Playdate With Patrick & Matthew.

We were thrilled to be invited over to Ms. Kristen, Patrick and Matthew's house on Friday.

Jim & Kristen have an absolutely GORGEOUS home. It's warm and cozy ... and at the same time it's like walking into magazine setting. The details found in each room are stunning. Jim builds many of the furniture pieces and Kristen sews many of the gorgeous fabric pieces found through out their home.

Griffin was definately in toy heaven ... and he had great fun playing with Patrick and Matthew.


They have this really cute mini drum set ... Griffin LOVED banging on it. I had to make sure to get a picture of him playing it as Mike is a drummer and I knew he would love it!


I love this picture ... it's as if he's saying ... thank you, thank you very much in a cute elvis impersonation.


And this is a picture of Patrick and Matthew. Literally as soon as I took this picture my camera battery died! They were all about the room playing with their cool Matchbox Hero City.

We had a great time hanging out with K, P & M ... Griffin is already asking to go back to "Patrick's House".

Family. Home. Work.

Griffin has once again decided to wake up between 5:00 - 5:30 every morning. Don't get me wrong ... he's always been an early riser, but normally it's between 6:00 - 6:30. Sometimes I just want to "sleep in" until 6:30 ... gosh that would be nice!

We had a very nice day at home yesterday. I managed to get our mountain of laundry washed, folded and put away. Mike and I cooked dinner together. He did the pork roast and garlic potatos & onions on the grill. I did the stir fried green beans and fried corn on the stove.

Yesterday was just NICE and easy. Griffin listened well (for the most part) and we had some fun little conversations.

One in particular that I thought was pretty cute ...

We were talking about boys and girls ... I was asking if this person or that person was a boy or a girl. We got to me and he said ...

"You not a girl ... you my mommy" ... awwwww ... it made me laugh.


I took this picture of Mike and Griffin last night at the computer. Mike was working on some stuff on our computer and Griffin was working on his My First Leap Pad Computer.


And how about this? Griffin's Coupe is now a "race car". Mike ordered some parts for the tractor and some nifty stickers were in the boxes. Mike took the stickers and put them on his little Coupe. It's just one of the cutest things I've ever seen.


Yesterday ... I actually had time to get some creative work done!! I made this Tear Bear ... it's been MONTHS since I've had a chance to make a Tear Bear ... I need to find some time to sit and tear some more bear pieces.


I also made this paper pieced boy ... I just love the saying on this one!

If interested in either Paper Piecing you can find them in MY EBAY STORE!

Yesterday was a very productive stay-at-home kind of day ... it was actually fun!

Pre-School Picnic.

Yesterday Griffin attended his first pre-school Picnic. All morning we talked about going to his new school, playing on the playground and meeting teachers. He was very excited to go.


(Griffin's buddy Jack was very kind to push him in the swing)

They had a great event with free play in the playground and offered grilled hotdogs, snacks and lemonade for the guests to enjoy at lunch time.

We saw several people that we knew, other faces we recognized from around town and then of course we met some new friends too.

I know his attending pre-school is going to be great for him. He's going to learn so much both academically and socially ... however if I'm honest ... I'm a bit apprehensive about him going.

I'm so happy to share that my brother Jerome has started a blog. I think only family members call him Jerome ... most people call him Hut (his nickname) or Richard (his first name). But, please ... if you have a moment visit his Simple Man Blog ... he's a wonderful person to know!

Yard Saling Or Is It Yard Selling?

Those people that are closest to me, know this ... but something YOU may not know about me is ...
I LOVE YARD SALES!!!

Oh my gosh ... yard sales, garage sales, tag sales, thrift sales ... you name it ... I love it. I love the "thrill of the hunt" ... I think I can literally spot a yard sale sign a mile away.

When I go to yard sales ... I only get the things that I know we will use. I don't just pay a quarter for something to have it sit in a box.

My friend Heidi and I and our boys went yard saling (selling?) on Saturday morning. I thought I would share some of the things I found ...


See this Lightning McQueen car? Folks ... I paid 50 cents for it! It's actually a "Fast Talkin' Lightning McQueen" and I just found it on Amazon.com ... selling for $54.99 ... Click Here if you don't believe me! And the one I bought has batteries and everything!!


