A Boob Man

I have no good story for this...the picture speaks for itself.  That is MY Ronan, at about 1 year old... while looking through old photos we came across this one and it just makes us smile.  The Hooter's girls LOVED him.

Picture Day

I love having pictures of my kids.  In fact, when Riley was born and for the first year of her life, I took her to Sears and spent $128 each month on her pictures.  At 18 months, I stopped, invested in a better digital camera and decided I would go digital un-professional photos by mommy at that point.  Then came Ronan.  Every month, I opted NOT to get his picture taken and so I took pictures of him.  He's my truly "all digital photos" baby. 

I'm glad I didn't do monthly photos because I pretty much had to save it to pay for all the freaking photos I have to order now!  Soccer pictures.  T-Ball pictures.  Fall school pictures. Class pictures.  This list goes on and on. 

Since I can't make any decision an easy decision, I labored over what package to order for their fall school pics.  Do I get the 8x10 to put in their scrapbook?  Do I order the CD so I can make copies?  Do I just go cheap and order the smallest package and take pictures of them in the morning in their outfits?  Yes.  Option 3 sounds great. 

I ended up ordering the tiniest package, which probably makes me look like the worst mom in the world in the eyes of Lifetouch (the company taking today's pictures)....but who knows if they will even turn out okay.  I mean, will Riley remember to juuze (Jersey's version of "fluff") her hair before they snap one?  Will Ronan smile or pick his nose?  Who knows...but I think I got a cute enough picture this morning to make me happy if all else fails. 

Aarrrrrhhhhhhh, Matey!



Not totally sure what Ronan was trying to convey to me here....but couldn't resist posting a picture of him.  I took this with my new camera, too!  (I know, surprise surprise, an Asian with a camera...)  But now that I have a good one, I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more pictures of my kids and close ups of flowers(because that's what people do when they buy cameras...) LOL

Vines for a Life Walk

(Me, Amanda and Jamie)

Last weekend, a couple friends and I participated in breast cancer walk at Laurita Winery in New Egypt, NJ.  When approached by my friend, Amanda, to participate -- I didn't hesitate to say yes, knowing that the proceeds from this event would go towards a good cause.  I also can't pass up a free tshirt. 

Jamie, my other friend, asked me the night before what I was going to wear.  I responded:  workout clothes -- leggings, tank top and a jacket on top.  I mean, what else would you wear to a "walk for breast cancer," right?  Wrong. 

My definition of "walk" was more along the 5K thing (think: long winding paths in the winery) and maybe at the end we'd get to sample some of the wines they had to offer.  THEIR definition of "walk" was more like: Hey!  Come stroll through the vineyard and taste wines at our stations along the way.  Totally not what I had expected. Not complaining...but let's just say that we were slightly underdressed as we looked around us and saw people wearing polos and khakis...skinny jeans and riding boots.  WHICH, prompted me to purchase these:

Not only did I walk for a good cause, I got these boots which were made for walking (or riding). 

Lesson of the Day:  You should always sign up for walks for causes, because you never know just how rewarded you will feel at the end of the day.  For me -- it was a slight buzz and an emptier wallet.  Oh, and a free tshirt, too!

You don't get these...sittin' around pettin' pussy cats....

I'm totally kidding.  I guess you really could, if you pet them long enough.

Since my last "real"post, I had made a New Years Resolution.  Work out.  And work out hard.  I've had a gym membership for 16+ years.  I paid for it, and never saw results.  Now that we don't have to pay for a membership and because I have more time for ME, I'm finally seeing my hard work pay off.  I'm no bodybuilder and I don't pretend to be.  I'm not there yet with my diet -- I've tried, trust me...But, I'm so much happier than I ever have been and it's because I realized this past year that I deserve it. 

As a reward for myself (and because I won it), I did a boudoir photo shoot with Brenda, from {B. Malpedo Photography} -- hence, the photo above.  It was totally liberating and for the first time (in a long time...) I felt sexy.  Who would have thought a few photos could do that to my already blown up ego?! LOL.

But I guess why I originally wanted to post this is to encourage you to put yourself first (at least every once and a while or for 30 minutes everyday) and get healthy.  Work out.  You'll love it or the shopping you get to do afterwards.  I love me some skinny jeans.

...what can happen in a year?

It's amazing how much I haven't blogged about...and I am so sorry to those of you who have randomly checked it and found that I haven't updated it.

Life has certainly gotten in the way...and it's not a bad thing. I just ran out of time. Or, maybe I thought that I had nothing blog-worthy. Who knows. Either way, I'm back! Let's hope that what I write about is entertaining enough to keep you reading. While I get myself organized for a plethora of blog posts...please enjoy a recent picture of my nuggets from the farm a couple weeks ago: