Fun with Fingerpaints!

So today as I was helping out at school, still working on paperwork for the Race for Education, Ms. Gina came and asked me if I had my camera. Of course I did, and she told me that Kylie & her classmates were fingerpainting in the cafeteria! So I immediately grabbed my camera and ran into the larger cafeteria to grab some shots!

I took one before Kylie knew I was there, but as soon as the flash went off, her head picked up and I heard "Mommy!" I took a few more of her & her orange hands! She was so excited and loved painting her pumpkin! After a quick kiss, she went to the bathroom with Ms. Fran to wash her hands and go back to class. I was so grateful to Ms. Gina for letting me know what she was doing so I could capture the memory!

Here's Kylie fingerpainting her pumpkin:

Working so intently...

Kylie & her orange hands & orange masterpiece.

Kylie's Pre-K trip to Green Meadows Farm

In keeping with the unit they are learning, Kylie's Pre-K class went on a class trip today to Green Meadows Farm in Jessup, MD. It was a very fun farm! The kids did everything from milk a cow to pet a baby pig! They had different stations set up for the kids to go to and at the end they got to pick out their pumpkin! We were able to go off on our own to explore the farm, eat lunch, & pick our pumpkins. Kylie loved every minute of it, but after awhile was worn out and actually fell asleep on the bus on the way home! Kylie said that her favorite parts were "picking pumpkins" & "touching the animals". It was alot of fun for all the kids!

Getting on the buses.

Kylie sitting with her friends on the bus.

Mr. Rand, the school principal, talking to the kids & getting ready to say a prayer before heading off to the farm.

Kylie helping to milk Elsie the cow. She did a great job!

Talking to Elsie...

Kylie petting a calf. She LOVED the baby cows!

Kylie & her friend, Cecily, waiting for the show to begin.

A picture Kylie took of the farm show before it began.

The piggy race! Each group got to cheer for a different pig in the race. We cheered for "Captain America", however, "Blue Butt" was the winner!

Kylie checking out the other pigs after the race/show.

Kylie & Cecily watching the piggies.

Saying "Hi" to Ziggy the Zebra.

Chatting with Lola the Brown Swiss Heffer.

Kylie trying not to scare the chickens...

Saying "Hi" to the geese...she wanted to chase them SO bad, but did a great job restraining herself :)

Kylie dancing to the farmer playing "Old McDonald" on the banjo.

Kylie picking out the perfect pumpkin.

Posing with her new pumpkin.

Kylie the Horse at Green Meadows Farm.

Once we got home & Jillian was down for an afternoon nap, Kylie & I got out the pumpkin decorations that Grandma & Grandpa bought for them and decorated the new pumpkins! They turned out SO cute! Once they were decorated we put them out on the front porch next to the beautiful mums that Dziadzi bought a few days ago. It make our front porch look fantastic and ready for Halloween!

The newly decorated pumpkins...too funny!!

Our front porch Halloween/Fall display - the decorated pumpkins definitely add something special to it!

While Kylie & I were at the pumpkin farm, Daddy & Jillian went to play at Storyville and hung out at home before coming to pick us up at school. It was such a great day!! Tomorrow the girls and I are headed out to buy their costumes... stay tuned for Halloween pics!

Sisters at Play

The weather has been getting cooler & cooler lately, but still nice enough to get outside and enjoy it! So, today after Daddy got home from work, we grabbed the girls bikes and headed down to the park. They were so excited! Jillian cried for part of the walk down to the park because once she saw her bike she wanted to ride it THEN! When Craig took it to carry it to the park, she threw herself on the floor and cried. Once we started walking though, she calmed down.


Once we were at the park, the girls let loose and had a great time! Jillian was so cute because she was concentrating SO hard on trying to pedal and move her bike by herself. She made it down a little hill all on her own, but doing it "Flintstones" style by using her feet on the ground. She still made it! There was a small concrete section next to the swing sets that the girls rode their bikes on. Jillian even tried to steal a bit of time on Kylie's "motor scooter", as Kylie calls it... Kylie loved swinging on the swings with Daddy and even tried to push him a few times while he had his turn on the swings! It was a great afternoon for all of us!

Jillian concentrating REALLY hard on getting down the hill.

Girls playing with their bikes...actually each other's...

Kylie giving Jillian a little push.

Daddy pushing Kylie on the swings.

Sisters at play on a beautiful October afternoon!

The Debut of the "Anna Suzanne" at the 2008 Annapolis Boat Show

As many of you know, Craig's Dad, John was having a boat built in Edgewater, MD. Once a month, we have had the pleasure of getting to see both John & Suzanne while they were in town checking out the progress of the boat. Well, it is officially finished and was debuted at the 2008 Annapolis Boat Show by Mast & Mallet Boatworks!

Craig, Mom-Mom, the girls and I went down to Annapolis after Mass this morning to check out the boat show and see the newly completed, Anna Suzanne! (Named after Craig's sister & Mom) There were a ton of boats in many different sizes from the very small to the VERY big! Craig pointed out a few that he wouldn't mind buying & possibly living on whenever we become multimillionaires! :) We followed Joe, the owner of Mast & Mallet, down the docks to the Anna Suzanne. She is quite a beautiful boat! We have seen it various times during the time it was built and it was amazing to see the finished product! Kylie loved it! She climbed into the cabin area and even sat at the helm and pretended to drive the boat. I know she can't wait to ride on it for real! Craig is even more excited because he gets to drive it, along with his Dad, down to Charleston, SC in a few weeks. I know they will both be in heaven! Here are some of the pics we took of the "Anna Suzanne".

