S'more Favorite Pics from 2012

Sorry to trick you with that title. I won't actually be doing a DIY on how to make S'mores so if that's why you meandered over here, you should probably just meander on over somewhere else. Although, I will say my favorite way to make a S'more is with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. Have you ever tried it that way?  Why am I talking about S'mores when it's just the very cold, dark, start of winter and S'mores are very clearly a summer time treat? Well, thanks to my Bro in Law or as I like to say, Bro in Love Izzy. Speaking of Izzy he and his beautiful wife my sister Bean(real name Bean... just kidding... Gina Bo "bean" A) came for a visit in April of 2012. They came with my brother Jeremy and my Mom and Dad so I'm sure you can imagine the amount of fun that was had, and pictures that were taken, but for now  Here are some, and by some I mean a lot, okay maybe just 4 that jumped right out at me, of my favorite pics from that trip. Let's just start with Bean's family first since Izzy is the King of S'mores and then we will have S'more pictures later. Ok... I'll stop. No.  No I won't.

(Sister Bean and Bro in Love Iz with beautiful nieces Savanah and Sophia at the Tulip Festival in April 2012. Aren't they just the prettiest bunch of tulips, I mean faces you have ever seen? Except Iz, he's looking dapper as always, not so much pretty.)

(Savy Rae my niece. With a melt my heart sweeter than a S'more makes me want S'more of her cute grin)

(Isaiah, and Sophia Tulip Festival 2012. My baby Isaiah who is not actually the baby in the photo he was 7 here, and sister Bean's baby Sophia who is in fact a baby in the photo was only 4 months. She is her youngest, he's my youngest... the babies of our families. To see this makes my heart swell with Joy! Babies, Oh how I have a wicked strong romance for the babies!! And, No I don't want S'more babies, I just will always love the babies. Ok maybe I could have S'more, but I would have to win the lottery and then adopt. Hey it could happen? :)

(And Finally I leave you with these here Gangsta's !!

Isaiah Spider Man and Savanah Butterfly.

Have way more, like S'more amazing pics from this visit, but I will stick with those for now.)

I can hardly believe that it's 2013.

Does anyone else feel the same?

Meet me right back here for S'more picture fun tomorrow.

Until then, how are those resolutions going?

Anyone, fell off the wagon already?

Where Does The Time Go?

Hello Beloved Reader- I hope this post finds you happy, healthy and enjoying your last days in 2012. Speaking of days... I can't believe that we are already 10 days into this glorious time of year, can you? I also can't believe that 31 years ago my baby sister Gina-Bo-"Bean"a,  was born.

I remember so well being 6 almost 7 years old waiting for her to come home from the hospital with my mom.  I was beyond excited. She was to be my new dolly :) Her birthday falls exactly one week before my own so not only was I excited for a brand new baby in the house, and my birthday, but then Christmas! It was like that saying that my Gram, "Grandma The Great" always used to say,  "All This AND Heaven Too" And that's really all I can say in regards to having not one but TWO amazing sisters!
Bean is without a doubt one of my very best friends.  I treasure the time we have together and miss her dearly when we are apart.

She is an amazing momma to these two beauties;  My nieces Savanah and Sophia. They have captured not only my heart, but my wallet as well.  I would buy them the world if I could. Sophia my niece, is the baby in the picture and she is coming up on her first birthday this  December 31st. My friend Natalie nicknamed her our "Last Minute Biscuit" and be still my heart that girl... oh good heaven's do I miss her SO!! Ah CRAP!! Now I'm getting misty.
Again, where does the time go?
Happy Birthday Gina! I wish I was there to celebrate. Give the Last Minute Biscuit extra kisses from her Auntie, and  have an extra piece of cake for me.

Thankful Thursday

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” 

                                       Mother Teresa

This Thankful Thursday morning I am so beyond grateful for my recent trip to Nevada to be with my family. On Sunday, I got to surprise my mom and dad who share the same birth DAY. They were both born on November 4th, but 4 years apart. 4 is kind of their number. Their birthday is the reason that they even met. A mutual friend of theirs 42+ years ago set them up on a blind date because of it, and the rest... well it's MY history.

