John Carlos - Guatemalan Prince

Disney

2012-01-06T14:56:00.005-05:00

We went to Disney in August with my sister and nephew. We only went for 4 days and took a late flight which should have got us to the hotel by 9. Our flight was delayed and we finally got into our room closer to midnight. Poor John was exhausted! But excited to be at Disney!

The trip was great! John got to be an extra in the Phineas & Ferb movie skit. He was the evil lawn gnome. But the highligt of the trip was John got to be in Jedi Training and have a duel against Darth Vader!!!

Summer 2011

2012-01-06T14:44:00.002-05:00

T-Ball

2012-01-06T14:26:00.002-05:00

This summer John played t-ball for the first time. He had fun but the age range was from 3 to 6 so it was hard to keep all the kids focused. I think John got a little bored. Sign up for baseball is this weekend and I asked John if he wanted to sign up and he said he didn't. I will ask again tonight and see if he changed his mind.

Catching up yet again! - 4th of July

2012-01-06T14:15:00.004-05:00

So far behind again in blogging...I again blame Facebook but want to switch back to blogging.

4th of July

John and ReRe

And of course there was food...chocolate covered strawberries!

Smores too!

On the way home, we passed this guy walking on the street. I think he was confused what holiday it was!

My little firecracker!

Carnival

2011-08-14T00:21:00.002-04:00

The carnival came to Millis and John and I went. There were some kid rides but John was too big for some and didn't like the other ones!
On the kiddie roller coaster and looking a little apprehensive! Holding on real tight!!

Riding on the cars with his cousin Sean!

Graduation!!!

2011-08-13T23:11:00.003-04:00

John has been at his daycare center since he was 9 months old and this year has been in the Transitional Kindergarten class or T-K. T-K had 9 Star Wars, Lego loving boys in the class!!
They had a great year and the Graduation was wonderful!

John and some of his classmates before the Graduation ceremony! Are they not the cutest things!!??

The Graduates!
John getting his diploma from his teacher Miss Andrea!

My adorable little graduate!!!

Nana and John!

Me and John at his Graduation!

Miss Andrea (who was not a fan of Star Wars or Legos and I think she had a long year!) and some of the classmates. She really did a good job with 9 rambunctious boys!

Nana's BDay and Go Bruins!

2011-08-13T23:01:00.002-04:00

Nana and her handsome grandsons celebrate her 69th birthday! The pic above is take 2...this is take 1!!

Vampires!!!

The Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and John is serious about the games!! Ok, so he is using an Imagination Movers drumstick as a hockey stick but the face is all game!

My little cute Bruins fan!!!

Star Wars Day at Paw Sox

2011-08-13T22:34:00.003-04:00

John and I went to a Pawtucket Red Sox game (Red Sox AAA affiliate) and met the mascot on the way in to the park.
And it was STAR WARS DAY!!!!

And raining!!! John stiking a Jedi pose!

It was really cool! We got to meet lots of characters. John was thrilled! Here he is with a Storm Trooper!

Not entirely sure who these guys are supposed to be but I think they are good guys aka Jedis! These people are not actors just HUGE Star Wars fans who like to dress up!Still raining...but they did get the game in and John loved eating while watching the game!

Trying to figure out what to eat next!

Darth Vader throwing out the first pitch. DV was a weenie and didn't like the rain and left right after this and we didn't get to meet him.

Saw Bobba Fett as we were leaving and John was thrilled!
Even with the rain it was a fun time!

John Getting His Groove On!!!

2011-08-13T22:28:00.001-04:00

Big Apple Circus - May 2011

2011-08-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

John and I went into town on a Thursday in May to see the Big Apple Circus which was in City Hall Plaza right across from my office. We took the train which John loved!

Of course we stopped at Dunkin Donuts first and John got 2 donuts!
Then we hung out in Mommy's office for a while since we were a little bit early!

Grandma the Clown! She/He was pretty funny!
I could totally do this!
These girls were amazing!
My cute little clown!
How often do you see goats riding on minature horses? And they went fast! We were in the 2nd row and I was afraid we were going to get a goat in our lap!
I started working out!
All I can say is OUCH!!!
After the show! It was raining when we went in so now pics before.
Faneuil Hall in Boston
And we made a stop at Build a Bear where John made a Star Wars Bear!
On the train on the way home!
Hopping around Faneuil Hall!

Spring Soccer 2011 - Red Team

2011-08-07T10:17:00.004-04:00

John played soccer again this spring. He likes soccer but doesn't love it! Really I just signed him up so he could meet some kids and get some exercise.

Getting some final instructions from the coach.
Go John go!!
John just had to bust a dance move during the game!
Or two!

After the game ice cream treat!
A different game - John as goal tender!

Nice save!!

Kickin' it!

Good game guys!

Easter 2011

2011-04-28T16:28:00.004-04:00

The Easter Bunny came!!!

Our eggs!
"Yes, Lemonade Mouth CD! I love the Easter Bunny!" - A direct quote from John.

And now the egg hunt!!

Checking out his boodle!

John looking cute in his Easter duds! I think the black Darth Vader sneakers really make the outfit!

John showing me one of his dance moves! Nana and John-Bunny!

Love this one!

My cute little bunny! Please notice his socks...2 different ones! Ooops!

Egg Coloring

2011-04-28T16:03:00.004-04:00

We colored eggs on Saturday for Easter.

John is waiting patiently to color his eggs!!

Mia wanted to help! Or maybe she just smelled the eggs!

Dipping the eggs

Writing his name on the eggs.
The finished product! The pink didn't come out too well though!

Imagination Movers and Choo Choo Soul

2011-04-25T17:52:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, John and I went to a rainy Boston to see the Imagination Movers and Choo Choo Soul!

The Movers put on a GREAT show!! They are so energetic and fun. They keep the kids and parents moving the entire show!

John waiting for the show wearing his Wobble Googles.

Nina and Warehouse Mouse were also there!

John's favorite Mover Rich!

The Movers all took turns coming into the audience. Here is Mover Dave!
And Mover Smitty...that is John's hand in the picture but we were the 4th and 5th seats in and not close enough to get high fived!

Choo Choo Soul - Genevieve and DC! They opened the concert but Blogger put the pics out of order. DC has some awesome dance moves! After the show I told John maybe we he grows up he can dance in shows like DC. His response..."DC is good but I won't be like him when I grow up. I will be better!" That's my boy!!

5th Gotcha Day - April 3, 2011

2011-04-21T14:00:00.004-04:00

So hard to believe but John and I just celebrated his 5th Gotcha Day on April 3rd! It seems like yesterday that my mother and I were in Guatemala to bring John home forever. Five years have gone by so very fast!!!

I asked John what he wanted to do and he said he wanted him and I to go bowling, play in the arcade at the bowling alley and then go to Friday's for dinner.

Here is John using some body language to knock the pins down!

Silly boy celebrating his 9 pin knock down!!

John would throw the ball and then run away fast!

The love of my life!!!!

Shake It Up!

2011-04-13T22:29:00.004-04:00

One of John's favorite shows is Disney Channel's Shake It Up. I heard on the radio that one of the actresses on the show Zendaya Coleman who plays Rocky was going to be in Boston at World of Wheels. So John and I went! Waiting for Rocky to show up. The place where she was meeting fans was located in a room filled with motorcycles. The room was lined with little kids and pre-teens and all these biker types were walking in to look at the motorcycles. They were a little confused by all the kids!

Yeah, she is here!! At first Zendaya came in with her father and stepped on the dias but then got off and started walking up the waiting line. The reason...they were getting another chair to place next to her chair so she could get closer to the fans!

Asking John his name and how to spell it! Look how happy John is!!

Awwwww!!!

As John was walking down the stairs to me, Zendaya says "oh, he is so cute!"!! Such a smart and very nice girl! She spent so much time with all the kids and was a typical kid too. She was snacking on a pretzel and fried dough!

Oh and since it was a car show...there were cars there too! And snacks too!

It think this is a 1950's Cadillac and John is eating his popcorn.

Another cool car!

John LOVED this car!! It glowed underneath and had a major sound system!

Another car and moved onto cotton candy!

Then we took a short walk on the waterfront since John told me I "needed exercise" Thanks, sweetie!!

Jedi pose with his light stick from the car show!

After we went out to eat at Bubbling Brook restaurant. It has the best fried clams and onion rings! At the restaurant, we were seated between 2 tables of older ladies. Both tables kept talking to John and I telling him he was so handsome and polite. Makes a Mommy proud!!

Eating our ice cream in the car because it was a little rainy and too wet to sit on the benches.

We had such a great day!!

First Dental Appointment

2011-03-28T21:35:00.003-04:00

Today I took John to his first dental appointment (and yes I know I should have sooner) and he did AWESOME!!!! Recently there was an episode of Good Luck Charlie where PJ was scared to go to the dentist and it made John nervous. He opened his mouth so wide that the dental tech told him he could close it a bit. He had one small cavity which we will go and get filled next month. The dentist said he has good gums and his teeth are very evenly spaced. There was some plaque in the top, back teeth but pretty good. John did such a good job they even took pics of the top and bottom teeth. His permanent teeth are just showing up on the pictures so the dentist said that he may be late losing the baby teeth. John got a Diego toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, a pencil and a sticker. After the dentist we went and registered for Spring soccer and Summer T-ball. Then Mommy had to return some stuff at Target so we went there and to TGI Friday's for dinner.

