Pry into the Pryor's

NYC and hiking weekend

2012-01-29T23:43:00.003-05:00

After being away from the city for over a month, I was missing it again. Barbara G. and I were headed to Connecticut last week while the kids were in school, but decided last minute to go to Greenwich Village instead. Not a bad detour, I must say. There is nothing like Greenwich Village on a sunny weekday.

I was bound and determined to get the kids to the city this weekend as well. Olivia has been begging to ice skate at Rockefeller Center. Saturday, I planned a trip in to the American Museum of Natural History and ice skating.

As you can see, butterflies were aflutter. The museum was hosting a butterfly exhibit and this one decided to hitch a ride around the exhibit. Nice hair accessory, eh?

Olivia had to resist her famous butterfly 'catch and hold' because signs warned us of touching the butterflies. Obviously, it didn't work the other way around. The museum was not our favorite of all time. It was dark inside and we unfortunately chose a sunny, unseasonably warm day in the city to be inside. Lest we miss out on sunshine, we bolted to Rockefeller Center for some skating. Of course, Dave and I had to lug backpacks laden with personal ice skates on the subway and sidewalks. Hey, that's what parents, I mean sherpas, do!

Zach rocked the Rock! He skis on his own and skates on his own; don't' slow him down, people! Olivia, eh, slow and go for her.

All in all, it was a fine day in the city. It was the taste I was looking for; I'll be back for more! I have some shows calling my name.

Sunday greeted us with sunny weather, so another hike was on our to-do list. Dave is a hiking fiend; this is probably our fifth or sixth hike in the last two months. We headed over the NY state line for this one and a gorgeous lake and fire tower lured us. Kobe enjoys the hikes most of all, so this one was to say "sorry we left you all day while we were in the city". He forgave us....

Kobe, shown here, with his favorite member of our family, daddy.

Campgaw skiing

2012-01-29T22:03:00.001-05:00

A little sibling competition during our recent ski outing. We were there until the slopes closed. We are so happy the kids love the sport.

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Location:Mahwah, NJ,United States

A late January snow...

2012-01-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

As January settled in and we learned to deal with the sun going down early, our hobbies took center stage. Olivia moved her new art easel to the kitchen/sitting area to take full advantage of the flat screen and the fireplace. That's my girl. Although, I could skip the t.v. Mommy loves a blazing fire.

Zach, above, shows off his new Georgia Tech sweatshirt that Aunt Karen gave him. He fits in with the GT shirt and all of the New England fans (professional sports mostly). It looks good on him! Zach also started electric guitar lessons a few weeks ago. We are so excited to see how he takes to it, but so far, so good. His teacher is amazing and I think that goes a long way in a child excelling in an activity. He is just learning notes now, but we are all looking forward to some sweet music in our house this year.

Mid-January brought our first truly Winter snow to New Jersey. Our 'snow dog', Kobe could not get enough of the cold stuff; he played outside all day. Olivia and Zach did the same. They had friends over Friday night for a spend-the-night and it snowed through the night, well into the day. The kids started out in the early morning, ventured to the neighbors driveway for sledding, then we headed to a local elementary school for the 'great sledding hill' and then they played for 2 more hours in the neighborhood after that! Wow!

Driveway sledding

Sicomac hill sledding with Lily

Of course, I had to try it as well. The kids can't have all of the fun:-) I almost took out an entire group of kids, but I swerved at the last minute....

Dave in front of our house

Relaxing by the fire after a long day of sledding (with neighbor Kristen)

The next day, we visited Campgaw, which is 10 minutes from our house, to ski. Olivia warmed up on the bunny slopes and then she was an official ski bum. Zach is our ski racer...the faster, the better. After a very long day of skiing, they were both racing each other:-) A little sibling competition is good for them!

Vermont...to find snow and New Year's Eve

2011-12-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

After the holidays, with no snow gracing our lawns by late December, we went on a search for the fluffy white stuff. Our search took us to Killington, Vermont and we were in a wintry wonderland. With our recent move to the Northeast, we have so many places to explore and now we can include Vermont in our travels.

We warmed up in a resort hotel near the mountain.

Zach was the only brave one to ski while we were at the ski lodge. Olivia decided she wanted to "play in the snow like a wolf". We've rented skis and boots for the kids and Dave for the season, so we can visit any of the mountains we like.

Zach had to enroll in ski school since Dave did not ski that afternoon. Zach wanted to go skiing all on his own! Yes, he is our daredevil. He loves the sport and we love it that he wants to do it. He finished the day and claimed, "I hit a rock and fell, but it was only once!" Yikes, big guy, be careful. Were you jumping moguls too?

Olivia looks as if she is a sherpa on an expedition! She was busy playing and digging in the snow. I was busy staying warm in the lodge, reading my book and enjoying a warm drink. Tearing an ACL will do that to you.

Kobe went on this short trip with us and barked every hour during the night at....we are not sure....maybe people walking past our room, maybe ghosts. All we know is, the following night, we brought his crate in and positioned it far, far away from the door:-) Other than that, he did a great job of quietly riding to and from Vermont and played like a pup in the snow. It is now proven that this little dog loves snow.

We finished in Killington and drove over the mountain, witnessing gorgeous scenery and treacheous roads along the way, to Ben and Jerry's headquarters in Waterbury, VT. Unfortunately, the assembly lines were not operating during the holidays, but we were given a tour of the facilities and a nice, huge sample of their mint chocolate chip ice cream (a favorite to all). Mmmm. Even though our holiday was a short week, we still made the most of it.

New Year's Eve arrived and the Goss' came over for a quiet celebration. Dinner, playing, and a little dancing. It wouldn't be a party without Just Dance (3). I have to admit it was my very first time playing this game. It wasn't good. Don't worry, I will not let them beat me for long! Just Dance......

Tom after a round of Just Dance

The twins and all of the kids are great dancers.

Happy New Year....Welcome 2012!

Welcoming the holidays

2011-12-27T00:06:00.001-05:00

What an exciting year for us! As we looked to celebrate the 2011 Holiday season, our first in Wyckoff, NJ, we also had a lot to learn about our new hometown. Santa pictures are a tradition in our family, and I had a difficult time with the school schedule and getting the kids to see Santa. We made it in the 'Nick' of time and it's always my favorite, albeit funny, photo of the kids each year. You've gotta love it!

Of course, I had to bribe them with a movie. It looks like we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks, but we actually saw Arthur Christmas. I loved this movie! I was completely in the holiday spirit, warm, fuzzy heart included after viewing this movie. Great choice, kiddos!

Frisbee has also been a staple at our house for 4 years now. He arrived December 1 and left us Christmas Eve to report back to Santa (except for his nightly trips back to Santa, coming to rest in a new place each and every....almost.....night, leaving a treat each morning for the kids to enjoy). He must be exhausted! I know I am...One morning, Frisbee took a tumble off of his perch, right in front of Olivia! Krikey! I rushed downstairs, snatched him up saying "he needs to take a rest". She was heart broken, but I didn't know what else to do. You aren't supposed to touch him, but he was in the middle of the floor! He ended up coming back with a bandaid and Olivia wrote him a sweet note..."I hope you feel 'd'etter sone. Love, Olivia".

Christmas card photo session with dad....and lots of goose poop on our shoes:-)

Shorter ceilings equal a normal sized tree (no more double story great room...which we like!)

The kids were in school up until 1:15 pm Friday, Dec. 23. We celebrated with a little bon fire, s'mores and friends. Lily and Ben helped us roast a few as we enjoyed our unseasonable holiday weather. Where is the snow, Dave wants to know?!

Christmas Eve at the Fierro's

Gina and John invited us to celebrate our first Christmas Eve in Wyckoff at their house with loads of friends and family. Great food, amazing people....we had so much fun! The kids were playing Just Dance and we thought they would never leave!

John & Dave

Gina and Jennifer:-)

Christmas morning at the Pryor's

Zach woke around 5 am, but let us sleep until 5:20 am. He said, "I've played two PS3 games already, please get up." Needless to say, we needed coffee.

Household mess, but it's all good. LEGOs, Hotwheels, Horses, stables, books, clothes, art easels, Barbie RV, science experiments, ice skates and dog toys...we are all happy (oh, and a new MacBook Air - woo woo!)

Playing with her new Nemo Air Swimmer, wearing her new Uggs. She's all set! We are all so thankful for our wonderful friends and family. Merry Christmas to you all!

We are off to Vermont to find snow!!

December Birthdays galore

2011-12-17T23:20:00.000-05:00

Birthdays, no matter what year, are meant to be celebrated and/or spent with friends far and wide. I feel very fortunate to have friends all over. I love my wine glass Kaci sent me from Alabama, my chocolates and fancy tea Jill mailed, flowers from a new friend, all the great clothes from my sisters and my introduction to London finery from Barbara:-)

As we know, it's not about the gifts, it's also about time spent with friends. Michelle was fortunate enough to hop a flight with her husband (via the company private jet) and surprise me. We spent a day in NYC skating at Rockefeller Center, shopping, avoiding puddles (it rained all day) and eating our way through the city. Oh, the Indian food was delicious! She even ventured back out to NJ to see our new digs, spend the night and see Wyckoff first hand.

A day later, Amy and Liz arrived from Atlanta. Watch out Wyckoff, they are invading! This WAS a planned trip, so we had lots and lots and lots to do. Friends new and old (who are you calling old, ya say?!) met and we all toasted Dave on his birthday and for being so nice not complain as we ran off to NYC for the weekend. Amy, Liz, the kids and I took him to our favorite Italian/pizza restuarant for his birthday dinner.

Cheers to Jen and Dave on their early December birthdays! Celebrating at Amano...with a cannoli to top it off.

Top of the Rock

Highly recommended if you are visiting the city.

Jen and Amy - silly girls with the toy soldier at FAO Schwartz

Pleasantly surprised with our upgraded 'suite' at The Eventi hotel. Artwork, library, bar, dining room, two bathrooms, and huge corner (entertaining) patios. This room, er suite, rocked! We didn't want to leave, but Harry Connick Jr. was waiting....On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever. The play was....interesting, but dinner, wine, the room and our rickshaw ride was much more memorable:-)

Jen sitting on a pig waiting for the elevator...silly

Our view as I woke Sunday morning....The Empire State Building.

The girls' visits gave me something to look forward to, helped celebrate birthdays as well as usher in the holidays in one of the greatest places ever...NYC. Our next trip will be to a 'warm location'. Let's start planning!

The following Thursday.....Barbara invites me to NYC to the season premier to meet actors of Downton Abby, a highly anticipated British show that has made it across the pond. One show and I was hooked. My plans for New Year's Day....a marathon to catch up on Season 1. PBS is the station to watch here in the U.S. and I'm on that train:-)

Another credit goes to Barbara for helping me realize I need a fire to get through these incredibly dark days in the Northeast. She, being British, knows that a fire helps you settle in for the evening. I've taken her advice and have a fire in one of the fireplaces nightly. I say 'nightly', but that means I start it at dark, i.e. 4:30 pm....why does it have to get dark so early?? Oh well, we are embracing it.

Giving thanks for this year....

