MAGGIE...the Easter Bunny IS NOT REAL!

Yep, I said it...this morning before school. She didn't believe me obviously, and how do I know that, I have yet to receive a call from her school informing me I'm the worst mom ever. There could still be a note after school, but I'm assuming if she informed her whole class that the Easter Bunny was not real, I would get a call!
So let's back track a bit as to how these words came out of my mouth. Here's a brief scenario of our morning(and it was only 7:45am) Maggie and I both hit the snooze button one to many times (in my defense 7am came way to fast when I fell asleep somewhere around 5am) and we got up just a couple minutes behind schedule(15) Greg was working 3rd, and informed me that he had a meeting after work this AM, so Maggie HAD to catch the bus today. So I had 20 minutes to feed her, get her dressed, do her hair, pack her lunch, and get her down to the bus. The clock was ticking, and very quickly. I was running, yes running around the upstairs packing up her book bag, coaxing her to hurry, and the whole time to a wailing Fionn who decided TODAY was the day he would NOT wait patiently in his crib while sissy got ready for school...lucky me.
So Maggie fed, dressed, hair done, bag packed, face washed, Fionn up (after a brief wrestling session) we got his diaper changed. Headed down the stairs to pack her lunch(CLOCK TICKING LOUDER NOW) when Maggie says "Mommy, LOOK, the Easter Bunny was here" That was enough to stop me in my frantic tracks...So I went back in the living room and looked...sure enough, a little blue plastic egg...that I had no knowledge of, nor have seen before. Hmmmm...there was candy inside. I was seriously troubled, and stood there wasting valuable time pondering a BLUE PLASTIC EGG. Maggie searched the house, I quickly took inventory of my purse and the other things that might be missing if our "Easter Bunny" was not really there delivering candy filled eggs. Everything was in check, exept for this egg. Did I mention that Fionn was still letting us know he was unhappy with us this whole time. Obviously, TODAY was also the day that Cheerios were NOT an acceptable breakfast item.
So what does this frazzled mom do(as she's making a bottle AND packing a lunch) she informs her precious, loving 5 year old (who is gushing on and on about the Easter Bunny and how she can't wait to tell her teacher that he already left her an egg) that seriously "I need to know where that egg came from" her response: "The Easter Bunny mom"
*snap* that was my rational mommy brain breaking in two...
My response "MAGGIE, there is NO Easter Bunny, he is NOT real."

and that folks is how you dash the hopes and dreams of your five-year-old. On a side note, if anyone can tell me how you can get your baby to stop grinding their teeth together, my brain may feel less like it's going to implode. I'm not sure if your brain can really implode, but today it feels like it. Okay, the Fionn "alarm" is going off so time to wrap this up!

New look for our Website!

I have been working hard this week, trying to come up with a new look for Spring for Frames of Infinity! We have so much in the works for this year that it brings chills down my spine to think about it all! There are new colors, new pictures, and a new logo...let me know what you think.
I'm sure some of you noticed on the side, but we added a new button that takes you right to our website! Feel free to grab it if you want!

Curls, Curls everywhere!

Fionn's hair has been growing like CRAZY since around Christmas, so i thought it was time to show off just how curly it's been getting! Maggie's hair curled too when she was a baby, but she had no where near as much as he does already. If he was a girl, i'd have lots of hair for piggies and barrettes already, but since he's a boy, we just slap a hat on him and let it go crazy! Greg says that it's bad luck to cut a baby's hair before their first birthday (not like I was intending to) but we'll wait a little while longer anyway. These were taken right after his bath Thurday night!

Here it is, lol, look at that look on his face...he was sleepy and just being a somber boy while playing before bed!

a good back shot, you can really see it curling up

riding on his snail, another great Snuggle Bug purchase last year!

mom, really...i can multi-task! He did not want to get off his snail, but wanted to play with his blocks too!

Playing blocks! Getting really sleepy now!

There he is folks, can you believe we're less than SEVEN weeks away from his birthday?? I sure can't! Oh my! I guess I better get planning! Have a great weekend everyone, I know we're going to try! Mema's coming down for the day tomorrow, and the kids are really excited!!

