TGIF!

Hello! :) Can you believe Friday is almost here? wow! I just finished a pilates workout, and thought I would post on my blog, while I still had some energy. I also have to get packing because we are taking a quick trip down to visit Will's parents this weekend. A pretty full weekend is planned. Dinner out tomorrow night (I'm a little anxious about that, since I want to stay within my weight watcher points).. and then Butterfly World on Saturday. Sunday we leave to come back home. I'm sure there will be some GREAT photo ops on Saturday with all the butterflies!

Anyway, my friend Kristin took some pictures last Saturday. The goal, to get new head shots for our Kindermusik website, and also a fun staff picture. I'm very happy with them!

Here's my new head shot

Here's the Grow and Sing Studios Staff! That Elizabeth (our new teacher), Me, and Rachael (my business partner).

Here we are being silly and jumping....

and... for those that gave opinions on Aiden's 2 year old pictures, thank you! This was the winner!!

There were many others we liked, but this was our favorite. We did get another one as well for our house...but this is the "official" 2 year old picture. :)

I'm tired from the week. Lots of Kindermusik classes (all wonderful!), and now packing and hitting the road tomorrow.

I hope you all have a perfect weekend, and I'll be back with Butterfly World pictures! :)

Love, Holly

Catching up and my week 4 weigh in....

I have been SOOO busy lately. I know, what else is new right? :)

So lets see.. first of all, the movie Reign on Me. It was VERY good. I knew it was going to be heavy, and it WAS, but who knew Adam Sandler was such a good dramatic actor. Although he was very good in Punch Drunk Love. Anyway, it was a perfect role for him, and even though it was sad, I truly enjoyed it. So, thumbs up from the Lesnicks!

Last week I went to a Mom's Nite Out with my girlfriends. We ate Sushi - my favorite - and snapped a pic. :) In June we are going on a Mom's weekend (this will be our 4th year going!) - this year to the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood Florida. Yes, that is where Anna Nicole Smith passed a way...a little eerie, but hey, it's a GREAT place! We all can't WAIT!

On Friday, Aiden got a haircut. Isn't he so cute in that chair?? The kids LOVE Miss Denise. So do we!!!!

The week has been busy, but very smooth so far. At Anna's dance class, all the parents were called in so we could learn the steps to their recital dance, and Aiden was having a great time watching all the girls dance! He mimicked them also, and he is now deemed the class mascot! So funny!

Today we went to My Gym. Aiden LOVES it there... I snapped some pictures. Here's Aiden with Miss Janet. She was teaching him how to climb the rope...

Here's Aiden learning how to do a handstand.

Here is Aiden with his favorite teacher Miss Simone. Miss Simone is also going to be Aiden's swim teacher this summer! (along with Anna, Kayla and Amy). Aiden LOVES Miss Simone!

Well, I weighed in today, and well.. I stayed the same as last week. No loss, no gain. I'm attributing it to PMS, since I was a good girl and stayed on program all week. If my suspicion is correct, then next week should be a good weigh in. It's all good, I just have to stay on track, which I will. I did vow to myself however to exercise at least 4x this week. I just finished my Pilates workout, so 3 more to go before next weigh in!

Anna has gotten into creating "Pine Cone Art". She collects pine cones from the back of our house, and creates. Apparently this work of art is called "The Clown"

I think I've caught up on the happenings around here! Hope everyone is having a good week. I'll be back soon! :)

Love, Holly

Saturday night...

It's been a few days, a busy few days! Will and I are about to go out to a movie, so this entry will be short. We are going to see Reign on Me, with Adam Sandler. I will report back and let you all know what we thought of it! This was a crazy week, a few ups and downs, but it's all good now. I did lots of teaching. It was "picture week" at Kindermusik, so my friend Kristin (who took Aiden's 2 year pics) worked VERY hard, and took over 2000 pictures of our classes. We can wait to see them. I'm sure she captured all the magic that happens in class between parents and children. :) Today, she also took staff pictures. Individual ones to change out on our bios on the grow and sing website, and also fun pictures of Rachael, Elizabeth and I. I can't wait to see those. We were awfully silly!

