Abby's Preschool Graduation

Yesterday, May 30, was Abigail's preschool graduation.  She looked so pretty and so grown up!  There was a fun program for the families; the children sang many of the songs they have been learning all year.  It was fun to see all of the children standing perfectly in their little line.

Abby stands next to her painting before the program. 

Abby was chosen to hold the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. 

The class sings "This Land is Your Land." 

And now for the performance with the lummi sticks.  (As the teachers were handing out the sticks, most of the children were tapping them together.  Abigail held hers to her side and quietly announced that everyone was supposed to hold their sticks still at their side and that she was being obedient.  She never turned and said anything to her friends standing next to her.  She just made her quiet announcement while looking straight ahead at the audience.  We heard it since we were sitting in the front row.  It was hilarious!) 

 Abby "walks" across the stage.

The whole class freezes long enough to take a group photo. 

  Tara, Michael, Abby, and Coley smile for the camera after the program.  Abby was so excited that Daddy was able to attend, especially since this is the crazy week he is working night shifts!

Preschool has been a GREAT experience for Abigail.  She has learned so much while having lots of fun.  Her teachers were absolutely wonderful!

The next adventure.... KINDERGARTEN! 

Happy 37th Birthday, Tara!

Last Thursday, May 10, was my birthday.  Coley took the day off and Abby didn't have preschool, so we had the entire day to ourselves.  Abby and Coley made me a cake and had a great time in the kitchen.  (I baked some pumpkin cookies for Michael so he would have a treat while we all ate cake.)

In the evening, we went out to dinner.  I was so happy that food actually tasted good at this point in my pregnancy!  I went all out and ate a bacon cheeseburger! :)  Yum!

 Abby and Michael just hanging out and having fun.

 It's time to open presents.  I think Abby was at least as excited as I was.  She knew the presents didn't belong to her, but she wanted to help open them!

 Abby wanted me to wear her birthday crown from preschool.  Doesn't it look lovely?

The evening ended with birthday cake and ice cream.  I'm glad Michael didn't seem too distressed that his treat was different (due to his allergies)!

Another year older and life just keeps getting better!

A Visit with the Principal

The week before Mother's Day, we all piled in the car and drove to Buffalo for a few hours to visit with Conny.  Conny was the principal during my first two years of teaching in Southern California.  She now does consulting work all over the place and recently spent four weeks in Buffalo.  I learned so much from her about being a good teacher.  It was great to see her again and introduce her to my family.  Coley was taking the picture, so you don't see him. 

We visited with Conny for a little while at the hotel and then took her to dinner.  Abigail quickly made friends with Conny and didn't stop telling her stories all evening.

It was WAY past bedtime when we put Abby and Michael in bed, but we had a great night!

Observation Day in Dance

Things are winding up with the end of the school year.  Abigail's dance recital will be in a few weeks.  Two weeks ago, Coley and I were able to attend "Observation Day" for her dance class.  It was pretty entertaining.  The girls are practicing so very hard for their recital.  Some of the little girls looked pretty stressed (there was even one girl in tears), but most of them were having a great time.  I LOVE the smiles you get when you remind little children to smile really big on stage.

Our NYC Getaway

Last week my mom flew to Rochester to stay with Abby and Michael so Coley and I could spend three days in New York City together.  We made these plans before I knew I was pregnant.  For the past several weeks, I was praying I would feel well enough to enjoy our vacation. 

The day before we left for New York, I thought I'd check the weather forcast.  It was the weekend we had that crazy Nor'easter.  The morning of our departure, I woke up to snow.... yes, in late April!  Several neighboring school districts had canceled school.  We read that flight delays into NYC were very possible.  We weren't sure at that point if we would spend much time actually walking around the city, so we made sure we took swimming suits, etc. so we could just hang out at the hotel if necessary.

While the temperature was on the chilly side, we didn't have any rain during our stay in New York.  After several trips to the city, Coley and I were finally able to experience Central Park.  It really was a beautiful place.

The only pictures I have from our trip are from the park, but we also spent time walking around Manhattan, eating at a fun pizza place, and walking around Times Square.  The first night in the city, there were no plays showing, so we enjoyed delicious Indian food.  The second night, we went to see the play, "Mary Poppins."  It really was a lot of fun.

We had a great time.  Thank you, Mom, for staying with Abby and Michael.  I know they had a wonderful time with you!

Easter 2012

Easter is always such a special time as we reflect on the resurrection of our Savior.  I also love that it is in the Spring.  This year on Easter, I was just starting to pull out of the terrible sickness that I experience in the beginning of pregnancy.  I'm so grateful I was feeling well enough to enjoy the day with my family.

Abigail had a great time decorating Easter eggs the day before Easter.  Thank you, Nancy, for hard-boiling the eggs for me at your house so I wasn't overwhelmed with the smell.  If it wasn't for you, Abby wouldn't have been able to do Easter eggs this year.  (My "superpower" sense of smell due to pregnancy is back!) 

 Concentrating!

 Abigail was so excited Easter morning to see if the Easter bunny had found her.  As you can see, he didn't miss our house!

Michael checks out his Easter basket before church.  The Easter bunny was very careful to leave Michael toys and treats that were safe for him because of his allergies. 

It was a bit windy after church, but it was an absolutely beautiful day!

Later in the afternoon, we went to the Petruccis for Easter dinner.  We always love spending time with them.  When I asked Mrs. Petrucci what I could bring for dinner, her response was the same as usual... "You just bring the children!"  When we arrived, they had an Easter egg hunt for the little children and there was even a special visit from the Easter bunny!

Even though he couldn't eat the candy, Michael had a GREAT time looking for Easter eggs!

And there is the Easter bunny!  Michael wasn't so sure about getting too close to him.  I can't say that I blame him!  (Look how handsome Michael looks in his Sunday clothes!)

What a wonderful Easter it was!

P.S.  It was also Michael's first day in nursery at church.  I can say that he survived it.....barely!

Our Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

A week before Easter, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with the children in the neighborhood.  The sky was pretty gray and it was rather cold outside, but everyone had a great time.  Within five minutes of finishing the egg hunt, it started pouring rain!  Great timing!

 On your mark....

 Get set....

 Go!

(Abigail ended up winning a special prize for finding the egg with the "Golden Ticket!")

 Michael was starting to get the hang of it with a little help from our neighbor, Alessandra.

It didn't take long to teach Michael what to do!  He had a GREAT time racing around, putting eggs in his basket.