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Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Last week I mentioned that I was planning on purchasing the book The World of Downton Abbey. I did get it and I love it. The photography is beautiful and it is interesting to read about how the life and times were back then - from the society in general and the war to fashions and the protocol of romantic relationships. It is perfect reading while I m waiting for the next episode to air.

While I have been obsessing over Downton Andrew there is another obsession brewing in our house since I hear this song everyday, several times a day.

Andrew, my four year old, has replaced his love of Pixar's Cars with Spiderman. The other day I bought him a pair of Spiderman pajamas and I had no idea the drama I was inviting into the house because now the only thing he wants to wear are those pj's! He was really upset that he could not wear them to school (in the rain) and I finally convinced him that during the day he had to bundle up and be Peter Parker and keep his Spidey identity "secret." When he got home then he could change into his Spiderman outfit. He finally agreed. So now every day after preschool he runs through the door and whips off his regular clothes and jumps into his Spidey pj's. Great. (Did I also mention that I had to go back to the store and buy another pair of the pj's so I could wash them in between crime fighting?)

Hmmm...on top of it all, Spidey's mom needs to give him a haircut.

Well, living with a boy that dresses like Spiderman isn't really a big deal but I felt so sorry for the little guy the other day. He walked into the kitchen with a roll of masking tape. He wanted me to help him tapes his hands to the wall so he could climb it like Spiderman. I told him he was too heavy and that tape wouldn't hold him. He said okay and ran out of the room. He came back with a gluestick. Surely the double strength of masking tape and a glue stick would hold him. I again explained that it wouldn't work. After several renditions of "It won't work" and "Yeah it do, Mom" he finally got the message. Poor Spidey accepted defeat and went to his room with tears running down his face. He broke my heart so I set dinner aside to help him find a solution. Not having monkey bars in the house I told him to play Spiderman under his bunk bed. There are several rungs above his bed and under top bunk bed. He could grab one rung and pretend to swing while he grabbed another. He was overjoyed. So I'm temporarily in the clear until he decides to jump off the top bunk onto his brother/Dr. Octopus. (I am sure anyone with boys or spunky girls can relate.)

Well, besides all the in-house crime fighting it has been rather a slow week. The kids got sick last weekend with colds and while Bella and Andrew got over it in a day or two little Matthew is still sick and has been extra clingy - to the point where he screams his head off when I put him down for a minute. Ugh. I told Brian I am having a hard time getting my work done since he just wants to be held. He told me not to worry and just give him the TLC he needs. Okay, but I told Brian that if he runs out of clean clothes he'll have to borrow one of Andrew's Spidey outfits.

On the plus side I have been able to get online much more often than normal. (Even now I am doing the one-hand typing thing while Matthew is resting in my arms.) For this quick take I'll link up a few of my favorite articles/posts that I've read this week.

It seems that contentment, thriving where you are in life, and not putting yourself down when you feel like you are barely surviving life with little ones is a common theme this week.

Comparison Kills Contentment {Catholic Mothers Online Post} by Misty

Moms of Young Children: The Time to Thrive Is Now by Jennifer Fulwiler

Thriving! Who does God want you to be? by Arwen Mosher

Don't Carpe Diem by Glennon Melton

Lastly, if you didn't see my previous post already, check out the interview with Mark Wahlberg where he talks about his Catholic faith.

Okay, Matty is finally asleep so I am going to put him to bed and pray he sleeps long enough for me to load the dishwasher and get some laundry done. Spiderman needs some clean pj's.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
B.

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

I've been reading a lot on other blogs about resolutions. I hate resolutions because I'll do well for a day or two then go right back to where I started. Instead, I have a couple of work-in-process projects. I've been working on two areas specifically last year. One was to get my house more organized. For those who know me or have been reading my blog, you also know that my three sisters are neat and organized and I'm the one most likely to appears on "Hoarders: Buried Alive." Okay, maybe I'm not that bad but I could appear on the show "My Desk Is Covered with So Much Junk I Can't See My Computer Monitor" as seen here. That is why I started Operation Clean & Organize. I haven't done much since autumn with all the holiday busyness but things have settled down now and I can refocus.

