First Day of School!

Here they are, all shined up and spiffy for the first day of school! Emma entering 3rd, Joey 1st. Claire starts pre-school this year, too, but not until next week, thankfully....mama can't handle a completely empty house yet!

The morning went off without a hitch, with the exception of Joey being a little self-conscious about his lip (dental injury...long story). I e-mailed his teacher to let her know his concern, so hopefully it won't be an issue today...e-mailing the teacher before the first day even starts...that might be a record!

Emma was a full out fashionista today, which is somewhat out of character for her. She sported a sparkly scarf, leggings, and new ballet flats. Since she was worried that her new shoes might give her blisters, she covered her feet in band aids before she came down this morning...she's a problem solver!

Now Claire and I need to figure out what to do with ourselves in such a quiet house! I'm sure we'll figure something out before the chaos ensues this afternoon!

First Show!

There she is, our little English rider...sporting TWO blue ribbons!

Emma had so much fun at her first official horse show! She's competed in a few small shows at the stable she rides at, but this was the real deal. Even though it was a small local show, we knew the moment we drove up that we were WAAAAAAY out of our element! There were horses and trailers and pick-up trucks everywhere. People dressed in sparkly western attire, people dressed in English riding attire...we weren't quite sure what to do! Luckily, Emma's instructor, Kara, was there to lead us through. Kara brought the horse and the gear and the know-how...we just brought Emma.

Emma competed in two classes: "short stirrup pleasure" and "short stirrup equitation", and came out victorious in both! Horses are Emma's first love...she is totally smitten with this sport. Proof; it was SO hot, but she didn't complain one bit (VERY unlike Emma!) In fact, she hardly made a peep the whole time we waited for her turn (also VERY unlike Emma!).

I have to admit, I was so proud watching her compete. She looked so grown-up and poised on that horse, it brought a tear to my eye. She was so confident and knew just what to do (I guess those lessons are paying off!). And the outfit...I swear I keep signing my kids up for the activities with the cutest outfits!!!!

I'm not sure how far we'll be taking this "horse show" thing, but I know this much is true, Emma will remember this day for a loooooong time!

Mannequins in Training

How do I explain this picture?!? Kristy and I took the girls shopping during their visit, which was surprisingly FUN...I think they've reached the age where they enjoy shopping and the whining is kept to a minimum! Of course, when they got bored they were able to entertain themselves by posing as mannequins in the store window. Yes, they stood in the window and struck funny poses as the people walked by. Kristy and I were at the checkout at the other end of the store and we heard squeals of laughter every time a passerby gave them a reaction. Not sure how the staff at Bath and Body felt about it....but I thought it was very cute!!!

Just Like Old Times....

Here they are, the Zahuranic/Paci crew! It's hard to believe it's been over 3 years since we've been together...and yet it was like no time had passed at all! There were some changes, though...first, we got to meet DYLAN!!!! He has to be the cutest, happiest little guy I've ever met, which makes up for the fact that he NEVER stops moving (his parents work HARD keeping up, I tell ya!). Second, Emma and Kaley actually got along, which is a switch from the old days when we had to break up arguments between them ALL the time. These two girls now have a lot in common, including the fact that they are budding songwriters (their "back to school" song is sure to be a big hit someday!). And of course, Joey and Lukas found their common ground with a shared obsession for the Wii. Put two gamers together and voila...instant friendship!
This was a great visit, made even better by the fact that Kristy & I DOMINATED the euchre table. I mean it, we destroyed the boys...it was really no contest, I actually felt sorry for them at one point. So now we get to hold onto the status as champions until we meet again...which hopefully is very soon!!!

Dutch Wonderland!

Finally! We made it to Dutch Wonderland. Can you believe we've never been there before? It is a small amusement park designed for kids 12 and under and it's perfect for our kids right now!

We were lucky enough to win tickets from the library for a chalk art contest, and we squeezed in one more FUN day before summer vacation is over.

We had a GREAT time! The kids loved the rides, the water park, and the shows. And we even ended the day with a round of mini-golf. What a perfect way to end our summer!

Two Kids and a Fort

So, you can't really tell by this picture, but Emma and Joey are inside a massive fort in our basement. The fort included EVERY blanket in our house. Inside was EVERY stuffed animal and pillow that they could find. The structure took all day to build.

At the end of the day, of course, they decided they wanted to sleep in it. In the basement. By themselves. Well, Tio and I didn't think they'd do it. We felt certain that they'd be upstairs within 10 minutes of the lights going out. I mean, come on. It's DARK down there. And spooky. Claire bailed on the idea before she even set foot in the basement. But Emma and Joey rose to the challenge. They slept all night in the fort...and even slept in later than usual (probably due to the cave-like lack of sunlight!).

Funny thing, after ALL of the fun adventures we've had this summer, sleeping in the fort ranked right up at the top! Seriously?!

Notice anything about this picture?

No, it's not that the licence plate on her bike says Joey (that's a third child thing). Look closely.....NO TRAINING WHEELS!!!!! That's right! Claire is riding on two wheels.

She was very insistent about this (that's also a third child thing). I, personally, was against it. She's only 4 and she does so well on her bike with training wheels that I saw no reason to mess with it. I mean, you all know what teaching a kid to ride a bike entails....me hunching over running along side her while she speeds out of control into the grass. But, Tio LOVES this stuff. So off they went next door to the parking lot of the high school, and within minutes she was on her way.

I can already tell this kid is going to grow up TOO FAST!!! (sniff)

Ready...Set...JUMP!!!

There she goes! First time off the diving board! Claire just finished up her last week of swimming lessons. She passed level 1, which thrilled her to no end. She is well on her way to joining Emma and Joe in the deep end.

The best part of swimming lessons is that at the end, the brave of heart can jump off the diving board to one of their teachers (who are also very brave, because the kids tend to jump directly ON them, instead of in front of them!) Claire was hesitant early in the week, but by day 3 she was jumping with the best of them! Way to go, Claire!!!

Take Me Out to the BALL GAME!

Can you believe how blurry this picture is? I took it from my NEW phone...and this is the best it can do?!? Oh well, I guess I've learned that I need to bring my camera with me ALL the time.

Anyway, we had a GREAT time watching the Hagerstown Suns last night! This is the first game we've made it to all summer and the kids loved it! I'm not sure what they loved best; the peanuts, the ice cream, the songs, or the fireworks at the end. My vote is the fireworks...they were pretty great!

This is the first time we actually made it to the end of a game (usually we leave by the 5th inning), so I guess that shows growth, right! Now if only the Suns had won....

Use the Force, Joey!

Is that a Jedi?!? Why yes it is! Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon a group of Jedi warriors performing in the park. Joey was quite thrilled to watch their battle sequences on stage....and even more thrilled when he was allowed to hold a lightsaber! We didn't approach the Jedi dressed in black, we assumed he was from the dark side, and we didn't want to take any chances. May the force be with you, Joey!

Bike Tour

Tio rode in a 40 mile bike tour of Antrim Township this weekend. It was a new event for Old Home Week this year, and over 100 people went out for it. You could choose to do a 12, 22, or 40 mile loop. The 40 mile loop went through the Martin's Mill covered bridge (in the background). Tio did great & kept up with the lead pack! The kids and I had fun driving around to see him at various points on the tour...he had quite a cheering section! Way to go, T!

A STAR is born...

Emma got her first taste of acting this week when she participated in Drama Camp at the library. The kids put on the production "The Best Day Ever" about a surprise birthday party. Emma played the part of Dani, one of the birthday girl's friends.

It was a really cute play, and it was impressive how well the kids did considering they only put it together in four days (thanks to Mrs. Fridgen who wrote the play and directed the camp!)

I think Emma has a future in show biz...watch out Hollywood!

And the Winner Is.....

...US!!! Yep, we won first place in a chalk art contest sponsored by the library! The theme was "scenes from our community" and was a part of Old Home Week (our town's homecoming that is celebrated every three years). We drew a postcard of Greencastle, complete with two of our town's landmarks...the clock tower and Martin's covered bridge.

The library has a chalk art contest every year, and we have entered every year, and we have NEVER won anything. If fact, when we were discussing what we should do for this year, Emma said, "Mom, we never win this thing." Of course I replied that it's not about winning, it's about having fun. Now I think my kids feel that winning is lots of FUN.

The best part...we won 4 tickets to Dutch Wonderland! We've never been there, and I hear we're in for a treat! The kids were SO excited to win, it borderlined on insanity. Way to go team Paci!

The Racers...

Emma & Joe competed in a bike race yesterday for Old Home Week.
It was "drag race" style. The kids were lined up two by two and raced down the street. They were timed between two lines painted on the road, so they were at their maximum speed for the timing. It was very cool!
I've got two speedy kids!

Our Karate Kid!

Joey earned his white belt this week! He just started taking Tae Kwan Do lessons a couple of weeks ago, and the instructor likes them to learn their first "kata" before they are presented with their white belt.

He LOVES this class....more than any of the other dozen activities he does. I would have signed him up JUST so he could wear this outfit...ADORABLE!!!!

BEFORE.....

This is a photo of our dining room before....

AFTER!!!!

Yep...he did it...Tio actually cut a really large hole in our wall! It seemed remarkably easy to do, considering. Of course, that's coming from the person who just stood there watching while he did all of the work (oh, I did run the shop vac...so that counts as helping, right?)

This was the next step in our year long, epic kitchen remodel (well, we've only been working on it for about 4 months now, but I'm pretty sure it will be a year before we're all done). So far we've put in new tile flooring, had an island installed, and added a wall of cabinetry. Opening up this wall was a pretty big step towards the completion of the project, though. We've been planning to open these rooms up since we bought the house 3 years ago, and I can't believe we're making it happen!

Next step, new countertops, including putting a countertop on the half wall (see the stools lined up, that will be a snack bar-type area). After that we're going to cut a door to the garage (apparently in 1950 people didn't walk directly into their houses from their attached garages?), replace the window, and replace the appliances, and VOILA...one year later our kitchen will be done :) Stay tuned...

The MONEY Shot!

What's a party without a pinata? When I told the kids we were throwing a birthday party for Pappy, a pinata was their first request...so off we went to Party City to find a pinata that wasn't shaped like Dora the Explorer or Winnie the Pooh. We were looking for Homer Simpson, but apparently he's not too popular on the birthday scene (doh!) So we had to settle for Ben Franklin, here. The best part is it wasn't one of those wimpy pinatas where you each pull a string...I was told those are NO fun. No, we needed one we could whack....hard...with a bat!

The pinata held up pretty well, considering. Each kid got to have a turn, then Nick let loose his savage baseball skills & Ben was demolished. Unfortunately, the birthday boy didn't even get a turn! That's okay, I don't think Pappy was too disappointed!

Happy Birthday, Pappy!

Here they are...the grandkid crew! They are all ready to celebrate Pappy's birthday! I think this is the picture where we told them to "flex"... and you know Joey is always ready to show off his guns! It was great to have all of the kids together...Joey idolizes his big cousins, and Claire can't wait to see them again when they pass back through later this week. Michigan is just too far away!!!

5K

This is a shot of me running my first 5k in a looooooong time! I'm talking probably 15 years. Yikes...am I that old?!? Yes.

The course goes right past our house, so Tio took this pic as I ran past (that's my sister's car in the background). It's pretty amazing I could summon up a smile...at that point, there was only about a 1/2 mile left to go. I'm pretty pleased with my effort. My only goal was to run it in under 30 minutes, and my time ended up being 28:30...better than I expected! Who knows, this running thing may stick...only time will tell...

Balloon Rally

This is the view from our backyard at 7am Saturday morning. Cool, huh! What a great morning surprise. There was a hot air balloon rally this weekend in our town. They launched the balloons each day at 6am and 6pm. We went Friday night and saw the balloons take off.

I have to admit, a ride in a hot air balloon doesn't appeal to me too much. I mean, flames mixed with string, fabric, & wicker just sounds like a bad idea. But if you are brave enough, I can imagine the view from up there is worth it!