• personal,  travel

    hellooooo…from florida

    Is anyone still out there and reading?

    Just stopped in to say hi and let you know that I'm still alive. I am thoroughly enjoying my much needed vacation in South Florida. Not been doing much other than sitting in the sun, going in the pool, eating and sleeping. A lot of sleeping especially- I've been getting about 10-11 hrs a night. I guess I have a lot of making up to do seeing that I was getting an average of about 5.5hrs a night for the last 4 months! 

    Sorry in advance, but the weather has been perfect. Around 80 and sunny everyday so far, with the heated pool at about 85 degrees. The boys have been having a blast- in the pool all day every day. We even went to the beach across the street today for a bit. Timmy seems all better (but really, who knows if he is. I didn't know he had 'meumonya' when he did, so it's really a mystery). He's been having a great time in the big pool this year, swimming around like crazy. He falls alseep in the car on the way to dinner every single night. Tonight we had dinner with Kevin Harms and Candace at the infamous all you can eat sushi restaurant we love. Seafood handrolls…..yum! I will SO be going back to Weight Watchers when I get home. If I come home. It's just way too nice here.

    I've now finished 5 books so far on the Kindle (yeah, love that thing!!!). The Gold Coast, The GateHouse (both Nelson DeMille), Private, Cross Country (James Patterson), and Your Heart Belongs to Me (Dean Koontz). Now reading Just Before Sunset (Stephen King) and hope to have that done by tommorrow night.

    We have the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, going to visit Kevin and family in Boca on Saturday, trying to hit Gulfstream for some horse races sometime after 1/3/09 when it opens, and lots more lying in the sun/swimming in the pool/eating/sleeping. But that's it on the big plans.

    Hope everyone is well and enjoying their Christmas/Hanukah gifts! Sorry no pictures to post. There are two reasons for that:

    1. I have no way to download the pictures from the camera to this computer and no editing software either.  And…

    2. I haven't taken the camera out of the bag. Not even once.

    But I will before we leave. You'll just have to wait to see the pictures of paradise until I get home. I'm sure that's upsetting.

  • personal

    merry christmas

    IMG_1697b Xmasdetails board

    Some scenes from Christmas. Got some new picture ornaments made which were so cute. Had to get extras cause the boys wanted some for their trees too. I didn't take any pictures of them opening gifts…trying to be in the moment. They all cleaned up like crazy.

    Jack & Patrick: Wii music, Wii My Sims Kingdom, Wii backyard football, Nintendo DS backyard football, Nintendo DS Star Wars Clone Wars, Nintendo carry cases, football jerseys, football hats, Target gcs, GameStop gcs, tons of books, Mets Kids Club stuff, shirts, a football, some itunes gcs (and more to come from Santa in Florida tonight & for the remaining nights of Hanukah…)

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    Timmy: Imaginext Batcave with every single extra figure made, Batship, a space shuttle with accessories, Star Wars shirts, some books, a super cool Marble structure (thanks aunt gail and uncle joe even if it took me all night to get it together!!) (and still more to come in Florida…)

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    John: a new jacket, an electric razor, some pictures, a book, some Tums (in his stocking), a macy's gc (thanks Katie)and everything else that he asked for he has since gone and purchased himself. Which drives me crazy just like every other christmas.

    Beth: a kindle (ok, the best present EVER. It's like an ipod for books. You download whatever book you want from Amazon and read them on this thing. And its not backlit like a computer screen- it's electronic ink so theres no eye strain. There are like 100,000 books to choose from and you can download them via 'whispernet' which works like a cell phone/blackberry from the amazon store to the kindle in like 30 seconds. I already downloaded 5 books so I'm all set for Florida. I pinked it all up so no boys in this house would get any ideas and try to steal it!! You know they wouldn't want to be caught reading a PINK kindle!), some slippers, a frame, some chocolate, a gc to victoria secret, a gc to the Garden City Hotel for a massage, itunes gc, a wallet (thanks Katie!)

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    Family presents: Wii Fit, a DisneyWorld Magic Kingdom Board game (I can't wait to play that!!), KungFu Panda, the Furious 5, Wall-e, and Veggie Tales the Pirates who don't do anything DVD's. And about 100 different kinds of chocolate. Plus yummy cheddar cheese english muffins (thanks hakka).

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    If I forgot anything, I apologize. I think some stuff is still on its way too.

    We are leaving shortly for the airport. I'm (of course) freaking out about the flying. (Well, not the flying so much as the crashing). But I can't wait to get to Florida!!! I might try to blog once or twice from down there. And I will post all the cards when I get back.

    Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and get to spend it with everyone you love!