2011-12-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

We have weathered, pun intended, many storms this year. As Dave puts it, "it can only get better from here." Looking back over the year, I have endured a torn ACL and subsequent surgery to repair it. I have a cadaver replacement ACL in my body to prove it! We, along with tons of help from our friends, family and neighbors, raised a puppy to the stage of a well behaved dog....we love you Kobe. We have lived through a tornado hitting our beloved lake house and survived, the sometimes tedious and unforeseen, problems of repairing our house. We've traveled extensively this year and lugged two children along. The tooth fairy can attest to our travels. I think she wants us to stay put. Dave commuted from New Jersey to Atlanta to Alabama to the Pacific Northwest for three months to work and see his family. I'm glad you have a reliable suitcase, dear. Lest I forget our move, a BIG move, to New Jersey. As the song goes, "we loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly...", Bergen that is.....

It's been a wild year, and we are looking forward to a calmer 2012. Our recent Thanksgiving break was a bit hectic, but then as we settled in, we realized that we all needed time to relax and be together as a family.

Looking back to recent events, I am thankful for my children's school. I am learning as they are, the nuances of the school, and I love it. Recently, the school had the children's book author, Rob Scotton, visit and discuss his books and about being an author. The kids came home with autographed books and wonderfully creative drawings of Splat The Cat. Impressive... O & Z are also impressed with their catered lunches from Simply Gourmet. It's a bit of a change from the typical school lunch.....

I am also thankful to have new friends in the Northeast and for old friends that visit. Recently, Eeva, from my Atlanta neighborhood, who currently lives in Connecticut, came for a day. We had so much fun together and she was even able to visit on a day where we went into the kids' classrooms to observe. Olivia and Zach were all smiles to have a visitor, well....and mom too. Of course, Eeva being Eeva, she brought presents. Olivia and I have gorgeous new scarves that she knitted and Zach loved his game. You'll see me wearing my scarf often:-)

I'm thankful for our family to have attended our first NYC Rockette's Christmas Spectacular. I'm thankful to have spent part of the holiday in NYC with our friends, Amy and Dave and to have attended the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. It was a holiday of firsts.

Radio City Music Hall

Outside Apple Store in Manhattan

Christmas window displays

NYC dinner with Amy & Dave

Olivia, Avery & Zach

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Amy & Jennifer - Thanksgiving dinner

Olivia with curls...the girls were playing

I am thankful to have our holiday decorations and tree up. I love enjoying them all month long. The kids had all day (in pajamas, no less) to go through most of the ornaments and remember making some of them or remember who gave them a certain one. It starts the holiday season off right.

I am thankful for being close to wonderful hiking trails and scenery and for having a husband that gets us out of the house to enjoy it. We have hiked Ramapo twice over the last two weeks and we have many more trails to explore. I am also thankful for the warm weather over the holiday to allow me to ride with the convertible top down. Southern girls love their warm weather. I'm soaking it in before the true NJ winter starts.

Atlanta friends and Florida sunshine

2011-11-13T21:48:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't need a little break every now and again? We had a well deserved break last week after enduring the Halloween snowstorm that buckled our town and left us without power and school for three days. So, off we head to Atlanta for a weekend and then on to south Florida to visit Aunt Kim.

My kids disappeared as soon as we parked in our old neighborhood. Jill, Michelle and I were able to catch up, drink a little wine, and run off to an extremely nice dinner at Cibo (thanks to Steve, a neighbor that owns the restaurant).

We had a visit from Amy and the boys. Olivia and Brady hanging together like old times.

Skylar with her new braces...Olivia's BFF.

Off we head to Karen, Mike and Gavin's for some quality family time. Gavin was 'climbing the walls' waiting on his cousins to arrive. As you can tell, they knew right where to pick up...

It wouldn't be a proper visit with Mimi and Papa without a trip to Walmart. Karen dressed Zach in Georgia gear...just for Dave's enjoyment:-)

Playing with their new toys along with Garrett. We had a pizza party at Michelle's with my favorite Gluten Free Pizza...Blue Moon. Oh how I missed you!

I cannot believe I missed the opportunity to take a picture of me and my chicas. Liz, Amy and I must have been so busy talking and catching up, we forgot! Oh well, I got a great one of Laura. She was wide-eyed for the flash:-) She kept us in line at J.Christopher's, our typical hangout. Laura will be ordering for us next time. I had a fabulous weekend with my girls and touring around Atlanta running errands like I still lived there! Thank you Andy, for the use of your M3. She was happy to be running around Atlanta instead of sitting at the airport! Thank you all for being such wonderful hosts and friends. I would say I miss you, but you know me, I'll see you soon!

Tuesday, we flew to Florida to visit Aunt Kim and the beach!

It wouldn't be a proper visit without feeding the turkey/ducks. What are these things, exactly?!

Ah, here they are in November enjoying sun and sand. It was a bit windy, but still relaxing and enjoyable. Olivia insisted on feeding the pigeons, much to the chagrin of our beach neighbors. Imagine sunning yourself and having the vile creatures swoop over you, ready to poop on your head at any moment. Olivia and I had to have a talk. Oh, and she was petting them too....ugh!

Zach buried himself, then we stepped in to finish it off!

Running in the surf

Kim found this fabulous Nature Center across from Delray Beach. We went two days in a row, and saw the shark feeding as well as meeting a male Macaw named 'Crystal'? She gave us 'high fours' and the kids loved it.

I can hear the ocean.

Aunt Kim bought them new Reef flip-flops, their favorite!

Kim and I enjoying a long, leisurely lunch at Cabano el Rey. I love cuban food!

Olivia was working hard on her artwork

Zach was coming down with a fever during this picture and 10 minutes later he was asleep on the table. Poor guy, he seems to always get sick when we travel. He's a trooper, though.

Another favorite spot is Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton. They have a huge outdoor play area, including water guns, carousel, and an indoor science center. Part of the center has a traveling exhibit each time we go, so this year, it was robotics. Look at Olivia operating the robot arm!

The annual picture on the carousel horse

We spent plenty of time at Kim's pool and hot tub, especially after the long beach days.

More time on the beach, feeding pigeons and making race tracks

It was a wonderful trip to see our friends and family and I hope it's at least an annual trip. I'll be back soon! Gracias!

Halloween...that almost wasn't...

2011-11-05T21:53:00.000-04:00

Who would actually think we would have snow BEFORE Halloween in our first year in New Jersey? Well, that is what happened and a hurricane the first few days after our arrival, both of which left us without power for 2 1/2 days. It also left us without t.v. & internet for weeks. We were out of school for three days and Halloween was canceled. Additionally, our much anticipated adult's only dress up party was canceled. Oh well, my outfit is ready for next year....and the party date is already set!

The kids and neighbors know how to conjure up some fun when the first flakes start flying. They were making snowballs with 'real' snowball makers. We subsequently ordered some of these new found gadgets. Come on Southern parents, get with it! Things we learned from this experience: buy a generator, don't hoard too much food in the refrigerator (this is the second time we have had to empty it), buy snow toys, buy kids snow boots in black...easy to hand down to Zach because they grow out of them so fast, and last but not least....always anticipate the power going out in Wyckoff for at least 2+ days.

Games by the campfire with neighbors...almost toasty, but not quite.

Life seems to keep going (never mind running water and showers). Tom had a birthday and we intended to party....with the reptiles. The reptiles also kept warm by the fire. Happy 7th, Tom. Let's hope next year we have heat and toilets that flush :-)

Our Viking Princess and Black Snake...a Ninja?

After 2 nights of freezing sleep, we bolted for the Jersey Shore. Amy & Dave O. kindly let us stay in their shore house in Avon. It was such a nice way to finally warm up. As soon as we arrived, kids were knocking on our door for trick-or-treating. Luckily, I had our costumes packed! I thought Halloween was canceled, but Avon made it extra special for us. As Zach proclaimed, "This is the BEST Halloween ever!" Now THAT made our day. Thanks for sharing your candy, Zach.

This Halloween beach photo will probably not happen again, but it was a real 'treat' for us.

Kobe was a happy dog. Maybe it was because we didn't force him to dress up?!

The Rum Diary premier in NYC

2011-10-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

Dave and I attended the NYC movie premiere of The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Tuesday night at Museum of Modern Art. Aaron Eckhart didn't attend, unfortunately. While the movie premiere was fun to attend, I think the NYC premiere was a little more subdued than a L.A. event. It was just a different vibe. The Rum Diary, based on Hunter S. Thompson's time in Puerto Rico in 1960, was a great movie. We hit the after party at Hiro Nightclub, after a short ride in a stretch SUV with the Playboy publisher and gang. Johnny's band, The JD Band, played most of the night and we, unfortunately had to leave after midnight and missed Johnny and Keith Richard's performance with the band. It was a fun night out and we hope to have many more of these opportunities now that we live closer to NYC! Bring on the fun!

Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Picking

2011-10-16T15:54:00.000-04:00

The school held their annual Harvest Festival after school last week. Instead of playing the games, Zach played on the playground with his friends and Olivia caught butterflies. Olivia had kids following her, asking if she would catch a butterfly for them.

The scarecrows each class made were a hit!

On our way to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch last weekend, we took a detour due to traffic and ended up at a lake. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see the sun sparkling on the water; it brings back good memories.

Kobe 'blending' in to the fall leaves

DiPiero's Farm had a petting zoo (donkey, pigs, goats) hay maze, hay ride, pumpkin picking and kettle corn, mmm, mmm!

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch with the kids and Tom

Zach, Olivia & Tom

10 Year Anniversary, NYC & Coney Island

2011-10-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

Dave and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary on September 22. It brings back fond memories of our St. Simon's wedding weekend and our lovely French Polynesia (aka Tahiti) honeymoon. It also makes you think, 'have 10 year really gone by?' I guess that speaks volumes to our union...we like, no love, each other and have been busy having a grand time these last 10 years. Let's keep up the good work - ha! Thank you for my beautiful roses, as well. We are hoping to repeat our boat trip somewhere in warm waters soon, with the kids this time. I'm really looking forward to the anniversary trip!

Olivia shopping at Claire's with her birthday gift card. She bought earrings, not glasses:-)

I found this guy in my broken bird feeder. He was helping himself and acted as if I was bothering him during his lunch hour. I left him to over eat at the buffet and he was on his way. We have so many squirrels and chipmunks in our area. I can't wait to see the leaves fall with all of these mature trees. Well, actually I can because I was just given the price list from the landscapers. Apparently, it's a LOT of leaves!

Abna's Farm is about 3 minutes away from our house and we are fortunate to have such a wonderful, family owned farm this close. They have fresh meats, vegetables, a petting zoo with a new calf, goat (the cleanest goats I've ever laid eyes on), bunnies galore and chickens....which gives us fresh chicken eggs. We fell in love with this place last week and have visited three times since! A hayride is on the list for the next visit.

Olivia and Zach were off of school for Rosh Hashana, so we went in to NYC to see more sights. Olivia happily spent her American Girl gift certificate on two animals (of all things) at the store. This was Dave's first visit to an American Girl store (Zach's too), so they were in awe (of the marketing!)

LEGO Land at Rockefeller Center

Radio City Music Hall

I cannot wait to take the kids to see an actual show on Broadway.

American Girl - Zach doesn't look too happy about this place, but he did help Olivia choose her animals.

I helped Olivia's class make scarecrows for the upcoming Harvest Festival. It is great getting to meet all of these new kids; they were pretty silly.

Over the weekend, we took a trip to Coney Island...or shall I say, we braved a trip to Coney? The NY Aquarium was a nice surprise. The enormous walrus' were a hit with us. The sun actually shone on Sunday, so we were even more enamored with the mostly outdoor aquarium.

Beach time on Coney Island

Look at us riding the Ferris Wheel originally built in 1918 or something like that. It was OLD (read, scary). The car we were in slid on a track as we went around. Not sure that was a good choice, until after we were finished...then it was a great idea! Coney Island rides had an older section and a newer section of rides, so it was quite interesting to see. The people watching was even better!

Happy 8th Birthday, Olivia!

2011-10-02T23:02:00.005-04:00

Look who turned 8! Olivia celebrated her 8th birthday on Sunday, Sept. 18th. Of course, we had to celebrate all weekend:-) Friday, after school, Zach and I took Olivia for a riding lesson in Franklin Lakes. Now Zach has decided he wants to take lessons, so it will be a sport they can do together, well, at least back to back. They even have an indoor arena for inclement weather. We all know we'll be using that arena come snow season.

Olivia wanted inline skates for her birthday. Thanks Sparkles (in Smyrna) for 'sparking' Olivia's interest in skating! While there are not any roller skating rinks nearby (there are tons of ice skating/hockey rinks), the kids can still use their skates in our driveway and around our neighborhood. Zach used 'his money' to buy skates to ride with Olivia. What a good brother!

A new Bell helmet for safety.

Making Olivia's birthday cake. It's so much more fun than ordering one (and peanut-free safer)!

While my cake decorating skills need some work, everyone (besides GF mommy) loved it.

Olivia still has on her skating gloves. Protect those hands!

Kobe outside training on his new Invisible Fence. We love it so far. It's funny, everyone tends to play in the front yard and not the back yard so much. We have a nice backyard, it's just that the front has the cool driveway to play!

Sunday, opening presents! It was tempting all week as the gifts came in the mail, but we waited until Sunday to open presents. Olivia got beautiful new earrings from Aunt Karen, Uncle Mike and Gavin, a Claire's gift certificate to buy new earring from Carla, Barry and the gang, Breyer horses from Nonnie and Aunt Kim, a stable from Mimi and Papa (plus college savings money - a plus!), an American Girl gift certificate from Skylar and really cool cards from the girls, and neat Melissa and Doug toys from the Goss' (pictured below).

Eating cake with her new friend and neighbor, Ezra, Tom Goss, our new 'adopted brother'....he fits right in (ha). Zach is enjoying his piece of cake...ya think?!

The Goss' were good sports and attended the Zerbini Circus with us for Olivia's birthday.

The Pryor clan...with our new 8 year old.

Thanks to Andy for the light sabers and light up wand. If he bought the whistles that were $5, but marked down to $1 (horrible marketing ploy), we would have made all the kids ride with him! Oh, all of those whistles under the circus tents were loud! Our ears are still ringing!

Our babies at the circus.

The camels did not want to participate, but the alligator and python did....

Mount Fuji for a hibachi birthday dinner. Olivia pictured with Rachel (the other Olivia sat with the boys)

The dragon serenaded Olivia for her birthday.

Zach, Tom and Olivia with their fruit drink umbrellas.

What a magical birthday for our sweet 8 year old, Olivia.

Since we have been in New Jersey, Olivia has officially started riding her bike daily, swinging (I wasn't aware that she didn't swing before!), but she's proud of herself and she's roller blading. People were right, New Jersey is a great place for kids. She is blooming before our eyes and we are so proud of her. Happy Birthday, Olivia.

Labor Day in NYC, Baltimore & School Starts!

2011-09-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

Labor Day came so quickly after our move to New Jersey. We were anxious for school to start and to explore our new area. What better way to do that, than to head to New York City? We were happy to have Dave all to ourselves. Our first stop, Central Park Zoo. It's a small zoo, but different than the ones we typically visit. It was also different in the fact that instead of playing on the playground afterwards, we walked through Central Park, watched a movie being made (saw pictures in People Magazine the next week), climbed the rocks in the park and had a organic snack from the food carts!

Inside the bird sanctuary

Laughing at the seals

On to FAO Schwartz toy store to browse. Believe it or not, we left empty handed! We were in the process of donating so many toys at home, it felt wrong to buy more...can I hear an amen?!

Friday evening, we attended our first neighborhood happy hour and met so many new people. We like our new neighborhood! We left late Friday night for Baltimore to see a Grand Prix race, the first in Baltimore. It was a neat race course on the streets of downtown and very loud from our hotel room overlooking the course!

Zach and Olivia looking out at the submarine on the waterfront of Baltimore.

A visit to the Baltimore Aquarium - nice shark!

Jaguar's racing team...Dave is on the left "looking into a matter" - ha! He eventually suited up in a racing suit and headed to the pit.

Zach, Olivia, Grace and Kaylee (Cousins in Maryland) having fun at the race. Nice Jaguar hats!

Awoken at 3 a.m. with a fire alarm and mandatory evacuation from the Marriott...10 stories up. It turned out to be a false alarm. Nice to know at 3 in the morning. 8 a.m....the race cars started practicing and the engines were our alarm clock. Ahh!

A visit to Krispy Kreme before our visit to see Gramps in the hospital. Gramps broke his leg (13 places) - ouch, so we took him donuts too.

Our first day of school in New Jersey!

Here we come, George Washington Elementary.

Zach starts 1st Grade (Mrs. McAtee) and Olivia starts 2nd (Mrs. Rowland)

With a new house, comes a new t.v. The kids made their case for a 3D t.v. and Dave fell for it! Ha, just kidding. We decided to go with a 3D t.v. on our own and it's really cool. I can't say that about the glasses. Cute look, huh?

We attended the Greek Festival in Wyckoff the following weekend. Take a look at the meat on the spit! Greek food, games, rides, seeing our new friends, it was a nice Saturday in our new town.

Amy and Dave, along with Reed and Patty (Alabama) were in town and we made our first visit to the Jersey Shore (Avon By-The Sea, to be exact). Dave and Amy have a house in Avon and we spent Sept. 11 at their house, pool and on the boardwalk. Dave was in Frankfurt, Germany for the Auto Show, so he missed the first trip. Hoping there will be many more visits. Kobe enjoyed the waterfall.

We rode Moby Dick on the Boardwalk and oh my, it was a breath taker! The kids were good sports (after they forgave me - ha!) Patty and Amy enjoyed the thrill ride with us too.

Amy & Dave Orrico - my Atlanta, Lake Martin and New Jersey friends!

Olivia and Zach on the Jersey Shore

Walking to school - so sweet.

Zach started biking to school. Yes, that's my 1st Grader! Lots of 'firsts' this year....

Wyckoff...Our House

2011-09-19T23:02:00.000-04:00

The office, guest room and basement are still a mess, so no photos to prove it:-)

Summer Part III: Moving

2011-09-01T22:32:00.000-04:00

August rang in with our "lasts". We went to Six Flags Over Georgia with our neighborhood BFF's and had a splendid time. It was a wet, sticky (humid) mess of a day, but after burning our yucky clothing at the end of the day, all was better. Just kidding. We had so much fun with the McCurry's (Carly, Skylar & Jenna) and the Berry's (Garrett & Christina) along with Jill and Michelle. We rode things I didn't thing my kids would go for, but with a little peer pressure, they tried it and love the rides! Thunder River was a hit as well as Skull Island water park.

Michelle somehow convinced me to ride Ninja and Superman. Of course, the Superman ride somehow got stuck and we were suspended in flying motion for 10 minutes. Gravity is not a friend to you at this point. Regardless, it was a thrill and I'm so glad we had a chance to do it together....for Michelle's big 40 birthday! Jill was staked out at Skull Island with all the kids, so thank you for that!

Our final trip out to Lake Martin..Eden, I somehow, in a "Jennifer moment" found myself on the Interstate with a flock of Canadian Geese descending on the road. Why would geese do that? Who knows, but sure enough, there was one who decided to land on the interstate right in front of me. Butt down, I swerved to avoid him (in the middle of my windshield). He, instead, hit my passenger side mirror. He slammed into my car, making us swerve and broke the mirror. Needless to say, between me and the truck behind me, the Canadian Goose did not make it. $500 repair, thank you very much, so I'm not such a fan of Canadian Geese.

A little sibling love with Kobe at Lake Martin

The Berry's arrive and the gambling begins....just kidding. The kids were on a roll with playing cards this trip.

The last bits of freedom before school starts in Georgia. It was a beautiful day and we spent the afternoon at 'Dam Island' (dam in the background), Olivia's favorite island.

Michelle caught red handed with the chips. Snacking, swimming and having lots of fun!

Garrett, Olivia and Christina posing on the dock. Our swimmers had a grand time.

All good things sometimes come to an end. We spent the weekend packing up our personal belongings to ready the lake house for the rental market. It was a sad weekend saying goodbye to Eden:-( One last photo of Dave and I at the lake. We will be back!

After returning to Atlanta, we spent so much time with our friends. Sparkles was a hit! Zach and Garrett with inline skates at the roller rink. Get ready for ice skating in Jersey, kids!

Olivia looks pleased with herself:-) She has become quite the skater.

A final sleepover....Skylar and Olivia say their goodbyes.

Snaggle tooth, Zach, plays a final round of PS3 with Garrett. This was their favorite past time.

I had to get a few photos with all of my Oakridge Estates kids. I going to miss you guys so much!

Jen & Garrett

Jen with the McCurry girls (Kobe's other family), Carly, Skylar and Jenna...and Kobe.

Friends Forever

Jenna getting her last bit of love....to Zach's chagrin.

604 Wishing Well Road

My first visit to our new house was only the week before we moved it! Dave knows me well and I really like it. It was also nice to have a dinner in NYC while I was visiting. O & Z spent the next two weeks at Mimi & Papa's....doing whatever they wanted:-)

Moving truck arrives

Kitchen all packed and ready to go.

I leave it to the movers and head to brunch with Liz and Amy. Our favorite spot, J. Christoper's, never disappoints, but it was so sad to leave my besties. We've been the Three Amigos for SO long. Now, we'll have to do it long distance. No hiding from me, girls! I miss you so, so much.

I give welcome back hugs to my Parker & Brady, coming back from their lake summer in Minnesota, and goodbye to them on the same visit.

I'm off to Monterey, California to meet Dave for the Pebble Beach Concour the weekend before our move.

Sitting by the fire at the Intercontinental enjoying the cool air. Amy & Dave O. met us in Pebble Beach, but no pictures:-( We had fun times at the races, shopping in Carmel, wine lunches and a wonderful dinner.

Dave and the Brumos Porsche he has previously driven for a commercial.

Last day in Atlanta...checking out their empty rooms.

Dropped the Jaguar off at the dealer in Atlanta, rushed to the airport and sitting waiting on our delayed flight. Ahh! Dave and Zach drove our car from Atlanta with a stopover in Charlotte to the Nascar Museum for a little fun. Zach raced 10 other racers and came in 1st place! Our little racer...

We have arrived! Olivia is raring to go in New Jersey.

She's a huge help while moving in... she had boxes in the front yard that made a fort and somehow found cereal, so she was set. A fort and food!

Our first night in NJ was spent at the Residence Inn in Allendale, Daddy's home away from home for 4 months. Kobe is along for the ride.

In true Zach form, he loses yet another tooth the first night in our new house. I don't think our kids have been in the same location for any of the teeth they have lost so far. Let's keep the travels going!

Olivia and Zach find ways to entertain themselves and avoid helping mom out. See Kobe in his cage? Hey, at least they included him! It was a two story hotel...

A twilight walk to the pond down the road from our house. I hope to have many afternoons at this duck pond.

School shopping, new shoes, so we are testing them out. On your mark...

Camp fire to burn off all of those boxes! Believe me, we recycled, but they just kept stacking up! Plus we wanted to use our new fire pit (longing for the lake).

