New Beginnings

It's new beginnings for all three of my babies. Georgie started 11th grade this year, Jacob 2nd grade and Gracie has been moved up from the "Bears" room to the "Lions" room at the Child Development Center which will prepare her for kindergarten next year. All in all, the first morning of school went much smoother than I thought it would go. I made sure to be up bright and early just in case I had any temper-tantrums to deal with. Georgie is perfectly capable of getting himself up, ready and out the door in the mornings, but it's the mother in me that feels she needs to check on him and make sure he is awake and ready for his "first day of school morning pictures" - Yes, I have this thing with preserving moments and the first day of school is always a very big deal "for me". Georgie is a trooper and never complains about the picture taking though. Jake was up early eating his huge bowl of cereal, getting dressed, brushing his teeth and moaning and groaning "do I have to go to school". "Yes, Jacob, it's the law - you have to go to school". Now for Gracie - never a dull moment in the house when it comes to Gracie because she wants to sleep in, watch Curious George and Clifford and then wants "me" to get her dressed at her leisure. Just her being lazy of course, so I assist her with getting dressed as long as she does not give me attitude when it comes to brushing her teeth and doing her hair. She is very stubborn, I am not quite sure where she gets that from (hee hee). Georgie left rather early for school and I walked Jacob to the bus stop for picture taking with the "bus stop crowd" - I watched him get on the bus, sit down, look out the window with his beautiful blue eyes as he waved to me and worded "I love you" to me as the bus drove away. God, I love being a mom!

Another Successful Fundraiser

We had another fundraiser at Friendly's this month which was very successful thanks to my family, friends and co-workers that came out to support the Harrisburg Hikers. I attached a picture of my buddy Laurraine and her husband David who came out and surprised me. I don't get to see Laurraine too often so when I do get to see her it puts an instant smile on my face. I also had to include a photo of me and my babies (Jacob and Gracie).

The Start of Another School Year

It's hard to believe that summer is just about over and the boys are both starting school back up next week. Georgie will be in 11th grade and Jake is going into 2nd grade and lets not forget about Miss Gracie who has moved up from the "Bears" room to the "Lions" room at daycare which will be getting her ready for kindergarten next year. I plan on taking the kids to Hershey Park on Labor Day (it's going to be mobbed). I promised Jacob if he completed his summer reading program that I would treat him to a day at Hershey Park (a little incentive) and he read over and beyond the amount of books he was suppose to read. I am happy I kept on top of his reading over the summer.
I find that even though summer is short, it's a struggle the first two months of school to not only get the kids back in a routine but to get them back into the groove of learning things that they struggled with the year before. I had Jake attend reading camp at the local library and when reading camp was over he continued to read daily at home. Jake is good and ready to start school back up and he will be where he needs to be with his reading - I am confident he will do just fine. Gracie starts her dancing classes back up next month and I am also checking into swimming for both Gracie and Jake for the fall. There is not too much else to report on. George (my husband) has been hitting the treadmill these days and I am still training for the Breast Cancer Walk which is fast approaching. Life is good, no complaints. (The pictures included in this post are pictures taken at a family wedding we recently attended back home in Altoona, PA - they are the most recent pictures of my three kids).

Lions Tigers & Bears "Oh My"

We recently attended the "End of the Summer Bash" at Gracie's daycare center (Child Development Center). It was a farewell to Ms. Gina, who was with the center directorfor eight years and is moving on to another position out of state. Jacob along with Gracie and her friends from various different rooms at the center (Lions, Tigers, Bears, Kittens, Racoons etc.) all seemed to have a blast eating all the delicious home-made food and desserts, playing in the sandbox and on the swings, dancing and just having a wonderful time with each other. Gracie recently graduated from the "Bears" room to the "Lions" room which will prepare her for kindergarten next year. I cannot believe that this time next year my baby girl will be in kindergarten but most of all I cannot believe I will NO LONGER HAVE TO MAKE DAYCARE PAYMENTS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE - WAHOOOOOO.

Bears Room Buddies

This past Sunday we went to a birthday party at Red Robin and Gracie ran into one of her daycare buddies (Hallie). The girls spend a lot of time together in the "Bears Room" (their assigned class). This will be their last year together since both girls start kindergarten next year. Wahooo....no more daycare payments!

Early Mornings

I have been getting up at 5:15 a.m. these days to get some training in for the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk. I go over to the local park (Adams Ricci) and I am normally there when it is still dark, but I get to watch the sun rise and what a beautiful view it is. I really enjoy having that time to myself and it's a wonderful way to start of the day.

Wii Wee

I finally decided to go and purchase a Wii this weekend for Jacob. With an accumulation of his birthday money and money from mommy and daddy - Jacob now has his own brand new Wii. What a nightmare that purchase has turned out to be! Jacob and Grace don't get along as it is - can you even imagine the two of them playing with the Wii together? All I hear from my bedroom is yelling, screaming, crying etc. Even when Jacob is playing by himself he is crying and screaming because apparently the "game system" is cheating??? Huh? I finally had to tell my husband to shut the Wii down last night because it was just out of control in the house. I know it upset my husband because he is just as hooked to that game system as the kids are. Hmm...not sure if this was such a smart purchase afterall.

