YES .. believe it ... an UPDATE!

shame on me, i know.
neglecting the 'ol blog.
thank goodness blogspot is free, otherwise the guilt of not updating would really kill me.
(like back in my typepad days). LoL.

been busy with the same 'ol, same 'ol.
you know.
PTO volunteering, driving the boys around to their various social gatherings.
i am still working and teaching at making memories unforgettable.
and still LOVING it.

here are some pics from the last few weeks.
nothing like some spring training sunshine!



bare feet + baseball. a perfect day for a 4 year old.



cotton candy delight.
clearly, his love of cotton candy comes from his mama!



and look at eric.
quite the budding self-portrait taker.
(this is a talent inherited from dad).



and here are eric, jake, and their friend andy sportin' the 3D glasses.
took them to see coraline in 3D awhile back.



at first, i don't think they were too keen on the idea of seeing it.
you know, because the movie revolves around a little GIRL!
oh, the horror!
but they actually enjoyed it.
i loved it.
it was a gorgeous film.

ok.
i can check "BLOG GUILT" off my list.
the relief feels A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
leave me some comment love people.

For Good Measure ...

Some photos:


It was pretty dang cute that Halloween this year had a "theme".


This is just plain proof of how Mike gets away with everything.
Just look at that face!


I can't resist.
I don't know if you can see it, but he is over-the-moon happy!
This was taken on the morning of his birthday party at the park!

M.I.A

those should be my new initials, eh?
yes. yes. i'll give my hand a slap for ya!
but i'm BACK. i'm ready to recommit to this here blog.



here's the breakdown.
these past few months have been a whirlwind of activity.

my baby Mike turned 4.
check.

my middle baby Jake, turns 8 in oh... 11 days!
check.

i am the secretary for the PTO at Eric's school.
hence a steady flow of meetings & volunteering.
check.

i am working & teaching at my lss, Making Memories
crazy, ridiculous fun.
check.

chris is officially OFF probation for Tucson Fire.
oh YEA baby.

and last, but not least, i've been getting off my ass the last 5 weeks.
to do what, you ask?
WORK OUT.
my body is pretty much in a constant state of soreness.
and I LOVE IT.

and to top it all off, i am feeling totally BITTEN.
excited for the Twilight premier this friday.
but also secretly sad.
i much prefer my imagination, thank you.

so, talk to me girls. (most especially Girlah's).
tell me you'll forgive my absence.
and welcome me back.
i've missed you.

What day is it?

This is one of my new occupational hazards. I often don't know what day it is. Chris' work schedule really throws me for a loop. He works 24 hours then is home the following 24 hours [over the course of 10 days]. Afterwards, he is off for 6 days in a row. It's a fantastic schedule, really. I LOVE IT. But it throws my calendar off! Speaking of which, Chris is done with his probation! 18 months is a loooong time! I'm so proud of him!

Let's see. What's happening?
All the boys are back to school in a little over a week.
I got a J.O.B. Except, I exaggerate. It's more like a TREAT, not a job.
I'll be working at my local scrapbook store, Making Memories Unforgettable for about 10-12 hours a week.
I am geeked out with excitement.

I have throughly been enjoying my subscription to Studio Calico.
I am more than halfway done with my album for our NYC trip.
Lots of scrappy projects are "in progress". I can hardly wait for them to be complete so I can share! [Wink Wink].

I'm a latecomer to the Twilight series.
I finished Twilight a few days ago and am halfway through New Moon.
I must admit, that I was skeptical more than halfway into Twilight.
And then I was sucked in. [Pun intended].

Lots of swimming and trips to Dairy Queen going on around here.
I've even knocked out a bit of back to school shopping for the boys.
Here is a "find" from Target last week.
They are for Jake. Chris gets the credit for spotting them. $6.24! [Marked down from $25!].



I tried a new recipe last week.
It's a KEEPER, for sure.
It must come as no surprise for you food afficionados out there that I downloaded the recipe from none other than
THE PIONEER WOMAN. I made it for a pot-luck we went to last night.
They were the talk of the party!
Here they are in their pre-cooked glory.



Well, that's what I have for my monthly update. LMAO.
Happy August!

I Left My Heart in NYC ...

Our vacation-slash-mini family reunion was pretty amazing.
Warning: PIC-HEAVY POST AHEAD!

Chris was more of a mess leaving the kids behind than I was!
He was teary eyed the first 24 hours of our trip ... total proof of what an amazing dad he is.

For starters, I'm a new fan of Jet Blue.
We had great flights both going and returning.
Loved watching DirecTV while on the plane.

Are you ready for our location in Manhattan?
40 Central Park South!
As in, my friend's apartment is literally ACROSS from Central Park!
It was insane.
I could totally get used to having a doorman! Ha!

Sunday morning we headed out early for Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
That afternoon I met Chris' uncle Matt for the first time along with his wife Jing and 5 year old daughter Cynthia.
We had the *most amazing* lunch in Chinatown.
Little Cynthia was a doll ... it was fun traipsing around with her.
LOVE Pearl River Market!

Some Chinatown pics:





Monday we shopped.
H&M.
Steve & Barry's.
Lush.
And lots of designer "window shopping".
Desperately hungry, we had lunch at Friday's.
Nothing spectacular ... but made fun with the enormous margarita's Patrick & I drank.
That night ... it was Yankee time! Took the subway up to The Bronx.
We met up with Uncle Jim & Barbara.




Tuesday, Chris & I slept in.
We strolled through Central Park on the way to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We ate lunch at the Petrie Court Cafe.
It was delish.
I ate the most fabulous dessert I have EVER had ... a key lime ice cream sandwich with a Meyer Lemon & Carmel Torte.
We also took the skyline in from the Roof Garden Cafe atop The Met.
We drank $12 vodka cranberries.
It was one of my favorite moments of our trip.
We ended the day with dinner with Matt at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and a horse drawn carriage ride around Central Park.
$50 bucks for a twenty minute ride!
I figured it's one of those lifetime experiences that make it worthwhile!
Chris' opinion? Not so much! Heh.








Wednesday, we paid a visit to Engine 23.
Chris swapped fire department shirts and patches.




And just for fun.
Some snapshots ...

Hello Kitty [on Park Avenue, i think.]


My friend Jan's breakfast nook:


Well, that's it folks.
I already developed about 125 prints.
Let the scrapbooking begin!

Getting Thrifty ...

Welcome to the NEW location of my blog!
My account renewal was up over at typepad.
I don't really have any complaints about it ... just thought i could save some $$$ by making the switch-a-roo to blogspot.
Which, if you do the math, is FREE. Gotta love that!



This was a page I did a couple of weeks ago for the mid month challenge over at Cocoa Daisy. I was surprised to be picked the winner!
I won a $20 gift certificate. Woot.

Alright peeps. That's all for now. Stay tuned.
3 more days until New York City!
Lots to do.
#1 on the list?
Hang with our boys & squeeze & hug them to death. LoL.
It's our first vacation without them.
And we're gonna be across the country.
Eep!

I must remind myself that our families are totally capable of taking care of them. LoL.
Shoot.
Not just taking care of them, probably SPOILING them!