For Posterity

I wrote to a friend from high school today, who asked how life was with three boys.  Here is an excerpt from my response.  After reading it over, I found my words to be rather telling and great for documenting my beloved boys and life as we know it right now in Gasperini-Ville.  It is important for me to take note of such things as the days pass.  I hope to one day look back on this time and reflect on the beauty and simplicity of these days!  For my dear readers, it offers you an additional glimpse into our little world...

"Otherwise, we are doing well and are super busy, as one might expect. My house never feels clean enough and nothing ever feels completely together, but we are happy and that means more than anything else. I'm having to give up perfectionism, which is hard after 30 years of knowing it as the only way. Oh life! :) One thing for certain: I am learning something new about myself every day; motherhood is no joke! :)

The boys are growing in leaps and bounds and are the cutest. T (2) spilled milk on himself yesterday while we were out and proceeded to finish his lunch before saying to me, "Mommy, I'm full of milk." What a dear! He was soaked, but never complained. Love him! :) We took out a pic of me at his age the other day and it was scary how much we looked like one another--GG responded, "Well, I guess my genes had nothing to do with that one!" lol.

M (4 on Feb. 5th) is absolutely strong-willed, dramatic, and full of personality. We expect him to take over the world someday. No problem for him. He is fiercely passionate and devoted to everything he deems important, especially his brothers. Pretty cute, yet he gives me an absolute run for my money!! I love him dearly!

And finally, J, (6mos. on the 5th) is by chance the sweetest baby on the planet. He is EASY, which is a saving grace for me. He smiles all the time and goes to sleep on his own and is quite content doing his own thing during the waking hours! God bless him! And he is CHUNKY as anything and loves his milk. Good boy. I could have a million more of him!! :) Isn't that scary?"

Have a blessed Friday!

Rather Than Exercising

I thought I'd log on and talk to you! I had planned to do an aggressive 6-miler tonight on our gym's treadmill. After a later boy bedtime and daddy home arrival, though, I became less and less motivated. And now, here I sit; not running, not ellipticalling, drinking a Diet Coke, and eating M&M's. Oh, Lord help me!! :)

Thanks for being my excuse! TGIF!

A Change Will Do You Good

Thanks to Carolina Girl over at Lowcountry Fayes, I've been inspired toward a new blog design.  Like I really needed to be doing this today!!  Oh well, it's done! :)  I tried on a lot of different templates, so let me know if you like/dislike anything about this one in particular.  We aim to please over here in Gasperini-Ville! :)  God Bless!

Ed. note: I am planning to add back our title "Gasperini-Ville: A Small Town Growing in God's Grace" as soon as I get to it...  Thanks to those who inquired!

Rota Baby

Does this guy look sick to you? :)

Despite having been vaccinated against Rota-Virus, it appears Baby J and Gasperini-Ville will endure the dreaded bug once again!  Poor little J has awoken two mornings-in-a-row to vomit and general yuckiness, yet he smiles on through.  Later this morning he presented his mom and dad an *incredible* diaper gift that blew us away!!  I have never used so many wipes on one diaper change in my life!  lol.  Chalk it up to parenting, poo, and everything in-between! :)

Thankfully, the bug does seem to be a little less violent than in the past.  As a 1-year-old, our poor M suffered through for 10+ days, but now at 4 years seems to be a champ at fighting off the potential effects.  T (also vaccinated) showed a few signs last week; GG also temporarily dealt with it the other night.  Fun fun!  Meanwhile, Mom is hanging out, waiting to see what the rest of the week brings!  Pray for us!

God bless,

Ode to Coffee

On a day like today, there was only one thing on my mind as I rolled out of bed--my cup of saving grace coffee!!  lol.  I penned this little ditty as the caffeine coursed through my limp and dragging soul!!  Enjoy! :)

Oh coffee, my coffee,

surge through my veins.

Spoil me with gusto

and give me caffeine.

How would I make it 

without you today

with chores beckoning

and laundry at bay?

Help me, oh coffee,

you sweet, bitter pill

Wake me and keep me

According to His Will.

For on this lone Monday

to my coffee I cling.

The day's sweet fruition

my coffee will bring.

