Cassesa Family Blog

Canvas Print

2012-01-25T17:46:00.001-05:00

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Kindergarten class trip 2010 (47 photos), by lisa cassesa

2010-10-25T18:58:00.001-04:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Katie's Soccer Pictures

2010-10-23T16:33:00.005-04:00

We got Katie's soccer pictures back today and I love them. Check her out.

And here's the pic of her and her team. Note the coach on the left! :)

Katie made the paper!!

2010-10-21T09:06:00.002-04:00

Katie and her Kindergarten class were featured in the October 15th copy of the County Seat Newspaper. Can you pick her out?? (click photo to enlarge) Soooo cute!!

When i grow up...

2010-10-14T20:34:00.003-04:00

I asked both Katie and Joey what they wanted to be when they grew up for the fun of it. Honestly, i wanted to test out our new video camera and they were more than willing to be on camera.

Katie "Sessa"

2010-10-13T19:48:00.002-04:00

Just found this video on my desktop computer. It's from May 2008, so Miss Katie is almost 3 years old. Check her out.

Baseball Awards Dinner

2010-10-13T08:17:00.004-04:00

Last night Joey and Jason attended the Paramus Baseball Awards Dinner at the Fiesta. Joey had a blast with his team and was soooo happy to get a trophy. Joey played with the same team all spring, summer and now fall. The boys worked so hard for the three seasons and were happy to be recognized for their hard work.

Pool closed.

2010-10-06T21:52:00.001-04:00

Today we put the cover on the pool and officially closed our pool for its first winter. Was sad to see it all covered up but honestly the leaves were out of control. Looking forward to opening it mid spring.

Look who can tie her shoes!

2010-10-01T20:52:00.001-04:00

Katie is so proud of herself. She started to learn two weeks ago and just today she has mastered the skill of tying her own laces. Woohoo. Check out her new sparkly kicks too. She loves them.

Our Little Soccer Star!!

2010-09-18T20:25:00.003-04:00

Katie had her first soccer practice today and she did GREAT!! At first she was a bit scared to go out there because she thought she wasn't good enough. Thank god she got over her fear because once she got out there she was amazing. Check her out kicking the ball. I was amazing at the height she got when she jumped and kicked! My little athlete!!! :) Her first game is next Saturday at 1 pm. I can't wait. Whoops.. forgot to mention she loves the fact that her DADDY is the coach :)

Look at that kick!!! Woohoo!!

Kicking into the goal.

With her friends Amanda and Riley.

The coach and his team! :) Go Light Blue!

Joey at the gym

2010-09-13T17:38:00.002-04:00

Joey has been begging me to take him to Gold's gym with me. So he was very excited to hear about the new Kids cross training program at Golds. I took him today for the demo and he loved it. He wants to go back next week for another demo...but I'm not sure that's even allowed. Haha. Most likely going to sign him up for the Cross Fit Kids program after fall baseball and football are over. He really liked it. Mostly because he likes to race and win. He was like the energizer bunny out there going from station to station.

Giants Opening Day

2010-09-12T20:02:00.005-04:00

Today was the season opener for the New York Giants in the new stadium. Joey and Jason were excited to leave early this morning to tailgate for the game. Here he is dressed and ready to leave for the game. He's wearing the commemorative ticket and lanyard they received for the first game. Being that I am a "HUGE" football fan, I naturally didn't watch a second of the game.. but when they came home they told me the BIG BLUE had won!! Go Giants!!

Car Wash

2010-09-11T09:28:00.001-04:00

Back at Magic Touch Car Wash. The kids love this place.

Coming home from first day of school.

2010-09-09T09:31:00.004-04:00

Whoops. Forgot to post these pictures from their first day of school. Here are Joey and Katie exiting the school on their first day. Katie excitedly ran up to me and told me all about her day. Joey was not as enthusiastic but he did say that he liked it.

Perfect day for a swim

2010-09-08T16:04:00.001-04:00

Well its 90 degrees today and the kids are making use of the pool. We figure not many more hot days ahead so might as well use it now. The heater can't go on for another week because of the plaster. So they're swimming in cold water. They don't seem to mind it though. Fingers crossed for a warm September.

The Jayson Company

2010-09-07T19:33:00.002-04:00

The "pool guys" came today to officially open our pool and load it up with chlorine. I just thought it was funny that the company was called "The Jayson Company". Would have been cooler if it was called "The Lisa Company". lol

First Day of School!

2010-09-07T13:44:00.005-04:00

Woohoo!! First day of school! First Day of School.

Today both Katie and Joey went back to school. Katie is starting Kindergarten this year and Joey will be in third grade. Katie was soooo excited to get dressed and ready for school. I wish i could say the same for Joey but he was less excited.

Here are some pictures from this morning getting ready to leave for school.

Batter Up!

2010-09-06T14:05:00.001-04:00

Fall baseball started today. Yep, you heard me right. Baseball! So not only is Joey playing on the football team but the baseball team as well. It's going to be a busy busy fall.

We had out first practice and Joey has definitely come out of his non hitting slump. He drilled the ball over and over to the outfield. So proud of my little slugger.

First game is Sunday, September 12th. Go Spartans!

First pool casualty

2010-09-06T09:28:00.003-04:00

Oh my. Poor thing was found by Katie this morning. Gross!!!! Poor little guy must have not known the pool was full of water.

Jason's New Hat

2010-09-06T07:47:00.002-04:00

Look...his hair is growing. Lol. Jason got this hat from his cousin Freddy after admiring the same one Freddy had. I honestly didn't think he'd wear it out but he is. He's wearing it golfing today.

joey and his wild imagination

2010-09-04T21:04:00.001-04:00

I had thought he was going to simply jump in the pool. But nothing is simple when it comes to Joey. I think he's reinacting a scene from Modern Warfare.

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Swimming!!! :)

2010-09-04T16:04:00.002-04:00

They couldn't wait!

2010-09-04T13:13:00.001-04:00

Well the kids couldn't wait another second. So they jumped in. Joey is helping me skim the pool using my kitchen strainer. Lol. We get all the pool supplies on Tuesday. So we will make due until then.

Half way there!

2010-09-04T08:33:00.001-04:00

Woke up this morning and this this is what I found. A pool half full. Yay!

Making progress!