“I sustain myself with the love of family.” ― Maya Angelou  


My parents are without a doubt my heroes. 42 years married, 5 children, 6 grandchildren, a faith in Christ that is inspiring, those are just some of the reasons I look to them for inspiration. This past summer my dad had some major health issues and so this birthday I was especially grateful for his 71 years of life.  Nothing like a little brush with almost death to appreciate the everyday moments.

“you can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”
― Frederick Buechner

Another life I'm really thankful for this morning is my brother Greg's. That's him in between my sister Jen and I on his birthday. He was born the day right after my mom and dad's birthday on November 5th. My mom tells the story that she was at her birthday party 35 years ago, big and pregnant and she started to get contractions so she had a glass of wine to relax her. Well it did relax her, so much so, that Greg was born the very next day. Huh, funny thing is though the "relaxed" effect didn't linger. Nope, that kid is full of more energy than Red Bull on Crack! Seriously though,  My brother is all kinds of amazing. He is a truer, than true friend and I'm thankful I also get to call him my brother.

I got to see this little sweetie, my niece Sophia that I have nicknamed #lastminutebiscuit , because she was born on Dec 31st last year. I can hardly believe that this biscuit is going to be 1 year old soon. She is walking and talking and I was bound and determined to teach her my name while I was there. I kept saying can you say....  Auntie N-o-e-l....  Auntie N-o-e-l? She just smiled at me so sweet and cute like. It melted my heart every time. The good thing about the beginning of my name is that its the start of another word that most lil's learn to say pretty quick(NO!!) so I'm pretty sure my name will beat out her other Auntie's and Uncles.  Well, and even if she just goes around saying NO!! I'll take the credit for that too ;)

Are there any words that an Auntie can say to express the joy within that our nieces and nephews bring to us? All I can think of to say is that my nieces, even my oldest niece Kaylanne who I haven't seen in far too long, brings me such joy. When I see a part of my siblings, or my sister-in-love Hillary who is no longer with us, in my nieces it makes my heart swell with joy. They are JOY incarnate to me. There I tried, to express what a niece or nephew can do.

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” 
― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

The final above quote is truly what I'm thankful for today because, I realize that my family of origin, is a rare gift. The older I get the more I realize how rare this gift, my family, truly is. I deeply love and admire each and every one of my siblings, and my parents. To have had the health and good fortune that we claim, through the Grace of God, is without words the greatest gift a life could ever behold.


Linking Up Here and Here

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

When sister Bean(aka Gina bo "bean" na) came here with her beautiful family one of the things she wanted to do was to go to theSkagit tulip festival here in WA. You don't have to ask me twice to go see a pretty field full of flowers and take pictures of these cuties.

As I started this post which originally was going to be only a picture post, I had to laugh at how many pictures it takes to get that one good picture that you want the world to see. You know the one where everyone is smiling, you don't see the wind blowing, or the runny noses because it's so cold outside, or the sibling squabbles. You just see the finished product.

Well that got me thinking, often times in these social media outlets you don't really get to see the whole story. I mean most of the time people only let you see what they want you to see. I'm not saying that I don't do this as well, because frankly if you all saw my kitchen sink right now you probably- would de-friend, or un-link, or disown, or maybe you would feel better about yourself. But, what I am trying to say is...

It's like people's Hollywood version of life is put forward, and you the reader are left wondering...

Do these people ever have a bad day?
Do they ever have a child who doesn't like to be photographed(refer to above photo, son Solomon on the left))
Do they have a sink full of dirty dishes?
Does their sh*%# stink?

I'm here to tell you that yes I have bad day's.
Day's where I feel like the worst mother on planet earth because I yelled at my kids.
Or because they went off to school with two different color socks and a crappy lunch.

I'm here to tell you that instead of doing that sink full of dishes I am sitting here blogging.
Instead of doing laundry I'm surfing the www to look at jewelry I can't afford.
And I'm here to say that yes in fact my sh*#% does indeed stink!!

But I am also here to tell you that there are moments when it all comes together. The stars all align just perfectly and you have all your sh*#% together, and you capture a snip-it in time that looks like this.

These are the captured moments that make you think all those dirty dishes are worth it.
All those early mornings, countless hours at the grocery store, taxi cab driving, never going back to pre-pregnancy body EVER, it's all worth it.

