A Little Bit Of Miss Red To Throw Into The Mix...

These are some older pictures of Makayla & Mom (me!) at the L. A.
Kid Space Museum.

This was our first trip there in
2004, when Makayla's

Pre-School Class went; and Mom

went along as a volunteer parent.

We had a lot of fun that day. And

Makayla got a chance to explore the

whole place, and then we had a

picnic lunch with all of her

classmates. Thse pictures of us were

taken at lunch, and right before we

left for the day. Makayla was 4 years.

*We enjoyed ourselves so much thatday, that we decided to go

back later, when JD was a bit older, so thatthey could enjoy it

together. It was even more fun the 2nd time we went!

J.D.'s Kindergarten Easter Party!

There is nothing like a good Easter Egg Hunt,
to get you in the mood for Spring Vacation!

Ms. Park's Kindergarten Easter Party was a whole lotta fun, for both the kids and the parents.

Mom volunteered to fill and hide he Easter Eggs for the big hunt. Then all of the kids came out and had a ball finding them.

Afterwards, the kids and the parents who wee there, went back to the room for some more Easter fun.

The kids counted their eggs, and checked out their candy loot.

Then, Ms. Park had some Easter Basket crafts for the kids to make.

First they colored, and then cut out the baskets, and then we put them together.

Then the kids sang a song or two that they sing in class, and passed the time until school got out.

...and then before we knew it, the bell rang, and it was time for Spring Vacation!!!

Spring 2009 Family Update

Makayla & Jeremiah at the Gardena Carnival;April, 2008



Daddy & JD at T-Ball ; Team Pirates.....Spring 2008

The Munchkins at the Gardena Koi Festival Spring 2008

(Makayla, Get your hair outta your eyes!!!) (Photoshop fix Mom?!)

Hey Everyone! I hope you are all well and enjoying your Spring! So glad that it’s finally here now. Warmer days, longer nights…and Spring Break is on it’s way. We are all getting ready for it now. The kids are finishing up their classes, both at school, and extracurricular ones too. A little Spring cleaning here, a little yard work there. Thankfully Old Man Winter has gone to bed, and all that wet, cold weather is over. (Although we really have nothing to complain about here in Southern California!) It is nice to start spending more time outdoors, and being able to stay out and play late. Soon enough we will be BBQing and swimming ‘til 8 at night. Ooh I can’t wait!
JD took his test to complete his White Belt Karate Class; and will now go on to the Yellow Belt Class. Yay Jeremiah! Way to go Buddy! He will be playing T-Ball on the Pirates, for another month or so. His Dad, Steve, coaches the team, and Papa Steve, Auntie Jess, and Uncle Edward also help out. (Co-Coach I think?) Also, Cousin Miah plays on the team too. (Such a cutie!) Makayla has found her own niche hanging out with all of the brothers and sisters of the kids on the team. They are an adorable gang of kids; with the little ones toddling around, all the way up to the tweens. I enjoy watching them play as much as the kids on the field. JD has been doing quite well in his Kindergarten class. He has been bringing home almost straight 100%’s on his spelling tests. (Poor guy had a fit when he got a -1! Talk about high expectations!) And while I am real proud of that, he has been in trouble for rough housing at recess. I know, I know…boys will be boys, but…So he spent a couple of nights without TV, and I am hoping that is enough. (But we all know it’s not. It never is.) It’s funny, for the most part, I can keep pretty good control of him at home; but when he’s at school, there is not much I can do. If anyone knows of a great method to keep boys from roughhousing at school; please let me know ASAP! Luckily it is just horsing around and not bullying. Otherwise…
So that is what Jeremiah has been up to, as for Miss Red…She is finishing up her last week of Hip Hop Dance Class, and getting ready to go to competition, next Saturday. Practice, practice, practice. (You have no idea how hard it has been for Ol’ Mom here, to memorize Karate moves AND a dance routine last week, in order to help the kids learn their respective routines!) Makayla also just finished up her very first Biography Report, on Princess Diana. (BTW- Did you know that is not her actual title? I didn’t either. Now we know.) She hasn’t gotten her grade back yet, but Parent Conferences are coming up this week… so I will be finding that and more out soon. Other than that, she has recently joined the after school Hula Hoop Club. She is enjoying herself immensely, and is really good at it. I love seeing them feel successful at what they do. Makayla also got a pink guitar from me at Christmastime, and I still need to get her some lessons for it. (You should have heard her singing Hannah Montana songs on Nana Dana’s Kareoke machine tonite! Hilarious!) When Makayla isn’t busy doing all of those things; she is busy working on her very first entrepreneurial effort. She is making and selling bookmarks at school. (She also catches and adopts out ladybugs to the other kids too!) She’s definitely got the genes for it. Papa Jerry is one of the best salesmen I know…and it runs heavy in the Carriere line. (It’s just too bad that Mommy here can’t get her art sold a little better!)
Now for Mama’s update. I am having a ball with my new blogs…maybe too much fun! I only started blogging at the end of February, so I’m still pretty new. Crafty’s Cuppa Coffee is doing the best. I have a lot of posts on that one, and 11 readers so far! 11! I think it’s kinda cool that people like what I have to write, and want to read more. From all over the place! So neat. Crafty Chick’s Retro Fantasy is right behind that one, with 7 posts I think, and 3 readers. My poor little art blog Crafty Chick Creations is the one with the least posts, and no readers yet, although there have been people that have checked it out, and commented on my artwork. So that is that. I have also just completed my first swap, on the Swap Bot website. I received 2 lovely packages from my swap partners. I still need to photograph them. My swap contributions were one of my handmade Paper Bag Albums, matching stationary, and a magnet for their fridge, for each lady. My packages were filled with my favorite; black & white stuff! Candles, a necklace, earrings, barrettes, paper clips, eraser, photo frame, a notebook and a few other things. Boy was that fun! Getting such a great package of goodies on an ordinary afternoon, instead of just bills, and junk mail, is fabulous! I highly recommend it to anyone.
Anyways, I am going to wrap up this post now. I hope that all of our family and friends are having as nice a Spring as we are. And let’s hope Summer is just as good! Happy Spring Equinox and Easter. I will try to post some updates every couple of weeks, or at least once a month. It would really be great if I can get some of more of my family and friends to check out this blog, and maybe exchange their blogs with me. I will be working on that in this next month.
Ciao,
~Danae