The kids are great... Anna was sent home this week with a report card of sorts, basically showing us where she is developmentally in preparation for Kindergarten. It was an amazing report, and we are SO proud of her. I might have to scan it in and brag a bit, especially for the family members that read my blog!! We can't believe it, but this coming week we are registering her for Kindergarten!!!!!! How is that possible. I mean really, how is that possible??? okay, the babysitter will be here any minute. So I'll be back with another post tomorrow, pictures included. Until then, have a wonderful Saturday night, and relax! :)

Love, Holly

Week 3 weigh in, and other stuff too!

Well, this was my third weigh in and I lost another 1.2 pounds! YEY! I'm down 4.8 in 3 weeks, so it's working... whoo hoo! I decided I wanted pics of my progress because it's very hard to realize your progress until you can really see it. So just like pregnant women take pictures as they get bigger and bigger, I'm going to take pictures as I get smaller and smaller! LOL!

So here I am today (Will took profile and butt shots too, but sorry guys, there are some things a girl must keep to herself... at least for a while!)


We are very much back in the swing of our normal schedule. Anna's back in school, she had dance class on Monday... today Aiden and I went to My Gym, and then I went to Weight Watchers, and tomorrow KINDERMUSIK!! Today, while I was cooking dinner (Weight watchers Eggplant Parm, yum!) Will played with the kids outside.

Aiden was really trying hard with the t-ball today. He hit a couple really well actually!! Go A-man! Here's his one handed swing!

I thought this was a precious pic of Anna...

Off to relax a bit and watch American Idol. YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT! heehee...

Love, Holly

A good week, now time to get serious!

So, let's see.. last time I left you, I had talked about Wednesday at the park. So, here's Spring Break continued!

Thursday morning, I got up and wasn't sure what I was going to do with the kids... but then it occurred to me that this really fun bounce house place called Sliderz has open play on Thursday mornings. Normally we aren't able to go, because I'm usually teaching Kindermusik, and Anna is in school.. but of course this past Thursday morning, we were free! I asked Will if he wanted to take the morning off considering he worked the entire weekend last week, and had a gig on Saturday night. He agreed, so off we went to Sliderz. I think the pictures will tell all!

Anna on the horizontal bungee!

That's me giving it a try... OY my back!

Go Anna!

Go Aiden!

Will and Aiden on the BIGGER slide!

and ME!! :)

Thursday night we had a Grow and Sing Studios staff meeting, so yes, a little work had to get done this week.

Friday, I met up with my sister and Carol (and all the kids), at the Borders in Altamonte, to see Mr. Richard perform. He writes zany children's songs that are appealing to both kids and adults alike! My favorite on Friday was a song call "Cheese", where it is basically mocking us parents for always have the camera with us, and taking pictures! It's a damn funny song. If you are interested in who this Mr. Richard character is, check out his site. I snapped a few pics while we were there... the lighting was weird, but I thought this was sweet - Kayla, Anna and Aiden were dancing to the music.


Saturday, Will had to work... but before he left, I managed to run out and get a pedicure. It was SOOOO nice!

Rachael and Paul invited me and the kids over for dinner that night, which was really nice. Paul was really considerate and made a yummy dinner, low in points and therefore low in stress. Will actually got off a little early, and was able to make it over to their place to be a bit social, so it ended up being a fun night.

Today, Rachael and I did a birthday party out in Windermere, in an unbelievable house. All I can say is guest house, game room and theatre , 7 bedrooms... OMG! Anyway, we actually did their daughter's party last year, and they re-hired us again this year. It was exciting for us, because it was our first repeat birthday business. Go us!!!

In other news....
Our Anna girl is sprouting! She put a dress on today, that she had worn last week just fine... but today it was SO short!!!! Tonight, as she was going to bed, she said her "growing pains hurt" and she was hungry. Oh my... LOL.

