Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Ice fishing season has officially concluded for us this year. Sean was very busy in January/February (hence my absence and unmotivation for blogging, maybe?)

This is his absolute favorite time of year. Though sitting in a shanty on ice with a hole doesn't sound all that fun to me, it is absolutely the best time for him. He participated in 3 tournaments this year (all out of state) and I am proud to announce that I am married to a winner!

The first tournament, he and his partner, Andy, came in 4th place (and also won biggest fish). The second tournament, he took first!!! and the final tournament, he came in 9th (with his old partner Dan as Andy couldn't make it due to a work commitment).

I am so proud of him on how well he did. But, don't get me wrong, it was hard on the family having him gone. For two of the tournaments, he left at 4am on Wednesday and didn't get home until about 9:30pm on Sunday. Made for two little ones missing their daddy, one wife missing her better half, and one 16 year old needing to help more around the house. By the time he came home (and came home safely) we were all ready.

In addition to winning some prize money, he won the cost for his entries into next years tournaments and also qualified for the National Championships in December. I believe they take place in Minnesota. Not sure if he'll be able to go or not, we'll see.

Anyway- some highlights from the events:

I love this image. They knew they had it won!

It's been a rough few weeks

A few weeks ago, Sean was playing basketball with the neighborhood men trying to relive their glory days... as he reached over to get the ball, his back completely gave out and he crumbled to the ground. He couldn't get up, was in so much pain. We got him up and moving a little bit, our neighbor Matt who is an athletic trainer tried to help him with some stretches, we put some ice on it, didn't think it was a big deal. He went inside and crawled into bed to lay down.

That night, he couldn't move. His back was causing him so much pain, he couldn't move his legs, it was awful. I didn't know how to help him. It was a struggle to get him to the bathroom... I think it took about 15 minutes of me trying to help him. I remember asking if he needed me to get Matt to come over to help lift him, if he needed me to call an ambulance to get him to a hospital. Everything was a no- but more out of embarrassment.

I got him in the next morning to an orthopedist- thank goodness for friendships that I maintained through my business relationships and having personal email/cell phone numbers. We saw him at 9:30 and after exam and x-rays it was determined that he had a bulging disc and it was degenerative.. so it was bound to happen, it was just a matter of when.He was put on medications, given a shot and about a week later was feeling almost normal again.

And I say almost, because while at the orthopedist, he brought up that he was having issues with what he was presuming was a hernia. He actually brought the hernia up to a different doctor a few years ago and was kind of blown off. The orthopedist confirmed it and referred him to a surgeon who's field handles hernias. Well he saw the surgeon on Thursday (which incidentally was his birthday) and the surgeon said he had a significant tear and wanted to proceed as soon as possible.

So- Monday morning, we went to the hospital and his surgery was complete. We thought it was going to be laparoscopic, but for some reason, he didn't do it that way. He has a significant scar and is in a lot of pain. Thank goodness my mom gave him a cane to use, or else I don't know how he would be getting around. I have taken off of work the last few days to be with him. It's been a rough recovery. Hernia surgery is no joke.

Prepped and ready for surgery

Almost go time

 The board I would monitor to see his status

I'm just glad he's home and waiting for the day he feels normal again. 

Weekend and a Sicky

Well I would normally be excited for the upcoming weekend, except that we were up all night with a pukey Owen. Three times in the middle of the night and once this morning. And- we all know how I feel about puke. I sat next to him this morning, hovering, with a large cup (you know those big 32 oz they give you at the hospital when you give birth) waiting for him to start so I could catch it (gross). I am now waiting for my parents to come over to relieve me (thank you Mom and Dad) so I can go to work. My boss told me if easier to just stay home, but I have so much to do there and I dont want to jeopardize my time off scheduled at the end of the year. So- better to come in and work. My day will consist of wrapping more presents, working on his address labels for holiday cards and of course, the ever present art project. We talked about the project yesterday and I feel very good about it. He reitterated that there wasn't a deadline so to not stress about it and that he knows I have so much on my plate in addition to it. It was nice for piece of mind, but makes me more motivated to stay on top of it.