Here's a close up of the neat things you can do with it ... again ... that was two quarters, 50 cents!!!


And look at this ... the price tag is still on it. A Lightning McQueen backpack ... this one was 50 cents too!


I've always wanted one of those little dip warmers that look like a little crock pot ... well I found one for only $2.00!


And look at this cute Washington, DC shirt I found for Griffin ... only a quarter!


At one time my brother Jerome was a Dale Earnhardt fan. I wasn't sure if he still collected Dale Sr. stuff or not, but took the chance that he did. This collection of a book, a magazine and two hats I got for only $6.00! The man had sooooo many collectibles ... Beanie Babies, Nascar Stuff, Football Stuff, Attic Treasures. And he was practically giving the stuff away!


And this is probably my favorite find of the day. It was free. LOL ... that's not why it's my favorite ... the man with all of the collectibles had Beanie Babies 3 for $5.00. Heidi and Ryan chose three Beanies, one for each boy (Ryan, Evan & Griffin). This is the one that they chose for Griffin. It's so very special because right before we left the house we discovered that one of our snails (we have 6) had a baby. It's the first time we saw it in the aquarium. What a sweet thing for our friends to do!!

So ... next time you see a yard sale sign ... make sure to stop because you never know what deals you might find!!

Busy Little Boy.

Looking back over the last week I realized that Griffin was one busy little boy, doing lots of fun things.



Monday we went to Kangaroo Jac's for some jumping fun.

Tuesday we went to the Mommy & Me gym to finish up his Father's Day gift for Mike and to run and play with friends.

Wednesday was the Mommy & Me picnic ... and we stayed ALL day.

Thursday it was a trip to the YMCA with friends for swimming fun.

Friday we had a playdate at our house with Ryan, Evan, Patrick, Matthew and of course their mommies Heidi and Kristen.

Saturday morning we went yard selling in the morning with Heidi, Ryan and Evan. We found some really good stuff too! Saturday afternoon we drove two and a half hours to Suffolk to join Mike at the Festival of Flight. He enjoyed seeing airplanes and helicopters. We enjoyed the Volunteer Dinner that included spaghetti, salad and "birthday cake". And then when we got back to the hotel we went swimming.

Sunday it was back to the Festival of Flight and his very first helicopter ride!

And I might add that Tuesday through Saturday we were able to spend lots and lots of time with our friends Heidi, Ryan and Evan because we were lucky to have them staying with us. There was ALOT of giggles, fun, playing and swimming in the little plastic pool too!

Whew ... I'm just tired typing all of that.

This week we will not be so busy ...

Yesterday our dear friends Keisha and Darius came over for lunch and some playtime.

Today we are going to the Mommy & Me gym.

Tomorrow we have a fun picnic and playdate planned.

The rest of the week is open ... no plans!!!

I'm actually kind of looking forward to staying home a bit ...

Our Fantastic Weekend In Suffolk.

Our family had a fantastic weekend away at the Suffolk County Festival of Flight.

Mike is a member of the local EAA chapter (Experimental Aircraft Association). Many members of this group are very involved with organizing this event. His responsibilities included aircraft parking. He was totally in his element and had a GREAT time!

The next several (four!) posts are all about our terrific weekend ... I thought I could publish these in the order in which I wanted to post them ... but unfortunately they are posting in the order in which they were created. Oh well ... lesson learned.

First Helicopter Ride.

Mr. Decker's company offered helicopter rides at the fly-in ... so, of course Mike and Griffin had to take one!

This was Griffin's first helicopter ride!


The boys and the pilot heading out to the helicopter.



In the helicopter ready for take off ...



In the helicopter "way up in da sky" as Griffin would say.


Hovering ... ready for landing.


The best picture I got of the boys near the helicopter they rode in.

Our little guy seems to love airplanes and helicopters just as much as his Daddy. I do believe there will be flying in his future.

Meeting Mr. Decker.

After walking around a bit ... we came upon this garage area where this man was working on helicopters. Griffin is not one bit shy, so he walked right up to the man working on the helicopter.