Stay-cation Ideas

2011-03-26T23:14:00.002-04:00

I/we have gone to Disney every year for many years...the only year I didn't go was the year John came home and we would have gone and met my sister, mother and nephew there if we could have got a room! But I don't think Disney is in the budget this year so I am coming up with some ideas for stuff to do at home.

So far for the Spring and Summer I have planned:

Currently, John is taking karate lessons on Thursdays.

Next weekend - World of Wheels - a car show but Rocky from Shake it Up will be there and John LOVES that show. He clears to living room floor and dances along with the dancers on the show. He has some "moves"!!!

April 3rd is our 5th Gotcha Day and the 8th is our Homecoming Day. Not sure what we will do for these yet. Better get working on them though!

April 23rd we are going with Nana to see the Imagination Movers in Boston.

Soccer starts May 1st.

May 5th John and I are going to see the Big Apple Circus in Boston and will take the train in which John will love. Maybe we will go to Faneuil Hall or the Public Gardens depending on the weather.

May 15th we are going to the Pawtucket Red Sox game on Star Wars Day where the Star Wars characters will be walking around the stadium. John will love it!!

Summer t-ball

There is a kite park in Rhode Island that will be fun too.

Franklin Park, Mendon, or Roger Williams Zoo

Mystic or Boston Aquariums

There is a MFC packing party in May as well.

My firm has a family outing to Canobie Lake Park in June.

There is a drive in theatre in Mendon...would love to do that!!

Of course the beach.

Maybe Santa's Village or Story Time in New Hampshire

I want to make this a fun summer for John since he will start Kindergarten in the Fall.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-26T20:32:00.002-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! March 17th was an unseasonably warm day here. We didn't even need to wear coats! John had karate and after we walked down to the playground. John met a little boy who is in his karate class - Jonathan. Jonathan was also on his soccer team last fall and will be in Kindergarten in Millis with John too.

Proof that Spring has sprung!

On top of his "rock"!!

John's shirt says he is 1 lucky dude but March 17th is also the day I found out I was out of PGN 5 years ago so really I am ONE LUCKY MOMMA!!!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

2011-03-26T20:29:00.001-04:00

John's class made Cat in the Hat hats for Dr. Seuss' birthday. Here is John modelling his hat!

Warning: Whiny Post Ahead

2011-03-24T12:55:00.003-04:00

Well, I have failed in keeping up with my Days of Gratitude and many of my resolutions for the year. My intentions were good but I just couldn't seem to keep up with the blogging and finding something to be grateful for each day. That makes me a little sad since compared to many others I have things pretty good. But so far 2011 has been kinda tough...not sure why but it has been. I think (hope, really) that writing about it might be cathartic...so here goes:

1 - Work has been stressful with a change in ownership. Many times I feel completely undervalued, overwhelmed and just plain invisible. The plus side is that I have some really great co-workers who do make it an enjoyable place to work and offer back up and support both professionally and personally.

2 - Money - I never seem to have enough. Everything seems to keep going up in price except my salary! Just got 2 notices from the condo association that they may need to pay special assessments for snow removal (they went overbudget by $4k) and for the water pump because stupid people are flushing things like wipes, gloves, diapers and feminine products! I really don't want to pay for stupidity but I would love for them to fix the gates on the dumpster enclosures and maybe repaint them since they look like crap.

One of my neighbors told me she is trying to get her mortgage rate reduced and has been waiting for a year to hear back from the bank. She also stated she hasn't paid her mortgage for the entire year and if they push her for the money then she will just let them foreclose but before she does she will trash the place so the bank can't get their money back. Yeah, thanks for devaluing my property!! Biatch!!

3 - Menopause!!! So much fun! When my mother was going through it she said it was like "going around a corner" and that you will be one mood one second and another the next. Let's just say I have been going around so many corners that I am currently going in circles!! I feel on the verge of tears...a lot! I have gained weight, my tweezers are getting quite a work out and now am getting hot flashes. Not sure if John is just reading my moods and copying them or if he is trying to work my last nerve but he is doing a really good job at it lately. He will say the opposite of EVERYTHING I say or do. Yet, if I go down the cellar to do the laundry he panics that I am not close by. He is being super clingy and while I love him dearly I need some space especially when I am feeling so overly emotional.

4 - Daycare - John has been at the same center since he was 9 months old. I have loved this place from day one and he has had great teachers. Except for now...his current teacher is a pain in the butt! She has banned Star Wars, Silly Bandz and Legos from a classroom of 9 5 year old boys. What is next - no juiceboxes or Cheezits??!! The last time I took a "Mommy Day" (12/18/10 - not that I am counting or anything) she called me 3 times to tell me John had a bloody nose. Ok, he has had them since he was a baby and it is listed in his paperwork that he gets them. What is the problem? Is he losing conciousness? No, ok then...I am not coming to get him! Especially when I had Christmas/Santa presents spread out all over my dining room to be wrapped! She called me another day to tell me John was complaining of a sore finger and was holding his hand in the "L" sign and wouldn't eat lunch. Since he was fine when I dropped him off and she said he didn't hurt it there, it wasn't it swollen or red, what was I supposed to do? And he never mentioned it hurting again. Yesterday she called to say he had a fever and I had to come and get him. I left work and brought him home and his temp was 98.9!!! Really!!!! And she tells me that she cannot keep him awake at rest time even though I have said I don't want him napping. If he naps he is awake until close to 10pm. The good news is that in June his class will be merged with the Pre-K class and he won't have her as his main teacher for the last few months.

5 - Free Time - I have NONE!!! John even sleeps in my bed and one of the 2 cats and it is a full size bed so not a lot of room. And since he naps at school he is awake late and in his current clingy phase wants me to stay with him. I think I only went out 2 or 3 times last year without John. That is sad! I have lost touch with my friends for various reasons and my 25th high school reunion is in April but not sure if I will be going. I would like to but can't get straight answers from my friends and don't want to go by myself.

Ok, I do feel better now and will try to go back to more regular blogging!

Day of Gratitude

2011-02-05T20:06:00.002-05:00

Today I am grateful to have gone to Target and only spent $81!!! I think that is the least I have ever spent there. They are redesigning the store and I could not find anything. Plus it was very crowded. Everyone is trying to get things done before the next snow storm.

John and I then went to TGIFriday's for dinner. We had a nice day. My To Do List is still very long though!!!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!!!

2011-02-05T18:58:00.005-05:00

Since the day after Christmas we have had snow storm after snow storm! There is another one in the forecast for next week! Ugh!!

John has been enjoying the snow!

Here we going for a walk. John said the sidewalks looked like a snow maze!!

Here is John standing next to his "rock".

Climbing to snow pile in our front yard. More snow maze walking with Blue Blue!

Notice how small the pile in the front yard is here!!
My angel making a snow angel!

Cutie pie!
Snow car really tire a guy out!
Sledding with ReRe and Noah while Momma got some time to herself. I went crazy and went to BJ's!!!
And away he goes!!

John kept telling my sister that he really liked that tree!

I hope this is my last snow post of the winter but I am guessing it won't be but I can hope!!!

Gratitude

2011-02-05T18:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I fell off the Days of Gratitude bandwagon! I have been very stressed lately and not really feeling grateful but know that I should. I am lucky to have an amazing son, a job that I like and well, in this economy just having a job is a good thing. My family is healthy. I have a home and food to eat. I am very lucky.

FFF - Peace/Paz

2011-01-21T18:39:00.005-05:00

This week's FFF theme is Peace/Paz. So far in the month of January, we have had one sick day, 3 snow days, a Holiday, and our regular Thursdays off. That is a lot of time stuck inside the house. I love John with all my heart but he is such a talker. ALL. THE. TIME!!!!! I love that he is inquisitive and wants to learn things but seriously he needs to take a break sometimes. The days of worrying about him not talking seem so long ago!!

Here is some pics of John napping today. The Peace was for both of us!! Ok, mainly me!

For more FFF pictures, go check out Nora's blog at Mindful of Mine.

Days of Gratitude

2011-01-21T16:29:00.003-05:00

Ok, now I am way behind...maybe due to being stressed at work and carrying it over into my home life. Not a good thing!!

Day 14 - Grateful for the director at John's daycare/school. She has been there for a little over a year and she is just awesome!! Today was the day of the 2nd Annual Winter Gala. Each room prepared songs to sing and had a little reception after the performance. John was so excited and was singing his songs for weeks! Day 15 - Grateful for John falling to sleep early tonight so I could get some Mommy time!

Day 16 - I am grateful to sleep in a little bit this morning...until 8 am!

Day 17 - I am grateful to have a holiday today and an extra day off from work. Also grateful for the message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day 18 - Today I am grateful that I got John's application for next year's Extended Day in really early and that I registered him for Kindergarten! I also found out that according to the census there are 97 children entering Kindergarten next year and 80 spots for full day so hopefully John gets one of those spots for a few reasons. 1 - He will turn 6 a few weeks after the start of school and can deal with the structure, 2 - he has been in a full day school and might be bored if only in half day, 3 - it will be cheaper if he is in full day (have to pay for full day but the cost for the additional time in extended day would be more).

Days 19 and 20 - So very glad that I got everything done I needed to get done at work. And an additional one for the 20th, glad I kept my mouth shut when getting lectured by one of the partners over something beyond my control.