For whatever reason, this past week we have heard bad news, or just hard news from various friends (who don't know each other). I've been giving a lot of advice and trying to be strong for them - and a good friend... but I guess yesterday, it finally took it's toll on me (and maybe mix a little hormones in there as well!), and I was feeling pretty down. Anna asked me why I looked sad, so I told her the truth, that some of my friends were sad, and it made me sad. Well, do you know what that girl's answer to me was?? "Mommy, if they are sad, you should try to make them happy, instead of being sad too". Is that some seriously good advice from a 5 year old or what? oh, and then she came over and gave me a big hug and kiss, and asked me if that made me happy... and I told her YES! :) My life is so blessed.

Have a perfect week everyone! Weight watcher weigh in on Tuesday!

Love, Hol

I have been SO busy and haven't been able to blog in a few days. I've been missing it though, and look forward to tomorrow when I'll have a chance to add pictures and talk about the last couple of days... but it's been a whirlwind.. and since it's late and I have a birthday party to work at tomorrow, I must get some zzzzzz's. I hope everyone that celebrated (or still IS celebrating) St. Patrick's Day had a great time! Since Will had to work and we then couldn't find a sitter... we weren't able to join some friends downtown :( but we we did get to hang out at the Joachims tonight and have a fun night.... so it worked out great. Thanks to Paul for making a delicious weight watcher friendly dinner tonight!! Yummmm! (and healthy!). I'll be back tomorrow with much more exciting stuff! Until then.....





Love, Holly

"Love Bugs are in the air"

Yes, I wasn't aware that lovebug season had arrived until we started playing at the park. Those gosh darn things were EVERYWHERE!

Anyway, enough complaining and on to better things! Today was a nice day. The weather was pleasant, and the breeze was blowing. It was nice to be outside for a while, and the kids had a great time. We went to Central Winds park today, and started off on a new massive play structure. It was cool, but made for children age 5 and up, so poor Aiden was incredibly frustrated because he couldn't do much... so we played there for a while, and then everyone was kind enough to go over to the smaller play structure so Aiden could be a part of things. Since I could relax a bit more, I was able to take some shots at the smaller play area... Aiden found a girlfriend during that time. She just couldn't resist hugging and kissing him, and then they worked the slide together a few times. It was pretty funny.

Here's Anna pushing Aiden on the swing


Anna hanging with some of her friends (L-R: Kayla, Euan, Anna and Sarah)


Aiden and his new girlfriend. :)


Afterward we went to lunch and Anna ate a whole pack of Apple Wedges.. (very unlike her). She considered this her "new food" of the day... which is sketchy because she's eaten apple many times before. But.. who was I to argue when she was EATING APPLE! Right? :) I was really proud of her, and she asked that I take a picture to show Daddy.

Anna and I at lunch


Eating her apple!


Bedtime is fun in our house. It's very much a ritual that the kids look forward to each night. One part of it is that Anna asks Will or I to read her a story, while Aiden listens, and then while Anna climbs in bed and looks over a book independently, we read Aiden his story and put him to bed. Then we go in and say goodnight to Anna, and lights out.


I LOVE this picture... they were talking about the story....

What a happy boy!


Tonight, Anna got ready for bed, and closed her door because she said she had a surprise. When she was ready for us to come in, she showed us this lovely family picture she drew. That's Anna, Me, and Will and Will is holding Aiden. Take notice if you will of the height difference between Will and I. Pretty accurate? heehee...


It was another "on program" day for me of Weight Watchers, and I did my Pilates...so I feel goooood! I had lots of points left, so I rewarded myself with one of my favorites things - Jeremiah's Italian Ice. YUMMMM! If you live in Orlando, and haven't try Jeremiah's yet, GO!! It's amazing and not that bad for you (unless you have them add ice cream to it). I personally love the Scoop Froggy Frog flavor (mint choc. chip). Good stuff!

Okay, that's all I've got for tonight.
Nighty night all!

Love, Holly

I'm a LOSER! :)

We have got some sleepyheads in this house this week! The kids once again slept until 9:30am or so today... so alas... we missed the storytime at the pottery place, BUT..I promised Anna she would paint, and paint she did! I took her to Painted by Hue anyway, and she painted a LOVELY mug for her daddy. It was very sweet, and I give Aiden props for being so patient! He just chilled in his stroller and watched Anna.

We have been working with Anna on broadening her palate, because she has been SO picky with her eating. Anna has always been a picky eater, but over the last year or so, it has really gotten worse.. so she has promised to try something new everyday. Today we worked on sandwiches. I know right? What's not to like about a sandwich? But Anna up till now has rejected any sandwich we have ever offered to her.

Until today...............

She helped me make a scrumptious turkey breast sandwich. We used our Pampered Chef "cut and seal" to remove the crust and we were all set!


Then we made Aiden one also! He was loving it! :)


So, then it was time for that little thing call my WEEKLY WEIGH IN AT WEIGHT WATCHERS! AHHH!!! So, how did I do? I lost another pound! Whoo hoo!!!! I'm down 3.6 in two weeks now, and going strong. It's a wonderful reason to keep on going and reach that goal.

Since the sandwich making went over so well, I thought I would see if Anna wanted to help me make dinner. Tonight's recipe was from Weight watcher's e-tools called CHICKEN FINGERS. I figured that would make Anna happy right?... so she was great about helping... and even tried a bite, and well... she then ran to the garbage can to spit it out. I guess she didn't like it. Aiden actually had the same response (no he didn't get up, but he did return to sender), so oh well, I tried right? Actually, Will and I LOVED the recipe, and will definitely make it again, but I think the kids didn't like the honey mustard flavoring...it was too much for them. Live and learn, live and learn. haha!


After dinner we decided to take a nice family stroll, and we were able to get a few shots. Anna rode her princess bike which she is QUICKLY growing out of already (geeesh!).

May you have a perfectly wonderful day tomorrow. We'll be at the park with the playgroup enjoying the fresh air, and I'll be back soon! :)

Love, Holly

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah!

Hello loyal Deep Thoughts readers. :) Good to see ya!

First of all, thank you DAYLIGHT SAVINGS! My wonderful children slept in until the 9:00am hour today. Ahhhh! Now that's a Spring BREAK!

So the day started beautifully as I was well rested for the playdate over at my sister's house. It was a nice time.. the kids played for hours. :) It was nice to spend time with Dori and Rachael, and just chit chat without the constraints of our usual busy schedules.

OF COURSE, I snapped some pictures! What would my blog be without those?

Here are the girls playing so nicely....aren't they adorable?

Here's my A-man, jumping on Kayla's bed holding Barbies. Uh....yeah.

Rachael and Dori with their "beautiful beautiful, beautiful boys...."

oh, and that's me! haha!

I promised Anna, that if she ate a good dinner, she could make cookies... so tonight, these were her creations. The one on the left was for Will, The middle one was hers, and the one on the right was Aiden's (a heart because she loves him so much). Notice that there are only 3, because I kindly passed on cookies tonight. Anna understood. ;)

They were eaten in less than 30 seconds.

After the kids went to bed, I did my Winsor Pilates. Have you tried it? It's a GREAT workout!

Let's see... what else. Just want to give internet ((hugs)) to Sam. Will and I were able to talk with him this evening from Iraq, and the poor guy is really sick. So Sam, if you are reading this, we hope you feel better soon, and we hope they are letting you rest!!!!

Tomorrow... I'm taking the kids to a new activity. We are going to a paint your own pottery place.. but apparently on Tuesday mornings, they have a story time, and then the kids get to paint a piece relating to the story. Anna is very excited. Aiden is coming along for the ride. Not sure about giving him paint though. We'll see! heehee...

I also have my 2nd weigh in at Weight Watchers tomorrow! I've been very much "on program" all week, so we'll see what happens. Whatever the results are, I'm feeling good, eating healthy and moving closer to my goal.

