Keeping Up With The Karczewski's

Our House

2012-01-28T09:13:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, or maybe hinted at the fact that our house is for sale...so there...it's no secret, our house is on the market, we put it up in October.

I love this house.

But we need something bigger and we found something bigger.

We have called it home for the past 10 years and have basically redone every room.

We brought two babies home to this house...

We have been busy with lots of showings since we rang in the New Year, and it has been hard keeping it "show ready" (or getting it show ready), every weekend with two kids who want to play and make big messes. But, were doing it, and we're hanging in there. Another reason my blog has been on the back burner...

If you know of anyone looking for a great starter home to raise a family, this is the house.

Tomorrow we have another showing....we will sell this house!

Happy Birthday Chris!

2012-01-22T08:06:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Chris! A man who not only loves brats...

He loves his kids and is a great dad....

He can wrangle a baby like no one's business...

He can laugh at himself...

He will dress-up and make a fool of himself for me and the kids...

He will face a fear (of heights), if his daughter begs him to do something...

He shops on Black Friday with us...

He's smart, super funny, optimistic (sometimes too much), he cleans, does laundry, is supportive, a great dad and an amazing husband. Happy Birthday!

He would want me to mention that he grows a mean mustache in March too...

Today, on his birthday, we have a showing, I should be cleaning something, but he is too important to go unnoticed. Selling our house, has been putting the blog on the back burner a bit, but I promise the rest of our Christmas is coming soon!

{some of} Our Christmas

2012-01-10T21:21:00.004-06:00

We've taken down all our decorations and have celebrated the New Year. We all had the flu Christmas week (except Liam), it was awful, but I was glad I had off to sleep and tend to a sick Lily. And this past weekend I spent cleaning like crazy for two showings. The bigger truth about why I haven't posted our Christmas is...time (or lack there of). I have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old and work 40 hours a week...you mama's out there understand, right?

I am excited about 2012 and what it will bring for our family (maybe a new house?). The beginning of a new year and the possibilities that it can bring are always exciting. And January, well lots of fantastic people I know were born this month (my best friend, Billie, my uncle, Billie, Chris, my great aunt and my grandma - yes, it is another expensive month!).

But we just can't start celebrating the new year, without talking about our Merry Little Christmas that we closed 2011 with.

So many things happened in December, it was hard to keep up!

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa was started when we realized there is no good place around anymore for Breakfast with Santa...it was such a part of our childhood Christmas memories (we all used to get dressed up and go to the Boston Store restaurant when we were kids), it was a tradition that must be maintained. Here is 2010 and 2009.

I had a pretty large smile on my face when I realized that, no, I hadn't just walked into a Pottery Barn Kids catalog, just my aunt's house for breakfast with Santa. The kids table was sooooo cute.

During breakfast, there was a sighting...

And they're off...Mason...

...then Lily...

...then Ashlyn...

They couldn't contain their excitement by the door, which lead to running in circles.

Finally, he was here.

They all took turns talking to Santa and telling him what they wanted

The horror on Liam's face is priceless

He sang some songs with them

Handed out presents

Gave out hugs

And played some tricks, telling Mason he had no more presents, until Mason found his on the bottom of his bag...that silly Santa!

They were sad to see him go (me too)

Liam got a police car puzzle...

And the classic shot of the kids (check out frowny sister on the right)

Ashlyn, Aubrey, Mason, Miles, Gabriella, Liam, Lily

They liked the "silly shot" much better

Miles' First Christmas

Peek-a-boo Gabriella...I see you!

Santa's Lap

We made our annual trip to the mall to visit Santa. I feel like it's a "must do" for Christmas. Lily had her gloves and her handbag.

In the car I asked her what she was going to ask Santa for, her reply "It doesn't matter what I ask for, he just brings me a puzzle", I was speechless, I hate when I am stumped (which seems to be always lately with her questions and quick wit), I knew she was referring to Breakfast with Santa. I almost said "that Santa wasn't the real Santa", but that didn't seem appropriate...I told her this Santa wouldn't be giving her a present right away, this Santa would be bringing it on Christmas for under the tree.

Liam wore his vest and argyle socks.

She was so excited

She told Santa softly that she would like a table. Over the last month she has asked for batteries for her Leapster Explorer (she apparently isn't aware that we have a drawer full of batteries in our kitchen), a microwave and the latest has been a table.

Why do I not own one of these vests?

Country Christmas
This year, we were all able to fit in our new crossover while we drove thru.

I love it

Every year it gets more fun, as Lily and Mason are now able to spot things and are super excited, next year we will have 4 excited little people!

We headed in the "warming house" for cookies, cocoa and to find things on the amazing train display

Don't worry, we did leave some hot cocoa for the other guests

Miles used his "Santa Butt" to pick up some older ladies...it works every time

That's it for now...more to come!

By the way, our house is already a mess again

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:56:00.002-06:00

From our family to yours - Merry Christmas!

Christmasness

2011-12-21T22:47:00.000-06:00

It hardly seems possible that in the marathon of December and Christmasness (yes, it's a word), we are in our final lap sprinting to the finish line. It goes too fast. Another reason why I have to start our Christmasness the day after Thanksgiving, if I waited until December 1st, I might blink and miss it.

I got their pictures developed and opening the box and seeing these pictures was like early Christmas...I think they are the final touch to make our Christmas mantel perfect.

Just like everyone else, we've been keeping busy. Spending more time running around, naps are getting skipped and pushed back, and we have been in and out of malls and stores.

Chris' work had a Christmas party this year at Crystal Ridge (ski hill), in the lodge...it was really nice. Santa was there and gave Lily and Liam some toys.

Liam wasn't quite sure how he felt about Santa.

Then there was a White Elephant gift exchange...I ~~got~~ stole a Babycakes Doughnut maker....seriously, who thought this should be a white elephant gift????? I was super excited and planned to use it to make some doughnuts for Breakfast with Santa the next morning.

Cinnamon & Sugar doughnuts, placed in $1.00 spot tin from Target with parchment paper. I did make them for Breakfast with Santa (which was awesome and deserves it's own post).

I love that when I come out of Liam's room after feeding him and putting him down for bed, I find Chris coloring with her...by the tree.

It's no secret I am obsessed with Pinterest and have been doing lots of things I find on there. Got this idea for a small gift.

source

And this idea for an ornament made from the tree trunk...we just added the name of our tree ~ Flower, which Lily picked this year.

Liam has been great about the tree. Curious, but cautious.

And I think all their silliness proves they feel the Christmas magic (or at least I hope so).

