top 5 "finds" of 2007

so this is a list of favorite new things i found this year. make your own! it can include entertainment (ie: movies, video games etc), clothing, people, recipes, household items...the possibilities are endless!

#5 Force Flex trash bags: i will not use anything except these bags

#4 Vapor-plug: these things are lifesavers (or at least sleepsavers)! there have been many times when May had a cold and she's up 4-5 times crying because she has"too many boogers" 10 minutes after i plug in one of these babies she is down for the count!

#3 Sling: this has been a staple in my daily fight against a clingy baby. we both love it and as of now can't live without it.

#2 Chicken Chili recipe: this chili is SO GOOD! the only problem is that we're entertaining the idea of going vegetarian this year so i'll have to figure out a good substitute for shredded chicken

#1 Cameron Jude: he is such a joy and i'm very happy i found him.

coming of age

i cannot for the life of me picture Cameron with hair...or with teeth for that matter. this week i've been trying to envision him at Maydens age. i take away all the feminine characteristics of her and try to imagine she is him for a second. i just can't wrap my head around it. i feel like he might be a bald toothless 2.5 year old someday.

swinger

so this morning was pretty mild in the weather department and so i got the kids outside. it was wonderful to be outside again. i can't wait till spring! i'm trying out this video option out on blogger so let me know if it works for you.

boogers galore!

it seems as though all the sweet treats and lack of sleep these last few days has impaired our immune systems. we're all starting to feel under the weather today as we brace for cold number 3 of this season...ugh! i hate sick kids. they are so grumpy and needy which is no fault of their own as they are super uncomfortable and really unable to remedy themselves. but i still hate it.

i better get some sleep. goodnight.

Christmas in detail

a more detailed Christmas description is in order. we spent Christmas Eve at Chris's parents house. every year they throw a holiday party so we go to that then stay and exchange gifts. May didn't get a nap that afternoon and we were out late so she was exhausted which made Christmas morning great. the kids slept in until 9:30 (i'll enjoy this for a few more years until they start waking up at 5am) May was so excited and cute about the whole Santa thing. she kept smiling like she must be in a dream every time she got to open another present. Cameron was of course totally oblivious to everything abnormal going on. he did seem to enjoy me opening his presents as he sat on my lap. he's such a happy baby in general so he loves anything and everything. i think he had a good first Christmas.

the best part of Christmas day was the fact that we didn't have to leave the house...i stayed in my PJs (and so did the kids) all day long. my parents and sister came over and we made brunch and then exchanged gifts. the rest of the day was spent reading new books, putting together a new "big girl" bed and setting up "some assembly required" toys. i think everyone got at least one thing they are really excited about. the best part of course was seeing the joy on the kids faces.

Christmas 2007

we've had a great few days of Christmas and we hope you all have too. here are some pictures from X-mas Eve and X-mas day. enjoy!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

may's new big girl bed

adventures in cooking: Christmas treats

so today inspite of my kids being totally needy (i swear they can somehow pick up on the fact that i have a ton to get done and therefore all of the sudden need my undivided attention...arg!) we got some baking done.

first we made sugar cookies for Santa:

off to a good start...May eating a stick of butter (so gross!)

she shared her beater with meCam playing with some cookie cutters

my mom showing May how to roll dough

the finished product... hope they last till Christmas Eve

next i made these things called Minty Chocolate Treats for our local friends and family. they taste okay (Chris really likes them) but they look really really pretty and that's what counts!

two things i know for sure...

two things i know for sure...

#1) i never want to be pregnant, give birth or breastfeed again
#2) i want more babies!

Dear Cameron, (6mo)

Dear Cameron,

It’s been 6 months since you’ve entered our lives. From the moment I first held you I knew I would have no problem finding a space in my heart for you and you’ve proven me completely right. These last 6 months have been really hard and sometimes very frustrating but more than anything they have been such a joy. The more times passes the more I am in love with you and your sweet little self. The first 3 months of your life were such an emotional roller coaster for me. and while breastfeeding was a huge struggle for us this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy every second with you. Camo, you are such a smiley, snuggly baby boy and I love watching you be happy.

