WrIgHt OnE's

helpers

2012-02-04T18:33:00.001-05:00

Henry took it upon himself
to sweep the floors to
"get ready for NayNay's birthday".

Naomi wanted to vacuum the rug.

Marcail asked to dust.

I'm thankful for my happy helpers!

naomi turns 5

2012-02-04T18:28:00.000-05:00

Our youngest (for now) turned 5 today!
We celebrated with lunch at Moe's
then cake and presents at home.

Naomi requested a pig cake this year.

It was so fun to make for my little pig lover!

Happy Birthday, Naomi!
We love you so much.

glimpses into daily life

2012-02-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

henry is busy writing his numbers

naomi finishes supper;

a happy plate

mathmatic Marcail loves her numbers

proud to complete a 100 piece puzzle

without any help

Marcail's flowers

fun with instagram

2012-02-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

working a puzzle

writing numbers 1-100

weirdo tab, pleasantly normal james

pretty bouquet

playing catch

dyeing onesies

2012-02-01T14:44:00.005-05:00

I had the desire to dye some of the baby's onesies.
I chose brown, black and red. Only one red turned out well.
The others looked too pink for a boy, so I will have to
dye them a different color.

3 pans of dye

tiny black onesie and baby ts

a maroon-ish onesie

a little brown hat and blanket

The pictures don't do the colors justice but
I am so pleased with how they turned out.

birthday celebration

2012-01-26T20:48:00.002-05:00

We had a small birthday get-together last week
for Henry and Marcail.
They both had really bad colds
on their birthday so we didn't do much to celebrate.
I didn't make them their cakes since
they were coughing so badly.
The added sugar would have made it that much worse.

So, after they recovered, I invited some of their friends over to
play and celebrate.
We had homemade pizza.
I finally made the cakes of their choice as well!

table ready for celebrating

pans oiled for pizza

festive dinnerware

marcail's puppy cake

henry's bunny cake

thursday

2012-01-26T20:37:00.004-05:00

Marcail is getting too big,

she's lost 3 teeth in a year!

sprawling palm in our backyard

pretending to surf on a beat up boogie board

hard at work with school lessons

siblings at play

wednesday

2012-01-25T09:27:00.001-05:00

outdoor play

sunshiny grins

toothless grins

the thinking chair

lil' ole me

tuesday

2012-01-24T06:27:00.000-05:00

only on a boy's bed....batman and iron man

i think we need a bigger bookshelf

front yard

sweet mr. blue eyes

dirty outside play feet

monday

2012-01-23T12:19:00.001-05:00

hanging out in the kitchen

29 week belly shot

playing mario on the new wii

loving up on daddy

bedtime books

school days

2012-01-13T15:37:00.000-05:00

Taking turns filling in the missing numbers.
A fun challenge!

friday

2012-01-13T15:31:00.003-05:00

Girly girl lost her tooth the day of her birthday.

Asking mama if she can have an apple.

Lunch on a lazy day:

Spicy Cheetos, Cheez-Its, Craisins, Chips and salsa.

"Playing" a game at Dave and Busters.

Driving the big rig at D&B.

Jam Sesh on the front lawn.

now they are six

2012-01-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY and MARCAIL!

We are so thankful for your friendship with each other
and good-natured spirits.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to grow and learn.

26 weeks

2012-01-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

6.5 months and counting.....

friday

2011-12-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

Perfect weather, plus a daddy that is off work for the week

makes for a no-brainer day at the beach.

We loaded into the car and headed to our "old" beach.

We walked the shore to the big rocks

and later enjoyed a late lunch at our newly opened Sonic.

may your day be merry and bright

2011-12-25T05:09:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a joyous Christmas

from our family to yours!

a day of shopping looks like this:

2011-12-19T18:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas meat

Everything needed for Christmas baking and cooking

pepperoni rolls

2011-12-19T18:14:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite Christmas treats around here is Pepperoni Rolls!

Sometimes I make this into a couple loaves.
However they're prepared, they rock!

Pepperoni Rolls
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package sliced pepperoni
1 package sliced cheese, any flavor

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, salt and 2-1/2 cups flour.

Beat until smooth.

Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Once risen, place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into approximately 24 balls.

Flatten a roll of dough, place 2-3 pepperonis in the middle.

Sprinkle with a pinch of cheese on top of pepperoni

and pinch dough closed.

Place into a greased pan.

Once pan is full, bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

the day in pictures

2011-12-14T22:30:00.001-05:00

8:30 a.m.

