The Villaflor Village

You are SO golf

2010-09-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

"If you dress all in black and wear dark make-up you are so golf." - Julia

Which leads to the question asked by a FB friend: "What are you called if you wear plaid pants and collared shirts?"

Something to ponder for the weekend.

Happy Labor Day! Stay safe.

At least your better than mom!

2010-09-02T14:56:00.004-04:00

On the way to school, Osias was texting his boss (which is illegal).

Olivia: Dad, you better stop that you are going to get in trouble.

Osias: I know, but it's my boss. I have to answer him.

Olivia: Dad, stop it. You're going to run into the back of someone.

Osias (in his mad voice): Stop it, Olivia! I have to finish this text.

Olivia (sighs): Well, the good news is at least your better at it than Mom.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-06T17:55:00.001-05:00

Hmmmmm.......

2009-12-08T07:54:00.001-05:00

Discovering Locally

2009-11-12T17:40:00.003-05:00

I recently noticed that there is an old covered bridge 15 minutes from my house. So Sunday afternoon, we went out to explore! It is so beautiful and such a neat piece of history. There are only 19 covered bridges in KY, 16 are within an hour of our house. I am planning a trip in the Spring to look at more. It always amazes me the fantastic workmanship of this old bridges.

Dreaming....

2009-10-10T14:30:00.002-04:00

So tired of this.....

Dreamin' of this.....

This whole family needs a vacation!!!!

Fun Recipes to make with Kids

2009-10-08T22:41:00.004-04:00

Both Samantha and Olivia had cooking projects due for school, so we got on the internet and found 2 winners. I just wanted to share them with you.

For Samantha's class, we had to make something that would be made or eaten in the southwest. My requirement was that we were able to make it ahead of time because anyone who knows me will tell you, I am NOT a morning person and this had to be ready at 8am. So, we decided on tortilla cookies. Here is the recipe:

Julia's kindergarten class is having a pumpkin tasting party. The teacher wanted to have as many different varieties of pumpkin foods as possible. I wanted to stay away from the pumpkin pie, rolls or bars. Well, I found this great recipe for Cold Pumpkin Soup. The recipe says that it can also be served as a thick punch (like Egg Nog).

1 lg. Can pumpkin
1 qt. Coffee creamer
2 eggs
1 cup sugar or equal amount of sweet and low
1 cup rum or 2 teaspoons rum extract
Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, ground cloves to taste.

Mix the above in a blender,chill thoroughly before serving. Serve in chilled bowls topped with a whipped cream product or for a festive occasion, serve in a punch bowl with a seperate bowl of whipped cream for garnish.

(Wouldn't it be cute to use a large pumpkin as a punch bowl at a fall party!)

Both recipes are very yummy! I hope you enjoy!!

4th of July Parade

2009-10-01T20:51:00.003-04:00

So, I am a little behind on blogging, but had to share some fun pictures of the 4th of July parade. The girls and their cousins decided to decorate a patriotic float and have their Uncle Josh pull it with the tractor. Here are some pictures:

We are already making plans for our Christmas Parade Float.

Watermelon

2009-09-15T17:59:00.002-04:00

"These seeds are ruining my watermelon experience!" ~ Olivia

Happy 4th of July!!!

2009-07-04T11:47:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th of July! We are proud of this great country that we live in and will celebrate today with a proud heart full of thanksgiving. For this great country, we thank our Father in Heaven, the Founding Fathers of our Country, all those who fought, died, and stand ready to protect it, and our ancestors whether long ago (my family) or just in the last generation (Osias' Mom & Dad) who sacrificed so much to be here.

We love you all and hope that you have a SAFE and HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

May God continue to Bless America!

Louisville - Family Visit & Temple Service

2009-06-08T10:27:00.007-04:00

On Friday, we headed to Louisville to spend the evening at my brother's house. Phillip brought his 3 oldest kids, Madalyn, Haley & Zach, to meet Osias, the girls and me at the movie theater. We saw the movie UP! The movie was good but not great. I actually got a little weepy in the beginning, but after that was bored. The kids were bored in the beginning, but liked the end. So, I guess there really was something for everyone. My favorite line of the whole movie is in the very beginning, when he 1st meets his soon to be wife. She has talked non-stop and the boy hasn't said a word. As she is leaving, she says, "You don't talk much. I like you." It just cracked me up.

After the movie, we headed to Phillip's to spend the night. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins. Samantha took this picture at 11:30pm, right before the kids all hit the sack.

