My Heart Is Breaking- 3 Words Sunday

May 31, 2008

This has been a long week.....we are in the home stretch with school. Nick has been studying for finals this week, next week they have 2 half days and then it is over.....summer will officially start. That being said, it has been a difficult week for him. He has played intramural soccer for the last two years and decided that he was going to try out for the travel team for his upcoming 5th grade year. They had try outs this past week and we just found out that he did not make the team. It breaks my heart to see him so upset. I tried my best to prepare him for the possibility of not making the team and each time we talked about it he said he would try his best and if he did not make it, at least he tried.....easier said than done. I got the call and we were all on the deck hanging out. Nick knew immediately that it was"The Call" the poor kid was standing there with both sets of fingers crossed anticipating some good news. I had to tell him that he did not make it.......I could see the sadness in his eyes and it didn't take long for the tears to start. You have to understand, this is all these 10year old boys have been talking about for the last 2 months and you know that tomorrow in school they will all be talking about who made it and who didn't. I know he will get through it, he is a tough kid, but it kills me to see my child so upset. Is it me, or our kids dealing with a higher level competition at a much younger age? It kind of bothers me that things are this competitve at 4th grade......I can only imagine what it will be like by the time he is in High School.


In addition to everything else, Nick got his first black eye playing baseball with his friend Patrick! He was a good sport.....lots of ice and he was fine. A little black and blue, but the puffiness is gone today. He had a good time posing for the picture!


Check back soon.....Hopefully we have a better week!




A First For Sarah!

May 30, 2008

Fisher Price's Fun to Learn Potty. This thing is hysterical....complete with sounds and songs. It even tells them when they have gone......there must be some kind of sensor in it! You can use it free standing, or attach it to any toilet!


Here is Sarah on the new potty......reading like a pro! This cracked me up.....she sat down and said.....book! She must have seen this somewhere!


Hooray! I peed ma ma! She is very excited.......she gets up and dances, so now that is known as the pee pee dance.....it resembles ring around the rosy!


I know some of you are asking why we are potty training her at 18 months. Lately, she has become obsessed with the bathroom, pointing to it and saying pee pee in there. So, we thought lets give it whirl!


I am not a fool...I realize they can love it one minute and want nothing to do with it the next.....we will ride it out and see what happens.......I won't be crossing the pampers off the grocery list just yet!


Have a good night!


Memorial Day- A Tribute

May 26, 2008

My cousin Anthony is serving in the Marines. He is stationed on a ship that is somewhere off the coast of Thailand. I admire so much what he does for our country, so this one is for you Anthony! This picture was taken almost two years ago to the day at his graduation from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. This is a picture of Pat and I with my cousin Eddie and Anthony the Marine!


Weekend festsivities kicked off with a visit from cousin Vicki. She and my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Tony are now in Sicily. They are visitng the very town that our family is from! How exciting.....they are on the trip of a lifetime! I hope they have a fabulous time.....eat lots of great food!

Here is my sister, Kristi with her newest son, Ashton, my Mom, my son Nick, and Aunt Barbara! Getting ready for a big Italian Meal!



Nick holding his cousin, Aidan and his sister! As you can see they are in the toy corner.....you have to hide the toys somewhere!


I am proud to say that the deck is finished.....it took 16 weeks and a deadbeat contractor, but we were able to pull it together......furniture and all! First official deck party.....4th of July......if you are in the area.....stop by.....the more the merrier!


Our new outdoor living space! I spent 30 minutes out there this morning drinking my coffee and reading a book while Sarah slept.....It was heaven! I hope to trade in this pale and pasty skin for skin that looks sun kissed!

Here is Sarah in her crib.......she is dressed for a Memorial Day Picnic at the neighbors!


I know that I cut off half of her head, but this picture looked so angelic to me, I had to include it!
Hoping you all had a spectacular holiday weekend!

Check back soon!






Family, Food, and Fun....Drinks Too!