Heavy Heart

I did not intend to post tonight, I really want to be in my bed snuggling with Greg, but my heart is heavy and I feel the need to share how I am feeling. This week has just been so overwhelming, and it is starting to make my head spin. I had a NILMDTS call last night, and even though I can't tell you anything about the family, it hit too close to home.
The situation was NOT just like Fionn's, there were many more complications, BUT all the same doctors were there last night. The exact same dr. who did my C-section, was there in the room with them. They had Dr. Emory, who was our specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine there with them, and thier baby was rushed off to the NIC-U just like ours. I waited with the family, watching their loved ones agonize over not really having any information, just like our family did last year...
I am so sorry to each and every one of you that were there with us, who we chose NOT to tell that there MAY be an issue. Greg and I really did think that it was best just to wait and see. We were so close to going in to the Operating Room that we didn't want anyone else to worry in case he was going to be just fine.
Sitting there last night, waiting for word from the NIC-U, waiting to go down, watching all the family agonize brought it all home for me. Going back in the NIC-U, into the intake room...it was the first time being in THAT room since Fionn was in there. It shook me to my core today after I got home.
I love what I do, I love being able to give back to these families. I know that I can handle it, and would never let it overtake my desire to give back, but my heart hurts this week. So many babies, so many families in crisis this week. So many people hurting and just praying for the best. Oh to be naive and live in a world where every pregnant woman brings home a pink, happy bundle...
I'm giving it all to you Lord, praying that you bring these families through as only you can. To be with them all, to comfort them, as your will is brought about for their lives...
Only YOU know the outcome of these tiny little babies, our most precious gifts from you...Only YOU know the pain that these families are going through. Please direct me, to direct all of us on how to serve them better. To show them that we care, and want to lift them all to you. Lord, PLEASE bring peace over these familes, help them to feel your presense there with them as they go through this trial.

Please my friends, help us pray for these tiny babies, and for their families. There are so many families in pain, more than we will ever realize, over babies that they want and love so much. So many families looking for a miracle, not daring to ask for one, but just leaving it all in God's hands...only HE knows the fate of these families, the story he's already written for all of them.

I'm starting to fight back tears as I try to type this, so I think it's time to wrap it up. Tomorrow is a new day, and I can't wait to wake up and see what the day brings. To wake up and see what the Lord reveals to us. I will be on my knees for you sweet friends, hoping for the best possible results!! Until then...

Pink in the Morning...

Sailors warning!

Ahhh, gotta love that old saying. And yes, it always comes true! Grrrr!! Sure enough the almost clear sky clouded up and it was raining by 11am. No i did not have Maggie wear her rain coat to school OR take an umbrella, so even though I met her at the bus at 11:40am with one, she was still not so happy with me!
This is pretty much Maggie's post, she wanted to share our beautiful sunrise with everyone. In her mind any morning that starts out pink HAS to be a great day! She was so excited as she looked out my bedroom window this morning and all she could see was a pink sky. Arn't kids great? I had to RUN to get the camera to take a picture of the pink sky.
What happened to Spring is what I want to know?
Tulips pushing up...check
Trees starting to bud...check
Robins bopping all around...check, check
Warm weather..uhhh. not so much
It is deceptively cold outside, and we don't like it one bit! As I sit here and write this I am realizing the need for another layer of clothes! Oh well, it will come soon enough and I'll be begging for the AC then!

On a side note, our friends The Bolte's could really use some prayer. Some things have come up, and once again faithful friends, I'm on my knees for them. Won't you join me? The details of what is happening are all available over at their blog, just follow the link above. Thank you all for helping us lift them up to the Lord, to help them when they need it the most.
All our love

Local recognization of NILMDTS

Today the local paper, The Tribune Review posted a story on a local family that we serviced here in Pittsburgh. Here is the link, if you would like to read the story yourself!

Schenley Park

Yesterday since it was so sunny and warm we picked up Maggie from school and decided to go on an "adventure". Our adventures usually start out with one destination in mind, and end up somewhere totally different! We thought we would try to go to the zoo, but as we got the kids out of the truck after we got there, they closed the admission gate and would not let us in. We were there on time, just not quick enough to get IN on time, grrrrr! This is the second time this has happened in the last month! So we started driving, no real direction in mind, and ended up at Schenley Park. We stopped at the playground, which had trails behind it, so after the kids played for a bit, we headed down the trails to see where they went! We had so much fun! We took the lower trail and it went down to the bottom of the gorge basically, and Maggie loved looking up at all the cliffs and different things on the hills around us. Fionn didn't care where we went as long as we kept the mini-goldfish coming!
It was a nice way to spend the afternoon together. The playground was a hit since it was the first time Fionn got to swing. He loved it, but then again he loves anything outside!! It's another beautiful day again, so i'm off to go spend time with the boys!

and now, the Funny ones...

