Our Weekend in Pictures

This past weekend was amazing. We did just about everything fallish that you can do in one weekend and I have tons and tons of pictures to show for it.On Saturday we went to The Backyard Farmer with Jacob and some other friends. We rode on just about every kiddie ride, had a snack and jumped into some hay stacks.On Sunday we picked apples in Mexico with the family and then had a fall cookout at the beach on the way home. Seth was in his glory!

On Monday we made three batches of apple crisp with all of our freshly picked apples and then we went to Old Mcdonald's Farm one last time for the season.
The corn maze for SO much fun this year and Seth ran in and out of the stalks like a pro. It was a truly amazing weekend and I can't wait for another, only two days until Friday. YIPPEEE!

It's Official

We went for our ultrasound this morning and it's official...we will be adding a little girl or as Seth says "a little dirly!" to our family. We are thrilled that she will enter our lives and that she is growing so well. I'll scan and upload the ultrasound pictures tomorrow when I go back to work!

Don't Forget to Say Grace!

Seth's newest obbsession is saying grace before every meal. He loves it and has learned 2 different prayers; one traditional and one I learned (believe it or not) at Catholic School as a kid. He's too funny so we thought you'd all like to check it out!

What talent!

Happy Happy...

Happy Birthday Poppy AKA Tommy!

See you tonight to celebrate!

2 Types of People

I have come to the conclusion that there are 2 types of people in the world; the organized planners and the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants non planners. If you know me AT ALL then you know that I am highly organized, with lists and bins throughout my house. At this moment I have a list going for Thanksgiving dinner, who to shop for for Christmas, who to order Christmas pictures for, who to make Christmas ornaments for and what I still need to get in terms of supplies for the baby. See, very very organized and anal you might say!

Now on the other side of the coin you have the types of people who drive me crazy. The type of people who don't return phone calls, emails, texts and who don't show up when they say they are going to. Seriously, this makes me want to scream and shake them! Today, this was our contractor and he got a firm phone call from the hubs after I had nearly given up entirely. So, what does he do, he's too scared to call Ro back so he calls me and I was so proud of myself. I firmly told him how it was going to be or else he was going to lose a job that was going to make him thousands of dollars. I came right out and said, "I know that contractors are of a different breed, a breed in which time has no importance, BUT I am a teacher and I run my life on a schedule, I need to know for DEFINATE when you are starting or else we will find someone else who wants the job!" All I have to say is yah for me!

Now we just need to wait and see if he follows through. So, if you are a non planner, god love you, but I could never live my life that way in a million years.

Diary of a Pregnant Woman

Dear Diary,

Just when I thought I was officially over the sickies, they have returned. They did give me a two to three week reprieve so that has made me happy, but they are back. I have also reverted to falling asleep by 9:20pm. I think that is due to the fact that I can exercise now though. YIPPEEE! Seth and I have been walking everyday after school and that makes me feel worlds better. Just the fresh air and a little sweat perks me right up. We finally cleared out the babies room too. We sold the loveseat that was in there as well as the queen bed set. Now we just need to move the treadmill over to our room and it will be a baby zone! I go for my ultrasound next week and then the real planning can begin or should I say shopping! I'm off to swim class with Seth for now and that is a scary sight. Until next week...

Projects

Roland finished reconfiguring the deck as much as he can until the addition is done. He boxed in where the steps used to be.

After that he boxed in the crawl space under the breakfast nook. He decided to do that after an early morning skunk spraying outside our house scared me into thinking that a family of skunks was going to move into the underneath part of the house where there is no cellar. That is all taken care of so I can rest easy.

Tonight we have swim class followed by the Rotary Spaghetti Dinner. My grandparents are coming down to join us for class and dinner. It should be a fun night!

My Prediction

Throughout this entire pregnancy (18 weeks) I have had no idea what I might be carrying, no inclination at all. Yesterday I looked at myself in the mirror and I finally have a prediction...I think it's a boy. Looking at myself and how my body has changed looks similar to when I carried Seth. So that is my prediction and hopefully a week from today we will know for certain. Stay tuned!

Ithaca IS Gorges

I can now say that the saying on the t-shirts is totally correct it is completely gorgeous and we had the best time walking along it. Here are some pics from our day in Ithaca and a play by play of the day itself...

