The Brinkers

Football stars

2009-10-28T23:14:00.004-04:00

10-28-09
Both Kyle and Alec played football for their high school this year. The Land O Lakes Gators! Alec was OG and Kyle was Def. Back. I can't express how proud I am of them. They worked so hard everyday at practice and managed to keep their grades good.
Because I got so far behind in blogging, the football season is now over. Their JV team went 5-3. These pics were taken after their first win.

The Witch and The Cat

2009-10-28T22:34:00.002-04:00

10-28-09
This year, gone are my princesses...this year we have Brooke has a cat and Brianna as a witch. They are so excited about getting dresses up and trick or treating! Such a fun age!

Race for Fetal Hope

2009-10-25T19:35:00.004-04:00

October 24, 2009
It's been over 4 years since Dr. Quintero did the surgery that saved Brooke and Brianna's lives. Fetal Hope Foundation had a 5k walk/run race and reunion to raise money to help raise awareness for TTTS. Jim and I participated in the walk/run with Brooke and Brianna. I ran, Jim and the girls walked:) It was so great to see the man that saved our daughters lives and to meet so many other families and children he has helped. Brooke asked Dr. Q when she saw him "are you going to save me again':)

This was the kids little race before the 5K.

Kyle and Alec's homecoming

2009-10-25T19:25:00.002-04:00

Kyle and Alec had their homecoming:) I wish I had some pics of Alec with his date but she wasn't here. Here's Alec, Kyle, Sydney (Kyle's girlfriend), Dillion and Zack. The boys all play football together. Dont' they all look great!

Catch up...

2009-10-25T18:44:00.008-04:00

Ok, so I have really slacked on the blog the past 4 months so here is a brief update on what we've been up to with a few pictures to go with it.....

This summer...In June-
We went to see our wonderful family in Philidelphia/NJ..and had a blast! Brooke and Brianna got to see where their daddy grew up. We stayed at Joe and Pam's in Brigantine, went to 'The Shore', Ocean City and Margate. Can't wait to go again!

Pretzels on the boardwalk:)

We went to the Cabin with the Freeds and Nana and Papa for the 4th of July.

School started!

Brooke and Brianna started pre-school. Their friends Calvin, Alice and Ella go to the same school! and I'll add they all LOVE it.

AND..

I turned 40!! went out with the girls for a night and came home to a surprise birthday party!:)

We went on a cruise to Cozumel with The Freeds...no kids!! GREAT TIMES!

Ok..now I'll start working on the most recent stuff:)

Sharlene's High School graduation

2009-06-26T20:36:00.003-04:00

6/3/09
When Sharlene went to Kindergarten for the first time I cried for a week. She was so tiny I couldn't believe she was actually going to school! I still wanted to protect and watch over her and I had to let her go and couldn't be there to hold her hand and protect her. I could only hope that she would be ok. I felt the same way with her graduating. How can my little baby be going out into this big world?

For some strange reason Shar's high school had her graduation outside! YES, in JUNE! Here in FLORIDA! It was HOT! I don't know how the graduates sat there and endured the heat! I am very thankful for my family and friends that came to support Shar despite the heat with the kids! Kristine, Kerri, Alycia! Thanks so much! I know you all were dying and the kids were so good putting up with being bored and HOT.

Alec's 8th grade dance

2009-06-10T23:30:00.003-04:00

5/29/09
It has come to that time of year..end of school! Alec went to his 8th grade dance with friends. He looked so handsome dressed up. Usually he has on workout clothes...because he is always working out.:) I can't believe I have no more kids in Middle school!Alec = silly:)

Brooke and Brianna are 4!!!!! WOW!

2009-06-09T22:52:00.013-04:00

May 27, 2009
It's unbelievable that 4 years have gone by since I had Brooke and Brianna. It seems like only yesterday that I was on bedrest and dealing with a very stressful pregnancy. Then going into labor 9 weeks early, dealing with the Nicu and finally bringing our little 3 pound twins home:) Today you would never know what they went through. They are perfect in every way.

We had a Mickey and Minnie/Disney theme for our birthday this year..to the extreme! Including a Mikey/Minnie bounce house, a characature artist, and a visit from Mickey and Minnie themselves!!! Brooke and Brianna were VERY excited when they showed up and I think they were in shock for a little while. It was a great party with all our friends and family, including Mom-Mom and Ryan from Philadelphia/NJ.

A few days later, we were off to Orlando for B&B's actual birthday. It was raining but that didn't keep us from Downtown Disney for dinner at TREX and doing all the fun Downtown Disney stuff:) The girls weren't sure about TREX at first since its full of real like dinosaurs that move and make sounds, and every 15 minutes there's a very loud meteor shower. After a while they relaxed and realized the dinosaurs weren't doing anything but being loud! Daddy loved the chocolate volcano we had for dessert too:)

The following day was their bday and we met the Sumner's at Magic Kingdom bright and early. Caidee and Caleb share the same bday as Brooke and Brianna. We had a great day of typical Disney stuff..rides (with little or no wait), princesses, and Mickey and Minnie..of course! The birthday kids got buttons that acknowledged that they were celebrating their bday so cast members and characters would say 'Happy Birthday' to them.:) I think all 4 kids had a great birthday!

The Sumner's went home that night but we stayed for MORE Disney enjoyment:) breakfast with Minnie, Donald an Goofy the following morning. Of course B&B loved that:) They got lots of love from some of their favorite friends. We went back to our Hotel to try and enjoy the pool and some of the fun things they have there. After walking to the pool and seeing a bunny and a snake, taking 4 seat bike ride, and getting rained on at the pool we went home...tired. However, it was a great weekend!

I know this is a long post with alot of pics...but I had so many to share!
Happy Birthday Caidee and Caleb!

Happy Birthday my little miracles, Brooke and Brianna!

After the party...trying on their new apron set from Caidee and Caleb:) Ethan and Connor were helping cook:)
The party-

Leaving for Orlando...very excited!

This is at TREX ....

Brianna-

Brooke-

Dinosaurs...

Chocolate lava cake...Jim tried eating the entire thing...

Magic Kingdom-

A little nap...Mommy and daddy enjoyed some quiet time:)

At the Hotel......Nice, huh!

This was better:)

Breakfast with Characters-

Which one is Goofy????

So much going on!!

2009-06-01T15:17:00.004-04:00

There has been so much going on in our family I know I have neglected the blog. Sorry Mom!:) Kristine...I KNOW what you're saying:) Anyway...right after Easter we had: Alec's award ceremony, the girls moved up to full size beds, Shar's prom, Mother's Day, Brooke and Brianna's 4th bday with Ryan and Mom Mom here, and we went to Disney World and now it's the end of the school year! We had Alec's 8th grade dance and Shar's graduation is in a couple of days and Kyle gets his driving license. On top of that, I had a wedding to finish editing and orders to process. So needless to say, I've been a little busy! The pics below are only half of the stuff I just listed. I'm still going through pictures to put on here! So Brooke and Brianna's 4th Birthday, Disney and the Alec's 8th grade dance are still to come!:) Shar's graduation and Kyle getting his license are in a couple of days so obviously they aren't going to be on here for a few days:)

So here we go.....

5/6/09- Alec getting his football medal:) Go Gators!! No, his school right now isn't the Gators, but his High School he starts this fall is and one day UF!!! At 14 he's 5'10, wears a size 13 shoe and bench presses 210! Keep growing Alec!!! :) I have visions of Alec looking into the camera and saying "Hi Mom" after a championship win!:)

5/8/09

My how the time flies- I've been saying that alot lately. Having one child graduating this year, Alec out of middle school, Kyle and Ryan driving, and now Brooke and Brianna in big beds as in full size beds! My heart is aching! No more babies. I can't believe my little 3 pound preemie babies are now sleeping in big beds. Mom mom got them beautiful quilts from Pottery Barn for their beds as a bday present. There not on this picture because we didn't have them yet, but they are so pretty! The girls love them and so do I!:) Thanks Mom Mom:)

Here's pics of my 'big girls!' in their 'big girl beds'!!!

5/9/09- Sharlene's Senor Prom! Again.....time?? Where did it go???

It's not that I 'favor' any of my kids one over the other. It's that Sharlene is my first little baby. My beautiful little baby girl. Now she's going to her senior prom! How can this be? She was just learning to walk and talk the other day! How is it possible she is this grown up? I ask this all the time lately!

She went with a group of friends. A couple of them met her at her dad's house, where the limo picked them up and then went to meet all the others at another friends house. She looked stunning! Her purple dress with her zebra print shoes. You got to give it to her, the girls got style:) According to Shar, the evening was great and they all had a wonderful time:)

5/10/09-Mother's Day...yes the day after Prom was Mother's Day. I did say earlier I've been busy!:) Mom, Dad, Jeremy and Papa Dick came over for dinner and we celebrated one of the best jobs ever "MOM":) I pretty much cried all day. Sharlene brought me a Snickers with a card. The snickers didn't make me cry:), but what she wrote in the card makes me tear up now thinking about it! Kyle and Alec went to the store on their own earlier that week and got me presents with their own money! The heart necklaces and jewelry box were beautiful but the thought to do it was even better. My brother and I got our mom a digital frame and some goodies she likes:) It was a really nice day!

Mom, thank you for all you've taught me! Without you, I would not be the Mom I am today. It's not easy being a mother and I know at times you had to do it on your own with Dad away. You taught me how to be strong, loving and patient. That the simple things in life are usually the best! Your example is one that I strive for everyday! I am so lucky to have such a great Mom like you!

I love you!

This one is for you Jeremy and Sharlene:)

Sharlene

2009-04-14T16:34:00.005-04:00

4/13/09
We were waiting for everyone to come over on Easter and Shar came walking out of her room with this dress on looking beautiful as always. Of course, I HAD to grab my camera!! Jeremy, Shar and I went down to the dock and took these...She is just so gorgeous! I know..I'm prejudice, but...she IS!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T15:47:00.006-04:00

4/12/09

What a great Easter! Brooke and Brianna woke us up around 7 a.m. VERY excited about the whether of not the Easter bunny had brought them a basket of goodies or not. We went downstairs to discover the bunny had brought Brooke, Brianna, Shar, Kyle and Alec all baskets. Brooke and Brianna also got one of their favorite characters..Lilo and Stitch. Everyone got lots of chocolate bunnies, candy and surprises. The Easter bunny hid the Easter eggs so we had an Easter egg hunt, then went to Mass where Brooke and Brianna entertained themselves by stamping and coloring their legs (see pics of them below). After Mass we stopped at the fruit stand to get some fruit. B&B love going to the fruit stand! Then we went home and got ready for Easter dinner. Mom, Dad, Uncle Jeremy, and Papa Dick came over and we all had a great time!:) Dinner was good and it was fun hanging out with everyone.

notice the legs!!

Easter fun continues....

2009-04-12T22:31:00.003-04:00

4/11/09
Nana and Papa came over to dye Easter eggs with us:) We did 24 eggs in about 15 minutes! Brooke and Brianna are pro Easter egg dyers:)
Sharlene and Kyle were out with friends..but Alec is still into the Easter fun:)

Even 'Ichihuaha' got in the action:)...This little stuffed animal, named Ichihuaha, is Brooke's favorite stuffed animal- so of course he was at the table dying Easter eggs with us:)

Easter Playgroup at Kristens

2009-04-12T22:16:00.003-04:00

4/10/09
Kristen had us over for an Easter playgroup full of lots of activities. Kristen's mom (grandma Judy) was there. She's a preschool teacher so our 12 were no problem to her! She did a little bunny puppet story, read a book about the a bunny and then helped in an arts and crafts project. We also died Easter eggs, and then watched "The Easter Bunny is Coming to town". While we watched this classic movie:)....the Easter bunny came and hid Easter eggs in the backyard. So we went outside and had a blast looking for all the Easter eggs filled with goodies. Thank you Kristen for having us over and Thanks to your mom too!!!

Making cookies and Nana and Papa show up!

2009-04-12T22:06:00.002-04:00

4/9/09
So we were making cookies for our Easter playgroup the next day and Nana and Papa show up! They had just got in from the cabin. They had Easter gifts and tools for gardening since we've been doing alot of that lately. Brooke and Brianna LOVED the toy bunnies that sang "Here comes Peter Cotton Tail" while the ears moved up and down:) They were too funny!
They also had fun using their new watering cans watering the sunflowers we planted a few months ago. Thank you Nana and Papa!!!

Brooke and Brianna in swim lessons

2009-04-12T21:53:00.002-04:00

4/7/09
We've been in swim lessons for about 3 weeks. The girls are doing great! At first, when they saw their teacher was male they were not happy. But after one class they just love Mr. Mark. They have come along way since the first day of swim lessons. When they started they would sink like a rock if they jumped in the pool. This terrified us. Now, if they jump in they can turn and get out. Hopefully, when we are done, they will be swimming and we can enjoy our friends swimming pools this summer!:)
OH..keep in mind when looking at these I am taking them through a HUGE glass wall that we are sitting behind. We aren't allowed in the swim area..we can only observe.

Another Birthday...

2009-04-09T00:16:00.002-04:00

4/5/09
Our little posse baby, Caroline, is 2 years old!!! Even though she acts like a 4 year old!:) Because most of her friends (and her siblings) have either just turned 4 or getting ready to turn 4:)
She is just so darn stinkin' cute!! Thank you Kristen for having a party for Caroline:) and having us over to share it with you all!!
Happy Birthday Caroline!(aka little pookie)! We love you!