Day 21 - Thankful for a patient boss on yet another snow day. It was bad during the morning commute and we have a 45 minute drive to John's school on a twisty road. Not going to risk it with John. Most area schools were closed including the one in our town and Boston! We got a bunch of snow and it was slippery too. I fell on the ice and landed smack on my butt. Ouch!

Phew! All up to dat!

Days 10, 11, 12 and 13 of Gratitude

2011-01-13T22:52:00.003-05:00

Day 10 - Grateful that some things got resolved at work and my boss was out for the day. I like him but it is always more relaxing when the boss is out! The poor guy has been so stressed with all the changes at the firm...he deserves a week out!

Day 11 - I am grateful for take out! A big Nor'easter was blowing in overnight and I was rushing around like crazy at work to get stuff done in anticipation of a snow day. I stayed at work late and took the later train home and then needed to get milk and gas. By the time we got home I did not feel like cooking...so John suggested Chinese! Sounded good to me!

Day 12 - Very grateful that we have a nice warm, safe house to stay in during the storm (22 inches!) and grateful that I saw the pine tree branches drooping and moved my car before they fell smack dap in the middle of my parking space.

Day 13 - Today's gratitude is that I live in a condo and don't have to shovel! As I was taking John to school this morning we got stuck in traffic...bad, bad, traffic. The normal 45 minute drive took 2 hours!!! By this time I missed all the early trains and then next one was at 11:30 which would get me into work in Boston at 12:15 or 12:20. It seemed silly to go in for 3 1/2 hours so I called and said I would work from home. But my sister hurt her back the day before removing the snow from her house so I went there and helped her finish up. My arms are killing me! Loving condo life today!

Red, Red Dye (#40)

2011-01-09T13:37:00.003-05:00

Even though the title of my post is a little tongue in cheek (referring to the UB40 song Red, Red Wine) Red Dye #40 is not a funny thing. Especially at my house. I read about it years ago but totally disregarded it and didn't think anything of it until a few years ago on a trip to Disney. I bought John some Mickey Mouse fruit snacks and he ate a lot of them. Since it was hot I wanted him to drink a lot to stay hydrated. He balked at water so I gave him PowerAde in fruit punch flavor. To say he was out of control would be an understatement! My normally mellow child was a complete brat. He whined, cried, argued and fought me. After the trip I cut back drastically on items with Red Dye #40.

But recently have slipped up and allowed John to eat more fruit snacks and other foods that have it as an ingredient. I partly slipped because others looked at me like I was nuts when I said John had an adverse reaction. So I let him have the foods he wanted since all the other kids had them at school. Boy, was that a mistake!!! John was completely defiant, aggressive and abusive. He himself said he felt funny and didn't like it at all. So we are now off of it completely. We get the Annie's Organic Fruit Snacks aka Bunny fruit snacks, Capri Sun flavored water that has no color and I am checking labels religiously. After about a week, John was back to his usual self. We haven't had any major defiance issues or tantrums. He hasn't hit or been aggressive.

The good fruit snacks!!

Here is some info I found online - relevant or interesting parts in bold:

Red 40 is a commonly used food coloring dye added to a variety of products. While it may make food esthetically pleasing in appearance, it can cause a negative reaction in those who consume it.

Children are most often the ones who have sensitivity to red 40, whether or not their parents have realized it or not. Reactions include temper tantrums, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, uncontrollable crying and screaming, kicking, nervousness, dizziness, inability to concentrate and sit still among other findings. Physically you may get frequent headaches or migraines, upset stomach and feel ill after ingesting this additive. Often when Red 40 is eliminated from the child's diet a remarkable change is noticed immediately.

Red 40 is used in many food products including kool-aid, orange and other flavored sodas, cheetos and dorito chips, strawberry pop-tarts, any candy with red coloring to it including m&m's, skittles, many chewing gums, etc. Also many children's vitamins and pain relievers/cold medicine have red 40 in the ingredients.

Red #3 and Red #40 are the two food coloring additives approved for use in food (by the FDA) yet if they were sprayed on weeds they would work as a pesticide. Many parents have had success in eliminating red 40 from their child's diet, the results have been favorable.

It's hard to get away from this food dye completely as it's in a large number of products. Always read the ingredient label and anytime you see the word "red" be cautious. Often those sensitive to red food dyes also have reactions to yellow. Inform your child's school and teacher, daycare and babysitters so they are aware of a possible reaction. So much of convenience and junk food geared towards children contains harmful additives and dyes. Educate your children about what they should look for, so they know red 40 is not something they should consume.

Days of Gratitude 8 and 9

2011-01-09T12:50:00.002-05:00

Day 8 - I am grateful for grocery delivery! John and I were both feeling sick. He was throwing up and I just felt crummy. We definitely needed stuff like milk, bread and cat food...the necessities at our house! My sister offered to come and bring us anything we needed but it is 1/2 hour away and I didn't want to share any germs with her.

Day 9 - Today's gratitude is that John and I feel better! He is eating and has his color back. I don't think he is 100% since he just doesn't seem to be himself and is bit crabby! But I am glad he is eating and not throwing up anymore!

FFF - Nuevo

2011-01-07T13:21:00.006-05:00

Since I am going to try to stay up with the blog this year...I am going to rejoin the FFF world and post a new blog each week and link up with other bloggers on Nora's blog Mindful of Mine. This week's theme is Nuevo/New! I will pick New Year as my personal theme.

John and I had a great New Year's Eve! Though it did start out a little rough...I was trying to get everything done on my To Do List and well, turning into quite a shrew! John would agree. So I took a deep breathe, put the microwave timer on 30 minutes and picked up as much as I could in that time and then left the rest. John and I then went bowling for the first time! It was so much fun and he was pretty good! We even met another family with a little boy from Guatemala.

Using a little body language to get the pins knocked down!

At night we had a little Part-ay for our New Year's Eve. We had hats, noise makers, 2011 glasses and confetti poppers. We ate snack food like cheese and crackers, John's favorite spinach dip, chicken nuggets and cookies and pie for dessert! For entertainment we watched Despicable Me and then played Just Dance Kids. Just Dance Kids is so much fun!!! It has a lot of kids tunes from Yo Gabba Gabba, Wiggles, etc. But has some fun songs for parents too such as Mickey by Toni Basil, Celebration, YMCA, Macarena. It is kinda like a typical wedding playlist but fun and good exercise. We had a blast!

John didn't make it to midnight but we had a good time! Hoping 2011 will be a good year for everyone!

Now if anyone is reading...link up and leave some love at Nora's blog!

Disney - August 2010

2011-01-07T11:40:00.007-05:00

We went to Disney again this year with ReRe and Noah. We had a great time and stayed at the Polynesian. The pics are completely backwards starting with the end first but oh well!

John's favorite ride...The Three Caballeros at Mexico in Epcot. We rode it one time 3 times in a row and had our own boat!!
Last ride of the trip!!!

Look at the smile! I don't think it could get any bigger!

Mary and Noah at dinner in Japan!

John doing pretty good with his chopsticks!

Our chef...he was very funny and entertaining!

Doing his map in Epcot!

Wiped out!!!

At DinoLand with his toy that he won! It was sooooooo HOT this year!

Trying to cool off!

Noah, John and Daisy!

Posing with the Tiki!

Lotso! John was all talk going to meet him. He was going to tell Lotso he was mean but all he did was give him a huge hug! And he does smell like strawberries!

John was so excited to see the Army Men!

Woody was a little put out by John's shirt but Buzz loved it!

The Claw!!!

John, Mommy, Tiana and Prince Naveen! Sleeping Beauty!

Belle!

Cinderella!

An eye roll for Mom at Minnie's house!

Spinning on the teacups!

We were taking the train and saw them and rushed over and waited in line for a long time. They had to keep taking breaks because it was so hot!

Breakfast with Goofy! and Minne!

We are here!!!!

Days 4, 5, 6 and 7 of Gratitude

2011-01-07T11:32:00.002-05:00

Ok, getting a little behind!

Day 4 - I am grateful that I work with a bunch of wonderful people. They make work so much more interesting!

Day 5 - I am grateful for John's day care center and that it is open until 6pm. I missed the 4:30 train, caught the 4:45 train only to have it have mechanical problems and not go anywhere and finally got the 5:10 train and to daycare at 5:57!! I think in the almost 5 years that John has been at this center it was the latest I have ever picked him up.

Day 6 - I am grateful to John for reminding me what is important! I was stressing over picking up toys and cleaning the house when he asked to go out and do something. So we went to Target to get a new light for my bedroom and then to Friday's for dinner.

Day 7 - I am grateful for my couch...I feel pretty yucky today and would love to go back to bed but with an 5 year old in the house that isn't happening so I will just veg on the couch and hope that I feel better and it doesn't pass to John.

Days 2 and 3 of Gratitude

2011-01-03T20:51:00.002-05:00

Day 2 - I was grateful that John let me sleep late! And by late I mean 10 am. I went downstairs turned on Despicable Me and got him some milk and went back to sleep. Very nice!!

Day 3 - Today I am grateful that things went smoothly at work. The law firm I work at has had some changes lately and it has been a little stressful.

Summer and Fall 2010

2011-01-02T00:24:00.015-05:00

We had a really busy and great summer and fall.

