It's a Girl

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had an ultrasound yesterday, and the doctor thinks baby #3 is a girl. We are really excited, and I just thought I'd spread the news. Have a great Christmas, and I will try to post pictures of Alyssa's birthday and our Christmas when I get a chance. (most likely after New Year's)

Visit with Santa

The family and I went to Florida this past weekend. The kids and Tommy were in Fort Lauderdale visiting Uncle Ross, and I was in Key West for my friend's 30th birthday. I think everyone had a good time, but the most note worthy thing for me was hearing about the kids sitting on Santa's lap. Apparently, when the kids got down from his lap, Dillon wouldn't say what he asked for and Alyssa asked for a dollhouse. Later on, I found out that Dillon asked Santa for two tennis rackets to give to Uncle Ross. Uncle Ross had mentioned that he needed new ones, so Dillon decided that he would take care of it for him. I wish all of us, myself included, had this type of Christmas spirit!

Trick-or-Treat

Well, Alyssa did decide to be Buzz, and we added safety glasses to Dillon's outfit. The kids had a blast going trick-or-treating. Dillon got a little annoyed that everyone was calling him Bob the Builder. He would politely say, "I'm a constuction worker." I guess he's outgrown Bob--how sad!

Happy Halloween!

(Click on picture for more)

I took this picture of the kids yesterday because Dillon wanted to wear his costume already. Just in case you can't tell, Dillon is a construction worker. He loves the fact that he is wearing a real construction helmet, and he told me that someday he's going to build things. This morning he built me an imaginary house. Alyssa, my girly-girl, is Woody (specifically not Jessie) from the movie "Toy Story." I think tonight she wants to be Buzz Light Year (also from "Toy Story"), so I may post more pictures tomorrow to show you that costume. She has a couple princess/girly outfits that she refuses to wear for some reason. We actually have a cheer leading outfit that my sister-in-law gave to us. It is mostly red and blue. I tried to get her to wear it, and she asked if it was Spider man. In my most enthusiastic voice, I told her, "No, but it's a cheer leader," and she had no interest in wearing it. I guess she could sense it's girliness. :) She also asked to be Mickey Mouse. We don't have a Mickey Mouse costume, but we already have a Minnie Mouse costume, so I said, "How about Minnie Mouse?" She quickly declined. She loves her pink shoes though. Whenever we go shoe shopping, she picks out the pinkest shoes in the store--go figure!

Another Baby on the Way!

Well, I know that on a previous posting, I said that we didn't want anymore children. Well...we changed our mind! I am about 9-10 weeks along and here is my first ultrasound picture. It's from last week. The "little bean" circled in red is the baby. The more defined picture is what the average 9 week old fetus looks like. It's crazy that all that development has gone on in my body over the past few weeks.
The kids are really excited to have a little baby brother or sister. I am excited to have, by American standards, a large family. My dad is from a large family, and my mom is from a large family. I love having lots of aunts, uncles, and first cousins. I want my kids to enjoy the same blessings.

First Day of School

Dillon and Alyssa had their first day of school today. Dillon is in pre-kindergarten and Alyssa is in the young 3-year old class. It was definitely a bittersweet experience. This is Dillon's 3rd year of pre-school, so he transitioned from summer with no problem. He has actually been impatient for school to start. However, it is Alyssa's first time to go to school. I was a little worried about how she would react to school because she is more shy than Dillon. At orientation she kept holding on to my leg. I thought that she would cry today, so I dropped Dillon off first. That way she would see that he wasn't scared, and she would follow his lead. My plan worked, and there were no tears shed this morning.

This afternoon was another story. Alyssa was fine, but Dillon told me he hated me. (It turns out that a little girl said this to him. I think he was playing with her best friend, and she got jealous and said that she hated him. Kids are funny.) As a parent, I have been expecting this day to come because I remember telling my parents I hated them when I was young. I told him that I loved him anyway, and that I would love him no matter how he felt about me. He said, "Why?" I told him that he would understand when he was a parent. I also told him, "I don't hate anyone." He said, "Even bad guys?" I said, "It's okay to get angry and disagree with people, but instead of hating them, you should pray that they have a change of heart." Things sure get deep when dealing with a 4-year-old! Kids are way more complex than I thought. I can't wait until the teenage years! :)

It's a Scorcher!

