Yes, there will be 'shagging' at the beach!

Home, at Last!

24 HOURS AND COUNTING!!!!

A Date and Time...Finally!

Finally, we have a date and time that Paul will be arriving in New Bern! We will see him tomorrow afternoon! Woo-Hoo!

The Hits Keep Coming...Have Fun with Farrah!

Good Night Farrah...Rest in Peace.

Anticipation...

I think he's finally almost on his way. This whole process of "leave" is enough to drive the sane off of a cliff! This week has been full of waiting for flights to post, then we'll be waiting for a commercial flight to the states, etc. We still don't have an exact arrival time, it could be Friday night, it could be Saturday or maybe even Sunday! I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas...and they keep pushing the date back!

I'm sure when the time comes in a couple of weeks for him to return to the sandbox, there will be no waiting games!

Adios Amigos...

Farewell to our good friends, the Schuette-Sandways. The first friends we made moving in to New Bern. They are leaving today for Chesapeake, VA. We've had some great times together, especially our boys, and are looking forward to more fun when we visit Chesapeake! Where there are malls...with stores in them, and restaurants, and movie theatres that also take credit cards, as well as cash! AMAZING!

We will miss you!

Happy Father's Day!

FOUR REASONS WHY HE'S THE ABSOLUTE BEST DAD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD...

1. Abbie
2. Paul
3. Drew
4. Charlotte

Ultimate Beach Week Song and Video...Just to get you Ready!

Panic!

Well, here we are, just a few days out before Paul arrives for R&R and I feel completely overwhelmed with stuff I want to get done before he arrives! I know he won't care about any of it, but getting it done will make me feel better. To top it off I'm working this weekend, so we'll just consider the next 48 hours a wash. To make matters more difficult he doesn't have an actual time frame of exactly when he'll be home! It could be Wednesday, Thursday or Friday...I'll be ready by the former rather than the latter!

Potty Time...day 2.

Well, I actually don't know what to do. (For those that know me, this is very rare). Yes, Charlotte is just 2 yrs old...last week for Pete's sake! She freaks out to pee-pee in the potty! I'm happy to put the potty away and re-approach this in a few months, but...she's freaking out when she has to pee-pee in a diaper! Holding it and walking on tip-toes while crying "Pee-Pee, Pee-Pee"! It is not a bladder infection...so let's not even go there, but she's showing me all of the "typical" signs that she's ready. I've never attempted to train my other three kids this early, so this is new territory for me.

My wise friend, Cookie, told me, "all of your fingers of the same hand are different...as are your children"...so we'll see where this goes!

Any and all advice is welcome! PLEASE!

Thank You USPS...thank you!

I would just like to say thanks to the post office for:

1. Loosing my laptop and web cam I sent to Paul on 2/10/09.
2. Misfiling the insurance claim...twice and making me wait yet another 45 days, because I have nothing better to do than wait!
3. Employing women from the "hood" in the Bronx to handle the inquiring
phone calls.

A great way to say "thank you" for your service and sacrifice.

Potty Time...

Sitting on the potty is fun...if only it could also be functional.

What I Miss the Most...

Another set of eyes at the beach!

More Milestones...

1. Today I was able to do 2 pull-ups without the aid of the elastic bands.
2. I bought a potty and princess panties for Charlotte...I really don't think
she's ready, but we'll give it a go.

"On My Watch Tonight"...

My sister-in-law, Christine, better known to the world as, One Maid A' Milking, posted this video the other day. She has been counting the days that Paul is away while giving a glimpse of military life to those who may not know otherwise. She's been very supportive during this deployment and I've enjoyed reading her daily tribute to Paul and the military. I think this is day 137?

This tribute to the USMC is awesome...

Working Girl...

Well,I'm working tonight, so we all know where this weekend is going!

Sense of Humor...

I am learning to appreciate God's sense of humor. On our first official day of summer vacation, Charlotte barfed...

Happy 2nd Birthday Cutie!

Happy Birthday to the youngest of our pack!

Milestones...

Yesterday I had the honor of attending my son's 5th grade graduation. It was great, very casual and informal, but still a milestone all the same. I was so proud of his accomplishments!

There were times I didn't think we'd arrive here...today. For years I have beat myself up for not doing the trendy thing and holding him back in kindergarten. His first grade experience was a nightmare and set the tone of how he viewed school for the next few years. It took 4 more years to break him of this viewpoint and to see that school is also a place of fun. He learned that you get out of school what you put into it. He has made the honor roll for the last 2 marking periods and has worked hard to achieve this.

So, to Paul I wish good luck at The Epiphany School, where I know you will sore to new heights physically, academically and spiritually.

I love you.

Bitter Sweet...

Today is the last day that I will have a child under the age of 2...onward and upward.

A Bit Much...

My youngest daughter is OBSESSED with the movie Annie. She absolutely loves the song "Little Girls" from the Miss Hannigan character. She especially loves when she clinks the gin and the glass 3 times! View for yourself...appropriate? Hey...it's whatever gets us through the day!

Three More Days of School!

Still a busy week, we have an elementary school graduation...Yes! We made it, 7th grade exams, a birthday for a certain babe turning 2, the final 2 baseball games of the season, swim practices, and I'm scheduled to work at the end of the week.

Bring it on!

Adios Amigo...

Fair winds and following seas to our good friend Dr. Patrick! He has left for the Sandbox to practice anesthesia...call us when you return, the whiskey sours and margaritas will be waiting!

Another Recipe...

Now that summer is about here, and the basil is growing like crazy, here's a recipe that uses a lot of it...PESTO! There's nothing better than a fresh ingredients recipe that you don't have to cook. Every summer, my grandmother would make giant batches and freeze it for the winter. Enjoy.

Pesto alla Genovese

2 cups fresh basil, coarsely chopped and tightly packed
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic
2 TBS pine nuts or walnuts
1-1 1/2 cups Classico olive oil (start with 1 cup and see if you need more)
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except cheese in either blender or food processor. (If using blender, add olive oil first). (If using food processor, use feed tube to gradually add olive oil while processing other ingredients.) Sauce should be thin enough to run off of spatula. Transfer sauce to a large pasta bowl. Stir in cheese. Add 1 lb of cooked hot, drained pasta, toss well to coat and enjoy.

If you are planning on freezing it, do not add the cheese until you are ready to serve it.

Pandora's Box...

Last week when my parents came to visit, my dad told me of this new computer thing he discovered while "painting the house"...a personal radio station on the Internet.

Simply type in www.pandora.com, then type in a favorite musical artist or song and the "station" will play the song you chose and other songs from the "music genome project". I typed in "Van Morrison" and a song of his started to play and also songs from The Band, Counting Crows, CCR, etc. You can then save your "radio station" or create a new one.

I think I like this.

Easy to Please...

It's so wonderful that all I have to do to make my youngest son smile is cut his "sammich" into triangles. Apparently I am supermom!

Can I Collapse Yet???

Yes, only 21 days until Paul arrives home for 2 weeks of "R&R". I'm thrilled, but I needed him today. I'm spread a little thin, to say the least.

I headed to the gym at 8:00 for my daily dose of therapy, I mean workout...then a colleague of mine at the YMCA asked if I could teach her "circuit workout" class, so I did...for a second hour long workout. I then headed to the dentist, with 2 of the 4 in tow. (Thank God they have Lego's and books in the waiting room). We then headed home for lunch and I put Charlotte for a nap. Drew headed next door to play with his buddies. I thought for a split second, ooh finally some "me" time...I was wrong. I wound up taking the fastest shower on record, slapped on some moisturizer, before I realized that Drew had a birthday party to attend at 5:00! I still had to buy a gift!

So I woke up Charlotte and we headed to the store before we picked up Abbie and the carpool crew this afternoon. After we arrived home, Abbie and I proceeded to bake 6 dozen cookies for tomorrow's award ceremony at school and 2 dozen cupcakes for the Safety Patrol party for Paul. I left Abbie in charge of frosting and I promptly left to drop Drew at said party, returned to literally throw down dinner before going to Paul's swim practice, followed by picking up Drew at party, returned home again, so Drew and Paul could change into pj's and baseball uniform. Left Drew in Abbie's care so Paul and I could head out once again to the game. We just got home.

"Are we there yet?"

The New "Doo"

Today, my oldest daughter got a haircut and much to my dismay they STRAIGHTENED HER HAIR!!!! I was a little upset, to say the least. And the worst part is, every time she walks into a room that I'm in, I'm startled by her new "mature" look...UGH! Who is this girl???

First Dip of the Season...

Swimming Lessons...

Now that Drew is an official "Tiny Tiger Shark" at our lovely Taberna pool, he wears the uniform, talks the talk and walks the walk. He's just a bit unsure of letting go of Coach Annette.

Today he was very brave and touched the bottom of the pool, had a bubble blowing lesson and jumped in without the aid of floaties!

The lesson of the day for mom...stay out of sight, and let the coach handle any, "No, I don't want to"s. She's amazing, and will somehow get him to do whatever she needs him to do, without him even realizing he's doing it...the trait of a good woman!

A Little Easier...

I love the month of June! As each week passes, life gets a little easier. It's only June 1st and we no longer have ballet, or preschool. Only 2 more weeks of big kid school left, and I think baseball finishes at the same time. Beach week (and Daddy's return), will be here before we know it!

Fun Weekend...

We've had such a great weekend with my parents, (why I've not blogged in 3 days). They drove down from NJ with many goodies in hand. We enjoyed Abbie's ballet showcase, a presentation of The Wizard of Oz. She had her first solo, did an awesome job and looked absolutely beautiful. On Sunday we did a little pre-birthday party for Charlotte since we had some family visiting, took a trip to beautiful Beaufort, enjoyed the sun and surf, ice cream, fudge and a couple of Blue Moons.