Be Strong * Be Calm * Be Grateful

Sweet Friends

2012-02-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

Olivia has a sweet dear little friend whom she adores. They get along so well, they are very much alike. I learned recently that their family is moving back to Canada, probably this summer. I don't have the heart to tell Olivia quite yet ... she will be heartbroken! It's probably a right of passage at one time in your life, your best friend is going to move away. I know it happened to me (although I was the one who moved away) when I was around Olivia's age. It's something you always remember and probably your first experience of true heartache (until boys are involved!). Well in the meantime, we'll enjoy the time we have left and I'll start thinking about how to break the news to Olivia soon.

January Photo Collage

2012-01-31T21:01:00.037-05:00

Wow ... January was a full month ... a great start to 2012!

Brought in the new year with my peeps at Trivania's!
Dan and I started our 10 week boot camp program - and I'm down 10 pounds so far!

Olivia starting to learn her multiplication tables.

A visit to the Newseum - maybe we should visit one new museum a month!

Judy and Pete came to visit.

My nephew, Matthew, and his wife, Heaven welcomed little Ruby into the world.

Dan's step-brother, Matt, passed away ... very sad!!

Jo Paterno (JoPa) legendary PSU , where Dan and I went to school, football coach passed away

Olivia's first All Start gymnastics meet -1st place team, 1st in Bar and 3rd overall!

Sweet sweet daughter bought me a pair of earrings that I love.

Dan and Olivia went skiing twice to Mt.Liberty and then as a family to Canaan Valley.

Motorcycle Convention

Peeps brunch downtown DC - filled my cup!

January Fun Facts and Trivia

Many cultures celebrate New Years Day on March 21st, the Spring Equinox.
Leap years exempted, January always begins on the same day as October.
In leap years, January always begins on the same day as April and July
Leap years exempted, January always begins on the same day as October.
January's birthstone is the Garnet.
The name January is derived from Janus who presided over the gate to the new year.
New Year ceremonies are designed to get rid of the past and to welcome the future.
According to Facebook users, January is "Change Your Profile Picture To a Muppet" month.
January's birth flower is the Carnation.
January 1st, 1776, the first American flag, the "Grand Union" was presented. Betsy Ross later added the stars in place of the Union Jack.
January's horoscope signs are Capricorn and Aquarius.
The first Superbowl was held at the L.A. Coliseum on January.
January is National Soup Month in the US.

Flip for the Fight - Gymnastics Meet

2012-01-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

Olivia had her first gymnastics meet as an All Star gymnast. The even focused on raising money for breast cancer, which was so cool! All the girls received the same leotard to unify all the teams - that was a nice touch! Olivia did awesome, we are very proud of her!

Olivia received a medal for every event, except vault (she tripped while running which messed her up), but did awesome everywhere else. For her age group she won FIRST on bars (we were all amazed!), and she won 3rd all around! The best part, is her team took FIRST PLACE team ... go Dulles Gymnastics!!

Canaan Valley Ski Holiday

2012-01-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Amy, Jen and I all bought a groupon deal for an overnight stay at Canaan Valley Ski Resort ... so last weekend we went up for the day/night. We had a great time. The weather was great - not too cold .. and the slopes were perfect for the kids, lots of beginner slopes. Olivia took a private lesson (first one) and it was well worth the money. He taught her how to move from pizza ski to parallel ski ... and she was pumped to teach Mommy and Daddy after her lesson :-).

The Many Faces of Multiplication Tables

2012-01-25T11:56:00.000-05:00

So we embark ... into the world of memorizing multiplication tables. To tell you the truth, it's been a great 'refresher' for me ... especially as we approach the 9's and 12's factors! LOL Anyway, every morning, Olivia watches a multiplication 'rap' song and plays a times table game on my iPad (love love my iPad for all their educational apps - so awesome). Her facial expressions were priceless ... just had to capture them!

Milestone Reward

2012-01-23T17:07:00.002-05:00

I'm doing really well so far at the 10 week boot camp. It's been hard to be consistent and keep going, especially my 4:30 am wake up call to the gym. I'm seeing results and feel a lot better.

So for achieving this..
.

My reward was this!

Got an awesome deal on this chair and it's perfect for my home office! Score!

