The Power of Two...Story of the Engel Family

2011-05-20T07:51:00.001-04:00

Snow?!

2011-03-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

Poor Gnome Mickey got caught in an unexpected late March snowstorm! Here's hoping for warmer weather!!!!!!

The Gym

2011-03-22T19:53:00.002-04:00

Yes, folks, I joined a gym. With Delight's wedding coming in exactly 10 months and 7 days, I have exactly that many days give or take...well, just take really to get my tushy into gear and look amazing in my bridesmaids dress. So here is what I have done so far:

1. joined said gym (HUGE STEP)
2. Hired a trainer (EVEN BIGGER STEP)
3. Have gone all but 4 days over the last 3 weeks (EVEN BIGGGER STEP)
4. Took a spin class. AMAZINGLY HARD but AWESOMELY FUN!!!
spin class is this
5. I have run on the treadmill and actually LIKED it.
6. I have biked more miles than I can count at this point (and LIKE it)
7. I have lifted weights and did insane amounts of squats and lunges
and today I added number 8...
I took a ZUMBA class! SO MUCH STINKIN' FUN I can hardly stand it. I probably lost as many calories laughing at myself as I did in the class. Shakin' my booting, cha chaing an hour away with some wonderful ladies (including Zach's oh so adorable teacher, Anna). ZUMBA is this

Check back in coming weeks to track my progress among other things!!!

Oh and YEAH ME!!!

2011-03-14T09:10:00.001-04:00

I am so proud that the best things in life that Sarah and I
have ever done in this world are these 4 precious souls!!!

Photo Shoot

2011-03-07T07:23:00.002-05:00

I am...

2011-03-01T09:05:00.002-05:00

such a slacker...I can't believe I didn't post one single thing in February. Oh well, I will make up for it in March, I promise :)

Here We Go!!!!

2011-01-23T15:43:00.002-05:00

Here is hoping for a HUGE win today against the New York Jets and that we will be in the running for our 7th Super Bowl Win!!!! Here we go Steelers, Here we go!!!!!

Prayers, please...

2011-01-18T21:17:00.001-05:00

My Grandmother has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now and was transferred to a rehabilitation facility today. She is very very sick and I am so worried about her. If you think about it, please add Charlene Staples to your list of prayers.

Thanks!

Super long year end blogpost!

2011-01-06T12:21:00.012-05:00

Happy New Year!!! We spent January 1st at the ER with Zachary (high fever, ear infection) and then once we got him settled we headed over to Heinz Field for the 4th annual Winter Classic. This year it was the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capitals. Final score 3-1 CAPS (yippie for me!!!)

So this post, is working backwards. From our time in PA all the way back to the middle of December...enjoy!

Dave and I went to a fabulous restaurant in the South Side of Pittburgh called Mallorca. Yummy sangria, paella and good company with many of the Engel clan. We rang in the New Year at Dave's parents house with our kiddos snuggled in bed and a glass of prosecco in hand.

We ventured to downtown Pittsburgh to see an impressive Santa display at the PPG building. Then we wandered around downtown for a while til the rain chased us away.

just before going in to see the Santas

Christmas at my parents was really fun. I got some new lenses for Christmas as well as some filters so I was playing with them Christmas night before the kids went to bed.

We woke up to a beautiful snowy white Christmas!!!

Just before bed on Christmas Eve...Madeline made sure there were enough goodies for the reindeer and Santa.

Poor Zachary could barely make it to bedtime on Christmas Eve. He fell asleep before we had time to take our annual picture (see below) and did his best to stay awake...ha!

Madeline was so excited for Santa to come she was being a goofy girl all afternoon!

Madeline and Granddaddy

Madeline's Christmas program at school....she totally froze up and wouldn't sing. So heartbreaking.

I volunteered at Zachary's Christmas party at school. The kids made the snowmen about and I thought it was a cute representation of all of them:) Below is Zach and his teacher, Ms. Cathcart!

Uncle Paul came to visit us all the way from England!!! We had a super nice evening with him and were sad not to spend more time but we are hopeful we will get to see him more in 2011!

The Holmbergs annual Ham Stuffin' party! An honored tradition in Southern Maryland...stuffed ham! Yum!!! Here is me and Delight before the stuffin' began!

me and my sweetie

Jess, me and Delight

Let the stuffing begin!!!!!

this was a lot of fun...but my hands burned for a while afterwards because of all the red pepper!!
The final result (after being boiled for over 4 hours) was delicious!!!!

Chessie!!!! After having a super great week at school, Zachary was picked as the star of the week and got to bring the classroom mascot, Chessie, home for the weekend. We took Chessie everywhere and kept a journal to be shared with the class. Zach was sooo excited!!!

Impromptu fire pit night at the Wolfes house. Above is our new neighbors, Trish and Doug Murph.

Scott being goofy!

Happy Birthday to Clair!

Happy Birthday to Lou!!!!

2010 had its ups and downs but overall, it was a good one for us! Looking forward to what 2011 has in store for us!!!

From our house to yours
Happy New Year!!!!!!

c-c-c-cold!!

2010-12-15T14:42:00.001-05:00

i just needed to take a minute to point out that it is really cold outside. that is all.

Memory Lane

2010-12-06T11:35:00.004-05:00

Aunt Patty, Uncle Mike, my mom and Dad, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Dan
Grandmom, Danny,Chris, Granddad, me and Shawn
on my grandparents back porch...oh the memories!!!

My cousin, Michelle posted a bunch of pictures from waaaay back in the day on Facebook. After looking at all of them and taking a seriously looong trip down memory lane, I thought I would post these here for all to see!

Looks like this was Easter with my cousins, Danny, Shawn, Chris and Kevin. For a while,I was the only girl!

Looks like Thanksgiving dinner...me sitting next to my favorite person in the whole world!!

Christmas....the 4 quinn boys, Steph and Alyson and me

My mom is there in the front with my cousin Danny sitting next to her and Aunt Suzanne and Shawn are in the back

Me and Steph!!!
I am tree years older than her so I am guessing that I am probably 4

Me, Mom & Dad
Crazy to think that my parents are younger than I am now in this picture!!!

2010-12-01T16:47:00.003-05:00

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!!

i love this time of the year and nothing..not even this stupid vertigo is gonna get me down!

went to the ENT today and they concurred with the diagnosis of BPV (benign positional vertigo) and did the gans maneuver (click on it to see a video of what they did..minus the neck brace). I called it voodoo magic but the audiologist swears it will make the BPV go away. I am feeling pretty gross right now...like car sickness times 100 but hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling better. She told me I would feel gross today.

Anyway..am hopeful for this to go away so I can start enjoying this holiday season!!!!

and this is what I am NOT thankful for......

2010-11-29T10:17:00.004-05:00

Benign Positional Vertigo. Which hit me on Friday morning :(. What is this you ask...well, visit here . This pretty much sums it up. My dad had something similar happen to him this time last year and I couldn't begin to imagine how he felt. Now, I know how bad he felt. Scary stuff folks! Had me completely freaked out.

But I am happy to report that after 3 days of dizziness, I am feeling better today. Thank GOD!

What I am thankful for.....

2010-11-22T14:36:00.003-05:00

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I thought I would take a minute to write down the things that I am thankful for!

* Today and always, I am thankful for my beautiful children and
amazing husband. I am lucky to spend my days surrounded by
these 3 wonderful souls who love me for me, always.

* I am thankful for my family and my friends. Near or far, you are
the people who live in my heart and I am so thankful to have you
in my lives.

* My health. I may suffer from the occasional cold but this year has
been good to me in this area and for that, I am grateful.

* A successful transition to Kindergarten for not just Zachary but for
us all. I am so thankful for the teacher we were blessed with and for
the school we are zoned for. I was so worried and now I see that it was
all for not.

* I am thankful every morning when I wake up and evening when I
lay my head on the pillow for the good things I have. Even the bad
sometimes, because it gives me perspective.

I wish all of my family and friends a very blessed Thanksgiving. Even though we aren't together, I am thinking of you all and am thankful for another year of friendship with you all.

Whaddya think?

2010-11-20T12:28:00.002-05:00

My wonderful friends (and neighbors) let me practice taking pictures. Our friends, the Kollars (Lou, Clair, Molly, John & Baby Mason) asked me to take some photos for their Christmas pictures and Scott & Mary let me take some photos of them before they attended the Hospital gala. Above are what I took as well as my edits.

