The Sweet Life.......

Halloween

2009-11-08T21:22:00.003-05:00

This year for Halloween the Girls wanted to be a Princess and a Pirate.

The Girls with some of the other girls in the neighborhood.

A Pirate, Princess, a little Devil and Hannah Montana

This is the group that we went trick or treating with. The night was really hot and humid at about 81 degrees. I remember growing up and wearing long johns and a coat trick or treating. I used to get so mad that it was covering up my great costume. Certainly not the case with my kids this year! But they had fun!

Where have we been?.......

2009-11-03T21:07:00.017-05:00

Now I have to admit that I have fallen off the blogging band wagon and so I am trying to get back on. Life was really busy this past summer with me working summer camp at the school everyday and our fabulous trip to Utah. Then come home to tend to the many PTA and Primary duties that I have. So hopefully these pictures will be you up to speed, and I will be a little bit more faithful in posting. (Cross your fingers!) =) Enjoy!

Megan and Emily with some Summer Camp Kids

There were close to 200 kids in Camp and I worked the First and Second Graders.

One of the many fun field trips we took to the Pirate Dinner Theater.

Megan and Emily on the bus to the field trip

(This was a real treat because for all the other field trips we were on a school bus)

While in Utah we were able to be there the same time with our cousins. The girls had a great time together.

Grandma and Grandpa treated the girls to an afternoon train ride up the canyon. The girls had a great time. We think Grandma and Grandpa did too.

While they were all riding the train the adults (Brian and Jillene, Julie, and Dave and I) did the zip line at Utah Olympic Park. It is the worlds steepest zip line, and a ton of fun!

Our little nephew Dallin at Olympic training to be a bobsledder.

We went to our family cabin and Megan really enjoyed the new rope swing. She loved to go as high as she could, unlike her mother. =)

The girls love the all the"High School Musical" movies. It was filmed at a high school in Salt Lake City. You can buy a map for a dollar, and do a self guided tour. The girls had a great time.

The famous cafeteria

And what tour would not be complete without a picture in front of Sharpe's infamous pink locker!

As soon as we returned home it was time for school to start

My two sweet girls. My first grader and fourth grader! I can hardly believe it.

It was a great, fun, fast and very busy summer!

Summer Time Fun with Play Dough

2009-06-29T22:25:00.003-04:00

It was inevitable.......three weeks into summer break and "Mom I am bored". One of the things I remember from my childhood is my Mom making play dough. So I pulled out my trusty recipe book and made a few batches for my little darlings.

I must admit my third batch ( the yellow one turned out the best)

Megan with her play dough pizza creation

Emily with her play dough pizza creation as well

(It must have been close to lunch time)

So if you want to have some summertime fun as well here is the recipe:

2 Cups flour

2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar

2 Cups Water

1 Cup Salt

3 Tbsp Cooking Oil

Mix dry ingredients in a pan; add water and oil and food coloring to desired color. Heat over MEDIUM heat. (If you do it over too high of heat it will dry out) Stir constantly until thick; only takes a couple of minutes. I will start to pull away from the sides of the pan and create a ball. It's very thick. Pour out on a table with a little flour to keep from sticking and knead until cool. Store in a tight container. It will keep for weeks!

Multicultural Fair

2009-05-24T22:32:00.002-04:00

My kids go to the International Magnet School in a school district. This past week they had their huge Multicultural Fair.

For two days the school was transformed into the continents of Africa, North and South America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica. The kids saw performers and presenters representing all areas of the world. And were able to sample food from different countries as well.

The PTA was the main sponsor of the event, which translated into some long hours as well as a little stress. But I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Each child received a passport that was stamped as they learned about the different countries. They also were sent home with a cut out kid which they were to decorate from a country of their choosing. (It looked like a gingerbread man with nothing on it.) They were to come back with three facts about the country to share with thier class as well. The girls wanted to do Germany. So we did our best to create our "culture kids" in the traditional lederhosen. (One of their facts was that lederhousen means leather pants.......bet you didn't know that?!).They had a good time being creative.

Teacher Appreciation Week

2009-05-24T21:44:00.001-04:00

I am room mom to both of my girls classes. So I had a crazy, busy, fun, but very exhausting teacher appreciation week a couple of weeks ago.

We cooked breakfast one day and decorated the door for the week. (Or should I say weeks as they are still up)

The kids traced their hands and then they decorated them and wrote a nice note.

The next day was bring a flower day. So I made cookie flower bouquets for both teachers. (an idea I have to give my mom full credit for......THANKS MOM!) They turned out so cute but took a lot of time. But both teachers loved them!

(A little closer shot)

The principal even came up to me the next day at the PTA luncheon for the teachers and commented on how cute they were!

The next day I had the kids bring something chocolate for a bag I created as a "Sanity Stash" for the last few weeks of school. We also bought a class gift, one of the days.

On the last day I served my teachers a nice Italian lunch and gave them the love note tins from their class. I went to the school and die cut 2 hearts for each child. One for the child to fill out with a note of thanks, and one for the parents as well. (I was pleasantly surprised how many parent ones I received back.) They turned out really cute, and I think it was the biggest hit of the week.

It was a fun but tiring week. But I think my teachers felt appreciated, and that is what was important. Teachers have one of the hardest job on earth! My hat goes off to them!

No I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth.....

2009-05-19T23:00:00.005-04:00

I have felt a little guilty that I haven't been keeping up with my blog like I would like. (My sister-in-law says I have enough guilt for all the people on earth which is probably true) Life has just been really busy as you will soon see by the posts to follow......hopefully soon?!

But today I received an e-mail that made me feel just a little bit better about myself. It brought a smile to my face, and I hope it will yours as well. I feel like she is singing about my life. Which, by the way, I would not trade for ANYTHING. I am incredibly blessed!

So smile and enjoy. But most of all keep on keeping on! I know I will!

(Pause the music player on the side be able to hear the fun)

Going to Work with Dad

2009-04-26T20:33:00.006-04:00

This past week was bring-your-child-to-work-day. The girls look forward to this every year. And this was Emily's first time to go. You have to be at least 5. They enjoy visiting Dave at work and leaving some artwork on his white board.

Dave has such a nice boss named Miss Nanette. She enjoys having the girls come to visit, and gave them a little "job" to make them feel at home. As you can see her desk is piled with papers and the girls were in charge of stacking them according to size to help Miss Nanette "organize" them.

Girls in the middle of their job. Notice to doughnut on the table? Miss Nanette is also cool because she buys the doughnuts. =) She knows how to treat her employees right!

The job well done! Check out that clean desk!

The girls also got to learn about Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle from the Character "Re Duce"

They topped off the morning by having Mom meet them and Dad for lunch. It was a great day, they asked if they could go again tomorrow.

