Bella LOVES ballet classes.
Too bad it is only 45 minutes long, once a week.
She would go EVERYDAY if she could.
This is Bella, her teacher and the other two little girls in her class doing the little doll dance.
I think the story is that they are dolls coming to life, sneaking around while no one notices it, then they go back to their box. It's all very adorable. Again the resolution is not the best, but unless I use the compact mode, my videos are too big and too long for blogger.
Here is a link to another video that I uploaded to youtube. This one has a little better resolution.
In this video, she and the teacher are cats and the other two little girls are mice... well... at least one is ;)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
In Good Company
Sunday night was fun.
Dwight had been anticipating the Steelers Vs. Ravens game for the ENTIRE PAST WEEK.
He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. During the week leading up to this game, he would randomly say stuff like... "DANG! I can't wait for this freakin' game!!" or "Steelerrrrrrrs"
He even hung this huge flag outside our balcony to show his LOVE.
I've never been as passionate for anything as he is for the Steelers.
(OK maybe Brad Pitt when I was seventeen)
It was a good game from what I actually got to see. Dwight was Thrilled in the end when the Steelers won and is now moving on to the super bowl. You know what that means... party at my house in two weeks.
We also had the opportunity to have two really cool people over for dinner. But before I get into that I have to back track a little to earlier in the day.
After Sacrament meeting, Isabella went up to a friend of ours and called him Barack Obama.
We all laughed, but she was totally serious. I guess the Bishop must have overheard it, because later on I heard him call Marcos "Barack" in the hallway.
Now, Marcos and Metta are one of the neatest couples we've met. They are so fun to be with and totally welcomed our family when we first moved to the ward.
AND it just so happens that Marcos is Brasilian.
Fast forward to Dinner time, Marcos and Metta were invited to come by, although we gave them plenty of warning that Dwight might be "unavailable" for part of the evening. Joshua could not wait for them to arrive. He was literally counting down the minutes.
(Marcos had promised to bring his toys along... who could resist that??)
As most of you know... I am no cook, but I still tried to prepare a somewhat traditional Brasilian dinner. It actually turned out pretty good & the Brasilian Guarana soda topped it all off very nicely.
Throughout the night Isabella had a very hard time calling Marcos, well, Marcos. She kept calling him Barack Obama, but finally by the end of the night she got it right... well almost.
We joke with him that he was the "Branco Obama" (white in Portuguese)... Ha ha now... laugh!
The kids were so excited to have those two over, that they kept bringing things out for them to see. And when they ran out of "cool" things, even the fly swatter became an attraction. (That was all Joshua)
Metta and I are very similar in that we cannot remember anything worth a darn thing, and we give a good loud hearty laugh without thinking twice about who's around. She's a social worker, so even as ridiculously crazy as my family may be, she has seen worse, and that makes me feel good!
They got a chance to meet Sharky, our pet plecostomus fish, whom as always freaked out our guest by its humongous size and freakish appearance. (btw, I just found out that rhino plecos are meant to live in 55+ gallon tanks... Ah... It currently resides in a 10 gallon and is as happy as can be :)
We even had a few embarrassing moments, which I think I will have to save it for another post.
At the end of the night, for whatever reason, Isabella decided to give Marcos a blessing. At first she put her hands on his head closed her eyes, and said... "wait, I don't know how!"
We didn't want to make light of her sincere attempt, but tried to discourage her by saying that Daddy and Marcos could giver HER a blessing...
But as persistent as Isabella is, she didn't give up, she laid her hands on his head again and said... "Marcos Prouse... Mommy, I need help!"
It was all very cute, in a sacrilegious sort of way. We tried to explain to her that we let the mn take care of the blessings, but she shows promise to be a feminist, cause she didn't want to hear it.
We quickly changed the subject.
It was a wonderful evening, with good food, great company and a Happy Husband (the Steelers won, remember?)
Marcos and Metta, you are welcome back anytime!
We'll see you in two weeks.
After a touchdown is scored, Bella runs to Dwight to do their traditional "YAY TOUCHDOWN, YAY TOUCHDOWN" thing. She loves being thrown up in the air like that.
Not sure who has the better goat-tee here.
Marcos graciously entertaining our kids, and showing off his juggling skillz.
