Where the wild things are!

NEW YORK CITY!!

2010-04-21T12:13:00.013-04:00

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I had never taken a trip to NYC although I have wanted to go ever since we moved to Virginia in 2007. So when the opportunity to chaperon Amber's high school chorus group came up, I jumped on it!We left early Thursday morning and arrived in Times Square after lunch. What can I say- Times Square is chaotic but so much fun! The stores may be the same stores that are local but bigger and better! For example:Toys R Us is 4 stories and has a ferris wheel that you can ride! We had a few hours to walk around Times square, then met at Hard Rock. After this we went to our first Broadway Show at the Minskoff Theater- The Lion King....AMAZING!!! If you ever get the chance- spend the money, it is so worth it! Costumes were out of this world! We finally got to our hotel (in NJ to save on the cost of the trip) close to 12:30 AM....then we had to get all the kids situated in their rooms.

Friday morning, we woke up bright and early and were on the bus back to the city. The first thing on that day's agenda was a Broadway workshop for the kids in Chelsea. This was so much fun! A cast member of Mary Poppins, T Oliver Reid, taught the kids the vocals and choreography for the song "Supercalifragilistic". I am sure everyone remembers this classic from the movie but in the Broadway show it is a bit different and they spell out the whole word and use their bodies to also spell it out. This wasn't all the kids- there were two other groups in different rooms. There are some videos from the workshop at the end of this post. After this we ate in Little Italy. We ate some really yummy food and then had some time to explore Chinatown and Little Italy. I was surprised that my group of girls were interested in checking out Ground Zero, so we walked with another group to the site and then rode the Subway back (I think that was pretty adventurous for us!). Then when our time was up there, we went back to Times Square because there really is so much to see and do there....that night we got to see Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater- which also was out of this world. I loved the movie growing up but this really was above and beyond my expectations! The sets really were incredible. After the show- back to the hotel again close to 12:30! (Half of the kids went to Mary Poppins, the other half Wicked- the seniors got first choice so a lot of them chose Wicked but I was very happy to see Mary Poppins, especially since I had just seen Wicked last month in Richmond and Amber has seen it twice- in Memphis and Richmond)

Saturday morning we got up and packed all our things but we didn't head home yet! This morning we got dropped off in Central Park. Central Park is so big, my group probably spent a good 2 1/2 hours and only walked through a smal portion. We walked along the 5th Ave side so the girls could see the fru fru buildings (like on Gossip Girl). We stopped in at FAO Schwartz and walked by Rockefellor Plaza before yes, heading back to Times Square! We got some New York Pizza and then met up for our final show- Addams Family at the Lunt Fontanne Theater. This show was a funny show but I didn't enjoy it as much as the other two. I think it was because I wasn't really familiar with the music. Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth were Gomez and Morticia, so that was a bonus for the matinee! The young girl who played Wednesday stood out to me and made the show really enjoyable! After this show we got back on the bus and headed back to Fredericksburg. I did get a slice of New York cheesecake to make my bus trip home really nice! I slept a majority of he ride home. I was exhausted and I think I finally have recovered. The trip was worth the exhaustion though and if given the opportunity next year, I think I'll do it again!

Here are the videos from the Broadway workshops:

It's hard to see Amber here because she chose the back of the room

You can kinda see Amber in this in the front with a white tee and sweats

Again- Amber is in the front with white tee and sweats....

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-12T12:46:00.006-05:00

OK a whole new year, so I REALLY am going to keep this updated more!!!

The weekend before Christmas, I went up to Ohio to celebrate Christmas at the annual Sanders/Buttermore sing a long. It's always a great time to catch up on all my cousins and extended family! Here are some pics of Tyler with my mom and sister.

Tyler loves looking out the window at the train that comes by down in the valley.

This is the same weekend that Virginia got the crazy blizzard conditions- so we missed out on that but here are some pictures of what the scene looked like.

This is our back porch and what you are looking at is the chair!

