Days 14-19

Day 14- It may seem simple but I am thankful for a job that provides me and my family good insurance. We are blessed to have full coverage and not have to pay any money out of pocket.
Day 15- Family days, our family gets to enjoy our weekends together as a family. Neither of us travels for work nor have to work Saturdays, most of the time. Simply time going to the park or watching a football game I am grateful for. And I am grateful to have to 2 days off a week to regroup before I hit the ground running on Mondays
Day 16- This year I am running our Angel Tree Program at work. Reading all the names on the tags for children it makes me appreciate the stability we have in our household. We are capable of buying gifts for our family and friends and we get to sponsor angels.
Day 17- Friends come and go, some we do not seem as often as we would like but I am glad all my friends have been a part of my life. I still talk with a group of friends that I have known since preschool all the way through high school. I don’t get to see them often but when we do it is like no time has passed at all
Day 18-Smiles, the simplest gesture you can give someone that might just brighten their day.
Day 19- Laughter, the good kind that makes your cheeks and abs hurt because you are laughing so hard. Along with those who laugh with you while not at you.

Days 7-13

Day 7- today is simple, I am so thankful for coffee. I start my mornings early and it is my comfort
Day 8- Dolce, our family dog. Dolce, you are a family member to us. I was nervous on how you were going to be when we brought Nolan home from the hospital but you have impressed me above and beyond my expectations. You are gentle as can be with Nolan and he loves you very much.
Day 9-I am grateful for a good upbringing. I know I was a handful and gave my mom and dad early gray hairs but it turns out they were right about a lot of things. And I hope I can do just as good of a job with Nolan.
Day 10- I am thankful for shelter. With Hurricane Sandy just hitting the east coast followed by a horrible snow storm. I am grateful for basic needs: electricity, a roof over our heads, running water, food and clothing.
Day 11-I am thankful for a nice bed to sleep in and a wonderful husband to wake up next to
Day 12-To all of those who serve and protect our country. Thank for your hard work and dedication.
Day 13-Teachers, our world would not be the same without the amazing teachers that work in our school systems all the way down to our daycares. I am thankful especially for the amazing staff at Kids R Kids who take care of Nolan while John and I work.

Growing to Fast

Baby boy,

Today we received the note from school that you will be moving into the next classroom, Suite 200. You will no longer sit in a high chair, or sleep in a crib at school. Your move from the infant room to the room you are in now was not emotional for me but moving into the toddler room is something I'm not quite ready for yet. I know you are ready but your mommy is not. Your new teachers have some very big shoes to fill because Ms. Kelsey, Ms. Vanessa and Ms. Laura are incredible and you love them very much. I know you are ready and are in good hands but I need you to slow down and not grow up so fast.

Here are a few things you are doing and love at 17 months:

• Every time you see a dog you point and say "dog", if we are at the park you want to go say hello. Our dog, Dolce is your best friend, you love to give her kisses and say hello. I'm going to claim this and say you are just like your mommy with animals.
• We read Polar Bear, Polar Bear at least 3 times everyday. You hiss at the snake and tweet at the peacock, say elephant while putting your hand in the air, and we are working on the walrus. You laugh hysterically at mommy's walrus and you clap your hands while I "Arg, Arg"
• Everyday we walk to the mailbox and get the mail together. Yesterday you saw our neighbor across the culdesac and screamed "Hi", as we were walking back to the house you turned and yelled "bye" to her as loud as I have ever heard you.
• When it is windy outside you say "whoa" and laugh
• Your best friend is Avelyn. At school you run around with Tucker and Brendan but Avelyn is your bestie
• You would be outside 24 hours a day if you had it your way.
• Every time you walk up the stairs you scream "Byyyye Bye" or Ni Ni (Night Night) with a smile
• Keys, Keys, Keys- you start daddy's car on accident often with his self starter
• You are the easiest baby to put to sleep- bedtime is never and issue with you
• On the other side you wake up by 6:30 everyday, you are our little rooster. Daddy says he loves walking into your room in the morning because you always pop up with a HUGE smile on your face.
• In true boy fashion trucks and cars are starting to catch your interest, Vroom as you say
• Last you are extremely loving and love giving big hugs and kisses.

You are saying many words. Anything we say you attempt to repeat, words that are clear and you say and understand are : Daddy, Mommy, Hi, Bye, Milk, Juice, Chicken, Apple, Dog, Baba, Tweet Tweet or bird, Blanket, NiNi (Night Night), Bubbles, Bath, elephant, fish, Row Row, Uh-Oh, hot. You will repeat the colors but you don't know what they mean yet.

