Elizabeth Drucker

Kindergarten

2012-01-12T19:56:00.002-05:00

As a mother I always want to do what is best for each of my kids. Up until this point it has been pretty easy. Both of my kids have birthday issues, Madelyn has a great birthday for school, but a lousy birthday in general and Damian has a great birthday for fun, but not so much for school.

These past few months I have been thinking about what is best for Damian next year. Damian’s birthday is July 27, so he makes the school cutoff by 34 days. That means he would be the very youngest and he is a boy. Academically, there is no doubt Damian would do fine. He is a very intelligent little guy. He is wise beyond his years and remembers everything. My concern is maturity. I think Damian is exactly where a normal four year old little boy should be, but when you start comparing him to a little girl who is eleven months older he doesn’t seem so mature. Damian has always done fantastic at school. He has never been in trouble and done great with his school work, but I’m not so sure about when he is at school for almost seven hours being the youngest. I don’t want him to be punished for something that isn’t his fault. I want him to be confidant. I want him to know how smart he is. I want him to be old enough to realize how important school is. I want him to enjoy it.

I’ve been debating a lot lately with what to do. Michael and I have talked about it a lot, but ultimately it is my decision. Michael is the best father I’ve ever seen, but at the end of the day I’m the one who stays home with him and knows everything about him. Ultimately, this is my decision.

I LOVE Damian and soon-to-be Madelyn’s preschool. It is a fabulous place where he has learned so much, matured, made tons of friends, and had a lot of fun. After really thinking about it I have (with Michael agreeing 100%) decided that we are going to send him to private kindergarten next year at his pre-school. It will be five days a week, the same hours as this year, and it is exactly what is best for him. They follow the same guidelines as all kindergarten schools, but have fewer students (more one on one time) and more hands on learning. The only con I can find at all with it is that it is private school, which means it costs money. It definitely isn’t going to be fun having one in preschool and paying for private kindergarten, but it is doable and what is necessary. When deciding my son’s future money can’t be a deciding factor.

I think that ultimately we will hold him back, but I don’t have to make a final decision until next year. I also worry about his maturity as he finishes high school and heads to college when making my final decision. I figure that if he is very mature he can always do joint enrollment like I did. Sending him to private kindergarten at least gives us an option next year. We can reevaluate the situation and decide whether to send him to public kindergarten or first grade. I’m very confidant and a little in shock that my baby boy is old enough to be going to kindergarten in a few months!

A Very Drucker Christmas

2012-01-05T13:12:00.002-05:00

We had a fabulous Christmas this year. Like every other year it seems to go by so fast. Here is our Christmas in pictures (I finally got pictures to load!)...

The day after we got back from Disney World Damian had his preschool program. His class was cows and he was precious, but exhausted. While every other kid sang he just yawned. I thought he was going to fall asleep a few times. At one point he spotted me, waved and said, "Hey, Mommy!"

Christmas with a four year old and a two year old is fun! Madelyn didn't get the concept of Santa, but loved everything she got. I buy my kids pretty much whatever they want during the year, so we didn't go crazzy with gifts. Madelyn got the Disney princess doll collection, the Mrs. Potts and Chip tea set and cart, a Minnie grocery cart, a Sleeping Beauty dress, three pairs of dress up shoes and a few personalized books.

Santa brought them a joint gift! They both love the easel, but want to paint all the time. Not exactly the smartest purchase on my part.

Madelyn loadingt the dolls in her cart.

Magnatiles... the greatest little boy toy ever! Clare suggested these a few months ago and she could not have given me a better suggestion for Damian. These were his big gift and he has played with them multiple times a day since Christmas. At first they didn't seem like much, but they are by far the best thing I've ever gotten for him. The are magnetic and stick together to build 3d shapes. His favorite thing to do is build a huge castle and shoot it down with his Zurg gun.

He will play with these things for hours at a time!

Buzz adding the final touches to his kingdom

Damian also got the airplane from Cars 2, a remote control Lightning McQueen, a few books, and a Zurg gun. Michael and D have had so much fun shooting each other! I need to go get another one where they can battle it out. Sometimes i feel like I have two little boys, but they are having fun!

She's taking it all in.

Damian at my parents house. One of the gifts they gave him was a Buzz Lightyear Space Ship. He had been asking for me to get him one for a few weeks so I finally had to tell him Grandma Margaret had already gotten it. He was dying to finally open it.

My pretty girl doing what she loves best, pushing her baby around.

We had a very Merry Christmas! We had a crazy week with Madelyn's birthday only three days later. I hope everyone else had Merry Christmas!

Madelyn is 2!

2011-12-28T08:16:00.002-05:00

Two years ago today at 11:30pm I met a little girl who changed my life forever. I remember the first time I saw her I thought how absolutely beautiful she was and how tiny. I very quickly realized how well her lungs worked. She was louder than any baby I have ever heard in my life. That night in the delivery room at Gwinnett Medical I met my beautiful Madelyn, the most perfect little girl I’ve ever seen.

Before she was born I never knew anything was missing in my life. I had everything in life that really matters, a husband who I’m madly in love with, a little boy who my world revolved around, but I was missing a sweet little girl. Madelyn was just what our family needed. She balanced us out and gave each of us something completely different. Michael and I gained a daughter, a completely different experience from raising a son. Damian was given his little sister and soon-to-be best friend. She was exactly what we all needed.

There are so many ways to describe Madelyn at two. The first word I think of is feisty. Madelyn weighs a whopping 24 pounds, but can hold her own against anyone. She doesn’t take no for an answer and gets what she wants. It makes life a little difficult at times, but I know Madelyn will get exactly what she wants out of life and I wouldn’t change it for the world. She isn’t intimidated of anyone. The other day at Monkey Joes a little girl about Damian’s age kept insisting he was going to stop playing with the toy he was playing with and give it to her. Damian kept politely telling her he would give it to her when he was done, but the little girl starting whining even more. Madelyn stood up and I could tell by the look in her eye she was going to take care of the little girl who wouldn’t leave her big brother alone. She had no fear of that little girl. She is such a feisty, fearless child.

Madelyn may be feisty but she is oh, so sweet. Her smile goes from ear to ear and is infectious. I love when I walk in her room in the morning and she is standing up in her crib with a blanket on her head and she gives me a smile that lights up the room. She laughs just like her big brother that can make everyone around her laugh. She gives the sweetest kisses. She is always willing to give kisses. There is nothing I love more!

Another word to describe my girl is smart. Her vocabulary has exploded. She knows what pretty much everything is. You tell her what something is one time and she remembers it. She is talking in some sentences, but they can be so random. The other morning she looked at me and said, “I need to wear pants with pockets” and that is exactly what she wanted. She is just like her big brother and has the memory of an elephant. She remembers everything and anything. If I tell her to go find something she can with no problem, even if it has been a few days. She knows her two favorite colors, pink and purple (shocking!) perfectly. Her little mind is like a sponge and I can see in her eyes she is taking in the world around her.

As feisty, sweet and smart as she is she is one high maintenance little girl! No matter where we are I hear, “Rub piiiigys!” and then I’ll hear a sweet “Peas!” It doesn’t matter where we are, in the car, in the grocery store or while were eating. She loves to have her piggy’s rubbed. Everyone always laughs at her in the nail salon when she gets her toes done. She knows the drill and is very used to it. Everyone always asks if it is her first time and the ladies who work there laugh and tell them she has been coming in since the week she was born. Madelyn was born on a Monday and had her toes done professionally by the time the week was over. She is also very picky over her wardrobe. When we go into Gymboree she immediately picks out what she wants. She will put outfits together and tell me “Mommy, cute, petty!” and when I pick out something she doesn’t like she will say, “Ewwwwww, nasty!” with her SoCal voice.

At this age Madelyn definitely has her favorites. Her favorite thing in the world is shoes. She loves all kinds of shoes. She loves the light up princess heals, her brothers cleats, my tennis shoes, Michael, boots and especially my high heels. She can walk in heels better than I can. She also loves baby dolls. She acts like she is their mommy. Right now they are all named Baby, except for Baby Belle. Animals hold a very special place in Madelyn’s heart. She especially loves doggies and fishies. She will play with Sampson for hours and he is so kind to her. She also loves Max (our cat). When we got our Christmas tree there were these huge bunnies and one had the exact same markings as Max. She only saw them from a distance and about had a nervous breakdown because she thought Max was there. She loves to read. She has one particular book that we have to read every night followed by another story. It is a picture book with one hundred common words. She knows them all, but is fascinated with the book. I walked in her room the other day and Madelyn and Damian were cuddled up in her glider and he was reading the book to her. It was a priceless moment. She also loves books about anything girly. It is a nice change from books on trucks and monsters! She is a woman who knows what she wants and knows what she likes!

My favorite thing in this entire world is to watch Damian and Madelyn together. They have a bond like no other siblings I’ve ever seen. They definitely have their moments where the argue and fight with one another and I feel more like a referee than a mom, but the two of them have an unconditional love for one another. The other day they came running by me in the entrance hall holding hands declaring that they are best friends and were going upstairs to play. They both had the same twinkle in their eyes. Damian was playing with a friend the other day and the little boy did not want any babies around and Damian took up for her and said he wanted Sissy to play with them. The two of them can mess with each other, but no one else stands a chance. Last night we were in the car singing “Happy Birthday” to Madelyn when Damian took a turn. His version went,” Happy Birthday to You… Happy Birthday to You… Happy Birthday Dear Madelyn… Your Brother Loves You!” The bond they share is so special. It amazed me the love they have for each other. Their relationship makes me one very proud mommy.

Having a daughter is such a blessing. I love having a son, but raising a daughter is a completely different experience. It is a different kind of love, but very much the same (they are equally as wonderful). I was a pro at boy things and it is nice getting to experience the princesses and bows. Madelyn is the little girl I’ve always dreamed about. When I was little and though about what my little girl would be like it is Madelyn. She is absolutely perfect in my eyes and will always be.

It baffles me that my little girl is two. These have been the two most wonderful years of my life. I have a husband I love, a son who hung the moon and a princess who is the apple of my eye. Being Madelyn’s mother is an honor and a privilege and I hope she knows every single day of her life how much I love her. Happy second Birthday my sweet Madelyn Elizabeth Drucker, I love you!

Damian's Disney Surprise

2011-12-16T14:59:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday started out like any other regular Saturday around the Drucker house. Michael and Damian headed out to run some work errands and Madelyn and I went to the grocery store. Damian knew the two of us were going to go on a special date that night but he thought we were going to go to Zaxbys and the library. Little did he know what I had planned!

The day before Damian asked Michael’s mom, Susan, to come over and look at “the world’s biggest train track.” It literally went from the play room through the guest room down the hall and into Damian’s room. It was pretty impressive! Damian asking her to come over and it couldn’t have worked out any better. About 1:30 she came over to see it. Right after she got to our house Buzz Lightyear called and said he left something for Damian outside because he didn’t have enough time to come in. Outside Damian found this…

Dear Damian,

The universe needs our protection and I called upon my best space ranger for help. I have a very special mission for you, Damian. My sensor indicates Zurg is in the area on an evil mission to take down Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World. This is a huge intergalactic emergency that will call for my best space rangers help for the mission. I need you to get down there immediately and save the party. I have a jet waiting for you, your mommy and both of your grandmothers so please go quickly. When you arrive at the Orlando airport please go straight to Chef Mickey’s for a good dinner to have big, strong muscles for your mission. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald have missed you and can’t wait to see you. Please be in the park at 8 to save the party and the rest of the planet from Zurg. If you are able to beat Zurg you will be invited to go to the Mickey’s Christmas Party. Good luck, Damian. I will see you in the morning. To Infinity, and Beyond!

Buzz Lightyear

As I was reading the letter to him he had the biggest smile on his face and was dancing and squealing. He couldn’t believe it. He was the happiest kid in the world until he asked one little question… “Mommy, how are we going to get there?” When I told him we were going on an airplane he lost it. He is scared to death of heights and was petrified. He had a complete nuclear meltdown for about five minutes and then came around. He just had one request… how was Cheezers (our Elf, yes, I know he came up with a really odd name) going to report his behavior to Santa if he didn’t come with us? Plus, if he flies to the North Pole every night to see Santa he must be an expert at flying. Since Damian can’t touch Cheezers I put him in my purse. So, Susan, Damian, Cheezers and I headed off to the airport.

Once we got to the airport we ran to the bathrooms and when we came out we met my mom. Damian was very happy to see her. We were early so we grabbed a bite to eat before we boarded the plane. Damian was so cute getting on the plane. When we were walking on he said hi to the pilot and he invited him in to see the cockpit. He thought all of the buttons were cool. We then went and found our seats. While we were waiting to take off Damian kept wanting to know if we were flying yet. I thought he could break down after taking off and held my breath waiting to see if he would be ok. When we did take off he loved it. He made me switch seats with him so he could see out the window. He kept saying the cutest things that had everyone around us laughing. When we landed he loudly exclaimed, “That was a fantastic landing Mr. Pilot!” I guess he thought one flight made him a flying expert!

Once we got our car (which by the way was pretty awesome, it was a Cadillac DTX. It cost the same amounts of points as the cheapo car so why not get the pretty one?) we headed straight to Chef Mickey’s. We did take a wrong turn on the highway which made Damian say, “Mommy, did these old ladies already get us lost?” It was pretty funny. When we got to the Contemporary we were right on time. We only had to wait about five minutes before we were seated. Damian was the exact same way he was when we were there in October, he loved it! He gave all of the characters big hugs and they were all so nice. Actually, Minnie was not very nice. We were there late and she obviously wanted to get off work. She literally posed for one picture as she walked by. I don’t pay those ridiculous prices for the food. I pay those ridiculous prices for my child to see his favorite characters and when they are rude it makes me really mad. Damian really didn’t notice. If he had then I would have thrown a fit. After dinner we rode the monorail to get our tickets for the next morning. We did get to watch part of Wishes which was nice. I LOVE Wishes and was happy to see the regular version. We got our tickets and headed to the hotel.

We stayed at the SpringHill Suites and it was very nice. The beds were soooo comfy and it was very clean. It was perfect for our trip. The best part about it was that it was free! We literally slept and showered on the room only. We all fell in the bed and were ready to wake up bright and early to hit the Magic Kingdom.

The next morning we were all going bright and early. My mom and Susan ate breakfast at the hotel and Damian kept telling them to hurry up we had to go quickly. Actually, Damian wasn’t able to attend… Buzz Lightyear went with us! He takes going to Disney World very seriously and wore his Buzz costume. Both of us were happy to get back in the Magic Kingdom. I’m the first to admit that I LOVE that place. I’m definitely hooked. When we got there we immediately went to ride Buzz. To say the park was empty was an understatement. There was no one there. We rode Buzz a few times and only a few other people were on it with us. I read online where the big targets are so I did great. My husband would have been jealous!  We then headed to Fantasyland to ride Winnie the Pooh. Just like Tommorowland it was empty too. We rode Buzz, Winnie the Pooh twice, It’s a Small World, Snow White and the Haunted Mansion all within our first hour in the park. It was amazing. We grabbed a snack and sat down to eat in Adventureland. I have the wait time app on my Iphone and noticed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had no wait so I headed over to ride. I literally walked right on a train that was only 1/3 full. That will probably never happen again in my life. I was back to them before Damian even finished his popcorn. It was crazy seeing Splash Mountain with all of the boats coming through empty. Maybe one in five boats would have two or three people. It was crazy empty! We rode a few more things and then Damian started to melt down. My child usually requires no sleep, but he was exhausted. I had paid for regular admission for the two of us plus our party tickets so you couldn’t have pried me out of the park. Susan took him back for a couple hours and my mom and I rode.

My mom and I got a ton of rides in. My mom even rode Space Mountain! I kept asking to make sure she was still alive! She really wanted to go into the Hall of Presidents so after everything she rode for me I went with her. Surprisingly, I really liked it. When we went in it was sunny, but apparently while we were in there it poured. We walked out and it was sunny again. By that time Damian and Susan were on their way back so we went to meet them.

We met up with Damian and Susan at the dock entrance to ride the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge. That is one hotel I debated staying at next year and I’m really glad I got a better look at it. I much prefer the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is close, but the boat can take a long time. I would love to stay at a monorail resort, but that is more than I would like to pay. We do have to eat the rest of the year! Damian enjoyed the boat ride and kept pretending the first mate was Captain Hook.

We had dinner at the Whispering Canyon Lodge. Our reservations were for 5 (opening time) and there were a ton of people there. Damian played with Lincoln Logs while we waited and was in such a good mood. The restaurant was really fun. It is a “rude” restaurant. For example, one man was talking on his cell phone and a waiter went over and yelled to the entire restaurant, “Excuse me everyone, this man is talking on his cell phone so can you please be quiet?” It was funny. Damian really got into it. They even got little play ponies out and let the kids ride them around the restaurant. It was definitely a fun place. We finished and rode the boat back over to the Magic Kingdom.

I was very disappointed in the Very Merry Christmas Party. It was nothing compared to Halloween. I guess Halloween is much more of a “party” holiday. The castle looked gorgeous, but I expected everything else to be covered in lights. I was wrong. It was pretty, but Disney usually goes above and beyond. The park was empty so we rode a ton of rides.

I had a feeling there would be a dance party in the Diamond Horseshoe and I was right. Woody and Jessie were there waiting on Damian. They were the nicest characters we have ever met. Woody was following Damian around to dance with him. It was so cute. He had the biggest smile on his face. Damian was so shy around Jessie. Jessie kissed him in October and I knew that had something to do with it. He got over his shyness quickly and he must have kissed her 20 times. She was so sweet! She would kiss him and then put her hands on her face like she was embarrassed. He must have stood there kissing Jessie for ten minutes.

We went back to ride Winnie the Pooh and while we were riding he bottom fell out. We went in the connecting gift shops and I spent $16.00 on two ponchos. Can you say rip-off!? I got Damian’s on and was putting mine on when the skies cleared. I’m just going to keep them in my book bag for when we go back. Hopefully, I’ll never need them! We rode Buzz and then went to watch Wishes. I didn’t like it nearly as much as the regular Wishes. After that Damian was tired so we left. The party was a lot of fun, but Halloween was much better.

I can honestly say that I love Disney World! I’m so excited for Madelyn to go next year. She has already changed so much from when she was there in October so I know she is going to really get it next year and have fun. I’ve already got all sorts of princess things planned for my princess! We had a really great trip. We had fun with both grandma’s and will definitely never forget our 48 hour Disney World extravaganza!

What We've Been Up To

2011-12-05T19:49:00.001-05:00

Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to really blogging… here is a little of what we’ve been up to lately.

- Madelyn is like a whole different kid than from even a month ago. One day she woke up and became a little girl. Baby Madelyn is gone and little girl Madelyn is here. She is talking so much and says the funniest things. She is obsessed with pockets and yesterday looked at me and said, “I need to wear pants with pockets.” We went in Charming Charlie this morning and from the second we walked in the door she had to have a “purble nackedless” (purple necklace). She is so much fun to be around and hear talk. She still loves Belle and has now really likes Cinderella and Pocahontas too. I can’t forget about Lightyear (what she calls Buzz). She really likes him too.

