How on top of kids memory items are you?

I used to be SO on top of getting the kids pictures in albums monthly or at least quarterly. Umm that went out the window last fall as I am now a year behind. I have not ordered pictures since mid July last year. Not only am I that behind with kids pictures, but I have not ordered our family vacation books since then either. I make 8*11 photo albums online for our family vacations and still have West Palm (sept 2011), NJ visit (sept 2011) and Williamsburg (May 2012) to do....and Halloween and Christmas Eekkk. I have to edit Riley's 3 year pictures and still take Devin's 5 year pictures (bday was june.) Why am I so far behind?

My thought is that in Las Vegas Devin was in school part time and I could get crap like this done easier. Then I know that once we put the house on the market last Nov/Dec I knew I was not going to be buying and assembling photo albums and then unpacking here and what not lead to August...I now have about 16-1700 pictures to go through and organize and sadly Frank takes the lap top that has all the pics stored in when he goes to Rhode Island every other week and that is when I would do this. At least I am on number 567 with uploading so far this am to Snapfish...thank god to the cool weather because the kids are outside making mud pies and I do not care how dirty they are getting!

I have kept their baby books up to date and I did assemble a scrap book from Devin's 3 year preschool year and just have to finish his 4 year old year scrap book. I know that he would love to see that when get gets a little bit older and I am glad to have it for him. I have it in order of all his crafts and artwork from sept to june in a sleeved 3 ring binder. My goal is to stay on top of things this school year as the year goes on especially since Devin will be full day Kindergarten and Riley is in 2 day 3 year old program. We shall see.

Other than that-Weather recently has been incredible. The cool mornings with the ability to open the windows is awesome. Warmer weather is coming in a few day and back up in the 90's but for now I am loving the 70s! I do LOVE the beach but I also am in serious excitement for my favorite season to come-Autumn! Love fall...love the smells, cool weather, leaves falling, crunching under your feet and of course hoodies and jeans! I know that the leaves are going to be a great challenge but I am looking forward to the work out and chance to be outside doing yardwork in the cooler weather.

I turn 31 tomorrow and am dreading 31 more than 30 I think. I no longer will be 30---I will be 30 "something" and that sucks. Frankie said not to worry about it until I am 35-36...so I guess I have a few years until doomsday. Its fine. kind of.

One fish two fish red fish blue fish

Riley is finally swimming all by herself, and with great confidence and excitement. It really was a progressions from last week when I lowered her in from the side of a pool and let go. She did kick to the surface. Then at the lake the next day she was swimming under water all day. I think this is partially because if she was going under water she doesn't have to wear a hat!

We then took a week off from swimming because Dev got sick then the weekend happened. This Monday I didn't even bring her swimmy (chest flotation thing) and I had her practice kicking over the stairs w face in. Then I walked backwards and told her to do the same thing. It was a bit rough at first but then she got the hang if it thanks to a dum dum treat :) after a lil bit she swam to a love seat then was jumping off the side and just swimming around. So proud of her! Dev thought she was struggling at one point so swam out to swim her back to the side...why he can't be nice like that always? But it was nice to see :)

Devin was only down for the count for that day. I cloroxed the bathroom since that's where he stayed for the day and noone else got sick. After speaking to a friend it apparently is running through kids in ML so he must had found it there? Who knows, it was very strange though.

Rileys room is definitely shaping up to be adorable. I will upload before and afters once I get her closet complete. She had metal bifold doors that we replaced with 6 panel sliding. I still need to put in a closet organizer fir her before the doors get hung. One straight bar is def not ok for lil miss, actually for any kid! They'd be 9 before they can reach anything! That's this weekends project...we are def getting there though.

making a house a home

Frankie and I keep talking about different ways to make our new house fit us. We both come up with great ideas on how to improve it....and essentially make it ours. Make it our new home.

 As I had said before, we moved around-A LOT! We did not really make anything "ours" until our last address.....9130 Horizon Mist Ave. Sigh....it was our first real home. We lived in apartments for the first three addresses, then our house in NJ for 15 months before Vegas, rental in Vegas for a year then bought 9130. We were there for two weeks shy of 4 years. When we bought it we painted the entire house, re floored entire house, took the back yard from construction rocks to a great yard, put blinds and treatments in every room......it was ours. We filled up every wall with fantastic pictures of family memories... Devin was 8 months old when we settled. He took his first steps in that house. Riley was brought home to it...conceived too...Kids celebrated their first real Christmas' and their first birthdays...Riley's room was a store all until I got pregnant and then Frankie painted it sage green for me to match her beautiful crib bedding. Both potty trained there, both learned stairs on our open concept stairwell...I cannot tell you how many laughs and wonderful family memories we had in it-all the days playing out front around our street and around the island on their bikes/scooters/powerwheels, Devin memorizing the 4 turns street name by street name to our house...and now it belongs to a single guy named Matt.

