Cause for Celebration

Jonathan recently completed his WREBS (Western Regional Exam Boards-- or something like that), which is basically his licensing exam which allows him to practice dentistry. After 2 FULL days of endless testing and prior to that, weeks of stress about patients showing up or not, I figured regardless of whether or not he passed (which he DID!!! Hooray for DOCTOR Cardon!!) he deserved an ice cream celebration.



Enter Ritas!! I figured that was the right place for our celebration!!

The Kelly's met us there to celebrate the end of Matt's finals, as well as doubling with us for an FHE activity. Lucy sure loves her BFF Dixon!


We will miss you Rita's!!

Another Sandy Excursion

I just don't know what to say for ourselves. We simply can't stay away!! I guess the thought of spending a year in the middle of the desert without an ocean anywhere has got us making last ditch trips to the Jersey shore.

We headed out on a bit of chilly Saturday morning to Ocean City to spend the day watching the waves (WAY too cold to get in!) and playing in the sand. Even Jon got in on the action by digging Zach a pit, that luckily acted more like a cage and kept him from wandering into the freezing water every 5 seconds.

Playing in the sand pit!

I love slummin' it on beach days-- no shower, no makeup, etc. Too bad my face got FRIED. Whoops!

The sand goes in the mouth...

He begins swallowing...

And the sand-sludge gets spit back out, thus making a "Sand Beard." DON'T EAT THE SAND ZACHARY!!

300th Post

I suppose it fitting that my 300th post should consist of a fun reminder of where I've been sending my husband to school the last 4 years....

Posted on Sat, Apr. 3, 2010
Gunshot victim stumbles into state liquor store
By JULIE SHAW
Philadelphia Daily News

Gunshots were fired on Broad Street yesterday morning near Temple University's School of Dentistry, critically wounding a man who then stumbled into a state liquor store, spilling blood onto a counter and the floor.

Police said that based on preliminary information, they were seeking the brother of the 39-year-old victim's new wife's ex-boyfriend.

The suspect fled in a black or blue Dodge Magnum, said Officer Tanya Little, a police spokeswoman.

The shooting occurred about 10:50 a.m. on Broad Street near Allegheny Avenue in Tioga.

Stacey Witalec, spokeswoman for the state Liquor Control Board, which oversees the state stores, said, "It's our understanding that none of the shooting happened inside the store."

A trail of blood was seen on the sidewalk outside the store, leading toward the exit door. Inside the store, which was locked to the public for about 2 1/2 hours after the shooting, a pool of blood was seen on a cashier counter and on the floor.

Little said the victim had been shot three times - in the chest, abdomen and left arm. In critical condition, he was taken two blocks north by police to Temple University Hospital, outside of which striking nurses were picketing.

Little said police know the name of the suspect but would not release it until he was arrested. Police also would not identify the victim.

Karim Owens, 32, a security guard who works for a private company at the liquor store, was cleaning the blood off the sidewalk yesterday afternoon. He said the two women who work in the store were "hysterical" and "a little traumatized by it all."

An employee of a nearby store, who did not want to be identified, said that he heard shots, then saw the victim standing on the sidewalk holding his chest. The victim acted "like nothing happened, like Terminator," the man said. "I was, like, 'Wow, what the hell!' "

Grandma Joanie's Last Visit

Well, after 4 years of regular visits from our beloved Grandma Joanie, we officially embarked upon her last. She was only here from Tuesday to early Friday morning, so we had to cram a LOT in.

We had kicked around the idea of ditching the kids and going to NYC for the day on Tuesday, but since it was supposed to be rainy and cold all day we decided instead to use the money to make it a "Girl's Day" with Lucy. First we got lunch at a super yummy burrito bar I'd been wanting to try down in Manayunk called "Mauchismo." Lucy loved her taco!


Then we splurged and spent the afternoon at "Adventure Aquariums" in Camden, NJ. It was a great day to be inside because of the weather, and we timed it so that most of the school groups had already left so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Our favorites were the hippos (mine), Shark Alley (Lucy), and petting the sting rays (Grandma).

On our way home we stopped at "Brown Betty Bakeshop and Dessert Boutique" which was this super cool little bakery featured in Rachael Ray magazine awhile ago. I'd been wanting to try these cupcakes FOREVER but had no one to go with!

Here they are! Best cupcakes in Philly: Red Velvet with Creamcheese Frosting, Hattie Don't Play (fudge cake with vanilla frosting), and Pineapple Pound Cake with Pineapple Cream Frosting. Yum!

The next morning we took a long walk down in Valley Green to burn some extra calories in preparation for lunch, which was another place on my list of "Places To Try" that were featured on the Food Network show "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" called the Dining Car. This was the French Onion Soup. AMAZING.

We also tried the other item Guy Fieri tried which was the Chicken Croquettes, which were pretty tasty, but I actually liked my mom's Russian burger better. It was fun to have someone adventurous enough to go and try all of these foodie places with (especially with 2 rowdy kids in tow)!

Thursday we took a picnic out to the Kids Castle in Doylestown, and Lucy and Zachy enjoyed showing off for Grandma Joanie by running all over the castle and playing in the sandbox. All in all it was a great visit even though it was short and sweet. We are so glad to have such GREAT memories of our Grandma Joanie visits to Philly!

"We're Going to the Zoo! Zoo! Zoo!"

"How about you? You? You?" Anyone else a childhood fan of Sharon, Lois, and Bran? Those were the days... Anyway, we had another great trip to the zoo recently while Jon was busy preparing for his WREBS.

Thanks to Kelly's SUPER-deluxe pass we got access to all of the cool extra amenities like the merry-go-round and horse rides. Zach wasn't sure what to think about it.


You can tell by these pictures that Lucy was absolutely TERRIFIED of getting onto the big draft horse-- when he walked their little heads would bob right into each other, so I can't blame her really. Although half the battle was talking her through her fears while waiting in line, "the horse is SO nice and loves giving princesses rides, and he looks just like Belle's horse Phillipe" etc. She still freaked out when they lifted her up onto the horse, but luckily, she had Dixon to cling to for dear life. I'm not sure if I can get her to do it again.:)



Oh, Zachy. You funny little goat charmer, you!! He LOVED the goats and would get right up in their faces-- he'd even bend over to make eye contact with them if they weren't looking right at him. Before you knew it, he had like 5 goats surrounding him and nuzzling his little hands. Everyone at the petting zoo was laughing their heads off because he was talking to them just like a Goat Whisperer. I wish I'd caught it on tape!

Our Philadelphia Zoo days are numbered....We sure love it!

Birthday Extravganza

THEN:


and NOW:

Oh, man! We've had quite the week around these parts-- TWO birthdays, 90 degree weather, and a camping trip! So let's start at the beginning:
Our sweet Zachary turned 1 on Tuesday, April 6th. What a WELCOME addition to our family he has been! He has brought SO much joy and happiness into our lives, he's his sister's best friend, he has the cutest and quirkiest personality, and he is a terrific cuddler.

He was a little awed when he woke up to a pile of presents, but quickly warmed up to things once Lucy began trying to take over his new loot. His favorite toys are cars, hands down. He LOVES Lightning McQueen already, which is kind of funny since he's so little, but we swear he tries to say, "Ka-Chow!" like Lightning.

The Happy Birthday boy playing on his new fire truck!!



What else could I attempt to make but a Dump Truck cake for his birthday? But this is not just any cake-- this cake has a story: I bathed both kids in a rush but then decided I'd better get started on his cake. I didn't diaper and dress Zach right away because I figured he could air out a little bit (plus let's face it, he loves to be naked!), and in order to distract him while I was busy in the kitchen I gave him an Oreo cookie. A few minutes later he came in crying with goo all over his hands, and I was like, "What did he do to his cookie?!?" Yea. It wasn't cookie. It was POOP smeared EVERYWHERE!! I couldn't believe it!! He'd pooped and then preceded to play in it and walk through it etc. It was horrifying. I think I would have put him up for adoption had it not been his birthday.:)


So, cake finished, poop cleaned up, we decided to get Happy Meals and take Zach to his new favorite place-- the park! After the park we took him to visit his next favorite place, which is the pet store where he likes to look at the puppies behind the glass.

That evening we decided to have a little party with a couple of Zach's buddies. He LOVES other kids and being right in the thick of the action. He's started to do this really loud kind of fake laugh when the other big kids laugh, to show he gets "the joke" too.:)


No hesitation!! He dived right into his cake and ice cream and was covered in blue frosting in no time! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHY!!

The very next day was Jon's 28th birthday-- so we got to celebrate all day again. We had a special breakfast, got lunch at Olive Garden, and then Jon got to go see "Clash of the Titans" with some friends. But the topper was that the next day he got to go on a Daddy-Daughter camp-out with Lucy. So fun!



He said that Lucy was very paranoid about the campfire smoke getting into her eyes, so in every picture she has her hands up to block her eyes.:)

They had great weather all day and then it rained a little bit at night. I think she looks a little worse for the wear after a night rolling around in a sleeping bag, but she LOVED her camping trip and dubbed herself Jon's "camping buddy" (she said that many times). HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!!

Happy Easter!

We enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL Easter weekend, which was such a refreshing change from the rain and sleet we've had to endure on previous Easters. We celebrated in all kinds of ways, including a few Easter egg hunts, dying Easter eggs, as well as the arrival of the Easter Bunny! Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays, and it was even better to get to celebrate over Conference weekend too. Despite the candy that was somehow finding its way into my children's bellies all weekend long, I hope we helped them remember why Easter really is so special.

Our little Spring Chicken toddling around at the Easter egg hunt.

Lucy ready with her bucket!! The anticipation was killing her!

Daddy helped Zach find the tricky eggs that were hidden too high for the other kids. Imagine his jubilation when he discovered there was candy in them!!

Mmmmmmm. Enjoying the spoils of victory!!

Lucy got her Tiana doll (from Princess and the Frog) from the Easter bunny and played with her all morning before Conference started.

Zachy with his chipmunk cheeks FULL of chocolate!! He got 4 Reeses peanut butter cups crammed in there before I could stop him-- foil and all.

And here's "Trouble" fast asleep. He's turning 1 tomorrow, so check back soon for his birthday extravaganza!!