Live, Collective Soul, Blue's Travelers Concert

Well I went to the Live, Collective Soul and Blue's Travlers concert on Friday (August 1) night. My friend (Amy) and I first went to dinner at Applebees, which was horrible, and we headed to the Giant Center around 6:00 p.m. The concert started at 6:30 p.m. with the Blue's Travelers opening the concert. Well, I only knew two of their songs, each song they did play was an average of 15 minutes long (just shoot me, ok). Next was Collective Soul - wait wait....and yes, that's what we did was wait about an hour for the band to make their grand appearance. Apparently they had a tire blow out on their way to the Giant Center. Unfortunately, they did not do a sounds check because although the songs were good songs they sounded all muffled and distored. Now for the grand finale - I own about ONE Live CD so I know like a whole FOUR songs that the band sings with my favorite being "Lightening Crashes". Well Live played an ungodly amout of songs - at least 10 to 12 and then they said goodnight and left the stage. Dahh...I knew they were coming back out - they still did not play their all time number one hit "Lightening Crashes". Well....they come out and played on and on and on again - I was fuming!!! So I finally lost my patience (around 11:00 p.m.) and told Amy we were out of there. So...no, I did not even hear the one song I was dying to hear. Needlesstosay, I was at the Giant Center 5 hours for a concert that was all but sad and the attendance was just pitiful. Hey, the tickets were free - thank GOD. If Amy and I did not have to get up at 5:30 and walk 14 miles I might have stuck it out until the bitter end. Fortunately we had good company and we got to spend some time with some friends/co-workers (Lori, Doug, Deb and Don).

A Weekend of Tranquility

This weekend George and the kids were in Altoona and I had the entire weekend all to myself. I vegged out ALL day Saturday until late afternoon and then attempted to get some walking in at the local park. It was too stinking hot out so I ventured off back home to my bed and watched a movie. Sunday was a day of house cleaning, laundry, shopping and I even managed to get 11 miles of walking in on the treadmill as I watched one of my favorite movies "Steel Magnolias" and a few reruns of 48 Hours Mystery. Today the family is due back home. While the time to myself was long overdue, I sure did miss my kids and all the the noise, the chaos, the constant fighting, bickering, "mommy" this and "mommy" that - Yes, believe it or not I was missing it all - the house is not the same without them all there.

My Little Man Turns Lucky Number 7

My baby boy is 7 years old today (July 24th). We had a birthday party for him this past weekend at Trindle Bowl (local bowling alley) with family and friends and we had a fabulous time bowling, eating pizza/cake and spending time together. It was especially nice because family drove in from Altoona for the celebration (Grandma, Uncle Marc (Jakes Godfather), Uncle Adam, Aunt Missy and his counsins Annie and James).

Buckle Up

Every morning before we head to daycare Gracie must rummage through all her babies (and there are a lot of babies - let me tell you that much) and she picks out just the right baby to take to daycare with her that day. Her latest routine is putting a seat buckle on her baby. It's cute, but not when you are running late and she is insistent on putting the seatbelt on the baby all by herself.

The Latest Addition To The Clapper Family

With Lil' Georgie turning 16 and learning to drive we decided it was time to get "me" another vehicle because we are passing down the Ford Taurus to Georgie as of November when he gets his license. So, with that said, I was off shopping for another vehicle and I found her in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It's a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer and I absolutely love it!

Roll N' Grow Flower Mats - Do They Work?

The answer is...YES they do. I decided this year I wanted to try something new on the side of my house and decided to buy some Roll N' Grow flower mats from QVC (despite the "poor" ratings that were posted). The key to success with flower mats is lots and lots of water. Look at the pics of my flowers - aren't they fabulous? I planted them in early June and it's mid-July and I have a garden full of beautiful/colorful flowers!

Is it July Already?

Well it's out with June and in with July already. This month we have Jacob's 7th birthday coming up (July 24th) which we will be celebrating on Saturday, July 19th at Trindle Bowl with family and friends. It's so hard to believe that my little man is going to be 7 years old already and going into 2nd grade. I currently have him enrolled in "Reading Camp" (at Fredrickson Library) which is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I wanted to keep him reading throughout the summer so he is not struggling once school starts back up. My little terror (Gracie) joins us of course and participates by drawing her fabulous art work and running to the water fountain every ten minutes for a drink. We really don't have too much else planned for July. In August we will be going home to Altoona for a family wedding. It's always a good time when we go home to see the family and the kids really look forward to the visit. I am hoping to take the kids to Lake Tobias in August and do a few more things with them before school starts back up. So far, all in all, we are having a nice summer.

It Wasn't Me!! (Sneaky Little Devil)

My daughter is always into some sort of mischief these days. I happen to catch her in one of her sneaky little moments. The past six months she has changed so much and has all of a sudden become very demanding. Not sure where she gets that from!

