Dear So & So Friday

Dear Melanie,
You are late today with your blog post.
Tisk, Tisk
Your blog.

Dear Blog,
Sorry but I was busy packaging, dealing with kids and finally uploading photos to my facebook fan page. Better late than never.

Dear Lily,
The whining is getting to everyone.  PLEASE STOP!
Thank you very much,
Mommy

Dear Ian,
You are just getting way too tall.  You are going to make mommy feel like a shrimp one day soon, but lets not do that tomorrow....stop growing for a few days.
Thank you for listening,
Mom

Dear Jeff,
Sorry that I disapointed you by saying no to camping this weekend.  I just didn't have it in me to not sleep for 2 days.  I am glad we are going to visit them though.  I do enjoy Watkins Glen, just not the outside tent camping thing.
Love your wife who prefers hotels or at least cabins.  :)

Dear Sharon,
See you tomorrow.  Promise to have a better attitude.  It's amazing what sleep does for me. 
;) Melanie

Dear Melanie,
You didn't blog anything about last years camping trip...
Get on with it already, your blog

Dear Blog,
Seriously.  I guess I didn't.  Let me go find a photo....
Here is one of the photos I took...

Childhood Friendships & Facebook

When I opened up Facebook this morning I looked at the birthdays and smiled.   I wrote my happy birthday on her wall and immediately had to find this old photo and post it here. 

{June 1981}

A little back-story...
When I was younger I lived in a town outside of Rochester called Chili Center. 
We lived in an apartment complex. 
The buildings we lived in were green.
We moved when I was in 3rd grade. 

When you move you really didn't keep in touch unless your parents kept in touch.  There was no facebook to follow their journey and their kids grow up.  So friends you made fade away and you make new ones. 

Fast forward to over a year ago on Facebook, I got a friend request and a message from a girl who said, "You probably do not remember me. We were friends when we were little. I have lots of old pictures with you and I and your sister Heidi. I think we lived in the same green apartments in Chili."

Facebook is wonderful for that!!  Reconnecting with long lost friends. 

The little girl with me in the photo above is her.  Happy Birthday Lisa!  Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Wordful Wednesday - School

{Chalk Board Bow Centers made by me can be found here.}

This morning we are dropping off Lily's school supplies. 

I can not believe that next Tuesday my baby is starting Kindergarten and my son will be in 6th grade.  It seems like yesterday, Ian was in Kindergarten and I was pregnant with Lily.  *sniff*

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse , Focused on the Magic & Fresh Mommy.  

Movies

On Friday afternoon we took the kids to go see the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  Both of the kids really wanted to see this after seeing all of the advertisments on the buses when were at Disney World.

We all liked the movie.  I am not going to lie to you, my husband & I both cried.  It is a very emotional "feel good" film.  There ARE sad parts.   With that said, I laughed out loud, too.  It was a cute movie.

On the way home a radio station was discussing how 2 kids were balling their eyes out on their way home after seeing the movie.  I guess it's been all over the internet.  All I have to say to that is you have to know your kids and it's "make believe".  (If you remember back ET was the same way...I just watched that with both of my kids recently.)

My kids liked Timothy Green alot and we discussed the movie after seeing it.  I mean seriously, kids are not born out of the ground and do not just show up at 10yrs old and ET is not hiding in your kids closet.

(pst....My husband leaned over and whispered in my ear, "that's where children come from and that is the story I am sticking too!" during that part of the movie.  I just about died.)

Beautiful View

 {Hamburg Beach}

 Yesterday the lake looked so pretty! 

Sunday Citar - Reunion

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. "  ~ Elbert Hubbard

3 weeks ago I went to my 20th high school reunion.  

I had debated about going.  

You see, I didn't know that many people.

I had only gone to school there for 1 year....my senior year.  (long story for another post)

The whole idea seemed silly because of that.....

Then my friend Julie called and she said she was going....

Girls night out sounded like a wonderful plan! And it was...

I met Julie my senior year and we still are good friends.  She has popped up here and there on my blog and we go to scrap and spa together every year.

Funny story on how we met.  Julie sat behind me in homeroom.  I knew NO-ONE.  One day a few weeks into school, I turned around and said, "Hi, my name is Melanie and I am in a good mood today!"  Yep, I was am weird.  All Julie could say was "that's nice, I have another friend named Melanie".

