Our little goober is 8 months!

Meli is 8 months on the 10th.  Let's see...she is:

• clapping louder & stronger
• still waving like a princess
• playing with books more
• trying to play with Colin
• needing to know where Colin is at all times
• saying "ma-ma"
• enjoying her next steps in baby food (chicken noodle, mac & cheese - mushed up of course)
• scooting on her tooshie
• trying to get in the splits position
• standing on her own (not for too long)
• taking steps when assisted
• touching and exploring everything she can
• being the most precious little girl
• Baby girl has 4 teeth

We just love her to pieces. Cannot believe I will have to be away from her and Colin soon for a trip. 

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

It is that time again...2011 reflections & looking towards 2012

I am a little out of commission today.  I had my surgery on my right eye and am doing well but do not really feel like going out.  I think the Valium and codeine have made me pretty out of it and a bit nauseous. I can see a difference in my vision already but am a little blurry up close...so hopefully my typing is OK. I am avoiding looking at the screen.

This is my last post in 2011…so weird to think that tomorrow will be 2012. It sounds so futuristic. 2011 – was another great year. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful and healthy family, amazing friends, a great job that allows me to see beautiful places, and just overall happiness. This year has been a good one. What else can a girl ask for?


Let me see…this year...


I started the year off being pregnant. Waiting for our little girls arrival.

One of my biggest dreams came true when I stepped off the plane in Greece. This same trip I also got to go to Italy for the first time… Both were beautiful and had amazing food. A pregnant girls dream! Later in the year I made my first visit to Germany.  Another beautiful country.

We welcomed our precious little princess. Meli has been a great addition to our family.

My mom and younger brother came out for a visit. Colin had so much fun with Uncle Greggie.

We had a fantastic summer with our outdoor adventures, especially at the pool and water garden.

We celebrated birthdays and started introducing Meli to our holiday traditions.

We ended the year with an amazing Christmas. As I said, 2011 has been a great year filled with many memories that I will cherish forever.

Looking forward - I am excited to (fingers-crossed) be finishing up my Bachelor’s degree, exploring some new countries, spending time with my babies, watching them grow way too fast, and spending time with my sweet husband (who knows maybe this year we will get to take a trip together sans babies…maybe). My goals are to be a better student (no procrastination), get back into my shredding (Wendy got me started and it is a great workout), open a gym membership once I graduate, rekindle some old hobbies (reading, knitting, etc) and start some new ones (canning, gardening, etc), make even more time for kid crafts and family activities, and to just enjoy what comes.

"Drop by drop, a little at a time" - Homer

To my family, friends and readers of this blog – Happy New Year! May 2012 find you surrounded by love and happiness.

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

One last Christmas get together

On Monday, we had our last Christmas dinner.  So sad that it is over.  I am excited for a new year to begin though.  So much to look forward to.  We had Bill, Patty and her sister Peggy over for some goulash and a whole bunch of leftovers.  I think everyone was worn out so no one had issues with using leftover side dishes.  We had a good time visiting and watchinig Colin entertain all with his new toys.  Even after 4 years his energy amazes me. 

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season...filled with many cherished memories with friends and loved-ones.  See you in the new year!! 2012...crazy!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

What a lovely Christmas Day

Grandma Liz, Uncle Michael and Liz's friend Janet came up Christmas day for dinner, drinks and of course presents!  We had such a great time and were glad that we could share it with Janet.  Such a sweet lady.  Colin kept her busy showing her all that Santa brought him and Meli.  Since I love recipes...I made Sweet Pepper Chicken with a few minor adjustments.  I can never just stick to a recipe.  That is why baking is not my strong suit. I also made (and had) green bean casserole for the first time.  Then we had had several other side dishes.  I love trying new things. 

Christmas was so much fun this year.  Colin just loved all of the activities we did to prepare for Christmas.  Will and I are excited to combine our traditions from our childhood and then create our own new ones. 

Colin was such a good helper.  He opened all of Meli's gifts for her and then explained what it was.  Then he gave her some wrapping paper to play with, which is really what she wanted!  He also picked out a turtle for her.  He thought she needed one.  He tried to get one for daddy too, but I talked him out of that.  Colin also decided that he wanted to give Mae some of his older toys that were too young for him.  It was so cute.  He put them under the tree and everything. Colin wrapped his first gift this year.  He actually did pretty well.  He picked out Will's gift all on his own (batman earphones for Will's iPhone). 

This year we did a lot of artsy gifts.  The grandparents in Oregon got a reindeer painting made from all of our thumbprints and the grandparents in Virginia got a Christmas tree made from Colin's handprints (with Meli's hand being the star on top of the tree).

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

 The B Family

Merry Christmas Cheer

I love this editorial piece. Such a perfect answer.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
VIRGINIA O'HANLON.

"VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, we had a great Christmas morning.  Colin did not wake up as early as I thought he would.  I turned out to be the one that was the excited little kid.  I woke up at 5:30 (not counting waking up at 1:30 because of Meli and having difficulties getting back to sleep)...I feel I was very patient.  I waited until 5:45 then bugged Will.  He grumbled something...so I waited longer.  6:00 AM and he was STILL not awake.  I think Will got annoyed with my constant moving around, so he went to make a noise that would wake Colin up.  Took over 3 tries!!  Actually, Meli woke up and then she and I went into Colin's bedroom and just woke him up.  So mean, I know.  He was SUPER excited once he woke up, so that makes it OK.  Colin thought the crumbs left behind from Santa were so cool.  Plus, Santa left the toy Colin has been asking for this whole time next to the plate.  Mr. Jolly also wrote a little message on Colin's note to him. 

Colin helped everyone with there stockings and then we went up and opened the packages left from Santa.  Colin thought it was so cool that even more gifts were under the tree in the morning.  It was so much fun watching him open his gifts.  He would get excited each time, whether it was a book or a toy.   We were going to have a special breakfast (waffles with fruit topping) but we had a lot to do so we had cinnamon rolls instead.

Oh, to explain the title.  Colin got to taste sparkling apple cider for the first time on Christmas Eve.  We all had some after dinner and did a toast.  Colin's grandpa taught him to do "cheers" one time with his cup.  So, when I asked what are toast should be, Colin said "Merry Christmas cheers" then he clinked my glass.  He is such a super cute kid.

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Here comes Santa Claus

It is Christmas Eve and the kiddos are in bed.  We have spent all day preparing for the big guys visit.  We had our Christmas Eve breakfast (eggs, home-style potatoes, sausage links, bananas and Christmas applesauce).  I added cinnamon to Colin's applesauce and he asked what is this?  I told him it was special applesauce.  He was like "Christmas applesauce!" 

Colin got to open his Christmas Eve gift, which was The Muppet's Christmas Carol.  We took him to see the new Muppet movie and he loved it.  After we made our Christmas cookies and dinner was in the oven, we watched it as a family.  Then after we ate dinner we got ready for bed (Christmas pajamas), read our Christmas stories, and put out milk and cookies for Santa (plus a carrot for the reindeer) and wrote Santa a note.  I will have to share that later. So cute.

Now, I am tired and ready for bed.  I am so excited for tomorrow!!!  I will post more pictures from today later.  I hope everyone had/has a wonderful Christmas Eve. 

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Well not always sweetness

Now to be truthful...life is good and we have been blessed with amazingly good children. BUT every child has something that they need to work on. Colin is no exception. We were so lucky to have a boy who never went through a tantrum phase, did not have terrible two's, or three's, and has just been an all around super good kid...but starting at 3 1/2 or so his listening skills went to sh**!!

It is something we work on daily.  Some days he is better than others.  We know that most kids have this issue and we are probably less patient because it really is the only thing he has struggled with but sometimes he just makes us want to scream!!!!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
The B Family

Sweetness all around

Yesterday morning I went thru the Starbucks drive-thru and the lady in the car in front of me paid for my whole order!  Is that not the sweetest thing?!?  It was first thing in the morning so it just made my day.

My conversation with Colin on the way home yesterday. 
   Colin: "Mom"
   Me: "yes"
   Colin: "Can I have a holly, harley Christmas"?
   Me: "Do you mean a holly, jolly Christmas"?
   Colin: "Yes, of course"
    Me: "Well, of course you can"

A video of Meli and her new favorite thing to do.

Ms. T took Colin into the post office today and first thing he does is says, "Hey! Who thinks my hat is cool"?  He was wearing his beanie with a cow on it.  Everyone started giggling.  Then he says, "Well?"

Meli is waving goodbye.  Little girl of course has a little princess wave.  She waves like she is sitting on a float. 

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

The first one was a success...two more to go!

We had our first Christmas gathering this past weekend.  It was a great time with family.  I love spending time with our nephews.  Colin just adores them.  Meli just stares at them.  I do not have any meal recipes to share with this one...we decided on a build your own deli sandwich idea with several different appetizers.  But we did end the night with a delicious Candycane Hot Cocoa.  I love Allrecipes.com.

Just some cute pictures of Meli's new winter hat.  I thought it was so cute and plus I thought it would make Will roll his eyes...it did!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family

Talk about Christmas spirit...

I know that I am an emotional mama and can still cry at a commercial with puppies...but this article made me tear up majorly.  What an amazing thing that is occuring across the country and at such an important time. 

Kmart Article

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~

The B Family