Kathleen's Playground

My Dad

2012-02-07T01:52:00.002-06:00

So. How do I say this. My dad got hit by a car on Thursday. He was crossing the street at 6am in front of church and he got hit by a car. The even scarier thing....hours earlier I had dreamed that my father was hit by a car at that very intersection. Spooky right?

Dad is ok. Well, he's sore, has some bumps/bruises/scrapes but for the most part is alright. He got hit on his right side and landed on his left. The good thing about being hit on his right side is that it is the side that he had his knee replaced 2 years ago. So, for all intents and purposes, my fathers new titanium knee saved him from getting hurt worse. The doctors agree that had this been a regular knee and not a titanium one, he would have broken his knee. The only thing that is really damaged is his left shoulder. After getting hit, he went on to church, sat through men's bible study and then walked home. Yup! He WALKED home! Hours later, his shoulder hurt so bad he called the doctor who told him to go to the ER. The doctor in the ER ran tests and all that stuff, to determine that he had soft tissue damage which was probably the result of a torn rotator cuff but the swelling was making that diagnosis impossible. After a trip to the police station (to fill out the accident report) and more doctors visits, he had an MRI today to see what the status of his shoulder really is. He is unable to work or drive at the moment so he is laying around the house not doing much.

As for the person who hit my father? We know him. He is a friend of my fathers. He attends the same church and even the same Thursday morning bible study. He has been great in this whole thing and feels horrible about what happened. He calls all the time to check in on dad and to make sure he doesn't need anything. I can't begin to imagine the guilt he feels. Maybe I'll make him some brownies.

So, that's my life in a nutshell. Dad got hit by a car. I have been battling a cold. I hope it doesn't snow.

My life

2012-01-09T13:01:00.001-06:00

I have been so busy with work and life to keep up with blogging. But, I want everyone to know that I have met someone! This is Jonathan & I on New Years Eve. We've been dating now for a little while but we enjoy spending time together. I'll keep everyone posted on life. I am working on my Christmas cards and getting them out. Look for them soon!

Gone, but not forgotten

2011-12-01T23:09:00.001-06:00

Missed Me?

2011-09-15T23:57:00.003-05:00

I know! I'm a bad blogger. I have been so busy that I have hardly been home to blog. All I did all summer is work! I did make time, of course, for my little bambinos. As you know, Bella turned 2 in June. She's as spunky as ever! Jonathan turned 4 at the end of July. I can't believe how BIG he is! He weighs over 50lbs (which his pediatrician is NOT happy about). But, he started preschool last week. Bella was very ill at the time, and all of us (expect Kerry) thought Jonathan would not do well at preschool. Boy, was I wrong! He is doing fantastic! He goes 3 days a week and is loving meeting all his new friends. He's too cute!

Because we took Bella to get her portraits done for her birthday, we took both of them to get their portraits done before his birthday! We bought outfits 2 years ago when we were in Florida for a family picnic (that never happened). These outfits hardly fit the kids (thankfully, we were at JCPenny portraits and I was able to run through the store quick and buy a few things to complete the outfits. Bella's dress was more like a belly shirt without a skort underneath).

But, they were both great sports about it all. Yet again, we were able to surprise Kerry with these cute photos. I can hardly believe how big they are both getting. Maybe one day Chris & Karen will add the niece/nephew count. Until then, I'll enjoy my little ones.

2011-06-26T22:08:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I'm a little late! But guess who turned 2? Can you guess??

Can you??

Who'd you guess??

I hope it wasn't me.

Did you guess....

Bella???

If you did, you are correct!

We got to babysit Bella one day because Kerry took Jonathan to the movies (it was a disaster), but we had fun with Bella! First, we went to the pool and splashed around in the pool. Then, before going home we thought we'd get some portraits done of Bella. Unfortunately, Bella fell asleep in the car on the way to the photo place. OOPS! But lucky us, we woke her up and she had a great time posing for the camera. She loved her birthday dress. It was "cute". It's hard to believe she's already two.

Auntie's Little Angel

Are you surprised?

2011-04-30T21:31:00.004-05:00

Is anyone else surprise by our visit to the Easter Bunny? Bella was SO excited to see him! She loved putting on her "pretty dress" and looking "cute". She saw the bunny and screeched with excitement. She walks up to him and says "Hi bunny!" pets his leg and is overall happy to see him. I pick her up, and put her on his lap, and the screaming starts. The only way we were able to keep her sitting with the bunny was by Kerry holding her in place (hence the hand). Once we took Bella off the Bunny's chair, she waved and said "bye bye bunny".

Having a Bad Day?

2011-03-10T23:08:00.002-06:00

Are you having a bad day? Feeling a little down in the dumps? Depressed? Watch this!

Still depressed? Didn't think so. =)

I Hate Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T13:08:00.002-06:00

Can I say that? I absolutely HATE Valentine's Day. And no, it's not because I don't have a Valentine (a male in my age range who is interested in me). Let's see, how did I spend my Valentine's? My best friend Corky, her mom died last Wednesday. Monday was her funeral. Strike 1. Then, during the funeral, my mom calls. Dad had a mild stroke and was in the hospital. Strike 2. It was also the 8 year anniversary of the death of a friend. Strike 3. So, with everything that's going on, my homework has slipped (more like I haven't done it). With class tonight, I just finished another part of it. I'm emotionally and physically drained. Very little sleep for me! To add to the chaos, Dad had another mild stroke. Whoopie! All I want is some sleep. Is that too much to ask for??

Oh the upside, I got the CUTEST handmade Valentine from Jonathan & Bella.

Who wants to go see Santa??

2010-12-10T19:33:00.003-06:00

Who wants to go see Santa?

Which one is better? This one from this year? Or last years??

Now, I will say, we love last years Santa. Of course, as we were leaving Yorktown, our favorite Santa was on duty. Jonathan about had a cow over not seeing our favorite Santa. We love our Yorktown Santa. He's got twin grand babies. Maybe next year.

2010-11-27T22:43:00.000-06:00

Boys Suck!

and that is all I have to say about that.

2010-11-15T23:49:00.000-06:00

Update!

2010-11-07T19:28:00.001-06:00

Talked to Kerry. Jon & Jonathan are both sick now too! Kerry's been battling this stomach bug for a few days now too. Yet Bella is happily running in circles around her room and happily playing. She also took 2 three & a half hour naps today.

