Trigger Happy

time with friends never disappoints

From start to finish, the 4th was just awesome!

For the first time, we actually got our acts together and gathered in the street with neighbors before the parade.  We brought out some munchies, we talked and laughed, we had a good time.  Elizabeth told me this morning that she thought it was just awesome....something we'll surely do again.

The parade was fun, as always- here's Matthew, waving to the judges.  He loooooves to play it up in hopes of (daddy) winning a ribbon or two.  This year, they took 2nd in two categories.

and little miss lots of chatter took a 2nd place ribbon herself.  She had sooo much fun this year, surrounded by friends.

This year I got smart and brought our swim stuff with us for the walk/ride home.  It was so nice to peel our clothes off (and this year was cooler than last- but I was still peeling my yucky clothes off) and get in the water for a transition to some quiet time.  We were at the pool alone at first, then joined by one other small family.  Can't complain about that for a minute!  Awesome too- first time at our pool this year since swim lessons.  We were able to swim all over the pool with Beth (someone was practicing with Matthew the whole time, and we switched off) she can swim everywhere in the pool, we did some laps, she swam different strokes, she went to the bottom of the deep end, she treaded water, everything with quiet confidence, soooooooooooooooo nice! 

After a nice long rest time, we went to the Adams' for some more friend fun.  This is always amazing- they have so much space, we all get to spread out and enjoy without being on top of each other.  Yummy munchies, a craft for the kids, toys and friends, made it a pretty perfect evening for all.

Funny enough, this is my very favorite picture from the evening...could be any day, doesn't have any "4th of July" look/reference at all, but it's my fave...

As the evening grew dark, we walked to watch fireworks, and it was fantastic.  Glow sticks, rice krispie treats, music and friends...fantastic.

Today, I am grateful for:

1. a headache that finally left me alone

2. my mom

3. air conditioning

4. days of rest

5. no more plans

*peace

heavy prep over here

we looooove this holiday! 

Happy 4th of July everyone :)

end of the month

well, sort of, right?  Can you believe it's July?  I can't!  I was given the unexpected gift of a few hours at home this morning (courtesy of some tummy trouble on the Matthew front- I think he swallowed WAAAY too much water in the pool yesterday) and that leaves me some time to do my montly photo management duties.  How do you manage your digital photos?

Each month end, or the beginning of the new month, I clean up all of my files.  I make sure that everything has been uploaded to Kodak, then I combine all of my photos from the month into one folder:   Month/year.  Inside that photo, there may be subfolders.

Ex:  June 2008

Beth's last day of K

Matthew's year end

Dance Recitals

and there will be many (many) images.  When I upload photos (usually every couple of days) I immediately rename them so they make more sense...so our "everyday" photos go into the general monthly folder.  Once I have a complete June folder (including sub-folders) I group them into a "season" folder:  2008 January-March, 2008 April-June, etc.  This is a'la Stacy Julian.  I also keep my printed photos in storage binders grouped on the same date lines.  I use these from Costco.com. 

Once everything is up on Kodak, I like to add photos to my cart.  I am not always good about doing this in a timely manner.  I like to keep a full cart so that when there's a sale, I can easily order.  They often have sales that are either 150 prints for $15.00 or just 10 cent print sales.  They are having one now through July 11th- the code is JULY4PRINTS.  I have a lot of "carting" to do before the 11th.  When I order, I order "ship to store" and they only charge me a $1.49 "convience fee" instead of regular shipping charges.  My first order from Kodak was for 400 prints.  I didn't want to pay shipping.

The newest thing I have been doing this year at the of each month is something I was inspired to do by Erika and Cathy Z. 

When I went through all of my old layouts and minis, my favorite ones were the ones that were chock-full of INFORMATION.  Not the "best looking" ones.  So, I wanted to re-create that, and since I missed a few 12ths (for 12th on the 12th), I adapted it to fit what I could do. (side note, I just went to twopeas to see if I could find an old album to link as an example...all gone.  My whole layouts- gone, what a total bummer.  There are like 5 left, and I had spent so much time a few years ago loading them.  WTF?  I knew a lot had changed, and I never go on there to see what's up- but man, I didn't think they'd remove all of the old stuff the original people had on there!)

