"Big Girl Bed"

With our new baby soon approaching, Danny and I thought it was time for Grace to have her very own "big girl bed!" We were hesitant about getting a bed, because Grace always loved her crib! She never jumped out of it, and she always looked so cozy. However, once we picked out her princess bedding yesterday, she couldn't wait climb into her "big girl bed!" We picked up my day bed from LuLu and Pop's this afternoon. While Dan disassembled the bed, Grace and Andrew had fun visiting with Olivia and Nicky. Once we were home, Grace was in her glory as we began setting up her bed! She kept saying "Thank you, Mommy and Daddy! Thank you!," and she kept telling us how much she LOVES her new bed! I've never seen a child go to sleep so happy! I hope the transition will continue to go as smoothly as it did tonight! Now, the next step is to move Andrew into "the big kids room!" We briefly tried tonight, but I think we'll have to wait another week. I was a little teary eyed when I went in to check on Grace tonight, and she was snuggled up in her princess sheets. I can't believe my baby girl is so big! Sweet dreams sweetheart! I love you! xoxo

Grace and her favorite princess, Ariel

Ta Da! She LOVES her "big girl bed!"

Mission Accomplished ~ Sweet Dreams

Princess Finale

Grace enjoyed every minute of Princess Camp this Summer! I was so happy that they extended it an extra week. When I dropped her off on Monday, I wasn't sure if Grace was going to enjoy it as much because she only had 4 other girls in her class this week. However, it couldn't have been better. She got so much individual attention, and she loved learning new dances and making lots of different princess crafts including a beautiful tiara, personalized heart mirror, and butterfly sun catcher. I'm so happy that Grace is enjoying dance so much. She's constantly showing us her new moves, and whenever she talks about "dance class" she has the biggest smile on her face.

Before the show, Grace and her friends listened to a princess story.

Instead of crowns and wands, the "princesses" made their own glittery masks this week.

"Oh, I'm scooping up my baby bumblebee..."

Grace and Miss Sandi ~ We look forward to having Miss Sandi as Grace's "Creative Movement" teacher in September.

Grace had quite an audience this week!

Flowers for my princess! xoxo

Grace's "I'm a Little Teacup" dance... she has been showing this to everyone this Summer!

32 Week Ultrasound

It's hard to believe that our little sweetheart will be here in less than 2 months! At the ultrasound today, we found out that our Peanut isn't quite so little! The technician has predicted that our baby is already approximately 4 pounds, 13 ounces. They say that the estimate could be off a pound either way. So, it's looking like I won't make it to September 21st without being induced. In fact, I'm currently scheduled to have a c-section on Friday, September 16th at 7:30 AM because Peanut is breech. However, I'm confidant that this baby is going to turn:-) I'm hoping that when I go to my next appointment, on August 12th, they'll tell me our Peanut is in position! We're having fun guessing whether we're having a boy or a girl. I've been pretty confidant that it's a girl. However, when I went for my ultrasound today, the baby's heartrate was 138 and the baby was wide awake and very active. This leads me to think that we're possibly having a boy? Grace and Andrew are getting excited for their new sibling. I'm usually sporting some sort of sticker on my belly "for the baby." We're looking forward to meeting the newest member of our team, and we're praying for a healthy and happy baby!

Hello Joseph, Katherine, or Daniella! xoxo

Dana's Bachelorette Weekend

We just returned home from Dana's Bachelorette Weekend in Newport, RI. As the Matron of Honor, I was so happy that the weekend went so smoothly. Everything worked out perfectly! We enjoyed our stay at The Newport Marriott, which was in walking distance to all the restaurants, shops, and nightlife. Our dinners at The Mooring and 22 Bowen's were delicious! We stopped at The Red Parrot each night after dinner for one of their specialty drinks, which are served in a huge 32 ounce glass (my drink of choice this weekend was a club soda and cranberry). Friday night we headed to The Dockside, which had two fantastic bands playing. We had so much, and danced the night away (even me... I may be large, but I've still got moves). On Saturday night, we partied it up at One Pelham East. The band played a variety of great music, and we were entertained by trying to figure out if the lead singer was a male or female;-) Fortunately, we had beautiful weather, and we spent the majority of Friday and Saturday at the beach! We had lunch at the Atlantic Beach Club both days, and we all came home with a little color. We also visited The Rosecliff Mansion, which was gorgeous and coincidentally had a wedding dress exhibit on display. This was such a memorable weekend! It was great to see Dana enjoying herself! She partied like a rock star, and she did a great job with her scavenger hunt throughout Newport! I can't believe the wedding is next month! I'm looking forward to seeing all the girls again! We had a fabulous time together!