(I think they just enjoyed playing hookie from school for the day)

Dave and Lori's "Wicked" Adventure

2009-04-25T23:44:00.011-04:00

As most of you know, who follow my bog, I have been waiting ever so patiently to see one of the greatest musicals ever........"Wicked"

Well the wait is now over and it was FANTASTIC!!!!

It started by hiring a babysitter and having a date night with my fabulous husband. We went to one of my favorite restaurants for some great food. The Cheesecake factory. I am a total creature of habit when I go out to eat, and I always tend to order the same thing. My favorite to order is the burrito (it is huge and yummy), with a slice of Chocolate Tuxedo cheesecake to top it off. For a chocolate lover like myself it is HEAVEN! (I drool even as I post the picture!)

After dinner we went to the show. We scored some close FREE parking, which is always a bonus. We had fantastic seats on the floor. It also was opening night, so that was fun too. The show was AMAZING! I have been listening to the soundtrack for months and the show totally lived up to my expectations. (if you want to hear the music too, some of my favorites are in my sidebar music player tracks: 2,7,12,13,and 16)

It gave me a new perspective on the Wicked Witch of the West. Was she really not all that wicked after all? You should never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in.

Now if that has peeked your interest, and you have the chance, your really ought to see "Wicked"

I know I will again!

The ABC's of Kindergarten

2009-04-18T15:13:00.003-04:00

This past week was the Kindergarten's PTA program. It was called the ABC's of Kindergarten. It was so cute, and Emily did such a good job. We wanted to share the evening with you. (You will need to pause the music on the right to hear the video) Enjoy!

2009-04-18T15:04:00.001-04:00

Emily's Birthday

2009-04-11T01:07:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Emily had her birthday party. She invited four friends, and we all went to Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy. We saw Cars, Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tinkerbell and her Fairy Friends. Everyone had a lot of fun.

Before we went to the show we had everyone make a picture frame with stickers of the shows we would see. They turned out really cute. (click on them to see them larger) And yes I did make them wear party hats and Emily had a cute Birthday Girl button she wore. (She refused to wear her hat in the picture) They got a lot of compliments and Happy Birthday wishes! It was fun. (At least it was for me!) =)

Then it was time for ice cream, cake, and most of all presents. She got more Barbies and Webkinzs. Apparently two things you just can not have enough of.

Happy 6th Birthday Emily! We love you!

(pause the music on the right to hear the video below)

2009-04-11T01:05:00.001-04:00

Easter Fun at School

2009-04-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Now I have to warn you, this post is going to be long with a lot of pictures. But I hope you enjoy them anyway. Today was all of the Easter festivities at school. And it was a full, but fun day. =)

Emily had an Easter egg hunt. It literally took about 5 minutes or less. I was hoping to get some better shots, but this was one of the best I could get. She was so excited for the egg hunt.

Emily's kindergarten class has been buddied up this year with a third grade class. They came to hide the eggs for Emily's class. They also helped them keep count as they found their eggs because every student was only allowed 10 eggs. This is Emily's buddy, and she really enjoys her.

This is Emily's Easter bag she made that holds all the great loot she got today. She had a great time.

In Megan's class I helped them dye Easter Eggs. For some of the kids it was their first time dying Easter Eggs, and I think everyone had a great time.

The finished works of art that will be used in a project coming up later in the post.

Megan also got to have an Easter Egg Hunt. They had a lot of fun.

Megan counting her eggs. Has to make sure it is all there!

Megan and the Easter bag she made for all her loot as well!

Before spring break I was talking to Megan's teacher about what she wanted to do for Easter. I remember a time when Emily grew some real grass in a Easter Basket one year at preschool. I thought this would be a cool idea for Megan's class as well. So right before spring break we planted the grass and I got to tend it for about 10 days until the kids went back to school. The girls thought this was so cool.

This is the finished product. Each of the kids trimmed their own grass with some scissors.

They turned out totally cute.

(Not that I am not biased or anything like that ) =)

This is a little closer shot of Megan's basket and her eggs.

We all had a great day! Happy Easter!

Aunt Julie's Visit

2009-04-03T22:30:00.002-04:00

When Aunt Julie comes to visit, it is always a good time! She was able to come over spring break this year for a few days and everyone had a great time.

One of the traditions she has with the girls is that she takes them to breakfast. Just her and the girls. They look forward to it every time, and it is usually the first thing done.

Megan hanging with Aunt Julie at Denny's

(No Mommies allowed!)

Later that day we went to see an IMAX movie about life "Under the Sea". And no this was not about Ariel and her friends. It was cool to see everything that lives in the ocean. There is some pretty weird, beautiful and amazing stuff.

We also got to do our usual "girlie" stuff. Going to lunch, getting pedicures, and shopping. Just window shopping this trip. We even went into the Louis Vuitton store, at the Town Centre, and looked as shoes and purses and even sandals that we could never ever hope to afford. We did not see a price tag in the whole place. So I guess if you have to ask how much it is, you can't afford it! =)

We got a chance to go to the zoo on her last day before we took her to the airport. It was an absolutely perfect Florida day. She went home later that day to the snow and cold.

Brushing the goats in the petting zoo

Aunt Julie bought everyone snow cones

A little craziness after the sugar rush of the snow cones!

Playing in the cool infinity edge fountain

Megan and Emily in the new Asia part of the zoo.

It has a huge koi pond,beautiful waterfalls, and a bamboo garden. A very peaceful place!

They also have two huge komodo dragons in the exhibit as well.

On the docks outside the zoo. It is possible to come to the zoo on your boat. I want to arrive that way sometime!

We had such a good time and were sad to see her leave. We look forward to seeing her again in a few months in Utah. But don't feel too bad for her because after she got home she went with her coworkers and did this.......

Julie Indoor Skydiving!

Now I have got to try that! =)

You Go Girl, and thanks for coming! We love you!

Our Day at the Zoo

2009-03-22T22:30:00.001-04:00

Last week was the Third Grade field trip to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day and we had a blast. There were so many parents who wanted to go on the field trip my group only consisted of Megan and her friend Jordyn. They had to finish a scavenger hunt with some animal facts (the red notebooks that are in their hands) to make sure we had an educational experience as well as some fun.

Megan and Jordyn with the giraffes. Megan is sticking out her tongue like the giraffes. One of the questions on the scavenger hunt was how long is a giraffes tongue. For those who want to know it is 18-22 inches. A lot longer then Megan's! =)

Megan and some more of her friends, Bailey, Kiley, and Jordyn.

Megan and Jordyn "hanging" with the elephants!

After the girls finished the scavenger hunt we went to the sting ray exhibit. The girls got to pet the sting rays. Although it was not the crystal blue waters of Grand Cayman, it was a lot of fun. Afterward we went to play park and had some snow cones.

It was a fantastic day!

