Late Nights With Bridget

My Friend Andy

2011-03-29T19:45:00.003-04:00

This is Andy. He wanted me to update my blog. That gave me an idea. How about profiling my friends?! So I'll start with Andy. Any future posts about friends may or may not include fictional characters and/or made up names to protect the identity of the real individuals.

Andy likes to wear this hat. I'm pretty sure it's permanently attached to his head with fake hair coming out of it. Andy has 2 kids and 1 wife. They are good people. Short sentences are good. Andy is short. He likes when people come up to him (Ryan!) and say, "Hey there, lil fella!" Next time you see Andy, do that. He loves it.

Andy is very ....ooops, my timer just went off, time to feed my kids! Hope y'all like the Andy story!!!!

You Know What?

2011-03-19T06:03:00.002-04:00

I'm going to keep my blog going. I was a click away from hitting "Delete Blog" when I started reading over my past posts. It's now just a matter of me not feeling like copying the ones I want to keep for memory's sake. I had some fun posts that I would really like to remember and keep them.

I think the main reason I have felt so un-bloggy lately is because my Dad is going through some serious medical issues and it's got me a bit down. I honestly don't know who's reading along any more. But my dear Jason commented that he still checks every day - so that's enough right there for me to keep going. Thanks, Jason!

So, we enter into a new weekend. The last couple days have been so nice and warm. Spring is slowly making a comeback in Virginia!

The kids had a blast on St. Patrick's Day parading around the backyard with 2 Irish flags. The grass is getting greener, the birds are returning in force. Color has been defeating the cold gray Winter dullness.

It always amazes me how we go from lifeless, cold, dark days to Daylight Savings and a sudden awakening of the buds on the trees. During Winter, you feel like there are never-ending cold days and too many snow days and Spring will never come again. But it does, every year. And I never get sick of those first bright and warm days that signal a new beginning. It changes your attitude, it gets you hopping out of bed in the morning instead of dreading the cold day ahead. March is magical in that way. I suppose I am more in tune with it since this is the month of my birth. I was born in New York where Spring took just a little longer to make its presence known. But my Dad always recounts the story of the day I was born. He said it felt like the first day of Spring. It was warm, sunny and delightful after a Winter in New York, that I am sure my parents felt, would never end. They even opened up the window in the room to let in the beautiful warmth of that sunny 12th of March!

Maybe I am rambling on at this point, but I cannot state enough how much I love March and the renewal it brings. Somehow, I bet most of my readers (Jason!) feel the same.

So on that note of renewal, I bring my blog back to life. I hope to be able to post new things, fun things, different things. I hope to be able to post more frequently and try to figure out the right direction for this blog. Thanks for coming along on my journey. Enjoy the Spring!

Shut Down

2011-03-02T02:15:00.003-05:00

I want to shut down my blog, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. No one is reading this anyway. I asked over 4 months ago if I should go on. I'll take the silence as a "no." Hope you have enjoyed my posts, even though they became few and far between. If I figure out how to shut this puppy down, I will do so. Last chance to voice an opinion on the matter!

Should I Call It Quits?

2010-10-13T03:44:00.002-04:00

I'm not even sure anyone checks this blog anymore. I have been too lazy to blog. Or, have I been too uninspired to blog? I don't know which is the case. I'm wondering if now is the time to close shop. Or I could try to post a wee bit of something a day. It doesn't have to be a huge post, I guess. I've just been out of the habit for so long, I don't know if I can get back into it.

Thought of the day: The Chilean Miners being rescued right now. If you have a bad day today, remember them. At least you weren't stuck in a mine for 70 days.

August

2010-08-04T01:30:00.000-04:00

Lots on my mind. Please pray for my Daddy.

July's Almost Over!

2010-07-29T00:43:00.003-04:00

And you thought I wouldn't squeak in a July post! Well, here it is! I can't say I have much stuff to write about. We went to Ohio for a family reunion. That was fun - kids had a blast running all over the farm where it was held. We also spent a day on the lovely shores of Lake Erie! It was a perfect day, just about 90 degrees and the water of the lake was as clear as I had ever seen it. Good times.

Got home from Ohio, then I headed up to NJ and back again the next day. Long story. Some of you may know it. Anyway, no sooner had I returned from Jersey that I had to prepare for a 3 day visit from my Father-in-law. Which was fine - but I just needed a break, and felt like I would never get one. We had a nice visit with him, and he left just this passed Monday. And then I started to feel achy. As soon as Jason got home Monday evening, I got a fever. I have been sick ever since. So much has just piled on and on and on me lately, I feel like I don't have time to breathe. It's been a bit nuts. Say a prayer for me and my family!

Anyway, I suppose now you want a picture, huh? Well, here you go:

This was the temperature when I went out last Saturday. 104 degrees. It's been one hot July.

June

2010-06-11T16:45:00.003-04:00

Michael hitting a water balloon on the last day of Baseball Camp today

I've been thinking about it, and I think June is the best month of the year. More on that later. My "Low Battery" warning just popped up. DANG IT!

May Construction or Destruction

2010-05-24T16:55:00.002-04:00

We're slowly starting to work on our kitchen by ripping down the hideous wallpaper that has been here since we moved in almost 4 years ago. We're not sure what color we're going to paint the kitchen, but it'll be better than the wallpaper!

Stay tuned for more picture updates. We have alot of work to do.

April

2010-04-15T19:41:00.003-04:00

The weather is lovely. But I wish I was back in Florida. There's nothing like the beach. All is well. I haven't anything exciting to post. So here's a picture of a zebra....

MARCH!!!!!!!!

2010-03-01T17:00:00.002-05:00

Today is Katerina's 5th birthday! What a great way to start March each year! Next birthday is mine on the 12th, then we have St. Patrick's day on the 17th and Spring begins on the 20th! Good stuff in March - good stuff!

February

2010-02-04T04:05:00.003-05:00

It looked like Narnia Wednesday morning.

Boy, do I hate this month.

But, we've had a fantastic winter so far, I have to say. I'm constantly entertained by the level of panic that comes with every little snowflake that falls from the sky. We've had an unusually snowy winter here for Virginia. But I felt like a kid today (after I shoveled the driveway) when I was playing in the snow with my own kids. It was perfect. The last few snows were too cold to play in, but the 4+ inches we got Tuesday night melted to a manageable 2 inches or so of good packing snow. And it was in the upper 30s, so it wasn't miserable freezing cold. We made a little snow castle - and by "we" I mean me - and little mini-snowmen. The kids were thrilled when I suggested that they use some pines from the bushes by our front door as "hair" for their snowmen. They thought that was great! I was out for about 2 hours until it got dark and I realized I had to become Mom again and make dinner.

They're predicting another storm for Saturday. This one could dump about a foot of snow! Awesome! I'm sure the stores will be packed with panicking Virginians tonight running around the aisles picking up all the bread, eggs and milk that they MUST have to survive the 1 day that we MIGHT be snowed in. Cracks me up. Going to the store before any snow comes, be it an inch or a foot, you'd swear that we were at war and everyone must stock up because there won't be food delivered to grocery stores for months. Silly people. I'll go to the store too, but not because I'm panicked that I'll never get food again. Rather, I go because it's very entertaining to watch.

January

2010-01-25T17:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I have nothing much to say. Just trying to keep things in order around here. I want to throw out about 1/2 of the stuff we have. It's always fun to just go through the storage areas and just chuck stuff. I hate that we have so much junk - and lots of hand-me-down junk too. Here's a thought: If someone wants to give you something that THEY want to GET RID OF, then IT'S TRASH!!!! Tell them to throw their own damn trash out and not just ship it off to you! ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Traditions

2009-12-29T13:53:00.004-05:00

We started a new tradition this year. A few weeks before Christmas, we all sat down and made ornaments. Each kid will have his initials on the bottom so we will have keepsakes for them when they grow up.

They had a great time. So did we. I believe this is the first time we did a family craft where all 6 of us actually participated. It was really cool.

December? Already?

2009-12-01T03:34:00.003-05:00

Carrot cake I made for my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving.

T-Day dinner. Seriously, wasn't it just Halloween? Didn't the school year just start? Wasn't it just summer?

OK, seriously, time is flying by too fast. I have heard alot of people saying this. It makes me wonder...what are we speeding toward? Am I ready for Christmas? Not really. Will we get our Christmas picture of the kids done? I hope so. But I'm betting that it will be super last minute, and then next time I post here may be next year, but it will feel like it was just yesterday that I posted this. I don't know if that makes sense. But, anyway, there it is.

Dinner By Myself With Four Kids...

2009-11-23T18:44:00.002-05:00

Blog Extra: Video of 9/12 March in DC 2009

2009-11-13T02:16:00.005-05:00

Ryan and I went to the 9/12 March in DC. Here's a video to try to give you an idea of how big it was.

I Got A New Laptop!

2009-11-13T00:33:00.004-05:00

The only cool thing about all the rain lately, is sometimes you get rainbows! I captured this one last week!

I couldn't find my own blog...until now. It's funny how you have all these favorites saved on a computer, and you just click on these helpful shortcuts without thinking that one day, Jason will come home, start to make sandwiches for the kids' lunches, pull out the peanut butter, drop it on the counter where your laptop sits, have it bounce up and smack right into the screen and break it.

And then that exact sequence of events happens. Fortunately, I already had this new laptop coming, so it was just a matter of setting it up that night. But I really had to tool around before I re-found my own blog, as it was NOT set as one of my favorites. But Nick's Blog was, so I followed the link he has to my blog, and BAM! Here I am. Thanks, Nick!

So it's a hand-me-down Sony Vaio, not actually brand new, but just new to me. Jason tweaked some stuff on it this evening and I'm starting to adjust to the new feel of the keyboard and mouse function. And, thanks to Jason, I have sound! WOOOO! I have a great video card and can finally watch all the videos I have taken over the years, but have never seen on my old computer because it was to damn slow and choppy.

