Smitten

If we only knew what Leah was saying last night as she gazed and babbled at Lee, it would probably be something like, "I am in love with you!" She was so stinking cute, she stared and talked and smiled at him for a good 20 minutes.

Taken from over Lee's shoulder

You are awfully tall Mr. Lee

So smitten

She is so flirting, look at that smile!

If I had been smart enough I would have video taped the conversation he had with her regarding that fact that she isn't allowed to date or kiss any boys until she is 21! Thanks for looking out for her Lee, too bad you won't be here with your army gear to scare the boys away. We may have to fly you in at some point during her teen years!

Bring on the Clam Bakes

Roland has been craving clams for about a week now so we had a free Saturday night and asked our friends Lee, Kristen and Jacob to come over for a pre-summer clam bake. They had never heard of steaming clams on the grill so they were super excited to experience it. We decided instead of a big meal with the clams, that we would make a bunch of appetizers to munch on all evening long and that is exactly what we did. We grazed as my Dad would say!

Cookie time!

Leah is in love with Mr. Lee (post to follow)

The boys insisted on helping with Leah's bath

I forgot to take pictures of the clams since we ate 100 give or take. We were so busy eating that I actually forgot about the camera if you can believe it! It was a great evening and the kids were amazing. Seth even slept until 8am this morning and that NEVER happens!

Couples Dinner

Last night we went out without the kids for a full adult evening and we had a BLAST! So much fun that we didn't get home until 11:30pm. 11:30pm used to be early for us, but now that we have 2 kids and early risers at that we tend to be home and in bed much earlier or at least I do. I'm no good without my sleep. Anyhow, we arranged to get everyone together and go to my all time favorite restaurant...Ryan's Lookout. The dinner was amazing as always, the company was wonderful and we all had a ton of laughs. All it takes is some great friends, cocktails and delicious food and we are ready to go. Thank goodness we had a DD, Kristen will be our DD until October when her new baby girl arrives and we truly appreciate it. After dinner the pregnant lady wanted ice cream so we stopped back in Sackets for ice cream and then to The Boathouse for one last drink. I myself had my fill of Sangria at the restaurant so I just hung out and chatted with everyone. It was such a great night and I think I can speak for the group when I say we all had a ton of fun. I haven't laughed that much in ages!

Lee and Kristen

Sarah and Eric

Beth and Nate

Rod and Jen

Roland and I

Myself wtih Jen and Beth plus Rod's hand

The girls!

Our next couples dinner with be in July to celebrate Sarah's birthday and we are going to Foxy's! Can't wait!

Friday Fav's List Week 12

Holy cow I have been off work for 12 whole weeks and the time absolutely flew by. We had such a great time going to play dates, swim class, story time and sooooo much more. It has been the best experience of my life. I always said that I could never be a stay at home mom, now I realize that I could totally work part time and love it. Unfortunately my job doesn't permit that, but it does permit lots of vacations and summers off so I can't complain at all. I am also very lucky to only have to go back for 19 days, collect my full pay check for the summer and then be off for 2 more months with the kids. It doesn't get much better than that. So this is my last week of fav's for a few, but watch for the summer addition starting in July. This week was just as jam packed as the rest, let's see what did we do??

* We had an extra day off with Roland on Monday so we worked on the new landscaping and hung out around the house instead of rushing rushing all day.
* Sheryl had her 30th Birthday! You have now officially joined the club!
* We went to another amazing Buckingham fish fry and I ate my weight in fish, well almost!
* I took Seth to meet his Nursery School teacher and then we spent some time in Grandma Puccia's class. He participated in calendar, some songs and a lesson on the vowel U. He loved it!
* I had my last girls day with Leah and we literally stayed home and enjoyed each other. No rushing here and there, just quiet home time. It was great, I'm going to miss our girls days.
* Today we are headed to Kidnastics and then out to dinner with some great friends to my all time favorite restaurant...Ryan's Lookout.

Look out summer, here we come!