2010-11-06T21:32:00.004-05:00

Could you believe that this sweet little girl landed herself in the hospital for a second time this year?

But she did. Thankfully, she's home safe, sound and on the mend. It started on Thursday, Bella started vomiting. We met Kerry and the kids for breakfast. Kerry allowed Bella to have milk, even after she vomited. I could tell she was sick, but I got some really great cuddle time in with Bella. I was the lucky one, and Bella puked all over me. Aren't I lucky? Kerry took Bella home, and we took Jonathan for the day. Bella seemed okay, only eating crackers and juice. But once Kerry gave her garlic bread, she puked again.

Friday morning Kerry went in to check on Bella, and she was still asleep at 9am. So, she let her sleep. But when Bella wasn't awake by 10am, Kerry went in and woke her. She was very lethargic and hardly moved. Kerry called her pediatrician who recommended that Kerry take Bella to the ER. So, Mom and I went to get Jonathan, only to discover that my brother wasn't going with Kerry to take Bella to the ER. I then decided to stay with Kerry to take Bella in. It's a great thing we did.

Bella was so lethargic, she didn't move when the nurses started her ivs, did a catheter test, or drew multiple blood samples. No crying, no nothing. She just laid there. A chest x-ray showed the Bella had the beginnings of pneumonia in her left lung (the lung that collapsed during her peanut incident). Bella was given IV fluids immediately, which did nothing. They admitted her and started antibiotics. Because of her earlier incident, Bella's lung is very fragile and it will take 7 years for her lung to repair itself. Doctors said it will take about a year for her lung to less susceptible to infections. So, basically, Kerry is going to have to watch her like a hawk, and notice every cold because a common cold could easily lead to pneumonia for Bella.

Like I said though, she's home now. We took Jonathan home and he was happy to see Mommy. We had taken all of Bella's dirty laundry (pukey animals, linens etc) home and got all of that washed. So tonight Bella will be able to sleep in her own bed with all her own animals. This little girl is giving us a great reason to be thankful.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-04T21:29:00.003-05:00

This year, I continued my tradition of taking the munchkins trick or treating with Kerry and Grandma (Kerry's Mom). This year, Jonathan was a robot (an IronMan 2 Robot), and Bella was a fairy!

Bella wouldn't sit down, she was too excited. Jonathan wanted to eat his candy. Jonathan didn't last long trick or treating. Bella got to ride in the stroller (since she's only 17 months). She got into the spirit though! When someone would hold out the bowl for her to pick her candy, she'd take big fist fulls of candy. It was too cute! One house was all decked out (Freddy Kruger, Pin Head, Jason and others were watching over the yard, while the man in the house had a fake chainsaw and a really gruesome looking mask on (with some FUN-KY hair) This wife of the house was sitting on the porch dressed like the evil witch). Bella, was not afraid! She looked at it all and was intrigued. She babbled with the witch lady. Managed to take 4 of 5 pieces of candy. Jonathan on the other hand, only made it half way up the sidewalk. I stood near the porch with the witch, and Kerry stood at the other end with the dog, but Jonathan wouldn't do it. He would not walk out, past the man with the chainsaw (who had turned it off so to not scare Jonathan). But then, Jonathan walks up behind the man, and goes "Boo!" then turns around screaming/crying and runs back to mom. It was pretty funny. Meanwhile, Bella was having a pleasant conversation with Pinhead.

There were some tears (over not being allowed to eat candy, or Bella finishing Jonathan's juice box after Jonathan said he was finished with it). But it went pretty well. It wasn't terribly cold, but both kids had long johns under their costumes. Bella had 2 layers under her costume, but she didn't appear cold. At every house Bella would wave and babble bye bye to the nice people at the door. It was cute. On the way home, Bella and I worked on saying Nana and Papa. We also showed Kerry how Bella can say Auntie.

We had no more gotten home (to Kerry's house), and I had gotten on the road to go home (to Naperville) then Jonathan says "Mommy, my feet hurt!" and the barfs all over. What a great way to end Halloween. =)

It's over

2010-10-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

For those who haven't seen my plethora of facebook posts (updating when EACH miner came up), I've been following the mine rescue in Chile since it started. Only got a couple hours of sleep so I could watch this. It's amazing to me, all 33 miners are out of the mine after 70 days. They are safe and with their families. That is just amazing to me. Every miner that was brought out brought tears to my eyes. Even bringing out the 6 rescue workers, I was crying. Each chant of "Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le" was awesome. I love how the Chilean President told the last miner when he reached the surface, that his shift was over. I don't care if you don't believe but after this, you have to believe in something. Good work everyone.

2010-10-08T17:57:00.003-05:00

No, I have not fallen into a well, or been eaten by aliens. Unless the aliens are disguising themselves as grad school. That's right, I've gone back to school! Benedictine cut their tuition by over half for their adult cohort programs, so i decided now's the time to get some more education. I am trying to get an ESL endorsement. At the same time, I'm taking a class through the county to finish my middle school endorsement. So my weeks now look like this: Monday night, class is Bloomingdale from 4:30 to 8:30. Wednesday night, class from 4:00 to 8:30. My Wednesday night class also comes with 4 hours of online work plus homework on top of that! It's good times. The great thing about this ESL endorsement is that there's one class every 6 weeks. We have to complete 6 classes. So by June, I'll have an endorsement! It's crazy. I've also started working for The Reading Tree. I am tutoring students in whatever subject they need help in as well as teaching ACT prep classes. So as you can see, i'm a bit busy. But before I got so busy, I managed to go with Nana and the babies to the pool. They were too cute.

