Blog neglect

My blog is obviously uploading photos now without a problem...

So, of course, my laptop decides to bite the dust!

Since I'm using my wonderful hubby's computer, all my pictures are saved to my laptop.

Pooo Pooo Pooo!

Matt's had his IT guy at work take a look at my laptop & although we just thought the screen was not coming on/just needed to be reconnected to a plug into the "laptop base"...I just got word that it is probably an issue with the "Mother Board."  I do not know the computer lingo what-so-ever, but the term "Mother Board" sounds serious (and expensive...).

Hopefully the customer service at Best Buy will still honor our warranty on the computer.  Wish me luck finding the warranty papers that Matt asked me to "make sure I save"...could not even begin to tell you where they might be after we moved into this house.  :) Yikes!

Buy anyway...for the time being...you can check out my phone photos from the week.

I've been beyond busy watching 3 boys this week.  Michael & Landon live a few houses down & their parents needed an extra hand with them this week.  I enjoyed having them around, although I am not sure I could handle having three boys.  God bless you parents out there that have experienced this before!  It takes a ton of patience, planning, distracting, and well...pure genius.  It was a task I knew I could handle...

Meet Landon.  The happiest, fastest crawling 11 month old that ever lived.  My eyes never came off of him as he was a major fan of anything ceramic, stairs, and the toilet water.  Connor wanted to hold him all the time!

My goal was to find activities that would entertain a 6 year old, 4 year old, and baby.

And I thought one kid was a challenge. Ha ha ha!

Our walk home from our playground area was the longest walk of my life.  I was carrying my 50 lb child who was having a cry fest (just for fun), which in return required me to carry his scooter in my other hand, all while watching a speedy 6 year old on his bike, and while carrying an 11 month old. 

That's right...I apparently have 3 arms!

We made it home, all were thirsty, and I decided it was time for a movie!

The boys were great & we had them over another evening as well.

The babysitting time earned me a trade-off of Michael & Landon's family to watch Connor while Matt & I go out on Valentine's Day. Score!

Then another time this week (couldn't tell you what day), we added Scooby Doo Dominoes to our family game rotation.  It was a nice break for Matt & I as we usually play "Darth Vader, Princess Mommy, and Super Connor" (which is usually just dancing around & making funny noises in the living room), or tag while Connor is the constant tagger & Matt & I just frolic into different rooms where Connor has to find us (its more like Hide & Seek in constant motion).

Matt & I figured out that we were apparently playing by the wrong rules, because Connor won three times in a row...

Connor wasn't complaining!

*Disregard Connor's painful looking smile.  He was thrilled to play :)

After Dominoes, Connor wanted to "Tittle eachother."  Tickle sessions begin with a firm "Do you need to use the potty first, Connor?!" and usually end with Mommy running upstairs to find Connor a dry pair of pajama pants.  The extra laundry is worth the giggles that flow through our house! :)

Not sure when you'll hear from me again, but lets hope its sooner than later!

Happy Friday!

Rain cloud

 

Today, I have carried around a giant rain cloud over my head. 

 

I can't seem to get this amazing family off my mind.

 

Meet the Cimino family.

 

I work with Heather & Nick at Health Park.  Heather is the head of our Nuclear Medicine department and Nick works in the Cath Lab.  They are such sweet, funny people, with three little boys that are full of life.  We joked that Heather & Nick would once house an entire soccer team of boys.  Last January, just a week after their youngest son was born, they received the devastating news that Nick had cancer in his leg.  The happy, healthy family was hit with the biggest surprise of their lives.  They've spent the last year attending Dr visits, radiation treatments, juggling parenting, work, numerous hospital stays, surgeries, and trips all over to find help for this growing cancer.  Nick was told he had fought & beat cancer in November (just in time for his 31st birthday)...and he was looking forward to his final Dr visit to get the medical release to go back to work...when they found that he had cancer in his lungs.

 

So their light at the end of the tunnel disappeared.

 

The Doctor predicted he wouldn't live to celebrate Christmas.

 

The hospital terminated Nick's position, removing all of his Life Insurance benefits as well.

 

Their lives went into a downward spiral once again.

 

To make a long story shorter, Nick just underwent another surgery in Tampa to get as much out of his lungs as possible, and the surgeon came to find out it was larger than he realized & it had spread to his lymph nodes & heart now.

 

My heart aches for their family.

 

Tomorrow is their sweet baby, D'mitri's 1st birthday.

 

What a year it has been for them.  I can't even possibly imagine.

 

So, tonight...I ask that you just say an extra prayer for Nick and his family. 

 

Hug your loved ones a little tighter and remember that each day counts.

 



Oh Happy day!

So...yesterday I had the most bipolar husband on the planet.  He was talking Superbowl one minute then swearing off his team the next minute.  As his calm, positive life coach throughout the game, I kept the happy vibes flowing and I'd like to take full credit for the 49ers win over the Falcons yesterday ;).

