snow snow and more snow. so much snow. more snow than I've ever seen (okay-well that isn't true, but still a LOT of snow).

The storm came in around 1:00 pm on Friday and it stopped snowing at about 7:00 pm on Sunday. That's three days of snow and what I'm guessing is just under two feet of the white stuff. You know what would really stink to have happen on a weekend like this...for the snow blower to stop working, and yet that is exactly what happened! It was pretty light snow, but so much for shoveling. It is tough to shovel with Grant because we can't leave him inside alone. His room is totally Grant proof and he would be fine to play there for 20 minutes alone, however he wouldn't put up with being left totally alone for that long and the crying isn't worth it. So, Taylor was on his own for much of the shoveling and I was able to help out during nap time.

We used the snowy weekend for much Christmas prep. I wrapped and packaged up all of the items to be shipped for the holiday. yes, they will probably be late, but my girls love me and won't mind and my niece and nephew don't really know me and really don't care when the loot comes, just that it comes. So, since Taylor isn't working again this year, tomorrow he is off to the post office.

I also got all of our Christmas cards ready for mailing. I ordered the with plenty of time, but apparently they got lost at the UPS location in Texas (it is always Texas with me!) and so just got here on Thursday night. They came out really crummy, so I'm disappointed in them (very orange for some reason) but given the amount of money I spent and the proximity to the holiday I decided to send them anyway. Please note when you get your cards that Grant is so very much cuter that in that photo. I even sent out extra prints of other cute photos to some people who don't get to see him often so they could recognize his cute factor. Yeah-I've got a problem.

Cookie baking was also on the menu for the weekend. Tomorrow is Grant's treat swap at daycare. I didn't make my award winning macaroons (I can say that now that I won best taste in the first annual bake-off challenge at work) because I'm not really sure kids are down with coconut, so I went with a chocolate chunk cookie and my grandmother's favorite cream cheese and jam cookies. It will be 10 years ago this week that she died, so it somehow seemed fitting to make her cookies, even though I've never really liked them myself. I'm thinking those cookies will be hit in the under 5 crowd at daycare.

We spent some quality time having a snow party at the neighbors on Friday night. No one could get out, so we all grabbed a bottle of our favorite holiday cheer and came together to sit around and catch up one last time before we split for the holidays. What a random group of people, but we do really have a lot of fun together. I really do think we live on the best street in America!

So, it was a productive weekend despite the fact that the laundry isn't folded and I didn't watch Pulp Fiction, an assignment from a coworker. Hopefully your weekends were productive too and if you live in the Northeast you are dug out of the storm and have your power back from the dreaded ice storm! Oh, and Go Patriots, Go Jets (boy-that feels so wrong to say) and Go whoever is playing the Ravens!

Happy Birthday to my boys--Taylor, Alexander, and Golic!

May you each enjoy every moment in the year to come! Hugs all around.

Sad day for the Moon Pies. I finished the season in a very disappointing 6th place this year due to the early season loss of Carson Palmer, the knicked up Reggie Bush, and the old age of Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison (both of whom were benched after two weeks). I'm embarrassed to have done so poorly this year and embarrassed by/for the other ladies in the league as well, as the Gold Stars and Altitude are also out of the playoff hunt. Tough season. Julie-I told you that loss was going to come back to get me! Oh well, only eight months until we draft again!

Thanksgiving was super fun this year. We went to PA to be with Alex and Emilie. Emilie made an incredible dinner, taking traditional dishes and putting a spin on them. It was a lot of time in the car, but it was well worth it for the yummy dinner and family time. Grant did well in the car going both ways, mostly because we drove at night and let him sleep. He loved playing with Barley and Tiller and even took to letting Tiller eat right out of his hand. We took a fun trip to Valley Forge on Friday and I was able to get a few cute photos of my favorite Mac boys. I love these:

And one with my favorite Mac Girls too!

