river run.

for our getaway we spent our day 1 afternoon doing cannonballs, chicken fights, and swim races in the pool at the hotel , then we went to a great little restraunt on the river that we used to eat at when i was little! yummy! owen ate an entire order of ribs!!!
then we went for an evening walk at our hotel by the river and called it an early night!
this morning we got up and drove south to the next river and rented a pontoon boat.
it was great because we did not worry at all and the kids could walk around and look for manatees.
owen and todd opted to stay in the boat but wyatt, grace and i jumped in the freezing cold spring water for a little swim. we warmed up fast and swam around with so many fish under us! it was nice!

overnight trip for a great deal

okay anyone looking for a great getaway...here is one of our favorite spots and every once in awhile you can get a fntastic deal. right now $106. per night for a room on the river with buffet breakfast included!! can't wait. then you can rent a boat right at their marina for about $50. visit their site at www.plantationinn.com and click specials

aquarium visit

we had such a great visit to the aquarium today. grace loved the otters, owen loved the sea turtle, and wyatt's favorite part was the sharks and taking 100 pictures with his camera. we had a great lunch, but before we could hit the outdoor spray park the thunder started so we opted for a visit over to heather's house on the way home to play.

uncle chris' new bus

relaxing by the pool

banana splits

ebay

so here is about half of our ebay sales for the week ready to ship out! i was happy to see go until todd says "oh that is just the beginning!" and i thought my work was done!!!

25 questions for the birthday boy todd

1. What is your favorite drink? Margarita
2. What is your favorite sport? Skateboarding
3. What is your best childhood memory? Camping with my brother.
4. What were your childhood dreams? fireman, pro-skateboarder, stay-at-home dad
5. What was the best day of your life? I have 3---each of the days my kids were born
6. What was the worst day of your life? The day I found my brother dead :(
7. What has been your favorite vacation? Our road trip in the camper to ski in NC with our friends
8. What is your favorite movie? Team America
9. What are your most loved songs? "Exactly Where I'm At" Ween, "Hot for Teacher" Van Halen, and "Wish You Were Here"-Pink Floyd
10. Favorite concert you have been to? Ween this year
11. What are the most important qualities in a friend? honestly and there for you in tough times
12. Favorite website? www.thesamba.com
13. Favorite color? dove blue
14. What is your picture perfect day? it is what I do everyday-play outside during the day, playing baseball with the kids, and then at night having my buddies over in the garage for some beers
15. Where do you hope to be in 10 years? with a lot of my projects done--house, cars, business, and maybe a second business
16. Favorite room of the house? garage
17. What are the best qualities of your children?
Wyatt--so mature
Owen--shy
Grace--she's a nut
18. If you could have a second home where would it be? North Carolina
19. Favorite season? Winters in Florida
20. What is your favorite car you have owned? the 4 I have now
21. Which places would you pick to visit? Canada, Washington State, and Australia
22. To whom are you most thankful? my wife for keeping me in line
23. What are you proudest of? my family
24. What is the hardest decision you have ever made? to sell Snap-on business
25. What is the best part of turning 34 today? I am glad that I did not wait to have my family until now!


To my dearest hubby---I have loved you since I was 15 and been with you more years now than I have without you(so amazing). You are my world! I love that you are my past, my present, and my future! I love you! Jen

we can solve it

Simple Things We Can All Do:
1. Turn down the heat and air conditioning when you aren't home. Try using a programmable thermostat or setting your thermostat yourself to 68 degrees while you are awake and lower it to 60 degrees while you are asleep or away from home. In the summer, keep the thermostat at 78 degrees while you are at home, but give your air conditioning a rest when you are away. This will allow you to save about 10% a year on your home energy costs. If every house in America did this, our total greenhouse gas production would drop by about 35 million tons of CO2. This is about the same as taking 6 million cars off of the road.
2. Use a powerstrip.
3. Turn off computers nd monitors when not in use and use sleep settings during hibernation.
4. Pump your tires-eager to save money at the pump? According to AAA driving with under-inflated tires can hurt your vehicle's gas mileage by 2-3%. Over a year, that is like wasting an entire tank of gas.
5. Wash your clothes with cold water. If you usually use hot water for your laundry, you can cut energy by 50% by choosing warm water and up to 90% by choosing cold!!

Learn more and be part of the solution at www.wecansolveit.com.

human skateboard...for todd!

cousins in the closet

the kids love to hide in my parents storage closet and be super spies with flashlights! wyatt has moved up into the big kid games playing playstation with the "guys" instead so he is not in this picture.

last lecture

Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died at age 47 early Friday at his home in Virginia. Pausch and his family moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.

"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured; I'm hardly unique."

girlfriend's day at the pool

our friends debbie and alex were nice enought to invite us for a morning of swimming and lunch while the big kids were at gymnastics camp. as you can see it was a beautiful day and a great time!

thumbelina starring hadley bea...

fairy hadley!

gracie poo

maggie singing twinkle twinkle

take a stand--for free

OR

for a FREE obama button https://political.moveon.org/obamabuttons/

for a FREE mccain bumper sticker http://mccainstore.com/customerservice.htm

click to give.

i just found this great site listing sites where you can click and give to charities!

these were my favorites giving wonderful things in just one click---one second of your time. the best thing is you can go on each once a day:
www.thebreastcancersite.com
www.thestophivsite.com
www.landcareniagra.com
www.oceans.care2.com
www.theanimalrescuecentersite.com
www.buildaschool.org

building up

think it is by owen? nope...grace. how about the patterning and building all by herself on this from my little girl!! she is definitely a builder like her brothers!

birthday wishes

my sister and i used to LOVE when my mom would hand us the jc penny's catalog and pens and told us to circle what we wanted for our birthday and holiday gifts. grace's birthday is around the corner and she has been busy circling too!

complain free?

