Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!
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| The Future Mr. & Mrs. Garcia |
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| Garcia Sisters |
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| Newly Baptized Nathan! |
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| Godparents |
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| Godparents & Grandparents |
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| Bathtime! |
FAMILY PORTRAITS
and finally....
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| Hangin' Around Grandma's Kitchen |
Monday, January 17, 2011
Late, But Finally Here
As promised...pictures from our San Antonio trip including Nathan's baptism, Grandpa Warren's birthday, Chris & Stephanie's engagement party and Thanksgiving....
Thursday, January 13, 2011
New Year - New Successes
The past year has brought tons of changes to our family. We moved, we had another baby, we (almost) sold our house in NC. It was rocky, but good. BUT we're into a new year. That brings with it a sense of hope and change. More excitement and more changes. So let's start the year off right with a list of this weeks successes and hope that the successes keep on comin' in the months ahead.
1. We've found a renter for our house in NC. No, it's not a buyer, but it will help us pay the bills and take some of the financial pressure off my hard-working husband. Hopefully, in the next few weeks my successes will include a statement along the lines of "our renter moved in and we got our first rent check in the mail"
2. The house has stayed in (relatively) clean condition since we got the holidays put away. Yes, we're still looking for places to stash all the new toys, but we're staying on top of the big stuff. What's the big stuff...well, right now it seems to be vacuuming up Cheerios that Nathan is dropping on the floor in his attempt to find his mouth and doing a thorough wipe down of the tables/counters after every meal since John has decided that he likes spices and sauces and tends to miss his plate when he dumps them out to taste them.
3. I've gotten back in the kitchen this week and I love it. We're eating at home more (better for our pocketbook and waistline) and really enjoying our cooking. So far this week we've had tilapia and yellow rice, pork chops and roasted potatoes, Chinese coleslaw, homemade salad, sausage and fried cabbage and I found time to make homemade salty snack mix. I really do enjoy cooking and I forget that when I get caught up in the day-to-day feeding of two tiny boys. :)
1. We've found a renter for our house in NC. No, it's not a buyer, but it will help us pay the bills and take some of the financial pressure off my hard-working husband. Hopefully, in the next few weeks my successes will include a statement along the lines of "our renter moved in and we got our first rent check in the mail"
2. The house has stayed in (relatively) clean condition since we got the holidays put away. Yes, we're still looking for places to stash all the new toys, but we're staying on top of the big stuff. What's the big stuff...well, right now it seems to be vacuuming up Cheerios that Nathan is dropping on the floor in his attempt to find his mouth and doing a thorough wipe down of the tables/counters after every meal since John has decided that he likes spices and sauces and tends to miss his plate when he dumps them out to taste them.
3. I've gotten back in the kitchen this week and I love it. We're eating at home more (better for our pocketbook and waistline) and really enjoying our cooking. So far this week we've had tilapia and yellow rice, pork chops and roasted potatoes, Chinese coleslaw, homemade salad, sausage and fried cabbage and I found time to make homemade salty snack mix. I really do enjoy cooking and I forget that when I get caught up in the day-to-day feeding of two tiny boys. :)
So what are your successes?
What are your goals for this year?
Let us know over at Faith and Family Live!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Thursday Again?!?!
Successes this week! Yes - we had several!
1. We survived the bug that attacked our family. I was out of commission for the 24 hours of New Year's Day and Matt fell victim all day Monday and most of Tuesday morning. Despite it giving both of us a swift kick in the...we're both still moving, eating food again, and generally don't feel like we're dying. Additionally, I've Lysol-ed most everything in the house in hopes that the boys don't have to start waging war with this stomach bug! Trust me - all of this is a HUGE success!
2. We had some friends over for a playdate and lunch this week. A fellow mom confided that she was feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed since her husband has been traveling more and more for work. Boy can I relate! It was great to have her and her boys over to the house for some play time, make your own pizzas and great (real and honest) conversation about being a stay-at-home-mom with a traveling husband. A must do again soon!
3. I'm (almost) caught up on laundry! It's been a lot of washing, folding and putting away, but I'm happy to report that the boys have pants to wear again and the "sick" sheets/blankets from all the beds/couches having been washed in the hottest water my water heater can produce.
