Miracle Miner

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T22:35:00.001-04:00

We had a our annual gathering to trick or treat in our neighborhood. Craig and I enjoy having everyone over. I was informed by Gillian that next year we need to have games for all the kids to play...note taken!

Halloween Costume Parade

2011-10-31T22:28:00.002-04:00

There was a Halloween Costume Parade at Gillian's school and we definitely weren't going to miss it. Gillian was very excited that she put her headband in herself.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T22:23:00.001-04:00

Goblin Gallop

2011-10-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

We took Gillian to the first ever Goblin Gallop...it was at an apple orchard and a costume wasn't required but practically all participates were dressed. It was a nice added event for the Halloween Holiday!

First Halloween Party

2011-10-22T21:38:00.001-04:00

Gillian was invited to a Halloween party. She was very excited to go. It was a very nice situation. She was invited by a girl in her class and apparently when the girl's mother was young her parents did these parties for her so they were carrying on the tradition. I got Gillian all ready and of course had to get some pictures.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-16T21:08:00.000-04:00

We decided to take Gillian to the pumpkin patch, this is something we have always enjoyed doing every year. This year we thought Gillian would be old enough to attempt the Corn Maze (which Craig and I had never attempted prior to this)....I'm not sure any of us were old enough to try. We spent about 2 hours in the maze and ended up coming back out the way we went in as we couldn't find any other way out.

After the Corn maze we decdied it was time to head back to the market to wait for the wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch. While waiting at the market we purchased some cookies to eat...YUMMY!

We ended up on a wagon with a bunch of college kids...college kids that were loud and had way too much spirit for our family. We tolerated them but I think they annoyed all 3 of us. Once at the pumpkin patch it didn't matter how annoying the college kids were...it was time to find the perfect pumpkin!

Ice Skating

2011-10-15T19:28:00.001-04:00

Gillian has taken quite a liking to ice skating. She has gotten quite good at it too. She likes to use the bar only because she can go faster. She can skate on her own...she just has to go slow which isn't too fun to her.

The Cat

2011-10-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

While Craig and I were out of town the cat decided she would take a vacation as well. She had last been seen on Friday October 7th when she was let out in the am...and then nothing. I've been in a panic wondering what happened to her. Did someone find her and take her in? Was she injured? Was she lost? Did some animal eat her? IT was AWFUL! I had so much anxiety over where our cat had gone that it was all I could think about and all I could talk about. I left food out, I made numerous trips around our yard looking for her. Nothing. I was beginning to give up hope until I got this picture on my phone this morning from Craig -

Gracie was cold, went and hungry but all in tact and no injuries! So happy to have her home!

Soccer

2011-10-11T20:51:00.004-04:00

Gillian has found an activity that she definitely shows pride in....we hadn't really seen it prior to this year but she is definitely a fan of playing soccer. I loved soccer when I was in school and it makes me so happy to watch her enjoy it as I once did.

Trip Down South

2011-10-09T20:24:00.001-04:00

Craig and I had a chance to go down to the Mississippi/Tennessee area with freinds for a weekend. It's a nice break for Craig and I to get away and it gives Gillian a break from us. We ate a lot of BBQ, saw our first cotton field, got some southern history and had tons of fun!

Grandparents Day

2011-10-07T20:10:00.004-04:00

Gillian's school had a special day called Grand friends Day (this did not exist when I was a kid). Gillian was excited and the grandparents were excited. The school has special plans for the day. I had asked my Mom to bring her camera to get pictures....

New friend!

2011-10-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

Auntie Jody went to Florida and brought back a new friend for Gillian. She thinks it's pretty cool!

Happy Birthday Grammie Brooks!

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

Learning to Read!

2011-10-02T19:36:00.001-04:00

Gillian is learning to read at school (so excited!) These are her first two words and she needs to high five them in order to get in the fridge.

Daddy's Girl

2011-10-01T21:30:00.001-04:00

(In case you can't read it - Some Day I'll Have My Own)

The story behind the shirt is Craig bought it at a bike rally when she was 3 and now 2 years later she can fit into it but it's still a little big. I love that he thought about his little girl and I think the t-shirt is very cute and so true. She is dying to ride Daddy's bike.

Scarecrow…I think not!

2011-09-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Leader

2011-09-27T20:41:00.001-04:00

It was Gillian’s leader day in school. The first words out of her mouth when I woke her were – It’s my leader day! To say she was excited was an understatement. I put all her normal supplies in her backpack plus her snack to share with the class (some fruit by the foot snack with Scooby-Doo on the box) and her pink dog which was for her show and tell. I was impressed that Gillian ran down a mental check list when she was getting ready to go out the door and me telling her that I put them in the bag wasn’t good enough, she had to check for herself (she is so much like me). I crossed my fingers that the day went as she had hoped.

When Gillian got home she was in a great mood. She loved how her leader day went and is already looking forward to the next one. She even kissed Ned the fish (I had been told prior to this day that she was not kissing Ned the fish…lol). She did tell me how she thought it was unfair that she didn’t get to be leader out to the buses at the end of the day, which I explained was so her teacher could get the right people on the correct bus. She seemed okay with that answer but not overly impressed with the idea.

No help needed...

2011-09-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

I spoke to Gillian’s teacher this morning and she again reassured me that Gillian is doing just fine. She is shyer than the other kids but she said it’s still normal. She said she participates in class and does interact with the other kids and does do parallel play which is normal for Gillian’s age. She said she made a special point of watching Gillian in school on Friday and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She told me that Gillian is sweet and intelligent and is going to do wonderfully in Kindergarten.

Just what I needed to hear!

Trying to help...

2011-09-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

I didn’t tell Gillian that I had sent a note into the teacher asking if there was anything that we could do or that could be done at school to help her become more comfortable.

Gillian’s teacher called (while we were eating so I didn’t get to take the call) and left a message that Gillian was an extremely sweet child and that she is shy but she is participating so she will probably just need a bit more time than other kids. She said she would call back after watching her on Friday with more information. She was very reassuring that I had nothing to worry about.

This helped Craig and I feel so much better.

Open House

2011-09-21T21:53:00.000-04:00

I went to Gillian's school's open house tonight...what a NIGHTMARE! I’ve decided there should be a handbook that you are given (I would even buy it if necessary) that gives you the background on the first year of your child’s schooling (so you know what to expect). How was I going to know that open house is a zoo? I wish I would have dressed appropriately for the extremely hot temperatures as all the parents, children and teachers piled in to the gym. There were enough people that all the seats were taken so it was standing room only and we were there before it started! After the introductions were done, we were told we could wander the school and get check out our child’s classrooms. Before we got out of the gym a couple kids had yelled to Gillian saying hi. Gillian hid behind me. This would help explain why she has not made any friends.

We headed to Gillian’s class, and stopped for apple cider on the way as I was dying of thirst from the extreme temperature of the gym. Gillian’s teacher arranged for a scavenger hunt…good idea in theory but not the best idea in large groups of people and over excited children. I spent the entire time trying to keep up with my 5 year old that knew exactly where she was going…I did not. So after 50 minutes and a completed scavenger hunt…we headed home.

I got home, got Gillian showered and into bed. I sat down on the couch and I knew exactly why my child wasn’t thrilled about meeting new people. I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I’m now prepared for next year.

Broken Heart

2011-09-20T22:51:00.000-04:00

I was talking to Gillian about school, she was telling me how they finished letting the butterflies go so they could go to Mexico and meet up with their friends…then she burst into tears and said, “I have no friends.” As a Mom I can tell you that this is such an awful moment. It’s worse that her scraping a knee or getting a finger caught in the door…I can’t fix her broken heart. I very calmly kept my composure and asked,”Why do you think you have no friends?” She told me how she does everything on her own at lunch time and recess because the other kids already had friends from before school started. I told her that all the kids couldn’t possibly have a friend from before school and asked if she was attempting to talk to the other kids. She told me she wasn’t which wasn’t a surprise to me as I know my child is shy. I calmed her down and we talked about the friends she does have – Emma, Zandra and Ava. I explained that there are other kids that are probably very similar to them and would love to hang out with Gillian at school. She wasn’t buying it but she did seem happier discussing her current friends list. I tucked her into bed and went downstairs and cried for her. I hate seeing her with a broken heart and one that I know when the kids do get to know her she will have more friends than she will know what to do with. I just have to hope it’s sooner rather than later that she starts letting others in.

Dress #2

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hanging with Daddy!

2011-09-16T20:00:00.001-04:00

First Dress to School

2011-09-15T07:43:00.000-04:00

American Girl

2011-09-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

Gillian has discovered American Girl and she can't get enough of looking through catalogs. I can't imagine if I told her they have web page. For anyone that doesn't know what American Girl is, please go here - http://www.americangirl.com/ .

I have to admit as expensive as I find the stuff, she is too cute to watch and listen to going through the catalogs. She pointed to a bed on one of the pages - "So my doll can sleep comfortably," she said. On another page there was a horse and stables - "So she can be a riding sensation," she said. What 5 year old uses the word sensation? She is just too cute.

We have looked through these catalogs a bunch of times. All Monday evening, waiting for the bus Tuesday morning, before bed on Tuesday night. I constantly find her sitting in the recliner just going through the catalogs...it is way too cute!

Sick Day

2011-09-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

2:30 this morning Gillian came and laid in bed with me. This happens sometimes so it wasn't a surprise to me. At 3am she woke me up to tell me she would be sick:( And so the 3 and a half hours of Gillian getting up to throw up began. I had hoped her years in daycare would have cut back on Gillian catching stuff at school but apparently not. So Gillian's 5th day of school was spent at home.

Were you reading that?

