Summertime Sadness....Err Gladness.

Though the weather is still a tad bit on the cool side for what I would consider summer, I'm still going to soak up the rays and declare that our summer has started at the Little Home. Memorial Day Weekend was beautiful (and another post for another day) and really hit the nail on the head for how I wanted to start our summer off. Bryan and I still work until July when we have our actual vacation but we've been enjoying some cold drinks on our patio and have been taking in every last bit of sunshine that stays in the skies these days.

I love this time of year, ya know, until it gets super freaking hot and I start bitching about it being too hot. What can I say? I'm a woman and I'm never pleased. ; ) But sure enough, our signs of summer have been pleasantly popping up.

This is my nephew Gavin, and he has been rocking at minor league this year. It's so much fun watching him out there hitting and trying to catch rather than last year when he was spinning in circles and playing in the dirt on t-ball. He's growing up so fast and as his auntie I can't be anymore prouder of the young little man he's turning into. 

Last weekend after Gav's games we also decided to hit up Knoebel's for the first time this season and welcome Amaya into the wonderful world of our favorite local amusement park. 

Amaya even got to enjoy her first amusement ride in the form of a small ride along train. She sat with Daddy and was a little frightened by the tunnel but other than that was pretty indifferent to the whole thing. Hopefully she'll grow to love amusement parks as much as her mama.

I'm so happy to kick start summer and to finally be back into a world without below freezing temperatures and snow. Hey summer, feel free to stick around for a little....or atleast until I long for the sweet cool days of fall. 

Nan

Today is going to be hard.
Real hard.
By the time you guys will read this, I will be sitting in a funeral home and mass, celebrating the life and mourning the death of this beautiful woman.

Last Tuesday, we lost this stunning soul as she left our earthly world and went to join a heavenly one. It's been hard, especially since she was my last living grandparent but we are relieved that she is at peace and not suffering anymore. In my heart, I know that she lost apart of herself when my Pop passed away and to be honest, I think she was just waiting for her body to give out so she could go be with him. 

It's terribly sad but it's the truth and I know she is happier now being with him than being here. 

It doesn't make it easier for us who she left behind, knowing we won't have her infamous family dinners and she won't get to meet her second great grandchild but I'm glad I got to know and love her with the time I did have. 

I love you Nan. 

Hugs and kisses and bunny wishes. 

The Time We Picked Up A Hitchhiker.

Hello. Hello. Hello.
I'm back again after another unannounced retreat but all for good reason this time, Bryan and I were on vacation. Woot! Woot! I posted about it months ago and shared our intentions of heading out on the road for a two week road trip across the East Coast and we did it.

Yes. Hours upon hours stuck within inches of each other with nothing but radio, playlists, and shit talking. Though some may think being stuck with their spouse for that long would be a nightmare, we actually had an awesome time. Something about only being with each other and only having each other to rely on brings us closer and Bry becomes super husband. So much more attentive and caring and I ate it up.

Enough of that mushy gushy though. I'll recap the rest of our trip (with a million photos) within the next couple days but I had to share this story first, because I think it is one you will enjoy.

So by the title you can only imagine the craziness that we could have encountered, but it's not quite what you think. This hitchhiker is setting up shop and hitching a ride in my uterus until at least the New Year.

Surprise! Surprise!

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!

And adding yet another blog baby to the roster this year. It's a blog baby boom and I'm thrilled to be finally joining the ranks. I will be sharing all the good stories of how we found out and told everyone but I will wait until after our second appointment, this Wednesday, to share the new pictures and so on. We're excited and it's been a hard 12 weeks, keeping this mum from the blog world. But here we are and there he or she is. Welcome little one. 

Dippin' Dots & Cotton Candy

Amongst the rides, games, and funnel cakes, I don't know what makes me love amusement parks as much as cotton candy and Dippin' Dots ice cream. Hello sugary goodness, please come and rot my teeth and jack me up for the rest of the day.

Oh, and that is what I did.

We had our company picnic last week at one of our favorite amusements and it was a gorgeous day to enjoy the company of my coworkers and even more so, my sister, BIL, and niece. And look at our company shirts, bright much? They sure wanted to keep dibs on us in the park with those colors. :)

But I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
A company picnic photo dump.

This ferris wheel has to be my favorite of all, and one of my favorite rides to photograph.
So bright and beautiful.

Hospice.

