She Canters Verticals

Posing for a moment before her introduction.
Trotting into the ring on Anything But Ordinary, also known as Dixie.
And here she goes...

Time to let Dixie rest.

Son, Let Me Show You How It's Done.

Nearly every male Hoosier I have had the pleasure to meet has an underlying trait of avoiding complicating a basic task while finding a way to have fun doing it.

Scott is certainly no exception.

Sometimes actions taken with this approach can defy conventional wisdom. However, simplicity, efficiency and the every popular "that was cool!" factor often over shadow alternative, "smarter" methods.

Scott is working diligently to instill this quality in our son.

Thus, when it was decided that we should remove the overgrown sticker bushes by our mailbox, Scott took the opportunity to show Will how to keep it simple....and still use a big 'ol V8.

(And please forgive my senior moment when I could not come up with the right words for "rear back up sensor").

Camp MusArt Redux

Last week Eliza Grace attended Camp MusArt's track out camp again and loved it more than ever. If you have kids in K-5th grade in the Cary/Apex area that enjoy arts & crafts and music, this is the place for them!

This time, along with daily lessons on cello, violin, piano/keyboard, guitar and recorder, they learned some Irish ditties in honor of St. Patrick's day.

We really love all of the teachers that are part of this program. They are engaging, encouraging and caring. Plus two of the teachers came up to me at the end of the week to tell me how sweet Eliza Grace is and how much they enjoyed having her there. Words every Mother loves to hear!

Now comes the part where I share video from the end-of-the-week performance.

And it is also the part where I tell you that it was hot, crowded and Will was restless and whiny (as were lots of other siblings in the audience).

And I should say that, despite my new Flip HD with image stabilization, it does not keep me from wandering while I film.

And lastly, I must say that we are pretty impressed with Eliza Grace's short violin solo from "Allegro." We have definitely heard screechier versions, so hang in there because she ends well :)

Ok, well, with that really impressive/scary introduction, here's the video!

Scott's Green Thumb

This past weekend Scott decided he wanted to put in a raised garden.

You can take the Hoosier out of Indiana, but you cannot keep him from wanting to grow things!

Will, who spent the morning as a pirate in pajamas, decided he needed to lend a hand once he realized that tools were involved.
However, his help was short lived because, come on, it was sunny and the swing set was right there!
So Scottie finished the build himself...
hauled way too much top soil (because all we have naturally is red clay and sand)...
planted his lettuce and strawberries...
and protected it all from the many families of rabbits that live in the thickets and woods in our backyard.
What you cannot see are the approximately 12 other planters scattered on and around our decks which are sprouting his other veggies and herbs: tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, oregano, etc.

Thank you, Scott, for all your hard work! We cannot wait to taste the fruits (and veggies and herbs) of your labor!

Miss Kim was in the Houseee ...er...Cheesecake Factoryyy!

Miss Kim (aka Mimi or Kimmie), our nanny from the time Will was 3 months to 18 months old, was in town for a conference last week. The kids and I met her and some of her peers for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

I cannot tell you how much we miss this sweet young lady. She was such a joy to have in our lives on a daily basis. At the same time, it is so fun to hear all that she has accomplished over the past nearly 4 years. I found myself bragging to Scott about how well she is doing like some proud mama :)

Even though Will only really remembers Miss Kim through these visits - and scrapbooks, pictures and videos - he completely understands that this woman loves him and cared for him when he was really little.

He knows that she changed too many diapers to count, went through too many burp cloths to comprehend (Will was THE spit up king!) and helped shepherd him through those first 18 month basics: rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, eating on his own, etc. etc.

Will and Eliza Grace doing their Ninja poses

Eliza Grace, however, does remember many fun times with Miss Kim. Pedicures while Will napped, walks to the park, tea parties and all kinds of crafts and activities that kept her busy, learning and having fun. They even have their own special way they say goodbye: Kim says, "Love ya, mean it" and Eliza Grace responds, "Love ya mean it more!" They were good buddies and I am so glad they still are.
It was so great to see you again, Miss Kim. We cannot wait to catch up with you again soon!

Sweet Georgia Brown

Last Saturday, the kids and I joined the Dusek's to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I can now officially check another one off my childhood wish list!

For my fellow Amazing Race fans, Big Easy led the game as team captain and lead funny man, but Flight Time was not there.

I venture to say that, aside from different players and some of the music, the 'Trotters routine has changed very little since the 1970's...and it was great!

Our tickets were at the very top of the lower level but, since the matinee performance was only about a third full, we moved much closer to the floor.Each of the kids got their own official red, white and blue Globetrotters basketball, although Eliza Grace chose the smaller version and then got as many autographs as she could in the short signing time after the show. The line was so long for Big Easy that we were not able to get his :(
The 4 Musketeers have another great memory together!

Will (5), Eliza Grace (9), Jacob (9), Isaac (6)

Space, The Final Frontier...

Will's preschool class has been studying outer space, celestial bodies and the space shuttle over the last 2 weeks.

I do believe this has been his favorite topic at school all year. His teachers agree, as they shared that he has been far more attentive during the lessons than he has been most of the year :)

They made a variety of space related crafts:
a picture of Saturna paper towel tube star gazer a rendering of our solar system (note, objects are not as close as they appear, nor are they in any particular order!)
and created their own moon rocks.
They also learned a song to help them remember the names of the planets in order of distance from the sun.

I asked Will if he would sing it for me on camera and he conceded once I convinced him that he would want to show it to his kids someday. Gotta do whatever works!

Perhaps we have a burgeoning astronomer or astronaut on our hands!

Heeeere's Chewie!

Yes, I am sure he is really missing all those loud, yappy puppies at the breeder.

And he never has any fun. See?

Let's take another look at little Chewbacca in that last pose:
Now take a look at a Star Wars AT-AT walker (and imagine it laying on its side in the same position as Chewie above):
Is it just us or is there a real similarity? Scott thinks giving him a Star Wars related name was providential :)