2011-09-11T19:48:00.000-04:00

Family Project

2011-09-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

This is our family project that Gillian had to complete for Kindergarten. It's ginger Gillian. Each child had to do one and then they have to tell about it to the class. Gillian goes later this month...she is stressing it. I'm hoping by the time it comes she will be okay with getting up to do it. She seems to surprise me regularly so I'm hoping this is another one of those times.

Middle of the night!

2011-09-08T19:24:00.000-04:00

Middle of the night is how Gillian describes the time she needs to get up for school!

First Day of School

2011-09-06T10:30:00.001-04:00

Today was Gillian's first day of school, going to Kindergarten. She has been so excited since the meet the teacher to go and be at school. I woke her up at an hour that I don't think she has seen since she was an infant not sleeping through the night. She ate a couple pancakes with a glass of strawberry milk then out to wait for the bus (even the fury kids came out to see Gillian get on the bus). She never cried or seemed scared to go. She climbed right up on the bus. I am such a proud parent.

Night before...

2011-09-05T19:55:00.003-04:00

Her backpack is packed, the first day outfit is picked out, lunch will be bought at school and she is as excited as the night before Christmas to start school. I know, normally, I would be crying but I have tried to keep this moment as positive as possible. I know my baby isn’t a baby anymore. She isn’t even a toddler anymore. She has become the most amazing little girl. I took a moment tonight to tell Gillian how much I love her and how proud I am of the girl she has become. I let her know as long as she tries her best, her parents will always be proud of her. It was quite a moment for us; it always amazes me how she reacts to things…always in her special way.

Here is hoping that getting her on the bus in the morning goes smoothly. My fingers are definitely crossed….

Hair Apt

2011-09-02T12:00:00.002-04:00

Gillian has been bugging me for the past 2 weeks to take her to get her hair cut. I was trying to leave it until the week before school started which I successfully accomplished but she definitely wasn't happy about it. All I have heard is complaints about how long her bangs are getting.

Taking her to the hair salon is such a treat. She loves to be pampered...we will be spending a fortune in a few years, I can feel it. She also amuses herself the whole time her hair is being worked on and she entertains Bonnie (hairdresser) and myself. She calls them dragon clips...and she plays with them the entire time her hair is worked on.

Meet the teacher!

2011-09-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

Craig and I took Gillian to meet her teacher today. I think we all had some nerves about this. It went so good. Gillian is now excited to go to school, not scared or nervous. She says it will be fun fun fun! This is a huge relieve to Craig and I that she is now so excited to go to school. This will hopefully make the first day much easier.

Soccer Season Kick Off

2011-08-31T21:30:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the start of soccer season. Gillian did really good. I think soccer camp was totally worth it. She was kicking, stopping the ball, dribbling (extremely well, even looking up at the goal she would shoot at!) and throw ins (when the coach was watching). She did such a great job, I was so proud of her!

As we were picking the chairs that we were sitting in to watch practice I snapped this really great picture of Gillian and my Mom.

Insanity?

2011-08-30T19:25:00.001-04:00

Craig and I had agreed that Gillian would not be doing dance, gymnastics and soccer plus starting school this fall. All summer we said she would need to give one up and even asked her if she had to pick one to stop which one would she choose to keep. Our child's happiness means so much to us. We don't have the heart to tell her she has to give something she enjoys. Today, my Mom took the paperwork to gymnastics registration for me while I was working and tonight I went to dance registration so Gillian is set to start both activities in the next month. Tomorrow soccer starts and next Tuesday she heads to Kindergarten. We know that this schedule will be intense on us for the next month and hopefully we make it through so she can do all the activities.

Soccer

2011-08-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

I had signed up to coach Gillian's soccer team this fall. I found that I didn't get the job when the coach called me to let me know when Gillian's first practice is. I wasn't overly disappointed, I would have liked to coach but at the same time I can enjoy watching just my child and not worrying about everyone's children. Gillian was very disappointed....I probably shouldn't have mentioned that I signed up to coach but I had actually asked her permission...odd that I would ask her permission? I realize she is 5 but she is the one playing the sport and I explained to her if I coach, I'm coaching the team not just Gillian so she wouldn't have my full attention. Not that I totally think she grasped this concept but I do try to include her. Either way, there were tears shed and I assured her that maybe next year I would coach.

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-14T20:48:00.000-04:00

Today Craig and I celebrated the 8th year in our home!

Thought I would share...

2011-08-08T06:30:00.000-04:00

I saw this and enjoyed it so thought I would share it here.

End of a Season

2011-08-01T21:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight was Gillian's T-ball party. Another year down (where is the time going?). Due to the rain this spring, the t-ball season was cut short. I believe we got in close to 10 games last year and this year was more like 5. Gillian's coach did another great job and had a great assistant (that would be Craig!). I'm sad that the coach's son is a year older than Gillian because she won't have the same coach next year. I hope his replacement is as good as he has been for the past 2 years. Gillian's favorite part of the party...playing on the playground.