Being able to watch you grow & change so much already has been a true blessing to me. I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months bring.

Love always,
Mama


Things you love:
Mayden (the way you look at her is so funny, it’s like she’s your idol)
Mama
Dada (you two have your own special language)
Being held
Riding in the backpack
Snuggling/ sleeping in the sling
Bath time/naked time
Attention
Your hands
Sleeping with your head covered (i hate it when you do this)

Things you hate:
Long naps
Waking up prematurely
Being put down (although you tolerate it from time to time)
Needles
Sitting in poop (who doesn’t!?)
Wet diapers

6 months of Cameron

3 weeks old

2 months old
3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

stress ball

number of grey hairs before Mayden was born = 0
number of grey hairs 1 month after Mayden was born = 2
number of grey hairs before Cameron was born= 4
number of grey hairs now = 10+

i sure hope someone is getting me a hair coloring box for Christmas

clean machine

quick update: we've had 3 "yes nap" days in a row so i think we're back on the nap train...praise the Lord!

i've started to awaken from my "just had a baby" daze (it's about time, i know!) and i am realizing that our house is regularly filthy. the bathrooms haven't been cleaned in who knows how long, it's nothing to go 2-3 weeks without wiping off our table and kitchen counters, in a good month vacuuming happens twice. you get my point....yuck!

well this week i've wiped down the counters & table 3 times!! one out of two bathrooms is completely clean (thanks mom!) & the vacuum cleaner was out of it's closet twice this week! i'm unstoppable. i'm beginning to catch on to the idea of cleaning/ tidying up a little each day so it doesn't become one huge overwhelming task. so this week i'm focusing on doing a major cleaning in each room then small cleanings each day so that this place stays livable. tonight was "clean May's dirty/moldy toys from the bathtub" night .... another exciting Saturday night for Adia Speer.

another no nap day

this is day 6 in a row for May not taking a nap. a few of those days i didn't try because we were out and about. however, some of those days i did try and she still didn't sleep. i'm starting to think this may be permanent... and that makes me very sad.

i can't hear myself think

life is back in full swing. i wake up with a headach and go to bed with one too. throughout the day i have many "oh, that would make a good blog post" moments but then once my kids are in bed all i want to do is jump in bed too. this is my life (for now). maybe i'll get up the energy for a real blog post tomorrow. in the mean time..... GOODNIGHT!

Christmas survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I use both, but prefer gift bags....very reusable

2. Real tree or artificial? fake this year, although i do love and i'm used to real ones. but real ones cost too much for just one year of use when a fake one will last many-a-year!

3. When do you put up the tree? usually the weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? about the 2nd week in Jan.

5. Do you like eggnog? nope

6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably a Cabbage Patch Kid

7. Do you have a nativity scene? yep

8. Hardest person to buy for? in-laws

9. Easiest person to buy for? hubby, he wants everything...so i just pick the cheapest thing :o)

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? i don't really remember the bad ones, just the good ones

11. Mail or email Christmas card? def. snail mail

12 Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? sometime after Thanksgiving

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? ummm i sadly have to say yes on this one

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? green Christmas tree cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? let it snow, the imagery is fantastic

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? mostly stay home except the in-laws for X-mas Eve (1hr away) and my parents for X-mas dinner (20 minutes away)

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star? a red paper star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? one on Christmas eve, but save all the rest for Christmas morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? grouchy shoppers

Jesus, Mary & Joseph (oh, and Meghan's kid)

Cameron made his acting depute this evening as none other than Jesus Christ himself. he was great at imitating the "no crying he makes" part. Cam got fussy just as we were making our way onstage so i was worried...but thankfully he pulled it together and was a very sweet baby Jesus.

