Tis' the Season.....

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

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

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

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

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"

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!

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

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

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

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

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.