Could use some opinions so blog reader (all 3 of you), could you please comment and let me know what you think?

new lens

2010-11-18T06:42:00.001-05:00

I have been so behind with my blog for almost 2 months now...ugh. Sorry folks. One would think that I was busy with, you know, life. But although I have been busy, I haven't been to busy to document whats been going on.

Just started trying out a new lens for my camera and this, is the result. I am pretty pleased and can't wait to have my first "photo shoot" with some friends this weekend :)

Engel Family Beach Week

2010-09-13T13:18:00.002-04:00

I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful 2nd family in the Engel's!! I was able to go to the beach (just days off of crutches but still in a cast) and enjoy myself so much! Everyone made sure that the kids made it to the beach (because I couldn't go) and that I was well taken care of too! It was a relaxing 2 weeks for all of us which was nice.
Picture 1: a wicked storm that hit one night. We didn't have many storms while we were there so we enjoyed this one from start to finish!!!

Picture 2: My two favorite vacation pastime, drinking wine while watching the sunset.
Picture 3: Gorgeous sunsets were a nightly occurrence!
Picture 4: Me and my favorite people!!!
Picture 5: a fun day spent with my hubby!!!

Dave Matthews Band!!!!

2010-09-13T13:10:00.003-04:00

My first thought when we were leaving the ER with what I thought was a broken ankle was...
"OH NO, the DMB concert is next week!!!"
And trust me friends, there was nothing...NOTHING that was going to keep me from being there!!! So, with a handicapped pass in hand, we headed to Nats Park for one of the best DMB concerts I've seen (and I've seen them a lot). It was so freakin' hot...so much so that I swore my sweat had sweat but I didn't let the heat or the stinkin' crutches get me down. Nope, I cowboy'd up and had myself one amazing time!!!

Fun gathering and...the ankle.

2010-09-13T12:55:00.004-04:00

Our friend Matt Winter was appointed Admiral in July!! He is stationed in Ridgecrest California and was back home for a week so we all got together at Buddy's house for a bbq. Towards the end of the night, I set up my camera to take some pictures of us since we don't have one of "the gang". It started with me testing the camera (last picture), then with the "actual" picture (picture 2) and then a trip to the ER for me as I hurt my ankle while getting up from the couch to make sure picture 2 looked good. I spent a weekend thinking that it was broken in 2 places but after a trip to the Orthopedic Doc the following Monday, I have a 3rd degree sprain. An aircast for 6 weeks (crutches for almost 3 of them) and now I am just in a brace. The Dr. said I would wish I had broken it, and boy do I. At least that would have healed a lot faster than this sprain!!!

DiSanto Famiy Beach Week

2010-09-13T12:43:00.004-04:00

The annual DiSanto Family Beach week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina came and went faster than ever before! The weather was great, the company even better and it is a given that we always enjoy time in the OBX.

We had so much fun doing things like having water balloon fights, swimming in the pool, playing at the beach and enjoying the nice weather that I didn't take a lot of pictures....

Of course I got a few of the man who makes it all happen...my Granddad of course! We love spending time with him!!!

and with my cousin Shawn not there this year, I was in charge of the "family picture". We normally take it outside but on this day it was hot hot hot outside so we made this location work for us instead!

Just the "girl" cousins were there this year and we had a blast!!!!!
looking forward to next year!!

God Bless Elena Anne

2010-09-13T12:37:00.003-04:00

Dave and I were honored when Sarah and Sean asked us to be Elena's Godparents. She is such a special angel and we love her so much! The day was beautiful and the mass was truly a lot of fun! God Bless you Elena Anne! Auntie Alexis and Uncle Dave love you so much!

Happy Birthday Madeline!!!

2010-08-19T20:42:00.002-04:00

Dear Madeline Suzanne,
We can't believe that 3 years have gone by since we first said hello to your sweet beautiful little tiny self! In three years we have seen you grow into a fun and spontaneous little girl who is fearless and tenacious, stubborn and sometimes shy, beautiful and charming, daring and independent and super fun to be around!! We are so proud of you and know that the future holds great great things for you. You amaze us everyday in all that you do and we are so happy to be your parents!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Maddie Sue!! We love you so much!
love,
Mommy & Daddy

2010-08-16T15:19:00.002-04:00

There are tons of updates coming soon. A whole "our summer" recap!!! Sorry for not posting anything but we have been super super busy and you will soon see what we've been up to!!!

Congrats to Greg & Nune!!!!

2010-06-08T18:35:00.009-04:00

After a long plane ride that had us up at 4:30 AM (EST), the kids crashed out at about 7:15pm(PST). They were so good on the plane and held it together as best they could once we arrived in Cali.

We arrived on Wednesday but the rest of the family arrived on Thursday. Here are our nephews, Chris and Daniel waiting for all of us to get our acts together to go to dinner :)

Bill and Barb (Mom of the groom and sister in law extraordinaire) before heading to dinner.

I tried to get all artsy and took this picture outside of Greg and Nune's townhouse.

Nune and her lovely "maids". I love going to weddings especially when the people that are there are so nice. These ladies were exceptionally nice and embraced my family with open arms. I felt like I had known all of them for years and am happy to say I have made some new friends!
From Left to right: Hasmik, Nune, Anna, Sharis & Sona

Madeline looking as cute as can be at the rehearsal. She took her flower girl duties very seriously but had me a little worried when she wouldn't walk down the aisle. The other flower girl, Judy who is 3 (almost 4) told her, "If you don't hold my hand, you are out of this game". That had all of us laughing for the rest of the weekend but little Madeline didn't take to kindly to that. ;)

I am so lucky to have this beautiful lady as my new "niece"..crazy since she is only 6 1/2 years younger than me. I am so happy that she is now officially part of the family and also a very good friend. Nune did everything she could to make me feel super special during the course of the wedding festivities. She arranged for me to get mani/pedi's with all the "maids", for me to get my hair and makeup done and to just hang out and enjoy her company the day of the wedding. Thank you, Nune for making me feel so special on YOUR big day :).

All dressed up and ready to go. The picture below is of Madeline getting her hair done. She felt like a princess which was such a treat for us all to see!!!

My heart just pitter patters everytime I see this handsome guy in a tux! After the best man was not able to make it to the wedding due to the death of his mother, Dave stepped in to be Greg's right hand man. He was a groomsman to start out so it wasn't a difficult task to take on but Dave certainly was honored to be standing up next to Greg. We wish Akshay and his family peace during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

My two favorite boys!!! Could Zachary look any cuter?!?!?! He was so excited to be in the wedding and wear his tux.

The groom waiting to go!!!

Dave and Al (father of the groom). It was really great to get to spend some time with Al while we were at the wedding. We don't get to see him nearly as much as we would like but when we do, it is like no time has passed :)

She DID it!!! Here is our little flower girl after walking down the aisle. She was so excited to have preformed her duties correctly and loved all the attention that she got!

Nune was STUNNING! She carried the most beautiful red roses and her smile made her outfit!!!

He DID it, too!!! Ring bearer duties, done!

Mr & Mrs. Gregory Horvath!! CONGRATS!!!

Madeline took this picture and I thought it turned out pretty cool. The food at the reception was AMAZING!! I wish I had brought a copy of the menu home so I could write it down here....everything was so good and there was sooo much to choose from.

The first Dance! They danced to "I Only Have Eyes For You" and looked so incredibly happy throughout the whole evening :)

Bill, Dave and Rob at the end of the reception

Barb, Me and Kathy before heading back to the hotel.

It was so nice to have been included in this wonderful wedding. We are so happy for Greg and Nune and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness. Like I said at the rehearsal dinner, my wish for you both is that your wedding day is the day you love each other the least. After almost 8 years of marriage, I am more in love with Dave than I was on our wedding day (and that is hard to imagine!!). Best of luck and love to you both!!!

Here is a first

2010-05-24T22:46:00.003-04:00

Never in my whole 36 years have I ever cried at a series finale. Until tonight. LOST ended and after making almost the whole 2 1/2 hours with not a tear in my eye, the last 10 minutes I sobbed like a baby who couldn't find their mommy. Seriously...tear stained cheeks as I write this, wow. Wow, wow, wow!

Catching up!

2010-05-21T14:46:00.002-04:00

I know I have been a horrible slacker when it comes to posting on the blog...sorry! One would think I actually have a life ;). We've been busy and just got back from a 10 day trip to Orlando, Florida. Below you will find what we've been doing...3 new posts in all. Enjoy!! And check back in the next few weeks for pictures of us at our nephew's wedding in California!!! :)

Florida 2010

2010-05-21T14:28:00.007-04:00

Joe, Kathleen, Ryan, Hillary and Jacob

me and Z on the cars at the Magic Kingdom

Zoe and Phoenix

Madeline and Alice

my favorite picture of the whole trip!

Z and his favorite person in the whole wide world...his cousin Zoe!

While Dave was away on travel for work, the kids and I packed up and headed down to sunny Orlando, Florida for our annual trip to see Grauntie Sue, Gruncle and Papa. We visited with my cousins Chris and Joe and their families which was so much fun. 3 days at Disney, countless hours in the pool, sangria, popcorn, family time, movies, shopping and all around relaxation sums up our trip. Enjoy the pics!

2010-05-21T14:19:00.001-04:00

We headed to State College to attend the Blue and White game with our friends, the Moores (Zack, Jean, Alexander and CJ). Always great to see these guys (we don't see them enough!!!) and it was a lot of fun catching up, watching the kids play and enjoying a little football while we were at it! Thanks again Moore 4 for hosting such a fun weekend!!! :)

2010-05-21T14:08:00.003-04:00

We had a family get together recently to send off Jason, Erin and Dom on their new adventures in Colorado Springs. We all had a lot of fun hanging out, meeting the newest member (Owen) and spending some time with the "Army Quinns". We will miss them a ton and wish them well.

Erin deep in thought

Shawn being Shawn

Kevin and Me

Super Duper Party Planners!!!!!

Welcome, Owen Thomas!!!

2010-04-12T12:46:00.004-04:00

It's just a babyfest in my life, it seems! My cousin, Alyson, and her husband Tommy welcomed their first child on Easter Sunday (April 4, 2010). He is beautiful and looks so snuggly and we can't wait to meet him! Another "nephew" for us and a new cousin for Zach and Maddie. We couldn't be happier. Congrats Aly and Tommy!!! :)

Happy Easter

2010-04-06T09:16:00.001-04:00

Welcome Elena Anne!!!!

2010-03-23T08:41:00.002-04:00

Introducing my new "niece"
Elena Anne McBride
March 14, 2010
12:42 am
7 pounds 2 ounces, 20 inches long
GORGEOUS!!
I had the pleasure of spending Elena's 5th, 6th and 7th days in this world with her and her family. Her mommy is my BFF and has been for almost 25 years!
I snapped this picture (along with a mere 200 more) for her mommy and daddy.
She is an angel and I am so happy she is here!

RIP Mickey, Donald & Goofy

2010-03-12T07:53:00.003-05:00

The fish have died. Yep, all 3 of them. It was awful. It looked like a crime scene or a horror film. Dead fish bodies floating in the water. And because I am the only one who took care of them, I am the only one who is sad.

But alas, we now have another group of fish. Not naming them this time (well at least not me) and hoping for longer than 2 months.

Whoever said fish were easy to take care of, lied!!!!!

2010-03-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

I love Springtime in Southern Maryland.......

2010-03-10T07:51:00.003-05:00

it was sunny so we headed over to Solomons for a little photo shoot and some good old fashioned Vitamin D!

2010-03-10T07:39:00.002-05:00

The snail has died. "We" (which should mean me and Zachary but really just means me) have taken such good care of the fish and snail and it was a bummer to see Pluto go. Ok, not really. He/she freaked me out. So, off to Petco I go this morning to get another one before a little someone notices it's gone.

Guess where we went today......

2010-03-05T17:14:00.001-05:00

luckily she didn't need stitches!!!!

Field Trip

2010-03-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

Zachary and I went to CiCi's Pizza for a field trip today with his class. It was a lot of fun. He got to tour the facility and learn all about pizza making from start to finish. He even got to make his own pizza and then eat it with his friends!! Lots of fun!

Tiny Planets

2010-02-24T18:41:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about the last 5 years of being a parent and reminiscing about those early days, as new parents and getting a chuckle about how ill prepared we were. And I was thinking today at what a horrible sleeper little Z was. Poor guy, he had reflux like there was no tomorrow but man, it sucked for us too. And he woke every single morning at 5:00 AM...sometimes 4:50 but usually right at 5. We were so groggy and took turns getting him and heading to the living room so the other could sleep.

In this sleep deprived state, we turned on NOGGIN, which is now Nick Jr., channel 298, our saving grace. Z loved it. Especially at 5 AM because there was a show called Bing and Bong and the tiny planets. HA! Bing and BONG..i mean come on, these cartoon writers must be really pleased with themselves. Anyway, it had a very catchy theme song that both of us would randomly sing. I loved that theme song...it was awesome!! Kinda like music you would hear at a discotheque in Europe at 4 in the morning.

Ok, I know I am rambling but today I rented a new show for Z to watch. Dino squad (really dumb but he seemed to like it) and at the very end was a commercial for my buddies, bing and bong. They have long been off NOGGIN and I've missed them so. I started singing the song and then folks, I found it! So without further adieu, I give you...

BING and BONG

Baby Leah

2010-02-23T16:45:00.004-05:00

This little miracle is named Leah
She was born to our friends Mike & Laurie on August 27, 2009
7 weeks premature
with a 2 pound tumor growing from her neck
she had surgery when she was 12 days old
spent 49 days in the NICU
came home on her due date
October 14, 2009
and is now a thriving, smiley, beautiful baby girl who loves
to be held and cuddled and cooed at!
Praise God for tiny miracles like Baby Leah!

He's really 5?!?!?!

2010-02-20T13:33:00.004-05:00

February 14, 2005

February 2010

I can't believe that my tiny little baby...the one who made me a mom....the one who introduced me to unconditional love....is 5. I know that all moms and dads say this but, wow, where did all the time go? I have had the most wonderful 1st 5 years of motherhood and have learned all kinds of lessons about life, myself, parenthood, relationships, devotion, dedication, frustration, joy, sadness and happiness. And every single day is an adventure which is really, so. much. fun!

Birthday peek.....

2010-02-14T08:44:00.001-05:00

here is just a peek of the birthday party we had for Zach's 5th birthday last night. I am working on a post with a bunch more and will post later. But now, I am going to play with my birthday boy!

Blizzard 2010

2010-02-07T15:08:00.004-05:00

Happy B-day Gdad!!! :)

2010-02-05T21:21:00.003-05:00

I interrupt the current blizzard to send a quick "shout out" to my Granddad wishing him a very happy 88th Birthday today! We love you so much and hope you had a fantastic day :)!!! Now, back to our regularly scheduled blizzard with snow totals of 20 to 30 inches.

2010-01-30T09:31:00.002-05:00

my most very favorite little boy in the whole world!!!!

Best Buddies

While the snow is falling falling falling outside and I am inside all nice and warm, I thought I would post my 2 favorite pictures from the week! Hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying warm! :)

Something wicked this way comes!!!

2010-01-26T09:11:00.001-05:00

check out the forecast for Saturday. I'd say we are in for another big one!!!!

2010-01-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

i do like hanging out with the boys!!

A little deeper than normal.....

2010-01-13T22:33:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I wonder if I am a good mom. Everyone says I am and most days I feel that I am but deep deep down, am I really? I mean, there are times, like tonight, that I am sitting with my kiddos while their daddy is out of town and I can't wait for bedtime so that I can have a minute of peace. Nights when I listen to my oldest say "talk to me some more" and all I can think about is when in the world these two will finish their dinner so we can get home. I am guilty of saying "oh we will do that later" and then, well, you guessed it, later never comes. And most days, I don't feel guilty, I am only human right? But others, I sit and wonder how in the world these poor children got me for a mother. I mean, seriously, am I really qualified to be doing this?

I find that life, in it's entirety makes it very hard to be the mom I truly want to be. With laundry to do, dinner to cook, the ringing phone, and the unattended emails, when does anyone have time to read a book over and over and over again to a very persistent two year old? Sometimes I can't wait for silence and others I can't wait for the laughter my two can bring.

