Ahhhhh...Vera

Nate came to me last night with my bottle of Vera Wang..."What's this Mommy?" he asks. "It's perfume for mommies," I respond. And before I have the chance to say another thing he is spraying himself all over with it! And he still smells heavenly today! I just may start spraying both of the kids in the mornings.....

Grocery bill scare!

Is anyone else out there now paying enormous amounts of money at the grocery store? I can't get over how much more expensive things are now! I mean, seriously, it seems that I am paying almost a 1/3 more than I used to! Have you noticed an increase where you shop? I want to hear!

Pete and I watched a great HBO movie last night about the whole Al Gore and G.W. Bush fiasco in 2000. I am still shocked at the truth about what happened then. It still shocks me that Bush was elected AGAIN!!!! He now has the LOWEST approval rating of any US president EVER!!! Does this seriously come as a surprise to anyone? I won't rant and rave about it like I wish I could...let's just hope that things turn out much differently with this next election....I'll step off of my pulpit now.....

Welcome summer

Summer is Here! I spent the morning blowing up a HUGE inflatable pool for the kids...(yes, I could have gone and bought an air pump and made my life a lot easier, but I was on a mission!). So, we spent the last few hours paddling around a foot and a half of water (remember Jules is on a mission of her own- to stay as far away from mommy's hands as possible). It was great though, and I am hugely relieved to have something fun (and cool) to entertain the kids with this summer!

We may be putting our house on the market soon! We are not yet sure where we will buy another one, but we are in some major need of MORE space! It is exciting and scary at the same time! I have been busting butt for several weeks now to re-organize and touch up colored on walls to get it in gear- just in case. Our plan is to make a decision this weekend.

I am starting to feel immensely guilty about not having done any writing in so long now. Of course, I have been doing loads of writing for school, but I haven't worked on my novel for many, many, many months. I need to some motivation! Anyone have any to offer?

At the beach- Memorial Day Savannah, GA

Being cool- just like daddy!

Sweet sun-kissed baby!

Jules LOVED playing in the sand!

Even in 75 degree water, little boys still get the chills and need big daddy hugs!

Refreshed!

What an incredible weekend! I am so lucky to have a husband who has apparently REALLY been listening to me for the past few months when I've vented about how much I really needed a break! As I mentioned in my previous post- Pete surprised me this past weekend with a getaway to Charleston to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary! We also had the opportunity to see "Monkey- Journey to the West" (http://www.monkeyjourneytothewest.com/) an unbelivable musical theater experience about a monkey in search of his enlightenment. The all Chinese cast was phenominal down to the martial arts, the acrobatic performances while hanging from wires in the air, to the singing. It was truley a spectacular event!

And the other highlight for us was dinner at High Cotton, one of the more exclusive restaurants in town (which of course was a bit too pricy for a young college girl like me all the years ago I lived in Charleston!) Dinner was fabulous and our bill proved it!

We drove back to Savannah with the top down (we traded cars with krista so she could have the SUV for the kids while we took her BMW convertible) and went to the beach with the kids and Krista at Tybee Island yesterday. What an awesome getaway! It was difficult to come back to Dublin......but life also needs to be lived in addition to being enjoyed!

I feel refreshed and re-energized!

SWEPT OFF MY FEET!

Yup, it's official, I really did marry well! Right now, I am sitting in a fabulous hotel room....in Charleston, S.C.! My husband has secretly been planning a romantic getaway for our wedding anniversary, and surprised me with it yesterday afternoon! It also happens to be the start of the amazing Spoleto festival and we have tickets to see a great show tonight!


This is the first time I have been away from the kids like this, so it has been both wonderful, and a bit sad...okay, mostly wonderful! So, on that note, I am off to wake up my napping hubby and get ready for a great night out on the town!!!!

Cheers to Pete!

Venturing out!

We;'re off to Savannah for the weekend to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary! Crazy, because it doesn't feel like that is a very long time considering all that we have done and accomplished in that amount of time. But wow, it sure has flown by fast! Pete is surprising me with a few things, so I am really excited about that. I have been told that he is wearing a sport coat out on Friday evening and that I should dress accordingly with that in mind....interesting.

Krista will watch the kids for us too, so it will be great to have a little Pete and Kate time! We are also going to the beach on Saturday and then out for drinks on Saturday evening. It almost feels like a mini vacation away from home! I know the kids will have a blast too, especially at the beach.

We actually left the house today fro the first time in FIVE days...yes it's been a tough week with sick kids. But they were feeling better today, so we ventured out to find Nate a pool (the promised treat for learning to have a bowel movement in the potty!) and to get an ice cream cone. The ice cream was just a flash of what I thought to be genius and empathetic toward two children who've been stuck at home with nothing to do, but play with each other and the new fort we constructed in the living room. And they were excited, mostly. Nate was more interested in the slide at the ice cream place and Juliana was exhausted by our small trip across town and the fact that she was already late for her nap. And then, and then, the ice cream took a tumble into the mulch....Fabulous idea Kate, just fabulous! Oh well, it was worth the try, and wow, I can't believe how much better I feel after getting out and about for even two small hours!

Love, Kate