We went to York Beach Maine with Mary and Noah. John loved playing in the water. Even though it was soooo cold!

This was at a wine store called the Winey Sister! John asked to take his picture with the statue!
Mary and Noah at the lighthouse!
My handsome boys!
My little cutie!
John rode a horse for the first time at his friend Jordan's birthday party!
Me and John at York Beach. (the pics are not in order...ooops!)

We saw Toy Story on Ice with Nana.

In September, John started in the T-K room at school. T-K is for transitional Kindergarden...it is for kids who just miss the public school cut off. His class has 9 boys!

John turned 5 and had a party at Plaster Fun Time. ReRe was a big help to Mommy at the party of 16 kids!

I love that smile!!

We went apple picking at a great place that had a bouncy house!
Pony rides!

A trolley to the orchards!

And of course apples!

Plus a caterpilla ride, a playground, a magician and snack stand!
And a maze!!! John love the maze and we went through it a few times. He has a great sense of direction unlike his Mommy!!

There was an American Revolutionary Reenactment down the street from our house. It was pretty loud but fun!

John at the encampment. They gave out candy apples which John loved.

More apple picking...pics really out of order!!!

Back t0 the War!!

And there was soccer! John enjoyed it more this fall. His coach was really good and took the time to teach the kids.

We carved pumpkins for the first time. And I thought it was really disgusting!

John was Woody from Toy Story for Halloween. Here he is with ReRe before going to his school party.
At his school party.

Super out of order...I guess I need more practice or not to get so far behind! John posing with our pumpkins!

We made and decorated Halloween cupcakes.
The green is for Yoda, the blue for Anakin and yellow for 3CPO!
The cutest cowboy EVER!!!!

Me, John and Nana.
Trick or Treating!

I love the thumbs up John is giving me. This year we went off our street and did some of the attached side street and he felt like a big boy!

The boodle!!!

Hoping to hand out candy to kids. I think he enjoyed this as much as getting candy!

Phew!!! Ok, all that is left for 2010 is Disney, Christmas and New Year's Eve!! Woo Hoo!!!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T22:42:00.002-05:00

It is so hard to believe that it is already 2011!! I am hoping and praying for a good year for all my family and friends. I have a few resolutions that I pretty much make every year and fail but want to do them this year. They are:

1. Get in better shape (i.e., eat better, exersice and lose weight)
2. Save money and pay off debt...may mean no trip to Disney this year!!
3. Have more patience and enjoy life more. I am really blessed in many ways and need to reflect on that more.
4. Keep up on the blog...2010 is only done through through July 4th! I will try to do a quick catch up of the rest of the year in a separate post.

As a result of 3 and 4, I am going to post a daily gratitude. Others have done this on FaceBook and on blogs and I am going to give it a shot this year. So with no further ado...my first gratitude of 2011:

I am so very grateful to be John's mother! He is just an amazing little person and I cannot imagine what my life would be without him in it. Well, actually I can and it wouldn't good, not good at all. I thank his birthmother every day for giving me the chance to be his mother. I hope that someday soon that I can let her know what an incredible little boy we have.

Happy 4th of July

2010-12-16T16:27:00.002-05:00

We went to ReRe, Nana and Noah's for a 4th of July cook out!

The boys loved their marshmellows! Noah likes his toasted and in smores!
John likes his uncooked and on a stick!

We made star shaped, decorated brownies. They were good!

John and Woody!

Me and my little firecracker!

Summer Fun

2010-12-16T15:23:00.003-05:00

We are lucky to live right down the street from a playground. John loves to ride his bike to the playground.

First we needed to set up our 4th of July decorations!
And off we go!

First time climbing all the way up the slide without any help! He was so happy and proud! Me too.
Then of course John had to go down!
My smiley angel!

We were being pirates here and John was the captain...also getting tired of me taking his picture!
Mommy and Captain John

Interupting the Catch Up Posts

2010-10-31T02:00:00.003-04:00

I need to interupt my catch up posts to say that people suck! A week ago John told me that he was born in Mexico. I was just a little taken aback to say the least. He knows he was born in Guatemala. I asked why he said that and he told me Miss Andrea (his teacher) said he was. But when I questioned him more he said no, she didn't. I let it slide at school but did talk to John about the fact he was an American who was born in Guatemala and if anyone said anything different for him to correct them even if it was the teacher. Now I regret not saying something.

John is on the October page of the GuatAdopt calendar and we were looking at the pictures on the page on Friday. We look at the pics often and if I know any of the kids names I tell him who they are. Well, on Friday when I told John that the other kids on the page were also born in Guatemala, he asked me if they were born in stores. It breaks my heart to think that someone is telling him he was bought or born in a store. And it maddens me to think that some parent is probably telling their child that John was bought or is Mexican in a deragatory way. We went to his school party on Friday night and on the way home he told me to think of the word he used at the party that starts with the "m" sound. I tried a bunch of different words and finally he got made and said Mexican! A word I did not hear him use at the party but it does help me narrow down where the comments may be coming from to about 3 kids/parents.

I plan to talk to his teacher on Monday and did talk to John again about adoption and how we came to be a family. I asked him to tell me what he thinks adoption is and told him that I can ask his teachers if I can come into school and talk about adoption and tell his story. I suggested we bring his lifebook in and can show his friends.

My heart breaks that he is hurting and not telling me the whole story. I keep trying to tell him that he can tell me anything but it doesn't seem to be sinking in. Maybe he is embarrassed or believes what they are telling him.

Who would want to hurt this beautiful little person???

Flag Day Parade

2010-09-05T00:04:00.004-04:00

John and I went to his first Flag Day Parade with Nana and ReRe! He liked all the candy that he collected!
There were clowns!
He got lots of candy!!!

Nana and ReRe!
John with his inflatable monkey!
Noah was playing with his school's band!

End of Year Celebration

2010-09-04T23:53:00.002-04:00

John's school had an End of Year Celebration for the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. John was in Pre-K and many of his classmates will be leaving in September to go to public Kindergarten. His school's Kindergarten class is a transitional Kindergarten for children who do not make the cut off for public school. John will be in T-K in September.

Singing the songs!

Getting his diploma! It was so cute and the kids were so excited!!

My proud Graduate!!!

Memorial Day

2010-09-04T23:33:00.002-04:00

We had a cook out for Memorial Day at our house!

John with his cheesy smile and Nana! Yummy toasted marshmellows!

ReRe and John toasting marshmellows!

John eating the chocolate colored pretzels ReRe made. They were really good!

The boys!

Noah playing on the computer!

Miscellaneous May

2010-09-04T23:22:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day morning John woke me and told me he had something for me. He got up and ran downstairs and pulled this picture out of his backpack! I love it!

More biking!

Mother's Day flowers from my job. All the mothers in the office get flowers and these were absolutely stunning!!

3-D chalk!

My smiley boy!

John, Nana and I went to see Storytime Live! John loved seeing Moose and Zee in person!

John made a "lap top"!

Spring Soccer

2010-09-04T23:02:00.002-04:00

John tried Spring Soccer and was on the Red Team. He was not really too into playing and only went to 2 of the 6 games. One was a rain out so no one went.

John was happiest when his coach told him he could take a break

Good game everyone!!
I love his smile!! And he looks so good in red!
Goalie!!!

First Red Sox Game

2010-09-04T22:39:00.005-04:00

John went to his first Red Sox game at Fenway Park. He had a great time even though he sometimes (to my utter shock) claims to be a Yankee fan!!! I don't know where I went wrong!!

John quickly caught onto the way to get food from the vendors! He was lifting his hand to everyone who went by! For him it was all about the food! He had a hot dog, popcorn, cotton candy and then another hot dog!!!

On Yawkey Way!

Beautiful Fenway Park!

John and Mommy before the game!

Mary and Noah came to John's first game with us!

John giving me "the finger"! Yes, I did buy that for him!

Loving his Fenway Frank!
Noah, Mommy and John. Like I said, John was all about the food and wouldn't stop eating for the picture!
Ok, not the best picture of us but kinda cute!

Biker Boy

2010-09-04T22:32:00.002-04:00

John outgrew his little boy trike so I got him a Big Boy bike. John was so excited to pick out his new bike! He picked out a Lightning McQueen bike and helmet. He was KaChowwwwing as he pedalled!!

Starting out slowly but surely!

So happy and so proud!

My angel!!

4 Year Home Pictures

2010-09-04T22:17:00.003-04:00

April 8, 2010 marked the day that John has been home for 4 years! I cannot believe it has already been 4 years! It feels like yesterday that my mother and I were in Guatemala to bring him home!

I love you Baby Duck!!!

Easter

2010-08-15T22:51:00.005-04:00

For Easter we did the usual things...egg coloring, egg hunt and this year we made a bunny cake!

Egg Coloring!!

We made 2 bunny cakes that we saw online. It was fun!

Egg Hunt! We went to the Town Egg Hunt and got there 5 minutes before it was supposed to start and it was over!!! John was so disappointed so we did an egg hunt at our house. He loved looking for the eggs outside and even shared!

Catch up time!!

2010-08-15T22:01:00.002-04:00

Wow, I have been really slacking on updating the blog! Four months behind! I am sure that all my Japanese readers are getting sick of commenting on the Green post so I will soon post some more!

FFF - Green

2010-03-12T09:27:00.003-05:00

This week's FFF theme is Green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I love St. Patrick's Day for 2 reasons.

