Has it REALLY been a year????

Ok, I have been sufficiently chastised for my lack of blog-age this year. To be completely honest I haven't had a minute to breath let a lone gather my thoughts and put them down. I was busy being a "MOM and Wife" which has entailed being a life coach, dietary specialist, personal chef, chauffeur, event organizer, cheerleader, emotional counselor, nurse, etc. etc., the PTA President for Butler Elementary School as well as the After School Enrichment Coordinator, Jonathan's "Encouragement Committee Chair" while he finished up his Dissertation, a primary teacher at church, a contractor to get our home in Belmont ready to sell, a coordinator for Jonathan's graduation and Isaac's baptism celebrations and that was just the first 6 months of the year. I hope that gets me a bit of good graces for the neglect of our blog.

Anyway, since I left off in January, that is where I will pick up. For Christmas

Jen and Phil gave the boys entrance passes to "Battle Ship Cove". It was the best gift they could have given. The boys were in heaven while they pretended that they were at war with all of the forces of evil. We all had a great time exploring the ships and submarine. I even got to experience an emotional break down while in the submarine due to my claustrophobia. That was quite the experience to have. After

my break down we got to have lunch on the battle ship, which was a lot of fun. The boys thought that it was cool that they were eating where the officers would have eaten. On our tour though the battle ship we ran into some vets, they were really nice and gave us a brief history of the ship and what it was like to be on it during war time. So, here is a shout out to all of the men and women that put there lives on the line to keep us all safe and free. I have a true love and respect for them. Thanks Jen and Phil for such an awesome gift. We miss you MA.

We helped the rest of the Winter months pass by a bit more quickly by having the Butler Elementary Art Show and Talent Show as well as the Belmont 2nd Ward Primary

Talent Show. Isaac entered an art piece in the Art Show and as you can see from the photo was very proud of it. Both of the boys love to draw and paint and had a great time creating their "Masterpieces". For the Talent Show Isaac teamed up with a few of his buddies to form a band. They lip synced to the song "We Will Rock You". Noha, Helen and I (the moms) had a good time watching them practice. The day of the event they all had the jitters, but the minute they took the stage and the music began to play they became the cutest little rock starts you have ever seen. All of the little girls swooned to the front of the stage and

started dancing and jumping up and down. It was awesome. The boys were living the "Rock Star Dream". They even got a standing ovation. For the Belmont 2nd Ward Talent Show, Isaac and Owen teamed up to play the "ABC's" on their "Nose-a-phones". It was the funniest act ever. They couldn't stop laughing while playing their noses. You will have to have them give you a demonstration next time you see them. The "Nose-a-phone" has become one of their most beloved instruments along with the "Fart Machine" and the "Burp-a-phone". :)

Once April hit the flood gates opened and we were running full speed. We decided to take the job offer from Penn State, so we had to find a house to live in. We packed up a few bags and hit the road for State College, PA. While we

were looking for a place, we decided to "Celebrate Owen's 5th Birthday at Hershey Park". It was a much needed break from all of the stress that we were going through. The boys had the time of their lives running from one ride to the

next. They associate the child's height with different candy bars that they make so Isaac was a Hershey Bar and Owen was a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It made it so easy for the boys to know what rides they could go on. We even got to see the biggest "Hershey's Chocolate Bar Ever!!" The boys wanted to get it, but Jonathan and I were selfish and thought

of how our sanity would be effected if we were to give them that much sugar, the compromise was that they were able to purchase a MUCH smaller version. I really liked the tour of the "Chocolate Factory". They put you in these cute little cars that take you on a ride and show you how chocolate is made. We also go to see how they wrap the candy bars. They even have digital counters so you can see how many candy bars they have made that day. At the end of the ride we got a little candy bar, but at the end of the ramp was the "Real Treat"; shelves upon shelves of chocolate and more chocolate. It was the most chocolate we had ever seen in our entire lives. We left the park completely exhausted and happy. I totally recommend it! So much fun. We had one satisfied "Birthday Boy" and one "Grateful Boy" for having a brother that had a birthday.