The second work-in-progress is to eat healthier and move more. (Do you ever watch Good Luck Charlie on Disney? As the overweight Bob Duncan was told - "Less bacon and more shakin!") I already joined Weight Watchers and I've lost the baby weight but, again, once the holidays came everything stalled. I stopped keeping track. I kept what I lost off but I haven't made any progress on the still long road ahead. So that, too, must be refocused.

The last two are more mini-goals than projects. And they are more "fun." The first - don't be afraid to try some "feminine touches" in how I dress. When I was younger my favorite colors were navy blue, army green and burgundy. I wore either converse of doc martins. However, as I've gotten older, I have finally let go of that more "tomboy" mentality. I still hate wearing dresses or skirts and run from any shoe that has a heel more than ½ an inch but I can now say my favorite colors are red, orange and yellow - bright and happy colors. I like wearing pink and buying things that are less boyish and more cute. I think I have also been influenced by Betty Beguiles and have learned to better embrace the feminine side of myself. For example, when I see my sisters wearing pretty flowers in their hair or a really pretty accessory I think to myself - that looks great on them but I couldn't wear it. Well, Bobbi, why not? So I experimented with little things. For Christmas I wore a flower clip in my hair. I also love headbands so I wore this crocheted one I found that had a pretty crocheted flower on it.

I liked it and no one laughed at me. (Do we ever get over those negative junior high feelings that sometimes creep up on us?) And who knows, in the future I may even be blogging about the day I wore one of those cute dresses I pinned on Pinterest. After all, I do believe in miracles.

The other mini-goal is to watch a little less TV. Having cable TV and a DVR, I can pretty much record whatever I want and just watch it later, especially when I am up with the baby. However, it has gotten a bit out of hand. I have had to delete some shows that have just become time wasters. (Sorry, Mom, if I can't discuss the latest person voted off Biggest Loser or why I voted for so-and-so on American Idol.) I will still watch favorites with Brian in the evening and I will certainly still obsess over Downton Abbey (See, Mom, we can still discuss how much we can't stand Vera Bates and how we long for Mary and Matthew to finally get together.) but paring down on TV in general will give me more time to read a few of those books I wanted to get into and read some of the mom blogs I've wanted to follow.

Speaking of reading more, I have already started reading more on my new Kindle Fire. Yes, as I mentioned in last week's quick takes, I finally decided to use my Christmas money to buy one and I don't regret it! I love my iphone but reading on the kindle is so much easier. Plus, I can also read my magazines (did you see that the National Catholic Register is available on the Kindle?) and my Google Reader is a lot easier than on my phone. It is perfect for the evenings when I am trying to get the baby to sleep and have extra time to myself.

And speaking of mom blogs, I first came across By Sun and Candlelight when I was reading a post about Downton Abbey. (Great comments in the com box. btw!) I started browsing around and I am really enjoying Dawn's posts. You should check it out.

Lastly, Dawn (from above) also mentioned that she got the book The World of Downton Abbey for her birthday. I browsed through the pages they had on Amazon and it looks so pretty and informative. It's the kind of book a Downton geek would love. (It is available on Kindle but a book like that, you have to hold it in your hands and feel the paper.)

And I do happen to have a few dollars of my Christmas money left...and it is burning a hole in my pocket...and who wants to bet that for next week's {pretty, happy, funny, real} you are going to see a photo of that book sitting on my desk. I'm just saying... ;-)

LOL! Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
b.

I'm not sure if I'd call him "pretty" but Matthew is darn cute and he is 9 months old today! (Photo courtesy of my sister JC. ;-)

This weekend Andrew attended a birthday party that was held at a fire station. He got a kick out of the fire truck's tires being so tall.

