DIG IT

Come on out and see the show that Conor, Michel and Nicole have been working so hard all summer for. Order your tickets now, there's still space available Saturday night at 7:30. Just call 610-363-7075 to order. $7-Adults and $5-child. See ya at the show!!!

Digital Scrapbooking

I have 3 albums I'm so behind on. I'm about 11 years behind with Kyle, 9 years behind with Conor and 2.5 years behind with Caleb. I figure I'll finish their baby books and then transition to all digital scrapbooking. I've created a hard cover wedding coffee table book through Blurb and I absolutely love it. The way I see it, the cost for buying my books, supplies and tools I could pay for the binding and printing of a custom printed coffee table book. I did some digging and I figure I could download free scrapbooking templates for now and create my own later on. So now the question is, do I sell all of my scrapbook supplies after I complete my kids first year books or do I hold on to them in the off chance I start other projects? Maybe I'll keep them and start making greeting cards and catalogue them for holidays and such.

Crazy Summer

Well, we're coming to the end of July and I feel like I'm still waiting for my summer vacation to start! My Friday happy hours, spending all day at the pool, weekend cookouts, daily trips down to the beach, tanning, heck.. although I hate the idea of putting a bathing suit on this year. But instead I'm a taxi driver for my kids this summer. August 3rd can't come soon enough! At that time we'll be a little more free to roam, so to speak! Hope all of you are enjoying your Corona's with lime and margaritas, I'll join ya's soon!

My Day

I woke up, Made Coffee, Scared my Birthday boy as he was coming down the stairs (I was hiding next to the steps and as he came down I jumped out behind him and grabbed him) He screamed like a girl!



As I was hugging him to comfort him from the big scare I notice things swaying back and forth out side. so we go over to check it out. It appeared as though the "Birthday Fairy" had visited the night before to leave Kyle some birthday surprises. Blue streamers hung from the door and stair rails. Balloons filled with helium, a present wrapped up in streamers, and 2 signs taped to the door that read, "happy 13th Birthday Kyle" and "Have a Happy Birthday, Love the Birthday Fairy". Now Kyle surely is not 13 years old yet. Let's not rush it. But it's creeping soon. 1 more year! Then I'll have a teenager on my hands. So it looks as though the Birthday fairy was wrong, OH WELL... she'll just have to "one up it" next year.

But all in all I think he's had a great day. His soo cool awesome mom let him stay home from summer school so that he could go fishing with my darling husband, who might I add took the day off from work just to go fishing with him this morning.


While they were away I struggled to get out the door to go to playgroup this morning with Conor and Caleb. (JUST WAIT FOR THE NEXT POST)

Meanwhile, we come home, I'm exhausted from the day so I decided to lay down for only a few minutes before I had to rush out the door again to take Kyle and his friend to the Mall to do their thing! We get to the mall and needless to say, I'm bored stiff. Keep in mind, if you know me at all, you'd know that I HATE the mall with a violent passion. But again, that's another post. So Kyle, his friend and I all met up at Houlians for dinner. Damn that milkshake I grabbed during my boredom trails through the child congested halls of the Exton Square Mall. I couldn't eat a bite. I ended up ordering Bruchetta. I would have to say, I've never had bruchetta made like that before, but it was surprisingly very yummy. I will definitely have to order that again.

Anyway, when we were done dinner, we came home and chilled for a little bit.. thank god, I was 'bout ready to fall over by this point. About 9:15pm we go outside and set off some the fireworks I've been promising them for about a week now. My poor neighbors! We'll have to finish them on Sunday night at an early hour in hopes we don't wake anyone up!

Ok, well I've written enough..it's time to sign off and hit the sack! Until Tomorrow....

Beat Boxing Back In Style, Who Knew

Bedtime Blues

Bedtime seems to be such an up and down, loopty-loop rollercoaster ride with my 3 year old lately. 3 days in a row now it's been a struggle trying to get him to go to bed. He's always, since infancy, been so good at going to bed. It's been the last 5-6 months or so now he's not only getting up in the middle of the night to come into bed with daddy and I, but now he's not going to bed easily any more either. I suppose this is what I had coming to me after having it so easy for the first 2 years. I walked up and down the stairs 8 times last night putting him back in his bed. After finally my husband went up and stayed with him until he fell asleep. I'm not usually a big fan of the whole, laying down, rocking , holding until one falls asleep bit, but I was so desperate last night, I would've done anything. My 3rd child is so stink'n stubborn, so set in his ways. As many times as I put him in his bed 2 nights ago, he still got out, telling me no, until finally he fell asleep at the very top of my stairs on my floor. IF THIS IS A PHASE, WHEN WILL IT END??? But the night before that he wouldn't accept sleeping in his bed AT ALL! He wanted to be in Mommy's bed from the giddy-up! We've created a monster. I'm just so tired in the middle of the night when he comes in begging to fight with him. With my husband having to get up early and drive an hour to and from work, I can't expect him to get up and fight with him either. So with that said, it's just easier to pick him up and squeeze him in between us. Now tonight... I could some what make out the words as he was crying "it's dark", so I turned on his light. Keep in mind he's always prefered to sleep in complete dark, with the door shut. So it was a shocker that he past out right as soon as that light switch flipped up. We've had a fish tank night light in his room that he refuses to let us turn on. For some reason it scares the smack out of him. I can't go on every night just leaving his bedroom light on all night, can I? I guess I'll be on the hunt for a bright night light that I could turn on at night that won't scare him to death.

Spiritual Inspiration - Good Sunday Read!

As I was taking my Photography class this past Thursday, a woman from my class went on to telling me the reason why she's learning how to shoot better pictures. As it turns out this was her 18 year old sons dying wish. He had such a love for photography, worked in a photo processing lab and saved every penny to buy the exact camera he wanted. And since he knew he would never be able to use it after the dr.s diagnosing he was terminal, he asked his mom to take classes and learn how to use it in rememberence of him. Since the age of "12", same age as my son Kyle, He had been fighting bone cancer. It started in his knee, and eventually spread through out his entire body ending in his lungs. This woman is now one of the strongest women I think I've ever met. She watched her son die since he was just a child, yet watched him grow into a man before he died of this aweful disease. I keep this family forever in my prayers, and hope she finds the strength to survive this horrifying tragity.

With that said, I then this morning get this email from a family member:

This is a true story! ***********

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.

They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through
the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.

The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island.

Father and son went on to complete the race together.

NOW WATCH THIS VIDEO:
Click below

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513


It's amazing to see a fathers stregth and devotion to his child. It gives me hope. It makes me realize that through all that I've gone through recently with my son, I know that I have to still be thankful for his health, and squeeze him everyday and let him know how much I love him. Let him know that through any/all hard times that I am here to help carry him through it.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I hope yo'all enjoy the pic's! This is the first time shooting fireworks, and it certainly won't be my last! I learned a lot and had so much fun! Happy 4th of July!

Child Safety

So, just as I thought it really couldn't get any worse, I get a knock on my door a couple days ago. Who was it you ask? 2 West Whiteland detectives. Why you ask? To question my son, yes Kyle, again. He's not in any real trouble, with the police that is, but he's in deep s_ _ t with me. Basically my son has been hanging out with an 18 year old boy who likes to set fires for fun. This kid has been buying lighters for these kids in the area, teaching them how to set fires. Telling them what burns well and what doesn't. My stomach was sickened as these detectives were asking all these questions. Has John (the 18 year old kid) ever touched you? Has John ever offered you cigarettes? Keep in mind Kyle was just punished only 1 day before due to me finding out that he smoked with this older crazy kid. YES, KYLE SMOKED... he claims he's only tried it that one time. And he did it cause he felt pressured into it. GOD, My heart was broke. My baby, smoking..My chest hurt for days after finding out. I've talked to my kids, I always talk to my kids about right and wrong, and good and bad. What they should and should not do, and why. You listen to the news, you read articles, you hear other parents talking about their kids getting into trouble, and experimenting with things. But when its your own, you definitely see things in a different perspective. You can then relate to those horror stories. And as this particular scenario may not be too dramatic, I'm afraid the next one will be. I pray that Kyle learns from this, and doesn't make the same mistakes. You may or may not recall hearing about a fire in an old abandoned house in Exton Station recently. NO, Kyle had nothing to do with that, we don't know who did it, but I did find out that Kyle has been playing in this vacant house with his friends. Could one of his friends be the guilty party in this huge fire that broke out? All I know is that he's not playing or associating with anyone until someone gets to the bottom of all this. How do I trust my children? How do I feel like my kids are safe out there with all this crap going on the world. How do I give Kyle his independence and let him venture out there without constantly worrying who he's with and what he's doing? How did I not know that my son was hanging out with an 18 year old adult who was offering to buy these kids lighters, offer them animated porn, teach them all these bad things. So as the Officers were leaving kyle offered to show them where this kid took other kids to light these fires. As the got down there, they saw police cars, firetrucks and this kid John running out of the woods. Meanwhile Kyle's getting out of the police car and this kid sees him. My hope is that he doesn't know where we live thinking that Kyle dimed him out, decided to get pissed off and try to hurt Kyle in any way. I pray to god that this kid ends up in jail for a long long time.