Happy Birthday!

Today is my 31st birthday!

I'm finally to the point that I don't get asked for ID!!! It's only taken 10 years!
I guess when I'm 80 and look like I'm 60, I'll be happy. Ha!!

Today was a wonderful day. I woke up to two smiling faces, three if you count Zack.
We spent the morning playing. We went out for lunch together and then I went shopping durning nap time. Lots of people, lots of sales. I love to shop and enjoyed my time. Once home, we got the kids ready and ventured to Target. Gotta love Target!! Even Dylan loves Target!
After picking up a few things, we got take out from Olive Garden. Going to restaurants these days are challenging. Either one or both kids act up causing a very stressful dinner. It's easier to just get take out. I love Olive Garden, and received a few gift cards, so it was only appropriate to use one. After dinner, Dylan helped me blow out candles on my cake, 31 candles!
Phew, where has time gone? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was riding my purple bike with a banana seat! Ha! Just kidding! But really, I don't feel 31. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing?!?

My day was filled with fun, relaxation, laughter, and family. Just the right combination!

We didn't take many pictures today. Zack did capture Dylan & I with my cake. I could resist taking one of Emersyn with the cake. She loves chocolate and making a mess. So give her a piece of cake, and let the entertainment begin!

Happy Birthday to me! One more year under my belt... Check!

Technology

This is technology at its best!

The Elf on the Shelf

After Thanksgiving we started the famous Elf on the Shelf. Our elf is named Jingle.
Everyday he sat in a special spot and watched the happenings around the Henry house. He flew back to the North Pole nightly to report to Santa. We had a few days where Jingle had to report that Dylan had been naughty.
Last year Jingle spent a month with us, but Dylan's understanding of the concept was much less. This was the first year Jingle made an impact. Dylan would look forward to finding Jingle every morning. He even would talk to Jingle, say hello, or wave. Sometimes Jingle wrote Dylan notes to remind him to have his listening ears on. While Emersyn didn't quite know Jingles purpose, she was excited to find him. She would call him Buddy because she couldn't say Jingle.

Jingle moved every night. He hung upside down, sat in many places, but always behaved. Some families have elves that got into mischief, but our elf was setting a good example for our kids, so he kept it simple. (This year at least!)
Only once did Jingle make Dylan cry. It was an accident and he did write Dylan an apology note. He took apart Dylan's Lego dragon to make himself a chair. Dylan cried that day. (Good work on Daddy's part... He felt bad)

Dylan became attached to Jingle. On his last night with us, Dylan was sad. Before he went to bed, he went down stairs and whispered something to Jingle. Zack & I watched from upstairs so we have no idea what he said. We did hear him say goodbye though. Melted my heart!
We explained to Dylan that Jingle would be back next year. That made him smile.

So until next year....

I love baking!

Baking is something I love to do. Whether it be from scratch or pre made, I love it!
Since we were going to be home for Christmas this year, I decided I'd do more holiday baking than I usually do.

At the beginning of the month I started off with a list of things I wanted to make, not realizing how fast the month would go by.
I made all but one thing, so that's pretty good.
I made cut outs, peppermint bark, Italian chocolate ball cookies, snowflake chocolates, chocolate covered pretzels with holiday drizzle. I wanted to make cake pops but I just didn't have time. My favorite was my Grandmas italian chocolate ball recipe. Those are my favorite holiday cookies.

Next year I want to try 12 days of baking. 12 different things. Yum!

The Moon

Emersyn loves the moon! Every night we go outside or look through the window to find it. When she sees it, her face just lights up with the biggest smile. She points and says 'moon'. I then sing her 'I See The Moon' song, the song that was once sung to me as a child. She always asks for an encore. (She hasn't quite figured out how terrible my voice is.)

We do own 'Goodnight Moon', which we occasionally read at bedtime, but she prefers to skip most of the pages.

When we can't see the moon, she puts both her hands up in question and says 'moon?'. I always see the disappointment on her face those days.

It's the little things in life that make us happy!

Emersyn Eye Update

As most of you know, when Emersyn was a few months old, she developed a hemangioma on her left eye lid. This is a bump, too many blood vessels in one area, that we've been watching closely to make sure it did not impair her vision.

