Promotion Day, Part 3

At the very end of the test, everyone had to sit and reflect upon their performance. Annemarie has seen the Lion King one too many times and loves to take any opportunity to "meditate". She, of course, got a little antsy, but did very well. The kids stood up, and with their eyes still closed, werwe presented with their new belts. When they opened their eyes and picked up their ne belts, they were to smell them. Yes, smell them. The instructor explained it to be similar to a new car smell and that it should motivate the kids to continue on their journey to their next belt....... OK........... Annie seemed to like smell it, so whatever! This is her instructor helping her put her new yellow belt on. Then everone had to bow out; bow to the instructors, your neighbor and yourself. WHEW! And finally, this is Annemarie with everyone that tested into a new belt. She hasn't asked to take a weapons class, yet, but we're just waiting...... We are very proud of her, obviously, and she has worked very hard. 

Promotion Day, Part 2

Ok, for some reason, I can only blog 3-4 pictures at a time, so this may take a few postings.... Next they had to demonstrate different combinations. Annemarie did really well, when she was paying attention to the instructors....poor honey, she's been cursed with my daydreamer gene... They had to do push-ups at the beginning af the test but these push-ups are being done because there were a few kids who weren't following along. Guess who one of them was? Go, ahead, guess...... The students had to introduce themselves to the audience. This is Annemarie with her group, waiting for her turn, and standing in Front Position...... This is Annemarie, always ready to pose, as she is supposed to be listening to her instructor's "pep talk". She really did pay attention, some of the time..... 

Promotion Day!

Annemarie had her first belt promotion in Karate today. She was a white belt and she is now a yellow belt. It was a very long test, about 2 hours, and they did jumping jacks and push ups, along with all their regular Karate "moves".

They started off by laying on the flor, as they visualized themselves doing theor very best (I know, a little metaphysical, but her instructor's are very big on a "whole-person" approach to Karate). This is one of my favorite pictures. They were doing some move where they had to punch and kick and then hit the floor while yelling their "Hi-ya". Well, I got her mid-"Hi-ya!" She looks determined and a little scary! This is another mid"Hi-ya". I think she was nervous because some of her form was off, but her instructors helped her with that. It was very obvious she's had some dance experience because at one point she was pirouetting! 

We Need Help!

Scott and I have been discussing baby names for months, now. And we have not had much luck. Names I love, he's not crazy about and vice versa. So, we would like to open up the discussion to all our friends and family. Please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comment section of our blog, or e-mail them to us. We're really open to just about anything. We'd like something unique, but not crazy "how do you say that" unique. Some suggestions so far: For Girls: Mia, Toby (yes, for a girl), Sidney, Charlotte (nickname-Charli), and Tess. For Boys: Tobias (nickname-Toby), Jude, Benjamin (nickname-Ben). I know there are more, but I seem to keep misplacing my lists! So, join in the "fun" and let us know your ideas! Thanks!

Good News!

Well, I just happened to hear from my midwife and she said that the report from the ultrasound was fine. Nothing remarkable (as they say) and the baby's weight is in the 50th percentile....perfectly average. Which is just fine with us!

A Sign of Things to Come?

Well, I had my ultrasound on Monday. And our second child is already proving to be rather uncooperative. He or she decided to move the entire time, making it difficult for the technician to get the needed measurements. The technincian then tried for about a half an hour to find the goods to tell us whether we should expect a boy or a girl.....to no avail. We were eventually able to focus in on both feet, then the lower legs, then the knees...WHICH WERE TOGETHER! And they didn't come apart, at all! Scott and I were wondering if this is a sign that this will be our "fiesty" child...? But, then we realized that we don't care...as long as he or she is healthy and happy! Now, in the ultrasound picture above (the very best one the technician could give us, believe me), our little peanut is facing downward, basically lying on its nose. You can see the spinal column off to the left of the head and then a slightly darker area below that is the baby's heart. Annemarie was able to come in and see the heartbeat and fingers and toes and was actually very excited. We were given two copies of the ultrasound picture and she even took one to school to show all her friends. From what Scott and I could see, everything looks good, but we'll get a final report in the next week or two. So, we're back to having to choose a boy name and a girl name. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! 

More of our adventures...

Last December, we went to California to visit Scott's family in Salinas. We had Christmas together and it was so nice to get out of Wisconsin during the winter! Annie, as always, was her normal goofy self! This is Scott's dad....he's always so happy! I did realize that I do not have many pictures of my wonderful mother-in-law.....but I can't get on her about it too bad...I guess we both avoid the camera a little??? We miss our family ALOT! and hope that we get to be together soon..... This is Annemarie with her cousins, Casey and Ashley at our FAVORITE Monterey restaurant, The Fisherman's Grotto. It is a tradition that whenever we vistit mom and dad in Salinas that we have lunch or dinner here--clam chowder that is unbelievable, fried fish and (I'm not kidding) deep-fried cheesecake! This is my favorite picture of Annie with her cousins...she has a new cousin that I will blog about in a bit......

