So sad that it's over

To say that I had a good time with Pam while she was here would be a complete understatement. The only bad part about the entire three days was her departure on Monday, and knowing that I won't see her again until May. We have, however, decided that at least once a year the two of us are going to go away together. It may be here, or it may be another city that we both want to visit.

We spent the three days driving around Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa in the red Mustang convertible that we rented, eating, shopping, and just enjoying some peace and quiet. We drove over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge a couple of times. We had dinner at The Melting Pot on Saturday, brunch at Island Way on Sunday, and lunch one day at The Cheesecake Factory. We walked along the beach, did some shopping at Roxy, and then lots more shopping at the outlet mall in Sarasota. The weather was absolutely beautiful (mid to upper 70's and sunny almost the entire time), and we were both sunburned from the top being down on the Mustang everywhere we went.

Here are a few pictures that we took.


Brunch at the Island Way Grill on Sunday

Heading out in the red Mustang convertible that we rented

Getting ready to drive over the Sunshine Skyway

At the pier in St. Petersburg shortly after arriving in Tampa

Pam at Clearwater Beach on Sunday

Pam near the jetty at Clearwater Beach on Sunday

A sunburned Pam after a day of eating, driving and the beach

The two of us at the outlet mall in Sarasota

12 years old

Silly boy on his birthday

Sean asked me to make his favorite cake-german chocolate

Bringing his cake to the table

All lit up

Happy birthday, Sweet Pea

Today is Sean's 12th birthday. It's amazing, really, how quickly the twleve years have passed, and yet at the same time it seems like so long ago that I first held him. He made me a mother. My first-born child. The one that turned my life around, and made me realize exactly what it means to live. The one that taught me that I can love another human being so much that it hurts.

Sean came into this world at 3:34pm on February 22, 1995, weighing a whopping 11 pounds and measuring 23 inches. He was perfect from the second he was born, and caused quite a stir around the hospital with his size. Doctors, nurses and staff members from all over the naval hospital at Camp Lejeune came to see him during the two days that we were there. He was the largest baby born in that hospital at that point, and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of my pride and joy. I was happy to share.

He is one of the most loving children I have ever known in my life, and I am so happy and blessed to be his mother. Those who have taken the time to get to know Sean over the years, and really embrace his personality, have been pleasantly rewarded by having met one of the kindest souls that exist. He is adored by all of his teachers, school staff (especially the librarians, who hold a very special place in Sean's heart) and even his bus driver. I actually get notes sent home from his bus driver telling me how kind and caring Sean is towards her when the other students are making fun of her or causing her problems on the ride to school. Sean isn't afraid to stand up for those that he cares for.

So today I sat and looked at pictures of his birth, read his baby journal, and shed a few tears as I realized that my Sweet Pea is growing up all too quickly. Happy birthday, Sean. I love you up to the sky and down to the ground.

Thank you, Aunt Sue!

Erin got a package in the mail yesterday from Aunt Sue. She received a package of tattoos, three necklaces and two bracelets, all of which she had to wear at the same time. And of course she had to have a tattoo right away, so she chose the rose to go on her lower back. She was so excited to get a package, and even more excited to see what was inside. She says, "Thank you, Aunt Sue!".

Love this picture...

...and this smile. She just melts my heart.

A weekend to remember...to come

My wonderful friend, Pam, is due to arrive next Saturday, and we have a fabulous, all girls three day weekend planned. It is going to be a blast. Pam and I have the three days completely to ourselves. I have rented a convertible Mustang for the two of us to use while she's here, so that we can cruise around and be complete goofballs with the wind in our hair. We have dinner reservations on Saturday night at The Melting Pot (fondue, baby, here we come!!!), and we also have brunch reservations at my favorite place on the water, Island Way Grill (www.islandwaygrill.com), on Sunday. Aside from that, we'll spend some time having drinks on the beach (those Amaretto Sours are calling my name, Pam), shopping, eating more great food, and just enjoying ourselves.

