Go Gators!!!

It is that time of the year again...Thank Goodness!!!  College football is the best in the world...I personally feel the players have more passion and fun then professional.  However there is no team better than the Florida Gators!!!

Over the years the Gators have had some great players but course I could not do a post about them and not talk about #15 Tim Tebow!!  He is #1 in my book and I have followed him to Denver and now the Jets.  He is not only an awesome player but an amazing man!!!  And for all those out there that live under a rock here he is!!!!!!!

Now that I have barely done him justice I am gonna move onto what shames me the most in life and being the parent I am... (who has threatened a bed outside, no TV, no food) just kidding....

I live in a.....

yep....yep... I can't believe but my poor does not know any better beautiful baby girl likes the seminoles....

It's terrible...I always tell her the Gator's put food on our table and a roof over our head (I work for UF) and its the funniest thing when Trace tells her the same.

She is misguided...must be confused...She doesn't waver not matter how much grief we give her...we threaten to cut up her many shirts that she sports while we are in Gator gear...I'm not sure she is mine...kidding again

And I am so proud of her for loving what she loves and not wavering!!!  For threatening to cut up our shirts if we cut up hers and for telling us its against the law for making her sleep outside unless she is camping!!

I love her for being standing firm and being independent...and a as a parent I will not always agree with their decisions and choices, but I will support them in everything...no matter how much it hurts!! So with that and while hiding my face in shame and hoping nobody I know sees me I have purchased my baby seminole gear.

One thing is for sure we are looking forward to this weekend and you will hear all of us cheering for miles!!!  Its opening weekend!!!  Pinterest inspired and tried and true recipes will be brought forth again this weekend because baby in Gator Country that is how we roll!!!  Chomp Chomp!!!!

SN: The kids and I went to Tallahassee for the weekend before school started and let me tell you it was not a fun visually appealing trip...Hannah loved it..Trace hated it... Happy Football!!!

GO GATORS!!!!!!

Pink...Pink..Pink...

My friend Jessee just recently welcomed a new baby girl into her family.  Her and her husband have two boys under the age 4 so it has been exciting.  I personally love anything pink and girly and baby girls so I had tons of fun shopping and putting together her coed PINK PARTY!!!!  I must say I am pretty proud of myself and thankful for the help of many friends who helped with food, setting up and making it a great evening full of fun, laughter, karoake and celebrating the upcoming arrival of Baby Irelynne!!

The banner was my first project of its kind.  I got the idea from my amazingly crafty cousin Jenna.  She was like its sooooo easy...puhleese!!  Those foldy bow things were crazy to get the hang of..now I can do them in my sleep!!  Go team Me!!  But all in all I think it turned out beautifully!!

Next came the pom pom balls...I watched a tutorial on you tube and decided theses would be easy as pie to make and cheap..they were.   However you can buy them at Michael's but I dont know know why you would I think they are like $5 a piece and mine cost about a dollar to make.

 You can never have enough pretty glass so I have been spent the past few months collecting different shape glasses dishes with and without lids and different size vases to fill with flowers and different candys and treats... We had finger foods, a watermelon cut like a baby carriage, cupcakes, pretzels and cake ball pops...Those were a nightmare....way beyond my scope of expertise.  They were UGLY...I don't think I took a picture...I did but I would never shame myself by posting it.

I loved shopping for Little Irelynne and as obsessed as I am about buying hair bows and headbands for Hannah it was extra fun shopping for the baby... My favorite was a tiara headband which was adorable!!  I love love love shopping on etsy!!

This is not baby Irelynne....but how can you not love either!!

To purchase your own check out ImaginationCouture on Etsy and this link http://www.etsy.com/listing/99536118/ready-to-ship-fairytale-princess-tiara



I love shopping!!  Look at the likke gloves!!  who can resist even if we live in Florida!!!

 Oh did I say I dyed rice green for this party to look like grass for the cake balls that came out like pink piles of yuck!!  LOL what a sight....OK onto more pictures



Jessee and I

And on 8/14 weighing 7lbs 13oz Irelynne Aliyiah was born to two very proud parents and a bunch of honorary Aunts and Uncles!!!



Irelynne and Auntie Anita




Perfection!!



First days of school....

I cannot believe that the summer just flew by and my babes are off to school again... What is so crazy is that my twins are going to seperate schools this year. For the first time ever they will not only be seperated by different classes of different grades, now they will be a mile apart and will not see each other at all not even in passing.

See its like this Trace has struggled with reading for years. He didn't talk much until he was 3 because Hannah did it all for him.  You would ask him a question and he would look at her to answer for him.  He started with and IEP and speech therapy in Pre-K which continued into Kindergarten.  Hannah and trace were in seperate classes, but he still struggled while she excelled.  So at the end of the year it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, holding one of my babies back and sending another forward.  I do know that it was the best choice and watching Trace flourish and listening to him reading and sounding out words makes me so happy and proud of him.


My handsome little man!!

 Trace has Ms. S at JBES this year and is in 2nd grade.  Hannah has Mrs. A and Mrs. B and she is in 3rd grade at WES. I am so proud of her also and even though she struggled in Math last year I am hoping this year she will do much better and excel.  I am also looking forward for all the teeth she has lost this summer to grow back in because her one chiclet overwhelms my poor babies face. Its sweet and comical...She will grow into her beautiful smile!!



She looks super in her new glasses!!

