Forgot to add the fishing pics

Matt, Mic and some GOOD eatin'! :)


Nobody knew what the heck this fish was...anybody out there know?The captain has only seen one one other time in twenty something years!

Finally...beach vaca part III

Friday and Saturday were FUN DAYS! We all hung out together at the beach and pool as much as much as we could. We were sad to have to come home where my sis in law Jen & I would both be going back to work after babies. :( It was a great finally to a busy and FUN summer! BACK TO REALITY!

Beach Vaca Part II

*Girls day out Wednesday!.....YAY~ My self, Mom in law and sis in law got a day away to go SHOPPING! We got to leave the kiddies with the men folk while we BLEW IT UP all over Sarasota and the surrounding area. We hit the mother load at Ann Taylor & Ann Taylor LOFT. We ended up with a lot of the same stuff. Good thing we live in different cities. Wanted to take a pic with all our shopping bags...however, did not have a lens big enough to fit.
*Of course the guys got their day out as well. They spent Thursday deep sea fishing. When I EVER get any pics from my bro in law I'll post their catch! (Hurry up MATT!)They caught about 40 grouper, some snapper, shark, etc.
*Friday was beautiful weather and calm seas so it was a great beach day. Spent a lot of time swimming and snorkeling in the ocean, collecting shells and building sand castles. That evening we had our annual fish fry at the beach with all the fixin's. You know...cheese grits and hush puppies. YUM! After dinner we had our yearly family photo shoot which is always hilarious. We managed somehow to get some great pics for the Nana & Popi's Christmas card.
That evening we forfeit our round of Scrabble to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies....AWESOME!!!!!!!

Beach Vaca! PART I

We just got home from a GREAT fam vaca @ the beach. Michael's parents, sister & husband w/ their 2 girls and us Halloran's three, spent the week at a condo in Englewood. We have gone there for several years. We had tons of fun in the sun, great weather, great food and lots of fun together. I'll do my best to recap the week though I may not do it all in one sitting!

SUNDAY-TUESDAY
We arrived late Sunday afternoon and got settled in, did the grocery shopping etc. We all went to Chili's for dinner to celebrate Jennifer's birthday (Micheal's sister). Monday and Tuesday we spent time @ the Boardwalk (where we stayed) swimming in the pool and playing on the beach. Monday night Mic & I had dinner night. We made a typical Monday night Spaghetti night with all that goes with it. Stormed that evening so we got the kids to bed and played an INTENSE round of scrabble. Tuesday night Matt & Jenn made enchiladas and quesadillas. YUM! We learned that Hunter is happiest playing INSIDE! The bright Sun and heat were not appealing to him and he was scared of the waves (they were pretty rough). His cousins however, Avery and Halle could not get enough of swimming in the pool and playing in the sand on the beach. They LOVED entertaining Hunter and he loved it too. Tuesday evening we had a rematch round of Scrabble (and did every night thereafter!) :) Tuesday evening was a beautiful sunset!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!!

Saturday afternoon I went with my mother and sister in law and her two girls to get mani's & pedi's. We actually had gone shopping in Orlando Friday night while the boys went to the Devil Rays Game. It was so cute watching Avery and Halle get their toes and nails done! They loved it! (So did us big girls!)It was a great way to kick off our vacation to the beach this week. We leave Sunday for a week all together of fun in the sun!

Mommy-To-Be (NOT ME!):)

Thursday evening I celebrated my very good friend Stephanie...Mommy To Be. My friend Tammy and I got together to so something a little different for a shower for Steph becoming a mommy for the first time! We hired a masseuse to come and give everyone a massage. We wore comfy pj's and ate ice cream and pickles (hehe). We each made lavender salt scrubs to take home and enjoyed watching Stephanie open her mommy gifts. We even played a funny game where you had to wear and pillow under your shirt (so we could empathize a little w/ Steph) and you and a partner were to get a pole between the hole of a roll of toilet paper. I won't go into details about that... but it was HILARIOUS!!!!! It was such a great get together as always is with girlfriends. Congrats Stephanie...Mommy To Be!!!!

Thanks!

This past week had a few very LONG days. At the end of one of those days I couldn't wait to get Hunter to bed, finish picking up the house and just SIT DOWN. When I finally allowed my body to conform to the couch cushions I could see pretty orange and red streaks of light peering through the living room drapes which I had already closed up for the evening...shutting the world out! My curiosity motivated me to get back up and step out front....AAAAHHHHHHH! WOW! God painted a masterpiece in the sky that evening. I took a deep breath and really felt like that was a special gift from Him to me! A little reminder of how much He loves me even when the days are long and I am trying to find my place. I am glad He doesn't try to shut the curtains on us when things get crazy. He finds a way to reach us through the cracks of our lives and show us His unconditional love in spite of all we screw up OR get right! Thanks God for this beautiful gift in the sky and the gift of yourself given to each of us!