Kids New Spongebob Bathroom

Yeah...I suprised the kids and switched up the bathroom and went with Spongebob - the kids loved it.

Easter 2011

Easter Baskets for my three babies!

A little note and some carrots for the Easter Bunny!

Easter morning!

One of Gracie's Easter dinner place settings.

"Hmmm....wonder if there's anything in here I will like"

This darn plastic covering...."the Easter Bunny makes things harder then they need to be mom"

It was great to have Lil' Geoge home for Easter. He had to head back to college on Easter day so we had an early holiday dinner. I only posted one pic of Gracie's place settings for dinner (made me laugh) but she did that for all five of us - she's so darn cute! Mommy made sure to put out some carrots and a letter for the Easter bunny and in turn the Easter bunny left baskets of goodies for the kidos!

Coloring Easter Eggs

Sadly I missed my babies coloring Easter eggs. I spent the entire day at the ER due to my kidney stones - only to come to find out a few days later that the pain I was having had nothing to do with my kidney stones.  Go figure! Fortunately, Lil' G was home from college and took charge and even managed to take a few pics to share with me while I was at the ER (ahhh...for 5 hours). So...I thought I would share these wonderful pics with family and friends. Enjoy!

A Little Something From Bootcamp

Attached is a picture of a clown that was given to me by a shipmate (Kimberly Hornsby) when I was in bootcamp. I recall her only having so many to handout and I was one of the lucky ones to get one and I managed to hang on to this since 1989 - it literally followed me everywhere I moved and I could never part with it!

Pics of Gracie's Recital Costumes - Just Beautiful

Jacob Starts Baseball -

Well baseball season is well underway. Jacob participated in the parade for opening day this past Saturday but unfortunately the afternoon game (his first game of the season) was cancelled due to the rain. George did manage to get a portrait of him in his new uniform and his team name is the "Cardinals.  Jacob is very excited about playing this year and he said he is on a very good team. I believe he said he is going to have some opportunities to pitch and play first base - I look forward to the games. He has been playing for the past 4 years and really enjoys it and I am so very proud of all that he accomplishes, I really am.

Gracie - Recital Picture Day -

 

I think she is so beautiful, I really do. This past Saturday all the dancers had their portraits taken in their recital costumes. What time slot did we fall under? The 8:30 a.m. timeslot! I made sure we got up extra early so she would look well-rested for her portraits.  I did her hair and makeup the best I could but the day of the recital (in June) I am going to take her to have her hair and makeup done by a stylist. I really don't think she needs makeup at all but have been told that this is the norm for dancers - which I know nothing about because I never participated in dance when I was younger. When I first saw the costumes I was so happy I think I had tears in my eyes - after having two boys I am so grateful to have a little girl I can spoil and do girly stuff with - and believe me....she is all girl - thank god she did not end up being a tom boy like I thought she would be because she had two older brothers - she is truly a blessing.

Moosie Turns 7

Moosie celebrated his 7th birthday on April 4th. Finally....there's someone in the house that is older then me!
We got Moosie a special filet mignon doggie dinner and put a candle in it and sang happy birthday to him. The kids got a chuckle out of it! In the picture with Moosie is my baby boy (Jacob).

Family History

A number of years ago I made a mini-scrapbook of my Grandpa Leo (Leo Devine) who passed away in 1979. Grandpa Leo died when I was 12 years but I always had very fond memories of him from my childhood. Unfortunately, I had little, if any, information to journal in the album so I have been scoping out family members for some family history. My cousin (Jeannine) sent me a picture which was a "funeral card" of my Grandpap's uncle (Patrick Wogan)who was killed in action in Italy during WWII. The funeral card listed where my family was from (Cartown, Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland). I always new my ancestors were from Ireland - I was just unsure what part of Ireland they were from. So I am making some progress but have a lot more research to do. It's a scrapbook I wanted to pass down to my kids. I wish they could have known their great-grandfather. He had a positive effect on my life when I was a child and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him.

St. Patrick's Day Parade with the Kids!

Took the kids to the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday (March 19th). It was a pretty chilly day, but at least the sun was shining. We watched the marching bands, fire trucks, dancers etc...for about an hour or so and then I took the kids to McDonald's for shamrock shakes. I always thought the shakes were like .99 but now that they put them in this fancy clear cup with whip cream and a cherry on top they are charging around $2.50 for a small - now that's just crazy!

St. Patrick's Day - Downtown Harrisburg

Well I took a half day off of work on St. Patty's Day to hit some of the pubs downtown Harrisburg with some friends. I had an awesome time but come 7:00 p.m. I was down for the count. I cannot hang and drink like I did back in the day. Nevertheless, I had to work the next day so I was hurting pretty bad but managed to make it through the day. You gonna play, you're gonna pay, right? LOL. It was a great time and well worth the mini-hangover!

