Olivia turns 5

Happy Birthday to my sweet Olivia! Today she turned 5. Olivia was born on a Sunday, the Sunday before Memorial Day (just like today) at 6 something in the evening. By the time child #5 comes exact birth times are irrelevant. She came into this world after a long labor (I do remember THAT!). She was born at the Birth Center just like her 2 brothers before her and the brother after her. We knew we were having a girl and had 2 names picked out, Lauren and Olivia. After she was born we let Cara, her only sister, pick the name she wanted.  Olivia weighed 7 lbs 15 oz (the same weight a Cara). I think she still weighs 7 lbs.

She was always a petite baby/child. She weighed 15 lbs when she turned one and it wasn't until she turned 2 that she neared the 20 lb mark and could finally upgrade from an infant car seat and face forward. At 5 years old she weighs a whopping 36 lbs.

Olivia was blessed with 4 older siblings who ADORED her. This is one of my MOST favorite pictures of the 5 children as "little children".

Sam and Olivia

This pictures was taken at Christmas 2008. Olivia was about 19 months. She received the dog from Zach's dad. It was bigger than she was (and probably weighed more than her too). She loves this dog! She carried it everywhere! She slept with it, ate with it, sat on it, and even shopped with it. To this day the dog is STILL pillow. She can't sleep without it. It is no longer fluffy. It is flat, nappy from being washed repeatedly, and a dark tannish color. I have repaired holes all around.

 Olivia's 2nd birthday

Our beach trip Summer 2009

Longwood Summer 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

Olivia holding Matthew August 2011

 Spring 2012

I am so glad Olivia is part of our family. She brings us such happiness as we watch her grow. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. She has a beautiful smile and a great laugh.

For her birthday dinner we had hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Corn on the cob and carrots with ranch dip. Olivia usually licks the icing off cake leaving the cake behind so I opted for ice-cream sundaes. She made her own sundae with strawberry and mint ice-cream, strawberry syrup and whipped cream. She wanted to go to a park so we headed to Can-Do park. This year I started a tradition of giving the children 7 days of presents leading up to their birth"day". She received stickers, a water bottle with a cool straw, caramel chews, a bracelet making kit, and some other small 1$ store finds.

On Friday I took her and her "best friend" Taryn to Oasis for some fun. She wanted to do something special for her birthday with Taryn. They had a blast. Olivia took cupcakes to school to share with her school friends. Her teachers gave her 2 books and a bug catching kit for her birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!!



I am planning a Garden Party for Olivia's 5th birthday. I usually don't get too involved with birthday parties anymore. I don't have the time or energy BUT I am so excited for this party!

Some of the ideas I have decided on are:


1. Balloon Flower decorations for the backyard-that's where the party will be obviously-in the GARDEN. I want to hang paper lanterns between the 2 large trees in the yard. Balloons & more balloons. Olivia helped pick out balloons with dragonflies, butterflies, and polka dots. As we were looking online for decorations she leaned over, hugged me and told me she loved me. She knows how to get what she wants.


2. I found these bug holders at the Dollar Tree. I am going to buy and hide rubber bugs in the yard so the kids can go on a Bug Hunt.

3. For snacks I was thinking Worms In Dirt, carrots with dip, flower cookies, ants on a log (raisins in cream cheese on celery), green grape caterpillars, and cupcakes. I found Bug Juice which is basically colored, flavored sugar in a bottle, but it works with my theme, on Amazon.

4. I knew I needed some type of craft to keep these kids busy. Lady bug plates to the rescue. I was going to buy solid colored party hats and have the kids glue sequins, flowers, and other things on it.
I'm also thinking about a planting activity but haven't quite found the perfect one. No worries. That's what Pinterest is for.



I will make these butterfly treats but use candy. Every party needs candy!

So far my "cart" on Amazon is over stocked. I still need to find some ideas for a invitation, probably going to make them myself, and plates, cups, napkins. I also need to call around to rent some long tables and lots of chairs.

For the next 3 weeks I will be stressing over this party....then maybe I'll grab a good book (or a few) and plop myself at a pool for the rest of the Summer.

adding spice to my life

Routine. Excitement. Same ol' thing everyday. Spontaneous. I really can't make up my mind. I remember the days that I could be spontaneous...unplanned adventures...spur of the moment. Now I am all about routine. I know exactly what time I need to eat breakfast so I can have exactly the right minutes to shower. It's the boring, scheduled life I now lead. Who am I trying to kid? Myself? I was NEVER spontaneous or unpredictable or adventurous. I like routine. But the one thing that changes me are all these kids and THEIR unpredictablness (word? maybe not). They throw me curve balls often and keep me on my toes.... or in ambulances.