Well, it's been in the mid to upper 90's all week and tomorrow is supposed to reach 100! Ouch--it's a scorcher! We had some friends visit for the day. To keep everyone cool, we decided to have a water balloon fight and play in the little pool. If you notice, the adults and animals are smart--they know to stay in the shade! :) Click on photo for more pictures.

Alyssa's 1st Haircut

The other day as I was putting Alyssa down for a bed, she asked me if she could have a haircut like mine. I made sure she didn't want to keep her long hair, and she would say the same thing every time, "I want hair short like yours." Today we took the plunge and cut about 6 inches off her hair.

It's funny how kids want to imitate their parents. They watch every move we make and everything we do. Dillon wants to have hair like Daddy and shirts like Daddy. Alyssa wants hair like Mommy and a purse like Mommy. It's a bit scary since I am far from perfect and make mistakes all the time. Do you think the world is ready for a little Kristine? God help us! :)

Our Vacation

We went to Nags Head for our King family vacation. It was a good time. If you want to see more pictures click on the above picture. Before heading to Nags Head, we went to see my in-laws, so there are some pictures from that visit also.

July is Flying by!

Well....It feels like I just posted something, but then I realized that it has been almost a month. July is just flying by. This month has been pretty busy. The kids saw their first fireworks show. I was a little nervous they would be scared, but they weren't. They also got to hold their first sparklers, and they loved that! The weekend after the fourth Tommy and I went to a friends' wedding while Grandma watched the kids. It was nice to get an evening away, and the couple is so happy together. This past weekend Alyssa was baptized, so we had a bunch of family in town. That was fun--I love a full house! (I don't have any pictures, but when my sister-in-law sends me them, I'll post them.) We were supposed to go to my cousin's wedding this weekend, but that couple isn't quite as lucky as my friends. The wedding was called off this past Monday. Ouch! I hope neither of my kids has to go through that.

Monday was one of those days were Murphy's law was in full effect--whatever can go wrong will. Dillon has had a regression in potty training. He just holds it in so long that he bursts. Well, 10 minutes after I had asked him if he had to go, he went all over the floor. Then I get a call from my uncle that the wedding that we had airline tickets to was cancelled. (Talk about headache!) Then in the afternoon, I get a phone call that my aunt in the Philippines died. (She had cancer, and she was suffering. It was for the best, but hard nonetheless.) That night Tommy and I had prior dinner plans with some friends. Dinner was mediocre, and the service was terrible! Ah well! C'est la vie! Over all, it's been a good month! :) Click on the picture above to see more.

Dillon's turning 4

click picture for more pictures

Dillon had his birthday party this morning with his "closest" friends. (The reason closest is in quotes is because these kids are his closest friends by force. ;) Their moms also stay at home, and I am very close to them, so the kids get to play often.) From the above picture, you would think that Dillon's party was a costume party. Well.....it was supposed to be an outdoor water party. I am a planner, so my cousin and I filled water balloons last night for over an hour. Today happened to be the only day this week to rain, so Dillon's outdoor water party turned out to be an indoor costume party. I also wanted Dillon to be able to pick his guest list, and I would try to have all those people come. One family on his list had to cancel at the last minute due to a stomach bug. Oh well, you can't plan everything.

Visiting Family and Friends!

We have been busy the past couple of weeks visiting our loved ones. The whole family went to Texas the first weekend in June to visit some friends. Then this past weekend Tommy had his college buddies visit. The kids and I went to Maryland to visit with my family, and we stayed from Friday until Wednesday. Wednesday morning we left my parents house and headed to Tommy's sisters and visited with Tommy's family. We headed back today so we could be home when Tommy got back from his business trip. He went to Germany for work from Sunday night until today. It has been hectic, but fun! The kids had a blast, but they were pretty exhausted by today. They slept almost the whole ride home from Virginia Beach (where Tommy's sister, Stephanie, lives). It is great to spend time with friends and family, but it is nice to be home.

