27

FACTS:
1. Today I am 27.
2. I was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA at 12:20am on July 31st, 1983.
3. I have been married for 5 years, 8 months.
4. I wore my mother's wedding dress at my wedding.
5. Tim and I were FWB before we were dating (know what that means?).
6. I have 2 children on earth and one in heaven.
7. I would like to have two more children.
8. I have been a mother for 3 years, 3 months.
9. I LOVE names. I have been intrigued with names since I was 14, and often go to websites to find the "perfect" name for future children. :)
10. I have lived in 4 states:
Pennsylvania (21 years), Ohio (1 full year), Illinois (4 years), and Maryland (5 months)
11. My favorite color is royal blue.
12. My favorite season is fall. ((If there was a place in the world that had fall weather all-year-round I would insist that we move there immediately.))
13. My front right tooth is a veneer. At age 17 I got smacked in the face with a basketball and ended up having to have a root canal...which eventually turned dark resulting in a veneer at age 23.
14. My shoe size is between 7-8, but I recently purchased a pair of child's sneakers, size 6, and they fit perfectly.
15. I had brain surgery almost 13 years ago. The surgeons had to chip away a piece of my skull and didn't put a plate in its place. The tumor is gone, but I still get tension headaches because my muscles are always overcompensating.
16. I graduated from Cosmetology School in 2007...No. I do not cut my own hair. :)
17. Christmas music is my favorite music to listen to.
18. My favorite shows to watch are: So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, Pawn Stars, The Office, and Chuck
19. It takes me a long time to try something new: a new song, new movie, new show, new food, new game...but usually when I do; I enjoy it - and if it's a game, and I like it; I'll play it until I can kick Tim's butt.
20. My favorite beverage is Cherry Coke. Normally I'm COKE products all the way, but when it comes to Cherry Pepsi...that's okay with me.
21. I sometimes pretend I can't smell Megersa's poop so that Tim has to change him...and then I laugh hysterically when Tim gets a whiff.
22. I'm not a big fan of pets that you can 'pet.' ...I know, I know; I'm a terrible person.
23. I love sweets. I could cake for breakfast and not think twice about it.
24. I have been parting my hair the side (usually the left, but it does vary) since I was in 5th grade. I had to get a horrible perm cut out of my hair because I "didn't take care of it" and the stylist gave me a side part "to make me look more mature." I've stuck with it, but I often think about 'bringing back the center part.'
25. When it comes to games, I'm a competitive person, but in the past few years I have toned down my "poor loser" attitude. :) Seriously, ask Tim!
26. I fear I am becoming my mom. I don't know how it happens...but it does.
27. I have a hidden talent of being a very good 'Corn Hole' player. I think it has to do with the way I bowl. I lob that sucker 3 feet off the ground and barrel it down the lane. The form is atrocious for bowling, but it apparently equals to being awesome at cornhole.

Just 27 of the (probably) hundreds of useless facts about me. Didn't want to read them? Who cares. It's my birthday. :)

pig pen

In our almost 5 1/2 years of marriage, we've lived in 6 places.
Normally Tim and I refer to them (from former to later) as:
Our Cedarville Apartment
Wheaton Center
Lorraine Apartment
Wiant House
The house we bought.
and here.

We've had various sized places...generally on the smaller side, though the Wheaton Center was HUGE for a 1 bedroom apartment. Actually, the house we bought was nice and spacious too.
This place fits our needs. We rarely go into the finished basement, though it is equipped nicely for guests. We have a futon and recliner with cable, and a full bathroom. A bookshelf full of books, kiddie games and TONS of toys down there too (in case our guests feel so inclined).....
We have 3 bedrooms here, though the boys rooms are pretty small.
All of our stuff fits, but there isnt much in the way of 'open space'............
So when a friend of mine gave me one of those gates that opens out to a 'hexagon' or a large rectangle, I thought for sure there wouldn't be room for it anywhere. But, the idea of "penning" my kids at some points was so inviting to me :), that I thought I'd go ahead and see if there wasn't a spot for it after all.
WELL.....where there is a will, there is a way!! I found some space. And it's so nice!

