Apple Picking With Family

Sunday was a beutiful day out. I'm so glad we chose it to go apple picking with the family. Its our annual trip to the Dickenson Farm with my in-laws, my neice, FIL, Jeff and for his first time on this trip, Drew. It was the usual routine, hop on the tracter, go to the orchard, pick apples and wait for the tractor to return, but it was still fun. I don't think I could ever get tired watching everyone have a good time.



Drew loved running free, helping daddy and Ally pick apples. Everyone likes to sample the product before placing them in the bag, but Drew, not so much. I'm sure it'll grow on him! I know he just enjoyed being with everyone. At the end of the adventure, he got to sit on the tractor that pulled us to and from the orchard, he loved that!



I can't wait until we do our annual Vermont day trip and what adventures we come across then.

I'm Not Ignoring You

I haven't forgotten about you. I think of you often. I've just been really busy doing homework for the past week, working on a very important task for Jeff and I. It ties up my free time after Drew goes to bed, so I had to pick and chose what was important.

Well, that homework is done for now and so I can continue to do the things I really enjoy.

You ask, what kind of homework? Well, Jeff and I filed for bankruptcy this year. Our process started back in February with a sit down with a lawyer. Then we (really, I had to) had to collect all the paperwork to support our finances for the past 6 months and submit them to the lawyer. Then we had to take an online credit counseling course that talked about bankruptcy and our finances.

Then the wait game began. They said it would take 6-8 weeks before we heard from anyone. It was more like 10 weeks, then of course I had to find MORE financial paperwork that for some reason wasn't on the list of things to gather up. So, that took a little more time.

Then finally, our first week of vacation we had turned in everything we needed, reviewed our paperwork and was able to officially file for bankruptcy. But, our case wasn't approved yet. We still had to go in front of a Massachusetts appointed trustee to review and except or deny our case. That meeting took place at the end of August. I was so nervous, I kept thinking what will happen if our case was denied. But, we were approved and all clear.

The final step was to complete a 2 hour online video education online. I am so happy the online classes were able to be broken up since they were so horribly done and degrading. So, that was my homework for the past week, watching online video's lecturing me/us about credit. So, that is done! Next step, submit our certificates to the lawyer once we receive them and we are dept free.

I know some people look at bankruptcy as a last resort and look at it as a mark on their credit history. Yes, it was our last resort, but I look at it as a chance to breath and have the weight taken off my shoulders.

Wordless Weds - Daddy Kisses

Beach Bums

I love the beach! I love the sound of the ocean wave’s crash on the sand. I love the warm sand on the bottom of my feet. I love the warmth of the water (that all depends on where you go too).

I hope to pass those feeling onto my little boy and hope he creates his own joys being near the seaside. It’s already too late for Jeff and Zack, they aren't big enthusiasts about the ocean, but at least for a few hours they were good sports about the situation with watching Drew discover the new surroundings. My FIL enjoys time in the sun, no matter where we are, so he was easy to convince to tag along.

This Weeks Adventure

We made it through our big adventure this week, the beach and aquarium. There were times I wasn't too sure if we'd make it, but we did. We survived and had a great time.

The first mis-hap....I forgot my camera. I had forgotten a few other things (geez, mom can't remember everything ya know), but I was most disappointed about the camera. We decided to pick up some disposable camera's (they are not developed yet) but I did snap a few pictures on my cell phone which did the trick for now.

Drew wasn't too sure about the sand, he didn't like it sticking to his hands so he was asking for help to get it off his hands most of the time. He wasn't too sure about the waves at first, he didn't even want to get his feet wet. But after several walks on the board walk and along the waters edge, he warmed up to it and was having a blast by the end of the time at the beach. Jeff and Zack are not the biggest fans of the beach, but they hung in there pretty good. They hung out on the beach, walked the board walk with Drew and we all went for ice cream too. My FIL and I loved to sit in the beach chairs and relax when we had the chance, that was wonderful.

After the beach, we headed to the hotel and once we were unpacked headed down to the indoor pool. Everyone had a blast there!