2010-09-03T19:14:00.001-04:00

The water has been going into the pool for about 6 hours now. It's a coming along. Can't wait to wake up tomorrow and see how full its gotten.

It's getting higher...

2010-09-03T15:04:00.002-04:00

And notice how dark it looks outside.. i think we might get some help filling the pool by the rain!

Yum!

2010-09-03T12:07:00.004-04:00

Lookie what Jason brought home for us for dessert. Yummy! Check out the pink one! It's Pinkalicious. So cute!

Pool update...

2010-09-03T11:55:00.003-04:00

Water is finally slowly starting to go in the pool. The plaster looks so smooth and pretty. It's just blindingly white. I will update again soon with the water progress.

Pool plaster

2010-09-03T09:36:00.001-04:00

Woohoo. The plaster guys came this morning and are in the process of plastering the pool. I was really worried that they wouldnt show up today because of the predicted rain but they are here and working very hard. Can't wait to add the water layer today! It's finally coming together. Whew!

Jumping Off Diving Board.. CHECK!

2010-09-02T20:15:00.003-04:00

KATIE finally jumped off the diving board at the town pool. I knew she could do it because she's jumped all summer of other diving boards but she would not jump off the town pools board because they require you to take a deep water test. I know she can pass the test but she was afraid she would fail so she never tried. The pool ran out of deep water test bracelets so they don't know who passed and who didn't. Perfect opportunity for her to try it. And she did...without me even knowing...and she did great. Now I can't get her off the boards. My little fishy!

Kindergarten Orientation

2010-09-02T10:40:00.001-04:00

Today Katie went to her Kindergarten Orientation. She got to meet her teacher, see her classroom and take a little tour of her new school. I was a little worried that she'd be shy and nervous but she proved me wrong. When they called out her teacher's name she ran to the front of the line and walked down the hall without ME!!! She's getting so big. She said she loved her teacher and the kids in the class.. and she can't wait for the official first day on Tuesday. So proud of my Katie.

Our Little Linebacker...

2010-09-01T15:24:00.006-04:00

Our little linebacker.. or whatever the name of the position he plays. lol

Football practice season started on August 2nd.. Our Joey has been practicing every single day, Monday-Friday in preparation of the Pee Wee football season. The team looks great so far. Already had two scrimmage games and they are ready for the pep rally next Friday and then their first game. Go Spartans.

Taking off the training wheels.

2010-09-01T15:18:00.002-04:00

The other day we took off Katie's training wheels and tried to teach her to ride her bike. She was really scared but with Jason's help she did really well. She didn't let daddy let go of her seat but she did GREAT nonetheless. Next time we will attempt to let go.. god help us! haha

Budgies at Van Saun

2010-09-01T14:52:00.002-04:00

Today I took the kids to van saun park. If it wasn't for an orthodontist appointment we would have been swimming instead. Not the best idea taking them to the park when its 95 degrees out but they managed to make the best of our outing despite the heat. The both loved the Budgie Exhibit. Joey was more successful in getting the birds on his stick. Katie, on the other hand was a little scared of them landing on her stick. Doesn't surprise me because she's a little hesitant with everything.

Pool construction nears end!

2010-09-01T09:18:00.002-04:00

Woohoo. Our pool construction is coming to and end. New pavers will be done today and then they can plaster it. Hopefully we can add the water this weekend. Yay! We are hoping for a warm September so we can actually swim in it this year. Fingers crossed!

Been away..

2010-08-27T13:06:00.003-04:00

wow.. i'm sure been away for a long time. I have no excuse except for the fact that i've been facebooking instead. I went through the many many posts i made in the past and it made me sad that i haven't kept up with my family's blog. So today.. i here by start a new with my blog. I found a mobile blogger app that will make things easier to share. So.. look out for some new posts from moi! :)

Joey the Wrestler

2010-01-13T13:32:00.005-05:00

Joey signed up for Wrestling this winter. He's new to the sport but has learned quick. He had his first official match last Saturday and he did great. He lost his first match but he WON the second one. I was so proud! :) here are some wrestling pics so far. I will post more when he has his next match on January 23rd.

New Year Resolution.

2010-01-13T13:31:00.001-05:00

I promise to update my blog more reguarly this year. Facebook has sucked up my blog time.. so i promise to come here first and update. ;0)

2009-11-24T08:11:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Tubing

2009-02-16T16:13:00.001-05:00

Joey received this "ski storm" tube for his 6th birthday last year!!! Being it didn't snow at all the winter 2008.. we finally were able to use it when it snowed yet again in the winter of 2009!

Katie loved riding down the hill with her big brother. She just had to make sure that Daddy was close by because she was a bit scared.

Joey the (Mad) Scientist

2009-02-16T16:09:00.002-05:00

Aunt Barbara bought Joey a science kit for Christmas and he was so excited to dive right in and do some experiments. First up was the erupting volcano. Check it out... it wasn't the BEST one I've seen.. but it DID work! :)

Next up was the crystal growing tray. We read the instructions.. followed them perfectly.. but our crystals never grew! Oh well. maybe next time. It was still a lot of fun! :)

Mount Fuji

2009-02-16T16:02:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to Mount Fuji Hibachi Restaurant in early January. Katie and Joey have NEVER gone there before so we thought they would like it. We were right about Joey.. he loved it!!! But Miss Katie was scared! She was scared even before they lit the onions on fire!!!! So when the volcano of onion fire started she was more or less freaking out! We had a great time with our friends Heather and Jay and their kids. Not sure if we'll take Katie back there just b/c she was soooo scared. When the "show" was over she did enjoy her food.. but she just didn't' like watching them prepare it.

Happy New Year

2009-02-16T15:56:00.002-05:00

Our New Years Eve was anything but eventful. Jason worked so Joey, Katie and I spent New Years at my parents house. This will mark the second year in a row that i fell asleep well before the ball dropping! I'm getting old!!! :(

Here are the kids with Ryan on New Years Eve.