Best Friends

2011-07-20T21:58:00.002-04:00

T-Ball

2011-07-14T20:45:00.001-04:00

Fun Runs

2011-07-13T20:01:00.005-04:00

At the starting line!

She is in the group, it's hard to find her, you can just see the edge of her skirt.

Gillian's running buddy, Jonathon.

No running buddy compares to Daddy though....

Annual Visit

2011-07-09T22:34:00.000-04:00

Craig and I took Gillian for her annual visit to The Great Escape. She always enjoys the trip and it's a nice family day away from home. The weather was beautiful and there were NO lines. We went on tons of rides, visited the water park (the water was too cold) and had a wonderful family day!

Co-Pilot

2011-07-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

Pooh Bear had a grooming appointment and my car was so hot I felt bad sticking her in the trunk so she got to be my co-pilot home! I think she actually prefers the trunk.

Playground

2011-07-07T20:05:00.000-04:00

We took Gillian early to tball practice so she could play on the playground. I may be a fan of the swing set myself. I manage to catch this great picture of Gillian while we both were swinging.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T19:41:00.000-04:00

Soccer Camp

2011-07-01T18:10:00.014-04:00

I had signed Gillian up for soccer camp this summer. Last year we missed the sign ups. It was 2 hours a day for a week. Gillian had a blast. Luckliy they had nice weather all week for it.

Loving Summer

2011-06-28T17:58:00.000-04:00

Gillian talked me into buying some Lillies. I'm glad she did. It's nice to walk into the kitchen and see the flowers on the counter and when you walk in our front door it smells amazing.

Involved Cat

2011-06-27T20:40:00.000-04:00

Gracie loves Gillian's toys. She has pretty much destroyed all Polly Pockets clothes and she loves to bat around anything tiny she can get a hold of but when the Barbies come out, she likes to nap in the middle of everything.

Strawberries

2011-06-26T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today Gillian and I went with Grampie Brooks to the strawberry patch to pick our own strawberries. Just the smell walking to the patch was unbelievable.

Once we were back home Gillian and I made fresh strawberry milkshakes....oh so good!

Daycare

2011-06-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Gillian:

Today is your last day of daycare, you will probably not remember this day when you are older. Kind of like recently you have been asking me about your first day of daycare. It’s hard to believe that 3 years and 4 months have gone by since you started attending daycare.

When you first started going you cried all day…from when we dropped you off until when we picked you up. Don’t worry that phase passed so eventually you were okay with us dropping you off and you got so excited when we picked you up. You even got to the point that you were thrilled when we dropped you off and didn’t want to leave when we came to pick you up.
It’s hard to believe when you started there, you still used a Nuk, you weren’t talking and you were extremely wobbly on your feet. The time has flown by and now you talk like a teenager (including attitude) and you are becoming stronger and stronger every day.

Your Dad and I are so grateful that you were able to attend such a wonderful daycare. The women there treated you like you were their own child and we are positive you were their favorite!

I know over the next couple of months will be an adjustment for you which we took into consideration when we chose to have you leave daycare at the beginning of summer rather than the week before starting school. The daycare has been a huge part of your life for most of your life and you will miss it, I’m sure of that.

Tomorrow you will start a new chapter in your life. Your Dad and I are confident that you are ready. We are so proud of the young girl you are becoming. We love you!

Love,
Mom

Fun Run

2011-06-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

Gillian started her fun runs tonight. She now had to move into the ½ mile group. I had warned her prior to going that she would be younger than a lot of the kids and not to be discouraged if she didn’t come in first. I gave her the usual competitive pep talk in our house – if anyone falls, keep running; if you fall, get up and start running again; just keep running.

So she took off with everyone and headed straight for the back of the pack. I couldn’t really figure out what she was doing because she didn’t know any of the other kids so I knew she wasn’t staying there because she knew them. As they got closer I realized one of the children was crying…Gillian does not deal well with crying. She didn’t seem to know what to do about it (her usual response to anyone crying is panic). So I’m yelling telling her to keep running so she proceeds on as the child’s mother gets her son out of the way.

Then she catches up to another kid and proceeds to run so close that she is almost tripping him rather than run around him she just stays right on his heels. So I’m yelling to pass and she just stays right there for the entire race…lol

So you can imagine the conversation in the car on the ride home about next week’s run. You must pass people. You are going to hurt yourself and others running that close to people. If someone is crying you can’t help them so don’t wait for them. Basically this is a heartless sport and the goal is to be first over the finish line…lol

Competitive parenting at its best! For a child that will have a meltdown after losing a board game she takes not coming in first quite well in sports. All she cared about is getting a popsicle…that was the win to her. I wish life was that easy.

Family Fun!

2011-06-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

Last night I got home from work and I was in a somewhat bad mood. Right after arriving home from work a coworker called and I was on the phone for about a ½ hour which put me in somewhat of a better mood so I went downstairs to see what Craig and Gillian were doing. They had blown up water balloons and I could hear them talking about ambushing me…well I was not interested in getting soaked with cold water balloons. I kept listening; they had set aside a couple balloons by the slider for me so I had somewhat of a chance and put a bunch in a dump truck that was placed on the opposite side of the yard.

