{two word tuesday}

me - tired, loved
joey - silly, learning
viv - beautiful, inquisitive
lil - mature, fresh
joe - leader, giving

favorites ~ fall 2013 edition

Liliana Madison

favorite things ~ all things BIG girls - real pedicures, scarves, blow drying her hair with shine spray, tank tops & khaki shorts,  stacked bracelets, mayonnaise on her hoagies, shows like: good luck charlie &; dog with a blog, words like: whatever, OMG, actually, & for real?!?, loves hearing and realizing that she is just like her daddy, mike&ikes, salads, reading junie b. jones books before bed, getting dressed for the day as soon as she wakes up, taylor swift concerts :)


Viviene Lyn

favorite things ~ cinderella, cooking - anything - real food, play food, mud and rocks... viv loves to "grate" sidewalk chalk and pretend it is cheese... she loves doc mcstuffins and even watches good luck charlie with her big sister, still loves cooking shows, playing with her babydolls and plays school, she wakes up early now and gets a dress on every day, she is independent and intense, but craves love...

Joseph Louis

favorite things ~ mickey mouse - on the tv, in the car, on the ipad, and on a phone - just as long as he is watching it :) he loves to eat - but only specific food: meatballs, soup, pizza, goldfish,
strawberry nutragrain bars and plain yogurt, loves running and being outside, loves blocks and legos and "playing" connect four, he loves to throw anything and everything, likes to sweep up, loves his going to bed book by sandra boyton & sleeps with it every night, he loves his dada and started to make the home alone face whenever he drops anything :)

blessed and so full of love for my family :)
xo

Happy 4th Birthday to my Vivi Lyn

My Sweet Vivi Lyn - 

You are magical.  You are so sweet.  You are beautiful and smart and kind.  Your big sister and baby brother just adore you.  You are so confident and sassy and such an individual.  You are your own person and you are so very special.  You remind me of myself in so many ways... your thoughtfulness and your clumsiness... your blond hair and big brown eyes...

We are so blessed to have you & love you with all of our hearts :)

xo 

growing up

My Lil is getting so big... last night right as we were about to put the kids to bed, I told her that she and I were sneaking to Khol's to buy her a treat.  The look on her face, Joe said, was priceless.  We had  a blast and got some froyo after.  I love that kid with my whole being.
xo

wordless wednesday

blessed. beyond. words.

Two Word Tuesday

Joe: protector; love
Liliana: smart; giving
Viviene: quizzical; loving
Joey: feisty; happiness

me: grateful, anxious

Joey is One!

My sweet, handsome, spunky, spoiled, and ridiculously lovable baby boy is 1! I can not believe how fast the time has flown.  I simply can not describe the amount of love I have for Joey 5.  I am not sure if it is the combination of his admiration for his big sisters,  his uncanny resemblance to his Daddy or his absolute adorableness, but I am IN LOVE with this kid.  I finally get the whole notion of a mother/son's love.  It is just... a w e s o m e.

Joey is full of energy (when Mickey is not on and he is glued to the TV).  He has taken a few steps here and there, more successful when he is not focused on the task.  He throws his food and cups when he is finished with eating.  He crawls as though he is on the mission to find a lost treasure.  He loves sweet potatoes with turkey and bananas.  It is already completely obvious his Daddy is his hero :) He likes to play with his toys and LOVES to throw/roll any ball.  He loves me, too - I know it.  His squeezes are magical and his attitude is engaging :)

My wish for Joey is that each day is filled with happiness, confidence and unconditional love.  

xo 

Brielle

Our sweet Brielle is facing the unknown and has an uncertain road ahead of her.  I pray, pray, pray that Vivi's very best friend will soon hear the news we know awaits -  that her boo-boo will be forever gone and this blip in life be just that, a blip.

If I could hug Brielle and her momma every single second I would... but for now I simply will remind Kelly that her baby was born for greatness and is filled with so much spunk, beauty and determination that nothing can stand in the way of her future.... 

and besides, my Vivi won't let anything happen to her Brielle :) 

xo

Lil's first pedi :)

Liliana was in heaven... telling the man when it hurts or when it felt good...she's a riot. She told him her feet sweat in flats, and she does not like sneakers.  The man was so nice and remembered doing our minnie mouse toe designs for Disney :)

My baby is so big now... it brings me such joy, such sadness, such anxiety and so much pride... 

My cup runneth over :)

It is as simple as that

I recently watched one of my weekly shows, totally forget which one, and a scene in it has really stuck with me... a woman and a man had fought over something silly... and in the end decided that no matter what, they wanted to be together forever.  Ultimately, they wasted so much time being angry for no worthwhile reason at all.

It had me reflect... Joe and I argue a lot about silly things.  Why can't you put the dishes IN the dishwasher instead of on the counter??? Did you remember to call Honda about the van??? Why did you feed Joey that food, instead of this food??? Really, we might argue at least once a day. Not full blown arguments, but we definitely throw around some 'tude.

While reflecting, I realized: I love this man so much.  I could not imagine him not in my life.  I love how he is an amazing Daddy to our kids.  I love how dedicated he is to his family and friends.  I love how smart he is about life.  I love how he knows me better than I know myself.  I will love him forever.  and ever.  and ever.

So, the next time he questions Joey's food type or forgets to put his popcorn bowl in the dishwasher, I am going to remind myself how much I love him. At the end of the day none of these things matter.  They do not matter enough for me to be angry or sad.  They do not matter enough for us to argue.  I will immediately remember to slap a smile on my face and if I must curse him, I will do so silently.  Because he loves me and I love him.  I want to hold his hand forever. and ever. and ever.  It is as simple as that.