;)

Jammie Boys

Reporting Live from the Kitchen

Happy Friday all... Is it me or does it feel awesome to have this work week over with?! I have pure excitement thinking about the weekend to come--and for absolutely no reason. We have nothing going on, but its probably because of our pending downtime that I'm most thrilled!! Nothing like time at home with our boys; getting back to our family and our roots. Good stuff.

M and T currently sit at the table, eating their quesadillas and mac and cheese leftovers, respectively. They have already consumed their gummy vitamins and vanilla yogurt, soon to be moving onto pretzel chips and dessert ("dess-ess-ert" according to T :). It is a good day.

Baby J is sleeping upstairs, conquering nap #2 of 3 for the day. He is slowly falling into more regular daytime sleep patterns, with nap#1 at 9am and the two others following around 12 and 3'ish. Not too shabby. Last night he rewarded us with sleep from 7pm-5am. Pinch me?

The weather outside is nearing 60F and beckons us to a nearby playground. Yes!! Even though the reports claim colder temps in our future, this warm respite will not be squandered. I will frolic in the sunshine today and thank God for you, friends, loved ones, and internet acquaintances. It is a blessed one.

Is It Wednesday Already? Part II

Gosh, deja vu for a second week-in-a-row! Did someone pull one over on me again, or is it really Wednesday again already? These days are flying!!

It doesn't surprise me, though, after our MLK Jr. weekend adventures in Boston. We arrived home Monday night at 11:30pm only to gather ourselves briefly before plunging into inaugural Tuesday and life again with our three boys. Glad to have yesterday checked off my list! :) Whew!

First things first, our trip to Boston was SUCH fun. We were able to see best Princeton pals, Max, Jess, and their adorable daughter, Carolina. Sunday we all planned to head to Maine and Moose Pond, site of GG's boyhood camp, but heavy snow prevented us from making it there. Instead, we had a blast hanging in Cambridge and getting quality time together! Anyone who hasn't played The Settlers of Catan should rush out immediately and buy the world's most popular board game.  (Jess and Max, I'll trade you a wheat for an ore? :)  We played rigorously and took breaks to adore our little ones, Baby J and sweet baby C. They are two weeks apart and edibly cute! During our time, we also celebrated Jess' 29th and enjoyed husband pampering with a delicious brunch Monday morning! Too cute! :) 

Our scrumptious brunch

The beloved chefs

M and T had a wonderful weekend here with Mimi and Papa, traveling near and far to have adventures of their own.  Apparently, our M is more schooled than we think--"Who is the next president?" they asked.  "President Obama," he replied.  "And who is his wife?" they again asked.  "Mrs. Obama," his dutiful response.  lol.  A little scary and interesting all at the same time! :)  I will note that he was very interested in the inaugural proceedings yesterday and insisted on eating his lunch in view of the TV.  A budding politico?  Perhaps.  Definitely Gasperini through and through (without a drop of my family!)  lol.

Blessings to you all this Wednesday!  

To Boston We Go

GG, Baby J, and I are heading out for the holiday weekend!  Fun pics and adventurous tales when we return.  God bless for an awesome weekend!

New Years Resolution Waning?

Head here to catch some workout motivation!  

Let's go!!!!!  Happy Friday!!!!

We're a Little Backward

Most parents hide their children's peas in mashed potatoes.

Tonight we did the reverse.

We had to entice M to eat his mashed potatoes by adding peas.

And he did it!

Can you figure?  

Only my children. :)

Wednesday Already?

My apologies for being so distant this week!  I really have a hard time believing it's Wednesday already!!  Craziness...  Must be that I'm still coming down from SUCH a wonderful birthday weekend.  If turning 30th was this good, I'm up for all the birthdays in the future (even if it means I'm years older!  Cheers to increasing wisdom, right?) :)

GG and I had a wonderful, peaceful dinner out on Friday night.  No big parties, no fancy gifts, just the two of us, together and able to chat over dinner.  That's my kind of celebration.  We've gratefully realized each of us has a "sharing time" love language than trumps many of the others.  This is a real blessing because we're often on the same page when it comes to birthdays and holidays!  We ended the night at Mimi and Papa's (where the three boys were sleeping) and ended up sleeping over!!  It almost felt like we were away at a bed and breakfast.  Not too shabby! :)

After a 9-miler on Saturday morning, followed by a lovely afternoon shopping, I headed to Fredericksburg to meet some awesome friends from our years at Notre Dame.  We each drove halfway and met in the middle to celebrate my b-day!  These ladies are *incredible* women and it was absolutely such a heartwarming time seeing them.  They spoiled me with dinner, gifts, balloons, wine, and lots of love.  I felt so special.  Praise be to God for sisters in Christ on this road of life!!  He is so good to me.