Summer Part II: Pacific Northwest travels

2011-07-27T02:06:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how this plan came to be, but Olivia, Zach and I, with a long visit from Dave, vacationed in the Pacific NW for 19 days. I guess it helps that we have lots of family and friends in the area. May I add, July is the perfect month to remove yourself from the sweltering Atlanta heat.

We left July 6, bound for Seattle and our trip took us to Seattle, Issaquah, Portland, Seaside, OR, Scappoose, OR, back to Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, Merritt -Monck Park (BC), eastern Washington and back to Issaquah and Seattle. We returned to Atlanta July 24, well it was midnight, so technically July 25. We are still on 'West Coast time'. Maybe we should hurry off to the lake and we can be on 'Alabama time'. That would be Central time to most people. I have so many photos, I'll let most of them speak for themselves.

Ferry ride from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island.

Olivia found huge snails on Bainbridge.

They thought this ferry ride was so cool because we drove our car onto the ferry! I think it's cool too.

Exploring a beachy state park on Bainbridge. It's July and we are wearing jackets!

Happy to be here!

Another park on Bainbridge, wooden city, massive sand area and I couldn't get them to leave. I lured them with the promise of BBQ and it didn't disappoint.

Pine Lake Thursday evening concert on the lawn with the Ulitsch's (John is pictured above). We made it to two different concerts. I have made it to zero Smyrna concerts in Atlanta. Hmm, maybe we should move here?!

Ava and Olivia...the kids immediately took to each other again. They haven't seen each other in over a year. Like minds....a snail (different one than earlier) is in that cup.

A visit to the Space Needle. Zach loved it; Olivia despised it. I'm glad they do not have the glass open on the bottom anymore. She would have really hated it then!

Lounging in the hotel room. T.V. is a treat on this trip since our lake house and Smyrna house do not have cable/satellite. I haven't seen the news in two months. What's been going on...Weiner, Casey Anthony, tabloid failures, debt...never mind.

She looks like she is enjoying herself, right?

Beautiful sunny Seattle. Every visit I have made to Seattle (especially in my old Starbucks corporate days) were sunny. Strange, huh? I love this city.

Space Needle...yes we got goodies!

Gorgeous

Left Seattle and drove to Portland with a quick stop at the Portland airport to change out our Chevy Malibu with a Ford Explorer (it was loaded). Minor sensor error, but Avis told us to come in and we totally lucked out. It had bluetooth, so we played Justin Bieber for 16 days straight. Well, until Dave arrived :-) He's not a fan.

Oregon City, to Uncle Ron and Aunt Judy's house - cousins! Miriam and Asher are pictured here. Breakdown on family: Ron & Judy (my dad's brother) - 4 Kids (my cousins): Andrew - (kids -Julia & Chris), mom, Daria is in Bulgaria for 2 months. Matthew, then Sarah - husband Curt (kids - Madeline, Margaret, Miriam), David - wife Noi (kids - Asher & Amalie) Big family, fun times! Nine little cousins all together for this trip.

Madeline & Olivia

Miriam, Asher, Chris, Madeline, Olivia & Zach

David & Amalie

Miriam, Zach and Lily, the white kitten - she was loved, a little too much. We stayed at my cousin, Sarah's house. Tux and Mittens didn't hang around much, so Lily received all the kids love. Sarah and her three girls all have Celiac Disease, along with my cousin, Matthew. So, I ate and ate and ate at her house. Sarah made homemade Gluten Free cookies. Bliss! Thank you, Sarah.

Portland's Rose Garden - Chris & Zach

Margaret & Olivia. Margaret rode in the car with us most of the time. I think she liked having a break from her sisters, oh and listening to Justin Bieber!

Roses, glorious roses

The gang of White grandchildren

Sarah, Andrew and Jennifer - we bribed a kid to take this:-)

One of favorite places in Portland - The Rose Garden

Water sculpture at the Garden

Look at this gigantic slide. They all went down together.

Silver Lake Falls in Oregon - hiking with the kids

Sarah & Jennifer

Playing at the Falls, eating Salmon berries.

Sack races, three legged race, tug of war, it was all fun and games that afternoon at Silver Lake. We came home with lots of prizes.

The gang of hikers

Jennifer, Andrew & Sarah

Another bribe...

Tug of war

Cousins pitted against cousins....

Olivia & Margaret all smiles

Cookout at Ron & Judy's for Asher's 5th Birthday. Why have friends, when you have this many cousins?! :-)

Adult cousins

Jennifer, Matthew, Sarah, Curt, Andrew, David & Noi

Uncle Ron

Thank you Judy for cooking for this massive amount of people!

Hey, let's build a cage out of Uncle Ron/granddad's old truck. Olivia was the captured unicorn/pegasis....go figure. Imaginations run wild here. Cherries, berries, flowers, it's an oasis. Kids run wild.

I think I'll take Amalie home with me. Ahh, sweet girl.

Playtime in downtown Portland before dinner

Deschutes Brewery - gluten free beer, burgers, ahh.

Cousins unite

Sarah, Andrew, Matthew & Jennifer

Onward to Seaside, Oregon...the coast. Andrea Ulitsch with Ava and Gage met us there.

Kids playing at Scout's Cottage...courtesy of Sarah & Curt's Aunt Kay. We had a fabulous time, thank you, Kay!

It's not July in Oregon without cherries and strawberries. Strawberries courtesy of Andrea's dad's garden in Scappoose. Road side stand proved bountiful in gigantic peaches, apples, cherries, and blueberries. The kids gorged themselves (we did too).

She likes her berries

Relaxing while Andrea makes a great dinner

Beach camp fire for smores. We worked our tails off to get the wood for this, but it's cool to drive on the beach and build a camp fire. Andrea has had many years of training :-)

Smores

Olivia & Gage enjoying the ocean breeze and warm fire

The kids found Chinese finger traps

Peter Iredale 100+ year old ship wreck close to Seaside, Oregon

The water was freezing, but they didn't seem to mind.

Out for a little clam chowder

Candy store in Seaside. As Zach exclaimed "it's free candy day!!" They were so happy. I was so sick after I sneaked a few tastes of Gage's Pop Rocks. Remember those? Ugh, I think the bubbles didn't like me. Brings back old times...

Cannon Beach - Haystack Rock with Andrea

Gage, Zach, Olivia and Ava

A little evening stroll on the beach looking for tide pools

Ulitsch's

Zach spelled all of our names, I was "mom", then...he had to do it.. he spelled "butt". Ah, guess it's the age. See below.

Ava & Olivia looking for fish. She actually caught one with her hands.

Butt....

Windy

Cool stump

Enjoying my time with the kids

Hot tub anyone? We enjoyed this hot tub multiple times a day at Scout's Cottage. Perfect weather for it.

After leaving Seaside, we stopped by Scappoose to see Andrea's dad. Take a look at this cool swing he made for his yard. You can swing really high. Of course the kids loved it. Hmm, how to build one??

Now this swing, just two ropes in these huge trees, and a wooden seat. You swing out over a cliff, say 30-40 feet high. It was thrilling. Now, only if Edward from Twilight were here to catch me....ha!

Ava and Gage rode with us from Oregon to Seattle (mind you this was my second Friday in Seattle/Portland traffic). Lucky for us, John U. picked Dave up from the airport so he wouldn't have to wait on us. We drove to Vancouver, Canada that night. The kids were asleep as we crossed the border.

We had lunch in a little port town...Horseshoe Bend or something like that....

Hiking to the lighthouse in an old growth forest. Dave said it looked like dinosaurs would walk out at any moment. These trees were enormous. Vancouver gave us our first day of rain, but we acted like locals and pushed through.

Light house in Vancouver

Barry and Heath

Barry, Carla, MacKenzie Connell and Heath drove from Texas (with a trailer and all camping equipement). They met us in Vancouver for a hike to Lynn Canyon and Twin Falls. The suspension bridge during the rain was....death defying? Nah, it was beautiful to stand in the middle and watch the tormenting water force it's way down. Powerful stuff...awesome views.

Connell, Zach and Olivia

See what I mean? It was breathtaking.

Camping in Monck Provencial Park - Merritt, British Columbia

Before our tents were up....waiting on Barry and crew. His alternator went out, but Barry doesn't let things stop him, he was repaired and ready to go shortly. He was bringing our camping equipment. Thank you Barry. Thank you Carla for bringing the food and everyone for cooking. We did not go hungry on this trip.

All set up in time for the rain...

Steve, Lori & Jackson (Carla's sister)

Carla, Jen & Dave

Smores time!

Olivia & Zach off to ride the dragon at Lake Nicola

Dave in relaxed camping mode

Carla and the backpacker, Heath

Barry has worked his tail off and is ready to enjoy the beach

Heath, eating grass :-)

Row, row, row your boat, boys

Connell & Zach with help from Angela, Carla's sister

Olivia & MacKenzie's turn

A little friendly game on the beach

Face painting

Dalmation, dalmation, flowers....black lab?! Zach wasn't too happy with his black lab face or the fact that we started laughing when he walked back from face painting. We removed it quickly.

Grandma Goose (Carla's mom) enjoying a quiet moment with Heath. The only time he would let us hold him. He is a Mom & Dad's boy...

Barry & Carla

Look Barry, no baby! All smiles....

Connell, Zach and Kenzie

Master campers

The coveted trailer and smoker nearby....good food was delivered frequently - ha!

The girls going in to enjoy some quality girl tent time

No close-ups after camping for a couple of days. Barry told us to shower, but we only got 30 seconds on the clock. Just kidding. The shower felt nice.

They love the marshmallows and I ate three too many smores due to Carla's thoughtfulness of bringing gluten free graham crackers... I just couldn't say no.

Camp fire snuggles and silliness

Our two room tent

The wind almost blew it down the last night we were there. It was strong and kept waking me up. The pine beetles attacked most of the trees in the area (along the entire Western U.S. too) so the trees weren't around to protect from the wind.

Group shot on our last day of camping

I didn't get one with Carla's family, but we had 17 people in all camping with us. We did a little hiking, beaching, playing, cooking, laughing, looking for bears, necklace bead making and exploring. Oh, and eating!!

The Pryor's camping in BC

After leaving Canada, and being harassed by the U.S. border official....we worked our way down eastern Washington, stopping in Levenworth, WA. It's an Alpine village, like Helen, GA. So, we had a little dinner of schnitzel. This wasn't a planned part of the trip, but was fun none the less.

A local fish hatchery nearby...salmon and trout. Did I mention how wonderful the fish and sushi was in Vancouver? We had sushi for lunch and dinner and were ready for more. Mmm... we even convinced Olivia and Zach that they like it!

We also rode horses along the way. Levenworth had it all. I rode Gus, Zach had Post Office (branded with a P.O. box sign and a number...?), Olivia rode Juniper and Dave had Duke. Gus needed a little reminder to keep up sometimes, but we had so much fun. This is the first time we were able to ride as a family. Last year, Zach wasn't old enough. He loved it and asked "Can I take riding lessons when we are in New Jersey?" That boy loves anything that moves that he can steer. Of course he was 'steering' quite a bit on the trail when I'm not sure it was necessary. Poor old Post Office. It's interesting that he loved it so much. It would be great if both kids rode together.

Olivia on Juniper, nice helmet

Thumbs up

I was a wee bit sore for a few days after riding. My new knee held up nicely during all the hikes, rainy hikes and horseback riding. I got stuck coming off my horse because my knee still isn't ready to bend all the way. It was funny.

Gus (my horse) took a leak as we came into the stables.....5 gallons later.....he was finished.