I have been wearing a Santa hat almost every weekend of December to run errands. I love that it is Christmas-y and I don't have to do my hair.

with my new camera

Madeline is also getting into the Christmas spirit...I love when I find her little imaginative set-ups all over the house. I believe on this day Madeline asked bunny to a picnic with a Christmas blanket. Bunny brought along Pink Poodle. Madeline said bunny could use the green napkin and she would use the pink napkin.

We took our annual trip through Candy Cane Lane to look at the lights. It could have been magical. Lily had a temper tantrum in the car (I don't even remember about what now) and after we told her "okay, we are leaving", we waited 35 minutes in the Candy Cane Lane traffic to really leave.

I love this guy - what a great idea!

Elf is getting silly. He's been getting all kinds of crazy ideas from some other elves on facebook (if Santa has the Portable North Pole, you better believe those elves are on facebook!)

She loves it!

Also, he got a really crazy idea from an elf named Tinkerbell, he took our stockings and replaced them with Lily's underpants...she was laughing hysterically about it.

I love these tights. I wish I could put her in them everyday.

Dressed up for holiday day at school

But among the hustle and bustle, I always try to soak it all in, especially this time of year.

This is it...these are the days. They will not be little forever - I know that.

And we even squeezed in a lunch with my sister. We don't do it enough.

The other night I came home from work and Chris had a fire going...I love that. After their baths, both of them warmed their butt cheeks up on the glass - so cute.

The kids are sick this week, I've been up every night this week with one or both of them. I have been wrapping presents almost every night. I am tired. But this is how it goes. Too much to do and not enough time. And every mama out there can relate to that. But we keep going. Running on adrenaline or caffeine, we will get it all done.

This my friends, is what you call a Christmas Cutie. A 15-months-old-today Christmas Cutie.

Coming up...Breakfast with Santa, Country Christmas and Santa's Lap...

******

As I was looking through pictures to post...I found these from State Fair, I am sad I didn't get to post much this summer, we had a blast. Our brave girl wanted to do this. I thought she might "chicken out" or cry.

She loved it! She's big, ya know

The Opening Weekend

2011-12-08T22:25:00.000-06:00

The first weekend in December, did not disappoint...we had a full-of-Christmas-Magic kind of weekend.

Beginning with the first door on the advent calendar.

Saturday morning we were up early for cookie day and the New Berlin Christmas parade starring Mason Worzella himself as a karate chopper. I picked a day Chris would have off, so I could avoid the Cookie Day Meltdown of 2010 (that's what we will now be referring to that as). Naturally, Chris later was scheduled to work. So I was a solo act. It started a little rough, Liam has the worse diaper rash known to mankind right now and is kind of cranky about it. I had little sleep, so did the kids, and had a lot to get prepared in a little bit of time. But after getting a attitude adjuster {Starbucks Vanilla Latte}, I was ready for cookies and the parade!

The starting line-up for cookie day...

Miles

Lily

Liam

Mason

Liam graduated from "Cookie Watcher" to "Official Cookie Tester"...a status only Mason and Lily had achieved thus far.

After Mexican Wedding Cakes (and some naps ~ another good sign), we were off to the parade.

We bring our Christmas flare and we don't care.

This parade does not disappoint and neither did the weather.

Liam received this instrument from someone handing out candy...and instruments. I love these pictures.

Look at those big ole lips! Momma also received an orange instrument and could not stop using it.

Wouldn't be a parade without some Dancing Grannies.

And this guy!

Starbucks was giving out free peppermint hot cocoa, free coffee and free cookies. Jimmy John's was also handing out free subs. Free Starbucks, free food, and tons of Christmas cheer ~ it was Merry!

All the Christmas Crazies!

And finally, Mason appeared....like a flash...I couldn't even get a picture. He's fast.

And just like that he was gone. But I got a picture of Steve's first parade.

This parade is awesome for many reasons, but let's just say they hit a new high this year when the 3 Wise Men walked by with some real camels.

Reindeer! Really, someone pinch us! Another reason I need to move to New Berlin ~ Christmas parade awesomeness!

And of course Santa himself.

So the parade was great and we all agreed next year ~ we are coming with some serious flare. Watch out New Berlin, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Miles and Billie also made the New Berlin paper again - check it out here.

After the parade, it was back to business...baking business. The Nana's were the official ball-rollers, and there may have been at least ~~one~~ twenty inappropriate jokes that Billie and I made about them ball-rolling.

Liam was content just watching in the middle of the kitchen, while we all gave him cookies to taste.

Mason says you can only really taste it, if you close your eyes.

Lily stayed awake until the end (11:00 p.m.) and her favorite part was the "Go Team!' we did at the end, she had us do it three times. And about 30 seconds into our car ride home, I heard her snoring loud in the backseat. It was a cookie day crash.

That night we had a special visitor and Lily awoke with excitement.

I thought her heart skipped a beat when she saw that St. Nick had filled their stockings {she might fall over when Santa comes}

Liam was totally into his stocking too.

Look at him looking for more :)

After opening our stockings we prepared to get our tree!!!

I'm not sure what these two crazies were doing.

Off to get our tree - I love this picture.

Lily decided she wanted to go inside first and look at the store.

These people looked like they were having fun. Lily could have looked at their village for hours.

We finally decided to go pick out our tree. Lily's favorite part is getting a ride.

The process of getting a tree usually goes something like this...Chris forgets his gloves, it's freezing, he stands many trees up and spins them with his bare hands, I look them up and down and contemplate until I finally say "Uh, no...maybe we'll come back to that one"...there is so much to consider: height, bare spots, crookedness, it's a complex process, that usually results in "It's really cold, should we just get this one"

But this year, I think we found the perfect tree.

I had them cut off a sliver of the trunk, I am going to make it into an ornament. I saw the idea here (pinterest, of course - join, will you!). This year, we told Lily she could name the tree (idea from someone I work with). I thought surely she would pick the name "tree". She surprised me when she said Flower. So our tree is named Flower (so cute). On the ornament I am going to put the year and the name, and hopefully have them take turns naming the tree each year. When we went back in to spend our gift card...someone magical had arrived. When we told Lily that someone magical was in the store and asked her to guess who, she proclaimed "Auntie Billie!", it was Santa (a very young Santa). Lily told him she wanted a kitchen...hmm...I'm not sure what she meant by that.

As we were leaving Chris pulled off in his dad's truck with the Christmas tree in the back. Lily said sadly "I'm never going to see flower again". ::smile::

And she picked out this Elf on the Shelf ornament.

When we got home, I turned on the Christmas carols and started putting the lights on the tree, only to realize 3 strands weren't working (so typical, isn't it). Lily made rows with her toys. I went to Target to buy 4 strands of lights and lots of other things I did not need.

When Liam woke up from his nap he was amazed at the tree that stood before him.

Lily loved decorating the tree this year.

Boots preferred to attack ornaments.

Liam used the cover of the ornament bin to surf.

