Fall weekend update- REVISED EDITION!

New and revised post!  Technical issue with my pictures has been resolved!

It's 10:15 pm as I write this and I am NOT happy that the weekend is over!  I could use another day or two of fun and relaxation!  

Wanted to share a quick update of our weekend.

Friday night hubby was working late so it was just me and the boys.  We has tacos (Nick's favorite), watched Halloween shows (Toy Story of Terror and Spookley the Square Pumpkin) and decorated cupcakes.  Nick and I had a great time "dressing" the pumpkins as Nick called it.  Alec seemed to have a good time eating frosting!

Our decorating supplies

Hard at work!

Enjoying some frosting

Posing with his creations

The finished product!

Enjoying the fruits of his labor

Saturday...I'll be honest.  It started out a little rough.  It was raining and cold so soccer was cancelled.  And since it was raining and cold, the boys were stuck in the house all morning with nothing to do but terrorize themselves and their parents.  Well, mostly me as hubby was locked in the den doing school work.  By 12:30 I had had enough, so I put Alec down for a nap (with daddy) and Nick and I headed to Bounce Around at the mall (think multiple bounce houses and arcade games for little kids). After Nick had thoroughly bounced and was dripping with sweat, we headed to Menchie's for some frozen yogurt.

The sole picture from Bounce Around- the rest were blurry!

Nick's Fro Yo creation

Yummmm

Saturday night hubby and I made some delicious BBQ chicken quesadillas. They were soooo good!  I will be sharing the recipe with you soon.   We watched Spookly the Square Pumpkin again, and then yet again.  Finally it was time for the kids to go to bed and the adults to relax and watch some non-Disney TV!

Sunday we woke up to a gorgeous day!  Bright, sunny and 60 degrees (I may be strange but I LOVE that kind of weather)!  Nick and I went to soccer and hubby stayed home with Alec.

Obligatory soccer pic  :)

After soccer we came home and got ready to go apple picking...one of my favorite family fall traditions!!!  I'll be doing a separate post tomorrow about our apple picking adventure.  Stop by and check it out!

After dinner and baths, guess what we did?  Watched Spookley the Square Pumpkin AGAIN!!  Nick now knows the songs by heart and I cannot get them out of my head!!!  HELP ME!!!!  

It IS a cute show...the first 10 times you watch it!

Well friends, I hope you all have a wonderful week.   I am already looking forward to next weekend! Hubby and I are taking a little trip and I am very excited!  More about that later.   :)

Happy Monday!!

Friday Favorites- October Style

Just like everyone else, I am wondering how in the world we got to October already!  But I'm not complaining.   I love October weather,  October activities, and Halloween!  So in honor of this awesome month, I am giving you my Friday favorites OCTOBER STYLE!!

Let's jump right in!

1.  These awesome trick or treat buckets I purchased from De La Design (Etsy shop)

I just love this shop.  They have all sorts of things you can personalize.  I ordered personalized Easter baskets from them and also personalized tumblers.  Shipping is quick and they do a great job,  I can't wait for the boys to use these on Halloween!



2.  Halloween shows
I'm not talking the super scary stuff, I'm talking the fun stuff that you can watch with the kids.  Our current favorites are It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Higglytown Heroes-Higgly Halloween and Toy Story of Terror.




3.  Darth Vader pumpkin push-ins
I don't know about your house, but Star Wars is pretty big around here.  Star Wars Legos is even bigger.  The other day I was at Lowe's and found this Darth Vader pumpkin push-in.  I knew Nick would go nuts for it so I picked it up.  I can't wait to make our Darth Vader Jack-O-Lantern!




4. Halloween decorations (of the melted plastic popcorn kind)
Now that we're in October, I feel that it is safe to put out my outdoor Halloween decorations without getting strange looks from the neighbors!  Does anyone else remember these melted plastic Halloween decorations?  When I was a kid, I LOVED these! I loved the colors, I loved the texture.   I would get so excited when my mom would take them out of storage and put them up for Halloween.  I few years ago I found some on Ebay that I purchased.  Unfortunately, we have moved a few times since then and they either got lost or thrown out.  BUT... I just ordered some off Ebay again!  They should be here early next week.  Hooray!!!



5.  Halloween treats
If you've been on Pinterest as much as I have lately, you've seen a million and one fall and Halloween recipes, treats, and crafts.  I've been looking for something cute and simple Nick and I could make together to give his friends at daycare during their Halloween party.  I found this pin for GHOSTLY GRUB.  Isn't it cute??  It also looks quick and easy enough to keep Nick's attention.  Win-win!




