BLOG UPDATE OVERLOADS

Sorry about the OVERLOAD! I finally got my USB cord for my Camera! And I got a little carried away. . . It's ok though I probably won't update again until I get back to home!! 

American Idol

DAY 2

Audition day

Woke up at 3:30 am to the pouring rain. We had to be there by 5 am! Waited in line for 2 hours or more. . . just to get in to an open stadium.

But at least I got to sit down. My legs hurt so bad. It was a mixture between the cold. . . lack of sleep. . . and obviously standing for hours. My hair became a mess. . . even with a poncho!!

There was so much talent there! And so many people who wanted to be "the next American Idol" so badly. . . and didn't stand a chance!

This guy sat behind me and I started talking to him. . . After the rain stopped he got out his guitar and started to play. He was SO good I hope he makes it through SO bad! Also I went up to the bathroom and there was a super talented girl in there that I am pulling for! It will be fun to watch in January and see if I recognize anyone.

While I was in the bathroom I heard them announce over the intercom that Ryan Seacrest was there so I thought, "cool, I'll go down and see if I can get a picture of him." 

This is my first pic. . . Yeah I know you can't really see him. . . My camera was all the way zoomed in, and I though I'll just crop it. . . THEN. . .

He got closer. . .

. . . and closer. 

He came up the stairs right in front of where I was standing. 

I asked this random guy to take a picture of me with him in the background

just so I could show everyone how close he got to me. . . 

Then he through his arm around me and said "would you like a picture?" 

And of course I said yes! 

SO here I am with Ryan Seacrest! May not be as exciting to you as it was to me. 

I was 1 out of 15 that got a picture with him. . . and there were 12,000 people there. 

I am so glad I went. I had a blast!

I though this was a cool picture of all of the umbrellas.

Me and my American Idol tryout buddy, 

with the 12,000 others trying out for American Idol in the background

These are the booths you try out at. You line up in groups of 4 and they tell you if your cut out for the competition or not.  Pretty much they take the REALLY BAD singers. . . and the REALLY great singers. And maybe a few in-between-ers. SO pretty much I had no chance, but I expected that! I'm OK being a stay at home mom for the rest of my life;) But I'm glad I had the experience! Besides I got a picture with Ryan!! :D

American Idol

Boston, MA

DAY 1 

Registration & Fun in Boston

So I did something I've always thought would be really fun to do! I went and tried out for American Idol! There was a Pinnacle office in Boston, and I had a friend there. I met Kelli last year in Florida, and she said I could stay with her & her husband while in Boston. Then the office shut down the day I got there, and I didn't even get to see her while I was there. But I was still able to stay in the apartments that they had there.

Registration and tryouts were at the New England Patriots stadium. 

This I Kyler, my American Idol Tryout buddy. We stood in the pouring rain for about an hour.

Then it cleared up and we stood in line for about 20 more minutes. It wasn't that bad of a wait! I thought we were going to be here for hours!

This is downtown Boston. After we went and registered for American Idol, at 4 o'clock in the morning we went downtown to check it out.

Then we went downtown to look at some sites and take pictures. . .

I loved this clock and its a pretty cool picture too!

We ate at Legal Sea foods. I didn't know there were IL-legal sea foods:D 

They had some amazing New england Clam Chowder!

We ordered Calamari as an appetizer. I don't think I really knew what I was ordering when I ordered it. I wanted to try something new and our waitress suggested the Calamari. I was thinking "its some form of octopus but its cooked and its legal right?. Little did I know that I was going to have this baby octopus show up on my plate!! It was an entire octopus. . . I counted all 8 legs! OK! No I didn't 

I was a little nervous! I had eaten some pieces of the Calamari, but there was something WIERD about sticking the whole thing in my mouth!!? Its rubbery and so its like you stuck your hand in the ocean and grabbed something and started chewing on it!! Lets just stick to: Indescribable. . .

Needless to say. . . I ate it! Weird stuff.

This is the train station.

China town!

Fenway Park. . . Where the Boston red socks play. 

Really old, really neat theatre.

June 1st-June 6th

One night Cooper was wired and Camron and Ali were asleep and Cooper and I just played. It was a good night. Although I didn't get a lot of sleep. He would throw the ball and then look at me an go "where sit" with his arms up. then he would get get it and bring it to me and give me loves and kisses and then throw the ball again. I was just enjoying my son that night! 

Ali found a diaper and put it on her head. Fortunately for the both of us it was a clean diaper!!!  I'm so lucky to have two beautiful kids. 

They really are so wonderful. I am so blessed in many ways! 

Fun at the Park and Sun Bathing

More from. . .

May 25th-May 31st

Cooper does not like me to help him go down. He's figured out how to do it on his own!

First the turnaround.

Next, the get your leg hooked so you don't slide very well. . .

Then Speed!

And Finally the Landing!

Ali won't part from the swing!

Ali and Lexi Sun Bathing!! Quite the Pose they struck? 

Lexi got up and Ali went down.

"Hey Baby! Do you believe in love at first sight

 or should I walk by again?"

This kid is a Connolly inside and out, through and through!!

He really does flirt w/ all the girls down at the pool. . . the college girls. The other day I was trying to get him to get in the pool and he kept walking to these girls and saying "HI" and waving then he would run/waddle back to me and I'd try to get him in the pool and he would go back over to the girls. . . They were just loving him!

Dress up on a budget, Stuck, and Pudding

May 25th- May 31st

She's quite the Model!

I did this whole little get up for $6 plus I have enough stuff to make another tutu Maybe 2! 

I thought it would be cool to have something for the 4th of July.

Gavin came over to play and he wanted to play dress up too!

She decided he was stinky and needed a diaper change too!

Cooper got stuck in the Bean Bag Toss. AKA Corn Hole. It's a popular game back here on the East coast. You throw Corn bags 30 ft and try and make them land in the hole. . . Anyway Cooper fit into the hole and couldn't get out.

Ali even tried to help him out!!!

Then Ali decided she wanted some attention and wanted to get her pic taken too!!

And here's Ali taking pictures again!!

We made some baw-tay ba-tay chaw-co-law-tay. You'd know what I was talking about if you watched Dora!

Note to self: Chocolate pudding. . . it makes a mess!

This is the view from right outside our apartment. Ali calls it the Castle.

Same thing just a little closer.

This is the view from the Park at the Apartments. I think it is such a cool building!

Water fun, Dishes, and Smiles

May 22nd- May 25th

Found a local water park. It was definitely in DOWNTOWN 

Pittsburgh but the kids had a lot of fun there. 

I didnt get to take very may pictures because my camera was about to die. . .(story of my life) but there was this bucket right above their heads that would dump every time it got full and I was a mean mom and made ALi stand under it. The first time it missed her and I thought for sure she wouldnt stand under again, but she did!! and it was AWESOME. . . she probably didn't like it as much as I did. 

Didn't take long for the boys to fall asleep on our way home. The one on the left is a Sarah's(a wife of a sells rep) little boy Brody. He's Coopers age.

Ali asks to swim every day. She loves the water. Even when its cold. I had no Idea that it would get cold here. . . I guess I was expecting Fl weather. I didn't pack one jacket! 

Cooper doesn't like the water as much. Most of the time he just wanders around. He likes to be outside, but inside or outside he usually gets preoccupied by his best friend. . . . FOOD!

Cooper likes to help me with the dishes!! EVERY time I open the dishwasher he shows up. It drives me crazy. This particular time I left for a minute to help Ali in the bathroom and came back to find he had swiped my gloves, and climbed up onto the dishwasher!

I put my gloves on him and he thought it was the coolest thing ever! He was pretty mad about having to get down!

One night I told Ali a story about a Princess who never got sad. . . she was always happy. . . She never frowned or threw fits, she wanted to show everyone her beautiful dimples!!. . . She was ALWAYS happy! Man I am so glad I came up with that story, now all I have to do is say, "oh! where's the happy princess? Princess Ali. . . you're not sad are you? I thought you never got sad?" and she will start smiling right away. Sometimes it takes her a few seconds and she will hide her face and then . . . 

pops up with a big smile on her face. Whatever works right??