The 2008 Annapolis Boat Show - just a few of the boats on display.

The left side of the boat.

The right side of the boat.

The name painted on the back.

Daddy & the girls checking things out in the galley.

Kylie hanging out in the cabin.

Look at me, Grandpa!!

The Helm

As I said before, there were many large, luxury yachts on display as well. Many of them you could only tour if you were with a broker & you had to take off your shoes in order to tour them. Craig and I did tour a really nice house boat. It was super cute and I told Craig that I could definitely see us retiring on one of those!! Here are a few boats that made our mouths drop open!

I don't even want to think about how much this one costs!

This one will probably only set you back about $2 or $2.5 million - get out your checkbooks!

The girls were troopers, but started to meltdown quickly after we toured Grandpa's boat, as it is affectionately known. This picture is evidence of that...

Jillian sound asleep in the Ergo - also displaying a campaign sticker we got when we got off the shuttle bus.

A great day and a great pleasure to see the finished "Anna Suzanne"! We can't wait to take a ride out in the Florida waters and see her moored at the dock behind Grandma & Grandpa's house!

Kylie's Swim Lessons

A few weeks ago, Kylie started her swim classes with Rosedale Rec. & Parks. The classes are held through the American Red Cross and it takes place every Saturday for 10 weeks. She is in the Preschool Class & Daddy gets to participate in the class with her to help her learn her techniques. She was SO excited to start her classes! She wanted to start the weekend we signed her up, but had a hard time understanding that the class didn't start yet!

I have been trying desperately to take pictures and post them on here, but my previous attempts failed. The first time the pictures were all blurry & the video wouldn't upload. The second time I forgot the memory card for the camera. Finally, today I had the memory card and I sat poolside instead of in the bleachers, so I could get some good shots of Kylie & Daddy in the pool! She is doing SO well! This isn't her first swim class, but it's the first where she is actually learning techniques to actually swim on her own. Craig does fantastic working with her in the water and practicing each technique. Her teacher's name is Ms. Cheryl and Kylie loves her! Ms. Cheryl often uses Kylie to demonstrate different moves to the other children, I think because Kylie is one of the few kids who doesn't cry during class... She's learning how to use her arms to propel forward, kick her legs under the water, blowing bubbles to breath while swimming, use a kickboard, & go right for the wall after jumping in the water. Each class she gets better & better & with practice, she will hopefully move up to an independent swim class next time! We are so proud of her!

Kylie kicking her feet to get to the wall.

Learning how to keep her legs & arms stretched out.

Kylie hanging onto the side of the pool, taking a break.

Kylie's whole class in a circle listening to Ms. Cheryl.

Kylie, with Ms. Cheryl's help, using the kickboard and blowing bubbles to swim to the wall.

A small video of Kylie practicing jumping off of Daddy and kicking to the wall.

She is doing so good and she LOVES going to swim class each week! Jillian is usually on my back in the Ergo, but is constantly stretching to see what Kylie's doing. I know she is anxious for her turn in swim class! Maybe the next session we'll have both girls in the water! Keep checking back for progress updates on how Kylie is doing in class!!

Race for Education

Today Kylie & her Pre-K class along with the Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grades participated in the "Race for Education", which is a fundraiser for the school. Kylie had to get money from sponsors which will go towards items needed for her class & the school as a whole. (Thank you to ALL that sent in donations! Your generosity is greatly appreciated!) The race was from 9:30 - 10:30am, so we headed to school a bit early so Kylie could walk in the "race". I helped out too by punching the kids' cards each time they came around for a lap. They all had a great time!

Kylie sitting with her Pre-K class before heading out for the race.

Kylie smiling for the camera - she was so excited!

All the kids comparing their tags - they each had one that had a blue sticker to designate them as being the Pre-K. They each kept saying "I've got Blue too!" It was funny!

Lining up to begin the race!

The Pre-K classes "racing" around the school yard. It was called a race, but it was actually a walk-a-thon and the Pre-K did a great job!!

Kylie getting her card punched - another lap down! She did 9 total - not bad for being 4 years old!

Kylie and other children from her class picking up a bit of speed...

Kylie walking with Mrs. Gina, her teacher. She LOVES Mrs. Gina and insisted on holding her hand for a few laps!

Getting a drink of water! They were all hot & tired!

Kylie showing off her punched card! Her face is blocked, but she was really proud of what she did!

Kylie & Aunt Linda - she came down after she was done teaching to watch Kylie walk!

Kylie & her classmates had a great time walking, but when they were done, their faces were all red and they were sweaty & tired! I'm sure they will all sleep well tonight! We had to leave and then come back for Kylie's regular classtime which is 11:45 and when we left the house again Kylie said "But Mommy, school is over!" She was happy to go back though! She loves school, especially her class & Mrs. Gina! It was a fun day and for a really good cause - EDUCATION!