All business with the hooks.

She put all of the ornaments I gave her to hang up in the same spot on the tree, in a big pile of heavy ornaments.

And finally Chris lifted her to put the star on....and then there was a meltdown because she could not get the star on. Daddy had to trim the top and put it on himself.

After it was all said and done, she looked for the pickle. I know that they aren't supposed to look until Christmas Day, but I didn't think she would find it.

She did.

~~~ Christmas Magic ~~~~

Lots more to do on our Christmas Bucket list. This weekend brings breakfast with Santa and possibly a trip to Country Christmas. I should finish my shopping too.

*****

The other day on the radio they were talking about what your favorite Christmas movie says about you. Mine is

{No two ways about it: you're a softy with a tendency to dive head-first into bouts of nostalgia and gloppy sentimentalism. It's okay, we are too. As far as we're concerned, only a heart-deficient tin man would be unfazed by this classic reminder to practice an attitude of gratitude}

Find out what your favorite Christmas movie says about you.

http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/favorite-christmas-movie-says-222500050.html

*****

If your keeping score...it's been 5 days since the tree went up and it's still standing.

Deck the Halls

2011-11-28T22:04:00.001-06:00

They may have only had visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads for a short time...before mom in her kerchief and dad in his cap, woke them up for BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!

Suns not even up yet!

Good Morning Black Friday!

In my our defense, I leave the house with them by 6:25 a.m. each morning, so they get up very early so that I can get them ready each day, they are used to getting up really early.

Stretching at the mall

The great thing about having your own little family, you can decide when you want to your Christmas to start. Ours starts the eve of Thanksgiving, why not stretch it out, it already seems like it goes way to fast.

So, have we started decking our halls?

You betcha! (Can you say that without the Sarah Palin accent - me neither)...

We don't have boughs of holly, but we brought up the Christmas bin yesterday turned on the tv channel that plays Christmas music 24-7, cranked it and decorated.

Lily was so excited this year, which just made my heart melt....

As she anxiously pulled item after item out of the bin, she would proclaim "Ummm....Momma, look at this!" and ask "Where should I put this?" "What should I do with this?"

She asked about the beaded coasters and I told her to put them out where are other coasters are...she started strategically laying them out :)

Liam was more happy throwing the paper the Christmas things were wrapped in, around the kitchen and laughing about it to himself ~ that crazy little elf.

And then found a new use for the Christmas bin...

...of course big sister had to join him...

My favorite thing to unwrap and put up each year is our personalized ornaments. As I unwrap each one out of the newspaper I store them in, I can't wait to see which one it is and recall that year of our lives. I have been ordering them since 2002. These two little people named Shana & Chris, they trimmed a tree in 2002, in 2004 they got two cats, and Shana got some bling, then there was a wedding and a pregnancy and a baby and another pregnancy and another baby - these two are busy. I love watching this little life unfold. I can't wait to get this year's ornament, family of four and I will be getting an angel cat for Beans :( I don't put them on the tree, mostly because I love to look at them. I always hang them in our hallway on the wall. This year we are moving over the arch. Not gonna lie - dreamed that we would someday have enough to go around the arch (because I'm lame like that).

Do you know anyone else whose husband would buy them a Christmas Almanack as a gift? Me neither. Chris got this for me about 5 years ago...trying to steal my heart (from Santa). It offers all kinds of useful knowledge about Christmas, did you know that in England the prickly holly is called "he" and the non-prickly is called "she". Which type is first brought into the house at Christmas determines who will rule the household for the coming year ~ fun facts to know and tell!

We took a quick break for some hot cocoa with whip cream

Liam was drinking it so hard his left cheek dimpled

I love decorating our fireplace and wish it could stay like this all year

All the glass ornaments that usually go on the tree? I just dropped them into my existing vases for some *sparkle* I don't think we will be able to use them this year and am going to get some unbreakable ones...ahem...Liam

Our reindeer stocking holders

Don't worry, I have a sleigh that they can pull, just in case we become a family of 5 someday

Another favorite...nesting dolls, the kids love them too.

Lily had so much fun, she was jumping around like a little elf

More to come...we don't even have our tree yet! We're headed to get a tree Friday night with the kids...and then Saturday is cookie day and the New Berlin Christmas parade...our calendar is filling up! And to anyone who has called me a super momma ~ I don't even have Liam's birthday thank you's done...so there!

The Holidays are Here!

2011-11-27T22:11:00.000-06:00

He's back...

*****
But before I talk about him. I want to tell you about what a great time we had at the Bayshore Town Center Tree Lighting, way back when in the beginning of November...I can't believe November is almost over? Where did it go? I know I don't have to tell you again, how this is my favorite tree lighting in town. I love the tall toy soldiers, and the way that Santa passes them the last light bulb for the tree and the last toy soldier places it and the tree lights up...and the snow fairies *floating* around and the hot cocoa, and the train rides (with snow), and the horse and carriage rides...it's all magic.

Me and my mom took the kids up (Chris had to work) and it was a little brisk, but much milder than it's been in years past.

on our way

beautiful lights

Lily's annual picture next to a huge ornament

Liam wouldn't stay still for one...just kept running

Nana with L&L

me and my kids

while we waited, Lily made snow angels...who needs snow anyway?

finally the toy soldiers came out

Liam loved Lily's gloves, so much that he couldn't stop staring at them :)

Lily was able to give Santa a hug and was thrilled

fist pound from a snow fairy

we had to try this hat on Liam at the GAP, isn't it cute? You know I'm a sucker for a hat :)

the tree

*****

Thanksgiving was nice. We started the day with gingerbread pancakes and whip cream.

I love putting whip cream smiley faces on them

During the day I tried to make a green bean casserole and clean the house ::ha, ha, ha:: I finished the casserole, the house left something to be desired. I did some final quick *elf* touches and then we were off to Chris' Aunt Donna's for dinner. After dinner there was an Elvis sighting.

When we returned home, Elf was there!

And Lily proclaimed "Mom, put him there!"...my heart almost stopped...she's only 3, don't I have at least 3 more years of her believing and then an additional 4 years of her pretending she believes for her brother? We quickly convinced her that I had not put him there, he was here from the North Pole to watch over them for Santa.

Each year I have to look up the name that Lily gave him in 2009...it's Elf...I don't know why that's so hard for me to remember...just like her Bitty Baby is named Lily, duh!

There was also Christmas pj's on their beds and their trees were up!

Lily also got some new sheets and small decorations in her room

Lily started believing so much, that she told us that Elf put a ceiling fan in Liam's room (maybe in 2008?)...she couldn't believe it!

