First day of school

Welp...
So, It is definitely NOT going to be easy dropping/picking up 3 different kiddos from 3 different schools. This morning the routine took forever and a day, but I had to go in with Joseph and Isabel and take pictures (Andrew would've died of embarrassment had I done that with him). Also, when I sat my keys down in Joseph's classroom to snap a couple photos, another mom put her paperwork on top of my keys...it took forever to find them, and made Isabel sort of late on her very first day of school. Off to a great start, huh? The good thing about that is that since we were running late, her class was already lining up to go somewhere and I didn't have a lot of time for "waterworks", so it actually helped me to not have a breakdown. That's a good thing.
So, I don't plan on doing anything productive today. Maybe a few deep breaths as I contemplate on how I got here: a son in 7th grade, a son in 3rd grade, and a daughter in Pre-K. Also, I am wondering if starting Izzy a yr. earlier than she had to was a good idea? She is excited, and she is the one who wanted to go, but, she is my baby. I figure we will see how the first couple weeks go. I can always pull her out, right? Right!
Anyhoo, hope all of you with kiddos starting back today aren't tooooo sad, and I hope you all have an awesome school year!
Here are a couple photos from this morning:
Izzy, Andrew, Joseph

Izzy, insisted on carrying her own backpack even though it weighed a ton!

Andrew and his friend, who we carpool with

Bigger photos

This post is just to try and figure out a way to post so that my photos are larger...they have been showing up so small. I love this picture of my boo & my preciosa on the boardwalk...



And this is the one from the "Color" post I just did...

Color

So, the AGD blog I like to keep up with is doing a post, where we can all paritcipate, about photos with color...I chose this photo, because even though there aren't lots of different colors...I love the colors in the photo. It was one of my favorite pictures from our beach vacation. My daughter and niece were playing and I thought the sky & water were so beautiful...



I only wish I knew how to make my photos appear larger on my blog...anyone?

Happy day...

My big (as in older, not bigger, because she is not) cousin, Em, got married this last weekend. It was short, simple, and beautiful. She is not only family, but a good friend. We grew up together (mostly). She moved around a lot because of her dad's job, but we always found a way to stay close. When I was younger, I totally looked up to her. When her family lived here, I went home with her some. We would always get a pudding pop before she had to go off to piano lessons. My brother, her brother, us, and tons of other neighborhood kids always met up at the "Big Field". We would play spy and she would be code name "Cover girl" and I would be "Fig Newton Head". Hey...I didn't say I was proud about all of our past...I'm just stating the facts. We would play with our Madame Alexander dolls and "Real Babys". We spent countless hours at G-ma's (& with G-ma)...out on the roof, or playing library, or trying G-ma's coffee (I never liked it, so I wonder why I've grown so fond of it the past couple of years). Em taught me quite a bit. And, we got in quite a bit of trouble together. When I was visiting her in Jersey, on one particular (not planned, against the rules, we got in big trouble for ) trip to the shore, I learned the meaning of "lewd". No, we were not participating in it, but we did learn what it was...and we'll just leave it at that. However, I did hear that the guy that was with us appeared on an episode of "COPS" a few years later. NICE! Add that one to the "Stories to pass onto your children"...or not. She gave me a baby shower when I was way too young to be having a baby, she made me feel accepted and ok (even though I really wasn't). She's been there with me through a lot...and I'm so glad she has been. Anyway, those memories are just the tip of the iceberg. There are thirty years of memories with her engraved on my heart. She's a good cousin, mom, & friend...and is going to make a great wife and step-mommy. I pray that her and Jason will always, always cherish each other. I pray that their lives together are nothing short of blessed. I pray that their blended family has many years of happiness ahead. Heck, if he's good enough to her, maybe she'll teach him about lewd behavior...you never know...

So...Congrats to Emily...Jason...and the kiddos...
Thanks for sharing your special day, I couldn't be any happier for you guys...
Live every day with love and gratitude for each other...
Hugs

Salt

Well, we have been back from the beach for a couple of days now. I am already ready to head back. There is just something special about the beach. Don't get me wrong, I love being home, we are so blessed, but the beach is just healing, in a way.
While there, I was shopping and found a plaque that I brought back to my mom. It said this:
"Anything can be cured with Saltwater- Tears, Sweat, or the Sea"
I love that quote, for me, so so true.
It was a week of relaxation,reflection,family time, joy, new experiences, and memories...new memories that were made with my family, and also memories I already had...which included the two separate times each of my grandmothers took me to the beach, years ago...even though they weren't there with me this time, somehow I felt close to them there...I wrote their names in the sand, as to wave a little hello up to Heaven...



