First Cross Country Race

Today was Johnny's first cross country race!! It was a sight to see, over 100 boys and then 50 or so girls ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade all running at the same time. We got to the park about an hour before the race because we had to sign in, and the kids needed to warm up. When we got there Johnny was very excited because their St. Charles tee shirts had come in so he got to wear his new shirt for the race. After the kids warmed up they all hung around until the races started. First the boys were called down and then there was a swarm of little boys running down a hill. They had to sit down to get instructions and then they were all lined up. The gun went off....and there they went. Johnny did really well for it being his first race. He took off running but after a while we could see him walking a little bit. They ran a 0.6 mile course (which there is no way I could run by the way) and you could tell he was very tired at the end, when he came around the last turn he saw some of the girls from St. Charles and what did he do....but sit down on the ground with them!! We were all yelling that he had to get up and finish and he did!! I was very proud that he did not give up. All of the kids got ribbons and then they had a drawing for some prizes and amazingly enough Johnny's name was drawn!! He picked a ball, no surprise there. Allie was amazed by the entire thing, she was not too sure what in the world was going on.

Here she is very interested in the camera case...I could not get her to look at me but she looked really cute with her little pig-tails!

Here is Johnny in his shirt before the race......doesn't he look cute;)

Here is the mass of little boys at the starting line...

Here they are all running.....Johnny is right in the middle of the picture

First Week of School - Done!

Well the first week of school is now complete. Johnny did so well this week. He loves his new school and his teacher. He seems to be adjusting very well to kindergarten, even the change in schedule doesn't seem to phase him. He was used to having a morning snack and in kindergarten there is no morning snack. At the start of the week I tried to get him to eat a bigger breakfast to help get him through the day but he was not interested. Yesterday morning I finally convinced him that he needed to eat a better breakfast including some form of protein....it seems to have really helped him to keep his energy up throughout the morning. Yesterday he said that the class got to meet "Science Cat." He then proclaimed that it was not a real cat but only a puppet. It was too cute!! Today the principal came into their room and read a story to the class and all of the kids brought in fruit for her; Johnny brought an apple. He sits with a little boy from his class on the bus. He loves riding the bus and practically runs down the driveway to get on in the morning; no fear or hesitation at all. He even loves his uniform much to my surprise. While I still can't believe that my baby boy is old enough to be in kindergarten I am very happy that he is doing so well.

First Day of School!

Well today was Johnny's first day of Kindergarten!! Boy how time flies - just seems like yesterday he was born and now he is starting school. He was very excited this morning and could not wait to get going. Last night he seemed to be getting a little nervous but not today. He bounded out of bed around 6 and was ready to go!! All morning he kept saying, "When Tigger and Pooh is over then I need to go outside and wait for the bus." It was so cute. John was home today so that we could all be there and we waited outside together. When the bus pulled up Johnny was so excited he just marched right down the driveway and onto the bus!! He sat down and then waved to us from his seat. I was not sure what to expect but he did so well. He did not show any fear at all. I on the other hand was a mess once the bus pulled away. I am happy that he has the self confidence to go his own way but at the same time it is hard to believe that my baby boy is in school!! I can't wait to hear about his first day this afternoon when he gets home!

Dressed and posing for the camera.

Outside waiting for the bus


Here he is marching right to the bus

Getting on the bus...what a big boy!

Hard to see but he is in the first window, waving away!!

Another trip to the ER!!!

OK so here we are 6 days from when Allie had to go to the ER and I was back there again!! Not for her this time but instead for her big brother!!! I was upstairs laying down while Allie was taking a nap and I heard John screaming for me to come downstairs. I come running down the steps and Johnny is laying on the couch making almost animal like sounds. John told me that he slipped and fell down the steps. Johnny said that his back really hurt....we called 911 because he was obviously in a tremendous amount of pain. The police and the firetruck got there at the same time. They looked at his back and there was no bruise and no evidence of anything broken. They put some ice on and then Johnny tried to walk...his legs basically crumpled because of the pain. By this point we had cancelled the ambulance because he had said the ice helped. One of the fireman carried him out to the car so that I could drive him to the ER. After a ton of x-rays he is fine....just some sore muscles.

