ENT

It is official we are being referred to our ENT (Ear Nose Throat) doc! Seth and I went for his recheck on his ear yesterday afternoon and he still has fluid in his right ear so they categorized it as a "persistent ear infection" and since it has been persistent for 4 months they are making a referral. We also need to continue the antibiotics until after our appointment with ENT. So that is a wrap up for Mr. Seth!

We went and watered/checked on Dad and Sue's house last night so if you read this blog guys, the house is all set and everything it AOK!

It has been a rather uneventful week and that is the reason for my lack of blogs. Tonight we head to Mom and Tom's for dinner. YIPPPEEE a night to not cook and a night of visiting away from our house! We are looking forward to it!

Saturday night we are going out for my make up birthday dinner that had been lost to sickness. We are going to try our new restaurant in town. It has been crazy busy since it opened so we are super psyched to try it.

It is almost the weekend everyone so hang in there and there are only 20 days until the first day of spring!

Cute Kids

We had our good friends Rod and Jen and their girls Maya and Sophia over for pizza and wings on Saturday night and the kids played soooooo well together. I really think that my son is a completely different person when he is with other kids. He loves to interact and observe what is going on. The kids are finally at a point where we adults can sit back and chat and it is great!

Don't you just want to eat Maya's cheeks?

Sophia watching Snow White

Now I am back at work, back into the old routine. Just walking in the door at work I have been bombarded with people that are in dire need of my prayers along with anyone who reads this. One of our second grade teachers traveled to Rochester for a procedure to have a mass removed from her face. It turned out to be cancerous and it has spread. The doctors were able to remove it successfully, but when she woke up from the operation she had a heart attack and she is now in a coma. I am asking for many many prayers. This woman is too young and she has much more life to live. Life in retirement to enjoy her family and friends.

Secondly, one of our teacher aides daughter was supposed to have twins in May and has delivered them very very early. She had the baby boys over the weekend. They only weigh one pound and one and a half pounds and they are in intensive care in SYR. Please keep these little bundles in your prayers!

FBFF ( Future Best Friends Forever)

Thursday was another great day. We met Erin and Storm at Panera at 12:30, both boys were amazing. Seth was trying to hold Storm's hand, it was priceless. Then we ran to Old Navy so that I could exchange a top I had bought, and then we came back here and hung out for over an hour. Seth was on his best behavior, it was like he was showing off. So funny!Last night I finally got my hair cut and eyebrows waxed and I feel like a new woman. Then my Mom and I tried Starbucks. I am not a coffee drinker, but I love hot chocolate so it was fun to try a new place and sit back with some peace and quiet. I tried one of their sweets. I got a piece of berry bramble coffee cake. It was GREAT!

Today is a little up in the air. I had emailed and called this morning a friend in SYR to see if she and her kids were going to be home and we would come and visit, but I haven't heard back. So if that doesn't work out we will putter around Watertown this afternoon. We also have a slight leak in the front room ceiling so Ro is trying to get someone to come and shovel off the roof. Stupid flippin' snow!

My friend Erin and her son Storm who is 5 months old!

Successful Day

Wednesday was the best day yet! We are having a major heat wave here, it is almost 40 so yesterday we took Seth for a long walk, then to Dunkin Donuts, my Gram's hangout in Lowville, and then out to dinner. Dinner out is still a little stressful because unless there is something in Seth's hand to put in his mouth he is very vocal let me say. So we ordered him the chicken finger basket with fries and kept him eating the whole time. We had a couple of moments when he was unoccupied and he liked to yell, but we made it through and had a great evening. Thanks Gram and Gramp for a great day!

After Seth's nap and lunch we are off to the one and only Panera Bread to meet Erin and Storm for lunch, some shopping, and then a little play back here after. It should be a fun day! We are looking forward to it. Tonight has turned into girls night with my Mom and I. She is tagging along for my haircut and then we are going to try our new Starbucks that just opened up. We have just about everything here in Watertown now. Target is even opening in three weeks. YIPPEEE!

My Gramp with Seth

PS: I almost forgot the worst part of yesterday. Seth is literally into everything he can put his hands on so we are constantly watching and saying the magic no word. He grabbed onto an end table at my Gram's that isn't so sturdy and flipped it over throwing a large mug of hot tea all over the room and onto my Gram's freshly painted walls. I was horrified! It didn't even phaze (sp??) her. She must really love the little one!

Cookies and Cousins

Last night we had our niece Lexy over for dinner and playtime and I have never seen Seth so excited. He loved having someone else to follow around and chase and laugh with. It was too cute. I called over to see if she was up from her nap and if they wanted Seth and I to pick her up or if Brad wanted to drop her off. Well, she wanted me to come and get her and if you could have seen Seth's face when she got in the truck you would have died. I have never seen such a huge smile on his face. He was in heaven! Lexy even played with Seth while he was taking a bath and he was so busy he never realized I was washing his hair and I didn't hear a peep out of him. The night was a success and Seth was so pooped that he slept straight through until 7am! YIPPEEE!Today we are headed to Lowville AKA Cowville to visit my grandparents. We will leave after lunch, spend the afternoon, and they are taking us to Jebb's for dinner. It is a great little place right in the village and Seth will love the people watching. It should be a fun day.

Tomorrow is our playdate/lunch with Erin and Storm and we are very much looking forward to it. We are meeting them at Panera for lunch and then we will come back here and play for a while. Then I have a hair appointment tomorrow evening. I'm liking this shorter cut so it has been 2 months and I need about an inch taken off. Busy busy week!

