Pamering.....

As Taylor puts it, the sky's bladder is full which means that it is raining outside. It is a very drizzly Sunday afternoon and we are waiting for the Eagles to play this evening. Taylor was going to paint her nails so I conned her into giving her mom a manicure and pedicure. It was very relaxing. I got to take a little nap. :-)


Soaking my hands.....
Taylor hard at work.......

Finished artwork.......

2008 Block Party

We had our annual block party yesterday. The weather was perfect and most of the neighborhood was in attendance. It is an afternoon/evening affair. It started at 2:00 with kid games..... scavenger hunt, candy grab, face painting, fill the bottle, etc..... The adults have a tournament playing a game called Washers. It is a lot of fun to play. It looks easier than it is. We rented a bounce house for the kids to play on. Each family brought a hot or cold dish and meat to eat for dinner. After dinner, we sat by the fireplace and roasted marshmellows. We ended the evening with a fireworks show. Our neighbor is able to get the illegals ones and sets them off. It is a lot of fun getting together and hanging out. We all have a good time. It is something the kids look forward to each year. We have a wonderful neighborhood.

Cameron hard at work. Roasting marshmellows is a tough job.

Taylor's marshmellow caught on fire. She was freaking out. Kevin saved the day and blew it out.

As the day wore on, it got a bit chilly. They had a fire for us to keep warm and the kids to roast marshmellows. Check out Taylor and Cameron's serious faces. Taylor has the hoodie on. Taylor doesn't like to eat the marshmellows, she was roasting it for her mom. mmm..

After the adults finished their tournament, the kids wanted to play so dad and son's played each other. Duane and Cam played Chad and Jake. The Sell's lost 21 to 17. It was close. They had fun.

Here is Duane in the "washers" tournament. The goal is to get to 21 first. Last year, Duane and I were the tournament champions. This year we lost in the second round. :-( We have a trophy that goes to the winner for the year. We had to relinquish it to the new winners, Kevin and Amanda Wolf.

This is the kids having fun on the bounce house. This was a first for the block party, it was huge hit with the kids. I am sure this will be annual thing.

Conestoga Gardens

While Taylor was at Gymnastics this evening. A couple mom's from Taylor's gymnastics team, Cameron and I went to a place called Conestoga Gardens. It is open each Wednesday for people to go enjoy the grounds. It is huge. I am not sure how big but it has to be at least 4-5 acres. The house is a mansion. It has a pool and pool house, tennis courts, an outdoor fireplace room, Koi pond, rose garden, stable, barn etc...... It was built in the early 1900's and has been in the family foundation since 1980. They have lots of places for picnicing or tables to enjoy a relaxing dinner. We brought Subway sandwiches and chips. For the kids, they use the flowers and bushes to make animal sculptures and the kids have to find them all. It was a lot of fun. I plan to take Duane their next summer. I work next Wednesday and then it will be closed for the winter.

Fun Run 08

The kids showing their participation ribbons. Next is Taylor coming across the finish line. She placed 6th.

Cameron coming across the finish line. He was in 8th place.
Taylor before the race.

Cameron before the race.

Each year the Manheim Cross Country team holds a Fun Run for the Elementary schools kids. The Kindergarten and First Graders run 1/4 mile and 2nd thru 6th run 1/2. It is something the kids look forward to doing. They were each competing against approx 50 kids in their grade. Cameron was against the all the 2nd grade boys and Taylor against the 3rd grade girls. They had a lot of fun.

Volunteering

With the kids at school and Duane overseas, it makes for some long days. I enjoy the peace and quiet for a short time but then I get bored and miss my family. I haven't heard from the kids teachers yet as to what days I will be helping out in their classes. I am getting anxious to do that. I really enjoy working in the classroom getting to know the kids and teachers. My mom did it while I was growing up and I always wanted to be able to do it for my kids. I remember seeing my mom at Hooper Elementary all the time, it seemed she was there as much as I was. She was always doing this and that. I really enjoyed seeing my mom, it was comforting knowing she was close by. Thanks Mom!! Sometimes she would come eat lunch with us as a surprise. I always felt special because my mom was eating lunch with me. I hope my kids feel the same way. Cameron says he likes me working in his class but I can't give him any more kissses that just isn't cool! I can only give hugs. I will take what I can get. :-) Taylor seems to really enjoy having me work in her class. She doesn't mind the hugs and kisses. She is the affectionate one. I am going to be a co-room mom in Taylor's class this year. I am not sure how many activities they will be doing. I know as the kids get older the activities slow down. Guess we will see! I am grateful that I have a job that allows me to be flexible and also a husband who supports my desire to do this. I am also volunteering on Thursday Mornings for WRE ( Weekly Religion Enrichment). They allow the the 3rd and 4th graders to miss one hour of school a week for religious activity. It is a Federal Law. Our school district built a new middle school two years ago. They are using the old middle school for the WRE classes. They bus the kids from the three elementary's to the old middle school for an hour. We do songs, Bible story, Scripture memory, and prayer time. Each child receives a Bible to use and keep at the end of the year. It is funded by the local churches in our Manheim area. It is designed to teach kids about God/Jesus and encouraging kids to seek a relationship with Him. It will be a fast paced hour but I am looking forward to it. Taylor is really excited to do this. Most of the kids at her school participate, it is held during their lunch recess time. If they opt out, they get a longer recess that day.

Getting Older

I told the kids last night as we went to bed that I wasn't ready to go to sleep because when I woke up I would be a year older. :-) Wouldn't you know, it is a day we can sleep in and who is up bright and early? Yep, Taylor and Cameron. I told them it was my birthday and I get to sleep in. They let me sleep for another half hour. Taylor made me breakfast. It was my favorite Honey Combs with milk and Chai Tea. I had to help with the Chai Tea. She brought in the newspaper. Great way to start the day. Soon after our busy lives started. The kids had to be in two different places at one time. Oh, I guess I should mention Duane is in Malasia. I sent Cam to the neighbors so they could take him to his game while I ran Taylor to gymnastics. My plan was to drop Taylor off and head to Cam's game, hoping to miss only a few minutes. Well, since most reading this know I am not the smartest at navigation, I didn't know where I was going. I thought I did but I went to the wrong place. oops! No ball game in progress. I kept driving around. I finally asked a guy walking his dog. He pointed me in the right direction. I ended up at the game at the beginning of the third inning. I did get to see Cam hit a double and his team ended up winning. Yea! For dinner, Duane's parents brought some chicken BBQ over. It was delicious. We watched Penn State crush Syracuse. It was a great game. After Duane's parents left, Taylor wanted me to watch The Cinderella Story. It was a cute movie. Taylor said I have written to much so I guess that means I should cut this one short. Oh but before I do, I have to share a personal celebration. A year ago today, I was the heaviest I had been in 15 years (except for being pregnant). It was depressing. I decided I needed to do something about it. I joined Weight Watchers online. I haven't reached my goal yet but I have lost 17 pounds to date.

Cameron

Cameron is 7 years old. He is in the second grade at Steigel Elementary. His favorite subjects are recess, lunch and P.E. He loves all sports. He is currently playing soccer and baseball. He is a huge fan of Philadelphia Eagles, Utah Jazz, Baltimore Orioles, and Penn State. He is also into Nascar with Dale Jr. being his favorite driver. He also likes Monster Trucks and sprint car racing. Where he gets his love of adventure, I am not sure. His favorite past time is playing in the neighborhood with the other boys.