The Fam-i-LEE

Football Kind of Family these days

2009-11-04T18:37:00.006-05:00

Ok, so now i'm trying to catch up on my blog. My goal was to at least post once a month, so this month I may have three to catch up for September and October. We had barely finished up swim season, when football season began. I am not a big fan of my son playing "tackle" ball but Kevin said if he wanted to try it, we should let him and be supportive. So I have been VERY Supportive, at least I think so. Brandon made the "B" team of the Olney Bears Team. In the beginning he was a little timid about the tackling, but he has a great set of coaches and he has definitely improved since the beginning of the season. Its hard when you tell your child his whole life not to put his hands on someone else and then when they start playing football, you need to tell them to tackle or basically be tackled.

With the great coaching came a great season. At the end of the regular season, Brandon's team was 9-0. In 9 games not one team had scored on them at all! Not the usual i'm told. Last weekend began the playoffs and they won the game. When I asked Brandon why he wasn't more excited , he said "they scored on us Mom". More the norm I'm told. The Bears won 32-14. So this week he's still practicing 3 times a week with the 2nd playoff game scheduled for Friday night. I'll keep you posted on the outcome of the game.

Here are a few photos that I have taken of him:

First Day of School and Last First Day...

2009-08-31T12:38:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe how time has flown by. When we were contemplating moving, my one wish was to be moved into where we wanted to live "forever"by the time Brandon was going into 1st grade, no later. We moved in before he started Kindergarten and have loved Greenwood. He's made lots of friends, as has Shelby and Kevin and I, too. Today was the first day of school, but also Brandon's last "first" day of school at Greenwood. It is strange to think that he will start middle school next year. But in the meantime we are going to enjoy and treasure this year..during the good times and I'm sure some trying times (i.e. homework!). I can't wait to hear all about their first day.

The finished product...

2009-08-20T22:55:00.001-04:00

and the chefs that made them.

Sushi 101

2009-08-20T21:28:00.005-04:00

The kids really wanted to have another sushi lesson (since Brandon had one at Scouts). They both love sushi, so funny since it took me till about 5 years ago to acquire the taste for it. I still pretty much stick to the California rolls...I don't go too far out of my comfort zone. We sort of made a list of things we would like to do this summer and this was one of them. So we called up the Dranny and asked her when she would be available and marked it on the calendar. So today was the day and her are some pics from the lesson.

Till We See Her Again...

2009-08-11T22:32:00.004-04:00

I hate goodbye's. I don't do well with goodbye's. With that said, tonight I had to say goodbye to my niece, Emily, who is leaving for a year to go to Kenya. She will be a dorm mother for 9th grade girls at Rift Valley Academy. We are incredibly proud of her decision, but at the same time we are sad that she will be leaving and gone for a whole year. Last week, Emily, Peter and Brett took Brandon and Shelby out for a last "cousins" dinner at Mongolian BBQ in Bethesda. Tonight my sister hosted a farewell pizza dinner for family and a few friends. It was a nice gathering and I held it together pretty well, I did get teary eyed when Shelby hugged Emily and said her goodbyes. So Emily, its not goodbye, but till we see you again next year. Enjoy this next year, it will surely be a year of continued faith, joy, love, maybe a little homesickness, but definitely an experience you will never forget. We love you!

All Star Update

2009-07-30T16:36:00.002-04:00

Well, yesterday we went to All Stars. Shelby did very well and had some stiff competition. She ended up 11th out of 16 which I think is great, especially given that it is her first time ever to All Stars. We celebrated afterwards with the coaches and the Corcorans (who had an All Star diver, too) at Fuddruckers. It was a fun evening for all. The best part....at the end of the night Shelby told Kristen, her coach, "I'm going to keep diving every year until I'm 20". Like I've said before, she never stops surprising us!