So, anyway...the next thing I need to add to my routine is to burn a disc at the end of each month.  I don't do that.  I should.  Maybe I will play catch up this summer and then it will be easier.  This whole deal is much easier managed on a regular basis, in chunks than trying to get it all done, months at a time, at once.  There's my PSA for the day :)  I am always super curious to know how others handle this ginormous task!

Today,  I am grateful to:

1. unexpected time on my hands

2. Drew being home

3. how much we appreciate Drew when he works so much, we loooooove our time together (all of us) so much more

4. more time with my cousins from IN

5. a possible chance to get out tonight! 

*peace

we took a ridiculous amount of group photos

and I have been previewing them.....editing when I have the chance (seems to be taking a WHOLE lot longer than my usual super-quick turn around time) cuz this summer schedule thing is busier than I'd think it'd be....and finally tonight, I previewed the one I had been waiting to see!

This is Echo's family.  What a bunch!  Oh man- they were cracking me up so much, I couldn't stop taking pictures of them!  I could just see a holiday with this group...loud, crazy, funny, passionate, they probably loved hard and fought hard, and they were so much fun to spend some time with.  I had a huge smile on my face for hours after we were done.

Another reason for my huge smile was that the kids and I had a chance to see some of my cousins who live in IN.  I haven't seen them in over 5 years!  I hate that.  It is far too long, and especially when you have kids.

The kids had a blast...way too much sun and water last week.  Attempting to be a bit more mellow this one.  All three of us had fevers and sinus issues on Sunday and we stayed in PJ's all day.  Sinus rinses, flonase,  and Matthew and I are on the mend...Beth hopefully by tomorrow.

Tonight I am grateful for:

1. time with family

2. a less stuffy nose

3. Matthew's swimming's going great- I will update on that soon

4. getting together a Girl Scout troop for next year

5. Drew's on days! 

*peace

and she got her turn too....

and it was fabulous!  We had a great time watching Bethie's recital last night.  This group worked so hard- they had a serious routine to do (this one) and a more relaxed one for tap.  This dance was to Cartoon Heros by Aqua and it totally rocked!

I have been trying (hard) to figure out how to get video up to share from our new fancy ass video camera...but no luck yet.  Someday, I may be able to share them shaking their stuff in real-time, but not tonight!

(Okay, these photos are HUGE tonight- what's up with that?)

The tap dance was done to Zero to Hero from Hercules, which was a more mellow routine, but so much fun!  I loved, loved, loved the "gospel hands" portion the best!

this is when she finally broke into a smile...mostly she looked like she was concentrating till they got to this part.

In the middle of this recital, we had a special guest appearance....

(okay, I reduced the size of the defaults)

This special guest appearance was met with great reviews...and a near-miss tragedy:  as Batman was stuck behind the curtain as he drove the Batmobile out onto the stage, WonderWoman ran right in front of the car, and we all witnessed her being rolled over the hood and taking a hard hit, all except Batman that is....luckily, she rallied for a final showdown (or show-off)

So it was a pretty good night for the Motta clan.  We had big smiles, and big relief that it was all over.  Ended the night with some cousin fun, and a happy bunch.  Busy, busy week...and I haven't even discussed how swim lessons are going.....

Tonight, I am grateful for:

1. the end of a busy week

2. pajama day tomorrow.....seriously!

3. Drew's last night shift!

4. time with family that I haven't seen in years

5. a really enjoyablebook

*peace

a few quick favorites

Matt had his recital tonight....awesome.

After that we had dinner with the family, then took the kids to ride Toy Story Mania and see the Electric Parade and we even caught fireworks from the parking lot sitting on the tailgate of our van. 

Long day. Wanted to share a sneak peek- in case any of the family is checking...have bunches to edit and make a kodak album, but here are just a couple to share...

and tonight I am just grateful for so much.....

all wet

so- swim lessons began today.  I was totally up for it, I just didn't realize that we'd ALL be taking lessons!  ;)  I am not really taking lessons- but I am getting wet, apparently.  This is Matthew's big year- he's one step away from being a swimmer, so we knew that this would be the year he'd put it all together. 