Unofficial House Hunting

We are truly fortunate to have a realtor, my stepdad Tom in our family. Whenever we see a house that we like he sets up an appointment and we get to look at it. We aren't really looking to move, but there is always that possibility. We "like" our house and we have sunk so much time, energy, and love into updating it and painting each and every room. It would be sad if we did find the right house and move, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. So back to my story, we took a drive on Sunday looking at houses like we often do, unfortunately if there were any for sale we couldn't see the signs because the snow here is about 2 feet high. Anyways, we did come across a house for sale that is only 2 blocks from our current house, but much nicer. So I called Tom to see if he could set up an appointment. We went to look at it last night and feel in love. It has many of the things that we would truly love in a house. It has the most amazing kitchen, large family room with a bar, huge 2 story garage, and a pool. Those are the positive aspects. Unfortunately, the negative plus the price outweigh the positive in our eyes at this point. The bedrooms are tiny, it only has one bathroom, and there is no diningroom. Also, the taxes are double what we pay right now. It was so fun to go and look at it though and we will keep our eyes open for others gems to look at. For now we will stay put.My healthy man!

Turkey and Dancing

Pepsi gives their employees a free turkey every Thanksgiving. We usually give it to a family member to use, but this year we kept it and said that we would have a big turkey feast some cold weekend. Well, that weekend was this past and we successfully cooked our first turkey in the Charlton household! It was delicious. You would have thought it really was Thanksgiving. We had it all, homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserolle, stuffing, dressing, rolls, and dessert! We were stuffed and even Seth who has been a very picky eater, ate like a champ! I was so happy!After dinner the ladies plus Roland cleaned and picked up the kitchen while the Grandpa's played with Seth. As you can see in the above pic, we have one of those undermount cabinent iPod players so everytime we are in the kitchen we have it on. Right now my iPod is in it so it can play anythng from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Bob Marley to Toby Keith so you never know what song is on next. We were all dancing along with the music until the song Spirit in the Sky came on and we really broke out in dance.

We also got it on video, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get the video onto this site. So if anyone can help and would like to see us singing, please help a girl out! So the evening was totally fun and laid back and my son is finally my son again. The demon ear monster has left the building, please cross your fingers that he doesn't return this season again. 4 is quite enough!

Today is the first day of vaca and we are laying low, relatively. Seth is napping right now and after lunch we are going to take a drive to Erin and Jason's new house and see the progress. They are so close to being done and we are sooooooooooooooo excited for them. After that we have to stop at Kmart and then it will be another nap and dinner. We might be looking at a house tonight too, we found an awesome one for sale by our house. Only about 2 blocks away. It might be too small though, but it is still fun to look.

Much Adou About Nothing

I tell you my job is highly stressful today, the day before winter vacation. Here is how it has gone thus far:

9am-played Blend Dominoes with my 3rd graders
9:30-11am- made popcorn for the entire school in our commercial popper (today is movie and popcorn day)
11am- planned for next month with Erin
11:30am- taught a class, read the tall tale Mike Fink
Noon- went out to lunch with Roland at The Harbor Inn
12:45pm-present- planned for three other classes for after break
3pm- I'll have door duty and head home shortly after

As you can see I really haven't had much stress today. It has been a great day to end the week and start break. I called my friend Jen during lunch to see if she and her family were available to get together tomorrow night, but she told me that her 10 month old daughter Maya has RSV and might be hospitalized. I feel just horrible for them. If it isn't one thing it is another lately. Seth has just gone from sickness to sickness lately. Each week is another ailment. Last week it was the bug, this week another ear infection. Will it ever end? Poor little guy. No wonder he has been the grouch of the year. He hasn't felt good long enough to be happy! Luckily, there are only 32 days until the beginning of spring.

I will be on vacation all of next week so I'm not sure if I will have much time to blog, but I will make an effort. Seth and I have made lots of dates next week. We will have a playdate with Storm and we are headed to Lowville to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa as well.

We will keep you all posted on our adventures!

Belated Valentine's Wrapup

Yesterday Watertown had a major snowstorm so all the schools in three counties were closed and just about everything else was shut down. It was crazy to see just how much snow had fallen in such a short amount of time. It has stopped for the meantime and the sun is out, but it is bitter cold outside. I'd like to sneak into my Dad's Suburbon tomorrow and head to Florida with them. But, alas, we now have only 33 days until the beginning of spring. I also got the best news in the world from my Mom yesterday. She told me that daylight savings time is starting over a month early and lasting through November. That is like two months longer than normal. I love when it stays light longer and the days seem to last forever. It is alright when they last forever in the spring, summer and fall, just not in the winter. Winter can go anytime now!

Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful. My mom stopped over in the morning to see Seth since she had been sick and not seen him in a week. She was going through withdrawl. She brought him a little gift. She has started a great tradition that I think he will truly love when he gets a little older. Starting at his baptism she has bought him a book for each and every holiday and recorded each book on tape for Seth to enjoy in the coming years. She has done a great job with them. I think she has dome about 5 or 6 now.

Then, I brought Seth to Pat's for the afternoon because I thought that I would still have my ENT appointment, but I didn't realize until Seth was already there that the office closed. So I took the opportunity to get a ton of errands done. I got our taxes finished, picked up my CT x-rays, ran to Kinney's for Seth's prescription, bank, and Ro took me out to lunch for Valentine's Day.

I felt so badly as soon as Ro walked in the door last night he was right back outside snowblowing and plowing us out. It was deep!

Today I'm back to work and the kids are sugared up on post Valentine's Day sweets and they are having all the parties that were supposed to be yesterday. My close friend Erin had a pancake breakfast for her class instead of a traditional sugar fest. It was great! She taught them proper table manners, they made placemats, and name cards. It turned out great and they enjoyed themselves.

Now this afternoon, I'm off to my eye appointment. I only go every 2 years so it ought to be interesting. I know I need stronger glasses and actually I need to wear them more in the first place. I just hate them!

Thank You

I'd like to express my gratitude to all of my wonderful mommy friends out there as well as my sister in law Katie, all of whom came through for me in the last 24 hours. I sent out a mass email to all my mommy friends and Katie asking for motherly advice and you all responded with wonderful comments, suggestions, and pick me ups! It is great to know that I'm not the only one in the world going through this and that there are many things I can try to get through. Thank you so much! I am a lucky woman!

Before I forget, 35 Days until the beginning of spring! I'll try and remind you each day!

Last night was a whirlwind. We ate dinner (loud dinner) and ran to Walmart to pick up a quick book for a baby shower on Thursday and by the time we got home it was time for jammies and bed. I slept like a rock being my first day back in the real world and I'm back at it again today. It is currently -15 degrees out and my hands are actually chilly typing and I'm inside. Today is the 100th day of school, hard to believe! We go to my Dad's tonight for the BIG dinner. I'm having a light lunch so that I can really chow down. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I have to take a half day from work because I finally got an appointment at Ear Nose and Throat for my sinuses. It will be interesting to see what they say. Then we are going to try and go out to dinner with Seth for Valentine's Day and not to Wendy's. Seth is actually better when we are out. So now I just have to pick a restaurant and we will be all set. After that there are no plans for the remainder of the week thus far!

Putting the Pieces Back Together

I'm desperately trying to put my life back together today. Being out of work for most of last week was tough and coming back to a very welcoming group of people has made it much easier. My students all missed me and just about everyone has stopped in to say hello and see how I am feeling today. It feels great to be back into my routine. I'm a very routine person and when things change I don't deal as well, but I'm learning to. That has been the story of my life. Change has always been a major issue a major downfall that I am always working through! It takes strength and I'm getting there with lots of help and lots of family and friends.

Anyhow, it looked like we were going to have to postpone my birthday dinner with my Dad and Sue until they returned from Florida but I just got an email saying that they would love if we came for dinner tomorrow night so that makes my whole day. It didn't bother me too much when I was so sick that I missed my special day because I could barely lift my head, but now that it is over and I feel better it makes me a little sad that the one day a year that I can be special was taken away from me this year. So now I have a dinner, actually "the" dinner that I truly love each and every year to look forward to. I always request a very special menu and I am so looking forward to chowing down. My dad makes me venison steaks, homemade mashed potatoes with onion and sour cream, homemade world famous cole slaw, and the BEST homemade chocolate cake in the world. I'm salvating thinking of it! So thank you for the email Sue and I can't wait!

Also on a belated birthday note, my close close friend Erin made me her homemade and my favorite dessert that she makes; stuffed carrot cake for my birthday. I'm not even going to share it, but bring it right home tonight to only share with Ro. Her class also made me a stack of cards. I've only read a couple, but I'm not liking what I'm reading. To quote one of them" Happy Birthday Mrs. Charlton You Old Lady!" I had to harass that student a bit. I'm not 30 yet, next year you can call me old, but not this year!

36 Days until the first day of spring. I am officially starting the countdown. I can't wait to get outside, it is driving me mad!

Full Circle

You would think that Ro and I would be stronger then this, but nope, we have been down for the count for about 24 hours now. It all started last night. We attempted to go and get our taxes done, but a major snow storm blocked that so we headed back to the city to just get them done at H&R Block and about halfway through it I started to feel really weird and Ro was having major stomach cramps. By the time we drove the mile home we were both in some serious pain. Luckily my Mom and Tom graciously stayed and fed Seth and put him down for the night. THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! Ro and I took turns in the bathrooms and were up most of the night. Luckily Seth slept like a champ and since he was feeling better I was able to take him to Pat's while Ro and I stayed in bed the WHOLE day. I managed to eat 2 spoonfuls of jello and some orange juice and I slept on and off most of the day. The kicker is that today is my birthday and we had all sorts of plans tonight and for the weekend that are now on hold until we know how we are feeling. AHHH! Oh, before I forget because my mind is a blur, a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to Brad who also shares today as his birthday. I hope that you feel better then we do!

Caught

After dodging bullets for many weeks Seth has finally caught this bug going around our area. He threw up yesterday morning a couple of times and now as my good friend Nina would say, he has the poop shoot riots! So Daddy did his duty and stayed home yesterday and I was smart enough to write sub plans just in case I needed to stay home and I DO! The good thing about this is that so far he is in great spirits in between his episodes! So we are going to have a low key playing morning, a nap, then lunch and this afternoon we have to run back to the docs to get his arm checked after his TB test and if all goes well we might visit Grammy P at school.

Then tonight Ro and I have to go get our taxes done so my Mom and Tom are going to come over and watch Seth. I bribed them though and made them Seafood Stew for dinner! I hope it turned out good.

I'm sure that many of you have heard me talk about our friends from MA: Nina, John, Grace, and Joey. PLEASE keep them in your prayers as they are battling a very sick hospitalized baby. Joey caught RSV a very scary virus and he is in the hospital recovering. We are thinking of you every minute! Love to all!

Our POOP SHOOT RIOT KING for Today!

1 Year Check

We took Seth for his 1 year check today and the boy is finally realizing that when we walk into that room things aren't looking good for him. Either they are poking around in his mouth, his ears, or other areas. Today they checked him from head to toe plus three shots. Poor little guy was beat red from screaming his lungs out. He is a huge bleeder so we have bandaids galore! Everything checked out GREAT so we are home free for a bit. He weighs 25lbs. 15oz. and he is 31 1/4 inches tall!

