Elissa can ride on TWO wheels!

Monday, 6-22-09

I dropped off the kids for a couple of hours at Grandma and Papa's and when I return my little girl is riding a bike without training wheels. Imagine that! You never know what grandparents are going to do. :0)

So when Daddy got home he took the training wheels off Elissa's bike and after a little wobbling around Elissa was off and riding. She just kept riding around and around the loop. Daddy was a little sad that he wasn't the one to teach her, but he had fun helping her on her own bike. We can't believe that she is riding on two wheels........

There is no one better than you DAD!

Sunday, 6-21-09
Happy Father's Day Dad!!
We love you so much and are so greatful for you!

My Quirky Boy.....

Friday, 6-19-09

I know that I have talked about some of Zach's little quirky things he does and I have a few more to share. He is a very special boy. :0) (he gets this from daddy) hee, hee Zach is OBSESSIVE about Darin mowing the lawn. He will literally yell and cry at Daddy to "mow the lawn!" He will whine and cry and yell until Darin gets out the lawn mower and starts mowing (even if it is 8am). It is the craziest thing. We decided it came from Darin mowing the lawn with him in the backpack. Darin would do this with him at least once a week. So now he LOVES and INSISTS that Darin mow the lawn so that he can sit and watch him.

Now Zach has added me vaccuming to his list. Just this morning he dragged me to the closet and opened the door and pointed and said "VACCUM!" Then he started crying when I told him I didn't want to vaccum right now (I'm a little afraid for his wife). :0) I did get it out and vaccum for a couple of minutes and then he was fine. On to his next thing...

Loud motor sounds must soothe him.....or something.....

Hot Dog - morning, noon and night

Monday, 6-15-09
Zach literally eats hot dogs morning, noon and night. I know, what a bad mom I am - but sometimes you just have to go with what they will eat. Zach is not a breakfast guy. Usually I can just get 1-2 cups of milk down him and some fruit. So lately when he started asking for hot dogs, I resisted at first but then decided - why not? They are Hebrew National, so they are good. What is the difference between a hot dog and sausage or bacon?? So Zach eats hot dogs for breakfast and often he wants seconds. And then again at lunch. And most often for dinner too. :0)

Happy Graduation Day!

Friday, 6-12-09

Elissa had her last day of Preschool today and then graduation in the evening. She is all done with Preschool now, which is so hard to believe. This year flew by. I changed her from Joyful Noise Preschool to A Child's First Steps Preschool due to time and distance. I'm so glad I did! I loved this Preschool. They went on field trips and had tons of crafts and plays and interactions with parents during Preschool. The teachers were so welcoming and encouraged parents to come in and participate. It was a wonderful experience. I can't wait for Zach to go. Actually he thinks that the school is his. If I say that we are going to sister's school, he says, "no, my school!" He seems to be very excited to go. :0) But one more year at home with Mommy.

These are the teacher gifts that Elissa and I put together. I got the Starbuck cups that you can add your own pictures and I printed out all the pictures that Elissa took of her classmates when she took her camera to school for show 'n tell. Then I threw in some Hugs and Kisses. :0)


Here is Elissa taking her gifts to class.

Her last day of school!

We got home at 3pm and then had to be back at school by 5:45pm. I asked her if she wanted to take a nap before and she said no, but at 5pm she passed out on the floor while she was watching cartoons waiting for Daddy to get home so she could open her graduation gift. :0)

Elissa in her new outfit from Aunt Joyce. So cute!



Nana brought her flowers and Mommy & Daddy got her a necklace with a charm with her initial and one that is a purple butterfly -pieced together from FM & Target.




Elissa so cute in her cap waiting for her name to be called.



Elissa getting her packet from Teacher Angel.

Zach was very happy that Elissa was back with us. Oh, so much brotherly love! :o)

One of Elissa's favorite people (and Zach's), Nana!

Annual Island Yard Sale

Friday & Saturday, 6-5/6-6-09

We look forward to this weekend every year and then we are completely exhausted by the end. We invite our friends and family to bring their stuff and stay all day to sell, buy and BBQ. Our parents always come and friends have come several years. Our first yard sale was back in 2004 just after Elissa was born. I ran down to the hospital early in the morning to feed and see Elissa and then got back to the house to yard sale all day and then we went back down to the hospital to spend some more time with our precious little girl. Looking back, that was a little nuts, but we had everything ready to sell..... :0)

So this was our 5th year participating in our community yard sale, which is a COMPLETE zoo. You cannot understand until you have experienced the amount of people packed on the streets in cars, bikes, walking and locals with golf carts. This year the police actually came and turned cars around that were waiting to get on the island ($5 charge per car....crazy!) because they were blocking too much traffic. I heard that someone put it on craigslist so we had record numbers, even with the rain. The weather had been in the 80s all week and of course on Friday it turns cold and rainy. So frustrating!

We have dreamed - well Mom, Myrna and I - about having a golf cart to drive around. Walking the whole island is a LOT of work. :0) So after living here for 6 years we finally bought a golf cart. The main reason was to get to and from the pool every day during the summer and out to the outer island when Elissa is in soccer and T-ball....and of course the occasional time that Darin golfs. :0) We love it!!!
This year we also got a babysitter for the kids. It is always a worry with all of the people everywhere that we will turn our back on them and they will be gone or run over. So a gal from church came over to follow the kids around all day. She was here from 8am until 3pm. Elissa loved having a 13yrd old girl here to play with her all day. She was in heaven when Zach took a nap and she had her all to herself. We will definitely do this again next year.
One of the big items that we sold this year was our crib and changing table. Just a couple of weeks earlier Zach switched to a "Cars" toddler bed, which he LOVES. Both Elissa and Zach used this crib. I was totally fine with selling it until it actually came time to sell it. I started negotiating with one guy and told him my bottom and telling him that it was a beautiful sturdy set and that it was worth the money.....I started tearing up. I look at the crib and see so many memories and times with my babies. He leaves and a couple of guys come up and start negotiating with me again. He calls his wife and they buy it. They are going to come back later to pick it up. My parents and husband start asking me if I'm all right and how sad they are and I just lose it. I LOVE the crib. Chrissy saw it in a store window and called and told me about it (thank you!) and then when I saw it, I fell in love and ordered the crib, changing table and dresser (I still have the dresser). It was a complete joy to decorate the nursery for each child. I know that I can't be here when they take it away, so us girls went shopping and I bought myself a purse (always makes me feel better). :0) I got one last picture before we left.