Thanksgiving and New York City

Here's to hoping that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We ended up going to my parents in NJ for Thanksgiving because my 94 yr old grandmother wanted all of her family to be together. Well, turns out, Gram was too weak and moody Thanksgiving Day that she decided she would not be joining us for dinner after all. Her moods change so quickly these days and she's not the woman she used to be. We ended up taking Alex over to see her earlier in the day but she still refused to get out of her nightgown and get dressed to come to my parents to be with the rest of the family. I'm not mad, just a little sad and disappointed that she couldn't be there with all of us. It wasn't the same without her. However, I am still extremely thankful that at 94, she's still with us even if she isn't the same person she used to be.

Dave and I spent the weekend in NYC courtesy of my wonderful and very generous parents. We had a hotel room Friday and Saturday night in Times Square which was AWESOME. We arrived on Friday, checked in to the hotel then hit the streets for some grub. We grabbed lunch at Hard Rock because we were starving and it was so close and there was not wait. After lunch, we did a little shopping. NYC is always crowded and Black Friday was no exception. I dropped about $150 on myself in Sephora....my world of makeup. I also got my sis her gift and some new maternity clothes at Gap and Old Navy. We then headed back to our hotel to freshen up before going to a great Comedy Club. Saturday morning, we headed to China Town cause Dave loves it there...not sure why. The knock off bags are horrible. Instead of C's like Coach has, these knockoffs have G's on them. I mean, really, who is going to buy a knock off that doesn't even remotely look like the real deal. Not my thing. They look cheap and are so not close to being the real thing. I did get a nice new scarf to go with my new wool coat that I also got while there. Dave needed a new hat and scarf too. Afterward, we went to Union Square, Rockefeller Ctr, The Village,Bryant Park, and Broadway to walk around. By the end of the day, we were beat. Yet, we still made it to a great dinner at Charlie O's in Times Square and then we went to the movies to see Unstoppable. Sunday morning, we had breakfast, hopped the train and headed home to get our monkey that we missed tremendously. Did I mention that I have the best parents in the world for giving us a weekend away in the city and taking care of our little guy. I think they just wanted to have an excuse to keep Alex all to themselves!

My favorite things..

There are so many things that I am thankful for and so many wonderful people that I am blessed to have in my life. I have an unbelievable circle of friends. They are some of the most wonderful, caring, loving, and funny people I have ever met. There are there for me in good times and in bad times. They are always there to lend a hand, a shoulder, or an ear. They never judge me, always support me, and fill my life with such joy and happiness. I love you all, each and everyone one of you. Some of you are miles away, some of you live across the street. Either way, I love you all equally. As you can see, I am super duper emotional right now with this pregnancy!!!

So, onto a few of my favorite things in life....
1.Most importantly, my family and friends. I have the most supportive family and girl could ever dream of having. My sister, my mother, and my father are my number one fans. My in-laws are my cheerleaders. All of them care about our well being, make sure we are happy and healthy, and most importantly, taken care of. We love you all!
2.My son. I can't even begin to imagine life without him. How did I even live before having him? He has made me a better person. He has made my life complete.
3. David- the man of my dreams. The guy who stole my heart at 20 years old after meeting him on Spring Break in Cancun. Here we are 11 years later and happier than ever!
4. Philosophy products. Falling in love is my favorite Philosophy scent. To die for!
5. Chicken fingers, Carrabba's Caesar Salad, Chocolate, Cookies, Soda, Apple Cider, and junk, junk, and more junk!
6. Traveling. I have been blessed since childhood to have traveled the world, literally! My parents are avid travelers and travel to foreign countries each year. As a kid, I was lucky enough to go to Egypt(yes, I rode a camel), Israel, Mexico, Spain, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and many other wonderful places. I hope that I can offer the same experiences to my children.
7. NYC. There is so much to do...even the people watching is amazing. Been going to the City since I can remember as it isn't more than an hour or so from my hood in NJ. Xmas time is so beautiful. If you've never been during the holidays, you must must must get your bootie there!
8. My house. It's so comfy and cozy. It really represents us as a family. I'd like to say it's a bit shabby chic. It's adorned with tons of mementos and great family pics. My favorite pic on the wall is that of my 94 yr old grandmother holding Alex for the first time.
9. Shopping...duh! Some of my favorite places to shop: Nordstrom, Bloomies, Ann Taylor Loft, Old Navy, XMAS Tree Shoppes, Sephora, Towson Town Center, NYC, Tampa, FL.
10. Photography. I love taking pictures, I always have. As I got older, I became more interested in how a photo can really come together with all of the right elements. For mother's day this year, Dave and Alex gave me a Canon. It's an awesome camera. I am still trying to figure out how to work it but it takes fantastic pictures. I love it. Check it out if you're looking to upgrade from a point and shoot camera to a DSLR.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-T2i-Digital-3-0-Inch-18-55mm/dp/B0035FZJHQ
11. Reality TV and TV in general. I get so sucked into some of these shows that it's embarrassing to even admit to you that I watch them. Some of my guilty pleasures: The Bad Girls Club. OMG these girls are whack. Some of the shit they do floors me but it's almost like I am living vicariously through them in some strange but real way. 16 and Pregnant. I feel so bad for these girls.I'm just glad I was a late bloomer and wasn't having sex at 16. My parents would have ripped me a new one if I came home knocked up in high school. The Hills. Yes I watched this show and loved it. Glee- AWESOME! Desperate Housewives. I watch this show religiously even if I have to watch it the next day on DVR. Gotta love DVR. Oprah. Wow, I will miss her show especially after today. Did you see all of the stuff she gave away today? Bling, Flat screen, a cruise, Tory Burch Bag, Nikon DSLR....OMG!!! Ellen. White girl has some moves!

