jetBlue is the #1 way to fly with kids!

Roomy seats, individual TVs, and yummy snacks- 'nough said! Plus jetBlue has lots of affordable non-stop flights- which is a must for our family.

We also had a good experience with the Suburban we rented from Hertz.

Here's a shot of the bridge we had to go over to get out of Tampa...

not a good experience for me with my fear of heights:

Triscuit Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil crackers

topped with a dab of cream cheese-

my new snacking addiction.

Of course, if anyone has any deliciously simple topping suggestions,

I'm listening...

Chance made us sisters...

Hearts made us friends.

You've seen the commercials...

A bad day in Florida...

is still better than a good day most anywhere else.

Smoochie's Joyous Day

~ Florida 2008 ~

Florida moments...

Nokomis Beach, Florida

My family searching for shark teeth...

(for a better view- click on picture to enlarge)

(LtoR) Grandpa John, John, Gianna,

Brielle, Shaye, Nana Lorie, and Mackenna)

Why I love my husband...

1. He cooks the most delicious food for our family and friends- and doesn't seem to mind that it spoils my diet. He loves me just the way that I am...happy.
2. He works 8-10 hour days (during his slow season- don't even ask about his cold weather hours), so that I can stay at home and raise our family. He also rarely ever works on the weekends , so that he can devote 2 full, uninterrupted days to me and the girls!
3. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel cherished. He always tries to lighten my load and brighten my day. He does- without being asked or ever complaining. He loves me.

Happy 39th Birthday John-

I Love You.

A nut-free candy! They sure are hard to find.

On my nightstand:

Just finished: LOVING FRANK by Nancy Horan

Currently reading: blood orange by Drusilla Campbell

On deck: IN SEARCH OF EDEN by Linda Nichols

Spring=Break out the Harley!

Auntie Tessa & Uncle Shawn

May 2008

Time flies

Brielle and Gianna

May 2001

~

Brielle and Gianna

April 2008

~

the best baked potatoes ever:

John takes whole potatoes, coats the skins with EVOO, sprinkles generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, then bakes. Mmmm...they are the best baked potatoes ever!

Shaye's Someone Special Dance

Last Friday night was Shaye's first dance,

her school's Me and Someone Special Dance.

She couldn't wait to go!

Of course Daddy was her "someone special"-

imagine her glee when he surprised her with flowers...

aw.

I am happy to report,

a fabulous time was had by all.

Picnic by the Sea

I love, love, love this picture. It was taken by my FIL, John Sr., during a picnic by the sea on Martha's Vineyard last fall. You really must click on it so you can see the pure joy on the girls' faces as they play tag with Daddy in the sun.

special K

When I was pregnant with my first born, I craved tomatoes. Daily. With my second, it was mac 'n' cheese and when I was carrying Shaye, I lusted after Italian salad dressing and anything drenched in it. With my last pregnancy, it was different. Food was hardly on my mind; instead, I craved a letter- K. I was obsessed with naming our last girl a name that started with the letter K. My name list read something like this:

• Keely
• Kailyn
• Kylie
• Kady
• Kendra
• Kaidyn
• Kaycee

I couldn't convince John though. Then I saw the name McKenna on a realty sign. I liked the name for the fact that I could call my littlest Micky, which is my best friend's nickname. I didn't particularly like the spelling though. About a month before I was due, I was at a wedding shower and was talking to a woman who had a daughter named (& spelt) Makenna. I started to get excited. After much doodling, I came up with M-A-C-K-E-N-N-A. The day she was born, John decided it was a perfect fit and our youngest daughter was named Mackenna Anne. I love the name and I also got my K- I called her Kenna for the first year and a half of her life. Unfortunately, due to the change in the spelling and our Boston accents- nobody calls her Micky- it's Mackie- which I love just as much. But not as much as I love this little girl.

If you have a 13 year old, don't do THIS:

gianna to me show details: 3:19 PM (2 hours ago) Reply(to an email I sent to her in reply to a picture she sent me)

OMG! pleaz dnt EVER write lol again PLEAZ!!!!! omg i cnt believe u wrote that...omg...i hav 2 go now...ya im gunna leave ur embarassin me in front of NOBODY!!! thats bad...ok bye

C is for cupcakes

Dark chocolate with buttercream frosting mini cupcakes

to be exact.

Sunday, the littles helped me prepare these tasty treats for Shaye's Eating the Alphabet celebration at school on Monday. She chose C because she already knew what she wanted to bring-

and what would be left over at home!

yum.

Hopscotch

Crayola® 3-D Sidewalk Chalk

I know I'm starting to read like a print ad for Crayola, but they have some really cool (& inexpensive!) outdoor items this year and 'tis the season. The girls (& mommy- that's me in the black "running" suit) had a lot of fun with this kit:

A couple of tips:

The thicker the lines(or whatever), the better the 3-D works.

Stripes side by side (see Mackie above) worked really good.

Each kit costs less then $5 and it is truly worth getting each child their own kit because only one pair of glasses comes with each kit and with just one kit, my girls ended up like this every few minutes:

Crayola GIANT CHALK

The BIGGEST sidewalk chalk you ever did see!

No frosting=cupcakes or muffins?

A few weeks ago I was craving some chocolate goodness, so I whipped up a batch of "light" cupcakes- just a box mix and a can of Diet Coke. The girls were very excited that we were having cupcakes for no reason. I didn't frost them because, to be honest, I knew I'd be eating like five and I wanted to cut out the calories. (I know, I know, there is something warped in my reasoning.) When I called the girls to come have one, Mackenna asked where the frosting was. When I said we weren't having frosting this time, she said "Oh, we're having muffins." I told her no, we just weren't frosting our cupcakes, but she stuck to the muffin label- asking Daddy when he got home if he wanted a muffin- Mommy made them. What gives? Is the instinct of a three year old correct- does no frosting a muffin make? Or am I right- a cupcake is a cupcake is a cupcake, frosted or not?

Oggi, mangiamo! (Today, we eat!)

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

The Flintstones- but only when Pebbles was in the episode.

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

A Teacup Chihuahua. I'm not sure what we'd name it...

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

7- I love looking at pictures of everyone looking so lovely, but I am a comfort first kind of girl.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

Whatever is on Gianna's iPod- thanks to iTrip.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

Last August. In Shaye & Mackenna's room- Shaye had to have an alarm clock now that she was going to school every day. Of course, neither one of them sleep late enough to actually be woken up by the alarm at 6:22am.