Hopefully Owen starts feeling better. Tonight Sean's sister is coming over to babysit. We are hoping to do some shopping and cleaning. We have our 6th annual holiday party scheduled for tomorrow night. Should be a good time- they always are- so here's hoping the snow doesnt keep our guests away. We are expecting about 35 people. Smaller than previous years, but I'm ok with that. Too bad our bar wont be ready. We havent heard from the granite place yet so I need to make a note to have Sean follow up with them to see when they will be ready to install. My luck is that it will be one day when Sean is in Wisconsin. Yes- he is able to go after all. He had to adjust his plans and now needs to be at work Monday and Tuesday, so his partner will still drive the 12 hours to the tournament with all their gear on Sunday and Sean will fly to meet him there Tuesday night. We did get a decent flight for him, but had to get a rental car to drive from here to Pittsburgh as the flights from Pittsburgh were much cheaper. I'm glad he gets to go, he was bumming pretty hard about it, just hoping the kids all are healthy!

Sunday will be just a day to stay at home and relax and watch football. And because posts are always better with pictures...

prior to getting sick... in my heeled boots...

Tell All Tuesday

• I am currently getting paid to wrap gifts at work.... I love my job.
• Though- wrapping the gifts is putting off my big project- not so good. No deadline but obviously something I want to get done.
• Wrapping them here is causing me to not wrap at home. Luckily I still have time. One of my favorite things to do, since I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, is to sit on the living room floor, next to the tree with the fireplace on wrapping gifts. Though- with Quinlin and Owen- I dont know if I will even use my fireplace this year...and will most likely need to wrap when they are in bed.
• Sean's work may prevent him from going to Wisconsin for an ice fishing tournament... I'm trying to sound sad for him, but dont think I'm very convincing. Though- if he doesn't go, we lose out on the money he has already spent- entry fee, rental house, not to mention his partner than gets screwed.
• Owen has been very funny lately with naptime. The good thing is- we have gotten him to take naps again. The bad thing is, he likes to sleep without his pants on. So far no accidents though while like that...knock on wood.
• I felt the guilt of being a working mom the other day when I was signing the babies into daycare and the lady at the front desk said "I love how Quinlin says uh-oh. It's the cutest thing." I looked at her in amazement..."she says uh-oh????" Yes- she does...and it is very cute.
• I need someone to watch the kids so I can go shopping with Sean... Hunter has some clothes but we still want to buy him a cool winter coat and maybe some games for his PS3. We picked up a cool tool bench for Owen...but need much much more from Santa.
• It has been snowing pretty hard the past few days here... I find the snow absolutely beautiful and love my drive to work. I drive though like a little old lady- especially with the babies in the car. Owen chimes in in the backseat "be very careful mommy". I love it- I'm sure the people behind me wonder what is taking me so long- especially since I drive an SUV.
• I have been stalking my phone like crazy since my friend Gia is in the hospital being induced. I was in the shower last night and I got a text so I asked Sean to look at my phone. He didnt know I spent the day stalking it and said "7 lbs, 13 oz. Raymond James" It was the funniest thing- and no- she is still in labor and Raymond, I dont think, is even on her name list. I had texted back and forth with her prior (maybe about 30 minutes before) so I knew he was kidding. I find it adorable how connected he is to my life and my friends. I am a lucky girl.

Weekend Recap/ Menu Planning Monday

We had a very low-key weekend. Friday, I picked the babies up from school and went home and picked up Sean, Hunter and his friend Michael and we decided to go o McDonald's for dinner (so much for my menu last week). I hadn't set anything out to cook and with Hunter's buddy over, we thought it would be fun. So we drove up there so Owen could experience the McDonalds playland. Do you think he liked it?

He loved every second of it! So did Hunter (though he's probably too cool to admit it). Quinlin too- you could just imagine her little legs kicking with delight. I know she wanted to get out and play- but no way! We came home and instantly threw them into the tub to try and disinfect them!

