1st snow of the season...

The 1st snow of the season fell last night, and it made for such a fun morning for the kids. I had actually set up our Christmas tree last night after putting the kids to bed (fake tree, lights, bead garland & star) so that this evening, we can put the ornaments on together. When the kids woke up this morning, they found out that school was closed, the tree was all lit up and there was snow on the ground - how magical! Since the roads weren't in the best shape (per my sister and husband's advise), the kids & I hung out at the house and had breakfast together and then went to daycare & work late. And of course the kids went out played after breakfast - there's nothing better than playing in the season's first snow!

Crafting fun...

Jaden has been asking Curtis for weeks, to help him build a ship. When Curtis came across this long, skinny box, he knew it would be perfect. Of course the girls couldn't be left out - they made an airplane.

I just sent a few of these pics to Jaden's teachers (since I knew he had been telling them all about it) and his classroom teacher said she put them up on the wide screen and let Jaden give his class all the details. I know he LOVED that! :0)

Here's a slide of all our crafting fun - the girls also got in some painting and stamping time over the weekend. And the last pic is just a cute one I took of them before church on Sunday.

Y & Z...

Y is for....Yeah, I'm almost done with the Encyclopedia of Me. :0) I kind of got lazy at the tail end of this. Things have been busy at home and I'm starting to get in the full swing of the holidays. I'm glad that this will be the last Encyclopedia of Me post.

Z is for....Zoo. We love the zoo! Jaden especially - it's pretty common for kids with AS to have a special fascination/obsession with animals. Jaden included! I know pretty much all kids enjoy the zoo, but Jaden almost goes into a trance when we're there. He takes his binoculars and will just stare at the animals forever. I would love to take just him one day - to be able to just sit and let him totally get his fill of his favs....the lions especially, but also the penguins, reptiles and any type of monkey.

She's 5 today!

Yep, my baby girl is 5 today! We woke her up singing Happy Birthday, like we do for all the kids on their birthdays. And daddy let her have chocolate cake for breakfast. ;0)
Here's the Barbie Fairytopia cupcake cake I made for her class today. It's 23 fudge chip cupcakes, iced & decorated in my butter cream. Gabby picked out the cake flavor, the fairy picture she liked, and the colors I was to use for the Fairy's wings & dress. :0)
Corinn was so cute this morning too - she kept giving Gabrielle hugs and singing Happy Birthday to her all morning. She's the first kid I've had that doesn't get all jealous on her sibling's birthdays. She did however, insist she get her picture taken too. :0)
Have a great week!
♥ Sharon

Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving day, we headed to Northern VA to Curtis' parents house for dinner. We finally got to meet his brother's new baby and see some of Curt's family that we hadn't seen in a while. His sisters couldn't make it, but we had a great time with everyone that could.

Then on Saturday, we immediately flew to my Grandparent's house for our 2nd Thanksgiving meal after Gabby's birthday party. The usual crowd was there. It was nice seeing everyone and the kids had a great time rough housing with my dad.

Gabrielle's 5th Birthday Party

Gabrielle's 5th birthday party was on Saturday and we had 14 girls attend! Thankfully, a good number of the mothers stuck around too - and my mom & sis were there to help out as well. Curtis & my brother Joe kept Jaden & Bryan (my nephew) busy while us girls had a tea party! We made purses and all the girls dressed up in princess clothes. I had gotten white & pink satin gloves for everyone and we had little tea cups to drink our punch. We didn't have time to make the jewelry I had planned, but I'll make up little kits to send to all the girls along with their thank you notes. Gabby got way too many presents and a great time was had by all!

X...

...is for size XL - which I'm happy to say I am no more! :0) In a previous post I talked about my fairly recent weight loss (30+ lbs - go me!). That also meant I went down a size - I'm a size L now. Buh bye XL! :0)

...is for xoxox. I love using x's & o's (in emails, notes, etc.).....almost as much as I love getting/giving the real thing! ~lol~

W...

...is for Willow. Willow is the daughter of my best friend, Misty. She's about 9 months old now and oh so adorable! Misty waited for Willow for a very long time and she's such a blessing! She's got to be the happiest baby I know - good and spoiled, and definitely a mama's girl - but she has such a happy, bubbly personality. She gets that from her mom. :0) Misty, her husband Shane, & Willow live in NC so we don't get to see them very often. But they are our family! We miss and love them so much!