St. Patricks Day Fun

2009-03-17T21:39:00.009-04:00

Today was St. Patricks Day and we were invited, by some of the girls best friends, for a play date at the park. (Emily met Maggie in preschool last year. Lauren and Megan are the same age. And I am good friends with their Mom Carla who happens to be a twin, just like me!)

We had green cookies, played together, and just caught up, as we do not get to see each other as often as we would like. The tire swing is always a huge hit with the girls. And who can resist this cute sea of green. (Emily's cute green hearts are covered up on her shirt but you can see her green bow.)

Friends are the best, and we had a fantasic time. Thanks Carla!

"I do like green eggs and ham.I do like them Sam I am"

2009-03-08T20:28:00.015-04:00

For those of you who do not know, this past week was Dr. Seuss's Birthday. This meant for Emily and her kindergarten class, a week long Dr. Seuss Extravaganza! And what celebration would not be complete without some Green Eggs and Ham. Looks yummy huh!?

So being the good mom that I am, I took one for the team and cooked Green Eggs and Ham for three kindergarten classes. In the process turning my fingers totally green!

Despite what you may think they actually tasted pretty good. Emily even had two helpings!

I would turn my fingers green for this cute bunch any day. Ah..... the carefree days of kindergarten,and the joys of being a room mom! I love it!

The Invasion is Coming!

2009-03-04T21:30:00.007-05:00

We are so excited! We just bought our tickets home for this summer. Lori and the kids are coming the end of July and staying for three weeks. Dave will be there the the middle of the first week of August and stay for about 10 days. We are looking forward to seeing a lot of our family and friends!

Primary Family Fun Day

2009-03-01T20:20:00.005-05:00

For those who don't know, I am Primary President in our ward, and we had our first quarterly activity yesterday. (For those who don't know about Primary, it is the children's program at our church, and I am in charge of it) The theme for the activity was "Family Fun Day". It was designed for families to come and play games together, take a family photo and decorate a frame together, and eat ice cream sundaes. And what family doesn't love ice cream?

We had all kinds of games set up around the building to play like: Twister, Ring Toss, Horse Shoes, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Sorry, a giant Memory game, Bean Bag Toss and many others. And while we did not have to large of a turn out, those who did make it had a fantastic time. Thanks heavens for GREAT helpers who helped plan and make everything run smoothly, and an extremely helpful husband. I love you sweetie!

We asked Megan what her favorite part was and she said the ice cream. And she told us the worst part was having to go home. (Hopefully others thought that too =) ).

(Our photo a little closer up to see the girls art work)

My Third Grade Field Trip

2009-02-19T22:29:00.017-05:00

I wonder why I always decide to update my blog at about 10:30 at night. But that seems to be the case, and tonight is no different.

Today I went to the art museum with Megan's third grade class. She has been very excited for this field trip because this is the first field trip of the year, and yes we are in February. It doesn't help that Emily has already been on three. =)

Going to the art museum reminded me of being in Jr. High, of all things. I took an art class in 8th and 9th grade and loved to learn about all types of art and different artists. It all came flooding back to me again today. We saw everything from 500 year old paintings to Norman Rockwell and the beautiful gardens out by the St. Johns River. It makes me want to go back and take the kids and introduce them to the art. Hopefully they will grow a love for it like I have.

Megan and her friends working on their art projects of cityscape's using what they learned during the tour by the use of perspective in their art work.

Megan's Teacher and some other classmates

The rest of her classmates and parents who came to help on the field trip.

After the field trip Megan went home with me instead of going back to school on the bus. We ran some errands and then went to lunch together. It is kind of a fun tradition I do with the kids after field trips if we have enough time. I enjoy having some one on one time with my girls. It was a fun day. Next month we are off on a field trip to the Zoo. It should be fun! Watch for those pictures coming soon!

Two Beds for Two Girls

2009-02-06T20:46:00.009-05:00

It has been a while since my last post and I was starting to feel a little guilty. So I was thinking what can I blog about? My life seems to be the same day in and day out. But then it hit me, there has been a change in my daughters lives.

The girls used to have bunk beds, and it was like pulling teeth to get them to make them before they left for school. One morning was especially hard, and I had had ENOUGH! After the girls left for school, Dave was such a sweetheart by being late to work and we took the bunk beds down.

That afternoon, after a lot of furniture rearranging, I went to go pick them up from school. On the way home I told them that there was a surprise waiting for them up in there room. They raced upstairs hoping for a new webkinz and all they could say was "Oh, my gosh". Then Emily raced over to me and gave me a big hug and said "Mommy, your the best Mommy I could never have." (Her favorite thing to tell me when I have done something fabulous)

So now my girls have their own beds and they love it. And the best part is their beds get made every morning before school without a complaint. We should have done it long ago.

Megan is loving in her own bed. So much easier to make.

Emily loves the fact that no one sleeps over her anymore.

Now the next step in the plan is to redecorate, get rid of the border and paint which is desperately needed. So watch for the "after" pictures hopefully in the not to distant future! =)

An Historic Day

2009-01-20T21:13:00.012-05:00

I will tell you right from the top that I did not vote for President Obama, but I can't help but feel I have just witnessed an historic day for our country. It made me proud to be an American to watch this peaceful transition in power. To know that it was done by the voice of the people (although not my voice) has to be greatly respected. For this is what America is all about. I feel blessed to be an American, where I do have a voice.

I had the opportunity to watch this at school with Megan, in her classroom, and when we came home after school we had a chance to chat. I asked her if she understood what had happened today. She explained that we got a new President. I explained to her she had just witnessed a day in history. Something that will be written about in history books for years to come. Something they will teach her own children about. Our country elected its first African American President. That did not seem to phase her much, for color of skin means nothing to her. And for the first time I feel it is the same for our country. It is about time!

I am excited to see what President Obama is able to accomplish over the next four years. Hopefully it will be a lot of good things. And while I did not vote for him, he has my support and prayers in his behalf. For that is what America is about!

A-Z Tag

2009-01-18T22:23:00.007-05:00

I got this tag from my friend Sara and it looked like a lot of fun:

All you need to know about me from A to Z!

A--Attached or Single: VERY Attached to Dave, 13 years married (15 years if you count dating and a mission.....yes, I am one of the few and the proud!)

B--Best Friend: Dave, my sister and mom, and a bunch of other great women ( you know who you are)

C--Cake or Pie: cheese"cake"

D--Day of Choice: Saturday- a day to sleep in and spend with Dave and the kids.

E--Essential Item: My cell phone, I love to talk. My perfume, I love to smell pretty.

F--Favorite Color: burgundy

G--Greatest Accomplishment: Being a wife and mother, and surviving with a smile and sense of humor my medical difficulties after the birth of Emily (which have now been resolved)

H--Hometown: Orem, UT(Greensburg, PA until I was in the third grade)

I--Indulgences: pedicures, eyebrow waxing, going out to eat

J--January or July: July- love the 4th, Barbecues and fireworks are the best! We try to make our trip to Utah this month too!

