All about Leah

Last week, Leah had quite the week! On Monday, she lost a very wiggly tooth that was being very stubbern. On Monday, she also got to "walk with the principal" at school. This is a very big honor. If a student gets a "caught being good" ticket, they are put in a drawing for this special walk. Leah was so excited that her name was drawn. She even insisted on wearing a dress to school. It is so great that the principal is associated with good behavior! Then, on Tuesday, she had a special lunch for being her class' "Super Student" of the month. Leah was exceptionally proud of this accomplishment. She is growing up!!

Here is her most recent interview

Name? Leah
Age? 7
School? Isanti Primary
Grade? 1st
Favorite thing to do at school? Play outside at recess
What is your favorite color? Purple
What is your favorite song? “Ours” Taylor Swift
What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my cousins
What is your favorite food? Waffles
Where is your favorite place to go? Adventure Park
What is your favorite sport? Soccer, no T-ball, no soccer, can you put both?
What is your favorite thing to do at home? Play outside
What is your favorite animal? Lion
Why do you like Lions? Because they start with an L and I start with an L
What is your favorite letter? "A” because it is the first letter of the alphabet
What is your favorite number? “10” because it is close to “7”
What is your favorite day of the week? Wednesday because I like Dance
Would you rather color a picture or read a book? Color a picture
What is your favorite book? Dora = puppy takes a bath
Hugs or kisses? both
What is your favorite movie? Barbie and the Mermaid Tale
What is your favorite time of the year? February because it is my birthday
Who do you like to play with? Riley and Samantha at school, Michael, Thea and Delila at home
What is your favorite restaurant? McDonalds
What is your favorite game? Xbox Kinect Just Dance Kids
Who is your favorite singer? Taylor Swift
What is your favorite memory of the last year? Getting a new fishing rod
What do you want to be when you grow up? Cheerleader


Date? 3/27/12

3/24/12 Thea's 6th Birthday Party

It is hard to believe that our niece Thea turned 6 this year. Well, it is hard to believe that Leah is 7 and that Amber is 2!! They just grow too fast. When we arrived at the party, Leah and Thea disappeared. Well, they had gone up to Thea's room. Thea had decided to change so that they would match! It is so great that they get along so well. They really do love to play with each other. We had such a gorgeous March day, and the girls got some serious outdoor playtime! A Justin Bieber pinata was beaten with a bat, presents were torn into, and cupcakes were enjoyed by all!! Happy Birthday to a very special young lady!

3/18/12 Secret Garden

Leah really enjoys going to the theater. We have season tickets to Stages Theater Company (children's shows) with some friends. We went to see "The Secret Garden." Luckily Nonna, Grandma Mary and Leah had worked on reading the story while Joe and I were on vacation. This one had a more in depth story line than the girls are used to. They did seem to enjoy it as they always do, but I don't think it was their favorite.

Swim

Both girls just finished their swimming classes on March 17. They both love to be in the water!
This was our first session with Amber. She jumped in with no fear. She did have some difficulty at the beginning of the session due to ear infections, but once those were clear, she was head in the water as much as possible!
Leah is doing so well. I am amazed at that she is already learning the butterfly and breaststroke. She seems to enjoy it, but has decided to take a break, so she can do gymnastics for a session.

A little taste of Paradise!

Caribbean Cruise: March 3-10, 2012

Joe and I were so lucky to be able to go on a cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The girls were safe at home being watched by Nonna, Grandpa, Grama Mary, and Rick and Jaclyn. It sounds like they had a great week as well – spoiled by grandparents and playing with friends!

