Homemade Decorations

I'm loving Aidan's interest in arts & crafts lately.
We've been enjoying our time together making homemade decorations.
He's proud of his work, so we're sharing. :)

(Aidan with his decorations)

(his ghost)

(the witch...I know, it's blurry)

(the bat with his jack-o-lantern. I wrote the sign, but he stamped)

Frankie Says RELAX

At least today, since it's National Relaxation Day.
Yes, you read that correctly: August 15th is National Relaxation Day. I find it to be quite fitting that it falls on a Friday this year. ;) Easier to relax on the start of the weekend, right?
I relaxed plenty before having kids. Now it's not so easy, but I will find a way to relax with the kids today. After all, it's good for you.
"Did you know that it is not only fun to relax but it's actually vital to a healthy lifestyle? Life is stressful! Have you seen the news lately? There are always so many things to do and never enough hours in the day. We prioritize and compartmentalize and organize and we try to squeeze each and every minute of the day to its fullest. Are you penciling "Rest Time" in your day planner? Our bodies and our minds need time to rest, to recover from a day's events and recuperate so we can feel energized and ready to begin a new day. While those workaholics among us may see it as slacking off, it's actually a great way to be more productive. When you take a reasonable amount of time for rest and relaxation, you can come back with more gusto and oomph (I only say words like "oomph" at 2 am). When you push yourself too hard, you become burnt out and sluggish and you will not be as productive. So sit back and relax and take some time to honor National Relaxation Day."
I'm sold! I'll honor away. Hmm...maybe I'll skip out on the laundry and dishes today. Heck, I'll even skip shaving in the shower!


Or does that make me a failure?
The irony is that today is also National Failures Day.
Seriously.
They fall on the same day. (who designates these holidays, anyway?)
Coincidence? I think not.
I prefer the point-of-view from this article, though:
"Failures are often about perception as well. A failure to one person may look different in the eyes of another."
Certainly true. Some think I failed because I got married at 23. Others think I failed because I stay home with my kids. I think I failed with Weight Watchers because I've been gaining weight.
Reading on:
"Was there times that what you thought was a failure turned out to be a blessing in disguise? Has someone ever accused you of being a failure and it motivated you to prove them wrong? In what ways have the failures of others affected your life? When you look at your failures, have you learned from them? If given the chance to do it all over again, would you change anything?"
Yes sir & ma'am. In areas I felt I've failed, I've learned I actually succeeded. And in ways others think I failed, I feel I came out a winner. It all boils down to finding the good in the bad, or the benefit from a challenge.

So today, on National Relaxation Day & National Failures Day, I'm honoring the holidays. ;)
How about you?

4th of July

How did you spend the 4th?

We had a nice day, just the four of us. My husband finally had a full day off again (it was nearly 4 weeks this time since a full day off), and we really just enjoyed staying around our area, enjoying time together as a family.

Because it rained on his birthday, we wound up doing something Pat has been wanting to do for a while now: go on this really nice, long bike path. It was his birthday plan, so I was in no position to say no. ;)

I was skeptical of going, for two main reasons:
1.) I had never done the bike w/ the baby seat, nor had Brennan ever been on a bike ride.
2.) I knew it would be a long ride.

It turned out to be a great time, though. Within 2 minutes I was comfortable biking with Brennan, and he loved it. I had him on the bike with me, and Pat had Aidan in the trailer on his bike.

The weather was perfect. It was actually cool enough for the boys to need long sleeves. The path was so scenic and shaded. All in all, we biked roughly 11 miles. That may be normal for some people, but not me! My bum was sore from the seat. (still is)

Here is some of the scenery we saw on our bike ride: (notice Brennan fell asleep)
After the bike ride, we hit Subway and took the lunch with us to a nearby park, making it a picnic lunch. Aidan thought that was cool. The boys loved playing, acting like they hadn't just been outside for over two hours.

We headed home, assuming our exhausted little men would take decent naps. Ha! Brennan did, but Aidan never fell asleep. (I know. Crazy) At least he settled down and played quietly.

Next we ran to the store to get some things, fed the boys dinner, then sent them off to dreamland.

Fighting our tiredness, Pat and I watched I Am Legend. The movie was different than I expected, but pretty good. (I didn't realize it was another zombie-type movie). We enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was as good as others said. (For the zombie movies, I still think 28 Days Later was best). Will Smith is a great actor, though. And I might add, some decent eye candy, too.

That was our 4th in a nutshell. Last year we went to our first Mud Hens game, and I got a cute picture of the boys together. I'm ending with a comparison. Can you believe how much a year changes kids?

Hope you had a nice holiday as well!

The Fireworks Test

Hmmm...I can't say I fully agree, but who am I to knock the psychological truths behind these blogging quizzes? ;)

What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are focused, single minded, and intense. You don't let others see your intensity often, and when they do, they are quite surprised. You burn brightly, but you also burn steadily. You have the endurance to get the one thing you desire most.

The Fireworks Test

H/t: Vicki

Memorial Day, 2008

We had a really nice holiday, just staying around home the four of us (for a change). My husband has been working his butt off, so to have an entire day with him felt like a real treat for all of us. My only complaint is that it was very humid. And I don't do well in the heat & humidity.
We still enjoyed our local parade, though, as well as a trip to the park, cleaning out the sandbox, and daddy grilling out some bacon-wrapped fillets. Yum!

