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Tonight I had the honor of taking Benji to his very first concert! We went to the American Idols Live Concert. Jason scored four great floor seats and we took my friend Karen (who I teach with) and her daughter. The kids had a blast and Karen and I really enjoyed watching the kids' reactions as we all rocked out to our favorite performers.

I was thinking about how cool it was to take Benji to such a special event and how in the future I will take our younger child to special events too!

What a fanatastic weekend we had! On Saturday we took Benji with a friend to Six Flags! The kids had ball together. Jason I felt like little kids too. We whirled and we twirled. We twisted and turned! While none of us dared to ride the really big coasters in the park, we did enjoy watching the them roar passed us. I think the favorite ride of the day was the rapids ride. We all thought Jason would get the most soaked, but it was me! HA! It was a blast!

We can't wait to take our younger child with us in the future and find out which ride will give him/her the biggest thrill!

We have a little family joke going on here...

Benji LOVES pizza, just plain cheese pizza, nothing special, and our family and friends know that. Our home voice mail is Benji's voice saying that we can't answer the phone because we're too busy eating pizza. My brother (Lisa's) loves to leave funny messages for Benji like, "Benji have you had the latest strawberry pizza?" or "Benji are you eating the special summertime ice cream pizza?"

Well, last night Jason and Benji went out for a bite together and Jason called and told me he had a surprise for me. When they returned home, he handed me a pizza box, when I opened it up there it was - dessert pizza! The dough was slathered with a chocolate spread (kind of like that Nutella stuff, if you know what that is - it's a chocolate, hazelnut spread) then topped with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and some kind of vanilla drizzled on top. Well, we took a picture of it and sent it to my brother, Stephen. He LOVE it!

While Benji wouldn't taste the special dessert pizza, we did. It was really delicious!

Wonder why type of pizza our littlest child will enjoy!

Last night was so wonderful! We had a our annual July 4th celebration! We had lots of friends and all the kids had a blast! Jason bought a variety of light sticks and light-up bracelets. The kids really enjoyed the party. As always, the firework display was thrilling, and the weather was perfect!

Today we we went to the State Fair and enjoy all the rides and the carnival atmosphere. Benji got to see the World's Smallest horse! He thought that was pretty cool. We look forward to taking our younger son/daughter to the fair in the future...Wonder which part will be most exciting for him/her!

It's our 14th wedding anniversary!!! We're going out to celebrate. We have so much happiness in our lives and so much to be thankful for.

What an amazing day! Benji's baseball team made it to the league championship. It was so hard to believe that 8 & 9 year olds could play such an intense game. After a nail biting game, his team WON the CHAMPIONSHIP! The kids were jumping up and down with excitement!! We went out for pizza to celebrate. Benji brought his trophy into his favorite restaurant to show it off to the staff there. He felt so proud!

We think it will be neat to find out what makes our younger child excited and proud.

After weeks filled with rain, the sun has FINALLY come out!!! We are so excited to spend the day at the pool. Schools out, the sun is bright and we're getting ready to dive in. :)

Just found out my paintings will be on display at a local art show!! I am really excited about this. As a child I took art lessons. My parents always believed in me and framed a lot of my early works. I'm not so sure I thought I had much talent. Through the years, my folks continued to encouraged me to draw and always took pride in my successes and raved when I won ribbons for my work. I took private art lessons where I sketched in pencil and used other mediums like charcoal and pastels. As the years passed and time marched on, I never could find the time to keep up with my art.

Last summer, I was introduced to a woman who teaches watercolor painting and I was so intrigued and found time for a class once a week. It thrilled me to paint. I found myself so relaxed and enjoyed painting so much. Not only did I fall in love with painting, so did my son. He loves to paint right along side with me. He laughs that he can't wait to teach his brother/sister how to paint like I taught him. :)

Now I love it tremendously! I gave my mom the news about the upcoming show and she is so thrilled. She can't wait to come to the big reception in July. Although my dad is gone for 11 years now, and I miss him terribly. I feel his spirit when I paint and I know he will be there with us at the show.

Jason is so excited for the show. He is so proud of me and I have to say, I'm proud of me too. I'm so thankful my parents always encouraged me and that's what I do with my son and I will continue to do with my younger son/daughter, no matter what their passions.

