date night

I'm always looking for a way to spend time with my husband without spending a lot of money. Being a stay-at-home mom living on a single (teacher's salary) income doesn't exactly leave a lot of room for fancy date nights out. A few weeks ago I came across a blog called The Dating Divas. The blog is dedicated to date nights and keeping the romance alive in your marriage, without having to leave the house and spend tons of money.
Last week they had several different ideas but the one that caught my eye was a Ghostbusters date night. I'm a huge fan of the 80's and Dan loves the Ghostbusters so it seemed like a fitting choice. I started off by sending Dan an "invitation" to our date in the form of a news article. It looked something like this:

BerryPage Fun Times 1 1 of 1 10/24/2011

Ghostbusters to Exterminate Local Residence

The Ghostbusters are scheduled to investigate a haunting at a local residence on Friday, October 21st. The investigation/extermination is set to take place around 8:30pm, after the children have gone to sleep. Home owners stated that the ghosts must not want to scare the children as they never make an appearance until after the children are in bed.

The team stated that the appointment could last anywhere from an hour and a half to 4 hours. “We have no doubt that we can take care of the problem” stated Dr. Raymond Stantz, a team member of the Ghostbusters.

The Ghostbusters encourage others to call immediately if there is any suspicious activity. The Ghostbusters can be reached at 1-800-GHOSTLY (1-800-446-7859).

So it's a little corny, but it was fun. The plan for the date was to watch the movie while snuggling and eating some not-so-spooky snacks. I didn't really want to eat lots of junk food so the first snack I prepared was veggies and dip.

The carrots are supposed to look like fingers in the dip with fingernails made out of slice almonds.

Next I made some swamp juice which was simply a green soda (watermelon kiwi) that I found for $0.89 with some gummy fish and gummy worms in it. I don't reccomend eating the fish and worms after they have st in the soda for too long. They got all bloated and the texture made me gag!

We also had some candy and loaded potato bites.

The date was simple, cheap and fun. It was nice to spend some quality time with my husband without worrying about whether or not the kids were behaving and if we should really be spending the money.



anniversary trip

On Friday Dan and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. It's so hard to believe it's been 5 years already! We had been saving up for the last year to take a trip, just the 2 of us to celebrate. It was really hard to leave my adorable boys, but we had a ton of fun!
Our first stop was the Argosy Casino, Hotel and Spa.

The hotel was amazing!
Here is the view of our room as you enter.

 The entryway.

 The bathroom. Look at that huge shower!

 Bathroom sink.

 My husband checking out what the hotel offers while lounging on the huge, comfy bed.

 Light in the bathroom.

The first thing we did at the hotel was to check out the spa. Dan got a 30 minute massage, while I got a facial. So wonderful!
After the spa we got ready to meet my high school girlfriends for dinner. I hadn't seen them in years! The last time I saw my friend Sarah was actually at our wedding. We can't let it go that long again girls!

Aren't they beautiful? I wish I lived closer to them. Especially since Kristin (far right) is going to be having a baby soon!)

 Here's my handsom hubby and I all dressed up for dinner and the casino.

With our hotel package we got a champagne and cheese tray.

the cheese wasn't the best but it was aslo midnight before we got it.

he's a great bar tender.

We did some shopping browsing in some classy areas that we couldn't afford on Friday, and then headed to an outlet mall that had TONS of stores. We spent most of the day walking around, shopping and just enjoying being together. We bought a few things for ourselves, some gifts for the boys and then headed to check in at our hotel for the 2nd night. We went to the dinner, and then came back and relaxed in the hot tub until all of the unsupervised children bombarded us.

Seriously people watch your children! Taking a family vacation means spending time with your family. Not leaving your minors to annoy other adults!

The next morning we were so tuckerd out that we ate breakfast and then ordered a movie in our room. Around noon we packed up and headed home.

We had a lot of fun, but it is so nice to be home and have my babies in my arms again. I'm a nervous wreck without them!

he blogs

My husband used to make fun of me for blogging. Then he joked about starting his own blog. Then he sort of joked about starting a blog and writing movie reviews. A few days ago, he started a blog. Welcome to the blog world, honey!

He would probably kill me if he knew I had this picture up. Good thing he doesn't really read my blog :)

 

He's no expert on movies, but he pays attention to detail, enjoys writing, and loves a good discussion. Go ahead, argue with him. He would totally love it!

a belated birthday wish

Dan celebrated his 28th birthday last weekend (the 23rd) but with it being Easter weekend and all I haven't had time to post about it. Over all I think he had a good day.
We started out the morning by bringing Dan breakfast in bed.

We figured it wouldn't really be fun for him to sit in bed and eat alone, so we all joined in. Needless to say, the sheets had to be washed afterwards. My kids aren't exactly known for being neat.

Aren't my boys so handsome?

Dan then opened his birthday gift from the boys. The new Harry Potter on BluRay. I think he liked it.

