Things that make me happy!

My Boys!

Cian's true belief in Santa!

Kevin's brown eyes!

Holiday music playing on the radio!

Twins!

Cinnamon!

Cool Fabric!

Hugs!

So Soft anything!

"I love you Mommy!", from my little boys mouth!

Hot Days!

Holding hands!

Dim Lights!

My bathrobe and sweats!

Halloween!

Well I think Cian had the H1N1 virus. I know that sounds strange, but we were expecting the worst and it wasn't so bad. Cian came home from school on Thursday with a headache that he said was hurting him all day and he had a cough. (The nurse didn't call us...should I write a note about that?) I took his temperature and he had a slight fever. We gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed at his regular time. At 3:30 he woke us up because the night was too long :-(. His fever was now 101. More Tylenol. He stays home from school with Kevin and lays on the couch and sleeps all day. Kevin brings hime to the doctor at 2:00 and they put him on Tamiflu immediately. The doctor said she was certain it was the beginning of the virus. I guess the waiting room was packed with kids. We continued with the Tylenol, Tamiflu and an antibiotic for his cough (he gets bronchitis easy) and by Saturday afternnoon...... Cian was back! We wondered if he actually had the flu or if Tamiflu was a miracle drug. His recovery was amazing. He still has a cough, but no fever and boy did he have cabin fever by Sunday night!

The Doctor said no trick or treating! We were so bummed. Halloween is Cian's favorite time of year. He has been decorating since September and playing scary tricks on us. He has helped to make a scary ghost costume and has been wearing it for days! He missed his Halloween party at school. He was so upset. So we dressed him up warmly, put on his costume (it covered his face and hands) and let him visit our neighbor's houses. We were the first ones out. Luckily, Cian didn't say anything when we said it was time to go home so soon. We snuggled up on the couch and watched Monster House and then off to bed! Everything turned out all right after all!

Kevin's Birthday and Nicole's Baby Shower!

Kevin's Birthday was on Friday. He turned 32. We are officially the same age again. He had a great Birthday. We went to the movies as soon as I got home from school. Kevin and Cian were actually waiting in the car. We went and saw Where The Wild Things Are. It was a great movie, worth seeing again to understand a little better. We then raced home to find Brian and the kids sitting in our driveway. Soon after that the rest of the crew was there. It was a crazy night with pizza, cake, and presents, plus another movie. Cian and I found mealworms at a candy store ready for human consumption and we could not pass it up, so we bought them for Kevin's birthday present. Anyone who was brave enough tried one.

We also threw a baby shower for Nicole on Saturday. It was a little hectic having both parties one right after the other, but everything turned out great. We had a lot of family that made the trip down to our area and we were so thankful for that. It was so fun to see all the cute baby stuff and to get excited for Nicole and Kyle. Twins! A boy and a girl...hopefully coming around Christmas! I want to say an extra big thank you to Sandy, Kevin's mom, for her help! She is ALWAYS there when you need her! Not only did she bring ton's of food, she also ran around at the last minute and cleaned my two bathrooms! Thanks again!

Apples, Pumpkins and Glass!

We were so busy this weekend! Kevin finally had a couple of days off in a row and we took full advantage. We went to the pumpkin patch early Saturday. It was so cold and drizzly, but it was worth it. We had a great time. Cian wanted to go into the haunted house, so we bought two tickets. One for Kevin and one for Cian. Cian walked into the barn very brave and according to Kevin, made it to the first corner, when he told his Dad that he thought they were supposed to go that way while he pointed back towards the entrance! So funny. Luckily they gave us our tickets back and Cian was able to to some bounce house stuff instead. Every year I tell Kevin that we need to try harder to grow our own pumpkins. These places are so expensive!

Later on that day we went apple picking and then came home and made a fresh apple pie. Cian was a great big help. Apples are one of the foods that he will eat, so it was a lot of fun testing all the kinds of apples before picking a bunch to take home. Cian ran all over the orchard. It was a beautiful day by the afternoon and it was so good to breathe the autumn air while standing on a mountain covered in fall leaves and apple trees! I am so glad we found the time to go there!
The next day we finally made it to Corning Museum of Glass. We had been wanting to go there again for quite some time, and finally we went. It was so cool to see the glass being blown and to read about the history of glass making. Cian did good, but we were there for about six hours in a museum of glass if you know what I mean. Most of the places were kid friendly, but others were oh so not! Very cool though!


