happy halloween...

Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween! I'll post some pictures of our little munchkins early next week (promise). :)
Everyone here is on the mend, finally. We are heading to Iowa tomorrow to help my parents move and we'll be trick-or-treating there with my nephews.
Have a great weekend everyone!

*uploading pictures to shutterfly now from September and October...I'm just a little behind*

my babies are sick...

ALL of them. Last Tuesday/Wednesday Bob started to not feel well. By Thursday he had a positive Influenza A test. He stayed home from wok on Thursday and worked from home on Friday. I worked at keeping the kids as far away from him as possible (not an easy task), and banished myself to the couch so that Bob could rest and I could hopefully avoid getting sick. By Friday both kids were coughing, and by Saturday morning, Bryce sounded bad. Off to the doctor, where his temp was 101.7 and he was coughing. The doctor, after hearing that we had a positive case of the flu in our house didn't bother testing him and just prescribed tamiflu. So I then worked on keeping Brianna away from Bryce (an even harder task). Saturday night she woke up coughing really badly. Yesterday morning we were back at the doctor's office. Brianna didn't have a fever, but the coughing, mixed with the exposure in our house and her past respiratory issues landed her a prescription for tamiflu as well. Her fever appeared last night topping out at 103.2 along with throwing up. She was up most of the night last night so today we are home laying on the couch watching movies and confining Bryce to his pack-n-play so that he is forced to rest a little. I promise at some point to catch you all up on what has been going on around here, but for now...I've got about all that I can handle. Did I mention that I haven't slept in my own bed since last Tuesday night and that I've been getting about 2 hours of sleep a night, in 10 minute bursts? I am tired...but I am not yet sick...who has time? Wishing you all healthy households.

Oh...one piece of news not flu related...Bryce cut his first two teeth on Friday. Poor kid had a rough week!

current inventory...

OK...so here are the necklaces I currently have. Let me know if you see anything that interests you. (and I promise to stop pushing this on you now :)

**lengths (from top of clasp to last ring are as follows):
top left--19in top middle--17in top right--19in
middle left--19 in middle middle--17in middle right--18in
bottom left--19in bottom middle--20in bottom right--20in

feeding my creative side...

Lately I've become obsessed with jewelry. Finding the right necklace or bracelet can always make me feel so much more put together with whatever I'm wearing and can add just that certain thing that makes ME feel pretty. I have a few staples that I wear pretty consistently that add a pop of color or just complete whatever look I'm going for. I tell you all of this because in my attempt to find a new hobby and fill the need for a creative outlet, I started making necklaces and bracelets...and to generate a little income to feed my new hobby :) I decided to offer up some of my creations for sale.

As of now, I have 3 necklaces with these colors. They are not the same, but do have the same color beads. All the beads are glass with silver links and lobster clasps. Email me at abcarroll@sbcglobal.net if you are interested. Price for the necklaces is $25 and $15 for bracelets (prices include shipping).

If you are interested but these are not really "your" colors, please email me and let me know what colors you would like and I would be happy to make one to suit your wants and needs. I can also make children's sizes. These would make excellent Christmas gifts! :)

(I will post more pictures as they become available)

loss for words...

So, I have this problem where when I am stressed about something or have something that really occupies my mind almost every second of every day I only talk to my mom or my sister and I kind of shut everything and everyone else out. With both pregnancies (NO I am not pregnant) I would go weeks without having a phone conversation with anyone and would have little to nothing to say to my mom and sister before we told them. It was the only thing occupying my mind...I didn't have anything else to talk about. The same goes with writing here. I can't (or won't) write about some things and I want this to be an honest blog and our life is not all sunshine and roses so I can't pretend that it is so when I am having trouble putting together the pieces I tend to neglect this little space. I'm being very cryptic, aren't I? I'm just struggling (nothing major...just life) and I read this post of Jodie's or this one of Abbie's and I think...YES that is totally how I feel...except the problem is...I don't even know what my passion is. I don't have that one thing that feeds my soul and makes me...me. I have spent my whole life being someone's something, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom...I laugh because I even get introduced as so-and-so's friend or Bob's wife, even to people I've encountered before...it is like I don't exist without being attached to someone else. And while I love all the roles I play in my life...I think I just want to know that there is something that is uniquely me. The one thing I always knew I wanted in my life was kids, anyone who has talked to me for more than 5 minutes since the time I was probably 16 is quite aware of that. And my kids and my husband are everything to me, I am thankful for every day that I have with them and I know how incredibly lucky I am, but there will come a time where the kids don't need me as much (I already see it happening) and then what will I be left with? I know I will always be their mom, but eventually I won't be dealing with day-to-day aspects of their lives (at least I hope I won't :)
Maybe it is this impending birthday and turning 30, maybe it is just because things aren't going as smoothly right now as I would like, but something in me is wanting that something that I am passionate about something that feeds my soul and makes me better at all the roles I have in my life and love. The question is....how do I find it?

