A little Jump Rope with "E" and "P"

For those of you who don't know, my niece Erin likes to be called "E"....so when I introduced Pete to my nieces, I told Erin that she could call Pete "P" - well, with much laughter, Erin then called Pete "P" for the rest of the trip...so without further ado...here are "E" and "P" and the jump rope.....too cute!

Florida Vacation!!

It was a cold 32 degrees here when Pete and I left for our vacation. We were on the 6:20 a.m. flight out of Islip headed to sunny Orlando!! When we touched down in Florida, it was about 8:50 a.m. - a little overcast, but by the time we got our car, the sun had come out and it was shorts weather!!! We had the most amazing time together! We did think about the kids, often, and felt somewhat guilty that we were in Disney and they were home. We are now planning a trip this coming May or August to go back down to enjoy it all 'together'. I was able to see my brother, Trisha and of course, the girls!! Pete and I enjoyed spending time at our beautiful hotel, downtown Disney, City Walk and of course the highlight, Universal. That evening, 2/14, in Universal, we celebrated Mardi Gras. The show was amazing!! There were the most magnificent floats and beads were flying!!! Between my brother and Pete catching the most, I was draped in a sea of beads!! Trisha was bartending right next to us so as you can imagine, we had a very good night!!! Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons put on a great concert and we all danced and sang!! But as they say, all good things must come to an end....sadly, we left on Sunday to return home. We went from 80 degrees back to the cold NY weather...Thanks Pete for such a great time! I just loved spending time with you!!! And again, a special thanks to Mom and Dad for watching the boys for us...we could not have done it without you!!!

A huge Thank You!!

Just felt like writing a thank you to my parents who have been there for me more than they can imagine. Tomorrow, Pete and I are leaving for Florida. It would not have been possible if not for my parents. I know that my boys will be in good hands and well taken care of. So, thanks mom and dad for allowing me this time....I love you both so much!!! I just wanted everyone who reads this to know just how much I love you both!!!!! See you all on Sunday! Love, hugs and kisses to my beautiful boys!!!!!

Shayna is a Purple Belt!!!

A big congratulations to our friend Shayna....she is now a purple belt in karate!!! Shayna is our friend who got both John and Ryan interested in karate. When the test was given last month, Shayna was in....Aruba! She was given the test last night and we were all there to cheer her on! John and Ryan even got to participate in the testing! We are so proud of you!!! You go girl!!!

New York State Tests

For those of you who may not know, the children have to take the standardized NYS tests. This year, Kevin had to take what they call the Social Studies DBQ test. There are four levels in which you will score. Level 1 and 2 which is below average and average. Then there is level 3 which is average/slightly above average and then there is level 4 which is above average...It is a huge accomplishment to achieve this level. Well, we received Kevin's grade in the mail last week and he scored an 89 on the test which places him in Level 4!!!!! We are all so proud of you Kevin!!! You studied so hard in school and it paid off!!! Great job!!! Love you!!!

My Karate Kids!!

Friday night, John and Ryan tested for their yellow belts. They have been taking karate now for three months and the big night had finally arrived! They did so well and we were all so proud of them! They tested with Sensei Ray and yes, they passed and each received their new Yellow belts. Here are some pictures of their big night!!!

Another snowy birthday!

Just a few pictures of the boys having fun outside in the snow. We got another 3 inches or so over the weekend and into Monday. It was the pretty, powdery stuff...just floated to the ground. Pete was over for my birthday and we were having some fun outside with the boys. Actually, Nick and Kevin had been outside for awhile making snowballs that they put into a cooler so that they would be ready for Pete when he arrived! They must have had 25 snowballs ready for the 'assault'. For those of you who don't know, Pete is like one of the 'kids'...he loves to roll around in the snow with the boys. Mom and dad came over and we all had a nice dinner. Happy birthday to me!! The big '41' - I am now officially IN my forties...I am going down swinging!! I swear I am...ah...it's not that bad. I am in a great place in my life right now. It can only get better from here. Pete bought me the most beautiful roses as well as a gift certificate to my favorite nail salon. He and Nick both 'chipped in' for it. Enjoy some of the pictures we took yesterday, including my beautiful bouquet!!!