Home Sweet Home

No traveling this week allowed us to get back in the swing of things and made me realize how nice it is to just be home (and in a routine.) Here is our week in review:

Tuesday's are now soccer days. Cienna has been enjoying indoor soccer with Lil' Kickers and she is pretty good at it too!


Wednesday we started ballet & tap dance. She loves the class because of all of the mirrors. She can stare at herself for days and that suits her just fine.


Thursday AJ started to act really hungry. The doctor had told me to leave him on the boob until he actually started reaching for food and during dinner I swore he was doing just that. I immediately ran to the store and bought some squash, which seemed totally rational at the time. Let's just say it wasn't his favorite thing of all time.



Friday we woke up to snow in ABQ. Once it melted off Cienna wanted to jump in the puddles. So we pulled on the rain boots and had a blast!


Saturday all I remember was vomit. Cienna got sick three times. I felt so bad for her (and a little sorry for myself too) but by the end of day she was feeling better. I did not document this with pictures. That would have been sick (pun intended.)

Sunday we started ripping out the hall bathroom. With the remodel well under way, it looks like a bomb went off in my living room. I am doing my best not to get anxiety over this, but anyone who knows me knows that I don't do well with clutter. You will never find me as the featured person on the show "Hoarders." I would be locked in a padded cell way before they came knocking on my door.


Monday I went to the doctor regarding my gallbladder. I am going to have it out at the beginning of April (due to the fact that AJ is still on the boob.) The good news is that my low-fat diet has greatly assisted in my weight loss post-baby. I am finding awesome new foods to eat everyday and I don't miss much of the high fat foods that I used to feast on daily. Definitely a blessing in disguise.

Well that is really it. I do have a funny little story to end this post. After Cienna being up all night vomiting all I wanted to do the next night was get a good rest. I climbed into bed, turned to Tony and said "let's say a prayer for no throw up tonight." Just then Zeus barfed on the carpet in our bedroom. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Goodnight!

Another Crazy Week

If you are a regular reader of this blog, I am sure you are used to the craziness that is my (our) life. This week was no exception. In order to avoid boring you with all of the details I am going to use bullet points and add pictures where applicable. Let's see how this goes...
** Thursday thru Sunday we had a last minute visit from DJ Brown. He and Tony are high school buddies and after many years of knowing him I will finally claim him as my friend too. We had a little too much fun catching up and acting like we did before we had kids, probably because his wife Melanie couldn't make the trip. I take that back. It probably would have been worse if she had come too. Anyway, by the end of the weekend we all felt like this:


**Tuesday we started the day with a trip to the ER with AJ after two vomiting episodes. I am not usually one to rush to the hospital at the first sign of sickness but he became lethargic and pale so it scared me. By the time we saw the doctor he was his normal, happy self. The doctor said it was probably just a fluke thing since he didn't have a fever, cough, runny nose or any other ailments. So that was fun.

**Tuesday afternoon we flew to Denver to visit my BFF from high school Jen and her boyfriend Justin. Once we arrived we got a call from our house sitter telling us that the key that we left him wouldn't open the door. This would not be an issue if my big sissy dogs weren't there. So one locksmith and $100 later he was back in the house!

**The rest of our trip was fabulous. We went to the Denver Aquarium, did a little shopping, and enjoyed several bottles of champagne and one very competitive game of Trivial Pursuit. Oh yea and we planned our couples trip to Cancun in May! Arriba!!

Daddy & Cienna Bonding Over Amphibians


In High School They Called Us Thelma and Louise. If You Don't Know Why, I'm Not Tellin!

Cienna Got Some New Gear (And Obviously A Bag Of Cheetos)


Jen and Justin Practicing with AJ

**Friday my mom flew in from CA for Cienna's birthday. Thank God for great friends, as she got there about 12 hours before we got home from Denver. After arriving home around 8pm we let Cienna open presents and then piled into the car and went downtown for Thai food. After a great meal and a $20 parking ticket we crashed out!

