A Family Affair

We were privileged to get to spend a few precious hours with the Wells' Family this past weekend! They came to see Jeremy's step father, who is ill, and consequently, we got to visit them at their hotel and go to dinner! The cousins were ecstatic and so happy to have this time together- it has been over a year and a half since we last saw them- and wow...they have grown so much! We only wish we didn't have to wait so long in between visits- and that we lived closer! Not fair!
Well, here are all the crazies having fun....

Dana and Es at Bob EvansLeah and Ethan climb the tree

The kids in the pool having fun when Uncle Jeremy jumps in too!

6 of the 8 (I didn't get pics of Christian and Julian...but I will steal them from Es)

Isaac still has an inch or two on Alex!

These kids LOVE Bob Evans!

Annie and I ate all the Cherry Bread (well...Annie had a morsel and I had the rest!)

Jeremy, Liza, Jim, Suzi, Evey and Es

Evey could not get enough of the pool!

The hot tub was HOT!!!!!!

Evey let Alex take her swimming!

Celeste shows off her new bathing suit!

Such fun we had...it was super nice to get together for those few hours- we miss them already! Thanks for letting us borrow your "pool and bath tub"!! That was from Celeste! Love ya!

101 Small Pleasures You Can Enjoy Everyday

Sometimes life can be unfair, unkind, and not so fun...
I found this today and it made me smile, so I felt the need to share...
Sometimes life can be fair, kind and very fun, too!

1. coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
2. crisp cotton sheets
3. soft skin
4. old family recipes
5. the first daffodils of spring
6. sleeping in
7. an exercise endorphin high
8. window boxes
9. a perfect cup of hot chocolate
10. a genuine compliment (giving or receiving)
11. the way babies smell
12. a handwritten letter
13. waking up in a good mood...for no real reason
14. singing in the shower
15. finding a couple forgotten dollars in your pocket
16. doing something nice for your neighbor
17. a home cooked meal
18. laughing
19. movie theater popcorn
20. playing hookey
21. a bubble bath
22. swimming
23. an afternoon nap
24. street musicians
25. your favorite song
26. saying thank you
27. helping someone in need
28. old fashioned photo booths
29. fresh whipped cream
30. inspiring blogs (see nieniedialogues.blogspot.com)
31. a glass of whatever you like in a wine glass
32. rainy afternoons
33. the funny things kids say
34. a novel you can get lost in
35. finding the perfect piece of clothing...on sale
36. clean laundry
37. the wind in your hair
38. treating the person behind you at the drive-thru
39. sharing an umbrella
40. the smell of lavender
41. a long walk that clears your head
42. a bear hug
43. The Beatles
44. smiling at a stranger
45. eating with chopsticks (Chinese food optional)
46. butterflies
47. staying in your pj's all day
48. singing along to the radio and knowing all the words
49. fresh herbs
50. ordering in pizza
51. happy endings...even if they're fictional (think Bella and Edward!)
52. flying a kite
53. puppies
54. root beer floats
55. holding open the door...
56. ...or having someone hold the door for you
57. fountain soda (oh, how I love Cherry Coke from the fountain!)
58. white, fluffy towels
59. sunshine
60. spending an afternoon at a museum
61. really great advice
62. green lights all the way home
63. the sound of rain hitting the windows
64. sitting in a booth
65. holding hands
66. a great hair day with no effort
67. building a fort with your kids
68. when someone falls asleep with their head on your shoulder
69. fireflies
70. the perfect taco
71. geraniums on a windowsill
72. slow dancing
73. the smell of fresh-baked bread
74. cheesy, uplifting musicals
75. hearing a great story
76. the smell of gasoline
77. the cold side of the pillow
78. love letters
79. old friends...
80. ...new friends
81. a pull-through parking space
82. a baguette -- crisp on the outside, airy on the inside
83. when a dog licks your hand
84. sitting at the counter at an old-fashioned diner
85. using your favorite dishes
86. reading your child a bedtime story
87. Girl Scout Cookies (my fav's- Tagalong's and Thin Mints)
88. flossing
89. kissing someone you love
90. the smell of onions and garlic cooking
91. yummy candles burning
92. jumping in puddles
93. old photographs
94. birds hopping on the sidewalk
95. Ella Fitzgerald
96. a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar
97. your softest t-shirt
98. a new magazine in the mail
99. fireplaces
100. having exact change
101. bacon and pancakes cooking on Saturday morning (that you didn't make!!)

