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Happy 2nd B-day to my sweet niece

Posted on September 17, 2009 9:07 am by TheAngelForever

Two years ago today we received a phone call from my parents. They called to tell us that my sister-in-law was in labor. Yes, my little brother was going to be a father. We sat around waiting for updates to hear when the little one would be born. Finally, they called and announced that SG was here. The first little Princess of the next generation was here.

The last two years have been amazing. I have watched my brother and sister-in-law become parents, seen SG learn to walk, talk, sing and dance. She has grown so much, just in the last year alone. Of course, the best part is when the kids are all together and play. Sadly, we do not live extremely close and only see each other a handful of times each year. Still, these times are treasured and lots of photos are taken. Last weekend we ventured out for SG’s second birthday party. Here are some photos of the memories from the day.

Before the party started, the three cousins had fun being lions. They wore the lion masks around and had fun together.

The boys enjoyed eating their dinosaur chicken nuggets at the Princess table.

It was a gorgeous day, so the kids were able to go and play outside. They had fun with chalk, the sand, toys and even a pinata. Once the candy was out everyone enjoyed eating some while the kids made a lion face craft.

When all of the candy was picked up, crafts were made and kids inside it was time to sing Happy Birthday to SG and cut the cake.

As you can see SG (and the rest of us) thought the cake her Mommy made was delicious.

Soon after this SG opened up her presents. Now that she is a big girl she really understood everything about unwrapping and playing with new things.

One of the big hits with the kids were the balloons. They seemed to keep all of the little ones happy and running during the time they were inside. Here is JSL running around with one.

We all had a wonderful time at SG’s birthday party. We wish we could be with her today on her special day, but will have these photo memories to remember the fun.

Happy Birthday SG, we all love you!

Categories:
birthday family looking back photos road trip weekend

Never forget – 8 years later

Posted on September 11, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Today, we must all remember the lives that were lost eight years ago. It was the morning that made our country stand still, come together and vow never to forget. I wrote about my experience on September 11, 2007 here.

This year, my mind will still wander back to that day eight years ago, but my focus will be different. My oldest son is now in first grade. That is the age of the children that I was substitute teaching on September 11, 2007. I sat with them knowing how the world around us was changing, explaining to them the next day that their teacher was safe and trying to keep them calm.

Now, I wonder about how we will explain this event to our children. How do we tell children that were not even born, like my boys, what this day was like. No doubt, they will see the haunting images from that day. Sadly, they will never know of life in the pre 9-11 days when things like traveling on planes was easier.

So, my questions to you this week are in honor of all of the lives lost and families forever changed:

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2007? Did you sit in front of your television after the day trying to take it all in, or did you turn it off because you could not watch? If you have older children, how have you explained the events of 9-11 to them?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #65

Categories:
Aloha Friday bad news looking back real world news

Last days before first grade

Posted on September 5, 2009 9:07 pm by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL,

It is still hard for me to believe that you will be heading to first grade on Tuesday. I know that you are nervous about school since things were rocky at the end of kindergarten. This will be a fresh new year, with many new friends and only one teacher. It should be exciting getting to know everyone and learning new things. Always know that Daddy and I are in your corner cheering you on. We will stand behind you and make sure that you are taken care of at school and treated fairly.

This summer has been wonderful. I have watched you play with your brother, read to everyone, do math books for fun, and spend time with your new favorite – the Nintendo Wii. We have also spent a lot of time going to Lowes and Home Depot to build fun new things. Seeing your hands create something new and then use it has been extremely rewarding.

I hope we see the sparkle in your eyes as you discover all that is out there in the world. You love learning and we hope it stays that way for the rest of your life.

Remember that you should never give up, always believe in yourself, and know that you are a winner.

I love you NHL and can not wait to see the world of first grade through your eyes.

Love,

Mommy

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

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Dear Kid Saturday looking back nhl photos school summer

Cirque du Soleil

Posted on September 4, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

For our honeymoon, just over eight years ago, JL and I went to Walt Disney World. When we were making our plans, one of the must sees was the fairly new Cirque du Soleil in Downtown Disney. La Nouba tickets were quite difficult to get, but we snagged some great seats. As soon as you walked into the specially designed theater you were transformed into another world. The show was like no other either of us had seen before. The performers were amazing and put on the show with such gusto. We immediately became fans of Cirque from that moment on.