When Bella kept calling Marcos Barack, Metta told her that it was ok, because he is handsome like Obama. So randomly throughout the night she would tell him "You are so handsome!" Marcos was in Heaven ;)
Joshua & Metta (Mayta, if you don't have a clue how to say it as I did :)
Bella & Barack
The Prietos & the kidos
Dwight had been anticipating the Steelers Vs. Ravens game for the ENTIRE PAST WEEK.
He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. During the week leading up to this game, he would randomly say stuff like... "DANG! I can't wait for this freakin' game!!" or "Steelerrrrrrrs"
He even hung this huge flag outside our balcony to show his LOVE.
I've never been as passionate for anything as he is for the Steelers.
(OK maybe Brad Pitt when I was seventeen)
It was a good game from what I actually got to see. Dwight was Thrilled in the end when the Steelers won and is now moving on to the super bowl. You know what that means... party at my house in two weeks.
We also had the opportunity to have two really cool people over for dinner. But before I get into that I have to back track a little to earlier in the day.
After Sacrament meeting, Isabella went up to a friend of ours and called him Barack Obama.
We all laughed, but she was totally serious. I guess the Bishop must have overheard it, because later on I heard him call Marcos "Barack" in the hallway.
Now, Marcos and Metta are one of the neatest couples we've met. They are so fun to be with and totally welcomed our family when we first moved to the ward.
AND it just so happens that Marcos is Brasilian.
Fast forward to Dinner time, Marcos and Metta were invited to come by, although we gave them plenty of warning that Dwight might be "unavailable" for part of the evening. Joshua could not wait for them to arrive. He was literally counting down the minutes.
(Marcos had promised to bring his toys along... who could resist that??)
As most of you know... I am no cook, but I still tried to prepare a somewhat traditional Brasilian dinner. It actually turned out pretty good & the Brasilian Guarana soda topped it all off very nicely.
Throughout the night Isabella had a very hard time calling Marcos, well, Marcos. She kept calling him Barack Obama, but finally by the end of the night she got it right... well almost.
We joke with him that he was the "Branco Obama" (white in Portuguese)... Ha ha now... laugh!
The kids were so excited to have those two over, that they kept bringing things out for them to see. And when they ran out of "cool" things, even the fly swatter became an attraction. (That was all Joshua)
Metta and I are very similar in that we cannot remember anything worth a darn thing, and we give a good loud hearty laugh without thinking twice about who's around. She's a social worker, so even as ridiculously crazy as my family may be, she has seen worse, and that makes me feel good!
They got a chance to meet Sharky, our pet plecostomus fish, whom as always freaked out our guest by its humongous size and freakish appearance. (btw, I just found out that rhino plecos are meant to live in 55+ gallon tanks... Ah... It currently resides in a 10 gallon and is as happy as can be :)
We even had a few embarrassing moments, which I think I will have to save it for another post.
At the end of the night, for whatever reason, Isabella decided to give Marcos a blessing. At first she put her hands on his head closed her eyes, and said... "wait, I don't know how!"
We didn't want to make light of her sincere attempt, but tried to discourage her by saying that Daddy and Marcos could giver HER a blessing...
But as persistent as Isabella is, she didn't give up, she laid her hands on his head again and said... "Marcos Prouse... Mommy, I need help!"
It was all very cute, in a sacrilegious sort of way. We tried to explain to her that we let the mn take care of the blessings, but she shows promise to be a feminist, cause she didn't want to hear it.We quickly changed the subject.
It was a wonderful evening, with good food, great company and a Happy Husband (the Steelers won, remember?)
Marcos and Metta, you are welcome back anytime!
We'll see you in two weeks.
After a touchdown is scored, Bella runs to Dwight to do their traditional "YAY TOUCHDOWN, YAY TOUCHDOWN" thing. She loves being thrown up in the air like that.
Not sure who has the better goat-tee here.
Marcos graciously entertaining our kids, and showing off his juggling skillz.
When Bella kept calling Marcos Barack, Metta told her that it was ok, because he is handsome like Obama. So randomly throughout the night she would tell him "You are so handsome!" Marcos was in Heaven ;)
Joshua & Metta (Mayta, if you don't have a clue how to say it as I did :)
Bella & Barack
The Prietos & the kidosMonday, January 12, 2009
Josh vs. Bella
This is a little sample of our kids spending some quality time boxing each other on the wii.
Bella is still getting the hang of the remote.
