Sweet!

The Easter Bunny made an early trip to the house this year. Why didn't he bring carmel apples when I was a kid? We love the Easter Bunny very much and can't wait to see him again.

We are also celebrating the first day of Spring. Well, it isn't so much a celebration of Spring as it is the celebration of water in the pool! The water is definitely still cold, but the kids can't wait to swim. I'm still confused about why I can't get them to take a bath, but this will do. Only a few more months until school is out for the summer and they can swim everyday.

This weekend is another basketball weekend. Joey's team remains undefeated, and Mike's team has only one loss. The games are very exciting and the boys are doing awesome!

Jacob is doing great in school. He was moved up to the first grade class for reading. He is reading at the same level as an average first grader. Not bad for a kindergartner! He lost his first tooth this month. In April, he will be performing at the Performing Arts Center with his class for their K/1 Spring Show. They will be singing Sesame Street songs.

Our local Relay For Life will be in April also. Kristina is taking all of her money to school for a fundraising challenge. If the school raises $2000, the music teacher will shave his head. She already went to the dance. It was a fundraiser also. The teachers supervised, and they had a real dj playing music. The cafeteria was transformed into a dance hall, complete with disco lights. Kristina had a great time and was one of the last to leave!

We are all looking forward to our big Easter Celebration at church. The kids are helping me to run the games for my class. It should be a good time for them. We are playing games and giving away prizes & lots of candy.

As always, we miss our family. New York and Nebraska seem so far away. We hope this helps you to keep up with what's going on here. Leave us comments!!! We want to hear from you.


Tip: If you want to make the pictures bigger, just click on the picture.

Sports & Theater

Our entertainment budget doesn't go very far with 6 people in the family, but this weekend we were able to get in two basketball games and a few hours at a festival. Then Monday night, we went to the theater to see a Broadway show. Okay, not exactly Broadway, but it was as close as you can get for $25 for the family.

On Saturday, we started the morning with team pictures. It usually take a month before we get them, but it's nice to have a record of how much the kids are growing. Looking back at the pictures from when they played basketball 6 years ago really puts into perspective how fast the years have gone.

The boys both had the honor of starting off the game by getting the jump ball for their team. Mike's game was first and again this week, he was the top scorer for the U12 Bulls. He was up against the Rebels. They are coached by the coach he had last year, Coach Rodriguez. Rodriguez had a sentimental speech last year about how he was going to pick everyone from the team to play again because he had such a great group of kids. Well, he didn't pick any of them, except his own son, and the team hasn't won yet. In fact, Mike's team, coached by a female, is the number one team so far this season. Mike is the top scorer with 21 of the team's 42 points.

Joey's team had another great week. He is with the same coach that he had last year, Coach Scrimali. Joe is the rebound man. Anytime the other team gets near the basket now, all of the parents start yelling, "Rebound, Joe"! He gets nearly every rebound and helped his team to score over 60 points again this week. These games are very exciting to watch.

Sunday afternoon, our church had what they called Harvest Sunday. We had food, jumphouses, and live music. It was a great time. We also had baptisms. At the very end of every baptism, Pastor Fred says that he is already wet and asks if anyone else wants to be baptized. Jacob said "I want to be baptized again".

The kids all had a great time on the rides. Joe and Mike had a jousting competition. Lots of fun!!


On Monday night, Jacob was in a musical. The teachers from his school and another elementary school put on a show. They performed several different numbers from a number of Broadway shows. Jacob's class played the part of forks and spoons for the "Be Our Guest" number. The video is on our YouTube page. He is the spoon in the middle of the group. It's like they put the spotlight on him. It's very cute.

That's it for this week. The kids are taking FCAT tests so there hasn't been any homework. Can't wait for the weekend!!!

Jake's interview about Dad

1. What is something dad always says to you?
I love you.

2. What makes dad happy?
When I do what he tells me to do.

3. What makes dad sad?
I don't know

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
he acts funny

5. What was your dad like as a child?
he was a very good boy

6. How old is your dad?
47 I think

7. How tall is your dad?
90 inches

8. What is his favorite thing to do?
stay home and watch tv

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
working

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
writing books

11. What is your dad really good at?
building stuff

12. What is your dad not very good at?
nothing

13. What does your dad do for a job?
he's a constructor

14.What is your dad's favorite food?
meat

15.What makes you proud of your dad?
Everything he does good

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Yogi Bear

17. What do you and your dad do together?
have gas station fun sometimes

18. How are you and your dad the same?
we both like to watch tv

19. How are you and your dad different?
I do homework, he does work

20. How do you know your dad loves you?
Cause everyday he says "I love you"

21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
when she gives him hugs and kisses

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Gas station for gas station fun

Interview with Jake

I got these interview questions from a friend. I thought the answers were adorable and I'm going to ask the other kids to answer these too!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
Me giving her hugs and kisses.

3. What makes mom sad?
When I say I hate you. (I don't ever remember him saying this, but it would definitely make me sad.)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
She bes funny. (Meaning she acts funny.)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Kinda tall. (They've seen my elementary pictures where I was among the tallest kids in my class.)

6. How old is your mom?
44 (yep)

7. How tall is your mom?
40 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Love her children

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Work on the computer.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Singing. (Obviously not a Simon Cowell personality.)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Good cooker. (My macaroni & cheese rocks! Just don't tell him it's Kraft.)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Nothing. She's great at everything. (I'd like to record this for the teenage years.)

13. What does your mom do for a job?
American Cancer Society.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Ratatouille (Joey made this once. I guess I must have made a big deal about it.)

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Everything.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Jerry (As in Tom and Jerry. I think it's just because he likes the cartoon.)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Hug and kiss

18. How are you and your mom the same?
That we both love each other.

19. How are you and your mom different?
We don't have the same hair.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Everyday she says can I have a hug and a kiss.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Fixing the roof when it's old and leaking. (Yes, this is important.)

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Nebraska (I thought he'd say "out to eat".)

Basketball Season

Joe and Mike are both playing Rec basketball for the Bulls. Joe is in the U14 division and Mike is in U12. It's great to watch them when they are enjoying the game. Yesterday, they were both "in the zone".

Joe's team won 62-19. He was one of the top scorers with 14 points. Mike's team won 21-12. He was the top scorer with 14 points.

Today, after church, we went to Joey's end of the season Soccer party. Their team played well this year, but they just didn't have the wins to show it. Joey will probably play with this team again next year. He really enjoyed soccer.

The coaches wife took pictures of every game. I added the link to the photos here. They are the Infernos.

We will have pictures of the Rose Bulls soon.