Congrats to Randee and Al & Malleable Iron Grille

I have to give a HUGE shout out to my very best friend in the world who is opening a new Restaurant in town! Malleable Iron Grille will open officially Monday April 6th!

Randee and Al have been working on remodeling the inside for weeks now gearing up for the Grand Opening! I am so proud of both of them! We will certainly be one of their first customers come Monday. I talked to Al today and told him I want Bacon, Sausage, Eggs-the works...

{so my order is already in} ;-)

Woot Woot!

Go Team Greco!!!

We love you both and are very very proud of you!

A full heart...

We made a visit over to Uncle Todd, Aunt Beth's E & M's house this weekend. Brayden of course headed straight for the piano again and then got in some good playtime with Aunt Beth-the girls, and Uncle Todd. Brayden has a special relationship with all of them which is so very important to me.

I snapped some pictures of Brayden and one stood out to me that I simply had to post. Todd was playing with Brayden and getting him to let out HUGE belly giggles. Brayden climbed up onto their ottoman (like he does at home)...and Uncle Todd started to tickle him and give him lovies (Brayden loves this).

Todd laid his head on Brayden to give him a hug and this was Brayden's reaction:

This photo is so beautiful to me because I remember playing with Todd myself as a child, and I remember how happy he always made me-how he could ALWAYS get me to belly chuckle, and how special I felt in his presence.

Todd is my oldest brother, and since my parents divorced when I was very young-he took over the role as Big brother/Dad. He was always very protective of me, and was always there anytime I needed him-still is.

Brayden's face in this picture tells me he adores and loves Todd just as much as I do-I can see it in his happy little face. Brayden has no idea how blessed he is to have as great of an Uncle as he does in Todd.

He has no idea how much Todd , Beth E & M will love him, protect him, build his confidence, applaud him, make him feel special, sing to and with him, help bring out his creative side, and listen to him throughout his life. He may not know yet-but I do :-)

It makes my heart feel safe and full in knowing that they will always be there for him like they have been for me.

-We love you guys!

{When one door closes...}

Last night I got home from work around 2:45am {I work crazy hours supervising a 24/7 Call Center}. Well...I went into the kitchen to get my nightly glass of milk and I heard Brayden start to cry. I waited for a few seconds, and he only got louder and louder...

{crescendo style whaling started to ensue}.

We don't do the "let him cry it out" thing, so I quickly grabbed a bottle and ran up the stairs as fast as I could. My eyes had not had time to focus yet because it was pitch black up there. I thought the bedroom door was wide open and I could have swore that I spotted the alarm clock on the night stand as I ran down the hallway to calm Brayden.

All of sudden......BAM!!!........

{the door was shut}.

Thankfully, when I hit it as hard as I did with my foot {toes actually} it came unlatched and swung open full speed hitting the wall with a huge BOOM sure to freak anyone out!

Ron almost fell out of the bed as he was leaning over Brayden's crib because he thought someone had broken into the house with the door

flying open like that!

As I tried to gain my senses, get the bottle over to them, while dodging stepping on or tripping over {our two very black and hard to see labs}, hopping on one leg because said toes were throbbing & trying to catch my breath from my sprint up the stairs...I thought to myself, "seriously?"

These kind of strange things always seem to happen to me...must be something I learned in Spaz 101 along the way somewhere.

God knows when I told Ron that I had thought....

the. door. was .open...

he got a heck of a good chuckle out of it.

Good to know I can still make him laugh after all these years.

{So}....

When one door closes, another door opens....{obviously}.

PhotoStory Friday! {Chautauqua Institution}

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

My favorite place in the world is Chautauqua Institution. Let me tell you a little bit about this fabulous place and why it is one of my favorite places in the world. It is a place to renew and learn about the arts, education, religion, and recreation. It is located on Chautauqua lake-another favorite place of mine. I studied music here for many years. I have performed in the amphitheater more times than I can count throughout my life. I have walked the grounds and taken in all of it's beauty and energy since I was a small child. I graduated high school on the amphitheater stage. It is meaningful and beautiful to me. People from all over the world come to visit this beautiful mysterious place-and leave renewed and refreshed each time. The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.”

When I graduated from high school, my mother gave me a gold Bell Tower Necklace that is somewhat of a staple if you own one and live in this area. They are all handmade by an elderly woman that lives in Chautauqua Institution. The time on my necklace is engraved at 1:00pm-when I was born. My birth date is also engraved on the back of it. It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

Here is a photo of the piece of jewelry...

{not my actual necklace because I don't have a good close up picture of it, but this is the charm itself}.

This last year Ron, Brayden and I spent an entire day there walking around-eating the gourmet food and relaxing while taking in this beautiful place and day. It was our 6th year Wedding Anniversary. We took many beautiful photos so I could create a collage to put in the house. Here are some gorgeous photos from our day there.

This is the main entrance into Chautauqua Institution:

Once inside, here are some of the breathtaking views, architecture, homes and scenery you can expect to see as you walk the small hand laid brick sidewalks:

Almost everyone has Gladiolas out on there front porches on display

{and we all know how I just LOVE Gladiolas}

Here is the Hall of Philosophy. Weddings, famous speakers, church sermons and so much more are held here on a daily basis.

Ahhh-the lake...

Here is the gorgeous Athenaeum Hotel:

Here is my favorite-the Miller Bell Tower on the lake:

{the necklace I posted above}...

And to end with a funny-here is Brayden in his stroller enjoying the scenery.

No Bikes & No Cars are allowed

{but}

The Brayden chillin' in his stroller is permitted

{he's such a rebel}

What a hoot eh?

Happy Friday!

-The Snow Family

{ If you want to see more beautiful photos others have taken click HERE.

To read more about Chautauqua Institution itself or to visit their website, click HERE. Enjoy!}

Fortune...

We went out for Chinese today for lunch. My fortune cookie read:

"The best is yet to come".
This either means I'm dying and going straight to heaven :-)

OR

Some really great things are about to happen to me...I mean...after all...

{I did rub the Buddha's belly on our way into the restaurant}.

B.I.N.G.O

Mom is coming home for another visit-Woot Woot! I feel a B.I.N.G.O date comin' on with her-our family-our friends. Maybe I'll actually win this time. I am getting good at this Big Time Bingo thing. You see-it's not the old pool hall type bingo where some 80+ year old lady is slowly calling the numbers-this is Seneca Nation Bingo...where there is only 1 second in between balls being called-and if you have multiple cards...you'd better be on your game sister! This is the type of Bingo where other women sitting at the tables eye you if you mention you only need "two numbers" or say something like "I'm getting close". Those are totally brave and taboo statements to make at this place ;-)

It's a multi-tasking event to say the least! {This part of the game really stresses me out}. One of the last times we went my Aunt JoAnn looked over at me mid-game and said; "Shannon-what the hell game are you on?" {This is ESPECIALLY funny because she is not one to freely use the word hell}. Everyone busted out laughing when they looked over and I was on a completely different color card. My cheeks went red instantly-and I frantically tried to play catch up as the Steel Magnolias {my Aunt Jo's group of lifelong friends that are practically family} tried to help me all the while laughing hysterically! Needless to say I did not win anything that night either! My mom even picked up a "lucky stone" in the parking lot on the way in that she later threw back on our way out {since she lost}!

Oh the joys of BINGO night. It's almost become a tradition when my mom comes home to visit. Last time my nieces got their first hand at this Big Time Bingo. During the "Cake Tier" game-"M" wanted to know if we won cake if we Bingo'd. The whole table giggled at that one-which irritated her just a tid bit. She is just like me in that this multi-tasking challenge can be more stress than fun. She eventually caught on-and fell in love like the rest of us.

B.I.N.G.O here we come!!!

Wordful Wednesday

This is my 4th week participating in Wordful Wednseday hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus. This is too much fun-taking a photo and babbling on and on about it-what a perfect concept!

This week I have more than just one photo. I really wanted to share some of our favorite black and whites that I have taken since Brayden was born.

This photo was taken when Brayden was a mere month or so old. I just love that Brayden is holding onto Daddy's finger so tightly. I probably love it so much because I am in love with my husbands hands...they are perfect to me. Brayden's little hands are pretty darn perfect too!