Cian though the glass floor was really neat...he could have sat there all day, watching the people below.
This was a very awesome piece in the main lobby...beautiful!!!

My Week Off!

Cian's Art class drawing was picked to be on the wall for open house. We were so proud of him! He loves to draw trees.

Last week I had the week off from teaching. I teach at an Islamic private school and they were celebrating the end of Ramadan. So, yeah for me, I got to stay home! Cian was in school all week, so I was for the first time I was all alone. It was very weird at first. I kept watching the clock. I kept having the feeling like I was lost. I got to work though and I completed a lot of tasks that I never can do when Cian is home. I finally painted over my bright purple dining room walls. Yes, I love purple....but I always felt uncomfortable in that room. Now it looks so much bigger (I guess I should have taken a picture of it...next time). I was able to finally fish the trim work in the upstairs hallway. Nicole and I painted the hall a 2 1/2 years ago.... It really took me a long time to get back to that trim! No wonder why too...It took me seven hours to complete non-stop! I was able to go to several appointments and read a story to and do a craft with Cian's class. We also went to Rochester for our niece Lily's 3rd birthday. What a week. It is early Monday morning and I am getting ready to go back into work. I wish I had a couple of more days, but I still feel accomplished.

Cian is really loving school. I am so impressed with his transition. He is already acting older and wiser. Where has my baby gone?! He loves music and dancing. This weekend he just started to do these break dancing moves. It was so odd...We asked him where he learned how to dance like that...He said he taught himself. lol.....It was a little unnerving because I am sure he will be covered with bruises....boys! He loves to help Kevin out around the house. Is is a big helper when it comes to carrying Dad's tools or even mixing the cement for the outside rocks. We are so lucky to have our little boy! He brings so much light into our lives.

The First Day of School!

It's official! Cian has started Kindergarten! Wednesday Cian started his first day of school. We started the day by watching home videos of Cian as a baby. This was a big mistake. I will clarify later. Then we got ready to head down to the bus stop. Cian refused to wear anything even a little dressy for the occasion. He refuses to wear shirts with collars. I think he looks so cute in them, but the days are officially gone where I can dress him as I like. :-( He decided on his favorite gray shirt (he wore it all summer) and a regular pair of shorts. I gave in knowing that I wanted him to feel comfortable. Cian is also riding the bus to school. This is a little silly since the bus ride is about a minute long. He was so thrilled about going on the bus that we gave in. (The minute ride actually helped in the decision. Not a lot of time to get into trouble!) The bus came about 25 minutes late. Cian was so ready he just climbed on and didn't look back. I was glad I kissed him about a million times that morning....because he was so excited I didn't get that final hug! As the bus drove away I broke down...Images of the earlier baby movies came rushing into my head. They were so vivid since we had just watched them earlier in the morning. Kevin and I gave a hug to each other and then I had to drive myself to work sobbing about my baby boy. Those movies just replaying over and over. My best advice to anyone going through this in the future, stay away from the baby movies. Cian has gotten so big in 5 years. I can't imagine what another five will bring!

Cian said that his first day of school was long and that his teacher talked a lot. He loved the playground and the cafeteria. He was very excited to go back the next day. We are so proud of him.

Dear Kindergarten, Please treat my baby well! Love, Cian's Mommy

I Hope I Don't Crack Your Eggs!

Cian is full of questions. He asks about everything and we try to give him truthful answers. He has always been very curious about how he was made and we have tried to answer this at age level as he has grown up. The latest conversation occurred about three weeks ago and Kevin took it a step further this time explaining that mommy has eggs inside of her as part of his explanation. We have had no questions or comments about this until tonight. Cian was out back climbing a tree and I was watching him. He was getting tired, so I suggested he take a break and let his muscles relax. He came up with a better idea. He said, "Mommy, why don't you stand below me, so if I fall you can catch me." All logical....then a look went across his face and he said, "I hope your eggs don't crack if I fall and kick you in the stomach." How cute, weeks later, he is thinking about my eggs. lol.