Schools OUT for SUMMA.....

Well, almost......tomorrow is their last official day!  And then?  Celebrating Summer!  The adventure begins!!  That means sleeping in, NO homework, swimming, endless playing, play dates and well, you get it : )  WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

We took the day off today and enjoyed the White Sox baseball game.  Beautiful day!  Great company!  Cotton candy, nachos, lemonade, pretzels!  To us....school is OUT!!!  Well, almost.....

Let's GO WHITE SOX!!

LOVES cotton candy!

CHEEEEEESSSSSEEEE

Popcorn and Pretzels!

Memorial Day

Remembering.  Creating memories.  Jump starting the season!  Cooking out - hamburgers, hot dogs and ea tin some Cole slaw that looks orange.  Some potato salad that is too mus tardy.  Spending time with family.  Relaxing.  Getting caught up on chores.  Loving!  Teaching a little one to use a power tool for the first time.  Have a Nice Day Camp!!!  Where your children make a camp for adults and make all the yummy food you could ever enjoy!  Enjoying the FIRSTS of the season...such as jumping in the refreshing pool for the first time........

Giselle learning how to use to power drill to create a trellis!

The FIRST time in the POOL for the Season.....I think we need another GIANT raft to keep them SMILING!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

What's COOKIN good LOOKIN?!

In January, Isabella mentioned to me that she wanted to take a cooking class, so I looked into it and we were able to find one that was local and manageable with our schedules.  Let's Get Cooking!  Isabella participated in the healthy hands 8 hour core cooking program (2 hours each over the course of 4 months), where she learned how to prepare and cook healthy snacks, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. 

I have to tell you, I marveled each and every time she came home with something for us to try.  Who doesn't like to try new dishes?   She put her heart and soul in each and every dish for us to try:  Mari pesto Veggie Pasta, Organic Dark Chocolate Fondue, A Blueberry Smoothie, Chocolate No Bake Drop Cookies, Italian Grilled Chicken, Chickpea Tabbouleh, Ranch Dressing Rainbow Cups with Fresh Veggies, Hard Boiled Eggs, Lettuce Wraps, Fried Eggs and Red Pepper Egg and Cheese.  ALL were super YUMMY!

Will she be the next Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart?  Or Bobby Flay?  Time will tell......  This girl loves to chop, cook and prepare dishes in the kitchen (Betty would LOVE her!).  Isabella has surpassed me in the kitchen, as she is not afraid of knives like I am!  She makes a mean fruit salad, chopped finely.  AND anytime I am making chili or need anything chopped up finely - she is right there to help!  And desserts.....I think that is her favorite thing to make.  Maybe she will be a baker?  KEEP ON COO KIN good LOO KIN, we are proud of your achievements!  P.S.S.  Mommy, Daddy and Giselle love your kitchen surprises on movie nights! 

Mother's Day

Sometimes Mothers Day is hard for people....for Mother's who have lost their children, those who have lost Mother's, or those yearning to be Mother's or even Mother's with strained child relationships.

I am thankful I got to spend Mother's Day with my mother!  I also reminisce on this day back to beautifully created memories with the other Mother like figures that were once in my life, like Nanny and Grandma Betty.  All three of these special women have made and continue to make an influential impact on the mother and woman I am today.  And I am thankful.  Beyond gratification or words.

Some women like to celebrate Mother's Day by dressing up in a fancy outfit and going to brunch, along with the other 1,000 people who are out celebrating.

You won't find me in a fancy outfit at a stuffy, over priced brunch with bland food.  Instead, you will find me, in comfy clothes, spending quality time with my mother.  And you will also find me and my girls in a field filled with colorful yellow weeds, planting our feet firmly on the ground as we take nature in and breathe.  And sneezing!  You will find me SMILING as I watch Giselle and Isabella play hide and go seek.  I smile at their innocence of running and laughing through a field of weeds, while all at the same time I capture that memory, and store it away.  I realize that they will not be this carefree and innocent forever.   And you will also find me relaxing.  It's the one day of the year to relax and DO it, feeling guilt free.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day!!  XOXOXO

My beautiful mother.

Sisterly LOVE

One, Two, Three......

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!

LOVE these GIRLS with all my HEART!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Last Friday was the second annual daddy/daughter dance at the school and this years theme was TIKI!  As always, the girls were super excited to have a night with daddy.  Daddy didn't own a Hawaiian shirt, so I stepped out and got him one so he would be FESTIVE.
There were hula dancers, a beach ball toss and crafts.  Isabella and Giselle really enjoyed the limbo contest too.  Giselle was the only one to dance with daddy.  Isabella was off painting crafts with her friends.  When she got home, she gave me her painted rock to keep and when she gave it to me, she said "Here mommy, I wanted you to know I was thinking of you."  Until next years dance......

MOVE over Picasso....

There is a new artist in town, and her name is Isabella Marie Vail!  Isabella participated in a two day workshop after school and to my surprise, came home with this masterpiece!!  A BEAUTIFUL hand painted snow owl on canvas.  I COULD NOT paint this if you paid me a million dollars!  Where does she get her creative art skills from?  It is certainly not me! 

Given the challenges this little girl faces in her daily life each and every day, she amazes me with her brilliance, creativity, compassion and kindness!  We proudly hung her hand painted canvas in her bedroom with her other creative art.  KEEP SHINING BIG GIRL!  YOU ARE A STAR!!!!

One Proud Girl!

Isabella's Hand Painted Snow Owl - 2 days of painting this canvas @ 40 mins each session!

Lots of LOVE

A few weeks before Valentine's Day, Isabella entered a coloring contest from the local newspaper.  The prize was two hours of free bowling for up to six people, including shoe rental, along with pizza and a pitcher of pop. 
Every week, she checked the newspaper to see if she had won.  She really wanted to have a bowling party!  The day came and the winners were announced!  On the front page of the paper - THERE was Isabella's HEART that she joyfully colored and decorated with glitter (2nd row, 1st picture).  We were so excited!!  We started jumping up and down and screaming! 

And then we flipped the page to read the article.........

While Isabella did not win the coloring contest, she was VERY PROUD that out of 623 entries across three age groups and seven towns - HER PICTURE WAS SHOWCASED on that front page.  What are the odds of that happening?  Even better?  She colored that heart with LOTS OF LOVE and SPARKLES and that HEART was delivered to a local veteran - which surely had to make his/her day!!  Always so thoughtful and creative.

Isabella's HEART is 2nd row, 1st picture.