The Fair

We took the kids to the fair today and had a great time! I still feel so heavy from the giant turkey leg I ate!

 Bumper Cars

 Watching the pig races and eating candy apples. The pig races were amusing, but I felt bad for the pigs. Fair animals are not treated fairly!!

 Sydney was chosen as the cheerleader for Pig 3.

 "Will someone please let me run free?!!!"

 On the ferris wheel

 Sydney & Ethan on the Super Slide!

First Day of School

We finally moved to our permanent house at the end of August! There is a little more work to be done, and once it's done I'll post some pictures of the house. We decided after trying home schooling for a couple of weeks to put the kids back at Redeemer. We love the family/sibling closeness that home schooling provides, but with an active toddler, it was too demanding for me, and the kids love, love, love Redeemer School, so they were happy to go back! We are able to walk, bike, ride scooters, etc. there in just 8 minutes. Compare that to my old drive of 20-25 minutes!

We Moved!

You'll notice the temporary title change! We have finally moved into town!!! We are in a rental home community for the summer. We close on our permanent home tomorrow, and renovations should be done by the end of the summer. We are enjoying lots of togetherness in our 1500 sq ft home, and very thankful for a neighborhood pool. :-) Jeff I are really loving the short drives everywhere. I was able to go to Starbucks for a hour one night alone since it only takes 3 minutes to get there. 3 minutes!!! I am used to a minimum of 20. Here are some pictures since my last update. 

 

Easter Sunday after worship service. Jake is wearing Reid's baby Easter clothes.

Ethan turned 7! He was super excited to get this Lego Star Wars set.

Ahhhh...that good Italian hair! Lucky he got my genes in that department. Salut!

In May we had the Shakespeare Festival at school. The 1st graders sold apples and the 3rd graders recited couplets in the play. This year they performed The Tempest.

Jeff & I got away to Hilton Head for a precious 4 days. Thanks to Grammy & Papa for staying with our children!

Sydney at her display at the 3rd grade end of year author's tea. The 3rd graders were the authors we got to celebrate. Sydney read a story and 2 poems that she composed.

Ethan just loves Jake. We all do, but Ethan is super hands on with him.

Last day of school! Redeemer has been one of God's best gifts to us these past 2 school years, but we are going to take a break and home school next year. We are feeling the need to really rest and reconnect after a very busy 2 years. 

Move out day...this is a picture of Sydney in the fort she made, sitting on her favorite rock.

We can't take the John Deere where we are going, so it's going to live with Jeff's parents. Could you imagine the JD on a .25 acre lot?

News of all news!! Dominoes delivers GLUTEN FREE!!!! This was the first time our kids ever had a pizza delivered. It was really good!

Jake after a dip in the pool

We took the kids to Hanging Rock for a hike up to the hanging rock. What a climb for Jeff with Jake on his back the whole way!

Summertime is all about popsicles!

Oh...that hair again. Italian boy 1 and Italian boy 2. (I told you, never ask me about my business over dinner!)

One adjustment in this move was my children losing their neighborhood friends. Yes, they actually put these signs out on the road in front of our house!

Reid learned to ride a 2 wheeler a few months ago. He is so fast it scares me sometimes!

Jake is walking and has discovered his shadow. It's so cute how he'll squat down and have little conversations with his shadow.

Gold!!

Ethan took the gold medal home when he won all four of his wrestling matches at Davie High in March!

Wrestling Scrimmage

Ethan wrestled well in a scrimmage last week. He won 3 matches and lost his last one 4 to 1. After the match, we found out the other kid was in 3rd or 4th grade. Below are the matches he won.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's 2012

All 4 kids in Valentine Shirts from Grammy & Papa (except Ethan is now too cool to wear these shirts!)

Reid's says: Taken

Jake's says: Mommy Loves Me Big Time

On Sunday, Jeff took Sydney to a Daddy & Daughter Dance that our friends coordinate each year

Our family is into watching the Star Wars series. Reid made a light saber for his stuffed cat out of a marker and tape

January 2012

Here are some pictures and video clips from January:

Sydney, Ethan, & Reid made Jake a new home for play and sleep:

Jake fell asleep bouncing one morning!

The boys in new outfits from Grammy & Papa and a photo Ethan took of Jake & me

Spirit Week at Redeemer!!

Each day last week had a different theme, but on Wacky Tacky Day, Ethan & I had so much fun giving him a mohawk!

Friday was the 100th day of school, and there was a huge celebration at school. The kids made shirts; Reid & Sydney made shirts with 100 pompoms. These pictures were all taken at the Friday night game.

Ethan made his shirt with blue & gold puffy paint.

Here is Sydney in her cheerleading dance outfit. The cheerleaders danced at chapel on Friday morning and then both of the games that afternoon.

Sydney's cheerleading coach had a great idea for their spirit week dance and ran with that idea! Their dance is to a song by Lecrae called Children of the Light (lyrics below). The girls are dressed in black and decorated with glow sticks to show the church as children of light shining in a dark world. Sydney represents the crucified Christ (she has the heart on her front and crown of thorns on her head). Meredith, one of her classmates, is the risen Christ, exalted at the end of the dance.

Hook:
We are children of the light
Royal rulers of the day
Saints, no prisoners of the night
Trust and love will lead the way
We are free

Verse 1: (Lecrae)
Yeah, I notice when people notice me
My exterior is the only way they know it's me
I'm full of holes and scars, my skin's marked up
But qualified to light up a world of darkness
A day walker, I love walkin' in the sunlight
I look dirty but I've been cleaned on the inside
It's revolutionary, he's coming now for fellas and they can look at us strange
But ain't nothing that they can tell us, cause

(Hook)

Verse 2: (Sonny Sandoval)
Yeah, I'm free to rock this mic to walk right in a dark night lighted by the sun (we are free)
I'm so free that I can fly while ya'll can't even crawl into a ball of freedom
In my life I count the cost I take lost accused of treason
And I could die for this cause and you might just be the reason
And in order to if I must die it's denial of self
And if you claim to be the way that means there ain't no one else
I trust it, done, there ain't no room for discussion
So if you just don't get it then let the just come with it
I know that much more is required of all that I've been given
But if ya'll claim to be alive then you gotta start livin
You know why

(Hook)

Verse 3: (Dillavou)
And him the only one to take me out of Babylon
And him create me right and wrong
And him create me script and song
And that's why we stand firm upon the rock on which salvation, man
And so we love the prospect and hope to put our helmet on
And that is why we build upon for each and every chosen one
Respectful to the elder-men who give guidance and correction
So don't you quench the spirit man
The Word is truth, the Word is one
The Messiah give you Shalom
Whoa-o-oah