bargain finds....

i am so excited about my recent baby item finds. i had decided to go ahead and get a new stroller/car seat combo and diaper bag for this baby. i had a really nice one when D was born, but it is over 5 years old and they recommend getting a new car seat every 5 years.... soooooo... yeah. and it is pretty beat up after carting 2 kids around in it. and i had wanted to indulge myself with a cool diaper bag, but just couldn't quite justify spending the $$$$ on the one i wanted.

thanks to my bff last chance.... i found this brand new petunia pickle bottom diaper bag for $29.97! can u believe it? i was so excited, they sell for at least $167.00 at the stores and online. what a find. tags were still on and everything :)





i also redeemed all of my gift cards to babies r us and used my 20% off coupon and my 15% registry coupon to get my euro maxi-cosi stroller and car seat. there was some confusion as to if the car seat i ordered online would fit with the stroller i bought in the store.... but it was delivered today and snapped right into the stroller perfectly!

now all i need is a baby :)

i love.....

i absolutely love the phase my eldest S is in now.... she wants me to braid her hair into 2 braids every other night. she wears the braids the first day and then wears it curly the next. i love braiding her hair and always will. she had 2 french braids in her hair before she was two!

i love how easy it is to put L to bed. she tells a quick run down of her day, gives a few kisses and snuggles and then says good nite... and she is out. by far the easiest child in our house to put to bed.

i love how D sleeps with her american girl doll in matching p.j.'s.... it makes the hoopla all worth it. she even likes for them to share the same hairstyle.

i really love how the 2 littlest ones have stayed in their beds ALL night the past few nights. thanks to their new dollhouse bed (courtesy of a sweet neighbor girl who wants a big girl bedroom now). it also distracted S of her unwillingness to give up her crib... she wasn't very excited about that.

i also really love my anthro bowls filled with oatmeal and toppings in the morning courtesy of my hubby.

baby must haves....

i have had some pretty tough decisions lately.....

i decided on both.

i really need to have this baby. i am getting a little cooky with my desire to buy things while waiting for the baby. these are my latest MUST-HAVES for the little one. i know it will appreciate them.....

nice....

my dad sent this to me.... said it reminded him of me. nice.

just a few late nite thoughts....

my thought are very random tonite... it could be because of uber wednesday at gold bar this morning (extra large de-caf mocha for the price of small) and then the uber smart thought to get another venti de-caf mocha this evening from starbucks. now i am uber hyped up!

1. today was mommy and me day at preschool for D and myself. it was precious. my friend A watched S for me, bless her heart, she spoiled S rotten. i had to pick her up from the floor, under her dining room table, in a full crying tantrum to remove her from the house. she didn't want to leave. she was reaching for walls as i was carrying her out. it was adorable.

anyway, D and i made crafts, sang songs, read books... all those cute things. here is a little survey they surprised each of the moms with. at least she got the age part right....

apparently i need to change up the outfits once in awhile. and what's with all the sleeping comments? this is not the first time this has come up. i wish i could sleep all day!

2. i enjoyed seeing these pics D took on my phone from our ride to pick the big girls up from school...

speaking of picking the girls up, i was informed by the school that L was up to the office 2x saying she was sick. (i know she was having a hard time with some friends) but things are going around, so, i thought i would go pick her up early. when i got there, she had a very dramatic entrance to the office... slightly bent over, clutching her stomach, a pitiful look on her sweet little face, and even pushed out a few forced coughing sounds. poor thing. i hugged her and we waited for S (who i would also take home early).

as soon as we got in the car, L made a miraculous recovery and was singing, eating her lunch and then went home to play with D in the back yard for about and hour while i home-schooled S. that was fun. about as fun as it would be to bang my head against a wall for an hour. i really applaud all those home schooling moms. you really have a gift! a gift that i do not possess. although, we did end up getting some beautiful work done and had a lovely rest of the afternoon.

3. guess who isn't feeling well? guess who feels like they need to throw up and has a constant stomach ache???????? i wonder why???????
4. i just got back from my mom's group and they were talking about celebrating pentecost for children. being the awesome catholic that i am, it never occurred to me to make a big deal about pentecost. this coming from the girl who, when a junior in high school, heard about the rosary for the first time. we were at a retreat and someone said it was time to pray a rosary. i whispered to my friend next to me.. what the heck are they talking about? i don't think i have one. she replied "it's ok, just count on your fingers" i was completely confused... what?????

anyway, they had this old vintage coloring book, oh how i love vintage things... and i thought it would be perfect for my kids. they learn and color about....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. definitely things my kids need to be working on. the little angels that they are...
5. i made these burp cloths for the newest little cherub. i guess i am officially nesting. does it count as nesting when you schedule cleaners to come? haha. i'm kidding. kind of. i really did call cleaners, but i have been scrubbing everything. i washed all the baby clothes, baby sheets, blankets, bumpers, car seat covers, boppy covers, swing covers. got myself some new jammies and receiving blankies for the baby. i put away the laundry (which is a big deal for me) i even scrubbed out the silverware holder in the drawer. for those who know me well, this can only be attributed to something larger than me... something hormonal.
6. my mom is back!!!!!