Christmas was good. We had to wait and celebrate it until Jan 1st because Amber was visiting her dad but we did open presents from Santa on Christmas day. We couldn't let Tyler wait the whole week! He was so excited to put out the milk and cookies for Santa. This is the first Christmas that he fully understands Santa. Next year, I think we can start explaining the true meaning of Christmas!

New Year's Eve was pretty quiet. It was spent with a few friends house. Tyler made it all night long- I was ready for bed before him! We went up to DC on Jan 1st since we had to pick up Amber and thought that it would be quiet at the museums...we were wrong but we did make it to a few. Once we found parking, we went to the National Botanical Gardens where we heard there was an amazing train exhibit. If you don't know, TYLER LOVES TRAINS! So we went there and he was in awe the entire time! The set up was rally pretty cool. After that we went to the Air and Space Museum (Robert's favorite!) to waste some time before we headed to the airport.

Once we picked up Amber, we met a close friend of the family- JC Nix and had a huge dinner. After dinner, we headed home to finally have Christmas! This made for a very long night; we got home about 9:00 PMand opened presents until after 11:30 PM... we were exhausted!

Amber was lucky to get both Wicked tickets and sold out Taylor Swift tickets!

Hope your Christmas and New Year were wonderful and spent with the ones who care.

Slacker.....

2009-11-18T13:45:00.004-05:00

I know I am a slacker. I will try and keep this updated more often. I just let time slip away too much!

It is now official, we have painted every room in our house since move in 2-1/2 years ago. We finally updated our bathroom from the builders standard and I think it turned out pretty decent.

I don't have a before shot and pardon the cluttered sink....

The hardest part is always refinishing cabinets and no, they are not perfect but I did my best!

Here is a cute picture of Tyler "playing" with Abbie

A photo of our visit to Arizona:

And a photo of us at the Marine Corps Ball"

I cannot promise but I am going to try my hardest to keep this updated!!!

Summer 2009....so far!

2009-07-16T08:30:00.005-04:00

I think we are getting to about the middle of summer here in Virginia. We have been gone for most of it, having a great time in Hawaii and Ohio.

First stop....Hawaii! We had such a good time in Hawaii. We stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach (the one with Tiki's) and had wonderful views of all Waikiki and the sunsets. Of course, we didn't spend much time in the room. The North Shore was our most visited location (as it was when we lived there!). The first day the water was flat which is the norm for the summer, the next day we returned and there was a really rough shore break but Robert enjoyed getting out there and doing some body surfing. We also headed out to Lanikai and kayaked out to the Mokes, hiking around to the back. The kayaking out there was hard....I have done it before, but the swells were 4-6 feet and the wind was like 30 mph....Rob was determined to do it so I agreed. I think it was harder for me because I was in a kayak with Amber (who if you don't know thinks walking to the mailbox 50 feet in front of our house is exercise). Luckily I have been hitting the gym for a good time now and we survived! We saw some friends while we were there- my dearest friend on the island, Steve, who I worked alongside for 5 years. While we lived in Hawaii, he treated us like family; he really made sure we were taken care of when Robert was away on deployments and I will never forget his friendship. Amber got to see her best friend Taylor. She said getting back together and hanging out was like Amber never left. I am so thankful they have kept that friendship going; it's so much easier now to keep in touch with email and cell phones!

Here are some photos from Hawaii:

Waimea Bay (typical summer day)

Waimea Bay (unusual swell)

View from our balcony

Manoa Falls

Amber and Taylor (together again!)

On the Mokes

Hopefully I can find the time to share our Ohio vacation soon!

Ready for Summer!

2009-05-27T07:40:00.003-04:00

This is such a busy time of year. There are so many events going on with the end of school- and I only have Amber in school. Luckily, Tyler will start kidnergarten when Amber is a senior!

