Amyhope's Blog

Okay...trying to start again...

2009-01-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

So it's been forever since I've blogged, but I'm going to try to be better. Not a whole lot is new here...gearing up for spring (we wish) and trying to stay warm in our sub-zero temps the last couple of days. I've put some pictures here from Christmas and the celebrations we hosted for the 60th birthday "girls"... TJ's mom, my mom, and my mom's bff Rickie turned 60 in December/January. Break was good, but too short as always. We're both looking forward to finishing grad school in April, and of course, I'm sure TJ is gearing up for our 10th anniversary in May by planning some sort of fantastic gift ;)

I hope this first post of 2009 finds you all well!

XOXO,

Amy

So, September was bad for blogging...

2008-09-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

I had to send my 'puter to get fixed at Best Buy, so I was without my laptop, and I hate the desktop, so I was a bad blogger. Not a very exciting month...we did lots of wedding stuff for TJ's brother's upcoming nuptuals (they are getting married 10/18 and all three of my boys are in the wedding...) Yesterday was our playdate group's second annual Apple Day out at Jonamac. We had a blast, although the heat and the bugs seriously sucked. I've attached a couple of cute pictures from the day. I also included a couple of the cute ones of the boys in their Bears jerseys...that's about all that is new here :)

Back to school!

2008-08-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Today was our first day back to school. It was nice to meet all of my students--it's so funny how these "strangers" become part of my CRMS family so quickly--soon I'll be thinking about them (and worrying about some of them!) even when I'm not at school. It was nice to get back, although I hate the "getting to know you" stuff and the misc. junk we do at the beginning of the year--I'm handing out my book tomorrow and starting the "real" stuff Wednesday--we're jumping right in!

After school, TJ and I took the boys and Anna out to Johnamac Orchard. They have most of the kiddie stuff set up, and they had a blast--Anna and the Bubba LOVED the corn silo (Will wasn't so sure...) and Anna and Will had a great time going down the big slide. They all enjoyed their donuts, of course :) I have a feeling we'll be spending a LOT of time out there during the week--it's so nice that it's free on weekdays, since it's sorta expensive on the weekend. That was our excitement for the week--until Thursday, when we go watch "girls play volleyball at mommy's school."

Hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Cornfest!!!

2008-08-22T18:30:00.001-07:00

We had fun tonight at Cornfest (held out at the airport...strange!) I got some cute pics of the kiddos eating corn...It wasn't quite the same at the airport, but it wasn't all bad, either...

Tell me to knock it off...

2008-08-20T16:39:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know I am feeling sorry for myself for no reason. I am amazingly blessed with two wonderful boys, and I really, truly do NOT want another. Really. However, not one, but three people who I love dearly are pregnant (and you know who you are...and maybe there are a couple out there that know who they are, even if I don't know who you are, so there could be more...???) While I am SO thrilled for them, and I really, really don't want to be them, it makes me a little sad.

Why is it that, years after I've done ANYTHING to try to have a baby, and after I have my two amazing guys, I still have these feelings? I know a few of you know what I mean--that, "Why not me?" feeling any time anyone else is pregnant. That longing...that, "I wish I could just have a baby like anyone (or sometimes it seems like everyone!) else." It's not really that I want another baby, I guess--it's just that I'd like the option. I'd like to know what it feels like to wonder if this is the month, without taking drugs (or doing much more!) beforehand. I'd give anything to find out I was pregnant and then not freak out about taking progesterone injections, and not worry about a loss the entire time.

Every time I feel this way, I remind myself of one of my good INCIID friends. She started trying before we did, and she still only has her angel babies in heaven. I know she would give anything to be me. To sit here with crummy girl parts, but still have two amazing miracles--HERE with me every day. I know there are many, many women in different stages of the struggle that would trade with me in a minute--I was one of them. But still, sometimes I get sad, and think it's unfair. So tell me to knock it off. To count my blessings. To remember that the kids drive me nuts some days, and I really don't want more. C'mon, I can take it...

THOMAS!!!