The type of hemangioma that she has usually hits its peak in growth after a few months and then stops growing. In her case, it could take years before it goes away. The eye doctor said it should be completely gone by age 7. That's a long time in my mind. So every few months Emersyn goes to get her vision checked.
They want to make sure that the hemangioma isn't causing her eye lid to droop into the area of the pupil. If this happened, it could cause some blindness in that eye. Thankfully this has never happened! Emersyn's 'bump' stopped growing a few months after we discovered it. It has never bothered her, and has never created a problem. As she grow and time passes, the area has become skin tone color and smaller. This is fantastic news!!

At her appointment on Monday she received a clean bill of vision. Both eyes are basically the same. The hemangioma is only expected to decrease in size. The doctor also checks to make sure her vision hasn't changed since her surgery,
I was so pleased with the results!!!

Now, because her eyes were dilated, she was given some glasses to wear on our way home. The elderly people in the eye center were loving it. Emersyn got more smiles and comments about her glasses. I think she was basking in her instant rise to stardom! In the parking lot she was waving to people! Of course, the people all waved back, grinning from ear to ear!

Check her out!

Christmas Pups

Can't resist their cuteness!!

Busy, Busy

This time of year seems to be so busy. I have a never ending list of things to do. Shopping, wrapping presents, school functions, parties, cookie making. All fun things that take away from blogging.
I actually can't believe it's December 12th.
Wasn't it just Thanksgiving?

With all that being said, my posts might be fewer this month. I think about updating, but finding time is a challenge.

I have lots of upcoming posts though, so stay tuned!

The end: 30 Days of Thankfulness

I've come to the end of my reflecting. It's always nice to stop and make it a point to really think about the things I'm thankful & grateful for. It's not that I don't reflect, I just don't write it down.

Onward...

11/23: Today I am thankful for good books. I've been reading a lot lately.

11/24: Today I am thankful for the Christmas season. My favorite!! Today we decorated the house, inside and out! The lights, the decorations, the music, the excitement in the kids eyes. It's all so wonderful! I love it!

11/25: I've had 4 wonderful days off. I am thankful for long weekends!

11/26: Today has been a crazy day at work filled with frustration. Despite all of the chaos, I am just thankful to have a job

11/27: I am thankful that I've had 2 healthy pregnancies. In the last month, 3 people we know have had miscarriages. I can't even begin to understand the emotional toll is takes. It makes me feel sad for those that have experienced this unfortunate situation. I suppose things happen for a reason. I'm just thankful for having healthy pregnancies and 2 beautiful babies.

11/28: Today I am thankful for Christmas music. Makes me happy when I'm feeling down.

11/29: I am thankful for my doggies! Niko and Blitz are the best furry babies a girl could ask for!!

11/30: Today was a bad day at work. I am thankful for bad days, as they make me appreciate the good ones.


Well, that's it for my 30 days of thankfulness! Until next year...

Tis' the Season

Christmas is our favorite time of year!
Tis' the season for decorating!

Henry Thanksgiving

This year, like the last, we stayed home for Thanksgiving. It's the best place to be. Macy's Day Parade, relaxing in our pajamas, cooking yummy food, and enjoying each other. This year the weather was warm, in the 60's, and sunny. The kids had the opportunity to play outside.

We also started some family traditions that will hopefully carry on from year to year. Dylan is at the age where we can do some fun things. Traditions were always big for us growing up, so I thought it was my turn to instill that in our kids.

While watching the parade, Dylan and I made Christmas rings. Starting December 1st, he will rip off a ring each day as a count down to Christmas. Emersyn is to young, so we just made one for Dylan.
This is a tradition that Lisa, Mike, and I had when we were young.

I decided to start a new one as well. We made a gingerbread house. While I probably could have made the gingerbread from scratch, I decided it would be easier and faster to buy a kit.
It was fun. Dylan was eating as he decorated.

I did my best to capture the moments. It was truly a great day.

30 Days of Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family.


11/19: Today I am thankful for my siblings. I have the best of both worlds, a brother and a sister!

11/20: Today I am thankful for my sweet & sassy daughter. She is so full of life and keeps me on my toes.

