Our wonderful holiday...

Christmas Eve started out with dinner with our family having a wonderful dinner together at Stonewood restaurant. It was really great to have everyone together and be able to catch up while the kids stuffed their faces and were not able to interrupt! Ha, Ha! We then went back to my Grandfather's house for cake and presents. Here is a picture of him and my Dad from that night:

We then got back home really late and all went to bed. 7:00 the next morning, the boys were up and so Christmas Day had arrived! We opened presents and watched the Christmas Parade from Orlando and of course watched the Christmas Story! I love that movie! Christmas night my dad and step-mom Pat came over for Christmas Dinner. We had a delicious dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, stuffing, salad, and of course my favorite, cranberry sauce. YUM! And may I make a suggestion, if you ever get a chance please be sure to get a fresh turkey, it was amazing!!!!!!!!! Here are some pictures from our holiday. And from our home to yours- we hope you have a BLESSED and JOYOUS 2009!

Merry Christmas...

And remember, keep an eye on the reason for the season...

Love to you all!

NJ/PA Trip

What a week! The trip to NJ was a long one although I am proud of the fact that we got to NJ in 21 hours! We spent the first two days with my inlaws. Here are some pictures:
Grandma and Evan:

Grandpa and Aidan:

On Sunday Aidan had a little accident and ran his face into the corner of the dining room table at Keith's aunts house. He hit the bridge of his nose so it didn't break (if he hit it any lower it would have). He was so brave! He cried for a second then calmed down. Here's a picture of my little "Rambo":

Sunday night we traveled to PA to spend some time with Keith's brother and his family for a sleep over! Scott and Megan have two little girls, Angela and Elyse and they are absolutely beautiful! Proof? Check out these little future heartbreakers:
Angela:


Elyse:

The kids really enjoyed being together! We went to the park the following day-the weather was perfect-Megan and I kept saying we could stay outside all day! Anyway, I forgot my camera! Needless to say it was a perfect day followed by a delicous dinner from Tijuana Flats. YUMMO! Thank you "Northern Reedells" for a perfect time!
In the midst of our travels we were also very lucky to meet up with some more family:my brother Joey and his girlfriend Sara and my step-sister Jen. It was a very fun trip all together.
Keith's father did have his surgery on Monday and I have to thank all of you for the prayers! The surgery did not go as planned but they were able to do something with his stomach so he could eat again. As of today, he did eat some jello but he could not hold it down. PLEASE, PLEASE continue to keep him in your prayers. I hope he can be home in time for Christmas! Also as some of you know, on Tuesday morning at 4:30am my brother was in a horrific car accident. It was the day after we returned home here. Joey has no recollection of the accident but he did suffer a concussion, he has 10 stitches in his mouth and bruising on his leg. He is VERY lucky to be alive as the engine ended up in the seat next to him. How he didn't suffer any burns is truly a miracle.
So as you can see, its been a very eventful week. Now onto Christmas...is it possible for me to sleep until 2009? Nah, troubles or not, you gotta keep going, right?! Take care until next time!

Watch this video...

It is precious!

Back online

We are officially in our new house! It's absolutely beautiful and we are very happy. I have to admit I am a little overwhelmed, but overall its going to be great. Our neighbors are extremely friendly-we've already met 4 of them! I'll be sure to update with some new pictures soon, until then please pray that we continue to go through our transition smoothly.
Be back soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a great link I found to give you the "lowdown" on all Black Friday sales at a lot of stores. http://www.blackfriday.info/

Enjoy and have a

We're making progress people!

Aidan:

Evan:


Hey-So last night at dinner I opened the refridgerator door and saw two little juice boxes stariing back at me. I thought to myself tonight is the night the boys are going to start drinking from straws. Now, I know what your thinking, they are JUST NOW drinking from straws????? And the answer to that is yes, we had tried before but with no success. They do however drink from a cup without a top on it, but I think the straw was a little disturbing to them...until last night.
I put the straw in for them and put the straw in their mouth and gave the box a little pressure and they started drinking from the straw!!!!!!!!!! YAY! Now, this may not seem like a huge accievement but I was so positive last night was going to be it and it happened. So here are my big boys drinking their juice boxes last night. Guys, as always, Daddy and I are so proud of you!!!!!

What a weekend!

