The Kelly Family

Easter 2009

2009-04-22T21:52:00.020-04:00

Hannah's Art in Gallery

2009-04-22T21:52:00.006-04:00

A piece of Hannah's art work from school was recently submitted to the Fayette County School District's Calendar Competition. Rosa Parks Elementary was allowed four submissions and Hannah's was one of them. Although Hannah's art was not one of those chosen to be in the calendar it was on display during a month long gallery showing which included a reception we attended. It was also included in a bond book of all the submissions. We are very proud of our artist.

Invitation to Gallery Show

Book of all art submitted to Calendar Contest

Art Exhibit

Louisville Zoo Field Trip

2009-04-22T21:51:00.011-04:00

Rachael's end of Kindergarten field trip was to the Louisville Zoo. The weather was crazy with heavy storms on the drive to and from the zoo. While at the zoo we experienced sun, rain and hail. Despite the weather we had a great time. My favorite was the baby elephant and Rachael's was having time with her friend Dallas and her mom.

This bird wanted out of the exhibit! We had trouble keeping him in.

March 4 -A Big Day for Three of Us

2009-04-22T09:58:00.020-04:00

March 4, 2009 was a big day for three of us. Hannah and Grace were asked to be Honorary Senate Pages for the Kentucky Senate and I, well I turned 30 plus 10. Grace and Hannah were pages for Senator Alice Forgy Kerr who it turns out lives in our neighborhood. She spent a lot of time talking to the girls and really getting to know them. Don and Janice picked up the girls from school early and brought them to Frankfort. They had lunch with Dad, saw a few sights in the Capitol Building and then went to work. Before heading to the Senate they saw Governor Beshear. Many years ago Craig worked for the now Governor and true to a good politician he remembered Craig (and of course Craig's Dad) and stopped to get his picture taken with the girls. Later in the Senate they had their picture taken with now Senator Julian Carroll, a former Governor. Two Governors in one day - pretty good!

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear

Senator Alice Forgy Kerr

Senator Julian Carroll (former Governor)

Girls being intruced to the Senate by Senator Kerr

I was not looking forward to my birthday mostly due to the fact that it is one of my hardest days of the year for work and my boss who was scheduled to fly in from NY wasn't coming due to a snow storm on the East Coast. It was going to be a long day. Thanks to family, co-workers and people I work with outside of my company it was a great day. My sister sent me a present and beautiful flowers. I had a great lunch and many other gifts and cards. Craig and my gift to each other for our birthdays this year as well as our upcoming 15 year anniversary was a trip. Craig did the planning and gave me the details of a trip to Las Vegas on my birthday. If I had known how good everyone would treat me at 40 I would have looked forward to it!

Mom's birthday celebration at Nana and Papa's house

Flowers from Nicki, Dan, Anna and Milo

Girl Scout Thinking Day 2009

2009-04-22T09:57:00.010-04:00

Every year in February Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world celebrate Thinking Day. This day for the second year Grace's troop has organized and overnight at a local company called Girl Friends and Company. The girls learn about different countries and Girl Scouts/Guides in those countries while having fun. They each receive a passport to stamp at each country they visit. Last year troops from Rosa Parks Elementary each took a different country. This year Grace's troop divided 5 countries up with the girls being in charge. Local girl scouts were invited and the event was used as a fund raiser for the troops trip this summer to Savannah. This year's countries were Fiji, Costa Rica, Ireland, Jordan and Kenya. The girls traveled from room to room learning from Grace's troop members. Grace and her friend had Fiji as their country. the highlight of Fiji for Grace was learning about cannibalism. I don't think that is what Girl Scouts has in mind but she did learn something. Food from each country was sampled and "swaps" from each country were made as a souvenir. A local Irish dance group was also kind enough to come and demonstrate Irish dancing for the girls and teaching them a few steps. Carlie and Grace did a great job and both Hannah and Grace had a good time. It was nice to know they could handle staying the night somewhere (with people I trust) without mom having to spend the night. I am not a fan of sleeping on the floor.

Disney on Ice

2009-04-22T09:57:00.006-04:00

When I received a flier from our local Girl Scout council advertising special ticket prices for Disney on Ice I thought of Hannah. Given her recent interest I thought it might be fun for her to see some professional skaters and a good family activity. I asked the girls if they would be interested and they said yes. I ordered early so we got great tickets (it may also help that I know the big event coordinator at Rupp Arena.) On the actual date of the show there was some dissension in ranks. Disney?! That will be for babies! Of course Hannah asked about 40 questions I couldn't answer regarding what characters would be there, how long the show would be, etc. I am happy to report that after the show Grace told me she was surprised to find that she enjoyed the show and everyone had a good time. Our next family "cultural" event will be a local production of The King and I. I promise I am trying to balance this stuff!

Grace's 10th Birthday

2009-02-24T19:42:00.012-05:00

Grace turned double digits in February. Insert your own cliche here - they grow so fast - how did she get so big? - It feels like we just came home with her - How can I at 25 have a 10 year old? - you get the idea. I really am in shock that Grace is 10 and growing like a weed (those cliches really do apply to my life.) For her actual birthday we let her pick a restaurant for dinner. Our only rules are that you have to sit at a table, have a menu in hand and be served. After dinner we came home for presents and cake. As requested I baked a marble cake with chocolate icing. The picture makes it look crooked. I admit I am not ever going to make the food network but I promise it looked better than pictured. Her"big" present from Craig and I was a skateboard and new helmet. On the Saturday following her birthday we had a party for her friends at a bowling alley. Grace asked her friends to bring a donation for Half the Sky rather than presents. She raised two hundred dollars!!! The girls were all great kids and had a good time. Grace's friend Jessica even helped Rachael bowl. As you can see the cake for the party was more professionally done. I only gave them a description over the phone and it was perfect. Following the bowling party we had a family dinner at home. Grace requested Salmon so we went all out and went to a local high end fish store for fresh fish. It was well worth it!

Check the expression on Polly's face. Think she is happy now you should have seen her after the girls dressed her up!

If I Were President by Hannah Kelly

2009-02-24T18:50:00.006-05:00

If I were President I would keep our place safe and make people work a little bit harder and a little longer. Also, I would have people to build me a hot tub and have a pool. I would protect my family and the whole United States of American and make people get me pretty jewelry.

Chinese New Year 2009

2009-02-07T17:14:00.005-05:00

2009 is the year of the Ox. This year Rachael and Hannah shared information about Chinese New Year with their classes. With mom's help they put together a poster they each used in their class as they told about the holiday. We also celebrated by cleaning the house and having our friends the Jacksons over for Chinese food and celebration. The girls dressed in traditional Chinese attire and decorated lanterns. In the pictures Riley is in the blue jacket and her brother Payton is being held by Grace. This is a low key celebration but one we look forward to each year.

Hannah Skating Lessons

2009-01-28T16:26:00.016-05:00

Last year Hannah attended a birthday party at the local ice skating rink. She loved it and asked often to go back. Based on her interest Nana and Papa decided to pay for two sessions of ice skating lessons as their Christmas present to her. True to form Hannah asked A LOT of questions before deciding to take the lessons. Where will the lessons be? How long is each lesson? How many lessons in the session? How many kids in the class? Where will the parents be? Can they watch me? You get the idea. She was hesitant the first lesson when she saw how many classes were being held at once and thus the number of people in the arena but with some pressure from mom she got on the ice and enjoyed herself. She will never be Dorthy Hamill but she is now is competent on the ice and loves to skate.

Freezing Rain/Ice/Snow Storm

2009-01-28T16:26:00.013-05:00

If you have been following our blog recently you know I am trying to get caught up and just finished Halloween. I still have many posts to add but thought a current one would be a good idea today.

Over the last 48 hours we have experienced freezing rain, sleet, ice and snow. I think we have covered every kind of precipitation possible. Today is Wednesday January 28. The girls have been out of school since Monday and are already scheduled to be off tomorrow. I don't think it looks good for their return on Friday.