K--Kids: 2 Girls Megan-8 Emily- 5 1/2

L--Life is incomplete without: Dave and the girls

M--Marriage Date: October 20, 1995

N--Number of Siblings: 3 (two brothers(one twin), one sister)

O--Oranges or Apples: Oranges- I do live in the Sunshine State, and it is on our license plate =)

P--Phobias or fears: Not being the best mom or wife I could be, something happening to my family.

Q--Quotes: "Tomorrow is a new day fresh with no mistakes in it."-Anne of Green Gables "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."-Dr. Suess

R--Reasons to Smile: Hugs from my kids, kisses from my husband, DISNEY WORLD!

S--Season: Summer! I love hanging at the pool and the beach. Although I don't love hurricane "season"! =)

T--Tag 5 Friends: Anyone who wants to play (Deborah, Casey, Mindy, Marilee, Vicki...anyone else?)

U--Unknown fact about me: I broke my ankle tripping off a curb at the library,with two kids in the car, hurrying to story time. The fire truck and ambulance showed up to help, sirens and all. How completely embarrassing!

V--Very favorite stores: Kohl's, Sam's Club, Target

W--Worst habit: My disdain of doing, and putting away laundry

X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: Ultra Sound (some of the happiest moments have come from that)

Y--Your favorite food: Any type of pasta, Chilli's Chicken Tacos, anything I don't have to cook ( I love to go out to eat)

Z--Zodiac: Capricorn

**Did you learn anything new?
**Will you play?

Gymanstics Winter Show for Megan

2009-01-15T09:20:00.003-05:00

It was also Winter Show week for Megan. She loves taking gymnastics. Every semester she just keeps getting better and better.

This is Megan with her flowers her Dad gave her, and her medal for completing the semester.

This is Megan's Class

The next post is some of Megan's routines for show week. As you will be able to tell she is dressed differently. We tried to get her to do it in just her leotard, but she said she was too cold. These pictures were taken at the end of the show. I guess she had finally worked up enough sweat to keep warm. Oh well! =)

I know this has been a lot of blogging for me over the past few days. I am finally caught up with all the life events we wanted to share. Now I have to tend to the many other things I have neglected to get this done.....do I have to?! See you all soon! Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

If you can't hear it, pause the music on the side.

2009-01-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

Emily's Gymnastics Winter Show

2009-01-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

Emily has been taking gymnastics these past few months and they just had their winter show. It was fun to watch her show off some of her new skills.

This is Emily with her medal they gave her

This is Emily's Class

(Her best friend from preschool was also in her class-sitting next to her)

Now sit back and relax and enjoy the show!

*which has to be in its own post thanks to photobucket and blogger =(

2009-01-14T21:42:00.001-05:00

The hardest yet best job on the planet!

2009-01-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

This year I have made a New Years resolution to be a better Mom. What a daunting task! Some days I am great, and some I am not so great. This year I am going to try and have a few more great days and a few less not so great. Hey, baby steps, right?

Being a mom is the hardest yet most reward thing I have ever done. It makes me appreciate my own Mom so much. She is wonderful, patient, and always giving of service, a great listener, and always there when I need her. I love her so much. On days when my kids are not being quite so great, it makes me want to call her up and tell her I am sorry for anything and everything I ever did to make her life harder. And believe me I am sure there was a lot. I just hope I can be half the mom, my mother is. I just have to remind myself one day at a time!

Here are a couple of fun videos from YouTube about moms. They bring a smile to my face, and I hope they will to yours. These are for all Moms, and anyone who has ever had a Mom. Enjoy!

PS
To hear the videos you will need to pause the other music on the sidebar on the right.

Our "Excellent Adventure" to Ohio

2009-01-12T20:15:00.001-05:00

For the first time in about 10 years the Ladle side of the family got together for the holidays. Both of my brother have moved to Ohio, and all of us invaded for the holidays! We had a blast!

Our journey started at 4:15 AM after three hours of sleep and we headed for Cincinnati. We traveled on Christmas day so there was very little traffic, and also very little food. Not a fast food joint opened in sight. But that was okay as we had packed a lot of food in the car because we knew this would be the case.

Our girls traveled so extremely well. We only stopped twice for about a total of 40 minutes. The girls had fun with the treats Mom brought from the dollar section at Target. We brought Dave's laptop with tons of DVDs, we listened to books on CD, listened to music, colored and drew pictures, and played games.

We were on a mission, to surprise all the family who thought we were arriving a day later. We wanted to make it before the beginning of Christmas Dinner, and there were only two people who knew we were coming. We knocked on the door about 15 minutes before dinner and sang a rendition of "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and surprised everyone. (We made fantastic time as well making the trip in just under 12 hours) It was so fun! There are very few times in life when you can truly surprise people, and this was one of those times.

This is all of the cousins after Christmas dinner. Seven granddaughters and one lone, but extremely cute, grandson. We took a formal family picture a couple of days later. The first one since Brian (my twin) got married 9 years ago.

We told Megan that when she turned 8 she could get her ears pierced. We went to dinner at Dewey's Pizza in a mall down by the river, and we passed a Claire's boutique. There was a sign in the window free ear piercing, and Megan was sold. After dinner we all went back and witnessed this life changing event. She was a little nervous, but they did both ears at the same time so it only hurt once. She had quite the entourage cheering her on outside the window, there were 17 of us!

See she is even smiling after having it done! Look at those beautiful ears!

While were were in Dayton we went to a huge Air Force Museum. We saw tons of airplanes and the girls even got to sit in the cockpit of a couple of them. They really enjoyed that.

Now I debated and debated as to whether or not to include this in this post. But it was so interesting I just could not leave it out. This statue of Christ is outside the Solid Rock Church between Cincinnati and Dayton. We passed it many times during out trip going back and forth. And at night it would be a lit up. My brothers say they use it as a land mark when they do the traffic. "Traffic is backed up to the big Jesus statue." I guess it is the same thing they do in Washington DC with the temple. "Traffic is backed up to the Mormon Temple."

This is a little closer picture. It is an amazing size. This is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.

This is the Ladle Family Cousin Clan (Left to Right)

Rachel (David's), Dallin (Brian's), Audrey (Brian's), Elisabeth (David's), Lydia (Brian's), Tiffany(David's)

Being the only grandson in the bunch Dallin deserves his own picture! What a cutie!

We had a great time with lots of laughs and fun. We decided that this has to happen again soon, not in another 10 years!

Christmas comes EARLY!

2009-01-10T10:54:00.000-05:00

Lori hooked up a deal with Santa to allow him to come a day early to the Jolley house. The reason you ask? We decided to drive to Ohio on Christmas Day to surprise everyone. But more on that in the next post.

