Just A Quick Shave

Caleb loves to watch Daddy shave on Sunday mornings.  While at the store one day we seen a kids shaver and cream.  Of course the razor didn't have a blade, totlally safe for little monkeys. I didn't buy it that day, but a few weeks later.  Can I just say the joy that was on his face when I brought the shaving set home for him was priceless.  Watching Caleb shave with his Daddy was so sweet to watch!  He makes me giggle, he can imitate shaving like Daddy.  Here are a few pictures so you can see his cuteness also!!

All lathered up.

Look at me, I am shaving just like Daddy!

Just checking to make sure I got it all!

Ah, Daddy is here to help!

*SNOW*

   Is it possible? Snow!!  Finally a layer of the white stuff to play in.  It has been an odd winter for the North East. I know that so many people can live with out the fluffy white stuff, but for the most part I really enjoy it.

  The kids were so excited to see the white covered ground when they woke up this morning. Caleb screamed with excitement just at the thought of wearing his new snow pants. (A brand new pair that was in the box of hand-me-downs we received from VA.) So after getting a few things done around the house they all three got bundled up and headed out for some fun. I missed the opportunity to take pictures of Courtney having fun, so most of them are of the younger two monkeys. Courtney wanted to help with shoveling the drive way. (Because of my back issues, Tony has laid the law down that the shovel and I are no longer allowed to be friends. While this sounds like a fabulous idea to some, it makes me feel bad that I can not help him. I know that he is protecting me and any further drama in the back area and I am thankful)

   Caleb gets more and more bold each year in his sleding adventures. All I hear now is giggles as he flies down the hill.  Courtney challenges both the younger two to try going head first and now they both will humor her at least once.  Enjoy the pictures.  I am sure or maybe I should say I hope there is another chance for more pictrures later this winter and I will surely get some of Courtney.

Good Team Work

The lawn crew we hired finally came by to do their work the other day. Nice thought, Tony is our lawn crew. Specially since I am out of order to help in the lawn area. Caleb loves to go outside any time Daddy goes out the the door. He knows that there is some sort of manly adventure that he can be apart of. This time it wasn't the chain saw to cut wood,

but the lawn mower. That is a big boy toy that Daddy will let him touch and even help a little. It is always interesting to watch little ones want to be apart of the chores when they are little, then when they get older it doesn't always seem as much fun. LOL. Courtney and I were talking about the dishes the other day. "She said, Momma remeber how I would BEG you to help wash the dishes? What was I THINKING??" We giggled.

Has It Almost Been a Year?

Just a quick update until I have a chance to upload a few pictures. Life in Sulpizio Land has been on a consistant roll. The kids are doing wonderful. Courtney is now a freshman. She was a bit nervous but of course she is amazing. I am so thankful for her diligent work ethic when it comes to school. She really works hard and is such a wonderful example to Gracie and Caleb. Courtney will be fif-teen in November. She is already looking forward to driving. I have let her drive our little Aveo a few times (the beep beep) to teach her stick shift. We had so much fun. She really did a fabulouse job for her first few times. We will practice more later we still have some time before we need to get to serious.,

Gracie is in second grade this year. She works hard and loves to read. Gracie also just had her birthday, she turned seven. Hard to believe how fast she is growing up. She is a big girl now, that is for sure. Gracie and Caleb are best buds for the most part and really spend much of their time playing together. Here lately the two of them play quite a bit of school. Go figure. I would think they would be tired of school by the time their actual school day is over.

Caleb is a little ham! He just turned four in July and is turning into such a big boy. We started K4 this year. So far so good. He enjoys learning how to write and numbers but phonics seems to be his least favorite. I got tickled with him on our first craft together. He gets a bit crazy with scissors. So that is a team effort for sure. He spends the rest of his day playing with his sisters, he LOVES Buzz Lightyear and Woody. I am surprised at how long "Toy Story" has been the movie/toy of choice. As a matter of fact, I have a very cute picture of him wearing a Buzz dress up costume that he got for his Birthday. Maybe I might post some pictures with this after all.

Tony has been going stong with school himself. He recieved his bachelors in June. Oh, how excited I am for him and for myself that there was a break from college. He is now in full swing again working on his masters degree. During his break I kept him very busy. He worked on wood for the winter. We have been so blessed by a gentleman in our church that has been such a help. He has what us wives call big boy toys, a tractor and a spliter that he let us use along with his personal help to get such a big job done. Also a couple other guys from church offered their muscle to speed things along. So we have enough wood split for the entire winter. What a BLESSING!!!

As for myself the last year has been an adventure.In November my momma and sister came out for Courtney's birthday. I love having family visit, it is always hard when they leave but I really enjoy it when they are here! I was able to go with Courtney to New York in December. That was beyond cool! I loved it, and enjoyed making memories with her! In May my brother came for a visit and surprised me when he brought my Dad along. (Poor Mom H. had a really bad back issue and couldn't make the trip. We missed her very much.) We went to the USS Constitiution only to find out the ship tours were closed that day but we were able to visit the muesum that they have. So much fun and kid friendly. We also went to see the Cape Cod Chip Factory in Cape Cod Mass. I wanted to see this and was very excited because on line the tour looked intersting how they made chips. Lets just say it was a MAJOR let down. It is funny looking back but at the time I was disapointed and felt like it was a rip off of time to drive to the Cape, to walk down a halway and that was "the so called tour". Never the less, the day at the Cape was a ton of fun with Dad and Andy. You ALWAYS have fun if Andy is around! Through out the last year I have had quite a bit of severe back pain. We did a couple rounds of steroid shots, with physical therapy and it helped but, the nerve issues were still there. In the beginging The Doc had talked about surgery but wanted to try other avenues first. (I was all for trying something else first) But on June 25th I had an emergency situation that put me in surgery before the day was over. I was in the hospital four days. I was so happy to get to come home!!! I am doing well now; I will be dealling with some issues that will take time to heal and possibly may not. Either way I am blessed to be able to walk. God is good to me and through all of this He takes care of me. The bright part in that whole crazy adventure is that Mom H. came out to be with us and help around the house for a week. Not to mention how sweet my church family was to us also. Now I am back to work and home school is up and going. It feels good to be some what back to normal. What ever that might be. Summer is cooling into fall and we are looking forward to apple picking, baking, and wood fires this time of the year brings.

Okay my quick update turned into a long update, none the less I finally updated!!

14 Already???

It is hard to believe that it is possible, but my Courtney (lovingly called Magoober) is now 14. Time has flown by and she is growing up, sometimes quicker than I can keep up with. I could not ask for a more wonderful daughter. She loves and serves the Lord, she is a wonderful sister that for the most part (she rightfully has her moments) loves her sister, and brother to pieces, and she is a HUGE blessing to Tony and I. She is a cornerstone in our family and I am thankful that the Lord chose me to be her Momma! Happy Birthday Magoober!!

Caleb Man

My sweet boy turned three just last week. I wanted to share his birthday pictures with you but of course the batteries in my camera died so uploading them right now is not now is just not going to work. Just look at this face, he is such a blessing to be with. He loves to help me make my bed. The pillows are his favorite part. We get them put where they are supposed to be only for him to climb up and snuggle down between them.
For his birthday we bought him another play power tool. He loves helping with his tools while Daddy fixes things around the house. We found a little chain saw and thought that is perfect since Daddy has been working on some trees that he cut down along with some fire wood.
He of course chose to have cupcakes and ice cream for his birthday cake. I love watching him eat his cupcakes. He palms the cupcake and takes the biggest bite possible of the icing side first. He had a wonderful birthday shared with some sweet friends. I will post pictures once I go and get some new batteries.

Any Thoughts???

I have been thinking a lot on being more organized. I want to be able to get more done and in a decent order. It is funny to me that sometimes I feel like I get more done when I have a ton on my plate, but I do tend to get very stressed under that type of pressure specially if it is more than a day at a time. I do enjoy the routine of the school year. I was thinking about making a list of things to do the night before. What are your tips to staying on task and getting the most out of your day?

Happy 4th Of July

What a exciting day! Happy Birthday America. The day the Declaration Of Independence was signed. John Adams wrote this to his wife Abigail... It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.... Powerful words. I hope that you give thanks to the Lord for the country that we live in!

Monkeying Around

My monkeys spending some time playing around. They love to play together. If Gracie and Caleb work together they can usually take Courtney down, but only for a second. I love watching them play and hearing their giggles.

On The Run Again

Tony and I ran our second 5k on Sat the 22nd of May. I wasn't as excited about this run. I was a bit concerned about the location just because there are tons of hills in the area. We started the course and I was right, there were hills in the course. I do not mean small hills but hills that will have you asking yourself, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!?! Before the first fourth of a mile was ran they had you go up your first hill. I made it up half way up the hill and walked the last half. Then I was really beating myself up over that. I am not really quick to quit on myself like that. I do not run the fastest but I do have endurance. So I promised myself that I would run what ever came my way from then on out. That brought 2 more hill just like that. But I did it, and beat my last time. I finished in 41:18. Maybe just maybe I might be able to do the next one in under 40. Not sure about that, but it is a goal. The running is hard at times but it is helping with the weight loss. I want to see victory in this area of my life. It takes work and time but I am learning so much on my journey. This picture is of me coming towards the finish line.

Now, Where Was I?

I am a wife, Momma, house keeper, home school teacher, part time employee...and the list goes on and on. But the one thing I am not is a multi-tasker. Oh how I wish I were!!! I find that I work in circles. More times than not, I find my self saying wasn't I doing something else first or this is not going to help me get to my original goal. I do get my tasks (what ever they might be) done but, I usually feel like there has to be a way for them to go more smoothly. I see Mamma's with more children than I, and think to myself they seem to have to really have it together! They do not miss a beat. I guess this is a area that I will just keep plugging away at. Maybe I should try making a list. Although, I will start the list and before I know it one thing leads to the next and I am doing a little bit of each task at one time. I know I am a sight, Tony gets tickled with me and reminds me to stay focused. All this said I think I have passed my habit to Courtney. I watch her and she does the same thing. It is so true that our kiddo's learn from their examples, even the characteristics that we like the least.

Love Is In The Air

I just came home from a bridal shower, of course the bride is just glowing!! As a matter a fact we have three couples getting married this year. Two of them will be married with in the next month and the third will be in the fall. With all of the love in the air I can not help but to reflect on my own marriage. Tony and I will be married fifteen years in July. Hard to believe sometimes, it seems like we have just always been. I do not mean that in a negative way at all. When I think of when we met, I get a bit mushy inside. I look back and see how far we have come! Sometimes we hit pot holes but I think for the most part it has been a wonderful journey. I am so thankful for the perfect man that Christ made for me! He really is the best for me! In the big picture I know that we have all of this because, we do our best to keep Christ the center of our marriage and our life.

Gracie Cakes

We were in the car waiting on Daddy. So I thought I would snap a shot of Gracie Cakes. She is growing up so fast. She loves to play outside, bake, and sing. I will have to get a new picture of her since she lost 2 teeth on Wednesday night.

On The Run

Tony and I recently ran a 5k together. He of course, has ran one before. For me it was a first. I have been doing some running to loose weight and wanted to prove to myself that I can do it. I have to say I reached my goal time and was beyond thrilled. I am even looking forward to another one. I never thought I would say that.

A Look Into The Day Of The USNS Comfort.

Our friends sent us a link to their Dad's blog. He is the XO of the USNS Comfort. I thought I would point out the link under my "MY BLOG LIST". You will see the hard work that our soldiers are doing to bring medical care to people in need. I know that prayer is needed all across Haiti right now, so many people are hurting and with out the the supplies to take care of their families. I am so thankful for what these men and women are doing to be a help to the people of Haiti and for what they do for us here in the US. Lets keep them in our prayers they have a long road ahead of them!

Family Sledding

We received snow just the other day,so of course we had to buy some sleds. First thing this morning we got up and headed out. Do I dare say how much fun I had. I have found memories of sledding with my brother and sister as a kid. My brother would even let us go with him to his Buddy's house and we would spend the day sledding down his huge hill. Today was the first time sledding for Gracie. She loved it and was willing to try anything. Caleb went down with Daddy once and that was the last. Courtney has been many of a time. Her and I would sled often while in CT. Daddy would join us when he wasn't out to sea at the time. I tried to upload the video but for some reason it would not let me. I will try that on facebook.

Pizo's Lately

Thought I would update my blog real quick. The last month has been busy with sickness. Caleb started in the Oct double ear infections. Gracie had the "flu" in the beginning of Nov. It took about 2 weeks to get over. Courtney turned 13 on the 13th of Nov. Grammy Phillips came out from VA to share in the celebration. We had so much fun with her. I am so thankful to have Courtney. She is a blessing and watching her grow is a joy. I could not have asked for more in a daughter. Gracie came down with a ear infection along with the hives. She gave us quite a scare with the hives. I have never seen them so bad before. The doctor told us what to do and they went down with in a day. Now it is Courtney's turn. She has the Swine Flu. It has really taken a toll on her. The fever has been consistent along with the awful cough. She broke out in hives today. A friend said that is a sign that the virus is leaving the body. I can only hope.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. We shared it with some friends in the area. Of course we played domino's and ate way to much. I worked that night at midnight. Yes, I volunteered for that. I have so much fun working the midnight madness. I got off at 6 am and was able to spend the rest of the day with my family.

I gave my two week notice at work and Sat will be my last day. I am sad to a small degree because I really enjoy the ladies that I work with and who does not like Yankee Candle. At the same time I am so SUPER excited to be home with my little monkeys. Courtney and Gracie are beside themselves. That makes me feel good.

The Pizo Girls

Here is the girls first day of school picture. They are being home schooled this year. Courtney loves it! I am so thankful for her heart and understanding as to why I felt so burdened to take her out of the public school. Gracie cakes is doing her best. Everyday has it's challenges but has it has such a sweet reward also. I love seeing Gracie's face when she really begins to understand what she is being taught. It is priceless. They are growing so fast. Courtney is in the 7th grade this year and Gracie is now in kindergarten.

I Can Ride A Scooter Too.

Caleb wanted to ride the scooter too, so Grandpa helped him. He blew me away how he stayed so balanced. For a little bit before we started the video he was standing on one foot. Kids really do pick up so much from other kids by watching.

Taking Down Trees

Tony and a couple of guys took down 25 trees of different sizes in our front yard about a month ago. What a difference it has made in the front yard. Of course we are still cleaning up the mess it made in the front yard but it will be worth all the work when it is finished.