30/365

We went to visit Nana and Papo today.

11/365

Bed time story with daddy!!

Big Sisters!!

We just announced to family and friends that we are expecting again!  We are thrilled, excited and a little nervous about having 3 very young children!  But mostly we feel very grateful and blessed!

Baby is due in August!!  I've already had 3 ultrasounds and all is well!

The Echoes of hide and seek

The girls LOVE to play and hide and seek! They don't really understand how it actually works. Mallory often jumps out before we "find" her and shouts "here I am". Jillian has learned to hide but when we "find" her she says "I found you."! It's all very cute and sweet to see how they interpret the game. They'll have plenty of time to learn the actual rules but right now for them it's just plain fun.

Lately they've been playing with daddy while I clean up the kitchen after dinner. Hearing their sweet  giggles and voices while doing the dishes makes it a lot less like a chore. It's a simple game and really it's a simple time in our family. Our girls are 3 and 1 and all they want is to be with us, play with us, and laugh with us.

When you first have a baby EVERYONE tells you how fast it goes. Enjoy each moment...they grow too fast...you hear it all the time. While there are definite days when I am exhausted from meeting all the daily needs of young children, the trueness of these words is rarely lost on me.

Somehow knowing there will be a time when the family room is no longer filled with these tiny voices playing an after dinner hide and seek game allows me to remember each and every echoed "My turn to count." and "I found you daddy." as if I had completely forgotten of this memory.

To remember like you will one day forget sort of makes everyday the best one yet.

The Joys of a family photo

This year I decided to do my own Christmas card photos.  Last year we paid an amazing photographer to do them and she did a fantastic job!! www.tiianorsym.com If you live in the Chicago area and you are looking for a family photographer be sure to check her out.

This year unfortunately it wasn't in the budget.  So I dressed the family up and off we went to a scenic location. I had high hopes! Both girls had slept well, just had a morning snack and appeared happy. I talked about the beautiful swans we were going to see in an effort to get them excited about the location.

Once we arrived the wind seemed to get exponentially stronger. Not having that much experience with my tripod it took me forever to get the camera attached to it all the while I was wasting valuable happy dispositions from the girls.  When I finally figured out how to attach the camera to the tripod the wind blew so hard it knocked the entire tripod with camera and fancy lens to the ground.  The lens was covered in mud! By the time I set up the shot and got everyone in place I was so frustrated.  With a 3 year old, a 1 year old, and a husband who was trying to go along with my grand idea I knew I had very little time to get the shots I had envisioned. I blew it, big time!  I literally took about 10 photos before I realized it just wasn't going to happen.

I never did get to see the swans.
Note to self: next year, I will pay for family photos!!

We packed the girls up and decided to try after naps, before sunset in our backyard. This time I did manage to get some decent shots. A little tip: I used masking tape to wrap Elmo around the tripod and told Jillian to look at Elmo, this ended up working for Mallory too. (even though at 3 years old she's capable of following the directions to look at the camera I think it made it more fun for her).

Here are our potential Christmas Card shots:



















Here are some SOOC (straight out of the camera) out takes!

Silhouettes and a Makeover

As you can see I spent some time this weekend making over my blog.  I did a lot of research and found some really cute inexpensive templates from http://www.deliciousdesignstudio.com/   Speaking of blog designs I am excited to be working on a new and different blog.  It stems from an idea I had been tossing around for awhile.  The blog will strictly be about early childhood. Since I was an early childhood teacher for many many years before I had children I have all these ideas and resources that I would love to share!  Through photos and explanations I will display all the projects and developmentally appropriate activities I do with my own children.  I've shared a little bit of that on this blog but and I'm sure there will be some cross-over posts but I'd like to have a home for all things only early education related and I plan to keep this blog as my family archive (trips, birthdays, milestones etc.) and 365 project.  When it's good and ready I will share the link! 

On Saturday night we went to our local park.  I had been wanting to practice my silhouettes and since we were there an hour before sunset it was the perfect opportunity.  Here are my results.

Miracles happen...

On Wednesday, August 31, 2011 my mom was scheduled to have her cancerous kidney removed.  The doctor was 99% sure it hadn't spread and the surgery was supposed to have little risk.  On Wednesday morning myself and the rest of my mom's family met her at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to wish her luck, send her our love, prayers and positive vibes.  The surgery was supposed to last about 4 hours, however two hours into surgery the doctor came out to the waiting room to deliver terrible news.  They discovered that the tumor has spread onto the main vein that leads to the heart.  They told us they didn't know if the tumor had attached itself to the heart but they are preparing to possibly do a bypass.  He looked very worried and told us that surgery just got substantially riskier.  He also told us that if she was at a smaller hospital she would have died for they wouldn't have been prepared to handle what they discovered. We were beyond shocked as sadness filled the room.  I couldn't believe what was happening and I couldn't believe that morning when I kissed her goodbye before her surgery was possibly the last time I was going to see her alive. We spent the next four hours calling friends and family to let them know, praying, crying and walking around in disbelief!!  It was by far the worst four hours of my life. The only comfort was that we were surrounded by a lot of family. 

After about 7 hours into surgery the doctor came to the waiting room again.  He told us they got the entire tumor out and it had not attached to her heart!!  The best possible outcome happened!  We were so relived and ever so grateful!!  I do believe my mom has an angel(s) watching over her!  To go from the darkest of places to the best possible outcome in a matter of hours truly was a miracle!!!  

My mom is currently recovering at the hospital but should be going home tomorrow.  We will continue to hope and pray for her full recovery!!

Promise me you'll always remember....

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think".   ~Christopher Robin to Pooh”

I started this blog as my own personal family archive...a way to document all the events, milestones, and everyday moments that happen in our lives.  That means all the beautiful moments and to keep it real it also means the curve balls life may throw our way.  Well that recent curve ball for my family was that my mom has kidney cancer. The doctors are most certian it hasn't spread and we are very confident and hopeful that they will be able to go in and get it all out during surgery on Wednesday.  She will be under the best possible care at Northwestern Hospital.  We are praying for a full healthy recovery and our extremely confident she will beat this awful disease. 

My strength has been tested these past couple of weeks for sure and  when I came across that Christopher Robin quote it really helped to keep this simple sentiment in mind...braver than you believe, stronger than you seem...

On August 13th the girls and I had a great day with my mom- We went to a place called Make a Messterpiece, where the girls could do a bunch of different art projects!! So cute and fun!  We then had lunch at a nearby cafe outside- it was a beautiful day. I think my mom was born to be a grandma!  The love and affection she shows for her grandchildren is effortless and they are so lucky to have her as their grammy! 

 

 

 

Shower

Still behind in posting but slowly catching up....

On August 7th I hosted a bridal shower for my sister, Kelly.  The theme was black, red, and white modern kitchen.  It was fun to host and see it all come together!! 

The shower theme was inspired by a shower featured on http://www.hostesswiththemostess.com/!

Family Picnic

I've been so behind on posting.  On August 6th we went to a family picnic ( my mom's side of the family) and I thought I'd post a few shots from the day! 

  

Cousins

 

         Beautiful Ana- My cousin's little girl!