When we went to Las Vegas in December 2002, we met my Aunt L, Uncle J and Cousin M there. We all agreed that we wanted to see "O" at the Belagio. This show is the one that takes place around a specially built theater with a pool in it. Tickets for this show were and still are extremely difficult to get. I managed to get some for one of the nights we were there. It was fantastic and well worth the price of the show. On Christmas Eve, we had no plans and went to the box office at our resort to see if there were any tickets. We literally walked up right after someone canceled on two seats for Mystere. We quickly bought them and saw our third Cirque performance. Mystere did not disappoint and became my favorite of the Vegas trip. I loved the clowns in the show and the humor involved. Of course, the seats were wonderful in the specially built theater.

It has been many years since we have had the chance to see another Cirque du Soleil. Right after JSL was born something came to our area, but was not a real Cirque du Soleil. It was more about the music and dance of the show. We opted not to go and see that. Yesterday, my father called and said he had tickets to see the show here. Surprise! Of course, since my parents were going we had no babysitter.

My wonderful husband agreed to be a sweetheart and watch the boys, so I was able to go and see Alegria this evening.Oh my! From the moment we walked in and saw the stage, I knew it would be wonderful.

There is just something about the costumes, music, lighting, clowns, performers that combine to make a truly unique masterpiece. The director Fanco Dragone and his troop continue to amaze me each and everytime.

My question this week:

Have you ever been to see a Cirque du Soleil show? If you have, what did you see? If you have not would you like to go one day?

Now I will be off to dream of magical places in far off lands and more Cirque du Soleil performances in my future with hubby next time.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #64

Categories:
Aloha Friday jl looking back me moments photos show

Clorox College Survival Guide

Posted on September 3, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Monday evening, I went out to get a few things at the store. When I walked in, it looked like a tornado had been through. Then I noticed all of the people that were shopping along side me. They were mostly college students. Yes, this weekend marked the return of all of the college students in our area. As I was walking around the store, I noticed that a lot of the college kids were looking at the cleaning supplies. They were talking about cleaning things up in their dorms. It was easy to tell the upper classmen from the freshmen. The freshmen looked overwhelmed and seemed to be piling up with more items just in case.

This made me think about when I went to college. I opted to stay home because there was a college close by that I really liked. Do not let that fool you, I spent a lot of time with my friends at the dorms. I remember the filth that they encountered when they moved in. Since I lived off campus, I often helped people to drive around town. I took them to buy supplies to clean the dorm rooms. During this time, there were no cleaning wipes, it was mops, buckets, and sprays galore.I recall spending a lot of time helping them clean because the rooms were not left in the best condition and were dirty/dusty from the summer months.

Although my children are younger, I still think about the future. I know that one day they will likely head off to college and I will be "THAT" Mom worried about her kids and making a fuss.

I was recently asked by Mom Central to participate in the Clorox College Survival Guide Blog Tour. Since I know many people that have children heading off to college, and some going soon, I thought it would be a great opportunity.

To ease Moms’ concerns and prepare freshmen for college, The Clorox Company teamed up with college students and moms across the country to develop an authentic College Survival Guide. The guide serves many purposes, with helpful advice such as:

•   A "heads up" on the popular regional trends in clothing and accessories as well as activities that come along with going to school in the Midwest, the Northeast, the South, and the West Coast
•   Instructions for a "5-Minute Dorm Room Clean-Up"
•   Seasonal influenza and novel H1N1 2009 flu virus prevention tips
•   Dorm room "must-haves" for living away from home
•   Lifestyle tips from experienced Moms

You can find the Clorox College Survival Guide 2009 national edition on Mom Central. Head on over to download the PDF format and check it out for yourself. I really think the list of must have items is a great start for all college freshman. Items you may not think of include bed risers (create extra storage under your bed), fan to keep comfortable when studying, shower caddy, laundry basket (no more mom to do laundry) and many more crucial items. In addition to this, you can visit the College Survival Guide Facebook fan page to find regional editions. Head over to Facebook and search for "College Survival Guide 2009" to get started. If you have a child that is heading to college, or know someone that is encourage them to become a fan of this resource on Facebook. I know that I hope this will still be around when my boys are ready to head to college (just let that time go slow please).

There are also videos with tips for students and parents to watch. Here is a video introduction to show you more of what the Clorox College Survival Campaign is all about.

These videos are very down to earth and contain great hints from students and Moms that have been there and done that. As much as we think we know what we need, it is so easy to forget something or not realize a must have/bring to college. I hope that you find this guide and information useful.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour compaign by Mom Central on behalf of The Clorox Company and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.