(I promise to all 3 of you that read here :), nothing serious is going on, Bob and I are fine, the kids are fine...just the regular struggles of life and kids, etc. Things will get better, they are getting better...it just weighs heavily on me right now)

good thoughts and prayers...

Please send all the thoughts and prayers you can to Miss Claire today. She is having surgery today. Please pray (or whatever it is you do) that this surgery will be one giant leap in her recovery and elimination of this monster that has occupied way too much of her (almost) 2 years (she turns 2 next Saturday the 26th). She is one strong girl (as are her mama, daddy, and handsome baby brother)...stay strong little one and keep fighting, you have more people than you could ever know pulling for you! Lots of love and hugs to you Weipert family!

nine months...

It has been nine months little man since you've entered our lives, and boy have you taken it by storm! You are so full of curiosity, you have to touch everything. Although you do tend to break things as well. You move so fast and never want to sleep, it is like you are trying to experience a lifetime of things every single day. You have changed our family little man, for the better. We love you and slow down would you? All too soon I'll be sending you off to the first day of preschool.

**picture taken by the wonderfully talented Holly at Lily Bella Photography**

the long catch-up post...

OK...so I guess it is time for a catch-up post. And looking back, I guess we have to go back to the 4th of July. (not sure if I can remember back that far, but I'll try!).

The 4th of July weekend we headed to WI to the Goodness household. We spent the weekend hanging out with friends, playing bags, playing cards, eating too much, laughing until we cried, staying up waaay too late and drinking (just a little). At one point there were 18 people sleeping under their roof and it was so much fun. We always love hanging out with them and it was a great time as always! The kiddos spent the weekend with Grandma Nancy and Papa Bob. They spent their weekend going tot the library, cuddling, napping and getting lots of love. It was a great weekend for all! :)

The next weekend we headed to IA for a canoeing trip with some friends from high school. We basically had a barge going down the river (8 canoes tied together). The day was fantastic, my face hurt from smiling and laughing, it was so nice to be surrounded by such great friends...we definitely don't get to see each other enough!

We then spent a weekend at home with no real plans (shocking I know!). The kids and I met up with Bob's cousin, Amy, and two of her boys at Kiddieland on a Monday. Brianna had an absolute blast. She loved all the rides (I was afraid that she would be scared of the rides...but she LOVED them!).

The last weekend in July brought a visit from my sister and her family. We spent the weekend going to the pool, hanging out playing wii, and taking the two big kids to Build-a-Bear. They each picked out bears for themselves (well, Brianna picked a bunny) and for their little brothers. Then, on Sunday, Brianna had a playdate with 2 of her little friends for her birthday. We had a treasure hunt for the girls and they made princess wands and had cake and just ran around and played with each other. After the girls left we headed to the pool again.

The first weekend in August brought our 4th annual canoe-a-palooza with some of our Knox friends. It has been faar too long since we've been together, but as usual, we fell right back in with each other and it is like we have never been apart. Great friends, a lot of laughter, and good memories...who could ask for more? Sunday (Brianna's 4th birthday) before we headed back home we stopped off at our family reunion where everyone sang to Brianna.

And that, brings us to this past weekend which brought the Dyersville Area Relay for Life on Friday night. It was cut short because of the weather (rain, lightning, high winds). We left a little after 2am. Saturday brought a day of making Brianna's birthday cake, cleaning, and visits from our cousin, Matt, and his son Chase (who was born 3 days after Bryce) and Pat and Sandie. Sunday was Brianna's birthday party (yes, we have been celebrating her birthday for like 3 weeks) Bob, Nancy, Brian & Mary made the trip to IA to help us celebrate. Angie, Nick and the boys were also in attendance as well as both of my Grandmas and, of course, my parents. It was a great time.