A little Video

2012-01-18T13:28:00.000-05:00

Just messing around ... Animoto can now import instagram photos - very cool!

Try our video maker at Animoto.

Martin Luther King Holiday - Ski Day

2012-01-18T11:57:00.002-05:00

Dan went up to Mt.Liberty with the Peppe's for a holiday ski day. Me ... well I stayed home in my pj's all day and it was heaven!!!

A Gift for Rosie

2012-01-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

Olivia had a very special gift for Rosie under the Christmas tree this year. She even wrapped it herself and tied it with a bow. She wrote a story about Rosie called, Rosie's Christmas. It was the cutest thing ever - she loves her dog!!

10 Week Boot Camp!

2012-01-16T11:42:00.000-05:00

Dan and I both signed up for 10 Week Boot Camp with Dr.Willey Transformation program. It involves weekly menus and exercise program - mainly consisting of a lot of resistance training. We have a personal trainer who customizes our meal plans for us and we have weekly calls. There are 10 other people, all over the country, in the boot camp with us (including my friend Jen - which is awesome motivation when your BFF and husband are all doing it!) This is an entirely new way for me to exercise. I'm normally a low calorie / high cardio kind of girl....this is a mix of low calorie/high carbs/low carbs - lots and lots of protein on the menu and ALL weight training (little cardio involved). I'm really excited to see the results for both of us. We are going into week two and so far so good. I work out early early morning and Dan late at night, after work and after Olivia goes to bed. It's been working out so far. It's definitely a commitment - the only day we have 'off' is Sunday and we spend 2 hours of that day just preparing all our food! It will be worth it in the end - especially for Dan, he really needed to get his health back on track this year.

Motorcycle Show

2012-01-16T11:33:00.001-05:00

Dan was in heaven at the Motorcycle show at the DC Convention Center this weekend. He has his moto already picked out and I'm thinking he actually may get one this year. This picture looks like he has a black eye (and Olivia too), rest assured there is no black eye - not sure why my iPhone did that - although the black eye does lend itself nicely to the tough guy picture!

The Art of Waking Up

2012-01-16T10:59:00.001-05:00

This is us on a typical Saturday morning ... what once at the start of the morning was a cozy bed for two (Dan and I) .. slowly starts to add little people and animals! Well one little person and one furry animal! As you can see Rosie must be snuggled right in the middle or she has a fit! I'm sure these are the moments we will remember the most when Olivia is grown and gone.

Peeps New Year Brunch

2012-01-16T10:53:00.001-05:00

The girls and I had brunch to start the New Year off right at Nage downtown DC. As always, we had a great time ... 'filling our cups' with conversations, new year resolutions and support for each of our various 'complaints' about the world. Love my peeps ... don't know what I would do without them!

New Year's Day Ski

2012-01-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

Dan took Olivia to Mt.Liberty to ski on New Year's Day. They had a great time ... I think Olivia might be a little ski buff in the making ... much to Dan's ultimate happiness!!

Christmas # 2 - Grandma and Grandpa

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

Judy and Pete came up the first of the new year to celebrate Christmas together. We had a great time. Was very happy that I got my K-cup coffee maker. I've been wanting one of these for awhile now - love it. I look a little worn out in this picture .. the day after they left, I got the flu! :-( Other than that we had a wonderful holiday season, now ready to start 2012!

Newseum

2012-01-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

We visited the Newseum while Judy and Pete were here. I've been wanting to check out that place for awhile. I'm glad we did - it was very interesting! We spent all afternoon there - closed the place down and we didn't even have time to see everything. We'll have to go back to see the 3-D movie at some point. They had an interactive section where you could be a 'news caster' ... that was a lot of fun. Dan, Olivia and I reported on the weather. See link below for a good laugh - I think I missed my calling, LOL!!

2011 Books I Read

2012-01-04T15:13:00.001-05:00

I thought I would list all the books I read in 2011. Since getting a Kindle a couple of years ago, I have been reading more and more. It's been so nice to be able to read anywhere since my Kindle fits nicely in my purse. Also, I love getting sample books first ... I must have a million samples in my Kindle right now - just waiting for a 'test drive' before I buy. That's probably the best feature of all!

I didn't think I read so many books this year, but listing them all here - wow I think I might be a bit of a book worm!