It turns out this was Mr. Decker and he owns Decker Aviation located at Suffolk Executive Airport. He was the NICEST man! Not only did he invite us in to his facility he put Griffin right up in the helicopter. He also noticed Griffin's face was kind of red, so he brought him out a Sunny D fruit drink.


Griffin is SO happy to being sitting in a helicopter!


Mr. Decker, Griffin and Mike ...


And a commercial for this very nice man!

I tell you ... the aviation community is so wonderful to kids. This weekend so many people stopped to talk to Griffin. They wanted him to experience the things they had to offer ... and they wanted him to learn as much as possible. Everyone was very, very kind. What a wonderful experience for our family.

Suffolk Festival Of Flight.

We had a GREAT time in Suffolk this weekend. Mike was volunteering at the Festival of Flight Fly-In ... so Griffin and I joined him there on Saturday afternoon.


We stayed in a beautiful Hilton Garden Inn right on the river ... I borrowed this picture from their website because I forgot to take a picture of it.


We had a lovely view of the water. They were having some kind of festival while we were there. We were unable to attend, but it sure looked like alot of fun.


Virginia's state slogan is "Virginia is for lovers" ... so I thought this was a cute slogan for Virginia's aviators.


We arrived late Saturday afternoon and then joined Mike at the Suffolk Executive Airport. The fly-in was pretty much over for the day, but we enjoyed walking around and looking at the airplanes.


Oh ... this is a pretty one ....


Oh ... and this one is pretty too!!


There is a wildfire not too far from the airport ... so the fire fighter's aircraft take off and land from the Suffolk airport. Griffin LOVED seeing the helicopters taking off and landing.

While in Suffolk I had hoped to finally meet my dear blogging friend Wendy ... unfortunately it didn't work out this time ... but I am certainly looking forward to getting together later this summer.

Special Gift.

Remember when I blogged about Griffin making a very special Father's Day gift for Mike?

Well ... I forgot it at home when we went away this weekend ... but Griffin was SO proud to share it with Mike this morning.


Here Griffin is giving Daddy the extra special placemat that he created just for him for Father's Day.


The one side is two different art projects painted and then woven to create the final project.


The back side is Griffin's handprints. He's showing Daddy how he did high 5's to create his handy work.


And of course the boys had to share a final high five together.

I love handmade gifts ... I personally feel they are the BEST gifts!

Happy Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful daddies out there!

I thought a would share some pictures of some of my favorite fathers with you today ...


Let's begin with my very own Daddy. His name is JC. I loved Daddy with all of my heart ... I actually do not like to use the past tense form of the word love ... because I still LOVE him so very much. I miss him too. This is a picture of Daddy taken on Father's Day, June 1998. He passed away just a few months later. Daddy was SUCH a wonderful father to my brother Jerome, my sister Joy and me. Our mother passed away in 1976 and he became a single parent. He was the BEST father we could have ever asked for. We miss you so much!


And this is my wonderful husband Mike ... with Griffin on the day he was born. This was the day that Mike became a father. He is such a wonderful father ... Griffin is so very lucky!!


And here you see Mike's Dad Ray, Mike, AJ, and Mike's brother Kevin. In the back row you see my MIL Jeri and my SIL Melissa. This picture was taken at our house this past Easter. I remind Mike all the time how very lucky he is to still have both parents (Mike's mother is my MIL Bett). Ray is a wonderful Dad and Grandpa. Griffin calls him Pop. We always look forward to when Ray and Jeri (Pop & Nana) can come visit us. And Mike's brother Kevin is a new daddy too. AJ is two years younger than Griffin ... since Kevin, Melissa and AJ live in Virginia now we sure hope to be able to spend more time with them.


In this picture, my brother Jerome is wearing the peach shirt and hat ... not only is he a wonderful brother, he is also a terrific dad and step-dad. He has a daughter, two-step sons and two grand kids ... and they all consider themselves lucky to call him Dad ... and I certainly consider myself lucky to call him my brother. In this particular picture he and my SIL Bonnie are renewing their wedding vows. Also pictured are their sons Wade and Scott along with their girl friends.

Happy Father's Day!!!