It's my party...

We celebrated Molly's second Birthday party at our home with family and friends — in the rain. All week the forecast looked partly cloudy, partly sunny and in the mid - upper 60s. Well, that as certainly not the case! It rained all day and it was cold. So, we packed bodies into our small home and it was just as it was supposed to be...crazy, loud and perfectly cozy!

 

Here are some photos captured that day...

 

 Molly in her rain coat

 

Molly and her cousins, under the tent

 

 

We had a farm themed party — equipped with our chickens, ducks, a goat and a lamb.

 

 

I'm sure Molly will look at the photo one day and say to herself, I have silly parents!

 

We served pulled pork sandwiches — Michael smoked the pork for days. And he was proud. And it as delicious, said many of our guests.  (I don't eat pulled pork.)

Hot dogs, mac and cheese, a green salad, grilled sweet potatoes and chicken nuggets.

 

And there was cupcakes!

 

We sang the Birthday song, also known as Happy Birthday, three times.

Molly loved it!

Mommy and Daddy helped her blow out the "2" candle.

 



 

And perhaps the biggest surprise of all....

 

Molly got a pink Mini Cooper from aunt sissy.

 

 

Despite the rain it was a fun party! And with that, my little girl is two.

Two.

Tomorrow, my baby will turn two years old.

 

I am sitting at my computer typing this post thinking about where I was two years ago, the night before I gave birth...

I do know that I took a very long walk with my Mom and my Sister. I also know that I scrubbed the heck out of my car — like wheels and all. It was gleaming! Shiny enough to take home a baby in it!

 

At {just before} midnight on Saturday, May 21, 2011 I went into labor. At 2:25pm on Sunday, May 22, 2011 my life changed and I became a Mom to a sweet little girl, Molly Eileen.

 

It was the scariest day of my life — and the best day of my life.

 

 

Tomorrow is May 22, 2013. I am a Mom to a toddler.

 

The past two years have been the best years of my life — and I've had a pretty good life! I learned quickly that motherhood doesn't come with an instruction manual. The experience is so unique and you just have to figure out what works for you and your little family.

 

Tomorrow we will take Molly for photographs. I have some cute ideas, including balloons and updating our family photo.

Then we'll have lunch at Johnny Rockets, the place where the waiters sing and dance as they serve your food.

Then we'll do some of Molly's favorite things — go to Dunkin Donuts for a jelly munchkin, go to King Kullen for God knows what {she loves King Kullen!}, go to Corey Beach for a walk and to play in the sand {there's something special about the swings at the beach}, visit the husky puppies at the local kennel, then we'll eat {ice cream}cake with Molly's Grandparents.

 

 

A message to my sweet angel...

 

 

Dear Molly,

Happy Birthday to you!

You are an amazing little girl, with such ambition. You are fearless. You make life so fun. Two short years ago you came into our lives and life has never been the same. It has been the most wonderful experience. I can't imagine my life without you. I am so lucky to be a Mom — your Mom.

You amaze me every day with your smile and your little laugh. You are growing so big, so fast—

 too fast. Slow it down a bit, baby, please.

I love you more than words can say. You light up my life in every way.

You are, and will always be my baby girl. I love you with all my heart.

 

Mommy

xo

 

 

 

Being a Mom - two years in

I have been Molly's mommy for almost two years, not including when I baked her in my belly for nine months. If I had to describe being her mother in a word, I would say amazing!

Artistic Images

When I found out I was pregnant I was shocked. People will say, come on, how shocked can you be, but I really was. Anyway, once I got over the shock — and that took a little bit of time, I was filled with an overwhelming amount of happiness, excitement, and thrill to become a Mom. 

Michael and I always wanted a family, and so in our minds, it was a perfect time.

Artistic Images 
 

We waited to find out if our sweet little baby was a boy or a girl. Michael wanted a girl — daddy's little girl. I thought I was having a boy all along.
Regardless we couldn't contain our excitement as we planned for a little baby.

 Our first family photo - my favorite!

Molly has been a apart of our lives for almost two years. On May 22 she will turn two.  I cannot imagine life without her. I think about her every minute of every day — whether I am with her or not.
She lights up our life with her smile, her beautiful blue eyes and the funny things she says. She says everything!

Molly likes waffles too!

She loves being outdoors and helping Daddy with the chickens and the ducks. She loves her bunny. She loves her doggy. Molly loves being pushed in her swing. She likes to color and likes books. She likes to drink seltzer and eat blueberries.

Her favorite thing to watch on TV is the Fresh Beat Band.  She calls it "la la", since they sing that song.

Molly likes going to school. She has "friends" that she talks about after she comes home from school, Ian and Georgia and Logan and Liam.
She likes broccoli! She likes collecting eggs from Daddy's coop!

When I started to write this post I thought it would be more about me and how I've adjusted to motherhood the past two years. It became a post about my amazing daughter and all the things she loves. That's cool!
When I changed my blog to be more of a personal journey blog I wanted it to be me and my feelings — whatever they may be when I sit down and type.

Being Molly's Mommy is the most awesome job I the world!  I never expected to love motherhood as much as I do.  Every day is challenging, new, fresh and rewarding.

 Three generations + big hugs

Molly hugs are my favorite — and so are Molly kisses.
Snuggles are pretty awesome too.

I am a lucky lady!
I hope you feel as loved and as lucky as I do this Mother's Day. 


If you are looking for a good read this weekend check out Moms, Kristin van Ogtrop and  
Joanna Goddard.