First is that I am 100% Irish. All of my grandparents were born in Ireland (3 from County Cork and one from Galway). I grew up listening to Irish music and going to Irish dances with my parents and grandparents. I have been to Ireland twice and would love to go back again and bring John.

The second reason I love St. Patrick's Day is that on March 17, 2006 I got the call that I was out of PGN! I think it was the luck of the Irish!

Here is my little Guatemalan Leprechaun! He was not feeling good this St. Pat's Day but still looked cute in the jammies from our friend Pam.

This picture cracks me up when I look at Blue. She looks so clean and new. Now...not so much but she is well loved!!

John with Nana and Noah.

John and Noah...my favorite boys!

This is one of the pictures I had taken last week for John's 4 Years Home!

To see more cuties in Green, go to Hannah's blog. (OK, I did the link wrong...I am still getting back in the blogging swing!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Spring is almost here!!

2010-03-11T19:22:00.004-05:00

This past weekend the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! We took full advantage and spent a lot of time outside. On Saturday we went to the playground and John ran around and played on the slide! He loves the slide!

After we came back from the playground we pulled out the chalk and John played Hopscotch.

Action shot of Blue Blue getting tossed!

Hop, Hop, Hop!

Smiley boy!!

John wanted me to take his picture with the bush...not sure why but I did!

And proof that Spring in coming! Yay!!

On Sunday we went to a friend's house and went to another playground. And again John hit the slides!

FFF - U Pick

2010-02-26T09:57:00.002-05:00

For a 4 1/2 year old there is nothing cooler than a new pair of Woody pajamas and a birthday hat (and yes, I know it looks like a dunce cap but John doesn't and he loves wearing it!)! Ok, maybe his Buzz Lightyear jammies are cooler but they were in the wash. John loved his new jammies and asked me to take his picture so of course I did. I love my little Baby Duck so much!

Happy Weekend!!

Go to Me-Me and Monkey's Big Adventures to see some more FFF cuties!

Princess Party

2010-02-25T16:00:00.006-05:00

My delayed Princess Party organized by John and ReRe took place on Saturday. John had gone shopping with ReRe for decorations and picked out pink and purple streamers, Disney Princess balloons, plates and napkins with Princess written on them and hats with our names on them. John was so excited to show me the decorations that Mary had put up. She also took him shopping to Kohl's where he picked out 2 shirts (one in pink and the other purple and black) and some purple spring pajamas with cats on them. I gotta say...John has pretty good taste and I really like what he picked out!

John also gave me a Little Pet Shop toy from his McDonald's Happy Meal. He decorated it with stickers and told me that I could bring it into work and leave it on my desk so that if I wanted to play I would have a toy. Here he is showing me how to open it up.

Princess Mommy and her little pumpkin!

John making a Stinkerbutt face...

And Noah copying John!

It was a great birthday spent with the ones I love the most!

Snow Fun

2010-02-18T16:18:00.002-05:00

Here in Massachusetts we haven't received as much snow as most of the country (Thank Heavens!!) but we did have some snow on Tuesday. Even though we were home sick, we couldn't pass up the perfect snowman making snow and stayed out for just a little while.

First we put out some walnuts for the squirrels. They cut a bunch of trees down in our complex recently and I felt bad for the squirrels since their food stores could have been in the trees.

We did take 2 walnuts to use as eyes for our snowman. John is licking the snowman. I know, gross!
Silly guy!
Our snowman! First one I made in a long time. Not too bad! He is tilting now since it has gotten a little warmer.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-18T16:10:00.004-05:00

Low key Valentine's Day at home. I gave John some candy with a stuffed Snoopy on top and the DVD of Charlie Brown's Valentine's movie...which we haven't watched yet. Snoopy cracks John up. He can do the lines from the Christmas movie where Snoopy licks Lucy. When he watched that at Christmas time he laughed so hard, he peed his pants!

We made cookies and had John's favorite for dinner...lamb chops!

Making Cookies!

Giving me the "Mom stop taking my picture" look!!

Lots of sprinkles!!
Goofy boy!
The finished product. John made the heart shaped snowman on purpose!

Dos Gatos

2010-02-18T14:16:00.002-05:00

John has been taking Spanish at school for a little over a year now. The class is every Wednesday for 45 minutes. They have a workbook they do in class. They read stories, sing songs and do projects. John loves it! They have done greetings, colors, numbers 1 - 10, body parts, family members and are now doing pets! They learned cat/gato and dog/perro yesterday.

John with gato numero uno - Sophie who is also called Shooshie and Shoosh!

John with gato numero dos - Mia who is also called Meeze and Meezey

Happy Birthday to John's Mommies

2010-02-18T13:36:00.003-05:00

February 13th was my 42nd birthday and John's birthmother's 23rd birthday. I think of her so often but much more on our shared birthday. I am so thankful that I get to spend my day with John but am sad that she doesn't. I hope and pray she is well and happy. Maybe this will be the year that I can search for her.

My birthday weekend started out pretty good. John's school had a Parents Night Out on Friday where they will watch the kids from 6 - 9 pm, give them pizza for dinner and have them do crafts. I went to a cool restaurant with a Mom of one of John's classmates. It was nice going out as a grown up and having adult conversation. But when I picked John up he has almost no voice left and I thought maybe it was because he had been yelling. Saturday he wasn't really eating but said he felt ok. Sunday he told me his throat hurt again so we went to the doctors. His strep was back and he had fluid in one ear...so back on antibiotics. He will be on them for almost the whole month of February. I hope this time cleans it up. And since I was feeling crappy too and wondered if I had strep and passed it back to John we went to the CVS Minute Clinic to get me tested. The rapid test said negative but I was still feeling yucky on Monday (the holiday so no work) and Tuesday (called in sick). At 6:30 Tuesday night they called from the Minute Clinic to say the regular test came back positive. So we are both on antibiotics for 10 days. I took Wednesday off too and John wanted to go to school so I got to rest the whole day. Now I have work guilt! But I have been doing as much as I can from home.

John showing how he did Ahhh at the doctor's office.

Since we have the sickies, the party that my sister and John were planning was put on hold. Last week she took John shopping for a gift for me and for decorations. John was upset when I told him we weren't going to ReRe's house. I went and pulled out some old decorations from his parties and put up some streamers, pulled out hats and blowers. We didn't have a cake but had a half moon so we used that as a cake and put candles on it.

I haven't been posting too much lately because John hasn't been too cooperative with me taking pictures. See below for examples!

John and Mommy Birthday Picture - Take One

Take Two

Take Three

Take Four

Good Enough!

Blue Blue came to our party too. I had to do some surgery on her the other day but she had a quick recovery!

The substitute cake! John only eats the vanilla half so I get the chocolate! Yummy!

Blowing out the candles.
John looks so much like his Birth Mom in this picture. I wish she could see him. I wonder if she thinks about him.

FFF - Love is...

2010-02-12T23:31:00.002-05:00

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...and now these three remain - faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This is one of my favorite verses and I am glad the theme is love is because it made me look it up again. It is a good reminder for me.

The biggest love of my life is my son. He is amazing, beautiful, kind, funny, sweet and so much more. He is my love and my life and I thank God for him every day.

FFF - Kiss

2010-02-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

This week's theme is Kiss.

Here is John kissing the stuffed animal I bought in Guatemala on my visit trip (4 years ago this week!). This picture is one from John's 1st year home pictures. I plan to take a picture with that stuffed animal every year...or as long as John lets me! I am guessing when he is a teen he won't love it so much!

And this isn't a kissing picture but since today is the 3rd anniversary of John's Readoption in Massachusetts I wanted to include this picture too.

Have a great weekend and check out more FFF's at Hannah's blog.

Worst Mother....EVER!!!!

2010-01-30T23:11:00.002-05:00

Tonight I officially became the worst mother ever! Since after Christmas John has been very I guess I could say stubborn. He will fight with me over anything and everything. A lot of the time I can work around it by ignoring the behaviour or joking with him. But then there are the times when nothing helps. For example, trying to get out of the house in the morning and first he will say he doesn't want to go to school, wants to eat at home, doesn't like the clothes or lunch I picked out for him, etc. After about the 3 or 4th fight I lose it and start yelling. And then when I yell, John will start to yell back or cry and/or hit. It isn't pretty and I feel absolutely awful. It has gotten pretty bad so now I am actually anticipating a fight and that is not good because I over-react. Case in point, tonight.

John had made some pictures at school on Wednesday and as he does with all pictures (not sure why), he rolls them up. He left them on the kitchen table and I told him on Thursday morning that I looked at them and they were really good. He went ballistic and started crying and screaming at me that I wasn't supposed to look at them. I kinda let it go and said fine then take them and he did. Tonight I picked up the pillow we have in the living room for when John naps and inside the pillowcase were the pictures. I told him to take them out because they didn't belong in the case. He told me I was a "bad Mommy" and he wasn't moving them. It got me mad and I told him that I was going to finish the laundry and if he didn't move them when I got back I would. He followed me down the stairs crying...sad crying and not mad crying and told me....here is why I am the worst Mommy..."I made those pictures for you, for your birthday and they were a surprise."

Yup, worst Mommy in the world!!