Easter fun at the YMCA

2009-04-08T23:53:00.002-04:00

4/4/09
We are members of our local YMCA and they had a great Easter bash! The food was great, there was TONS of eggs to find..or just pick up and put in the basket, and the highlight for Brooke and Brianna was of course...The Easter Bunny. The picture below (the first one) is of the girls singing "Here comes Peter Cotton Tail" to the Easter Bunny. He stood there and listened as they sang the entire song! It was a proud moment!:)

We met Ethan, Connor, Calvin, Ella, Alice and Caroline there. However, Calvin, Ella, Alice and Caroline were not as thrilled with the Easter Bunny or being there so they didn't stay long and we didn't get any pics of them. Brooke, Brianna, Ethan and Connor on the other hand had a blast.
Sorry it didn't go well Kristen:( Maybe next year!

Spring is here...

2009-04-08T23:31:00.002-04:00

3/29/09
When we moved in 2 years ago we totally redid the backyard. This year we did the front yard! We took almost everything out and planted over 100 new plants and flowers!:) It looks wonderful! These are pics from ONE day of us working. The work continued for the next few days so I don't have a pic of the final outcome..but I will take some and post them soon!
Brooke and Brianna were so much fun helping us plant! They were really into it!

Our friends turn 4!

2009-04-08T22:21:00.006-04:00

3/22/09

Happy Birthday Ethan and Connor!!

A little less then 4 years ago we met Ethan, Connor and their mommy Kristine at a playgroup. Brooke &Brianna were 3 months and Ethan and Connor were 5 months. Little did Kristine and I know we would devolop a lifelong friendship... and a great business partnership. http://www.brinkerfreedphotography.com/

It's so hard to believe they are 4 years old now! Happy Birthday Ethan and Connor! We look forward to sharing MANY more birthdays with you!! We Love you!

A vistitor in the backyard

2009-03-26T22:58:00.003-04:00

3/25/09

When I saw this beautiful cardinal sitting in my backyard I couldn't resist..I ran in and grabbed my camera!

First day at the beach

2009-03-26T22:08:00.004-04:00

3/18/09

It was finally nice enough to go to the beach! YAY! My friends and I grabbed up the kids, took out all the beach stuff and headed down to have a great sunny day:) The water was still pretty chilly, but as you can see, that didn't stop the kids:) Believe it or not, my friends and I have been going to the beach together with our multiples since before the could even walk! Check out the pics at the end!!!:) Can you believe how much they have grown!! ..and were we crazy to do that or what!! I know a few of the kids are missing in the pics of the earlier years...that's because Kristen wouldn't brave it with us back then:)...she has the triplets (and now one more....sweet Caroline) ...so we can't blame her for not wanting to go!

BEST FRIENDS....

August 2006!

Not sure where Alycia, William and Lauren are either???..

Happy Birthday Ryan

2009-03-18T23:58:00.002-04:00

3/18/09
Yes, March is a busy month for birthday's in the Brinker house! I will say it again..Where does the time go?? I can't believe Ryan is 17!!! I remember when he was just a little pip squeak! Now he's all grown up and an awesome young man!
Congrats on getting your license!! Can't wait to see the new car! Happy Birthday and We love you!!!!

Kyle is 16!

2009-03-18T23:49:00.004-04:00

3/15/09
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLE!!
I know I say this everytime I post about one my kids birthday's but Where does the time go?? Kyle is 16 now! YES, I said 16!! He didn't want to do anyting but have a dinner out with his entire family and a few friends. So that's what we did!:) Love you Kyle!! Happy Birthday! You will ALWAYS be my little 'Toddler'!

Pizza at papa's ...again!

2009-03-18T23:37:00.004-04:00

3/15/09

Yes, we were lucky enough to have Papa's home made pizza again! YUM! I keep telling him he needs to open his own pizzaria! We all had fun and walked away STUFFED!

Sharlene took this one:)

Blame it on the aaaaaaalcohol..

2009-03-18T23:26:00.006-04:00

3/14/09
As you know, my friends and I take turns once a month hosting dinner at our houses. For some reason when it's at Kerri's house things always get ...um....out of control:) This was NO exception!! I kept the pics on here "G":) There are some really funny ones..but I'm afraid if I posted them I wouldn't have any friends anymore:) Thank GOD the husbands are at this monthly event...someone has to take care of the kids!
This time...it was the Gilbert Grape that did us in!:) Love you all!!!! Can't wait till next month!

BEFORE /AFTER....

He's sober!!! Just high on life:)

He's sober too! He's Just......Drew:)

Awesome Big Brother

2009-03-18T23:23:00.001-04:00

3/14/09

Do I really need to write anything else???:) Don't these pics tell it all:) Alec is such a good big brother!!

Planting the Sunflowers

2009-03-01T22:32:00.002-05:00

10 days! Our sunflower seeds are 10 days old and growing out of their little cups. We took them outside and planted them into a large pot until they are big enough to be planted in the yard. Brooke and Brianna have loved watching them grow and had fun planting them into the pot! We can't wait to see if they get 3 feet tall like it says they will! Who said I don't have a green thumb??OH yeah...my mom says that:) Look at this mom!:)

They look so small in this pot! But they will grow!! I hope!:)

Strawberry Festival

2009-03-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

2.28.09
We went to the Strawberry festival with the Freed's. Another 'Brinker Freed' outing:) Of course we had a great time! What's not fun about great friends, fried cookie dough, fried peanut butter cups, cheesesteak, fries, and of course Strawberry shortcake! YES- we did eat all of that..in about a 3 hour peroid! I was SICK when we were leaving! The kids were great even tough it was a bit hot. Ethan and Connor loved pushing the girls in the wagon...which worked out great for Jim:)
The best part of the day was the ride back to our cars in the charter bus. It was Brooke and Brianna's first ride in a bus..they were very excited! and I loved that the seats reclined and it was air conditioned!

Beautiful Lazy Friday

2009-03-01T22:03:00.003-05:00

2/27/09
It started with me sitting in the backyard with my laptop, working, and the girls playing..the day was BEAUTIFUL!! My friend, Kerri, texts and says she's on her way over with Caidee and Caleb. I'm emailing Kristine, who says she wishes she could sit on her back porch and let Ethan and Connor play, but her pool gets in the way:) So I say, come on over! About 30 minutes later, we're all at outside doing nothing but relaxing while the kids played hide and go seek..their version:), duck, duck, goose, and racing each other...which was hilarious! and...Alec even joined in when he got home from school.
We ended the night with the husbands coming over, eating Beef's wings, and then six 3 year olds in my bathroom getting bathed! Good times:)

In this picture-We said to the kids "why don't you play hide and seek" ..they ALL ran to the tree to count!! :)

Our Sunflowers

2009-03-01T21:52:00.005-05:00

2/25/09

7 days later:) Our sunflowers are growing! Soon we will have to plant them!

Our first Ashes!

2009-03-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

2/25/09
Ash Wednesday
Being new to the Catholic religion and trying to learn as much as I can for Brooke and Brianna, receiving ashes was new to me. Thankfully, I have a supportive friends and family. So do Brooke and Brianna:) It was both fun and spirtual going to our church to recieve ashes with our friends. None of the kids new what to expect! Caidee at one time looked up at me and asked me "Aunt Sherilyn is it going to hurt?" Poor thing! Of course I told her NO! it's hard to explain Ash Wednesday to six 3 year olds. After it was all done they laughed and giggled at themselves and at us mommies with Ashes on our foreheads:)

Sunflowers- 4 days later

2009-02-24T22:36:00.001-05:00

2.22.09
Here is Brooke and Brianna's sunflowers only 4 days later starting to bud!:)

Friends

2009-02-24T22:28:00.002-05:00

2/22/09
We had the Freed's over to hang out and cook out....Ethan and Connor are always so much fun to have over and Brooke and Brianna enjoy playing with them so much. Their parents are somewhat fun too:)
Earlier in the day Brianna asked when they were coming over and I told her in a few more hours. She collapsed herself onto a chair and said "I Love Ethan" ...this is starting already!....
We had a great time as usual! Thanks Freeds!

Connor
Ethan...being silly..OF COURSE! He's always silly!:)

Drew and Kristine...

B&B

2009-02-24T22:17:00.003-05:00

2/21/09
I just loved these pics of the girls. First, they are looking at the camera. Something that is very hard to get them to do! Second, It's amazing to me how their looks are changing so much. The baby look is going away and they are becoming little girls!
Brooke Brianna

Spring time

2009-02-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

2-18-09
Spring time is suppose to be here..however, it still seems to be getting cold! I know I shouldn't complain since it's MUCH colder in so many other places, but I don't like the cold at all..so when it drops below 70 degrees..that's cold to me!
On this day, it was not cold! It was beautiful out..I believe around 80 degrees:) We went to our friends house, Alycia, Lauren and William for a 'Spring Playgroup'. Ms. Alycia bought all the kids little sunflower seed kits. Each child got one and put in the dirt, water and sunflower seeds. The kids loved being able to plant their own flowers. I was surprised Brooke and Brianna didn't even mind getting their hands dirty! Now we get to watch our new spring flowers grow. Pictures of our sunflowers will be coming soon!:)
Thank you Alycia for having us over!

Special day, special people, special memories!

2009-02-19T21:18:00.011-05:00

2/15/09
Four years ago on the 15th of February Jim and I walked into St. Joe's hospital not knowing what was going to happen to our unborn twins. I only knew that one or both of my twins were in danger of dying. They had TTTS. A condition that effects only 15% of identical twins. That day and the days that followed were some of the hardest in my life. Thankfully, as you all know, I was one of the lucky ones! Because of the surgery I had that day I have two beautiful healthy little girls. In the past, since the girls birth, we consider this Brooke and Brianna's special day and we go and visit the doctor, Dr. Quintero, and thank him and his staff for giving us our little miracles. http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/health/now/?p=138 ....However, Brooke and Brianna's special day fell on a Sunday this year and our favorite doctor wasn't in the office. Ryan was also in town! So we decided to take the family to Ybor and do family pics! What better way to be thankful to have Brooke and Brianna then capture our entire family in a beautiful photo..or alot of beautiful photos:) Of course Kristine, my wonderful business partner took our family pics!:0) and OF COURSE they turned out great!!!:) I then took Kristine's family's pics:) AND...to make it more of a special occasion we celebrated Papa's birthday after the photo shoot!...yes it was a busy day!:) and there are alot of pics here for you to see!:)

THE FREED'S.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!!!!!!

Sleeping babes

2009-02-19T20:43:00.001-05:00

2/14/09
I always find pictures of sleeping babies so peaceful..especially when they are my sleeping babes!

Valentines Day

2009-02-18T20:26:00.004-05:00

2/14/09

We spent our Valentine's day doing something different...Jim and I took the girls to get there first pedicure!!:) We both weren't sure how they would do, especially Brooke because she is SO ticklish. But she did really good!!! Jim and I got pedicures too. It was really cute, we all sat in a row getting our toes done and the girls did great! Their toes look so cute and they really liked it....yes spoiling them already!!! pedicures at 3!

The day continued with lunch and then home to see the older kids..including Ryan who was here for the weekend!! They'll be pics of him later. Jim and I made steaks and fondue. Nana and Papa came over and we played outside. It was a really nice Valentine's day! OH and I got a gift card for a massage and a dozen roses:) We got daddy chocolate..what else! Happy Valentines day! This is Brianna showing me a heart with her hand:)

I'm a grandmother???...

2009-02-10T23:15:00.002-05:00

2/6/09
MADE YA LOOK!! :) No!! I'm not a grandmother, but I got to play grandmother for a weekend. Sharlene is taking a child devolopment class and the project for the year is to bring home this computerized baby and play mama for the weekend. Let me intoduce to you Stella Arielle Bowman. Baby Stella is set to cry, coo, giggle... and react to being fed including 4 feedings through the night, being changed or just needing some lovin':) Sharlene had to respond promptly to her demands and log the activity. The computer chip will be read by her teacher and Sharlene will then be graded on how well she did:) Unfortunatly, the weekend Sharlene was choosen to have Stella, she had big weekend plans..her friends big 18th bday party...movies, another party and during all this she got lost in downtown Tampa and gave me a heartattack! She was pretty freaked out too! However, we all made it through the weekend and I'm sure I won't be a grandma anytime soon!:)
Here are some pics of Stella upon her homecoming:).... Unlce Alec:)...

Brooke and Brianna were THRILLED with Stella!

Posse Valentine's day playgroup

2009-02-05T20:41:00.006-05:00

2/4/09
In past posts you've heard me talk about the 'posse'. This consists of my 4 friends and all of our children. 5 sets of multiples and 4 singletons. Three of the singletons are my 3 teenagers, so they don't do alot with our group, especially the day activities. Most the time it's us 5 girls and the 12 little ones. We've been friends since the kids were a couple of months old. The name 'posse' came from my mother saying one day..'so you getting together with the posse today'. I thought it was funny and told the other girls and from then it just stuck.
Every year we do a Valentine's day playgroup. This year we did cookie decorating, and made picture frames. Then we took pictures for our picture frames. :)
Happy Valentine's Day!!

and here they are again:) Cute group, huh?!

More superbowl party pics

2009-02-05T20:34:00.003-05:00

More great pics of a fun night!

Jello shots! mmmm..thanks Kristen:)

Superbowl XLIII-our third annual superbowl party

2009-02-03T11:19:00.004-05:00

2/1/09
Even though we were in mourning the BUCS and the Eagles weren't in the superbowl we still had a party! Lots of food, alcohol, jello shots and KIDS! (10 adults, and 15 kids) and even though we were disappointed the underdog didn't win...we had a blast with all our friends!

Brooke was the first to go at 7:30!....we know who's going to get her bra put in the freezer when she starts attending slumber parties!:)

Some EXPERIENCE!

2009-02-02T23:13:00.006-05:00

1/31/09
So the Superbowl was being hosted here in Tampa. Even though it wasn't the BUCS nor the EAGLES in the game we went down to the stadium to see the "NFL EXPERIENCE" ..it was some experience!
Alec took a friend and was thrilled to be going! Jim and I took the girls and we weren't as thrilled as Alec:) but we do these things for our children...right???
As we were walking the country mile to the stadium from our parking place with ALL the other people in Tampa ...we spotted Disney Radio's set up with free goodie bags, a polar bear character, a real sloth, dancing, music and food. We stopped, and sent Alec and his friend ahead of us to go ahead and get in while we checked out the Disney Radio stuff with the girls. All was great.... we had fun at the Disney Radio set up and when we were done checking it out we started again to the stadium. As we made our way, there were people handing us stickers, booklets, and stuff and then asking for a donation. This guy hands me two lollipops and asks for a donation, I kindly say no, inspect the lollipops the girls have already spotted in my hands and give Brooke the green one and Brianna the white one. Well, Brianna didn't want the white one. She wanted a green one like Brooke and she starts throwing a fit. We FINALLY get there with Brianna still throwing a fit. Jim goes to ask about tickets only to find out it's a 45 minute wait JUST TO GET TICKETS and then a 45 minute wait to get in!!! Keep in mind it is now 12:15 (lunch time). Then Brianna reaches over grabs Brooke's lolli and throws it on the ground...this happened just as Jim came over to give me the news of the wait. ...well...there is only so much one can take. I now have TWO screaming, hungry girls. I looked at Jim and said "That's it..we are going home"! "I'm DONE"! Sometimes you just have to cut your losses!! We cross the street to make our LONG trip back to the car, and I look down to see Brooke sound asleep!! 5 minutes later so was Brianna:) Peace at last! SO......we didn't make it into the actual "NFL Experience" but we had our own NFL Experience:)
OH! And Alec had a GREAT time! ..which was our goal to begin with.:)

Alec's bday party

2009-01-25T21:54:00.003-05:00

1/24/09
On Alec's actual birthday we went to his favorite mexican restaurant. So, he had some friends over the following weekend to eat pizza, play football and hang out. Here's what you get when you tell a bunch of 14 year olds you want to take a group pic:)
I also threw in a pic of Amy:)

Who is the President??"Barack Obama"!

2009-01-24T22:48:00.003-05:00

1/20/09

When you ask Brooke and Brianna who the president is.....they smile and say "Barack Obama"
Here they are watching the inauguration with us:) Papa will be SO proud!

No more naps

2009-01-24T22:32:00.003-05:00

1/18/09
Brooke and Brianna are now 3 1/2. Nap time was becoming a struggle.....well .... It was basically torture! by the time they fell asleep it was later in the afternoon, around 3 or 4p.m. They would sleep till 5 or 6 p.m. and then be up till 11 or 12 p.m.! Jim and I decided no more naps!! Now at 9 p.m. this is what we usually find:) Sound asleep, together of course, on the playroom floor!:) Can everyone say awwwwww......
There is NOTHING like a sleeping baby...or two:)

1/18/09

Sharlene

2009-01-24T22:30:00.002-05:00

1/17/09
Just a few pics of the princess!:)

Happy Birthday Alec

2009-01-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

1/17/09
Where does the time go?? How can Alec be 14??!! How is it possible??? Just the other day I remember this little tiny baby was born 6 weeks early weighing 5'13. He couldn't breath on his own and spent a month in the NICU. My heart ached that he had to go through so much while in the hospital. He had tubes everywhere, was inhibated, a central line and a blood transfusion. Today you would never know he started out so small! At 5'9 my little baby is now my BIG baby. He's taller then Kyle and especially Sharlene and eye to eye with Jim! When Ryan comes in February we'll see if he has passed him up.:)
Alec you will always be my baby! Happy Birthday! We love you!!

Valentine pictures

2009-01-24T15:02:00.004-05:00

1/14/09
I took some time the other day to do Brooke and Brianna's Valentine pictures. It went better then I had thought! Usually they want nothing to do with the camera. Probably because I always have it in their faces:) This time with a little bribery (skittles) they were pretty cooperative. I know I'm a tad bias, but aren't they beautiful girls!:) My favorite is the one of Brianna picking up the rose petals after we were done..my second is the one of Brooke with her hand over her face telling me "NO MORE PICTURES":) I guess skittles can only work for so long.

Mom Mom visits

2009-01-23T22:03:00.003-05:00

1/9/09-1/12/09
We love it when Mom-Mom comes to visit! This trip she took us to the circus! Unfortunatley, we don't have any pics from it! I brought my little point and shoot instead of my D300 because the forum won't let me bring my 'pro' camera in. When I got there I realized I didn't have my camera card in! The camera still allowed me to take pics but they are stored in the camera and I can't find the USB cable to download them! I have looked everywhere!!! So I'm sorry Mom-Mom the pics of the Circus aren't on here!! We did have a great time!:)
Before Mom-Mom left we gave her her birthday present since she wouldn't be here for her actual bday. We hope you enjoyed your new lotions!
Come back soon!! We miss and love you!

Snow Mountain

2009-01-23T21:30:00.008-05:00

1/1/09-1/2/09
We had hoped to see snow when we went to Blairsvile. Since it didn't happen on it's own we decided to leave Blairsville a little early and head down to Atlanta to Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain had just opened their SNOW MOUNTAIN. They had fake snow with sledding for the older kids, a kiddie area with a snowman making equipped with all the snowman making stuff, snow ball throwing area, sledding for the little kids and two fire pits with smores and hot chocolate. Sounds great right??? HA! After about 30-45 minutes of it raining and being FREEZING cold my Florida kids had enough! Kyle and Alec thought the sledding was fun but the line was too long and they were cold...Brooke and Brianna were just miserable with all the winter gear they had to wear. and the snow was icing over from the rain. So after we made a snow lump, snow angels, did some sledding, took the train around Stone Mountain and had some hot chocolate and smores we packed it in and headed home...to sunny warm Florida with many great memories.

View from our room....beautiful!

My little penguins:)

I want to go here!:)

Trying to catch snow flakes on her tongue.

Vacation in Blairsville, GA....again..

2009-01-22T17:22:00.008-05:00

12/27/08-1/2/09

Two days after Christmas we got up at 4 a.m. and set of to N. GA again.
Once we arrived we decided to take a trip and drive through N.C to Tennessee to see the Tennessee aqaurium, Ruby Falls, and Climb through Rock City to look at the view of seven states and then back to Blairsville. All in two days. After back at the cabin we then decided we would go to Atlanta to see Snow Mountain in Stone Mountain...those pics will follow after these.:) Even after all the driving and living out of a suitcase for days we still had a great time.

It was raining outside so the girls went rollar skating for the FIRST time in the basement.

Kyle and Brianna

Brooke

In Tennessee on the way to the aquarium.

