Tartaglia's in Atlanta

2011-01-23T19:11:00.002-05:00

After a weekend has passed, the kids are usually at each others' throats and itching to get back into the routine of school as is demonstrated by their "loving words" towards one another. This weekend has been no different but tonight there was a pleasant surprise.

They were both in the kitchen trying to finish up their dinner and doing a good bit of messing around in the process. We warned them several times to calm down but the situation escalated and Avery was told to come into the living room and put his nose in the corner. He stood there, nose in corner, defiantly stomping his foot. Emily was then called in to explain why she shouldn't be in a corner as well. After a brief attempt to excuse herself, she finally admitted that she should be in the corner also. At this point Avery almost leaped out of the corner and started tearfully pleading on her behalf saying that he would stand in the corner for her. He finished with a tearful "I don't want her to be in the corner, I love her!" It was so tender and sweet and gave us a glimpse that perhaps all the hours of teaching have not been in vain. *Sigh*

Pizza for breakfast... Isn't that for adults?

2011-01-22T23:19:00.005-05:00

So child #2 is turning 6 next week and this morning I wanted to take him to McDonalds for a special treat. He was hungry before we left and on the table was a pizza from last night (no, it didn't get put away, and yes, it was kind of dry - and you know you've left dinner out too so feel free to think the token "ew!" and then move on). He wanted to eat a piece in the car on the way to Mickey D's and I tell him that he can have the pizza or his special breakfast treat - not both. The most sincere pleading ensued of how hungry he was and couldn't wait until we got there to eat. I caved. We got in the car - piece of pizza and all.

We decided to go in so he could look at the menu. He chooses a Sausage Egg McMuffin with OJ. Promptly drank 3/4 of the OJ and wouldn't touch the sandwich. Next time I shall stick to my parental instincts and just treat myself! I'm not interested in becoming friends with angst - at least not too often.

It's snowing... again

2011-01-10T00:54:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and Fam! I'm actually posting to my blog since it's a new year and time to start updating people in more than a one-sentence update on Facebook.

Andrew and I are up late and enjoying the wonderment that is falling outside for the second time in two weeks. We had a magical Christmas with snow on Christmas day and now snow tonight which means another snow day tomorrow! I fully plan to play with the kids, watch movies, make cookies... whatever strikes our fancy. I'm sure we'll be enjoying our Kinect as well. It's too late to post pics (too dark outside) but hopefully we'll get some tomorrow of us romping in all the white goodness that abounds. In Andrew's words, as we were looking out the back door to the back yard, he said, "Our yard doesn't look quite so crappy with all that snow." Hopefully by next year our grass will have decided to pro-create and get a move-on with filling in the yard with something that is actually green. :-)

I have intentions of getting another blog going to post some of my artwork that I have done recently and also some that I did awhile ago. I'll post when I get that show on the road but don't hold your breath.

An update.... finally

2010-02-27T23:22:00.010-05:00

I was talking to my sister today and she informed me that it would be nice to see a new post. So after seeing that the last one was in September I am finally adding a new one. I keep trying to upload a new template from The Cutest Blog On The Block from my Mac and it won't work for some reason. Any suggestions??? Anyway, I have this thing in my head that I don't want to come on here and create new posts if my blog doesn't look cute. I know that's silly but it's one of the weird controlling quirks I have. Ok, now that I've made my disclaimer, on to "An Update."

Since September we have had Emily's birthday, Andrew's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and in January I had the opportunity to go to CHA in Anaheim, CA. I also celebrated my 29th birthday.... again! CHA is short for the Craft and Hobby Association. For those of you who may not be aware, I work for Couture Cardstock which is a (you guessed it) cardstock company. Check us out at couturecardstock.com. We just launched on Nov 1, 2009.

CHA is a huge convention that occurs twice a year and it's an opportunity for businesses to showcase new products, make new contacts and connect with people in the industry. This was our first CHA and we were really excited about all the time and effort we put into building and designing our booth. I will include a few pics:-) Two of our unique papers that we launched at CHA are our One Sheet Wonder and our Detail Blending Paper. Both are designed to work with Copic Markers and other alcohol-based markers. We worked with Sally Lynn McDonald, who is on the Copic Design Team and is a Copic Educator, to develop this product and she actually endorses it now and uses it in her classes!

The week I went to CHA was the same week that CA was having all that rain and flooding so the weather was terrible and I was just happy that they didn't cancel the convention!

Another great plus about the trip is that I was able to see my cousin Ben and meet his sweet wife Mariella for the first time. It's been at least 15 years since I've seen him. He's now an attorney in LA and doing great.

It was a fun trip but we were so tired from standing in the booth for 8 hours a day and glad to get home to our families. More posts to come soon....

Our Booth at CHA. The dress is made from paper!

These shoes are made from paper by one of our designers, Heidi Kelley. Aren't they amazing?

This is the card that I designed.

Myself and Sally Lynn McDonald. She is so sweet.

Myself and Broni Holcombe who is on our design team. She is our Copic artist and a southern gal like me!

Alyssa McGrew, our Design Team Coordinator, CarrieAnne DeLoach, President of Couture Cardstock, and myself. They are so much fun!

Mariella, myself and my cousin Ben

Emily packed a lunch for me...

2009-09-17T21:31:00.003-05:00

Wendy made grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and there was half of a sandwich left over. Just before Emily went to bed she said she had packed my lunch and was going to put it in the fridge for me. After the kids were in bed, I went to look at what she had done and this is what I found. The best is the note and the fact she signed it from Avery as well. Love the Life-Saver mint taped to it. This kid rocks.

Free at last...

2009-09-04T00:48:00.004-05:00

The wait is finally over. Well it's been a few weeks now but after living in this country for just over 34 years all of the paperwork cleared and I was sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America. It was a very short ceremony but a great learning experience for the kids. Wendy's first question following the ceremony was "Where are we going to go now that we can leave the country?" Maybe a short trip to Canada. That seems safe.

Feeding the Spider Monkeys at the Adirondack Animal Land

2009-07-13T23:40:00.002-05:00

The best thing about the wild animal park was feeding Fruit-loops to the spider monkeys. Emily can be heard in the video to say that the monkeys hands are "hard, not all lotiony." They were also quite good as using their prehensil tails to grab on to the food as well.

Northville 4th of July Parade

2009-07-13T23:16:00.004-05:00

The kids had alot of fun at the parade in town. The parade route was a short walk from the house into town. They had a very nice parade and it looked like all the surrounding towns and villages participated. There were fire trucks and rescue vehicles (even a small hovercraft) and lots of classic cars. They had a drum and bagpipe regiment as well. Of course the kids loved all the candy they got. If you listen carefully to the video, that is what Avery is repeating to himself halfway through the video. CANDY!!!

Emily and Avery Fishing with Dad and Grandpa T

2009-07-13T22:52:00.006-05:00

The fishing was great. Grandpa T bought a bunch of worms and the kids had a blast. As you can see it didn't matter how big those fish were, they were just so excited to be fishing. They are still too young to bait the hook and unhook the fish once it's caught but isn't that what Dads are for?

Fourth of July in New York

2009-07-13T22:33:00.002-05:00

We were able to spend the Fourth of July in upstate New York with part of the Tartaglia clan. They have a small house on a lake in a small town, village really, called Northville. We all had a great time. We flew in to NYC on a Wednesday and stayed in the city that night. It was great to see Aunt Mary and Amy and Ivan and Alex. Emily and Avery were so excited to see their cousin Alex. He is 8 now and came with us on the drive up to the house the next day. Grannie Annie and Grandpa T were already there waiting for us. The kids had a great time fishing for the first time and riding on the paddle-boats. We tried to swim but the water is still very cold even though it was 75 degrees the entire time we were there.

Fathers and Sons Campout 2009

2009-05-18T11:39:00.006-05:00

Avery went camping with Dad and Paka this weekend. After a leasurely fish fry dinner at the Cracker Barrel on the way up, he helped get camp set up at the Pine Log Wilderness Mountain Area near White, GA. It was wet but he had a blast. A heavy thunderstorm Friday night didn't even put a dent in his enthusiasm. He had his headlamp and a saftety wistle (with a thermometer, compass and magnifying glass on it) and his sleeping bag which is apparently all he needs. As the wind and rain pelted the tent he read his picture books (by the light of his headlamp) and commented on how cool and awesome camping was. There were lots of other fathers and sons from our Stake but none of his more immediate friends were able to be there. Fortunately there was a small stream nearby that kept him busy most of the evening on Friday. Who knew throwing rocks into a stream could be so entertaining! After eating pancakes early Saturday morning and throwing a few more rocks into the stream for good measure, Avery fell asleep on the ride home. It was a short campout but he remained enthusiatic throughout which by any measure makes it a great success.

Kid kissing pig

2009-03-13T09:52:00.001-05:00

He wants what?

2009-03-13T09:33:00.004-05:00

This morning Avery comes in my room and says to me, "Mom, when can we get a pig?" What??

Most kids want a dog, cat, fish, etc. but my kid wants a pig because pigs are so "cute" he says. Wow. It's actually not a bad idea--if you live on a farm. I'll get right on that.

Avery's Room

2009-01-11T21:39:00.003-05:00

Over Christmas break we decided it was time to do Avery's room. The poor kid hasn't even had his own blanket since he was a baby. Santa brought him a new bed set and lamp so we painted it to match. We added a few things after this picture was taken but I thought it turned out pretty good. Thanks for the idea, Bridget!

Chrismas morning...

2009-01-11T20:38:00.004-05:00

In the excitement of the morning we remembered to video the kids but didn't remember to take pictures! So the following are the only two pictures to document the day.

Paka and Mimi came over to spend some time with us Christmas morning. We loved that they were able to spend some time with us because the kids were sick Christmas eve and we had to miss the party with the family.

Santa was very generous to us and we had a wonderful time.

He brought me a new professional series KitchenAid and so I had to bust it out that morning and make a cake! This is one of my favorite cakes ever!

Cranberry Cake

3/4 C Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
3 Eggs
1 1/2 C Sour Cream
7-8oz Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
1 1/2 tsp soda
3 C flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp almond/vanilla extract
3/4 C nuts

Cream butter and sugar; add egg one at a time beating after each one. Mix dry ingredients. Add alternately with sour cream. Add flavoring. Grease and flour bundt pan. Put 1/3 batter on bottom. Swirl half the cranberry sauce onto the layer and sprinkle with a few nuts. Swirl into the batter and repeat layers until used up. Bake at 350 for 1hr or until doen. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Turn on rack and cool.

Glaze

1 rounded C powdered sugar
1 1/2 TBSP warm water
3/4 tsp almond extract

Mix and drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with nuts. ( I prefer slivered almonds or pecans)

Christmas break...

2009-01-11T19:57:00.006-05:00

Over the break we had a really good time dog-sitting Popcorn and Coco for some friends of ours that went on vacation. The kids adore them (so do Andrew and I) and couldn't wait to take them outside whenever they got a chance. We also had fun decorating our gingerbread house that was made by our friend Susie Connell. Thanks Susie, we had a great time!!

Some updates...

2009-01-11T19:29:00.003-05:00

So it's been awhile again since I last posted and I'm just going to update everyone in a few different posts instead of cramming it all into one.

Below are the pies I made for Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. The pumpkin pie is made from our Halloween pumpkin this year. We never ended up carving it so I cooked it down and made some puree. It turned out really good, I thought.

Also, I made my mom's apple pie and that was scrum-diddly-umptious! I would include the recipe but I'm feeling lazy so if you really want it then shoot me an email.

Many of you know that I'm a Twilight fan so my friends Shauna, Bridget and I had a girl's night and enjoyed going to see it the night it opened. Of course Shauna and I had to wear our nerdy Twilight shirts from when we went to the book party for Breaking Dawn. They say "Team Edward, Cooler than a Werewolf" in case you can't read it.

The finished pumpkin pie.. I didn't take a "before" picture.

Before the oven....

The finished product!

Some thoughts... and gratitude... and my new job

2008-11-20T23:09:00.004-05:00

So I haven't posted very much lately because at the beginning of Oct my life got much busier. I started working for a family as their Jack-of-all-trades. I cook, clean, help with kids, run errands, and organize. They are so wonderful to me and I couldn't ask for a better job that provides more flexibility than I could dream of... and they are so nice to me about my cooking when I know it really wasn't something to write home about! (Although I do have to say that the pork loin I made this week was indeed quite tasty :-) Also, Avery goes with me and Bridget (who works from home) has the patience of a Saint with all his boyish ways while I'm there making things tidy. So thank you Bridget and Bill. You are a blessing in my family's and my life. I love you guys!

And to the rest of those that check this blog I hope to catch up with you guys soon! I've been choosing a little more sleep over a little more computer time.

Tomorrow is Emily's Kindergarten program. It's going to be so cute! More to come... maybe :-)

New York, Baby

2008-11-09T14:24:00.009-05:00

We had a great time in New York at the beginning of October. We went for Andrew's sister's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time celebrating and seeing friends and family. Andrew and Emily's birthdays were that week so we celebrated those as well.

We were able to go into the city and spend some time at the Central Park Zoo, Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. We enjoyed good times and most especially good food! We had yummy Italian, Chinese and Korean food. I tried Water Lilly root, Mackerel and Anchovies for the first time. It was delicious and well worth the weight-gain :-)

We also had a chance to visit with friends that we knew in Clemson who have moved to Danbury, Ct and Pennsylvania. Thanks guys for driving over from Pennsylvania! And Megan you have a beautiful home!

People are knocking down old houses in my in-laws neighborhood and building what my MIL calls "Palazzo's". I had to get a pic of what they look like. Really ridiculous and out of place compared to what is all around.

Museum of Natural History

My in-laws favorite Italian restaurant in Clintonville

Cousin Alex and Emily

Wendy, Jenny and Megan (friends from college)
Andrew, Matt and Ben (friends from college)
Avery couldn't handle all the partying at the reception
Emily and new cousin-in-law

The coy pond in the reception hall. It was beautiful.

Amelia, Ivan and their son Alex. Amelia's brother Anthony.

Hangin' out at Central Park

Sleeping on the subway after a long day of playing

At the Zoo

Chasing pigeons in Central Park

Emily's surprise cake!

Labor Day

2008-10-05T09:56:00.002-05:00

For Labor Day we got together with some friends we haven't seen in quite awhile. We had a great time talking and playing games. Some of us got a good nap! Here's Stacy's husband, Barry giving us a great example :-) Thanks for a great time guys!

Cleanin' the bathroom

2008-10-05T09:50:00.004-05:00

I always love it when the kids help me around the house so I have to document it 'cause I know it's not going to last as long as I'd like it to!

Avery did a great job on the bathroom!

Fun pix while waiting for Emily to get off the bus

2008-10-05T08:31:00.002-05:00

More fun pix by our "in house" artist

2008-09-26T08:56:00.002-05:00

Tartaglia Family Portrait

2008-09-26T08:51:00.004-05:00

by commissioned artist "Emily"

I have a Kindergartener!

2008-08-12T20:32:00.004-05:00

It was Emily's first day and not a single tear was shed (by her or the mom!) Here are a few moments from the bus stop.... I'm not old enough to have a kid going to school, right? I think Avery will miss her!

Breaking Dawn Par-tay!

2008-08-12T19:41:00.006-05:00

So last weekend I took a little road trip up to SC with my friends Shauna and Stephanie for the release party of Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Steph flew in from Kansas to go with us (thanks Mark for giving her up for the weekend!) and we picked her up and headed to do some shopping at the outlets on the way.

We made it to my friend Gabby's house and picked her up and headed up to Easley to the party which was at this little independent bookstore called Poor Richard's Booksellers. It was so much fun! Laura, who runs the store, had so many fun things set up around the store that had to do with the book. We had a great time playing games, talking, getting hardly any sleep and engrossing ourselves in the book! Thanks Gabby for hosting us! Thanks gals for an awesome weekend!

Shauna looking Hawt! (or perhaps sleepy?)
Steph trying to draw so we can guess the clue
Gabby and I with our pretty smiles
Shauna as one of the Volturi
Our gang with a few people posing as characters from the book (Alice and Jasper)

Gabby, myself, Laura, Steph, Shauna
Steph and Shauna providing entertainment for the evening
Myself, Shauna, Steph, Jana, Kristi

Bling it, Baby!

2008-07-14T21:31:00.003-05:00

So we finally finished painting Emily's room and "blingin" it out! She had a blast helping me paint and then we finished it off by putting the jewels on the flowers with hot glue.

Thanks to our friends Shauna and Fiona for helping! She loves her room!

This picture is a painting I got on my mission from an artist that lived in our complex at the time. I thought it was time to put it to use.

4th of July!

2008-07-10T15:50:00.008-05:00

So for the 4th we decided to join the rest of the state of GA at Stone Mountain. My new sister-in-law has never been there so most of our gang treked down there for the experience. And boy was it an experience.

We had a fabulous time with everyone with the exception of the 4 hours we spent in traffic getting in and out of the park. Joy. Other than that, we really enjoyed each other's company and had a fun memorable experience-- and most of us got a little more work done on our tans (or lack thereof in my case).

Avery fell asleep during the fireworks

This is how dad spent the 4th-- on a blanket catching a few zzzzzz's

Emily, Pierce and Avery

Trying to work the paddle balls

Steele enjoying watermelon

Tooth Fairy.... Finally!

2008-07-10T08:00:00.005-05:00

So we've been waiting and waiting for Emily's tooth to fall out and last night she got tired of waiting and wiggled it until it finally came out! Can you see her little tooth in her hand?

She was elated when she woke up and saw what the "Tooth Fairy" and given her. A gold $1 coin!! (Man, I only got a quarter when I was little!)

Funky Tooth

2008-06-22T23:26:00.004-05:00

So Emily has a permanent funny little tooth trying to come in and our dentist-friend says the baby tooth needs yanked so it can come in. I had to get a picture of one of those rare weird -but cool- things that happens. Can you see it? It's the bottom tooth that's right in front of the red bump.

Andrew's "Baby"

2008-06-22T23:20:00.002-05:00

Need I say more? He built it and the kids love it and I'm trying to keep the Poison Ivy from invading it. Thanks to our neighbor down the street for hooking us up with a fair amount of the pieces! Thanks a lot Barry!

So long... sniff, sniff

2008-06-22T23:05:00.004-05:00

My good friend Steph moved to Kansas last weekend. I will miss her greatly but thank goodness for email, phones and planes! Love you Steph! Shauna and I miss you like crazy!

As a farewell present Shauna and I went "thriftin" and got her some new shoes to remember us by.

Camping

2008-06-22T22:59:00.002-05:00

So this year the annual Father/Son camp out turned into a Father/Children camp out and Andrew took both the kids. They had a great time. (Thanks Steph for loaning us the stuff!)

Father's Day

2008-06-22T22:47:00.006-05:00

So we took a few pix for Father's Day and we gave a few to Andrew after he enjoyed a nice breakfast in bed. I failed to get pictures of that event, but Andrew's not complaining so I'll just put the pix of the kids up!

A few candids by the kids...

Water, Water Everywhere

2008-06-17T15:04:00.004-05:00

So it's been awhile since our last post and this is what we've been up to... SWIM TEAM!
Our first year of swim team has been so fun and very busy. Emily gets to swim and actually compete since she's five. (Four and under just get to mostly practice)

We have several friends we know from church that are on the team and we've been having fun swimming with them every day and also getting to make new friends.

The swim meets are really fun and exciting. Emily cracks me up so much when she's in the middle of swimming in an event. Instead of just concentrating on swimming from one end to the other she makes sure to take time and look around to see who's cheering for her and to get a little wave in to her friends! I hope to actually capture this moment in a picture.

The swim team is so great and they give ribbons to each child for participating no matter what the outcome!

Mother's Day... My Thoughts

2008-05-12T20:17:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day always brings up mixed emotions for me because of the death of my own mother just over 5 years ago. Emily was only 5 months old when she died so it's hard to not have her here when there is so much for me to yet experience and so much I want to share with her and partake in her wisdom. She was (and still is) a wonderful woman whom I love and miss very much.

After a wonderful dinner of Lamb Kabobs on the grill, cooked by my fabulous grill-master husband, we honored her by visiting her grave and sharing some quiet moments together as a family. There are not enough words in the English language to express the effect a mother has on her children. I can only hope to be as wonderful and effective for my kids as she was for me. I love you Mom.

Just Hangin' Around

2008-05-11T21:26:00.003-05:00

So Emily said she has something to show me so she leads me in to her room and I see this....

His feet are actually touching the floor so he's not in any danger (just for those worry warts out there!) Kinda' funny, eh!

Friends

2008-05-11T20:58:00.005-05:00

These are my great friends Shauna and Stephanie! Occasionally the girls in our ward get together for a girl's night. Usually it's over at Shauna's house. This particular night it was just the three of us that showed up so we did a fun thing called the Tim Tam Slam which is a tradition from Australia. I have a video we made of us doing it but for some reason it won't post to Blogger!! If you know how to remedy this situation PLEASE contact me! Anywho, here's a fun link to see how it's done "Down Under." Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJsEMKX3dXI&feature=related

Sleep-gee Guy

2008-05-11T20:49:00.003-05:00

That's how Avery used to say "sleepy guy" when he was tired. I thought it was cute so we didn't correct him and just let him figure out how to say it on his own. So in honor of this thought I thought I'd post some pictures of the random places and ways that he's fallen asleep. I wish I could sleep anywhere. I put a little one in there of Emily who fell asleep at the kitchen table not too long after we moved into the house.

Chicken Feet

2008-05-07T10:57:00.002-05:00

Avery put on my gardening gloves. I'm so glad he has 10 toes and not this as a replacement. Finding shoes would be a bear.

Camera Update

2008-05-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

So... we haven't found the camera but A found one for me to use in the mean-time! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Where Oh Where Is My Camera?

2008-04-28T22:28:00.003-05:00

I felt it was time for a new post but my camera has been misplaced and I'm going through withdrawals! So can everyone say a little prayer for us? I'm sure that it's cold and lonely and crying on it's big "pilla" every night because it's one purpose in life is not being fulfilled! Thanks for reading my plea and I really wasn't kidding about saying a prayer. Talk about stressful! That thing isn't cheap!

Good times & Cake

2008-04-20T22:45:00.004-05:00

We hosted an open house for Dad and Lynne. Kami was able to come for it so we enjoyed goofing around with Lonnie too.

After the party we had so much cake left over that we needed to find a new use for it versus eating it all! We call it "Calorie Free Cake."

Some"bunny" loves you

2008-04-20T21:34:00.008-05:00

Easter was great this year. For play group that week we had an egg hunt over at my friend Shauna's house. Emily and Avery had a great time with friends.

Emily, Fiona and Avery

On Easter we got together over at Paka and Mimi's house for a family dinner and another egg hunt in the back yard. We made bunny cupcakes for dessert(thank you Betty Crocker!) and had a wonderful time. We especially enjoyed our time with Paka and Mimi since they had come home the previous weekend.

Cousins! Pierce, Avery and Emily

On a more spiritual note... I think next year we might need to do more focusing on the meaning rather than the pomp and circumstance. Isn't that the goal of every day?

"Pine-ing" Away

2008-04-18T08:45:00.003-05:00

Living in GA makes it nearly impossible to get away from the fact that pretty much the whole state is inundated with trees-- as was the case with our back yard. We decided that if we ever want to get some grass back there that we better get some of them taken down. A few weeks ago we had 10 trees taken out and thus got rid of all the pines!! Yes!! We still have trees back there but at least they won't drop all the junk that pine trees do.

It was fun watching the crew work. We have a gi-normous mulch pile! And now we will start saving for the next phase of the project. Manure! Gotta get that good fertilizer in there so grass can have a chance of growing.

Enjoy the pix!

From Russia with Love

2008-04-11T14:30:00.006-05:00

Paka and Mimi returned from a two year mission in Novosibirsk, Russia on March 20th! Mimi was wearing her mink coat and Paka his heavy coat since it was freezing temperatures when they left! They were so happy to be home and we were so happy to have them home. They were excited to see the new babies that had been born since they left.

It took them 22 hrs of flying time to arrive in the US so they were pretty tired but so excited to see everyone. There were hugs to be had by all!

"Painting"

2008-03-17T13:44:00.002-05:00

Avery decided to "paint" our windows for us today in celebration of St. Patrick's day (not really but it's a nice thought). Any guesses as to what it is? Look below the picture for the answer.

Cream Cheese!

Whistle While You Work

2008-03-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

Emily actually ASKED if she could help me clean so I had to capture this moment for sure! Who know how many more there will be? I'm already having visions of teenage-hood where there will not be any hint whatsoever of a desire to clean so I shall memorialize this moment! She was excited to wash her first cookie sheet and mop the floor!

The Playroom

2008-03-17T09:48:00.002-05:00

On Fridays we have a group of friends that get together for a playgroup. This day we went to a place called The Playroom where there are lots of physical activities for the kids to do including a foam pit, trampolines, balance beams, blown-up jumping activities and fun to be had all around. Here are a few pix of the kids having fun with friends. Avery wasn't too excited to leave.

Oreo

2008-03-16T22:12:00.017-05:00

The Oreo eating process for a 3 year-old is quite the feet and can be an exhausting experience for all those involved.

Step 1- Taste the cookie

Step 2- Complain that you only started with one cookie

Step 3- Pause to recognize photo op (no smiling of course, this is serious business)

Step 4- Choose to continue eating first cookie

Step 5- Give mom the "eye" because you think that she wants your cookie (you're right about that)

Step 6- Have a refreshing drink of milk

Step 7- Revel in the experience

Little Helpers

2008-03-16T22:01:00.002-05:00

The kids wanted to help Andrew in the garage so he got them all set up. They were so excited to wear safety goggles and Emily in her cooking apron. (I have no idea what he was planning on having them do that would entail a cooking apron! I certainly hope it doesn't involve preparing food!)

Just playin' around

2008-03-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

Emily convinced Avery to put a dress-up dress on and do a play with her. It didn't take much convincing because he loves to do everything she does. I just hope he doesn't hold it against me later for posting these photos!

Love.... exciting and new (at least 7 years ago)

2008-03-16T08:50:00.004-05:00

On March 3rd Andrew and I celebrated our 7-year anniversary! I can't believe that it's been that long already. We had agreed that we wouldn't get each other anything but when he came home from work he surprised me with one dozen long stem roses! I was totally taken back for two reasons...

(1 ) If you know Andrew, buying flowers is typically NOT a first purchase because they are one of the most impractical things you can get.

(2) He didn't get them from a store (no he didn't cut them off somebody's bush!) He works close to the intersection of West Paces Ferry and Northside Pkwy and there is a guy that is out there every day selling roses. For years we have seen this guy and wondered how on earth he's able to make a good living doing that day in and day out. It seemed like hard work for little pay so Andrew decided to buy the roses from him. When he was telling me about this guy he said that he was one of the happiest people he's ever met. He was so excited to be able to be out there just to sell roses and he was anxious to tell him how to care for them so they would last longer. For me, that was sweet experience that made our anniversary so memorable.

In seven years we have had 2 kids, moved 5 times, lived in 2 states, owned 6 cars, made a million memories and learned from every moment. I hope the next seven are just as memorable. I love you, honey!

Weekend in Clemson

2008-03-03T18:20:00.002-05:00

I took Emily and Avery up to Clemson this weekend so Andrew could have a much needed break to work on his thesis! Two years later he is still working on it. There will definitely be partying going on when it's completed!!

We had such a great time visiting friends and I wished I could have gotten pictures of everyone we saw! We miss you guys!! Thanks for a great weekend!

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Florida 2008

2008-02-03T19:38:00.000-05:00

We had a fluke snow storm at the beginning of January! We ran outside and played. The kids had a ball!

We had an opportunity to go to Florida in January with Andrew's parents.

We were able to go to the Magic Kingdom and to Sea World.

Avery turned 3 while we were there and to celebrate we went to a character breakfast with Mickey. Avery and Emily loved it!

It was our first time on a long road trip with the kids and they did great. We might just try it again sometime!

January & February Celebrations!

2007-03-05T22:43:00.000-05:00

January and February are big birthday months in our family. Avery celebrated his 2nd birthday already! We made him cupcakes and had some friends over. He was scared of the the candle!

My friend Margo Swartz and I celebrated our birthday with our husbands at Dante's Down the Hatch in Buckhead. It's a fondue restaurant and we really enjoyed our fun evening out!

I caught Emily and Avery filling the tub with water. She had dressed Avery in one of her swimsuits so I had to snap a picture!

For Valentine's Day the kids and I went and had lunch with Andrew and we surprised him with some new pictures we had taken for his desk at work. I've included a sampling of some of them. We had a really good time. The picure of Avery holding the Curious George and wearing the overall suit has significant meaning. It's a recreation of what Andrew was wearing when he was adopted from Korea. His mom saved the outfit for him and we put it on Avery. He too was carrying a Curious George.

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January 2007 Cocoa Beach, Florida

2007-02-28T00:35:00.000-05:00

We took a memorable trip to Coca Beach in January with Andrew's parents. We had a great time. Here are a few moments from our week of fun in the sun!
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December 2006

2007-02-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

Andrew built a dollhouse for Emily which Wendy enjoyed decorating! It's a traditional style, 5 bedroom, 1 bath house! Barbie needs lots of room, but there's only so many bathrooms one girl can clean! She's got a fun sun deck too!

Avery is becoming a big boy! He got his first haircut and now actually has to start shaving! We had a fun christmas and took some time to take a picture on Christmas day before we went to church.

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Halloween 2006

2006-11-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

We had a really fun Halloween! We carved a pumpkin for our Family Home Evening night on Monday night. We made cookies and decorated them. Emily and Avery loved eating them the most!

On Halloween night we went to a party at the Higley's home, some friends of ours from church. Emily was Cinderella and Avery was a frog. We had the princess kiss the frog for us! Aaron Higley dressed up and sat on the front porch to scare the kids that came to trick-or-treat. It was a fun night and mom and dad are enjoying the caloric benefits!

Emily turns Four!

2006-10-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Emily, Melissa and Zoe all turned four the same week so we decided to have a joint birthday party! Stephanie, Zoe's mom, made princes cakes with tiara's on top for the three little princesses.

We had a special guest clown appearance by Zoe's dad, Scott Swenson. The kids had fun watching him!

We had the party at a local park and all the kids had fun playing, especially Avery.

Andrew made three pinatas and filled them with 10lbs of candy and toys. Emily and mom had fun spray painting and decorating them and all the children had fun breaking them open!