We went down a TON of stairs and going back up was a chore for me since I am out of shape right now, but it felt wonderful to be outside in the fresh air.

Looking over the suspension bridge was very interesting. I don't think Ro could have done it, since he is very afraid of heights.

This is how far down the water is from the bridge.The Suspension Bridge

So our day consisted of eating at my favorite pizza place (buffalo chicken pizza), shopping, walking walking walking, shopping some more, walking more, shopping more and eating dinner to wrap up the day. It was GREAT!

Thanks Justin for a WONDERFUL Day!

In the spirit of not stressing, Roland decided to get a head start on the contractors this weekend by reconfiguring our decks floor plan himself. Half of our orginal deck will now hold the new family room, but the remainder will still hold the grill and deck toys so he needed to change where the steps were. Roland LOVES projects so he was right on top of it this weekend. Here are some pics of his progress so far. The steps he made are temporary until the addition is done and we know exactly how wide we are able to make them. It was so sad for us both to take the deck apart though, it was the first investment we made in the house when we bought it 6 years ago! Now we are on to bigger and better things! Stay tuned...

Excitement Turns to Stress

I told myself that I wasn't going to get stressed during this renovation process, BUT I am the type of person who sets dates and follows through with what I set. Contractors are not the same breed and it drives me mad! Our contractor called this week and said he was going to start on Tuesday or Wednesday. We were thrilled and made sure everything was ready. Well, it is Thursday night and two phone calls later they will now be starting sometime next week. AHHH! I think I am more frustrated because I want this whole process done before Thanksgiving week because we are the hosts and I want the house to be in ship shape. I guess I just have to come to the conclusion that there is nothing I can do, my hands are tied and I have to wait it out. Well, easier said then done, but I will try my hardest. So there is my rant for the evening I am feeling a little better getting it off my chest. For now...

Stay tuned!

PS- If anyone is looking for a queen mattress, boxspring and bed set we have one for sale. It was sold but the people just backed out. Another set back that added to my stress today!

Big Changes on the Horizon

Not only our family, BUT our house is in for some major upgrades and changes in the next month and we are extremely excited and anxious! We have decided to take the plunge, stay in our house, add on a family room off the back of the house and have the house sided! Oh, then a few months later we thought we would have a baby!

AHHH, are we crazy? No this is just our normal way of life. I think we thrive on the busyness and the chaos from time to time. Anyhow, in preparation for the addition, we sadly have to lose half of our deck in the process so Roland took the railings off and this is what it looks like currently.

The contractors are supposed to start this week, but we have had SO MUCH rain that it has delayed them in pouring the concrete for the footers. I am very hopeful that they start today. Once they get started, the footers have the set for one to two weeks and then they will come back and get right to work on our addition and siding. That is when the real excitement begins and I will be sure to take tons of pics to update you all!

In other news, the rain has put such a damper on any plans that we had for this week. So it has been pretty routine. We went to swim class, (it is not pretty trying to squeeze into my suit anymore!) and tonight we are headed to Pierrepont Manor to get Seth's pics taken. It has been two years since we last did it, so he is due and we can't wait to see the outcome.

I am also headed to Ithaca with my mom on Saturday to spend the day with my brother. Seth and Roland are going to stay home and have a guys day!

That's about it for now...

Smiles from Ear to Ear

Seth took his very first go cart ride on Sunday night at Parker's birthday party and he was in seventh heaven. I have never seen a larger smile on his face!
Right after this was taken we told him it was time to go home. I should have taken a picture of his face at this point, it wasn't so priceless. He had so much fun, he DID NOT want to leave!

Cook it Up

On Saturday night Roland and I and 8 of our closest friends made the hour long trip to SYR for some delicious Japanese food. We try and go to Ichiban's at least 2 to 3 times a year and we are never disappointed. This night was no exception. The food was amazing and the company was even better. There were friends among us that had never been to a hibachi restaurant and it was so fun to watch their faces. We all left stuffed, but with to-go containers for lunch on Sunday! We even managed to talk the guys into letting us stop at Christmas Tree Shops on the way home!

The 2 pregnant ladies sat together!

Girl PowerOur chef was really fun and had a great personality!