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  • personal

    Timmy

    you know that whole saying about god laughing when you make plans? here's a prime example. Timmy has pneumonia. Crazy. Took him into the dr. yesterday for a goopy eye (since we are leaving for Florida tmrw for 11 days). The dr. took one look at him and said he has pinkeye (fabulous) and then after telling him the 'story' from the last two weeks {in a nutshell: 2wknds ago, asthmatic cough which resolved after 1.5 days on the nebulizer. then a week of fine. then a fever this past weekend which was fine by monday. a little cold w a tiny cough} he listened to him breathe and announced that he has pneumonia. That statement was answered with a "SHUT UP- he dosen't have pneumonia" from me. But I was assured that he did. After bloodwork (he was so brave and didn't cry) and chest xrays, it's for sure…he has walking pneumonia. So he is now on zithromax for that and eyedrops 3x a day for the conjunctivitis. It's a real picnic here. But, I am telling you you would NEVER even know that he was that sick. He looks a little pale and pasty and has a little cold with the smallest cough that is so intermittent and normal sounding for a cold. Craziness I tell you. But, we are still allowed to go to florida and he even has clearance to go in the pool by the end of the weekend. So my mommy worry level is pretty high (even though he seems fine) and now of course I'm worried that someone else in our family is going to get the pinkeye or pneumonia or both. At least I know where the good childrens hospital in ft. lauderdale is but I am hoping I don't have to visit again this year…

    I've had this list going for over 6 months and haven't had a second to post it. So here are some of my favorite Timmy sayings lately.

    I have mewmonia (pneumonia).      how's that called?        that's not my choice!!!!        that's my favorite phone #!        "crunchy" club          which brudder?         don't murph the cup         i can't do it by my own        theirchother        here goes nothin        not for long      what he doos?     oh fine fine fine      good for you mommy!      mmmmmmmmmmmilk      oy oy oy         evalator         oh,man!      johnnyhealy        oh,pick me, pick me!!!           i go too?         buy whyyyyyyyyyyy?        betty poop (betty boop)        cppo (c3po)       it's my collection (talking about his reflection)        pirates of the carribeada        i beautiful can't          timmy-sized          i have a headache of that       i be 3 (he didn't want to be 4 for a long while there)        i'm happy at you!          it's a dangerous idea         a-noying       "and that's about it"        chris-a-mis         he now puts his own kisses on his hand and puts it on his boo-boo's if I'm not around to do it      and my favorite recent conversation:

    m: you have droopy drawers again" (his pants are always falling down)

    t: yup!

    m: i think santa needs to bring you a tushy for christmas.

    t: nah. just new pants.

    And here are some recent pictures in one of his new favorite shirts.

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  • bsquared business

    2008 recap and another THANK YOU!!

    All in the numbers for 2008…

    189 shoots in total (wow! I really need this vacation!). That's up from 78 in 2007. Quite a difference, no? 9 of which were product, 14 shoots for the band, 3 christenings, 13 communions, 8 parties of different varieties, and 6 weddings. And the rest all family & child portrait work. Whew. I'm getting tired again…

    Thank you so much to all of my wonderful clients both returning and new. I am happy to say that not only do I have a fast growing business that I adore (which I'm still just winging…still no advertising really so thank you also for any referrals you made) but I have made some great new friends as well. I am hoping to see all of you again in 2009 (already booking Jan-March for shoots and any dates for parties). I am looking forward to a little break over the holidays and then jumping right back in full force in January.

    Still a few more posts to come before I leave for Florida, so stay tuned over the next few days.

    And a post is no good without any pictures, so… here are a few of the boys from about 2 weeks ago before it got freezing and snowy.

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  • personal

    only 4 blogging days left til christmas

    and then i am SO outta here to florida! Well, if the airport isn't closed due to snow (which we have had FAR too much of already) or if the plane dosen't go down in a firey crash (I have a small fear of flying. well, not flying so much as crashing!) I will be spending 11 sunny relaxing computer free days in south Florida. Can. not. wait.

    Anyway, I still have so much of my stuff to blog before I leave, so here is some for today…

    We went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular last week. Pulled the boys out of school an hour early and took the train into the city. Took the subway up to 50th, visited the tree (where John was nice enough to take some pictures with me actually in them) and the big ornaments and then saw the show. It was my first time ever seeing it (the boys too. John had seen it a looooong time ago when he was a kid) which is so sad considering we live 30 min from Manhattan. It was a lot of fun (especially since the tickets were buy one, get one!). Then we hit our usual destination of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co for dinner where there was no wait. The boys were exhausted as we didn't get in til after 10pm. We were all an hour late for school the next day cause I let them sleep a little extra. The funniest thing was watching Jack RUN past Timmy's room in a panic yelling "mom!!!! it's 9am!! we have school TOOODAAAAAAY!!!"

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    The boys had their winter concert this week at school. They did a great job and we had a lot of fun watching them. The kazzoo section of the song was so cute.

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    I slept from 9:30pm on Friday night until 12pm on Saturday afternoon. 15 hours of sleep and I'm still exhausted.