Jingle all the way through December

December has been very busy for us.  It started off with Christmas shopping. A surprise trip to Disney definitely added some excitement to the month.  Owen and TJ were surprised at home and we all surprised Ryley and Joey at school.  Their smiles were priceless and watching their innocence in Magic Kingdom is something we will always treasure.  

We had an amazing trip together.  There is nothing better than being away with your kids and just spending time together.  I loved not having a schedule to follow and I loved holding their hands as we walked through the parks and seeing them smile.  Just being together is what matters most.   We came home to a 70th bday party for Pop Pop and a family Christmas party and didn't stop for a few weeks. It was busy and fun and exciting.  It always seems like Christmas comes and goes so fast.  You have to treasure each moment and it  truly is magic to watch your kids at Christmas time.  I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.  I appreciate what I have and know that I am lucky.  Tonight I sit here and smile.  All is quiet.  The Dargan kids are sleeping, and as I put them to bed earlier, I took a few extra minutes to just kiss them a few more times and hug them a little longer. With such a busy month,  you sometimes have to stop for a minute and look around and take a few extra minutes to just hold whats most important to you.  Love you guys so much.

Thanks from the Dargans

TJ -  I am thankful for my family and for the sun!

Joey  - I am thankful for my family, my home, my bed, the ocean, my puppy, my cousins (the list was endless)

Ryley - I am thankful for my family.  My mommy always takes me fun places and my daddy always tucks me in.  My puppy always plays with me in the backyard.

Owen - I am thankful for my family and my puppy Hobson, grandpa (he really has a special bond with grandpa)


As for me, well I too am thankful for my family.  I am thankful for a marriage filled with love.  I am thankful for our 4 beautiful children and their health.  I am thankful that I wait each day at the bus stop for them and I get to see their smiling faces when they get off the bus.  I am thankful for what I have in my life, and I want to cherish it always.

2012 - Joe, Ryley, Joey, Owen, TJ & Hobson - Life is wonderful with you!  I love you all so much. 

Highlights of my week

TJ watching "The Muppets" and telling all of us that he doesn't want "stick up hair" like the character on TV.  He made us all laugh.

Owen coming downstairs in his Spider man "feety pajamas"  (actually feetless) and being so proud of them.  He was so excited that he had to get Joe in the bathroom just to show him.  He said he loved his new feety pajamas even though his feet stick out the bottom.  Pure innocence!

My parents stopped by after school one day and said it was probably a bad tine to stop by because we have so much going on.  Joey says, "GG and Grandpa, any time is a good time for you guys to stop by."

Ryley got invited to a birthday party at Bounce U.  Ryley says, "Mommy, I  would rather stay with you guys and GG and Grandpa then go to the party."  That is so cute to me.

Ryley needed socks for school this morning.  She was tired so Owen said, "Ryley, you rest, I will get them for you."

After trick or treating in the parking lot at school, Ryley, Joey, Owen and TJ combined their candy and  shared.  They felt bad that TJ didn't have a lot so they put all their candy together so they could all share it.  They did this on their own.  It makes me proud.

The kids helped Joe and I rake all the leaves and pick up all the sticks from the lawn.

I am so proud of who they are.  To top things off, as I write this Ryely just came downstairs and handed me my phone.  She recorded a message on her itouch and sent it to me.  In her message, she thanked me for the wonderful tine she had these past few days and told me how much she loved me.  Just keeps getting better!  Those are a just a few highlights of my week!

Happy Halloween?

It's November 2012.  I have no pictures to post just yet since my computer is being fixed.  There was no real Halloween this year since Hurricane Sandy payed a visit to New York and New Jersey.  School parades were cancelled and it was too dangerous to go trick or treating.  The kids at least got a chance to dress up and head to the elementary school to have a make shift Halloween and trick or teat at tables instead of houses.  I have to say that the kids were such good sports about it. 

TJ was the cutest dragon ever with his long tail.

Joey was a skeleton which was perfect for his skinny little body.

Owen was the green lantern.  He was very proud and excited to be a superhero.

Ryley was the prettiest pirate.

The Dargan kids rallied.  We all made it through a very cold week with no power, no heat an no electricity.  Joe was away and I was very proud of myself for holding down the fort.  I am proud to say that I can build a great fire and I know how to work a generator.  My, I can do anything, attitude continues.  I did kind of let that attitude go one for night when I packed up the kids and dog and headed to my parents for warmth and company.  I always feel that I can just handle things on my owen and I don't need any help.  The temperature dipped down to 30 Sat night so I figured that was an OK time to screw all that.

The kids were in their glory with GG and Grandpa and I spent some quality time with my parents.  We created a memory.  I slept in my old room and it was comforting to know that my parents were in the next room and Ryley, Joey, Owen and TJ, and Hobson were all safe and warm.  We missed daddy very much but the Dargan kids have one tough mommy!

Exciting moments of the week

Joey scored 3 goals in hockey!

Ryley informed me she has a "crush" on someone.  I would not really consider that exciting.  That would be more shocking to me than exciting.  I am not ready for that at all.

Owen has learned to snap and whistle and he can do both.  He was very proud of himself.

TJ now rides his bike without training wheels!  We are still practicing but he's got it. I will take credit for that!

It has been busy, but we stick together.  There is no school for TJ and Owen on Tuesdays and Thursdays so those are our fun days.  We still have our afternoons when Ryley and Joey get off the bus and I have them all to myself.  I treasure that time so much.  Every night I kiss them and tell them how proud I am of each of them.  I could cry thinking about how much they are growing, but they make me so proud.

Every Mon , Wed and Fri when I pick up TJ, he comes running out of class, jumps into my arms yelling mommy  with a big smile on his face and he and gives me the strongest hug and the biggest kiss.  I treasure that feeling.

Proud

Lately, I feel like we are running around from place to place.  I remember always hearing other parents say how crazy life gets when your kids go to school and get involved in sports.  I also remember saying "that's crazy, that will never be me!" I guess I was wrong!  We are not too invloved yet, but hockey, gymnastics and soccer seems involved enough for me right now.  It may get busy, but we stick together for everything.  We are together to cheer Joey when he skates awesome or gets a goal and we are there to cheer Joey on the field when he is flying past everyone with the soccer ball.  We are there to watch Ryley do her first flip in gymnastics and we are always there to watch her fancy moves on the soccer field.  She is speedy and she informed us that she loves offense because she likes to score goals.  (so cute)  Owen and TJ are ready to get involved too.  They already know the "give and go" and are ready to start. 

I never imagined it would be so much fun to watch them play.  I love watching them have fun and smile and look for me when they score a goal.  I love that they love playing.

Tonight we had a break and I loved that too.  We sat together and read some books.  The boys got haircuts from Joe (the best barber around).  The kids played "airplane".  It's some game they all made up which is adorable to me.  I tucked each one in and told each of them how proud I am of them.  They said I was the best mommy in the world.  Their hugs and hugs filled me with warmth and love.  I sit here now and take a few quiet moments alone and think about each on of them.  It's amazing.

Fall

The first day of fall arrived this past weekend.  We are a few weeks into school and sadly had to officially say goodbye to summer.  Ryley and I are still trying to hang on to flip flips a week longer and the boys refuse to turn their shorts in all together and make the switch to pants.  It's getting a bit harder to hang on.  The mornings are getting cooler and the sun is setting earlier at night.  There is a cool breeze in the air and the leaves are starting to fall.  It's time to embrace it.  What better way to embrace fall then to start with a hayride at the farm along with apple picking.  The Dargan kids love a hayride and every time they go on one, they act like it's the first time.  They always have such excitement.  They stuffed the bag with more apples than it can hold.  They were all smiles as usual.  It's hard to say goodbye to summer, but Ryley, Joey, Owen and TJ make the transition to fall a little bit sweeter!