Annual Cider Mill Visit

Sunday was the perfect cool fall day so we headed to the cider mill to take in all that fall has to offer.

While we were there we tasted...

Apples,

Cider

and warm cider donuts!

We spent over an hour watching them make cider, checking out the waterfall, eating apples and donuts and looking at beagle puppies. It was a GREAT fall day!

Cream Cheese MADNESS!

We went to the Cream Cheese Festival for the second year in a row this past Saturday and I learned one important lesson...In the case of large crowds, bring Roland with me to keep me sane and to keep me from getting stroller rage. Really, it was a lot of fun and Seth was excellently behaved. I was super proud of his behavior. The weather was perfect and there was so much good food. I had a shish kabob and a super stuffed baked potato. The baked potato gave me the best idea for my next dinner party. I'm stealing the idea because it was utterly delicious and super fun to eat!
Beyond the food we ate, we saw some people doing the grossest thing you could imagine. They were having a cheesecake eating contest, but with tubs of that filling. One person would feed the goop to the other and see who could eat the most. It seriously turned my stomach to watch. YUCK!

I did notice that just in a year from the last time we came to this festival, how much my little boy has grown. Last year I needed to go on the jumpies with him and help him up the steps. This year he is all independent and doesn't need mommies help anymore. Sad, but amazing to watch!
So Brave

Our little boy is growing up WAY TOO FAST!

Did you catch me getting hit in the face at the end of the video? Jacob got me good!

Videos from Family Fun Night

We are taking a weekly break from Kidnastics, but once a month we are still going to go to Family Fun Night so that Seth can enjoy his friends and run around like a wild man. This past Friday he had a blast and we got to check out the brand new location for Kidnastics. It is bigger and better!

Parachute fun

Seth loves Kidnastics and I love watching him learn and grow from week to week. It is amazing!

Hooray for the Weekend

This weekend we are looking forward to...

family time
kidnastics
cleaning out the garage and getting it ready for the cooler months
jumping in bouncy houses
checking out fresh baked goodies and veggies at a farmer's market
viewing the worlds largest cheesecake
spending time with friends and catching up
getting out the fall decorations and jazzing up the house
getting in a round of belated birthday golf
making a full meal for a new mama friend and her family
catching up on rest and enjoying what the fall has to offer

What are you up to this weekend?

4 Weeks

The suspense will be over in 4 weeks, that is when my ultra sound is and we are super excited about it! I pray that they get a good view on that day and can be certain of the sex, but if not we will just have to wait.

Other than that I went to the docs yesterday, I'm 15 weeks and the babies heartbeat is strong! I'm still feeling a bit nauseous from time to time during the day, but nothing unbearable and I'm going to bed early. I told Ro was going upstairs at 8:30pm last night and he looked at me like I was crazy, but I was dead asleep by 9pm. I'm stock piling it while I can!

This weekend we are headed to the Cream Cheese Festival. It was so much fun last year, we can't wait to go back. Plus, we get to stop in and visit Gram and Gramp for a little bit and check in on them. Pics to come...

Status Report

WE HAVE POWER!

Picture this... Seth and I jumping around and dancing like fools when the power came back on. It was glorious!

Trauma

My biggest pet peeve in life is the loss of electricity and my worst fear has come to life over the past 2 days. We lost power at our house early Monday morning around 1am and we still don't have it back yet. It is driving me totally crazy and to top it off, I missed my favorite night of tv. I know, my priorities suck, but all the same I want it back and I want life to get back to normal. Please National Grid, turn the power back on!

Flippin' Hot

On Sunday you would have thought that we had taken a step back into July it was SOOOOO hot and humid that you could wring out your clothes from the sweat. I had the brilliant (not so much) idea to walk over to the Big M to get a loaf of italian bread to go with dinner. Big mistake! Anyhow, on the way home we stopped at Mom and Tom's for a quick visit. It was the perfect opportunity to have Seth pick the rest of the tomatoes and cukes from the garden and then on the way home this was the vision we saw...

He ate a whole cuke from Mom and Tom's to our house, which is only 3 blocks! He was in seventh heaven. I have to say and extra special THANK YOU to Mom and Tom in regards to their garden. Seth and I had so much fun planting, checking and picking from it. It is a memory that will last a lifetime and we can't wait for next years crop. We loved it!