We kicked off our lunch at the ABC Bar on Friday with a big "Cheers to Dana the bride-to-be!"

The Friday night crew along the harbor

Before we were seated outside, we enjoyed a drink at the bar in The Mooring.

The view from our table

On Friday night, we kicked off the bachelorette party and celebrated Dana's 31st birthday!

On Saturday morning, we took a tour of The Rosecliff Mansion.

The Rosecliff

Group shot at the beach on Saturday (check out the bridal parties matching tanks)

Matron of Honor, Bride-to-be, Mother of the Bride, and Peanut!

Dana's box of memories

Saturday night group shot outside The Newport Marriott

The Colonna girls and The Gorilla at The Red Parrot

Happy Bachelorette Weekend to my little sister! May you and your Bag of Doughnuts enjoy a happy and healthy life together (wink, wink)! Love you! xoxo

Family Time at Sunny Hill

We just returned from a memorable 4 day, 3 night stay at Sunny Hill Resort in the Catskills. I've been going to Sunny Hill with my family for the past 30 something years (on and off). It's such a fantastic family resort, and we certainly enjoyed a whole bunch of family time. We had fun spending time with Uncle Ed, Edward, Shannon, Uncle Wally, Aunt Maylene, Wally, Nicky, Olivia, LuLu, and Pop! While vacationing at Sunny Hill, there are countless activities to enjoy including tons of rides, family movie night at the lake (this year we saw Gulliver's Travels), and Mr. Twisty, the magician. We also enjoyed lunch at the Pavilion, fishing at Lake Loree. and numerous trips to the pool and splash pad. The best part of the trip was watching Grace and Andrew spend time with their cousins! They all had so much fun together, and we can't wait to go back again next year!!!

When I was growing up, we used to beep and cheer each time we passed a Sunny Hill sign on our drive.

Ed, Dan, and Wally... beer upon arrival at the Sunny Hill pool

Splash Pad with Dad

Grace had fun in her new Tinkerbell tube.

The parks at Sunny Hill are fantastic!

Riding on the big firetruck

Grace on the Military Truck with some of the Klein girls:-)

1st night in a big girl bed!

Andrew enjoyed the goats at Sunny Hill Farm.

Cousins:-)

Andrew's 1st solo ride on a carousel

They even have face painting!

We made at least one trip to the slash pad and pool everyday.

My Godson, Edward, is so cute with all the kids, and they're all crazy about him!!! He's the best 13 year old ever!

After our lunch at the pavilion, Grace and Olivia had fun on the swings.

Grace's 1st time fishing! We caught 4 fish, and the largest fish was the one that Grace caught all by herself. It was so heavy that it actually broke her princess fishing rod!

Here it is! The Sunny that broke the rod!

Andrew can't wait to fish next year, too!

I used to ring this breakfast/lunch/dinner bell when I was their age, too!

My Godson won the golf scramble!

They had endless fun at this park!

He's constantly on the go! I don't think I'll have to join a gym for years!

Andrew was able to climb all the way to the top of the Rocket Ship Park (check out the far left).

My niece, Shannon, and Grace

The cousins were inseparable at Sunny Hill:-)

Super Star Wally... he got 2 ribbons at lunch!

Andrew's silly face

Buddies

Family time at the pool!

The Klein/Colonna Klan (minus the Denis Klein family)

The shirt that says it all... Wally and Ed came up with matching "The Irish Guido's" golf shirts for the Thursday tournament. My Dad's was my favorite:-)

Last ride on the Sunny Hill "Choo Choo" with LuLu