Strawberry Blond?? Yes, that's right!! From China!!

Just because it's been a while....

2011-10-16T00:45:00.014-04:00

Some photos from August!

(This post is for you, Tina)

Loving the expressions!!
And, a head of hair that's just wild!!

We have a lot to catch up on!!

It took 9 posts just to catch up.....so here goes:

The end of August...

2011-10-16T00:43:00.003-04:00

....Brought the end of daycare.

We've moved on.

We're going to big girl school!!
Pre K 4 starts in September!!

Before big girl school started....

2011-10-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

...We went to the Bronx Zoo!
We filled the pool!!

We went to....

2011-10-16T00:35:00.000-04:00

...Rye Playl*nd.
We had lots of fun and some ice cream too!!

We took the train....

2011-10-16T00:30:00.001-04:00

....We took the subway.
We played tourists in Manhattan.
We saw the Freedom Tower.
We had dinner overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.

(Continue on to older posts for the next
4 exciting catch up updates!!)

We went.....

2011-10-16T00:25:00.001-04:00

.....WILD before we went to bed!!!

Finally, we had the first day of school....

2011-10-16T00:20:00.003-04:00

...and the second day of school!!
And, we were absolutely zonked!!!

A package came in the mail...

2011-10-16T00:15:00.000-04:00

....then another package came in the mail!!

Thank you so much Auntie Angelina!!!
We loved everything!!!

Especially Angelina Ballerina!!!

September also brought...

2011-10-16T00:10:00.001-04:00

...Jillian's 4th Birthday!!!
We had a Princess Party!!

Can you believe it??
My baby is four years old!!

My big girl, Jillian, you'll be my baby even when your 101!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby!!!

I Love You!!!

Since it's been a while.....

2011-08-16T00:50:00.000-04:00

... we figured we'd show off this fantastick head of hair!!

Along with some daddy time fun!!
Poor Daddy's back!!
This girl is no light weight!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:15:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day!!

Wow, we actually posted on time today!!

A day of REST is planned for our Daddy today!!

Happy Father's Day wishes to all Dads
whether they are new Dads,
Dads with years of experience,
or Dads eagerly awaiting
for their babies arrival!!

Keeping cool.....

2011-06-08T23:22:00.001-04:00

..... is a full time job and Jillian is certainly up to the task!!

Baby it's HOT outside!!
99 degrees and it's still spring!!

Oh the Sheer Joy.....

2011-06-08T23:11:00.001-04:00

..... of apple juice!!!

Fun with.....

2011-05-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

Hats and Boxes!!!
Oh the simple pleasures of life!!!

Smiles....

2011-05-23T01:37:00.001-04:00

... And laughter!!
Just to let you know we're still around!!!

And on the opposite end of the spectrum...

2011-05-23T01:20:00.003-04:00

...We have tantrums and tears!!
Gratefully, these are a rarity!!

Sundays.....

2011-03-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

... belong to Daddy, and so do Sunday naps!!
Break time for Mommy!

With working full time, carrying a pager for work, living between two houses and dedicating Saturdays to getting my sister out of the house for a FULL day of shopping, etc - my day starts very early and ends very late on a daily basis leaving very little "me" time.

My dear hubby usually takes care of Jillian in the mornings and I take the afternoon, evening and night time hours right though the week.

Come the weekend, John is working so Jillian and I stay at Papa's in order to cut down some of the driving time and give Debra more time to enjoy a full day out for shopping, Duncan D0nuts and whatever other path we may take on a Saturday out and about.

For those of you that don't know, my sister, Debra has cerebral palsy and is deaf. Since my Mother's passing in 2003, I essentially became my sister's mother.

So, come any given Saturday - rain, snow sleet and hail - Jillian, Debra and I are out for an entire day for whatever may come our way.

Sunday mornings John usually gets home from work anywhere from 6:30 - 7:30 AM. Thoughtful, loving and caring man that he is, John takes care of Jillian most of the day.

They have breakfast or brunch at the diner, and spend the day at the park/beach nearby - on the swings, the slides or just walking along the beach on the sand. In inclement weather, they go the the local mall and spend time at the Play Z0ne.

Often times, they both come home EXHAUSTED and then it's time for a nap!!

Talk about quality time between a daughter and her father!!

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself - selfish even - during these times and wish there was a way to have more time to dedicate to my family. John gets time with Jillian playing and I get time with Jillian and Debra shopping, and sometimes I really just want to stay home, however, if I stay home Debra misses out.

The funny thing is that Jillian LOVES to go shopping as much as Debra does. So I guess when we go shopping, we're playing too! I consider myself very fortunate even with my busy schedule and I am very lucky to be able to sleep in on Sunday mornings!!

Of course, when nap time is over, Jillian reverts back to Mommy's girl!!

So "Serious" ...

2011-03-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

And, so grown up!!

It just amazes me how "grown up" Jillian has become for her short 3 1/2 years.

Between the "looks"" that come my way, as well as, the words that pop out of her mouth are a contsant source of wonder, laugher and surprise!

Just as Jillian snuggled in and ready to go sleep with "Baby" in hand she asked: "What does moderate mean?"

I thought I hadn't heard her correctly, so I asked her what she had said. Sure enough I did hear her correctly. She asked what does moderate mean! I said it meant small amounts. Next question: "What does small amounts mean?" I said it meant "little bits". Then: "What does little bits mean?"

Trying to hide my laughter, I said: Okay that's enough for tonight! Go to sleep!
To which she said: "Okay Mommy."

After a couple of minutes of quiet, I thought she was falling asleep.

I then hear: "What does moderate mean?"

"Small amounts!! Now go to sleep!!"

Mommy....

2011-02-22T00:13:00.000-05:00

"I love you!!"

"Can I have some m+m's??!!"

Oh well,
couldn't hurt to ask!!
Naturally,
m+m's were had by all!!

Yummy...

2011-02-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

New Bake set for Christmas.

Rolling out the dough.

Cutting out the shapes.

Placing them on the baking sheet.
Almost ready for the oven
So we bake....

.....Sugar Cookies!!

2011-02-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

All ready for the oven.

We wait and wait and wait!!

Finally ready!!

Mmmmmm!! They sure were good!!!

With all the hustle....

2011-02-21T01:01:00.001-05:00

.... to try and catch up....

We neglected to wish everyone

a Very Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Is it finally time for......

2011-02-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

Hard at work making our Valentines.

....Updates!!!

2011-02-20T16:48:00.007-05:00

Proudly displaying the fruits of our labor!

It's about time for an update - don't ya think?!

I can't believe how fast the time just flies by!

So much to do.

So much to deal with.

Work, work, work and you have to pay the bills!

Life gets in the way of blogging.

The more time gets away from me, the harder it is to catch up.

January already gone and February already in it's last days.

Thus the reason for several posts in the space of a couple of hours.

Hope everyone is doing well and hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day too!!

Let's pretend!

2011-02-11T16:41:00.005-05:00

Jillian loves to pretend.

Playing the drums.

Cooking dinner.

Playing the violin.

After play, we get busy making our Valentines.

Red eye correction.....

2011-02-10T16:36:00.001-05:00

....both a blessing and a curse!

It may fix the red eye in your photos,

however, it makes black marks on our glasses!!

January Highlights

2011-01-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

Mom's Best Girl!!

My name is Jillian.....

2011-01-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

....I like to Dance!!

2011-01-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

Glasses??

2011-01-03T16:06:00.003-05:00

After our follow up visit with the eye doctor,
we went with persrciption in hand and shopped for glasses.

A perfect fit!

2011-01-03T16:04:00.003-05:00

After making several funny faces in the mirror,
we settled on a pretty pair in pink.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!! (With Daddy and Jillian)

2011-01-02T23:55:00.000-05:00

Full Weekend Spa package from Jillian and Daddy!!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!! (at Papa's House)

2011-01-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Mommy. Happy Birthday to you!!!

How's that for catching up Duchess!!

Happy New Year!!!! With More....

2011-01-02T21:15:00.001-05:00

...Streamer Fun!!

2011-01-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

We prepared for New Year's Eve and....

2011-01-02T20:34:00.003-05:00

.... As the clock struck Midnight....

2011-01-02T20:30:00.008-05:00

... and the ball dropped in Times Square...

.... The Streamers Went Flying

2011-01-02T20:29:00.006-05:00

A good time was had by all!!!
Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day....

2011-01-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

Brunch with family and friends.

Christmas Eve.....

2011-01-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

....At Papa's House

2011-01-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

Early Christmas Present!!

