My little girl is 1...

Monica turned 1 yesterday! My little girl is growing up! She got her first doll and while I think Christopher was more interested than her, she definitely enjoyed the baby bottle that came with the doll. :)

Then she and Christopher enjoyed ice cream!!! Monica's Godfather was going to bring a cake, but he ended up being delayed so it didn't arrive until after Monica was in bed...so we'll have to have an extended party tonight and get the cake demolition pictures!

Last night Monica walked across the room to Jason for the first time! She'd taken a step or two or three here and there, but never attempted something so big. Jason was thrilled! She was so proud of herself!

This morning Monica was playing with her doll before Christopher woke up and she was getting really frustrated cause she kept trying to get the doll to stand up, but it would just flop over onto her. She turned it upside down, inspected the feet, then tried again. It was pretty funny to watch her trying to "teach" a doll how to stand up!

I got Christopher up at 8AM and his first request was, "Play, baby?" He was so happy when he saw the baby doll waiting for him! He's so gentle with the baby doll...hopefully a foreshadowing of how he'll respond when his new sibling gets here.

During this Advent, I've been really meditating on God's choice to give us this new baby! Most days I already feel so overwhelmed, but I know it's His Will to entrust us with this wonderful, beautiful soul that is now living inside me and He will provide all the graces we need to be faithful parents. This song was sent to me by a dear friend and it really made me think about what plans God must have for this newest member of our family...

It's a beautiful song and the images go with it so nicely. Hope you enjoy!

Jib Jab laughs

I'M SO FRUSTRATED AT COMCAST!!!!! I just spent over 45 minutes on the phone with them... After about 4 months of trying to get their services to work, we decided to switch to AT&T. I called Comcast and cancelled the services we had with them. They cancelled them, but then reactivated them the next day, charging us all the activation charges as well! So, today I get a huge bill saying we have late fees as well! I "think" they figured it all out and cleared the bill, but boy was it frustrating!

So...I decided to take my frustration out on JibJab.

Check these out....I at least got a laugh!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/wNgEAMjAVFDGeXptQyBn

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/Pg6MftfjCdwQK6Ul83Ii

Some Musings on Early Pregnancy...

We kept the news of this newest addition to our family a secret for about 4 weeks. We weren't sure how far along I was and wanted to wait to tell the majority of the world on Thanksgiving when we'd be seeing Jason's Mom. Now that the news is out, I wanted to share a e-mail I wrote my friend, Leilani about some random thoughts on pregnancy...

Dear Leilani,

Well, I can’t blog about things I’m going through…since this baby is still a secret to the majority of the world. However, I feel the need to get some things out, so you don’t have to read this, but I just needed to write.

What a weird thing pregnancy is! I’m really trying to be positive, but come on! I mean, why do our bodies turn so totally against us when we are carrying another soul? Is it God preparing us to forever place another over our own wants, desires, and inclinations? Tonight I went from detesting the very thought of food (but still having to get dinner for the kids), to REALLY wanting salmon with pasta (which I made when the kids went to bed). Then I just HAD to have a piece of apple pie… But now the pie is almost done and I don’t want to ever look at it. The lingering smell of salmon in my house is repulsive! If I didn’t know I was pregnant I’d probably suggest a mental hospital!

Even through all this sickness, weirdness and the looming threat of labor, I’m already feeling this intense love for the little soul growing inside me. What will he/she be like? Will this Little One (LO) have Monica’s ability to make me laugh and smile…or shall he possess Christopher’s ability to amaze me each day by his artistic intelligence and sensitivity? Will I have the strength to be a great mother to all three of them? This morning I felt like such a failure to my two children. Here I am throwing up, barely able to change their dirty diapers before taking off at high speed to the bathroom. Christopher wants to cuddle while he watches the movie I “had” to put on…but I tell him I can’t because I don’t know when I’ll be off to the bathroom again. I’m so thankful right now for the gift of Zofran and that God gave my doctor in Virginia the wisdom to prescribe it for me. I feel like a wimp…but I know if I ever needed it, it’s now!

Anyways…I’m gonna go take the pie out of the oven and head to bed. Maybe your Mom will want some when she’s here tomorrow! I’ll call you after my appointment! My prayer now is that I’m the mother of 3 healthy kids!

Thanks for your friendship and putting up with me!

Love ya,
Christen

A Christmas gift...early!

We recently found out I'm pregnant with Baby Manak #3! It's always been exciting for me to be pregnant during Advent because I feel like I can really relate to Mary. With Christopher I was 20 weeks, with Monica I was 9 months and with this one I'm around 9-10 weeks!

Please keep this baby and my morning sickness in your prayers this Advent. I'm really praying that by Christmas the morning sickness will be gone and I can truly celebrate the 12 days with much joy...and feasting...

I'd like to request that you keep Jason's job intention in your prayers during this Advent Season. We are really hoping and praying he'll be offered a full time job before Christmas Day! Thanks so much!

I wish you all a most Blessed and Holy Advent season in preparation of Christ's birthday celebrations! May God bless you all!

P.S. I have an ultrasound on Friday, so I'll try to remember to post pictures of our little bundle of joy!

A friend posted this on her Facebook page and I thought it was very helpful information to pass on...

Giving gift cards this year?

I wanted to give EVERYONE a heads up that if you tend to give gift
cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be
honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after
Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though
the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them
from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy
Planning. Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be
cautious about. Also, use up your gift cards if you have them from
the stores listed below!


Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores
nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores mo re to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close

Michael Allan Manak's 50th Birthday

Today we visited Jason's Dad's grave to wish him a Happy Birthday in heaven. We tried to get him a sunflower (his favorite), but had to settle on something that looked similar and then some white carnations. Christopher and monica each picked out a Happy Birthday mini balloon! And of course we had to get the cute little pumpkin!

We love you Dad/Grandpa!

Amazing!

Today I noticed I had about 4 diapers left...per child...so we jumped in the car to head over to Costco. It's raining today...pooring! At the corner of Westborough and El Camino there were about 150 supporters of Prop 8... They were praying and holding signs. They were so energetic and young.

It was SO amazing to be reminded that people still care about morals in this country and are willing to fight to have them upheld...standing on a corner in the pooring rain! I literally started crying as I passed them, giving them the thumbs up!

During this election time, I've grown so weary of seeing so many get their priorities mixed up, so to witness what I saw today gave me so much hope!

A Romantic Retreat!!!

Last night was a night of dreams come true for me! It was amazing and I know nothing I write will even do justice to the spectacular events of the night...

It all started about 7:30...

Monica is asleep...
Christopher has eaten dinner...
I'm curling my hair...the last finishing touch to my appearance!
I'm wearing a new dress Jason surprised me with...my hair is flowing over my shoulders...I'm wearing black high heel sandals...I have a dressy purse with no diapers in it!

Then Shane and Leilani walk through the door enabling my handsome prince to take me out on a date for a HOT dinner with no kids to distract me till my food is cold...

First off, I want to send out a big THANK YOU to Shane and Leilani (and Lily too) for coming over to watch Christopher and Monica so Jason could take me out. You guys are the BEST! I'm so thankful for your friendship in our lives!

Jason got a scholorship from the Academy of Art and decided to use a part of it to take me out to the Ritz in Half Moon Bay for dinner! It was the night of nights! I felt like Cinderella at the Ball!


We were seated side by side in a secluded booth. The table had a really interesting oil lamp on it which reflected in the shined table wood. Our table settings were so ornate and perfectly placed making one almost not want to disrupt the beauty of it!

Our waiter, Darrell, was really awesome! He explained the food so well and was so attentive. He is a father of two girls, ages 17 and 20. He reminded us to enjoy and treasure these times with our children because they pass so quickly! It was a good thing to be reminded of on our night out!

The food was SO good! We got scallops and a pork dish for appetizers then I got a New York Steak while Jason got a Duck dish for our main course! It was SO good! They also served fresh sourdough break and our Darrell brought us a plate of chocolates and jellied candies for dessert!

As I was eating my steak, I started cutting large bit size pieces in a hurry. I typically cut all my food up right away, so I can eat it with one hand while I tend to children. I then realized...there are no children here...they are sleeping at home...I don't need to rush... So, I savored each bite, cutting each piece into petite sizes! It was all so good! Jason and I shared each others dishes, fork feeding each other!