Before Seth's appointment I went and got a CAT scan done on my sinuses. Now I have to wait a couple of days for the results. It is terrible to hope that something shows up on it, but I do. It would explain why I just can't get rid of this sinus infection. It loves me and doesn't want to leave!!! So if something does show up then they can refer me to the Ear/Nose/Throat doc and then we can figure out what to do!

In other news I am declaring this my birthday week! My birthday isn't techinically until Thursday, but I plan to celebrate the whole week and weekend. Wednesday we get our taxes done (praying for some $$, we have 2 trips planned for this summer), Thursday my Dad is making me my all time favorite birthday dinner and my stepmom Sue is making me my all time favorite cake, Friday Ro is taking me out to dinner, not sure where yet, but anywhere that I don't have to cook is good with me, and Saturday we are going to get lobster tails and cook them here at home to wrap up my birthday week! DOESN'T THIS SOUND LIKE A GREAT WEEK? I forgot to mention that my amazing husband already gave me my gifts. He got me the Vera Bradley purse that I wanted along with Season 3 of One Tree Hill on DVD! Loving it! If it wasn't 1 degree out with 3 feet of snow on the ground life would be pretty perfect!

French Toast Anyone?

We are Having a Flippin' BLIZZARD!

This is no ordinary Sunday, this to me is the Blizzard of '07! I have been documenting the weather through pics since 7:30am this morning and it just isn't letting up. There is no unecessary travel, but of course we had to go to Price Chopper so we took some great pics to and from the store. It was very dangerous, but amazing to be out in it! Ro has already plowed once and helped out the neighbors, but he will have to go out again IF it ever lets up. I'm thinking...SNOW DAY! So here are as many pics as this thing will let me upload!

7:30am

Rocky was not too crazy when I made him go out this morning!

11:00 am -Looking out into our backyard!

11:30 am- My Brave Snow Warrior!

1:30pm- Stupidly Driving Down Arsenal Street!

2:00pm- Picking up Grammy P who was going stir crazy at home! Grampy was shoveling like a champ!

3:00pm- Pic of my GOOFBALL Mom and how she actually leaves the house! We love her anyways!

So it is now 4:19pm and we are in for the night. We are completely stocked up on food. Ro made homemade pizza's for the Super Bowl. I am making a hot taco dip and I made homemade carrot cake as well as strawberries and pineapple with chocolate fondue! We will eat our hearts out, maybe I can even talk the hubby into starting a fire in the fireplace. I'm getting right on that!

Hoping everyone is home with loved ones, warm, and snuggly! We hope everyone is able to dig themselves out, but if you can't I can send my hubby over with his four wheeler, he will use any excuse to go riding!

Hot Off the Presses

I have been very negligent about posting recipes lately, but I have a brand new one courtesy of my friend Lori who hosted girls dinner at her house this week. Her theme was seafood and she made the best Seafood Stew along with sweet shrimp along with fresh veggies along with Heath Bar cheesecake along with homemade salsa and chips. I left a very happy woman! So here is her very easy recipe for the stew...

Seafood Stew

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.

Add cubed potatoes and turn to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Add a jar of spaghetti sauce and seafood. (she used shrimp and scallops)

Add 1/2 cup of white cooking wine,

diced peppers, onions, mushrooms, or anthing else you think might be good.

If cooking in a crockpot you can throw it all in together instead of boiling the water and such.

I haven't tried making it myself yet, but it is on the menu for next week. So Seth's newest word, a really tough one it's..... hi! I was on the phone with Ginger last night and he said hi into the phone, we both got a big laugh out of it. I was finally able to call and apologize for forgetting her birthday and she was apologizing to me for forgetting Seth's so we were even. She doesn't know it but I have a gift for her the next time I get to see her. SHHH don't tell!

Tonight we have to drop my car off to get a recalled part fixed and then I made corn and potato chowder, so yummy on a cold night like tonight will be! Plus BONUS... Grey's Anatomy is on and it's new!!!

Tomorrow night we need to show for Uncle J's birthday gifts and then on to the weekend of more birthday fun!

Obsessions

I have talked about many obsessions lately. Fountain soda, Panera Bread, make your own sundaes from Stewart's, homemade rice crispy treats, taking pictures... I have a brand new one. I went to a cookie swap in December and each person had to bring a number of items to the party, one of which was a bottle of wine. I decided to broaden my horizons and try something new so I tried a wine from the Finger Lakes called Red Cat. Now I just love it AND my sis-in-law Sheryl bought me the magnum bottle for my birthday. It is so great, but Ro likes it so I might have to hide it from him!!!
She gave me the bottle of wine in a gift bag with the best quote on it, it is my new favorite saying!

A real friend

knows

when to listen,

when to stop listening,

when to talk,

when to stop talking,

when to pour wine,

when to stop pouring,

and when

to just hand over

the bottle!

Speaking of REAL friends, I have been the worst this past week and I'm hoping that Ginger reads this. I am soooooo sorry that I completely missed your birthday. I took a look at my datebook today and said oh shit Ginger's birthday was last Friday. I apoligize 10x over. I could make many excuses for myself, but I won't. I promise to make it up to you!

That's about it for this bland Hump Day! Have a good one!

Party 'Til You Drop

Sorry for posting this late today. I worked at our BOCES scoring tests today. The good side of that was I was done at 1:30, went to Old Navy, and picked Seth up by 2 instead of 4! What a great day!