I had debated about a tree in Liam's room, but got all "soft" ornaments and so far it's still standing (it's been 4 days). I'm really scared about the real tree in the living room, I imagine he will take it down at least once this year.

we all knew this was going to happen!

Lily's new ornament this year - glitter dust inside!

she loves her new sheets

MAGIC!

We tucked them into their beds where vision of sugarplums may have started dancing in their heads...

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:28:00.002-06:00

People on Facebook have been doing "Thankful November" and each day they post something they are thankful for...I didn't participate, but thought it was great to think of something each day to be thankful for and enjoyed reading everyone's status' over the past month. So here are some things I am thankful for:

1. Chris...can't imagine my life without him! He makes me laugh everyday and helps me so much, he is my best friend.

As much as I hate it, Mustache March makes him happy

2. Lily...our little Lou-Lou-Magoo, she's as silly as can be and her laugh is contagious, she is a fighter, who went through a lot when she was very small. I am grateful that she made it and is ours.

3. Liam...macho-man, our little-mover-and-shaker, he thinks everything is hysterical, and keeps me on my toes, and gave us the sweet memory of a full-term pregnancy and wonderful birth.

That's one way to eat

4. My mom...she raised us by herself, and did the best job she could. Sometimes I feel like I am hard on her (she's not the most organized person), but she helps us so much watching Lily & Liam and I know it's not easy and it saves Chris and I a lot of money.

5. My sister...our "sisterhood" is like no other relationship I have, it's full of truth, laughter, love and understanding, I am so glad she is mine.

6. My Aunt Angie...she's helped us in so many ways, not just me but my entire extended family, her generosity is something of a saint (she's very funny too).

7. GGRBow...(that's short for Grandma Rainbow, who now has an extra G in front because she's a Great Grandma), Rainbow is not her last name, just a nickname she's had forever because she's so cheerful, there's no one like her, heals, lipstick, stories about fifth and the ave....she's the cats meow, what can I say.

8. Beans...just for having him for the short 7 years we did, he was the perfect cat for us...cuddly, soft, loved sitting on our laps and purring and had some quirks...we will forever have stories to tell about him (funny ones) and I am happy that he was the first pet me children knew.

9. Dr Jaglan, my ob. Is it dumb that I am thankful for him? I feel like he saved my life while I was pregnant with Lily and he helped me get to 39 weeks 2 days with Liam. I feel confident when he is taking care of me and he has a gentle soul.

10. West Allis Memorial Labor & Delivery nurses who took care of me in 2008, I can especially still remember Krista, who brought a smile to my face each day she was my nurse.

11. West Allis Memorial NICU nurses and doctors, who helped take care of Lily (and the emotional wreck I was)...Dr. Melville, Jody, Judy, Jenny, Amy, Brittany, I know there were more that I can't remember or never met on third shift. You are all wonderful!

12. For the roof over our heads...I know we are outgrowing our home (and it's for sale if your looking), but for the past 9 years it's been our little house, a perfect first house to start a family in, we've made many memories here.

13. That I was able to successfully nurse Liam and that each night when I nurse him to bed, we have our moment of uninterrupted time together.

14. That Lily stills wants us to read her a story every night and that she is excited when she gets to pick out a book and it always seems like the first time we are reading it to her (even though it's probably the millionth), that is our moment of uninterrupted time together.

15. That Lily loves school and is excited to go each day.

Lily at her fire station field trip - dad was chaperone :)

16. My friends....who don't care that I haven't called in weeks or months, when we get a chance to hang out, we pick up right where we left off - love you guys!

17. My blog...I place where I can come and write, that will forever be saved if my kids ever want to read it. I place where I even come to see exactly what I wrote in that one moment of our lives. It is like a diary, a journal, whatever you want to call it. Some say it's stupid, but I love it. And my blog readers...you guys! It makes me happy that people actually read about what's going on with us, but it makes me more happy that I can post something like my mini-meltdown last Christmas and get a ton of supportive emails from you guys, I don't know you all, but it feels like were friends. And I hope maybe a long the way you have felt like we are friends.

18. My job...I feel so lucky to have one. And now I have a job that allows me to be at home with my kids for long holidays and summer. Did I mention I absolutely love it, they teachers I work with are amazing, and so are my co-workers...I love going to work :)

19. Starbucks...you know I was going to have to give them a shout-out. They have helped me get through many days at work with little to no sleep at home. And I am thankful that I can afford to get a Starbucks when I want to.

18. The magic of the holidays...well you know I love the holidays. I love that I have many sweet memories of the holidays that my mom and my entire family made. I remember watching my mom make a huge gingerbread house from scratch, it was magical. I want my children to have magical memories too, but mostly I want them to "feel" the magic!

20. Sleep...oh how I love you sleep! But I can never get enough, some nights hardly any (please remind me that having a newborn when your husband works 3rd shift is not a bright idea). I'll take what sleep I can get and be happy about it. The nights that neither child wakes up, I feel amazing the next day :)

21. Facebook...it is the only way for me to keep in touch with some of my relatives and hear what they are up to, Chris' sister, all the Florida Folk - Sasha, Uncle Mike, Val, Eileen, Charlene, The Stack's, my cousins Tiff and Sean, and and some of my dad's side of the family that I don't even really know to well, but have connected with

22. Facebook...I found old friends from high school, that I would have never kept in touch with, or known where they were now. Today most of them have babies and I get advice from them, read their funny status updates and smile. I am glad that I have been reconnected with Katie J, Becky D, Jenny A, Dara S, Elizabeth C, Annie M, Jessie L, Fawn S, Angie K, my Katie's. And I must give a shout-out to my favorite high school teacher Mrs. G! And friends that aren't from high school Kayla L, J-Lo, Amanda, Bridgette and Tracy G...just so you guys all know, I check in on you each day :)

23. The knot, nest, bump, whatever I am in now (you wouldn't get it, unless you were part of it). I have friends from thebump that helped me through all of Lily's preemie stuff and were still around the second time with Liam, to root me on...thankful for you ladies, Kate, Martha, Tricia, Corey, Sara, Kelly, Kim, Laura, Kathy, Jennifer and Karen.

24. Target...that red bullseye just lures me in. I go in expecting to get a $6.00 tube of mascara and leave with a trunk full of Target bags, spending $150.00, I never really know what happens in there. I walk around in some sort of trance, everything looks like I need it, is it the lighting? Or the fact that everything I could ever need is in one store? I don't know, but I am thankful, especially now that I am toting around two little bundles, that I do only have to go to one store to get tampons, a rug, bananas and shoes, and the fact that there is a Starbucks in there - genius!