I don't even know how to start this post.
The words are there but there is an emptiness that accompanies them.

My uncle is dying.
The chemo and radiation isn't working. The doctors say there is no more that they can do.
The lung cancer isn't being affected by the treatments.
Hospice is being brought in.

That is the news that sent shock waves through my family on Monday and has brought countless tears over this last week. We knew that he had alot working against him (diabetes, weak heart) but there was still a glimmer of hope that he would miraculously fight it and all would be right in our family again.

That isn't the case though and no matter how many prayers and pleads you send, you have that moment that you realize that this is all in God's hands and in God's timing. My mom is one of ten kids and though this is a horrible situation, it brings joy to see my family coming together again for my uncle. All the petty fights, arguments, and indifference's have been put aside and we are now focused on making my Uncle Bub happy.

Taking him out fishing. Going to get an ice cream. Telling silly jokes to make him laugh. Sitting close and holding hands. Eating donuts and enjoying a coffee. Getting a wheelchair for him, so we can get him out in the fresh air.

Making sure he lives his last days/months with happiness in his heart and memories to share with my Nan when he eventually meets her. This is what she wanted when she passed away. Her family and children spending quality time with each other and though it's under difficult circumstances, I am glad it's happening. So we will come together. Form bonds and memories and make my uncle as happy and comfortable as we possibly can.

We will celebrate him and his life because I refuse to mourn someone who isn't deceased. This is his life and though one chapter might be closing, we still have time to write the final paragraphs.

Love you Uncle Bub and I will be down this afternoon to tell you some vulgar stories that I know you will enjoy! :)

Goals Of Spring & Housewarming

This weekend my sister Mon was finally able to show off the house that her and my BIL have been waiting so long for. They bought their new house in October of last year but sadly during one of their renovations of the house there was a accident that caught their kitchen on fire. It luckily put it self out before it engulfed the whole house but there was extensive damage throughout the house. So for the last couple of months they've been staying with her SIL and this past week they finally got everything unpacked and ready to welcome guests.

It was beautiful weekend and I think they were happy to be surrounded by friends and family. I took my camera along for good measure but only caught a couple of shots before the sangria kicked in and the camera went night night.

Despite it being a little chilly Saturday, the sunlight and company made me feel all types of spring-sh. 

Conversations on the patio. Sangria in my hand. Sun shining. Horse shoes being thrown. 

It was a good atmosphere and brought me back to all the thing I want to accomplish this Spring. 

House:                                             Health:

- Paint the Master bedroom                                            - Continue going to Zumba 2x/ a week 

- Paint the Guest Bedroom                                              - Pack lunch every day for work

- Paint the 2nd Floor Hallway                                          - Drink atleast 8 glasses a water a day                                       

- Buy new throw pillows for the sectional                         - Take Mia for a long walk atleast 4x/ a week 

- Refinish TV Console Table                                            - Start using portion control during dinners 

- Pull weeds/ Put grass seed down                                   - Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into diet

- Sweep and decorate front porch                                    - Start a food journal 

- Hang pictures in the dining room.                                    - No soda or junk food at work

Relationships:                                 Blog:

- Put phone down more when relaxing with B                    - Go through and relabel posts

- Have Mom & Me dates atleast once a month          - Clean up post areas

- Go yard sale-ing with Tara atleast 5x                              - Swap with more blog friends

- Call and visit Nan more                                                  - Put together FAQS page 

- Schedule play dates with my nephews and nieces            - Make a vlog

- Have more date days with B                                           - Have a giveaway (old school style) 

- Do something 'special' for each person in my life              - Organize Bloglovin' groups

- Start a memories journal                                                 - Have fun!!!

I think that's about it. Kinda looks like much as I look at it now but while I'm on this productivity kick I miswell roll with it and try to get shizz done. Good time management will be my friend as I try to accomplish these. Wish me luck.

Do you have any Spring Goals?!?

Pastels and Puffy Tails

This extended weekend has flown by and I'm pretty bummed to be heading back to work tomorrow. Why does it seem that when you have extra days off, they just seem to disappear but when your dredging through the work week, it moves slower than a turtle stuck in syrup? 

Now that Spring/Easter Break is over, I will count down to summer vacation and to our East Coast road trip. It can't come soon enough, but I'm trying to enjoy the myself in the moment. Right? Have to stop wishing our lives way. So with that, I want to share our weekend in pictures and let me tell you they're some pretty cute faces coming up. 