He was even more excited when he got a turn shooting the fire house into the street. (Free car washes for unsuspected cars driving by. LOL)

Matthew was having fun squirming his way into the bar stool.

However, the fun ended when he couldn't figure how to get out of there!

Back to the fire station..they were showing us how high their ladder went. One of the firefighters started climbing...

...and climbing...

...until he finally made it to the very top. I was dizzy just looking at him. Those guys are amazing!!

Lots of love to all our firefighters!! :-)

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Happy feast of the Epiphany! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year's. We have been out of town last week and I am still catching up on unpacking the suitcases and packing up the Christmas décor. I think that is why I am so reluctant to clean everything up...I don't want to box up my favorite time of the year. (Well, truth be told, I'm actually a procrastinating messcat but the other scenario sounds so much more romantic...)

For Christmas I bought Brian a Kindle Fire. Anyone who knows me also knows that I am always the first one to get an electronic toy and then later Brian joins the bandwagon. However, I wanted to get him something special and being a book lover I thought this would be a nice match. He was very excited and has been using it frequently.

I have been holding off buying one myself because I have been saving up for an ipad instead. However, the more I think about it; maybe I should get myself a laptop - one of those sleek, thin ones that you can carry in your bag. It may make more sense than an ipad. However, it will take me awhile to save up extra money for that so I may just use some gift money I have saved up and get a kindle for me as well. Brian said that I could have his Kindle Fire and he could get one of the basic Kindles since he mostly uses it just for his books. Tempting, but I don't know. Doesn't it seem like I am taking back the very gift I gave him? I'll have to think about it.

Speaking of electronic toys, a few months ago Brian and I both needed to replace our old iphones that weren't working. We bought the new 4s and I love mine! (Should I admit that I even sleep with it? Hmmm. No, I better not.) I happen to also like the new Siri and I'm always telling her to set up reminders or asking her to read me new texts when I'm busy. I showed Brian how to use Siri and he swears his iphone is defective. He asks her a question and she almost always responds, "I'm sorry. I do not understand what you are saying." I don't know if he is speaking too close or talking too robotic but he insists it is not his fault. To prove to him that his phone was fine I used it and asked Siri a number of questions. She always gave me the correct information. So I don't know what it is. He thinks it's a conspiracy. You know, the same conspiracy/evil plot that allows things to be hidden from his sight. Yet, when I walk into the room to look for the hidden object it is always right there in plain sight. (Yes, Siri and I have it all worked out.)

The one thing I do not like about the iphone is how delicate it can be in the hands of young ones. I bought a cute decorative case cover for my iphone and I loved the personal touch but it gave no protection whatsoever. If I was the only one using it, that would be fine. However, the kids will often use my phone to play games or watch videos, especially in a long line at the market. (One lady at Costco was amazed because I handed my phone to John-Paul and at the age of two he was able to zip through pages and folders and open up his games. It's second nature.) So my cute but worthless cover had to be replaced. My brother suggested that I get one of those ToughSkin rugged rubberized tread cases or one of those military grade ones made out of tires but that seemed a bit extreme.

Instead I settled on the Marware SoftGrip Core Case, available in black, white and pink. I like that it has a protective silicone skin, textured dimples on back to minimize impact shock and extra coverage around the display. It makes the phone slightly bulkier and it doesn't slide easily into my pocket - I have to shove it in because of the silicone traction - but it is sturdy enough to handle the drops it has received so far.

Okay but enough talk about the electronic gadgets. How about a quick take about sewing something crafty and beautiful? (Obviously, not something I did.) My sister-in-law Maria is not only an incredible artist as you can see from this painting she gave us a couple years back...

... but she is also gifted at the sewing machine. Look at some of this handiwork!

She even made her own gift tags, gift bags and bows. And did I ever post what she gave me for my birthday last year?