Megan asked for a "girl bike" with no training wheels, and boy did Santa deliver! She loves it and has had a lot of fun riding it.

Emily asked for a "talking doll house" (see below) this year for Christmas. She has really enjoyed it too. A girl can never have to many dolls or doll houses. Especially ones that can talk!

"Tis the Season to be JOLLEY!"

2008-12-20T22:52:00.005-05:00

I have been really blessed that I have been able to stay home with my kids. This year, since all of my kids are now in school, I have become really active with the kids at school. Being room mom to both classes, as well as a board member with PTA. And while it does get hectic and overwhelming sometimes, it makes me feel like I am a contributing member of society. Since I do not work outside of the home. And I have also made some amazing friends.

This past week has been filled with organizing class parties, collecting money and shopping for class Christmas gifts for each of their teachers. Both of the girls had their parties on the same day. One was in the morning and one in the afternoon, which made for a tiring but fun day. I don't know how their teachers do it day in and day out. Here are some pictures of the festivities.

Emily in her Reindeer Hat she made.

A class full of kindergarten reindeer. Is there anything cuter?

Megan and her friends as Rudolph

We also had the Ward Christmas Party. The best guest of the night was of course....... Santa!

(It has been really warm here lately hence the shorts)

We are getting ready to head to Ohio for Christmas. I think my girls are in for quite an awakening as to what winter weather really is! My kids are hoping to see and play in some snow. Any bets as to how long that will last?! Merry Christmas!

Mariner of the Seas- What an amazing ship!

2008-12-13T22:58:00.005-05:00

The Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas is an amazing ship. It is like a floating city. It has the capacity to carry 5,020 people (that includes the crew of 1,200) They said in the course of a week they serve 105,000 meas (that includes the crew) Isn't that the name of the game when you cruise anyway, to eat, eat, and then eat some more. And to work it all off, there is so much to do. Here is just a few examples of the fun to be had on the Mariner:

Dave on the Rock Climbing Wall

The Main Pool Deck

The Solarium adult only pool area

We never got in the pool but spent a lot of time in the hot tub

We also spent a lot of time in the lounge chairs with our books and magazines sleeping and watching the waves roll by

Dave Playing Volleyball on the Full Size Basketball Court

Nine Hole Mini Golf Course

The ice skating rink

(This picture was taken on the last full day of our cruise and I was just hoping my pants would still fit.....and they did.....somewhat?!)

You could also in line skate as well on the sports deck

Also the usual ping pong, shuffle board, arcade and many other ways to keep busy

The Savoy Theater was where most of the nightly entertainment was held. We saw some amazing guest performers during the week, and have not laughed that hard in a long time!

Formal night in the dining room.

It was fun to get all dressed up and have dinner with my Sweetheart!

The Royal Promenade

Our room overlooked this, as you can tell by the windows. This was the shopping center of the boat. It was also a great place for parades, parties, but most of all those late night cookie and cheesecake runs!

The Christmas Tree on the Promenade

It was fun to have the boat decorated for Christmas!

Each night during turn down service, our stateroom attendant would leave a chocolate mint on our pillow as well as have an amazing towel animal for you out of your pool towel. This was our favorite, a monkey wearing my sunglasses. There also was a swan, bunny, dog, stingray and other cute animals. It was fun to come back to our room after dinner and see what was waiting!

The ship was also filled with fantastic art work and statues. We dined on the Sound of Music Floor in the the dining room, so here is a statue of that. It was really cool.

This picture is a little closer up and you can see the painting of the children in the background.

Well this is my last post, although it appears first thanks to blogger. (Kind of bugs me) This was the most amazing vacation ever. It was everything I had hoped and waited for, for the 18 months it took us to save the money and go. I highly recommend cruising, and I can't wait to go again! (Unless you couldn't tell) The Mariner of the Seas was the best and we have made many wonderful and lasting memories!

Fourth Port of Call- Cozumel, Mexico

2008-12-13T00:42:00.007-05:00

Cozumel from the pier

Other ships docked with us. You can see a Norwegian Cruise line in the background. That day we had 4 cruise ships in port which made for a lot of people!

Today was our day of shopping. The ship docked later in the morning, so we had a chance to sleep in a little bit. A lot of of our other mornings were a little early due to long excursions in ports. Sometimes I thought I would have to come home and take a vacation from our vacation.

We picked up some inexpensive t-shirts for the girls by the pier (thanks to a tip from a friend-Thanks Sara) and then took a taxi to downtown for our main shopping. I had forgotten what it was like to be in Mexico with the locals saying "Come in lady and see what I have for you, you like jewelry? Your husband can get you something for Christmas! Let me show you, let me show you." We shopped for a while, and got all the gifts we had come to get. Then we wanted to go to the beach.

We took a taxi to a beach called Paradise Beach. It was very beautiful and had lots to do. It made me wish we would have brought our swimming suits, but we lounged in the chairs and ordered some Chips and Salsa to share on the beach. I had to go to Mexico and try some authentic Mexican food. The salsa was fantastic and you could tell it was really fresh.

You could para sail or there were water trampolines and other water toys.

Or you could catch a boat at the pier and go snorkeling.

Or you could lounge in these great chairs with your MP3 player and listen to the waves under the beautiful palm trees and eat, which is what we did =)

We took a taxi back to the pier and called the kids for a little bit before we got back on the boat. We were thrilled to find out all was going very well at home. That night at dinner our captain said he would be holding the boat for a few extra minutes hoping that the 70 passengers still not on board would make the boat. Cozumel is pretty famous for watching some very drunk people run for the boat! =)

Third Port of Call- Georgetown, Grand Cayman

2008-12-13T00:03:00.006-05:00

The weather was not the best today. It started out with a lot of wind and rain, but got better as the day went on. We had booked another local company for a day of snorkeling. We got got on a bus and were driven to the pier where they had their boat. On the way there we were told that there are 522 banks on the island. The guide said they also do a lot of laundering on the island as well....;-)

We got to the pier and got on our boat and headed to our first snorkel spot. We were on a large boat with about 12 other people. One of which works with Dave at JEA. How crazy is that? We ran into him on Formal Night on the boat as well. It is a small world.

The weather somewhat cleared and we snorkeled for about an hour in the first spot. Dave really enjoyed it and did very well. I struggled with the fact that I could not use my nose to breath. And I don't really enjoy the salt water all that much. When we go to the beach here I will go out and jump the waves but don't really swim. The seas were also very choppy. So I snorkeled for about 20 minutes and was done for the day. I used the rest of the day to soak of the Caribbean sun on the boat which was just fine by me. The captain of the boat got out and dived for conk shells. He cleaned out the conk and used it to feed the fish and stingrays. Then each couple on board got a conk shell from the bottom of the ocean to take home. Very Cool!

