3 Girls and their Mom

Thanksgiving

2011-12-03T12:17:00.001-08:00

The kids were all home for Thanksgiving. Here they are just before we left for Uncle Bud's.

And here are all the cousins together once we arrived:

Friday night I made the kids decorate the tree before dinner.

Simon got to put on the angel. Mainly due to the height requirement.

Before Foo went back to school, she asked me to take her for a haircut. She wasn't fooling around!

Very cute! She couldn't stop smiling after she got it done.

Bunny Foo-Foo's 20th BD Party

2011-10-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter came home from school (Pitt) for the first time since the start of the term (6 long weeks!) to celebrate her birthday with her family. Though my photos are focused on her, both her sisters, her boyfriend Alex and Amanda's girlfriend Abbey were also there. Isn't she a cutie-pants?

With her sister, cutie-pants Amanda.

She left last night, I miss her already!

Chicago Business Trip

2011-09-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I got to go someplace new on a quick overnight business trip a couple weeks ago:

Chicago! We had a nice hotel. My friend/co-worker Steve (next to me above) thought I was nuts for taking pictures of my hotel room. Boys just don't understand these things. We had meetings for 2 solid days, and on the only evening we were there, we got to Wrigley for a game (Steve's idea, I was happy to go along with him and our friend/boss Mike, on the left). We all have red-eye!

We drove past the lake on our way to the game:

Right through the heart of the city:

We passed the Navy Pier:

It's a really beautiful city.

Wrigley seems to be right in the heart of it all.

It's a really nice old park. It reminded me of our minor-league park here in Reading.

Love the bleachers out on top of the neighboring buildings!

Here, I got rid of the red-eye on this one:

I'm getting ready for another adventure soon.

Happy 70th Birthday to my Dad!

2011-03-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

My dad will be 70 on St. Patrick's Day, so we had a birthday party today at my parent's house. My nephew helped him blow out the candles. Happy Birthday Dad!

Valentine's Day

2011-03-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

My daughter Amanda brought me flowers and candy on Valentine's Day. She is all the sweetheart anyone could ever want to have.

2010 Favorite Pictures

2011-01-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

I still have a lot of catching up to do with the events of 2010, but since it's 1/1/2011, I wanted to put up a few of my favorite family photos from 2010. I love this one of the girls:

Steph and Simon the night before their wedding:

Even one of me, with my little Foofy, humoring me by pretending to be a baby.

Fast Times at Foofy High

2010-12-29T19:09:00.000-08:00

The end of Foo's high school career was a blur (kind of like this photo). First was Senior Awards Night, where she got a $250 Art award from the Exeter Women's Club, and a hug from Mr. B, the principal:

Yay Foo! I forget now who gave her the bunny ears....

Next she donated her hair to Locks of Love. She did it the first time when she was 9 or 10.

Looking sassy with a new do:

Going to Pride Prom with her gay friend from school. She had more fun with him than at the regular prom with her boyfriend...

Very cute in her graduation dress:

Graduation:

The older siblings approve the hug from Pop-Pop:

With Grandma:

I love this picture of my girls:

Not so much this one with me, but I'll let it pass.

Graduation Party at Uncle Bud's:

Cousin posse:

Step-cousins Katie and Sara:

Thus ends the illustrious high school career of Danielle Burns!

Steph's Bridal Shower

2010-12-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so she's married 6 months already... I'm catching up! Steph's maid of honor Jakki and the bridesmaids (Steph and Simon's sisters) hosted the bridal shower here at my house. We tried to surprise her but it's hard to put anything over on Steph. I told her most of my pics are not any good (mostly people's backs and bad lighting) but I'm posting them up here anyway for posterity. First we enjoyed some refreshments.

Then we played games:

I didn't win, not enough weird stuff in my purse. Then Steph opened presents:

Manda made most of the food and Foo and April decorated the cupcakes:

Well done ladies!

Christmas!

2010-12-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

My awesome kids got me a laptop for Christmas! Boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do on my blogs...

Foo goes to the Prom 2010

2010-05-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

Danielle's senior year is coming to an end. She went to the prom on 5/7/10 with her boyfriend Kevin:

Kevin doesn't look too sure about the corsage:

But it's beautiful!