Since then, we've all been laying low, focusing on life in Gasperini-Ville.  We are setting into place some new household systems, which I can't wait to write about in coming weeks!  So far, so good!!  Blessings to you mid-week!  Hope you have a great day...

On A Birthday

So today is my 30th birthday! Not bashful about it, just rather frank about the fact that I've officially crossed over to "the other side". :) To make my oldness even more pronounced, I injured my lower back the other day reaching into our minivan to lift out a heavy bag. Ugh! In one swift move, my mobility was hampered and my age, ever apparent! Thankfully Pappy W, my father and physical therapist extraordinaire, came to the rescue over the phone with some exercises and general advice to take it easy! No prob! :)

In Gasperini-Ville, we have a few things to report.  The first is that our 2-year T has moved out of the crib onto a crib mattress on the floor.  Daddy made a quick moment decision the other night at bedtime and since, T has had much happier to-sleep times than ever before!  We are thinking this is a good thing...  Now, if we could just get him to start napping again during the day and sleeping through the night without occasional wake-ups!  The two are definitely related and we are committed to coming up with a solution that solves our sleep woes!  To be continued... :)

First bite--AHH!

Secondly, Baby J is eating solids!  We *finally* got to the store for the rice cereal and no sooner had I dished it up, than he took it down in gulps.  He even reached out during the meal to usher the spoon directly to his mouth!  lol. :)  One and a half bowls later, he was a sated little fella.  We are thrilled to welcome the little man into the eating contingent of our family!  Happier days are ahead for all of us.  :)

And finally, we were overjoyed to have my best friend from college and her three kiddos down yesterday and today for a quick visit!  All being on the east coast now, it is so exciting that trips like these will be more possible in the future!  Thanks, Red, for an awesome time...  The kids played well and enjoyed having some extra buddies around.  Baby J loved seeing his godmama, as did I revel in the chance to see my little godson, Gus, who turns one tomorrow!  Pretty cool that we share almost-birthdays with one another. :)

Red and I

All 6 kiddos together!

Red reading to the kids last night--they were cracking up over Winchell, the tooting pig!

Charlie and T, two peas in a pod

So for now, it's off to an evening of fun.  M heads to a friend's b-day party followed by an evening of fun with his brothers and Mimi and Papa (thank you, M and P!).  GG and I are off for a nice dinner together out to celebrate all this grand joy in our lives.  

Praise God for the opportunity to live and breathe in His Glorious Kingdom for 30 years.  I pray for another 30-- My Maker knows best! :)  TGIF!!

Christmastide in Full Effect

Here are some of our Gasperini-Ville Christmas shots to cheer your day!!

Happy Wednesday...

Groove With Me?

I'm surely doing a jig tonight--I've reached my $1900 dollar goal!!  Amazing!  Praise God!

Notice the "Jiggy With It!" groove section to the right--will you dance with me for my grandpa?  What joy!!  You'll see its an old Michael Jackson fave.  Just love his music.  I know, I'm a crazy B-mama!

Many thanks to all of my incredible donors so far--Garrett, Dina, Mary, Josh and Lindsey, Blair, Courtney, Silvia, Jenica and family, Graeme, Susie and family, Jaime, Uncle Gerard and family, Aunt Bon and family, Matt and Elizabeth, Brad and Katie, The Bradley Family, Jason and Grace, The Fighter Family, Karen, Katherine and family, Deepa, Aunt Margaret and family, Cris, Rhonda and John, Jess and Max, Uncle Mike and Aunt Marsha, Connor, Ryan and Caitlin, Julie, Krissy, Mimi and Papa, and my parents. You all are beyond incredible!!