Pryor's with Post Office

Feeding the fish at the hatchery

Back to Issaquah and hanging with the Ulitsch's again. It seems I spent most of July with them. This was my second Pine Lake evening concert. Do you like our "no alcoholic beverages" coozies? Aluminum foil and a dish cloth.....yes, we all have southern ties.

Kids giving Molly all their love

What?! He lost his first tooth at Mimi & Papa's two weeks ago and now his top tooth falls out, with the help of dental floss. John U. brought our the rusty pliers to help, but Zach politely declined. If only he lost it a day earlier, it would have been a Canadian toothfairy!

Pike's Place Market in Seattle

Zach fell in love....all the samples of fresh fruit, jams, everything!

Seattle Aquarium visit...my third time, the kids first. They have a great outdoor area with sea lions and it's very interactive.

Spent Friday afternoon at the Loch's watching boats pass through the loch system - pretty cool. Another gorgeous sunny day in Seattle. Yes, I know all my Seattle friends have words for me....

Chinook's for dinner - fresh fish (the only way to have it - unless you like old stuff!)

Saturday hike at Rattlesnake Lake

We had a few kids moaning along the 2 mile hike, but once you got up, it was glorious. It was also on a sheer cliff, no need to look over!

Jen & Andrea

The Pryor's made it...just don't fall off!

Dave & John - catching up

Dave missed Molly as much as she missed him.

Museum of Flight in Seattle

We toured an old Concorde, Air Force One and made this plane...can anyone name it? Hope so, I forgot, but other people on our flight home to Atlanta, called it out by name. Airplane geeks....:-)

Can you tell these kids had a fun 19 day trip?

But wait, another tooth was lost! This time it was lost on the Tram at the Atlanta Airport. We had to leave the tooth fairy a note. Believe it or not, we were not exhausted when we came home. Maybe because we are still on West Coast time!

I seriously loved every minute of our trip. I am so thankful we were able to spend time with our family and our friends. It was a nice way to bridge our move to New Jersey. Of course, we got an offer on our house while we were in Canada (with phones turned off due to sky high roaming rates). We are hoping all goes well for a house closing. We also hope the tooth fairy isn't broke because Zach is keeping her busy.

We love the Northwest and we'll be back soon....

Summer Part I: Lake Days & Napa

2011-07-05T09:46:00.000-04:00

With the lake being 'disconnected' from our daily lives, it is also disconnected from the Internet. I am only now finding the time to catch up on all of our wonderful times at our lake place since school was dismissed. As this is our last official summer before moving to New Jersey, these are truly memories in the making....
Of course, during all of this fun, we were under construction to repair the wind damage from the tornado that hit the lake/house on April 27, 2011. I was hoping to have things completed before Memorial Day, but alas, they were not. Unfortunately, we had to change contractors, get a second "new" roof and deal with the fallout, but hey, what's another thing added to our 'to do' list? A huge thank you to my cousin, Wes, for making it all better! He's the best out there; the house looks great now!

Karen, Mike and Gavin visit for Memorial Weekend to get the summer started off on the right foot.

Zach found the biggest splinter on the dock and had to visit the Dadeville doctor's office for a surgical removal. Ouch!

Barry and baby Heath (age 8 months) come for a quick visit and a bite to eat at Oskar's - our favorite place on the lake. Mmm, lemon!

Did I mention it was our favorite place, well, it is Mom & Dad's favorite too! See the smiles on their faces?!

Look, he let me hold him for 2 whole minutes before he needed his daddy! Oh, baby Heath, you are so sweet!

The Seymour's arrive! Clare and Olivia eating, what else...smores! Oh my gosh, they had so much fun together. This was the year that all kids were excellent swimmers, barely any whining, just happy, content, fun-filled days. I love this age and I love their independence.

They help themselves to snacks throughout the day, leaving us moms to enjoy our time.

Lego buddies...Zach and Danny (Dan the Man)

Campfire laughs with Liz.... (Lizard)

Sunset is beautiful and smores are delicious.

I told you they were buddies!

Another snack time...and it looks like a pow-wow.

Laura takes a nap on mom as we relax on the shaded dock.

Ok, so maybe Laura didn't like the boat, but I have to say, I think what she really didn't like was the straight jacket (aka the life jacket). It was hotter than Hades that day, when is it not?! Laura actually quieted down and slept while the boat was moving. So...she does like the boat, just not the heat (me & your mom too, baby girl).

Three amigas enjoying a nice bottle of Stag's Leap. Hey, we had to clear out some of the wine because we are moving. The girls love their wine, so why not enjoy the good stuff?

All smiles from these kids: Brady, Olivia, Clare, Zach, Parker & Danny - pj's and campfire stories. Oh, were the stories funny!

Go, Amy, go! I have been dying for a canoe for so long and we finally got one! It's such a serene way to spend a morning or evening. Don't even think about it mid-afternoon with the heat!

Serious water power. I think they are having fun....

Kobe was a 'free bird' at the lake. I love it when he can be off leash and he does too.

A little stop at Chuck's Marina for a game of air hockey

Pizza at Chuck's

Brady

Amy gets beer with her pizza, I get warm grape juice that they call 'wine'. Oh well, it's all good.

Parker and Jen

Four Amigas! Oh, they are such Chuck's cronies - right at home.

Jen and Amy - enjoying a relaxing Friday afternoon on the lake and a beautiful view from Chuck's.

Cannonball!! They added lots and lots and lots of dives this year. I am so proud of them. I guess that 1.5 dive team practices actually got through to them. I was so upset that we missed all the practices for Smyrna's dive team due to weather, school schedules and dive team cancellations, but hey, at the end of the day, it worked! They are 'divers' at ages 6 & 7.

We borrowed the green beast from our neighbor's the Schorr's and it was a hit.

In the water to cool off

Playing football with daddy

The McCurry's arrive! Jenna is ready to play.

Carly

He helped me with the fire....a little too much. Yes, he's holding a torch.

Jill and Jen and the required wine glasses

Pryor & McCurry kids with Kobe - boating time

Mimi established art shows whereby she paid the kids for their clay art pieces. The kids continued this tradition all summer. I have many wonderful pieces of artwork and I'm low on cash :-)

Olivia's canvas

Skylar presents her pieces to the crowd

The Berry's arrive! Another first for the summer...Zach learned to make armpit 'farts'. Yippee. True boy.

Garrett diving

Michelle's first visit to the lake....hot mama! We get lots of bikini shots, don't we?!

Christina's first trip to the lake as well. All smiles...

Fireworks time

Zach and Garrett....big time buddies

So, this was the day our boat broke down in the middle of the lake. Fishermen helped us get it to a marina. We are very lucky to have Reed Mitchell (Mitchell's Marine and also Amy Storm Orrico's dad) around. He met us as the marina with an SUV so we could drive home and had our boat repaired the next evening! Amazing! Thank you, Reed. So, the kids had ice cream and played while we waited. Not bad...

Dave's boss, Andy, spent Father's Day with us since his family is still in England. We'll all be in New Jersey together soon. P.S. He fell in love with the lake too :-)

Happy Father's Day

Time for some fishing. Gavin caught 4 fish in about a 15 minute time period on his visit and now Olivia is catching them too.

Home from the lake, I have a lunch date with my book club girls. Look at sweet baby James. We were cracking ourselves up!

On to Napa Valley for Amy Storm and Dave Orrico's wedding the last weekend in June. After a little sight seeing in San Francisco, and a couple of fish tacos (yum), we were in Napa. This is our Saturday morning...10 am, first wine tasting. It turns out to be a very good day. This was at Frog's Leap, then we ventured to Cakebread. Both were great tastings.

As I'm turning up my glass, I see the outdoor ceiling fans I want for the lake replacements. I got them! :-)

Wedding luncheon at Brix in Napa for Amy & Dave- Amy & Avery pictured.

Jennifer and Amy's mom

You can't see it, but Mitchell is red in the face. He gets embarrassed easily, thus the kiss!

Jen, Dave Orrico (the groom) and Aimee

Tapas for dinner with.....the dentist :-)

And he likes his beer....

It's turning out to be a silly night after all that wine during the tastings, luncheon and dinner. Hey, it's Napa, what else do you do?!

Meanwhile, Zach is at Mimi & Papa's house and he lost his first tooth (age 6)! Man, $5 for the first tooth? Guess what...it's only a $1 after this. Save it, big man.

More silly times...

Sunday evening wedding for Amy & Dave at V. Sattui winery in Napa

Overlooking wedding location....beautiful. Birds flying overhead, chirping, sweet smells, it was absolutely perfect.

Reception in the barrel room

Jen & Amy

Meagan & Jen

End of the night silliness :-)

A little coffee and stroll along the Napa River to say goodbye. It was a whirl wind trip and we signed a contract on a house (rental) in New Jersey over the weekend, so we had a lot to celebrate! Thank you Orrico's for a truly amazing time and thank you for letting us share in your special day/weekend.

Kids playing with cousin, Gabe, at Mimi & Papa's

Breakfast in the 'Big' chair at the grandparents. Who wouldn't want to stay there? PJ's all day, t.v., Walmart visits for toys, playing with cousins and doggies.....

Back home with mom....time for a haircut. He wanted a Bieber do...

Fourth of July with the Smith's again.... oh what a weekend!

Karen and Gavin

Karen, Gavin & Mike

On the boat watching fireworks...Kobe too

Jen & Dave, the boaters...

Floating, drinking and singing and chatting....

It's a duel with sparklers...hey, at least they are not lit (not yet)!

Mmm, hmmm....Smores again. Do you see a pattern?!

Mike & Jen

Gluten Free style Smore

Trouble is brewing...that's what we call these two.

Gavin & Zach

This calls for a late night swim...for Dave and Mike....Can opener!!

Free bird.... Gavin

Swimming and loving it

We celebrated Kobe's first birthday at home in Atlanta on July 5th. He had a treat cup and the kids had a donut. I think he liked his birthday song.....spoiled doggie.

This is Jenna with Kobe during our July vacation. Kobe needed a break...but Jenna followed him :-)

Then comes the lake visitors; poor guys didn't have a dvd player, so they had to resort to crosswords, card playing and napping. Hey, that's what the lake is all about! I'm glad you enjoyed your time.

Tommy

Aunt Barbara

Dad - his afternoon nap

Mom & Gail

We will be putting the lake house on the rental market very soon. I hope many others will get to enjoy what my friends and family have over the past four years in this beautiful spot on Lake Martin. We love you, Eden!

American Girl, Baseball & End of School

2011-05-27T15:25:00.000-04:00

Olivia bought her first American Girl doll a couple of weeks ago. Being more of a reptile, animal type girl, I thought the AG phase would pass by our house, but it did not. She saved her money (a lot) and we picked a Sunday to visit the store at North Point Mall. Oh what a surprise. This was my first experience with American Girl as well. Wow! This store was decked out...I can't wait to see what the Manhattan store looks like. She picked out the girl of the year, Kanani Akini, a surfer from Hawaii! She even bought the seal that goes with Kanani! I have to say, it was treat.

We had Skylar and Garrett spend the night and Olivia prepared all afernoon by making menus, cleaning the playroom and setting the table, candlelight and all for her guest for the evening. Aren't they sweet?

Alas, the tadpoles the Olivia and Zach 'grew' were officially frogs and were ready to hop on over to the McCurry's pond to start their own lives. We released them and hope they have a full life with the Koi fish (or avoid the Koi fish). Thanks for a home, Jill and Mark!

The Muller's hosted the Angel's baseball team at their house last weekend for some slip and slide fun Coach John gave them a pep talk for their last game.