Winter Gala

2010-01-30T22:15:00.003-05:00

John's school has a new director and she is so great! She arranged a Winter Gala for the Toddler, Pre-school, Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. They all sang songs and it was sooooo cute. John was so excited for the concert. He loves to sing and dance.

Nervously waiting to begin!

Relief and pride when the song was completed. The little boy in red is John's "best buddy" Jack. They are so cute together except at lunch when the teachers separate them for talking too much and not eating!!

At the end of their songs they had a "dance party" and invited the parents to come out and dance with their children.

FFF - Grandparents

2010-01-08T20:33:00.003-05:00

John and I are so very lucky and grateful that he has the best Nana! My mother has always been there for my sister and I. My mother supported me whole-heartedly when I told her I was going to adopt on my own. She warned me that it sometimes wouldn't be easy but she did everything she could to help me with the process and after.

My mother has a pretty big fear of flying but she still went with me to Guatemala...TWICE! She said she would only go once but as soon as I said I was going to visit she was going too! John loves his Nana so much and I do too!

Nana and John the first day they met!

This was after we returned from the Embassy on the pick up trip. My mother was so relieved that she started crying. She had been affectionate to John prior to the Embassy but was holding back a little because she was afraid something would go wrong. And when it went smoothly she just let the tears of happiness and relief come and kept telling him that John that he was coming home!

John's Christening - May 2006

First trip to the beach - 2007

At Diego Live...Nana has also gone to see the Wiggles, Backyardigans Live, Dora Live and the Imagination Movers with us too!

New look and New Title

2010-01-08T19:28:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Nikki for creating a new look for the blog (and making some last minute changes too!)! I love it! I also changed the name of the blog...nothing super catchy but it fits. Thanks Debbie for the "life and times" idea! Your daughter must be getting so big. We have come so far since the days on the WHFC - Guatemala Yahoo Group!

Resolutions

2010-01-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know we are a week into the new year and I have probably broken some of these already but here they are:

I RESOLVE:

1 - to save money and pay off debt.
2 - to be more patient with John. I love him with all my heart and being but he sure knows how to push my buttons!!
3 - to eat healthy and exercise. I have joined a group of co-workers in a Biggest Loser Challenge at the gym in our building. The first weigh in is Friday and goes through June. I need to lose some weight and get in shape so I will be here for John.
4 - to not take my family for granted. As I write this I keep checking Facebook for updates on Trina, a 40 year old woman who has cancer and is not doing well right now. She has a husband, a 5 year old son, parents, a sister, brother-in-law and neice who love her so much. It just breaks my heart and makes you think that life sometimes is really not fair and you just don't know when your loved ones will be taken from you.
5 - to be more organized...this would be a broken one already. My house is in total disarray and John just said he hopes the "cleaning fairies" come and pick up tonight. Not likely baby-duck...this cleaning fairy is going to ready some Eclipse and go to sleep.

I think that is enough to work on and try to improve upon for 2010!

WEEEEEEE!!!!!

2010-01-07T21:42:00.002-05:00

Here us a short video of John sledding. Ignore my huffing and puffing...Mommy is a bit out of shape!!!

Sledding Fun

2010-01-07T20:57:00.005-05:00

We had another snow storm and John and I went sledding. It was so much fun and great exercise for me! Pulling a 45lb child to and from the playground and then going up and down the hill to help John back up is quite a work out!

All ready to go!

Our spray bottles broke after the last storm so I tried to use squirt guns for our colored spray...not quite the same and our gloves got all dyed!

John is usually pretty cautious but he had no fear going down the hill by himself!

Holding on tight!

He didn't really enjoy walking back up the hill. I tried to pull him back up but he was too heavy.

Finally at the top and looking pretty cold!
John did pull the sled up the hill one time.
One the way back home, John had to stop to clean off "his rock"!

And of course John had to make some snow angels.

Inside and all warmed up! Ignore the mess in the background...it seems to be a losing battle lately and with all the extra holiday stuff it was worse!

Sophie or as John calls her Shoosh.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T19:47:00.002-05:00

Since New Year's Eve fell on Thursday (our usual day off), John and I went to the movies with Mary and Noah in the afternoon. We went to see Alvin & the Chipmunks. It was pretty cute and John had a good time. Of course we got popcorn and he sat with his popcorn on his lap until the movie started so that he would have some to eat during the movie! I didn't do that but John so very sweetly would give me some without me even having to ask. My boy can be so sweet at times. But when he wants to be a stinker....watch out!!!

I planned to have some appetizers for John and I on New Year's Eve to celebrate. For some reason John thought my sister, mother and nephew were coming over to our house too. He got so upset and said he didn't want anything so I started to put the hats and stuff away which upset him more. Then he calmed down and we did take two but then a second meltdown where he told me with just us, it "wasn't special". After swallowing my hurt I told him that anytime we spent together was special. That seemed to settle him down and we went on with our little party of two!

On New Year's Day we went to Nana and ReRe's house for dinner. Yummy roast beef! John loves roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy!

Hope everyone had a very safe and Happy New Year! It is so hard to believe that it is 2010!! So much has changed in a decade for me. I took a job at an internet company and left quickly and started in my current job in 2000. Dated a series of wrong guys. Got engaged and dis-engaged. Bought my condo. Had to put my 17 year old cat to sleep. Adopted not one but two kittens who will soon be 8! Watched my nephew grow from a 1 year old to a wonderful young man who is now taller than me! Had several health scares with my Mom. I am so glad that she came through each time so that John will know his Nana and that she was there with me when I met him and when I brought him home. The most important thing, of course is that I became a mother.

Christmas

2010-01-02T00:31:00.004-05:00

Stockings were hung by the hutch since we don't have a fireplace. Thankfully, John hasn't asked the question of how Santa gets into our house yet!

Look, Santa came!!!

Openning presents!

A puzzle! John loves puzzles and is very good at them too!

John got a Mr. Potato Head. The first thing he asked was "what show is he from?" I think John watches way too much tv's and movies!

Mia was just a little bored with all the gift opening!

The main toy that John wanted for Christmas was Spike the Dinosaur. He talked about it for months! When he finally got him, he was just a little bit afraid of Spike. He wouldn't get off the couch at first.

Spike roaming the living room!

Typical boy...intently playing on his Leapster.

At ReRe and Nana's and still playing the Leapster.

John with Mary and Noah on Christmas Day.

The elves!

Who is under that Santa hat?

Mommy and John

More presents! Another puzzle...yay!!

Mary and Noah

Playing (aka cheating) checkers with Mommy.

Christmas Eve

2010-01-02T00:05:00.004-05:00

My family came over to our house for Christmas Eve. As I was getting ready I told John that I needed to pull out the Christmas plates and his response was "ooohhh fancy!" He cracks me up!

Since my family prefers that I don't cook after having some bad luck on a few meals I ordered lobsters and baked potatoes (one potato did explode in the oven!). We also had appetizers and Cosmos!

Nana and her boys. We gave my mother a bracelet from Noah and John. John knew absolutely nothing about it before hand but took full credit for the gift!

John and I in front of our tree...yes, he is holding a hammer and no, I don't know why!

Sophie looking pretty!

Here is John sprinkling the reindeer food he received with his Santa letter. Since it was dark out, he needed a couple flashlights.

All ready for bed and for Santa to come.

Cookies and 2 types of milk for Santa and celery, carrots and apples for the reindeer. John wanted to give Santa the option of plain and chocolate milk.

My friend called after we put the cookies out and when I came back in the living room this is how I found John. Sound asleep! He didn't even get to hang up his stocking but I did it for him.

Help Please

2009-12-31T22:38:00.002-05:00

I am asking my readers...if there are any!...to help me come up with a new title for the blog. I would like something witty that includes me and John. I was thinking something like "A boy and his Mom" or "the story of us". But think those are a little boring. If anyone is still reading I would love some suggestions!

Thanks!!!!

Cookie Decorating

2009-12-31T21:30:00.002-05:00

I had an excess of vacation time (totally unusual for me...I am usually in the hole by December!) so I took the week of Christmas off. On Monday and Tuesday I sent John to school and stayed home to get stuff done. You know fun stuff like wrapping presents, cleaning the house, grocery shopping and running errands. Boy, do I know how to have a vacation! I stupidly thought I would get all the Christmas stuff done on Monday and could do some stuff for me on Tuesday. Ok, stop laughing! I didn't get all the stuff I wanted done on Monday or Tuesday! So on Wednesday, John and I went with Nana to run some errands and then went to this cool place called the 50's Diner for breakfast. I was a little embarrassed when the check came and my mother and I both grabbed for it. John pipes up that whoever invited the other people out are the ones to pay. I have no idea where he came up with that one!

After the errands with Nana, we came home to make cookies for Santa.

John put so much frosting and sprinkles on his cookies that they were practically inedible but was enough sugar to shoot Santa around the world!

This cookie is special. John decorated it really carefully and then told me that it was me. Aren't I purty??!!
Isn't he just too cute???

Gingerbread House

2009-12-31T20:27:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Max and Ruby, John really wanted to make a gingerbread house and since I have the creativity of a rock...I had no idea where to start. But thanks to Family Dollar which had a Gingerbread House kit for $7, we were able to make one!

John was pretty excited about making the Gingerbread House! So far so good...the sides are all standing up!

John was starting to get the candy/sugar rush here. Oh and yes we did use gummy worms on our Gingerbread house...again thanks to Max and Ruby.