It was a glorious moment and I was so very grateful Matt got the win he needed to keep him content for the rest of the evening! :)

Hello Superbowl!!!

Connor can't get enough of his big boy time!  They all pulled out their game devices & played the same games at the same time in attempt to pretend like they were playing eachother.  It's so cute to pop an ear in the room to hear Connor whisper "Oh sugar plum!" when he doesn't play well.  I probably should man-up his phrases by the time he starts school, so he's not a sissy.  For now, its pretty darn adorable!

It was a great football day AND a great guy's birthday!  Family & friends gathered to wish Paul a happy 34th!  

Connor's never too far away when cake & candles are around!

Now, bring on the Superbowl!!

I can't wait!!

Hello nice weather!

Cooler temps meant one lovely day at the playground!

We did lots of climbing...

and monkeying around...

and cheesy smiling mixed with lots of giggles!

Sometimes simple days are exactly what we need! :)

Badge anyone?!

Introducing Hoot as a Button

Owner: The amazing Megan Sears

When our hospital staff switched to uniforms and strict colors, it was hard to show our individual fashion sense without fun little accessories. I was gifted an adorable badge holder for Christmas from my wonderful sister-in-law & it's been a hit around the hospital ever since!  I decided to seek out my own sources and start making some cute ones myself! If you or anyone you know would be interested in a badge holder, please let me know.  They're already selling quickly at $10 a piece, so get them while they last ;).

  

Felt appliques in bright, fresh colors!

Whether you work with adults or kids, they're sure to catch their eye!

Adjustable alligator clips and retractable badge reels make them extra functional for your work needs!

Have special requests? A favorite color or animal? 

Contact me for special orders :)

Happy Friday everyone!

We're back in business...

As Danielle & I have suffered from OCD attacks, after having our photos pile up without a blog to load them to...we are finally saved!  HUGE thanks to Tiffany (Peyton's Mama) for suggesting we upload a new internet browser and try that.  Goodbye Internet Explorer and Hello Google Chrome!

Here's a quick upchuck of random pictures that have been anxiously waiting to be seen :)

Crazy family dress up time at Taylor's 8th birthday party!

My precious little boy cruisin' Nana & Papa's neighborhood!  He decided he'd give his Christmas bike a try and took off...gave Nana a run for her money all the way around her community!  I pulled in after work to see my big guy up and pedaling like a pro.  I was anxiously waiting for the day he'd be willing to try a bike out.  Now, we can't go anywhere without a bike or scooter in our trunk.

Over the past few weeks, we've gathered many neighborhood friends.  If you step out in your driveway around 5pm each day, you'll find swarms of children waiting to play!  Just the other night, we had about 9 neighborhood kidlets in our driveway cruising on various bikes/scooters/electric vehicles!  Our new friends recently are Alyssa, Gia, Michael, Landon, and Benjamin (mixed in with a few more kids that we don't really know yet...).  Every neighborhood playdate usually ends in tears, as Connor wants to bring his friends home with him to play forever.  Reason # 1,496 why Connor needs a sibling!

This past week, we got to celebrate a big 4th birthday with my sweet little niece, Kaylee!

And then this past week, I jumped on the Instragram bandwagon (another reason to take pictures and post for family & friends...as if I don't do that on a few other websites already...).  I love me some pictures...especially of my favorite freckled face smurf!

Here's one I captured on my phone a few days ago when we had supper at Nana & Papa's.  A few of my favorite guys were grilling out...and looking mighty cute doing it! :)

Yay for having pictures to look at again!!

And P.S.

Thank you G.G. for Connor's Bahamas goodies!  We're glad you're back safely from your trip! :)

Darn you Blogger...

It has been a few weeks now since I've updated my blog with adorable photos of my funny little four year old and it appears the wait will continue...

 

Not sure why my blog will not allow me to upload issues, but apparently its an issue my friend, Danielle, is dealing with as well.

 

It just goes to show that I would never stop blogging, since my life has felt incomplete ever since my blog has been put on hold.  I have some great photos to share (and you'll hopefully see soon).

 

To recap our lives for the past two weeks or so, Connor's been busy bike riding, scootering, and meeting neighborhood kids (Alyssa, Gia, Michael & Benjamin).  Matt's been busy working long hours (and showing the guys at work whose boss!), assembling furniture that his awesome wife ordered (dresser & buffet), and feeling pretty darn proud of his 49ers football :).  I have been occupied with everything Connor (nothing new), registering the Peewee in VPK at his current Christian school (he'll start in August), signing him up for soccer (he'll start in March), and getting ready to make/sell cute retractable badge holders (when a lot of healthcare workers are required to wear uniforms, fancying up your 'blah' scrubs with a custom badge holder is quite the hit!).

 

I have cute photos to share from the neighborhood kids gathering in the streets to play each evening, Kaylee's 4th birthday, and odds & end fun photos of my favorite Munchkin.

