Graduation Day, Part deux

My little girl graduated from preschool today. Tom and I are so proud of our little skeeter. The program was so nice. The kids said the pledge, sang some songs, did a little program to 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom' and then one of the student teachers did a powerpoint program with really cute individual pictures of all the kids in the class with what they want to be when the grow up. Um, I cried a little. I am a weepie mommy. I will say I was taken by surprise with what Janey said she wants to be when she grows up. She said she wants to be a nurse. Not that she is not a loving little girl, but she is not the concerned or compassionate one, Chloe is. Janey is the bull-headed, strong-willed, "I WILL get what I want" child. She will argue with you until she is blue in the face. Tom and I had her pegged for a lawyer or a CEO of a huge corporation. Chloe is more the nurse or humanitarian type. She is our tree-hugger as well. Janey is just a little more intrepid, argumentative, um scrappy!! Maybe it is just a phase she is in, but she has always been one to demand attention since she was a baby, and she usually gets it.

Enjoy all of the pictures of my big girl. They weren't kidding when they said time flies when you are having fun. I can't believe how fast it is whizzing by and just how incredibly fast my babies are growing up and becoming amazing, smart and interesting people. I am having the time of my life! Have a great weekend all!

PEACE~LOVE AND HAPPINESS!

Blog Break

I will be taking a mini break from blogging. We have a very busy couple weeks approaching and I don't see how or when I will be able to take the time to write about our life. We are closing on our house a week from Friday and will be moving the ENTIRE Memorial Day Weekend. Yipeeee!!! I have never been more excited to move in my life. We have a couple of walk throughs with our salesman and our contractor, but we will be moving in a week. I will email all of our friends and family to let you know our new address. Oh, I lied. I may take some time this weekend to blog because my Janey girl graduates from preschool tomorrow and you know I will take pictures that I will just have to post!! Other than that we will be busy trying to gather all of our sh%t from all over the county to get it in the new house. Seriously, we have belongings in at least 5 different places. So, yeah, that will be a blast. (insert sarcasm) I will check in on everyone elses blog when I can,because I think I have a blog addiction. Do they offer a support group for that or a sponsor of some kind? Anyhoo, I will be back soon. In the meantime, I will continue with my voyeuristic obsession and will be peering into your lives.

Graduation Day

Saturday was Tom's graduation and it was a perfect day. Sunny and warm. A little too warm. It made for a hot and long ceremony with all of us getting sunburns. I have to be the worst mother when it comes to sunscreen. Something I need to work on. After the ceremony Tom and I and the girls went here for lunch and had a very pleasant time. Mostly because we weren't trying to entertain Nolan the entire time. He was able to stay at home with MeeMee and PawPaw and go watch a soccer game and have lunch with them. Thank Goodness. It was a nice ceremony and I am so proud of him. I know I have said that before, but I am proud of him and very proud to be his wife. Tom and I are both very blessed to have each other and three beautiful, happy, witty and loving kids. The girls and I were talking about daddy graduating from college and Janey said to Tom; "When do you graduate from work?" Oh sweetie, if only we could all do that. Tom mumbled, "In about 40 years!" This is Saturday in photos;

Oh, I had a fantastic Mother's Day as well. Some of my goodies include; a mini rose bush to plant in hopefully a week and a half in our NEW FLOWER BED at OUR HOUSE!! YEAH!!! a clay sun made by my most artistically talented girl Chloe, a picture from my equally talented Janey girl of her hand print in the shape of a flower growing, lots of kisses and hugs from Nolan, the girls and Tom, and last but certainly not least, breakfast in bed. Seriously. I was woke up by Janey whispering Happy Mother's Day in my ear while waving a banana in my face, to then seeing Chloe holding a plate with an omelet and toast and Tom with grapefruit juice and my morning elixir of coffee. I am such a lucky girl!! I hope you all had a great weekend.

I am a Mom because of them...