Listen to how I spent my Friday evening/night...I was doing my normal thing, either emailing or texting someone about nothing important when I heard Sam yell some crazy thing like, "It won't stop!!" or "It keeps coming!!" I knew from the tone of his voice it was serious. I yelled , "Waaaiitttt! I'm in the middle of something." OK, Not really. I actually jumped up and scurried to him (that's a pace between jogging and skipping). When I reached his room he was holding his foot up as blood was gushing from it. I can not put into words how I felt at that moment. Scared. Overwhelmed. I have never saw so much blood squirting from ANYTHING. I grabbed the first article of clothing I saw and wrapped his foot. It would not stop bleeding. In a haze of commotion and panic all I remember is Cara calling 911, me crying/yelling/ to the operator. I'm trying to answer his questions: Is he breathing? (yes, but I 'm NOT!) Is he conscience? (Umm..I think so. I'm ready to pass out!) The operator hangs up (don't believe those movies when they actually stay on the line until the pandemics arrive). Meanwhile, the jeans that I grabbed to wrap his foot are soaked. I knew his foot was falling off. The paramedics arrive. We got to ride in an ambulance. We arrived home 4 hours later after he received GLUE and some stickers. Yes, that's right they GLUED his wound shut and applied stickers over it. I tell ya...stitches have come a long way.

So how did this all happen? Sam ran to his room and slid on a broken picture glass causing a 2-3" shard to go into his foot. It was a perfectly pointed piece of glass which caused a deep wound. It didn't need "stitches". He will be on crutches for a few days and all the family prayers will involve him.

my relationship with muffulettas

One year ago Zach and I took a trip to New Orleans. It was a quarterly business trip for Zach but I tagged along. We went down 3 days before he needed to be "working" and stayed at a bed and breakfast. The house was beautiful, the host was fantastic, and the food was delicious. The bed and breakfast was north of the French Quarters so we needed to take the public trolley into the Quarters anytime we wanted to sight see or get a bite to eat. Also, the hotel that we were staying out during the business part of the trip was along the bay and walking distance to the French Quarters. Maybe another time I will post the "Nawlens" pictures and details of our trip.


Today I am reminiscing of the Muffuletta sandwich. Mmmm. I had one everyday. The sandwich is served on a round loaf of Italian bread and then piled high with Provolone cheese, Genoa salami and Cappicola ham, and then topped with olive salad – chopped, green olives, pimientos, celery, garlic, onions, capers, oregano, parsley, olive oil, & red-wine vinegar. It's perfectly salty. The sandwich is HUGE! I suppose they are to be shared. No, I didn't eat the whole thing every day! I miss it..might be the only reason I would ever go back to that city. I was remembering my favorite sandwich because yesterday Zach brought me home a Panini (half) from Shoprite. I opened it up today and took my first bite. I was back in New Orleans again except not really. It was suppose to be an Italian Panini but  tasted like my Muffulettas only on a thin bread. Of course, I messaged him and told him how DELICIOUS it was and how it reminded me of Muffulettas. He replied with, "I know. That's why I saved it for you." He is great! He is so sweet! Not only did I get to remember what a fabulous time I had with him one year ago, it also made me think what a great husband he is. Two great thoughts all because of a sandwich.

My favorite Muffuletta sandwich (no, they don't all taste the same) was from the Napoleon House in the French Quarters.

aka The Gerber Baby

Matthew is 9 months TODAY. WoW! 9 months have flown by! He still melts my heart. He is the most adorable boy I have ever seen. I'm not bias at all! Other Moms have told me the same thing. I always reply, "I know." I am told I need to put him in modeling or photography or commercials. I'm definitely NOT humble about this child. Everywhere we go I am always complimented (I say I am complimented because I produced and created the cutest baby in the world). This eye pleasing child has

curly hair

bright blue eyes

dimples

a big wide mouth smile

a jolly, deep laugh

and

he's happy

all

the

time

WHICH just makes him PERFECT!

How could this smile not brighten a day?

Matthew still crawls. Not on his knees though, he bear crawls, on hands and feet. He likes to grab everything off the living room tables. Wreck the forts his siblings build. Play the "I drop it, you pick it up" game. He is so ticklish. Matthew usually sleeps through the night. He loves his Gerber puffs, cheese curls, and blueberry yogurt. He is getting his first tooth, it just poked through this past weekend. And he loves him Momma!

Girls (and a guy) on the Run

Cara run her first 5K Saturday. She participated in an organization called Girls On The Run. It is a fabulous program for girls in grades 3-5. All the girls needed a running buddy and her Dad was just the guy to do it. Cara was so excited.

 This is the girls getting tattooed, stickered, glittered, ribboned, and painted up just before the run.

 Zach and Cara heading to the finish line.

It was exciting to watch her run and finish. I am glad Zach had the opportunity to spend time with her as they did practice runs. He did mention to me that I should run next year with her. Me? Umm, No. Remember those women still walking when we were leaving...an hour later? That would be me. I will be the cheerleader waving the pink and white pom-poms.

 The girls.

