Happy Black Friday!

Ugh! For many, today symbolizes the first day of madness as shoppers look for bargains and deals. For me, today symbolizes the first day of retail hell. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas time, but I love stress free days and low sales quotas more. As I look forward to the next 28 days of Christmas, I am anxious to see the stars light up in my childrens' eyes, the decorations become complete at my home, and the wonders of retail this holiday season.

P.S If you are looking for a deal on a cell phone, DSL, or Advanced Television, stop by an AT&T store near you to make my holiday even better!!

God Bless Best Friends

Every now and then

We find a special friend

Who never lets us down

Who understands it all

Reaches out each time you fall

You're the best friends that I've found

I don't need eyes to see

The love you bring to me

No matter where I go

And I know that you'll be there

Forever more apart of time, you're everywhere

I'll always care

And I'll be right behind your shoulder watching you

I'll be standing by your side and all you do

And I won't ever leave

As long as you believe

You just believe

Say Cheese!

Today was our annual visit to Sears for our holiday pictures. Unfortunately Jim was held over on duty so we missed out on our first family photo with Matthew. We will revisit the issue in February when we take Matthew in for his 1 year pictures. Even without Dad, the boys and I handled ourselves well and took some pretty cute pics.

Weekend in Review

Michael and Dominic

The kids all waited for the balls to fall on them!


Matty pounded out a beat on the floor

I'm still trying to figure out where the past 5 days went. I can't believe it's already Tuesday, and that in less than 10 days we will be enjoying our Thankgiving feast! This past weekend is already a blur, but since we actually did something constructive I thought I'd post a few pics.

Jim spent the bulk of the day Saturday and Sunday tending to our annual garage sale. Mom came over for the day Saturday to keep an eye on the boys so that Jim could wheel and deal. Mom drug along with her a few items and was thrilled that all of them sold. All totaled, I think she made somewhere around $116. Not bad for 1/2 a days work with 3 rambunctious boys! Mom and I were both shocked when Jim sold her old guitar for $40! Apparently she had it marked $5 but Jim thought he could get more for it....and boy did he! We were able to sell a few larger items from the garage, but had no such luck on the recently displaced fire truck toddler bed. I will attempt to sell it on Craig's List or at the boys' daycare. We made about $315 which wasn't bad either. This is at least enough to cover a few Christmas gifts.

On Sunday, the boys and I visited the Children's Museum with Jill, Noelle, and Michael Mazur. It was nice to let the kids run around without worrying about what trouble they would get into. Matthew watched intently.....I could see the wheels turning in his head. I keep reminding him that soon he will be able to run and play with his big brothers. I've also reminded him that Mommy sure does enjoying having him by her side and wishes he would stay small for a long time more! We invited the Mazur's back to our house for a Ravioli dinner, which I prepared on my own. It was FANTASTIC! I'm sure the 1/2 bottle of wine I drank didn't help either.

Oh where, oh where....

did my camera go? Sometime between Tuesday night and Thursday afternoon, my camera disappeared. Although I am convinced that either Joshua or Dominic have hidden it and can't remember where, this doesn't help the fact that I can't find the darn thing. I'm not too concerned since I already downloaded all the photos off of it and have a new camera on my Christmas list anyway. I suppose I can use the professional size Fuji camera Jim bought me a few years ago until I am able to replace the small purse-sized equivalent. Keep your fingers crossed that the darn thing turns up!

A Bed Fit for a Big Boy

For Joshua's 2nd Christmas, we bought him a new firetruck bed, which he subsequently passed onto Dominic. Today was the day that the truck was to be retired into the garage for our upcoming garage sale. As sad as I am to see it go, I'm excited for Dominic to see his new bed when he arrives home today! Joshua and I spent the day running errands and ended up at the mattress store. The salesman was nice enough to give us a discount on two new mattresses as Joshua was in need of a better twin mattress than the one he had. We spent about an hour tinkering around and putting it together. Unfortunately, when we "dropped" it down out of the attic, one of the wheels broke on the headboard. We decided to remove all four wheels which simply lowered the bed closer to the ground. One day we will replace the wheels, but for now, Dominic will be fine in his low rider bed.

After putting the bed together and cleaning up his room, Joshua and I hauled several boxes of baby and Mommy clothes out of the attic in preparation for the yard sale. All in all we had a very productive day and are now recouperating.

Joshua and I enjoyed lunch at the Cowgirl Cafe - his FAVORITE!

Joshua playing with his Transformers that our friend Jake gave him

Dominic's new big boy bed!