Last year we attempted spider cupcakes.  They weren't the prettiest things (c'mon, they were mostly made by a 3 year old!), but they were fun to make and Nick's friends seemed to enjoy them,



Well there you have it!  What are your October favorites?  I would love to hear!

Linking up today with these lovelies
Andrea at Momfessionals
Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife
That Friday Blog Hop
Friday Flash Blog
Oh hey Friday
High Five for Friday
Friendship Friday

Weekend Update

Man, it was hot this weekend!  It's not supposed to be 81 in upstate NY at the end of September!  Of course, I am probably the only one complaining.  But I really like the cool fall weather!

It was a busy weekend.
Friday night I met a friend out for drinks and appetizers.  Then we headed over to Sommer's Stella and Dot party.  As usual, I bought too much!  Sommer had some delicious munchies and these gorgeous cupcakes:

Saturday morning the in-laws arrived for a visit.  After some coffee and chatting, we headed out for Nick's soccer game.  It was hot.  Very hot.  Like sweat dripping (pouring) down your back hot.  My mother in law and I even both got sunburns.  But as usual, it was super cute watching these 4 year olds run around and play.

After soccer we headed out to lunch at our favorite diner.  This has kind of become a tradition when the in-laws visit.  It's quick, family friendly, and there's a million menu choices so everyone can get whatever they really want.

After lunch, I had the most glorious hour and a half I have had in a long time.  I had a nap!!  A completely uninterrupted nap.  Just me and the kitty.  Oh how I miss my afternoon naps!  After nap time we took the kids to the school playground.

After playground fun, it was off to the grocery store and to pick something up for dinner.  I asked the boys if I could get a nice picture of them.  This is what I got...

Sunday was more soccer, followed by a trip to McDonald's playland and a Target run.  We played outside before dinner and then watched Toy Story of Terror with popcorn and juice (Nick's request).

By the way, do you like frittatas?  I have been making one every week!  I guess I am late to the frittata train, but oh my, they are so easy and delicious!  Last night I made a Greek frittata- feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes and scallions.  It was so good.  Next time I think I'll chop the spinach up smaller though,

Oh!  And I finally hung up the wreath I made!  It's hanging above the sink and makes me happy while I am doing unhappy things (like dishes!!).

How was your weekend?

My journey to motherhood- a grateful heart

We are a family of four.   Sometimes I am in utter disbelief that this statement is true.  When I was young, I had no interest in being a mom.  Or in being married for that matter.   I was not one of those girls that daydreamed about her perfect wedding or having a house full of babies.  I was dreaming about moving to NYC, living in a beautiful high rise apartment and having a career as a very prestigious attorney.  I figured I wouldn't get married, rather I would "play the field" and have several torrid love affairs (not at the same time of course).  Well, exactly none of this happened.

I don't live in NYC and I'm not an attorney.  I fell in love and got married.  My husband and I were both in agreement though- no kids.  We made it through a good 5 years insisting we would not have kids (despite our parents' continued pleas to give them some grandkids).  Then it happened.  The biological clock started ticking.  We started thinking maybe we SHOULD have kids.  And so we began to try.

A year and a half passed with 2 heartbreaking miscarriages and no baby.  I started to think I wasn't meant to have children.  Some days I was ok with that. Some days I wasn't.

We decided to give it one last shot.  If it didn't work out this time, that was it.
Well, it only took about a month and I was pregnant. It was a very scary first 12 weeks.  I analyzed every cramp, twitch and twinge.  I worried.  I didn't let myself get excited.  I waited.  Then I worried some more.

Time passed.  12 weeks turned into 14 weeks. 14 weeks turned into 16.  16 weeks turned into 20. And then the realization hit me...I'm halfway there!!  It was at that point I finally let myself get excited about the little guy growing in my belly.
I was fortunate to have a completely normal pregnancy.  No issues for me, no issues for baby.  And then on a bitter cold winter day, after 16 hours of labor, 2 1/2 hours pushing, and a visit to the OR for a c-section, I finally had my little Nickolas.  All 8 pounds 13 ounces of him!



We told ourselves it was "one and done." Just one kid to shower with love and focus our attention on.

Fast forward 2 years (those 2 years need their very own blog post, or perhaps their own blog...oh my how life takes you to unexpected places...but I digress). We started thinking about babies again.  Shouldn't Nick have a sibling?  Shouldn't he have someone to lean on when we are gone?   Wouldn't it be great to have another baby???

