And the Count Says...

Today is our anniversary. 8 years ago on this day we were happily married. It wasn't a fancy wedding or anything. I mean we were married by the JP! How fancy can that be?!? But it really didn't matter where we were married. What was important was that we were committing to each other, it good times and bad, in sickness and health, etc., etc.

My mom provided a lovely dinner at an awesome restaurant and our family and friends joined us in celebrating. I think we should go back there to celebrate an anniversary. I don't think this year, but maybe when we reach #10.

Throughout the past 8 years, we have been through a lot - both good and bad. Some of the bad we have learned from and some we would rather forget. But I supposed that's just a part of life. I think in some ways we have both changed a little. But these changes have not made us grow apart. We are still as close as we were in the beginning. And I don't mean beginning as in 8 years ago, I mean beginning as like when we first met. We hit it off right from the start!

We met during our sophomore year of high school. Go on and say it....awww, high school sweet hearts! How cute!

We were both a part of the stage crew. We started talking and hanging out more. Oh, and was there teasing!!! More him than me, but I learned that's what boys do to girls! When it came down to asking the other out, we were both pretty shy at the time. Thank goodness for a mutual friend! She pretty much forced us to talk about that. He asked me to the Sophomore Dance and the rest is history!

Being able to stick together when things get yucky and laugh together when things are great and very important parts of our marriage. But the most important thing, ok the 2 most important things are our creations if you will.

This chunky monkey was the reason for our marriage via the JP. It would have happened anyway, but she changed our timeline.

And now that I am older and watching friends get married, I see exactly what goes into planning your wedding. It can be a lot of work (and money) and I don't think I want to do that much work!

And fours years ago around this time of year, we decided to add to our happy little home. And little home, that's literal and not a figure of speech!

I look back now and think of the days when I would wander what kind of parents we would be and how our relationship would be later on in life. I've been told that I am a good mom and I really hope that it's true, because I try. And Chris, he is just a wonderful father!

It feels so good to know that we are still very much in love after all these years. We've been married for 8 years, but really we've been together for 14. That's a long time!!!

It's been a great 8 years





Until next time...

Sunday Wrap Up

It's Sunday and that means the weekend is almost over. Well, sort of. Paige doesn't have school tomorrow so I guess we she gets a 3 day weekend!

Today was soccer Sunday as usual. Paige's game was at 10, which was awesome. It's just a pain to take her to a 9am game, come home, and get Mike ready for his 11am game. The bad thing...it was cold! And I had to sit there for 2 hours! I'm sure I looked ridiculous wearing Mike's jacket over my hands to keep them warm. I'm just not ready to break out the gloves yet. But I did get smart and pulled out a warmer coat this week!

Anywho...Paige's team didn't win. They're not supposed to keep score, but you know everyone does! But her team played really well. And her coach was there to see this time! He forgot what time their game was last week and missed it. She took a few hits and I had to explain that it was a part of the game. She did very well at playing defense again.

Mike's game...well...um...he ran. He still doesn't seem to understand exactly what to do. As a parent, I spent years teaching them to NOT take things off of other kids. And then we sign them up for soccer where you're ALLOWED to take the ball from the other kids. It's just so confusing for them! He did get to kick the ball a few times and it was good to see another girl actually play and score a few goals. For the first few games and practices, this little girl wanted nothing to do with playing the game. And like Paige, he had his share of injuries. I tried to buy him a helmet (yes, he bangs his head that much!), but no one will let me.

I think he needs one of these, don't you? =)

And the Steelers and Pens won this weekend too! I had to throw that in there because I bleed black and gold and just have to brag!

And for those of you who wished me luck at dinner last night - it went very well! The kids were very well behaved and they ate very well. Everyone was shocked when Mike ate a salad. No one believed that our kids like veggies and they proved them wrong! There was also a balloon guy there and they each had a balloon to take home. Paige had a purple dog on a yellow leash. Mike had what started out as a helicopter. The rotors popped and he decided it was a giraffe.

And now here's a picture of what I had (it's so good I have to share!)....


15-layer lasagna!!!

Yes it was good and yes I ate the whole thing! I may not look like I eat much, but I do. Especially when it's one of my favorite foods!

Until next time...