We have ice covered trees and we have lost a lot of limbs. We hope we don't lose the big tree in our front yard. The bushes on one side of the house are so bent over the only way between the two houses is to crawl under the limbs. Both outside AC units were frozen completely over by ice at least two inches thick. It took me a while to chip most of it off. The girls all played outside in the snow, unfortunately by the time I got home Rachael was already inside so I only have pictures of the older two outside.

Rachael's First Lost Tooth

2009-01-28T16:17:00.005-05:00

On January 14 Rachael lost her first tooth. She lost it at the end of the day at school. I knew she had a slightly lose tooth but was surprised. She never played with the tooth like her sisters do with their lose teeth. Her teacher put it in a tooth shaped holder on a necklace to take home. On the way to Nana's house she had to take it out and look at it. Unfortunately she lost it. She became very upset. Her big sisters explained to her the tooth fairy would still come if she wrote a note explaining what happened. Grace helped her write the note - it was very cute. The tooth fairy did leave a dollar coin in her tooth fairy pillow - on the first night! Our tooth fairy was off duty during the New Year Holiday and during a bought of bad weather so the older girls have each had to wait an extra night lately. I don't know what is wrong with that tooth fairy!

Grace Soccer

2009-01-28T16:14:00.018-05:00

Grace's soccer team, The Cheetahs, (with assistant Coach Craig) had an outstanding season this year. They are passing better, playing position, anticipating, talking to each other during the game, and working well as a team. Grace does well in the front line but is really known for playing Sweeper. She is called the teams Super Sweeper. She has incredible speed which she uses to her full advantage and really is good at finding a way to get the ball to her teammates. It is fun to watch this team play. The girls tied for first place in their division. They then went on to a state tournament in Berea where they placed first place in their age group. Grace played in the first weekend of the tournament and then had the tough decision whether to play the second weekend or be in a horse show. She chose the tournament (after a lot of pressure from her teammates to play) and is glad she did. They earned a GIANT team trophy and where in the newspaper. Grace was given the honor of having the trophy first.

Text from newspaper:

Cheetah girls rule On November 8, 2008 the Lexington Youth Soccer Association (LYSA) 10-year-old girls Cheetah soccer team defeated the Louisville Okolona Lightning 2—1 to win the state Commonwealth Soccer Tournament in Richmond. Pictured in the front row from left are Jessica Daniel, Mallory Baker and Grace Kelly. Second row from left: Phoebe Clardy, Amanda Moore, Sydney Strup, Kate Johnson, Macy Baker and Julia Beard. Third row: Coaches Stuart Daniel, left, and Craig Kelly.

Lexington-Herald Leader November 26, 2008

Grace and Hannah Field Trips

2009-01-28T16:13:00.006-05:00

Grace and Hannah each had a field trip this fall so Craig and I played rock paper scissors. Craig went with Grace to Mammouth Cave on October 15 and I accompanied Hannah to the Lexington
Explorium for Native Americans Exhibit on November 13.

Halloween 2008

2009-01-27T16:59:00.013-05:00

Halloween this year followed tradition – first trick-or-treat at Mom’s office, home, fast dinner, then Dad, Grace and Rachael meet up with the neighbors to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood. Mom and Hannah handed out treats. Grace dressed up as Bat Girl, Hannah was a (very cute) witch and Rachael was a zebra. This year Halloween was on a Friday and the weather was great - very helpful. The girls all had a great time and collected far too much candy. Every year I try to get them to do something together but it hasn’t gone over yet.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-01-26T20:58:00.014-05:00

We were late carving pumpkins this year waiting until the 30^th to buy and carve them. The incentive to procrastinate next year is we got three big pumpkins at half price. The girls were not excited about pulling out the pumpkin guts and decided to wear their safety goggles. I told them they looked like mad scientists so they hammed it up for the camera. We all had fun even we Grace’s pumpkin wasn’t turning out as planned. She ended up with carvings on two sides. Grace showed us how mature she has become by handling it with grace and pose. Yeah Grace!

Grace State Horse Show

2009-01-26T19:31:00.013-05:00

On October 11, 2008 Grace competed in her first state horse show – The Kentucky State Academy Championship – help at the Horse Park. Grace had been taking lessons for less than a year and only competed in a few shows. We went into the show with low expectations. She looked great and so focused! She ended up placing second in her age division - a great achievement. The girl who came in first is also named Grace and takes lessons at the same farm as our Grace (Blue Willow.) The blond Grace has been taking lessons since she was four years old. We were all extremely proud of Grace. Her red ribbon reads “Reserve Champion.” Grace’s comments are that she had a great time but would have liked to be on the horse longer!

Rachael's Daisy Troop

2009-01-21T20:48:00.008-05:00

Girl Scouts has been a great experience for Grace and Hannah and I wanted Rachael to also be involved in scouting. Some how this ended up meaning I was going to be her Daisy troop leader. We have a small troop that meets once a month and also tries to have one activity a month. Our first activity was a Safety event at the Lexington Fire Training Center. What a great, free event. The girls learned about pedestrian, bike and car safety. They saw a fire truck, ambulance and helicopter. They learned about getting out of a house in a fire and were fitted with a FREE bicycle helmet. The Lexington Fire Department did an outstanding job.

Camping with Hannah

2009-01-20T19:39:00.025-05:00

Although Grace’s girl scout troop has gone on several camping trips, Hannah’s first trip was in early October . Her troop went on a weekend cabin camping trip to Camp Judy Layne and I attended as a chaperone. We had a great time. The theme for the weekend was the Olympics and the girls took a long challenging hike, played several games and did several team building exercises. Eating a donut off a string without your hands or arms was funny. One event was for two girls to work together. One was to be blindfolded while the other was to lead her blindfolded friend around obstacles. Hannah and her good friend Kendall each took turns leading and being led. While other teams had a difficult time the two of them worked together as one. It was amazing to watch. At one point they were to go up on a bench, then onto a table and back down. I was pretty far away when I saw what was going on and couldn’t get there fast enough to stop it. They made it without hesitation and at a fast pace. I was in awe. I watched the two of them all weekend. They supported each other, waited for each other, showed concern for each other. It was a sight to behold. I only wish that all my girls find that kind of friendship. Camp Judy Layne is the Girl Scout camp with the giant bouncing pillow. Hannah and her troop enjoyed it as much as Grace’s troop had.

The Circus

2009-01-20T19:16:00.013-05:00

I have mixed emotions about the Circus. I have fond memories of going as a child but I also have concerns about the treatment of the animals. I have not taken the girls to see the circus in the past due to my misgivings. This year I decided that I really wanted to share the experience with the girls and bought tickets. What I don’t remember is how good The Greatest Show on Earth is at merchandising, you can’t walk two feet without some kind of display, stand or person hocking something. The good news is I talked to the girls ahead of time. I told them we would buy one program and that was it. I didn’t know that they would charge more for the program (with a “free” clown nose included) than a ticket to see the show! The girls did have a great time and hopefully they are all old enough to remember. Grace loved the dog act and the horses, Hannah liked the big cats and Rachael’s eyes got big seeing the acrobats.

Hannah is Changing

2009-01-20T12:32:00.026-05:00

Hannah experienced some pretty big changes in her appearance in a short period of time. Hannah has been growing out her hair to donate 10 inches to Locks of Love. Her hair had gotten to the point that I was threatening to cut it off myself. I gave her the deadline of Halloween. Nana ended up cutting her hair a few weeks or so before Halloween. Around the same time she lost 4 teeth in a two week period. What a difference a few weeks makes. She looks too old to me now. I guess I shouldn’t have pushed for the haircut!