Anyway, I am so thankful the Lord blessed us with a vacation, it was so carefree and a much needed time for our family...I'm not saying we deserved it anymore than anyone else, but we've had a heck of time lately.
Here are a few more pictures from the past week...





I so can't believe the Summer is almost over :-( bummer

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Well, it's Monday...again!

I did not spend my anniversary,on July 3rd, preparing, cooking, serving, and cleaning up after others. I didn't forgo special time spent with my hubby to have some one's bday bash at my house, instead. And even if I did, I wasn't secretly wishing I was on some romantic getaway with my hubs...not one tiny bit. I am a really gracious host and would never, ever...

I didn't spend half of my life savings on fireworks so we could enjoy time together as a family and feel patriotic. After I didn't spend a small fortune on them, I certainly didn't spend the evening being anal about how, where, and when the fireworks were set off, because, ya know, fireworks are totally safe and I am not concerned about my 12 and 8 year old with matches. I didn't force all the children to stand a mile away and watch them. I also didn't smother them with OFF so they wouldn't be mosquito magnets and contract the West Nile Virus...or whatever it is they're carrying these days.

After making our vacation plans, I didn't sulk about having to go to the beach since Mexico, then Disney were my choices before that. I mean, with the way the economy is, most people would be glad they are even getting a vacation...so I would never complain about that, it would be so immature and such a horrible example for my kiddos. I'm the best mother/role model in the world, and I would never...

I didn't let my daughter go three days without washing her hair this past week. That would be disgusting, and CPS should be called if you ever hear of any mother doing so...a child can't be very well cared for if they are not even made to scrub their scalp. Hello!?

I did not get baby fever and start to long for another child, and then realize I had lost my mind and was so thankful that I only had three kiddos all in one hour...that sounds like some hormonal, freak of a woman...of which I am not!

I do not secretly wish someone would come pick up my three kids plus my two nieces I almost always have and go entertain them while I head to the Spa. I was so ready, thrilled, psyched for Summer vacation/school to be out and now that these precious blessings are home with me all day, every day, every minute, I do not wish I could just get a moment's rest...some quiet time...Nope, not me, I would never wish time away from my babies!

Last but not least, I did not waste my time away on FB and my blog, while considering putting all these children to work with chores...I would never think about having them slave away while I sat on my rump wasting time...Not I, not this Mamma...NOT EVER! After all, I'm mom of the year, Remember?!

So, I hope you all have a fabulously blessed week, month, Summer...I hope you get quality time with your kiddos...and to yourself ;-)

Prayer

This morning, in church, Pastor Jason talked with us about the importance of prayer. He told us how powerful, meaningful, and awesome prayer is.
He also spoke of Romans 5:1-2...Prayer, is a privilege.
I am thankful & blessed I can speak to God, but I can't honestly say I've ever thought of it as a privilege...
We should not only pray, but be grateful we are even blessed enough to be able to pray.

I pray daily, at different times, for different reasons.
I pray for others often, just like most people, but today I was reminded that we should be praying even MORE for others. We should spend (or at least I should) more time interceding on the behalf of others...those who are lost, hurting, and suffering...those in desperate need of healing.
Our nation, our town, our leaders...also all in need of constant prayer.
Pastor Jason reminded me that I can help the children of Uganda, the people in Costa Rica, etc...without ever leaving my living room...I can do it with prayer.
So, I am going to try my very best, to start a prayer journal.
It's a way I can hold myself accountable to being more committed to prayer, especially for others.
I want prayer to be even more, mean even more, than it has in the past.
I want to look at my journal and see what I have prayed for and be renewed in my Faith by seeing God has answered my/our prayers.

I am also super excited that Pastor Jason's sermons will soon be available on the Internet...I think this is awesome because my ADHD mind doesn't always soak everything up, and I'm not a good note taker...so it will be great being able to come back and listen again to what we learned, in my own time...I think it will stick with me better that way, too.

Hope you all had a very blessed 4Th of July...God bless America, you, and your families :-)