How it all got started

Four years ago today was a very special day in my life. I got to marry my best friend! In honor of our anniversary, I thought I would share our story of how it all got started. I'm lucky enough to have an actual story of how we came to be. We didn't meet in a bar or find each other online - we came into each other's lives because of three special components. My parents, our dogs and fate. I never thought I would meet the man I was going to marry through an introduction by my parents, but that never would have happened if we both didn't have our dogs.

June 27, 2009

Let's rewind back to 2006. I was 26 years old, living in a condo by myself in Woodridge. I was working (at my current job). I was single and only casually dating. I had a one year old pug named Max. Max was my special little companion and my parents fell in love with him right away. Max was their baby grand dog. (This was way before any grandchildren were around). My mom was especially attached to him, so much so that she would come over to my house every morning to pick him up and bring him back to her house during the day. She didn't want him to be alone while I was at work. He was her little baby and got spoiled by her. 

Every day after work I'd go to my parents house to pick up Max. One night when I went to get him, my dad started telling me about a guy he met that lived on the street behind him. He told me that most nights 'this guy' would walk past his house with his dog (which also happened to be a pug). My dad is a pretty social guy and started up a conversation with him to talk about his dog and he told him his daughter also had a pug. Thereafter, he'd talk with him every time he'd walk by. My dog was always over there and my dad would always have Max outside with him so they'd stop and chat. After several weeks of small talk with this guy, my dad told me that I had to meet him because he thought he'd be perfect for me. In my mind, I was thinking "Ummm.....no thanks." I wasn't too interested in having 'my dad' set me up and was not sure if I could trust his judgment on men. He assured me that he was a good pick. "Okay Dad" (in my sarcastic tone). I wasn't jumping at the opportunity and several more weeks past.

One night after a long day at work, I went over to my parents house to get Max. When I pulled up and walked through the garage, my dad was standing there with a 'guy and his dog' drinking some beers. I immediately knew this was my dad's guy. My dad was happy to see me and eagerly introduced me to 'Rob' and his dog Sushi. My dad explained that Rob lived the street over and was out walking the dog that night. When my dad saw him walking by, he invited him over for a beer (knowing I would be there shortly to pick up Max). After a brief introduction, my dad suddenly said there was something he needed to take care of in the house. And just that quick, he was gone - leaving me alone with this stranger that I just met. Awkward!! We did some small talk about our dogs and how he had met my dad. It was friendly conversation but I was pretty ticked that my dad threw me to the dogs so to speak. I will admit, however, I was pleasantly surprised - he was handsome, muscular and was very kind. By the time my dad came back, we had exchanged pleasantries and I had to get going. And that was that.

Fourth of July 2006. We were over at my parents house for a BBQ and of course I had little Maxie with me. We were all hanging out in the backyard. From my parents backyard, you can see Rob's house (he lived behind them a few houses over). My mom spotted him walking his dog and hauled over to me and grabbed my arm. She dragged out in the front yard with her and Max, so we could see Rob as he walked by with Sushi. Again, awkward! We greeted each other and talked about the weather and the dogs. My mom liked Rob right away and was in great favor of trying to make a connection happen. We had only met one time before, but I could tell we both had a little sparkle in our eyes. After a few minutes of small talk, that was that.

The following Friday, I was supposed to go out on a date (not with Rob) but I got blown off. I was feeling pretty down. I called my friends and decided to meet everyone out at a local bar. When I walked into the bar - who do I sit seeing at the bar? I sat down by my friends and did not approach him. After about an hour (and a few beers later), I noticed he had been eyeing me almost the whole night. I worked up the courage to go say hello. The seat next to him was open and I sat down. He was there with his brother and he introduced me. For the next two hours, the conversation flowed. It was much more relaxed than our previous encounters and we both seemed to be more comfortable. It was almost closing time at the bar and I needed to head home. He walked me to my car and asked if he could take me out sometime. The next weekend, we had our first date. He arrived to pick me up with roses in hand. Our next date was with our babies (that brought us together) at the dog park. The rest is history!

Max and Sushi

I always wonder what would of happened if I never had my dog Max. Is it coincidence that we both had the same dog? We probably would never have crossed paths. My dad probably would not have had reason to strike up conversation with him. I wonder what would have happened if I never went out that night to the bar with my friends. Would we eventually have had a few more awkward encounters through my parents? Would he eventually have gotten around to asking me out? I guess I don't have to wonder since fate (and my parents and our puppies) brought us together!

While it hasn't all been smooth sailing, there's no one else I'd rather be along with on this journey. We've encountered our fair share of bumps in the road, but in the end it just makes us stronger. Cheers to seven years of love and laughter, four year of marriage and two beautiful babies! Happy Anniversary honey!