After putting my two little loves in their beds tonight, I decided to do a little reflecting. And I came up with this. I am a good mom. I love my children, I accept them for who they are and love them for their good qualities and their not so good ones too. I am not fussy about the things that really don't matter and not over bearing about the things that do. I am thankful for them everyday and am thankful for the chance to be somebodies mom! And knowing that I feel this way, then why in the world could I question why they were sent from above to be mine?

I need a little balance. That is all. I am not perfect and never will be but I am a pretty cool mom that loves these babies and while they are young enough to want me to cuddle and read and play and sing, I am going to say this:

The computer can wait, the phone can ring, the dinner can burn and the clothes can stay dirty. Right now, I am going to love on my babies.

Life with a 2 year old (alternatively titled "OH THE DRAMA")

2010-01-12T08:48:00.003-05:00

Introducing....

2010-01-07T10:10:00.004-05:00

"Mickey & Donald"

These are our newest family members that are residing in the new fish tank that Zachary got for Christmas (from Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Dan). The tank is on Z's dresser and so far all is well. We had a little "feeding mishap" yesterday when Zachary thought they were hungry again and gave them more food but I explained that fish only eat a little bit each day (and them promptly hid the fish food). I am excited to share this learning opportunity with Z!
******* 1/12/2010 it has now been a week that we have had these guys and I am happy to report that we haven't killed them yet! Yippie!!!**********
***1/13/2010 We finally got our light for the fish tank. The one that came with it was broken so we had to wait for a new one to be sent from the company. Mickey and Donald (along with Zachary) were very happy to have a little light to look around at their new digs. Zach's eyes lit up when he saw the light turn on and is currently asleep in his room after watching them from his bed. Life is good!***

Merry Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T15:41:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from the cutest Engel babies EVER!

From our family to yours, we wish you peace, joy, love and hope now and always!!

Zach insisted that we all get our jammies on so that Santa would know we were ready)

HO HO HO!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Sorry I have been offline for such a long time. Our computer was horribly infected and we had to have it completely wiped out and start over from scratch. I am happy to report that we are now online again and enjoying a wonderful Christmas day!!!!

WE ARE....

2009-11-07T11:02:00.000-05:00

PENN STATE!!!!!!!

...and the Yankees win!!!!

2009-11-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

BOO!

2009-11-01T08:45:00.003-05:00

2009 has certainly flown by...it seems like last week that our Train Conductor and Ladybug were all dressed up and ready to trick-or-treat. Last night we celebrated yet another Halloween and this year Spiderman and Snow White made an appearance! We had so much fun wandering the neighborhood with our neighbors/friends and all of their kiddos. The rain held off until about 1/2 an hour after we got home :). The kids were so tired when we got home and after keeping them up a little longer, Dave and I were able to enjoy that "extra hour" of sleep!! Hope everyone had a great time last night!!

Reflection

2009-10-29T08:53:00.002-04:00

Monday, October 26, was our 7th wedding anniversary! And I have spent the week reflecting on our lives together. Thinking about the places we've gone, the projects we've completed, the babies we have brought into this world and I have to say, my life is really good. Where no marriage is perfect, that is for sure, I am lucky to have a partner in crime that is willing to devote time and effort into making us a priority!

7 years ago today, I was waking up in London for the 3rd morning as Mrs. Engel :). Our honeymoon was amazing and I have so many wonderful memories. As soon as I have time to scan some of those pictures, I will post them! :) Yep, we didn't even have a digital camera then...eek gasp! I think this was the day we toured the Tower of London and had a really really great Indian meal for dinner. The weather was total London weather and we were thankful to have lots of warm clothes with us.

Well, anyway, enough rambling. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize this significant day/week in our lives and wish my wonderful and loving husband a very happy anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary, Dave! I love you more today than yesterday but not nearly as much as tomorrow! Here's to our continuted journey through life, together!!! Mmmwahhh!!! :)

Some new pictures

2009-10-22T09:55:00.002-04:00

Madeline's new "big girl bed"

She adjusted so well to having this new bed and loves her room! She had her first "room guest" a few days ago...Grauntie Sue was here and slept on the trundle :)

Goofin' off! Zachary colored his face with a brown marker and said he was a tiger!

Look who has bangs! I broke down and got her hair cut for the first time (just the bangs). She wouldn't let me pin it back and was constantly grumpy with hair in her face. She is so stinkin' cute!

Speaking of hair...I had a pink highlight put in my hair for breast cancer awareness month (october)

Uncle Rob was here for a visit over Columbus Day weekend

(more pictures of that to follow)

PICTURES!!!

2009-10-05T13:00:00.004-04:00

As promised, here are a bunch of pictures from September!

Happy October!!!

Papa & Zach
My brother-in-law Rob, me and Dave
at an Irish pub on the South Side in the 'Burgh

Just way too cute!!!

Me & Zach at the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show at the Verizon Center

Nothing like being all dressed up and playing in a puddle!!!!

Z's first day of school

Madeline's 1st day of school

2009-09-22T15:14:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have been a slacker here in the blog world....busy getting used to a new schedule and growing kids and well just life in general. Here is a list of what we have done over the past month and I promise I will post pictures soon!

1. Labor Day in PA! We headed to Pittsburgh for a visit with the Engel folk. Trip included a visit to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for a way cool dinosaur exhibit with our friends the Legins, a family picnic at Dave's Aunt Cathy and Uncle Bob's house, a night out sans kids to a new german restaurant and an awesome irish pub (travelling the globe on the South Side) and of course a stop at Kennywood!! It was a quick trip packed with lots of fun and beautiful weather.

2. School School School!! Zachary and Madeline both started school this year. Zach is going to preschool 3 days a week (M-W-F) and Madeline is in a Mom's morning out program (at the same school) on M & W which leaves me 2 mornings all to myself..oh what shall I do :). They both seem to be loving it and are doing really well!!!

3. We ventured out to the mountains for a family gathering of sorts while my granddad was driving through on his way back to Florida (from a trip in Maine). It was nice seeing everyone and enjoying some true fall time.

4. A Walk With The Dinosaurs!!! We took Zachary to the Verizon Center in DC to see this really great show with animatronic dinosaurs..they were huge, loud and so real! He loved it and has not stopped talking about it since we were there. Madeline spent the day with her Aunt Barb which was just fine with her!

5. Big Girl Bed!! Well, the bed has been purchased. It will be delivered next week. It is bittersweet for me because I am not ready for the crib to go in the attic but my little girl certainly is. At barely over 2 she is so much older than her years and is now so excited she can hardly stand herself. My parents are coming this weekend to help us get her room all redecorated (new paint, comforter, shelves...the works) and the bed will be here on Monday while she is at school. It has a trundle bed...a very nice trundle bed...so we have an extra bed now in that room. And, Zachary has asked us to put his bunk bed back together so that makes 2 extra beds :).

That is all I can think of and it doesn't seem like much but man has it kept us busy. Zachary is now getting his OT on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he is busy all 5 days of the workweek. But he doesn't seem to mind and is sleeping really well ;).

So, check back in soon for pictures and such...I promise as soon as I get them off the camera, they will be posted. But when will I find time to do that.....hmmm..that is to be determined. Until then...
Cheers!!!

If...

2009-09-08T10:15:00.002-04:00

you make your way onto my blog today and are reading this post, please pray for baby Leah Helen Bosshard as she is currently undergoing a lengthy surgery to remove a very large neck tumor. She is 12 days old and the brand new daughter to my dear friends, Laurie & Mike.

*****UPDATE******

Here is a copy of the email I received last night from Laurie. Nothing beats the power of prayer!

Quick update, because we are exhausted and we are with Leah now in the NICU but I wanted to let you know the good news.
Leah's surgery began at 9:01am and she was back in the NICU around 5:45ish. The ENT surgeons feel good about the surgery and are
"cautiously optimistic" that they removed the whole tumor and preserved most of the cranial nerves. A lot will depend on how she does over the next few days, so she will
be closely monitored. They know they removed 95-99% of it and possibly all of it but the area around the carotid artery and under her
tongue were hard to identify. They said some of the teratoma could still be there or it could just be some reactive tissue that is swelling b/c
of where the mass was. They will have to monitor her tongue movement and see if the left corner of her mouth moves and her left shoulder moves,
b/c those are involved with the nerves in question. But, we are in the NICU now and the left corner of her mouth and left arm have been moving a great
deal which is an excellent sign.