The Big 39 For George

Well, my husband (George) turned the big 39 on June 29th. He is slowly cathching up to me. Unfortunately, I had to work at my part-time job but I did manage to make him a tray of his favorite food - which is lasagna and some homemade bread. The kids florished him with cards and one of his birthday presents manage to arrive before his birthday so the kids gave him his "Steelers" rug mats for his truck. We are still waiting on his new Steelers team jersey and Steelers barbeque grill cover to be delivered. After work I picked up a birthday cake and some ice cream and the kids and I surprised him with a few lite candles and by singing "Happy Birthday" to him. All in all, I believe he had a nice birthday.

Smelling the Flowers

I thought this was a precious picture of my princess. Gracie loves to help mommy with gardening and watering the flowers and smelling the flowers too!

In Loving Memory - Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother

Unfortunately, while we were away on vacation at Deep Creek Lake/Maryland George's (my husband) Grandmother (Georgie, Jake and Gracie's Great Grandma) passed away.

Geraldine M. Kapfhammer
Aug 29, 1916 - June 13, 2008

Geraldine M. Kapfhammer, 91, Altoona, Pennsylvania died Friday, June 13, 2008 at her residence after an extended illness. She is survived by four daughters: Mary Ann Green, Kathleen Clapper, Miriam Williams and Colette M. DiMemmo; four sons: Richard Kapfhammer, Thomas Kapfhammer, Frank Kapfhammer and Daniel Kapfhammer; a brother, Father Joseph Strittmatter; a sister, Naomi Buechele; 37 grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Joan M. McDonald, in 1993; a son, James A. Kapfhammer, in 1997; and a sister, Vernita Roland.

Geraldine Kapfhammer was a homemaker, she previously was a secretary at Mental Health and she was a member of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. She was a 1934 graduate of Altoona Catholic High School and was a member of Loyal Christian Benefit Association, CCD Little Flower Club, Blue Army and Third Order Secular and was the recipient of the ‘‘Pro Eccelesia at Pontifice’’ from Bishop Guilfoyle in 1955.

Lord God, have mercy on "Grandma" who has at last been called from this life. We praise you for her life and the rich memories that she has left. Many years of life were granted her. Now that she has been called to the eternal banquet of heaven, I beg you in your endless mercy to raise her to new life. May she rest for ever in the joy that has been won for us by Christ Jesus. Amen

We were truly blessed to have had such a beautiful woman touch our lives in ways only one could imagine.

Threshers - T-Ball 2008

This year was Jacob's second year playing t-ball and he had an awesome season. The boy can sure hit a ball - that's our slugger (our Babe Ruth). We had a very busy season with practices and t-ball games and at the end of the season Coach Chris presented Jacob with a trophy, which absolutely made his day.

Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk - Harrisburg Hikers Fundraiser

I have taken on an incredible challenge along with my team the "Harrisburg Hikers". On Friday, October 17, 2008, we will be going to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and walking 60 miles over the course of three days, camping out at night with thousands of other women and men taking this journey with us. It's for an event called the 3-DAY BREAST CANCER WALK, which benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Each member of the team needs to raise $2,200to participate in the walk. We have coordinated several fundraisers through bake sales, selling breast cancer awareness merchandise, sub sales, flowers, etc. We recently had a successful fundraiser at Friendly's, Camp Hill, PA on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. The team setup a table to sell baked goods/flowers and Friendly's donated 15% of all proceeds between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Horseback Riding

George and I took the kids horseback riding which was a lot of fun. Jacob was big enough to ride on his own horse and Gracie rode along with me. The views were absolutely breathtaking and we had a beautiful weather that day.

Jacob Catches a Fish

Look it how happy my baby boy was when he caught a fish. Jacob absolutely loved going fishing with his daddy when we were on vacation.

Swallow Falls

Swallow Falls was absolutely beautiful. It was a nice hike through the woods to Muddy Creek Falls and than on to Swallow Falls. I took Georgie and Jake along with me and they both decided to go swimming and actually went under the falls.

Deep Creek Lake (Maryland) 2008 Vacation

George and I took the kids to Deep Creek Lake (Maryland) for vacation this year. We let Lil' George take a friend along (Jacob Brenza) to keep him company. We rented a beautiful house way out in the country. We visited Swallow Falls, went horseback riding, went to Smiley Fun Zone and took the kids fishing. We did some eating out and our last evening there we took the kids to see the new Incredible Hulk movie. It was a nice family vacation. Below is a view from the porch of our summer rental - it was absolutely beautiful. We even had a bear come visit us from time to time - he thoroughly enjoy our trash and the boys had the fun of cleaning it all up in the mornings.

Isn't She Lovely? Gracie Turns 4

Our little princess turned four years old on June 2nd. It's hard to believe that my little red head, blue-eyed baby girl will be starting school next year. Time has gone by so fast. We had a Dora birthday party for her at our home along with family and friends. I put a lot of work into the party, because I wanted to make this day very special for my Gracie. We ate lots of pizza and cake, played party games which included a treasure hunt and the bashing of a Dora pinata and the finale was a nice water fight outside with the adults and kids. All in all, I believe everyone had a good time!