Our first 'trip' to Vegas (2006)

Our first Halloween (2006) - Look at my buff man :)

Trip to Florida

Rob's work Christmas party (2006)

First trip out of the country to Cancun (2007)

Halloween (2007)

Our one year anniversary!

Work event at Navy Pier

Trip to Toronto (2008)

More Toronto fun (2008)

St. Patrick's Day

Cabo San Lucas

My brother's wedding

Our engagement night (2008)

Engagement pics in Las Vegas

Wedding Shower

June 27, 2009

Our Happily Ever After

11 Months of Mason

Happy 11 months to my little man. Only one more month until I have a one year old. Yikes! It is sad that he is not my little baby anymore. I occasionally look at pictures when he was a newborn and can’t believe how big he has gotten. He is changing by leaps and bounds. He has accomplished a lot this month and hasn’t missed a beat. Shortly after my post from last month, Mase took off crawling and hasn’t turned back. He is always on the go. This kid is all over the place and I can’t keep up with him. He is now starting to pull himself up and wants to be independent. He actually loves to sit and play by himself with all of his toys. He doesn’t need constant attention (although his sister is always in his face). He is just the sweetest/cutest thing.

Mason continues to grow at a fast pace. He is in 18 month size clothes. The 12 month stuff is getting too tight. I am constantly buying him clothes to wear. Leah was always true to size. When she was 12 months old, she wore a 12 month size, 18 months when she was 18 months, etc. Mason is off the charts. This little boy loves to eat and it makes him quite happy when he has a plate of food in front of him. He is not a picky eater at all (hopefully he stays this way). He does not discriminate between fruits, veggies, meats, pasta – he loves it all. He has started not wanting his bottle as much, so we just recently tried giving him Vitamin D milk (versus the soy formula he has been on since he was born). He has done okay with it. We’ve also been giving him sippy cups too. He’s has had more teeth come through. He has a few ‘bubbles’ of what looks like new teeth that will be breaking through soon. Poor guy. Last week he learned to shake his head back and forth when we say, “No, no, no!” He is so cute. He has also picked up on how to play peek-a-boo and is continuing with his babbles!

Momma's New Ride

Rob has been pushing me to get rid of my jeep and get a new car for the past several months. Although I wasn't in love with my jeep, I was happy with not having a car payment so I wasnt't in a huge rush to get rid of my car. But the more I started thinking about it, the more I was getting on board with the idea of getting a new car. My jeep was a 2005, with 110,000+ miles. Slowly, things were starting to go wrong with it (my rear windshield wiper stopped working, I broke off the side mirror, etc.). Plus, it was a pretty tight fit in the backseat with the kids and the two car seats. We didn't have room to pick up my dad if needed and if we ever decide to have a 3rd kid, there is no way another car seat will fit back there.

The other week I received a flyer in the mail for a buy back program for my jeep. The dealership indicated that they would give me $1500 above the Kelly Blue Book value if I traded in my car. So we decided to just go check it out. We went out 'looking' at cars on Memorial Day and I truly did not have any intention of coming home with a new ride. We looked around the dealership and started chatting with the sales 'woman.' I told her my absolute limits for a car payment and what I was interested in. I've been toying with the idea of getting a minivan. I know - crazy, huh? I've always been a hater, but they have becoming more and more appealing to me. All the mama's I know that have one, do nothing but rave about them. I've never even driven a minivan, so I wasn't completely sure if it was for me. I ended up test driving a minivan and also a Dodge Durango. The Durango was really nice and I loved it, but it was huge and I knew it would be a gas guzzler (plus it was a bit out of my price range).

I was actually digging the minivan and decided it was the route I was going to go. The price was right and they offered me much more than I would have expected for my jeep, so we went with it. They had a minivan event going on and had all sorts of rebates. In the end, I am SO happy with my purchase. I ended up with a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country. The color is 'Steel' and it is fully loaded. It has leather interior, navigation, satelite radio, DVD player/TV, rearview camera and tons of storage. Seriously, there are 8 cupholders in the front seat! I love it. Leah is a HUGE fan of my new car too. She loves all of the space and that she can just press a button and the doors magically open. I truly never envisioned myself driving a minivan, but I really do like it. Rob was anti-minivan too but he actually kind of likes it too. It drives nice and we finally have a big family car. I told Rob all I needed now was my little stick figure family on the back window. (I kid). Ha!

