First Day of School

First day of school! Wake up! Come on. First day of school!! Sorry, I couldn't help myself from a little Finding Nemo quote, especially since this was pretty much how our first day went. I had my alarm set for 5am and the kiddos came running in at 4:54am telling me to get up! Darn them for not letting me get those last six minutes of sleep.

To say the kids were excited would be an understatement. There was no nervousness and no worries, just pure excitement. The first day of school is always so magical and I will never tire of seeing my babies excitement over learning. Enough rambling and onto the good stuff....the photos.

I still can't believe my baby, my first born is in 4th grade!

Or that my baby girl is in 1st!

I especially can't believe my last born is in Kindergarten

Three kids, all in school, full day and it's still so surreal to me. I knew this day was coming, I've been gleefully excited about it and now that it's here I'm a wee bit sad. My babies are growing up so fast and it's wonderful and sad at the same time.

Wordless Wednesday-This kid

This kid, I LOVE him. I could just leave it simply at that, but I just have to add that this kid is my world. He's one of the most amazing little dudes I know. He has the personality like no other, a laugh that is contagious to all, a smile that is all trouble, and he gives the best cuddles. I love this kid!

Quick explanation....I woke up to find both the kid and the dog had snuck into my bed some time during the night. The first pic you can only see his bum sticking out from under the pillow. This adorable swollen eyed smiley face, I get to see it every morning. It hasn't changed in five years, he always waked up just like this.

Wordless Wednesday - A day at Belmar

Last week I had the honor to go on the first ever Social Good retreat, Jersey Love where I got to meet the most amazing women. I could gush all day about how much I love them, that's how amazing everyone was. But the one thing that hit me the most was visiting Belmar. As soon as I stepped out of the car it was as if I got hit in the face by a brick wall of amazing. The smell from the ocean was an instant flash back for me and it smelled absolutely wonderful. I almost broke down into tears just from the smell alone. But then I walked off alone to put my feet in the water and it was as if every thing just rushed away. I felt....home.

If you didn't know the Belmar boardwalk was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. In seven short months

the town has rebuilt all 1.3 miles of it destroyed boardwalk. 

A few weeks ago at a ceremony for the efforts made towards the shore Mayor Matt Doherty said "We promised that a new boardwalk would be built in time for Memorial Day, and today I can proudly say we have delivered." And delivered they have! Not only is the boardwalk new and beautiful but they have playgrounds along the beach for the children as well as plans to add showers for easier clean up after spending the day at the beach. If you've ever gone to the beach you know how huge it is to have a shower for a quick rinse off before heading home. 

Look ma I see a surfer out in the distance. Can you spot him?

 
These ladies rocked the waves!

Be sure to check out the links below from other lovely ladies that attended this amazing trip. Thank you again to Caesars Atlantic City, D6 Surf Skimmers & D'Jais for everything! You guys are truly amazing.

Wordless Wednesday-A day at the park

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The other week my youngest got to go on his first field trip day. Seeing 19 little Preschoolers running around the park as if it was their first time there was the cutest thing ever.

When my soon to be five year old (totally in denial that my baby is almost FIVE) went down this rope thing I wasn't sure whether to run to protect him, keel over from a heart attack or cheer him on for being so brave and awesome. 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms,Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommyand Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-Spring is in the air!

One of the things I love most about Spring time is the blooming of new life. The grass gets green again, the birds come back and bring with them new babies and the flowers and tress bloom as if there is no tomorrow. It's a beautiful time of the year don't you think?

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-Forever and always

These three have my heart....forever and always my babies they'll be.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Wordless Wednesday-Heavy Metal

Not heavy metal as in the genre of music but instead heavy metal as in this giant piece of metal artfully placed over a new section of the freeway out here. Wait...I'm sorry, it's the highway or is it the interstate. My husband keeps telling me they don't call them freeways out here. Oh well I will call it a freeway as long as I live out here.

Anywho, back on track here. I have no idea what this is, what it means and why they put it over the freeway BUT I like it. It's a neat sculpture and you can't deny that it is pretty eye catching.

 

I took these photos with my insanely awesome HTC Windows 8x phone. Not too shabby huh? Especially considering I was in a moving car. The camera on this phone is insane. By far the best camera phone I have ever come by.

I also edited it on the Windows phone with this nifty app called Fhotoroom. Think Instagram but for the Windows phone and with a TON of editing options. You can sign up for an account and share you photos within their app as well as socially or you can just use the editing software and save the picture to your phone. Me, I do the later because I have enough social sharing sites as it is, I am not sure if I could handle another right now. But that doesn't stop me from using their great editing software.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Wordless Wednesday-A treasure to keep forever

My youngest who will be five in May isn't much of a drawer. It just doesn't interest him. So when I picked him up from school the other day and his teacher told me that he drew me something special. At the mention of him drawing something, drawing me something I was very excited and I couldn't hide my smile. She told me it was a keeper, something for me to keep in a frame and treasure forever. Not being able to hold out anymore I dug in his backpack and pulled it out. I all but cried when I saw it. My little mans very first picture and it was a picture of both of us. He drew himself as a baby, inside my tummy. Yes, yes I cried. What can I say I am an emotional sap. But this sap loves her babies very first drawing and will treasure it forever.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday-Meet Theta

Eleven years of marriage, three kids over five years and countless moves later we finally added the last piece to our family....a puppy. Meet the newest member, Theta. She is nine weeks old and just the cutest, sweetest little puppy ever!