Okay, my brain is fried and Alex is calling for me. Blogging is fun but takes up a bit too much time, time that I don't always have. But hey, it's worth it and it's fun! xoxo

Thanksgiving Reflections..

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is a week away. This year, we are celebrating with Dave's family in Baltimore. We switch each year so that it is fair to both of our families. I am really looking forward to indulging in some delicious food and amazing conversation with the family this year. Dave's family is absolutely amazing. Since the begininnig, they have always treated me as if I were there own. They take care of me, love me, and spoil me. They make me feel as loved as my parents have always made me feel .Most importantly, they want what's best for David and I and our family. Friday morning, we leave to head home to NJ to drop off the little guy with my parents. Dave and I will then hop the train into NYC for a much needed weekend to our selves in the Big Apple. I can not even begin to tell you how excited I am to spend the entire weekend in the City and how grateful I am of my parents who booked our trip for our Hanukkah/Christmas present. If you don't already know, my parents are the most loving and giving people in the world. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for parents amongst many other wonderful friends and family in my life.

As many of you may or may not know, my grandmother hasn't been doing well for some time now. Approximately 2 years ago, she had a terrible accident and fell while making her bed one morning. Thank goodness, my father checks on her daily and happened to stop over later that afternoon. He found her lying on her floor completely out of it. Long story short, she broke her hip and has been going down hill since. She is 94. She is the strongest and most independent person I have ever known. She hates being taken care of by others. It has killed her pride. For as long as I have been around (almost 32 years) she has always been on her own. She still lives alone in the house that my father grew up. Up until she had her accident, she did everything, and I mean everything on her own. She is now completely dependent on everyone to do everything for her and it breaks my heart. I can't imagine life without her yet I have been trying to prepare myself for what may come...sooner than I had ever hoped it would. Part of me wants her to keep fighting, to not give up but I know that probably will not happen. The other half of me no longer wants her to suffer, to be miserable and unfortunately, that is what she is. So, my question to myself is how can I prepare myself to let her go. To go to a place where she can be comfortable again. A place where she no longer has to depend on others helping her to get out of bed, to make her meals, to take her to the bathroom. This is truly the hardest thing that I have had to deal with and it is sucking the life out of me. The only time my grandmother is remotely happy is when she gets to see Alex. He brings life to her. He makes her smile...something that she rarely does nowadays. I am just so thankful that Alex has gotten to spend as much time with his GiGi as he has and he will continue to make his visits with her for as long as we have her with us. I love you Grandmom and will always hold you dear to my heart. This Thanksgiving and always, I am thankful for being blessed with having you in my life for this long.

A day from hell....

So, today I decided to take Alex for his haircut as his hair has been out of control. He takes after me, we both have some major bed head going on. Mine is more on the Rasta side of the track, his gets pretty wild but it's straight so it more so sticks out everywhere. We left the house around 9:30am. It was about a 45 minute wait at the salon since we didn't have an appointment. Alex was all over the place. Running around in circles, dancing to the 80's music playing in the background, knocking over tons and tons of hair products. Even the old lady with the bright pink lipstick (so 88 and out of date) couldn't keep her eyes of him. Bribing him to sit still with a "bubble" aka lolipop did not work. Finally, it was his turn and did great getting his locks chopped.

After the salon trip from hell, I decided to make a quick trip into the grocery store in the same shopping center. Big No No! Alex didn't want to sit on the cart so that was my first struggle. Next, as I was picking out some strawberries, Alex got a hold of 2 large bags of purple grapes and dumped them all over the floor. Nice! After my pregnant butt got down on the ground to pick up the grapes, Alex then proceeded to throw a banana across the room. Luckily, he missed the lady in the wheelchair 2 feet in front of him. He did however chuck his shoe into another gentleman's shopping cart. Great aim but I was so embarrassed. As soon as I got the little sucker home, it was time for him to visit his crib so that I could re-compose myself before pulling out my hair! And that was our day from hell....all before noon:)

That's MY MAMA!

Alex has been saying the craziest thing lately. It all started about 3 wks ago when I picked him up from day care. As I was coming in the door, he said "That's my mama" in a very protective, grown up voice. He was saying this to the other 3 kids that were at the day care that same day. Long story short, his funny little saying has stuck. Believe me, it's cute and all but I'm starting to think my child is obsessed with his mommy. Wherever we go, if there are kids around, he looks at them with this over protective look on his sweet innocent face and out comes those famous 3 words. I love him, I really do, but my goodness, he can be a trip sometimes.

Some other funny things that he says.....
1.Dat Choo (thank you_
2.Pees (Please)
3.Mommy/Daddy poopy in the potty whenever we are in a public restroom.
4. Ki Ki's (Kitties)
5. I love Alex
6. Sercy (Percy from Thomas the Train)
7. Wellow (Yellow)
8. Baby Yella ( Stef's baby Bella)
9. Cool, man.
10. Sweet and awesome.

101 Things about me...

Well, maybe not exactly 100 and but here's a few....

1. I was born in Ewing, NJ....Yes, I will forever be a Jersey girl.
2. My favorite color is Red.
3. My shoe size is 7.5 NARROW and it sucks. Narrow feet have been passed down from generation to generation and so on from my great grandmother and it really blows. I totally love a hot pair of shoes but half the time they don't fit my skinny ass feet. I'm probably the only chick who's closet isn't completely filed with shoes. Go figure. I do like my bags though.
4. I bite my nails. I have been doing this forever and no matter how hard I try, I can't freakin stop.
5. I pull the split ends off my hair. This too I have been doing since I was a kid. I remember my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Frank, asking me what the heck I was doing one day during school since I wasn't paying attention to her lecture. I am now 31 and guess what, I still do it and when I am doing it, I'm probably not paying any attention to what you're saying to me. I find picking my split ends to be very relaxing. And yes, I do get haircuts every 6-8 wks but they still keep coming back.
6.I have the world's smallest bladder and it sucks the most during pregnancy. Now that I'm pregnant again, I average midnight bathroom breaks at least 2-3 times each night. WORST.THING.EVER!!!
7. My husband is AMAZING. Enough said.
8. Dave and I met while on Spring Break in Cancun even though we both went to WVU at the same time and knew the same people.
9. I like to eat the batter from brownies. I sometimes make brownies just to eat the batter than dump the rest out when I start to feel sick. Meaning, I don't bother cooking them. I just eat the yummy gooey batter. Sometimes, if I'm really lazy, I will pour a bit of the dry brownie mix into a cup, add a bit of water, and whalla, I just eat it like that with a spoon. OMG...I can't believe I am sharing this secret.
10. I love crafts and making really cool things. However, I get into a groove with one craft task, spend a ton of unessecary money, and become obssessed with the craft for about 1-2 wks. After that, I'm done with it. I'm over it completely. This happens a few times each year. Recently it was making my own wine charms. They turned out cute but I was spending too much $ on supplies and that was it. Next craft became jewelry making. You know, bracelets, earrings, etc. with cute crystal beads. They came out nice but again, I lost interest way too quickly. Finally, I always have an endless supply of scrap booking materials laying around my house. I mainly keep my "junk" as my hubs calls it in the dinning room but now all the " junk" is spreading to other rooms throughout my house. Guess that means I have way too much stuff and need to get a move on making another fancy shamcy scrapbook for the boog aka Alex. I wonder what craft will be next. Any guesses?

That's all for now. I hope I didn't scare any one off after reading all of this! Thought it would be fun to do something like this real quick. As you can see, even with a 2yr old and working 2 days a week, I still have a lot of time to spare! love to all xoxo