I wanted to share some poems and thoughts for all the Mother's who happen upon my little corner of the world here. For Mother's old or new, learning or old-hands, mother's in waiting, or mother's dreaming. Mothers of children holding their hands or in their hearts. I hope you all have a day full of love and laughter, sunshine and bubbles, kisses and hugs but most importantly time with the ones that make us Moms.

The Miracle of Love
Author: Maureen Hawkins
Before you were conceived I wanted you before you were born I loved you before you were an hour old I would die for you

This is the miracle of love.

Being Your Mother
Author: Barbara Cage
Being your Mother means that I have had the opportunity to experience loving someone more than I love myself.

I have learned what it's like to experience joy and pain through someone else's life.

It has brought me pride and joy;your accomplishments touch me and thrill me like no one else's can.

It has brought me a few tears and heartaches at times,but it has taught me hope and patience.

It has shown me the depth,strength, and power of love.

Being your mother hasn't always been easy,and I'm sure I've said or done things that have hurt or confused you. But no one has ever made me as satisfied as you do just by being happy.

No one has made me as proud as you do just by living up to your responsibilities.

No one's smile has ever warmed my heart like yours does;no one's laughter fills my heart with delight as quickly as yours can.

No one's hugs feel as sweet,and no one's dreams mean as much to me as yours do.

No other memories of bad times have miraculously turned into important lessons or humorous stories;the good times have become precious treasures to relive again and again.

You are a part of me,and no matter what happened in the past or what the future holds,you are someone I will always accept,forgive, appreciate, adore,and love unconditionally.

Being your mother means that I've been given one of life's greatest gifts: you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Zoo, Zoo the wonderful Zoo!!!!!

Today's adventure took us to the zoo. Janey's preschool class had a trip to the zoo and I was able to tag along. The preschool program that she is in is through a local joint vocational school and the "teachers" are high school kids who are in the child development program. So the trip today was a learning experience for them as well as for the little ones. I got to enjoy myself while Janey's assigned student teacher did all the work!! Her and I had a lot of fun together, just the two of us. I guess now I have to figure out something Nolan and I can do on our own since I was able to do COSI w/Chloe and now the zoo w/Janey.

We did buy a zoo pass, so if anyone wants to meet up at the zoo I am all for it. We have been talking about a trip to the Cinci Zoo and maybe the Indianapolis Zoo. I have heard they have a great zoo.This snake is the largest snake in captivity. It was HUGE!!! I swear it could swallow Tom whole. I really wanted it to stretch out so I could see it in it's entirety, but it was napping which is what a lot of the animals were doing.
This is Janey's boyfriend Ethan. She says that she is going to marry him and he is in full agreement. I have decided if they do end up getting married some day, this picture will accompany the invitation!!
We were disappointed in the zoo today. There were no giraffes or zebras. And what did Janey want to see at the zoo?!? Giraffes, zebras and frogs! They are revamping the zoo and they moved the giraffes and zebras to The Wilds and I was told that they won't return until 2010. How upsetting! I love the giraffes!
We have a jammed-pack weekend! Tom has his graduation on Saturday and we are taking the girls so they can watch their Daddy graduate. Nolan will be staying at home with MeeMee. Then we are headed to a nice lunch then to Tom's cousin's Quinceanera . There is a special Mass and then a reception/celebration. I haven't been to one of these before, so it will be interesting and I am sure it will be fun!!

Fun at COSI

We had a great weekend. Yesterday was such a long day, that I don't remember much about Saturday. Chloe did have a soccer game Saturday morning and then we took the kids to lunch and they came home and played outside. Tom and I rented 'The Pursuit of Happyness'. It was a good movie. It was depressing a sad most of the time, but that was easy to get over when you know that currently he is a millionaire. It was a good flick and I happen to have a crush on Will Smith. Not the same feelings I feel about him or him. Yum!(Those two are in fantasies that involve dark bars, too much wine and dark alleys) Um excuse me,I need a second......... Okay, Will Smith is more of a crush. Anyway, totally off the subject, rent it , it was a good movie.