Posing with some friends pre-prom:

The men, looking dapper:

The ladies, looking very grown up:

Doing a silly pose:

Another milestone. They are coming in droves this spring!

Amanda's Penn State Graduation 5/15/2010

2010-05-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Manda graduated from Penn State - YAY MANDA!!

My three babies on the big day:

With Manda's girlfriend Abbey:

Getting ready to go down on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center for the ceremony:

There she is! (Ok, my pixels ain't what they oughta be for zooming, so these are grainy):

Filmmaker Ken Burns was the speaker:

Getting the diploma:

Here it is, 4 years of hard work and lots of money later:

Now she just needs a JOB...

Steph & Simo's "Save the Date"

2010-03-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Foofy drew Steph & Simo's "Save the Date" graphic:

Is that super-cute or what?

Fakesgivingmas

2010-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

On the Sunday after Christmas, Steph and Simo invited us over for Fakesgivingmas. Since they missed Thanksgiving because they were in ARUBA, they were feeling left out and wanted some turkey (we were feeling left out because we didn't go to ARUBA, but they didn't invite us over for a beach party). Simon is turning into quite an awesome cook, which probably has a lot to do with cooking being about 95% science. He and Steph brined their turkey and it turned out perfectly browned, moist and delicious:

Miso is learning to use his kitty bed:

But the girls would not leave him alone:

Manda and Steph having an after-dinner cocktail:

Playing a fun game:

Mr. Kitters being unamused by our witty banter:

Multi purpose photo - Simo with Miso, Steph and Simo's tree, and Manda's new boat shoes from Santa:

Steph needs to have a baby, don't you think?

Here's my babies:

Have a safe and happy Fakesgivingmas. Also Happy New Year!

Manda makes a Pie

2010-01-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

Manda made upside down apple pie for Fakesgivingmas. She found the recipe online someplace, I don't know where or I'd totally tell you.

Look at those nimble fingers a-flyin!

Into the oven with a drip pan below. This turned out to be a crucial step in the process.

Turned out just beautiful, and it was YUMMY!

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-26T09:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-26T08:03:00.001-08:00

Decorating the Tree

2009-12-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2009-12-21T06:17:00.000-08:00

Foofy in the Fall Play 11/20-21, 2009

2009-11-27T05:19:00.001-08:00

THE MALE ANIMAL

Danielle was cast in the fall play, The Male Animal, in the role of Blanche Damon, wife of the Dean at Midwestern University in 1940. This was her first high school production, and she had quite a few lines. Great job Foofy!

Afterward we all congratulated our little actress on her great performance!

Penn State for Mandy's Last Senior Game 11/14/09

2009-11-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

At the last minute, I got a half-price ticket to Amanda's last home game with the Blue Band at Penn State. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go!

Foofy's 18th Birthday

2009-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 18! Thursday was Foo's birthday, but I didn't get to see her until late, since she had to work and also go to play practice. She had a very busy but great birthday. Yes, I even put FOO on the cake. Well, Dairy Queen did, she does not like real cake that much, so we go with ice cream cake.

We went for a late dinner at Applebees, where they were doing Karaoke. Our waitress did 2 numbers, she wasn't bad. Danielle didn't want to sing. Well, I suspect she did, but she didn't have the guts.

Eighteen candles makes a nice glow:

Happy Birthday Foo!

My babies

2009-10-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Manda came home last weekend. This weekend, Steph and Simon went out to the game.

I miss Manda!

Tamaqua Cavalcade 9/26/2009

2009-09-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

We had a really busy weekend, culminating in the performance at the Tamaqua Cavalcade on Saturday night. It rained so the competition was moved indoors. I took a video which is on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxMtRaulfQM

Pottsville Football 9/25/2009

2009-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Lights - well, they went out a couple times on our side of the field, delaying the game, but eventually the band got to perform the halftime show. We watched from the back this time:

Steph and Simon came with me:

We met up with Foo after the show:

Steph and Simon's Housewarming Party 9/26/09

2009-09-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Foo in the 1st floor family room:

Steph and Foo in the Dining Room:

Living Room:

Party Time:

Labor Day with Amanda in State College

2009-09-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, Foo and I set out early to go visit Amanda at Penn State. We hadn't seen her in 3 weeks and we MISSED HER!

It is about a 3-hour drive. Halfway there, there is a lady liberty statuette in the river. No idea what this is all about, but it's kind of cool.

Yay! We picked up Manda shortly before noon and went into downtown State College for lunch at The Corner:

After lunch we walked around shopping, and assaulted a small family of pigs:

Around 3 we attended a Dorm Football tournament. Manda is a Resident Assistant, and part of her job is to get people involved, so she got a group of girls from her floor to attend. None of the girls played, but it was a beautiful day to get a tan and boy-watch. Er - if you are a college girl, that is. I sat under a tree and thought about how I could be all their moms.

Can you see Amanda?? She's not on duty, she is spending QT with the Fam. Yay!

Manda said this is the first year Packer Hall has had girls in it. It was built in the 60's, and she wondered what the people were like who lived here before her. I told her, they're a bunch of old men now. Foo is right at home:

Manda is lucky, she gets a whole room to herself, one of the perks of being an R.A.

These 2 never miss an opportunity to mug for the camera:

After a quick and extremely cheap dinner in the Commons (no kidding, it was less than $4 for all 3 of us to eat dinner - !!!) we then stood in line at the Creamery, where it cost $9 for dessert:

The long wait was worth it!

After ice cream, the girls dragged me off to see the new Star Trek movie in the HUB. They have each seen it half a dozen times, and they LOVE it. Ok, I will admit it was good. I'm not really into the action/sci-fi genre, but it wasn't too violent.

Early on Labor Day, we went to Band Practice with Amanda. Here they are getting warmed up with some Aerobics. Wow, they are serious about their flag twirling at Penn State.

Penn State is part of the Big Ten conference. I'm not sure why it's not called the Big Eleven, since there are 11 schools in it, but I never did fully understand football.

Manda is getting her twirl on:

She's the best one, can you tell?

For the end of practice, we went out to the field with the entire band (310 members), and Manda had Foo walk around with her to see how they made their formations. They just get a little sheet with codes on it and they have to figure out from that what to do.

See what I mean? Hams:

They practice right near Penn State's football stadium:

For the show finale this week, Manda will be right in the front:

I think Danielle is ready to join the Blue Band:

Foo relaxing on Manda's car, waiting for her to put her flag away:

We were starving and went to TGIF for lunch, then just hung out in Manda's room watching last years Blue Band video before heading home.

Foo slept most of the way home, so I took this one without looking while I was driving. I'm surprised I didn't miss, there's only a few seconds before the trees block it out.

So, that is all, now we won't see her for about a month or so, she is going to try to make one of Danielle's games in early Oct. Here is a sideways video of Amanda practicing!

Danielle - First Football Game of Senior Year

2009-09-04T19:03:00.001-07:00

Exeter won, snapping their 23-game losing streak. It's going to be a good year!

Danielle - First Day of School 2009

2009-09-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2009 - First Day of Senior Year for Danielle:

Tamaqua Firemens Parade 8/29/09

2009-08-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Marching Band season started today with the first performance, a parade in Tamaqua, Schuylkill County. They played one of Danielle's favorite marching songs, "Officer of the Day", and some Beatles music from the field show. First game is Friday night, then we are truly underway. Tamaqua is a small, less than prosperous town that grew from the coal mining industry in the area. Here is one of the beautiful creeks that run through the town, I crossed over this walking to the parade route:This was a pretty "old-school" style parade centered on Fire Engines. We began with the American Legion:

Saw some bagpipe groups.

Clydesdales pulling the wagon from the local dairy. There was an Amish guy inside it driving the horses.This is something you don't see everyday:

This is maybe from the 30's? Not sure.
More piper guys:
North Schuylkill High School Band, they had about 40 kids in it.

I'd guess this is late 40's or early 50's.

The Shriners "Tin Lizzy" division:
Shriner's String Band:

Tamaqua High School Band. They had over 100 kids, I think.

Yuengling Beer is made nearby:

And here comes Exeter, at the tail end of the parade due to an equipment bus breakdown:

There is just no fitting 210 kids in the shot:

That is the end!

Band Camp 2009 - Danielle

2009-08-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

My Birthday

2009-08-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Once every summer near my birthday Grandma and Grandpa have a big clam picnic, and the whole family comes. Foo and a couple nieces who also had to work missed out, but Foo has never been a big fan of clams, so she was not too sad. :) My brother brought along his brand new puppy, a chocolate lab.
Monday was my actual birthday, and my girls always spoil their mama on her birthday. I came home from work, and my house was CLEAN all over! Manda was making dinner, Fooey was all smiles and hugs, and Steph and Simon arrived with ice cream cake! We had a wonderful dinner - Manda made a cheese/egg/turkey burger casserole and smashed potatoes - Mmmm!

Foo and Manda made me beautiful cards and gave me some great dvds, and Steph and Simon got me a toaster oven! I have been wanting one and had it on my Amazon wish list. Yay!
After dinner we played Yahtzee and caught up with Steph and Simo. They are settling on their new house this week and we will be helping to paint and get them moved in. Manda is going back to school on Saturday to begin her RA training and start band camp. I am already sad about it, but keep telling myself it's senior year and then she can come back and live with her mom forever! (But probably not...)
Below is me on my 44th Birthday. I really hate having my picture taken, but my girls give me a hard time about that and I suppose I should stop being so vain and accept that this is what I look like. (It's not improving any, that is for sure!)

Family Picnic

2009-08-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday my Dad's side of the family had a picnic, in honor of my Uncle Butch, who is shipping out to Afghanistan in a couple weeks. Uncle Butch has been in the service or the reserves for 32 years, and he served in Desert Storm as well as the Iraq conflict. He is a mechanic, not a fighter, and we all hope he will be ok and come back safely in 9 or 10 months and retire! He is in the back in this picture on the far left. Next is my dad's youngest sibling, Lorraine (who is not much older than I am), then Carol, Coleen, Janet, my Dad, and his brother Jim. My dad is the oldest of 8 kids, though my Uncle Bob died a few years ago so now there are 7.

A couple of aunts cooking on the front porch. The food was great!

My dad brought his Corvette to the picnic, which made him very happy, though my mom, not so much. This was my Uncle Bob's car, so it is very special to my dad.

My kids found a comfy seat out of the broiling sun. I got a nice raccoon sunburn around my sunglasses, but I had a good time and was glad to see the family.

Buying Mandy a Car

2009-07-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Mandy is going back to school in a little over a month, and since she is an R.A. for her senior year and saving lots of money in housing and food costs, we decided to get her a car. This is what we picked out today, a 2002 Honda Civic. If everything works out, we will pick it up on Monday.

Hope we made a good choice!

Stephanie's 24th Birthday

2009-05-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Steph's 24th birthday, so her and Simon came for a visit and to go to dinner at Austin's. Mandy baked her a yummy pineapple pudding cake.

Mandy is a good cook, but lettering is not really her thing.... of course, it's not easy to write with chocolate syrup.
These 2 are a pair of hams.

We spent a lot of time talking about the wedding. They have not picked the exact date, but it will probably be next May. It's going to be a crazy busy time of year, 2 graduations and a wedding!

Foof and Manders on Settlement Day

2009-03-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

What a pair of hams.

Danielle in the Art Show

2009-03-07T02:58:00.000-08:00

Foo has some art on display in the library. As is her style, she does not like it, but I got her to stand next to it and smile pretty anyway.

They're engaged!

2009-02-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

Stephanie and Simon got engaged on Valentine's Day! I am so happy for the both of them. Simon asked me about it last Saturday night and all week her sisters and I have been trying to contain our excitement over it. Simon is absolutely perfect for Stephanie, he's smart and funny and has everything going for him. They are talking about a May 2010 wedding, which will be 8 years from when they started dating in the 11th grade.

Here is the beautiful engagement ring. Stephanie did not want to have a traditional diamond solitaire, she preferred to have her birthstone, an emerald.

It is truly a beautiful ring and even better, from the perfect guy. Congratulations to my little girl!

Mom's Birthday

2009-02-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

Amanda

2009-01-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Portrait of Amanda, as seen by Danielle

2009-01-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

They just don't seem to get tired of taking pictures of each other. Danielle and Manda had a camera war late one night. This is the battle from Danielle's viewpoint:

Hopefully her face won't really freeze like that.

I miss her, and she's only been back to school for 5 days.

Mandy's off to the Rose Bowl!

2008-12-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

Amanda left yesterday afternoon to head back out to PSU for their trip to the Rose Bowl with the Blue Band. They flew out early this morning and we heard from her that she has seen the Hollywood sign and all is well. We are really excited to see if we can find her on TV either in the parade or halftime of the game. So far, only Grandpa has seen her on TV during a game, standing along the side of the tunnel when JoePa came walking out. Hopefully we will catch a glimpse of her.

Today Danielle and I went to the Exton Mall using the Garmin GPS that the girls got me for Christmas - it was awesome! I love not having to worry about looking for exits and remembering which way to turn. I feel like I could go anywhere!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve, my parents, brothers and our respective immediate families take turns gathering at each other's houses. This year was mom and dads turn.

Mom and Dad's Tree:

First, there is food, and lots of it:

Then, a gathering forms, consisting mainly of the younger crowd, anticipating presents:

But some of us are still on the food, or like Mom, waiting around to clean it up:

I hate having my picture taken, but I allowed my nephew to take it, so here is how I look if you are the size of an 8 year old boy. Scary.

Now it's time for presents:

Next, we get to play with the toys:

Or just goof around a little bit:
Perhaps head back to the food:

Then, there are obligatory photo ops. Here are my 3 girls, with one nephew making bunny ears:

My niece Nikki and her boyfriend Scott:

Steph and Simon:

Brother Dean, his wife Kathy and their boys Mickey and Ryan:

Brother Bud, his wife Andrea and daughter Jackie:

My mom and dad:

Why you should not leave your camera lying around....

2008-12-20T18:59:00.001-08:00

This is what the girls were up to after I went to bed last night:

Steph and Simo's Family Christmas Party

2008-12-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to Steph and Simo's apartment in West Chester for a party. They invited me and the girls, their dad, and Simon's parents and sister.

Simon got the Kitters all dressed up again. I think he's starting to like it:

Danielle - Lots and lots of Pictures!

2008-12-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

I guess it's only reasonable that since Danielle is the only one living at home full time, that I should have enough pictures of her to wallpaper a house.

My first day with the camera:

Saying goodbye to her friend Elise, off to college in Colorado:

In her bedroom, in the usual position (pencil and sketchpad at the ready).

Before the first football game:

This is not a clear photo, but I love the look on her face:

At Penn State:

Getting ready for the Halloween parades, she was totally 80's for one:

We found a potential prom dress and bought it just in case:

She went super ninja for the other Halloween parade. I think she was kind of disappointed she wasn't allowed to take the sword:

The 2 of us went out for her 17th birthday:

Here is her first pumpkin carving:

Hamming it up with Amanders:

Christmas parade in Reading:

Decorating the tree:

That is it, I'm totally caught up, at least with digital photos. You don't want me to get out the photo albums, believe me. Though it is a thought.

Amanda - December back to August 2008

2008-12-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

I'm rounding up the rest of the good pictures I took of the kids this year. For as little as Amanda was home, I took pretty many of her, for which I am glad. One disturbing thing I noticed is that I have hardly ANY pictures of Steph, and that just drives home the fact that she is all grown up, and very soon they all will be. I'm not quite sure how that has happened. Here is Amanda last time she was home, a couple weeks ago.

At New York Pizza with Danielle in November:

Pumpkin Carving in October:

She makes a fine mannequin as well:

We seem to take a lot of photos in restaurants, I guess because I'm facing them. They sure do get silly when they are together.

Foo was so happy that Amanda made it home for one of her performances:

Here is another restaurant photo, along with Manda's roommate Erica:

Foo and I spent the night after the PSU game in their dorm. Danielle missed her a lot:

We went tailgating with the other Exeter alumni who joined Blue Band and their parents after the Temple game. Here are all 5 of them together:

This was back in August when we packed the car up to head to band camp. Zippy (my new car) had plenty of room for all her gear:

Here she is the day before she heads back to school:

And this is the first photo I ever took with the new camera. So that is all for now!

Thanksgiving Photos

2008-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Traditionally on Thanksgiving Day, we go to my parents house around 10AM and help Grandma prepare the feast. I used to go by myself and the kids would come closer to dinnertime, but now that they are older, they help out a lot. We sit down around 1PM for a great dinner, then do a big clean-up and spend the rest of the day picking at the remains of dessert. And there are usually a lot of remains.

Here are Steph and Simo:

Amanda and Danielle got hold of my camera and were doing some self-photography:

My mom's Aunt Lydia usually comes to Thanksgiving, it's pretty much the only time we see her. We think she is mid-80's but she'll never admit it:

Here are the 'men' in the family. I barely included Simon in the picture, to the left, then my brother Dean in the back, brother Bud right up front, then my Dad on the right.

Here are some of the ladies (and one ladies man) lined up for the buffet. Kathy on the left is my brother Dean's wife, Ryan is their son. Katie and Sara, the red-head and the blonde, are my brother Bud's step-daughters, and his daughter Jackie is in the back.

Here are my parents:

Dean and Kathy's boys Ryan and Mickey (6 and 8). Ryan (my godson) does not think much of my photography skills.

Mickey is a handsome little devil. He's only 8 and he's so tall. He's going to be a giant like my brothers.

2008 Highlights - Stephanie and Simon

2008-12-06T13:25:00.001-08:00

I rarely get to take photos of Steph and Simon since they are living down in West Chester. I thought Steph would be home more now that she is going to Alvernia for her teaching certificate and masters degree, but she is also working 2 jobs so we don't see her all that often. They both came with me to most of Foo's games and parades and they come to Grandma's on Sundays, so I guess I can't complain. I had off work for Thanksgiving week when Amanda was home on break, and Steph and Simon invited us over for lunch on Tuesday.

Simon dressed up the Kitters just for the occasion:

He took it pretty well, I must admit:

Not exactly a "right jolly old elf", but he had potential:

Back in August, we went down to a Phillies game. We had a great time watching our boys win the World Series this year. Simon is a Red Sox fan, but we like him anyway.

2008 Highlights - Danielle in the Exeter Band

2008-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Foo had a great time this season with the Exeter Band. They did a "Scary Movie" theme and the show was a lot of fun. The best show they did all year was the Pretzel Bowl game at Albright College. There wasn't a really big crowd and probably only a handful of Exeter parents showed up to see it, but they just did a really good job that day. Stephanie went along with me and I got a few good photos. This one is the "Thriller" dance:

I took photos at every game. Here are some of the better ones of Foo. In the stands:

Screaming "Shark!" and running across the field during the Jaws number:

Playing in front of the stands before a game:

I told her to leave her hair down so I could always pick her out on the field:

Outside the house before the first game:

2008 Highlights - Amanda in the Blue Band

2008-12-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sept 20, 2008, Danielle and I drove out to Penn State to see the PSU vs Temple football game. Ok, not really, we actually went to see Amanda perform at halftime with the Blue Band. We sat way way way up in the nosebleed seats in the largest stadium in North America, jam packed with 107,282 people. A fun time for some, but mom really does not like heights and isn't fond of crowds either. But I had to see my baby at least once in the big show, and she is a junior already and this is the first time it's happened. We got tickets once her freshman year but it rained and they performed in the arena across the street, which isn't really the same. Now because Penn State had a really great season, they are going to be in the Rose Bowl Parade and Game on New Years Day 2009. Manda is totally psyched to be going to California, and we are excited for her. It will be a tough day, they have to get up at 4AM, march in a 5 1/2 mile parade, go to the game and then perform halftime. Look for my baby on TV!

My Girls

2008-12-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

This year, the kids gave me a digital camera for my birthday in August. I have taken around 600 pictures so far, so I decided that it might be good to do a blog and start posting them so friends and family can see what we are up to if they like. I took the shot above on Thanksgiving when we were all together. I will probably use it for my Christmas cards.