Meet the family...

I thought I should start by giving some background into my life.  We're a crazy, sometimes nerdy crew but mostly fun!

ME!!
I grew up in the suburb Carol Stream, IL & attended Glenbard North H.S. (Class of '93).  I wouldn't say I was popular, but wasn't a oober geek either ~ just hung out in the middle somewhere.  I don't have a loud or punchy personality I left that to my high school BFF Christine.  I was a gymnast growing up and all through HS.  I'm a rule follower.  I had boyfriends growing up that weren't very nice to me.  I didn't have the confidence to be my own person and relied on others to define me.  I floundered with community college, and had a short stint at Illinois State University - then landed a position with Hewitt Associates in Output Management (fancy word for envelope stuffer).  I worked my way up through the company for 9 years to Business Operations Manager.  Wow... boring Lifetime show so far, eh?  After a nasty break-up with a boyfriend I really cared for, I decided to do something crazy and move to the city.  I had spent a few months with a co-worker hanging out downtown and just decided on a whim that I was going to move there.  This was HUGE for me... I wasn't that kind of person.  My friends were getting married or in relationships so I was pretty much on my own.  I took my Dad downtown and found an apartment in the heart of Lincoln Park.  It was crazy expensive for my salary, but wanted to be 'safe' in the big city.  I was super nervous about the bums behind my garbage dumpster...really, they're not just in movies!  There they were just snuggle bunnied up next to the dumpsters.  But I did it!  I moved into my own apartment and loved it.  I was close to public transportation, the lake, the parks, the shopping, the people.  It was a completely different world ~ and I LOVED it.  I played softball & beach volleyball.  Went to Cubs games & posh or not so posh parties!  I stayed there for a few years until the bad break-up guy moved to the city and convinced me to marry him.  Mark & I got married August 6, 2004.  We had a beautiful wedding outdoors at Kemper Lakes Golf Course.  We bought a new construction house, got to pick everything out and watched it be built.  We got a puppy (Yellow Labrador Retriever - named Wrigley) Feb, 2005. We had Matthew our first son in August 2005, Haley our daughter arrived in May, 2007 & Brayden another boy arrived in May, 2009.  I was laid off from Hewitt Associates in Dec 2005, just after my maternity leave ended.  I took my severance and RAN.  I started a daycare out of my house and still have it running today!

Mark
My Husband!  He's 8 years older than me, but won't ever really admit it.    He's attractive, witty, smart, a sometimes a pain in the ass (what Husband isn't really).  We aren't conflictual people.  In fact we'll go OUT of our way to avoid conflict, something we're working on?  He's a philosophy graduate from MIZZOU.  MIZ - ZOU.  He just started a new job and gets home about 7 every night.  He's a good husband, and a wonderful father!  I got a good one. 

Matthew
He's adorable - blonde hair, blue eyes, average height & weight - big head (same as my Hubby! ha ha) He's ADDICTED to Wii.  He LOVES the new Super Mario Bros. right now.  He's great at Mario Karts & dreams about being Luigi.  His stuffed animals are affectionately named 'baby luigi'.  Before he goes to bed he asks me Wii ?'s.  If someone comes to the door, he'll tell them about the mushrooms, and front flipping mario.  We limit him to about 1 hr. a day, but it doesn't matter.  He's still talking his teacher's ears off of his latest wii adventures.  He's in preschool 3 days a week for 2-1/2 hrs a day.  He's really caring, great with the babies.  He's really great at sharing toys, he's the kind of kid who'd give you the shirt off his back if you ask him too... I might need to make him a little tougher?

Haley
Beautiful - blonde hair, BIG blue/green/aqua/see through light eyes.  Blonde hair, skinny little thing.  Again, big head!  She's always seemed older than she really is.  She potty trained at about 18 months.  She started talking a little after a year and just keeps talking!  She tries her best to keep up with the older kids and does a pretty good job.  She knows just the right buttons to push to make her big brother furious.  She's a strong-willed little girl, we just need to make sure the energy is channeled correctly!  She'll melt you with her missing S's and cute little girl voice.  All while she's stealing your wallet;)  She will drive some man absolutely INSANE one day with her "I want this",... "No I don't want it", "HEY - I said I want this'. UGH....  Good luck buddy.

Brayden (a.k.a Bubbie Moo)
Cutest little thing, so laid back ~ go with the flow.  Just chilling with my teething toys watching eveyone kind of baby.  Laughing, smiling.  Bad luck with sickness though, had many many fevers in his short life he's already had about 6 or 7 viruses.  As I type this he has a 102 fever?  Still not sleeping through the night.

Wrigley (a.k.a. doophus, nerd dog, and uuuuuuuggggghhhhhh) 
I so wanted this dog... we had this big empty house, I had my little baby bump.  Labradors are absolutely ADORABLE poof balls.  He looked like a mini polar bear.  We got him from this breeder down the street with these adorable well behaved dogs.  I signed him up for training where he used me as a chew toy.  He's a typical lunk head labrador.  He steals food from wherever he can get it.  He jumps on the counter and steals all my dish towels.  He sheds like crazy, we have dog hair in every square inch in our house.  He digs on our leather furniture, and if let out without a leash, he'll run into a neighbors garage or house while we scream for him.  He always has an ear infection, always.  He has some allergies so he's always itchy & needs special $60 dog food - which makes him just a teeny bit less itchy?