The Dancer of the Family

I think Ellie is the dancer of the family. This girl's got the moves! And, yes, we rock out to The Beastie Boys daily...

Boston Girls Rule, others drool? Is that still a thing?

                                                            I'm gonna tell you a story

I'm gonna tell you about my town

I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby

Aww, it's all about my town

                                                           Well, I love that dirty water

                                                      Oh, Oh, Boston you're my home

Ah... A weekend away with my people... A flight on my own... A hotel room to myself... Boston wind in my hair... Boston accents... buckets of iced coffee in my veins...

But, first... A little suburb action with Barda. Dive bars, Zumba, Pitch Perfect, and music to get us moving for a night out at the Red Sox game! Love you Bards! I had so much fun and want to come spend the night again sometime!!

                                    
           

 Schmort... I love you. Your roof deck rocks and Stats is groovy. 

Shaun, Shaun. My number one Flicka of a friend!

 JA, I love you my sweet girl. Pillow talk with you was fun (sorry for morning breath), and for possibly telling your boyf that I love him. 

Esta! I think that Beibs had the most fun with us...obvi...

My big group of Boston gals! I love each of you so much, and am so thankful for the friendship and relationships that we have. You don't meet a group like us very often. (I think there's something in our water... wait... it's dirty!)

B-Whit, we were loving the Boston wind in our hair and the wine in our veins very much...

 Monstah!

It's always in bad times (Marathon) and good times (World Series Playoffs baby!) when I miss you and Beantown the most. I'll be back soon...

playoffs? you're...you're talkin' about playoffs? 

Who You Are.

To my baby girl,

You are smart, funny, beautiful, unique, and worthy. Never, ever let anybody tell you different! My biggest job as your mother is to mold you into the strong, fierce, intelligent, and confident woman and person that you deserve to be; that you should WANT to be; that you CAN be; and, without a doubt, that you WILL be.

Times will get tough, but so will you. Times will be sad, and so will you. Times will change, and so will you. But these times are the best times. You will persevere through all your trials and tribulations my dear because you are YOU! Just keep smiling and be the best you that you can be. Stay kind, focused, and jubilant. Your life is amazing, and so are you. I love you Eliana. You're my baby, my big girl, my supergirl, my daughter, and I love you.

xoxo Always,

Mommy

August 27, 2013

It's here! It's here! Eliana is one! After the week trip to the beach, and celebrating with Tom's side of the family, we felt a small gathering of cupcakes and lemonade on her actual birthday would be the perfect way to celebrate Ellie's first year of life. 

What a super fun day for a special baby girl!

May your life always be filled with such joy, Ellie-Pie. xoxo Always...

Happy Birthday Ellie Bug!

Ellie is one! They say time goes by fast when you're having fun. It also goes by fast when you add a fiesty, goofy, talkative, active, sassy, immediate-gratification kind of gal to your quiet family of three! 

 Eliana has certainly kept us on our toes since the days he entered this world, and is continuing to do so. She is completely hilarious; always donning a hat, sunglasses, tupperware, slippers, and anything else she can get her hands on. Ellie makes silly faces by scrunching up her nose, sticking our her tongue or smiling really big. 

 I watch E-girl in awe as I see her grasp a concept that I never really even knew she has seen before. I thought Connor was observant, but I have to believe that she is even more so. Perhaps it's because she idolizes her big brother and watches everything he does. 

As active as Ellie is, she definitely likes to know I'm there. She constantly comes up for hugs in the middle of playing, and while I'm cooking dinner, she'll want to see what's going on. 

There is nothing like this lil' lady of ours. Everything Connor did, she does different. She's little miss independent, little miss smiley, and our little miss sunshine. 

Did you know that Eliana means "a gift from God?" 

And, Ellie means "light?"

 

Eliana Marie certainly shines bright, with a flicker of light in her eyes, and a smile so ferocious that there's no doubt in my mind that she is going to do big things in life. 

"Kid, you'll move mountains." 

Happy First Birthday, baby girl. We love you with all of our being. 

xoxo, 

Mommy, Daddy, and Connor

Happy Birthday Ellie Bug (continued)...

Holy no-blog-for-two-months!!! When Connor was the only child in this house, my blog was up to date everyday, if not, every other day. My, how time's have changed. Well, I better give Eliana the best birthday post yet!

Ellie's first birthday was so eventful that we celebrated two times! The first was during our family beach trip to Bethany Beach in Delaware. She and her cousin, Salvatore, share the same birthday, only one-year apart. So, this was the perfect time to celebrate them both!

Grannie's birthday just so happens to fall four days after these two cuties' so naturally we celebrated this lovely lady too! 

It was a fantastic week spent with tons of family! I am so grateful that Eliana got to celebrate her first birthday with all of her cousins, aunties, and uncles. 

My sidekick

This pretty much sums up how I feel about Eliana and our time together. She is my little sidekick, and I really love it! 

I know one day, she won't want me so close to her, but for now she has no choice! I love her quick snuggles, her silly laugh, beautiful smile, her smell, and the baby-ness that is soon to go away. 

It's been a long and windy road to this genuine happiness that are our children. So blessed in this life. 

A Little Help From Her Bro

Getting a push from Big Brother ensues laughter:

Connor sees Lightening McQueen

This was from last October and I don't remember if I posted this on the blog or not (post baby brain then). I love, love, LOVE this video. It makes me tear up every time I watch it because I have never seen Connor so excited about something. Enjoy. 

Date Night!

Tommy and I have been blessed to have my parents close by. We are really making up for the first 6-months post-Eliana by getting out together more often. What a great summer it's been. Feels like a new summer love all over again!

Connor's Fun Summer

Now that our lil' man is 4, his world has changed before his bright blue eyes! Cman has the courage to not only swim on his own, but jump in and go all the way under. 

He goes to movies with his friends (with Mommy and without)!

Connor enjoys lollipops after getting his haircut in the regular chair. 

And, not that this is any change at all, but he holds his library books all the way to the car because he is so excited to read them on the way home. 

 He's also very independent when it comes to life. He likes to make his very own pb&j sandwiches with his special knife. And there is not much of a mess to clean afterwards!

It's both heartbreaking and heart-fulfilling to see this lil' guy grow up before our eyes. What a remarkable boy he is...xoxo

High Style, Low Fuss

"The Shirtdress: High Style, Low Fuss" -Anthropologie email dated today!

Eliana is in high style. I suppose I should take a cue from my almost 11-month-old...

 Another tip from Ellie: Accessories do complete an oufit!

 (well, that one is a joke)

Eliana's Baptism

"Lord Jesus Christ, here our prayers, and with your unfailing protection, watch over and cherish this child, whom You have blessed with the grace of Baptism. Send Your Spirit upon this child and fill him (or her) with peace, joy, and the strength to do Your Will. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen"

Eliana was Baptized yesterday. To be honest, we kept holding off with uncertainty of whether we were going to wait until she was old enough to say she wanted to be Baptized in Christ, or just do it when she was a baby like we did with Connor. The timing was perfect. Mark, my brother, and the kids' Godfather, came to surprise my Mom and Dad for their 40th anniversary (another post on that later), and the church just so happened to have the date open for a Baptism. If we did it now, we wanted to do it soon so that Ellie could wear the same clothes Connor did. Kristen wasn't able to be there with us, but she is also the kids' Godmother. We also missed the rest of our family, but all in all, it was a very quiet and special day spent with  a small amount of family and a couple of good friends.

After all is said and done, I am extremely glad that we decided to take Ellie to get baptized. It is a right of passage in our family, and the blessings put upon her yesterday made me feel secure, safe, and happy for her and the rest of our family.

Eliana's Godfather, Mark (my bro). 
A precious bracelet from Mark and Kristen was blessed by the Deacon. Little girls are fun!