- Damian is full on little man. He seems so incredibly old. I think he is the perfect age… old enough to take and have fun, but yet young enough to still be sweet and cute. He is still doing fantastic at school and LOVES to do anything related to school. His teachers this year are absolutely outstanding. He told me earlier he wants to stay in Ms. Jackie’s class forever!

- Madelyn is about 95% potty trained. She still will not use a public bathroom, but I bought a portable potty seat (pretty nasty to me, but hopefully it will work) that we haven’t tried yet. I still put her in a diaper when we go out, but she doesn’t like to use it and rarely does. If she does use it she cries and screams “Ewwwww! Nasty!” Fingers crossed the portable potty seat works. She loves her little panties and cries when I put a diaper on.

- Damian is sooooooo excited about Santa. It is easier to ask what he wants rather than what he does want. I’ve explained that Santa only brings a few toys so he won’t be disappointed. This Santa is far from rich so I hope he likes what he is getting. Every time he does anything wrong I remind him Santa is watching. The other day he was tired and told me, “I’m so sick of Santa watching me! Can’t you tell him to go watch some other kid for a minute?” It was pretty funny!

- For some reason Damian gets really jealous of Madelyn’s birthday. He will flat out tell you he is jealous. He is the best big brother in the world 11 months of the year, but he is so sick of hearing about her party. Since she loves Mickey and Minnie and always has a bow in her hair we are having a Madelyn’s bowtique party ay Catch Air. How in the world is she almost two?

- Damian tells me at least once a day he wants to go to Disney World soon. I’m so excited about our trip I can’t stand it! I know his reaction will be priceless. He is a very animated child so I’m expecting him to go crazy. I’ll post a video as soon as we get home.

Photo Card

2011-11-29T09:38:00.001-05:00

Merry Montage Christmas

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She's Growing Up...

2011-11-22T14:41:00.001-05:00

Madelyn has been using the potty sporadically for a few months now. I am a true believer that if a child is pushed to potty train they will resist, especially when you are talking about such a young child. I would take her if she asked, but didn’t think much of it.

Sunday morning something clicked in Madelyn’s head… she was ready. All morning she used the potty and did not have an accident. She would tell us when she needed to go and if we asked and she said no then we left her alone. She did such a great job. That afternoon Michael and Damian went to the Falcon’s game so Mad and I met my mom at the mall. Madelyn wore her panties and looked like such a big girl. About a mile from home she said she needed to go so we pulled over and used the potty in my trunk. She went potty and we were on our way.

She was doing such a great job at the mall when she said she needed to go tt. We immediately ran through the mall to find the nearest bathroom. The only problem she has is that she is sacred to death of public bathrooms. I guess I can’t blame her, who really likes a public bathroom? I put her on the potty and she was about to go when a lady turned on the dryer and it she started crying. After that there was no chance of her going. We left the mall soon after and I made the mistake of not putting her on the potty to go. We were just going across the street, but the mall was slammed and it took forever. While on the way over there she cried that she needed to go and she couldn’t hold it in. She wet a little in her panties. Like any other mom with a newly potty trained kid I have a few outfits in the car so I changed her. She wore her panties through the shoe store, dinner at Chipotle and Wal-Mart. While at Wal-Mart she picked out her own princess potty for the car. I’m not shocked my daughter wants a sparkly, pink royal potty! When we got home she went a ton. She had held it in.

The next morning we went with some friends to Chuck E Cheese. Since I had both of them I knew there was no way I could leave Damian in Chuck E Cheese and take her to the car to go potty so I put her in a diaper. She was insulted. About an hour after we got there she said she needed to go, but cried when I took her in the bathroom. She walked out and continued to play. When we got home about an hour and a half later she was completely dry. She had held it in until she could use the potty at home. Last night she didn’t have any accidents and continued to tell me when she needed to go.

Today, we went to Monkey Joes and I put her in a diaper to be safe. I figured if she was running around she might not think to come and tell me. Plus, if she should have an accident who wants their kid playing in her pee? Right as we were about to leave she told me she needed to go. We went outside to use her princess potty and she was completely dry. She used the potty and again was insulted to put her diaper on. We went to lunch and she stayed dry. She went just a little afterwards, but I didn’t make her put a diaper back on. When we got home she was dry and went potty right before I put her down for a nap.

Besides her fear of public bathrooms (which is a really big pain) finding panties that fit her is really hard. You can’t really tell in pictures because she has clothes on, but Madelyn is really skinny. At almost 23 months her 18 month clothes hang off the waist even with a diaper on. Without a diaper they barely stay on. Her panties are HUGE. The smallest I have been able to find is a 2/3 and I have to fold them a few times to stay on. I guess it is a nice problem!

I’m very proud of my little lady. She is so cute when she goes and I clap and she says, “Mama, clap ‘gin!” I’ll clap all day as long as she continues to use the potty!

Disney Day 7 {Magic Kingdom, Chef Mickey's & the End of Our Perfect Trip}

2011-11-20T08:24:00.001-05:00

Day 7 was a little bittersweet. I really couldn’t believe our trip was almost over. I had planned for a solid ten months and it was almost over. I wanted to take advantage of our last day and spend it at our favorite park, Magic Kingdom.

My dad chose to stay at the condo that day so the five of us were on our way to the happiest place on Earth. The crowd level was low once again so we rode everything we wanted. Madelyn does really well and goes into meltdown mode within.25 seconds so it was important to get her back to the condo before that occurred. She rode until about 12:30 and then Michael too her home. She was furious! I still have visions of Madelyn being carried out of the back of the park near It’s A Small World screaming as her daddy carried her away. We were right and she was exhausted!

My mom, D and I stayed and rode some more. We rode the same ride we had been on 10,000 times previously… Buzz! We rode and rode and rode and then went back to get dressed for dinner.

Damian had been looking forward to Chef Mickey’s for months. We got there a little early and had to wait. Once we got to our table Damian and Madelyn were soooooo excited! Minnie came to see us first. Madelyn squealed she was so excited! I thought Damian was going to wet his pants he was so happy. They were the happiest kids in the restaurant. Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy came to see them and they were equally as happy. As we were finishing the king of everything Disney came to see them… Mickey Mouse. Damian gave him a million hugs and Madelyn wanted to squeak his nose. It was the perfect dinner!

After our meal Damian, my mom and I headed to Magic Kingdom to ride a few more rides. Damian really wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh, It’s A Small World and Buzz one more time. We rode those and a few more before we went to end the trip at the appropriate place, Buzz! We rode a few times and said our goodbyes. It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip.

The memories made at Disney are some I will never forget the rest of my life. It far exceeded all of my expectations. Seeing the magic in their eyes is the reason we will return. We are already booked for another week of fun next October. This time we are staying on property all week. Damian is so excited and Madelyn will be almost three so she should be even more fun than this year. When you walk in Magic Kingdom and see the “Let the Memories Begin” sign it really is the truth! My family made many memories that we will never forget. We’ll see you in three weeks Mickey!

Disney Day 6 {Animal Kingdom & California Grill}

2011-11-15T19:02:00.001-05:00

Day 6 was spent at Animal Kingdom. I love African things and animals so I knew this would be my kind of park and it didn’t disappoint. This was by far everyone’s second favorite park. The animals are fascinating and it has the elements of a theme park, a perfect combination!

As soon as we got there we went straight to Kilimanjaro Safari’s. This was unanimously everyone’s favorite ride at any of the parks. You board a bus and go on a safari through Africa. Damian made me take pictures of every single animal and Madelyn sat in my dad’s lap squealing at every animal she saw. I would love to go to Africa, but this is as close as I’ve ever been.

We then went to ride Dinosaur. My dad loves dinosaurs so we really wanted to get him on it. Madelyn was too little so she hung out with my mom while we rode. Damian loves the ride, but hated the noise. He is very sensitive to loud noises. I thought it was a little loud too. The dinosaurs in the ride are amazing. They look so realistic.

We then rode the ride that is like Dumbo, but with dinosaurs and went through all the trails to see animals. There are so many animals to see at the park. Whenever we would see someone who worked there Damian would ask what the animals name is and wanted to know all about it. He was most fascinated. It took a while to see the animals and by that time both kids were getting grouchy. I’m not going to lie, I knew there was a lot to do that they are too young to do so I was glad to have some alone time with Michael.

We immediately got fast passes for Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids (my parent’s left their park tickets with us where we could get more fast passes). Since we had a while we went to get lunch. I’m not a fan of Chinese food. Actually, I can’t stand it. It made me sick when I was pregnant with Damian and I have disliked it ever since. We ate at some counter service Chinese place and it was good, really good. It was the first time I’ve ever eaten Chinese food and really enjoyed it.

After lunch we still had time so we went to see the Tree of Life. All of the animals make it so fascinating. Michael and I found a deserted spot and sat and talked. It was very odd, we were in a park surrounded by thousands of people, but no one was near us. The only human we saw was an obese woman on a scooter trying to hide and smoke her cigarette. I said very loudly how nasty it smelled and she left. We enjoyed the rest of our time just sitting and chatting. Ironically, this was one of the best parts of our entire trip. There are all sorts of things to do, but just sitting with my husband was definitely a top moment. I don’t think I could ever find that spot again if I tried.

We then headed to Expedition Everest. I loved the missing track. Only at Disney World would you have something like that. When we got off Michael was sick. He did such a good job on Space Mountain, but this ride was a different story.

Kali River Rapids was disappointing. It was fun, but Thunder River at Six Flags is better. Out of our boat the only people not to get wet at all were the ten year olds who were dying to get drenched, Michael was drenched and I just got splashed. From there we went on back to the condo.

That night my parents took the kids out so we could have a date night. The following Friday was our five year wedding anniversary so we celebrated at Disney. Michael said we would always go wherever we wanted for our fifth wedding anniversary. We both had visions of a deserted island in the Caribbean. That does sound nice, but I could never, ever leave my kids. It would be a nightmare. I wouldn’t have fun so it would be pointless. Somehow, our nice, romantic getaway turned into Disney with the kids and my parents! The perfect trip for me! Our kids will only be young once. We can take quiet vacations when we are old.

For our date we went to California Grill on top of the Contemporary. I didn’t think much of it while researching, but everyone at Disney kept insisting to go there. They were right, it is breathtaking. We had the best seat in the house. We had the perfect view of Cinderella’s Castle. I know I sound like a five year old, but I could look at it all day. It is simply stunning looking at it from 15 stories high. The sushi there isn’t very good. Personally, the place near our house has better sushi. The fillet mignon on the other hand is simply outstanding. It has a barbecue glaze that makes it very unique. Michael had some kind of boar entre. I think mine was much yummier. He ordered some really strange cheesecake for desert and I thought it sounded nasty, but is was delicious. I would definitely recommend California Grill. The food is really good and the view is to die for.

After that we went to the Magic Kingdom. By that time we were both majorly hooked on Disney. Michael can act like a big, macho man, but he loves it just as much as I do. We rode, and rode and rode. We closed the park and went back to the condo for the night.

The last day coming soon. We finished off this awesome trip by going to Magic Kingdom and had dinner at Chef Mickey’s.

I've got a secret... (no, I'm not pregnant!)

2011-11-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

Disney posts will resume soon, but I must share our newest adventure first. Mainly, because I’m so excited I can’t control myself. Plus, I can’t talk about it at home so I’ve got to share it somewhere!

The other day Michael and I were talking about how we would like to get back to Disney World soon. Damian had the time of his life and asks every single day when we are going back. I explained that we have about 340 days and he couldn’t even process it. I’m not going to lie, Disney World is expensive and we aren’t made of money. We do have to live and can’t spend money like water. I was bummed that it wasn’t going to work out, but figured something like a washer and dryer (mine are going to die any day) and saving for a new car are more responsible choices.

The other night I was taking a bath when Damian came in crying. He was sobbing telling me how much he missed Disney World and how much he desperately wanted to go back. Yes, I am a sucker for either of my kids. I can’t help it. If they want something I will do everything in my power to make it happen. October is a really, really, really long time away and quite frankly, I want to go back too!

So… Damian doesn’t know, but in a few weeks he is going to get the surprise of his life! We are flying out on Saturday afternoon, eating dinner at Chef Mickey’s, spending the entire next day in the Magic Kingdom, going to Mickey’s Christmas Party that night and flying home the next day. My mom, Michael’s mom, maybe Madelyn, Damian and I will be going on the adventure. He has absolutely no idea. I can’t wait to see his face when he wakes up and hears where he is going. Keeping a secret is really hard for me so I’m dying to tell him, but I know it will be worth the wait when he finally finds out.

I have what I think is a genius way to tell him! About 1:30 on the day we leave a package is going to appear outside. It will be for Damian from Buzz Lightyear. Buzz is going to tell him Zurg is on his way to attack and the only way to save Mickey’s Christmas Party is to have his best Space Ranger there… Damian! If D is able to save the planet then Buzz is going to send him to the party as a way to say thank you. He is going to tell him he has an airplane waiting on him and that he is having dinner with his good friend, Mickey at Chef Mickey's. The car is going to be packed and we are going to hop in and go straight to the airport. I know this will be a moment I will never forget. He is such a perfect age, he is old enough for the fun, but still 100% believes in the magic of Disney. I’m so excited, but I’m not about to tell him. I know the look on his face will be well worth the wait.

The best part of this trip... it is only costing me the park tickets! Credit card points are paying for hotel and airline tickets. This takes a huge burden off of my shoulders!

I’m sooooo excited! I think things like this are so much fun. My babies are only young once. I want them to look back at their childhood and think of all of the fun they had. This will definitely be something he’ll remember the rest of his life. As long as he likes Disney I will take him as much as I can. Mickey and Minnie… we’ll see ya real soon!

Disney Day 5 {Magic Kingdom & Mickey's Backyard BBQ}

2011-11-05T19:30:00.001-04:00

Thursday morning we went back to Magic Kingdom. It was the same as previously in the week. Crowd levels were low, kids had a blast, parents had a blast, and it was just a fun morning. I wanted both kids to rest that afternoon and for Madelyn to get a really good nap because I knew we would be having a late night. As everyone was leaving about 12:30 I said that they could go back, but I was going to Epcot because I was not leaving Disney World without riding Soarin’. My mom didn’t want me going alone so she rode the monorail over to Epcot with me while my dad and Michael took the kids back to rest.

Soarin’ is the only thing at Epcot that I really wanted to do. I like Spaceship Earth, but it is nothing I would go out of my way to ride. If it is empty and I can walk right on I’ll ride it, if it is busy then I’ll keep moving.

When we got to the Land Pavilion I saw that the wait was 50 minutes. I went straight in to get in line and my mom headed to get lunch. I very peacefully waited in line and ate some goldfish that I had in my book bag because I was starving. I also talked to Clare because we usually talk multiple times a day so it was odd not having talked to her in days. The wait wasn’t that bad, I ended up waiting about 45 minutes to get on what it supposed to be a fabulous ride.

I did like Soarin’, but I don’t think I’d wait that long again. I’m glad I rode it, but it is definitely a fast pass ride. The ride was very realistic, but I’m more of a thrill ride kind of person. I like roller coasters. I like the thrill. Once I got out I found my mom and went to grab lunch. For $12.00 I got a hamburger, fries and coke and it was the nastiest food I’ve ever had in my life. All of the hamburgers had bacon on them. Luckily, I was going to take it off anyway (who really needs all those calories?), but when I did the bacon was raw. After my gourmet lunch, Michael came and picked my mom up and we headed back to the condo.

That night we headed to Mickey’s Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness. We drove to the Wilderness Lodge and took the boat over. Both kids loved getting to go on a boat. When we got to the barbecue we were immediately seated and were told to go get some food. I was a little disappointed in our seats. I wanted to be near a dance floor, but you are never sitting anyway so it didn’t matter.

We ate food (it was NASTY, how do you mess us a hotdog?!) and got ready for the party to start. The barbecue is pretty much a hoedown in a pavilion. When Mickey and Minnie came out both kids immediately wanted to go see them. Mickey spotted Madelyn (of course dressed in one of the dresses I had made for her, she only sported monogrammed Disney outfits the entire time we were there) and started dancing with her. She was by far the youngest kid out there. Mickey was super nice. Minnie didn’t have much personality. Goofy and Chip and Dale then came out to other dance floors. Damian went back to eat and Madelyn went to see Goofy. To be such a tiny little person (she is now a whopping 24 pounds fully clothed) she went straight up to him. He was so sweet to her. They were holding hands constantly giving each other high fives. Damian then came out and the kids danced the night away.

We sat down for a minute and were then told that if we wanted to see Mickey and Minnie we could get in line to meet them. There weren’t many people waiting so we got in line. After about ten minutes of waiting it was Damian and Madelyn’s turn. Madelyn immediately ran to Minnie, gave her a high five, and started grabbing her nose saying “Nose! Nose!” Damian couldn’t stop hugging Mickey with the biggest smile on his face. His face was lite up he was so happy. We spent a good eight to ten minutes chatting and taking pictures.

After that we enjoyed the barbecue a little more and my parent’s and Madelyn left to go back to the condo. D, Michael and I went to go find out where to go for our haunted carriage ride. We were very early so we found where we needed to check in and headed to the stable to check out the horses. This is where one of my favorite moments of the entire trip occurred… One horse named Doug was HUGE. I mean bigger than any animal I’ve ever seen. Michael is 6’2 and he wasn’t even near as tall as Doug. Damian was on Michael’s shoulders and I was taking pictures. The first picture everyone is smiling and Doug is in the background. In the second one they are still smiling and Doug is inching closer. In the third one Doug is right behind them and they have no idea. In the fourth one Doug has his head on Michael’s shoulder, but Michael doesn’t realize it and Damian is smiling at Doug. In the last one Michael has a totally shocked look on his face as he realizes this huge horse is resting his head on his shoulder. Doug was a really sweet horse and we really enjoyed checking out the stable.

I spent hours upon hours researching Disney and one day came across the haunted carriage ride. I knew Damian would love it and it didn’t disappoint. We boarded our carriage and took a ride through the Wilderness Lodge hearing the story of the headless horseman. Damian was fascinated and got really into it. At the end there was a man dressed as the Headless Horseman and Damian told me not to be scared. It was so sweet. All of us enjoyed the ride and it is definitely something I want to do again.

We then called my mom to come pick us up. We had no idea it would take up forever to get back to the ticket and transportation center. We boarded the boat and had to wait for the water parade to pass. That is really cool. I loved the dragon. We finally got to my mom where she had been waiting forever.

Day 6 coming soon! We headed to Animal Kingdom (love, love, love that park!) and had a date night at California Grill!

Disney Day 4 {Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's Castle}

2011-11-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

On day 4 it was nice to wake up with the whole family in one place! We woke up leisurely and got ready to go to the Magic Kingdom. Damian took going to the Magic Kingdom very seriously. He knew that I had Madelyn’s wardrobe made for her and he knew he had to dress the part too. He did have a personalized shirt on that day, but it wasn’t enough… Buzz Lightyear had to go!

When we got to the parking lot everyone stopped Damian to comment on his attire. You see princesses dressed up everywhere, but none of the little boys dressed up. He was too cute! At this point Madelyn was curious as to what was going on. She knew it was something interesting, but she had no idea what she was about to experience.

When we got of the monorail Madelyn’s eyes were so big. She was taking everything in. As soon as we walked in the park and she got her first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle she said “Ooohhhh” and “Wow!” ten thousand times. She was in awe of the park.