Hannah ever the private person didn’t like the attention she received for the haircut and didn’t volunteer to tell people why she cut off so much hair. When she started growing out her hair there was a picture in the newspaper of a little girl who had donated her hair. I showed it to Hannah and she was excited about it and kept the picture. After Hannah cut her hair I asked her if I could take her picture and turn it in to the newspaper. She agreed. The morning the paper arrived with her picture Craig took it to her when he woke her up. Her mood immediately turned sour and she made it clear that she didn’t want to go to school. Who knew that I would have a daughter that I had to teach to enjoy the spotlight once in awhile? We talked about how she should be proud of what she did, how she might inspire someone else to do the same thing, how it was good to be recognized for something good. I pointed out that she wasn’t in the paper because she robbed a bank! She has become proud of what she did and more willing to acknowledge her achievement. The picture in the paper was in color and she looked adorable (no I am not biased.)

Rachael's First Field Trip

2009-01-18T19:26:00.006-05:00

Rachael’s first school field trip was to Alpha Farm for a hay ride and to ride horses. I went as a chaperone and enjoyed spending some time with Rachael and meeting some of new friends. I have also included some pictures taken from Rachael’s class.

Trip to Indianapolis and Iowa

2009-01-17T19:53:00.021-05:00

After school starts they almost immediately have a day off. We took advantage of this and took a quick trip to Iowa City to visit my grandparents and other Newman family members. We left at night and stopped in Indianapolis, Indiana. The next morning we got up early and spent the morning at the Children’s Museum. Years ago my grandparents introduced me to Chihuly and his large glass sculptures. I have looked for opportunities to see his work ever since. I knew the Indianapolis Children's Museum had a Chihuly exhibit so not only would the girls enjoy themselves but so would Craig and I. The girls had a wonderful time. I was not disappointed. They especially enjoyed the Chihuly hands on exhibit where the girls could create their own class sculptures. We left at lunch time with the promise to come back again. It was then on to Iowa City. We had a great time visiting with my grandparents, cousin Katie and her son Sam, my cousin Chris’ girlfriend Emilie (Chris was unable to attend due to a previous engagement but Emilie very generously came in for the weekend), my Aunt Jean and her husband Gary.

First Day of School

2009-01-17T19:20:00.011-05:00

August 13 was the first day of school and Rachael’s first day of Kindergarten. Yes I typed August that is not a type-o. We have made it a tradition to take photos of the girls on their first day of school from the moment they wake-up to the time they walk into school. Rachael wanted no part of this so I don’t have all the photos I would like but here are a few. Rachael had a great first day and started to make friends immediately.

I have also attached a silly photo that doesn't belong anywhere else. I told the girls to dress up in the silliest outfit they could come up with.

Grace's Trip to California

2009-01-17T18:34:00.015-05:00

When Nana and Papa told Grace her California cousins were coming to visit from California they also told her they were going to fly back with them to California. Grace immediately asked if she could go with them. I told her that was inappropriate to ask but I was wrong. It doesn’t hurt to ask is now Grace’s motto because Nana and Papa (after discussing it) invited Grace to go with them to California. She had an awesome time. The Liang’s house is like visiting a resort – beautiful grounds, pool, sports court, etc. They also have three dogs and during her trip acquired two guinea pigs. I am grateful that the Liangs do not have horses or Grace never would have come home!

Grace enjoyed having more time with her cousins. She told her Uncle Ken that she wanted to make sure to touch the ocean so she could say she touched both coasts in one summer. Ken made sure she did, making sure she not only touched but swam in both oceans. She also went to the American Girl store and spent time in the pool. Ken’s mother made sure Grace experienced Dim Sum at a Chinese restaurant (as opposed to a Chinese-American restaurants like what we have at home.) She loved it and is anxious to have it again. Grace visited her cousins at the perfect time – Ken’s annual office family party occurred during the trip. The Liang’s very generously took her along and she had a ball. From face painting to great food to scuba diving in a pool it couldn’t have been better. Grace thought the scuba diving was cool. She sure is good at finding and falling in love with expensive hobbies. No one introduce her to golf – okay?

While Grace was gone Craig and I took the opportunity to have some time with Hannah and Rachael. We went to a Legends Ball Game and enjoyed a week with very little fighting, crying or whining. There may something to my theory of even numbers of children but we are not evening out our odd number!

Flying home

Grace got home one day before school started. What a great way to end your summer!

Grace, Hannah and Rachael picked up Grace, Don and Janice from the airport while Mom attended the Open House at Rosa Parks. Hannah and Rachael were very glad to see Grace!

Visit from the Liang Girls

2008-10-17T14:36:00.012-04:00

During the last week of July, Craig’s sister Laura and her three daughters (Kaley- 12, Kennadi-11 and McKenzie – 11) came to visit from Los Angeles. Laura stayed a few days and then left the girls with Nana and Papa for another week. Several of those days also included our three. Janice is a testament to taking care of yourself; she took on 6 girls like it wasn’t a big deal. One of the games that the girls all played was to set-up a store in the basement. They used the screen of some electric game as a cash register and opened a book up and ran a pretend credit card down the middle to place a sale. I was impressed by their imaginations but afraid of their knowledge of credit cards! Janice would pretend to be a shopper. Once she had made her purchases she would go upstairs and change outfits and pretend to be a new shopper at the store. Her imagination was just as strong as the grandchildren’s!

The Liang girls also spent some time with us. They spent the night at our house one night. They played games and slept in the family room (sleep is a relative term here.) We took them bowling one day and swimming another. We all had fun. Kaley was VERY patient with Rachael who adored being with Kaley.

Day on the Ohio River

2008-10-15T07:50:00.005-04:00

July 20, 2008 - Two of Mom and Dad's good friends are Bob and Maureen Hannon. Mom taught with Mauren for years at IHM. The Hannons are generous not only to my parents but to us. For a third year they invited us to take a boat ride on the Ohio River. The girls love to be on the boat and I find it relaxing. Drew and Emily were also on the boat although for some reason I didn't really get good pictures of them. During the trip Grace asked Mrs. Hannon if she could drive the boat. To her and my surprise Maureen said yes. The girls each ended up taking a turn driving - and for long stretches of time. They all did well, however I reminded them it didn't mean they would be driving a car anytime soon!

Visit from Murray Kelly's

2008-10-14T07:44:00.007-04:00

The weekend after Rachael's birthday, the girls' cousins from Murray came to stay with Nana and Papa for the weekend. Cam will be eleven (?) this November, Kess is 8 and Caden is 5. Overall the kids played well together and Cam was very patient with all the younger kids and dealing with 4 girls! Rachael liked to take care of Caden by bringing him his blanket and rubbing his back. Pretty funny given that Caden is a few weeks older than Rachael.

I am very behind in my posts to the blog - busy doing things to write about so I don't have time to write! I am trying to catch up - my rule right now is less text, more pictures. Pictures usually say it all anyway. By-the-way, notice the pictures below have sweaters on the girls - in July and as I type this it is October 14 and it will be 85 degrees today. Don't tell me we aren't messing up the world's climate!

Rachael's Fifth Birthday

2008-08-29T07:43:00.011-04:00

On July 10 Rachael turned five years old.

The girls were with Nana on Rachael's birthday. She made the day special by taking the girls on an ice cream marathon. They went to four different ice cream parlors and each took a turn picking a flavor and then sharing. When asked which place was the best they each picked the one in which they selected the flavor. That night we went out to a movie and let Rachael pick the restaurant for dinner. Of course we do have some rules. You have to sit down at the restaurant - not carry it out and they have to hand you a printed menu to order from.

Rachael's favorite gift was a bag full of paper towel rolls, toliet paper rolls and gift wrap rolls. I started collecting them in January and had a big gift bag full by her birthday. It is amazing what she can come up with to play with them.

On July 12th we extended the celebration. In the morning Craig took the girls to Lowe's kid's clinic and they each built a small dune buggy. In the afternoon we had a small party for Rachael at the Explorium.