My friend Erin did a great blog listing all of the things she was thankful for on Thanksgiving and I thought it was great. I should have done the same thing, but we are well into the Christmas season now, so instead I thought I would put out another plug. Jen and Brian have "adopted a family" for Christmas. This is pretty much as it sounds, through an agency they have found a family in need and bought this family gifts that they both need and want. I think this is a super great thing to do an encourage everyone to do something similar. I remember being about 11 when our family was "adopted" for Christmas. A bag appeared on our porch on Christmas Eve and their was a gift for each of us, simply labeled mom, dad, girl, boy. I don't remember what my mother or brother got, but my dad got a really nice heavy shirt and I got a board game. It wasn't much but that was a really tough year and we didn't have much of anything (except Turkey-we got LOTS of turkeys that year in food baskets). Of course, my parents had found ways to get my brother and I a few things, but I'm sure those gifts were some of the only they received that holiday. You may not think that giving the toys for tot gift or the giving tree gift at the mall makes much of a difference, but I'm here to tell you that it definitely does. So instead of telling you what I'm thankful for today, I'll tell you what I know my mom was thankful for when she had an 11 year old who wasn't getting Christmas, and that is the kindness of those more fortunate and the strangers that "adopted" my family. I know the economy is in the crapper and we're all holding onto our pennies a bit tighter these days, but try to give what you can and help when you can. I'm thankful for Jen and Brian for reminding me of that Christmas so I can be extra thankful for all the blessings I have today and so I can help pass these lessons again to Grant! And as always, when I think of those super tough years, I'm extra thankful for my mom and the amazing was she managed to keep us all together and all safe. Now that I'm a mom, I can make boo-boos better, but try as I will, I'll never understand how she got us through-that is real mommy power!

I just got my nails painted Double Decker Red. I feel like I need to announce this for two reasons: I never do anything as girly as get my nails painted and so this is truly a newsworthy event in my life and OPI has such good color names that I like to document them. Probably not worth caring about, but they do crack me up!

We are out of sugar in our office. This is catastrophic for me. I want coffee, but can't drink it black. pooh.

Feel like I'm getting sick. My body is a bit achy today. Taylor has been fighting something and Grant has been sick as well. I think both boys are on the mend and I REFUSE to give in. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and even though I'm going to spend most of it in the car, I don't want to spend it in the car sick. I want to eat and enjoy and pretend that their is no seafood in the stuffing!

Fancy new colors! Fancy new slideshow! Fancy new Heather's Daily Rant!
Hope you enjoy!

My baby turns one tomorrow. How is that possible? I can tell you exactly what I was doing a year ago tonight, in a world before I met Grant. I had dinner with friends. I wanted to have the baked brie, but soft cheeses are a no-no when pregnant and even though I knew I was having the baby the next day, I didn't want to take the chance. I went to the mall, I did some laundry, and I packed and repacked and repacked my hospital bag. I snuggled with the cats. I sat on the exercise ball.

Flash forward a year--tonight i made cupcakes so Grant would have cake for his birthday (he already had his real cake during his party, but everyone deserves cake on their birthday), I did laundry so Grant would have the cute boy jeans that match his special "my birthday" shirt from his Auntie Kriselyn, I played, went to the grocery store for YoBaby Yogurt, play played, and read books and snuggled with my baby on his last night as a baby.

It goes so fast. I know that in the blink of an eye, he'll be starting school, dating girls, and driving cars. Taylor laughed at me on the ride home from the hospital last year when I said he would be going to college before we knew it-but I don't think he would laugh now-because the first year went in seconds. Tomorrow my baby becomes a toddler and I'm almost guaranteed a few tears. I'm going to go sneak into his room now to check on him, sleeping in his snugly footie pajamas with the space shuttles on them, passed out on his tummy, head resting on his taggie blanket, dreaming the night away!