 On Saturday morning B and I headed down to my sister and BIL's new house to help them move in but I had to duck out early to go meet my other sister T for a Easter egg hunt with my nephews. We were thankful that it was a sunny and beautiful day but let me tell you, I don't think I could ever do that again. It was fun for my nephew G, but a bunch of kids hopped up on sugar running around wrecklessly...yeahhhhhh. I'll admit I also lost my nephew. Somewhere in the mix of the kids running around after the hunt he escaped my eyesight but thank God my sister was close by and grabbed him. 

I love those boys and even though there were a few mini meltdowns, it was a good day and there is even a playground tour date scheduled for my big boy. 

On Saturday afternoon we headed down to my sister M's new house again to celebrate and eat Easter dinner with them. M's MIL made dinner and though we had to wash the pots and pans in the bathroom sink, the meal came together beautifully. B doesn't eat ham so there was even some turkey there for him, a definite plus. 

Delicious food and that sexy face, yeah, I'd call Easter a success. 

The pups, Mia and Bella, even got in on the fun with a doggy Easter egg hunt. 

Almost every year my sister gets the pups together and has a small Easter egg hunt in the yard for the dogs. Filling the eggs with dog treats and having Em 'hide' them in yard, the dogs have a blast and let there little nose go crazy finding there treats.

It was a fun day filled with great food and family and that's all I could ask for.

Hope everyone else had a equally awesome holiday! 

I Love This Kid...That Is All.

Sometimes rolling down hills makes things all right in the world.
#truth.

A Beauty Was Born Today...

And that beauty just happens to be my oldest sister, Tara.

Thirty one years ago and through a long labor my mom pushed that pretty face out.

I obviously came four years later, but this lady has been looking out for me since the beginning.

Love you sissy. 

♥♥♥

Boys & Their Toys

My nephew Gavin holds my heart in his tiny hands and whenever I can pull myself away from my couch and work, I try to attend his events and support his activities and sports. 

He just became a Boy Scout this year and he absolutely loves it. 

G has such a tender heart and it fills me up seeing how happy he gets around his peers and doing all those typical 'boy things'. 

Let's not forget this awkward age where you ask them to smile for a picture and you get this forced 'I'mscaredbutI'msmiling' type of smile.

Kids I tell ya.

But I did get an actual smile out of him, when he got a participation trophy (he sobbed when he got eliminated) and certificate.

God, I love that smile. 

The Next Baby I See Deliver Better Be My Own...

It all began on Thursday afternoon, when I got a call from my mom that my cousin K would be admitted and induced that afternoon while I was work. Being the worry wart that I am, I rushed to cancel eye appointments, to fly home and get my camera and to get down to the hospital ASAP, so I would not miss the birth of my new niece. 

Yes, I said niece, because even though me and K are only 'technically' cousins, we grew up together and we're pretty much raised as sisters, along with my sister T, from K's birth.  

So there I went, headed to the hospital with my comfiest of clothes, and waited on the birth of newest member of the KIT clan. 

I am a foolish and very naive non mama for thinking that this would go easy peasy and Baby H would come walking out wanting to meet her Aunt Ivy. (ok, I'm not that naive....but wow this baby was a stubborn one) Thursday night came and went and Friday my sister and I returned to the hospital to K and my Aunt C, to prep and get ready for the induction and wait for the magic to happen.

And wait we did...

Allllllllllllllllllllllllll dayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Hours came and past as her Pitocin was increased, water was broke and as she slowly but surely inched here way through dilations. My oh my, people lied when they said she was supposed to go from 0 to 60 after the Pitocin. She was barely responding to anything.

She only looks happy in these pictures, because she just got an epidural.

I'm not even going to play with the Dr.'s when they ask me about...YES AND PLEASE. This little woman will be juiced up when she delivers, real talk.

K did awesome and finally around 11 she was dilated enough that the nurse wanted her to start pushing and see if she could make some lee way before the doctor came in. Luckily I was able to catch some sweet moments before the delivery...

It was a crazy time from when she started pushing till when Baby H made her way into the world.

Two hours of pushing and a heartbreaking time later, and it was decided K would need an C-section....it really was the best decision for her at that time...

After both K and my Aunt C were prepped for surgery, they rolled her back and the next time we would see her, she would a mama to this beautiful girl...

Welcome to the family baby girl, get ready for the craziness that is your family.

We love you so much already.