Another favorite gift was given to her the weekend before her birthday when we visited Ohma and Hampa. It is a modern version of the Big Wheel I had as a kid. It is the Mercedes of Big Wheels. Hampa had to add wood to the pedals because her legs were not long enough which means she will have several years to enjoy the new bike.

Fourth of July Portraits

2008-08-20T07:55:00.005-04:00

Fourth of July Portraits of Hannah, cousin Emily, Grace and Rachael

Nana's Summer Camp

2008-08-07T15:28:00.016-04:00

All summer Nana has had the girls at least two days a week. The first week of summer she had them the entire week. On several occasions she also had them spend the night - having their own sleep over party. Nana worked hard to make sure the girls time with her was quality time not just “child care.” She always makes sure the girls are having fun and learning something but this summer she out did herself. Here is just a partial list of what the girls did with Nana:

- Learned to cook egg salad, strawberry pie (including the crust) and mashed potatoes

- Learned to iron and sew on a button

- Each girl shopped for the fabric and then made their own apron

- Feed ducks

- Learned how to shuck corn

- Made ice cream

- Visited downtown public library

- Visited the local farmer’s market

- Played miniature golf

- Painted with water colors

- Went to the Explorium (Lexington’s Children’s Museum)

- Shopping at a great locally owned toy store

- Went out to lunch with Papa

- Took lunch to Papa at his office

(Rachael sayin, "I'm Papa" while sitting at his desk at work.)

- Memorized Bible versus – one for each letter of the alphabet

- Memorized the names of the books on the Bible in the New Testament – in order

- Horseback Riding Lessons (Grace)

- Played at the park

One of the great activities that Nana planed was the “Lexington Park Marathon.” In one day the girls visited 10 of the biggest parks in Lexington and rated each to determine the best park in Lexington. The girls loved this idea and had a great time that day. They also slept well that night!! We can't thank Janice enough for all she does.

Fourth of July 2008

2008-08-01T10:17:00.008-04:00

The 4th fell on a Friday this year (yeah!) My brother Drew and his daughter Emily and dogs Polly and Will came down to celebrate with us. My goal for the weekend was to keep the kids busy and to create as little work as possible for me. On Friday before Drew and Emily arrived we baked cookies and played games. That evening we all went to Red Robin for hamburgers and milkshakes and then went to see Kung-Fu Panda. We picked the movie for the kids but we all enjoyed it. On the way home from the movie we watched fireworks going off all over town. Saturday morning the guys took the kids to Home Depot's Kids' Workshop to build birdhouses. When they brought them home we had them paint their creations. We also did a couple of crafts and went to the neighborhood park. In the afternoon we went bowling and visited our favorite bookstore - Joseph-Beth Booksellers. At the store the girls found some great hats to try out. Everyone had fun bowling and watching Rachael dance every time her ball hit a pin. The girls also found time to dress up in Chinese outfits and to dress up the dogs. On Sunday the girls allowed me to take them to get their picture taken together. I was thrilled with the results and they were great for Hampa's birthday presents.

Hannah's Birthday/Grace's Horse Show

2008-08-01T10:00:00.007-04:00

When we returned from vacation we celebrated Hannah's birthday by having a party at the house for a few of her friends. The girls brought swim suits and ran through the sprinkler. Hannah doesn't like cake so we tired a big birthday cookie for the party. Maybe we should try strawberry pie next year. After the party we went out to dinner with Nana and Papa. We went to a restaurant that sits next to a duck pond - Hannah's favorite animal. It didn't hurt that Joseph-Beth booksellers was next door.

Grace participated in her second horse show. This show was outside (and very hot) and required a vest and tie. Grace wore a tie that Papa bought himself in high school. I don't know how he looked in it back then but Grace looked great. She participated in two academy walk/trot events placing second in both events. This was a great showing considering her horse was sick and she rode a horse she had never been on until the show. Nana, Papa and Dad were there to cheer her on and all were sure she was going to get a blue ribbon because she turned her horse better than the other entrants. I told Grace it was just a matter of time before the ribbon was blue. No matter the color we are proud of her hard work and focus and know she is loving every minute she is with a horse.

Knoxville Zoo

2008-07-18T10:02:00.007-04:00

On the way home from the beach it has become a Kelly family tradition to stop in Knoxville and spend some time at the Knoxville Zoo. It is a smaller zoo than Cincinnati's but very nice. Knoxville's zoo has a red panda breeding program and we enjoying seeing and learning about the red pandas every year. This year the new "Red Panda Village" opened and we were able to get much closer to the animals than we ever have before- here or in Cincinnati. The girls also enjoyed the camel ride and merry-go-round.

Family Beach Vacation

2008-07-18T09:20:00.012-04:00

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
June 7-14, 2008

Thanks to my parents we enjoyed a week at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina in early June. This is the third year they have rented this house and we always have a great time. My brother Drew and his daughter Emily joined our family and my parents. We were sad that my sister and her family could not come, but they had a really good excuse – my sister gave birth to Milo Juniper Gunderson during our vacation. He was a few weeks early but nothing like his sister’s very early arrival. Milo was born at home just as Nicki had wanted. Unfortunately Nicki had complications after his birth and had to go to the hospital for a day. Although still weak, overall Nicki is recovering well from his birth. Milo is a calm baby and doing well. He is beautiful – check him out at the Newman Gunderson blog. I wonder if they plan to change the name from three part harmony to four part harmony?

The birth of Milo wasn’t the only big family news that happened during our time in Ocean Isle. Sadly my grandparents condo was one of the many homes flooded during the Midwest floods in June. My poor parents spent the entire week trying to enjoy the vacation with two of their children and four of their grandchildren while also feeling like they needed to be in Portland, Oregon to help Nicki and Dan and feeling like they needed to be in Iowa City, Iowa helping Dad’s parents. Dad has since traveled to Iowa to help with clean-up and plans to return with my brother as soon as he returns from visiting the Newman/Gunderson clan in Portland.

During our week at the beach we had unusually hot weather but no rain. We followed our normal pattern of going to the beach in the morning and then using the pool in the afternoon. Now that the girls are older we found that we enjoyed going back to the beach in the evening. The temperature was better and the sun wasn’t hitting you right in the eye.

One of the activities the girls look forward to each year is kite flying. This year my woodworking father made each of the girls a kite string winder. They were fun to use and helped with controlling the kites in the wind.

Dad's kite winder

Grace helps Rachael with kite

Grace loved the ocean and using the boggy board. Every day she got someone to go out with her – Dad, Emily, Uncle Drew and even Mom. Rachael loved to dig holes and hunt for shells and other creatures while Hannah became a great sand castle builder.

Every year I am surprised by what games the girls come up with in the pool. This year they created a “bus” with the foam noodles and took turns being the driver dropping off people and picking them up from the hair salon, grocer, doctor’s office, etc. Sometimes the bus was a taxi when only a few wanted to play. Sometimes Mom or Dad were the driver. They also found that if you put the noodles up to the water sprayers just right you could spray water like a hose. If you were sneaky enough you could use it to hit Dad or Uncle Drew with water. Getting thrown in the pool by mom or thrown in the air in the pool by Uncle Drew was also fun.

Rachael hooks Daddy with snorkle

The only down side to the trip was Rachael’s poison ivy. It started as a small patch on her cheek that we noticed in the car on the drive down. At first we weren’t sure what it was. By the time we got to Ocean Isle it had started to spread and was on both sides of her face and several places on her body. We tried several over the counter remedies but each day it just got worse. We are so grateful to Uncle (Doctor) Sean who helped us out. After one dose of medication the rash was obviously improving and in 24 hours it was almost gone. Through the whole thing Rachael was a trooper. She didn’t complain and tolerated all the creams, washes, and medicine we tried.

