Happy Birthday Uncle P.J.!!!

Yes, little PJ is 28 today. We had a family birthday party for him last night. Lise' was the party planner. She chose Elmo as the theme for the plates. There were party hats too. Lise' doesn't believe in a party without hats. She also chose blue as the color of the cake. Grandma cooked a feast that was enjoyed by all. Thanks for turning a year older PJ.

PS...In the event you're keeping track, Abri has now slept 6 nights in a row. Hip, hip, hooray!

With that, I'll sign off. Tomorrow is a big one.

Give Abri a Hand!

She's slept 5 whole, entire nights!!!! That is huge news to a sleep deprived mama. After 9.5 hours, I'm more than happy to get her out of her crib at 5:30am. It will be interesting to see if she completes a 6th tonight. See, we're now in Louisiana, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the location change doesn't mess with the Mojo.

To be continued.....

It's official

We are homeowners in the Garden State. B has the keys, and has even shared a beer with our real estate agent as they pondered over which wall should come down first.

The countdown begins. The moving company will arrive on Monday, December 3 to begin the packing. It's a 3 day ordeal, and then we will be on our way to New Jersey. We'll roll in just in time for Christmas. So, for all you Christmas card senders, here's our new address: (removed for the freaks out there, so if you're friend, call, I'll give it to you.)

For a good laugh at my expense

Ok, it's no secret that I flew back from NJ with the girls alone last Tuesday. When we got to security, I was busy showing ID when the security guard suggested a nearby newscrew interview us for a piece on traveling with kids. I thought they were just videoing the children, and I went on with my business of proving that I was in fact the person on the boarding pass. During that time, they started interviewing B. I was thrilled they were talking to him b/c it meant I didn't have to be on camera. That all changed when they asked him how he prepares for a big trip with kids. B's answer, "you should really talk to her (ME!). Yes, so I was thrust into the spotlight. Be kind when you view this. I could let this just go unmentioned, but in the spirit of giving, I thought I'd share a laugh! Click here for fun.

Sweet Home Alabama...

For 3 more weeks that is. Yesterday, Lise', Abri and I flew back from NJ. It's sure good to be home.

I'm sure you're wondering how our trip went, and if not then stop reading now.

The four of us left a week ago Monday. We stayed at an Embassy Suites, which was nice for the room and the breakfast. Lise' especially liked the fountain in the atrium. Her day went something like this:

She would wake up and stand outside the hotel room waving good-bye to her Daddy as he left for work. A short time later, me and the 2 girls would head down for breakfast ourselves. Lise' especially enjoyed choosing her own breakfast. Pancakes and bacon was her choice most days. We'd then head to the fountain for her to throw money in. We'd then hang out while she put her hands in the water and played around a little. After a few turns around the atrium, we'd head back to the room where she'd play with puzzles or play-doh. Eventually, we'd eat lunch, take naps and look forward to B returning from work. Lise' sure loved being in the hotel. She loved opening the door and letting herself out (it didnt take us long to start flipping over that little lock at the top of the door), she enjoyed getting ice and especially pushing the elevator buttons. On the last night we were there, she got a little brave and ran out ahead of us. Rather than waiting at the elevator for us, she pushed the button and hopped on. I saw her independence and let the elevator door close just far enough to put her into a panic. Hopefully it taught her a short term lesson.

Overall, the trip was good. It was especially nice to be back together as a family, even if it was only for a week. I did have a car for 2 days, and I'm quite happy to say that I've conquered my fear of NJ highways. If you've never been there, there's absolutely nothing like it. There are just roads everywhere. If it wasn't for the GPS, I'm not sure I would have made it. Even with it, I found myself stuck on roundabouts more than once.

Oh, and I'm sure many of you are wondering how our night out in NYC went. Well, as a whole, it was great. However, if you've been keeping up with the news, the stage hands decided to go on strike the day we had tickets to see JERSEY BOYS. I guess my intro to Broadway will have to be postponed. We still took a limo into the city, so we were able to sit back and enjoy the views. Dinner was at Keen's Chophouse, and it was beyond delicious. B and I shared a 10oz piece of Kobe Beef that just melted in your mouth. There's just no way to describe how good it was. It momentarily made us forget about the fact that we weren't going to a show afterwards. If you check out the website, be sure to read the history. And, if you view the different banquet rooms, look at the ceiling. Those are a few of the 95,000 they have displayed from their collection. The good news is that we'll have the opportunity to return. That's part of the reason we jumped at the chance to live in NJ for a while.

Sorry for the rambling. I'm more than ready to go to bed, but wanted to let you know how our trip went.

Too cute not to tell you

Just finished writing the last blog, and I walked into the den. Abri was fighting going to bed, so I had left her with B. Turns out, she's good at putting him to sleep too.

Look Ma, No Hands

Ok, really she's been doing this for weeks, but I never seem to have the camera around to capture it. If I do, she immediately drops to the floor in a race for the camera. She's a quick one, this Abri. She's a climber too. The other day, I caught her on the first step of a stool we have for Lise'. The next, she was up in the dishwasher. Gotta watch this one. She has also discoverd the toilet paper rolls. It's just the right height for her to stand up and completely unroll the entire thing.

Other than chasing Abri all over the place, the world has been rather quiet around here. We're super happy to report that B came home again this weekend. It's just a little harder everytime he leaves. Lucky for us, we're going back to NJ with him tomorrow. B still has to work, but it sure will be nice to have him back with us at night.




On Saturday, B and I are going out with all the managers of his new plant. The outing includes dinner in NYC and the Broadway show JERSEY BOYS. I cannot wait. I've only seen NYC from across the Hudson, and now, my first visit will include a show. How exciting is that?

Well, I must run. There's packing to be done.