Party time in Syracuse!!! Part 2--the big surprise!

Well, we all assembled and hid out in the house when Diana called us to warn they were about back. You would have never known we had around 40 people hiding out quietly! Diana got Mom to put on her party hat and when she walked in and saw all of us, it was priceless! I got a short video clip of her big moment, and when I get a chance to upload it, I'll add it here. But in the meantime, here's a photo:

And here are a few pics of the party:

Party time in Syracuse!!!

July 4th weekend saw the plans that my sisters and I had made all come to fruition. We'd decided to throw Mom a surprise late birthday party and invite her siblings, our cousins and friends of hers. The beauty of the plan was that Mom and Ed had just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and she knew we were in town, so if she suspected we were up to anything, she'd guess anniversary, not her birthday! Diana was assigned distraction duty to get them out of the house for the morning hours we needed to get the house ready for guests. Here are some pictures of us getting ready:

Fun in DC (me playing catchup on blogging..again!!

Well, even though it was a month ago, before we made our trip up to Syracuse to throw my mom a surprise late birthday party, I made a solo side trip up to DC to see Sara and Ella. Andrew was coming home from NYC where he's been taking graduate classes, so I wasn't sure if I'd get to see him or not. Lucky for me, he got back late that Saturday night, so I did get to see him!

Anyway, since I got up to Sara's early enough in the morning, I was able to accompany Sara and Ella to Ella's sign language class. I was fascinated by how well Ella is able to communicate using signs, even though she does not have hearing loss, but what a smart cookie she is!

In that afternoon, I also had the chance to hang out with my best childhood friend, Mikko. He and I have known each other since the age of 8, and I hadn't seen him in 6 years, so I was really excited to see him! The weather was a sunny, hot day, and it was beautiful!! We spent a few hours together hanging out and it was like when we were kids, hanging out, talking, being goofy and it was so fun! I am going to have to make more side trips up there...I had such a great time! Mikko also helped me with some finnish pronunciation, since I have a close online friend who lives in Finland and has been teaching me some phrases.

Sara, Ella and I ate dinner in Old Town Alexandria after Mikko left, and we ate at a tapas place. Ella had fun playing with the wine menu while we looked at the food ones.

The next day, Sara, Andrew, Ella and I went to the National Zoo. It was nice in the morning and the animaals were active. Ella loved the cows and we got to see the pandas rolling around and climbing up and down the trees. Very fun! they even had a pizza themed kiddie play ares.

20 years, Mom & Ed!!! Way to go!!!!!!

JUST SENDING ANNIVERSARY SHOUTOUTS TODAY TO MOM & ED! 20 years married as of today. Pretty flippin' awesome!!! Hope you 2 find something really fun to do today!

I got the coolest present today from my cousin

I was having a really awful, no good, terrible, very bad afternoon here at home today and when I brought the mail inside, I found an envelope from Paul with the most awesome bracelet inside!!! His latest hobby has been jewelry making and he is really talented. He's made some really beautiful pieces. I previously received a Pittsburgh colored football necklace from him, also quite cool.

But this bracelet puts all else to shame! So I have something really awesome now to wear that celebrates the Penguins' Stanley Cup championship this year! The 87 on it is for Sidney Crosby, that uber talented (and uber cutie pie) Penguin! Tis' good to be a female fan! hehehehe

so, Thank you Paul! You rock!

a Happy Father's Day photo from yesterday

Kristen decided to make an edible Father's Day card for Chris, so she made brownies and her own little signs as a card. Here are the yummy results:

What else to do on a 100 degree day here

Well, later in the day, after skating, we decided to have a water fight outside. Alice was the only one who wanted to participate, so it was the 3 of us in the front yard. Matthew did eventually come outside and man the camera after Chris and I took turns. Alice and Chris ended up deciding to gang up on me, so I was the first one to get completely soaked, but it felt good on such a hot day! I have decided that even after dropping 20 since winter, the camera is not yet my friend when I am wearing a bathing suit. but here are a few photos anyway:

What to do on a 100 degree day here...

Well, we found a couple things to do yesterday when it was so hot out. Chris and I took Alice roller skating for a couple hours. The place had a sweet deal for the morning, just pay for Alice and parents skate free. Talk about cheap entertainment! We took turns with the camera and skated for 2 hours. Talk about a great workout for the legs! I'm not sore today but my feet hurt yesterday! :-) Here are a few photos from there, some better than others.

Remembering Tyrone...a year later

yesterday marked one year after Maria's beloved pug Tyrone had to be put down. Even a year later, these pictures make me teary. You are not forgotten, buddy!

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, BABY!!!!

Well, I was too chicken to post about the Penguins during the Finals, and what a series it was! It went to 7 games and that game 7 was one of the most incredible games I've ever watched!!!! Fleury was outstanding in the goal, turning away all kinds of shots by Detroit, and the guys fought so hard to take the series to game 7 and to win it in Detroit, where they'd had trouble, well it was amazing!!! I was a nervous wreck watching, just like when I watched the Super Bowl! Pittsburgh is truly a city of champions again! I am so proud to be a fan. Now if only those Pirates would get their act together....

I found a bunch of images online and here is a slideshow in tribute to those champion Pittsburgh Penguins!!!!!!

time to write about June before June is gone!

Early June saw the end of Brownies for Alice and the end of the school year a week later for all the kids. Alice did not want to continue with scouts, so this was the last thing for her. The girls sang songs for us that they had learned. Some of the songs were ones I'd heard when I was a girl scout and some were funny, silly ones. My personal favorite was "God Bless My Underwear", LOL!!!! She got all the rest of her badges, patches and pins for the year. We were at a leader's house for a big picnic for the festivities. Here are some photos from that day:

Almost June and Happy Birthday Dale!!!

Unlike last weekend, which was spent being sick and indoors the whole time, this weekend has been spectacular! We have enjoyed upper 80's temps and sunshine, and I have broken out the summer clothes. Today Chris and I washed our cars and I vacuumed mine, which looked pitiful inside. Unbeknownst to me, Chris had some fun taking pictures of me washing my car...only one of which was fit for sharing with others! I was trying to wash off the roof of my car while perched precariously on the hood. Feel free to giggle if you want!



And....today I get to wish my niece Dale a very Happy Birthday! Can't believe you're 5 now! WOW!