My husband is cool.
We spent the day just hanging out, trying to keep Dan from having to do too many chores. For dinner that night we had chicken fajitas, Mexican rice and homemade guacamole followed by birthday "cake". Dan requested a giant cookie instead, and I must say, I make one amazing giant cookie.

Happy Belated Birthday, Love! You're amazing. I hope you enjoyed your day week(s).
I We love you!

happy father's day

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because we were busy with daddy time.

Even though I know my husband doesn't read my blog, I wanted to tell the world what an amazing daddy he is. I still can't believe that he's mine. This amazing, caring, funny, clever, smart, fun, tallented, handsom, loving man. My boys are so blessed to have such a wonderful father. He works hard to provide for us, and even at the end of a long day, he finds the energy to play with the boys, help make dinner, and give baths. I love it when I hear the boys giggling from the other room. Dan teaching Collin wrestling moves, and Collin charging and knocking Dan over. Some day he'll understand, but for now, it's more fun to just tackle dadd.

At night before bed Collin likes to watch Backyardigans and Wonder Pets. When the music comes on Collin generally sings along and gets up and dances. At this point, Dan too stands up and dances in circles like the cartoon characters. Collin giggles with delight and then the two of them fall to the floor.

Someday Ronan will get to join in on all the fun too. For now, he enjoys lying on the floor watching the big boys. He loves his daddy, that's obvious. In the way that he stares at him just waiting for daddy to turn his attention to him. And when he does, a huge grin spreads acorss his face followed by two adorable dimples. Daddy is awesome.

He's everything I ever wanted and more.

Thank you, Dan, for always being here for our children. For being a good example. For being the daddy that our children deserve.

We spent Father's Day at home. Just the 4 of us. Collin and daddy did this...

While Ronan did this....

I took pictures, and then cleaned the house...again. It never ends and it's never clean enough. I need a cleaning lady. But first I need lots of money.

squeels of delight

Ronan has found a new voice, and he uses it A LOT. I absolutely love it and can't help but laugh at his high pitched squeels of joy! Sorry the picture is so dark. The lighting in our basement isn't great.

I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity.

Do you think maybe my boys have seen daddy play video games?
Collin doesn't enjoy being like daddy at all... can you tell?

I've been playing with my camera setting trying to get the pictures to come out the way I want them to. If only I could find the manual. So I took about 50 pictures today as I played. Here are two of my favorites.

It's rare to get a picture of Collin's face because he is either running at, or away from the camera.

I personally like the drool on his lip. It's rare to see him without drool on his lip, chin, chest, arms and all over whoever is holding him.

Along with playing video games with daddy, Collin has been working on a future as an artist. Unfortunately, his canvas today happened to be the ottoman. I don't think that he was so much trying to draw on it as he was enjoying the fun noise that it made.

One final thought:

Please pray for baby Stellan. He has begun having bouts of SVT again and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to bring him out. Stellan had to be taken to the emergency room today as the vagal manovers aren't working as well as hoped. To read Stellan's full story you can click on his link in my side bar.

happy mother's day

In honor of Mother's Day, I want to list some reasons why I love being a mommy.

• Collin's incredible giggle
• Ronan's sweet chubby cheeked smile
• having a reason to play with kids toys again
• my children make me want to be a better person
• every day brings something new
• getting to watch Playhouse Disney on Saturday mornings in my pajamas with 2 boys curled up on my lap
• Watching the wonder in Collin's eyes as he tries to understand why he can't catch the falling water in the bathtub.
• nursing my baby and knowing that I am responsible for nourishing and taking care of him.

I could go on all day, but the bottom line is I LOVE BEING A MOMMY! I can't imagine anything better.

My boys made Mother's Day special for me today. Dan made breakfast for me this moring before going to church. He and the boys bought me a Nintendo DS which was very unexpected. It is lime green and came in a very stylish case and with the Personal Coach: Cooking game. I now have 245 new recipes to try! After stopping by to see our moms we stopped at Game Stop and I got to pick out 2 other used games to play. Dan's main purpose for buying this for me was so that I would have something to do while I pump, even though I only have 3 weeks left of work. We got to eat Freddy's Frozen Custard for lunch, and I got my choice of anything home cooked for dinner. Over all: a good day.

I hope all you mothers had a special day as well!

And now, I would like to tell you all a little about my mother, and what makes her so amazing. My mom is one of my best friends. She has always been there for me no matter what. I can honestly say that I don't remember a single time in my life when I had a fight with my mom. That is of course not counting the times that my sisters and I were all in trouble together (generally for fighting over something stupid). My mom has always supported me in whatever I chose to do. When I wanted to join the Kansas Youth Choir in grade school, my mom (and of course my dad, but this tribute is for mom and he'll have to wait his turn) helped me fund raise by selling things at her office as well as driving me around to deliver everything that I sold. She has always encouraged me to do my best, even when I didn't want to. I remember preparing for a solo in high school in which my mom made me record myself singing and then listen to it to hear the flaws. Gag. I hated, and still hate, to listen to myself. Singing. Talking. I don't like my voice. Mom, however, was able to critique and inspire without making me feel bad about myself.
My mom was always a great cook except for the time she made this weird bread and hotdog casserole thing. Gross. We still laugh about it today. I call her quite frequently to find out how to make different things. She helped me with my homework, drove me places, played games with me, loved me, and taught me how to love. It is because of her that I am who I am today. She always was, and continues to be the woman who inspired me. She's amazing. I hope that someday my children will look back and be able to say with all sincerity that I was a great mother.