May 25, 2008

It has been a crazy weekend filled with family, food, and fun.....drinks too of course! We have family visiting from Georgia, so everyone has been at our house or stopping by to visit with them. Here is my Mom and Dad, who his holding my nephew Aidan, Pat is holding Sarah, and my Aunt Barbara is next to my Dad! Sarah would not let go of this little flag!



Mom made Ina Garten's Margaritas....they were so good, but so strong. Uncle Tony opted for a Gin and Tonic! And of course Sicilian pizza!





Here is Sarah hugging her cousin Aidan! They are 8 weeks apart and they have such a good time together!

It has been a great weekend and I have lots of photos to post, but we are still entertaining and guess what.....we are on the deck.....it is finally finished!

Check back soon, I will add photos from the rest of our weekend gatherings!

Happy Memorial Day!

Update: I have been having blogger trouble. I somehow messed up my HTML coding and blogger went crazy. I lost my entire sidebar so I had to delete this original post and repost it. Sorry if anyone encountered problems, but I think it is straightened out now! I know I lost a couple comments, but I think that was the only damage done!

Projects Around The House

May 21, 2008

Ok, typically I am posting pictures of the kids, but a couple of weeks ago, I talked about all the projects going on around the house and decided to post pictures of the results.




When we moved in a year ago we furnished just about everything in the house including our master bedroom. We bought a new bed set, that we love, but the shape of our bedroom is kind of odd, with a bump out area off to the one side. It has been driving me crazy because it was the only empty spot in the house, and because I just could not figure out how I was going to decorate this corner. So, after a year we are finally getting neighbors and were forced to get our window treatments done upstairs. We decided that since we were ordering window treatments we should figure out what we were going to do once and for all in this bedroom so that all fabrics coordinated. I went back to the furniture store where we ordered our bed set and got another dresser for the one wall, and ordered two chaise lounges to flank a table that was supposed to be my nightstand.(It did not fit and I needed to order another size) These photos show the new area......finished finally! Now the inside is officially done......until we start our basement!

So now onto the other project! I have not been able to discuss this because it makes my blood boil at the very thought! Yes, we are 16 weeks into this stupid deck project and it is still not finished! We have spent a lot time dealing with an unethical builder who literally walked away from the project with a about 1 days worth of work left on the entire project. It was one lie after another, but the long and short of it is that he took our deposits at every stage of this project, but did not have any of the product ordered or on hand to finish the job. He actually had the nerve to ask us for additional money to finish the job. We said absolutely not! We were going to deal with the manufacturer direct to order what we needed to finish the job. We do believe he is a step away from bankruptcy, so we are lucky we got as far as we did and only lost a very small portion of money. We have now ordered the rest of the product missing to complete the job and have hired a contractor to finish it. The railing and miscelaneous pieces needed should arrive hear today, so hopefully this nightmare will be over very soon! It is such a tease to look out the window and see this great space that we cannot use!



I had to include this photo of Sarah! I think she has been watching her brother play to many video games. I walked into the family room and this is what she was doing.....she looks just like him, sitting in the same position, holding his Nintendo DS, but of course, she has no idea what she is doing! Right now she just likes the noise that comes out of it when she hits the buttons! Let's say Nick wasn't too happy, but that is what he gets for leaving his games within her reach!

Thanks for visiting!






High Chair.......No!

May 20, 2008


For the past two weeks, Sarah has been extremely fussy at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I thought she was going through a phase where she was getting bored with food and then I realized it was the high chair! We have a booster seat so she could sit at the kitchen table, but that was an issue in itself, this little monkey was able to use the table to push herself backwards until she, the chair and the booster seat were lying on the floor. Once we saw her do that the booster seat was done. Bottom line.....she wants to sit on the counter stools at the island in our kitchen...a little scary, but we covered the chair so it didn't get covered in spaghetti sauce. This was the end result when we put her in the chair.......can't get much happier than this! For the first time in the last two weeks, a pretty peaceful meal and everyone was happy!

Have a good night and thanks for checking in!

Terrible Two's....Already?