Yesterday, after breakfast, we headed to the aquarium. I was excited to see Drew's & Zack's reaction to the exhibits. But, once we checked out the place, we were all a little disappointed (well, except for Drew since he loved watching the fish). It wasn't up to our expectations. The Baltimore Aquarium was much better. But, we made the best of it and we were happy we just didn't come down for the aquarium, that we had combined it with a beach trip too.

Happy Birthday Jeff

Today is Jeff's turn to have a birthday. Every year, I always here that I'm still older (by 8 days). But, he turns 31 today and he has to work late. Yuck!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Daddy & Son

There is nothing like it, the time spent between Jeff and Drew.

They have a blast together! The run through the house chasing each other laughing and giggling the whole time. They like to wrestle and horse around. Jeff pretends to be a little rougher with Drew, but Drew knows he can be a little rougher with Daddy and he definitely takes advantage of that.

Its a beautiful thing to see father and son playing like they do. I wish Zack was around so he can participate in the festivities, but we make do when we see him. I can't want to have him for a week in August. It will be lovely to see the three of them together, having fun.

Who's In There?

The boys like to play their version of hide-and-seek. Jeff chases
Drew through the house until Drew finds a corner of some sort to hide in (while laughing the whole time, hysterically). Then Jeff turns around so Drew could chase him through the house and find him.

Jeff has an advantage since he's quicker and knows how to hide. Jeff usually hides under a blanket in the living room, on the side of the couch or the entertainment system. When Drew enters the room, he makes the rounds to the hiding places to find his daddy. Once Jeff is found, screams are heard and Drew takes off. Its adorable to watch.

The other day, Jeff found a new hiding spot. Its been there, staring at Jeff, calling out...hide here, hide here! Jeff finally heard the calling on Sunday. Drew has a little ball pit that was given to him for his birthday and now has became the new hiding spot.

The first time Jeff hid in it, Drew had no idea. I was trying to help the little guy look without giving too much away, but Drew kept walking by the ball pit. Jeff was even tossing the colorful balls towards Drew to get him to look in his direction, but instead Drew just looked around at the balls on the ground as they rolled by.

Shortly after, right before Jeff was going to pop out of the hiding space, Drew noticed his daddy! He ran over towards him with a great big smile and hopped right in making his daddy push over. They kicked there feet and had a great time inside the ball pit. Shortly after, Drew hopped out to hide from his daddy, laughing the whole way.

One Year Ago

One year ago, I was huge. I was starting to become a little uncomfortable in the mornings while I climbed out of bed. My ankles and feet had swelled up a few weeks before and it was getting difficult to put my shoes on. Other then that, I was loving my pregnancy.

It was 2 weeks until Drew's due date. In my mind, there was so much to do, in so little time left. I wanted things organized and put together before the due date arrived. Pretty much everything was done, but a few things had to be assembled and that was about it. I was asking Jeff all week (it was a Weds) to put the baby's swing together. His response was "we have plenty of time to do those things". My response, "please do it"!

That Wednesday was a normal work day. I went through my normal routine, went to work and coordinated a visit with my cousin Christina and her son Sebastian with my mom tagging along. It was a pretty normal thing we did on Wednesdays at the time. I climbed the 3 flights of stairs to her apartment with no worries. We had a nice visit with Christina talking about her labor stories that took place 7 months prior. My mom also snapped my last picture of me being pregnant (yes, the lovely picture here telling my mom through eye contact to please knock it off).

We soon left my cousins house and I dropped my mom off at her house. I came home to a baby swing put together in the living room by my husband. He was so proud of himself that he took care of this so soon. We went to bed not knowing that the next day would change our lives forever!

Firetruck In My Basement

I have a fire truck in my basement. I'm responsible for it. I'm doing the up-keep and maintenance on it, its my project.

But, its not a life size one or anything, its a model of a firetruck. Jeff wanted to do a project together and he suggested we build models. I didn't hesitate when he made this suggestion and I told him sure! In my head I was thinking, why would I want to do that? But, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. So, we ventured out a few weeks ago and bought ourselves each a model vehicle to build.