When we got there Damian had to mail a postcard to his Granddaddy Lee. Lee sends him postcards from all over North America, so D was happy to send one to him from Disney. Madelyn insisted she had to go potty so we headed to the bathrooms. Disney definitely deserves credit for their clean bathrooms. Madelyn HATES public bathrooms. She usually will not go in one. She had no problem going in there.

Michael went to get fast passes to Buzz and the rest of us headed to the Pirate’s League for Damian’s appointment to be transformed into a pirate. He had been looking forward to it for six months, but he changed his mind and insisted he didn’t want to do it. They told me they wouldn’t charge me, so I didn’t fight with him. If they would have made me pay someone would have been made into a pirate!

Michael wasn’t back yet so we walked right next door and took Madelyn on her first Disney ride, The Pirates of the Caribbean. She was memorized. She really liked it until we got stuck. We got stuck between two rooms where you could hear the noise from each room. It was the worst possible spot to get stuck. It was just a lot of conflicting loud noises. After the boat started moving she was happy again. We met up with Michael and got on our merry way.

Damian has not ridden in a stroller in at least a year. As soon as Madelyn and her stroller arrived he was dying to get in it. My mom likes to push so he very happily got in with Grandma Margaret pushing. Madelyn loved riding on her daddy’s shoulders. She was able to see more and play with his hair, a double bonus!

The lines were very light so we knocked tons of rides that morning. Madelyn really enjoyed It’s a Small World. She loves dolls and music so it was a no brainer that she would love that. The only thing she didn’t care for was the Buzz ride, her brother’s very favorite! My mom didn’t care for it either so she would play with Madelyn while my dad, Michael, D and I rode it. Madelyn really enjoyed the Astro Orbiter. She was the smallest one on there and kept squealing. Having the park practically to ourselves allowed us to get so many rides in.

Michael, my dad and Madelyn headed back for naps and my mom and I stayed at the park with Damian. We ate a hot dog at Casey’s and had a perfect view of the castle. There were ducks right beside our table that Damian enjoyed playing with until one nipped his nose. As we were eating the dance party down Main Street started. Damian and I were done eating so we went and joined in. Damian loved dancing with Minnie and listening to the music.

After lunch we went and rode Buzz again and again and again. Damian was still dressed as Buzz and still getting people coming up to him. A lot of the people from other countries were a little confused by him. A few asked to get pictures with him. At first he was a little creped out, but he was soon into it and was posing like Buzz. We then went back to the condo to get ready for the evening.

That night we had dinner at Cinderella’s castle. Madelyn dressed as her favorite princess, Belle. Damian, of course, went as Buzz. We left extra early just to be cautious. Our reservations were for 6:50, but we got there about 6:10 and they said they would go ahead and seat us.

When you walk in you are supposed to be greeted by Cinderella, but she was on a break. We were taken up the elevator and taken to our seats. The castle is so beautiful. The mosaic tile work at the bottom is something I could look at for hours. The restaurant is a medieval theme and everything is very elaborate. It is an expensive meal, but very worth it.

As soon as we ordered we were told Cinderella was waiting on us. Madelyn was happy to meet her, but she didn’t care too much. Cinderella was nice, but not overly friendly. Damian enjoyed her just as much as Madelyn did. He likes pretty girls! Next, Snow White came to the table. Madelyn doesn’t even know who Snow White is. Next, Ariel came to see Madelyn. Damian flew under the table to get out and see her. He thought she was gorgeous. Again, Madelyn didn’t care too much. Aurora made her way to us next and she was so sweet. I think she would have taken Madelyn home! She was so sweet to her and kept telling her that she was the prettiest princess she had ever seen.

Last and certainly not least was Belle. Madelyn adores Belle. We watch Beauty and the Beast all the time. She is the only princess Madelyn really knows. When Belle walked up Madelyn’s face was priceless, she was so happy to meet her. Belle was such a sweet person. She kept telling Madelyn that she was a prettier Belle than she was! Damian loved meeting her. He told her about how he hides in the sheets when her daddy gets kidnapped by the beast. She stayed with us a long time and took tons of pictures.

The castle was so much fun. Just thinking about next year gives me a smile. Madelyn in going to be so different and have so much fun and be so excited. The look on my kids face is the reason I love Disney World so much. It really is a magical place!

After dinner both of the kids were tired so my parents took them back to the condo. It was time for Michael and I to get down to business. We had some serious riding to do! My big thing was to ride Space Mountain. I have never been on it. My dad loves to tell me about when I was really little and insisted I was going to ride it so we waited in line forever and I got to the top, started to cry and made him walk me down the huge long line. The line was about 45 minutes and when we started to walk in and father and son stopped us. They said they had already been on it a few times and had two fast passes for the time we were there so they gave them to us. It was so nice! Michael and I walked straight in and on the ride! I was so proud of my husband, after eleven years together this was our first roller coaster together! I loved it. He didn’t throw up, so that was a good sign!

We next went to ride Splash Mountain. We had to wait about fifteen minutes and talked to some really nice Scottish people in front of us. They were from the same town as the Loch Ness Monster! It was interesting to hear their perception on America. I was amazed at how many people come to Disney World from all over the world.

We then went to the Haunted Mansion. While we were waiting in line Michael asked me if I thought there were two different rooms they use when you first walk in (the one with the stretching pictures). I said I didn’t know and the two guys in front of us immediately turned around and said, “Yes!” They were such nice people. They work at Disney World and were there on their night off. They told us all sorts of secrets! There are in fact two different rooms, they showed us all sorts of hidden Mickey’s that you would never find and they showed us all sorts of hidden things in the ride. There is a garage door in one room and there is one real staircase in basement. I thought the most interesting thing was that there is a half million dollar black-market bounty on Madame Leota’s head. That is crazy! Who would really think they could get it?!

The park was empty when we got out so Michael and I took advantage and rode everything multiple times. It was awesome! It was so much fun being at the park alone with him. I definitely prefer the Magic Kingdom at night. We stayed until the park closed at midnight. We were literally under the castle when the music and announcement came on to leave. Disney even kicks you out of the park in a nice way!

Coming soon… Day 5 and our adventures at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ!

Disney Day 3 {Hollywood Studios & Madelyn Arrives}

2011-10-29T13:59:00.001-04:00

Day 3 started off just like Day 2. I woke up a few minutes earlier than Damian and Michael and immediately started to pack. We were checking out of Animal Kingdom Lodge and checking into Lake Buena Resort Village and Spa, so we needed to take all of our bags with us to Hollywood Studios.

We took our time in the mornings. We were always out the door at a reasonable time, but we never killed ourselves to get out. When I was checking out the guy who worked there had been to a wedding right next to the Mall of Georgia the week before and asked from seeing my address if I had ever been there. It really is a small world! We got checked out, loaded the car and headed straight to Hollywood Studios.

I liked Hollywood Studios, but I don’t think it is anything spectacular. When we got there we immediately found out what time the Lights, Motor, Action show started and got our fast passes for the Toy Story ride. The show didn’t start until after lunch and the ride time was right after the show was over. It worked out perfectly!

We started our Hollywood Studio’s adventure with a visit to see Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. Damian loved seeing them, but they don’t interact so it was kind of lame. We them went to see the Disney Junior Live show. The 10:30 show was cancelled due to technical difficulties. We had 50 minutes to waste, but that isn’t much time to do anything. We had a ton of snack credits to use so Damian and Michael got popcorn and I walked through a shop.

As he was eating popcorn we saw Handy Manny. We were having lunch with him later that day, but we had time so we got in the five minute line to see him. Damian asked him about all of his tools and couldn’t stop hugging him. It was so sweet.

I then went to get in line for the show. I was the first person in line and within five minutes there were fifty parents behind me. There are no seats in the show, everyone sits on the floor. We were front and center and could not have had better seats. Damian watches Disney Junior all of the time and loved seeing his favorite characters. The girl who hosts the show would always ask him questions. When she asked something about the Handy Manny tools he was the only one who could answer it. He sang and danced and pointed to everyone screaming, “Look Momma, It’s -----!” He was sooo excited and cute!

Next we headed to Hollywood and Vine to have lunch with Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso. I would never, ever go back to this place unless he insists on seeing them again when we go back next October. The food is nasty (as in it was hard to find anything to eat) and the service was horrible. We would have to beg to get drink refills.

The food and service stunk, but Damian had a blast with Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso (there were a few other people there, but he couldn’t of cared any less about seeing them). Every ten minutes or so the characters would go to the middle of the restaurant, a song would come on and they would dance. Damian LOVED this. This was definitely a highlight of his trip. Handy Manny and Damian danced and danced and danced. He had the biggest smile on his face. After the dance we were the first table Handy Manny came to and Damian talked and talked and talked to him. None of the characters talk so all Manny could do was hug him and give him a thumbs up. Damian really enjoyed “meeting” him.

When we realized it was going to take forever to get the waitress to give us our check Michael went to get in line at the Lights, , Action show. The music came on at Hollywood and Vine and my dancing machine went right up to Special Agent Oso and started dancing. They did the conga line around the restaurant and Oso was holding onto Damian’s shoulders. It was hysterical. When it was over we really needed to go so Oso visited with Damian and made tons pictures! Damian was so happy to meet two of his favorite characters. When he watches them on tv he talks about how cool it is that they met in real life. It makes that nasty meal 100% worth it!

Walking the parks 16 hours a day didn’t make me tired. Sleeping 7 hours and then doing it all over again didn’t bother me. What I did next about killed me. When Damian and Oso were done we really needed to get to the show and meet with Michael. He kept calling me telling me they were about to open the doors. I was all the way across the park, had no idea where I was going, had my camera, a bag that weighed about 15 pounds (water can be heavy along with all of our other things) and a four year old who weighs about 37 pounds. I didn’t have time for him to walk so I did what any mom would do. I put the camera around my neck, but the book bag on one shoulder, threw Damian on my back and sprinted all the way across Hollywood Studios. Just thinking about it makes me tired. I think it was the best cardio workout of my life. If it weren’t for my new love of running I never could have done it. Michael was near the front of the line so we had to go by tons of people, but we made it to him about three minutes before the doors were opened.

Damian was getting cranky by the time the show started. He enjoyed seeing Lightning McQueen and all of the neat tricks, but he hated the loud noise. I enjoyed the show more than either of my boys. I thought it was cool. I loved the car that appeared to drive backwards. Maybe I’m easily entertained, but I enjoyed it.

Next it was time to go on the Toy Story ride. Damian is a HUGE Toy Story fan. He was so excited to go on the ride. It is a competitive ride and is a lot of fun. Michael barely beat me. It was really close! It worked out nicely because Michael and I could play and D could look at everything.

We then went by Pizza Planet. We were planning on coming back another day, but quickly realized it wasn’t necessary and D wanted to see it. It wasn’t anything spectacular.

Hollywood Studios was fun, but it is definitely only a half day park. There are fun things to do, but it is for older kids. I think Damian will enjoy it even more the next day.

On the car ride to the new hotel I had only one thing on my mind, Madelyn! I couldn’t wait to see her! I had never been away from her for more than about 15 hours (only once) so I couldn’t wait to see my blue eyed beauty. We got there about five minutes before my parents and I waited in the parking lot for them. Madelyn was so excited to see us. Damian really is the best big brother ever. He told her how much he missed her and kept giving her kisses. We got settled in our condo and enjoyed having our family the way it should be, all four of us.

That night was by far our most low key night. We went to the Grand Floridian and ate at the Grand Floridian Café. All of the food was delicious. It was good ole, normal American food. Damian and Madelyn were so excited to be together again. They chased each other around the grounds of the hotel after dinner squealing like little pigs. They were so happy. They are like two little peas in a pod. They get on each other’s nerves, but the two of them have so much fun with each other. As their mommy nothing in this world makes me happier than seeing them running, playing and laughing uncontrollably.

Madelyn arriving made everything just right. Day 4 fun coming soon! It was a magical day at the Magic Kingdom followed by a fairytale dinner at Cinderella’s castle with Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Belle and the most beautiful princess of all, Madelyn!

Disney {Day 2 Epcot and Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party}

2011-10-25T20:25:00.000-04:00

*Sorry, no pictures. When I upload them they have lines through them and weird fading. All of our photos are on my facebook page.

Day 2 started out about 7:30 for me. I was too excited to sleep. I got up, got dressed and was ready when the boys woke up. We ate in the room and were off to Epcot.

When we walked in right after opening we headed straight to the Soarin’ fast pass. It was already five hours later. Epcot was by far the worst crowds we encountered the entire week. We didn’t really know what to do so we went to Nemo. Damian enjoyed it, but nothing like he enjoyed the rides at Magic Kingdom. If we want to see fish we can go to the Georgia Aquarium.

We had reservations for lunch at Le Cellier which is the hot restaurant at Disney for the moment. They start you off with pretzel bread and I have never seen Damian demolish anything like he did that. He ate three giant pieces in about five minutes. I’ve heard great things about this place and had really high expectations. I had the crab and spinach dip as my appetizer and it was good, but nothing spectacular. Damian had the cheese soup that is supposedly fabulous as his appetizer, but we all thought it was nasty. I don’t even remember what Michael had so that shows it wasn’t that good! Michael and I both had the New York Strip. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary at a good restaurant. I don’t think it was nearly as good as the nice restaurants we have been to in Atlanta. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but like the Crystal Palace waaaay overpriced. The one good thing was that it was only one table service credit so we got a good bang for our buck.

After Le Cellier we rode Spaceship Earth and headed back to the hotel. We were not wild about Epcot. It seemed a little too stuffy for us. It was probably because it was really crowded, but it just wasn’t for us.

We got back to the hotel and Michael took a nap so I took Damian to the pool. The pool at the hotel was really nice. Damian was disappointed in the slide. We have a really great slide at our pool at home and this was just some little slide. He did have a blast splashing around. I was amazed at how well he was swimming. He was going free style from one end of the pool to the other and it was a big pool. I was cold so we then went to the hot tub. You never have to ask D twice to go to a hot tub. He loves them. We interrupted a teenage couple trying to have alone time and were soon joined by a mom and her little boy. Damian and the other little guy became friends and were having contests to see who could make the biggest splash when jumping in.

After drying off we got dressed and headed to Jiko. One of my best friends, Clare, is South African. Since we were at the Animal Kingdom Lodge I thought it would be fun to go to the African restaurant and try the food. All of the reviews from this place are fantastic. The atmosphere is breathtaking. I had the wild boar tenderloin as my appetizer and it was to die for. Michael had the bobotie and I didn’t care for it. It tasted like ground beef and mustard. For dinner we both had the fillet and risotto. I loved it. Michael though the entire menu looked odd and would have said he didn’t like it even if he had loved it. He does have a sensitive stomach and the different spices did upset it. I thought it was delicious. I had never had risotto and thought it was really good. Again, I wouldn’t want to pay out of pocket for this place, but it was definitely worth it on the dining plan.

We returned to the room and the transformation began. Damian left us for the week and Buzz Lightyear joined us. Damian looked so cute it should have been illegal. When walking to the bus stop alone he had at least fifteen people stop him and tell him how adorable he looked.

I think Mickey’s Not so Scary Night was one of the most fun nights of my life. We will go every single year from now on. It was 100 times worth every single penny. When we got there we immediately started looking for the Toy Story characters. No one would give us a straight answer about Woody and Jesse so we went to meet Buzz. Buzz only spent a few seconds with the kids in front of us and then politely pushed them to the side. He did the exact opposite with Damian. He gave him the biggest hug and then took him to his control panel to “teach” him how to use it. He taught Damian how to pose and hugged him again and again. Damian got about eight to ten minutes with Buzz. Damian was the happiest boy in the world to be with his favorite superhero. The kid behind us got the same treatment as the rest, picture and then be on your way.

We rode a bunch of rides on our hunt to find Woody and Jesse. Just when we were about to give up we walked by the Diamond Horseshoe and saw Jesse. Woody, Jesse and Bullyseye were hosting a dance party that no one knew about. Damian danced like crazy with them and got all of the alone time he wanted. The DJ kept announcing that the entire gang was there with Buzz in the building. Jesse was soooo nice. She grabbed Damian and kissed him and I though he was going to pass out. He danced, and danced, and danced. It really could not have worked out any better. Damian got TONS of time with them and we didn’t have to wait in line.

Tomorrowland was next on our to-do-list. We rode Buzz again, and again and again. Like the night before there was no line. When we got out after the 20th time Michael ran to the bathroom and Damian and I stumbled upon a dance party with Chip and Dale and some kid band. Damian went out there and was shaking his booty. They had a freestyle dance and he got on the ground and started breakdancing. I thought I was going to wet my pants it was so funny. He danced a lot with Chip and Dale and once again was on cloud nine.

We left the dance party and rode every ride in the park once again. We couldn’t believe our luck with absolutely no lines and the fantastic weather. With a high chance of rain there wasn’t a cloud in the night’s sky. We then watched the Boo to You Parade as we walked from one end of the park to another. (We aren’t big parade people, we enjoyed watching them as we were walking) We ended our night at midnight when the park closed. It truly was a magical night. One I will never forget. We had an exact repeat of the night before (fell asleep on bus, slept through shower) We were all tired, but knew we were just getting started. Day 3 (Hollywood Studios and the real princess, Madelyn, joins the party) coming soon!

2011-10-21T20:00:00.001-04:00

Disney Day 1 {Animal Kingdom Lodge and Magic Kingdom}

2011-10-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

"Let the Memories Begin"

We just returned home from the most fun week of my life (well, tied with my honeymoon). We just returned home from a week of Disney World and it was pure fun! Michael, Damian and I started off Sunday the 9th at 5am. When I went to get Damian out of bed he was the happiest kid in the world. He said, “Mommy, you mean it is really time to go to Disney World?!”

Our drive down was uneventful except for the awful rain. It poured most of the way down. Even though the weather report called for rain the first few days I had a feeling not to worry. Damian was sooo excited the entire ride. He would constantly say, “We’re going to Disney World, We’re going to Disney World!” Seeing him so excited made the ride much more fun.

Once we were close enough to see the welcome sign his eyes lit up, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and blue skies emerged. The excitement could be seen all over his face. We went through security at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and his eyes were as big as they could get. When we got out of the car we were immediately greeted by a woman waiting on us. She greeted us by name and took us to the counter to check in. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is absolutely spectacular. The lobby is huge and has so many details it was hard to take it all in at once. There were fountains, fire pits, intricate carvings, beautiful furniture and huge chandeliers that made us feel like we were in Africa.

Once we found our room we were excited that they had upgraded us for free. I paid for the standard room, but we were given a Savannah view. We only stayed in the room long enough to throw our things in and headed to explore the resort. Our excitement got the best of us and we headed straight to the Magic Kingdom after about ten minutes of looking around.

One thing I love is the bus system. They drop you off at the gate and it is so easy. Whenever finances permit we will definitely be staying on property (I’m about to book next year’s trip!) It was awesome being dropped at the front gates of Magic Kingdom.

When we walked in Damian didn’t know what to think. We were all a little overwhelmed, but quickly started having a blast. We hit Tomorrowland first and did the Lilo activity. I must say I think it is the dumbest thing in the park. I thought we were in trouble if that what were what the entire park was like. We grabbed fast passes for Buzz and went to the Laugh Factory. We all really enjoyed it. Damian laughed the entire time.