My day through the eyes of Bill Cosby

My day started off so wonderful! Chris took the kids to the coffee shop this morning and they each got a cup of hot cocoa. That meant I was able to sleep in and if you're a parent, then you know the importance of that! I woke up shortly after they got home and listened to the kids play for a bit. It's one of my secret pleasures, at least when they're getting along. It's just so stinkin' cute! Then all hell broke loose!!!

Quit touching me!!!

Give it back!!!

Don't put your toys in my food!!!

Move over!!! I'm sitting here!!!
apparently they can't share the couch!

My first thought was "Let the beatings begin!".



Now, I grew up listening to Bill Cosby and he is one funny man. But listening to him after having kids...well it's a whole new level of funny. And there's a lot of truth in what he says!

For example:

Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.

Even though your kids will consistently do the exact opposite of what you're telling them to do, you have to keep loving them just as much.

Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.

I guess the real reason that my wife husband and I had children is the same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea at the time.

No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal.

Parents are not interested in justice, they're interested in peace and quiet.

Gray hair is God's graffiti.
Keep in mind
I have no idea what my natural color is
and if there is any gray,
but if there's not,
my kids will surely give me some!

And to top off the day, we are taking the kids with us when we go to dinner with friends tonight. Wish us luck!!! And if we survive, hopefully one day I will be able to say


"Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father mother to my children."

Until next time...

Good and Bad

GOOD IDEA: treating the kids to a day of shopping and a special treat

BAD IDEA: letting ICEES be the special treat





GOOD IDEA: letting them get their arms painted

BAD IDEA: not washing it off before bed

a) more laundry the next day


2) taking them to Grandma's with the snake still on the arm
cuz she afraid of them



GOOD IDEA: being patriotic


BAD IDEA: using red on a very blond little girl




GOOD IDEA: hand-made Halloween costume


BAD IDEA: using Elmer's and not a hot glue gun

Between school, the library, and the actual day itself,
Halloween is like a 2 week long event!
That means 2 weeks of collecting and reglueing cars.

WW - What a Happy Boy

Ok, I'm giving this Wordful Wednesday thing a shot.
Brought to you by


This is my little dude! If it's construction related, he loves it! Over the past few summers, he gathers up as many "diggers" as he can carry and digs in the backyard. I thought about making this spot next to the porch all nice and pretty, but him digging for hours on end gives me time to do what I need to do around the house, so I let it go.



This morning while taking Paige to school, we saw dump trucks and a digger down the street. And for the past hour, this.....

has been the view from our front window!

Mike is in his happy place!

Now as long as their done before 1 we're good. I can't back out of the driveway while this is going on!


The little bit of sidewalk being dug up is so much better than the whole road! Last summer that's what happened. And since there was a brick road under what was there, they had to dig ALL the way down. And then it rained....and rained.....and rained....



And now it sounds as if they're digging again. Off to take the boy outside to watch!

Until next time...

Sticky here, sticky there...Sticky Everywhere!!

So here I was trying to think of some funny stuff for
and I'm drawing nothing but blanks. I figured I'd work it out over some dishes that desperately needed washed.

I found the bottom of the sink (enter angels singing here)!! But guess what else I found???

The equivalent of a bowl of Spaghetti O's!!!

So this one goes out to the little people that inhabit my house.....

Apparently you misplaced THIS lovely note from last week!!!!



I swear, I'm gonna keep dishin' out these Post-Its until you get the darn message!!!

And since I'm recycling stuff, here ya go little boy!!!!

All I have to say is thank goodness Target has cheap bath rugs. Your late night, half asleep, zombified, stumble into the bathroom trips are killing me!!! I don't care how much you smile at me while your doing your business everywhere but where your supposed to. I'm tired of buying nice and fancy rugs. You know, the ones that are all fluffy and welcome your feet out of the shower with open arms? Ya, no more happy feet when getting out of the tub!!!



Ugh!!! Ya know what, I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over.

I'm done!!!!!

I'm outta here!!!

MeMe Likes to Move it Move it

brought to you by
MommyBrain and SupahMommy

This week is 5 Music that Moves Meme
As far as a soundtrack for my life, I don't think I really have one. But there are a lot of songs that have mucho meaning to me. Either they remind me of someone close to me or make me think of a part of my life that just rocked! Here's a few of those songs...