So that's all that's really new and/or exciting for this week. We've been socked in with rain from this dumb storm, Ida, for the last few days. So it's been a week of wet and boring. And after 3+ years living here, the novelty of having a garage to park in still hasn't worn off. I appreciate it every day! Especially as the craptacular rainy days of late fall bleed into the coming Winter cold. People tell others to count their blessings. Well, you don't need to tell me! I do every day! Thank God for my dry garage!

Stuff

2009-10-09T01:29:00.003-04:00

It's October! The skies have been mostly blue. There is post-season baseball to watch. Kids are in school. Days are getting shorter. Facebook sucks. Well, it's good for keeping in touch with friends and family old and new, but I don't like the idea of a facebook. Ramble! Rant? Repeat! R words are underrated. Here's one I'd like to see in use more: Redoubtable! If you don't know what it means, you can look it up. It's one of those fun words that you'd think you'd know the meaning based on the word itself, but it's not what you think.

Water Wars! Ongoing since 1996 between my husband and I. What the heck are the Water Wars, you may ask? Jason and I worked at the college over the summers of 1996 and 1997. In 1996 we started the Water War. Rules of engagement: douse the enemy in water any time unless they are dressed in nice clothes. That's pretty much it. Tonight's battle involved my water bottle, which I "accidentally" spilled on Jason's knee. Things quickly escalated and we both lost the battle. There was even water on the ceiling. It was a brief skirmish, but who knew a 16oz. bottle of Dasani could be a WMD?!

What else, what else... OH! I know! Wooly Bears!!!! There are a TON of them around here lately. Don't know what they are? See the picture above! Here's a link!

OK! I think that's about it for now. The real reason for this post? Clare threatened to take me off her blog list if I didn't update my blog! :) I realize I have been a TOTAL slacker on my bloggin' of late, but didn't realize there would be consequences if I didn't update! Now I have renewed inspiration to continue blogging on. It may not be every day, but I will try to post more regularly. Let me know what you think! If you read this, you have to leave a comment! How else can I go on if no one is even reading this? Clare, that means you! :)

I'M GOING TO SEE U2 IN CONCERT TONIGHT!!!!

2009-09-29T03:27:00.002-04:00

There's really not much more to say other than WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really could not be more excited. The last few times U2 was in the area, I couldn't go because I had a young baby at home. This time, my youngest is 3, and I'm in the clear to finally see U2 in concert after waiting literally a lifetime to do so! I declare myself the World's Biggest U2 Fan. I really don't think that any of y'all that know me could possibly dispute that!!

I'll post pictures here in a few days, hopefully. SO excited!

I'm Losing Interest in Bloggin'

2009-09-17T16:41:00.003-04:00

But, for now, here's a picture of a Coke truck in Iraq.

9.11.01

2009-09-11T06:05:00.003-04:00

Never forget those who died on this day and pray for their souls.

The picture above is how I'd rather remember the Twin Towers. Not in destruction and chaos, but a landmark that I had always enjoyed, and wish my kids could have had the same experience I did going to the top of the Twin Towers for an indescribable view that would leave you breathless.

Vacation In North Carolina...

2009-08-22T01:23:00.003-04:00

I have a very slow internet connection, so I'll post more when we get home. We leave today (Saturday) for sweet, sweet home!

More to come...

Blog This.

2009-08-06T05:36:00.003-04:00

We got our new cars, they're AWESOME!

Summer is kinda winding down. When did August sneak in here?

Found this cat in my garage a few nights ago. Very friendly little kitty. She actually curled up on my lap and fell asleep. It was amazing how quickly she trusted me after less than 5 minutes. I've been hoping she'd come back, but I haven't seen her since last Friday night. Jason hates cats, so no chance of having an indoor kitty for me. But I thought I could have an outdoor cat. She stayed in the garage that whole night and all I gave her was some water. Oh well. I hope she comes back. She seemed like a very quiet, good natured cat.

Getting 2 Hondas Today!

2009-07-30T03:38:00.001-04:00

Pics later. Getting lazy about blogging. Everyone knows what's going on through facebook, right?

Oh Joy...

2009-07-12T01:46:00.000-04:00

...We're off to Ohio.

Sorry For The Delay...

2009-06-21T04:48:00.002-04:00

Well, I was waiting for Anne to make a comment on my last post, but she never did! Anne, are you even reading my blog any more?!

So, let's see...

In the last 2 weeks we've just been enjoying summer. Lots of rain lately, but we can deal with that.

I'll post pics of Michael's baseball game soon and tell you the story of the big game in a post coming soon!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, JASON!!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!!!

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!

Test Drives And Seeing Anne At Safeway!!!!

2009-06-08T17:06:00.003-04:00

Jason test driving a CR-V.

OOO! Sexy! 6 disc CD player!

Moon roof/sun roof! Woo woo!

It was exciting to test drive a few cars on Saturday, but the REAL news is that I ran into Anne at Safeway!!! It was awesome! I almost walked right past her because she was so radiant, it was blinding! But then Jason and I stopped and chatted with Anne! We talked mostly about J&K+8 while standing on line for the checkout. Anne doesn't know how to use the swipe machine, so she had to swipe her card, like, 50 times before the transaction went through. People behind us were starting to riot!

It was the best day ever! Anne may have a different version though...

;)

Random Musings

2009-06-01T02:04:00.003-04:00

Who takes pictures in the grocery store?

These pics are from our 10th wedding anniversary. My Dad was in town (checking out the cereal!) for Michael's 1st Communion the next day. So he took us out to dinner. After that, he realised he needed some stuff at the store. Also, I made Jason get me some more CRANERGY!!!!!!!! Hee hee!

So that was the May 22-25 Memorial Day weekend packed with lots of milestones.

What else is going on? This is the kids' last week of school. I don't know how to handle 4 at home during the day any more. I've gotten quite used to just 2 at home before we go out and pick up the other 2 from school. I'll adjust by the end of August.

Not much else to report, really. I just wanted to post something so Anne wouldn't go on strike. Also, I can't keep blaming Lauren forever either. I was going to do another energy/juice post, but I'm just too darned lazy to explain what I have been doing with my juice experiments. And, quite frankly, I'm not even sure anyone wants to read about it anyway!

Well, that's it for the early hours of the first day of June. Good grief. Where the hell did MAY go already!?!?!?

I Blame Lauren...

2009-05-20T19:45:00.003-04:00

...for all these crazy fruit/veggie/energy drinks I went out and bought!

Yeah, so I asked for some suggestions on Facebook a few weeks ago about getting an energy drink that was also super healthy AND tasted good. Well, Lauren came through with some suggestions including Odwalla Superfood and Bolthouse Green Goodness. Well, along those lines, I went out and bought Lauren's suggestions along with a few other ones including Ocean Spray's CRANERGY!!!!!!! That one is my favorite just because of the name. The Odwalla stuff was like drinking a thick, green, swamp water concoction. But it actually tasted...ok...ish. But when I first opened that bottle and poured it into my glass, I thought of you, Lauren! And I thought for sure you were playing a cruel joke on me!

And yes, I have more pictures of this "stuff" to get off my camera. So watch out for my next post coming as soon as I get the pics. I'll also describe my experience with each different..er..drink. This post was to acknowledge Lauren and her suggestions for veggie/fruity/energy drinks that taste ok...ish.

Caterpillars and Cream!

2009-05-08T22:17:00.004-04:00

Found a caterpillar and let the kids play with it for a little bit. Then we put him back outside. They all wanted to "pet" it. Except Teresa. I told her she didn't have to. Paddy wanted to pick it up, but I didn't let him for fear that he would squish the little guy!

Michael made a little enclosure for it!

Patrick couldn't keep his eyes off the caterpillar! It was really cute.

At this point in reading, I bet you're wondering where the "cream" part from the title come in! Well, lately I have decided to drink healthy juice. I saw this stuff called "Fuze" when I was at Harris Teeters, so I decided to try it. It came in all sorts of flavors, and each "juice" had a different purpose. Some bottles say, "Slenderize" while others say stuff like, "Energy" and "Refresh" Well, heck. I'm all about refreshing, slenderizing energy! So I picked up a few different flavors to try at home. Tropical Punch is ok-ish, but it wasn't an enjoyable drinking experience. By that I mean, it wasn't like water or Gatorade that you could just slug down. It had a sweetness to it, but also kind of a bitter bite at the end. Not for me. I was just looking for a healthy, refreshing, vitamin packed juice to enjoy on the warm days ahead.

Well, tonight, I tried the bottle that said, "Refresh". OK, it was Strawberry/Guava flavored. Alright. It was packed with vitamins A, C, E, B3, B5, B6 & B12. As an added bonus, it had Calcium in it! What gal couldn't use some Calcium? Fantastic! So I took a tiny sip to test the flavor. It was very sweet, but tolerable. So I had some more of this sweet "juice". Or at least I THOUGHT it was juice. Then I made the mistake of looking at the ingredients:

SKIM MILK AND CREAM???????? IN JUICE????????? UGH!

Everything was just fine with me thinking it was only juice. But as soon as my brain registered that there was milk and cream in this crazy concoction, I no longer liked it. Instantly. And then I drank the whole thing anyway because I wanted all the vitamin goodness!

So after trying 3 different flavors, I have decided that Strawberry/Mellon is the best one. You know why? Because it doesn't look like watered-down skim milk with a pinkish tinge! Good grief! I hope all you people reading this will steer clear of Strawberry/Guava. DON'T GET JUICE THAT ISN'T SEE THROUGH!!!! IT HAS MILK AND CREAM IN IT, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!!!!

Strawberry/Mellon = Yummy
Strawberry/Guava = GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THAT STUFF AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!

So, those were the highlights of this Friday evening. Caterpillars and cream.

After waiting nearly 3 years...

2009-04-26T01:43:00.003-04:00

WE GOT A PICNIC TABLE!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know why, but ever since the first day we moved to our house about 3 years ago, I have been picturing a picnic table in that spot! And today, as an early Mother's Day present, I got my picnic table!

It was really hot today too. It was in the low 90s. More of the same for tomorrow and into early next week. Here's Paddy Boy after a few minutes in the heat:

But all the kids had fun anyway on a hot April Saturday!

New Haircut!!!!