Still looking good! I was pretty impressed at this point.

John really enjoyed eating the candy...I mean decorating the house with the candy.

The finished project!!!
My proud little guy!

Me and John with our Gingerbread house. And yes, I know I look like crap but I have so few pictures of us together I figured I would post it anyway!

Side view! Notice the worms on the roof and on the lawn!

Snow Day!

2009-12-31T20:11:00.003-05:00

What to do when it is snowing outside?? An obstacle course, of course!! Here is John's version of an obstacle course. Please ignore all the baskets of laundry in the background. Laundry is my nemesis!!

Had to get a picture in front of the tree...just wish he wasn't still watching the tv!!!

I read about this cool idea for playing in the snow and thought I would give it a try. Put food coloring and water in a spray bottle to spray on the snow. John LOVED it! Here he is doing his Dirty Harry imitation!

The aftermath on the snow. I will suggest that if you ever do try this to not use yellow. It looks like you had a doggy with a problem on your lawn!

Our Penguins...Candy Cane Candy (the little one with the "headphones" (aka ear muffs)) and Jasmine Candy.

Oh no! Here comes the snow monster!!!

Gotcha!!!

John really loved the snow this year! He cried when I told him it was time to go in!

My cute boy!

Our kissing ball was covered!!

Karate Party

2009-12-10T20:31:00.003-05:00

One of John's "best buddies" Luke recently had a birthday party at a karate studio. They showed all the kids karate moves and then they had pizza and cake. At the end, each child got a chance to break a board! Luke's Mom videotaped each child and then gave them all a CD with them breaking the board. Here is my little Karate boy!

Christmas Decorations

2009-12-10T14:38:00.002-05:00

In a recent post I showed pictures of our inflatable Santa for our front lawn. Well, I am sorry to say that Santa is no longer with us. Sometimes you get what you pay for and I didn't pay much for Santa and the first bit of not so nice weather he deflated a bit. Since I am still getting the swing of blogging again I totally failed in taking a picture of Santa face down in my yard! I figured we better replace Santa when I found a neighbor righting Santa. I can just imagine all the little kids thinking that Santa bought the farm and wouldn't make it to their homes on Christmas. Surprisingly, John was ok with us taking him down. I think he even got tired of watching me running out to fix him all the time. Towards the end he didn't want to come out but would yell from the door "do your best Mommy" then go back in and play!

So off we went to Target to get a different non-inflatable decoration. John picked the Mommy and Baby penguins. They are metal with a covering over them...I hope they make it through Christmas!

On a related decorations note, the guys who shovel broke one of our snow flake stakes so I had to jerry-rig it with sticks and rocks to get it standing up!

We decorated our tree and John enjoyed putting the ornaments on the same couple of branches. I did try to move them around but he did notice and put them all back clumped together. We will not win any prizes for holiday decorating!

While at Target John saw this outfit for the cats and we bought it for them. Ok, we bought two but Mia isn't as smart as Sophie and I managed to get her outfit on her. Doesn't she look happy?? I posted this picture on Facebook and Jane S. asked me why I put a furry, pink panty on my cat's head. I have to agree that it does look that way!!

Holiday Party

2009-12-10T14:14:00.004-05:00

Every year my firm hosts a Christmas Party for all the children of the employees. It is always so much fun and the kids LOVE it!

They have a magician who is really funny...though after 3 years I could possibly do his act. He needs to change it up a little bit! John thought the magician was awesome.

There is cookie decorating!

Getting a little tired of me taking his picture!

Enjoying fruit in Mommy's office. There were pastries, muffins and bagels but my boy picked fruit because it was "healthy"!

And of course there is a visit from Santa Claus!

The kids were all so anxious to get their gifts that they didn't really stop and sit on Santa's lap except for one little boy. I did tell John before he went up to stop so I could take a picture!

So happy to get his present from Santa!
Posing for Mommy in front of the office tree with Blue, of course!
This tree is in the lobby of the building and as we were leaving John stopped to look at it so of course I took his picture!
And since no one was around I used the timer and took one of the two of us.

Thanksgiving Long Weekend

2009-11-29T21:52:00.006-05:00

We had a great 4 day weekend! Wednesday night we made pumpkin bread, banana bread and turkey cookies. Ok, we only made 2 turkey cookies and then just made circles!

Here is Chef John (wearing the hat he made a school last year) rolling out the cookie dough.

Using all his muscle! John was very serious about making his cookies.

We made 4 different colors of icing. John picked the colors...orange, yellow, red and purple.

Carefully icing his cookie with his favorite color.

Ta Da!! The finished product! We traced John's hand on a piece of paper and then cut out the cookie. We got this idea from Nick Jr. Now he wants me to make a Backyardigans Hop Scotch thing...requires printing, ironing, etc. Not gonna happen!

Our family always takes a picture in front of the turkey for some reason. Here are my 2 favorite turkeys!

A picture of me and John and he isn't making a goofy face! Yay!

The family gathered around the table!

Friday we just vegged out and hung out at home. On Saturday we did housework until my sister called to see if John and I wanted to meet her and Noah for Mexican food. So we went to Acapulcos with the kids, had a Margarita (or two) and a nice dinner. It is funny that John won't even eat a tortilla chip. He gets a burger and fries at the Mexican restuarant. I told him that the food in Guatemala is similar to what is at the restaurant and he said if we go to Guatemala I will have to bring him snacks.

Today we went shopping for some outside Christmas decorations. John wanted us to buy a 10 foot Mickey Mouse dressed as Santa or an 8 foot penguin. Yay, I don't think so sweetie! My neighbors would hate me. We live in a condo complex and there are a bunch of kids here but not in our little group of 3 buildings. No one puts any lights up at all. So John and I compromised and got a 4 foot Santa. I wanted the snowman but conceded to the cute brown eyes!

Here is Sophie getting a look at Santa. John and his new buddy!

We also bought a pretty kissing ball and a Santa sign.

Oh and a bag of cheezits that was at the register in Ace Hardware. John got hungry! He ate while I put the decorations up.

Making silly faces...I think!

Loving on Santa...he almost knocked Santa down giving him a hug. He kept whispering in his ear too!
Cheesy grin to go with his cheesy crackers!

Our cute sign!

I love this picture! He is so happy to have the decorations up!

And totally conked out at 5pm while I was making dinner! Notice more cheezits left untouched. He slept for almost 2 hours and the bedtime battles continue!

All in all it was a great weekend!

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-11-29T20:56:00.002-05:00

Denise the amazing wife/mother of 4 under 5(!!!)!/law student, etc. awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you Denise!

These are the blog award “rules.”

1. Thank the person who awarded me the award, and link that person’s blog on my blog.

2. Identify seven things about myself.

3. Award seven bloggers with the “Kreativ Blogger Award,” post links to their blogs, and leave a comment on each of their blogs, to let them know of the honor. I don’t really know what a ”Kreativ blogger” is, so you can just give it to whoever you like!

So here are 7 random things about myself…

1 - I am what I like to call "directionally challenged". I get lost ALL the time. Even John realizes this and if we are going to someplace different, he will bring his pirate Treasure Map. When we went to the Latin American Family Festival and I got lost and was starting to get worried that we wouldn't find the place, John said...don't worry Mommy, you can do it!! What more motivation do I need!?!

2 - In school I hated Math and had the grades to show for it! I disliked Math so much that in college I took the most basic course to cover my Math requirement. It was about balancing your checkbook and figuring out finance charges. Kinda funny that my job title is "Director of Finance"!!!

3 - If I ever find the time, energy or desire to date again...I will not go on a cruise with the guy and will not let him buy me a watch as a gift. I have gone on 3 cruises with three different guys who at one point or another during our relationship bought me a watch and they are all History!

4 - I was an altarperson when I was growing up for 4 years.

5 - Except for Kindergarten I went to Catholic School from 1st Grade through college. High school and college being at all girl schools. Maybe that has something to do with me being single! My college - Emmanuel College went co-ed a few years ago. My sister also went to and all women's college - Regis College that also went co-ed. We laugh that our son's will be able to go to our alma maters which is something we never thought would happen!

6 - When I started my adoption process, I thought I would be adopting a baby girl from China. But as you all know I got a baby boy from Guatemala and couldn't be happier. John is the "perfect baby for me". That is in quotes because it is part of the story I tell John about his adoption. I need to make that into a book for him.

7 - I cannot swim well despite having a pool as a child. Ok, it was a 4 ft above ground but I am only 5'3 now so plenty deep for me. I used to be able to swim better under water and can doggy paddle if needed.

Ok, now I need to tag 7 bloggers...since I haven't been blogging I may not have many or any readers anymore but here goes:

1 - Kelly - Mommy to the beautiful Skylar.

2 - Christine - Mommy to Gretchen who despite living on the other side of the country is a good friend. We met on the plane down to Guatemala to pick up our babies 3 1/2 years ago!

3 - Gwen - Mommy to the adorable Mia.

4 - Tina - Mommy to cuties, Toby and Liliana.

5 - Robyn - Mommy to the stunning Gabriella.

6 - Lisa - Mommy to the handsome Chase.

7 - Leslie - Mommy to 4 including the sweet Abby.

Ok - I can't figure out how to do links...it has been a while!!