1. Free Bird~ I have seen Skynyrd so many times that I need to use fingers AND toes to count!!! I pretty much love all their songs, but this one is by far the best. And to get the full effect, you have to hear it live. And I don't mean hearing the live version on the radio. I mean you have to see them live and in concert! It's funny how I can't stand to listen to a 10 minute song on the radio, but when it's live and extended to half an hour, it just rocks!

Why does this make me move? Um, have you ever heard the song?!

But really, the first part of the song is kinda sad for me and my BFF, which happens to be the person that I have to every Skynyrd concert with. It reminds us of a close friend who passed away years ago. But once the beat picks up, we're jammin like nobody's business! I guess it's the bi-polar song of rock 'n' roll.


our friend wasn't in the military,
but I love this picture that was shown
during the song this past summer

And have you ever noticed that there's at least one fool in the crowd at any concert screaming "FREE BIRD!!!!!"?

*hangs head in shame*
That fool is usually me

2. Help me out~ I love, love, LOVE the Clarks!!!! If you've never heard them, I apologize because you are missing out on some kick a$$ music. Go to youtube and find out! Even my kids love them! We took them to see the Clarks about a month ago and they had the best time ever! You should have seen them singing along and Paige playing air guitar! I hope they always remember their first concert as a great one!

I don't think there's a song they sing that I don't like. Actually, there's not a song of theirs that I don't like! But Help Me Out is one of my favorites! It's especially good for highway driving. I seem to get where I need to go a lot faster. I think it's makes me pedal happy!



3. Everybody clap your hands!! In this house we love the Cha Cha Slide. I bought a CD for my daughter specifically for that song! Whenever it's played at a wedding, party, or a neighbor's house, Paige makes a bee line for the dance floor (or back porch) with me in tow so we can dance out hearts out!

No we don't spy on our neighbors or sneak into their houses just to listen to some music. Someone was having a party last summer and they just happened to play the Cha Cha (over and over). We just took advantage of the opportunity to move it move.

4. She's Got a Way~ He, not she. Billy Joel that is. I grew up listening to him and over time realized the this song is just beautiful. Every time I hear I break down into tears. My goal, which I've been trying to accomplish since high school and keep getting screwed, is to see him in concert. I would give my left arm for that! I heard rumors that he may stop here for a show in the near future. I just might have to give up an arm and maybe leg just to be able to afford the tickets!

This song also makes me think of my own daughter.

5. Do you wanna get rocked? I've been on a huge Def Leppard kick as of late. Probably because that was the last big concert I saw. As it stands now, that show beat my #1 concert of all time, which happened to be Aerosmith. What stinks is we didn't get to see their encore because heaven forbid we were really late picking the kids up. And of course the encore was the one song we wanted to see. C'est la vie! Any show that me and my husband have gone to together is a memorable part of our lives, but I think this particular show was the absolute best so far!

Now that I look back over this I realize that Paige and I have a lot of connections through music. Maybe she's more like me than I realized.

Until next time...

What an awesome day!

I am so proud of my kids!!!!

Today is Sunday which means soccer. Paige had her game at 9am. Yuck!! Luckily Mike was still sleeping and he could stay at home with daddy. It was cloudy, cold, and just plain miserable. Especially sitting on metal bleachers!

Paige's team did so well today! This was the best game they've played so far! They're not a bad team by any means, but they really came together today.

Paige really seems to like playing goalie. I think like a lot of other parents, that position scares me. I'm always afraid shell get hit in the face with the ball or something. But she did an awesome job. She had some good stops and some good, hard goal kicks that went straight to her teammates!

And the best part of the game was....

THE GOAL THAT PAIGE SCORED!!!!!

That right there made up for sitting in the cold and freezing my butt off!

We got home and bragged to no end about her game and I got Mike ready for his game. Now if you ever seen 4 year olds play soccer, it is quite comical! All they do is run and kick the ball. It doesn't matter where they go as long as they kick it! Mike also had a turn in goal today. With his age group, they don't focus on positions, but they do try to introduce them a little.

