FFF - Let Me Out!

Aidan has recently decided that restraints of any kind - strollers, carseats, exersaucers, shopping carts - are much too confining. I can compromise on the stroller, exersaucer and shopping cart, but I'm hoping the carseat thing passes quickly. Currently the only way to keep him happy during travel is to sing Twinkle, Twinkle or the Notre Dame Fight song and quite frankly its wearing me out!

Poor little guy, its rough when your greatest desire is simply to be free to walk.

Thank goodness Andy is still such a great sitter AND provides wonderful backup vocals to both songs!

"Mommy Dirty! Andy Too! Aidan Too!"

How do you explain to a 2 year old that today is the only day of the year when its okay to have dirt on your forehead?

For those of you who did not walk around all day w/a cross made of ashes on your forehead, today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. Its the time us Catholics spend making sacrifices, thinking about our sinful nature and reflecting on death. Sounds fun, right!?!


In truth, Lent has never been my favorite time on the Catholic calendar. I mean, 40 days of sin and death don't really give you the warm-fuzzies the way that Christmas does, you know? That being said, I appreciate the reminder that life doesn't last forever and that the time to be the kind of person you want to be is now. So if you can't fathom why people walk around w/dirt on their foreheads all day, that's pretty much what its all about.


Now how to explain Lent to a 2 year old...as much as I can appreciate the whole "death, sin and sacrifice" theme, I'm pretty sure that message is still lost on Andy. So, at least for the next few years, I'll let him go on thinking Ash Wednesday is the day grown-ups get to act like kids and let a man dressed in purple robes wipe dirt on their faces.


Since we are on the topic of Lent, I'm still trying to decide what to give up this year and I'm giving myself until Friday to decide. I've narrowed it down to:


No taking the easy way out and ordering dinner out during the week. If I pick this one, I wonder if Chili's will still remember my standard order (buffalo chicken salad, chicken fajita quesedillas) come April 13th?


Give up diet coke, drink more water & get more sleep. Note to self: find out how much sleep is equivalant to the caffeine in 2 diet cokes.
I know, am I really considering giving up my daily Grande White Chocolate Mocha? Well, sort of. I'm thinking of downgrading my morning pick-me-up to a tall WCM instead. Those of you who don't think that sounds like much of a sacrifice have no idea how much I look forward to my daily trip to Starbucks.

Regardless of what I decide, I'll be donating the money I save to a few of my favorite causes supporting adoptive families so that other families can have the chance to explain to their 2 year old child why today is the only day of the year its okay to have dirty on your forehead.

And the Award goes to...

I'll admit, I didn't have time yesterday to watch any of the actual awards show - why sit through 4 hours of filler when the best parts will be on youtube??? Besides, everyone knows the most important part of the Oscars is the fashion. Here's my thoughts on who were the best and worst dressed ladies (I don't bother w/the men, no matter what they are wearing Brad always looks the best anyway).

Best Dressed
Ann Hathaway - Everyone knows the best way to get back at an ex is by looking fabulous - you go girl!!!
Natalie Portman - So glad to see someone decided to wear some color in a sea of otherwise neutral dresses. You looked exactly like a glamorous movie star should on the most important night in Hollywood. Worst Dressed
Beyonce - You know, I want to like you b/c you are one of the few stars w/some curves, but really, what are you wearing???? Just once I would like to see you show up on a red carpet in an actual gown instead of some crazy costume.

Sarah Jessica Parker - Oh SJP, what happened???? I usually love your style, even when its a little bit out there, but this is just too much! Women over 40 just cannot wear ballgowns - not even you sweetie, especially if the top is fashioned after Wonder Woman's outfit. Let's just pretend this never happened - still friends?

Last night's fashion hits and misses got me thinking of some of my own fashion mistakes and just to show I'm can "dish it out and take it", here's some of my less-than-stellar fashion moments. FYI - all these pictures were taken in the last 5 years, I didn't take the easy way out and pull out some pictures from middle school in which I fell victim to some unfortunate trends from the early 90s.


Bad Choice #1 - I know the outfit isn't horrible, though I'm not quite sure why I spent an entire vacation day in San Fransisco wearing a just okay outfit when I could've been wearing something cute and vacation-y. I could get passed that mistake if I hadn't put PIG TAILS in my hair and added a Kate Spade bag...Kate does not belong w/pig tails and a sweatshirt. I hope no one at KS finds out about this or I may be banned from purchasing any more of their products.

Bad Choice #2 - Not sure which one I am - just look for my bright pink pants. I know this was a tropical themed party, but there is no excuse for wearing pants in that color. I wish I could say I only wore them b/c of the party theme, but sadly I used to wear them into work as well. Work friends - why didn't you have an intervention? Bad Choice #3 - You'd think for a beach vacation I could've splurged on a cute coverup instead of wearing cotton shorts that I sometimes used as pajamas. And there's those PIG TAILS again...I obviously have some sort of "I wish I was 6 years old" issue. I should probably address that w/a therapist. And last but not least...

Bad Choice #4 - I don't even know what to say about this. I wish I could tell you I was kidding.

Catching Up

Here's proof of the busy week we had, in the form of the longest post ever. Seriously, get comfortable, this one's going to take you awhile.