It takes a good amount of coordination, but as with any other undertaking, she is determined and typically conquers the task at hand. A sure signs she is growing up.
Joshua is getting better and better at these games as well. He no longer throws a fit when he loses, and when he is tired of losing or just simply tired of the game or whatever he is involved with, he politely will say, "I think I'm done."
He is also very courteous to his sister and others, and very encouraging. A sure sign that our sweet son is also growing up.
This is obviously not about playing a video game.
We're very proud of our children.
The video quality is not all that great, I decided to use the compressed video option in my camera, and it really stinks. So I probably won't do that again.
Bella is still getting the hang of the remote.
It takes a good amount of coordination, but as with any other undertaking, she is determined and typically conquers the task at hand. A sure signs she is growing up.
Joshua is getting better and better at these games as well. He no longer throws a fit when he loses, and when he is tired of losing or just simply tired of the game or whatever he is involved with, he politely will say, "I think I'm done."
He is also very courteous to his sister and others, and very encouraging. A sure sign that our sweet son is also growing up.
This is obviously not about playing a video game.
We're very proud of our children.
The video quality is not all that great, I decided to use the compressed video option in my camera, and it really stinks. So I probably won't do that again.
A Sunbeam, A Sunbeam...
Yesterday was Isabella's first Sunday as a Sunbeam.She was very excited about it! As we got ready in the morning, I sang to her...
"...A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam..."
She promptly told me "Don't sing Mommy!"
(she obviously doesn't appreciate my lovely singing :S )
With all the changes a New Year can bring, it also brought us 1 PM church meeting time.
It's very late in the day, but it was nice for a change to actually catch the opening prayer.
2 PM was usually the time church ended last year and when we would race home for a Sunday nap.
By the time we did transition to primary, Isabella was exhausted, but did OK during opening exercises.
I could tell she was starting to zone out though, and she had a serious case of ants in her pants...
The primary president declared that the 4th Sunday would be "performance day" where a kid would share a talent (appropriates one off course) and as an example, she mention the kids could play the piano, bagpipes, anything...
Isabella jumped up out of her seat and yelled...
"HEY, I HAVE A KEYBOARD!! I HAVE A KEEEYYYBOAAARRDD!"
After that she passed out CTR rings. Bella really wanted one. But if she did get one, I never saw it.
Joshua yelled at me from the other side of the room... "MOM!! LOOK, ANOTHER RING!!! HA HA HA!" He was very amused by it.
I teach the 9-10 class and so at the end of opening exercises, we were dismissed for class.
When I came back for sharing time later on, Isabella was conked out in the music leader's arms.
They told me that once she realized I was gone, she freaked, and then, another kid, and another, and soon the entire sunbeam row was having a major meltdown. They took her out to the hallway to calm down and she fell asleep. Poor kid.
She woke up at 4 PM when it was time to go home as I was Dwight plopped her in her car seat.
She ended up missing almost everything. :)
But there is always next Sunday!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Christmas and New Years
OK, my pictures are a mess on this post because I have no idea what is going on with blogger. So please bear with me.
We went back to PA for Christmas and New Years this year. Not much different than other years, but traveling 8 hours to get to our destination was interesting.
The kids were excellent in travel as always and the trip there and back were pretty uneventful. Well, except for the freezing rain we drove into as we got closer to Halifax.
Our family was more than hospitable, patient and accommodating. Specially with our crazy night owl children. So thank you family!!
We spent Christmas eve and day with Dwight's parents. They have a tradition to get the families together and celebrate Christmas eve. We had told his parents we wouldn't make it this year, so they were totally surprised to see us! The look on his mom's face was priceless! The kids totally got spoiled, and it was nice to chat with folks we had not seen in a little while.
We thought it would be nice to go to his parents church to enjoy the Christmas eve candle light service, but I think we may have romanticized that one a little, because IT WAS CRAZY.
The service was lovely, don't get me wrong, but Isabella was totally out of control. When it was time to light up the candles, Oh my goodness, It was a disaster. The ceiling fans were on, so the candles were melting incredibly FAST! Poor Joshua had wax everywhere, all of our wax holder thingies were falling apart, Isabella almost set the lady's hair on fire that was sitting in front of us... at which point I was ready to yell "Merry Freakin' Christmas" and walk out.
I felt so ill-equipped. When we go to our church I usually have a backpack with goodies and coloring books and what-nots. This time, I had nothing! It was nuts.
Christmas morning the kids woke up before me as always, and were READY to go see what Santa brought them.
When we got downstairs, I had to smile because Dwight, his mom and dad were working hard to surprise me with breakfast in bed for my birthday. It was very thoughtful of them and it was delicious. You see I have this weakness for bacon...
Joshua got the razor scooter he soooo badly wanted, (which we then forgot in PA in my sister's garage) and Isabella got her "brown doll with tippy-toes" she also really wanted. Lucky kids!
Later that day we traveled to my sister's in Valley Forge to join them for some more Christmas fun & food. Santa must have been feeling really generous this year. He dropped off a wii for the Limas and the Prouses. Wii had a lot of fun with that!!
While in PA we also visited with friends and the old house in Linglestown. It was a little sad to see it so ghost town lookin-ish. Before we left for NC, we did go back again to tidy up the yard and do some dusting and vacuuming.
When we fist walked in, Isabella started crying and asked "where is all of our stuff??" She cried even harder when she went into the room she and Joshua used to share... "My bed is gonnnnnne!!" I assured her that all of our things were back in Chapel Hill and that she still had her bed. She said in the midst of tears "Oh, silly me!"
New Year's was fun. My sister Giselle also came up from Durham with her little guys and we had a house full of kids.
I loved being around my family, even though there were a few "drama" moments, mostly because of me I am sure, but I really, really appreciated having spent time with my nephews and nieces. The kids loved playing, fighting, laughing, crying. It was Awesome.
Joshua had gotten sick a couple of days before new year's day and then, on new year's eve, when we sit together around the dinner table with a ridiculous amount of food, and yummy goodness... I couldn't even touch it :( I was so SICK! I even got this weird, insatiable itch ALL OVER, that reminded me of a friend when she was prego with twins. I'm sure it was not even close to what she went through, but for a few hours that evening I couldn't even sleep. ugh... Then, the next day I was better and it was someone else's turn to get sick.
By the time we left most of us had had "IT".
Fun times!
Oh, and on Friday, the day before we left, it snowed a little. I quickly put the jackets on the kids and we went out for a walk. It fizzled within minutes, but at least now they can say they saw snow this year :)
When we came back to North Carolina, the weather was nice and warm... just as it should be on a fine winter's day :)
Dwight getting his butt kicked in Rock band.
Bella pretending to sing along to Sweet Home Alabama.
We visited the Kleins
Relaxed with Rex
Stuffed our faces with our family on New Year's eve
except for me :(
Jeff and Ethan Rockin' the band. Ethan is Sooooo good at it.
Jeff and Rex... doesn't it look like Rex is smiling for the camera?
Bella loves drums.
Watching Sponge Bob with Cousin Kaleb.
We visited with the McClains
Bella Loves her Dolly
Katie and Bella kept beating the boys... LOL
Joshua and Christian
Bella & Katie
At some point in the evening the girls decided to go shirtless for whatever reason.
The girls are only a week apart and Katie who was a premie, is a whole head taller than Bella :)
Joshua showing off his scooter.
Bella keeping us entertained
Christmas Dinner at my sister's
Brasilian Style!
More scooter action.
Walking into Zion Stone Methodist church for Christmas eve service
(notice how happy we were)
On the way out, a picture with Dwight's parents.
(notice how fluffy my hair looks... That was after almost losing it inside with the kids:)
Christmas Morning at the Prouses
They got exactly what they wanted
Happy!
Dwight and Josh, shortly after we arrived at his parents.
Yes, we are part of a family of huntsmen.
Grandma reading the bible to the children
Isabella could not get enough of the cheddar popcorn.
Joshua putting together the train he got from Grandpa.
Superstar!
We went back to PA for Christmas and New Years this year. Not much different than other years, but traveling 8 hours to get to our destination was interesting.
The kids were excellent in travel as always and the trip there and back were pretty uneventful. Well, except for the freezing rain we drove into as we got closer to Halifax.
Our family was more than hospitable, patient and accommodating. Specially with our crazy night owl children. So thank you family!!
We spent Christmas eve and day with Dwight's parents. They have a tradition to get the families together and celebrate Christmas eve. We had told his parents we wouldn't make it this year, so they were totally surprised to see us! The look on his mom's face was priceless! The kids totally got spoiled, and it was nice to chat with folks we had not seen in a little while.