Here it is: pushed up against the sliding door (though there is access to our deck on nice days), right by the desk and computer, and on the back side of the couch. We dont have much access to the bookshelves anymore...but they dont get used much anyway. It works:Not only does it help to have a place to put the boys (yep, Cale too...he's not much of a climber) when I'm fixing dinner and I want them away from the oven........but it's kinda like having an extra toybox! We have several "bins" for toys scattered around our house, but wouldn't you guess - toys dont spend as much time in them as you'd think.
I feel like I'm always walking on blocks or puzzle pieces. But with this new device, which I affectionately refer to as "the pig pen" - these days we contain the chaos a bit more.
The pig pen is great. I recommend it to anyone mother wanting an uninterrupted shower. Leave the door open so you can hear your piglets, and know that they are entertained in a contained, yet "open" space.
I. Heart. The. Pig. Pen. :)

And despite my inability to get both my children to smile at the same time (or on command), they actually do like it too. Cale asks to go in it on a regular basis...but only if Megersa can come too.

then. and now.

This is Cale, Sept 2007 - 5 months oldAnd here's Megersa, wearing the same outfit June 2010, 9 months oldCale, 3 monthsMegersa, 8 months
Cale, almost 4 months Megersa, 9 months

3 months 6 months

3 1/2 months9 1/2 months

3 months

10 months

3

10

One big, one little....one peach, one brown. 2 years and 5 months apart...one born in fall, one born in spring. Not sure how I got so lucky to have them both as sons, and I'm REALLY not sure how they they ended up fitting into the same clothes for their first summers!!

Bethany Beach

When writing my "beach" post a week or so ago, I realized it was getting WAY too long to continue due to over-descriptions and numerous pictures.
I figured I'd take a seperate post to show pictures of our beach trip the boys and I took to Bethany Beach.

When I was a kid, we spent one week every summer....every summer at Bethany Beach with my Dad. We started going even before my parents split up, so that was a LONG time ago!! Let's say, 20+ years. Crazy, I know!
Well, growing up, it was the best. We'd all pile into a van, with 'the cousins' (I have 20 cousins on my Dad's side, and many came)...drive 5+ hours, then pile into a house, sleep anywhere we can, and just spend all day at the beach and pool. I can't remember ever resting...ever wanting to go inside...
I have MANY mental pictures of the various small rooms that 4-5 of us girls shared (with only 2 beds). Every morning we'd wake up, eat breakfast and get dressed for the beach. We'd stay at the beach until some parent came down and brought us lunch. Normally, lunch was taken to a nearby pool, so we'd eat there (less sandy for sure). After eating, we'd wait the appropriate time (30 minutes, per Poppy's demand!) before we got back in the water. We'd swim in the pool until just before dinner time.
When we got back to our place, we'd take turns showering and getting "dolled-up" (though this was more when we were teenagers) for Downtown Bethany. Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? Well, it's basically one street with all kinds of shops. When we were kids though, I can remember thinking it was SO long, and so interesting! :) After dinner we'd go downtown and window browse, or walk to the boardwalk. Occasionally we'd walk back on the sand to our condo. It was wonderful! Next day - Rinse and repeat.
I believe I went faithfully until Tim and I got married.
Making a trip from Ohio or IL is much harder than it sounds...especially when your husband only gets 2 Sundays off a year. We'd have to make the trip in 2 days, and if we didn't want to use one of our Sundays (which we normally save for Christmas and Thanksgiving), it just wasn't worth it...for 6 days, 4 spent driving.
Last year we went with Cale. We flew.
It wasn't what I remembered. Of course, pre-children means pre-responsibility. Saving money for gas and souveiners isn't QUITE the same as mooching off your parents for ice cream and hermit crabs. (Yes, every year I'd get at least one new one.) :) In my head though, I pictured spending all morning at the beach (just as I always did), then spending time at the pool. BUT, when you have a toddler that needs napping (or he'll SNAP!!), lengthy stays on the hot sand just dont happen. It's much harder to be the parent who is continually telling everyone (relatives plus their friends, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends) to please be quiet because "baby is sleeping!" And you can't always spend time with your hubby in the waves, because someone needs to stay on the shore to make sure YOUR little one doesn't run into the water.... Oh well. Things change, huh? We live life vicariously now, don't we?
This year, what with being much closer than we have been for years, I went with my boys, alone. This wasn't Dad's usual week of beaching. It's not the week where all the relatives go. There wasn't the chaos of having a million people there...just my dad, stepmom and 2 half-brothers. I was able to share a room with Cale, and put Megersa in our loft room (because he still wakes at night). We DID spend the morning at the beach (but much less time than I did as a kid) and came back for a peaceful nap...this time me napping with them. We spent time at the pool and walked to the boardwalk too. It went relatively smoothly for me being without Tim...but then again, it was only 3 days. I love watching Cale play in the sand...and "run away" from the waves. I love to see Megersa splash in the pool water (he still has a distaste for the ocean). At night we flew kites. And though I wanted to take the kite and fly it a little bit for myself, I smiled inside at Cale's pure delight when he moved the string and watched the kite move. It was hilarious to watch Megersa figure out that sand...isn't so bad, especially at night when the beach is cooler. I observed him picking up handfuls of sand and let the granules run through his fingers as he stared obsessively. He didn't see me watching and couldn't figure out the wonder of this new phenomenon....
I guess the days of my care-free beaching are gone. Long gone...but I bet before you know it, THIS is one of the memories that I'll be reliving when I think "Bethany Beach."

