Two Peas in a Pod

These two have a bond like none I have ever seen. Isabella watches every move Shea makes with pure adoration. 13 is such a difficult age and often times Shea keeps her feelings and her affections well hidden. She never hides them from Isabella. She always has hugs and kisses for her and always tells her that she loves her. It is the coolest thing to see.

I hope that they will always share this bond even when Shea is grown and on her own.

Love/Hate Relationship

I love that these four men have the ability to put Isabella into a trance-like state for 30 minutes so that I can get something done without interuption, but if I have to listen to "Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car" one more time, I am going to hurt myself with a blunt kitchen object.

Happy Birthday Nicholas Joseph!

My sweet little baby boy - 1 year has gone by! In one year since you have arrived, your presence has changed our family dramatically. I never could have imagined having a son, and what a shock it was when you were born. You were supposed to be Francesca! (I am still mildly bitter that I did not get to use that name. And I would secretly call you that if I didn't think it would cause major psychological damage!) I kept calling you "she" for about 6 months because I couldn't get used to the idea of referring to a "he".

In the past year, I have been massively sleep deprived, witnessed some of the most major head trauma's of my life, and run my butt off to stop you from all the dangerous places in our house that before I thought were just household items. The dishwasher, the toilet, chairs, slate floors, all the doors - who knew the hinge side of the door acts as a vice grip on small fingers. And let's not forget Barbie shoes - how many barbie shoes can a baby jam into his mouth before his mother notices?

Mostly in the last year, I have fallen madly in love with the little boy with the heart-melting smile. You are a sweet, funny, happy, mischievous child all wrapped up into one cuddly package. You are the perfect addition to our family, and I feel that we are now complete.

As for Francesca, I see a four-legged creature in our future someday, and I want naming rights.

We love you, precious little man. Happy First Birthday!

I guess this is one way to play with the toys......Climb into the toy basket!

Having Kids a Decade Apart

BENEFITS

I am more mature, wiser, and much more patient in my thirties than I was in my twenties.

Taylor and Shea feel a sense of responsibility and have vastly matured because of their younger siblings.

Our family has been drastically enriched by the addition of Isabella and Nicholas.

DISADVANTAGES

Isabella's vocabulary contains phrases like "That will freak me out", "That's gross", "You're weird", and "Oh -----My ------Ga.....sha!"

I am the only mother at the High School sporting events carrying a diaper bag instead of a trendy bag.

My body did not bounce back to it's bikini ready form as it did in my twenties. (1 year and counting.....still not ready.)

The other moms at the grocery store with babies look like teenagers.

I will be 56 years old when Nicholas leaves for college!

Happy Birthday Dad and Joe!

Saturday night we went to my in-law's to celebrate my father-in-law's and my brother-in-law's birthdays. Tons of appetizers, delicious sandwiches and two different kinds of birthday cake! I was stuffed when we left. Everything was so good, and we all had a great time!

Crazy Girls!

Shea invited 6 of her friends over on Friday night for a sleepover. After all these years of hosting sleepovers, I am always astonished at how loud a group of girls can be. Thankfully, we have a large finished basement where they stayed for most of the evening. They came up for pizza and cake, and that was all we heard from them for the rest of the night. It's so funny how the parties never change from generation to generation. Lot's of food, pop, and candy, always accompanied by a scary, gory movie about a psycho killer wandering around some small, quiet neighborhood with a butcher knife. Friday's selection was titled "Prom Night".

Something tells me that this will be the last year for an all girls party. There have already been some rumblings about having a co-ed party. God help us!