2008-08-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I know lots of people think the Day Out With Thomas is a huge rip-off. I am not one of those people! We really enjoyed our "visit" with Thomas...the only thing the Bubba was sad about was having to leave! He sat nicely for us to get a picture of him with Sir Topham Hatt (a miracle, if you know the kid!) and enjoyed his ride on the train. He talked about it the whole way home (well, most of the way...he also spent time talking about seeing "Maka play baseball" the night before).

I hope you enjoy our pictures--this was a nice way to pretty much end our summer!

"Jumpy Place" and Playdate

2008-08-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

We returned to Jump'n Jiminy last week--it was a blast! The kids really like the smaller obstacle course "jumpy" and of course, the big slide (I think Ade and TJ like the big slide,too, although they won't admit it!) The surprise, though, was how much the biiiiig bubba loved playing air hockey. He stood on a stool and played for about 15 minutes (which anyone with a 2 year old can tell you is a really long time), and he was actually pretty good.

We also hosted playdate last week--I've included one of the group photos we tried to take...Will was unwilling to be in the pictures, but we got everyone else, I think! We're sad playdates are done for the summer, but we're SO excited to go ride Thomas this Friday!!!

Reading!

2008-08-07T21:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, so for those who don't know, I am an addicted reader. It's not that I'm always reading, because sometimes I can't find anything I want to read, or any time to read, it's just that, when I do read, I READ. Like, a book in a day. Like, a whole series of books in a week. So I really, really like it when a new series catches my interest. Especially if there are several already written. Last Thursday I decided to go out and buy Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which some of my favorite former DHS students had been telling me about. I read it Thursday night and Friday...and finished it Friday night. Now, knowing me, I should have just gotten them all when I got Twilight, but I didn't. And I was on vaca. So I waited...sorta patiently...until 10 minutes after we got home Sunday afternoon. Then I went "grocery shopping" at Wal-Mart, and the next three books in the series found their way into my cart. So Sunday/Monday morning was New Moon. Then I waited until yesterday (Wednesday) to start Eclipse, so I could "savor" these books. Um...yeah...finished it tonight. Now I'm going to go to bed. And NOT start Breaking Dawn. (Of course, Adrien just started New Moon, so I better hurry to finish them, right??? For her sake???)

In other news, playdate is here tomorrow--I'm looking forward to visiting with the moms--feels like I haven't seen ANYONE this summer, which isn't true, but suddenly it feels like the whole thing has flown by! Of course, whenever I think about my big man turning three this November, I can't believe how fast time flies!!!

Tornado Warning!!!

2008-08-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tornado Warning tonight...I hate bad weather. It was nice that the Bevs were here, so I wasn't the only weather wimp :) Luckily, as always, there was no real issue, and we even kept our power!

Vacation is over :(

2008-08-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with the "Riceboys" on vaca this weekend. It was so nice to get to put the kids to bed and actually talk to old friends in complete sentences (oh, and we had fun with the kids, too!) The crew really enjoyed the water parks; they loved to swim, go down the slides, and watch the "bucket dump out" over and over again. The "big boys" (ie. TJ and Ryan) went down the big slide at the Lost World park, and claim that it was fun (um...didn't look like fun to me, but whatever). The boys love Mac--in fact, that's all we heard the whole ride home..."Where Mac go?" "Mac go bye-bye" "RyananLiz go bye-bye" "Mac go home" "No more 'cation" and on, and on...it was almost as incessant as the rambling on about trains and tractors, so you know the Bub is in love! Overall, it was a wonderful weekend, and an experience we will want to repeat again, soon!

Awesome Zoo Day Today!

2008-07-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

We went back to Brookfield today, and it was sooooo fun. Grandma came with us, and we started on "the other side" of the zoo, so we could see the tigers and bears. (And, of course, we stopped by to see the dolphins!) Well, we ended up going in the swamp, which was the coolest thing at the zoo! It had awesome fish, turtles, and birds, and of course, a HUGE alligator. It also had a great display of local wildlife, which included a couple of very playful otters! After the swamp, we checked out the aquarium...that was fun, too! On the way into the aquarium area, the Bub spotted a "splash park" so we had to stop and splash around after lunch, before heading home. It was definitely the best day we've had at the zoo this year!

After our exciting morning, we had a wonderful dinner tonight with Jake, Solo and Colleen, and the Bevs. The boys just love to play next to each other (they still don't play with each other, but whatever!) and we had a summer feast--grilled meat, fresh DeKalb sweetcorn, strawberries and peaches--and yummy oreo dessert! Eating all those fresh foods is one of the things I LOVE about summer!

We went back to the splash park today...

2008-07-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here are our pictures from the last couple of days--yesterday we went to a petting zoo (Randall Oaks in Dundee) and today we went back to the splash park, which was a blast, of course! There is also a pic of our buddy Matthew's first time on a swing :)

So...all I heard all day from the Bubba was, "I go splashpark now"...guess I shouldn't have mentioned it until after his nap. We met up with Ryan, Liz, and MacKenzie, which was way fun...so good to catch up before we go on our big vaca with them next week! (We're going to the Dells for the weekend.) Anna and family went too, since Bubba told her we were going, so she kept saying, "I go splashpark toooooo-ooooo" until someone finally agreed with her.

I hope everyone is enjoying summer--I can't even believe it is August next week. We are going to Blackberry farm tomorrow, we have our Dells trip, and we're going back to the zoo next week, so we have stuff to look forward to, but it seems to be going waaay to fast suddenly!

So...Will really likes chocolate pudding...

2008-07-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

I just can't resist this adorable picture of Will, enjoying his pudding last night. I think we're going to listen to all you smart people and go to Disney in November...we'll see what kind of packages I can find. I have to admit, Disneyworld is one of my favorite places ever (we went there for our honeymoon, even!), so the thought is very exciting to me...

It was a slow day today, although this morning Ade, Dave, and I brought the Bubba and the girls to the "Jumpy Place" (jump'n jiminy in St. Charles) and it was fun...this time TJ really enjoyed crawling around the big "jumpies."

Tell me I'm not completely insane...

2008-07-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, I KNOW my boys are little, but I LOVE Disney World. A LOT. So, I'm considering going there the week of Thanksgiving for a few nights. This will be our last chance to go before the Bubba is 3, and therefore old enough to need his own ticket (and, I mean, he's BARELY younger than three, since I wanna go Nov. 22-26 and he turns 3 on the 28th, but whatever.) So...am I nuts? Is taking an airplane with two boys under 3 craziness? For what it's worth, I know they won't love the parks, but I do, and I think they will think some things are cool. And, I really just want to go on a vacation of some sort. So...crazy?!?!

Two in one day, it's a new record!

2008-07-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I had to post again, because we had the BEST dinner tonight, and I have to share! It was a chicken casserole from the latest Paula Deen magazine, and it was awesome...So...here it is...

Mix:
3 c. cooked chicken (but I just cut up and sauteed 3 small breasts, so not even a lb.)
2 c. cooked rice (supposed to be wild, but I only had white, so that's what I used)
3 stalks chopped celery
1/2 a large sweet onion, chopped
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Small bag sliced almonds
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste (I used a LOT of pepper :)
I added about 1 c. of shredded cheddar to the mixture, even though cheese was not in the recipe

Pour mixture into casserole sprayed with Pam. Top with a mixture of one sleeve crushed Ritz crackers and 1/4 c. melted butter. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Seriously, this was so good TJ even liked it, and he doesn't like rice...(Oh, and it was enough to feed the four of us and have more than 1/2 the casserole left over, so it will easily feed the "commune" of us, Ade, Dave, Anna, and Mom and Dad.)

YUM!!!!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

2008-07-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Will in the Fountain

The Big Bubba in the Fountain

Playing at the Arboretum

Backyard hose fun!

Arriving at Millenium Park

Okay, so it's once again been forever since I posted here, but my friend Sue has inspired me, so I'm going to try to be better! So, here's some things we've done since my last post (in no particular order):

1. Went to the zoo (again) with Anna and Uncle Dave and Auntie. We had a lot of fun, although we ended the day with a merry-go-round trip where we chose to sit on the bench (sigh...)

2. Went to the DuPage Children's Museum. It was a TON of fun, and of course Will really enjoyed it this year, since anything with water is his idea of a good time.

3. Visited the BUGS at the arboretum. Again, it was a fun day, mostly because there is water to play in there :)

4. Traveled to the Taste of Chicago with our good pals the Bevs. (See Katie's blog for pics and Mikey Bev commentary...) We all had a good time (and ate a LOT!), but, alas, the highlight for the Bubba was when we saw an ambulance trying to make its' way through the traffic on Lake Shore Drive ("MOM! Ambulance got stuck"...repeat 6,000 times...)

5. Went to the 4th of July Parade in Kirkland with the Fells and the Reidl's.

6. Had a splash park Birthday extravaganza! This was a TON of fun and we're going back to the splash park next week with the "Riceboys" so we're looking forward to that.

7. Visited Millennium Park with Nonno, Nonna, and Auntie Jackie. Took a zillion cute pictures of the boys walking around, especially in the fountain. And, thankfully, we got to see another ambulance trying to get through traffic in downtown Chicago...(so yes, once again this is the highlight!)

8. Today we traveled to Sycamore to see the Midwest Museum of Natural History (mmnh.org), which was pretty neat. They have some AMAZING animals on display (although I admit to being a little creeped out by the fact that they were once alive), and also some live little creatures to see, like snakes, big beetles, turtles, and fish. This was a good time, although Anna was totally scared of the animals at first (not helped by the fact that the Elephant trumpets when you walk by...), and it was a pretty short visit, since they wouldn't sit through the movie.

In addition to all the little trips we've taken, we've been having fun in both our little pool and Ade's big pool, we've made it to a couple of our Friday playdates, and of course we're just chillin' at home. So...that's what we're up to (and of course, TJ's been negotiating like mad!) I hope everyone is doing well!

May!!!

2008-05-27T18:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, so May is almost over and I haven't posted a single message! Ahhhh...I can only blame the fact that I've been without my laptop for most of the month (as if I couldn't have used the other two computers to blog). So, what is new here? Well, we had a good "fake" Mother's Day and a good real Mother's Day (We took Bubba and Anna to see Elmo live--it was pretty cool). We went to the zoo last week, and had a really nice Memorial Day weekend. We really enjoyed our grown-up night out with the Bevs, we went to my cousin's graduation on Sunday, and we saw a bunch of Fontanas and got to swim in Ade's pool yesterday, which was great!

However...the high today was like 55 degrees. It really sucked--it felt like October except we didn't get to have summer first--just one nice day!!! Of course, we only have 6 1/2 days left of school, so it's hard to feel too bad about anything right now. I can't wait to have the summer with the boys--we have so many fun plans! Things to do:

1. Go back to the zoo (we got a membership)
2. Go to the DuPage Childrens Museum (great rainy day fun!)
3. Go to the St. Charles Splash Park (b-day party is there June 29th, so we need to go before!)
4. Go back to Millenium Park (hopefully Will will have a better day this year!)
5. Go to the Taste again (we're going on the 27th--who wants to go???)
6. Visit the Morton Arboretum (we haven't been, but Ade says it's great)
7. And of course, we're going to the Dells with the Pickens family and the Riceboys, so that will be fun, too!

So...I think that's all...I'm SOOOOOOO ready for summer!
:)

Today Sucked...

2008-04-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Seriously, it was a really crummy day at school. We had a stupid celebration this afternoon where we had a tug-of-war tourney. I guess the kids enjoyed it, but it seemed to last forever, and really, how long can you watch people play t-o-w in a frickin hot gym??? The humidity had to be a zillion percent, too, which just made the day all the better. I swear, some days I live to come home and take a shower and wash off school!