Christmas at the Zoo

2009-02-16T15:28:00.004-05:00

During our Christmas break from school it was unseasonably warm on one day so we decided to go to the Bronx Zoo. The kids always enjoy a trip there. They had some special winterland events set up. One of which was an ice carving demonstration. Joey got to hold the chainsaw and cut away at a huge block of ice. Then they had a room with all the ice sculputres displayed. It was really warm that day so the ice was quickly melting. I got a cute picture of the kids with the "Bronx Zoo" ice sculpture. (see below). We visiting the children's zoo, the Madagascar display (the kids were sad it wasn't like the movie.. haha).. and also got to ride the bug carousel.

Here are some pictures from our day :)

Christmas 2008

2009-02-16T10:20:00.003-05:00

Our Christmas was great.. Actually to tell the truth.. a little hectic! We traveled to Hoboken.. back to Secaucus.. and then to Westwood. I felt like the kids didn't get a chance to play with their new loot because we were rushed back and forth. In any event. they still had a blast and got way too much stuff!!

Here they are with some of their favorite gifts from Santa.

All dressed up in their holiday outfits. You can see Katie is thrilled.. haha
Katie and Ryan
and Finally.. Katie in her favorite HAT!!! She loved the bling!

Snow!

2009-02-16T10:18:00.001-05:00

On December 20th we got our first snowfall of the season. Little did we know that it was only the beginning and there was lots and lots of MORE snow on the way!

The kids got all dressed up in their snow gear and went outside for some cold winter fun! They even helped Daddy clean off his car!

Katie Singing Rudolph

2009-02-16T10:08:00.004-05:00

Katie's favorite holiday song is Rudolph! Check her out!

Dance Class

2009-02-16T10:05:00.001-05:00

Every Wednesday Katie goes to dance class. She LOVES it!!! Well on December 10th the parents were able to come into the studio and watch the girls dance. I was very excited to see Katie strut her stuff.. But instead she refused to participate and sat next to me the entire time. Very frustrating especially when every other kid is doing their routine for their parents. Ugh! :(

The teacher told me that she is never like this when i'm not there. She does participate but i guess when she saw me there she decided she rather be with me than her class.

Anyways.. i did get some cute candids of her.

Christmas Card Picutres 2008

2009-02-16T10:00:00.003-05:00

It's always a challenge to get both kids to look good.. with their eyes open.. and big smile on their face for the Christmas card.

Every year I take about 20 pictures and then weed out the good, the bad and the ugly! haha. Anyways.. just wanted to share two funnies with you and then the "keepers" from this years holiday pictures.

Here are the one that did NOT make the cut.

and here are the keepers.

Westwood Holiday Parade

2009-02-16T09:54:00.001-05:00

Back on December 6th, we took the kids to the Westwood Holiday parade. It was cold that night but the kids enjoyed themselves! Katie and Joey both had fun hanging out with their cousin, Ariel! :)

Star Wars Kid Party!

2009-02-16T09:50:00.002-05:00

I decided at last minute to throw Joey a kid birthday party as well as a family adult one. For the kid party he wanted all Star Wars stuff again.. I made it simple.. and had the party at home. Ordered pizza and made Star Wars cupcakes. I found this great website online for at home party ideas. So stealing this other mommy's idea.. i made each kid a Jedi Knight robe. They loved them! Even the girls wore them!

Narcolepsy?

2009-02-16T09:46:00.002-05:00

I swear.. katie has Narcolepsy!! She falls asleep anywhere.. anytime.. anyhow. Kind of like my father in law! heehee!

Anyways.. here she is again.. She was getting dressed for bed.. and she didn't make it that far. She passed out against the hamper and bed. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Happy 7th Birthday Joey

2009-02-16T09:38:00.002-05:00

Joey turned 7 back on November 25th! We invited the family to our house to help us celebrate. This year the theme was Star Wars! His latest and greatest obsession. The lady at the bakery made a Star Wars Lego cake that Joey LOVED. He got to put his little Lego men on it.

here are some pictures from his big day!

Katie in the Closet

2009-02-16T09:33:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share this funny picture with you! Granted... it happened back in November.. but that's what i get when i don't update my blog for months.

Katie and I had just gotten back from dance class and i was downstairs cleaning up (as usual). Anyways.. Katie went upstairs to play.. and it had been about 15 minutes and she was too quiet. I ran upstairs and i could NOT find her! I ran through the rooms and finally.. i found her! Well i found her feet sticking out of the closet! She had fallen asleep in the closet. I let her stay there for the duration of her nap and when she woke i asked her why she was in there. She told me "We were playing hide and seek and you never found me".. Oh my!! We were NOT playing hide and seek! Guess she got bored and sleepy while waiting for me to find her and fell fast asleep.

November!!!

2009-02-16T09:26:00.001-05:00

Oh my! November was my last blog post!!
I have no excuse.. well except that we have been super busy!
I'm off to update you on what's been going on with us since November!
Yikes.. i have a lot of catching up to do! Bear with me, please!

Great Wolf 2008

2008-11-13T14:04:00.013-05:00

Every year we take a trip to the Poconos to Great Wolf Lodge. This year we went November 3-4 and had a blast! It was so much more fun this year than last year because Katie liked it more! I had such a great time with her on the lazy river. She thought that was great because it didn't go fast.

Jason and I have come to realize that Joey is "too cool" to hang with his parents in the wave pool.. or any part of the water park. He was off doing his own thing! He never stopped running around! With Joey occupying himself, Jason and I took Katie to the little kid area where they had some slides. I thought for sure that she was NOT going to go down the long windy slides.. but she did it!!! She made sure she saw us at the bottom before she came down though. The smile on her face was just priceless! She loved it!!

This year we got the Kid Cabin Suite which has it's own wooden cabin for the kids. Their room had it's own TV, with bunk beds and a twin bed daybed.

Our part of the "suite" had a fireplace, TV, mini kitchen, queen bed and sofa bed. The kids loved the room!!!!! And so did I.. The fireplace was so cozy!

Joey only wanted to go in the water park.. but Miss Katie wanted to do some crafts, so Jason took Joey and I took Katie to Cub Club. This place was just amazing. It was set up with all crafts, books, movies, games.... you name it.. they had it! Katie wanted to paint her own Great Wolf tee shirt.. so we did that and then she wanted to also decorate her Magiquest wand so we did that too! Her wand came out gorgeous!!! All pink and purple sparkle paint with beautiful ribbons cascading down the top! I have to take a picture and show you! She was so proud of it.

