Fun Friday Facts

* It's been a very busy week full of golf, soccer, music class, planning for Grandma Charlton's birthday, keeping my mom calm while her pool gets an overhaul and working.

 

* I don't feel like I am getting enough sleep even though my eyes are very heavy at 9:30pm and I fall off to dreamland.

 

* I have received the most wonderfully amazing news that our dear friend Nina is successfully pregnant after going through the process to become a surrogate for a couple whom can not have a child. This experience and what she is doing for two human beings is beyond words. We love her to the moon and back and think she is such a wonderful person. We look forward to seeing the entire Gilbert clan when they come for our yearly reunion in August. I'll be drinking for both of us, but I think I can handle the job.

 

* My brother Justin will be leaving in September to go to Oxford in London for 9 months and we just got word yesterday that Joan landed a job in England as well next year at a school as a lacrosse coach with other responsibilities. We are so thrilled for both of these amazing people. Experience life and fill those bucket lists.

 

* The boat is in our slip and we hope to make the 2013 maiden voyage this evening. It has been scrubbed and only needs to be vacuumed and mopped. Pictures to follow.

 

* The Relay for Life is fast approaching and is only two weeks away. We had to make a very difficult decision this year and after a ton of deep thought we came to a decision that made the best sense for our family. Seth has a Stage Notes recital on the same night as The Relay, but we decided that taking part in The Relay was much more important for our family this year and every year. He will miss his recital, but we had a long talk with him and he agreed that it was more important to support Daddy. He even said, "There will be more recitals Mom." I thought that showed definite maturity. Ticia fully understood and we both teared up as we discussed the fact that we will have many more recitals until Seth and Jack reach their senior year. We feel so blessed to be a part of The Stage Notes family and look forward to many years ahead.

 

* I'm obssessed with three things right now...

 

1. Reading. Since Ro got me a Kindle I'm a reading maniac and I love it. I've read some great books and I'm always looking for new suggestions.

 

2. Music. There is some amazing new songs out right now and I love singing at the top of my lungs (while I'm alone of course). Some of my favorite tunes right now are...Taylor Swift ~ 22, Avril Lavigne ~ Here's to Never Growing Up, Florida Georgia Line ~ Cruise, Macklemore ~ Can't Hold Us

 

3. Almond Crackers. Blue Diamond makes these gluten free almond crackers and they are the yummiest little bits of heaven. It's the small things that make me happy.

 

This weekend will be full of (hopefully) boating, family, wine and catching up on some rest. Here's to it.

Daily Inspirations

This is completely true.

We have some wonderful friends whom we definitely consider part of the family.

Memorial Day Weekend in Review

 How do 4 days go by so fast?

Well, the weather wasn't completely fantastic, but we definitely made the most of our vacation and got a ton done around our house. Most importantly, we spent a lot of quality family time. Friday, Seth had a friend over to play and we tried to stay warm as the temps dropped to the 40s.

 Friday night Leah and I had a special movie date and we watched Cinderella for the first time. She loved it. Our next movie date will consist of The Little Mermaid. We are going old school.

 Saturday evening we spent some time with Grandma and Poppy. We attempted a fire, but the wind was horrible so we basically just ate the smoke from the fire. We did pull out some sparklers and small fireworks for the occasion.

 Seth's new nickname is "All Sports All the Time Seth". He would play any and every sport from sun up to sun down every single day. It's a good thing he is signed up for 4 camps this summer.

 Sunday we took a drive to Rochester to celebrate Sheryl's 34th Birthday. We were able to meet many of her wonderful friends and we had a really good time. Seth was thrilled because they had a ton of different games and they included him into all of them.

 For DSS purposes and to be totally honest, there was water in those "Water Pong" cups. Everyone at the party also called it "Water Pong" and Seth ran the table. Dead serious, we are in trouble in the future.

 Monday we did a ton of yard work and other than staining the decks, the house is ready for the summer AND ready if the right house came along. We could list ours in a heartbeat.

Sunday night I tried a new recipe from Pinterest and it was fabulous. A definite do over and super easy. It's called Balsamic Steak Rolls. Delish.

Hopefully the boat is getting put into the water today and we will spend this weekend on the lake. Fingers crossed.

Daily Inspirations

Do you feel like this? From sun up to sun down I feel like I could truly use an assistant some days. You know those days where you are helping with homework, cooking dinner, throwing in a load of laundry, feeding the dog AND then your youngest says in the cutest voice ever, "Mommy will you play with me?". It gets to be just too much for one person and you just want to drop everything to sit down and play a game or read a book to your child. I wouldn't trade all the chaos for the world, but come on, why does all of this fall on one persons shoulders? It just isn't right. I am more than ready for summer vacation. A time to not rush all day and a time to be able to sit and play more. I'm counting down the days and I am so very grateful to have this special time with my kiddos.

Enough complaining and onto a LONG weekend. So excited to do nothing with my favorite three people.

Daily Inspirations

As the years pass, people come in and out of your life. Friends move away or drift away, but your family is always there and they are truly the most important people in your life. They mean everything. We are so lucky to have some kick butt family members.

Weekend Wrap Up

 We made the very most of the gorgeous weather this weekend. Friday night we worked on color restoring the boat and most importantly we mastered the Kangaroo Bounce Jump. When I say we, I really mean the kids. I watched them have the time of their lives and I smiled the biggest smile.

 Saturday, Roland was in a golf tournament and I took the kids to a local family scavenger hunt. It was a BLAST. I got enough exercise for a month and it was a ton of fun. We felt like we were on a much smaller version of the Amazing Race.

 The girls petered out after two clues. Thank goodness Lee was there to take them to the playground while the rest of us pushed on.

 Saturday night we headed to SYR with The Voss' to try and new restaurant in Armory Square and go to a show. It was a really fun evening. Mom and Tom kept the kids for a sleep over which made the night perfect. Thank you so much.

 Sunday we headed back to the boat to work on the outside more and I jumped inside and scrubbed every single surface. All we need to do is vacuum the carpets and mop the front. It will be ready by this weekend to put into the lake.

 Sunday night we headed to Lexy's 12th Birthday party. The kids had a great time and we all came home super stuffed. Thank you Brad, Krista, Lexy and Luke.

Could they possibly be any cuter?

This week consists of soccer, music and a 4 day weekend approaching. Bring it on...

Daily Inspirations

As I slowly add to my summer wardrobe this season I have been trying to purchase clothing for myself and for my family with a little flare. Out with the dark colors and in with bold color. No matter how white my legs might look in a dress I am picking one with some color. So far you might see me sporting an orange and white paisley dress and a hot pink and white dress. I'm ready for the warm sunny weather. Seth has more orange than any child his age ever thought of and Leah is going to be quite the colorful girl this season. Roland has also jumped in on the action. He bought himself some interesting colors of shorts for the summer. We are ready.

Daily Inspirations

Agreed.

 I'm super happy with my job, family and life. Are there things that I want? Absolutely. Am I working towards those things? Absolutely. Am I happy with what I have right now? Absolutely.

Happiness is the key. If you are happy anything is possible.

Daily Inspirations

 

I keep thinking about this quote as we plan our big beach trip in July. I've been making lists, searching the net for interesting excursions and just craving life experience. My list is growing and so is my excitement. At this point I have found a wild horses trip at a national park, a pirate adventure sailing trip and so much more. We are so blessed to be going to a brand new area with endless possibilities.



 

We are also going to a very interesting play in Syracuse this weekend and trying a brand new restaurant in Armory Square. It's all about living life to the fullest.

Daily Inspirations

Life has certainly calmed down for us and I really enjoy it. We aren't rushing all the time in all different directions with all sorts of people. We are busy and still plan and have fun, but it isn't excessive anymore and it has done a world of good for me personally. Calm is perfect. When life gets too hectic I just can't do it.

Weekend in Review

 This weekend flew by so very quickly. Friday night Roland took me to Ryan's Lookout for an early Mother's Day feast. It is my all time favorite restaurant and I was thrilled to go for a delicious meal. Saturday, despite the rain and cold we held our annual garage sale and people actually flocked. We sold just about everything and made a bundle on $1 items. It is a great feeling to clean out the house and make a little summer money. The kids did fantastic on their lemonade stand too. They had a lot of fun sitting and chatting with people too.

Sunday we packed up the truck and made our annual Mother's Day trip to Onondaga Lake Park. It was a bit breezy this year, but the sun came out and we still had a wonderful day together. We biked 5 miles and then played on their amazing playground. 

 Seth's new mission in life is to try out the monkey bars and accomplish them at each and every playground we go to. He is really good.

 I am so very grateful for these two gems.

 Who says adults can't have some fun at the playground? HA.

 We finally were able to try an old restaurant we have been wanting to try in Liverpool. It's called Heid's and it is an old fashioned hot dog stand. It was delicious and fun to boot. My new favorite hot dog topping is now red pepper relish. So good.

 After naps (mom included), Leah and I ran over to Mom's to give she and my Gram great big Mother's Day hugs before we went to Yo Johnny for dinner. Dessert for dinner was my choice this year and it was so fun.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the special mom's in my life.

Daily Inspirations

Just a little help to get you through the Monday blahs.

I plan to attempt them all today. I'll report back.

Have a LOVELY day.

Presenting Leah Bean

Watching her just melts my heart. Sp proud of you Leah.

Leah's Garden Party

 Leah had her very first school concert. They called it a Mother's Day Garden Party and it lasted all of ten minutes, BUT those were the very best ten minutes of my whole week. It's no shock that Leah is our timid child and we were super excited to see her sing and stand up in front of a room full of parents. She is the tallest in her class, but not the loudest. I think that title would go to her BFF Lindsey. When Lindsey sings you just have to smile and great big giant smile because it is so stinking cute. All of the kids looked super adorable and they did a fantastic job. At the end Leah gave me a beautiful Mother's Day gift that she made for me in school. We definitely love St. John Bosco.

 Leah with her teacher Miss Brand

Leah and her buddy Lindsey

Daily Inspirations

The countdown has begun, we leave for the beach in exactly 55 days and we are all sorts of excited. We haven't been away for an entire week in about 4 years. Let the lists and planning begin.

Forgetful Parents

 Well...we made our first big oops as parents last night and completely forgot about the Art Show at Seth's school. It had been a busy night with music class and such and at about 8:15 Seth came downstairs and told us we had forgotten about the Art Show. Ooops. We felt awful. Luckily it only took a quick note to his teacher this morning and she promptly took these pictures and texted them to me. Thank heavens for technology. Thank you Mrs. Morrison and oh my goodness Seth is definitely the budding artist.

It appears that Seth's circus elephant is a Pittsburgh Steeler's fan.

Daily Inspirations

I have been a reading maniac lately and I have definitely felt this way recently. There are books that you just don't want to end and then when they do you can just start right from page 1 again. Love it.

Daily Inspirations

Do you ever feel this way?

There is being busy and then there is just time to give up.

In either event it is alright to just let go.

 

Trying Something New

 We decided that it was time to get Seth more involved since he is such a die hard sports enthusiast. We signed him up for soccer at the Y and asked Leah if she would like to try it in her age group. She responded (with attitude no less), "Well, I know how to kick so sure." We went shin guard shopping and the kids were psyched. Leah was up first and I walked her in and we instantly saw a mom and little boy we knew, but Leah burst into tears. She was so scared, scared like I've never seen her before. I knew she would love it if she gave it a chance so I basically took the class with her and stayed on the field the entire 45 minutes. She was smiling a little by the end, but I'm not sure she is in love. We will keep trying and hopefully next week I can exit the field. Seth on the other hand LOVED every single minute of it and even scored 5 goals. Leah took the hour that Seth played to eat snacks and drink out of her water bottle. She was much more happy on the bleachers.

Until next week...

Daily Inspirations

I'm all about positive reinforcement and my kids probably think I'm completely crazy sometimes. I try to praise them and tell them how amazing they are quite often. Just this Saturday on our way home from Sackets Harbor they were singing in the back seat and I looked at Ro and said, "We are so lucky." I truly feel that way. Of course they can be trying from time to time, but on the whole they are pretty awesome kids. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I do the same thing with my students, before correcting them or "talking" to them I always start with the phrase, "You are such a smart student..."

Kids need more praise and less neglect. Truth.

Daily Inspirations

Thank you Stage Notes and SG for instilling such happiness into our sons heart. He loves Wednesdays so very much and we look forward to many productions that he is a part of in the upcoming years. Who knows, maybe Leah will be our next Stage Note kiddo when she turns 5.

We LOVE the Weekends

 This past weekend was extra special for many reasons.

1. Uncle Justin is home from now until September.

2. The weather was AMAZING.

3. We spent the entire weekend outdoors.

4. We got so much done around the house.

5. We got out our bikes and rode the newish Sackets bike trail.

6. We got lunch from The Old Garage Deli for our picnic.

7. We had a campfire, s'mores and played glow stick hide and seek.

8. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a ton of Mexican food.

9. It was the best weekend.

 We took our maiden voyage in Sackets on Saturday morning and it felt so great to be out in the fresh air, getting exercise and spending time as a family.

 Our picnic was compliments of Jaime's new deli. Super delish.

 The kids flew a kite for the first time and thought it was truly amazing.

 Saturday night we celebrated Justin's homecoming with tons of out doors activities.

 Leah and Gram in the playground fort.

 Seth is our all American, all sports, all the time kid.

 Leah named herself the the dessert lady and she was in charge of the s'mores ingredients.

We also sort of taught Seth how to play beer pong, but we titled it water pong so we don't get arrested and we actually played with water in the cups so we didn't appear to be total unfit parents. What scares me the most is the fact that he was a total wringer. He kicked butt. I can already see Seth as a sports playing frat boy who is also the king of beer pong. We are in serious trouble. in any event it was a ton of fun getting together as a family and having some laughs.

Sunday night we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with all the Mexican food you could eat and of course margaritas. Fun fun.

This week starts Roland's golf league, the kids playing soccer, music class, Leah's school concert and Mother's Day weekend. Can't wait.