A card with one of her sketches and matching magnets. So pretty! I'm trying to get her to open her own etsy shop and maybe when she gets over the tough first year of having a newborn, she will. I'll keep you posted. ;-)

I could make my last quick take about the cute aprons my other crafty sister EL made but she may want to post about that herself. Besides, all this sewing talk is depressing me. (I'm getting flashbacks of when I hemmed my pants with duct tape.) So instead I'll put one last plug for Downton Abbey, Season 2 coming Sunday night. Jen mentioned it on her Quick Takes and I was elated to see others are as smitten as I am. Brian and I will still quote lines from it to each other. ("What is a weekend?" hahahaha! Love it.) Okay, here are some closing photos for all you on Team Mr. Bates & Anna. ;-)

Okay that is it for now. I'm meeting up with some local Catholic moms this afternoon - something I've been sorely missing! Have a great weekend! xoxo

I never got the chance to post any Christmas photos last week so I'll do them this week. :-)

Happy New Year! We are back in town, back to school, back to work and I'm back at my computer. I have a house full of Christmas decor that needs to be packed, suitcase that need to be unpacked, and huge messes wherever you look. The thought of tackling all that does not sound too appealing so for the moment I am going to make the posts I was supposed to do last week! This should have been posted 12/30/11 but I didn't make it online until now. Oh, well. ;-)

It's funny that the top three most popular posts this year all had to do with Brian and I meeting, dating and marrying. I guess we are all suckers for a love story. It is also no surprise that the top three were all initiated by blogging queen and fashionista Betty Beguiles. So kick up your heels (or flats, in my case) and enjoy!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Heart of Gratitude: Day 1 & The Email That Started It All (Engagement - Synopsis Version)

It's been so busy lately that I hardly have any time online to blog or catch up on my google reader. I had a few moments this morning and I saw that Hailey started a "Heart of Gratitude" 14-day challenge for your husband. I looked at the date to see when it started and I realized it was today, November 9th, which is a special date for me and Brian.

It was thirteen years ago on November 1 when a young man left the seminary after a year and a half stay. He had discerned that it wasn't his vocation and felt God calling him to a new chapter of his life. He thought about marriage but he had dated before and it never really worked out. He recalled reading about a new Catholic online dating service (AMSCOL) and gave them a try, filling out their questionnaire that day. Later he knelt before God and humbly poured out his heart. He told God that if he was called to the vocation of marriage, then God would have to place the girl on his doorstep. With a resolved sigh, he began the first day of his novena trusting that it was all in the hands of Our Lord and Our Lady. (Continue reading...)

Our Engagement Story: An Answer to Prayer (Longer Version)

Yesterday Hallie at Betty Beguiles had the great idea of asking bloggers to post their engagement stories. It was so much fun to go back to my old journals and read about our early months together. Sometimes it's easy to forget the romance when you are dealing with the every day busyness of raising little ones. It was a good reminder that Brian and I need to carve out a little alone time no matter how busy. I don't have time to write out the story (I'm typing with one hand and holding a restless baby with the other) so instead I'll just repost the story of our "courtship" which includes our engagement. Brian and wrote this together so you'll get his side of the story too. (Also, after we were married I found the notes Brian used write down what he wanted to say when he proposed. I was so happy to find that because in the emotion of the moment I don't think my mind was registering all the beautiful words he was saying to me. Now that they are in my scrapbook I can go back and relive them word for word. )

Now, on with the story...

BOBBI: In my late twenties, it started to become the family joke that if I was not married the age of thirty then I was going to pack my bags, move to Zimbabwe, live with the natives and die for a noble cause! (Okay, so I was a little dramatic.) Time was ticking and I was trying to grow closer to God and accept my singleness at the moment. My younger sister Elena suggested I try the website Single Catholics Online (now known as Ave Maria SCOL). I laughed at the idea, insisting that I was not desperate enough to look for a good Catholic husband on some dating service! She gave me that knowing look, smiled and walked out of the room saying, "Instead of crying about wanting a husband, get to work and check it out." How does she know me so well? (Continue reading...)