10 Months of Mason

This past month sure did fly by and I feel like I just wrote Mason's 9 month post! It's been pretty busy around here and I haven't been able to blog too much lately. Before I get to Mason, I thought I would share with everyone that I recently passed my first test for the certification I've been studying for over the past 12 weeks. One test down, seven more to go. Ayyee. It was such a good feeling and relief to get one of the tests under my belt (since it consumed my life for the past few months). I decided I am going to take the summer off and start up with another class in the fall. Anyways - back to my sweet little man Mason. He is 10 months old today. 10 months! How did this happen? His first birthday party plans are in full swing! I already know I am overdoing it, but you only turn one once, right? Thanks to Pinterest - my farm themed party is coming together nicely! After this first birthday party, I'll definitely calm things down for future parties.

Mason is a smart little boy and has learned a lot over the past month. He has started clapping his hands and does it on que when you ask him to do it. Mason has learned to drink through a straw. He is starting to wave 'hi.' He is still not officially crawling but has the army crawl down. He'll roll himself to wherever he needs to go and the scoot to reach whatever he needs. Over the past week he is getting up on all fours and looks like he is going to lunge forward into a crawl, but he just topples over. He'll be there soon. He has learned to move himself from a laying down position to a sitting up position. He knows when he is in trouble too (for getting into something that he shouldn't). If I just say his name in a stern voice, he'll jump and look at me.

The weather has been so up and down and its been hard to dress this little man. His winter clothes are getting too tight, but it's only been about 50 degrees lately. This week is supposed to be in the 80's. Go figure. Mason is wearing 12-18 month size and still remains in a size 4 diaper. We went and bought him new shoes a few weeks ago. He doesn't go back to the doctor until he turns one, but I think he weighs somewhere around 23 pounds. Wow-za! This kid eats like a champ and hasn't met a food that he doesn't like. Actually, I take that back. He did try scrambled eggs and clearly didn't like them. Everything else is a 'go' though. He's tried many more foods this month and seems to be content with whatever we give him. Now - if we could just get his sister to get onboard this train. Mason usually only has about 3 bottles a day. I am starting to think we are going to have a hard time breaking him of these. He NEEDS his morning bottle or he is a crabby patty until he gets it. The other two may be easier to break. Mason is still a good sleeper and seems to be doing better with his 'screaming' and not having as many episodes. He did have 3 teeth pop through within 2 days so maybe that explains why he was so cranky. Now, Mason is usually pretty content and can entertain himself. This widdle guy is just so sweet and he needs to stop getting so big!

Mother's Day 2013

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Momma's out there! I am blessed to have two little munchkins that call me mom. I have unconditional love for them and my heart feels like it is going to burst because I love them to pieces. I want nothing but the best for them. Although at times they may drive me crazy, I could never imagine my life without my little Leah and Mason. They make my job as a mom SO worth it! 

Today, my family made me feel like a queen. Rob told me I could sleep in and he would take care of the morning routine. Go figure, I was the first one up in the house! Leah and Rob brought me breakfast in bed - chocolate chip pancakes, a banana and a diet coke. They let me lay in bad and not worry about anything! They showered me with gifts! I got new perfume, a cute top and a pair of sandals. Rob did all of the grocery shopping to (usually I always do it on Sunday mornings). It was nice to just relax. We went to lunch with my dad. We just went to a local bar and grill. This momma didn't need anything fancy. They had complimentary mimosas for Mom's. Lunch was great! 

Later, we came home and Rob was going to take care of the yard work. While he was mowing the lawn, I decided to go visit my mom with Mason. The cemetery was quite crowded. Its been just over two years since my mom's been gone and I still think about her everyday. I wish she could be here with my kids. I miss her so much but I know she's watching over us. Later on in the afternoon we stopped over by Rob's mom's house to wish her a happy Mother's Day.

Overall, it was a great day and I love my family so much!

9 Months of Mason!

Mason turned 9 months old on Sunday. He is 3/4 of the way to being one years old. I better get on planning his first birthday bash. We already know we are going to do a farm theme, but I'll need to start working the details soon! We had pony rides at our Halloween party, but I learned that you can also rent 'petting zoos' with farm animals! I am excited that he has a summer birthday so we'll actually be able to have his party at our house this year, since we'll be able to make use of the outside. Mason is growing so fast and seems to have changed so much this month.

Mason has had a another tooth pop through on the bottom - it is coming in a little cock-eyed though. He now has 3 teeth on the bottom and no teeth on top. He wants nothing to do with baby food these days and wants real food all of the time (even though he only has three little teeth). This month, Mason has been on a culinary adventure trying lasagna, ravioli, mostacolli, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, peas, carrots, a turkey sandwich, pizza, french toast sticks, pears, peaches, pierogi's, brocolli, chicken nuggets...in addition to the other table food he tried last month. This kid is a beast. He'll eat devour whatever you put in front of him. Anything I can cut up into tiny little pieces, he will gladly accept. I think Leah started out this way too, but now she is Miss Picky over everything and won't even try most things. She sticks to her staple items.

