THINKING CHRISTMAS ALREADY?

So I'm sure you noticed the new countdown on my page and are thinking to yourself that I must be nuts to be thinking of Christmas already!!! Truth is, I've already started shopping...this might be the first year that I'm not going to be out on Christmas Eve hunting down last minute gifts. Kind of a goal I've set for myself...and well, I have to work Christmas Eve so I'm kind of screwed if I don't get the shopping done on time. I love the holiday season!!! This year will be especially fun with it being Ian's first Christmas. Tyler is still fun too, but the magic has gone out of it for him. He no longer believes in the big fat guy in the red suit...kind of depressing. I think I'll make him sit on Santa's lap with his brother for a picture this year...yea, I'm evil :) Happy shopping...whenever you might start :)

I SURVIVED...

...the first week of Tyler in middle school!!!...and yes so did he. He's only hit a few minor speed bumps along the way...got lost twice, missed his bus to come home once...I guess that's not too bad. I have just realized that my son is completely unorganized. Tyler has a folder for each class in his binder...and yet there are still papers just kind of stuck in the binder. I guess I should just be happy the papers make it home. But when I ask "Ty do you need this?"...his response is always, "um, I don't know...maybe I should keep it. Just put it back where you found it that way I know where it is"...seriously how can he know where something is if it's just shoved in the binder? Ugh it's gonna be a long way to graduation for him. I just sat and did his homework with him...what an experience. Last year I wasn't even allowed to look at his homework while he did it! It was so nice to just sit there and watch him breeze thru his work...made me relax a little and think that maybe, just maybe, he'd be ok. Now it's time to study for his spelling test tomorrow...I don't even know if I can spell some of these words. Here's looking forward to the second week...

ANOTHER WONDERFUL BOOK

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
By James Patterson

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: (taken from Double Day Book Club)
Dear Katie,
No words or actions could begin to tell you what I'm feeling now. I'm so sorry about what I allowed to happen between us. It was all my fault, of course. I take all the blame.
Maybe this diary will explain things better than I ever could. If you have the heart, read it. It's about my wife and son, and me. I will warn you, though, there will be parts that may be hard for you to read.
I never expected to fall in love with you, but I did.
Matt."
Katie Wilkinson longs to turn back the clock for some clue to explain why, after 11 joyous months, Matt Harrison has left her. Now the answer is in her hands. With foreboding, Katie opens the diary she doesn't want to read, but knows she must. She learns the writer is a woman named Suzanne, speaking to her baby son, Nicholas, of the dreams and joy he has brought her. They are Matt's wife and child.
In this stunning departure from his blockbuster thrillers, James Patterson proves that raw emotion is still his m.o. As we learn of Matt's other life and the secrets that bind him to the past, we are filled with heart-wrenching sympathy. And we wonder whether Katie's love will prove strong enough to free him.

WHAT I THOUGHT:
What a sad love story...entwined with a wonderful love story. I've read this book multiple times (and will still probably read it again) and love it. It's a nice, quick, easy read that makes you thankful for all that you have and sad for all that can be lost. This is my favorite passage from the book..."I love watching you grow, but at the same time I don't like seeing time fly by so fast. It's hard to explain; I don't really know how. But there's something so precious about watching your child day after day after day. I want to hold on to every moment, every smile, every single hug and kiss. I suppose it has to do with loving to be needed and needing to give love." That passage made me look at my two boys and just smile...that's exactly how I feel about them. Definitely a must read if you're into sentimental stuff...but don't be afraid to let the tears flow.

BOOK REVIEWS

It's been awhile since I've posted on my reading. Here's the latest of my reads and my reviews...

The Last Summer (of you and me)
by Ann Brashers

WHAT IT'S ABOUT(from author's website)...
In the town of Waterby on Fire Island, the rhythms and rituals of summer are sacrosanct: the ceremonial arrivals and departures by ferry; yacht club dinners with terrible food and breathtaking views; the virtual decree against shoes; and the generational parade of sandy, suntanned kids, running, swimming, squealing, and coming of age on the beach.
Seat against this vivid backdrop, The Last Summer (of You and Me) is the enchanting, heartrending story of a beach-community friendship triangle among three young adults for whom summer and this place have meant everything. Sister Riley and Alice, now in their twenties, have been returning to their parents’ modest beach house every summer for their entire lives. Petite, tenacious Riley is a tomboy and a lifeguard, always ready for a midnight swim, a gale-force sail, or a barefoot sprint down the beach. Beautiful Alice is lithe, gentle, a reader and a thinker, and worshipful of her older sister. And every summer growing up, in the big house that overshadowed their humble one, there was Paul, a friend as important to both girls as the place itself, who has now finally returned to the island after three years away. But his return marks a season of tremendous change, and when a simmering attraction, a serious illness, and a deep secret collide, the three friends are launched into an unfamiliar adult world, a world from which their summer haven can no longer protect them.
Ann Brashares has won millions of fans with her blockbuster series The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in which she so powerfully captured the emotional complexities of female friendship and young love. With The Last Summer (of You and Me), she moved on to introduce a new set of characters and adult relationships just as true, endearing, and unforgettable. With warmth, humor, and wisdom, Brashares makes us feel the excruciating joys and pangs of love.

WHAT I THOUGHT...
Once I got thru the beginning (which started slow) I truly enjoyed this book. This book took me thru a mix of emotions from laughter to sadness. I don't want to give anything away but it definitely took a turn that I wasn't expecting. I'd say this was the best book I've read since reading The Beach House...not sure it's as good but definitely comparable. I would definitely recommend this to others.



Sam's Letter's to Jennifer
by James Patterson

WHAT IT'S ABOUT... (taken from Double Day Book Club)
Despite Jennifer’s growing fame as a Chicago newspaper columnist, the untimely death of her husband followed by a devastating miscarriage has made pain her constant companion. The only family she has left is her beloved grandmother Sam, who, Jennifer has learned, is in a coma. The news is almost more than she can bear….

Jennifer rushes to her idyllic hometown of Lake Geneva, frantic to be by Sam’s side. Alone in her grandmother’s house, she comes across a packet of letters—addressed to her—in which Sam reveals the shocking news that her dashing, debonair husband, Jennifer’s grandfather, was abusive. Like most women those days, Sam accepted her fate…until she fell desperately in love.

When not reading the letters or keeping vigil at her grandmother’s bedside, Jennifer becomes reacquainted with Brendan Keller, an old childhood friend. Brendan is the well-muscled stranger Jennifer has seen swimming in the lake late at night, and who, she’s guilt-ridden to admit, fills her with longing. But while the story of Sam’s grand passion inspires Jennifer to open her heart, will the letters give her the strength to survive when more unthinkable anguish comes her way…?

WHAT I THOUGHT...
I loved this book!!! I read it in just a few hours. This was one that I just could not put down...I just kept wanting to know what would happen next. This book has actually made me go back and reread Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas...another Patterson favorite of mine. Definitely recommended if you're looking for a quick easy read that will pull you thru a string of emotions.

GOOD LUCK!!!

- Myspace Comments
Just want to take a moment to wish my wonderful sister in law, Kim, good luck tomorrow on her first day at her new job as a teacher's aide. I'm sure it's hard going back to work but I know you'll do wonderful! Enjoy your day and I expect a full days report tomorrow evening :)

FAMILY PICTURES

We went today with Gary's brother and his family to have a big family picture taken. We went over to Portrait Inovations...seriously if you haven't checked them out you should. We ended up having 122 pictures taken...now we didn't buy them all but we did buy quite a few. In fact we bought so much that we got a disk with every picture that they took on it for free. So of course I have uploaded them to my smug mug (i'm still in the editing process so be patient...there's alot of what appear to be duplicates)...enjoy
click here to see my pics...

MY PRECIOUS PEANUT

Just thought I'd post an update on my little niece, Elle. She is about 5 1/2 months old now and already has 2 teeth! (Ian still has none) She is now rolling over and is quite vocal...and of course as cute as always. Here's some recent pics of her while she was snuggling with her daddy...now seriously...how cute is she?