A Real New Addition

Guess who is going to be a Big Brother again?

Here is a peek...

It's Jack!

And guess who is going to be a Big Sister for the first time?

It's Maggie!

And she is super excited...just check out her shirt!

Big Brother Jack & Big Sister Maggie hope you like their news!

They even sealed it with a kiss!  XOXO

                         

Details to come on the real new addition...

My Loves

I had a fabulous Valentine's Day with my "loves" today {I hope you did too}.   Although three-fourths of them were at school {Cosby was included in that} and the other fourth was at work, the moments we did share were festive {I use the word festive, because after all it was a day with the kids}.

Somehow the kids take over every holiday, but isn't that what they are for?  And I truly love them for that.  So Clay and I celebrated last night with a date night, just the two of us.  It was lovely. {not festive}

We left the actual 14th to the kids because we kind of assumed they had already taken dibs on it. So, today was more about red tees & collars, Valentine Parties, cards, candy, friends, cookies, sprinkles, and a sweet sweet movie.

Here is how my loves and I spent "V" Day...

We woke up and put on our finest "reds" for school Valentine Parties.  Clearly, Maggie was very excited about this.  {and apparently I was too because I combed Jack's hair to the left instead of the right...oops...too bad there is a picture to prove my carelessness}

Cosby {who also attends school on Tuesdays} got the "red" memo too.  Handsome for an old boy, isn't he?

**I would insert a picture of Clay here {because he is one of my loves too} but, he didn't hang around long enough this morning for the photo session and I don't think he remembered his red??**

And yes, they really do love each other this much. Jack and Maggie are awkwardly learning how to put their arms around each others backs...so sweet.  I am such a lucky Mommy to have two kids who absolutely adore one another {and not just for pictures}.

After school and great parties, my little ones came home, sat on the kitchen floor and dug through Valentine cards--lots of fun {except for the "princess" ones according to Jack, which he so kindly gave to Maggie}.  They even conned me into "one more piece of candy".

We followed that up with sugar crashed induced naps.  

After naps, my loves and I baked sugar heart cookies.  Yum!  

We decorated them with pink, red, and white icing.  We Jack and Maggie used lots of sprinkles and M&Ms too.

I thought Jack and Maggie's pictures would look cuter without their bright green cooking aprons {it is Valentine's Day after all}.  I soon came to regret that.

After cookies, I surprised Jack and Maggie with Lady & The Tramp {my favorite all time Disney movie}.  And how appropriate for Valentine's Day?  Jack was glued to the show and Maggie was for the first 30 minutes.  Then she began to roam, in true Maggie fashion. 

I would love to end this with the fabulous dinner I planned and prepared.  It was supposed to be spaghetti and homemade meatballs, again how appropriate?  But, by the time we finished the third batch of cookies and cleaned up the kitchen, I wasn't feeling so festive anymore.  So we opted for leftovers.  Clay didn't even wince...did I mention how much I love him too?

And since we are on the subject of love, I think this is an appropriate time to mention my love/hate relationship with this new camera lens.  When I get it right, the pictures are amazing.  But, when I don't, I lose precious memories to blurry grainy shots.  Ugh...what to do.  So please excuse my photographer training self.  It may be time to get a professional involved.  

Let's not end on that note, how about this instead....Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loves!

A New Addition

Only 5 weeks off schedule, and our house is finally starting to look like it's "under construction".

Believe it or not, this is very bittersweet for me, I am sooooo ready to get this project going.  I've been planning it since early this summer.  Months and months of time and energy have gone in to this so it's time to finally have something to show for it.  We've been through an entire variance process {which should be renamed a he**iance process}.  I've spent countless hours with an architect only to find myself nodding, "yea, yea, sure, that sounds nice".  Who am I to know what I am talking about, she's the expert.  And most recently I  our contractor has been through two inspections {the first of which we failed, only due to the soggy ground, which only got soggy because the ridiculous city took so long to process our permit...uuugh...and that was putting it really nicely}.

So the reason I say bittersweet is because you would think the worse is behind us.  But, I find that living through construction just might top all of the above.  However, I can't wait for my fabulous master suite, two new entrances, an extended sunroom, and a new deck {although I'll believe it when I see it at this point, but it's fun to dream}.  Oh, and just a little surprise....next time you come over to our little white cottage it may not be so white anymore.

But, before we get all that we've got this...

...an official permit and an official shiny white box to store it in...

...the ugliest consturction dumpster in town, but I don't care because it means progress to me...

...a torn down deck and a new muddy cleared out space for the addition...

...and the starts to one of our new entrances.

At the rate we are going, I'll be back in 6 months to show you the first nail that goes in.  {And, by the way, I'm not a pessimist, really.  I like to call my self a realist...this is just really starting to get to me, if you can't ell}.

Our Days At Disney

I have several excuses for my recent hiatus from the blog.  I still love this place and long for it.  It's my release, my moment at the end of the day to exhale, a little vacation of sorts for me.  So please don't take my absence as anything permanent.

But, like I said I have lots of excuses, I could bore you with the construction drama or all the other little big things that are consuming my life right now, but I'll share the most fun excuse I have...a magical week long vacation at Disney World.  {so magical that Clay and I decided we won't be needing any more magic for a few years}  It was one of those vacations where you come home needing a vacation and about 24 hours of sleep.

You know when you come home that worn out you had an amazing time.  But, more importantly the kids did to.  Space Ranger Jack could not get enough of the Toy Story excitement.  He met Buzz, Woody, and a green Army man.  He rode Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios twice and the Buzz ride at Magic Kingdom three times. We ate and played at Pizza Planet and pretty much bought every Toy Story souvenir the gift shops had to offer.

Princess Maggie fell in love with the Disney Princesses.  Belle being number one on her list.  Maggie ate dinner with the Princesses twice.  Once in Norway at Epcot and then again at Cinderella's castle.   She was covered in Princess kisses and ate up every minute of the individual attention. {Jack believed if he closed his eyes the princesses wouldn't see him--he is very anti-princess}. Maggie even saw a Broadway presentation of Beauty And The Beast at Hollywood Studios.  Her eyes did not leave the stage.  She came home with lots of Princess pictures and her very own cherished Belle doll {my dear Maggie has done a number on poor Belle's hair with the comb that came along with her}

Between Toy Story and Princesses we managed to squeeze in a few meals with Mickey and the gang.  Who would have guessed that Maggie's favorite character was Daisy Duck {another souvenir she came home with and is in just about every picture below, not to mention in bed with her as we speak}.  Maggie's favorite ride was It's A Small World while Jack's were obviously the two Toy Story rides.  He did have a close second though that he rode two times...the Haunted Mansion....I was a little surprised by that choice.

We made it to all the parks and even visited some of them two times. And somehow managed to come home {the Contemporary Hotel} for much needed naps everyday.  Once naps were over we were up and at 'em again.

So, you know how I feel, pictures tell the best story.  And we've got lots of them!  This trip is  definitely slideshow material {I could never choose just a few}. I hope you enjoy the show of our Days at Disney!

{Notice how our family slowly looks more weary as the days go on.  If you make it all the way to Animal Kingdom, you may not even believe that we are still standing...I couldn't}

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