Saturday was a crazy morning. Our contractor came over at 8:30am. Sean's parents (yes- both as his dad was released from the hospital on Friday) came over about 9:00am and our photographer, Colleen, came over at 11:30am. Sean's folks didnt stay long- maybe an hour- and as soon as they left, I kept trying to get Owen in camera mode. We practiced saying cheese, wearing a santa hat. I bribed him with candy so he would wear his sweater (good stuff- I should add bribing to my Mom of the Year post). All in all, the pictures, I hope, turned out great- and no- we weren't naked as I once feared because I couldn't find outfits. I kept it simple- we didn't need to color coordinate- just look nice. So- that's what we did. My parents came over during the end of the photo shoot to pick up Hunter for the weekend. They took him to Billy Elliot (play) and then to the new Harry Potter movie. Sean ended up making two trips to Home Depot and I think, one trip to Lowe's for materials that the contractor needed. He became very stressed about the whole thing- the money the bar was costing, the time it was taking, having to bring Owen with him... so we stayed in the remainder of the day.

Sunday morning we went to my parent's house for brunch and to deliver our queen mattress that used to be in our guest room. Three kids in a four bedroom house eliminated our guest room and we had hopes of building a guest room in the basement so saved the mattress. Well- that theory didn't work as the box spring wouldn't make it down the stairs and into the tight turn to the room that would have become a bedroom. So- off to my parents house it went. We left there and rushed home to watch the football game (not sure why we were rushing since we had dvr'd it and could listen on the radio). The game was frustrating... and my fantasy team faired no better. so- losing day all around.

So- nothing crazy and exciting... you know you're getting old when you no longer have the fun, crazy stories from a weekend and are in bed by 9:30.

On to the week. With a short week, I haven't put too much thought into our menu. Our menu planning monday, inspired by Org Junkie:

Sunday- baked chicken breasts with broccoli
Monday- Vidalia Onion Roast hoagie sandwiches with horseradish and a side of cauliflower
Tuesday- bbq chicken and roasted potatoes
Wednesday- tacos
Thursday- Thanksgiving! We're having fried turkey, sweet potatoes and stuffing (thanks mom), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and Hunter is making a strawberry cream pie courtesy of what he learned in home ec class.
Friday- leftovers
Saturday- burgers and hot dogs

Hopefully I will do a little better sticking to this menu than last week!

Halloween (Picture Heavy)

We had such a great time this year for Halloween! It started for us on Saturday night as we had a party to go to. Costume ideas were hard to decide this year. We didn't want to spend a lot of money, but wanted to have a decent costume too. We went through our costume bin and Sean found his costume

then he found what should be my costume...

I didnt really want to be a mini Darth (scary that I actually fit into one of Hunter's old costumes). I had planned to go with Jennifer and Kelli as Chilean Miners. So- for the first time since Sean and I have been a couple, we were not a couple costume.

Before the party- we posed for a group shot. Darth, Jennifer, me, Owen and Kelli.

At the party- complete with shovel and birds on our shoulders.... I didnt realize then that Kelli and Jennifer didnt turn their headlamps on...I wonder if I blinded people with my light? We had a great time. Jennifer, Kelli and I tied for 3rd place. 2nd place were Chilean Minors- they wore head lamps and had a chili on their shirts with the number 17 on them since they were minors (haha- underage). 1st place was Dick in a Box... the Sat Night Live Skit with the boxes around the waist. What made the costumes funny was that in the box was a picture of LeBron... classic! We also played LCR twice and Sean won both games... money tree of winnings below:

On actual Halloween, we had such a nice day. I made Tara's chili recipe and added a beer to it- an IPA but I dont remember what we used, just to give it some extra flavor. It was fabulous. Sean's siblings came over with my niece, so that was fun. Hunter left us about 5pm to go trick or treating with his buddy. Quick pic of costume:

and then we tried to pose the babies for pictures...

This was going to have to do- a 26 month old, a 16 month old and a 9 1/2 month old dont do well for group shots. Off we went:

Owen was in heaven staring at all the suckers...