Julia, Haley, Olivia, & Madalyn

On Saturday morning, we headed over to the Louisville Temple to do garden & yard work. It was a great opportunity for our family to do service and for the kids to begin to truly understand the imporantance of the temple. At one point, Julia said to me, "Why are we doing this?" I explained to her that this was Heavenly Father's house and that it needed to beautiful on the inside and out. I also told her that it was our responsibilty to keep it beautiful becasue Heavenly Father was too busy taking care of people. Julia's response: "I'm not his servant!" So, I was able to take the opportunity to explain to her that we are in fact his servants, whether we are doing physical labor, spiritual labor, or emotional service. It is so wonderful to have small teaching moments with your children. Hopefully, someday all the girls will look back and understand why working at the temple on a hot Saturday was important.

When we left Louisville, we had to stop in Lexington before heading home. We thought how better to cap off a great day than eating at Five Guys. We met my Mom & Dad at the restaurant on Nicholasville Road. Besides the long line to order, the food was delicious!!!!! The sign below says it all:

What a fantastic day we had! We had sweet moments with our children doing service for our Heavenly Father and teaching a little along the way. Hopefully, there will be many more days just like this one.

May Update - In Pictures

2009-06-05T13:38:00.006-04:00

May is always such a beautiful month in Kentucky. We have enjoyed being outside, finishing up school, and exploring our new home town.

Osias and I finally turned into a old people and took our kids out for a drive in the country on a Saturday afternoon. They kept asking where we were going and I would say, "Nowhere, we are just enjoying the drive." Boy, they were not impressed with that answer. At least I got Julia and Olivia to smile for a picture.

On Mother's Day, the only gift I asked for was to be left in peace to read a book. So after breakfast in bed and a nice day at church, Osias took the girls to Blue Licks State Park for a hike. They had such fun and can't wait to go again. Sadly, they really want me to go with them next time. I don't think they understand that Mom isn't really an outdoorsy kind of girl. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do it for the family. :-)

May bring the end of the school year. This is Julia's last year of preschool and Samantha's last year of Elementary School. Olivia will be in the 3rd grade next year. It is so bitter sweet to watch your kids grow up. I love watching them become independent, responsible and loving, but at the same time it is sad to see them move away from the protective circle of their parents and family to spend more time at school and activities.

Julia's end of year Preschool Picnic.

Preschool Graduation

We had a fun visit with my Cousin Annie and her two children and my Aunt Gail. This is the first time we have seen Baby Adam, so we were very excited. He is so sweet and looks just like Abigail when she was a baby. It was also fun to see how grown-up Abigail is and how much fun she and Julia had playing together. I was sad that they could only be here for a few hours, but the girls and I plan on making a trip to Nashville this summer.

Finally, summer means playing in the water outside. Last year, at the end of the season, I bought this Slip-n-Slide for the girls. This was the first outing and Olivia and Julia had a blast. They would have stayed out there all night if we let them. I forgot how covered in grass you get when playing on a slip-n-slide. They didn't care, they just loved sliding and being silly. (Samantha took these pictures. I think she did a great job.)

The rest of the summer is already gearing up to be insanely busy. All three girls have birthdays, the 4th of July, the Blackberry Festival, family vacation, a couple of short road trips, and both Samantha & Olivia are on cheer squads, but not the same one, so I will keep you updated.

We love you all and look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon.

Love, Osias, Jeri & the girls

A quick update...

2009-04-24T10:37:00.002-04:00

We have been crazy, busy over the last few months. Between holidays, vacations and family visits, life has taken on a pace that seems insane.

Here are a few highlights (with pictures to follow in the next few days):

Vacation to DisneyWorld
Samantha & I taking a Mom & Daughter bonding trip to Washington DC
My sister & her family visiting for three weeks
4 new additions to our extended family - a niece, 2 nephews and a cousin along with the baby blessings & baptisms
Try-outs for cheerleading - Olivia is on the Twist Shout -N- Cheer Competition Team in Mt. Sterling and Samantha is trying out for Nicholas County Middle School the 1st week of May.
Celebrating my parents 40th Anniversary
and 100+ things I cannot even remember.

But through it all, we have been thinking about our dear friends and family. We are so blessed to know each of you. Thanks for all of your love and support.

Church Signs

2009-02-27T16:05:00.003-05:00

As I drive to and from Paris or Lexington and back to Carlisle , I pass about 20 churches. Most of them have cute little sayings on there outdoor marquees. They run from slighlt funny, to thought provoking to totally wrong. It is interesting how these individuals will try tto share their religion.