Zach and Johnny at their last game.

Zach was VERY proud of his trophy. Pretty cool, huh?

Closing ceremonies for Smyrna Little League.

Last day of school for my Teasley Tigers. The year flew by and and now it's time to prepare for life at the lake and eventually life in New Jersey....that is, when we find a home.

We currently have our Smyrna house on the market, under tornado reconstruction on our lake house in Alabama, have a trip planned to Oregon/Washington in July and looking for a house in New Jersey. Good luck finding us....maybe this Fall :-)

Let the summer time games begin.......

Bugz Kindergarten Play

2011-05-14T11:52:00.000-04:00

My little Dragonfly....Zach's Kindergarten class at Teasley Elementary School performed the musical Bugz on Thursday night. We were so impressed with these Kindergarteners. I'm not sure how Ms. Mungin got them to this point, but viva la arts! There was a group of lady bugs, army ants, caterpillars and then solo parts, whereas Zach was a Dragonfly. "I'm a Dragonfly, I may look rather odd, I have just gone through a metamorphosis, for I'm an arthropod". That's a mouthful, but Zach, our linguist, was up for it. They sang, they danced, it was awesome.

Unfortunately, with Dave commuting to New Jersey, he wasn't able to see the play, but Mimi and Papa were there! After all of the rehearsals and other after school activities, it was nice to see what came of all of the hard work and chaotic schedules. Great job, Zach! Soon you will be a 1st Grader...in New Jersey.

Outside Olivia's classroom - Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Cook's room.

The countdown is on....1 1/2 weeks of school left, with tennis, talent show and rehearsals, baseball, and Dive Team all happening (we had to take a break from Martial Arts and Daisy Scouts to fit it all in)! Come on lazy days of summer!

Farewell Party and Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

My wonderful neighbors, Jill and Michelle, threw a Farewell Party for us in the neighborhood. We have been in our house for 9 years and our neighbors are unbelievably amazing. I do not want to think about what it is going to be like without them in NJ. I'll put that off for another day. The weather this weekend was absolutely perfect. A baseball game at noon, a custard/Italian ice to celebrate and a Farewell party at the pool. We had 18 kids swimming in the pool (it opened May 1st and our kids have been in since then and yes, it is cold). The kids would run from the pool to Michelle and Andy's backyard to play on the new play set. Great idea, guys! The party started at 4:30 and I'm not sure when we finally wound down. It was such a lovely evening to be outside with friends. The kids were happy, we all had very full bellies and sangria to keep us happy, and we were in no rush to really say goodbye, Saturday night or ever. Thank you, .thank you, thank you for a wonderful party!

Speaking of farewells, I found a few photos from April when we told our kids that we were moving to NJ. They were very excited and luckily, I had a book on Gardens of New Jersey that a book club friend gave me the night before.

I think Jenna was crying because we were leaving....or was she? Carly, Skylar and Olivia like to play dress up. Oh, the good times... The Peeps they share.....

Back to Mother's Day....it was a very nice, relaxing weekend. After everything that we have going on, it was truly nice to take it easy today. Dave (with a nudge from me) and Olivia (gung ho) made me scrambled eggs and GF cinnamon toast while I read the Sunday paper. Yum! Olivia and Zach were busy working on a card for me this morning. I love their artwork! We eventually made it to the park and met up with another Shiba Inu. Kobe was very excited. Zach and Olivia had a great time at the playground and I just enjoyed watching them. My babies are growing up.

I decided earlier in the week that I wanted to see the IMAX movie at Fernbank, Ultimate Wave: Tahiti. This September will be our 10 year wedding anniversary. Dave had planned for us to celebrate it with a return trip to Tahiti. We sail the BVI's for our 5 year anniversary. With the move and new job, I think we both know that Tahiti is not in the plan for this year, so I thought the movie would be nice to see, and it was. It was somewhat of a surfing documentary, but all four of us were leaning with Kelly Slater and surfing along with him. All of our mouths were agape at the beauty of the French Polynesian islands. I want to go back, but we'll keep it out there as a goal. It didn't help that our Porsche friends were in Hawaii on the trip we were supposed to go on. But I digress..... we have lots to look forward to!

We finished our Mother's Day evening with dinner at Fuego Mundo at the Prado. I love their South American food (mostly gluten free) and I even got GF carrot cake to take home. That will be breakfast in the morning! Mmm, mmm.

Happy Mother's Day to all; it was such a lovely weekend.

Precursor to Mothers Day

2011-05-05T14:14:00.000-04:00

With everything that is going on, it's easy to forget Mother's Day is coming up. Luckily, our wonderful teachers have not forgotten. Wednesday, I was invited to Muffins with Mom in Olivia's class. What a tear jerker! Her teachers, Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Cook are outstanding. I'm also a room mom for Olivia's class, so her teachers gave me a beautiful potted plant. From the kids (with the help of the teachers), each child created note cards for their moms, along with flower pens and picked out hair color, body type, etc. for the note cards. It was so cute (and funny at times) to see how our kids portrayed us. Through the eyes of a child.....

I am the 'beast' mom in the wrold. And it looks like I am going to get some jolrey "jewelry". Nice! I'm also very 'seet'...sweet!

Olivia was called to walk me into her room, she escorted me to my seat with muffins and water and I had the sweetest notes. Sniff, sniff. More sniffles came when the teachers played a slideshow, of course with a heartfelt song accompanying it. Ah, what a wonderful 1st grade year. I loved it all.

Today, I was invited to Pastries with Parents in Zach's class. Mrs. Muller decided to invite the dad's because they get overlooked in June sometimes. Again, the level of sweetness and care they took in making the mom and dad's pictures, mugs, everything. Apparently, Dave likes to eat Peeps, watch the Speed Channel and I like to eat Indian food and ride my bike. Yep, that's pretty accurate. The slideshow was very entertaining in Zach's classroom.

Mrs. Gagnon and Mrs. Muller

Thanks for all of the wonderful Mother's Day wishes from their teachers and from my love bugs.

Lake Martin tornado damage

2011-05-01T08:41:00.000-04:00

Wednesday evening, a tornado tore threw Lake Martin and destroyed many homes. Power has been out and it may be a week or more before power is restored. We were lucky enough, in Atlanta, being spared by the storms that roared through the South, but our lake house was not so lucky. I received a call Wednesday night from one of our lake neighbors to tell me that our lake house was severely damaged. 1/4 of our roof was torn off, thrown into the neighbors yard, our large screen porch was ripped off completely, a window broken and tons of debris and trees were down. In our small cove, four houses were completely destroyed, down to the foundation. We weren't exactly lucky, but lucky enough to have the main part of our house intact and very lucky that no one was injured.
We visited the house today and it was amazing to see how everyone was pulling together to help everyone clean up. State Troopers were stationed to check proof of residency to make sure there isn't any looting. The Red Cross was already set up and Alabama Power had crews stationed all over, they looked like ants. They were pulling lines from the lake, staking new polls, and working non-stop. Everyone was working non-stop. Our neighbors' sons put tarp on our roof as we took a ride around a portion of the lake to see the damage.
We are still waiting waiting on our actual insurance adjuster to contact us, but our insurance company has called several times. We need to get things started. Everyone else on the lake has....
The news of the damage to Lake Martin has not really made the news, as Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham area has, but they are still finding people from the rubble and a few lives were lost in the area, actual numbers haven't been confirmed. After seeing it all first hand, it is hard to stomach. Although, being around our neighbors, it was inspiring to see how everyone has pulled together.

To see all of the photos of the area, click on my Snapfish link:

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7058970014/a=94127266_94127266/

Martial Arts belt

2011-04-29T17:27:00.000-04:00

Zach did it! Shun Shifu Plaugher, of Moore's Martial Arts, tested Zach on Wednesday and he has moved up a belt (from white to camouflage - he he). He takes his martial arts class very seriously, so it's nice to see how he has grown from The Little Gym Karate to a true Martial Arts studio.

Easter Festivities

2011-04-27T23:19:00.000-04:00

How lucky were we that my mom and Aunt Barbara agreed to cook our Easter meal? We spent Easter with my parents, my Aunt Barbara, and our neighbors, Jill, Mark, Carly, Skylar and Jenna, as well as Michelle and Andy, Garrett, Christina and Jake. It was a truly beautiful day outside and everyone enjoyed the weather and each others company. Of course we had to go 'old school' and color real eggs as well. What's up with all of the plastic eggs?

Happy Kobe on Easter.

Full bellies

Gavin, Zach & Garrett

Dad was looking for eggs too (they were stuff with money) he he.

Easter egg loot

Mom and Aunt Barbara

Dave, unfortunately, was sick all weekend, so he didn't make it outside.

Sticker fight

Good Friday Egg Hunts

2011-04-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

A little Easter Egg hunt spirit to start your weekend....

Neighborhood Egg Hunt

Olivia's class egg hunt (I missed

Zach's :-(

More to come.....Happy Easter everyone!

We are moving...

2011-04-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

It took me until the end of our Spring Break to finally send correspondence out that we are, in fact, moving. To New Jersey of all places, but I am excited for the new adventure and calmed by the fact that we have many more months here in the South to prepare. Dave will start at Jaguar April 18 and will be commuting until we move up there at some point this summer. Or...until we find a house! The kids are excited as well, so that makes things a bit easier on us.

Spring Break was very low key for us. We visited the lake during the first weekend, cleaned the boat, rested, read, played, fished (with the neon worms), kids had a water gun fight, made frozen yogurt treats all by themselves, slept...again, very low key. I took very few pictures over this break, which is very unlike me. It was a bit chilly on the water, but we all seemed to get a lot of sun (in the places we forgot to sunscreen). It's the inaugural 'missing of the sunscreen' badge you wear for a month until the real tan hides your mistakes. Kobe and the kids needed some lake and beach time. I have a few pictures of all of us relaxing on the boat. One afternoon, I had all three (including Kobe) asleep on me.

Kobe shed (or blew) his coat over the break and our house shows it. Wow at the hair! He has a new spring look to him without paying a high price for grooming. Au natural....
Other than the lake, the kids were lucky enough to take me to surgery on Wednesday at 6:00 am. Oh, such luck those kids have...they were troopers and so was I. I was a bit worked up on Tuesday, but the kids and I kept busy all day by going to the movies (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), running errands, and whatnot. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has a small part with a scary movie in it. Well, that set Zach off. He has yet to go to sleep by himself since Tuesday night. Never again!
The kids were begging for no more errands. Ha! Happy Spring Break to ya! After Wednesday, I can't really say what happened. I didn't see the outside until Saturday. That's how it goes when you have a cadaver replacement ACL in you and are on crutches. But, when I did go outside, it was beautiful. Dave has been working on our landscaping for the past week and it is gorgeous! Again, no pictures. We are on the countdown of 6 weeks before school is out. This is a busy time of year, with baseball, horse riding, soon to be dive team and now Zach wants to play tennis. We have school plays, field trips and talent shows coming up. I better recover quickly so I do not miss anything!

Happy Spring everyone and here's to a great season!

Leaping Lizards...and missing snakes!

2011-03-30T15:34:00.001-04:00

Leaping lizards may be the only animal we are missing at our house! They just keep appearing. Many years back, we started a salt water aquarium. That lasted less than a year and was a costly lesson we had to learn. We moved on to a fresh water aquarium and things are easier, especially since Dave cleans the tank and Olivia feeds the fish daily. Looks like it could use a nice cleaning at the moment.

