What I Wore Sunday: 1st {failed} attempt

Note to self: phone photos taken in bad sunlight do not make for great blog pictures!!

Needless-to-say, here we go with my first, "What I Wore Sunday" post. 

 

As usual, we attended 8am Mass and then met up with my family for brunch afterward.  This weekend brunch was at my younger sister's house, so this picture was taken just after brunch and about 20 seconds before I changed out of my Sunday clothes into my workout clothes so my sister and I could get our yoga on. 

And, Take II, because a cute prop makes every picture better :)

 

Outfit deets...

Dress:  Ross, under $10 with belt included {love the dresses I find there for super inexpensive!...though the quality is not great, so they don't last forever.}

Boots:  Macy's last December--a Christmas gift from my hubby picked out by me ;)

 

My little dude is sporting a Gymboree top and Polo {hand me down} cargo cords--stylin'! 

 

Off for a little quality time with the hubby and then early-ish to bed...last night's late date night kicked my booty.  After a long nap today, I am still so.tired.   

 

Go visit Fine Linen and Purple for more fun and inspiring Mass outfits!

 

 

 

 

 

7 Quick Takes (8): Well, Hello Again!

Ok, so it's been quite a long while since I have been on my blog.  I have a few posts written but unpublished because I need to upload the photos first--I am so impressed with people who take the time to upload them daily!  But for now, just a few quick takes to get you all caught up on our life.

Birthday Girl!

1)  Gemma is our Gem.  She can melt any heart, and she is such a lover.  She blows kisses and waves wherever we go.  My new favorite thing that she does is whenever I say, "Gemmy, pray," she holds her hands together and smiles.  Love that!  She has always been a go-getter and is practically running already.  She knows what she wants and communicates well--sometimes with real words, sometimes by pointing, and sometimes with a good old, high pitched scream!  She has Luke wrapped around her little finger for sure.

2)  Augustine is such a big boy now.  He picks up on so much these days.  When I am tucking him in on a date night he almost always picks up on it, and he says, "Where you 'bout to go, Mom?"  He is saying some funny stuff lately!  About a week ago, Luke was "nagging" him {i.e. telling him it was time to go a couple times or something like that}, and with a totally straight face he said, "Dad, stop freakin' me out!"  Hmmm, I wonder where he has heard that before.  Ahem, ahem.  He has since used that phrase one other time, also appropriately. :)

She loves crayons.

My sweet girl.

3)  Luke is switching gears and focusing his career energies entirely on Mighty Kicks and overseeing Little Kicks.  He is home all day with us for the most part.  We love waking up with him, generally having him home for three meals a day, and going to sleep with him.  He misses playing soccer, but we are trying to focus on the perks of life after soccer--of which there are many. 

Melting crayon art this afternoon.

4)  I feel like I am really catching my stride here.  I am finding more order to my days than when we first moved, and I have hope of crossing some of the bigger things off my ever-growing to-do list soon.  As much as I miss my VA girlfriends {and I do miss you all!}, I am making some good friends here, as well as spending time with old friends.  It is fun being able to see two of my closest friends--friendships formed in junior high!--on a regular basis now. 

A "Gunner Burrito!"

5)  Luke and I would really love to have some more babies.  It's not a physical possibility quite yet, but is has been on my mind a bit lately.  If you would offer some prayers for the future of our family, that would be awesome!!  I feel like our culture takes babies for granted, as if you can have one any old time you want, but I know that is not true, and I just pray that God will grow our family if, and when, it is His Will and that I will find peace with that.  Thank you.

Augustine being a good big brother.

6)  It's 9:38pm on a Friday night.  I am home with my sleeping babes while my hubs is out with his friends for the evening.  I have eaten ice cream and chips, watched almost two episodes of one of my favorite shows, and spent an hour deleting friends on Facebook.  After being sick all week, I can totally appreciate a night like this. 
7)  Good night, sleep tight!      


Birthday Boys!!

Explaining the Chicken Pox Vaccine

Vaccines accounted for more than their fair share of my worrying during Augustine's first year of life, but over time I have become less fearful about the whole thing for a couple of reasons. 

 

First of all, I did a lot of reading and research to get me to a place where I am comfortable with the decisions I make for my babies.  A doctor's advice is wonderful, but I didn't feel comfortable giving blind consent for something I know little about.  Reading, along with our pediatrician's experience, has helped me make informed decisions.

 

Secondly, I realized I had a lot more freedom in this area than conventional sources make it seem {for Augustine's first round of shots, I thought I had to get them all on schedule, spaced exactly as the AAP suggested or they wouldn't work and my child would end up in the hospital with pertussis by four months}.  Getting all the recommended vaccines at all the recommended times is only one way to do it, but it is also ok to space them out and/or opt out of some--really, it is. 