Matthew did TERRIFIC in his lesson!  He followed directions, he used all of his skills, and he even got a few breaths in while swimming (the thing he needs to figure out the most).  We were super happy, changed and on our way out the door after saying "see you tomorrow!", when Ms. Denise said- "is Beth really not doing anything this year"?  She convinced Beth to come to 'rad splash' the group she holds for swimmers, which is followed up by free swim.   'Free Swim' is the carrot no Motta child can resist!  So, we left to get another set of swim gear for all.....

and she went to the lessons she said she wasn't going to do this summer....and free swim left me free for about 3.5 seconds before I had to get in after Matthew who tried with all of his might to be allowed to jump off the diving board, to swim across the deep end of the pool, and to basically do everything that his sister can do but he's just not able to yet.  So, now we're all on a daily regime of getting wet.  FAB. 

Of course, her pool is awesome.  Perfect size, perfect temperature.  I can't really complain at all.

Today, I am grateful for:

1. a day that felt like summer vacation

2. dinner with friends last night- so fun to be together

3. a day shift for Drew - a preview of what's to come

4. a break in the heat spell

5. a clean house

*peace

and now I can breathe...

I think I am halfway still in shock that it's over.  My life was kind of on "pause" until today, had to get through the cleaning of my room, organizing, dumping a ton, and making a list (which all took place yesterday) before I could relax.  I came home and within a few hours my body began to shut down...I had to nap!  I never, almost NEVER, have to nap.

SO now, I owe people emails, I can blog, I can enjoy the only outdoor time that I really, really love when it's 100 degrees out- the evening air.  I think there is something so magical about being outside when the light is turning- either in the morning or the evening.  Summer nights have their own magic though, don't they? 

Tonight, I have a set of friends over for the kids (matched pairs, love it!) watching Camp Rock.  It's nice when they have friends, especially when it's not too often, they love it so much!  I am going to sit here, watch some Daytime Emmy's and answer emails.  No complaining on my part!

Tonight I am grateful for:

1. frozen pizza

2. friends

3.air conditioning

4. tivo

5. vacation!

*peace

two down

and only one workday left for me- no students, just cleaning and stuff.   So- the party is not completely on yet....but today's party was all about this girl! 

They had a big performance with all 4 Kinder classes.  This year our school had the biggest enrollment in district history (I think the history- for sure this year).  The MPR was crowded, to say the least! Luckily, we got there very early, and got a seat on the aisle of the second row.  Even so, we saw a whole lot of the program with another child's triangular shaped hat covering the majority of Beth's face. 

I did manage to get a few cute expressions during the program though, and had eye contact with her as often as she'd look at me :)  I was especially glad she could see me when I started bawling like a big baby at the end as they sang "first grade, first grade" (to the tune of New York, New York).  It was really cute.  They followed it up with a picnic at the park, which mostly consisted of a bunch of people standing around while the kids played, but being the rule followers that we are, we brought a picnic.  A nice one too, planned/shopped for by Drew!  :)

That was super fun, and we had a nice time (although it was super hot when we weren't in the shade).

I also made sure to take a few photos like this before school.  The placement is not exact, but it's a pretty good "time marker" which was what I was going for!

The whole time marker thing really choked me up- another milestone.  WOW.

Today, I am grateful for:

1. this girl

2. this year, it's been great

3. the prospect of summer, and looking forward to meeting up with friends, both old and new

4.time to be celebratory tonight as a family, whatever we end up doing

5. one last workday for me- and no students there!

*peace

inspired

why does it seem that inspiration always hits when you can't do a darn thing about it?  For me, it seems to always hit when I am in the car or blow drying my hair.  Honestly, I think some of my most brillant plans have come to me while blow drying.  Of course, if you remember correctly- at one time in my life, I spent PLENTY of time with the blow dryer.  Now, I better think fast, because I am done in less than 3 minutes! 

