Monday, February 28, 2011

Busy Family Week-end

WARNING: this will be a long picture post!

What a fun week-end! By now I'm sure my readers know that I'm more than a bit crazy about my family! I was looking forward to seeing Gina and Joe on Saturday. It's always a special time when they can come for a visit. They arrived sometime around 2:30 in the afternoon. We sat and visited, Gina warmed up some soup I had made, we all had a cupcake that I was preparing for the special party the next day. Marcy, Scott and Paityn came and we soon all headed to Country Table for dinner. Kim, Corey, Christy and the kids were able to come too. Greta and Lynn were in western PA with Lynn's family to visit his sister. What a great time we had. Not sure if the couple at a table across from us felt the love, though. Marcy thought the lady seemed a bit disturbed by the kids as they waited for their meal. We weren't letting them be wild....they are little ones being little ones. Oh well! After we ate, we headed to the bake shop. Most of us chose the huge whoopie pies to take home. Kim called her family to ask what they wanted.....she walked out with about 12 of them! I chose a wonderful muffin called Morning Glory. Yummy! Gina and Joe headed back home again. She called me after 10 to say they arrived safely.

Pictures taken on the cell phone because I forgot my camera.....


Gina and Joe

Marcy and Scott

Paityn entertaining Zoe

Corey and Ellen enjoying some relaxing conversation before dinner

Kim, Ellen and Corey

Mommy entertaining Aidan while waiting for dinner.
Mommy has a vivid imagination!
Quite entertaining =)


Sunday was another family day. I had to be at church early to warm up with the worship team. What a wonderful service. It's always wonderful. We heard a sermon on Hope. Wonderful....I seem to be using that word a lot!

After church, it was to the Community Center where a party was being prepared for a special 1 year old Sweetheart. Hubby dropped me off to help then headed home with Ellen. They returned later. Christy and her friend already had a lot done. We were ready about 15 minutes before the party! Enjoy the pictures.....

Dessert Table
Isn't it pretty?

The Birthday Girl was hungry before the guests arrived.
So she ate!

Mommy decorated some of the cupcakes that Nana made with pictures.

Sweetheart cupcakes for the Sweetheart!

Christy had some pictures and a vase left over.....
We put our heads together and came up with this arrangement.

The girly-girl gift table!


Ellen didn't want her picture taken!

Enjoying being together!

Brenden tied balloons together for Ryley

Christy's mom with her girls!
L-R
Karen, Laura, Lisa, soon to be DIL Katie, Donna holding her daughter Ryley, Christy holding Zoe

These boys were really into the craft!

So was Aidan!
Notice the shiner on Aidan's eye -
he got that at our house Friday night!

Gift time!
Lots of helpers!

Zoe seems to be ok with the help.
Christy had them take turns.

These two cousins are so cute together!

Happy Birthday to you!

Anticipation!

Is this thing all for me??

Yum yum!
Going for the icing and red sugar first =)

Loving it!

She is the neatest 1 yr. old I have ever seen!

It is so hard to believe that Zoe is already 1 yr. old! We prayed so earnestly for this little girl while she was being formed. During the first ultrasound there were some possible abnormalities found in her development. While we would love this little one no matter what, we are so grateful to God that He saw fit to bless us with a little girl without challenges.


Today it's raining and we already had two thunderstorms. A good day to stay inside! My little ones will be coming this afternoon. Should be a fun time! Have a great Monday!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Ellen loves to dance!

Ellen dances all the time here at home. She loves to dance! Last evening was the February Aaron's Acres activity and it was a Valentine's dance! She was looking forward to it. Greta was home yesterday so she fixed Ellen's hair and helped her to get dressed.

Isn't she beautiful?

Ellen took her camera to the dance. Someone captured some great shots of her dancing. When I went to pick her up, I was told that she had her groove on! 

L-R.....
Allie, Nicole, Ellen, Elizabeth

This is one happy teen!

Go, Ellen!

Didn't Greta do a great job on her hair?

These three girls are best friends.....
they are classmates, they play baseball on the same team
and cheer together.

* I forgot to add that on the way out to go home Ellen said "My feet hurt"!
 I bet they did!
Aaron's Acres is the best program for kids with disabilities. We are so blessed to have Ellen involved in these activities. We heard of the summer camp but could never have her go because of my work schedule, I couldn't take her or pick her up. And it's very expensive. We heard of this school year program from her friends parents and decided to check it out. It was last minute to sign her up so we just paid out of pocket rather than ask for funding through Lancaster Co. MH MR. Ellen is the kind of kid who can be very content to just stay home and do her own thing. We felt this would be a great activity for her and it has not disappointed us. Each kid has an adult buddy. These people are mostly college kids who are studying Special Ed, PT, OT. Every activity Ellen attends, Megan is also there too. Awesome!