After we left the Laugh Factory we headed to the place that changed Damian’s life forever… the Buzz Lightyear ride. To say he loved it would not do his love for that ride justice. When he walked in and saw Buzz he about lost it. I have never seen him smile like that. He took his job of saving the planet from Zurg very seriously. He would try so hard to do a good job and as soon as he was done he would tell us he saved the entire planet. He told us that all 150 times we got off the ride.

The first night the park was empty. We headed to Fantasyland and rode everything without waiting in line. He really enjoyed It’s A Small World and fell in love with Winnie the Pooh, which worked out great for our reservations that night.

For dinner we had reservations at The Crystal Palace. He met a little girl next to our table and they would have left together and wouldn’t have noticed they left their parents behind. They laughed and giggled the entire time. They talked about the rides they had been on and what they wanted to go to next. She told him about the princesses and he told her about Buzz, Woody, Jesse and Lightning McQueen. At that point we had been awake 14.5 hours and were starving. We had barely eaten all day. Michael and I about knocked people down to get to the buffet! j/k, kind of! We were on the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan so we didn’t have to pay out of pocket. The food was good, but is waaaay overpriced.

The best part of the meal was the characters. Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger were there and Damian LOVED it. He would get so excited when he would see them and gave each of them the biggest hugs. I think the character meals are the greatest things there. I would much rather have meals with them than have to wait in line at the park. (Our next trip we are skipping all overpriced fine restaurants and only doing character meals, except for California Grill, the view is an experience in itself)

We were planning on going back to the hotel after dinner, but when we walked out of the Crystal Palace Wishes was going on so we stopped to watch. Within about two minutes we all decided we were not ready to stop. We rode every single ride in the park multiple times except for Space Mountain (he isn’t 44 inches) We literally went all the way around the park twice riding everything. It was amazing! Damian loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad until he got squished and loved Splash Mountain until every single person in our boat turned around to ask him about the huge drop and made a big deal out of it. Up until that point the big drop had been fun. It was absolutely amazing how empty the park was. We didn’t wait in line for anything. It was unreal. All three of us were having the time of our lives.

About midnight we decided to go back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We left having already been on every ride we came to ride. It was a nice feeling knowing we had experienced everything and we still had five more days at Magic Kingdom. The minute we got on the bus Damian was out. He was exhausted. We gave him a shower and he barely budged. He was so happy to get in the top bunk. He though it was the coolest thing. We all went to sleep and got ready to do it all over again the next day. Day 1 was amazing, but it was only the beginning. I must say I’m hooked. A yearly trip to Disney is a definite for our family. I have made a deal with the kids that their birthday gift every year will be a weekly trip t Disney. Damian thought it was the best idea ever. We had the most fun week of our lives. Day 2’s adventures (the day of food, Le Cellier and Jiko and Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party) coming soon!

D and Daddy waiting for dinner at The Crystal Palace. I thought we were going to starve to death we were so hungry!

Damian and Tigger.

D as soon as we got in the park headed towards Tomorrowland.

Wishes in the background

See the smile on his face? That stayed all week long!

Surprisingly, Winnie the Pooh was his least favorite of the night.

Damian and his friend. They were having a serious discussion about vvery important things like princesses and Buzz Lightyear.

The look on his face is the reason we will be returning next year (and the year after that and the year after that!)

Preschool

2011-09-25T17:39:00.002-04:00

I guess I should get a mommy of the year award for writing this almost a month after he started… oh well, better late than never!

My little boy started back to school September 6th. He is in a 4 year old class at the same school as last year. The only difference is that he goes four days a week this year. I know a lot of families choose for their four year old to go to the lottery funded Pre-K program, but that isn’t for us. Damian just turned four and neither of us is ready for him to be gone seven hours a day, five days a week. Being gone four hours/ four days a week is perfect.

Damian has done FABULOUS! He is having so much fun. Luckily, one of his best buddies, Landon, is in his class again this year. If they weren’t together it would be bad. They are great friends and love being together. When they hang out outside of school it is great because he has a little brother a few months younger than Mad. Damian has also met a bunch of other friends. He has become better friends with kids he just knew on the playground last year and has met ones that he never knew before. I love picking him up and him telling me about his days adventures with his friends. He never gets in the car without a story to tell. Riding home from school listening to him is a highlight of my day.

Academically, Damian is doing superb. This year is much more academically focused than last year. His teacher said that her class is more academically based than most to prepare the kids. I love it and think that it is wonderful. Damian brings home a ton of work every day and he amazes me. He does so well on it. Very rarely does he miss anything. I’m one proud mommy!

Damian has adapted very well to going back to school. He LOVES going. Madelyn on the other hand didn’t take the change too well. The entire first week I would drop him off and she would scream, “Brofer, Brofer, Deeeeeee!” for a good twenty minutes. It made for long mornings. Once we would get home she would turn the house upside down looking for him. After a few days she realized that she could play with all of his “special” toys and mommy wouldn’t tell so she quickly realized a few hours a week without Brother was ok.

So far (I know this can change at any moment) he has had wonderful behavior. He is at the age where he loves to talk about poop and bodily functions. Our rule is that while he is at school he can’t talk about it, but once he gets in the car he can sing any nasty song he wants to about poop. Once he gets in the car he just can’t help himself. After going four hours without saying the word poop he must sing his songs. I know I shouldn’t, but it makes me laugh.

I’m so proud of him for doing so well his first month. It doesn’t seem possible that he is already 4 and doing real things at school. I love how much he loves school. I hope he always wants to learn and looks forward to it. I’m so proud of the young man he is becoming.

Goooooooo Force!

2011-09-10T20:13:00.001-04:00

This morning the Force had their opening game. It went surprisingly very well. When we first pulled up we got out of the car and heard a coach yelling and screaming at his team. It made me a little nervous because I’m the exact opposite. I want the kids to have fun. If someone is constantly yelling and belittling you then the fun is gone. When we got to the field after pictures I went to talk to the other coach and she was just like me, she knew absolutely nothing about soccer. It made for a relaxed and fun game for everyone.

I went out on the field and Crystal (assistant coach) kept time and stayed with the kids on the sidelines. Only three kids play at a time so having a list of who played when definitely made the game go smoothly. When the game started Damian wasn’t sure what to think. He has been told his entire life not to take things from other people and we have had to deter him from having contact with other kids. He was a little timid at first, but slowly got the hang of it. I really think Damian is made for football (the kid is solid, he can knock anyone down), but he did a fantastic job! I’m a really proud mommy and had a fun time coaching. I still don’t know what I’m doing, but our team is having fun and that is all that matters!

Passing

2011-09-09T20:34:00.002-04:00

At the end of June my grandmother Blanche was diagnosed with lung cancer. At her age (88, she turned 89 last Sunday) chemotherapy wasn’t an option. It was a waiting game. The form of lung cancer she had is very aggressive and some do not survive long at all. The best thing is to remain comfortable and pain free. After the diagnosis we watched her very slowly go downhill.

Last Sunday night my entire family gathered at my mom’s house to celebrate her 89th birthday. I could tell she was sick, but she still looked pretty good. She got to watch her great-grandchildren play and got to talk to all of us. She ate cake and had a fun night. Monday she got worse and by yesterday her diagnosis was not good. I had a jam packed day, but I knew it would be the last time I would get to see her so Damian and I went to visit her. She was on oxygen and it was tough to see. When I told her Damian and I were leaving she got very upset and started to cry. I told her that if Madelyn was in a good mood we would come visit today. She didn’t make it that far. I’m very happy that we got to go and say goodbye. As much as you can say goodbye.

When I got done running today I noticed that my mom had called so I called her back. She gave me the news so Damian went to a friend’s house, Madelyn went to the office and I headed to Lawrenceville. I know she is with my granddad and Barbara right now so I have peace. I’m happy that she didn’t suffer long and lived a long, fulfilling life. I think it is much worse to be here and in pain. I’m happy that my dad got to be with her right before she died and we got to see her yesterday. RIP Grandmother Blanche.

*Happy post about Damian’s first week of school coming soon!

Not Just A Soccer Mom...

2011-09-03T15:11:00.002-04:00

A few months ago I signed Damian up for a local youth soccer league. I thought it would be fun for him to run around and I requested for him to be on a team with two of his best buddies, Noah and Ava, so I knew he would definitely have fun if they were around.

A few weeks ago I got a call from a man at the rec department asking if I was interested in helping with soccer. I’m always willing to help with anything. I know I’m a very overprotective mom and would never dare miss anything my kids are doing so I said I would help in any way I could, but without knowing anything about soccer I wasn’t the best candidate to coach.

Another few weeks went by when a lady from the rec department called the day before we were leaving for vacation. She informed me that no one would volunteer to coach their team and without a coach they couldn’t play. I don’t think it is fair for kids to not get to do something for reasons they can’t control so guess who is the head coach of Damian’s U6 soccer team… ME!

I have never been to a soccer game, watched a soccer game, or know anything about soccer, but I am the head coach of the Gum Springs Force soccer team. We have had four practices and it had definitely been a learning experience. There is another mom who helps me out a lot and is very helpful. I have a little hand book with drills in it and I have been watching a lot of You Tube videos (most are not in English) to get ideas. I’m definitely the only coach out there who is coaching and chasing a one year old at the same time. I know I’m not the best coach out there, but I’m trying and the kids are getting to play. At this age my main goal is for the kids to have fun. They aren’t going to learn much about the game with me as their coach, but we are going to have a good time. As long as all of the kids have a positive experience I will consider this a success. The Gum Springs Force plays their first game next Saturday and it will be interesting, especially with me out there with my whistle coaching!

Panama City Beach {2011}

2011-09-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, the 17th our family headed to Panama City Beach. We left at five with the intentions of the kids sleeping on the car. Michael picked Damian up out of his bed and his little eyes popped open and he squealed that it was time to go to the beach. He was sooooo excited. Madelyn on the other hand was rather confused. She didn’t get why we had woken her up in the middle of the night and stuck her in the car.

The ride down was uneventful. Damian must have said, “Panama City, here I come” at least one hundred times. Madelyn did fantastic until we got south of Atlanta. We stopped for a potty break and quickly realized the secret to getting Madelyn to travel well… barbecue chips! She very happily ate her chips. I usually don’t like for the kids to watch tv in the car (seriously, do kids need tv everywhere?), but let them watch for the long ride. In Columbus we put on the Disney Princess sing-a-long dvd and Madelyn LOVED it. With that video on Damian was fast asleep within two minutes. When Pocahontas came on Madelyn went wild. Michael and I were dying laughing watching her “sing” and dance in her carseat. They both were fairly easy in the car and we made it in time to have the whole day on the beach.

When we arrived to the condo we didn’t have to check in because we had rented directly from the owner. Our condo was lovely. It was very kid friendly and spacious. From being cooped up in the car all day the kids were ready to run wild so Michael and I took them down to the pool and beach. Damian was thrilled to see the beach. He loves everything about it. Madelyn HATED the sand. I mean hated. If she thought she was going to be put down she screamed bloody murder. The funny thing was that she loved the ocean. She just didn’t want to touch the sand. We had a fun few hours together as a family and then went up to put Madelyn down for a nap. Damian and I didn’t want to hand out in the room so we went to the beach and built sand castles and “buried” each other. Michael was very happy to stay in the room and take a nap.

After Mad woke up we headed to Captain Anderson’s for dinner. Since we were only there for four nights we stayed on home time and were there at 5 (6 Atlanta time) to eat. Both kids were tired so we were a little nervous about the meal. When we sat down Madelyn hit her finger and immediately started screaming. I walked her for a minute and she calmed down. Michael and I ordered fast not knowing when a meltdown would occur. We held our breaths waiting for someone to lose it, but they both behaved very well. We were the only people in there under eighty and we must have had at least twenty old people stop at the table to talk to the kids and comment about how wonderful it was to see a young family enjoying each other. Michael and I would laugh when they walked away that they had no idea we felt like a ticking time bomb. We ended the night with a trip to Wal-Mart for groceries and put the kids to bed and we watched tv.

The second day we woke up and hit the pool and beach as a family. We go back and forth so many times a day so we park our stuff at the pool where we can grab the sand toys (not for Madelyn!) and head down to the ocean. We played, and played, and played some more until it was time for lunch. After eating Mad and Michael went down for naps and Damian and I headed to Captain Anderson’s Marina for a boat ride to Shell Island.

Our three hour tour was definitely a highlight of our trip. Damian had been talking about it for weeks. We were on a big, glass bottom boat, but there were only six people so we could move freely and wander around. The first mate was showing us how to feed the seagulls Cheetos and Damian thought it was the coolest thing. I was the only one brave (dumb) enough to do it too. On about my tenth time doing it one pecked my finger so then I decided the smart thing would be to just throw them. Damian had a ball on the boat. He held on tight to his truck and sand toys and loved looking at all of the cool animals.

We arrived on Shell Island and Damian was ready to play in the water and hunt for shells. We filled the truck full of beautiful shells. As we would find them D would declare that it was his favorite. He was so enthuastic about it. We played at Shell Island for an hour and then it was time to go see the dolphins.

I really wish I had my video camera while looking for the dolphins. Damian was hysterical. First, we spotted a big dolphin swimming solo. Damian is fascinated with marine creatures (well, really any creature) and watched in amazement. Next we saw a baby and its mom. He thought it was so sweet. Next, we saw a baby shark. It was only about three to four feet long and visions of a great white jumping out of the water raced through his mind (He loved watching Shark week a few weeks prior) Damian screamed, “EVERYONE TO THE BACK OF THE BOAT! THE SHARK IS GOING TO JUMP OUT OF THE WATER AND EAT US ALL!” I thought everyone was going to die laughing. He really believed it was going to get us. I explained to him that it was a baby and definitely not a great white. I’m pretty sure he didn’t buy it and was still convinced it was going to leap out and get us. We saw a few more dolphins and headed back to dry land.

That night we went to dinner at Schuckum’s. The kids were very well behaved but the dinner was not so hot. After that we headed to Pier Park. Both kids were worn out, but wanted to go. Damian rode the airplanes and Madelyn had fun playing with her daddy’s phone. Damian then decided he wanted to ride the ferris wheel. I was shocked since he is so afraid of heights. He loved it. I didn’t like being stuck at the top but he was having fun looking out at the scenery. Madelyn saw us and lost it. She was terrified seeing D and I going up in the air. After we got off we calmed her down and we rode the carousel. She was over it and ready for bed so we went to the condo, but the kids to bed, and Michael and I watched tv.

The next morning was the same ole, same ole. We played at the pool, beach, both were well behaved, met little friends to play with, and just had fun. Late that afternoon Michael’s parents joined us. Michael and I both really liked having a family vacation just the four of us, but we were looking forward to some alone time and were happy to see them. The six of us headed to Captain Anderson’s for dinner. Afterwards, Madelyn was worn out from so much fun and sun so Susan took her back and Damian, Michael, Lee and I went to Pier Park. I was too scared to take Madelyn on the pier (wild one year old and really high pier don’t mix) so we took Damian out there. He liked it, but was ready to ride the rides. Michael and D played a shooting game and then D rode the rides. We had fun and were all ready for bed.

Saturday morning was like every other morning, except it was very relaxing having four adults and only two kids. Everyone got some form of a break. We all spent the morning hanging out at the pool and beach. All week Madelyn would go to different lounge chairs and order Michael or me to sit and then move to another chair so she enjoyed playing her “game” with her grandparents. After a fun morning Michael’s dad went and got us Sonics (We eat there once a year, while on vacation. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten at one in GA) and we enjoyed lunch in the condo. I put Madelyn down for a nap and Lee stayed in the room with her.

Damian loves to build sand castles and was happy to have his grandmother there to build them with her. Michael and I love to ride jet skis so we thought it was the perfect time since both kids were occupied. Susan and Damian had left for the each a few minutes before us so when Michael was filling out the paperwork for the jet ski I went to say hello to my baby. Apparently when we rode off Damian had a nervous breakdown. He told Susan to go get one and to follow us. She told him she didn’t have money with her and he told her that wasn’t a problem, Daddy would pay her back later. He told her that didn’t I know I had two little babies and that wasn’t very responsible? She said he went ballistic and the only way for him to calm down was to go inside. While he threw a fit Michael and I had fun. Every time he laughs that he is going to throw me off, but I held on tight (When we were in Panama my sophomore year Spring Break we were on a jet ski and I hit the water so hard from being thrown off the cyst in my wrist popped that I was going to have to get removed) It is always nice to get away and have fun as a couple.

That night Susan and Lee took the kids to dinner and Michael and I went to Boar’s Head. I think that was the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. I always forget how good that place is. Afterwards we went to Pier Park and he sat patiently while I shopped. I didn’t get anything, but it was fun looking. We then headed back to the condo and as we were pulling in Michael’s parents called that they were in the parking deck so we helped them in. They had been to Dunkin Doughnuts and Damian was ready to attack them. We went upstairs, Madelyn went to bed, Damian attacked his doughnuts, and Michael and I got our bathing suits on and went to the pool and beach. It was so peaceful to be on the beach by ourselves. We just walked and chatted. Once we got back to the pool there was a bunch of drunk people to watch that were pretty good entertainment. Michael and I enjoyed a swim and headed back up to the room to pack. When we got up there Damian was bouncing off the walls. He was so incredibly sugared up. We tried to get him to bed, but nothing was working. He was in bed pretending to be a dog and only barking at us. Once Michael got in bed and firmly told him to calm down he was out within two minutes.

We had a really great vacation. It was short and sweet, but a whole lot of fun. This was our mini vacation of the year because in a few weeks we are Disney World bound for a week! I must admit, we are getting really excited!

My New Hobby

2011-08-13T11:20:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I decided I was sick of constantly wanting to lose weight. I decided that if I was going to lose weight I would be the only person that could do anything about it. I was sick of thinking about it and decided to do something about it. Having two babies definitely changed my figure. I look back at pictures of when I thought I was “fat” and laugh. I would kill to look like that now.

I have never, ever beer a runner. I would use to have rather done anything that run. I could walk all day long at a fast pace, but running just wasn’t for me. About two months ago I decided that I was going to change that. We have a treadmill in the basement that needed to be put to use. I started out running one minute, walking very fast two and have been constantly improving every week. My “usual” now is to run/ sprint one and a half minutes and jog one. Sometimes, I’ll even run/sprint two and jog one. It just depends on my mood. I am also getting better with an incline. I started out at zero and now constantly keep it at 3.0. If I feel like mixing things up I will set the incline incredibly high and power walk.

When I started out my goal was to make it very realistic. If I started out reaching too high then I would just get frustrated and not stick with it. I set a goal of 14 miles per week. I usually run Monday-Friday and do closer to 20 miles. If I can only do 16 I don’t worry about it. I still have surpassed my goal. The DVR has also made sticking with it much easier. I record all of my favorite shows and watch while I run. It makes the time go by much faster when there is something I enjoy on. Other than running I don’t have much (actually any) time to watch tv that I enjoy so it is nice watching something other than Special Agent Oso or Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Having two little kids I don’t get much time to myself. If you aren’t a mom then you don’t understand how demanding the job is. Being a stay at home mom I am with my kids 24 hours a day. I love the two of them and this is what I signed up for, but I am human. I don’ get to ever drive in the car by myself and just listen to the radio or ever go to the bathroom by myself (something that stay all stay at home moms can definitely relate to) so having a time a day that I put aside just for myself is very relaxing. Most days I do have a workout partner, a cute little four year old. He will bring his toys down and play, but he knows that I don’t talk while I’m running (Madelyn is either napping or with her daddy). This time that I take for myself relieves stress and makes me a better mommy. I feel better mentally and physically. And another bonus is that it is all free! Coming back full circle to the mom issue is the fact that all our money goes to our kids. I would much rather buy something for Damian or Madelyn than for myself.

I’m to the point where I LOVE to get on the treadmill. Getting on there to clear my mind and get in a good sweaty workout makes me feel so much better. In two months I have lost about 12 pounds. I tried on my jeans from last year and they are too big. I told Michael that the good news is that none of my jeans fit, but the bad news is that I’m going to have to buy all new jeans! It feels good to not be thinking about losing weight, but to actually be doing it. I have a looooooong way to go to be where I want to be, but I had to start somewhere. I’m on the right path instead of wishing it would just disappear. I’m the only person that can get me to where I want to be.

Bye Bye Mole!

2011-08-09T19:40:00.001-04:00

*I wrote this yesterday
Today was Damian's big day... surgery! My day started off at 5:45 when the alarm went off an hour early. I couldn't fall back asleep, but at about that time Damian came in to cuddle. He usually comes in around midnight, so I was glad to see him. We cuddled until I got out of the bed to get dressed. About 7:20 I got D up to give him a drink (he couldn't drink anything after 7:30). About that time I heard Madelyn talking. I got both of them dresses and we hit the road at 7:45.

We didn't have to be at the hospital until 10, but with having to stop and drop Madelyn off with my mom and Atlanta traffic I figured it would take that long. Nope, I was wrong! We didn't hit any traffic... that is unheard of in Atlanta! We got there over an hour early and got signed in. We were only there a minute before my dad walked in and about thirty minutes before Michael arrived. We waited a few minutes and were then taken back to the pre-op area.

We sat in the pre- op room for what felt like an eternity. We talked to the anesthesiologist, nurses and doctor. At his doctors appt I was told he had to stay out of water for one week, but today they said two. The only little problem is that we go to the beach within that time frame. They assured me that he would be fine to go. Thank goodness! The nurse gave him some pain medication and it hyped him up. He was bouncing off of the walls. By that time my mom arrived and brought Chick-Fil-A for Michael and I. I was starving, but didn't want to leave him before surgery. The nurse then came in and said that it would be at least an hour before they took him back to I ran out the door and ate on the bench beside the elevator. I ate fast to get back to my boy. I did the best I could to entertain him when I returned. There was a giant chalk board that he had so much fun drawing on. He is a really good artist. He didn't get that from his momma! He was drawing people with huge moles on their faces. It was cute. We did puzzles and played until the nurse came to get us.

My mom had already left, my dad went home, Michael went to the post-op room and D and I headed to the operating room. Only one parent can go and it was obviously going to be me. Michael knew it and didn't even fight it. We got in the operating room and they laid him down on the table. He got very confused looking. The nurse put a mask over his face and he didn't like it. He started turning extremely red and looked very out of it. He sat up to grab me, squealed “Momma!” and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he was out. I gave him a kiss, got Woody and Jessie and left.

While we waited it seemed like eternity. Knowing my little boy was being cut on made me sick. Michael was calm, I on the other hand wasn't. I told him I wish there had been a treadmill, I could have run a marathon while we waited. After about 20 min the doctor came back and said he was done. He said that everything went perfectly and showed us the size of the scar. He said it will not be big, but if it is we will be at the dermatologist for laser treatments. We talked to Dr. Williams a few minutes and then continued the waiting game. We kept hearing kids crying and I kept telling Michael and the nurses it was Damian. They said it wasn't but I know my kids cries. I was right, it was him. When I heard him scream “I WANT MY MOMMA!” there was no denying it. When they wheeled him to his post-op room he was fighting to get his IV out. They said everything went great and when he woke up he started fighting to pull it out. He immediately got in my lap and starting pulling at the IV. I had to hold his arms down. It was pure torture. The nurse realized that he was going to eventually win so she went ahead and took it out. He sat very peacefully and watched Clifford while he sucked on a popsicle and drank apple juice. He was very foggy and loopy. I ran downstairs to get his prescriptions filled while Michael hung out with him. When I got back we left.

The car ride home was very uneventful. He slept most of the way. I knew he was starving so I pulled into Zaxby's when we got of our exit. He woke up when we got home and devoured his food. The poor little guy's belly was hurting from being so hungry. We headed to my bed (might as well be his bed) and he had a hard time walking up the stairs. They throw his balance off. He is having a hard time understanding why I will not let him go up and down the stairs by himself tonight. As soon as Michael got home he wanted to go get his favorite thing... doughnuts! We couldn't tell a kid who had been in the operating room five hours earlier no so we headed to Publix. Those things sure were good! He told us on the way over how much he missed Sissy and couldn't wait to see her. He is such a sweet boy!

Hs is getting wilder and wilder as the night progresses. Right now he is practicing soccer with my table as the goal (not the best idea!). One strange thing is that he told me he remembered seeing the doctor put his mole in a jar and that the doctor didn’t use scissors to cut it off. While we were playing “doctor” he performed the surgery on me and tried to shove a tube down my throat. I’m not quite sure how he knows all of this, but he is recovering well. I’m so glad the surgery is behind us and we can move on. My little guy is a trooper and I’m so very proud of him.

***Today he has been his talkative, wild self! He told me it is a great day to go to the pool and didn't understand why we couldn't go since he feels great. I only gave him pain medicine last night before bed and he hasn't mentioned it hurting. He is very upset that he can't wash his hair. My kids take baths every night right before they go to bed (and most mornings too) and he is very grossed out by the thought of not washing his hair. I'm about to lay him on the kitchen counter and wash it with the sprayer in the sink. This should be interesting! :)

Randoms

2011-08-04T19:49:00.001-04:00

Here is a rambling post about what has been going on around here...

- Damian's surgery is Monday at 11:35am. We have to be there at 10 and I'm getting very nervous. I'm not looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to it being over.

- Damian has been to camp the past two weeks. It was held on Tues, Wed and Thurs each week for four hours. His best buddy at school, Landen, was there with him. All he wanted to do was go play with him. He didn't mention any other kids in the class. He has come home warn out, which is very unlike him. I know they must have been playing hard!

-Madelyn has been using the potty a lot lately. Yesterday she even got out of the bathtub to pee. She is up to about two times a day on the potty. I'm not pushing potty training at all. She is getting it on her own so I don't want to make her go backwards. I'm really hoping for a diaper free life soon!

- Madelyn is OBSESSED with shoes, hair bows, sunglasses and Baby. She is a mess, but oh so cute!

- We got moved to the new warehouse and it is fantastic! I have my own office, but most importantly my own desk! After sharing a desk with Michael and everyone else under the sun it is exciting to have my own spot. Damian and Madelyn have their own office too. I'm going to get a name plate for the door with their names on it. They are loving all of the extra space at work.

- Madelyn had a wild week. The other night I caught her drinking toilet water with an empty water bottle. I called CHOA and they assured me that she was fine and she has been. The toilet was recently cleaned and had "fresh" (as fresh as water in a toilet can be) water in it. The nurse told me that she would be fine and the everyday things are much worse than the toilet. If that wasn't bad enough she feel the next day at the new office and busted her eyebrow open. She bled a lot, but it is right in the middle of her eyebrow so I'm hoping for no visable scar.

Damian's Birthday Party

2011-08-02T19:46:00.001-04:00

Wednesday night was Damian’s actual birthday so we gathered at the pool with his closest friends to celebrate. In the years past he has had massive parties with tons of people, so this year we just decided to celebrate with the people he loves most.

We had about sixteen little kids that Damian adores. They are all kids that he usually sees weekly. I think the hit of the party was the slide. The all loved it. At one point Damian and Landen were going down and D screamed to me that not to worry about anything, he and Landen had everything at the party under control. Those two have fun doing anything! The kids also enjoyed running around the zero entry area. The ones that aren’t up there regularly enjoyed squirting others with the water gun.

Damian was funny at his party. He never went too far from his cake and gifs! Every time he went to check the cake (that Susan made) out he would stick his finger in the corner to get a little icing. By the time we sang “Happy Birthday” he had pretty much cleared out the icing from that corner. Michael was specifically told to bring a lighter (none of us smoke, so we would have no way to light the candles) and he went swimming with it. D was impatient while we were finding another method to light the candles and kept trying to start “Happy Birthday” where we could finally eat cake.

Damian told me that he had the best birthday ever. As his mom that is the best thing I could ever hear. We went to Ninja Thursday night with our parents to celebrate and had his family party at Red Lobster Saturday night. Michael and I gave him some Special Agent Oso toys (that I found on the clearance rack at Target!), but his big gift is Disney World. I’m so happy that he had such a fun birthday (month!) and can’t believe the next time we do it he will be five!

I'm not sure why these uploaded so strange. It also deleted half of them. Oh well... the rest are on Facebook.

Damian is 4!

2011-07-27T07:48:00.000-04:00

Four years ago I met a little boy who turned my world upside down. I could try to sit here and write how much I love him, but there aren’t words to do justice for my love for him. When I had Damian I wasn’t very familiar with the bond between a mother and a son. It is more than I could ever dream. Having a son and a daughter are completely different from one another (but equally as wonderful!). My bond with Damian is like no other with anyone else on this planet. He is my little side kick, my little buddy, and most importantly my baby boy.

Damian and I have a very unique bond. The other day the three of us were playing when someone commented about what they observed with my relationship with my kids. They said that they could tell from the way I interacted with my kids that I adored them. I didn’t just sit and observe, but was chasing them in the kid area pretending to be a shark and when I would “eat” them I would give them tons of kisses. We were in our own little world, I wasn’t even aware anyone was watching. They commented that is was so nice to see a mom that didn’t just love their kids, but had fun with them. I truly do have fun with them. Madelyn is just now getting to a really fun age, but the fun with Damian is endless. We make sitting on the floor doing nothing a silly game where we both are laughing out loud. If you’ve ever met Damian you know his laugh. It is contagious.

Damian is an unforgettable little boy. I know I have to think he is perfect, but he isn’t a child you forget. He loves to tell people stories (especially ghost stories staring a ghost named Granddaddy Charles) and ask questions. Just two days ago he was getting his hair cut when the lady asked him how he was doing he said, “Great!” and then proceed to tell her about the dream he had when Mr. Potato head was on a roller coaster with big hills and lots of loops. I went in there to get my hair cut yesterday and everyone was dying laughing about his stories. He doesn’t just tell a story, his voice is so expressive and you can see in his eyes how excited he gets.

Damian is very much in the “why” stage. A simple answer will not do. He wants to know details and he will keep asking questions until you answer him. When you tell him something he never, ever forgets. The other day he picked out a video to watch and remembered that it was a video Mommy and Daddy got last year (last August) in Panama City. How in the world does a child with hundreds of videos remember something like that?

One of Damian’s very favorite things to do is build things. Whether it is a train track, a castle mad of legos or a house from his Lincoln Logs he LOVES to build. He will take things apart just to see how they work and put it back together. He loves to watch his daddy and thinks Michael can fix anything.

This past year the biggest difference in Damian is definitely his maturity. He has matured so much in his third year. Having a toddler that is a runner made life very difficult at times. I’m very glad that stage is behind us. He is responsible enough to do some things himself and loves to be a big helper. I am very guilty of doing everything for him, but we are both working on that. It is nice to know that when he gets to school he is very independent.

My favorite quality Damian possesses is that he is a natural born leader. Damian is never one to be running behind a pack. Damian does what he wants to and usually is leading the pack. Damian doesn’t do things because everyone else does. Sometimes he prefers to play alone, and that is ok with him. He is comfortable enough in his own skin to do what he wants. I hope he always possesses this quality.

I am very fortunate to have two kids that love each other like Damian and Madelyn do. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined they would have a relationship like they do. Damian gets upset with me when I will not let Madelyn play in his room while I’m not in there (his toys with tiny pieces have to stay in his room). He includes her in everything and is very protective. She had Baby at Gymboree the other day and another little girl got her so D marched right up and told her that was Sissy’s baby and he was taking her back to her. He grabbed her and took he back to Madelyn. Madelyn feels the exact same way about him. She loves “Brofer.” She gets upset when he isn’t home and always wants to be with him. If Damian is doing it than she wants to do it. He does no wrong in her book.

Damian is very much my little sidekick. Damian sleeps in my bed (he has to fall asleep in his bed and comes in the middle of the night), takes showers with me most nights, “works out” with me while I work out and pretty much does everything with me. On average I’m with D about twenty- two hours a day. Some days I count the minutes until bed time, but for the most part I love every second that we spend together. Even the car rides when he literally doesn’t shut his mouth and yells at me if I’m on my cell phone because I can’t listen to him. I discipline him like I should and am very much his mother first and foremost, but he probably tells me twenty time a day that I’m his best friend. I must admit, I love it. When Damian gets mad at me and screams that he hates me I laugh and tell him I know that isn’t true. Usually within about two seconds he laughs and says he knows, he loves me more than anything. I know he adores me. The feeling is completely mutual!

There is one thing I always want Damian and Madelyn to know… that they have a mommy who loves them more than life itself. I always want them to know that I’m here for anything and will support them no matter what. I always tell them that they are loved more than any other person in the entire world… and they believe me 100%. I smother both of them in tons of hugs, kisses and tickles everyday. The never doubt that they are very much loved.

Four years ago I never could have imagined the way I would feel about my son today. I love him more each day than I did the day before. I’m so proud of the little boy he was become. I have no doubt that Damian has a bright future and will accomplish anything he puts his mind to. Happy Birthday, Damian William, as we say, “Mommy loves you more than the stars in the skies and the fishies in the sea!”

Blogging MIA

2011-07-25T20:04:00.000-04:00

I hate that there hasn't been much time to get on here lately. I guess life has been so busy I haven't had time to sit down and write about it! Here are a few things going on in Druckerland...

- Damian is going to be 4 on Wednesday. we have been celebrating all month but we are nearing in on the big celebration. He is having a pool party Wednesday night with all of his friends and a family party Saturday night at Red Lobster. He is pretty excited to say the least!

- We have been spening a whole tot of time with friends doing fun things. We haven' let one minute of this summer pass us by without a little fun.

- Madelyn is such a little girl. She is curently obsessed with shoes and hair bows. She loves to try on all of her shoes and find the perfect hair bow.

- Madelyn is a REALLY good climber. Miss Priss can climb up the big slide at Monkey Joes and is very proud of herself.

- We have recenly bought two new warehouses for work. One company moved to the smaller one and we are in the process of moving the transportation company. It has been a pain, but we are ready for the move. We will be all in on Sunday. Damian is very excited to have his own desk for his work. Madelyn just likes to wander around dancing to Pandora. Michael has been working extra long hours this month to get moved in.

- In order to clear out one of the retention poonds my super smart husband got goats to put in there. One got loose and he is obsessed with getting it back in with his friends. He can see it, but can't catch it. I know it is driving him crazy!

- My brand new (5 months old) laptop dies last week. When I say died I mean it DIED! I turned it on and it said the hard drive is gone. My beloved computer is gone for at least three weeks to get repaired or replaced. Luckily, I was able to borrow one for work.

- We are getting really, really, really excited about Disney World! We have changed a bunch since I wrote about it on here. The biggest thing is that we are now staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge instead of Coronado Springs. A ceratin little boy (and his mama!) is so excited!

- We will be heading to the beach in a few weeks and we can't wait! We will not be gone long, but are ready for a getaway.

- Damian is swimming all by himself! I'm so proud of him! He has given up the puddle jumpers (unless he wants to go far away from me, water is too dangerous to mess with) and now swims all by himself. He is going down the slide like a mad man. He can swim a good forty feet without needing help.

- My eighteen month old daughter has no idea her true age. She doesn't like to be touched in the water so we put her in water wings and she is like a little fish. She swims all over the place and kicks her tiny little feet to stay afloat. In the words of Damian, "Mommy, she doesn't sink at all!"

- Madelyn has made frineds with a little girl named Macy who is going to be in the second grade. She is so good with her and practically watches her why we are at the pool. I stay right there with them, but she chases her and Madelyn has a ball. Madelyn is having fun with her new little friend.

We have been extremely busy, but are having a whole lot of fun!

July 4th Weekend

2011-07-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

We had (in the words of Damian) a super fun July 4th weekend. It was spent doing what you are supposed to be doing… a whole lot of swimming, cookout with friends and family and fireworks.

It was really nice getting to spend all weekend with Michael. That is very rare for us. Saturday morning he took Damian to get their weekend breakfast, Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They were kind enough to bring me one home. They then enjoyed a trip to the flea market and came home with a bunch of new chickens. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and went to dinner with Michael’s parents.

Sunday was the most fun day of the weekend. We went to the pool right after lunch and had a blast swimming for about thirty minutes. It then started thundering so we had to get out for thirty minutes. We had a bunch of friends up there so everyone decided to wait it out. After thirty minutes we got back in the pool for about ten minutes when in thundered again. Most of the people left and we were about to when we got caught up talking to friends. While we were talking the lifeguards asked if they could watch Madelyn and they gave the kids a little minicamp. They took them around to check out all of the bugs in the skimmer and entertained them. It was heavenly to sit there and have both of my kids entertained. We got back in the pool and had a great time talking with our friends. It is so nice to have such great families so close that we enjoy so much with kids all the same age. One little boy was even born the exact same day as Damian!

Sunday night Michael and I headed to the gun stores annual July 4th party. I went last year for the first time and was a little skeptical. Michael had always told me about the fireworks but I thought he was joking. The fireworks at this party would beat out any firework show at any major city in America. It is like the finale at most shows for an hour straight. Michael and I walked down to where they were being set off before the show started and it was a TON of fireworks. It was fun getting out with Michael and getting to know some of his friends better.

July 4th we woke up and went straight to the pool. My parents hadn’t seen the kids in a week because they were at the beach so they joined us. There was a cookout at the pool and a live band. (While my dad and I were waiting in line we were laughing at Damian walking around talking to everyone. The woman in front of us turned around laughing that she didn’t know Damian belonged to me and how cute he is. EVERYONE knows Damian. He walks around just chatting with people. He goes from lounge chair to lounge chair carrying on conversations with people. People I don’t know know him quite well. I’ll elaborate more on his friends at the pool in a later post). I have never seen it so crowded in my life. We did hear that the new pool will be started when 100 more houses are built in the neighborhood. Hopefully that will sooner rather than later. We only stayed about two hours because it started to thunder.

We spent the afternoon at the house with Michael family (minus his dad, he was out of town). We grilled out and I even took a nap. We pretty much did a whole lot of nothing. Michael and James set off some sort of fireworks in the backyard and Damian and Lane came running in about to have a nervous breakdown (Damian’s new saying) and a certain little girl was dying to get outside to the action. Michael got caught up with a problem at work so we missed stopping by a block party that we wanted to go to.