Divergent, and Pillars of the Earth and Hunger Games were a trilogy - and I read all three series. Highly recommended! Outlander and Matched are both trilogies as well, but so far I have only read the first book. I'm half-way through the second book of Outlander, called Dragon fly in Amber, so far it's pretty good.

Looking forward to some new books in 2012! Any recommendations?

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

Erick the Elf

2011-12-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

The tradition continues with Erick the Elf's antics during the month of December. That Erick certainly had fun at our house and even a few times up at Aunt Trudi's house - he followed Olivia up there. Erick still wasn't allowed to venture into Olivia's room, the closest he ever got was when he 'stole' her horse and was outside her bedroom door. Although he wasn't forbidden to go into Aunt Trudi's bedroom so he toilet papered her room on Christmas Eve - that stinker!

I was busted when Olivia was flipping through my iPhone photo's and saw me kissing Erick the Elf -I touched him ... Olivia gave me a long lecture about the do's and don'ts of Elves that I certainly obeyed for the rest of December!

Erick wrote Olivia a nice note the last night he was with us .... she wrote back and she was very sad for about 10 minutes later on Christmas Day knowing Erick was back at the North Pole ... getting ready for next year!

Bye Bye Erick .... see ya next year!

Going to the Dogs!

2011-12-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

All our puppies definitely had a great Christmas as well!

Buddy, Sophie, Rosie and Cup Cake!

Baking, Baking, Baking

2011-12-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

I never spent so long in a kitchen in my entire life - Friday was devoted to baking Christmas cookies .... there is a reason why I don't bake often ... it's definitely more fun when baking with other people though!

Later that night we got the whole family involved in decorating the sugar cookies ... although I have to say for some reason they didn't taste very good!

Doggie Wash

2011-12-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

Rosie got all beautified before she went to Aunt Trudi's house for Christmas!

2011-12-29T07:44:00.000-05:00

We all went to Matdame Tussauds Wax Museum in DC. It was a lot smaller then the one in NYC, but it was a fun afternoon visit with the family.

Filomena

2011-12-29T07:34:00.000-05:00

Love going to Filomena restaurant in George Town for Christmas. Their decorations are over the top - we might make this an annual Holiday tradition. The food is fantastic. They also do wonderful decorations for Easter and Halloween - will definitely have to check them out next year!

Holiday Party

2011-12-27T11:50:00.002-05:00

Aunt Trudi came to help out at Olivia's 3rd grade holiday party. We were assigned the Winter Pictionary game - boy are kids LOUD ... but we had a great time!

Tuba Concert on the Greens

2011-12-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve day we all went down to view a Tuba concert at the main hall in Shephardstown. Well, to be more accurate, the men watched the tuba concert ... the women shopped! :-)

Christmas Highlights

2011-12-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

Getting Ready for Santa

2011-12-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

Picking out the cookie for Santa!

She does, she really does ...

2011-12-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

So pleased that Olivia still believes in Santa ... and Erick the Elf (Elf on the Shelf) for that matter. Nothing will persuade her otherwise at this point - even when we are watching a show/movie that may reference Santa as a fictional character or not real ... she will argue with the TV, adamantly declaring that he is indeed for real!

On the Elf matter she truly believes he is magical and comes to live at night to report her behavior at the North Pole. In fact, she told me today, "Mom, Erick is not like a plastic bag or something, he is MAGIC". Not sure where the plastic bag reference came from - but it was hilarious the way she declared it with the utmost confidence!

Love love love that my baby still believes! I hope, in some way, she always does! :-)

Her letter to Santa .. this year, drums have remained on the top of her list!

Insta - love ...

2011-12-21T20:40:00.000-05:00

Love my instagram iPhone app ... it creates lovely pics and I even found a site that will turn them into little magnets for you - so totally cool! I have seen on some blogs those who post a Friday insta-dump ... collaging all their instagram photos for that week. I may try to do that in the new year!

December Nights December Lights

2011-12-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

3rd grade holiday show - they did an awesome job. Olivia had a little speaking part, she did awesome!

Happy Birthday Rosie!