Thankful

2009-11-25T20:54:00.002-05:00

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for many things. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it hasn't been commercialized like many of the others and it is a great time to reflect and appreciate what we have and what we so often take for granted. Here is my list for this year:

* I am thankful to be John's Mommy and that a very special woman in Guatemala entrusted her precious baby to me. I hope I don't let her down and I hope someday she knows how amazing he is and how thankful I am.

* I am thankful that all my family is healthy.

* I am thankful that I have a good job at a great place that realizes that there is more to work and that everyone has family responsibilities and obligations.

* I am thankful that my sister got a new job just as her severance ran out!

* I am thankful to have my mother with us after a health scare a few years ago. John adores his Nana and I am so glad that they get to spend time together.

* I am thankful for my awesome nephew who is a great example for John. Noah made the honor roll his first semester in Middle School, was elected to Student Council and helped at the local food pantry. He is just such a great kid...even if he is now taller than me at age 11!!!

* I am thankful that we have a nice home and plenty to eat. It breaks my heart to hear about the food shortages in Guatemala. I wish I could help more.

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!!!

PS - I just asked John what he was thankful for and he said "TV"!!

Batteries Not Included

2009-11-24T21:03:00.003-05:00

There is one thing John really, really, really wants for Christmas. He wants this one gift so much that he has picked up toys without me asking, put his own jammies on with no fuss, eats everything I put in front of him including vegetables! It is amazing the power of Santa has on a little one. Here is the gift John is shining his halo for:

(Little red-headed kid not included!)

Last night when he was telling me all about Spike and that if I am really good I can ask Santa for something I want too. I said "should I get a Spike too?" He told me that we could share his. As he was walking out of the room he said we would need to get Spike working "because you know Mom, batteries are not included!" Out of the mouths of babes.

Latin American Family Fest

2009-11-22T00:14:00.003-05:00

Today John and I went to the Wide Horizons for Children Latin American Family Fest. We got there a little late since Mommy is directionally challenged and managed to get us lost on the way there! It was nice to see so many families formed by adoption in the same place. They had a great dance troupe called La Pinata. John was a little shy and would not go out with the dancers but he liked the music and watching. There were some booths selling Latin American crafts and adoption related books. There were also crafts where the children could make hats and coloring pages. John's favorite part was the snacks! You would think he had never been fed before...he had 2 cups of animal crackers, one cup of goldfish, 2 bags of fruit snacks and a juice bag!! Love my growing boy!!

My Guatemalan cutie!!!

Coloring the Guatemalan flag for his hat!

Proudly sporting his new hat!

Getting the last drop out of the juice bag!!

Favorite Foto Friday

2009-11-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

During my blogging hiatus, I know Sarah has stopped doing FFF on her blog but I still wanted to include one of my favorites. I am just going to do a random pick on the pictures on my work computer...shhh don't tell I am doing this on company time!

Good one! This is John eating an ice cream cone at the pumpkin patch two years ago on an unseasonably warm day. He looks so little and cute!!

Feeling Festive!!!

2009-11-17T21:55:00.001-05:00

I love my new Holiday Blog look designed by the awesome Nikki from Blogs for a Cause! Thanks so much for a great job!!!

Who Needs Sleep??

2009-11-17T21:41:00.002-05:00

If my blog had music you would be hearing Who Needs Sleep? by the Bare Naked Ladies as it is currently John's theme song. He only naps at home for maybe an hour and that is usually at 4:30 or 5 pm. And bedtime, well, bedtime is late! Still up right now at 9:45 and not showing signs of being sleepy. It isn't like he sleeps late in the morning either. On school/work days, I wake him at 7 am. So he is getting about 9 - 10 hours a day. Is that enough for a 4 year old??

Sleep has always been a tough thing for John. When he first came home I had to walk him for hours to get him to sleep. My mother nicknamed him "Half Hour Harry" since that was the length of his naps for the first 3 months. Once he was in daycare of course he slept longer!

Proof that he does sleep sometimes!!!

GO TO SLEEP!!!!!!!!

WOW!!!

2009-11-15T22:57:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe I have only made 6 entries for the entire year! That is just pathetic. I really want to start blogging again and then print it out for John since I am soooooo far behind in scrapbooking.

Most of my former blog readers are now Facebook friends and see updated on there. We are doing well. John is now 4 and quite a character! He can talk incessantly and will debate and argue to the death. And I stupidly buy into the debating and it just makes it harder on both of us.

John is in Pre-K now and I had my first Parent - Teacher meeting and was told he is doing well. He can right his name and knows his numbers and letters. His "best buddies" are Jack, Ethan and Luke. John has a more active social calendar than I do! He has been taking Spanish since January and really enjoys it. Currently they are learning the names of body parts!

Work for me is still busy and this week I will be working 5 days since the person I work with is on vacation. I have also started going in some other Thursdays as well and John is enrolled in school 5 days but will not go 5 every week. The price isn't too much more so it is worth it for the times that I need to go to work or take a day for me. I know that sounds selfish but sometimes I just need to squeeze out some time for me. There is a service trip to Guatemala in March that I would love to go on but since I have never left John overnight I don't think 7 days would be a good thing. Hopefully another trip will come up and I can go in a year or two.

So my blogging goal is to try to update at least once a month. Part of the reason I stopped in addition to getting sucked into Facebook was that my computer was so slow but now I have a new speedy one so no excuses!

And just a few recent pictures of His Cuteness!

Pumped for his first soccer game! He did great the first game and chased the ball...as the games went along he mostly did shadow puppets, backwards walking and taking breaks. The last game he had the whole sidelines in stiches! I am thinking drama lessons!

My little POWER Ranger....you have to say POWER really loud for some reason! This was at his school Halloween Party.

Last Saturday at the Imagination Movers show in Boston. He had a great time and the next day he put on the shirt Nana bought him, his red cap and grabbed his guitar and drumset and put on a concert for me! Mover John!!

Calling out to kids to come to our house for candy on Halloween. It was such a beautiful and unseasonably warm day and night that we just sat outside to give candy out after we went Trick or Treating.

Me and my little cutie!!

2009-03-28T22:28:00.012-04:00

I know, I know...it is shocking that I am actually blogging!!! Here is a MAJOR catch up blog. Here's what we have been up to the last few months:

Drumming along with the Imagination Movers. Rich is John's favorite Mover!

Playing with his Batman House.

We sang...

Practiced letters on the computer.

Sang some more!

Not loved the snow too much!

Read some books!

Ate some snow!

Sang some more

Did some Kung Fu moves!

Napped

Played with the cats!

Mommy found her own Time Out!

Looked cute!

Built with blocks.

Celebrated Valentine's Day

Made cookies for Valentine's Day

Made a card for Mommy's Birthday!

John started taking Spanish at Pre-school and made a pinata!

Pretended to be a cat!

Played hide and seek. Pretty easy to find John. He always hides in the closet and tells me where he is hiding!

Mommy turned 41! Ugh!

Made a fort in the living room.

Group picture for my birthday.

Went for many walks like this one with Pinky the rock and a fire helmet!

Enjoyed the snow!

Enjoyed a warm day by playing with chalk (pics a bit out of order!)

Threw snow at Mommy...stinker!

Made snow angels.

Went to his friend Max's birthday party and hung out with his buddy Jack.

Did some sliding!

Played in the arcade at his friend Daniel's birthday party.

Sang a little mmore.

Tried to move his favorite rock!

More sliding.

A little rocking out.

Happy St. Patrick's Day or at our house - Happy PGN Out Day! Can't believe it is 3 years already!!!

The weather finally turned nice so more playground time!

We flew a kite!

John had a Peep for the first time and loved it!

We started watching Rachel Ray or "the cooking lady" as John calls her and she made baked apples so we did too! They were Yum-O!!

And finally we stopped to smell the flowers!

Phew! All caught up! Now I need to catch up on Blog reading!!!

FFF - Melt

2009-02-06T10:04:00.002-05:00

I know shocking to see a post from me! I swear I will catch up sooner or later!! Not really too much going on lately.

This week's FFF theme is MELT and since the snow isn't going to be melting anytime soon I thought I would show some other things that melt!

Ice cream (last summer)

Chocolate (2 years ago!)

More ice cream (Fall of 2007 during an Indian Summer day)

And more ice cream (last fall)

To see more Melting pics go to Kiss the Frog 4 Me.

FFF - Cold

2009-01-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

This week Sarah picked the theme of COLD which is very fitting. It was 12 degrees this morning and we are getting more snow tomorrow!

Here is John's first taste of snow in the winter of 2006/2007. Not a huge fan! Right after I took this picture he started crying!

And here he is just a week or so ago! He loves playing in the snow!

Tossing snow at Mommy!

John had a great time sledding!!

For more COLD pictures go to Kiss the Frog 4 Me!

FFF - Favorite Foto of 2008

2009-01-02T09:47:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!! This week's theme is Favorite Foto of 2008. A very tough task when I take so many pictures but here it is what I picked. This was taken on our trip to Disney in August with my sister and nephew. My sister (the Disney Freak but in a good way!) found out that you can hire a PhotoPass photographer for a personal shoot so we did. We had our pictures taken at the Polynesian. I was really hoping for a good picture of John and I together since we get so few. In most of the posed ones only of us would come out good in each picture but I love this unposed one. John was sitting on a tree branch and sliding so I took him off and as I did he gave me a hug and luckily the photographer captured the moment!

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!!