25. My health...I almost died trying to have a baby. And it was the first time I knew that I wasn't going to live forever. It was also the first time that it seemed like I had to live for something, my baby. I am grateful every day that I am here and I have my health.

I am also thankful for things that don't matter like highlighters, nice stationary, notepads to make lists on, organizing containers, label makers, nice sheets, the smell of apples, pink Christmas trees, flavored creamers, coffee maker timers, fabric softener, fuzzy socks, under eye concealer (for that matter, all makeup), The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life and Christmas music.

So basically, I have a million things to be thankful for and I am soooo lucky and it is nice to stop and think for a bit, just how many things I have. I have a wonderful life! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I Wore Purple

2011-11-17T20:41:00.002-06:00

I knew we would get here, no actually, I wasn't sure, but I hoped and prayed we would.

Today, Lily being a preemie does not define our family, for a while it did and felt like it always would.

Today, Lily being a preemie is part of our family. Part of the story of our lives. Mostly it is part of the story of hers. How a small baby who is not meant to be born yet, is able to survive and live because of a place called the NICU, the excellent team of nurses and doctors that work there, her parents and family who loved her so much and the will she had to survive in that tiny body.

She will always be our preemie, but if you'd see her today, you'd never guess she was only 2 pounds 14 ounces when she was born and 15 inches tall.

3-1/2 years old: 30.5 pounds and 38.5 inches

I wore purple today...nobody knew why, but I did, for my preemie....Lily-Lou-Who. Today is Prematurity Awareness Day. I know that through this blog I have made some of you more "aware" of preemies, and I am glad about that.

In 2009 I wrote this for Prematurity Awareness Day.

More Randomness

2011-11-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

Because it's fun and I don't have to think about what I'm writing and mostly because we have a showing for our house on Thursday night (YAY!) and I totally should be cleaning our house and scraping food off of everything within reaching distance of Liam's high chair, but I am procrastinating, with a blog post :)

* I miss my blog and am trying to ~~find~~ make the time to get back to writing, it makes me feel good

* I love the show Parenthood, which will be on shortly and cry pretty much every episode

* I was playing "Good Life" on this blog, long before Disney starting using it to get me to come back in their commercials - just pointing that out

* Bay Shore Town Center's Tree Lighting is Friday - I am sooooooo excited!!!

* Where has Pinterest been my whole life? The person who thought of it is obviously a genius

* Does your girls hair look like this in the morning?

Random

2011-11-02T21:03:00.002-05:00

I love the crazy eyes she makes on everything.

Every time I pull out a project from her book bag, I smile...don't those eyes crack you up!

Whenever they want to start playing Christmas music on the radio - it's fine by me

Lily loves Pinkalicious and I will be having a party like this for her in the future

We got our new granite countertop and kitchen sink - love, love, love! Not sure why I put the breaks on the project in 2008...before we look at a pic of the new countertop, let's take a moment to remember the canary yellow countertop that we wore out the last nine years.

What's that? Permanent marker you say! Yes, I woke up the morning of the install to find *notes* all over our counter from Chris, there was a much longer one that is not pictured. Needless to say, I'm glad that the countertop place didn't postpone our appointment.

New countertop...drumroll please ::::::::

Do you love it?

Me too!

Fall

2011-11-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Pumpkins, leaves turning colors, football, getting out the sweaters, putting socks back on, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks (hardly a fall tradition, but a sure sign of fall nonetheless), turning the heat back on and staying home a little more often. It comes as a welcome break from the fast-paced summer. It's time to relax and get cozy and spend more time at home. It's the bridge into the Christmas rush that I love, but is also fast-paced, so it's time to just soak-in Fall.

You guys know I love a holiday ~ So, we've been welcoming fall and doing all kinds of *fall* things.

Feeding the ducks at the park

brother looks on

Lily is obsessed with Spookaculars (what we would call Spooktaculars) this year, she wants to drive around and look at ghosts hanging in trees, orange lights on bushes and monsters that I would be scared of propped up in front lawns. And almost nightly she begs for a walk down the block to the scariest one. Daddy has taken her many nights this season. I hope she has this same passion for Christmas lights!

We took our annual trip the Pumpkin Farm, and instead of choosing the coldest day to take the kids to the pumpkin farm, it was the warmest, yes 80 degrees and hot! And while I hate being cold and freezing with the kids to get a pumpkin, something about sweating in the pumpkin patch didn't seem quite right either.

Neither of them will look at the same time :)

Miles' first Halloween!

All our little Pumpkins

We finally took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins, it is usually way too cold and windy, but since the weather was great we did it! I guess one of those things I always wanted to do...I loved it!

Lily decided she wanted to run to all the ends of the patch, so daddy followed her (in his flip flops)

That small orange person back there is Chris following running Lily

Liam is in the stage right now where he thinks he should be in the World's Strongest Man competition and tries to pick up everything, so he tried his little arms at a too big pumpkin (I love that baby phase).

With 5 days until our first Halloween Event (Boo at the Zoo), I decided to make Lily & Liam's costumes, after finding this awesome adorable girl's owl costume online, I was inspired, figured I could save some money, knew it would be a great creative outlet for me (oh, and I'm insane too!). I was up until the wee hours of the morning several nights and our kitchen basically looked like Jo-Ann Fabrics vomited all over it (and did I mention were selling our house and trying to keep it "show ready" - yep, insane!). Considering I don't sew and never had embroidered anything before and didn't even know what interfacing was (insane again), I love how they turned out.

Lily's wings each had an elastic hoop sewed in so she could slip her arms in it and then they were velcroed to her jacket on her shoulders.

Lily's mask

For Lily's I just basically copied the one I found online. But the original blogger was right, that Martha Stewart's wings are waaay to big, so I also free-handed those and only decided to do 3 colors, instead of 5. For the shirt, originally I had sewn all the fabric scraps on (by hand - insane!), but after Boo at the Zoo some of them started coming off, so I hot-glued them all back on, should have done that to begin with. Both owl "shirts" were made from brown sweat jackets I got on clearance at Old Navy, because Halloween in Wisconsin is cold! I'm totally in love with Lily's mask by the way :)

For Liam I decided to do a hat, because I knew he would never keep a mask on. I took an existing hat that I bought from Wal-Mart for $.99 and cut a semi-circle from the top and then sewed it back together, so it would make peaks for the ears. I then just embroidered felt on the hat and sewed buttons on the eyes, and sewed an elastic strap for around his chin.

I also decided to do Liam's wings as a cape that would tie around his neck, knowing he would not keep the type of wings on that Lily had. To make a cape I free-handed a set of wings that connected, and then just made the other colors a little smaller, I cut it at both shoulders and folded it over and glued it, so it would curve around his body.

