Cute pic of Grandma Hefley-

Considering she is 88, I don't think Grandma looks to shabby. However, she still carries her "baby" around with her wherever she goes. The nurses tell Dad that she does this because she is reliving the happiest moments of her life which, I guess, was when she was a Mommy to her 3 little boys.

How precious...

It's official...

my little man no longer believes in the big, jolly, rosey-cheeked guy also known as Santa :( I know he's had his doubts the last few years, but to finally hear him say it made me a little sad. I guess I will miss the excitement of Christmas morning, the stockings, the "Santa" gifts and the wide-eyed wonder, but the good news is I have one little girl who still believes...

What kind of makes me mad though is one of his teachers said, "come on, kids, we all know there is no such thing as Santa." I understand they are in middle-school and probably 99% of them don't believe in ole' St. Nick, but I still don't think that is a teachers position.

In any event, the "believer" walked in the room while we were having this discussion, so I didn't get a chance to go into much more detail. I still want my boy to know that Santa only represents one aspect of the spirit of Christmas while instilling the real reason for the season. With that being said, it's not really an open book for discussion just yet, so no probing for info, please.

Reminder

Any time you want to be reminded of how good you have it, have a sleepover. Ellie had a little friend stay over last night and although the girls had fun, it simply reminded me of how blessed I am to have two wonderful, well-behaved children.

And, although I thought I was going to be Jacob's date, last night I learned that I, too, will be a part of Donna and Rodney's wedding. So...that will be one bridal dress, one flower girl dress, a rental tux, bridal shower, couple shower, etc.. I guess I better start saving now. They were going to see if Jacob wanted to be a usher, but he flat up told them he wasn't interested in being a part of the bridal party, so I guess he'll partake in the events as a guest. It's been a while since we've been to a wedding, so looking forward to it. What's even better is I think this will be the first wedding I get to attend with my two favorite little people.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Things kids say- Part III, or maybe IV?

Ellie was checking out her blog yesterday and reading the 3 comments that were made about her last post - "Extra Recess." This is what transpired next...

Me: "Gosh, Ellie, you get more comments on your posts than I do."

Ellie: "Well, I guess you need to write about something more exciting."

I guess extra recess, flat-screen TV's, pets and football are more exciting than anything I have to say these days...hehe :)

Have a great Tuesday!

So sad...

Ellie and I were driving around last night after we dropped Jacob off at football practice and decided to take a ride over by Crosstown Parkway and take a sneak-peek at that quaint little place that we will always remember as our first home. It was tiny indeed, and I certainly couldn't imagine living in that place now with all the junk we have, but yet it was a place I found very charming and one that I have to say I was very proud to have as a newly married couple.

Unfortunately, it's not quite so charming anymore. The new homeowners have really let that charming little home go to the pits. It looks terrible and actually made me a little sad to see, so I had to take a picture to send to Todd. It's kind of hard though to get a decent picture as you are slowly driving by in your car trying not to look obvious that you are checking out someone else's home....



Pretty sad, don't you think? I have to admit, it tugged at my heart a little. Oh, what I would do to stroll through the inside and take a gander.

Dear Homeowner: Please take care of that house. We had some wonderful memories in that quaint, charming, little place of yours that we once called "home."

Message from school-

Here is a phone message left on my voicemail yesterday:

"Hi, this is Mrs. Stefani. It's Tuesday afternoon about 3:30. I was just calling to let you know that Ellie is doing a wonderful job at school. She did use her school money for a positive phone call home, but if she wasn't doing well, I would of said, "you know, sorry, can't pay for that." But, um, I'm not just calling because she paid, I am calling really to tell you that she's doing a great job; she's a great listener, she's finishing her work, she's truly a dream at school. Please let her know I called and I'll talk to you soon."

Way to go, Elle-Belle! To no surprise, you are once again off to a great start!