11/21: Today I am thankful for my kids. After watching a friends niece battle cancer, she will be admitted to hospice. She's been receiving chemo for what seems like forever. After her last surgery, the family found out the little girls left lung is filled with cancer. She is 4. The entire situation puts a pit in my stomach. It makes all the little things that I think are big, not so big anymore. It also puts Emersyn's surgery in perspective. She is now a healthy little girl, who had a one time surgery. This little girl isn't as fortunate as Emersyn. My prayers are with the family. I cherish my moments with my kids. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I am truly thankful for everyday I share with Dylan and Emersyn.

11/22: Today is Thanksgiving! I am thankful for having the day off, good food, and spending the day with my wonderful family. Zack is cooking a turkey, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade this morning, and have had a wonderful day so far. We have been making our own Henry Family traditions. Pictures to come....

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Up Close & Personal

These were taken with my phone. The quality isn't great, but gotta love them!

30 Days of Thankfulness

11/12: Today I am thankful and lucky to have three living grandparents. In talking with friends, I realize that it's not as common as I thought. So I'll just consider myself lucky!

11/13: Today I am thankful for my sweet little boy. He tells me I'm beautiful everyday and fills my heart with such laughter and joy.

11/14: Emersyn had her 18 month appointment today. I am thankful she had a clean bill of health. She is in the 59th percentile in height and weight. She was a little angel at the doctors office too! Bonus!
 (later this evening Emersyn came down with a 24 hour stomach bug that she picked up at daycare. There goes her clean bill of health!)

11/15: I am thankful for teamwork. Without Zack, I wouldn't have survived the night. Emersyn was up every 45min to an hour throwing up. Between the two of us, we bathed her, changed sheets, started and switched laundry, rocked her, and put her back to sleep. It took the two of us to be successful. Thank you to my wonderful husband!

11/16: Today I am thankful for my parents. They made me who I am today and I thank them for that.

11/17: Quiet time! Quiet time! Quiet time! Today I am thankful for the sound of silence. Emersyn has been so fussy today. She only wants me. Me holding her, me carrying her, me playing with her, me, me, me! She woke up and 5, then proceeded to be attached to me throughout the morning. Having a toddler crying and holding onto your leg isn't fun. So yes, I resorted to holding and carrying her around. At nap time I thought I'd have a break. She only slept 1 hour! So while I guess I had an hour break, it just didn't feel long enough. Dylan sleeps 2-3 hours everyday. Emersyn isn't a napper. If I can get 2 hours that would be great, but not today! When she woke up she was miserable. She screamed and cried for an hour and a half. If I put her down she cried harder. If I sat she screamed and threw a fit. By nightfall my back felt broken. Once the kids were down for the night, I smiled. Makes me feel like a bad parent to say that, but it's the truth. Sitting in silence was very much appreciated. Quiet time = Sanity!

11/18: Today I am thankful for webcaming. Living far away from family isn't always easy.

Emersyn's First Haircut

I've waited, procrastinated, and dreaded getting Emersyn's hair cut. I like it long but it needed to be trimmed. I think I've been delaying because I was afraid how she'd react. With our luck, she'd probably smack the stylist. Remember, God gave her big blue eyes to disguise her sass!

She was happy until I put her in the chair. She was crying, reaching for me, and wiggling all over. We resorted to putting her on my lap, while Zack blew bubbles. Emilie, the stylist, is great. She normally cuts Dylan's hair so we knew she'd have patience for Emersyn.

She just got a trim but that's all she could handle today. ( Up at 5 and a 1 hour nap)

B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L

Everyday Dylan tells me I'm beautiful. He tells me at all different times...during dinner, before he goes to bed, at drop off in the morning at school, or just random times. I always say thank you and he smiles. He also tells me I'm beautiful regardless of what I look like. In his eyes I don't have ugly days, or no make up on, or bed head. He doesn't judge.

So the statement coming from a 3 year olds mouth just melts my heart. When I asked him what the word beautiful meant, he said pretty and wonderful. I have no idea where he got any of this. No matter what my mood may be, those 3 little word brighten my day. Dylan brightens my day.

One day (Very far from now), he will melt some girls heart!

For now, he melts mine!

Ladies in Red

30 Days of Thankfulness

I posted last week that I was going to blog once a week on the things I was Thankful for. I think it's more meaningful to post everyday. It gives me a chance to think about it and reflect. The problem is, I don't always have that 'extra' few minutes to sit down and blog. I barely squeeze 'me' time. My 'me' time is having the ability to shower without the kids banging on the door, or the ability to go to the bathroom ALONE. Oh, the things I've taken for granted. So, I'll just have to stick with once every few days. My last thankfulness post covered days 1-4. Onward....