I went into survival mode and they were getting ready assuming I would walk out shortly so I grabbed a pitcher and filled it with semi warm water (I do have a heart) and proceeded out the front door. It was going to be all about timing whether I would survive.

They were so engrossed in their conversation they didn’t even see me coming till it was too late (and I’m not fast people, I guess their ability to block everything out came to my advantage). So I managed to throw half of each of them. Which then started the war and eventually all balloons were gone and a hose was brought out. By the end we were all soaked and had a very fun evening!

The Girls

2011-06-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

Zandra, Emma, Ava and Gillian

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T20:12:00.002-04:00

I had been looking forward to this past weekend since Craig and I had booked it. We went down to Hartford, CN to see Eddie Vedder perform. It’s a nice small venue and it was time away for us and for a HUGE Pearl Jam fan that my husband is, it seemed like the perfect Father’s Day weekend.

It was hard to break the news to Gillian that she would not wake and see Daddy on Father’s Day. There may have been a meltdown. And she is at the age that she knows we are doing something without her if she is going away for the night so she wants to know what she is missing.

On the way there Craig and I discussed when we would take her to her first concert. I’m not sure she is quite ready as sometimes getting her to sit through a movie at the theatre is tough and concert tickets are a lot more expensive than the movies.

Once we made it to our hotel and gave our car up to be parked for the night we headed out for some food. After goggling some restaurants we headed out to Salute. It was a nice Italian restaurant. From there we went to Black Bear Saloon for the pre-party. It is very rare that I go have drinks alone with my husband….it was SO nice. And definitely something I want to do again. From there we headed to the show which was really good. I love to people watch and I saw 3 air guitars…by 3 different people…lol I couldn’t help but laugh each time I saw them. From the concert we headed back to the hotel…it was about 3 miles of walking according to Google as we didn’t bother with a taxi since the weather was so nice.

Sunday we were up and on the road as quickly as possible so that we could get home to Gillian. It was so nice to walk into my parents house and have Gillian all ready with Craig’s Father’s Day gift and wishing him a Happy Father’s Day…she is so grow up!

(Craig is wearing the hat Gillian picked out for him and a frame that she made for him.)

Gymnastics & TBall

2011-06-13T18:30:00.001-04:00

We signed Gillian up for summer gymnastics! It will only be 1 day a week as we are hoping tball will be starting so we didn't sign her up for 2 days.

We did found out that the weather and wet fields have been why tball hasn't started. It's going to be a short season, that's for sure.

Gillian is looking forward to starting both activities soon.

Fire Dept Field Day

2011-06-12T18:30:00.001-04:00

Last year we took Gillian to her first Fire Dept Field Day. It's free and the weather had been beautiful that day. It was her first encounter with a parade and she had a blast.

We had mentioned to her this past week the field day was coming up and if she wanted to go which of course she answered she wanted to go...free candy!

The weather did not look quite as nice, a chance of rain was the forecast...we got soaked! Gillian had a blast which was what the day was all about so that is all that mattered.

(I kept trying to get a picture of her waiving, you can't see her left arm but that is what she is doing.)

(Sorry for the blurry picture but she was a wild woman trying to get all the candy because we all know she loves to collect it and then will rarely eat it!)

Car ride home enjoying her tootsie roll!

Last Day of Gymnastics

2011-06-11T14:30:00.000-04:00

Today was Gillian's last day of gymnastics for the year. As much as I hated having to participate in gymnastics with her every Saturday morning, I was sad to go to the last day. It was another reminder that she is growing up and doesn't need me quite as much. It is amazing to see how far she has come in that class. There is a huge difference in her from the first day to the last day. All her moves are stronger and she isn't quite as scared as she was in the beginning (her main fear is the balance beam...not the uneven bars which Ms. Kelly says she is fearless with). I am very proud that she will be attending level 1-2 in the future. I love that although Gillian will openly tell you, "I'm not very good at this", she keeps trying.

Diva

2011-06-08T18:51:00.000-04:00

Dance Recital Pictures

2011-06-03T06:30:00.000-04:00

Recital Time

2011-06-02T06:30:00.001-04:00

Gillian has her dance recital tonight. She is over the top excited to be up on stage. It’s funny that such a shy little girl has no second thought about getting up on stage in front of an auditorium full of strangers. We look forward to dance recital time because that means dance class is coming to an end for the year (it can be a long year!). But I can’t believe she has already been through 2 years of dance. I remember the little girl that I had to sit in the dance studio and watch the other kids because she wouldn’t join in then it was hit or miss the entire first year whether if we got there she would participate (there may have been bribes). Now she will glance at the window to make sure we are watching but it’s not her top priority. My baby isn’t a baby anymore and I’m constantly being reminded of it.

Sharing a forward...

2011-06-01T21:08:00.001-04:00

I received this as a forward and thought I would share....enjoy!