I'll be honest.  The thought of another child terrified me.  How could I function on even less sleep?  How would I manage 2 kids when sometimes I felt like I could barely manage 1?  Twice the stress, twice the work.  Twice the baths, twice the sickness.  Twice the crying, twice the diapers.  Twice the money.

But we went for it.  And 2 years and 11 months after Nickolas was born, on another cold and snowy winter day, our Alec was born.



Has it been easy?  Nope.  2 kids is a lot of work, especially when your closest relative is an hour and a half away.  But, it has been a lot easier than I expected.  Things go a lot smoother with baby #2 it seems.  I actually feel like I know what I am doing this time around!  Yes, sometimes I want to lock myself in the bathroom for an hour or two and escape the madness that is our home.   Sometimes I would like to be able to pee or shower without someone busting in on me.  Sometimes I would like to sit on the couch without someone climbing or jumping on me.  Sometimes I would like just 15 minutes of quiet.  And last but not least, sometimes I really want to sleep past 7am on the weekend.

But honestly and truly, I wouldn't trade any of it.  I can't imagine my life without these 2 boys in it (and I don't want to!).  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined loving another human being as much as I love these boys. They are my heart; they are my life.  They are what truly matters.  Thank you lord for blessing me with these two amazing gifts.  I am so grateful for our little family of 4!

I'm linking up today with EmberGray for her Grateful Heart series.
What are you grateful for today?

Friday favorites: Very random edition!

Hooray, it's Friday!   Let's get right to it. Here are 5 of my favorites for the week.

1. These Toms!



This is my first ever pair of Toms and I am sooo excited!  I can't wait to wear them this fall!   And I got a great deal on them from Zuilly!

2.  This bracelet

This is the Strength Bracelet from Stella and Dot.   Not only is it super cute (who doesn't like pink elephants!), 100% of the net proceeds through October will benefit breast cancer research.  I'll be ordering mine tomorrow night at Sommer's Stella and Dot party (and yes, probably 1 or 2 or 3 other things)!


3.  This book

I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home from work the other day to pick up a prescription and happened upon this book.  Don't you just love random finds!?!  This is such a cute and fun book!  I think I might be enjoying it more than the kids!  I originally picked it up because of its Halloween theme, but it could definitely be read any time of the year.  If you have young kids, get this book!

4.  This planner

I have been in desperate need of a good planner.  I searched and searched and finally found this one on Etsy which I LOVE.  It came in the mail today and I am SO EXCITED.  I cannot wait to start writing it.  Why am I so excited about a planner?  I don't know.  Yes, I know it's weird.  Oh well.

5.  My entryway

I waited and waited for my awesome Plow and Hearth wreath to get here.  After 4 weeks of waiting, it finally came.  I put it on my door and guess what....I didn't like it!  Well, I liked the actual wreath, just not how it looked with my mums and gourds.  So to the basement I went and pulled out my wreath from last year.  I think it matches perfectly.   I love decorating for fall!  I'll also be putting out some Halloween specific items once we get into October.

I'm looking forward to a great weekend and hope you all have a great one too! Don't be afraid to leave me a comment if you have a minute....I love hearing from y'all!

Linking up with:

Andrea at Momfessionals

Friday Favorites at The Diary of a Real Housewife

That Friday Blog Hop

Friday Flash Blog
Oh hey Friday!

High five for Friday

Weekending

TGIM and I can go to work and rest from the weekend!!  Anyone else ever feel that way?  :)

I started my weekend on Friday night with my girlfriend Sommer.  The original plan was to have some wine and do tons of apple baking.  Well, we had the wine...

And we had some delicious pizza which paired surprisingly well with the wine...

We got to baking....

Annnnd this was the outcome...

I blame it on the wine.  Or old baking powder.  Yeah, the baking powder. Definitely not the wine!
Side note:  As bad as those muffins look, they were actually really tasty!
Additional side note:  For an inexpensive wine, Barefoot is delicious!

Saturday morning was soccer.  As was Sunday morning.  Our weekends are all soccer until the end of October!

Saturday afternoon we went to visit my parents.  We had a lovely visit which included dinner, playing in the clubhouse my dad built and picking gourds.  My dad also sent us home with some of his homemade strawberry grape wine.

Sunday was full of super fun things like cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping!  HA
I did snap this funny pic of Alec while we were grocery shopping.  He looks like such a little devil!

Well, that about sums it up! What did you all do this weekend?