Here are some highlights of our trip. If you want to see more click on the links under the pictures.

Anne's family farm in Texas

Playing restaurant with Mason and Tita Michelle

Exercising with Tia Gabby

Outside Uncle Eddie and Aunt Kristy's House

Kaylan and Moira monkeying around in Maryland

Helping Uncle David cook / A much needed bath at Aunt Stephanie's

PS--Is this the same woman?

PS--I love my haircut, but I realized that the before and after pictures really aren't fair. The before picture is me after a day of playing outside. My hair was air-dried with no products and tucked behind my ears. The after is professionally styled and blow-dryed with some volumizer. Of course the after looks better. That picture just reminds me of before and after pictures for a make-over. In the before you have a women with terrible hair and no make-up. In the after, you have a supermodel--fabulous hair and professional stage make-up! Gee, I wonder which one people will think is more attractive. :) Those pictures above are a real before and after picture from a website that specializes in make-overs. If I was getting a make-over that day, I'd show up fresh out of bed also! They need to do one of two things: 1) Take the before shot when the woman thinks she looks her best or 2) Take both shots right when the person wakes up in the morning. I vote for number 2.

What's the big deal...

...with hair? Today I got my hair cut the shortest it's ever been in over 25 years. You probably know that I am not a "hair person." I do fix it occasionally, but I am a low-maintenance gal that wears her hair in a ponytail more often than not. That is one reason I keep my hair long--to be able to put it in a ponytail. :) Lately my hair has been getting on my nerves, and I've been wanting to cut it. A friend of mine is growing her hair out for Locks of Love, so I thought that would be a good incentive to kill two birds with one stone. I could cut my hair and donate to charity at once. (Locks of Love would prefer if you cut at least 10" of hair.) Even though I am not a "hair person," I was a little apprehensive about today. I didn't want to end up looking like a man when I left. Then that got me thinking...why are we so worried about what we look like? It is understandable for a single person still searching for their mate, but why do married people worry so much? I do want my husband to be attracted to me, but most of the time when women get dressed up it is to impress other women and not their husbands. Vanity, vanity, vanity! Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy! When I find myself comparing myself to another person, I am going to have to remind myself that a human being's worth is about the heart. It's not about how big their house is, what kind of car they drive, how fat or skinny they are, or how attractive they are. The list can go on and on. It's amazing how philosophical one can get from getting a haircut!

Big Girl

Well, I know I said that Alyssa wasn't a baby anymore when she decided she was ready to ditch her crib, but now she is ready to ditch her diapers also. With Dillon, I pushed him to use the potty too early, and it was so stressful. We actually had to quit and try again when he was actually ready. Poor first kid; they really are guinea pigs! Once I realized that diapers are actually easier in many respects, I was in no rush to potty train Alyssa. I've always heard that girls were easier, but I never expected this. You know, "Hope for the best, expect the worst." It is only day 2 of potty training, and we were accident free and running errands! Although, we did have to use the bathroom in Lowes 3 times! :) (To those of you that haven't potty trained a child: if your method is "cold turkey" like me, you go straight to underwear. This usually means you are cleaning up human excrement all day long for a week, but then they finally get it. It's a faster method, but a messier method. ;) Today we didn't have any accidents. Yeah! Hopefully, she won't end up like Calvin and be so comfortable with the potty that she takes baths in it! :)

Tragedy

My thoughts and prayers go to all the victims and their families. Since I am a Hokie, this tragedy has really hit home. I love that school, and I always felt safe there. I'm sure the people murdered felt safe there, also. It just reminds me how precious life is, and that it could be gone at any instant. Enjoy all your friends and family!

Yeah!