1. We survived the bug that attacked our family. I was out of commission for the 24 hours of New Year's Day and Matt fell victim all day Monday and most of Tuesday morning. Despite it giving both of us a swift kick in the...we're both still moving, eating food again, and generally don't feel like we're dying. Additionally, I've Lysol-ed most everything in the house in hopes that the boys don't have to start waging war with this stomach bug! Trust me - all of this is a HUGE success!
2. We had some friends over for a playdate and lunch this week. A fellow mom confided that she was feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed since her husband has been traveling more and more for work. Boy can I relate! It was great to have her and her boys over to the house for some play time, make your own pizzas and great (real and honest) conversation about being a stay-at-home-mom with a traveling husband. A must do again soon!
3. I'm (almost) caught up on laundry! It's been a lot of washing, folding and putting away, but I'm happy to report that the boys have pants to wear again and the "sick" sheets/blankets from all the beds/couches having been washed in the hottest water my water heater can produce.
Got successes you care to share?
We'd love to hear about them over at Faith and Family Live!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Man I Married...
...is loving, caring, gentle, friendly, faithful and fun.
...is a wonderful father who gives himself fully to his family.
...is hardworking, dedicated and invested in his job.
...is missed when he's gone.
...is an extra set of hands when he's home.
...is adventurous, exciting, intriguing, and thrilling everyday.
...is thoughtful, considerate, kind and attentive even when I don't deserve it.
...is amazing, astonishing, and sublime in ways I never imagined.
...is attractive, appealing and charming even more now than when we met.
...is my best friend, partner, better half and cohort through thick and thin.
...is the best decision I ever made...period!
...is a wonderful father who gives himself fully to his family.
...is hardworking, dedicated and invested in his job.
...is missed when he's gone.
...is an extra set of hands when he's home.
...is adventurous, exciting, intriguing, and thrilling everyday.
...is thoughtful, considerate, kind and attentive even when I don't deserve it.
...is amazing, astonishing, and sublime in ways I never imagined.
...is attractive, appealing and charming even more now than when we met.
...is my best friend, partner, better half and cohort through thick and thin.
...is the best decision I ever made...period!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Starting 2011
Well, it's been a rocky start to 2011! Let's hope this isn't a sign of the year to come...
We enjoyed ourselves at the annual New Year's Eve Casino Party at the Homes' house on Friday night. It's always nice to gather with friends and family to ring in the new year. We gambled away our mock money playing craps, blackjack and poker. We ate plenty of greasy, fattening food. We toasted with champagne at midnight as we kissed our families. Then I ran to the bathroom and got sick. :( Before you think it...no I hadn't had that much to drink (actually only 1 drink and a couple sips for a second).
The rest of the night I spent in the bathroom and I spent all of Saturday in bed or on the couch with severe nausea and didn't manage to keep any food or drink down the whole day. However, Sunday proved better and we made it to church, out to breakfast as a family, and made steaks for dinner. The about 1:30AM on Monday morning - it hit Matt. He was up all night and hasn't made it out of bed yet this morning. I did offer him some Ramen about an hour ago which he promptly took two sips of and then asked me to get it out of the room as even the smell was getting to him. (He did confess that he wished he had been much more sympathetic when I told him I didn't feel good and wanted to go home at midnight on New Year's Eve - at the time he thought I was just being a party pooper)
Both boys have managed to avoid it thus far. We'll give you another update later this week. Let's pray that we keep it in our bedroom since it's pretty nasty (whatever it is...)!
We enjoyed ourselves at the annual New Year's Eve Casino Party at the Homes' house on Friday night. It's always nice to gather with friends and family to ring in the new year. We gambled away our mock money playing craps, blackjack and poker. We ate plenty of greasy, fattening food. We toasted with champagne at midnight as we kissed our families. Then I ran to the bathroom and got sick. :( Before you think it...no I hadn't had that much to drink (actually only 1 drink and a couple sips for a second).