Well over a year ago, we finally gave in to Olivia's constant requests and bought gerbils. Fluffy met his demise last year and he's buried in the backyard. Charlie, on the other hand, is healthy and enjoys time in Olivia's Barbie house or wherever she may let him play.

The dwarf water frogs have been with us for almost three years. They are by far, the easiest of our brood. No cleaning their eco-friendly water cube of a tank, and only feed them on Monday's and Friday's. I can remember that, right?

We said "no more animals" after Kobe, but look what appeared two weekends ago when the kids returned home with Mimi! Tadpoles!! We've grown frogs before and both Olivia and Zach came home with, as Olivia counted, 22 tadpoles. Ugh, do we really have to do this again?! So, late that Sunday night, I was hobbling around, while Dave was in Germany, boiling lettuce for 15 minutes, draining it and freezing it for the tads. I'm a sucker. The water is less murky now too.

Olivia...the snake handler

And the ultimate! Our newest reptile is.......Stripe! Dave was landscaping Saturday. When I returned from getting Zach's birthday cake, Olivia was proud to announce she had a snake. Yep.....a snake. After Dave confirmed it was not poisonous (he's a snake expert, I guess?!), she decided to carry that baby snake around for the last several days. Stripe was supposed to go home the next morning, but alas, Olivia wanted to play with him one more time before releasing him. Guess what happened next?.......

He got loose in the playroom. We have yet to find him. We had high hopes that Kobe would find him, but no luck.

So, if you afraid of snakes, DO NOT come to my house.

I think I'll stick with this cutie pie. He's more affectionate. :-)

A birthday fitting of a 6-year old....Zach

2011-03-27T17:49:00.000-04:00

Little Brother

I thought we were going to do something 'smaller' this year for Zach's birthday. Smaller doesn't necessarily mean less, in this case. We kept adding to the festivities, mainly because mommy's knee felt better and I could do more. It was nothing like the 60+ people party of a year ago, but fun, none the less.

Zach woke me at 4:00 am to say "It's my Birthday"!! I proceeded to give him a hug and a happy birthday kiss and promptly sent him back to bed. He politely waited until 6:30 am to open his first present, a aircraft carrier from Aunt Kim.

Zach's birthday is March 25th, so Friday afternoon, I arrived in his class with 24 donuts to celebrate with his classmates. They were very excited to see me, I mean, the donuts!

We gave Mrs. Muller's Kindergarten class a 'sugar high' before we sent them home.

Dave came home early so we could open a few more presents and take Zach, Olivia and Zach's buddy, Garrett to the Hibachi steak house. Zach's pumping his fist because he's ready to open more presents!

D Blog PS3 game from Nonnie

Game Stop gift certificate from Uncle Barry and the gang! Sweet!

Orient Express Hibachi grill with some yummy steak. Dave was nice enough to return home to get my gluten free soy sauce so I was able to enjoy dinner as well. I can't believe I forgot it! Zach got a lovely piece of Oreo Cheesecake to help celebrate his special occasion.

After baseball pictures and a baseball game on Saturday, we headed to bowling at Brunswick Lanes for a birthday party with friends. Yes, it was a busy day! Reed, Johnny & Faith, their parents, Kim and John, Garrett and Gavin, along with Olivia, Uncle Mike, Aunt Karen, Mimi and Papa all enjoyed a little bowling craziness, flashing disco lights and all! Thank you to everyone that made Zach's day (couple of days) special!

Star Wars cake

Cha-cha-cha!

Baby Back Rib dinner for the family....yummm!

The kids stayed up extra late to play with their cousin, Gavin, and Dave and I had some sister/brother-in-law time for the evening. We capped off the evening with a tornado siren....luckily, no tornado (except in my living room - ha!)

Happy 6th Birthday, Big Guy!

It's Spring!

2011-03-20T22:26:00.005-04:00

The moment we have all been waiting for....it's officially Spring! I have 'the bunny photo' to prove it. One of these days, I will scan the past seven years of my kids' bunny photos. Of course, Zach was in my belly on the first one, but appeared a week later.

Happy Spring everyone!

Amelia Island Concours and Jill's birthday

2011-03-20T21:41:00.000-04:00

This is where I went to help with my knee recovery....or so I told myself! It was my 4th annual Concour d'Elegance in Amelia Island last weekend. The weather was perfect, I was easy on the knee and Dave and I had a fabulous time.

It's not official until we have lunch at Barbara Jean's (also a Barbara Jean's in St. Simons where we were married, gulp, almost 10 years ago). This also coincides with my best friend, Kaci, texting me that her daughter just made the JV cheerleading squad. What?! How is this possible? She must be only....wait, she's right, Abbie is old enough for JV cheerleading. Congrats, Abbie! I'm dating myself. Bittersweet....Kaci and I were cheerleaders together from middle school until senior year. Our names, by those around us...."Jiffer Kaci", because we were always together. I wonder if I can still do a back handspring? Who am I kidding, I can barely walk without crutches:-) You can thank me later, Kaci, since I did not find a picture to insert here.

Not a bad view from my resting spot.

How do you like my fancy knee brace accessory. It's all the rage this Spring...

Before we left for Amelia, Kobe found a great spot to hang out. He would crawl in the space in my recliner. Yes, he had to be THAT close to me! Dog are funny animals.

Kobe became Joan's dog while she was here. He followed her around and tripped her up (instead of me, thank goodness). I think she wanted to take him home :-)

After his first boarding, Kobe learned a few interesting habits. He sleeps like a corpse and he digs in our plants. Cayenne pepper helped with the latter. Instead of downward dog pose, it's dead dog pose - I have to get my yoga in some way!

Friday, March 18th was my best neighbor in the entire world, Jill's, birthday!

This is what happens when you put Gigi's glorious cupcakes in a Porsche (with Jen driving - ha) "and they all fall down".

No worries, pitchers of Sangria make it all better. Sangria was a theme this weekend, Jill's birthday gathering Friday afternoon and Susanna's baby shower Sunday afternoon. I love springtime in Atlanta!

Gimpy

2011-03-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

This blog will mostly be about my torn ACL seeing that I haven't spent much time with my children. I'm on day 13 since I tore my ACL in Idaho and I have no idea where the time has gone. My parents helped out for the first couple of days and Joan, my mother-in-law, has been here the rest of the time. She'll be going home this Friday to upstate New York. Flowers and trees are blooming in Atlanta, and it's STILL snowing in Utica. Our family lives would not have gone on without their help, so for that, I am extremely grateful. Thanks to all my friends too, who sprung me from jail over the last week or so. Lunch, brunch and a little shopping trip makes your spirits high. Thanks to Amy for being my personal shopper for my kids' Easter photo clothing. Take a look at my Costco shopping trip. Hey, I'm not too proud. An outing is an outing!

Our main guy, Kobe, has been out of sorts with new people in his house and after being boarded the week we were in Idaho. He came back a changed pup. Unfortunately, he is teething (i.e. chewing) on everything in his path and he has 'played in the dirt' of our house plants multiple times. Who needs more to clean up while they are taking care of two kids, an injured mom and a chaotic household?! We are not sure what happened, but Sunday Kobe woke from a nap and started limping. It lasted until the next day. Could he have hurt it or was he imitating me? It looked like he was imitating me! Go figure.

We had a little surprise visit from my cousin, Zac. Olivia and Zach love Zac, so we snapped a picture of them along with Joan....it was Dr. Seuss's birthday and the kids celebrated at school. I wanted a picture of their cute hats. It was nice to have Zac chase after those crazy kids. I won't be doing that for quite some time.

Speaking of kids, Olivia and Zach have been wonderful throughout this whole ordeal. I am so proud of them for helping out, especially when I cannot get something myself. They have provided me with plenty of water, ice packs, Advils, you name it. I think Dave's patience wore thin getting us home from Idaho and around day seven, he left me to ask the 'others' for things. He's been pulling double duty for a while, so I'll give him some slack (and credit). He tag teams with his mom to get the kids ready in the mornings and takes them to school. It's a effort to keep things moving along, but one day.....many, many months from now (after surgery), I will be back on my A-GAME!

Physical therapy has worked wonders over the last week or so. I started walking a bit without crutches today (woo hoo), but I'm still very cautious. I'll know more March 21 when I meet with Dr. X again to discuss my knee. I doubt this will keep me from traveling....:-)

Idaho....OHHH!

2011-02-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

I can't say enough about the beautiful state of Idaho. Dave's Christmas present to the family was a ski trip to Sun Valley, Idaho for our Winter Break. We flew out after school let out Friday afternoon and we were well on our way to having fun. Of course, we didn't get in to Boise until midnight, but we were so excited, it didn't matter.

Weeks before our trip, I realized an old friend from 2nd grade, Todd Fears, (way back when...) lives in Eagle, Idaho. I met up with him on Facebook (funny how that works) and we made plans to see each other while we were close. Our first day in Idaho was wonderful because we spent the day with Todd Fears and his family. They treated us to brunch at a really cool place in downtown Boise, The Grove, and we headed over to the barn to check out their horses. Jennifer, Todd's wife, lead Olivia around on their horse, Yeller. The other kids played and petted Lola. A few hours into it, and it looked like our kids had been friends for years! It was awesome to see how well they got along.

Dave, Jennifer P., Todd and Jennifer Fears

Olivia, Henry, Zach, Graham and Claire

Here is a little background on our friendship. My memory does not serve me well, so Todd had to fill in some of the gaps. I can't believe I forgot this, but we were King and Queen of our football homecoming in 1981. I believe we were boyfriend/girlfriend in 2nd grade, maybe beyond? It was so nice for our families to actually meet. We are all grown up now, but look how we changed. Thanks for the photos, Todd!

Lola

Graham and Zach - looks like they are up to 'something'.

Everyone had to pet Yeller

Todd and Dave in serious barn discussions :-)

Jennifer leading Olivia

The kids got into the horses' juice carrots, so Zach rode to Sun Valley with an orange face!

Our condo in Sun Valley

The hot tub was small, but oh, so nice. The kids enjoy more than we did.

Outside Smokey Mountain Pizza - they had Gluten Free pizza and pasta, so guess where we ate twice?! Olivia just wanted to play in the snow every time she had the chance.

King of the snow hill!

In a downtown Sun Valley park. It was a winter wonderland!

Watch out for moose!

We had snow come and go most days, but it was never that big of a deal. I was amazed that the temperatures were between 4-26 degrees in Ketchum while we were there, but we were never really cold. I guess all of our gear worked because it was actually fun to be outside. We were walking downtown one day and Olivia was begging Dave to get her an icicle. She was fascinated by them. Dave was helping Olivia put her gloves back on....for at least 2 minutes. Finally he said, "come on genius". Zach pops out with "genius sometimes means stupid." Dave and I couldn't control ourselves!

Zach became sick with a really high fever on Sunday morning, so we took it easy and went on a search for Children's Tylenol at 6 am. That's a hard order to fill in a small town. We finally got Zach feeling a little better and went tubing. Sun Valley has a great tubing area, so we hit it pretty hard.

We rode the magic carpet back up the hill to sled again and again. Yes, we had it easy. I love this place!

Fur trimmed and ready to go!!

Dave says 'give me a spin'.

Dollar Mountain Lodge

Olivia took a break from tubing and found trees and tons of snow to build a wolf cave. Imagine that....we couldn't keep her out of the snow!

Zach and I found THE BEST hot chocolate EVER!! Of course, the whipped cream didn't hurt.