Hannah turned seven during our vacation. To celebrate Ohma made her favorite meal – salmon – for dinner. After dinner we played miniature golf. Nana introduced the girls to putt putt earlier this year and they all enjoy it. Hannah hit more than one whole in one and we all had a good time. It was a great activity for the kids and adults. The weather was a little cooler than it had been earlier in the week and there was a nice breeze. Following golf we went out for ice cream because Hannah doesn’t like cake. Overall I think Hannah had a great day. Of course how can you not have a great birthday at the beach!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-07-07T16:33:00.010-04:00

We tried to make Memorial Day weekend a weekend balanced between fun and work but it was primarily about soccer. We had five games over three days – spread out all over the place. As you can see from the team photos, Craig not only is the assistant coach for Grace’s team but this season he was also the assistant for Rachael’s team. Craig says it was more like herding cats rather than coaching, but he helped.

Rachael is #4 in green.

This is my favorite - it really shows how they play "soccer" at four years of age. What you can't tell is Rachael's tongue is out - Newman gene.

Hannah is #9 in blue.

Grace is #10 in purple.

After the games on Saturday we decided on the spur of the moment to go see a Legend’s baseball game (our minor league team.) That morning I had seen in the newspaper that the game was at home and there would be fireworks at the end of the game. Soccer games on Saturday were at 1:30, 3:00 and 5:00. The baseball game started at 7:00 and the soccer fields were on the same side of town as the baseball field. Hannah loves fireworks so we decided after Grace’s game to go see the Legends. The girls were dirty but not old enough to care. There really isn’t a bad seat at this facility so last minute tickets were still good. We had a great time. All I had with me at the baseball game was my camera phone. Hannah insisted I take pictures of the fireworks. I have included a few even though they aren’t very good. On Sunday we had two more soccer games and on Monday the entire family cleaned the garage. I should have taken pictures of the girls working – especially Rachael sweeping the floor. Now it is the most organized room in the house. So far the girls are mostly keeping it up – hopefully my theory of, “if you have a stake in it you will take better care of it,” is working. If only I could get that theory to work in their bedrooms!

The girls enjoyed the silly sprinkler over the weekend. I can't explain the goggles.

Recent Art Work

2008-07-03T13:34:00.007-04:00

Art by Hannah and Grace

Sleeping Angels

2008-06-27T11:55:00.006-04:00

The girls like to sleep in the same room whenever we will let them. Usually they sleep in Hannah's room because she has a trundle bed under her bed. We add an air mattress so they each have a place to sleep. On this night they ended up together on the floor so they could sleep side-by-side. We thought it was so cute we took a picture. If only they were this peaceful when they were awake.

Field Trip with Grace or Facing My Fears Part II

2008-06-24T01:21:00.000-04:00

The Monday after our camping trip I chaperoned a field trip to Kentucky Down Under with Grace’s third grade class. It is a good thing that Grace isn’t embarrassed to be with her mom (yet) as three days of public togetherness may have put Grace over the edge. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being outside away from work. The schedule taking us from one attraction to another was poorly planned. We went back and forth retracing our steps multiple times. It was good exercise – especially the uphill part but it did cause us to miss at least one event. Grace had recently been to Kentucky Down Under with her sisters and Nana during Spring break. The map we were given wasn’t clear so Grace stepped forward and offered to lead the group. I was proud of her for offering to show the way and relieved to see she has a better sense of direction than I do.

I think Grace’s favorite activity was watching her teacher try to shear a sheep. It was very funny. For me the highlight was the Kentucky Caverns. Yes, I am also afraid of confined spaces. This one is bigger for me than heights. I handled the caverns well and didn’t let on to any of the kids that I had a fear. Of course Grace made sure they knew but I didn’t act afraid or uncomfortable. Grace’s Brownie troop is planning a camping trip to Mammoth Cave in the fall and Grace wants me to go with them. If the Kentucky Caverns didn’t kick my claustrophobia I guess Mammoth Cave will!

Camping with Grace or Overcoming My Fears Part 1

2008-06-23T23:48:00.000-04:00

For Mother’s Day weekend Grace’s Brownie troop went on a mother-daughter camping trip to Judy Layne Girl Scout Camp in Morgan County Kentucky (east of Lexington.) The theme for this weekend was adventure. We stayed in cabins (rather than the platform tents we have used previously) and cooked our own meals at our camp fire (instead of eating in the mess hall.)

The highlight of the weekend was using the 35 foot climbing tower. On one side of the tower the girls tried out rock climbing. On another side they experienced prusiking. What is prusiking you ask? (I sure did!) Prusiking is ascending a rope with the use of a harness and mechanical devices. The person utilizes two hand grips that can be pushed up the rope but have teeth to keep them from falling back down. You start in a seated position and push up with one grip going to a standing position. Push up on the second grip and you pull up your legs back into a seated position. You do this over and over again inching your way up the rope.

THE TOWER

This camp also has a zip line at the top of the climbing tower. The girls were disappointed to learn that you had to be 13 years old to use the zip line. Our instructors informed the mothers that we could use the zip line. I told Grace that if she got to the top of the tower rock climbing and prusiking I would go on the zip line. Sounds good right? One more piece of information - I have a pretty big fear of heights. I will go to 50th floor of a building but don’t ask me to look out the window or worse step out on a balcony.

So why did I say this to Grace? Well several things went through my mind at the time:

1. Despite the height, for years I have thought that going on a zip line looks like fun.
2. I knew it would be safe as the Girl Scouts fear liability and spend a lot of money to make sure everything is safe. There was a lot of equipment there and I felt the instructors were good and since they normally work with kids they would be patient with me (i.e. they deal with chickens all the time.)
3. I thought this was a unique opportunity; I am not around a zip line very often after all.
4. I didn’t want my fear to keep me from a new experience – I can’t tell you how many times certain members of my family have told people about my not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower because of my fear of heights.
5. I work hard to keep all my promises to my girls. I knew once I made the promise I would have to keep it and there were witnesses. Backing out was not an option.
6. Finally I wanted to take the occasion to show Grace you can overcome your own fears. Hopefully she will use my example as she deals with her own fears of spiders, being along, and elevators and so on.

Of course Grace made it to the top of the tower for both the rock climbing and prusiking. She was really fast with the rock climbing – I think she set some kind or record. Once she got the rhythm of prusiking there was no stopping her. She loved both activities and did each several times that day. Although Grace made it look easy these events are not. Some of the girls had some trouble and faced their own fears. I was proud of how all the girls supported, encouraged and took care of each other.

When the time came for the zip line three mothers decided to give it a try. I volunteered to go first and received a lot of encouragement from the girls and mothers. To go on the zip line you have to climb 35 feet up a telephone poll on what they called staples. The VERY SMALL metal hooks made the climb a challenge. I am sure it was a lovely picture – middle aged woman wearing a harness that looked like big black underwear over your clothes and a bright red hair crushing helmet hugging a pole with feet pointed out to the side trying to not miss the next metal hook.

Going up I was shaking with nerves which didn’t make the climb any easier. When I got to the top the instructor realized she forgot a harness and sent someone to go get it. Great – waiting at the top of a tower for your impending doom. It felt like 10 minutes but in reality I am sure was only a few. Once we had all the equipment. I had to climb over a wall and sit on a SMALL triangle of wood. While holding the rope I had to lean forward and fall off the “seat” to go on the line. As I sat there my brain kept telling me to lean back – something to do with self preservation I am sure. It took a few minutes to work up to it but I finally forced myself to lean forward and fall. The first part of the ride was frightening, shocking and bumpy. Once I leveled off it was a lot of fun. The ride was short and honestly for all the work I would have liked it to be longer. Grace tried to take pictures but her camera died before she got anything good (see prayer does work.) Someone else may have a picture but I haven't been given a copy yet. I do have witnesses and I swear I really did go on the zip line - ask Grace!