So I will back up a bit. Seth's big party was so great!!! The house was filled with all of our family, except for Justin, Krista and Luke whom couldn't be here! :( I just have to express how lucky I am to have parents that are divorced, but whom get along and can be at social events together. You would never even know. For that I feel truly grateful. So all the grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunts/uncles/cousins were here and filled the house with chit chat and fun. Seth didn't know who to go to, so he milked it and took turns holding his arms up for someone/anyone to pick him up. I was also very impressed with how well he played with Lexy. It must be all the time spent with the kids at Pat's. They played so great together. Well, here are as many pics from the party as blogger will let me upload!

Seth's own cake, a mini Yankees ball!

Digging in to his cake. To quote my husband, he says to Seth, "Dig right in don't be such a girl!"

Ready to eat!

Presents, Presents, Presents! YIPEEE!

I'm sure that you can tell from these pics and all of the ones that I will post on our fotolog this week that we had just the best night. I think that everyone needed the boost in the cold and boring winter. Now we are on to my brother's birthday (tomorrow) and then my birthday next week. So basically we will be partying for 3 weeks straight and you won't get any complaints out of me!

Tonight I am off to my girls dinner for some food, wine, and good conversation! All Lori told us was that she was doing a seafood theme! Can't wait!

Paycheck

I have decided that I need to start depositing my paycheck directly to Kinney Drugs. We have been in that pharmacy more times in the past 2 months then I have in my entire life! Count it, I have my 4th sinus infection in 3 months. I am so flippin' frustrated with my nose that I want to rip it off! I think I made a record though, I could breathe for about a week and now I'm right back to breathing through my mouth! AHHHHHHHH! I went back to urgent care last night and talked with the doc about this problem. She said that the last med they put me on was the strongest, so this time she put me on one just as strong but for 21 days. She also suggested that I have a CAT scan done to see if there is a problem with my sinuses and if it is a chronic thing happening to explain why it doesn't seem to clear up. She wrote me a prescription to have that done at my leisure.

In other news, we are getting geared up for the big party. I took this afternoon off to make the ziti and get the house in order. Last night we dusted and vaccuumed. Then tomorrow we will decorate and finish up all the loose ends. I'm very excited to see everyone and have a house full of people. We love company!

Tonight we got Steph to babysit so that we can go out to dinner with Eric and Sheryl. We are going to Good Fellos and I can't wait to order my fried mozzerella salad and have a big glass of WINE!

Here's to a cake filled and family filling the house weekend! Pics to come!

Onward

Seth had a wonderful birthday and it isn't over yet. We still have the big family party on Saturday. He had a great time at Pat's yesterday. I sent cupcakes for he and all of the kids and asked Pat to take some pics with my camera, what she doesn't do for me! I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful sitter!

Seth with all of his buddies at Pat's

Seth wasn't so crazy about his cupcake AKA "the sticky round thing"

The whole crew enjoying their treats from Seth

Now I really need to get going on my report cards, but I'd just like to give a quick shout out to ALL of my family members and ALL of my friends that have been so wonderful to me this past year. It was the biggest change a woman can ever go through and I was sooooooooo very fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life to help me through all the trials and tribulations that have come with my man Seth. So thank you wonderful people, I am so lucky to have you all in my life.

PS: Make sure you go to www.fotolog.com/seth12306 for our photobooth picture from last night!

O-N-E

I have a quick minute before I have to get to work so I just wanted to wish my little/not so little man a HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY! We have already had many many phone calls this morning and well wishes on our fotolog so the day has started out with a bang! My grandparents called and sang to Seth in between their evident tears of joy. They are so great! Plus Grammy P and Papa/Grandma Charlton called to wish Seth a great day. I can't believe that when someone asks me how old my son is that I can finally say ONE! no more months, just one! Ro and I reminisced a little this morning, we were trying to retrace our steps a year ago. What a whirlwind day it was, but look at what we have now. I remember saying that I wasn't ever going to have another baby after the pain I felt and a nurse said, "you'll forget". I have forgotten and there will be another baby someday. Seth has to have someone to play with!

Tonight we are headed to the mall for our photobooth pic so stayed tuned tomorrow so our 1st photobooth pic!

Here's to many more photobooths, smiles, messy faces, and LOVE!

The Year of Tornado/Lovebug Seth

I'm writing this post a day early because I don't think I'll be near a computer tomorrow, I have to score the ELAs!

LET'S TAKE A LITTLE WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE...
One year ago today I had no cares in the world, I was as big as a house waddling around. I can remember this day so clearly. Ro and I had gotten up and gone to Longway's for breakfast, I got my typical order of home fries extra crispy and one chocolate chip pancake. After breakfast we stopped at Pepsi to run some reports and I felt like I had to go to the bathroom, but couldn't go. I'd sit there and nothing would happen. DUH, I was having contractions. So we went home and I rested, took a walk, and rested some more. I had contractions 10 minutes apart all throughout the night and at 8am I called the doc, went in for a check and we were off on our wild ride of a day and evening until Seth Patrick Charlton was born at 9:34pm!
Here is a year in review for our little man...
sponge baths, 1st doc visits, getting peed on, sleepLESS nights, walks in the stroller, outtings outside of the house, 1st Super Bowl and Daddy's team wins, Mommy turns 28, meeting cousins and friends, losing belly button cord, baths, Crissy Beanz, godparents, shots, big crib, growing out of diapers quickly, changing formulas, Pat's, more shots, Lusy is born, Mommy postpones going back to work, dunkin donuts, 1st cold, easter with Uncle Eric and Aunt Sheryl, Maya is born, laughing, Taste of the town on Mommy's front, SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT, visiting Colgate, Lexy turns 5, rolling over, more shots, cereal, jumperoo, sunglasses, hitting the parade circuit, Great Grandpa turns 80, Mother's Day, Father's Day, baby food, pool parties, Mt. Carmel Feast, Aunt Dayna graduates from WHS, Gilbert/Charlton Reunion '06, farmer's market, baptism, playdates with Maya and Lucy, letterboxing, hair trims, more shots, Harborfest, tub ring, storytime at the library, bumbo seat, big boy carseat, lowering crib mattress, crawling, cookouts, holding own bottle, Bravo Fest, Daddy turns 31, rashes, cider mill, pulling up, saying Mamma and Dadda, Storm is born, teeth, family pic, Halloween, duck, ear infections, striderites, new balance sneakers, flu shots, Christmas trees, Luke is born, trying milk, pizza and wings, mommy locks Seth in the car (oops), chicken nuggets, french fries, kisses and hugs, meatballs... I know there is so much more, but this is what came to my mind for the past year.

