A Glimpse of Fall

I love Fall! I love everything about it. The cool weather, the warm clothes, the crisp smell in the air, the beautiful colors, the holidays, the pumpkins...Fall makes me so happy!

I am ready to say goodbye to summer. It has been a great summer, in my opinion. We've had a lot of fun, and were blessed with some beautiful days! I have heard so many people I know complaining of how awful summer was-it was so cold and rainy*. Really? I think I was living in an alternate universe just miles away from these people. It was in the 70's and 80's all summer, and we have had quite a few 90+ degree days. It hasn't rained all that much! Maybe once or twice a week, and most of the time, it's just a drizzle, then the sun comes back out. There were times I actually wished it would rain so we could come inside for once! The weather has been perfect!

*The funny thing is, when the weather goes above 90, these same people complain about how hot it is, and that they can't stand it!

The only thing our summer lacked was a vacation. Our plans fell through. So, next week, Grant took the 4 days off after labor day, and we are having a staycation. Dylan starts school in the middle of that week (same day as our 9th wedding anniversary!), but we have lots of plans! It's going to be a great end to summer.

On Sunday, we had our first sneak peek of fall. The weather was in the mid 60's...cool enough to make me put on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt! The nights are starting to get chilly. I had to pull out the warm PJ's for the kids. I love it, though!

We're back into the very warm/borderline hot days, but it appears as if our nights are staying cool. We watched some of the surrounding kids go back to school today, which made me realize that my baby starts in just 9 short days!

Not to mention, football season is upon us. Our families are major football lovers (Steelers), and Grant can't miss a game. Football is a big part of our life in the fall! Even the youngest member of the family is a fan! Lexie has been known to stop and yell, "Go Steelers!" during a game!

I am really excited for all the fun the next few months are going to bring!

Who else out there loves fall?!?!?

Let's Just Forget This Crappy Weekend Ever Happened

This past weekend is one I'd rather just put behind me! I spent the weekend completely sick and miserable.

The highlight of our weekend was taking Dylan out to get his backpack. Honestly, it wasn't very memorable. Dylan wasn't excited about picking one out, and quickly chose a Spiderman backpack. When I asked him if that was the one he definitely wanted, because he'd be stuck with it for a year, he shrugged and said he liked it. Not quite the fun experience I was expecting.

So...what made this weekend so crappy? Well, let's get into the literal crappy aspect. It appears that Lexie may be seriously allergic to eggs. She hasn't had them in a few weeks, and we had them for breakfast Saturday morning. My potty trained girl ended up with diarrhea all day yesterday and today. Which meant lots of crappy accidents. Let's just add this food to one of the foods she may be allergic to, which may be causing the chronic diarrhea. (Still hoping it's just food allergies, and not Celiac Disease.)

Dylan has been coughing for the past few hours, and had a major hives flare-up. The hives have been showing up since the beginning of July, and they look terrible right now. Back to the pediatric dermatologist! I'm hoping the coughing doesn't turn into what I have, because he starts school in a little over a week!

And now the kicker: Grant had his brother and some of his best friends over to watch the Steelers game (at least they won!) on Saturday night. After they left, I went to take my prescription cough suppressant with codeine, before heading to bed. Much to my surprise, the bottle was nearly empty! I had only gotten the prescription on Thursday night, and had 1 tsp on Thursday night, and 1 tsp on Friday night. The bottle was nearly full...even when I saw it 3 hours prior to the incident. So, yeah, one of our closest friends drank my much needed medicine. A much needed medicine that has no refills. I only had enough left for one night. Thanks a bunch, idiot. I have much stronger words in mind, but I'll keep this PG.

I. Flipped. Out.

Big time.

I screamed, I stomped, I cried, I swore, I slammed cabinet doors, I hid my prescriptions, I posted a very harsh message on facebook for all to see. I was so angry, I turned into a raving lunatic. And honestly? I don't feel guilty about it. I feel that my response was justified.

