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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well, in an hour anyway :D

As I sit here, ready to say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010 I can't help but look back over the last 12 months and remember the roller coaster that this year has been. There was bedrest for the entire month of April because of preeclampsia, something I hope to never have to deal with again, that eventually let to the early delivery of our little princess Stella.Her first 6 months were a little rough but she's become a sweet and snuggly little girl, even though she IS a princess and must have her way at all times.

In June, Steve and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. The time has flown by...2 kids will do that though! I can't believe how lucky I was to find my soul mate and other half.

September brought a huge milestone to the Rotz household.....Luca started preschool!
He loves school and is really doing great. His teachers say he is a pleasure to have in class, follows directions well and is very good with the other students...he's not a hitter, bitter, pusher or meanie pants. We are getting ready to fill out his paperwork for registration for next fall, he'll be going 2 days a week and he's really excited. I can't believe how fast the time went with him. He turned 3 in December!!!

At the beginning of December we took our very first family vacation...to Disney World!!! Luca had a blast and was on cloud 9 when he got to meet his idol, Mickey Mouse. We met (and got autographs and photos) of all his favorite Disney characters. He has asked about once a day since we got back when we will be going back to Disney. Hopefully in another year or so we can make it back with Luca and Stella...and baby #3 perhaps??


We had so many 'firsts' this year for both kids; rolling over, sleeping through the night, holidays, starting school...what a year! 2010 will bring with it many many more first for Stella and Luca, the biggest thing being Stella's 1st birthday!

So here's to a wonderful start to a brand new year. May it be full of wonderful memories and tons of laughter.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I realize I'm late in getting this post up...but better late than never! December 6-12 was spent taking the kids to Disney World for the first time. Steve and I spent our honeymoon there so it was interesting how different it is from the viewpoint of 'parent'. We spent months prepping Luca for the trip and he was busting at the seems as we headed to the airport that morning. He wasn't too keen on taking off his shoes at the security checkpoint and was really unhappy about sending his beloved moose 'Jolly' through the x-ray machine but all was made well by a chocolate milk and a yogurt from the Starbucks. We also made a pit stop at the gift shop so daddy could buy him a little airplane of his very own.

The flight went well and he really enjoyed the view from his window and his juice and pretzel snack. Stella was perfect, she ate then slept for the majority of the flight. When she was awake she happily sat an looked around or danced on my lap. We got in later in the afternoon so we decided to spend the first night at Downtown Disney where Luca managed to find a McDonalds! His first Disney meal ended up being a Happy Meal...go figure. We did Magic Kingdom on Monday so that Luca could meet all his favorites. We did a character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends that was a huge hit. The food was great, the atmosphere was fun and the characters spent time at each table taking pictures and signing autographs. Luca was in heaven! The best thing was seeing his face when he first set his eyes on the castle though....

he couldn't believe his eyes! We hit each of the parks throughout the week but by far we spent the most time in Mickey's Toontown. Luca loves the race cars and Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster. He also thought Mickey's house was really cool and in all he got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Pluto, Handy Manny and Leo from The Little Einsteins. My favorite part of the entire trip was watching him run into the open arms of Mickey and Minnie...I seriously could have cried. It was a dream come true for him!

Christmas Countdown

So today is the 21st...only 3 more sleeps until Christmas Eve! We've done the Santa picture and are mostly done with the shopping. We are venturing out to the mall tonight to try and finish up for Steve's family and find a monster truck for Luca that he informed us on Friday that he asked Santa for (?!?!?) and we had no idea! It's so great that he's old enough to really understand and enjoy Christmas and Stella is fascinated with the lights on the tree. She's finally sitting up alone so we can get some cute pictures in front of the tree.

Christmas Eve will be a busy day for us. Mom and I will be making our annual Christmas cookies, with Luca's help this year! This will his first time using a cookie cutter, shaking sprinkles, etc. and I just can't wait. Neither can he apparently as he just asked again when we would make cookies! On top of cookie baking, we have our movies we watch every year...A Muppet's Christmas Carol being the favorite. Then that evening we'll be attending our first candlelight Christmas eve service at church, I'm very excited for that. Afterwards we'll come home just in time to leave a treat for Santa and the reindeer, check his status on NORAD, then hop into bed and hurry to sleep so he doesn't miss us!

Happy holidays everyone!

Has it really been 3 years?