I chaperoned Isaac's band to a music festival and Hershey Park yesterday. I was excited to go. I have not been to Hershey Park nor have I accompanied Isaac on a field trip. I ended up having 6 kids in my group, 3 didn't like rides. ANY RIDES! What child doesn't like a ride? One child talked to himself all day and another did nothing but eat. I was really bummed about having to sit on the bench while Isaac and his 2 friends waited in line. It wouldn't of been so bad if the line waiting time was short but the shortest wait was 45 minutes, most rides had a 2 hour wait time. I'm thinking the line Hopper tickets (at 50$) are well worth it. Next year,  I need to request only 3 kids and they better like roller coaster rides. Or else...

Mr. Mom (posted by Zach)

Today while my wife goes to Hershey Park with Isaac's school band I get to stay home and be Mr. Mom. Should be easy right? I have a list of what to do (nap times, eating schedule, people to call incase of an emergency....). Becci is only a text away if I get lost or have a question. But I dont need help, I got this!

Whats on my agenda you ask. I'm going to take a walk, go to the park, blog about my day, go to the Goodwill and look for things I don't reall need, take a nap, throw down at the gym, paint a room, make a coin purse out of a juice carton. Yeah thats right, I'm crafty too. Check is out and Pin it. If I knew how to post a picture of mine I'd show you. Here's the link... http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/carton-wallet-675068/





Even with my day planned I still can't seem to get a certain song out of my head. Here it is:

There is one thing that I know for sure. I miss my girl when she is not with me. And already I CAN'T WAIT for her to get home. Come on nine oclock! Wish me luck, pray for me.................................................... ;-)

my favorite 5th

Today while I sat in the van watching Olivia play at the park (Matthew was sleeping in the van-I'm not normally one of those parents) I realized I am going to miss her when she goes off to Kindergarten next year. This recent thought does not change the previous remark of "I can't wait till your in school!". I still can't wait but at the same time I will try to not push the time sooner. I guess I couldn't even if I tried. I have had the privilege (yes, privilege) to get to know her better this past school year. She is the skinny energizer bunny. She seriously doesn't stop. For instance, as with every Thursday, she goes to school until 11:30. I pick her up, bring her home to eat, we leave again for a 1 1/2 hour science class at the Y. I pick her up, take her to the park, where she plays for 40 minutes. We pick up the other kids and when we get home she is back outside playing, riding her bike, or dancing to Just Dance on the Wii. Then off to Isaac and Michael's baseball games. While there, I'm positive, she will be doing cart wheels in the field, playing at the park, or running around. She has so much energy. ENERGY I don't have! So when there is a day I can't keep her busy (because I am tired!!), she keeps herself busy by jumping on the couch, picking up and carrying around Matthew, though I have yelled at her 15 times NOT to, and dumping all her toys out in search of a pony. Could she possibly use some of that energy to pick UP the toys? No. Those are the days I repeat to her how much fun she will have in Kindergarten next year and how I can't wait for her to go. I say this as calm as possible.

The things I will miss is...her big smile as I pick her up every day from pre-school. How she asks every day "can Taryn come over?" "can I get chicken nuggets?" "can we go to the park?" Same questions every day. Same smile. I ask her everyday "how was school?" She usually says good. Lately, she tells me to read the email her teacher sent. I do (because there is an email every day). I read it aloud so she can hear what she did that day. She's still smiling. She's my shopping buddy. My lunch buddy. My painting buddy. I will miss finding food under her pillow because she hides food from her siblings. I started buying food for only her. Her own cereal, chips, goldfish crackers, chocolate milk. I've discovered Thin Mints under her bed, opened, half eaten.

She's my pretty, little Princess. My Juney. My Pixie. My Perfect One. She was sent to us just when we needed her. I love her so much!

a sappy post

I feel the need to thank Zach for everything he does for me. With Mother's Day being 2 days ago I couldn't let the day go by without being grateful to him for his dedication and hard work so I can stay home with the children. There are difficult days. Extremely stressful, difficult days. Yes, I complain. Yes, I fantasize what it would be like to not be home BUT deep down inside (not that deep) I wouldn't nor couldn't have it any other way. I am SO thankful that he makes the bed every day before he leaves for work. He puts away dishes and cleans the sink and counter. He cleans the fridge. When I am in the middle of a stressful moment he tells me to take a nap. He puts the kids to bed when I can't mentally stand one more second. I know he loves me. I know he tries hard to be the husband I deserve. He's not bossy. Not restricting. He lets me be me. He supports me in my decisions and sometimes needs to offer his opinion to straighten mine out. He lets me paint whatever color I want in the house. He supports my many, MANY projects and doesn't complain that the dining room isn't finished. He likes Goodwills. I like Goodwills. He likes Mango water ice. I like Mango water ice. He likes Sushi. I like Sushi. We work well together. We forgive. Sometimes forget. Always knowing we are forever. Love you!

Mother's Day at Honey's