Taylor and I must live on the greatest street in America! We had the best Halloween ever! We dressed up our littlest Dumbo and wandered outside around 5:00. All of our neighbors decided to come out into the street and sit together and hand out candy. Even the folks who hadn't been in on the initial discussion because we didn't have their email addresses came out dragging candy, kids, and lawn chairs. Many adults came in costume. Taylor and I came as first time parents :) We weren't the only family on our street in that costume, but we didn't mind sharing! Grant's little buddy Aiden was a cowboy and other adult costumes included a teacher, Batman, and Batwoman. Far and away, our favorite was the Pirate across the street. She decorated her house, played pirate music and brought her candy out in a treasure chest. She also made our street the place to be by bringing out a full bar into the street and handing out rum and coke to all of the adults who visited. Let's just say, we expect even more families next year! We had a great time and continued the night once designated trick or treat time was finished with a makeshift party at the pirates house. It was a great night. Grant was a trooper in his costume, which he never really fell in love with. He stayed in it until Mama decided it was time for him to get changed into something a little snugglier without complaint. Halloween, which has always been one of my least favorite holidays, skyrocketed up the list this year! I'm even more excited for the next big holiday in our world, Grantie's Birthday!

Grant helps Mom and Dad get ready for Halloween and our estimated 200 trick or treaters. 400 pieces of candy-well, maybe minus one!

• my cats are once again schizophrenic. Grant and I came home to the world craziest mess last night. nothing like keeping the cats locked in separate rooms to make a weekend fun.
• i want to learn to surf. okay, i really just want an excuse to go to Hawaii. Perhaps my college roommate will get married and invite me and we can take a family trip to the great island.
• less than two weeks until the NKOTB the sequel. this time, we're doing it like we're supposed to!
• my cake decorating career may be over. I'm not very good at it.
• HSM3 is out and I'm sad because I won't see it.
• Sarah Marshall is a funny movie.
• How I Met Your Mother is the greatest show on television.
• Holy rain storm batman.
• someone I went to college with just named her kid Grant. I admit it-it pissed me off.
• i had bunches more things to talk about, but now I forget them all. oh well...

Mommy's Big Big Fall Boy!

Well, it has been almost one week since my journey back in time to adolescence, and I have to say it was simply amazing. For those who might not know to what I am referring, I'm talking about my trip to Boston last Friday to see New Kids on the Block. I know, it sounds silly. And in all honesty, it sounded silly to me too, even the week of the concert. I thought it would be a fun night out with the girls and we would end up laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. But it wasn't. Yes, it was a super fun night out with the girls, but it was so much more! NKOTB put on the best concert I've ever seen. Many of you remember me going to see Madonna a few years ago and know that it was on my list of things to do before I die, and remember that while it was a good show, I was disappointed because Madonna thought she was in Boston despite being in Worcester and because I was sure she only performed half of her show. She only was on stage for under an hour. I think she cut her intermission and only performed a half show. Now, my tickets were free and they were good, so I didn't complain, but I was highly disappointed (ask poor Amy-she was stuck in the car with me!). NKOTB blew the Madonna show and every other show I've seen out of the water! They sang--and lets be clear--they were good! They danced and not like 40 year old men--they shook their money makers! Danny Wood did a breakdance solo that would put almost anyone to shame. They did solo songs, they sang together, the had dancers, they had the Celtics star Paul Pierce and the NBA Trophy for goodness sake! It was incredibly. It was over two hours! We forgot that we had been lost in Boston because Mandy the GPS doesn't do tunnels. We forgot that it was raining, that we had to pee super bad (well, maybe Teresa didn't forget that part), that we didn't get a real meal. We didn't care that we would have ringing ears for two days or that Natasha Bettingfield's mic was on too high and so she sounded like she was screaming. All we cared about was that we were there. It was such an incredible night. I would put it as one of the best nights ever. I lived a childhood dream. And I'm living it again! Yup-the show was so good that we're getting a second set of tickets. That's why living in NE is so awesome, we can get to many cities without much drama and will be seeing the boys again in a few weeks. How I love my life! And this time, instead of four, there will be seven, because the buzz is spreading and more and more want to see Joey, Donnie, Jordan, Jon, & Danny! Heather is Hangin Tough!