2011-01-02T19:48:00.008-05:00

Wooooo Whooooo!!!

I passed my certification exam in Computerized Tomography!!!

I worked hard and gave up a lot of Jillian time.
And, it paid off!!

I was lucky to have scheduled the exam in 2010 and passed!!

If I had taken it in 2011, I'd have to take the exam every 10 years!!

We went....

2011-01-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

... to the eye doctor and we went to the dentist!!

Glowing reports from both along with a prescription for new glasses.

No, not the ones on the pictures!
We'll be shopping for a better style and fit shortly!!

More Holiday fun!!

2011-01-02T19:37:00.000-05:00

....and seeing Santa yet again at the mall!!!

Christmas party.....

2011-01-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

.... and visiting Santa at Mommy's job!!

Thanksgiving day......

2011-01-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

Dinner was delicious!!

Soooo Much to be thankful for!!!

Thanksgiving Day Parade...

2011-01-02T19:26:00.001-05:00

....Was sooo much fun!!

Halloween....

2011-01-02T19:24:00.000-05:00

...Sure was fun, as well as YUMMY!!!

As August goes into September....

2010-11-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

... it was way too warm to wear a long sleeve Birthday shirt!!

We were lucky to end August and continue into September at the beach!!

Not to mention sombody turns three as we begin the month of September!!

JIllian Turns THREE!!!

2010-11-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY, JILLIAN!!!

How do you....

2010-11-21T20:00:00.004-05:00

...like my Vanna White imression??!!

This is my new kitchen!!

I got it for my birthday!!

Papa put it togetherfor me!!

September also brought us....

2010-11-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

Debra's birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Auntie Debra!!
I love you soooo much!!! - Your niece, Jillian!!

More Warm Summer Days...

2010-11-21T19:40:00.002-05:00

.....in September!!

2010-11-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

...As we take a trip to Staten Island, NY to visit family!!

In August...

2010-11-16T00:38:00.002-05:00

We had our "head lights" adjusted.

One pediatric eye specialist told us that Jillian's eye focus was as optical illusion.
He was wrong!

Our present specialist said that the muscles of her eyes needed adjusting so that she could focus straight on.

Gratefully the surgery was successful!

We will follow up between Thanksgiving and Christmas to see if any further adjustment is needed.

Anxious Anticipation!

2010-11-16T00:17:00.002-05:00

As we wait to go into surgery.

Naturally...

2010-11-16T00:15:00.003-05:00

...After eye surgery, nothing makes you feel better than a meal consisting of grilled cheese on flat bread, M&M's, gummy fruit snacks along with an ice cream pop, a neon pink bandaid and a witch hat!!

As soon as we got the okay.....

2010-11-16T00:10:00.001-05:00

... from the eye doctor to go back into the water, we had more fun in the sun as August gave us ...

... The Dog Days of Summer!!!

2010-11-15T23:40:00.002-05:00

July....

2010-11-15T00:40:00.000-05:00

Yea!! I know - this is November!
Please bear with me, we're still trying to catch up!
July brought us Uncle Bobby's birthday.

Happy Birthday to you, Uncle Bobby!!!

Mommy & Me

Daddy & Me

Nanny, Me & Maria

We had a fabulous birthday feast for Uncle Bobby!! A good time had by all!!

Stone Mountain, Georgia

2010-09-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

I know!
Bad blogger these days!!
Still here!!

Many thanks to all those who have missed us, as well as, your touching concern!!! It is very much appreciated!!

Life, new work schedules and a licencing course for work haven't been very conducive to blogging :0(

Right after our adventures in Aruba, we headed to Stone Mountain in Georgia for a Xuzhou China Family Reunion!!

We were so happy to finally meet some of the families that have become part of our extended family over the last few years!!

Our children come from the same SWI in Xuzhou, China.

Naturally, we had to have more drama as we headed to Georgia!! Poor John passed a kidney stone just we were getting ready to meet up with the families to visit what else but Stone Mountain, and poor Jillian literally came face to face with Stone Mountain when she fell flat on her face!

Luckily she didn't do any damage although she had a small bruise on her forehead.

After spending the weekend in Georgia, we headed home - only we didn't exactly head home.

At the airport, Jillian came down with a fever and the runs. We were shut out of our flight, hiked all over the airport in Atlanta for several hours, and ended up as a guest for one more night in Atlanta courtesy of Delt@!! Long story there!