Love,
Mom

30 Days to Give Thanks

Day 1- Today I am thankful for my incredible Husband. I have been blessed to have a partner that allows me to be myself. You accept me for who I am.  You love me for me: the good, the bad and the ugly. You put our family’s needs before your own. John you have taught me things in the last 10 years that I would have never learned without you in my life. Patience being the best lesson of all and that life is short so don't sweat the small stuff. Not only are you a great spouse but you are also an amazing father! Nolan and I are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

Day 2-Today I am thankful for our son Nolan Michael Connor. You have taught me so much in the last 17 months. I never knew a smile could make my world just stop and all my troubles disappear. Being with you and watching you grow has taught me how to be a better person. You remind me to stay humble, be kind, be innocent and stay young at heart and in spirit. I love you to the moon and back kiddo!

Day 3-Today I am thankful for my mother, Dawn Birkinbine. I don't say it enough but I am very lucky to have you in my life and as my mother. I am very proud to see how strong you are and that you have overcome hard times and landed on your feet. Thank you for teaching me many life lessons that I was told along time ago but did not understand what you meant until I became a mother. The saying "you will understand one day" makes sense the older I get and I too will probably be saying that to Nolan one day also. Thank you also for taking such amazing care of our sister, Maizi. She is so lucky to have you as her mother and taking care of her.

Day 4-With the economy the way it is I am beyond lucky to have the job I do. So today’s thank you goes to Kosmos Energy for not only providing me with a job and a career but for being a company that appreciates and takes care of their employees.

Day 5- My Sisters! Nellie, Jane, Sheila and Maizi, where do I begin. We have our ups, we have our downs but we always have one another’s back and a bond that can’t be broken.

The Importance Of A Sister

A sister is someone who loves you from the heart,
No matter how much you argue you cannot be drawn apart.
She is a joy that cannot be taken away,
Once she enters your life, she is there to stay.

A friend who helps you through difficult times,
Her comforting words are worth much more than dimes.
A partner who fills your life with laughs and smile,
These memories last for miles and miles.

When she is by your side, the world is filled with life,
When she is not around, your days are full of strife.
A sister is a blessing, who fills your heart with love,
She flies with you in life with the beauty of a dove.

A companion to whom you can express your feelings,
She doesn’t let you get bored at family dealings.
Whether you are having your ups or downs,
She always helps you with a smile and never frowns.

With a sister you cannot have a grudge,
She is as sweet as chocolate and as smooth as fudge.
Having a sister is not just a trend,
It is knowing you can always turn to her, your best friend.

Day 6-The right to vote! Happy Election Day! I have never been big into politics but I am grateful for the right to vote and our freedom. Thank you to those like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Susan B Anthony, Lucy Burns and all the other civil rights leaders. We are so lucky to live in a country where there is a peaceful transfer of power, no matter who wins. Even if you didn’t want that person to be President, we all respect them for the next 4 years.

Halloween Treats

Nolan, you are either going to love how much effort I put into the holidays or hate it but for now why you are little I know you will love it!

Here are the treats Nolan will be handing out to his classmate for Halloween this year. They are all 9 months to 18 months so Gummy bears, or something soft was a must!

Have a Beary Scary Halloween!!

Happy Halloween

It has been a busy October for us lots of events as you can see from all the blogs. We got to end it with our very own Clark Kent trick or treaing!

Grandmas Beef Stew

2 pounds of stew meat, cubed to 1 inch, fat removed

2 T marg/fat

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic

1 onion, chopped or frozen pearl onions

1-2 bay leaves

1 T. salt

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. black pepper

Dash of allspice or cloves

6 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed- any kind I use red

2 Stalks Celery (optional)

In Dutch oven (I do mine stove top not in a Dutch oven), heat shortening.  Cut off any visible fat from meat and cut large pieces down to 1 inch cubes or so.  Brown beef cubes in hot shortening.

In 2 cup glass measuring cup(or small bowl), add all spice ingredients except onions and bay leaves...then stir in the 2 cups of hot water to spice mix and MIX WELL.

Add hot water mix, along with chopped onion and bay leaves to meat.  Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, checking and stirring to avoid meat sticking or burning.  Keep simmer on LOW and add a bit of water at times if necessary...really keep an eye on it.

Add carrots, potatoes, and celery (I use many more than the recipe calls for).  Stir them into meat and simmer for 30 minutes or more, until veggies are cooked thru.

Stir some cornstarch into COLD water (about ½ cup and 3T corn starch) in a small bowl or coffee cup until smooth, using a fork to break up any chunks of cornstarch.  Add this to hot beef stew and stir into the broth very, very good, until broth thickens, over LOW heat. Cornstarch needs to be cooked a little, after adding.   Make sure there is enough liquid and the heat is low enough when adding the cornstarch liquid.