Goodbye Troy. You will be missed in the Mac Family on Sunday's. You're always welcome for peach salsa and pretzel bits at our house-we can play BINGO!

This is my 300th post. There is so much pressure to say something witty or be reflective in some way. Sadly, I've got nothing. I had just planned a little update on my last few weeks, but now...what to say?

Well, Grant is getting HUGE! In the last two weeks alone he has learned to crawl, pull himself up, he drinks exclusively from a cup and on and on and on. He took his first big car ride and visit to Grandma and Grandpop in the telephone. He was a rock star! He is a rock star. He is just the coolest kid on the planet and I suppose he is a perfect tribute for post 300!

It's almost comical at this point. Much like there never being a single picture of Me, Jeniffer and Kriselyn together when we see each other, there are no pictures of Me, Taylor and Grant. Quite literally, there are two "family" photos of us. One was taken in the first moments of his life. One was taken the day after we moved into our new house in February. Right now, in another window, I'm uploading 139 photos from G's Baptism yesterday. Photos of me and Grant, photos of the whole Mac Family and Grant, but no photos of just the three of us. A dozen adults, three cameras, zero photos!

Are you ready for some football? I've got my lucky underwear on, jersey is ready for game time. Grant's jersey-despite being two sizes two big is ready to roll and he's wearing his Patriot's onesie. Taylor's off to the game (and a big thank you to me for not only getting them tickets, but giving mine up for the good of the cause) and is (at last phone call) sitting in Norton waiting for the rest of the Mac Clan to show up. Too bad no one realized you can't buy beer in MA on Sunday's until 12. I've got a fridge stocked full that I would have been happy to send! Oh well! Me and my littlest boy are spending this most perfect day together. We're going to run some quick errands, pick up lunch (chips and mango salsa will have to wait for another weekend) and get back in time for game time. After that we're taking a nice long walk and will try out dad's cool new hiking backpack. Hope you and your families get you perfect fall football routines back on track today too!

Puffy Hand league is up and running. I'm the underdog today, but think Peyton could pull out a win for me. I'm taking on the Proud Papa's (my boy will take on all 2.5 of your kids today Janus!).

In my Survivor league I've got the Eagles beating the Rams. Hard as it is to say, "Go Eagles!"

Happy Sunday!

Oh Happy Day!

Grant's Baptism

September 6, 2008

Six years ago today Taylor and I got engaged at WDW. I wish we were there right now! We spent the day at the Magic Kingdom in the rain, went back to our room and got ready for dinner with Alexander and Emilie, had after dinner drinks with Krissy, and the boys, and got engaged in front of the fountain by our room. Sounds like a great day, doesn't it!

Pet Peeve of the Day:
2:00 to ???
When you're inviting people to an event that doesn't have an end time, there is no need to put ???. If you don't list a time, the party will naturally decline as it should. Listing ??? is just silly. You look like an idiot. As a host, even if you don't list an end time for an event, you can steer the crowd very subtly to end at a given time simply by your movements. Slowly start to clean up dishes, stop refilling the food and wine, this isn't difficult. Listing ??? is just plain ridiculous. Please don't do it!

Pet Peeve of the Day:
People who don't RSVP. How hard it is? Pick up the phone and say "no, I'm not coming". I promise you're not going to hurt anyone's feelings. By not doing it you're just bugging them as they're probably waiting on numbers for seating assignments, caterers, favors, and the like. Trust me, I plan events for a living! It is a real pain! You can send an email or call and leave a message in the middle of the night if that makes you feel better, or just make up a stupid excuse. It just matters that you follow through when someone extends an invitation your way! Be considerate people as you go forward in your day today.