Olivia Marie is Two!

Hurry Fall, Hurry!

It's hard to believe Summer is almost over. But I loved that it literally seemed to go on forever. We crammed so much into this short time. Which is why part of me is exhausted and can't wait to see those leaves hit the ground. I am definitely ready for a slow down!
The only thing that makes me really, really sad is that camping season is over. And we couldn't go last weekend, because EVERY WHERE was full. Don't get me wrong, we stayed in a hotel downtown and it was a lot of fun. But truth be told, I'd rather be camping than doing almost anything else. I just love the calm of it, and being forced to be outdoors all day long, and I don't know. The simplicity of it.
I am booked every weekend for the next month, so I don't think we're going to get a last camping trip in. Bummed about that. I need closure. Lol. But really, it'd be nice to go and know it's our last trip of the year, so we could be extra happy and extra appreciative and savor every moment just that much more. Crossing my fingers for a maybe...
Another reason I can't wait for Summer to be over, free weekends again! I miss having nothing to do, but get together with friends, and hang around the house. Those are good days! I never in my life, thought I would wish for Winter! Or even want to see it! But this year, I do!
Olivia's Birthday party is tomorrow! I am so ready for it! I have all the decorations and everything else sitting on my table, waiting. My kids are going to Grandma's tonight and we are setting up and decorating while they are gone. So come tomorrow morning, all we will have to do is get ourselves ready, and do those couple extra things you always forget to do, and that is IT! Nice, stress free party! Hooray! We are expecting a really good turn out! Around 10+ kids alone. I'm all for that! And most of our family can make it too, excluding the far away ones of course!
All in all, thinking and hoping it's going to be a wonderful day!!!

Food for thought

So now that I've become an official Pinterest junkie, my creative juices are flowing. Or trying to any way. I've got so many ideas from that site, and so many inspirations from the already existing ideas.One thing I really want to start doing more of, is cooking! REAL cooking! Not boring, same as always, family favorites cooking. I mean I want to TRY new things. I will tell you the only thing that ever stopped me from this was the fact that I have an incredibly picky husband.

I decided tonight (or kind of at the grocery store) that I was going to make manicotti. To be honest, when I cook, I tend to skip on details, like a tablespoon of parsley, and yada yada. I bought the noodles and ricotta cheese today, and then once home found a recipe online. I started putting it all together, and for the first time ever, I had every single ingredient in my possession! Go me!

My husband of course tried to talk me out of it for about half hour, when I finally said, "feel free to make yourself dinner." Hehe.
It was fun! I made manicotti, one of my favorite foods, for the first time ever tonight! It was amazing, and even my husband thought so, going on and on about how the noodles were cooked to perfection. He is extremely OCD when it comes to noodles. And even HE was impressed. Success!
It was a Good night! Actually a great day in general! My daughter turned TWO!
She kind of inspired the manicotti. I wanted to make a dinner she would like, and she loves pasta... well noodles and butter. So I made the kids that, and Mommy and Daddy manicotti. The kids actually ate every single noodle on their plate, garlic bread included. I felt like Super Mom!
Speaking of cooking, I made some cupcakes for Olivia's Birthday. She is having a party next weekend, but I wanted her to still have something on her Birthday. So I made the most amazing cupcakes I've ever had. I put an oreo in the bottom of the cups, and than poured devil's food cake batter over them and iced them with a very thin cream cheese frosting. I don't even like cupcakes, or cake very much, for that matter, but these were AMAZING!
It's been a yummy weekend! :)

LoVe :)

Family Portrait. :) Our first Complete.
Tony and I had Engagement pictures done (almost 7 years ago!), and then had Pregnancy pictures done for our first Wedding Anniversary. I was about 6 months along. When Chase turned One we had family pictures taken with the four of us. But now we are FIVE... a family of five. And the babe is almost two, so true family portraits were becoming a necessity. :)
I decided that because I have gotten so into Photography this past year, I was going to do our family portrait myself. So here it is. I have to say, I kind of love it. Not even kind of. I love it. I'm so happy with it. I didn't expect that. Considering I set all of my family members up, planning to slip into it, on top of using a remote. There was a lot of faith involved. I put a lot of faith into the kids to smile, and look at the camera, etc etc, because I could not see a thing, while sitting amongst them. I set them up, slipped in, click click click. They did not dissapointe!
I have been putting it off all Summer long, and since my stepdaughter is going back to School, thus we will only see her every other weekend (we're spoiled during the Summer, having her as much as we want!), now was the time!
So yes, I'm very pleased with it!

Lucky me.

I did it. I read her blog. Maddie's Mom. The mother who's baby passed away from SIDS.
My curiosity got the best of me. I hoped and even honestly thought that I would go read her blog tonight and read that she is doing well... that life is back on track, and every thing happens for a reason. Nope. She's still sad. (Go figure!) And reading still makes me sad. Her daughter is 10 months now. Or would be. God how sad.
I read that blog and I wanted to run into my children's bedroom and hug, squeeze and kiss them, and just love them! Make sure they know how much! Make sure I know how much! Some days I get so stressed out. Two littles feels like 10 some days. And they are both little to the point that I still have to do everything for them. It gets really hard. But I read this blog and it reminds me how much worse it could be. It reminds me that I am so completely and totally blessed.
A good day for this mother is not thinking too much about the fact that her child is dead. Wow, what a slap in the face. It makes me feel ungrateful, to ever get frustrated with my perfect, wonderful, insane, messy, naughty, beautiful, silly babies. They are so perfect for me, and they push me in every way, both good and bad. Sometimes I miss my freedom, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My son and my daughter are the reason I wake up. They are the reason I have a reason to wake up. Three square meals, and bath time, and bed time stories, and bubbles and Art projects, and HOPE... for all that they will do in life, and all that we will do together.
I am so beyond blessed.

Self-Proclaimed Picture Hoarder

After watching that very sad show, I realize that is really how I am with my pictures! I stress out over my pictures! I take so, so, so many pictures! Almost daily. And then I want to print them out and frame them all. But I am scared to death of clutter, or being a hoarder, so I am always changing pictures out, always buying new frames. I have a sickness.
But alas, a light at the end of the tunnel... last year for Christmas, Tony got me an 8x10 digital frame. It has a wood frame, and it's pretty. I have it on our shelf in our living room. And I literally never turn it on. Which I can't believe he hasn't brought up, considering how expensive they are. BUT I found an old camera of mine, with a pretty large memory card in it.... sooooo, I am going to spend an hour or two putting a ton of pictures on it... all the pictures I want to clutter my walls and life with. Then I can turn it on, and have it as background. Sweet relief.
Can you tell, by posts like this, that this blog is completely and totally my personal journal? It keeps me sane in this non-stop A.D.D brain of mine. It gives me order, which is something I work for on a daily basis. It doesn't come natural to me in any way. Routine, structure, they are not my forte. But I want them to be!
Speaking of frames, I bought four new ones to hang over the fireplace. (Leaving the other 3 large ones, there before, homeless I guess.) Since I did all of the kids portraits myself this year, I really want them up, front and center. And Tony bought me an insane camera stand, so I'm going to do our family photos myself. So I will have that picture in the 4th frame. Can't wait! Ok, that's all for today! Sooooo much to do and get done!
Happy Thursday! My favorite day of the week! :)

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