Cassidy's May Happenings

This post is a little behind as we went on vacation in May, and the whole month I was focused on that. A lot happened in May and I wanted to share some of what we were up to.

First, Cassidy had taken ballet class at school and they had a recital. It was so cute and I was so proud. I got some video as well, but I will have to figure out how to post that. The pictures will have to do for now...I was very impressed from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year. Cassidy really learned a lot. She loved her ballet teacher Ms. Nikki, and I am sure that made a huge difference.




Before it got to be to warm outside, Cassidy enjoyed helping Daddy in the yard as well. She felt like she was really making a difference, and it was really cute for them to spend some Daddy daughter time together out there. Mike is so good with explaining things to her, and not loosing his patience, unlike Mommy.

From May 2010 - Helping Daddy in the Yard

From May 2010 - Helping Daddy in the Yard

From May 2010 - Helping Daddy in the Yard

Some of the other fun we had was playing with sidewalk chalk. Cassidy is so creative and loves drawing. So what better way then to draw on the sidewalk and be able to have a whole clean canvas. Unfortunately, now it is getting pretty hot, but we are trying to get out when we can.



Below has to be one of my favorite pics of Cassidy. She is so sheek with her sunglasses on! She cracks me up!




Take care until next post!

Around the Town in Hilton Head

These are pictures specific of the town and the shows we saw. There are many things to see and do in Hilton Head. The views are beautiful and we even went to Harbour Town and saw Shannan Tanner. If you have never heard of him, I am trying to publish a movie from his show. Cassidy even got up on stage. She got a little shy when she was up there, but it was still adorable. (That video is a little shakey, and Mommy was talking in the background because I was so excited.) I was so proud of Cassidy even though she didn't sing a song. Maybe next time we go she will. We also saw Greg Russell who does kids shows there. All the grandkids had "Are we there yet?" shirts thanks to Mimi and Poppy Dick. That is one of the songs that Greg Russell sings and all the grandkids got called up and Greg Russell talked with them. It was so cute!



Take care until next post!

More Beach Fun on Hilton Head

So if I hadn't taken enough photos or shared enough photos, I found some more that I had not blogged. Like I have said in the previous vacation posts we spent a lot of time on the beach and just hanging out. It was amazing! Enjoy!
Until Next post!

Pool Time and Bike Fun

It's amazing to me...you travel hundreds of miles to a beautiful beach, and since the house has a pool, where do the kids want to spend most of their time???? In the pool! Although we spent a lot of time on the beach, we spent a lot of time in the pool as well. I can't complain too much because I do enjoy a pool over the salt of the ocean.



In Hilton Head, it is not odd to see everyone on bikes. The island is small enough to be able to bike to the local shopping areas, or to go to play put put golf as well. One day we decided that we were going to go play put put golf, so we all hoped on our bikes, and took off. About half way there it started thundering. We decided that it might be best to not try to play put put golf, and headed back to the house. We still had a good time, but thankfully Mike had Cassidy on the back of his bike. She road a "tag a long" and LOVED IT! She thought she was helping with the pedaling, and really enjoyed feeling like a big girl!



Until next post!

Around the House in Hilton Head

So here are some random pictures of other things we did on vacation. We swam in the pool at the house, went to a couple of shows in town, rode bikes, and I did a family photo shoot for us. Thanks to Photoshop and my amazing husband, we were able to get a family photo with all of us, including myself and my brother in law that helped with taking the pictures.



With all the kiddos we had, we spent a lot of time just hanging out. Ami found a place she loved to hide, the bigger kids slept in a couple of mornings, Poppy Dick and Mimi Kim read stories to the little ones as well. We had a lot of good quality family time. It was a lot of fun.



Here are some of the scenic views we had from the house. The house was AMAZING. It was large enough for all of us. Each family had their own room. It had a private pool as well. The below album is taken from the back of the house, with the view of the beach. It was beautiful!



Next post I will have some of the town happenings!

Until then!

Little Ami Ye Parrish

This is the adorable Ami Ye! I love my niece! She is such a cutie and getting so big. My sister and brother-in-law adopted Ami Ye from China. She is such a blessing for our family. Ami had a lot of fun on the beach as well as Cassidy. She enjoyed the water, and playing the sand as well. Here are some really cute shots that I was able to capture.

I miss this little girl, and her Momma! I wish they didn't live in Denver!

Oh well, guess I am just selfish!



Until next post

Cassidy's Beach Photo Shoot

So here is Cassidy's mini beach photo shoot! She let me do it without even realizing what I was doing! I had to narrow down a lot of good shots, but was excited with what I came up with! Enjoy!

Cassidy's Beach Fun

I know that I already posted on our beach fun in Hilton Head, but I wanted to do a separate post just for Cassidy. I think I took so many pictures of here that I could have used an entire memory card for my camera. After weeding through MANY, MANY pictures, here are my favorites. The first album below is just some beach time fun. The second album is part of a "mini photo shoot" that I was able to get away with. She didn't even realize it! Later in life I don't think Cassidy will ever let me take a picture of her, so I guess I am making up for that now! Hope you enjoy!

How about this beach?

So, I know I promised I would upload pictures from vacation, and well, it took longer than anticipated, but here is the start to many posts of our Hilton Head vacation. How about this beach? I know you are thinking what everyone else was..."Was there any oil?" And to that I get to respond an excited, "Nope, just beautiful beach as far as the eye can see." We had so much fun on the beach every day. Here are some of the pictures I took over the week on the beach.

If you enjoyed the picture above, make sure to scroll down on this post to see the beach photo album.

My Dad (Richard J. Swartz) a.k.a. Dick Swartz

For 33 almost 34 years I have called R.J. Swartz my Dad. My Dad is an amazing man. He is always there for me, even if it is just a phone call away. I have very fond memories of my Dad growing up. Over the years we have been through a lot, and he has always been there to either talk me through it, or to give me a hug when I needed it. Even though he is 0ver six hundred miles away and I wish I could see him more, somehow we keep a wonderful relationship.





This last picture I had to put in...it is from 1979! I came across it and couldn't resist!

Thanks for all you do for me Dad, I love you now and always!

Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Shelley

Happy Father's Day Mike!

Well, today is Father's Day and I am so thankful to have Father's in my life that are so special to me. I have three in particular that I want to talk about! I know...coming from divorced parents make it a little difficult. So, in order to make it fair and post enough for each father...they are going to be separate posts. This post is about, you guessed it, Mike, my wonderful husband and the Father of our wonderful daughter.

The journey began back on Friday, September 16, 2005 at 12:53 p.m. I never knew I could love a man more before that specific time. Well, when I saw this, it just melted my heart and I knew. This is one of the first pictures taken of Mike with Cassidy. We were still in the hospital, and Cassidy was only a day old. Mike has never dissapointed me with his ability to be a loving, caring, understanding and fun dad.

September 2005

I decided to share some pictures over the years of Cas and Mike. Not all of them are from past Father's Days, in fact, I don't think any of them are, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

One week Old (September 2005) we were in Glen Rose, Texas because we evacuated for Hurricane Rita.



April 2006 at Cassidy's Baptism



October 2006 at a birthday party for a friend



November 2007 at a family photo shoot



March 2008 at Good Friday Service



March 2009 just hanging out at the local park



September 2009 at Galveston beach over Labor Day with our friends



March 2010 in the bluebonnet fields around The Woodlands.



May-June 2010 on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina on vacation!



We love you Mike(a.k.a. Daddy!) Thank you for all you do for us!

Until next post!

Check out this blog

So I have been following this blog below for a while. I think it hits close to home because I was adopted also. I have laughed, cried and truly feel like I have shared in this journey. I hope you enjoy it. But don't forget to come back and check my blog as well. I would be sad if you left me for good =-)

http://momentswithlove.blogspot.com/


Until next post!~

Shelley

Ye-Ye Goodness

So while on vacation I got to enjoy some Ye-Ye goodness. My niece Ami Ye is so cute, I could just eat her with a spoon! Of course I love my own big girl as well, but there is something to be said about Ami Ye. She is a sweet little girl, although she has a feisty side...I can't wait to see her again this weekend, as my sister is coming in town for her 20 year high school reunion. It should be so much fun! Sorry to be getting bits and pieces from our vacation, but I am trying to get all the pictures edited. Taking around 250 pictures for a 7 day trip = a little time needed!

So without further ado...Enjoy the Ye-Ye goodness!

Until next post!

Where we were...

Ok, so I know I didn't wait long, but wanted to be able to have another post, so our vacation we just got back from was in Hilton Head, South Carolina. If you have never been there, you should go! It is a quaint little town right on the ocean. It has beautiful beaches, great resturants, and lots of things to do (if you want to). Three years ago, my Dad and step-mom started the tradition. For Christmas, they gave each family some money to put towards a summer vacation to Hilton Head. Our first trip was wonderful, this trip was even better than that. It was great to see my Dad & Kim (my step-mom) also known as Poppy and Mimi. We also had the opportunity to see my sister Shannon, brother-in-law Blayne and their daugther Ami. We saw my step-brother Kevin, his wife Traci, and their four kids, Taylor, Trey, Kaylee and Karr. And last but not least, we saw my step-sister Katie, her husband Adam and their little boy Henry. If you lost count, there were 17 total people in a five bedroom house for seven days. I thought it would be crazy, and it had it's moments, but it was so much fun! Here is a picture of our entire crew. I will post some more on what we did, and pictures as well, once the editing is done.



Take care,
Until next post

Where have I been?

Well, we just got back from vacation this past weekend, so I thought I would have some fun with a guessing game. So where have I been on vacation you ask? I will give you a hint...here is a famous picture of a known item that is from the state we were in...any idea of what state? It is the official state tree of this location.




I have given you enough hints now...find out the answer soon.