Hall of Fame Dance Challenge

Platinum!!! She won platinum! (Platinum is the highest you can get!)  She did a beautiful job today. I'm so proud of my girl! She placed 2nd overall out of 34 dancers. All that and it was her very first solo!

Congratulations Julia!!!!  

Junior • Solo • National League (Top 4)

#1   Alexa Houle in Man Of Lamancha

NEW ENGLAND DANCE CENTER

#2   Julia Digiacomo in Colors Of The Wind

NEW ENGLAND DANCE ACADEMY

#3   Ashlyn Mercier in Baby I'm A Star

BOUCHER SCHOOL OF DANCE

#3   Cecilia Milbrandt in Lullabye Of Broadway

NEW ENGLAND DANCE CENTER

#4   Kalyn Lavallee in When I Sing

BOUCHER SCHOOL OF DANCE

#4   Katherine Jacobs in Sabre Dance

NEW ENGLAND DANCE CENTER

#4   Ava Rooney in Home

NEW ENGLAND DANCE CENTER

#4   Bailey Mcguigan in Amazing Mazie

LISA MENNILLI DANCE ACADEMY

Julia's solo "Colors of the Wind"

This is Julia's very first solo. She's still working on it but I think it's beautiful! I'm so proud of her! Her Auntie Kerry did a gorgeous job with the choreography. Julia is competing it in two weeks!

2011 in review

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It DOES go by....and way too fast

When you're in the thick of it, it feels like an eternity and your mind races towards the future..."I can't wait to sleep through the night"..."I can't wait for them to be out of diapers"..."I can't wait to move all the toys out of the living room"..."I can't wait for them to be in school".

But before you know it...those days are behind you....forever. And you can never go back.

Our Nicholas...


Our Julia...
Our Gianna...
This woman took the words right out of my mouth. It says it all for me.

A wonderful reminder.

It brought me to tears.

I know I'm just like every other mom out there. I had those feelings. I said those words. Those days were HARD. But I do know that I enjoyed my babies so very much. I remember trying to memorize their tiny little bodies and the squeeky little sounds they made so it would be etched in my mind forever. And it is.

I know the next ten years will fly by as fast as the first ten. I wish I could slow them down. But I can't. All I can do is enjoy them and live in the moments.

They are my joy. They are my everything. I am so very lucky to be their Mom.

Our Weekend

Lots of playing in the snow this weekend for the kiddies. Street hockey, sledding in the yard, forts...

I heard banging on the backdoor and this is what I found. A little girl covered in snow head to toe but still smiling!

A sleepover Saturday night that ended at 10:00 p.m. A little boy wanting his mom. So cute.

Lots of dancing for Julia. She is getting so good but I worry that she is dancing too much on the weekends. So much for her tiny little body sometimes. She had her physical the other day and she's only in the 20th percentile for height and weight. "Petite" is what the doctor called her.

Nicholas had a hockey game last night which they WON! So proud of my boy in the net.

Sister Kerry's birthday celebrated yesterday. Made her a yummy cake. Fun to get together and celebrate with family.

And another week begins...

It snowed!

Finally...it snowed! Here it is, nearing the end of January and we haven't had any snow since October. We woke up today with a pretty blanket of about 3" inches of snow. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow lightly all day too. The kids are really looking forward to it!

Pretty crafty

I'm not a "crafter". I never enjoyed art classes when I was a kid. But now the kids bring home all these "family craft projects" as part of their homework. But I have to admit, I'm actually starting to enjoy these projects. Look at what Julia and I have made recently...

Aren't they cute? The little snowman was something Julia found in her new American Girl magazine. And the bigger paper snowgirl was one of those "family projects." I helped make the tutu!

On another note, Gianna gave these little guys some breakfast while she ate hers. So cute.

Funny of the day

Since the kids had the day off from school today, Danny took Nicholas to Lynwoods (our favorite pizza place) and I took the girls to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. After the movie was over, Gianna looked at me with a super serious face and said, "Wow. I should have gone to Lynwoods". What little girl doesn't like Beauty and the Beast?

A girl can dream

Welcome to my fantasy home! Come on in! Make yourself comfortable while I get us a glass of wine before dinner. I'll be right back...

I may be just a minute though. I have to tend to the fireplace in the kitchen...


What was that sound? Oh, yes. The buzzer on the dryer. I'll be right back. I have to toss in another load of laundry. Oh, how I love my bright and sunny laundry room. It's such a joy to do laundry these days I tell you.

Would you like another glass of wine before dinner? Oh, you want to see the rest of our home? Sure! Here is our bedroom. We just love the sunshine that pours in through those large windows...


Would you like to freshen up before dinner? There are plenty of clean fluffy towels in that basket under the sink cabinet...

Are you ready for dinner now? Please take a seat at the table. Oh dear. The kids left the orange juice out from breakfast. I'll get the table cleared so we can start our meal...


Did you have too many glasses of wine? Of course you can stay the night! I don't blame you if you don't want to leave our home. (Giggle.) Please feel free to spend the night in our comfortable guest room. I'll help set up the daybed for you. I left some water and fruit for you on the table.

I'll see you in the morning!! : )

Our Christmas

The Christmas festivities started with the school parties...

Gianna's class had make your own sundaes...

Julia's class also had yummy snacks...

Julia's self portrait hanging in her classroom...

and her friends...looks like "Maddie" is giving Julia the evil eye, doesn't it?

and they played fun games like this one...they had to draw a snowman on their head without looking...

I really like all three teachers this year. Look what Julia's teacher has hanging up in her classroom...

So different than the awful teacher Nicholas had in the 2nd grade. A year I am trying to forget.

Nicholas' class also had yummy snacks and lots of fun activities...

Three little girls in his classroom were following him around like puppy dogs. Oh boy. Are we in trouble!

Christmas Eve afternoon was spent at Kimmy's house...

and lots of fun gifts were opened...like this one...







This rock was our favorite when we were kids...we pretended it was a horse...now my girls run to the "horse" when they visit Auntie Kimmy's house...

Classic Gianna face...



Then it was back home for our traditional Christmas Eve as a family...

We make and decorate cookies for Santa...

sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn....



watch the Polar Express...and put cookies by the fireplace for Santa...

Christmas morning...the kids were SO excited! They woke us up at 6:30. We make them sit on the stairs (just like my parents did when we were kids). Oh, the anticipation!!!


They all ran to the biggest gift...it was for Nicholas!

This is fabulous...babycakes donut maker...it makes super yummy donuts!!!

Julia was thrilled to have a new American girl doll under the tree...Rapunzel meeting Kanani...

Gianna got lots of new horses for her collection...

Julia loves to draw and this is a great doodle book for girls...

Gianna's entire Christmas list for Santa was stuffed animals...so of course she was thrilled to open this guy...

A gorgeous new dress from Justice...

more stuffed friends...

a second remote and a Kinect (which DIDN'T WORK!). Ugh. It was their big present too. Very disappointing. But we finally got it to work late last night (two days AFTER Christmas).


And this is always MY favorite present...a new Nancy Drew PC game...these games are so much fun to play...

and another stuffed guy...
and another horse...

and his favorite present...a new street hockey net...

It was a very nice, happy Christmas.

The day after Christmas, we headed to Cape Cod for Nicholas' hockey tournament. Isn't this just the cutest picture of Gianna?

The hotel had a great wave pool and hot tub...

And now it's time to relax and enjoy the rest of the week at home. How was your Christmas?