A Funny Story

2010-08-22T00:21:00.002-05:00

Mom & I went to the zoo the other day with Kerry and the kids. Before we go to the zoo, we always go out and eat somewhere because zoo food is AWFUL! So we go to this little place down the street from their house for some breakfast. Now, I always get something HUGE so that I can feed Bella off my plate. So, I got the Strawberry French Toast. It comes with 8 pieces of french toast with a strawberry sauce. While waiting for our food, Bella ate some crackers, a couple of those seaseme seed bread sticks, and she had 1/2 of a croissant. But she STILL wasn't full, so, I cut up 2 pieces of my french toast and Bella just chews em up and eats em. I think only 1 piece landed on the floor. I then started to cut up strawberries and feeding them to her. I gave her a bite and then went back and tried to eat a piece myself but she opened her mouth wide at me and then leaned over in her high chair towards me (a sure sign that she wants more [unless she's going to puke]). So I keep feeding her strawberries until they are ALL gone. She fusses some at me and I just look at her and start cleaning her off. I start talking to her and say to her "You're not a baby, you're just a strawberry!" And my goodness, next thing I knew, Jonathan stood up on the bench and says to me "She is not a strawberry Auntie! She's my baby sister and her name is Bella." He then sits down and finishes his glass of water. I about died of laughter.

I'm a HORRIBLE Auntie

2010-06-27T13:44:00.009-05:00

I'm such a bad Auntie. Bella turned one over a month ago and I haven't told ya'll about it! I need a slap on the wrist. (I feel better now).

June 2, Bella turned one! We had a fun little party at Jon & Kerry's. We brought pizza over for dinner and a cake.

We all enjoyed dinner but the best part was the cake. Bella LOVED her cake (as any little girl does).

Once she was done eating/smashing her cake, it was time to clean off baby (and mommy).

Somehow, in cleaning off baby, everyone else got covered in cake. The more I think back on it, we should have just let the dog clean her off. Bella opened lots of presents and had lots of fun. She fell sound asleep early and slept in the next morning. I can hardly believe she's one and that Jonathan will be 3 at the end of July. Can we put a stop to this and keep them little forever??

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2010-06-08T16:35:00.005-05:00

Home sweet home...or it was. For as much as I didn't really enjoy high school, its still that place that has those weird/bizarre memories. Like going off the diving board in a garbage can during Kayaking, although the box was much more fun. But anyways, NCHS is being "remodeled". The SPS hallway has been torn down and a lot of the 3 story wing has been gutted (or torn down to studs). But the day before demolition started, the general public was allowed to tour the school.

Our class's mural. Ah the memories of our class. Not many good memories. My favorite is graduating in the POURING rain. Best idea ever! Some of my favorite places were:

The Little Theater

The High Ropes Course/Rock Wall

The murals painted on the walls, especially this one.

The mural in Mrs. Jarman's bathroom in the pit.

What's left of the tile in the long hallway/commons (mmmm...asbestos)

Mr. Paulsen was my tour guide. He's my hero.

Oh NCHS, you'll always have a special place in my heart.

School's Out

2010-05-29T17:45:00.003-05:00

Wohoo!! School's out for summer! Yesterday was my last day of school (well, for 2ish weeks until summer school starts). But YEAH! No more school! I know the kids are super excited but so am I! How did I spend my first day off you ask? I bet you can't guess.

I spent my day with the kiddies. It's hard for me to believe that this summer brings Bella to her first birthday (Wednesday June 2) and Jonathan to his 3rd birthday! But, it's a perfect way to welcome summer.

Keep watching for my trip down memory lane as I visited NCHS before they demo'd it. Stay tuned!

Betty White is my Hero

2010-05-09T20:42:00.003-05:00

I love Betty White. I thought she was hilarious on Golden Girls (even though at first, I was too little to understand all her humor). But last night, she hosted Saturday Night Live (which I haven't watched in many years), but if Betty was going to host it, then I was going to have to watch it. My favorite skit was the census skit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkQxZltcljc The best part, is that Kerry (my sister in law...Bella & Jonathan's mommy) is a census worker! All you really need to know is.....I LOVE Betty White. Happy Mother's Day!

Bella's Healthscare

2010-04-05T22:30:00.003-05:00

Well, now that the scare is over, I feel like I should tell everyone about the scare Bella gave us. On Saturday, Bella found a peanut in Jonathan's room. Being the curious 10 month old she is, she put it in her mouth. She choked on it. Kerry called 911 and the paramedics came. They couldn't find anything wrong with her, but upon Kerry's insistence, the paramedics took her to Hinsdale Hospital. The ER doctors proceeded to send her home. She was lethargic and acting strange all day. By the time Jon got home, he insisted that they go back to the hospital. By the time she got back to the hospital around midnight, she was very sick. The ER doctors called Loyola hospital to see if Loyola could accept Bella because Hinsdale was not equipped to handle her. The peanut was lodged into Bella's throat. Loyola's doctor could not make it to the hospital until 2am and the ER doctors said she didn't have until 2 am. So the doctors called Children's Memorial and they would take Bella immediately. Bella was then transported via medivac (helicopter) from Hinsdale to Childrens.

By the time she got to Children's she had been intabated, and the peanut had got into her lung. The doctors at Children's were able to use a scope and go into her lung to extract the peanut. They then discovered that the peanut had torn a hole in her esophagus. By the time Jon called me Sunday morning (when we were on our way home from Florida), he was in hysterics and things were still touch and go. By early afternoon on Easter, Bella's breathing tube was taken out. She was still being fed by feeding tube so that the hole didn't get infected.

Jonathan was being bounced around from different family members and was very confused. By the time we got home last night, there was nothing we could do. Bella was breathing on her own but she was groggy and very upset. They did more tests this morning (Monday morning) with a dye contrast to find out how the hole was closing. The test revealed that Bella was doing well. The hole was closed. The next test was to give Bella a bottle and see how she tolerated that.

Meanwhile, we went and picked up Jonathan from his grandparents and brought him to our house. He talked a lot about how Bella was sick and in the hospital. He desperately wanted Mommy. He was very good for us and we packed a lot into a day while we waited to hear how Bella was.

At 6:30, Jon called to tell me that Bella had been released from Children's! They were on their way to come get Jonathan before they went home. Bella tolerated her bottle and didn't vomit any of it up. The doctors say she'll be hoarse & have a nasty cough for the next few days but she's back to her regular self. She'll go to her pediatrician Tuesday for a follow up but right now things look good.

Our family is grateful for all the prayers for our little girl. Thank you to everyone for all your support. We will forever be indebted to everyone for all the love and support. And just so everyone can see how Bella is, here's a little peak!

Happy Easter

2010-04-01T22:23:00.005-05:00

Seeing as how this weekend is Easter (and we won't be home to celebrate Bella's first Easter), I thought the least I could do is post the super cute photo from our trip to the Easter Bunny! Neither of them cried this time! Bella was intrigued by the bunny and had no issues with sitting on his lap.