One a funnier note, we hadn't bought Seth any boots for the winter because he really doesn't need them, but we were at Target on Saturday and they were on clearance for $4.48 so I picked up a pair just in case he needs them. They are a tribute to Napoleon Dynamite and I know he will want to kill me in the future for making him wear them.

Throw Back Friday

I drove myself to work this morning because my carpool buddies took the day off so I was actually able to listen to the radio all by myself and sing for a change. One of the stations was having "Throw Back Friday" and only playing tunes from the 80's and 90's which is right up my alley. I was in my glory and laughing at some of the requests. If there had been a hidden camera in the car you all would have gotten a good laugh at my singing! Anyhow, he are some of the songs that people requested and I CHALLENGE you to think of your favorite 80's or 90's song and share it with me today!

* Heavy D- Now that We Found Love
* Right Said Fred- I'm Too Sexy
* Momma Said Knock You Out
* Spice- Girls- Wannabe
* Beck- Loser
* Vanilla Ice- Ice Ice Baby
* Bon Jovi- Livin' on a Prayer

I love old school music and I try to fill my Ipod with as much as I can.

We went to my Dad's last night for Sue's birthday meal and it was out of this world. He made tacos and homemade carrot cake. It was to die for! Tonight we celebrate my Gram's 79th birthday. My Mom and Tom are ordering Chinese and I can't wait! So basically we are eating our way throw the week and we love it! Plus I'm not doing the cooking and that is 10x better!

Have a wonderful weekend everybody and PLEASE post some good song titles so I can update my Ipod!

Blurry Thursday

I feel a little out of the loop today. Seth pulled a middle of the nighter and I'm feeling the burn this morning. Luckily I have 3 classes right now back to back to back and that will keep me busy and keep my tiredness off my mind for the next hour and a half!

Last night was pretty mellow in our house. I made this super bad for you chicken dish for dinner and it was delicious. You take chicken and marinate it in sour cream and worchershire sauce for an hour. Then, you bread it and fry it on both sides slightly. Last you bake it in the oven with a drizzle of butter over it. SO bad for you, but so good going down!

My mom stopped over to visit Seth. She was going through withdrawl after not seeing him for 4 whole days. He was loving having her chase him around and Ro and I loved the break. Mom, if you read this we are sorry that you left so upset. We don't want to move, or at least I don't want to move. We didn't mean to add to your stress levels. We'll see you on Friday for a big glass of WINE!

If just read that and are wondering... MOVE. Basically, Pepsi has and currently does have big plans for my husband. He has turned down 2 job offers already and there is a possibly of another one coming on the table in a few months that would require us to move to Albany. I will support my husband in any way that I can, but in the same breathe I have to say that I LOVE my job, I LOVE being close to both of my parents whom are wonderful to us as well as Roland's parents and the rest of our families, I LOVE our house (especially my new kitchen!!), I LOVE our friends and the friends Seth has made. So, I just try not think about this matter until I absolutely have to. So at least I have verbalized this and gotten it off my chest. I've been doing a lot of that lately and it is definately helping me to sleep better, when Seth lets me!

Funny story... One of my 5th grade students came to class on Tuesday wearing a Coke t-shirt and I harassed him all class about it, told him I wouldn't call on him, so on. He loved the attention. So he comes to class yesterday and he had made a poster that said "Pepsi Rocks!" and colored it with the emblem and everything. I hung it up and he had the biggest smile on his face. I love students like that, he is such a great kid!

My next goal for today is to start my report cards so if you don't hear from me tomorrow then you will know why, but I'll try to make time to check in! Have a great day everyone!

Inspiration

CALLING ALL BLOGGY FRIENDS... Alright, it is only January 16th, the dead of winter and I need some inspiration. I have never been one to love the winter. I don't love being indoors. I don't love the cold. Once Christmas is over I'm like alright, bring on the spring. I was feeling a little cagey yesterday being home all day. Seth and I even battled a minor ice storm just to get out of the house for a couple of hours. So if anyone has any suggestions for battling the winter blues please help a gal out! It is just a little over 2 months until the official start of spring and I think I'll start a countdown.

To add to my cagey-ness Seth has his 3rd ear infection in 6 weeks. EEEKS!!! So we are on yet another stronger antibiotic to try and get rid of this thing for good!

So I started this blog on Tuesday when I was feeling a little low and I have been thinking to myself, "don't let this get you down!" So I have decided to make a list of things to look forward to in the up coming warmer months and even yet in the weeks ahead! So here goes...