May 15, 2008

This is what we call the scary face! When Sarah is playing and she gets frustrated or angry, she makes little fists, and holds her breath until her face gets red, and trembles. We think it is the funniest thing ever. I tried to capture the moment, but just caught the tail end. We are seeing this face more and more. She seems to have this over the top, perfectionistic stubborness about her.....wonder where she gets that from!


I am bored, we have a whole house that I can play in......why are they keeping me in the kitchen and family room! I feel the need to climb this gate and then some steps!

Rudy, if you move a little closer, you could help me get over this gate. Hurry up, I am losing my grip!

I think we are starting to see the early signs of The Terrible Two's! Her new favorite word is NO, and we hear it quite often. The drama has been kicked up a notch as well. I hate to admit this, but I think it is a girl thing.....I don't remember this with Nick!

Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into today!

Have a good one and thanks for checking in!

Morning Exercises

May 14, 2008

Stretching

Still stretching........

Now I am ready for breakfast!
Sarah woke up on the happy side of the bed this morning! She likes to start out with some exercises before she devours her breakfast! We have yet another fitness fanatic in the making.


Have a great day everyone!



Anniversary...

May 12, 2008


Well, I guess you could call it an anniversary. Our paperwork arrived in China 24 months ago to the day. Our official Log In Date, 5/12/2006. Who would have thought, 2 whole years later and we are still telling everyone, probably next year. I feel like I have said, probably next year, about a million times. At the rate we are going, we will probably see our 36 month anniversary, but I hope it does not go much past that.

I know there are so many people out there waiting for their first child and nothing could describe how hard it must be for them. We are so fortunate to have two beautiful children, but I still think about our China Baby and when we will finally meet her, what will she look like, and how old will she be. I try not to dwell on it and live my life for the here and now, but when I look at the calendar and realize how long we have been on this journey it is difficult. I think the simple fact that we have no idea is what is the most frustrating. If someone said, it will be another 18 months, that would be better than not knowing anything at all. All I can say is time will tell and we are in this for the long haul. We will enjoy every minute of every day and make the most of the beautiful family that we are so blessed to have.

Happy Mother's Day

May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms and Moms to be out there! This picture was taken at my Mom's last night. We started the Mother's Day Celebrations with dinner at Mom and Dads. I feel bad that Nick wasn't with us, that is why he was not in the picture....sorry nick! So we will say this picture represents 3 generations of the women in our family! I will post some additonal pictures of this weeks happenings either tonight or tomorrow! Check back and have a great day!

After 6 Years.......

May 10, 2008


Yes, after 6 years of not having bangs......they are back! I took the plunge and went super short and funky for the summer! Thursday I walked into the Salon and said, "What do you think we should do?" His answer......super short with bangs....you can pull it off! I don't know what came over me, but I am in a funk and I needed a change, so I said....do whatever you want!

I have to admit as I watched the hair fall on the floor I was freaking out a little. My feeling.....it is only hair and it can grow back and I have been wearing the Posh Look for far too long! I pulled off the bald look when I went through my chemo, so I can live with short little bangs! Change is good.....right?

Have a good Saturday afternoon.....the Mother's Day Celebrations are already starting in this family!

Thanks for checking in!

Wrapped Around Daddy's Finger!

May 7, 2008


Wrapped around Daddy's finger.....literally! I couldn't resist posting this picture. Sarah actually kept the ribbon in her hair all day.....that's a first and I needed proof. She has the greatest hair and she hates when I try to pull it back.

Laid Back, Lazy Weekend!

May 6, 2008

Nicolas sweeping his sister off of her feet before breakfast Sunday morning! I just love how he adores his little Sis!

Nick using his hands, not his feet, while playing soccer on Sunday afternoon! Who could blame him.... I would'nt want to get hit in the face with a soccer ball.



We got a surprise visit from the newest member of the McCann's. Shelly surprised her girls with a 12 week old Husky. The girls decided to name him Beckham. He was quite the hit at the soccer field!



It was a very laid back and lazy weekend. We were supposed to be in Boston for my nieces First Holy Communion, but we decided with everyone just getting over Strep and Allergies in full force we should just stay put for the weekend. It is a long trip for 2 days but we are sorry we missed it!