Here are some pics from our trip:

Uncle Jeffrey and Megersa.

The boys all hanging out. They were so fun!Poppy. He spends most of the week right there on the couch.The boys in the pool. I think I kept the flash on by accident. Whoopsies.He was ready to dive in. He VERY much enjoyed the pool.I love this pic, because if you look closely, you can the string in Cale's hand and trace it all the way to the kit in the sky. Coolness.Our scary shark kite! It was pretty awesome. Megersa in the baby swing while we were flying kites.Megersa LOVED this. A marvel every time he did it. Uncle Bobby is in the background.Cale & Jeff running from the waves.My stepmom took this shot, I think it turned out great! We just wish Daddy were in it.The Goob was a bit happier in the sand this time around!! Brotherly love. Cale & Uncle Jeffrey playing in the sand. My brothers Bobby (9 years) and Jeffrey (13 years)Me & the boys on the slide. I wish Megersa was looking!
I used the self-timer on my camera. Several shots were taken, but this was the best one.The boys having fun on the swings. They both LOVE them!

like my hair?

Cale's hair was getting out of control. His hair doesn't grow down, it grows up, and out....and every way that sticks out. I think shortly before his 2nd birthday, Cale started sporting the buzz-cut look. We HAD to do it! We tried several times since then to "see if it'll lay down with enough weight" but we can't usually make it past a certain point. He starts to look crazy. People comment, and we give in to another short do. :) He never seemed to mind getting hair cuts, and it's certainly easier for the summer...plus he sweats like a pig regardless of the season, so this works. Perhaps when he's older, he'll have the willpower to grow it out completely like those other hooligans I see walking around... (jk...I really dont mind longer hair on boys, just so long as there is a distinction between genders.)

Last time I gave him a haircut, like a few weeks ago, I told Tim I was gonna give him a mohawk. But, I made the mistake of filling up the bath before I whipped out the clippers, and well, there was no getting him to stay completely still with the lure of bathtime afoot! This time I bribed him with a lollipop and he stayed pretty still. It certainly was amusing when he saw himself in the mirror. "I dont like this, Mommy. I dont like my hair this way." I tried to explain to him that it was a cool style and that everyone would like it, but he wanted me to cut it off. I kept telling him that people will LOVE it and that he should try to keep it until tomorrow when Daddy gets home so he can see it. That seemed to work. I put a little hairspray in it to really give it a spike, and then he thought that was pretty great.

This is Cale getting into it. I told him he could make his "rock on" fists and give a stank (yes, I did say that) expression for the camera. Observe:Of course he's been getting compliments left and right, so he told me tonight "I like my mohawk...everyone likes my mohawk." He's funny...especially when he says mohawk. It comes out more like "mohaw"....which doesn't sound tough. It sounds...country.
Anyway, he tried to convince me to give Megersa one too, but I think we'll hold off on that for awhile. :)

Colosse.

