you capture... "vehicles"

we had a crazy busy week.

my best friend visited from North Carolina with her almost 5 year old son.

we packed loads of fun into the weekend for the boys.

so here is my you capture take on vehicles

through the eyes of

two little boys

whose mommy's are best friends

as they get to know each other

on a whirlwind visit together in New York & Connecticut!

benjamin had his first NYC taxi ride!

he was awe struck.

i love this.

they were more interested in playing with their new vehicles

than taking in manhattan!

this is my favorite photo.

if i were a real photographer

i would call it

serenity admist choas {through the eyes of two 4 year old boys}

they found a shady spot while we were walking around times square.

they were hot.

and sweaty.

and just simply wanted to play with their new rides!

and only in NYC, can you spy with your eye in the car

a taxi, double decker bus and horse drawn carraige all at the same time!

and their creations with tiny legos

{i forced the flash in this shot because i could not get the photo i wanted- boo!}

it was a wonderful weekend!

i'm still trying to recover from the monster sized fun we had!

check out i should be folding laundry and you capture!

a great blog!

rainbow happy goodness!

do you get lost on the internet?

i totally do!

i sit down... give myself a 15 minute window, maybe 1/2 hour.

the next thing i know...

its a LOT LOT longer!

typically i feel guilty about it.

but i find great ideas!

and i don't watch tv really at all these days.

and there is a sense of commraderie in the blog world,

don't you think?

like when you read other peoples thoughts, dreams, ideas, vents, etc...

you can relate.

or empathize.

or sometimes i have a little laugh at what other people share, thinking, are they for real!?

or a laugh because they are hilarious.

recently, i got lost.

and found this idea for rainbow pudding pops.

did you ever have the jell-o pudding pops back in the day?

i can't find them anymore!

i loved them... they had that icey covering on them that was so yummy!

so we tried to make our own!

here is our venture into rainbow happiness!

the yummy pudding cooking.

i have not made pudding in, well, a long time.

it smelled so amazing!

my helper mixing up the colors

{i had a lot of trouble with my camera this day. the settings with f/s and iso were all screwy for some reason}

i screwed up purple big time (bottom left... sorta more like brown... do NOT overdue blue. can't go backwards on that!}

how yummy and fun?!?!?!

jack thought so!

so did sammy!

although he kind of seemed to think they were more fun to paint with!

they scream happy summer thoughts!

sam had it everywhere!!!!

it was a fun activity to do with jack.

and fun for the rest of us to enjoy!

and i made too many... not being sure how many the recipe would make.

i took some to the babysitters house for her and her sisters... i felt like betty crocker!

and then AFTER i made them.

i saw a post on a blog i visit almost every day that she made them.

i know i just found them off another person's blog.

but i was kind of proud of myself that i did something that she thought was cool.

totally ridiculous, i know.

but true.

happy making!

home of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

i have had one of those days

i wasn't even going to post tonight because i just feel like the grumpies got me.

i woke up with BIG plans.

the weather was iffy and everything went down hill from there.

things turned around a bit for a while.

and then ended with a thump.

do you sometimes just find yourself thinking:

"how did i get here?"

i adore my children. i feel very very blessed in life. they amaze me with every move they make. just like every other mother out there!

but the day in and day out monotony of being a stay at home mom exhausts me at times.

little things start to bug me... like hearing jack say "mooooom, phineas and ferb are..."

or sam moaning under my feet.

all.

day.

long.

or jack complaining he is bored {after a day of swimming, playing, swinging, arts & crafts, etc}

i know im blessed to be home with them.

and often times i love the very special moments we share.

for those im eternally grateful.

but.

there are also lots of times i just want everyone to stop talking-crying-whining for a moment and cooperate!

too much to ask?!!?

apparently ;)

so you capture this week was appropriately "america".

i love america.

always have!

i cry when they raise the american flag!

feel strongly that EVERYONE should sing when they play the national anthem.

i have family who serve our country.

love apple pie, my mom, hot dogs, red, white & blue, bike rides, and freedom!

here are some highlights from our weekend... celebrating america!

nothing better than an old fashioned bike parade in the center of our town!

we decked out our bikes with some of our greatest friends and walked in the parade.

a perfect way to honor our country!

love!

only in america does stuff like this happen ;)

in america... you get to paint your god daughters perfect little 10 month old piggies red to celebrate!

in america you get to go to the beach at dusk with your bestie to watch the fire works!