2009-04-17T01:33:00.002-04:00

Well, here it is! Action shot! Driving in Florida!

Hair Cut

2009-04-13T00:21:00.002-04:00

So, usually this time of year my hair is long and I start itching to get a shorter hair cut. I've been looking online to find different styles for a short hair cut. I just don't know what I should do. Thinking of doing the whole cut and dye thing.

Any suggestions?

2009-04-03T00:57:00.002-04:00

Every time I turn my back for two seconds, my little climber is on his next mission: Open dishwasher, climb up on it, get on counter, find spray bottle, cause trouble!

Michael's Gun

2009-03-24T18:14:00.004-04:00

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE TO SEE DART COMING OUT OF GUN!!!!

In the last photo, you can actually see the dart after he fired it! It took me nearly 20 tries, but I finally got a picture with the dart being fired!

Thanks Jon and Anne! This is the dart gun you gave Michael about 2 years ago! And it still works! Hooray!!!!!!!!

St. Patrick's Dinner...

2009-03-18T16:35:00.004-04:00

This is right after I added the cabbage. The corned beef, carrots and onions has been simmering for 2 hours at this point. I thought the cabbage made for a nice colorfully Irish picture!

Here's one of the little pots of shamrocks I had each of the four kids plant!

And here's Paddy Boy! We had just set a Guinness down in front of him, and he instantly got happy and said, "YAY!"

Patrick couldn't get enough of the corned beef and cabbage dinner. He had everything; beef, onions, carrots, potatoes and cabbage. He mostly ate the cabbage!!!! Michael ate his serving, but only asked for more potatoes. Teresa ate about half of what was on her plate. And Katerina ate a taco with her Daddy. Kat did taste a tiny bit of everything though. But ultimately, she had a taco. Jason refuses to eat my St. Patrick's Day dinner, so he has "El St. Patrick's Day" which is always tacos.

Everyone had a great day!

35

2009-03-12T21:03:00.001-04:00

Paddy And The Italians

2009-03-10T00:21:00.004-04:00

Paddy

The Italians

I just wanted to post happier pictures instead of the gloom and doom stats of the Dow Jones Industrials. Enjoy!

DOW DOWN 1,500 POINTS SINCE INAUGURATION

2009-03-03T16:13:00.005-05:00

Today's erratic chart. Not the chart of a confident market.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009. The Dow Jones closed at 6,726.02, down -37.27.

That means...

Dow slips to 12-year low.

Dow finishes down for 5th straight day.

Dow down 13 of last 16 trading sessions.

Besides yesterday, the last time the Dow dipped below 6,800 was April 1997.

Since September when talk of bailouts started the Dow has lost 4,500 points.

DOW DOWN NEARLY 3,000 POINTS SINCE ELECTION DAY.

PRESIDENT OBAMA, ARE YOU LISTENING?!?!?!?

Wake me up...

2009-02-19T05:40:00.002-05:00

...when February is over.

UGH!

I hate February. How is it that the shortest month of the year seems to take SO long to get through? Goodness.

Here's a quick fun story:

Patrick is 2 and a half now. Since he is a boy, he is slow to talk. He makes sense in his own way, and he totally gets what we say to him. But he is no great communicator. Anyway...the other day I was watching Paddy play with Kat, and she was making him laugh. Well, he turns to me and says, "Kaboo, she honey." Translation: Kaboo is funny. Patrick is the only one of the four that has replaced the f sound with an h. He is also fond of telling me to "Hook, Mommy!" when he is trying to get me to look at something he has done. I tell ya, he's a honey kid!

The Ring

2009-02-12T16:26:00.003-05:00

OK! In the Summer of 2007, we all went to Ohio to go to Jason's family cottage on Lake Erie. The kids and Jason all enjoyed beach fun and relaxation. When we were getting ready to leave the cottage, Jason realized that he didn't have his wedding ring. (It's not a claddagh ring, I just like the picture!) So we searched all over the cottage for the ring. But no ring.

A year goes by and we go to Lake Erie again in the Summer of 2008. At this point, the cottage had been undergoing renovations to make it a little bigger. The whole year that Jason had been missing his wedding ring, I would pray to St. Anthony that someone in Jason's family would somehow find the ring that Jason left in the cottage. I always told Jason he should pray to St. Anthony too. He would always say, "yeah, yeah, yeah. I know." But then not actually ask for St. Anthony's help!

Anyway, now it's a year later and we're at the cottage again, summer '08. Now I was really worried that we'd never find the ring because of all the construction on the cottage. It had been torn up and things were moved all over the place. Bleh. So, another week at the cottage, another extensive search for Jason's wedding ring, another failure to find it. And we looked EVERYWHERE! So back home again with no ring.

A few months later, Jason's Mom was updating us on what she had done in the cottage. She bought some new furniture for it and was going to yard-sale the old stuff she was getting rid of. Around the same time, our recliner in our family room broke, and was beyond repair. Mostly because the kids thought it was their trampoline while I wasn't looking. So Jason asked his Mom if she could send us one of the two recliners that she was going to sell. She offered to send us both, so we accepted.

Shortly after that, Jason's Dad was nice enough to drive them down for us this past fall. Some of you may remember a quick post back in September about us getting new chairs.

Just a few days later I was trying to move one of the recliners into a better spot. Well, since I have a bad back, I had a hard time moving it. So I asked Jason to move it for me. He started moving it to the spot I wanted it in...

**CLINK, CLINK**

Great. The darn thing must have a bolt loose...

...

"Wait a minute, that sounded like a ring!!"

It just clicked in my head for some reason. I knew it was Jason's ring. I just knew it. Sure, it sounded like a screw or a bolt had gotten loose and was clinking around in the metal frame, but I knew better. After cutting the side panel on the recliner and fishing around INSIDE the chair, Jason pulled out HIS RING!!!!! We could not believe it! After over a year, St. Anthony brought the ring to us!

Could you imagine what would have happened if our original recliner hadn't broken and Jason's Mom sold the chair with the ring inside? I tell ya, it was St. Anthony that brought that ring back to us! He always comes through for me! St. Anthony ROCKS!

For Anne

2009-02-03T02:06:00.002-05:00

You wanted new material, Anne! So I "picked" out a picture of Katerina for you! I do have some other pictures on my camera from Super Bowl weekend. I'll post a few of them here too while you are pondering this lovely picture of my child!

I'm hungry...

2009-01-21T17:50:00.002-05:00

Should I have cheese & pepperoni on crackers? Or should I eat crackers with Rondele Garlic and Herbs spread? If you have never heard of Rondele, then you need to go HERE!

If Garlic and Herbs isn't your thing, then check out their other spreads. Yum, yum!

Paddy'll Eat That!

2009-01-15T03:01:00.004-05:00

Paddy looking for food

Well, as we near the 2 year anniversary of almost losing our dear little Patrick to a strange episode on January 17, 2007, I have to reflect on how blessed we are to have him. Briefly, if you don't know the story, Patrick inexplicably turned yellow nearly 2 years ago due to his body destroying his red blood cells. After taking him to our local hospital and waiting hours to figure out what was wrong, he was ultimately Medi-Vaced to a hospital in DC where he received two blood transfusions to save his life. It was only this past September, after a year and a half of hospital visits and testing with no clear diagnosis, that he was given the all-clear and a perfectly clean bill of health. Thank you, God!

Paddy caught breaking into the fridge

Well, if any of you know Paddy Boy, you'd never know that he was in such a critical state 2 years ago. He's as wild a 2 year old child as we've ever had! He's into everything. This quite often means the refrigerator and destroying 2 cartons of eggs (among other things) so far! Well, we're constantly vigilant with him, as we never know what he'll get into next. And he is notorious for picking things up off the floor and eating them. It doesn't matter if it's food or not, it goes in his mouth. And I am constantly telling the other kids not to leave things out because, as I always tell them, "Don't leave that lying around or Paddy'll eat that!"

So in honor of our wild little blessing, I'd like my readers to play: "Paddy'll Eat That!"

Paddy with a lemon

Here's how you play: I'll name 10 things, and you post your answers in the comment section which of these ten things Paddy has actually eaten with a "yes" or a "no". Here's a hint: not all the answers are yes, but you'd be surprised at what Paddy has actually consumed in his young life. So here's the list:

1. Crayons
2. Day old, dried-up noodles from the night before
3. Lemon
4. A Tiny Shoe From A Baby Doll
5. A Glass Christmas Ornament
6. Lint From The Dryer
7. A Pencil Eraser
8. Jason's Blue-Tooth
9. Paper
10. Dirt

I'm sure Jason would come up with some of the other things Paddy has eaten, but, there's the list! Hope you enjoy playing "Paddy'll Eat That!" I'll post the winner next Thursday!

New Post Coming Soon...

2009-01-09T19:32:00.002-05:00

Well, since my last post, I have been sick and the kids have been getting over all kinds of crap. So I just thought I'd hop in here and say I will update soon! Hope 2009 is rockin' for everyone!

~Bridget

To tide you over, here's a picture...

Stuff

2008-12-24T03:03:00.003-05:00

Well, last week everyone got sick. The above picture is a pitiful Paddy Boy in the midst of his suffering.

But before he was sick, he was up to his old tricks. The one above is a favorite. Leave the kitchen for 2 seconds, and he's in the fridge, getting out the eggs and breaking all of them.

Patrick also has decided that he will get out of his crib every night for just about the last 4 weeks, and sleep in front of his door instead. The above picture shows sleeping Paddy's foot.

Katerina enjoys her dress-up moment as Tinkerbell.

And then there's the story of the dead mouse. Last week, we made the mistake of leaving bread out on top of the deep-freeze in the garage. Jason picked up the bag containing the bread, and out hopped a mouse. Later that evening, we found the mouse dead in the bucket of Lysol mop water that we hadn't emptied yet. I guess the little guy slipped in looking for a refreshing drink. But instead, he found death. Poor dumb mouse. Oh well.

And that's a little peak into what's been going on in the last week! Now it is Christmas Eve! To all my faithful Blog Readers, and everyone beyond, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Wish us luck...