Chloe and Janey dressed and ready to go to Chloe's Sock Hop at school. I made both of their outfits, thank you very much!!!

Sunday at COSI was full of discoveries, science, archeology and adventures. Chloe and I had so much fun, and it was wonderful to spend the day with just her. She is a budding scientist who has a love for learning. I love that about her.
The above picture was taken after she went on her archaeological dig and she found an artifact to clean and study. Doesn't my little nerd look so adorable!!!!
This was in Progress or better known as 'The Streets of Yesteryear'. We played pinball in a 50's dinner, sat in horse carriages, saw ourselves as news reporters on black and white tv's and got to stand in an actual telephone booth. Strange, my kids will never see a telephone both on any given street.

They had so many exhibits at COSI; Ocean, Life, Science, a real adventure looking for ancient pieces in a cave to solve the mystery so we could receive the gift of knowledge( I felt like Indiana Jones!) But Chloe's favorite exhibit was Gadgets. They had to lift themselves while on a chair using a pulley system. It is harder than you think. Just take a look at my girls strength and concentration!! She also had to opportunity to try and build a bridge and learn about physics and the law of gravity. Oh yeah, she and I lifted a car off the ground as well. Just call us She-Ra and mini She-Ra!!

The most WONDERFUL day of the week....

I love Thursdays. No, I ADORE Thursdays!!! I like them more than Fridays, Saturdays and even Sundays. I don't really care for Sundays that much as it is. I think my college roomie over at Party of Four coined one of the best phrases, "Sick Sunday." How many years later(um, 12 years Holy Crap!!!) and I still use that phrase when describing something. Thanks Amanda. But back to Thursdays. I have always loved Thursdays. The weekend is right around the corner. But it is more than that. In college, Thursdays were the best night to go out to the bars dancing. It was the kick-off to the weekend. Now, I love my Thursdays because of the little tradition between Tom and I. Every Thursday we have good tv, a good bottle of wine and some, er, ahem, "grown-up" time. Not that we are prudes and schedule our time like this, it is something that has just happened. Nor, is it the only time we have "grown-up" time, but it something we both look forward to every week. Yea, I think I will shut up now! But seriously, I love Thursday's!

We have a busy weekend filled. Soccer tomorrow and some work on the house on our part. Speaking of the house, we are in the home stretch. The painters are there today as well as the plumber. The plumber will be putting our bathroom sink and tub fixtures and toilets in today and tomorrow. Next week, they will be finishing up the trim, installing the carpet, grading the yard and putting down the sod. I think, I THINK I finally see the end in sight. Hallelujah!!!!

Sunday, Chloe and I get to spend the whole day at COSI with her Brownie Troop and then to The Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. I haven't been to COSI in 13 years and it has been longer since I have been to The Spaghetti Warehouse. Hopefully, they are both still good!! I hope you all have a weekend filled with sunshine, science, discoveries and electrofield-whatever spheres!! I know I will!!

The fascination begins young

Nolan is such a sweet and loving little guy. He is also hysterical; a bright and budding comedian. He is obsessed with trucks, cars, trains,planes and the like. He is also crazy about giving hugs. And most recently, has a fondness for his penis. Yes, it has happened. He is becoming a little man. We have taught him the correct word for it, except he has a hard time saying it, and refers to it as "pepis".
The other day while I was changing his diaper(which by the way, he needs to get out of) he said, "Hi, pepis" Fine, I am okay with that. But then he decides to incorporate another thing he is fond of and says, "Hug pepis?" Um, what do you say to that? I guess it is true, everything will play second fiddle to a pepis when it comes to the male species.

*i didn't know if i should post this for fear of what sickos may happen upon this blog, and also for what it may do to my boy and my therapy costs down the road*