Welcome Back, Daddy!

Based soley on the shape of these lollipops that he brought home from his business trip, can you guess where Chris spent the last 4 days??

That's right - Las Vegas! We girls missed him very much and are very glad he's home now. I think he's glad to be back, too... or at least he will be once the jet lag wears off!

Soccer Season Ends

Jordi's last game of her first soccer season was this past Saturday. Although there were a couple times over the course of the six week period that she wasn't interested in going, I think it was a good experience for her overall. Her coach was unfailingly enthusiastic and did an excellent job of including all the kids (whether they wanted to or not!) during the practices & games. He and his wife were very friendly, even bringing snacks & juice for the kids to every game, and we're glad Jordi was assigned to his team!

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - that's Caroline out there playing on the Orange team! They were down one at the start the game, so we offered her services if they had an extra t-shirt she could wear. Luckily for Caroline - they did!

She had a lot of fun in her first game. She didn't get to the ball, but she did run hard, grinning all the while, I might add! (Unfortunately, the ref noticed her lack of shin guards during the second quarter, so she had to sit out the rest of the game. But Coach let her keep the t-shirt anyway!)

After the game ended, Coach Joe made a special presentation of an engraved gold medal to each of his players. As Jordi has a well-known affinity for "golden" medals (as she calls them), this was a big deal to her!

Here's Jordi & Coach Joe - Thanks again for a great season!

Pretty as a Picture

An eagerly awaited event (for me, anyway!) on the ballet school calendar each year is Picture Day. Of course, everyone's tried on her costume already, but this is the first glimpse of each dancer in her full recital glory: costume, hair, & make-up. Then, when they're all together like that - well, you just can't imagine how cute it is to see class after class of pre-schoolers, all dolled up, patiently waiting their turn to be photographed!

Here's Jordi (far right), with about half of her class "on deck," as it were, for the photographer. Aren't they too much? And besides these adorable bunnies, the waiting area was also filled with other classes dressed as butterflies, buttercups, & bumblebees - each outfit cuter than the next! I can't wait to see Jordi's picture; I'll be sure to post it when we get it in a few weeks!

Also, I'd like to mention that being able to witness those dozens of little costumed ballerinas gathered together like that made quite an impression on me - it's a memory that's sure to make me smile for a long while!

Backyardigans - LIVE!

Last night, we had an extra-special treat. We went to the Paramount Arts Center to watch the the girls' favorite cartoon characters, the Backyardigans, live and on stage in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights."

Look what excellent seats we had! Second row! Good job, Dad!

I took this picture before the show started. Jordi is dressed as Uniqua in an outfit made by Grandma Henri. Don't the headband and face-painting just put the whole thing over the top? She was thrilled with how she looked! (and, in fact, cried when I washed her spots off later that night before bed!)

Grandma made Caroline an outfit, too. She's always had an affinity for Pablo, so Grandma rose to the challenge - even making a homemade beanie! Way to go, Grandma!

Although it was slightly strange to see these familiar cartoon characters with human faces, overall the performers did a good job maintaining the spirit of their animated counterparts. The music & singing was very good, and they built in lots of audience participation, too, to help hold the kids' attention. All in all, a fun-filled family evening!

Mother's Day Weekend

We hadn't been to Lexington in quite awhile, so we decided to remedy that this past weekend.

One of our top priorities whenever we visit Lexington is to get Caroline a haircut. So, first thing Saturday morning, we headed down to Kiddie Kutters for another fantastically cute hair-do! Thanks again, Keneisha; you never let us down!

Another Lexington priority: visiting the Halls! Here's Caroline and Tyler, enjoying crudites & ranch dressing. As luck would have it, the way things worked out this time, we were able to spend time with our favorite family on all three days - bonus!

On Sunday, we met up with our old friends the Halls and our new friends the Griers at Max & Erma's for Mother's Day lunch. Not only is it where Chris & I met, but it also has a ice cream bar in a bathtub for the kids! And seeing as how there were a eight children in our party of 14, this was very important!

Finally, fun time was over & it was time to head back to Ashland. Here's Jordi & Caroline, enjoying a moment of sisterly love on the ride home!

As you may surmise from the fact that Chris & I are featured in this photo, Jordi took this picture. We were wrapping up our wonderful weekend with a piece of delicious chocolate cream pie from our favorite Lexington pie shop, and Jordi was moved (as she often is!) to capture the moment. We thought you'd like to see things from her perspective!

All in all, it was a wonderful family weekend, full of friends & fun!

Sleeping Sisters

I know we've taken pictures like this before, but I can't remember if we've ever blogged one:

There's just something so irresistibly sweet about seeing them sleep together so peacefully. Notice, too, how Caroline has her arm around Jordi - just precious! (p.s. Thanks, Nana, for the matching pj's!)

Midway through Soccer Season

Jordi's first soccer season is about halfway over, and it seems to be going just fine. They have their games on Saturday afternoons and practices on Monday evenings. She does a good job of listening to Coach Joe and trying to keep up with Trevor, who happens to be on our team but has easily been the fastest runner (not to mention best player!) on any team yet!

Of course, every member of the team gets a chance to play, so sometimes you have to wait your turn to go back in. During the game last weekend, I passed the time with Jordi by taking her picture!

Here's the team at halftime. They've got something to sit on so they can rest all together. Jordi's eating a granola bar because the game didn't start until after 5 pm, and her hunger was distracting her from wanting to stay on the field with her team!

Anyway, if you find yourself at Central Park in Ashland around five o'clock on any of the next 3 Saturdays, please feel free to come join us. You'll need to bring your own chair to the Central Ave side near 20th Street, and you can't miss those orange jerseys! Hope to see you there!