Tony Hawk Boom Boom Huck Jam!

Tonight we went over to Nana and Poppy's house for an early birthday surprise for Ryan. Two months ago, unbeknown to any of us, Nana and Poppy bought two tickets for this huge event -- one for Ryan and one for Rob. It's for tomorrow night. Emily and I met Rob and Ryan over at their house, once Ryan finished skating. We sat around for a little bit and Nana asked Ryan to go and sit with Poppy. Ryan was a little unsure about it, but went anyway. haha! Poppy gave him the envelope and when Ryan saw what it was -- he was so excited!! He has been wanting to go so badly and every time he asks Rob, he would say, "we'll see!" So, this will be so much fun for them. Kelli and Hunter are going to ride along with them. I'm looking forward to seeing all the pictures. Emily and I will do something special -- just the two of us, while they are at their Tony Hawk Boom Boom Huck Jam!!!

Poppy and Ryan ~~~

Poppy reading to Ryan about all the things that are allowed and not allowed in the arena. Ryan just got back from skating, that's why his hair is a mess! hehehehe!

Poppy and Ryan ~~

Bowling!!

Today, we went bowling with Nana! She treated us to lunch, at the bowling alley, some video games, and three games of bowling! The children had a blast! This was the first time that we had been bowling in a LONG time. Before we left her house, she added some pink hair pieces to Emily and Sarah's hair. They looked so cute and the girls loved them. Caitlynn was spending the night with her friends, in Virginia Beach, so that's why she is not in any pictures. Luckily, Poppy dropped by, after work and went home to get his camera. I didn't know where mine was, because Rob had used it last night. He had actually put it in Emily's skate bag, but I thought he had left it in his car. So, I didn't have any pictures. Poppy drove all the way home and got his camera for us -- he's so sweet! The first two games, were played with the bumpers. The third game, was played without them. They did wonderfully without the bumpers! Enjoy the pictures!

I'm not sure about Emily's "pouting" in this picture. I think she may have just gotten a "gutter" ball and Sarah was comforting her! LOL!!

Emily and Sarah ~ such sweet cousins! You can really see their hair pieces in this pictures!

Hunter did a great job. As you can see in this picture, he knocked down all but one pin, on his first ball!

This was Sarah's second ball and she only left one pin!! Great job!

Ryan's turn!!

He's getting there!!

Emily setting her ball up!

Umm, I'm not sure what went wrong with her technique! LOL! It's right in the gutter. At least she's smiling!! he/he/he!!

First Day of Summer!

Happy First Day of Summer! First, I will just say that I really miss being able to post pictures to my blog. We still haven't fixed our memory problem on our computer. So, I haven't been able to download any pictures from my camera. I have over 300 pictures and about 6 videos just waiting to be set free!!! LOL! I have so many picture folders on my hard drive and that is what is taking up so much room. Rob thinks that we need to add an external hard drive and send all the pictures there, as we download. It's so frustrating!

I really thought that I was going to be able to blog last night, since both children had friends spend the night. However, they were a little wild and I didn't have the free time that I thought I would. LOL! But, it was fun and they were all really good, so I am not complaining. They didn't fall asleep until way after midnight and were up by 7-ish today. My sweet husband took them all swimming from 10:00 - 12:00, so I was able to have a couple of hours to myself. He had to go to work after he got home. He is always so sweet to spend every second of free time with our family. He won't get off work until midnight tonight.

So, what else did we do for the first day of summer??? Well, I got "blonded-up" again. That was something that Emily made up and it's key for: my roots are really bad!! LOL! A few years ago she would say, "Mommy, it's time to get blonded-up again!" So, that is the term I use when I am getting ready to go to Nana's shop. I so fortunate to have a mother-in-law, who does hair. She owns a shop and does all of our hair, free-of-charge! With the cost of hair foiling, I can guarantee that I would be my natural, dark brunette, if I would have to pay for my cut and color. While I was getting my hair done, Poppy watched Emily and Ryan. Sarah was also there, because Vickie was getting blonded up, too! LOL! So, they all played together, swam, and had fun.

Well, that was pretty much our day. Too bad that I'm not able to share any pictures with you. This is where I would be posting them. :-( That is definitely a "sad" face because I really don't like the way my blog looks without any pictures. Hopefully, we will get our little problem fixed very soon.

Oh, and one more thing: The skate park yesterday was so much fun! The boys (Ryan and his friend, Nick) had so much fun on the ramps. It was clean, safe, and taken care of. The City of Chesapeake did a great job with this park, that's for sure. It also had "Fun Forest," a huge playground with tons of areas for the children to play. It had a fence around the entire play area. What was also very impressive was the fact that there was only one way in and one way out! So, Brandon and Joshy couldn't escape, or any child, for that matter! The skate park was right beside the playground and it was fenced, as well! Ryan can't wait to take Hunter with him, when he is home from Tennessee. Emily feels the same way and can't wait to play on the playground with Caitlynn. We sure do miss them!! At least we are talking to them everyday, though. In fact, Emily is talking to Caitlynn right now. They are talking, during the commercials, while watching Camp Rock (a Disney movie). Well, that's it for now. I really am signing off now! Good night!

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a day for celebrating "Dad's." Or, as the one in our house is called --"Daddy!" We went over to Nana and Poppy's this morning for a delicious breakfast, prepared by the children and Nana. We had lots of yummy food. They had made: scrambled eggs (prepared by Sarah), pancakes (prepared by Ryan, that he put in the toaster and buttered himself), biscuits (prepared by Emily), hashbrowns, bacon, sausage links (all prepared by Nana, with help from the kids), and a variety of drinks. Here are a few of the pictures, before we sat down to eat.

Ryan, on pancake duty ~

Emily, getting ready to check her biscuits ~

Ryan taking Poppy's drink order (check out his little notebook) ~

Emily, taking Daddy's drink order (she has her little notebook, too) ~

Sarah, Poppy, Aunt Vickie (Rob's sister), Emily, Rob, Ryan (they are all looking at Nana's camera) ~


After the children took the drink orders, we all went up to the dining room, where we were greeted by a festively decorated table, with name placards, and a sign that Emily had made. There are only six place settings, because Emily, Ryan, and Sarah decided to sit at the coffee table, behind us.



It was really sweet to have the children serve us and they LOVED it! They were so proud of themselves, you could see it on their faces. Everything was so delicious and we really enjoyed it. We all made sure to compliment EVERY bit of food. The breakfast conversation went something like this, "Sarah, these eggs are so good; Ryan, you did such a good job on the pancakes, they are so delicious; Emily, these biscuits taste great ....."





After we got home, Rob layed down for a little while. He was so exhausted, you can see it in his eyes. He is just so tired. He's been working so hard lately and isn't getting a lot of rest. Before he fell asleep, I gave him my card and gift. I wasn't really that original this year, as I only gave him some cash. I know that it seems very impersonal, but he does so little for himself and spends most of all of our money on the children and I. Luckily, I had watched my nephews three times this past week and had my "play" money. The only thing he asked for was a pair of chums, for his sunglasses (which only cost $5.99). The pair that he has are old and worn-out, and have begun to leave a black mark behind his ears. For those who know Rob, you know that he takes his personal hygiene very seriously and didn't want anyone to think that the black mark, behind his ears, was actually dirt!! he/he/he!! So, Emily and Ryan gave him his "Chums" and he was very happy with that. We also made him a chocolate pudding pie, on a graham cracker crust -- one of his favorites! Here are some pictures. You can see it in my sweet husband's eyes, how tired he is. He's going to be in bed EARLY tonight.





This evening, we had my Dad over for a little cook-out. My sister and brother took him to breakfast this morning and I wasn't able to make it, since we were having our wonderfully delicious breakfast at Nana and Poppy's. It was nice spending some time with him. Rob actually cooked -- I am lucky, I tell you -- all my friends know it and I am so blessed to have my sweet husband. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I have NEVER cooked on the grill. Rob does ALL of the grilled foods. So, he cooked some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. In fact, his burgers are the talk of my side of the family. They all love to eat a "Rob burger," as they so affectionately call it. He must take after his Dad, because our niece (Sarah) will rarely eat any other burger, except for Poppy's! LOL! Here's a picture of me, and my children, with my sweet Dad!
\

As the day comes to an end, I am, again, so thankful for this incredibly blessed life that I have been given. Rob is such an amazing Daddy to Emily and Ryan. He is actively involved in every aspect of their lives. He works so hard to provide for us. He is fiercely protective and would do anything in the world for any one of us. Emily and Ryan ADORE their Daddy and I love watching their faces "light-up" when Rob gets home. They eagerly wait for him to come home, from work, so that they can share their day with him. He listens to everything they have to say and gives them his full attention.

Since today is Father's Day, I would like to end my blog tonight with some memories and "thank-you's." When I was a little girl, I would always love to watch my Dad get ready for work. He was a Police Officer and I loved watching him put all of his "things" onto his belt. For some reason, I always loved the noise that the belt keepers would make, when he was snapping them on. I was always so proud to have him for my Dad. When I was in school, he would come to my class each year and talk about his job. All of my friends loved him, too. My parents were (and are) so young and all my friends would talk about how handsome my Dad was and how beautiful my Mom was. I loved it. I have so many memories of my childhood that I will eventually share, but today, I am just focusing on a few things. I am so thankful that I had a very involved and loving Dad. He was my first love and I am so lucky that I have found a man, who loves us, provides for us, and is just a wonderful Dad to our children, as my Dad was (and is) to me, my sister, and brother. Thanks, Dad!! I also want to thank Rob's Dad, for molding him into the man that he is today. You and Fe did a remarkable job raising your son; he's amazing!!

Now, onto my Rob, who I like to call, "Sweets!" Thank you so much for all that you do. You are the best Daddy in the world, to our babies. My heart melts when I see you all together. You are such a perfect example, to Emily and Ryan, as to what a husband and Daddy should be. They say that you fall in love with someone who is like your own father and I will pray that Emily ends up with someone like you. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for making all of my dreams come true. Happy Father's Day, Sweets!! You are and always will be the love of my life! Thank you for being you!

Last Day of School!

Well, today marked the last day of school. The last day of Fourth Grade, for Emily. The last day of Second Grade, for Ryan. My goodness, how time flies. They both had a really great year and did so well. Their report cards are actually being mailed out this year, so I'm not sure of their exact grades; however, I do know that they both made honor roll again. We are so proud of them both for how hard they worked. They got out at 12:35 today and here are the pictures of them, as they walked up to the van.

Ryan

Emily

Hunter and Adam


After we picked Caitlynn up, we went over to Nana and Poppy's to swim. It was such a beautiful day. The weather was in the 80's, which was such a welcome relief from the scorching heat that we've been having. We all had so much fun. We played Shark, Marco/Polo, Crab, the color game, diving/jumping contests, had snacks and drinks, the kids played hide and seek (while I was watching from a noodle, in the pool - LOL), and just had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our pool time ~~

The kids before we got in the pool.

The boys enjoying their snack break. In fact, in the close up pictures, of the kids below, you will notice Doritos on their faces - LOL (I didn't realize this until I uploaded the pictures! Oh, and I usually do not offer any chips as a snack option; however, since today was the last day of school, we "junked" it up a bit!).

The girls enjoying their snack break.

Caitlynn

Emily

Hunter

Ryan


After Kelli picked up Caitlynn and Hunter, Nana and Poppy gave Emily and Ryan a wonderful gift. Poppy had taken pictures of both of them (Emily is ice skating and Ryan is skateboarding) and enlarged them, printed them out on his photography equipment, framed and matted them. They picked fun colors for the frames. They picked "purple" for Emily and "blue" for Ryan. Here they are, holding their beautiful pictures, with Nana and Poppy. We will be hanging them in their bedrooms, as soon as we paint the walls. Oh, and Ryan is making a funny face in the picture, but this one is better than the first because his eyes were closed!! He says that I take too many pictures and my flash blinds him. He is too funny!


Nothing ends a GREAT day like catching lightning bugs!!! And, even though they didn't catch many of them, it was so much fun watching their tired eyes sparkle, when they were running after the tiny specks of light they would see! We are looking so forward to our care-free summer days -- filled with lots of fun, times with family and friends, and lots of memories to be made!!

Lance, Ryan, and Emily

Emily, with her lightning bugs!

Ryan, with his lightning bugs!

My precious babies! I love them so much!

The Weekend!

We had such a nice weekend; although, we didn't get to see Rob that much at all. In fact, as I write this, he's still playing in a golf tournament. We miss him so much when he's not around and he's been working a lot lately. Sunday is usually reserved for "family day." He doesn't work on Sundays and we usually do something fun with all of us. His friend asked him to be in a golf tournament that is being held in memory of his father and brother, who both have passed away. Rob accepted the invitation and we definitely understand him being away from us today. But, we still miss him!

So, let me back up to Friday ~~~

My brother went out of town this weekend and asked me if I would keep his children (Brandon and Joshy) overnight, until their Mom could pick them up on Saturday. I gladly accepted and we had a fun night with them. Emily especially loves for them to come over and acts like a little "mommy" to them. She is so loving and nurturing. She definitely reminds me of myself at that age -- always flocking towards the youngest at any gathering. She is just so sweet to them. Ryan is tolerant and tries to be patient, but is not as much, when it comes to the little boys getting into his room, his things, and his personal space!! LOL!! We played games with them, watched "The Wild Thornberry" movie, and ate popcorn. Then, they all bunked-out in Ryan's room. He has the bunk bed and futon, so there is definitely more "sleeping" space in his room. They ended up in bed around 8-ish, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Rob had to work very early on Saturday morning and said that they were actually all awake around 6:30am. Emily fixed their breakfast for them and I stayed in bed until 7:30. After playing outside and going for a walk, their Mom picked Brandon and Joshy up and we went to Nana and Poppy's (Rob's parents) pool. The water temperature is still a little too cold for me, but Emily and Ryan had a blast.

When Nana came home from work she told us to quickly get in my van and drive to a yard sale around the corner from her house. They had two bikes that she wanted us to look at for Ryan. He has a very small bike that we bought him for his fourth birthday and he has long since outgrown it. He has actually been riding Emily's bike, which is pink and white. So, she thought that she would buy them for him so that we wouldn't have to go out right away and get a brand new bike. With the exception of a little bit of rust, the bikes were in great condition. She bought both of them just in case we needed to use one for parts. The one that he's riding is a red and black Mongoose. He loves it. Then, they gave Emily the bike that has been in their garage for about 4-years, that they had bought at another yard sale, in hopes that their oldest granddaughter (Rob's sister's daughter), would learn to ride. She hasn't learned how to ride a bike and is not interested in learning (she will actually be 13-years old in September), so they let us take that home with us. Emily's pink and white bike is actually a Barbie one and she has definitely outgrown it. This one won't last much longer for her, either, but it was nice to have something for her, too. They were both so excited and I've included pictures of them riding their "new, for them" bikes. Nana and Poppy also got their bikes out and joined in on the fun. Rob came over, after he got off work, and rode his Dad's bike. He even popped some wheelies, but I didn't get a picture of it in time.

Today, after church, we came home and got the bikes out. Emily and Ryan want to ride their bikes to school from now on. So, I got in the van and we did a "trial" run to school. I had to follow in the van, because I don't have a bike, yet. And, I knew that I would have to run to keep up with them -- something that I am not going to do!! LOL!! We live quite a ways from school, so it's not like it's just around the corner. I wanted to make sure that they left in plenty of time to get to school, stopped at every stop sign, knew the rules of the road and crossing guard, and that they were able to get the bikes in the bike rack to lock them up. I will actually be following them to school every morning, because I drive a friend's children to school every day. So, I will be in my van anyway. Also, I pick Hunter up from school, so I will be following them home, too. LOL! They did such a great job and it only took us 4-minutes to get there, which really surprised me! They have been wanting to do this for a long time now, but we knew that Ryan couldn't ride his tiny bike up there and keep up with Emily. After we did that, we played on the playground for a little bit. Then, we rode back home and went to Target. They have both been saving their money and Emily bought a couple of things, in the dollar section. She also bought a "Pucci Purse," that has a stuffed puppy. Ryan bought a Tony Hawk skate park and another package of tech decks (finger skateboards). Now, we are just relaxing at home. Emily is about to go to the pool again, with Sarah. She called and invited her to go to Nana and Poppy's to swim. Ryan didn't want to go, so he is playing with his tech decks. They have been on about six bike rides today!! I really have to get a bike ~~ imagine the weight that I could lose if I went on a bike ride each time that my precious children did! I've been catching up on laundry, though.

Well, that's about it for today. Rob actually just called and told me that the tournament is over. So, he should be home within the hour. We are cooking out for dinner and will enjoy spending the remainder of the day together ~~~ I can't wait!!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!



Here's Joshy ~

Here's Brandon ~

Here's Emily ~

Here's Ryan ~

Emily taking her 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

Ryan taking his 1st plunge-of-the-day ~

My sweet babies ~

Ryan on his "new, for him" bike ~

Ryan, Poppy, Emily, and Nana ~

Emily, Ryan, and Daddy (Rob had to join in on the fun.) ~