I love this new house we are in. I love that Frankie and I get to start all over and do it again together and find new ways to personalize a boring basic house. Furniture is being swapped out, bedding has all been changed along with window treatments in our bedrooms and paint is going up in the first room this coming weekend. I love that we are creating new memories together and that the kids will have a great place to call home. We toss ideas back and forth about how to make it better and flow nicer...what plan we will go with, who knows but they are all good in their own ways. People always say a house is just a house until filled with laughter and love and then it becomes a home. I completely agree. I will upload some before and afters once we get there...but for now we need the creative juices to continue to flow.

Riley is wtih my mother right now hanging out while Devin sleeps away his sickness. I have no idea what is wrong with him. Played fine at the beach yesterday, was fine before dinner...ate a great dinner. Slept through the night (not waking or crying) then woke up and had to throw up. He went back to sleep on the bathroom floor until 8:30, came down and snuggled until 10 and went back up. Had a fever at this point of 102.1 and went back to sleep on the make shift bed on the floor. Threw up again at 1...still had fever. He is still up there now at 5 with a fever. Just gave him more motrin and he is drinking lots of water. Poor kid is miserable and uncomfortable, but is thankfully sleeping whatever he has off.

My goal for the last few weeks was to have Riley swimming and by George I think we have it! I am a tough love kind of mom and that method worked. Well of course it did bc I do not entertain whining and crying when I know what she is capable of. I would never just throw her in the pool and hope she comes back up, but I did little steps to continue her confidence with not having her chest pad swimmie thing. Two days ago I did drop her off the side to see what happened and although she was screaming when I did it, she came back up and kicked a few feet to the side. I did this a few times (she stopped screaming after the first) and first thing she did when we went to the beach yesterday was swim underwater by herself. She continued to hold her breathe longer and longer and the playtime went by. YAY!

Summa time and the living is easy.....



this am



It is very odd how boys and girls innately play with gender designated things. For example, Devin loved cars from the very beginning. I babysat a lil girl from when he was 4 mo old and he chose cars/trucks over her dollies and what not. Riley had all of Devin's cool trucks and men to play with but chose dollies and barbies? It's so odd. Riley got into Strawberry shortcake dolls in Las Vegas because her friend Olivia had them and she played with Olivia every week at least once and sometimes more. She has continued to play with them and now she dresses them up and takes off their clothes. Up until a few weeks ago she did not have the dexterity to do so. Today she lined them up next to one another with the 3 inch version next to the 5 inch version of the same doll. We are missing 3 in Blueberry muffin which is not good in her mind!



Saturday!



Over the last week or so the temps have been (in other words) F-ing HOT. I can handle 100 days-remember I lived in the Mohave for 5 years....but man alive that humidity kills you. I feel like my body is refusing to acclimate to NJ weather. It is dying for the dry heat in Vegas and saying-you dummy get back to the desert! I guess by next summer I will be more used to it and maybe sweat less? I am definitely NOT a sweater but here I break a sweat just watering the flowers at 7am. 

I went running today for the first time in way too long. Besides Tough Mudder I have only ran, umm well about 5 times since the half marathon I ran in December. Frankie and I will be doing another Tough Mudder in Oct and although we both did well this past May-we want to rock the next one. I despise running-really do. Yes I trained for months running a half and no it was not hard but YES I loathed every run....even my shorties that were done in 25-30 min. Am I done yet is all I can think about. Honestly it is nice when you hit the 4-5 mile mark and you get a second wind and a lil more pep in your step....but for today I set out to do 3 since it was my first time out in a few months. I wanted to die. I woke up and went at 6:30 this am and had to get back by 7 for Frankie to go to work. I was worried about time so I cut through my division and by the time I hit my driveway I was 2.83 miles. Oh well-Wednesday I will run a 5 k to make up for the missed mileage. I wanted to quit at .5 miles then really wanted to at 1.75 and thank God I was about 8 houses away when I wanted to die. Still made it and in good time since mediocrity and I do not mix. Yes it was over and done with at the beginning of the day----but getting up and running with out allowing your body to wake up and eat sucks. Done complaining....

