Pretty Amazing...Totally Crazy... Wonderful Summer

Out of the 518 photos I took over the last week and a half, here are just a few to highlight what we have seen and done in such a short amount of time...

Yesterday finished up an amazing two days of baseball camp for Seth and Noah at the new Hot Rods Stadium. Noah takes a break from his "teacher" after smashing him in the head with a line drive hit. All Robi Estrada, #10 and second baseman for the Hot Rods, could say was, "Good hit, man!" Needless to say, Noah was very proud of himself. Minor league outfielder Anthony Scelfo catches the ball as Seth pitches to him. I can't wait to scrapbook these memories!

Thanks so much to Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Riki, Uncle Todd, Tanya, Troy and Kelly for making our visit one to remember! Below, the boys are visiting Grandma's desk at the Akron Beacon Journal right before we head up to the roof to view the fireworks for the 4th of July. Here is where most of Grandma's writing and research is done. What a cool thing to experience when you are visiting your Grandma! Look for her craft column in a newspaper near you! Special thanks to Grandma who spend so much time planning so many fun and exciting things for us to do during our visit, and to Grandpa, for taking care of us! I love and appreciate you both more than I can say!

Aunt Riki and Uncle Todd are the bomb for the boys. On Saturday we spent the day at their house swimming, jumping, playing and kayaking. What a great time and we were so tired! Thanks to Aunt Riki for taking them fishing and giving them their first set of golf clubs. They ask daily to go "hit some"! (Thanks for giving me a break for a little time at "Archiver's) The Akron Zoo was really cool, too! The jellyfish were a highlight, as well as the wildlife show and the baby jaguars. Grandma got to spend a day as "animal trainer" and then got invited back to see the new babies! Amazing!

I finally captured the notorious "Grandpa" on his Harley. I have told many about his cool new bike, but few have seen him in action. Doesn't he just emanate biker man?

During our train ride, we stopped at the "Winking Lizard" and met Heisman, this restaurant's 6 foot lizard. I LOVED the sign, I would probably get a headache too! The boys purchased "winking lizard" t-shirts to remember their visit.

The train ride was a great experience for the boys. They even listened to the history of the valley and went up to the observation deck with Grandpa. So many memorable moments and great learning experiences on this visit home! Thanks again G&G!

But, the most important part of each trip home is the memories that we make by spending time with family. We live so far away and visits are not frequent enough, so I want to make those memories last for the boys. Positive family influence is so important to kids self-esteem, desire to learn and to their overall development. So, I love when I capture moments like these on camera, so that I can tell the story on pages in our scrapbook, so the boys can see and remember they are loved by more than just me. Plus, the reward I get, to see my family enjoy my children, stays with me, always. I am so thankful and blessed.

And... to Riki, I love you and am so glad we are friends. I am so glad the boys have you, mom and dad to love and spend time with. But, I also can't tell you enough how much I love and appreciate you!

I didn't get any pictures, but I have to thank my "high school" friends for meeting me during this trip. And... a big thanks to Facebook, for re-connecting us after 17 years! Loved every minute I spent with each of you and can't wait to do it again... and to Wendy... girl... next time we will plan a trip at the same time so I can see you, too! xoxx
Make as many memories today as you can, and do something to document those memories... take photos, keep a journal, scrapbook... anything to keep those memories close to your heart.