I thought this was funny... 

We were eating dinner and debating which Disney movie to watch.

William yelled out- I know. How about 101 Caucasians? 

Me- William do you know what Caucasian means? Do you mean 101 Dalmatians? (He had no clue)

Looks like we're watching the Caucasians tonight.

I saw this posted on Facebook and laughed hysterically.  It reminded of the time Claudia had some difficulty shelving a book at the public library and yelled "Damn" very loudly in front of a group of parents and children waiting for story time to start.  At the time, I just turned away and pretended she was not MY child, but secretly I wanted to yell, "I don't know where in  the hell she heard that word!".

My New Project

For over a year, I have been searching websites for bathroom inspirations.  I have found numerous bathrooms that were worthy of pinning on Pinterest... but the cost!  Yikes!  Not within our budget. So I turned to Craigs List.  After searching for over a year, I finally found a double vanity that I actually love.  It met all my wants... white, marble, two basins. Definitely a treasure at an excellent price! With a little bit of work, it is going to put Pottery Barn to shame.



My Latest Craigs List Treasure!

What my treasure is going to look like after my handyman works his magic!
Trim and feet!

Happy 8th Birthday William

Washington DC July 2012

Tarpon Springs March 2012

Easter 2012

Dear William,

I just want to wish you a very happy birthday,  I can't believe you are actually 8!!!  I probably say that the same thing ever year, but I really can't believe that another year passed so quickly. 

I am so proud of you... you are a great student, friend, athlete and son.  You have made me so proud.

This year for your birthday, you asked for an I-pod, a tennis racket and a snow cone maker.  I hope you get all three.  You certainly deserve them. Today we are going to the Porter County Fair for your ATA demo.  Good luck and don't kick anyone... only boards.  Just joking!

I'm going to quit here... if I start writing sappy stuff, then I'll start tearing up and then I'll start crying. Just remember that my tears are happy tears.  You have grown up so fast and I wish I could slow things a down a bit and enjoy more time with you!

Love You My Little Guy!!

XOXO

Mommy

Last Day of School 2012

Goodbye Kindergarten

Goodbye First Grade

HELLO SUMMER!!

The LAST DAY of school 2012

The FIRST DAY of school 2011

Walking with our neighbor, E.

Central 2011 First Day of School

Central 2012 Last Day of School

Claudia and her kdg teacher, Mrs. H

William and his first grade teacher, Miss P.

William and his best buddy at lunch

Easter 2012

I'm way behind on the blog... again. Here are some of our Easter pictures. Looks like we went to church and then to Grandma's house. Great day!

The Bunny was here!

Mommy and the kids

Daddy and the kids

Daddy and the kids #2 



Claudia and Mommy

Being silly

Grandma

Playing at Grandma's park

Playing baseball with the cousins









William and his dogwood tree... planted after he was born.



Lemonade!  Lemonade!

What do you do on one of the hottest days of the year?

Sell lemonade, of course. You kids made over $50.00 which you donated to the Porter County Animal Shelter! 

Way to go!!!

Washington DC

After a rotten start to our summer... pneumonia for William and an eye and ear infection for Claudia, we still managed to squeeze in a short vacation to DC thanks to Brian.  Brian went to visit a job site in DC and we, including Cousin Sydney, tagged along.  We found a hotel one block from the Air and Space Museum which was great because we could walk everywhere except for the Lincoln Memorial.  It was way too hot to walk that far, so we took a taxi. 

Here's a few photos from our trip... not in any special order

Lincoln Memorial

Walking to the Capital Building on Day #1

Fountain at the Capital Building

Air and Space gift shop

The American History Museum

Sitting in a tee pee at the American Indian Museum

Lincoln

Smiling with Sydney

American Indian Museum... cool building!

My Babies



We actually found something with Claudia's name!

Playing with a canoe



Wright Brothers Plane

Chewy Lemon Cookies

Chewy Lemon Cookies

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of one large lemon (I add a bit more than 1 lemon)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1tsp lemon extract
• 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies (or skip this part and dust the cookies with powdered sugar when cool)

Preheat oven to 350F

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a larger bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and lemon extract.

Add in dry ingredients, beating until just combined.

Roll rounded spoonfuls of dough into balls and then roll in sugar (I skipped this part and just dusted the cookies with powdered sugar after they had cooled).

Place on lined cookie sheets, about 1 or 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (10 worked for me). 

Remove from oven and let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cook on wire racks.

Makes 24 – 36 cookies (if you don't eat the dough).

Bye, Bye Kindergarten

Claudia,

Last night I said "goodnight kindergartner" to you and realized that it was the last time I would ever be able to say that.  And so I cried a lot...

We love you and our so proud of you!

Welcome to first grade!

Love,

Mommy