Pining Away

Anna left this morning for camp. I am one big mess! She's never even gone to a sleepover before--and now she's out of my reach for a whole week. I'm trying not to think about the lightning in the forecast or the bear incidents I've heard about. It's not working! I can't wait until she's back in one piece, showing us her pictures, and laughing about what a nervous mom I am!

TV Star

Anna was awarded a trophy, a book series of her own choice and....she got to be on TV because she just finished reading 100 Newbery books--a school record. It was VERY exciting, and we are very proud of her. Way to go Anna!

Happy Mother's Day from Alex

We've been working with Alex to develop his hearing and speech--even at this young age! We are so VERY excited that he is now babbling consonants and vowels--and MA MA MA couldn't have come on a more perfect weekend! Thanks to Alex and Anna for making the video!

Spring, Spring, Where Did You Go?

Maybe Vivaldi's Spring can help us.
This snow and cold just can't be true! Here's a picture from last week...

Off with her hair!

She did it! Anna bravely donated 10 very beautiful inches of hair to Locks of Love. I am very proud of her. I think this new cut is so cute on her. I told her that I think she should keep it this length, but she is still mourning the loss of being able to wear a ponytail.

Spelling Bee

Way to go Anna! Those words were stinkin' hard! She got 2nd place at the school spelling bee. I tried to act like I wasn't nervous, but I really was. She worked hard and she maintained her cool--even on gestalt.

Disneyland!

We made it to Disneyland! It was fun and exhausting. Our family's favorite ride was Soaring over California--very cool. I was hanging onto my seat with white knuckles. The kids couldn't believe it when they saw Bert and Mary Poppins walking down Main Street. The part that I'll always remember is getting the phone call from my friend--just as we were about to enter Mickey's Clubhouse--that the firetrucks were at our house and all of the smoke detectors were going off. That started the adrenaline pumping! It turned out fine--a dirty smoke alarm had set off the whole system. I was relieved that we had all made our beds before we left the trip since firemen went through the whole house. The miracle of it all was that I just happened to turn on my cell phone--which I usually leave off--the very moment that the firemen were about to break a window. Yes, we would have loved to have them get in the house any way they could in an emergency, but as it happened, I 'm thrilled I don't have to go window shopping right now. Here are some pics of our Disneyland trip and visit with Aunt Andrea and my cousin Phillip and wife Allison.