She is quite puffy from the surgery and they warned us that the swelling and puffiness of her whole body will get worse before it gets better, but it will go down
in a couple of days. She is still on pain meds and they are giving her morphine as needed b/c you can tell she is in pain. They had to give her blood and will probably
give her another blood transfusion tomorrow b/c they are drawing so much blood from her constantly to check her labs and you can't take that much blood out of a tiny baby
continuously.

The tumor does not pin her head down to the left side anymore, it is so great. She is on her back and her head is facing the ceiling for the first time in her life. She is still intubated with a breathing tube and they won't remove that till probably Friday. When they do, we will be able to FINALLY hold her for the first time. She will have her feeding tube with my milk for a bit. They will put that back in a couple of days once she has healed and then hopefully we can go to breastfeeding partially in addition to the tube and then soon, the tub will be taken out once she gets the hang of sucking.

Her facial features are not squashed anymore, they are centered and beautiful. Please continue to pray for a smooth recovery with little pain and that they discover as she heals that all the tumor was in fact taken away.

We can't thank you enough for all your love, support, and prayers. We could not go through this alone and we feel the love from all of you. God is on our side and giving Leah the strength to recover so she can come home and we can all be a family again soon.

We are going to spend some more time with Leah and then say goodnight b/c we are running on little sleep.
Much love to all
Laurie, Mike, Matthew, and Leah

Happy 2nd Birthday, Madeline Suzanne!!!

2009-08-26T07:47:00.002-04:00

I am sure I am going to say this often in my lifetime but seriously, where does the time go? I feel like it was just yesterday that we were at the hospital having our sweet, tiny, baby girl and now she is 2. And oh, what a 2 year old she is...full of spunk, independence and the occasional cuddle. We celebrated her birthday with family and friends on a very rainy and stormy afternoon/night (just like the night she was born, I might add). The rain certainly didn't put a damper on our good times!

party goers!

Mia, Maddie, Zach, Molly, John, Carl and Ray

she is saying "It's my birthday!!!"

The new bike that mommy and daddy gave to her! Poor baby...we gave her the bike for it only to begin pouring moments later.

the bday princess!

check out these cuties!

2009-08-11T07:55:00.002-04:00

Alyson and Tommy's Wedding

2009-08-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

July 25, 2009

Harbor Park, Baseball Stadium

Norfolk, VA

(wedding eve, wedding, reception & concert afterwards)

We are all happy to announce that the last of the DiSanto Grandchildren has finally tied the knot!! :) We just spent a really fun weekend in Norfolk, VA celebrating the unity of my cousin Alyson and her new husband, Tommy! Good time had by all (maybe a little too much of a good time for this blogging diva as it took a few days to recover...but SOOO worth it). They were married at home plate at the baseball stadium and the festivities took off from there. Great party with a Willie Nelson, John Mellancamp and Bob Dylan concert to follow!! Here are some highlights (and I have them all backwards but I can't figure out how to upload them in the correct order...so it starts with the end of the night and goes to the night before the wedding)
Enjoy!

John Mellancamp
DiSanto Granddaughters

Some of the cousins

Andrew, Aly, Me, Danny and Kevin

Me and Dave

Willie

Me, Shawn, Kevin, Erin and Andrew

Me and my dad

Steph and Uncle Mike (Sister and Father of the bride)

Hmm....like I said, a little too much fun

the boys initiating Tommy into the family

Granddad and his girls

Tommy and Aly

First Dance

Ceremony

Tommy and his sister, Jackie

Dad, Danny and Shawn

Danny and Shawn

Aunt Suzanne and Mom

DiSanto Family Beach Week 2009

2009-07-17T08:33:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that this years beach vacation with the DiSanto family has come and gone already! We headed down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for some fun, sun and family on July 4th. We were there for a week and had great weather, great company and an all around great time! The cast of characters were the same except for a few guest appearances! Granddad, Laurie, Aunt Suzanne, Jerry, Mom, Dad, Uncle Mike (Aunt Patty stayed behind to save her leave for Alyson's wedding next weekend!!), Shawn, Chris, Me, Dave, Steph, Damian, Alyson, Erin, Jerry T., Nicole, Zoe, Anthony, Kayia, Zachary, Aidan, Dominic, Madeline and baby Isabella. This year we had some very very special guests (see picture below)!

Jim and Dolores are very dear friends of my grandparents who have know my family for over 60 years. They used to babysit my mom, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Mike as babies/kids and have remained a very important part in all of our lives ever since. I think it is safe to say that Dolores was my grandmothers best friend and with this being the 11th beach week without grandmom, it was so nice to have just a touch of something familiar in Dolores. She loved on me and my family like we were her own (the kids called them Grandma D and Grandpa J) and reminded us how special she and Jim really are! It was so nice to have them with us this year and I am hopeful this will become a permanent thing!! We love you, Jim and Dolores!!!

Although I am an only child, I have always been blessed with lots of family! My cousins are like my siblings and therefore it only seems fitting that my kids call them all Aunt and Uncle (boy it is going to be so confusing when these little ones all grow up!). Here is Zachary with Uncle Chris enjoying a squeeze during our family photo night! :)

We were fortunate to get "date night" twice this year. Steph and Damian didn't make it down until Thursday so Friday evening, the 4 of us went to Awful Arthurs for some yummy raw bar seafood and good company! :)

We get matching beach week t-shirts every year and this year was no exception. The back of the shirts have a picture of my great-grandparents, Guiseppe and Angelamaria DiSanto (waaaay back in the day) and it says "In the beginning....". I am sure they would be proud to see the family that my grandfather created!

And of course my little ones. They had such a great time this year. They both caught the OBX creepy crud and were a little under the weather but managed to have a good time and shower everyone with their cuteness :)

It's no question how much my kids love their cousin, Zoe!! She is so good to them and they really enjoyed following her around.

On date night, the cousins went out to the OBX brewing station. After 3 attempts of a good picture, I gave up!!!

Doing what she does best!!! Being cute and sassy!!

Richmond Fun Day!

2009-07-01T08:22:00.003-04:00

Have I mentioned before how much I love Facebook? Well, in case I haven't let me tell you how much I love Facebook. For me, the social one, reconnecting with friends and being able to see a tiny glimpse of their lives from my little world in Maryland is a fun fun thing. I love that I am back in touch with so many friends and that I am able to stay a little closer to family that I might now check in with all that often. It has been a lot of fun being on Facebook over the last year. And for me, reconnecting with old friends makes me really really happy.

Having said all that, yesterday, the kids and I went to Richmond, VA to visit with one of my old and dear friends, Leila, whom I haven't seen in 12(!!!) years. She and I worked together in our early 20's at Don Pablos Mexican Cantina in Fairfax. We were inseperable and had a blast hanging out with each other. She was such a good friend and I have so many fun and crazy memories of our days at "Pablos". When I moved back home in 1997, we lost touch and in February of this year, reconnected on Facebook. After months of chatting and commenting on how cute each others kids are, we decided to make a reunion (of sorts) happen.

As with all good friends, it felt like no time had passed and we had a great day catching up and enjoying a beautiful day. We had a picnic lunch at a beautiful park by the St. James River and then went for ice cream at an outdoor mall that had a fountain the kids could play in. It was such a nice visit and I can't wait to see her again!

by the St. James River...so beautiful!
And of course we don't look a day older than the last time we saw each other ;)

my kiddos

What I am looking forward to......

2009-06-24T09:37:00.003-04:00

Our annual Outer Banks, NC trip(s). We are gearing up for another fun filled vacation to the Outer Banks. 1 week with the DiSanto family and 2 with the Engel family. The thought of time well spent with family, away from it all is what keeps me going ;)

nothing like watching the sunrise on the beach

our house

A new hobby for mommy? Perhaps....

2009-06-11T09:29:00.002-04:00

Haircuts. The biggest thorn in my side. Seriously. Taking Zachary to get haircuts is not fun. He has been getting his hair cut since he was 1 year old....3 looooong years of haircuts. And he hates them. And I hate taking him. I often put off haircuts with him for way longer than I should because it really is that bad.

But all that changed this morning. While sitting, cuddled with my precious boy, I looked at his hair...the shaggy mane of thick long blond hair that he inherited from his daddy...and knew it was time for a haircut. I started having a bit of anxiety over the whole thing and then remembered...I bought hair clippers last year...Dave told me to take them back...that I would never use them...but stubborn me refused and in the closet they sat for a whole year. Until today, my friends. I decided to try it myself and I am happy to report all went very very well! Being able to go at a pace that Zachary was comfortable with, on the front steps of the porch was really all it took for an overall fabulous experience. There were a few tears...but not many and he is so happy now to have his "new-do".