We talked about so many things and just enjoyed eachothers company so much! I feel so refreshed in my vocation as a wife and mother! Sometimes retreats away are such a blessing from God to reinvigerate our desire to do the smallest duties our vocation requires. I feel so bless to have friends like Shane and Leilani who would give their evening in service so that Jason and I could enjoy creating special memories! May God bless them both!

I'm especially thankful for my wonderful, handsome husband who strives each day to make me feel happy and beautiful as his wife! I'm so thankful God lead me this vocation He prepared for me! I feel so blessed to have such an awesome husband, adorable children and caring friends!

Ground Beef for .36/pound!

Working on getting mine now, but I thought I'd share with everyone else!

Go HERE to see how you can get 5 1/2 pounds of ground beef for .36/pound!

Archbishop Chaput

A friend e-mailed me this address delivered by Archbishop Chaput on October 17th. You can find the whole thing HERE, but I wanted to paste this excerpt on my blog. It's been really troubling me this election, how many people, even dedicated and committed Christians, place various issues over that of abortion.

The words of Archbishop Chaput:
"I believe that Senator Obama, whatever his other talents, is the most committed ''abortion-rights'' presidential candidate of either major party since the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in 1973. Despite what Prof. Kmiec suggests, the party platform Senator Obama runs on this year is not only aggressively ''pro-choice;'' it has also removed any suggestion that killing an unborn child might be a regrettable thing. On the question of homicide against the unborn child - and let's remember that the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer explicitly called abortion ''murder'' - the Democratic platform that emerged from Denver in August 2008 is clearly anti-life.

Prof. Kmiec argues that there are defensible motives to support Senator Obama. Speaking for myself, I do not know any proportionate reason that could outweigh more than 40 million unborn children killed by abortion and the many millions of women deeply wounded by the loss and regret abortion creates."

Mommy, Help!

The other day I was doing laundry in the kitchen and Christopher came running up to me. "Mommy, Mommy, help! Help!"
"Help you with what, Christopher?," I replied.
He replied, "Help, where did she go?"
I went running to the staircase, but the child gate was still in place. The doors were still shut going outside...where did she go? I called her name, but no reply... Then, i hear a giggling over near the futon! Monica had hidden herself under the futon!!!

She and Christopher often play hide and seek, but she's always the seeker! This time she decided to be the one sought after and this 9 month old somehow managed to hide herself from a 2 1/2 year old...a compliment to one...um...the other...well....

Anyways, I thought it was cute! Christopher's concern for his sister is so awesome at times! I hope he keeps it up when she's a teenager!

Just a Second...

Now that Christopher is able to verbally make requests of me, I've found myself putting him off with a "Just a Second, Christopher," so I can finish whatever small thing I'm doing before I oblige his request. Yesterday morning I called him for breakfast. He was playing on the living room floor and said to me, "just a second, mommy!" It was SO cute...I just started laughing so hard! I love those special Mommy moments. . .

I got this e-mail as a forward today, but I think it is really interesting!

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All o f the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Victory!!!

This was my big victory today! Safeway advertised their Clasico Sauces for 2/$4. In a small corner of their flyer there was a little ad for two free boxes of Barilla Pasta if you buy two Classico Sauces. So, that's $1 per jar of sauce and box of pasta. So...here are my savings!

14 boxes of Pasta $1.00 each
14 Jars of Sauce $1.00 each
TOTAL out of pocket today = $28.00

REGULAR PRICE
Box of Pasta $1.99 each
Jar of Sauce $3.79 each
TOTAL = 80.92

TOTAL SAVINGS!
=$52.92

Lily and Monica...

Monica's playdate with Lily! They had so much fun together. :)

Learning simple web code...

A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted a new blog look and went in search of a new Blogger template. The standard Blogger ones were very boring to me, so I looked elsewere online (Love google searches!) I found quite a few, but had trouble putting the code into the blogger system. With my handsome hubby's help, I finally figured it out and feel like I've learned a TON in how things work behind the fancy web front. I still have some work to do on it, but this template went from THIS to it's current state by my nitpicking at the code and doing some photo changes. :)

Something cute...

Today I was catching up on laundry from last week when Jason's Mom, Ray and my brother Grant were visiting. I get a load going and then head to load the dishwasher. As I finish loading the dishwasher I see Christopher watching the washing machine. I walk over to see what he is doing and notice that he put a bunch of his red clothes into the load of whites I had previously put in! There was his Superman Shirt, his Red Dog Sweater and Red Blanket! LOL!!! Guess we know which clothes he wants to wear tomorrow! He was so proud of himself too...

His favorite clothes are his Superman Shirt, his Thomas the Train Sweater and his "Pocket" overalls! :)

Post Script: In response to Trisha's comment: That was the amazing thing! When I saw red clothes he'd put in there I thought for sure my whole load would be pink at the end, especially since it was on hot water. I said a quick prayer to my guardian angel and decided it wouldn't be that big of a deal since it was mostly crib sheets and Monica's clothes. But, in the end none of the colors decided to share their dye with anything else!

Park Day...

Christopher and Monica both love the park but for different reasons. Christopher loves the slides and Monica loves the swings. Here is a couple pictures of my little Miss Monica.

Christopher's symbols...

My son takes after his father in his inclination to art and drawing. One of his favorite symbols to draw as well as his first is "Jesus," a cross. He also follows in his Father's footsteps in his admiration of Superman! See below his artwork using a package of Costco Baby Wipes...these little minds are so amazing and make me marvel at God's creations.

Picnic ...

AT THE DMV!!!

Jason had to go to the dmv to get his motorcycle lisence and do some other paper work for our car. As in DMV fashion, he forgot something they "needed" so he called and asked me if I'd bring it to him so he could keep his place in line. So, off we went to meet my charming man. It was about 5PM and Jason was still in line, so I ended up leaving Christopher with him and Monica and I went to bring our men some dinner. We returned bearing hamburgers and frenchfries just as Jason was finishing up. So, we went outside and had a "picnic" at the DMV!!! Here's a picture Jason snagged with his cell phone. Christopher has SODA in his bottle...it's awesome how kids enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Ohhh...Yummy....

So, tonight I'm serving an early supper at 4:30 and then we are packing up the kids for a family trip to Cold Stone Creamery!!!!! Here is why....

Cold Stone Creamery: Free Icecream--September 25, 2008

On Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 5:00-8:00 PM, all guests to any Cold Stone Creamery location in the nation will be treated to a 3 oz. serving of icecream. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The two free flavors available are: Marshmallow ice cream with OREO® Cookies, Chocolate Chips and Fudge or Nutter Butter® ice cream with White Chocolate Chips, Kit Kat® and Yellow Cake. More details here.

My little Miss Monica cut her first tooth this morning! AH HA! Now I know why last week was such a difficult week for her. Not only did she have the cold that was passed around our family...but she was working hard to push this razor sharp tooth up through her gums! She just turned 9 months old and out popped this shiny pearl.

Last week all four of us were sick with colds. Poor Monica just wanted to be held, Christopher just wanted bottles and "Nino (nemo) please, Mommy." Both of them were up alot at night and Christopher would sleep in pretty late each morning. I didn't get a whole lot done, but we cuddled alot.

Last week I sent an e-mail to Breyers ice cream. We never get ice cream now because prices have just gone up so much in the food department. In my e-mail I told them that we've had to cut out things like ice cream from our shopping list and asked them if they might have a coupon I could use to get us a special treat. Yesterday I got a whole envelope of various coupons from them - including one for a free package of Breyers Ice Cream (up to 7.00)!!! Safeway often has Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Breyers Ice Cream, so I'm going to wait till that sale comes back and then I'll get two packages of Breyers Ice Cream for free! Jason's Patron Saint's feast day is September 29th (Feast of St. Michael) so maybe we'll celebrate with ice cream!

Also, yesterday was my little Sister, Mary Therese's, birthday! Happy Birthday and may God grant you many more, precious sister! I'm reminded of you quite often as Miss Monica reminds me allot of how you looked when you were her age.

Gotta get to bed now - more tomorrow...

Christmas...

I walked into Costco 2 weeks ago to find...

Christmas Lights
Christmas Wrapping Paper and Bows
Christmas Decorations
Christmas Tree Bulbs...

All right in front of me! At first I panicked...it's still September, right? Yep...date on my phone still says September 4th...

But, as I thought about it, I decided to start my shopping now and have everything done before Thanksgiving. I really want to enjoy the spirit of Advent and Christmas without having to go out into the Christmas Shopping Rush. So, while I was at Costco I looked at their toys. I found this cool set for $29.99


I looked online when I got home and everywhere I found was selling the exact same set for $79.99. I felt like I got a pretty good deal. Then I found this other set for $19.99 at Costco, but 49.99 everywhere else. Monica doesn't have any dolls yet and spends more time playing with Christopher's train set, so I decided to get them both and give one to her for her birthday (December 18th) and the other to her for Christmas. Now all I need for her are some stocking stuffers and finish her Christmas dress!

Money Saving Mom...

With the rising costs of food, especially here in the Bay Area, I've been consumed with trying to figure out a way to lessen our food bill. I stumbled across this SAHM's shopping blog and it's been amazing. There are alot of free samples out there if you only spend a few minutes to sign up on websites. I figure the free sample along with coupons they send, I'm actually saving us alot of money.

For instance, last week Cascade was giving away a free sample so I went to their website and signed up. They sent me 4 all in one cascade squares - thats 4 loads of dishes for free. Plus they sent me several save $1.50 off any cascade product coupons. Now I just need to watch Safeway and Walgreens and when their cascade products go on sale, I double up this coupon with the sale to save the maximum...pretty cool huh? It's going to require some effort and time on my part, but I've already scheduled Wednesday night as my night out to work on this. I'm going to go to Starbucks with my laptop and just delve into Money Saving. :)

Here is the website that has really helped me. There are also links from her blog to others, including blog giveaways. www.moneysavingmom.com

I hope to post more about this in the future, but please keep me in your prayers as I delve into this project. Saving dollars is important! :)

P.S. Has anyone checked out any of these books? www.biblicalwomanhood.com/supermarket.htm

Guess who found a cookie...

MONICA!!!
She found a cookie and enjoyed every bite!

Trip to Costco - I love the big brother look on Christopher's face!

The beach!
Monica LOVES sand...ughh...and Chrisotpher can't stand it staying on his hands!

My handsome son!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!

My little brother is 8 today!!!!!

I love you Jacob and am praying for you today! I have your 2 year old picture hanging on my fridge...how the time flies!!!

May God bless you and grant you many more years filled with joy and blessings!

Christopher - Cute Words and Happenings...

This past weekend we had a party for Catholic Married Couples in our area. With 13 adults and 7 kids we had a blast! The theme was Mexican Fiesta...and it was so yummy!

Breaking from the Mexican side, I picked up some Chocolate Chip cookies from Costco (they make the best ever!). Christopher munched on them for several days following the party. He'd come ask me for a Kee Ko! I finally figured out he was asking for Cookie when he led me to the box sitting on the counter. I tried to teach him to say Coo-kee, but he kept saying his own version. Finally, he came to me and said, "Kee-Ko please?" I laughed and said, "you want a kee-ko?" He looked at me and gave me a "you finally got it right, Mom" look! I'll treasure that always!!!

Another one...
My little Christopher takes after his Father in enjoying the variety of life. His most popular phrase throughout any day is now, "'nother one, Mommy?" From toys he's playing with, food he's eating, movies he watches, books we read... (Another one = different one!) It's been a challenge sometimes, especially if he can't have something different at the time, but we are both growing through it and I'm filled with awe each day as I see my little boy growing into a boy with distinct desires.

Peanut butter and Jelly...PB&J

This is just more of a comment, but what's up with Mom's loving PB&J and kiddies not? I remember growing up, my Mom's favorite lunch (and not just for the ease and convenience of making it, but because she truly enjoyed eating it) was Peanut Butter and Jelly. ALL of us children detested it! I remember watching her enjoy her sandwich with a tall glass of milk and think . . . yuck!