But, it's the weekend! The boys were pretty good tonight at dinner (we went to Applebees, wow!) and then they went to bed really nicely. I'm not going to the union conference I was supposed to go to this weekend, and we're going to a nice dinner tomorrow night for Stephen's b-day, so that will be good. We're also (finally!) celebrating Christmas (yes, I know...) with our DHS friends from back in the day, so that's cool, especially now that some of them have begun to procreate and we aren't the only ones dragging kids around. Not sure what we're making for dinner yet, but I'm sure it will be good! I'm thinking about a beef tenderloin, some marinated chicken from Inbodens, and some of that good Barilla cheese and spinach tortellini....hmmmm...sounds pretty good to me...

I'm quickly becoming addicted to facebook--sad...

So, I have a cyber-stalker...

2008-04-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

Seriously, I don't even want to know how Katie found me here, but she did. Creepy. The picture attached to this post is of her big cutie (who refused to smile for any of the pics I took) and my big cutie outside last week. Cute, huh? I think I like this blogging thing because:

1. I don't post much on INCIID anymore, so I don't have a chance to keep in touch with some people that I actually sent this blog to...so they can read about me here.

2. I like to avoid doing actual work. And this is not doing actual work. So it's not bad.

Some things I need to do: pay bills (fun, fun), call the splash park and change the big kids' b-day party (again) because Dave is working the day we scheduled it, call IDOT and tell them I have an I-pass so they don't need to give me a ticket just because they didn't automatically renew the $$ on my I-pass (don't get me started...), check out my next Walden class, since my next semester starts next week, get plates and plastic bags ready to use as art supplies for my really cool propaganda poster lesson tomorrow...

Okay, so I guess that's it. Cyber-stalk away, Katie--this is all you'll get to read :)

Another Beautiful Day :)

2008-04-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

First...here are some cute pics from Will's birthday...

Today was another wonderful day...it rained this morning for a bit (and of course, dumb me had my car windows open), but then it got sunny and beautiful! We played outside again today with our cousins, Anna and Molly (well, actually Molly can't play much, being just a month old), and we were TIRED by the end of the day! It's really nice to get to be outside after the winter that seemed to last FOREVER...of course next week it's supposed to be back in the 50's.

I think part of the reason we love this weather is because we all like the yummy grilled food--we went to Inboden's tonight and picked up their bacon burgers for tonight and their k-bobs for dinner Thursday, and grilled at Ade's, and it was a great dinner--tasted like summer!

I got great pics today from my friend, Liz, of my cutie Goddaughter, Mac. She is super cute and fun--we can't wait for this summer when we can spend time swimming!

This is cool, my mil just called to say that my sil, who is an actress in LA got a role in a new pilot created by the guy who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. That's cool, and it would be wonderful if it lead to a real job :)

So, I don't really have much to say on this blog--I wonder if I would have had more to say all those years that I dealt with the uncertainties of IF--I was a different person then. I think about how the people I met on INCIID were my "family" then, and it's strange how disconnected I am from so many of them now. I'm really blessed to have my boys, and it's made those days seem so long ago, not just years. It's amazing how fast you forget (well, not forget, but let go of) all those thoughts and emotions, and all those appointments, shots, etc. On the other hand, I really remember so many details about fertility, it's nuts. I think I should become a doctor...lol!

Okay, that's it for tonight...maybe for good, since I don't have much to say (and I'm so chatty!)

Wow...I'm tech savvy now!

2008-04-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

So...not only did I just create a facebook page, but now I've decided to try a blog, too. I have to admit, my blog experience includes exactly four blogs: one that belongs to my very talented friend Katie, who shares her professional photos, one that belongs to my cyber-friend Alisha, who just likes to share about her adorable girls and her shopping addiction (see, there is a reason I like her!), one for a cool store in my hometown, and one called Chez Miscarriage that is an AMAZING blog that I don't even think exists any more, which is sad. I don't know that I have anything to say that will ever be interesting to anyone, but it is kind of fun to do, I guess.

So...here it is...my first blog entry. Wow...
:) Amy