March 2011 Family Update

I blog every few weeks (OK...sometimes months) with updates of what's going on in the Clapper household. Between karate, dance, Daisys, CCD (and baseball as of next week) we are on the go quite often these days. As of May things should slow down with Daisys and CCD ending for the year. Lil' George was home this past weekend for spring break. Unfortunately, I did not get to see too much of him because as I was coming home from work he was leaving the house to go hangout with friends but I did get to spend some quality time with him on the drive back to West Chester on Sunday. It's still hard dropping him off at school and leaving. Gracie was home sick last week (the entire week) with pneumonia - poor baby girl was so sick and ran a fever for nearly five days. Fortunately, the antibiotic that the doctor put her on kicked in after about 48 hours and she started feeling much better.

Lent stared last week and so did the countdown until Easter. We went to church and received our ashes and all decided to make some positive changes during the course of the next 40 days. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day - my favoritest day of the year (LOL). I will be taking a half day off of work and hitting a few pubs with some friends - it should be a nice time. Hey, let's face it, anytime away from work is a good time. I will also be taking the kids to the St.Patrick's Day parade on Saturday so I am hoping to take some updated pictures and will post them as soon as I can.

Facebook Contact

If you would like to see more updated pictures of the family you can go to http://www.facebook.com/dclapper67 which is my facebook page.

I have all my information set to private so you will have to send me a "Friends Request" to access my photos

Gracies Fundraiser for "The Studio"

As some of you know, Gracie attends "The Studio" which is a local area dance school. To raise money for The Studio to assist children with tuition, costumes, recitals etc...the kids had a fundraiser selling Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. A special thanks to those family and friends who made a purchase(s). Gracie raised over $250.00 and mommy is all "fundraisered out"!

St. Patty's Day is Fast Approaching!

Those of you who know me, know that St. Patty's Day is my favorite day of the year. Why? Well, I have some very fond memories growing up in Rocky Point, New York and celebrating St. Patty's Day with a big parade and great friends - it was always a good time. Last year I took the kids to the St. Patrick's Day parade here in Harrisburg, PA and it just was not the same - you could not even compare it to the St. Patty's Day parades we had in Rocky Point. I don't know, maybe it's because I am older or maybe it's because it's a lot different now than it was back then. I took a 1/2 day off of work on St. Patty's Day so I can go out for some drinks with some friends. I believe the parade is on Saturday, March 18th - I am going to surprise the kids and taken them ...they had a blast last year.

Girl Scouts Cookies

We just wanted to post a note thanking our family and friends who purchased Girl Scout cookies from Gracie this year. We don't have family locally and it's really hard to sell Girl Scout cookies in the local area because "everyone" is selling them so we just set a goal to sell 25 boxes but ended up selling 50 boxes. Thanks to all.

Jump Rope for Heart - Way to Go Jacob

Just a note of thanks to family and friends who helped Jacob raise money for Jump Rope for Heart. A little story: A few weeks ago it was freezing cold outside, windy, wet, snowy etc...and of course Jacob was out in it...my kids love the snow and cold weather for some reason (nothing like their mommy). After being outside for about 2 hours and me wondering where the heck he was he comes into the house with his cheeks all red, nose is all runny, sneakers wet, bottom of his sweat pants soaked and I go "where the heck have you been" (yes...I was a little peeved) - all excited he goes "I was out getting donations for Jump Rope for Heart with Zach...." Now he knew my next question and before I could say anything he goes "daddy knew I was going" - I was so proud of the fact that he made an effort to raise money on his own other then relying on his webpage. Between neighborhood donations, webpage donations and donations made from family and friends he raised $440. Yes...we are very proud.

Valentine's Day

We never make a big ordeal out of Valentine's Day in our house but I do make sure I get the kids a little box of chocolates every year. This year me, Jake and Gracie mailed out a package to Lil' George with his favorite chocolate which is "Hershey Almond Chocolate Bars". Lil' G said he received a package from grandma and grandpap for Valetine's Day too. Pop Pop mailed me a nice 2 pounds box of chocolates (and he knows I am on a diet - he got a little chuckle out of that I am sure) and he also mailed Gracie a beautiful red heart shaped box of chocoaltes which she at within 30 minutes of opening the package. That's something my dad has done every year since I was a kid - he always got my mom, me and my sister a box of chocolates for Valetine's Day and I love that he now does that for my little girl.

2011 Happenings

Well 2011 is off to a good start so far. Gracie has recently started dance and seems to be enjoying it. So between dance and Daisys she seems to be pretty content. Jacob is doing great in karate and is now participating in what they call "fight night" on Wednesday evenings - so he is at karate 4 nights a week and soon will be starting baseball as well so he is going to have his plate pretty full come March. School is going well for all three kids. Georgie is done with winter break and back at West Chester and Jacob and Gracie's holiday break ended shortly after new years and they are back to their normal school routine. I am in the process of planning this years vacations/trips/activities. We are hoping to go down to see Pop Pop in North Carolina again. The kids had a wonderful time last summer in NC and love spending time with their Pop Pop (let's face it...he spoils the heck out of them!). I might even take a trip to North Carolina without the kidos and spend some quality time with my dad all by myself. I also might be attending my 25th high school reunion in August which will be back on Long Island. I am excited, but nervous at the same time about that trip. If I decide to go I want to see some family - especially my grandmother (it's been a long time since I have seen her and the rest of the fam). I will also be taking another roadtrip to West Virginia to see my sister. I saw her a few months ago and would love to be able to go back and see her again. The drive to West Virginia was just beautiful and my buddy Audie said she would make the roadtrip with me again. My buddy Carlos and his family plan on coming up from Florida for a visit in June - I am very excited....it's been a long time since I have seen them and we will be visiting Hershey Park when they come. Not sure what all hubby has planned for this year. I was hoping he might meet up with some old Navy friends from back in the day - I guess that's up in the air right now. Right now, we are all getting ready for the Super Bowl - very exciting time for all of us. Steelers v. Green Bay on January 30th - we are counting down the days - GO STEELERS.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!

