The 4th Festivities

Ward Breakfast on the 4th

Softball Games

Frisbee Thowing

Bonding Time

Naps

BBQ with Friends

DC Fireworks on the National Mall

A Car Jump

the phone call that saved many hours

Missed Parade

Naps

KFC Chicken in the Park

Waterproof UNO game

a Great Band

Laurel Fireworks

(to see photos, click "view all images" above. For whatever reason sometimes it doesn't show up here on the blog)

What an exciting weekend!! It was really exciting being in the Nation's Capital to celebrate Independence Day. Thanks to some wonderful friends who saved our spot for us, my dream of going just before the fireworks started came true. We sat down, got comfy, and boom, they started!! I also had a wonderful lady take Eden so that she could sleep happily instead of having to be up until midnight. And can I tell you how grateful I am for the invention of cell phones!! There was an accident on the way home that we would have been stuck in for a very long time without a phone call telling us to go another way! We were home in less time then we had already waited.

KFC seems to have become a 4th of July tradition. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but my kids are the ones who pointed out that we get it every 4th of July, and it is true, the last 2 we have.

At Target they have started selling waterproof cards. What a clever idea!! That way you don't have to worry about them getting ruined as you are playing at the beach, pool, or really anywhere!! (Thanks for the tip, Mendy!) So far they have UNO and face cards. I hope they do more!!

I must say that I think the Laurel fireworks are better than DC!! Crazy as that sounds. DC had larger fireworks to be seen all over DC which lasted 27 minutes, but Laurel's lasted 34 minutes with a lot of smaller ones and some big ones. Not that the small one's were that small, they just don't shoot as high. Maybe it's the fact that we would even compare them makes you wonder. It's also a much shorter commute home! The Metro was crazy packed on the way home from DC and although the roads are crazy in Laurel after the fireworks we have figured out a way that we can get home pretty quick.

Pie First

Family traditions are one of those things that are hard to rid yourself of. One of these family traditions, though I couldn't tell you when it began, was started by my mom (the pie lady) and has been passed on to me, and as I found out my sister as well! Although my sister is more pure then I am, she makes her own pie crust. I don't, Pilsbury does a fantastic job at making them for me!


My mom loves to bake and has a sweet tooth as well. She would always ask us what our favorite pie was and then would make it for Thanksgiving. As we grew older, because of the size of our family, we often had 10 or more pies for our Thanksgiving feast. We usually had grandparents or other family come, as well as friends and neighbors over to enjoy these scrumptious pies, so it wasn't too far out there to need that many, but then she began to search for different pies, or pies she had never made before, and these pies were not replaced by others but just added to the ever-growing list. Some may say that her pie making has gotten a little out of hand, but all of those who partake would disagree.


For the past several years I have not been home (at mom's house) for Thanksgiving, I have had the pleasure of having it at MY house. Can I tell you how much I love it!! I love tripping over people in the kitchen, everyone snitching food, everyone's smiles and happy laughter, the beautifully set tables, the kids feeling big using the good china that they normally would not get to use. I find so much joy and satisfaction to gather around my table and overeat on yummy foods, especially pies!!


It's interesting how everyone has that certain food that it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without! This year we had a couple of friends over.....The Nichol family, the Perkes family, and Uncle Sly (a.k.a. Scott Livengood). We all pitched in and made our "must haves" or made sure that whomever made them, made that item to code!! But then when we started talking about pies I couldn't let any of them go.....why I ask? For starters Alan wouldn't let me, he wanted all those pies in our fridge to continue to eat for days after Thanksgiving. Secondly I didn't want to, me, myself, and I don't really like even 1/2 of the pies I make, but to give up making them was something that I couldn't do. Don't mess with TRADITION, man. What would I do the night before with only 2 or 3 pies to make? So instead of fighting over who was going to make which pies we agreed to just make whatever pies we wanted and then we would combine them all to devour. We ended up with a variety of 10 pies and multiples of a couple of them.


Pumpkin, Pecan, Cheesecake, Pumpkin Ice Cream, Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, The "Green" Pie, Dutch Apple, Cherry, Lemon Meringue


We had a wonderful time, as you can imagine! Thanksgiving is such a delicous holiday!!

HaPpY HaLloWEeN

This Halloween was one of blur and hurry up and get things. I got home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and still had to make Hannah's costume, carve pumpkins, and get the stuff for class parties the following day. Hannah wanted to be a fairy, Peter wanted to be a bat, Joseph a pumpkin as well as Eden and I. Alan's last minute costume was being dressed like he was just stepping into the shower!

We put Hannah's hair in rags so that in the morning it would be really curly, and after all of the kids were in bed I started on her costume. Unfortunately it didn't get finished, maybe she can be a fairy next year. My sewing machine was giving me fits and at 11:00 p.m. I decided to throw in the towel and admit defeat. She was very sweet about it in the morning. "It's o.k. Mom I can just be a cheerleader again." I of course felt badly, but to see that my children can be understanding and forgiving makes everything o.k.

Peter LOVED his first parade and school party! He seemed like he was on cloud 9 all day! He could not have been happier with his costume.

Joseph asked all day when it was time to go trick-or-treating to get CANDY!!

We decided to show off Eden to all of the neighbors, plus we had a costume to match Joseph and me, (just in case she was here for Halloween!) She was wide eyed the whole time and the neighbors were so excited to meet the newest member of the family!

We also had a special visitor come! Thanks mom!

Day of Love

What a Day!

What a Life!

I must admit, I have it pretty good. I have 3 beautiful kids, a wonderful husband, a house I love, cars to drive, and everything at my finger tips.

Because of snow everyone got to stay home toasty and happy! It was really fun to be able to spend the whole day of love with people I love. It was fun to make it special as well by having heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, going to a Valentine's Tea Party at Becca Tippets house, having fabulous Mexican dinner and of course watching 2-3 love movies: Pete's Dragon, Ice Age 2, and The Legend of Zorro. Movies and food, what could be better!

Blog time for my one and only!

I love you babe! You mean the world to me. Thanks for all of your love and support. I could not do, what I do, without you standing by my side. I also wanted to give you a big huge thanks for forever washing the dishes! You are the man! I thought I would share with the rest of the world one of the sweetest things that you did for me this week. On Tuesday, February 13, during lunch Peter told me that his ear really hurt. I called the doctor got him an appointment for 3:40 that afternoon. Alan called on his way home from school. I told him that we would have to probably leave right as he got home. He said he would watch the other kids. I was speechless, but thrilled! Then once he got home I was running around trying to herd sheep and he said "Why don't I just take him." I have never loved him more than that moment. That's my Al!

Alan gave me a pretty sappy card that left me in tears, I loved it! He knows me well.

Ten years ago it was over sized sweatshirts, sunglasses, a smile that just wouldn’t quit, the prettiest blond hair in the world. These were the things that got me started. Then came the quick laugh, the attention paid to me, and the thought that “I think this girl likes me!” Next came the sweet little considerations, the adoring looks, and the pleasant personality that I could not live a day without. And now, the dedicated companion, the confidant and diligent mother and wife who tries to do her best in everything. Wow, what a girl! What a life she has made for me and my children. How blessed we are to have her, that girl in the over sized sweatshirts, sunglasses, the smile that won’t quit, and the prettiest blond hair in the world.

I love you Rebecca. I’m so glad you are mine. Will you be my Valentine forever? I hope so.

Your Valentine, ten years and counting…
-Alan

I have to be the luckiest girl alive or perfectly matched with my husband!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.

Will we have winter or will we have spring?

Phil did not see his shadow!
There will be an early Spring!

I love spring!