2008-12-21T12:54:00.004-05:00

We're going to try to retake the Christmas picture this afternoon. Yeah, no one will be getting cards from us until 2009. At least I can say it on time here though:

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!

Our Christmas Card...

2008-12-14T17:02:00.001-05:00

It's really hard to get 4 children to pose for the perfect Christmas picture...

NYC TRIP!!!!

2008-12-10T01:54:00.015-05:00

Chrysler Building taken from Park Avenue

Well, here it is! My 26 hour trip to NYC and CT. Really, it was 26 hours in the NY area plus 4 and a half agonizing hours trying to get from LaGaurdia Airport to Dulles during the Wind Event of 2008 when LaGuardia shut down all but one runway...

...I'll save that for my next post. But a huge thank you to Ryan for picking us up at the airport even though we came in later than expected!

So anyway...

The trip up to NY was a breeze. (No pun intended!) We left Dulles on time and had a quick 40 minute flight to LaGuardia. Met my Dad at the airport, and proceeded to my brother's house for a quick visit with his family. Always love seeing my nephew, Brendan. Teresa enjoyed visiting with her cousin as well!

SNOW!

We then went up to Connecticut to my Dad's place and I whipped up some home-made chicken & rice & veggie soup. Teresa, my Dad and I enjoyed a nice warm meal on a very cold night. After I put Teresa to bed, my Dad and I stayed up reminiscing about the old days and family and old Thanksgiving and Christmas memories from the past. We were up quite late talking but I felt like this was such a special time that I was able to have with my Dad. It felt like I was home again for Christmas when we looked outside and everything was all white from the freshly fallen snow! So I took a few pictures of the front of his house while it was still snowing. It was a magical eve before our big day in the City on Sunday.

Teresa and Papa Sunday morning

We got to the City around noon and parked near 37th Street in Mid-Town. From there we went to Grand Central Station where we had pizza in the lower level of the station. From there, we hopped in a cab and went up to 50th street and went into St. Patrick's Cathedral. (One little note here before I go on: My Dad, being the native New Yorker that he is, had Teresa and I whipping around Mid-town from place to place very quickly! He's amazing, and in exceptional shape! And he kept up that New Yorker pace of walking every where we went.)

So anyway, we came out onto 5th Avenue after leaving St. Patrick's, and we headed across the street to Rockefeller Center. And there it was! The whole reason Teresa had been so excited about going to New York - to see the big Christmas Tree! She loved it! There were so many people around, and she was walking hand-in-hand with Papa (my Dad) and just taking in all the sights and sounds of New York City.

After seeing the tree, we went into Saks Fifth Avenue to get warm and check out their Christmas decorations, and laugh at the ridiculous prices on their items! We walked down to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and went in there to get warm and take a break from all the walking. We then hopped in another cab, and headed back down to 38th Street to the Church of Our Saviour for an Advent Concert by the Sisters of Life, followed by Mass and a reception. By the time the reception was over, it was after 5:00PM, time to head back to LaGuardia and head home! And then the wind delays...

Anyway, we had a great time with my Dad at his home and in New York! Hopefully I can convince Jason that we ALL need to go to NYC next year at Christmastime!

Stuff

2008-12-02T16:04:00.006-05:00

So Michael was cold, but he didn't have a blanket. So, naturally, he used the American Flag to keep warm!

Tomorrow the Rockefeller Christmas Tree goes up in NYC, and this weekend I will go see it! So excited about NYC Part II! Part one with Michael was in the beginning of November...

NYC Skyline

Shea Stadium!!!! (Of course I got a picture of Shea from the plane!)

Museum of Natural History

David, Siobhan, Baby Brendan, Michael and Me

So anyway, I'm hoping my flights this weekend with Teresa will be safe and without any weather delay or any other complications! And I am looking forward to New York City Christmas action! WOOO!!!

Slacker!

2008-11-30T03:23:00.002-05:00

HEY! ANNE! POST STUFF!

OK, well I haven't exactly been Little Miss Frequent Update either. But, Anne, if you're slacking, the whole blog community feels it! If you're not posting, where should I get any inspiration to post? How will your faithful readers know what's going on in your life? Am I going to have to come over there? :)

In other news...

I have some pictures to share dating back to the end of October. So as we near the close of Novemeber, (WHY IS TIME FLYING SO DANG FAST!?!?!?!) I realize I haven't really given any picture updates. I'll try to do that this upcoming week. Next weekend is my NYC trip with Teresa! Holy cow, that's coming up fast on me!

Hope everyone had a delightful T-Day! More soon!

Quick Update

2008-11-14T03:52:00.005-05:00

For the last 3 nights in a row, I have sneezed 3 or 4 times. I don't think I have a cold, so I don't know how else to explain this phenomenon. Perhaps it's tree pollen from all the fallen leaves? I don't know. I just don't know.

In other news, I got a new cell phone! It's pretty basic. It takes better pictures than my old cell phone though, so that's cool.

Let's see, what else? Well, I went to NY with my oldest son about 2 weekends ago. That was fun. Spent some time in my old stomping grounds. You know. New York City! Love it. I'll be returning to New York with my oldest daughter in the beginning of December. That will be awesome too because the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit on Wednesday, December 3rd! Just in time for our NYC Spectacular Visit! I have said to Jason for years each Christmas time that I miss New York City during the Christmas Season. It's so freaking awesome and magical that time of year! Love the decorated windows at Macy's and all along 5th Avenue. Of course, gotta love the tree at Rockefeller Center! All the buildings decked out with Christmas decorations and lights! I can't remember the last time I saw NYC around Christmas time. It's probably been at least 10 years, if not more.

So, of course, this time of year with Thanksgiving under 2 weeks away, then Christmas around the corner, our weekends are being filled with parties, concerts, turkeys, music, friends, family and fun. It's a busy time for us at the end of the year, but it's also an enjoyable time for us! Think the year flew by? Well, the last 2 months of the year, in my opinion, are the fastest! Hold on tight! Soon we'll be saying happy New Year! After that, Spring is right around the corner! Then summer, then fall, then winter, then spring...

Time flies by so fast these days. Take a minute to take it all in and thank God for all the blessings He has given all of us! I always think about the Lepers that Jesus cured. They all ran off to celebrate the fact that they no longer had Leprosy. Only one of them thanked Jesus for the miracle. Only one. From a very early age this lesson has stuck with me. And, although I'm not always mindful to say thank you for my blessings, I try very hard to be appreciative of all that I have in my life.

Take time to look around. You may not be happy with the outcome of the recent Election. You may not be thrilled that your home value has gone down. You may not like the fact that years of your investments have crumbled. But you do have daily blessings. Identify what they are in your life, and be like that Leper who appreciated the gift Christ had given him and say thank you!

There Goes The Neighborhood...

2008-11-05T05:26:00.002-05:00

Well, for goodness sake. America did the dumb thing an elected an inexperienced guy. I can't believe he won by such a large margin. It's depressing, sad and incomprehensible that this has happened.

To my liberal friends that voted for Obama, I mean no disrespect to you. But I do have to say that this guy is the wrong choice. I also wonder how much voter fraud was committed during Election Day. I did expect a close race, I did not expect a...hard to say the word...landslide.

Something is wrong here. And I fear our country just took a turn for the worse. Man, oh man. We are in for some seriously bad stuff here.

If anyone who reads this needs a clarification as to what I mean, please feel free to comment and ask me about it. Right now, I am too depressed to elaborate.

Election Day!!!!

2008-11-04T02:50:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness. This election has given me a case of shpilkis! (If you don't speak yiddish, look it up!) I hope people realize what an inexperienced person Obama is. I hope they realize that he will take money away from families and give it to people that haven't earned it. I hope they realize that he is dangerous for our country in so many different ways. I hope they realize that if Obama is elected, as Joe Biden has already warned us, that he WILL BE TESTED. When your own running mate says that the world will test the new guy, you better believe that he is right. My gosh. Wake up, America and vote for McCain. He is the ONLY candidate that knows what the U.S. is up against in terms of who wants to harm us. And the enemy KNOWS that McCain won't take it from them. Good grief. Get out and vote for McCain. Our families and our entire country deserve better than Obama. We don't even know fully who Obama is! Holy cow, people! Don't be wreckless!

VOTE FOR McCAIN/PALIN 2008!!!!

So....

2008-10-26T01:58:00.003-04:00

My computer went kaput for almost 2 weeks. Hence the lack of bloggin' on my part. I have my computer back now, so I'll try to have something more interesting soon.

In the meantime, check out this awesome picture...

For Picky Bear

2008-10-11T04:37:00.001-04:00

There you go, Picky Bear! I told you I had a Seattle shirt! And check out Ryan's awesome, AWESOME shirt!

So Sick Of That Sad Picture!

2008-10-04T01:42:00.002-04:00

So, hey there, Bloggeroos! It's late Friday/early Saturday, and I felt like this blog needed a new post! So here it is! How was your week? Mine was up and down like the Stock Market. U2 summed it up so well in their song entitled, Some Days Are Better Than Others...

Some days are dry, some days are leaky
Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you're quick, but most days you're speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others

Some days it all adds up
And what you got is not enough
Some days are better than others

Some days are slippy, other days sloppy
Some days you can't stand the sight of a puppy
Your skin is white but you think you're a brother
Some days are better than others

Some days you wake up with her complaining
Some sunny days you wish it was raining
Some days are sulky, some days have a grin
And some days have bouncers and won't let you in

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

Some days are honest, some days are not
Some days you're thankful for what you've got
Some days you wake up in the army
And some days it's the enemy

Some days are work, most days you're lazy
Some days you feel like a bit of a baby
Lookin' for Jesus and His mother
Some days are better than others

Some days you feel ahead
You're making sense of what she said
Some days are better than others

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

Well, that just about sums up alot for me. I think the best lines that apply to me are: "Some days you're quick, most days you're speedy." And: "Some days take less, but most days take more." And: "Some days are work, most days you're lazy, Some days you feel like a bit of a baby."

Anyway, that's just me. The wisdom of Bono is wonderful! His lyrics touch me in profound ways. Sound cheesy? Sorry. Some days are better than others.

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

2008-09-29T03:55:00.002-04:00

Me comforting Katerina right after I told her the Mets season is over

Well, it all came down to one game. The last game to be played at Shea Stadium. Forever. The Mets had a chance to stay alive. They could have tied the Brewers in the Wild Card Race. It was in their hands, as the Brewers won their game on the last day of the regular season. But they failed.

After the 2007 Season collapse last September, the Mets did it again in 2008. As a life-long Mets fan, once was hard enough. But to make history as the first team in MLB to blow a first place lead in September two years in a row, and have it all come down to a Wild Card chase on the very last day of the season? That's a distinction in MLB history that I'd rather not have. That's hard to take. Adding to the pain was the fact that this was the Mets last game at Shea Stadium. I can't go on describing the torture, pain and misery that comes with being a Mets fan. I just don't know what else to say. There's always next year. But that phrase now just brings negativity for us Mets fans. Because "next year" for Mets fans now could very well mean yet another September collapse.

At least I have the good memories of attending many, many Mets games at Shea for over 20 years of my life from the late 1980s to my last game at Shea in August 2008.

Baseball died on Sunday for Mets fans. It just doesn't get any more painful than this.

Charts and Graphs!

2008-09-23T01:24:00.001-04:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE!

More Charts and graphs to come!

Forgive us our trespasses...

2008-09-17T02:14:00.004-04:00

...as we forgive those who trespass against us.

These words from the Our Father have come to have great meaning for me in my life over the past few years. Every one who reads this entry has been through a time in their lives when they have been wronged by a family member or friend. And all of us have also been guilty of being on the other side of that equation. It is this part of the Our Father that should shake us up and make us pay close attention to our actions.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

When I first really focused on that and understood fully what that part of the Our Father is saying, it reinforced in me the importance of persevering in the all important practice of forgiving others. It doesn't matter how many years you may have dealt with a particular person. It doesn't matter how many times they have done hurtful things to you. It does matter to Our Lord though how you respond each time to other people's offenses against you. If you show mercy and forgiveness, God will show that same mercy and forgiveness for your offenses against Him.

Just a few chapters later in Matthew's Gospel comes another key lesson on forgiveness.

Then Peter came up and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."

Jesus went on compare the Kingdom of Heaven to the story of the king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment was to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, "Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, "Pay what you owe." So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, "Have patience with me and I will pay you." He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he could pay all his debt. So also my Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

So next time you are feeling frustrated with that one family member or friend, remember the importance of forgiveness and mercy. God always remembers to show mercy and forgiveness to you.

New Chairs!

2008-09-14T05:22:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we got two new recliners! Hooray! Paddy boy sure knows how to relax!

Coming soon....

The story of The Ring.

Never Forget 9.11.01

2008-09-11T02:11:00.001-04:00

A Tropical Storm Warning Is In Effect!!!!

2008-09-06T02:55:00.004-04:00

Awesome! Tropical Storm Hanna is on her way!

I'll post something after she passes, which I'm sure will be boring because we're only supposed to MAYBE get 40MPH gusts. And only 20-30MPH winds when not gusting. Blah. But I guess we're going to get alot of rain. Yeah. Whatever. When I lived in New York, I lived through Hurricane Gloria!

Hanna will be nothing.

Teresa Starts School!

2008-09-03T14:36:00.006-04:00

Michael and Teresa on the first day of school this year.

I can't believe it! Teresa has started school! Two down, two to go!

Teresa LOVES going to school. I don't think she's going to be homesick at all. I think it helps her to know that Michael's classroom is just right down the hall from hers. They also start the day off together in the morning assembly and later see each other at recess. All in all, I think this will be a very good school year.

At home, I think the youngest 2 will become closer as they share the special bond of being too young for school! They can also spend the day plotting things they can do to their big brother and big sister when they come home from school!

HEY! Lay Off Anne, OK?! Sheesh!

2008-09-01T01:55:00.003-04:00

Well, the strike is officially over! YAY!!! Anne has posted a new post, and it's very informative! You should check it out! It really explains alot!

Soooo....anyway....

...ummmmm.....

...still feeling a little guilty about putting Anne on the spot...

OK! Moving on! Our youngest, Patrick just turned 2! We had a VERY small party for him and he had a great time. The other kids sung "Happy Birthday" to him about 30 times on his birthday. It's so cute how they each love Paddy in their own way! We had a lovely BBQ and after that, Paddy and the kids got to enjoy ice cream cake!

I am so behind in August pictures, but I will eventually post all the new stuff here.

In the meantime, say a prayer for Anne's family as her hubby looks into a new line of work! Thanks.

Anne, I'll call ya soon! ;)

ON STRIKE!!!!

2008-08-25T18:37:00.001-04:00

OK, the 48 hours for Anne to update her blog has expired. I am therefore on strike until she resumes blogging!

A Quick Update

2008-08-23T05:15:00.003-04:00

I have a bunch of pictures from our Tri-State trip we had 2 weeks ago, but I haven't had a minute to sit down and figure out how I'm going to post them. You know how I have to take things chronologically!

Anyway, I'm thinking about going on strike until Anne updates her blog. What do you think? A mother of 4 with no blog entries for nearly a month???? C'mon! That's crazy! I know you guys went away recently, but, that's even MORE of a reason to BLOG, Lady!

So, Anne, you have 48 hours to blog about life! If you do not comply, I will protest by not posting a darn thing until you update your blog!

So anyway, I have alot of pictures from the last few weeks. But I will not post them until Anne updates! Until she does, all I have is this:

I killed a snake last weekend...

GO GIANTS!!!!

2008-08-18T14:35:00.002-04:00

So, I got a new website:

Check it out! I'll be using that website during the football season, no doubt. Just thought I'd let y'all know in case there's anyone who cares about football out there! Especially the NY Giants! WOOO!

So Chronological!

2008-08-07T00:51:00.010-04:00

Well, I think I have been taking alot of pictures lately, so I'm a wee bit behind on my daily blog stories of our lives here! So, anyway, I do have a tendency to post things in chronological order, don't know why. I think I'd go nuts if I didn't post in some sort of logical order instead of jumping all over the place. That being said, (don't you hate when people say, "that being said"?) Here is what happened after our Ohio trip...

Three days after we returned from Ohio, we had Kelly and her family over to our house for a Corrigan Family BBQ! We had Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan, Ryan, Kate, Kelly, Dan and their two boys John and Finn + Baby #3 in the belly! I wanted to get a good picture of all my kids with Kelly's kids, but had to settle for the above picture of John, Finn, Patrick and Teresa. Your boys are really well-behaved! Good job, K&D!

We also had Jon and Anne stop by with their 4 kids as well. Even though there were a decent amount of kiddies present, everyone seemed to just be really good! Even our kids!! And Anne brought cupcakes! Anne is a hero! It was their youngest son's 1st b-day, so they figured they'd share the tasty treats with us! Well, we never got around to eating them until a couple of days later! And here are the results, Anne:

Teresa Before Cupcake

Michael Before Cupcake

Teresa During Cupcake

Michael During Cupcake

And then there's this...

Patrick. You GOTTA click the picture to see it enlarged. Click it!

All in all, the kids LOVED your cupcakes, Anne! And we did too! We have the container just sitting here all cleaned and everything. Eventually I'll have to make my way "across town" and bring it back to you!

But here's the saddest thing of all. Katerina fell asleep right after dinner, so she missed out on all the cupcake action...

But rest assured, fair readers, Kat did get a cupcake the next day! So all's well that ends well! Thanks again Anne! YUMMY!

And Kelly, it was great seeing you guys too! Come back and visit us soon!

And, holy cow! I almost forgot to add that our friends Nick and Clare stopped by too! And they brought our beautiful God daughter Anastasia with them! Of course, I may be biased, but she's always a little angel to me!

And we also briefly saw Dominic and Tina!!!!

Great seeing everyone!!!!

Ohio Trip

2008-08-02T05:20:00.004-04:00

Any questions?

They Sometimes Think of ME First!

2008-07-29T01:53:00.003-04:00

Look how nice and sweet we are, Mommy!

So, just before we left for Ohio, Michael came up to me and said, "Mom, have you eaten yet today?" I told him that I had not, so he responded, "Can I make you a sandwich?" Well, what would YOU say if you were busy preparing for a trip? YES!

So, of course, Teresa got involved in this too, and soon to follow was Katerina. Michael and Teresa did the majority of the sandwich crafting. It's really easy to make me a sandwich, because all I require is bread, meat and cheese. I have no desire to eat a sandwich with layers of other stuff like lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc., etc.

So as I was sorting through laundry, they had my salami sandwich made in no time flat! It was great! And they were all so proud of their accomplishment. Michael made a sign indicating that this was a child-made sandwich...

Anyway, I have a thing about going in chronological order when telling my daily stories, so Ohio story will be next! Really! I'll get to it!

I'm in Ohio

2008-07-23T01:08:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been in Ohio since Saturday. I'll give you the rundown when I get back on Thursday. Probably have a post by Friday. Hope you don't miss me too much!

Look What I Did!

2008-07-15T02:30:00.006-04:00

Yeah, so I know. Everyone in the World who has gone to a beach, has collected some shells to bring back home and then arranged them in a vase. Well, I decided I liked the way this turned out, so you get to see it too!

I even made use of the big ugly shell that Jason got from the beach when we were in Florida in March. Yeah, only took me 4 months to transform a sandy pile of shells that had been sitting on my bathroom sink into this "beautiful" creation. Originally I had a basket with some magazines in that space. But I didn't think the magazines were in the right spot in our bathroom, so I moved them to a space behind our tub. The shells look so much nicer there. Even though it is a decent sized counter top, I like the simplicity of something small and pretty to go there instead of the ugly old magazine basket.

Look at me! I'm decorating n stuff!

Michael Turns Eight!

2008-07-10T16:19:00.002-04:00

And we had a yummy chocolate cake!

Well, as I said in an earlier post, we had 21 kids and 18 adults at our party on Saturday to celebrate Michael turning 8. Holy cow! The house was packed and loud! But I think Michael really, really enjoyed himself! We had a pirate ship pool for the kids, and by the time they all had cleared out of there, the water was practically black! Then I started filling up water balloons and soon we had a few other guys helping to fill ballons so we could have a water balloon war! That was great! There's still balloon scraps all over my yard. But that's ok, everyone really enjoyed that too!

Then we did cake! Jason handed out party hats for the kids and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Michael, he blew out his #8 candle and then came the noise-makers. Oh. Dear. Goodness. This year, for some reason, Jason thought it would be fun to have noise-makers for the kids! OK! Great! Well, with that many kids blowing their horns constantly, I couldn't hear a darn thing for a while. They were making the most noise while Jason was cutting the cake and handing out pieces for everyone. One by one, the noise-maker kids stopped (because they were eating cake!) and things got a little more peaceful! Hey, how often do the kids get to join an orchestra of 20 other kids in a noise-maker symphany!?

And here they are tooting their horns!

And here's Jason cracking up while cutting cake.

I think all in all, adults and children alike had a very good time at Michael's party!

Busy!

2008-07-10T04:21:00.005-04:00

Michael and turtle.

Can't stand not having SOME picture up as a header for my post! Anyway...

OK, so I have been "entertaining" my in-laws this week, so I haven't had time for quick posts! But I know I promised a Party Report from this past weekend when my son turned 8!

My in-laws leave Thursday morning (YAY!!!!), so I will go back to my normal routine again. I like normal. Anyway, sometime in the next 24 hours I will be able to put together a Party Post!

Correction

2008-07-08T03:20:00.005-04:00

In my last post I said the Kid/Adult ratio was 20 kids, 19 adults. I was wrong.

The official count for Kids vs. Adults at the party was:

21 Kids vs. 18 Adults. And that 21 includes the one baby (Nick and Clare's) in the womb that was there! :)

Another Quick Post

2008-07-07T14:50:00.002-04:00

SO, over the weekend, we had a party to celebrate my oldest son turning 8. We had 20 kids and 19 adults come to our house. But that's a post for later with pictures.

This post is in response to a request I got at that party from Anne! She told me I need to post more often. She also told me that she sometimes just runs over to the computer and does a quick post as things happen in her daily life. I thought, Well I can do a quick post once a day! So here's today's little snippet of life with 4 kids:

Trying to clean up the house, as my in-laws will be arriving any minute. So to keep the kids from swarming around me as I work, I gave them bananas. Bad idea when the youngest decided to smash his up...

...into my pile of clean laundry.

Sheesh. If it's not one thing it's another. I submit that it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean house with 4 young ones running amuck undoing what's already been done.

More on our 4th of July weekend in my next post.

Quick Post: Paddy's First Haircut!

2008-07-01T04:01:00.002-04:00

BEFORE:

And are you ready for this? Here comes the after picture:

And that's Paddy's first haircut! Hope you loved this quick post!

Just Enjoying Summer!

2008-06-24T04:31:00.008-04:00

Michael in the middle of Baseball Camp Week

I love this picture. I actually captured the ball about to reach Michael!

The Girls enjoying Baseball

Paddy and Jason enjoy it too!

One of my favorite Summer activities is balancing eggs and getting them to stand on their own one day out of the year. Summer Solstice! This year I got 10 eggs to stand on their own!

Yeah, I'm pretty darn proud of the eggs I got to balance!

Yup. Eggs.

Over the weekend, Jason busted out the power washer. MAN! That thing is MIGHTY at getting dirt and grime off stuff! Fantastic! He let me power wash for a minute or two, and I LOVED it! So cool! Our deck looks brand new!

Kat tries out a new look Monday night

I think she likes her new look!

Well, that's about a week in pictures for our family. One cool idea I got on Friday was playing with water balloons! Michael's last day of Baseball camp was Friday, and his coach ended it by pitching water balloons to his players. Well, I decided this was a great idea, so I bought some balloons, filled them with water, and let Michael and Teresa have a water balloon party. (Kat and Pat were napping.) They had such a fun time with them that I think this may become a Summer 2008 play time regular!

Anyway, hope all is well with you, my faithful readers! And until next time, keep swinging for the fences!

Two New Yorkers Buy Fireworks in Virginia

2008-06-15T04:32:00.010-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads, Grand Dads, God Fathers, Priests, Uncles, Brothers, and every Father out there in Blog Land! Now onto musings about MY Dad!

My Dad is awesome. Period.

That pretty much says it all for me, but that sure isn't much of an interesting Blog post, now is it?!

Well, goodness. Where to start for this post in honor of my Dad? I suppose I could just go chronologically and start from 1974 but that would make a really, REALLY long post out of what surely will be a lengthy one anyway. But some of my earliest memories of my Dad involve growing up in New York. I remember when I was about 3 years old, I had my first of many major injuries. I was on a wall with my older brother that over-looked our driveway. We were playing "King of the Mountain". Well I always had a love for flying, even at this young age. I was a very daring little girl. Anyway, I said to my brother, "I bet I could fly off this wall!" To which he replied, "Go ahead." And off I jumped.

Well, it turned out I couldn't fly, and ended up landing on my forehead on our gravel driveway. Blood followed immediately. My Dad, who was probably doing yard work at the time, heard my cries, and came rushing in to scoop me up and take care of me. At the time, I was bleeding alot, and I looked down and noticed that I had bled on his shirt. I remember feeling bad that I got blood on his shirt and repeatedly told him I was sorry about it. My Dad had absolutely no concern for his stained shirt, but only concern that his daughter would be ok. He took me in to our pediatrician, and 3 stitches later, with my Dad holding my hand the whole time, I made it through this harrowing experience. Thanks to Dad!

As I got a little older, I have fond memories of running to meet my Dad coming home from work as he'd get off the train from the city. After a long day, I'm sure my enthusiasm to greet him every day without fail, made all his troubles melt away. I remember helping my Dad in the garden on the weekends. We would plant and water the plants together. In later years, he told me he thought it was funny that I would do more work with him outside than I did inside for my Mother! I guess my love of the outdoors comes directly from him.

Weekends were always such fun times with Dad. He would take my brother and me for bike rides through our neighborhood and in town. I would ride with my Dad on his bike. And the best part was always at the end when we would come speeding down the big hill that led to our house. A few times, after screams of delight from me, he'd actually make the effort to ride back up the hill and we'd do it all over again!

My Dad and I shared a love of life together, which is still evident to this day. Many times we had fun together, and many times we, being the characters that we are, would share unique moments together as well. For example, after having dinner in NYC one night, we were walking through Grand Central Terminal together to catch our train back home. Well, there was some sort of big band music playing in the main hall of Grand Central, and we spontaneously dropped our bags and had a dance together. I think it could have been Glenn Miller's "In The Mood". One of our favorite songs to dance to. So there we were, like something out of a movie, dancing in the middle of Grand Central, just because we were, indeed, in the mood to do so!

Oh, and the dancing we did! My Dad is a fantastic dancer. He and my Mother both loved going out dancing. I, apparently, picked it up, and from a pretty young age, always loved to dance with my Father. In fact, one of the best dances we had together was at my wedding. We had a rather unique Father/Daughter Dance. Rather than "Daddy's Little Girl" or something typical, I picked "New York, New York" for our dance. It's really and truly our song, as I have danced to that song with my Dad about a million times! By the end of our Father/Daughter Dance, we were kicking up our legs (Rockette Style!) and received a standing ovation! It was another glorious Dad moment for me! I'll never forget it.

OK, Dad! Enough pictures, I get it!

Another thing that I thought of while pondering how to honor my Dad in this post, was a time before one of my oldest son's birthday parties. My Dad and I had gone out to the store to buy some last minute party items. Well, there in the parking lot, was a fireworks stand. Even though I have lived in Virginia for years now, the novelty of fireworks stands still makes me laugh. Well anyway, picture my Dad and me coming out of the store, seeing the fireworks for sale and both thinking, "Hey! Let's go buy some fireworks!" Maybe you'd have to have been there, but for me, two New Yorkers buying fireworks in Virginia just cracks me up. And it's yet another fond memory I have with my Dad. And there are so many more wonderful memories I have with my Dad, now a Grandfather of 5, that would fill up a book!

So from Grand Central to Virginia, my Dad and I remain close. And I wish him a very happy Father's Day! God bless you, Dad!

Lightning, Snakes and St. Patrick

2008-06-05T04:34:00.008-04:00

Well today, before it was time to pick up Michael from school, Jason called me to tell me something very important. He told me that when he was getting ready to leave the house to bring Michael to school in the morning, a funny thing happened. Michael opened the door to go out into the garage and head to the car. Well, he saw a snake and immediately ran back in the house and hid behind a chair. Jason got a broom, of all things, and swept the 4 foot snake into the grass. Great. So this is what Jason tells me over the phone less than an hour before I had to leave to pick up Michael.

In the meantime, the weather was starting to rapidly deteriorate. Unbeknownst to me, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning AND, just before I left, a tornado warning popped up. Well, this is just swell.

I knew it was looking ominous outside while I was getting the kids ready to leave, but I didn't know how bad it was going to be until I got in the car and started driving into this storm, which I would find out by listening to the radio, was pretty wicked. But before I got in the car, I still hadn't checked the garage for snakes yet. Wasn't sure what I would find when it came time to bring the 3 young ones into the garage and into the van safely.

First, I grabbed my statue of St. Patrick that normally resides in the kitchen, and brought it out into the garage.

Once I had St. Patrick situated, I proceeded to look under the van and around the perimeter of the garage for the snake. Just in case he had made his way back in. Then, one by one, I brought the kids out and got them quickly into the van. Now while I was doing all of this, the lightning and wind had picked up considerably. I am deathly afraid of lightning, just in case you didn't know. So I have the simultaneous stress and nervousness of watching out for snakes AND trying to move as fast as possible so as not to be struck by lightning. This storm was moving in fast and full of lightning strikes. It was flashing every 2 seconds, and moving ever closer.

Then the rains started. Sheets just slamming down forming instant rivers in the streets. Well, I still had to manually open the garage door because the automatic opener for that side doesn't work. All this while fearing that I was going to be struck by lightning, and simultaneously fearing that the snake would be on the other side of the garage door when I lifted it open. I lifted it a crack and saw no snake. So I whipped the thing open super fast, then I dove into the van to head out into the storm. As I was listening to the non-stop radio warnings about tornadoes in my county, the thought crossed my mind that I was glad that we were all leaving, because the house may not be there when I returned.

Water and lightning everywhere. Branches were falling, cars were driving with their flashers on. Cars were stopped on the side of the road. Up ahead of me on one road I saw a purple flash, like a transformer just got hit. The traffic lights had lost power at 2 of the intersections I had to cross. Lightning was hitting just feet from my car. I thought I was gonna die. At one point a car was heading straight for me on my side of the road. What the heck was going on here! That guy was on the wrong side of the road! It's like people just started to panic and drive like morons.

Well, by the time I got to the school, it was down to drizzle, but still tons of flashes of lightning. Holy cow. That was a very scary 10 minute experience that felt more like an hour of non-stop lightning, wind and rain. When we got home, it was hardly raining any more. That storm ripped through here in a hurry. Man, I am just not good with thunderstorms. Add a tornado warning to it, and extra bonus lightning, and fear of snakes popping out at me, and I am a nervous wreck. But I drove through my fears and made it safely home with all of the kids unscathed.

Till next storm!

Arizona

2008-05-23T17:24:00.002-04:00

Arizona ranks #5 in my top 5 state list. I have only been there twice, but each time was very enjoyable. This is a completely different landscape from my other favorite states. Cactus after cactus, Arizona rocks! Oh, and speaking of rocks, they have cool ones in AZ too! All colors. All cool.

Sorry this is a short post, I just wanted to complete my 5 state series. Only took me twice as long as I said it would. Stay tuned for another week of 5s starting on Monday!

Florida!

2008-05-16T03:08:00.005-04:00

Coming in at #4 on my top five favorite states list is the Sunshine State! That's right, Florida! I have been going here since I was a baby. From the North Eastern Atlantic cost, where Amelia Island is located, to the South Western coast where you find Naples. Love both areas! Have had fond, fun Florida memories for so many years now. It's great to pass this along to my kids. I guess when ever I go to Florida and soak in the warmth of the sea breezes and absorb the sweet sun rays, I always think to myself, "I am a Northerner by birth, but a Southerner at heart."

Paddy at Amelia Island

Amelia

Naples

Naples

And nothing beats a Naples sunset over the Gulf of Mexico!

Hawaii!!

2008-05-14T23:54:00.003-04:00

Mountainous terrain on island of Kauai

My most favorite flower in the world, Plumeria.

Waimea Canyon

Where we stayed

Waterfalls

GOATS! On one of the cliffs of Waimea Canyon

This is quite possibly the best place on earth. Coming in at #3 is the State of Hawaii. I went there on my honeymoon and soon realized I was made for that tropical climate. And it is just beautiful on the Island of Kauai. It's a small island, so we spent most of our days exploring the ENTIRE ISLAND! We had such a great time. We even saw Puff The Magic Dragon's Cave!

I hope to get back for my 10th Wedding Anniversary (hint, hint, Jason!), that would be cool. It's just spectacular. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Virginia!

2008-05-13T22:58:00.005-04:00

Well, Virginia comes in at #2 for me in the 5 best state count down. Another state with a wide diversity of landscape. Of course Virginia is also filled with alot of our Nation's history as well. There's Historic Williamsburg, a lovely old colonial town steeped in Southern charm.

Horses on Main Street Williamsburg

There's also the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello. An absolutely beautiful property overlooking vast fields and mountains...

Nick on the grounds of Monticello, August 2003

Ryan and Nick in the Gazebo at Monticello!

And then there are some other historic spots on the Virginia map...

Front Royal's Caboose!

But mostly what I love about Virginia is the terrain. From mountains to seashore!
This is Natural Bridge in Southwestern Virginia. It's beautiful! They also have caverns you can explore that are quite impressive.

"Higher Than Niagara, Old As The Dawn, One Of The 7 Natural Wonders Of The World, Owned By Thomas Jefferson, Initialed By George Washington, 215 Feet Tall, 90 Feet Wide"

Virginia Beach, VA

I love Virginia! There are so many places left to explore in the Old Dominion, some I have been to already (like the ones on this page), and I'd like to visit these spots again. And I know there's a ton more in Virginia just waiting to be explored! I hope to get to them all!

New York!!!!

2008-05-12T16:13:00.005-04:00

This week, Monday through Friday I have decided to highlight 5 of my favorite states. Today I am talking about my home state, New York! Of course I had to start with New York!

I have always loved New York! So many great memories of growing up in and around New York City. Upstate New York (this is for Anne) is lovely too! Great countryside, fun towns and beautiful beaches! (Can you tell I am totally not familiar with Upstate?!?) Visit New York and you have the best of both worlds all in one state from 5th Avenue to Niagara Falls, New York state has got it all!

Pictures of My Sweet Nephew

2008-05-11T04:00:00.000-04:00

Finally Friday is Here! It's Red Day!

2008-05-11T03:46:00.004-04:00

Well Happy Friday to you all! I have made it through my Color Week! Faithfully posting a different color scheme every day! I'm so proud to present Friday, (It's NOT FRIDAY!!!!) day #5 as Red Day! I hope that you have a lovely Friday. It's raining here, but it seems to be clearing up, so that's cool. I think it's going to rain again early Saturday and then clear up in the late afternoon. It should be lovely. Anyway, on this Friday (NOOOOO!!!), I hope you all can enjoy the completion of my 5-day rainbow build. So now you may scroll down and watch as red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple all magically come together to create my Blog-Bow! Thanks for checking in each day to see what color was going to come in next! It's been fun. Maybe next Monday through Friday I'll highlight some thing else. I have the whole weekend to come up with a new theme! Happy Bloggin', Y'all!

Thirsty Thursday Brings us into the Yellows/Oranges

2008-05-11T03:38:00.003-04:00

Ah, Thursday! It's been a lovely day today (even though it is totally NOT Thursday!) as I watch the sunset over the mountains out West! So I present to you lovely readers, your long-awaited Thursday colors. I combined Orange and Yellow on this delightful Thursday (Check the time stamp, for goodness sake! Who's she kidding!??!) for you to enjoy! So here's Thursday's (C'mon, it's not really Thursday!) selection. Enjoy!

Green Day! (Dookie!!!!)

2008-05-11T03:31:00.003-04:00

Well, it's Wednesday (no it's not!) and I have chosen to do the color green for Wednesday to keep my rainbow look going. By the end of the 5 days that I have designated as "Color Week" (an idea ripped off from Kelly's blog) I should have a lovely rainbow. So anyway, I hope your Wednesday (It is SO not Wednesday) is superb! Enjoy the greens!

MY PADDY BOY!

Blue Day!!!!

2008-05-06T17:07:00.003-04:00

And how appropriate that I have chosen blue for today because my new nephew was born today! I dedicate this blue post to Baby Boy Brendan Robert! 9lbs. 13ozs.!!!

Purple Day

2008-05-05T18:44:00.001-04:00

Florida...again!

2008-05-05T18:04:00.005-04:00

My Dad and I in Naples, Fl: Photo taken by Michael

Taken by Michael

By Michael

By Michael

By Michael

Basically, my Dad was curious about the Ave Maria community in the Naples area. So me and Michael went down on Wednesday and came back yesterday. I guess we were there for a mini-vacation and also to keep my Dad company and give him a second opinion on all the houses we looked out. After at least 9+ hours over 2 days of looking at stuff, my Dad decided he wasn't going to buy anything. Great. At least we had beach fun.

On another note, as I was reading one of my favorite blogs, I came across the neat idea of doing color week. So that's what I'm going to do in my next post today, after taking pictures of items that fit into the color of the day category! And I have chosen Monday's color to be...

PURPLE! Hopefully, if I do this right, by Friday my blog will look like a rainbow, in the right color order; red/orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. So stay tuned for my purple post! Thanks for the fun idea, Kelly!

I just realized that this current post might mess up my rainbow... We'll see what happens.

Fun Weekend!

2008-04-22T00:47:00.002-04:00

Cardinal Arinze with my Dad and me!

What a fun weekend this past one was! My Dad came down on Friday and Jason and I went with him to Christendom's 30th Anniversary Gala. It was a great time. Of course, the kids got to spend time with Papa too!

My Dad and Paddy get a kick out of each other

We ate kinda late on Friday night, so Michael wasn't in some of the pictures with Papa. But after we ate, the little ones all swarmed around the adults to try to get in on the NY Cheesecake we were trying to eat stealthily. But we were discovered!

Papa and the Grand kids (Minus Michael who was in bed!)

The kids ALL compete to be the closest to Papa or the first to climb on his lap. Sometimes this causes fights, and Teresa and Kat got into one over who got to sit with Papa first. But all was worked out between them, and they hugged to make up.

Teresa hugs Katerina

Anyway, it was a lovely weekend! A good time was had by all! Hope everyone is well out there in BLOG LAND! Till I BLOG again, here's another picture:

Me and Kaboo!

My Kids Crack Me Up

2008-04-18T03:51:00.004-04:00

It was just about this time last April, when a 2 year old Katerina climbed into the dryer and thought it was a fun place to hang out. Well, guess who has discovered this small toddler-sized little nook now?

Patrick!

I thought it would be fun to show the pictures together and marvel that it was almost exactly a year to the day since Katerina first discovered that climbing into the dryer is fun. I don't know about that.

These kids keep me busy and ever alert! I normally keep the dryer door closed and the little ones aren't strong enough to open it. But if there is even the slightest security hole in this house, even for a few seconds, my kids will find it and exploit it! Patrick is particularly good at this. If someone forgets to completely secure the bathroom door after using it, Paddy just knows! And within about a split second, he's running into the bathroom and getting ready to dip his hand in the toilet. You gotta be QUICK with that Paddy Boy! Lately I have been saying Paddy is like twins! So sometimes I call him by his first and middle names.