The rest of the night I spent in the bathroom and I spent all of Saturday in bed or on the couch with severe nausea and didn't manage to keep any food or drink down the whole day. However, Sunday proved better and we made it to church, out to breakfast as a family, and made steaks for dinner. The about 1:30AM on Monday morning - it hit Matt. He was up all night and hasn't made it out of bed yet this morning. I did offer him some Ramen about an hour ago which he promptly took two sips of and then asked me to get it out of the room as even the smell was getting to him. (He did confess that he wished he had been much more sympathetic when I told him I didn't feel good and wanted to go home at midnight on New Year's Eve - at the time he thought I was just being a party pooper)
Both boys have managed to avoid it thus far. We'll give you another update later this week. Let's pray that we keep it in our bedroom since it's pretty nasty (whatever it is...)!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Successes In Every Way
It's been a great week. We've been busy celebrating the Christmas season and are excited for the new year to roll around. Thanks to Danielle Bean over at Faith and Family Live! I'm taking one last chance to identify my successes in 2010.
1. This week we pulled off a successful Christmas complete with 5 celebrations and two relatively happy boys for all of them. We were able to celebrate with the Seka side of the family on Christmas Eve morning, the Rekowski side of the family on Christmas Eve in the evening, we opened presents over Skype on Christmas morning with the Garcia's, enjoyed Christmas afternoon at my parent's house, and topped it off with the Lou Juan Hills Christmas on Monday night. Needless to say - I don't know where we're going to put it all. Is it unreasonable to ask our landlord to build an addition because our children have too many toys? (Maybe we should do some purging first)
2. I got two cavities filled. OK---the success here is not that I have the cavities, but that I finally bit the bullet, went to the dentist and then went back a week later to get the cavities filled. Maybe if I didn't wait 2 1/2 years between dentist appointments I wouldn't need that second trip?
3. We've been working with John's therapists this past week to get everything in order for his annual review by the state. His need for occupational therapy seems to be diminishing so we're hopeful we can trim it down to once a week. However, we've encountered some bumps in the road with his speech needs (more elaboration once we have more information) so it looks like we'll be keeping that at twice a week for now. John will have a few more progress reviews in the upcoming months, but this will be his last services/needs review before he graduates from the program on his 3rd birthday. That being said - we're looking to the future and trying to figure out how best to navigate the transition from Child & Family Connections to our local school district with a child that needs a little extra help.
1. This week we pulled off a successful Christmas complete with 5 celebrations and two relatively happy boys for all of them. We were able to celebrate with the Seka side of the family on Christmas Eve morning, the Rekowski side of the family on Christmas Eve in the evening, we opened presents over Skype on Christmas morning with the Garcia's, enjoyed Christmas afternoon at my parent's house, and topped it off with the Lou Juan Hills Christmas on Monday night. Needless to say - I don't know where we're going to put it all. Is it unreasonable to ask our landlord to build an addition because our children have too many toys? (Maybe we should do some purging first)
2. I got two cavities filled. OK---the success here is not that I have the cavities, but that I finally bit the bullet, went to the dentist and then went back a week later to get the cavities filled. Maybe if I didn't wait 2 1/2 years between dentist appointments I wouldn't need that second trip?
3. We've been working with John's therapists this past week to get everything in order for his annual review by the state. His need for occupational therapy seems to be diminishing so we're hopeful we can trim it down to once a week. However, we've encountered some bumps in the road with his speech needs (more elaboration once we have more information) so it looks like we'll be keeping that at twice a week for now. John will have a few more progress reviews in the upcoming months, but this will be his last services/needs review before he graduates from the program on his 3rd birthday. That being said - we're looking to the future and trying to figure out how best to navigate the transition from Child & Family Connections to our local school district with a child that needs a little extra help.
I feel like it's been a successful week! What about you? Share your successes!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Pardon My Absence
It's been a LONG time since I've been on the blog! Wow! Over a month...the holidays do that to us. But let's bring the world up to date on our accomplishments over this past month.
We spent Thanksgiving in San Antonio with Matt's family. It was a busy couple days surrounding Thanksgiving this year. We celebrating "baby" Lizzy's 9th birthday, Grandpa Warren's 89th birthday, Chris and Stephanie's engagement, Thanksgiving, and Nathan's Baptism! Whew!!!