 

Finally, I learned how important it is to have a doctor who is informed, respects my choices as a parent, and who offers the vaccine brands I want my children to receive.  With some vaccines {i.e. polio}, the brand of the vaccine determines whether or not the vaccine contains aborted fetal cell lines--which to me, is a big deal. 

 

Both my old OB and our first pediatrician looked at me like I had three heads when I mentioned aborted fetal cell lines in vaccines.  As it turns out, that pediatrician also carried the brands which used aborted fetal cell lines, so after Augustine's 2 month shots we switched pediatricians.  I researched ahead of time to make sure the aborted fetal cell lines would not be an issue with our new doctor.  He was very accommodating to our revised vaccine schedule and never made me feel like a bad mom for deviating from the norm. 

 

But, I am pleased to say, our new doctor is even more informed and understanding than our last.  In fact, when I told him that Augustine would not be receiving the Chicken Pox vaccine because it was derived from cells of an aborted baby, there is no alternative, and chicken pox isn't as serious as some of the other diseases we vaccinate against, he didn't bat an eye.  In fact, he said the use of aborted fetal cell lines was a common objection he heard from parents {it is Colorado, after all} and that the government is actually trying to create an alternative using chickens...but, so far, they haven't been successful. 

 

He went on to say that the chicken pox vaccine was created primarily for economic, rather than for health, reasons.  He explained that during the rebuilding of Japan, both parents were needed to work and if a child came down with the pox, a parent could count on being home with the sick child for about ten days.  And then if it was passed onto a sibling, it could be another ten days.  From an economical standpoint, that was not appealing to Japan at that time so they created a vaccine against it--America jumped on the bandwagon, too. 

 

Hearing this from my doctor really validated my decision not to use this vaccination.  Yes, I realize getting the chicken pox is no fun, I will be confined indoors for 10+ days with my sick children if they do get it, and it is way worse as an adult {how many times have I heard that?!}.  But I am prepared for all of that.  My doctor said he never sees cases of it anymore, but if I did hear about someone getting it, I should just take the kids over and expose them so they will gain immunity. 

 

Anyway, I just thought I would share that information about how the chicken pox vaccine came to be, as I feel there is a lot of misinformation and fear tactics employed in the whole vaccine debate.  And just for the record, I think vaccines, when used in moderation, are very beneficial to our society, and I do vaccinate my children...just at my pace and with a few exceptions here and there.       

 

I would like to close with a poem that my Mom wrote as a young girl, just because I like thinking about my Mom and because it's pretty darn cute:

 

My Chicken Pox Poem

 

There are pox on my top

There are pox on my toes

There are chicken pox from my head to my toes

 

My mother say, "Don't scratch them"

My sister says, "Go right ahead--so you will be dead"

I say, "It's fine with me--don't dread"

 

Chicken pox are gross, and they bother you the most.

When they sneak up on you at nite or in the bright of day

Then look at them and say, "Why don't you go AWAY??"

 

By Patricia McCormick

 

*Thanks to my great Aunt Meme for passing on the little piece of paper that my Mom had  typed out her poem on years and years ago.    

Thanksgiving 2012

So thankful to God for:

 

My husband...
who loves me more than I love myself
who doesn't just tolerate me, but pursues me, when I am grumpy
who puts his clean clothes away without me asking {and before I even put mine away!}
who keeps God first in his life, in theory and in practice
who is always quick to forgive
who is a wonderful example of generousity
who isn't afraid to set high goals and work hard for them
who writes me love notes and sends me sweet text messages
who has no idea how absolutely wonderful he is
who is a fun and dedicated Dad to our babies
who has loved and cherished our children from the very earliest moments of their existence
who rises with our early riser {whomever it may be} and lets me sleep for a little longer
who is strong enough to play soccer for a living but
who is tender enough to cry at the births of our babies
who makes me feel like the only woman in the world
who knows what it truly means to love another


My little boy...
who loves to help me cook
who is empathetic and sensitive, giving loves to those who need them, and
who is also fiesty at times {have you seen him with Tavian...}!
who thinks a big scoop of peanut butter is the best dessert ever!
who taught me how to be a Mom
who is more persistant than anyone I know
who still loves to cuddle with me
who gives the best good morning hugs ever
whose bed head could brighten anyone's 7am
who makes me proud and makes me laugh everyday
who still takes good, long naps
who loves Jesus


My baby girl....
who gives me kisses on demand
who smells so good
who snuggles in bed with me
who melts my heart when she says, "mama"
who showers me with love and smiles even though she hasn't had the easiest baby life
who has extremely smoochable cheeks
who brings me great joy anticipating all we will do together that I didn't get to do with my Mom
who would rather be in my arms than anywhere else
who has the cutest, scrunchy nose face ever
who makes me wish time would stay still so she would grow up so fast


