Our Beautiful Girls!

These are pictures of Taylor and Abby after Nanny took them for haircuts! Aren't they gorgeous?!

Can you find Shain??

This gives you a general idea of the leaves we deal with every fall...although you cannot tell by this picture how tall this pile was...and all from our front yard!!

Fall in North Carolina

My absolute favorite season, especially since moving to the East Coast....it's the most gorgeous time of year....I never get tired of "oohing" and "ahhing" when I'm driving around....now this is Fall!

New Haircut

Yes, Aaron's hair was quite long....and when I look back at this picture from before his haircut, I know realize it! I do love his haircut...he looks like such a little boy now...no more baby. I did cry the day we got this done, but he needed it...there was no denying it anymore! So, I thought I would post "before" and "after" pictures for all to see! My handsome boy!!

Enjoying Grandpop's Blackberries

As you can see from his shirt, Aaron very much enjoyed eating grandpop's blackberries from his fields behind his house when we went to New Jersey for my cousin's wedding. I would pick them off the vines for him, and he would eat them up! He loved them! I thought this picture was so cute, I had to share it!

Yes, I know.....he needs a haircut!

Everyone keeps telling me he needs a haircut, and he does get called a "girl" a little too often....but I just can't seem to part with it! A big part of me doesn't want to cut his hair because then that would mean he is no longer a "baby" but a little boy - not ready for that just yet. I want him to stay a baby a little bit longer. Not to mention the fact that anyone who knows Aaron knows that sitting in a chair, STILL, for a haircut would be nearly impossible! May God bless the stylist who has to cut his hair for the first time! haha!

Happy Birthdays!!

Pat and Taylor both celebrated their birthdays this month; it was Pat's 35th (woohoo, getting old) and Taylor's 13th....yikes, yes 13th....she is now officially a teenager! I can't believe it! The time sure has flown - now the real "fun" begins! Anyway, we had the family over for BBQ and cake and celebrated both birthdays together. It was simple and fun! Taylor will be having her "friend" party this weekend at the YMCA near us....it has a nice pool. Hopefully the weather will hold up!

Wild Hogs

Yes, that is my husband on his new Harley....yes folks....he is now a Harley owner! Crazy huh? All he needs now is the long ponytail and the "do rag"....haha! Oh yea, and the leather jacket! Seriously, with today's gas prices....16.00 dollars to fill up is a lot easier to swallow than 90.00!! The second picture is the group (anyone ever see that movie, Wild Hogs?? Yeah, kinda like that!) In the back, on the "crotch rocket," is Conrad (my bro-in-law), then Tommy (yeah, Pat's dad now owns a bike too!)...and then in the front is my dad (on the left) and then Pat on the right (with the black shirt on)....these are pics from when they went on their first "ride" together!

Here is a video of Pat "tearing it up"at Great Wolf Lodge's water park!

Abby Marie

Here is a picture of our big "first grader." She (along with the
kids) starts back to school on July 7 (year round). She is going to
be in first grade and is very excited about that! So are we! She
is growing up so fast! Abby is a very caring little girl. She loves her
family and loves to play with her friends. We always talk about
her "social calendar"...always getting invited to birthday parties
and such. Never a dull moment! She's our little "lovebug" and
always will be!

My Boys

These boys mean the world to me! Pat is the best daddy in the world and our kids really look up to him. He is a wonderful man, and I am blessed to know him and love him. He's my best friend! Our boys, Shain and Aaron, are such a joy! Shain is so happy to finally have a baby brother, and he takes such good care of him, even when Aaron is being a stinker (and for those of you who spend any time with Aaron, you know that is often-haha!). Shain is such a great kid and has a heart of gold. He'll always be my "bud!" As for Aaron, I am truly enjoying him, watching him grow and learn and discover new things (like how to turn the TV on and off when you are in the middle of your fave show or how to open up every cabinet and pull everything out and throw it on the floor....yeah, he's good at that!). He is a little monster but he is such a character too. We all get a big kick out of him and all of his antics! He makes us laugh. I love ALL my boys!

Before and After

Just wanted to post these pics of Shain before his summer haircut and after for those of you who have not seen Shain lately and didn't know how long his hair had gotten. We finally talked him into cutting it. Actually, we didn't have much to do with it. He saw a picture of himself with his hair wet (after being in the lake) and that was all it took. He said he looked like a "girl" and didn't want to look like that anymore....and so the story goes....now it's nice and short and "boyish" again! yah! Momma got her way!

Tay and Me

I love my "little girl"....can't believe she is turning
13 this year! Time really flies! I know this sounds cooky and corny, but it seems like just yesterday she was born and Pat and I were 2 scared first-time parents, not knowing what to do or what to expect, and now our first-born is becoming a teenager. Yikes! There is a song by Kenny Chesney that says it all...if you get a chance, listen to it. It's called "Don't Blink," and it couldn't be more truthful about time and how fast it flies. I feel like every time I blink my kids are that much older, growing up so fast. Taylor is turning into such a beautiful young girl...she's so much fun to be around...she makes us laugh. She is definitely "unique." Haha! I love you Tay!