Steelers v. Greenbay Packers - Sunday, February 6, 2011

Update: Sadly the Steelers lost to Greenbay - maybe next year!

New Years 2011

Adam, Missy, Annie and James came down to spend the New Year with us. I must say we were all rather excited for their visit. The kids always look forward to seeing Annie and James and I know Big G enjoys spending time with his brother (Adam) and watching football (the norm in our house). Me and Missy either go shopping or veg out and watch TV/movies. This New Years was very relaxing. I am normally never up at midnight but this year I happend to be up. With 1 minute left in 2010 I ran into Jacob's room because I heard the kids chit-chatting and I told them to come into my bedroom for the final countdown to 2011 - after 2011 rang in my nephew goes "I did not see the ball drop" - I told him we were looking right at it as we were saying the countdown (he just looked at me with a blank stare - LOL - the kid just cracks me up). New Years Day was a day of pork and saurkraut, football, relaxing, napping, watching movies and enjoying the sound and laughter of the kids running about the house. I attached a few pics of New Years Day - you will notice a pic of my newphew and a pic of Georgie with Jake in the background sound asleep - they went to bed pretty early on the 1st because they stayed up so late the night before to watch the ball drop. Oh...I also got to watch the Penguins lose (I enjoyed that too).

Reflecting on 2010

Well 2010 was a year of ups and downs. Unfortunately, back in May I lost my mom - very sad, but I know she is finally at peace and there's no more suffering - she will forever be missed. I find myself thinking of her a lot these days and pray she is looking over me, George and the kids. Gracie turned 6 and started 1st grade, Jacob turned 9 and started 4th grade and Lil' G turned 18 and in June and he graduated high school and was moving on to the next chapter in his life (COLLEGE). Gracie stared Daisys this year and Jacob moved up to a yellow belt in karate. My dad was able to attend Lil' G's high school graduation which was a blessing. In July me and the two little ones went down to NC to spend a week with my dad and let me tell you...he spoiled them rotten - it was a great vacation and it gave me a chance to see how my dad was coping with my mother's death. I am proud to say he is doing great and moving on with his life and I am extremely happy for him - I think he is at peace with my mom's death and is trying to build a new life for himself. I had the privilege of visiting a few colleges with Georgie. After some thinking he decided on going to West Chester University (near Philadelphia, PA). While I was very happy for him I was also very sad that my baby boy was leaving home and moving on with his life and the day we dropped him off at college and I left him behind will be a day I will never forget for I sobbed the entire roadtrip home and still find myself crying from time to time at the thought of him gone and on his own. He has brought our family so much happiness and it truly is an honor to call him my son - we are very blessed with three great kids and I will never take that for granted. My dad also was able to make it up to spend Christmas with us and you can just imagine how excited we all were that he was coming to spend the holiday with us. Adam, Missy and the kids came down to spend the New Year with us and it was a really nice visit - we have a great family - life is good! Oh...after becoming a member of this wonderful thing called FACEBOOK I was able to find family and friends I have not seen or heard from in many many years and thanks to Facebook I got to meet up with my Aunt Lenora who I have not seen in over 20 years and she got to meet my husband. Like I said, life is good - I am a very blessed woman.

Christmas with Pop Pop

This year was an extra special Christmas at our home - why? Well it's because Pop Pop drove all the way from NC to spend the holiday with us. We took him to see the Hershey Sweet Lights which is about a 30 minute drive-through a holiday light display located in Hershey, PA).

Christmas Eve we all went out for a nice dinner and opened our stocking stuffers when we got home and George read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to all of us. Christmas morning is always something the kids look forward to (what kid doesn't?). Gracie got her American Girl Doll that she wanted so bad and Jake was happy to see that Santa got him the Ipad Touch he wanted so bad. Santa even got Pop Pop a few nice gifts;). The kids and I had a great time preparing for the holidays. Between decorating and baking cookies we all had our fair share of fun and weight gain! Oh....Jake and Gracie thought it would be nice to write Santa a letter to go along with his cookies and hot chocolate - I got a kick out of the signature request Jake wrote down for Santa to sign (I believe this would be Jake's proof that there's really a Santa Clause). Lil' G took the honors of signing the note as Santa - which I later put away in Jakes memorabilia box. Jake did ask me this year if there really was such thing as a Santa and boy did I wing that one....I came up with some story let me tell you. LOL.

Georgie, Jacob, Grace & Moosie - Christmas 2010

My babies - Georgie, Jacob, Grace & Moosie!