We thought it would be nice to go to his parents church to enjoy the Christmas eve candle light service, but I think we may have romanticized that one a little, because IT WAS CRAZY.
The service was lovely, don't get me wrong, but Isabella was totally out of control. When it was time to light up the candles, Oh my goodness, It was a disaster. The ceiling fans were on, so the candles were melting incredibly FAST! Poor Joshua had wax everywhere, all of our wax holder thingies were falling apart, Isabella almost set the lady's hair on fire that was sitting in front of us... at which point I was ready to yell "Merry Freakin' Christmas" and walk out.
I felt so ill-equipped. When we go to our church I usually have a backpack with goodies and coloring books and what-nots. This time, I had nothing! It was nuts.
Christmas morning the kids woke up before me as always, and were READY to go see what Santa brought them.
When we got downstairs, I had to smile because Dwight, his mom and dad were working hard to surprise me with breakfast in bed for my birthday. It was very thoughtful of them and it was delicious. You see I have this weakness for bacon...
Joshua got the razor scooter he soooo badly wanted, (which we then forgot in PA in my sister's garage) and Isabella got her "brown doll with tippy-toes" she also really wanted. Lucky kids!
Later that day we traveled to my sister's in Valley Forge to join them for some more Christmas fun & food. Santa must have been feeling really generous this year. He dropped off a wii for the Limas and the Prouses. Wii had a lot of fun with that!!
While in PA we also visited with friends and the old house in Linglestown. It was a little sad to see it so ghost town lookin-ish. Before we left for NC, we did go back again to tidy up the yard and do some dusting and vacuuming.
When we fist walked in, Isabella started crying and asked "where is all of our stuff??" She cried even harder when she went into the room she and Joshua used to share... "My bed is gonnnnnne!!" I assured her that all of our things were back in Chapel Hill and that she still had her bed. She said in the midst of tears "Oh, silly me!"
New Year's was fun. My sister Giselle also came up from Durham with her little guys and we had a house full of kids.
I loved being around my family, even though there were a few "drama" moments, mostly because of me I am sure, but I really, really appreciated having spent time with my nephews and nieces. The kids loved playing, fighting, laughing, crying. It was Awesome.
Joshua had gotten sick a couple of days before new year's day and then, on new year's eve, when we sit together around the dinner table with a ridiculous amount of food, and yummy goodness... I couldn't even touch it :( I was so SICK! I even got this weird, insatiable itch ALL OVER, that reminded me of a friend when she was prego with twins. I'm sure it was not even close to what she went through, but for a few hours that evening I couldn't even sleep. ugh... Then, the next day I was better and it was someone else's turn to get sick.
By the time we left most of us had had "IT".
Fun times!
Oh, and on Friday, the day before we left, it snowed a little. I quickly put the jackets on the kids and we went out for a walk. It fizzled within minutes, but at least now they can say they saw snow this year :)
When we came back to North Carolina, the weather was nice and warm... just as it should be on a fine winter's day :)
Dwight getting his butt kicked in Rock band.
Bella pretending to sing along to Sweet Home Alabama.
We visited the Kleins
Relaxed with Rex
Stuffed our faces with our family on New Year's eveexcept for me :(
Jeff and Ethan Rockin' the band. Ethan is Sooooo good at it.
Jeff and Rex... doesn't it look like Rex is smiling for the camera?
Bella loves drums.
Watching Sponge Bob with Cousin Kaleb.
We visited with the McClains
Bella Loves her Dolly
Katie and Bella kept beating the boys... LOL
Joshua and Christian
Bella & Katie
At some point in the evening the girls decided to go shirtless for whatever reason.The girls are only a week apart and Katie who was a premie, is a whole head taller than Bella :)
Joshua showing off his scooter.
Bella keeping us entertained
Christmas Dinner at my sister'sBrasilian Style!
More scooter action.
Walking into Zion Stone Methodist church for Christmas eve service(notice how happy we were)
On the way out, a picture with Dwight's parents.(notice how fluffy my hair looks... That was after almost losing it inside with the kids:)
Christmas Morning at the Prouses
They got exactly what they wanted
Happy!
Dwight and Josh, shortly after we arrived at his parents.Yes, we are part of a family of huntsmen.
Grandma reading the bible to the children
Isabella could not get enough of the cheddar popcorn.
Joshua putting together the train he got from Grandpa.
Superstar!
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