After dinner, Katie and I went to the "show" in the lobby and then story time at the fireplace. Katie lasted about 5 minutes into the story of Snow White and she was out! As the story went.. "she fell into a deep deep sleep".. It was funny b/c it happened almost on cue! ha ha.

I carried her back to the room where Joey and Jason later came back. Joey decided it would be great fun to sleep on the sofa bed instead of his awesome kid cabin!! So he slept on the paper thin sofa bed mattress and loved it!! Next time i swear.. no more upgraded rooms for us. Not if he'd rather sleep on a sofa bed! ha

Anyways.. we had such a great time and want to go back again.. but this time with family and friends. We KNOW everyone would LOVE it there!

Sitting on the Great Wolf fireplace

Joey by big pumpkin in lobby

Their massive fireplace!

Joey outside lodge.

Joey and Katie in our room proudly showing their arcade winnings. Can you believe they BOTH one them in the "claw" game by THEMSELVES!! Even Katie!

Joey in the Kid Cabin

Joey and Katie in their Cabin

Joey.. he poses here every year.

Loose Tooth

2008-11-11T10:44:00.003-05:00

Joey finally finally has a loose tooth! His teeny tiny left front tooth is loose.. and he can't help himself from touching it. I looked at it the other day and realized that his adult teeth have already started to come in! Poor kid.. has been wiggling and wiggling and nothing. I called the dentist and he said as long as the new teeth are less than half way out then he's fine. If it's more than half out then he needs to come in and get them extracted. Poor kid!

Here's his teeth! Check them out! Looks funny to see all those teeth in there. And note how tiny his baby teeth are. I'm pretty sure he grinds them at night.. making them really small! Ouchie.

Plankton

2008-11-11T10:41:00.005-05:00

Katie was so proud of herself for drawing Plankton from Spongebob. She kept saying "Look.. it's really Plankton". When i saw it, I was really impressed!!! Not too shabby for a 3 year old! She must have my artist gene... because whenever she asks Jason to draw anything he makes stick figure people. haha.

Unaccompanied Minors

2008-11-09T14:51:00.005-05:00

Joey and Katie loved the movie "Unaccompanied Minors". It's a cute holiday movie with pretty good music! While searching for the song that Joey loves in the movie ("My Christmas List" by Simple Plan) we found this song, "The Sidewinder, Pt. 1". Joey and Katie had a little fun with it! Check them out!

New President Elect

2008-11-05T12:22:00.007-05:00

Where i might have not voted for our new president elect.. i am keeping an open mind that this "change" that he speaks of is the best for us!

I came across this picture online of Obama celebrating his victory and i had to share with you. It just cracks me up! Check out Michelle's face.. Hysterical!

End of Football Season.

2008-11-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

Joey had his last flag football game on Saturday. Or should i say his last "I'm not going to get the flag.. I'm going to tackle the other kid" football game! lol.. The kids got very aggressive with each other. Lots of throwing each other down and lots of crying. Oy! Thank god it was the last game. The gave out their little football trophies after the game! Joey loves getting trophies and medals, so he was very happy.

Joey and his team!

Our Halloween

2008-11-05T11:45:00.004-05:00

We had a great Halloween! Joey came home from school on Friday at noon for lunch. We ate and dressed up in our costumes! Katie wore her batgirl costume, Joey got into his Storm Trooper costume.. and i got my black curly wig and witch's hat on.

Joey's school had their annual Halloween parade. Joey had fun walking with his classmates. After the parade they went into the gym to sing some Halloween songs. Joey had fun dancing to the Monster Mash and other Halloween songs.

After school, we met up with Joey and Katie's friends for some trick or treating. The kids walked and walked and walked until they had a huge bucket full of candy. They had such a great time!

Our Batgirl

Storm Trooper Joey

Katie has Hannah Montana..
and Jason as himself (boo.. no costume for him!)

Lisa the Witch.. not a far stretch! lol

pumpkin carving

2008-11-05T11:13:00.004-05:00

Here are some quick pics of Katie and Joey carving their pumpkins. Joey wanted to wear gloves up to his elbows because he hates the sliminess of the pumpkin guts.. We didn't have any gloves for him.. so after some convincing he dug into the pumpkin! Katie didn't' want to get her shirt dirty. so she stripped down and did her pumpkin shirtless!

Katie's Preschool Halloween Party

2008-11-05T10:14:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday, Katie dressed up in her witch's costume for her school's Halloween party! The class sang Halloween songs for the parents.. which Katie only 1/2 participated in! They then marched around the library in a little parade. They would have gone outside but it was too cold. She was biting her nails and a little frightened during the parade.. but when she saw me was fine! Wendy's Restaurant sponsored the party and brought in balloons and pumpkins for the kids to decorate! It was really cute seeing all those 3 year olds dressed up.

Showing off her decorated pumpkin.

Haunted Hackensack

2008-10-28T10:03:00.004-04:00

On Monday night, we took a drive to Clinton Place in Hackensack to see the Halloween decorations. Year after year (most of) the residents on Clinton Place go all out with their spooky and their fun Halloween decor. This year Joey enjoyed the scary houses with the dead bodies coming out of the graves.. and Katie opted for the fun themed houses like Shrek, Nemo and Peanuts. It was fun walking up and down the street and looking at all the hard work the owners of those houses put into decorating. It really got the kids into the Halloween spirit!

Funny story.. when i told Joey about visiting Clinton Place.. i first said it was a Haunted House.. he said right away "NO NO NO". When i explained that you don't' go inside the houses.. he agreed to come along. Guess he's still spooked from the Haunted High School. lol

Scary Graveyard house! One of Joey's favorites!

Katie loved this one! She was dancing to the Peanut music!

Katie and Lucy!

This one was my fave! Willy Wonka theme! They even had a blown up Violet on the lawn! "Violet.. you're turning violet". lol The Oompa Loompa's were pouring real chocolate (or brown water) into the pails! Very cool!

Ragamuffin Parade

2008-10-28T09:12:00.004-04:00

On Sunday we marched in our town's Ragamuffin Parade. The kids were so excited to get dressed in their costumes almost a whole week before Halloween. Katie changed her mind on her costume. So instead of being the princess witch (which is hanging in her closet with all the tags) she decided to be BATGIRL! She has NO clue who batgirl is. She learned the song "na na na na na na na BATGIRL" song.