Just a quick update -

Bubbe's, or aka Wolf Boy's, second day of school went much, much better. To no surprise, he's making new friends, the dreaded Algebra class seemed a little easier to manage and my boy was smiling, laughing and joking just like his old self. That, my friends, is the perfect ingredients for one happy Momma!

First Day Stories-

We have one that had an exciting and fabulous day, and another one who wasn't really all that thrilled.

So, we'll start with Ellie. She jumped in the car smiling, talking a mile a minute about the things they already worked on, pictures she colored, two good stamps that she got, books her teacher read, friends she got to see, etc... Plus, she seems to love her teacher, so her move into 2nd grade started off with a bang. Plus, her sugars were really well all day long, so hopefully that is a sign of what the future days will bring.

Number 1...not a very happy camper when he strolled through the door at 5:05-5:10.

He's not so happy about being in honor/advance classes because he doesn't have many friends in his classes, he's in advanced Alegbra with a bunch of 8th graders and feels like a nerd (getting high school credits I might add), his Science teacher is bi-polar (exact words from Jacob) who arrived at school after his morning surf wearing Reef flip flops (not a very good example in my opinion considering the kids can't even wear anything like that, yet I didn't get very good vibes from him at the orientation either) and he got yelled at by a teacher because he was trying to chat with a friend in between classes and wasn't with his "Osprey" team. However, he told me he was walking from his elective Spanish class back to his regular building, so it's not like he was with his team at that time anyways. In any event, not a very happy start for him. I'm trying to keep him positive, so I can only hope tomorrow goes a tad better.

On the other hand, with the exception of "hang ten" boy, he did seem to like most of his teachers. He loves his science teacher who said to him, "Jacob, Jacob, Jacob....I've been seeing your name all over t-shirts these days...can I call you wolf boy?" In this class, I guess they all had to talk about something they like and something they dislike, so it was funny listening to Jacob tell the story about the teacher's likes/disklikes. Jacob apparently talked about his dislike for cooked carrots and his like, or love, for football.

These next few years are going to be tough from a social standpoint. I keep telling him to just be himself and he'll have no problem making new friends. He's such a likable person and just because he's in honors classes by no means makes him a "nerd." He's simply intelligent with a good heart, lots of athletic ability and just a kind, sweet soul to everyone he knows. I know he'll be just fine...he just needs to give himself a few days to adjust and make new friends.

Well, that's it for now. I guess I better go make some lunches, sign off on some paperwork and jump in bed. It's been a long, busy day....

XOXO

and they're off...

yet again. Unbelievably, it is another "first" day of school. My oh my, where did the summer go? I can't believe I now have a 2nd grader and a 7th grader. I started a post last week about our summer and some of our favorite summer memories, but it wouldn't let me post it so I'll have to work on that and finish it up later.

So, as in years past, here are the first shots of the 2010 school year, along with the last couple of years...

Funny - I just realized Jacob is wearing almost the same exact colors/outfit as he wore last year, but I promise you it is new.

8/2010

8/2009



8/2008



and then the little one...

8/2010



8/2009



8/2008



And, of course, a picture of the two of them together.

Lastly, don't you just love Ellie's new lunch box?

They both seemed pretty excited this morning. We had a few tears from the little one last night as she went to bed...."I'm scared because I don't want everyone asking me why I have to keep going to the clinic or why I'm eating snacks in class." Bless her little heart... I swear, in times like that, my heart just breaks and I want to cry with her. Actually, I did shed a few tears, but we were in the dark so I did my best to wipe them away as quickly as possible so she didn't notice. We talked about what to say, and cuddled, and wiped the tears, and encouraged her that it was going to be another great year. Thankfully, she woke up this morning saying, "I'm not scared anymore." Whew...

They both seemed to get off to get a good start this morning, so my fingers are crossed and I'm looking forward to hearing the "first day" stories just as in years past.

Even though Daddy is at work, he's officially back on his vacation and I'm sure he's doing the back-to-school dance.

XOXO

Cousins and friends forever-

It's as simple as that. I just thought I would take a minute to share a few quick pictures that I had on my phone. I have more on my camera that I will share later.

Here is a picture of two special girls in our family. Ellie, I might add, was VERY sad to see this cousin leave-



Here are the boys...and which of these two do you think are brothers? haha...



And the entire crew-



We had an amazing week spending time with lots of special people whom we don't get to see near as much as we would like. The best part is these kids can go 2 years without seeing each other, yet when they are back together, it's like they need missed a beat . Love that about those kids...

Thank you to Aunt Essie and Uncle Tony for the fun times, good memories, shopping trips, and especially for watching out for our 2 little ones during all the crazy festivities we had going on with the reunion.

We will miss you guys dearly! Safe travels back across the pond and we anxiously await the next time we are together. I'll get in touch with you about our Skype day, Es...I've already talked to little E about it.

Lots of love to all of you!

T,J,J & E

We ended our vacation...

with what else? A baseball tournament in Coral Springs... We lost our first two games on Sat. and then won our next two on Sun. We were scheduled to begin our playoff game for 3rd and 4th place when it started to pour down rain. They ended up canceling the games and we got to head north to our very own, nice, comfy and cozy beds....ahhhhh!

Time to begin the unpacking, putting away and a little bit of laundry. Does anyone have any idea on how to get these pants clean? I've tried every spray out there and can't seem to find a good one that will get these back to the sparkling white they once were.

I'm not sure if it's because my son plays so hard, or if he just insists on sliding head first at every chance he gets. Okay, so maybe it's a little of both. I can almost bet that after every game my son will be the one that comes out with the dirtest pants...guaranteed...every time! Which leads me to my next question...why would you buy white pants for a group of 12 yr old boys anyways?

Well, it's been a great week off from work spending quality time with some of my favorite people. There is nothing better than that. Good times, good times....

More vacation pictures-

This picture may be a little de ja vue to some some of you...does it seem like you are back in New York?



Just thought this was a funny picture of someone's sandy feet-



Ellie's favorite part of the resort....pirate ship time-



We weren't there 5 minutes and already had our first boo-boo-

Nice shot of Daddy and the kids-

The bartender took one of all of us-

Then Daddy took one of me and the kids-

Another favorite activity...jumping off the platform in the lagoon. Although I had a hard time getting a clear shot (need a new camera), I thought this was a pretty funny shot-

Ellie looks terrified in this picture...wonder if she was having flashbacks of the jellyfish that Daddy and Jacob saw which really seemed to freak her out-

Daddy losing ground as they swam out to the lagoon. Todd said it was a good 20-25 feet deep around the platform-

Just a shot of the opposite end of the lagoon where I was sitting-

I had a really hard time getting a good shot of the dolphins. Again, need a new camera...mine just wasn't quick enough to catch them jumping out of the water.

The firepit where Daddy and I sat while the kids....

played in the pool-

A liked this picture of the kids standing outside the resort-

The "Lucky-Ducky" game that the kids played at game time. This is the resort worker giving them instructions-

Then she threw out the ducks and said "Get ready, get set.....

GO!"

Looking for the lucky winner....duck #21-

A few more shots of Ellie's favorite spot-

I loved this little palm tree. The little coconuts would fill up with water and then topple over on whoever was walking by-

The little playground for Ellie-

Okay, I think that's going to be it for now. I will try and upload some more later.

Great times, great memories!

Key West Pictures

I just thought I would try to upload some of these vacation pictures again, but blogger is still being a pain in the butt and I'm frustrated since it's making me upload one picture at a time, so the pictures will have to tell the story.

Pics from the Southern most point of the US. It was a little overcast, so probably not the best sunset I've ever seen, but it was still a pleasant evening out.

This is one my favorites because of the sailboat in the background-

America, America...

God shed his grace on thee...

Happy 4th, Everyone! and...

Happy Birthday, Uncle Paul!