Love this time of year! We have so many beautiful trees that flower in our yard. It makes us all so happy. There is a beautiful weeping cherry tree that we planted when our son was born. We've been watching it get big and strong, just like he has. Lately, we have been talking about which kind of tree we will plant when our younger child enters our lives. Can't wait to be a stay-at-home mom again. I'm ready to play!!!

Lisa, Benji and I just returned home from a family event. We had an incredible time with our family who we don't get to see often, because they don't live close by. We always have a lot of fun whenever we get together. There are a lot of kids and Benji has a blast with his many cousins. When our younger child arrives, I know he/she will be welcomed into our circle of love by everyone.

Just got back from my art class. I painted peonies tonight for the first time. The best part of painting tonight was working with the live flowers. They were so fragrant! Certainly, my favorite floral scent. Next week, my art class will visit iris gardens where we will paint in the sunlight.

Watercolor painting is very forgiving. I love the way the colors mix together. It is very relaxing. Benji loves to paint along side me. I enjoy guiding his hand to create a picture that satisfies him. He has his favorite colors that he is drawn to. I can't wait to find out which colors are favorites with our younger child.

J & Benji just got back from a weekend of Cub Scout camping. The boys had a blast together. They went hiking, fishing and slept in tents. I love that Jason takes special time with Benji. He is such a great father. It makes me so happy to know that Benji has an amazing role model. Our younger child will be so blessed to have Jason as his or her dad.

A trip to the shore is always fun. Today was too cold for the water. On our way to the beach, we picked up one of our nephews. He and Benji enjoyed clowning around on the rides. We loved watching them interact, while we thought about what our younger child will do with Benji.

What a gorgeous day! So hard to believe it is already May. I am always so awed by all the flowering trees and the daffodils that pop open. The beautiful colors and smells of spring also bring Benji's favorite sport...baseball!

Today we enjoyed the great weather while cheering our son on as he swung his way into the new season. We really enjoy knowing how much this excites him. I wonder what our younger child will enjoy most. Can't wait to find out!!!

What a beautiful weekend here in New Jersey! On Saturday we went to our dear friends' oldest child's first holy communion. What a special time for their family. We really enjoyed being a part of their celebration.

Then, this morning, Benji had a Cub Scout trip to a nature preserve. We went with the other cubs on a nature walk through a protected wildlife park. The boys were thrilled by the most simple things; frogs, turtles and even a woodpecker. We loved watching their expressions as they spotted exciting things along the trail and they carefully avoided stepping on the skunk cabbage! After that, all the cubs and their families went on a picnic at the park and enjoyed ice cream.

Later today, Benji had baseball practice. He coach was so patient with him and it really paid off! Benji smacked the ball way into the outfield!!! I was so proud...pass the tissues please. :)

Jason surprised us with tickets to today's Yankee game. The really cool thing is that today was the 4th game in the new stadium. After he told me we were going, he quietly placed Benji's Yankee jersey on his desk chair and anxiously waited for him to wake up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his jersey and ran into our room and looked at us with this gleam in his eyes. We think he figured it out. Once we told him we were going to the game, he shrieked with excitement!! He got dressed so fast!!

Needless to say, we had a great day and we enjoyed being at the new stadium. The weather was beautiful too! The Yanks beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4! It was a very exciting game. We had a blast together high-fiving, giving each other knuckles and hugging! What a great surprise! We can't wait to lay out a Yankee jersey for our next child, no matter if it's pink or blue!

I'm so proud of Jason he woke up early this morning to do another bike race. While he didn't even come close to winning, he powered on!

Well, it's finally finished! There is a rain forest in my classroom. The kids are crazy about it. They all worked so hard researching and creating their animals. What a fun time we had making it grow. Wish I could take you on a tour of the whole forest.

What an exciting day! Baseball season is starting and it was time to buy a new pair of cleats for Benji. He had us laughing when we realized how big his feet have grown. He jumped from a boys' size 4 to a 6 since the fall!! In any case, he found a great pair of cleats and he had fun showing them off as he darted around the shoe department of Sports Authority!

We also looked at basketball hoops for him. He loves shooting hoops and we decided it is time for him to get his own. He told us that someday he wants to teach his brother or sister how to shoot hoops too!

We are so excited to share our lives with you. It is our hope that you enjoy taking a peak into the joy we share together as a family.