Back to School

How is it the end of August already? Tuesday was the first day back to school for the girls and we were NOT ready for it! Summer just seemed to fly right by!

Felicia (10th grade) has been busy with field hockey to start the school year and she loves it! Madelyn (8th grade) is currently a manager for the field hockey team and will be playing in the spring. We are super proud of their commitment to the game! It's a lot of work and they are killing it! Stella (3rd grade) was probably the most excited to head back to school! She loves seeing all her friends and catching up after summer.  

Although we were not quite ready for it to start, we are looking forward to a great school year!

Beachin'

There really is nothing that recharges my batteries like a trip to the beach. From the moment we leave, I am counting down the days until we return again. (Someday, I will live there!)

This year on our trip to Myrtle Beach, not only were we able to spend the week with my parents and my sister, but some friends joined us for a few days as well. It was a great time!

 Being there over Independence Day is always a good time! The kids decorated our golf cart and we enjoyed watching the parade at the resort. We were a little bummed that we had thunderstorms that evening, so we did not go down to the beach for fireworks, but it was still a good day.

 We also spent some time at Broadway at the Beach, visiting Build a Bear and Ripley's Aquarium. There is so much to do and see at Broadway at the Beach!

 
Leaving the beach is always the hardest part. I really just wish we could stay all summer! One week is definitely not long enough so before we left, we booked two weeks for next summer!

Counting down the days...

Life Lately

Oh my, it's been a while since I've been here! Life has been so busy (as usual)! It seems like every spring we have so many things happening. I won't lie, I love to be busy! Here are a few things that have been keeping us busy.

Susie

This sweet and super energetic puppy has certainly kept us in our toes! She loves taking walks and is very playful. She is the perfect addition to our family.

Madelyn's Confirmation

On Palm Sunday, Mady become an official member of our church. We are so proud of her decision to deepen her relationship with God. She also confidently served communion for the first time during the service.

Easter

The weeks leading up to Easter were jam packed with things to keep us busy. We hosted the Easter egg hunt at our church so I was extra busy prepping for the big event. Thankfully, my family was there to help with all the details, like making candy for all the kids that attended. The hunt was over in the blink of an eye, but the good times preparing for it were so much fun!

On Easter Sunday, after church, we spent the afternoon at my parent's house. There was lots of good food and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. 

Field Hockey

Following in Felicia's footsteps, Madelyn has started playing field hockey. She either has practice or games five nights a week, which is both challenging and fun! We really enjoy watching the girls play. Felicia will be playing again in the fall so it's hockey all year around here! 

Getting Fit

For the past 11 months, I have been on a journey to get healthy! I've been making better food choices and getting my butt moving more. Taking daily walks with Mike have made me feel so much stronger and also give us some time alone to connect without interruptions. It's been great and I have lost 65 pounds so far! 

Spring has been fun so far. We are looking forward to more warm days and less rainy days so we can have a few weekend adventures. I'll be sure to share all the good times here. 😊

Welcome, Suzie

After our sweet Lucy passed away on Christmas, I was sure we would not be ready for another puppy for a long time. We were all heartbroken and missed our little buddy so much. We have so many fond memories of her and know that she lived a good long life. Although we knew we would never be able to replace Lucy, several weeks ago we started talking about getting another puppy. We were ready. After some searching around, we finally found the perfect match for our family and on Friday while the girls were at school, Mike and I took a little road trip to pick up our new baby. 

This is Suzie. She is a teeny, tiny Chihuahua who has stolen our hearts. I was a little nervous about getting such a tiny puppy that needed potty trained during the winter, but she's actually been so good! We even had a little dusting of snow this morning and she loved it! We are looking forward to all the fun things to come.

The First Day Back

I know, I know...I haven't been here in a long time. What can I say? We wrapped up last school year, took our annual Myrtle Beach vacation, and enjoyed the lazy days of summer. Nothing too exciting, just good old family time. It was refreshing to not have a schedule to follow and just go with the flow for a few months. But, today I am back!

Also, today is the first day back to school for my girls!

Felicia is in ninth grade (her first day of high School), Madelyn is in seventh grade, and Stella is in second grade. I cannot believe how quickly they are growing up! As always on the first day, they were up and ready to go super early. I'm sure that won't be the norm! But, I am looking forward to a great school year, filled with lots new things.

I can't wait to hear all about their first day back!

Christmas Bedtime Stories

Reading with my kids has always been one of my favorite things. I've been adding books to our Christmas collection for almost twenty-five years now. So as you can imagine, we have quite a few. Although we don't only read them one night during the season, tonight we read several. Stella's favorites are the ones with sparkly illustrations! 

Decorating the Church

Decorating the church in preparation for the Christmas season is one of my favorite traditions. Our church is such a beautiful place already, but adding the holiday decor makes it magical. 

For the Love of Fall

My love for fall has never been a secret. The colors, cooler temps, fall treats, and Halloween fun are a few of my favorite things. September and October were jam packed with all things autumn!

At the end of September, my sister Diane came to visit from Texas and we had our annual fall cookout at World's End State Park, along with my sister Karen and family, our parents, and a few of our kids. It was a great day...

..just a little chilly! Aaron, Madelyn, and Stella had to cuddle to stay warm! Ha!

 A few of the cousins.

 Pop and Aaron's usual shenanigans!

Honestly, this is my favorite place to be every fall. Spending a day unplugged, with my "circus" is a day well spent!

Our next fun, fall day was Stella's school Harvest Festival. I had the pleasure of being the tattoo lady once again this year. Thankfully, it was much warmer than last year and I didn't freeze my fingers off applying temporary tattoos to all the kiddos. Days like this, give me life!

Next up, our tiny town had it's first ever Halloween Festival! There was a pumpkin decorating contest, a costume contest, and so much more. It was followed by the annual Halloween Parade and fireworks. Another great day! 

We wrapped up October with pumpkin carving and trick or treating. Although, I love me some Christmas, I really am in no hurry to let go of fall! After all, my favorite holiday has yet to come! 

Happy Fall!

Trick or Treat

Another Halloween has come and gone and it was all treats and no tricks for us! While Stella is still all in for trick or treating, Felicia and Madelyn had decided they no longer wanted to go. However, after school yesterday, they both changed their minds! A little makeup and a few props later, they were all set to go. It was a good night for all!

I hope you all had a Spooktacular Halloween too!

First Day

Ahhh! It's so quiet here!

The girls headed off to their first day of school this morning. Everyone was awake early and ready to go. We are hoping they are just as eager to get up and go back tomorrow!

Madelyn(6th),Stella(1st),Felicia(8th)

Road Trip {Animal Adventure Park}

Along with much of the world, we spent months awaiting the arrival of April the giraffe's baby. It was fun to check in every day to see how things were going and we were so excited when the day finally came. Early on, we planned to make a trip to Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY to check on April, Oliver, and Tajiri. Yesterday, my parents invited us to go with them and we were thrilled.

Giraffes have always been my favorite animal, so I couldn't wait to get up close with them. Feeding them carrots from the deck was definitely fun. Except maybe for Stella who was a little freaked out by those giant tongues!

Although the giraffes were definitely the stars of the show, we did enjoy visiting and feeding the other animals as well.

We all had such a great time and plan to go back again soon!