In the Making

I have a friend, Allison, who suggested to me to make hair bows and sell them. I thought it was a great idea and so I am going to do it. I've had a lot of fun making them. It is more fun to pick out the ribbon. I thought I would put a few pictures up. They just need the little clip on back and then I am done! Hopefully I can start selling them within one week from now. Thank you Allison! :o)

Weekend Getaway to "Spittsburgh"

This past weekend we went to Pittsburgh to visit Shaun and Amy. Dad and Val were visiting along with Amy's parents and Grandma for Shaun's graduation and Ezra's baby blessing. It was great to see everyone! The trip was bitter-sweet because Shaun and Amy will be moving soon. It has been so great to have family a short drive away from us and we are really going to miss them.

We had so much fun while we were there. The best part is the kids always have a great time and love spending time with each other. On Saturday, we went to the water front along the river called Station Square. Here Olivia and Alyssa played by the fountain that danced to music (A mini version of Bellagio's fountain in Las Vegas) Of course they took of their shoes and took it all in! Then they cooled off after all their dancing with an Italian ice treat! A North-east favorite!
Mason loved that he could run around and puddles were easy to find! As you can see, he did not want to be caught. His running motion came as I was saying, " Mason, come here." And he interprets that as, "run Mason run, oh, and mock your parents while you're at it!" This is the response we get these days! Nonetheless.........adorable!



Moving forward on our way to take a ferry ride, Bryan was threatened to be shot at by Indians, but this didn't seem to phase him too much.............moving on............



Once we were on the ferry everyone sat back and enjoyed the view. One of the things that is so unique about Pittsburgh is how many bridges it has. There are approximately 440 bridges making it the number one city in the world for the most. It beats Venice, Italy! WOW! Because I couldn't put them all on this page, I highly suggest visiting someday if you haven't all ready!
Riding the ferry is a great way to view some of the more spectacular bridges the city has. And for all the sports fans out there, you get a great shot of Heinz stadium and PNC Park! Very cool!



Sunday was a very busy day......Handsome little Ezra was blessed and Shaun graduated! YIPEEE! And everyone went to Olivia's music performance that her music class put on. Shaun joked that the more money you pay for school, the bigger your diploma.......and he definitely payed for it! Of course he earned it too! :o) As you can see this is true! A very happy Dad too! We are all proud of him! We know our Mom is so proud too! Good Job Shaun!











We ended the trip on Monday with a day back down by the waterfront. We went to the Duquesne Incline. It is a ride you take up the side of a cliff! To get to the observation deck to see the spectacular view, you take one of two original cable cars that date back to 1877. As one car goes up the rail, the other goes down. Once at the top, AHHHH........ENJOY!!!!

Alyssa and Olivia enjoying the ride up!

Here is a family pic from the observation deck.

A second honey moon? Sweet, but we are pretty sure those were our kids just above us. Maybe next time! And hopefully those pictures will have a beach and an ocean in it......and no kids!

This a great shot of the incline and the cable car. What a view! The triangle you see is Pittsburgh's downtown, also known as the Golden Triangle. What a way to end a weekend getaway! We had a lot of fun in a short amount of time! It was extra great to see Dad and Val. Dad looked great and kept up just fine! Dad was his good old self. If he didn't have energy you wouldn't have ever known. He is a trooper. I think he looks great x-tra bald! And Val, as always, is so pleasant and endures all of us "crazies" with grace.......and patience! She is a trooper too! :o) Of course she is younger and her energy isn't in question!
Now how can we entice you all to come visit Philadelphia? Let's see, I don't think it as pretty as Pittsburgh. But it is pretty........dirty! he he. And our kids are pretty so you would have them to look at! And we aren't within comfortable driving distance so that doesn't help either......hmmmm, not doing so good here. HOWEVER, the historic landmarks, its location to so many other fun cities, cheese steaks, and awesome indoor market, make up for the dirtiness. Despite Philly's many flaws, it's nice to come "home." Back to another adventurous week. This trip should hold us over for at least a couple of months! Good night!

Meet THE Princess........and don't you forget it!!

Alyssa, 5 years old, in the CROWN jewels. And make no mistake about it, she is a princess. She recently had a princess birthday party with some of her friends. When we were preparing for it, I kept referring to the crowns as tiara's. While driving in the car recently,Bryan and I were having a conversation about getting enough tiara's for the party. Alyssa, always listening intently, corrected us, "They are not tiara's, they are crowns, if you call them tiara's again, you will not be invited to my party." We apologized, and oh so sincerely. Then Bryan said, "Alyssa, it might be a little hard for you to have a party with out the help of Mom and Dad." As she always does, she wittingly replied, "Oh, don't worry......I can handle all those kids, but it just might get a little sloppy though!" And we know she really believes she could have too! This is a girl in control..........in every meaning of the word! This kid out wits us everyday! It's a good thing we think she's cute! :o)

Yet Another Vicitm!

Mason, now 14 months old, adores his big sister Alyssa. She wanted to share with him the excitement of her new birthday things! He is so relaxed. He loves this chair probably more than Alyssa and loves to utilize it while watching the ever agonizing PBS show, Teletubbies. A man that can proudly wear pink is truly a confident one! And he is a little man! We will see how confident he will be when Alyssa uses this against him someday..........hang in there buddy, we understand! :o)