1. FINALLY going to SYR for a little shopping therapy this weekend.

2. TH night B-day dinner for my step-mom Sue

3. FR night B-day dinner for my Gram who will be 79!!!

4. Seth's 1st birthday, photobooth fun and party on the 27th!

5. Meeting my brother in SYR on 2/3 for his post-b-day dinner. He'll be 20!

6. The musicial Pajama Game will be put on at the TI High School in March! So excited about that!

7. Spring starts (officially/unofficially) March 22nd!!!!!!

8. Trip to DC in June

9. Trip to Lake George in July with The Gilbert's

10. Trip to visit Justin's new college as soon as the snow is GONE!

11. Visits with Seth's baby friends, Morgan, Storm, Maya, Delaney...

12. Going to story time at the library over Feb break!

So here I feel a little better already. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family and friend circuit that when I get down with the winter blues I need to STOP thinking about all the negetives and REMEMBER all the GREAT things I have in my life! I am truly lucky!

Winter Has ARRIVED

We are finally having winter, not that I'm super excited about it, but it has finally hit and is hitting hard. We are having a major ice/snow/rain storm and the ice is very thick. I am not a homebody so after being home all morning long Seth and I had to get OUT of the HOUSE this afternoon. Luckily I had a few errands to take care of and we battled the wintry mix together. We even stopped in to say hello to Ro at work.

Let's backtrack a bit to the weekend. Friday night we did absolutely nothing. Ro's Aunt AKA Godmother also and her friend Herbis stopped over for a visit and we exchanged Christmas gifts. Seth had a blast walking on the diningroom table, not sure why, but he was happy so we went with it! Saturday we made a surprise visit up to Lowville to visit my grandparents for a couple of hours. They don't get to see Seth all that much and they were so excited that we decided to make the short trip up. Then, Saturday night we went over to Mom and Tom's for Justin's good-bye/good-luck dinner. Tom made chicken parm and it was sooo good, not Gilbert good, but close!

Sunday we were supposed to make a trip to SYR to get all the supplies for Seth's big party, but needless to say we didn't go. It is a long story and I was pretty sad about not being able to go after I looked so forward to it. Hopefully we will be able to go next weekend. One week from tomorrow is Seth's birthday, it's crazy that he will be a year. It feels like yesterday I was bringing him home not knowing what the hell to do with him. Now he is a little man.

Doesn't this look just like a bobble-head doll?

Long Week

This has been an incredibly long week. We had our state tests this week and it was long and out of routine and I am so happy that it is over. Plus we have a short week next week so that is extra exciting. Roland is home from his trip and just in time for Seth to pull an all nighter cutting a new tooth. Poor little guy. Between an ear infection over the holidays and now more teeth he can't seem to catch a break.

I finally fed my chinese craving last night. Justin and Jaime came over and Ro was home in time to pick up the take out. It was sooooo good! Plus, Grey's Anatomy was NEW last night so I was extra excited about that being on after 2 months of reruns.

Roland brought home all sorts of new loot from his training in Albany. Pepsi jackets, pull over fleece sweatshirts, a Pepsi bag, and all sorts of new Frito Lay products. It was like Christmas all over again.

I think we will stay close to home tonight. We had hoped to finally exchange Christmas gifts with Brad and Krista, but they never called back so it doesn't look like that will happen. If you happen to read this give us a call so we can set up a time! Saturday we are going to my Mom's for dinner and Sunday hopefully we can get out of Watertown for a few hours and go to SYR for a change of scenery.

I'm sorry for another post without pics, but there hadn't been much to take pictures of unless you like rain and wet! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

On My Own

Well Seth, Rocky, and I are on our own for the next 2 days. Ro is away on a business training in Albany for the next two days. If this morning is any indication we will be fine. Seth was wonderful this morning and not a tear was shed. YIPPEE, here's hoping!

Bonnie and Big Ro came over for a visit last night and could not get over how fun Seth is now. He can play and tool around the house and laugh. It is so funny to watch him now. Oh, I'm back to my bad Mommy ways though... I got to Pat's to pick Seth up on Monday and she said that they had an eventful day. I had forgotten his bottles. I am always forgetting something lately. Luckily she had a bottle that he took no problem. Today I double checked his bag before I left the house!

I bought my LAST canister of formula at Walmart yesterday!!! Do you know how happy that makes me? So happy!

Let's see, what else is going on... We are going to my Mom's for dinner tonight and I need to order Seth's birthday present today. Not that he will need it until May, but I'd like him to have it. Roland and I and the grandparents are going in on an outdoor gym for Seth for this summer. Little Tikes makes it and I can't wait for warm weather to see him on it!

Other then that we are just trying to stay warm because it has gotten hella cold in the past few days. Happy Hump Day to you all!

Catching Up

Well, my taste buds reappeared for a short time and have left again. I thought I was over the hump until I got to work today and realized that I was so insanely congested that I could hardly read a book to the kids. I called Ro up and asked him to come and get me. I went to Quick Med and they took one look up my nose and said YUCK! The inside of my nose was/is black because it is so infected. Once again I have a sinus infection so hopefully I am on the mend for a while now.

Let's back up a bit. Friday night we just needed to get out of the house so we went up to the mall for some socialization/food/browsing. I did end up finding my favorite perfume from the Gap on sale as well as a Napoleon Dynamite calendar 50% off, I was so excited! Ro also found the handle protectors he wanted for his 4wheeler. Seth tried chicken nuggets and french fries for the 1st time as well.

Saturday we did a little bit of nothing, but we took Seth to Stefano's restaurant for the first time. It is one of our all time favs. We asked my Mom and Tom and they were thrilled. Seth was amazing and we were even given free dessert from the owner to top off the night!

