Just an Update

I have not posted in a bit because there is just too much going on. I thought I would fill you all in on a little of it. A couple of weeks ago Tiffany came for a very brief but action packed visit. We managed to pack in two evenings out on the town, a nap (well Tiffany did), and a day frolicking in the waves with the kids - all this in about 30 hours. It was impressive actually. The kids have been pretty busy too - On the heels of the racetrack, Jackson went to see Itzhak Perlman with grandma. Madeline and her bff Lauren had fun at their 3rd grade school concert. For school, Madeline wrote the cutest story about traveling to Neptune with Alan Shepard - I will post it when it is returned from school. For the family - I included a picture of Johnny and Amy to prove she exists!

Mom of the Year

So I created a monster. Well I think I can blame it on my father. During our Spring Break escapades we took a trip to the racetrack. I thought the kids would like to see the horses and might have fun picking out who they thought might win. See, my Aunt came into town and my dad took them for the day and invited me and the kids. It was a lovely day and the horses were beautiful! So anyway - Madeline had her head in a book the whole day. She would momentarily check out the horses and make her choice. She overall was not too interested (well I should say that Inkspell won out). Jackson on the other hand, took to it like a fish in water. He was scheming with my father about the best picks. He was reading the stats about the horses and the jockies and even the racing style of the horses. At one point he wanted to bet on 2 horses, My aunt said "Why do you want to pick 2, if only 1 can win?" Jackson responded "Well one can win and the other could place". For those of you who don't know horse racing lingo (this was my first time seeing a horse race) - to place means to come in second. So during the kid's spring break, Jackson bonded with grandpa - gambling - nice! Just give me the mom of the year award. The next time I will tell you about Madeline's new fascination with the game Risk...

Easter '08

Easter was filled with candy, bunnies and the sounds of music created by the Ford children. They preformed 2 separate concerts. Yes, I said two... with many scene and instrument changes. It was loud and terribly cute (at least the first one :)

The kids took turns on the violin (thank you Ximena), piano, recorder and tambourine. Here are a few pictures of the day!

House for Sale

Nobody wants to buy my house but I'm not bitter. I'm not - really I don't think I am.

I am not bitter that I am trying to sell my house in the worst market ever! So bad that no one has even looked at it. I am not bitter. Oh yeah did I mention that we bought the house built in 1958 that had not been updated since. We spent two solid years doing everything in this house from walls to floors to the roof. OK, so I admit that Geoff did most of the manual labor in the house but, I have literally dug up half of the yard to trying to remove the old landscaping (if you can call it that). When I planted, I did so economically. I bought small and dug a big hole. The idea was that I was willing to wait a few years to see the fruits of my labor. Little did I know that my other half would feel the need to bail on our long term plan. So I am in an almost finished house with a less than half finished yard and the AC breaks down. According to the AC guy we need a new compressor. That is going to cost pretty penny that I do not have. But like I said, I'm not bitter.

Bad Tooth Fairy

Jackson lost one of his top front teeth at school on Friday. He pulled it out at lunch. So, he kept the tooth in a little bag and put it under his pillow and when he woke up it was still there and worse - No money! How could that happen??
We had to run out early (no milk) and when we came back - Jackson found that not only was his tooth gone - but he got $5! The Tooth Fairy must pay big when she is running behind. Crazy! Madeline made the comment that "Mom, you must not be the tooth fairy then since this happened while we were gone, then again, we did go out to the car a little earlier than..." Smart girl - Jackson did not seem to care about the mystery he was thrilled about the $5.

So it's official

Madeline is a 3rd grader. She was moved up on Monday so that she could take the FCAT this week which is necessary for 4th grade. I feel good about the decision. Mostly. Okay, so I have some reservations but who wouldn't. She is happy about the move and the school and the teachers were wonderful about the whole acceleration process (how often do you hear that?). I am sad though. I am not sure how my baby is going to be a 4th grader next year - didn't she just start elementary school? Next year I have to start thinking about middle school! I feel like I lost a year - oh I guess I did in a way...

Tae Kwan Do Tournament

Madeline and Jackson competed this weekend at the Friendship Open! Both kids did great. Jackson was first in forms and in sparring and Madeline had a good showing too! She did her form great but sadly did not win :( She did get 2nd in sparring! Both worked hard and took home a fancy trophy!