Posted by: zanobo | August 18, 2009

Spring at the Zoo

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Apparently the zoo had a visit from some life-sized germs–as you can see above. Lisa and I must be out of our minds to let our kids get so close and cuddly to a germ not even attempting to disguise itself!

Actually, Kleenex was running an advertising campaign with a few games such as catch the germs and squash the germs. They even brought their mascot along. I should have asked his/its name!

I was pretty excited this year because we have a membership to the dinosaur park. In May, I received an email from them saying that we could now use our membership for free admittance to the zoo on the first Thursday of every month. I quickly took advantage of that offer, and it is a good thing too, because they have already changed it from free to half-price admission on the first Thursday of every month. Too bad 😦

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Posted by: zanobo | August 18, 2009

Library Kickoff at the Farm!

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Okay, so this picture turned out a tad bit blurry, but I think it is adorable and shows how much fun Ethan and Chase have together!

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Kaytie was fascinated by the little ducklings!

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Each year the county library system holds a big kickoff party at a local farm/park. The kids sign up for the summer reading program, there are a few fun booths set up…the zoo usually brings a few of their creepy crawlies, the Jazz Bear was there this year, and of course the free water bottle and salt water taffy….who could forget that. The library also offers a few crafts for children and some entertainment as well. Oh yes, adults can sign up for the summer reading program as well. Each month you get a small prize and at the end of the summer, if you have completed your reading you receive a free book. It is a great program that has become a tradition for our family.

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Posted by: zanobo | August 18, 2009

Spring Soccer

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Ha ha ha….I am now going to blog about our summer activities beginning with spring soccer which took place in May and June. Brad coached the team and he he looked like he was having a good time. Ethan loves having his dad as the coach and he also loves soccer because his bud, Chason, plays as well. The weather was very nice and even a little cold some games. We missed the sign-up date for fall soccer but hope to play again next spring.

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Posted by: zanobo | August 18, 2009

First Day of School 2009

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This summer has been something new for our family–as in we actually had a decent length summer! We are trying out a new track this year at school and it has been nice having the kids home for a longer break. Last week they were definitely ready to go back so it is great that we have reached the beginning of their new school year!

Emily is in Mrs. Olson’s class and I think Emily will enjoy her teacher. Mrs. Olson is working on her Master’s degree with an emphasis in math so Emily will be doing a lot of math in unconventional ways. Mrs. Olson has also been teaching at Valley Crest for 20 years! Long enough to find a system that works well…I hope!

Amanda is in Mrs. Norton’s class and has a few friends. Nothing like the previous years in which she has known almost the entire class. I think this year will be a nice change for her. I like that Mrs. Norton rewards her students after 10 days of good behavior. She also has students rotating through different positions. One of the assignments is desk monitor–they will periodically check students’ desks and leave a piece of candy in those desks that are clean. I was thinking, hey, that might be a great incentive for the kids to keep their rooms clean at home. Maybe once and a while I can be the bedroom fairy and leave a small prize on their beds if their rooms are in order.

Ethan doesn’t start until next week so technically first day is to be continued….I hope the girls are enjoying themselves, they should be home soon so that I can hear their report!

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Posted by: zanobo | May 30, 2009

Emily’s Dance Recital

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Emily performed in her first end of year dance recital last evening. It was a late performance, beginning at 8:00 PM and ending just after 10:00 PM. Kaytie finally fell asleep in my lap at the beginning of the final routine…wish she would have drifted off much sooner.

Emily looked beautiful and I loved watching her dance, especially with her beautiful smile. We had a terrible experience with the final dance, “Twinkle”, when we realized she needed her black dance skirt. Both Emily and I thought they were wearing a skirt provided by the studio. Another girl didn’t have shoes…lucky her, nobody noticed with another girl missing a skirt! Emily said she felt like crying the whole time but I couldn’t tell. She looked graceful and beautiful through the entire dance. One might ask how we didn’t know about the skirt….well, the studio is not the most organized place and we will leave it at that. I felt like I let Emily down by not bringing her skirt and I was just sad that it took a little away from how she enjoyed the experience. Next time she has a performance, we will definitely bring every item she owns for dance!! It is always better to be over-prepared for some events.

We love you Emily! Thank you Amanda for taking the pictures of your sister.

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Posted by: zanobo | May 29, 2009

Preschool Graduation

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Ethan and his teacher, Miss Kathy.

Ethan simply adores Miss Kathy, she does such a great job with the little preschoolers. Ethan has learned his letters, and as evident at his graduation, he has learned A LOT of songs during his time at preschool–23 of them to be exact. Miss Kathy taught Ethan about plants and how they grow and that is where he got his desire to grow radishes in his own garden. (Or as Ethan calls them…redishes.) He has made a lot of great friends during his two years at preschool and has loved every moment. Plus the fact that Miss Kathy has a great play area indoors and outdoors just made preschool even more exciting. Thanks Miss Kathy, we will miss you!

Ethan is taking his graduation seriously. Yesterday he showed me that he was taking out the kitchen garbage without being asked because in his own words, “I am a grown up kid now.” He is definitely ready for his next adventure in kindergarten to begin.

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Performing “Tooty Ta Da”, a personal favorite of mine around campfires

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Ethan and Olivia

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Ethan and his best buddy, Chason

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Posted by: zanobo | May 29, 2009

Park Fun

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Ethan, Chason, Kaytie, and I had a great day at the park yesterday. The weather was perfect and there was only one other child on the playground the entire time. We ate a picnic lunch under a tree while we enjoyed watching some men play a game of softball. The trees are large enough at the park that the boys were able to play hide and seek inside the branches and even use it for a space ship.

Of course Ethan and Chason had to play Star Wars as illustrated by the picture above. I missed some really good shots–they are great Jedi Warriors and know plenty of moves to keep each other busy for some time.

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Kaytie was great in her little group photos today, but we still need to work on individual shots. She would call me over to take a picture and before I can get the camera turned on she has already said “cheese” and refuses to try again once the camera is ready.

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Posted by: zanobo | May 29, 2009

Garden Update

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Brad and Susanna’s Gardens

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The Children’s Gardens

Since I am new to gardening, every day is pretty exciting to me. This is our garden after two and a half weeks of growth. I am amazed that plants are still growing and I am fascinated watching how the plants grow each day. Yes, you can tell that I live an adventurous life when a new flower on a pepper plant excites me:)

Our swiss chard looked very unhealthy when we transplanted it, but it looks great now. The radishes and beets grow quickly and are a fun crop for the children to grow because they have seen results quickly. We even have some Romaine lettuce and spinach growing, but they are cool-weather crops so we will have to observe what happens to them. I have a strawberry that is almost ready to pick and I can’t wait to see peppers show up on my plants.

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Posted by: zanobo | May 28, 2009

Sheds, Cheering, and the Rogers

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Ah Ha! Caught actually consulting the manual.

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Brad has wanted a shed ever since we moved into our house. Every year he jokingly tells his mom and sisters that he is still waiting for a shed for his birthday. This year Brad’s wish came true and he got a shed. Of course, that was almost two months ago and Brad’s shed is finally assembled thanks to the help of our friend Mitch.

The men were able to build and construct, the kids were able to play with boxes and Styrofoam, and Lisa even played “We Cheer” with me! Of course, we weren’t able to play long before the kids discovered us and we let them have some Wii fun as well. We topped the evening off with watermelon and ice cream…who could ask for anything more??

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I think Bailey has the cutest stance in this picture!

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Whoa, we better watch out for these little guys as they grow older!

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Posted by: zanobo | May 28, 2009

Amanda’s Up With Kids Performance

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    Amanda as Celia from “Monsters”

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    Amanda as Petunia Pigeon from “Enchanted”

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    Amanda as a bride from “Enchanted”

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    Thank you Jenny, Cali, and John for supporting Amanda!

    Amanda participated in Up With Kids this year and performed “Enchanted.” She played three small speaking parts and really enjoyed attending practices each week. The play consists of speaking parts, singing, and some dancing. The kids even perform the final song with sign language which is pretty neat to see. Some improvements I would like to see in the program include the following:

    1. Hearing the children sing instead of trying to hear them over the pre-recorded voices on the soundtrack
    2. A DRESS REHEARSAL
    3. Begin learning the songs, dances, and speaking parts at the beginning of the year
    4. A time we could take a picture of our children in their costumes

    The script is quite creative and filled with humor. It was a nice opportunity for Amanda to delve into the world of theater and to perform in front of an audience. One of the pigeons that had a speaking part with her didn’t show up for the performances so Amanda said the lines in her place. She was awesome! I am so happy she did such a great job with all of her lines, she was perfect.

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