Project 365: Week 7

Day 43: Ninja Birthday Party! Joey celebrated his 7th birthday with a party at his Karate Dojo! 23 kids had fun on the "ninja" obstacle course (don't fall in the lava!), defending the castle, playing extreme dragon tail, and of course ultimate karate dodge ball! It was a FUN party...perfect way for little boys to burn off energy on a cold winter day!

Day 44: Skiing at Whitetail! This was our first time out this year on skis, and what a beautiful day on the slopes!!! It's amazing that the kids don't forget anything from year to year...they just get better! Hopefully we can get out there again before the end of the season.

Day 45: Happy Valentine's Day! We had a day full of "sweet" surprises...topping it off with heart shaped hamburgers with pink mashed potatoes for dinner!

Day 46: Wrestling Banquet! We've spent a lot of time this year re-building the Jr. Wrestling team. It has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun, too. We were lucky enough to have the help of some really great families, so it was great to celebrate with them at our end of the season banquet. The kids all got trophies to commemorate their hard work. Way to go, Blue Devils, we can't wait for another great season next year!!!

Day 47: Pump it up!!! I love it when the kids have a day off of school...and it's even better when we plan to get together with friends. About 25 of our friends met us at Pump it up for a great day of jumping!!!

Day 48: Happy 7th Birthday, Joey!!! What better way to start your day than french toast with a candle in it?!? Check out the lung power this boy has...powdered sugar everywhere!!!

Day 49: 3-2-1 BLASTOFF!!! Joey got a rocket for his birthday (this was definitely his Dad's idea). Although the launch was a success...the landing was not! The rocket didn't survive it's maiden voyage, but the rocket scientists in the Paci house are not discouraged...they plan to rebuild and relaunch!!! I'm sure this is not the last you'll see of the rocket...

Project 365: Week 6

Day 36: It's our second day with little Ariston (and Aunt Heather) visiting, and I think we've decided to keep him!!! He is so sweet! So laid back and happy, this little man just goes with the flow. One thing we learned about him, though, is that it is incredibly difficult to get this little guy to smile for a picture...he turns into stone face when he sees the camera :) So the above shot is the result of a lot of silly faces and crazy sounds! We missed our friends the minute they pulled out of the driveway...but I promise we'll see them again soon!

Day 37: SUPERBOWL!!!!! This was the day...the Steelers vs. the Packers! We decked the whole house out in black and gold. The kids had Steeler tattoos and black & gold beads. We made signs and special "Steeler" food. Six other families came to watch the game with us...the stage was set for an awesome game...and an awesome game it was...too bad the outcome wasn't in our favor :( But we still love our Steelers! Bring on next season :)

Day 38: Here we are in Emma's school gym. It is dress rehearsal night for the Talent Show. Emma is playing a piano piece, and she is the first act of the whole show! Can't wait for her big performance!

Day 39: I had to do it, I blew off the dust and brought the sewing machine up from the basement. It's been a long time since this thing has seen the light of day! I am making "Ninja" headbands for Joey's birthday party. There are 23 kids coming to the party, so I was in for a long day of sewing and "puffy painting". They turned out cute, though, and I had several moms tell me that their kid wouldn't take it off once they got home! These little ninjas sure do have style :)

Day 40: Look who made the paper! It was the 100th day of school, and Joey's class donated dimes to the library. Joey was chosen to bring the bag of dimes up on the stage, and was captured for the local paper!

Day 41: Talent Show! Here is our little musician getting ready to play "Etude in Sixths" for the school talent show. She was the very first act, and she played beautifully! Way to go Emma!

Day 42: Joey's birthday party is tomorrow, so I spent today baking and decorating his cake. I had seen this cake design on-line, and thought it looked simple enough....HA! When I first started, it looked very much like a baseball jersey and not a karate gi...but after adding the belt and the brown piping, I think it came out all right. Funny thing is, we've been watching the Cake Boss a lot lately, so I was feeling inspired, but I don't think a career in cake decorating is in my future...

Project 365: Week 5

Day 29: Look at that Greencastle team warming up! Here we are at another wrestling tournament. Joey's front and center doing his push ups with the team. He ended up going 1-2 for the day and earning a cool medal for his efforts. Way to go Joey!!!

Day 30: Movie Night! There's nothing better than curling up for a good flick! Granny sent a Valentine package complete with a new movie to watch. Bring on the popcorn!

Day 31: Ice Fest! Every year, Chambersburg puts on the best winter festival. They bring in ice carvers to create works of art from the ice. Our favorite creation is always the giant ice chair, where Claire is happily perched!

Day 32: Guess what?! Another SNOW DAY! And once again, it fell on a Tuesday, which, as you remember, is a day that daddy is home! What better way to celebrate than a HUGE breakfast made by the best chef in town! Omelets and pancakes...that's what I'm talking about!

Day 33: Ahhhhhh....coffee day! Once a week, a group of friends and I meet for coffee at our favorite local restaurant, Pure & Simple. Recently, however, snow days, sick kids, and other nonsense has kept me away from meeting for coffee for FAR too long. I'm thrilled to be able to join the group today and plan to enjoy this time immensely! Bring on the coffee & quinoa!

Day 34: Another day, another Box Top contest! That's right, 20,000 more Box Tops to sort, count, bag, and mail. I'm not complaining though, last year we raised over $8,500 for our school with these little bits of paper...earning us the status of #1 school in the STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA...that's numero uno out of 5,500 schools folks! (insert pat on the back here). Oh, the things I do for my kids and their school...

Day 35: Look who came to visit us...Aunt Heather and little Ariston! This is the first time Emma, Joey and Claire have ever met Heather's little guy...and he made quite a good impression on them! He's 10 months old, and the most agreeable baby I've ever met! He is quite a charmer!

Project 365: Week 4

Day 22: This week started with Emma's 9th birthday celebration. This year for Emma's birthday gift we decided to go on a mother/daughter shopping spree. We shopped ALL DAY! She got to pick out a new outfit and boots from mom & dad. But we didn't stop there...we continued to shop... going to all of the different stores where Emma had gift cards to spend: Borders, Michael's, & Toys R Us (she has a lot of generous friends & family!) We topped off the day with manicures-Emma's first time to ever have one! All in all, it was a pretty special day. I can't believe my BABY is 9 years old! I'm so proud of the amazing young lady she is becoming!
Day 23: Sunday was GAME DAY! The Steelers took on the Jets for the AFC Championship! The Steelers were VICTORIOUS! Pittsburgh's going to the SUPER BOWL! Here we go....

Day 24: My new book has arrived! My book club chose to read "Lady of the Butterflies" for our selection this month. I couldn't get it through the library, and I took my time ordering it from Amazon, so now I have some catching up to do. I'm ready for a nice cozy night of reading!
Day 25: Check out this massive marble race! Claire was determined to use every last piece for her creation...it became so tall she needed a little help from daddy to put the marbles in.

Day 26: SNOW DAY! This time for real...snow actually fell from the sky- not ice, or freezing rain, or slush-but nice wet packing snow! We went right to work making this "snowman of STEEL" in anticipation of the big game next week! Bring on the winter fun...we LOVE snow!
Day 27: Look at this...even before he goes to work, daddy is out there playing in the snow with the kids. School was delayed, so everyone was out and ready to play bright and early. Tio had built the kids this mini-sled riding hill last night, so today he just put the finishing touches on it. This is the one drawback to having a perfectly flat back yard...you need to create your own sledding opportunities!
Day 28: Dance class! Every Friday morning Claire heads to the dance studio for her kinderdance class. It's a combination of tap, jazz, and ballet. I think we have a little performer in the family!

Project 365: Week 3

Day 15: HERE WE GO! This week started with a BANG! It was time to cheer the Steelers to victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday! We watched the game with our fellow Steeler fans, the Wrights, and what an exciting game it was! Next week...Steelers vs. Jets in the AFC Championship!

Day 16: We spent Sunday at Emma's horse show...although, you can see from the picture that the highlight of the day was spending time with the new pug puppies that were born at the horse farm! Emma LOVES these little guys, and spends time with them every time she has a riding lesson. The horse show was great. Emma took home a 1st and 2nd place ribbon in her walk/trot classes!

Day 17: Check out the new back-splash! Tio was very busy over the weekend and finished this phase of our kitchen remodel. I LOVE how it turned out...he did an amazing job figuring out his pattern with the tumbled stone & slate tiles. Next up...new appliances...then the kitchen will be complete!!!

Day 18: SNOW DAY! We got a bit of an ice storm Monday night, which meant no school on Tuesday. This is the BEST day to have a snow day because daddy is home on Tuesdays, too. We took a trip to the library and stocked up on good books. I captured this moment when we got home...Joey & Emma doing their two favorite things: LEGOS & READING. Notice that Joey is jamming to his tunes, too (that's a relatively new thing). Of course, Emma had finished her book before the day was done. Looks like we need to head back to the library ASAP!

Day 19: Another one bites the dust...Claire was the sick one today! No pre-school for her, instead she got a day on the couch...which isn't such a bad thing every now and then!

Day 20: Practicing the piano...love these daily routines...before the hair is even brushed she's practicing her lesson! Emma and Joey are both taking lessons right now & showing improvement each week!

Day 21: Friday was the BIG DAY...double-birthday-slumber-party at the Paci house! Emma and her friend Bella share the same birthday, and they decided to have a party together. We had 8 girls over Friday night. It was our first attempt at hosting a slumber party...and it went off without a hitch! I think the girls got about 6 hours of sleep, from 11:30pm-5:30am (yes...5:30AM!) which is probably about the best you can hope for in a slumber party situation. Now we have the rest of the weekend to recuperate! One more milestone crossed for the Paci's...

Project 365: Week 2

Day 8: Finally, SNOW! We got our first dusting of snow on Saturday. The kids couldn't wait to get outside...they even argued over who could shovel the walk! I hope this enthusiasm continues for shoveling, I think they'll get a lot more opportunities in the future!

Day 9: More Legos? Yep. Today we went to Toys R Us to spend some Christmas gift cards (because what we need in this house is MORE toys, right?) Joey knew exactly what he wanted, the Lunar Limo. He went straight to work when we got home building it, and had it done before he went to bed. He's a Lego Maniac!

Day 10: Fashion Plates! Do you remember these? I LOVED fashion plates when I was a kid, so I bought this Hello Kitty set for Emma long ago. It was hiding out on our game shelf when Claire spotted it...now she's a fashion plates fan, too! I think we have an artist in the family!

Day 11: Game Night! Tuesday evening called for snow, and that means that EVERYTHING was cancelled...no wrestling, no karate, no horseback riding...we got the night off! What better way to celebrate than ice cream sundaes and a game night! Our new favorite family game is called "Camp". We love it because the cards are divided into different categories for the different ages, so Claire can have easy questions, while Tio and I are challenged by harder ones. Emma was the winner for the evening...but we'll be able to challenge her again soon!
Day 12: SNOW DAY! Well, kind of...snow delay! The kids woke up Wednesday morning to about 3 1/2 inches, and were able to build this little guy before heading off to school at 10am. A nice surprise since this is the first "real" snow we've had all winter!
Day 13: It has finally happened! On Thursday, Joey lost his first tooth! It happened at the breakfast table...after hanging on by a thread for a loooooong time, the tooth finally gave in. A visit by the tooth fairy followed and resulted in a $5 payoff!

Day 14: Friday was date night! Tio surprised me and arranged for his cousins, Stephanie and Maria, to stay with the kids OVERNIGHT so we could have a little get-away! We went to Shepherdstown, WV for dinner at the Stone Soup Bistro. Delicious! Then we headed to The Woods Resort in Hedgesville for our overnight stay. Even though I was nervous about leaving the kids, we had a great time...and the kids loved spending time with their cousins. We might have to do this more often!

It's a NEW YEAR!!! Project 365: Week 1

Welcome 2011!!! For the new year, I have made it a goal to take more pictures of "ordinary" days. I have this feeling that someday I will want to look back and remember all of the things we did when the kids were young...the stuff that didn't seem like such a big deal at the time, but would bring me a lot of joy to remember once my babies are grown. I'm attempting a "365 Album" which is when you take one picture a day for the entire year. Ambitious, yes...can I do it...probably not, but I will TRY! I plan to post the results of my efforts here. So enjoy a peek into the lives of the Paci's....

Day 1: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here is the 1st picture of 2011!
The New Year came in with a bang at our friends, the Winslow's, New Years Eve party. More than 65 of our friends gathered (over half of them kids!) to bring in the New Year. It was an awesome way to celebrate with the amazing bunch of friends we have made here in Greencastle! I know the kids will look back and remember those rockin' New Year's parties!

Day 2: January 2nd found us in Harrisburg at the "Susquehanna Novice" wrestling tournament. You can see Joey in action wrestling 1 of his 4 matches of the day. He finished the day 2-2, pinning 2 of his opponents!

Day 3: January 3rd was Emma and Joey's first day back to school. Claire declared it a "pj day", and we spent the day "de-Christmafying" the house (yes, I am making up words here). Claire was a BIG help, and oversaw all of the clean up efforts. I don't know WHAT I'll do without her next year! (sniff)
Day 4: January 4th was a day for planning...planning a birthday party for two special girls! Emma and her good friend Bella share the same birthday (January 23rd), and this year they want to have a double birthday party! The plan is to have a slumber party at our house for 6 of their friends. We spent the afternoon planning games, prizes, food, and ended with a photo shoot for the invitation. The makings of a GREAT party are underway!
Day 5: January 5th brought us a sick boy. Stomach bug. Yuck! Joey spent the day on the couch. Luckily, it was only a 24 hour thing, and he was back to himself before we knew it.
Day 6: January 6th was a BUSY day. Luckily, I found time to make dinner for a very special family! Our good friends recently welcomed their 5th child, Chloe Nicole, into their family (yes, I said 5th, that wasn't a typo!) Chloe was born on 12-30-10, and is SO adorable. I hope the family enjoyed dinner and Chloe liked her new Robeez (my favorite baby gift to give)!

Day 7: January 7th was a Friday, which means PLAYDATE! Joey and Dom always start out their playdates with some much loved Wii time. The game of choice right now is "Sonic All Star Racing" (a much welcomed switch from long time reigning favorite "Lego Batman"). These two boys are gamers...and if we didn't set time limits, I think they'd play ALL DAY!!! So that's what the start of 2011 looked like for us. We have so much to be thankful for! For me, this year will be one for reflection, gratitude, and making memories. Here's to a GREAT 2011!!!