This week we had our annual meeting with Ellen's MH MR caseworker. Since I'm not working and income is tight , we decided to ask for funding for summer camp and the school year program. Her case worker is pretty sure we will get it this year but can't be sure for the future. (new Governor, not sure what budget cuts there will be). I am so thrilled to at least let her be involved in 2 weeks of camp this summer. There is also an afternoon session involving dance and an opportunity to swim this year. That is extra. Not sure if we will get funding for that or not. But her caseworker is hoping we will.....so am I!

I worked with elderly adults with disabilities. I saw such potential in them but because of the era they were born, opportunities for their development were not a reality. How sad. I'm sure their parents did the best they could. How thankful I am that Ellen has so much help through school and extra activities to become all that she can be....just like a typical kid can.

Today Gina and Joe are coming for a visit. I can't wait to see them again! We will go out for dinner with the rest of the family that can join us then they will head back home....a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Well, I have some clean up to do before they get here.  And I have a bunch of cupcakes to make for a special birthday party tomorrow! Best get moving! Have a great week-end!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Happy Birthday, Zoe Rose!

There is a birthday in our family today....our sweet Zoe Rose is 1 year old! Last year I was at my desk when I got a call from Corey who told me they expected a baby by afternoon. I went to the office across the hall to let my friends know the good news, came back, got a call from Gina who said "she is soooo cute"! I said "what...is she here already"??? Corey had sent a picture to our cell phones and I didn't realize it....she came a whole lot faster than expected!  Needless to say, I had a hard time working the rest of the day. I wanted to make a trip to Women's and Babies Hospital really, really bad!

Ellen and I are loving this Little Sweetie!

Big Brother Aidan loves her too.
By the way, he still loves her and
she thinks he is the best  too =)

What a happy baby!


Baby Zoe is growing up so fast.

Showing off how big she is!


Zoe and Aidan will come to stay with me today. How wonderful to be with her on her special day! I am so blessed to be her babysitter. On Sunday afternoon there will be a Sweetheart Party to celebrate our Sweetie Zoe. Her Mommy has purchased some sweet decorations and Nana will bake some sweet cupcakes too.

Happy Birthday, Zoe! Nana loves you a whole lot!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

A quiet Tuesday, small things, grumpy's

Quiet days, I do like them once in awhile. It was a busy week-end and I kept my two sweeties yesterday so a quiet day seemed just right. I did some clean up and studied the lesson on Spiritual Gifts that I will teach next week at our Women's Ministry. I also read some good blogs.

Ellen has a dance to attend on Friday night with the youth group for kids with disabilities called Aaron's Acres. She didn't want to shop with me last week so I bought her a dress without her trying it on. It is so cute and I was hoping it would fit. She just put it on and it fits just right! It looks great on her. Small things just make my day sometimes!

Yesterday afternoon Aidan fell asleep while watching a movie. Corey let him sleep while he ate dinner then woke Aidan up so he could eat. Aidan doesn't like to be wakened. Therefore he was grumpy. I went to Aidan to try to talk him into coming to the table. He insisted that he has to go back to sleep...I asked why. He said it's dark outside. So we went around that one a few times. I asked him if he was grumpy. He said he was. So I told him that Nana gets grumpy too sometimes! That made him giggle even though he was upset!! I told him to go ask Ellen if Nana gets grumpy sometimes. He got right up! Moral of this story is....A Nana has to do what a Nana has to do. Even if it highlights her not so good times =)

Guess what....it snowed last night. Blahhhhh! After 70 degree weather on Friday which melted all the snow, we now have about 4 inches again and it's so cold outside too (single digits tonight). I know, I live in PA and it's still February. It snows in March around here too..... I really have a hard time looking on the bright side of winter at this point in the season =/ Come soon, spring!

That's it, that's all, folks! Dinner will soon be finished and Hubby just offered to make some coffee. I'll snuggle in a warm blanket and watch The Biggest Loser tonight. It will be alright!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Picture for today

Zoe says, Did I do that?

Sunday - church, family, food, FUN!

Yes, it was a fun Sunday again. The soup was good, both of them. (good recipes which I follow, I'm not that good of a cook) Kim had to work till 4 and sent a text saying to please save her some veggie pizza! It's been a long time since I made it. I think Ellen is the only one of our kids who doesn't care for it. I know I ate way too much of it! We watched the Daytona 500. Aidan and Paityn played so nicely. I can't remember a single squabble! Zoe took a nap on Pop Pop's lap....her favorite spot for a Sunday afternoon.

Paityn saw my shoes and decided to try them on....


If at first you don't succeed,
 try, try again!

Yes!
That smile says it all!
I love that little lady =)


Greta and Lynn
(they are so cute)


Before going home, Aidan wanted me to take a picture of him and his Mommy.


After the first picture, he wanted me to take another one.....

Say cheese!

It was such a good day!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Ramblings......

Where did the warm weather go??? Yesterday it was beautiful and so warm. It was starting to get very windy and colder at bedtime.