With all the activities going on, I find myself looking forward to our summer vacations! First off is Hawaii for a week. Tyler will be staying at Meme and Papa's- hopefully he can cope with being away from Mommy for a week! He loves to be outside so I am sure he will have a blast while we are gone. Abbie (our dog) will also be keeping him company! After Hawaii, we will stay on in Ohio and spend some time with my family. Our 10th anniversary is also coming up and we are going to New Orleans for a short weekend. Robert says he is more excited about the New Orleans trip than the Hawaii trip- I really can't believe that! And right after that Dave Mattews is coming to Virginia and we got our tickets and can't wait!

I think I forgot to mention that Amber got her braces off. I didn't take specific picture of her with them off (ALTHOUGH I SHOULD HAVE!!!), she took this with her phone in the bathroom of the orthodontist office and sent it to me.

We are in the midst of Little Mermaid. I have been forgetting my camera but finally took it on Sunday when we watched the show. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of Amber- she is wonderful on stage. She also auditioned for the high school Show Choir and got a callback which I got her late too. Because she was late she had to learn all the choreography while watching everyone dance and just try and jump in. After the call back I felt awful- knowing it was my fault if she didn't make it. She was OK with it saying there was always next year. Saturday the list was up and she made it! I think she may be the only Freshman who made it! She is so talented and such a good hearted kid

This time of year....

2009-05-04T09:09:00.004-04:00

is sooooooo extremely busy! Not only does Amber have a million things happening at school, she will also be in Little Mermaid later this month and she has been having rehersals a lot of weekends. I guess I am not too busy but I feel like I am in the car chauferring most of my day!!!

We took a short trip to Hershey, PA over Easter weekend. It was a lot of fun for everyone. On the way there, we drove through Gettysburg. Since Tyler LOVES trains, we went on the Easter Bunny train and he had a blast. Heshey Park was open for "Springtime in the Park"; most of the rides were open. It was in the 50s but we all bundled up and had fun. Amber and Robert went off to ride the roller coasters and I took Tyler on the kiddie rides- which were a lot of fun for him and not so much for me! Trying to fit my long legs in those small spaces was not easy and then the annoying horns on every ride gave me a headache after a while..... but Tyler eventually got tired of riding so we took a break!

On the Easter Bunny Train:

Being cool in Gettysburg:

Tyer's favorite ride at Hershey Park:

We were planning on leaving Hershy around 3:00 but ended up having so much fun, we stayed until it closed at 6:00....so we got home late on Easter evening (had our Easter dinner at Wendy's)....the next day we finally dyed our Easter egg (I told you we were busy!) and had our ham dinner!

I'll try to update a little more, depending if I get some time! The only way I am doing this now is because I stayed home from my spin class today!

Seussical was AMAZING!

2009-03-03T08:45:00.006-05:00

So the final show was Sunday....it was SOLD OUT and we had so many walk ins we had to add more seats! And may I add that it was snowing heavily outside and it didn't deter people! It did postpone our strike party though until next weekend which is probably not a bad thing so the cast can rest up and get healthy....many of the kids were hit with some illness....it seems that everything was going around- strep, the flu, viruses of many kinds! Those kids are tough though, they were singing with high fevers and throwing up backstage....not a fun thing to envision but the crowds had no idea..... like I said, these kids were tough- if it were me, I'd be asleep in my warm cozy bed!

Here is a video and some photos! Enjoy! (There are also some videos on my Myspace- click on the link for Sara's Myspace on the left!)

We're Whos

Seussical is here!

2009-02-20T13:48:00.005-05:00

Opening night is tonight and it's going to be great. Last night was dress rehersal, so I took a few snippits of the show. I'll try and get a few more and update!

Amber is a Whoville Dance Teacher and she has a really cute costume. I will try and get a really good photo of her and her "dance students".

"Chasing the Who's"

"How Lucky You Are (reprise)" End of Act I

I've been a little busy....

2009-02-15T08:58:00.005-05:00

So I try and keep this updated but I have been busy every weekend and too much on my mind. I did finally upload some photos so I thought I would post them....there are none of Amber because she is never home! Seussical opens on Friday so I will have some photos of the show to share with everyone... Robert flew Obama for the first time on Friday. He is up in Chicago so of course we spent another Valentine's Day apart. I had fun though, I went to dinner with some friends and got some much needed adult conversation! Most days the majority of my conversations are dealing with Thomas the Train or Legos! Any way here are some cute photos of the Ty guy....
His more serious side!

Close up...when he sees the camera he always wants to grab it

OK- here is a picture of Amber's rehersal....you can play "where's Amber". I am sure you won't find her! But that's a lot of kids on stage! This is a "goof off" moment!

Doctor's orders: Milkshakes

2009-01-15T13:06:00.006-05:00

Last Friday I took Tyler to his 2 year check up. The doctor said he looked great. She first told me I could switch him onto 2% milk until she had me undress him.....and she said, "Well let's keep him on whole milk for another 6 months." She looked at the charts and said he was 6 lbs underweight for his age, falling off the charts....he weighs only 23 lbs. So she told me to feed him mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza.....which are all the things I have been feeding him because this is not the first time that I heard he was small..... he is just a small guy- I mean look at Robert, he weighs nothing too! The doctor did have him run and she said she has never seen a 2 year old run as fast and as well as Tyler did. I told her that could be part of his weight problem, because all he does is RUN around all day long. So I will be making Tyler milkshakes everyday per doctors orders (and hopefully I don't gain 6 lbs too!)

Tyler had his birthday party and had lots of fun with all his friends. This year he understood opening up presents, so he now attacks them and goes through them very quickly! Thanks to all who thought of Ty on his birthday, you made it great!

In other news.....I am on the makeup and hair committee for Amber's next show- Seussical..... meaning I have to attempt "Who hair". This is not an easy task especially since I am not a hair person! If anyone has any ideas I am open to hearing them! If you are in the area and want to see the show, let me know and I'll get you a ticket. This is going to be the best show yet, there is some amazing talent and I am blown away when I hear them rehearse!

Christmas in Virginia

2009-01-07T10:01:00.007-05:00

Well I have been pretty busy throughout the holidays....therefore the late post! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that the New Year is starting out wonderful and will continue to be!

I tried to buy less gifts this year (which I did) BUT I still ended up spending the same amount that I did last year! Oh well, maybe next year! Me and RObert did get a few gift....a steam cleaner and new blinds for the house- which we just ordered! TYler has destoyed the mini blinds so we are going for something that can withstand his wrath! Here are a few photos of our Christmas.

Amber got lots of clothes and cds.

Amber with her Rock Band game. Highly addictive!

Tyler loves trains!

Tyler's face was like this on a lot of pictures!

Dunking on his new basketball hoop!

Robert and Amber concentrating while playing Rock Band.

Christmas giving

2008-12-17T08:06:00.002-05:00

OK people.....all of you out there that spend at least $100 on gifts for friends and family need to spend at least $20 (or some of your time) on someone who may not be so fortunate to get a present. Stop by your local mall or grocery store and pick someone off the Angel Tree.....donate an unwrapped toy to Toys for Tots.....volunteer some time at your local soup kitchen...there are so many more ways to make a difference, so get out there and do it. It's not too late!!! Your life will be so much more complete if you share some compassion.

Happy holidays to everyone. I hope everyone is able to spend some time the way they wish! My sister, Jessica, just arrived last night. She was able to see Amber in her chorus concert at school. Amber had a solo and she rocked it out. We (me, Amber, Tyler, and Jessica) are driving to Ohio on Friday afternoon to spend some time with our family and attend the "30th Christmas Sing-Along". It is a great family tradition my family has and it's great to see most everyone. We are also going to deliver our items to my family's adopted family for Christmas the same day, a new tradition my family has done for the past two years....I think this tradition is also a keeper and can continue for 30 years!!! Me, Amber, and Tyler will be driving home on the 23rd to spend Christmas with Robert.....he is bummed he can't make it to Ohio due to work.