Dave enjoying the snorkeling even getting some underwater pictures.

We then left our first snorkel spot and went to Rum Point Beach and had lunch they provided Then we lounged on the beach. Sun, waves, a lounge chair and an MP3 player make a beautiful combination! The water is beautiful in Grand Cayman, that is one of my favorite memories of our trip. It was amazing!

Rum Point Beach

The Beautiful Water at the Beach

Some Island Humor- Click Picture to see it larger

After lunch we went out to Sting Ray City. It is a sandbar you can stand on and be in a sea of stingrays. The Grand Cayman Government closed it that day because of the rough seas but our captain decided to go anyway so we could see the sting rays. None of us were allowed off the boat, and while we were there a police boat sped out to meet us to make sure were were not getting into the water. They eventually asked us politely but firmly to please leave. We went to a nearby spot to snorkel with the stingrays and they watched us like hawks until we left.

The Police Boat at the Sandbar at Stingray City

(Click on the picture see the police boat better)

A guide with a stingray while snorkeling close to Stingray City. They are very soft and very smooth.

We had a great day and Dave got to see "Dory" and a lot of other fish. Did not spy Nemo though.

Second Port of Call-Ochio Rios, Jamaica

2008-12-12T22:12:00.008-05:00

Mariner Docked in Ochio Rios, Jamaica

The landscape in Ochio Rios. Very beautiful!

Jamaica is a beautiful island with fun and colorful people. We docked in Jamaica and found our local tour guide we had booked, named Mark Morris of Mark Morris Tours. He was so fun and so knowledgeable we had a fantastic time. We traveled with a two other couples from Oxford, England.

Dave, Lori and Mark Morris of Marks Morris Tours

(Yes, I can't believe I am posting a full length picture of me in a bathing suit on my blog!) CRAZY!

The highlight of the day was climbing the 600 foot Dunns River falls. You basically make a human chain and a Jamaican local guides up the falls. It as so fun and very cold. The guides are extremely lively and fun, with their "Yah Mon, no trouble Mon".

The Guide who was taking our picture kept saying "Kiss your woman, Kiss your woman!" I know it is cheesy, but I think this picture is so cute!

Very Fun and Very COLD!

After the falls we went sight seeing, and then Dave and I went tubing down the White River. I wish I could have gotten pictures of that but I had no way to keep the camera dry. It was very beautiful though.

A beautiful beach in Jamaica during our sightseeing

When our tour guide picked us up, he had a fresh coconut for us to have some coconut milk. Very cool. Afterward he took us to his Fathers house, who makes pottery. This is very big in Jamaica. He showed us how the pottery comes to be, from beginning to end. After that Mark took us to a local joint for some authentic Jamaican Jerk Pork, and some rice and beans which they call peas and beans. Very spicy but very good.

After that we headed back to the boat after a long and great day soaking up some of the local flavors and colors of Jamaica.

That night we did not go to the dining room for dinner, but had a reservation to one of the speciality restaurants on board called Chops. It is a steakhouse and the food was out of this world. Easily the best steak I have ever had.

I was thinking about getting a baked potato but it was it was huge. Probably at least 2 lbs....I kid you not. It could have just been a meal in its self. Dave and I decided to share some mashed potatoes. We both had the 10 oz Fillet Mignon and topped off the evening with a piece of Mississippi Mud Pie that I am still dreaming about, and probably will be for a while. Some of the best money we spent the entire trip.

Our First Port of Call- Labadee, Haiti

2008-12-12T20:55:00.005-05:00

Labadee is Royal Caribbeans private island in Haiti. The boat is to large to dock so they had to tender everyone to shore.

Haiti is very green and has mountainous. Very beautiful! This was our view out the window during breakfast.

We spent the day relaxing on the lounge chairs on the a beach called Dragon's Breath Beach. It was beautiful, and you could watch the people going down the zip line. It started on the mountain and then came out across the water. Dave and I were going to do it until we found out how expensive it for was for about a minute and a half of fun and decided to buy new camera instead to catch some great photos of our entire trip instead. That is just my practical side coming out I guess.

On the side of hill you can see the platform where the zip line begins. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Someone on the Zip line over the ocean

The boat catered a barbecue lunch on the beach. And after lunch Dave with haggled with the locals for a hat. (see the below picture) The guy started at $40.00 and Dave ended up paying $8.00 for it. I look forward to the next time we have to buy a car or something to see if he can do it again! =)

What an amazing and relaxing day! Haiti was awesome!

Our Cruise on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas

2008-12-12T01:00:00.002-05:00

We left about 9:30 am on the morning of November 30th. The kids and my parents left for church and we left for Port Canaveral. We were both very excited, and a little anxious as to what to expect because this was our first cruise. But it turned out to be everything we had expected and more. I am already starting to plan our next one. ;-) Although Dave informs me the next vacation we will take together will be going to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. We will be saving for a while for that one!

We got to Port Canaveral about 11:3o, gave the porters our luggage and were on the boat by 12:30. We headed to the Windjammer (along with everyone else on the boat....very busy) the buffet style restaurant on board and ate lunch. After lunch we headed to our state room to leave our carry-ons and left to explore the ship. Our first stop was the dining room to check out our table. We had an awesome table.

Table 528

(The Round Table at the Bottom is the Captains Table. The balcony directly on the right was where out table was.)

We had a inside stateroom with a window that overlooked the promenade (the indoor shopping and eating area in the middle of the ship). It was fun to sit in the bay window and people watch or watch the parades and parties that happened in and along the promenade. The room was about the size of our bedroom, but the bathroom was tiny. The shower was about the size of a closet, the the doors bowed out a little which made it a little better.

(Our Window Seat)

(You can see the shower in the mirror)

After we settled in we went to the Muster Drill. A lot of fun, and a sea of orange. Talk about being packed in like sardines! After that we took our life jackets back and went up the helipad at the front of the ship for sail away. It was raining just a little, but a lot of fun to wave to those people lined up on the edges on the harbor on our way out to sea. There were also some dolphins jumping along side the boat as well.

Then we went back to the room and got ready for dinner in the dining room. We were at a table for 8 and had great table mates all from Canada. Vicki and her Husband Ken and their daughter Meaghan. Wendy her husband Brian and their son Bradley. They were all related. They were a lot of fun, and we have made good friends.

We had a amazing wait staff as well. Omar from the Philippines and Barrington from Jamaica.

Omar

Barrington

I came to the dining room the first night and asked to lemonade with dinner and was told that was not served in the dining room. The next night and every night after that Barrington brought me lemonade with dinner! What service!

Stay Tuned for more updates coming soon!.............

It's Finally Here!

2008-11-26T11:29:00.011-05:00

Well the day has finally come that Dave and I have been waiting a long time for. We are leaving soon on our 7 day Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas.

