C by the Sea

Tia has a shower!

On Sunday afternoon we got together to celebrate Tia and her soon-to-be-arriving baby. We had a lovely afternoon with the usual delicious food and wonderful friends and family to share it with. Now, all that's left to do is wait for little Master Elliott to make his debut...

In the meantime, you might like to check out the rest of the pictures from the afternoon. 

Here, here or here! :)

Happy Birthday, America!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." ~The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

"Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty."  ~Louis D. Brandeis

"This, then, is the state of the union:  free and restless, growing and full of hope.  So it was in the beginning.  So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith."  ~Lyndon B. Johnson

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."  ~Elmer Davis

"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" ~Thomas Jefferson

"May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country!" ~Daniel Webster

"Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die."  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved."  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Graduation!

Last week David and I flew down to Florida to attend Leah's graduation from Page. Leah and Jack both received many awards and honors (check Planet Mancuso for the complete list!) and certainly made their family proud! It's hard to believe that Leah is heading to high school after summer vacation. Words can not express how much this young lady means to us. From the moment her mother and father told us she was on her way, she has lit up our lives in a wonderful way. Leah is beautiful, intelligent, creative, funny, talented and lots more! May God bless you abundantly every day, Leah. We love you. 

More pictures can be found here or here.

Easter baskets

Since everyone is going in all different directions, we gave the boys their Easter baskets on Saturday (Caleb and Joshua) and Sunday (Reed and Race). Just a bunch of little goodies and treats, but they seemed to enjoy it! All the pictures can be seen here. ;)

Another year, another baby shower ;)

Last Saturday we got together at Sean and Lisha's house for a baby shower! It was a great time with friends, family and food -- our three party essentials! Everyone enjoyed the lunch buffet and it was great fun watching all the little kids play. And, we all got to see the preparations Lisha and Sean have made for the (home)birth. Very exciting stuff! The best part was celebrating the greatly anticipated arrival of Lisha and Sean's second son in just a few weeks. We can't wait to meet the precious little guy!

As usual, there are too many pictures to post in the blog, so please visit HERE to see all the fun!

Sean's birthday celebration

For Sean's birthday we went to Dave and Buster's. We had way too much food and everyone had a lot of fun playing in the game arcade. I took a bunch of pictures and even after weeding through them, there are too many to post here. Soooo, check them out here.

Happy New Beginnings!

Because others have said it better than I can...

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:  To rise above the little things.  

~John Burroughs

We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.  

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Every man should be born again on the first day of January.  Start with a fresh page.  Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.  

~Henry Ward Beecher

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  

~Benjamin Franklin

Warm wishes for a year filled with all the goodness and possibilities the world has to offer. May you enjoy good health, laughter and peace. May every day bring you reason to smile and go forth with confidence and every evening bring you contentment and rest. 

2009! May it be the most blessed yet!

Caleb's birthday party

(I have been meaning to post these pictures for more than a week! Sorry to be so tardy! Be sure to check out the rest of them HERE.)

Caleb celebrated his third birthday with a fun party at Sean and Lisha's house. Both sides of his family were well represented and all had a great time. It was a cold, windy day, but some of us even ventured down to the beach. However, it was a brief stay because, well, there is nothing too much colder than a wintry, windy day at the beach! We enjoyed some delicious lunch (Thank you to all the great cooks in the family for your contributions!) and then dove into a yummy ice cream cake. All the kids LOVE ice cream cake! Presents were opened accompanied by the usual "present-opening chaos". Caleb received so many great gifts, but I think his favorite part was celebrating with his family. He had a wonderful time! Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Scenes from Thanksgiving

We had a great time at Sean and Lisha's on Thanksgiving. Here are a few shots from the day...

I love that Caleb had no problem sitting at the table with all these adults that he doesn't really know to enjoy some of Lisha's stromboli with them.

Lisha putting the finishing touches on some of the food. 

Reed wanted to play the guitar for us, but sadly the batteries didn't work. 

There were 4 little boys at the party -- Joshua and these three. Reed, Caleb and Aidan (the son of Sean and Lisha's friend, Jen) were all about the same age and got along so well together.

Reed takes a little break -- in the middle of the kitchen floor, of course!

Have I mentioned the family's "Goofy" gene?

Caleb announced that he needed a tiny nap. Believe me, it was tiny alright. 

"I think he's saying something. If I only knew what."

Not even 5 months old yet and Joshua is already sitting up by himself!

More "Goofy" gene evidence. Poor Joshua looks a bit worried, doesn't he?

A few of us wandered up to the beach to watch the sun go down and were treated to this spectacular sight. Truly one of the most amazing sunsets I've seen. A perfect way to end our wonderful day of giving thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving 1959

Haddonfield, New Jersey

Recall old memories. Make new ones. Count your blessings. Give thanks.

Enjoy the day.

XO

 

(Yes, this is my post from last Thanksgiving. I like to consider it my traditional Thanksgiving post. ;) But, the sentiments and wishes still hold...)

 

Thanksgiving 1959

Haddonfield, New Jersey

Recall old memories. Make new ones. Count your blessings. Give thanks.

Enjoy the day.

XO

 

(Yes, this is my post from last Thanksgiving. I like to consider it my traditional Thanksgiving post. ;) But, the sentiments and wishes still hold...)