How You Know It's Winter At OUR House...

Snow, snow, and more snow... is always a sure sign that winter is now here. As we have moved through winter I look out our window here at home and see what some of you may not in your own neighborhoods as sure signs that winter is surely here to stay for awhile.

The lake right before night fall.

1. The marker poles are set into the ground, setting up the area for the snow plowers to plow. This is one of the many benefits of paying association dues. The snow removal in the winter, the grass mowing in the spring, and the pool facility in the summer!

2. There are sadly no sail boats or paddle boats on the water anymore :(

3. The majority of the birds have found warmer weather to vacation in... along with many of the neighbors (Flordia)! Time to close up house and come back in the spring! It seems so quiet now :(

4. Ice and snow now takes the place of the nice ripples in the water ... During the spring and summer it is truly awesome taking walks and feeling the breeze from the water. Now if you walk all you are feeling is a very cold chill. The wind is frightening cold!

5. Lolly dog needs her jacket to venture outdoors! Little doggies like Lolly get sick ALLLLL the time... I don't need anymore vet bills right now! That's okay because her neighbor canines, Bandit, Neco, and Scooter, wear coats too! Neco even wears booties!


6. The Christmas lights go up in the trees! Unlike the neighbors around us, Michael will just throw them up there...others actually use a "special" hook to place them "perfectly" on each limb. Not to mention colored lights are a big "No No" around here. Every house must have matching lights! One new neighbor put up blue and within a week they were taken down and new white lights were in their place!

7. The Swans... "Big Foot" and his family are now barely seen. Occasionally around... I might have seen them once or twice since November. Where do they go??? Who knows, but I DO know they will be back in the spring... they love to eat right out of your hand! Hopefully we will get some pictures of that!

8. The decorations are lugged out of the spare garage and into the house, along with the tree! Time for some decorating. Sometimes (like now) the tree will be put up but it takes a bit of time to get to the decorations! Once done it is a beautiful sight!

9. Babies in snow suits! I just love the sight of babies bundled up! Aidyn does have one of those thick, hard to put on snow suits as many babies do! I just think he looks so cute, yet so uncomfortable in that thing! Luckily for him though he will only be wearing this on super cold days outside when on walks or snowman making!

10. Finally now that I have the little bundle boy with me I can use him as an excuse to play out in the snow! Everyone loves Aidyn around here... wonder if they would mind a little snowman when the blizzards begin?! I'll be saving my carrots and rocks just in case the opportunity arises!

Quite a view from upstairs!

Aidyn holding his first bulb for our tree!

A view from our house now! Can't wait until the nice weather returns!!
Can you understand now why Aidyn needs swimming lessons!!! This is literally right outside our back door!

Ear Infections All Around...

Well today the dreaded news... Aidyn is sick. Yep ... sick... last night it began... two 1/2 hours for putting Aidyn to sleep. After many walks around the house bouncing him, daddy playing airplane with him, mommy rocking him, mommy putting him in the bathtub, and finally the beautiful star-lite swing... we had a sleeping baby! This morning I awoke to the fussiness AGAIN, however this time it was with the refusal of taking his bottle. I called the pediatrican and we ended up going only to find that not only did he have a cold (which we already knew), and that he was teething (which we already knew) but also that he has an ear infection in his right ear! Yikes, I would probably feel crappy too if I were him! And to think that we thought is was just poor stubborness last night - he probably will still continue to be an excellent sleeper once this is over! Thank goodness!! So needless to say, my day was filled with wiping runny noses, suctioning runny noses, holding/napping a sick baby - always ending in that much needed nap together on the couch or glider chair, and entertaining and maintaining just a happy child. But eventhough that was my day, I would have to say I wouldn't change it for the world. I love every minute of it! Right down to those tears and runny noses. I love being the one who comforts Aidyn (daddy does a really good job too) and the one he depends on to make everything better again. But afterall doesn't every mom?! So, besides this issue with Aidyn and his ear I have another "child" with ear infections! Yep, the dog- Lolly. She went in a few days ago as well and she has them too! This is typical for Lolly though :( Sadly, she is ALWAYS having this problem, it just happen to fall (this time) during the same time as the other munchkin! How does the saying go, when it rains it pours>? I also find it funny that the only one who can make Aidyn happy when sick is little Lolly! Thank goodness Lolly likes him and doesn't show those snake-like fanks as she does for daddy! lol it truly is a site how jealous she is of him- with Aidyn it's completely different. So I had Lolly in her pj's all day as well as the little diddle (as daddy nicknamed Aidyn). I hope this doesn't last too long, there is only so long I can run on limited sleep. To answer a question you will have once you see Lolly here and then in the Thanksgiving post, yes it is unbelieveably the SAME dog, this is Lolly after her haircut! It truly is amazing how she looks COMPLETELY different once all her shag hair is removed! She is a maltese and they are suppose to have this long flowing hair, no one talks about how that long flowing hair gets extremely matted since it's very fine. The puppy cut is the only "sane" way to go with a dog like this one!

