Rooms With a View

NOW, WHERE WAS I...

when I was so rudely interrupted by a bad hard drive. Yes, it was the hard drive, not a virus. Dell was nice enough to send us a new one which turned out to be the wrong kind. Charlie finally put it an old dell drive that we had and now I am up and running. The last post I was attempting when my computer died was about the 4th of July. So, here we go..

 

 

A small sampling of our fireworks.

 

I have no idea why Charlie is making this face.

 

 

The kids awaiting the big show.

 

 

After we had shot off a few rockets, our neighbors from across the street invited us over to enjoy the event. They had 4 times more fireworks then we did. Charlie and our neighbor, Ray, put on quite the show.

 

I know this is a bad photo; if you look hard enough you will see Charlie and Ray setting off a rocket. They had all of the big fireworks lined up in order of display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are wondering if these fireworks are legal; yes they are here in our county. In fact, we can do them 365 days a year if we want.

 

That cute little thing is Josie. She has a twin brother and a big brother who is Mitchell's age. Charlie was lighting sparklers in this photo.

 

Patrick enjoying the event while texting and eating chips.

 

Ray and Charlie enjoying a hard earned beer.

 

Me and Lisa, Ray's wife. I could not find a red, white, or blue shirt so I wore my UofU shirt.

 

Remember these? Black snakes that expand after you light the little disk. I used to love these.

 

Me with my hunky husband.

The next day, the kids and I went across the street to help with the cleanup. The neighbors were not home so we just went to work. It took us over 1 1/2 hours. There were rockets two houses away! We also found them here...

 

Yes, we found three of them in our pool. We had a great night and are looking forward to next year.

I will be back tomorrow!!!!

ON A HAPPIER NOTE...

We had a very nice holiday weekend. Other than going to IKEA on Saturday (deserves a separate post) we did some yard work and hung out together. On Monday we had my friend Christi and her kids over for a barbecue and a little swimming. The rain held off until we were ready to put the meat on the grill. Charlie just pulled the barbecue underneath our patio cover and went to work. Believe it or not, I did not take any photos. When I realized this blunder I sent Patrick up to the pool to shoot a few of the kids. This was all he got. Enjoy...

 

Mitchell racing the girls. I have a hard time believing he could beat Vinny so she must have given him a head start.

 

Anna Kate, Vinny and Abigail taking a break. Or is it Abigail, Vinny and Anna Kate?

 

I have no idea what Mitchell is doing here.

 

Abigail (I think) diving.

 

Anna Kate ( I think) diving. It is hard to tell identical twins apart in photos. I can tell them apart in person it is just photos that stump me.

 

Mitchell showing the girls his best form.

 

I have no idea what Vinny is doing here; perhaps she is pretending to be a horse? What is so sad about this photo is how sunburned she got. I must have been out in left field to miss the sunscreen check. She actually woke up on Tuesday morning with a fever. Could it be sun poisoning? She stayed home today and her fever finally broke around 8:00 pm.

So, that is it. Stop by tomorrow for some fun photos from our IKEA trip.

MOTHER'S DAY PART 2

Here are some photos of Mother's Day...

 

Vinny vacuuming the pool.

 

 

The card from Storm and the kids.

 

This is what we had to eat. Do you recognize the bag? It is from Jack in the Box. Megan, we did think of you while eating our tacos. Don't you just love the grease on the bag?

 

My taco.

 

Vinny had a cheeseburger.

 

Storm had egg roles and Patrick had a grilled cheese. We all had shakes.

 

Mitchell also had a cheeseburger. See the scratch on his nose? Milo did that. Does anyone want a cute black kitty? He is free!

 

Charlie had a teriyaki bowl.

 

Another shot of Storm and Patrick.

After dinner the kids went for a ride around our block and then for a quick swim. Patrick suggested that we all go for a family walk around the block. I decided to give it a try so off we went.

Storm is fixing Mitchell's bandanna.

 

The kids slowly got further ahead of us.

 

We caught up, or maybe they slowed down.

Our neighborhood consists of one large street and two circles. I am proud to report that I made it all the way around the neighborhood.

Well, that is it for Mother's Day. See you tomorrow.

THE HOSPITAL AND MOTHER'S DAY

Last Tuesday I started to experience a new pain in my lower back. I have experienced back pain before; in fact I have it almost weekly. This pain did not go away with Advil or with a heating pad. On Wednesday, the pain spread to around my belly button  and then slowly to the lower right side of my belly. I stuck it out until Friday. I finally called my neurologist because I do not have a family doctor. He told me to come in at 4:00 that afternoon. After a little poking he was convinced it was my appendix so he had me admitted and called the surgeon on call. This surgeon happened to be the same guy who took care of Charlie's hernia. He ran some blood work which showed an increase in my white count, my lipase and amylase (which is indicative of Pancreatitis) and my liver enzymes where very elevated. Next we did a CT scan. Then he left telling me he would see me first thing in the morning.