On a much lighter note yesterday was the meet-n-greet at his school. We got to drop off his supplies and he was able to walk throughout the school and meet of the the "special" teachers for gym, music, computer, art, and the library. He loves his room, which is decorated in a pirate theme this year, and can't wait to start on Monday!! The big questions is if John and I are ready for him to start.

Back from the ER!

Well Allie and I are back from the Emergency Room, yes I said the ER!! She started to run a low grade fever on Wednesday evening and really hasn't been herself for the last few days. She has not wanted to really eat anything which is definitely not normal behavior for her. She spent the day Friday only wanting to be held which is also not typical for such an active little toddler. Today she was not herself; she has had her entire fist in her mouth, or anything else she can get in it for that matter, all day. I had assumed that she was getting some molars. She woke up from her nap and was absolutely beside herself!! I gave her Tylenol and teething tablets in attempt to help her; neither one worked. After about an hour or so of completely inconsolable crying I called the doctor. He told me to bring her in the ER. Of course when I got there she had stopped crying. When the doctor looked at her she noticed some tiny blisters on the back of her throat...aka Hand Foot and Mouth Disease!! On top of some new teeth coming in of course!! She was given a Popsicle which seemed to help and we were sent home. Johnny is petrified that he will get sick so he will not go anywhere near his sister and simply puts his hands up and says...don't touch me and I am not touching you!! It is rather comical.

Oh yeah...did I mention that John is still in Thailand? I tried to call him but all of the international circuits were busy so I had to resort to sending him text messages in an attempt to wake him up and let him know what was going on at home. He finally called home and was shocked to hear about everything that has transpired.

Get Ready to Wiggle!!!

Well I knew this day would come.....we have started watching The Wiggles again!!!!! Johnny of course was a huge fan but it has been quite some time since he has watched them. It appears that his sister has developed the same affinity for the wiggling foursome. I am home with just Allie today because she is a little under the weather so I decided to pop in one of their DVD's and as you can see below she was fascinated!! She was so cute dancing to the music, I can't forget watching her big brother doing the same exact thing!! She is currently standing in front of the TV trying to "sing" along with them. Oh well....we managed to survive them once I am sure we can do it again. I am at least taking comfort in the fact that it is not Barney......

Splish Splash

The last few days we have actually had weather warm enough for Johnny to play outside in the water. He had a ton of fun playing with his new water toys. There were actually three animals that all hook together and spray water. He thought it was great fun as you can see!! Allie however, was not too sure about it and screamed the second she was put anywhere near the water. Instead she had a great time walking around the porch looking cute in her bathing suit. The water fun started Sunday afternoon and continued today. Johnny actually got to go out twice today to play in the water. As warm as it has been I did not think to put sunscreen on him, because he typically does not burn in the sun. WRONG decision Mom!! Today when I went to get him in the shower I noticed that his back was all red. Poor kid....got his first sunburn and it was all Mom's fault. He is lucky that he has his father's Italian skin and tomorrow instead of being red it will be a great tan. All in all we have had a wonderful few days!!

Oh and the countdown to kindergarten has begun....2 weeks from today and his first day will be over.....

You're not actually going to put me anywhere near that water are you Mommy?

You DID!!! I told you I did NOT want to get near the water!!

What a Day!!!

John left today for his trip to Thailand and the original plan was for him to spend the morning with Johnny and I. We were going to go to breakfast and then have some fun together....notice that I used past tense. Last night while he was packing his work computer broke!! The screen stopped working first and then the touchpad died as well. Needless to say there was a change of plans. Instead of our nice relaxing morning together we dropped Allie off and school and had a quick breakfast. Johnny and I then drove John into Cleveland and dropped him off at his office. He was thankfully able to get a different computer set up for him to bring Asia. Johnny and I then drove from Cleveland to Akron to get him new shoes for kindergarten!! After that we went to lunch at PF Changs and then met Sheila at the mall. We then drove back home. After dinner we went to Barnes and Noble with John and Kathy where Johnny got a brownie. When I took the kids to the children's area Allie walked right over to the book shelves and started pulling down books.....we left!! After all of the craziness from today I am putting the kids down and going to bed!!!!!!!