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because theyhaven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband complained when they suggested going out to dinner?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched your favorite show on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasmfor life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now..go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I shared this with you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.'And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T21:15:00.005-04:00

It might have been 82 degrees outside but I didn't go out there (I'm totally not an outdoor person). I stayed inside, got some laundry done, dishes done, rice krispie treats ready for a BBQ and all bedding changed. It's going to be a busy week so had to get anything I could do today done. Had a nice BBQ with family.

Birthday Party

2011-05-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

As soon as we got the invitation Gillian couldn't wait to go to the party. It was a party that she would get to ride a pony. The day came and all day long that is what she talked about. She was sad when we left and she asked if she could get riding lessons. I explained that is very expensive and she was debating on what she could give up to go for the lessons. We'll have to wait and see.

Sneak Peak

2011-05-25T18:59:00.002-04:00

Gillian's dance recital is coming up...sneak peak of what she is wearing!

Spring is finally here!

2011-05-20T18:56:00.001-04:00

Mamacation!

2011-05-11T20:44:00.003-04:00

I took a Mamacation which entailed a trip down to NY City to meet my favorite author with a good friend.

Other than going away for work, I have never left Gillian and Craig. It felt strange at first but by the time I got home I felt refreshed and had missed both deeply.

I got to meet my favorite author Jen Lancaster.

We wandered the streets of NY which were much safer than I expected. We went to the top of the Empire State Building which was beautiful (although we both wondered how we were going to make it as we are both scared of heights.

The second day we went to Woodbury Commons....I recommend this to all woman that like shopping...we could have spent days there!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:41:00.001-04:00

My gift from Gillian for Mother's Day!

Gillian's Room

2011-05-06T20:38:00.000-04:00

Craig and I were off May 5th and 6th. We were originally going to leave town but then I decided a home project might be more fun. I've wanted to turn Gillian's room into a big girl room for a while now as she is far from the baby we brought home not even 5 years ago. The yellow just didn't suit her. Gillian went to stay with Grammie for a couple nights and Craig and I went to work. I think Easter Basket Purple suits her much better.

Easter Gift

2011-04-28T20:30:00.000-04:00

Gillian received a pair of roller skates for Easter Grammie and Grampie Miner. I can be honest, I knew she wanted them but really didn't know if they were a good idea. Sometimes her coordination gets the best of her. But she has such an interest in everything and really enjoys trying to learn how to do new stuff that I don't want to discourage her.

They have turned out quite well. I can't say she is a natural but she is definitely giving it a shot....and I think she likes the equipment that goes with it.

When I look at her with her roller skates, knee pads, elbow pads and helmet....all I can think is roller derby!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T09:33:00.000-04:00

Gillian was up way too early for Craig and I to be excited. We acted excited and thrilled but 6:45 came too soon. Gillian had a blast going around the house looking for eggs that the Easter Bunny had left for her to find.

Easter Dinner

2011-04-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

Gillian and I went to my parents for Easter dinner tonight. It was nice to get together for the holiday. The girls had fun hunting for candy that was left by the Easter Bunny. He didn't know that my parents vacation ended prior to Easter Sunday so he was nice enough to leave stuff for them to find ahead of time.

10,000 Eggs

2011-04-23T12:30:00.000-04:00

It was rainy and cold but we took Gillian to the egg hunt at the hospital. 10,000 eggs gone in less than a minute and a half. Gillian made out like a bandit.

Ava is home!

2011-04-18T21:49:00.005-04:00

Gillian and I were invited over to meet Ava tonight! My day did not go by quick enough. After work I picked up Gillian and went home to feed her and get my camera and off we went to visit. She is so tiny and precious....I could have held her for hours!

The Wait is Over

2011-04-17T14:30:00.001-04:00

I got a call from a very proud Daddy letting me know that my newest precious neice was coming home tomorrow! The time is not going by fastest enough....

Practice Run

2011-04-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

I planned an egg hunt for Gillian and my nieces. Gillian called it the practice one for when the Easter Bunny comes next week. It was a very cold day but the girls had fun and kept it quick!

Humor

2011-04-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

Gillian and I went for a walk/bike ride - I walk, she rides her bike - last night. We were heading up a slight hill and she got stuck where she couldn't get the pedals moving so I told her to wiggle her butt meaning forward to back to get going and of course she wiggled left to right....so she looks at me and says"Silly, that's not getting me anywhere." So of course I explain what I meant and give her a push. Then on the last lap there was a man walking a dog and it was obvious he was training the dog. We pass him and Gillian looks at me and says,"He is teaching his dog tricks." And I respond,"Yes, he is." She looks at me totally serious and says,"That's dangerous to do in the road." The only response I could give her,"Yes it is." She does bring such humor to my life.

5 Year Apt

2011-04-12T19:35:00.004-04:00

Gillian went for her 5 year old apt today. She is 38.4 lbs and 43 3/4 inches tall. And TOTALLY healthy!

