Spring 2011

When did this happen? To my poor, neglected blog (and blog readers), I am sorry it's been so long. I am so much better at keeping up with facebook, so find me there when I'm slacking on my blog. Apparently I've been busy with other things (work, PTA/yearbook, YW at church, and of course, family). We are all doing well. We're all healthy and happy (other than allergies) and doing well over all. The kids are enjoying school and getting good grades. BMX is about to start up for D. He is also still in scouts and dance and wants to join soccer and baseball. I think he'll have to make a couple important decisions. Angel is taking 4 types of dance lessons and will be 8 this month. Her baptism is scheduled for the end of the month. I am working in child care again, helping out at a friend's in-home day care business (getting my baby fix). I still have time to volunteer at the kids' schools, which I greatly enjoy. And I've been working more on my photography. I'm actually building a photography blog also, and I have begun to combine my photography on my FB business page for scrapbooking (I Need a Scrapbook). So far this year I have enjoyed photographing a few birthdays , a wedding reception , and a couple baby showers -not to mention the many family and nature photos I am continually taking. I have maxed out my computer's storage capacity!

I am so glad it's finally spring. Winter seems to have gone on and on, and I'm so happy to see flowers! I love taking photos of the beauty of spring. So far this spring, we've enjoyed a visit from some extended family, our annual Spring Birthday Bash, (here the kids are lined up to hit the pinata), and some other fun times with family and friends. (S'mores roast)

I am going to try to update my blog more often - and try to get my mind and my life a little better organized to stay on top of it. Wish me luck!

I scrapped!

I finally got a little bit of scrapping done today. Yay! I'm so excited. Here it is. This is Damian in his tap dance outfit.

Fast-forward

to summer! Where has the time gone?

The kids have been out of school for a month. We've had a wedding, dance recital, a couple family get-togethers/reunions, and a visit from a high school friend so far. We've set up a pool and planted a garden, too. The kids are staying busy w/ sports and activities: BMX, dance, tennis, scouts, acting and arts. They've even made a couple more short films w/ Frank. I hope the rest of the summer is full of fun, sun, family and friends. Once school starts, I'll be busy as the PTA VP!

February recap

February was icy cold. However, my crocuses were in bloom on Feb. 20, as usual.
We celebrated Valentine's Day in our usual way, also. We have several fun traditions in our family. I even created a couple scrapbook pages for the occasion.
Some other fun things that happened in Feb. - I got to see my brother in a swim meet, then spend the day w/ him and Mom. It's always fun when they visit.
I went on my first limo ride! WooHoo! Frank surprised me, the kids, my sis, and a couple friends w/ a limo ride to a church talent show. It was a fun experience.
On a sadder note, we sold my first car. A 1993 Mitsubishi Mirage. I didn't realize how attached I was until I teared up as they were driving away.

A new year, a new house..

I'm loving it! Our friend, Steve, of Pearcy Photography, came to take pictures of our house. He brought his wide angle lens, and "stitched" the pictures together, so you can see the whole room in one shot. So, here you go: This is looking down into the entry way. We haven't laid the hardwood stairs yet, so for now we have a slide on the stairs. We've had a lot of fun with it. Next is the kitchen. I love it. And the dining room.
Next are the three bedrooms: Angel's w/ a unicorn and butterflies, (thanks Mom and Megan!)
Damian's cool dude motorcycle room: (thanks Megan and Marcus!)
And the master bedroom. At the end of the hall is the kids' bathroom. We had a lot of fun decorating and painting in there. Thanks, Mom! So - that's what we've got so far. The rest will come together in time. On to more January fun. We started the year off w/ a few snow days. Unfortunately, it was also soooooo cold, that we really didn't go out to play in it very much. We had fun indoors, though. The kids (and Frank) had fun having burnout contests in their socks on the hardwood floors. And we did some baking. The kids had fun decorating these "monster cookies" with various toppings. Then we ate them with the "snow cream" I made.
The snow has finally melted, though, and we're getting warmer weather, so life is getting back to normal. The kids are happy to be able to play outside again. We're looking forward to a fun 4 day weekend since the kids are out of school today and Monday. We were trying to plan a trip out of town, but so many things came up, that we're staying put. So - if any local friends have some wonderful ideas on things to do this weekend, let me know!

2010 is starting out great..

But let's finish off 2009, first, ok? My biggest and best surprise of '09 was on Dec. 19, when Hubby woke me up at 6 am and asked me to please move off the bed and go sleep on the couch so he could load the bed into the moving truck. That's right! We finally moved in to the "new" house! It's been a looooong 4 1/2 year wait, and I'm so happy to finally get to call this my home. :) We had to hurry and unload the truck, though, because my sister's family was coming to celebrate Christmas at Dad's that evening! What a busy day. :) It was a very Wii Christmas this year. Everyone pitched in to get our family a Wii, and Chelle's family got a Wii fit. Both families were very excited.

On Christmas Eve, before the expected snow, we headed up to the in-law's to have our next 2 Christmas celebrations. My MIL got me a very appropriate ornament. It says "Our first Christmas in our new home 2009" One of Frank's gifts was a Saints hat. He's always been a fan, and has been very excited to have a reason to cheer this year. After Christmas morning at the in-law's, we headed over to my mom's for more wonderful food and some more gift exchanges. This is what we were driving on... That's right, we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!! That's very unusual for us in this part of the country. The kids had a blast, though. I had fun photographing the birds on the deck. I love this one with a cardinal AND a bluejay. And this one, where I was able to capture two bluejays in flight. On the way back home, there was a beautiful sunset over the lake. This picture does not do it justice.

And last, but not least, Frank decided to end the year off with a bang, and shaved his face. AND HIS HEAD! Who is this guy? I can't wait to see what 2010 brings.