looking back | The Angel Forever

Category Archives looking back

Happy 8th Birthday NHL

Posted on August 17, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL,

I can not believe that you are already eight years old. It seems like yesterday that Daddy and I were in the store picking out your crib. Then, we brought you home and suddenly you grew up before our eyes.

So much has happened in the last year. Some were amazing, while others ones I wish we could have shielded you from. No matter what, you will learn and grow and have survived these bumps in the road of life.

Now let’s take a walk down memory lane at the last year – NHL at 7.

After your last birthday, you really started to enjoy using the Nintendo Wii, and, with time, the DS. Daddy and I allowed you to try your new games and often your little brother watched on in amazement. Of course, now he’s starting to get some of the Wii games thanks to you helping him. (August 2010)

Second grade, well it proved to be a challenging year. Academically, there was no issues for you. Sad to say, it will probably be the year we hope to forget. Rather than dwell on the drama that included switching schools, let’s recall the happy times. Just after the year started, we went up to the lake for a big extended family weekend. You were so thrilled to drive the boat with Uncle M. (September 2010)

Much of October was filled with preparing for Halloween. You were thrilled to be Luigi again since your love of all things Super Mario was really getting started. (October 2010)

Thanksgiving this year was even more special thanks to Uncle I, Aunt M, and cousins SG and BA coming. This meant celebrating Chanukah a little earlier. I think your favorite part was often reading to the little kids. I loved one of your gifts – your new Thing 1 shirt. You may not remember this, but when JSL was born Daddy and I used to call both of you by those names. (November 2010)

December found us keeping busy with Chanukah, snow, and a fun outing. We all went to see Toy Story 3 on Ice. You loved the entire show and could not wait to see Lotso. It was a magical family outing that we all needed with special time together. (December 2010)

Snow, snow, and more snow greeted us in January. There were several days that school was canceled. This was also the time that I gave you my old laptop to use. You adored playing math games and more on it. I think your favorite snow day was the one where we never got our of our pajamas and stayed warm playing games. (January 2011)

February brought us even more snow and a lot of ice. At a certain point, even you were getting sick of it. Of course, since you were 7, you liked to play outside, build, and try to keep warm. By the end of the month, we were all dreaming of our upcoming trip to Florida. (February 2011)

The magical month of March arrived just in time for a much needed escape from life here in NY. We were lucky enough to be able to go to the second Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. You certainly showed that you are a NDK (Neurotic Disney Kid) and enjoyed every minute wanting to know when we could go back again. Seeing the joy in your face and the stress melt away was beyond magical. I think the highlight for you was meeting Beast since you had been begging for that moment for months. (March 2011)

The snow finally melted away and some warmer weather came to stay. You adored the times when we could head to the park and run around without a worry in the world. Of course, it also allowed you time to be silly in front of the camera. (April 2011)

Much of May was spent getting used to new things. A new school, your little brother turning four, and heading to the circus. You were fascinated with the circus clowns, animals, and acts in general. May was definitely a month where we turned things around and started to see the light at the end of the second grade tunnel. (May 2011)

Lots of things were going on in June. The end of the month officially made you a third grader. Much to our surprise, you were so sad to see things end at your new school. It made my heart so happy that you liked the new place where you learned so much in a short time. We also found a new favorite ice cream location. Yes, we met Nana and Papa there for lunch a few times and we were ok with that. (June 2011)

This summer, we have kept busy going to crafting events. You really do enjoy trying new crafts, as well as learning new things at the library’s passport program. Different countries, lizards, t-shirt making, and more thanks to our travels. Of course, the summer would not be complete without time under the water at the fun new park we found.

Suddenly, it is August again and the end of being a seven year old. You now love chapter books, are into Harry Potter (with a crush on Hermione), and are determined to finish and win DS games. You are a big helper, especially when it comes to your littlest cousin. You loved spending your birthday party weekend helping him around the park and other locations. (August 2011)

With tears in my eyes, I honestly find it hard to believe that you are already eight. You start third grade in a few short weeks. Getting to really watch you and spend time being creative with you this summer has taught me so much. I look forward to watching you grow, learn even more, and become the person you want to be. With some help, I hope that Daddy and I can make it more stress free and fun this year. I truly hope that your dreams and wishes come true and you have an amazing year – you deserve it!

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
animals arts and crafts birthday brothers cousins DisneySMMoms family food glorious food fun looking back nhl photos play time school summer yummy

Up Close and Personal With Hippos

Posted on August 11, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Back in March, I was able to participate in the Wild African Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As one of the lucky people that signed up quickly enough, I was part of a small group of bloggers during out time. When I left off, we had started out tour and had just arrived at the Hippo area. Alex stopped to tell us all about hippos. We learned about their blood sweat, how they communicate with wheeze honking, and more.

Then, it was time to head over to the viewing area. This is where our harnesses would be hooked for the first official time on our trek. Yes, those gorgeous black straps seen in back were going up and over us for some prime viewing of the hippos.

It is against my better judgment to share this photo, but here I am looking out at the hippos. You can see my harness stretching back onto the apparatus that allowed us to move around the area (forgot to take a photo of that).

Here’s another view of others in our group around the platform.

You can see that we are across the water from where the vehicles on the Kilimanjaro Safari go during their tours that visitors can take in the park. Here is a group. I must say often times they were more curious about us on the ledge, and not the two giant hippos feeding down below.