XOXO

Oh yeah-

I forgot to tell you about our little incident immediately following our wonderful parasailing experience. So as Jacob and I were relishing in our adventurous endeavor, we met Todd and Ellie back at the dock, went to check out these HUGE tarpon fish that Ellie was feeding and then headed back to the truck. Within seconds after I sit down in the truck, Jacob starts screaming and crying hysterically. As I look over to see what's going on, all I could see was the top part of his hand crushed in the truck door. Todd had shut Jacob's entire hand, from the knuckles down, in the backseat door. Yes, I probably panicked a little because at the moment it seemed as though Todd was moving in slow motion as he reached for the car handle, plus it tugs at my heart strings seeing either of my kids in such distress. Luckily, it turned out that he was/is okay. If anything, I think it just scared the crap out of him.

On a brighter note, here are a few pictures from our night at Key West:

(sorry, but I've been trying for 2 days to upload these pictures to my blog and for some reason it's not letting me do it. I guess I'll have to post these later.)

We are now in Coral Springs for Jacob's baseball tournament as our vacation starts to wind down...sigh. It's been an amazing week and I highly recommend Hawk's Cay for anyone looking for a little relaxtion along the Gulf or the Atlantic. The kids found it pretty amazing that they could walk out the back porch and climb a tree that sat on the Gulf water line, yet walk to the lagoon and swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Other than the night we went to Key West, we never even left the resort and we had plenty of activities to keep us entertained from dusk to dawn...we will definitely be going back again.

Well, I guess we'll be heading back to the Fort sometime in the afternoon on the 4th.

Happy Friday!

WE DID IT!!

Believe it or not, folks, I actually convinced Jacob to go parasailing with me today. He's becoming a little more daring the older he gets. Honestly, it wasn't that hard to convince him because he was, surprisingly, pretty willing to go. All morning I kept debating....should we go or should we not, so I decided to call and get the details. The funny thing is when I called they only had one opening left for the rest of the day and that was at their 1:00 sail...guess what time I called? 12:45! At that point, there wasn't much time to really think about it, so I made a quick decision to reserve our spot, grabbed our stuff and we headed down the street.

Everything was good at first - Jacob was a tad quiet, but in his world that simply means he's a little nervous. There was a sister and brother going before us and the young teen boy was asking Jacob a lot of questions about baseball (he had on one of his baseball shirts), but all the boy could get out of Jacob was very short, one word answers. Although a little afraid and apprehensive, all was good until we got in the boat and I, foolishly, asked the captain, "how high do we go?" As soon as Jacob heard, "oh...about 350-400 feet," he started to get really nervous. He wasn't quite in panic mode, but you could tell he was more nervous...."What? 400 feet?" Plus, it didn't help when the young girl before us came back looking as white as a ghost and feeling sea-sick. The guys on the boat were great...they were laughing and joking with Jacob trying to lighten the mood. All in all, I have to say Jacob surprised me and handled it very well.

I only wished we could of gotten pictures. I have to admit 350-400 feet is pretty high in the sky and even I was a little nervous. By the time we got back to the boat, I thought they were going to have to peel my hands off the bars you hang onto because I had a death-grip on them. I did get to see some sea turtles and a shark.

I believe Jacob enjoyed it, but I do think he was expecting something maybe a little more fast paced. It was definitely a very quiet and serene experience high in the sky, and one I'm glad I got to experience with my favorite little guy.

XOXO

You may initially believe...

you are in South America when you see of these walk by, even if you are laying by the lagoon in Key West, FL...







and Momma's baby-



or perhaps sailing the ocean and you see one of these jump by-



Yep, we have iguanas walking the lagoon just as if they belong there and dolphins jumping in the water in the dolphin encounter right next to the lagoon. Crazy...

We spent most of the morning playing in the lagoon and relaxing by the pool. We just came in to take a quick break and eat some lunch, now it's off to the Indies Club for a little slipping and sliding on the Pirate ship and some more hot and sweating basketball fun.

XOXO