Everyday Happenings

My last Everyday Happenings post was way back in May.  We left off with Billy's 17th birthday, so I will be starting this one with our Sweet Sixteen's birthday.

1. Miss Mary Kate turned 16 in May.  She asked if she could invite a few of her close friends over for junk snack food, an ice cream sundae bar, and a movie. (They watched Nanny McPhee.)

Her darling sister made them a cake, too. 

She made beautiful roses out of fondant.

Mary's best friend, Riley (middle) gave her the sweetest gift.  It was a box with little trinkets inside....16 of each....such as paper clips, push pins, band-aids, pencils, candy, post-it notes, etc.  The best part was a journal where on each of the first 16 pages she wrote 16 reasons why Mary was her best friend.  Truly a gift from the heart. 

 Happy 16th Birthday, Mary.  You are the true meaning behind the word "sweet".

 2. The girls and I have a tradition of going to a doll show when it comes to our town each year.  (I'm always on the lookout for a vintage Bionic Woman doll that I remember fondly from my youth!).  Anyway, we came across this Charlie McCarthy doll that I just had to have.  Charlie completely freaked out Matthew to the point of tears when he saw him sitting in his bedroom.  We all had a good laugh with Charlie, using the next few days to prank each other by hiding him in weird spots throughout the house.

3. Our friends John and Mary hosted their annual dinner party for our prayer group. There were a few missing, but we still had a great time.

4. Last day of work/school for me and this guy.

 4. Mary started her volunteer hours at a local urgent care facility. She'll be done her required hours by the end of the summer, but has a goal to do more before she graduates from high school.
#overachiever  #shegetsthatfromherdad

 5. Shopping with the girls is always an adventure with lots of laughs.

6. Bill's fun to shop with, too.

In other words, we are rolling along.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer as well.

Thanks for visiting us.

A Patriotic, Fun-Filled Weekend

Spoiler Alert: We are spoiled.

Thanks to Bill (and some very generous people he knows ) we had a weekend like no other.  We had 5 days off together with some pretty special events mixed in there. 

1. West Point.  We made a quick stop at this beautiful military academy.  We didn't have much time there, but we were able to see probably the most scenic spot!

Random cutie picture

2. The New York Air Show.  We didn't have tickets for the actual air show, but we were able to sneak a peak at the rehearsal the day before.  Wow!  Watching this in person is nothing like watching it on TV.  It was amazing.  The sights, sounds, and death-defying maneuvers left me with my jaw hanging open almost the whole time.  So cool.  We even got to see the Blue Angels.  Go Navy!

3. Matthew's Birthday/Iron Pigs Game.  Our little guy turned 9.  NINE!!
You know the drill....morning doughnuts, plus waffles and ice cream as he requested....

We spent some time at the local community center.  Dad taught us girls how to use the equipment while the boys played hoops.  The birthday boy felt pretty cool getting to play with some older boys in a pick up game.

 Then it was back home to eat chicken tacos and cake with strawberry icing.  Someone had too many tacos and wasn't feeling up for the cake when this picture was being taken.  It was a combination of feeling sick and feeling disappointed that the cake would have to wait.

And it just got worse.  Here he is a minute later...

(Side note:  Cake by Ann.  Upside down "6" candle by Mom. #momfail.)

We were gifted tickets to an Iron Pigs baseball game.  (minor league for the Phillies).  The weather was beautiful, the seats were great, and it just felt good being at the Great American Pastime on the 4th of July Weekend.  There was even fireworks and running of the bases at the end and special message for the birthday boy.

Then it was back to the house where someone still didn't feel like his cake, but was happier having his picture taken.

Happy Birthday to my favorite youngest! You bring us all so much happiness.

4. 4th of July in NYC.  On Tuesday we headed back to New York, but this time we were in the city.  We made a pit stop at Bill's work to check in on those who help keep us safe.  Then we had dinner at a nearby diner.

 Waffles and ice cream are just as good for dinner as they are for breakfast, in case you didn't know.

After dinner we went on a boat tour of the East River.  We traveled up to the Statue of Liberty.  The sun was setting and the views were spectacular.

Once the sun set, we were positioned in this great spot on the water to watch the fireworks.  These buildings were behind us....

Empire State Building

Chrysler Building

And this was our view in front of us....

It was spectacular.  To see the fireworks up close and feel the booming in your chest as the sound bounced off the buildings behind us, and being so close to be able to smell the smoke coming from them.....  Oh, and the boat had cookies and coffee on board and they were tasty...... So, every sense was incorporated.  What a thrill. 

So, it was an awesome weekend overall.  I have to say, one of the best parts for me was taking a step back and watching Big Bill secretly looking at the kids.  When he sees them all happy, that is when he is happiest.  The look of joy on his face was one of those everlasting snapshots taken in my mind. 

Love this guy of mine xoxo