Niagara Falls

We had a very busy weekend packed with loads of fun. Saturday John and I went to a wedding and had a wonderful time. It was nice to have a night out without the kids. Sunday morning we got up early and headed out to Niagara Falls along with John and Kathy. We spent one night there and had a fantastic time. Sunday we walked down to Horseshoe Falls and back....we had all forgotten what a long walk it is. After that we went to dinner at Rainforest Cafe. Allie loved it there. She danced through the entire dinner and laughed every time it "rained." Monday we went on Maid of the Mist during which Allie slept! Yes I said slept despite all of the mist blowing in her face. She did not enjoy the poncho and I think she decided to sleep to escape it. Johnny had a blast on the boat and wanted to do it again. After the boat ride we walked up Clifton Hill and got fudge....YUM!! John and Kathy then went back and we headed to lunch. We ate at the Fallsview Restaurant in the Sheraton overlooking the falls. It was a fantastic buffet with a beautiful view!! We walked through the garden and let the kids run around to expel some energy. After that we drove up to the whirlpool. After stopping at the whirlpool we drove up to the floral clock and then headed home. Allie was passed out in the car and shortly thereafter I was the only one awake. All in all we had a wonderful time!!

Getting ready for Kindergarten!

As hard as it is to imagine Johnny has less than 4 weeks before he starts kindergarten. Oh my goodness, where in the world has time gone? Last week we picked out his backpack (or book pack as he calls it) and lunch box for school. It should not come as a surprise that Star Wars was the winner. He is very excited to begin to use his new stuff for school. So excited in fact that today he was practicing. Below are some pictures from his practice run.

Check out the Clone Troopers on that bag!

It may be hard to make out but the lunch box has Anakin and Master Yoda along with some more Clone Troopers.

Finally, here he is practicing with the thermos that came with his lunch box.

As you can see from these pictures Johnny is more than ready to start school. Now Mommy just has to get ready!!!

First Trip to the Park

Today Allie had her first trip to the park. She was not too sure about the adventure but eventually seemed to have fun. We started in the toddler section so that she could swing and walk around. After she was done with that we moved to the "big kids" portion of the park. Johnny had a ball there running all over the place. He also managed to go down the fireman pole, as he called it, for the first time and all by himself!! I almost had a heart attack the first time he went down but by the end of our afternoon he was an old pro sliding down so fast that I did not have a chance to get a picture. All in all we had a wonderful summer afternoon!

Here she is starting on the swing...still a little unsure.

After a few minutes she enjoyed it. The swings at the park are different than the one we have at home so I think that was what confused her initially.

She typically does NOT like to walk in the grass but the mulch did not appear to bother her.

Here is Johnny going down the pole....I can't believe how big he is getting!!

Fun with the Camera

Last year for Christmas Johnny received his first digital camera. He loves taking pictures with it and takes pictures of just about everything. The last few months the camera has been put away and he has spent his time playing with all of his Star Wars toys. This weekend the camera was taken back out and the picture taking has resumed!! This morning he decided to take a picture of his sister's rear end while she was standing by the TV. So far this morning he has taken pictures of everything from the lamp to the TV to Allie waving her arms around. I think we may have a budding photographer on our hands.

The Birds!!!

Ok so today I was sitting in the family room with my mother-in-law before I had to leave to pick up the kids from daycare. We were in the middle of a conversation and I began to hear what sounded like a flock of birds coming down the chimney!! I stopped mid sentence because I was just not sure what in the world I was hearing. We were quiet for a minute and then we both heard it again....the birds!! My father-in-law came in and we told him that there were birds in the chimney. He went over to the fireplace and almost opened the fireplace doors!! We both told him not to because neither one of us wanted to have a bird come flying into the family room. He double checked the flue to ensure it was closed yet the bird sound simply got louder! I thought for sure a bird was going to come flying out. Thankfully it did not, however, we are still hearing our feathered friends! I just hope that Johnny does not hear the birds. If he does I fear that he will want to open the doors to play with them. Needless to say I think we will need to have someone come out to look at the chimney before we start an aviary in the family room!!