Bring on the Redneck Fun

On Saturday we packed up the Jeep and headed to Lowville to visit my Gramp. He is doing much much better and he looks worlds better so it was such a relief to go and visit. We spent a couple of hours with them and then headed up to...

Yes, we took Seth to Mud Fest and it was a total redneck paradise, but oh so interesting! Stuck in the mud, of course!

Had to pull out the BIG tractor to get all three out!

I Love You Daddy!

It turned out to be such a beautiful afternoon and we all had a lot of fun trying something new!

Birthday Fever

Last week Roland celebrated his 33rd birthday and our friends daughter celebrated her 5th birthday all in the same week. Friday night we were invited to our friends Rod and Jen's house for a celebratory belated dinner. We ate our hearts out as we always do when we are together and then sang our hearts out for our birthday loved ones!

Happy Belated Birthday's Sophia and Ro!

Feel Good...

Do you ever have one of those days where you did something that made you feel good about yourself?


Seven years ago I was in my second year of teaching, I was still very new to it all and I was very young in most areas of my life. When 9/11 hit I thought it was horrible and tragic, but I really didn't understand it all as I have to come today.

It felt absolutely wonderful to walk in memory of 9/11 last night in The Freedom Walk. It felt good to be part of something with other people and to remember those who lost their lives on that horrible day. It was one of those feel good moments in life!

I feel honored to have been a part of it!

In Rememberance

Today we remember all of those lost on 9/11/01 and we think of their families! Seth and I are going to walk with some friends tonight in what is called The Freedom Walk in Sackets Harbor. We will be pulling out the red, white and blue, the flag shirts and our flags as we walk on this special day.

Happy 33rd Birthday to Our One and Only!

Presents...Cake...
Nude Family Photos...

What more could you ask for in a birthday?

Happy Birthday Ro, We Love You Tons!

Father & Son Bonding

Sunday after we did our normal routine, Roland was feeling the itch to build something so he and Seth built me a planter out of some scrap wood leftover from the new front porch. It was so funny to watch them working together.

Hummmm what do we do next?

All work and no play isn't too fun Daddy!

The final product turned out beautiful, but of course I forgot to take a picture of it, but I will! It was a perfect morning for a project and the boys took advantage of the opportunity. I many more projects together!

Diary of a Pregnant Woman

Dear Diary,

It has been a long long time since I've written, but there has not been a lack of things to write about, but summer and warm weather took over computer time. I'm feeling much much better than I did in July, but by the end of the day I am out like a light. My biggest complaint right now is that I am back to work and totally missing my nap time in the afternoon. I look at the clock around 1:30-2pm and wish so badly that I could be laying on my couch watching Y&R and snoozing. That's life though! I have gotten much rounder and I have very few normal clothes that fight properly so I'm getting very creative in my clothing choices for now until the full on maternity clothes are needed. Seth loves to put his ear on my belly and listen for the baby. I always ask him what the baby says to him and his reply is always the same, "The baby says he/she loves me!" That is utterly priceless and melts my heart. So for right now not too much has changed and I'm feeling much better. In one more month we can find out if we are shopping for a girl or reusing our boy clothes! YIPPEE!! Until then...

That's a Wrap

I'm trying to keep my spirits high and my thoughts positive so I thought I'd share some pics from our last big night of the summer this past Sunday. We took my parents and Seth to the bay for some good food and good music. Check it out!

Seth absolutely loves guitars right now and he has always loved dancing so he was in seventh heaven.

Such a great smiler. I hope this continues forever!

Update on Gramp: Today my Gramp will be transferred to Utica where the procedure he needs will be done tomorrow. If all goes well, it is hoped that he will be transferred back to Lowville at some point over the weekend. Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

Say a Little Prayer

My family needs some big time bloggie prayers today and in the upcoming days. My grandfather has been battling a heart condition for the past year and in the recent week it has taken a turn for the worse and he has been hospitalized. Right now we are anxiously awaiting word to have him transported to Utica for a lifesaving procedure. Everyone is on edge and waiting for that word. So in the meantime, please say a few prayers that this happens and that the procedure is successful.

We love you Gramp!