1st day of school Again

The kids had their 1st day of school today and all went well, except for a little emotional girl drama after getting home, but all in all, things went well at their new school...
Here is the cutest 1st grader ever...


Here is the cutest 2nd grader ever...

We are Back Home in Arizona

The kids and I had so much fun with my family and friends while we were back with my childhood home in Pennsylvania. We were able to spend time with my Dad and my Mom and all my brothers...and Jill was able to come out as well. We went to the beach (Lake Erie Peninsula), got to hang with my sister-in-law, Jaimee and the kids. We were able to celebrate Elise's birthday, and she got a build-a-bear...which was actually a build-a-kitty. The kids were able to run around the big back yard at my parents, they played in the creek, rode the tractor, roasted marshmallows over the fire, they swam in the pond, they played with my friends kids, went to the kids museum, went to the park, went to the Cherry Festival( AKA: poor white trash bash), we got together with old friends, friends with boats...SO all in all it was quite an adventure and the kiddos didn't want to come home ( they did however want their Daddy to come and stay at G-ma's and G-pa's), but we did come home and they were really excited to see their home and their dog and cat.
So here we are all glad to be back and get back into the swing of things...
Here are some of the pictures I got from the trip...


This is my brother Jared and his beautiful family.


Elise's birthday party...




My youngest brother Brent, who serves us and our country in the Army and who will soon be going to Iraq in November...


Popsicles with Grandpa...


This is my good friend Laura, who I hadn't seen in maybe 18 years. I had dated her brother when I was a senior in High School, and after we broke up I had continued to visit his family because I wasn't ready to give them up as well. So , after I moved away, I got busy with life, and time passed, I got married and now after so many yearrs I had always wondered how the Lafaro family was doing, so I stopped by and was able to visit with them, and get reaquainted with my Laura...who was 7 years old when I met her, and now she is a beautiful woman, with a beautiful baby girl, and she is not 7 anymore. I love her.


This is one of my absolute favorite pictures that I got right as we were saying good-bye to my Mom and Dad...it was so hard because I don't know if we will ever see my Dad again in this life, But I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with him, with my children and for the fun memories we made.

This is right before we left to goto the airport.

Pennsylvania...

Happy Independence Day from Wattsburg, Pennsylvania... Where the land of the free and the home of the brave is green and beautiful...my parents backyard...which I have been running up and down for exercise...
The kids and I have been having fun riding the lawn mower/tractor with my brother Jared.
This is Callie, my star-studded cutie-pie neice...

The cute girls, a little overexposed=)

I have had a great time with my family so far. It has been really great seeing my parents and my Aunt Nancy...and my Brother Jared and his family that lives here. It is, however, very difficult to see my Dad not as strong as he has normally been and it is frustrating dealing with the bureaucracy of doctors and insurance issues...we still know not what treatment he needs to receive and obviously when he will receive it.
Also, my parents live way out in the country and I can't figure out how to send my emails to people, and the satellite internet connection is slower, although I can get the emails and connect to the internet...which is cool.