Betty's Wedding Dress Round-Up

Betty at Betty Beguiles.com asked bloggers to share about their wedding dress and if they still loved it or wished they had done things differently.

When I was prepping for my wedding and looking for a dress I was a little worried since I hated wearing dresses to begin with and I'm a plus size and didn't have as many choices as other brides-to-be. I remember my sister BC and I were shopping in Orange County and we decided to stop into a bridal store just to see styles and prices. After looking at the stick-thin girls and big price tags, I felt really out of place and didn't stay very long. Shortly after, my family moved to the Calif high dessert where it was more "cowboy country" than we were used to. I was driving with JC, another one of my sisters, and we came across a local wedding boutique. It looked more home-town humble than high-class snooty so we stopped to take a look.

The sales lady was really nice and brought out some dresses in my size. The first one I tried on confirmed all my fears. It had a "western" look to it and in it I looked like a big, white marshmallow cowboy bride. I looked over at my sister who was in the dressing room with me and we bust out laughing. Not quiet-giggles laughing but the I'm-going-to-wet-my-pants-if-I-don't-stop laughing. The sales woman came over and asked if anything was wrong. I bit my tongue hard enough to make myself calm down and told her that we were fine. I quickly changed and after a few more tries we came across a dress with an empire waist and I loved the way it looked and fit. I looked at the price tag and even the discounted $800 was more than I could really afford. But at least I now knew that there was a dress style that would work on me and not send me into hysterics.(Continue reading...)

Those Perfect Catholic Moms Are Killing Me

I recently added a number of new blogs into my google reader and I'm sifting through them to see which ones I'll read regularly and which ones are good but not where I am in life.

The first ones to go are the blogs that depress me. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that have countless posts by talented moms showing their beautiful gardens, their homemade baked goods and home cooked meals, their hand sewn clothes, and their Catholic craft of the day. I can take these in small doses but not all the time. Like I said, it depresses me.

And it's not their fault. It's mine. I just can't seem to follow their lead. I've tried to garden. Truly, I have. In fact, just a few months ago I decided to start again but to keep it simple. No veggies or elaborate flower beds. Instead I have two simple window boxes of flowers and three herbs - basil, Italian parsley and cilantro. I was doing really well but as usual I forgot to water and not just once or twice but for days. Yesterday I went outside to check on my herbs and lo and behold, I'm the only person on my block to have a garden of dried herbs. (Dried... dead... is there really much difference?) Yeah, so gardens and I don't do so well. (Continue reading...)

Operation Clean & Organize: Vol 1

I've discussed in a number of previous posts (like here and here) about my battle with keeping a clean and organized house. I'm naturally messy and the amount of work I have to do to clean up and organize our house is overwhelming. However, it's a project I want to undertake because it's important to me. I think there is some truth to the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness." Someone once told me that a person's exterior life reflects their interior life. I don't know if that is true but I do know that after awhile I get tired, frustrated and grouchy with all the piles of papers and junk and disorganized areas of the house. A house with little kids will never look like a museum - and never should - but I could definitely use a little more order in my life and I know the difference it makes.

When I do clean up an area and have it organized it makes my life run a little bit smoother. (Who can't use that?!) I am more at peace and feel that I am better accomplishing my mission in life - to raise a happy family and make our home a little taste of heaven on earth as we work towards entering our eternal home. It is my small way of showing God that I love him - to put aside my natural messy tendencies and find the orderly and creative woman I know is lurking in there somewhere. (Continue reading...)

Catholic Baby Shower Ideas

I've updated our main website Revolution of Love.com with ideas for a Catholic Baby Shower. I thought I'd post the prayers, activities and gift ideas on the blog as well.

The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. The angel said to Mary, "Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:26-29, 38)

Blessed Mother, through your humility and obedience God's plan of salvation was put into motion by a simple "yes." May (NAME) be given the grace to say yes to God in the small and big things of her life, so that she, too, may participate in God's plan of salvation through her vocation as a wife and mother. (Continue reading...)