After he resolved the work problem we headed to our normal spot to watch the fireworks with Anna, Perry, Anna’s parents, Ava and Noah. I was shocked when we pulled into our regular spot. What was once a brand new beautiful pool had been filled in and the clubhouse was being taken over with weeds. Instead of staying there we headed to the park. The kids had a ball playing. Damian, Noah and Ava play so well together and they are all so nice to Madelyn. While the three of them were swinging a little boy ran in front of the swings. Ava was going very high and fast and the little boy almost got kicked straight in the head. I grabbed him a yanked him out of the way. It turns out he was an autistic boy who had no clue what his mom was yelling about. She was very appreciative that I got him out of the way. Michael’s mom joined all of us for fireworks and all of the rest of the night’s fun. Madelyn stayed up to ten very happily. For my child that is a world class sleeper this is unheard of. She made it up by being in bed at six last night and not making a peep until nine this morning. We had such a great Fourth of July and are very proud to be from this great nation and to have our freedom.

18 Months

2011-06-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

A year and a half ago tonight we welcomed this beauty to our family.

The past eighteen months have been hectic, crazy, and pure fun. If I could have picked every single characteristic of my little girl I couldn’t have made her better. Madelyn is such a beautiful little girl inside and out. I’m so lucky I was chosen to be her mommy.

Madelyn has turned into one spunky little lady. Mad likes to climb on everything and anything. She gets up and smiles and giggles as loud as she can. She is so proud of herself and wants to make sure you see her. She has no idea that she is only eighteen months old. Madelyn will give you a look that will cut you like a knife if you aren’t doing what she wants you to. I personally think it is hilarious. Ask me again in ten years and I will probably give you a different answer. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. It can be difficult being the mom of a super strong willed child, but I think long term it is fantastic. I have no doubt that Madelyn will get whatever she wants out of life.

In the past few months Madelyn has grown and insane love of reading. Santa brought her a princess collection of books and she loves every single one of them. She has enjoyed all of them but I think her favorite is Jasmine. She has to sleep with Jasmine at night. I love rocking her at night when she is so sweet and peaceful and she is drinking her milk looking at the pictures and “telling” me all sorts of things. No matter what has happened that day I can’t help but look at her and my heart melts for her.

Miss Priss is talking so much. Today she called Susan “Grandma” and told a few people “thank you” when they handed her something. My favorite word she says is “turkle” for turtle. It is so sweet the way it comes out of her little mouth. Every animal she sees is a dog until we tell her otherwise. Today, we were at the pool and there were a few beetles and she kept calling them dogs. I told her they were bugs so she went wild saying bugs. Once she gets stuck on a word she really gets stuck. She will repeat herself a million times. She has a fantastic vocabulary and can say all sorts of words. Her little voice is so soft and sweet I could spend all day listening to her.

Madelyn has such a kind heart. She has such motherly instincts with animals. There was a baby kitten in the office the other day and Madelyn was so happy to care for it. She was very gentile handling it and would just sit next to it petting it. She would try and put the food right next to it where it wouldn’t have to go very far to eat. She also has a very special relationship with Sampson. She could play with him for hours. He is so good with her. She will pet him and hug and kiss him and she has a smile from ear to ear.

Damian and Madelyn definitely have their sibling moments, but when it comes down to it they love each other so much. Tonight, they were cuddled up on the sofa watching the Disney channel together. They love to chase on another and do ring around the rosy. They are both champs at that! I took Damian alone to see Cars 2 on Saturday and he was upset that she couldn’t go with us. Nothing in this world makes me happier than seeing the love they have for each other. The Drucker kids are going to be a force to be reckoned with in a few years!

I never knew what I was missing by not having a daughter. I love having my boy, but having a girl to do girly things with is so much fun. Madelyn can hold her own with the boys, but she is so incredibly girly. Madelyn wouldn’t dare leave the house without a bow in her hair. When we go to Publix she always points at the nail place because she knows she gets her pedicures there. The girl is OBSESSED with shoes. She gets so mad if you don’t put on the right pair. It amazes me at this age she knows what bow and shoes match best. I’m not going to lie, I LOVE having a prissy girl.

Madelyn is very much my girl. I love my little babies, but once they hit this age they become really fun. As much as she loves her daddy and big brother she is definitely my baby. She always wants her mommy. When someone tries to get her when I’m holding her she shakes her head “no” as fast as she can and she buries herself into my shoulder. I love my little girl more than she will ever know. A part of me feels like she was just born and the other part feels like I have had her forever. I am so thankful to be her mommy. Happy Half Birthday to my beautiful princess Madelyn!

Our Summer of Fun

2011-06-27T20:36:00.001-04:00

We’ve had a really fun week at the Drucker house. Tuesday, we headed to the Children’s Museum in Atlanta, with my parents, Jake, Ava, Catherine and Margaret. I have so many really cute pictures, but the uploaded to a different program than they normally do so I can’t find them in the uploader. If I find them I will put them up. All of the kids had so much fun. Damian loved working the machines. He thought it was fun to move the balls around and drop them. Madelyn loved to slide (surprise, surprise) and fishing. She would hold her fishing pole the wrong way and think it was so much fun. Finally at the end she was just sticking her hand in to get the little plastic fish out. She looked like she had been swimming by the time she was done. While playing in a little play area Madelyn fell pretty bad. She took most of the skin off the tip of her nose, cut her upper lip and bruised her head. In less than eighteen months she had to take her second trip to first aid. She was a little trooper and didn’t let it bother her. She still had fun.

After we left the museum we were all starving. We walked a few blocks to the CNN center to grab a bite to eat. If was crowded so we just went into come Mexican restaurant to eat. When we come walking in people aren’t overly excited to see us! All of the kids were well behaved at lunch. They put us alone at the back of the restaurant (I wonder why!?) so the kids could play right next to the table while we waited and once they were done.

On or way back to the car Damian insisted we had to stop at Centennial Olympic Park to run through the fountains. He took his shoes and shirt off and the boy went straight in. He would run through all of the rings looking for the highest sprayers. Ava and Catherine ran through too, but Jake and Madelyn weren’t about to join the craziness. Mad would stick her toes in, but that was the extent of her fountain experience. Damian had to hold on tight to his pants because he was running and playing so hard they were falling down.

On the way home Madelyn slept for about twenty minutes. That is the only nap she got all day. It was too late to put her down for a nap. But way too early for bed so we went where we go every night… the pool! It was by far her worst day there. If we weren’t doing exactly what she wanted to do (going down the slide) she was crying. Miss Priss was tired and came home and went straight to bed.

Friday morning we headed to Ink in Gainesville. The three of us went with Clare and Jack, Alicia and Liam and Kathy and Violet. All of the kids had fun, but Damian had a blast. At one point Madelyn was driving the police car and Damian was in the back. I told him it was the only time in his life that he can be in the back of a police car! Damian LOVED the doctor office room. He would have played in there for hours. He would use the stethoscope to check the baby and was so cute. He really knew how to use everything. Mr. D-bird might have a future in medicine. Madelyn loved the cars. No surprise there.

The kids had a really fun week. I’m sure there is plenty more fun in store this summer for our family!

Damian's Dilema

2011-06-16T20:01:00.001-04:00

When Damian was a little over two I noticed he had a strange mark on his chin. At first we thought it was a stain from his vitamin because it was so light. I would occasionally notice it, but didn’t think much of it. Over the years it has very slowly gotten bigger and darker, but over the past six months it has changed a lot.
Right before we left for the beach in April I was at Damian’s school for a party when one of his teachers asked what it was. She laughed that she always forgot it was permanent and would try to wipe it away after lunch thinking it was food. Damian told me this was really annoying. At the beach my mom, sister and I were talking about it and I made an appointment with a dermatologist. We thought that a few laser treatments and it would be gone. I always thought it was a discoloration and never thought it was a mole. I guess that it is why I’m not a dermatologist! What had always been an afterthought now needed to be addressed immediately.

A few weeks later D and I headed to Atlanta to meet the dermatologist. I really was hoping to do a laser treatment that day and maybe one more and be done. The nurse who brought us back to the room immediately looked at it and said it was some huge, big word. I got scared to death and asked what it meant and she said some kind of mole. The doctor came back and agreed that it is definitely is a mole. He said that it would have to come off at the very latest by the age of ten. Since he is three he can’t sit still enough for him to do it so he would have to go to a plastic surgeon. He did say that he doesn’t think that it caused any immediate danger to him, but at the rate it was changing that could change. He gave me the name of the plastic surgeon so I came home and called to get an appointment immediately. The doctor only sees one mole patient a week so we got the first available which was June 16th.

A few weeks after seeing dermatologist #1 I took Damian for a second opinion. I have never disliked a doctor so much in my life. He agreed that it was a mole and was not huge, but on the large side. He thought it needed to be checked every three months for the rest of his life, but didn’t necessarily need to come off. He said that no matter what he would have a scar. I told him that obviously my first concern was it turning malignant, but from a cosmetic standpoint I would rather have a little scar than an ugly black mole on my chin. I thought he was going to call child protective services on me. You would have thought I would have said that I wanted to get him a nose job. The man didn’t like that at all. Call me crazy, but if something that can turn malignant is serious enough to need to be checked every three months for the rest of his life doesn’t it just need to be removed? Maybe he just wanted my insurance money every three months? I’m not sure, but it didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t tell him I already had an appointment with the plastic surgeon. I just wanted to get away from his office.

Today, Damian and I headed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for his appointment with the plastic surgeon. When he came in he looked at it and said without a doubt it needs to come off. It is changing color and shape so it is active and will just cause problems. After surgery he will need to stay out of the pool for a week and need to be careful for about two weeks, but beside that he said that is it. It is about a thirty minute procedure and he will be put to sleep. It will immediately be sent to pathology for a biopsy. He will have a little scar that he said should only be noticeable it you actively look at it. We met with the lady in charge of scheduling and took the first appointment on Monday, August 8th.

I know Damian is ready to have it off. He knows as much as a three year old can that he is going to have surgery and have it cut off. He thinks he is going to have a nap and wake up and it will be gone. He asks me all the time if I can go ahead and take him to have it done. I want to the health risk gone, but I definitely don’t want to have anyone make fun of him for it. Kids can be cruel and if anyone said anything to him his mommy would be after them! :) He is a very smart little guy and will milk it for everything it is worth!

I’m ready for it to be gone and for this saga to be over with. Compared to the other people in the office his surgery is very minimal and I am so thankful for that. Some kids there were heartbreaking. I really don’t want my baby boy put under general anesthesia, but if God forbid it becomes malignant in a few years I would kick myself for not having it done sooner. The risk now is much less than the potential risk down the road.

Bob the Builder {Chattanooga}

2011-06-14T18:17:00.001-04:00

Today, my mom, Damian, Madelyn and I headed to Chattanooga to the Children's museum. Both kids had a ball. Damian absolutely loved getting to see Bob the Builder. He has been waiting months to see him.

Summer Fun

2011-06-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

I must admit, summer is by far my favorite time of the year. I don’t care too much for the extremely hot weather, but summertime is just plain fun!

If I had to use one word to describe our summer so far it would be fun. We have done nothing but entertain ourselves. By saying ourselves I mean Damian, Madelyn and I. Michael has been working like a crazy person and we miss him, but the three of us are having fun. Our days consist of meeting friends at the pool, Monkey Joes, or some other play place, napping, doing things around the house, going to the office and then usually a nighttime swim after dinner to end the day. We’re having a mighty nice time around here.

Most of our time is spent at the pool. It was one of the greatest purchases we have ever made. It is an amazing pool and is literally a minute from the top of our driveway to the parking lot. Both kids have a blast while they are there. Damian has made a bunch of new friends as well as all of the kids he already knows. I love that these are the kids he will go to school with once he starts elementary school. There have only been a few times we’ve been up there without one of his little buddies being there. Madelyn is quite old enough to have her “regular” friends, but she has made it up with her love for the slide. I’m not sure what she likes more… the slide or the stairs to the slide. She has to ride in my lap and she squeals the entire way down. She would go constantly if I would let her. She has turned into an adventurous little girl.

We have been spending a lot of time with friends. Damian loves nothing more than to hang out with friends. We have been with all of our regulars and have hung out a few times with one of Damian’s really good friends from school. Madelyn hasn’t neglected her friends; she is seeing hers at least once a week. She is enjoying her Gymboree classes and eating lunch with her friends. They are both having fun.

So far this summer has been great. We have a fewm months before we head to the beach so we’re just having fun poolside for now. The thing I love most is spending time with them. I love having Damian out of school and with us all day. The only thing that would make it better would be if Michael could join us!

"No One Messes with OUR Baby!"

2011-06-02T20:01:00.000-04:00

Let me give you a little back story. Madelyn is getting to the age where she can mess with Damian’s stuff and she is more “competition” so he is becoming a little jealous at times. It isn’t uncommon for him to call her names or tell me to just take her somewhere.

Today, Damian and I were riding in the car (Madelyn was in my mom’s car right behind us) talking on the phone to Michael. We were just chatting and I was telling him about the kid’s morning. I casually told him that a little boy hit Madelyn in the face at Gymboree and she is tough because she didn’t even cry. That was all I said within about a five minute conversation. I didn’t make a big deal about it. When we got off the phone Damian quickly said in his serious voice, “Mommy, tell me more about the little boy who hurt OUR baby!” I told him that the little boy is just a baby and that it was wrong but babies have to learn better. “Mommy, NO ONE is going to touch my baby” D said, “Tell me what this little boy looks like, I’m going to get him.” I told him that was nice, but he couldn’t go beat the kid up. “Well, that kid is really stupid for touching OUR baby, no one messes with my two girls.” I asked who his two girls are. “You and Sissy” he said, “I won’t let anyone hurt y’all!” He was furious and ready to go to war with this kid for touching his sister. I must admit, seeing the love he has for her made me smile.

To top off the day, tonight all four of us were playing in Damian’s room. Michael had to go back to work and I told Damian that Mad and I were going to go downstairs to feed the dogs. He then said, “Mommy, let Sissy stay up here where we can play together!” That was music to my ears. And they did play together after we fed the dogs. They giggled louder together than they ever have before.

D: The 3 Year Old Preschool Graduate

2011-05-23T19:37:00.000-04:00

I’m very proud of my little boy… last week he completed 3 year old preschool! It seems like just yesterday Ms. Laura sent him a postcard in the mail telling us she was his teacher. He liked her immediately because he loves getting mail! This has been a fast year and he has grown and matured so much.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about his school and his teachers. Everything about his school is fantastic. It is the perfect atmosphere for little kids to have fun and learn. Every time I was at the school there would be kids smiling and laughing as they walked down the hall in line with their friends. Damian was no exception. Every time I was there he was having fun.

Damian’s teachers this year were Ms. Laura (main teacher), Ms. Janita (Mon and Wed) and Ms. April (Fri). He adored each of them. They must have a ton of patience to teach three and four year olds! I loved that they had a realistic vision of what kids at that age should be like. Damian loved all of the cool art activities, singing and dancing, learning about Jesus, and playing with his friends. I always heard the cutest stories about his friends. I loved the car ride home when he would tell me everything that happened. He was always really enthusiastic when he had a job that day. To a three year old having a job at school is pretty cool.

I had a parent/ teacher conference a few weeks ago to go over how he did at school. I know he is perfect, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She pretty much confirmed what I already know… he’s a very smart little guy. He excels in everything but cutting. I would have to be crazy to allow him to have scissors at home! I keep meaning to grab some at Wal-Mart where we can practice, but I’m really in no hurry to hand D-Bird a sharp object! She gave me a sheet with everything from vocabulary and intellectual skills to social skills and manners to physical abilities and he got perfect marks on everything (but cutting with scissors). I must say I was proud! I asked about him being the youngest child in the class and was assured that he was fine with everyone else being older. I still think he needs to be held back (his birthday is July 27, he is going to be the very youngest his entire life which I don’t think is fair for a boy, but that is a discussion for another post). I didn’t think it mattered with him being so young, but it was nice to know for sure.

There is one thing that I’m in the words of Damian “super” proud of… he had a year of perfect behavior! He got green smiley faces on his daily behavior chart every. single. day!!! And, he had perfect attendance so it wasn’t like he never went! I know his teachers weren’t the kind of people to think that three and four years olds are perfect so I’m sure he had to be reminded a few times during the year, but he left every day with a green smiley face. Since he is all boy and loves to wrestle and play rough I was worried about his behavior. It is nice to know he behaves so well when I’m not around. I know there will be a day when he gets in trouble at school (or probably many of days), but for now I’m “super proud” of him.

This year was one giant success for him. He most importantly had fun and, made friends, but he also learned a lot. I’m very impressed with his school and look forward to next year and the next when I have both of my kids there. Congrats to my D-Bird on a fabulous year ay school!

Mickey better get ready... Damian and Madelyn are coming!

2011-05-22T12:20:00.003-04:00

For me vacationing has always meant the beach. I’m not interested in much else. I have been to Europe a few times and it wasn’t my cup of tea. I love to go relax on a beach and play. I’ve always thought we’d take the kids to Disney when they got a little older. I’ve heard other people’s stories about how great Disney World is, but I didn’t think much about it. I always thought Disney was just a place you went to with not much planning… boy was I wrong! A few months ago I almost took Damian to St. Louis to see Bob the Builder (I then found out it would be coming to Chattanooga next so I made him wait) and everyone told me I was crazy. When I asked what the difference between going to St. Louis to see Bob and going to Disney was to see the princesses everyone then saw my point. Well, we are going to see the princesses, Mickey Mouse, Buzz and everyone else because we are going to Disney World in a few months!

I had no idea what I was getting into. I have talked to everyone I know that knows anything about Disney World to get advice. After doing a little research I quickly realized that economically we would need to stay off property because Madelyn needs her own bedroom. (When I did call to get a price staying on property for the four of us and my parents for 5 nights in a three bedroom villa it was $11,300 which the lady told me was a great rate. Are you kidding me? My family wouldn’t be able to eat for the rest of the year!) After looking at reviews, I found a four bedroom villa less than three miles from the park entrance at a fantastic price. We have two master bedrooms and baths, and two other bedrooms that share a bathroom. The resort has a beautiful pool and gardens. At the listed price I quickly made a reservation (the price for when we are going has gone up since I booked, I’m glad we got the better rate).

After I booked a place to stay it was on to planning the fun. I had no idea that I had to make restaurant reservations and plan everything so intensely. Luckily, I was over 180 days out so I had time to research before I could book. Making dining reservations at Disney World is serious stuff. If you don’t get on at the 180 day out mark you don’t get a good time. Some restaurants also require you to pay when you make the reservation. It was a little odd paying for food I will not eat for a few months, but you have to do it. Of course I was planning on Cinderella’s Royal Table, but I wasn’t sure of the rest. Through friends I got some great recommendations.

While researching restaurants I quickly learned something… either we can spend all day waiting in lines to meet the characters or we can meet them at meals. We aren’t a patient group so I will gladly pay a little more to not have to wait in too many character lines at the park. Michael thought I was nuts until we waited thirty minutes at Thomas to meet Sir Topham Hatt. Now he is on board with all of the character meals.