Thank you for all you do. You are incredible! I love you mom!

terrific tuesday

It's my last week home with my sweet baby before going back to work. Luckily I then only have 4 weeks until I'm done. I was looking forward to a relaxing day of sleeping in and then doing a little laundry, but now, instead of Collin being sick, Dan is sick. Because Dan caulked the bathtub on Sunday, I was unable to shower yesterday, which meant I wasn't leaving the house this morning to take Collin to daycare, which meant no shower for me again. After about 60 hours of not showering, I started to smell a little funky. Luckily, while both boys took a nap this afternoon I was able to jump in.
Dan spent the entire day hiding in the bedroom to keep from getting anyone else sick. Since he spent the day in our bed, Ronan and I are now camped out downstairs on the air mattress. Dan offered to sleep downstairs, but that would have meant having to wash and change the sheets first, plus, he probably should be closer to the bathroom. Oh well. A little camp out might be fun. I like having my little man snuggled up next to me, though I'll miss having my big man next to me tonight. I'm keeping the faith that eventually my whole family will be well, and that Ronan and I will be able to dodge the sickness.

Amid all the sickness, I would like to point out a few things I am thankful for. I mean, what's the point in dwelling on the negative?

1. a sweet baby boy sleeping next to me
2. watching Playhouse Disney in surround sound
3. Collin using 2 of Ronan's Soothie pacies to make boobies for himself (seriously. he layed on the floor and put 2 of them down his shirt. he stood up and got mad when they fell out. maybe he watches a little too closely as I nurse Ronan?)
4. having only 4 weeks left of work
5. parents and in-laws who live 5 minutes away

wild weekend

It was a good, and eventful weekend. Friday evening Dan grilled steaks, I made cheesey potatoes, devilled eggs, and brownie bottom cheesecake. A delicious dinner as a continued celebration of Dan's birthday. He believes that he gets an entire week to celebrate.

Saturday Ronan helped me fold laundry

and then became bored and fell asleep.
I am amazed that he will lay on the floor an put himself to sleep. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Tylenol given for his shots.


Dan's brother, Rob, came over that evening to deliver Dan's birthday gift. A surround sound system. Yay for big brothers who love to spend money on others.

I rearranged the basement in preparation for the daycare - though there is still work to be done, and then we headed to my parents house for yet another birthday dinner for Dan. This time we had ribs, cheesey potatoes, macaroni salad and the rest of the devilled eggs.

Collin also got to go swimming.
Ronan put on his suit and looked super cute, but did not get in.Sunday morning we went to church, did some cleaning. Dan re-caulked the bathtub. (the idiots here before us did a horrible job). Went to dinner with Dan's family at Texas Roadhouse for another birthday dinner. Dan and Rob finished setting up the surround sound and rigged some foil and buckets to catch the water spouting into our laundry room. That was a serious amount of rain we got!

2 months and 26 years

Today marks an important day at the Berry house. Our little Ronan is 2 months old today! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. He has changed so much over the last 8 weeks and has brought so much joy to our lives. He's starting to smile more, and "talk" and on Monday, April 20th, he rolled from his stomach to his back for the first time. It's really hard to get pictures of him smiling because, just like his brother, he quits as soon as he sees the camera.
Happy 2 month birthday baby boy! You've made our lives better in so many ways! I love you!



In "older" news. Today is my amazing husband's 26th birthday. I probably don't proclaim his greatness often enough, so I thought I'd take a moment to share some of the reasons I love him so much (which in our house is the most that you can love someone).

1. He's generous
2. He's super handsom
3. He tells me I'm beautiful
4. He's considerate of my feelings
5. He spends time with our boys
6. Though I have never cared for the sport of wrestling, his passion for the sport and the kids he coaches makes me proud to be a coahes wife
7. His sense of humor
8. The way he is determined to do whatever it takes to make me being a stay at home mom a reality
9. He's an amazing father
10. His faithfulness
11. He cooks just as often as I do
12. He makes up silly songs just because
13. He's hard working
14. He's intelligent - sometimes I think he knows way too much. Playing against him in trivial persuit just isn't fun for me
15. He reads to the boys
16. He's still a kid at heart
17. He helps me out around the house when I ask him to, and sometimes without me asking
18. Have I mentioned what an amazing father he is?

There are so many more reasons why I love him. I could go on all day because I don't think there is a single thing that I don't love about him.

Happy Birthday to my amazing hubby. I love you So Much!