A rough storm came up one night and left a sandy beach strewn with starfish. The next morning, a child walked along the shore, stopping every few feet to pick up a starfish and flinging it out into the sea. An old man watched the child and finally shouted at him, "Why bother, son? There's too many starfish to make a difference!". With that, the boy picked up another starfish and looked at it intently before heaving out into the sea. He then turned to the old man and said...

"It Makes A Difference To This One"...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Blue Toenails

The weather here was cool and rainy all weekend, and as we had been planning a garage sale, we found ourselves with no plans at all for the weekend!  We mostly sat around watching movies with the kids and playing with the zhu zhu pets and their little “town”.  It was very relaxing, and I can’t remember the last time we did nothing all weekend-usually they are jam-packed with activities!  It was a nice change!

Anyway, on Saturday, Bernie was putting Brody down for a nap, and I decided to take Makenna for her first pedicure (actually, I had a full pedicure, Makenna just had polish!)!!  We had a blast and she was very interested in the whole process.   I let her pick out our toenail polish, so now I have to live with neon blue toenails for the next few weeks, but I guess that’s ok.  She has informed me that next time, we’re getting purple polish!  I had the nail tech add a flower, and Makenna was delighted-she said she can’t wait to go to preschool and show all her friends!

 Maknbro May 16, 2010 028 Maknbro May 16, 2010 033Maknbro May 16, 2010 041

And, just for fun, here are a few more cute pics we took over the weekend!  BTW, Sandy, LOVE the Live Messenger!

Ya’ll have a good one!  MonicaMaknbro May 16, 2010 019 Maknbro May 16, 2010 010

note the rug burn on the tip of Brody’s nose!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Daddy Wasn't Thrilled....

Need I say more?

Daddy can breathe a sigh of relief, however: about 5 seconds after I took this picture, Brody ripped off the dress, head butted me, took a flying leap off the ottoman, and started playing with the loudest fire truck he owns. Methinks his sister coerced him into the dress and then dragged him upstairs to show him off. Brody is not really that interested in being the new Princess Jasmine, but at least I have a cute picture for his future girlfriends!

Monica

Monday, May 3, 2010

Diva

Being a glamorous diva is simply EXHAUSTING, dahling!

I caught Makenna napping on her beanbag this afternoon in her room...you can't see it in this picture, but Makenna has on lip gloss and sparkly face powder, and please notice the pink tutu! Her "makeup" box is outside the picture, and everything is open...she even used her sparkly body spray! She is going to be a very high maintenance wife to a very lucky man some day...that's my girl!!!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

9 Month Anniversary


A moment in time...my kids, tonight, freshly bathed...5/2/10, 8:00 pm.

Hi Friends!

Monday May 3rd marks our 9 month anniversary with Brody! Looking back, his transition into our family has been remarkably smooth. He and Makenna adore each other, and of course we think he's been just what our little family needed! He has such a good heart-he loves everybody, and is always ready with hugs, kisses, and smiles whenever needed. Brody is very loving and compassionate, and is the first to comfort anyone who has a boo-boo or a tear! We feel so lucky to have such beautiful and wonderful children!
The last two months have been fast, fun, and essentially uneventful. Bernie had a birthday in the beginning of March, and he got a new bike with a "kid carrier" to tow behind it. He and the kids have been having a lot of fun with it. There is a nice paved walking/biking trail near our house, so they have been going there. Bernie is glad to get the exercise, and of course Brody and Makenna love it! I pretty much just hold my breath until they get home!

They love it! Go, Daddy, GO!!!

Look both ways!

Someone once wrote (I am paraphrasing!) that the definition of motherhood is the willingness to wear your heart outside your body for 18 years....how true! Bernie, bring my babies home safely!!!
It's never too cold to play on the swingset!

Brody enjoyed his first Easter! At first he didn't understand what was going on, but he watched Makenna and was soon hunting for eggs right with her! Makenna and Brody helped Grandma color eggs, and they all had fun (or at least Makenna and Brody did!!!). Makenna really enjoys ANY gift-receiving holiday! The egg hunts were the best part...I never imagined when I was young that the most fun thing EVER is watching your kids have fun!!!

Decorating Easter Eggs- he's very neat and fastidious (like his dad!).




In my last post, I told you that we were trying to decide whether to send Makenna to public or parochial school for kindergarten. Well, we have actually decided to hold her back a year. This represents quite a turn-around for us and our way of thinking! We think she needs an extra year of preschool, growth, and maturity to take to kindergarten with her. She's very bright, but we want her to be a leader, not a follower, and so we want her to be very grounded in the skills she'll need for success in school. She only makes the "cut-off" for kindergarten by 9 days anyway, so the experts we've talked to said it would most likely be better for her to keep her out for an extra year. Makenna doesn't seem to mind, and at her preschool she'll be in the "yellow room" which is where all the big kids are, so to her that means more than going to kindergarten! Also, for selfish reasons, we get to have her at home for an extra year!!

Speaking of preschool, Brody turned 2 1/2 last week and so was able to start preschool at the same place Makenna goes. He loves it! He has been with Bernie and me many, many times to drop off and pick up Makenna, and so he is accustomed to the place, and knows that Mom or Dad will eventually come get you. He doesn't seem to mind being dropped off and left there, probably since Makenna is there with him. The teachers say Brody is doing great and playing well with the other kids, and that everyone loves him! It is so nice to have excellent day care available for my kids! Their preschool is the best around, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

My baby is going to preschool!!! Boo hoo!

At preschool- really, he's happy to be here!

We are all enjoying the nice weather we've been having. I'm so happy all of our trees have leaves on them and the grass is green and everything is blooming, even if my sinuses are going crazy! The kiddos have been outside in the back yard as much as possible, playing and getting filthy like kids are supposed to! Bernie and I have spent the last few weeks finishing some painting and redecorating inside, and I think we'll have a garage sale in the next few weeks. Thanks to my friend Sandy for encouraging me to get back on this blog- I need to do better, I know!!!
Beware criminals everywhere! Bridezilla Batman Supergirl is on the lookout!

Love to all, thanks for stopping by! Talk to you later!
Love, Monica