I am not sure if I will have much time between now and Christmas to write on my blog...so Merry Christmas to all!

Willy Wonka part 2

2008-11-24T14:26:00.008-05:00

Willy Wonka's show ended yesterday. It was a great show. Amber had a blast. Thanks for anyone who was able to come and see it and support CYT. And for those who haven't gotten to a show, if you are able to you should try and make the next show- Seussical..... these shows are amazing for a non-profit group that rehearses for 9 weekends! I was blown away when we saw our first CYT show- we were hooked....Enjoy the videos! These videos are a little hard to see....if you go to my MySpace you can make them larger!

(Above) Candy Man Can- Amber is a Candy Man Kid and she is in a purple shirt and is wearing her hair in pigtails....

(above) Golden Ticket - In this, Amber is again a Candy Man Kid and is singing in the last part of the scene.

(above) Blew It - Amber's not in this scene but it's cute- it's when Violet turns into a blueberry!

(above)This is the finale....Amber is wearing all black and has a silver face. She is the second from the left when they squat down....

Willy Wonka- 1st weekend

2008-11-20T14:34:00.004-05:00

Ok- I have finally recovered from the first weekend of Willy Wonka (and yes, it is Thursday....and the craziness starts all over again tonight!) The show is really great and the kids are doing a magnificent job on all their scenes....and the parents are doing great on their end too! I helped out with the sets "pre show" and I am mainly selling refreshments during the show but I also get to go backstage during the second act and help with squirrel makeup, handing off props to the Oompa Loompas, and corral kids to make sure they are where they need to be.... it is pretty hectic backstage and it's amazing how the show comes together. Amber is a Candy Man Kid and a Shadow Worker. I have a couple videos from last weekend and I'll try to get a few more this weekend and post them next week, until then, here are a few photos......

Amber- Shadow Worker

Inside the chocolate factory

Violet (the blueberry) and Oompas

Willy Wonka and Oompas

Amber and friend Sheridan before the show in Candy Man costume (Amber has on a cover up shirt so she could eat!)

And here is my little man being a monkey. I kept hearinghim in the other room, up to no good and I walk in and he is on the buffet....so the third time I got him on tape- caught in the action!

Marine Corps Ball 2008

2008-11-12T12:02:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was the Marine Corps Ball. Luckily for Robert, my birthday is the day after the Marine Corps birthday, so he never forgets and lucky for me, my birthday is Veterans' Day, so I usually get to spend it with my family because school is out and usually Robert is off work!

The Ball was really fun this year. We were stuck in this back room and could barely hear or see any of the ceremony- but it was really nice because we didn't have to be on edge the whole ceremony- we were kinda like the "kid's table" section and we could be loud and talk and not get evil looks! I got to wear my favorite dress again; unfortunately I didn't get any full length pictures because my dress is amazing! The dancing afterwards was fun, even though me and Sonia were out there mostly with the "Younger" crowd- we didn't care! opefully next year is a blast just like this one!

Our Election Day

2008-11-05T09:39:00.004-05:00

So we went to DC for Election Day....not for any reason, just because we had the time and Robert insists that me and Amber should see the monuments at night. Of course the day we pick it is drizzling so it deterred us a little for seeing a majority of the monuments up close. we'll try again after the holidays (because we are too busy to do it before!).

Just want to say a little something about the election. If you were a McCain supporter I hope you are able to deal with Obama and not be a sore loser, and for the Obama supporters, I hope you can get over what has happened in the past and not be a "sore winner". What our country needs to do is stop being so polarized and start being united no matter what our views, there has to be some common ground. I am tired of being the American in the middle of all the fighting! It seems that people are just disagreeing to prove their point which only makes our country more and more divided! I wish all those people in Congress could see what this is doing to our country, it seems that they are blind and hopefully that will change....maybe it is part of this "change" that Obama is talking about; I guess we will just have to wait and see.

2008-10-29T13:12:00.005-04:00

Sorry it's been a few days (oops weeks) since the last post! We have had a lot of stuff going on. With Robert going to DC every weekend for work, me trying to do sets for Amber's show and Amber having rehearsals and a teenager's life, we have been going nonstop! Tyler is the only one without plans but he is always busy so I am glad he doesn't!

Since the last post, I have had minor outpatient surgery to have a lipoma removed from my right side....very minor; it just gived me a headache because I haven't been to the gym in two weeks.....the plan is to go back on Monday and rejoin my spin class!

Also since then, it has gotten really cold! Time to put up the shorts and tank tops and get out the jeans and sweaters! I don't mind the cold! The leaves are really getting beautiful and then they will be all over the lawn and they won't be so beautiful anymore, just another big chore for us to clean up!

Amber's show is getting close, only two and a half weeks before opening night. Those kids are always ready though and the shows are (as Amber would say) UH-MAZ-ING! I am posting some old videos from before her auditions. These were the two songs she chose from to do and it was last moment to prepare and only one minute for the audition. Once Willy Wonka is over, I will add some short clips from the show!

Take care until next time!

"He's A Tramp" from Lady and the Tramp

"Finale B" from Rent

Skyline Drive

2008-10-15T19:33:00.004-04:00

So this past weekend, my best friend Amy was visiting. We had a great time! We went to Georgetown for a night on the town and the next day did some sightseeing on the National Mall (of course I forgot the camera that day!) We also drove to Shenedoah National Park and drove on Skyline Drive to see the leaves changing color. Here are some photos from that trip.

Super Baby and sis!

2008-10-07T08:34:00.010-04:00

Tyler for some reason wanted to put on his blanket like a cape and run around the house. The first time he screamed like a maniac but when the camera came out he didn't do it (of course).

And what kid doesn't like to walk around in BIG shoes?

And here some photos of Amber and Ty. Amber took these. Seriously, what is it with kids and cameras these days? Amber has a sleepover and they take at least 100 pictures! We go to the mall and they are posing with mannequins, taking pictures next to the candy bins.......then they have to go post them on MySpace immediately!

Dance Dance Tyler!

2008-10-01T08:05:00.007-04:00

Amber had a song by Pink on her Myspace page and everytime she played it Tyler started to do this Riverdance looking dance. We thought it was funny so I thought I'd share it. This is our entertainment in our house. (Yes, I already know that I don't get out much, so please don't comment on that!) And usually Ty has on pants!

As you can see it happens almost every time we play this song....if you haven't already had enough!

So if you got bored of the Ty action, here's a little something from Amber..... my other form of entertainment!

Hope these videos brought you a smile to your face and maybe a little chuckle!

I'm new to this so cut me some slack!

2008-09-23T12:25:00.009-04:00

OK....so finally after months of thinking about doing this, I am finally getting around to it! I hope to keep this updated with pics and videos of family events so all our friends and family can keep up with us! I have a hard time keeping up with us, so hopefully this will provide me an easier way to keep you all up to date too....I am sure some of you will be surprised to know that Amber is 13 (almost 14) and an 8th grader, with all the drama that goes along with it....and she is a drama queen.....seriously, she is in some musical theater performances with an awesome group, CYT. She really is a great kid with a big heart! You may also be surprised that Tyler is 20 months old and has like 20 teeth and lots of blonde hair....he is a crazy man and him and our puppy, Abbie, like to get into a lot of trouble together! (OK I guess Abbie is over a year but she is a black lab so until she is three, we are supposed to consider her a puppy!) They like to drive me crazy but I guess that's what I get for having a baby and buying a puppy so close together. At least we have an easy way to clean up food after Tyler is done eating. If you have the time, send me an email; I only check it like 20 times a day so I don't consider myself obsessed!