Looks like We're Moving

I am going to be moving my blog from blogger to a locally hosted site operated by some friends. I've been working on a new look and putting it all together, but this will be the last post on this site. Please update your bookmarks to the new site: http://www.dublogs.com/cristina1/

Stop on by and let me know what you think of it so far. I can't wait to hear your comments!

They say it's your birthday....

Today is my 29th (again and again and again) birthday and the boys are more excited about it than I am. I woke up this morning to them quietly creating birthday cards for me. Then they gave me endless hours of stories - silly things that they created in their imaginations - to entertain me.

And they wanted to make me a birthday cake, which I thought was sweet. I helped them bake the cake, but gave them full control over decorations. They even mixed colors of frosting using food coloring. What resulted was a cake with white sides, a mint green top, and mixes of frosting that would have been great for a 70's theme party. Looking at the cake, all it needs are peace signs and trippy flowers. It's the best cake that I ever had!

The boys were a little confused that I am 29 yet again this year. I explained that women stay at 29 for quite some time. My oldest is proud that we are getting closer in age each year. Ain't kids grand?

Now the boys are patiently awaiting my "party." I hope they realize that the only guests will be our immediate family. It's all I need to make my birthday complete.

Dusting off the old blog

Well, I decided to dust off the old blog and begin writing again. 2008 is looking to be a special year, and writing about all that happens should be fun.

We had Jay's whole family visit us for the holidays, plus my parents. There were people everywhere, but it appears that everyone had a great time. We even had my BIL (an ordained minister who always looked down at drinking) doing some shots. "Some" probably isn't a good word - that man put away quite a bit of vodka while he was here.

We have two pregnancies in the family now - one SIL is due in June and the other is due in August. Jay and I are keeping our fingers crossed for girls. Between both sides of our family there are 8 boys and 2 girls, so we are way off balance. Having my little niece Hannah around was great. Jay spoiled her rotten and we tried hard to keep her, but her parents are just a little attached. LOL

Anyway, keep an eye out and I'll be posting as I get time.

We're Back!

The kids spent a week at my parents' house and we went and picked them up this weekend. All in all it seemed to go pretty well, except that the boys had basically NO RULES for the entire week. They are happy to be home, though, and I am happy to have them home. How quiet a kidless house is, even with two dogs running around.

It was GREAT to be back in NY even for such a short amount of time. I got to see some old friends, and we looked at all of the changes in town. Things are growing by leaps and bounds there, and there were some cool new stores and the road construction is all done. They did some great road improvements and traffic seems to flow a lot better than it has previously.

I really miss it there. I think the major thing I noticed though is how absolutely CLEAN it is. People take care of their stuff, stores make sure the windows and doors are spotless, the floors are sparking, and the signs are not all old and corroded. Even the "bad" neighborhoods seemed to look good to us - I still haven't figured out if they have been cleaning up their acts or if I got used to seeing what we see around here.

Jay and I also figured out that moving back is probably never going to happen with the cost of real estate there now, and it keeps just going higher and higher. The bubble was supposed to have burst last year, but yet, the prices are still going insane.

Zachary fit in with his friends like he never left, and seeing them was so good for him. I can't lie - I've missed his best friend, Schuyler, too. That kid is just awesome, and a great friend to Zachary. That's the kind of friend that you find once in a lifetime. I hope they continue to keep in touch.