T-minus 4....

that's right folks....derek is now 36....t-minus 4 to the big 4-0!!! this is my official shout out of HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most amazing husband any woman could ask for....not to mention a flippin fantastic dad to his children! derek is the kind of guy who will do anything for his family, friends, coworkers, anyone really! he leaves for work a little late in the morning if he knows the kids want to see him....he comes home from a stressful day at work and plays with his boys....he comes home early so i can go to book club, the gym, dinner, etc.....he spends extra time with the boys on the weekends just so I can have some time off....he reads to our children.....he's involved in their education....he plays basketball....he plays softball....he coaches andrew's tball team....he is an amazing artist.....he's talented.....he constantly tells me he loves me....and all this with a BIG ol smile on his face....well, most of the time!!!!

let me remind you that I met this amazing guy on america online when I was a senior in high school!!! I'm sure when my dad told my sister and I to "just choose one of these guys to chat with" when we had IM's popping up all over the screen, he had no clue I'd someday marry this guy! so much for internet security, huh?!?! thank god my sis and I chose the guy on the other end of "darrylku".....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE....LYM!!!

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riding the auto train

check out the train track configuration that derek made today (with a little bit of help from andrew)!

and here's andrew in the "driver's seat"

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update on da boyz...

today jacob had his 15 month checkup (a month late!) and everything looks great. here are his stats and how he compares to andrew at this age.

JACOB

h: 33 1/4 in (the height of an avg. 22 month old!)

w: 25.1 lbs

ANDREW

h: 30 7/8 in

w: 22 lbs 8 oz

JACOB is now officially walking! while this makes it much easier for us to go some places; like the playground or playing outside...it makes it quite difficult when i want to put J in the stroller. over the past 2 months, he has developed QUITE an attitude and let's everyone within a 30 mile radius know when he is not happy about something! this kid has the highest pitched squeals and screams i have ever heard come out of a human mouth! i'm beginning to think we may have a future opera singer on our hands :)

he is also saying "mama" A LOT and does sign language for the words "more", "help" and "all done."

ANDREW is doing fantastic at school! he absolutely loves his friends & teachers and just about every day when i pick him up he says, "mom, school was great today." he continues to amaze me every day with the things he knows...he can now count to 100, count backward from 20-0, write the entire alphabet, do addition and subtraction AND he is starting to read!!! school is full of fun projects...for sukkot, he made an edible sukkah and today he made this edible torah & yad, for simchat torah.

derek and i are continuing to advocate for andrew and help our family be as wonderful as we know it can be. tonight was andrew's last session with his play therapist, as we just did not feel it was the right fit. in 2 weeks, D and i will be meeting with a LCSW at JSSA (jewish social services agency) to discuss services for andrew. hopefully this will provide us with more of what we are searching for! we are still struggling with many of the same issues with andrew, along the lines of physical and verbal behaviors. we also still see how much he struggles to make decisions...much like his mom and dad (wonder where he gets it from)...and it just breaks my heart for such a young child to have such a difficult time.

so...i titled this post "update on da boyz"...which would include DEREK...

i am SO proud to announce that derek has been named an associate at cox, graae & spack architects!!! he has worked very hard to earn this promotion and it has paid off!

in the next few weeks, we are looking forward to enjoying a fun BLOCKtoberfest with our neighbors, a great halloween AND melissa and land's wedding (FINALLY!!!)

xoxo

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mother of all days...

once again, my boys have amazed me! mother's day started off with andrew presenting a breakfast in bed menu to me. i made my selections and he brought the menu back down to derek.

the two of them were then off in search of what they needed to make breakfast. one glitch to the whole breakfast in bed plan though...jacob woke up and needed to be fed (while A & D were out). so...when they got home, J and I were already downstairs...ready for breakfast :)

i relaxed while breakfast was prepared...SO NICE! A & D also surprised me with a vase full of flowers cut fresh from our yard!

once J was in for his nap, i headed out for some time to myself...aka shopping :) when i returned, i was greeted with street art that made me blush. not only did my boys want to tell me how much they love me...they told the whole neighborhood! in case you can't see...it says "UR A SUPERMOM" and has a picture of flying superhero...

in the afternoon, we went out for a nice lunch with my family to wrap up this awesome day.

thank you derek for making my day so special! you 3 boyz are the GREATEST and i love you!!!

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year in preview

i always find this time of year quite invigorating. when i was a little girl, i used to write down my resolutions, seal them in an envelope and address the envelope to god (with an actual address). i would then tuck the envelope in the back of my dresser and not open it until the following new years eve. thinking back, i'm not quite sure why i addressed it to anyone...i knew exactly where it was going?!?!? (side note: mom and dad...did you ever know that i did that?) while i still love the chance to look ahead to a new year...a clean slate...a fresh start...i'm not so much into making resolutions. did you know that on average people break their resolutions within 30 days of making them! so much for sticktuitiveness!!!

while many people are thinking about what happened in 2008 (somewhat of a year in review)...and many are blogging about it...i've decided to focus this post on the future and what's to come in 2009! don't get me wrong, 2008 was definitely an exciting year...we added jacob to our family & andrew has continued to amaze me more and more with each passing day...but for tonight i just want to focus on the future...it brings me excitement and energy to do so...ok?

so...in no particular order...i bring you a list of things i'm looking forward to in the coming year...

living in the present...i know, kind of a funny thing to say, after just preaching that i'm going to focus on the future! what i mean though, is living each day to its fullest. yes, it sounds very "hallmark greeting cardish", but it's true. i find that my days are much better (and more fun) when i don't stress about what needs to get done, and i just focus on these boys and watching them grow and learn! so, i vow to live each day to the fullest...and i'm not talking about my eating habits when i say that!

cultivating my passion for writing...if you are reading this blog, which hey, you are...then you know how much i love to write. it is something i've always enjoyed (i was the dork who loved creative writing class!) and i'm so glad that blogging has given me an outlet to release my sometimes creative juices. i'm also glad that so many of you have emailed or posted comments on this blog about how much you enjoy reading it. i really get so much joy out of knowing that my words brought a smile and maybe even some laughter into your day! so...i vow to continue to write...both on this blog and hopefully on an even greater level. if you know anyone who wants to hire me...please be sure to let me know :)

doing what i know is best for me...i am currently reading a great book which has encouraged me to look inside myself and truly think about what makes me happy. all too often, we forget to take care of ourselves...especially those of us who have the job of taking care of others! i vow to eat right, exercise and do things for me that bring peace to my days (ie...vegging out on the couch, writing, reading a good book, or simply hanging out with friends and family) i vow to find love again...a love for myself that is.

helping others...i want to help more women as they enter the world of motherhood. this is something i am passionate about and would love to do more of. so many women, including myself, enter the world of motherhood with quite unrealistic expectations. we read books that tell us how often to feed our baby...how much they should poop each day...how our lives will be so blissful once our baby enters the world...but no one tells us how difficult being a mother really can be...that your baby might cry for hours on end...that you will most likely feel lonely as a new mom...no one prepares us for those things. i want to help women adjust to the real world of being a mommy!

so...as i sit here at 8:45 on new years eve...in pajamas, with 2 kids asleep and a husband on the couch watching tv...i can feel only excitement and positive energy for the year 2009! i thank all of you for reading this blog and encouraging me to ignite my passion for writing...and i leave you with a picture from our trip to st louis...yes, we are lighting the menorah while sitting in front of a christmas tree...a true blended family :)

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