Honest Abe

This was our conversation after school today.

Erin: Mommy, do you know who's picture is on a penny?
Me: (acting as if I didn't know) No, who?
Erin: It's Abraham Lincoln. I can't believe you didn't know that.
Me: Wow. Thank you for teaching me that.
Erin: And do you know what his nickname is?
Me: No, what is it, honey?
Erin: It's Honest Abe. Honest means telling the truth.
Me: That's right. Good job learning at school today.

I am so pleased with the education that Erin is receiving at her school, and she comes home so excited to share the knowledge every day.

She can tie her shoes!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Erin can now tie her shoes, and she's very excited about it. She has it down perfectly now, and I caught her doing it this morning as she got ready for school.

And the spotlight is all hers

After signing WHAT'S UP


Just being silly before she ran back to me


She picked me a flower, but uprooted the entire plant


Twirling for all to see


Running back towards me


Just being the sweet little girl that she is

We took Sean, Bren and Erin to Islands of Adventure this weekend (with a couple of Sean's friends). While Erin and I were waiting for everyone else to get off of one of the rides, she decided to have a show of her own. While I sat at a table, she ran back and forth between me and the fence, she danced, she twirled...you name it. She couldn't have cared less about the thousands of people that were walking by her at all times. A lot of people actually stopped to watch her, commenting on how pretty and amusing she is. One young man even commented that "she's going to be a star one day". I just sat there, watching her, smiling, and taking it all in. She makes me laugh every day.

My baby boy is 10

And so it is. My sweet baby boy, Brendan, is in the "double digits" now. How did that happen so quickly?

It's hard to believe that at 10:19pm last night, it had been ten years since I first held this beautiful little boy in my arms. He'll always be my Boo-Boo, much to his disliking.

Biker girl

Since she can now ride her bike without training wheels, Erin wants to ride all of the time. She had to show Grandma K and Auntie how well she can do before they left. Of course Daddy is always right there by her side!

A visitor in the yard

We have a lot of beautiful birds in this area of the country, but the cranes are probably the most widely seen. The sandhill cranes, which are HUGE, are in our yard all of the time. Since there is a lake behind us, I think that they like to hang out there, and watch for small fish.

Today, we looked out the back window and saw a beautiful whooping crane walking along the wall that borders our back yard. He was just walking along, eating bugs off of the bougainvillea, and he didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that I was standing there taking pictures of him. They are just so beautiful, and graceful.

Erin's 4th birthday party

We had Erin's 4th birthday party at Anderson Park on Saturday, February 3rd. It was a month after her birthday because we wanted Brian's mom and aunt to be here to celebrate with us. It was so much fun. My baby girl had a great time with her family and friends there to share the day with her.

My baker

I came home from school last night, and Sean had baked a homemade yellow cake with homemade chocolate icing. Yep, all from scratch! He knows that I do everything from scratch, and we bake a lot together, but this was his first cake that he did without any supervision. And it was GOOD! He was so proud of it, and so excited to show it to me when I got home. I meant to get a picture of it before we tore it apart, but everyone was too anxious to eat it, so there are no pictures.

Brian's mom and aunt are in town, so I'll have lots of pictures to share once they leave.

Score...again!

My boys did it again! They both got honor roll for the second semester this year. I'm so proud of them.

They both got their bottom braces put on today, and so they are both in a lot of pain again. Bren only needed three braces on the bottom teeth, but Sean got them on all of them, so he's in a lot more pain than Bren is. He had a milkshake this evening, but that's been it since the appointment this afternoon. Bren was able to eat some chicken and macaroni tonight, but it was limited. This will go on for another day or two before they have adjusted and are able to eat regularly again. I feel for them, but I have never been through it so I have no idea how painful it is, except for what I see from them. Sean was almost to the point of tears this afternoon, so I know it's bad. He has a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I know it's a lot right now. Poor kid. I suppose pudding and ice cream will be the agenda for the next couple of days.