Is it the ears, the nose, or the mouth??? Not quite sure ....

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!!

Aidyn and the family hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving celebration! As you can see... this little turkey was ready for some holiday lovin! Ofcourse just a wee bit small to enjoy the actual turkey feast.. maybe next year though! There are many things that I am thankful for this year. When looking back just two years ago, our lives were hitting some rough patches- my father passed away after a 14-month illness from effects after open heart surgery - never making it home from the hospital, our condo development (luckily not our place) in North Carolina had a massive fire, and our hearts were just a little lonely. "Nanny" and I have come a long way since then. Having a wonderful husband to continue my own dad's traditions of preparing a turkey and now having a beautiful baby this Thanksgiving have filled our hearts with love and joy again. When unfortunate events happen such as ours, it's hard getting up each day... having strong faith in God and having these two men makes us realize how life can turn around, how love is always there for you if you are willing to reach for it, and how lucky we are to have those friends and family around us who share nothing but unconditional love and support with us each day. Being thankful means a lot of things to everyone and I am definately also thankful for how Michael takes care of us. He is a supportive and loving husband, along with an amazing father. Thanks be to him for allowing me the chance to take care of our son at home this year and supply us with a living. We hope each and every one of you keeping up with our blog had a truly blessed holiday and that this holiday offered you just another moment to make special memories you can hold dear to your heart. Hope you enjoy the pictures to follow!!!!
Nice job to Michael for making the turkey! Look at the scruffy doggie Lolly... the haircut was the next day!!

"Where's my turkey?" He's lookin a little small for the BIG boy highchair!

As most of us feel at the end of the holiday!! Aidyn loved his crib at Nanny's house!!

My Hubby and I...

Following another avid blog friend lead, I've decided to fill everyone in on how my husband and I met. Janelle you are right that it is amazing how peoples' paths in life are unpredictable and your story (and mine) are sure examples of the fact that when you aren't really looking for someone ... you meet them. Picture the time, it is the year 1999 and we are in college. I went away to school (at Mount Union College) and for those who know anything about the school, it is very much a preppy school. While there most of my friends had on campus jobs and then jobs they would also return to when they were home for the holidays. I wanted very much to earn some extra money and most importantly wanted to work some place where I would get a great discount on my shopping apparel. So, when home for the holidays I stopped in at Abercrombie & Fitch in our local mall. It had just opened up there and was just like a mad house inside. I was lucky enough to meet the manager right then and even though he was super busy he agreed to meet with me quickly. He surprisingly offered me a holiday job right then and I started to work right away. My boss was named Michael and as I quickly began to see, the employees not only worked together but after hours hung out, partied, and just were friends. So, I began hanging out with my new group and loved all of the people. I continued this job while in college on the breaks because it was a way for me to stay busy and keep the discount. :) Not only did I become fast buddies with my boss but also his girlfriend who also worked with us. I was dating a guy at my college for three years (it didn't work- I got smart) and thought of Michael (my boss) as just another buddy who was a really nice guy. The guy at college truly had my heart at the time, I was mesmerized by his popularity and anyone else who came around I just really didn't care about. All I really cared about was my boyfriend, his baseball team, sorority, and some friends. I however did think Michael was cute, but taken as I was. As I approached junior year I really began to lose interest in the Abercrombie clothes and began to really think more about what I needed to be doing for my career. I decided this was not what I wanted to do, I needed to find a job dealing with children and it just wasn't fun anymore so I quit. Michael had also left the store; first going to open Holister in the same mall, then moving to downtown Chicago (I later found out) and then Lansing, Michigan to open more Abercrombie stores. So for years we did not keep in touch, our paths drifted apart, and then one day (three years) after I had moved into my own condo I hear from a familiar voice... it is on the phone of a friend of mine who sells condos in my development. It was Michael... surprise he had decided to buy a condo across the street from mine and when he found out I lived there he just wanted to say hello. The only kicker... I find out he is moving into this condo with the old Abercrombie girlfriend. Great. Ohhhh and they are engaged. Double great....

Part 2 coming soon... Michael and His Break Up.