So, a new hobby for me? Well, I certainly am going to continue giving Z his haircuts for as long as he lets me. :)

The "before" picture. Taken yesterday at the pool

And the "after" pictures....o' so handsome!!! :)

More Miami Pics

2009-06-03T08:32:00.002-04:00

There are so many good one's I just had to post a few more.....

yes, yes, matching flip flops :)

Me and Jess at the Dilido Beach Club

No way we are that old ;)

Sarah, Jess, Me, Chef Jeff and Delight

Outside of the Delano Hotel

(we read George Clooney was there just 2 weeks before this)

MIAMI!!!!

2009-06-02T09:41:00.002-04:00

My weekend in South Beach was all I had hoped for! Good girl time (and much needed), tons of relaxing, yummy food and beverages & just a lot of FUN! Just got home yesterday afternoon and have been spending the morning with my babies :). Have tons to write about but here are just a few of our vacation pictures :) Enjoy!

Me & Sarah at the Dilido Beach Club. We were very exctied to have lunch here because it was prepared by Executive Chef, Jeff McInnis (Top Chef Season 5 4th runner up)! And it was soooo yummy!!!!!

We went to Gloria Estefan's restaurant, Lareo's, on Saturday night (the food was AMAZING) and this was us cramed in the little elevator to get back downstairs)

Ahhhh...vacation!

BFF'S

(I wouldn't have wanted to do this trip with anyone other than these fabulous women!!!)

First night there with very full bellies after a yummy sushi meal!! :)

Memorial Day weekend

2009-05-27T16:20:00.004-04:00

We had a fun Memorial Day weekend! It started by watching the Blue Angels practice their routine for Saturday's airshow and then we took a trip to the mountains to see my parents and celebrate my mom's birthday. It's been crazy busy here for us so it was nice to have a relaxing time away. I am heading to Miami tomorrow with my oldest and bestest girlfriends and am so excited! I am sure I will come back with tons of stories of pictures...some I can share and some I can't ;). Until then, here are a few of the pictures from our Memorial Day Weekend.

The Blue Angels

Just us girls

Granddaddy, Zachary and Madeline hiking "the Lions tale"

Madeline on her first 4 wheeler ride...don't worry, we went super slow and she LOVED IT!!

Grandddaddy reading to Madeline

Our little diva in training

goofin' off

The Birthday Girl!

50th Anniversary Celebration

2009-05-17T11:15:00.002-04:00

Dave's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 9th. What a better reason to throw a party. After months of planning, we all went to Pittsburgh to show those crazy love birds how much we love and appreciate them!

Cheers

The Engel Family
(top row L to R: Nune, Barb, Jeanne, Dan, Dave, Christopher, Joel, Georgeanne, Daniel, Joann & Rob. Bottom Row L to R: Greg, Zach, Me, Madeline & John)

We are only at 6 1/2 years but are hopeful our kids throw us a rockin' party for our 50th!

Our beautiful babies were SOOO good the entire weekend!

The Happy Couple

Our trip to Florida!

2009-05-17T11:03:00.003-04:00

The kids and I ventured down to Florida for what has become our "annual trip". We stayed at my Aunt Suzanne/Grauntie Sue (what the kids call her) and Jerry/Gruncle's house for 9 fun filled days. We saw tons of family, hung out at the pool, saw Mickey mouse and his gang and made a trip to Dinosaur World. Such a great time....as always and we were super sad to leave.

Madeline and I on the train at Downtown Disney

Z and I got our faces painted :)

Papa and Madeline

ZZ squared

(Zach and Zoe)

chillin' by the pool

bathing beauty

Dinosaur World

Me, Z & the T-Rex

getting ready to leave for the airport for our trip down!

Weekend in DC

2009-05-06T17:01:00.004-04:00

We spent the Saturday before we left for Florida in DC with my parents and Delight & Jason. Picnic on the mall, National History and Natural History Museums along with Air and Space. And of course a visit to the Carousel on the mall. The weather was gorgeous and we all had a great time!

We're Baaaaack...

2009-05-05T20:09:00.001-04:00

and almost settled from our fun trip to Florida. Pictures and a post will be up in a few days! :)

I just love babies!!!

2009-04-16T15:52:00.004-04:00

We here at Team Engel are very excited to share that the newest member of our extended family, Isabella Colleen was born yesterday morning!!! I've waited to post to give the proud mommy and daddy (my cousin Stephanie and her husband Damian) time to share pictures and tell all of their friends and family (and have all the bragging rights the parents of new babies deserve) and am now spilling the beans here for all of my friends that know Steph and Damian!!!

Isabella "hatched" (as Zachary puts it), yesterday, April 15, 2009 at 9:10 am. She weighs in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and 19 inches long. She is simply beautiful and we can't wait to meet her!

Welcome Isabella!! We love you!!!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:52:00.002-04:00

Happy Happy Easter from our family to yours! We had a great day and are resting with bellies full of yummy dinner and Easter treats. Check out our little cuties :)

2009-04-09T21:39:00.001-04:00

Hi! I've got pictures, I've got commentary but it will all have to wait cuz, I've got to watch LOST! :) More later.

"Morning" coffee snob

2009-03-25T13:43:00.003-04:00

So, little "sassy pants" Madeline is 19 months old!! I know, can you believe it...we sure can't. And as sassy and ornery as she is, she is just as cute and lovable as can be. She had a check-up yesterday and is doing fabulous. 30 pounds and 34 inches tall. 95%ile for both height and weight.....man we brew 'em big in our little family! Her Dr. was very impressed with all that Madeline will eat, all the words that she can say (not to mention sentences) and we left the office with just 1 shot (hep A) and a few yummy jelly beans. Next well baby visit in August!

And each and every day brings something new in Madeline's world. She is constantly amazing us with what she will say, something new she will eat (this kid loves grilled tomatoes with salmon...crazy!!!) or how much more independent she is getting. This morning, when I went in to get her, she stood up in her crib and said "morning" all chipper and cheerful. Now, that is usually my line...that is what I say to her when I walk in....not today, she beat me to it ;)! And upon leaving the produce stand we went to today, she said "Bye bye, see you later" to the woman behind the counter....such a little sweetie Madeline is! :)

And, big brother Zachary is doing great! We've had our friend, Kristin's, dog, Gus, here with us yesterday afternoon and again today (he is a little under the weather and we are helping out so she can go to work" and Zachary just loves Gus. He is currently (as I type this) sitting in the living room next to Gus, petting him and telling him that he is going to be just fine and that he is Zachary's best friend. So cute!!! No, no chance of a dog in our family...not without a fenced, much bigger yard....so this is a great outlet for both me and Zachary. Gus is a very good dog and we really enjoy him being here!

And today, I stopped at Wawa for a cup of coffee and I can't believe that I actually found myself disappointed in the weak coffee that I purchased. I am very new to the land of the coffee drinker so normally I can't tell the good from the bad. But lately, we've had some pretty darn good coffee here in our house and evidently, I have acquired a taste for that good, yummy, dark roasted beverage that we brew and am now saying "yuck" to gas station coffee. Ugh, I have turned into one of "those" people...you know who they are....the "coffee snobs". *sigh*

So, a random jump around post, I know, but it's my blog I can write what I want :). Check back for pictures soon! :) I some good ones to share....until then....chow!

Our two cents

2009-03-18T18:45:00.002-04:00

Guilty pleasures are a funny thing. While some will say they have none and some will admit they have many, when it all boils down, we all have our guilty pleasures. I happen to be in the "admit I have many" category while my husband is in the "say they have none" category. But the one guilty pleasure we have in common is reality TV. I posted a few weeks ago about Top Chef...LOVE IT...we faithfully watch Hells Kitchen....and we both enjoy us some good 'ole American Idol. Me because I love music and love to see how the contestants look, sound, are critiqued, etc. Dave likes it because he loves to critique or should I say criticize.

I digress..

Last nights American Idol theme was country (poor Dave....his least favorite of all the weeks). And when it was finished after a very long 2 hours (no, we didn't watch the whole thing...TiVo Baby!!!), we got to talking about possible themes that we think should be added to the American Idol line-up. Here are just a few....