Growing up

I'm just amazed at the things that Erin has learned in the past month. She is growing so quickly, and learning something new nearly every day. It's as if turning four has opened a new door for her, and she's anxious and excited to do everything all at once.

In just the past couple of weeks, she has learned to snap her fingers (her favorite thing to do now), ride a bike with no training wheels, and tie her shoes (about 50% of the time). She's on the verge of being a reader, and is already identifying key words and sounds together to form words. We totally expect her to be reading completely on her own in the next 3-5 months. No doubt. She is already able to verbally spell words that are a second grade level, as well as fingerspell all of them. Her ASL vocabulary is increasing like crazy as well, and she's forming complete thoughts in ASL on a regular basis with no prompting. She's bilingual before even entering kindergarten. And she's not signing english, she is using proper ASL format, and that can be tough (you'll appreciate this, Kim and Michelle). I'm so proud of her, and I love that she enjoys ASL as much as I do.

I never knew that four years old could be this much fun all over again. I remember this age vividly with Sean and Bren, and it's all so new and exciting again with Erin.

Baseball boy

Brendan waiting to have his number called


Running back in after catching both fly balls that were pitched to him

Brendan had tryouts for the Majors this past Saturday. They aren't eligible for the Majors until they are ten, and since he will be ten when the season starts, he is eligible. The results will be posted next weekend, so we are anxiously waiting!

WOO HOO!!!

The Saints pulled it off!!! Happy day!!!!

Sorry, Michelle (Huber). I still love you!!!!

Funny boy

Brendan called me on my way home from school last night, and this is the conversation that we had.

Bren: Mommy, what is your birthday?
Me: January 25
Bren: No, I mean, what year? 19 something or 18 something.
Me: No 18 anything, Bren. I was born in 1973.
Bren: Gosh, that's old.
Me: Thanks, bud.

Gotta love this kid. Every.single.bit of him.

One of the greatest gifts ever

I got a call on Christmas day from Larry, Sean and Brendan's dad. He called to tell me this:

"Michelle. I just want to tell you thank you for doing such a wonderful job of raising our sons. You have done a great job, and they have turned out to be great kids because of you. Seriously, I can't thank you enough."

Brian and Sean were standing there in the kitchen with me, wondering why I was crying. Talk about a HUGE compliment. I couldn't believe it.

Larry and I have come a long way in the past few years, and we get along very well now. I respect his wife, and there is none of the typical arguing or jealousy that occurs between a mother and a step-mother. It is so nice. When they are in town to visit, we all go out to dinner together. They have two children together, and Sean and Brendan love to go to Atlanta to spend time with their baby sister and brother. Madalyn was born just two weeks before Erin, and Trevor will be two this coming March. They both adore their two big brothers, just as much as Erin does.

It's so nice to have gotten to this point, and to have a good relationship for the sake of Sean and Bren.

Happy birthday to my princess

I can't believe that she's four years old already. She is the single sweetest little girl I have ever known. I am so blessed to be her mom.


Still sleeping at the exact time of her birth


Enjoying her birthday breakfast...chocolate cake


Beautiful birthday girl





After Erin went to bed last night, Brian went and bought a lot of pink balloons, and put them all around the house. When she got up this morning, she was so excited to see them all over the place. She got to enjoy a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast, too.

Her birthday party will be on February 3rd. We delayed it so that Brian's mom can be here to celebrate it with us.

Ready for the snow

Would you say that she's ready for our trip to Wisconsin?



We have started picking up a few cold weather items for the trip in two months, and while we were in Old Navy today Erin picked out this hat with matching gloves. She promptly put it on, and wore it through the mall the rest of the time. She wore it home, and for most of the evening, despite the 80 degrees. To say that she's excited to go play in the cold would be an understatement.

Happy New Year!

I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year!