These are the days...

Thought for the Day.........

"Be who you are and say what you mean because

those who mind don't matter

and those who matter don't mind."

-Dr. Seuss

Summer's Here......

Sarah has finished kindergarten! So, now that summer is here, we'll no doubt be spending a lot of time here:

 

 

 

                                     

and the pool! This will definitely be part of our summer routine ~ pool, popsicles, park and of course the beach. We were given annual passes HERE ~ so that should be fun,too! Well, that is if a tank of gas doesn't kill us this summer! Yes, we're lucky, I guess. We're still under $4 a gallon here.

That's something to be grateful for. ;P

The kids will take swim lessons and Ryan will start potty training!

YES, let's say "bye bye diapers"! I watched the Today Show yesterday

and found "Booty Camp" in Chicago!! They promise to potty train in ONE DAY!

HELLO!!!!!!!!!! How nice is that? So, in the next few days, we'll be purchasing a Big Boy potty ~ woohoo! Wish us luck. =)

Sarah had a really great year at school! The last few days were especially fun for all of us. Since she has a summer birthday, they celebrated her with cupcakes and singing ~ so sweet!  The field day and "Kindergarten Celebration" were so much fun. Here are a few pics to share:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hope you all have a fun start to summer! =)

Our Little Ballerina........

Sarah had her first "official" ballet performance on Saturday night at the Van Wezel in Sarasota! It was DON QUIXOTE and she was in the "baby dream" scene. They have been rehearsing since February and it came together beautifully. I went down to Sarasota the day before the big event for rehearsals and here are a few pictures of Sarah on stage:

Unfortunately, the auditorium did not allow flash OR non-flash photography during the actual performance. So, I was only able to get a few pics of her on stage. There was a professional taking pictures and hopefully they snapped a few fun ones!! 

It was an unbelievable performance with ballerinas ranging from 3 years old all the way up to age twenty! The Prima ballerina was stunning! Sarah cracked us up ~ as she crossed the stage she paused to "pose" and look out into the audience! LOL! She was blessed to have special grandparents come and see her "twinkle toes" ~ what a FUN night! 

We picked Sarah up backstage at intermission and I just love this picture of her and Daddy! 

Walking back into the theatre to see the rest of the ballet.

Our New Dog.......

You gonna love this story! LOL! 

So, we set off for our daily walk around the neighborhood and about 6 houses down, we came upon a set of trash cans. As we passed the trash cans, this sweet dog was just sitting there looking up at us! 

Well, being the Dumpster Diver crafty, thrifty gal that I am, we walked up and rang the doorbell. The entire family came to the door and Sarah and Ryan asked if we could have this adorable little guy! The Mom almost burst into tears (not really ~ but she WAS so happy) that we would be willing to adopt "Teddy"! So, after our walk, we drove back to take our new buddy home! Let me tell you, Teddy is very loved! That night he had a bath, was dressed up like Cinderella, given hats,sunglasses, food and lots of hugs! Here are some pics of our new dog, Teddy! LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

        

As silly as this story is.....we have TWO very happy kids right now! Sarah has always been afraid of dogs ~ so Teddy is the PERFECT 1st puppy! =)

God Bless You!

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us Freedom of Press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us Freedom of Speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.

I am forever grateful for those that have given their lives so I can live FREE! Thank you and God Bless you! You will never be forgotten!

The Little Things......

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Nathaniel Hawthorne 

And, that's just what I've been trying to do these days. I have really been trying to sit down and notice all of the incredible things around me. And, that's a very hard thing for this TypeA/"want it done yesterday" personality!!

 It's hard to believe that my "baby" is almost finished with kindergarten! Where did the time go? I know we all notice how life seems to move quicker and quicker and time can be fleeting. One of the biggest blessings for our family this past year has been the gift of time. While things still move at warp speed, we seem to take more time to notice the little things that happen. I am really hoping to make one of THESE lovely books and have been taking pictures to hopefully fill it one day. The great thing about digital photography is that you can take thousands of pictures, make them color or black and white (which I LOVE) and then save them all on your computer. I am also hoping to start organizing my photos a little bit better. I've been looking into a NEW WAY to take photos and categorize them on my computer. And, you guessed it..........this all takes TIME!! So, I hope that I can squeak out some time for this organization so it will help me have MORE time for what matters most. :o) So, here are a few things that have brought happiness, giggles, and lots of good times recently:

1) 

Sarah lost her second tooth and wasn't afraid this time! 

2) I was shopping in the grocery store the other day with Ryan. I happened to be buying razors  and this sweet woman came up and said "Would you like a coupon for an entire free pack of razors?". You know, there would have been a time when I might have thought this strange ~ wondering if she wanted something more or was trying to "sell" me something. But, instead, I just smiled and said "absolutely!" and thanked her for the kind gesture. She waved at Ryan and walked off. I instantly was reminded of this movie .

And, that's just what I'm going to do! =)

3)

SPONGE ROLLERS!!!!!! I remember having my hair put into these and how excited I was to wake up and see the curl............ Gotta love them! 

4)

 The fact that SUMMER is almost here!!!!!!!!!

5)

The hilarious "Hide and Seek" game that Ryan and I play when It's time to change his diaper! 

6)

Teasing my daughter that she's going into the marina if she doesn't sit down and EAT HER LUNCH!! LOL!! 

7)

Watching Ryan stuff his bug collecting kit with the most random and silly items AND then seeing him ~ not only pick out~ but actually wear the yellow Easter Bonnet with a hole on top for our nature walk! I can't believe this picture is not blurry ~ I was laughing so hard it hurt!  =D

8)

 

Digital scrapbooking! I love it! It is so much fun, FREE, and mess free. I have a few favorite sites here, here, here, and here. I use Photoshop Elements 5.0. There are so many easy tutorials out there. It's nice not to have "stuff" all over the place. There are times when Sarah and I love to still get out all of the papers and go to town ~ cutting and pasting, though! fun! 

9)

a fun, impromptu photo shoot at the beach with Sarah in her ballet tutu and watching Ryan chase her ~ priceless!! 

10)

Seeing this really cool STICK in the woods and saying "hey kids look I found a walking stick for us!"

*********

Only to get closer and realize that it was not a stick but THIS:

 WHAT'S THAT? You can't tell what it is? Well, let me get a little closer for you here:

It's a REALLY good thing that my camera had a strap and that I still have something to take pictures with...........YIKES!!!!!!! 

11)

 

****** And last, but not least,

that all important FIRST (of many) cup of coffee, Ryan ASKING me for his nap and hour ago, and the fact that Typepad has a very cool "draft" feature so I can write this post between LOADS of laundry! 

Hope you all have a great day and more TIME to do what makes you happy! =D

Silly Ryan....

I just LOVE watching Ryan's little personality emerge. He has the best sense of humor! He's already developing that stubborn streak that runs in our family. The following pics show that "oh so" stubborn side of my little guy!

"NOPE ~ I'm just not gonna give you THAT smile you want!"

"doot doot do do......NOT gonna happen, Mom"

I'm pretty good at this stubborn game now! LOL!

"FLIP FLOP FLOATING IN THE GRAVY BOWL".......just a few of you know THAT one! (smile,giggle,grin)

OKAY........I'll give you my Michael Jordan tongue! How's that, Mom??? =P

What? You're gonna tackle and tickle me if I don't smile??? UHHHHHHHH............

AND, that's just what she did......THE END!!!

Sugar Magnolias.....

The magnolias are blooming here and they smell heavenly! Ryan and I took off yesterday on a nature walk. We heard that a little gator had made a home in the front pond of our subdivision. So, we ventured out to check it out. It was hot and sunny ~ a gorgeous day. Along the walk, magnolia trees were in full bloom and their fragrant blossoms gave off a sweet, rich aroma.
For some reason, whenever I see a magnolia tree I always start singing this song:
SUGAR MAGNOLIAS
NO, I'm not a DEADHEAD ~ but, thanks to my college roommate who swore she was going to spend her life "following the DEAD" ~ I know all of these songs! I remember being like "Grateful Who??" LOL! Isn't it funny how powerful music and fragrance can be to our memory????? I have always loved these flowers!
Well, I best get TRUCKIN ALONG!! ( Now come on.....THAT was funny! =D

Happy Mother's Day.......

We're sending lots of love to all of the special Moms in our lives!

......... OKAY ~ SO, after that LAST picture, we had to tell Ryan that we were going out for MARGARITAS and he quickly perked up! LOL!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Epcot...

Well, this post sure has dragged on and on.....LOL! You know I goofed and double downloaded ALL of our trip pics and have had a heck of a time getting them all back into order. They are scattered all over my computer and I, of course, erased my chips........aaargh!
Epcot is our favorite place! Even if we decide not to re-buy season passes, we will scrimp and save for tickets to this AWESOME place! It's hard to explain it if you haven't visited it. Basically, Epcot is made up of all the countries and their cultures. You can read more about it HERE or HERE. . It's really a site to be seen. On this visit, they were having the annual flower and garden show ~ gorgeous! Our main goal was to ride the Nemo ride and visit a few other things that we had not yet seen. For the most part, we have been there and seen so much. One of the best things about Epcot is that you can literally eat and drink your way around the world! ha! What's not to like about that?????

We decided to have sushi in Japan for dinner.

The kids LOVED it! Our waitress was so friendly and brought around a basket of toys ~ they each got to pick one thing. Then we walked out onto the deck and watched
Reflections of Earth ~ Epcot's big fireworks display:
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Here are a few more pics of our last most recent visit to Epcot:

Flower and Garden sculptures! Sarah wanted to make sure to smile with Tinkerbell for her friend, Katie! =D

AND, we made the Nemo ride.......woohoo! The rest of the pics will be up in our SmugMug album!