May already?

Oops, it's been almost 2 months since I last blogged, my bad. Lots of cool things have been going on. We have finally finished upgrading our kitchen and I must say it looks lovely! We started with counter tops which took forever to pick, added a back splash that goes all the way up the wall, it looks a little zebra like in the pictures but in person it is beautiful. It all looked really good but the cabinets didn't quite fit, so we jumped on the idea of refacing, since replacing was out of the question. It looks as though we have a completely new kitchen for about 1/2 the cost. If anyone needs names of people let me know. I'm more than willing to give them out based on the fantastic jobs they did. I don't have a totally before picture but when I find one I will post it.

As you all may know, Joseph is growing like a weed. He is quite the little stinker that likes to get into everything and take his parents right to their breaking point, then melts us with his devious chuckle and beautiful smile. His is testing every ounce of patients that both Adam and I have and I really think he is enjoying it :) He definitely knows where his timeout spot is and will go straight to it (most of the time) if told to.

He's thoroughly enjoying his gymventures classes that he goes to on Tuesday with Daddy and Saturdays with Mommy and sometimes Daddy. He will be starting swim classes here pretty soon. We haven't yet decided if we are going to do them at the Y. I got a name of an instructor from one of the Moms in our class so we'll see what the instructor says. He will be swimming though this summer...we are set on it :) He still continues to sign to us. He can now say "poop" and "help". Only a couple actual words like. who's that, what's that, here go, ma and da. He's in no hurry to talk and we aren't concerned at all. I would love for him to be able to speak in sign language as well as words.

As for Adam and I, we are both doing well and enjoying married/parent life. We will be heading to Vegas on June 3rd for a fun filled weekend that includes a Vegas Wedding! YAY! Aiden and Pat are tying the knot. It's going to be a GREAT time with great friends...in VEGAS! We love Vegas. We will be gone for 4 nights and will miss our little guy but when we return on the following Monday I will be off that entire week, so we will have lots of time to plan fun adventures with Joseph. Time is flying by so quickly, I feel like before I know it, it will be Joseph's birthday again and I'm not ready to deal with the terrible twoooooos. Although potty training does sound fabulous!

Hope this year is finding you all in good spirits and you are enjoying your life to the fullest!

Miss you Dad!

120 Days and Counting!

This blog is dedicated to my brother Jeff. Jeff has just accomplished 120 days sober. I couldn't be more proud of him and happy for the new life that he has started for himself! It's not easy to stop an addiction "cold turkey" but he did and hasn't looked back. Our Dad was be so proud of him and how strong he has been throughout these past 4 months.

When growing up we all were pretty close. One time Jeff and I decided that we wanted to buy a tent to camp in the backyard, so we gathered up all our old toys and sold them. Jeff only seeing $$$$ signs decided that we should try and double our money by putting into a slot machine, (we were probably 8 and 10 and in Scotland they had slot machines at the Fish and Chip shops and never questioned a 10 year old putting money into it!) Well needless to say he lost every penny that we had. WE, yes Jeff and MYSELF, got punished for this, even though it was his idea! We were grounded for 2 weeks and had to wash the walls going down our stair cases, we had a 4 story. I will never let him forget that. When we moved back to the US things changed. Our parents split and we started to not get along as well as we once did. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd and we stopped being friends. It's hard now to look back and see all the wasted years that we didn't get along or really talk that much. I wanted so bad to protect him and could because he was unreachable when on drugs. Then Joseph came along.....Jeff loves kids and kids love Jeff. We are the youngest in our family and always had older cousins that spoiled us. I think these are fond memories of his and he wants to do the same for little kids in our family. He dotes over Joseph. When Joseph first learned sign language he would say "more" a lot. At one of Jeff's meeting there was a 3 year old there and he wanted something. Jeff told him he had to ask for more and should him the sign for it, his mother told Jeff that he didn't know how to sign. Jeff replies, "oh well my year old nephew does" He's so proud of Joseph and just adores him. I think he realized that I he had to change in a BIG way to be apart of my sons life. I never accepted Jeff for who he was because I knew he could and was so much more than the person that he had become. He has now turned his life around and I accept him not only into my sons life but into my life for the person that he is. When it comes down to it, we are family and in the end that's all you have. Our Dad ALWAYS expressed and stressed this to us growing up.

Keep up the good work! :) xo

2010!

It's 4 days shy of it being 5 months since my Dad's death. It's been weighing on me the past week. I went to the beach house that my aunt gets every year over the weekend and the last time I was there I was pregnant and my Dad was here visiting. It was ok being there but I did think of him a lot while I was there. Enough about my sob story. He's just been on my mind as usual.

Joseph is growing like a weed and learning like a baby Einstein! The other day he signed "food please" to me. He is getting lazy with it though. He has modified how he says things. He no longer will sign "more" but only "food" and I can barely get a "thank you" and everything is "please" :) Adam and I bought him a little plastic set of golf clubs and he absolutely LOVES them! It's pretty much the only toy he plays with now. He knows that you hit the ball with the club..... but we haven't managed to get him to stop swinging it at Houdini. I think he's just getting Houdini back for biting him. His other new thing is lifting up your shirt and trying to blow raspberries on your love handles, he also like to use my cleavage as his own personal hand warmer.

I have high hopes for 2010! I would like to get a bike and start riding it. I bought Joseph a seat for one and now just need the thingy with the wheels that you have to peddle. I want to take up hobbies and get organized. I'm the most un-organized person that I know and it drives me crazy cause I don't have time to be un-organized. As for hobbies, I really don't know when I'll have time for them since every second of my spare time I want to be with Joseph and Adam but I'll just have to find something to incorporate them, perhaps bike rides. We'll get one of those tandem bikes. Joseph and I will kick back in the rear and let Adam do all the work ;) I would also like to spend more time with my Mommy friends. I want our kids to grow up together and play so we need to get together for tea and crumpets. And if you don't have kids I want to hangout with you and yourself. Whatever works. Basically I need some female in my life. I have a husband, son and male cat!

I hope you all are having a wonderful 2010 so far!