Fastfoward

Some how a whole year has gone by since I've posted anything. I'm not sure how that really happened. I love to blog. I've meant to keep up but life just got in the way so here I am fastfowarding just in case anyone is still checking this silly little blog.

Madison

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

Some how I ended up with a real live grade schooler in my house. We're not talking kindergarten anymore here people she is going to be starting first grade in September! She is officially a reading, math problem solving, bike riding, tooth loosing kid! Best of all I really like this kid! As a mom I'm pretty sure I'm contractually obligated to love her but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like her as a person. Lucky for me she is funny, outgoing and usually pretty easy to be around. She has also learned to recently whip my butt in Mario Bros 3 which I find pretty amazing because I was playing the game long before she was ever around. Even so whipping my butt is exaclty what she does!

Stella

(picture courtesy of Viki Reed Photography)

My baby is turing 3 in just two short weeks! She is such a little kid now. No more crib (although she tells me on a daily basis that the man can come take her bunk bed away at any day now and bring back her crib), no more diapers and that means for the first time in 6 years I am actually carrying a purse instead of a diaper bag!!! Stella has such a strong personality. She has opinions on just about everything and has no problem sharing them with anybody. Her vocabulary also blows me away just about every day. Some of her favorite things to say are "Well, actually (followed by her opinion)" or "Tell me about your day. Was it stressfull" or "Mom I think I've aggravated Madison".

As for me I'm about to begin my fourth and final semester of nursing school this September. The thought of being finished with this leg of school so soon is super exciting. Unfortunately the thought of the long nights of studying and all the time away from my family tends to make me dread the upcoming semester.

Sadly last October our sweet Newfi Kai that we had adopted the prevoius June became very ill. The vet diagnosed her with kidney failure due to a genetic issue that was undetectable until it was too late. By the following morning she had passed away. We missed having a giant hairy beast in our family and not long after adopted Max. He is a 3 year old landseer Newfoundland that instantly worked his way into all of our hearts and overnight became one of the family!

I have grand intentions of posting daily and hope to stick to it. If anyne reading knows myself or my family in real life you know we are always seeking out different ways to enjoy life that inevitably leave a great story to tell. I can't wait to start telling those stories here again!

A Girl and Her BIG Dog.....

Yes the dog weighs 4 times as much as her but that doesn't seem to matter to either of them!

My Baby Turned Two!

Wow, wow, wow! I can't beleive how long it has been since I've blogged (6 months, 19 days to be exact). So many times ideas have popped into my head or the girls have done/said something that I thought "I need to share" but just never got around to doing it.

I'm going to do my best to fast foward through all the big stuff from the last six months....

Nursing School- Yep I started, it has kicked my behind and I am loving every minute of it! Second semester starts September 7th and I am expected to graduate in December 2012.

Madison - Her nose is still healing but looking better and we are all still healing from the psychological effects of the dog bite. Amazingly she seems to be the most healed and I'm by far the least. She has absolutely zero fear of dogs (her anxiety manifested in other ways) while I am pretty much terrified but we have taken steps to resolve that issue (more to come on that topic). Ms. Madison also graduated from preschool and is super excited to start kindergarten where she won't have to take naps. You know 'cause that is what is most important about going to kindergarten!

Stella- Can you beleive it she just turned two! Okay maybe not a big deal for you but it is HUGE for me. My baby is becoming such a big girl! She is such a little spit fire who is always making us laugh.

Kai- What is a Kai you ask. Well in Hawain it means ocean but in our house it is the name of our latest addition. Kai is our adopted 3 1/2 year old newfoundland. At first I was completely against ever having another dog (besides Tucker) but after much begging and pleading by the hubs I caved. She has been AMAZING! Kai is the sweetest, calmest most lovable dog we have ever had. She has helped this family heal more than any amount of therapy ever could have!

Now for the pics (you didn't think I would leave them out did you?)....

Madison Update and Holiday Review

I can't believe I let a week go by without updating on Madison's status. Her nose is healing very well. Thankfully there has been no sign of infection. The sutures will be coming out next week and for the next year we will be focusing on minimizing the scar.

During the day she seems to be the same carefree, lovable kid but there have been quite a few nightmares at bedtime. She has also seen a few dogs that she has known this past week. She has had no problem petting them or being near them unless they start getting playful. Twice she began to cry in situations that would have never bothered her before. When I pick her up from school today I will be talking to the directors to see if they can recommend anyone for her to talk to.

I just realized that I don't have any updated pictures of her and she is at school right now so I will have to post them later.In spite of the dog bite we had a very nice holiday season. Christmas Eve was spent at Justin's grandparent's house with lots of extended family. Christmas day started at exactly 5:05 am. It was so much fun experiencing childhood through Stella and Madison's eyes! We spent the rest of the day with my parents. New Years Eve was spent with our friends Jess and Kal but somehow I forgot my camera. I'm blaming it on the "incident" 'cause I've kind of been out of it ever since it happened. Here are some of my favorite pics. Enjoy

"But I Don't Want To Wear This Stupid Bow"

Take Two

Christmas MorningA New baby doll and a pork roll sammy. Does Life get any better?Madison with our Christmas guest. Thankfully we found him a home other than ours.Daddy and Stella Christmas day.Tired and Tubbied (is that a word? It is in our house.)

The Unthinkable

Just like most of you the past couple of week have been crazy here in our house. My first post back from "Christmas" was going to be all about how much fun we had, the hysterical pictures of Stella throwing a tantrum while I was trying to take pictures of her and Madison all dolled up and how we found an adorable kitten 2 days before Christmas and were able to make one little boy very happy by giving it to his family on Christmas day. Life had different plans though.

Two days after Christmas we were visiting some family members when one of my greatest fears happened. A dog owned by someone in my husband's family was allowed near Madison and it bit her. At this time I am not up for sharing all of the exact details of the incident but what I can share is that her nose was badly bitten but thankfully able to be stitched back together by a plastic surgeon.

Right now the biggest concern is that the wound may get infected. So far it is doing well but the risk is still there. If this were to happen the sutures in Madison's nose would have to be removed. The nose would have to heal on its own and she would most certainly require reconstructive surgery later on. If the wound stays healthy we are hoping scarring will be at a minimum and no future surgery will be required.

Madison is doing great. Other than being a little more sleepy than usual she is playing and acting like her normal bubbly self. Keeping her low key and protecting her nose from being bumped by Stella has proven to be a challenge but one that we are thankfully willing to take on. For as bad as the situation is Justin and I are all too aware of how much worse this could have been.

If you could please pray that our little girl's nose and spirit (which includes and absolute adoration for all critters )heal and stay healthy we would really appreciate it. Thanks so much!

An Email From Santa

At this time a year children all over the world are writing letters to Santa. Some will even receive a letter back. This is something Madison has been hoping and checking the mail for every day for a week. This year she won't be getting a letter though because she will be getting this email Madison's email from Santa!
Portable North Pole can help parents help Santa create this awesome message from him complete with their name, detail about them and a picture! Best yet it is for FREE! For those looking to tease an adult in their life you can also send a Naughty List message with more adult type material in it. For example I sent one to my brother saying that he has been naughty this year and really needs to stop cursing and listen to his wife more often! So much fun!

Christmas Checklist

It is December 9th. Some how over a month has gone by since my last blog. More on reasons for that at another time. My current checklist looks something like this....

• Put lights on the house
• Cut down and decorate tree
• order Christmas cards
• Shop for Christmas Presents
• Play outside with no jackets on in 65 F weather

Yep that's correct it is spring like weather here in NJ just 2 1/2 weeks shy of Christmas. Not that I am complaining or anything (well maybe a little since it was too warm to kill off any bugs in our Christmas tree and now I am convinced we need to fumigate the house). I mean seriously how often do you get to have fun like this in NJ this close the Christmas?

Looks like we'll just have to save Christmas cookie baking for another day!