MIKE STOPPED EVERY BALL THAT WAS KICKED AT HIM!!!

All day he kept saying how good he was at defense because he didn't let the ball go in the net. It was cute to see how proud he was of himself.

I am so proud of my kids! I am glad that they have found something that they really seem to enjoy doing and they do it well!

Until next time....

It's a Great Day for...

Isn't this just a lovely picture? Well, I think so. I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere along the way that I bleed black and gold!

Anyway, last night was the season opener (finally) and the Mighty 'Guins got to raise their new banner and show off their new hardware. There was a video before the raising of the banner which highlighted last season. I still got chills when Sid the Kid hoisted Lord Stanley!

When all the players were introduced and made their way onto the ice, Paige was chanting names as well as nicknames. I took that as a sign that we are raising her right! She begged to stay up and watch the game. Every minute of the pregame was worth it, but it was looong!!! Needless to say, she only made it to the end of the 2nd period....barely!

So to make up for not letting her stay up, I decided to treat them to some special stuff today. I took them grocery shopping with me. Yes, I realize that doesn't sound super cool, but at our grocery store the kids get to play in "the room". It's a place where you can drop off your kids while you shop. Let me tell you, it makes grocery shopping SO much easier. Now if I could only get rid of the people who insist on having conversations in the middle of the isles!

After that we headed over to the new dollar store. Each of the kids got to pick a special thing to take home. Plus I found a few things I needed as well. I love bargains which means dollar stores are like heaven!

Before we walked home we stopped at Caribou (best coffee shop ever!!!).




They have kids hot cocoa there. What's awesome about that is they make it lukewarm to avoid burns and top it with whipped cream and crushed Oreos. And I enjoyed a very tasty mint coffee concoction - espresso with whipped cream and chocolate mint pieces. Very good, but the caffeine is kicking in. Maybe watching the hockey game won't be a good idea. I tend to yell talk to the tv and adding coffee to that...well, it might not be pretty.

But I'm going to give it a try anyway!

Until next time....

Does it ever end?!?

It would be so wonderful if I could just snap my fingers and have a new house that's always clean and everything has it's place. Sadly that's not the case. Right now I'm stuck and can't do much around here. The water heater went out...again. That means I can't do the dishes, I can't do laundry, and I can't shower.

The dishes can wait, and that's usually what happens. That's one of my least favorite chores. Actually, I don't think I like any of them! Anyway, I'm trying to make dinner on the little counter space I have at the moment when I realize the floor is sticky. So now the floor needs mopped, but what's the point of that if I can't do much about the rest of the kitchen until the water heats back up?

And laundry.....does anyone have a 4 year old boy that often gets too busy to use the bathroom? Welcome to my world of never-ending laundry!!! I have yet to put away what I washed yesterday. Today I thought it was a good idea to go through the kids' drawers and pull out what's too small or out of season. I don't see anyone wearing shorts for a while! Thanks Mother Nature! I hate when I everything in the drawers all nice and neat and then come downstairs to see more that I forgot needs put away. Laundry is just a vicious cycle that never ends!!!

Now for a shower...let's not even go there! I'm cold and, well, I just need one! The shower is my happy place. I can go in there, close the door and not be bothered by anyone!

Hopefully we get it lit an it stays lit! I really am not in the mood to call anyone about it! My luck, it would end up like the kitchen debacle from last winter. The kitchen sink clogged and it took 2 weeks to figure out why and to get it fixed. NOT good times!!!

Now I have to finish dinner and get Paige ready for soccer. Let me tell you how much I love Fall soccer season! It's cold and wet and just miserable. I could take a camping chair to the field with me so I'd have a place to sit, but it would probably sink in the mud. Hopefully I remember to take some hot tea or hot chocolate with me because I refuse to be one of those parents who drops their 7 year old off at practice and disappears because they don't want to be out in crappy weather. Oh, yes, we have a few. Even the parents that do stay aren't always really there. Last week a girl on Paige's team kept getting hurt. Her mom was too busy ON HER PHONE to see if her child was ok!!! I couldn't believe it!

Well, grubs on! Time to eat and run!

Until next time....

What happened?!?

