My promise to myself!

Well I am making a promise to myself and all my fellow bloggers and readers that my slacking on blogging will end now. I miss it and am going to make sure that I set time each week to blog. It really is something I enjoy doing so I'm going to make sure to keep up with it.

So many things have happened since my last blog so this will probably be a pretty crazy blog or I'll decide to break it up into smaller posts...


Chloe has been in kindergarten for just about 3 months and she amazes me in so many ways!! She absolutely loves school, she gets disappointed over the weekends when she can't go to school and days off are the same thing. I wonder how she will do with a week off for Christmas?! Lol
Her reading and writing has improved so much since the summer. She always wants to read, write, spell and rhythm. She had a book fair at school in October and each day she went she got new books. She is sharing her love for books with Liam! He loves to sit with her and listen to her read to him. We've included Liam in Chloe's bedtime story each night and most nights he wants to take the books to bed with him. He'll just keep saying book book book over and over again until you let him keep it.


Liam is right behind Chloe...growing up way too fast for me!! He will be 20 months in a few days and is changing all the time. He is talking more, not as much as I think he would like and i say that because you can tell he gets frustrated when you don't understand him but lately he is learning new words just about everyday. His favs seem to be juice and Ryry(for our dog Reilly) he can't ever get enough of Reilly and he seems to want to drink all day long. He also is always saying football and hat. He watches the games with us and daddy and Liam have matching Jets hats so he always wants to wear it.
He also all of a sudden has a HUGE fascination with Daddy! I love watching Liam and Sean together! Liam always looks for Sean when he's not here, he will ask for him constantly and when he comes home he gets so excited and runs to the door to greet him. He loves to play with dada, climb up on his lap and sit with him and just hang out. Sean was pretty surprised at how attached Liam is to him and we have to sometimes remind ourselves that when Chloe was this age she wasn't like this at all but Sean had just returned home from 2 back to back deployments and him and Chloe were just getting to know each other for the first time. Which is crazy to think about sometimes when looking at how our life is now and how the relationships between Sean and both our kids have developed so differently.

With Thanksgiving coming up it makes me feel so thankful that this year we are no longer dreading when he will have to leave again, or thinking about how we have to spend this holiday apart and another birthday missed. I am very thankful for the time, experiences, and friendships made that came from our time as a military family. I am thankful for all the things that we have learned and taken with us from that time but I am also very thankful that those times are behind us now. I am thankful for the time that we have now to share with our family and our friends here. For the visits that we will make to reconnect with friends from that part of our life. I am thankful that each and everyday we are taking steps towards what we want for our future! We are working on fulfilling our dreams and putting plans that we had for our future, in action!

I think about all the families and friends that we have who can't spend this holiday season with their loved one and I am so thankful to all of you for your service and sacrifices.



Until next time
<3 Liz

Happy Half Bday to my little man!!

On Wednesday my little Liam was 18 months old! my ohh my where does the time go! Less than six months and he will have another birthday to celebrate.

Liam is learning soo much every day 

When asked (and sometimes just when he wants to) he can show you where his head, ears, eyes, tongue, belly, butt, fingers and toes, are. 

His baby signs have increased, and he's been able to communicate with me more through signing which I absolutely adore! It has even helped to strengthen his vocabulary. (this momma is a firm believer in Baby signing) Liam says about 30ish words now :) And he is learning more all the time
These are just all that I can think of off the top of my head 

Momma
Dada
Codeee(Chloe)
Nanna(Grandma)
Nana( Banana)
Goggy(Doggy)
RyRy(Reilly--our dog)
Ball
Uhh-Ohh
Eat
More
Cup
Duck
Night night
Bye bye
Oo-Hello
Hi
No
Bus
Butt
Eye
Ear

Vrooom-vroom

Liam's favorite things to do are to ride around on his dump truck or his thomas the train. Play with his cars and trucks and the car garage. Look at books. I rearranged his room 2 weeks ago and we took out the rocking chair and changing table so I was able to put a small book case in and he now has a little reading area with a blanket and pillows. He likes to sit there and look at the books and point to things that he knows. He also loves to follow his sister around and try to do everything that she is doing. He misses her while she is at school but I can tell he enjoys the time we have. He is less clingy to mommy when we get some good one on one play time in each day. 

Sept 21st- 18 months old :) 

Liam loves his RyRy

He does soo well with a spoon and fork  now! 

Liam and Chloe this time last year...can you believe how much they've changed!!

Chloe's 5! & started Kindergarten!

I can't believe this time has finally come and my baby girl started Kindergarten!! She started on September 6th and the next day of school she turned 5!!
Really does time have to go by so quickly?!
It feels like she was so little not too long ago and now she is in school, she rides on the school bus every day, comes home writing so much better and reading too! She amazes me each and everyday! I absolutely love waiting at the bus stop each afternoon, watching her get off the bus, run to me and give me the biggest hug and then listen to everything she has to say about her day :) 

Chloe and daddy

Liam and Chloe...he didnt want his sissy to go 

Getting on the school bus! soo happy 

2nd day of school!! Happy 5th Birthday to my baby girl :) 

First Family Camping Trip!

At the end of August, Sean had a week off from when his summer class session ended and the fall semester began so we went away on a family vacation. Just me, Sean, Chloe and Liam! :)
We went to Fish Creek Ponds and went camping. Its upstate near Lake Placid and it was amazing and we had a great time!
We rented a boat and spent a day on the water, had lunch on a deserted island. Another day, shopping and eating in Lake Placid, plus Chloe made a bracelet at a little shop called "Just Bead It" It was soo cool and we are doing it again next year! We even surprised the kids and took them to the North Pole. North Pole, NY was great for them, they really loved it, Chloe got to be apart of the show and meet Santa! It was fun for all of us :)


Sean has gone on vacation here almost every year since he was a kid and this was the first time since we got married that we were able to do the trip. We plan to do this every year! and I can't wait til next year's trip :)

first morning camping..waiting for breakfast

:) Chloe's waiting for breakfast too

having ice cream in Lake Placid

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We pulled the boat up to a deserted island on the lake and had lunch!!
the kids loved it so much and it was absolutely perfect :) 

i love this man <3

momma and Chloe :) fun on the boat!

ice cream truck came around to the campsite

she loves her sleeping bag 

Liam's morning routine was digging thru the rice krispie treats

CHLOE bracelet that we made in Lake Placid with glow-in-the-dark beads!!
Sooo fun, we are making another next year! 

silly boy! 

I want to live here :) 

swimming in the lake 

Chloe and Daddy hanging out by the fire

Other happenings!

another baby shower so another diaper baby was made this month :) Our friends, John and Alicia are expecting a baby boy any day now and her baby shower was back in the beginning of July!! its fun to be crafty and make my diaper babies to celebrate someones special time of having a baby! I was so happy that she loved it and that everyone else did too!! I'm even starting to sell some on facebook, and going to start an etsy shop soon. I love to be able to give people something that is more than just something you picked up at the store. I love gifts that have a ton of meaning :) All the gifts that I've gotten over the years for Chloe and Liam that we're handmade are so special to us. 

And speaking of babies, another couple that we are friends with welcomed their sweet little man into this world on July 15th... Little Adam Jr. 

After our Lake George vacation, the kids and I went to meet him. Chloe held him and it was soo sweet. Liam even gave him some kisses :) Welcome to the world Adam!! 

We visited in PA 2 weeks ago, the plan was to go to Hershey park with my sister, but we got rained out! it was pouring off and on that whole Saturday so we decided it was better not to go. It was still a nice visit. We spent time with Tanya and John!!! My BFF and her new fiance!! I am sooooo happy and excited for them! I am so honored to be her Matron of Honor! and that she asked Chloe to be one of the flower girls and Liam a ring bearer!! how cute will they both be :) We miss them a ton so it was nice to get to hang out and I can't wait til we get to see them again! 


We also did ALOT of camping shopping. We are going camping for the week on Monday so there was alot we needed. We went to Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop and Gander Mountain. Unfortunately none of those stores are in NY but they are all close to where I'm from in PA so we had some fun shopping and its probably the only time I see Sean happy to shop LOL. We picked up my sister Sam and saw her apartment in Harrisburg, and since we couldn't do Hershey park we atleast went to Chocolate World, did the tour and bought some candy :) 

John, Liam and Sean watching the Yankees/Red Sox game

Chloe, Liam and momma with the Reese's man :) 

We also visited with my sister Cassie and my nephews! they are growing up way too fast! they get bigger each and every time I see them! 
We visited with Mommom on Friday when we first got there, she had a chemo treatment earlier in the week so she was pretty tired and wiped out but then Saturday went to the hospital. She ended up having a stomach ulcer and had to stay a few days so then on Sunday before we came back home we were at the hospital for a few hours. I hope that she is getting better and pray that she beats this! In the past I had worked with the American Cancer Society, have walked in the Relay for Life, but it never meant as much as it does to me now, knowing that the woman that means the most to me in my life, is suffering with breast cancer. I did a 31 fundraiser back in July and was able to raise money which I donated to the Keep a Breast Foundation. I plan to continue to fund raise for this cause. And support and pray for my Mommom! 






until next time...


<3Liz

Visitors!! Again!

Kirsten and Gavin also were visiting in NY throughout the whole month of July!
A little back story: Kirsten is married to Matt and their son is Gavin. Matt and Sean have been good friends for a long long time now, they usually refer to each other as brothers. There little family lives out in California, Matt is in the Marines. I met Kirsten a few years ago, her and Matt came out for a visit just before Chloe turned 2.
We got to see them last summer when they were in NY again with baby Gavin. Gavin is just 1 month older than Liam, so it was awesome to see the daddy's and there little men together.
This summer it was awesome to see them again, get to hang out and have another mom, with a toddler to do things with throughout the day. Liam and Gavin were good friends, they would play together, well kind of they'd play together as much as a 16 and 17 month old will together. We went the beach a few times, and to the library, had them here to play and have movie nights and both Chloe and Liam went to there place one day to play and have pizza. & lets not forget some Target shopping for the momma's!! It was sad that they month went by so fast and they had to fly back home, but we really look forward to when they get to come out here again! and who knows maybe sometime we will be able to visit California. 

Gavin, Liam and Chloe at the beach

boys having some lunch together

all 3 of the kiddos 

having some ice cream 

another beach day, Gavin and Chloe eating their lunch

who would've known an empty lifeguard stand would keep 2 toddlers so happy and occupied ;) 

in the water with Gavin's Opa

after getting showered off they were fascinated with Chloe's pink flip flops lol 

<3 Liz