Otter:) so cute!

I love this pic! Brooke looking at herself in a mirror at the aquarium.

Rock City....

Jim on a suspension bridge!!!!!

Behind the actual Ruby waterfall:)

Christmas morning

2009-01-16T17:16:00.002-05:00

12-25-08
Just a few from Christmas morning......

Christmas Eve at Mom and Dads

2009-01-16T16:42:00.006-05:00

12-24-08

Every year we go to mom and dads for Christmas Eve dinner and they give us ONE present to open, which is ALWAYS Christams pajamas.:) The kids love this. This year mom invited her "other daughters" and their families..... Mine and Jim's great friends The Sumners and The Freeds.:) This meant they had six 3 year olds (three sets of twins) and 3 teenagers:) Oh...and us big kids. Everyone had a great time. The food was good and we had a great time drinking, eating and the kids had fun playing, especially Ethan who thought the cat nip was a toy and spread it through out the house:) Ohhhhh...so many memories:) Can't wait till next year Mom and Dad!!:)

All three of your daughters love you:)

Papa grew some hair!!!

A New Christmas Eve Tradition

2008-12-28T20:44:00.005-05:00

12-24-08
Jim woke up on Christmas Eve and decided we were going to start a new tradition. Every Christmas Eve day we are going to go somewhere and 'do' something. This year we would have gone horseback riding, but I'm still only 4 weeks out of surgery and couldn't. So we chose to go to Ybor City, have lunch and of course I brought my camera! This is a great place for pics! We had a good time walking up and down the strip and looking in the stores.

When we were leaving we stopped at the train track and played for a second..a very brief second! All of a sudden we heard 'ding ding ding' and sure enough the train was coming. Scared us to death!:) Jim grabbed the girls and we watched as the train flew by.

We weren't having a great hair day..but still precious.:)

Cookie making day!

2008-12-28T19:50:00.008-05:00

12-23-08
We've always had a family tradition of making sugar cookies and decorating them for Santa to eat when he stops by to drop off presents. This year we went to our twins group cookie making playgroup with our friends, Kristine, Ethan and Connor. We got to roll out the dough and cut out our cookies. Maryann, our host, cooked them for us to take home. When we got home I made MORE cookies and we decorated all of them with Kyle and Alec. We had a really good time:)

"Jingle bells, Jingle bells .....

2008-12-23T00:24:00.004-05:00

12-22-08

Oh what fun it is to ride with a fox and a fox and some hay!"..this is what Brianna was singing tonight as she laid in bed:) I about fell out of my chair laughing so hard!... My friend Kristine's son Connor had a good one too! He decided to add arubics cube as one of Santa's reindeer! You know!..there's Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Arubics Cube! OH!!! HOW FUNNY!

Well, today we went to see the man himself...SANTA:) This is the first year that B&B are excited to see Santa. All they want this year is a hula hoop, a yo-yo and a ming ming and tuck (for all of you that no longer have young children..these are characters from The Wonder Pets) :). You would think by their short list of toys they want we would get off cheap...well..don't forget we have 4 teenagers too...oh and B&B have a daddy that won't dare just get them a hula hoop, a yo-yo, and ming-ming and tuck! I have NO idea where I'm going to put all the new toys that are going to be arriving!Oh well..

When we got to the mall, there was no line. Jim went ahead and told Santa the girls were coming and told him their names and what they wanted...the girls were so thrilled when Santa saw them and said "Hi Brooke and Brianna!" and then KNEW what they wanted!! You can see by their faces they were beside themselves with happiness! OH I love those little faces!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Train ride with Papa..

Playing in the playhouse at the mall:)

Nana is the best

2008-12-11T22:43:00.003-05:00

12.9.08
As I've mentioned I've been recovering. My mom (nana) has been wonderful. Here everyday to take care of me and the girls while Jim is working. This day she brought over the oranges Papa Dick had given her and they made fresh squeezed orange juice. The girls loved it. They loved making it and drinking it. I thought the juice was really sour and tasted much better with alot of sugar!:)
Thanks so much mom!! We Love you!

Decorating the Tree

2008-12-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

12.7.08
Even though I've been recovering we were able to get the tree up and decorated. I wasn't allowed to do anything..except take pictures:) My parents and brother were here to help out....and we got the job done.
We realized we have so many ornaments we weren't able to put even half of the ornaments on the tree. We limited it to mostly the kids personalized ones and the Disney ones my mom and dad have been collecting for the kids for 18 years.
Brooke and Brianna were so excited this year it was alot of fun to watch them pull out an ornament and look at it so excited and then hang it on the tree. However, we did have a few drop and daddy had to get the super glue out. I think it was Donald Duck that lost his head and a leg....we found them under the tree...he was fixable.:)

Tis the season...

2008-12-11T16:34:00.002-05:00

12.6.08
We went out to get our Christmas tree. Of course, since I had the five of my kids together I wanted a picture:) It's always so much fun to try and get a good picture of all of them together...see for yourself:) However, even though Brooke isn't looking I do love the last one. The first one cracks me up!!
Don't I have great looking kids!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-11T15:54:00.003-05:00

11.23.08

Because I was scheduled for a hysterectomy a few days before Thanksgiving and knew I would be in the hospital during the day of Thanksgiving we had our day a little early.

The food was great and of course having the family together was better.

We started a knew tradition this year. It's called 'Elf on the Shelf'. The book explains..during the Holiday season the Elf comes to our home and watches to make sure the kids are good and every night flies home to Santa to tell them if the kids are good or bad. He's basically Santa's informant:) When he comes back from reporting to Santa before morning he always finds a new place to sit. Brooke and Brianna LOVE getting up in the morning to see where the Elf's new place is. We love being able to remind Brooke and Brianna the Elf is watching and they need to behave:) Bribery...it's always a great parenting tool:) We also had to name our Elf. Our Elf is a girl and she has two names Melody Mallie. Brianna named her Melody and Brooke named her Mallie.

Here are some pics of our Thanksgiving:)
Melody Mallie....

After 5 years......

2008-12-11T14:49:00.002-05:00

Alec's braces are off!!!!!!

11.19.08

Sharlene, Kyle and Alec had their braces put on at the same time. Kyle was the first to get his off a year later. Two years later Sharlene got hers off and NOW after having braces for 5 years (because he didn't like wearing his rubber bands!) he now has a beautiful smile!!!:)

YAY Alec!

Happy 18th Birthday Sharlene!

2008-12-11T14:19:00.003-05:00

11.11.08
I can hardly believe the day has come that my first baby is now 18. My heart felt broken all day...where had the time gone??Could my baby now be considered and adult? graduating soon from high school?? It is so unbelievable to me.
I remember like it was the other day. Going into labor. I was 21 and scared to death. I always knew she was a girl, even though everyone else said I was having a boy:) when she finally made her appearance I fell in love immediatley. She was so tiny and so cute. She had some complications, but overcame them after a few weeks in the NICU. She has always been a fighter and I am so proud of her and who she has become. She is grown to become a wonderful daughter, sister, grandaughter and friend. We are all so blessed to have such a sweet, strong, compassionate young woman in our lives!
I love you Sharlene!! Mommy.

and a few weeks after her 18th bday....her transformation...hair cut, lip pierced....so beautiful! (even though I wasn't totally thrilled with the piercing..Im ok with it)

Grilled Cheese

2008-11-06T22:35:00.002-05:00

11-4-08
As I said in an earlier post we have all been sick. No one really felt like eating, except Brianna who wanted a grilled cheese and SHE wanted to make it. Brooke was already asleep so Brianna with the help from daddy made grilled cheese for all of us sickies....It was so cute watching her flip the sandwiches with the spatula.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

2008-11-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

11-3-08

I always love to get together with my family. Birthdays are always so much fun! Especially when they aren't mine!:)
We celebrated Jeremy's Bday and had a great time as usual. He's such a great Uncle...you can't tell by the pictures though:) ha-ha! He Loves his nieces and nephews and they really love him!
Hope you had a great Bday Jeremy! Your a Great brother too!!!

Awwwwww.....

2008-11-06T22:01:00.003-05:00

11-2-08
Right after Halloween we all got sick. We still are even as I type this a week later! I was laying in bed with Brooke and I came out to check on daddy and Bri and this is what I found:) Is that sweet or what?? Both of them on the couch sound asleep:) So of course I had to grab my camera:)

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-06T19:50:00.004-05:00

10-31-08

Happy Halloween! Brooke and Brianna or should I say Minnie and Daisy were VERY excited this year! Brooke was Minnie and Brianna was Daisy. I can't believe how much they have grown!!

This is 2005!

We let them eat any and as much candy as they wanted when we got home:) They would try a piece and spit it out and go to the next piece:)

Papa being silly....as usual! Daddy had on Brooke's Minnie ears for a while too, but I didn't have the camera with me.

Sharlene and her friend Liz got dressed up and went to dinner:) Kyle went out with his friends...with no mask. Alec wore Jim's dreadlocks from a previous Halloween and went to a party:) Hope everyone had a Great Halloween!!!

Carving the pumpkin

2008-11-06T19:34:00.002-05:00

10-30-08
We waited a little longer then usual to get our pumpkin this year....if you notice the date it was the DAY BEFORE! I would say so!
Brooke and Brianna were in a bad mood that night...and the pictures show it The scarecrow is the happiest person in that pic!:) Alec tried his best to put them in a better mood.:) They cheered up once we got home and started carving the pumpkin. I don't know who had more fun, Brooke, Brianna, Alec or DADDY! Daddy kept hogging the pumpkin carving! He said it was HIS pumpkin:) So we let him have his fun. However, B&B and Alec did have fun getting all the seeds out for mommy to cook:) YUM!

Mom Mom sent the kids Halloween cards with a surprise inside:) Brooke and Brianna really enjoyed opening their cards and getting the money.:) Thanks Mom Mom! We miss and love you too!!!

Halloween Playgroup

2008-11-06T19:09:00.004-05:00

10-29-08

Brooke and Brianna had a playgroup for all their friends for Halloween. Our usual friends (the Posse) were here:) Caidee & Caleb, Ethan & Connor, Calvin, Alice, Ella & Caroline, and Lauren & William. We painted foam pumpkins and put googly eyes on them, and then decorated and ate cupcakes.

Thanks for coming over you all! We had a great time...as usual:)

Down on the Farm

2008-11-06T18:38:00.004-05:00

10-26-08
We took Brooke and Brianna to Hunsader Farm and met some of our friends there. It takes an hour to get there..but it was well worth it!! We had a blast! There was face painting, pony rides,butterfly exhibit, corn maze, hay maze, hay ride and a train made of water barrels. There was also tons of games, and vendors passing out candy for the kids to trick or treat.

Butterfly on Brooke's head

Brianna holding a butterfly

Twins Club Halloween Party

2008-11-06T17:28:00.003-05:00

10-25-08
I belong to two twins clubs. So does my friend, Kristine. Our one club, TBAMoMS had their annual Halloween party at a local park. Afterward, Jim, Kristine, Drew, me and all 4 kids went to lunch. There was a fountain outside the place we ate...the kids really liked that:)

Little Chef's

2008-11-06T17:06:00.003-05:00

10-22-08
We've had a few cold days here in sunny Florida...well...cold for us anyway! So during one of the cold days we made our own pizzas:)
I think they look just as good as papa's:)

Vacation-off to Orlando!

2008-11-06T14:51:00.013-05:00

10/15-10/18

We took a vacation with our great friends Kristine and Drew, their twin boys Ethan and Connor and Nana and Papa:) All together that is the four of us, four 3 yo's and Nana and Papa! Crazy?? YES! but we had a great time in Orlando visiting Downtown Disney, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and laying around at our resort and enjoying the lazy river and hammocks:)

Thanks Drew, Kristine and Nana and Papa for going with us!! Can't wait till the next time! :) Should we make this an annual trip??

Exploring our resort...

Downtown Disney for Dinner at Rain Forest Cafe:)

Epcot... Kisses from Snow White:)

This was Brooke and Brianna during the fire works at Epcot:)Magic Kingdom!

Brianna before the fire works at the Magic Kingdom. Brooke went shortly afterward:)

Getting ready in the morning. Helping papa shave his head:)

Dunking daddy with the help of Connor....They did a pretty good job!

Going down the lazy River....

Here we all are on the last day of our vacation. We went back to Downtown Disney for lunch and to walk around. Notice we are still smiling:)

See Ya Real Soon!

Our new cabin

2008-11-06T13:55:00.002-05:00

10-13-08
Ok..maybe it's not mine and Jim's new cabin....it would be a little hard for all of us to fit in there, but it IS Brooke and Brianna's new cabin:) Now they have one just like Nana and Papa's:)

Kyle-One week later

2008-11-06T13:42:00.002-05:00

10-12-08
Thanks for all the well wishes for Kyle:) This pic was taken one week later and as you can see, his face is fine. Just a few marks left. It's a good thing we have antibiotics and neosporin ..they did wonders!
Today his face is perfectly adorable...just as it was:)

Kyle meets the pavement

2008-10-10T17:06:00.002-04:00

10-4-08
Kyle and Alec were outside playing football with their neighborhood friends. To make a long story short Kyle zigged when he should have zagged and he ran into Alec. Alec is like hitting a brick wall...which Kyle did and landed on his face. He blacked out. So before we made the trip to the hospital he had me take a picture. Believe it or not, this looks good. After he got back and he was cleaned up, his face was much more swollen and looked even worse! Thankfully he is on his way to recovery. The doctor said with the antibiotics and neosporin it shouldn't scar. I really hope not! He has such a pretty face!!!

