Marci's Village

She draws...

I am not sure why we have striped suits on. Hmmmm....

Finally!!!!

I had an unexpected day off from work. Husband and I went to see the movie I've been dying to see. We both loved it! Some tears were shed when Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place, when they said their goodbyes, and when Rue died. Great movie! Of course the book is better because it's richer, full of details. But I'm really pleased how the movie did not deviate from the book.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Finally a movie where the protagonist is a strong girl, a survivor, who doesn't fall in love easily (she has other priorities). A great example for our girls.

Jewelry!

It was such a fun afternoon! I had some ladies (most from the school and neighborhood) over for a jewelry party hosted by my friend Kelsey.

I got some incentives for hosting a party but, most importantly, I got to hang out with really amazing friends. My heart is happy and I can't wait to do it again, ladies.

I wish I had pictures of the event (and the food I made, and the jewelry, and all of the ladies), but I was having too much fun talking and drinking mimosas.

I know... my dear friend Kelsey talks a lot with her hands. The curly-haired girl is a good friend from school. What a nice little community of friends I have! I feel blessed.

Don't judge

I ran out of time and ideas.... so I cooked pancakes for dinner.

My child sleeps

This morning, almost eight a.m.. Time for little children to get up and start their day.

School Carnival

During the school Carnival I spent about one hour helping with the "live fish game" (more on that later). Then I started walking toward the bouncy games looking for Phillip. I had to take a second look at this growing boy to make sure he was really my boy. [Sigh]...

 

Maya joined us a little later but still had time to enjoy herself. Climbing wall and a snow cone with one of her best friends.

Carnivals are fun -- and we brought home five (!) live fish. One of them still lives and swims happily in a little fish tank (knock, knock). The death of the other four wasn't as traumatic as losing the many fish we did last year. Goldie may stay with us a while... or he may not... but the kids are enjoying taking turns to feed him.

Easter 2012 - Morning and Evening

We did our traditional Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt and the kids loved it again! They hunt for clues hidden inside the eggs until they find a small basket filled with a little chocolate and some items. Phillip got a blue basketball and Maya got some cute pink headphones for her MP3 player along with the "Marley and Me" movie. She loves any animal movies and often cries watching them.

Happy kids

Grandma and Grandpa treated us to Bucca de Peppo for Easter Dinner. It was great not having to do all the cooking (we came back to the house for dessert only). The kids enjoyed the decor and I loved looking at the all the old photos.

Isn't this a fun picture?

Easter 2012 (1)

Love the bright colors!

 

The concentration

 

The colorful fingers

The final product. Beautiful job, kids!

Talking about community

Some friends from school open their house every year to a bunch of kids (three classrooms plus a few extra kids are invited) for an amazing Easter Egg Hunt.

This year I was able to attend the event and was happy to see how fun it was for everybody -- children and parents. 

Maya is a little concerned that I'm slowing her down by asking to take a picture, ha ha!

Prizes!

The water slide was the icing on the cake at the end

Phillip even flipped upside down

Thank you friends for opening your home and your heart to your community of friends. The candy, the food, and the prizes are great, but the energy that comes from being around good people is undoubtedly the best gift.

Community

It happens naturally. It's in our nature as humans to look for the company of others. I am more thankful for that than words can express.

The grandpa who played with Phillip and friends at the park on Friday. Phillip said that all his friend Chris had to do was ask to play with the man and his granddaughters.

Friends from school to watch "America's Funniest Videos" with

A delicious meal

Really delicious -- I'm still finding out from my dear friend what  this turkish dish is actually called (besides "tasty", "mouth-watering", etc).

Sharing a meal

Laughing at each other's jokes

"God creates men, but they those each other"  Niccolo Machiavelli