t h e S h o r e

Just about 1 hour from our house is the 

beautiful east coast. 

We call it going down the shore here in New Jersey. 

We took our 2 girls and our 2 adopted girls (our nieces)

for the day and headed to the beach. 

There is just something about cousins.... 

they are so close and it is wonderful to see them growing up together. 

Really a blessing. 

The water was so lovely the day we went. 

68 degrees and we were in it just about the entire time. 

it was a wonderful day. 

the "big girls" As maddie calls them would guard her

from the waves breaking... 

arn't they sweet. 

What a great start to the summer... 

Fun with the cousins. 

in the Beautiful Atlantic. 

Lots of day trips planned to the Jersey SHore. 

and no, we didn't run into to Snookie. 

hehe. 

quickly

In case anyone  was wondering... 

like a new parent or parents of toddlers.... 

Time goes Quickly.

I mean so so quickly, it is like a blink of an eye. 

how is it that our oldest is graduating from High School. 

I mean, for Pete's Sake, I feel like I just graduated from High School!

so I suppose the moral of this story is that you better enjoy each and every second. 

Because before you know it , it is over and they are all grown up! 

christmas past

So being I haven't blogged (or uploaded my camera in a week)

Here are shots from Christmas...

By the way, 

does anyone else feel like they

rushed and rushed like a crazy person to try and get ready

for all the festivities... and now sadly its over? 

goes to quickly. Next year I want to be done with everything in November...

so that I can enjoy all of December.  

(one can dream)

Christmas morning. 

I made Maddie the Rollie Pollie Chair... 

the pattern is from MADE

I had been looking at it for a while 

the Friday before Christmas.. (yup 2 days before) 

I decided that Maddie needed to have that as a part of her Christmas.

I ran out and purchased everything on sale...

and it came together in a few hours. 

It was a HUGE hit in our house... 

everyone loves it. 

I made the Large and would like to make another. 

I used Amy Butler's Love in the Dec weight.

I will post on that more another day.... 

Emily may very well kill me for posting this picture but I don't care... 

see how happy even 18 year old daughters can be on

Christmas morning.... 

brings a bit of a tear to my eye... that I have a feeling their won't be to 

many more Christmas's like this... as kids get older... ya know...

Can't think about that... 

and Santa was very good to me. Even though I am pretty sure I didn't not deserve this little box. 

My Santa is so so good to me. 

He brought me the lens that I have been drooling over for months... maybe even a year...

11-18 mm Zoom Super Wide Angle. 

Ahhhhh. 

thank you Santa. 

and here is a shot with my new baby... and Sara shooting me back with her

little Sony Video Camera. Dom catching a nap and Maddie playing with her new 

tracks for Thomas... She LOVES Thomas the train. 

I gave my neices and nephews Monsters... 

they all LOVED them. 

In fact, they may have been their very favorite gifts of all...

(kidding)

This is a shot of the tree (and Sara) one week later.

Happy New Years Eve...

We were waiting for my sister and her family to arrive for a night of gaming. 

I took the waiting as a chance to get some shots of my ornaments. 

My Grandmother handmade these for me the very first year 

Dom and I were married.

almost 20 years old...

They are some of my favorites. 

She was amazing. 

(thought of her a lot this Christmas) 

These are some vintage glass balls that belonged to 

my father in law. 

They are so lovely and wonderful. 

Emily has claimed them as her own...

so one day they will leave our tree and 

go to hers. 

I love this shot.. may be my favorite from the past week. 

and every year I give the girls an ornament. 

This year they were all handmade. 

By a dear friend. They are all vintage bulbs. 

so beautiful! 

I have to tell you one last thing. 

I did purchase a gift and put it under the tree for myself. 

it was a pink cuckoo clock.

I thought this was quite humorous...

my husband did not see the 

humor in it... 

oh well... 

Hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas week. 

Today we are playing hooky and going on a family day trip.

I am excited to relax and spend time with my

family. 

I love them. 

Each and everyone. 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....

We have a Christmas Tradition that every year in December

we drive and drive and drive some more 

to a beautiful tree farm in NJ. 

It is a colonial farm...

I love me some history. 

We picked such a lovely crisp day to go. 

This year. 

The Farm has rolling fields and many trees to pick from. 

This was Sara's year to pick.

Lulu is always in her glory when we go to a 

space with wide open fields where

she can run freely. 

Good thing for big sister's when little legs get tired. 

Maddie insisted on putting Lulu on her lead... Poor Lulu. 

Our girls... 

A rare  photo of me with my girls... 

Sara trying to cut down her tree.... 

It was harder then she thought. 

Her Father Stepped in..

So we wouldn't be at the farm until New Years....

Merry Christmas! From our Family to yours. 

Birthday Wishes