Lots going on in the house this week.....keeping fingers and toes crossed that deck is finished by the weekend. We wanted to be out on the deck to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, but it might have to be a Mother's Day Celebration instead. At the rate we are going it might be Memorial Day(I hope not).

After one year in this house, we are just getting neighbors, so we now need to have blinds/window treatments! Last year when we moved in, we found a lady who has her own window treatment business and she is absolutley fantastic. She did our downstairs last year and since we did not have any neighbors, we waited to do the upstairs until this year. They are going up this week and I am excited to see how it all comes together. I hope those tiny little swatches look as good once they are up on the wall!


Thanks for checking in!

A Tribute and My Story - Why Adoption?

May 3, 2008


The story I am about to tell is known by family and friends, but I thought this would be the perfect place to share, because this is why we chose adoption. The story is about my journey and life with Ovarian Cancer, but the lady in this picture, my beloved grandmother, was truly an inspiration to me and was with me every step of the way through my battle with this disease.

This post is dedicated to my grandmother because this week, May 1st, would have been her 82nd birthday and not a day goes by that I don't think about her. She was such a special lady and was a big part of our lives. She was that great Italian grandmother who loved her family, food, and of course her drinks! So this one is for you Grammy!

During my pregnancy with Nick, I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer, which led to a C-section at 34 weeks and many surgeries to follow. When Nick was about 6 months old, the decision was made to do a hysterectomy leaving my ovaries because of my age, 26. The surgery was done and I was reassured that the cancer had not spread anywhere, it was just contained in the Cervix, so no Chemo or Radiation was necessary. I did continue to have check-ups every 3 months to make sure everything was still clear. If this was not enough to deal with during the first year of my child's life, one year later, I showed up for a routine visit and saw the look of alarm in the doctors eyes........during my exam he felt a mass. I was sent for a series of tests and almost immediately set up for a surgery.

My family rallied and we were scared but tried to stay optimistic. The outcome was not good, the day of surgery they told us that the tumor was Ovarian Cancer, it was the size of a soft ball and had already infiltrated the other ovary. This time I was not so lucky, it was a Stage III Cancer and I was going to have to fight.

Everyone pitched in, my Mom practically raised my son during this year and when she had to be with me in the hospital or for doctor visits, my grandmother kept Nick. This was not the first time our family had dealt with Cancer. My beautiful grandmother had battled Breast Cancer and Won! At the time of my diagnosis she was cancer free for 10 years. She called me every single day to see how I was feeling and what I needed. This is what seemed like the longest year of my life. The loss of all of my hair, many treatments, many illnesses and reactions to the drugs, and many hospitalizations.

I vividly remember when I was first diagnosed and we were all somewhat hysterical, my grandmother told me that I was too young to die and that she had lived a great life and that God should take her instead of me. She said you need to be there for this beautiful little boy. I guess I did not read into it too much until about a year later. Just about 4 weeks after my last treatment, they considered me in remission. All tests were clear and I got the green light to go back to work and my normal life. The entire family was thrilled and we thought that we were through with this disease.

The man upstairs had a different plan for our family. Not even 4 weeks later, my grandmother was feeling bad and went to the doctor for some tests. Her cancer returned after 11 years in remission, but this time it was in her liver and it could not be removed. They set an aggressive chemo schedule and said after they completed the first round they would reevaluate.

She was a trooper, completed the treatment that spread over 3 months, but it did not work. She passed very quickly and we were devastated. How could this person so full of life be gone. It was very difficult for everyone, but for me this was a turning point.

I guess you could say I was in a bit of denial going through my own battle, but after watching her fight and lose, I knew I needed to live my life to the fullest.

I have now been cancer free for 7 years and continue to go for routine check-ups to make sure that it does not return. I truly believe that my life was spared, but I wish that I still had her in my life. She will never be forgotten and I wish she was here to see the joy in this family.

My grandmothers name was Rose Sarah, so when we adopted Sarah, who was truly a gift, we found it fitting to name her Sarah Rose.