Although, she refuses to keep her socks on, she does not mind having a bow in her hair! The little girl is also crawling now. She likes to get into mischief, going where ever you don't want her to go (under benches, in-between fences etc.) That's my girl!

Bella also decided that it was time to show off her newest trick to Auntie.

But Jonathan got a treat as we were leaving. New monkey rainboots!

Happy Easter

Greetings from.....

2010-03-27T21:40:00.002-05:00

Greetings! We have arrived here in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida! Thank goodness it's Spring Break. I don't know if I could have taken much more of the cold, snow and rain!! We got here this evening and it was in the lower 70's. I know, so sad! This year, it didn't rain while we drove through Georgia. Although Mom kept saying the whole time, "Have I said lately how much I HATE driving through Georgia!". We got stuck in some traffic, some construction and people just drive like maniacs around there. But we're here. I'll post photos after I have gotten a good nights sleep and taken some pictures of our view of the marina.

Happy Birthday Papa!

2010-02-26T22:29:00.003-06:00

Well, Dad's birthday came and went. He's now 3/4 of a century old. He didn't ask for much. He wanted a funny card and a marble cake with chocolate frosting. Easy enough! But Jon & Kerry brought the kids over a few days later to help continue the celebration. Would you believe, we put Bella on Papa's lap and look what happened:

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like putting 2 of your grand kids on your lap and getting your FIRST photo with the two of them. Bella didn't cry once for him. She was in awe of him at first and then she realized that Big Bird had joined her. Jonathan only smiles if you tell him to 'cheese the camera'. But I'm thrilled that Bella has seemed to get over her fear of Papa.

Now, will she still be fearful of the Easter Bunny? Only time with tell.

It's been too long!

2010-02-12T20:05:00.005-06:00

It has been too long since I have last visited my playground. So, let me start with a re-cap. When I last saw ya'll, it was time for Christmas! We did LOTS of baking in the days leading up to Christmas. For the first year ever, I made thin mint cookies (yes, like the girl scouts but BETTER! and cheaper).

I also decorated Gingerbread people. Mom baked them, I decorated them. I only had to decorate about 40 of them this year (compared to 80 or so previous years). This year I made our people into family members.

This is Karen's Hawaiian dressed Gingerbread woman. Notice the big red necklace. Hehe.

This is Chris' Gingerbread Man in his Hawaiian swimsuit. Both Chris and Karen loved their personalized cookies. Mom made Whoopie Pies as well. I was not brave enough to try them, but they looked good.
Jonathan and Bella (plus the rest of the family) came over for Christmas. Jonathan had a great time, he was very cranky though. Not nearly enough sleep plus all the excitement didn't go well with him. Bella slept through most of it. I managed to get her to sleep right before dinner (only after she babbled through ALL of Papa's prayer and breaking out into a high pitch squeal at the end). She slept through opening presents but got up in time to open a few of her own.

I found the greatest shirt for Jonathan to wear on Christmas. It says: "Dear Santa, For Christmas I want: A puppy, A red fire engine, A blue bike and P.S. Put my sister on the naughty list." How could I resist?! I don't know how i'll top it next year, but everyone agreed it was darn funny.

Once Bella woke up, she was one happy little girl. A nap did her good.

Bella was chewing on everything! She was cutting 2 teeth on Christmas, bringing her total up to 4. She soaked her Christmas bib in drool, so her favorite Winnie the Pooh bib was put on. All day, she tried to get both her hands into her mouth.

Jonathan joined Mommy and Bella. I love this picture of the 3 of them.

The day wasn't complete without trying to put Bella on Papa's lap. She still screamed for Papa at Christmas. Silly girl.

New Year's Eve!

I rang in New Year's with Mark and some of his friends. It was a fun time. We played Wii, ate a lot, played Apples to Apples and had some general good time. I was, unfortunately, getting sick. I ended up falling asleep about 2am and sleeping until 3:30 in the afternoon. I spent the rest of my winter break sick and went back to work sick!

I rang in my 25th birthday on the 25th and had a great time. I spent it with the family. Mark came out to my big birthday dinner that we had on Sunday. It was the first time that Papa held Bella and she didn't cry!

And now, i'm working like crazy and find myself exhausted most nights. I'm excited to watch the Olympics, but it's making me think a LOT about my aunt and my cousins who are still live in Vancouver.

Alright, now you are caught up. I will try not to let it go so long.

Time to go see Santa!

2009-12-20T16:29:00.003-06:00

Of course, every year we take a trip to Yorktown to see our favorite man: SANTA! This year, We all predicted that we were going to have some trials. Bella hates sitting with anything that is not a female. She cries for Papa, Daddy, Grandpa, Uncles etc. Can anyone see what is going to happen?

I get off work, run home and find my babies at home. After a quick outfit change for the babies, we were off to see the big man. We got there at 4:40, and got in line. It was quite a long line. At 4:45 Santa's helpers announced that Santa was going to go feed the reindeer at 5:00. Just our luck! So, Nana stayed in line and held our spot while the rest of us went and played.

Once Santa arrived at 6:00, we got to the big man. Chaos ensued!

Bella screamed and yanked on Santa's beard. Jonathan, for the first time EVER, cried and wanted Momma. This was the best photo that we got. The babies looked cute, but were obviously unhappy. Luckily, us adults found it hilarious. It's framed on the mantel and will be enjoyed for years to come. Ho Ho Ho!

Bella's First Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T20:45:00.008-06:00

For some reason, I am struggling to keep up with posting. My apologies! Thanksgiving here was quite fun. I wasn't sure it would go well when after getting Bella out of her car seat she starts screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought we'd be in trouble. But, after something to eat, she settled. Jonathan was timid at first, unsure of Uncle Chris and Aunt Karen. But he warmed up and settled into doing his favorite thing: eating! Before we sat down to eat, we had to say grace. At one point, Jonathan and Bella were chatting so loud that hardly anyone could hear dad. It was quite hilarious. Once we started eating, Bella played in her saucer.

Of course, it isn't a holiday if I can't dress up the kids in an outfit. Especially since it was Bella's first, I love putting them in cute things. Bella didn't mind the hat at all. She was so cute. I loved her outfit too.
But after I got plenty of pictures of Bella in her cute turkey outfit, it was time to change outfits for the family holiday photo.