Upon our actual arrival home, Jillian ended up with an ear infection. Poor kid was miserable!! It took a full week and then some, plus antibiotics, and the worst diaper rash ever before she was somewhat back to normal!!

More updates to come - just not tonight.

The Aruba commentary is up!!!!

2010-08-15T03:59:00.000-04:00

In spite of all the drama, we had a great time!!

Let me tell you, it sure was a lot of work for me - but it was well worth it to see Debra sooo excited and happy to experience her first time flying, as well as, an Aruba vacation!!

Happy family vacation, Happy 10 year anniversary to me and John, and Happy 4th of July, Independence Day!!!

Happy reading!!!

Okay..... Aruba here we come!! UPDATED!!

2010-08-02T00:19:00.033-04:00

Okay..... I know we are soooo behind in our updates!!

So, here's the deal - the photos are up from our Aruba vacation, however, you'll have to come back for my humorous, witty and sometimes frustrating commentary!!

In the meantime, hope you like the photos!!

Okay, here goes: As we were contemplating what to do for our 10th wedding anniversary, we decided to take a family vacation. We also decided to bring my sister, Debra, along as well. So, we hustled to get expedited passports for Debra and Jillian.

When we were sure we had passports in hand, we booked an all-inclusive for 8 days/7 nights at the 0ccidental Gr@nd in what we now call Aruba - "Mommy's Ruba" and/or "Myruba"!!
We packed our bags, picked up Debra and headed for the airport.

At check in, we found that one of our carry on bags was mixed up and the wrong bag was checked. We found this out when we went though security and had to throw out 3/4 of our sunscreen intended for Jillian and Debra - which cost a small fortune let me tell you!!

Outside of going down to the Jersey shore with us last year, Debra really hasn't been on a vacation that she could remember. Sure, as kids and at a very young age, our parents took us to Lake George ( I can't remember this except for seeing old photos), as well as, various day trips though the years.

Debra knew we were going somewhere, however, she had absolutely no idea what we had planned for her!! Debra, at the age of 53, was getting on a plane for the very first time and heading to tropical paradise!!!

When we got to the airport, she was sooooo excited - and when the plane took off, Debra was so shocked, she grabbed Jillian's "Baby". Jillian starts crying, no make that, screaming when Baby gets ripped out of her hands. I take Baby back from Debra and give her back to Jillian. Then Debra takes "Buddy" (the elephant). Jillian starts screaming all over again. I take Buddy back , give him back to Jillian and try my best to reassure both of them that everything is okay. They both calm down and we were on our way.

It was absolutely wonderful to see the shear joy and excitement on Debra's face looking out the window.

As for Jillian, she thought she was on a big bus and proceeded to sing what else of course, "The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round...." followed by a repertoire of: "Twinkle, twinkle little star", the ABC's, "Old Mc Donald had a farm" - with several farm animals including a cat and a dog", "Ring around the Rosie", "Row, row, row your boat" and "Bingo was his namo", as well as, other favorite tunes that Jillian favors - probably not much to the delight of those sitting around us!!

Upon our arrival, we went through customs. Thankfully no problems there - only to find we were missing two bags at the baggage carousel - all of which contained everything that John needed for our trip, as well as, diapers,wipes and A&D 0intment for Jillian!!

There was more drama when we had no hotel shuttle vouchers which the travel agent had not provided!! Gratefully, the hotel shuttle driver provided us with said vouchers for arrival and departure.

The drama didn't end there - The hotel had no reservation for us!!
I said what do you mean there is no reservation??!! I have a receipt!!!

They put us in a mini suite, told us they would move us to another room the next day as we had a reservation for an ocean front room. For our inconvenience they upgraded us to VIP status which included room service.

And, this was only the first day!!

Naturally, we took SEVERAL photos of our feet in the water!!!

Not that we have any foot fetishes mind you, it's just that I always argue that I won't go in any water that I can't see my feet in the water and the only water I want to see my feet in is Aruba!!

So, since it isn't very often we can make our way to "Myruba" especially on a regular basis, the first thing we do when we can go is take a picture - or several pictures of my feet in the water - only now we all get in on the act!! Don't know how we missed John's feet this time!!

Of course, we had to get Jillian a hat!! And when Jillian got a hat.....