Mason is becoming less and less my little baby, to more of a little guy. Although he is not crawling yet, he definitely can get around (by rolling, scooting, stretching) to anything he has his eye on. We've upgraded his carseat to a big boy carseat. No more carseat carrier for him! He is still rear-facing, but it's like a whole new world for him. We had his 9 month well-baby appointment today. (Actually, I was home from work with Leah because she had a bad stomach bug all weekend and I wanted to get her into the doctor too, so we just scheduled his 9 month check-up since we were going to be there). My big guy weighed in at 21.75 pounds (70th percentile) and is 30 inches tall (90th percentile). Holy cow - he is a big dude! I checked Leah's baby book and she was only 19 pounds, but was also 30 inches long. The doctor seemed to give me a hard time that he is not pulling himself up yet or crawling. Ahh - well...he'll do it when he is ready. We had to upgrade to a size 4 diaper. Little man was almost busting out of he size 3's. He is in almost all 12 month clothes. I feel like I am constantly buying new clothes for him because he is growing so fast.

Mason is a vocal guy - always saying his momma's and dadda's. For the past few weeks or so, he has turned into a 'screamer' which is NOT good for business. I think he thinks if he screams, he'll get our attention or get what he wants (i.e. to be picked up, etc.). We need to work on this. We do not give into him. The boy needs to learn! We have nothing new to report in the sleeping department. He is still sleeping 11-12 hours each night and rarely wakes up. If he does, he soothes himself back to sleep. Mason loves to play and learn new things. He is such a good boy and steals my heart several times a day! Happy 9 months Mason James!

My happy guy 

Can't get him to stay still 

He is all over the place 

Not a happy Mason... 

Cousin's swim party! 

Always going after the food!

Give me that hotdog! Don't worry - he just had some of the bread...no hotdog.  

Give this guy some food and he is a happy camper!

The Held's Big Night Out

Rob and I have not been out on a date, just the two of us, in months!!! I think the last time we even went to dinner alone was back in November. Crazy! So I was beyond excited to have a big night planned for this past weekend! Not only were we able to go on a date, but we were able to stay overnight at a hotel. With no kids. By ourselves. It was much needed!

Several months ago, tickets for Maroon 5 went on sale. I love, love, love Maroon 5 (and have for the past 10+ years). I’ve seen them once before at an intimate show at the Chicago Theater (it was awesome). Anyways, I really wanted to get tickets to the concert. I am a nerd and I joined the Maroon 5 fan club (for $45) to get access to a ticket pre-sale. Early access scored me tickets in the 27th row on the main floor. I was so excited! I bought the tickets so long ago that it seemed like the date would never get here! Well – it did and it was such a great night!

I went and bought a new outfit and got a mani and pedi for the occassion. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law agreed to watch both kids overnight! It would be Mason’s first sleepover. We dropped the kids off around 4:00 pm at their house and were on our way. We were going to go out to dinner and then go to the concert. We wanted to stop and check into our hotel first. We had made arrangements to stay at the Hilton (since Rob is a Hilton Rewards Member). Little did we know that there are 2 Hilton’s in the area of where the concert was being held. We ended up booking the wrong Hilton! Instead of being at the Hilton that was super close to the Allstate Arena, we were at the Hilton AT the airport. It is literally attached to the airport. On our way there, I was thinking OMG…we are going to the airport! Not ideal, but oh well. It was a little further from where we wanted to be. After we checked in, we went to grab something to eat and have a few pre-concert drinks.

We went to Toby Keith’s – I Love this Bar and Grill. We’ve never been and it was fun. It is a very large place and it was pretty crowded. It was open seating at the bar, so since we found two open seats, we decided to sit there instead of waiting for a table. We had a good dinner and a few beers. We drove to the restaurant, but wanted to go back to the hotel because we were planning on taking a cab to the concert. Well…since we were at the airport, it was very easy to catch a cab. We got to Allstate Arena just after the opening act started. Owl City and Neon Trees were the opening bands. Both were pretty good. We had great seats on the main floor. Of course, I still would have liked to have been closer. Maroon 5 was awesome! I think the venue kind of stinks, but the show was still great! We decided to head out just before the show ended because we had no idea what the cab situation was going to be like to get home. Good thing we went outside when we did because cabs were pretty much nonexistent. They did have a cab line, which we were probably 30th in line and then there were over 100 people behind us. Only one cab came ever few minutes. You’d think there would have been lines of them just waiting. Allstate needs to work on this. It then started raining and was pretty miserable waiting. We waited about an hour before we finally were able to catch a cab. It was awful. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 1:30 am or so. Oh well – it was still worth it to get a night away since they are so few and far between. We had a great time overall!