I have no skills when it comes to building models, so I found a skill level 1 Mack Fire Truck pumper to build. I like firetrucks enough that I don't mind "building" one and to be honest, the skill level is what really caught my attention. Its a paint and then snap together type of build, perfect!

Jeff is a little more advanced when it comes to model building. He has been putting together models for years, but really hasn't in the past couple of years and so I think the bug bit him again and thought it would be nice to do this together. He is working on a Mustang GT.

Last night we worked a little on the model after Drew went to bed. We haven't gotten too far, but we are moving along nicely. We are each painting tiny parts that will snap onto the larger parts when we are done. Jeff is a real sport at "teaching" me how to build my fire truck and I have to admit its not too bad.

Another Year

Jeff and I in Hawaii on our honeymoon

I can't believe another year has gone by. Today is Jeff and my 4th wedding anniversary. I can't believe what we've been through in the past four years, good and bad. I wouldn't change a thing since it made us grow as a stronger couple.

We celebrated yesterday by going out on a lunch date to a local steak house. Oh, it was yummy. I splurged and had a yummy crab stuffed steak with a sweat potato. And to top it off, a nice glass of wine. Jeff had his usual salmon (yup, at a steak house) and a beer. It was so nice to have a slow paced, just the two of use lunch. We haven't had one of those in such a long time.

Well, here's to another year and many more to come! Happy Anniversary Jeff!!

O-R-E-O

It has been discovered, Drew likes sweets. I know its hard to imagine when his mommy thinks chocolate should be a major food group.

I was hesitant about our little experiment, but Jeff really wanted to see what Drew would do with an Oreo. I rolled my eyes and said, fine as Jeff was handing Drew a cookie.

Well, let me tell you....I have not seen Drew concentrate on a food item as much as he did with this cookie. He took big boy bites, chewed and treated the cookie like it was a piece of Fillet Mignon! It was amazing to watch. The cookie did fall apart towards the end, but he treated that treat with respect and I could tell he was enjoying every bite.

Jeff can't wait for the time when he can teach Drew how to dunk an Oreo in a tall glass of milk.

Ok, what happened?

The other day, Jeff and I had a misunderstanding through a text message. It was quite comical afterwards when Jeff explained his interpretation of my text.

The message was-

Jeff - "How was your day? Mine ok"

Amanda - "I got shot today, on my way to pick up the baby"

It was my response that confused Jeff, but he didn't say anything until we got home after work.

What I meant was, I got my H1N1 shot today and I'm on my way to pick Drew up for his appointment. But, this just goes to show you, that the texter (me), has to be a little bit clearer on messages!!

Jeff thought it was odd that I had been "shot' and I'm telling him by text and then going to get Drew (after my supposed injury). I told him later that if I ever did get hurt like that, I wouldn't have text him the message, I would have called. And then told him he would have gone to pick Drew up from day care.

I just laughed in amazement the interpretation of texts between Jeff and I.

Touchdown!!

My boys were watching football the other night. Its so funny to watch Drew be so interested in sports already. I'm sure its all the fast movements and bright colors flash by on the tv screen, but Jeff is so excited!! He's happy to have Drew around to be able to teach him how to throw a ball, swing a golf club or tackle an opponent.

Jeff did his best with Zack with their visit schedule and he did a great job. Zack loves golf because of his father and its great to see. Now, I will have the three of them out on the golf course when Drew is old enough.

Its so fun to have my boys around!!

Let's Eat Cake

The other day, my wonderful husband surprised me with a little treat. He knows the way to my heart. It isn't diamonds, it isn't a lavish trip, it isn't a large shopping trip. Its a lovely dessert.

I love dessert and he knows it. I admire who ever made up that saying, life is short.....eat dessert first.

So, Jeff surprised me with a delicious lemon cake slice from our favorite bakery near his work. He had a half a day last Friday and he decided to surprise me with my most favorite thing. I was so pleased, it made my day. Yummy!