2:00 a.m. Liam's wings

During the making of these costumes, I may have tried masks and hats on my sleeping children's faces and sat them up while sleeping to mark fabric for the wings, just sayin'.

My Little Owls

Boo at the Zoo was a little disappointing this year...no Hay Maze and the train ride wasn't much, but Lily loved the Spookacular at the Wolf Preserve.

Spider Man Mason

Spider Miles

Happy Halloween!

I love the crazy eyes she draws

Because I was off on a Thursday we ventured out to Halloween Storytime at Barnes & Noble and I was able to spend some time with a friend (always nice), and Lily hung out with Nolan, uh, I mean Optimus Prime (I think).

Ashlyn the Octopus and Aubrey the Bumble Bee

Owl on the loose!

We checked out Bayshore Town Center's Great Pumpkin Event and have to say, I think it was busier than their tree lighting, but the weather was great and we saw some very tall people and Lily did some trick-or-treating, of course after 5 stops she proclaimed "I'm done!"

This chalk artist was awesome

Finally time for some Trick-or-Treatin'

I can never get that little brown owl to stand still

Gabriella

Day 2 at Billie's House with chili, taco dip, chips n queso, cookies and cupcakes - umm!

Cupcakes I made - I thought I was pretty awesome putting a bat ring in the center

Jack-o-Lantern Taco Dip

Mason, Lily & Michael

Taking Flight

So rainy and windy, we busted some umbrellas and I almost peed my pants, we laughed so hard.

Headed back to warm up.

So, we've had our share of pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, way too much trick or treat candy and wore out our costumes ~ hope you did too!

Happy Halloween!!

Liam's First Birthday

2011-10-27T21:40:00.001-05:00

In a flash, a year went by. I feel like I blinked and he went from a small little baby that needed us to a big boy that wobbles around and looks for trouble to get into.

Liam's theme for his first birthday was Dr. Seuss and I got most of my ideas from this website, which is basically the holy grail of all things Dr. Seuss. I had been looking and looking for a *theme* for his birthday (only because for me that makes things easier, and I can go NUTS with a theme)...and one day during the summer while I was at Barnes & Noble with the kids I looked up and saw "Oh, the Places You'll Go" ...and thought - that's it! Upon further research (google), I found all kinds of red & aqua parties and well, the rest is history. Billie even started to get a little Obseussed!

The weather was predicted to be cold and rainy (keeping with tradition of all Karczewski birthdays apparently), but it turned out to be a beautiful day.

I was going to order banners from etsy, but was too cheap and decided to make them myself :)

Cakes by the Gingerbread House

I love how these turned out and soooo easy to make!

Sweets table filled with assorted red and turquoise sweets. Thanks to my sister for setting this up in 30 seconds before guests arrived!

Originally I had planned on ordering cupcakes, but I'm too cheap, so I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that I colored turquoise and Seuss' Strawberries (strawberries dipped in white chocolate and then in turquoise sugar - saw it in a magazine for Fourth of July).

Cake pops made by my sister

Liam's smash cake

Dr. Seuss Birthday Book for everyone to write a message to him

Got this idea from Martha Compton

Lily with Auntie Lisa, visiting from AZ

Liam's favorite part {before his cake} was everyone singing to him - he loves music and singing and was loving his birthday song

And then there was the cake...he did not disappoint, as we knew he wouldn't...it started slow...

which was very puzzling to all the Big Kids who watched

slowly he gained momentum

and then there was no turning back

Notice that there is also frosting smeared on the tent!

Also frosting thrown out at crowd - Mason was hit in the face

I love this one because it looks like he has a beard!

And that my friends, is what you call a Cake Smash

One tired Baby in the Hat

Thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate Liam's first birthday!

Happy Anniversary - To Us!

2011-10-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

6 years ~ Cheers!

Liam 9-11 Months

2011-09-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

I'm a little behind with Liam's monthly posts...so here goes nothing...

Weight: 18 pounds 9 ounces
Height: 28 inches
Clothes: 6-9 monhts

At 9 months Liam started "crab crawling", which basically meant "trouble"...he is into everything...if it's out, he will get it...which leads to a lot of "Don't let Liam get my ____!" screams from Lily and sometimes mommy

Liam turns the dvd/cable on and off

Liam gets stuck under the baby gate

Liam takes down mommy's pump and destroys the Sunday paper

Liam hops into toy baskets

Liam takes mommy's coffee and pours it all over the floor and then splashes in it hysterically

Baby gates were put up this month
Still nursing and pumping
On to much more solid food
First tooth June 4th
Second tooth June 9th
Not sleeping thru the night - due to teething?

Weight: 18 pounds 13 ounces
Height: 28.5 inches

July 1st Liam took his first unassisted steps
Still nursing and pumping
Eats everything in sight and still smears it on his head and puts it in his ears
Started using sippy cup
Loves bath time and being in the water
Still not sleeping thru the night

Liam also celebrated his first Fourth of July and in true Karczewski Kid Form, he made the paper

4 Babies Celebrate their First 4th

This one was rough on everyone involved

Loved the fireworks

Liam's first trip to Noah's Ark - he loved it

facials by Liam - at least one per day

Weight: 19 pounds 6 ounces
Height: 29 inches
Clothes: 6-9 months

July 31st Liam started taking up to 5 steps at a time
He says dada and mama
Loves music, singing and clapping
Still nursing and pumping
Eats everything
Still not sleeping thru the night - everyone is tired, except Lily

First trip to State Fair

Butt up in the air ~ I love it!

Random Cuteness from the last couple of months...

He thinks his big sister is the most amazing person ever

Gearing up for Packer season

First trip to Renaissance Faire

Showing Miles his place in the pecking order

Miles doesn't like it

The Good Life

2011-07-25T21:53:00.001-05:00

We're Back!!! Also, known as the longest post ever!

So, my computer crashed and that was the reason for the way-too-long hiatus...

And because there really is no easy way to write about all the things we've been up to, in a way that will seem well thought out...here it goes...

Bean-Beans
Our Maine Coon, Beans (affectionately called Bean-Beans by everyone), passed the day after Easter Sunday, we had to unexpectedly put him down at 2:00 a.m. We adopted him from the Humane Society when he was a baby. We are devastated and he will be terribly missed. He really was the best cat ever and I am so glad that Lily was able to love and cuddle on him, he taught her how gentle animals could be, I am sad that Liam won't know him.

June 2004-April 2011

he let us do anything to him :)

March for Babies
The one year that I didn't fund raise and it was finally nice enough out to March for Babies (we've been rained out 2 years in a row)...so me, Lily and Liam went...and it was amazing...I can't explain the pride that I felt seeing our little 2 pound preemie run the whole first mile, it was amazing! And really seeing so many children with shirts that say "I was 1 pound"...and they're running around...and of course there are so many moms and dads walking with shirts that say "walking in memory of", and that's why it's so important.

Starting the race

Lakefront and the art museum as backdrops on a gorgeous day

Yay! Lily!

Lily's favorite part was the cookie afterwards