Happy Mother's Day.

Cinco de Mayo

Today we celebrated with home-made guacamole, salsa, tacos and a vegetarian dip from Stew Leonard's. We put on some music and played dress up too!

 

I love Mexican food! I love my family!

 

fake moustaches, sombreros and maracas

 

 

Happy 5th of May!

Things that make me uncomfortable

Keeping up with the blog challenge, Blog Everyday in May from Story of My Life.

 

Things that make me uncomfortable is topic for day 3.

I had to think about this one a little bit, because there isn't really a long list of things that make me uncomfrtable. Either that or I just couldn't think of them!

 

Things that make me uncomfortable...

 

thongs

tight shoes, more specifically tight flat shoes

bras — I've been opting for tanks with a built-in bra.

I know, I know, I'm 33 and should be wearing a good bra, but really, I'm very small in the boob area and I am just more comfortable my way!

itchy jammies

 

blurry photo. cozy jammies!

 

other things that make me incomfortable...

talking to someone with a weird eye, crossed eye(s) or bad breath (sorry, but it's true)

pooping in a toilet that is not mine

 when people choose to talk about someone they don't like and I actually get along with that person

when colleagues complain — like it's ok once in a while cause we all do it from time to time, but seriously if you are that unhappy do something about it!

 

 

 

What types of things make you uncomfortable, physically or emotionally?

 

Story of My Life

Have you seen the Blog every day in May challenge?  

I'm going to pick and choose the topics I'd like to blog about, since, let's be honest, while I'd love to blog every day, it is not realistic for me. I am going to try to take some time for me to write and reflect and blog in advance. I've never really done that before, but it is something I can do. I also need to get back on task with setting my monthly goals. 

So here goes. Day 1.

The Story of My Life in 250 words or less...

 I was the first child born to Charles and Colleen on March 7, 1980. 

Four years later my baby sister {Ashley} came along. I was a pleasant surprise, while Sissy (that’s what we call each other) was planned. We grew up in our home on Long Island with a pool in our yard and our Dad’s trucks in the backyard. (He had his own towing company.) 

 I lived at home with my Mom until I was 26 years old. My Dad passed away when I was a senior in college and Sissy went away to college. It was like my Mom and I were roomies! I met my husband {Michael} in middle school! You did read that right! We dated (or whatever you call middle school sweethearts) for a little bit. After eighth grade I left public school and attended a Catholic school a few towns away. I loved it! I did miss my old friends, but quickly made new ones — lifelong friends. 

Michael and I dated on and off during high school and had our share of other relationships. We went to both of our Senior Proms with each other. 

In 2005 we bought our house. In 2006 we got married. We spent the next few years making it our home. 

In 2011 we welcomed our daughter. She is the best! 

A quick version of my life story. 223 words. Holla! 

Shopaholic and Baby

Have you read the Shopaholic series? I did years ago and loved them. I also saw the movie.

But this post isn't about the book or the movie — it's about real-life shopping with my baby, I mean my two-year-old toddler. I have three words...don't do it.

Well, I guess I should say don't do it if you plan to go to the outlets on a sunny Sunday afternoon and visit the Christmas Tree Shop.  Man oh man, everyone was there! There were no shopping carts to be found, tip number one that I had no business being in there. Molly was like everyone else in the store — she just wanted to be on the go and touch things that looked cool and fun, and not sit in her stroller or in the shopping cart that we finally managed to find. Taking her out of her stroller was a huge mistake!

Fast forward to a break down in the kiddy isle that involved tears, mine not hers, and me leaving my cart filled with three items somewhere in the store for someone to find and either steal because they couldn't find a cart either, or an employee to curse the "lazy customer" who abandoned their cart in the store and put away. At that point I was just ready to walk out of the place with nothing in my hands but my kid, who clearly was not happy. And so I did.

Later that night she settled down, I stopped crying, and Daddy got a manicure! 

Five Things Friday

My hubby is working all weekend — just when I get up the energy to dive into yard work. Great! I mean, I'm surely thankful for the extra income, especially when I have lots of projects and ideas in my head for the summer, but I also have a 2nd Birthday party coming up and I'm anxious to get the yard looking a bit nicer after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the fence and swing set and the deck has some green mold hanging out! I paint a pretty icky pic, don't I?

I went to a thrift store on my lunch break. Didn't manage to walk away with anything. Shucks! I'm not giving up. I did see a really awesome cabinet that would work in my living room for the tv, but I really like the a cabinet we have (even though it is old) and I'm kinda excited to DIY it up a bit. New paint. New knobs. A face lift!

I scored an awesome Maclaren Volo stroller from someone on Craigslist. Gotta love Craigslist. This particular model retails for $129.99 on the Buy Buy Baby web site. The seller listed it for $65 and I asked her if she would accept $50. Sold! I'm so excited! I love my stroller, but I do not have an umbrella stroller and think it will be great for the summer.  And, it's turquoise — how fun! Maybe I'll send in a pic to the House of Turquoise blog.

I want to hire a photographer to come to Molly's second Birthday party and take some photos. Crazy, I know, but I really want to capture some great photos from the day.

Lisa Leonard wrote about nude heels on her blog on Wednesday. I bought a great pair recently — from Payless! They are super comfortable since they are a wedge, and they are peep-toe! They look great with jeans, skirts, dresses and cropped pants. I know they are a great staple for my wardrobe.

Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend!