That Bunny Rocks!
Wow!
Yey! Candy!
Happy Kids
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Tags: easter. kids, Family, fun, love
Tag Archives: fun
Girls’ Night
25 FebDinner for one at a trendy restaurant in Buckhead-Atlanta – $47 (two glasses of Sangria and tip included)
A glass of wine, a Coke for the designated driver and the tip at the Ritz Carlton (also in Buckhead-Atlanta) – $20
Times I feared for my life while being driven in an SUV by a girl I hardly knew – 3 (but it made for some laughs!)
Number of movies we all knew the lines to – 9
Hours I spent away from my family – 7 and a half
Fun I had while sharing a night out with the girls – Tons
How much I appreciate and love Andrew for being so cool about my night out with the girls – Immeasurable
(He even did all the dishes and put them away!)
*Thanks to my neighbor, Allison, for thinking of me and liking me enough to invite me along with her buddies!
It was all fun and games…
23 FebSnow Angels
Having a Blast
You might be thinking – what was I thinking? I couldn’t help myself though. Nate was watching a cartoon and the little boys in it had on their hats and mittens and were having a blast playing in the snow. He looked at me and asked, “Snow? Nate play? Hat?”
What was I supposed to do?! He was so sweet and I could tell how much he wanted to bundle up and dive in to the white stuff. It would have never happened if it wasn’t for my sister and brother-in-law. Whenever Brian mails us something, he loads it with stuff like the packaging peanuts. I usually cringe when I see the stuff because it can make such a mess – it’s so funny what you’ll do for your children.
For the record though, about the mess, it took about 15 different runs of the Dyson to collect all the pieces – and there’s still some of it lingering around on the carpet and in my hair!
It was EVERYWHERE!
It was totally worth it
Whirlwind Wedding Weekend
12 FebBeautiful Princesses
Wow. What a weekend! It really featured a little bit of everything – some of the usuals (being stuck in the car for hours, angry little man fits, arguments over nothing and plenty of fast food) but there were also lots of firsts (taking in the Philly sights, a beautiful little flower girl, dancing with my sexy husband on a “Grand Ballroom” floor and enjoying fancy food that you certainly can’t get at the Applebee’s). Looking back on it all, I realize that I witnessed some wonderful things about my family.
1. Andrew is a saint and an incredible “baby-daddy”
I would have to say that poor Andrew had to suffer through the worst time of the whole weekend. He had to struggle with Nate during the entire wedding ceremony. (It was a Catholic mass so that meant he battled it out for a little more than an hour.) By the end of the ceremony, Nate’s bow tie was off and Andrew had drool/tear marks all down his tux jacket. As soon as we realized Nate was not going to be quiet through the ceremony (about 5 minutes into it), Andrew took him outside and stuck it out – only occasionally getting a glimpse of the wedding through the back doors of the church.
I know he was really bummed because he would have liked to see his cousin get married and I would have loved for him (and Nate) to share in the beauty of it all with me – but what can we do you know? I think what really made it all ok in the end was that an older couple came up to Andrew at the reception and told him he was a saint after what they watched him go through at the wedding. They told him they couldn’t believe how calm he remained and that they wanted him to know he did a great job. It brought tears to my eyes because it’s one of those things where you think everyone must think we are such horrible parents – I mean, why can’t we get control of our kids, right? Those few words of praise will go along way and I will always remember how great it made both of us feel.
2. Nia may be tiny but her heart is HUGE
"City of Brotherly Love" for sure
Nia did such a perfect job as flower girl princess. Her Lola fixed her hair in a beautiful French braid that circled the back of her head and she told me that she felt like Cinderella. She even said she would put her hand on her heart when she bent over (bowed) just like Cinderella does. I’m so proud of her – her personality and her ability to spread happiness amazes me every day. I couldn’t believe how many people kept asking her to do her “dance” and she would do it because it made her happy to make them smile.
Most Requested Dance
3. Nate – is actually a happy little man
I know, it’s so crazy to write that after reading what I wrote earlier but he really is happy. His smile is contagious and he always has one to flash at people. Even if he is in the middle of a fit, if someone walks up to him and talks to him or smiles at him, he smiles back and he still manages to say “please” and “thank you” – even if he’s crying! He loves to dance and laugh at silly things (like people at our table making faces at him). He loves to play Hide and Seek and Duck, Duck, Goose (which he tried to do a few times in our hotel room). He puts his head on my shoulder and says, “Hi Mommy” when he wakes up in the morning. He says the lines of movies while he’s watching them. He flirts with the ladies with just his eyes! He happily yells “PAPA!” during a rehearsal dinner toast and makes everyone laugh. He finds joy in simple things – Andrew put a quarter, two dimes, a nickel and four pennies in a small box and he didn’t want to let it out of his grip. He kept saying, “My money. My money.” That little boy.
Chick Magnet
I’m just glad that we got to be a part of such a fairy tale wedding. Erin (the bride) looked straight out of a bridal magazine and even changed into the prettiest pair of hot pink high heels for her reception which I thought was the cutest thing. Our extended family is such a caring, fun group of people and it was so nice getting to spend time with all of them. And speaking of family, we would be lost without Lola and Papa. Not only did they come to our rescue and help take care of the kids (letting mommy and daddy have a few hours of couple time) but they also covered all of our hotel costs!
Valles Moms
This trip also gave us another first. Our first “official” Philly Cheese Steak. We had no idea where to get one so we, of course, turned to the internet and discovered “Pat’s King of Steaks.” Andrew punched in the address in the GPS and it led us to a busy neighborhood complete with kids playing basketball and soccer in the cold and crowds of people surrounding two cheese steak shops – both claiming to be the best. We ordered ours “one wit whiz” and “one mushroom wit wiz” – one with onions and cheese whiz, one with mushrooms, onions and cheese whiz. I’m happy to say that the sandwich held its own in comparison to the sea bass, red snapper, beef tenderloin and amazing deserts we were treated to at the wedding events. Even the kids’ chicken fingers were fancier!
What a weekend!
Goofballs
Snow! (Or as Nate said, “No!”)
17 JanWe might have missed it if it wasn’t for our neighbor Allison. She called me during dinner and asked me if I had looked outside lately. It’s not that I haven’t seen snow before or anything – (I was born during a blizzard so the legend is told!) – it’s just a pleasant treat when it snows on us here in Georgia. Besides, this was the first good snow that fell on Nate since he’s been born! Here’s some of our fun –
At first he was scared!
Didn't want to come inside
Representin' all of us!
It is actually still snowing/sleeting out there and the ground is now covered much more than these pictures show. I’m so glad the kids got to have a little winter fun. Now, if I could just get Andrew to go get me a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sonic Blast – my snowy night will be complete…
Turning 30 with Family, Friends and Feces
12 JanYum right? I feel bad for even putting that word next to the other words. Not just because it’s so yucky, but because I literally feel bad because of it. Don’t worry, I won’t get all detailed or anything. It’s just – I can’t talk about my 30th birthday without mentioning the disgusting distress Andrew and I are suffering through even now.
We’ve had this rumbly in our tumbly for the past week. Remember when I wrote I was sick and then all better? Well, I apparently was deceived by this blah that has taken over our bodies. We are still able to function with it. We even are still hungry. But when we eat, we pay for it later. Severely.
It all would have been a lot more tolerable if it had rudely entered our lives at a better time. It happened to hit us right as we were getting ready to visit our family (Anna Marie, Marcus, Baby Ella and new Baby Maggie) – plus our buddies (Ginger, Lee and Baby Cami). We called and warned them. “We have a butt disease – still want to see us?” They must really love us because they all said yes. We’ll see if they still feel the same if they get it too! (Which I am praying they do not!)
It also came as I was turning 30 and Andrew had a very special surprise for me. He had secretly invited Anna Marie and her girls plus Ginger, Lee and Cami to go to one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook in front of you. He led me to believe we were going to an all you can eat buffet and never said anything about our friends being there! It was so super sweet and wonderful – that is – except for our tummy troubles. Andrew and I didn’t even eat our main food. It also wasn’t such a good idea to take 4 small children to one of those restaurants. For the most part, the were entertained by the chef but Nia was not having any of the food and Nate was hysterical before the chef came (“Chicken! French Fries!”), Ella was petrified of the fire and it was getting way late for Miss Cami. Poor Andrew. He did such a sweet thing for me – I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as he hoped – I want him to know how much it all meant to me and that I love him bunches.
Well, despite it all – I’m 30 and I had a lot of happy memories to go along with the big day. I got to spend my actual birthday with great friends. Ginger and Lee sacrificed their master bedroom so the Valles Fam could crash ever so comfortably. I got to enjoy 2 cakes – one that Andrew surprised me with and another that Ginger and I nibbled on secretly. She even made us super delicious daiquiris and a breakfast of champions the next day.
I may not be all that thrilled about turning 30 but then again – the older I get, the more time I get to spend with the people I love. I just hope the next birthday comes without the party on the potty.
Nate and Seek
16 NovHe hides his eyes and counts (“fa, fov, fa, fov”).
He takes off running in search of his big sister.
He’s nowhere close to finding her but then she makes a noise to help him. (Such a good big sis.)
He goes running toward the noise and screams “Air e is!”
It’s now his turn to hide.
He immediately “hides” right where Nia was hiding – the whole time wearing a huge smile on his face.
Nia counts and says “Ready or not, here I come!”
Nate runs out of where he was “hiding” and yells “Air e is!”
Never Too Old for Slumber Parties
16 NovIt’s funny because if we still lived in Savannah, I would be able to enjoy the company of good friends whenever I wanted. I would be able to call them up on any random day and say “let’s meet up for dinner.” I would be able to spend any weekend afternoon at the park with them or brave the mall with babies in tow. As much as I would love to be able to do those things, one thing living several hours away has done is require SLEEP OVERS!
I have always loved having friends stay over my house. My mom spoiled me by letting me have anywhere from 5 to 12 pre-teen/teen girls keep her awake with our giggles and screams and New Kids on the Block song renditions (choreographed dances included). Now that I’m older, the sleep overs have changed – we sure don’t stay up very late (1 am was insane!), we are now legally allowed to drink as much alcohol as we dare to, our conversations are about kids and money instead of which boy is cute and clothes/hair/weight – oh wait I’m wrong about that last one – weight is still a topic – but anyway – some things never change – like the comfort and security and sanity that good friends provide.
I loved getting to spend so much time with Ginger, Lee and Cami last weekend. We didn’t even have to do anything and it was fun. Watching the kids play – fun. Sitting on the couch and chillin’ (often with laptops) – fun. Heading out to Winder’s Fall Festival without knowing if it would be lame or not – fun (actually lots of fun). It was just so awesome getting my “friend fix” for 4 days straight and being able to celebrate Ginger’s birthday with her. I can only hope that we always try to do our best to share as many special events as we can together. After all, Ginger was part of one of the most special events in my life (Nia’s birth) and it just feels so natural to have our families grow up together. (And maybe even be able to watch our girls share more sleep overs!)
So Comfy
Partying Like It’s 1998 (but without the hangover)
11 SepWOW
2 of 50,000
The pictures don’t even half capture what it looked like at Saturday’s Dave Matthews Band concert at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. It was INSANE! Something like 50,000 tickets were sold. That pretty much equals a crap load of drunk people and a thick cloud of smoke from a whole lotta pot. Andrew and I were not part of either club. We actually only shared 3 beers between us and I think it was best that way. I think it was far more entertaining to watch the others than be one of them. (I did enough of that during my pre-kid days anyway.)
Andrew and I were so excited to get to go to this concert. We love DMB and the last time we saw them in concert was in 1998. (Yes, at that concert I was one of the drunk club.) This time was special because we did it for ourselves. Not to go with a group of friends or drink until we were silly – just to be together – by ourselves. I had a blast with my hubby – rockin’ out to the music – people watching – riding the city’s public transportation (it was a “Go Green” concert and they made it so you couldn’t park anywhere near the event). It didn’t matter what we did – I was just so happy to have that night with him.
DMB Dorks
It’s funny how even though we didn’t have the kids with us – we still had the kids with us. My mom stayed at home with them so her kid could go out and play but since Nia was sick, Andrew and I kept calling home to check on her and wondering if we should leave the concert. My mom assured us Nia was ok and we decided to stay but it still felt wrong to have too much fun while our little girl was yucky. It turns out though that she and her “Honey” (what she calls my mom) had a little slumber party of sorts. Honey let her stay up late watching “Beauty and the Beast” and when we came home, Nia was fast asleep in her princess bed and Honey was crashed out on the couch. It was a sweet sight after an evening of the usual crazy concert ones (I’ll have to write about my observations another time) and I’m so grateful for my mom and the chance to rock out again.
Concert Couple
Are You Zhazha? 
Say what?