Then I met Melanie & I became really great friends.  We shared a locker through most of our senior year.  (she is the one in the middle below)....
Then we all graduated and went off to college.  When we were at college Julie & I wrote letters back and forth all the time.  Yep, back in the day, you didn't text or skype you wrote letters or called.  Calling was long distance and expensive.

I ended up moving back this way to go to another college and stayed.  While I see Julie more often than Melanie & Kelly, it was nice for all of us to go out together!

There were so many funny things that happened...

One of the best was when people looked at me and then my name tag...it was funny to see the look of confusion come over people.  It was so much fun reassuring people that they didn't know me and that was ok. ;)  They were not hurting my feelings one bit.  A new girl in a class of about 250ppl...it was very understandable.

I do have to say though there were quite a few people I knew & remembered me.  More than I thought I would.

 I am so glad I went!  :)

Thank you for stopping by Sunday Citar! This blog quote meme was created by Fresh Mommy. You can stop by her blog to see the quotes and photos that she and everyone else is loving right now.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday MOM!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day today!  Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

We love you lots!!

Dear So & So Friday

Dear Melanie,
Do more blog posts would ya!  Posts are lacking here.  You know show all those pretty pictures you have been taking!
Sincerely your Blog.

Dear Julie,
I had a wonderful time at our 20th high school reunion.  Thank you for driving!!
Love, Melanie Warren (yep your other friend named Melanie)

Dear Mom,
Hope you had a wonderful birthday!  Wish we lived closer so we could celebrate with you!
Love, your eldest.  :D

Dear Lily,
When did you get sooooo old?  Last I remember you were a baby!  Kindergarten in 10 days!
Saddened at the speed of time, mommy

Dear Ian,
You & your friends make my heart smile.  You guys are too funny!  I still can not believe you guys are going to be 6th graders this year.

Love, MOM

If you would like to see more Dear So & So's and/or participate check out 3 Bedroom Bungalow.

Wordful Wednesday - Bye Bye Hair

When Lily returned from her visit with my parents after our Disney World vacation she was super excited to get her hair cut.

{August 1st}

We had grown her hair out a bit so I could put it up while in Florida.  Not to mention we were going out some of her bangs after a hairdresser decided she needed more than she had.

Lily decided to go a bit shorter than we typically do.  Yep, Lily wanted it shorter.  She was so excited after she got it cut.  She kept walking around touching her hair and swinging her head back and forth so it would move.

She looks soooo cute! 

She looks so much older!  Certainly not a baby anymore.

All ready to start Kindergarten in 2 weeks!

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse , Focused on the Magic & Fresh Mommy.  

Wordful Wednesday - Poke Power and Some Unicorn

Last week I shared the photos my son used for his video trailer he made at Apple Camp.

Last Saturday we went to the Apple Store to watch all of the videos the kids made.  I was impressed with all of them.  Everyone did a great job!

Here is Ian's video....
...I even get photo credit at the end.  ;)

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse , Focused on the Magic & Fresh Mommy. 

Wordful Wednesday - A boy and his IMAGINATION

When I told Ian that he got into Apple Camp (he was on the waiting list) he was super excited.  I told him he needed to bring in photos with him and immediately his brain started turning trying to figure out what he wanted to take photos of.

Then it dawned on him....

Pokemon in Lego Armor!

Yes...before we went on vacation he started creating armor out of legos for stuffed animals.  He continued when he got home when he built armor for his newest Pokemon, Scraggy.  He bought Scraggy while at Disney World in Japan at Epcot...his FAVORITE store at Disney World.  That kid could spend HOURS looking at the Pokemon in Japan.

He even put armor on his sister's Unicorn....

I can not wait to see the movie trailer he made at camp this week using all of these pictures I took for him.

Seriously look at that horn protector on the unicorn!

Seriously going to be awesome!

LOVE his imagination.  :D

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse , Focused on the Magic & Fresh Mommy. 

Keep Calm

Today is re-opening day for my shop!!  :D

Wordful Wednesday - Palm Trees

Goodbye July...

I love the Palm Trees and what I like to refer as the Bearded Trees every time I visit Florida.  My husband thinks I am weird.  :)

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse , Focused on the Magic & Fresh Mommy.