2011-12-21T08:20:00.000-05:00

December 19th, Rosie turned 3 years old! Yeah ... I have been waiting for this birthday because someone told me when she was a puppy that about 3 years old is when Golden's come out of their 'puppy' years and start to calm down and can be 'trusted' more. They were right, just recently we have been able to leave Rosie out of her crate at night and also be home alone almost all day and when we return everything is in perfect condition :-) ... this makes me immensely happy. The prediction of her breeder of 'that puppy is going to be a coach potatoe' ... is slowly coming true! LOL

I have no pictures of Rosie actually eating that cake because she wolfed it down so fast - I couldn't even release the shutter button before it was completely devoured in one big gulp! She was a very happy puppy that night!!

Our Tree

2011-12-20T09:53:00.000-05:00

The very first ornament to be hung on our tree is our Very First Christmas ornament bought over 20 years ago .... ahhhhhh

The Christmas Tree Hunt

2011-12-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

We went to Snicker Gap Run again this year for our tree - love that place, so beautiful and many many trees to pick from.

\

Christmas Lights Home Tour

2011-12-20T09:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday night we decided to take a drive to find all the fun Christmas lights decorating homes in our area. We only had time to visit 2 houses on this list - we want to visit them all .... so incredible! All timed to music as well!

Holly's Top Ten Tacky Lights

And then we have our little house full of Christmas splendor ... of course, Olivia is now requesting that we do it up right next year with oh, a few thousand more lights!! If we had the time - I know that is something Dan would be all over ... involving computer and electricity - right up that 'ole boy's alley!

2011-12-19T10:25:00.000-05:00

Santa Baby!

2011-12-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

Rosie was the center of attention at the parade. Trudi made that little Santa Baby outfit for her and she looked so adorable!!! Rosie tolerated it ... only because it got her more attention and pets than usual --- she'll do anything for that!

Shepardstown WV Christmas Parade

2011-12-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

Trudi and Jan were invited to be in their hometown parade because of Jan's very cool vintage Studebaker - don't you just love the color!! So we all bundled up, got some candy, donned our Santa hats and off we went! So much fun!!

Leesburg Christmas Parade

2011-12-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Jen and I took the girls to the Leesburg Christmas Parade a couple of weekends ago - it was a lot of fun! We ended up laughing hysterically because who knew Jen loved parades so much! She was screaming ... look look it's SANTA ... and when the chick-fa-la cow came down she screamed, "Chicken is better'! OMG!

Peppe's Christmas Get-to-gether

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

Tammy hosted a small little Christmas get-to-gether for all of us to exchange our gifts. The men exchanged favorite beer. The kids had a blast - they even had a little show for us - complete with Christmas carols. Love our 'little village'.

Jingle Jam

2011-12-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we took the girls (Meg, Syd, Lex and Olivia) to Jingle Jam in Leesburg. We all loved the Rockin' Santa with his Hello Kitty guitar - classic! What a great way to put us all in the Christmas spirit!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge / Furry Faces

2011-12-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

Rosie was a main attraction during the Christmas Parade .... she normally is a happy go lucky dog, but you can tell by the look on her face is that she is only "just barely" tolerating my Christmas spirit ... she was decked head to toe with her holiday outfit! Ahhhh ... she is such a good sport! Love you Rosie!

Rosie - so loved!

2011-12-11T17:13:00.000-05:00

Hiking with Friends

2011-12-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

We took Olivia's friend, Sarah, on a little hike one afternoon. Found a back way up the more grueling longer way to the top of this peak - Thank Goodness! It was soooo windy on top - I think this was the last hike of the season.

Autumn Splendor

2011-12-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

We went on a quick hike right at the peak of the leaves.. Love the Fall...too bad it doesn't last that long in Northern Va!

Daddy Award

2011-12-11T16:49:00.001-05:00

Dan never ceases to amaze me what an awesome Dad he is! I happened upon them two one Saturday morning ... he was helping her make friendship bracelets. He was pretty good at it too! :-)

Halloween

2011-12-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I only took 2 pictures on Halloween - I was seriously slacking this holiday! Olivia was a mummy!

Bring Your Own Sunshine

2011-12-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

BFF's

2011-12-11T15:07:00.000-05:00

Our community swimming pool hosted a dog swim party after the season ended. Boy was Rosie in her element - this is with her and her BFF, Molly, who lives next door.