In the midst of all of this craziness, Bryce has started to crawl and pull up on everything. He is into way more stuff tha Brianna ever was and I spend most of my day pulling him away from things and telling him "no".

Whew...there is the "short version of our last month. I'll try not to let things get this behind again! Hope you all are enjoying what is left of your summer, I know we are trying to! I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the kiddos. I'll try to get more posted soon!

Love to you all!

four...

Four years ago today, right this minute, you anxiously entered the world. A little early, but eagerly and full of life. You, little girl, have been a surprise to us from the moment you entered this world almost a full 4 weeks before your due date until this very moment. Every day with you over these last four years has been an adventure, and I can honestly say I have loved every minute of it (at least in hindsight). You are the most amazingly beautiful, talented, kind girl I know, I love so many things about you. You love with such a passion, I see it every day in the way you love your brother. I adore that you would do anything to make your brother smile and laugh and that you hug him and look at him and ask if he had a nice nap every single time he wakes up. I hope you never lose this passion and your willingness to love so openly. I know that no matter how I want to try to protect you from heartache, you will experience it, but I hope you know that no matter what, giving your whole heart to someone is worth the risk. I love that you dance and sing every chance you get and laugh wholeheartedly always. I want you to always find the time to sing, dance, and laugh because it is those moments that make life so special. I so hope that you and your brother grow to have the kind of friends your daddy and I have. Those that will laugh and cry with you and will do silly things with you even when all of you feel too old to do them. I know that you will cherish friendships like these because I have seen already how much you care about your friends. I, like most all parents, have hopes and dreams for you baby, but know that the most important thing to me is for you to be happy. Your hopes and dreams are my hopes and dreams and as your dreams change as you grow older I will always be right there with you being your biggest fan, your #1 cheerleader. You my darling at this moment four years ago gave me the greatest gift I have ever received....you made me a mommy. No matter how I may doubt my place in this world, I will never, ever, doubt that I was meant to be your mommy.
My little chicken....I love you... way, way, way, way, way more than you will ever know.
Happy 4th Birthday Baby.
ps. Thank you for saying that you can still be my baby if I want you to, because to me...no matter how old you get whether you are 4 or 40 you will always be my baby and if you ever need to curl up on my lap...I will be right here waiting for you.

we neeed your help...

I've been writing and re-writing this post in my head for weeks and I just couldn't find the words so I kept putting it off. But something happened yesterday and I knew that I needed to get this post up.
As you all know, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is something that is near and dear to my heart. I lost my grandpa to lung cancer in 2005, several members of my family have dealt with cancer in their own lives in one way or another.
Last night, I found out that my friend from high school's little girl has relapsed for the second time. I will let you go to their site to read in their own words what they are going through and I urge you to go read it, because I think you will then understand why I've made my goal so high this year and why I am going to try with all of my might to reach that goal.
In addition to that, last night while at Bob's softball game Brianna was playing with her little friend who is currently undergoing chemo to battle the leukemia she was diagnosed with early this year. She is only 1/2 way done with treatment...she just turned 3.
We all want to know what we can do to help, and I'm asking you to give money to fund research, these kids and hundreds, thousands like them need your help. I know it is tough out there and money is tight...believe me I know, but if in any way my money can help save these kids and prevent other kids from having to go through this, I will give as much as I can. All it takes is one look at my kids to know that I'm doing the right thing. Please, if you can, I am begging you to go here and donate. I will put a link up in my sidebar that will take you to my donation page. Thank you for all that you can do.
And if I could ask one more thing of you blogland...please pray, for these 2 little girls, their families and all of those kids and families who are battling this.

more pictures...

All of our family photos taken by Lily Bella Photography are now up on Shutterfly. Click the latest photos link on the left to check them out.

few random thoughts from the past week...

Whew...I feel like there hasn't even been a moment to catch my breath this last week.
The services for Grandma Caruso were beautiful and such a wonderful tribute to her life. I was asked to read what I wrote here about Grandma at the wake. I was very honored that I was asked, but those of you who know me well know that I'm a slightly emotional person. I didn't even get 1 word out before breaking down. But I did it for Grandma, she was another grandma to me and she welcomed me into her family and I am forever grateful for that. At the end of the day we went back to the place she had called home for so long, soaked in the beautiful sunlight while the kids swam and played in the lake. Smiles and laughter everywhere, I think it is just how grandma would have wanted it. On our way home we stopped back by the cemetary because Bob was telling me about the picture of Grandma & Grandpa Caruso that is in the center of their headstone. While we were there, Brianna was asking questions and I don't remember the entire conversation but at one point she asked "so Great-Grandma is next to Great-Grandpa?" and Bob told her "yes". The she looked at him and asked "so they can play together in heaven?" Bob and I looked at each other and smiled and nodded. I thought to myself "yes baby, I doubt they have stopped dancing since she arrived."

head on over...

Go on over to Lily Bella Photography and check out a few of the pictures Holly took of our family last weekend. Leave her some comment love...she deserves it! Thanks again Holly, we can't wait to see the rest! (no pressure though!) :)

sadness...

Photo was taken as she attended the Senior Prom just 7 days before she passed.

Thanks DeeDee for sharing this beautiful picture of a most beautiful lady.

Heaven gained an amazing angel this week. Grandma Caruso passed away at the young age of 96. She is one of the sweetest and kind women that I know and will be dearly missed by our entire family. I will always remember her smile and laughter and the little spark she had in her eyes when someone (usually one of her kids) told her she shouldn't do something. I always saw this flash in her eyes that said "I'm a grown woman I'll do what I want!" There are so many things that I will remember about her and things that will remind me of her, tennis balls on a walker, Fannie May candy (she did love her candy), the story she loved to tell about how Bob and Brian got their golfing abilities not only from their dad but from her husband, and mostly how she always called Brianna and Bryce "precious" (I'm sure she called all of her great-grandchildren that, but I remember her saying it about our kids). I think everytime I hear that word I will hear it in her voice as she looked down at Brianna and hugged and kissed her.
You will be missed Grandma, but we know you are happy where you are and finally reunited with the love of your life. Thank you for being one of the most precious parts of our lives.

6 month and weekend update...

Before we headed to Iowa for the weekend, Bryce had his 6 month checkup on Friday. He is weighing in at 16lbs 4.5oz and is 26 inches long. He is doing well eating solids and we'll be moving on to stage 2 food as soon as the stage 1 we already have is gone. The boy loves his solid food, he pretty much doesn't even care about his bottle anymore. He is rolling over all the time and is pretty much sitting up unassisted at this point. He still falls over, so even as I type this he is sitting on the floor surrounded by pillows. He is babbling constantly and we are starting to see his little personality come out more and more each day. I still cannot believe he is 6 months old already, it has gone by so fast.

My favorite part of being home with the kids is watching them interact with each other. Brianna loves Bryce so much and he just lights up when she is around. She sings to him and reads to him all the time. I know as they get older they will fight and not like each other, but I sincerely hope that they will always remain friends. My sister and I fought (a lot) when we were kids, we were less than 1 year apart and we definitely got on each other's nerves, but now I can't imagine my life without her. We email each other throughout the day and we look forward to spending time together, although too many days together and we still know how to push each other's buttons. Guess some things never change! :)

As I said we spent the weekend in Iowa and attended the wedding of my cousin, Craig. It was a great time, the wedding and reception were absolutely beautiful and it was great to spend time with the family. Braden & Brianna were so excited to dance together and it was pretty darn cute to watch them. Congrats again to Craig & Rachel we wish you a lifetime of happiness!

I have one more post to get up and then I probably won't post for another week or so, I'm off this weekend to Angie & Nick's to help paint and when I get back from there we'll be heading to Iowa to drop the kids off and then take off for Galesburg for the Knosher Outing and then back to Iowa for Father's day. It is going to be a busy couple of weeks! I've uploaded new pictures to the shutterfly site so check them out. Mostly from Memorial Day and Brianna playing at the parks and a couple from the wedding, before my camera battery died. Here are a couple that I love :)

Happy Monday everyone!

houston we have a problem...

