It's A Wonderful Life!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Summer update!

Gabe, Emma and Maddie on July 4th!

It has been a great Summer, and I cannot believe that school will start in 2 weeks! (August 4th) We have been keeping busy--swimming and playing outside and playdates with old friends and more swimming and playing! And we took the kids to see Toy Story 3 and Shrek 4. On July 4th we went to Mike's parents for swimming, a cookout, fireworks and a bonfire! The kids had a blast!

Saturday night, Mike and Gabe went and saw Despicable Me and Emma and I saw Eclipse. Yes, Emma wanted to see it with me. She watched Twilight and New Moon too. :) Towards the end of the movie, I really had to use the restroom, but Emma asked me if I could "hold it" since she didn't want to miss any of Eclipse. LOL!! So I did. She is "Team Edward" too, just like her mommy!

Emma got her first library card and she has been reading a lot of books. Thursday night Barnes and Noble had An American Girl event, and we went. It was for girls 7 years and up, but I knew Emma would be ok since she has read a few of the books already. And of course she will sit still to do the craft. When Emma told everyone that she liked the Samantha mysteries, and that she was currently reading The Curse of Ravenscourt, one of the moms came over to me to ask me how old Emma was (5) and how long she had been reading. She told me she was surprised at how articulate Emma was! She was the only 5 year old there...the rest of the girls were 8 and 9. It amazes me how well that Emma not only reads, but comprehends the stories. She is a gifted reader, and loves to read everything. Handwriting is another story...she hates to practice her handwriting. LOL.

She also attended art camp in June and loved every minute of it. She LOVES to draw and paint, and even painted a Jackson Pollock canvas which is now hanging on our wall. The art teacher had them draw their "self portraits" on the side of the art studio. Emma's was so cute, complete with a pink bow! Let me just say...that Emma does not get her creativity from me! She can draw much better than I ever could!

Emma's self portrait!

Her Jackson Pollock painting--which we framed!

She loved art camp and Ms. Regina!

And the big news...she got her first pair of glasses on Friday! Last year at her Kindergarten eye exam, the doctor told us that he knew that Emma was going to need glasses, but that she was ok to start Kindergarten without them. But by the end of the school year, she was squinting more, and having trouble seeing things from a distance. And it was definitely getting worse as the Summer progressed, so we finally took her Friday knowing she would have a pair of glasses when we walked out. Her vision was 20/50 in each eye, and she has a mild astigmatism. She picked out the frames she wanted, and thankfully our insurance covered 2 pair! So she has a backup pair. But she loves them, and loves being able to see clearly now. And let me tell you, she looks so adorable in them. See for yourself...

Giving daddy a night night kiss!

Isn't she beautiful?

Posing for mommy!

We had Gabe's eyes checked too, and he was a little far-sighted, which is common and normal for preschoolers. We will take him back next year to see how he's doing.The doctor was amazed that Gabe knew all of his letters because most preschoolers do the exam with pictures instead of letters. He even tried to help his sister when she was having trouble seeing the letters. LOL. We had to move him so that he couldn't see the letters while she was having her exam. Oh, and a few days a go, Gabe wrote a "G" on his doodle pad. So far, that's the only letter he can write from his name. I try not to think about the fact the Emma was writing her name before she graduated 3 year old preschool. But he does know all of his letters...and he was the only one in his preschool class that did. So that's encouraging...I am sure that he will start writing his name in 4 year old preschool. Hopefully!!

Gabe likes to play cowboy.

Cowboys like to brush their teeth!

Putting his toothbrush away! That big hat makes me laugh!

Giving daddy a night night kiss!

So now, we are going to enjoy the rest of the Summer! There are only 2 weeks left of it! Next Monday, we are going with some friends and taking the kids to Holiday World! They have been asking to go all Summer. And we have planned a family vacation over Fall Break, and we all are looking forward to that!!

Saturday night, Mike brought out the telescope after we had grilled out. The kids were so excited!!

Gabe loved it!

Emma had a lot of questions of course...and she loved it!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The end of school...and the beginning of Summer!

Wow,it's been a while since I've updated this! But May was an extremely busy month--of course it always is! Let's see...Mike and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on May 23rd--what an incredible 12 years we've had! We've been swimming up at Nana and Grandpa's pool a few times and our kids have turned into fearless little fish! They both are so much braver this year! I have a feeling that Emma (and later on Gabe) will learn how to swim in the grandparents' pool--they love it! Mike gives Emma a few lessons whenever we are in there. She is growing more and more confident.

On May 28th, Emma had her Kindergarten graduation. Let me just say--it was absolutely precious! They wore little red graduation caps. And Emma's class was the first one to walk in, and as soon as the doors opened they started playing the song, "Let Them Be Little". The tears started flowing and did not stop! Actually, my whole family was in tears! It just made me stop a minute and realize that our baby is growing up. She has had an incredible school year, and she's so smart and sweet and beautiful. We could not be more proud! And Mike and I are both so happy with her school--what a wonderful place for Emma to begin her school years!

Emma and Mrs. Blanc

Emma sitting patiently during the ceremony.

Receiving her diploma from the principal.

On May 29th, Emma had her ballet recital. The dance theater performed High School Musical, and Emma did fantastic! She looked so beautiful and poised--just like a ballerina should!

And the last day of school was Tuesday, June 2. It was a very emotional day for mommy! Gabe finished his last day of 3 year old preschool, and we are going to miss Ms. Michelle so much! Emma and Gabe both had her, and she is an excellent teacher. It went by so fast! Gabe's class celebrated with an icecream social. He gave Ms. Michelle a bug hug, and then was hugging his little classmates! It was sweet!

Gabe and Avery picking "flowers" after class was over.

Group hug!

Gabe gave Ms. Michelle a big hug!

They got a little carried away with the hand washing!

Silly faces!!

Gabe and Mrs. Michelle

Gabe and Grant enjoying their ice cream!

And of course, it was Emma's last day in Kindergarten and Mrs. Blanc's class. We are really going to miss her. She has a gift--and it's called being a teacher. She has a huge heart and loved her students immensely. She made a powerpoint presentation on things they have done throughout the school year and let the parents watch it yesterday. Then Emma received her classroom awards for "Stellar Speller" (She made 100% on every spelling test), and the sight word award for knowing at least 100 sight words and being on a 3rd grade level for reading! She also received an "Exceptional Manners" award.

Emma with her awards!

Looking Back On 2010--the powerpoint presentation she made.

Emma and her classmates (and her brother) enjoying some icecream!

Coloring one last picture...

Mrs. Blanc read them a precious story called, "How Full is Your Bucket?"before they left, which was about kindness and reminded them to always be kind, which was their number 1 classroom rule.

We lingered inside the classroom while Mrs. Blanc took her students to the buses, and then she came back into the classroom and hugged Emma and started crying. She gave each student her mailing address and asked each of them to write her a letter over the summer. Again, we are going to miss her so much! But we are looking forward to Gabe having her when he starts Kindergarten!! (Hopefully!)

And when Emma, Gabe and I were walking out of the school, we passed the entrance where the buses load, and all of the teachers and the principal were standing on the sidewalk and waving at the students on all of the busses as they drove away for the summer. How sweet is that? What a way to show students that you care and will miss them while they are gone! Again, we could not be happier with this school!

And today was the first day of Summer break! We decided to stay at home, and play outside. I set up their pool and sand box, and they had a lot of fun and got really dirty! I absolutely love playing with my kids in the backyard, and am looking forward to the rest of the summer!!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

I finished the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon! Yay me!!!

On Saturday, I finished my first mini marathon! The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon was a sold out race with 15,000 runners! I registered back in January, and ran many miles from January to April! But my hard work paid off.

We spent the night with Mike's parents Friday night in La Grange to be closer. I slept very little Friday night--I was so anxious and nervous that we would not hear the alarm! I woke up at 4:45 to get ready, then Mike drove me downtown to catch the shuttle to the starting line. He left and went back to pick up Emma and Gabe, and Nana and Grandpa.

At 7:30, the race began, and I was in Corral C and it took 10 minutes just to cross over the starting line. There were 15,000 runners after all, so it took a while! The mini's course took us through Iroquois Park, and through the famous Churchill Downs! The racing horses were practicing, which was so cool! And by the time we exited Churchill Downs, we were more than half way finished! But, the stretch from Churchill Downs to the finish line was the hardest part of the run for me. But, I kept on running and never stopped! Now, 3 blocks aways from the finish line, I was really, really tired and sore and just ready to finish! Another runner and I almost stopped to walk ,and a specatator looked at us and shouted "Come on Ladies! Don't give up! Only 3 more blocks to the Finish Line!" And that's all I needed to hear to start running again! Let me just say...the fan support along the route was awesome. They would clap and cheer and shout out words of encouragement. It was amazing! I also saw my friend Carrie and her girls at 2 different locations throughout the race. She was there cheering on her husband and friends. She even snapped a photo of me!

But, the most amazing part was seeing the Finish Line in sight--and then looking over as I heard, "Julie!!! Julie!!!" Mike, Emma, Gabe, Nana and Grandpa were yelling and cheering for me! There were so many people there, and I was afraid that I would not be able to see them. But there they were,smiling and cheering, and then I ran happily to the Finish Line! My official time was 2:28:00!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain

This is when I first saw Mike and the fam cheering!

See the smile on my face? The end was near!

At runners reunite. I LOVE my medal! :)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Emma's kindergarten Easter Egg Hunt!

Last Friday, Emma's class had an Easter party complete with a sight word egg hunt! Mrs. Blanc had included a sight word inside each egg (along with other treats), and then the students went back to the classroom and divided into groups of 2, and read their sight words to each other. They loved it! Then they went back outside to play a relay game. After the game was finished, they went back to the classroom to have snacks. It really was a wonderful party, and the kids enjoyed it. I love Mrs. Blanc--she really does love and treat her students as if they were her own children! There were several parents at the party, and she made a little speech about how she loved our children and she thinks she has the best class! She even became teary-eyed...it just shows how much she loves her students. And they love her for sure! Another thing I like about Mrs. Blanc--siblings are always welcome! She brings out toys for them to stay entertained and even had them snacks! Gabe already loves her, and kept picking her "flowers" outside!