Out The Door

Uncle Emer

2011-05-15T20:36:00.000-04:00

The kids are really enjoying having Uncle Emer around. Isaac will often grab a book to get Emer to read to him. The kids just enjoy being able to play and be silly with him. Emily and I are just thankful for the help as we continue to wait for the baby to be born.

2011-02-20T18:16:00.001-05:00

The night before...

2011-01-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve we opened pj's and also the coveted sugar cereal! We don't eat sugar cereal throughout the year (well, most cereal has sugar, but we limit sugar in our cereal as much as possible.) This tradition got started when I was a little girl. My family would never and I seriously mean, NEVER have sugar cereal except for Christmas! This year the kids knew exactly what they wanted... and they are rationing them and making the cereal last as long as they can!

NYC Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Tradition is that we go down to The City and experience ALL things Christmas that New York has to offer! This year we did the same as last, but we decided to take the train. While we were on the train the "ticket-taker" made snowmen for the chit'lins out of their tickets! It was just like Polar Express the movie, we loved it! We made it to all of the Christmas stops, plus some... Macy's, the window displays, Radio City and Rockefeller Center. We had a GREAT time and can't wait to do it again next year!

Dress up

2011-01-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

Dress up time in our household usually involves rescuing the Princess from the dreaded "Zurg" character.
E is usually the "Zurg" and Little dude is the prince who saves the princess. To be honest, dress up time also involves crying. Crying that someone got hurt or someone doesn't want play anymore. However, the story usually ends happily... well almost always! (By the way, I purchased a ton, yes a ton of clearance Halloween costumes... what a great way to spend $15 bucks on a "ton" of costumes)

Bella's activity at school

2010-12-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

We LOVE these chit'lins behind us... Specifically the one with red hair and the cute little girl wearing purple, taking a drink of juice.
The parties that her teacher puts on at school are always fun, fun, FUN! This party was a new years eve party with treats, singing and throwing of confetti!

E wears pants as a shirt.

2010-12-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the poor photo, but we were quickly trying to capture E in his unique situation! Pants as a "whole" outfit! What a ham!!!

E ski's

2010-12-30T16:26:00.000-05:00

Dude is loving skiing this winter. He remembers the lessons from Brighton... pizza, french fry. We are thankful the ski slope is only five minutes away from our humble abode!

Isaac's first "paid" haircut

2010-12-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

This is little dude with his first haircut in a barbershop. Everyone minus Emily received cuts today!

I'm preggers... did you know?

2010-12-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

I'm totally pregnant! That's right... I'm having a baby in May... Oh my! We are NOT finding out if we are having a boy or a girl, in May we will ALL know! Just wanted to let "the blog" in on the goods!

Like Father, like Son

2010-11-29T18:21:00.001-05:00

It's well known in my family that as a kid I never cooked anything for myself. I had my own personal chef named Chris.
Tonight I learned that there are some characteristics that are inherited.
Ethan decided that after dinner he was still hungry so he wanted to make himself a PBJ. Part way through, after a "little" difficulty, he asked Eliza to help spread the peanut butter. As soon as she began, he walked off and began to work on other things and would check on her progress periodically. Once she was done he thanked her and helped her clean up.
When he finally got to the table with his sandwich we asked him to give some to Isaac and Eliza. He gave a quarter to Isaac then asked if he could whisper something to Eliza. "Eliza, you do such a great job making sandwiches you should make one yourself". Eliza eagerly agreed and began to make her own.
During the process I could not help but to laugh and tell Emily how I used to do this to Chris all the time. Emily quickly pointed out that Ethan and I sure are lucky to have such awesome siblings. I have to agree, thanks bro you're the best.

Really?!?

2010-11-21T23:24:00.001-05:00

Really Isaac?!? Who sleeps like this? Where did you learn to sleep like that, you are crazy and we love you.

2 years!

2010-10-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

Little Dude is two!
He loves to play and ride his scooter. He is also a climbing fool! He climbs fences, the climbing wall at the play ground and loves to climb out of his crib! I foresee many adventures with this Little Dude!