S, the party planner

the girls were a little jealous that they have not been able to attend any of the many baby showers that have been had lately. last night, the boys had a "man" shower for Dave. the girls thought they were invited too. but sadly, they were not. i told S she could throw Sarah a baby shower. she was all over that.

a lot of time went into setting the table just right. there were place cards for everyone and also tea cups with lemonade.

wonder what she was pouting about...
my auntie sent the girls vintage easter hats. they thought this was the perfect time to wear them.

the hostess with the mostess....
the mommy-to-be....
this one was not on her best "tea party behavior"......
D loves the pink vintage hat.


A loves the yellow one....
L finally cheered up and put on a cute black hat and drank her "tea" with her pinky up.
S made more lemonade.

there were 2 games. baby word scramble....
they were working hard.
Sarah did a pretty good job.
next we had a diaper race. the winner put the diaper on the baby faster than the opponent.
L's diaper was pretty funny.
Sarah did well on this task too.
i was glad to see my girls were pretty efficient at this task too.... might come in handy later....
i was really good at it.
D and Nat raced against each other. D was trying hard, it was difficult with one arm tho... she may have let out a hawk-like squeal when her sisters tried to help her. it was really sweet.
we had ice cream sundaes for dessert. they were delicious. good job S. i am impressed with your party planning skills.

metablog...

i just had to take an excerpt from my mom's blog and post it on mine. i found it quite funny.

she is currently in indiana with my grandparents, just spending time. one of my great uncles just passed away and she went back for the funeral. anyway, my mom has been busy filling her time with stripping and re-painting my grandparent's garage, golfing, taking my grammy to costco and apparently trying to learn to quilt...... (just the mental image of that makes me laugh)

"Off to Costco to stock up on Costco deals - booze, olives, gigantic steaks, and yellow, red and orange peppers.

Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner followed by a brisk walk with my sister.

I even actually QUILTED a block of a quilt for the darling baby of my baby who is due in May. It was a challenging experience of my losing the needle and big stitches and little stitches and I must admit I swore - it is just not the meditation for me -- although perhaps it needs to be THE meditation for me. Anyway it is actual proof that I contributed to one of my mother's quilt masterpiecies. She has made a baby quilt for perhaps twenty babies - they are each a masterpiece that will be handed down in our family for many years. Each signed and dated by my mother - the quilter, made with love and good wishes and a few swear words by me. Although my mother, with her fading eyesight says the Blessed Mother helps her thread each needle....

Tomorrow - with luck and a little warmth I will begin the power washing of the garage followed by the the first coat of paint."

as my ma would say.... peace and love :)

hmmm....

today, as i was driving home from dropping my kids and the carpool off at school, i found myself all alone in the car (which happens maybe once every few weeks or months). i was so enjoying the moment. it was quiet, the weather was beautiful, the windows down, i was listening to klove (which usually makes me so happy about life in general) and then..........

the dj had to start talking. he suggested that maybe it is time to replace facebook with HIS book. which is a great idea and all, but why did he have to go and try to guilt me out of my moment? maybe he should stop talking and play more music.

maybe i will become a fan of HIS book on facebook. there. problem solved.

i love this picture of D. we were walking home yesterday and i said "hey D, can i take a picture of you?"

she just turned around and smiled. just like every time i want to take pictures of the kids. hahahahahahhahahahha.

easter 2010

hoppy easter!!!!

and i wonder why the kids are afraid of the easter bunny...

they actually warmed up to him and were swiping candy from his basket when he wasn't looking.
these two especially....
does anyone else think this is a little creepy????
i like the way baby A sits... she does a lot of yoga.
my little easter bouquet...
the fam. it is almost impossible to get a nice family picture. ok. it is impossible.
they were all very excited to wear their new easter shoes. now i'm sure they will be destroyed in 2 weeks.
i won't comment on little S's cute phase she insists on doing all the time. i will just make a mental note. i can't wait until it is over.
i think D had a little help in her egg collecting....
if i hear "belly to belly" one more time....




i was proud of S, L and D singing at easter mass this year in the children's choir. they were soooo cute, if i do say so myself. all of the kids did a great job. i was a little nervous when they put S right in front of the mic, but she wasn't afraid. she just sang her heart out, with her head and shoulders moving and everything. i also enjoyed D's performance. her mouth was as wide open as it could get. she was really boppin' to the music. she also yawned a few times. we were planning on video taping it, but failed to bring the battery for the camera. we also got there about 3 minutes before mass started. oh well, that's early for us!
we were spoiled with 2 delicious meals and enough chocolate to last us all year. some of the children might re-think their amount of chocolate consumption for next year.... let's just say daddy had to run out and get some children's pepto-bismol for all the "tummy aches"