Here, my boys are fast asleep, in the same position. I crawled around on the living room floor for over 15 minutes trying to get the perfect photo of them that night. I spent another 5 minutes on the floor just sitting there staring at the both of them in amazement that I could be so blessed.

Here is a simple photo of shadows-and the sunlight capturing the specs of Brayden's eyes. It makes me wonder what he was thinking about when I took this photo.

Again, Daddy's hands, Brays chubby piggies and his chunky little hand on Daddy's-it does not get much better than this...

And last...playing with the piggies and our wedding rings. Look what our love did!

The simple joys...

The simple joys of today for me started out when my hubby told me at 8 am (when I went to bed after 4am when I got home from work) to go back to bed. (Insert a choir singing here)! I was exhausted-and quickly took him up on the offer...as this is not a regular occurrence for me! I ran upstairs and jumped in my cozy bed with my new warm and soft quilt I splurged on a few weeks ago, snuggled my body pillow and crashed. I woke up {what felt like 5 minutes later}, and it was 2pm! OMG! I came downstairs-called the hubster who was out with the Bray, and he came home to pick me up with coffee in the car :-) (again-insert choir singing here)!

We drove around in the nice weather we were having and some of my really favorite songs came on the radio-it's the simple things that make me smile. We then had a lunch date with the Brayden-he made us both laugh-many times. Love that. I got a big hug and kiss from Brayden before I left for work. I came home on my dinner break and we played soccer in the living room with the new ball Daddy bought for him this afternoon. Brayden giggled a lot. Then he sat on my lap and we shared a bagel together. He rested his soft little head on my shoulder and then would take another bite. His little legs were crossed just like Daddy's all the meantime. Ron and I had time to chit chat. I returned to work with a Betty Crocker Warm Delights Hot Fudge Brownie dessert-perfection ;-)

Oh the simple joys. I told you-it does not take much to make me smile :-) What were your simple joys today? Hope there were many.

Braydens Big Boy Room...Part II

Okay ladies...as you know I have been drawing up "Brayden's big boy room" in my head now for the last few months. Baseball, Baseball, and more baseball. We all know that Coach Ron (aka: Daddy) wants this theme for his room like nobody's business-so Baseball it is. I don't mind though...it will be tons of fun. So...I am still steering towards that Pottery Barn toddler platform bed as shown here:

In my searching though...I have found some really REALLY great ideas that are a MUST HAVE for this big boy room. Just some snippets for your viewing pleasure :-) I have my little decorating notebook all put together with my scribbles of pictures and jabber about these ideas and plans...but for now...this is where I am at. This project is still about 6 months or more out...but I like to be prepared like that. That's just how I roll :-)

Isn't this just the cutest Comforter/Shams/Sheets-UGH! I am in heaven...and saving $$$ as we speak for this snappy little collection-because I just love it THAT much for his room. I can cut corners elsewhere right? Gotta love Pottery Barn :-)

That's about it for now! My little decorating book has some ideas to add to these such as really great handmade Cornice Boards (a surprise)...a really funky bookshelf idea that I am going to make-along with the bed (stop laughing!)...and I am still searching for some lockers-that I can paint bright red, some baseballs-extra furniture, huge picture frames for some {Tampa Bay Rays} jerseys...etc etc etc. I can't wait to get started on his room. I will keep everyone posted with my progress-until then it's Root root root for the home team!!! (Home team being me at this point :-) Happy Decorating!!!

PS...if you missed the Braydens big boy room Part I-you can view the post by clicking

HERE.

A Dance with Mommy

My little guy and I love to dance together. Our first song of choice for months was Harry Connick Jr's "Come by Me". All I would have to do is start that song and Brayden would run over wanting me to pick him up to dance. We have both tired of that one since we found our new song called "You are the best thing" by Ray Lamontagne. I love that the lyrics sing throughout the chorus "Baby-you are the best thing...that's ever happened to me". It's beautiful. I pick him up-he wraps his little toughy arms around my neck and periodically lays his head on my shoulders as we waltz around the living room together. If I sing the song to him-he puts his ear close to my mouth and then turns to give me some smooches-which I totally love.