...is for wrinkle. Not the skin kind...the clothes kind. I hate to iron and I've learned that a few wrinkles never hurt anyone. :0)

V...

...is for vegetarian/vegan. I've always been intrigued by the vegetarian/vegan life style. I love trying new foods, and have found that the vegetarians where I work bring in some very interesting creations. I love meat too much to ever make the switch, but admire the determination and dedication of those who do.

...is for vacation. I need another vacation! :0) Every summer, we visit the North Carolina beaches and last year we found 'our' new spot. The Crystal Coasts - Atlantic Beach, NC has to be the nicest, cleanest, most family oriented beach there is! We decided to try it out and instantly fell in love! Not only with the beach, but also with the villas where we stayed. The photo of my kids on the beach used for my blog banner, was taken on our last night there this past summer. Let the countdown until next June begin...

U...

...is for umbrella. Mostly because I couldn't come up with any other U words. But also because I have this adorable pic of the kids using their umbrellas last December. :0)

T...

...is for tall. I'm a very tall lady - 6 foot even, to be exact. As a young lady, this was a curse....but as I got older (around sophomore year in high school), this became an asset. It's then that the boys started liking my long legs and tall, slender frame. :0) Now, it's super handy to have me around - I'm great at getting things off the top shelf for you! ~lol~

...is for tulip - I heart tulips! Such a simple, pretty flower!

...is for TV. I would love to stick our TV (actually, I guess I should say TV's!) in the closet and only get it out for special family viewing times. My husband and children wouldn't know what to do with themselves! I'm making baby steps though - about a year and a half ago, I got rid of cable. Now, we just have rabbit ears and only pick up the local channels. I wouldn't call anyone in my home a couch potato - but any TV is too much TV in my book. There are so many more things that we could be spending our time on. Don't get me wrong - I like TV too! But as a TV fan, I recognize how it just sucks you in and you end up spending more time in front of it than you had originally planned. And it is too easy sometimes to just put the kids in front of it while you take care of this or that. Maybe one day...

S...

...is for Sharon. I'm named after my mom's foster sister, Sharon Marie Clark, who died at age 19 when her apartment building burnt down. I've got several pics of her as well as some things she made - pillows, an afghan she started (and I'd love to learn how to finish), some old school Dr. Pepper cans she saved pennies in (one even has some streamers wrapped around it, maybe from a school dance/party?) - mostly junk to someone else, but I somehow feel connected to the stuff.

...is for Socks, our pet turtle. Jaden named Socks before we even got him in May 2006. Jaden had been asking for a turtle for months and a friend of mine knew a little neighborhood boy that would catch tiny aquatic turtles at the local river. At that time he was slightly smaller than a 50 cent piece. Now, he's about the size of a baseball. He's definitely become part of our family.


...is for Sam Jr. - my brother. Or CJ, as I call him (and have since he was born). CJ is a year and half younger than me and we didn't always get along too well growing up. But as adults (and fellow parents), we've gotten a lot closer and have a pretty good relationship now. He became a father last year and it's so great to see him in action! My kids really have a great time with him and I knew he'd be a fantastic dad. CJ is a really smart guy, a great businessmen and super funny! I adore his wife & would love to steal little Matthew away from them. Luv ya, bro!

R...

...is for reggae. I've already mentioned my hidden desire to have dreadlocks. Part of that longing may stem from my love of reggae music. The hypnotic beats and uplifting lyrics suck you in and just make you feel good. :0) Most everyone has heard of Bob Marley (and his sons, Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Kymani and Damian - Damian is a fav of mine as well!), Beenie Man, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs...but there are so many great reggae artists (new & old) out there. Another of my favorites is a fairly new cat, Matisyahu (the Hebrew equivalent of "Matthew"). He's known for his fusion of Orthodox Judaism and classic reggae music. A very talented young man and his music sends such a positive message.

...is for rent. We rent. I wish we owned. Nuff said.

How to make a pumpkin pie...

