Amazing Day

When I came home with the girls after a morning of errands I found 2 packages on our bench. This was rare and exciting! The first one Lilly opened and she immediately said, "It's for our baby boys Mommy." There was a note from Krissy...

...and two loveys for the boys! They even have their little names embroidered on the corners. Lilly and I were oohing and ahhing on the porch. Thank you Krissy!

The second package was from my dear friend Eve and it is so sweet and thoughtful. It is a nightgown all for me!! A nightgown! I never buy myself nice pajamas and end up sleeping in big t-shirts and boxer shorts. I feel like a princess. And the best part? I have been rummaging through Andy's drawers lately taking out his XXL t-shirts since nothing fits me and this nightgown fits me with room to spare! It is so nice to be comfortable during a time of discomfort.
You rock Eve!

There was also a slip in my mailbox letting me know they had attempted to deliver another package but I wasn't home and needed to sign for it. Our mailman Rick is great and always tries again when he sees my van home. Within and hour of arriving home he was walking up my driveway with another package from my friend Christine. The package had been overnighted and I was clueless as to what she would have sent.

Inside the overnight wrapping was a second package...

And inside that package was an envelope that said, "Open First."
There were 2 invitations to a brunch.

I read and reread the invitation trying to process what was going on.

Finally I realized that my wonderful friends had been planning a get together in my honor and I began to shake. I was overcome with so many emotions ranging from nerves and gratitude to excitement. I was so grateful that they told me before letting me walk into a roomful of people yelling "Surprise!".
Then, I opened another card...

Christine knew I would be anxious and she even bought me a shirt to wear to the brunch since I was finding out last minute. I was (and am) very very touched.

I immediately called Christine, Kristen, Jackie, and Andy who were all working behind the scenes for weeks to pull this off. We rehashed the planning and laughed and laughed as Christine and Kristen shared stories of paranoia with me (they thought I knew at certain points). I found out Jackie had taken RSVP's and Andy had been instrumental in giving all the information to everyone. He also spent time emailing and talking to my friends which I find so sweet and loving and special.

So tomorrow morning I will be heading down the street to spend a morning eating, laughing, talking, and loving my wonderful friends as we prepare to welcome Luke and Gabriel into our lives. I am blessed to have such amazing friends in my life and will go to sleep tonight with such gratitude and feeling very loved.

Clean Up

Our girls are very good about cleaning up. Lilly loves order and cleanliness and Ella is following in her footsteps. The other night Ella was helping me clean up before bedtime. She usually puts things where they belong. The next morning when I went to get a bowl for her cereal I giggled as I saw where she put her baby and Lilly's camera. That's my kind of cleaning!!

Preschool Picnic

What a gorgeous day! We've had cold weather and rain for days and today we awoke to a perfect day. It is 80 degrees and sunny outside. We had a picnic with Lilly's preschool class at one of the kid's houses this morning and it was a great time. The girls had a blast. Everyone brought a dish and they hung out in the yard climbing the play equipment and swimming in the pool.
Ella sat at the table and waited for me while I got food for everyone. She is so content to just sit and watch the excitement. It makes my life very easy!
Lilly had a blast.
Girlfriends. Trouble makers.
The water balloon toss.

Ella spent quite some time checking out the water balloon. When it eventually fell on the deck and popped she didn't know what to think.

Happy girl.

It's so much fun having a very close friend to hang out with at times like this.
It eases my social anxiety!
Kristen and Kristin.

The big belly.

I love picnics; especially on perfect days such as this one.
Summer's right around the corner!

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days where I remember why I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I saw the importance, the relevance, the results. Everyone was happy and calm. I don't feel this way every day. I don't feel this way weekly. Sometimes I don't feel this way monthly. But today? Today was a good one.

After preschool, lunch, and naps for everyone we made some cinnamon playdoh. We had to wait for it to cool so we headed to the park to feed the ducks. We couldn't find Lilly's helmet so she rode very slowly. After all, she didn't want Pluto to fall out. She promised him she wouldn't let him get hurt.

We stopped and chatted along the way and kept our eyes peeled to the beauty around us. There is so much beauty in our own yard and so much more in the park across the street. There is new growth everywhere.

Lilly found her second robin egg. She loves them.

The park was abandoned. We were all alone and it was very peaceful.

The girls went in search of ducks but found the geese first.
There was even a family of baby geese.

Lilly is a goose-feeding pro. She doesn't let their nasty hissing bother her. She doesn't get scared when they come near her and threaten her. She yells at them and tells them to be grateful for the food they're getting.
Ella stood in one spot holding out one piece of bread. She didn't want to throw it and she wasn't too sure about the mean goose in front of her.

Love.

After all the bread was gone we walked over to the pond and found a mother duck with her baby ducklings. They were too cute and we were out of bread so I felt badly.

A goose was getting way too close to me and hissing at me as I was sitting. It takes me time to get up from a sitting (on the ground) position so I asked Lilly to scare the goose away from me. She did, and he ultimately jumped into the pond.
This upset Ella terribly.

It was so sad but so funny. She simply didn't understand so we promised her some swinging and she quickly recovered.

Lilly is an awesome pumper! She gets so high my stomach does flips. I'm so grateful that I don't have to push her anymore and she is so proud that I don't have to push her anymore!

When we got home we made cinnamon playdoh creations. It smelled wonderful!

I made a cool dude.

Lilly made a volcano and a princess.

The day ended with a healthy meal and some more bonding.

There are days I wish away the time. There are days I'm tired. There are days spent in time out. But today? Today was a really good day. Just me and my girls, no arguing, no disciplining, no unhappy moments. I wouldn't want today everyday because there is no way I'd appreciate it. But tonight I'm happy and fulfilled and exhausted.

Seton's Funeral

Our fish died. Lilly and I had a funeral for the fish this morning. The sound you hear at the beginning of the video is not Lilly crying - she's coughing because the smell from the bowl was awful. She has Andy's cough/gag reflex. When I told her the fish died she said, "Oh goody, can we get a dog now?" Needless to say, she was not traumatized in the least.

We went out on July 1, 2007 and bought the fish right after Andy left for Seton Hall for a month. I knew we'd be lonely on our own so I figured a fish would keep us company! Here is Lilly on the day we brought Seton home.

Here is the video of our funeral... Just click the link below:

Seton's Funeral

Seton's Funeral

Seton's Funeral