The other fun thing the girls did at this camp was to go on the jumping pillow. I can only explain this as a safer, lower to the ground version of a trampoline. The girls loved it. It was the last thing we did before leaving to go home. If we knew a traffic accident would essentially shut down New Circle Road in Lexington making our final mile home last over an hour we would have let them jump longer!

Hannah goes bowling

2008-06-03T16:57:00.005-04:00

At Rosa Parks Elementary Hannah and Grace participate in a program entitled Accelerated Reading (A.R.). They read books from a list then take a test on the book and earn points based on the test score. The program includes incentives for reaching certain point levels– a popcorn party in the winter and an end of the year bowling party. As you move up a grade the points required increase. For Hannah it was 12.5 points for the popcorn party and 25 for the bowling party, Grace had to have 25 for the winter party and 50 by the end of the year. For three years Grace has earned the needed points by Christmas. Hannah didn’t have all her points until February and only after I pushed a little bit. Hannah is her own best motivator so I was a little concerned. I found out that she didn’t want to go to the bowling party. Hannah is resistant to try new things – especially in front of her peers or in a large crowd. At least weekly I heard her say she didn’t want to go to the bowling party. I decided she and I would go bowling together so she could learn about bowling and spend time alone with Mom. Craig told her he would go with her as a chaperone on the day of the bowling party. Never did we say she had to go to the party but it was pretty clear that we were not giving her that option.

She and I went the weekend before the school bowling party. After acquiring the necessary and fashionable shoes I asked for the lightest weight ball and had the gutters pulled up. I showed Hannah how to bowl (okay more like how I bowl but to her it looked right.) Even with the lightest ball she had trouble “throwing” the ball with one arm. I told her we were there for fun and there were no bowling police watching us. Whatever worked for her was just fine. We decided the best way for her to bowl was two handed between her legs. With the gutters up she always hit at least one pin. She even had a couple of spares. The big smile on her face told me that I had changed her mind about the bowling party. I am sure the tater tots and candy didn’t hurt either.

The day of the bowling party I made sure Craig knew about the gutters needing to be up, getting the lightest weight ball behind the counter and to let her bowl any way she wanted. She bowled in a lane with several of her friends and her Dad cheering her on. That day she not only had spares but strikes. Now that we have her comfortable with bowling my next challenge is to get her to go camping – say a few prayers for me - this one will not be easy!

Rachael and Mommy's Day Out

2008-06-03T15:11:00.008-04:00

The Lexington Children's Theatre recently put on the play "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" based on the character from Kevin Henkes children's books. I thought that the play probably was geared to children Rachael's age and that it might be a good opportunity to have some time for Mom to focus on Rachael. I bought tickets and we made a big day of it. We went out to lunch first and then to the play. The theatre is a simi-circle and very intimate - a great location for kids to see a play. Part of the story was about Lilly's new baby brother and how after he arrived Lilly wanted to send him back. I told Rachael that Hannah felt the same way about her when she was a baby. It gave us a good opportunity to talk about the importance of valuing her sisters and to try to understanding why sometimes they might be jealous of the attention she gets from Mom and Dad - but that in the end they still love each other.

Rachael loved the show and talked about it for days afterwards. At the end of the show she collected some autographs and took her picture with one of the actresses in costume. In the fall Rachael will start to attend several plays at the theatre as part of field trips with her kindergarten class. Parents don't get to go on those trips. I was glad I was able to take her to at least one.

Grace's Passion

2008-06-02T15:30:00.001-04:00

For as long as I can remember Grace has loved horses and dogs. We have made it clear that as long as she lives under our roof we will not have a dog or a horse. That hasn’t stopped her from adding a dog and/or horse to the white board on the refrigerator where we list things we need to buy (ex. Eggs, milk, baking soda, dog.) Dog shows up almost daily. Grace has checked out every book the local public library and her school’s library has on dogs and horses – many of them more than once. Her room is decorated in horses and she owns multiple toy horse stalls, plastic horses and dogs. She spends some time with my brother’s dogs which helps alleviate her need for a dog but not the horse.

Last fall Grace’s Girl Scout troop went on a weekend camping trip to Camp Cardinal, a Kentucky Girl Scout camp that focuses on horse back riding. I went on the trip to spend some one on one time with Grace and to see if extended contact with actual horses would dissuade Grace’s interest. I was curious, how would she handle the smell, dirt, etc? On that trip she was very unhappy about the bugs in the bath house but nothing about the horses made her love them any less. The first time on the horse I watched for several minutes looking for a reaction. After about a half an hour and no smiles I was sure this was the end. When she got off the horse she immediately ran to me with such enthusiasm I realized I was wrong. I had just seen a new side of Grace – complete focus and concentration. Grace elected to write about her first time on a horse (other than a pony ride at the pumpkin patch) for her third grade personal narrative. I have typed in her work as written.

Trotting
By Grace Kelly

Neigh, Neigh said the horse as I walked to it. I was very nervous. I thought I was going to fall off. I was very high off the ground. When I got on it felt like a hundred feet up. This was the first time I got to trot on a horse.
As I started walking my leader asked some questions. I could hear the horses hooves walking against the field. Soon I found out the horses name was Playboy! Then we started playing some games. We played Simon says. As we started walking faster I heard the head of the horses say we were going to trot on a horse.

I started walking faster and faster. I was very scared because I had never trotted on a horse. The helmet felt itchy against my head. Somebody started talking about how to stop and turn around. I heard my mom calling me and her camera snapping pictures. Finally we got to trot.

I waited for my turn to trot. I say people in my group go up and down. Finally it was my turn. My leader started running beside the horse. My stomach flipped flopped. It was fast paced, bumpy and scary, I stopped what a relief. I got back in line. Suddenly I heard the leader say I needed to stand up while trotting!
After I stood while trotting I quickly got off the horse. I started walking back to the campsite. My mom asked what I thought about it. It was awesome! Even thought it was two months ago I still remember trotting on a horse like it was yesterday.

Once it was clear that Grace wanted to spend more time with horses her Nana looked into riding lessons as a gift for Christmas and her birthday. She found a great farm in Versailles, Kentucky where Grace started taking lessons in January. http://www.bluewillowfarm.org/ It was immediately clear that she was a natural and that she loved it. Grace is transformed on a horse. The child that can not sit still through a meal is composed, focused, and driven.

Pictures from first lesson:

Grace now has a lesson once a week. She had her first show in April. She is riding English Saddleseat on an American Saddlebred and competes as part of a lesson program at academy horse shows. During her first show in April she competed in two classes and placed fourth and second. The other girls at the show had all shown at several competitions and had been taking lessons much longer than Grace so Grace did very well. We look forward to seeing how she does this coming fall where we hope she will experience a more level playing field.

Checking on Sofie before her first horse show

Easter Pictures

2008-05-28T21:52:00.001-04:00

Here they are finally - the girls with the ducklings.

Rachael's Pictures

2008-04-18T14:41:00.008-04:00

Below are the pictures of Rachael taken with her doll Clara (I mentioned the portrait session in an earlier blog entry.) Yes she is still only 4 in these pictures, hard to believe when you get to the last black and white close up. I am glad she wanted to take them with her doll as it helps make her look her age - at least in some of the pictures.

Sometimes we talk with the girls about what attributes they have that we appreciate. Grace and Hannah always say that one thing that makes Rachael special is she makes us laugh all the time. Sometimes she is trying to, but sometimes she isn't. Two recent small examples: 1. We got home the other night and Rachael wanted me to carry her from the van into the house. I asked her why she thought she needed to be carried. She said that her stomach hurt and her leg was about to hurt.

2. She is reading a series of books (yes she is reading to us at bedtime now) with a little girl that has brown hair. In the book we read last night Rachael noticed that the pictures of the little girl showed her hair as darker than the other books. She told me that the little girl dyed her hair. I asked Rachael why she thought the little girl dyed her hair, was she trying to be Chinese like Grace and Hannah? Rachael looked at me funny and said without hesitation - Mom she's not Chinese, she is French!