Kudos also belong to....Brandon

2009-07-27T12:15:00.003-04:00

I'm not going to let Brandon's accomplishments go unnoticed either. Early in the season Brandon earned the "Tarpon" pillow for helping out during swimming and helping the younger kids. I was proud then but very proud and surprised at the banquet when he received the Jr.Coaches Trophy. The head coach recognized two kids that were there consistently, over at the coaches table asking what they could do to help, helping the younger kids, pulling in the lane ropes, cheering on their fellow teammates and in general just going over and beyond what is asked of them. I was stunned! But this season I saw a change in Brandon. We are at the pool for 3 hours every morning. He has 1 hour of swim practice, she has an hour of swim and an hour of dive, so basically he has 2 hours of just being there. This summer, I didn't get from him the usual, "I'm bored, there's nothing to do" without any prompting from me, he began to go over to the coaches, hang out with them and then began asking them what he could do to help. By the end of practice everyday I was having to practically drag him out of there because he didn't want to leave! I love the swim and dive team because not only is it a wonderful "team" sport but there is a true sense of community. The kids really help each other and cheer each other on. I said to Kevin that although Brandon had a very good swim season, I have been most proud of the sportsman like behavior and his want and desire to help and be a bigger part of the team. It makes my heart swell with pride and love. BRANDON, You Rock! Love you! The Mom

Off to ALL STARS!!

2009-07-27T12:06:00.002-04:00

We always tell the kids that Swim is mandatory and dive is optional;however, this summer I told Shelby she had to dive, as it would be her third year diving 8 and under. This I told her, might, put her at an advantage. She reluctantly agreed. Well, now we are at the end of the season and she placed 2nd place in 4 out of 5 meets, got the high point trophy for 8 and under girls, made divisionals and placed yesterday 3rd at divisionals and will now go to All-Stars on Wednesday. Who would of thought!!! She has even told me recently that she would like to dive next year and that she has been having dreams about diving. She's come a long way this summer..from just knowing a front and back dive and front and back jumps to learning a front flip, a back flip, a front dive tuck and she wants to learn a front dive pike. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments this summer and look forward to what she might do next summer!!! GO SHELBY!

Signs of Spring...

2009-06-02T22:24:00.008-04:00

The trees began to bud, flowers bloom, finally signs of Spring. And Easter, of course....another sign and tradition. The famous Easter Egg Hunt at the Dranny's..followed by a fabulous meal.

Routers that warm you....

2009-06-01T09:49:00.002-04:00

For those who don't know..we have a cat, Penny, she is a polydactyl cat with very large front and back feet and in general, although not fat, she is a big cat, not quite 3 yet! We laugh a lot about her because she loves Kevin's router for the computer in our room, she squeezes herself onto this to keep warm and take naps, much to his chagrin...I finally got to capture a few photos of her...

One last thing about my birthday....

2009-06-01T09:10:00.003-04:00

The best way to end my birthday....

For those who play mahjongg....you know what i'm talking about :-)))

Oops, here's the finished product....

2009-06-01T09:09:00.002-04:00

From the Mani/Pedi Day.....

"Dirty" Birthday Wishes!

2009-06-01T09:05:00.002-04:00

My neighbor ran over to wish me a Happy Birthday! (of course I wouldn't let him really hug me like this :)

Thanks Lill!

Belated Birthday Posts.....

2009-06-01T08:56:00.003-04:00

Since my birthday fell on the first day of Spring Break (oh joy!) I decided to have a birthday eve, eve celebration. The friday before I invited my scrap gals to join me for a breakfast/mani-pedi's/lunch day. I started my morning , in the pouring rain, meeting Michelle and Leslie for breakfast at Bagel City in Rockville. Michelle's son gets out of school early on Fridays so she was only able to meet in the morning. We had a really fun time talking and laughing. Michelle always makes me laugh. Then Leslie and I were going to get manicures and pedicures with Julie at LA Nails. So off we went. It was a nice relaxing morning. After mani/pedi's we went to La Madeline for lunch where my sister in law, Laura, met up with us. I left there and went and did some shopping and then headed home. Despite the rain, it was a lovely way to spend the day and to start off my birthday celebrations. Thanks Ladies..Love you All!!

p.s. My birthday was in April and now I am finally finding the time to catch up on my blogging!

Costume Parties are Just not My thing....

2009-02-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

For those who have known me as a child and as a adult, you can atest to the fact that I was EXTREMELY shy as a young child and young adult. It was shortly before I met Kevin that I began to be less shy and more assured. Now into my 40's I love social gatherings, usually not real large gatherings but for the most part I feel pretty comfortable going to a party with Kevin even if I know very few people. With all of that said, there are still some parties that I just prefer not to go to....this being COSTUME Parties. UGH!