Hey! So we had a WONDERFUL weekend and we were very blessed to have daddy all to ourselves both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we went to Miromar Outlets and took the boys to the playground. The boys took a nap after lunch and Daddy took one too. I had to go to our local Embarq store and pick up a new 2wire moden/router because we were having so many problems with the old one. Once I got home we ventured out again and went for a ride in the car. We were going to go to a fair in Estero but it didn't look that great so we kept driving. Well, Evan was very grumpy all day and by 5:00 all he wanted to do was go home. So Mommy had some leftover coupons to McDonalds (thanks, Jen P.!) so we stopped and got the boys Happy Meals and had a picnic dinner in the living room while watching Shrek and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We NEVER have picnic dinners like this, but being Evan was so tired and miserable, I wanted to cheer him up and do something out of the ordinary. Sunday, we woke up early (the boys were up at 6:00 am!) We had a nice breakfast, and then went to Fleishmann Park for the St. Matthew's Fall Festival. It was very small but the boys loved the playground and we were there for almost 2 hours! So then we went to Costco, came home and got a lot of packing done while the boys were asleep. After they woke up we just hung out at the house and had a nice relaxing day. I love these weekends, and I love that my husband can be home to share in the experiences I have every day with our little guys! OHHH, let me give you an update on them as well. Both boys have taken off with their speech, they are speaking in sentences (for the most part) they are learning new songs, and can say their ABC's and count to 15 in English and 5 in Spanish!!!!! We are so proud of them!
And, the move is only 13 days away! I can't believe how time flies! The weekend after we move in we have a birthday party to go to, I'm hosting a Southern Living Party, and we are going to see a Christmas Pageant Sunday night. A lot coming up, I'll be sure to keep you posted.
If I've kept your attention this far, its a major accomplishment on my part-ha, ha!
Take care until next time!

I've been tagged...

I have been tagged by my friend Jennifer to share the following information with you about my husband:

Where did you meet? At a car dealership while I was in college. My dad and Keith worked together so my father calls it "an arranged marriage".

How long did you date? almost 4 years before we were married.

How long have you been married? 5.5 years

What does he say that surprises you? That I still look nice and that I'm pretty.

What is your favorite feature of his? Eyes

What is your favorite quality of his? His patience and caring. I'm a hard core control freak.

Does he have a nickname for you? Pook

What is his favorite color? black

What is his favorite food? Pizza

What is his favorite sport? Weightlifting.

When and where did you first kiss? Behind the dealership where we worked saying good-bye next to my car.

What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Go out to eat or just watch tv. (We're very boring)

Do you have any children? 2-Aidan and Evan-2.5 years old.

Does he have a hidden talent? He is a crazy good poker player.

How old is he? 36

Who said, "I love you" first? He did.

What is his favorite type of music? Rock

What do you admire most about him? How much he loves our kids and would go to the end of the earth to make me and the kids happy.

Do you think he will read this? Probably not.

Just a little shout out to my little guys...

Dear Aidan and Evan,
I am just sitting here after putting you down for your nap and cleaning the kitchen and I felt like I had to write this.
You two are the most precious little boys out there. I just came from my MOPS meeting and you two had your class. As I went to pick you up the teacher stopped me at the door and told me how much you have grown since the last time they saw you. I was worried that because I hadn't had MOPS in a few weeks, you guys were going to be fussy and suffer a little separation anxiety but I was so proud to hear you were so well behaved. It was an extra special treat to hear from someone who got to spend hours with you, that your advancing so well.
I want to say that I am so proud of you two, although we may have our moments, you have filled my life in so many wonderful countless ways that I could never imagine and I thank you for that....and for being my entire world. I love you both so much!
XOXO
Mommy

Estero-bound!

As of December 1, 2008, we will be moving to Estero. This is going to be a great move for us due to the fact that it is so much less expensive compared to Naples, and is just as nice of an area. It is also a 7 minute commute to work for Keith every day! Wish us luck!

Get out there tomorrow...

Please make sure your voice is heard tomorrow... its a historical day, people, and its your call!

PHINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so proud of my hometown of Philadelphia for winning the World Series last night! Way to go guys!

Picking out our pumpkins...