Brookfield Zoo
Our crazy week began with a trip to Brookfield Zoo. Even though we knew we'd have a lot going on the next several days and could've used the time to get stuff done around the house, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy the 1st weekend of mild weather we've had in months. We're so glad we did, b/c the kids had a great time!

The boys loved riding in their new wagon, which was a Christmas gift from Papa & Grammy. Chris & I look forward to the day when they are big enough to pull us in it :)
Andy saying hi to the dolphins

Aidan and Mommy waiting for the sea lions to make an appearance

Exhausted from a really fun day, both kids were asleep before we even reached the expressway (and I didn't last much longer either...poor Daddy was the only one who didn't get to sleep on the way home).

Aidan's Family Birthday Party

Two weeks ago we had our extended family over for Aidan's 1st birthday party. Mimi arrived that morning for a 9 day stay and we were so glad she could be there to celebrate w/us. As usual, the birthday party was a whirlwind of eating and presenting opening, followed by several hours of Chris & I trying to pry all the new toys from their boxes (seriously, why do toy companies use actual screws to hold items in their containers????).

Aunt Kathy & Uncle Pat win Aidan's approval by including his favorite snack in their present Aidan diving right into his birthday cupcake

He was kind enough to share once he'd licked all the frosting off

Wrestling w/Daddy & Andy, on a MAJOR post cupcake sugar high.

Finally coming down & going to bed about 8 pm, the latest our sleep lover has ever stayed up!

Aidan's Adoption Hearing

The morning after Aidan's birthday party, we had to wake the kids up early & make it into the city by 8 am for Aidan's adoption court hearing. The kids did great, I think Mommy, Daddy & Mimi were the exhausted ones! Now that the hearing has taken place, we simply need to have two more post-placement visits w/our social worker and our adoption will be final May 25th!

Waiting for our turn in front of the judgeAidan being officially "served" his adoption papers. Hopefully its the only time in his life that happens!

Cosley Zoo w/Addy, Aunt Sandy & Mimi

We took advantage of one of the nice weather days we had and spent the afternoon at one of our favorite summer spots, Cosley Zoo

Andy & Addy were very happy to be back at the "little zoo"

Aidan didn't share their excitement and seemed unimpressed w/his 1st experience there Andy & Addy took to holding each other's hands when told to "hold a hand"Seriously, cutest thing ever!

Mr. Mom

I went to Florida for a bachelorette party for my friend Kathy (aka Aunt Kathy), marking my 1st weekend away from the boys. I had a great time, but I have to admit I missed them so much and thought of them constantly. A number of times I had to stop myself from speaking "Mommy" (i.e. exlaiming things like "Look - a birdie!!!") and also found I could not sleep in, even when given the chance. In the past, I would've been one of the last ones up every morning, but on this trip I was always the 1st. Crazy how motherhood changes you! Meanwhile, Chris got to experience what its like to take care of the kids all day. He did a great job (no one had any major accidents, got off their schedules or contracted serious diseases!) and Andy now constantly asks me when Daddy will be home to play w/him.

While Mommy was...

Toasting the bride w/a "Welcome to Florida!" glass of champagne in the hot tub

Lounging by the pool while enjoying 3 of her favorite things - Starbucks, reading & sunshine

Having a meal out where only a small clutch, rather than a duffel-sized diaperbag, was necessary

Indulging in a tropical beverage complete w/special glass & fancy straw (don't worry Mom, I only had one and although the glass looks enormous it really was mostly ice!)

Relaxing at the Spa (Mommy not pictured - too busy enjoying Spa's Relaxation Room to pose for photo)
And finally, what girls-only weekend would be complete w/o seeing a Chick-flick (Shopaholic, perfect chick-flick material!).
Daddy was overseeing...

...snack time...

...and bathtime...
...and bedtime......and a trip to the Dupage Children's Museum......and a second trip to Brookfield Zoo...
Good thing he had Mimi there to give him a hand!!

Hibernating

So I missed Favorite Foto Friday last week and I'm going to be late w/it this week. The last two weekends have been very busy ones - Aidan's birthday party, a 10 day visit from Mimi (Chris's mom), my 1st ever trip away from home (bachelorette party in FL) and not one but two trips to Brookfield Zoo! As a result, I am worn out and have been too lazy to get all our pictures together. This weather is not helping either - all I want to do is curl up w/a blanket and take a nap or stare at mindless television. Hopefully this weekend I will find the motivation to post the pictures from all the fun we've had lately, but then again I have missed last week's US Weekly & now have two to get through, so between that & the Oscars I don't know if I can squeeze it in.

FFF - Sweet Dreams

Is there anything sweeter than catching a Dad & his baby taking a little nap?

You & Me

I have been able to teach Andy many things...colors, shapes, how to count to 10, why the water in the toilet is not the same as the water in the bath tub...but I've hit a wall when it comes to explaining "you" and "me". For instance:

When Andy wants alone time w/me, he takes my hand, guides me out of the room and say "Show me". What he means is "Show you", as in "Mama, I want to show you something".

When Andy wants to be held or hugged, he will come to me and say "Hold you". What he means is "Mama, I want you to hold me".

I have tried on several occassions to explain to him that he has it backwards, but it just ends up sounding like some sort of Abbott and Costello act.

I guess this is why they invented pre-school - I bet there's a whole course for early education majors devoted to this topic.