Just wanted to share a few with you...

1. If you are not humble, you will stumble.

2. The best vitamin for Christians, B1.

3. Sign broken, message inside.

4. Jesus wants to give you a hug.

5. See you Sunday before the game.

6. The best Valentine is the love of Jesus.

Hope you are all having a fantastic week.

Deputy Bennie Saves the Day

2009-02-10T15:40:00.002-05:00

As many of you will see on the news tonight, there was an attempted robbery at the Bank right across the street from the school. The school was on lock-down for two hours, but thankfully, our local Deputy Sheriff was alert enough to see danger before it happened.

I have to admit that when I first moved here, I thought our Sheriff's Department was a bit of an Andy and Barny group. Moving to Mayberry, I thought it was okay because we have a police department. But the longer I live here and the more a read the local news, I am thankful that Deputy Buckler is on the job. If there is a problem in this county, he is usually the one that finds it and is able to fix it. So, this is just a big thank you to him and the rest of the Sheriff's Department for keeping us all safe.

As for the kids, the lock-down, the kids were a little freaked out but thanks to practice and information from the teachers they were able to sail through like champs. Julia was excited to be in the library with Mrs. Murrell. Her only concern was for the little girl in her class that was crying. Olivia, in typical Olivia fashion, hasn't said much at all. And Samantha, my talkative one, told me every single detail, including the fact that since they missed lunch time, their teacher gave them all some Oreos she had in her desk. (Thank you, Sara Ellen.) The uniform concern amongst all the girls was that there lunch was much later than usual and they were all hungry.

Thanks to all of you with your sweet emails and calls. It is nice to know that you are all still thinking of us.

2009-02-06T21:12:00.003-05:00

Just had some new pictures taken of the girls. Just wanted to share a few.

My beautiful girls

Samantha

Olivia

Julia

Newport on the Levee

2009-02-06T21:01:00.004-05:00

For the last 4 years, we have taken a day during the Christmas Holiday and taken the girls to Newport on the Levee. We always have a fantastic time visiting the Aquarium, finding fun new shops and eating at a new restaurant. This year was no different. We had such a great time! Just being together as a family and enjoying each other's company is such fun. Now that the girls are getting older, it is hilarious to have great conversations with them and really get their perspectives. Julia was especially appalled at how bad the aviary smelled. Olivia was amazed at the huge catfish and gross snakes. Samantha is Samantha, a tween to the hilt. One minute so mature and the next just like the little girls.

The girls with the Cincinnati skyline behind them.

Checking out the crocodiles.
(I love Olivia's face.)

Osias checking out the scene with the girls.

Julia and Olivia petting the crabs and starfish.

Me & Osias
(Taken by Samantha)

P.S. - I love how even in the winter I look like a ghost next to my husband....sigh.

Happy Birthday, Jeri!

2009-02-05T15:19:00.002-05:00

On December 30, my family helped me celebrate a fantastic birthday. My mom and Dad came to Carlisle with my niece Madison and her boyfriend Seth. We just spent the day together talking and being together. We also went to lunch at Garret's Restaurant.

That night, my sweet husband (love you, Osias) and my cute girls made me dinner. We had a pizza pasta casserole, salad and garlic bread. Then a chocolate cake and ice cream....YUMMY! I also got great gifts...I love my new slippers.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. They are all so good to me and make me feel special everyday but especially on my birthday.

2009-02-04T19:54:00.002-05:00

Christmas morning was crazy but totally fun. The girls loved all their presents and couldn't believe how generous Santa was.

Julia came running upstairs as soon as she saw her Princess 4-wheeler, She was stunned and could barely speak. She just kept squealing. It was so cute. She was so excited and luckily, it was warm enough on Christmas Day that she could take it out for a spin.

Samantha loved all her Christmas presents. She was a little disappointed because she really wanted a cellphone, but couldn't find it under the tree. Until the last present was opened...it was a green Samsung Propel with a full keyboard. She ran in circles screaming. She couldn't believe Santa had played such a mean trick on her! :-) Now, all she does is text her friends. She even texts me when we are in the same house. I am so glad we went for the unlimited texting plan.

Totally unheard of, but Santa brought Olivia money instead of a gift. He really wanted to give her a guitar, but her Tita Daphne got her one on Christmas Eve. Well, it was so last minute and Santa had no clue what to buy, so he gave her money so that she could pick out the perfect present. She was VERY, VERY happy!