This whole idea started about 18 months ago when Dave was in the half way through his MBA and we were really having a hard time. Dave was never home, we both were stressed and we both wanted to quit. We decided to persevere, but to add a little reward to the end. A cruise with just the two of us. So we put a little money aside every month, and now here we are. I am just about to bust with exctiement.

We are going to Haiti, Ochio Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Mexico. My parents are coming to watch the kids. And I am crossing my fingers that all will go well while I am gone. I am sure it will be. Megan is already asking when she can go too.

So brace yourself for some photos (and long posts) when we are back!

Emily's First Field Trip

2008-11-21T21:27:00.010-05:00

This past week Emily had her very first field trip. They went to a local park to learn about safety and have a lot of fun. Emily was most excited to be able to ride a on a school bus for the first time.

Emily's Kindergarten class getting ready to listen to the saftey presentations.

One of the saftey lessons was bicycle safety. They also learned about stop signs, railroad crossings, and stop lights. When they were asked what a red light meant they said, stop, green meant go and yellow meant......go faster! =) (Do as I say not at as I do I guess.) Then they were allowed to ride their bikes around the city

This is Emily ready to get going on her bike. They provided everyone with a helmet. If you are wondering about the hair net, it was required to ride. I guess they did not want the kids to share potenetial "head germs" with all the other kids with the helmets. And there were A LOT of kids there that day. She also let me know again, that she wants Santa to bring her a girl bike for Christmas. She really loved riding that bike!

They got to visit a fire house at that is 106 years old. They got to see a lot of cool old fire stuff including a fire engine.

They learned all about fire safety. While there, they asked the kids if their family had a fire escape plan and if their family had a fire extinguisher. Emily raised her had for "no" on both counts. I guess our Family Home Evening from about a month ago did not sink in to well!

Teacher and Student

2008-11-16T21:36:00.013-05:00

I love the fact that I have two girls. I also love the fact that most of the time, they are each others best friend.

This is a picture of Megan giving Emily a little language arts lesson on Nouns. They love to play school. They got this easel with a white board/chalk board last year for Christmas, and it has made for hours of fun!

A Boquet of Freshly Shapened Pencils

2008-11-16T20:32:00.021-05:00

One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail". I love the line where Meg Ryan equates the beginning of Fall with the brisk air, and a "bouquet of newly sharpened pencils".

Well in Florida we are finally getting some brisk air (yea!!!), and at our house we have LOTS of newly sharpened pencils!

Emily recently has found a new found love with pencil sharpener. I think it is because her kindergarten teacher does all the pencil sharpening at school, and she thinks it is cool that mom will let her do it at home. She over the course of the past weekend sharpened a couple dozen pencils from not being sharpened all to those nice sharp points that we all love.

I did not even know that we owned that many pencils. So why do I buy more every year when school starts? Note to self...... no more pencils! ( I also have that weakness with new sharp crayons as well. Dave is always after me about buying new crayons when we already have a ton of unsharpe ones.)

You know you can never find something to write with when you need one. Thanks to this cutie we can no longer say that about pencils. Will she stay this young forever?!

Halloween Fun.....Better Late Than Never

2008-11-09T20:31:00.007-05:00

We went Trick or Treating with one of my good friends, who lives in a bigger subdivision with more kids. These are our friends from the neighborhood where we live (from left to right) Ashely as the Water Fairy from the new Tinker Bell movie, Megan as Hannah Montana, Alicia (a friend from school) as a Pop Diva, and Emily as Dora the Explorer. We had quite the crew and they all got way to much candy!

Hannah Montana and Dora the Explorer in front of our neighbors fall decorations.

Megan wanted to be Hannah Montana this year. For those who do not know who this is, it is a show from Disney Channel. We bought the wig even, but it had a hard time staying on. It made it though the pictures, but that was about it! Needless to say we will never do a wig with a costume again! She looked like quite the pop star!

This is Emily as Dora the Explorer. She had this costume picked out weeks before we bought it. She looked so cute, and she loved her backpack!

Halloween Fun at School

2008-11-09T20:23:00.004-05:00

Emily had a Fall Festival at school. I am the Room Mom so I get to help. They made pattern hats (as you can see), frosted a scare crow cookies, explored the inside of a pumpkin, and did some painting of fall leaves on a tree. Oh to be in Kindergarten again!

The girls had a literary character parade at school. Megan was "Annie" from the the Jack and Annie in the Magic Tree House series that she loves to read. We braided her hair, and she wore an outfit like you would see in the book. She is carrying a Magic Tree House Book.

This is Emily in the literary character parade. She was Dora and carried her favorite Dora book.

Meet Alice!

2008-10-27T22:14:00.006-04:00

Megan had her first real school project to work on this week. She had to write a narrative story and then decorate a pumpkin to depict the main character. This is pumpkin Alice. (Excuse the creative mess in the background!)

Her story was about a girl named Alice who wanted to go to Busch Gardens with her best friend Nina, but her Mom and Dad said they did not have enough money to go. (Sounds pretty familiar lately around here) So she goes around the neighborhood doing jobs to earn the money to go. So we have Alice in flip flops with her Busch Gardens hat, her homemade post card from Busch Gardens, and her money that she earned to go. Megan traced Emily's hands to create the hands for Alice. So this truly was a family project.

A Saturday with Dad and the Blue Angles

2008-10-27T21:41:00.010-04:00

Dave took the girls last Saturday to the Annual Air Show at the local Navy Base. This is them with an F15 that they also got to see in the air. Mom had lots of jobs and errands that day, so it was truly a Daddy/Daughter Day!

The Blue Angles actually started here at NAS JAX. So they love to come each year and do a show for the hometown crowd.

This is a cool picture of the airshow. The weather was not very good that day. Very low clouds, so they had to do their low show.

Here is a cool picture of the Blue Angles flying with the downtown skyline in the background. They switch every other year between doing the show at the base, and doing it at the beach. To me there is nothing better than watching the Blue Angels over the ocean in late October. It is a fun family tradation.

We also love going outside and watching them fly over, from the front yard during the airshow weekends and practice days. Very cool- yet very loud!

A Big Day For Megan!

2008-10-12T20:27:00.014-04:00

Megan and Her Friend Ashley

On Saturday October 12th Megan learned how to ride a two wheeled bike. She has been riding a scooter for a long time now, so she had the balance down. We just needed to take the training wheels off and a little push from Dad. Dave spent the afternoon running behind her around the circle where we live just incase she fell down. That is what Dad's do! =)

This is some video of Megan riding her bike. (And yes she is riding without a helmet....the bad parents that we are.) As you can see she needs a little bigger bike. This is a small hand me down bike from some family friends. She is hoping Santa can bring her a bigger "girl" bike for Christmas.

