September 20, 2008- Happy 8th Birthday

What a special day this is for you and me both! Your 8th Birthday. I can't believe it. Happy 8th Birthday Conner! I love you with all my heart.

Always, Mom

PS - We are having a family party for Conner today and I'll be updating the blog with pics. Stay tuned!

Ike Update

Thankfully everyone in the Hobock, Walts, Gorski, Cotrone and Snow Family are safe and doing fine. Conner, Papa Jay (my dad) and I stayed at my house.

This is how my house looked the day before the hurricane:

And this is how it looked the next day:

We were very blessed. My fence is torn apart in 3 spots in my back yard but that's a nothing deal in my mind. My neighbors had severe roof damage, a couple of chimneys that flew off, water damage, etc.

Below is a picture of our "safe room" (ok cleaned out closet) with Conner's twin mattress in the event the winds got too bad or we heard a tornado. We were all set, but didn't need to use it!

My Mom, Dad, Grandparents and Sisters' houses are all ok too. We had Angels looking out for us, that's for sure.

NOW FOR THE BAD

My Dad's Mini Storage Business is a couple of miles away from my house and I'll let you assess the damage below:

This is his neighbors roof which is now on my Dad's property:

Here's a different angle:

This is the front office as well as an apartment that the on-site Manager lives in

And here is what is left of the roof that was once on the office/apartment above

Another angle of the roof

Here's what is left of the living room

And this is what's left of the bedroom

Fortunately the family is ok and working to pick up the pieces. I'm proud of how my Dad is handling the situation and helping this family rebuild their lives. In my opinion, he is going above and beyond what most business owners would do and it's a very refreshing thing to see. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. Jenn

Best Mom Ever...

As many of you know Conner has been pretty sick this week so I'm doing my best to keep him entertained with some arts and crafts when he feels up to it. This is what he made me today!

And I didn't even have to bribe him to put "BEST MOM EVER" on it. Doesn't get much better than that my friends! Thank you Conner! I will cherish this forever!

Carnival Games For Halloween Party!

Since I couldn't add these pics to the evite, I thought I would add them to Conner's blog so you know what you're in for. Below are pictures of the games. We will also be serving hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy. I hope you to see you there! (Please RSVP to the evite!)

Basketball Fun

Baseball Game

Shooter Game

Spongebob Bouncer

Popcorn Stand

Hotdog Machine

Halloween Fun

I absolutely love decorating for holidays so even though it is rather early, I decided to get my Halloween things out to surprise Conner when he gets home. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures! BTW - I'm not done yet. I want to go all out this year! I have fun things for my yard but thought my neighbors would think I was going bonkers putting it out so early!

My Kitchen Island

Our Dining Room Table....Who needs crystal really?

What's Halloween without a pumpkin!

This is what AS chose for our house last year!

This is our fun kitchen table! There is usually at least one kid from the neighborhood eating dinner with us each night.

This candy bucket will be filled to the brim come Halloween time!

Saturday Salsa

While Conner was with his Dad this weekend, I decided to get domesticated and can salsa. Conner absolutely loves salsa and since I enjoy cooking, I thought this would be a perfect combination to a beautiful Saturday. Check out the amazing ingredients below.

This process took much longer than I anticipated but I enjoyed every minute of it. It literally took ALL day. The roasted vegetables left the most amazing aroma in my house. That alone was worth it, although the Salsa tasted pretty good if I do say so myself. This is the end result.

I would highly recommend anyone that enjoys cooking and salsa to try this. It is great for last minute hostess gifts (I'm gonna jazz it up with some printed cloth around the rims and a "homemade by jenn" card. The rest should last Conner and me a good 6 months of mouth watering healthy/snacks (without the chips that is!). Enjoy!

Sunsets At The Lake!

One of the many reasons I love the Lakehouse!

Labor Day Weekend!

Conner and I had a fabulous weekend at the lake:

We were joined by Aunt Angie and Chris

And Papa Jay and Margie,

Conner rode the tube ALL BY HIMSELF for the very first time

Go Faster Papa Jay!

Whoa! Watch Out Guys...Here I come!

This is Totally Awesome!

Coming Back In

But not for long....watch out Mom, here I come!

Now that was fun!Back in the boat and to the house.

Until next time! Peace!