Lopez Luv

Christmas Eve at Nanni's house

2012-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

The most fun part of going to Nanni's house is getting to ride on the golf cart.

Look at my cutie pies!

Anna spent the whole day sneaking cookies!

I got to see my niece and nephew!

I gave all the men back scratchers and it became the joke of the day!

Unfortunately, Daddy and Nanna were unable to join us because Daddy's Uncle Gabriel passed away and they flew down to Puerto Rico for the funeral. Daddy made it back just in time for Santa Claus.

2012-01-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

Mali won her class Spelling Bee and so competed in the School Spelling Bee as one of only 22 4th and 5th graders. We are tremendously proud of her! She didn't win, but she held her own for several rounds.

Christmas Carols

2012-01-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

I'm teaching now at Shreiner Academy, a private school. Some of our kids were invited to go to a local TV Station and sing Christmas Carols very early in the morning!

2012-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

We went for the 3rd year in a row to see Santa Claus in North Georgia. Alex had his list all ready. He's so sweet! He wrote down 4 things and then said, "That's enough. I don't want to be greedy." Anna needed her sister to help her not be afraid of Santa, so Mali sat next to Santa and showed him Anna's list. Franco's mom and step-dad were here for several weeks and were able to go with us.

Christmas Tree 2011

2012-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Putting up the Christmas Tree! Anna didn't make it to the end!

Nana's birthday

2011-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

We travelled down to Columbus to see Nana for her birthday!

Dance Team

2011-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Mali was soooo fabulous in her first Dance Team exhibition!

Progress in the basement

2011-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

O.K. It was supposed to be done in April, in time for Franco's 40th birthday, but look, we almost have a ceiling!

Introducing...The Lopez Family

2011-11-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

Alex as Buzz Lightyear!

Anna dressed up as Angelina Ballerina. It's a mouse that is a ballerina. Her favorite show right now.

I dressed up as a fairy princess and every precious little girl in sight wanted to have their picture taken with me.

Mali and her best friend Carmen dressed up as the Mad Hatter (twins). I took them out afterward for hot chocolate and they were so funny. They dumped the candy all over the table and divvied it up!

International Festival

2011-11-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Anna represented West Africa with a dance at International Festival.

Last Day of Summer

2011-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

Anna and I went to the playground to try to savor the last moments of summer.

Ready for the next show

2011-09-22T17:56:00.001-07:00

Mali and I did Annie, Jr. I went right into the summer fundraiser with Capitol City and upon closing that one, we went right into rehearsals for Cinderella.

Look Ma, I'm a Teacher!

2011-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm being called a teacher. This is just having fun and playing with kids!

Annie Jr.

2011-09-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Mali was in a great production of Annie Jr. I stepped in to help backstage and do some of the adult roles. She was a star both on stage and off.

4th of July at Aunt Andrea's house

2011-09-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

We went to Aunt Andrea's house for 4th of July. She made cupcakes for the kids to decorate. We were so happy that Nana was there! We went downtown for the fireworks.

Trip to FL

2011-06-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to FL for Franco to attend InfoCom. In true fashion, I forgot to take pictures most of the time, but here's what we did. We stayed at Westgate in Orlando and went to the pool each day while Franco attended the conference. My friend Polly and her daughter came over and played with us on Thursday and Friday and Summer spent the night on Friday night. On Saturday, we went to Aquatica and all got sunburned! Late Saturday evening, we stopped by to see Pop and Rosita at their friends' house. The kids were so exhausted, they passed out!We met with Pop and Rosita for brunch on Sunday morning. The iPhones were the hit of the morning as everyone played games and checked out all the fun apps.We went down to Tampa on Sunday afternoon and had dinner at Boppy's house and then gave he and Joanne a concert. We returned Monday evening. Daddy had arranged for me to do some recording at his neighbor's house, who has a recording studio in his home. I got a small start on my CD. Maybe someday we'll finish it!Then, it was on to Grammy's house where Mali enjoyed the jacuzzi and Alex and Anna chased the dogs and each other around and around.On Monday, we decided we were tired of the sun and so we took the kids to the Tampa Children's Museum. They had so many cool things there. We had a great time! Pop and Rosita came down and joined us there.The children's favorite activity was the theatre where they made up plays and performed them for us. I guess they got the acting genes after all.We ended the day with Mali, Alex, and Anna running through the fountains on the way out and spent a soggy ride home.Before heading out, we attempted to go to the beach on Tuesday but the storms had made the beaches not so wonderful. So, we headed back to Grammy's pool instead. Then, on Wednesday, we headed on home. What a wonderful vacation!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Boy Scouts dress the graves at the Marietta National Cemetary each Memorial Day. It was such a meaningful day for us, I want to be sure we do this every Memorial Day.

Summer 2011

2011-06-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

The plan for the summer...swim, swim, swim. Since our neighborhood doesn't have a pool, we joined a nearby neighborhood pool where we have spent every day since school got out!

Mali's New Band

2011-05-23T10:11:00.001-07:00

Mali and several of her friends have started a band they call FFA (Freedom For All)

Here is their theme song Jump in the Pool:

Jump in the Pool FFA from Franco Lopez on Vimeo.

And another of their original songs Dancing Maniac:

Dancing Maniacs from Franco Lopez on Vimeo.

St. Kitts

2011-05-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Franco was awarded the Golden Circle Award for the second year in a row. This prestigious award is for being in the top 6% of sales for the entire International Marriott Company. This is especially impressive considering the state of the economy right now. We had a 6 hour layover in St. Thomas, so we went touring in the downtown. The whole island is only 33 square miles so it was pretty easy to see it all. Our favorite site was this old church. It is the oldest Lutheran church still in operation in the western hemisphere.

The view from our window on was gorgeous.

I thought the weather station was so fun.

This is the life!

At the Award's Ceremony:

We went on a tour of the island and discovered gas prices were astronomical!

We bought some local, road-side bar-b-que. I have to admit it was better than any GA bar-b-que I've ever eaten!

This is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Carribean Ocean. How cool is that!

This is what the local's call the Whiskey Tree:

We visited the most famous site on the island, the old fort. We had a great day hanging out with some new friends!

2011-03-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

I got Anna a princess birthday cake, but since there were only a few of us to eat it, I got the smallest one I could, so only one princess would fit on top. I chose the Sleeping Beauty, 'cause that's her favorite.

2011-03-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Grammy came to the villa at Westgate where we were staying and brought presents. Anna was very excited about the Magic "Swan" (as she calls it).

We took Anna to Disney World for her 3rd birthday and she got to see all the princesses. Her favorite princess is Sleeping Beauty! She was so thrilled to see her, she didn't even know what to say! So, Alex did all the talking for her.

2011-02-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

We went to Puerto Rico for Ariana's wedding in February. I sang Ave Maria as Ariana was walking to the altar and Mali was a flower girl with her cousin. The girls danced and danced at the reception and even got to sing with the band. We stayed at the beach. Grammy came along with us and we got to visit with all the family and friends.

2011-02-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

Mali earned her Brown belt. Not much more and she will be a Black belt. We're so proud of her (and a little scared)!

2011-02-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Alex's 7th birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese. He loved the ticket blaster. Mali played skeeball and won about a million tickets!

2011-02-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

The very colorful playroom is nearly complete!

2011-02-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Then, the snow storm of the century...literally. We were snowed in for an entire week, or at least that's how long it took us to dig out with our little tile scraper and shovel. Trying to get the car out prmaturely only resulted in the car being at the front door for 4 days. The kids got an extra week out of school!

2011-02-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

We hadn't had enough snow yet, so we went back to Stone Mountain, or should I say, Snow Mountain. We visited the Snow Fairy again and rode down the mountain on intertubes and played in the snow!

2011-02-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas brought more snow. It was a Christmas miracle, but nothing could compete with the mural of Princesses on Anna's wall.

2011-02-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, the kids opened their presents from Uncle Adolfo, Aunt Andrea, Grammy and Granddaddy, and Mommy and Daddy. But they still couldn't wait for Santa Claus!

2011-02-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

We're making progress on the basement. We now have walls!

2011-02-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

The first snow of the season came on Dec. 12th. We had no idea how much more was to come in the following weeks so the kids got out to play in it as much as they could.

2011-02-25T07:11:00.000-08:00

Uncle Adolfo came to visit us in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving Day at Stone Mountain Park. The view from the top of the mountain is incredible, but the kids loved the Snow Fairy and were excited to visit Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

2011-02-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

In November, I was doing a Hansel and Gretel in Chatanooga, so the whole family went along. The kids participated in the show and then we got to spend the rest of the day exploring the Children's Museum.

Mali chosen again for Artist's Tea

2011-02-25T06:59:00.001-08:00

Last Spring, Mali and Alex were both chosen to read their stories at the Artist's Tea. This Fall, Mali was chosen again to represent her class. She wrote a poem called "Winter Fantasy" about playing outside during the winter.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

This year Alex was a cowboy, Anna was Dora the Explorer, and Mali was a purple witch. I got groovy in 60's garb. Friday night was a party at Mali's karate dojo. Saturday night Aunt Andrea came over and fixed us a Mummy Sandwich and Bones to eat and then we were off to trunk-or-treat. Sunday, the real Halloween, we had a neighborhood street party followed by trick-or-treating. The kids are all still high on sugar!

Amber in the studio

2010-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was hired to sing back-ups on a CD. (That's not me.) I got to go into a professional studio and be treated like a rock star. My friend and tenor (and Puerto Rican) Chris Crommett is making a Christmas CD. The songs are in Spanish and are a mix of new arrangements of old favorites and some new songs.

Raingutter Regata

2010-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Alex built and painted his boat for the Raingutter Regata. While he didn't win the whole thing, he did really well and won several heats. Besides, he had a lot of fun! We were just relieved that the boat floated!

2010-11-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Nanna and Alvaro came to visit. We did a lot of shopping, eating, playing games, and laughing. The kids were delighted when we showed up to have lunch with them.

Mali earned her solid purple belt

2010-10-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mali is bad! Seriously, don't mess with her. She'll kick your butt! She earned her solid purple belt in karate and she's so pleased with herself. It's her favorite color!

Mali wants to be a model

2010-10-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Is this not the most beautiful girl you've ever seen? We're trying to find her an agent so she can be what she wants to be...a model and a movie star!

Alex is a Tiger Cub Scout

2010-10-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Alex is so very handsome in his uniform. He has been selling popcorn to raise money for his troup. Next weekend Franco is taking him on the campout and the following weekend is the raingutter regatta. Alex has painted his sailboat and Franco is helping him put it together.

Anna's glasses

2010-07-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, Anna has inherited lazy eye from Daddy and Aunt Andrea, so she has to wear glasses, but isn't she so pretty! Anyone know how to keep glasses on a 2-year-old? We can't get her to leave them on but a second.

4th of July

2010-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

We went down to Columbus and visited with Aunt Andrea at her new house. Grammy and Grandaddy were there as well as Nanny and Nana. We had a nice dinner together and then had our own fireworks display. Anna thought it was just as good as the professionals!

Vacation Bible School

2010-07-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

Mali and Alex attended Vacation Bible School this past week and had a really fun time. They sang a few of their songs in the end-of-the-week program. So cute!

Mali gets her purple belt in karate

2010-06-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mali was awesome during her belt testing. Watch how precise and strong each movement is. She is really coming along great! I love to see her concentrate and prepare for each move. She is very happy now because purple is her favorite color. I hope she'll agree to keep going to another color!

Swim Team

2010-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

This summer we're getting up early every morning and heading to the pool for swim team with the Storm team. Here is Alex swimming his very first race. He came in last, but we were so proud of him for finishing. Mali is so precious running along beside the pool cheering him on.

Mali swam several events that night as well. Here she is. She came in last as well, but it's just for fun!

Florida Vacation

2010-05-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Franco won an incentive trip to the Ft. Lauderdale Harbor Beach Marriott. All expenses paid for 3 days, ocean-view 10th floor room, wining, dining, and head-swelling, couples massage, Las Olas Boulevard, and best of all, no kids! In one word...Awesome!

I'm so proud of my hubby for being in the top 6% for sales in the company last year. He has worked so hard! This trip helped me to understand what he's doing all the time and why he can't come home sometimes. Besides, I want to go to St. Kitts next year :)

Kindergarten Performance

2010-05-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Alex's Kindergarten Performance was the other night. Before it started, Alex went up on the stage to practice. Anna couldn't resist performing as well:

Alex was awesome as usual singing about bears and bees!

Mali's Baptism

2010-04-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have really neglected my blog for a long time. Life has just been going along. But, the most important thing that happened is Mali's baptism. I have never seen her pay such attention to a church meeting. The next Sunday, she bore her testimony that being baptized was going to help her to be more like Jesus. My mom came and helped out and even sang a duet with me. It was a very special day!

Construction Work

2010-04-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Franco's mom has been here for the past two weeks and of course, I took advantage of the free babysitting to do some construction projects. Anna so kindly ruined the carpet in the master bathroom by pouring an entire bottle of shampoo on it so I ripped it our and put tile down. I stained the dirty white bathroom cabinets a lovely mahongany. That project took a whole week and then it was on to the laundry room which I painted and re-tiled. Franco helped me hang all new shelves. After a few more touches, it will be a joy to do laundry.

I haven't been doing much singing lately. In fact, I've been skipping rehearsals and haven't sung a note in almost a month. So now that the projects are done, I need a manicure and a lot of rehearsal.

The kids were out of school for spring break last week. We had so much fun with Nanna going to Monkey Joes, Stone Mountain, and the park. We ate out a lot, but my favorite part was that Nanna did the dishes the whole time. I hate that I have to go back to doing it myself now! I will miss her being here.

Alex's sixth birthday

2010-01-23T20:04:00.001-08:00

Before the party started, the kids were helping me practice the opera to make sure I could do it by myself. Then, I couldn't get them out of the costumes.

First thing the kids did was an art project. They got to color a picture of Gertrude McFuzz and put as many feathers on her as they wanted.

Next came the show. The kids ate popcorn and enjoyed participating and dressing up. They were so cute!

After pizza, Alex opened his presents.

Last came cake and ice cream. Alex and all his friends had such a good time. Hopefully, this will be a memorable birthday for him. He's growing up so fast!

Growing Up Fast

2010-01-23T19:56:00.001-08:00

Anna learned to crawl out of her crib so it's time for a toddler bed. We bought her an extendable bed. It goes from a toddler bed all the way to a twin. Tonight is her first night trying to sleep in it. We're trying to make Supernanny proud by trying her techniques. Franco has been putting her back in the bed for about 2 hours now. I think he fell asleep first. Stay strong Franco! One tough night will lead to many happy nights!

Good job Dad!

Playing Outside

2010-01-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

Ten days ago it was snowing and now it's warm enough to play outside. My children are so beautiful, if I do say so myself!

New Style

2010-01-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mali got her hair cut too and is so cute!

First Haircut

2010-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Anna got her first haircut the other day. She's precious with her little bob and bangs.

Snow Day

2010-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

On Jan. 7th, we enjoyed beautiful snow and got a snow day out of school.

A New Year

2010-01-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a New Year party at the Tanner's. We had so much fun playing games, eating, and finishing the evening with fireworks and sparklers.

Santa brought Christmas presents

2010-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus came and delivered all the presents. The kids like their bean bag chairs the best.

Christmas Eve

2010-01-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we opened all our presents. Grammy wins the present prize. She got pajamas for everyone and a video camera for our family. Wow!

Christmas at Aunt Andrea's house

2010-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

We opened presents at Aunt Andrea's house. The kids were so excited to open their first presents of the Christmas season and loved all of their presents. Our favorite present of the day was Aunt Ana's banana costume. It's a long story, but it was hysterical!

Santa

2010-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

The Music Man

2010-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Mali did The Music Man in December. She played Gracie Shinn (which was the first role I ever played). She was so cute tugging on Harold Hill's pants and yelling, "The Wells Fargo Wagon is coming!" and "Tommy did it!"

Thanksgiving in Miami

2010-01-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

We drove (Yes, drove) to Miami for Thanksgiving and got to spend 4 days with Pop and family. We ate, swam, ate, played on the playground, and ate. Then, we came home by way of Savannah and toured the pretty city.

Thanksgiving already

2009-11-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

I attended both Alex and Mali's Thanksgiving feasts yesterday. Alex's class gave a presentation. Alex was the best one up there, well, certainly the most enthusiastic.

Halloween

2009-11-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

We finally got the pumpkin carved on Friday night (Mali drew the picture plan) and then enjoyed a little trick-or-treating in the rain on Saturday night. Kids don't care! They had fun anyway!

What's going on

2009-10-29T16:45:00.001-07:00

Franco took the day off work today, so I was able to get the curtains hung in the kitchen, work on cards, re-caulk the bathtub, and clean a little. He'll be home on Saturday too so I can spend Halloween re-hanging the shutters on the house that are now beautifully painted a lovely shade of forest green. I had asked him last week if he could take 10 days off so I could catch up a little, but I'll gladly take 1 day. I'm grateful he's so helpful! He was so cute playing outside with Anna on the trampoline and swingset today while I tried to hang curtains.

My mom made beautiful curtains for my kitchen. I finally got them hung and I finished the banquette. Maybe next week I'll get up enough energy to finish sanding the kitchen cabinets and painting them. Then, the kitchen will be livable until I win the lottery.
I'm working on a recital of Broadway music called Broadway for the Ridiculously High Soprano so when I'm not being a construction worker, a nanny, a cook, and a maid, I'm practicing.

The kids are just doing their thing and doing it very well. Mali started rehearsals for The Music Man which plays in December.

I'm also participating in a craft sale in a few weeks. I've been making Christmas, thank you, and birthday cards to sell. Hopefully, I can make just a little extra Christmas money...fingers crossed.

Mali and Alex at Boosterthon Fun Run

2009-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Mali ran all 35 laps and kept on going! The Boosterthon team really got everyone going. The kids were so jazzed.Alex ran 33 laps and ran out of time or he could have run more. It was really fun for the kids. Thanks foreveryone who made donations. The kids knew they were working for a purpose.

Twins

2009-10-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

Anna and I went to play at McDonald's this morning. We both dressed in our orange and black for Halloween. Everyone commented on how we looked like twins and "oohed" and "ahed" over how precious is Anna.

Mali lost her front tooth (just like Mommy)

2009-10-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

Mali lost her front tooth, so now Alex, Mali, and I are all missing our front teeth. I would rather not post a picture of mine, however, since it's rather ugly. Thankfully, Dr. Reyes in Gainesville, FL has volunteered his services to help me, so after Jan. 12, I should be pretty again!

Mali is a Dog

2009-10-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mali starred in the 2nd grade production of The Ballad of the Bremen Band as the dog. She had lines and did a great job. If you want to see the whole thing, I've got it all on video, but I'm just uploading this much because it's rather long and it's hard to hear.

We just learned that Mali will be appearing in The Music Man in December. She got the small role of Gracie Shinn, the Mayor's daughter. I'm sure she will be fabulous. Between school, karate, plays, and being a social butterfly, Mali stays very, very busy!

Mali earned her orange belt in karate

2009-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Mali earned her orange belt in karate. Unfortunately, she was a little off her game at this group testing so she had to retest later in the week, but had no problem then. She even got to break boards! Mali loves karate! She goes 5 days a week and is a member of the competition team, preparing for future competitions. Once a quarter, they have parents' night out, where the kids get to go hang out at the dojo for the night and eat pizza and get hyped up on sugar. They run around screaming for 4 hours and then fall asleep in the car on the way home. It's great!

Just playing around

2009-08-27T07:30:00.002-07:00

Anna jumping

2009-08-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

Anna Singing Old MacDonald

2009-08-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Fountains in Duluth

2009-08-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

One Saturday morning, I got up and just decided to take the kids to Duluth to play in the fountains. It turned out to be the most beautiful day and they had a blast running through the fountains. Anna made new friends and Mali lazed in the sun listening to my iPod!

CNN and the Botanical Gardens - Day 2

2009-08-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Day 2 took us to the CNN Center for a tour. No videos or pictures allowed but it was neat to see the inner workings where they make the news. Mali was home sick from school but was well enough to go along with us. She even got to make a video of her being a news anchor and reading the news from the teleprompter.

Next, we stopped at the Botanical Gardens, a beautiful oasis in the middle of the busy city.

Olympic Park

2009-08-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Olympic Park was built for the 1996 Olympic Games that were held in Atlanta and is now a beautiful place in the heart of the city to rest and relax.

The Varsity

2009-08-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

We had lunch the first day at The Varsity. The Varsity is an institution in Atlanta and any visitor should go have a taste of the greasy hot dogs and hamburgers that have been served since 1928 in the heart of Atlanta and hear the greeting, "What'll ya have?"

The Coca-Cola Museum

2009-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

Titi Ana and Jesus arrived from Spain on Monday and we immediately began our tour of Atlanta on Tuesday morning. First stop was the Coca-Cola Museum. After the first ten minutes Anna had had enough of this touring business and pretty much cried the whole time except when she was playing with the Coke Polar Bear. We tried all the samples in the tasting room!

Our Family

2009-07-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just got this off Kristy's blog. How cute!!!

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Mali earned her solid yellow belt in karate

2009-07-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun

2009-07-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Duet with Daddy

2009-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Franco has been practicing this duet with Anna. Here is one of their performances!

Anna is walking!

2009-05-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Anna started walking and is so cute! We were all hanging around the house and working this day so we're not fixed up, but she was walking really well and was in a good mood so we decided to take a video.

Baby Sings Beethoven

2009-05-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Anna spontaneously began singing Beethoven the other night. She must have heard it on her Baby Einstein-Baby Beethoven video. We've been trying to get it on video ever since. Now, if you ask her "What does Beethoven say?", she'll say "da da da da" right in tune! It's the cutest thing!

Easter 2009

2009-04-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

We spent Spring Break at Grammy's house. We went to a fun Easter activity and had pictures made with the Easter Bunny. Also, swam a lot in Grammy's pool. Fun times! Had an Easter egg hunt in Grammy's backyard. The eggs had money in them so after the hunt, I took the kids to the store and they got to pick a toy.

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this stuff on the website. I have been in a frenzy of home improvement since I got home from Florida. I guess the sea air did me some good, but I have worn myself out and am resting today. I will upload pictures of all the work if I ever actually complete project!

March birthdays

2009-04-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Brother Foye, our amazing home teacher, came to visit us last week and brought a brownie cake to celebrate Anna and Mali's birthdays. They certainly enjoyed the attention and moreover, the chocolate!

Alex playing baseball

2009-04-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Alex started playing baseball. He's so cute in his uniform. He's still learning the rules, but we had a fun day at the park playing as a family. It was freezing cold! But the kids didn't let that get to them. They wanted to keep playing all day. We had his first game yesterday. He got to hit the ball and run around the bases. He had a hard time waiting his turn. In the outfield, I grabbed a ball and glove for him and we threw the ball while he waited to get to bat again. Luckily, this is Challenger baseball and they can pretty much do anything they want. Nobody keeps score. It's just for fun!

Mali gets her yellow belt

2009-04-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Mali got her next belt the other day, yellow with a white stripe. She's doing so well! She's going to be a blackbelt someday!

The Sound of Music

2009-03-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Mali was so precious as Gretl in The Sound of Music. She misses it so much and is very sad not to see her friends all the time.

Anna turning somersaults

2009-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just caught Anna in this absolutely precious video. She's doing her favorite thing, somersaults. She's getting so big and I'm sure she'll be walking any day now. She says Daddy and Mama and today she said thank you. What a cutie!

Mali's birthday party

2009-03-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

On Mali's 7th birthday, Saturday, March 14, 2009, we threw a huge birthday bash. We invited everyone she knows to participate and had 30 kids at the party. As they arrived, they went to the playroom and colored a picture of Gertrude McFuzz and got their faces painted. Then, we went upstairs for cake and ice cream. We continued with a performance of Seussome Twosome: Gertrude McFuzz and Green Eggs and Ham. The kids loved it! Then, Mali got to open her presents. It was wild but lots of fun!

Cowboy Day at Alex's School

2009-03-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

It was cowboy day at Alex's school. He was so excited to get dressed up, he woke up at 6:30 this morning and got dressed. Hope he's having fun!

Anna dancing with Grammy

2009-03-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

Grammy started dancing with Anna and singing and Anna was singing along. So cute!

Lummi Sticks

2009-03-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Mali's class did a presentation of what they have been learning in their P.E. class. Anna wanted to get in on the action too.

Anna on the move

2009-03-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

Anna is crawling all over the place, getting into cabinets, and trying to walk. What a cutie!

Anna's 1st birthday party

2009-03-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Anna turned 1 on Sunday, March 1. We invited the Tanner's (good friends from Church) to join us for the celebration. I made the traditional carousel cake. We talked about 1st birthdays and ate cake and enjoyed each other's company. It was a pretty fun day.

A Trip to North Georgia

2009-02-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Andrea took Callie and Mali up to North Georgia to explore the waterfalls. How fun!