So as most of you have seen how well our Christmas pictures went, these should come as no shock to you at all...Fionn just does NOT want to cooperate! Geesh! He will let me stalk him with the camera all day to take candids, but set him on a backdrop, and it's over!! So in light of all the great shots below, i just thought it would be fair to show you where we started!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I had planned a whole different idea for this post, but since it's 60 degrees out and Greg is home on vacation, you are all getting the abbreviated version! Last night Maggie wanted to take some pictures with Fionn for St. paddy's Day, so we got out the lights and tried to hurry before Fionn melted down....Some days I really think God has a sense of humor, Fionn REALLY is not a fan of the backdrops and lights....hmmm...i'm sure that will change, right??
So Fionn melted until we gave him a bottle and a 20 minute nap where we then tried to just a get a picture of the two of them together. We got a couple cute ones after poor Maggie was too tired to take anymore. So we got a couple cute ones together, and LOTS of individuals! Maggie was a total ham, and loves when everything is set up for pictures, so she works it!
Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick's Day, now i'm off to watch Maggie to ride her bike!!

WW Tip of the day...

Weight Watchers Pork and Cabbage Recipe (3 points)
Since it is St. Patrick's Day today I figured that i would head over to WW to see what recipes they had...this is one of them, and NOT what we will be eating tonight. If you want the recipe I'll be more than happy to give it to you, but seriously, ewwww! How in the world would I convince Maggie to eat that when I make faces just looking at the picture!
Interestingly enough, we are having pork chops though!
Happy St. Paddy's day all, I have another post in the works!

The Beaver

It's hard to think that one so small and so sweet can do so much damage. But give Fionn 10 minutes alone in his crib, and he's not tired...and well, this is what you get!
(see mema I told you it was bad)

And so it begins!
So Fionn has been channeling his good buddy Ben B. and has tried to eat some very unusual things lately( a pebble, a piece of a candy wrapper that he found, etc) so we've been trying to keep a closer eye on him. It would seem though that his two favorite things to eat are a)newspapers and b) his crib! And just to see how it tastes (I'm hoping), he tried to take a bite out of me today!
Maggie was not a biter, nor was she an eater(of non food items). If I said "ca-ca NO" she got the point...Fionn on the other hand keeps going back to whatever it is that I'm shooing him away from, until I physically have to remove it from his reach. And then there is a tantrum!
I'm pretty sure he's got another tooth getting ready to come through on the bottom, but still! I can't believe how much he chewed his crib today!! We bought some plastic covers to go over the edges, but they only fit the smaller sides (where he chewed today) so instead of taking them back and getting the thicker ones, it looks like now the whole crib is getting a rubber guard! Ugh! So if anyone has any tips, ideas, advice...this is all uncharted territory for me, please share them!!

Something New

Isn't is amazing how we are more open with some things with the rest of the world, than we are with our friends and family?

To the rest of the world, I have made no qualms about my battle with weight, the struggle to take off what it took me FIVE years to put on. I've told close family what i'm doing, but not even a lot of friends know how hard I've been fighting this Spring. Yet, I've shared what I'm doing with complete strangers, other women who are fighting the same fight I am. So here it is...I'm fighting...everyday. And yes it's a battle! I guess I havn't said too much to friends because I was too afraid to fail. Well, i'm too far in now to even think that's a possibility, so now it's time to be realistic.
And to start helping others with their fight as well. I've come to realize that this isn't a diet, it's a whole change of the way we live, and no one in my family has not been affected. To help in our fight, we have given up things like fast food, soda, peanut butter and others for Lent. While Lent is only temporary this also brings to light that we CAN live without these things, they are not a necessity to live. Too often I think we fall into these ruts where we think that we HAVE to have some of these things, but realistically we CAN re-train our bodies to let them go!

For me it was Pepsi. Ohhh....just sitting here thinking of it makes my mouth water, and it's been since January since i've had one. It still has that effect on me. When I started WW, I made myself switch to diet, and let me tell you I HATE DIET...but it's ZERO points, so despite how much I liked or disliked it, i drank it anyway...Then Lent came, and we gave up Fast food as a family, and then Greg gave up Peanut Butter(which is a daily staple for him) so I decided to make more of a sacrifice...the soda had to go. Not just diet pepsi, ALL soda. I had a dream last week about drinking soda, how sad is that?