Well...now I'm a Mom and this is one of my favorite lunches! Ever since Monica's pregnancy I've really enjoyed anything peanut butter! When pregnant with her, I'd crave apples with peanut butter on them.

But, I've been given a son who is allergic to Peanuts!!! I recently tried making him an almond butter and jelly sandwich and received the same "you really want me to eat that?" look that I'm sure I gave my Mom more than once. I still indulge in the pb&j goodness though and remember my Mom each time!

Busy days...

I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last posted! I will try to do better now that summer is over. It's been a busy year...

Nothing really spectacular has happened, but the day to day happenings of a Mom of two have kept me on my toes! It seems like every day is filled with making children happy, cleaning house, making bottles, feeding baby food, doing laundry...and then doing it all again! Rewarding in it's own way, but it doesn't leave much time for blog posting.

In good news, I've started seeing a chiropractor who says in a month or so I'll have no more back pain!!! Ever since my pregnancy with Christopher, my back has been hurting more and more. It had gotten to the point where I could only sleep on my side at night and even then I would wake up several times a night. I can't wait to have this fixed!!!

I've been really trying to keep a very neat and orderly house. Each night after the kids go to bed, I breeze through picking up anything leftover from the day. It's SO refreshing to start the day in a nice neat and orderly house!

Lately we've been going on a lot of play dates. Christopher is a very social child and I'm learning that Monica enjoys getting out as well. Two weeks ago we went to the San Francisco Zoo. Christopher and I had last gone there when he was about 10 months old...too young for him to really notice the animals. This time was SO much different! He LOVED the animals! We ate lunch while we watched the muskrats and prairie dogs. Christopher had so much fun watching them dig in the dirt. Then we spent alot of time watching the grizzly bears "play". The area for the Bears was SO cool. I took some pictures with my phone, so I'll post them as soon as I figure out how to get them onto the computer.

Monica is now MOBILE!!! Very Mobile! She's standing up to everything...can even stand on her own for a few seconds. She LOVES food...must be the McCaffrey blood in her! She is a mix of both sides of our family, but in all the opposite ways than Christopher is. She is such a little angel and I love her so very dearly! Her favorite foods so far are pizza crusts, oranges and banannas. She had her first bite of fish last night and seemed to enjoy it too. She's (finally) beginning to realize not all things small are food and some things just shouldn't enter a human beings mouth (such as fuzz balls lying on the floor). She's also determined she doesn't like bell peppers at all, but her older brother insists they are quite good!

Lately I've really been trying to find ways to cut food costs...it seems like even the beans and rice staple is getting way out of hand in terms of price. I do almost all of my shopping at Costco and only get chicken and fish when it comes to meat. I've been doing some research into coupons and have found alot of other stay at home moms who have coupon tip blogs for each week. I'm gonna try to do more research into that area and see if I can save more money on food.

Tomorrow I'm getting an Elliptical!!! I've been looking on Craig's List for some weeks now because with two small kids I'm just not getting to the gym like I used to when I only had Christopher. I was jogging with the double stroller, but since Monica's gotten more mobile, she's decided sitting in the stroller while Mommy runs for an hour is not her cup of tea...so this way she can play on the floor - doing what she loves best, while I burn calories! Win/Win all the way around!

Well...I'm off for tonight, but I promise to try and do better with posting here more often. God bless you all!

This was fun to take...what score are you?

95 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Scoring:

0-24 - Very Poor (Failure)
25-41 - Poor
42-58 - Average
59-75 - Superior
76+ - Very Superior

Busy Days...

The past week has been a busy one. For the 4th of July we watched fireworks with our friends, the Aherns. Christopher really enjoyed them and Monica watched half, then decided nursing was a better use of her time! :) It was a fun day...and a lazy weekend followed.

My Little Helper!!!!

Grandma...

The first picture is Jason's Mom with Christopher and Michelle over their Christmas visit. The other two pictures were taken while she was visiting us to celebrate her birthday and Easter.


Christopher with Grandma and Cousin Michelle

Grandma Manak with Christohper and Monica

Grandma Manak with Christopher and Monica