Colosse is Cale's first pet. A beta fish. Red, to be specific.
He has been living with us for a few weeks now, and is the prized possession of my 3-year-old.

Like I said, it was weeks ago...Cale, Megersa and I were at Walmart. Not unlike any other shopping trip, except that for some reason, we found ourselves in the far right corner of the store...where the "pishies" are.

Normally, and for good reason, we just observe. We point out the different colors and sizes. "There's a big, fat one, Mommy...there's a little tiny one. That one is red...I like red. Here's a dirty one...look, that one has spots.......etc, etc." But, this time I noticed they had several new beta fish. Most of the time I look at them, and they look "less than lively," so we pass.

You may not know this about me, but I love beta fish. I get excited every time I see one. They're just so darn pretty and easy to take care of. They don't stink, shed, or poop anywhere that I need to see...an excellent pet. :)

When Tim and I were first married, we had a pretty pretty blue one. I named him Caesar. Caesar lived despite these odds:

1. The day before Tim and I moved from Cedarville to Illinois, we were in our apartment cleaning everything out. I had already taken Caesar and moved him from his fishbowl into an empty jar with a lid that I had poked holes into for air. A perfectly acceptable traveling container. I put him down by the door on the tiny little linoleum entryway we had in our living room, to await his first road trip.

For whatever reason (I don't know - maybe I was afraid he wouldn't be able to "breathe") I didn't screw the lid on completely.

I knew I hadn't, but Tim did not.........

I can remember it like it was yesterday - Tim was taking armloads of stuff from the house, into the truck, and I was in the bathroom, giving it one last clean. Then, I heard it - CRASH, something shattering, and then "Oh no!" I ran out to see what was going on.

Tim had grabbed Caesar's makeshift bowl by the lid. The lid slipped from the container, and Caesar ended up crashing down to the floor with a few little blue rocks I had put in his container as "company."

I rushed over and scooped him up. I needed water. WATER!! A bowl, a bucket...anything! But Caesar was the last thing to go out the door. My mind raced. But, then, in a stroke of genius, I thought about the room where I emerged. The toilet!! There's water in toilet - and I just cleaned it!
I ran into the bathroom and threw him in...only to realize I had thrown a little blue rock in the toilet. Caesar was still flopping around on the linoleum. Grabbing him, albeit gently, I rushed back to the toilet and added him to the rock that now decorated our can. Poor thing seems shocked at the temperature, and the events that had just transpired, but he was alive!!

ALIVE!

He was living...in a toilet. We had nothing left in the house. There was nothing to put him in, so, I sent Tim to the local gas station/grocery store to get another jar of something. I think he came back with salsa. We dumped it, rinsed it...and somehow got Caesar out of the toilet and into the jar. We went to Tim's parents house in town and poked holes in the top for air.

He survived. Phewf.

Now, does that sound like enough for a fish to endure? Well, it should have been.

But, believe it or not, the very next day we threw him in the rink again. Round two:

Caesar vs the roof of my car.

2. As I walked out to my car, which was packed to the brim with stuff...I put him on the roof. Seeing where I'm going here? Yep. I drove off with him on top.

I drove from Tim's parents house (where we stayed our last night) to the bank (not a mile away) with Caesar on the roof. I went into the bank, got every last bit of money we had, and then got back into my car. It was only then that I noticed someone yelling at me that I "had something on my roof"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. I am dense sometimes: ~In high school I put my cell phone by the windshield wipers, and got in the car, obviously forgetting about it. I then TURNED ON THE WIPERS without thinking - and my phone went flying. ~I've driven away from Subway with a fountain soda on my roof...~I once drove all the way home from church with my Bible on top.

Dense yes; but apparently a careful driver? :) haha.

I know I have pictures of Caesar somewhere. I actually have a picture of him in the toilet with that little blue rock. I'm looking at the printed version of it right now! But I can't find it saved on our computer. This is our first apartment in IL. If you look to the back, on the left of the vertical blinds, on top of the bookshelf...there is a glass bowl. Somewhere in this bowl is Caesar.

