Noodle bug!!!

In getting ready for some holiday festivities Dad, Mikayla and I made noodles this past weekend, it's a fun process...... Mikayla had a blast!!!! She loved making the dough... playing with the flour, kneeding the dough, playing with the flour, licking the spoon, playing with the flour.... even puppy dog Jennifer got in on the action playing with the flour.......

Here Mikayla is carrying the pressed but not yet cut noodles to the dining room to dry for awhile before they get cut.

A bed full of noodles.... the sheet is too light to show how many there really were but after everything is said and done we got four big bags of noodles :)

2 bags bagged, 2 more to bag :)

Fun times!!!!

Great weekend!!!

We were down at the boat for most of Saturday - it was sooooooo nice to get away and just enjoy each other. So nice to slow down for awhile!!!







I did some work up in the game room and before I got to it it was 100% my scrap area (my stuff was the whole room with the added benefit of a couch) but now it is both sitting room area and scrap area :) I did lose some of my work space but really, do I need four tables all to myself? LOL

Here are the after pictures.




Best ribbon storage EVER!!! It's great for organization and to clearly see what I have. It is 10 feet of incredibly awesome housing gutter, cut in half, $7.97 later, I have 2 rows of the awesomenest organization ever !!! My ribbon spools fit in perfectly!

School Picture (and some others)

My bestie from Ohio was here last weekend, we had a great time!!! Did some shopping, chilling, dancing, singing, scrapping, chatting, went to the boardwalk, camped on the boat..... lots of fun stuff!!!

Here is one of the poses for Mikayla's school pictures :) she's getting so grown up on me! She is doing very well in school, officially speaks more spanish than I do, comes home daily with new songs to sing, new letters to write, and I can see she changed ever so slightly from her days experience. I am sooooooo incredibly happy with the school we chose and how she is absolutely thriving and blossoming before my very eyes!



Katie brought Tyler over to see us (and Julie from OH) and Mikayla just loves Tyler (Katie too, she always talks about her). I can't wait to see our little munchkins running all over the place together, it won't be long! Here are some more pictures of the begginings of what I anticipate a wonderful life long friendship :) I love being able to capture this!!!

My Guardian Angel's Day

This day, 4 years ago our lives changed forever. My Mom was called home to be with God. I can't believe it; I can’t believe how fast the time marches on. Another year of healing……

We still find comfort in the fact that she no longer is in pain or sick or struggling. Mikayla asks about her quite a bit, she doesn’t quite understand it but she knows that my mom is in heaven. She recognizes her in pictures and calls her Grandma.

It still makes me sad that she will never know other than stories what an incredible and courageous woman, mother and friend my mom was and what a kind and gentle spirit. I see a lot of my mom in Mikayla certain mannerisms that she somehow has. It amazes me that Mikayla was almost born on mom’s birthday but the doctors decided we couldn’t wait 4 days.


It still makes me sad that they missed meeting by 49 days, I can remember my mom saying she wished she could hold her just one time. I really miss being able to share this experience with her. I’m thankful beyond words for my dad and my mother-in-law…. Words can’t even express how thankful I am.

I really find myself missing the day to day stuff with her, the silly conversations, the games we would play, talking in “code”, shopping adventures…. things like that. I also find myself parenting with my memories. I remember on Saturday’s taking naps with my mom…. So every Saturday (sometimes Sunday too ;) ) I will go in and will lay down with Mikayla… I can see in my minds eye my mom and I doing that exact same thing and how it would take me awhile to settle down (just as it does Mikayla) and then we sleep, I usually wake before she does (just as my mom did) and leave the room and have some interruption free time. I remember the vegetable game we made up and it turns out Mikayla and I have made up our own little game too. I remember how she made me feel so safe, warm, happy, comfortable and I remember that I also knew the limit..... I have soooo many fond memories. I hope that one day Mikayla will be able to reflect back and remember the really great times even through the pain of loss.

My mom….
Such a special woman
Never far from mind
Never forgotten

November 19, 1938-September 28, 2005

Such hard work!!!

Here is my best gal concentrating soooo hard on the letters she is writing..... she amazes me every single day!!!! She absolutely loves school and her teachers. I really can see how she's a little sponge soaking everything she is learning and really trying to apply it.

Busy times ;)

We seem to be just so busy lately but have still had a lot of fun time! Mikayla is amazing and really soaking up her studies. She can now write her name, mom, and dad. I will show you as soon as I think to take a picture of it (or scan it). The other day I was telling her she was my best friend... and she took her hands and put them on the sides of my face and looked me square in the eye and said "Mommy, you're my best BEST friend"...... she sure knows how to melt my heart.



Here are some recent pictures.



Is it an alien?................ nah...it's a swiming Mikayla!!!







We were down at the boat, it was really warm that day but we got some shells and did a little net fishing. She caught a few shrimp, minnows and a baby crab (we put them in a bucket for observation then send them back to be with their families).

Our first week of school

Mikayla did really well, we're all adjusting and she is definitely learning and growing (and therefore more tired than usual) but it was a great first week. (I do have more pictures; these are my phone ones....). Looking at the line up of these pictures, we are clearly in a two pony tail phase (by her choice)....LOL this sure makes me notice things like that.

Such fun times!!!!! She's really doing well though and I'm so proud of her! I'm so excited for what this year will bring her. I can't believe she's officially a pre-kindergartner!!! WOW!!!

Monday 8-24-09


Tuesday 8-25-09


Wednesday 8-26-09


Thursday 8-26-09


No uniforms on Fridays ;)
Monday 8-31-09