::a few random items for discussion::
Just a couple of short blurbs filling you guys in on life over here.
ANDREW-
...pulled himself up to standing against the kiddie rocking chair today. It's so cute how he does it! He's sooooooooooooooooo big! =)
...started eating Stage 3 meals last night. He loves 'em! They are thick with pieces of actual veggies in them and I think they are good at keeping him full. His meal-plan is something like:
~ ~ ~breakfast: cereal bottle and fresh fruit
~ ~ ~lunch: plain veggie or plain fruit; cookie or fruit in mesh feeder afterwards
~ ~ ~dinner: veggie medley or a veggie mixed with cereal or pastina; fresh fruit on the side
~ ~ ~He still drinks about 4 bottls a day (8 ounces at a clip)
...just loves climbing on the little red Sesame couch, trying to get into Emily's straw-sippers and the Dora the Explorer theme song, amongst other things.
EMILY-
...hasn't napped at all this week. I am trying to keep her up so she'll be tired for bedtime because she climbed out of her crib the other day! I can't do the bed in her little room now because she has a sliding pocket door so I really can't keep her shut in the room. So just a few more nights of this and then she is moving into a twin bed at the house. Help me! I am frightened! LOL I hope she takes to it ok!
...is obssesed with the "QUEEN" in her alphabet book. She says Queen pretty clearly too! She keeps saying "mama....read...Queen" and then I taught her to count three flips of the page until we find the Queen.
...BTW I have noticed Emily calls me MA, Mommy and MaMa. Guess she doesn't want to feel saddled into one concrete choice so she is keeping all of her options open. ;)
...peed in her potty for the first time a few days ago! I made a big fuss, we called some people on the phone and she got an M&M reward. She was most excited to flush the "peebee" away in the big potty. LOL!
...got he first pedicure on that same day as well. She is enthralled with "pink!"
VINNY-
...is old. Just kidding! He is turning 28 tomorrow! (today technically)
ME, MYSELF AND I-
...trying to think up names for my possible scrapbookng store/website. HeLp!
...might move this BLOG to TypePad since I like the "look" better and can't stand that this site won't let me use pictures! Every other Blogger can except me. Why the discrimination I ask you?
WEDNESDAY Catch-Up
Just in case you are interested in what is going on with me at this very nano-second........
What I'm shopping for:
Well I spent precisely $107 at the food store tonight getting stuff for Vinny's birthday dinner but in case food items don't count ('cause they're boring anyway!), I took the kids to the mall yesterday and dropped some cash on new clothes for my slimmer waist. A-woo hoo! I got tons of capris, a few tanks (my favorite would have to be my white GUESS one with the diamond "G" blinging in your face), sandals and some other tops. Oh and I got Vinny $3.99 worth of socks at Target. Hey, he was entitled to something.......
What I'm reading:
I started "The Amityville Horror" but stopped after a chapter or so. I don't know - nothing compares to the way the prosecutor in the Manson case wrote his book and THAT is my all-time favorite true-crime novel. This was written so half-assed and shabby that it just doesn't creep me out like I wanted it to. Maybe I'll still try to get more into it though. And maybe not. I am not ready to make a concrete decision at this time. ;)
Of course, I am also reading my magazines. That includes this week's People (50 Most Beautiful bullcrap on the cover), Parents, a new TV magazine I bought today, Shape and I just got my new Woman's Day in this afternoon's mail. I love WD but I am really glad *sarcasm ahead* I wasted my time sending them a letter asking them to change my name to the correct spelling. I am still receiving my magazine as Gina Mikller. I know it's a lot to expect. Miller can really throw one for a loop!
What I'm watching:
As ALWAYS, American Idol! I was so happy to see Scott kicked off tonight! I actually voted Anthony off and if he went, I would have pulled solely into the lead. But it was his birthday and I felt so bad thinking he would be booted on his birthday! I am just angered that Scott goes the ONE week I don't boot him off in our pool. Murphy's Law huh? ;)
What's in the DVD player:
An Ernie (Sesame Street) video but right near the DVD player is one of my Tae-Bo's. I skipped last night (and the night before too perhaps?!) so I really need to buckle down and do this tonight. Yuck.
What's on the computer desktop:
I used the family shot of us at RoseMarie's this week. I usually keep the 4 of us on there at all times.
What I'm listening to:
Just a mixture of stuff. The kid's are both asleep and they each have a Baby Mozart/Baby Vivaldi CD going... the TV is on in the background (Roseanne!). Music wise, one of the last songs I heard on the radio was Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway". A song I love to listen to on my current mixed CD is "Alone" by Heart.
What I'm eating:
I'm trying to "watch it" but it gets hard! The last meal I had for dinner tonight was raviolis in my sauce with some sweet Italian sauages and turkey meatballs. I had 2 raviolis so I felt ok about that. Of course, I had a cup of coffee and some sweet next door for dessert but c'mon.... I can't resist a good cookie!
What I'm wearing:
navy blue thermal pants (sooooooo comfy!) and my new bright blue tank that says HOLLYWOOD on it. Only I am a little P-Oed because I cut into my sausage at dinner tonight and the damn grease splattered two teensy marks on my tank. The thing is not even 24 hours old. Grrr.........
What I'm scrapping:
I am not too inspired this evening. I am more on a kit-buying frenzy. My next few pages involve 1 of Andrew and 1 of Emily's escape from the crib.
Tomorrow's goals (Thursday)
Cook! I have to make Vinny's birthday dinner plus his strawberry shortcake (I made the Mexican brownies in honor of his 28th and Cinco de Mayo tonight) I also am going to WalMart with Andrew for Vinny's gift. And possibly to find Emily her new bed.
STOP! Slowly walk away from the cappuccino...
That is what I had to finally tell myself at some point this evening. If I have coffee after, say, 12 noon, I am doomed! I had a cappuccino with Vinny tonight at dinner and the energy jolt I got was freakish! It was funny because it just sort of came out of nowhere. We drove the kids home and all was fine. We got them in the door, into their pjs and into bed and everything was still peachy (do people actually use the word "peachy" IRL?). And then I said "ok time to find a box" because I thought I'd stack a few books up so I at least felt like I accomplished something off my "packing & moving" checklist for the day. Well fastfoward a mere 10 minutes and I had one large cardboard box packed, 4 large wash baskets filled with books, videos and pictures and three dressers loaded into my Dad's van. It was a split-second decision but I figured while I had my brothers AND Vinny all home at the same time, I should take advantage so I did just that. My caffeinated-self took over and I had all three guys move out two heavy, formica night tables and a loooooong 6 drawer dresser with huge mirror out of the bedroom WHILE my tiny son was sleeping soundly in the opposite side of the room. Now a "normal" Mom would NEVER mess with her child's sleep patterns. But me - I wasn't "me". I was super-duper-hyper Gina and sure enough, they moved the furniture out and the little man woke up. But I was on a mission... I kept going and goin and goi......... My Mom and Daniela sat with the kids (yes they were both asleep at 7:30pm yet wide awake at 8...) while my Dad, brothers and Vinny went up to the house to unload the bags, boxes and furniture.
I came home but the buzz STILL hadn't worn off (if it weren't for coffee, I probably would never clean. It's only after a cup that I get a strong desire to clean up shop). So what did I do? I vacuumed, washed the dishes, sorted dirty laundry to be washed, picked up about 25 toys and hand-scrubbed the kitchen floor. Yes, I just may have lost my mind.......
Anyway, as you can see - the packing is coming along. I felt really great after tonight's cleaning jag because I actually emptied out my wll unit over here and I like the fact that I moved out some of the larger furniture. Looking into a bare room is a GOOD thing when one is moving.
And onto the RaNdOm pictures. I thought I'd share a few here in case some of you can't bear to wait for the photo album to go out on June 1st (WOW....that seems like ages away!) The first few are some pictures from the restaurant tonight:
THE GENTLEMEN
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/AndrewandDaddy.jpg
THE LADIES
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/EmilyandMommy.jpg
THE WHOLE ENTOURAGE
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/familytime007sized.jpg
AND............ now this is *especially* for my friend Laura, I thought I'd share a few house pictures!!! I am going to eventually do a scrapbook of befores and afters so you can really see the comparisons side by side but here are a few pictures of the rooms "now" (and a couple of "befores"). Bear in mind NOT ONE ROOM is fully completed but you can get an idea of the colors. Ack! I can't believe I am spilling my top-secret photos...................
The biggest transformation, I think was Andrew's room. Here is the before - with all different paneled walls and a scratched up wooden floor:
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/ANDREWBEFOREsized.jpg
And almost completed. His bedding set is called "All Stars", we painted all the paneling white and did a blue accent wall (we ripped the paneling off that wall first), he got new carpet. That shelf is going to be hung for his Disney statues, I still have a really cool glass airplane lamp to hang from the ceiling (in the corner) and there are a few more wall hangings to go up. I'd say his room is the closest to being done. The comforter you see at the front of the picture is hanging over the edge of a crib rail.
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/ANDREWMIDDLEsized.jpg
Emily's room before was all white. White walls and a light carpet. This is how it looks now. I did two shades of pink and the rug is a "dried fern" to pick up the color in the wallpaper border. It looks a little more green IRL.
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/EMILYMIDDLEsized.jpg
Here is just a shot of the basement, still under heavy construction. NONE of these walls were present when we bought the house. Vinny and my Dad constructed them all so we would have seperate rooms down there. This is obviously a shot of the kitchen. We are tearing up all the ug and already ordered brand new (blue and tan mix)
http://www.image4u.org/disneydream03/BASEMENT5sized.jpg
I had a few others to share but they didn't come out that great (the "now" shots) and I don't want to show befores without the afters! So that outta wet your appetite for now. :)
