Thursday, May 29, 2008

nail polish and toddlers DON'T mix

What do you get when you take one toddler.....
and a bottle of nail polish mixed with distracted parental supervision?

A beautiful, pink manicure and pedicure! It came off of the skin, but his toenails look better than mine do right now! We're all ready for summer.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Cleveland zoo

We decided to visit the Cleveland, Ohio zoo on Saturday. It's only about an hour and a half away and our FONZ membership gets us in free. We had fun discovering a zoo we hadn't been to before. They had special exhibits spread throughout the zoo called "Frogs, Hogs, and Dogs."
Evan really enjoyed the African rhythm and dance presentation we watched.
The polar bears were really active during the time we visited.
And those are koala bears - a mom and her baby - cuddled up in the tree behind Evan.
We hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Ann-Marie's last preschool weeks

Ann-Marie is finished with preschool (sniff). She had her last week this week with a cute performance on Thursday night that her Pap was able to attend and a picnic celebration yesterday (Friday). How the time flies! We will have two school-age children in this house in the Fall.



Ann-Marie made some wonderful friends in her preschool. Above are Bailey, Jadyn, and Patrick. Unfortunately, none of them will be attending her school, but we hope to have summer playdates and see them once in awhile.

On to Kindergarten!

Friday, May 23, 2008

An accomplishment for me.....

I took three days off of my stay-at-home mom position to undertake a new venture. I took a certification class to teach BodyPump at a new gym opening in the area. I passed! I still have some work to do on the certification (90 days to submit a tape of me teaching a class) and some details to work out, but it was a wonderful experience. Here's a link for more information on the class:

http://www.lesmills.com/midatlantic/en/members/bodypump/bodypump-group-fitness-program.aspx

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

fun stuff

Thank you to all who gave Ann-Marie birthday money....she purchased an easel and paints and she's been painting every day! And below is my little performer singing at the MOPS today. Sorry, the camera has not been cooperating so the photo is not very good.
And finally, what happens when you leave an older toddler and a pack and play together alone? Well, of course he finds every pillow in the room, piles them in, and jumps right in. The pack and play was set up for the baby that I watch, and I had forgotten to take it down after he left. Alec has way too much fun when he's unattended!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day 2008



This year, Evan and Ann-Marie got really excited about Mother's Day and were up before 6 a.m. Evan couldn't wait to give me his present he's been working on at school. I think you'll understand why once you read it:

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love My Mom (by Evan Jerome)
10. I love my Mom because she reads me.....Dinosaurs book.
9. I love my Mom because she helps me.....do homework.
8. I love my Mom when she makes me laugh by....doing the boddy dance. (explanation by Paula - booty dance is a dance that involves shaking the butt to music for the express purpose of getting someone out of a bad mood.)
7. I love my Mom because she taught me how to....steel the ball. ( I think this means in soccer!)
6. I love to hear my Mom sing....because she makes me laugh.
5. I love my Mom because she finds time to....play checkers.
4. I know my Mom cares because she...cooks my eggs and she cudles (cuddles) with me when I am sick.
3. I know my Mom is smart because she....knows what medasin (medicine) I need.
2. I love my Mom because she works so hard at...taking care of Jameson. (The infant we watch three times a week.)
1. I love my Mom because she's the BEST MOM EVER!

Out of the mouth of a seven year old boy!

Anyway, Happy Mother's Day to you! Treasure these times and the children God has entrusted to you!

Wings over Pittsburgh 2008

We attended the Pittsburgh area air show yesterday. The weather was perfect and we got to get up close to several military planes. We even got to go into some. The stunt planes, parachutists, and Canada's Snowbirds Precision Aerobatic Military Demonstration Team were wonderful to watch.







AWANA closing ceremonies

Evan and Ann-Marie completed their first year at the AWANA program at our church. Ann-Marie was a Cubbie and Evan was a Spark. Evan ALMOST finished his first book....missed it by three pages. It was a learning experience on procrastination. We enjoyed AWANA but it will be good to have Wednesday nights free again for the summer. Here are some pictures.