11/5: I am thankful for my co teacher. She makes my job easier and enjoyable. We laugh and get along great. I am grateful to have her in my life and thankful for making a new friend.

11/6: I am thankful for a full nights sleep. Sleep is not something I get a lot of, and surely not uninterrupted sleep. It's either the kids having restless nights, someone is sick, or the dogs need to go out. Some nights I get up twice, others I get up 5 or 6. So if you sleep the entire night, be grateful!

11/7: I am thankful for laughing. I think it's important to laugh at least once a day. I love to laugh so hard my stomach hurts!

11/8: Zack had to travel to Houston today. He has business in Mexico. Today I am thankful for two things. I am thankful that Zack only travels occasionally and I am thankful for his safe arrival in Texas.

11/9: Today I am thankful for my home. It's not just a house, it's our family home. After the devastation from Sandy, I am grateful to have a place, a safe haven, a place I can call home. Others up North can't say the same and that makes me sad.

11/10: Zack has been gone now for three days. When I am left to be a single parent, I envy those who do it full time. While I can do it, I hate it, and don't ever want to be in that permanent position. So maybe envy isn't the right word. Today I am thankful for all the Moms out there who rock out as a single parent. I give them lots of credit because it's hard and I can only handle a week at a time.
Thankful to have Zack home later today!

11/11: Today is Veterans Day! I am thankful the men and women who have and are currently serving our country.

Many Shades of Us

A free slideshow by Smilebox

All I want for Thanksgiving...

The words are "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth....."

But, with thanksgiving on the way, it's only appropriate that the words are changed.

"All I want for Thanksgiving is my two front teeth!"

At almost 18 months, Emersyn finally has two front teeth. Late teether would be an understatement! When I asked to see her teeth, this is the face she made. Nothing but cheesy!

30 Days of Thankfulness

Last year I blogged once a day on the things I was Thankful for. This year I have decided to do it again, but at the end of every week. Sometimes I just don't have the time to post everyday, so I thought I'd combined my thoughts.
So, onto week one of personal reflections!!!

11/1: Today I am thankful for my husband. I love him!

11/2: Today I am thankful for Fridays. After a long week at work, boy was I glad it was Friday. I truly wish the work week consisted of 4 work days and 3 days off.

11/3: Today I am thankful for my friends.

11/4: Today I am thankful for my kids. They always seem to make me laugh, put a smile on my face, and melt my heart. <3

* Keep in mind, these are not in order of importance*

My goal is to post every Sunday. I love doing this, as it allows me to self reflect.

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Awhile back I found a recipe for mini pumpkin cakes in the Family Circle Magazine. They looked yummy so I attempted to make them.
Originally I wanted to make them for a work potluck held at the end of October. But since our household has been fighting off germs, I decided to put my baking venture on hold.

Zack bought me the mini bundt pan required for the recipe. The actual cake size is 2 1/2 inches and i only had a regular size bundt pan.
The recipe was easy to follow. I had a little trouble with the drizzling of the frosting, but it all worked out.

Cooking isn't something I enjoy, but I LOVE baking!

My latest creation....

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin carving time!

This is what I got after I asked him to make a scary face.

 



This outfit used to be my brother Mike's. Therefore, this cutie is wearing a 25 year old pumpkin sweat suit. It's in awesome condition and I'm going to continue to save it for the next baby born into the Manfredo family.

Giggling together prior to trick or treating.

 Dylan was Woody from Toy Story, and Emersyn was a bumblebee.

They each had a pumpkin basket to collect candy in.

 

 



 

Cowboy Dylan and his lady bumblebee's.

The Queen Bee & Baby Bumblebee

 

Not pictured: Zack who wore a mullet and walked Niko & Blitz.

 

 

Trick or treating went well. Dylan was very polite in taking candy, said thank you, and flashed his cute little smile. Emersyn is sweet and sassy. She'd smile and then double fist into candy bowls. After the third house, she quickly realized what to do with her candy. We had fun!

 

 

Happy Halloween!!!!

 

 



Fall is here!

Fall is finally here in North Carolina, and what better way to celebrate than playing in the leaves!!!!