Aruba 2

2010-08-02T00:16:00.008-04:00

... Debra got a hat!!!

They both had to have the same hat, and, they both wore those hats ALL over Aruba!!

We stayed here and this was the view from our "rooms"!! Yes, I said "rooms" - as in more than one or even two rooms!!! More on that later!

As you can see, we ate quite well!!

And, these guys were all over the place!

Aruba 3

2010-08-02T00:15:00.025-04:00

We ate some more....

We even got some rest.

We ran out of sunscreen halfway through our trip and had to purchase a different brand at $15.00 a can.

After purchasing several cans and using said sunscreen, we found that Jillian had a reaction to it and developed a rash on her face and arms.

We had to get yet more sunscreen, and it was a good thing we had the foresight to bring some children's allergy medicine.

Thankfully, she was fine after that.

The scenery was.....

.....spectacular!!

Aruba 4 - no pun intended - yet it's fitting!!

2010-08-02T00:14:00.006-04:00

While we were there, world cup soccer was in full swing!
Woka, woka - what ever that means Still don't know why people kept saying that or even what it means
!!!

There was a horse and buggy, and we went to the "Piranha J0e" T-shirt hut - spent a small fortune there too!!

Aruba celebrates "our" 4th of July in wonderfully dramatic form!!! It was so very exciting and thrilling to see our flag is such fashion!!!

Aruba 5

2010-08-02T00:13:00.001-04:00

We had "Family" time....

..."Mommy" time...

.... "Daddy" time.....

And, "Debra" time....

Only in "Debra" time - she thought we would be shopping every day!!

When she found out she was going to the beach every day, she wasn't exactly happy about it. She managed to get over that when she found out that she could have Dunk!n D0nuts every day sometimes twice a day!!

Aruba 6 - Bet you can't wait for this commentary!!

2010-08-02T00:12:00.012-04:00

Back to our "rooms" story....

We started here the mini suite, which was very sweet indeed!! On the VIP floors. Only it was on the side of the hotel facing an alleyway and a lower rooftop air conditioning unit - not to pretty, yet you were still able to somewhat see the water.

The next day we were moved to a shoe box facing the water complete with a streaked glass deck door. We had more drama when we were repacked and moved to this room. Jillian and John were in bathing suits, Debra and I were not. We went to breakfast.

When we went to re-check in, we were told that our luggage was moved to the new room, however, we would not have access to the new room for 3 more hours due to house keeping getting said room ready.

I was more than a little livid and made myself heard in the lobby - not that it helped much.

So much for day two of our anniversary vacation. No bathing suits for me and Debra, no diapers for Jillian.
John and Jillian went to the beach.
Debra and I sweated, and we went shopping.

Needless to say, I wasn't exactly a happy camper. Debra was happy to go shopping and have her favorite coffee. I glad that at the very least, she was happy.

Good news: our bags were found and delivered to our new room with everything intact!! Bad news: one of the bags was so badly damaged, we could not use it on our return home. More bad news - the damaged was not covered by the airline - so said in the small print!!

Fourth day (second day in the second room), this happened!!

As I was brushing my teeth, the sink just FELL out of the counter!!! I just couldn't believe it!! It just fell out. I can't imagine what could have happened if Jillian or Debra were in the bathroom!!

More ranting and raving from me. They assured us it would be fixed. More vacation hours wasted anchored to the room!! The maintenance men finally left and said they would return in the morning. We went to dinner and then I spent the rest of the night worrying if Debra or Jillian would injure themselves at any point during the night.

The next day we were told that we could have moved to another room the night before, only they could not find us. Did they call their restaurants for our reservations?? No!! Did they leave a message on our phone service?? No!!

We saw the manager after breakfast. Naturally I was very upset. They showed us the room next door.

And we ended up here!!

More repacking!! More vacation hours wasted!! John even helped move the extra twin bed from the second room into the third room. It was much nicer and sooo much more roomy.

Too bad we weren't in this room to begin with!! I would have been quite happy. We wouldn't have had so much drama, we wouldn't have wasted sooo much of our valuable vacation time, and even if it was a lot of work keeping both Jillian and Debra happy - I would have at least felt like I was on vacation and celebrating my anniversary!!!

Aruba 7 - We came home and headed to Atlanta!! Stay tuned!!!

2010-08-02T00:10:00.008-04:00

We sill enjoyed the sun and the sand...

When Jillian and Debra weren't wearing their hats, they wore sunglasses!!

When we weren't wearing our hats and/or sunglasses, we were dancing!!! Aside from all the drama, we all managed to have a great time!!

And if you think this kid had a free ride....

(as you can see)

.... we made sure we put her to work!!!

Post script...... On the last day of our vacation and on the way home, poor John came down with a bad case of food poisoning complete with terrible fevers, chills, sweats and several trips to the bathroom which lasted several days!!! Much to our relief, he was almost back to normal for our trip to Atlanta. More on that later!

Till next time, Myruba, hope we'll have a better experience!!

Coming up next.... onto Atlanta!!

Where did June go??!!

2010-06-20T01:56:00.003-04:00

Even with our busy work schedules, we managed to get to the beach. Good thing it's so close to home.

I'm not a big fan of the water here at home.

I'd much rather be in a tropical setting ...... like ARUBA!!

Sooooo, we're packing our bags and heading to where else but ......ARUBA!!!

...... And then we're headed to Atlanta??!!

More to come as we play catch up!!

More May/June Photos.....

2010-06-20T01:47:00.000-04:00

Time sure flies when your having fun!! It is just unbelievable how fast the days are going by!!

Try as I might, it is a little difficult to keep up posting once too much time has gone by. These are some photos from the end of May through June.

Week 23 "Play" - i heart faces Photo Challenge

2010-06-07T00:51:00.003-04:00

Nothing says "Play" like running through a shower from the hose when Daddy is watering the plants and grass - especially on a hot, humid day!!!!

For more "Play" please visit

"i heart faces"

Week 22 - "Barefoot Week" i heart faces Photo Challenge

2010-05-31T01:03:00.061-04:00

This week's photo challenge is "Barefoot Week"!!

Naturally, these photos came to mind!! We visited Auntie Connie upon our arrival home from China, and, there was barefoot fun in the air!!

We love you Auntie Con!!!

Here are some more of our barefoot photos from our first days in China and at home.

There's always Daddy's famous mismatched socks!!

And, of course, we have today's barefoot photos

WOW!!!

In a flash, I just can't believe two years have gone by!!

And so quickly too!!

About Soles 4 Souls: Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes free of charge to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria.

For more "Barefoot Fun" please visit "i heart faces"

Week 21 "Yellow" Photo Challenge

2010-05-23T22:04:00.002-04:00

I took this photo while walking through the Confucius Temple Marketplace in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

It was Sunday, May 25, 2008. It was the day before we were to meet our daughter for the very first time. The very last day of waiting to become a family.

Truly one of the most memorable times in our lives!

To see more "Yellow" please visit "i heart faces"

Time......

2010-05-23T19:45:00.001-04:00

January, February, March, April, and May 2010.

Lately, well not just lately, most of my posts seem to be photo challenges. I can't remember when I actually wrote something worth posting with some exceptions over the last year.

Now, as I sit at the computer these days, I just draw a blank - time goes by minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. I take Jillian's picture everyday, and I am amazed how much she has grown. There are so many pictures and stories to catch up on, however, the more time that goes by the harder it is to catch up.

So before I actually post these words, I take pen to paper the old fashioned way. As I get my thoughts in order, I am amazed how the words flow.

The demands of daily life, work, dealing with personalities and a constantly messy house - no make that two messy houses - are an endless source of frustration. Sometimes I just don't know where to start. I know I need organization. I also know I need to somehow add rest, sleep and "me" time into the fray. Not an easy task. I roam room to room and can't escape the things that need to to be done. I know it's not laziness. Sometime I just don't know how or where to begin, and sometimes I am just too damned tired.

We waited so long to have Jillian in our lives - YEARS!! Now that she's here, I am resentful of the time that I can't give her - the time that I am at work, the time that she is at daycare. I find myself wishing time away just to get through the week. Sad, isn't it??!!

There is so much more to life than waiting for the weekend to get here and when it's finally here, it's gone in a flash.

I want my sister, Debra, to get more enjoyment out of life than just shopping marathons, Dunkin D0nuts and cVs.

Then there's my Mom. Her birthday came and went and I didn't even post about it.

...My Mom...

2010-05-23T19:21:00.008-04:00

March 22, 2010.

March 22nd was my Mom's birthday.

Oh how I miss you. It's been so long since I saw your face in this lifetime. How I miss you. It brings tears to my eyes and my heart is heavy. I miss "our" time. I look for you in my dreams - not that I have much time for dreams. Threre's too little time for sleep.

So, belatedly, Happy Birthday, Mom, I love you and I miss you!

And, Mom...

"B7, that's a Bingo!!"

Always missed, always loved!!

...Then came April 4th...

2010-05-23T19:20:00.001-04:00

April 4, 2010

As well as April 4th being Easter, it was the two year anniversary we saw Jillian's face for the very first time!

I remember each and every detail of that amazing day with all it's anxieties, possibilities of disappointment (meaning no referral), as well as, the excitement of all that waiting coming to an end.

You can read all about it here!

...Then there was B1ue Cr0ss/B1ue Shie1d

2010-05-23T19:19:00.006-04:00

May 2010.

With all the stresses of work and the ensuing dreaded "0bamacare" and insane taxation coming our way thanks to our elected officials who were bribed and voted against our wishes, we can't wait for November! Pay back is a B****! We'll be voting your A**** out of here!!

We need to protect our Constitution, and protect our freedom of speech!!
We love Glenn Beck, and may God bless America!

...And then there was B1ue Cr0ss/B1ue Shie1d....

We now have issues regarding lack of insurance when BC/BS let their contract with our network of hospitals expire.

Lack of a BC/BS contract is threatening our jobs and our hospital. They refuse to negotiate any offers for a good contract and blame the issues on our hospitals.

I worry about my job, our health care coverage, and my hospital. I worry that my Dad is now NOT covered by my hospital. All his doctors practice there. Should he need care, he is NOT covered, and will have to go elsewhere.
All thanks to BC/BS!!

It's Raining.....

2010-05-03T23:41:00.000-04:00

BUBBLES!!!

Yea, I know, we been MIA!!

These pictures from mid April to let everyone know we're still blogging!!

I'll try to catch up A.S.A.P. Just not tonight.

Week 17 - "Smiles" Photo Challenge

2010-04-25T23:13:00.000-04:00

For this week's challenge, I'm joining my favorite model for our entry.

She just makes me "Smile"!!

To see more "Smiles" go to "i heart faces"

Week 16 - "Collages" - Photo Challenge at i heart faces

2010-04-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

These photos from Easter made a lovely collage!

To see more beautiful "Collages" please visit

"i heart faces"

The Contenders.....

2010-03-30T22:38:00.001-04:00

....for the next photo challenge at "i heart faces".
This week's challenge is "Dramatic Black & White". Hmmm... what to choose....what to choose!!
I have several favorites. These - just a few amongst the MANY favorites!!

Of course, mine is a biased choice as beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Sooo, I picked.....

Week 13 - "Dramatic B & W" Photo Challenge at i heart faces

2010-03-30T21:34:00.003-04:00

...Sooo, I picked...

...my better half!!

I took this photo of John while vacationing in Aruba before Miss Jillian was the apple of our eye!!

I love his expression as he squints into the sun!!

To see more "Dramatic Black & White",

be sure to visit i heart faces

Too bad we were too late in entering this week's photo challenge. Looks like we'll be saving this photo for a future "i hearts faces" photo challenge.

Week 12 - I Heart Faces Photo Challenge "Focusing on Angles"

2010-03-22T00:00:00.004-04:00

.... or in this case - Angels!!

For more focusing on angles and/or angels, please visit:

"i heart faces"

Week 11 - I Heart Faces Photo Challenge "Bundled Up"

2010-03-14T23:13:00.005-04:00

Don't ya just love the heart shaped snow flakes!!

Of course there's absolutely no comparison to Miss Jillian herself!!

Do we detect just a little prejudice??!!
Well, maybe a little!!

To see more "Bundled Up" photos, just visit "I heart faces"!!

Off.....

2010-03-12T03:44:00.000-05:00

A waiting room that looks like a video arcade!!

Super kid-friendly atmosphere!!

...to the Dentist...

2010-03-12T03:42:00.003-05:00

What's your favorite flavor?? Vanilla? Chocolate? Strawberry? Bubble Gum??

Bubble Gum!!!

Don't forget to bring your favorite video!!
We watched Dora!!

We LOVE Dr. Dan!!