Of course...Sean had to dig out his costume and walk around... "Hung Like a Horse".

Happy Halloween!

Menu Planning Monday

I was very excited to once again plan our menu for the week and stay organized for once. Sometimes, I dont know how we do it with 3 kids but- we managed to go to the grocery store and only bought what we needed for the week and are trying to use up items from our freezer and pantry. Grand total at Giant Eagle this week? $47.69. The sad thing is, I know if we would have gone to Marc's, we would have probably spent half... oh well. Here's our menu:

Sunday- chicken with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, steamed veggies

Monday- chicken tacos

Tuesday- sloppy joe sandwiches and baked potatoes

Wednesday- tuscan chicken and pasta

Thursday- chicken marsala and pasta

Friday- chicken fajitas

Saturday- frozen pizzas (Sean and I have plans so kids are on their own with the sitter)

Notice a trend of chicken? Thank you Sam's Club big bags! Plus- Sean and Hunter are starting their big workout that they have been talking about for weeks. Sean wanted to wait until Hunter's cross country season was over. Today is day one- they're supposed to run a mile and then start lifting... let's see if they actually do it today! Hunter's excited to start working out with Sean.... and Sean's excited too... (Hunter calls Sean the "bad Situation") LOL

Roger Waters Concert

So- last week I got an email from GE Smith asking if I'd be interested in seeing the Roger Waters Concert at the Q on Tuesday night. GE is currently touring with Roger and gets two tickets per show. I was so incredibly flattered that he invited us!!! I called Sean who was so excited and jumped at the chance. After checking with my boss, since that is how I have a relationship with GE, I immediately emailed him back and said we would love to go! He told me the show started at 8, but that they really didnt come on until 8:15pm. I was so glad he told me that! We drove downtown and I couldnt believe how many people I saw. I didnt realize how big a show this actually was- but the Q was sold out. I should have known- with how big Pink Floyd was- it was jam packed! We got to will call and there was an envelope with our name on it. The ticket lady opened it up and handed us the contents...

First- our ticket


Section 109, Row 5, Seats 1 and 2! we were on the right side of the stage (not floor) but lower sides (right side when facing stage but I guess to the artists left?). Fantastic seats! I forgot to bring my real camera, but a pic from my cell phone

Also inside my envelope were hospitality passes- woot woot!

How cool is that? it allowed us to get to the hospitality area to see the band prior to admission and intermission. We didnt make it down prior, but went down in intermission. It was a nice little area they set up in the visiting team's locker room at the Q. They had couches, restrooms and then an area with beer, water and chips. A few of the band members came down but it was pretty rushed. It was kind of funny to see some girls, completely dressed up....groupies maybe? LOL.

The show itself was amazing. The Plain Dealer took some great shots of the show:

You can see GE in the first shot playing guitar (hi GE!)

What a neat experience- such a fun night! Best part- it only cost us $10 for parking!

Labor Day Weekend Recap!

We had a great weekend. It started out with my parents coming over for pizza and football on Thursday night and we hung out in the basement watching the Browns. I didnt work on Friday so staying up late this time was enjoyable for me.

Friday I dropped the kids at daycare and had a "me" day. I started at Kohl's and purchased the insert for our duvet, pillows, a mattress protector, etc. This new idea of a king bed has suddenly gotten very expensive! After Kohl's, I treated myself to Panera and went on to the salon to get my hair done. I tried a new place... I liked it...but at the cost, I dont know. I dont feel like my hair looks much different, which could be my fault too. I wanted to keep the length so just had the color redone and some layers put in. I bought a roundbrush so have been playing around with it. It must be working though as my father in law gave me all sorts of looking younger compliments. I'll take it. After the salon, I came home, ran some errands with Sean and picked the kids up. Hunter had Michael over for dinner, which was nice. Low key evening and we were all in bed by 9:30 because Hunter had a meet the next morning.