So we walked through town to Buchmuller park where they had the costume contests. Joey was very disappointed that he Storm Trooper costume was not eligible for ANY of the categories! There was funniest costume, scariest costume and most original costume! He thought for sure that he was "most original" but then they announced that if you bought your costume in a store then you were NOT original! He was not happy with that! He wanted to get up on that stage no matter what! So after the costume judging was over i let him go up on the stage and took some pictures! He loved it!

haha.. her face cracks me up in this one!

Joey up on stage!!

Haunted High School

2008-10-28T08:56:00.005-04:00

On Saturday the Secaucus High School held their annual Haunted High School event. Joey was very excited to go! He was brave!! Said he was NOT scared at all! When we got their the lady selling the tickets asked if Joey and Katie wanted to just go into the kiddie haunted house because the real one was very scary. Katie of course said YES..but Joey said NO WAY! He wanted to go in the big haunted house!

Jason waited on line while Katie, Joey and I did some Halloween crafts. When Jason made it to the front of the line Joey got excited and was ready for the haunted house! I waited for them at the exit! As the exit doors opened i watched kid after kid come out with big tears in their eyes! They were petrified!!! Scared! Scared! Scared!!

I looked around and noticed that most of the people in line for the haunted house were older.. much older than Joey! I thought "oh NO". I just knew he would be exited the haunted house and NOT happy! The doors swung open and there was Joey! With HUGE tears in his eyes! He said he was NEVER coming back again! They scared him real good!

So it's safe to say that next year's Haunted House will be missing one little boy visitor! Joey!

Katie showing off her witches hat and tattoo!

Jason didn't' want me to post this picture b/c he said it would embarrass Joey. but i had to show you how my brave little boy suddenly became NOT so brave! lol

Joey's first spelling test.

2008-10-24T20:07:00.002-04:00

Joey had his first spelling test today. He had ten words to learn and study On Wednesday he had a practice test and only got 5 out of 5 correct. He studied on Wednesday and Thursday and it paid off. He got a 100+ on his test! His teacher gave him a "+" because he answered the extra credit question correctly. He spelled a word he never had before correctly. My smart boy. I'm sooooooo very proud!

Joey's Class Photo

2008-10-23T12:49:00.001-04:00

Joey got his first grade class pictures back. He looks so cute! They had to wear their uniforms for the pictures. Last year he wore his blue shirt so we changed things up a bit and wore the red shirt this year. I just wish he would have buttoned that top button up! Here he is and also his class!

Our Little School Girl

2008-10-22T18:23:00.004-04:00

Katie looked so adorable today for school, i just HAD to share the picture of her outfit with you! Check her out! I LOVE the skirt.. she looks so grown up! Talbot's Kids was going out of business and everything was drastically reduced. I got her a bunch of little outfits from there! Love it!

You can click the pictures to make them larger!

Katie the Friendly Ghost

2008-10-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

Katie got herself into the baby powder.. and now she's a ghost! BOO!

Katie as Sarah Palin

2008-10-20T18:18:00.004-04:00

Katie's impersonation of Sarah Palin! Or in Jason's words "Sexy Sarah".

Joey's Karate Graduation

2008-10-20T18:14:00.006-04:00

Joey had his belt test and Karate graduation on Saturday. He would have earned his orange belt with black stripe (he has the orange with white stripe now) but being that he was also graduating from the Little Ninja program he earned his purple belt for his new "big kid" class. He's very excited about being in the 7-12 year old program. He told me it's just like Tiger Schulman (sshh.. don't tell him otherwise). He did great on his test. He stayed focus and ready.. and i thought he did GREAT! He even got to break a piece of wood with his hands. The Sensei asked him if he wanted to use his hands or head to break the board. He said hands.. but when we got back in the car he said "oh man.. i should have said HEAD!". So funny because i know he wasn't kidding.

Katie visited Abma's Farm

2008-10-20T18:08:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday, Katie and I visited Abma's farm with a group of our new mommy friends. Katie loved the farm! The hayride was a bit bumpy but she actually liked it! She wasn't too happy about passing the stinky piggies on the way to the pumpkin patch though. She wanted to get a big big pumpkin but the ones they let you pick out were small ones. I was going to buy her a "big big" one at the farm market until i saw that it was almost $40 for the one she picked out! No way Jose! I'll just go to Sam's and get some nice big ones for carving later this week. ha

After the hayride, we got to eat some yummy home made donuts and then we were off to feed some animals. Katie would put her food out for the goat and sheep and instead of letting them have it she would play tug of war with them. I thought for sure she was going to get her hand bit off!

Joey was mad that we went without him to the farm (he was in school) so we'll probably.. hopefully.. go again for him! I know how much he loves the hayride and picking out his own pumpkin.

Katie's Tattoo Sleeve

2008-10-20T18:06:00.001-04:00

Katie decided to color way outside the lines! ALL OVER HERSELF!! She came to show me her work of art.. and i thought she had long sleeves on! Reminds me so much of a tattoo sleeve!

Please Touch Museum

2008-10-13T08:52:00.006-04:00

On Sunday Katie, Joey and I got a sneak peek of the new Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia (which officially opens next weekend). My friend, Stephanie, works there and was kind enough to send us an invitation for their Open House.

Joey and Katie had THEE best time there!!! They explored the entire museum and could NOT get enough of it. Everything at the museum is hands on, which the kids loved! They got to ride on a bus, fix a car, serve food at McDonald's, make and fly a toy plane, shop at the grocery store, play with water, ride the carousel.. whew.. the list just goes on and on!

Joey's favorite part was the McDonald's play area. He kept making trays of food and yelling "order up". He loved it! Katie's favorite part was the grocery store. She got to push around her little cart and fill it with all sorts of foods! Soooo cute!

We plan on going again when it officially opens! The kids absolutely LOVED it there!

The museum is in Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park! Absolutely gorgeous!

Holding hands walking through the museum. So cute!

Fixing a car!

Grocery Shopping

Order up!

Having fun in McDonald's

In the Toddler Zone area! Wheeeee

Water play!

Katie riding the pig on the carousel! She didn't even complain that she didn't get a horse.

Holding their gift shop bags on our way to the car.

New York City Tourists!