"Patrick! Liam! Cut that out!"

I should probably not do that for too long though, lest he develop multiple personality disorder. Anyway, not much else going on here. Hope you have a lovely day!

Florida!

2008-04-03T05:24:00.009-04:00

Katerina looking at the water

Well, we're back after our 13 hour trek up 95 from Florida! We had a great time down in the Sunshine State. We started our odyssey on Good Friday. Packed the kids into the van Good Friday Morning, and we hit the road by 11:00AM. Many, many miles later, we arrived in Savannah, GA around 10:00PM. There were 6 very tired, road weary people that piled out of the van to our hotel rooms. I had the girls in 1 room, and Jason had the boys in the adjoining room for the night. I didn't get much sleep, and neither did Jason, but at least it was a break from the stress of I-95 driving.

Anyway, we awoke Saturday morning and only had about an hour and a half to 2 hours to go to get to our destination in NE Florida. Amelia Island! Check in time was 4:00PM, so we had time to kill. So since our hotel was in Savannah (not the old town part), we decided to take a little detour through the historic old town part of Savannah, which I had been through with my family many, many years ago as a young lady! I love this little Southern Town. Savannah is beautiful and full of history and intrigue! Here's a few pictures:

Savannah Street

Me driving through Savannah!

The Catholic Cathedral in Savannah

Fountain in a Savannah park, Jason and Kids

So after we drove through Savannah, we headed back onto 95 to continue south until we got to Florida. Shortly after crossing into Florida, we reached our exit to get to our final destination, Amelia Island Plantation. I have been going there with my family since I was a baby! I just love the idea of sharing this with my kids. They all love the beach and the whole Florida experience! Great stuff!

Dad and his Grandkids

Teresa

Kat

Michael

Patrick

So, as you can see, it was absolutely beautiful down in Florida, and we were very blessed that this was our 5th year down there with my Dad! It always goes by too fast, but now that we are back in Virginia, we have warm sunny days to look forward to here as well! Hope you enjoyed the picture odyssey of our trip to Florida! Till next time!

Pack Your Bags!

2008-03-20T02:03:00.006-04:00

Well, this will be our fifth annual trip to Amelia Island with my Dad! We're leaving on Friday! We usually go around Easter time. This year, Easter is a wee bit early, so I'm hoping we'll have good weather. As you can see from the picture, we are mighty close to the beach, which all of us LOVE! It's going to be great! It's kinda funny looking back over the last 4 trips we made to this sunny Island in Florida and seeing how our family has grown!

The first year, 2004, it was 3 year old (almost 4) Michael and 7 month old baby Teresa. The second year, 2005, was 4 year old Michael and 1 and a half year old Teresa AND 2 month old Katerina! In 2006, we had 5 year old Michael, 2 and a half year old Teresa, 1 year old Katerina, AND I was pregnant with Patrick! Last year, 2007, it was Michael (6), Teresa(3 1/2), Katerina(2) AND Patrick's first out-of-womb trip to Florida at 8 months old!

So this will be the first year that we haven't added anyone to our family. Kinda weird!

View from our unit

So, down the lists of things to bring I go. Pack up the van, don't forget all the essentials, and start driving South! Have a Happy Easter, Everyone!

Sweet, Sweet March!

2008-03-08T03:48:00.004-05:00

Well, sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while, but I guess I have been kinda hibernating. And when one hibernates, nothing really new and exciting happens, so there's not much to blog about. But with the advent of March and just a touch of the Springy goodness in the air of late, I'm inspired to write!

Last weekend, Kat turned 3 and we had a small gathering for a little celebration. She had a fabulous time playing with her friends, eating cake and opening presents. There were 11 kids and 7 adults. This is the usual situation when we have parties, even small ones, the adults are always out numbered by the little ones! But that's ok, it was Kat's day, so of course, the more kids, the merrier! She was delighted all the way around!

The weekend came and went and the week started out as normal for us...

..until late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. That is when the needle was ripped violently off the record. (You know the sound effect!) I got badly sick. I ended up in the bathroom much of the night and well into Wednesday morning throwing up. I haven't had such a bad illness in about 15 years. I pretty much stayed in bed all Wednesday and finally arose around 8:00 that evening. Jason stayed home from work so he could take care of the kids. I was totally knocked out of the game. All was fine Wednesday morning. Michael was at school, and the girls quietly watched movies...

...until 1:00 that afternoon. That is when Teresa got it. She spent most of the rest of the day throwing up too. Poor girl. Thursday came and went with no incidences. I felt MUCH better on Thursday. Not much of an appetite, a little weak and dehydrated, but WAY better than I was 24 hours earlier. I spent much of Thursday recuperating by drinking gallons and gallons of Gatorade. I felt pretty normal by late Thursday night. Mostly I was just extra tired. Friday, Michael said his stomach hurt in the morning, so we kept him home from school. He did not throw up though. So we made it through Friday with no throwing up...

...until just a little while ago. 2:30AM, Michael fell victim to the terrible pukies. I gave him some anti-nausea meds, cleaned up the...uh...pile in his room, disinfected a whole bunch of doorknobs and other key areas, and got him back to bed before 3:00AM. He was back to sleep shortly after that. I checked on him just a little while ago and he was asleep. I was thinking I'd be going to bed early tonight to finally catch up after going through this whole ordeal, but, as I write this, it's 4:00AM. I'll check on everyone again, then hopefully get some sleep myself.

All in all, though, I love the month of March! It's my b-day month and the month of St. Patrick after all, so nothing can really get me down. Hey, dealing with this in March is WAY better than dealing with it in February, the month of Suck.

So, enjoy your March! Put your hand to the plow and keep moving forward! It only keeps getting better from here! Toodles!

PS - Hi, Anne! Thanks for checking in! Going to give you guys a call soon, really!! I have been meaning to call you for a while now, but, well, you see what's been going on lately! Anyway, glad you like our flag! When did you see it? Adoration Night? :)

It's not snowing!

2008-02-20T16:27:00.005-05:00

Michael and Teresa Christmas Day

So I have decided (don't you like the way I just decide things?) that there's no way we will have any significant snowfall this winter. Time is running out. Really, I think I am just taunting the sky so that it will say, "Oh yeah? You think you're so smart!? Here's a BLIZZARD!!!!"

Yeah, right, Sky. Not gonna happen this winter. Not gonna happen.

In other fun news, we're going to shoot a satellite out of the sky tonight over the Pacific. That will be good for a few laughs.

Also, there's going to be a total lunar eclipse tonight, but I won't see it because it's going to be cloudy and it's supposed to snow...

Well, that's really about all I have for you. Not too much going on here. Just the usual daily routine for a mother of 4 Indians! I suppose I should put some sort of picture at the beginning of my post, so let me go find a good one. There we go!

Oh, and I was thinking if anyone had any ideas for something you'd like me to write about, just let me know! I'll write about anything! So send me your ideas! Also, if you have any picture requests or anything else, you just let me know. Together we can make my Blog un-boring! It'll be so great. So if you are reading this, then you must make some sort of suggestion in the comments box! It can be anything! FUN!

Ice

2008-02-14T05:10:00.009-05:00

So, here we go! Tuesday brought us some ice! Wow! This has been a very low-snow producing winter so far, even for Virginia standards. So anyway, it started icing on Tuesday, Virginia Primary Day, and kept going well into the night and we woke up Wednesday morning to a solid sheet of ice that was our driveway. But rewind to Tuesday night. I wanted to be a part of History Tuesday night by voting in Virginia's 2008 Primary. It's really darn convenient for us to vote, I can walk to my polling place, it's in my neighborhood! But, if I had walked Tuesday night, I surely would have slipped on the extremely icy sidewalks of my neighborhood during the height of the ice storm we had. So, I drove! (By the way, it ALWAYS rains here any time we have to go out and vote...every time!)

OK! So I get to the neighborhood school for voting action, park in an icy parking lot, almost slip and fall on my tail, and made my way into the polls. But I am concerned that I won't be eligable because I have a Driver's License (DL!) that has my old address on it. It wasn't a problem last time I voted there, but THIS time there was re-districting going on. Apparently, since they have opened up a new school down the road, now they have split up the local districts here. BORING! But that's what they did.

Well, here's what I did. I went in, talked to the lazy election "official" dude with the laptop and told him my deal. Old address on DL, but I have a bill with my name and current address on it. He says, "Well, you probbaly have to just fill out a thing...blah blah blah. But you should be just fine. No problems, you'll be able to vote." OK, then I hop back on the line and figure the election "official" knows what he's talking about, yay I can vote! So after waiting on line for about 15 minutes or so, I get to the lady who asks me what my name is, my address and blah blah blah, only to have her tell me I am not in the books. OH MAN! That guy told me I'd be OK! So SHE sends me BACK to the "official" so he can actually USE that freaking laptop he's been supplied with to check to see what my deal is!

He asked me for my social security number, I give it to him, and he nods his head as if to say, "Yeah, here's the problem right here, I see what's happened now!" Then he simply says, "Limestone Drive." as if I know what the hell he's talking about.

Ummmmm...OK, I've never lived on Limestone Drive, what does that mean?! He explains that I am still listed at my OLD address and after the re-districting, I have to go vote over there. So at this point it's 6:30. Polls close at 7. Not a problem. So I go to the Limestone Drive location of the new school, park in an icy parking lot, almost slip and fall on my tail, and made my way into the polls.

Instead of explaining that I had moved, there was this "official" dude, there was ice, and I had to drive a mile down the road, I just showed them my old address DL, stated my full name, as instructed, got my little e-card to vote with, and then voted. Whew. What an ordeal! Man. I should write to that dude I voted for and tell him what a pain in the neck it was to do so!

Anyway, my point is, I'm losing hope that we will ever have a decent snowfall this season.

PS - Anne, 1) I have the paperwork to become a member of Holy Trinity and, 2) I knew what you meant about de-icing your car. Oh, and bonus #3 Why the heck didn't you park in the garage!?!?