Yesterday was a very special day in the Rotz home.....Luca turned 3 years old! Where has the time gone? I can very vividly remember the days leading up to December 20, 2006 as if it were yesterday. Going to the hospital because I started itching uncontrollably, thinking I'd go home with a prescription, getting the news that I wasn't only not going anywhere but I'd be getting induced (and not understanding the danger our child was in at the time) and crying because it was still 4 weeks away from our due date. A 3 day induction led to a c-section and 2 hours afterwards I was holding my precious baby boy for the very first time.

I remember how he looked and how he smelled, how tiny his fingers were and laughing at the lack of fat on his tiny frame and how it meant he literally had no butt! He was 5lb 13oz and 19in long, my miniature baby. I look at him now and am almost brought to tears remembering how, as a newborn, he could be held in just one of Steve's big hands. We struggled with nursing due to his not having much of a 'suckling' reflex and then my hospitalization for gall bladder removal when he was only a week old. He went home with jaundice, didn't nap for more than 15 minutes without being held and refused a pacifier.....it was a hard first few months. Around 4 months though he found his thumb, started napping and sleeping through the night and was bottle feeding like a little champ, he had certainly caught up the lack of weight from birth.

Luca is an amazing child. Daily he both challenges my patience and melts my heart. He is a very sensitive and loving boy, he worries for others who are sad or hurting and doesn't forget a thing. He loves his family, especially his baby sister who he welcomed into the world with hugs and kisses and the offer of one of his cars, and is a bright and happy child. My world wouldn't be the same if Luca had not come blazing into it! He's a mover and shaker, loves to dance and sing and run and play and if every bit a little boy. To top it off he's just down right adorable. He's got the prettiest eyes, longest lashes and the sweetest dimple in one cheek that keeps me up at night, worrying about all those teenage girls that will be swarming our home in a few years!

3 years have gone by way to fast and before we know it he'll be grown up with a 3 year old of his own. Until then I'm going to snag every big hug, sloppy kiss and bad knock knock joke I can get!!! Happy Birthday little man!!!!!!!!!

Santa goes hi-tech!

I will write about our wonderful Disney trip soon, but right now I just have to post about the most amazing thing a friend discovered. There have always been personalized letters from Santa for the kids but now they can receive a personalized video message straight from Santa at the North Pole! I 'helped' Santa make one this morning and played it for Luca just now....the tears were close to flowing as I watched his little face light up when Santa said his name!

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/b951c4af8d739938afebae983fd52db7

As of yet I have not figured out how to save it and am not sure I can but for anyone with kids will find this amazing and worth while!!!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving this year went very smoothly, almost too smoothly, and seemed to be over before it began. We managed to get all 4 of us dressed and our youngest members changed and fed and into the car by 8:40am, our goal was 9am so we did great. Our hope was that Stella (and Luca if we were lucky) would nap in the car during the 2 hour trip to Parkersburg, WV. Luca played happily with trucks and his doodle pad and Stella spent her time watching the trees go by and watching her big brother....she's infatuated! Not a peep our of her the whole time, this from our Little Miss I Don't Ride In Cars! Oh how far we have come in just a few months time.

We arrived around 11am and were able to spend a few hours with my Grandparents before heading to my aunt and uncles house for dinner. A few family members couldn't make the trip this year, and were missed, but all in all it was great food and good company. It was really nice to see my cousin Jaime since we hadn't seen her since last Christmas! Luca was in heaven with all the yummy food and stuffed himself with turkey, potatoes, corn and especially sweet potatoes; he loves sweet potatoes! Afterwards he got to pick his own desert and then spend the next hour entertaining the family with song and dance :) Well, he sang one line from Jingle Bells over and over, told an incomplete knock knock joke and shook his bootie to some good music....he's such a funny little monkey and everyone just loves him to pieces. Stella spend her turkey day being passed from one family member to another, just smiling away and looking like a princess. By the time everyone was done eating she was pooped and took a nap on mommy while big brother entertained.

We got home late but the kids did great, again not a peep in the car. We had a little dinner, brushed teeth and into bed for all of us! We are not a 'black friday' family so we were all able to get a full nights sleep and woke up to snow flurries this morning! Yeah for the holidays!!!

Hello and Goodbye

This weekend went far to quickly and took far too long at the same time. Yesterday we traveled up to Hubbard for the baptism of our niece, Sophie. Sophie is my SIL's baby who is about 3 1/2 months old now. We didn't get on the road until early afternoon so we had very little time spend doing our 'usual trip home' stuff. We checked into the hotel, ran to Target for baby wipes (because you always seem to run out on a trip) and headed to MIL's house. Maggie was at work so we visited with Patty and Sophie and let Luca run around like a silly fool and get his wiggles out.