Family Christmas

2009-02-04T19:48:00.004-05:00

We had an awesome Christmas this year. All of our family but the Endicotts :^( were with us. We spent Christmas Eve with Osias' Family, Christmas Morning at home and Christmas Day with my parents and brother's family. It was a special Christmas becasue we had two new family members...Campbell and Isaiah, a baby on each side if the family.

Samantha with Isaiah on Christmas Eve.

Olivia with her guitar.

The Kentucky Beaman Grandkids
Olivia, Madalyn, Samantha, Haley, Julia
and Zachary in the front

Haley (with help from Mom) reading Campbell a book.

Christmas Program

2009-02-04T19:07:00.003-05:00

I am a total slacker who has not blogged anything family oriented in months. So I am going to post some pictures and brief descriptions with the intention of doing better in the future. :-)

The girls were in the Christmas Program at the Carlisle Presbyterian Church. This is the church Osias' parents attend. They had a potluck dinner, nativity play and then a visit from the Man in Red. It was fun to see how happy this made Osias' Parents.

Samantha sang in the choir.

Olivia was a Shepherd.

Julia was a Wise Man

I'm from the Country...and I like it that way!

2009-01-19T11:13:00.006-05:00

Anybody who knows me knows that I rarely go anywhere without a camera. I like to grab great little moments with the kids or funny things I happen to spot. Well, yesterday on the way to church, I didn't have my camera and oh how I regret it! I had one of those great moments when the fact I lived in the country really hit me.

Yesterday, I was giving a talk in church, so I was trying so hard not to be late. I left my house with just enough time to get there - 30 minutes. Well, I turned from my road on to Main Street, and what is right in front of me...a tractor. Not just a tractor, but a tractor being driven by a man on his CELLPHONE! He proceeded to drive through town, all the way to the county line, weaving back and forth at 10 miles an hour. I guess it is difficult to control a large tractor with only one hand!

I finally passed him and made t to church 5 minutes late, but luckily sacrament meeting was starting late. WHEW! Nothing more embarrasing than being late and having to walk all the way to the stand while everyone watches!

Happy Monday!

My New Car??

2009-01-05T09:36:00.003-05:00

I am trying to convince Osias that this should be our new car. He doesn't agree.

What do you think??

2008-12-27T17:07:00.002-05:00

"Somebody in this car tooted ... and it was ME!" - Julia, on the way home from Lexington last night.

Carlisle Christmas Parade

2008-12-06T21:08:00.004-05:00

Our family went to the Carlisle Christmas Parade tonight. The snow

made it a very cold night, but it was fabulous! It is so wonderful to

live in a place where no one is afraid to say Merry Christmas and

the stores on Main Street have Nativity Scenes in their front

windows. Almost all the churches had floats in the parade, there

were two girl scout floats, and tons of antique cars and tractors.

There were also horses with lighted wreaths around their necks

and horse drawn carriages.Almost every float threw candy to

the kids and I was pleasantly surprised that the girls saw so

many kids they knew from school. And what Christmas Parade

would be complete without Santa!

Tomorrow, the Christian Church in Carlisle is having an Open

House to come and "Visit the Town of Bethlehem." There will

be shop keepers, Mary & Joseph in the Manger and a petting

zoo. We are planning on taking the kids. I think anything we

can do to remember that we are celebrating Jesus' Birth is a

great way to spend the Christmas Season!

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

2008-12-05T21:28:00.006-05:00

This past week was an exciting time for our family. We welcomed two additions to our extended family.

On Saturday, 11/29, my brother Phillip and his wife Amy, welcomed a new little girl to their family. Campbell Grace was born at 11:30am. Madalyn, Haley & Zachary are so excited to have a new baby sister.

On Monday, Osias' sister Nita and her husband Josh, welcomed a sweet little boy to their family. Isaiah was born at 4:30am. Oliver (who was an only child and almost 3 years old) was excited for the baby before he was born, but now that he is here, he isn't quite sure a new baby was a good idea. He told his Mom and Dad yesterday that they should leave the baby in the car. :^D Gotta love those oldest siblings!

My Heart is Breaking

2008-12-04T12:52:00.002-05:00

Julia has been missing her best-friend Noah lately. The two kids were born just 3-months apart and have been pretty inseparable ever since. Now that we have moved about an hour away, Julia is missing being with him and having him come over or going to their house. (She tells me Amy makes better lunches than I do.)

