What I am thankful for....

What am I thankful for this year, 2008? I am thankful for a happy, healthy, growing family. I am thankful that Tony and I have good jobs. I am thankful that the gas prices have fallen to lower than they were eight years ago when we elected a president from oil money. I am thankful for the anticipated change that will come with a new president. I am thankful for the happiness of my friends and family. I am thankful that I have payed off my car. I am thankful that Jory's room isn't as stinky as it once was. I am thankful that Tony cleans the litterbox. I am thankful that I can type quickly. I am thankful for good friends that don't care that I can't spend much time with them any longer. I am thankful for this blog and the way our family and friends can keep up with us. I am thankful for the invention of toilet paper. Where would we be as a society without it? I am for the teachers at pre-school. I am thankful for a wonderful husband who knows that I can't do it all on my own. I am thankful that I live in the Chicagoland area - there is no other place that I would like to live. I am thankful that I am not stuffed up right now. With a newborn, I am VERY thankful for coffee. I am thankful that we live very close to babies 'r' us. I am thankful that this blog is done.

Other family members....

Okay, so this blog thing started with Mia's birth. And now, we are going to introduce you to the rest of the family, most of it at least. So, without further ado, here are Olivia and Jory (aka Uncle JJ) playing outside.
And Jory and his baby. Jory and Mac have a special bond and Jory is always picking Mac up, so, we call Mac - Jory's baby.While I know that Mac looks like a beached whale, he actually has more of the coloring of a Great White Shark - which may be how he perceives himself. Below is our Alpha Cat, the crazy Layla. Apparently, she thought that she needed to be punished as she put herself in the corner.Then, when I tried to call her and get her out of the corner, she pretended that I couldn't see her just because she was behind the carrier. She really liked that corner yesterday.
Lastly, here is Tony entertaining Mia...

Baby, it's cold outside...

So, it's that time of year again. The time of year when the fans are realizing that the Bears won't make the playoffs (again), when Turkey and stuffing is what you yearn for, and when you walk outside it feels as if the wind is peeling off your skin - layer by layer. Aaahhh, yes, it's that time of year again. The Holiday Season is upon us with preparations being made for Christmas as well as pulling out our winter wear....

I bought this extremely adorable sack type coat for Mia while I was still pregnant. She looks like a little snow bunny. I just love it.

Here's Olivia in her winter finest.

We went to have the Christmas pictures taken. This is Olivia before the photo shoot. Mia was already in her coat. Don't worry, you'll get pictures with Christmas cards.Here's an almost smile from Mia. Believe it or not, it took about 10 minutes to get this much of a smile on the camera. Everytime she would smile, she would turn her head away from the camera. Next time, I will have to enlist Tony'e help to get a smiling picture.

The Mia Tuft.....

So...my favorite part (physical attribute) of Mia is this wonderful tuft of hair she has on the back of her head. She has a giant cowlick and lots of hair that creates this little mini tuft of hair that sticks up. It is just the cutest thing. Except for one thing - she has a tendency to pull it. Her little hands go back and grab on to the hair and she screams until we can get the hand to let go. But still, it is just so cute....

No, that's not shadow, that's her hair...

Tony is using his hand as background for Mia's hair. No, it's not him wiping his face or signaling his gang, just background for her hair.

More fun and somewhat cute pictures....

And this post wouldn't be complete without Olivia posing for the camera. I have never seen someone get so jealous of the camera. It's a different way for her sibling rivalry to manifest.
P.s. Does anyone know how to get rid of baby acne? Mia has acne all over her little face.

Why is sleep worth the fight?

I don't understand. Me and my kids fight sleep for two very different and opposing reasons. I want to have sleep, and they don't. I don't get it. I wish I could sleep as easily as they can as well as wherever I want. Unfortunately, I don't sleep anywhere and I don't sleep well because I have kids. Anyway, after dealing with a crabby, whiny, crying Olivia, she decided to come sit next to me on the couch. The next thing I knew, I got up to check on Mia (also sleeping, but not in the crib, only in the swing during the day) and found Olivia as you see below...

"NO MOMMY! I DON'T WANT TO TAKE A NAP!!! I'M NOT TIRED!"

And, here's Mia, sleepign in her swing. Mia and I are fighting as to whether or not she will nap in her crib. Why are my kids so darn stubborn? I hate the fighting for schedules!
Last as well as least, here's Mac (full name: Macles McFatcat, aka Fat Gray and Lumpy) sleeping under Mia's swing. It must be nice to be a cat....sometimes.

Let it snow, let it snow...you know the rest!

Look really hard, and you may be able to see the snow out the window. We had the snow really coming down on Sunday. When I first saw it, I thought that one of our neighbors had exploded their dryer and we were seeing the lint come down. Then it finally occurred to me that this was snow. You'd think that I hadn't lived in Chicago for most of my life!

Anyway, this snowfall started a new round of questions from Olivia. Where did the snow come from? It comes from the clouds, like rain. Snow is like rain? Where did the snow go? Why won't it stick to the ground? When will the grass be cold enough for the snow? Is the grass cold enough now? Is the grass cold enough now? Is the grass cold enough now? Is the grass cold enough now? Is the grass cold enough now? I think you get the picture....

Olivia wouldn't let me get away with just a picture of her back, I had to take one of her face, so here it is......and of course, we have to have a picture of Mia. I know that this is a familiar pose, but she is only 6 weeks old and doesn't have any other poses.

Weekends, oy!

This past weekend, Liz and Julia came to visit. Unfortunately, they didn't get to spend much time with Mia, but Julia, Olivia, and Tony played well together. Liz brought some clothes for Mia to wear and she left with Olivia's old clothes for Julia. By the way, Liz, that jumper is very cute on Julia. So, this weekend, we apparently have a ton of things planned. We made and appointment for the girls to get their Christmas picture taken on Saturday. Apparently, Olivia also has a dentist appointment that morning. Then, Tony has to work on Jory's car because Jory killed his transmission this week. This also means that I am driving Jory around this week and will most likely loan him the money to get his car fixed. Oh...the joy of family. Anyway, here's a picture of Mia in the dress that Liz lent to us. I bought some tights today, but they are too long.

Together at last....

Here are a couple of pictures of Mia and Olivia together. It's kind of hard to get Mia to take a good picture, but these are the best we got....

Happy Birthday, Mia!

Miss Mia, you are officially one month old today. You sleep well through the night, although you get up to eat twice a night. You take about four ounces of formula per feeding, and are wearing your newborn clothes supplemented by your 0-3 month clothes. Today, going on in the world is that we are having an historic election tomorrow. For the first time, we have an African-American candidate running for president. Tomorrow, we will see who our next president will be. Currently, it's 73 degrees and sunny, and the meteorologists are predicting snow by the weekend. Happy November 3, 2008....

...a gratuitous picture of Olivia because she is just so camera shy. Now, here are some pictures of Olivia from Halloween. She was a "nice witch." She had tights like the witch from the wizard of og (Olivia speak for Oz) and she was happy to show off her new Halloween shoes to anyone who would look....