The "Garden"

First day of Kindergarden... WOW (I will not cry)! My little guy. My little buddy of 5 1/2 years (still not crying but getting teary). My silly goose. My "little man" of the house. My gift from God (okay, now I'm crying). I cannot believe summer is about over and school is here! We had such an incredible summer with soo much fun and carefreeness that it is going to be hard for ALL of us to get into the school groove. Parker did great when I dropped him off this afternoon (amidst the chaos and confusion). He is sooo ready for this (me, on the other hand...well,the verdict is still out on that). I just hope and pray that I took full advantage of the past 5 1/2 years, teaching him how to be a good student, a decent friend and a leader with his peers. Trev and I joke that if anyone can make Jesus seem cool, it's Parker. I pray that he takes his enthusiasm and passion with him in his quiet, reserved way and makes an impact on those around him. He was so sweet when we were loading up the van to leave for school. He put his arm around me and said "Mom, the only thing I'm sad about it that I don't get to hang out with you and Lillie in the afternoons anymore." Such compassion and sweetness in a little body. He really is awesome and will be missed around here from 12:30-3:40 everyday!


Showing off his cool clear see-thru backpack. He is so practical. We saw Hulk backpacks and Superman ones and cool silver ones and he tells me he wants the clear kind so that "I can see if I have everything without opening it up! We nicknamed it "jellyfish"

Tricks of the Trade

So, I've been asked quite a bit this week how in the world we all survived 25 hours in a van with a 5 year old and 3 year old. I have to say our kiddos did really great but then again, we did have a few tricks up our sleeve. One of the best things we did was reward the kids for every hour they sat good. We would set a timer and every hour we were in the van it would go off. The kids then had the choice to either pick a money bag (a little ziploc with some coins in it) or a treat bag (a little ziploc with some sort of candy or snack item). The kids absolutely LOVED this. Parker is all about saving money and he will proudly admit that he earned $7.57 on this vacation just for sitting good. Lillie on the other hand will proudly admit she has officially tried every Dum-Dum flavor they make. For every 5 hours they sat in the van (we broke up the trip in 5 hour increments) they actually got the chance to pick a pre-wrapped gift (tattoos, toy phone, new swimming goggles etc). This was also a HUGE hit and a BIG incentive to be on their best behavior. It took a little prep beforehand but was well-worth the effort as we didn't have a bad hour during our 5 days on the road.

There is also this neat little invention called the Portable DVD player. I would be remiss if I didn't admit we watched our share of Veggie Tales and Laurie Birkner... 2008 is definitely a great year to be roadtripping with your family!

Home sweet Home

No matter how long I am gone from NY, the house on C. Ave will always be home. I LOVE being there. The smells of something Italian cooking in the kitchen, the creaks of the hardwood floors, the sounds of the neighborhood from the screened porch... they all scream out to me that "I'm home" and on some level, now my kids feel the same way. Parker LOVED playing and talking baseball with my Dad, the ever faithful Yankee fan and Lillie delighted in playing dolls and watering the garden with my mom. Grandmom and Pop, thanks for making such special memories for our kiddos. The time you spent with each of them was precious and significant. I was flooded with the wonderful fun memories of growing up in a loving home. It is such a blessing that my kids get to experience it as well.

Just Beachy

The first place we went when we finally arrived: The beach of course! The boys caught 2 horseshoe crabs and found quite a few jellyfish. I took advantage of God's greatest swimming pool (with a rather strong undertow) and Lillie played in the sand to her hearts content

SUMMER VACATION

Where do I begin? 24 hours in a van, 1500 miles and 2 small children in tow we are home from our NY vacation!! Having grown up in NY I took for granted that the city was a train ride away, the beach was a bike ride away and the best slice of pizza and most scrumptious bagels were a walk away. We had the greatest time sharing in all these adventures with our kids as we spent some time at my parents on Long Island. The trip was originally intended as a bridal shower for my sister but as Trev and I started talking we realized our kids are at such a great age to try this roadtrip. I can't even begin to condense all the photos we took, so over the next couple of days I will post pics from our daily excursions. Parker and Lillie were exceptional (sleeping wherever they needed too, sitting in a 5 point harness the WHOLE time in the van, and being troopers when the occasion called for it) and the #1 reason why this vacation will go down as one of my favorites ever!

THE VAN RIDE~ the sugar HIGH and the sugar LOW