2008-10-13T08:46:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday we played the part of NYC tourists! We took the kids to the Empire State Building and then walked over to Toys R Us Times Square! Bet it's obvious which one they preferred! haha! The wait to get to the 86th floor observatory of the ESB was short but boring for the kids. We got to the top and put some quarters in the binoculars so that Joey could get a better look! He wasn't that interested. He asked me if he could spit from the top. Ugh! I tried to show him where we lived from the top but he just kept asking me "where is Toys R Us?".. lol! So we rode the elevator down and walked over to Times Square!

As soon as we walked in the mega Toys R Us Joey was non stop talking about how he wants this and that. We rode the indoor Ferris wheel (got to sit in the mega blocks taxi car) and then explored the store! I thought Katie was going to be scared of the huge dinosaur they have there but she wanted to stay and watch it! Joey was off to the Star Wars section looking for some "new men". We ended up leaving with some new Star Wars "stuff" for Joey and a golf game for Katie.

We're Mobile

2008-10-04T16:26:00.001-04:00

our family blog has gone mobile. I'll finally be able to update everyone on the go.

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Sent from my Verizon Wireless mobile phone

Halloween costumes.

2008-10-04T12:47:00.002-04:00

Joey and Katie are all set in what they'll wear for Halloween.. In fact, Katie has TWO!! She can't make up her mind. Jason asked me the other night what we were going to dress up.. and i thought. nothing unless we get invited to a Halloween party, which hasn't happened in ten years. I shouldn't have talked so soon because today i opened my mail and there was invite for a Halloween party! Go figure. Not sure if we're going to be able to attend or not.. but if we do attend that brings back the question of "what will we be?".

Last year Jason thought this costume was THEE best for us! I on the other hand firmly disagreed.
So i started to check out some other couple costumes.. and they weren't that much better than the one from last year!

Check them out!

As if! lol

Of course we can be some star wars people. but that would be too easy! Also.. wanted to share this costume with you. I found this listed under "couples costumes".. but not sure what the man is supposed to wear...if anything.

Bun in the oven.. hahaha!

Apple Picking in the Rain

2008-10-03T14:42:00.005-04:00

We took the kids apple picking to Maskers in Warwick, NY last Sunday. Rain was predicted but being that it was also predicted the day before and it stayed dry all day we took our chances and went anyway!

We made it all the way to Maskers without any rain. We walked around the orchard in the hunt of some green apples oblivious to the dark clouds above us! We were having a great time so we didn't' notice a little drizzle.. It was raining but who cared because it was just a little rain. Well that didn't last too long. A little rain turned into a lot of rain and lots and lots of puddles! Jason scooped up Katie and ran with Joey to the car. I lulled the 2 big apple bags back to the car and got soaked! Didn't' matter though.. b/c the kids had a great time! :)

Jason and Joey's famous walk through the orchards!
Go here to see the other years they walked through Maskers.

Mom!! Please stop taking my picture!

I love this picture b/c you can SEE the rain! Run!!

Joey Started Flag Football

2008-10-03T14:35:00.004-04:00

Joey signed up for flag football again this year. He had 2 practices so far and is loving it. He's on the "red" team this year. He was excited to get his uniform last week but disappointed that he didn't' get a helmet. I tried to explain to him that's it's only flag football.. but he still wants that helmet.

Joey plays his first game of the season tomorrow!

Joey's Homework Project

2008-10-03T14:31:00.001-04:00

One of Joey's first homework assignments of the year was to take a plain cutout of a person and make it HIM! We worked on it together to make the Joey doll clothes.. and then took a picture of Joey for the face. We had first put some googly eyes on the doll but it looked a little silly so we went with the photo instead. Katie LOVED the ideas of the googly eyes and decided to make her own doll! She glued the entire bag of eyes onto the doll. She calls it "eyeball man". lol

Our Little Artiste!

2008-10-03T14:27:00.002-04:00

Check her out! Katie was painting with water at the Liberty Science Center in late August. This picture cracks me up because of the pose. What a ham!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

2008-10-03T14:17:00.003-04:00

On our trip to Disney we visited Downtown Disney. In the World of Disney store they have The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where little girls can get their hair, makeup and nails done and be transformed into a Disney princess. It's really adorable and i was very excited to go there with Katie. I didn't' have an appointment but they had ONE walk in appointment left and i took it. They give you the choice of being a 1) traditional princess with the tight Cinderella bun, 2) A Diva princess with Hannah Montana hair, or 3) a Pop Princess with pink spiky hair! Katie picked #3.. b/c she wanted to be (in her own words) a "punk". She had NO desire to the be the traditional princess w/ that tight Cinderella bun! haha I bought the Crown Package which basically included everything but the Princess dress.. nails, hair, makeup, jewelry, wig, etc. She looked soooooo adorable in her new look! The makeup and hair made her look soooo old!!!

Check her out.. She kept saying "I'm a PUNK". lol

Disney Trip Continued.

2008-10-03T14:06:00.002-04:00

Let's see.. where did i leave off!!

On Thursday, August 28th
Epcot Center. Katie loved the new Finding Nemo ride.. and Joey and Ryan had a blast in the Living Seas checking out all the fish! They really liked almost all of Epcot Center until we got to the countries! They were BORED in the countries.. and i don't blame them.. b/c it was quite boring. If it wasn't for the cute shops in the countries i would have hated it too!

Joey in Norway

Our Trip to Disney.. Day by Day!

2008-09-08T14:05:00.012-04:00

Monday, August 25th.

We left the house at 5 am for the airport. The kids were surprisingly wide awake.. but then again they were super excited for our trip. I was a little nervous being in the airport with them by myself but they were fine! They had a little fight over the window seat.. but we agreed that Katie would have it on the way back if Joey insists on having it on the way there.

We landed on time. and took the Disney Magical Express bus to our hotel. Our room wasn't ready yet so we left or bags and went right over to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We got there as soon as the High School Musical show was starting so Katie was very happy! Joey wanted nothing to do with the HSM show so i took him to the Star Wars ride.. where he spent the next HOUR in the STORE!!! I told him he could get whatever he wanted unless it was something i could buy at Toys R Us! He didn't' understand that.. but i wanted him to get something special that he couldn't just buy anywhere! He settled on making his very own light sabre. He picked out over a dozen or so pieces and built it himself! :)

We went to a few shows.. one of them was dark so Katie stayed outside with my sister. Ryan wanted to go on the Tower of Terror.. which Joey was ALL for.. until we got there and then he was getting soooooooo SCARED! Funny thing is that back in 2006 he went on and was fine.. but now he was getting all scared and wanted OFF!! He ended up going on the ride and LOVING it! Although he didn't want to do it ever again! lol.