It wouldn't be a true Memorial Day post without mentioning our troops. God Bless them all, and we are so grateful for the sacrifices they make to keep our country a safe place. They are all amazing!

I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day! Here is our recap:

My guys getting their seats for the parade. Aidan insisted on sitting in the stroller.

The beginning of the parade: I love the guys in uniform & the flags
School band-Aidan & Brennan loved it!

I thought this was adorable. The boy scouts rode their bikes!
Old-fashioned cars
This was the Coca-Cola truck, a personal favorite ;)
This one was even playing the music from The Blues Brothers...pretty funny
The Shriners driving silly acting like they'd crash into each other. A good show.
Aidan's favorite part: the firetrucks are coming!
Later on at the park-Brennan loves the swings, even though he's not showing it here.
Aidan playing some soccer
And some basketballDaddy & Brennan playing on the slide

Brennan enjoying the park

Enjoy this last week of May!

Dye-Hard for Easter!

It wouldn't feel like Easter without dyeing some eggs, and that's just what we did. :)

We actually had the egg-party on Sunday after Mass, but I just got around to uploading the pictures today. Aidan had a lot of fun. Brennan wasn't as amused watching as I thought he'd be. Oh well! Next year it will be a whole different story. (Above: Brennan mad we'd actually take hard-boiled eggs away from him!)(Above: Aidan in action)

(Aidan observing his hands getting dyed, too)

(see?)

(Aidan decorating after the eggs dried)


(the finishing touches)
(& the cute bunny basket to go along with it)

Have you dyed any eggs yet?

These bottom pictures are from our local Easter Egg Hunt (the day before). Aidan had so much fun! (you know, despite the 40 degree weather)(the search is on!)

(uh-oh! Playground distraction! Eggs...playground..eggs...playground)

(playground wins every time! Here is Aidan playing with his friend, Hannah)

Happy New Year! 2008!

2008!!! 2008! It seriously still feels like yesterday when we were talking about the millennium and Y2K. Time sure flies, doesn't it?

So what do you have in store for 2008? Think 2008 will be great? (couldn't resist the cheesy rhyme;)

I have a few things in mind for this new year. I'm hoping it's another good year for us here in Ohio. I have a small feeling some not-so-great stuff may happen, and that makes me feel a little scared and unnerved. But hey, I also know there will be a ton of great stuff, too!

Without further ado, here are some things pertaining to us for 2008:
-Aidan will hopefully play indoor soccer! There should be openings available, and we plan to register him this week. We hoped to last year, but my inability to drive due to kidney stones/pain meds altered those plans. :( Not this year! My little man will be trying out soccer!

-I will hopefully become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I am so close.

-Aidan will most likely go to preschool. Again, we tried for it this past year, but fell to the waiting list, and that spot just never opened for us. I'm a little picky, too, about where to send him. I do not want him to go somewhere where it's M-F. I prefer the 2-3 days a week type, and those fill up faster. This coming Saturday is the Preschool Fair at our library. We're going! (I do, however, feel it worked out for the best with him remaining out of the structured school another year.)

-We may move. We signed a 2-year lease here, and that expires in September. We're hoping renting month-to-month will be an option until we can buy a house. We'll see! Please keep your fingers crossed that our landlord feels sympathetic and generous. ;)

-We've decided 2008 is our year to eliminate! We've started the Dave Ramsey plan, but we haven't exactly been following with the "gazelle intensity" Dave refers to. This is our year. We plan to actively work to eliminate more debt this year than ever before. My husband is already working two jobs, and in a few months I'll probably pick up a few hours each week working somewhere. The idea of bidding farewell, er, good riddance, to our debt is so invigorating!

-Another journey I've planned is to make my own baby food. Receiving a blender for Christmas was all I needed. I hate always offering Brennan food that's from a jar.

-Aidan will turn 4, Brennan 1, and my husband and I 28. Aidan will continue with Story Time at the library, Sunday School, my husband will continue to prepare for grad school, and I'll continue to try and feed myself & family healthy foods. (another "elimination"-the constant presence of cookies in our home).

If you've read this much, you must be bored! Kidding. Thanks for taking interest.
Now tell me what is in store for you this new year!

Pictoral Review: Our Trip Down South

Now that all of my photos are uploaded to the computer, I'm finally doing my holiday post, sharing some of my favorite pictures. I hope you had a Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

(above: Aidan with his Lightning McQueen umbrella from Santa)(above: Aidan, Haleigh & Jack in Gatlinburg)

(above: Haleigh, Grandma, & Brennan)

(above: Our Family of 4 at The Apple Barn in Tennessee)(above: Landon & Aidan opening presents)(above: us on Christmas Eve, after Mass)(above: cousins on Christmas Eve)(Haleigh & I)(Aidan on Christmas morning; Santa brought him a Lightning McQueen Hat set)(above: Brennan enjoying some chicken [play] at Aunt Sue's, Christmas Day)(above: Aidan riding the train at Aunt Sue's)(above: Pop-Pop playing his accordion for us!)(above: that man was flirting with us)(above: downtown Greenville)(Jack & Aidan give Grandma a new hairdo)(Above: Sebastian, P, Brennan & Aidan)(Above: Daddy & his boys at our TN stop, driving home)(above: Aidan and I @ the TN Welcome Center)