Another Summer Gone.....

It was a crazy summer at the Locascio home.... A lot of driving..... A lot of very HOT days. It was a good summer one that will go into the books. Into the books as what? I am not quite certain but it will be there.... it will be spoken about, laughed about, and loved.... Why? I am not quite certain about that either.... But it will be!
My children doing what they love.... Photo's in random stores, doing random things! I love it!!! I especially loved Sami and Tabi in Wal Mart with the Halloween Hoodies on that zip over your face and look like skeletons or half eaton werewolves.....running around making monster sounds.... Classic!!! ;)

Okay the date on the photo isn't right..... This photo was actually the beginning of June 2010 and we are going on the Tram in El Paso.... It was a fabulous trip with me and the kids! We went on the tram and at the top you can actually see into Mexico.... not that its hard considering Mexico is right there.... But the entire city of El Paso and all the surroundings and the mountains were so B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.

The kids and I also drove to Arizona the end of June to visite Grandma and Grandpa. This was a fun trip and also memorable. El Paso is essentially half way and we had done that before..... so it wasw kind of a building point for our 16 hour drive! This photo we are at the Casa Grande Ruins...also beautiful and extremely warm! Minus the humidity of Texas.....

                I start to think my children are never serious! LOL Of course why would I want them to be?

                           Angelo, Nati, and Tab's at the ghost town..... Sami was in San Fransisco.

                         Miss Natalie and I in another Ghost town as Angelo was rock climbing!

        Natalie Jane the first day of 7th Grade!!! Just turned 12 and gorgeous as ever and so grown up!

                 Tabitha Jai.....The ever beautiful Freshman starting her first year at the high school!

          Angelo....My handsome little man beginning his first day of his last year in Elementary school!

 Last but not least Samantha Jae..... My Beautiful Senior! The first day of her last year before she heads off to college! WOW.....where does the time go?

                                       Sami with her best friend Carley in San Fransisco!!!

                                          Angelo in his new car! :) At the ghost town in Arizona!

                       Tabi, Nat, and Emily when Emily was visiting us!!! We miss that girl!!!

              Tabi, Sami, and Cody at the Drive-in in Granbury!!! That was a good time even in the rain!!!

                                                          Night of the living dead!

                                          Tab's enjoying Gram and Gramps Pool in AZ!!!

                            The girls enjoying the racks at good will, playing America's Next Top Model!

   My four musketeers at Gram and Grampa's

                                       Miss Nat Jane Birthday Girl!!!! 12 years old!!!! :)

                                                      Nati and our other daughter Emily!

                                             Glamorous Girls at the Dr Pepper Plant in Dublin!

                                       Angelo and Emily at the Bottling Plant!  Cute aren't they?

                                    The Worlds Largest Rocking Chair! So says the Genius Books!

                                                         Tab's Photography skills!

                                                            Sisters!!! Get one!

                                            The FIZZ FACE thank you San Fransisco!

                       The Golf Cart Died.......... Tabi pushed it all the way home!! Emily worked hard too!

                     Natalie's Cheer team leaving for cheer camp at the Great wolf lodge................

                                                         Nat's team at cheer camp!

                                             The Carousel in the Grapevine Mills Mall!

                                                         Nat and Tab school shopping!

Sam and Bo school shopping!

Once again smiling at Tab's!!!

                                                          Angelo Rock climbing!

                                     Nat, Bo, and Grandma Rock hunting!!! Dangerous buggers!

                                                                         YEP!

                                                         Hmmmmmmmm....

                                                             Of course.....

                                                                            Sure!

                                                        My caged birds singing!!!

                                                   Grandpa and the kids...minus sam!

                                                     Grandma, me and the kids minus sami!

                                                                        The pool!

                                                  Nat and Bo enjoying it!

                                                          

                                           AND THE END OF OUR PHOTO SUMMER!!!

Learning When To Get Over It...Let Go

(Okay.....so the creepy rabbit has nothing to do with that....I just wanted to add it....This was outside the schools the friday before Easter.....and it scared my kids. LOL Like something off a Stephen King movie)

Me and the Kids were talking about how long is long enough to be angry with someone....and when do you know if the "I am sorry," is real....if intentions are good or not. I just love it when children bring to mind things that weigh heavy on my own mind....causing me to think more deeply....to look at my faults....and to wonder. Wonder is one of those beautiful virtues of the young mind.

It has been a different year.....the kids have new friends whom all act differently than the friends they had in Idaho.....in fact....one of the groups of kids is in a constant cycle of drama....fighting, talking behind backs, denying, hating, and then getting over it.... sometimes in a matter of 5 minutes. While this cycle is going on, you can also watch the cycle of embarrassment, hurt, saddness....heartbreak...laughter.... its funny sometimes how quickly they can get over some things and yet hang onto others. This baffles me....only because the things that I would hold onto are the things that they find trivial...and vice versa....

SO my answer to my angelic children..... "You always know when it's time to let go.....to get over it..... You know when your friends are truly your friends or just trying to get information out of you..... You just know....and it's ok not to have a constant war and to be friends with everyone.....even though you might not be friends with everyone all the time."

"We attach our feelings to the moment when we were hurt, endowing it with immortality. And we let it assault us every time it comes to mind. It travels with us, sleeps with us, hovers over us while we love, and broods over us while we die. Our hate does not even have the decency to die when those we hate die--for it is a parasite sucking OUR blood, not theirs. There is only one remedy for it. [forgiveness] -Lewis Smedes

How can you ever know who your friends are?
A true friend is someone who is always there for you, with no agenda other than the friendship itself. We rely on our friends to lift us up in bad times, but most importantly, to be there for us when we need nothing at all.

"A true friend will stab you in the front." -Oscar Wilde

SO just some random ramblings of conversations with my wonderful children.....from whom I learn something from daily.

On the lighter side...this morning was fabulous....Sami wouldn't wake up....and then I went in and hugged her...then Tabi went in and hugged her too.....then asked why we did that....which in turn got her a hug. Nat and Angelo laughed over breakfast.....then we sang to "Crazy like the Wolf"......something like that.....it was a funny morning....then Dixie Chic's, Sin Wagon, and Killin Earl started the school day! I love life!

The Stars and Bars....first and most popular flag of the Confederate States....Angelo's project

Another Texas project. Angelo had been inundated with Texas history projects this year... Which I have come to the realization that this is part of the fourth grade.... State history. Though we loved learning about Idaho history, (A little boring) it is always fun to learn another states facts. Angelo has taught us all some fun things that we otherwise would never have learned....Some things that we like....some that we don't.

I do want to say....a little off the subject but Texas related....I refuse to make my children Pledge to the Texas flag. I wouldn't say it and think my children shouldn't have too. Weird.... a little creepy that they do this everyday....but more power to ya.

Back to this project.......When told he was going to have to make this flag all the possibilities came to mind. We chose, however, to go a somewhat cheap route considering between the four kids, since moving to this beautiful state we have done more projects than we ever did the entire time in Idaho. We purchased a cheap white pillow case, some acrylic paint (fabric paints were more expensive and we didn't think this would go through the wash), some sponge brushes that came in a pack of 5 for $1.

First off we ironed the creases out of the case. Then Angelo and I measured out the boxes that would make up the red, white, and blue areas. Angelo painted in these spaces, then we let it dry. Angelo is left handed, it was never more obvious that I couldn't be as talented as he was painting, left handed.....it looked awkward...and I had to let him set it all up because right down to where I sat the paints to where the pillow case was, was awkward for him.

After the box of blue and the stripes dried we stenciled on the stars...... then with the same sponge brush he painted on the stars. There were touch ups after the fact....but for a kids project this was a huge score and relatively easy!!!