Spring 2009 Family Update

Well, here we are, and it is already March. Where does the time go? We have all been pretty busy so far this year. In February, both children started new after school classes. Makayla began Hip Hop Dance Class; and Jeremiah started taking Karate Class. They both are enjoying themselves, and doing well.

This month, JD also began a new season of T-Ball. He is #13 on the Pirates. His Dad is coaching the team again this year, along with his Aunt, Uncle and Papa. So it's a real family affair! They have played their first two games, and will play another tomorrow.

Both kids are doing well in school. Makayla, in 3rd grade, has just completed her first report. She did a biography on Princess Diana. She enjoyed learning about her life, and I think she did a very nice job on it. Let's see if her teacher agrees!

Jeremiah, in Kindergarten, has been doing a great job at school. He has just brought home his 6th or 7th 100% spelling test, in a row! So far, he has earned a 100% on every test. I hope he continues to do this well! He enjoys his class a lot, and his teacher describes him as a real leader, (but we already knew that, didn't we?!?) Ms. Parks, his teacher, is the recipient of his very first, school boy crush. He thinks she is great, and brings her flowers, often. (Mommy is trying not to be "too" jealous! As until now, I was the only "woman" in his life! I guess I am going to have to get used to sharing him with the ladies.

We all took a day trip up to the snow, last month. And hope to do it again real soon. We went to our special spot, up in Wrightwood. It is in the National Forest, right above the Mt. High Ski Resort. We go up there, and spend the day sledding, and playing in the snow. They had just gotten 5' of snow, and it was amazing! I have never in my life seen that much pure powder before. (But, of course I am a Southern Cali girl).

This time we brought some friends along, and everyone had a real blast. Makayla has mastered the toboggan, and also helped me to build snow people. While Jeremiah spent the entire day eating snow. He ate, licked, munched and smooshed his face in it, so much that I was worried he would give himself frostbite, or snow burn! He climbed the sledding hill, on his hands and knees, EATING SNOW THE WHOLE WAY UP!!! Such a silly boy I have. :)

So, that is basically the big update on the goings on of the Family. We hope that everyone else is happy, and healthy, and enjoying the end of their winter, and the beginning of spring. Ciao.