10 Year Anniversary: Where Were You on 9/11?

When I was younger I used to always wonder why people would ask "Where were you when Kennedy died?" I didn't get what the big deal was. Now when someone asks me "Where were you on 9/11?" I understand perfectly what they were talking about. On 9/11 I was no where near NY. I was living in Pacific Grove, CA with Brian. I was almost 8 months pregnant with Bella. I woke up to kiss Brian goodbye for work and he told me I had better check the news because he saw online that there was news of a terrorist attack.

When I turned on the TV, I first thought a single terrorist flew his own plane into the Twin Towers. Then a realized a regular commercial flight with innocent people on board were made into human bombs. And not just one flight - many of them. I kept thinking that the Twin Tower workers probably never saw it coming but the people on the plane were aware and watching it unfold. I was dumbstruck until all I could do was sob. (Even now its hard to hold back the tears when I think about it.) I don't think I ever got off the couch that day as I watched and cried. Brian came home and eventually made me turn off the TV so I'd stop thinking about it. (Continue reading...)

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Is it true it's already December 23? It's hard to believe but that's what the calendar says. At least I've been able to count down the day with this really cute kitchen advent calendar. It is a magnetic mini cookie sheet tray that I hung on the fridge. (I found it at Hallmark.) I love it. :-)

Thankfully we are all over our colds, except for a random sneeze here and there. I usually never get sick when the kids do, but it got me this time...

It all started two weeks ago when I was going to do a quick post about making a big pot of soup and freezing individual servings so I can easily have a hot lunch on these busy days. I made a pot of one of my favorite Chicken Posole soups and froze individual servings in Ziploc freezer bags. I've had it numerous times but this day I forgot to take out the soup the night before to defrost in the fridge. Instead I took it out in the morning, snapped a photo for my post and then let it defrost on the sink.

Maybe I left it on the sink too long. Or it could have been because I warmed it in the microwave then forgot about it for awhile. Whatever the reason, when I finally finished eating the soup I started to feel a little sick...then more sick...then I-hope-I-remembered-to-sign-my-will sick. I had food poisoning. Ugh!

This all took place while the kids were sick with a nasty cold that seemed to take forever to clear up. Normally I am used to being sneezed on (usually right in the face while I'm talking so the germs can head straight into my mouth.) And I've learned to live my life as a human Kleenex. I'm not exaggerating. A kid will walk up to me and literally wipe his snot nose against my pant leg leaving a huge slime trail on my leg. Ah, the glamour if motherhood. Normally, I throw a fit shrug it off but with the food poisoning all my defenses were down and those nasty germs were going to make up for all the times I avoided them. The cold wasn't too bad but I swear (TMI alert) the stuff coming out of my nose was straight from an alien horror movie.

Thankfully the cold didn't last too long but the plugged up nose and pressure stuffed head wouldn't go away. On top of it all, I lost all sense of smell. Perhaps it wasn't a huge deal but I am big on smells. I could live without smelling the Christmas delights like fresh pine and baked goods. What troubled me is that I couldn't smell when the toast was burning. I couldn't smell the questionable milk to see if it was still good. Matthew wore a stinky diaper for hours because I didn't notice he stunk until Brian came home from work and told me. And have you ever tried to shop for perfume when you can't smell?? I was in the department store snorting a bottle of fragrance when the saleslady suspiciously asked me if I needed help. I resigned to my fate and simply picked out the prettiest looking bottle hoping it wasn't actually gag-inducing.

Then it happened. A couple days later I woke up and heard Matthew pushing and "doing his business" in bed. As I laid in bed and waited for him to be done so I could change him, I slowly started to smell the stench. I jumped out of bed and took a big whiff of his behind. Man, I was never so excited to smell a stinky diaper in all my life. I could smell again! And the heavens rejoiced. So it seemed.