 In the weeks before school we did massive school shopping which turned out great for Hannah, but for some reason this area is in short supply for boys clothes and what really dives me crazy is we live in Florida we wear shorts until Dec and then its cold for 2 months...There were NOOOOOOOO shorts in Trace's size at JcPenney, Old Navy or Target...ok 2 pairs..I think that is crappy..just sayin.
Of course Hannah made out like a bandit...numerous dresses, shirts, skirts, and 3 pairs of new shoes.  I did get Trace new shirts, socks, sneakers etc.

Oh my goodness lets talk about school supplies...I spent a fortune this year on school supplies...It probably doesn't help that I get everything on the teachers wish list too....I just want my kids to have a great education and teachers that are happy!!

Hannah and Trace and I spent Sunday evening before the first day of school making their teacher presents....Me more than them because I worry about the hot glue, but they cut paper and ribbon for me.  I think they turned out super cute and the kids were proud of them!!

We had one last trip before school started and overnight trip to Tallahassee to pick up our Grannie so she could get some testing at Shands to see if she qualifies to be put on the Kidney Transplant list.  We had a great visit and of course she cooked us some good Grannie food...fried chicken, potatoes and onions and cabbage!!  Yummy!!  We were sad to see her go after testing Monday and Tuesday I drove her back to Tallahassee to meet my Uncle Kelly on Wednesday morning.



Yum!!!  and yes I ate it all!!!

 Ok back to the first day...



Hannah and Trace on 8/20/12.



Loves!!



My beautiful 3rd grader!!!



My handsome 2nd grader!

May---Surprises, Traveling, Craziness and Chaos...

Wow...talk about being busy...Its the end of July and I am now blogging about May.  I told myself when I started I wanted to dedicate a few hours a week to blogging..well so far I have failed, but I will do better!!

The kids and I spent 5 days in New York as a surprise to my dad for his birthday.  It was a wonderful trip and the kids and I had so much fun and we spent tons of quality time with our amazing family.  We left on Saturday the 19th and arrived to rush to my Uncle's for my dad's surprise party.  My Aunt Anna did a wonderful job and I will say my dad cried like a baby when he saw the twins.  I went up for New Years this year, however he hadn't seen them since last summer.  We spent Sunday lazing by Uncle Gary and Aunt Anna's pool and Monday and Tuesday just relaxing at my Nannie's.  We left on Wednesday which was sad, but we still had so much to do in the few short days left in the month.  Our Aunt Theresa also celebrated her 40th birthday on May the 11 and we had cake for her too.

While we were there we also went to New Paltz to a place called Moxie Cupcakes...Oh my goodness, but they were amazing!!!

Hannah and Aunt Theresa

The view of the Hudson River

Yummmmmm!!!

Thomas and Trace

Uncle Gary and Trace

Hannah and Papa!!! 

Aunt Theresa is our love and we miss her and "baby" Jamie so much!!  Jamie is her 12 year old son our cousin and he is taller and bigger than me...however Hannah and Trace still call him "baby" its so cute!!
We miss everyone especially my Dad...He is so very good to us and I am so proud of him!!!  We love you Papa!!!!!


May was also the end of school and Hannah's second grade field trip to Seaworld.  We spent the day hanging out with my old classmates and her classmates.

Krystianna and Hannah

My beautiful princess!!

Hannah and her BFF Liyah

What a great day even though it was a 100 degrees!!

It is now school shopping time and I finally have internet again at home...I am also so glad this semester at school is almost over.  It has been a rough few months for me.  I am taking a break next semester so I can focus on the kids and their transition to 2nd and 3rd grade.  Also girl scouts will be starting soon, football and cheerleading and Trace wants to do cub scouts.  I would also like to get more involved with the PTA and who knows what else...

Teacher Appreciation

This week is Teacher Appreciation week and I really wanted to do something special for the kids teachers...with their help of course...So looking through my trusty ole Pinterest Boards I settled on making these baskets filled with goodies with a cute poem and prayer. 

I am not creative like some people I know especially my old High School friend Charon who is always blogging and showing me how I fail in that department by all the great things she comes up with...sigh...I also am 100% positive she could have bought everything in the baskets for like $5 with her couponing but thats another story...she's a rockstar....me I don't want to even discuss the cost...It was so much fun though and I can't wait to try my hand at another project!!

I made 3 baskets...one for Trace's first grade teacher..we brought it to her last week since she is going on maternity leave. one for Hannah's second grade teacher and one for our most favorite teacher in the whole world. The kids call her Yaya...its Grandma in Greek.

Finished Product!!

Here is the Poem and Prayer ..

Teacher’s Survival Kit

Animal cookies for when your classroom seems like a zoo.
Band-Aids for when things get a little rough.
Chewing Gum to help you stick to it.
Crayons to color your day bright and cheerful.
Candle for when you are up late grading papers.
Eraser to remind you everyone makes mistakes.
Lifesavers For when you've had one of those days.
Marbles to replace the ones you've lost.
Mounds Bar for the mounds of confidence you give your students.
Paperclips to hold it all together.
Pencil to "write your wrongs."
Rubber band to remind you to be flexible.
Shiny Penny to remind you that each will shine in his or her own special way.
Starburst to give you a "burst" of energy when you need it.
Tissues to wipe away the tears...yours and theirs.
Toothpick to help you "pick" out the good qualities in others and yourself,
and a prayer for you to say at the start of each day.

God, please help me,
to strengthen their voices,
bodies and minds,
to express their feelings and
control them sometimes,
to explore what's near
and venture afar,
but most important to love
who they are



http://pinterest.com/pin/106819822381861230/   This is the link from where I got the idea for this great gift..