So long 2009...Hello 2010!!!!!!

I can't believe 2010 starts tomorrow. I feel like I was just ringing in 2000, at my parents house, with a few of my friends. And now, 2010...a decade later. I'm married to the love of my life who I hadn't met coming into this decade. We have 2 beautiful children, secure jobs, a home. In so little time I have come such a long way. I am proud of myself. :) And I'm proud of everyone around me who has also accomplished so much!!! Good going, everyone!!!!

Going into 2010, there are a few resolutions I am going to make for myself, and for my family. I have a pretty long list, which is not like me, but I pray I am able to accomplish each resolution with ease!

In no particular order:

~ Weight Watchers, watch out, b/c I'm starting again full force come Jan 1st, 2010!!! I may not have a lot to lose, but I want to maintain, and WW has worked the best for me in the past!

~ I will get to the gym 2 times a week! Again, not for losing any weight, but for maintaining the weight I have already lost, and to tighten up some areas!

~ Once a month I will leave work a few hours early so I can spend more time with Babe and the kids.

~ Once every 2 months I will leave work early, pick Buddy up from school early (until he starts Kindergarten in Sept), and him and I will have a nice 'afternoon date'!

~ Once a month Babe and I WILL have a date night. Sucks that once a month is all we can squeeze in, but we haven't even done that in the past! Our last date was on our 5th wedding anniversary in May....sad :(

~ Every Sunday is strickly family day! If not the whole day, at least 3 hours out of the day will be spent with just the 4 of us! Heck, it's the only full day we have together!!! I'd also like to make Sunday nights "game nights" - Buddy has soooo many board games, it's definetely doable :)

~ Patience. I need more of it. For the kids. For Babe. For myself. Instead of freaking out the 1st time something happens, I will take a deep breathe, step back, and calmly address the situation.

~ Even though I am desperately lacking sleep, I will continue to breast feed Princess until she is a year old. I need to keep reminding myself it's only a couple more months (March 4th she'll be 1), and the time has already gone by so fast, 2 more months will be a breeze! Plus I really am not ready to give up that bonding time.

~ Work wise I will find a new position this year.

~ Friend wise I will continue to keep in contact with as many of my friends as possible, and will strive to be a better friend then in the past.

Those are pretty good resolutions, no? I'm positive I can stick to them :)

We are staying in tonight to ring in the New Year. Babe is working, but will hopefully be home before 2010! Everyone be safe out there, and have a very Happy New Year!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was great, and here's what happened in a nutshell:

~ Christmas Eve morning we took the kids to see Santa! They both did great and the picture turned out awesome! Buddy got to triple check that he was on the "nice list" and made sure Santa knew a black DS was at the top of his list ;) And Princess had a starring contest, that she won, with Santa ;) She didn't cry at all!

~ Christmas Eve afternoon/evening we spent at Babe's parents house. It's tradition that we go to church then over to their house for dinner and gifts! Unfortuneately we had to skip church this year b/c Princess was napping. Once she woke up we headed over. Buddy was excited to see all the gifts! Babe & I were excited to see all the family! Babe's brother showed up around 6:30 - he had left Virginia Teah at 8 that morning...loooong drive! So it was extra nice seeing him home safely :) We ate, exchanged gifts and conversations, and just had a lot of fun. Around 8pm we headed home to get ready for Santa!

~ We got home, got the kids in their Christmas pjs, and put out the milk & cookies for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer ;) Then got the kids to bed!

At some time throughout the night Santa came!!!!

The letters he left for Buddy and Princess, the cup of milk moved, cookie pieces and carrots everywhere!!!

~ Princess was up (for good) around 7:30am! We all went in to wake up Buddy and he jumped outta bed when we told him Santa came ;)

~ As we usually do, we brought everyone's stockings to our bedroom and opened those tiny gifts first ;) Then we headed downstairs!

