Weekly update

This past Sunday to Wednesday I was in my home town spending some time with family and catching up with old friends. It was a great few days and the kids were very busy playing with their cousins who were there visiting as well.

A few pics from my time away....

Josselyn, me, and Erin (girls I've known for what seems like forever and was so happy to spend time, all of us getting to be together for the first time in years) looking through all photos.
After looking through those high school pictures I am even less excited about bathing suit season. There's nothing like looking at pics of your teenage self to make you long for the metabolism of your youth.

These three were little water bugs during our afternoon at the lake.

The weather was changing the whole time we were there. A few times the clouds rolled in and we thought it was going to downpour but it always passed and the sun came out and we were able to have a really nice time.

When the clouds were covering the sun it felt pretty chilly and we had to convince the kiddos that it was warmer in the water than out of it. But they definitely didn't need to go this far out in the water. It was pretty windy and I was close to going out and grabbing Catherine before she could get blown away.

Here is my little 15 month old niece Norah having fun in the sand.

Catherine and Theo looking adorable together. I have one on my camera of them both looking at me, but I put these pics on while at my parents and didn't have a USB cord for my camera.

We got home from the lake around 3:30 but no way was the fun over yet! We got out the slip in slide and spent the next two plus hours having a blast as the kids went zooming down the hill and splashing into the baby pool we strategically placed at the bottom.

Would you believe that Chrissie and I both went down the slip n slide, not once, but a number of times? No? Well I have pictures to prove it but they are on my parents camera and I must have forgotten to upload them while I was home. Too bad!

It was funny because when we decided to do it Chrissie went in to get her suit on and my my mom went in to get her camera (of course!) and I ran and went down the slide while it was just me and kids. Just to make sure I wasn't going to completely make a fool out of myself by losing part of my suit while my mom caught it all on camera. Thankfully it didn't and we actually had fun reliving our childhood (I should say mine because that was the first time Chrissie EVER went on a slip n slide) and entertaining the kids.

The weather proved to be a bit of a problem because the forecast would be calling for showers and storms and we would plan accordingly (by not going to the amusement park we were planning on taking the kids to) and end up with a nice sunny day. But in typical central PA style it was still 10 degrees cooler than the Philadelphia area.

Now I'm home not feeling too great with a sore throat and a pounding head. Hoping tomorrow is better!

Our Great Adventure!

I promised you a rundown of my birthday trip to Six Flags Great Adventure and here it is...

The Good:

I still love the coasters! It had been probably six years since I had been on a roller coaster, what with having babies and nursing them and then just letting time slip away. Also, spending a day at an amusment park riding the biggest and fastest roller coaster doesn't always translate into a family activity when your kids are little. I was nervous that I couldn't handle it! But I could and had so much fun screaming and laughing and sometimes holding on for dear life.

The lines weren't that bad at all. We would pass markers that said 2 hr wait and end up at the ride in 30 minutes. I am so thankful for that, because I really struggle with waiting in lines like that. The longest line we waited in was maybe 45 minutes which is not bad at all, especially since we got in it at the 90 minute wait mark. I seriously timed it to make sure because I had a certain spot we had to get to in a certain time and if we didn't we were leaving.

The weather was perfect, it was sunny and hot and then the clouds would move in and it was breezy and cool - alternating like that all day.

I got to ride my favorite coaster Nitro. We got in line and after a few minutes it stopped running due to technical difficulties. It's so hard to decide whether or not to stay or go in that situation because they aren't able to give you any time table (more on that later) on when it's going to work again and usually a bunch of people end up leaving and you're wondering if you're wasting your time staying. Thankfully for this ride it was worth it because from the time we got in line to the time we got to ride it was 30 minutes total - including the delay. In fact after riding it once, we got to back to the start and there was no line. I was all ready to go from another spin, but....

The Bad

While I can still stomach the coasters, we discovered that Matt no longer can. It's ironic that the coaster that I love the most (Nitro) is the one that really did him in. He quickly declined my request to go again, and we decided to go on another one. I think it all caught up to him on that one and we had to take a nice long break on a bench while he sat as still as possible and tried to settle his stomach. Poor guy, he was sweating and shakey, not the most fun way to spend the day. He felt so bad and didn't want to ruin the day for me. He did pull through in the end and decide at the last minute (he waited in line with me and was going to just not get on) to ride Bizarro and didn't feel too bad afterwards (this was after a loooonnnng break from rides.)