1. Jimmy Buffett week
2. Beastie Boy week
3. Ozzy Osbourne week (guess who picked that...hint...it wasn't me)
4. Neil Diamond week (which may have been done but we couldn't remember)
5. Diana Krall week
6. Kids music week (you know, make 'em sing Dora, Diego, Backyardigans...mix it up a bit..after all there are little ones watching)
7. Steely Dan week
8. Dave Matthews Band week

Thats it for now. But seriously, don't you think some of these themes might make things just a bit more interesting?!?!?

Something wicked this way came.....

2009-03-16T08:52:00.002-04:00

last week that is. It all started on Monday...Madeline had some nasty nasty diapers (I will leave it at that, use your imagination) that turned into some pretty serious vomitting on Tuesday morning which brought us to the ER Tuesday night with severe dehydration (the Dr.'s words, not mine), IV fluids, meds and a super late night (she and I didn't get home until 2:00am). Then we dealt with the aftermath of that for a few days and just when we thought things were going to get better....I got the stomach flu, a few hours later, Dave got the stomach flu and operations here at Team Engel ceased. Seriously. If it wasn't for Jess, I don't think my children would have been fed Saturday night. No I am not joking. But the kids were great and even though Dave and I felt like we had been run over by trucks, they played nicely, fought minimally and let us get the much needed rest that we so craved (well, as much as a 4 year and 18 month old could I suppose).

Way to ring in my 35th bday, huh?

March Madness

2009-03-08T20:01:00.003-04:00

...and I am not talking about basketball! In a matter of a week, our temps here in Southern Maryland went from 6 degrees (with a matching 13 inches of snow) to 80 degrees and capri pants!!! Wowza!! Our children are so confused about our clothing choices for them...one day snow pants and boots, the next day shorts and sandals. But, hey, the best of both worlds is ok for me every now and then.

So last week we were romping in the snow with friends and today we were in Solomons on the boardwalk eating a picnic lunch after church(one of our favorite things to do...the picnic that is ;) ). And the best part about it this year is that Madeline can walk!!! So, Dave and I actually got to sit and eat our lunch while the kids looked at the water, chased each other around and enjoyed a yummy lunch (all with a watchful eye of course). It was great and we look forward to more Sunday lunches on "the island".

And I had 2 things to talk about and rather than post two different posts, I am going to continue. It's my blog, I can do what I want :)...

So, Dave and I are obsessed (yes, I think it is fair to say obsessed) with the reality show called Top Chef!!! Every week, we set the Tivo and enjoy it, commercial free every week. Another season just finished (:( ) and we look forward to the next....

And for anyone who watches it, knows what a Quickfire challenge is. So...my wonderful husband decided to make me dinner and planned it all while I was out running (a whole nother story...those of you who know me, pick your jaw up off the floor...yes, I have been running). He grocery shopped and after we put the kids to bed he created the most wonderful dish...Red Snapper with a Roasted Tomato, Kalamata Olive, Garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, s & p tapenade kinda thing to go on top of it...roasted green beans and grilled potatoes. Upon tasting his creation (and yes, he made it up), all I could say was "This would totally win you a Quickfire"....we both laughed but it is so true!!!

You see, Dave was always the one that cooked. I didn't know how to cook when we met...I could make minute rice and pasta (but not very well). He was/is/has always been an amazing cook and I have always loved the meals he prepares (probably why I am running now ;) ). But, as time went by and work got busy and I was home with our kids, I became the chef of the house. Now, I prepare some good dishes..if I do say so myself but it has been a looooong time since Dave has stepped in the kitchen and cooked the entire meal all by himself. And...well...Padma, Tom, Gayle....he would wow you!!!

I tried my hand at winning the quickfire for this evenings dinner but...well....although fabulous sangria grilled shrimp tacos with a jicama/avacado/roasted tomato salsa (that I made up!!!)....it didn't really touch that Red Snapper. So I guess the Top Chef winner in this house, this weekend, is....

Dave :)

but don't worry....i am already thinking of a comeback!! :)

after all this snow..here's a picture to melt your heart...

2009-03-04T08:21:00.001-05:00

molly and zachary

more snowy day pictures.....

2009-03-04T08:04:00.003-05:00

our little snow bunny

Dave taking Madeline on her very first sled ride

snowball fight

Zachary and Molly were saying "cheese"..that is why Zach looks like he is in pain ;)

Snowy Day!

2009-03-03T07:58:00.002-05:00

Well, we got about 13 inches of snow yesterday and had a great time with friends/neighbors playing in it all day long!!! :)

The "Moms" of Sycamore Hollow doing their best "Aspen Pose"
After riding with John in the sled, Madeline decided that she would ride solo for a while!
Of course she loved it!!!

Z wasn't too sure about all the snow hype but went from

"I don't like the snow"

to
"The snow is my favorite thing"

in a matter of minutes

(It's 8:02 am here now and I have had to listen to

"Can we get our snow clothes on now?"

for the past 1/2 hour...too bad it feels like -2 outside)

2009-03-02T07:57:00.002-05:00

I saw this poem on MckMama's blog and I loved it and thought I would share :)

Song for a Fifth Child

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

We are in our own little winterwonderland here in Southern Maryland!! We woke up to a foot of snow and it is still coming down! Good day to sit in front of the fire and enjoy the quiet peace that comes with a snowstorm!!! We are hopeful that Dave will stay home with us but I think he has other plans...we shall see. I'll post pictures later!!! :) I am hoping to get the kids out on the sled today..wish me luck!! :)

Happy Birthday to Zachary!

2009-02-19T10:45:00.004-05:00

We Celebrated Zachary's 4th Birthday with an "ALL THINGS DINOSAUR" Party! Lots of friends and family came to help celebrate and a good time was had by all (we hope). We can't believe our first born is 4 already! Crazy how time flies!! Happy Birthday Z-man!

We love you!!!!

Zachary and "Dino-Mommy" (that is what he called me the whole day!)
Me & Delight

Carl & Ray got Zachary a new piece for his Thomas Railway...he loved it (and the dino hat that grandmommy gave him)

Every little Steelers fan needs a Superbowl Champ Hoodie! Thanks Tia (Delight) & Jason!!!

Madeline diggin' in on some yummy cake!

Zach did a great job blowing out his candles!

Once again the Wildewood Pastry shop did not disappoint! This cake not only looked amazing, but tasted fabulous as well!!!

The Kollars & The Engels

Tia & Zachary :)

2009-02-13T08:55:00.002-05:00

The weather has been so nice here and we had a great week playing outside and getting ready for Zachary's birthday party tomorrow!! Here are a few shots from the Valentine's Day party at Z's school and some outside fun at the park with our friends.

They even had cookies for the younger siblings!!
Little Miss Curious

Jumping into the leaves at the park

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Home from the park

Climbing in the trees....

....and realizing she is stuck!

Happy Birthday, Papa!!

2009-02-05T14:35:00.005-05:00

We are wishing huge birthday wishes today for my Grandfather (affectionately called Papa by my kids). He turned 87 today and I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life. Happy Birthday to you, Granddad/Papa! We love you so very much!!!

(Granddad just sent me this picture of him holding the edible arrangement and balloon that we sent to him today...we wish we were in Florida with him to help him snack on it..it looks yummy!!!)

Ski weekend & Superbowl Victory!

2009-02-05T10:16:00.002-05:00

We spent the past weekend at Seven Springs with the Engel clan. Skiing, eating, drinking, being sore and anticipating about Superbowl Sunday...all in all, it was a good good time!

All ready for the game and Madeline doing her best model pose
"so Daddy, that is where you fell down?" Zachary refused to believe that people were actually participating in the sport of skiing...afterall, all they do is fall down, right?

A view of the slopes...the weather was really nice...well, if you think 21 degrees is nice ;)

Here we go Steelers!!!

Snow snow snow snow snow!!

2009-01-27T10:02:00.002-05:00

...it won't be long before we'll all be there in ...snow....snoooowwoooo...i wanna wash my face my hands my hair in snow.... (little White Christmas tribute)

We have snow...FINALLY!!! It has been so darn cold for so darn long and mother nature finally decided to make it all worth while with a little bit of the white stuff. Now, we also have to thank the weatherfolk as well because they goofed it...again....and told us we were getting rain. Nope, no rain here..just snow, beautiful snow.....

Jump Bunch!

2009-01-22T08:57:00.002-05:00

Zachary, Molly & John are taking a Jump Bunch/Kids exercise class every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 6:15. Last night they played hockey!! :) Poor Madeline is too little to participate but that doesn't stop her from getting in the middle of the action. Fortunately for her, Coach Reggie doesn't mind that she runs around.

Here we go....Steelers...here we go....Pittsburgh's Goin' to the SUPERBOWL!!!!

2009-01-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

Just checking in....

2009-01-18T09:44:00.002-05:00

I know, I know...it's been a while since my one line post last week...sorry. We've been busy here in the Engel house :)....

So, here is a list of what we've been doing and I'll add more detail in another post!

1. purge, purge, purge...spring cleaning a little early

2. taxi service for the kids :)

3. trying to stay warm...its freakin' cold outside

4. Wii Fit!

5. Complete lifestyle change and makeover (for me at least which I guess would mean for everyone since I do run this ship :) )

6. Sending my oldest to Grandmommy's house for the weekend

7. Entertaining my youngest while her brother is away for a few days

8. participating in a community project in our neighborhood for tomorrow's National Day of Community Service!!! More on this later

9. redoing our bedroom...major project...the painting, the linens, new furniature...exciting stuff...i'll post pictures when I am done.

10. Enjoying some me time!

So as you can see...i've been busy!!! And, i haven't been able to find my camera battery charger which i need to upload the pictures from my camera which has to happen if I am going to post pictures here on what we've been doing. A quick prayer to St. Anthony should help...but I think he's been a little busy cuz I haven't been able to find it and I've been a prayin'!!!!

So, on to painting...GO STEELERS...stay warm....enjoy your family and have a great weekend!!!!

2009-01-11T20:41:00.002-05:00

HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!

2009-01-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

Zachary: Mom, why did the chicken cross the playground?

Me: I don't know Z, why?

Zachary: To get to the other slide...hee hee hee...get it, the other slide??!!??!!

HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!

Home at last....

2009-01-05T16:27:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to say we are home and are now working through all of the new stuff and trying to find places for it all to go :). And we are er..um...playing Wii, too.

More later :)

Agony of defeat/Home Sweet Home

2009-01-03T14:39:00.003-05:00

Ahhh....I hate losing. I am so competitive and I absolutely hate to lose. So you can imagine my disappointment when PSU lost to USC in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. I am happy to say that PSU only lost by 14 points because for a while it looked like they were going to lose by much much more. And I am not the only one who was sad about the loss.....PSU fans everywhere are showing their disappointment.

And on another note, we are heading home tomorrow!!! We have enjoyed our trip, visiting both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles & friends but man are we all ready to sleep in our own beds tomorrow night. We have so much to do when we get home.....take down the tree, undecorate the inside and outside of the house, find places for all of the new things that we got, start my New Years resolutions (and boy do I have 'em), master guitar hero ( ;) ). And I think I have reached the point where I am ready to get this show on the road.

So, next time I post I will be home sweet home!

Another Day, a New Year

2009-01-01T14:08:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year to all of you! Hope you had a fun fun New Years Eve and that you are enjoying a relaxing New Years Day. And I also hope you are gearing up to watch the Rose Bowl and that you are as excited as I am to watch the Nittany Lions stomp USC! My nephew and his fiance are there and promise to take tons of pictures and send home some teeshirts and such but I do have to say one word about that.....jealous. I am so jealous that they are there and I am in snowy Pennsylvania. Not that I am not having a good time here with my in-laws but.....Pasadena, CA...PSU football...well....I am sure you understand.

So, when you are friends with someone for as long as I have been friends with Sarah, you may be apt to adopt some of their families traditions. And today is just that for me. I am making a "white meal" for my in-laws, like the one I have had in Sarah's house many many New Years Days in the past. What is a "white meal" you may ask? Well, think about it for a minute...ok...still don't know. Well, it is all things white. And "they" (whoever "they" are) say that when a "white meal" is eaten on New Years Day, it will bring you good luck throughout the year.

We are having a brined pork roast (you know, the other WHITE meat :) ), mashed potatoes, cauliflower,white corn, rolls and dumplings wiht sauerkraut. Yum! I am looking forward to cooking this for family and for the memories that it brings back from times spent with the Weller Family (thanks guys!!!)

And if that isn't enough, I am making yummy buffalo chicken wings, a variety of dips and chips, veggies...you know, Football food!!! :) MMMM.....I love to cook and traditionally, New Years Day is the day I get to do just that...all...day...long! :)

So, Happy New Year, go Penn State, eat well, and have a fabulous 2009! Again, I have taken a ton of pictures and will post highlights of the trip when we get home :)

4 words

2008-12-31T11:23:00.002-05:00

We have a Wii!!!

Given to us by my parents as a very surprising Christmas gift. Along with the Wii system, we got Wiiplay, Guitar Hero III and WiiFit! We've hooked it up here in Pittsburgh and have been enjoying every last minute of it. Dave, Rob and I have become quite good at Guitar Hero III (ok, on the easy setting but you have to start somewhere, right?). I am waiting till we get home to break open the WiiFit but am very excited and have been reading all about it.

We are having a nice Grandparents tour (VA for a few days and now PA) and are ready to ring in the New Year tonight with Georgeanne and Joel at Mad Mex (my favorite Mexican place!!!!).

Pictures will follow when we get home but just wanted to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Years! Last post of the 2008 and I look forward to what 2009 will bring us!

So from all of us in Team Engel, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! See ya on the flip side :)

A look into our Christmas

2008-12-25T13:47:00.003-05:00

First I want to send warm wishes to everyone on this very happy and merry Christmas Day. I hope you are enjoying your day and making tons of wonderful memories with the ones you love!

We started our Christmas festivities last night (of course) with a fabulous Christmas Eve meal...roast chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, out of this world mashed potatoes and a yummy celery salad. After dinner we packed our little elves into the car to go to Bubby Knotts farm (a.k.a the Christmas Farm...according to Zachary) to see the wondeful Christmas light display. After a quick drive through at the farm, we headed home, kids all snug in their jammies and ready for bed. Zachary spread the magic reindeer dust all over the front yard to insure Santas sleigh would find its way here.

We got the kids to bed, enjoyed a few glasses of wine and went to bed ourselves (not before 2 hours of Santa toy assembly, however ;) ).

This morning we woke to Zachary whispering "Mom, wake up, it's baby Jesus' birthday and we have to make him breakfast" (HOW CUTE IS THAT!?!?!?)

Then we crept down the hallway to see if Santa had visited...and guess what, HE DID! Some little children in our house must have been good all year long :). It all went a little something like this...

Z: Oh my, what is all this?

A: Looks like some new toys

Z: Oh, thank you Mommy!

A: Oh, don't thank me, honey, Santa left these for you

Z: WOW!

Madeline is a little under the weather so we let her sleep but when she woke up, she was very excited to see the toys that were left for her and has been playing "mommy" to her new babies all morning!

Now, on to the pictures....

Madeline putting her new baby to bed
Z rockin' out with his new microphone

Dave and Z trying out Z's new binoculars

(Thanks Aunt Sarah and Uncle Sean!!!)

All wrapped up in her new blanket

Our tree

And now, while the kiddies sleep, I am updating the blog, Dave is hanging out. We've got wine mulling on the stove and our friends and neighbors, the Wolfe's (Scott, Mary, Natalie and David) will be over in a few hours for our Christmas feast (lamb chops, roasted root veggies, sausage stuffing, scalloped potatoes and pumpkin crisp for dessert...YUM!). Hope you all have a great day and I'll post more when we are back from our Christmas tour! :)

Until then...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Zachary's Christmas Show

2008-12-18T14:45:00.003-05:00

Zachary's preschool class had their Christmas party today which included a little Christmas show for all the parents. Nothing like watching 30 3 year olds sing their little hearts out. Of course Zachary stole the show (ok, not really but that is what mom's are supposed to say, right?!). We were so proud of him. Here is the video of our little superstar in action :).

***(a couple of things to remember: 1. the little one fussing in the background is NOT Madeline, 2. this is just about 6 minutes long but so worth it!, and 3. I know I put Jungle Bells in the credits..my bad...we just finished reading the Jungle Book so that was on my mind.)***