So, yesterday after school, we had this conversation:
Julia: Mom, I got mail today!
Me: Really, who is it from?
Julia: Noah
Me: Oh, what does it say?
Julia opens a little folded piece of paper and "reads" me what Noah has "written".
Julia: Dear, Julia. My heart is broken because you moved to the little house. When will you play with me? You should move back to your real house. Love, Noah.

I'm not sure, but I think Julia is missing her best friend Noah. I am glad the Peterson's are back from Arizona so that we can see them soon.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Say Thank you to a Soldier

2008-12-02T15:56:00.002-05:00

My kids and I are sending Cards and letters to soldiers from Carlisle and to Walter Reed Hospital this Christmas Season. While looking for addresses, I found this site sponsored by Xerox. I hope everyone will take 2 minutes and send a card to a soldier.

God Bless America!

Love Grows Best in Little Houses

2008-11-22T23:25:00.003-05:00

So, we have settles into our house in the small town of Carlisle. So far, we absolutely love it! We are enjoying getting to know the people who live here and exploring the town and shops. Osias is running into tons of people that he hasn't seen since High School. It has been fun for us all.

The girls are settling into their new school and making friends quickly. The seem to like our house and the yard, and really like their rooms with their new beds! All in all, we are loving it here.

The other day, I was driving home from Lexington and I heard the song, "Love Grows Best in Little Houses", by Doug Stone.

Because love grows best in little houses,
With fewer walls to separate,
Where you eat and sleep so close together.
You can't help but communicate,
Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss.
Love grows best, in houses just like this.

By moving here, the girls have learned to play together better and not be so territorial. They have learned quickly that all the space in the house belongs to everyone. They are not fighting as much and seem to enjoy each others company more.

We are so happy in our new home. We can't wait for visitors, so let us know when you want to come by. We would love to have you!

The Winner is....

2008-11-06T23:40:00.002-05:00

I hated these plates on line, but found them at a store and the colors are way more muted than the picture. I think this set is fun, not too bright, and square (my main criteria). So, the whole family likes them. Do you??!!

Thanks for voting everyone!

Plates, Bowls, & Cups

2008-11-01T22:55:00.004-04:00

I am trying to decide on some tableware for the new house. I found 3 patterns that I really like, but Osias and I can't agree. So, I am putting up a poll to get your opinion. The three patterns are shown below....

Pattern: 4 Dots
(below)

Pattern: Hot Dots
(Below)

Pattern: Rola
(below)

Be sure and vote on my poll on the right of the screen. I plan on making the purchase on Wednesday. Thanks!!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:25:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween from....

The Go-Go Girl

The Blue Sorceress

And Sleeping Beauty

Hope you get a lot of treats and not too many tricks!

4th Picture Tag

2008-10-29T21:50:00.003-04:00

This is my 4th picture from my 4th file. It is a little scrapbook page of Samantha and her dog. No matter how hard we try we cannot keep him off her bed. The second everyone is asleep, he jumps on her bed. She doesn't do much to make him leave!

Tag to Annie, Melanie, Robin, & Misty.

Julia is a Fashionista!

2008-10-27T16:27:00.002-04:00

Julia came to me this morning and wanted to know what the weather was going to be like today. (She asks every morning.) I told her it was very cold, like winter, and she needed to wear long sleeves and long pants. She told me she had the "Perfect" outfit. So I hear her getting dressed and she comes to my room dressed like this:

She explained that her sweater and shirt both have pink. Her skirt and shirt both have orange. So she looks perfect. Right??!!

Ad Libs

2008-10-24T20:03:00.003-04:00

The girls and I went out to eat this week and on the paper menu they give kids were Ad Libs. Well, the girls thought they were so funny they kept saying, "Put them on our Blog!" So here they are.....

#1 -- A pink man came into Steak-n-Shake, removed his green pickles and said in a soft voice, "I am a gourmet and I want to eat 21 bowls of dad with a lamp on top. To drink, I want a tongue of shampoo." The guy at the grill sneezed with his bow tie and said, "How about a Steakburger and a Milkshake?" "Crunchy idea, "said the gourmet, tooting with happiness.

#2 -- A bubbly well-dressed lady with a giant hair on her head came skipping into Steak-n-Shake. "Hello, all of you wonderful feet, I am here to present the award for the city's best light." She opened a shoe, took out the peppersauce and handed it to a hairy server. "Here's your trophy. Cpongratulations," she said, applauding and excitedly picking. Then she went back outside, got into her teeth and left.

