BRRR....a cold Sunday in February

What is there to do on a cold Sunday in February, you may ask?!?! Well, we seem to be lacking the typical blanket of snow this winter so unfortunately, another sled ride is not an option today. We have played with every toy and spent time in virtually every room of the house today. Quite frankly, I have a major case of cabin fever this afternoon and am really wishing that I could take my man for a jog and then to the park. But, not today....only a couple of months and then we will get back outside. For now, we are playing inside and spending lots of time snuggling together. I just love my snuggle bug!!! Oh, and to complete the afternoon, I decided to take out my camera and we had an indoor winter photo shoot!!!! I practiced using my lighting kit...I am getting there slowly, but surely....but still have LOTS of practicing to do!

Here are some shots of my sweet baby boy today during our indoor winter photo shoot. There are so many adorable little boy outfits that Jack has, but this warm wool sweater and matching navy cords are simply one of my very favorites! I think he looks like he should be in a ski lodge with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands, taking a break from a fun day on the slopes. Jay thinks he looks like a Swedish cross country or alpine skier. Either way, he surely is a cutie!!!

Thanks, Little Brother!!!

This morning while at Baby Business class, Jack learned all about cats and dogs and how they are special members of our families. After we sang and read books, the Little Man made a new collar for Ralphie!!! Jack got to play with stickers while making this fun little craft . He just loves stickers! As you can see, Ralphie wore his brand new collar that his little brother made him with so much pride!!!!

Happy 17 Month Birthday, Little Munchkin!

17 short months ago, we welcomed the sweetest baby that was ever born into our family! And today, well......we have a big boy on our hands! Not only a big boy, but a very smart boy too. Jay and I were saying the other night how he really understands almost everything we say to him these days. When we say, "Let's Go!," Jack will go and get his coat. When we say, "Get your hat," he will point to the trunk where we keep them. When I say, its time for your bath, he goes into the linen closet and grabs about 5 washcloths! Jack also knows how to say his prayers and make the sign of the cross (well, signing the cross means touching the same shoulder the whole time, but that still counts!) I can go on and on.....but like I said, we have a very big and smart boy on our hands.

Happy 17 Month Old Birthday, Little Munchkin! We love you!!

Happy Valentine's Day from our Little Love!

Tough Day

For those of you who follow our blog, you may notice a little redundancy with this post title. If you recall, I authored a post with the exact same title a little over a year ago. Not only is the post title the same this year, unfortunetly the content of the post is the same as well. The only difference is that today Jay was the victim of the unfortunate situation, rather than I. To sum things up, today was a tough day for our family because Jay lost his job. This was very sudden and puts our family's existing financial situation even more in a world of hurt. But, we have each other and that is all we need. At the end of the day, we know we will be fine. We have the support and love of each other....as well as our extended families who have been so gracious by offering to help us both financially and with the job search. So even on tough days like today, we are still lucky and very blessed. And after all, how can we ever get too down on things when we have this adorable face to remind us of our greatest blessing of all....our sweet happy and healthy baby boy.

Thank you to our families for your love, understanding, and support on this tough day. We all love Jay and know that he is one of the nicest and smartest men on the face of this earth. He will be "back in the saddle" in no time. Very shortly, we will look on the happenings of today as nothing more than a blessing is disguise.

Snow Day!!!!!

While Jack is still far too young to appreciate the real meaning of a snow day (the true meaning being NO SCHOOL, of course!), he still REALLY appreciated our fun day in the snow this afternoon. We have been waiting for almost a month for another snow storm to hit us....and we finally got one today! Who would have thought that Chicago would be snow deprived in the month of February?!!?! We have just dodged so many snow storms this year so far...apparently, Mother Nature is giving kids on the east coast their chance at fun in the snow this winter.

Anyhow fortunetely, our Little Man and I had our very own snow day today. We went for a sled ride up and down Keeler....and stopped at Granny and Grandpa's house to ding dong ditch them:) Jack thought is was hysterical and truly had a blast!

Here are some of the pics from our FUN filled SNOW day!!!! We both had a great time playing in the snow together!!!

"Big Ball of Love"

All of last week, Jack has been fighting a little cold. Nothing major, just some congestion that virtually every child on the southside of Chicago seems to have right now. Because the Little Man was not feeling very well, both Jay and I have been pretty complacent on out typical bed time rules. Basically what I am trying to say is that I do not think there was a night last week when Jack somehow did not make his way into bed with us. Sometimes it was just for an hour here and another hour there....and other nights well, let's just say there was very little crib time:) He is just such a loving, sweet little boy. Not only does he like to be in bed where he can see and hear you, he also needs to be completely pressed up against you so tightly that virtually a grain a salt would not fit between your body and his. Oh, this Little Man is the king of snuggles and being "kutcha-ed" as we say it. Although I get very little sleep while Jack is in bed with me, I do know that a day will come in the near future when I will miss this. So being a little more tired than usual has taken a back seat to caring for my Little Man while he is fighting this winter cold. We will worry about getting Jack back into his crib throughout the night next week. All that is important is that Jack gets better shortly....and in the meantime, I am enjoying all of the extra snuggles I am receving from my Little Love bug.

When Jay woke up one day last week, he said to me"You know Erin, this kid is nothing more than a big ball of love." I absolutely agreed.....he is our "big ball of love" that we simply adore to pieces.....

Here are some recent shots of the "big ball of love" himself.

"That's Done!"

"That's Done!!!!" These are 2 little words that both my mom and I recently decided are so wonderful to say after you complete or accomplish something. This "something" that I am speaking of can be as time consuming as building a website or editing a blog book (ughh!!!) or as simple as giving Jack his nightly baths. In my opinion, a feeling of accomplishment is just the best feeling there is. It is a weakness of mine to always "bite off more than I can chew"....and I know that I am a repeat offender:) To add to my busy lifestyle, every year at this time, I tend to begin lots of projects, usually crafty type ones. This year, I have had especially a lot on my plate between my day job, my new photography business, AND trying to figure out how to use a sewing/embroidery machine (which, by the way, is a lot more difficult than you would imagine!) A lot of my recent projects tend to have been rather large endeavors so when I accomplish even the smallest goal or milestone, I often say out loud (even when no one is home to hear me!) my two new favorite words, "That's done!!!" Something about even the smallest accomplishments make me feel so much better!

Well, this past weekend, I took a little hiatus from my usual hyper self and did not say my new 2 favorite words even once. Rather, I accomplished very little this weekend......and surprisingly, it felt pretty good. I even introduced and watched one of my very favorite movies, The Sound of Music, with my little love, Jack yesterday afternoon. We watched this in the MIDDLE of the day....WITHOUT my laptop on.......and I only felt a little guilty about watching a 3 hour movie when there was so much "stuff" around the house that needed to be done. Doing this in and of itself is a BIG accomplishment for me! I know I sound crazy (and deservingly, Jay often thinks I am!), but I am really proud of myself for being able to relax, even if it was for just a couple of hours. I am making progress here! Typically a sense of accomplishment makes me feel really, really good. It keeps me going and makes me "tick." But, I was reminded yesterday that making time to snuggle and cuddle with my little man is something I need to better prioritize. After all, there is absolutely nothing more important than making sure my Little Guy knows just how much I love him. It is ok every now and then to accomplish nothing more than laying on the couch with the cutest baby on the face of this earth and teaching him the lyrics to "Doe, a Dear."

Here are some recent pics of the Little Man....the first one he is just chillin and the second he is making that adorable little curious face that I just adore!