sunset.

kelle's text read something like this...sunset at the beach, tonight at 6:15. bunch of us going!

soon, we are packing baskets, coolers, beach bags filled with sand toys, coordinating schedules! a naples sunset is like none other and we were not missing the oppurtunity to hang with the kids and our friends on the beach...we knew it would be lots of sand, lots of noise, lots of tracking our little ones, lots of work...but worth it, and what we truly value.

lots of us were snapping away...our camera's hanging securely around our necks trying to capture the perfect shots of our kids and 'family.'

jeff brought the poles. the kids had fun fishing with daddy.

beckham and lainey.

we stayed until about 10. it was dark and only slightly illuminated by a private party of ten at the ritz carlton. someone in that group had hired a full buffet, a tented space finished off with a beautiful crystal chandelier, and a few spotlights shining directly on the shore...giving a girl and her daddy a place to perform for the guests that, unbeknownst to us, were watching. we walked away listening to their clapping.

of course, we went right back and let the kids dance and run in the lights...on the beach...way past bedtime! it was an extraordinary night.

i listened to my kids laugh and play.

peyton thanked us for letting her go to the beach at night.

"that was fun mommy! can we come again tomorrow?"

sometimes i forget how lucky we are to live where we do. i forget how lucky my kids are to have the beach in their 'backyard.' mostly we are lucky to have good friends that have become our family. friends whose babies we love dearly. that we don't forget.

xoxo

peyton-ism

while enjoying some afternnoon cuddles with my girl...

peyton: mommy, did you plant me?

me: what?

peyton: did you plant me in the ground and grow me?

me: plant? like with soil, and sun, and water????

peyton: yes. did you go to the store and buy Peyton Mae seeds and plant me in the ground and then i grew bigger into a big girl like i am now? see!

boy did we laugh!!!! i love this girl so much.

taking a ride with her daddy in the car today...

peyton: daddy, do you remember when mommy didn't do the right lemons and she got in trouble with the police man?

daddy: yeah, honey. I remember!

peyton: that was not nice. mommy needs to do the the right lemons!

smart girl with a really good memory!!!!

enjoying the things that make me laugh...

behold with your very eyes this amazing art!

kelle found this site!

much more fun than doing laundry, or the dishes, or even dusting, or packing

peyton's lunch for tomorrow, cleaning up after dinner- basically i'm in one those moods

where i don't want to do much of anything. so, posting my picture on a

100 billboards with the click of button seems like lots of fun!

this pics made me laugh.

go get you a laugh.

it takes like 1 minute to do and it's free!

i would have done 10 more, but an error code kept coming up...

thank goodness for that.

something that is NOT making me

laugh my ass off is...

THE ECONOMY.

it.

sucks.

bad.

really.

bad.

okay, i realize that this economy is effecting all kinds of people in all kinds of different ways. some have to slow down their latte runs, or their extra toasted sesame seeded bagel at dunkin' donut runs. others have to stop buying clothes and new super cute summer shoes. some families have put the kibosh on this year's summer vacation. these things are just little things.

however, some people are losing their homes after desperately trying to keep it by working hard and even asking for help. some people that we know are taking their kids out of daycare or camp. some are now clipping coupons, and cutting out 'extras' which often means the little luxuries that we don't usually even think about.

some are contemplating selling their house because renting may be safer. some are being forced to ask others for financial help. some go to bed each night, not sure if their job will be there in the morning.

what i am trying to say is this...

this economy is effecting so many people that we know personally including us.

it is a scary time right now, but i am holding on to the hope that things will be 'leveling' off soon.

these tough times have really made us focus on the small stuff. the stuff that makes us smile or laugh. a quick phone call to a grandma or grandpa who may need a lift-me-up, from my babies. it's an easy fix. a way to give love. just go give some love to someone. could be a smile to a stranger. holding the door open for someone. bringing in a cup of coffee to the hard working guy sitting next to your cube.

little things make a BIG difference.

peyton and i are starting to write letters to people. make pictures and then drop them in the mail. a little happy snail mail. inexpensive and important. we need to keep up the momentum. take care of each other. fill each other's emotional bank accounts so-to-speak...unless someone actually does want to fill my bank account...LOL!!!!

i am a tad drugged up on nyquil and my eyes aren't really focusing on the computer, but my message here is simple enough.

jeff

i love my husband. he works hard everyday to provide for us. he almost never complains, gets upset, drives his car off a Cliff. he is amazing with dealing with all this stress.

he truly does amaze me at times like this. we appreciate him. we love him. and we promise to eat more ramen noodles this week...lol, so kidding.

we won't let you fall baby, we are by your side!

(the girl who took these pics really knows how to enjoy the small things in life...we like her a lot)

DON'T mess with this person's family...shes mean when she needs to be!!!!!!

like a lion protecting her cubs.

ha. ha. ha.

i just wanted to put this photo up.

love you.

xoxo

we love people.

we, jeff & i, sincerely love to have people around us! for one, if i plan something at the house, it means i will clean and de-clutter the house. clean out the fridge. finish the laundry. it forces me to do things like that. of course, i clean on a regular basis...however, having friends over gets the ball rolling if you know what i mean!

with the warmer weather we love to have bbq's, more pool party play dates, impromptu grilled hot dogs and beer with the ipod cranked up and listening to things like what is playing right now! AND the hope of many more to come with the summer months before we head off to michigan for an extended stay with family to start tackling our many 'family functions' that we adore. it's tradition and the kids love it!!!!!

here's to new friends, old friends...may we come together over a grill, a pool, baked spaghetti, a friend's surprise birthday party, homemade pineapple upside down cake, or a hundred little kids running around the house havin' fun and makin' noise. it doesn't matter to me as long as we do it!!!

drew-bear

lainey love

leah bug

i love these two people the most in this great big world.

they fill me up every single day and i love them even more for having caring, trusting,

sweet little hearts that are innocent and vulnerable and for the time being...all mine.

(okay, jeff's too)

catch phrase of this week in the darwish house:

"that's totally wicked!"

;0

xoxo

park.

with crazy computer issues and a schizophrenic camera...i'm allowing myself to fall a bit behind in blogging. i need to get with it, so i have been going back and looking at the folders and folders of pictures that are, for the time being, saved the finicky hard drive of my pc. all of my 'stuff' is acting up and i feel like they are all warning signs to back my stuff up...lots and lots of stuff.

so with external hard drive in hand, jeff's tech guy on speed dial, and the website...mozy.com- i am ready to tackle all of this. okay, maybe not today, but this weekend for sure!!!! i am not the most computer/technological savvy girl, but i like a challenge.

so i ran across some photos that i have been meaning to blog for atleast a month. park photos of a lovely day in naples with friends, and iced coffee's, and extra toasted sesame seeded bagels with cream cheese, otherwise known as...heaven on earth or heaven in the park off livingston!!!

we love to start our days outside. for some reason i feel like i've done something BIG with the kids when we start outside. we could go outside in the front yard for just 5 minutes, just smelling flowers, kicking a ball, sidewalk chalking up the drive...but i will without a doubt feel like i've done some sort of super mom thing for being outside. i don't know why, ha, because i really like to be outside! it's actually kinda...dumb, but whatever-it's my brain;0 if it wants me to feel super...i'll take it. okay, i feel a silly post coming on, so i'll stop.

kelle and lindsey

my little monkey.

lindsey and sweet sammy

kelle is constantlygetting in weird positions to get the perfect shot...

...her version of this is much better, but this is still one of my favorite pictures.

photog's baby girl, lainey.

my sweet girl and her funny faces.

this week being spring break, we have been busier than usual...but it's good! we are going to the park this morning, so i have to run and iron my super mom cape...lol, see i told you. i can't stop!

peace out.

*please say prayer for one of my oldest friends, melissa, she is battling breast cancer for the second time in two years. she is young, beautiful, and her strength inspires me.

*go get a check-up, do the soap test in the shower. take care of your girls.

xoxo

missing and loving all at once.

my camera.

it's on the fritz...

going in and out of consciousness. kind of like the way my grandpa

used to while watching tv on the couch.

constantly bobbing his head back and forth,

and every once in a while he would open his eyes,

watch a few minutes of m.a.s.h or the news and then

back to sleep he would go.

my camera hasn't opened its 'eyes' in a few days

and i kind of feel like i'm missing a limb. it's not that i

am constantly snapping pictures...but i don't have the freedom

of grabbing my 'baby' and running after my kids to get take some photos,

make some art, capture a moment in time.

need to get it repaired but i let my warranty run out.

looking on the bright side of this, i decided to focus on the pictures

i already have saved in my computer, the ones that need to be scrapbooked,

or ordered and put into leather bound books for safekeeping...

guess what happened-

my computer memory ran out.

now i have a frozen computer about 90% of the time.

w

t

?

meanwhile...

look at my little guy...who is now swimming on his own.

this pic is grainy, but i love his happy smile-

this is my little buddy just being his happy self.

he always has a smile on his face and we adore that about him.

peyton and beckham's buddies.

all growing up together, sharing organic o's,

and making each other laugh.

missin' my camera, but lovin' my babies so much, and

thanking my lucky stars tonight for my

healthy & happy little ones...

big sister and baby brother.

with love.

addendum: murphy's law says my camera will work perfectly the day after i post this to my blog, and of course it did. just in time for a couple of very important birthday parties!!!!

i knew it would be a great day when i saw an adult man dressed in FULL superman attire today marching on on pine ridge and airport holding a sign for $9.99 haircuts at hair cuttery! he was workin' that costume with a smile on his face with just a hint of

what-the-hell-i-am-i-doing-right-now?!?!. good for him,

afterall, he made my morning a bit brighter.

love days like today!!!