Painting with Wine

2011-12-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

So behind in my blog posts .. but since I keep my blog as sort of a diary for the year, I do want to include items even though they aren't in order of when they happened. Dan and I checked out this painting class down in DC. It was a fun little 'date night' ... I think we both concluded, wine or not, we aren't quiting our day jobs to become painters -that's for sure!

Tennis Anyone?

2011-12-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

This summer, Olivia fell in love with tennis. We signed her up for lessons and she did really well! We will definitely be signing her up for lessons come Spring! Besides, she looked adorable in her little tennis outfit!

Friendship Bracelets

2011-12-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

I knew it was a matter of time until Olivia, in typical little girl fashion, would start to make friendship bracelets. I remember making friendship safety pins with beads when I was her age. What is it with these things - I suppose it's a rite of passage ... something that never dies.

Our Little Amelia

2011-12-01T22:25:00.000-05:00

Olivia's 3rd grade American Education week project was to pick an "American Hero" and perform a little skit on their life. Olivia picked Amelia Earhart and she rocked her part. Love her aviator outfit and sister walked into that classroom like she owned it ... she certainly channeled Amelia's chutzpah!

Polo Lessons

2011-12-01T21:57:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty far behind in the blogging world ... I have to catch up, so forgive me - I'm not going to edit the dates on these. Just assume that these posts took place during the summer up until NOW - yep, that far behind ... but since this is kind of like an online journal for me, I do want to record my memories.

This was 'date day' ... lots of fun learning how to play polo. Dan was surprisingly really good at this stuff - scoring goal after goal. Even taking a tumble OFF his horse to score the winning shot - who knew he was so competitive! Ha, it was fun for me ... but darn those sticks are heavy! My wrists hurt for weeks!

I Heart Faces Challenge - Bust a Gut!

2011-11-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

When I heard about this week's photo challenge, Bust a Gut, I knew right away what photo I would enter. You can just see the belly laugh coming from Olivia as Rosie wanted to play and interrupt her story hour with mommy and daddy! Oh and those two missing front teeth - to die for!! These are the memories that make it all worth it!

What will you be known for?

2011-11-08T19:18:00.001-05:00

We often play this question game during dinner. I picked the question, "What do you want to be known for?". So I answer, "I want to be known for raising a happy and successful daughter.". Olivia sweetly replies, "Well Mommy you are already known for that!". Oh my how sweet is that ... That made my day!!

Simple Things Sunday

2011-10-23T07:20:00.002-04:00

Simply the sweetest sound in the universe is my daughter signing "All is Well with My Soul" in my ear during church. I could have listened to her sweet little voice singing those wonderful words all day ... it made my heart sing!

I heart faces - Photography Challenge: Tickled Pink

2011-10-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

I WON TOP 10! Yeah, so exciting - I was number #6. Read about it.here.

This photo contains some important 'lessons' within ... I remember this particular day on the beach; I was eager to get some beautiful pictures of Olivia. The light was perfect and I was determined to get it right. Well, getting it 'right' didn't take into consideration a little girl who just wanted to 'dance' and play on the beach - not 'pose' for any pictures that her mom wanted to 'tourture' her with. So after a few frustrated attempts of getting her to hold still and smile, I gave up and told her to just do what she wanted to do. To my chagrin, what turned out were some of my favorite pictures from the beach - they are real, un-scripted, in-the-moment, spontaneous captures of my 8-year old daughter's soul and personality ... isn't that what photography is all about?

Moments Like This

2011-10-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

Moments like this, when my little girl (who is growing up way to fast) snuggles into the crook of your neck, makes me want to stop time. I know all to well that these moments are fleeing ever so quickly .... there will be times where moments like this one will only come every once in awhile, not on an ordinary Saturday fall afternoon. What do they say, life happens in the most ordinary of moments. Well I find that to be so true - the trick is to stop, see, and appreciate them when they happen.... so you never forget.

Fun Times in Florida

2011-10-17T19:34:00.000-04:00

We visited my brother in Florida last month and had a blast. My mom and Bill came too - we stayed in their house the rent in Leesburgh - a retirement community. That was a lot of fun; especially driving around in the golf carts everywhere. I determined, any errand is just more fun when you get to drive there in a golf cart!