Joe and I had the most amazing vacation. We truly had a dream vacations. We had some much needed time together, we made new friends, and we went on some great adventures. The ship we cruised on – Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) is the world’s largest cruise ship. When we pulled up to the port and saw the size, we were amazed, Joe said, “Well, I guess it’s go big or go home!” We were on the ship for 7 days and still were not able to do all the activities available, guess that is just another reason to cruise again! I took about 500 pictures. We visited 3 countries (Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico – Cozumel), and saw 3 bodies of water (Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean)

Some highlights from the week:

Cruise, Day 1 – at sea· We board the ship about Noon, deport about 5pm
· We wander the ship for a few hours just to get acquainted with what is available
· Joe and I started out our vacation with couple hot stone massages. Wow was that wonderful and oh so relaxing
· We saw” Oasis of Dreams” Aqua Show – diving, acrobats, dancing

Cruise, Day 2 – At sea· I check out the running track – yup, a running track!
· We go to a shopping class to learn how to shop in the ports – get some great coupons and Joe even gets a free bag from Del Sol
· Time on the deck enjoying sun and Margarita’s
· Joe plays Bingo to try to win us an executive suite (misses out by one number)
· I get my hair done for Formal night
· We get all dress up for Formal Dinner (Joe was in a suit and tie for the first time in about 10 years)
· Quote from the captain during his welcome: “I know 4 languages, Norwegian, English, American and Canadian. I am working on Australian, but I haven’t quite got the accent.”
· We try to see “Hairspray” – It ended up being postponed after they had to stop the show 3 times due to technical difficulties!

Cruise, Day 3 – Labardee, Haiti· We got up early this day to see the sunrise which was beautiful! It was very windy, but still very nice. We were surprised by how fast the sun moved. We also got to see the boat dock which was quite amazing as well.
· We got to talk to the girls. We had some technical difficulties with the phones- we couldn’t call out, but we could text, and we were able to receive calls- so, my mom called us, so we could chat with the girls!
· Royal Caribbean owns the peninsula of Haiti that we were visiting, so everything is catered to us. It had a beautiful beach area, along with some fun activities.
· We went on the roller coaster – we were able to see some great views, but it wasn’t as exciting as we thought it would be
· We went Jet Skiing- this was very fun, and much different than jet skiing on the lake!
· Sandbar Island: Took a small boat to a “sand” island. We had a fabulous time here. Met some great new friends who we continued to spend more time with throughout the week. We both drank too much (we were drinking native beer – 5.65 proof), and we got sunburned here as well – even with 50 proof sunscreen).

Cruise, Day 4 – Falmouth, Jamaica· Our excursion leaves first thing after we port - We went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for Snorkeling and climbing Dunn River Falls (no pictures yet since I have to get these developed as they are on the waterproof cameras). Some quotes for the day: the bus driver: “ the only snow I’ve seen is in my refrigerator,” the tour guide: “ (in Jamaica) we don’t have problems, we only have situations”
· Back on the boat- after dinner we go to “Quest – an adult scavenger hunt. “ What a fun time we had. It started out with 3 games based on “minute to win it.” I volunteered to participate, and I won! I had to swing my balls to knock over water bottles, sorry – I don’t have pictures of this one! Then, the scavenger hunt begins – the room is divided into 9 teams, and our team wins! We had a great time.

Cruise, Day 5 – At sea· Joe entered a belly flop contest with 2 other guys we had been hanging out with – Chase and Klaus. Only 7 guys enter. Joe is last, and, well, he didn’t really belly flop – oops. Too bad they didn’t get a practice run, cuz for the finale he did an awesome flop! Chase, however, the smallest guy by far, takes the trophy!
· Pool time
· Mini golf – yup there was mini golf on the boat!
· Formal Night

Cruise, Day 6- Cozumel, Mexico
· ATV : Mayan Ruins, we get very sandy!
· SHOPPING!! Joe bought me a beautiful pair of diamond earrings which we got an AWESOME deal on!
· We try to talk to the girls, but the phones don’t work, have to settle for a few text messages! At least we know all is going well!