Husband Tag

2008-10-23T11:44:00.006-04:00

Just got this tag from my sister, so here are my answers. I am tagging Janeal, Amy P., and Annie.

1 - WHAT IS YOUR HUSBANDS NAME? Osias Villaflor
2 - HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED? 13 years - our anniversary is next week
3 - HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? 10 months to engagement, 6 more months until wedding
4 - HOW OLD IS HE? 38
5 - WHO IS TALLER? We are the same height
6 - WHO CAN SING BEST? Oh, him....I can't sing at all.
7 - WHO IS SMARTER? Some subjects me (math/science), some subjects him (English/Writing).
8 - WHO DOES LAUNDRY? Me - he does the dishes.
9 - WHO PAYS THE BILLS? I do.
10 - WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? He Does
11 - WHO MOWS THE LAWN? That is a boy job, so definitely him.
12 - WHO COOKS DINNER? Either one of us, or both of us.
13 - WHO IS THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY'RE WRONG? In sarcasm, me. Him when it is sincere
14 - WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? He kissed me on our first date. I was totally shocked!!!
15 - WHO WEARS THE PANTS? We each have a leg....

Do you have your costume yet?

2008-10-20T20:47:00.003-04:00

We took the girls out to get Halloween costumes tonight. It alwasy makes me a little sad to buy a costume. When I was a kid we always made them and had to be creative with what we had around the house. Now, you just walk in the store and it is all ready for you. So, it is easier this way, but I think a little of the fun is gone. -Sigh-

Oh well, I still love Halloween! I love the kids excitement and the shrieks of joy as they run from house to house. IT is so fun to see the kids dressed up and excited. I also love Trunk or Treat at church. IT is a great chance to see all the kids there and talk with the parents. Fun, Fun, Fun!

I do love this time of year!

P.S. - Just thought I would share a couple of pictures of Halloweens Past. If you want to know what the girls are this year, you'll just have to wait until the 31st!

Its the Great Pumpkin, Julia Villaflor!!!

2008-10-14T23:22:00.003-04:00

Julia with her Prize Pumpkin

Today, Julia and I went on the preschool field trip with her class. We had such a good time. We got to pick a pumpkin from the field, sample apple cider and apple donuts, go on a hay ride, visit the petting zoo and play on the gigantic slide made of hay. Petting the horse and feeding the goats were both highlights, but the real thrill was the 2 HUGE pigs! Julia thought they were hysterical and was very intrigued by the fact that they were not soft, but bristly. We actually ended up coming home with 4 pumpkins because Julia couldn't decide on just 2.But, at $2 a piece, I figured I could sacrifice $4 for the joy of my baby girl.

Noah and Julia

I really love Boyd's Orchard in Versailles. The kids love the play area and they have fruit you can pick from early spring until late fall. They start with strawberries and end with pumpkins and apples. Next year, I plan on going to get blackberries in July! YUMMY!

Julia's Class

Sadly, there were a few downer moments today. All Julia wanted from the gift shop was kettle corn, but there wasn't any to be found. The only thing they had even remotely similar was Carmel puffed corn. Julia was having none of that! Also, no chicken salad in the concession stand! More than one mom left with out eating lunch! To appease Julia, we stopped at The Dollar Tree on the way home and got a huge bag of popcorn. It was only butter and salt, but at least it was popcorn.

Good times on the GIGANTIC slide!

Sadly, I realized that this would be my very last preschool trip to a pumpkin patch! It is so sad when the kids grow up. This is one of those "Joy in the Journey" moments! I love spending one on one time with Julia. She has such a sweet spirit and is contagiously happy at all times. So, someday when I am old and gray, I will look back on photos and memories of this day with a huge smile and a sigh of happiness. Truly a moment of Joy!

Jeri and Julia

50th Wedding Celebration

2008-10-06T21:20:00.004-04:00

Way back in August, we celebrated Osias' parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary. We all had a fantastic time at the Crowne Plaza with dinner and dancing. People from all over the country, friends and family, were on hand to help celebrate.

It is so wonderful to see 1st hand what a warm and loving relationship these two people have. Osias and I strive to emulate their goodness and caring. They are selflessly devoted to one another and their children. I feel so blessed to be a part of their family.

My father gave the blessing before dinner, Osias' brother gave a toast to the couple and we had a FANTASTIC band! The flowers were gorgeous. (Thank Suzi!)