So tonite my dear husband dressed up for the annual Mardi Gras party that is held nearby. He loves this party and I love being at home tonite!

So have a good time honey....here's your picture!

Okay...I know i'm biased

2009-02-11T21:17:00.003-05:00

I know its been a long time since I posted...and I still want to blog and catch up, but for now...

I know she's not mine..but next to mine...she is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Love you Kate!!! Love, Auntie Boo

Tis' the Season.....

2008-12-10T18:23:00.007-05:00

Where did the fall go? After our trip to NYC time has just flown by and Thanksgiving is already over and just a little over 2 weeks to Christmas. Yikes!! Last weekend we were in NJ for Kevin's cousins wedding. Shelby and her cousin Erika were the flower girls. It was a beautiful wedding full of lots of traditions and customs. The bride is Chinese and the groom is Korean. The bride had 3 dress changes and the groom 1 outfit change. The kids had a great time and Shelby loved the reception with the dancing and all the sweets to eat. She even caught the bouquet. Here are just a few photos from the wedding. Hopefully more to come from other family members.

NYC Meets Shelby Lee

2008-11-12T22:11:00.009-05:00

So to continue our story, we got up the day after her birthday (we had to leave the house by 5:45 am) and successfully got on the train at BWI. The train was relatively empty and we found seats with no problem. The train ran on schedule till we got to Newark, NJ. They were doing some repairs so that set us back by about 3o minutes, which worked out fine since Erik was running late from a client. Alas, we arrived, met up with Erik and then we promptly got into a taxi to drop our stuff off at Erik and Howard's apartment. Shelby got her first taste of NYC with a cab ride. After taking a little break we headed off to the Empire State Building. We had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to go up, but Shelby was a trooper and really enjoyed it once we got up there. After that we went for a carriage ride through Central Park, had a quick lunch, stopped at Dylan's Candy Shop for a treat, and then went back to the apartment for a little nap and then it was time to eat and get ready to go see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Shelby and I were so excited and Erik treated us to fabulous orchestra seats (8th row). It was truly a magical show!!

Saturday, they were calling for rain but it had not started when we started our day. And since it was Saturday, Howard did not have to work so he joined in for the days adventures. After breakfast we went to American Girl, shopping at Juicy Couture (Thanks Uncle Howard :-))), Rockefeller Center, NBC store,the Disney Store, Toys R US in Times Square and then back to Dylan's Candy Shop before going for a short nap. Then we went to the movies to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Shelby rode the bus, the subway, the taxis and was not intimidated by any of it. On Friday she said, "I feel different here!" "When I grow up, I want to live here...and work at Macy's". My thought was, you can work at Macy's but you will be living in the Bronx on that salary, not Manhattan.

Shelby recognized Erik and Howards building the second time we went there and seemed to have a real sense of direction in the city. Saturday night it did rain but it didn't dampen either of our spirits. Sunday we woke to a lovely day. Shelby and I went to breakfast alone and after that we walked over to Central Park with Erik and Howard. We watched some professional ice skaters and then we went on a Carousel ride. The guys were great sports and some of the things we did, they had never done or ever seen before which made it even more fun. When we got back from the park, they got the car and showed Shelby "Ground Zero" which she had been curious to see and then they dropped us off at the train station to return home. It was bittersweet, never enough time with Erik and Howard, ready to sleep in my own bed, but not wanting a wonderful, mother-daughter memory to come to an end. Hopefully we will have many more like it. A big thanks and hugs and kisses to Erik and Howard for making the weekend so memorable and Shelby's first visit a fabulous success!!! We love you!!

Catch up time....Shelby's Birthday

2008-11-11T19:14:00.004-05:00

Our little Miss Shelby turned 8 in October. We had decided that instead of having a party we would still have a family get together but for her birthday I would take her to NYC for the weekend. As her birthday neared her father thought she would miss having a party. So he suggested she have something small, along with the trip and along with family dinner. Can you say "Daddy's Little Girl" :-))) So we decided to have a pizza, cake and a movie party at our house. In all we had 14 girls at our house. Brandon came up from the family room at one point and said "It's way too loud down there!" Shelby had a great time and so did her friends. Kevin made a short slide show of her accomplishments in the last year. The girls loved it and especially loved when the video played the song "Cotton Eye Joe". It was fun to see these 14 girls all dancing to the song. Family dinner was the next night and Shelby had requested Sushi, Spaghetti and Meatballs and Apple pie. We had about 24 for dinner that night and Shelby ate none of the things she requested. The party atomosphere kept her appetite I guess! 5 days later it was her actual birthday and I woke her by singing Happy Birthday and then put a candle in her waffle. (see picture above) That night we went out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice (another thing the "Daddy" had instituted). She picked the Japanese Steak House-Sakura.