Pinterest Love

2011-10-15T20:18:00.000-04:00

I was just thinking that I should really actually make/do/buy the things I pin to pinterest ... instead of just pinning and forgetting it!

Source: jojofam.blogspot.com via Holly on Pinterest

2011-10-10T15:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend we explored the town of Waterford. They were having a Home Tour and Craft/Art festival. We spent the whole day exploring this civil war town - very cool. They had an open house at the one-room school house. Olivia must have spent a good 30 minutes in there exploring.

Beyond the Hair and Eyes ...

2011-10-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

As much as I don't even want to think that Olivia is 'interested' in boys ... I have to say that I am happy to report that she has a good head on her shoulders and already knows what's important characteristics in members of the opposite sex. She has had this long standing 'crush' on a boy at her school .. apparently I learned that 'everyone' has a crush on this particular boy at school. When asked, why ... she declared that everyone is 'in love' with his hair! She later declared that I don't like him because of his hair mommy, that's dumb .... that's not why you like a boy. So I asked, her why does she like him ... she said that she liked him for his 'kindness' and 'respectfulness' - to use her words exactly. I told her that those qualities are an excellent start and that I was happy that she sees beyond the 'good look' of an 8 year old boy and sees what is inside - for that is what counts. I ended the talk with, "You're too young to worry about boys now anyway - there is plenty of time for that when you're older!" Can I have an "AMEN"!

You Never Know Who is Listening!

2011-10-07T13:49:00.001-04:00

I'm reading this great book by Joel Osteen called, Every Day is a Friday - well not 'reading' it but listening to it on audible (great great site, by the way!) during my work commutes. Dan and I were listening to a portion of it during a recent car ride and Olivia, little be known to us, was absorbing the words while in the back seat. At one point, Dan paused the tape and we started talking about the great messages Joel put forth in the book. Olivia pipped up from the back seat to say, "Mommy and Daddy, I think I'm going to make some changes in my life." Dan and I just looked at each other with a smile - I love that she 'gets' the messages in the book and she actually was taking them to heart - thinking about how she could live a better life. Love that!

Highly recommend the book - there isn't any "new" messages that I haven't heard before, but the stories and examples of how to live a happy content life are great reminders!

2011-10-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

Found some more pictures from our beach trip ... fun times!

Sea Plane

2011-10-02T18:25:00.000-04:00

Suffice to say that Dan and I have experienced many forms of flying and over our vacation holiday to Florida, we added one more to the list - sea plane. We happened upon Jones Air and Sea company while we were on a boat ride with my brother Tim. We stopped to have lunch and noticed sea planes taking off. A few inquiries and we were up in our own adventure. Mom and Bill went on one too! It was so much fun - the landing was so much smoother than you would think - landing on water! We even saw an alligator (a huge one from the air) in the water below. That's about my ideal distance from one of those things! We had an awesome time and Olivia loved it! Great experience for sure!

2011-10-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

I created this Gratitude Journal for Olivia. She writes three things every night (well almost every night) that she is thankful for. I love to read what she writes ... these are not secret, but I am told her journal she writes in as well is top secret - lol! I'm sure she will treasure these journals one day when she is all grown up ... ugh I don't even want to think about that day!

2011-10-01T22:27:00.001-04:00

This little blog of mine is hard to keep up with at times .... my summer months usually fly by in a blur because it's my busy time at work and well, it's summer - I don't want to be cooped up inside updating a blog! Hopefully, with the Fall season here I'll be able to keep up with it a little better.

I took this picture because this is what I love to do late at night before bed....plan out my day, read magazines and play on my iPad all in the comfort of my cozy bed.

Land of the Little Horses

2011-09-05T18:54:00.000-04:00

First of all, Dan and I can't say "Land of the Little Horses" without an English accent and busting out laughing for some reason - it's just one of those things. Anyway, we took Sadie, Alexa and Olivia to this place on Sunday and had a great time. Apparently it has been around forever (outside Gettysburg, Pa) and I actually may have been there one year with my 6th grade St. Matthew's class - I was wondering why I felt very deja vu about the place! It was a wonderful day with the girls!

Third Grade

2011-09-05T08:07:00.000-04:00

It's true, she's growing up too fast! She started Third Grade last week and I can't believe it. So far, she's loving it - loves her teacher and the kids in her class. It's going to be a great year!

Keeping with tradition, I pakced her new back pack full of goodies to start the year off with.

Up Up and Away ...

2011-08-31T16:07:00.002-04:00

A Rainy Day

2011-08-31T16:05:00.000-04:00

Farmer's Market Fun

2011-08-31T07:15:00.000-04:00

This was the first time this year that we made it to Farmer's Joe Farmer's Market. It's my favorite one because it has so much variety and you get to pull around these little wagons (Olivia likes that!). We bought the ripest tomatoes you have ever seen and made a tomato and mozzarella salad that night - YUMO!

We also had a little fun while we were there - hehehe

2011-08-27T21:03:00.000-04:00

During our beach week, Tammy, Mom and I went to see The Help. Soooooo good - one of the best movies I have seen in a long long time. I read the book a few months ago and it actually broke the long standing rule of usually books are always better than the movie. This time, I dare say the opposite was true - although the book was a great read too.

The Help Movie Trailer

There is one scene in the movie where one of the maids wakes up "baby girl" every morning saying this (with an awesome Southern drawl). I can't get the quote out of my head and I have a mind to wake up Olivia every morning saying this .... with proper grammar of course, LOL!

"You is Niiiiiccccce"

"You is Smaaaaaart"

"You is ImpORtant"

Goof Ball

2011-08-27T17:56:00.000-04:00

In case anyone is wondering if I'm one of those "lucky" mom's whose child is always ready and willing to be photographed ... ummmmm, let's just say these few photos prove that I have to work for pictures of Olivia. For every nice photo she insists that that I take a picture of her being goofy and then rushes over to make sure I actually DID take the picture! I don't mind the price to be paid - plus some of these show her true character. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up on Saturday Night Live someday!

Beach Ballerina

2011-08-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

One evening we went down to the beach for pictures ... I tried 'posing' Olivia, but it really wasn't working, so in exasperation I said just go dance in the waves ... turns out those were the best pictures. Lesson learned, let kids do what they naturally they do - those are where the best pictures will come from.

Puzzle Time

2011-08-27T16:50:00.000-04:00

At the beach, Nanny brought Olivia a puzzle of Golden Retriever puppies. Everyone spent some time putting the puzzle together. It was a rainy day activity - as that day at the beach was not so 'beachy'.

Jump for Joy!

2011-08-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

We went to Sea Isle City, NJ for a week - had a great time. We stayed at my sister, Tammy's, brother/sister in-laws house. Mom, Bill, Carolyn, Tammy, Billy, Teresa and Any all joined us ... including Tammy's niece, Hailey - a perfect play mate for Olivia at the beach for the week.

Can this girl jump - or what!?

I Heart Faces - Pet Photo Challenge

2011-08-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

It started early, when Rosie was just a puppy, everywhere we would go .... Oh the attention she would get! We called her our "Rock Star" and boy did she lap up the attention everywhere she went. We also call her Olivia's "Friend Facilitator" ... being an only child, it's sometimes hard to join a group of already playing children ... but when you have the advantage of having a dog with you ... and a lovable, soft, furry, kisses up and down Golden Retriever - well that takes the cake and you are one popular kid! We love our little Rosie .... and it seems as though all who come into contact with this lovable fur ball, falls in love with her too!

I thought this picture shows Rosie's personality through and through!

I Heart Faces - "Friendship" Photo Challenge

2011-08-08T18:26:00.000-04:00

Me and My Peeps!

Little Ms. Curiousity

2011-08-06T00:40:00.003-04:00

2011-08-06T00:37:00.003-04:00

Wicked

2011-07-29T15:28:00.000-04:00

My girlfriends, sisters and niece went to see Wicked at the Kennedy Center this past weekend. It was by far, the BEST play I have ever seen. I highly recommend it and would love seeing it over and over again! I almost cried at the end - which I never do at plays. ... it was just THAT good! We had an awesome time!

Prior to the play we all went to Georgia Brown downtown DC for brunch and stuffed ourselves. Also celebrated Amy's birthday. Amy busted the moves ... a treat for her birthday! LOL - so much fun!

