I'm Hosting a 4th of July Blog Giveaway

Just wanted to post this here too. Go on over to Shabby Creations and enter my 4th of July blog giveaway. Tell all your friends, family, and fellow bloggers. Click HERE to go now.

Fun In The Rain

We have been trying to enjoy summer here in Erie. We had one good warm week, and since then it has still been cooler and VERY VERY rainy. The rain hasn't stopped us from having fun though. We went on a hike about a week ago, in the rain, with some friends in an area around here called Asbury Woods. Matt calls it his "little piece of heaven" in Erie. It's great for trail running, mountain biking, and playing in this fun river. As we were hiking around the other day, Jack started screaming at the top of his lungs. He was a little further ahead with Matt, so I just assumed he had fallen and gotten a little hurt. Apparently Jack had spotted a pretty big snake and Matt was standing over it and didn't even know until Jack started screaming. The snake quickly slithered away, but it gave Jack a good scare. We actually have a lot of critters and animals around us. We have seen deer, wild turkey, rabbits, and even this frog in our backyard. It's very fun for the kids. Not letting the rain stop us from playing outside, the kids each picked out an umbrella. Jack got Batman, Cole got Spider Man, and Lily of course, got a princess one.
So that sums up life in Erie. We are hoping the sun will shine soon and we can enjoy some beach days.

Moving to Connecticut....or NOT!

As you know, are next move was going to be to Connecticut. As a matter of fact we were supposed to move in 1 1/2 weeks. My girlfriend Brook and I went to Connecticut last week to find a house for us, we had sent money to our new landlord, and we were ready to go....until a late night e-mail.
2 days ago, our world got turned upside down and changed...in a good way. We were actually in the process of filling out our contract for our new home when Matt's phone buzzed for a new e-mail. Basically, it was his current business (GE Transportation, we were going to CT to work for a different GE business) offering him an unbelievable job opportunity that we could not refuse. They said if we would stay in Erie for 6 more month, they will move us ANYWHERE we want to live, Matt can work from home, and we won't have to move anymore. I about fell off my chair. We...I, have been dying to move west for 5 years now. I miss being close to family and having my children close to grandparents and cousins. Finally we will get what we want. We are getting vibes that they want us to live in a port city, which is fine by me just to get west. Anywhere along the Cali. coast (most likely a bit out of our price range), Portland, or Seattle seem like front runners. We are actually hoping to FINALLY buy a house. My kids...and I want a dog so bad. So that's it. 6 more months in Erie, and we are heading west. Can you tell I am excited! We'll keep you posted as to where we are moving in December.
Anyways, my house hunting trip was fun and Connecticut would have been very cool. While I was there with my friend Brook, we took a quick 45 minute train ride into New York City where we went to the Twin Towers, saw the Broadway Legally Blond (fabulous and funny), did a little window shopping and then ended the evening at one of my favorite New York hot spots, Serendipity for some frozen hot chocolate.

Happy Father's Day Matt

It is the end of the day and Matt is already in bed. But I didn't want to let the day end without a quick Father's Day post to let Matt know how much we love him. Matt, you are an awesome dad and husband. Thanks for being our rock and loving your family.
So sorry you had to have waffles for your Father's Day dinner ( I just got back in town last night and didn't make it to the store yet). But know that if I would have been more prepared, I would have grilled you a big fat fillet with a baked potato and all the fix'ins! We love you sooooo much.
Thanks for everything. ~xoxoxo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

Today my sweetheart turns........3........5! I want him to know how much I love him. He is the best husband anyone could ask for. I appreciate all that he does for me and my family. He always thinks of us first. This is just a VERY small list of reasons I love him:
1. He is the best dad to our 3 kiddos.
2. He is fun and likes to go places and see and do new things.
3. He is patient with me...and that is hard to do.
4. He cleans! Actually, he is MUCH cleaner than I am.
5. He watches the kids so I can work out, run errands, get my nails done, and go to girls night out.
6. He is smart. HELLO, he has his JDMBA!
7. He takes us canoing, on hikes, and to National Parks.
8. He always encourages me to try new things and supports my decisions.
9. He is hard working both at home and at work.
10. He lets me pick out girl movies to watch when I know he wants to watch shoot 'em up shows instead.
11. He likes to eat yummy junk food with me.
12. He is always positive...so much that it makes me mad at times. (I know...bad wife).
13. He loves me and our kids unconditionally.

Hope your day is great. I love you always.
Yours,
Michelle
xoxox

Busy Busy Busy

Is it just me or is life just BUSY. We have been doing a little of this and a lot of that. Keeping busy and gearing up for summer. We had grandma and grandpa Young visit us in good ol' Erie, PA.
(Were you impressed G & G?). We took two days and headed up to Canada to visit Niagara Fall and Marine Land. At Marine Land the kids got to touch and feed the Beluga whales. Jack was FEARLESS on the rides. He went on everything that his height would allow him to go on. Lily and Cole were a different story. They are a bit more cautious when it comes to rides.
Then we headed up to Toronto to go to the Toronto Zoo and the most charming farm called Riverdale Farm. It is a MUST see and do if you go to Toronto. The kids had fun and it was a fun little get away with my mom and Ken.Where are we moving?? That has been the big question for about 2 months now. We thought and were hopeful that we would be moving west. As a matter of fact we were 99% sure we were. Then, GE decided to send us to Norwalk, Connecticut. Can I get any further east! Norwalk is basically a suburb of New York city. It is about 45 miles from Manhattan. Looks like we'll be spending the fall in the the New England area. I am excited about being close to NY, good shopping, living by the real beach, the fall leaves, and especially Lily starting kindergarten in Connecticut. Maybe I can even talk my friend Sarah in NJ to come visit with her kiddos or I can go to her house. Just another fun place to make memories.

Summer might finally be here on Thursday. Wehave been wearing jackets on and off still, but expect 94 degrees on Thursday. What happen to the 75 degree weather? We skipped that part. Oh well, I'll take what I can get to have some nice out door summer days.