Happy Birthday Mama

It is that time again. Time to wish mama a very happy birthday.

I'm on my way home to make some hamburger patties and frost her cake. Then we are off to Grandmother's house to celebrate with family. I'll remember my camera and post photos soon.

Love you mom!

I'm addicted

I've mentioned it before, but i'm hooked, HOOKED on certain reality shows. I've started recording Giuliana & Bill again, and I'm loving it...

You've got to check it out. One of the things I love about them is how similar they are to Phil and me. I often dream of being on my own reality show, this is a glimpse of what it might be like.

Transformation

When we first bought our house we decided that we would eventually turn this little cubbie hole spot in the basement into either a play room for the eventual children or into a storage spot. The baby came first so we turned it into a play room.

Once we had the play room, the God Father suggested that we paint a house on the wall outside of the cubbie hole, so we enlisted the help of a friend who is an artist. He took a photo of the blank wall and gave us a few options. We settled on one of the options and yesterday the painting happened.

The basement family room has officially turned into a play room

**this was done freehand, by our friend Tyler and his wife Hadley. If you need a good artist for a mural on your wall I'll give you his number

487 days (or thereabouts)

Natalie is over her cold. It was a rough time, note to self keep her healthy for the foreseeable future. We are all sleeping better these days.

I just got back from another trip to Minnesota. Minnesota, where there isn't much more to do than drink and work. And when I say drink I mean, throw all caution to the wind and party like you are a 20-something college kid, not a 30 year old mother. I have a bruise on each hip and I honestly couldn't tell you where they came from. Might have been from sleeping on the floor one night or maybe I walked into the wall. A friend of mine, supposedly fell of her chair, she might have a few more bruises than me...

Anyway, back to life as a responsible mom, and no more drinking (for at least tonight).

Tomorrow we are hoping to get Natalie to the park, if the weather warms up. If so, I'll return with photos

480 days

Well, our streak of good luck had to com to an end at some point...

Natalie is sick. First time in her 16 months of life, which is a major accomplishment, she is sick. Poor baby. It breaks my heart. It is a little cold which we hope doesn't turn into anything else.

She has been sleeping in our bed for the past two nights, which means I haven't been sleeping. Phil and I have been taking turns holding her during the night...that is the only cold medicine she can have...love.

Wish us the best and say a prayer this icky cold leaves our house soon.

Photos

Two posts in one day....

First up, do you remember when I told you about our trip to Ikea back in July? In that post I promised photos of the finished product - the entertainment center, and then never delivered. I, like most people, hate those blogs that do that - I don't want to hate my blog any longer...here is the reveal:

I would still like to hang the TV on the wall, but it works for now. What doesn't work is the opening for the cable box and speaker system. Natalie LOVES to push those buttons. So for now, here is what it looks like:

Now to the good stuff. I mentioned in my last post we spent time over the past weekend with family. Godfather was over to watch the hockey game and then took Natalie and her balloon for a walk:

Here is Natalie sitting in her booster chair, which is her favorite chair in our house. She is showing me her zuby (tooth in Bulgarian).

Here she is eating our afternoon snack, using her pencil as a fork

Daily Happenings

Long time no post...because I've been busy.

Last week I was, once again, in Minnesota for work. I returned home Thursday evening and started cleaning the house for the retirement party we were hosting for my dad Saturday night. The party was so much fun (just a little stressful).

I started Friday by cleaning all the clutter out of all the rooms in the house. It is amazing how much room we have now that all the junk is gone (well, not gone, but out of sight out of mind). I also had a cleaning company come and clean all the rooms - so nice! After a quick trip to the store for all the food, we had some friends over for drinks and snacks. Saturday, after a morning walk, a girlfriend came over to help set up the house and food for the party. I made a trip to the liquor store and grocery store for the last minute items. The party started at 5:00, and surprisingly we were all able to get showered and ready by 4:30 (Phil & Natalie even fit in a nap)!

We had about 30 people over for a light dinner and drinks. It was so fun to see my dad interact with friends from all walks of his life, a friend from his first job 45 years ago, friends he met through work, through mutual friends, people who were at my parents wedding, who were at our wedding, and family. We finished up the night by 8:30. Godfather and Auntie gave Natalie a bath and we all crashed until 9:00 the next morning! (I tell Natalie that good babies sleep in, sometimes she listens.)

Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos of the event!

Sunday we watched Canada beat the US in the Gold medal hockey game, then went to dinner at my parents. All-in-all, a great weekend!