It took a few shots to get the right one but you will all have to wait for the holiday cards to see what the best one is! Bella didn't seem to mind her red headband/bow, her tights or her little red shoes! I got lucky that Bella will let me dress her up and not fuss. After the family photo, Mom tried to get a picture with Jonathan and Bella. But first, I got a photo of just Bella in her cute outfit.
She was so cute in her little red corduroy jumper with her red shoes and tights. I just LOVE this cute outfit.

But as I started taking photos of Mom and her grandkids, Bella started to wail! Of course, she was 2 1/2 hours past her nap time. She cried for about 15 minutes. I quickly realized it was time to get her changed back into her comfy clothes and get her to sleep. After 10 minutes of rocking with her dear auntie, Bella fell sound asleep.

The day wouldn't be complete without getting a photo of Jonathan in his cute outfit too. We got him a red train sweater with some red flannel lined corduroy pants. He was too cute. Of course, it wouldn't be a holiday if Jonathan didn't have a cookie (or 3). Once Bella was asleep, Jonathan was busy running around the house trying to find the bush monster. We have a friendly bush monster who lives in our house now too. If you see the bush monster, you must be very quiet.

At the end of the day, Bella & Jonathan got loaded into the car to go to Grandma & Grandpa Cabay's house. Luckily, Jonathan & Bella slept the whole way.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-15T22:07:00.004-06:00

Okay, I know i'm late with this one. This year for Halloween, I went trick or treating with the kid's at Kerry's parents house in Villa Park. Jonathan was a bit sick (he had an allergic reaction to something and had broken out in hives just 2 days before..thank goodness for a super sized bottle of Benadryl.) As Kerry got Jonathan dressed, Bella played on the floor and showed off her rolling over skills.

Unfortunately, we had some minor technical difficulties with Jonathan's costume. Every parent's worst nightmare: it didn't FIT! We, of course, had tons of layers on under his costume (seeing as it was cold outside) So, we started taking layer after layer off. It was still too tight, but Jonathan was such a trooper. He hated his hat and gloves on his costume. I got a couple pictures of him with the hat and gloves on, but he was very unhappy.

But once he realized that with the costume on he would get candy, it was let's go!

Lucky for us, there was no rain or snow! It was just a bit chilly. Jonathan didn't seem to mind. We ventured out (without the stroller) for about 2 1/2 hours. I put Bella in the sling so I could carry her easier. Jonathan walked without whining or complaining the whole time. He managed to get a pretty good spread of candy. Bella even got some candy! I ate it all though (why would 5 month old eat candy?!) Jonathan refused to wear the hat while walking, but when we got to the houses we put the hat on him. He was very good at saying trick or treat and thank you.

He was so happy when people would put candy in his pumpkin bucket. He would smile from ear to ear. It's so fun to experience the day through his eyes. Once we got back to Kerry's parents house, Bella spent lots of time on the floor. She was a bit confused why she couldn't kick so much in her costume. But she made a very cute pumpkin.

She was happiest when she got out of her costume and was able to kick freely.

She also enjoyed chewing on her fingers. Fingers taste the best ya know!

As we were getting ready to go, it was time to get Bella up and into her car seat. It's funny to think that at this same point with Jonathan, he was out of his infant carrier and was wearing 12 months clothes. As big as Bella is, she's not as big as her brother. And she's ALL girl!

But I couldn't resist myself when I found her pumpkin hat and the pumpkin pacifier in the diaper bag.

All in all it was a fun day. Both kids slept the whole way home. Jonathan still talks about going trick or treating with his bucket. I can't wait until next year when Bella will be a bit bigger.

No Offense

2009-10-13T18:28:00.003-05:00

No offense to ya'll, but I have the CUTEST kids EVER! Oh my gosh. We went on an adventure yesterday to Cosley Zoo & Monkey Joes. It was cold and rainy so we didn't spend tons of time at the zoo, but enough time to get the cutest photos of my babies.

I know she looks like a boy, but how cute is that hat?!

It took me 15 minutes and 4 attempts to get this photo. Isn't he just the cutest?! All i want to do is stare at this cute photo of my big boy.

Bella fell sound asleep at Monkey Joe's. What we thought was going to be a one hour nap, turned out to be a 3 hour nap. She enjoyed her hat too! Never once did she complain or take it off. So cute. It's never a dull day off with my kiddos around. =) So no offense to you all, but my babies are the cutest things ever.

Too busy

2009-10-03T15:24:00.005-05:00

I've been so busy working these past few weeks, that I have not had the time to spend with my babies, or post on my blog. But, I had to take a day off work and since I was already home, Kerry brought the babies over! We spent the afternoon having a late lunch at Steak N Shake before going to the Children's Museum.

Jonathan enjoyed wearing his hat.

Bella has gotten so big! She turned 4 month's old on Friday, Oct. 2

In the music room at the museum, Jonathan figured out that he could hit the purple pieces, and they would make noise. But if he put his hand on it right after his hit the piece, the noise would stop. He's SO smart!

Bella was a big girl, standing in this big, over-sized purple thrown they have (with a little help from Nana).

But no trip to the museum would be complete without splashing in the water tables! By the time we left, Jonathan & Kerry were soaking wet.

But when we got home, we introduced Bella to pumpkins! My little pumpkin plays with her first pumpkin. Haha. We even tried to put her in it, but it didn't work so well.

Then we had some fun with dressing her up as a firefighter.

She definitely does look cute in the outfit that cousin Elaine and Claudia sent from Houston. She's adorable as can be.

After spending time with these kids, I realized that I need to spend more time enjoying the small things in life. We've already made plans to go to the zoo, spend Columbus Day together and I'm taking the little ones trick or treating on Halloween! Nothing is more gratifying than spending time with these two little ones.

And the little one said "Roll Over"

2009-08-31T19:24:00.004-05:00

That's right ladies and gents, Bella rolled over! Luckily, Auntie was prepared with the camera and caught it on tape! It's only the second time she's ever rolled from her belly to her back. She looks a bit startled by it all, but I am so proud of my little girl!

In this first video, she looks like she wants to roll over, in fact she starts the process, but she doesn't get to it! Luckily, after a little chat, she decided to try it again. The results are seen here in video number two!