After I somewhat figured out the dinning I just called to talk to the people at Disney to help me. It was a Sunday afternoon and Michael kept getting mad at me for being on the phone so long. I literally talked to the lady for over two hours learning about the place. She was very resourceful and told me about a bunch of little things that most people don’t know. I was upset to hear that Madelyn is too young for the Bibbity Boppity Boo Boutique. I know she would love it but you have to be three. She barely looks one so there is no way to lie and get her in. I made an appointment for Damian at the Pirate place to get made into a pirate. I think he is going to love it. The lady also told me about the Family Magic Tour. I didn’t know anything about it, but it sounded like fun so I booked it. It is a scavenger hunt around Magic Kingdom looking for Captain Hook’s missing hook. Damian is really into things like that. I’m pretty sure Madelyn will like the running around but not get what is really going on.

After I got everything planned Disney released the times and dates of the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party. I have read that this is a must. I had already booked all of our dining and none if the times worked for us, but I knew we had to go. I was left with no other option but to add a few days! Now, Michael, Damian and I will go down on Sunday and stay at the Coronado Springs. Madelyn is going to come down with my parents on Tuesday. I have never been away from her so I’m already about to have a nervous breakdown over the thought of being away from her for two days, but we are going to do everything with D that she is too young for. I really wanted to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge but couldn’t justify the price difference for two days. When we go back next year or the next and Mad can stay in a regular room we are definitely staying there. I love the thought of looking out of the window in the room at all of the animals.

This vacation has been a lot of hard work. I wanted to make it a great experience for the kids without making Mommy and Daddy go broke! I have spent hours upon hours planning this trip but I think it will be worth it. I'm so thankful to all of the great people who have given me advice and recommendations. Here is what I’ve got planned so far…

Sunday
Check in to Coronado Springs
Explore Epcot
Dinner at Coral Reef
Go explore Magic Kingdom because it is open late with the extra hours

Monday
Go to Hollywood Studios in the morning
Hang out by the pool to relax
Dinner at Ohana’s
Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party

Tuesday
Hang out by the pool
Check out of Coronado Springs and check into new hotel
Spend day at Animal Kingdom
Madelyn arrives!!!
Dinner at Chef Mickey’s

Wednesday
Spend day at Magic Kingdom
Damian gets made into a pirate
Dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table with my little princess (and everyone else!)

Thursday
Family Magic Tour in the morning in MK
Epcot in the afternoon
Dinner at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Haunted Carriage Ride

Friday
Hollywood Studios in the morning
Date night for Michael and I at Le Cellier and then a fun night out

Saturday
Play at Magic Kingdom all day
Dinner at the Crystal Palace

I’m really excited about Disney World. I am still getting my beach trip too, it is just a mini vacation this year with our big vacation being Disney. I would argue that it isn’t the happiest place in the world, but the most expensive! I really hope that Damian and Madelyn love it. That is all that matters to me. If my kids have a smile on their face then all my hard work has been worth every second!

Madelyn at 16.5 Months

2011-05-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

Madelyn changes daily. I love watching her grow into such a beautiful, smart little girl. She has gotten to such a fun age (except at restaurants!). She loves to play and explore. She loves to have a crown on her head and a tool in her hand. She is prissy, but can play with the boys too.

Last week, I was talking to a good friend whose son is two months older about his eighteen month checkup. She was asked a lot about his talking. Madelyn has always been ahead developmentally so I really don’t pay attention like I probably should. I knew Madelyn talked but when I really paid attention I was surprised how much she really says. She has a great vocabulary for her age. I couldn’t even begin to count how many words she knows. The funny thing about her talking is that you can never make her do it; she only will say things when she wants to. If I ask her to say a word she laughs and shakes her head no (which is her favorite thing to do). Some things about Mad that I want to remember at this age…

-The other day I was holding her like a baby (she thinks it’s funny) while we were walking up the front stairs. She was obviously looking hard at something so I asked her what she was looking at. She pointed straight to the chandelier and said, “That!”

-We took a bath together the other day and we always have about ten washcloths because she loves to play with them. She took mine away and said “Mine.” I guess that is a second child thing because Damian never did that.

-She loves to look at pictures and tell me who is in it. The is a picture on the fridge of D and I and she loves to point to it and say, “Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Mama”

- The girl LOVES shoes. She gets in my closet and walks around in my heals. She is fascinated with them. She loves to point to her feet and say, “Shoeeeeeeees”

-She loves to kiss (really make out, it is gross) with Sampson. She adores that dog.

- She has learning her some of her body parts. She knows where her nose is, her belly, her feet (which she will then tell you are her shoes) and her teeth (which she calls her “teeeeeeth”)

- The other day she somehow managed to half way take off her shirt while she was napping. When Damian and I went to get her he informed her that her boobies were out. She started patting her belly saying, “Oobies.” I couldn’t help but laugh. I know Michael is thrilled!

-She has the silliest little smile where she wrinkles her nose. She does it in the car when she realizes I’m looking at her.

- Her thing with me is to stick her tongue out just a little. When I put her to bed I always rock her while she drinks her milk. As soon as she is done she slightly sticks her tongue out and giggles. She then loves to be told how beautiful she is.

- She is a master at blowing kisses.

- She does not like strangers. She will smile and talk to people, but if you get close to her she will start shaking her head “no” and push you away.

- Her eyes are turning a blue/ green. I think they are stunning. I wish I had her color eyes, but Damian loves to tell people that the two of us have the exact same color eyes.

I know this is a great trait to have, just not as a baby. Madelyn gets what Madelyn wants. She does whatever she has to do to get what she wants. She has a princess push toy that she pulls up to the kitchen chair. She climbs on top of the toy to the chair and on top of the table to get what she wants. She does the exact same thing with the bar stools at the island. Nothing on the counters is safe anymore. In my bathroom she has a chair of Damian’s that she moves around to get what she wants. I’d much rather have a go getter than a child who doesn’t go for what they really want.

-She loves her bows. When she wakes up and her hair is a mess she wants one in.

-Madelyn has the highest pitched squeal. You know when she has a problem.

-She loves her big brother. He isn’t always nice to her, but she adores him anyway. When it comes down to it he loves her. Whenever she is crying in the car I hear him tell her, “Don’t cry Sissy, It’ll be ok.” If anyone else tries to mess with her Damian will be on them. They very much have the sibling relationship of we can fight but if someone else messes with one of them then you are against both of them.

Madelyn really is a pure joy. Everything with her is so different from with Damian. I love all of the boy things that I have gotten to experience and can’t wait to get to do all of the girl things. She is such a sweet little thing and a great little girl.

Day Out With Thomas 2011

2011-05-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

This morning we woke up bright and early to head t Chattanooga. Well, let me clarify that… we were planning on leaving our house at 9 am. I didn’t set an alarm because I figured the kids would be up. If we had nowhere to go they would have been up early. At 8:30 I heard Madelyn talking. I looked at the clock and about had a heart attack. I had to take a shower, get dressed, get two kids fed and dressed and get Madelyn’s stuff ready to go spend the day with my parents. Michael does not wake up well, so he took a few minutes to get going. Somehow we managed to pull out of our house at 9:20. I was pretty impressed with how fast we moved!

We dropped Madelyn off with my mom and we were Thomas bound. We drove the three hour drive to the Tennessee Valley Railroad. The drive there wasn’t bad at all. At first we were planning on spending the night at the Chattanooga Choo Choo again in a train car, but we are going back in a few weeks to see the Bob the Builder exhibit at the Children’s museum and we are going to spend the night then. It was absolutely horrific seeing the tornado (or tomato damage as D calls it) damage up I75. At one spot the trees were snapped in half everywhere you looked. Ringgold was like nothing I have ever seen before. There was a Ruby Tuesdays that was literally fallen in. There is no way anyone survived in it. It was so sad to see what those people are dealing with. It was odd to see the buildings across the street that had no damage. Besides seeing that we had a ton of fun today. I love getting to spend individual time with Damian. I’ll let the pictures tell the story of the rest of our day…

We arrived!!!

This is almost embarassing to admit... last year while we were there we went crazy shopping. We literally bought everything there (literally, not kidding at all). when we go somewhere special I let the kids go wild. Today, we couldn't find anything to buy because we had it all. Even most of the t-shirts were exactly the same. Today, he got the one t-shirt that was different and an Annie and Clairabel.

Since he owns everything in the store he enjoyed plaiyng at the train table.

D and the Diesels. The new Thomas movie will be about Diesel 10.

We ate lunch on the train car. Our table was literally ten feet from Thomas. It was perfect!

"Thomas, we love you!"

My boy and I waiting to board Thomas.

I love this boy!

Have I mentioned that I love this little guy?!

I love his kisses!

Damian is known for this Thomas boots. I have had to buy eight pairs in the last two years. He wears them so much he has holes in them. Since he is getting into the older boy things I;m afraid this will be his last pair. When I think about Damian as a toddler I will think about him playing in the backyard with his Thomas boots on.

My handsome husband!

He was memorozed as we went over the Sodor Suspension Bridge (what he thought it was)

D telling the conductot bye.

That was the nastiest drink ever, but he absolutely loved it. I'm not quite sure how he drank it.

Michael, Damian and Sir Topham Hatt

Last year he was scared to death of him.

Playing at the Imagination Station.

Putting water in the steam engines. Damian is such a funny little boy. He is so into doing things the right way and making sure everything is done properly. If I was a betting person I would bet that he will one day be an engineer. He loves to figure things out and build things. He does so with exact precision.

You can't tell in a picture, but they walk the exact same way. I love it!

Watching Harvey lift a heavy load.

On our way home we were all tired. We stopped in Kennesaw to eat dinner at O’Charleys with Lana, James, Lane and Evan. Damian was rather tired and grumpy but enjoyed seeing his cousins. After we left there we headed to Jake’s baseball game to get MadMad. I hate leaving either of my kids and couldn’t wait to get to her. I missed her so much! She was enjoying playing with Ava and Catherine. She looked like such a big girl when we got there. I think she grew in the eight hours I was away from her. We did a quick cousin visit on the way home! We watched a few minutes of the game (Jake got a great out) and came on home. It felt like the car ride that would never end! Today was so much fun, but I’m tired!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T18:48:00.002-04:00

We had a very quiet, peaceful Mother’s day. All I wanted was a low key day with my three favorite people and I got exactly what I wanted! No one in our house even rolled over until a little after nine and that was me wondering what in the world everyone was doing still asleep. To sleep in until nine was heavenly. It felt really good to sleep in. I then ran away to a trip to Publix. You know you are a mom of small kids when a trip to Publix alone is a treat! It is great to take my time and not rush, something that isn’t very common for me.

After a little play time the family headed to where you can find us all summer long… the pool! We went Saturday afternoon and it was packed. There was a neighborhood crawfish boil going on and I think every single person in the neighborhood was there. The kids had a blast. There were so many kids to play with. It didn’t bother either of them that the water was cold enough to give you hypothermia, they swam like little fishies! Sunday was much less crowded, but we still had the same fun. Something magical has happened with my kids… they just play! Of course we are watching them like a hawk, but they run around and have fun with the other kids. We don’t have a baby to sit with or hold. Both of them go on about their business. Michael and I got to lie in lounge chairs and just relax. It was fabulous! I of course loved them as little ones, but I’m so over the baby stage. I’ve been doing it for almost four years and am excited to have the kids old enough to just have fun. We had a fun time and are excited for all of the fun to be had this summer!

When we got home mad went down for a nap and I made grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches for me, Damian and Michael. I then took a shower to and got dressed. I was just going to watch tv for a minute and the next thing I realized was that it was an hour and a half later. After sleeping until nine and getting a nap I felt great! That night we went to dinner with my parent’s at Macaroni Grill. We all enjoyed our meals and our relaxing day.

I am very fortunate to celebrate Mother’s Day as the mommy of Damian and Madelyn. There are definitely days when I can’t wait until bed time and need a break, but I wouldn’t trade our lives for anything. I love spending my days with them playing, laughing and learning. You don’t realize how fast time passes until you have a child and I love my time with them. Being a mom is the hardest job anyone will ever have, but no amount of money will ever compete with my paycheck of kisses, hugs and “I love you, Mommy!”

D's Preschool Easter Party

2011-04-20T18:32:00.003-04:00

Today, I got to spend some time with my boy at school. I love being at school with him. It is so cute to see him with his little friends.

Everyone laughed at Damian and his love of Cheetos. He would grab more when I wasn't looking.

Picking at his lunch, but only really eating the Cheetos.

D and his lttle buddies watching another class do their Eater egg hunt.

Listening to Ms. Laura give instructions.

He pays such close attention

The hunt is on. I must say my baby is a champion egg hunter. A lot has changed in the past year!

Each child could get 12 eggs. Damian had about twenty-five in less than a minute.

Damian job this week is the door holder. He takes his duties extremely serious. After holding the door for all of the kids one of the parents told him he could go on in and he would get the door. D told him that it is his JOB to hold the door and that he would be doing it until everyone was inside.

One of the highlights of my day was watching him at Playball. I

Warming up

As I'm writing this he is singing the Playball song.

He always volunteers to be first. He is a natural born leader!

Jumping through the "puddles"

Jumping to avoid the "paint"

Listening to his coach with one of his best buddies, Landen

Getting ready for the next activity

They had to hit the ball with their forehead. He mastered this task.

Being silly

Playing soccer. Heading to kick the ball.

Go D-Bird!!!

I had a blast with him today. I love getting alone time with each of them. They need it and I definitely do. My baby boy is growing up too fast!

The Green Monster

2011-04-19T19:33:00.000-04:00

Life with a three year old and a one year old is never dull. The stuff that comes out of Damian’s mouth is absolutely priceless. Today, we were at TJ Maxx when I asked him what he wanted for lunch. He informed me that he really wanted to go to The Green Monster. Neither my mom nor I had any idea what he was talking about. We asked where it is and he replied that it was just across the street. His tone implied that we were morons for not knowing exactly what he was talking about. My mom then started asking what he eats there… bread (again in his voice like she should know exactly what he is talking about). She then asked if it is a sandwich place… nope. I kind of brushed it off but he kept insisting that we were having lunch at The Green Monster. We were walking to pay when he told me he couldn’t wait to eat bread and shrimp at The Green Monster and then it hit me… The Green Monster is Red Lobster! He meant it when he said he wanted bread and shrimp… he ate about six biscuits and all of his adult portion popcorn shrimp from what I will forever call The Green Monster.

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-14T20:33:00.002-04:00

Growing up one week always stood apart from the rest. It was hands down the most fun week of the year. Spring Break is a rite of passage. Going to Panama City was counted down months I advance. It was the wildest week of the year filled with lots of friends, the beautiful white sand beaches, late nights, partying and just having a good time. We went a little further west than the fun of Panama City and headed to the beaches of Destin.

This Spring Break was a little different than the Spring Breaks I enjoyed as little as eight years ago. I traded in my friends for five kids, my parents and my sister. It was definitely different, but it was fun. We stayed at my sister’s condo and made the most of the kids first Spring Break.

Jake, Ava, Damian, Catherine and Madelyn all have a unique bond. They are more than cousins. They fight like bothers and sisters and love each other like brothers and sisters. They are all so different. Jake is the cautious mastermind, Ava is the older diva, Damian is the life of the party, Catherine is the carefree one and Madelyn is the one who looks at the rest of them like they have lost their minds. If you mess with one of them you mess with all of them. For example, at the indoor pool a little boy about five kept splashing water in Ava’s direction. Ava didn’t like it and told him to stop. He didn’t listen so Damian took matters into his own hands. He filled up a bucket of water and dumped it on the boys head. He didn’t splash anymore. They don’t tolerate anyone messing with the others.

It was a little chilly, but it didn’t bother the kids. They enjoyed swimming in the pool and playing at the beach. One day it got really windy so we made our way to the indoor pool. The kids had fun no matter where they were. Damian preferred to run around the pool and fill his buckets up with water. Madelyn enjoyed the water. She liked sitting on the stair of the inside pool and feeling like a big kid.

My favorite day there was Friday. I stayed behind with Madelyn while she napped and everyone else went to the carnival and to play putt putt. Madelyn woke up before they even left the parking lot and we had a blast. We headed down to the village and caught a boat over to the beach. I hate when people comment on every single complement their kid gets. Everyone gets them, but I’d say Madelyn had at least fifty people stop her and tell her how cute and pretty she was within an hour. We couldn’t walk two feet without someone stopping us. She was wearing her butterfly bikini with a bow and her little white shoes. When we walked by the arcade with the music she starting dancing like a wild woman. It was priceless. She loved the boat ride but wasn’t wild about the sand. We sat on a beach towel close to the water where the waves would get our toes. We enjoyed some Cheese Its and talked (as much as a 15 month old can). It was delightful. She was so sweet and I loved seeing her reaction to the beach.

Later that afternoon Damian and I snuck away for some alone time. We headed to the beach to build sand castles. He was the sand castle king. We would build them and he would find sticks to put in them as the flags. After we built tons of castles we moved on to building an ice cream parlor. I then was the train which had to couple up to the ice cream to take it to another ice cream parlor. It was wonderful getting alone time with each of my babies at the beach. Damian is definitely my kid. He loves everything about the ocean. He just looks at the ocean in amazement.

Saturday we went to the carnival/ putt putt place. Damian’s favorite was the bumper boats. My dad rode with him because you get drenched on it. Madelyn rode the swings and it was a disaster! She started out happy and when she realized I wasn’t next to her she lost it. She also had her first trip to a first aid stand. She fell and busted up her knee. By the time I picked her up (literally about two seconds) she was gushing blood. My poor baby still has a scab on her knee.

The highlight of the entire trip (except for the beach) was hearing Damian tell a ghost story. He told a story about a lady named Marg who had a baby named Jake. She took him to look in the car for seashells (Jake and Ava fought over them the entire time) and when she went back inside there was a huge spider (I’m deathly afraid of spiders). Then the spider ate Marg and her baby named Jake. The way he said it was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my twenty-six years. Everyone was dying laughing listening to him.

I’m a big fan of having my own personal space. I was surprised I didn’t mind being in such close quarters with everyone: my sister, Jake and Ava shared the master bedroom, D and I slept in the second bedroom, Madelyn slept in the bathroom and my parents slept on the sofa bed. My sister’s condo is very nice and beautiful so I think that made it easier. Somehow we all managed eight people in one bathroom at night pretty easily.

This Spring Break was a change from what I remember about my last Spring Break, but to Damian this was probably the most fun week of the year to him. I love being a mother more than anything in the world, but I’d love to go back one week a year and be sixteen and party it up in Panama City with all of my friends again.

Damian's T-Ball Debut

2011-04-02T16:39:00.001-04:00

Today was a big day for my boy... his first game ever! Right before we left I got him dressed for the first time in his uniform. And if I do say so myself, he is the best looking little baseball player I'ver ever seen (I know I'm not biased or anything! :) ) . He hit the ball two times (both on the first try) and hit it great both times. After he arrived on first base the first time he went running to talk to his grandparents and Michael who were standing about fifteen feet from first base. He doesn't care for the outfield. He played third base and was much more interested in talking to his coach or pretending to be Buzz Lightyear. He also had fun drawing shapes in the dirt with his shoes. I'm a super proud mommy of my little slugger!

A certain little girl has a few new teeth coming in and isn't feeling her best

Right before the game was over Damian came running over to me (I was standing at the gate). He in the sweetest voice said, "Mommy, I just need to hug you for a minute." Have I mentioned how much I love this little guy?

None of the kids got the point of giving each other high 5's. They are so young they have to be taught everything.

Allergies, Sports and the Potty

2011-03-23T19:40:00.002-04:00

Having two little ones on the go doesn’t give me much computer time. This week has been crazy just like every other week. Madelyn has been struggling with something I never have had to… allergies. She can thank her daddy for that one! She has been miserable the past week. Just as she was getting over the worst diaper rash in the history of diaper rashes she gets hit with severe allergies. Her nose is runny, she has a dry cough and her little eyes are red and crusty. Saturday and Sunday were by far the worst days. Sunday she was so bad her little eyes were sealed shut when she woke up. With the allergies she has been sleeping a lot. It isn’t uncommon for her to go to bed and not be heard from for 16 hours. She is starting to feel a little better. She is still suffering from a runny nose and itchy, rusty eyes, but she is back to her giggling, smiley self.

Damian is in the middle of t-ball and another sports program called Itty Bitty Sports. It is a nine week program that teaches kids how to play basketball, football and soccer. It is an introductory class to teach them the basic skills. A few weeks ago we had a meeting and guess who signed up to be a head coach… my husband! We started last week and he is the head coach, I’m an assistant coach and team mom, we have another assistant coach and a dad that helps out. Teaching 12 three, four and five years olds has been crazy! We are doing basketball right now and I got to teach dribbling last night. Damian is by far the youngest kid out there (which he is in everything he does). You can really tell a four year old from a three year old. The four year olds have much more of an attention span. The highlight of the two classes was when one of the moms yesterday told us that her son had been talking about “Coach Michael” all week. He thought “Coach Michael” was really cool! Hahaha!!! So far it has been a lot of fun. We are really lucky to be working with such a great group of little guys.

Miss Madelyn did something tonight I’m sure she will not do again until she is 5. She usually eats dinner in just a diaper. I don’t want her clothes to get food on them and stain and she usually goes to bed right after dinner anyways. Tonight she was trying to get out of the high chair so I got her out while Michael and I finished. She walked straight into the bathroom (where she very rarely goes) and stood in front of the toilet. When I went in there to get her out she was pulling on her diaper trying to take it off. I took it off for her and she pointed to the potty, I put her on in and she sat for about a minute when she did the most incredible thing ever… she peed! I was shocked and so proud of her. I thought it was a huge fluke. About 30 min later D was using the bathroom. He called me in and Mad followed. I sat on the stool and talked to him while he went. Mad wandered around and then went and starting pushing Damian off of the potty. Of course I wasn’t going to ask him to get off so she kept pushing. She pushed for about a minute and then she looked at me and peed right next to the toilet. Since there was no potty training involved with Damian I’ve always thought she would be seven and still in diapers. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Damian's First T-Ball Practice

2011-03-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

Best Friends

2011-03-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

These two have always shared a special bond. From the moment he laid eyes on her he has been her big brother and protector. Don’t get me wrong, they do argue and get jealous of one another, but these two love each other. They have the sibling role down pat, they can mess with each other but if someone else tries to bother the other one then they better watch out. These two have each other’s back.

Since Madelyn has been born it is primarily the three of us. I spend on average about 20 hours a day with D (since he crawls in bed to snuggle with me) and spend almost every waking minute with Mad. Very rarely are we not together. When Damian goes to school MadMad gets upset. This morning she kept going in his room screaming, “D! D! Deeeeeeeeeeeee!” These two are together a lot. I love and cherish every single minute I get to spend with them. I love when Damian looks at me and talks about how much he loves his mommy, daddy and sissy because we are a family.

Lately, there relationship has changed. Madelyn has gone from a baby to someone who can play. It makes my life so much easier. While I do things around the house they keep each other entertained. One of their favorites is the Cozy Coupe. I know they aren’t alone; it is the best-selling car in the world! Usually she rides and he pushes. As they are flying through the house I hear them belly laughing. Usually it ends with a big crash and an even bigger laugh from the two of them.

Another favorite of my babies is chase. They run like wild people chasing each other. Sometimes Damian is playing tag, but she obviously isn’t old enough to understand that. Sometimes they make up their own games. All I hear is them laughing and Damian yelling that they are playing a game together. It doesn’t matter what they are playing, seeing my babies having fun together makes me happy.

Tonight, Madelyn somehow got in her grocery cart and D pushed her around. She is so tiny she fit just perfectly.

Saturday night we went to dinner with Michael’s parents. Madelyn was tired and didn’t feel too great so Michael’s mom held her. When we were leaving Susan jokingly told Damian that she was going to take her home for the night. Damian flipped out. He told her that she couldn’t have her and that she was his baby. He kept telling me to tell her to give her back to me. He was getting very upset. He was more than relieved to hear that Sissy would be going where she belonged, back home with us.

I love the bond the two of them have together. The other day at the pediatrician’s office she had to remind Damian that she was helping Mad because she looked over at his face while she was screaming and could tell he was about to come after her for hurting Sissy. Damian has always been like this. If anyone messes with her he will get involved. You mess with one of them then you mess with both of them.

I can only imagine what life is going to be like when they are older. I know Michael is dreading the high school years. He thinks back to what we did and it scares him to death to think that they will one day be that age. I’m sure they will plan things out so he has her boyfriend over and she has his girlfriend over. Michael will end up sleeping in the hall. Right now I don’t have to worry about it. Right now they are two happy babies (no matter how old they get they will always be babies to me even if Damian insists he is a big boy) who absolutely love and adore each other .

Craziness

2011-03-09T14:41:00.004-05:00

This has been an eventful week around our house! We were all hit by a stomach bug. The only good
thing is that it left just as fast as it came. Poor Madelyn got the worst of it. With an upset tummy she got the worst diaper rash I’ve ever seen in my life. It was so bad I had to take her to the pediatrician Monday afternoon. They were both so good there it was scary. The doctor came in and wanted to know what was going on. As I was telling her Damian came over to Mad (who was sitting in my lap) and started to take her shoes off. I asked what he was doing and he replied, “Well, if the doctor is going fix Sissy’s hinny then she needs to get naked.” It was priceless. He is a very caring big brother!

We are resting now because life is about to get hectic! Damian’s starts t-ball tomorrow night. T-ball will be one night of practice a week and one game a week. I think he is going to enjoy it. At three I’m sure it is going to be fun and not very serious at all. He is on the Orioles team. He will practice in the yard for a few minutes and then gets bored and runs off to do something else. It will be interesting!

Damian starts a program called Itty Bitty Sports next week that I’m really excited about. I know he will love it. It is three weeks of basketball, football and soccer. I personally think soccer is the most boring sport on the planet, but he is really excited and is really good kicking a ball. I’m sure he will grow up to love soccer since Michael and I can’t stand it! It is one night a week and it introduces the kids to the different sports. Michael and I had a parent’s meeting last week and after all of the talk about being so busy guess who signed up to be head coach? Michael is the head coach and I am an assistant coach (one other dad is an assistant coach too). So Michael will be in charge of eleven three and four year old little boys. Ten years ago I never would have imagined Michael doing this but he is really excited. He is so good with kids so I know he will be fantastic! We are going to be running like crazy for the next two months, but we are always on the go anyway so we will just add a little more to the craziness of our lives!

* a little side note... Madelyn finally hit the 20 pound mark! Monday she wighed in at 20 lbs 4 ounces. Where did this tiny little blue eyed girl come from? :)

Cruisin'

2011-02-28T17:06:00.002-05:00

I knew this day would eventually be here. It is like a little glimpse into the future. We decided to spend a little time in the backyard before the big storms hit. Miss Priss has come out with a bang and runs around doing whatever her big brother does. This afternoon they had their very first of what I know will turn into many, many, many more... car rides. Damian usually drives the Gator, but since the Jeep has beatbelts I asked if he would drive her in it. It didn't matter. Two feet into her first ride and she was standing up waving and giggling. After a stop to load mulch up the two were on there way again. Have I mentioned how much I love these two?

Praise Town

2011-02-24T15:07:00.002-05:00

Damian’s school is such an awesome place. I love everything about it. Today they had Praise Town. It is where the kids go to different stations to learn about the community. They also had to dress up as a community helper. Damian went as Bob the Builder which is very appropriate for my little guy.

This morning started very early for us. I was up at 6:45 getting dressed. D and I had to be at school by 8:45 and we had to drop Madelyn off with a friend. I wasn’t sure how traffic would be so we left very early to make sure we would have enough time. I know one thing, I am so grateful to get to spend every day with my children. Just dropping her off for a few hours was tough. She was with one of my really good friends who she has known since she was born and one of her best buddies. I knew she was in good hands but I still missed my little girl. I am very picky about who I leave my kids with. When Michael and I go anywhere they are with grandparents. It is nice to have a friend I trust to look after her and a place I know she will have fun.

Damian loved me going to school with him (and of course I did too)! I was stationed in the Home Depot/ construction station. I guess they figured it was perfect for me since Damian is quite the builder. We had kids painting boxes, playing with tools and hammering “nails” into boxes. Out of every kid at the school I think D enjoyed that station the most. He sang the Bob song while he played. I know that and playball were his favorites.

I absolutely love Damian’s school. It is filled with precious kids, really nice moms and teachers who couldn’t get any better. It was fun to talk to all of the teachers that I see every day in carpool. Everyone was so nice. I know it is a great school because Damian loves it. He loves his teachers and all of his little friends.

My favorite part about today was watching him play with his friends. He is so stinkin’ cute. He would get upset when he would see me, but within a few minutes he would be back to having fun. He had a fun day and will hopefully sleep really well tonight.

I had a great day with D, but was thrilled to get Mad. I missed her so much. I love being a mom to these two!

Jake's 6th Birthday Party

2011-02-13T20:13:00.001-05:00

Six years ago we were waiting on my nephew, Jake, to arrive. Today we celebrated his birthday at The Funhouse in Sandy Springs. Everyone had a ball. There were games, a big playground for kids, a bouncy, and laser tag. I think Michael enjoyed the laser tag more than anyone. I'll let the cute pictures do the rest of the talking...

He takes after his daddy... the first thing he went to was the big gun

You can give her one hundred toys and she will play with the ball

He can ride the stationary ones only

Surprise, surprise... Michael wanted on the motorcycle too!

Let me see how this tastes...

Big blue eyes

The birthday boy

I love this little guy

Catherine

Ava

She LOVES Jake!

She's a walking machine!

She's got a ball, what a surprise!

M is for Madelyn

Ready for some laser tag

D, Daddy and Chris

Ready to go... he then decided he didn't like it and went to play with Mad and Catherine

My two munchkins

Miss Priss hanging out

He's like his mama... he likes ski ball

Madelyn's PINK Party

2011-02-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

On January 1st we welcomed about fifty of our closest friends and family to celebrate Madelyn’s first birthday. To celebrate the big day we had a “Pink” party. Everything was pink! It is very appropriate for my little girl. Susan and I spent all week making all of the food for the party. It was a desert theme and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was definitely a way to spoil a New Year’s resolution of losing weight! Madelyn loved playing with her family and little friends. Overall, I’d say the party was a success.

I think the funniest part of the day came from Damian. Damian was getting rather sick of celebrating Madelyn’s birthday for the past week. Damian is a wonderful big brother, but he is human. When we were getting ready to sing “Happy Birthday” he decided that he was going to just go to bed. I ran up to get him out of his room when he informed me that he was just going to go to sleep to go ahead and sing without him. After talking to him he came down and sang. As soon as it was over he went back upstairs and stomped his way down the hall so everyone could hear him. About two minutes later he came back down and was in a good mood. This is very unlike Damian and was pretty funny.

My little girl LOVED her cake. She really just ate the icing. She had it all over her face, but not a bit on her tutu. She looked confused as everyone was singing but enjoyed the attention. I loved celebrating my baby girl’s first year of life. Madelyn is worth celebrating everyday!

A Little Update

2011-01-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

I must say, there hasn’t been much time for blogging lately! Actually, there never is any time to blog! I want to half way keep up with what is going on in our lives so here is a little bit of what we have been doing…

-Madelyn went from a baby to not a baby (she doesn’t quite feel like a toddler yet either) overnight. She is walking (crawling is still her primary mode of transportation) and is “talking” up a storm. She seems so much older.

- Damian is turning into a big kid. He had a rough week at school this week. Wednesday I had to get him early because he had a stomach bug and someone bite him today. He handled it like a man and just needed some Toy Story Band Aids to make it all better.

- We are going to Disney World in the fall. We are taking an extra long vacation. We are going to the beach for four days and then going to Disney for five days. It will be the longest any of us have been away from home. I must say we are SUPER excited!

- We are going to see Bob in May. This next Saturday me, D, Mad and Susan (Michael’s mom) were going to fly to St. Louis for the night to go to a Bob show, but it will be in Chattanooga in May so we are waiting. We will be in Chattanooga a lot in May. We go ride Thomas and see Bob both in May in Chattanooga.

- A few weeks ago Michael flew to Seattle to watch the Falcon’s game. He went with his dad, Chris (my cousin) and a few clients. He had a lot of fun, but it was such a short trip he was exhausted. Damian now loves to talk about going to watch the Falcon’s play in “Seaata”

- Madelyn is such a little doll. Last night around 11 I ran to the bathroom before we were turning the lights off. I noticed on her monitor that she was walking around her crib. She was walking in circles, snuggling her puppy singing “Dadada! Dadadadadada! Dadadada!” I told her the rules of the house… I don’t care if you want to play when it is bed time, you just have to be in your crib and can’t wake everyone else up. I didn’t hear from her until 8:15 this morning.

- D is such my sidekick. We would both be attached at the hip if we could. Every sentence he says starts or ends with Mama. He also enjoys helping his daddy do just about anything. D says that are “fit it man” or “working men.” Damian is a great helper!

We’ve been having a lot of fun around here. The two of them keep me busy and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

26

2011-01-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

Wow! I remember my 16 birthday like it was yesterday. I can’t believe it has been ten years already. I remember being so ready to get my driver’s license and drive off in my new Trans Am that I loved so much. I still love that car even though it has been seven years since I traded it in. At 16 Michael and I had only been dating a few months and were having a ball. We were hanging out with friends, going to concerts, and just being good ole care free teenagers. One thing about starting dating when you are that young is that in your heads you will always be that age. When Michael and I are alone we still act like teenagers. We chase each other and just act stupid. I guess it is better than acting like old folks. I look back very fondly of those days!

Ten years late, I can’t complain about anything. I have more than any person could ever possible deserve. I have a wonderful husband who I love more and more everyday and I know he feels the same, a beautiful son who lights up my life, and a daughter who means everything to me. I was blessed to have all of them in my life at twenty-four. At twenty-six I love watching my kids grow up (even though it is happening way to fast!) and hanging out with my husbands. I love to cuddle with my entire family and watch cartoons, go outside and build new cities and a new stadium for the Falcon’s to play when they travel to Seatta (what D calls Seattle), sing the Princess songs that I am slowly learning as my little princess becomes a little girl, and overall just having fun with my family. I also can’t forget the rest of my family. I have wonderful parents, a sister and adorable (and bad, but my kids are too :)) nieces and nephew. I ‘m also grateful for the rest of family, if I named everyone individually I’d be writing until my next birthday!

It’s strange to think I’m 26. Well, technically I have until 9:44 pm! :). A lot of wonderful things have happened in my 26 years of life, things that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’m happy to be where I am today. I have no idea what the future holds, but I’m looking forward to it. With Michael, Damian and Madelyn I’d look forward to just about anything!

Madelyn's Birthday

2011-01-02T19:42:00.000-05:00

Madelyn’s actual birthday was Tuesday, the 28th. For her first birthday she go one great present, her first ear infection. I noticed Christmas night she didn’t feel great. Sunday she got progressively worse and worse. By Monday afternoon she was miserable. My kids aren’t sickly children, so I knew she needed to be seen by the pediatrician. I love our doctor. I called late Monday and made an appointment for first thing Tuesday morning. What a great way to spend her birthday!

When she got up we immediately went where we could get back for some fun. She weighs 18.5 pounds (9th percentile) and is 29 in (40 percentile). Luckily her chest sounded clear, but she had the beginning of an ear infection in each ear. She got some medicine and felt better immediately.

When we got home we went to get lunch with my mom and D-bird. We went for a low key lunch at Zaxbys. MadMad immediately went down for a nap when we got home to get ready for her pictures. She slept, I took a shower and Damian and my mom watched Bob.

Madelyn’s pictures went well. They are really pretty, but I can tell she doesn’t feel her best. Everyone says she looks beautiful, but as her mom I can tell. Even not feeling her best she is stunning. I know I’m her mom and have to think that, but I really do! ;) She was so happy and was in a great mood. She got a few taken at the bottom of the front stairs and is now obsessed with the stairs. She is getting fast at getting up them.

That night we went for Japanese at Ninja with my parents and Michael’s mom. We have taken D there for all of his birthdays so we will do the same for her. Damian is their favorite customer. A waitress there adores him. She knows he likes suckers and has a pack for him in the back. Damian ate like a pig, but Madelyn ate nothing. Michael’s mom made her a cake for that night and it was priceless. I wish I had my camera. My kids aren’t allowed any junk food their first year (or their second year, Damian does now eat some junk stuff like fries but for the most part he eats very healthy) so she stuck her finger in and tasted it. She LOVED it! She got almost all of the icing off of it. She picked it up to try and get a bite, but it was too big for her. Through all of her mess making she didn’t get a drop on her dress. Her nose was pink and she looked as cute as can be.

Madelyn had a wonderful birthday. It was a low key day, but was fun. I can’t believe she is already one! Time really does fly when you are having fun, especially times two!

Birthday party fun to come soon…

At ONE Madelyn is…

- Wearing a size 3 diaper and 6-12 month clothes at Gymboree and 9 months everywhere else

- Doesn’t eat much. We are having to use Enfagrow since she barely eats

- Cruises like a champ, but is very cautious. She will be running as soon as she just lets go.

- Calls me Mamamama, calls Michael Dadadada and Damian, D

- She loves Sampson. She gets on the floor with her tummy on the ground and kicks her legs as fast as she can when his wagging tail hits the floor and makes noise

- She turned one and turned into a wild woman! She doesn’t sit still for more than 2 seconds.

- Says a lot of random things. Nothing really on command, but she is picking stuff up. The other day she was sitting in her high chair, looked up and said, “Juice.”

- Her blue ball is her favorite toy. Her princess push toy comes in a distant second.

- Damian throws a fit if I try to leave the house without a bow in her hair. Madelyn loves her bows, but will sometimes take it out. When she does she immediately tries to put it back in.

- Likes to wrinkle her nose.

- Has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Madelyn could rob a bank and he would think it is cute.

- Madelyn is a regular at the nail place. They know her well. She lays back and loves to get rubbed. She is well known for her pink toes with a design. She is her mama’s girl!

- She is dramatic. She gets her feelings hurt much more than Damian ever did. There definitely are BIG differences between a boy and a girl.

- She loves to point to pictures of her big brother

- If she is in my room she always has a phone in one hand and a hair brush in the other.

- She is 100% girl, but can hang with the boys.

- She has 5 cousins. There isn’t any shortage of kids to play with. We have Jake, Ava, Damian, Lane, Catherine, Madelyn and Evan

- Is absolutely PERFECT! She is a complete joy! I could not have asked for a better daughter.