Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet little boy!

Two years ago, at this very moment, I was deep into labor with you. I was at 6-8cm and amazingly enough the contractions were only every 8 minutes. But I assume that God gave me a little break considering you were giving us quite a scare. Your heart rate kept dropping extremely low and it didn't matter what position I was in, something was wrong. Little did we know that your umbilical cord was tied around your neck twice..and so every time I had a contraction, it would pull a little tighter. Thankfully, God knew what was best and gave the doctors wisdom and an emergency c-section was performed. 

And there you were. 7lbs 11oz 19ins long

You were the most beautiful baby I have ever laid eyes on.

Now it's two years later, and you have brought more joy and happiness into our lives than we ever could imagine. You are the sweetest little boy with the biggest personality, that literally lights up a room when you walk in.

Happy Birthday Dominic! Mommy & Daddy love you!

Turkey Balls - Fun Kid Friendly Recipe!

Looking for a fun cooking activity with your kiddos? Or just something fun to make in general? Try Turkey balls! Yes, I know Thanksgiving has come and went, but these were so easy and fun to make, that I thought I would share. Plus, switching a few things, it would be super easy to make Reindeer balls, etc instead!

 Basically, they are rice crispy treats balled up and decorated to look like turkeys!

Here's what you will need to make 12:

• 6 Cups of Rice Crispy cereal
• 4 Tbsp of butter
• 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• 1 Cup of Candy corn
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Step by step..

- Melt the butter in the pan, low heat. 

-Add the bag of marshmallows to the sauce pan (leaving out 10 or so for later)

- Stir the two together, until the marshmallows are completely melted. 

- Once it's all melted, add in the rice crispy's and mix it all up. 

-Then, grab a cup cake pan. Ours seem to make the perfect size balls. Then butter your hands and the pan, so the balls don't stick. (Trust me it's a pain if you don't do this.) 

Now for the decorating! 

Grab a microwavable bowl, pour the bag of chocolate and vegetable oil in.  Then microwave for 2 minutes. Stopping every 30 seconds to stir until completed melted. It may take longer or less, depending on your power settings. 

Once the chocolate is all melted, take and dip the rice crispy ball into the chocolate half way. Shake the excess chocolate off. 

-Once all the balls are dipped, place the pan into the freezer for 15 minutes. This gives them time to harden, yet a little squishy.

- Then, time to get them feathered. Take the candy corn and dip them into the chocolate and place them on top, where you want the "feathers" to go. The chocolate acts as a glue, holding it in place. Also, place a candy corn in the middle, where the "beak" would be. 

-Now, get those marshmallows you put aside. Chop them in half and dip the back in chocolate and place for eyes. 

 Place in freezer or let them sit for a few minutes to harden and there you go!

They are a little messy to make, but super easy and kids absolutely LOVE them! Not to mention they are completely yummy! 

*Stick them on Popsicle sticks on them and make them even more fun! And if you just replace the candy corn with pretzels and replace the nose with a vanilla wafer, and the eyes with m&ms, you got yourself reindeer balls! Perfect activity for the holidays!*

Wordless Wednesdays- It's My Party..

When it came to singing Happy Birthday, Dominic had one thing in mind

...and it wasn't singing.

 He just wanted to eat his cupcake!

Celebrating Dominic!

Today we are having a Toy Story themed party for Dominic's 2nd Birthday. Even though he's not officially 2 until the 29th, this was the date available for the venue. So, since the birthday festivities have began, I thought I would share a slideshow of his first year of life that was played at his first birthday party. It's hard to believe he was once that little! 

Enjoy!

* I'll be putting up his 2nd year video on his birthday. *

What amazing journey these last two years have been. From the moment I heard his little heart beating, I was in love with that little boy. He's smile lights up a room, and his personality is so full of life. We LOVE you Dominic!

TT: Happy Anniversary!

*Warning: Lots of mushiness ahead. Read at your own risk ;o)

Four years ago today, I walked down the aisle, married my best friend and became Mrs. Rachel Paolucci. It was a dream wedding come true.

The day was filled with so many wonderful memories...

 Laughter...

And fun...

 It truly was the best day of my life! 

So, Happy Anniversary to the most amazing man, provider, father, and love of my life! Today, I am so thankful for God bringing you into my life, and for giving up 4 amazing years together! 

And Tony must have bribed the kids today, because they actually let me sleep in! And when I got up, had breakfast and the most beautiful roses waiting for me. I love you babe, looking forward to see what the next years have in store for us!

Wordless Wednesday - Compromise

Marriage advice for today? It's all about the compromise! 

A Fresh Start

Life just doesn't slow done sometimes! I had planned to do several posts this weekend, but things took a different route. My mom got very sick Saturday and is in the hospital's ICU. She tore a hole in her bowel, and being that she is on blood thinners and is anemic, it's very serious. It's been a very stressful couple of days, but thankfully tonight she is finally stabilizing and looks like surgery may no longer be needed. Praise God!

Talk about a crazy year health wise for our family! Oh, but we are all alive and kicking, so little bumps in the road don't seem so bad. ; )

Despite all that this weekend, we managed to get our new front door installed and set up some Christmas decorations!

 Goodbye old burglarized door and goodbye violated feelings...

.

Hello fresh start. 

Let's Talk...Babies, Holidays & Black Friday

This is my hodgepodge post for the week. Life's been keeping me busy. Between Dominic's 2nd birthday party planning (my baby's going to be 2!!!),  and this little blue eyed cutie my days have have been full.

But don't let those baby blues fool you, he's started the stage of getting into EVERYTHING! .. Well, within his crawling height. Ha! He's so much fun now, in a good way. He's our little explorer checking out his world. Dominic on the other hand, isn't so sure what to make of his little brother going after all of his toys. ;o)

Speaking of being busy by the way..

Christmas is coming!! 

In case you haven't been to a store, listened to the radio, or haven't noticed any of the commercials that have been on..but it's true. In less that 45 days, Christmas will be gracing us with it's "presents." ;) 


Ah! This time last year, I was almost done shopping, and I have barely started this year. I am having a really hard time deciding on what gifts to give everyone. I do, thankfully, have the boys mostly done, but Tony's a different story.  He's list requires a translator. <computer geek> Why must men be so hard to buy for?!?

Are you guys ready for Christmas? And yes, I know Thanksgiving comes first....

but why must we save the decorations and music for after? Can't we show our Thankfulness while sitting next to a Christmas tree? I think so! That is why we are planning on decorating this weekend! I'm ready to dig into all the fun festivities the holidays bring!

Again, my mind wonders off..

Have you seen the Walmart's Black Friday ad? It was posted last night, you can view it here. It's not so much the add that interest me, but the time that the store is opening. Try, 10pm on Thanksgiving night! Yes, Thanksgiving night! As much as I LOVE black Friday, and trust me I do..

<Don't believe me? I Shopped Black Friday, 1 day past my due date, when pregnant with Dominic. We got up at 2am and hit up 5 different stores! And it sent me into labor that night. I'm serious. Ha. So ya, I'm dedicated!>

..But opening up on Thanksgiving is taking it too far! And sadly, a lot of big store chains are opening up late that night too.

As for my husband and I, we will NOT be going out Thanksgiving night to shop. I know I'm one family out of a million, but it's time these GREEDY companies realize, that family time and values come first! So, ya there's my rant for the day.

Well, I better be getting to bed. We have contractors coming out to our house in the early a.m. to put in our new custom made front door. It's to replace the one that got busted in when our home got robbed in July. Joyful.

Stay tuned, I have a bunch of post on my "to do list" and I have a product review coming up!



<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Linking up with An Island Life, for Aloha Friday. I’ll ask a question for you to answer and you answer below. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and link up to her blog.

Question:

What's your take on Black Friday moving into Thanksgiving?

*Update of Tony* - TT

• "Sorry your guts are hanging out, but thank God it's not cancer!" Tony had his doctor's appointment on Monday. And thankfully, it's a hernia! Weird to say that I'm "thankful" for him having a hernia, but in the scheme of things, it could have been much much worse. He will need surgery soon. He goes to the surgeon this coming week, so we will know more then.  Thank you for all the prayers and support! what an amazing community of bloggers! We greatly appreciate them all.

• I am thankful for a "quiet" weekend. After all that's gone on this last month, I decided to unplug myself from the blogging world, and just about all technology really. It was wonderful. I am thankful for quiet moments like that, when you can turn off all the distractions and get back to some good old family time. 

Are you feeling thankful? Then, share it! Today, I'm linking up with The Wife of a Dairyman. 

Wordless Wednesday - Nailed it!

 Nailed it - Got the pudding! 

Nothing beats the looks of satisfaction in knowing you got the last drop of pudding out of the cup! ;) 

Reality of Tough Times

I had a horrible day yesterday. You know the kind. Nothing goes right, everything goes wrong, and your left saying, "really God, this too!?" It was rough.