I was so proud of her! She'll be 3 months old on Wednesday. It seems like time is flyin by with her. She's growing up so fast. Just in the 3 weeks it's been since I last saw her, she's so much more active. She smiles and giggles a lot. She's also doing this high pitch squeal/laugh. It's too cute. She's so different from her brother (she loves to be cuddled, snuggled and held. He wanted to be left alone so he could go explore). Luckily, the kids are coming over again tomorrow to play. I'm charging batteries now for our next adventure. I'm hoping I can get Bella to roll over again for me.

Her rolling over reminds me of the book "10 in the bed" because she's the littlest one who rolled over!

Red, White & Bella

2009-08-18T23:03:00.004-05:00

We bought Bella a super cute 4th of July outfit. Once we knew Kerry was pregnant with a girl, we started buying dresses. So, her 4th of July was purchased in April in anticipation of her arrival. We didn't get to spend time with them on the actual 4th, but Kerry put both kids in their outfits when they came to visit. Bella looked so cute that I took lots of photos of her in her outfit.

I call this her "MC Hammer" look.

This is the toy we got Jonathan at the zoo. I was bored and wanted to see how his new toy compared to his sister. Bella didn't mind at all!

Smiley Girl!

Jonathan fell asleep (he had thrush) but he was cute in his fire truck shirt. It's one of his favorites.

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-27T22:35:00.007-05:00

On Sunday, my big boy Jonathan turned 2! I can hardly believe that he's already 2. We got him a t-shirt at the craft fair at the Odeum that announced his new age for his birthday. His cute t-shirt announces that my little man is 2. We celebrated on Saturday so that he could celebrate with Kerry's parents on his actual birthday. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well (turns out he has Thrush), but we still had fun. We went to this children's play place called Monkey Joe's (www.monkeyjoes.com), and let Jonathan play to his hearts content. Monkey Joe's is entirely inflatable bounce houses with slides. It is geared towards kids ages 2-12. Jonathan had a blast!

Jonathan's riding on the Lochness Monster (which he called a dinosaur)

Riding on the turtle

Going down the Pinball slide (the slide looks a like a giant pinball machine)

Going down a VERY fast slide where he bit his tounge.

Now, you may ask, what was Bella doing while Jonathan played and ran around like a wild man. Well, Bella did what Bella does best.

After playing at Monkey Joe's, we came home to have pizza, cake and presents. But, it didn't go so well since Jonathan wasn't feeling well and his daddy didn't show up on time. So, after dinner, I took Jonathan and Bella for a walk. On our way home, we got caught in the rain. 3 very handsome firemen were on a walk while I was stopped under a tree (hiding from the rain). They offered me assistance, but I couldn't bring myself to wake up the little boy who had falled asleep.

So, I parked the boy in the garage to sleep while I took Bella in to clean her up after she spit up all over herself in the sling during the walk. But, after an hour nap, I had to wake him up to have cake! We got his cake from our FAVORITE bakery (the Lilac Bakery in Lombard).

Complete with dinosaurs, and icing in his favorite color, lellow! The green icing looked like dinosaur tracks on his cake. It was so good!

He was such a pro at blowing out his own candle! He did not need any help from anyone and got it on the first try. I was so impressed. As soon as the candle was blown out, he reached for the dinosaurs.

While the rest of us ate cake, Bella hung out with her Papa (in her clean outfit complete with a bib). After cake, Jonathan opened his presents. He got a big wheel, some dinosaurs, a couple books, and some counting animal bath toys.

Jonathan loved his dinosaurs.
He is such a big boy on his big wheel (which was a PAIN to assemble). But he rode it all over the house! And before going home, Bella was chilling out in the vibrating bottom rocking chair and she was too cute to not take a picture of!

All in all, Jonathan had a great birthday. I got Jonathan packed into the car with his presents and before he left he says to me "love you too auntie" and I got a kiss from the birthday boy. I can hardly believe the little boy is 2. He's not so little anymore either. Where did the time go?

Beware of Falling Poop!

2009-07-24T22:50:00.005-05:00

A week ago Thursday, we took Jonathan to the zoo to see the dinosaurs and took Bella on her first ever trip to Brookfield Zoo.

Jonathan's ready for the zoo!

Bella's ready for her first zoo trip!

As we entered the dinosaur exhibit, we were greeted with a sign that Mom fell in love with.

After seeing that sign, you looked up and there was a Pteranodon greeting us to the dinosaur exhibit. Kerry and Mom laughed so hard they nearly woke up Bella. We then walked through and saw a couple of cool looking dinosaurs. One dinosaur, Dilo, wasn't feeling well so he wasn't working. There was a set of Mommy and Baby stegosaurus', Mommy and Baby Apatosaurus' and Mommy and Baby T-Rex. The zoo is getting very smart. To leave the dinosaur exhibit, you have to go through the dinosaur gift shop.

Bella loved the dinosaurs. She slept through the whole thing. Not a peep from the little girl.

Jonathan LOVED the dinosaurs! He got his first dinosaur (a triceratops). He was making dinosaur noises and showing off his new dinosaur the whole time. Everywhere Jonathan went, the dinosaur was sure to go. After the dinosaurs, we had a snack while Bella slept. Then it was off to see the dolphins! But, when we got there, we saw the sign that said the dolphin show is closed until summer 2010. They are "remodeling" the dolphin area. Luckily, you can still go below and see the dolphins. We spent the rest of the day by the Lions, and tigers. While Jonathan rode on the carousel, Bella and I went on scowering the park for the dinosaur mold-a-rama. She woke up as we got to the reptile house. After a small snack for Bella while Jonathan finished his ride, it was time to go home.

Since she slept through her whole first zoo trip, she was awake the whole trip home. She was still rather hungry since she only got a snack at the zoo. But of course, by the time we got home, she was sound asleep. She's always got those fists of hers up by her face.

Jonathan fell asleep about half way home. He's showing some signs of jealousy with his baby sister so now he won't sit in his big boy booster seat. He wants to be back in his car seat. His potty training has come to a complete halt as well. He's too cute though! He's 2 so it is all understandable. He sleeps just like his daddy does. All I can do is love him. On our next zoo trip, we WILL find the 3 mold-a-rama's of dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs, Jonathan & Bella!

2009-07-19T14:12:00.005-05:00

After not seeing the little ones for 2 weeks (we were going through withdrawl!), we got together with Kerry & the kids for a trip to the zoo! This video is of one of the dinosaurs before my camera batteries died.

On our way home, I kept reading a book to Jonathan called "That's not my dinosaur!" (this book is another in the series & Jonathan loves the "That's not my puppy!" book). Here's Jonathan holding his 2 newest mold-a-ramas telling you about what he saw!

Not to be left out, here's Bella telling you about her first trip to the zoo. She was a bit cranky because she slept the whole time and only got 1/2 a bottle before going home so she was still a bit hungry. But, she still looks cute! She's 6 weeks old in this video.

YEAH! We have lift off!

2009-07-15T17:20:00.002-05:00

Alright, for those who know me, know that i'm a complete space nerd. So, of course, I was glued to my computer to watch all the attempts and the final lift off of space shuttle Endevour. I'm so thrilled that after all these failed attempts, they got off safely and are now taking some stuff up for the Japanese. I'm such a geek but I love it!

WHY?

2009-07-15T17:11:00.002-05:00

I was reading the newspaper this morning when I came across a news article that I just had to share. My first thought was "why?!"

Willbert Weeks was 4 years old when he lost his legs as a result of severe burns. Early this morning, the 66-year-old Englewood resident lost his legs a second time — at the hands of two thieves who broke in to his home, pistol-whipped him and stole his prosthetic legs. “They hit me in the head with a pistol, snatched my legs and ran out,” he said. The suspects got away. But Weeks’ legs were recovered, undamaged, in an alley near his house. Chicago police say Weeks told them he was watching a Discovery Channel program on volcanoes when a male and female, between 15 and 18 years old and both around 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, entered his bedroom. After hitting Weeks and grabbing his legs and identification card, the pair ran out the back door, police said. Weeks said he’s not sure how the intruders got in to his bedroom. He suspects that they broke in through the home’s rear. He suffered a minor bruise and refused medical treatment.

Why would you break into someone's house just to steal their legs? I could sort of understand if they took his money or anything else, but to only take his legs then to dump then later? Oy vey! What's today's youth coming to? All I can do is shake my head. At least the man wasn't hurt.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-07-01T22:22:00.002-05:00

Today is not only Canada Day but it's mom's birthday! It seems like every year, no one gets mom a cake. So this year, I made mom a pie. I made a Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie. Since her two favorite things are chocolate and peanut butter, this pie made the most sense. Plus, it was SO easy.

To make this pie you need:

-1 quart chocolate ice cream (softened)
- 1/2 (16 oz. jar) peanut butter
-1 (9 inch) graham cracker pie crust

Directions:
Mix ice cream and peanut butter together. Pour into crust. Freeze over night.

Now, when I went to the store I couldn't remember how many pints were in a quart (it was late and I was tired) so I got a container of Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream (plus, it was MUCH cheaper to get 1 container than 2!). Yes, the Breyers was 1.5 quarts, but it was less expensive so, oh well! Here in Chicago, you can't find a 9 inch pie crust, it's either a 6 inch crust or a 10 inch crust. So, I used a 10 inch crust. I put all the ice cream in a bowl and then put the peanut butter in the bowl. Mixing was a nightmare (but it left huge chunks of peanut butter in the mix). When I make it again, I will use the whole jar of peanut butter. I think it'll be easier if i use a blender to mix the ice cream and 1/2 the peanut butter until it was smooth & creamy. Then i'd stir in the rest of the peanut butter. It was SOO good. And So easy to make! Be careful when spooning the ice cream into the mixing container, to not get it on the floor. It comes out of the container so much easier when it's soft then when it's hardened. But the pie was a huge hit! A great summer treat.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Too cute!

2009-06-28T17:48:00.006-05:00

With the kids over yesterday, I took some cute video of our little girl. This first one is after Bella spit up on the freshly cleaned carpet (oops!). She had a great time wiggling around on her blanket. I can already see changes from a week ago.

This next one is too short but too cute. I thought I was taking a picture but forgot that my camera was on 'video'. Oops! But what I caught was too cute to delete.

We then attempted to put Bella on her tummy for some tummy time. My friend's daughter who is a little bit older than Bella hates tummy time, so I wanted to see what happened with Bella. The following ensued.

Brother and Sister

2009-06-28T15:43:00.004-05:00

We babysat the kids yesterday and our goal was to take a cute photo of Jonathan and Bella together. It took time and we got some cute photo's. I shall keep trying to get photos of them.

Our first attempt at Jonathan holding his baby sister

Cutest photo of the 2 of them of the day

They are too cute laying together

Wow...

2009-06-15T23:17:00.002-05:00

So, my friend Mark, sent me this link to this YouTube video. I've watched in 3 times in the past hour and i'm still sitting here going "holy cow". I haven't yet been able to process all that information. I mean...wow! Watch this and just try to comprehend what this all means. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUMf7FWGdCw

Stupid crimes

2009-06-13T01:29:00.004-05:00

Alright, my friend Mark sent me a link to this site about stupid criminals titled: Barrel Monster Bust. I laughed so hard I had to share it with you! So this guy, was arrested for taking orange construction barrels and turning them into "art". He cut and put screws into these orange construction barrels. He did about $360 in damages. But what he created the coolest thing! (Click on the picture to see the whole thing)

Isn't that awesome?! I love it. To read the whole piece go to: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0612092monster1.html . Thanks to Mark for passing on this piece of hilariousness. Can't we all sleep better knowing this barrel monster is protecting our streets?

Welcome Home Bella!

2009-06-05T18:26:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Bella & Kerry were released from the hospital. As they were headed home, they called us wanting Jonathan back. So, after dinner and a bath, we packed up the little boy and took him home. He was so cute seeing his mommy and daddy.

We got the first family of 4 photo! That's my girl! Stickin out her tongue!

Bella & I! We had a great long chat.

Bella has such LONG fingers. But she LOVES her pacifier! Chunky cheeks!
Bella & Nana Bella, Papa & Nana's arm.