Kingdaka is the fastest roller coaster in the US and also has the highest drop. It's so high that the Statue of Liberty could fit under the main arch. You are basically launched up one side and come spinnning straight down the other. You can see it looming over the park when you come in (see previous picture) and it just looks terrifying. We decided to go directly there because we figured the line would be the longest and it would be the one we'd be most likely to chicken out of. The line moved so quickly - from the start of the line to the gate it was 15 minutes total (what a dork am I that I actually know all this!). We watched the people in front of us shoot off and waited for the gait to open for our turn. My adrenaline was seriously pumping and I would count the seconds it took for the car to fall. But...you could see this coming, right?....A voice over the loud speaker. Kingdaka is experiencing technical difficulties, we don't know when it will be ready to run again. A few people leave. We wait. We wait some more. More people leave. We keep hoping that it's going to be fixed soon. No such luck, they finally announce that it will be a lengthy delay and we head out of there. It was closed all day. I kept looking over from wherever we were in the park to see if it was running and it wasn't until we were just getting in the car to go home that I finally saw a car going over the big arch. Darn.

Last night we caught a documentary on thrill seekers and it went through various amusement parks and the crazy stuff they offer. Seriously, some of the free fall and bungee stuff was almost hard to watch. But then they say "We've saved the best for last...Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingdaka!". Matt and I both cracked up - of course, we were seconds away from riding the craziest roller coaster in the country and we missed out on it. I am hoping to make a return trip with friends at some point, but I think that was Matt's last chance at it!

The Ugly!

The prices!!! If it's not enough that it costs an arm and a leg just for a day pass to the park (we got great discounted tickets though), you pay at the very least $15 for parking, $1 for a locker outside of each rollercoaster because you can't take any loose items with you (I would stuff my sunglasses down my shorts!) and the cost of food is just unreal. To top it off Six Flags Theme Parks (all of them) just declared bancruptcy. I can't being to imagine how they are possibly losing money.

Finally, the worst part of what was a great birthday occurred on the final ride, Bizarro. I kept my cell phone with me and just put it into a zipper pocket on my capris (wow, zipper pocket, I really sound like a dork). Somehow just before I got on I just have put it in the wrong pocket and it flew out on the one of the many drops, loops or spins. So less than six months after dropping my Palm Centro into the toilet, I lose my next phone on a roller coaster! The bummer is that I lost my SIM card as well so I have to recollect all the numbers and info I had stored in my phone over the years. So if you haven't heard from me - that's why!

Overall I had such a fun birthday. I really enjoyed spending the day with Matt doing something that was out of the ordinary for us. I am definitely thankful for Renee and Kerin who watched the kids (I came to get the girls from Renee's and they had decorated and made me cards and cupcakes - so sweet and special!)! Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

My budding artist

Yesterday Ella made this sweet family drawing and I couldn't resist posting it.

From left to right, Daddy, Catherine, Ella and Mommy.

Anyone else think that maybe daddy needs a hair cut?

Matt and I both had to work hard to not burst out laughing when Ella showed him (even though I had already seen it and knew what to expect.) He looks a bit feminine to say the least. She actually made two family drawings and I did choose the one in which Matt looks more manly. Ella had so much fun drawing his hair I almost don't want him to get a haircut! In all seriousness, I think she's a great artist. I'm surprised she didn't add earrings and eyelashes to the girls - she's all about the details! Oh, she did add some matching fingernail polish - suh-weet!

It's Wednesday which means it's a SYTYCD night. Crafty P will be doing this weeks recap.

Also, I promise to be back to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of my birthday trip to Six Flags. Yes, there are some of all three (but mostly good, don't worry!)!

Woohoooo

Tomorrow morning Matt and I are dropping the kids off at my friend's house and we are going to spend the day here...

Six Flags Great Adventure!!!

