This year for Halloween, Miss Ariana was a bumblebee, Konnor was Bumblebee, and I got Justin to wear a mask long enough to take a picture. *giggles* a storm trooper mask, I think.

You can find more WW (with linky) at 5 Minutes for Mom, My Organized Chaos, Mrs. Cox Slice of Heaven, and WW home !!

First of all, let me tell you that Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday of the whole. entire. year!!!!! Never mind Christmas or New Years or Thanksgiving.  Well, don’t get me wrong, they are all fabulous holidays as well, but Halloween tops them all.  I enjoy the pumpkin picking at the pumpkin patch, the pumpkin carving with all the guts and hollowing out of said pumpkin.  All the way down to spending money on costumes that I am not talented enough to make on my own and walking in the dark house to house asking strangers for candy.  Heck, I even enjoy the sugar rush after my kids eat a few pieces and the crash they get approximately an hour later.  Lol.

Halloween around here lasted approximately one week this year.  I tried to make it all fit into one post, but the pictures? Too epic.  The festivities?  Too much!  The stories?  Too long.  And the costumes?  Too freaking cute!  So we shall start from the beginning…….

Where we to the pumpkin patch at Fazio Farms.  Konnor managed to lose us in the corn maze after and epic battle between him and Justin of tag or chase or hide and seek or whatever they were playing.  We had to find our way out and find him from the outside.  Ultimately, I could hear him yelling “mom! I’m out here” but couldn’t see where here was. HAHA.  By the way that wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.  There were maybe 5 other people in the maze at the time (thanks to going on a week day) and so I wasn’t really worried about him getting lost or stolen or… well, anything else.  It was all a giggle fest.

We had our first real family picture taken by one of the sweet ladies who runs the farm.

Konnor and Justin ran and ran and chased each other.

Ariana wanted to drive the John Deer..

She tried to find Daddy in the corn

And Konnor gave his baby sister a ride.

Look out for post #2, where I show you our pumpkin carving expedition…. LOL!

P.s. Yes, my daughter did try to eat the corn… No, I didn’t actually let her bite any off, but it was in her mouth.  And after that pic was taken, I did take it away from her.  No harm, no foul.  She still walks among us!

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.”
– Anne Geddes

When you came into my life, not so long ago, I didn’t know what to expect. You had said you weren’t sure about having children, yet you knew Konnor was my life. You not only accepted Konnor, but took to him. Even if you never said it, you could just tell that you adored him. He may not have been yours but since you walked into our lives, you have been like a dad to him.

It wasn’t long after we began our journey in life that we found out we were expecting. Scared at first, I could tell you weren’t ready for a baby of your own. That’s okay, who really is 100% ready until their brand new baby is placed into their arms? That’s how it went, too. Up until she was born, I’m not sure it really sank in that we were going to have a baby.

June of 2009 came far too quick, and when you held our little princess in your arms for the first time, you were scared. But you were also so very happy.  It was then I knew you were cut out to be a Daddy, you just needed to be there before you could fully take on the role.

From diapers to tears, spit up and giggles, you have done it all.  In the last year you have grown and learned so much from Ariana.  Not only are you cut out for this Daddy business but you rock it, babe!  You interact with her and Konnor and adore them both so much.

You are an amazing father, Justin. You love your baby girl so much, and love Konnor too. It really does take someone special to be a Daddy, and you are indeed someone special.

I love you! Happy Father’s Day!

Love,
Me

Ever since I had Konnor, I have never been at the top of the priority list.  Purposely putting myself after others, I don’t often have the newest clothes, the coolest phone, or other spiffy things.

Yesterday, I bought a laptop.  Four hundred dollars of something just for me!  After purchasing my new Toshiba, I am feeling the normal guilt that I feel after buying something for myself.

After battling with myself, “oh that $400 could have gone here or we could have done this,” I took a step back.  No, really, this was a good investment.  With Justin on the computer as much as he is, I need this. 

What do I need a laptop for?

Well I really need it to keep up on JAKA365, which is my photo blog.  If you haven’t seen it, check it out!

But I also need it to keep up with this blog.  If I have the desire to start reviews, the need for my own computer is pretty obvious.

More than anything, though, I wanted my own computer so that I could access the internet when I wanted to.  My phone’s internet isn’t fast nor reliable, and to be honest, typing with a Blackberry isn’t fun.  Haha.

So here she is.  My new computer.  Nothing grand.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing to drop your jaw over.  Honestly, though, I don’t need any of that.  Just something simple to blog and edit photos with. :)

Valentine’s Day… A day for love, a day for appreciation, and a day for…….. chocolate?

*gag*

Seriously.

I love being spoiled just as much as the next girl, but who is to say that Valentine’s Day has to be the only day to express your true feelings for someone?

This year, I made a vow to myself, and a silent vow to Justin (meaning he doesn’t know) to never take him for granted, and to tell him just how much I love and appreciate him.

Yesterday, I spent my Valentine’s Day with my love and my little loves – Justin, Konnor, and Ariana. We relaxed, we were lazy, and we enjoyed the company of one another.

Oh, of course Justin spoiled me (and himself a little) by going out and buying some goodies from Victoria’s Secret and I spoiled him with his Christmas/Anniversary/Valentine’s Day/Birthday gift by buying him a PS3. Yes, I know, I did it. Bought him the one gift I am going to kick myself in the ass for later. But hey, at least any game he plays on that thing can be put on pause, right?

In addition, we bought the kids each a cute little t-shirt, teddy bear, and some bubbles. Konnor and Ariana both adore bubbles, so we bought Konnor a bubble gun and Ariana a thing of bubbles. Hours of entertainment in the living room, and I can just vacuum that soapy goodness right up. Haha!

Besides going to Outback on Saturday night with Justin and Ariana, that was the extent of Valentine’s Day, 2010. Simple, sweet, and NO chocolate (just how I wanted it).

What did you do for Valentine’s Day? What did you receive? I want all the juicy details from my lovely readers!! :)