Christmas Traditions

When Nico was born, we decided to start Christmas traditions with him and even though Bryan has made fun of me up until this year....I have had a lot of fun with Nico and the different traditions we started. Our first tradition, was started last year of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and every year we have gotten Nico new jammies to wear for Christmas Day! I also started tracking Santa and this year, Nico really got into watching the videos and watching how excited Mommy was. Then of course we had to put out cookies and milk for Santa, and a carrot for the Reindeer...can't forget them! And finally, right before bed nothing else but reading "The Night Before Christmas" and then off to sleep waiting for Santa to come and bring Nico too many presents....LOL!

I am hoping by having these traditions it will make Nico look forward to Christmas and doing these traditions year by year. I know it's important to me, and I definitely look forward to them all next year. We had a great Christmas, and been nothing but truly blessed with such a special little boy, who warms your heart everytime he looks at you with those Baby Blues!!

Santa Came, Santa Came!!!

Tracking Santa on Norad

Reading "The Night Before Christmas"

Putting out cookies for Santa

Opening Christmas Jammies on Christmas Eve

Until our next adventure.....New Years Eve...........

Kel

Week 4: December 26th


We'll it's been such a busy week, but definitely worth it! Hope everyone's Christmas was as wonderful as ours! With that said....I am thankful for:

1. Family, and great friends. Spending time around the holidays helps us remember how much we love you guys!

2. Santa Claus, and tracking him on Norad tracking on Christmas Eve. Watching Nico get into watching all the video's was so much fun!

3. Matchbox cars, washable crayons, markers and finger paints....oh how everyone will love Nico's pictures for their fridge!!!

4. Airplanes, how grateful we are that Bryan's sister and family could spend the entire weekend with us without much traveling.

5. Christmas cookies, oh how I haven't eaten to many and will definitely be dieting!

6. Wii's, how much Bryan wanted it and the look on his face when he got it, like a kid that got a new shiny bike he asked for!

7. Days off, for once Bryan actually got to spend the entire Christmas day with us.

8. New years, 2009 has been a trying year for all of us....2009 is gonna be our year!

9. For 2 year olds, how special this Christmas has been to have and to watch his face light up at all the presents he didn't want to open but did!

10. Batman pj's, how much fun it was to watch Nico wear his new pj's and yell BATMAN!!! I'll have to post a picture!

11. For the best photographer in the world, everyone loves Nico's Christmas pictures and Christmas cards!!!

Happy New Year!! Can't wait to read everyone else's A of G this week!

Until next time........

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Santa is now in Virginia and is heading to our house VERY soon!!! April, he right by you and ready to sliver down your chimney to put all those wonderful gifts for your 3 little ones!!! Although, I don't think we ever talked about if you had a chimney, but I am sure he'll find a way in! Haley and Lauren, don't you worry Santa has already landed at your house and the presents are just waiting for you to wake up....very soon!!!

This has been the best Christmas Eve yet, Nico loved watching Santa deliver presents all over the world via http://www.northpole.com/ and we read the Night Before Christmas, opened his Christmas Eve jammies and after putting him down, we watched a Christmas movie, Fred Claus. What could be better spending Christmas with the one's you love the most, and even though Nico won't wake up tomorrow asking about Santa, watching him open his presents and seeing the glow in his eyes will be the best present ever!!!

To all my family and friends, watch out Santa coming our way very QUICKLY!!! Pittsburgh, PA 2 minutes until he is here.......HE'S HERE at 11:29PM.....Kait and Kourt don't worry he hasn't forgotten about you either!!!!

Enjoy tomorrow with your little one's because before we know it, we'll be doing this "cheesy" stuff with their kids and they'll say comme Mom aren't we to old for this???

Merry Christmas!!!!

Until Nico's next adventure.............

FUN WEEKEND!!

Nico had such a fun weekend this past weekend with his cousins, Aunt and Uncle. Nico keeps saying Lauren, Lauren....they played together all weekend, I bet that Lauren was glad to be home and stop being followed by a 2 year old!!!

First, the weekend started off with a fun day, with Haley and Lauren chasing Nico around and then it was off to my families Christmas get together. We ate to much, had a fun ornament exchange and visited. It was a nice quiet evening, filled with good food and good company. A great way to start off Christmas week!

Then on Sunday we were off to Disney on Ice at the Quicken Loan Arena in Cleveland, the drive was long but well worth it! Although I am not sure the Mandakunis family thought walking through the subzero temperatures with the wind from Lake Erie was, but I think they had a great time. I know Nico loved it, especially the Cars part plus he loves Mickey Mouse and just kept saying "Mouse". It cracks me up!! Of course I would post pictures, but my camera's batteries were dead and of course I forgot to through some in my purse! But Aunt Adriane got some really good ones, once I get those I'll post them! At intermission, of course the spoiled child, Nico or maybe Mommy....had to go downstairs to the souvenir tables and buy Nico a cool spinning light....just what every 2 year old needs, right??

On Sunday afternoon, it was off to Great-Grandma's to have our Christmas dinner filled with more food and fun! Nico played with his cousins, and had fun running around and playing with his new toys! He especially like the fan that lit up as it turned, and his projector that played Toy Story and had pictures of animals. He won't let that one go and makes Mommy and Daddy keep changing the disks!

Sadly, on Monday they left, but everyone had a great time and we can't wait for them to come back or us to fly down. I especially am excited about flying down to see the Atlanta Aquarium that Terri told us about! So as sad as it was for them to leave, we are definitely glad they came and can't wait until the next visit here or there!

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!!!

Hope Santa is good to each and everyone of you!

Until our next Nico adventure.........

Right before Christmas and all through the house, not a imperfection to found anywhere in sight...OK that was a little cheesy, but that's all I have is cheesiness!!! Is that even a word?? We'll add that to the dictionary of Kellism......I know I am so hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!! So with Christmas two days away............

I certainly do have all my gifts bought and wrapped, of course I started back in September!!!! And I am still certainly not going to unwrap Nico's gifts to re-wrap because that would be wasteful...NO NOT ME!!!

I could never sit here at almost 7, child unfed and watching my 2 year old playing in paperclips while sitting on the desk while I write this post....No way!!

When company was here this past weekend, I certainly made all homemade meals and never could of EVER taken them out almost every meal.....gosh that would never be me!!!

I certainly wouldn't try to think of every excuse to not go outside these last couple of days because it was zero degrees here, how could I do that with all the family events?

After Disney on Ice of course I fed my child a healthy and balanced meal, no way would I have let him eat half a box of popcorn for lunch with lemonade.....what kind of parent would do that??

And lastly, I never in a million years would ever leave a load of laundry in the washer, smell it and think it's ok and not re-wash....EWWW, no way!!!

Well there you have it my non-imperfections, hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and enjoys every minute of it with their family and friends. I know I will!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Sorry I am little late, but better late than never....right?? Actually I had every intention of doing this yesterday at work, but can you believe they locked me out of posting...I know I was shocked too, they want me to work!!!

So with no further adue....Week #3 of A of G

1. Desitin, I am expectually grateful it doesn't stain...don't ask the pictures will be posted on another post.

2. Family, how great is it that during the holidays everyone seems to come together and actually enjoy each other.

3. Santa, who isn't grateful for Santa??

4. I am definitely grateful it didn't ice as much as they thought it would and I got to work on time and safe.

5. Christmas lights, Nico loves Christmas lights and everytime he sees them he lights up!

6. Computers, how did we EVER live without blogs, facebook etc or even just the internet.

7. Texting, I have found my new electronic love...now it's time to get a keyboard phone!

8. Athena, even though she is a pain in the butt...the unconditional love and snuggling she does is awesome even at 9 years old.

9. Disney on Ice, I am so excited and can't wait to see Nico's reaction when he sees all the characters on the ice especially Lightning McQueen!!

10. Disney Movies, when you need to get something done...like this post, ha!!...how much does it help to put a movie in and complete the task?!?!?

So there's my this week's list, not glamorous, but there is definitely many things to be grateful for in our lives!!! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and that Santa is good to you!~

Until next time.........

I am so excited and if Nico understood I bet he would be too!!! On Sunday we are going to Disney on Ice at the Gund...oh sorry, Quicken Arena!!! Nico saw the ad on TV and was really excited about the Lightning McQueen character and when he saw Mickey of course he said mouse, and I really wanted to go too! I know I am just a big kid at heart!!! So, since Nico's Aunt, Uncle and cousins are coming into town, I thought what a perfect opportunity for us to go!! Unfortunately as it always is, Daddy can't go but I am sure he'll be there in spirit, plus the million pictures that I take I am sure he'll feel like he is!!!