As a stay-at-home mom, I sometimes wonder if I am sacrificing "too much." Should I go back to work--the kids are big enough for daycare, right? Some days I feel like I am just putting up with the kids and not enjoying them. (I'm sure every parent has felt this way, but it can make you feel like crap :)

I am a firm believer in God and Him presenting signs to us. I don't think he just gives signs to "believers," but to everyone. The question is, do you read them or just ignore them? Today, I got a sign that filled my heart with joy.

The kids and I were on the way home from picking Dillon up from pre-school. Dillon is very curious about "big-kid" school, and as we passed the above building, he asked, "What is that school for?" I replied in a very matter-of-fact tone, "That is where kids go when both their mommy and daddy have to work." He replied, "I don't want to go there. I don't want you to both go to work." He continued to ask, "Why do both mommies and daddies work sometimes?" I said, "Sometimes people love their job. Sometimes people can't afford to have one person stay at home." He has heard conversations of how I used to work when he was a baby, and he asked about that. I told him, "Mommy and Daddy thought that we couldn't afford for me to stay home, but then we realized we could." Dillon wants Tommy to stay home also, and Dillon loves the weekends when, as he puts it, "we spend time as a family."

The decision for me to stay home was also a result from reading God's signs. I also loved my job, but work will wait--they won't. I'm so grateful that I am able to stay home with them. Before I know it, they will be out of the house, and the decision not to work will seem like a distant memory. At that point, I will be looking forward to retirement and wonder why I even wanted to go back to work! ;)

Happy Easter!

We had a pretty uneventful Easter. The kids woke up, ate some of their Easter candy, and played with their new puzzles we got them while I made pancakes. Then we got ready to go to mass. We went to church, came home, ate lunch, and took naps! In other words it was a typical Sunday :) However, the week leading up to Easter was pretty busy. The kids and I visited my parents from Monday to Thursday while Tommy was on a business trip. While we were there we went to the zoo on the subway (the subway is a big deal to the kids) and visited with family. Then we went straight to Tommy's parents until Saturday. We helped Tommy's mom with housework while she is recovering form knee surgery. While we were there we also visited Tommy's sister and saw her new place. Once we got home Saturday, the kids were happy to play with their toys and not be on the go. Hope everyone had a great time celebrating Christ's resurrection. If you want to see pictures from our little trip click HERE

Easter Egg Hunt

This past weekend we had a small Easter egg hunt for the kids in our backyard. I told every family who was coming to bring a dozen real or plastic eggs. I was planning to dye eggs with my kids, but due to time constraints I decided to use the plastic eggs....When I was a kid, it was the norm to use real eggs. Well, apparently in this millennium, that is weird. Some people were not as lazy as me and brought the "old-fashioned" kind. Some of the kids asked, "Are those just eggs?" Then the little ones kept trying to open them in hopes of finding a prize. Much to their dismay; the eggs didn't open, you had to break them, and the prize was a hard boiled egg. Talk about disappointing--where's the candy? However, all in all, I think all the kids had fun, and luckily no one found any "chocolate eggs" left behind by Roxy (my dog). Have a great Easter! To see more pictures of the hunt click HERE

Disney World!

My family and I went to Disney World this past weekend. The kids had a blast! Dillon is still talking about it. He saw me writing this blog, and he asked me what I was looking at. I told him I was looking at pictures from Disney World. His response was, "Is that because you miss it?" It was a great time, but, as you can see by the picture on the right, by the end of the day we all were beat. If you want to see some more pictures, click here .

Not a Baby Anymore

It has been a while since I posted something related to my family, but to be honest, not much has been going on. Life has been good. I had no intention of writing a post today, but something happened. Alyssa took a nap in a "big girl bed" by choice, and she was asleep within 10 minutes. For those of you without kids, this is no big deal, but to a parent it is monumental. It is when your child is officially not a baby anymore.

Lately, when Tommy and I check on the kids before we go to bed, I have been wishing that Alyssa was in a bed, so I could kiss her goodnight. (I just can't reach her in the crib.) Well, today I got my wish, but it's bittersweet. There are officially no more babies in the Arboneaux house. Does anyone need a crib? ;)

They won!