Megan's Baptism

2008-09-24T21:31:00.004-04:00

Megan's Baptism was on at 3:00 pm on Sunday, September 7th. It was such a great day. We had both sets of grandparents who had traveled to come and share this day with us. It meant a lot to Megan and all of us. Both Grandma's gave talks, and both Grandpa's gave the prayers.
Megan was baptized by her dad. We had a lot of friends and ward members in attendance.
Emily was already thinking about her own Baptism. She kept asking when she would be turning 8 and it would be her turn to get baptized.

I was a little surprised how emotional of it day it was for me. I was a river of tears from the moment they announced the baptism in sacrament meeting in the morning until the baptism was over that afternoon. I was so proud of Megan. I guess as much as I don't want to admit it, my little girl is growing up.

Megan's 8th Birthday Pool Party

2008-09-24T21:05:00.028-04:00

We had Megan's Birthday Party at a local pool which we are members of. After Tropical Storm Fay, and the looming of Hurricane Ike we were a little worried about the weather. But, we could not have asked for a more beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky.

Megan and Her Best Friend Allison

For party favors, I ordered some squirt guns for each kid to play with during the party and then take home. They had a lot of fun with them as you can see. We have a group of kids ganing up on Grandpa Jolley who was playing just as hard as the kids that day!

We reserved one of the two pavillions at the pool. The parents who came to the party hung out in the shade with cold drinks and chips. And it was very warm and humid that day.

What is a party without presents..... and lots of them! We had about 16 kids at the party.

We topped it all off with Hannah Montana cupcakes. What more could you ask for for an Eighth Birthday! It was a fantastic day!

Fay Fay Go Away, Don't Come Again Another Day!

2008-08-22T16:25:00.016-04:00

Greetings from Soggy Florida. One of the perks of living here is Hurricane Season! (If that is what you want to call it)

We are waiting for Tropical Storm Fay to make her way to anyplace else but here! I must admit it did force us to get prepared. And while we have fared well (only lost power once for about an hour- currently 80,000 people are without power) we will have all the supplies we need for the next one.

The kids started school on Monday and they closed school on Wednesday and it has remained closed until next Monday. We have been stuck in the house since Tuesday and are looking forward to maybe venturing out when Dave gets home from work. Yes, you heard me right, WORK! He had to go in everyday, even during the height of the storm! Now granted he does work for the electric company, but they were not even working on storm related projects. It is a good thing he does not have to cross any bridges to get to and from as a lot of them have been closed due to the high winds.

It has been 3 solid days of rain (working on 13 plus inches) and winds (25-50 miles sustained winds and gusts up to 60 miles per hour) and two tornadoes in the past 3 hours a little to close to us for comfort.

And why do we still live here......some days that is a good question! But I can sum it up in one word.....DISNEY! :-)

The Dynamic Duo

2008-08-18T20:24:00.011-04:00

First Day of School Pictures

I am sorry to make you endure all of these pictures of my kids. But they looked so cute today.

We kind of had a "mommy melt-down" moment as I was taking these pictures, the battery in my camera died. (Hence the crazy date stamp) We were trying to get to school, and I was not even ready yet. I had to be to a PTA function right after I dropped the kids off. Dave was not home, as he now rides the bus to work and was already gone. (Our newest endeavor to help save the budget) So he could not run to the store for me. PANIC.....but wait. I called my next door neighbor to borrow her camera! But I only ended up borrowing the batteries from her camera. The day and mom's sanity were saved.

Megan's First Day of School

2008-08-18T20:12:00.005-04:00

Megan is now a third grader if you can believe that! I remember the third grade like it was yesterday. I was one of my favorite years in school. She came home saying she loved her new teacher and made lots of new friends so I have a feeling it will be one of her favorites too.

She was so excited about her new outfit with her new "high heels". And of course you can't go to third grade without a Hannah Montana backpack! She is growing up so fast!

Emily's First Day of School

2008-08-18T20:06:00.017-04:00

Emily is now a big Kindergartner! I can't believe it! This is the backpack she pick out for the year.
No first day is complete without a great outfit! She picked the shirt herself with a little help from mom for the rest.

Her new desk in her new class! New sharp crayons......life does not get any better than this!

She said Kindergarten is GREAT and she wants to go back again tomorrow!

Gymnastics for Emily

2008-08-18T20:01:00.010-04:00

Emily has had a lot of firsts today. Today was her first day of Gymnastics. This is her very best friend from preschool, Maggie. They are in class together which is great because they no longer go to school together. Emily is a little sad about that! She keeps wondering if they will still be best friends if she makes new friends at school. ;-)

This is a picture of Emily upside down on the bars at her first day of gymnastics. She could not stop smiling all through class. I think she has found her element!

As Megan was watching and waiting for her sister's class to finish, they were doing something silly in class and she said: "Mom this is better than cable!".

Summertime Fun

2008-08-05T21:15:00.006-04:00

This summer we have become members at a pool. We try to get there as much as we can. At the beginning of the summer both girls were using floaties and now both are swimming independently. We have a ton of fun.

Summertime Fun Continued

2008-08-05T20:54:00.010-04:00

This is a video of my two darling little fishes. While it seems that Emily is struggling, she actually is quite the little fish swimming the width of the pool today (with Mom walking along side of course). She was in the deep end today without her floaties and did awesome. She loves to try to touch the bottom of the pool with her big sis. They both have come a long way this summer, and love to hang at the pool and swim with Mom and Dad.

PS- This blogging thing is addicting! =)

Graduation Day Continued

2008-08-02T22:14:00.000-04:00

Now I realize that in order to get my posts in the right order, I needed to do them backwards. So please forgive my inexeprience.

Afterward we came home and ate some pizza for dinner. These are some pictures of the festivities. Later that evening our "Florida Mom" Gwen came over to celebrate with us by eating some cheesecake I had made.

It was a fantastic day! One that Dave had worked very hard for.We wished you all could have been there but maybe with pictures it will make it seem like you were.

Graduation Day Continued

2008-08-02T22:07:00.002-04:00

Graduation was a 3:00 PM in the arena. It lasted about 2 hours with about 600 graduates. Dave is seated about 3 rows back from the last flag.

The girls were so well behaved and only asked "When is it going to be over" about 30 minutes before it ended. Right about the time I was thinking the same thing. =) Emily slept though most of it. When we went outside for pictures it was raining a little so we did not stay long.

Graduation Day!

2008-08-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

Well we finally made it! Dave graduated with his MBA in General Business. We are very proud.

Gymnastics With Megan

2008-04-17T22:14:00.000-04:00

Megan takes Gymnastics. She loves it and has a lot of fun.

My first attempt at blogging

2008-04-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

Uncle Mike has come to visit. We are having a lot of fun. He is helping us with our new family blog. This is our first picture and first post. Megan and Emily love to play on the neighbors swing set. Much more to come......we promise!