Saturday morning we woke up to crisp air and wind...Hunter had to be at the school by 6:15am for his meet and we made the decision that it was too cold for the babies to watch him run. So- Sean went to the big early bird invitational and I stayed home with Q and O. They got home about 10:30 and Hunter was so excited that he dropped his time by over a minute. He finished his race at 17:20... so proud of him. wish I could have watched it. Sean's parents came over about noon and we left them with the kids and went to Ed's store to buy a mattress. So excited for the one we picked out-- I cant wait to get out new bed. We came home and started making chili in preperations for Carrie's 8th Annual Chili Cookoff. After making it last weekend, I think we got a bit cocky. We decided to double our recipe... (didnt think it would change the taste, but it did). So- we did 6 pounds of beef instead of the 3. from the beginning things went wrong... we cooked the meet, added the peppers and onions and started stirring with a wooden spoon. The porcelain handle of the spoon broke and we had to throw all the beef away so we didnt risk anyone ingesting a piece of porcelain that we didnt fish out.... 6 pounds in the trash... so Sean went back to the store and bought more meat, peppers and onions... he came home with 5 pounds...Ugh! so- had to go back again for the last pound of beef. we started cooking- added all our ingrediants and found out we didnt have enough dortmunder... back to the store Sean went. so frustrating. We let it simmer, etc. and it was good. it just didnt have the wow factor as the first time we made it.

Sunday was busy! we had our chili simmering again and went to the Wolf's annual labor day party. Lots of fun, but rushed. we only stayed for about an hour and a half, came home, grabbed our chili and off to the cookout we went. We had a great time, but it was hard because we constantly had to chase after the kids so didnt get to visit with our friends, etc. And when I say "Chase after the kids", I guess it should be rephrased to "chase after Owen". He had the time of his life. The chili cookoff was a success. We didnt win but placed around 4th or 5th. My friend Kelli helped count votes and said we had a really good amount. Oh well. It was worth a try! Of course prior to the cookoff, we said we would never enter again as it forced us to have to be there at a certain time, etc. However, upon leaving, Sean was already thinking of how he wanted to make his chili for next year.

Monday we cleaned and then made our way to Jennifer's for a cookout. Came home, bathed the kids, put laundry away...nothing exciting. Looking ahead already to next weekend. Hopefully the week will go fast. Hunter has another meet today. Wishing him luck as I have to miss it... :(

My Anniversary Tradition

When I got married three years ago, I purposely didn't preserve my dress with the hopes that every anniversary I could prance around my house in the dress and veil!

Here is Sean and I on our wedding day- 07/21/07. The day my dress made it's first official appearance. Such a gorgeous day- mid 70's and sunny.

Our first anniversary, I couldn't fit into my wedding dress as I looked like this. Do you see my toes?

Ha! Ok- seriously better picture. Taken closer to our anniversary 07/12/08:

The following year, our second anniversary 07/21/09. Owen was almost 1. Looking back, he looks so tiny! I seriously love my dress... I was so excited to fit into it- I was 14 weeks pregnant on our 2nd anniversary too!

I didnt have a bouquet...so I pretended.

Our 3rd anniversary just happened this week. 07/21/10. We celebrated by going to our usual dinner at Flemings- sat at the same table and everything. Came home and the festivities began! (warning- many pictures to follow):

Ahhh- relief. Two babies in three years and it still fits!

I love how small Quinlin looks next to the dress. I know it sounds cheesy and that my dress wont be in style by the time she gets married, but maybe one day she'll wear it?

Owen was quite obsessed with the veil....


Owen got bored with the whole dress thing and veil and decided to put on Hunter's basketball shoes... at least that is more manly?
And my pretty girl with her Daddy!

It was a great anniversary- up until the next morning when we realized we forgot to put our leftovers in the fridge. :(

Happy anniversary babe! Many more to follow!

I love my little tradition and am so glad I started it. It will be fun to look back through the years and watch us age, watch our kids grow and celebrate this special day! Not sure what I'll do if/when the dress doesn't fit anymore. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, but hoping I never get to it!