**Sunday was Cienna's 3rd birthday party at Chuck E Cheese with 6 of her closest friends. It was crazy fun! Lots of games, dancing, pizza, cake and presents. The 2 hour time limit was perfect. No meltdowns!


With the Birthday Girl


The Erdman Family Came Despite Missing Part of the Cowboys Game!


Playing Games with Granny


The Three Amigos: Meadow, Cienna & Makayla


Dancing With Chuck E


AJ Was Not So Sure About Chuck E...


The Beautiful Princess Cake


So Proud To Be 3!


Blowing Out The Candles


Uh, Oh! You Are Supposed To Eat The Cake, Not Wear It!

**Today my mom left for home and we started our bathroom remodel. I literally have a bathtub in my living room as we speak. Lord help me. Will we ever rest?!

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

For the most part, 2009 was an amazing year for the Mazotti family. We started two new business ventures, gave birth to our baby boy AJ and were able to survive in this very tough economy. With so much to feel fortunate for, it does not surprise me that the last week of 2009 would dish us out a heavy dose of reality.
It started with the gallstone episode on Christmas night. It took me completely by surprise, as I had no idea that I would face any sort of medical problems at 30 years old. Since the emergency room visit I have been able to control the stomach aches and pains with a low fat diet. A blessing in disguise I guess you could say. I meet with the surgeon on the 25th to talk about my options.
On December 30th, we had another completely unexpected occurrence. That morning, Tony was finally released back to full duty at the fire station. Because of this, he was sent home early from the academy so that he would not get overtime when he showed up for his regular shift. He headed home at around 3pm and decided to go to the gym. Being that it was going to be crazy at that time of day, he asked if he could drive my car instead of his big truck because it can be hard to find a parking spot. Anyway, when he returned at 6pm he walked in the door and said the words that I had heard just 2 short years ago...."where the bleepidy-bleep is my truck?" I honestly could not believe it. Unfortunately it was real. Our truck was stolen from right outside our house again.
At this point I am too emotionally drained to even talk about it. But for those of you keeping score at home, we had our first truck stolen in 2002, my car stereo stolen in 2004, a truck and dump trailer stolen in 2008 and now another truck in 2009. While I do think that this is very bad luck, I still feel very fortunate that it has always been vehicles that have been robbed from us and not our home. I attribute that to our loyal companions Zeus and Tonka. I guess we could always buy 2 more Boerboels to leave in our vehicles!
We are eagerly awaiting a visit from our good friend DJ on Thursday and then we are off to Denver Tuesday to visit more great friends, Justin and Jen. Maybe sometime we can squeeze in buying another truck (and a Boerboel! LOL!)

R.I.P. Duramax...And Next Time I Am Leaving My Dogs IN The Truck! Surprise!

Christmas Craziness

This Christmas really felt like our first "Mazotti Family" celebration. Every year we spend the holiday with our family, either in CA or at our home. This year it was just the 4 of us (well 6 of us really, including the dogs) and it was so much fun. Christmas Eve we baked cookies for Santa and Cienna helped me make luminarias for the tour in our neighborhood. Each year, the City of Albuquerque shuts down our neighborhood and allows buses and cars to drive up and down the streets, taking a gander at all of the beautiful lights. For those of you who don't know what luminarias are, you take paper bags, fill the bottom with sand and a votive candle and line your sidewalk, driveway, rooftop and walkway with them. Tony brought me to the luminaria tour for the first time back in 2003 and since then I had been obsessed with living in this neighborhood. It is truly magical.

Baking Cookies For Santa


Luminarias

Christmas morning started out weird. At 9am, neither of the kids had woken up and I went in to make sure that they were both breathing. Even AJ didn't wake up for his normal 5am feeding! I peaked my head in Cienna's room and she was lying in bed staring at the door. When she saw me she smiled and then realized that Santa had brought her a "princess canopy" for her big girl bed. She was so excited. Other gifts included a table & chair set with tea time accessories, a sushi set, watch, outfit, watercolor set, Tag reader, lip gloss and chocolate. When we asked her what her favorite thing was (assuming that she would pick the most expensive item!) she said "the CHOCOLATE!" Of course. The dollar store chocolate was her favorite. Isn't that how it always works?