Finally we rode the Rock and Roller coaster which was a blast! Joey LOVES the fast roller coaster rides. As soon as we exited the rain was just coming down in buckets! So we called it a day.

at the airport

Katie and me with one of the Little Einstein girls (i think).. haha

Joey on a star wars thingy

ryan and joey in the "honey i shrunk the playground" play set

Tuesday, August 26th.. Ryan's 10th Birthday

We woke up and had some yummy Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and then headed over to my favorite of all the parks.. The Magic Kingdom! The first ride we went on was Dumbo! When we visited the park in February, the line was way too long so we missed that ride. I wanted to take Katie on it so bad.. so went there first.

Next up was It's a Small World and the Haunted House. Both Joey and Katie were too scared for the Haunted House so they didn't go on. I rode with Ryan who thought he was soooo cool and not scared of anything until i managed to scare him pretty good myself! haha.

We then walked over to Frontier Land where we rode the runaway train, splash mountain and one of my faves.. we took the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island. Joey loves exploring the caves and forts that are set up there. We walked the barrels over the lake where my mother almost fell in. It was pretty funny! haha. (although she didn't' think so!).

After that we went to Adventureland where we talked Katie into going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. She really didn't' say she liked it or not. i think she was too scared to say or do anything. But she was happy when she left with a Pirate Minnie doll. On the way out there was a shoe with Captain Jack Sparrow outside. The guy playing him was a dead ringer for Johnny Depp. They needed volunteers for the show and of course Joey shot his hand up! He was picked first out of the 4 volunteers they chose. They took turns fighting Captain Jack's sidekick. But when it was Joey's turn Jack Sparrow said "I'm going to fight THIS one!". lol. Joey seemed nervous but did great. (see video below).

The rest of the day we mosied on over to tomorrowland and Mickey's toontown. The kids really had such a great time at the Magic Kingdom.

We celebrated Ryan's birthday at Chef Mickey's. Joey and Ryan had fun when the characters came to the table. I wish i could say the same for Katie.. but she wanted NOTHING to do with ANY of the characters.

Wednesday, August 27th

On Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. I remember this day as being the HOTTEST!!! The first ride we went on with the Expedition Everest. Definitley worth the wait!! Joey was excited because him and Ryan got the first row!

After that i felt that my day was done.. because i felt sooo sick from the ride! It's a roller coaster that goes backwards for most the ride. Ugh.. my stomach did not like that! We went to see the Finding Nemo Musical next.. which i must say was THEE best show we saw the entire week. I was amazed at incredible the props and actors were. It was simply amazing. I wouldn't' be surprised if they made the show longer and opened on Broadway. It was THAT good!

Thinking that my stomach was better i took Joey on the dinosaur ride! BIG mistake! HUGE!!! Ugh.. my stomach was doing flip flops yet again! So no more wild bumpy rides for me. Joey was a little scared but i could tell he loved the Dinosaur ride.

The rest of the day we went on the rapid ride (the line was soooo long) and then ate a yummy buffet lunch.

Okay.. still have a few more days to update. I'll try and get those done soon!

Katie's First Day of School

2008-09-08T13:50:00.003-04:00

Katie had her very first day of preschool today!

I was VERY nervous about dropping her off because she made it VERY clear that she wanted me to stay. But i sat her down next to another girl and left.. and that was it! I thought for sure that the teacher would call me on my cell to come back because she was crying.. but i never got the call.

When i went back to pick her up at 11 i was shocked to see her playing with the other kids and having the time of her life. Those of you who know Katie, know how shy she is around new people. But she came out of her shell and was having so much fun with her new friends.

She goes back on Wednesday :) Now the question is .. how will i spend those glorious 105 minutes every Monday and Wednesday! I already have a list of things i can do! :)

Katie wearing her "rocker" outfit! She got this for being such a good girl in school today! :)

Villanova Visit!

2008-09-08T13:44:00.004-04:00

Jason and I went back to Villanova on Saturday for our friend Carol's wedding. We had such a great time walking around the campus and reliving our college days. I can't get over how many buildings are NEW on campus! I thought we could be mistaken for students.. but Jason quickly pointed out the "little girls" on campus and now i know we are old! lol.

I wanted a picture of me standing on the famous "Oreo" statue on campus! Thank god it was still early enough that no students were walking around.. because i looked like a big loser with a capital L!!!!

We ended our campus tour with a trip to the bookstore. Everyone got a Villanova goodie. Joey got a Villanova baseball tee shirt, Katie got a pink sweatshirt, Jason got a tee, and i got a "V" charm for my bracelet!

Joey's First Day of School!

2008-09-08T13:37:00.005-04:00

Joey had his first day in First Grade on Thursday, September 4th. He was so excited to go back to school and see his friends. I took some pictures before his big day in front of the house. You will see that he's making that crazy Joey face. I swear.. i don't know why he smiles that way.. but almost everyone of my picture are like that.. haha!

So far everything at school with Joey has been going great. Today is his first full day which I'm a little nervous about because he has to go to the cafeteria for the first time. They gave him a 6 digit lunch account number that he had to memorize. I wrote it down on sticky and put in his pocket jut in case he forgets it! I'll update again later when he gets back with all he did today!

Joey and all his "girlfriends"!

At the Beach.

2008-09-08T13:26:00.002-04:00

Every summer we go down the shore and enjoy both Jason's parents and my parent's pool. The pool is so much cleaner and easy to get to than the beach.. so we don't go to the beach that often. This year we went to Point Pleasant for the day.. and they LOVED it!! So much so that i think it's time to stop the our lazy pool days and start going to the beach more and more!

Joey LOVES the waves! He is crazy though.. and more adventurous than me! He'll go way out and ride the waves back in.. Where I'm afraid to go in beyond my ankles! haha. Katie keeps me company because she wont' even get her toes wet! She loves to build sand castles and bury herself in the sand.

