Fourth of July

We had a wonderful Fourth of July. The highlight of the day was the Palisades Americanism Parade. Joey loved watching it. It really had all of his favorite things. Bands, Horses, Firetrucks, Cars. What more could a little boy ask for? Well perhaps to see his daddy in the parade. And that is just what Joey got. He was so excited when he saw daddy driving this awesome 1941 Army Truck complete with his friend Sarah's daddy. The kids got a kick out of cheering them on.

Joey was thrilled he got his own little flag to wave. He was so happy showing his national pride!

Old McDonald Had A Farm

Joey and I had a few hours to waste in Ontario. While the shops at Ontario Mills were calling my name, I did not think that would be very amusing for Joey. So I found Amy's Farm (http://www.amysfarm.com/) for him. He loved it from the moment we pulled up to the moment we left.
This horse was particularly friendly and kept looking at Joey and Joey kept looking at him.
The cows were particularly intriguing to Joey. This one was close enough to the fence for Joey to pet it. I am not so sure that was the best course of action, but leave it to a 2 year old to make the decisions.

"Hello, bunnies! Hello, bunnies!" was all that Joey could say when he encountered these fuzzy creatures. I think the bunnies appreciated the enthusiastic greeting.
At Amy's farm we also feed the sheep & goats and picked a few green beans. It was a great way to spend a few hours.

Ahoy It's A Boy!

One should never give me a theme party to plan, I will take the idea and run with it for sure. So my good friend Marie is expecting a little boy. So we thought we would usher him into the world in style with a nautical themed shower to match his nursery.

The centerpiece of the party was the darling cake that I crafted. It tasted as good as it looked. Those whales jumping out of the ocean were just so darn cute.



Ahoy, It's A Boy! was certainly the theme of the day. This cute banner I crafted out of construction paper and die cut letters. It helped to set the mood for the day.



I am most proud of the diaper cakes. Not only were they a cute centerpiece for the table, but they prove to be a very useful gift for the mommy to be.

Here I am with Marie. She looks like she is ready to pop. We cannot wait to meet baby. I hope he arrives soon and is kind to his mommy.

These were the tables, complete with the diaper cakes and baby pictures provided by the grammas to be. It made you wonder who the baby would look like. I sure he will be a cutie pie.

A Reflection

I am sitting here in my office, almost quitting time on my last day as an employee, staring unemployment in the face, I am getting sad. What does the future hold? Will I be one ofthe lucky few to be called back. Or after nine years am I done with this place.
I started working here as a 21 year old baby, ready to conquer the world and save the children. Did I save any of them? Or have the children I have educated forgotten me? Or have I forgotten them.

This last year has been a roller coaster. I knew it was doomed from the beginning. One week in, m grandfather passed. I think that really set the tone for the year. Yes, there have been some bright spots, the kids are awesome. But half way through the year, I knew that my position was going to be eliminated. I came to terms with that, then came the slew of lay off letters in the mail. It was down hill from there.

Surprisingly this last week has been the best week of work for me in a while. I have had a carefree attitude, chaperoned two field trips, and packed up my things with a smile on my face. I brought treats for the kids that have helped me. But as I say goodbye to the kids that have meant the most to be, I find myself fighting back tears.

In the last nine years, I have worked with kids and adults that challenged me and made me grow. There have been others that have been a guiding light for me. And still others that have moved on to other districts and states to do bigger and better things.

So I guess my time here has not been wasted, but in the end it is hard to say goodbye.

Turning Two In Style

Joey's favorite thing at the old age of two is trucks. So a truck themed party was in order. On a wonderful Saturday afternoon, Joey and all of his little friends gathered together. Here is the birthday boy as the party was getting started. He was a gracious host, greeting each of his guest with a hug.
I was rather proud of all the decor. We had construction hats and vest for the kids to parade around in.
The tables were decorated to look like roads complete with dump trucks and fire trucks. Joey's favorite activity was taking the trucks apart. He wanted to play with the blocks I used in them middle of them.
Here is the fabulous cake that my mother in law made. It was an amazing cake.


Happy 2nd Birthday Joey!

The Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch

Fourth of July weekend, I had this brilliant idea to plant pumpkins in our back yard. So Joey and I planted two packages of seeds in little pots and we had grand plans for giant pumpkins . After months of careful water and checking, we ended up with two of the cutest little pumpkins. That Joey was happy to carry around the backyard.





I think the great pumpkin will surely visit this most sincere pumpkin patch. Who knows what kind of pumpkins we will end up with next year.

Pumpkins!

Fall is great time of year. The weather gets cooler, you can bundle up and visit a pumpkin patch. Which is exactly what we did last week. On a cool rainy Friday, we dressed Joey up in his Halloween costume and went off to the YMCA pumpkin patch.


All he wanted to do was pick up the pumpkins and run around with them.

He was particularly entranced by the little pumpkins.


Joey got to go home with one perfect little pumpkin.