Whew! Yum, Yum!

Wow, we had such a great Thanksgiving holiday. Tony's oldest brother Chris drove into town Tuesday with his girlfriend Wendy and her kids Brian and Breann. We spent Wednesday hiking at Tent Rocks, shopping, and visiting Santa Fe. One dinner at Buca de Beppo later and we were ready to hit the hay!

AJ's First Hike


Family of Four


Chris, Wendy, Brian & Breann


Top Of The Rocks

Thanksgiving morning Tony prepped the turkey, stuffing it with green chile and adorning it with bacon. We poured drinks, turned on football and got the pinball machine rockin. Moments later the Pyrex dish that we were using to catch the drippings shattered! An hour later (after we dismantled the stove, cordless drill and all) we were well on our way to a turkey dinner!


Our Beautiful Turkey....And Messy Oven


Enjoying A Beverage


Loving His First Turkey Day!


Killing Chris In Pinball

Dinner was served around 4pm. Turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, candied yams, green bean casserole, salad and black olives. We blessed the food and thanked God for all that we have and the opportunity to spend the holiday together. It was such a great day!


Enjoying Our Feast


Cienna And Her Olive Fingers

We watched a little football and then tucked into bed early so we could get up at 3am to get some doorbuster (or as we used to call it in retail "butt bringer") deals. After dropping Chris and Wendy off at Wal-Mart, AJ braved the cold weather with Tony and I standing in line in front of Target. Two flat screen TV's and a new microwave later, we were back in bed by 6am! Chris, Wendy and the kids left around 9:30 this morning and I am relaxing on the couch blogging. What a perfect week!

Early Thanksgiving

While I am waiting until next week to celebrate Thanksgiving with the traditional turkey and all the fixings, I can't help but take the time a little early to reflect on how thankful I am for the life that I have been blessed with. Maybe it's the weather turning colder, or the shows that depict the lives of people who have lost their jobs and are stuggling to make ends meat. But every year around this time I can't help but feel fortunate for all that I have. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who works hard, loves me unconditionally and is not plagued with vices. I have two beautiful, healthy children who are smart and funny. My daughter tells me everyday that she loves me (even on the days that I think I yell just a little too much) and a son who smiles at me with two dimples everytime I look at him. I have two dogs who view me with admiration and would give their lives to protect me. I have family and friends who provide me with comfort, support, a shoulder to lean on and lots of laughs. I have a nice, cozy home that has all the ammenities and is located in an amazing neighborhood. Food is bursting out of my pantry and I have so much frozen goods that I need an outside freezer to store it all. Both Tony and I have a reliable vehicles with heated seats. I have many, many clothes and shoes, and they only contain holes if I bought them that way (a concept that my husband still doesn't understand.) My children and I have warm beds, with decorative items that give us comfort. We have money in the bank and a steady flow coming in with resources to keep it up. I have vacations planned for December, January and May already and don't have to worry about losing my job in order to take the time off. I am so grateful for everything that we have, especially when I know that there are so many people living in our country that are homeless and won't have enough to eat today. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and if you get the opportunity to assist someone who needs a little help, please do. Giving is much more fulfilling than recieving and your blessings will come back 10 fold!

2...Going On 22

We have fell into a nice routine these days, with our mornings filled with toddler activities and our afternoons spent either "futzing" around the yard or hanging out around the house. Today, which is story time at the library, I met a mom who has an 18month old daughter and a 6 year old son. We clicked immediately, an instant bond commiserating about raising two kids as stay-at-home mothers. Her husband is a police officer who works nights, and with my hubby gone two nights a week at the firehouse we could relate to each other in a lot of ways. Anyway, we have already made plans for next week which is very exciting.
Cienna has been a bit challenging the last couple of weeks and it is probably all my fault. Sometimes it is easier to let her do what she wants instead of fighting. As a result I have created a cute little monster. My two-year-old acts twenty-two, complete with a vocabulary anyone with a GED would be proud of and her hands appropriately placed on her hips. Sometimes I want to laugh, but mostly I want to cry. She is a handful!
As for little AJ, he is perfectly happy catnapping all day and being his sister's real life doll. She pushes him around in her doll stroller and pats him on the head telling him how cute he is. It is awesome!
While the routine is good, the battles with little Ms. Fancy Nancy Pinkalicious are fierce and exhausting. Hopefully that will subside shortly as we are expecting guests for Thanksgiving. We can't wait!

Cienna & AJ In The Bike Chariot


Pushing AJ In The Doll Stroller

Comparing Notes: Cienna vs AJ

Today was AJ's 2 month check up and just out of curiosity I decided to compare Cienna's baby book notes to what I wrote about AJ on his 2 month b-day. Very interesting for me...probably boring for you. But valuable documentation for the blog!