This is one of my absolute favorite things to do with Brayden. It makes me feel so blessed and so thankful to God for allowing me these special moments with my sweet little boy. The world and all the silly worries of the day are so far from my mind while he is in my arms. I love to just close my eyes, put my cheek to his and embrace these moments as if they will never end. It puts life in complete perspective. It's real, it's beautiful, it's precious and tender. Moments like these are the ones that make you realize what love, life and God are all about.

I love you bubby-and I love it when we dance together.

-Mommy

Happy Birthday Todd

Today is my brothers birthday. Todd is my oldest brother (no pun intended :-) I cannot tell you how much I ABSOLUTELY adore him because words cannot describe it. I can tell you though that he is the most selfless, kind, giving, supportive, loving, admirable person in the world. Many of my happiest memories in my life are ones spent with him (and his beautiful family). Much of who I am is a direct result of the things he has taught me throughout my life.

Todd is artistic, creative, funny, genuine and smart. He is down to earth, playful, and appreciates the simple beautiful things in life. I am so blessed to have a brother like him and I am so proud of everything he is, supports, believes in and exemplifies every day. Ron, Brayden and I love you so very much Todd and we hope you are having the best day ever!

Prednisone Good News!!!

A few months ago I was forced to go back on the Prednisone to treat my Colitis and Lupus, because my current health insurance does not cover the Humira that I need to take to get off of the Prednisone!!! Well, after many months of research to find a way to get my (over $1200.00) a month Humira Rx...I found a company that is called Partnership for Prescription Assistance-PPA. I may qualify to receive my Humira for FREE!!! I am almost done with the application and plan to have it all sent in this week.
What does this mean for me? Well...first-it means I can STOP the prednisone-which will result in losing all this icky prednisone water weight (whoo hoo!) In the past when I have stopped taking this medication, I lose about 60 lbs of water weight very quickly-which is ALWAYS fun, and one of the big perks for me :-)
Secondly-My osteoporosis will start to get better since the prednisone depletes my bone density so rapidly.
Third: My Diabetes will improve dramatically since Prednisone elevates sugar levels, and when off of it-I am able to keep a tight control over my health in that arena.
Last: Humira makes my overall health conditions so much better that IF we decide to have baby #2 this next year or so...WE CAN :-)
I am SO SO SO excited! I will be sure to keep everyone posted-but it looks like I will be predisone free and spring wardrobe skinny in NO TIME! :-) Thank God!

Beautiful Moments...

We took Brayden to the park to play the other day. The sun was perfect that day, and Brayden really needed to release some energy. I love moments spent with my boys. Brayden and Daddy are so in sync sometimes it just makes me smile. I love watching them play together. Ron is such a great Daddy-and Brayden loves to observe him, be right next to him, and mock Daddy's every step. I am so thankful everyday for the both of them, and for special moments like we had this day.

First we started out on the swings:

Then Brayden spotted the slide:

Brayden and Daddy decided to take a little walk together: ( I love how their feet are in sync together).

Last but not least (and my favorite picture of all)-all of us:

Hope you are making beautiful memories with your family too!

-The Snow Family

Curly-Q

I think we are going to get curls folks-yes you heard me-REAL CURLS! My hair is PIN straight, Daddy on the other hand was a full blown curly headed little dude as a child (still is-but he keeps it short so nobody really knows)! I thought Brayden got my hair when he was born...but the other day after he played in some humid weather-this was the result of his hair-and I think we can safely say-he might just end up with curls after all (yay!) :-)

Happy Birthday Mom!

I cannot tell you enough how much I completely adore you, love you, look up to you, and admire you for everything you are, have been, and will be in your life. You have never ceased to amaze me with your kindness, your immensely huge heart, and your creative and strong nature. You are smart, beautiful, courageous and selfless.

I remember as a child always watching you and thinking how great you were (are). I knew you would always stand up for me-all of us, our family. I knew I could always count on you for whatever I needed. You always encouraged every dream of all of ours-and you told us we did not have to be scared of anything, and that we should always picture ourselves in positive situations, and more importantly to always put ourselves in someone else's shoes.

When I got older and thought about being a mother myself, I knew what kind of mother I wanted to be...one just like you.