Office - Inspiration Board

2011-07-27T13:38:00.001-04:00

Annual Peppe Green Family Camping Trip

2011-07-26T22:02:00.000-04:00

For the second year in a row, we went back packing with the Peppe's. This year, we hiked about 1.5 miles and camped next to a stream. Actually not to far from where we camped last year, but I think a much better spot. Our packs were HEAVY .... even Olivia carried her share (well not really, but she did carry her clothes and a few of her tihngs). I loaded Rosie up for sure - dang sure not going to give the dog a 'free ride'. I carried most of the food so I was happy that my pack was much lighter (although still heavy) on the way out!

We had a great time.

Very excited about this ....

2011-07-18T20:34:00.002-04:00

Last Day of School

2011-07-09T14:05:00.002-04:00

You would never suspect that this is the face you would get on the last day of school! Olivia was so upset about missing her teacher, Mrs. Brewer, she was inconsolable for half the day! She got over it, but I couldn't help but laugh a little - what a crazy kid to be this upset about last day of school!!

Girl Scout Camp

2011-07-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

Olivia went to a week sleep-a-way Girl Scout Camp for the first time this year. She had a great time ... we missed her soooo much!

And coming home - not too bad ... had some sticks in her hair, but at least she was in one piece!!

Olivia's 8th Birthday Party

2011-07-09T12:37:00.000-04:00

We hosted a sleepover for Olivia's 8th birthday party. We had so much fun and the kids were great. Olivia is so fortunate to have such a great group of little friends!

First we all played outside - the weather was perfect ... water balloon tosses, hot tub, duck-duck-goose .... get their energy out was the first order of business!

The we did some crafts - they made their own party hats. Later on we painted owls.

Then some cake and ice-cream ...

Then a murder-mystery scavenger hunt ... love the look on their faces. They all loved playing detective!

And finally around 1am it was lights out!

Have You Ever Seen a Happier Dog?

2011-07-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

The Start of a Garden

2011-07-02T20:13:00.000-04:00

Back in late April, Dan came home with the start of a vegetable garden kit from seeds. The seedlings sat in our office window sill for a good month while they sprouted (all over the place I may add!) until he finally planted them outside. I'll post pictures of their final resting place soon - but here are some pictures of our veggie garden's birth.

Stop the car!

2011-07-02T13:53:00.000-04:00

Poor Dan, he knows when I bring my camera on a drive anywhere - he must be prepared to STOP at a moments notice if I see something faboulous to shoot. He's such a good sport too - never complains; well for the most part anyway!

2011-07-02T13:49:00.001-04:00

The Bull Ride that never was to be ...

2011-07-01T22:24:00.001-04:00

Back in April we learned that a Bull Riding Competition was coming to town ... little did we know how popular this even would be as they ran out of tickets before we got there .... we hung out awhile hoping the will call tickets wouldn't all come - but they did :-( ... so we hung out a bit listening to the cheers inside, took a few pictures, and ate some popcorn ....then went home vowing next year when the bulls come to town ... I'll get advance tickets!

2011 White House Easter Egg Roll

2011-06-24T10:54:00.009-04:00

I finally got around to posting pictures from the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll. We were lucky enough to win the drawing to be invited (or thanks to Trudi for entering for us and winning!) We were able to take with us three of Olivia's friends. It was not exactly what I was expecting - the heat and loooonnnnnggggg lines were a little too much, but at least we said we went and participated in this annual event.

Batter Up

2011-06-19T17:26:00.000-04:00

Dan took Olivia out to the batting cage for the very first time. After a few attempts, she got the hang of it and enjoyed herself. Afterwards, I asked her if she would like to join a girl's softball team ... she answered, "Nope Mommy I'm still a gymnast."

We had just a little bit of drama ... one of the balls hit her hand, but she kept on swinging and crying in the batter's cage until her balls were done ... then she came out and cried it out a little ... but got back right in in there.

Summer is for Dog's Too!!

2011-06-17T16:04:00.000-04:00

Stay .... stay ... okay you can sniff .... stay .... EAT IT!

Good Dog!!

Side Serving of Heart Attack Please

2011-06-01T06:49:00.000-04:00

Look at my child - this dare devil girl !

Is it Summer yet?

2011-05-31T21:44:00.001-04:00

To Be A Kid Again !!!

2011-05-30T11:06:00.000-04:00

Jen hosted a Memorial Day picnic on Sunday - we all had a blast, especially our kids!