Jason and Joey had a blast with the waves. Which were super high that day! And Katie found herself a HUGE hole in the sand which she played! I created her a sand mermaid with a shell bra.. Katie thought that it was funny!

After the beach (the entire hour and half we were there) they kids wanted to hit the boardwalk for some food and games and then the rides. They really had a blast! :)

Wild West City

2008-09-08T13:20:00.002-04:00

On August 8th.. i took Joey and Katie to Wild West City! I remember going there when i was their age.. and i must say.. NOTHING HAS CHANGED!! Well.. nothing except for the admission price.

We watched a shoot out in the street, rode the stage coach (which was robbed at gunpoint.. Katie did NOT like that part).. and even panned for gold!

The kids loved it! Joey got a gun and holster set and Katie opted for a blue cowgirl hat. She kept asking why there weren't any cowgirls there.. Which there weren't. Only saloon girls. haha!

State Fair

2008-09-08T13:17:00.002-04:00

In early August we took the kids to the State Fair! They had a blast riding the rides, petting the animals and playing the carnival games. But the highlight of the night was when we went to the arena for the demolition derby. Joey and Katie helped Mike paint his car the night before so were very excited to see their names on his car and watch him crash his car over and over again. Mike didn't win the derby but he came in first place with Joey and Katie! They loved it!

Playing Catch Up.

2008-09-08T13:16:00.003-04:00

okay.. i've been lazy! It's been over a whole month since my last blog entry. I have tons of stuff to catch up with... so today i'm going to do my best to post everything that we've done since early August!! :)

The Princess got a new 'do.

2008-08-03T16:08:00.002-04:00

I walked into the kid haircut place with hopes of getting a trim. But the girl talked me into cutting it shorter and adding layers.. and i couldn't be more happy with it!! It came out adorable!!!!! And it's easy to do which is great for me. b/c my stubborn daughter will not let me put anything in her hair.. no bands, no bows, no barettes.. NOTHING!

Check her out modeling her princess dress :)

Bronx Zoo

2008-08-03T16:02:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday I took Joey and Katie to the Bronx Zoo. They loving going there! We visited the Children Zoo, Butterfly garden and of course the gift shop! haha.. Because the zoo is sooooo BIG we always do only half of it and then come back again to finish.

Their favorite part was the Children's Zoo. They have these turtle shells (fake) that you climb into to "become" a turtle. Joey jumped in first but Katie got mad because she wanted to go first. I snapped Joey being a turtle and then it was Katie's turn.. Well she was NOT having it.. She refused to go on her belly like Joey.. so instead she's on her back and PISSED off!! Check her out. too funny!

Here they are both still at the Children's Zoo sitting in a bird's nest.
They also rode on the bug carousel.. Katie insisted i ride with her.

And finally.. here's Joey in front of Tiger Mountain. He thought it was funny that there was a "tiger crossing" sign there! So here is holding his tiger souvenir.

Play Ball.

2008-07-23T09:25:00.003-04:00

We've been super busy this summer. With karate, gymnastics, library.. and for Joey his favorite thing BASEBALL!

Joey's playing for the Secaucus Recreation Pee-Wee league. He just got his uniform the other day. He's light gray again this year or as Joey says the SILVER SNAKES. To me.. it's just gray team vs. red team or blue team..

Anyways.. Joey has been doing so much better this year than last. He definitely has a better grasp on how to play the game this year. He knows where and when to make the plays in the field and even his hitting has improved from last year.

Here's a picture of my little slugger up at bat! I'll take some more next week when the games resume.

New Belt!

2008-07-23T09:12:00.002-04:00

Joey was awarded his gold belt with black stripe on June 28th. He was very excited to get his new belt because he has been working very hard in his Little Ninja class. His next belt test in in August.. where he will get his Orange belt! He's very excited.. getting closer and closer to the brown belt!

Joey being silly!

Joey with Sensei Dan

The Future's So Bright...

2008-07-23T09:07:00.001-04:00

"I gotta wear shades!!"

Check her out! Katie loves wearing sunglasses.. even mommy's!

Mars 2112

2008-07-23T08:58:00.002-04:00

Last week I took Joey and Katie to Mars 2112 with Jennie and Ariel. To get to the restaurant you have to take a space shuttle to Mars. It's a fun short flight simulator ride.. where you get rocked and jolted through space. Katie was doing GREAT until the kid behind us started to cry.. that led to Katie crying and Joey telling everyone "to BE QUIET!".

Once we "landed" we walked to the mars themed restaurant. There were about 100 tables set up and only about 4 tables full!! So DEAD! Anyways.. we sat down and ordered our food (the menu was similar to a Fridays.). There were 3 martians walking around. The mom, dad and baby! The baby martian was called Q.T. Pi. I asked my cousin what her name was and she said O.T.P.I. I looked at it again and i laughed because i think it's name was CUTIE PIE! haha! Anyways.. Cutie Pie was the ONLY alien that Katie would look at. The other two Katie just covered her eyes and shook! haha!

Here's a picture of Joey with Q.T. Pi!

Scary birds.

2008-06-29T19:41:00.005-04:00

Today i took Joey and Katie to the Bergen County Zoo. We jumped on the train as soon as we got there where we were able to ride around the perimeter of the zoo before entering. I saw that they had their butterfly exhibit set up again.. But upon closer examination... it was not butterflies flying around but BIRDS!!!! And they were landing on people's shoulders and arms. Right away i said NO WAY am i going in THERE!! The butterflies scared the crap out of me and they hardly ever landed on you! Can you just imagine how freaked out I'd be with the birds! (I just kept picturing that Hitchcock movie.. very scary!).

So we enter the zoo.. and i should have known better. Both Joey and Katie run up to the line to get into the bird exhibit. ugh!!! So i reluctantly payed the $1 to enter and bought both Joey and Katie a feeding stick. Ugh.. I'm in for it now, right! Katie takes her stick and the second a bird comes to land on it she freaks out and throws it down. Joey picks it up and is excited to now have TWO feeding sticks. The birds are swarming around him and although i can he's a bit scared.. he was loving every minute of it!

To be honest.. the birds really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to when they bring back the butterfly exhibit. That's a piece of cake compared to walking through the bird house!