Introducing the Graduating Class of 2021....

Yes, that is what they announced at the end of Kira's K-5 graduation! 2021 - Can you believe it? It seems so far away! I know these years go quick though and I just want to treasure every moment I have with my children. I did not cry the day she graduated - I cried the day after knowing I would never again attend one of my children's Kindergarten graduations! What a surreal moment. We are so blessed to have our kids attend Northwood Academy! The academics and teachers and aides there are just amazing and the men and women of God who love our children and strive to teach them God's ways there are beyond what any parent could want for their children. Sometimes I complain about working but it is a blessing knowing that my children are able to attend a Christian school where the things of the Bible are being taught! For that reason, I would work all the time if I needed to! Thank you God for the blessing of Northwood Academy!!
Kira graduated with all 5's (that is the highest you can get :P) on her report card and she was voted "Most Expressive". Any of you who know her, know she is a drama queen and one day very well might be a lead in some play - who knows - lol!!!

Ballet Recital 2009

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Kira started ballet this year with one of her friends from school, Jessi. They had so much fun learning the steps and did an amazing job at the recital this year! Kira takes ballet at a church near here where the Pastor's wife was trained in dance. No booty-shaking here, just wonderful dancing and ballet instruction! We were blessed to have her there this year! After the recital, we enjoyed some yummy food and had a great night together as a family! lMaybe I will figure out how to post a video on here - when I do, you all will be the first to see it :)

K5 Graduation trip to EdVenture

EdVenture was such a great trip for Kira and I to go on this year! It is a child's dreamland! Very similar to the Franklin Institute for all our family and friends back in Philly but the reason it is called EdVenture is because of the humongous kid "Ed" that kids can crawl around in and go through! The pictures will explain a lot -- here they are - we had a blast!!! Kira and her best friend Mikayla are in a lot of the pictures! What a wonderful family we have met in the Blanco's!!

May 2009 - a month of endless activities and excitement!

Where do I begin - May was one of those months that you blink and it is gone - sometimes that's not such a bad thing :P The beginning of May started with the celebration of Fabio and Elizabeth's wedding on the 2nd - how beautiful to see 2 lives joined together as one in Christ Jesus. May 6th was a day I will never forget - Dave had surgery on his neck (spine to be exact). For those of you who do not know, Dave injured his neck/spine to the point of risking paralization and needed surgery to fuse c5-7 in his spine. What a rough time that was - Dave (as big as he is) does not do well with anesthesia or meds and had a really rough time coming out of it (blood pressure went through the roof, anxiety/pain attacks). Not fun for a wife to watch her husband go through. Thankfully we had some wonderful friends, Scott and Amy, watch the kiddos for us so I could be there with Dave at the hospital - it was more of a blessing than I could ever indicate to them. He made it through and we are now in the recovery period - more surgeon follow-ups to come...
May also was a month of a boat-load of end of the year activities for our kids. (pics will probably have to continue into another post - haha). Kira had her big K-5 end of the year trip to Edventure in Columbia, SC. That same week, she had her ballet recital. She graduated on May 21st and won the award for "most expressive"! Andrew has continued to have baseball games at least twice a week and then he finally completed school on May 28th with an awards assemble where he received the "most outstanding student" of his second grade class - he also was the highest student in the accelerated reader program and won the highest achievment (the blue ribbon) in the presidential fitness campaign! Yes, we are so proud of our kids - what a blessing they are to us and we just continue to thank God for them daily!!! I think with all the activities that happened this month, I will post a separate blog for each of the exciting activities pictures. For now, enjoy Dave right before surgery and Fabio and Elizabeth at their wedding :) Oh and did I mention, we actually made it to the beach one Sunday afternoon too :)

April

April was a wonderful month for us - so many activities! We spent the first weekend at the Flowertown Festival right here in Summerville, SC. Andrew started baseball for the first time this year and has loved every minute of it, and I am full swing into orientation into a new world for me known as healthy babies in level I nursery at St Francis. We also had a wonderful time picking strawberries with DeAnna and her kiddos and spending time with our friends Luciano and Kris (from Brazil). Certainly we cannot forget celebrating Resurrection Day (Easter as some of you may know it :)) We had a beautiful service outside under a tent at church and got to bring home some beautiful Easter lillies! This was also a month of struggles. This was the beginning of Dave's difficulties with his job and injury to his neck. Ups and Downs occurred this whole month but even through those times God is so faithful to us and loves us just the same!

March

March was a crazy month for us - I started orientation at my new job at St Francis, had many school activities, and my first ever filling for a cavity - yikes! I have to admit, it really was not that bad :) A few of the pictures are when I helped out Andrew's class make homemade ice cream - definitely a task we will have to do this summer - it was a lot of fun! Thanks Mrs. Robinson. Kira is enjoying a moment with her friend Christian and Kindall at hat (Thank you Mrs Kristina for the awesome pink hat) and pasta day for her class and then the first picture is one I most certainly could not resist putting on here - I caught Andrew reading to his sister one day in the living room - so precious! God, thank you for the blessing you have given me in my children!!