{living in the moment...january}

this month is a bit different for me.  typically i save images up during the month for this post.  this month i kind of forgot all about it.  but luckily for me, i'm a slacker and have tons and tons of stuff i haven't shared.  so i took a few from here and a few from there and threw them together last minute.  like really last minute.  i'm supposed to have this live in a matter of minutes.  oops.

anyways here is a glimpse into our lives this month.  i did take all the ones of bailey at the bottom for this post.  :)  he's usually left out and i wanted to focus a bit more on him this time.  isn't he precious?

please go check out the lovely {irene's} living in the moment post.  

{allergies}

so yeah.  allergies run in our family.  all the kids had an egg allergy.  isobel still does.  but that's another story for another time.  isobel has eczema.  severe eczema.  we finally brought her to the allergist to find out if a food allergy could be behind it.

the allergist we went to was new to us.  thank god because we hated the one chloe went to.  anyways, she was pretty awesome.  however we could not do the skin testing like we wanted to because her skin is so bad.  so we did a blood test.  which in a way is better because, hello, ONE needle.  

we got the results today.  she tested positive for.....

eggs

wheat

milk

peanuts 

soy

ummmmmmmm yeah.  they also said that some of them can be a false positive because her IGE levels were so high.  don't quote me here but she said something about the IGE levels are supposed to be between 0 and 350.  isobel's are at 3,000.  so we have to cut out one food at a time for a week and monitor her and see if it seems to help.

i know food allergies aren't the end of the world and that especially now there are so many resources to help but i'm really sad for her.  i really really hope some of those are a false positive.  fingers crossed.  

wish us luck!  also if you know of a great resource for dealing with food allergies in children please pass it along!

****i wrote this last week and it's been sitting in my drafts.  we noticed after one day a difference in isobel's skin.  one day.  i wish i had taken a before and after but it's truly amazing.  we've only cut out milk so far.  i have to call the allergist tomorrow with our findings.  i'm really hoping that soy was a false positive.  i hope she can have soy milk. we shall see. ****

also one of lisa's friends at work got us this book to help us.  isn't that the sweetest thing? 

{happy birthday carol}

happy birthday carol! i'm so very happy that you uprooted your whole life and moved to your little slice of heaven out here on Cape Cod. i know you didn't end up buying a house "on cape" but we can visit the cape together all the time!

if i could celebrate with you today i would buy make you one of these...

seriously though isn't it amazing how you can meet people online and instantly become friends? i hate meeting people in real life. i get all nervous and twitchy and usually ditch on them. i'm so glad i didn't ditch on you that day you came for a visit. since the moment you walked into the coffee shop i knew we'd be real life friends forever.  you my dear carol, are awesome.

i can't express how happy i am that we are friends and get to hang out. and my kids, they LOVE you. isobel asks all the time can we go have lunch with your friend?  she even knows your name now.  you're not just mommy's friend with the house that we meet at the restaurant anymore.

and i can't not mention how awesome it is to have someone to be another crazy photo lady with me. i hated being the only one busting my camera out at a restaurant or the middle of target. now we can be crazy together!!

and our kids! they're so lucky to have instant friends. it's amazing how well the you know who's get together. :)

i hope you have a super great day and we must get together and celebrate soon!

happy birthday carol!  xoxo

{sunday social...1/27}

What is your ideal way to relax?

- i have a few.  hanging out with my love watching our tv shows and eating popcorn.  super hot bath with lots and lots of bubbles.  curled up in bed with the mattress heater on reading a good book.

Where is your favorite place to be?

- i'm gonna get all cheesy on y'all right now but my favorite place to be in the whole world is in lisa's arms.  yup.  she makes me feel loved and safe.  other than that?  like an actual place?  home.  with my family.

Who do you consider your biggest roll model?

- i have two.  my mom and lisa.  my mom was a single mom to us most of our lives.  she wasn't perfect but she did her best.  isn't that the best we can all hope for?  and lisa is an amazing mom.  she went from a single lady to a mother of four kids so quick.  she handled it all with grace and dignity and i've learned a lot from her.

{don't mind ian being a complete tool in this pic. also, this was a test shot before a family pic but i love how lisa is just smothered by them. pure motherhood. lol}

What does your life look like in 3 years?

- hopefully lisa and i have bought a house and i'm well into school.  that is my hope.  oh and we'll be teaching our oldest how to drive.  god help us now. 

If you could go back and change one decision what would it be?

- if it wouldn't change the outcome of my life so far.  if i'd still have all four of my beautifully perfect children and my lovely lisa, i wouldn't have gotten married the first time.  i would have gone to college instead of running off like i did.  i missed out on a lot.  remember, only if it wouldn't change who i am and where i am now.  i'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason.  and i'm so happy with where i am now.

What is your biggest accomplishment in life thus far?

- bailey, chloe, ian and isobel.  hands down.

{she gets me every time}

this one.  she gets me every. single. time.  she's feisty.  she's annoying.  she's stubborn.  she's also lovable.  she's adorable.  she's perfect in every way.  the lens on my camera was was foggy this day.  i'm not entirely sure why but i loved the look of it.

i'm really enjoying our alone time while the other kids are at school.  she goes to school for a little while during the day and then comes home and we have lunch and quiet time.  i know it won't be much longer until she doesn't nap anymore and doesn't use the pacifier.

who am i kidding with the pacifier though?  lol.  if she has her way which she often does} that thing will be going to college with her!  lol!

{insta-friday...1/25}

hey guys!  it's friday!  yay.  i don't know why it's yay this friday, cause it's not really yay.  i'm working this weekend.  so technically today is my monday.  boo.

i love the new flickr app.  and yes, i do have 12, 857 photos uploaded there.  i've been a member for years and i also use it to back up photos.  i just upload them private and then i have them if need be.  i can't imagine how many i would have if i hadn't taken a flickr hiatus. 

bailey got an ipod for christmas.  we can text and play games.  we also face time.  he's so stinkin' cute i can't stand it. 

don't mind my ridiculous face here.  the point of this pic is that e and i were facetiming.  can you see him?  no?  neither could i.  creepy kid.  lol. 

i was going through old pics yesterday.  i needed a baby pic for work and i didn't know where mine were.  i got sad thinking i had lost them and then, i found them.  i may have cried a bit.  lol.  anywho, this is my mom.  waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when.  wasn't she beautiful?  she still is.  :)

late at night after work snacking/reading.

i played a killer word this week.  it's not my highest point word but it's the highest i've gotten since i've started playing again.

i've been eating A LOT of both of these...

COFFEE!  COFFEE!  COFFEE!

we did a ton of laying around and resting in our jammies last weekend.  it was heavenly.

lisa and i are making our way through the Dawson's Creek series.  she never watched it.  i love joey.  she's totally adorable.  and shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....no spoilers.  lisa reads the blog!

{basketball}

ian started basketball at the YMCA a couple of weeks ago.  He was really very nervous at first and was even begging me to not send him.  I'm so very glad that we did.  He had so much fun at his first practice. 

just look at this big smile in that one up there.  he had a blast!  and everyone else had fun too thanks to technology.  ;)