Name Change

Due to various factors, Sunshine has undergone a name change...she will now be referred to as "Monkey!"  To give some background...over the past few weeks, she has turned into quite the wiggler, so much so that we can't even change her diaper at times, let alone get clothes on her because she won't sit still!  She's too busy rolling, sitting up, crawling, it's crazy!  We were so used to Bug who was so stationary it was the exact opposite...we would try and get her to move and she wanted nothing of it!  (our babysitter even asked me once if Bug helped me out when I would change her at home b/c she thought maybe she was just being lazy at the sitter...she had never seen a baby be so 'unhelpful' when being changed...HA!)  So Monkey fits her perfectly in this respect...
And secondly...as a shout out to my sisters (connie and shannon)...they were not the biggest fans of the original nickname...which I have to agree, neither was I, but I couldn't come up with anything better at the time.  So a big thanks goes out to them for getting me motivated...I am much happier with this one and I hope they are too!
*And just a side note for anyone who happens to watch Tori and Dean...I know my kids have the same nicknames...however, just to make it clear, I was not a copier~Bug got her name the day she was born~way before I had ever seen an episode...and although I am aware they use Monkey, it is just so fitting for her, that she has to have it!  (Not that I think anyone out there even watches that show, but I felt the need to cover that just in case!)

"I'm Going To See the Butterflies!"

We took the girls to the conservatory yesterday for the annual Butterfly Show (and all that Bug said all day long was "I'm going to see the butterflies!"), which we have now made a family tradition...Monkey made one of her first public appearances last year at the big event!  After our visit there last year on one of the hottest days that I think we had (and on a weekend), we chose a different route this year...a cool, rainy Friday at lunchtime...perfection.  We didn't have to wait in any lines, I didn't have sweat running down my back (sorry, but helpful for those who may think about going on a hot day!), and we could actually walk around and search through the flowers to look at the butterflies rather than bumping into someone everytime you turned around.  It was a great time and the girls absolutely loved it! 

Bug could have played in the cave all day!

~It landed right on the lady standing next to us~

We finally got one!

Monkey wanted to grab it in the worst way!

Nothing Like Old Friends

I've already given the background on the big "Girls Weekend" in an earlier post, so I thought I would just follow up with some fun highlights of how it went...needless to say, it was fantastic!

We all got in on Friday night and our first choice was to dive into margaritas and sangria...and then rather than checking out one of the local watering holes (which is something we would have definitely done 3 years ago!) we were all so exhausted from traveling~and some from working since 6am that day~that we headed back to the hotel room for wine instead...(no pictures from this night as we were too busy catching up!)

Saturday morning brought manicures, pedicures, and mimosas...we had the place all to ourselves and they lined all 8 of us all up together...it was perfect!

We followed up with lunch and shopping and then back to the hotel to gear up for the big night out...

or so we thought...

In addition to the endless glasses of wine, we toasted with Shirley Temples when we found out there is a new bundle of joy joining the group this fall!

And this was our final picture of the evening, as we once again, had high hopes of making it out til all hours of the night, however we were reminded of how old we are getting and we called it a night!

(But just to give ourselves some props, we didn't get out of dinner until midnight!)

An awesome weekend that will now be a tradition!

Time Flies When...

you have someone in your life who:
makes you laugh outloud each and everyday
puts you and your children ahead of himself
wants you to be as happy as you possibly can
makes you a better person inside and out
makes sacrafices you're not sure you yourself would ever make
supports you and everything that you do
makes everyday of your life an adventure

(the list goes on, but I went with the 7 best!)

I don't have any idea how I got so lucky to have such a person in my life, but without a doubt, I've got him and I couldn't be more thankful.  I've know this for quite sometime, but last weekend really solidified it.  After going away on my girls weekend (which was the first time he's been on his own with both girls for a weekend)...I came home with a whole new respect for my husband.  Not only did he hold down the fort (even with our washer line exploding and soaking our basement with an inch of water!), but he did it all by himself without any help (with a 2 year old and an (almost) 1 year old...and girls at that!)...everyone was clean, dressed, fed, well-rested, happy, and on top of all of that, the grocery shopping was done, the laundry was done AND more importantly folded, and the house was spotless.  My first thought:  Wow, I should go away more often!   Thanks to him, I was at complete ease throughout the whole weekend, had a fabulous time, and came home to what I call "perfection!" 

And as we get ready to celebrate 11 years of being together next week, I cannot believe how fast the time has gone...and how grateful I am to have such an amazing person to share my life with.  He is my other half, my comedic relief, my wealth of information, my absolute enjoyment, my serenity.  And I give thanks everyday that I picked up that phone a second time...

Crafty Cathy

Crafty.  Not a word I would use to describe myself.  A teacher, yes.  But after teaching elementary school for a year, I realized why I liked teaching high school so much.  NOT crafty.
 
Thrifty.  Definitely a word I now use to describe myself.  I think most stay-at-home-moms can relate.

For my friend's baby shower this weekend, I found these adorable onesies online that are rolled up to look like cupcakes...I was all set to order them until I saw the total price and what exactly went in to making them.  For $30, I would have received this in the mail:

Super cute, right?

But instead, I turned on the 'crafty' button and came up with this:

Let's compare the outside now too...

$30...

Thrifty version:

My total price = $15 (plus an extra onesie!)

And on top of everything...I learned how to knit!

Nice Weather Changes Everything!

As a follow-up to my last post, which was over 2 weeks ago (how quickly time flies!), I have come to the realization that blogging and warm weather are not going to mix well!  During cold, dreary days of the past, I would put the girls down for the naps together and then blog away...however now I throw on my shorts and shades and go out to soak up the sun! 
In addition, spring has brought many travel plans and fun adventures for us...we had our first visit to the children's museum, we went back to our hometown to visit family for Easter, we're off to Pennsylvania for a long-time friend's baby shower this weekend, visiting with a great friend who will be in town from Hawaii next week, the Derby will be here in a few weeks, Sunshine's big 1st Birthday, the arrival of 3 new babies at the end of May/June, our parents-only trip to NYC for 4 days (SO excited for that one!), and the highlight of this month is coming up next weekend...I have a very close group of girlfriends from high school (actually many from elementary school..and 3 of us have been friends since the day we were born!)...and over the past few years everyone has been moving, getting married, having babies, etc. and although we have seen eachother while celebrating these events, we haven't had the chance to actually sit, talk, and catch up like we've really wanted to.  And back in the fall I decided it was time for that to happen.  So I rallied as many of them up as I could and there are 8 of us meeting in the middle of where we are all located to spend 36 hours together and we couldn't be more excited!  Four of us are flying in from all over...(Chicago, SC, and Philly)...while others are taking a 3 hour road-trip...we are leaving behind boyfriends, husbands, babies from 6 months old to 7 years, and we're going to shop, pamper, eat, drink, and laugh with eachother all weekend long.  So, not only has the nice weather got the best of me, but my anticipation and planning for lots of spring-time fun has also kept me a little pre-occupied...
But I promise not to leave the blog in the dust...it will be the window into all of the good times we are having!