Our older two kids are still at school so they haven't met her yet, we didn't tell any of the kids we were getting a puppy. We wanted it to be a surprise. I CANNOT wait to see their faces when they get home!

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday-Baby face

I absolutely love that my youngest still has his baby face. He will be five in a few months and I am perfectly happy with him keeping his baby face as long as possible. He has the softest, cutest, squishy cheeks and I can't help but smother him in kisses every day.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-Oh the faces he makes

I just love the facial expressions of this boy!

 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-White Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday! We got to experience our very first white Christmas and to say the kids were excited would be an understatement.

While we didn't get nearly as much as the news had originally foretasted that didn't stop us from going out and enjoying it.

 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-Happy Birthday

Today we are celebrating my daughters sixth birthday. I still can't get over the fact that she is already six years old! I swear it was just yesterday she was a little toddler walking around with her bouncy curls and giggling all the time. Not much has changed in the last few years, well she is very tall which is funny because when she was a toddler we were all convinced she was going to be itty bitty like her Grandma because she was so short. I guess she just wanted to prove us wrong on that one. She has lost her curls :( but she has the most gorgeous blond locks and while she is not a fan of pony tails she loves to have her hair done "princess style". She is still a bouncy giggly happy little girl with a big heart and such a fun personality.

What would a Wordless Wednesday be without some pictures, and in honor of my daughters birthday I wanted to share some photos of her from the last six years

Happy Birthday baby girl!

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Wordless Wednesday-Bumblebee

Dude I have been such a bad Wordless Wednesday participant. I can't remember the last time I participated in one, and for me, the picture holic, that is just crazy.

Since I am in a mad rush to get some things done before I have to head out to pick up the littles I am going to stay true to the Wordless part of todays meme and just share my photo. So here you go, I give you......dun dun dun......bumblebee.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Wordless Wednesday-Not your ordinary family

I am in an odd kind of mood today and I just realized about an hour ago that it's Wednesday and not Tuesday.  On the plus side that means were one day closer to the weekend. Down side, I am mentally a day behind hence this post going up late. In a mad rush for getting this post up I went on the hunt for silly pictures of my kids for today's Wordless Wednesday. And HELLO WW peeps! It's been a while.

I remembered on our last hoorah my daughter cracking up while in the pool because of her hair. It was such a funny moment I knew I had to include this picture.

And this one makes me laugh every time I see it. He kept asking to be thrown into the pool but this was the only shot I got of it. I just love how he almost looks like he is sitting.

I take full responsibility for this. I used to try and get my baby sister to go cross eyed at a baby and some way some how I thought it would be funny to see if my daughter could go cross eyed. You think it worked? Yeah ever since about a year ago she now goes crossed eyed on her own and darn her for making me laugh while she does it.

My big boy being brave and sliding into the water! I love how big his cheeks are from holding his breath. And it makes me giggle that his eyes are closed. Still working on getting over his fear of water but this....this is awesome for him.

I think I found some winners here...what say you?

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Wordless Wednesday-Food while traveling

I haven't had a chance to go through all of our photos from our trip last week so I am pulling some pictures from my phone for this weeks Wordless Wednesday post. And seeing as I am a food lover and I was blown away by our food on our flight I figured I'd start the picture sharing with some good eats.

 Of course I had to get wine. My husband even drank some which was funny since it was his first time. After three full glasses each we looked at each other and giggled that we could already feel the alcohol.

 First course: Smoked salmon with some mayonnaise sauce and a celery, bell pepper and radish slaw, tomato bisque and a roll.

 Second course: Salad

Main course: Chicken dish. Cold chicken breast with this amazing dressing that I have no idea what it was but it had mangos in it, lobster salad, onions, deviled egg and there's an artichoke heart hiding there somewhere. 

 My husband got the Cod with green beans and risotto. All I kept thinking about with his dish was the movie Airplane. And the best part, my husband and I were laughing about it together since we both thought of the same thing.

 Fourth course: Dessert. I went for the cheese and fruit platter so I've cut back on my sweets intake.

 Breakfast: French toast, eggs, turkey sausage, fruit, coffee and orange juice.

All that food was just on one flight. It just kept coming, and all of it was amazingly good.

Wordless Wednesday-Flowers in the sky

For some reason I have Lucy in the sky with diamonds in my head right now hence the odd name for this post. While we were at Kennywood and I was watching two of my babies get soaked on the boat ride there were these beautiful flowers that I couldn't resist taking a picture of. One quick shot and then we were off, on our way to another ride.

Somehow, someway I managed to capture a shot that is kind of beautiful. It's peaceful and yet vibrant and it speaks volumes to me. How can one photo say so many different things?

Wordless Wednesday: Chi-Town

My husband told me over the weekend he wanted to do something this week on his days off of work. I had no arguments on this because I love getting out and doing things so I said okay fine by me. But um what should we do? His response "let's go to Chicago". After my brain processed that he really meant it I can't lie. I got excited. I had only been to Chicago once before while my husband worked out there for a few days. I brought my oldest with us because back then it was just the three of us and had planned on seeing a few local attractions. Well he got sick and plans changed into spending the entire three days in the hotel. So when my husband brought up going back I immediately responded with YES!

Up at 3:30 am, in the car by 4:20am and on the plane before 6:00. It was non stop walking/site seeing/water drinking/freaking hot/all around fun kind of day. I haven't finished looking at all of the photos but I had to share just a few from our one day trip to Chicago.

This shot reminds me of something you'd see while in Florida doesn't it?

My handsome boy while on the boat tour

 Baby boy and I on the 94th story of the Hancock building

Baby girl and I taking a break

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.