I'd love to only write about the great days of being a stay at home mom, but that gives a false perception of reality. Sometimes being a stay at home mom is hard. Like real hard. Like when your husband comes home and you hand him a baby and go in your bedroom and scream, hard. Yesterday, was one of those days.

It's tough seeing your little ones sick. It's tougher when sickness has plague your house for over a MONTH!  Yesterday, I reached my boiling point. On top of Dominic not feeling well, Giovanni screamed ALL day. It was heart breaking and exhausting. He was up all night and now he was screaming. It didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion he was getting sick too. A doctor's appointment later, it was determined that he too had an ear infection.

If you are keeping up with our family, you know the tally of our illnesses. If not, here's a recap..

In the last 33 days, the boys have had

• 1 case of Mono
• 1 case of Tonsillitis 
• 2 Colds
• 2 Ear Infections

And lets not forget, I was sick with a cold, right before Dominic got mono, which I got from his cold the week before. Did you catch that? So ya, it's been a month full of empty kleenx boxes, endless prescriptions, endless tears, tons of cuddles, sleepless nap times, explosive diapers, and more doctors appointments then I care to remember. Needless to say, It hasn't been a fun month to be a stay at home mom.

And on top of all this, Tony finds a lump in his stomach area. A LUMP. It's probably nothing more than a hernia...but it could be something...and not knowing for sure, is just plain terrifying. He has an appointment first thing Monday, so we will know more then. Please, please, please keep him in prayer!

It's just been a bad month for all of us.

But I'm reminded of God's amazing love..

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."-Matthew 6:34(msg)

This verse speaks truth. God is bigger than my boys' ear infections. He's bigger than my bad days. He's bigger than the lump in Tony's stomach. He's bigger than all the stress and worry. And he knows what tomorrow brings. ..and I, don't.

And even though I have their snot matted in my hair, seriously, I do...and I'm stressed with the unknown, I am thankful that God is in control and He will bring us through this.





Feeling Thankful? Share it! I'm linking up with The Wife of a Dairyman.

Wordless Wednesday -Trick-Or-Treat!

I know you are all probably tired of seeing Halloween posts, but I'm a proud mama and want to treasure these memories forever. So, I put together a Day in the life sort-of post.   After all, this is G's first Halloween and Dominic's first one he can really enjoy.

This was our Halloween Monday..

(To make it legit, add in a ton of dirty diapers, a tantrum or two, and several hundred nursing sessions)

After the long weekend we had, the boys actually slept in a little bit.....6:30! Ha! Got them dressed and made some spooky bite sized pancakes in all sorts of Halloween shapes. Dominic got such a kick out it it. He really enjoyed the pumpkin. 

After breakfast the boys took an extra long nap, almost 3 hours! It was heavenly! Then they got up and played and watched some spooky cartoons, and a new movie I bought them, Hoodwinked. 

Lunch was around noon. I made some ghostly peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, paired with some fruit snacks and a banana. They are only little once, so why not have some fun, right?! Gotta love our fancy plates! : )

After lunch. We had a monster mash dance party. I think I scared Giovanni half to death. lol. Dominic enjoyed the ghostbuster song best.  It was nap time again, and then it was time for the big event, TRICK-OR-TREATING! The whole time getting ready, Dominic kept saying, "Let's go! Let's go already!" He's a man who knows what he wants. He he he. 

As much as Dominic LOVED his costume, Giovanni HATED his. I can't really blame him, it was 5 times too big. But he did look super cute!

After much back and forth debate as too what we were going to do with Halloween, with Dominic getting over an ear infection..we decided to let him go out after all, but only to a few houses in my parent's neighborhood.

So we spent dinner with my family, munching on some yummy hot dogs and chili. Took several hundred pictures with all the grandkids...

 The ham of the family! ;) 

As soon as he saw paw-paw he crawl-hopped right to him! 

....or at least tried too...

Winners?! 

...we then left to go over to Tony's mom's house to let her see the kids in their costumes 

...and then come back to over to my parents to take Dominic out with my brother and his family to go trick-or-treating, while my parents watched Giovanni. And let me just say, Dominic was soooo cute! My niece Sarah and him were adorable!

He followed her every move. And it was so cute, he LOVED knocking on the doors. Even if the person was getting ready to open it, he had to knock on it too. It was simply a wonderful day.

Now that Halloween is over, whose ready for Christmas?! Only 53 more days!! Now, don't worry I haven't forgotten Thanksgiving comes first. I'm just excited to pack away the Halloween decor and start decorating for Christmas!