Summer Wrap Up

Wow what a summer! Now that fall is officially here, my brother's wedding is over, Madison is back in school and I am officially unemployed (but looking) I've decided to take the time to edit our 700+ photos. Doing so has made me realize just how much fun we have had this summer as a family and given me proof that there has been good reason for my blog neglect. We have thrown a bridal shower, celebrated a very special first birthday, gone on the best vacation ever to Lake Powell, Utah, taught a certain someone learn to ride a two wheeler (with training wheels but they'll be off soon), gone fishing, to the circus and so much more! Here are just a few of my favorites that I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

Next up for this very busy family of four? Apple picking in upstate New York, finally getting to meet new baby Jude and training for a marathon (yeah seriously a marathon and no that isn't a metaphor for something else). Stay tuned!

Answers Anyone?

I was just about to begin a blog on my teary eyed nostalgic mode that I'm in and how I can't beleive my tiny little baby is about to turn one in less than three days when blood curdling screams came blaring out of Madison's room!
I rushed to see what was wrong with my 4 year old and found her standing on her bed, screaming about spiders and trying to brush off what I can only imagine are spiders that she is dreaming about.
I wish I could say this is the only time something like this has ever happened but lately it seems like she is having much more vivid dreams than usual.\
I guess I should start at the beginning. We have been trying to permanantly evict Madison from our bed for some time now but she seems to find her way in every night. SHe goes to sleep in her own bed without any problems but somehow finds her way upstairs EVERY night!

We have tried incentives bribery, discussions, you name it but nothing seems to work. There are mornings where she gets upset saying that she really wants to stay in her own bed but that the really strong fairy picks her up and carries her to our room. Um, okay. This led me to beleive that besides vivid dreams she is also sleep walking. I haven't done any research yet but I beleive it is an inherited trait because lucky for my girls both my father and I used to sleep walk when we were children. Last week my suspicions were confirmed when I heard her crying but realized the crying was coming from under my window in our driveway! That's right people Madison unlocked the front door and walked right outside. I can't even imagine what may have happened if I didn't hear her cry! Needless to say we have since installed latch locks up high until we are able to put some kind of major alarm system in our home (probably the only people more concerned with keeping people in than keeping people out).

I've tried to go through recent events to see what might be triggering these situations but I haven't pin pointed anything yet (not sure if there is something specific). Her diet hasn't changed although I plan to write down what she eats everyday to see if I can find a common theme. We have been much busier this summer than usual with company, parties and swimschool four days a week. Maybe there is a link between her dreams/sleep walking and activity level (this also interferes with her nap schedule). If I had to guess I would say that latter makes more sense but I guess only time, research and help from an expert (if this continues) will help. If anyone has any information or experience with vivid dreams and/or sleep walking your input would be appreciated. Thanks!

When A Four Year Old Goes Wild.....

with her mother's camera you may end up with pictures like this!

"Not Me" Monday!

It has been quite awhile since I have done a Not Me Monday! Heck, it has been a long time since I have posted. More to come on what has been going on at a later time and date. As the third week of summer vacation rolls around I've decided to write a Not Me post on all of the inappropriate activities that my two perfect little angls would never do. It is a good thing they don't do these things too 'cause if they did I might be just the slightest bit frazzled and completely sure that I am finished procreating!

• In a raving lunatic, crazy women tantrum Stella did not throw her LeapFrog drum out of the playpen so hard that I thought she somehow flipped herself out.
• Madison at 4 1/2 years old does not continue to sneak into our bed every night. This is not acceptable and if it were to ever happen I would most certainly bring her back to her own bed!
• Stella would never lean over the dog bowl and lap up water as if she were a dog. If she were to do this I would absolutely stop her and never just let keep up the bizarre behavior.
• Madison does not dig her finger into her belly button and then proudly announce "It smells like cheese! Wanna smell it!". That would be gross!
• Stella does not throw her food over the side of her high chair just to watch the dog come and eat it.
• Madison does not climb every tent, awning or other various polls that she finds and then swing from them like a stripper monkey leading people to comment on her unusually natural talent.
• Stella does not climb every obstacle she comes across and is always satisfied to just chill at ground level.
• Both girls ALWAYS nap for 3 hours stright at the same time to give me time to clean blog!

Oh yeah I'm so glad my kids are so perfect and do none of these things!

The Many Faces of Madison