Because look... the boy who never smiles in pictures is smiling(ok so it might be forced but still)
The baby is making everyone laugh with his Kung-Fu.
The girls are looking pretty and primped and not fighting.
The Giant is like... huh what, wait why am I here again?
And life is good.
Life is beautiful.
To me that above picture is better than any polished up, edited, cropped, photo shopped picture you could ever publish because it's real life.

Because you look at those smiling happy faces and you see LIFE.
You see the older brother, making the younger brother LAUGH.
You see that despite whatever pains it took to get there, LOVE abides.
And life really is BEAUTIFUL.

On Being an Auntie

I can't even begin to tell you all the joy I have in being an Auntie.

There is something so special about this relationship.

Ever since I heard my first niece Kaylanne call me Auntie it has been a treasured relationship that I hold so precious in my heart.

My newest niece Sophia, aka Last Minute Biscuit because she came right at the tail end of 2011, brings me joy overflowing.

And so this post is just so that I can look at her pictures and brag about how "fartin' CUTE" she is.

And while we are at it, Her older sister is pretty "fartin cute" too!

Although, in the above picture Sophia doesn't seem to like the competition.

Easter Weekend

My Sister Bean aka Gina, came to see me last weekend. She brought with her; her hubby Izzy,her two girls Savanah and Sophia, my brother Jeremy, and My mom and dad. And...She brought her beloved camera.

Did I mention she also brought the movie star child above, my niece Savanah, who can sing the whole Adele song, Rolling in the Deep? Start to finish she doesn't miss a beat or a lyric. Amazing. This little movie star child is going places, mark my words! I might be a bit partial because I am her Auntie, but this lil one can sing!

We went to the tulip festival here in Washington and it once again confirmed my love for this beautiful spot on planet earth where I get to live.

Did I mention, her little peanut, my new niece Sophia, aka Last Minute Biscuit is the cutest baby ever? I mean I hope my kids don't get jealous, but she is so CUTE! I had to fight off my Fab 4 all weekend to keep that lil peanut in my arms. I treasured every, single second and I took in a good long wiff of that baby smell. Not the stinky diaper kind, but the new born baby lotion scent that just reminds us that the world is a beautiful place and that everything is going to be okay, You know that one?

Also, I now want one.
Psshh.. don't be silly,
NOT a last minute biscuit, but a Nikon D40 camera. Although, I did ask her to leave her last minute biscuit too, but she politely refused. I told her I would give her back around the time she starts learning the word "NO!" Still, she refused.
Her camera is really so great. I have a new item to put on my long list of "want". The things I could accomplish with this camera, I mean maybe I really "need" this camera.

We got so many amazing pictures that I can hardly contain myself when it comes to sharing them all with you. They will be treasured for years to come.
These pictures are amazing. And so is this little peanut.

I bought the lil biscuit that outfit she is wearing and it is mandatory that you speak French to her when she is wearing it. She will smile if you do. Actually, she will smile either way cause she is just that happy.

What kind of camera do you use?
I am in the market for a new one because the flash on my old one is broken. I won't be buying anytime soon but I am doing some research.
Gina's camera really helped in this process because it was so newbie friendly.
Is your camera newbie friendly?

Happy Easter 2012

Life.

Is.

Beautiful.

Spring Break

We are on Spring Break here in the MoNoSco household. Woot, Woot!!

Here are some things we've got planned for our Spring Break this year.

This cake is a must try because, for one I LOVE sunflowers, and for two I love sunflowers :)
You can find the recipe here;Peeps Sunflower Cake.

Then we plan to finally get over to the zoo. I am already so excited for the pics that will come from this outing. I wonder if there is something wrong when I am more excited about the pictures that will come from an outing that the outing itself? Hmm.... Does anyone else think like this?

Come on picture taking people, help me feel normal again.

In between outings we have many at home projects,and fun activities planned because let's face it there are just as many fun things to do at home as there are when you are out and about. Especially when you have Pinterest as your new bestie.

Here is a must try idea, that we found on Pinterest. Big surprise there, right?Marbled Cracked Eggs

This is something that I wouldn't dare try when my kids were younger. I'm gonna be really honest for a minute here and just say that the whole dying eggs activity, even as a preschool teacher always scares the shit out of me.

Maybe I am alone here, but the constant thought in the back of my mind, no matter how many precautionary measure I have taken to keep those cups full of bright dyes from falling all over the place is something that looms in my psyche each and every time I hand that wand over.

Come on, keep it real. Am I alone in this?

Also on the list of activities is the event we have been waiting for, for quite some time.
The arrival of our beloved family. Grandam Ellen, Grandpa Greg, Uncle Jeremy, Auntie Gina, Uncle Izzy, and cousins Savy and brand new Sophie.

They are coming to see us, but also my sister Bean, aka Gina, her favorite flowers are tulips and so ...

We are planning to take the family to this event this weekend;Tulip Festival

Again another event that I am really just giddy over the potential pictures that are to be.
Crazy, but true.

Of all the events that I am most excited about this Spring Break, none will compare to this...

Meeting my last minute biscuit.
AKA my new niece Sophia Adelle.
Sigh...
Is she not the cutest lil last minute biscuit you have ever seen?
Are you wondering why I keep calling her last minute biscuit?
Well, I am glad you asked.
She was born on New Years Eve.

I haven't met her officially yet, only via skype, and pictures so more than all the potential awesome pictures in the world, my heart is swelling in anticipation with the thought of holding this beautiful baby girl.


What are your plans for Spring Break?

Tasha's Challenge

For the month of January I wore a hat everyday. Why, you ask? For Tasha's Fashion challenge of course. If you haven't heard of these before well then check out some of the others that I have done by following the label "tasha challenge" on the bottom of this blog, or to your right.

You have here the proof of 31 days of hats. The two slide shows exhibit my month of 30 hats. And the final photo on the bottom is my all time favorite hat. Not for how it looks, but for what it says, and for who gave it to me(Thanks Bean).

The above pic is of a really old hat that my Aunt Joan gave me and I Love it. I wanted to incorporate it with a really snazzy dress, but I have so many hats that I am embarrassed to say, some didn't even make it in this month. That beautiful antique was one that didn't make it in.

What can I say, some like shoes, others purses, for me it's all about the hat.

Slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Like I said before, not much of a challenge for me this time, because I love hats!
Still, to consciously wear one everyday for 31 days was I guess, somewhat of a challenge.
And one of the "3 cups of Awesome", pointed out that I might have actually lost some hair from it, so I should get extra points for that(BIG SMILE)

Another free slideshow design by Smilebox

It was really fun, and it forced me to get out of the rut of just wearing my favorite "go to" hats. It made me realize that I wear a lot of hats! You can take that literally and figuratively.

Thanks Tasha for making my life richer, fuller, and infinitely cooler :)

Hope you all enjoy this and remember no matter how many hats one might have to wear in life, there is only one YOU! Don't forget to show up as the original, one and only, star of your show :)


* Stay tuned for the other entries to this challenge.

My New Niece

My niece Savy who is in the picture above that was taken this past Christmas is now a big sister.

Her little sisters name is Sophia Adelle.
I had asked Sophia to come out and play while I was there. Pleading with my sister Bean's belly, I begged and begged. She didn't come when I was there.

She came a few days after I left.

She was born on New Years Eve.

She came earlier than her due date, and later than my trip down to NV would allow me to stay.

So I guess you could say that in her short life she has already learned the art of compromise.

Although I haven't yet had the joy of holding her I have had a few skype visits which have been a real treat, and I love her already.

I remember the day her sister was born.
I remember the day my baby girl was born.
Heck I remember the day her mom was born.
And if my mom was here she would say,"I remember the day you were born"
All this really means is that I am OLD!

Oh but the newborn.
The new life that is only a week and 4 days old.

Well what can I say about that.

The newborn phase in each of our lives is so very precious.

I know if I was living there right now, my house and my children would all be neglected because all I would want to do is to sit there and stare at her, ALL DAY LONG.
It's what my mom calls a baby romance.
That's what she calls the need to just sit and stare at a newborn.
ALL DAY LONG.
And it's a need make no mistake about it.
It's a need because it reminds us that
New life is such a gift.
It speaks of promise for the future.
Hope for better tomorrows.
And a love that is unlike any other.

Congratulations Izzy, Gina, and Savanah.

Give Sophia extra hugs and kisses until her Auntie Noel can do it herself, oh and be sure to get in some sitting and staring, because before you know it Sophia will look like this.

My big girl Emma Lou, working away, being so responsible, so grown up. So not wanting me to take her picture