And to leave you all with a little inspiration. I was talking with a close friend today, and we were talking about how easy it is to fall into a "downward spiral" in life. Instead of letting yourself fall, think of all the possibilities that are out there for you and strive to find them! This past November, I attended a Kindermusik convention where I saw Benjamin and Rosamund Zander. They are the authors of The Art of Possibility. If you haven't read it, or have never even heard of it, please check out that link above. It's such an inspirational and motivational book which you can apply to every facet of your life. Here's one thing from the book to take with you today: when you wake up, tell yourself that you are going to have a perfect day. Create that story. Go along in your day with that attitude, and you WILL have a perfect day (or close to it!), AND if something doesn't go exactly right, well... just throw your hands in the air and scream "how fascinating". and move on.

Oh, and one other thing: don't forget Rule #6.

What is rule #6??

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"Don't take yourself so G-d D-mn seriously!" ;)

Have a PERFECT day everyone!

Love, Holly

An unexpected treat!

Well, we were a little off because of the time change, and decided this morning that we would go out for lunch, then go do our weekly trip to Publix and get home just in time for Will to leave for his Sunday afternoon/evening job. We thought it would be nice to eat lunch on Park Ave. in Winter Park, so we headed out that way. First we had lunch.... but around 1:30 we noticed they were blocking off the street, and there were lots of people milling about (more than usual for a Sunday)... hmm...

We found out that at 2pm there was going to be a St. Patricks Day Parade. Apparantly next weekend is the annual Winter Park Art Festival, so they had to do it this weekend instead. What a fun treat! So we decided to postpone the Publix trip until tomorrow and stay for the festivities! It was LOTS of fun!

Aiden scored himself some green beads!

There's Anna begging for candy!


Aiden LOVED watching the horses


Bagpipers


An extra special parade participant


We had such a nice afternoon, and it was completely spontaneous. But... then we had to go home, and Will had to leave for work. The kids and I had a nice evening and I finally just finished cleaning up around here. I'm off to go watch L-word and wait for Will to get home. Tomorrow we are off to my sister's for a playdate with her kids and Rachael's. Should be nice and relaxed...

Nighty nite!

Hol

Strawberries anyone?

Spring Break is here!!! YES!!!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my job as a Kindermusik business owner and teacher...but wow, I really needed this break! Each day I also make sure I spend quality time with my babies and Will, and cook good meals, and I love it all...but just knowing that for the next week, Anna doesn't have school or dance class... Aiden doesn't have My Gym, I don't have Kindermusik.... we are just FREE...well it feels grrrrreat! Friday was my first "official day off" and I started it off by going to brunch with my friends Rachael and Carol. Then I went and got my hair done all by myself... SO relaxing! Last night Will and I went on a date. We were joking that it was a Junior High date... we went to dinner, then played putt putt, then got coffee... :) it was very nice. We went to the newly renovated and expanded Bangkok Square. We always do take out there...so this was our first time dining in, and it was REALLY yummy!

Today was a very nice day. Will had to work, so I took the kids out to Sorrento, to a place called Oak Haven Farms. It was about a 1 hour drive for us, which was so nice... out in the country. Very scenic. The farm was so much fun - strawberry picking, playground, hayride, zip line (okay, I wimped out on that, but my 3 year old niece swung from it), hot dog roasting over a fire, strawberry shortcake (no I didn't eat any), and country store. It was well worth the drive, and it was great to spend the day with the Diamonds. We missed Will though!

Lots of photo opportunities! Here we go!

Let's see, first we played on the playground. Here are Anna and Kayla at the tire swing...


Then we went on the hayride through the pine tree farm. It smelled so good!!!


Then it was time to pick some strawberries. Aiden LOVED collecting the berries and putting them in the box. Anna was having fun too, but a little squeamish by the bumblebees lurking around...








Then it was time to buy our strawberries and eat lunch in the country store.


Here I am cuddling my adorable nephew Brandon


Me and my sis


and I couldn't resist posting my very brave niece Kayla on the Zip Line! I was VERY impressed!!!!


I'm still waiting for Will to return home from his gig. Tomorrow we (me and the kids) look forward to seeing him for a while before he has to go again for yet another gig Sunday afternoon/evening. Have a GREAT rest of the weekend everyone, and I'll be posting lots, with all the fun things we are doing all week!

Party on! LOL!

Love, Holly