Luck o' the Irish

Another year of St. Patrick's Day festivities down...another beautiful day for a parade with my girl...great times, great food, great family and friends...enjoy!!











I didn't get a pic of my kids all wearing their green on St. Patty's Day, but they all were, including Dana, who got a "Callahan's Auto" green shirt for the day! Gotta love Green!!

10 is Terrific!

10 years ago today, I became a Mom...Alex Christopher was born on Saturday 18 March 2000 - weighing in at 7lbs 3oz- so full of life and adorably handsome even at that very moment he took his first breath. I instantly fell in love with him and my title of "Mommy" became the most important role in my life.

Alex is a great kid-

honest

fun

funny

handsome

respectful

smart

a good sport

a great friend

and all around wonderful.

I just love this kid and am grateful for him more than I can tell you. He makes me smile each day and laugh in ways no other person can do. I look forward to more years of growing with him (though I am so not looking forward to teenage years!)....he is a special one, and we love him so very much!

Happy 10th Birthday, Alex!!

For his gifts, the girls gave him Bakugan's...that was perfect! He loves those dumb things!
I think he was happiest with that gift than with any other! Dana and I got him a Tony Hawk (ridiculously splashed with skateboards), a Bakugan watch, and a deck of cards (my kids are so into playing card games right now), that have a different picture of him on each one, (I designed them on Artcow.com). Love them!

His big gift, is a day at CocoKeys, an indoor water park during his Spring Break! He picked that over a party with friends....turning 10 is a big deal, right?! Lucky kid. (Added benefit, we all get to go- and the girls and I got new swimsuits, a little early!) Lucky us.

I asked Alex is he felt 10 this morning when he woke up- he said, "it feels great!" I made him peanut butter blossom cookies (his request) for his classmates, with tags on them that say, "Alex is 10!" He saw them, and a little embarrassment spread across his face- he said "I didn't want them to have my name on them and that I'm 10!" I didn't realize that he would feel that way- and as a matter of fact, it took me longer to make those little signs than it did the whole batch of cookies! I made him keep them on there! They pass them out at lunch, and don't make a huge deal of birthdays in the 4th grade at school...so sad! I love birthdays!!

On Sunday, we invited my parents and Dana's sisters and families over for food and cake- he wants a big chocolate chip cookie for his cake- and he made Bakugan drawings out of paper that I laminated for the decoration. Such a boy- a big one now...double-digiter - so not fair- I am not old enough to have a 10 year old- I just had him yesterday!

Disney Diva

A couple weeks ago, I took Celeste to see Disney on Ice! She was ecstatic:We had really great seats- pretty center and much closer than I had ever been before! We went with Suzanne and Abby and Ashley and Emma- so 3 Disney Princesses and their great mom's! Celeste was Ariel, of course...

The girls hardly took their eyes off the ice- they were in awe and their faces were priceless! We got to see so many of the wonderful stars of Disney- since it was their 100th year anniversary! Here are a few shots of some of our favorites:




Gotta love Mommy and Me time! These are the moments that I love so much....she was not terribly happy at first when she had to wear a body suit under that Ariel dress- she is particular about things like that...but once we got over that...this happy face was all I saw the rest of the night! Love that girl of mine!

All About Alex

Alex had a great week! On Thursday night, we had Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts, where he received his Bear badge, along with a gold arrow and two silver arrows! What an accomplishment! We are so proud of him and love how much he love Scouts! He has worked very hard this year in order to get it all in, and we are very happy with his progress!Alex and his Cub Master- Brother Davies

I got pinned for his Bear badge.

Celeste dove for the candy and prizes in the pinata...she loves it!

This year is the 100th year of scouting- so we had a "birthday party" for our banquet- the girls love the hats and games, the pinata, of course! Even my parents got to come- it was really great! Way to go, Alex!!

Then today he had his last basketball game for the season- whoo hoo! What a fun season it has been...we have had some wins, and some losses- bad ones, but great moments, where Alex hit the last shot at the buzzer! Today, he was sick, so he didn't score at all- a first time this season- he has hit shots every game except this one- so we are proud of him for that too! Here are some final shots of the season:

We love you and are so proud of all that you have done recently- you make us smile!