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting.....

As some of you know, Annemarie decided to take a year off from dance and try Karate classes. She just got her Gi and has already received a yellow stripe on her white belt (she'll need to pass a test for one more yellow stripe before getting her next belt.). She really seems to be enjoying herself and has even learned some self-defense, too. She did have to sign a contract that stated she would not use Karate on anyone, unless it was a matter of self-defense. It's a very good class and they talk alot about self-respect and respect for others, etc. They also discuss problem-solving techniques when dealing with kids at school who may not be very nice. This is yet another picture of Annemarie being a goob....but she's so sweet, anyway!

I'm A Goofy Goober, yeah......

When I was pregnant with Annemarie, I really wanted a silly, goofy child. Well, God certainly has blessed! Last summer Annie started swim lessons, but her main problem was her eyes. She would stop on her way across the pool, stand up and wipe her eyes. So, I found purple (her favorite color) goggles. She had to try them on immediately, and well, here she is.....I'm not sure if it was her cousin Brian (Navy) or her Uncle Kenny (Army) that taught her how to salute, but she sure looks like the whole package...we're so proud!

And Still More Pictures......

We have been to Disneyland many times in our lives and this summer was the second time we've taken Annemarie. Every time I have been to Disneyland, I've seen the seemingly endless line to have a picture taken with Winnie the Pooh. Well, the first day we were at Disneyland, we decided to head back to the hotel during the heat of the day to swim. And on our way out, near the exit, we spotted Pooh and charged the line before it got any longer! According to the Christina and Samantha, their dad is the best Tea Cup Twirler (it's better than being a Denny's Downer!). Because I was not able to ride many rides, and Sis had had enough after 2 trips on Space Mountain, Scott, Tony and all 3 girls squeezed into a Tea Cup and had a blast!! The last evening we were at Disneyland, we made our way over to California Adventure and camped out on the street to get a good view of the Main Street Electrical Parade. (It was just like I remembered from when I was Annemarie's age...the same music, the snail, everything!). By this time, though, everyone was beat. Tony, Christina and Samantha decided to actually lay in the street, where it was cool, and, well, I guess Uncle Tony's tummy just looked to comfy for Annie to pass up! Yes, McDonald's has made its way to Disney's California Adventure!!! Much to the delight of the girls!

More Pics From Summer Vacation

(Because I'm going to have to play catch up, I will be posting pictures from the past year and a half, and they will not be in chronological order, so bear with me!) Sis, the girls and I went to Sea World for the day. It was REALLY hot, but we were all able to get wet on a water ride and enjoy some of the shows. Annie kept asking to see the flamingos and we finally found them. After the Pet Show, Sis and I were able to coerce some great smiles from all the girls (at least Annie tried!). I love this picture of Annie with her cousins (Christina, Samantha and Nicholas). This is on the train to the beach again. While we were at the beach, Nic and I walked to the pier to get lunch and this is what Annie and Samantha did, with some help from Grammy and Grampy...... 

And then she crashed......

As promosed earlier, here are the pictures of Annemarie boogie boarding...and crashing. She was very successful before this run, but I didn't have my camera ready (of course!). Once she took a header into the waves, well, that was that, even with Nicholas' help and much encouragement from Samantha, she would have nothing to do with a boogie board! But, maybe next time!  

First Day of Second Grade

Well, today was Annemarie's first day in 2nd Grade. She got up this morning SO excited. She made her own breakfast and lunch, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and packed her backpack. She informed me that she would be OK walking herself to her classroom (because she's "a big girl now") and that I didn't need to wait across the hall from her room after school...she would come out the side entrance and meet me at the pick-up area. WELL....I did OK until she actually got to the school door and turned and waved, then I lost it! OK, she is a big girl now but with the pregnancy hormones-a-ragin' I couldn't help it!!  

Nana and Papa

This is my favorite picture of Annie with her Nana and Papa (Scott's parents). This was taken in Salinas last December. Annie wanted me to tell everyone that this is where the seals live...just to the right of where her and Nana and Papa are standing. 

How they grow!

I'm posting both these pictures to show how tall my Girlies have gotten this year, how they all look so much older. Of course it only makes me feel older, but.... The top picture is from July 2005 and the one below is July 2006, obviously both are taken at, "The Happiest PLace on Earth!"

This is a test picture. These are my Girlies on the MetroLink to San Clemente this summer during our big vacation to California. I'm going to post this, look at and then post some more, so let me nkow what you think.....But the girls had so much fun! Christina boogie boarded almost the entire time and Samantha and Annemarie played in the waves and sand. Annie tried boogie boarding and did great....unti she crashed, and then that was that! I'll post that picture too!