Hungry twins

9:00 a.m.

A lil Christmas music

9:30 a.m.

Still asleep

10:00 a.m.

Coloring

10:30 a.m.

Teeth brushing after a late breakfast

Noon

Fiber, prenatal vite, iron and vite C

12:30 p.m.

Snack

12:45 p.m.

Laundry

1:00 p.m.

FINALLY getting around to brushing her hair

1:05 p.m.

Publix run

2:00 p.m.

Fixin lunch

4:00 p.m.

Giacomo and Lara come to visit

6:00 p.m.

No more left

6:30 p.m.

Self-explanatory

6:45 p.m.

Counting down the days til Christmas

7:00 p.m.

Supper; homemade pizza

7:30 p.m.

Lollipop for dessert

8:00 p.m.

Organizing my thoughts

8:30 p.m.

Bedtime books

the girls

2011-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Henry took these pictures of the girls.
I love their expressions,
if only they weren't so blurry.

I've been struck lately by how tall
and old my kids are getting.
They've grown up so much in the past year,
it's crazy to me and a little
saddening.

I am, however, extremely proud of my kiddos
and how blessed we are with
good health,
sibling friendship
and giggles.

scenes from around the house

2011-12-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

23 weeks

2011-12-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

I was inspired to take this photo while waiting on my girls to "do their duties"
in the dreaded public restroom.

Huge mirror, baby tummy sticking out....picture-taking time!

look at us mom!

2011-12-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

the waiting game

2011-12-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

Still way behind with this post:

Thanksgiving day was a fun event for me.

I loved cooking and baking and readying for our company!

This first photo is a study on concentration;
many thoughts and inner reminders
swirling thru my head at once.
Waiting for food to cook,
waiting for rolls to rise,
a major waiting game.

The photo on the right is the obligatory
smile as I realized that my photo was
being taken by my adoring hubby.

We made a great team that day (we do most days anyway).
He helped me clean the house,
cut and assembled the relish plates,
kept the kids out of the kitchen so I could
do what I needed without fearing tripping over anyone.

It was a good day.

pics from my phone randomness

2011-12-08T04:08:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I last updated this blog.

My last post was of our Thanksgiving menu.

I forgot to take any photos of the actual day or table spread

since I happened to be rather busy putting the food

on the table.

I do have before pictures though.

My kitchen the day before Thanksgiving looked a little something

like this:

On the morning of Thanksgiving I pulled the

brining Turkey out of the fridge to prepare to

roast.

The table was decorated for the meal.

The relish plates were lovingly prepared by my

husband!

This was taken on a day that was not

Thanksgiving:

School day photos:

Naomi has taken a fondness toward her doll, she

calls her Sally.

Henry and Marcail holding hands on a walk.

I thought it was such a sweet moment.....and rare.

A bonus pic; the baby boy from our last ultrasound!

He looks like he's smiling.

thanksgivin' plans

2011-11-20T18:13:00.001-05:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we are hosting it at our house.

I am so excited! I love being able to cook for my family.

My mother-in-law and aunt-"in-law" both work full-time.

This doesn't give them a lot of opportunity to plan and prepare

a big dinner.

So I feel like this is my way to take the stress off the Holiday

for them so they can enjoy it.

Here is the menu I have planned:

Cheese and Fruit Platter

Turkey

Ham

Potato Casserole

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Beans
Jell-O

Cranberries

Homemade Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Toll House Cookie Pie

home school update

2011-11-19T10:06:00.001-05:00

The children are still really enjoying school.

We have been working on

learning our numbers 1-100; recognizing and writing them.

We have started some basic addition as well.

We have also been reviewing the alphabet; recognizing letters, writing upper and lower-case

as well as the sounds of the letters.

We are also touching on reading and spelling simple three letter words.

All these subjects are being absorbed and loved by my three students.

This week we've been studying the first Thanksgiving and why

we Americans celebrate this special Holiday.

It's been a fun study. I've had to keep it pretty basic for my kindergartners.

But, what we've studied has been really great for them!

We've recently started making lapbooks for our studies. They have been

making one for the Thanksgiving study. We are almost finished with it.

Here the kids are painting a ship I drew for them from back on Columbus day.

These are coffee filters that we splash water painted as the world.

We did this as we studied Columbus on Columbus Day.

Last week we studied the Sun and made a lapbook to compile all

the information in one consolidated folder.

This is a great tool for the kids as they have a reference for future use

as well as the chance to get some "crafty" art time in.

This is Henry's sun lapbook:

Here is Naomi's lapbook about the sun:

Marcail's sun lapbook:

Once we finish our Thanksgiving lapbooks I will share them with you.

I am enjoying working on them with the kids!

a sweet gift

2011-11-19T09:52:00.000-05:00

James brought these beauts home to me this week.
It was a pleasant surprise!
We have been enjoying them quite a bit.

4.5 months

2011-11-09T17:14:00.000-05:00

I didn't intend for this to be a prego pic.
I'm not really a "prego pic" kinda gal,
for some reason.
I was just really happy about my church outfit
on Sunday morning
and also pleased with the way my new
haircut was lying so nicely!
So I had James click a quick photo.

After I looked at the picture I told James,
"I look pregnant in this picture!!!"
To which he replied,
"Um, because you are pregnant."
We chuckled at that!

I am 4 1/2 months pregnant now.
I feel good
and also feel as though the baby has
grown by leaps and bounds in the past 2 weeks.
I'm thankful for all of the growth as well as the sweet
little baby movements I've started to experience.

faithful tree

2011-11-09T16:54:00.003-05:00

This tree was the giver of an hour of fun playtime

for the kids this afternoon.

They climbed, crawled through, swung from it's branches and explored

with giggles and smiles.

It was a pleasure to share their happiness with them.

It's so fun to dress up!

2011-11-03T10:38:00.001-04:00

For Trick-or-Treating this year,
Marcail was a princess.

Naomi was a little pink pig.

Henry was a pirate.

first view of the baby

2011-10-27T12:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we had the oppotunity to have a sonogram.
I was so excited to see how many we had growing inside me.
I am thankful that the Lord has blessed us with one healthy
baby!

The sonogram made my pregnancy seem real to me.
Seeing that "dinosaur" baby moving sweetly in
my uterus was such awesome!

From the looks of things, this baby is going to have the
same big ol' head as Henry!
This makes me laugh because his head
is so incredibly round at the back.

We are growing more excited for this new little one everyday.
The kids are ready to be big siblings and looks forward
to helping.

We still have quite a wait ahead of us, though, since I'm
only 4 months pregnant.
However, it sure is great to have such excited little ones around!

grandparents

2011-10-22T08:05:00.000-04:00

I love this photo of Naomi and my dad
relaxing together.
Naomi loves her Grandad; I'm so happy I caught this
sweet moment together.

My mom and her Grand-"cuties" nestled together
on a cold Winter night.
I think, if I were to take a wander
down memory lane at all the
past 5 years photos,
I'd find that I have several of these such images,
Everyone cozy together on the black couch.

As you can see from the expressions on
everyone's faces,
we were giggly and happy.

the intercoastal waterway

2011-10-22T07:43:00.001-04:00

This is what I see:

Neon Lights
Rain-worn Roofs
Lofty Hotels
Expansive Ocean
Water Taxi
A multitude of Palm Trees
Rich Yachts

Fort Lauderdale Skyline
Million Dollar homes
Docking posts

jack-o-lantern jars

2011-10-21T12:44:00.006-04:00

Everyday for school I get the question: "What craft are we going to do today?"
While we don't do a craft everyday, sometimes I am inspired and
quickly gather supplies and we craft or "art" away.

Once such craft was this one, we painted some jars I had saved up
and then painted faces on them for some Halloween decor.
The kids loved painting!

Before:

After:

I found this craft here.

can you read this to me, daddy?

2011-10-21T12:34:00.002-04:00

Just about every night the kids ask James to read them books before bed.

I do the book reading during the day, he does it at night.

ready for bed

2011-10-21T12:31:00.004-04:00

This guy is always more than willing to hop into bed at the end of the day.
He plays so hard and lives his day to the fullest.

Peek-a-boo Henry.

We see you.

birthday wishes

2011-10-18T08:49:00.001-04:00

My Mom's birthday is today! She's a beautiful 50!

This expression on my mom's face is one of my favorites.
I can tell she's happy and also getting ready to
give someone a hard time!
When I was a kid I used to call this look her
"soft" look.
I knew she was in a good mood when she looked like this.

My sister took this picture of her
at her surprise birthday party on Sunday
at my Grandad's house.
I know this birthday was hard on mom.
Her first birthday without Grandma.
However, I know that the Lord is sufficient.
He will bring mom up out of the pit.
I only wish I could have been part of the celebration.
I wish her a blessed birthday!