Disney on Ice

2008-10-10T16:38:00.003-04:00

10-2-08
Disney on Ice was in Tampa again:) Our friends Drew and Kristine got tickets for a good price so a group of us went. The seats were ok, the show was ok, but the company of course was great:) Jim and I thought the individual shows were a little long and sometimes boring, but I think Brooke and Brianna and the other kids had a great time seeing some of their favorite Disney characters. Now we are ready for our Disney trip with the Freeds next week:)

Happy Birthday Papa Dick!!!

2008-10-08T12:44:00.006-04:00

Papa Dick is another year younger:) To celebrate we took him out to dinner and had a great time! After dinner we all took a picture with the honoree:) Happy Birthday Papa Dick! We love you!

Our future Buccaneer

2008-10-08T10:47:00.005-04:00

Yes, Alec is the next big football star:) Well, at least as his parents that's what we think! He is playing first string offensive line and defensive line. Playing first string didn't come easy to Alec. Since this was Alec's first year playing the coaches did NOT play him first string for the first few games. At the games he stood and watched, he went to every practice and even though it really bothered him, he didn't give up. One night after the game, they played what they call the "fifth quarter". This is for those who didn't play in the game. Alec was in and the coach saw what he could do. Coach pulled him aside and told him he did a great job and he would be playing first string from now on:) I can't tell you how happy we all were...especially Alec:) Since then he has continued to prove he is a great football player...something we already knew:)

These are a few from one of his first games. I'm sure I'll be posting more as the year goes by.
We are VERY proud of you Alec (no. 51)!!
Alec's personal cheerleaders:)

Four for four days

2008-10-07T22:04:00.003-04:00

9/18-9/21

Our friends Kerri and Bart wanted to go to the Georgia-Arizonia State game in Arizona. So when they asked us to watch their kids, Caidee and Caleb, of course we said YES! As most of you know, Caidee and Caleb are twins and they are only a few hours younger then Brooke and Brianna. In the few years we have known Kerri and Bart we have made alot of long lasting memories and built a wonderful friendship. We love their kids and we had such a great time having four 3 yo's around! I took alot of pics so I made a little video instead of posting a bunch of pics:)
Kerri and Bart..I hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed having Caidee and Caleb here:)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Let's play catch up!

2008-09-22T10:47:00.006-04:00

SO, my good friend said to me "I don't know why I start these things (blogging) when I'm so busy I have a hard time keeping up with it" Well..the same goes for me!!! Kristine and I have been so busy with our business, Brinker-Freed Photography I have had a little time to do my personal blog. This blog is going to be a catch up! Here goes....

The day after the baptism we took Pop Pop back to Naples. While we were there, we went to the Naples Zoo. Who knew! Naples has a zoo!!!! AND it was really nice. Small, but nice. We didn't mind it was so small becasue it was SO hot! We had fun with Pop Pop, seeing all the animals and playing in the play area. Thank you Pop Pop!

9-1-08

After the zoo we went to the beach to get some ice cream and let the girls play on the beach.

9-3-08

Lordy Lordy look who's Forty- SEVEN!! YEP Jim! He went golfing with some friends and their wives and kids came here to hang out and eat dinner. Once the guys were done golfing they came back to our house for little party.

Happy Birthday, Honey! We love you!! You look great for 47!!!:)

9-15-08

Soon after Jim turns a year older, so do I!!! I don't know how I can be 39???!! My last year of my 30's! For this grand event, we went to my mom and dad's for dinner..which is always yummy!! My brother, Jeremy and Cousin, Eddie were there. Eddie just so happened to be here (in FL) for work, so he was lucky enough to spend my birthday with me:)

The kids had a good time at Nana and Papa's house and the entire evening and day were very nice! Making it easier to turn 39!:) Thank you everyone!

Later in the week my friends and I got together for Dinner to celebrate my birthday...there will be no pics of that night:) But we DID have a great time!:) Thank you girls for a great night!:)

100% SAVED

2008-09-15T23:30:00.012-04:00

August 31, 2008

Brooke and Brianna are finally baptised!!

I know it's been a while since I've posted. This is because we were so busy getting ready for the baptism. Thank you to all of our friends and family for making Brooke and Brianna's baptism so special! It was a great day! Ryan came in from NJ and Mom Mom, Joe, Pam, Talene and Jack from Philadelphia! Pop pop was in the hospital days before and he thankfully was here as well!! Thank you to Kerri and Bart for accepting the honor of being Brooke's Godparents and Thank you, Joe and Pam for accepting the honor of being Brianna's Godparents! We are blessed to have you in their lives and ours!

I want to thank Kristine for taking all the wonderful pictures during the ceremony and at the reception afterward! Great Job, Of course!!! Wouldn't expect anything else from you!:)

Mom and Dad and Jeremy, thank you for being there and supporting us!

Thank you to all of our friends for being there and sharing this special time!

Sharlene, Kyle, Alec and Ryan..it was great having you all together!

We love you all!!!

Movie time

2008-08-25T21:52:00.003-04:00

8-15-08

We've been very busy lately. Work has been busy and just life in general. We have been getting ready for Brooke and Brianna's baptism, which is coming up this weekend. However, we did find time to spend with Brooke and Brianna's friends Caidee and Caleb. It was raining again, so they decided to watch a movie. I know I've said this before, but I just love how much they love each other.

The BIG 62!! Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-08-14T01:00:00.005-04:00

8-11-08
My Mom turned 62!! We had a great time celebrating with her! Happy Birthday Mom!! We Love you!!!

Yep, that's my mom!:) hee hee! yeah, she's going to kill me for putting this on here!:)So, my brother HATES me taking pics of him. HA, I'm a photographer!, what does he think I'm going to do!? Here are only a few of the looks I got and FINALLY I got a smile!:) Love you!! You have a great smile!!

It amazes me how big my teens are getting, especially my boys! I don't know where the time goes!

Again, Happy Birthday Mom!! Love you lots!

Little Ballerinas

2008-08-14T00:51:00.002-04:00

8-11-08
My little ballerinas started dance! Oh, are they so adorable! Too bad they didn't look like this when we got to dance class!! Brianna cried the entire time and Brooke made it through 15 minutes of the class before she broke down because Brianna wasn't in there with her. She refused to go back into the dance class without Brianna and Brianna absolutely refused to go in!! It was pretty much a disaster and very sad, especially for Brooke. Hopefully it will get better!!

Pool with friends

2008-08-14T00:39:00.003-04:00

8-10-08
We were back to the YMCA (or the ABC, as Brianna calls it) for swimming with our friends Brian and Kristen and their kids. We had a great time! We meet at noon and planned on eating a picnic lunch and staying for a couple of hours. Before we knew it it was 4:00 and we were still having a blast! Brian and Kristen graciously invited us over for dinner. This was also a way to help keep the kids awake, since 4:00 is WAY to late for a nap. Thank you Brian and Kristen! I can't believe the kids stayed awake AND they were all so good!

Those are some tired faces!!