Then it was back home, open gifts and get to bed as we were catching the 7 am train to NYC the next morning. I went to NYC when I turned 30---What's wrong with this picture? Hmmmmm...

More to come on the trip...

Pics from Sue's 50th Celebrations

2008-10-11T21:57:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pics from Susan's 50th birthday dinner. We had a fabulous time together. Unfortunately, I think Kate upstaged Susan just a little bit...she was definitely the star of the weekend. Susan was very gracious and understanding about that :))) I got to witness my sister in Grandmother mode (although she goes by GiGi)--she bathed Kate and I can tell how much she's enjoying being a Grandmother and how much she misses them, since they live in AZ.

More pics to come but for now....

Happy Birthday Dear Sister!!!

You Never Know..What Treasures are to be Found

2008-10-08T18:44:00.003-04:00

Most people know that I work in a thrift store and many people ask what kind of things you can find. To be honest sometimes you might not find anything, but usually I find something, whether it be purses, jewelry or clothing. And sometimes you find a really good item. My brother and sister are both wonderful cooks and they like to cook, too. Me on the other hand, I like to collect kitchen stuff and I do love to bake. So when I came across this brand-new, still in the box, All-Clad 24qt Stock pot, I knew I had to have it! If my kitchen ever comes to fruition, I have dreams of making lots of homemade spaghetti sauce to freeze, but for now it remains in the box and my siblings drool just a little bit over my find and now know that there are treasures to be found at a Thrift Store!

Meeting "Kate"

2008-10-03T14:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, Okay, Great Auntie Boo! (Sounds so old, though)

What better picture than Kate with her Great-Grandma Dahl. The kids have been so excited about meeting their new cousin, Kate. We had a piano lesson yesterday but their minds were only on meeting Kate. Both of them were very sweet with her. Brandon was a little apprehensive about holding her but after I made him, he liked it and said he could hold her for awhile. Kate is here to celebrate her "Gigi's" big 50th birthday. I think Susan is going by Gigi (for Grandma) or maybe its Marmie, but we are all excited about celebrating her BIG Day with the whole family. Travis (Nora's husband)arrives next week as well as Erik and Howard. I'm looking forward to all of us being together. Lots of photo ops, too!

Quote of the Day!

2008-09-22T09:43:00.001-04:00

We were talking about the month of October coming up and I jokingly told Shelby we could just skip over that month. She said "Mom, then we would miss my birthday!" My neighbor Brandon said, "Yeah, we would miss Halloween". I told them I guessed it would not be good to skip over October because we would miss Brett and Aunt Susan's birthdays and she was going to be turning 50!
My Brandon responded, "Wow, she's half way to 100!"

I had to laugh...I told him he should say that to Aunt Susan when he sees her--His response "I don't think so!"

Kids do say whatever is on their mind!!

Girls Weekend

2008-09-15T21:29:00.000-04:00

Boy am I tired today!!! Between recovering from what the Dr. has diagnosed as seasonal asthma and now i'm fighting a sinus infection and then a fun filled weekend with little sleep...i'm exhausted. But to tell the truth I also feel rejuvenated. I went to a scrapbooking weekend where there were approximately 84 scrappers-7 of which were close friends of mine. Out of the group 5 of them I met when I worked at the scrapbook store and we have become very good friends. I always tell people that is one thing I didn't expect when I started working at that store--to make new life long friends. We had a great time scrapping, laughing a lot, and drinking a little. Well, a little for me, more for others. I come back tired but also excited about getting pages done, inspired to scrap more often, refreshed by having girl time and thankful for the great friends that I have. Each one of them has truly become a dear friend and I enjoy their company, conversations and exchanging ideas. Julie, the one with the box, was the grand prize winner of a Cricut Expression. For most people that doesn't mean much but to us scrappers that is the creme de le creme of scrapping tools right now. We teased her endlessly mostly because we were all a little envious but also very happy for her. I won a couple of door prizes and I was happy about that, also. So, thank you my friends for a weekend full of laughter (enough to make my head hurt), great help on my pages and for the fellowship of your friendship. Love You Gals!
Can't wait for another getaway.