I'm still going strong and would be so thrilled to get the last 5 gifts to reach my 30 gifts by Friday.  In the end, this is about raising money to fight cancer!  The sky's the limit!! :)  

BIG, dancin' hugs tonight,

**As of 10am Tuesday, January 6th, we are 31 donations STRONG!  Just wonderful!  THANK YOU!!!!

Five Months!

Can you believe it's been 5 months since this little guy graced our lives?

What an absolute blessing he's been from day 1!  Happy 5 Baby J!!

He's really been coming alive these days--laughing with his brothers, sleeping with a soft blue bear, kicking at the water out of the faucet while getting his bath, chattering with me often, slobbering and gnawing on everything, nursing like a pro, even sleeping pretty well (though in the midst of a growth spurt and eating like a fiend!).  J delights wherever he goes and is hardly selfish with his smiles--already a social bug!  He brings absolute joy to our family and we can't imagine life without him!!  Tonight we start rice cereal--woo hoo, Baby J!!  

*Baby J would like me to share that we are $80 from our $1900 goal for my race!  I am wonderfully overwhelmed and grateful.  The kids are especially thankful because you've spared them a stressed-out mama. :)   7 gifts to go 'til the 9th!!

Moving Forward

If only I was still as fast as 

when I was a hs freshman!  Glory Days! :)  lol.

Today I ran 10.5 miles with my team.  One of my running buddies is a woman named Anne.  Anne lost her only child, her son, 8 years ago to Leukemia.   He was a senior in high school and survived only six months from diagnosis.  Anne runs for him every day.  She is a heroine to me, but has suffered greatly since her son's passing-- an eating disorder, anxiety, extreme depression.  A blood cancer took away her only love in the world.  This year was the first year she was able to put up a Christmas tree.  Day by day; one step at a time.   She is also running the Shamrock Half-marathon and I'm honored to call her a teammate!

I was psyched, ready, and eager to run today thanks to the big fundraising push I've had going on in the last two days.  I plan to call Mickey later and let him know how great the support for him has been.  He will definitely cry.  That's my grandpa.

So here's the skinny: $835 left to raise.  I turn 30 this Friday, January 9th.  NEW GOAL: 30 donors by my 30th.  We have 10 down... 20 more donors to go!!!!  WE CAN DO IT!!!!  

Who's going to join us????  Is it you?

Hugs and warmth from Gasperini-Ville,

**Update Sunday 1/4: Awesome awesomeness!  You are rockin' it!!  $1375 raised to fight cancer with 16 donations since New Year!! $525 left to raise and 14 more gifts to reach 30 by my 30th!!!  Thank you so much!!!

***6pm: 4 more gifts in--10 to go to reach the goal!  You all are amazing!  I'm feeling loved--thanks so much!

****11pm: 2 more--$1570 raised, 22 gifts; $330 and 8 gifts to go!  Can I share how awesome this is?  I am just floored!  Praise God for all the amazing and generous hearts out there!  xoxo

Think About It

One of my 2009 goals: Yuengling Shamrock Half-Marathon
with Team In Training through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Current Stats: $715 raised, $1185 to go. Please consider joining my support team!!

When is it? March 22, 2009
Who? B-MAMAAAAAAAAAA :)
Why? For my grandfather, Mickey, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Is there hope? We just learned he is in remission!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise GOD!!

**Nine by the 9th: I'm aiming to get 9 more donors by January 9th! One down, 8 to go!!!
***Update 1/2 8am: 3 more donors--5 to go until Jan. 9th (my 30th birthday!!) $840 total, $1060 to go!!!

****Update 1/2 10:45am: 2 more donors--3 to go until Jan. 9th!  $915 total, $985 to go!!!  WAY TO GO EVERYONE!  THANK YOU!!

*****Update 1/2 noon: 1 more donor--2 'til Jan 9th!!  We can make it!  Thank you!

******Update 7pm: 10 donors in the last 24 hours--thank you!!  $1065 raised, $835 to go!!!  I'll be back tomorrow with a new goal!  Thank you to everyone.  You all are awesome! :)