~ Buddy was in awe; Princess went straight for the biggest gift under the tree!

~ Once there weren't any gifts left Buddy said "aww, i didn't get my black DS. that's okay, i'll have to buy it with my money!" WOW!!!! Were we shocked! No whining!!! LOL!

~ We ate a cinnabon breakfast then started taking some of the new toys downstairs.

~ Buddy was shocked to find more gifts downstairs....a gaming chair and that black DS he wanted so badly ;) Yea Santa!!!!!!!

Our Beautiful Christmas morning Mess :)

~ Later in the day my family came over! Babe & I cooked our 1st Ham ever, and it turned out delicious :) And there were presents EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!

~ One of Buddys gifts was a fake shaving kit, and he couldn't wait to use it! This is him being careufl while shaving ;)

~ The day after Christmas, Princess's BIG present was delivered by one of Santa's helpers! It was a Princess Sofa!!!!! : )

~ This Christmas was perfect :) We hope everyone's Christmas was great!!!!!!!

p.s. - Christmas is also my Mommy's birthday - Happy Birthday, Mom :)

Dear Santa....

Before going to the Festival of Trees a few weekends back, Buddy wrote Santa a letter (well, I wrote it, Buddy just told me what to write - but he did sign his name!)! I thought it was sooo cute the way Buddy started out his letter...he was obviously taking the honest approach, hoping to score some Santa points that way ;)

Sorry if it's hard to read, but all you really need to read it the 1st sentence ;) Made ya laugh, didn't it?!

That was his 1st letter to Santa...i'm pretty sure we are on our 4th letter at this point ;)

Here he is mailing out his 2nd letter to Santa...this one was telling Santa that our tree might not be where it usually is, so he's asking Santa to look around the house before not leaving any presents ;) Always thinking of ways to make sure he gets a gift...spoiled much?! nahh..... ;)

His other letters consist of more toys he forgot to put on his original list, and they actually include toys for Jocelyn, too! Such a good big brother ;)

I can't believe Christmas is just 2 1/2 weeks away...this whole year flew by!!!!!! Whew!!!!!

Move over Thanksgiving....

I hope everyone (i say everyone like anyone is actually reading this, lol) had a great Thanksgiving! We sure did! We enjoyed time with both sides of the family, and even got to relax a little over the weekend! It was Princess's 1st Thanksgiving, and she definetely made it memorable! She ate a whole Thanksgiving meal like everyone else - from the turkey to the pie! Pics below ;) We made family turkey hands, lol, and Buddy and I got creative and made some turkey desserts :)

Our turkey desserts... Princess enjoying her 1st Thanksgiving meal...

Buddy's Turkey Hand...

Princess's Turkey Hand...

Buddy making a wish on the wishbone (He's wishing for a black DS - he'll find out on Christmas that it's going to come true!!!)

I was up bright and early on Black Friday to get most of my shopping outta the way! It was a good time, and I am just about done all my Christmas shopping :)

Sunday we went to the Festival of Trees! It's become a yearly tradition for us to go there on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, then head back home and put up our tree :) The Festival of Trees was great this year, as usual! Buddy & Princess both did great sitting on Santa's lap :) Pics of that fun day will be up shortly!

We've been busy decorating the house for Christmas --- our favorite Holiday :) It looks great and I almost wish we could keep it like that all year long!!!

Speaking of houses...stay tuned for my next post ;)

Lil' Boys love...

...ROOT BEER FLOATS!!!

Buddy has been asking all week for a Root Beer Float, so after working some overtime hours this morning, I cam home and we made a root beer float for him!!! He LOVED it!!! He said his tummy hurt after eating it - but seconds later I got that adorable smile from him ;) I'm sure we'll be making more root beer floats in the future ;)

Life's so short

We lost a friend over the weekend. Someone else lost a son. Someone else lost a brother. Someone lost a husband. Someone else lost a father. One person was so many things to so many other people, and his life ended so abruptly. Why? Because of a careless drunk driver. The drunk driver is perfectly fine. He walked away from the crash without a scratch. But he killed 3 people. Yes, 3. Two were husband and wife - they were killed instantly. The 3rd was our friend. He was flown to shock trauma, where his family later decided to take him off life support. The Drs said there was nothing they could do, that Rob would be in a coma from there on out.