I love you mom!
Love Sweet Love

pics from my phone

2011-10-01T18:40:00.001-04:00

Super heroes, unite!!

Water park fun,

one of our last "hoorahs" before school started.

My baked goods:

Choco Chip cookies,

From scratch Peach Pie (my very first pie ever)

Breakfast in a muffin pan;

eggs, bacon and spices.

We all know how capable I am of making a fool outta myself

and not caring one bit!

Now I can make the excuse that I'm doing it for the children,

they get a kick out of it

when I act goofy.

A rare moment when James joins in my goofy fun.

This great tree is at a park we frequent.

It's perfect for climbing.

Here, I'm modeling my new shirt and necklace I received for my birthday.

I was getting ready to go to a friend's baby shower at church.

on my 30th birthday

2011-10-01T17:11:00.000-04:00

On my 30th birthday, the kids and I made a cake....a chocolate coconut rum cake.

Yes! Rum!

The cake is super delicious!

For lunch, the kids and I went out to eat at Pollo Tropical.

It's Cuban and Caribbean fast food and so, so good!

I couldn't believe how well the kids ate it!

I thought for sure they'd turn their noses up at it.

I was wrong.

Chicken on the bone, rice and black beans are truly a child's dream come true.

My sweet friend Neli took me out to eat at Fuddruckers.

Home of some fantastic burgers!

I hadn't eaten at a Fuddruckers in years.

It was like coming home.

Seriously.

Upon ordering our burgers, filling our drink cups and searching for a table,

I find that Neli has planned more than just a

birthday "date".

She planned a surprise party!!!!!!

Several girls from my church were waiting for us to celebrate my birthday!

It was a great surprise! I didn't have any clue and the timing couldn't have been

better!

I was truly in need of that sweet display of encouragement and friendship for my 30th

birthday!

I almost became emotional, but I held it together.

Sisters, Jessica and Veronica, took time out of their evenings to celebrate my birthday.

Jaime, Kari and Meghan celebrated with me.

Meghan's sister, Lori and my sweet friend, Linda were also in attendance.

Of course I got some yummy brownies and ice cream!

They also sang to me.

Kinda embarrassing but that's part of the birthday game, eh?

All the girls were so very generous and gifted me so kindly.

I got so many nice things, especially jewelry!

Neli was able to love up on Veronica's baby, Amelia.

Amelia's cousin, Meghan also enjoyed some cuddle time.

My birthday was made very special by the wonderful people in my life.

I am truly blessed to have such sweet friends.

no training wheels

2011-09-28T16:37:00.000-04:00

Henry picked up riding without training wheels
super fast!
The day after he "got it" he spent the whole
day outside riding and riding his bike.

apple day

2011-09-28T16:32:00.003-04:00

Johnny Appleseed's birthday was on Monday.
Being a home school mom and having a little
home school group within our church,
it only seemed right to have a tiny get-together
for this day.

I mentioned having a home school get-together
to my friend, Nancy who also home school's her 6 kiddos.
She was so excited and suggested we have it at her house
for "apple day"!

So on Tuesday 4 of us home school families came over to
Nancy's house and had a lesson
about Johnny Appleseed.
The kids got to taste test different apples,
make apple crisp, weigh their apples,
measure their apples, sing a couple
apple songs and play some apple games.

We had a great time!
The kids got to learn something while having
fun.
The mom's got to visit while teaching the children!
It was a perfect combo.
I am thankful that Nancy was so sweet to open
her home for us.

Some of the children listening to the lesson.
Wearing apple colors.

Here, Nancy speaks to the children
about Johnny Appleseed.

An older sibling helping a younger.

Sweet Ruthy enjoying an apple.

the post where i over-do it with pictures

2011-09-26T12:25:00.002-04:00

Last week Princess and her kiddos came all the way from Overland Park

to visit us for 3 days.

We spent one whole day at the beach.

It was their very first beach experience ever and they

loved it!!!

We stayed too long though because we all got burnt!

I forget, even after living here for 2 1/2 years, how strong the sun is!

We had a lovely visit, but it wasn't long enough.

They never are!

We were so pleased with how well all the kids got along.

Princess' four kids range in age from 8-4 years old.

It was a great mix and I'm so thankful for our time together.

The beach day was the only day that I took pictures.

I'm kicking myself for not getting a group picture

or a picture of Princess and me together.

Oh well, at least I have these for great memories!

They are posted in no particular order.

Our beach stuff...and picnic goodys.