{i adore this photo. absolutely adore it. i love how it shows their personalities and just how much they love one another}

you can snuggle on your mom's lap while watching in awe as the boom into the sky.

i loved this moment.

around us were some "young loves" snuggled under the fireworks romantically.

i reminisced of those moments with my hubbie. it made me smile.

but then i thought... how lucky am i!

this experience with my son. sitting on my lap. watching the sky light up in honor of our freedom. he asked a million questions about how they went off, talked about which ones he liked the best, and just wanted to learn more about it. periodically i got a sweet little snuggle or kiss {he was really tired...but i like to think they were just because}. it was such a deeper love than i ever felt before. so unconditional. nothing else. at all.

while i was sad my hubbie had to go back home with the baby and miss the 4th celebration.

i felt so very fortunate to have that experience with my little man!

and who couldn't love this exhausted face!

only in america do you get to stay up past 11 pm to see the fireworks!

sorry about my brutal rant!

xo

our little heaven!

we go to avalon new jersey for our family vacations.

we are lucky enough that my hubbies parents have a home there.

jack looks forward to it so much!

above, he on the run to see the sunset at the bay!

avalon is tradition.

i love tradition.

total sucker for it!

my husband spent his summers there his entire life.

now we go as often as we can.

its hard with sam being a baby still.

although, this is the first summer i can see, with jack, the light at the end of the tunnel!

he is old enough to understand...

sleep is a must.

spending the day at the beach is perfection.

he loves to talk about morning trips to Wawa for donuts with his pop.

he loves the "5 & 10 store" where he can get great cheap toys.

ice cream is a must.

bike rides are great.

there are touristy things to do.

but...

family... he gets to see tons of family while we are there!

his enthusiasim makes the 3 and a half hour plus car ride a smidge more manageable.

i dreamed of this picture.

my boys.

in avalon.

in their adorable madras swim suits from gap kids.

{well i dreamed of them posing perfectly for a great picture without the complete obnoxious level of over exposure... but i'll take what i can get}

to get to the beach... you have to schelp through the dunes.

the dunes are a brutal walk. i find the walk to the beach torture.

every time i moan.

i begin to think and sound like a total princess/prima donna/spoiled bratt... self admittedly.

the air does not move in the dunes. its dead humid air. buggie. and some tough hills to push a double jogger up.

but then.... just as i want to throw myself down on the ground and stomp my feet that i don't want to walk anymore...

your feet hit beautiful soft sands.

you can feel the ocean breeze.

the smell is perfectly familiar and comforting.

all my senses go on over drive in the best way possible.

i forget about the crying and tired kids, sweat from the walk, long car ride, stress i insist on taking on from being on vacation, and everything else that stresses me out about being away...

and i can see this...

a dolphin was swimming right off the shore as we walked out of the dunes onto the beach.

its like the reward at the end!

makes it all worth it.

all of our stresses and struggles and weekly bump and grind drama dissipates.

life.

is.

good.

my husband plays in the ocean all day with the kids.

teaching them how to surf, fish, and stay safe in the ocean.

and play in it!

and jack's excitement when he finally gets it!

its just so amazing!

{terrible editing on this photo!}

this boat is also tradition.

every child has their picture with it.

we have family photos in front of it.

jack's favorite toy in avalon is a toy replication of the boat.

sandy toes are a requirement.

the curiosity and wonder in sammy's every move as he explores and learns what this little piece of heaven our family has is all about.

pure unadulterated joy.

there are sleepy toes in the stroller after playing hard in the ocean and sand.

jack seems to worship the soft sands at the beach.

so much so that he literally rolls in it.

and lays here just playing.

quietly.

peacefully.

i love how dirty he is.

and he just does not care!

adorable sandy fingers helping daddy fish.

this butterfly just hung out at the house all week.

it was beautiful!

stayed still for pictures and for jack to get a great look at her!

we are blessed.

i love avalon... more and more with each visit {for more pictures of this getaway follow the link... and stay tuned too because there are future trips planned}

hope your enjoying your summer vacations and staycations too!

survival of the hottest!

my temp thingy in my car reads a whopping 105 degrees

it is too hot to take mister asthma out.

and way to hot for my liking.

we went to target.

i made it out under $80!

did you know they take BJ's coupons :)

score!

jack had a sobbing tantrum in target because i told him no more cars.

i ignored him.

get.

over.

it.

then we saw not one but two friends from school.

we got some projects to work on for the next few oppressive days.

we got home and made rainbow pudding pops...

stay tuned for pictures, details and where i got the idea.

it was messy.

but fun.

then we got home and he was just a jerk!

you know.

into everything.

i didn't do anything the right way.

yelling at me.

then we made water accoridans with glasses... at his request.

guess he saw it on noggin.

lasted about 2 minutes.

as i type i hear him downstairs into something he shouldn't be.

and i just don't have the energy to care.

i will very likely regret this decision when i do go down to see what is happening.

im hoping to survive the rest of the day without hurting myself... or any of the little people i live with!

wish me luck!

peanut butter balls

people come into your lives at different points in time.

for different reasons.

some come & go quickly.

some make tremendous impacts.

friendships are life changing.

regardless if they are good or bad.

i believe that there are different kinds of friends for different things.

you know...you have the friend {if you are lucky}

that you call to cry to.

that will say it like it is.

to make you laugh.

you can confide in.

who knows just what you need.

you can "gossip" with.

you share lifetime memories with.

to go out and have fun with.

who makes you crazy.

that knows when to tell you to get your act together.

your "mom friends".

work friends.

some friends you just click with immediately.

some take some time.

there are also the "unhealthy" friends who just make you feel bad or don't bring out the best in you.