In 10 years, my parents' will celebrate their 50th Anniversary. Osias and I only have to wait 37 more years. Here is to good times, good people, and happy moments. We love you Mom and Dad Villaflor!

Finding Joy in the Journey

2008-10-05T21:20:00.002-04:00

Our family loved watching conference today! The messages were awesome! The two things that really stuck with me were both from President Monson.

He said that we need to find joy in the journey. Joy in our lives, joy in our children, joy in our homes, and joy in service. It is a tall order, but one that our family is going to strive to fulfill.

The other moment was when he said "What would you say if you only had 25 words to say to your family?" I have been pondering this all day. Not sure what I would say yet, but I am compelled by the question to think about the most important things in life.

Love to all of you. Hope you had a fantastic Sunday!

We LOVED the Circus!

2008-09-29T09:46:00.002-04:00

The girls had such an awesome time at the circus! Our favorite parts were the tigers, high wire act and the chinese girls doing their tricks. It was also cool to see the couple shot out of the cannon. We had such an awesome time. (Thanks Kate & Jason).

Enjoy the slide show!

The Circus Has Come to Town!

2008-09-27T00:21:00.004-04:00

Our family is so excited that the circus is in town. Tomorrow afternoon we are going to Barnum & Bailey Circus. The girls have never been and cannot wait to get there. So, as a preview we went downtown today and watched the elephants take a bath.

Watching the elephants made the girls giggle and they enjoyed being out on such a beautiful day! I wish everyday could have today's weather! (sigh)

We topped off our afternoon with a trip to Sawyer's for lunch. I absolutely love this restaurant. If you haven't been you MUST go! The burgers are fabulous and so are the fries, but I have to mention the homemade potato chips...love, love, love them. (Almost as good as the sweet potato chips at The Atomic Cafe .... but I will leave that for another day!) Today we had the homemade tuna salad sandwich (YUMMY!) and the double decker PB&J (have your kids share it). Anyway, so, so, so good!

As a final note, on the way home the girls decided that clowns are totally creepy! Especially the ones with painted faces, but not the hair or clothes. The girls were not impressed with the up-close and personal approach the clowns took!

So, we are off to the circus tomorrow! We will let you know about all the fun!

Great Religious Moment

2008-09-18T00:13:00.003-04:00

Tuesday morning I am reading the Book of Mormon to the girls before school. We were reading in 1st Nephi about Heavenly Father commanding Nephi to make more plates when they got to the New World. Nephi says he doesn't know why he has been commanded to do this but he does it because this is what the Lord commanded.

When I am done reading Olivia says: "Yeah, that's like when you ask us to make our beds. We don't know why we have to do it, we just do it because you say so."

Who says little kids don't understand the scriptures??!!

The History Project

2008-09-15T20:47:00.006-04:00

So, Samantha comes home from school 2 weeks ago and says, "Mom, I have to build a diorama. I want to do the Hopi Indians." My first thought is, "I hate school projects. They are homework for parents! Why can't teachers do this crap at school."

So, in our usual way, we put it off for a week and then started talking about it and in the end, it was tons of fun working on this with Samantha. She was really excited and the project was a lot of fun.

Samantha worked really hard.

We built a model of a Hopi home.

And we had to make to replica (aka fake) artifacts that would have come from a Hopi Village.

We did a piece of pottery.

And a Kachina doll. This dolls are religious in nature and represent the the Wind, Sun and Sky.

Samantha also wrote a fantastic 4 page paper all about the Hopi Indians. Considering we have never been to Arizona, never seen a Hopi home, and knew nothing about them until we checked out books from the library, I think the project turned out great!

Way to go Samantha!

Fun Fall Pictures

2008-09-12T16:22:00.004-04:00

The girls went out and had some pictures taken a few weeks ago. We wanted some urban pictures so that we could remember what it was like to live in the city! :-)

Just wanted to share a few.

Not So Priceless After All

2008-09-02T11:01:00.003-04:00

So, really sad news on Friday. They people who had a contract on our house for the last 3 weeks backed out!!!! After 3 months of marriage they decided getting their marriage annulled was more important than buying our house. Gee!!! Everyone's so selfish these days!!!

So....our house is for sale again and our move to Carlisle is put off a little longer. I guess it will give me more time to get the new house ready. On the up side, we have already had 2 people call to see the house, so maybe it won't be long!!!

For those of you who haven't seen a picture of the new house, here it is...