I took the kids over to Nana's house (my mom) Saturday to learn how to make pumpkin pie. Gabby had a blue pumpkin that she got from the pumpkin patch - she couldn't wait to cut into that thing and see what it looked like inside. It had very little mush & seed (big honking seeds though) and tons of pumpkin meat! Perfect for pie baking!

Q...

...is for quiet - I love quiet. With 3 spirited little ones, our home certainly has its share of noise. But I have always appreciated quiet. I relish the opportunity to sit quietly for a moment to just take things in. Our lives are so busy and hectic, sometimes we forget to notice and appreciate life's simple things.

ok, I'm obsessed...

I don't know what it is.....but lately, I've been obsessed with the sky! I've always been fascinated by the stars, weather, clouds, etc....but now every time I see a pretty sky, interesting cloud pattern, sun rays shining down, etc....I HAVE to catch a pic of it!

I drove Jaden & I to UVA yesterday for his follow-up appointment and could not stop taking shots!

for those of u that are worried that I'm endangering myself of my children with my snapping while driving.....let me assure u that I'm being completely safe.....I have one hand on the wheel and both eyes on the road....I'm only aiming the camera with the other hand and clicking.....I have no idea how the pics turn out until I get them uploaded

here's a slide of a bunch of recent shots....just for anyone else that might like looking at the sky as much as me

What a man!

last night, i left work with a migrane from being in training all day - it was online training and my headset sux (i have an over the head model - my over the ear model is on order)....i actually had to pull over on the way home to throw up
anyway, curtis had already fed the kids and they were busy playing when i got home, so i slipped in undetected and laid down - taking a nap is the only way to get rid of my migranes once they've gotten that far....so i took a nap for about an hour and when i got up (feeling much better, btw), curtis had already bathed the kids, gotten homework done and gotten them all ready for bed! they were just waiting to tell me good night (oh, and for me to brush/fix the girls' hair)
i'm so lucky to have him!

P...

...is for pumpkin head - an endearing term i use with my kids. It's endearing - I swear! And they like it. :0)


...is for pink. I'm a girly girl at heart - and so are my daughters. We LOVE pink!

...is for popcorn. I'm the only one in my home that isn't totally obsessed with popcorn. Don't get me wrong - I like to have popcorn occasionally with my movie. But my husband and children could literally eat a bag of popcorn every day. Actually, my hubby could eat the entire bag on his own - but he doesn't mind sharing. ;0)

O...

...is for ocean. I swear that in a different life, I'd be a beach bunny. I feel so 'at home' at the beach and I look forward to our annual summer trip all year round! Curtis & the kids have fallen in love as well. Curtis used to say that he wouldn't get in any water where he couldn't see the bottom (and living creatures that might be lurking). ~lol~ Now, he's such a natural! :0)

This pic was taken on our last night at Atlantic Beach (Crystal Coasts), NC this past June. I had already taken over 300 pics by the end of our trip, so I left my camera in the villa that night. I ended up having to catch this gorgeous dusk sky with my cell phone camera (also the pic of the kids that is currently my blog banner). I still think they are great pics. :0)

My lil geniuses...

i had my parent/teacher conferences today and all went great!
jaden is doing really well in 1st grade! that's the best news - especially since on thursday, i'm going back to UVA for his follow-up after his asperger's diagnosis....they wanted to give him a chance to start 1st grade and settle in....since it's so different from kindergarten, they thought that the beginning of the year would be when he had issues - if any....thankfully, he's doing awesome! besides his normal stuff - being easily distracted, not always being able to follow along in group learning, etc.....he's actually ahead of where he should b in the 1st grade.....especially in math - the kid is a math whiz!

now, onto the other genius gabby got a GLOWING report from her pre-K teacher! she's not only where she should be at this point in the year, but she's actually already far, far exceeded where she should be by the end of the year! the ONLY thing that she's having trouble with listening the first time she's told (don't i know it?!) and she seems to be living up to her nickname - GABBY but the teacher has recently changed the seating arrangement to move the talkative girls in the class away from each other.....otherwise, her teacher says she's the only kid in her class doing some of the stuff she's doing.....and she usually finishes first and then helps some of the other kids....that's my girl!