My home...
that is near my family
that is big enough to sleep lots of babies {and guests}
that is warm
that has swings! {any bad day in toddler-land can be cured with a go on the swing}


My faith...
that gives me reason to hope
that encourages me to seek for Truth
that pushes me to grow
that allows me to encouter Jesus in the Eucharist
that keeps me going when things are hard


My Family...
who laughs with me
who can share in, and understand, my experiences as a parent
who loves me, particularities and all
who will always be there
 

My best friend...
who I would choose as a sister even if I wasn't already blessed with her as one
who truly listens
who, after Luke, is the first person I would call for anything and everything


...And so much more.  I am so thankful today, and everyday, for all my many blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

The Big 3-0!

Totally wrote this forever ago but didn't ever upload the pictures for it...until now.  Doing some serious house cleaning on my "draft" box. :)

Someone sneaked right out of bed and joined the party.
I can't say I blame him :)

So, I turned 30 a couple months ago.  Unlike the years between 22 and 29, which are all fairly anticlimactic, 30 seems to be the age when society deems you older-ish, or at the very least, a real adult.  I still feel like I should be in my twenties, but when I see college students I wonder why they look so young...until I realize, it's really that I look old. :)  Regardless, I feel so blessed with each and every day that God has given me.  I could not be happier to be married to my soul mate and to have two beautiful children.   

We had a couple celebrations to commemorate the big day. A bunch of friends, as well as my sisters and Dad, came over for an adult party at our house. We had a great time, and it was nice to catch up with some friends that we haven't seen for awhile.

Best of Friends since 7th grade.  Reason 573,834 I love Colorado. 

My Dad is pretty great.

It has been years since all three of my sisters have been in the same place to celebrate my birthday.
+tiny Teagan, only days old. 

Old friends. 
Thomas mentored Luke when he was at Seton Hall,
he was a fellow missionary during my years with FOCUS
...and he introduced me to Luke...so he is pretty awesome.

Then a couple days after my birthday, several members of Luke's family {7 to be exact} came to Colorado to join in on the party.  It was nice to have both sides of our family together for a couple of dinners while they were in town. 

The Vercollone gang--Luke's parents and five of his siblings.
 

Totally candid, real-time photo of Mary rolling a Yahtzee!
Seriously was just planning on taking a boring picture of our game playing when...
YAHTZEE!!

When you have that many candles, you need some help blowing them out :)
 

My top three goals for this year are to:

1)  Grow spiritually.

2)  Grow as a Wife and a Mom.

3)  Grow a baby!! :) 

Could he be cuter?

I promise I will not make a habit of posting pictures of my children on the potty, but seriously, could he be any cuter?! 

First thing in the morning.

His favorite one-piece footy pajamas hanging down.

Giant Calvin n' Hobbes book to keep him entertained.

Love him.

Who Says it has to be Itsy Bitsy?

Confession:  I haven't worn a one piece bathing in about 15 years. 
The last one I remember wearing was a navy blue Speedo commemorating the {then current} 1996 Olympic Games--totally sporty, not fashionable. 

Swim suits are a hard issue for me.

For the past several years, I have had a huge war waging in my head over them.  On the one hand, I don't want to give bikinis up because they are cute, I have a bunch of them already, and they are so much easier to shop for than one pieces.  If Luke and I had our own private beach, I would wear them forever!  But, on the other hand, I feel self-conscious wearing a bikini because it doesn't feel right to be showing so much skin. 
   
A couple years ago I tried on a few singlets, and I ended up running from the dressing room!  They pulled up in the wrong places, pulled down in the wrong places, and were very uncomfortable.  I was disappointed because, at this point in my life, they would be a more genuine expression of where my heart is, and I was hoping to find a one piece that was comfortable--and, to be honest, flattering.  Once in awhile, I just throw a tank top on over my bikini, but that isn't ideal, nor is it all that practical now that I have kiddos who like water and I am going to be spending a lot of time at the pool.

So, I have decided to resume my search for a one-piece.  I may have to look high and low and try on dozens of suits, but I am determined that the next suit I wear out is going to be a one-piece/tankini.  I can't say that I will never wear a bikini again, but I am hoping that this is a step in that direction. 

Two of the websites I have been checking out are Rey Swimwear and Lime Ricki. 

This one is super cute!
But I wonder if it's comfortable? 
And the likelihood that I will be hitting the pool with styled hair, jewelry,
or makeup is pretty much slim to none...will it still be cute?? :) 

I need to finally put in the effort and at least try wearing a one piece suit.  Wish me luck!
 
Anyone have a one-piece/tankini that you just love?  Where did you get it?