Classic

On any given day my middle child will range from a sweet little girl full of smiles, hugs, and kisses to a tantrum throwing devil child. Unfortunately for us, her mood can change in the blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong, she is a wonderful child and we love her to pieces. But, this picture is truly a "classic" -- that is exactly how my dh described the picture when he saw it.....

The journaling on the photo reads, "Hannah, you're just too funny! I love you for all of your sweetness and your "lemons"!!"
I lifted the idea for this layout from a Lisa Bearnson book, but it in the end, other than the title, it became my own creation. It is primarily Prima's Dude Collection.

Calling All Phillies Fans

We went to the Phillies game on Saturday afternoon, all 5 of us. But, beforehand, my husband took our son to a special photo/autograph session with the Phillies players. They had to go to the stadium two hours early but were able to go down onto the field and get up close and personal with the players. Most of the fans just go to smack hands with the players but my son managed to get his picture taken with just about the entire team -- guess he was just the cutest fan there so all of the players stopped for him. :) Here are a couple of the pictures...I still have to crop the rest.

Eye of the Storm

I had planned to take my two oldest children down to the shore today. I checked the weather forcast late last night and we were still a go as far as the weather was concerned. When I woke at 7:30am, the sky looked dreadful so I went back to bed figuring the trip was off. Well at 8:30 it was sunny and beautiful so I gathered the kids and we were off to the beach. It was a little chilly and the ocean was FREEZING but we got there and were able to spend about an hour making sand patties and jumping waves. After that the skies let loose!!! It rained cats and dogs and proceeded to hail for about 15 minutes. The kids thought it was cool watching ice fall from the sky while we sat in our bathing suits eating pizza. It did manage to clear up a bit but we decided just to hit the arcade and then head on home....but not before I had some nice woman take our picture....

Growing Up

I am in love with the latest SO kit!! Here is my dd's school picture --- I can't believe how big she is getting!!

RAK

Everyone LOVES to get packages in the mail, right? Well, I have a cricut cartridge (Stamped)that I rarely ever use that I am going to send to one of you, silly for it to sit in my drawer collecting dust! --- leave a comment on this blog and I will draw a winner Friday evening.

Girls Night Scrap

A couple of my girl friends and I went scrapping last night...I don't think we have gotten to go together since Christmastime. It was nice to catch up with them and of course get some layouts done. Here a couple of my favorites:

Sass

I've been playing around with my new Sassafrass Lass papers --- they are quite a stretch from my norm. They are very bright and colorful with some neat designs. I love all of the clouds and birds.

My Prima Ballerina

Over a month ago, I purchased one of those wooden clocks that you finish yourself. Well, I finally got around to doing something with it. The latest Bo Bunny papers (Scrapbook Obsessions kit) match my scrap room perfectly and when I went looking for pixs to use, I still had a few of my dd's ballet pixs that just looked beautiful with it. I hope you like it! I may add "ballet" to the center or maybe even some clock numbers.... I haven't decided.

Hooked

We had a fabulous time fishing!!! While we didn't catch anything big enough to keep, we managed to hook 7 sand sharks, 3 flounders, and a bait fish. The sharks were very fun to catch. They tended to fight a little more than the flounders. My son even caught two sharks at once!! It was very cool and he was more than excited.

We did find out early that my son has my husband's stomach. He did not fare well out on the waves of the ocean but was fine once we took him back into the bay where the water was calm. At least I know he won't be growing up and joining the navy or running off to join a fishing expedition!

Regardless we really had a wonderful time. It was really one of the first times I have seen my son really being a boy! He was all about catching the minnows and baiting the hook, seeing the blood and guts of the bait fish, he didn't even hesitate to pick up the fish head! I am so glad we could do this together....I know it will be a memory I cherish forever!

Fishin'

This weekend I am taking my son fishing for the first time.

As a child, I used to go trout fishing with my grandpa. I can still remember the very first time that he took me out. I must have been about 8 years old. I squirmed the first time he made me bait my hook with the nightcrawler and then managed to catch my line in a nearby tree the first time I went to cast. It didn't take long before I had my first bite....a small rainbow trout that Gramps usually would have thrown back but he let me keep since it was my first. He taught me how to clean it and then gave me a bag to put it in to take home. Unfortunately, since I wouldn't let him put it in the cooler, the fish got too hot in the sun and ended up not getting to make it home to the frying pan.

Now that I live in the suburbs and am married to a "city boy", there aren't too many opportunities to expose my kids to the kind of things I grew up on ... fishing, camping, boating, hunting, etc. I wish my grandpa had gotten the chance to show my son those type of things. But, I know he'll be smiling from above on Saturday when my son manages to hook his first fish.

Tomorrow, my son and I won't be trout fishing but at least it's fishing....

All Star

My All Star:

Time Together

I am just too tired to scan but I think you can make out the detail...these are pixs of the kids in the garden near Niagara Falls. The flowers were beautiful so I couldn't resist taking yet another shot of the kids together. The quote on the page reads: So Much of What is Great has Sprung from the Closeness of Family Ties --James M Barrie.

Pure Joy

Only 399 more vacation pictures to scrap (besides the thousands and thousands of other pixs sitting here...). I just adore this picture of my daughter, there is nothing but "Pure Joy" in her expression. Thanks for the inspiration Jing-Jing!

We Made It!!!

After a grueling 980 mile trip, we are back! Other than the driving, the trip was a HUGE success!! The kids had a great time in Niagara Falls. In Niagara Falls, we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge which for those that don't know, is an indoor water park. It is FABULOUS. We had gone to the one in the Poconos back in the fall. The Canadian location is just up the road from the falls so we were able to take in the sites. We saw the falls which, if you haven't had the chance, are truly amazing! However, they aren't the most exciting for 2, 4, and 6 year olds. They enjoyed them but had a much better time at the GWL as well as the Butterfly Conservatory. The kids had a fun time running around trying to get the butterflies to land on them. Of course, they didn't understand that by chasing them, they were only lessening the chance of one landing on them. Anyway, from Niagara Falls we took a trip to see my grandparents and my father. They got to meet a half dozen cousins that they had never met before. They played a few games of baseball, swam at great-grandma's pool (which had been opened in years!), rode a 4-wheeler, and even got to ride some horses! .... all of this in less than 4 days!!! Whew, I need a VACATION now!!!

10, 9, 8, 7, ....

The Countdown has begun! We are leaving in roughly 4 hours for our trip to Niagara Falls, Canada and then back to my hometown...I need to rush home from work, pack up the car, get my son fed, showered and off to hockey. As soon as I can pull him off the ice, we will swing back home, grab my hubbie and girls and off we go. I won't have internet access being out in the boonies but will post pixs as soon as we get back! Wish us luck on this long, long drive -- think we are driving 16.5 hours in the course of the next four days!!!