Friends

I have been thinking lately....about friends. How important they are, and how great they are to have! Especially when you need someone to listen to you and be there for you as you go through the ups and downs of life. One of my favorite friends was my Dad and well he is not with us anymore. I still cry when I have the need to talk to him, still after several years it doesn't feel like it's real, but it is. Brian is a great friend of course, but sometimes I just want a girl friend, sorry Brian no offense:-)

My point of this whole post is I guess to encourage my readers to cherish the friends they have and foster those friendships. Check in and say hello, ask if they are ok or if they need prayer or time with you. Show that you really care and be there to listen if they want to talk. Life is SHORT and I don't know about you but I want to leave a legacy behind of being a great friend, wife, mother, and daughter! It's a big list I know but hey, if my Dad did it, and others do it, then so can you and I. It's a great feeling anyway, doing something for someone else....who needs you. Or them doing something for you when you need them. It's a great system and I see why God created friendship....he knew we would need each other for support through this thing called Life!

I hope all of you have a friend like what I described and if not I pray that you find a friend that can be there for you through it all. It's a good feeling to know that someone cares about you; yes other than your spouse:-) preferably the same sex. Here's to FRIENDSHIP.

Aria and Kaden...believe it or not they have become pretty good friends lately! So cute, and I pray they stay that way and I am going to do my best to foster that.

Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show!!!

So all of you know I love cooking and baking...well you should by now:-) Anyway I just wanted to share that I am finally getting one of my favorite chiefs' book; Giada! Yep love the food she cooks and her show on Food Network. I also love Ace of Cakes and a whole bunch of other shows on the Food Network. I don't get to watch them regularly but when the kids are solo and I have some down time that is one way I like to refresh...and of course with a cup of coffee. Caffeine makes it MUCH better!



Here is the link for the event which is Nov 6-8th.

http://www.metrocooking.com/2009DC/home.html

I have purchased a ticket to get Giada's new book signed and Aria is taking a cooking class. I have offered to volunteer half day in order to get into the exhibit for the other half of the day free but still waiting for a phone call. I can't buy anything so not sure how good that will do but it would be neat to see all the new and cool cooking apparatuses that I don't have:-) Gives me ideas for my wish list....so if any of you want a signed book or something from the show and can't make it let me know and I will be glad to pick it up for you. This show only comes to D.C., Atlanta, and Palm Beach so any of my West Coast family or friends won't have the opportunity to go to this show. We just have better food on this side:-) Sike.

Hope to see any of you there it looks like it will be a lot of fun and not to mention it's in the new D.C. convention center which is right on the Potomac I think on the Maryland side.

Kaden Outside As Always!

For those of you that know Kaden really well...you have seen his wide array of facial expressions. I don't know who he gets it from but it is DARN CUTE! One day after taking a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa he of course had to get on the mower. It's one of his favorite things to do besides riding the 4wheeler. Now that we are not living there anymore I am sure he is thinking life is dull. Here you can see some of those expressions that we all LOVE.

Posing for the camera...with his "what are you doing" look.

Papa helping him drive the steering wheel...

Another look.

The full effect; little guy on a big mower:-)

Another Makes 3

Well not sure if I should tell you this but here it goes anyway....we are expecting our 3rd child sometime around May 26th next year! I know some of you say "another one?" Call me crazy and my family have seen me crazy with the two we have but there is something about that craziness that I love. Something about the sweetness of a child that can make me forget all the cries and hard work that it takes to love and care for them. I could probably have more but I feel old age creeping on me and well I know they are expensive too so we don't want to drive ourselves to the poor house having kids:-)
I am excited, to have one more last bambino to share my life with. Aria is excited and kisses my belly already and well Kaden he doesn't know yet. I am only 8 weeks now so won't be till the end of December that we will know the sex. I think it's a boy but we will see...either way I am just praying that God will bless us again with another healthy baby.
Stay tuned for more as it comes.

House Pics

Sorry it's taken so long...but finally some pictures of the house minus all the boxes that were finally unpacked:-)

Aria enjoying her new family room:-)

Dining room still not done yet but will be painted a nice red color.

Sitting room just as you enter front door. Will be painted a blue or same color as couches.

Daddy's office and study room. He painted it a nice brown color, makes me want to lick the walls it looks like dark chocolate!

Kaden in the office:-)

Family room next to kitchen.

Kitchen! Nothing fancy, no granite but hey it's WAY bigger than what we had....much more functinal for the chef and baker that I am.

Laundry room....sorry no pics of the rooms yet. I have to leave something for your

imagination:-)

A Day Off From Unpacking...

Sorry for the long wait...been REALLY busy unpacking and getting settled as quickly as possible! I know that sounds unobtainable with two kids but I am pretty surprised at how fast I have unpacked our house. It will be on week this past Thursday that we have been in the house and all the boxes are unpacked and everything put away...with the exception of the office; Brian just painted that room and is unpacking now.
Last Monday I decided I needed to get together with my friends and enjoy the Fall weather before it passes by. So we all met up at Crooked Run Orchard in Purcelville for some apple picking and a sack lunch. We got there around 10am and then ate lunch on the picnic table. It didn't take us long to pick...none of us wanted to take too many apples home in fear of letting them go bad. I was going to make my favorite pumpkin apple pie and leave a few for eating and at $1/lb you can't beat that! It was great seeing everyone and taking a breather from moving and unpacking!!! THANK YOU ladies for a great time!

Kaden admiring the pumpkins....I think he wanted all of them.

Aria having fun looking at all the neat shapes of ghourdes.

Aria and Karis cleaning the ghourdes for the orchard owner....they just started doing that on their own. They saw a bucket of water and some dirty ghourdes so off to work they went. The owner gave them each a free ghourde for their hard work! Way to go girls:-)

All of us heading toward the Braeburn apples; Connie, Anne, and Kelly.

Aria hanging out in the tree...she gets that from me:-) I was climbing the trees as their were not many apples left so leave it to Mom to save the day!

Ahhh finally lunch...we were all starving after the long walk to the trees. But it paid off! Anne, Aria and Karis.

Kelly feeding Lydia with Connie's help:-)