Monday, August 24, 2009

Beach Beauties

For our Christmas gift this year, Philip and Amanda hired a photographer to come to the beach and take a family picture with all 9 of the Beanblossom's. Before the photographer arrived, we snapped some candid photos. I have a feeling that these are going to turn out better then the ones that he took since the girls were all getting grumpy and hungry.

Nonna, Pop and their girls. You'll notice that Emeline had a big bump on her head because just moments before, she fell on the boardwalk and landed forehead first. Poor thing!
Nonna and Libby Grace. My lovely parents. What a sweet couple...married 40 years in June.

Libby striking a pose.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

First weekend on our new boat

As most of you know, Gary and I have been wanting a faster boat for a while. We finally found the perfect boat for us this week and was able to take it out this weekend. The name of this boat is still in negotiation ("Power of Attorney", "Law and Order" and "Trust Me" are currently our top 3 choices). Here we are just pulling away from the ramp.
Ahh...I love ice cream on a hot day!
Don't drip that on the new boat!
Me taking my turn as the captain. I was a little scared since I am not used to driving a boat this size, but after about 20 minutes, began feeling a little more comfortable.Busted...sucking her thumb!I put this picture in here for my mom and dad. Does this look like a blast from the past? I can remember eating many lunches on our boat growing up in that very same spot, with a Capri-Sun in hand! Trying my glasses on for size.

Monday, August 3, 2009

First day of Pre-School

Today was the day that every mother remembers vividly. Every mother can relate to the mixed emotions that I had today when we took Libby to her first day of pre-school. Libby was excited about her new venture, but was a little scared. As you know, Mema (Gary's grandmother) has kept Libby for us since she was 6 weeks old. For almost 3 years, she had free reign on her daily activities and the thought of structured school was enough to make any mother scared. Check her out...so excited! A little tired....but so excited to go. Gary and I both took her to school today. On the ride there, we had a conversation about what the day would be like, all of the new friends she'd meet and how this was the beginning of an exciting new adventure for her.
Libby: "I wonder what we'll have for lunch"
Mommy: "I'm not sure, but you'll have breakfast, lunch and two snacks there"
Libby: "Mema always has pickles...I lover her pickles"
Mommy: "Yeah, Mema makes good pickles"
At the school, Gary, Libby and I were sitting on tiny chairs with the director of the school, going over final paperwork and sharing her possible egg allergy. Just then, Libby crossed her legs, leaned back in her chair and interrupted Ms. Dena with a serious question:
Libby: "Do you all have pickles here??"
That story just goes to show that she'll adjust just fine to her new journey. Even if they don't have pickles.We have called Libby "Monka" since she was a baby...our made-up word indicating that she was a monkey. Only fitting that she had a monkey backpack.Here is the scanned picture of her artwork for the day. Not great, I admit, but she really said she had a good day, made some friends (she told me that she couldn't remember one of her friend's name but calls her Ally) and is ready for tomorrow!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

God is great, beer is good and people are crazy!

This weekend, some of our friends headed down to the camp with us to enjoy the perfect weather. The lake water was so warm and we all had a really great time riding on the boat and relaxing around the campfire. Kayla and Libby enjoying their ice cream sandwiches at the dock in Peter's Cove. Now, that's heaven....an Oreo ice cream sandwich on the boat dock.
Sarah and her baby. Me and my babyJill and her baby
Check out Kayla's face. What this poor child must have been thinking....
The boys decided that it'd be a good idea to try some dives off of the boat (hence the title of the blog entry!) JP on his way to a perfect "Belly Flop".Shawn's attempt for the biggest splash on record at Rough River. I think he might have had it.
Justin showing them all how it was done. He made a back flip look effortless. Ahh, to be young again.... Back at the camp, we blew up the jumper so the girls could burn the last bit of their energy before heading to bed. What a great weekend! Thanks for coming down, guys!

Fish Face

After a much needed nap, we headed to Bass Pro Shop to look at some boats. Libby enjoyed looking at the fish. This is her best impression of a fish.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Kitchen Nightmares

For those of you all who had never seen my "old" kitchen, these pictures might not impress you so much! My old kitchen was right out of the 1970's...complete with green cabinets and a stained glass window. Luckily, when we moved into our house, 4 year ago, we painted the cabinets, but left everything else just the same. Our counters were white with green and gold specks and like I mentioned, there was an orange, green, blue and yellow stained glass window covering. Very retro. I am pleased to report the transformation!I spent one entire weekend painting the cabinets, re-finishing all of the hardware (as you can see, that's a lot!) and painting the walls. With a new counter top, a new pantry door, a new light fixture (bye-bye 1980's mirrored light) our kitchen looks like it finally belongs in this decade! We still need a few "finishing touches", but are proud of the finished product!