By 3:00 I was so hungry and so thirsty after having vomited all night and other things I will not mention. I begged for some water and finally was able to eat. At this point I have also gone without two doses of my regular medicines that I take and I finally had a nervous breakdown. By 4:30 I left, simply ran away. I called my dear friend who picked me up after I had walked about a mile and she took me back to the hospital. I really do not know what I was thinking or if I was in my right mind. The doctor finally showed up around 6:00 and explained that my appendix was fine but due to the increase in my liver enzymes and the size of my liver he wanted to see if going without my medicines, food and water would help those labs. It would have been nice if he had explained that to us. Needless to say, I still wanted to go home. I HATE staying in the hospital and I had already been there for over 24 hours.

The next step is to figure out which medicine is causing the liver problems. I do not drink but maybe once a year so we know it is not alcohol. I have never done IV drugs so we can rule that out. We do know that all of the medications I am currently on can all cause some kind of liver damage. Tomorrow I will find a family doctor and start to figure it all out.

I slept until 2:00 on Sunday. Charlie had bought Krispy Kreams and the kids gave me my gift. Storm was a work and when he got home he brought me a card. Here are a few photos of my gift. I will share more tomorrow after I have some more rest.

 

This is a Willow Tree. I collect them. My new one is the Father & Daughter one in memory of my dad.

 

This is a photo of my collection.

 

from the other end.

 

I will end with a nice photo that Vinny took of my boys.

I hope you all had a blessed Mother's Day.

Check back tomorrow.

TIE DYE EGGS, TOO MUCH CANDY, AND MORE

We had a wonderful Easter this year. No one was sick (Mitchell was sick last year), our eggs turned out perfect, and we all made it to church together.

I purchased a tie dye egg coloring kit. The problem was that it only had one plastic case in which you had to put the egg. It also only had one dropper. So, we had to take turns with the tie dye kit. While waiting for our turn we all got a little creative.Here are a few (okay, more than a few) highlights.

 

Mitchell with his first tie dyed egg.

 

Vinny using a Versa Mark marker.

 

Charlie with his first egg of the night.

 

Patrick doing his creative thing. 

I am not sure when I lost control of the camera.

 

Charlie decided to make his own tie dye kit with one of my mesh dish towels.

 

After he wrapped the egg in the towel, he dipped it into several different colors.

 

Vinny had more dye on her hands, arms, and shirt than she did on her eggs.

 

The results! See the one toward the bottom with the tiny squares? That is the one Charlie did wrapped up in the towel.

 

Charlie and I decided to have Easter in the office/guest room this year. The Easter bunny covered up the baskets just in case the kids discovered where they were.

 

Vinny's, Mitchell's, Patrick's, Charlie, and mine. Vinny received a couple of Webkinz, and the boys got SKATE IT for the Wii. The Easter Bunny surprised me with Photoshop Elements 7. You may be wondering why Charlie has the tiny little basket. Well, that was his basket when he was a little boy. He knows if he runs out of candy he can eat mine.

 

In they come!

 

Mitchell had to bring Milo in.

 

Vinny happy to see her two new Webkinz.

 

The wrappers were off in about 3.2 seconds.

 

This is the look I received when I told the boys only one piece of candy until after breakfast. I had gone all out and actually cooked. We had cinnamon rolls and sausage. I know, that is really not cooking but for me to do that much on an early Sunday morning is noteworthy.

 

Nothing like three tired faces on Easter morning.

After church we decided to forgo the cooking. I mean, one meal a day is enough don't you think. So, we went to Fudrucker's and had a great meal.

When we got home I realized I had not taken photos of everyone in their new Easter outfits.

A nice shot of the kids.

 

This would have been one of our best family photos if it weren't for Patrick's eyes only being half open. 

I hope you all had a blessed Easter. Thanks for stopping by.

HOPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN!!!!

Today is not only Easter; it is also Bryan's birthday!!! Bryan is Charlie's oldest daughter. I wanted to wish you all a blessed Easter and Bryan a wonderful birthday. Here are a few of my favorite photos of Bryan.

 

Bryan with Anna Maria and little tiny Isabella. 2007

 

Anna Maria and Bryan in 2007.

 

Patrick and Bryan. This was in the summer of 2008. Bryan had put a barrett in Patrick's hair.

 

During the same visit in 2008. Bryan served Patrick some cereal that turned out to be healthy. Patrick is not the healthiest eater. The cutie on Bryan's back is Little Miss Isabella.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter.

BRYAN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU.

VALENTINES, CRAFTS AND BASKETBALL

I know I already showed the wonderful Barber Shop Quartet that showered me with love on Valentines Day. I thought I would show you a few more images from our day.

Charlie opening his present from his lovely wife.

 

I have made or purchased a few keepsake boxes over the past 20 years. He keeps cards, artwork done by the kids, and other memories. He mentioned a while ago that he needed a new one and I remembered the day before Valentines day. So, this was quick craft and I love it. So does he. Here is a close-up...

 

Here is a side view of the box.

 

Vinny also got a little crafty for her dad...

 

Here is a close-up...

 

I am so proud of her and the awesome job she did with this beautiful frame.

Patrick gave me a beautiful white frame and Mitchell gave me a gift card to Michael's. Sorry, no photos. Here is what Vinny gave me...

 

This is a Willow Tree and I collect them. This one is called the "Angel of the Heart".I gave each of the kids a bag of candy. Vinny received two webkinz, Patrick got a I-Tunes card, and here is what Mitchell got...

 

He has been wanting a basketball hoop since we moved here. We had one in Salt Lake and he really enjoyed using it. Now, this is not just for him, it is for the whole family. Here are a few more photos...

 

I gave the kids gummy eyes! I found them at Target and the packaging said "I have eyes for you". I could not resist.

 

The kids were their bags of goodies.

Last but not least, here is a video of Mitchell making his 20 shots in a row. I came in a little late and I apologize for how dark it is.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

LOOK WHAT SANTA BROUGHT ME!

As I was beating Mitchell last night in pool, I realized that I never posted photos of what Santa brought me. First off are the two new recliners that Charlie and I gave each other for Christmas and our anniversary.

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Charlie taking a rest in his chair. After his hernia surgery he will spend a great deal of time in this chair.

 

Vinny demonstrates the first reclining position.

Position#2  Actually there are many positions in between sitting and full recline.

 

It rocks.

 

And it swivels. The best part is the lifetime warranty from Lazy Boy. They will cover stains, cuts, everything. Gotta love that.

My favorite present is below...

 

 

 

Yes, a pink pool cue. I had to post all three photos because Patrick worked really hard to get just the right photo.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope 2009 brings you all laughter, love, happiness and and good health. I will leave you with a video of Patrick's choir singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain".

CHRISTMAS MORNING WITH WII

Charlie and I hinted to the kids that their big gift this year was too big to "fit" into the house and it was something that I did not want and let daddy talk me into. They were convinced that we were giving them a trampoline.
We were not giving a way any more hints and told them they would just have to wait and see. I will let you know at the end of this post. Here are lots of photos from our morning...

 

When the kids saw Charlie and I attempting to play Rock Band they ran to us and took over the instruments.

 

 

 

Vinny is sporting her cute new hat. They each received a new hat. Patrick is opening up his new sweat pants. He had been borrowing Charlie's which are too short and too big around the waste so I bought them each a pair.

 

 

I am a major control freak on Christmas morning. I only allow one person at a time to open a gift. This way the morning lasts a lot longer

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Mitchell is all excited to have his own phone charger. Patrick left one of them in New York and since then they have fought over the one we had left. All three also received their own personal charging stations for their rooms.

 

I put together a photo collage of pictures of Patrick and Beautiful Bo. This is what I was working on until 6:00am Christmas morning.

 

Vinny with a whale webkinz. She received webkinz this year.

 

Each of the kids got a shower radio. Vinny and Mitchell have to share theirs since they share a bathroom.

 

We pick names in our little family and keep the results secret. You know, like a Secret Santa. Mitchell had Patrick this year and all he wanted was a hair straightener. Why Patrick is sticking his tongue out is a total mystery.

 

I had Mitchell and I gave him a juggling set.

 

The Sea Otter webkinz.

 

The boys with their new hats.

 

Patrick and the new 2009 Guinness Book of World Records Book. He has collected these since he was about 6.

 

Mitchell got some cool gloves.

 

Vinny got a cool house to keep all of her webkinz in.

  

 

New robes and slippers for the kids.

 

Charlie and I gave each other new recliners for Christmas and I also gave renewed his subscription to Family Handy Man magazine. He thought I had given him some new towels.

 

Patrick was Charlie's Secret Santa and what did he want? Post it Notes. So, Patrick also got him a nice desk set to put the Post it Notes in. Charlie had Vinny and got her a cool clock radio that shines the time on the ceiling and Vinny had me and got me a scrapbooking calendar.

 

My new Pink Pool Cue that I need to take a photo of. I found this on my favorite blog A Passion For Scrapbooking. Jeanette listed it as something on her wish list and I sent the link to Charlie just for kicks. I was very surprised when I opened it up. It is a great cue too and has me unbeaten so far.

 

The kids opening up their Trampoline.

 

When they saw that their trampoline was actually a Wii, they exclaimed that they knew it was a Wii all along; yea right.

 

I also got the Wii Fit. The kids and Charlie have done nothing since Christmas but eat, sleep and play with the Wii and Wii fit. I have not been up to trying it due to my stupid headache. I received a second dose of Depercot today and hopefully will wake up headache free tomorrow.

Well, thanks for hanging around to see our Christmas. I hope you all had a glorious day as well.

No video tonight, I think the photos were enough.