Spring Break

2008-04-08T11:14:00.018-04:00

Spring Break for the girls was March 31 – April 4. The busiest time of the year for my job runs from about February 1 – April 10. I can’t take a lot of time off during this period, so family vacations during Spring Break are out. The good news for the girls is they have Nana. She kept them all week and made sure they had a fun vacation. They ended up having a sleep over at Nana’s on three nights. She took them to their favorite store – Joseph Beth Booksellers and let them pick something out. She also took them to Dairy Queen one day for Blizzards. The visited the duck pond at the Lexington Cemetery (some what surprisingly one of the prettiest spots in town) on another day.

On Wednesday Nana took them to Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave, Kentucky. This is an Australian themed animal park which includes a natural onyx cave. They spent time in a bird aviary, petting kangaroos and wallabies, milking a cow, and exploring the Kentucky Caverns. From the pictures Nana and Grace took I think they had a great time.

Grace says the bird in the background puffed up really big when Nana was ready to take the picture. Vanity in birds?

I am sure this picture was taken for the bird but I like the sign. It reads "Please do not feed fingers to the birds."

What was amazing is after a long day traveling and visiting Kentucky Down under Nana fixed dinner that night for all of us to celebrate Craig’s birthday. The girls did help make the strawberry pie for dessert but we all know who did all the work. (The second number on the pie is a 2.)

On Friday Nana attended her DAR conference in the afternoon. Papa took the afternoon off of work and took the girls to lunch at a Lexington landmark – Joe Bologna’s (affectionately called Joe B’s by Lexingtonians.) The restaurant is in an old temple with the 41 stain glass windows still in place. Since Papa returned to work about 1 ½ years ago they don’t have the same time with him that they enjoyed during his “retirement.” They savored having time with him and I appreciate his taking time off during the busy budget season.

Easter

2008-04-07T14:56:00.009-04:00

This year Easter came early and so Eater bonnets were replaced by winter coats, rain and a small amount of snow flurries.

On Good Friday Grace and Hannah had school but Rachael did not and fortunately I had the day off of work. Craig had half a day off. Rachael had been asking to have her picture taken with her doll that she named Clara. I thought Good Friday was a great opportunity. She and I had a good morning together at home and then went out to the mall for a little shopping and photography session. She was amazingly patient and well behaved. She didn’t whine or cry once the entire day. Craig met us at Red Robin for lunch. Rachael had us to herself until we picked up the girls from school around 3:00. She was on a high for several days from having time alone with us. It was proof to me that she can be well behaved and as I suspected her sisters tend to egg her on (especially one long legged one.) I enjoyed our time alone. Craig and I work at giving each of the girls time alone with one of us but it is rare that they get the two of us with out their sisters.

Once we picked up Grace and Hannah from school we hit the road for Cincinnati. Uncle Dick came down from Dayton for Easter and Drew and Emily spent as much time as possible with us. We enjoyed Mom’s cooking all weekend and time together. The girls dyed eggs and made a mess of Mom and Dad’s house.

Despite the cold the girls suffered from cabin fever and insisted on being outside a lot. Hampa was a good sport and stayed out with them a lot. Saturday night Grace and Hannah had a sleep over at Uncle Drew and Emily’s house. They found out that the Easter Bunny hides eggs at Emily’s house. He doesn’t do that for the Kelly girls. Must be true what the book The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes says, there is more than one Easter Bunny. On Sunday we had the annual Easter egg hunt in the backyard of my parent’s next door neighbors. The girls look forward to this each year. Rachael ran out ahead of everyone so she could get the easy to find eggs. As always Grace patiently lagged behind allowing the younger girls the opportunity to find eggs first. Sometimes she finds the role of oldest sister a hard pill to swallow but most of the time it is clear that she was meant to be one.

Grace took this picture of Emily and Will. Will is wearing Emily's head band with bunny ears attached (it looks like he is really enjoying it doesn't it?!)

Ice Skating

2008-04-04T10:58:00.012-04:00

In March Grace and Hannah were invited to a birthday party at an ice skating rink. Neither had ever been ice skating, but they were excited to go. Of the two of us, Craig assured me that I was the better skater so I went knowing Grace and Hannah would need help. I hadn’t been ice skating since college so I was hoping it was like riding a bike – once you have learned you always know. When we arrived the father of the birthday girl, a great neighbor, took Grace out on the ice with his younger daughter. I told Hannah I needed to see if I could still skate so I took one lap by my self. Although I was a little rusty I felt I would be okay so brought Hannah out with me on the second lap. Both Grace and Hannah have strong legs and are athletic so they took to skating quickly. After about an hour we took a break for presents and cake and then returned to the ice. This time our neighbor took Hannah while I took Grace. I don’t know how he did it the entire time with two girls but I can’t thank him enough. I don’t think I could have done it.

Once Grace and I had gone around a couple of times I knew she could do it by herself, I just had to convince her of this. I eventually got her to let go (a nice way to say I forced her very strong grip off of my hand) and she did very well on her own. By the end I was tired but the girls were energized by learning something new and having fun. They are anxious to go back.

Photographers disclaimer: One of the weaknesses of my camera is inside lighting such as a concert or show and as it turns out ice skating rinks. In addition it doesn't handle action well. Add the fact that I was skating while holding hands with either Grace or Hannah when I was taking these pictures and you can see that these pictures are actually good given the circumstances.

Snow!!

2008-04-03T10:56:00.011-04:00

After 6 days of school being closed and 3 days of early dismissals due to inclement weather we finally got enough snow to play in – on a Saturday. We have had sleet, ice and some snow this winter but the true snow (about 5-6 inches) finally arrived on March 8. It was not packing snow, so not any snowmen but lots of fun for the girls.

Thankfully our back neighbors, the Rintamaas, have a hill big enough to satisfy the girls and they also have sleds they share. While the snow was still coming down the girls were out in it. They spent most of the day outside.

Hannah with Elisabeth

Our new couch was scheduled to be delivered on Saturday so Craig had to shovel the driveway – a couple of times. The good news was Craig got a new toy for Christmas that he hadn’t used yet – a power shovel. It was amazing how far that snow was blown out. I tried to take pictures and hopefully you can see the arch of snow. The couch did arrive and I love it. Of course it really makes the chairs look shabby.

Girl Scouts Around the World

2008-04-02T16:36:00.023-04:00

Every year on February 22 the Girl Scouts celebrate "Thinking Day."

This is a special day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their "sister" Girl Scouts. The Daisy, Brownie and Junior troops at Rosa Parks Elementary (Grace and Hannah’s school) got together and decided to have a special celebration this year. Because the 22nd fell on a Friday this year they held a lock-in at Girl Friends and Company. This is a local business, that as the name implies, is a place for girl centered activities including birthday parties, and overnights. The theme of the lock-in was Girl Scouts Around the World. Each troop selected a country and learned about Girl Scouts in that country. At troop meetings before the event the girls planned what they would say, what their “booth” would look like, what they wanted to wear, food samples they would share and made swaps for the upcoming event. Swaps are pins that the girls trade. For this event the swaps centered on the country the troop represented. For example one troop had Italy and did Shrinky Dinks of the Mona Lisa. For Mexico they had little straw sombreros, China had lanterns with dragons drawn on them.

Grace’s troop is a co-op troop which means that each Mom takes a turn running a meeting. Grace’s troop selected China as their country for Thinking Day so another mother and I put together the meeting to plan the China booth and then helped supervise the booth during the event. Hannah’s troop had Mexico. Palestine, Dubai, Italy, Canada, Africa and Egypt were also represented.