Sunset Pic before dinner at the Turtle Club:


Evan:




Aidan:



Sorry I've been so out of touch. Things have been very crazy here, but good crazy not bad. We've been to the park every day this week running around and the boys are discovering a new way to go down the slide each time and seeing how many times Mommy has to say no to eating the mulch (ewwww....). Anyway, this past weekend we went over to St. Monica's for their annual Pumpkin "Patch". Its really cute how they have it set up, but I have to say it is a lot less intense of a holiday here than in PA. No hayrides, or corn mazes or apple cider...at least as far as I know. All in all the boys didn't know the difference and totally dove into the pumpkins and helped pick them out. See the pics below.

Then Tuesday night my wonderful husband took me out for a "date night". We had dinner at sunset on the beach...what more to say right?? Anyway, here is a picture a nice couple took of us on the beach as soon as we got there. As the sun went down, the stars came out and it was just breathtaking. I'd pass on the corn maizes anytime over eating dinner on the beach at the end of October, let me tell you!!!! Thanks, Keith for a wonderful night. Doesn't the background in the pic look fake? Trust me it was real...it was definitely real.

Trip to Tampa

This past weekend we traveled to Tampa to stay at my cousin, Jack and his family's house. We had a great time...Keith was able to go jet skiing, and we all went on the boat to the beach across the lake from their house. We also traveled to the Tampa Lowry Park Zoo-which was fantastic. There was even an albino alligator there, that was awesome. The boys also were able to pet some sting rays although we did not feed them. The highlight of my trip personally was to be able to see my Uncle Jack who came down from Clearwater with his friend Terry. I hadn't seen him in probably 25 years and then I got to see him twice this year! I'm very blessed to be related to such a wonderful guy and his sister (my Grandmother). They are wonderful people. Here are some pictures from our trip. Thanks, Peak family for a wonderful time!

Up and Running!

Hey~
Well my E-Bay Store is up and running! It took a while to get it going although once I started it was very easy. Please stop by and check it out! I started doing these scrapbook pages to enhance pictures and I love how they turned out-so now its my business. I also started listing kids DVD's and CD's. I'll be adding more as time goes on.

Wish me luck!! =)
Jen

PS-Click on the link to the right that says "My E-bay Store" to check it out! Ok, thanks again!!!!

Proud Mama...

Last Saturday, the boys and I adventured out to Max Hasse park. This is my favorite park in the world because its small and fenced in-perfect for my little guys. Having two 2 year olds may seem hard to a lot of people, but I can tell you its also twice the fun. Evan is saying and doing all kinds of things such as before going down the slide, he'll scream "blastoff!" He also walks down the stairs on the junglegyms all by himself (holding onto the rail of course). Aidan is now counting to five and he is so proud of himself for it! I think all this child needs is for you to get so excited about something he's doing and it makes his confidence soar! By the way, Evan is also counting... and he makes it all the way to eleven! I am so proud of my little guys. There may be some issues with their development, but as their mom I can tell as they grow, they are going to grace this world with their beautiful personalities and I'm so proud to call them "my sons". I love you, my little monkeys!!

Say hello to my little (new) friend, the treadmill...

Hello...So some time ago I was watching John and Kate plus 8 and heard Kate use the phrase "butt in the front" about her stomach. Now, I do not have 8 children but I can relate to the butt in the front comment. So instead of sitting on my butt I have been going to the gym in our community here and working out like crazy. The first night I was only able to do 1 mile (power walk) and could only do a half hour on the treadmill. Tonight on the other hand I was on it for an hour and did 3 miles and burned over 300 calories. I don't really worry about the calories because for me that's like 2 cookies. And I love cookies. If you saw my butt you'd know that. Anyway, onto the butt in the front, I know its not going to go away completely but I have to tell you I feel so much better after I do work out. What a great tension buster!
The boys are doing great, they are getting astronomically big and smarter everyday. Being two, they love to push my buttons but overall they are great kids. Next weekend we are going to Tampa to visit my uncle and cousins for the weekend then we are going to meet up with Keith's brother Scott and his wife Megan for dinner or something in Ft. Lauderdale (they are down from PA). It will be great to see everyone. So, I'll be sure to add some pictures as soon as we get back. Talk to you then!

This movie is hysterical!

My friend Jennifer and I went to see The Women last night and it was Fantastic. If you get a chance go see it, I enjoyed every minute!

Last week was a blast...

Sorry I haven't been on to update you on our family life. Last week was a huge amount of fun. My Grandfather (my dad's father) turned 80! We had a big party on Sunday for him and another lunch on Tuesday. What also made the week special was the fact that my brother and his girlfriend Sara was here to celebrate. They stayed the whole week and we had a ball. We did a little shopping, my brother and Keith went fishing and Sara and I took the boys to the beach before Hurricane Ike made it into the Gulf. Deep down, I really feel that as I wish my family lived closer, its also great to be able to spend the quality time we can.

Happy Birthday, Pop...

Ike, Ike, Go Away, Come again....NEVER!

This looks like one scary storm...and it looks like its headed right for us. Everyone who doesn't live in Florida please pray for us and for those of you who read this and do live here, I'll pray for you!

"Eight is Enough!"

I have to start out by saying that I was called home to my husband and my children from work and the kids are sick and not sleeping well tonight. We tried the humidifier, Vicks, the bulb siringe (sp) for the nose, my poor babies, we tried everything. So if they don't start to feel better, I'm going to have to bring them to the doctors. Please pray they start to feel better!

On another note, I have always had an interest in politics. I remember going into
11th Grade and watching Hillary Clinton speak of family values when Bill Clinton was running for his second term. Even then I considered myself a Democrat even though I was too young to vote. She spoke for women around the country and for the first time because of that, I took an interest politics.

Now, a new chapter in the USA. I'm so excited about this nomination for BARACK OBAMA!!! What a historic speech. I have never felt so great about a leader for our country. Not only does the man have my vote he has my heart as well. Congrats OBAMA! You are truly history in the making!

Night at the beach...

Hello! Tonight we decided to take a drive down to the beach and we had so much fun! The weather was beautiful and the water was nice and cool. Here are some pictures from our wonderful night!

What is Philly without the pretzels?

Ok, this is pretty crazy but as a native Philadelphian, I had to have my say on this.
Last night, I ran into a guy from Philly at Publix and somehow we got into talking about street pretzel vendors. THEY NO LONGER EXIST! I was like WHY???? He said because they thought they were dirty. When I told Keith he was like whats next no hot dog vendors in NY? I'm all for cleanliness (trust me, my OCD is terrible, Keith can testify to that because of the amounts of times I wash my hands a day), but no pretzels???????? What is the world coming to? LOL!!!!

Need Some ZZZZ's

So here I am in the middle of the night yet again...I have not been able to fall asleep earlier than 1:oo am due to what I think is my work schedule. ( I get off work at 11:30) . Even though I am tired, I can't sleep. Anyway, the boys are doing great...happy little hams that they are. They keep us laughing all day long. Evan has started saying bye bye to everything and it is really cute. Aidan has definitely shown some more interest in speaking too, and I am so proud of both of them. Can you tell I am a proud mommy? Keith is doing well, but his Dad on the other hand is not. Keith is so worried about him. He has developed pneumonia and even though he sounds good on the phone, he is completely exhausted (Keith's parents live in NJ). Please keep Keith's family in your prayers, they really need all the strength from God they can get.
Well, that's about it. Hope you're all having a good week so far and we'll be in touch soon!
Love,
Jen

In one word...Family

This past weekend was really nice. Keith and I both had off from work both Saturday AND Sunday. We really enjoyed being together with the kids and reconnecting as a family. We went to the pool Saturday morning and had a great time. The boys are so adventurous, they climb the stairs and go down the slide in the pool all by themselves now. Saturday night we enjoyed a nice dinner at Stevie Tomatoes. Sunday I wasn't feeling all that great and slept a lot that day. We did go to the library later on and then had dinner at home and relaxed. Even though we didn't do much, it was still nice to be together-I can't remember the last time we had both days off like that. For those of you who aren't familiar with working in the car business, its really hell, especially now, with the economy being the way that it is. You can never tell what's going to happen next. I'm sure a lot of industries are like that, but I knew what I was marrying into and realize the hours and money are unstable. I grew up with it because my Dad was in the business too and he worked CONSTANTLY. (And no, Dad, I don't resent it, you did what you had to do).

I will add this though when you finally get some time like we had this past weekend, it really makes you grateful for the time we have. So that my friends is where we stand right now. That's the only thing on my mind. I'll write soon when something new comes up........talk to you soon!

Nona

A woman that I have known my entire life passed away yesterday. I'm so sad but I also know that she is in a better place and it was her time to go. Rest in Peace, Nona, we miss you and love you.

Autism?????

Ok, so Monday we had our first meeting with the speech therapist. Aidan is more in need of this because he seriously struggles with his speech and neither boy asks for things they want, in which they should be doing at this point.

