big red bow

I gave my parents the MOST AMAZING Anniversay present this past week...... ♥ WOW.. what a totally fabulous feeling just to see their faces!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

My parents have always done whatever they could for me and I will be forever grateful. Their old car was on the fritz so I decided to go purchase them a new one.... brought it home with a big red bow and TA-DAH! They were so thrilled. My mom still tears up! It is amazing to be able to give back. It meant so much to me to be able to do this for them!

Happy Anniversary mom and dad! We ALL love you!!!!!

update

Life has been so busy that there has been no time to blog!!! A lot has happened since my last entry... Eliana has started taking dance class. She absolutely ADORES it. We go once a week for one hour and she is so funny, she dances everywhere now! We have FINALLY RENTED OUT HOUSE in Pickerington.... thank God! We moved out on the 31st and they moved in on Oct 1. I pray that all goes well! Nothing ventured....nothing ganied. It was the right move. We are slowly making progress on the house here. We have been hanging drywall and hope to really get the ball rolling now that we have extra cash from the rental. We are so busy.... just wanted to let you know a few things that are keeping us from here!

my princess flower girl

Eliana was blessed to be the flower girl in Josh and Katrina's wedding. She was absolutley gorgeous and my beautiful little princess did such a great job! Here are a few pics. There is more to see on my facebook! I am so proud of her. I love my Ella Bella!!! :)

I thought we would have to leave early. The wedding was at 130 so we had to head out by noon to get to the chapel and get Eliana ready so she had a long day! She got a quick nap while we were driving to Oglebay to take some more pictures and that was only 15-20 minutes. She was the best little girl, totally well-behaved all day. No fuss, no crabbiness, no whining just a total joy to be around. She danced her little heart out! The reception was over at 9, we left a little after 830. Ella was changed into her jammies and asleep before we crossed the bridge into Ohio from Wheeling! What a fabulous night! Congrats to Josh and Katrina. Thank you for allowing Eliana to be a beautiful princess in your wedding!! We love you so!!!

Blondie

I took Eliana for a pony ride this week at Oglebay! She was so brave and she did a great job!!! I am so proud of her! She has not stopped talking about riding Blondie.... so here is a pic! She looks so grown up already!!!!

Eliana playing in the rain...

Grandma Jeanie and Pappy Don

Grandma Jeanie and Pappy Don are in from Florida!!! YEA!!!! :)

Mommy time!!!

Daddy pics

more pics

Eliana LOVED the motorcycles....

Storybook Forest

Mark and I took Eliana on her first vacation to Storybook Forest in PA. We ALL had a BLAST! It was so much fun!!!! If you have a little one, it is a fabulous place to go! The pictures show it...

Auntie Jessica, Baby Clay and Eliana

Baby Clay

pics from our most recent visit to see Baby Clay!!!!! We LOVE LOVE LOVE him!!!

I Believe...

I Believe...That just because two people argue,It doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, It doesn't mean they do love each other. I Believe...That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change. I Believe...That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that. I Believe...That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love. I Believe... That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life. I Believe...That it's taking me a long time To become the person I want to be. I Believe...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them. I Believe... That you can keep going long after you think you can't. I Believe...That we are responsible for what We do, no matter how we feel. I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you. I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences. I Believe.....That money is a lousy way of keeping score. I Believe...That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time. I Believe...That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up. I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel. I Believe...That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated. I Believe...That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself. I Believe...That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief. I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become. I Believe...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever. I Believe...Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different. I Believe...That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you. I Believe...That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help. I Believe...That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being. I Believe...That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. 'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything. Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life...

Jacob playdate with Nene.... :)

peter peppers...LOL

I have never seen a Pecker Pepper before...

These are actual peppers from a garden. They are called 'Peter Peppers'.. ...By the way, the farmer says they can grow up to 18" long! Sort of brings tears doesn’t it?

Ellie and Jade - too cute!!! :)

This is Ellie and her new friend Jade. This is Aunt Nikki's friend Shaye's little girl. We all had a play date at the pool and the girls had so much fun!!! They are 2 months apart. The first time they met was Tuesday at the Benwood pool but I think they will be seeing lots of each other! They had a great time but are two peas in a pod. Both sassy, independent, smart little chicas! Too adorable! Aunt Nik had her 2 best little princesses for the day! It was so FUN!!! :)

dirty girl...

Eliana had so much fun playing in the dirt at Brians house... thank goodness he let me bath her there before we left. She fell sound asleep on the way home in Jacob's pjs!!!! It is so nice being close to my family again!!!!!

Idlewild

We had a fabulous family vacation to Idlewild.... Eliana LOVED the cars the most....

more pics....

more pics....

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more pics....

Eliana LOVES Brian!!!

We went to visit my cousin Brian and his little boy Jacob a few weeks ago and Eliana fell in LOVE with Brian. He was so good to her! Just take a look...

here fishie fishie....

Mark has a little fishie buddy now... Eliana LOVES to go fishing, more to play with the worms and throw stones but she really has a great time. Total bonding time with Daddy. He bought her a pink hat with a teal fishie on it and now she CANNOT go fishing without it - it is her lucky hat!!! LOVE THEM!!!

fireworks - BOOM!

I am totally done with fireworks this year!!! Uggh, and this is coming from a woman who loves them so much that she very illegally set them off at her wedding reception! WOW! It all started on the first - My mom, Eliana, Mark, my Aunt Nin and myself went to St. Clairsville to see fireworks. Eliana and I had been talking about them A LOT because this would be her first year really - she saw some last year but was scared and totally just didnt like the big booms! This year, she LOVED them SO MUCH!!! She was clapping the whole time and naming the colors that were sparkling in the sky. She was too cute! She truly had a great time and did not want them to end! She suprised me because they were really loud and I could feel them in my stomach. But Eliana was a trooper and loved every second. WOW! I had to work on Thursday so no fireworks that night but last evening we went to Martins Ferry to see more fireworks... and once again she was so excited! We had a blast - we had our faces painted, played games, ate yummy food - sausage sandwiches, french fries, cotton candy, soda, kettle corn and even grilled corn dipped in butter - YUMO!!! We had quite a group this time: myself, Eliana, Mark, Uncle Shawn, Nene, Aunt Nin, Grandma Vicky and Aunt Nikki. OMG we had so much fun. There was a band playing and Eliana danced her little butt off! She loves to be the center of attention so she was just dancing away while everyone watched the cute little girl stealing the show. The best part for me was lying on the blanket watching the fireworks with Eliana leaning back in my lap with her head on my chest - heaven! We had an amazing night filled with friends, family and good food! Today we had a wedding then went to a BBQ at our friend Diane's house. There must have been 100 people there swimming, drinking, playing corn hole, eating, just whatever. There was live band there and the BEST ribs ever! We all ate so much!!! I wish that I didnt have to work tonight so we would have been able to stay and watch fireworks - they had 4 huge palates FULL to set off. I am sure it was one hell of a show! WOW! We had a SUPER 4th of July holiday... and there is more to come. We are meeting Mark's cousin Josh and his fiance Katrina tomorrow evening for our last night of fireworks! I can't wait! Eliana always has so much fun with Josh and Katrina! I just need to go home and get some sleep so I am ready for one more night of FUN with my girl!!!! Thanks to all of the soldiers that make days like this possible for us all. I know it is sometimes easy to forget the sacrafices others make so that we can have our luxuries but today it rings true. God Bless you all!!! Thank you!