The baptism was this morning and went very smoothly. It was a bit strange, going back to Steve's home church, after being so used to ours. Theirs is a more old-fashioned, and frankly kind of gloomy in comparison...I missed our upbeat hymns! Sophie did well for the most part with only a little crying. Afterwards there was a small reception lunch with yummy italian food (gotta love that real, Youngstown, made by hand, good old fashioned Italian food!!!) and cake.

We were able to spend a little bit of time at Steve's grandma's house before getting on the road. Each time we go up I try to get pictures of the girls laying next to each other so we can see how much they change and grow. Sophie and Stella love to stare and smile at each other and now that Stella has become more mobile she likes to show off her moves for everyone.

Sophie had to be careful though, they were holding hands at one point....at least until Stella decided it would be better to chew on her hand than hold it!

Today I'm Thankful For...

A husband that cleans the kitchen

Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi...love that stuff!

Uneventful (in the good way) well baby check ups

The ultimate joy that is planning a suprise for someone

Baby sneezes, so cute!

I am Thankful for....

An amazing husband and father for my kids
Two happy, healthy children
Family that is near and far
Wonderful doctors and dentists to take care of my family
A roof over our heads and food to eat
Steve has a good job that allows me to stay home with the kids
Disney Channel.....enough said!
A creative nature
A wonderful new church home and family
Plastic resealable Gerber baby food!
Parents.com-for hooking me up with the most amazing 'may moms' from all over the country
Good friends to share with, cry with and laugh with
Fels-naptha soap that gets out absolutely every kind of stain

I Challenge You

A friend of mine issued out this challenge on facebook this morning and I think its great!

Let's see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today.

Now I am fully aware that I will NEVER remember or have the time to get on here and post every day until thanksgiving so I am going to make a list of all I can think of and add to it when I can.

When you least expect it, along comes a funny

After a rough day, this make me laugh and smile and know that I'm loved.....

At dinner, I'm in the living room and Steve is at the table with the kids....

Steve: aw shoot
Luca: what daddy?
Steve: I dropped some chicken
Luca: you make a mess daddy?
Steve: yeah buddy, a little one
Luca: you clean it up mommy?
Me: yup, probably (chuckle)
Luca: you super mom (big smile at me)

Gotta love the little man of mine!

ARG....and arg again!!!

Let me start by saying, I love my kids....there are days however I'm not sure I like them very much! Is that horrible? Are moms everywhere looking down their noses and tsking to each other?? Well so be it. I love love LOVE my kids but I find I have those days now where the cocktail of preschooler and infant just make my hair want to fall out, that's right, it just falls out I don't have to bother with the pulling...its as eager to escape the noise, spit up and poopie diapers as I am!

I guess its just certain parts of the day really, like the evenings. Those hours after nap and before daddy comes home, that can be so trying. Stella has become like a third arm, always attached, and if not she is screaming to be so. I never to this day have dealt with separation anxiety with Luca but I've come to learn that this sweet daughter of mine has no intention of doing anything the same way her brother did. I put her down and she cries...heaven help us if she is happily playing in her exersaucer and I walk into the kitchen for 2 seconds to make a bottle! I am venting, I know this but what else is a mom to do? We love our kids for better or for worse, much like a marriage but much much more permanent! I know these days will be gone before I know it and I will mourn her baby days as I do with his, and I will want more kids; forgetting the horrible morning sickness and colicky days. Big sigh, deep breath...only an hour until bedtime!

The launch!!!

So I've joined the blogger world and hope to keep up with this better than I have in the past...the journey begins!

As it stands, we are currently a family of four....Stella just turned 6 months and Luca is about 6 weeks shy of 3 years. Steve and I celebrated 4 years of marriage this past June. We just recently went from two cats to one since Zucca got out of the house and ran away :( we are still hoping she comes back because Reese is pretty lonely without her to play with.

In other news, tonight is Trick Or Treat in Hilliard and Luca can hardly contain his excitement. He is going to be a dragon and sweet little Stella is going to be a pink monster. Now if you'd told me that my baby girl would be a monster for her very first Halloween, I would have said you were crazy! However, she is completely adorable and LOVES her costume. It should be fun night!!!