Pre and Post Marathon

Pat started training for his marathon in November and decided he was not going to shave his beard until he finished his marathon. As you can see, it got pretty long! The day he finished his marathon he shaved it all off! Wow! You should have seen the reaction he got from Aaron. He wanted nothing to do with daddy for at least 2 days...was completely afraid of him, wouldn't even look at him. Daddy was getting a bit of a complex! Poor guy! But Aaron is used to it now and is friends with daddy again! Abby keeps telling daddy, "I like you better with hair."

I've been tagged

Okay Shaina....here you go....let's see if I can think of 25 things about myself (this will be challenging!)....

1. I love the Lord....I need him in my life.
2. I have a wonderful loving husband who loves me and is a wonderful father to our kids.
3. I have 4 beautiful, awesome children.
4. I am a very shy person and some people don't understand it.
5. I love to take a "vacation" from my mind sometimes and get myself lost in a good book.
6. I am addicted to Starbucks.
7. I just started scrapbooking again and am trying my best to actually finish an ENTIRE album!
8. My self-esteem stinks....something I am trying to work on.
9. I am deathly afraid of spiders!
10. My family means everything to me, and I love to spend time with them, hanging out and having fun together.
11. My hubby is my best friend, and I love it when we are together.
12. Someday I want to go to Italy.
13. I love to eat junk food way, way too much!
14. I cherish my memories of hanging out with my Cali friends and miss them all so much!
15. I absolutely stink at math (just ask my kids!)...
16. Going on camping trips with my family is one of my fave past times...campfires, boating, and making memories with our children...hanging out and being together...I cherish this.
17. I love when we get thunderstorms here in North Carolina but freak out when they mention "tornadoes!"
18. I am a highly anxious person, with a bit of an Italian temper (much to my own detriment!)
19. I love to watch American Idol. In our house, this is a family event.
20. My wedding anniversary is April Fools' Day....no joke.
21. I love driving down the streets here in the winter and thinking, "wow, I don't remember seeing that there before!" because, in the summer, you can't see it because the trees have all of their leaves! I'm always discovering something new whenever I drive around!
22. My favorite food is Italian! I'm a bread and pasta girl.
23. I am a medical transcriptionist and work from home, which I love because it keeps me home with my kids.
24. I would do anything for my family and friends.
25. I sometimes lose focus on what is important in life....but when this happens the Lord ALWAYS sets me straight again! Funny how that works, isn't it?

Pat's Half-Marathon

On March 30, 2008, Patrick ran his very first half-marathon in Cary, North Carolina. It was exactly 13.1 miles, and he finished it in 2 hrs 8 mins! He trained for this marathon since November, and we are very proud of his accomplishment! We were there to root him on at the finish line. He felt good setting a goal for himself and achieving it! Way to go Pat!

Easter 2008

We had a wonderful Blessed Easter and hope you did too! We went to church, where Taylor and the choir performed a song. We then came home and shared a delicious buffet meal with our family. The kids did their Easter egg hunt in the front yard, and they had a great time! It was a wonderful day!

Aaron's 1st Birthday!

Don't be shy boy....dig right in!
He didn't waste any time!
What a face!

Aaron turned 1 year old on March 9, 2008....Uncle Phil and Aunt Paulynn made the trip here to North Carolina to help us celebrate along with Uncle Chris and Aunt Beth and the kids. Aaron was surrounded by the people that love him (mommy, daddy, Taylor, Shain, Abby, nanny, grampy, grandpa, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends)! We all had a great time watching him eat his very first cake, and he was not shy about it at all....he dug right in, like an old pro! I tell ya, he sure LOVES to eat, no matter what it is! The Good Lord finally gave us a baby who has an appetite (at least for now)! When I look at these pictures of Aaron eating his first birthday cake, I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that he was born and now he's already 1! The Lord has blessed our family with 4 beautiful children, and I am doing my best to enjoy every moment because they grow up so quickly....

Family Retreat at Camp Agape Kure Beach

I know it has been a long while since I have posted anything on here....yeah, I'm kind of bad at it. I'll try to be better from now on! Anyway, we recently went on a family retreat with our church to Camp Agape in Kure Beach, NC (about 2-1/2 hours from home). It was a great time we spent reflecting on God's word and what it means to be a family and to help strengthen our faith and the faith in our family. We are hoping to go on more of these in the future, as we had a great time. Even Aaron did very well for being so little and away from home. He's such a good baby. Anyway, these are just a few photos of us at the retreat...enjoy!