Cienna Elise

Height: 23 1/4"
Weight: 10lbs 13oz
Sleeping Patterns: "I started sleeping through the night on 2.26.07. I also like taking a morning nap until around 10am."
Eating Habits: "I still want to eat every 3 hours except when I am sleeping through the night."
New Foods I Liked: "I starting having some formula in between breast feedings. I love it!"
New Discoveries I Made: "I found my hands! I would hold my bottle, touch my luller and shove my fist in my mouth."
My Accomplishments: "I laughed out loud, smiled when I recognized people and held my bottle twice."
Baby Babbles: "Lots of noise this month but no words!"

Anthony Michael

Height: 23 1/2"
Weight: 12lbs 12oz
Sleeping Patterns: "Starting 10.17.09 I began sleeping through the night. I mostly wake up between 4&5am for a feeding and then back to bed until 8am."
Eating Habits: "Still on the boob...all day, everyday, whenever you want it!"
New Foods I Liked: "See above."
New Discoveries I Made: "I found my hands....and like to suck on them."
My Accomplishments: "I can smile now, focus on objects and sleep through the night."
Baby Babbles: "Not many noises coming out of my mouth yet...just burps!"

Happy Halloween!

This is the first year that I can remember that I am glad that Halloween is finally over. It used to be one of those holidays that just kind of snuck up on me. That was impossible this year with as many parties and events we had, not to mention how many times I had to get "Snow White" dressed. I am happy to report that last night was a total success, with Cienna experiencing complete candy bliss. She absolutely loved trick or treating, especially with her friends. We do have to work on it though, considering the first house we went to she didn't say "trick or treat" or "thank you", instead she waited for them to say "thanks for coming" and she said "your welcome." We had to explain to her that was not exactly how trick or treating works!
Our neighborhood was definitely the place to be in ABQ. There were literally hundreds of kids and parents walking the streets. A true Halloween experience!

Our Portrait At The Harvest Festival...Daddy Was Working


The Cash Register Cienna Bought With Her Halloween Money From Mimi


Posing With Baby Brother On The Couch


With Her BFF Michayla At The Little Gym Party


After Trick Or Treating...Had To Have The Cash Register In The Pic!


Cienna's Vampire Mickey Mouse Pumpkin!

Costumes, Candy & Celebrations!

Even though this is technically Cienna's third Halloween, this is the first year that she is really pumped up for all of the costumes, candy and celebrations that go along with the holiday. "Snow White" as she is now demanding to be called, attended her first Halloween party and Harvest Festival in the neighborhood. Just to give you a glimpse into her daily nutrition;
Breakfast - Had donuts with Dad while they went to the dump
Snack AM - Popsicle that Dad bought at the store
Lunch - PBJ & Grapes
Snack PM - Cupcakes & Candy at the Harvest Festival
Dinner - PBJ & Grapes, along with candy that the neighbors brought over
Did I mention that along with insisting that we call her Snow White, she also insists on PBJ's for almost every meal?
I know this is just another one of those phases...thank GOD she is asking for PBJ's and not a well done steak!
While I think that she will really love Halloween and Christmas, I am putting my money on Thanksgiving as her favorite holiday due to the fact that when the kid hears a bag crinkle she comes running. We will see though...she is already talking about Santa Claus!

Hugging Her Friends At The Harvest Festival

Decorating Cupcakes At The Halloween Party

On My Own

The kids and I made it back from CA last Wednesday with assistance from my mother-in-law, Marilou. After another week of visiting with great friends and our first trip to the Build-a-Bear workshop (thanks uncle Jon!) we were finally ready to venture home and brave life on our own for the first time since AJ was born. It has been a whirlwind of houseguests and traveling for 7 weeks now! Last week I was able to catch up with two of my great friends and softball teammates Cindy & Tiffany. Like all of my friends, they both have sons. Cienna got lots of practice having a brother, and just as I had suspected she really held her own!


Cienna With Ty & Damyn Vandevior (Tiffany's Kids)


Cienna & Logan Knapp (Cindy's Son)

AJ also had fun visiting with friends and family. He got to meet lots of uncles, cousins and second cousins and even pooped on some of them. He smiled for the first time and gained at least 3 lbs. Goodbye newborn diapers, hello double chin!


AJ with Pops


With Great-Grandma Betty


Smiling For The First Time


Happy As A Clam

After spending all day Thursday getting the house back in order (it is amazing how fast my husband can turn our home into a total bachelor pad) we made it a family afternoon at the pumpkin patch. And although we missed the hay ride, there was still plenty to do at the McCall farm. And they even gave us a pumpkin for free!




Our New Little Family


Panning For Colorful Rocks With Mimi


Super Dad


Pouting Because The Hay Bales Were Too Tall To Climb!

Marilou "Mimi" Mazotti spent the rest of the afternoon seeing what it is like being a part of the traveling trash family. She had to nap in the truck! She leaves this afternoon to return to "Pops" and I just want to say THANK YOU so much to both of them for all of their help the last 7 weeks. And THANK YOU to my mom for all of your help too! I don't know what I would have done without all of the support!