I knew that I wanted Brayden to feel the way you always made me feel. I wanted to start a special snuggle bug time with him-just as you and I had. I knew I wanted to tickle his back in only a way that a mother can-just like you used to do to me to put me to sleep. I knew I wanted him to know I am his safe place-just like you were (are) for me all of the time. I knew that I wanted to always be there for him when he cried, or needed me-just like you did for all of us all the time. I know that despite whatever I have, or do not have, or cannot give Brayden-that I will teach him that life is not all about belongings and things-but about family-relationships-love-giving and strength enough to be a good person despite circumstances. You emmulated those values because of the beautiful person that you are. I love you so very much Mom.

I hope you have a well deserved wonderful, beautiful day.

Happy-Happy Birthday to you!

25 Random Facts

A few weeks ago, I was tagged on Facebook to list 25 Random Facts about myself. I have just been able to get around to it now, so I thought I would post it here-and it will feed over to my FB page...makes it much easier this way.

1. I can move my ears.
2. Gladiolas are my favorite flowers.
3. I am a professional vocalist-but cannot sight read music-never could.
4. I hardly ever wear socks, my feet get too hot-drives me crazy.
5. Chocolate Peanut butter ice cream is my FAV.
6. Fruity Pebbles ROCK!
7. Dill pickles and birthday cake were my two major cravings while pregnant with Brayden.
8. I have blue eyes-with a brown spec in my right eye.
9. I collect wine and all things that go along with it-My mom teases me because I don't even drink-but I have a real wine fridge-it's all about the decor right?
10. I can't eat food prepared by someone else unless I have seen their kitchen.
11. I LOVE vegetables-any kinds and all kinds-I could LIVE on just veggies.
12. Carraba's is my FAV restaurant...next to Red Lobster of course.
13. I once lived in a haunted house.
14. Ticks totally FREAK me out!
15. Palmetto bugs are just EVIL. I once sprayed one with bleach thinking I could kill it-it just turned HOT PINK-and lived. Did you know they fly too? I found out that night-'nuff said.
16. My MIL and I share the same birthday.
17. I LOVE my calendar and address books-they ground me ;-)
18. I am PETRIFIED of sleeping alone in the house.
19. I hardly ever wear makeup, and when I do I stick to Neutrogena because my skin is very sensitive-it's the only brand I can use.
20. I love long drives in the car on a sunny day with the windows down while playing some really great music.
21. Every time I hear Billy Joel it reminds me of my oldest brother Todd. When I was little, him and I would sit in his car and he would play the beat of the music on the steering wheel and I on the dash board. I loved that!
22. I am very close to my family. I love that they are my support system and I love that we all have a great relationship with each other. I am very very blessed.
23. I love being a mother, I have never done anything more fulfilling or important in my entire life.
24. I am in the middle of writing a book...that I have been working on for 5 years now ;-)
25. My favorite season is Fall, and I LOVE maple leaves.

PhotoStory Friday!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

We took Brayden to Chuck E. Cheese last weekend. He played his little heart out! His favorite ride was a mini-car that sways back and forth with a steering wheel, a passenger and a dog manikin! Brayden was hooked-immediately. He had quite the "driving" experience.
He started out extremely excited that he could drive with company aboard!

Here he is getting acquainted:

As Brayden was trying to concentrate on his driving-the passenger evidently starting talking which was clearly breaking Brayden's concentration. Brayden attempted to "shush" him:

The passenger who we will just call "Chuck" still could not stay quiet. Brayden started yelling at him-which I presume from this picture was something like "I can't think about driving when you keep talking!"

Chuck continued to talk, as Brayden quickly exclaimed: "Do I have to come back there?"

Chuck then started to sob-uncontrollably. Brayden quickly felt bad and decided to give him a kiss.

Chuck thanked Brayden for giving him some love and Brayden exited the car a happier little boy, ready for some cinnamon sticks, pizza, and his sippy :-)

(haha)!

Your expressions are too funny Brayden-you are so fun to watch, and I am glad that you embrace life in the happy and fun way you do. You melt our hearts everyday.

We love you-Mommy and Daddy.