Ironically the only thing we worry about for her yearly physicals is if they are going to ask us what she eats. For 38.4 lbs she eats more in a day than most adults. If she isn't eating a meal then she is snacking on something. But miraculously the girl struggles to put on some weight.

The storm!

2011-04-11T19:30:00.001-04:00

We had thunderstorms at 3am and 7 am. I had been looking forward to the thunderstorms all week and hoped that the weather man was actually correct. This is what it looked like when I left my house for work.

Yes, I need a boat!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-04-08T19:29:00.000-04:00

I got a fabulous suprise today at work....Craig and Gillian delivered roses to me. I'm a very lucky lady!

Spring is here!

2011-04-03T18:22:00.000-04:00

Gillian got a chance to try out her scooter.

Turning 5

2011-03-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Gillian surprised me by picking up her toys and putting everything in it's place after her bath....she says it's because she is 5 and needs to pick up after herself.

After dance Gillian had to use the bathroom, normally she needs help getting her dance outfit off so I told her I would be right there. She already had it off and was set. She told me she was 5 and needed to learn to do stuff on her own so she was going to try to start doing more herself.

I love the new attitude....

Birthday with Family and Friends

2011-03-27T06:30:00.002-04:00

We had a birthday party at the local bowling alley for Gillian with family and friends. Craig and I weren't sure how it would go when I booked it but we are happy with the outcome. All the kids seemed to have fun and even the parents seem to have a good time.

Pictures from the Party

2011-03-25T06:30:00.001-04:00

If only we could keep her small forever but that wouldn't be fair to her. Our baby turned 5....

Every Birthday Girl gets a cake....

I couldn't resist sharing the picture of poor old Pooh....we decorated her cone, there is ribbon attached to all the pieces of tape.

Happy 5th Birthday Gillian!!!!!

2011-03-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the world!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Stay tuned for the 5th Birthday pictures!

Slightly New Hair Style

2011-03-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

Independence

2011-03-17T22:11:00.003-04:00

I called Mary because when I had dropped Gillian off it was a hectic morning and had forgotten to let her know Grammie Miner would be picking her up. Then I had asked Craig to call and let her know and he forgot. So at the end of my awful day I called to let Mary know and she said she was glad I called because she had something to tell me. It's funny that after 3 years I still dread her telling me this like it is going to be something awful.

Apparently Wednesday morning Gillian was in the bathroom doing her business and it was taking sometime so out of concern Ms. Sophia knocked on the door and opened it to see what had happened and Gillian had her hand in her pants like she had lost something. Ms. Sophia jokingly said,"Have you lost your underwear?" Gillian didn't have ANY on!!!! I had been so proud of her getting herself all ready Wednesday morning as we are trying to encourage independence that I didn't check to make sure she had them on and she went to daycare with no underwear on. Initially I was like - OMG, what kind of parents send their child to daycare with no underwear on....lol It made me laugh multiple times that evening after an awful day!

Happy Clover Day

2011-03-17T07:07:00.000-04:00

Kindergarten Registration

2011-03-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

We took Gillian to Kindergarten registration yesterday. Its been on my mind for the past week wondering what it would entail and how she would react. All week we had been reminding Gillian so it wasn't a surprise. She seemed excited about going which was a good sign. We got there early and found our way to the main office and the person checking in was in Gillian's gymnastics class so one child she would know was comforting. I could tell Gillian was nervous because she clung to Craig..not to his leg or wanting him to pick her up but she wasn't letting that hand go. We got all checked in then off to the library for the screening with an escort. We walked Gillian over to the first teacher she would meet and we were told we had to let Gillian go on her own. I could have burst into tears but I was determined to make it through without crying.

Craig and I went over to meet the nurse. She first asked if this was our first child to go to school and I answered,"Our first and only." "You will cry," she responded. In my head I'm still repeating not today not today. She told us her expectations and what she does. Gave us tons of paperwork basically what we expected. Same rules as daycare on a sick child, pretty easy. Then we were sent to sit with other parents all waiting for our children to finish the screening.

While waiting more kids were coming in as kids left and I realized we could have totally done a car pool last year for dance. The next two children that came in were from Gillian's dance class and even one of the teachers doing the screening had a child in Gillian's dance class and her daughter is going to Kindergarten this year. Made me feel better that Gillian would know some kids in her class.

When Gillian was complete the screening she got to go see a Kindergarten class. While she did that we were told how the screening went. She scored average (which we all know she is above but we'll let the school slide this time....lol). Again we were told to expect to cry and anxiety with our only child going to school (HELLO people I'm trying hard to make it through this without crying) and that we are more than welcome to call the school any time between now and then with questions and not to think we are asking bad questions. Overall they were extremely nice and happy and it was a pleasant environment.

After we left we asked Gillian how she liked it and she said,"Good." Just like her Dad, not elaboration on anything.

I went back to work and Gillian and Craig had a Father/Daughter day.

