Get your kicks at PS 166

So I can't get my video to download, but here is the link to another video that a parent sent out.

Ella is on the right hand side, second row at the end. Blue car. Her pre-k teacher (Peso's teacher now) just raved about her performance. ;)

The girl's school is named PS166, so the song choice was extra meaningful.

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/07b9546b373891798ba166335dec9e73/video/15312732

This is a video from a Dance Festival at the girl's school this morning. The theme was "The Great American Songbook" and it was so darling! Each class did dances to songs performed by musicians like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstong. Paisley's class just came to watch, but they had a perfect view of Ella's class who danced to "Route 66". This is one of the many reasons why I LOVE this school! Fantastic and dedicated parents, teachers and administration, and cute, wonderful, great students...but one would be able to find those anywhere:)

Ella's had a busy end of the school year and we've still got "Stepping up day" next week! I've got picnic pictures to post...along with a picture of att Damon's back. lol. For now, here are pictures from a Poetry Publishing Party and . She dedicated Mariella's Collection of Poems to Her "Cusin", Jensyn.

Last Afternoon.

Happiness

Seriously, going to eat her.

(Dropping Grandma and Grandpa off at JFK)

We're so glad you two came to visit us to celebrate Scott's graduation week!!

Can't wait to see you this summer!!

A Little Night Music

I was quite excited when Catherine Zeta-Jones won the Tony this past week for Best Female in a Musical. We had just gone to see her play A little Night Music, with Angela Lansbury as well, two weeks before. I must say that Catherine Zeta-Jones (I can't type her name without typing the whoooole thing. it just doesn't sound right.) is very unique. Unique voice, not your typical broadway gal. And she was just so darn cute when she accepted her Tony.

Thank you Mom and Dad for the much needed fun night out!

And thanks Elise for watching the girls!

If you have not gone kayaking on the Hudson, go right now. There is a link on my sidebar called "New York City Boat Basin". It is so much fun and the most absolute best part is, that it is freeeeee! This is one of those things we should have been doing every year. But, don't wear white pants!!! I'm so glad we convinced my mom to go last minute, except she was wearing white pants. She was such a trooper, all soaked!

Here is Ella gettin' all checked out before we went. Yep, the life jacket is on correctly!

And then Scott thought it would be humorous to take pictures of Ella and I almost bashing into the rocks. We were racing and let's just say I over estimated. Trying to back up after only rowing forward for 30 minutes was impossible for me. I waited for the wind to help us.

The haircuts were a success. We have convinced our children that they have "short" hair. I know, I know, it's hardly anything that we took off, but their hair is so thick now that it's almost not managable!

My favorite is when Scott compliments them and says,

"I love your hair, it's so... short!"

(Both of the girls want pixie cuts. They'll have to wait til they're 18.)
Thanks Grandma Sue!

My parents happened to be in town for the girl's Grandparents Day, at school. So that's where they went Friday morning!

Then we went to 5 Napkin Burger. It was alright. I'm going back to my "Well Done Burger" and staying away from "The Medium Well" from now on though.

We picked Ella up from school and went to the Central Park Zoo. It was a fun time like always. We took the long way home and then my dad head out to Citi Stadium to watch a Mets/Yankees game.

I hope I remember how wonderful this day was...

...the weather, the company, the food.

I must say that this day was quite enjoyable. Really enjoyable, actually. Everything ran smoothly, we relaxed, we ate a lot. We got to see lots of different places. We were with family! Even friend making with a celebrity child happened! I think after living here and having several visitors, we are slowly learning what to actually do when people are here! It's nice to not be stressed out about choosing what to do out of the MILLIONS of possibilities.

You know how I love balloons.

A little Polly Pocket play on the street.

Her new Yankees hat to go along with her jibbitz. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

The boys took the girls to Battery Park, while mom and I just so happened to walk right in to Century 21. I had never been, so we took a look!

Remind me to tell a very sad, yet cool story about my brother and this globe, someday. I wonder if he'd be a guest on my blog for a post!

On our way to DUMBO. (Down Under The Brooklyn Bridge Overpass)
Walking to... Grimaldis!

The Brooklyn Icecream Factory.

Basking in the sun.

I love this one. The picture and the child.

And of course we had to stop by the original Juniors for a chocolate swirl cheesecake!!

We sure get spoiled by the Fabbi's. I think we averaged 3 desserts a day.

So this is the out ting that a little girl came up to Ella and Paisley and asked them if she could play with them. After they introduced themselves, the little girl went on and on saying how lucky the girls were to have a sibling and how her brother was 25 and how she wished that she had a sibling close to her age. She was 7. She taught the girls some yoga poses, kept picking up Paisley and kissing her and squeezing her. They played several games, like duck-duck goose where she was putting her dirty sock foot in my dad's face. She was a delightful, darling girl. Kind, willing to play whatever the girls wanted to play, crooked haircut, hole in the crotch of her pants typical 7 year old, except she is Bjork's daughter! Bjork is an international singing artist from Iceland. She was a bit reserved, but we did talk about our girl's names and I had to ask her if Isadora could eat our almonds. ;)I didn't know for sure if I was talking to Bjork at Brooklyn Bridge Park, until I came home, wikipedia'd her name and sure enough, she had a daughter named Isadora who is 7 and a 25 year old son. I knew she was a famous artist even though I couldn't decide if it was Bjork or like Veruca Salt, who probably isn't very famous anymore, either way, I couldn't be an obvious stalker.

We smiled and waved goodbye to each other. And when the girls said goodbye, Isadora hugged and kissed the girls like they had known each other for a lifetime. I felt kind of sad for her.

I found this interesting after what I had just wrote about her...http://celebritybabies.people.com/2008/11/28/bjork-sadra/

This too.
http://cityfile.com/profiles/bjork

WTC

On Thursday, during my parents visit we spent the entire day out and about.

First we kept the girls home from school and then head down to the World Trade Center Site and Museum Preview Site. A lot of progress had been made since the last time I had visited 18 months before, while Karisa was in town.

An image of one of the reflecting ponds that will be sitting where the towers stood.

The girls just made themselves at home at the preview site and started doing their own reflecting in their notebooks.

My mom loaded up on all kinds of memorabilia and teaching tools. She kept saying, "Well I don't feel bad b/c all proceeds go to the building of the memorial." I love you, mom. I am so your daughter. Grandpa got the girls a FDNY toy vehicle set and grandma got them a children's book that I'd been wanting to get them. It's called..

The Man Who Walked Between The Towers

by Mordicai Gerstein

It's a good one. But Scott has to read the last two pages when we're reading aloud.

My favorite part you ask?

"Officers rushed to the roof of the towers. "You're under arrest!" they shouted through bullhorns. Phillipe turned the other way. Who would come and get him? For almost an hour, back and forth, he walked, danced, and knelt in a salute upon the wire."