Meet our friend the swaddling blanket. Well, it used to be our friend. When Bryce first came home from the hospital he didn't sleep well. Not counting the fact that he had to be fed every 3 hours because of his weight and his jaundice, the only way he would sleep is if he was laying on someone (me specifically) or in his swing, occasionally he would sleep in his bouncy seat, but he never wanted to just lay down and sleep. When he was 8 weeks old we bought 2 of these, one of them is this exact one in fact. The first time we wrapped him in this and put him down he slept through the night...at 8 weeks. I was sure that it was a fluke, but we continued to put him in it and he continued to sleep through the night. Everything was going along just fine until a few nights ago. See this blanket has become too small for him. The "weight limit" is 14-15lbs, which by now Bryce is probably over, and his legs are starting to get scrunched in the bottom. And the biggest thing is that he can get himself out of it in about 5 seconds now. They have larger ones, but I am hesitant to buy them, because realistically we can't keep him in one forever. Last night he woke up 5+ times. Not the kind of wake up but he just needs his pacifier and he's back to sleep....oh no, he is wide awake at 3am! What the heck is going on here? Bob ended up feeding him a bottle at 3 because I couldn't function anymore. The kid hasn't had a bottle in the middle of the night for 4 months! I do realize we are extremely lucky to have as many sleep filled nights as we have, but that doesn't really take away from the fact that I am really tired this morning.
Goodbye swaddling blanket, we have loved you, but now if you could just leave quietly and not wake the baby no one will get hurt! (told you I was tired :)

outside...

So, we've been spending a lot of time outside these days, either in the yard, at the park or just taking walks around the neighborhood. (Hence, the lack of posts lately) The kids love being outside and it fills our day so much more productively than sitting in the house watching TV. I'm uploading a bunch of pictures to the shutterfly account, but here are a few of my favorites from the last few days.

Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we are having as much as we are!

graduation and birthday parties...

Last Saturday we headed downtown to attend Mary's law school graduation from Loyola. It was a beautiful mass and a wonderful ceremony. The kids did really well during the whole thing, mostly because they were so excited to see Brian and Mary I think! :) (side note...Lovie Smith was also at the graduation, apparently his son's girlfriend was graduating. He sat a couple of rows behind us!) Congrats Mary, we are so very, very proud of you!

Sunday we had two birthday parties to attend. The first was Brianna's little friend from daycare. Brianna was sooo excited to see her friends and as icing on the cake the party was at the Painted Penguin so she got to paint as well. Pretty sure that was one of the best days ever for her. After that party we headed off to our friend Josh's surprise 30th birthday party. It was a good time and it is always fun to see Bob's golfing buddies. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and all piled into our bed to watch a movie. I think everyone was sleeping by 8:30 (except me of course). All-in-all it was a fun filled weekend.

See, even when we're home on the weekends we're not really ever home! :)

mother's day...

We had a pretty low key Mother's Day. We spent the weekend in Wisconsin at Ben & Amanda's house. The boys golfed and the girls shopped and got pedicures and we played some Guitar Hero World Tour. It was fun to spend the weekend with them it has been a while since we've seen them. On Mother's Day we went to Bob and Nancy's and had breakfast with the family. Bob and Brian had to take off for Indiana for a qualifier Brian had the next day, so we stuck around to chat with Nancy for a while and Brianna ran around outside. We headed home and spent the afternoon napping, playing and just relaxing. It was a great Mother's Day all-in-all. My kiddos and hubby are the best...what more could a girl ask for!

6 years in the books...

Yes I am quite aware that this post is significantly late, however...better late than never! So on Sunday May 3 Bob and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. It is shocking to me that it has been six years. So much has happened in that time, loss of grandparents, births of children, weddings of friends and family, the buying of our first home and more laughter and memories than I have the time or space to share. I don't know that on our wedding day, these two kids (and yes, we are kids...holy cow we look young!) could possibly realize what their life would be this six short years later.

(I do realize this is a hideous picture, but it was actually taken on 5/3/09 so I wanted to use it :)Bob and I had a great anniversary we slept late (for us) and went to brunch and then played 9 holes of golf, it was nice to walk around the course talk and just be us for a little while. Life is crazy and hectic, but there is no one I'd rather be in this crazy, hectic life with. I love you, Bob! Here is to 100 more years of (mostly) wedded bliss :).