Anyway, I came across this article this morning highlighting this new series:

My kids LOVE maps, learning about them, looking at them, and asking questions about the little images connected with each state on the maps we have.  You know, how they have some little picture that symbolizes something iconic about each state?  Well....this got me thinking about a super fun project for us to do together for the summer.  I have been trying to think of a fun learning activity for us to do- I have come up with many, but this would be one that we could all 4 do, we would all probably enjoy it, and there are plenty of activities to do to keep us busy!  We are going to do a mini (meaning: age appropriate) USA unit!  I found something cool on enchanted learning that shows all of the flags.  I thought we could get a bunch of books from the library (maybe 10 at a time and keep refreshing), learn one or two facts, heck- maybe three!- about each state, color a flag, maybe make a local food/recipe.  I was thinking we could do a field trip to the AAA to get some brochures from other states, and for sure take some looks at maps.  I was even thinking about attempting to get involved in a swap/gather/exchage postcards from each state.  We certainly don't know someone in each state, but I figured with scrapbooking, I may be able to reach out to someone from each state through Big Picture or Two Peas.  I was thinking I'd get each kid a big 3 ring binder with page protectors and we'd just add to it as we learn.  I used to have a binder that had a state project in it that was simple, even though it was geared for older kids.  I am dearly hoping it still exists.    I am super, super excited about this!

Other "inspirations" that hit me today were doing some scrapbook pages.  I actually want to make a list, but so far I was thinking about godparents/godchildren and teachers.  Then I was listening to the radio and a G nR song came on and I started thinking about the layout I had done about the "soundtrack" of our wedding.

(by the way- I am on a VISTA computer, and I just opened up "pictures" typed in "soundtrack" in the search box and BAM- up came this picture- love that!)

So, anyway, I was thinking that I may do a layout for the "soundtrack of my highschool" or the "soundtrack of the 90's" for me (when I was big into going dancing) or even the "soundtrack of our home" when I was growing up.  Our house with my mom was kind of unique because she always, always had music playing, and she was so young that it included a wide variety of favorites that were classic and contemporary to the time.  Probably more contemporary than most families I knew.

I'm also thinking of a series or at least one really good layout highlighting the biggest books in my life, beacuse books have played a really important role.

Anyway- I think this could be really cool.  The "high school" list that I came up with on the fly looked something like this:

Tesla: Little Suzi

Great White: Rock Me

Whitesnake: Still of the Night

Motley Crue: Looks That Kill (there are so, so many more...but this one came to mind)  this was another huge favorite, and I actually wanted to name my daughter Angela, but Drew wasn't having any of it.

Zeppelin- just about all....so, so many memories

Van Halen- another one with waaaay too many songs to list

Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet- didn't this just change everything?

Poison: Talk Dirty to Me

Journey: Faithfully and Steve Perry: Oh Sherrie

There are SO many more...man, it's fun to think about them.  I loved music, and identify it so much with my teenage angst years!  I still love music, but it's different now that I am not pining my days away.  I think it'd be such a blast to have a cd of most of these songs that the kids could listen to one day and "know" a bit more about me and who I was.  Any other KNAC fans out there?  Where were you in the 80's?

Tonight, I am grateful for:

1. great memories of afternoons at Kevin Beale's

2. Inspector Gadget and hot dogs after school at my house

3. always having a million people over here, and how comfortable everyone felt...how my mom accepted everyone

4. Andy

5. the woman I am today- who is the result of all of those things and so many more. 

And- I can't let today go by without saying the most important thing I am grateful for:  Drew, the father of my children- thank you for giving me the greatest gift of my life, and giving them such a wonderful relationship with their daddy that will shape their entire lives.

My Dad: I am so grateful that we have a relationship that is now consistant, and my only regret is that it is long distance, I so wish we were close enough to visit and for you to watch the children grow in 3-D.

My Grandfather: I am so grateful that you were always, always there.  Even if it meant flying across the country from anyplace you may have been working, you always made it home in time for anything important in my life.  You taught me that being there is worth the effort, no matter what.

Happy Father's day to all of the dad's out there (although I doubt there are any who read this who aren't related to me!)

*peace