Grant spent the next hour on the phone, trying to find out who did this. Nobody has confessed, but Grant is almost postive he knows who it was. The year-away-from-becoming-a-Catholic-Priest friend is exempt. As is Grant's brother.

I am just beyond hurt and angry. I can't even believe one of Grant's best friends would do this. They knew how sick I was, yet it didn't even matter to them, because they apparently needed a fix. I feed them meals, let them into my home any time, and provide food and drinks every time they are here. And this happens. Un-freaking-believable.

I'm not going to even attempt to get a refill. Even if my doctor believes that I'm not an addict (I guess it helps that I haven't had a prescription cough suppressant since I was 8), I'm going to have to pay $20 for my doctor copay and prescription copay. $20 I have already spent on the very same thing, only to have it taken away from me.

This person's actions caused me to suffer a very sleepless night, not just from coughing, but from being so upset that someone we trusted did this to us. My husband feels completely betrayed, and rightfully so!

I will NOT let this happen again. This crap is not welcome in my house or in my life!

A Girl and A Dress

I was recently looking for something in my memory chest, and came across a white pinafore that I wore as a child. It is the only piece of clothing I have from my childhood. I came up with the idea to take Lexie's 2 1/2 year pictures in my old dress. It was a big on her, but I just tied the straps back to make it fit!

So we hiked up the hill behind our house to take the pictures in a big field. For once, Lexie actually cooperated and gave me a few smiles!

For such a spontaneous session, I was really pleased with how they turned out! I love my sweet girl!

Bronchitis, Blogiversary, and a Lexie Update

I have had a bad cough for two weeks now. Today was a really rough day, and I realized I was getting worse. I was coughing so hard that I was throwing up, and I haven't been able to sleep in days. Plus, I felt so run down that I could barely move. So, I sucked it up, and went off to the doctor for my first sick visit in over 3 years. As soon as Grant came home, he drove me to urgent care. Sure enough, I have bronchitis! I left with an inhaler, an antibiotic, and a cough suppressant with codeine. The last time I was sick enough to require an antibiotic was when I was 16 or 17! I'm hoping this clears up soon! I don't have time to be sick right now!

August 25th marked my 1 year blogging anniversary. I can't believe I've been at it for a year, but I love it! Stay tuned...I just may have a giveaway coming up in the next few weeks, to mark the event. ;)

Lexie had some blood work done yesterday, and we got the results today. Her neutrophils are up (good news), but her hemoglobin is down. She goes back in 7 weeks for more blood work and another appointment with hematology. Even though her iron levels are down, they still don't want us starting the iron supplement, because they fear it will make her diarrhea worse, which will make her neutrophils go lower. Hopefully her diarrhea will continue to improve with dietary changes, and her neutrophils will get out of the Neutropenia range!

With that, I'm off to drug myself with some cough medicine, and hopefully I'll get a good night's sleep!

Shock, Sadness, Frustration

My niece attempted suicide tonight. It is so hard watching somebody I love ruin their life. I pray that she makes the decision to change her life and get the help she needs.

I honestly can't even put my feelings into words right now. I just want to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.

I'm just grateful that she made the choice to call for help before it was too late.

Tuesday Tidbits

Tuesday Tidbits-A weekly post dedicated to remembering the "small" things in Dylan and Lexie's lives.

Lexie hit the 2 1/2 year milestone on Saturday, and is almost completely day trained. She wakes up dry from naps, and is only slightly wet when she wakes in the morning! She still has some diarrhea issues, so we're going to stick to the pull-ups at night. But once those last 4 diapers are gone, they are gone for good! I may miss them just a little bit...for some reason, I love the smell of Pampers diapers! (Clean, of course!) I'm not going to get to see this much longer:

Today, Dylan and I were looking through a book about reptiles. I was pointing to each picture, and telling him what the reptile was. I pointed to a picture of a turtle, and said, "That's a European Pond Turtle." Dylan responded with, " It pees in the pond?!? Ewwww, GROSS!!!"