Abey

Salma

Faesal (Henry and Marcail's triplet).

They are all born the month of January, the same year!

Rayon, who is Naomi's age.

is that dirt?

2011-09-26T11:31:00.000-04:00

While at Izaac's birthday party,
Naomi and Henry decided it would be
great fun to slide in and throw dirt.
It wasn't just dirt though, it was soot and dirt
because where they were playing was
right next to a grill!
They even wiped some on their faces like war paint.
I was tempted to get really irritated but
chose to chill since
they were at a park and it was fun!
I didn't let them continue since they had put it on their
faces but I did get a good chuckle out of it.
Especially Naomi's face.
She was filthy!
Marcail had NOTHING to do with her sibling's antics.
It was amusing watching her observe them with
a look of both disgust and confusion.

Neli snapped a picture of the kids and me at the party.

Someone was having an attitude about picture time....

There's always someone being a stinker!

quirky blog title....

2011-09-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

Titles for posts are so hard for me.
I always wanna have cute, catchy titles but
actually coming up with them never happens.
I'm title challenged. Ha. Ha.

Anyway, a couple weekends ago, my friends Neli
and David had a birthday party picnic
for their son, Izaac's 3rd bithday!

I got some photos taken of a couple of my friends
from church that day and thought I'd share.
If for no other reason than to give
faces to names as I've shared them with my mom.

This is my friend Kari. She and her husband, Joe have been
married for a year, newlyweds!
She's a sweet girl with a kind voice.

This is my friend, Susan who has the three boys,
Kaden, Kyle and Kevin.
We've done a lot of hanging out
this summer since our kids
all get along very well.
She's got an easy laugh and a helping spirit.

Of course, my friend, Neli and me.
I snapped this at church one Sunday recently.
She had borrowed my camera for Izaac's
party and had returned it that Sunday.
Neli is also a very helping and generous
person. She has a heart for others.

laughter and happiness

2011-09-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

Our "Italian friends", as we like to call them,
have been gone for 2 months visiting their family in Italy.
We sure missed them while they were gone.
They returned a week ago but we haven't seen them
yet.
They've been jet-lagged and getting unpacked
from their time away.
We sure look forward to touching base with them again.

These photos were snapped before they left.
Luca and Lara had invited us over for dinner.
The kids enjoyed a ride in Giacomo's Jeep.

The first picture shows Lara and Luca walking along with
the kids.

hard at work

2011-08-30T07:50:00.000-04:00

My students busily work their pencils and their minds.
Once a task is complete they say,
"Did it. Now what, Mama?"
I love their eagerness.

first day of school

2011-08-29T20:26:00.002-04:00

Our first day of home school was a success!
We spend our mornings hard at work.
The kids willing to learn and happy listeners.
We are so thankful for how well it's going so far!

important announcement

2011-08-24T16:50:00.002-04:00

We are happily expecting our 4th baby

early April!

welcome to cici's

2011-08-11T09:24:00.000-04:00

peek-a-boo

2011-08-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

new flip-flops

2011-08-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

Whose feet are those?

traffic

2011-08-08T09:17:00.000-04:00

racing the sun

2011-08-07T09:15:00.000-04:00

on a date

2011-08-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

Getting the "essentials".

sitting pretty in daddy's truck

2011-08-05T09:12:00.000-04:00

Oh, yes, and the handsome driver!

the "bear" park

2011-08-04T09:08:00.000-04:00

tricking my kids {and the hubs}

2011-08-03T09:03:00.001-04:00

How did I do that?
Why by making black bean "meatballs"!

Meatless meatballs were well received in this house.
I was so pleasantly surprised.
I mashed up two quart size baggies of beans from
when I had made black beans in my crockpot.
Then, I just put all the same spices and ingredients I do
for regular meatballs.

a couple fun experiments

2011-08-02T08:55:00.002-04:00

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks.
Henry and Marcail love popcorn as well. Naomi has decided she's not a huge fan.
I'm running low on snacks due to cleaning out my pantry.
The one thing I do have on hand are popcorn kernels.
I started thinking that maybe Naomi would like kettle corn.
I looked up allrecipes.com for a kettle corn recipe and popped up a batch.
We were all major fans, even Nay! It was so delicious and super easy to make!

I am out of jelly as well, but have plenty of strawberries.

So, I decided to make a batch of freezer strawberry jam.

It took me probably about 20 minutes or less to make this.

It's still setting up so I hope that it will be good!

I'm sure it will be.

creamy spinach pasta

2011-08-01T09:30:00.001-04:00

I've been challenging myself to cleaning out my pantry and freezer before going grocery shopping again.
I have quite a bit of odds and ends and it's proving to be fun for me to make things up
and also to use the resource of allrecipes.com. I love that website!
I found this recipe on that site and used it for lunch yesterday.
I had to tweak it a bit since I didn't have a full can of tomatoes. I also used more spinach than was called for and some garlic powder.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if the kids would like it but I was pleasantly surprised! All three enjoyed two helpings!

mama's helpin boy

2011-07-31T09:30:00.001-04:00

Helping me prepare for a simple supper.

the first one up

2011-07-30T09:30:00.001-04:00

shadow of the flag

2011-07-29T09:30:00.001-04:00

sunning

2011-07-28T11:49:00.003-04:00

Baby iguanas in our empty pond.
There was one now he has two friends.

working on the bunkbeds

2011-07-27T09:15:00.009-04:00

The bunkbeds, by the way, are finished!

This is Henry's:

These are the girl's bunkbeds:

painted faces

2011-07-26T09:39:00.000-04:00

pretty kitty

tinkerbell fairy

batman

pics with mama

2011-07-25T09:18:00.000-04:00

hitchin a ride

2011-07-24T09:19:00.000-04:00

Kyle and Naomi share a tricycle.
We were at a park with a splash pad!

cruisin in the hot, hot sun

2011-07-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

This summer we have a vehicle with an a/c that doesn't work.
It truly is hot and WINDY cruisin!

a sweet treat

2011-07-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

free water park with friends

2011-07-21T09:21:00.000-04:00

tykes on bikes

2011-07-20T12:35:00.000-04:00

A bike ride in an empty parking lot makes for
stress-free riding.

observing ducks

2011-07-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

The children love to play with our new friends, Kaden and Kyle.

They were quietly watching as ducks fed off the grass.

Little brother, Kevin, happily watched from his stroller.

little splash pad=loads of fun

2011-07-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

a hug for sister

2011-07-17T09:34:00.000-04:00

outside play and sweet siblings

2011-07-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

supper

2011-07-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we had invited our friends over for supper.
Our friends happen to be Italian. They have beautiful accents
and a beautiful son. His name is Giacomo.
Luca and Lara are his parents.
We met this sweet family when we lived in our old
apartment by the beach.
It was at the beach park that we met them to be precise.
We hit it off right away and now we meet up for
playdates and dinner dates.

After we had eaten and had dessert we visited for a while.
The companionship was relaxed and quiet.
The children all play well together. There is not any screaming
or running around like crazy kids.
They pretend and giggle and play!

Once the evening started winding down the kids started pulling out books.
Look who got roped into reading the books.
Luca.
He was happy to do it.
He loves the kids and, quite frankly, they adore him too!

loving

2011-07-15T10:54:00.002-04:00

Henry requested that a picture be taken of him and me together.
He told me he want to get a frame and put this picture in his room.
Henry is kinda taken with me.
He always has been.
He hugs me and says he loves me countless times everyday.
I love that.
He's a touchy-feely kinda guy and I'm glad for
how "easy" it is for him to be able to show his love
and to feel loved by a simple touch.

reading time

2011-07-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

Almost daily, the kids can be found contentedly "reading" books on the couch.

It is the cutest thing for me to hear them telling the story as they look at the pictures

in the book.

Most the time they're right on since we've read many of their books numerous times.

When they don't know the story their imaginations come to play and that makes their

storytimes that much sweeter.

our 4th of july in pictues

2011-07-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

We kept it fairly simple this year.

A visit to the firework stand,

a little cookout

and some fireworks to end our day.

How was yours?

public restrooms

2011-06-29T16:35:00.000-04:00

I have always been an "out and about" type of gal.

After I had the twins I was ready to get out to the stores as soon as I could stand up straight

after the c-section.

This happened to be about 3 weeks after the babes were born.

After Naomi was born I was a bit slower getting out and about

but I certainly was ready to get out once I was feeling slightly back to normal.

My mom, sister and I would strap the babies into their seats and head out to town.

We galavanted to all our favorite spots:

Target, Sally's, Goodwill, KMart.

We knew all the good spots in the stores for when any of the kiddos needed their mama milk in privacy.

We knew which stores were the best for a diaper change.

We knew which stores were NOT good for those things as well.

We were a well-oiled machine of teamwork and it was a happy, tiring time!

I still enjoy getting out with the kids only now I don't have my mom and sister to galavant with.

It's just my littles and me.

In some respect it's a lot easier to get out with them.

They can walk so we don't have to lug a stroller around.

They can talk instead of cry when they're hungry or tired.

On the flip side as they age there are new challenges

because now they are more aware of what is out there to want and "need".

They also have nostrils that now recognize delicious smells wafting from Auntie Anne's pretzels.

They also have the ability to touch things all.the.time. because they have short term memory loss.

In other words, they forget quite frequently what "don't touch anything" means.

Something else that I find harder now that the kids are older (yet not totally independent of my help) is the

public restroom.

I dread the public restroom visits.

I groan when any of the kids tell me they need to go "so bad" to the bathroom.

It hardly ever fails that, upon entering the dreaded bathroom,

the strong odors of restroom hits us.

There are always those certain stalls that are deemed gross.

And there's always the seat inspection. You know what I'm talking about.

Can I get a witness?

It's such a process with kids.

1. You have to hurry to put a roll of toilet paper carefully onto the seat

so that your kid's precious bum doesn't become a target for bad germs.

2. You have to carefully put the child just right onto the seat.

You don't want the toilet paper you painstakingly put on the seat to fall off.

3. You have to remind your child to not touch anything, please!

4. Your child will want privacy so you have to exit the stall and hold onto the door so that

it doesn't swing open.

You feel as though you've hit the jackpot (no pun intended) when the door stays shut

on it's own!

5. Then, you hope that it's all just #1 duty that's being done so you can get

out of the bathroom fast.

6. You wait in front of the stall for the fantastic words to be uttered,

"Mama, I'm done."

7. You get your child down off the giant comode, wash hands and get outta there.

Am I right??

Can anyone relate to this?

But however annoying it is to visit the public restroom, it is always fun to get out of the house for a while

with my kids.

They are good shoppers and rarely cause me any embarrassment!

(I sure hope I didn't speak too soon.)

sharing and caring

2011-06-29T15:48:00.000-04:00

It's always a blessing to observe the children playing happily together.

personality

2011-06-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

It's interesting how a couple photos can capture someone's personality.
Also, as I study these photos I see how much the kids favor either James or me.
Marcail stands just like me.
Henry is serious and stands a lot like James.

there was a little girl...

2011-06-28T08:51:00.002-04:00

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very, very good.
But when she was bad,
She was horrid.

Don't you worry, we love her with all our hearts.

We make sure we take those horrid moments as time for training

and discipline.

How thankful we are that, even though she's a stubborn spit-fire, she's

also very ready to please and change her attitude(s).

singin, splashin, dancin, jumpin and gigglin in the rain

2011-06-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

The rain came upon us as we ventured outdoors

for an impromptu walk.

Rain boots and umbrellas were brought out

as soon as we returned.

Splishing and splashing ensued!

"I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain"

-From Singin in the Rain

mr. bean plays the drums

2011-06-22T16:11:00.003-04:00

amigos and the beach

2011-06-22T08:19:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, we went to the beach with Neli, Izaac and her husband, David.

We had a relaxing time chatting together and playing in the ocean.

The kids found little crabs!

The tide was very low so we had a lot of shore to play on.

It was a fantastic time with friends.

These pictures are placed in no particular order and I know I went picture crazy but they just

depicted our time so well I couldn't downsize the amount.

David and Anele.

David and Henry playing soccer.

Neli and I being beach "babes".

Sand EVERYWHERE on little Nay.

Henry's crab.

Izaac is running away from the waves!

The ocean looks deep here but I was on my knees to be in the water.

Marcail and Henry are close behind me whenever I venture into the water.

family fun day

2011-06-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon at the beach.

It's officially Summer!

Hollah!!!!!!!!

southern beauty

2011-06-04T10:51:00.001-04:00

The bold hibiscus draws

delighted smiles

upon my face.

Bushes for whom I have no name

lighten my countenance

with the beauty of their color.

waiting

2011-05-24T11:10:00.000-04:00

Waiting for a happy picnic.

Waiting for a watery adventure.

Waiting to give direction.

when i say, "don't smile"

2011-05-19T20:47:00.000-04:00

a park

2011-05-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

The afternoon's, sometimes they drag.

A jaunt to a park helps pass the time away.

Aiding, also, in the exertion of energy.

Little arms, strong legs climbing, scurrying

to get to the top of the playground.

Trees shade from the heat of the sun.

Static electricity from the plastic on

the equipment.

Treasures in the sand

bring imaginations to the forefront of play!

hazel eyes. wispy hair.

2011-05-15T22:33:00.001-04:00

views from the yard

2011-05-10T16:08:00.000-04:00

kid-ism

2011-04-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since the last kid-ism post. I've been meaning to post this one for a couple weeks now. It's one from Marcail. She pronounces toilet paper, 'pooh-let taper'. I've corrected her a few times but everytime she says it her way. She can't quite seem to switch it around in her brain.

snapshots of easter

2011-04-27T21:57:00.000-04:00

Easter morning began with dressing up happily

for church.

Henry and Naomi are wearing gifts from Grammy.

Marcail got to pick out her own purple dress.

We went to Grandma's for lunch and egg hunting.

The hunt is on!

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
"He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
"Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."
And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

Matthew 28:5-8

encouraging words

2011-04-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

Last weekend my dear friend from high school, Nicole,

was in Miami with the family she works for.

They were on vacation and she had a day off of work.

We were able to spend all of Sunday afternoon with her and then

Monday all day as well!

It was fantastic to be able to spend time with her!

We don't get to see each other often since

we live so far apart.

I am so blessed, though, to have a friend like her.

She is sweet and encouraging.

She has an easy laugh and calming voice.

She is awesome with my kids!

(They love her!)

In high school youth group we were obnoxiously hyper and giggly together

but we wouldn't change any of it!

I am so thankful to be able to call Nicole my friend

and praise the Lord for the time we were able to spend together.

I didn't do well taking photos. We were too busy visiting

and playing with the kids.

I did manage to snap a few.

This one the kids and Nic are editing pictures on her iphone.

I always like to take self-portraits of my friends and I together.

Thank you, Nic, for hanging with us!

seriously

2011-04-22T16:14:00.000-04:00

This girl cracks me up! Is it because she's the youngest?

I don't know for sure. But, this one is a ham.

She is silly and enjoys making me laugh.

Naomi makes herself laugh.

Can you tell? She's just soaking this up!

Seriously, we have a comedian in the future!

snaggle tooth

2011-04-15T17:12:00.000-04:00

When I was a young girl I had the most crooked teeth ever.

I remember my Grandad B. always called me "ole snaggle tooth".

I was a giggle box as well. Always, always laughing it seems.

I never was offended by his nickname for me.

I just giggled when he called me that.

He always said it in the most loving way.

As the years went by and my adult teeth started growing in

I got braces and I no longer had snaggled teeth.

I do worry about my own kid's teeth and wonder if they are doomed

for braces and multiple tooth-pullings as their mouths mature.

I especially worry with Marcail because she already seems

to have some crowding in her teeth.

However, just last night she lost her very first loose tooth.

She has some room now. Ha. Ha.

It was a great "first" and we are all excited for Marcail!

When we first discovered her loose tooth I was so excited

but also kind of sad. This means that she's slowly going to

start looking even more grown up and not so much a toddler anymore.

My baby is growing up!

Naomi liked to wiggle Marcail's tooth!

The missing tooth!

The tooth fairy visited Marcail last night and brought her

4 quarters!

fresh from the oven

2011-04-13T19:05:00.000-04:00

I've been in a baking mood for the past 2 weeks. The very first thing I felt inspired to make

were granola bars. I found the recipe here and let me just say, YUMMY!

My kids aren't really granola bar fans, Quaker or otherwise.

But, these ones were gone within a week!

James asked me to make a dish called Chuckwagon Roundup.

He remembers this from his childhood.

It was pretty good but for some reason our kids weren't fans.

James and I are the only ones who savored this childhood favorite.

Next on my list of domestic pursuits was Whole Wheat Tortillas.

I made them with 100% Whole Wheat flour. I used no white flour.

I was afraid of them.

I felt intimidated by the fact that I did not have a tortilla press.

I was worried that they'd be tasteless or fall apart.

This first tortilla looks rather sad but it sure tasted good and certainly

did not fall apart. My batch made 12 tortillas. I made them

Tuesday, the 5th. They were all consumed by the 10th!

I have been excited to make this classic!

Coca-Cola Cake!

It is chocolately, marshmallow, fudgy perfection!

I am in love.

Lastly, I tried my hand for the the very first time at

dinner rolls.

The dough was super sticky and not very easy at all to work with.

But, I 'kneaded' through and came out with some heavenly rolls.

I will make these again the next time I host a family dinner.