A Busy Day . . .

After a day of being stuck inside due to pouring rain and wind, we were happy to jump into the car and take a road trip to my Mom's little cottage in the woods to help her celebrate her birthday.  It was a chilly but gorgeous day, filled with lots of sunshine and blue skies!!

The kids are off from school for spring break this week and our "adopted" son, Jakhai (our Fresh Air Fund child who has been a part of our lives for almost 4 years now!!!  So hard to believe!!!) is staying with us for the week.  Brendan and Jakhai are joined at the hip when they're together.  It truly is a beautiful thing to see.

The Universe works in the most incredible of ways and it certainly worked its' magic the day our family was introduced to Jakhai's family.  Amazing Grace at its' finest!!!  : )


Many blessings for a Thursday filled with Amazing Grace ~ Wendy

A Day at the Beach . . .

This was our last week with Jakhai (our "adopted" son that we have been so incredibly blessed to have met thru the Fresh Air Fund).  He has been with us for almost the entire month of July.  Due to work schedules and cutting back on spending, this is our summer of "staycations" and mini trips.

Jakhai and Brendan.

 At the top of their list of "things to do" while Jakhai was here was a day at the beach.  So we added another friend to the mix, loaded up the car and headed off to Point Pleasant, NJ. 

Brendan and our neighbor, Julian.

This was my first time going to Point Pleasant.  It's only an hour and a half away from where we live in New York.  A straight shot up the Garden State Parkway.  You do have to pay to get on the beach but, other then gas, if you pack your own food and drinks it's a very inexpensive way to spend a  perfect day.  : )

Just a wee bit tacky, don't ya think??

Megan thinks so!!!  : )

Meg was not very thrilled with the water.  I think the waves scared her.  Jim was trying to talk her into putting her feet in but, as you can tell by the look on her face, she wanted nothing to do with that!!

 However, she loved the sand and even took some time to do some beach yoga!!

Daddy brushing sand out of her eyes.

I fell in love with this beach umbrella!!!!!!!!

You can't blog about the beach without including a photo of a seagull now, can you??  This guy stood in front of me for almost an hour.  I swear he just wanted me to take his picture because as soon as I did he flew away!!  LOL!!

 After the beach we headed back into town to find a place to eat dinner and found Spike's Restaurant. It was a great little place for inexpensive seafood and sandy feet. 

 After dinner, we wandered outside and found the most beautiful inlet filled with light from the sunset.  This kind of light is so perfect for taking photos. 

A drawbridge in the "up" position.

 I was finally able to take some photos of the boys all together.

And a very happy little girl, too!!

  A perfect ending to a perfect day!!!


Many blessings for a happy Saturday ~ Wendy

this moment . . .

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Many blessings for a happy weekend ~ Wendy

this moment . . .

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Many blessings for a happy weekend ~ Wendy

Sidewalk Chalk vs. Face Paint . . .

  Apparently it's all the same at our house!!

 
 




 

 

 

Many blessings for a happy Monday ~ Wendy

Around Here . . .

. . . we've been nursing Megan back to health after being in the emergency room with 105.4 fever yesterday morning. All tests were negative for anything serious so we're treating it as something viral. Doing the Tylenor/Motrin, lots of liquids and baths thing. I don't know about you but fevers scare the heck out of me and 105 was the worst fever any of my kids has ever had. She had quite a morning yesterday but was such a good girl. We follow up with the pediatrician later today.

. . . I had all of my chickens home to roost this weekend. You don't realize how much you miss somebody until you get to hug them again. Even when they're only an hour and a half away at school.

Connor and Megan the day he moved into his college dorm.


. . . we've been watching the approximately twenty hydrangea bushes that line our property grow into the visions of loveliness that they've grown into every year . We cut them back a little late this year and I wasn't sure if they'd grow or not but, thankfully, they did and should be at their peak in a couple of weeks. I love to give them away to people so please feel free to ask if you live near by. I have so many, I don't know what to do with them all!! Such problems, I know!! : )



. . . we've made arrangements for our favorite little man from the Bronx to come and visit us over Columbus weekend!! The kids have off from school on that Monday so we thought we'd take advantage of it and spend some time with Jakhai who was the boy we sponsored as part of the Fresh Air Fund over the summer. We miss him so much and can't wait to see him again!!

This is Brendan and Jakhai right before he left to go home. I didn't handle saying goodbye very well. : ( Jakhai always says, "Later" instead of goodbye. His mom told me it's because he thinks goodbyes are forever so he doesn't like to say it. He is such an old soul and I know that he'll be a part of our family for many, many years to come!! : )

What's happening in your neck of the woods?


Many blessings for a wonderful and peaceful day ~ Wendy

{this moment} On Follow Me Friday . . .

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama .

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.




We're preparing for Hurricane Irene, here, in New York but wanted to take some time out for some fun. Brendan and our beautiful Fresh Air Fund sponsee, Jakhai, have become instant best friends since Jakhai's arrival on Monday. On Wednesday nite, we met up with several other families who are sponsoring an inner-city child this summer and attended a minor league baseball game at the new stadium that was built in our area. I took lots of photos but this was definitely one of my faves!!

Tomorrow, we'll be making our final preparations for Irene as she should be arriving some time early Sunday. Thank you to my friends for their wonderful words and prayers for our safety. We are hoping for the best but are preparing for the worst. I will be back on the computer as soon as I can be to let everyone know how we fared. : )

Take care and God bless.

Many blessings ~ Wendy