Hoping next year I will be back at the fundraising and have some of you join us in marching!

Memorial Day
Started with the Greendale parade...

...then breakfast

homemade crepes

she meticulously ate it in stages...blueberries, whip cream, crepe, strawberries

Liam had his first crepe

Then we made rhubarb pie for dinner, she is so proud when she helps make something...

it was delicious

T-Ball
In May Lily started T-Ball...

there she is!

3 thru 5 year-olds playing T-Ball, who knew it would be so funny. And every night this mom takes about 25 pictures...no really, 25 pictures per night. What is even more funny, the parents shouting at their 3 year-olds "get in your stance!"....um, they're 3...me and Chris just look at each other and laugh and agree that maybe she doesn't really like it as much as we do.

in her stance

Lily is shy at first and the outfield totally isn't her strong suit, our wildflower prefers to lay on the ground and pick dandelions and throw them, and the day we showed up and the dandelions were all gone because they cut the grass - she noticed..."where are all the dandelions!!!?", it took us weeks to get out of the froggy boots and into tennies, but the day she hit the ball without the T as it was pitched to her, well, I totally yelled and cheered like some crazy lunatic on the sidelines, I was pretty proud and I totally get why those moms of football players in high school wear pins of their sons on their jackets - it's pride!

Hitting that ball with no T!

her biggest fan

Dazed and confused in the outfield

Liam, Mason and Miles watch in the grass

quick break for a snack

all business

...and...gymnastics in the outfield

her stance got better over time

he can't wait to get his turn on the field

Lily's favorite part Hi-Fives

On the last day they had a team picture and got certificates - she was proud...so proud she didn't want the cameras to stop - the video is hysterical.

Team Picture on the last day

Notice how she doesn't move to let the next little boy get his certificate

And when we have time, her favorite part is always ice cream at Ferch's or a cheeseburger at Red Robin and playing at Daffodil Playground.

So, it was fun and you can see why we may have loved it more than her and why I want my Lily pin!

Father's Day
We celebrated with brunch at Innovation, one of our favorite brunch places, they have the best shrimp and best artichoke dip, in my opinion.

We don't always agree on everything, and I know my "piles" irritate him and it bothers me that he always takes the most out-of-the-way-laxidaisy way to get somewhere when we are already late. I am short sometimes and snap at him sometimes when I shouldn't.

But, I love him for the husband and father he is. And they love him very much. And just the other day I was thinking to myself, my absolute favorite thing about him - how much he loves to laugh, make jokes and be silly. He makes me smile and laugh at least once a day, and I like laughing with him...

And so do they...

And at the end of the day...he always has our backs and loves us ~ We love him too!

Fests - Polish and Strawberry
Summer in Wisconsin can only mean one thing - fests!
Paying homage to our heritage at Polish Fest

I'm not sure why little cracks are so funny, but they are, and as I took this picture another mom walked by and started laughing hysterically when she looked at what I was photographing...everyone thinks they're funny...

Hands down the water was Lily and Liam's favorite part, she was drenched after this

she loves corn on the cob

Lily can sometimes be more scared than other kids to try new things, but she begged to go on the sky glide and I was sure it was going to result in her crying while we were taken up, but she loved it, which made me proud of her!

girl was dirty by the end of the night

he was tuckered out

Strawberry Fest in Cedarburg
Well, every year I want to go and we usually can't, but somehow the stars aligned this year and we were able to go, as we should, because Lily's favorite fruit is a strawberry!

and another opportunity to rock the red boots

strawberry shortcake

it was like 95 degrees with a dew point of 75, also known as ridiculously hot, you know, you sit down for a while and stand up and hope you don't have a sweat stain on your butt - that hot

Lily loved the petting zoo

Liam slept thru it

Don't worry, he woke up to eat...more on that in his 9/10 month post - he's an eating machine

and adorable

Another playground for Lily to explore

And another opportunity for her to be brave and fearless....this was the tallest slide ever, I swear, the picture doesn't do it justice...Chris is 6'2", so you can see it was pretty tall. She climbed it by herself and did it!

and the second time, she got a little crazy!

Changes for our Family
When I went back to work after being off with Lily, it was so hard. I know it's hard for every mom. But, I couldn't understand how I spent 44 days watching her survive in the NICU, only to be dropping her off with someone else a couple of months later, so I could work. It seemed silly. But I have to work, so I went back. I specifically remember crying so hard days before going back, it was coming from my gut. And the day I went back, I opened my car door in the parking lot at work, and then shut it again, because I thought I couldn't do it. Then sobbing and getting it together and going in. And each day it got a little better. With Liam, I already knew what to expect, which I guess I thought would make it easier, and it kind of did, but I still cried. It got better everyday. But really knowing even the worse days home with my kids (you know those days), are still better to me than the best days are at work. So, when a job opportunity presented itself this spring, within the school district I work for, that would allow me some time off in the summer, it seemed like an opportunity I couldn't pass up. And I got the job! And although it has meant making some sacrifices financially, they aren't really sacrifices when you get so much back in return. And I am happy, and have been spending a lot of time with my favorites - life is good!

A Short Hiatus

2011-06-19T06:50:00.001-05:00

Our computer crashed and is currently being fixed/looked at, so it may be a short time before I am able to post with pictures.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Because holidays are so much more of a big deal when you have kids
***

And even though every year before we had Lily & Liam, I did put out flags for Memorial Day, I didn't celebrate it, like I do now
***

Last year we watched the parade, spent some hours in Labor & Delivery (because Liam wasn't moving) and then rounded out the day with a picnic with friends...and our naked babies running around with melted Popsicles dripping down their bodies
***

This year we will start our day with breakfast enhanced with red and blue (strawberries & blueberries), for the holiday, because that's just how you do it when you have kids...make everything special
***

hopefully catch a parade
***

and spend the day kicking off our summer...in the sprinkler, because we are finally getting some warm weather, and finishing it with steaks on the grill, corn on the cob and a rhubarb pie that Lily is helping to make (and girl is excited), with ice cream on top - because it's a holiday
***

And it will be fun....like the holidays are with littles

and someday they will understand what it really means
***

but this year, they will swing flags (or try to eat them), wear red, white and blue and play outside
***

Happy Memorial Day!

Liam 7 & 8 Months

2011-05-28T23:37:00.001-05:00

7 Months
Weight: 16.2 pounds
Height: 27 inches
Clothes: 3-6 months

8 Months
Weight: 17 pounds
Height: 27 inches
Clothes: 6-9 months