So, there it is, now it's out there...I'm letting the whole world know officially(well those of you that happen to read our blog anyway) that this is the year for me to become more healthy, and to drop some of this weight that is wearing me down. I can't wait to feel like my old self again, to wear clothes that I actually like again! For jeans to be comfortable again, that is my wish! I had a big day yesterday. I actually now can wear again some pre-Fionn pants, and that was cause for celebration! Realistically I've lived in sweat pants for months(they don't judge) and am so happy to wear my own clothes again!! It's taken me 2 months, but finally it's starting to show!
In case you are wondering, I'm down 21 pounds. I started on January 3rd, so I think I'm working at a good pace!

So now here is my WW tip of the day:

My favorite Breakfast (and it's only 2.5 points)
1/4 cup of Egg-beaters (1 point)
1/8 cup of shredded cheese(2% of course)(.5 points)
topped with diced cherry tomatos (0 points)
2 slices of light wheat toast (1 point)

I even throw in a glass of Dole's Orange Peach Mango juice (3 points) to get 3 fruit/veggie servings out of breakfast alone so for a whopping 5.5 points I get all of this for breakfast!!

For all of you also fighting this good fight, Amber is starting a new weekly series...Weigh In Wednesdays. If you follow the button on the left(or just click on her name), you will link to her blog(which cracks me up) and we can all do this together!! So good luck, let me know how you all are doing! What was your hardest thing to let go of, and how did you do it?

Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Maggie's team right before they went in to compete

So this post is only a week late, not bad right?? Last Saturday was Maggie's competition, FINALLY! We've been running like crazy since January to practices and trying to get everything done in time. I will upload the video of their performance and link it in, I just thought I would throw up a couple pictures first.

Mema and Pop-pop came down on Wednesday and had a mini-vacation here. They stayed until after the competition on Saturday night. Pop-pop was actually nice enough to help judge the competition, so Maggie was THRILLED about that! Aunt Sharon and John Mark came down Saturday morning so they could see her as well. Here's a little background on what they have to do: The KIDS have to make everything themselves, they have to come up with their own lines, memorize them(we can write them down for them) and then make all the props. I mean, I couldn't even hold something while she cut it people, it's that serious! I got to plug things in for them, and I helped put the new glue sticks in the glue gun since that was a "safety" issue, but that's it! Anything they could do safely by themselves, they had to do ALONE! And yes, the judges ask the kids, "who made this" "what is this made out of" "who's idea was this" and you know 5 year olds, they tell the truth! So as hard as it was, they had to do it by themselves! I'm still cleaning up paint on the 3rd floor!!the team talking with the judges before hand, answering their questions

We surprised Maggie and had shirts made that all said "Team Maggie" on the front and had our names and a number on the back(baseball team style) Even Fionn had a shirt, and we all wore them to the competition! It was fun, she was super excited to see how excited we all were!!

The team was great, they had everything done in time, they had their lines memorized, and we were ready to go...You could see some nerves starting to show when they were in the "staging" area, but not too bad! Then they wheeled everything in to the room...all lined up, getting ready to go in

Maggie had been fine, her normal happy self running around before the competition. She got in that room, found her mark, and everything changed. I literally saw all the color drain out of her face, and for a minute I thought she would pass out. She rallied and all though the first couple lines were pretty darn quiet, she jumped back into it! The kids did great, and got a 3 out of 3 stars from the judges! The kids are already talking about what they will do next year!
The primary teams are not scored, just judged, so they all got their buttons and ribbons in a ceremony at the end of the day. They were so proud of themselves, and we were just as proud!! I can't believe that they are on the tail end of the school year already! It just blows my mind that she's 3/4 of the way done with Kindergarten! Didn't she JUST start??
Here are a couple pictures for you, enjoy!!

at the end, the award ceremony, in their SPS sweats

back home, on the front porch with her fan club!

maggie showing off her ribbon

Pop-pop and Fionn playing in the hammock chair

For our Princess

As we continue to get closer to Fionn's first birthday, it has caused me to look back at Maggie's first year as well. With everything that we do with Fionn, she has questions whether she did those things as well, so we always talk about it and look at pictures. The funny part is, I remember the stories, remember her, but am already losing the every day baby Maggie...this is exactly what you were like at this age kinda thing...we see her as our big grown up girl now instead of that big eyed baby that she has evolved from.
I found it fitting, since we are documenting Fionn's life on the blog, to also add in baby Maggie. They are alike in so many ways, yet so drastically different at the same time. I won't get into comparisons here, this will be the longest post ever written if I did, all I will say is it amazes me how fantastic they are TOGETHER. I know I say it all the time, but they just LOVE each other. They love to be near each other, to play with each other. They crack themselves up, no momma needed!
I'm sure as Fionn grows there will be other sildeshows of Maggie at other stages of her life, but for now I hope you enjoyed these. She truly was a fabulous baby!