Tomorrow/Today (most of you will read this on Monday) is my birthday so I told Matt the only thing I wanted was to spend a day at an amusement park going on rides other than the carousel and spinning cups, i.e., rollercoasters! It has been years since I've gone on a rollercoaster, pretty sure since before I got pregnant with Ella s0 I am really looking forward to this. I do have this small little kernel of doubt way back in the corner of my mind...what if after all these years I decide I don't like roller coasters anymore? How funny would that be? Oh well, we can always spend the day riding the carousel.

Matt got discounted tickets through our Parks and Recs department (amazing deal, available in most townships in this area) and it works out great that his day off is Monday (hoping for shorter lines) and my friends Kerin and Renee are able to split up watching the kids for the day.

So happy birthday to me. I doubt I'll have any pictures to post, but hopefully will have a good story or two to share. Can't wait!!

Keeping you well fed

I promise I won't spend all summer focused solely on SYTYCD. I am glad to see how many of "you" are watching it and chiming in on the weekly posts. This week starts the official competition of the top 20 dancers so if you haven't already, now is a great time to start watching! This week the only one of us who is a trained dancer will be kicking off the competition between the Top 20. Check out Renee's blog tomorrow night or Thursday morning for her recap.

Ok, I just deleted a long rambling paragraph about the weather and my trip to Ikea. I even started to share a bit about the remodeling project going on over at our house for a long long while now. But I just missed the Pens second goal of the night and really can't focus enough to make much sense.

But I think I can concentrate enough to post two of my favorite new recipes that I've tried in the past few weeks.

Both are easy and seem pretty healthy and light.

Rumba Island Mango Chicken and Rice
from The Sisters Cafe

This is definitely a pantry recipe. It calls for just a few ingredients that you can usually have on hand and if you're like me you typically have chicken in the freezer.

4-5 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
Cumin to taste
Lemon Pepper to taste
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups mango salsa (I found a peach pineapple salsa at Wal Mart and used that, it was great - loved the pineapple pieces in there. I did by Costco's Mango salsa since it's Matt's favorite and plan on using it next time.)

Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Add spices. Cover and cook chicken until tender. Shred chicken on a plate and return to crock pot. Save juices in separate bowl. (I shredded the chicken in the same bowl as the juices and the chicken just absorbed all the extra liquid.)

Add corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of reserved juices.

Serve over coconut rice for that Rumbi Island Grill taste. Garnish with cilantro or parsely, if desired.

Making the coconut rice is a must! By a can of coconut milk and use it replace all or half (I did half and thought that was perfect) the liquied when cooking your rice. I use basamati style rice and it was a good fit. The coconut milk adds a sweetness to the rice that is delicious with the chicken . Try it and trust me - I am typically not a fan of coconut.

Second recipe...

Summer Vegetable and Chicken Hash
from Elizabeth's Edible Experience and Martha Stewart Living June 2009

1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces small red potatoes
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears..I used 3)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 jalepeno chile, stem, ribs and seeds removed, minced (didn't have it, didn't miss it)
1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (I just used regular red cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
Salt and Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon dried Oregono

1. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat. Add chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

2. Add 2 teaspoons oil and the potatoes to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes; transfer to a small bowl. Place the bowl of potatoes in the microwave for 3 minutes to finish cooking.

3. Add remaining teaspoon oil, the corn, scallions, and the jalepeno to skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn turns dark brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, and cook until skins just begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add stock, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and reserved chicken; bring to a boil. Fold in reserved potatoes, and sprinkle with Oregeno.

Enjoy! You should definitely check out Elizabeth's post for this recipe - great pictures to go along with each step.

Wohoo- the Pen's won and the series is tied! Game Seven here we come!

Top 20

Who will be in the top 20?

You know that it has been said (by non other than Nigel) that they aren’t just picking the best dancers, but casting the show. So it’s always interesting to see who they pick and why? I feel that after watching the show for a few years when it comes down the final night I am rarely surprised because they are looking for various types of dancers - so I think I predicted pretty well who was in and who wasn't. Not always the best dancers, but who the judges feel are the best dancers for the show. Often that’s a big difference!


So here we go….(I hope you guys appreciate my commitment to this -the Pens games was on and I knew I needed to fulfill my duty to the Sisterhood. But thankfully the score was the same before and after the show -so it's all good! Go Pens!)...my thoughts (rarely in complete sentence form) and recap of tonight's episode.