Sunday Roland went 4wheeling with the guys and we went to breakfast with Mom and Tom. Seth took a big digger on the floor and now has quite the bruise, but he is tough so he bounced back quick. Ro came home with a sprained ankle after falling off his 4 wheeler and having it roll on him. He is in rough shape and has some bad bruises. Will men ever learn?

That just leaves today which I summed up pretty quick. I hope to start feeling like myself by the end of the week. This weekend we have to celebrate Justin's good-bye/good-luck at his new college and we are going to take a trip to Syracuse for some change of scenery on Sunday. It's winter without snow so there isn't much to do. I long for spring and summer!!!

Reading Teacher?

My husband had to point out that my last 2 posts have had major spelling errors in them. So I better slow down, I am a Reading Teacher who teaches kids to read and write so I better practice what I preach!

Nothing much to write about today. It is rainy and gloomy out here and I still can't find my taste buds. We are going on 5 days with no smell or taste and I'm getting pissy about it! We have no major plans for the weekend. Ro might go 4 wheeling if the weather cooperates. We would also like to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to use a gift card given to us from Eric and Sheryl. We really need a new knife set for the kitchen.

I'd really like to go to Stefano's for dinner if and when I can taste again. Other then that it will be a low key weekend.

I have been thinking about Seth's big birthday and I am totally going to steal Nina's photobooth tradition and take Seth up to our new photobooth in the mall on his birthday and make it tradition every year!!!

Hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend with your kiddies and hubbies!

Sickness Free (Knock on Wood)

We are finally free at The Charlton household, free from sickness, runny noses, coughs, and all the other crud that was running through us! Hip Hip Hooray! Seth on the other hand has been waking up very very early in the morning. He will take a bottle and go right back down to sleep. I'm not sure if I'm not feeding him enough during the day, but how can I possible feed him anymore. He still takes 4 bottles plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner of table/baby food. If anyone has any suggestions please pass it on. He's been waking at like 5am. AHHH! He was sleeping until 6:30-7am.

What else is going on... Oh, I finished Seth's 1st Birthday cards with the help of my friend Erin Mayne (thank you soooo much!) and they turned out amazing! I can't wait to send them out to our family.

We had some company last night. Big Ro and Uncle J stopped over to play with Seth and chat so that was fun to see them both. We LOVE company so our door is always open!

I'm completely and utterly addicted to watching old episodes of One Tree Hill. Ro bought me seasons 1 & 2 for Christmas and I'm already through season 1 and halfway through season 2. So I will probably be asking for season 3 for my birthday! Everything has been reruns lately so it has been great to catch up on how the show started! So that is my latest addiction to add to the growing list. I also fed my fountain soda addiction this morning, but I haven't been to Panera in 1 week!

The good news is that Seth had FINALLY started to be cuddly. Thus far Seth has not been a cuddly baby, but he has started to hug and cuddle up and we LOVE it! So great to get a hug from the little guy!

Confessions of a Bad Mom

So I must confess that I have not been the most responsible Mom lately, thank God for Ro or else Seth would be in some rough shape. You are probably wonderful what could she have done....

Bad Mom #1:
Well, on Saturday the three of us went over to my Dad and Sue's for our belated holiday festivities. We had the car jam packed full with presents and all of Seth's gear for the day. Roland and I get out of the car at the same time, I go to get Seth out of his carseat and Ro heads to the trunk to get the gifts when we both realize that the doors lock automatically when you put the car in drive so I open my car door to unlock the rest of the vehicle but instead I lock the entire car up, Seth inside! AHHHHHHHHHHHH, bad Mommy! Luckily we on;t live1/2 mile from my Dad and Ro was able to jet home to grab the spare car keys.

Bad Mom #2:
I have been pretty sick with some type of cold for about 5 days now. Luckily I am on the homestretch if I could only get my taste buds back. If you see them tell them I miss tasting food and I'd like them back!!! Anyhow, back to my story. I went to Urgent Care on Sunday and they gave me 4 prescriptions. I only filled 2 because the other 2 seemed useless. After not sleeping for too many nights to count I finally asked Ro last night to fill the prescription for the cough medicine for the nighttime. No knowing that it has codene in it until I was taking it. Well, 1tsp knocked me out last night, enough to sleep through Seth waking up at 4am and not wanting to go back to sleep. I mean screaming! I heard him faintly, but I was out. Thank God for my wonderful hubby who took care of him and got him back to sleep.

So needless to say I have been a bad Mommy lately, but I'm blaming it on my stupid cold. Here's to cold free days and sleep filled nights for all of the Charlton's!

New Year's in Pics

We had some friends and their families over for New Year's Eve and we had more food then you can imagine. We had lobster, steak, salad, twice baked potatoes, and endless munchies. We were all stuffed and happy AND we managed to stay awake until midnight! That isn't something that we do too often anymore. So here are a few pics of our night...

Seth and Maya

Break Dancing to Vanilla Ice

Our Steak and Lobster Fest

Fancy Toasting China

We hope everyone had a fun night. Jaime if you read this, sorry about freaking about Seth's toy. Ro fixed it on Sunday so all is well with the world. We look forward to our next dinner at The Short household!

Back to work today and more importantly my friend Erin is back. Boy did I miss her and I am soooooooooo happy to have her back. We just gab and gab, BUT we do teach as well. She had a great first day back and they will continue to get easier for her.

I made chili for dinner but since I'm still super stuffed up I may not be able to taste it. I just took some Sudafed so here's hoping.