Anyway, did I really spend all seven takes talking out food poisoning, snot, and poop? Wow. That's sad, Bobbi. Oh, well. Let us rejoice in the small crosses in life. Compared to what could be going wrong, that is nothing. God is good!

Have a blessed Christmas!!! xoxo :-)

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating the Christmas tree. I love the smell of the pine, the sound of the Christmas music and watching Brian and the kids put up decorations we've collected over the past decade. Love it!

The final results may not be "professional" but I've finally learned to appreciate the creative chaos and not redecorate the tree (well, not much) once the kids are done. :-)

This is Matthew's first Christmas and he is all smiles. I like the way it looks like a little bird is whispering something in his ear. LOL.

I think Matthew and John-Paul have an unwritten agreement that JP will drop his leftover food on the floor so Matty can finish eating it. Here he found a strawberry...

Here a banana...

Which was cute, until I had to clean up the mess!

And for the unbelievable "real" - the Packers are still undefeated. Here are Brian and the boys cheering the game at my parent's house. Go Pack!

(UPDATE: It was a sad, sad day in our house when they lost their first game a week later. Sigh.)

Since I never posted the kids in their Halloween costumes I thought I'd do it for this week's PHFR. Although, I think the "pretty" would have to be changed to "cute" this week. :-)

Ever since Bella was a cat last year, Andrew had his heart set on being a feline of some sort. We settled on a tiger.

Since Andrew was a tiger and Matthew a lion, John Paul was going to be a circus ringmaster. However, it was really cold that morning and he needed to be bundled up, so he was a Green Bay Packer fan instead.

My cuties.

Matthew spent his first Halloween as a lion. Special thanks to the thrift store where I found this costume for $3. (I am finally taking spendthrift advice from my sis. LOL)

I added this since I rarely post a pic of my sweet hubby. There were a few parents at Andrew's school dressed up. One young couple was in full costume as Cinderella and Prince Charming. When my brother asked why we didn't dress up, I told him we did. We are the "before" picture" and the prince and princess are the "after." ;-)

Keeping up with this year's Angry Bird theme, Bella decided to be an angry bird vet. After all, someone has to patch them up after all that crashing into towers,trying to get those evil green pigs. LOL!

The kids were slowly coming down with a bug and a couple days later they were knocked out by illness and fevers. Poor little guys.

Courtesy of The Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY...October 31, 2011

Outside my window... the weather is warm and sunny. Autumn is our summer.

I am thinking... that I should be at Bella's school Halloween parade right now. Instead I am caring for sick JP and Matthew.

I am thankful ... that at least Bella and Andrew are feeling better and able to go back to school.

I am wearing... pajama pants and a snot covered t-shirt. Aw, the glamour of motherhood.

I am remembering... that motherhood is my vocation and road to salvation.

I am going... to clean up the blog a bit while I am holding a sleeping baby.

I am hoping... that I've built a resistance to these germs.

I am reading... over some of the past entries on the blog.

I am hearing... in this room - Adele singing and Matthew snoring. In the next room - JP coughing and Thomas the Train tooting.

On my mind... tomorrow is November. Is that really possible??

From the kitchen... there is cooking Chicken Posole Stew in the slow cooker. Yum!

Around the house... numerous signs that I need to get back to my Operation Clean and Organize.

One of my favorite things... when Matthew "kisses" me, placing his slobbery open mouth against my cheek. Precious!

Pondering these words... "The scars of your love remind me of us.
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all. The scars of your love, they leave me breathless. I can't help feeling. We could have had it all..." I'm so glad I am far from those past days of dating/single life heartbreak. In all honesty, there are moments when I feel overwhelmed and miss the carefree, "fun" days of single life but thankfully it is short lived. A kiss from Brian or hug from the kids and I snap back to reality. I cherish my life. The little trials will soon pass but our love together will remain.