So like a kid, Sunday can't get here fast enough! Let's just hope I can find Quicken Loan Arena without to much trouble....but we all know me with directions, maps and anything else...I am sure somehow I'll get lost.......as my boss says I am map challenged!! LOL!

Until our next adventure......

Not Me Monday!

We'll it's that time again and since I couldn't do this at work today, here it is a little later than normal but it's still Monday, right?? LOL!

No way could I have ever gotten mad at my darling husband for saying the wrong thing when it was I who lost my cell phone for 24 hours and was freaking out because I hadn't written down the 40 some numbers I had stored...NO, NOT ME!

Or once again as Nico destroyed his room when he was suppose to be napping, and just let it go because what the heck obviously he is going to do it again! NO way!

Not a chance could I have waited until last week to Christmas shop and then drag Bryan to all those places he loves to go...I know he loves picking out ornaments and he would never ask are they really that price?? With my response would never be, of course not honey it's the economy prices went way up......Of course not!

I would have never unwrapped all of Nico's presents because my darling husband decided to help out and wrapped his gifts in Care Bear paper!?!?! No not me, I could never be wasteful like that!

So there it is my week's worth of being the perfect wife and Mom because of course I could have never even thought to do any of these things...LOL!~

Until next time...

***UPDATE***

My cell phone was found, thankfully my Aunt found it in the cushion of her chair!!! It's like Christmas day opening the best present ever!!!! I definitely need to do some back up of my numbers, I have learned my lesson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOST CELL PHONE

To all of those who read my blog, and were once in my cell directory..........I lost my stinking cell phone today, hopefully my Aunt will find at her house but not counting on it as we looked everywhere........how a cell phone gets feet, I don't know but it's completely my fault and now I am at a loss because my phone number lifeline was in that phone.

So with that said, anyone who has tried to call or text me today, I didn't get it and/or may never. So whoever reads my blog and I had your phone number, you know who you all are....please email me with your number so when I get my new phone next week, I can re-program them all.......so looking forward to that :(

Off to my cousin Joey's Christmas party!

Until next time..........

I found this on the internet when I was cruising around and thought it would be fun!!! And it was amazing how many actually applied to me...must of had to much fun as a once young person!!! LOL!!

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland.

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis.

10. Sang a solo.

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping.

27. Run a Marathon.

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.

29. Seen a total eclipse.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run.

32. Been on a cruise.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.

35. Seen an Amish community.

36. Taught yourself a new language.

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing.

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.

52. Kissed in the rain.

53. Played in the mud.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business.

58. Taken a martial arts class.

59. Visited Russia.

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.

62. Gone whale watching.

63. Got flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a check.

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar.

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.

77. Broken a bone.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican.

82. Bought a brand new car.

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible.

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.

88. Had chickenpox.

89. Saved someone’s life.

90. Sat on a jury.

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a book club.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person.

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit.

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee.

100. Read an entire book in one day.

TWINS & TWINKLE, TWINKLE

When I read a post from one of my favorite blogs, Jennifer, you got me curious to look through Bryan's pictures and this is what I found....it astounded me how much Nico and Daddy look alike, almost like twins if you didn't see the clothes from the 70's on him!!! I think the picture on the left is like seeing his lost long twin, I could hardly tell the two apart. Which brought me back to when Nico was born and I kept saying in the hospital how much he looked like someone but I couldn't put my finger on it.....DUH, it was his Daddy!!! I guess when people say that kids suck the brains out of you, it's true and hopefully since Nico has mine and his, he'll be the smartest kid ever.....LOL!!! So I guess I have to come to the realization that he is his Daddy's child, and hopefully he at least got my personality or common sense, something has to be me...right??

What do you think, do you think these pictures of Nico are a mirror image of his Daddy??

On a totally different note, I was so excited the other day when after singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to Nico since he was born, he finally caught on and now has his own version that he sings. Now it's hard to say my child is a genius, but how many two year olds can sing songs??? OK, so I remember that Kaitlyn could say her ABC's at 17 months or so, but who needs them anyway?? Singing songs and those Baby Blues who could resist for the next American Idol.....although that would mean I would have to watch the show......Here he comes, Nico winner of American Idol 2024.........