Still sleeping through the night (not currently this week as we are fighting a fever and have been up pretty much hourly since Monday night...today is Saturday - mommy & daddy are tired {insert Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte here please}, hoping it's not "just teething", or we are in for a long road) and is taking 2 naps/day. He always wakes up "talking" and smiling :)

He's pulling up on things and has started to "cruise", just usually only taking about one step before he falls down. He is still not crawling, but has some mad skills at circulating his whole body when he's on his tummy, and can scoot around on his butt to get something...only if he has to.

Grease on his face is for his teething rash

He's bending and reaching and going from sitting to his tummy and going from his tummy to sitting...which is amazing to me, because we did so much therapy with Lily to get her to do those things, and it just comes natural to Liam. Because I know how much work it is, I'm celebrating this little milestone!

He's still nursing (although is very distracted lately), and eats bananas, avocados, toast, pancakes, and he loves his Stonyfield Yo Baby Organic Yogurt. He can get a little crazy with his food...even if it's just baby food, he really wants to feed himself, so he will stick his fingers in his mouth and spread it...everywhere. I mean, I am seriously getting baby food out of his ears...possibly moving to naked eating soon.

He says dada, baba and hi, although, I haven't heard him say hi in a while, but we wrote it down anyways :)

I'm not sure what was so scary!

Nana with her grandchildren

He loves his bath, being outside, his sister being silly and looking at himself in the mirror.

giving himself kisses

I think he has the longest eyelashes ever...another attempt at getting a picture of them.

His BFF Mason

Mother's Day

He is the most happy baby and smiles and laughs all the time, seriously, how did we get this lucky twice?
We love him!

Welcome Baby Miles

2011-05-15T16:46:00.003-05:00

...first of all, I just looked and I started this post on March 12th...and do realize that he is going to be 3 months very soon, but felt I couldn't update my blog until I took care of this little post about Miles, that deserved my attention...

Introducing our new nephew!

Miles Porter

February 23, 2011

12:32 p.m.

6 pounds 10 ounces

18 inches

On September 19, 2007 I witnessed the birth of Mason (my sisters first son) and it was amazing., emotional, awesome and left my speechless with a swollen heart. And Mason's arrival is really what triggered Chris and I to stop waiting to have babies (thank you Mason for that!).

And on Wednesday, February 23rd I was privileged to witness my new nephew Miles enter this world!

My sister called me Tuesday night to tell me that ~~her water had broken~~ she thought her water had broken...but Miles wasn't due for another 2-1/2 weeks and Billie was probably more ~~shocked~~ in denial than anyone that one of her babies would be coming early (Mason was finally born at 41 weeks, not without a complete lack of trying to get him out earlier by Billie)...she thought it would be long (because it was with Mason), so I went to bed and went to work on Wednesday, expecting to get a call to come to the hospital at some point.

I think at 11:00 a.m. my mom called to tell me Billie was at 3 cm, so we thought it would be a while. At noon my mom called again, and told me it was time - WHOA! that was quick. I ran out of work, jumped in my car and walked in the door of my sister's hospital room at 12:15 p.m. Apparently before I arrived Dr. Jaglan came in to deliver Miles, but Billie told him that she wanted to wait for me and he said okay, he would just do some paperwork at the nurses station and she should call when she was ready. I love that they waited for me.

I arrived at 12:15 p.m. to a calm, quiet room where everyone was smiling, Dr. Jaglan came in and starting prepping. We took some photos. It was time to push.

yes, my sister always looks great, even before deliveries :)

It was time to push.

Billie was rockstar amazing (as she always is), and was feeling no pain this time!! Billie pushed and pushed and then pulled Miles out at 12:32 p.m....yes, I said she pulled him out, just like Kourtney Kardashian...she always makes it look so easy :)

we have to document everything!

And so 17 minutes after I arrived, my sister's family changed forever...they became a family of four, Mason became a big brother, Chris and I gained another nephew, Lily and Liam have another cousin to play with and my mom has a fourth grandchild...our family continues to grow.

If you need to reminisce (as I did) here is Lily's birth story and Liam's.

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Liam's first Easter!!

But before that picture was taken...Lily had to find the baskets...

Lily's in the bathtub (her drawing on the right - it's not dirt!)

And now time to look for Liam's...

she found it!

Lily 35 Months

2011-05-01T20:45:00.001-05:00

First...the song...a girl can dream, can't she?

Weight: 29.2 pounds
Height: 37 inches
Shoe size: 8-9
Clothes: 3 or 3T

Well, this is the last monthly post before Miss Lily's turns 3...I debated on even doing it (mostly because I am so late - she is going to be 3 in 9 days - hello!), but decided I should because her 3rd birthday post is going to be the last of the monthly posts, so why not throw this one in - right?

Terrible Two's
Our girl decided she would get her "terrible two's" in right under the gun...oh, yes...she has a strong opinion since the middle of April and I have done more timeouts than ever {exhausting} even three of them on my birthday {happy birthday to me!} I don't like it. But everyone keeps telling me that 3 is way worse! AHHH! She only acts out when it is me, her and Liam...so hopefully it's just a phase because she wants attention?

froggy boots on wrong feet

hiding at Target

Why?
At first I tried to answer every question, until I realized, I don't know why, I'm even stumped and some things happen and there is just no good reason. At first it was cute - oh, Lily started the why-stage...um, that lasted about 2 days. Now, when we get to the last question and I don't have the answer, I ask her "why do you think that happened?" (fab tip from my sister)

When You Were My Age
When Lily tells us stories now, she always says "when you were my age" and then finishes the sentence with something that she has done recently, like "mama, when you were my age, you hid in a tent once"
"daddy, when you were my age, you skinned your knee once"...it's cute.

Mama and Lily

feeding the birds in our front yard

Um...Actually...
One of her favorite words for a couple months now has been - actually...and she uses it whenever possible, and she especially likes to use the word um in front of it and make it last really long...ummmmm....actually, I should be wearing socks.

Dunkin Doughnuts - Just the girls

Curls
The curse of the curls is happening...it's starting in the back. Obviously this is coming from my side of the family, my mom told me that my hair turned into crazy curls around 3...that's just around the corner for Lily!

her curls

me around 3 (right) and Billie (left) - hopefully it doesn't go this wild!

Our Artist
Lily loves to color, draw, paint, make projects - she loves art and has started making her people everywhere, I think they are super cute.

bottom of the bathtub - her canvas

Outside
We've had hardly any days that we have been able to play outside because the weather has been terrible. But we opened her "summer villa" and she is ready to play, play, play! And we are all ready for summer to get here...heck, we'd even settle for spring around these parts. We're just waiting...

Lily on her ATV

Running...

Random favorite pictures from recently...

Every girl needs a little blush before an Easter Egg Hunt...she definitely favors her left cheek :)

Order, rows, lines, sorting....blocks, books, crayons, shoes, stickers...we find them all over the house

Who's ready to turn 3? Lou-Lou MaGoo - that's who!