She is 3! We have 2 children! I have NO time!

Hello all....I am sure anyone who ever read this blog has long given up on me, but I am still here, trying to keep up with life with two little ones! Since it is almost 9:00 p.m., I have two sleeping kids, I know I will be up in two hours to feed one of them, and I desperately need ice cream I will be keeping this short!

On April 5, 2010, Cole joined our family. He is a precious little 6 week old now and we are loving having a little boy! Lily is an excellent big sister and loves to help with diaper changes, baths, and wiping never ending spit up from little Cole's face, and Mommy's shoulder.

Lily turned 3 years old last week....what???? Where did all that time go? I wasn't planning on having a party this year, but she had other plans, lots of other plans. So, to avoid scaring my child for life, I gave in and boy did we party! Princess style of course.

Sorry for the lack of details, but like I said, the freezer is beckoning! Enjoy and good night!

Snowmaggedon 2010!

Just in case you have been living in a nice cozy cave for the past week or so, let me provide you with a little weather update here from the east coast......the DC area has broken all records for snow accumulation in the past two months since the year 1899! I never thought a snow storm was equivalent to a natural disaster, but in this neck of the woods, it is indeed. I got a huge lesson in emergency preparedness these past 7 days. Here is a list of the top ten things I have learned through all of this :)

10. Honeybees are amazingly resilient...and quite aggressive when they are cold.
9. Cell phones are not too helpful when the power goes out....oh and neither are lan lines for that matter.
8. 2 1/2 year olds can be perfectly content playing in a house in which the temperature is 57 degrees and falling, quickly.
7. AAA charges A LOT to change a battery.
6. Toyota cars have this very special part that connects some cable to the car battery...after a snow storm, it can take hours to get a hold of one of these special little parts.
5. Plumbers make unexpected, and expensive house calls (although after he did show up to fix my shower without me calling, I was very grateful to have hot water for longer than 2 minutes...long story...)
4.5. Fireplaces can provide you with plenty of heat - that is if you have wood, which we didn't.
4. Furnace fix it men can make it to your house in a snow storm...if you play the "pregnant with a 2 1/2 year old and a VERY busy husband" card.
3. Even doctors can't make it to the hospital sometimes - which explains why poor Ryan was stuck at the hospital for longer than I want to mention.
2. Grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell soup tastes like a 5 star meal when made on a snowy back porch on a tiny camp stove.
1. Good neighbors can make any disaster seem like a breeze - thank you to ALL my amazing neighbors!

So there you have it my friends. Lesson to be learned, get to know your neighbors, buy a camp stove, have spare firewood, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Did I mention that I really want to go back to Florida? What do you say Liz?

Wait, you have never heard of The Breakers?????

Welcome to pure bliss my friends! Palm Beach, Florida...January 2010....The Breaker's Resort! I have the most amazing, supportive, and loving family. Even though they live thousands of miles away they are so in tune with my little family. My darling sister Liz invited Lily and I to join her family in Florida this winter. Let me tell you, it was heaven (mostly because we were with Lizzy and her kiddies....oh yes, and of course Josh was there too!).

So The Breakers you ask? Or maybe you don't ask if you are already aware that this is one of the most famous resorts in Florida! All the famous people stay here, Ferrari conventions are held here (one was going on when we were there), and Tiki Barber's brother vacations here :), and thanks to Liz, and a nice business trip for Josh, I was blessed to experience this amazing hotel and resort with Lily, my pregnant self, and my family. Amazing is an understatement!

Lily was warm and snuggly in her towel after a fun afternoon at the beach!

We loved the Lion Country Safari! We were up close and personal with the lions, monkeys, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and antelope. It was so much fun!

Thank you Aunt Lizzy for going on all the little rides, sometimes more than once, since the pregnant mommy was not allowed. I'm sure Liz's head was spinning for at least an hour after going around and around and around!

Lily made herself right at home. She loved her cozy bed and actually took a 2 hour nap! Hooray!

I think the beach was the biggest hit. I loved watching Lily run in the sand with her cousins. She was in pure heaven. Her happy little face will be in my memory forever.

All tuckered out. This was our last night in Florida. Lily hit the pillow and was out!
Thank you again Liz and Josh. We loved being with you all. Lily misses her cousins. I will miss hearing their little conversations in the back of the minivan...even the back and forth arguing just like they were brothers and sisters! Liz made sure I was able to relax and be pampered and I will always be so grateful for this memorable weekend that came at the most perfect time.