Mayden got a last minute gig as an extra kid. she walked up the isle with Meghan (the nursery attendant and co-director of the play) and her buddy Brayden (isn't that funny....Mayden & Brayden!) anyway she did great too. before the play started all she kept saying was "i want to be one of Meghan's kids"...Chris and i thought it sounded a bit like "Jerry's Kids"....anyway we thought it was funny.... i guess you had to be there :o)

an hour to myself?

for some odd reason Cameron has been sleeping down (ie: not in my arms) for the last hour. i am in disbelief. this just so happened to correspond with Maydens nap which means i got an entire hour to myself. i honestly thought my luck would only last 10-15 minutes but here it is a little over and hour later and i'm still childless...WOO HOO!

i love this sling!

so for the last month and 1/2 Cam has decided that sleeping during the day (ie: Naps) are not really his thing but i think i may have figured it out... Cameron must be held at all times. especially if he wants to sleep during the day. he gets tired and cranky but he will not stay down any longer than 10-15 minutes. so after trying for 30 minutes to put him down for a nap he ends up taking a super mini 10 minute nap. ARGGG!! even though he is perfectly content & happy when he wakes, i am not. so i stopped wasting my time and found a new way to get him to sleep during the day.... the sling! at first i was sad that i was missing my "me" time during the day (im trying not to complain too much about the no nap thing because he is an awesome night time sleeper...he NEVER wakes up in the middle of the night anymore!!) but now i'm over it and moving on with this sleeping in motion thing we have going on here. so when he gets fussy i just tuck him in this sling and carry on doing whatever i need to be doing. he's instantly happy and eventually drifts off to sleep for about 30 minutes. this happens a few times a day. i used this other sling with Mayden because it wasn't bulky and didn't have any rings but she wasn't very into it. i'm really happy i have the one i have now, it's perfect!

in general he wants to be held much more often than May did and i'm very okay with this because i know it won't last forever and i always wanted a snuggly baby. Mayden was not that baby (although now she's pretty snuggly)

within the last few days i've also discovered the joy of the backpack which is a great second option. in fact here is a pic of him sleeping in it as we speak.

Thanksgiving etc...

sorry about the slacking off on the blog. i've been sick for over a week now and i'm getting super tired of it all....and this is just the beginning of the sick season...AHHH! first it was just a cold, more annoying then anything. then just as i was feeling better Thanksgiving night i start with this 24hr stomach virus thingy which was really gross and impaired my child care abilities (thank GOD for my mom!). today i am really feeling much better so hopefully im on the mend. it's really tricky to be sick and to try and take care of yourself as well as your children and also try not to infect them with the afore mentioned sickness! here are a a lot of pics from Thanksgiving which was wonderful (until the puking started anyway)

Cam's first time in the backpack! (he loved it)


May, Dada & Curious George

Cameron slept thru most of the parade

me, May & City Hall

May climbing on a giant Sorry game piece (part of a very cool park in Philly)

my adorable Dohner family who joined us for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house (each year i take their annual family photos, this was one of the bunch from this year)

SICKO

we've all been fighting a cold this weekend so i think it's appropriate to write a little something about the movie Sicko which Chris and I watched last week. i'm not even sure where to begin except to say that i'm really disappointed in our country for not demanding national health care reform. it seems simple to me private health insurance companies = corruption = bad health care decisions = do away with it.

on a personal note our neighbor is battling Hepatitis C. he found out about it last summer and has endured a few rounds of drugs. the first round health insurance covered. when that round didn't work his health insurance rejected his request for a second round because his chance of success was only 20%. but if you're dying 20% sounds like it's worth a try. so he paid for the drugs himself... $10,000 later and tragically it didn't work again. so now he's on a waiting list for a liver transplant which he tells me the health insurance company is betting they won't have to pay for. reason being; there is a shortage of organs to go around and by the time he's at the top of the list he will be too sick to work and therefore lose his health insurance benefits. brilliant. super nice young guy. his wife and four year old son will be devastated when he does pass on. so will we.