Sing, Sing A Song

2008-08-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

Over the years, Kevin has asked the kids questions or to sing and then he video tapes them. It is always fun and funny to look back and to hear their voices. Last night he had them both sing a little song for us. I thought I would share them with everyone.

Better Late than Never....Hershey Park

2008-08-28T21:41:00.001-04:00

As I previously posted, we went to Hershey Park for 3 days in August. It was the kids and my first time there. We were all excited to go away. We arrived at the park and within an hour or so Brandon spiked a fever and started to feel bad. We got him some Tylenol and after a 2 hour nap, laying on me in the park, we went back to our hotel, where he promptly threw up in the car. Lucky Kevin! After that he said, "Mom, I feel so much better now!" We took a quick nap and then back to the park we went until closing. He was not afraid of anything. We kept him on Tylenol and Motrin in the in between times and he did very well. Shelby was a little more timid about trying some things but she did try quite a few rides. The days were fun, a little on the cool side, tiring, but all in all we had a wonderful time together. Here are a few pictures of our family vacation.

Back(packing) To School

2008-08-26T10:17:00.000-04:00

It is so hard to believe that they are back to school today. They were excited and sad. We really had a wonderful summer together, so today was somewhat bittersweet for even me. The kids met their teachers yesterday and got to see which friends are in which classes. This morning Brandon was up early (as usual) but with a surprise for me. He had gotten dressed, made his bed and brushed his teeth, all before coming downstairs. This is a first. We had just had a talk about this recently, and sometimes I'm just not sure if he is listening. But obviously he is! Yeah, what a great way to start off the year. Shelby woke up by herself, which also does not happen very often, got dressed, etc. and was ready early. I think they will miss lazy days, time at the pool, TV and computer during the week but are happy to see their friends and to get back into a routine (minus the homework routine) I saw many tearful parents this morning and I tried to be sympathetic without showing my enthusiasm for having a day to myself :) I'm anxious to hear how their day goes. Brandon gets to pick who he sits with, so I am interested who he will pick that won't distract him too much. Shelby's new teacher is so nice and pretty and Shelby even asked to go back into her classroom yesterday and visit with her teacher. I don't worry too much about her, she adapts fairly easily to just about any situation. It's hard to believe that I have a 3rd and 4th grader this year. Here are some pics from this morning,i ncluding the neighbors, Brandon and Jenny. Jenny is starting Kindergarten, so its a big day for her too. She's the last of the "little ones" now in the court. We have a 9th,6th, 5th, three 4th, 3rd and a Kindergarten in our cul-de-sac. Its fun to look back to see how much they all have changed in the last 5 years. I'm so glad they have such good friends literally right next door. I'll update later on the first day events!

And then there's Penny, she's very happy to have the peace and quiet again in the house during the day.

It's That Time of Year Again....

2008-08-18T19:10:00.000-04:00

Time for the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. We just returned from 3 full days at Hershey Park last Wednesday (I will have to post some pics when Kevin downloads them), a day of rest (more like exhaustion on Thursday) and then we were off to the fair. My Mom (Grandma to the kids) has taken her grandkids for the last 23 years to the fair. I think she has missed 2 years in those 23 but it is an annual tradition, one my kids look forward to every summer. I love the tradition, but my feet were so tired after Hershey, I wasn't sure I was going to make it! But we went and the weather was slightly overcast, not too hot, and the fair wasn't very crowded. My brother went along and he rode the rides with the kids. I have to say that after about 1/2 dozen rides, he looked like he was done, too! It was a long day, but filled with memories! Thanks Mom!

Backyard Beauty

2008-07-27T21:59:00.001-04:00

As I posted previously, Kevin has been busy building the Putt-Putt course. Well, it is now complete and is a 4 hole course. It turned out great and the kids love it. As I also said before the yard is full of fun for the kids but it is also full of beauty. Kevin is constantly updating and improving the landscaping of the yard. So I wanted to show the outcome of all the hard work he has put into...although i'm sure its never going to be completely done :-))))

Now for the banquet pics..

2008-07-27T21:48:00.001-04:00

Top Left, Brandon receiving Most Improved Swimmer, Shelby receiving Tarpon award, both kids with Assistant Dive Coach Zach Foster and each kid with Head Dive Coach Kristen Roth.

And let us not forget the...

Happy Parents,

glad that Swim and Dive Season is over!

A little video...

2008-07-27T21:33:00.001-04:00

I have more of the banquet pictures to show but wanted to include a small video of each kid diving....

And now for Miss Shelby...

I know there is no picture in this video window and I'm not sure why but just click on the arrow and you still should be able to view the video.

Dive and Swim Season Comes to an End

2008-07-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

Well, another successful season of swim and dive has come to an end. Saturday night was the Banquet where recognition and trophies are handed out. This year it was catered by Mama Lucia's and there was a DJ for games and dancing. We were especially proud of both of our kids, for not only having a great season, but each them got individually recognized, too. Shelby got a Tarpon Award for diving. Every year 5 kids from swim and 2 from dive are recognized for this award. Basically, she was recognized for always showing up for practice, doing what was asked of her, having a good attitude and being willing to try new dives when asked. Brandon was recognized for Most Improved Swimmer of the season. Coach Erin asked me at one of the meets what had happened to him. He just kind of took off and started shaving a lot of time off of his original times. He took 12 seconds from his 50 meter free from the beginning of the season and I think around 6 seconds off of his backstroke. Way to go Brandon! He thought they had forgotten his trophy when the announced 9-10 boy swimmers but it was because he was getting recognized for this. He has now told me that he "Loves Swimming!" and he is interested in doing winter swim. The rest of the banquet was a lot of fun--the kids had a blast. Towards the end of the evening they have a slide show of the season. There is a dad that comes to almost all of the swim and dive meets and takes photos of the kids. These photos are incredible and then he compiles them into a 20 minute slide show. I think he photographs every kid on the team at least once! Way to go Tom, it was awesome. I have some other photos but need to get them off of Kevin's camera of the rest of the evening, so I will try and post them later. Shelby and I had to leave early so she could dive at Divisionals at 8am the next morning. More to come on that.

Putt Putt for the Fun of It!

2008-07-19T06:45:00.000-04:00

People always ask me what's Kevin doing these days in our backyard. Well, here it is. His latest addition to the backyard is a mini version of a putt-putt course. The kids are loving it! Shelby rearranges the bricks to make the shots more difficult. And here Kevin is adding another section to be completed in the coming week. So the Lee yard now consists of swings, tire swing, zip line, volleyball/badminton court, trampoline, tree house, trapeze bar, circle swing, basketball hoop and the Putt Putt course--Now open, come by for a try!

Robin Hood

2008-07-19T06:33:00.000-04:00

Well, the swim and dive season is almost to the end. Yesterday, Brandon participated in the Robin Hood Dive Invitational. Robin Hood is open to all divers from all the pools in the Montgomery County Diving League that don't go to divisionals. It is a fun event where the judges score just a little higher than normal and the kids just get to have fun. Brandon, as much as he eats has always stayed so thin but after the first 3 weeks of swim and dive, he put on 5 pounds! He's still thin but I could tell that he was heavier by the height of his jumps on the board. He says he won't be diving next year (will see since he said that the last 2 years) so I'm glad that he participated yesterday. Here's a few photos of his dives and jumps.

He got 6th place. Way to go Brando!!

Esther Williams in the Making....

2008-07-15T13:46:00.000-04:00

I would of never guessed that Little Miss Shelby would be picked to go to Dive Divisionals!! Way to Go!! At the beginning of the season both she and her brother were unsure of whether to even do dive this year but both decided to give it another year. I always tell them that dive is optional, swim is mandatory. Both kids were struggling to get their back dive down but after lots of practice, Shelby totally surprised us one day last week and did it on her own. The coach was up on the board but stood back and there she went!! Over the next couple of days she even added a push to the back dive and starting asking me which way she should do it at the dive meet. She is always surprising us. The meet went well (even though I got there too late to see her dive), and when we got home our neighbor called to congratulate her on making divisionals. No one was more surprised than me! Of course when I told Shelby, her response was "What's so great about divisionals?". Divisionals takes the top two divers of each age group and gender (so 2 8 and under girls and 2 8 and under boys, etc). Coach Kristen said Shelby worked hard all season and deserved it. On Sunday the divisionals will be held (very early), so keep your swimmer toes crossed :))) I'll let you know how it goes and post some pictures. I'm glad its early so I won't miss it by being at work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!