So, Caesar survived....again. He made the move with us tucked away in a spot I created especially for him in the car. He lived with us for almost a year after moving into our apartment in IL...and then, we brought home our first kitty. Tobey...Tobey the destroyer:And well...Fish don't have 9 lives. :(

Even after the tragedy, my love for beta fish continued, but none of the others I brought home after Caesar lived very long. ((Sometimes it's hard to tell how old they are in that plastic cup at the store.))

So, I gave up on owning another beta.

But on this particular day, with the help of my son's bright blue eyes pleading at me, I chose to love again.

Colosse is red. A deep red. He lives in a flower vase with aqua blue rocks and a purple plant. He's over-fed daily by my son, and has chosen to live despite Cale's curiosity, the abrasive way he carries around the bowl, and his extreme affection.

Because I think once again, I picked a fighter.

to the beach.

So far this summer, we've been to 2 different beaches.
Let's talk about our first trip -

In mid-June we went with Tim's family to TopSail Island in North Carolina. It was TONS of fun! Both of his brothers and his sister were there as well as his parents, and lots of grandkids.

In attendance:

Nana & Pop-Pop

Tim's older brother Jon & his kids - Julian 8, Willow 7, Zoe 5, Ella 4,

Tim & I with Cale 3, and Megersa 9 months at the time,

Tim's sister Renee' and her 2 boys - Jeremiah 2, and Ezekiel 1,

Tim's younger brother David, and his wife Amber.

It was a packed place! But tons of fun.

Maybe because we pumped up the idea of the beach for so long (weeks and months), Cale - was a natural. He enjoyed the water (though didn't "venture out" too far). He loved playing in the sand...and even though I don't think he'd admit it, I think he secretly enjoyed finding every nook and cranny of his swimsuit and body that sand can hide in, so his showers and baths were just that much longer. :) He loved the hot tub and even liked getting the suntan lotion on. Even nap and bedtime weren't their usual struggle (perhaps because he was exhausted!).

Megersa on the other hand...........enjoyed being indoors. He wasn't keen on the sand. Didn't really wanna move from his spot directly in the center of our beach blanket...but wasn't happy about sitting there, not being held. He didn't like the water (probably too cold)....and didn't care for the taste of either the ocean, or the beach - go figure!

Fortunately, Tim's sister Renee' has a 1-year-old that spent alot of time indoors napping, so Megersa joined in on that party. He stayed inside most days with whomever was there, and was perfectly content about it.

Towards the end of the week, his bravery perked, and he made an effort with the sand...not without reservation though.

So, you know about the beach. When you're there it's bliss. But the vacation goes too quickly, and sooner rather than later, you're back at home, wishing you were not.

Each day was filled with fun, sun, family and love. It was a beautiful vacation, and here are some pictures to prove it:

(note - these pictures are in no particular order...there were just SO many, I had to narrow it down.) :)

First up, "Pop-Pop" and "Nana"

Hubby and Me, sharing a passionate kiss. Oh yeah, still got the fire! ;)Renee' and her boys, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel (it was desperately hard to get the boys to both look, and smile. This was the best shot.) Newlyweds: David & Amber, no children yet, aka: no responsibilities this trip.

Next up: I dug a hole for Cale. He LOVED it!

Megersa...not so much. See me trying to clap to get him to smile. Nada.

Cousins ready for some fun in the sun: (left to right) Willow, Zoe, Cale, Julian, Ella

He was just SO happy this week. It was adorable. What's he doing? Declaring victory, yelling? Who knows. :)

A Nester family photo. I just wish Megersa was looking up.

What a sweet baby face, huh? Adorable!!

Megersa preferred being held...and he's show his affection to anyone who was willing to give up their ocean time to do it! (He knows how to play the game already...;)

Jon and his kids.

Timbo and me.

A smooch for Megersa. He still doesn't quite understand the idea of kissing on the lips...but he'll get there.

Cale & Daddy, chillin' inside while watching the world cup.

The Goober, sunbathing.

Looks like sunburn, but Cale's actually red here from running around. He didn't burn at all!! However, he's a sweaty little pig when he plays hard!

Nester feet: MJ, Daddy, Cale, Mommy

A postcard shot, isn't it? He had his bucket and shovel...obviously looking for sand crabs. :)ALMOST a perfect shot...if we were all looking in the same direction. But, I kinda like it. :)