2010-09-30T22:02:00.000-04:00

Some of the best times we have as a family are "huddled" in bed. Emily is going to kill me for posting a picture like this.

hut, hut HIKE...

2010-09-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

Football season is here! Go ARMY BEAT NAVY!

Hospital visit

2010-09-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

My little dude wasn't feeling well. He had a high temperature. I let him "sleep it off" and then I woke him to give some fluids to him. Dh took the other chit'lins to a park so I could take care of little dude. We were sitting on our couch and I had a cold compress on him. He took a drink of water and then his head fell to the side. Both of his hands came up into a "claw" position. I knew something wasn't right. I turned little dude towards me and his eyes were wide and fixed, his body was totally stiff.
The quirky part of this story/experience is.... right before Dh left with the other chit'lins I went to our kitchen sink and got a drink of water for myself. The telephone was near the sink. Just for your information, I'm notorious for "misplacing" the telephone. I put it everywhere around our humble abode. I leave it in the laundry room, by the front door and I'm known for putting it in laundry baskets full of laundry! As I was getting my drink-o-water I thought to myself, "it would be so funny if I put the phone in the cupboard with the drink cups!" I seriously thought to myself that it would be hilarious to put the phone in the cupboard! So, I put the phone in the cupboard with the cups. Now to continue the story...
Little dude's body was totally stiff. I ran into the kitchen and by the time I got into the kitchen he was seizing. I put him on the kitchen floor and I knew immediately he was having a febrile seizure. What I didn't know was how long the seizure would last and what other occurrences were going to happen. I decided once little dude started to turn blue that I needed to call 911. I went to the ever so funny spot of my cupboard and got the telephone and dialed 911. I'm just so happy/thankful that I didn't have to waste time finding the phone. I put it in such a memorable place! So, I call 911 and I swear it took them 10 rings to answer! I promise you... I even looked at the phone twice to see if it was working and that I was dialing the right number! The operator answers and I immediately tell her my little dude was having a febrile seizure, he was blue and it had been about 2 minutes. I gave her my address. She said help was on the way. Right after we got the "formalities" out of the way, like my address and what was happening. I asked the 911 operator what I needed to do because he was now turning dark blue. Dark blue to purple and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head. At the point when he was purple and his eyes rolled, I shouted to the operator and said.... "YOU have to tell me what to do, NOW!" The operator just kept on saying, help is on the way... they will be there soon. I lost it at that point and I decided I needed to do rescue breaths on my little dude. I tilted his head back and parted his lips and started to breath into his mouth. The operator on the phone became concerned because it was quiet, I wasn't asking, "tell me what to do" anymore. She yelled at me to STOP doing CPR. I then told her I wasn't doing CPR. At that moment as I was laying over little dude I looked up at our front door and I saw the fireman at the door. They ran in and quickly got my little dude taken care of.
Little dude and I took a ride in the ambulance. Another interesting event that happened was when they said that Isaac had to go to the hospital in the ambulance, the EMT had to break it down for me as to what to get. He said, first get your shoes. Get your purse and now get your phone. I was thankful he was wise enough to see that I overloaded by the situation and I just needed a little push. When we walked outside to get into the ambulance I had tunnel vision. I couldn't see out of my right or left peripheral vision. I wasn't bothered by it because my goal was to get little dude to the hospital.
We got to the hospital and I totally forgot to call DH. It wasn't even a thought that he might need to be informed about everything that had occurred. However, we have great neighbors that got in contact with DH and he and the chit'lins walked into the emergency room not knowing who or why we were there.
Little dude spent the night in the hospital and was also diagnosed with pneumonia.
ALL is well and he was discharged the following day.
What a story!

Ethan packs his parachute

2010-09-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

Ethan was a bit nervous taking pictures with the cadets but as soon as he found out that he could help repack the chutes he was all about pictures. He even told the cadets he wants to be a Military Police.

Lady Cadets

2010-09-18T10:17:00.000-04:00

Eliza had a great time getting pictures with all the cadet parachuters. She especially liked the lady cadets. She told them that she wants to be a Soldier too.

Fashionable

2010-09-09T23:01:00.000-04:00

We were in Old Navy the other day and I talked Emily in to posing for me. Isn't she just so fab. Can you tell the difference between Emily and the models? Please comment.

Visitors from the West!

2010-09-09T14:13:00.000-04:00

My Cousins dropped by on their cross country trip to deliver Nielson to Dental School! What a F U N set of visitors! They toured campus and played with the chit'lins. What a delightful surprise!

First Grade!

2010-09-09T14:03:00.000-04:00

Seeing the bus for the first time!

Ready to go!

First day of school! The excitement has been so great! Last year he would get off of the bus ornery, not this year! He is LOVING first grade and his teacher! The only thing he doesn't "love" is homework!

Land use planning guy!

2010-09-09T14:02:00.000-04:00

We can't forget about DH. He is also in school and and is the instructor for land use & planning! He is loving his job and is busy! This is Dh's mode of transportation to and from work! By the way, look at the pose of Little Dude. Legs crossed, leaning on Dh's bike.
Oh my, it doesn't get any cuter than that!

Girlfriend

2010-09-09T13:54:00.000-04:00

Mom hurry up or we will be late!

School year 2010-2011

Girlfriend is in Preschool. She is SO happy to go to the "big" school!

Entourage

2010-09-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

The entourage while Dude waited for the bus to arrive! Yes, I let him out of the house in his PJ's and his pants are twisted to the left and YES he is wearing Sunday shoes! HA HA HA!

Chit'lin

2010-08-22T00:04:00.000-04:00

This little guy celebrated his 6th birthday. OH MY! It was a day of cake, love and of course presents! Guess what his surprise present was from Dh and I? Goldfish!

Sesame Place

2010-08-21T21:09:00.000-04:00

After the beach we went to Sesame Place in Philadelphia. Thanks to the Here's to the Heroes, we were able to get in for free!
We had lunch with the Sesame Street Characters. Cookie Monster is a favorite, so we got a picture with him while we were eating our cookies!

The reason

2010-08-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

This is the reason we got together.
The beach was an added bonus, but this is the #1 reason why we gathered. We ALL wanted to meet Baby Sloane.

The Grands

2010-08-21T12:21:00.000-04:00

Grampa

2010-08-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

Grampa with the new little one.

Gramma

2010-08-21T12:13:00.000-04:00

Gramma with baby Sloane.

All

2010-08-16T10:13:00.000-04:00

All of us before leaving the beach.

Mom

2010-08-16T10:10:00.000-04:00

The three with the Mama

The Grands

2010-08-16T10:09:00.000-04:00

The three with Gramma & Grampa

Brother's and Sister

2010-08-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

The three.

Auntie

2010-08-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

This was Auntie Rachel's first time playing with the Sand at the beach. She was an expert!

The Men.

2010-08-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

The three Men, I'm guessing are having a very manly talk about cars, planes and of about their Beautiful wives?

covered

2010-08-16T09:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, he is covered and what is not covered... he is slathered in 100+ sunscreen. Just like Mom!

these people too...

2010-08-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

I love these people. Note how Gramma is laughing and laughing... A LOT of that happened on this trip as well!

Family

2010-08-16T09:54:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok... I know I said I L O V E the beach, but these people are in a close second! HA!

Beach House

2010-08-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

Beach house, note to self... come back to this spot every year.

no harm

2010-08-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

Just so you animal lovers out there know.... NO crabs were hurt in the adventures of crabbin'! Catch & release only.....?

2010-08-16T09:42:00.000-04:00

Grampa & little dude... playing in the sand!

Grampa

2010-08-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

For the little dude who wasn't steady enough to climb on the rocks and go crabbin' Grampa took care of him. Grampa helped him throw rocks and sand!

Crabbin' on the rocks!

2010-08-16T09:36:00.000-04:00

Like I said, A LOT of crabbin' happened!

crab trappin'

2010-08-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

There was A LOT of this going on. Crab trappin' is what this little guy wanted to do all day! This is the process... fishing line 0r string with a clothes pin attached to the line. A piece of chicken, hotdog or fish on the "pinch" side of the clothes pin and a small rock on the other non pinching side. The small hard shell crabs would take the bait each time!

Hawks Nest Beach

2010-08-16T09:26:00.000-04:00

We went to Hawks Nest Beach in Conneticut. The Garvins have been in the area since 1895. The Garvin store held fun activites throughout the day for the kids. Like oreo eating contest, using no hands! The area was so delightful and quiet.

Beach!

2010-08-16T09:19:00.000-04:00

While Dh's family was in town we went to the Beach! I L O V E the beach. I love the sun, even though I burn even when there is snow and shade covering everything. I use SPF 100+, no kidding. I love seeing my little ones build sand castles, swimming and having fun. I love all of those things, but this is the main reason why I L O V E the beach.... DH plays and swims and let's me soak it all up!

NYC

2010-08-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

Dh's Mom and Sister came to New York for a visit and we spent a day down in The City! We had such a good time and laughed so hard!

Empire

2010-08-16T09:07:00.000-04:00

Did you know the Empire State Building was built in only one year and 45 days? In the 1930's that was a HUGE accomplishment!

Tour

2010-08-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

We took a tour bus around The City! It was a great way to see "everything" without having to deal with tired feet. taxi's or the subway. Also, it was fun to play tourist!

NYC Continued

2010-08-16T08:59:00.000-04:00

We couldn't go down to The City without getting a black & white cookie from Roxy's!

Sesame Place

2010-08-03T13:29:00.001-04:00

We are having a fun time at Sesame Place. Emily and Eliza were so excited to see Abby Cadaby and Ethan was mesmerized by the whole thing. More pictures to follow!!

Ooka Hibachi Grill

2010-08-02T18:48:00.001-04:00

Emily has been craving hibachi and sushi for a couple days. So on the first night of our vacay we took her out to Ooka Grill. Look how happy she is. Her mouth is already watering for her California rolls!!

to be continued.....

2010-07-28T19:58:00.000-04:00

This will be the last post about NYC for a couple of days. We are headed to the beach... Oh how I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beach.....

creation of beauty

2010-07-28T12:12:00.000-04:00

A stop at ground zero to see the construction and the destruction. Even though there was so much destruction. There is beauty that can be made or created. This mural is an example of the beauty.

Central

2010-07-28T11:57:00.000-04:00

Before we made our way back to Times Square we saw twisting, contorting and spinning. I took pictures, they danced, we laughed and we tipped them for their great performance! Central Park was FULL of "interesting" people & things while we were there.

park

2010-07-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

"Ouch, please don't hurt yourself" is what I kept on thinking in my head, but I didn't need to worry because another spectator sitting across from me kept on saying, "please... oh no... please... I can't stand this... oh my!"

A world of chocolate

2010-07-28T11:44:00.000-04:00

We stopped, shopped and made our salivary glands over produce. Look at that bar-o-chocolate!

a world of chocolate

2010-07-28T11:42:00.000-04:00

We "needed" to stop into the World of Chocolate! In fact, everyone "needed" to. Even the the guy in the back, do you see him? The one posing with the rather large, super human size Hershey syrup bottle. Yes, he was quite a great Vanna. He was good, but Rach was even better... look at that "blue steel" face!

Rach & the Italians

2010-07-28T11:30:00.001-04:00

"Rach, why don't you stand over there and we will get your picture with your new hat and the Irish Pub in the background!" Smile and look over here... and point at the sign like a good tourist!

Wait a minute...

2010-07-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

Wait, who is this guy? Oh yes, an Italian who thought he would help make our picture even better!

and this...

2010-07-28T11:23:00.000-04:00

Why not add one more to the mix! We are in New York and there is always room for one more!

and then this...

2010-07-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

and then this happened... everyone joined in! If only we would have gotten their numbers so we could have a contact in Italy. I mean, we are practically family. They are in our picture which means distant cousins, right?

Juniors

2010-07-28T11:17:00.000-04:00

Almost time to go home, but not before we had some Matzah ball soup (yes it was 100 degrees outside, but I cannot refuse Matzah ball soup) and of course, CHEESECAKE!

all done

2010-07-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

Time to ride the commuter train home!

Cam... ahh !

2010-07-28T11:13:00.000-04:00

Little Dude loves to take his "cam... ahh" with him wherever we go!

smile!

2010-07-28T11:12:00.000-04:00

"Mom, see me cam-ahh ... see."

Number 250

2010-07-26T21:49:00.003-04:00

Yeah! This little cache near Hyde Park, NY was my 250th find. It's titled Bird Food

(click here for the page)

I found my very first cache on 31 July 2008, so its kinda fun that I hit this milestone almost two years later. For some geocachers that's way slow, but I'm not retired yet either. Geocaching has been a lot of fun and taken the family and I to some great places. The kids really enjoy going out with me and it gets us outside in nature. Emily indulges my sometimes obsession and I am tankful for that. Without her this accomplishment would not be possible. Thank you honey. For those interested in geocaching, visit www.geocaching.com.

The Muscle

2010-07-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

The Mister

The Work

2010-07-17T10:28:00.000-04:00

The worker's

The fruit

2010-07-17T10:24:00.000-04:00

Zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions....... pure goodness!

just one more...

2010-07-13T22:31:00.000-04:00

How can I not post another picture of this Adorable little man. Look at that red hair! Selfishly, I hope baby Sloane keeps the color... then my little chit'lin, Isaac will have another "ginger" in the family!

Sloane

2010-07-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

DH has "officially" become an Uncle. Welcome little one and Congratulations to your AMAZING Mom and Dad!

s a f e !

2010-07-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

This girl was SO into playing ball. She is a natural!

8 years!

2010-07-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

On 6 July we celebrated OUR day! Happy Anniversary DH, life without you would be "blah!"

R U N !

2010-07-10T10:01:00.001-04:00

Ethan enjoyed playing ball, but wanted to get back to the water fight!

1 2 3 strikes your OUT!

2010-07-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

Baseball with Soldiers from Maine & Friends from West Point! What a FUN way to celebrate America's Birthday!

A "sweet" Fourth of July!

2010-07-10T09:56:00.000-04:00

A gathering with friends for the Fourth! Everyone waiting for cake!

Independence Day!

2010-07-10T09:39:00.000-04:00

Fireworks over the Hudson River!

2010-07-04T22:37:00.000-04:00

"In school I learned that moth's live for two weeks and butterflies live for one week, but I know that I can live with my family forever!"

He did this with NO help from Mom & Dad. This morning I suggested that it would be a good idea for him to bear his Testimony and he did!

Big enough

2010-07-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

I am big enough see. I just want to just like my brother and sister. ( yes he I'd growing up this fast. )

2010-06-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

Life with this little guy is an adventure! We LOVE you our 20 month old!

NY/NJ State Line

2010-06-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

Just out hiking in the Palisades Park and came across this monument. Placed in 1882.

My first crush

2010-06-25T17:08:00.000-04:00

This is Officer Casey, she is a traffic guard at my school and she is my first crush. I tell her all the time how pretty she is and that I like her. On occasion I bring her flowers too. I sure hope she has a great summer vacation.

A 2 iPhone family

2010-06-23T16:44:00.000-04:00

My iPhone 4 came in today, yes it is awesome, and so we are a two iPhone family. This picture is taken with my iPhone's front camera. Go ahead and call or email Emily so she can play with her new toy.

I am...

2010-06-22T17:26:00.000-04:00

"I am woman, hear me roar!" Our little girl is ready to be, "America's Next Top Model"

Growing up

2010-06-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

Isaac is growing up fast. God bless America...

I can fly

2010-06-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

Emily's new camera is awesome. I came home and saw her and all the kids on the porch with Emily taking lots of pictures. She took over 500 photos today! This is one of our favorites. Ethan loves showing off and this captures that enthusiasm. More pictures to come...

Yep, that's a bear.

2010-06-15T18:34:00.000-04:00

I was out confirming that the land navigation points were properly
hung when I suddenly heard someone walking toward me. I was confused
because I thought I was the only one in the area. I was even more
confused when it looked like they were wearing a really dark uniform.
Then suddenly I realized what was going on. A bear cub was walking
toward me. I was on the high ground and felt safe from him but knew
Mom had to be close. Thankfully he ran off in the opposite direction I
needed to go. What a great way to start off my summer training.

Off she goes...

2010-06-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

Emily is off to visit the Tripp family. Sweet heart, have a great
trip. Know we love you and will miss you. Have fun and enjoy the time
away.
Love,
Your Family

South Redoubt

2010-05-24T17:59:00.000-04:00

We took a trip to the West Point South Redoubt. The view is looking
north with West Poont on the left of the picture. A glacier 2 miles
thick carved out the valley a few thousand years ago.

Cornwall Park

2010-05-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

We had a chance to take Isaac to a local park. Little did we know
there were turtles and baby geese. The geese were so calm all the
babies wanted to come and see Isaac. Daddy goose hissed a bit but
still followed the babies closer to us. It was a fun little experince.

Garage sale

2010-05-08T08:17:00.000-04:00

Ethan and Eliza have been looking forward to the semi annual West
Point Sale for months. So today along with the rest of the neighbors
they are selling their stuff. Their mission, save up enough money to
make it to Disneyland.

Death comes in 3's

2010-03-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

Electronicly we have been nearly thrust back in the dark ages!! It
started off when Emily's laptop died. After a trip to the local
computer repair we found out her motherboard failed. Okay that's bad
but then the DVD player stopped reading disks. The final straw was out
6 year old desktop tonight. I think the power supply finally failed.
The kids are going to be most dissapointed because they love getting
on the net to play games.
So now we have to figure out what to replace first. As a side note
though I'm glad I still have my iPhone. If and when this fails I will
be lost.
If we are a bit slow to respond you know why.

Hershey, PA.

2010-03-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

Today we are in Hershey town USA. We took a tour of the chocolate
factory (the tourist factory, not the actual). The street lights are
Hershey kisses and the town is quite charming. Now we are off to Zoo
America to see lion,
tigers and bears!

Goliath...

2010-02-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

Today was Branch Conference and the Stake YM had the lesson. Part of
that lesson had me dressed up as Goliath with the YM learning to throw
marshmellows at me using slings. Since they were only learning I was
safe, but they had a great lesson and had a lot of fun.

snowflake

2010-02-17T10:34:00.000-05:00

Snow, Snow, Snow.
We have snow in New York if any of you are interested.
Feet, Feet, Feet of snow.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-02-11T15:55:00.001-05:00

My Birthday.
I told my friends I was turning "really old." My friends (neighbors who are really quite awesome) took me out to a Movie (Dear John) and Dinner (Italian). They wore black because I wouldn't tell them my real age, so they decided they would make up their own minds about how old I was turning. They chose to celebrate my 40th Birthday! HA HA HA!

Happy 40th Birthday to Me.

No toys required

2010-02-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

These kids are amazing. Sure they enjoy toys, computers and TV. But
give them a book and they are happy for hours.
10 minutes into reading the book Ethan declaed that was a good one.
Eliza, not to be out done enjoys flipping the pages like her big
brother.
I love my kids.

dd:speech

2010-01-29T15:53:00.004-05:00

I have to post something other than a picture of me STUFFING my face. Even though, "stuffing my face" is true to life. I'm not comfortable with that fact yet. OK, so what about this picture......

Our DD is in speech therapy. I had to "fight" to get her those services. At first they denied her... after a five month process. Yes, 5 months of being assessed. Meeting with an assessor 1 to 2 times a month. Being denied was heart breaking, especially since speech therapy is SO needed in this little girls life.
So, like I said... I "fought".
I told them to try, try again.
I'm happy with the outcome.
DD is now receiving speech therapy twice a week.
I love this girl, I love that she probably won't understand that it took A LOT for Mom to "fight". I love this girl because the first day of "each cassh" I was more excited than anyone will ever know!