Chris and I don't have health insurance (the kids are on the state insurance program) i've always been terrified to not have health insurance but after watching this movie i'm thinking i might be better off without it. after a movie like this i have to ask myself one question ... what can i do? the way i see it is i have two choices. stay here and fight the good fight or leave and enjoy the benefits of another country. Tae Kwon Do anyone?

the return of the poop seat

this baby entertainment thinga-ma-bob is fondly called the "poop seat" in our house. it's called that because 80% of the time Mayden was in the poop seat when she was a baby she pooped! it was amazing how consistent it was. and now here we are two years later and it's proving to produce poop again. amazing!

here is a picture of Cameron in the poop seat this morning after a nice big poop and below is a picture of Mayden in the poop seat exactly (to the day) two years earlier (probably right after a nice big poop)

Adventures in cooking: Enchilada Bake

** to see other posts in this series visit my Myspace blog**

this afternoon Mayden is napping in her room, Cameron is sleeping on my mom (which recently is the only way he naps...ugh!) and i am making dinner. actually dinner is taken care of tonight so i'm making a future dinner as i will freeze this meal. i found this recipe years ago in some vegetarian magazine. we love it and make it several times a year. it's very simple yet very tasty...you can't beat that! i made two this time that way there is another one ready when i'm out of options and need a quick meal someday in the future. my mom taught me that trick and its really genius. if you're already making one to double it and freeze the second is not a big deal and it saves you a big headache later.

guilty pleasure

tonight starts the 4th season of Project Runway and I'm very excited about it. i have no idea why. I'm not in the least bit into high fashion and i don't even sew (although i wish i did). i guess i like that these people can make a whole outfit out of virtually nothing. it's impressive. i only do a few TV shows and this is one of them.




here's a survey of my favorite TV show ever, LOST!! (hurry up February!)

If you were on LOST who would you want to...

Befriend? Sayid, i think he could keep me safe & get me off the island

Be enemies with? Sawyer, too cocky for me

Kill? Ben

Kiss up to for favors or supplies? Hugo, he has the food!

Share a spot in the cave with? Jack

Hook up with just once? Sawyer

Help the most? Jin & Sun, they are nice folks

Would you.....

Go on the raft or stay on the island? stay put on the island

Live in the caves or on the beach? caves seem a little less vulnerable

Open the hatch or leave it alone? leave it alone!

Keep other's secrets or tell them? sure

Know your blood type to help Boone? i guess

Eat fish, boar, sushi or just fruit? mostly fruit, with a little fish now and then

If it were up to you ...

What would you name Claire's baby? Ocean

Who would get Kate, Jack or Sawyer? Sawyer, those two were made for each other

Would you side with Locke or Jack? Jack, Locke is a bit of a loose canon

Forget the show - what about you....

If you were on an island with three people who would they be? hubby & my kids

And you could bring three personal items? sunblock, ipod & toothbrush

And what part of the world would your island be in? anywhere warm

One final question ...Who is your favorite character on the show? i love most of the main characters, but Locke is the man!

Santa already?

we just returned from the mall where we spent the rainy morning trying to wear May out so that she would nap this afternoon. guess what the first thing we saw was? yep, Santa! let me point out an obvious fact...it's more than a week before THANKSGIVING... remember that holiday?

it was actually kinda nice because there was nobody around, no line, no screaming kids. he was just hanging out with his elves. May got to talk to him and even got a mini candy cane, free of charge. i refuse to pay $15+ for one picture after standing in line for an hour where they will inevitably try to get my to buy the $30 picture package. nope, not gonna do it. when i was a kid we went to see Santa in the hardware store and got a nice little polaroid picture & full size candy cane to take home. hopefully this will be her Santa fix for the season (for the most part she's still oblivious, it's Chris who's my problem child and keeps hyping it up) but if it's not i'm on the lookout for a free Santa visit.

P.S. the "Japanese Cherry Blossom" Bath & Body stuff smells like crap and is VERY hard to get off your body... you've been warned!

photo overload

today we went to a few pretty spots and took some family photos. out of the over 100 we took here are the best. most of you who read this will probably end up getting one of these as out Christmas card this year. (labeled #1-10) i'm partial to number 3 & 5. which is your favorite?