I made it through the whole day...I laid down to sleep and then I cried.

Let It Snow

2011-03-07T21:24:00.003-05:00

Today I stayed home from work and Gillian stayed home from daycare due to a state of emergency because we have 30 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. I'm totally done with winter....the cold and the snow is just been too much this year.

Last day of Ice Skating

2011-03-05T19:56:00.004-05:00

Today we took Gillian public skating for the last time this winter. We invited her cousin Emma to come along for her first time ice skating. I'm not sure Craig totally thought this through prior to inviting two girls ice skating. These are not in any particular order....

Dr. Brooks

2011-02-25T06:30:00.002-05:00

I couldn't resist getting a picture of the new proud new Dad in his scrubs after delivery!

Ava

2011-02-24T22:35:00.004-05:00

Our newest niece arrived tonight around 5pm. Ava was born at 31 weeks 6 days, weighing in at 4lb 7oz and 17.5 inches long. She is currently residing in the NICU and thriving. She will be home before we know it...she just needs to finish growing. The parents are thrilled she is here and are both doing well.

There is more to this story that will be coming at a later date.

Disney on Ice

2011-02-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

We hadn't gotten enough of Disney for one week....Gillian and I headed to see Disney on Ice with Kristina, Emma Grace and Kristina's Mom.

Day 5 Disney Vacation

2011-02-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

Our final day on the Disney Vacation we were initially going to try to go to one of the parks one last time but we decided to relax at the resort. Craig and Gillian went for their final dip in the nice warm pool while I packed and got things ready for the trip home. We played in the arcade and just enjoyed the warmth from the outdoors.

Day 4 of Disney Vacation

2011-02-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

We headed to Magic Kingdom to get through our final part - Adventureland. We flew on the rugs with Aladin and we took a boat tour of the Jungle.

After Adventureland we went back to Thunder Mountain which Gillian told she us she wanted to ride (we were surprised). After the ride Gillian said she only wanted to ride it because we enjoyed it....very thoughtful of her.

After lunch we rode a steam boat.

Once off the boat we had decided we would leave Magic Kingdom to get back to the pool at the hotel....bad timing we hit the Celebration Parade. It took forever and I even wanted to use profanity to try to get out of the Happiest Place on Earth....lol I think they would have asked me to leave....lol

After leaving I was happy we got to see the parade one more time. It reminded me why were there....we were celebrating Gillian and she was having the time of her life.

Day 3 of Disney Vacation

2011-02-16T21:32:00.005-05:00

We headed back to Magic Kingdom to try to get through Frontierland and Fantasyland.

We went to Frontierland first to try to get to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain because we had heard they normally have the longest lines. On the way there we managed to find Donald Duck so we had pictures taken with him.

After that we did get to Splash Mountain and we were lucky that there was no wait because it wasn't overly hot yet. Craig and I enjoyed the ride...Gillian not so much. It was quite a long ride which was nice and definitely made it worth the ride but there were a lot of parts in the dark so Gillian was not a fan.

After leaving Splash Mountain we say Minnie and Mickey so went over for a picture.

From there headed to Thunder Mountain, there was a line but nothing too bad. Again, Craig and I enjoyed the ride but Gillian hated the parts in the dark.

From there we went over to Fantasyland. We rode the tea cups, flew through the air with Dumbo and rode the Carousel.

The day flew by and to relax in the evening we made time for the pool. The pool was so hot in the evening that it felt like a huge hot tub.

Favorite Picture of the Day!

2011-02-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

Day 2 of Disney Vacation

2011-02-15T22:08:00.002-05:00

We decided to go to Animal Kingdom for our second day. This park has shorter hours and we wanted to check out Downtown Disney in the evening.

We got to Animal Kingdom before it opened because we had heard that the early you get to the Safari ride the shorter wait. Glad we listened. We maybe waited 20 minutes to get on it and I can imagine how long the line for this ride can normally take. The ride was so much fun! We saw all sorts of animals.

Waiting in line

The Animals

Us on the ride

After the ride we headed through a walk through area where we saw turtles, fish, birds and some gorillas.

Gillian got to meet Flint from It's a Bugs Life.

We went to a bird show that taught us all about all different types of birds. I learned the Bald Eagle is no longer considered extict and we got to see one. Also Gillian loved the lady that did the show to the point that we had to go up after and Gillian wanted to give her a hug.

We also met a bunch of characters at this park.

When we finished at Animal Kingdom we headed back to our hotel because we had promised Gillian some pool time. I would have never expected the pools in Florida to be heated but they were and it was soooo nice.

After our cool off in the pool we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner. There are so many shops to see and so much going on, it was a lot of fun. Gillian enjoyed dancing in on the sidewalk while a man played guitar, getting on a Harley and seeing a lifesize Leggo Woody.

Totally Spent!

2011-02-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

This was Gillian when she couldn't walk or stand anymore at the end of day #1! She struggled through fireworks and could have cared less but we stayed just in case we didn't make it to them a different night.