RIP Rob. Though we were just beginning our friendship, I feel as though I had known you for quite some time. The wall that you fixed in our house still isn't painted...and it's going to be very hard to paint it now. We appreciate so much how you took the time to help us with that. Tyler saw nothing but greatness in you. He wanted to go save you from the car when he found out you were in the accident. He even made a wish that you would come back. The innocense of little kids is so special. But you knew that.
You had 2 daughters. Brooke and Tricia. How i feel their pain. I know you meant the world to them; as they meant the world to you.
And Steph. Your wife. The love she has for you poured out even more since your death. To see her pain is to feel her pain. I don't blame her.
There were so many people at your viewing yesterday. With each person that walked in, more tears flowed from Steph's eyes. She was so touched by how many people showed love for you, and for her and your girls.

You will be missed, Rob. Please look down on your loved ones, as I know you will always remain in the hearts of many!

This is Rob's obituary from Legacy.com:

Robert William Arbogast

ARBOGAST , Robert William Suddenly, on November 14, 2009, Robert William Arbogast, beloved husband of Stephanie A. (nee Frederick); devoted father of Brooke and Tricia; devoted son of Maria Diegel and Robert Arbogast; buddy of George Laubach; brother of Shane Diegel; son-in-law of Don and Roz Frederick; also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends who will greatly miss him. Visiting at the Lassahn Funeral Home, Inc., 7401 Belair Road (Overlea) on Wednesday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 11:00 A.M. Interment Zion Church Cemetery.

Buddy's got a girlfriend - Princess got a tooth!

Buddy has a new girlfriend. Her name is Carline (not sure if I spelled that right). Last night, after tucking him into bed for the night, he came to tell me a little about her. Here's what he had to say:

"Mommy, Carline took a bath and her hair smelled like Strawberries. It smelled soooooo good! And she wore a purple dress today with a necklace. She looked very pretty. She dances well, too."

Hold up! Wait a minute! Isn't Buddy just 5 years old? Not 15??? Her hair smelled good? She looked pretty in her dress? Oh man...are we in for some trouble!!!! LOL!!!! It was so cute though. He was literally blushing when telling me about her! I sure hope she isn't a heartache waiting to happen ;) hehe


As for Princess...she's got her 3rd tooth!!! Babe text me this morning telling me thatPrincess's 3rd tooth has come through! YAY!!!! Her 3rd tooth!!! This comes as a surprise to me as this tooth didn't seem to bother her too much. She was a little cranky last night, but not a lot. AND...get this...she only woke up ONE TIME last night! Woohoo for needed sleep! Thank you baby girl!!! Congrats on your 3rd tooth :) And Thank you for sleeping!

I'm so lucky!

I'm so lucky to have 2 beautiful kids :)

How tall will my babies be?!

Looking through a magazine I came across a math equation that is supposed to tell you how tall your kids will be. So I did it, and am posting the results here. That way, in 20 years I can look back and see how accurate the equation was ;)

Step 1: Mom's Height (in inches) = 67inches

Step 2: Dad's Height (in inches) = 67 Inches

Step 3: Mom's Height + Dad's Height = 134 inches = Height Total

Step 4: Add 5inches for Boys; Subtract 5inches for Girls
~ Buddy/Monkey: 134in + 5in = 139in
~ Princess: 134in - 5in = 129in

Step 5: Divide by 2
~ Buddy/Monkey: 69.5in
~ Princess: 64.5in

So...Buddy & Monkey will grow to be 5ft 8in and Princess will be 5 feet 3in...

