Superbowl XLIV

I'm not a football fan at all but I am a big fan of food and beer so I really enjoyed the Superbowl party at our friends, Stacey and Mark's house last night.

Yum!

500 Yards In 12 Minutes

Our friend, Chad, has Coast Guard duty here in Charleston for the next two weeks and in his off time he challenged Trent to swimming 500 yards in 12 minutes. Chad won (Trent wants everyone to know that it was not by much!) and took great pride in his victory beer afterwards.

Living On The Edge

Look who knows how to climb on and off the couch now! It's apparently exhausting work that warrants a midway nap.

Happy Birthday Connor

Currier's BFF, Connor, turned 4 yesterday and his mom, Jessica, threw a wicked cool Sponge Bob Squarepants party complete with an awesome Sponge Bob cake and jumpy castle. Now Currier's already talking about his 4th birthday and how he wants a Sponge Bob theme. We'll see how many times that theme changes in the next 4 months!

Relaxing and Pampering

Our good friends, Chad and Najah, came and spent the weekend with us. We started their visit off with hot wings, cocktails and poker in to the wee hours of Saturday morning. On Saturday everyone slept in (except for me and the kids of course- grr!) and then since it was a crappy, rainy day we had no choice but to pamper ourselves with lunch out, pedicures, pizza and a movie. It was a relaxing, fun visit and it was so good to catch up with friends from our Sicily days.

Rohe Rohe Rohe Your Boat

The Rohes came and spent the weekend with us. They arrived late Thursday evening so we let a very excited Currier stay up for their arrival kicking off a weekend of fun, video games, fort building, bike riding and serious cousin shenanigans. On Friday Christopher took care of the kids while Kathy and Trent came with me to my doctor's appointment and Friday evening we celebrated with a steak dinner and too much to drink.

On Saturday we all went to Currier's football game to cheer him on. After the game we had a great lunch at Red's Ice House on Shem Creek. We shared a couple buckets of oysters, a Lowcountry boil, she crab soup, lobster dip, some cocktails and a lot of laughs.

And then the boys went to Blackbeard's Cove to play mini golf and ride the go carts while the girls went back to the house for a long afternoon nap. It was a great visit and we all can't wait to see the Rohes again soon! Maybe in a few weeks?

Health Scare

It's been a scary couple of weeks for me as I dealt with the possibility that I may have cancer. It all started a few months ago when I went to the chiropractor for sciatic nerve pain (still hurts from my pregnancy with Rya) and something showed up in my neck on the x-ray. I then went to my doctor for blood work and an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed my thyroid was enlarged and there was a nodule on my thyroid or parathyroid. Fast forward a few weeks and a referral and I'm sitting in the office of an oncologist. ON-FREAKING-COLOGIST!

The days surrounding the appointment were difficult and stressful and took my mind to some dark places. My appointment was on Friday afternoon and thankfully Friday evening I received news that I DO NOT have cancer. It's hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) which can sometimes cause a pseudo tumor and a whole list of symptoms that I've been experiencing... weight gain, hair loss, depression, facial swelling etc. My next step is to see an endocrinologist to discuss hormone replacement medication or natural supplements. I'm sharing this with you, my dear Internet friends, because I know this is a common disease and I need advice. So hit me with it please!

This experience has been humbling and has made me so grateful. I hug my kids a little tighter now and I'm sending you, my readers, a big virtual hug. Thank you for being a part of my life and thank you for reading my blog.

Friday Favorites- Hangover Baby T-Shirt

My cousin Cheryl gave this awesome t-shirt to Trent. This past weekend he was wearing it and Currier's teacher stopped by the house on her walk to say hello. She said, "That's a funny shirt" and Trent said, "Yeah, my wife's cousin gave it to me" and she said, "Wow... and you're wearing it?" She obviously hasn't seen the best movie of the year. Happy Friday!

Double Booked

My cousin Cheryl came down to Charleston for a quick visit. She arrived on Saturday just in time for Currier's flag football game in the rain and of course some serious tailgating before and after.

We also hit the Daniel Island Grill to make our own Bloody Marys. YUM!

Carrie and Hilde also came to visit at the same time which was nice since they have heard so much about Cheryl and vice versa. It was a weekend full of laughs, football games, hot wings, tailgating and so much love that we had to open up the windows and let a little out because it was suffocating.

Bye To The Bottle

Hello. My name is Rya Diane and it's been three whole days since I've had a bottle. I made the switch to a sippy cup cold turkey. My mom made me throw all the bottles (except for 2 emergency ones that I don't know about!) in the trash this morning to signify that I'm a big girl now and no longer a baby. Really, my mom just doesn't want to wash bottles anymore. Bye bye Bubba.

A Little Fresh Air

After being cooped up in the house with an illness and freezing temps for over a week, today we finally got out for some fresh air. We went to the Isle of Palms to walk on the beach, feed the seagulls (straight from our hands!) and collect some seashells. I'm so happy to be feeling better and finally have some warmer weather... Now it's time to start working on those resolutions!

When Mama is Sick...

we stay in our pajamas all day. We put the blow up mattress behind the bed and build a fort. We watch movies on the portable DVD player. We drink lots of fluids and rest and try to get better. This cold is kicking my butt but moments like this make it not so bad.

L 'Epifania

The kids woke to find Befana, the good witch, this morning! According to Italian folklore, Befana brings treats to all the good boys and girls on the last day of the holiday season, Epiphany. She brought them Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs DVD and some candy. Turns out to be the perfect gift for today because I have a wicked cold so we're skipping preschool and the gym and curling up on the couch to cuddle and watch our new movie.

Trent's Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Trent's 38th birthday last night at Yamato Japenese Steak House with our good friends the Buelks and the Aukamps. The reservation was for 6 adults and 7 kids. We were a little nervous to be out numbered by the little people but all the kids behaved and it was a really fun evening... Sake shots, an entertaining chef, hot tea, delicious food, good company, cupcakes and a Buddha gong! Happy Birthday Trent. We love you.