Family Beach Pics

Well, everyone is in town for Easter weekend and I dragged them all down to the beach yesterday for pictures. I haven't gone through but maybe 10 pictures so far, but here is a group shot that I love... I can't wait to post more, we got some FUN pics!!! :)

Happy Easter everyone! We miss you Susan and Eric!!!

spring flowers

Whoa - 2 posts from me in 2 days - don't get too excited! haha!

So, today I decided that we needed some flowers for our porch. I've wanted to get some plants or flowers for awhile, but I am most definitely not known for my gardening techniques. Anyway, today I decided to go over to Home Depot and check out what they had. I was so excited to come home with 4 different plants for my front and back porch! I even bought potting soil and a pot and re-planted one of them. As you can tell, I am feeling quite domestic! haha!

Here are a few of our new plants:

23 weeks

I cannot believe that I am already this far along in my pregnancy! It feels like just yesterday it was back in November when I was finding out that we were blessed with this miracle!

I had Patrick take this picture of me last weekend. I don't feel like I am showing all that much, but the maternity top sure does help! I am feeling good - soooooo glad to be over the morning sickness phase (which lasted WAY to long for me) and my appetite is finally picking up... my 2nd trimester cravings have been american cheese, outback salads, and scalloped potatoes! YUM!

I am also thoroughly enjoying feeling Paige kick me all the time! Patrick also enjoys feeling her when she is not too shy (as she usually stops kicking when he puts his hand on my stomach).

I just can't believe in 16.5 weeks (or sooner) we will be meeting our little miracle Paige! I can't wait!!!

A visit from Kim...

Just wanted to post a few pics from Kim and Adam's recent visit... We had a nice time just relaxing and hanging out together - eating yummy meals out (especially Japanese hibachi which has been one of my cravings lately) and shopping! I'm so excited to see them again for Easter in a few weeks!!!

Scrapbook Heaven Online Crop

Scrapbook Heaven’s very first weekend long online crop!

When: March 9-11
Where: www.scrapbookheavenga.com

The crop will begin with the first challenge when it is posted on Friday, March 9 at 6:00pmEST and end when the last challenge is posted on Saturday, March 10th at 11:00pmEST. All participants will have until Sunday, March 11, 6:00EST to upload all layouts and projects, and to complete any games.

The Queen and Princess of the crop will be announced shortly after!

The Design Team is working hard to make this a fun-filled weekend, full of games, challenges, and lots of inspiration. Prizes will be given out to the Queen and Princess as well as to random participants throughout the weekend.

We hope you can join us for this exciting event! And check us out before the crop since some of the games will require advance participation.

Hope to ‘see’ you all real soon!!

It's a GIRL!

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting a little girl! Paige Marjorie is healthy and perfect and we are just elated! I'll scan the ultrasound photo soon and add it to this post!

Thanks for your guesses and excitement!!

Boy or Girl

Tomorrow is the big day - our BIG ultrasound to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl in July. I am so excited to know who has been growing in me these past 18 weeks!

Anyone care to make a prediction??? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

New Purses, New Bedding

Yesterday I was in a shopping mood.... so after school I went to the mall - mainly to check out the new Vera Bradley purses - however they were all out of the peacock tie tote that I wanted to get.... Good news is that I tracked one down at another store and I'm going to pick it up today... it will go very well with the fun new Vera flip flops in peacock that Pat bought me for Valentine's Day (well actually I bought me but told him he could give them to me for V-day)... :)

Anyways, on my way out - totally bummed about the purse, I cut through Crate and Barrel and just happened to peruse the new stuff along the way. While I was walking through the bedding department, I found the most beautiful duvet cover set and I just knew I had to have it. I bought it on a whim, hoping Pat would like it, and thankfully he does!

I'll take some pics once I get the room all finished - I am hoping he'll put a fresh coat of paint on in there next weekend - we'll see if I can talk him into it... :)

*Pat*

I think my husband is feeling a bit neglected right now because when he looked at my blog this week he mentioned "I like how you talk about your friends and family but not about me"...

So... this post is dedicated to my loving, supportive, amazing husband Patrick!













Reasons Why I *love* Patrick right now:

1. Since I've become pregnant, he cleans the kitchen everyday without me asking him to.
2. He goes and gets me a bagel on Saturday mornings!
3. He took my laundry up to our room tonight.
4. He takes care of things that I don't even think of and does it all with a smile.
5. Most importantly, he puts up with my sh*t and still loves me even though I am a hormonal pregnant psycho!

Love you baby! Thanks for putting up with me! I can't wait to meet our miracle that we created! XOXOXO

Photo Shoot - 3 boys

Recently, I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot with these adorable boys! They are brothers and they are just too cute! I had a lot of fun with them! Here are a few of my favorite pics from the shoot! Thanks for looking!

So exicted...

I'm so excited that my older sister Susan finally announced her awesome news too!

Our family is truly blessed and I can't wait to meet my future neice/nephew this summer!

As for the baby news with me - morning sickness is still around - Not fun - but I am happy to have it if it means this little bean is doing what it should be! :)

And Baby makes Three...

Patrick and I are very excited to announce that

Sweet Baby Mangan will arrive this July!!!!

Family Photos

It is so rare that my husband's family is all together at the same time that we barely have any family photos. This Christmas, his brother surprised us all with a visit down to South Florida and I couldn't wait to get some new pics. The brothers all humored me for about a half hour while I snapped away. I didn't get as many as I would have liked, but these are better than none! Here are a few of my favorites from the mini-shoot!

2006 in Review

I got this from Melodee at DML - thanks Melodee!!!

2006 In Review

JANUARY
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?: Yes, a few - mainly to stress less and get organized.
2. Who kissed you at midnight?: Pat, of course!!
3. Did it snow where you live?: No - not in Florida! :(
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?: No - but maybe one day!!!

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine?: again - Pat, of course!
2. What did your valentine get you?: flowers and a card
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?: Yes - I still do as a teacher!

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? By marriage I guess! :)
2. Did you wear green on St. Patty's Day?: Yes I did - I didn't want to get pinched!
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day?: Mindy and I went out to an Irish Bar with friends and had a GREAT time!!!

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain?: if I'm in the right mood for it!
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?: yes, Mindy and I tried to play one on our students - but they totally didn't get it!
3. Did you get tons of candy on Easter?: No, not really - just some jelly beans and reese's eggs!

MAY
1. What's your favorite kind of flower?: gerbra daisy
2. Do you like the spring? yes!
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers bring...": Well, the typical answer is "May Flowers", but here April Showers bring mosquitos!
4. What would you think of as a spring color?: lavender

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from school?: 1999 - high school, 2003 - college

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Pat and I had just signed all of the papers for our new house and we worked in the house, bought a grill, and had our first bar-b-que in our new townhouse!!!
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?: I think we went to Lake Placid with Pat's family.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer?: spent like everyday in the pool with Devanny and Mindy - just enjoying our summer vacation! We also had a fun house-warming tiki party in August!!!
2: What was your favorite summer memory of '06?: our Southern Carribbean Cruise in June
3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer?: yes!
4. Did you go to the beach a lot?: for photo shoots - yes, but just to go - not enough!

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you attend school/college in '06?: yes, I took a class at Nova Southeastern University for my ESOL endorsement!
2. Who is/was your favorite teacher?: oooh, that's hard - I think my favorite teacher of all time ever was my Social Studies Education teacher in college! She made me LOVE to teach history!
3. Did you like fall better than summer?: YES!!!

OCTOBER
1. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever?: when I was like 8, I was an alien! I had a green unitard on and green body paint from head to toe with a silver wig and silver antenne - it was so much fun!
2. What's your favorite candy?: Reese Peanut Butter Cups!
3. What did you dress up like this year? I wore a halloween t-shirt, cat ears, and a feather boa as a cat tail! :)

NOVEMBER
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving?: my in-laws! :)
2. Do you like stuffing?: yes, we had 3 different types of stuffing this year!
3. What are you thankful for?: my family, friends, and the many blessings in my life!

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas?: yes - love Christmas!
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?: yes, Pat bought mistletoe in high school and kissed me under it.
3. What do you want this year for Christmas?: Just to be with family and have a good time!
4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas?: Pat got me a sweet Tiffany's necklace this year - I love it!
5 Do you like cold weather?: yes!
6. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10?: 8 - overall a good year, but there were some rough moments as well - I'm really looking forward to 2007!!!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Years Eve tonight and an amazing 2007!!!

Thankful...

There are so many things I am thankful for right now. I know this post is a bit late (seasonly), but I still wanted to write it anyway. I recently started (haven't yet completed) a gratitude jounal. The wonderful gals over at DML were doing this and Mo was giving us the topics to create pages about. I have to say, that this made me think of all the things in my life that I have to be grateful for. While I was working on my journal, I came across this quote that really made me think:

"Just think of how happy you would be if you lost everything you had right now and got it back again" ~unknown

But wow, that really makes you think. I am so grateful for everything in my life - the good and the bad, because without the bad, we wouldn't know the good and wouldn't be able to appreciate it. So, at the close of this Thanksgiving season, I'd just like to leave you with that quote....

And here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving celebration at my in-laws...

Back from Tallahassee...

Things can finally get back to normal after the past 3 weekends of craziness! We just got back from a really wonderful weekend in Tallahassee. We got to visit with good friends, watch the NOLES beat up on Virginia, and enjoy some beautiful fall weather! I've got plenty more pics and details to post later, but for now, here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend!

Lottie and Nathan

We met Lottie and Nathan about 4 years ago... we were still living in Tallahassee. I was working at Buck Lake Elementary teaching 2nd grade. Lottie was also a new teacher - teaching 4th grade. Right away, I knew that Lottie and I would hit it off. She is this sweet southern girl with a great big smile and in my heart I knew she was meant to be one of my friends. As luck would have it, we had the same lunch schedule that year... so we got to get to know each other over lunch each day. Then we decided to pair our classes up to be "book buddies" - which meant more time we got to spend together. Eventually we were hanging out on the weekends and trying to make plans to get together with our husbands because we knew they would hit it off as well.

Once the four of us finally got together things just "clicked". Our friendship with Lottie and Nathan is an easy one. I adore Lottie and Pat and Nathan are great buddies! It all works so perfectly. As you can imagine, we were devastated when we had to move down to West Palm Beach and leave our new friends behind. That was 3 years ago and I am happy to say that we are still great friends. We all get together about 2 or 3 times each year... not nearly enough but we make it work.

This past weekend, Lottie and Nathan and their son Corbin met up with us at the lake house in Lake Placid, FL. We spent the weekend on the lake - laughing, swimming, and just being together. We had a fabulous time and the best part is that we get to see them again in 2 weeks when Pat and I go to Tallahassee for a football game!

I took MANY pictures this weekend, but here is one of my favorites of our good friends, Lottie and Nathan, and their son Corbin. Once I get through the rest, I'll post more of our lake adventures...

I *love* fall...

I love fall... it is absolutely my favorite season! The colors, the weather, school, football, everything about fall just makes me feel alive and happy. Unfortunately, in Florida, we don't really get an autumn... I *know* that at some point in my life I am destined to live in a place that has seasons...

Today I made it over to the local pumpkin patch at the Methodist Church. I talked Mindy and Devanny into going with me so I could snap some pics. This is one of my favorite pics from the day. I came home with some cute smaller pumpkins. I'll wait till Pat goes with me until we pick out our pumpkin to carve!

I am so excited about Halloween this year becauase we finally live in a community with trick-or-treaters!!! We get to decorate and buy candy and do the whole halloween thing! It should be a blast! I can't wait for us to carve our pumpkin and decorate! Isn't halloween so much fun? :)

Scrapbook Heaven

I just got this info from the owner of Scrapbook Heaven (an online-scrapbooking store where I'm on the DT)... just wanted to pass this along to my scrappin' buddies...

We are having a Sassafras Lass Contest!!!

Details: Your submission must include at least 75% Sassafras Lass products. The layouts will need to be posted to the Sassafras Lass contest board in our gallery no later than Midnight October 31, 2006. Our DT will be judging the submissions starting November 1 and winners will be announced no later than November 3. Good luck and happy scrapping!

Prizes: 1st place will receive the package sponsored by Sassafras Lass, $50.00 gift certificate from our online store. 2nd place will receive one of our Featured Monthly kits from Scrapbook Heaven.

Schwarz Family Photo Shoot... and random stuff...

Well... for starters, two weeks ago I had the honor of shooting my friend Kara's kids. They are so gorgeous and cooperative and wonderful! I had so much fun with them! I wanted to post a few of my favorites on my blog... I'm working on getting word out about my photography down here in South Florida... mainly via friends and family and customers.





















As far as "Random Other Stuff"... I am excited and proud of myself because today I joined a gym! It's about time I get off my lazy butt and go and workout after school, instead of watching ABC Family for 3 hours a night.... yes, I am a TOTAL tv junkie!!! Although, I do have to admit, I am so excited about the fact that they put the show Everwood in the nightly line-up (6pm)... because I love that show and I didn't get into it when it first started... so now I get to go back and watch the first few seasons! :)

Anyway, that's all I'm excited about now... I have another photo shoot of an 8-month old this weekend, so I am pumped for that! Pat and I are also going to a high-school football game on Friday (his boss' son's game) and I'm taking pics there too, so that should be fun!

Happy Day everyone! :)