 

Let's all pray to the Blogger Gods that they get everything worked out & running well again.  Otherwise, this crazy Mom will be loading pictures to my computer, sending them to my phone, and uploading my pictures from my phone (sounds way more complicated than it needs to be). 

 

Stay tuned...

 



Ridin' high!

I pulled into Nana & Papa's neighborhood after work to see my boy riding his bike!!!

I was beyond excited! I stopped my car in the middle of the rode, pulled out my camera & started capturing the moment. I cried I was so proud!

 

It was one of my New Years Resolutions to get Connor up on his bike (which he's had no interest in for quite some time).

I am SO happy my big boy tried it out, because once he was on--he rode around the whole neighborhood!


***Photos to come.  My blog is having technical issues with loading images, so once it's repaired--you'll have some pictures of my bike riding boy!!!!!!****

Happy Birthday/New Year!

So yeah...I'm a year older...

 

Although this was the first year I've ever had to work on my birthday, I still managed to have a wonderful day!  While I was working, my boys were out shopping (for me).  My Matt is the definition of procrastination when it comes to gift giving.  The boys had a blast though, and I was happy to meet them for lunch after their shopping excursion!  Connor picked out a giftcard for me to get my hair/nails done.  I will be more than happy to use it :)

 

We laughed when we met for lunch & I saw what Matt dressed Connor in.  He was wearing a mismatched shirt & pants with his wild Scooby Doo crocs.  The perfect attire for a nice birthday lunch at Carabbas! Owell--Connor wore it well!

 

 

After lunch, we headed home for a nice nap before Nana & Papa came by.  Connor insisted Mommy had a Toy Story character cake, so Nana supplied the fun Toy Story decor & they had fun fancying up my cake :)

 

All my birthday festivities from here on out are done for this precious guy, alone.  He loves birthdays...no matter whose it is!

 

When it was present time, Connor had a front row seat.

 

Oh how I love this boy!

 

He loved all my gifts! Scarf, giftcards, picture frames...he was happy to see whatever was in each package!

 

I looooooved all my gifts!  From house decor to primping stuff to donations to my shopping fund...I can't wait to use it all :)

 

Our afternoon nap was strategically planned to help us make it though our late night festivities at the Minich Household.  Matt has grown up with this family & holiday gatherings, so its so nice to be a part of it all with them.  We brought our Toy Story cake & it turned into a group of about 25 unknown faces singing Happy Birthday to me :).  Connor ate it up (the attention and the cake)!

 

We knew the party would be great for all of us.  Connor got to socialize with the numerous kids floating around and therefore, Matt & I were able to socialize among adults.  It was a win-win situation!

 

The big boys gave Connor a lesson in karoake singing as well as taught him some Gangnam Style dance moves.

 

*For anyone unfamiliar with the Gangnam Style (like Matt was), Google it for a good giggle.  The song is ridiculously catchy.

 

We were excited to make it to midnight :)

 

Since all day it was "Mommy's birthday," Connor didn't realize it was actually New Years until about a minute before the ball dropped.  After we counted down along with Ryan Seacrest on tv, we cheered, smooched, then headed outside to watch the fireworks. 

 

While standing on the dock, Connor blurts out, "This is the best New Years EVER!" 

 

 I adore his outlook on life. 

 

We packed sparklers, because well, everything is better with sparklers!

 

Happy New Year!!!!

 

To avoid all crazies on the road after midnight, we camped out at Chrissy & Paul's house.  All the kids were crashed on the couch before long. 

 

 

Even though its two days post New Years, my body is still trying to recover from staying up so late on New Years Eve!

 

We had many highs and lows in 2012 to remember.  To recap:

 

We tried to buy a house that we thought was great and didn't get it.  I experienced the hardest day of my entire life to date as I sat in court in March pouring my heart out.  My parents sold our childhood house in less than a week.  Matt & I found an even better house that was perfect for us.  We sold my "old house" in less than two weeks.  We took Connor to Disney for the 2nd time in his life.  Our Disney trip offered way more than I anticipated, when my Matt proposed :). Connor started the "Mom's Day Out" program at a local Christian school.  Connor's favorite buddy moved away to Pennsylvania. I planned for a wedding, while moving into a 'temporary residence.'  I was shopping for furniture and a wedding dress at the same time.  Connor befriended his new BFF, Coen.  We had so many ups and downs with being approved for the new house, then not approved, then approved again.  We were beyond blessed to move into our new home in September.  I became Mrs. Sears in October.  Connor told me "I love you" randomly and all on his own--  My heart melted at that very moment.  Matt & I spent an amazing 5 days in San Francisco.  I became the proud owner of a FOUR year old.  Craig & Nicole got the beautiful house they've been patiently waiting for. I rang in the New Year with the two boys that I love more than anything.

 

Through all the positives and negatives over the past year, my heart has still smiled bigger than I can ever remember it smiling before.  

 

I have oodles and oodles on my "Things to do in 2013" and I am very much looking forward to what lies ahead this year!

 

Happy New Year to all and to all a good night! :)