Santa visited our house!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Christmas is a billion times more fun with little ones around! Lily is beginning to grasp the concept of Santa, gifts, giving, etc. However the sweetest experience for me this season was making cookies with Lily. She requested we make star gingerbread cookies because "The shepherds followed the star."

That is what it is all about and I am so proud of my little 2 1/2 year old for getting it! Thank you family for the very fun gifts and goodies! We are richly blessed! Some of our favorite family traditions this year included, going out for Sushi on Christmas Eve (a new one!); listening to the Sister Missionaries sing at the Visitor's Center; opening Christmas Eve PJ's and books; and making Grandma Elna's homemade scones for Christmas morning....I ate 6 of them! Hey I'm pregnant remember?

This little picture is worth a thousand words. Pure happiness!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Little cookie turkeys, massive amounts of potatoes, corn pudding, and stuffing, Grandma and Papa, holiday music, etc. etc. etc. That was our Thanksgiving! How about yours?

The cookie turkeys were a huge hit (thank you Grandma Debbie!). It only took Lily two days to gobble hers up, feather by feather, cookie by cookie. You know me, I couldn't let her eat all that sugar in one sitting!









Our Turkey survived the grill once again, and I must say, this one could have made it in Martha Stewart's magazine! We are so grateful for all of our many blessings, especially our loving family. We loved having Debbie and Ron here with us. We miss you so much already! So 23 more days until Christmas!

Big Girl Bedtime!

It has happened. Our little one is a big girl! Two weeks ago, we moved Lily out of her crib and into a mattress on the floor. We wanted to make a gradual transition here. Last Friday night, Ryan and I stayed up to put together her new big girl bed. Lily fell asleep in our bed that night and we moved her into her new bed while she was fast asleep. The next morning, she woke up and called to me "Mommy, what's this thing?"

She has yet to figure out that she can easily get out of the bed by herself in the mornings and still calls for me or Ryan every morning, asking if she can get out. I hope she doesn't figure out that she is fully capable of getting out of the bed by her self for a very very long time!

We are prepping Lily every day for our new addition (oh yes, by the way for those of you who didn't know...we are expecting again!). She now talks about putting her old bed back together for the little baby. Ahhh, how endearing is that?

Memories of Durham Past!

So, if you are a member of my family, you may be reading my cousin Laura's blog. First of all, I wish I could write like you Laura! I can't though, but you have inspired me and this post is for you!

I was blessed to grow up with cousins who were truly my best friends. I spent endless hours at my cousin's homes, and the games we played and fun we had was truly unique and has created treasured memories for me that I will never forget. Living away from my family is really starting to catch up with me, and I miss everyone so much. I have been reading Laura's posts about "foods of Durham past" and it has made me less homesick so thank you Laura.

So, I would like to try to contribute in a small way to the amazing Durham memories I have :) Every Memorial Day weekend, the Tom Durham family would trek up to our family cabin in Midway, and I was invited several years in a row. The trip consisted of adventures around the cabin woods, trips to the water tower, stopping at the local video store to rent at least 10 movies, swimming at this crazy indoor pool that smelled like the zoo a little bit, falling asleep to Uncle Tom watching "Tora! Tora! Tora!" or "The Fortune Cookie," eating Aunt Becky's homemade trail mix, and lots of other yummy treats, mostly made by Laura. One memory I have is of a delicious mushroom soup that Laura made one night that I still crave!

The stand out memory for me however was one that included my cousin Carter. We had just arrived at the cabin and I think Carter was upstairs in the "loft" getting his bed ready. We heard a strange shriek and ran up to see Carter in the corner of the room in a little ball rocking back and forth. Someone discovered what had caused his current condition...a dead squirrel frozen in mid-run. Oh man, it was hilarious! I hope Carter has recovered.

I loved those weekends...especially because it meant summer was around the corner, which meant hours of play with cousins!

Now for the Lowell Durham, Jr. family...it was all about St. George! Ah, Green Valley and the wonderful condo with the incredibly witty directions regarding the condo care written by Uncle Lowell. Don't touch the Pepsi people, don't touch the pepsi! Trips to the Yellow Dollar Store with Uncle Lowell, my first introduction to Walmart, swimming, finding little frogs at night, playing the Atari, passing the strange house with all the cactus characters, and of course, watching VH1! I loved those trips, and loved feeling like I was going to Paradise for the weekend with my cousins!

So Laura, thanks for taking me back. Last night, Lily and I had swedish pancakes for dinner and I was thinking of you the whole time! Keep writing, I can't wait to see what food is next...I know we both share a love for cooking, and aren't we blessed to have had such great mentors (even if we did get peaches, miracle whip, and cheese every now and then)!