's to my snow day...getting caught up on housework and blogging, and spending time with my Beautiful Girl and her daddy.