The goal...
"Be the change you want to see in the world" — Mahatma Gandhi
Research and studies indicate that positive people tend to be healthier, live longer and have a greater sense of well-being. Things "flow" better when you are in a positive frame of mind; synchronicities occur, the Law of Attraction comes into play and ... you are more fun to be around when your words and actions are aligned with positive thinking.

The concept...

It takes approximately 21 days to form a new habit. The idea behind POSITIVELY SPEAKING, is to get in the habit of being helpful, positive, encouraging and to move away from the habit of complaining, criticizing and negative comments. Of course, actions speak louder than words, so it's also about being kinder and more patient in our daily lives.
Your bracelet is a powerful tool to help you become more conscious and aware of the energy behind your words. Mahatma Gandhi said "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." We know that the power of intention can help co-create our reality. If we "Think before we speak", and choose positive language, then we should be able to make a positive change at an individual, community and global level.

When you have worn your bracelet on the same wrist for 21 days, you will have transformed your way of thinking and speaking. You will be well on your way to a positive, empowered and optimistic life.

my sister and i have discussed doing this but were not sure if we could make the commitment to remain positive. so here goes...when they come in, i will let you know my progress...interested? you can get 2 free bracelets per household (plus .75 for shipping).

out of the cubicle. (pause playlist music first)

i came across these videos...i know i am probably the last one in america but i love the message. it made me confident in todd and my decision that had weighed so heavy on us about his career. it makes you think about the fact that you only get one chance at the life we have and that there are times to take risks, make changes, grab hold of life.

summer kids.

car mania- pictures by wyatt.

the boys could not have been more excited...an early saturday morning car show with their daddy and grandpa to see ferraris, masseratis, and porshe! heaven for them. i love that wyatt loves to take pictures like i do! runs in the family. these are hits favorites 0f the 150 shots!

beautiful cousins!

papa's party.

my sister and i used to do shows at nana and papa's house with our cousins just like this. this generations program:
act 1: magic show starring wyatt and owen
act 2: hadley's fantastic hip-hop routine
act 3: freestyle dancing by drake, grace, and maggie
finale: all dance and sing!

the friday four. 1st edition

i decided to make a weekly addition to my blog---the friday four...i could do a weekly friday 40 but i am going to try to resist. sort of a thank you to all that make my life special!


1.Ole Kirk Christiansen-- in 1932, master carpenter and joiner in the village of Billund, Denmark, sets up business. His firm manufactures stepladders, ironing boards - and wooden toys. In 1934 the company and its products now take on the name LEGO, which is formed from the Danish words "LEgGOdt" ("play well"). In 1947 the LEGO company is Denmark's first to buy a plastic injection-molding machine for making toys. In 1949 the company produces about 200 different plastic and wooden toys, including Automatic Binding Bricks, a forerunner of the LEGO bricks we know today.

A special thank you for building my boy's imaginations over these past few years.

2. Papa--Happy birthday to a man that holds fast to life, family, and dancing! You always have a smile on and hug to give out. You are one of the most welcoming people I know; always happy to invite anyone into your home for a visit. You love to be surrounded by your family and you are so at ease with all your great-grandchildren running around you. Mostly thank you for raising my dad and teaching him to appreciate life and family too---not so much dancing though right dad :)

3. Dr. Maria Montessori-- Her innovative approach was that “Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.” What followed worldwide has been called the "discovery of the child" and the realization that: "...mankind can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation.”

Thank you for appreciating children and their endless potential!

4. Jennifer R.---thank you for being such a wonderful example of searching and finally finding the best solution to difficult circumstances. It is hard to be patient and keep a sense of humor when faced with challenges, but you always seem to keep a level and clear head. You are a great mom!

visited states.

my parents goal to visit every state has carried over to me...here are the ones so far for me...unfortunately the ones i would pick to visit next would be return visits choosing my favs:
boston, new york city, williamsburg, san francisco, and washington d.c.

now for a world map we are not so savy only visiting bahamas, france, and england...next pics for me would be australia, africa, and china. lucky for me once the kids hit middle school, they will take yearly world trips---cannot wait for that! guess we better start saving NOW!

how lucky!

a straightforward doctor visit for the boys annual physicals today. both in the 50th percentile for weight and both on the top chart for height..."everything looks great" she said. so simple and typical...but then i began to realize...how lucky am i to have had such a good visit with good news. i know how quickly things can turn, so for an "easy" visit... i am thankful!

smartie "under"pants.

"look mommy i did it!" as my 2-year old calls to me! she put this entire 28-piece puzzle together in order all by herself---good job gracie!

museum of science---fun for kids...sad for parents.

dino-grace---roar!
psychedelic owen
wyatt always wherever the gears are
owen on a bed of nails

we visited the science museum today and took in the dinosaur exhibit (cool), an IMAX ocean movie, and the children's exhibits. the kids had a great time with all the fun. i am not too thrilled that they have a fetus exhibit with deceased babies ranging from 6 weeks to full term encased and floating...it is beyond me who could let their unborn child be on display...honestly, i never really feel like complaining especially in the name of science but i thought this went too far especially at a museum intended for children...and to think we purchased the year membership today...

but loved seeing the kids enjoy it!