Long time, no post??!!

This is our pumpkin that Mommy, Alice and Jack carved and scraped out (it's really kind of gross and slimy on the inside). The kids were so excited about taking a picture with it (then again when aren't they excited to take pics?)
Alice and Jack didn't get to go trick or treating this year. Why, you ask? Alice went to school that morning and an hour later I get a call that she is "vomiting" and needs to be picked up. What a bummer, this would've been the first year where she would've really had a good time trick or treating. Anyway, she got dressed up the Saturday before Halloween for a party at one of her schoolmates house, she had a really good time.

I'm adding this picture just so everyone can see just how goofy Jack is. He thought this was hilarious and brought the camera to me so I would take a picture of him. (and of course you see Alice cheezin' it up).

A couple dance class pictures of Alice, her new session started at the end of September Aren't all the girls adorable in their tutus? This year she is going to be a "Dancing Lion" and will be performing for the Holiday/Christmas Bazaar. She is doing very well this year, it is really amazing the difference a year makes. Last year she wouldn't leave my lap for the first half hour of the class, now she puts on her slippers and does not hesistate at all, I love it!!

I really have no excuse as to why I haven't posted since September something, just that the kids have been sick on and off, Alice had her 4th birthday (already!!) and Halloween came and went. I hope to keep up with this blog on a more regular basis.

Another disappointing Buckeye season, but we still love 'em!

This picture was taken pre-game so those smiles were gone pretty much by halftime. During these types of games I wish I was in Ohio because the amount of heckling I received from all the USC fans was a little much for one Buckeye fan!! (But don't the kids look adorable?)
There's a little park about 1/2 mi from the house, no one is ever there so Alice and Jack have free domain to do whatever. It's always nice and quiet and Jack is learning how to get around on the playground equipment quite well.

And finally, my little, little monkey!! I'm telling you, I turn around for just a second and here's Jack in the bubbles from Alice's bath. He is so darn quick and some days I just can't keep up with him. He loves, loves to get wet and dirty. He'll play in mud or mud puddles and thinks it is absolutely hilarious! He is such a boy and so much different than Alice (who likes to be clean and free of dirt)!

Yard Sales...

I got these handmade costumes for what? $3 a piece-the norm that I've been paying for kids costumes? about $30 each. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell was what I was thinking for this year and it must've been in the cards for them because it was sold at a yard sale last Saturday and Jack looks so stinkin' cute in the little cap!!

As a pre-teen I remember being mortified as my mother would bring home her finds from yard sales. How could she bring home USED clothes, and other misc. items? Didn't she know that someone might see me wearing their "old" clothes or shoes-especially where we grew up and everyone knew everyone. Well, now that I am a mother of two I've changed my entire opinion of yard sales- I LOVE THEM!! The past couple Saturdays I've been able to get up before the kids and go out and get some good deals, it is such a "high" to score on items that I would've spent two to three times more and in some instances even more than that. It's funny as you get older the types of things that you find pleasure in-what a difference 10 years has made.. This turkey plate was just $1-perfect for Thanksgiving!!

This cute bench was $5-which I talked down from $10-yes I actually haggle-but hey it was worth it!!


This is one of the absolute best deals!! I got this for $5-do you know how much these are at the store? At least $80-$90-and the guy who sold it to me I don't even think he had a clue!!

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The quake was initially estimated at 5.6, then revised to 5.8, but has been since has been downgraded to a magnitude-5.4 by the U.S. Geological Survey. At least 27 aftershocks quickly followed, according to USGS seismologist Kate Hutton from Caltech. The largest were magnitude-3.8. There were actually more than 90 aftershocks after all was said and done.

Hello, all just wanted to say that we are just fine from last Tuesday's earthquake. To be honest I was a little shaken up for the rest of the day. I was at work and when it initally started shaking we just thought it was truck passing by (because at times when a truck passes by it does rattle the doors), but then it continued to get stronger. All of us were okay, only a couple tiles from the ceiling shifted but everything was still intact. I immediately called Viany, who was watching Jack and Alice last week, and I couldn't reach her. This is when I started to get scared and a little frantic. We couldn't make phone calls from either our cells or office land lines. Well, once I heard back from Viany (about 20 min later) Alice and Jack were not even aware of what had just happened so my mind was a little more at ease once I spoke to them.

Weekend Fun

Alice getting ready for dance class. I haven't put any pictures of her in her tutu but I thought I'd better before she gets too big for that. Her class is on hiatus until September (which gives me a break from running around for about a month). She's graduated from the bunny dance to the dandelion dance!!
Ron got this little "Harley" at the junk yard one day, and Jack loves to sit on it like his Uncle Tony!!
Just a Saturday afternoon at McDonalds, I just thought this was a cute picture.
We went to the beach this past Saturday, it was a lot of fun and Jack's first time at the ocean. He loved every aspect of it: the sand, the water, the sun and just plain getting dirty.. He and Alice had a blast!!
Here in Cali, when the sun goes down at the beach, it gets cold, cold. Alice and Jack are chillin' before we left and eating yet another bag of Cheetos (I think they each had 3 bags of these throughout the day)!!

Ohio Vacation/Family Reunion

Our family reunion picture, with a new addition, Joanie and Josh are getting married next year-Josh FINALLY proposed. And yes, we all had the same shirts which was really fun, but I think you need to be a Conkle to understand!!

We went on Mom and Dad's boat, it was a really nice day although by the look of Jack really didn't enjoy it too much, I don't think he like the life jacket because once we took it off of him he was happy again.
I thought this picture was priceless. All the kids really like Uncle Tyler and he is so good with them.
My 90 year grandmother, she is still getting around really well. It was great to see her, I really miss her.
On the swing at great aunt Shirley and great uncle Ray's house.
All the kids saying, "Cheeeeeze" while eating ice cream at Ye Olde Mill in Utica, OH

Just Relaxin'

Jack was relaxing one evening with his bottle and waving at the cars as they went by saying, "Bye, bye!"

Then I wanted to take more pictures of him without his bottle and he wasn't as happy go lucky!! And I think he knew what I was trying to do because as soon as I started taking pictures he wouldn't look at me and kept running away, which is a game that makes him laugh-it is pretty cute!!