Lexie loves to look at a wolf picture book that belongs to my parents. She was looking through it in the car, and she yelled, "Mommy, mommy, look at the tute wolps!!!" That translates to cute wolf. ;)

Lexie cannot say "naked" no matter how hard she tries. Heard several times a day in our house: "Look at ME! I'm wanken!" Yes, that would be naked.

Last Christmas season, my mom bought Christmas snow globes for my kids. They light up, blow snowflakes around, and play several Christmas songs. They became their favorite things the second they saw them! Several months after Christmas, I was able to pack Lexie's snow globe away. Here we are at the end of August, and Dylan still has his on his bedside table. And listens to it every single night.

I Heart Faces-Nostalgia

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is Nostalgia. I photographed my 2 1/2 year old daughter, Alexandria, in a field behind my house. She was wearing the dress I wore when I was a child. It's the only piece of clothing I have left from my childhood, so it means the world to me. It was so exciting to actually put it on her...even if I did have to tie the back, because it was too big!

Meet The Bride

This past Saturday, my Aunt Carol hosted a "Meet the Bride" picnic at her house, in honor of her son, Josh, and his wife, Emilie.

Josh and Emilie live out of state, and none of us were able to attend their wedding last July. I have had the pleasure of meeting Emilie several times, but my siblings have not. Josh is a top notch vet in Long Island, and Emilie is a voice/piano teacher.

My aunt and uncle own a beautiful house, on several acres, and the kids had a blast exploring their property. They literally ran for 8 hours straight!

They even had their own picnic in the gazebo!

The food was incredible, and the company was lots of fun!

(My sister, Andrea, and a brother-in-law, Shawn)

Lexie spent the day next to my aunt and uncle's parrot, Chiquita. She loves that bird.

Interestingly, Chiquita has been my aunt's pet for almost as long as I've been alive. She actually cries, which she learned from me when I was a toddler! Apparently, she sounds exactly like I once used to!

I was more than a bit apprehensive about the kids being inside the house. My aunt and uncle's home is filled with very expensive antiques and collectibles. Expensive=Highly Breakable=Not Even Remotely Child-Proof. Really, these things are everywhere...glass display cases, shelves, tables, even in the gardens...a mother's worst nightmare!



Emilie took the kids into the study and played an awesome game with them. She played a tune on the piano, as the kids circled the rug in the middle of the room. They had to start out slowly, and as the song got quicker, they had to pick up the pace. When Emilie stopped playing, everybody had to freeze. Those who didn't freeze were out and had to sit down on the rug.

They had SO much fun!




They finished off the game with a dance party!


After the fun game, we headed back outdoors to see the deer that my aunt and uncle feed every night. It's amazing that they come right into their yard to eat.

The party neared an end when all the men disappeared into the house to watch the Steelers game.

(Uncle Bill with his dog, Mitzi)

Well, except for Page, who was wearing that ridiculous Patriots hat.

(Andrea's husband, Daryl, aka Page.)

He and my mom took the kids snipe hunting.

By the time 10:00 rolled around, all the kids were exhausted. Lexie fell asleep before we even pulled out of the driveway. Dylan soon followed.

It was so nice to see Josh and Emilie again! We're looking forward to seeing them during the holidays!

Not My Child Monday

Welcome to another edition of Not My Child Monday! Check out MckMama's blog to read other Not My Child Monday posts, or to join in!

School starts in just a little over 2 weeks for Dylan. Our new back to school schedule is going GREAT! For instance, the kids were not up until after 10 on Saturday night. Because they were up so late, and spent the entire day outdoors, they did not sleep in until after 11 AM on Sunday. I had great intentions when I put them to bed at 8 last night. Lexie fell asleep right away, but Dylan was not up until after 11, coming up with every excuse in the book as to why he couldn't sleep. Just after he fell asleep, Lexie did not wake up, because she heard me dumping out a bowl of M&M's and start yelling, "I want Em Em Em's!" When that failed to work, she did not shout out, "Mommy, I'm done!" Over and over and over again.