2008-07-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

Today is Kevin's birthday--I won't tell how old he his, but wanted to wish him a wonderful birthday!! Just wanted to let him know how much the kids and I love him. I think he has become more handsome as the years have passed-time has been good to him. It's hard to believe but this is the 18th year of us celebrating our birthdays together. We have been through bad times and good times--thankfully more good than bad, but one thing has never changed our love for each other and the kids. So happy birthday to my wonderful husband!! We love you, Elizabeth, Brandon & Shelby

A Mom Moment....

2008-07-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone has had one.. or two or a million. When you just lose it with the kids. We're all tired and cranky and trying to get back into a routine and they decide to have a meltdown argument. Meanwhile I'm multitasking...talking on the phone and trying to go to the bathroom (sorry if that's TMI) and I hear this cry from Shelby that sounds like she has been injured. I run down and she is just sobbing. I think she's burned her mouth on the pizza and I keep asking her as the tears run down her face.."What is it?". Her answer, "Brandon looked at me and said I was shaking my head like this!" A pause......"WHAT?????"That is what you are crying over?? I ask. In disbelief, frustration and tiredness on my part, I just had a major moment too. I yelled at the kids and actually screamed in the air. I told them I could not believe that this is what they were fighting over and that here I am screaming at them like my head was going to explode. I saw Shelby swallow a smile when I said that but she held it in. Last night as I lay day with each of them to say goodnight, I said to Shelby, you wanted to laugh didn't you and she said maybe a little and then we shared a smile together. Kevin always says, "Isn't parenting everything you thought it would be?" I am thankful that we can laugh together at that and share in the frustrations and the achievements. Everyday I ask God to help me be a better mother and to give me more patience. Today especially I woke asking for help in that department.

But no matter what happens everyday, I love those kids with my whole heart.

Oops..

2008-07-06T22:09:00.001-04:00

Okay let me try this again...

We're Back.....

2008-07-06T21:53:00.000-04:00

We just got back from our trip to NY. My brother owns a home in Pinebush, NY. It is approximately 322 miles from our house to his. We actually had a relatively easy trip. The kids were great. I told them when we left Maryland and when we left NY today, that I was not stopping until I had done 200 miles, and they did fine. I was so impressed with their behavior. They watched 2 movies and then it was time to stop and they finished up the rest of the way with another movie or a game. It was a very pleasurable trip. We arrived and had a wonderful time. The kids spent the majority of their time in the pool and the adults spent our time reading, relaxing by the pool and just talking. For me it was especially nice to just have the time to talk to
Erik. So many of his visits to Maryland are for quick weekends and I have to work one day of every weekend, so there is just never enough time to spend together.
Here are a few pictures from our weekend. Happy 4th to All!!

What Am I doing?

2008-07-01T19:27:00.000-04:00

This is a question I'm sure I will continue to ask myself. As if I don't have enough stuff going on, I have decided to enter the world of blogging. I really have enjoyed staying current with my niece, Nora's, life through her blog and now she has just become a mother, and I a great-aunt and her blog allows me to share her new adventure, so here it goes for me. I'm sure my scrapbooking will suffer but I'm hopeful I can balance them both. The days have been so busy since school let out-between the trip to Bermuda and the kids swim and dive schedule, it has been hard to get into a routine. Finally this week I feel like I can breathe again and we are getting there. The kids are growing up so fast and it amazes me how they change from summer to summer. They are both doing great in swim and dive. Brandon placed 4th in 50m freestyle and 4th in 25m backstroke at the last meet. He cut his time by 9 seconds!! Way to go!! Shelby, too, is improving her times and hopefully at the next dive meet will do her back dive, which she has been working on. The kids and I are off to NY this weekend to visit my brother and just relax around the pool. We are taking Mom (grandma) along with us also. Hopefully, now that I have gone digital in the last 2 years I will have plenty of good pictures to share when we return.
I will post later to tell about our trip to Bermuda a couple of weeks ago. We have some lovely scenic pictures to show.