Almost Time

Its almost time again to go visit Zack. Yeah! Next week this time, we will be visiting with Zack and my family in Maryland. I can't wait to see him and my Grandpa.

We plan to see family (and they can see Zack & Drew) and go apple picking. Since our fall visit has been changed to Maryland (it used to be that Zack would come to MA for this visit) Zack misses out on our area's big fall fair and our apple picking tradition. There is nothing we can do about the fair, but we can still go apple picking (we'll still go here at home too, since I can't make apple crisps in the hotel room). Also, Grandpa gets to join us for the festivities too. I'm sure Drew will have a fun time too since he's in that curious mode these days!!

Melts My Heart

Since Drew was born, during feeding time I would give him lots of lovin. I would kiss his forehead, kiss his little fingers while he tries to hold the bottle, I would rest my check on his forehead, I would hold his feet, anything to shower him with love while he was eats.

Just recently, Drew now searches to touch my face while he eats. Oh, its just melts my heart. He goes back and forth from holding his bottle to rubbing my face. Yeah, its a little hard since he doesn't really know the difference yet for his hand controls, but sometime he rests his little fingers on my cheek and its just an amazing feeling.

Jeff witnessed it last night and just smiled with love since he knows the feeling. Jeff started to put his face where Drew can reach while they are playing and those little fingers explore his daddy's face. Jeff mentioned that its the weirdest and coolest feeling all wrapped into one. I agree, but I wouldn't call it weird, I'd call it Drew showing us lovin.

I Feel So Lost

I feel naked. I feel lost. I feel like I'm missing something, even though I know its not there.

I don't have my cell phone. Its broken! Its water logged, but not from the usual reason (no, it didn't fall in the toilet).

This is how it happened -

Around 4:30pm yesterday, I was finishing up a walk with Drew in the driveway.

I took my cell phone off the stroller and placed it on our back stoop on a table.

I brought Drew in the house while he was in his car seat and left the stroller in the driveway.

I asked Jeff to put the stroller back in the van for me.

Around 6pm, there was a heavy thunderstorm in our area.

After Drew fell asleep around 8:30pm, I went to look for my phone to check my email. I couldn't find it in my purse or counter. I panicked!

I ran outside to see if my phone was still outside and it was, covered with rain water. I just slumped my shoulders and said oh crap.

So, I went to Jeff and said I hope our phone insurance covers water logged phones. Then he got this look on his face, like a deer caught in the headlights and said oh I saw the phone out there before and didn't think of bringing it in (OK, I didn't say anything to him at this point, since it was my fault the phone was left outside, but why would I leave my blackberry cell phone outside on purpose?) Then he proceeded to try and fix my phone. No luck!

So, I hope to be able to get a replacement somehow, since I'm freaking out without it. Now that I'm used to all the features, I don't know how I'll function without it!

Civic Duty

Jeff received his little post card from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that he is due for Jury Duty on 7/21.

He went to fulfill his civic duty, thinking like all of us, that he'll sit in the jury pool room all morning while watching horrible day time TV and read a book. All this while waiting to be dismissed because no juries were needed that day. Well, it wasn't the case!

I sent Jeff a text message about 1pm yesterday, expecting him to be home relaxing, and kidding around asking him if he's been picked for a jury yet? He wrote back, actually I have. I didn't believe him, so I called him a liar. He responded, no I'm series I'm on a jury until at least Friday.

I think its pretty neat!

So, for the rest of the week, my husband is off to jury duty on an assault and battery case.

I So Want This!

The other day, while shopping at Babies R Us, I had paused by an isle so my mom could ask a question to a salesperson. I look over to a display and noticed the cutest thing ever.

I just laughed out loud when I noticed this modern day baby on board sign for your vehicle (there is a girl version, its pink and says Drama Queen on board). I wanted to buy it so bad, but I have two dilemmas - 1) I have tined windows, so it'll be hard to make my announcement 2) People wouldn't know if the sign was for Drew or Jeff (hee, hee, hee)!