IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS...

...that make my Pepper happy!

Things like...
*apples
  and
*horses

We finally got to celebrate her birthday in a somewhat proper fashion.  When asked what she wanted for her birthday, every single time she would answer, "apples"!  Although it was disappointing that we had to celebrate 1/2 the day with one family and 1/2 the day with another, it was still a partial success.  I guess it is the small things that make comedy and memories.

Things like...

* losing out on tables at Arlington because their employees are not well trained
* losing out on riding the ponies at Arlington because their employees are not well trained
* losing most of our food at Arlington because of their employees (just kidding..it was because of the 95 degree heat that was shining directly upon us ALL AFTERNOON)

Sad to say that we have no pics from our daytime adventures, but we did have SOME fun betting the horses, eating melted chocolate, getting sunburns, watching the cousins play together, eating nothing but snacks and ice cream, going to the petting zoo and getting some cool goodie bags. 

I do have a few pics from the nighttime...

Not surprisingly, Pepper's cake did not make it back to the house in one piece.  At least we got a laugh from the fact that it now read "APPY BIRTHDAY" which would have been funnier if Nonno and Nonna were there to see it!  Get it?  Cuz the "H" is silent!  Funny Italian reference...

Just for fun and to cover up the mess, I gave her a great cake topper!

See?  It's the small things that make her happy...

We decided that since we were so late in singing to her, we might as well cover everyone else who had a birthday that had passed or that was coming up in the future.  Yeah, we sang FOUR times.  She wasn't happy that she had to share her cake.  Don't stand between this girl and her desserts!

Someone else was having a fit because his name wasn't mentioned during all the Happy Birthday's that were going around...

Just as we were about to call the day a bust, she got her wish and the PERFECT birthday present!

She did end up riding a pony, albeit 2 months late and it was a PHONY (hehe...you can make the "h" sound or leave it silent...hehe), but do you see her smile?

Like I said...it's the small things...
*

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Today was a really sad day. It was Nicholas' last day of preschool and it did not go so well. He was tearful all day about his friends that will be "lost" over the summer. I tried to explain that he would find them in a few months, right back where he left them! We went out to dinner to celebrate his summer freedom and ran into some old friends of ours. They had their three beautiful kids with them and I didn't give it a second thought until I asked how old their youngest is. As my friend said "almost two", Joey reminded me that we both kept getting pregnant at the same time...didn't I remember?

Of course I remember.
Of course I remember all the time.
How could I forget what was "lost"?

Seeing their three kids and our two, how could I forget that a little one was missing from our table? Thank God that we were on our way out because I could not hold the tears back for long. The tears were coming hard and fast, just like the horrible rain storm that had just passed. And then, just as soon as it began, it ended as I turned around and saw a beautiful rainbow shining through all the clouds and rain and sadness.

And then I remembered
somewhere over the rainbow,
our other little one was at God's table
and I thought to myself,
what a wonderful world!

Sometimes it takes darkness
to see the light...

SUPER FAST!!!

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY FRANCESCA!

I am so sad that you aren't my Baby Pepper anymore. You are my Toddler Pepper and it happened SUPER FAST. If you follow your insane and unrelenting love of animals, maybe one day you will become a veterinarian and become my Dr. Pepper!


We took off early in the day for Lamb's Farm. Do any of you know of it? It is a farm located in Libertyville, whose main purpose is to educate, advance and serve adults with disabilities. We have been going there to support them since I was a kid! What a great way to celebrate and show the importance of always giving back to others! Following a tradition set by my mom, where special one-on-one time spent together is a very valued birthday present, we set off to celebrate. We were hoping to avoid the sun and rain. No such luck. We still managed to overcome 90+ weather, no shade, a rain storm, manure, mud, and two very rambunctious boys and have a great time! P.s....thanks so much Nicole, for handling those two boys!

Francesca's love of any and all creatures was overflowing! Although she enjoyed the train ride, she was pouting because all she wanted to do was go back to the horses! Funny...I think there is a VERY SIMILAR picture (or two or twenty) of me pouting on a train years ago. I had been wondering where she got that frown from. :)


Reason #1 why I believe that even though I am not pushing you into it, you are a true vegetarian at heart...


And reason #2...
Yeah, when you said "eewww...yucky!!!", you took the words right out of my mouth!


Your Grandma was so happy to watch you enjoy your special day! Every single time she takes a ride in her wheelchair, you are right there by her side, holding on and slowing your pace so you can just be there with her. You two have such a great bond! Even though you are a toddler now, you will always be "her baby"!


The peacock was both of our favorites!


What birthday would be complete without a few more traditions? Of course we met Daddy and went to The Choo Choo Restaurant!


You decided to eat nothing but sugar! I wasn't happy about it, but it doesn't happen that often. You ate cake, but you aren't a cake eater! Ha ha..a quick Park Ridge reference thrown in!





After all the excitement and sugar, you were nowhere near ready for bedtime so we took off for our favorite park. For the next hour, all you did was scream "SUPER FAST", as in "push me super fast on the swing, mama!"

And I did.
And I cried.
And the last 2 years went by

SUPER FAST :(
.

{THIS MOMENT}

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. ~ Courtesy of Amanda at SouleMama


P.S. Due to my new Friday ritual, Francesca's birthday will appear in tomorrow's post!

MY PRECIOUS PEPPER

My dear, sweet little Pepper had a seizure. It was not a febrile seizure caused by a fever, but one of unknown origin. I don't know how to explain the extent of heart-stopping emotions that occur when your child is limp and seemingly lifeless and then convulsing in your arms. I can almost not tolerate repeating the story, yet I have done it so many times. The shake and ache in my arms will forever be there as a reminder of the memory of holding her through the second hardest time in her life.

I will never be able to say enough thank you's to those who prayed and continue to pray for her and for my family. The power of the prayers that came from the Saint Joseph's Novena was amazing! It was almost as heavy on my heart as my sorrow was. It is so unbelievable to feel unsure and protected, all at the same time. We are so blessed to have so many people that worry about us.

Her diagnosis remains as "generalized seizure disorder" until further testing is done, but I am confident that she is a very strong girl and we will stand strong in the face of the unknown. I am hopeful that my grandma's doctor was right in saying that "every child is allowed one free seizure in life".

I will teach her to laugh

in the face of danger...

...or will she teach me?

GOOD CHEAP FUN

I love when I have the means to provide good, cheap fun for my monkeys!

DANCIN WIT MY LAYDAY

I had just finished giving Monkey and Pepper their baths and they were supposed to be choosing their bedtime books. I was cleaning up the bathroom and thought it sounded awfully quiet in the room. When I snuck around the corner, I see Monkey slow dancing with Pepper. Her head is on his chest and he is holding her and rubbing her back and softly whispering, "I'm dancin wit my layday!" I ran to get the camera and then after he realized, he sped up his tempo, but it was still cute! Excuse the heavy breathing, as Pepper is still pretty sick :(

PEPPER IS PERFECT

Pepper had a check-up today and in the midst of all my worrying about her lack of advanced vocabulary, her doctor said, "she's happy and healthy...what more can you ask for?" Nothing. By the way, she is right on track with her abilities. She observes more than she emulates. Thank you so much, Dr. B., for always saying the simple things that mean the most. You definitely know how to treat both the patient and the parent! I also had a chance to discuss with him... the earth, values, politics, friends, and the future of the world being in the hands of our children. Where else could you get so much quality time with another adult? I have found the exception to the rule. Oh, how I love my pediatrician!

CHEW ON THIS

While we were missing the Big Fish at midnight because he was busy being the Mayor of Edison Park, we still managed to have a little fun...

...and it all came to a SCREECHING halt when Monkey decided to eat it.

In case you missed it, watch again or just read on...

Yep, that's right, Monkey actually took a bite out of the glass. Who says that I'm overprotective of my kids? Wanna chew on glass? Go right ahead and recycle! Would a normal mama let her kids celebrate New Year's at midnight, instead of 7pm, or drink (sparkling white grape juice) from a REAL glass, or eat breakfast for dinner? Save for some predetermined times, I'm not really hyped up on conformity.









Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

*Robert Frost*

.

I'M SO MAD, I COULD SPIT!!!

WE'VE BEEN IN HIDING

Actually, we have been without internet service for a full month. Today, our virtual lifeline returned. What did we do with the extra time? We got the "flute" (Nicholas' term for the flu). We taught Francesca a few new words and how to jump and most importantly, how to throw a proper temper tantrum.  Nicholas finally mastered the words to "Fly Me To The Moon". It's quite funny to hear his New York accent shine when he sings it.

We also got a hot tub for the kids...

That's about all we did for weeks. Even without the distraction of the internet, Joey and I did not once get any extra sleep. Go figure.  Hope you are glad to have us back :)

HALLOWEEN 2009

Yes, I am so enjoying my time in sewing.

Meet the Modern Stone-Age Family....

WITH LOVE,

WILMA FLINTSTONE

.

JUST TOO DARN CUTE

MY PUDGY PEPPER

So, we don't grocery shop at just one store.  We usually frequent several independent stores, delis, bakeries and of course, our Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and on occasion, Dominick's and Jewel.  Add to that list all the other various stores that Francesca and I have visited over the last year and you can only imagine how many shopping carts she has ridden in.  I am not kidding when I tell you that within 50 miles of my house, there are not many mothers that actually use the seat buckles in shopping carts.  There have been times when I have gone through 10 carts looking for a buckle that wasn't broke and every single time I get a cart with a functioning buckle, the strap is stretched to the max and has to be tightened so that my dear Pepper does not fall out.  I find it hard to believe that all those kids that could have been in the carts before her were large enough to not need the strap tightened.  This leads me to believe that there are many moms out there that don't take the time to make sure their kids are secure in the carts.  I have witnessed, more times than I would have wanted, kids not strapped in and trying to stand up and actually standing up and/or on the verge of falling out and the mom completely oblivious.  This makes me so angry!!!  Do they realize what would happen if their kid fell?  I know what it is like to be in a hurry and be distracted, but I would never be so busy that I didn't have time to strap my kid in. 

My point?
I know my shopping carts.

Tonight, it was another trip to Dominick's, but this one happened to be on the North Shore.  In fact, we had a lot of errands to accomplish and although this is not the norm, Pepper spent the better half of the day in shopping carts (6 to be exact).  Like I said, I always have to tighten the strap.  Tonight, at Dominick's, I didn't.

My point?
Pepper is already too pudgy for the North Shore :(

I guess this will be the first and last time she will ever be in a bikini!

P.S.....to all those who think that I am serious and upset about her being too pudgy, I'm just kidding.  I am not upset, just think it's funny that it was the first time she didn't fit and it just happened to be on the North Shore!  Also, I guess she does finally resemble me...from the tummy, down!!!!!

TIS THE SEASON

OH FALL, HOW DO WE LOVE THEE???

* finally having (free) air conditioning in the car
* cool air putting us to sleep
* no hot sun waking us up
* Bears football
* the promise of Wisconsin
* the crunch of the leaves
* a new look for the arboretum
* Pepper making her 1st "Francesca Tree"
* (honeycrisp) apple picking...
* resulting in homemade (honeycrisp) apple cider donuts
* dresses over tights
* a new monkey sweatshirt
* a girlified Rolling Stones jacket
* eating honeycrisp apples at every meal
* warm vanilla sugar body lotion
* our favorite month of the year
* making our own halloween costumes
* did we mention honeycrisp apples???

IN SOMEONE ELSE'S WORLD...

...the following would not be odd to hear, but in my world, if the following events happened in ONE day...

* Monkey & Pepper both woke up after
   12 hours of sleep
* the t.v. was on for more than an hour
* we have not left the house for any reason
* it is 3:30 and we are still in jammies
* I didn't have to yell!
* the word silence was mentioned
   a few times
* I am on the computer before 11pm
* the kids napped SIMULTANEOUSLY
   FOR 2 HOURS
* I got to nap, NO, REALLY NAP,
   LIKE FOR REAL
* the 1st pot of Autumn Vegetable Soup
   was made for lunch

....then you know the kids are sick!

ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND...

It was another not so quiet weekend.  Do we ever have a day planned that includes only ONE activity?  Not usually...just ask Joanne!  Keeping busy has kept us out of the house, which is always a good thing! 

SATURDAY...Our annual trip to the
Bristol Renaissance Faire!

I stayed up until 4am the night before finishing our Ren crafts. 

Francesca wore her wench flower wreath for all of 38 seconds...

...so I enjoyed it for the rest of the fest!

Nicholas and his silver sword with hand picked "jems" protected his Princess Maile, without fail, except for when he was busy eating!

Joey hates crowds, heat, dirt

and over-priced food.

I give him credit; he made the best of it!

We saw beautiful forest fairies.

And angry, bad knights.

Our only regret was that we were running so late, we spent more time looking for

J x 3 + G = The Lisy Family :) than we did hanging out with them!

We had a long day, but well worth it. 

We knew it was time to leave when Monkey and Pepper turned into...

Just kidding. They aren't giants....

*************************************************

SUNDAY...And we're off...to Arlington!

What a great afternoon!  It was nice to relax and enjoy a laid-back sunny day and actually win some money!  We have some goofy pics since we were attempting to

get back to 35mm film.

We have a LOT of pictures of birds. 

Thank you Donald!

Here are the winning horses we picked...

Joey - The Elevator

Deanna - Si Si Mon Amie

Nicholas - Wild Comedy

It seems as if our theory of (somewhat) choosing a horse based on a name that means something to us,

works every time!

Francesca wasn't feelin it.  She absolutely refused to touch the program every time we tried to get her to pick!

A little snack for the boys. 

Thank you, Zio!

The boys also enjoyed riding around the track on Sammie...

Francesca and Valentina were both a bit overwhelmed and mostly watched and slept.  Maybe next year, girls!

Joey could have been an actor in (insert your favorite mob movie title here) with his classic look and favorite shirt!

All in all, we had a very nice afternoon with family and friends and a very nice dinner afterwards!


MONDAY...BBQ...NUFF SAID

THANKFUL FOR A LOVELY WEEKEND

We had a great and (not at all) quiet weekend! 

Here are a few things we are grateful for...

Joey working late on Friday nights, so we have a chance to MISS him!

Thank you Joey/Daddy!

Getting lost in nature!  Thank you God and our favorite hideaway!

Deanna having the best laugh of her life after seeing "The Bubblebath"!

Thank you Grandma Jan!

Our new favorite vegetarian dish...

The Sweet Ass Texan Bean Salad!

Thank you Auntie Pam!

An absolutely fabulous sushi dinner from TANK!  Thank you so much Franco!

Devouring Red Octopus Martinis! 
They go down too smooth!

Thank you Pasquale!

An honest to goodness full night's sleep
(9 1/2 hours to be exact)

Thank you mom and dad!

Great laughs; great times; great company; great memories!

Thank you for it all, Kiddieland!

A great friend who also happens to be a great photographer! 

Thank you Janet!

 p.s..this is my new fav pic of myself :)

Hope y'all were also able to enjoy these last beautiful days of summer!