The shiner !!

Before I go begin, I just want to clarify something. No, I did not beat up my child so please do not turn me in !! You may be asking how in the world did she do this ? Well it really is simple to those of us who know Maddie. And that is she is a huge " CLUTZ ". I am talking falling all the time, walking into walls, tripping over her own feet, ect. But this beauty is by far the best one yet. So i had to take pictures to show everyone. She was at my mom's the other day and was walking down the little hill from the tramp. No it is really not a steep hill or anything. But nevertheless, there sitting at the bottom of the hill was the ever so evil hose. I guess she didn't see it or maybe she was going to fast down the hill to stop herself in time, but she tripped over the hose and landed face first on the cement. Oh ouch i know !! Poor baby. Well I know it is a horrible picture(she kept moving around) but she scrapped the side of her face, her chin,knee and of course the shinner on her eye. I just have to say that we love you Maddie and thank goodness it is not permenent.

Happy Belated Father's Day

I know it is way late, but here it is anyways. Happy father's day to all the fathers out there. I am so grateful to all the father's in my life. I would not be who I am today without them, so thank you.


I will start off with my own father, who since childhood has been kind, caring, and thankfully very good to me. I see him now with my own kids and the joy that they bring to his life. It has been so nice to see him almost everyday now. I am greeted with a hug and a report on the baby's day(is what he calls it). I look forward to those reports. I love watching Madison get excited about seeing him and she calls him Papa. It is precious. Happy father's day dad.

Next is my dear husband who is wonderful with the girls. I am so grateful to have a husband like Patrick who is loving, and caring about everyone. I am truly blessed. He is such an example to me and to the girls. Katelyn just adores him and is his puppy dog, following him around whenever he is home. Madison also calls him Papa and loves him dearly. Thank you and I love you.

My Father-In-Law who I also love very much. I am so grateful for his generosity and overall kindness he has shown my family. We are so very fortunate to be living in a wonderful home for the time being. Watching every so carefully over it until they return. Thank you and can't wait to see you again.

Glimpses of summer (finally)

It has been so cold lately that I never thought that it would warm up. Is is June for crying out loud. Well after many wishes and prayers, it finally got semi warm. What is better to kick off summer than pizza on the BBQ and the kiddie pool.

We made the pizza from scratch and despite there being way to much garlic in the sauce everyone loved it. I do have to say that it was delicious. Yum. Patrick is so at peace in front of the grill. It is his happy place. Soon we'll be calling him the grill master !!

Katelyn couldn't contain her excitement when i told her to go get her swimsuit on !! She didn't know what we were up to but she knew it had to do with water. That was all she needed to know. We cleaned out the only kiddie pool we have ( I have been meaning to get a bigger one but it has been so cold) and the water tub. The girls loved it. Patrick tried to get Katelyn with the hose and she thought that was the greatest game. She laughed and ran and got all wet. Maddie is not sure about the hose or the sprinkler yet. Give her time, i know she will come around !! Thank heavens for Summer, where we can bbq, cool off and have some fun.

How does your garden grow ?

We did it !! The garden has officially been planted. Now I don't want to get your hopes up, it is not as big as the normal "Paul and Tona garden" of years past. All the boxes are used but it is not as dense as before. The whole family joined in to plant the tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, peppers, and herbs. It was really fun to get my hands dirty and to plant these vegetables that hopefully

will grow so that we may enjoy them. The girls loved to help and they carried all the plants around and keep mixing them up !! Oh well if we end up with a cucumber in with the tomatoes we will know who to blaim !! So I hope you all are gearing up for some fresh homemade salsa this summer. I know I am. Yumm !!

SAHM Experience

Well I do have to say that I was a little worried to be left alone with my two kids for a week and a half. What is this about you ask? Well my mom - AKA, the babysitter while I am at work - has been gone on an Alaskan Cruise(yes I am very jealous). So not really knowing anyone to watch my kids while I was off at work decided to take some time off work to stay home with them. At first, like I said I was a little worried that my sweet, innoncent girls were going to drive me loopy ! But I have to say that it was the complete opposite. I loved being home with them 24/7. I loved being able to do things with them like playing in the rain and letting them get soaked. I loved having Maddie make me laugh all day(yes she is quite the comedian). I loved having time with Katelyn, reading her stories, coloring, ect. As life as we know it returns tomorrow as I head back to work, I am very grateful for the time that I do spend with my girls. I will cherish it even more now, knowing that it is special. Someday I will be able to be home with them more but for now it is back to work I go. Boo Hoo.