Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Chicago Playhouse opens!!




Wow!! What an incredible day! Hundreds of people came to the opening and then 2 days later channel 7 was there!

It is amazing! They need murals on the walls, a gaming station and a flat screen for the teens and a few other items but the learning has already started! Their first literacy sessions began already and the kids did amazing! The tutors at this location are working on their masters at National Louis University and volunteer their time! The miracles never seem to end!! Everyone left the Playhouse with a picture of their families in this cut out. Isn't that cool??

They have done an amazing job and there is already talk about a Playhouse for the south side! Sioux City Iowa is next! I can't wait!!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I was just going to post my Chicago pictures and GiGi came up to me so sweet and said "Mommy I tired" and gently picked up my hand and kissed as she told me she loved me!! SO the pictures will have to wait!! Then as I started typing this she got impatient and said "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy Gianni!!" So much for sweetness!!
(but it will be back!!) Gotta go!!

The next Idol or Top model!!




The Karaoke Queen is bustin a move! Apparently she has been watching too much Hannah Montana. Not only does she know the words to all of the songs but she has mastered her moves. As soon as the camera comes out she strikes a pose that changes with every snap of the camera!! Talk about attitude!!! (I wonder where she gets that from??)
She is all about accessories now. She will disappear and come back fully dressed head to toe with multiple head bands, purses, shirts etc.... First words out of her mouth "How do I look Mom? How do I look?" Then the Italian accent comes out "I like-a this one."
Just now she was trying to talk to me but I am typing so she said "Mommy?? Yoo-Who mommy!" and waved her hand in front of my face! She took money out of my wallet and wants to buy Bella a diet coke! She is hilarious!!

Water logged!




Always a part of the action! She must have climbed this ladder a hundred times and just kept jumping in the lake! She had arm floaties on (which she taught herself how to blow up by biting down and blowing them up while they were still on her arm!) so I just watched!!
I am always amazed at her willingness to learn. She took swimming lessons but the stuff she does outside the lessons is so much more than she ever did in the lessons. I think hanging out with the big kids really motivates her to do more.

Seriously!!!




GiGi has turned into a real fisherlady!!!

OK...I am a total loser!  My laptop broke, we had our 5k with over 2,000 people, my Dad got sick, we went on vacation, opened a new Playhouse in Chicago, swam, tubed, 4 wheeled, went wave runnin, fished, boated, worked on the Playhouse projects, bought a house, sold a house, did karaoke, partied and finally had Channel 7 at the new Chicago Playhouse today before I had a chance to blog!!  Not to mention sports and the normal day to day!!!
I wish I had pictures from this weekend.  I had the three girls at the pool and GiGi decided she wanted to go off the diving board (after going off the big curvy slide 50 times!)  I told her no because I was by myself with the three of them and we should do it with Daddy there.  But do you think she would listen to me???  Before I knew it she was standing in line.  I thought for sure she would get up there and bail.  But when I saw the look of determination on her face I knew I better jump in because she was going to do it!  Sure enough she stood up there, looked right at me, put her hands up in the air and clapped them together (diving position) leaned here head forward as if to dive and then just jumped in!   I grabbed her only to be met with the usual "I do it myself!"   
She is still reading a new book every week.  Her soon to be kindergarten teacher came to her literacy session at the Playhouse and was blown away!  It was so cool!  OK, enough about academics back to the important stuff...SUMMER!!!