Priceless

2008-08-26T23:09:00.009-04:00

POD for Storage $300
Painter & Handyman $800
Supplies $1,200

Selling our house in 41 days:

PRICELESS!!!

**************************************************

Did I mention how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my real estate agent??!!
Roni Porter is the best. She worked so hard for us and
we were blessed to have her on our team!
If you need someone, please call her.
Roni Porter, ReMax
859.229.3348
roniaporter@hotmail.com

Who stinks?

2008-08-26T12:14:00.002-04:00

Last night we were walking through a parking lot and Osias was giving Julia a piggy-back ride.

Osias: Julia, don't toot on my head. (ha ha)
Julia: That's OK, you stink, too.

Where did the summer go??!!

2008-08-14T11:07:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we were doing this ......

And today, we were doing this .....

The summer has flown by at record pace. It seems that we can never cram enough fun into a single summer. Just a few highlights: My sister and her family came for Memorial Day Weekend, my cousin Patrick got married, we saw some cousins from Ohio we hadn't seen in years (Hi, Molly and Daniel), the girls and I went bowling every week, we spent way too much time in Nana's pool, and we laughed and giggled, the summer away.

The end of summer is always a little bittersweet for a mom. On the one hand you hate to see your kids gone so much and really miss them, but on the other hand, if you are like me, you can't wait to get back into some kind of routine.

Anyway, we are so proud of Olivia and Samantha. It seems like just yesterday they were babies and now they are in the 2nd & 5th grade.

Samantha is already enjoying being the "King of the Hill" of the elementary school. It is very exciting to get to sit in the back of the school bus!

Olivia on the other hand just loves school. Her big complaint from yesterday was that they didn't learn anything! Gotta love those brainy girls!

Here's to a happy and safe school year for everyone!

The Giant Tomato

2008-08-13T14:05:00.003-04:00

As Samantha and Olivia got ready for school today, Olivia was upset because she had a bug bite on her forehead.

Olivia: I hate this bug bite on my head. It looks dumb.
Samantha: Don't worry about it, Olivia. I had a zit on my forehead once.
Olivia: Yeah, but mine looks like a GIANT TOMATO!

Olympic Diver's

2008-08-12T22:58:00.000-04:00

Julia and Olivia were showing off there diving talents today in the pool.

Olivia showed me her fantastic front flip.

Julia showed us the magnificent belly-flop dive.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2008-08-12T22:51:00.001-04:00

Olivia's Birthday was on Sunday but we celebrated on Friday. It was a small get together with only two friends, but she had so much fun. We went to Nana Beaman's house, had a spaghetti dinner, played in the pool, and had a Castle Cake with ice cream.

While in the pool, the girls were playing "Mermaid Idol". They would do funny jumps into the pool and judge each other. It totally cracked me up to hear them say, "You're Going To Hollywood!"

Happy Birthday, Olivia! We love you!

Silly Sayings

2008-08-11T20:19:00.000-04:00

Today we were in the car coming home from a friends house and Julia says: "I never want to be stuck inside a whale like Dori...(long pause)...unless I am with my best friends."

Who goes on Vacation to Cleveland??!!

2008-08-07T23:44:00.000-04:00

When one of your dear friends moves to Cleveland, you have to go and visit. So, this past weekend the girls and I, along with Michelle Pfeffer, drove the 5 hours to Cleveland to visit the Pora Family. I have to admit, besides the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, I didn't think there would be much to do. Well, I was pleasantly surprised!

We had an absolutely fabulous time! We went to the Cleveland Science Center for Children. It was so amazing. The kids didn't want to leave. There were a million hands on experiences, a play place for the littler kids and crafts to make. We also saw an Omnimax movie about Mummies.

We also went to the beach on Lake Erie. It was STUNNING! Our family loves the beach and this was right up there as one of our favorites. The water was beautiful, the sand/dirt wasn't too gritty, and there is no salt in the water. There was a cute little ice cream stand at the beach called "The Honey Hut". Instead of sugar, they use honey to make the ice cream. It is very good, but not quite as firm as regular ice cream. If you didn't eat fast, it was all over you. Everyone was a sticky mess by the end of the evening.

Another great place was a shopping village called Crocker Park. For those of you from Lexington, it is what Hamburg could be if the developers had a sense of style. Tons of beautiful boutique shops, nice restaurants and cobble stone streets. There was even a band playing in the courtyard.

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. The girls are looking forward to going back and visiting the Zoo, Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, and ......