1 year old!

Our little girl is a whole year old. It is hard to believe an entire year has passed since she was born. It has been amazing for us to watch her grow from a teeny tiny baby into a bouncing toddler all over the course of just 1 year.

At Angelica's 1 year checkup, we learned that she is 20lbs 9oz and 29 3/4 inches tall. She is a petite little girl full of energy! We feel so lucky that she is ours.

Keep your Dog Safe on Thanksgiving!

Copied from this site: http://www.dogster.com/dog-food/thanksgiving-safety-tips-for-dog-owners

There's enough for people to worry about at Thanksgiving. "Oh no, not Aunt Edna's greasy gravy." "My brother's bragging is going to drive me to drink." "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." But we can't just think of ourselves over this food-focused holiday: We have to look after our best friends, too.

Dogs enjoy the revelry at least as much as humans, with bits of this and that dropping on the floor, and delectable smells wafting around the house. But Thanksgiving mustn't be a free-for-all. Just because we try to pack away all we can doesn't mean our dogs should. And there are certain items your dog really needs to avoid.

"Veterinarians experience an increased number of office calls due to digestive problems after the holidays because humans invite their animals to celebrate with high fat meals (ham, gravy, turkey skin), chocolates, bones, etc.," warns Casandria Smith, L.A. Animal Services Chief Veterinarian, in a PetFinder article.

Here are some tips that will help your dog get through Thanksgiving safely and with a smile on her snout.

Stuff Your Turkey, Not Your Dog
It's easy to want to give your dog a big fat bowl of turkey, mashed potatoes, and whatever else you think she might enjoy. But that's a bad idea. Overindulging in fatty foods can lead to an upset stomach, diarrhea, or a life-threatening condition called pancreatitis. A few strips of turkey on a dog's normal food is fine, but don't overdo it, no matter how she may plead with her "I'm STARVING" eyes. Keep in mind that turkey skin can wreak havoc with a dog's digestive system, so make sure she gets skinless, boneless turkey.

Stuff Your Dog's Kong, Not Your Dog
Here's a great way to keep your dog busy and happy during your meal. Put a bit of your dog's regular food in a Kong, and then stuff a little boneless turkey, sweet potatoes, gravy - just a tad, mind you - in the Kong. It's not much food, but it will keep him occupied for a long time.

Get Her Pooped
A dog who has been on a big walk or fetched the ball a zillion times will be much more likely to run out of energy during the feast than a dog who's been inside all day. A tired dog is a good dog on Thanksgiving. Make sure your pup gets plenty of exercise before the festivities begin.

Make no Bones About It
Cooked turkey bones can be a danger to your dog. They're sharp, and potentially very dangerous. You may not know a dog has a turkey bone lodged in your dog's digestive system for days. Don't leave plates with bones lying around. Ditto for the turkey carcass. Hungry dogs have been known to run off with the remains of a carved turkey. It can happen in the blink of an eye. You notice the turkey is gone. You notice the dog is gone. With luck, you find their hiding place before anything happens. Put plates in an unreachable area if you can't dispose of everything properly right away.

Know this Sage Wisdom
Sage and some other herbs have essential oils that can cause tummy upset and central nervous system depression if a dog eats them in large quantities. Most dogs aren't going to nosh on a fistful of sage, but keep herbs out of reach just in case.

Don't Cry Over Onions
Onions are toxic to dogs. They can lead to a dangerous form of anemia that may not be detected for days. Make sure your dog stays away from the pearly whites, and yellows, and reds.

Don't Give Her the Raw Deal
Unless your dog is already on a raw diet, we wouldn't recommend plopping a piece of raw turkey in her bowl (the change from her regular food might cause an upset stomach). But more importantly, keep your pup away from the uncooked dough for bread or rolls. What helps make dough rise? Heat. If a dog eats raw dough, what's it like for the dough in the dog's stomach? Warm. The dough rises in the dog's stomach, and if the dog has eaten enough, the swollen dough can cause pain, vomiting, and bloating -- conditions that can send you to the doggy ER on Thanksgiving.

Avoid Yappy Hour
Some dogs seem to enjoy alcoholic drinks. Walk away from your drink that's set on the coffee table, and Lulu may get lit. Dogs and booze are a bad mix. Your dog may not do anything embarrassing she'll regret in the morning, but she could become disoriented and quite ill. Too much alcohol can even lead to a coma, and death. Watch where you - and others - put their drinks, especially if you have a curious pup.

By following a few basic tips, your dog will enjoy a fun, safe Thanksgiving. Now if only you could avoid Aunt Edna's gravy...

Grateful

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreicate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbye.

I recently attended a meeting at our church called "Focus on the Positive" and the topic we discussed was "Thank God." I ran across the above quote and it made me stop to think about the age old saying that "everything happens for a reason." I try to be a positive person as much as I can. When I get stopped at a red light when I had hoped to make it through, I pause and think that I am stuck at this red light because this is where God wants me to be right now. Maybe He is keeping me from harm by stopping me here. But, I am human, and I can get wrapped up in negativity from time to time. I try not to, but sometimes when I hear bad news or see something sad happen, I let it get to me and wonder why something bad would happen.

Just in the past 2 weeks there has been sad news in our area. A young woman, 33, was killed while driving when a truck driver accidentally ran a red light on 394. Another young woman, 25, was killed while being playful and joking with her friends at a fancy Halloween party downtown. A bank was robbed just a few towns away from us. We still have no suspect in custody from a murder that happened 1 mile from my house. The loss of life is something I have not personally dealt with often in my life.

There are other losses as well. One of my relatives had a brain tumor removed last week and has lost her ability to hear permanently. I have prayed for her over and over and wondered how it must have felt going into surgery, talking with her husband of several decades and knowing she will never again hear his voice. I can't imagine how that must feel. I have read about other "tragedies" where a family recently lost their entire home and everything in it in a fire. When I think about these things, my heart and prayers go out to these people. But, it also reminds me how precious life is and that we need to be grateful for every moment we have.

There are so many things that are taken for granted. I can hear. I can see. I am able to walk and run. I can drive myself anywhere I want to go. I have a job and while I seem to forever complain about paying taxes, I need to remember to be grateful that I have the ability to pay those taxes. I have a family - a very large family and while I occassionally feel worn out from running around and visiting and helping whenever I can, I need to remember to be grateful that we are surrounded by so much love and history in each other.

For years I complained about not being able to find a church closer to home to attend. We have gone back to our home parrish in Calumet City and while it is a 30 minute drive, it is also comforting to know that we are welcome there and that people enjoy spending time with us there.

I am learning more and more just how blessed I am. The picture at the top of this post is what I am most grateful for - my immediate family. I have a husband who loves and adores me and a daughter who is the best thing that has ever happened to us. He provides for us and takes care of us and loves us more than anyone else can. She smiles unconditionally and is in awe of the world around her. And as I watch her play and explore, I realize that I am also in awe of the world as God created it and I feel very lucky that I am here today to be a part of it. God is good and He has give us so much in ourselves, in our surroundings and in each other. Thank You God.

Happy Halloween From the Smiths

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Perfection

A friend recommended this blog read tonight and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I obviously know that I am not perfect. I have been criticized for being brutally honest in the past and I am sure I will continue to be that way even though that makes me less than perfect. I also tend to be long-winded, talk to much, wear my heart on my sleeve and over worry about "worst case scenarios" - just ask my husband. I can be nosy and I can be gossipy even thought I don't want to be. I feel like this year more than ever I have come to the realization that it is wonderful to not be perfect. Each challenge we come across in life - whether it is a challenge in our marriage, in friendships, in parenting, etc. gives us a chance to learn and grow. Not being "perfect" gives us an excuse for making mistakes. I think the most important thing for me is to realize when I have made a mistake and try to remember to do better next time. With that thought in mind, I have started living my life more in the here and now and enjoying each day just one day at a time. Some days I accomplish everything I set out to do. Some days I accomplish nothing. Some days I am proud of the decisions I have made and some days I feel full of regret over a stupid decision.

Here is the link for the article I am referring to. It was written by a single dad.

http://www.danoah.com/2010/09/disease-called-perfection.html

Summer 2010

I realize that I have not blogged in quite a while. Honestly, it is just so much faster and easier to share pictures on facebook, I have been posting most of my pictures there. I do want to keep up with my blog though for our family members that are not on facebook and live far away and don't get to see us that often. So here goes my attempt at catching you up on everything that has happened this Summer.

Summer 2010 was wonderful! We did so many fun things and have been able to experience summer in a new way with having a baby. In some ways it seems like the time has FLOWN by. In other ways, we did so many things that I feel like we definitely took advantage of each and every day.

The last time I blogged, Angelica had just turned 6 months old...so that is where I will start today. Here is Angelica on the morning she turned 6 months. She was standing up in her crib!

We spent a lot of time with our nephew Nathan this summer too. Here is a picture of Nathan and Angelica from June.


Our friends Tony and Wendy came in to town from North Carolina around Father's Day. I have been friends with Tony since high school. A group of us Marian Catholic Alumni friends got together with our kids at Tony's parents house to visit and catch up. Here is a picture of all of our kids. From left to right, Tony & Wendy's daughter Lucy, Jen & Nathan's daughter Gretchen, Angelica, Matt & Tracy's daughter Audrey, Rich & Cindy's son Will, Sarah & Jason's daughter Cheyenne.

And here are all of us, with our kids.

While Tony and Wendy were still in town, we had a little pool party with the babies as well. Afterwards the kids enjoyed some playtime. Here Lucy, Angelica and Cheyenne are having some "girl talk."

Towards the end of June, my Uncle Tom came in to town from Scottsdale, AZ. We hadn't seen him in almost 4 years. I brought Angelica over to meet him. Here is Uncle Tom, Grandma B and Angelica.

June 30th we celebrated Dennis's 33rd birthday - his first birthday as a dad! Angelica and I surprised him with balloons, presnts and breakfast on his birthday.

We enjoyed fireworks on both the 3rd and 4th of July in Manteno and Beecher. Here we are with our nephew Nate at the Manteno fireworks show.

Our 4th of July tradition is that we watch the Beecher fireworks with our friends Nic and Rachele.

Angelica has spent a lot of time with her grandparents this summer, which has given me some time to "go back to work" and make some money. Here Angelica is enjoying a nice bath in her Nana's kitchen sink!

Sadly, in July we lost our beloved little dog BamBam. I had rescued BamBam almost 6 years ago. He had several medical problems and we took care of him as best as we could. I always did my best to make sure BamBam knew he was loved and that he was happy. It was so hard to see him so sick during his last days, but I felt at peace knowing we had made his life significantly better from what it had been before he was with us. I still miss BamBam and think about him every day. Now Rusty is an "only" dog and while it has been hard on him at times, I think it has also been good for us to be able to give him enough attention and care as he is battling cancer. Here is a picture of BamBam before he got sick. He somehow had picked up a small styrofoam ball on his nose and wasn't able to get it off!

After BamBam died, we planted this flowering pear tree in memory of him to honor his life and always remind us of the good times we had with him.

In July, my Aunt Sue came up from Kentucky for a quick visit and to attend my cousin Amanda's bridal shower. Here is a picture of Grandma B with her 2 girls, Linda and Sue.

My cousin Amanda moved to Phoenix a few years ago. However, the rest of us are still here in IL/IN so she decided to have her wedding here. This is a picture of all of us girl cousins at Amanda's bridal shower which was held at my cousins Jim & Julie's house. From left to right is Lisa, me, Amanda, Traci, Julie and Anna. (Notice Amanda has a cast on her left foot. Her horse stepped on her foot and broke it!)

In July, we were also invited to our friends Doug & Amy's son Ahren's 4th birthday party. I think this is the first kid's birthday party Angelica has been to. There were a lot of kids there and we had a great time. Here is a picture of Ahren opening his gifts with mom and dad and brother Liam.

Not long after Angelica started crawling (right around 6 months), she started climbing. She made it up a couple of stairs before I noticed and she was quite happy about it!

We were lucky to have a very HOT summer which allowed us a lot of time to swim. Angelica loves the pool! Here she is right after a swimming playdate with cousins Jeff & Becca...so tired she fell asleep in her jumparoo!

This is the second year we attended "Groovin at Goodenow" at the Goodenow Grove Forest Preserve. This year our friend's Nic and Rachele came with us. It was a Groovy good time!

We also went to my Grandma Lannon's "Cousins Family Reunion." This was in Sandwich, IL at Martha & Stanley's house. We even got to go for a little boat ride on their Pontoon on Holiday Lake. This was Angelica's first boat ride. It was nice to be at the reunion because Angelica was able to meet a lot of family members from my mom's side that we don't see very often.

Here is a group picture of me, Dennis & Angelica with Grandma & Grandpa Lannon.

Martha had this swing on her deck for her great granddaughter and she let Angelica give it a try. This was Angelica's first time on a swing and she absolutely loved it, as you can see!

Here is our Brewer-Seeholzer family picture taken with my dad and his wife's side of the family. Dad and Diana are sitting in front. Then from left to right it is Matt, Liz, Mark, Emily, Doug, Me, Lisa, Angelica and Dennis. It is not often that we are ALL together. Emily lives in Denver. Liz lives further north. Lisa lives further south and Mark has a busy school/work schedule. So, this was a special thing for us to all be together at one time!

As I mentioned earlier, Rusty is suffering from cancer. The good news is that he is doing well working with our holistic vet, Dr. Becker. One thing that makes cancer worse is a weakened immune system and unfortunately losing BamBam caused a lot of stress for Rusty. He seems to be doing better now though. Here he is snuggling with BamBam's old pillow and blanket.

At the end of July we took a vacation to Canada! My stepmom's sister and brother-in-law and neices all live in Ontario Canada. Diana's sister and brother in law (Bryan and Jan) have a great summer house on Crowe Lake in Marmora Ontario. We drove up to spend a long weekend with them and had the most fantastic time. On the way there, we stopped in Detroit at Uncle Dan and Aunt Diane's house. They graciously offered us a wonderful meal and a much needed break from our long drive. Here is Angelica and Uncle Dan.

We continued on our journey into Canada, stopping first in London Ontario to stay with my step-cousin Andrea for the night. The next morning we drove the rest of the way to Crowe Lake. We arrived for our long weekend just in time for a fantastic supper made by my step-cousins Ben & Colleen. Here is a picture of the bunkhouse we got to stay in with Dad and Diana. Can you believe that Uncle Bryan built this bunkhouse himself??!?!! I was completely amazed by what a wonderful job he did. It was the perfect summer break for us and we enjoyed every minute of our time here.

Just a short walk across the street was the dock we used to get into the Lake. We spent each day in the water swimming, relaxing, boating, tubing, fishing and floating around. It was so so so beautiful!

A picture at sunset.

And another sunset shot at the lake.

Angelica had the most wonderful time. I was worried how she might do with traveling. It was a 12+ hour car ride and then she spent nights in the same room as us sleeping in her pack and play. She was off of her regular schedule. However she adjusted well and stayed in good spirits for the whole trip. Here she is with daddy on the dock.

Dennis is much more brave than I. Here he is launching Angelica in to the air. She actually loved it, although I was a little scared.

More fun on the lake. Here I am tubing with Peyton and Katie. Peyton and Katie are the daughter's of my stepcousins Ben and Colleen. They are such wonderful little girls. This is the first chance I really had to spend any time with them and we had a great time together. They are so smart and polite and such energetic happy young ladies. They had a lot of fun playing with Angelica as well.

Each night we took turns creating a dinner for everyone. This is the dinner from the night that me and Andrea cooked. We made Caribbean shrimp with Roasted Lemon Dill veggies and a garlic squash dish as well. Everyone loved it!

As a special treat, dad took out his accordian and serenaded us before bed. He has been playing the accordian since the age of 4. This year for their anniversary, my step-mom bought him new bellows. He got the accordian all fixed up and tried out some new tunes as well as some of our favorites.

Diana loves fishing. A couple years ago we bought her a pink fishing poll with a sparkling light up reel. Here they are with their catch of the day.

Marmor is a small town, but known for this old mine. It is not in use anymore, but is now filled up with water...since we were there we though, what the heck...we might as well see it!

When we came home from Canada, we celebrated our nephew Nate's 11th birthday!

Here is a picture I actually took with my phone of a beautiful sunny day right outside my back door. It sure is pretty out here.

Here is Angelica with her stand up and play music table from Aunt Bonnie. Once she learned to pull herself up to stand, this quickly became her favorite toy.

I love these big flower headbands and was very happy to find a big flower hat! Angelica was totally goofing around but it looks like she is posing for this picture. This is one of my favorite!

Here, Angelica and her Grandpa Brewer are going for a crawl.

At the beginning of August, Aunt Diane, Uncle Dan and Justin came in for a visit. We met up with Uncle Lee, Aunt Dorothy and Elise and went to Brookfield Zoo.

I really like this picture I took in the dragonfly swamp area at the zoo.

Here are the kids at the zoo. Nathan, Angelica, Justin and Elise.

Starting at the end of May, I joined a running group at Fleet Feet Sports in Schererville. I started out with the walk/run group as someone who had never run before and actually hated running. My goal was to run a 5K in 12 weeks. Here I am with my group. (I am way off to the left #1224) This is the morning of our 5K race.

I completed the 5K in 43 minutes and 45 seconds. My goal had been to complete it in less than 45 minutes, which I did. I am currently signed up in a new running class training for a 4 mile run in November. My goal for that race is to complete it and to improve my time.

Dennis and Angelica came to root me on at my first race. I truly hope this is the first of many races for me. We'll see.

After finishing my 5K, I headed out to my cousin Amanda's Bachelorette Party!!!! The party was at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL. We had a fantastic dinner, went to a comedy club and then out for drinks. Here are some group shots of us girls at the comedy club.

August was the time for meeting new babies! My friend Kristin and her husband Brandon came in from Alabama for a visit with their new son Preston Allen. Here he is 2 months old. Little Preston was so adorable. We are hoping to make a trip to AL to visit him again once he is a little bit older.

August was also Angelica's first White Sox game! The Sox ended up losing, but it was still a lot of fun. We went with Dad, Diana, Mark and Lisa. Angelica was really into the game and cheering with the crowd!

The three of us, cheering on the White Sox!

Angelica's hair has grown long enough now that she can wear a bow in her hair! I am VERY happy about this! I think she looks so cute with her little bows!

On August 18th, our friends Jen and Nathan welcomed their son (My Godson) Jackson David to the world. Jack was a health 10lbs 10ozs and 22 1/2 inches long! Here he is with me and Angelica at just one week old. He is such a cutie pie. I am so excited to watch him grow up!

In August we also took a day to go to Great America. It was just me and Dennis and my sister and her husband Doug. Angelica stayed home with Nana & Grandpa. Unfortunately I got sick to my stomach from some of the roller coasters so I decided to take it easy the rest of the day. I really did enjoy this high climbing activity though.

On August 15th, my stepsister Sonya and her husband Rick welcomed Olivia June to the world. Olivia was 8lbs 9oz and 21 inches long. Here we are visiting with them. Olivia is about 2 weeks old in this picture. She is such a sweet little girl and makes so many cute little sounds. I hope she and Angelica will have fun growing up to be cousins together.

Here is a picture of Angelica all wrapped up after bath time. She is so darn cute! I love those eyes and eyelashes!

In June my friend Tiffany and her husband Dave welcomed their baby girl Stella Monroe. We finally made it out for a visit here when Stella was about 2 months old. We had a hard time holding the girls and trying to take a picture, but this is what we got! Stella is such a cutie and so stylish! Her momma always has her looking so adorable! Tiffany and I are hoping to set up more playdates for the girls in the future.

I think Angelica looks adorable in this little blue dress. Dennis thinks it looks more like a Halloween costume. Either way, we had lots of fun this day and even got to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Smith.

Here is Angelica in her new outfit from Auntie Lizzie in Ohio. I even painted her toenails to match! Here she is getting ready to spend the day at Grandma Brewer's house.

Angelica is starting to walk while pushing around her little hippo toy now.

I bought this outfit a few years ago, hoping someday I would have a baby girl. It makes me so happy to see her wearing it now.

There is a park directly across the street from our house. After having such a good time on the swings at the family reunion I thought we would try these swings at the park. She had a great time on them as well.

My cousin Amanda got married on September 11th. Since we were all dressed up anyway, we decided to take a family picture in my mom's backyard with her beautiful flowers. I am really happy with how good these pictures turned out!

Here we are at Amanda and Matt's wedding - the cousins! Kara, Traci, Lisa and Julie

The beautiful Bride and Groom! Mr. & Mrs. Petkus! YAY!

So, I think I have covered everything now from June - September! We sure have been busy but it has been fun. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family to share our lives with amd keep us busy. I truly cherish each and every one of the relationships I have and I hope each person in my life knows how much I appreciate them. We are so lucky and so grateful for these blessings.

It is hard to believe Angelica is going to be 9 months old next week. Hopefully I will be able to stay on top of my blogging a little bit more and keep you all updated with how things are going here. I am sure going to miss summer as it is my favorite time of year, but I am also looking forward to fall and taking Angelica to the pumpkin patch and going trick or treating. I am ready to wear warm sweaters and drink hot apple cider and tea. I will remember to cherish every moment because these moments keep coming and going and as wonderful as each moment is, each moment is somehow even more wonderful than the last. Life is good. After all of the ups and downs I have experienced in my life I think I can finally say that I am truly truly very happy and I am so grateful for this happiness. :)