Today I started having a bit of a break-down as I just have a whole lot of my plate at the moment, both kids are sick (again) and there just isn't enough time in the day!
I want to have dinner (it's 9:45 pm) so I'm going to keep this short!
Recent recap:
I was in Washington DC for almost a week (which is why I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment, as I'm trying to catch up after being gone for 6 days). I was there for a Women Council of Realtors (WCR) National Meeting. Our chapter (of which I'm the Vice President of Membership for the Marin Chapter of WCR was going to receive a Gold Award for our Performance last year, so the President and myself (I'm the President Elect) attended. Not only did we receive a Gold Award, our chapter was one of 4 chosen Nationally to receive a $1,000 special award for Outstanding Programs. Every month we put on a program for the local Realtor members of our chapter and our chapter was chosen as having some of the best Programs Nationally! We were very surprised and honored.
Liz McCarthy (WCR Marin President Elect) and David Smadback (WCR Marin President 09) at Awards Banquet in Washington DC
Liz and David receiving our chapters award for "Gold" Level of Excellence for 2008 with the 2008 National President Becky HillLastly, as part of WCR I took courses for a WCR/ National Association of Realtors Designation called Performance Management Network (PMN) This required me to take 3 courses as well as give and/or receive referrals from other Realtors or clients. I was one of 5 nationally to receive their PMN Designation at the conference. Here I am with the National WCR President for 2009, Ann Defries.
I was busy during the entire conference but did manage to arrange to stay an extra day as my 2 cousins live in Washington DC and nearby Virginia. I spent the last night at my Cousin Chris's house who I haven't seen in 8 years! We spent a little time touring the sites and I got to meet his girlfriend. Also I've never had the chance to meet my Cousin Kathy's 2 young children, so we drove out one night to see them too.
The reflecting pools and the National Monument
At the Natural History Museum
Cousin Chris, me, Cousin Kathy and Kathy's husband Rob (I'm the total shrimp of the family)
Did I mention that my Cousin is VERY tall? This is his sweet girlfriend Loren.I've decided I really do like Facebook. I took a few hours break one day from the conference (my only break) and took a jog around all the National Monuments. While I was jogging, I had my Blackberry with me and snapped a few pictures, and I updated my Facebook status to that I was really feeling blessed at being in DC. Crazy enough a family member of mine (Family due to my ex-family from my previous marriage, but I still consider them family) who live in New Orleans just happened to be in DC! How cool is that! We arranged to meet and even got to go to dinner on my last night in town. It made me realize how much I miss my New Orleans family. I soo wish we lived closer, but it just made me realize that I'll have to plan a trip to New Orleans for Jazz Fest (trying to remember my old life pre kids) sometime soon!
Rick and Renee Zibilich standing at the top of the Lincoln Memorial looking down at the National MonumentMOTHERS DAY!
I haven't had a chance to update about my awesome Mother's Day. Brian and I and some friends went to a winery in Sonoma, where they had a Mothers Day celebration. It was super kid friendly (with a bounce house and all) and bocce ball court (and wine of course) for the moms. They even had a wagon cart ride. What a great time we had.
I haven't had a chance to update about my awesome Mother's Day. Brian and I and some friends went to a winery in Sonoma, where they had a Mothers Day celebration. It was super kid friendly (with a bounce house and all) and bocce ball court (and wine of course) for the moms. They even had a wagon cart ride. What a great time we had.
Just had to say that Kaitlyn says the BOunce House is "too scarey" but she also says she wants to "play hockey, baseball, be an astarurant, race car driver, doctor, sell houses" but she says no, she doesn't want to go into the bounce house when she grows up as it's "too scarey"! Too cute.
This is my best friend's son Justin holding Quinn.
Dad and Quinn in the Wagon
Dad and Quinn
Justin and Kaitlyn playing with mom's Baseball bat (Kaitlyn felt that Mom really wanted a baseball bat and ball for Mother's Day). I was a very nice mom and let her play with it :) When dad asked if she wanted jewelry, Kaitlyn said, No, she wants a baseball bat and ball. It was very funny!
The McCarthys on Mothers Day 2009
My best friend Keri with Quinn
Keri and Liz on Mother's Day! (we are college friends)BALLET CLASS
Our local community center (walking distance to our house) had a 30 minute ballet class for toddlers, and thought I'd try again (remember the soccer class, that DIDN'T go over very well as Kaitlyn ran around the time time and rolled around inside the net). I was sooo hoping that with Kaitlyn's new sense of calmness (sometimes) that she might do better. The first class didn't go very well (she ran around not listening to the directions BUT, although she was a bit crazed, she had the hugest smile on her face so I couldn't stop laughing at/with her) and I seriously considered pulling her out, but the class was too big and the teacher broke the class into 2 for the following weeks and Kaitlyn is doing really really well!
Looking at these picture's it's hard to tell she was a bit "crazed" but I think I took these in the first 5 minutes of the class, the rest of the time I was too busy chasing her around to take any pictures.
These pictures are from the first (large) class
OK, isn't my little girl amazingly cute!
Oh and guess what Kaitlyn weighs 28.8 Pounds! This is HUGE for us. It took her about 10 months to go from 26 to 27 and literally over night she's now 28.5 pounds and seems to be staying there! She is on periactin again, but she's eating a ton (when she wants to) so when she doesn't want to eat much we let it go! I love smiling with Brian as we sit eating (a rarity) with Kaitlyn and love love love watching her explore new foods "what's this?" (to an onion) and eat food. She starting to get clear likes and dislikes, but we dont' make an issue out of the dislikes, hoping to teach her good eating habits, as she missed out on so much.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to reminnd myself of where we were not so long ago, constant vomiting and 100% fed by a feding tube.
Way to go Kaitlyn!