Her Princess Bed


Tea Party Time


Sushi Anyone?

Of course my husband outdid himself once again. I had received a new bracelet before our trip to CA so that I could wear it to the family Christmas party. He designed it himself and I later found out that the bracelet was featured on a billboard off of I-40 the entire month of November! They ended up custom making 30 more and sold out in a week! On Christmas morning I was elated to receive a matching necklace and pair of earrings...also designed by the big T. What a guy!

My New Gems

After all of the presents were opened, Tony cooked the most beautiful prime rib roast that I have ever seen. And no...there was no bacon! (Jon, that was for you.) We ate, watched movies and played "restaurant" with Cienna.

The Roast

After taking the dogs for a walk, we put the kids to bed, watched the rest of a movie and I indulged in a banana split. Around 10pm I went to bed with a belly ache. At 1:45am I woke up with the worst stomach cramps. I popped a couple of Tums and attempted to go back to sleep. By 2am I was in excruciating pain. My back was killing me and I could barely walk. I was having trouble talking and breathing. I woke Tony up and insisted that he take me to the emergency room. I didn't know what was happening but I knew that it wasn't a stomach bug...I didn't feel nauseous, just pain. We called our neighbor Bill who graciously came down at 2:30am to stay with the kids while Tony dropped me off at the ER. To make a long story short it turned out that I suffered from a gallbladder attack because of the fat in the ice cream I ate before bed. An ultrasound revealed that I have several gallstones and it looks like I am going to have to have my gallbladder removed next week. Craziness! As I write this update I am still in pain. I hope that removing the gallbladder will finally give me some relief!
Never the less, it looks as though my fat eating days are over. My body simply cannot process the fats in food like someone with a healthy gallbladder and the only way to control the pain is to cut fat out of the diet. Talk about being forced into a New Year's Resolution!
I hope that you all had a fun, fabulous and non-crazy Christmas! Happy New Year!

The Most Magical Place On Earth

We arrived back in ABQ last night after our two week road trip and boy am I glad to be home. It is so nice to be back in our own beds, with the baby swing within our reach and a wider selection of clothes to wear!
Our trip started with a drive up to the Bay where we celebrated Christmas early with Tony's family and then a couple of days later with mine. Grandma Betty had her annual Christmas party in Napa, one that Tony and I have not been able to attend in years, and it brought back so many memories of Christmas' past. We had fun visiting with friends and eating too much.
On the 13th we headed down to Disneyland, which really is the most magical place on earth. Cienna had the time of her life, especially during her breakfast with Goofy. For those of you who don't know, Goofy is Cienna's best friend in the entire world. He is always with us, sometimes demanding that we turn the car around because Goofy forgot to jump in before we left. Something about him stuck with her when we went to Disney World and she has been obsessed ever since!
I have never been to Disneyland during the holidays and it was absolutely beautiful. The castle appears to be covered in icicles, the lamp posts blow snow after the fireworks and It's A Small World is lit up with millions of tiny lights. Their Christmas parade is awesome, with giant gingerbread men dancing and huge toy soldiers marching down Main St. I am so happy that we can take Cienna and AJ at such a young age, when their minds are exploding with imagination and creativity. At 30, I can only imagine what is going through their heads as they experience all that Disneyland has to offer!
AJ slept through most of the excitement but what he did see kept him mesmerized. His eyes were as big as silver dollars at times! We can't wait to take him back in a few years and see which character he connects with as well!


Cienna as Snow White...On Her Favorite "Seat"


With The Whole Fam In Front Of "Small World"


Meeting Mickey


Posing With Mimi and Daisy Duck


The Kids And I On Tom Sawyer's Island


Dancing With Her BFF Goofy In His Kitchen


Meeting Woody


Meeting Santa Claus (Cienna made it very clear that Santa could bring her toys but she did NOT want to touch or talk to him!)

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!