Monday came around and we were ready for some snowmobiling. We headed to Smiley Creek Lodge about an hour north of Ketchum. I think I had one of my best meals ever at the lodge - BBQ ribs, green chili grits, amazing broccoli (I could have eaten an entire plate of it) and homemade baked apples. Yum, yum and all gluten free. And no, Olivia is NOT driving the snowmobile, but she looks good on it, right? Zach rode with me and surprisingly, he did not like going fast. My speed racer?! I think being sick didn't help matters, but I finally realized he was crying on the way home....I originally thought he was screaming with joy, but I really couldn't hear much of anything on that vehicle!

We made it 25 miles to Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Mountains. I cannot begin to describe how majestic the ride in was to me. We were in wide open plains, then through trees which opened to the mountains. 'Purple mountain majesties'...... We were truly in the back country.

So I slowed down on the way home to keep Zach happy and ended up losing Dave. He returned to the lodge and I missed a turn and realized it. We had a reverse on the snow mobile, but after many tries, it just wasn't going to work for me. I waited for about 5 minutes for someone to return, but finally figured I needed to turn around. I had a feeling I would get the snowmobile stuck in the snow drifts, but hey, I had to do something! So....after crossing the road, looping around, I indeed got stuck in a snow drift! No surprise on my end, but Zach was not too happy. There were some people stuck on the hill and I knew we would have help arriving soon. Dave actually sent someone from the lodge to look for us and this 6'5" guy came to our rescue. He said that snowmobile was a little touchy on the reverse....yes, I figured that one out! I actually asked the guy if Zach could ride back with him, knowing that Zach was done with me :-) But, he chose his mommy over the 'tall guy'. After warming up, we headed back to Ketchum with a little giggle that we got stuck.

Olivia inside the Roosevelt Saloon, petting a moose head.

All smiles after getting a new Lego and Playmobile at The Toy Store in town.

Olivia showing off her 'mood' necklace she got after snowmobiling.

We had a few 'white outs' during our trip.

Hugging the bear in the snow.

The Sun Valley Lodge is a historic place with tons of old photographs along the halls of famous people who have visited. We skated on the ice rink where Lucille Ball, The Kennedy's and many others have played. They had lights strung overhead and it was a beautiful setting. Zach finally learned to ice skate and then we couldn't get him to stop!

Down in the basement, the Lodge has an old-timey bowling alley. Zach was more focused on the arcade games, but he made it through a game with Dave.

Outside the Sun Valley Lodge with the Sun ice sculpture. Behind this is a lake with duck and swans, very picturesque.

Finally, after days of Zach being sick and Dave running a high fever, we were ready to hit the slopes! We enrolled the kids in ski school from 9:30-3:00 and Dave and I headed out. The first two runs were great and easy. This is at the top of run #3, not so easy for me.....

This is me standing on my own....you won't see photos of this for a long time. I had a skiing accident on our first day out. After a sled ride down the rest of the mountain, and a trip to the ER along with an MRI, I was declared unable to ski the rest of the season. REALLY?! Seeing that I can't walk, I dare say I can ski. Dr. Kittleson thinks it is my ACL, so I'm waiting to see a doctor in Atlanta for confirmation. I returned to the lodge after my ER visit to let Dave finish skiing and wait on the kids from ski school. It turns out that Olivia and Zach LOVED skiing. They even were able to ski down once with Dave! Zach decided to go back the next day and started doing slaloms! He was begging to go back a third day. Watch out, he may be our ski bum.

This was my view for a day and a half while I had my leg elevated. Nice fire....

I tried to get a photo of my 'favorite' mountain. I didn't come out so great (the run to the far left), but I'll always have fond memories of how I 'almost' finished the mountain.

Olivia spent her last day in the snow building snow forts.

This is me on the plane ride home from Boise to Phoenix to Atlanta. At least I rode 1st Class and was able to stretch and elevate my leg. Wheel chairs and carts helped us navigate the airports, but I was really ready to get home!

Crutches and a full leg brace make it difficult to be mobile in a house with stairs. That's an ice pack on my knee.

I have an appointment on Monday with an orthopedic specialist and we'll see where we go from here. All in all it was a wonderful trip in a beautiful state, but we came home with too many bumps, fevers and tears. So, I'll leave it on a better note......

Bliss!

A little Valentine trip...

2011-02-18T09:01:00.006-05:00

Although the trip to West Palm was sabotaged in so many ways, Dave and I finally made it down there. Dave was there for work (delivering brand new GT 2RS's...maybe I got the name correct?, to customers along with a driving experience). The stomach virus got to Zach and I on Thursday, but we recovered in time, then Olivia had an allergic breakout Sunday morning...1 hour before we left for the airport. I think it may be a shrimp allergy again, but only an allergy test will tell. So, virus germs were shoo'ed away, Benadryl was administered to Olivia and we were off.

Sunday was spent with friends on Jupiter Island...an absolutely gorgeous place along with magnificent gardens. Neighbors included Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.

We watched a beautiful sunset. Check out the 'gator' in the house!

We stayed at The Breakers in West Palm, a first for me. I call it 'Fantasy Island'. If you weren't wearing a salmon color, you were in the minority. It was a very nice break to relax, regroup and see my honey on Valentine's Day. I think the hammock is calling my name again.

This is where I spent my morning reading my book on my iPhone (after my long walk). Ah, technology is great.

2010 Artwork

2011-02-12T18:33:00.000-05:00

It's hard to keep up with all of the artwork that kids produce, but I love to include it on the blog. Olivia and Zach like to see it too. Olivia is not taking private art classes this year, therefore the art medium is not as in depth, but it is still nice to see the creative side of my kids.

Zach's artwork starts:

Funny notes....

2011-02-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

Lest I forget....as I was on my way to pick Olivia and Zach up from my parents last weekend, I realized I forgot Kobe's leash. He had been neutered on Friday, and by Sunday he was ready to get some fresh air. It was too late to turn back, so I went with it. Of course, he had to go to the bathroom when we got there, so I took him outside. He was great, until it was time to go inside. He ran from me, exploring his surroundings and eventually made it up to the road (they have about 3 acres). Of course he made his way to the road, the worst thing that could happen. So, picture this...
Jennifer running down the middle of the road (somewhat busy road, at that) chasing Kobe (wrong thing to do, but I had to do something!). He had his cone on his head from the recent surgery and was happily running down the middle line as a truck was approaching both of us. Me, waving my arms like a wild woman, him, smile on his face showing me he felt fine after that neutering business. Never again....
All is safe and sound, but I learned my lesson. I think a video of the crazy woman would have been funny.

This past week, Zach kept wiping his nose. While we were doing homework, I noticed he needed another tissue. I grabbed one and told him to blow. He waved his hand at me and said, "No mom, this is not a blowing situation." It was SO funny the way he said it at the time. That kid comes up with statements all the time and this was another example. I guess the 'situation' was only a 'wiping' one. Go figure.

Kobe's Surgery

2011-02-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

So our newest family member headed to the vet Friday to establish his manhood....or the taking of his manhood (however you want to view it). I have to admit that I was totally shocked by how sad it was when I picked him up Friday afternoon. He was micro chipped, had a double incisor, baby tooth extracted and neutered. I know it is the best thing for him (recommended for health reasons, we aren't breeding him, etc.), but I wasn't prepared for Friday night with him. He couldn't stand up because he still had his anesthesia legs and was desperately trying to get the cone off of his head. 'What is this plastic thing you have locked onto me?'! He couldn't focus his eyes and could barely hold his head up. Ahh, what had we done to him? When it came time to feed Kobe and give him his pain medicine (I hope he doesn't become an addict...he he), Kobe and I both figured out soon enough, that the cone and food would not work that night. I reluctantly took his cone off so he could eat, went to get him a drink of water and within 30 seconds, he was gnawing at his stitches! Oh no, no, no. I learned my lesson quickly on that one. I ended up hand feeding him and helping him drink out of a cup. He was in and out of it most of the evening.
But low and behold, the next morning, Kobe was like a raging bull ready to be let out of the gate. I opened his crate and he bolted out (a little shaky on his legs), but happy none the less. As of Sunday, either the pain meds are really good or he is ready to enjoy the sunshine that finally appeared. I'm supposed to keep him limited on activity, but he's out chasing birds and enjoying himself. I'll keep a check on his stitches and keep that cone on because I have a feeling that is the only thing keeping us safe for the next ten days. He's relentless when it comes to his boy parts.
You are a man now, Kobe!

Orlando's Animal Kingdom and Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

2011-02-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

This is our 4th year attending the 24 Hours of Daytona with Dave. It's always nice to throw a trip to Orlando in there before the race (work) activities begin. This year we opted to try Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom. We are pleased to confirm that it was a hit with both kids (and parents too). Olivia and Zach actually spoke to Pocahontas, instead of shying away, so they really are growing up. The Safari was our first stop and thanks to friends recommendations, we saw the animals in the morning while they were lively (except for this hippo). It never really warmed up while we were in the park, and I think we should have all worn our fleeces.

A surprising element of Rafiki's area/world was a view into the veterinarian's clinic and surgery rooms. We watched, up close and personal, the amputation of a black buck's (deer) hoof. The hoof had gotten infected and antibiotics did not work, so they amputated. It was amazing to watch and I have to say, something we probably would have never seen anywhere else.

This is Zach waiting patiently while Dave and I ride Expedition Everest - the huge roller coaster. We took turns! There is NO way I would have put my kids on that coaster after riding it. Wow! That's all I can say.....I finally caught my breath 10 minutes later.

Having fun in the Rainforest Cafe

Riding in Dino Land

Of course, they had to come home with SOMETHING! Olivia got a new Webkinz, Katy, and Zach, a pocket lite saber. It has provided hours and hours of entertainment.

The Lego store is being refurbished and moved the day we were there. It's in a tent for now, but still had plenty to ooh and ahh over. We spent the late afternoon/evening in Downtown Disney.

Counting on the foggy window in our hotel.

On to Daytona for the Pryor's. It's a much different crowd there (mainly bikers and hard core beachcombers from the 70's, but who am I to judge?) The beach is beautiful and we always have fun there.

We met up with our Ponte Vedra friends (the other two kids are twins and are 5! Yes, they are tall) See the slope of the Daytona track? It's hard to stand on the banking.

We sat in the stands for the start of the race, then moved to the Porsche Hospitality tent and it was very nice to have a place to hang out. They had the XBOX with a driving game in the hospitality tent, so you know where Zach was most of the time! We had to remind him that adults wanted to play too. I brought iPhones and the DSiXL, so we were entertained as Dave moved from meeting to meeting. We had gorgeous weather for Saturday and Sunday. Yes, the race is actually 24 hours. Patrick Dempsey raced again this year with his team (Mazda).

We couldn't forget the fun and games. That's our annual tradition as well. The Ferris Wheel at night is a must! You can watch the cars from up high.

Olivia and I went on the Cliff Hanger. She was very hesitant, but I coerced her to go. Let's just say, I had a hard time keeping my stomach (this thing went really high in the air), but she was totally fine! She said she was a bald eagle and she was flying all around. She made me a hawk...

Zach was too short for the Cliff Hanger, so he grabbed a BB gun and had a little fun.

And this is how we ended the day as Daddy was pulled in to more meetings :-)

On our drive home, I realized this week would be our first full week back in school since Christmas Break. With teacher workdays, snow days and this mini-vacation, it was February before we were in school for five days straight. I can say, as of Thursday night, this has been the longest week EVER! And guess what? Dave is out of town....again. I think he purposely planned this one (not really), as to miss Kobe's neutering Friday morning. I will have one sore puppy on my hands this weekend. Poor guy.