John had a blast spending time with his paternal grandparents and extended family. In fact, he cried when we got in the car to go to dinner without "baby" Lizzy - even though she was meeting us at the restaurant! He also cried when Grandpa left for work one morning. John missed his friends! And it was great for Nathan to get to meet so many of his family members for the first time. Since not many people were able to come visit us after Nathan's birth this was his first introduction to both sets of his great-grandparents, all his great-aunts and uncles, and all his distant cousins. We quizzed him on everyone's name after the trip but he wouldn't let on if he knew them or not....
Nathan's baptism was everything we expected! Father Charlie continues to be a great friend to our family. I honestly don't know what we would do without him. The ceremony was great, his company was wonderful and we were excited that he agreed to perform Chris and Stephanie's wedding this upcoming May as well as Lizzy and Charles' wedding the following year. And he should be coming to visit us in February! He is such a blessing!
Christmas was wonderful this year! John's at the perfect age. The speed at which we were being asked to open and construct presents was overwhelming to say the least. Santa brought him two 'big' toys this year....a kitchen and a workbench. He thoroughly loves both and plays with them everyday. Nathan had a equally 'big' first Christmas courtesy of his two sets of grandparents. He received his big boy car seat and a giant bouncer that takes up a large chunk of space in our living room.
We were able to celebrate Christmas 5 times this year (Seka's, Rekowski's, at home, Grandparents Rekowski and The Hill). I afraid John will think that Christmas lasts weeks on end and that every day you should get to wake up and open a new present!
Needless to say, we've been super busy around here! Nathan had his 6 month check up and passed with flying colors. He continues to be off the charts on height and a little on the chunky side for weight. The doctor continues to tell us he can eat as much as he wants (which may result in me going back to work if we're going to be able to afford all his baby food!) and he's mastered Gerber puffs and Cheerios now.
Pictures of all of the above will follow soon - I promise!
We spent Thanksgiving in San Antonio with Matt's family. It was a busy couple days surrounding Thanksgiving this year. We celebrating "baby" Lizzy's 9th birthday, Grandpa Warren's 89th birthday, Chris and Stephanie's engagement, Thanksgiving, and Nathan's Baptism! Whew!!!
John had a blast spending time with his paternal grandparents and extended family. In fact, he cried when we got in the car to go to dinner without "baby" Lizzy - even though she was meeting us at the restaurant! He also cried when Grandpa left for work one morning. John missed his friends! And it was great for Nathan to get to meet so many of his family members for the first time. Since not many people were able to come visit us after Nathan's birth this was his first introduction to both sets of his great-grandparents, all his great-aunts and uncles, and all his distant cousins. We quizzed him on everyone's name after the trip but he wouldn't let on if he knew them or not....
Nathan's baptism was everything we expected! Father Charlie continues to be a great friend to our family. I honestly don't know what we would do without him. The ceremony was great, his company was wonderful and we were excited that he agreed to perform Chris and Stephanie's wedding this upcoming May as well as Lizzy and Charles' wedding the following year. And he should be coming to visit us in February! He is such a blessing!
Christmas was wonderful this year! John's at the perfect age. The speed at which we were being asked to open and construct presents was overwhelming to say the least. Santa brought him two 'big' toys this year....a kitchen and a workbench. He thoroughly loves both and plays with them everyday. Nathan had a equally 'big' first Christmas courtesy of his two sets of grandparents. He received his big boy car seat and a giant bouncer that takes up a large chunk of space in our living room.
We were able to celebrate Christmas 5 times this year (Seka's, Rekowski's, at home, Grandparents Rekowski and The Hill). I afraid John will think that Christmas lasts weeks on end and that every day you should get to wake up and open a new present!
Needless to say, we've been super busy around here! Nathan had his 6 month check up and passed with flying colors. He continues to be off the charts on height and a little on the chunky side for weight. The doctor continues to tell us he can eat as much as he wants (which may result in me going back to work if we're going to be able to afford all his baby food!) and he's mastered Gerber puffs and Cheerios now.
Pictures of all of the above will follow soon - I promise!
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