Cruise Day 7 – At sea· Breakfast in bed!
· Pool time
· Joe went to the “Captains Corner” to learn more about how the ship works while Andrea spent more time by the pool!
· Zip line – yup there was a zip line on the boat!
· “Frozen in Time” – Ice Show
· Comedy show, Line of the night, “wasn’t it nice of Royal Caribbean to take us to 3 of the top 10 most dangerous countries in the world, and 2 of them are in the top 5”

We had so much fun! The food was great, the night life was fun (especially with the help of our new and younger friends) – thanks Jenny, Chase, Jay, Angela, Zach, MattJo, Klaus, and Darling for letting us hang out with your group! It was also fun to meet Kim, Russ, Karen and Boone. We initially dined with 2 gentlemen from Israel who were very difficult to communicate with, however, they stopped coming and we invited that 2 gentlemen at the table next to us to join us. They were from Miami and were fun to dine with! Thanks to all for such great memories. This is one vacation that we will never forgot!!! We hope to be able to cruise again soon.

Happy 2nd Birthday Amber!!

It is hard to believe, but it is true...Amber turns 2 today!

Amber at 2:

*She loves her big sister. Her big sister is her guide to life. We have to remind Leah that Amber is taking in everything that Leah is doing. Leah is fantastic to Amber and is doing a fabulous job as big sister.
*She loves to “olor”- Color.
*She loves to help cook . In fact, she helped to make her birthday pancakes!!
*She loves to sing – her fav songs to sing and act out: “Baby BumbleBee,” “Wheels on the Bus,” “Baby Turtle,” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
*She plays xbox Kinect “Just Dance” and actually tries to follow the steps!
*she is still a good sleeper and eater.
*Doesn’t really like the snow, but due to the winter we have had, has really not had a lot of time to adjust to snow!
*She has been dealing with a double ear in infection for more than 1 month (she is on her 4th antibiotic) – rechecks in 3 days, possible visit to see an ENT in her future.
*She is taking swimming lessons for the first time with Mommy. She can blow bubbles in the water now and is working on her underwater zooms, backfloat, tiger paddles, kicks, and monkey cheeks!
*She loves her baths, has to brush her own teeth, doesn’t like her hair combed or fixed(unless it is done for her at daycare), is getting better at getting her nails clipped, loves to have her nails painted (but doesn’t like to sit still during the process).
*Says “beep beep” when she wants you to move.
*Good at saying “pease”, sometimes says “tank you.”
*When you ask her if she is 2, usually she says “no!”

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY LEAH!!

Leah 1 month old
Leah 7 years old (bonus - at school today it is Hat Day, and it is the 100th day of school!)

Leah at 7:

*Smart
*Loveable
*Great big sister!
*Loves to sing and dance
*Energetic
*Does well in school, but is distracted easily (she always wants to know what is going on around her)
*Reading is becoming more independent
*Does well in math, but thinks it is hard!
*Great in spelling
*Still loves Taylor Swift
*Watches mostly Disney Channel programs
*Social, loves to be around other people and kids – and really doesn’t like to play by herself
*Still can whine with the best of them (a trait Joe and I are both anxious for her to outgrow)
*Still is afraid to get close to people in costume, but she is trying to be more brave…because she wants to go to Disney World!
*Still working on correcting her vision (which is much better than it was originally). Right now she is getting a drop put in her strong (left) eye 3 days in a row each week which keeps her left eye constantly dilated which makes her have to use her right eye. If you look closely at the pictures from the birthday party, you can see it! We check back with the pediatric ophthalmologist the second week in March to see if it is working. She is currently seeing about 20/40 in her right eye with her glasses which isn’t too bad, but we are working on making it 20/20!
*Likes to do crafts
*Stubborn
*Participates in swimming, gymnastics, dance, soccer, t-ball, skating – she likes everything she tries and wants to keep doing each one. We are on a 2 activity limit, right now she is in Dance and Swimming!
*Did I mention, she is a WONDERFUL big sister! We really are quite lucky at how well she treats her little sister

*****

I was able to take today off of work. I pretended in the morning as if I was going to work - routine stayed the same. I was able to surprise Leah at school for lunch. It was so much fun. She gave me the biggest smile and hug. So worth it!! :)