Jonathan had a great time seeing his mommy and daddy. He could not get enough of sitting with mommy. It's nice to see that they have such a strong bond. Bella is so cute. She's so light (compared to her big brother). She makes such cute noises. She's very active and her frog legs seem to be starting to unfurl. She failed her hearing test in her one ear so Kerry has to take her back to have her hearing retested. The doctors think that because she came out so fast (in 4 pushes) that all the mucus, liquid and gunk didn't get pushed out of her ears completely. She thinks that once all the goo (yes, that's her medical lingo on the discharge sheet) dries up, she should be fine. They'll retest her hearing in a week or so. She's still cute as a button! I've updated the pictures so be sure to look at those. =)

It's A Girl!

2009-06-03T16:57:00.004-05:00

The time has arrived! It's a GIRL!! Bella Elizabeth McCoy made her entrance into the world on June 2, 2009 at 9:32pm. She came in at 8 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long. She's adorable! Kerry had a much easier labor and delivery of Bella than she did with Jonathan. 4 pushes and out she came! She's got a full head of hair, all ten fingers and all ten toes!

The Zooo!

2009-06-01T16:58:00.005-05:00

We all love a good trip to the zoo right? Well, we decided that before Baby Bella made her arrival, we'd take Jonathan to the zoo with Kerry. Right now, Brookfield has a big dinosaur exhibit going on. They have 18 animated dinosaurs, 17 of which are in an exhibit but 1 is sitting out in the pond. He was absolutely awesome. Jonathan learned dinosaur after seeing the big brontosaurus.

Not only did his head move back and forth, up & down, he spit water too! His tail moved too. It was so neat to see. Once Bella comes, we're going to go back to the zoo to see the exhibit. Jonathan loved Tropic World. He was such a fan of the monkeys. He was running through the monkey house making all sorts of monkey noises. He tried to climb over the railings to get in with the monkeys. He loved waving and making monkey noises.

After a long day at the zoo, it was time to hit the gift shop before a long drive home. The long drive home provided us with the "last zoo picture" for this trip.

Out like a light after 5 minutes, wearing his new African Wild Dog sun visor. =)

Big Delay

2009-05-28T16:17:00.003-05:00

So, we've hit a snag. Apparently, Kerry had to make an appointment to be induced and no one told her about that. Now, her inducement has been pushed to Tuesday June 2. But, we're sorta hoping that she comes early b/c her due date is Friday June 5. We're all bummed over here. We want to see this little girl and we want to spend lots of time with Jonathan. Everytime the phone rings we all jump and run to get it. We all hope it's Kerry saying she's gone into labor. So it's now T-minus 5 days til we see baby Bella. =) Have I mentioned that I hate waiting?

2009-05-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

My friend Dawn is learning how to drive a stick shift truck (her husbands car). Her brother posted this video and it made me laugh so hard I thought I'd share it with the rest of the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wT7zM8XgXQ

=)

Busy!

2009-05-26T18:42:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!

Have you missed me? I'm sure you have. Things have been so busy around here. I've been teaching a lot but I was also really sick at the beginning of May. But, we've had many a fun times lately which I'll post about soon. We took Jonathan to Brookfield Zoo on Friday and we had Chris & Karen's wedding reception on Sunday. I'll post about those as soon as I'm done with my photobucket and have all that jazz up and running. T minus 4 days and counting until the birth of Bella (Jonathans' little sister) =)

Welcome Elizabeth!

2009-05-01T14:51:00.005-05:00

YEAH!! So, finally, after 9 months of waiting, Dawn had her baby! Little Elizabeth decided that after mommy and daddy signed the papers for a C-section (after Dawn had stalled at 9cm for 8 hours) that she would make her arrival! She's 22 inches long, 8 lbs 3 oz. She's so cute!

Book Reccomendation

2009-04-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

Alright, on our trip last year to Florida, mom and I found this wonderful book. We got it as a book on CD from the Cracker Barrel. If you need a funny book about dating and romance in the christian world, check out this book! It is so funny that mom and I laughed the whole way back. This year, we found the third book in the series "Lost In Rooville". We didn't realize that the book "A Delirious Summer" was the book in the middle. Luckily, reading Lost In Rooville didn't ruin anything. These books are so funny. The author is Ray Blackston. Check it out, it's funny and enjoyable. A good summer read.

Jonathan & The Easter Bunny

2009-04-10T23:09:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, Mom and I spent the afternoon with Kerry and Jonathan at Yorktown Mall. We took Jonathan to see the bunny. Now, we were a bit afraid of his reaction after seeing the little girl in front of us. She was SOOO excited to see the bunny in line. All she talked about was the bunny. When her feet hit the carpet and it was her turn, she bust out screaming and crying. She was absolutely terrified of the bunny. Now, having Jonathan see this, we were a bit worried of his reaction. So, I put him down and he walks right over to the bunny and says "hi!" He then asks to be picked up so the bunny picks him up and puts Jonathan on his lap. The poor bunny made a groan when picking up Jonathan (I laughed). But once we were done, Jonathan walks around the fountain (behind the bunny) and walks to where the line starts and he gets back in line! We laughed SO hard. When we compared this years picture to last years picture, it was amazing to see how much he's grown! He's huge! The bunny has also gotten a tan this year. Sooo funny!

Dolphins!

2009-03-29T21:05:00.001-05:00

Today, as dad and I were sitting out on the deck playing Rummy, we saw dolphins! In all the years we've been coming here, we've NEVER seen dolphins jumping in the canal. We are having a great time here in Indian Rocks Beach. The drive was not so much fun, especially all the pouring rain/storms in Georgia, but once we hit the Florida (just like last year) the clouds parted and it was warm sun the whole rest of the way. Mom got sunburnt today laying out by the pool. We went mini golfing tonight and had lots of fun. I got some sun while we walked the beach looking for shells for Chris & Karens wedding reception but nothing too bad. =) I just love it here at the harborside hotel. Soooo relaxing!

How do I?

2009-03-25T12:26:00.002-05:00

How do I add friends blogs to my blog? I can't figure it out! Life is very busy with packing for our trip and trying to get the basement bathroom put back together and trying to get everything squared away for dad's surgery when we get back. Nothing like some controlled chaos!

Jonathan plays baseball

2009-03-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

I've Arrived

2009-03-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my playground! I've been wanting to blog for a while but never got into it. But after getting addicted to Ashley's and her mom's, I have to! I will use this space to share photo's of Jonathan and other family fun!