From my picture journal... Here is a picture of me and Matthew the Lion (before he got sick) last week at a Halloween party.

Happy Halloween!

I was going through some old photos and found this one of Andrew kissing JP when he was a baby. I think it is so sweet! :-)

Andrew continues as a good big brother. Here he is playing with Matthew and making him laugh.

The other day I left Matthew on the floor in the family room to let him scoot and army crawl around. Since he just turned six months, he is slow but he has been practicing and has gotten much better over the past week. I found it funny when he crawled "for real" into the kitchen.

Although, Andrew worries about him crawling onto a hard surface so he drags him back to the middle of the room. Poor guy.

The snack thief strikes again. Last week it was a bag of baked cheetos.

This time it was a bag of candy corn. I think I need to do a better job at hiding the treats.

Where does the time go?? From her first birthday to her tenth birthday! Happy birthday my precious, Bella! You'll always be my baby. ;-)

I don't know what makes Brian happier - that his Packer football is back or that he has a new Packer fan to cheer with him.

Matthew could only take so much football cheering and then he conked out.

It's been a busy, busy week! Here are some things we've been working on. Besides getting ready for Bella's Angry Bird birthday party (which I'll post about next week) we also had two school fundraisers. Here is Brian working at the Mission Fiesta for Bella's school. Andrew was having fun throwing the ring.

Here are two gift baskets I put together for the Fall Festival/Auction for Andrew's school. I did a baby shower basket and a family movie night basket. I like the way they came out. It was fun to get creative.

Lastly, I've been baking for the Fall Festival bake sale. I made Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. They are sooo yummy I hope they make it to the sale!

Okay, back to decorating. Have a great weekend!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

It's

crazy

busy!

I'll

post

next

week.

(But have a great weekend!!)

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

First I want to start with an exciting take. I am going to be an aunt again. Yay! My little sis EML is expecting baby # 4 in April. Wow, she'll have four children under the age of four. That scares the beejeebies out of me! But if anyone can do it, (and with with amazing results) my sister can!

Okay, and to put a smile on your face, here is a photo of my little niece Greta announcing the upcoming arrival of her sibling. How cute is she? I love the expression on her face. LOL!

My own little guy turned five months old this week. We've nicknamed him Mr. Smiley because he lights up whenever you talk to him. He's a happy kid!

For the last five months I've been working to lose weight and get healthier. The good news is that I've lost all the baby weight and weight the same as when I got pregnant. Yay! The bad news is that I way the same as when I got pregnant. Boo. Now on Phase 2, I want to continue losing and get to a healthy weight. It's a lot more than a few pounds. I hear other moms in a size 12 or 14 saying how fat they are blah, blah, blah. Save it, honey. Size 14 is my goal weight! Just saying.... ;-)

I've been doing Weight Watchers and have been averaging a pound a week with just the food changes. I do better when I add in exercise but I'm still slacking on getting into an exercise routine. But I'm working on it.

You know, if I was to blow my diet I think this would be my weapon of choice - these chocolate and peanut butter brownies. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard...

Okay, got a busy day ahead of me so I better get to work. Have a great weekend!

I purchased this cross from FlorLarios and I love the way it looks in my kitchen. So pretty. And a nice reminder to turn my mind to the Our Lord and Our Lady as I'm busy in mommyhood.

I loooove this shot. It's a rare occurrence when I can snap a photo and have more than one person smiling and happy at the same time. Which makes me happy. Yay!

Andrew may be my oldest boy but he has the smallest frame of the fellas...as seen with his body sitting in this rather small wagon. (JP can get his rear in but his legs, not so much.)

Brian loves the novels by Michael O'Brien and he was excited to purchase his latest book A Father's Tale. When I saw the cover I though, "Oh, how nice...."

But then I saw how thick it was and gasped. It's over 1,000 pages! Dang, Brian can forget about reading in bed and holding that book up. If he accidentally drops it, it'll give him a concussion.