{ive got one or two of those too...but we will save that for another post... maybe}

i can go on.

i am tremendously overwhelmingly blessed with friends in my life.

my heart is full.

so onto the peanut butter balls.

i have made this recipe since i was a very young girl.

as i write this, i realize it is maybe one of the first recipes i have memory of making without my mom.

i have been friends with stacey since i was 4.

our houses backyards connected... through a swamp and some woods.

we both are the youngest of 5 and 6 children... with all our siblings from much older than us.

we lived in a very very rural tiny town.

we did every thing together as children.

spent our summers "cleaning the swamp".

riding bikes everywhere.

swimming.

creating.

sledding.

we got our first wet & wild make up together at the pharmacy.

we looked forward to TGIF tv on friday nights.

hot dogs on saturdays with my dad in the "rum rum" {austin healy}.

we are still very dear friends all these years...MANY years later!

we are nothing alike.

we have joked that if we crossed paths today we would probably not be great friends.

but ... our hearts are tied together by our memories and what we share.

much like sisters really.

our friendship is unconditional and not going anywhere.

so stacey taught me, amoung many things, to make peanut butter balls.

it is so easy.

it is a pretty healthy snack.

and easy for kids too!

jack really enjoyed rolling the balls this time around.

you need ABOUT

1.5 cups of peanut butter

1/4 cup of honey

a packet of dry milk (the brand name is MUCH better if you can find it. i have discovered that blending it in the mini chopper makes the final outcome MUCH better so you avoid the crunchies of the dry milk)

i NEVER measure.

i also now use my kitchen aid mixer.

it is significantly easier.

the longer you mix it the better

the consistency should be sticky but not gooey.

and some food for thought:

a chocolate chip on top is yummy

i discovered recently that frozen, they are deeelish!

and i have wondered, but never tried, how they may taste dipped in chocolate...

{oh- do NOT make these with all natural peanut butter... that fails miserably}

hope you enjoy this yummy treat.

and your friend today!

lost and lazy.

it's friday night.

my husband is out for his first "guys night" in a very long time.

don't feel bad for him...

he get's a lot of 'time' out of the house doing very fun things.

dinners out.

drinks out.

lunches out.

golf.

vacations... i mean work meetings at fun lavish places that require stays at the four seasons.

granted, he works his ass off and would MUCH rather be home with us.

he lives a rather exciting lifestyle while i...

am in a seemingly abusive relationship with a 4 year old and 1 year old.

eating peanut butter & jelly.

cleaning boogies off noses.

and working really hard at not negotiating with my terrorist (aka, my 4 year old).

so im lost on the internet.

there are clothes to put away.

laundry to be done.

a VERY dirty kitchen floor.

{like i can see stuff on it... and it will stay there just one more day!}

dishes in the sink.

etc.

etc.

and im still sitting here...

and have resolved myself that i will not get up and do the work!

so here is my you capture photos for the week.

we were away in avalon, nj.

the challenge was

hands.

green.

chair.

pick one... i think.

i kind of broke the rules.

but people do every week.

and its more of a bend of rules.

avalon is quite possibly one of the most amazing places for our family.

my photos this week are not that great.

i wasn't trying.

i was really trying to enjoy the weekend with the boys at the beach.

but these moments happened to pass by so i snapped!

this is for the "hands" challenge.

he was COVERED at all times.

he really likes the soft warm sand.

not the sand where the tides come & go.

here is sammy in the chair in avalon.

{i have a HILARIOUS photo of jack in this chair... if procrastination continues i will look for it before i post because its a riot}

and sam making great effort to get out of the chair.

poor sam!

EDIT: here is the photo of jack from 2009 in the same chair.

i still crack up at this today.

"get the freaking camera out of my face mom!"

sammy in his new chair!

so excited for this!

relaxing in the rockers out back after a long day at the beach

brothers in the chair.

sammy trying to make a chair out of daddy's tackle box.

these next two were taken with my blackberry.

at our beach in CT.

one could tell by the rocky sand.

not soft sand.

im becoming a bit of a beach snob!

but her chair literally broke while she was sitting in it.

it was really rather funny.

and i should note it did not break because of some weight limit.

it was an older chair and the fabric just tore from use.

well sam took great fun in playing with the broken lily chair!

hope your all getting ready for some some celebrating of our country.

more pictures of avalon to come......

happy weekend!

happy 4th of july.

happy celebrating america!