It never ceases to amaze me at how fast time flies! I was thinking about this today. I was thinking of one of my cousins who recently had a baby. It seems like only yesterday that I was at her house getting ready to go to Kennywood. Even though I was finally tall enough, I was still afraid to ride the Laser Loop. Now we're both married with families of our own. She also reminded me on Facebook today that her sister is turning 18. My goodness! I remember playing with my cousin way before her sister was even thought of! And another cousin is about to have a baby. It seems like only yesterday we were kids playing at our Grandma's house.

This past week I have been watching my own kids and thinking the same thing! How fast they've grown!!! I think I've been thinking about this because Mike has been extremely interested in the past lately. He is always asking questions about when he was a bay or when we were babies. Paige is definitely growing up! She is getting more and more interested in clothes and her appearance. She also seems to be getting interested in boys. I think I caught her holding a boy's hand walking home from school yesterday! Ugh! I think we're in for a rough ride with her! And for Mike, he is no longer the baby. He's a preschooler now - a little person! And while they are continuing to grow faster and faster it seems, I continue to look forward to what's to come. Although I do miss the past!


Paige is in 2nd grade and I think she finally got back into school mode. The first few weeks were rough. She had trouble focusing in class and would rather socialize with her friends. She also had trouble remembering to do her homework. I know part of the blame for that falls on me and I accept that, but at the same time, she is also old enough now to take on more responsibility for what she needs to do.

But anyways, I have the ability to go online to check her grades and her assignments, which I have been doing. She also brings home classwork so I can see what she does all day. And I mean she brings home A LOT of papers!!!! Wonder how many forests they destroy?! Over the past 2 weeks, her grades have been going nowhere but up! She's never been a bad student and she wasn't getting bad grades, but I knew she could do better. She's even getting an "O" in handwriting. BTW, "O" stands for outstanding. I think there's hope for her yet that she won't end up with handwriting like her dad or uncle! Sorry, guys, but you know I'm right on this one!

And Mike... my goodness has his imagination been soaring! And his messes have been just as big, too! Last week he was obsessed with a store. We have a kitchen set in the backyard. He put a chair on one side and the customer (me) would stand on the other side. He had a shopping cart in case I needed a lot of stuff. He used his t-ball stand for the candy dispenser and the candy was chalk (yummy!). He also used his bikes for when he had to go buy more supplies or deliver candy. This week it seems to be his train that he's obsessed with. We have a rather large container of GeoTrax. He makes a track from one side of the room clear to the other side. Usually his castle is somewhere in the middle with the track running through the door. Then he pulls out the Duplos to make stores, tree houses, and sometimes diving boards. I don't understand the last one, but he seems to make it work for him! He will play with nothing but these obsessions ALL day! And the story lines he comes up with while playing just blow me away!

He's also really catching on to what I'm trying to teach him. Right now we're learning the letters and he loves to point out the letters he's learned everywhere we go! It seems like yesterday he was learning to count. I couldn't get him to count for the life of me! Then one day when I was holding him, he counted my earrings and he counted correctly. In case you're wondering, he counted to ten. Yes, that's how many earrings I have!


Each and every day, my kids amaze me at what they know and what they can do. One is turning into a little boy and the other is turning into a little lady. I really miss when they were little. They knew nothing of the world and it was our job to show them the way. Now they're trying to teach us stuff! I really hope the future with them is as enjoyable as the past was.

Until next time.....

Thanks for the pictures! Time to brag!

To my awesome cousin's awesome husband....
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

As I mentioned in this post, I don't have a camera to take pictures of the kids playing soccer. My cousin's husband LOVES to take pictures and he sent me the ones he took while they were here visiting.

Both Paige and Mike seem to really enjoy playing soccer and I am so proud of how well they do!


Here's Paige practicing while her brother is playing his game.




And I'd like to mention just how "totally awesome" (to quote Paige's favorite line) it was for someone else to take pictures so I could watch Mike play!!

She seems to like playing defense...

It took many, many tries to get Mike to look at the camera, but we finally snapped a picture. He was digging in the dirt while we were watching Paige play her game.





He's the one on the far left



Go Mike, Go!!!

And if they're not playing, they're taking a water break. That's pretty much what 4 year old soccer is - running aimlessly after the ball and drinking water!

Until next time....