Milestone Moment

All day long Leah has wanted to sit upright. When she lays down she grabs my fingers and pulls herself up into a sitting position. I had pulled out the Bumbo seat about 2 weeks ago and she was still way too small for it. I thought I'd try it again today just in case and low and behold it fits. Check this out...It couldn't get much better than this!

Adding Character

It is not a secret that I have no green thumb. I kill everything and I don't mean to, but either I over water or under water, but in any case, I kill everything. So we have never had much character in our yard. It isn't that I don't want the yard to look nice, but I have the fear that I will kill it all off. This year we decided that we desperately needed some pizzazz in the backyard so we started by adding some landscaping to the end of the addition. Roland is always up for a project and really enjoyed the end result. We picked some flowering shrubs so by this time next year it will look really pretty.


I have yet to take a picture of the complete finished product but I will soon! Thank you to my hubs for all of your hard work.

1st BBQ of the Season

On Sunday my Dad hosted the 1st BBQ of the season. Ryan, Katie, Gwen and Elise drove in from Potsdam and Pop Pop is here from NC so it was a festive family gathering. It was also the first time they had all met Miss Leah. The kids played their hearts out and Seth was in his glory to be able to play with Gwen. He says to me on the way to Dad's, "Mommy, I like the big girl!" He was practically glued to her hip the whole time we were there and she was so very patient with him.

My Dad the grill master!

Just a little background on my Dad... he loves to cook but doesn't know how to cook for say 4 people. He only knows how to cook for lets say 20 at a time. He made a GIANT mac salad that could have fed a ton, but that is fine with us because we had seconds and thirds. He has also fed me personally 4 times in the last 6 days. They watched Leah for swim class last Thursday (fed me dinner after), watched Leah on Saturday while I was in Ithaca and Roland and Seth were at Snow Ridge (fed me dinner again), Sunday for the BBQ (fed the whole family) and last but not least tonight we have been invited back over for a good old Buckingham fish fry! I can't wait! I can throw back about 20 perch in no time! So basically I am counting down the minutes until chow time! I am not going to lose my last 5 baby pounds this way, but you only live once!

Cornell Alum

Picture the most beautiful day in your mind, add family, beautiful scenery and a momentous occasion and you have just described how I spent my Saturday. It could not have been more perfect except if I had been smart enough to wear sunscreen. Anyhow, the ceremony was wonderful, getting to walk the campus one more time and of course my last trip to CTB (College Town Bagels)!

CHEERS to YOU!We wish you the very best of luck on your next journey, which actually starts today!

Love you!

Tribute to My Little Brother

One of the closest people in my life is taking a huge step this weekend. He will no longer be in the safe college environment, but taking the next step towards being an adult. It is scary entering the unknown, but we all have huge faith in his abilities and know that he has a ton to offer this world and we can't wait to follow his new journey. When we were kids we didn't always see eye to eye. He would follow my friends and I around and be an all around pest, but as we grew up I came to see him as a wonderful brother-in-law, brother, and uncle and one of my best friends. We are all so proud of the choices he has made and the experiences he has had. He has travelled to Europe, published his short stories in magazines and just recently worked his a#@ off to receive an A+ on his senior thesis. We are so proud of you Justin and we wish you the best of luck. Don't forget about us when you become famous. Also remember you promised to pay for Seth's college, ha!!!

Here are some of the MANY pictures/memories from over the past few years in total random order...

Gram's 80th Birthday
Pimp glasses
Thanksgiving 2008
Tree shopping 2008
Christmas Day 2008
Fall 2008 @ CornellAn uncle/godfather for the 1st time with Seth
An uncle for the 2nd time with Miss Leah
March 2009
NYC 2008 ~ Grease

MMM fountain soda!

Top of the Rock

21st Birthday Bash at Cornell

Seth's 1st trip to Cornell

Beer/wine pong

Back to school 2007

Some of our favorite moments or memories of all time would include... 5 minute massages, taco pie, Napoleon Dynamite, our NYC trip, pistachio torte, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, your 21st birthday, CTB, the senior assassin game, dinner nights, The Facts of Life, Jewish glasses, Gimme Some Tots and so much more!

I love you little brother!