...it'll be interesting to see how true this is...

Growing like a weed!

Yesterday was Buddy's 5 year check up! Lil' man doesn't seem so little anymore :( Bitter Sweet!
He is now 41lbs and 42.5inches tall! He is doing GREAT all around. We had his hearing checked, and it is off the charts (now he doesn't have an excuse for not listening anymore - lol!)! The Dr was impressed with how well he talked, remembered things, and held conversation! Thats our boy!!!!! :) Then he got 2 shots :( We went in thinking he wasn't getting any shots, just the flu mist. But, he needed the 2nd Chicken Pox shot, and with that you can't get the flu mist - you have to get the flu shot. So he ended up with 2 shots. I think he was more scared of them then anything, and he freaked as soon as he saw the needles!!! Poor guy! But he did well, cried as expected, but was fine a few seconds later! He got a cool soccer band-aid for the flu shot, and a cool blue gi joe band aid for the chicken pox shot --- he LOVED those ;)

Princess also got her 2nd flu shot as well. She screamed, too. It breaks my heart to hear my babies scream!!!!

The Dr mentioned they would be getting the H1N1 shot in a month, and suggested all 4 of us get it. I'm really up in the air about whether or not we should get these shots. There's no research or study on the shots, and no one knows what (if any) the side effects are. I think I'm happier just not getting the shot, and cleaning and sanitizing like crazy. I'm not sure though...still looking into it and thinking about it...

That's it for now!

We are in trouble!!!

She thinks she's mastered going UP the stairs...

Now she wants to try going DOWN them...

He shoots...

...and he scores!!!!!!!!

Buddy scored his very first soccer goal on 10/3/09!!! It was awesome! He ran with the ball from one goal to his teams goal and kicked it right in! I wish I got it on video, there was nothing or no one stopping him!!! He was determined!

He played very well the whole game! Seems to be getting the hang of it ;) And not only were Babe, Princess & I there to see it, but my dad and Babe's parents were there as well!!! He made us all proud :)

5 years ago today...

I look back at 5 years ago, and think about how much has happened and how much has changed. Five years ago, Babe & I were newlyweds. We lived in Middle River. We worked at different jobs. And we were waking up to get ready to go meet our 1st born - Buddy!

Today, Buddy turns 5! A "whole hand full" as he says ;) It amazes me to of seen him grow up to such a beautiful boy these past 5 years, being there for just about everything he's gone through, yet still wondering where the time has gone. 5 years seems so long ago, yet just like yesterday. How can that be?

I remember the day he was born. He was born via c-section b/c of being breech. I was nervous. Babe was nervous. But both of us were soooo excited!!!! At 2:30pm on this date in 2004, the Dr. pulled Buddy out, and he was born!!!! He had loud lungs from the start - music to my ears :) Now he can sing his own songs - music to my ears :) He talks up a storm and has energy like I've never seen. His attitudes are more frequent, but isn't that part of growing up?

Over the past 5 years I've learned a lot about parenting, being a child's best friend, and how to love so deep!!! Buddy has learned so much about this huge world, and has so much more to learn - he doesn't even know it! I look forward to the next 5 years of watching Buddy grow and learn, and all of the years after that! He never ceases to amaze me!

Buddy - Happy 5th Birthday, lil' man! Daddy, Princess & I love you soooooo much!!!! :)

She is Blessed!

Sunday, September 27th, 2009 - Princess was Baptised!

It was a beautiful ceremony! Princess did wonderful! She only cried for a split second as I handed her to the Rev, then she was quiet. She didn't mind the water on her head, and seemed to love all the attention she received! Even Buddy was great the whole day :)

We had Princess baptised at Havenwood Presbyterian Church...the church Babe & I were married in, and the church Buddy was baptised. We are so grateful that they allowed us to have Princess baptised there, too. It made it even more special then it already was!

Here are some pictures of her day: