Preschool all over again

It is hard to believe that she is already old enough for preschool. Interestingly enough I have none of the same worries that I had about J. My biggest concern is whether preschool is ready for Annalise. She is definitely a fiesty one. Thankfully, she has two seasoned preschool teachers. We had orientation last week and she loved her classroom. I asked her if she made any friends and her response was "yes, but one girl needs to share more." This coming from a girl who has stated "I only share with my friends!" We are working on that...

The morning of preschool, Annalise was very excited/ She picked out her clothes, chose how she wanted her hair done and was ready to go twenty minutes before we even had to leave. Usually this is the child dragging her feet to get ready. As soon as we got there and the classroom doors opened, she walked in, said bye mom and never looked back. I guess we know she is independent.

Enjoy the pics!

Annalise excited about the first day of preschool.

Jeremiah giving her some brotherly advice about preschool. I am pretty sure he is saying "Kindergarten is much harder, your school is just about having fun."

Pep talk over, Annalise is ready to go.

"Come on mom, let's go!

Annalise told me she was running her marathon before school. Brian has been training for his marathon and Annalise likes to say she is training too.

Kindergarten! Already!?!

A pretend pencil made with a pack of Rolos and a hershey kiss. Definitely a fun treat to hide in J's lunch.

I cannot believe that J is already 5 and 1/2 and starting Kindergarten. Thankfully, I didn't have to make the decision of whether or not he should ride the school bus. We live close enough that it isn't even an option. Our walk to school is a little less than a half mile. Right now the weather is perfect but once winter arrives, I am sure we will be driving.

I am hoping that he won't get too bored in school. This summer he became a full on reader. This kid is reading chapter books already. Brian and I no longer can spell words in front of him because he will say the word right after the last letter is uttered from our lips. The other day Brian and I challenged him to read some random words and he was spot on. Now its great to watch Annalise pretend to read.

We started off the day with me trying to wake Jeremiah and him looking at me and saying "its too early." This is my child who normally rises in the early hours. Then we got ready for the school day. We walked to school with Brian, myself and Annalise. J had already met his teacher and found his seat. It happened to be next to the class bunny. Hopefully, that wont become a distraction. Jeremiah likes his class and came home today already with a few friends. One of his soccer teammates is in his class. Here are some pics that I managed to snag before our walk to school.

Summer sports

Summer camps have started. We enrolled the kids in a morning multi sport camp for the week. Today was the first day and the kids had a lot of fun. Annalise was a little unsure at first but warmed up as she watched the other kids playing. She is learning skills for soccer and basketball through games geared for kids her age.

Learning how to dribble


She reminds me so much of myself in this picture with the serious look on her face.


Women's soccer watch out, Annalise shoots and she scores!

Jeremiah's camp is a little longer than Annalise's but he gets to do three sports: basketball, soccer and T-Ball. He had a lot of fun meeting new friends and playing despite the high temperature today. Just like Annalise's class they learn skills through games. One game was shark and a few kids were the sharks who had to tag and chase the other kids. Jeremiah really liked being the shark.


Jeremiah dribbling around cones.


Dribbling towards the goal.

A day at the ballpark

Our family was able to go to a local baseball teams game and be the "Hometown Hero for the Game." We were able to get to the game early and see the inside of the stadium, get a tour of the locker rooms, walk onto the field and receive a team merchandise goodie bag. It was great but I do not think anything could have made this day better than Jeremiah catching a baseball with his pizza tray. We were sitting in our seats and the 3rd baseman waved to Jeremiah, we were pretty close. Jeremiah waved back and then looked down to grab his pizza slice. All of a sudden splat landed a baseball in the tray. The 3rd baseman asked if he was okay, and was he ever. He was super excited and talked about it for days. Here are some pics with Jeremiah and his first ever caught ballgame baseball.

Winter in Ohio

New Years Eve 2010 was a warm 63 degree weather day. We went for a hike in a local park and went and visited some historical sites. Little did we know how cold this winter would actually be. Here a some pictures before the cold and snow settled in for a few months.

Annalise giving daddy a big hug.


The kids and I with a great view of the city in the background.


The funny face picture.


I love this picture because you can just see the mischievousness in Anna's eyes.

This winter was one of snow and more snow. The kids loved it. I forgot how cold it could be but the kids loved playing and trying to build snowmen and make snow angels. Annalise became and expert in plopping herself face first into a mound of snow. Jeremiah was a great helper and learned that he could earn extra allowance by helping dad shovel the driveway. He also learned the art of complaining about a sore back to get a back rub. I never knew a 4 year old could have back pain or love having a back massage so much. Brian continued his running on the treadmill and I joined a local running group not afraid to run in the outdoors. I can now say that I have officially experienced white frozen eyelashes and running -4 degree weather.


Annalise all bundled up in her snow gear. This may have been part of the reason she fell face first into the snow but then she kept doing it, so I am pretty sure she enjoyed it.


Jeremiah and Brian shoveling our driveway, which I decided this winter is much too long.

Brian volunteered to coach Jeremiah's basketball team. Supposedly scores were not kept but one player on J's team kept track of points and so I think I can say that J's team went undefeated.



Brian coaching in a pregame warmup. Jeremiah attempting a shot at the basket. He was pretty good at making shots.


Brian and Jeremiah warming up before practice starts.

Well March came and went and we had two birthdays to celebrate. Well three if you count mine but I think there comes a time and age when you really don;t count yours and are more focused on your children.
Jeremiah turned five and had a Lego themed party. Thankfully the weather turned nice so the boys and girls could also play outside. I cannot believe that he is already five. He still loves Legos and currently very interested in Star Wars and Ninja legos. I am amazed by how creative he is.


Jeremiah with the Lego cake I attempted to make. The fondant frosting for the Lego shapes was not exactly what I wanted it to be but J was happy.


Some friends at his party either getting ready to play soccer or determining which Star Wars character they are.

Annalise turned three at the end of this month. She also started ballet class. Unfortunately she inherited some clumsiness from her mom so I thought that this might help her a little. It is so cute to watch her. Her latest habit is to cross her arms. I try not to laugh but she will cross her arms and firmly tell you that she does not like boys, well except her brother and daddy.


Annalise with one of her favorite things that she got for her birthday in her new "classic" arm crossing pose.