I crack myself up!!!!!!! Like Mom always said, "If you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at??"

Until next time...........

Here we are again, another addition of "Not Me! Monday" from one of my favorite Blogs to read, www.mycharmingkids.net. It's truly refreshing to see that other Mom's are just like me and at those times that I think I am being a bad Mommy, it shows that we all have our days and one day we'll sit back and laugh about all those mistakes we have made....I know I do even now! If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at??

So with that said.....................

I certainly didn't feed Nico breakfast at Gma's come home put him for a nap and then take him back to Gma's to make chocolates while not feeding him anything but peanut butter, cookies and whatever else he could find in Gma's cupboards....no NOT ME!!

Of course all the laundry was folded and put away, not sitting in baskets getting wrinkled while wondering if I ever turned on the dryer with the towels in it........I couldn't possibly! My laundry is always done, folded and put away!!

I never could of left the dog, Athena outside and went upstairs, and then left her outside in the cold longer than normal and thought.....is that Athena barking?? No not me because I am always on top of everything....LOL!

I could of never ignored the dishwasher or not swept up the mounting dog hair to finish this great book over the weekend. No not me, I would of never put Nico to bed, gotten a cup of hot tea, put my jammies on at 8 and went to bed!! No NEVER!!

Well I guess that's all for now, how refreshing to realize that of course I am perfect and would never do any of those things..........LOL!

Until our next adventure!!!!

Week #2

So much to be thankful for, so little time to write:

1. My son, who this week didn't destroy his bedroom at naptime and sat patiently for yet another picture I made him pose for.

2. My husband, who took little Nico to the Barber Shop all by himself and got his hair cut too!

3. My new washer/dryer that dries my clothes in what seems like seconds!

4. For my puppy, who has been so patient this week with Nico even when he is pulling her tail and running after her when all she wants to do is sleep!

5. To Nike, who make the cutest little Shox for Nico and in 3 more sizes will even personalize them!

6. For my job, who even though it's not what I want to be doing, at least it's still here after taking 2 leave of absences this year.

7. For comfy pj's that have kept me warm on these crisp nights....is it Spring yet??

8. For Christmas, the only time of the year that is magical and that is even more special since Nico was born.

9. For my hairdresser, Lauren, gosh she always can make me feel like a million bucks and will always tell me the truth, even when I insist something that doesn't work!

10. My car, that gives me 38 mpg in town and gets me where I need to go!!!

So as cheesy as my list is, I am definitely thankful for all of these things and more!!!

To my readers, I challenge you to come in for the fun and tell me and/or Jennifer what you are thankful for!!!

Until our next adventure......

Boy how time flies when you are having fun!!!

Can anyone believe that we will have been married:

10 years.....

120 months.....

3650 days....

87600 hours....

5,256,000 minutes....

315,360,000 seconds.......

I sure can't, time has flown by so fast it's hard to believe when you put it in this perspective how long, yet how fast it really went.

To continue with the numbers game....

In the last 10 years we have:

Lived in 2 states....

Moved 7 times....

Bought 2 houses...

Have had 2 pets....

Had 1 adorable little Boy....

Taken 1 vacation....

It's been a fun, but bumpy ride and I have to admit these have been the best almost 10 years of my life and I can't imagine spending the next 100 with anyone else. With all we have been through, only dating for a month before Bryan leaving for boot camp that we would be here today....better than ever!

Only 36 more days until our BIG 1-0!!!

Until our next adventure.............

Here we are again..another addition of freeing my mind and saying all those things I could of not possibly EVER done!!!

Never would I have let Nico once again have a cookie when he didn't finish his dinner and barely ate his lunch, no NOT ME!

No way could I have stayed in my jammies all last week because why get dressed when this is my final week off......

I couldn't have possibly not decorated the back of the tree that is up against the wall because who is gonna see it.........(I guess all my friends that come over, now :)

Could it be?? No way am I blogging at work when I have been here since 10/17 and have too much stuff to catch up on...no way, not me!!!

And finally, no way did Nico get the Goldfish bag and spill it all over the train table and no way could I have walked away thinking the dog will get it..........no not me, I certainly got the sweeper out immediately!!!

Happy Monday!!

Until next time.........