Maggie demonstrates...

...how to land on your face when you trip!

Poor girl! They were outside today for recess, and since her school has no playground, they play in the courtyard between the church and the school...it's all brick! Maggie isn't exactly the most graceful, but usually she at least only scrapes up her legs and arms! Not today...she tripped on a brick and landed smack on her face! It's not that bad, but it looks like it hurts! She also scraped up the top of her knee enough that it required a band aid.
Erin, i know you check in on us...she said Sophia was the bestest friend today. She said that Sophia sat there with her when she fell while she was crying, then went in inside with her and held a "boo boo" pack to her knee while she held the other one to her face. Mrs. Shipley(Maggie's teacher) called and let Greg know what happened since I was down at Magee attending to a baby. We felt so bad when we saw her that she got to pick out a dessert for tonight. Ice Cream for all! Horray! I'll post more tomorrow about her competition over the weekend, I have a little work to finish up tonight and i'm dog tired!

Please keep the Bolte's in your prayers tomorrow as Ben goes in for a little procedure in the AM.

Fionn loving the Pengquins

Here is the promised penguin video from the zoo. As you will hear it's almost time for the PPG Aquarium to close and Maggie started to get ansty. I don't know if she thought they would lock us in for the night or what, but she was having a fit about getting out of there!! Enjoy Fionn checking out the Penguins!

Cold trip to the zoo

*****************************UPDATE**********************************************
Okay seriously people, did no one notice the date?? It was a test, lol and not one person said a thing about it! I'm not really that daft...yes i work late into the night, but come on! ;-) If you were all just trying to be polite, thank you, but you can say something about it! Please tell me when I make a mistake, it's the only way to learn!
**************************************************************************************
So last weekend we decided to trek off to the zoo. Unlike our friends and family (in Erie) who have to deal with their zoo closing in the winter, ours stays open year round. It was a beautiful day, a bright and balmy 36 degrees, with just a bit of nip in the air...so off we went! I can't say enough about our awesome (and bright orange) Schwinn jogger that I found for a steal (brand new) on Ebay last fall! It has a built in rain/wind cover that just zips and un-zips Fionn into his own little warm cocoon. So he and goo-goo (his polar bear webkin that he cannot live without) were all snuggly nose to nose inside. Not to mention the ten pounds of fleece blankets that surrounded them, lol. I was really excited to take him to the zoo this time. We havn't been in months, which is a travesty in Maggie's eyes, and he is big enough now to really check things out.

He wasn't sure where to look first when we got there! Once we got moving and warmed up, we took him in and out so he could really see the animals. He wasn't sure what to make of the Tiger or the Rhino, but dug checking out all the Elephants in their new "family" room. Those are the pictures above where he's standing at the glass. In the monkey house he thought he could just "bang away" on the glass of all the exhibits to get their attention...sorry buddy...it didn't quite work. I have a great video of him in PPG Aquarium in front of the penguins that I will post tomorrow. He loved all the fish in the Aquarium and I can't wait to take him back when we have a little more time. We only had about 15 minutes to stroll through the Aquarium before it closed for the day, so there is still lots for him to explore there. The new Tiger shark exhibit is open, and I won't lie, they're a little creepy (yet cool at the same time) The way they can swim right up to the glass, and you are literally just inches away from those teeth! Blahhh!! Creepy!
We had so much fun and can't wait to head back again. And yes I am aware that this post does NOT contain that many pictures of Maggie, but really we have soooo many pictures of Maggie at the zoo, and I did take lots of her on this trip as well, that this post is about Fionn's first real reaction to the animals at the zoo! Hope you enjoy!
where's Fionn??

our pretty pretty princess!

Happy Anniversary Handsome!

Here's to another GREAT and beautiful year!!