Remove Bay leaves, and enjoy your meal!

Pumpkin Carving

We had a fun filled Sunday full of painting and carving pumpkins

 Ewww

I'll Love you Forever

I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living. My baby you’ll be.

This weekend I got to hear the words I have been longing to hear from you. You love to be in my craft room with me getting your hands into everything and anything! And I always let you play with all my fabrics and old scrapbook paper. The room is a mess after 10 minutes but it is always an hour well spent and filled with smiles and laughter. Today we were singing songs together and you were babbling back and forth with me. I said “Nolan I love you” and you looked right at me and said “I Wouve you!” (in a Scooby Doo kind of voice) I had to say it again to make sure I heard you right “I love you” and as quick as can be “I Wouve you” I have been waiting for this day and to top it off you kept saying it over and over followed giving big hugs! Then as we were cleaning up and getting ready to leave the room you ran up to me and I picked you up. You wrapped your arms around my neck and said “Love you Mommy” You have made my entire week and I love you so much!! You are filled with so much love and are really starting to show your affection!

Baby in a Pumpkin..... More like Toddler

So I'm addicted to Pinterest and I saw this idea last year of a baby in a pumpkin... So being the crafty lady I try to be I thought I would stick Nolan in a pumpkin this year. It didn't exactly turn out as I hoped, who am I kidding it didn't turn out at all! My child is a little to long to be in a pumpkin but he was a team player while his crazy mommy snapped pictures! Maybe if I kept his shirt on he wouldn't look so huge??? But it is 80 degrees in October!

Cheesburger in Paradise

Every since my brother-in-law Jason made us Burgers we have had his burgers almost once a week. So I thought I would share the simple deliciousness

Ingredients:
Ground beef, Basil, Red Onion, Garlic Cloves, A little Salt and paper, 1 egg- Mix it all together, Grill and top with your favorite cheese! We like pepperjack. This burger is amazingly delicious! Enjoy.

We add some sweet potato fries as a side and it is Scrumptious

Pumpkin Time... A little taste of the Midwest

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I start talking about Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Lattes the last week of August while it is still 100 degrees outside! But they are worth the wait. And then follows pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin farms, carving pumpkins, Halloween, and Turkey  I love it all.

It is finally starting to feel like Fall in Dallas nothing will every be like back home in Chicago but I'll take the 70 degree weather and pretend it is 50. Nolan and I took our first adventure to the Dallas Arboretum and we loved it. I am hoping to go back and get a yearly membership. it is downtown Dallas right off of White Rock Lake. This year for the Fall they decorated a section with a Cinderella theme. There is face painting, a petting zoo, hay maze, and over 20,000 pumpkins!

I have always said I would never put my child on a "leash" but after experiencing him at the Arboretum I completely understand why parents do that with their children. Nolan was on the go pumpkin here, pumpkin there he had to see everyone. These days he finds it hilarious to run away from us and have us catch him but if you could hear the laughter that comes out of him I will chase him any day. He caught on very quickly that mommy wanted picture of him in the pumpkins so every pumpkin he would see he would sit on an smile, imagine 20,000 pumpkins! It was precious.

Nolan went to his 1st OU volleyball game- it was at TCU in Fort Worth. OU Won!!

I googled and googled and finally found a really pumpkin farm in Texas. Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, Celina, TX here we come. We drove 45 minutes to the middle of no where to find a beautiful farm with a hayride, livestock, a hay maze (the real deal), a pumpkin patch, and tractor rides. I could not have asked for a better Sunday to spend with my boys. Nolan got to feed the goats, sheep, longhorns or cows, and chickens. He couldn't get enough of the goats there was only 30+ to choose from on which one to feed he was smiling from ear to ear. Showing us how to feed them and clapping for himself afterward. At first he was unsure of the longhorns but once daddy showed him how to feed them he was mister independent. After 2 hours at the farm, mud on our shoes and grass stains on our knees it was what I call a perfect Sunday!

Summer Fun

This summer was filled with summer fun.  We spent lots of time playing in water and running around the splash parks.  By our house we have an amazing splash park that Nolan loves to go to. Water is one of his favorite activities. Nolan took swim lessons this summer and learned to put his face in the waters and blow bubbles. We took a trip to Lake Geneva, We had many playdates with his friend Avelyn and went to visit Fort Worth Zoo.

 Me and Daddy fishing

 Double Trouble

 I love to help mommy clean!

