Emily's trip to Grandma's House!

Emily came home with a new pair of shoes....she likes them, I just wish they came in adult sizes!

A new necklace! Again, she loves it and walks around pushing her stroller, wearing her necklace and kissing her baby! She also likes to make daddy and mommy wear her necklace!

And pretty fingers! I can't believe they (Aunt Jamie and Grandma) were able to keep her still enough to paint them. I have thought about it many times, but never actually done it! She loved it and if you asked her to "show you her pretty fingers", she would spread her hand out flat for all to see! It was so cute!

They also taught her to show us "what she does at Aunt Jamie's wedding", which is take a handful of flower petals and toss them on the ground! So stinkin' cute! Glad she had a good time with everyone, since she had to miss out on the circus!






{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Circus part 4

The elephants were amazing, I never realized how large they really are! They did all kinds of tricks and of course, when they laid down on their belly's one pooped and Luke LOVED it! I told Mick, it would be a pretty crappy job to clean up elephant poo! (Literally!)

This was the show closer....all the animals and performs came back out and did an awesome routine! We really had a wonderful time and I can not wait to go back to the circus next time they are in town!

{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Circus part 3

Luke was way into the motorcycle show...here he is dancing and cheering!

Luke and his new circus sword...can you say $20 bucks?

Tigers were cool, Luke informed Grandma and Grandpa that they put up a cage for the tigers so they would not jump out and eat us!

{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Circus part 2

Here is the motorcycle on the tight rope....it was petty neat, especially when they started leaning side to side and did a few complete flips!

This was one of Luke's favorites, and he grabbed his camera and took a few pics for Grandpa Steve of the Motorcycle ball! They had 7 motorcycles end up in there! It was insane, but Luke loved it!

Luke cheering for the motorcycles.

This was another big act they did with all the motorcycles!

{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

The circus...part 1

So the circus was awesome!!!! I can not say that enough! We got there early and were able to go down onto the arena floor and look at all the activities close up, Luke was a bit unsure tho about what to expect, so he did seem overly thrilled. He liked seeing the elephant up close tho! We headed back to our seats (4th row!!) and Luke saw the snow cones for sale and wanted one. Mick came back with it and said "Hope it is good, it was $10 bucks!" LOL...it was HUGE tho and lasted him the entire 2 hour and 20 minute show! And then I had to dump some out as we were leaving!

The show opening was amazing and so full of color and movement! Luke was way into it and kept asking us if we had to leave yet. I reassured him that we still had lots to see and hear before we left.

These guys on the big tires things were great! They were bouncing up and down and flipping all over the place, it was great and looked really fun!

Luke loved the "knights" on the horses doing tricks, he was so excited to see some "real-life" knights!

More to come, but my blog only lets me use 4 pictures at a time!





{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Our date night with Luke....

We took Luke to see the circus tonight and it was awesome! More about that next time tho!!

Luke got to choose where we went for dinner and he choose Maid-Rite. It was pretty cool and the atmosphere there is fun! He loves chocolate shakes, so that is why he picked Maid-Rite. He was super excited when we walked in and ran up to the counter and sat in one of the stools and asked of we could sit there. So we did and enjoyed a great meal and fun conversation with our little man.

Luke was excited as he had a special camera that was only allowed to open once we were at dinner. He took about 3 pictured and then informed us that he would save the rest for the circus, cant wait to see how those turned out. Sorry for the short post, but we are beat and it was a late night for us....I will tell you all about the circus next time (it was awesome btw!)





{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

We're headed to the circus tonight!

Luke and I just saw a commercial for the circus that we are going to tonight! I am really excited, maybe a bit too excited, for a mom! LOL Seriously tho, this is the first time that Luke gets to have a "date night" with mommy and daddy since Emily was born, so I think I am more excited about that! Emily gets to go to Grandma Chris' house for the night and according to facebook "stay up late, have ice cream and dove chocolates"...lol, maybe I will go to Grandma's instead!

I am super proud of myself, as I have made it to Jazzercise every day this week and I feel great! I get to sleep in a bit tomorrow and go to the 8:00 class, then time to get ready for the zoo opening of "Africa"!

Have a great weekend!! Oh and I weigh in tomorrow for my 1st official weigh-in after a week of working out....kinda funny, but I am super excited to step on the scale and see the numbers! Trust me, that is not normal for me!




{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Make that 28 before 30 !

Yep, that is right! After starting Jazzercise on Saturday I weighed myself this morning (Wednesday) after my workout (yep, again at 5:30!) and I am down 2 lbs!! I cant wait to see what the scale says on Saturday when it will be one full week! Woo-hoo!

On a sad note tho, this morning at Jazzercise, I was informed that they are cancelling the Tuesday/Thursday 5:30 am class for the summer! Man! I was just getting my groove! Looks like I will have to take the kids with me on those mornings...what a budget buster!



{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

I did it!

I did it!! I am home and showered from my work out and feel great!
(If you are confused, look at my last post!)
30 before 30 here I come!




{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

30 before 30...

Mick and I had a great date night on Friday night, to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. We went to Alexander's, ate way too much, and went for a walk around The Shoppes. We discussed alot at dinner and looked back over our last 5 years of marriage, 9 years if you include dating, and could not believe how fast these years are passing by. We talked about some goals for the next year of our marriage, and of course the usual came up; to be better with money, to be a better mommy, to lose weight, etc....And so to that end, I have decided to embrace one of them and really work on it. And to steal an idea from a super friend of mine, Kate, my goal for the next year is to lose 30 pounds before turning 30. (Plus, I wanna look super HOT for my surprise 30th birthday bash!) So, Saturday morning, I got up and went and signed up for Jazzercise. It had been exactly 5 years since my last class there (the day before our wedding!) and I was super nervous. They had a great deal going on, so that made it a bit easier too! I went did my first class that morning, and got my butt beat, but was also encouraged, as I remembered alot of the moves and it felt really good! Sunday we took the dog with us for a picnic at Detweiller park, and hiked up a trail that kicked my butt. Mick even took over carrying Emily for at the 1/2 way point, because I was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf! I decided that counted as a work-out for Sunday. This morning I got up and was back at Jazzercise at 8:00! It was awesome again! I recognized aton of people that were still there from back in my skinny, hot, pre-married, pre-baby Jess days! But, I do not think they recognized me. (My face must be to puffy!) LOL....Anyway, so I was back there again and I have my clothes all laid out for my work out tomorrow morning at 5:30!! I am super excited, as that is that same time I did classes 5 years ago, and was hoping they still offered it. Plus, the kids will still in bed when I get home at 6:45, so I can shower before they get up. So wish me luck on my journey of 30 before 30, and do not worry, I will keep you posted on my progress!

In other exciting news, Mick wanted us to attend the Memorial Day services that were held downtown this morning. So I ran home from Jazzercise, showered and we headed out the door, in the rain, to the GateWay building, and sat down with all the other 80 year old people and waited for the services to begin. Once we adjusted to the scent of moth balls and Avon perfume that surrounded us, we got the kids settled in and waited for the ceremony to begin. The hour long event was slow going, but Emily and Luke liked the band and Emily eventually fell asleep in her stroller. Luke liked that he was able to stand up with daddy when they played the Navy song to honor the Navy boys in the crowd. Luke also really liked the Rifle Salute that was done at the end, Emily even slept thru it! (Seriously, she slept thru 3 rifles going off 3 times and some loud applause and music, but at home she wakes up when the phone rings??? Whatever.) It was nice tho, and I know my hubby really wanted us to go with him, and that is what is important.

In other exciting news: We are going to the circus this Friday night! Just Luke, mommy and daddy! Em is staying at Grandma's house for the night so we can make it a special Luke only night! Saturday we are meeting up with some friends at the new Zoo Africa opening for members only, so that should be fun too! Oh and on Thursday (I know, out of order, sorry!) we are heading to the Cherry Fest for the concert sponsored by WCIC! Fun filled summer week ahead of us!




{ Jessica Dobra, Independent Marketing Executive }

Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

It is hard to believe that 5 years have come and gone since Mick and I stood up in front of our friends and family and declared our love for each other. Well, I pretty much sobbed the entire ceremony (tears of joy of course!). It was such a lovely day and the weather was perfect when it came time for pictures. I wanna go back in time and re-do it! It was so much fun and I have such awesome memories from that day! Here are a few pictures from that day....May 22, 2004...

Me, the lovely bride!

The happy couple!

Me, my Grandma Betty and my brother from another mother, Lee!

Grandma Betty danced the night away with us, until midnight, when the reception hall closed. She danced with everyone and even told Mick's brother Ben, that he was a cutie! I love you Grandma and miss you so very much! But, as my 3 year old just reminded me, you live in my heart and will always be with me!

Happy Anniversary Mick, I love you today, tomorrow and forever!

Tadpoles, chickens, cows and more!

Some friends and I took our children to the Farm Park in East Peoria this morning. It was our first time there, and we really had a wonderful time. The kids loved feeding all the animals and Luke and Noah loved the big slide.

Luke and Em waiting for me to order lunch

Luke and his BFF Noah waiting on lunch

Emily checking out the horses

Emily in the back ground with Jameson looking at the big bunny, Luke headed to feed the baby cow.

Things you hate to say when baking....

"Take you hand out of your pants while we are baking"
"Honey, we do not want to put the spoon in our mouth that we are using to stir the sugar with"
"OMG, Please cover your mouth when you sneeze!"

But, when you bake with a 3 year old, I am thinking those are pretty common....or at least hoping! And hey, 400 degrees for 9 minutes will kill anything, right?