Janette…latin ballroom who auditioned in Miama and did the cool jump split flip. She’s the first one in!

Diana –Brought a monkey with her. Haven’t seen much of her…it’s a no. Lil'C says to own it and say “I wasn’t good enough”. Rough.

Vitolio – Haitain, have we seen him before? Some back story, In an orphanage…on his own since 15. Untrained, danced in the street…He’s in! His personality stood out the production team -

A bunch of no’s…many nameless…so glad they have Cat to comfort them.

Kayla – We saw her audition in Denver. Her grandparents supported her and were really cute.…don’t remember much of her in Vegas
Mia likes her...and she’s in!

I just told Matt that the naughty ballerina is still there and he laughed!

Kupono – Hawaiian – reminds us of Mark! I think he’d be good in the top 20. What do the judges think? Yay – he’s in, despite early criticism (I thought his earlier hair was cool, but the new look really changes his whole look, I think for the better)

All yes's (again totally making up the spelling and not taking the time to check)
Paris Toerre
Jeanine Mason
Ade
Karla Garcia
Johnathan P.

Brandon? Mia just dislikes him so much. Wow, she’s letting him have it! Debbie is sticking up for him. Wow, it’s almost a fight between the judges. GO Mary! He’s in…..and he brought it back to Mia pretty good! What is up with that? Anyone else see what Mia sees in his personality (or doesn't see in his dancing)? I think he just doesn't seem as loud or extroverted as the others. Not funny or goofy - just good. I like his nice smile.

The brothers are coming and I’m dreading it. Ugh.

Tony B is up. Reminds me of Ivan from season 2. He’s in and shocked! He’s one of those out on a limb dancers – in there for the growth!

Max ballroom. He’s in
Caitlin (sister) in – b/c she’s a cute blonde? Still bitter about Natalie.
Melissa – naughty ballerina . She looks fun.
Jason Glover – he’s in, hasn't had much air time, but I can tell he's a good looking guy from what little I've seen.
Ashely Ballerio – 4th time auditioning. She’s in. Can’t wait to tell mom!
Randy Evans – horrible outfit. Matt may have uttered the words "Camel Toe". I can't believe I just typed that. Her love of the unitard is talked about. And.....she’s in. A lot of blondes in this year. Or is it just me?

Alex Wong – seems awesome for what little we’ve seen of him. Similar in styles to others though. Contract with Miami Ballet Company – won’t let him go. Wow – didn’t see that coming. Wow – how did that happen? Did he not think to ask before he went? I'm surprise the Ballet Co. wouldn't let him go, but when you see the beating these dancers go through I'm sure they are just protecting him.

3 spots left.
Philip is next…which means for sure both brothers won’t make it. I like Phil, but not as much as the brother duo. But they still need someone like him – he’s for sure in. And I’m right!

Why do they do this to the brothers. They don't need to narrow it down to the two of them. I for one would like to see both of them in. I think it would add and interesting dynamic. Why….it just seems so cruel and heartless (Kanye, Kris!)? I don’t like feeling like my emotions are being toyed with. Hmmm...perhaps I am a bit too invested in this show? Nahhh....never!

Final two girls
Asuka and Dena – Asuka was my pick to go through - she seems to have a great personality to go with her dance ability. Such an awkward moment, so hard to be happy when the person next to you is devastated.

Final two boys
Evan and Ryan - both are in tears as they process that one of them is through and the other isn't. Seriously this bring me to tears. Especially listening to Evan talk about why he was often counted out as a dancer, too short, too bald - I think he would have been neat on the show and would have been a good support for the younger dancers. But as it turns out, the big brother got his little brother through. I said this earlier that I liked Ryan last year and was pulling for him to make it. But Evan's personality and creativity had me wishing that this was his time. Being older maybe he won't have another chance.

So that's it - I'm thankful this was only one hour long. Looking forward to next week when we really get to know the dancers and actually see them dance!

What do you think of the top 20? Happy? Sad? Mad? Don't care because you know we'll fall in love with them in a few weeks and think it's the greatest season ever? You have all week to discuss! See you next Wednesday!

Vegas Week

It's my turn to take over the Sisterhood of the Traveling Dance! Wahoo!

We're finally past the auditions and getting closer and closer to the main competition. I am going to try and get a post up tonight and tomorrow, since there's a lot going on.

Vegas week is crazy because we've had all these audititions and seen all these dancers, some who've made an impression on us and many we've never seen at all.

172 dancers show up and they begin dropping like flies.


Throughout this whole episode I kind of just wrote down my thoughts- I guarantee you that I will not spell the names correctly and will probably not always have complete sentences...it's a very basic recap with my thoughts throughout....not at all polished or pretty!

We start off with everyone doing solos and a few are highlighted. (Alex Wong, amazing, Tony Bellisimo, had a clever trick with Nigel's picture in a briefcase, on a newspaper, etc). Many seem pretty amazing but Nigel says that overall he doesn't think they're very good and starts cutting people right away. Can you even imagine!?

Some people who had gotten some earlier air time are Chimizee, football coach's son, the widow…45 are cut at this point.

So now the remaining dancers have to prove that they can learn choreography in styles other than their own. Starting with.....

Hip Hop with Nab/Tab

Gabby – (quirky, unique audition - everyone loved her initially) stunk, but got to stay

Mary looking weird – botox? (that's just what I wrote down...I'll have to go back and check it out again)

Hmm...I didn't have much to say about hip hop.

Day 1 ends and they are down to 96

Day 2 starts with...
Ballroom with Jean Marc

Philip Chebeeb, trying so hard…at least doing it. He's staying!
Ariel Coco (Philip's audition partner) looks good to me – got cut, shows what I know!
Nabuya Nagahama (someone wanna look that up, see if I'm even close), a goofball breaker/popper – The judges were impressed, did good. Cried, thanked his teachers...so sweet!

16 more going home - buh bye!

Next up...
Jazz with Sonya
Natalie and Brandon are showcased because they are picking up the choreography so well.

After performing Natalie is called forward, I'm nervous because the judges didn't seem to happy with her. Oh no….please don’t cut Natalie….what!!!!!! Why on earth did they cut her? So annoyed. This poor girl can’t catch a break! One of the things that has always bothered me is that they seem to cut some dancers a ton of breaks (Gabby) and Natalie doesn't do as incredible as they expect and she's gone. I'm mad. Must be a ton of talents contemporary dancers outh there for them to get rid of her so quickly. All the dancers are shocked as well.


Brandon – Mia and Lil C don’t like him. Nigel does. He's staying, but it's never good when Mia doesn't like you.

Gabby – Better go home b/c she stunk it up…why does she get to dance and not Natalie, I’m a bit bitter can you tell. I like her, but it seems like there are double standards.

Sammy Ramirez – popper with the great smile and cool hair, goodbye with barely a glance…

At the end of the day the dancers are told that they have the night to choreograph a group dance to perform the next morning. I tend to think this is a bit rough - these kids have to just be exhausted at this point.

Day 3

Group Dance

Erik/Silky, tapper…his group is not meshing well the night before, they go to bed and hope for the best. They perform and it seems a bit random. The judges don't like it...and most of the group is cut, but Silky gets a chance to dance for his life.



So far the group numbers look painful.

Brandon’s group is up and they do a decent job, but Brandon is still not winning everyone over…

Some guy Jason gets some big compliments! Will we be seeing him in the top 20?

Whoopie cushion brother Evan is part of this one, we haven't seen much of him in Vegas. They are called Nerdography!!! Love it! The judges love it too. Adam Shankman even gets teared up which leads to one of my favorite lines of the night when he says to Nigel "don’t you make fun of me you English bastard! "

68 moving on

Silky, danced for his life, but it wasn't enough, he's going home

Now on to the one that is often the biggest struggle

Contemporary with Mia

Tony Bellisimo – still in there…not bad to me, for an untrained hip hopper…the judges say he is dancing for his life, but with a twist - he gets to repeat the choreography with a new group.

Nabuya – going home, but with a positive attitude.

Sisters Megan and Kaitlyn are still together – one will get cut for sure!
Megan – seems off from everyone else…but they liked her…
Kaitlyn – I think she's pretty good, stood out more than her sister, but of course the judges aren't as thrilled. She must dance for her life…now. Great solo. Squeaks through to the next round.

Evan and Ryan – I like them both…which means one will get cut
Ryan – going through!
Evan – going through!
Love them! So happy to be wrong!

Philip Shibeeb (I have no clue how to spell his last name - just trying all different ways!)– going through? Looks like it...

Go Tony – aw –he’s crying. Debbie Allen says he let them down. But he's going through! Now he's really crying!

I haven't said how much I love these judges. But I do. Especially in comparison to the American Idol judges - these judges seem much more connected to the process and helping the dancers grow. I love how emotional some of them get. I'm really liking Shankman this year!

13 more cut
54 left.
(It's getting late, this will get less and less coherent (is that possible) as I go on)
Next/Last Day
Girls and Guys routines.

Broadway with Tyce – hope he’s not a jerk!

West Side Story routine...girls go first

Bianca tapper gets cut here.
All the Megan’s are getting cut, Gabby, Priscilla, sister Megan

It seems like all the girls who've been given air time are getting cut. 16 left, 6 more will be cut to make up the top ten girls. I really don't know that many who are left and don't feel too strongly (at this point) about who gets in. I remember last year I was super annoyed that the Miami Latin dancer made it in and hope there is no one like that this year.

Now the guys are up and webriefly get to see Evan, Ryan and Brandon
There are more guys in there that I am pulling for at this point.
Now we are down to the final 16 guys and it includes all the ones I'm hoping make it.
Based on the previews the last guys spot will come down to the two brothers. How annoying is that? I really hope they both can make it, but from the looks of it the producers are setting it up for an emotional final moment. Any thoughts on who will make it through.

So that's it. I should go back and spell check and make sure a little bit of sense was made, but I'm not!

Enjoy enjoy, let me know what you think and if any of your fav's got cut and who you're pulling for tomorrow night!

Graduation...of the preschool variety

Finally I'm getting a post up from the girls' end of the year programs/preschool graduation. It was a busy day because Catherine's program was in the morning and Ella's was later that night.

Here are some pictures of Catherine up on stage (second from the end). I was so proud of her. She sang and did motions and had a smile on her face the entire time.

Doing the motions to the Five Little Ducks song.

Receiving her certificate from her teachers

I know I'm biased but I love that sweet little face!

I was so thankful that my mom came into town so she could be there to see the girls on their special days. Since we don't have family nearby, it meant so much to the girls to have their grandma there.

Ella's evening program was a bigger deal because the kids were graduating to kindergarten. I made cookies for the reception following the program and Ella was allowed to bring a little treat to pass out to her classmates (cake pops), so when her special request for dinner was that we got to Panera's I was all for it.

After dinner I gave Ella and Catherine each a pink Gerber Daisy and then figured we would kill some time by taking some pictures. Of course since we had just handed them flowers so this is all we could get...

We were able to get them to hold still long enought to get a shot of me and my girls. I think Matt must have taken about 20 of this pose. Do you see how I'm holding Ella's hand? That is to keep her from lifting the flower up (see above) in front of her face!

I promise this is the best family shot - we have not spent enough time training our kids to actually look and smile at the camera when we tell them to!

We thought we were killing time so we didn't get there too early, but when we showed up 30 minutes before it was scheduled to start, the place was packed out. Now I know, people are pretty intense about these graduations.

Each class went up front and performed a few songs and then all four classes sang together at the end before receiving their certificates. Ella's class went last so by the time she went up to get her certificate Catherine had totally lost interest. Thankfully she was content to just chill...

Unfortunately the lighting in the church was not that great and all the pictures were blurry. Afterwards I tried to get some pictures of Ella and her friends...

(My favorite moment was when she went to give one little boy his cake pop and his mom got a picture with Ella, her son, and another boy from their class - and she was at least a head taller than each of them! Enjoy it while it lasts Ella!)

Ella had a great two years of preschool, she loved school so much, primarily because she got to see her friends! She always behaved so well and really seemed to absorb everything she was learning. Her teacher paid her a great compliment telling me that she'd take 16 Ella's in her class anyday!

So school's out and now it's June! In just three short months I am going to send my first born off to kindergarten.

Can I just stop time now? Because I just don't know if I can handle how quickly they are growing up!