FAIRWELL TO MJ

It has certainly been very sad to learn of Michael Jackson's death this Summer. Let me preface all of this by saying, Jason and I have always been big fans and do not believe he is any of the negative hoopla the media sets him up to be. We like to capitalize on the good things he has done as well.
ANYWAY...the kids have been exposed to the Jackson 5 for quite some time, but not as many of MJ's pop hits. With the media and radio coverage of his life one of my children has become somewhat obsessed with the songs, the look and the dances of Michael Jackson.

Yes, you guessed it...Ayden is now on a mission to dance and sing like the KING OF POP. He created this get-up on his own while listening to Thriller, Beat It, Bad and number of other MJ songs that are now on the ipod.


He really has the spin down, and is working on the moonwalk daily. We even found moonwalk lessons on youtube, which have been very helpful! As you can imagine his dance moves are just as unique as MJ's and also possess the major cool factor that Ayden includes in everything that he does. Someday he is really going to love these pictures!!

So I will also take this moment to include Ayden's thoughtfulness and charitable spirit. We had a yard sale today which was almost entirely made up of their "things". He suggested, and Claire agreed, that rather than keep the money for themselves, they give it to other countries that need to build schools for the children of their nation. I am so proud. We found an organization, "Save the Children" that reaches out to children all over the world, but has a specific donation for countries in conflict. We will be donating their $135.00 to building schools that can teach civil rights and educate children in countries in conflict. The goal of this specific cause is to have 3 million children in schools by 2010. Let's hope that Ayden and Claire can make a difference!

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE!

Anybody who knows Claire and Ayden know who this is...oh yes, in the flesh...Nat and Alex Wolfe from the infamous Naked Brothers Band!! It really was a dream come true for the kids! We have told them for the past 3 years that if there ever was an opportunity, we would take them to see their favorite band in concert.

Let me first tell you, that we almost missed it!! Sunday morning Jason opened up the newspaper and hands it to me with a knowing face...."Nat and Alex Wolfe will perform at HersheyPark Ampitheater today at 4 and 6:30" WELL, did we even have a choice? NO WAY. So at 10 am we packed up lunches, bought some tickets to the park and off we went on a Naked Brothers Band pilgrimage!
Let me also say this, I have NEVER waited in line for ANY concert, EVER. I have now. The doors opened at 3:00 and were general admission seats only, SOOOOO I started standing in line between 1 and 1:30!! Yes, I know...we went a little overboard, BUT we got some good seats, darn it!

The kids were in awe! Seriously we were eye level with Nat on stage (about the 4th or 5th row, center!) Once Claire got over her star struckeness, she had a great time dancing, woo-hooing, and participating in everyway she could!
Ayden loved it, but as you can imagine played it very cool. He observed and studied their every move in hopes that one day girls will be screaming for him as they were for Alex and Nat! He REALLY loved it and was very into the clapping and holding rock-n-roll hands in the air after a good song:)

And yes, for those of you asking whether or not Jason and I had a good time! Honestly, the performance was very good. These kids really have talent. THe music was great and their show was very genuine.

ROCK ON!

Jason took a short video with the camera...I can't flip it in the right direction, plus Jason flips it during the video? not sure why? Anyway...enjoy!

ALOHA!

Claire had a VERY happy birthday this year! She organized a luau as her birthday theme! Can you believe that she is now 6 YEARS OLD! As you can see, she invited a few friends and her cousins to celebrate the big day! Claire LOVES a party!

Of course, no party is complete without Daddy doing something or some THINGS that are totally embarrassing! Hula dance anyone?

Peer pressure CAN be a wonderful thing....or not. In this case, it gave Claire the extra nudge to dare to jump off the diving board! WAY TO GO CLAIRE! She has really become quite the fish this Summer! She is now swimming underwater and everything, with no floaties! She is very proud and so are we!

JUMP JUMP an JUMP some more

My in-laws had the brilliant foresight to gift a trampoline to the kids for their Summer birthdays! WE LOVE THE TRAMPOLINE. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! It is used non-stop and is TERRIFIC for getting out all the energy that stores up inside their little bodies!!
Ayden can be quite the wild man when jumping while Claire and her friends enjoy playing any number of things on the trampoline. Sometimes they are all wild animals in a cage, sometimes they play house on it, and other times it looks like WWF SMACKDOWN wrestling!(that is usually when Ayden joins in on the playtime!)
It is seriously so fun to watch. They laugh at themselves while they jump and pretty soon when it becomes contagious you find yourself laughing with them!

SUMMER BREAK!!!

Well, the year has finally ended! The kids are both happy and sad....they have had a wonderful year, but will miss their teachers and friends! Despite all that, we cannot wait to enjoy Summer in its entirety....rest, relaxation, friends, and SUNSHINE!

I feel so thankful to have two kids who love to learn and who are enjoying and appreciating the life they live. AYDEN AND CLAIRE, Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of you. You are both TERRIFIC individuals bubbly over with confidence, ambition, intelligence, and the blessing of knowing how to be kind and happy. WE LOVE YOU!

Claire was SO proud to graduate from kindergarten...yes I know we have graduations and celebrations for EVERYTHING, but it is a big deal to them!! AND TO US...I don't think there was a single mom in the room who did not have teary eyes. Isn't it pathetic? Mrs. Comp made graduation very special, including a slide show of memories from the year. It was terrific. Claire will be excited to say hello to Mrs Comp next year as she passes her class to get to 1st grade!

Claire has made MANY friends this year, and this is just one. His name is Ian. They have actually known each other since they were very little (his sister and Ayden went to preschool together and then Claire and Ian were in a class together too when they were 3)! We have loved having play dates with him throughout the year....they are both VERY head strong, but oddly enough they enjoy being together anyway. They kind of have this cute little banter about their conversations. It sort of sounds like two ninety year olds bickering, BUT NEVER ANGRY!! It's been great! We love Ian. I am sure we will keep in touch over the Summer.

Oh, my Ayden. He has just LOVED first grade.....and especially loved Mrs. Stagliano. My little sensitive boy had a hard time saying good-bye this week, reminding himself regularyly that he will be able to stop by her classroom for years to come. His one question to me was, " How will I see Mrs Stagliano after fifth grade?" I think he has a few years to worry about that!
She has been a dream come true! Claire has fingers, toes, ankles, arms, eyes and everything else crossed so that she will have Mrs Stagliano next year! (We know she will have a great teacher no matter what, but we would love another year with her, as well)!

This is Mrs Stagliano stuck in a bear hug from many of the boys in her class! Too cute!

IT"S FIELD DAY!

READY~AIM~FIRE!!

Poor Mrs. Stagliano! What a good sport! Her entire first grade class, Ayden inluded, took aim at her face with wet sponge balls....and they enjoyed every minute of it!! She is going to be a teacher that Ayden always remembers. He truly cares about her and really you can see that she genuinely cares for them too. What a great memory!

The gym teacher at East High Elementary is one of the best I've ever seen....she is Ayden's buddy! He looks forward to gym class every week, and always has a special story to share about Miss Shenk. She coordinates the field day at East High, which is a sight to see!! THere are thirty events/activities for K through 2nd grade. It is all about being active and HAVING FUN!! The student just LOVE it...and so do I!
Ayden loved all of the activities but the water games are always the best part! It also gives Ayden a chance to stand around and look cool:) The top picture is a relay race where the bucket of water is placed on your head as you hop from lilly pad to lilly pad!! How fun is that?


Claire had her first experience with musical buckets! It was so fun to see her little bum sink into the freezing water every time the music stopped. Being the competitor she is, she was on of the last two standing! Way to go Claire!

Needless to say the kids are already looking forward to Field Day next year! Ayden has Claire pretty excited for gym class, and getting to know Miss Shenk when she is a first grader. Wow I'll have a first and second grader next year. Unbelievable.

Good times!

Even though I do not have a picture of our "reunion" I have to mention my good friend Annie, and her children Addy, Laynie, and Hailey. They were visiting from Spokane, WA...they moved there last summer. They spent all of last week at Annie's parents' house which is right down the street from our house:) Unfortunately Annie's husband Kelly couldn't come on the trip:( We missed you Kelly! (Especially Jason missed you, as you can imagine!)

I am SO happy we were able to spend time with them throughout the week. It truly was like we never skipped a beat! The kids and I just LOVED having them back in our part of the country. It was a bitter sweet visit...I loved the effortless chit-chat, and instant playtime for the kids, but I miss having that ALL THE TIME, like the good 'ole days! Ayden even shed very real tears when it was time for them to go home!

THANK YOU ANNIE (and Kelly, ...you get some credit too!) FOR VISITING US AND BEING SUCH GREAT FRIENDS!!! WE MISS YOU ALREADY!!

MEET GUS AND GOLDIE!

So, this isn't the best picture of our new friends, but at least we can introduce you to them. Gus and Goldie are our newest addition to our outdoor friends. They are adorable little goldfinches that visit our yard everyday....and they are scared off by very little. Kind of friendly in a way!! Anyway, we just LOVE them, (especially Clarie and I), so we came up with names for our little couple!

FINALLY!

THE SHOW IS FINALLY OVER!!! It has been super fun for the kids and it has been very wonderful for us to watch them as they learn and grow, BUT THE SHOW IS FINALLY OVER!! WOO-HOO!

Ayden and Claire are both glad to have a break now, too; however, they are already planning what classes to take next year! It will be especially exciting for them next year since they know what to anticipate. Ayden has decided he LOVES to be on stage and in front of an audience. Surprise, surprise! (I'm not sure where he gets that!) Claire smiled the ENTIRE perfomance, but said, "It was a little sca-wy with all those people watching!" Needless to say Jason and I could have watched them a billion times without ever blinking an eye. We are so proud!

And yes, Ayden now thinks he is really "It"!!

The weather for our holiday weekend was GORGEOUS! As a matter of fact it was hot enough for the kids to swim, and the water wasn't as shockingly cold as it usually is this time of year. Jason and I were even brave enough to take a dip....okay, my dip was MUCH shorter than everyone else's BUT at least I tried!

Naturally the kids just picked up where they left off last Summer! They were practicing their jumps off the diving board, swimming under water, squirting people with the water soakers, and what? Taking a break in the baby pool? They think they are SO funny!! Maybe if I wasn't always laughing at them they would think differently! SO HOORAY SUMMER!!
We've been waiting a long time for you to get here!

DANCE DANCE DANCE

The e-dance show is just around the corner...next weekend! We can't wait. Last week we had a photo shoot at the studio where parents could take pictures. So, of course, my children loved it. It really was fun. As you can see, my camera is touch and go, as far as quality is concerned:( Fortunately, my mom took some pix too, so hers look much better than mine.
You will not be surprised to notice that Claire went for the angelic, beautiful ballerina poses, while Ayden worked the tough-guy gangsta' look!

The show is going to be great! The kids have worked so hard and have had so much fun learning the routines. We will hopefully be able to record some of their show at rehearsal for those of you who would like to see my "little stars" in action!

THE SUN IS SHINING!

With the weather being so incredibly beautiful, we decided that Spike deserved a venture outside. She is suffering from Spring fever inside her aquarium and has been trying to escape for the past three days, so we thought we would give her a go! Is it possible that she is truly a city-turtle and hasn't been outside before? Brian, Erica, comment.....
This little turtle was left loose (under strict supervision), and she sat on the front porch with only her head poking out of her shell for quite a few minutes. THEN, this is so funny, she literally walked on the sidewalk!! She would NOT leave the perimeters of the sidewalk! CITY TURTLE!
Eventually, she managed to muster enough courage to try the road less traveled. She was unsure, but once she was comfortable, she was FAST! It was time to call it a day, and she willingly accepted her indoor home .....until today, when she tried to escape yet AGAIN!




Well, baseball season has begun! This is Ayden up to bat. He nailed it , unfortunately the second baseman was quick, and was able to get him out at first:( What a great a sport, though...he kept up a great attitude throughout the whole game! Too bad, his Mommy is an over protective mess.... As Ayden hits the ball, is it bad to whisper to myself (directing my thoughts to the other team....of seven year olds?!!) ,"Drop it, miss it, overthrow!" What is wrong with me? All of these thoughts just so my baby can make it to first base? Yeah, motherhood definitely brings out the best in us!


Speaking of my babies....My little girl is now officially a jack-o-lantern!! She lost her other front tooth on Friday! Again, she pulled the thing right out of her mouth, all by herself!! Where Ayden was self-consious without front teeth, Claire is genuinely proud!! She smiles at everyone, hoping they will notice her fashionably toothless smile:)

NOTICE ANYTHING NEW?

Is this the prettiest toothless smile you ever saw OR WHAT?

LET'S CATCH UP!!

LET'S CATCH UP!! Our lives have been a whirlwind of activities lately! Here are some pictures to keep you up to date with what we have been doing over the last month...or so! Claire had a Spring Hat Parade in her class. She designed and decorated her paper plate into a grassy, flowery bird's nest with rattling eggs for that extra effect!





Occupation Day was a hit at East High Elementary. As you can see we have a future police officer...which should not surprise anyone. Ayden is ALWAYS concerned with following the law...i.e. "Claire, are you HAVE to be in a booster seat or Mommy will go to jail", OR "Mom, what would happen if you were pulled over for driving too fast?" Of course I don't say, "Mommy would beg the police officer to let me "go"...after all running two kids from here to there can be a little stressful!
Claire on the other hand is looking to orthodontics as her profession.....don't ask? I wouldn't even be surprised if she follows through with that dream!







A quieter moment at our house was celebrating Earth Hour. Earth Hour was started two years ago as an effort to conserve energy, and make a statement to stop global warming. Simply, you make the conscious effort to turn off everything electric for 1 -2 hours on this night. It was a lot of fun last year as the four of us sat in the dark trying to solve the world's environmental problems....we have such inventive kids!
This year Ayden and Claire decided to play the piano by candle light, sing songs, talk about earth hour, and even tried to read without electricity. They like to think about what it was like before electricity was even invented! We decided that it would be fun to do this more often, and maybe even make a party of it sometime! Maybe this Summer we can!

On a NOT SO QUIET night at our house, the kids had a boxing match....
against their viscous father!

Needless to say the kids won!!

St Patrick's Day food!! YUM YUM! It really was tastier than it looks!! Can't you tell by Ayden's face?