Hey everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! This is by far the best time of year. For the next month, I am completely beside myself. I love Thanksgiving, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. I love everything about the holidays. I am officially allowed to play my Christmas music (Ok, well, I have been listening to Bing Crosby's Christmas CD for the past month). I am decorating TOMORROW! I am mostly done with Christmas shopping. I finished shopping for Josh, finished shopping for Samuel (I hope, I'm buying too much for him which I will soon regret). Oh ya, the cutest thing happened the other day. I brought Samuel to Wal-Mart because we had to return something and I had to look at something in toys (mistake). Well, he saw this HUGE tonka truck. Now let me just say my son plays with each and every one of his toys every day. He is a huge toy kid. He especially loves any kind of truck as long as it is big. He loves the Hess trucks and his favorite toy is a toy my sister in laws boyfriend bought him. A fire engine tonka truck. So anyway, we go to Wal-Mart and I see Samuels eyes get HUGE haha..He ran over to me and said "MAMA MAMA!! LOOK!" he brought me over and I saw this HUGE tonka truck that made all kinds of noise. And, as you can imagine, my heart melted and I wanted to buy it for him at that very moment, especially when he turned to me and said with huge eyes "Mama I want twuck pease pease!!". Oh Lord...that's it..So after looking up and seeing that the truck was $40 I said hmm...not so much. SO not wanting to be the bad guy, I called Josh over and I told Samuel to ask daddy. He did the same thing..big eyes "Daddy I want twuck pease! Pease!!" Josh turned to me and grabbed his chest. He was like "Oh buddy, you want that truck? I'll tell you what. Maybe for your birthday we'll get it but not now OK?" Spoken like a true daddy. Samuel put his head down (heartbroken mommy watching) and he said "Ok daddy." Oh Lord. So I've been determined to find a way to get that truck. So my mom called me yesterday and said that my grandma was coming out for thanksgiving and she wanted to give Samuel & Jael a toy, so she gave us each money to go buy whatever toy they wanted. So, I used half of her money to buy the truck and then part of my mom's money for his birthday to buy the rest of the truck! So today is going to be exciting. I wrapped it and he's going to be opening it today!! I am so excited! He is going to be beside himself!!! I'll try and get some pictures!!!

Anyway, all of this to say, I love the holidays for this very reason. I love watching my son get excited over a truck. I love watching him get excited over opening gifts and the tree. It's a wonderful time of year for our little family. Every Christmas I wake up early and make a HUGE breakfast and Samuel gets a treat..Yup A donut from Dunkin Donuts (a only once a year treat). I make these really good burritos. I get whole wheat wraps and put eggs, salsa, sour cream, tobasco sauce, I make cajun potatos (SO GOOD), bacon, and sometimes ketchup in the burritos. So delicious! And then we end the meal with a donut. Samuel never has them since we don't really allow snacks in the house, so he gets so excited and messy. Then usually after he is done he grabs his stomach out of being completley stuffed and goes and sits down. haha! My little old man :-) I love him! Anyway, so Happy Holidays!!! My favorite time of year :-)

I am going to be SUPER busy for the next week, so I thought I'd just say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone really quickly!!! I have Thanksgiving with my inlaws tonight, Thanksgiving at my moms tomorrow, rehearsal dinner on Friday, Wedding I'm in on Saturday, and in between all of that, I need to get ready for Samuel's birthday and pick up last minute things for the wedding. Oh boy, busy busy bee! Hope everyone eats really well (spoken like a true Italian :-) ) have a great day!!

Aren't these pretty? Josh bought them for me last Friday and this is what they look like now....so pretty :-)
Look at his foot..haha.. He started yelling "Mama Mama!" "I duck, you hewp me?"

Christmas time is BY FAR my favorite time of year. But you know what is the worst thing about my favorite time of year? The months I spend thinking on what to get Josh. I just read Anna's blog and it seems she is in the same boat. What is it buying gifts for men? Josh's problem is he wants all of these really expensive things and if I actually get it for him, he never uses it. For instance, last year he wanted 2 really expensive things. A Braun Pulsonic razor thingy and a PSP (Playstation Portable-stupid I know) So I managed to pool together money from my grandma, mom and myself and we were able to get him both. The Pulsonic he swears by, absolutely loves it and uses it every day. The PSP thing, which he just HAD to have, never uses it. I think since last Christmas he has used it 3 times only after I tell him how much of a waste it is. He wants a Palm Pilot or some IPOD thing, however, I am hesitant to even buy them because they are both expensive and I DON'T WANT TO WASTE MY MONEY! HELP! Any ideas? I know that if he gets the IPOD thing, he'll never use it because he is not mechanically inclined and barely knows how to use the computer. The Palm Pilot I was thinking of, but it kinda seems like a boring gift. I was also thinking of getting him this workout program he wanted. I don't know. I get scared every year at Christmas time because I never know what to get him. Any suggestions?

1. What is your funniest childhood story? Probably when I went camping in the Catskill mountains and I was riding my bikes with my sister and her friend and we were going down this little hill and making a sharp turn onto the road (because if you went straight you'd go off of a mini cliff) Well, I did it for the first time and yup, you guessed it, went right down that cliff. I heard everyone yelling and running over to me. My Uncle Jesse got stuck in a lounge chair (very funny) And everyone kept thinking I was dead or seriously hurt and I actually was hysterical laughing at how dumb I was. haha!
2. What would your dream dress look like if you could design it? I've gotta say, Not creative like that. Anything halter is good for me!
3. What weird habit does your hubby have? He makes armpit farts to make sure his underarms are dry before putting deodorant on. Definitely weird.
4. How many cookbooks are in your kitchen? 2! Eating For Life and Better Homes Cookbook
5. Granny panties or loyal Victoria Secret girl? Victoria Secret all the way!
6. My favorite memory from 2008 so far is... Probably hearing Josh scream like a girl when we were in Jamaica flying through the trees.. Haha hilarious
7. I secretly... Wish I wasn't home alone right now
8. I could really go for... Sleep.
9. We are going to have a big snow storm and you will find me... In my comfy Camp Alvernia sweatpants sitting on the couch or making soup
10. I knew he was the one... When I really got to see his kind heart


I tag: Hmm...
Anna Coyle
Susie Sams
Rachel Tibbs

I am exhausted. I am emotionally falling apart at the moment. Please pray for me. I need to sleep, I need some relief. Going to go read my bible then hopefully sleep. Help me God!

So we have completed week 3 of Josh being away! Good deal :-) He should be home in about an hour! Hooray! I feel so bad, Samuel had a complete meltdown last week when Josh left and he was sleeping. Broke my heart. Well, he'll see him again tonight!

I would love some suggestions for a boy name if we have a boy. A girl is already picked out, but a boy we are struggling. I think we have agreed on one boy name, but we're both not completely crazy about it. Hmm. We shall see. My husband wants to do this thing where all the boys have the same middle name..egos.. I do know a family that has 11 kids and all of the boys have the same middle name and that is where Josh got that crazy idea.

Nothing really interesting happened this week. Went and had some bloodwork and another sonogram and the doctor said the baby has a perfectly round head, very kicky legs, and does not like to cooperate with the sonogram tech. They kept trying to get a measurement of the baby's thigh and the baby had other plans, like kicking!

I am so tempted to find out what I am having but I promised Josh I wouldn't. And, to top it all off, Josh won't be here for the Level 2 sonogram (supposedly routine, nothing is wrong) which will be able to tell the sex of the baby. AHH. Stay strong Danielle, Stay strong. I just think it would be so exciting to be giving birth and hear "ITs a ...BABY....."

I cannot believe I am pregnant again. I don't know why it isn't hitting me. I still think I'm in denial that I had a child. That's bad, he's almost 3 (haha susie, I say "almost" all the time). I cannot believe my baby is going to be 3 in 3 weeks. Goes by so fast and I've loved every minute of it *except for the feces incidents*. Anyway , hope everyone is doing great!

Ok. I have hit a serious wall with potty training. I do not have the slightest idea on how to convince my son that it is NOT ok to poop and pee in your pants and that it is much cooler (and easier on mom) to do it in the potty. Please, anyone, tell me what to do! Samuel has no problem telling me after the fact, but never before. AHHH! MUST STOP CHANGING DIAPERS!

How handsome is my boy?




We FINALLY set up Samuel's bed. He loves it!!

Ok. Crazy life I have. Here we go. I just got a call from the FAA for Josh saying that he is slated to leave on November 25th. HOLY COW!!!! Praise God!! Wait, Josh is still in the middle of training..doesn't want to burn bridges....His best friends wedding is on the 29th, He's the best man! Thanksgiving! Christmas! AHHHH! HELP!!!! Is this insane? Thank God for this job, but please pray for direction for Josh..He is confused and as he said is having "mini heart attacks".. haha! PRAY PRAY PRAY!

I have to say, the worst part of a kitchen are pots by far. Why are pots so annoying to clean? Why can't they make disposable pots so that I don't have to wash them? Hmm..Maybe I'll invent that, DONT STEAL MY IDEA!

So I've made it through another week. Josh is coming home tomorrow. Yay!! Samuel was A MILLION times better this week. NO messes. I actually though last night that it had been a whole 2 days since he did anything remotely naughty, so it was time for a 'bubba bath". He LLOOOOVVVEESS the bathtub. It is by far his favorite thing to do. Especially when it has bubbles in it. So while he was in there, we went over animal sounds and animals. I love hearing him talk. It is so adorable. You know what I don't love? When he wakes up at 6:30 because of this lovely time change. Not cool.

I started Christmas shopping officially and I AM GOING TO GET INTO TROUBLE. I am having WAYYYYY too much fun. I bought Samuel 3 things so far (4 after today) I bought him Hungry Hungry Hippos, I Spy puzzle, and an ABC puzzle. I am buying him today (yes, I know Rachel, I will regret it) a drum set. It is on sale . It was originally $130 but it is down to $79. I can't write what else I bought because my family comes on the blog. And yes, I did buy Jonathan cole. I brought my brother Jonathan with me to Toys R Us. He is so adorable. He is 11 years old and totally hilarious. Sometimes I forget that he is still young. He's pretty mature for his age (and he watches Samuel better than anyone in the family..haha!) I started Christmas music. OH WELL I LOVE IT! I can't wait or Thanksgiving to pass so that I can have CHristmas!!!!!!!!! Anyway.

Pregnancy is going good. I notice that I tend to carry very high and I'm getting a little worried. I carried really high with Samuel and I could not breathe at the end of the pregnancy. I remember the doctor thinking that I might need a c-section because he was so high up. Thankfully, I didn't. I'm starting to feel out of breath a little bit. I think it is also because I am not exercising faithfully. It's hard when Josh is gone. I am going to go this morning. They have babysitting and Samuel loves to go in that germ infested room. I mean, the playroom.

Ok, I have to go..Samuel just came up to me and said "mama, I waan eggies" . TOOO CUTE!

They are too cute...
Picture from the story I told you the other day (When Josh fell asleep)
Yup....hmm..what a mess
Have I ever said how much I love these two?
Look at that little girls gummy smile. I love her!

All of this business is tiring
Being a pea in a pod is exhausting
Still so tired......
My sister, the tired little pea, me and Samuel!
Uncle Jonathan & Samuel

Ms. Jael and Samuel!!
Shhh...don't tell nana I wore her glasses :-)
I love this boy
AHHH TOO CUTE!!
Future business tycoon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qmcQG219yk&feature=related


All Elimites must watch this...so funny!

What a great weekend with my husband. I really realize how much of a part of me he is. I feel lost sometimes when he isn't home. When he came home this weekend, I immediately felt relieved and felt some kind of comfort. I realize that I love just sitting down with him and watching the news, or a movie and I love eating dinner with him. I've been lost when it comes to dinner since he's been gone! Not to mention Samuel was on a serious naughty streak this whole week. Anyway, bottom line? I LOVE MY HUBBY!

Ok..Now for Samuel stories. Oh Lord, get ready to laugh- Only because I'm done crying about it and I can laugh now too. It started last week when Josh was home. Josh has a very bad tendency to think that he can nap while Samuel is awake. Wrong. So I went to the gym and let me tell you, every time I get ready to walk in the door, I feel a pit in my stomach because I KNOW something is going to be wrong (usually I smell vinegar and KNOW Josh tried to cover it up). Well, I walk in after the gym and what do I see? My son with a white head and a purple face. How did he get that you ask? Well, he managed to find the kids suntan lotion and put it all over his hair, then decided to spice it up and color on his face with his THANK GOD washable markers. So that is first. Later on that day, when I was cleaning the kitchen (ALWAYS when I clean the kitchen) he had his show on, so I figured he'd be good. Nope. I go in my bedroom and my son has my dark lipstick all over his body. AHHH! I throw him in the tub for the 3rd time that day and scrubbed. Well, his body was a little more pink than usual. Now for this week that Josh was gone. Let's see. All in one day I am not even joking, this all happened in one day. I went to put Samuel down for a nap. I have been praying about getting rid of his binky because it is way past time to get rid of it. So I put him in his bed, next thing I know, he is out of his crib with baby lotion all over his head again and all over his binky. Well, that solved the binky problem. I said "Ok Samuel, let's go throw away your binky" He just said Oh, ok! So got rid of the binky, bathed him, gave a time out and went back in bed. I checked on him every 5 minutes. Got out of his bed probably 9 times. Then in one of those 5 minute spans what does he do? Gets out of bed, takes my lipstick again puts it on himself, then on my carpet (MY BIGGEST PEEVE!) Then I see that Samuel has now taken off his pants, clothes, and peed in his bed. Oh Lord help this child. I was really mad at that point. It had been 2 hours since I put him in his bed for a nap and whether he was ready or not, it was now a battle of wills. He WAS taking a nap even if he didn't want to. After probably the 15th time he got out of bed, a couple of time outs, a couple of other ways of disciplining, he finally fell out. I now realize that I need a baby monitor again. Well. So yesterday, I thought that I seriously had a shot at him NOT causing trouble. I was going to make sure that no matter what I had to do, I Samuel proofed the house. So, since I only have one gate, I put the gate up in the kitchen (I was doing the dishes) put the vacuum in front of the bathroom door, put a table in front of the bedroom door, got rid of all things that he could possibly get into, put on his favorite movie, changed his poopy diaper and proceeded to wash the dishes while checking on him ever 2 minutes, knowing that 5 minutes was a great window of opportunity for him to find SOMETHING to do wrong. Well, was I wrong again. I come out and what do I find? My son with poop all over his face, hands, legs, rocking horse, carpet. That was it. I just looked at him with a mix of emotions. One was, how the hell (excuse my language) did he manage to defy the odds and do the ONE bad thing I have no control over? So I scolded him, put him back in the tub, gave my mom a call in tears and begged for help. I coudn't do this anymore. My apartment was starting to smell like vinegar on a regular basis, I went through a roll of paper towels in ONE WEEK taking care of Samuels shinanigans and I was all alone on top of it all. How was I supposed to get anythign done when I can't trust this child at all! So my mom came to my rescue, picked up Samuel and took him to her house. I forget how much you get done without a child. I finished cleaning up the feces off of my carpet, the rocking horse, and my son. Did the dishes, cleaned the livingroom, cleaned the bedroom and got a great shower in all in about an hour and a half. That would have taken me HOURS to do with Samuel. Anyway, so that was my saga with my son. I know I sound like a neglectful mom, but that one minute you don't look is all it takes. So let's just pray that this week is better. I will post pictures up later of some of my week!!