As the speech therapist analyzed Aidan she did mention that he does have a few tendancies that could lead her to believe that he does have autism, but it was still early to tell. Here's my thing: How can one identical twin have autism and not the other???? They have the same chromosomes and all the same DNA. Sometimes I do believe he does have autism other times I don't know what to think. I'm trying not to cry as I write this, but Aidan really loves to cuddle and he makes great eye contact with me. Around other people he is very shy. Evan will start to talk and socialize where Aidan could care less and would love to explore everything. On the other hand he loves to be alone in his room and he does take things in his hands and examine it over and over again, whether it be a piece of pasta or a toy. Then again, and this is big the other night we decided to splurge a little and have dinner at Red Robin. Now, I had Evan and Keith had Aidan. Keith told me that as soon as they walked into the restaurant, Aidan saw this huge fuzzy Red Robin in full costume and went up and gave the guy a high five. It was really cool to hear, I wish I could have seen it.
Anyway, the debate rolls on. I'm scared that he might have it and wondering what lies ahead. Please keep us in your prayers. Have a good weekend. Love ya!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

Hey there-Sorry its been so long to write. This is going to be extremely random because I have not written in a while, and a lot has been going on! We went on vacation and stayed with Keith's parents for a long weekend last weekend in NJ. A good time was had by all. We visited with family which is always fun and even got to see my brother and sister in the meantime. We had a HUGE birthday bash on Sunday with all of the Reedell family which was a blast. Aidan was more interested though in walking around the neighborhood-a new habit of his. Evan seemed to have a good time, he was social and asking questions as usual to everyone. Aidan doesn't say much-he just walks around and loves to examine everything. Their first cousins were there and they all had a blast in the pool together, which I might add was EXTREMELY cold!!!!!!As for the rest of the weekend, we hung out at the playgrounds, had dinner with my mom and brother, his girlfriend Sara, and her little boy Billy. I even got to squeeze in a a half hour with my step- sister Jen. (I know, I know, same name, too funny!)

On a sad note over the weekend, I lost someone I had known for 20 years. My step-mom, Pat lost her father to Alzheimers. This man was EXTROIDINARY! He was so wise and loved to tell stories of the past. He lost his wife back in 2000, and I know a part of him died right along with her. When he passed away (on July 4th), I said he gained his independence on Independence Day. He was free of all of the pain and strife he had suffered after losing the love of his life.
Rest in Peace, Pop-Pop, we miss you but know you are in the presence of the Lord, and with your beloved Emily....

So, the boys are doing great, they are growing like little weeds. Their heads come up to the top of my hip and for those who don't know me, I am 5'7. To me they are not my little babies anymore. I was just thinking next year this time we will probably be shopping for back to school!!!!!!!!!!! Not my babies, it goes by too fast. Keith and I were debating on when to send them to school, wait until they were four or three. I think three would be good because then they could get socially acclimated. I blame myself so much for them not being around a lot of people the first two years of their life because I was only one person and they were two. I always felt so guilty when people wondered why they never waived goodbye, I used to think they were shy but now I realize maybe it was because they never had anyone to say goodbye to. Since it was only me and Keith, they never really cared who came and went. Thankfully once they both started walking, we went to the park and I found that it was much easier now. Mommy is branching out!

And meeting new moms is especially fun because its great to have someone to lean on and vent and talk to! Well, enough rambling...Keith is snoring and I'm pretty beat myself. Talk to you all later and have a good weekend! God Bless!

So, here we are up and running. It seems that everyday I feel like I am running in circles, but anything is better than running around the high school track right? LOL! So far today I've picked up a container of stuffing, a container of bread crumbs, a box of South Beach living bars, vegetable oil and peanut butter that was strawn all over our house. Can you tell we are in the midst of the terrible twos? My boys turned two last week and I swear as soon as they turned two they have been getting into everything!
But what little hams they are! They are VERY good boys. Keith is really busy working and the kids only see him for maybe an hour and a half at night. We know that we have to make sacrifices in life right now but so far I have to tell you its been tough! He walks in from work and I walk out to go to work. I do really love my job and I love the girls I work with.

I have to say we are really blessed right now as far as the way things are, I just wish we could spend more time together. Oh, well, maybe we'll hit the lottery! Seriously, you never know!

Here are my kids on their 2nd birthday....