the little things...

Who knew that the $10.00 pool from 3 years ago would still be a big hit?

Nice pools in the n'hood and yet - we're in the backyard playing in our baby pool. HA!

I did go and grab a fun pool for the kids for the backyard, but there's some leveling to do - our yard is NOT level at ALL....

So until then, sprinkler, slip and slide, and just somewhere to splash - is all they need....

New Beginnings...

I can't believe it, he's graduating....

Right in front of my eyes, I watched this young man grab a diploma and literally walk across a stage that means ending one chapter and starting a new one.

He, along with his class, beamed with pride. All the while, I sat with proud tears rolling down my cheeks. Proud that I could be there at last minute to watch as the kid who used to chase me around the house when I'd visit, is starting to chase his dreams. Dreams that will come true for him as long as he keeps his focus.

Congrats Nick Nick! You have made me proud to call you my nephew, proud to hold the title of being your Aunt. Your dad would have been glowing with pride to be there. As I watched you walk across that stage, for a moment, I felt like he was right there - smiling down on you... I love you Nicholas!!!

life

Not been in the bloggin mood lately... but I'll be back with pictures soon!

Lost my harddrive on my main pc, which meant I lost EVERYTHING. I hadn't completed a backup to my external harddrive for about 6 months. SUCKS!!

Life is chaos right now. Too much to even contemplate blogging about. Will be back soon!!

the last concert of the year

The last concert of the year was a big hit!!

Above is a photo of his teacher, and below is a photo of his best "girl" friend. He says that's all they are, but it was fun to watch them flirt in between songs and during warmup.

The group did an amazing job, it was such a noticable improvement from the previous concert!!

Big E and I registered for next years classes, and it includes advanced Orchestra. He wants to put flames on his violin!

colors

Tonight the sky was whipped with clouds, stacked on top of each other, and looked heavy with rain - but it has yet to rain this evening. The wind is blowing pretty strong; the colors of the sky are AMAZING as the storm clouds blow overhead.

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. ~Rabindranath Tagore

oh - and I love my hair chick.

She rocks my hair. I can't hardly style it as good as she can, but man she is gifted with those scissors in my opinion!! I gave her a picture, and she worked magic!

Misty ROCKS!!

finding my focus

I found my focus on that flower there... with my good camera...

recently switched to iPhone and found a snazzy app that makes pics look aged; thanks to my cool friend Sharnee ... its not in focus, but the subject is clearly family...

my close friend Jenn took these pictures; I'm not at all a fan of being serious in candid shots - so I may look like a total GOOBER in both - but those are my boys - and we've been spending some serious quality time together. I realize now, more then ever, how very precious this time is with my kiddos.

headed uptown

One of my bestie's came over today with her kiddo's and we headed uptown to ride the train for a while, and have a nice lunch at a super cool soda shop! Outside of the soda shop, and all across town during our train ride, we saw interesting stone work like this one below. Snapped this one with the iPhone, so it's not the best quality - but it's still pretty!!

Waiting on the train to pick us up and take us back to the car!

Overall, this spring break has been a blast for the kids and I!!!

The Final Review!

For the past two weeks I've posted links to my Citizens Journalist Program review's for Nintendo and the Wii Fit Plus over at the WiiMommies site where this awesome program was offered! This is my last week to post a review on the assignment I was given based on my entry.

I’ve had such a blast getting to know the Wii Fit Plus Routines! I can tell already that my flexibility is getting better, and my muscle tension is less frequent. I haven’t been able to commit to daily workouts, but I have tried every other day at this point. I decided to give a mini review of each area that was assigned to me, so I’ll apologize in advance if it’s lengthy. I was assigned Lifestyle, Health, Youth and Form.

Go over to WiiMommies Site HERE to read my full review!

park - unedited

These are gasp straight out of the camera (SOOC in fancy DSLR talk)

above: big E rarely glances at the camera, he's too busy running around...

little J is a red cheeked hot kid today - it's 90+ degrees in APRIL!!

not too long after these we hit the road, it was a little hot, and it was barely 130pm!

sometimes I have a few edits to make for over or under exposure, but these just looked colorful enough to post SOOC...

Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson