So much to tell

So much has been going on since I last posted. We have been fortunate to have two sets of visitors, my parents and then the Hordesky family. Brenna had her recital, we celebrated Father's Day and Todd's birthday, and Andrew finished T-ball too. Even though the weather has not been great, we have been able to squeeze some outdoor activities.

Brenna's recital was on June 20. We were fortunate this year as my parents were able to schedule their visit around this big event. The show was wonderful. She did such a great job, and it was very apparent how hard she had worked over the past year. We were not allowed to take pictures during the show, but here is one of her with Oma & Pop Pop after the show (in her tap costume). (Andrew was clearly not in the mood to have his picture taken!)

Afterwards, we went out for lunch. Brenna picked one of her favorite local spots, the Cabby Shack. The weather was not warm (Ok, we were thrilled that it was just not raining!) and we ate outside on the deck. We were pleasantly surprised that the meal was better than ones that we had in the past! Brenna loved being seen in her costume, especially the glasses! And when we were done, my Dad was a good sport and posed for a picture....




The next day was Father's Day and Todd's birthday. It was so nice to have my Dad with us on Father's Day.

Todd's one request for his birthday was breakfast at Persy's Place. He loves their breakfast. After church, we headed over there and stuffed our bellies! We were all quite content. We contined the celebrations later that day at our house, where we were joined by the Parma's for a cookout. Even though it was his birthday and Father's Day, Todd wanted to cook. My only job in the kitchen was to make the birthday cake, which I did willingly!



Mom and Dad were here for almost a week and the weather did not really cooperate. Brenna really wanted to go to Plymouth Plantation with them (as we have never been) but since we did not have a day of clear skies, we opted for activities mostly inside. On the last day, we headed down to the Pilgrim Museum (also a 1st for us) and learned a bit more about Plymouth. They had this great treasure hunt for the kids which required them to walk through the museum, find certain things, and answer questions. Brenna had a lot of fun doing it.



Of course, the sun poked out for a bit on the day that Mom and Dad left. It was, however, only a short visit, as it began to rain again the very next day when the Hordesky's were headed north. They had started their journey a few days earlier in Maryland, headed to Pennsylvania to pick up Jean & Mike, made a few stops in New York, and landed in Plymouth (in the rain) on Friday the 26th. The kids were beside themselves with excitement during the day as they waited for their arrival.

As soon as they walked in the door, the kids headed off to play. I do not think that we heard from them for at least 2 hours. They were just so happy to be together! The first night here the girls decided to wear their matching nightgowns that we had gotten them 2 years ago for their last night together before our move.



and this is what they looked like almost 2 years ago....




We lucked out with our weather on Saturday and were able to head to the beach. Jean and Mike brought the kids some goodies (thank you!) including matching bathing suits for the girls, which they had to wear right away! The kids had a blast in the water and the adults had a lot of time to chat. As you can see, the kids were not at all phased by the fact that the water was not quite warm. The girls must have splashed around in there for at least 2 hours.





Later that night we went down to the waterfront so Jean and Mike could see Plymouth Harbor. It was a nice night to be out. We took them to see the Rock, Brewsters Garden and, of course, the Mayflower II.






We finished the night off with a great dinner at the East Bay Grill. By the end of the meal, the kids were practically asleep. They had a super busy day!

So Proud!

Today was a big day for Brenna. As many of you know, Brenna's hair has always been long. Last year, she decided that she wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love. She remembered when Kathy had her wig, and she thought it would be nice to help someone else out with the gift of her hair. She especially thought it would be neat to help make a wig for another child.

Well today was the day. We had decided to wait until after her dance recital so she could donate as much as possible (and still put her hair up for the show). She wanted to try and do this when Oma and Pop Pop were here too. So, I made the appointment yesterday. She has been so excited about it for the past 2 days.

Here's what she looked like before....

and here she is with her two pony tails...

She was able to donate approximately 11 inches of her hair. Can you tell how excited she was?

Since she had never really had her hair styled, we let her work with the stylist to decide how to do it. And I have to admit that she looks SUPER CUTE with her new "do". I actually think that she looks older. What do you think?

I am so proud of her. She decided to do this on her own. No one put her up to it. And I think that speaks volumes about what kind of person she really is! She is one great girl, that is for sure!

School is out!!!

We still are pretty busy up here. Andrew is almost done T-ball. His last game is on June 28th. He is extra excited because the Hordeskys will be here for that one!

Brenna brought her camera to the game this week and got some pretty good shots of Andrew.

And here's a shot of one of Andrew's favorite things to do at T-ball....

Oh, how he loves to play in the dirt!

Brenna has been very good about tagging along to all of his games. There usually are a few other kids for her to play with. Or she brings a book or her I-Pod and just hangs out. I caught this shot of her at the game. She was in her own world.

Tuesday was the last day of school for Brenna. She did not have to wear her uniform for the last 3 days of school. On Saturday, she asked me to take her out to get a new dress for the last day of class. She said she wanted to dress up. I asked her if she was told to get dressed up. She told me that she remembered that she has always worn a dress on the last day of school and she did not want to break the tradition. Who could resist that logic? So, we headed out shopping and here is what she picked out.

She loved being so "fancy".

After dismissal, we headed out with some friends to the beach. The weather was not necessarily perfect beach weather, but we wanted the kids to have something to do to celebrate. The Grandmother of one of Brenna's classmates lives on a beach in southern Plymouth. There was so much for the kids to explore. They loved catching crabs, snails and other creatures.

Brenna & Jonathan.




The whole gang.

The kids (and the Moms ) had a great time hanging out together. It was a great way to end the year!

My parents arrive tonight. We have Brenna's recital tomorrow AM. She has worked so hard this year in class and I just know it will be great. On Sunday we will be celebrating both Fathers Day and Todd's Birthday. Hopefully the weather will hold out for us! I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Brenna had her recital rehearsal last night and she did so well. It has been amazing to see how much she has learned this year. The recital is on June 20th.  My parents will be here for it, so she is extra excited about that.

The theme for the recital this year is the 80's. I LOVE 80's music. It is by far my favorite time period for music. I am just horribly bad at remembering the names of songs. So, I am looking forward to hearing all of the music at the recital and updating my I Tunes playlist afterwards!

For ballet, she is dancing to Sister Christian. This is my favorite costume. She just looks like a little princess it it to me.




For tap, she is dancing to "9 to 5". She loves this costume, mostly because of the fake glasses that they get to wear. She can not wait till after the recital to play with them.




For jazz, she is dancing to Secret, by New Edition. I did not get a shot of her in that one. It is hot pink and black. Just like you think an 80's dance outfit would look.


Andrew had his Pre-K Graduation this morning. It was soooo cute. Todd is in Las Vegas for a conference, so I had to video tape and take pictures at the same time. They said the pledge of allegiance, sang a few songs, said a prayer for what they are thankful for, and got their diplomas. As it turns out, Andrew did sing all of the songs (You are my Sunshine, Big Fat Gorilla, Bringing Home My Baby Bumblebee, and Skiddly-rinky dinky dink) and I only teared up a bit. I was so proud of him. They were all so cute.




Afterwards, we headed out to Boomerangs, a local kids' inside play place, with 3 of his friends from his class. It was rainy and a bit chilly today so we opted for an indoor get together. The kids ran around for almost 3 hours, stopping only for lunch. They had a blast. Andrew was so tired when we left that he fell asleep on the way to pick up Brenna from school.   When he woke up he told me, "I like graduating.  It is so much fun.  When do I get to graduate again?"  Too cute!

Two weeks later....

I can not believe that it has been 2 weeks since I last posted.  We have been very busy, and I guess I have just not had the time to write all of this down.  So, here is a brief re-cap of life in the Colvin house.

Andrew is still enjoying T-ball....

We even got to play against our neighbor's team the other day. He was so excited to see his friends there.  Kind of funny that they play for the Orioles, don't you think?  

He did tell me that he is looking forward to hockey starting again.  He starts up at a clinic once t-ball is over.  

Brenna went on her 1st Grade Field trip on May 29th.  It was a Whale Watch.  Luckily (since I get motion sick) Todd signed up to go on this with her.  Unfortunately, the weather was not very cooperative. We were really worried that it would be cancelled.  And with only 2 weeks left of school, we wondered if they would even be able to reschedule.  As it turns out, the rain and fog did not stop the trip.  

The kids saw about 15 whales while they were out at sea, and apparently it was very cool.  I sent Brenna with her camera, and she got this shot...  

School soccer finished on June 1.  I am so glad that Brenna asked to participate this Spring.  I was not convinced it was a good idea at first as she already has a handful of extra curricular activities, but this was a great experience for her.  She got more time to work on her skills, and did it with her friends.  It has been nice to see her progress in soccer over the past 2 months.

Last Friday was Brenna's Fun Day at School.  They had a ton of things for the kids to do all day from sports to bouncies to crafts. It was very impressive.   I was fortunate to be able to spend most of the day working the event in the Crafts tent.  I was able to sneak out a few times and check on Brenna's class and see what they were doing.  

Brenna and her friend Jonathan.

Brenna looking tough inside the inflatable Foos-Ball game.

On Monday, Brenna went over to her friend, Ryan's, house to play after school.  That was extra nice for me because I was finishing up making the invitations for my Sister's wedding.  No matter how well I think I plan ahead, I always seem to manage my time poorly when I am crafting on some sot of deadline.  So, the extra few hours in the afternoon were appreciated.  And, I am pleased to say that they are all done, and in the mail!

I received a nice surprise when I picked up Brenna.  Ryan's Dad is a diving instructor and he had been out diving earlier in the day.  I was the lucky recipient of 2 large lobsters!  I love lobster, but have never cooked any myself. So, I surfed the net, found some advice, and cooked em up!  I felt like a true New Englander!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I may get some more of these over the next few months.  They were great!

Tonight we have Brenna's dress rehearsal for her recital, and then we are off to T-ball. Tomorrow Andrew graduates from Pre-K, and they are having a little ceremony of sorts.  All I know is that there is some singing involved and Andrew is not too thrilled about that!  (Last year, he refused to sing at his end of the year program!)  He told me that he would "try" to sing this year.  So, we will see....