Today we will hit up the beach at the lake and wear the kids out. Summer is in full swing and 90 something days are really all the 10 day say. My kids are both beach kids-(not like they have a choice) but I am glad they enjoy going since it is where we will spend our summers from here on out. Frankie was not raised at the beach so he gets a tad bored, but the older the kids get the more they will be able to play with Frankie and keep one another entertained. We got a new game on Friday and took that with us to OC. Its a suction cup paddle ball. Really cool, esp for the little guys. One side is flat and the other is covered with lil suction cups. So you hit the ball on the flat side and accept the ball on the suction side. Good for hand eye coordination.

I am still doing my homework for preschools here for Riley. I really loved Devin's in NV...Boo! I want a preschool, not day care-structured learning not play group....with professionals teaching-not boobs. I actually had a lady at one school tell me that socialization at 3 is way more important than a structured learning curriculum. Yes, I told her I stay home and we go to playdates almost daily...and that I wanted a formal learning setting. She said 3 was too young for that....ok on to the next! We have another meeting tomorrow-fingers crossed this one is a better fit.

Staying cool-and what do to for 4th.....

There really has not been anything to post about. We have been spending everyday outside either playing at friend's pools or at the beach. I really want to wear the kids out during the first half of the day outside so they nap and get some vitamin D :)



is this Riley or what?

This past week I have taken the TV away from them besides 1 hour (2 shows) first thing in the AM. They really need to play more. They used to watch TV before bedtime but I eliminated that. They now just play outside or with one another inside. Last night they rode bikes and scooters while Frank and I tried to discuss what the heck we are going to do with the island in the driveway now taht we cleared it out.
The have also had "school" work each day in the afternoon. Riley is practicing writing her letters and Devin is practicing perfecting his writing as well as following instruction to complete worksheets himself. He still has thank you cards to write from his birthday but I only make him do 2-3 a day so its a long process for those.

Devin has been doing much much better swimming. He can now swim the length of any pool alone since he has figured out how to come up for air and then continue to swim. He loves that he can swim alone from anywhere within the pool. Riley is getting more comfortable without her chest floatie on and my goal within the next few weeks is to have her swimming by herself as well. She loves to jump and likes to put her face in as well as jump under-she just hasnt figured out how to propel herself forward.

We are having a great time so far this summer playing with friends and enjoying the sun. Tomorrow is forecasted to be 99* and that is H.O.T for NJ b.c I can guarentee the humidity will be 60-70%....Oh well, we will be wet all day somewhere. Other than tomorrow, weather has been mild and wonderful. Nights are cool and we can sit in the porch and hang out.

Fourth of July is coming up quickly. I am actually kinda sad we are in NJ for it. That was one great thing about our NV house. We could sit and watch fireworks all across the valley from our playroom window drinking cocktails together....now we actually have to go to them. I am not sure if we will this year or not. Riley and Devin go to bed around 7:30 and although it is not a big deal for them to stay up til 9 for them...what the heck do you do from 6-9 while sitting and waiting for them to happen? Do we wait another year? Or do we just go, drink Valenzano's crappy wine (since you cannot bring outside alcohol) and hope they don't melt down....?Maybe I can bring in mixers Killington style? Hmmm...

Blah-how is it only Monday? Wish I hadn't given up beer

First blog post from my phone...bear with me.Time has really been flying by aNd I feel like I cannot keep up with everything. I really want the kids to have fun playing with friends outside and at the beach but that really means chores no longer get done at home. It's a trade, we all love getting outside but i loathe a messy house. It's my job, and I'm sucking at it big time. I have also had to give up beer bc I've gain a bazillion lbs since moving home. Beer is my guts enemy along w bagels. I rarely ate bagels more than once a week in Vegas and hardly ever drank beer....it's disgusting how well I was doing when I was training fir tge half marathon I ran in dec to where I am now. Kids don't allow me to get anything done alone so forget working out while I'm home alone w them. I will have to get up at 530 to get it in before Frankie goes to work twice a week then once/twice a weekend- only problem is he's gone Everyother week. Ugh! Enough complaining...I'm done. Kids are doing well. Dev has a fresh mouth and we have had to discipline him repeatably for the same issue. He just gets in this negative fresh snappy mood and it's not good. He's great otherwise and very excited fir kindergarten. We have officially been together for 10 yrs while being married for 7 of them as of this past Sunday. Together for more than a third of my life. Only three people remembered our anniversary-can you tell I'm in a mood? We are celebrating this coming weekend since it fell on fathers day. We are platinum Marriott members so we get free nights yearly so will be redeeming one to stay in center city. Kelly and dan will stay at the house with the kids while we go. We were thinking about a nice dinner out then my gut stares me in the face so maybe tapas instead of heavy meal...just can't wait to spend a night out alone with my love. Thanks again Beaner!We spent all day Saturday on a boat and I was in love as was frank. He asked what I wanted in a boat and he's started to do some research...maybe next summer ;) I could spend everyday in the sun at tge beach, on a boat or in a lounge chair...Riley is my daughter as she fell asleep on the floor of the boat as we were crusing in the inlet. I folded a towel into a pillow and covered her whole body up w another towel. The girl won't sleep in her carseat but had no issues sleeping with a life jacket on over her bikini on a moving boat. Love :)Driving to ocean city tomorrow for the night and can't frickin wait to plant my ass in the sand! Kids should have a ball too playing with their cousins.