My friends won their trip to the Grammys. Thanks for voting if you did. Check out their escapades on the red carpet at this website:
http://rhettandlink.com/blog/
It's pretty funny.

Send my friends to the Grammys

A couple of my friends entered a contest that will send them to the Grammys if they win. Their video is the one about the Apex Chemical explosion. Vote for them if you want. Voting stops at midnight Sunday. Here's the site: http://96rockonline.com/listingsEntryHeadline.asp?ID=480347&PT=

Snow!!!

I had no idea it was going to snow this morning. Therefore, I was surprised when Dillon opened our back door to let Roxy out and there was snow on the ground. Both kids were so excited that I bundled them up to play before I even started on breakfast. The first thing Dillon wanted to do was drive his truck--typical male! Alyssa enjoyed the snow also, and since it did not snow last year, this was her first real snow. I hope everyone who got snow enjoyed it as much as my kids.

My Last Young Birthday

Well this past Wednesday I turned 29--my last young birthday. The reason I call it that is because I remember as a child my older female relatives telling me that they were turning 29. I would laugh and say, "You turned that last year." It's funny how fast life has gone by. I can still remember my first day of pre-kindergarten. Before this year is over, my son will be having his first day!

I'm grateful life has been good to me so far, but I can't wait until next year when I officially enter adulthood. Yes, technically I am an adult, but when you are in your twenties you can not have your act together and it's okay. Once you are in your thirties, you are supposed to have your life planned. Wait a minute...Maybe I can wait, and I better enjoy this last year!

Do we want three?

Some of you might know that Tommy and I were debating having another child. It was to the point where we actually started trying this past fall. I kept flip-flopping on whether or not I could handle another child. Some days my kids get along great, and are the most obedient children I could hope for. (I don't mention these days on the blog because who wants to hear that my childen are perfect--boring! ;) Then there was today. I dropped Dillon off at pre-school, and Alyssa and I headed to Storytime at Barnes and Noble like we do most Tuesdays. I take Alyssa to storytime because she loves singing the songs, and it exposes her to other kids. Alyssa needs this exposure because she can be the "playground bully," and today was the perfect example. She was fine during the storytime part, but while we were playing with the train was another story. Alyssa pushed just about every other kid at the table and hit two of them. After her final warning, I had to drag her out of there while she was screaming to play with the train some more. Fun times! Who thought such an innocent looking train could cause such chaos? Afterwards, we picked up Dillon from school. While the parents were waiting outside their cars in the carpool line, I saw Dillon's teacher heading in my direction. I knew that she was coming to talk to me about Dillon. The reason I knew this is because Dillon does not always listen to his teacher at school. (The above worksheet was sent home last week.) Apparently, Dillon got into a fight on the playground. At least, he did not start the fight, but he tends to overreact to minor altercations. (He has my Irish temper.) Put these two strong-willed kids in one house, and you can imagine how crazy it can get here. I love my kids more than I ever imagined, but I don't think I can handle another one and remain sane! Therefore, the answer to the above question for right now is, "No."

Our Holidays

Hey Everyone!

We had a great Christmas and New Years, and we hope you did, too. Santa brought Dillon a racetrack and Alyssa a kitchen. Dillon woke up super early Christmas morning, and instead of coming to our room as usual, he went straight downstairs to see what Santa brought. He came back up really excited and said, "Santa was here! He got me the racetrack I wanted and Alyssa a kitchen!" It was really cute because this was the first Christmas he has been totally aware of the idea of Santa. Alyssa woke up later and we took her downstairs to see what Santa brought, and she went straight to the racetrack. The kitchen got no love! That's my little tomboy! Don't worry they both play with the kitchen, but initially the racetrack got all the attention! Then we opened the other presents under the tree from family and friends. After playing with the new toys we headed to Tommy's parents (where we stayed for a few days) where the kids got showered with even more presents. After all that we sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus and had some birthday cake. It was a long fun day!

Our New Years was also fun. We spent it with my parents and some friends. After that week, the everyone was exhausted!