Thanksgiving - upstate NY style November 2011

The last few years we've hosted Thanksgiving at our humble abode but this year we decided to head North and spend it with my brother, sister in law and kiddies! Cupcake was so excited to know that she would be spending several days with Tink again. We loaded ourselves into our car and hit the open road to only sit in traffic for several LONG hours. We almost debated turning around and starting all over again in the am but that only made me angrier.

Regardless, we finally arrived late at night (again, I am sure my brother hates me for showing up on his door step in the middle of the night) and were so happy to spend 3 nights with my entire family. My parents arrived earlier in the week and my sister was coming in right behind us but staying at a hotel. Hubby and I are a tad too cheap to spend money on a hotel when we know someone has a floor/bed/room to spare. It was good to finally be out of the car and with family! Can't wait for Turkey Day to start!

Morning! Someone woke up very really today (shocking) and wanted to watch TV at 4am. I wanted to cry especially since I didn't know how to operate my nephew's TV. Besides the point, Happy Thanksgiving! It was a fabulous Thanksgiving! My brother and Wahlberg are fabulous cooks and went all out creating a perfect Thanksgiving. The kids played outside for hours, Cupcake and Tink switched on and off being nice to each other and kicking/screaming. I'm about 30 weeks pregnant and really starting to feel it! We played games the rest of the night, the girls made some arts and crafts and my brother entertained us with his outrageous sense of humor and jokes. Hubs even sat back and enjoyed himself. He didn't have work to do or calls to take, he just sat and played video games all.night.long!

The next day the kids went to the movies, Nanny and Grandpa chilled while Wahlberg and I took Tink and Cupcake to see Santa! Cupcake was a little nervous however Tink walked up to him as if they were best friends. She is such a confident little girl, so sweet and full of love! Tink cut the line, got on his lap and didn't stop delivering her wish list. After witnessing this for 5 minutes Cupcake realized that Santa isn't a bad man after all and slowly sat on his lap. She wouldn't speak to him or even crack a smile, she just gave that "give me a candy cane and no one gets hurt chubby" look. Ahhh, to be young again. After Santa we even managed to get a few Christmas gifts. I am so excited for Christmas!

Overall, the holiday weekend was great, very relaxing! Big thanks to my brother and his family for opening their home and hearts!!! It doesn't matter what we do, as long as we are all together! Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

It's potty time! November 2011

I forgot to mention that Cupcake is potty training! We tried over the summer however it only lasted a few days when we decided she just wasn't ready. So, the other night Cupcake was moving her step stool/potty out of the bathroom and quickly stopped what she was doing, pulled her pants down and said "oh, I have to go potty". Hubby and I thought she joking so we didn't make a big deal but all of a sudden "her royal highness" potty music played and we both ran into the bathroom shocked. We weren't sure if our pup used the potty or if another human being snuck into our bathroom, did their business and quickly left. After a few minutes and a huge smile on Cupcake's face we realized that she indeed went pee pee on the potty! On one hand we were so happy that she did this on her own but on the other hand we were getting ready for a very long road trip and was hoping we could rely on diapers. Well, like most things when dealing with kids it's on their terms, not ours.

We are happy to report that Cupcake quickly made the transition from diapers to undies, wakes up in the middle of the night to potty and rarely wakes up wet. I guess she was ready, who are we to argue.

No pictures please, potty time is private time!

Side note, she is still not sleeping in her big girl bed.

Happy 5th Birthday J! November 2011

My nephew (and godson) J celebrated his 5th birthday this past November. We gathered together and made our very own pancakes and aprons. Cupcake had a great time playing with her boy cousins; LoLo, Ca, Co and J but also hung with the big girls A&A. Cupcake loves being part of the gang and had no problem mixing in with the others when they moved to a play room for some dancing. I don't think she misses a beat or even shows the slightest sign of slowing down when older kids are involved. She had so much fun and as soon as she left quickly asked when we will play again!

Happy Birthday J, hope it was a fantastic birthday!

Let's get cookin'

Cupcake is my shadow, she may look like her daddy but she is a little mini me. She can never let anyone do anything without her. It is so funny because whenever I am about to do anything she will say "oh, I help you". I try to involve her in everything I do, rarely do I say no because I don't want to discourage her. So, you can imagine that when I cook any meal I hear a chair sliding across the kitchen floor and her favorite question, "oh, I help you". She is quick with her chair and before I can say anything her sleeves are rolled up and her hands are washed. We have experimented with pancakes, cupcakes, brownies, even chicken cutlets. On the rare days that hubby will cook something and may not want Cupcake to help, she will grab her own appliances and cook herself! I love her, she is so much fun!

Happy Birthday Nanny!

Happy Birthday Nanny! Nanny and Grandpa invited us over for dinner to celebrate another year of Nanny. My sister, Cha-Cha and my nephews also joined us for the festivities. My brother wasn't able to join us because he lives in central NY, not around the corner. We hope Nanny had a great birthday. Thank you for everything Nanny!!! We love you!

Have you noticed that Cupcake has yet to take her eyes off the cake?