Fort Worth Zoo

Nolan's First Birthday

Nolan,

A year has passed already and an incredible year it has been. Birthdays are meant to be special and we celebrated all week with you celebrating your important milestone. Grandma Dawn, Aunt Maizi, Great Grandma Evelyn, Grandpa John, Grandma Linda, and your cousin Jansen all came in town to celebrate with you.

I took time this week to just look at you while you were sleeping taking in all that a year has brought us. A year ago we were preparing for your arrival I would sit in your empty room dreaming of what you would look like and who you would become. I could not wait to get you in my arms and love and kiss you. The night before you were born your dad and I were lying in bed talking about the parents we wanted to be how we wanted you to be healthy, kind, smart, handsome, happy, honest,  and loving. That no matter what happens in life we just wanted you to know your parents love you, we will be there for you and you can trust us. We want you to be you and no one else.

In this last year you have taught me in a matter of moments of entering my life how different I was before you. How different my life was before you. How different my heart was before you. And now how different my life and heart will be forever because of you.  

You look at me and just smile. My world stops when you smile at me. Anything that has happened in the last week, day, or hour doesn’t matter when you smile at me, it makes my world stop and I smile back and just take in that moment. You make me so happy. I love that you are so happy. I love that you love me. I love that you have so much energy and just want to play. You are the definition of a boy. Your laugh melts my heart and you laugh often.

Happy 1^st Birthday Nolan Michael

Love,

Mom

One Years Old

1. What is your favorite color? No colors yet

2. What is your favorite toy? Anything with Music

3. What is your favorite stuffed animal? The monkey beanie baby

4. What is your favorite thing to sleep with? Yellow and green blanket

5. What is your favorite fruit? I like all fruits, grapes

6. What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios

7. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

8. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Tacos at school

9. What is your favorite dessert? Not big on sweets

10. What is your favorite drink? Milk

11. What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? Chicken

12. What is your favorite animal? Elephant

13. What is your favorite book? Polar Bear Polar Bear

14. What is your favorite song? Open Shut Them

15. What is your favorite game? No Games yet

16. What is your favorite TV show? Mickey Mouse

17. What is your favorite movie? No Movies

18. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Bubbles

19. Who is your best friend? Avelynn

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? My mommy tells me a Petrophysicist

Traveling- San Diego and Chicago

 In February 2012 we all met in San Diego for a "family reunion" if you will. It was the first time since our wedding that me and all 4 of my sister were in the same place. And the first time all the cousins got to meet each other. The whole weekend was perfect and memorable. To top it off Grandma Evelyn and Grandpa George drove up from Arizona to meet their Great-Great-Grand kids! It was a very special weekend all.

Nolan's 1st Plane Ride

My cousins

Nolan and Nevia

Nolan and Noah

 Lydia, Nolan, Noah, Michael

First time at the beach and my first steps- they just happened to be in the ocean with bare feet in the sand



My Beautiful Family

Great Great Aunt Loraine and Great Great Uncle Ken

Great Uncle Russell

Shane, Katie, and Julia-2nd Cousins

The Biard Family

Always Happy!!

1st Holidays

The holidays are a time to share with family and loved ones. The Fall came quickly followed by Christmas. Before we jump into the holidays John and I added a new nephew to the bunch. Noah Hensley Gerety was born September 16, 2011 just 3 months after Nolan.

Happy Halloween!!

 A smiling Skeleton

Turkey Day

This year (2011) we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas at home. I was so excited to host my first Thanksgiving and cook my very first turkey. Thanks to my older sister Nellie who provided me with an amazing recipe to slow cook a turkey it was a great success and the only way I will ever cook a turkey for years to come! Plus I made my own cranberry sauce, it is so simple to make.

My turkey appetizer

John's parents came in town for our Thanksgiving celebration. We had lots of food, love and laughter that weekend. After turkey day instead of shopping we were able to go see Shrek ICE at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas. It is all hand made ice sculptures of Shrek really neat to experience if you are ever in Dallas.

Merry Christmas

Christmas we spent at home just the 3 of us or should I say 5 with the dogs. It was quiet, relaxing and simple. Nolan enjoyed opening his gifts on Christmas morning and playing with all his new toys from Santa and family members.

To finish off the Holiday season John and I welcomed another niece to the family, Miss Nevia Evelyn Rose Lithopoulos January 6, 2012. We are now proud Aunt and Uncle of 3 nephews and 2 nieces. Nolan has 2 cousins his age, if we all lived in the same area they would probably be in the same class together. I can only imagine Nevia trying to have a boyfriend in High School with Nolan and Noah looking out for her good luck boys! Especially considering where they stand on the growth charts as babies. Jason, I don't think you would mind her cousins being on team dad!