We have a rule about not climbing or wrestling on our couch. So it wasn't Dylan who climbed on the couch, fell, and took down the floor lamp with him.

My mom did not say, "Stop kicking my a&&!" while playing a game of cards with me. Miss Repeat did not turn to me, and say, "Mama, stop kicking Nina's a&&!"

Dylan did not hit his head 4 times yesterday. He is not completely accident prone.

Lexie did not scream in the middle of Target, "I hafta pee!" We did not race through the store to make it to the bathroom in time. Once she did her business, she did not exclaim, "Yay! I peed! I peed!" causing the entire restroom to erupt in laughter.

Speaking of potty training, she did not insist she had to pee while we were driving. We did not pull over, sit her on the potty, only to have her laugh, and say, "I don't hafta pee. "

I did not catch Dylan riding a turtle statue in my aunt's garden. Said turtle was not worth several hundred dollars.

The kids have not been fighting nonstop for the past two days. They have not thrown punches or kicks at each other.

Lexie is NOT potty trained. She has not been accident free for days!

Alexandria---2 years, 6 months

Dear Lexie,
As of today, you are 2 1/2 years old. As I write this, you are closer to the age of 3 than you are to 2! How did you grow up so quickly?

Here are some of the things you've been up to:

-You are currently potty training. You've made great progress this week, and I think you may be completely day trained soon!

-You talk ALL THE TIME. You even talk when nobody is listening. You have a vast vocabulary and speak in complete sentences. You still mispronounce some words, but I think it's so cute!

-You love to sing and dance.

-Your favorite shows are Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Ni Hao Kai Lan, and LazyTown.

-You are a fashionista. I dress you up everyday, but you love it. You love shoes, jewelry, dresses, feather boas, and tutus.

-You are finally becoming more outgoing. It now only takes you a few minutes to warm up to strangers, or adjust to new situations.

-Your diarrhea is finally slowing down, after 8 very long months. We still don't know what's causing it, but we highly suspect a wheat allergy or Celiac Disease. Hopefully we'll get it figured out soon!

-You are 28 lbs, and 37 inches tall.

-Bun Bun is still a very big part of your life. He goes everywhere you go!

-You are a water baby-you absolutely love to swim!

-You have so much attitude! There are times that you drive your daddy and I absolutely crazy!

-You are still an extremely picky eater. It is my biggest source of frustration with you.

-You love all animals, especially cats!

-You are so sweet, adorable, and funny. Your smile and laughter is infectious.



Lexie Bean, I love you with all my heart. You will ALWAYS be my baby girl!

Happy 2 1/2 years!

Love, Mommy

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Come for a walk with me down Memory Lane!
And if you have a "Memory Lane" post, head on over to Scottsville to join in on the fun!

This is my horse, Cherokee, and I. This picture was taken in 2006, by my German "bro" Benno. Benno was my parents foreign exchange student at the time, and he wanted me to demonstrate some of my riding skills.

I grew up riding horses, and competed in show jumping, dressage, and Eventing. I no longer compete, nor do I ride often. Sadly, this was my last REAL ride on my horse, where we were actually in training. I was demonstrating to Benno how to do flying lead changes.

Why did I stop training? Well, I was actually newly pregnant with Lexie at the time.

From that point, the horrible morning sickness and the preterm contractions hit, and I was put on limited activity, and eventually partial bedrest. Then I had a newborn. Then I had a toddler and baby. Then I had a preschooler and a toddler. Time just got away from me, and before I knew it, years had passed. During those years, my horse aged. And now, he's no longer up to the task of the training we once did. That fact makes me sad, but we have some amazing years of training behind us, and a bond that will never break.

I love my old man, and I'm so glad that I have that picture of our last day of training together, to look back on!