why does everything break at once?

When we moved into this house we did not realize we did not have a microwave. Ours in Vegas we had an above the range and I forget that older homes do not have those. The lady who owned the home prior to us updated the exterior and took care of it in that manner but did not update anything inside which is fine...but stinks when you move in and realize you do not have one post move. Not having a microwave really isn't a big deal for me. I did not have one for just shy of 3 years we lived in Vegas either. Long story short there....we looked at so many homes and I totally thought we had an above the range in our rental and NOPE we did not so leaving our old counter top one behind in NJ was dumb. We bought a house a year later and that did not have one either since it was a base model kitchen in a new house. Dumb I know but since I went a year without one I figured I did not need one...and I finally caved just about two years later.

I do not need a microwave. If I could get through the entire time with having to defrost/heat up breast milk in warm water on the stove I can do it now. I do cook nightly and honestly anything that needs to be heated up can be done in the oven or on the stove. I do not want to install one above the range since we have plans to redo the kitchen at some point...and I can wait.

One thing I used almost daily was our toaster oven. I loved that thing-huge black and Decker digital convection guy. That was my go to appliance I used instead of heating up the oven for stuff. Well that died back in March. Now that is not an expensive purchase, but I honestly like not having it sit on the counter. My kitchen in Vegas was very open with lots and lots of counter space and this kitchen blows. There is not much counter space and the layout stinks! It's nice not to have it sitting on the counter staring at us mocking me with the "I take up the whole counter chant."

The week before we went on vacation I noticed the kegerator digital thermometer was reading 74....not good! We opened the door and low and behold the keg was warm. UGH UGH UGH. Thank god we (apparently) drink like fish with our friends and family since we just about kicked a half keg in a matter of three weekends. So now we have no microwave, no toaster oven, no kegerator and then this Saturday night rolls around.

We got home from a very long 6 hour drive, eat dinner and get the kids to bed then Frank sits to watch TV in the family room and as I fold laundry and as he is watching something the TV just turns off. The TV is old in TV standards-bought in early 2008?  and although it was a nice TV then-its outdated of course now. I know he has wanted to replace it and I am glad b.c I want to redo the family room furniture and decor and this gives me the chance....that takes a few grand so.....it looks like we will be watching TV in the kids playroom for a while. I am not a big TV person so I could care less---but he likes to veg to it after a long day or watch ESPN. While he travels I rarely turn it on. Cable is one bill I could definitely skip if I lived alone.

Then last night while doing the dishes I dropped the coffee grind holder thing in the dishwasher and the little button thing that presses in when coffee brews broke off. Coffee maker has been making funny noises for a few weeks now but it still worked so we were good. I refuse to get a Keurig because I enjoy the taste of fresh dripped coffee...we have a grind and brew and I love it....and now its broken. I made coffee like Coffee Bean does and boiled water, placed a filter in a funnel with coffee grounds in it then poured the water in that....still makes great coffee but I definitely cannot do that every day.

So now we have no microwave, no toaster oven, no kegerator, no TV in the family room and no coffee pot all in a matter of 2.5 mo. I just need a shopping spree at Best Buy....

Since moving home time has really gone way to quickly. I cannot believe how quickly the days/weeks go by. All the sudden it is June 4th....He has a rescheduled t ball game Wednesday night which will be his last game and  Devin's birthday is Thursday-I have not picked up anything for him yet...I suck. Not to mention we are having a lil party for him this weekend and I have done nothing so far to prep---just to top it off, Frank leaves tomorrow for work and does not come back until Friday night.  I just cannot keep up.