Our timing was amazing, we got there with some of the hippo research scientists who were going to feed the animals below us. The two gentleman were so nice explaining what they were doing and answering questions. Of course, they were skeptical when we asked them to do a wheeze honk demonstrations – perhaps it was the cameras and videos that stopped them.

They explained that feeding time is also when they are able to check the dental care of the hippos and make sure they have no injuries in their mouths. This gave me a new appreciation for the game Hungry Hungry Hippos.

These two particular hippos were father and son and they were near us. All of the girls were at the other end of the water area. Here are a few more photos of the boys from our view on the ledge:

Soon, it was time to head to the next part of our adventure. We thanked the researchers for all of the learning and continued on. When we saw the next item on the trail, we knew there was no turning back.

Finally, it was time for some of us to face our fears. Yes – we would soon be meeting both of these

The days of joking about this were over. Now it was time for Shannan and I to meet the bridges. To be continued!

So what do you think so far? Would you have gone on this amazing adventure within the wonderful world of Disney? Please share any behind the scenes tours that you have experienced.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

Categories:
Blogging Conference bloggy friends Disney DisneySMMoms Educational fun interesting looking back me moments photos

CowParade Las Vegas – 2002

Posted on August 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Quick note about this week’s Wordless Wednesday. Photos were taken in Las Vegas throughout the city during the 2002 CowParade exhibit. We had countless other photos on TechyDad’s digital camera. Unfortunately, that camera was stolen on our way home in the airport (right off my back). These were pictures that I took and scanned with my now dated film camera. Wandering and seeing all of the CowParade pieces was amazing in itself.

Categories:
cousins family fun interesting jl looking back photos TechyDad vacation

Time for Couples is Important Too

Posted on August 8, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Ever have one of those days where you wonder how you got to where you are? It seems to be hitting hard here over the last few months. Drama on many levels have left TechyDad and I quite stressed this year. When we celebrated our 10th anniversary with massive plumbing troubles and moving into my parent’s house for several days, it was a sign. Then, thanks to a little push from Amy (aka Resourceful Mommy), we decided to do it. Yes, we booked a kids free getaway. We tossed our senses away and decided that WE needed this. WE, as in the couple, were in great need of time to ourselves without worrying about the kids, stressing over the house, and bickering about this, that, and the other thing.

Since NHL was born, almost eight years ago, we had only gone away without the boys once. That was last summer to NYC for BlogHer. Although it was a wonderful trip, it was not exactly the romantic destination. There were many times that we were on opposite sides of the city at different events.

Could we really afford this trip? Probably not, but WE the couple could not afford to let this opportunity go. What I have learned over the last year is that you can not wish, hope, and wait for things to get better. You must be proactive and stand up for what you need and want. TechyDad and I need to be selfish for us. The kids will be fine with family, they will get to know their Bubbe and Grandpa a lot more, and we will get to be a couple again.

The last real hurrah for us was when we went to Las Vegas in December 2002. We had celebrated out 1st anniversary in June by going to Boston. Then, when some health concerns in the following months left us deciding to start our family, we booked a getaway. Thankfully, we learned from our honeymoon and took more photos of the two of us together. Check out how young and carefree we were:

Our time in Vegas was amazing and we saw so many beautiful items (more posts on that another day). Here are a few photos scanned for now:

When we arrived home, we found out that we were indeed expecting our first little Ewok. NHL was born the following summer and changed our lives. While NHL and JSL are two of the most amazing parts of lives, we, like so many other couples, have hardly had time to be ourselves – husband and wife. Our roles of B and J have morphed into Mom and Dad and rarely seem allow us to get off and remind ourselves of who we used to be.

So, have you ever been just a little selfish in the name of your marriage? Please share tips, thoughts, or anything else in the comments below.

Categories:
decisions family jl looking back losing my mind me moments photos TechyDad travel vacation vent

Smurf Filled Memories – Then and Now

Posted on August 6, 2011 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JHL,

A few weeks ago, we went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie. While waiting to get into the theater, I went over to take this photo.

The two of you sat puzzled and curious. Finally, one of you asked what they were and why I was taking the picture. Daddy tried to explain about The Smurfs that we grew up with, but it was kind of hard to explain. Later, as we walked around the mall, we arrived at Build-A-Bear where they were handing out hats for everyone.

You were officially intrigued with Smurfs and seeing what they were about. When we got home, Daddy found the old episodes that we grew up with via Cartoon Network on Demand. Since that time, I have heard a lot of Smurf jokes coming from both of you. You both want to be a certain Smurf and battle Gargamel. Luckily, you have not been singing their song.

Nana had the day off of work on Friday and wanted to take us to see the new Smurf Movie. We arrived at the theaters and who should we see while getting our tickets?

Yes, it was Smurfette and Gutsy Smurf. They must have known we were coming. The two of you were so excited. When we got upstairs by the theater, we saw the birthday room all decked out in Winnie the Pooh and Smurf clings. Since we had time, the two of you had fun standing with them for some pictures (tough since the lighting was odd).

NHL, you were blown away with seeing Clumsy’s feet at the bottom of the Smurf area. He was definitely the Smurf that you were interested in seeing.

JSL, you wanted to see Smurfette and Papa Smurf. Of course, you were very excited to have your photo with Tigger and Eeyore.

When the movie was over, the two of you immediately wanted to see my old Smurf toys. I have to see where they are, but I am sure I kept them. It certainly looks like we will be having some Smurfy days ahead.

Love,

Mommy

_______________________________________

If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.