The winds never let up all day today. I did some cleaning and grocery shopping. What a challenge to push a full grocery cart across the parking lot! I also had to fill the car with gas....brrrrr!

 This evening I cooked two large chickens and made a huge pot of soup. It's cooling now. I also will put together spicy chicken tomato soup in the crock pot tomorrow morning. And I baked cookies (cheaters....ready to bake!), made a veggie pizza and cut up veggies to serve with dip for those who don't like the pizza. Even though I haven't said anything to the kids, I expect a house full after church! They usually show up and Mom is prepared to feed em good =)

Hubby did a fun project today. Will be fun for the kids, anyway! He painted part of a wall in the computer room with chalkboard paint! It needs to cure for 3 days. Then we will let the kids have some fun. Ellen is looking forward to writing on it too. Who knows, maybe the adults will have some fun showing their artsy side too! Hubby plans to put up some trim yet and I will figure out a fun way to store the chalk and an eraser.

My eyes are having trouble staying open. I best get to the kitchen again and finish the clean up then head to bed! Have a good night and a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cleaning, pondering, research, and Fab Weather!

This week is going by very fast! Tuesday and Wednesday I spent part of the day cleaning. I feel such an urgency to complete some work I started last year but never finished..... Ellen's old bedroom which is to be our exercise room. Oh the dust that has gathered there!! It's not finished but it's getting there.

Another project on the radar is our stuck in the 70's kitchen. I've been researching color ideas on the Internet for weeks. Finally, yesterday I went to the hardware store to look at paint samples to narrow down the possibilities. Of all the samples I brought home, I chose two different combinations of three coordinating colors. At first I thought combo #1 was the best.....then I put combo #2 together and thought that one was better. Then I spent all evening researching again......the more I read, the more unsure I was becoming. Ugggg!  Currently I am back to combo #1. But I want to check out more wall color samples just to be sure. And I'm not painting my cabinets white which apparently is a very, very popular choice!

What fabulous weather we are having right now! The snow is disappearing quickly. I am so OK with that! I can now cross the roads (yes, roads. we live on the corner of a T road... mailbox is not in front of our house) to the mailbox without fearing for my life. I have not been able to get off the road due to snow and ice. This afternoon Aidan and I went out side to kick a ball around on the deck. He loves to be outdoors!

Tomorrow I go to Jess to get the mop I have on my head trimmed into something that represents style =) I'm all over letting it get a little longer! After that appointment, I meet Christy and the children at the mall. Christy will work and the children and I will head back to our house. I may do a little bit of shopping before we head home. A wee bit bit of shopping! (mostly looking)

It's time to head to bed with my cup of tea. Sweet dreams!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A different kind of Valentine's Day

Two littles needed Nana at their house yesterday morning. After getting a few things done here, I was off to spend time with my sweet Aidan and Zoe. Aidan wasn't happy to have Mommy go to work but he got over it. We did a valentine craft project. I drew the hearts, Aidan scribbled with a red crayon over them, I wrote names on them and cut them out, Aidan assisted with the tape and pink yarn to hang them. We hung them in the doorway to the living room. We also found gold ribbon and hung that too. After they were done and I was still standing on the chair, Aidan put up his pointer finger to me and said "wait, wait! We need one for you, Nana!" I didn't think we needed one for me but to please the little man, we went to work and made one for Nana, hung it.....then Nana said we should make one for Pop Pop too. Aidan agreed. He was very pleased with our work!

I had dinner ready for Corey and the children before I left for home. At home, there was some good smelling BBQ chicken  breasts in the crock pot. I also had planned on baked potatoes but I guess I didn't set the oven correctly and they didn't bake! I did some in the microwave, but it's not the same. Hubby was busy fixing a toilet, lovely V-day project!! And these were waiting to be found when I came into the family room......

This white pitcher is what I prefer to use with cut flowers.
I think it shows off the flowers more than a vase.


We spent the evening relaxing at home. We were both tired.....we're so like old folks sometimes! Ellen wasn't tired. She spent the evening dancing as she always does!

Have a great Tuesday! I have much to accomplish.....up and at em =)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Zoe is SO big!

Hi, I'm Zoe. I will soon be a year old.

This is me with Aunt Kimmy at the beach house

This is me, too, with Nana.
I was just born.

 Nana has been doing this crazy thing to me for too long. She would put my arms in the air and  in a bright and cheery voice, I might add, say - SO BIG! I would give Nana my best 'I think you have lost your senses' look. But she ignored me and did it again! What is her problem??

On Thursday she did it again. So, to please her to pieces, I.....

...threw my hands into the air.
But I would not look at the camera!

Ok, since you insist...

I looked at Greta who was taking the picture.

And again...

I suggested to Nana that she may want to crop this one a little closer because....
  1. This is about me.....
  2. I'm pretty cute in this picture....
  3. And, Nana, your roots are showing!!
I found this SO BIG thing to be kinda fun. It seems to make my family really happy. So, if you would like me to do it for you, just ask!