Grace and Katherine at the meeting to get ready for Thinking Day

Hannah and Kendall Representing Mexico

When the girls arrived at the event they were given a plane ticket and a passport. They were grouped so that there were only two girls from a troop together "on a plane". The high school girls hired to help with the event acted as flight attendants and helped guide the girls on their trip from one country to another. When they arrived at the country the girls represented they told the others on their plane about their country. They told about their country and Girl Scouts in that country – how were they different and how were they the same as scouts in the U.S.A. They also shared pictures and items from that country as well as food. Although our chicken pot stickers were popular the Italian Ice was probably the favorite. The girls did like our activity - trying to pick things up with chop sticks. They had rice, candy, animal crackers and ping pong balls to pick up.

Grace and Katherine with their Passports

I stayed the night and slept with Hannah’s troop – a wise move on my part. Her leader was strict about going to sleep and it worked. Other troops got little to no sleep. With all the Girl Scout events I have attended between Grace and Hannah my air mattress and sleeping bag is well used. I am looking forward to the day I can send them to one of these events and I stay home in my own bed. I sure hope Rachael is more independent at these things.

My camera battery died at the lock-in but I did get a few pictures of the China exhibit and of the girls in their outfits. They learned a lot and had a great time. Although it was a lot of work for a lot of people I liked that the lock-in wasn’t about cheerleading, make-up, the latest pre-teen sensation, the latest Disney movie or being a Diva.

China Booth by Brownie Troop 858
Some of the girls in Grace's troop

Grace's Passport

Some of the Swaps

Happy Birthday Grace and Gung Hei Fat Choy

2008-03-28T10:44:00.023-04:00

Grace turned 9 on February 10. I am handling 9 just fine but when she hits double digits I may be a mess. Where did my baby go?!?

We combined celebrations this year - Chinese New Year and Grace's birthday. Chinese New Year started on February 7th this year and it is the year of the rat. My sister Nicki was born in the year of the rat. I won't tell you how old she will be in May but she isn't 12 or 24. The Explorium (Lexington Children's Museum) held a celebration on February 9 and 10 which included performances by a group from the Heilongjiang College of Performing Arts in Harbin China. On Grace's birthday we attended the performance which included songs, dances and even a little magic. Following the show we spent some time in the exhibits.

Magic by Liyan Wang

This is Weilin Sun dancing Lonesome Red Flower.

Dancing Colorful Dawn at the Sky Mountain.

Hannah did not want her picture taken this day so we were lucky to get her in this shot. Although I do not have any other pictures of her at the Explorium I think she had fun, but maybe not as much fun as Rachael had.

For dinner we were joined by Craig's parents. I made the birthday cake and although I am no cake decorator Grace really liked her cake so that is all that matters (just in case you can't tell this is a horse - not a cow.)

One of Grace's favorite gifts was a digital camera. I found a used one on E-Bay in good shape and it takes good pictures. It also has a video feature allowing the user to take up to 45 seconds of video at a time. The girls all love this feature and have used it to make many videos of themselves. They have acted out Dan and Nicki's wedding, done a session with Nana on how to cook green beans and several silly videos. Grace hasn't yet learned that she can't be in the video and be the camera person. You end up with a video that makes the viewer sea sick! The wedding of "Dan" and "Nicki" can not be shown as it never is still but the vows are great - "Do you claim this woman?"

My favorite video so far is attached to this blog (I hope).

For those that can't see the video it shows Grace filming and all of a sudden you hear several loud thuds as the video looks to be falling down. After the sound you have a very dark view of what I presume is the floor and you hear me in the background saying, "Was that the camera?!" and Grace says, "No." Not often you catch your kids on video! Even better than the eyes in the back of my head that I have almost convinced Grace I have. After a few hours Grace came and showed me the video and apologized. Guilt has it's place.

Grace had a small birthday party at the house on February 16. It was after her actual birthday to accommodate my brother's custody arrangement and it allowed us to go to the Explorium event on the 10th. On February 13th I came down with the flu. It was awful but the good news is no one else in the family ever got sick. After about 40 hours I was sure it was the true flu and was able to get a prescription for Tamiflu. That medicine was worth the $79.23 it cost to buy it! By Saturday morning I was able to throw together a party. It ended up being very low key but fun.

Aunt Nicki and Cousin Anna

2008-02-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

My sister Nicki and my two year old niece Anna flew into Cincinnati for a long weekend visit on February 1.

We drove up to spend Saturday and Sunday with them. It was nice to have most of my side of the family together (we did miss my brother-in-law Dan.) The last time we saw Anna was in June 2007. Her hair is much longer, her vocabulary larger, she has picked up speed and her personality has developed. She is a smart firecracker. She is petite but only in stature. She clearly knows what she wants and what she doesn’t and is good at vocalizing it. When I asked her if she would do something (like give me a hug) she said “No” strongly and clearly. Dress-up and playdoh were a big hit. Rachael liked having someone younger to play with. She tried to boss Anna around but that didn't last long, Anna wouldn't have anything to do with it. Grace loved being motherly.

Nicki is a great mother – so calm. When Anna got hurt she handled it so well. To my great regret we never got all the cousins together in one picture but I did get several cute photos – mostly “action shots.” Anna is not happy about taking pictures (every one of my kids was the same way at two) so it was a bit of a challenge to even get her into a staged photo. Fortunately my three have gotten better at this so as they sit still with smiles plastered on their faces we kept trying to get Anna into the picture. It was very comical. We regretted leaving Sunday night but knew Rosa Parks Elementary, Southern Hills Montessori, The Jockey Club and the KY Economic Development Cabinet expected to see us bright and early Monday morning.

Ted E. Bear and the University of Kentucky Women’s Basketball

2008-02-07T20:09:00.002-05:00

On January 25 Hannah came home from school with a small suitcase full of doll sized clothes and a journal as well as a stuffed bear named Ted E. Bear.

Hannah informed us that this was the class bear and everyone took turns taking Teddy home. During the time he was home, the child was instructed to write about what Teddy did in his journal. We didn’t want Teddy to be bored so we planned a fun weekend for him.

On Saturday we took Teddy to Hannah’s in-door soccer game on Saturday. She is in a league with teams comprised of all boys. This was the first game against a boy’s team and it wasn’t pretty. To Hannah’s credit she did not let the boy’s intimidate her and even when the rest of her team gave up and stopped trying Hannah put forth 100% effort and hustled until the last second of the game. Teddy had a good seat at the game and chose to wear and ensemble that included a Mickey Mouse baseball hat.

On January 27^th the University of Kentucky Women’s Basketball team played LSU at Rupp Arena. They had tickets for $1 each so we thought it was a great opportunity to take the girls and entertain our guest. In fact due to age Rachael and Teddy were free! We also let Grace invite her friend Shelby. Although the game was hard to watch as a UK fan, it was a fun outing. (Final score LSU 72 UK 46.) The highlight of the game was the opening introduction of the payers. We were surprised to have indoor fireworks! The couple sitting next to me at the game found the addition of Teddy amusing and they made every attempt to get Teddy on camera. Unfortunately they were not successful. I think Teddy is a little camera shy so he was fine not to be seen on the big screen. Overall I think the class bear had a good weekend with the Kelly family.

The below pictures were taken by my camera phone. Not the best but not bad.

Christmas 2007 Review

2008-02-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Craig and I took vacation time in addition to our holidays so we had an extended break to spend with family. We split our time between Lexington and Cincinnati. For Christmas Eve the girls put on a holiday performance which included piano performances and a reenactment of the birth of Jesus. They worked hard for several weeks prior to the event without Craig or me ever knowing. Nana helped them make scenery, plan costumes, practice and even make programs. They were adorable.

Some of the the best gifts we received were made by my dad. For Craig and I he made a beautiful side table. I am thrilled to finally have a piece of his work! For the girls he made shadow boxes for a shell they found while on our beach vacation in June. He also made stilts for each of the girls. Mom painted them, making each unique. The girls love their stilts and spend a lot of time using them.