Hither, Thither, Yonder, Here, There & Everywhere

I've said before that something happens to Chloe when she goes to the beach. The beach for her is serious business. There are seashells that need to be collected, waves that need to be jumped, pails that need to be filled, kites that need to be flown, birds that need to be chased, footprints that need to be left and memories that need to be made. Don't try to interrupt her with some dumb camera!

But, this is nothing new. This phenomenon started the first time she ever set foot on a beach. The next few pictures were taken when she was about 7 years old.

Seaport Village

Cardiff By The Sea

After Disneyland, we stayed in a beach house in Cardiff By The Sea. The beach there was c.o.l.d. We enjoyed it none the less. Remember when I said that I think Leer is just a big kid? Here's more proof...

He had help from Myah

Success.

Disneyland! April 2010

In April we took a fun little vacation with Jason's brother and his family to California. We had a great time! Here is the Disneyland portion of our trip.

Chloe, Hannah, Olivia, Myah. The kids had so much fun with their cousins.

Sometimes I think Leer is just a big kid.

The dang Tower of Terror. Don't be fooled by the smile on my face...I DO NOT enjoy this ride. I am not fond of the falling sensation. But, notice how Leer is thoroughly enjoying watching me squirm. This was the first time that Myah was tall enough to go on this ride. Of course, she decided it is her new FAVORITE ride. Last time we came to Disneyland, her favorite ride was Winnie the Pooh. Why can't they stay little?

Thankfully, Lindsey volunteered to ride the Teacups with the kidlets.

This is the kind of ride that I like.

Myah on the Merry-Go-Round

Myah and cousin Olivia

Chloe getting ready for the Bugs Life movie

I just think this picture is so funny! Their expressions crack me up. "What? You're supposed to wear these."

And Austin. He's my cute little nephew.

Valents Tine Day

That's what Myah calls it, but it is otherwise known as Valentine's Day. This year Myah was really interested in Valentine's Day. It's truly the perfect holiday for her because she is such a loving little girl. She made gifts for all of us and was so excited to give them to us. She was especially proud of the gift she made for her dad. When he opened it, she cheerfully yelled, "It's a Pixo Mama!!!"

Look how happy Leer is! And look how proud Myah is. And it looks just like me...right?

This is a Valentine project that the kids and I worked on. I had seen the cute heart-shaped crayons all over the internet and thought it would be a fun Valentine for the girls to give to their friends. It took forever. And you need A LOT of crayons.

It made quite the mess, too. And that pile of barrettes were all removed from my hair. Myah didn't like peeling all the wrappers off of the crayons, so she decided to give me a new hair-do.

Just to give you an idea of what it looked like, here is an example of a hair-do she gave me on a different day. She does this quite often and you can tell by the look on my face how enjoyable it is. I mean, it doesn't HURT YOUR HEAD at all. Attractive, isn't it? It's ok to be jealous. She'd probably do yours if you're interested.

Where was I? Oh yeah, crayons...

You end up with a massive pile of crayon papers and really sore fingernails.

Baking...

Here's the end result. They look good enough to eat. But don't. Wax. Ew.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

I'm not, but Chloe is! She was one of 2 students from her class that qualified to participate in the Geography Bee at her school. I was really proud of her. She did well, but didn't win.

So, are YOU smarter than a 5th grader? Here is the question that she got wrong:

Which state is not partially located in the Mississippi River Drainage Basin?

A) Vermont

B) North Carolina

C) Wyoming

Ummm, I don't know. I've never even heard of the Mississippi River Drainage Basin. She guessed North Carolina and that is not the correct answer.

It's Vermont for those of you who are playing at home.

Christmas 2009

Better late than never. Not sure why I can't rearrange my pictures. These are not in any kind of order.

Myah playing with her new Crayola Glow Dome

Myah's artwork display on her bedroom door.

A handmade Nativity scene that one of the kids made last year. I can't remember who made it, but I think it's absolutely adorable.

This year I let the kids decorate their own tree in the playroom. It turned out really cute.

This is Myah tackling Chloe. Chloe had knitted this hat for Myah and wrapped it up and put it under the tree for her. Myah was mad at Chloe for several days because she was certain that Chloe was trying to play a trick on her and that she had wrapped up an empty box. She was so happy when she opened it and saw what her sister made for her. They love to make each other gifts. Sadly, that was the last time we saw the hat. I'm pretty sure it somehow got thrown out with all the Christmas garbage. Boo Hoo!!! Good thing we at least got a picture of it.

Cute Coco.

Chloe was so happy that Santa brought her a new American Girl Doll. She had been wanting Emily Bennett for a really long time. Emily has red hair and Chloe has a fascination with redheads. She's even decided that when she grows up she will marry someone with red hair.

Santa also brought Myah a new American Girl Doll. She got Rebecca Rubin.

A Christmas Surprise

The Sunday before Christmas the kids were busily building a gingerbread house with Grandma Judith when we thought we could hear the faint jingling of bells coming from outside. Then suddenly, there came a knock at the door...

It was SANTA!!!

It was such a fun surprise! We had no idea that we would be getting a visit from Santa before Christmas. The girls were speechless, but their smiles pretty much say it all.

Christmas Dance Recital

Chloe & Myah looking super cute in their dance costumes. They did a great job in their recital.

Slip of the Tongue

Watch out Gene Simmons! You've got some competition.

Piano Recital 2009

This year I decided to have our annual Christmas recital at a nursing home. I absolutely loved having it there. It turned out to be a great recital and a really neat experience. It was a fun opportunity for the kids to be able to do some service and share their talents with the patients there. They were so appreciative that we would come and entertain them.

All of my students performed exceptionally well. Yes, there were some mistakes, but if you have never played piano in front of an audience, you don't understand how difficult it really is. I always tell my students that I don't expect perfection. I don't think it's right to put that pressure on them. Plus, I think the fear of making mistakes is what keeps people from sharing their talents with others. At the end of the day, you just need to do your best. There has never been a time when I've played in church or in front of an audience that I haven't made some huge mistake. The important thing is to JUST KEEP GOING. Nine times out of ten, the audience doesn't even know that you made a mistake. Great job, guys!

Back row: Chloe, Me, Hayden, Tim & Jaden

Front row: Cassidy, Olivia, Makayla, Brackon, Myah & Elsie