little sketches of us…

Mom and Dad were able to fly out for Christmas, and we had a great time together. As a surprise Christmas present from all the kids, we treated them to a night out at a mansion/castle bed-and-breakfast in Versailles, Kentucky. It’s called The Castle Post after the guy who owns it. Check it out:

We took tons of pictures, so you can have the picture tour by clicking on the slideshow below. We got to hang out and play pool at the castle the next day after we picked up Kevin from the airport. I think everyone had a fun time, and I decided this would be an awesome place to stage a Clue Party. You’ve got a library, a ballroom, a dining room, a billiard room, a creepy empty hallway in the back, a kitchen that you’re not supposed to go into, etc. There is also a “hot tub on the roof” that’s not open in the winter, a workout room, and tennis courts. It’s great fun. The place doesn’t seem to be managed very well, which means it could be a ton better, but we had a very good time. Here it is:

The Enchanted Escape VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We also had lots of good times together at home, eating, playing, and going to movies since my parents got to stay for a week and Kevin for a few days. We have a Christmas tradition of acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve, and the kids were so excited about everything that I will include a few more pictures of the events:

Christmas Bash VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Because we actually looked like we were ready to go to church one Sunday. (This does not happen very often.)

The fun-filled adventure at our house included 14 kids, the making of robot antennae headbands, techno dancing robot-style, a treasure hunt, tape the button on the live robot, and the eating of robot shortcake.

Pictures available at:

Icleanus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Photographer: C.J. at
Photo-editing: Constantin Icleanu

Thank you for doing such a great job!

1. First of all, I love it that he calls himself Birt, with a very serious accent on the “t.” He also says Oliver; it’s a run-on word kind of like “Ol-a-er.”
2. Yes.
   Birt answers questions very seriously. He considers the question, he decides if he agrees or not, and he states very clearly and solemnly, “Yes.”
3. Ah, Eat. Food.
   This is interchangeable with “Ah, eat brefuss.” Breakfast can be asked for at any time of the day.
4. Birds. In. Dryer.
   This is our wake-up call. He comes in every morning, slams our bedroom door behind him, and says, “Birds. In. Dryer.” Yes, there are usually real birds in the dryer’s ventilation in the mornings. Oliver gets really excited about it.
5. Luving you. So much.
   This is adorable, and he just started doing it last week in church. He dove onto my lap, put his arms around my neck and said, “Luving you. So much.” Now he likes to do it to Merayla and Daddy too, whenever we are sitting somewhere for a long time.
6. Guess what?
   I’m not sure where he learned this, but he actually cups his hands around your ear and whispers it. When you say, “What?”, he says it again. I think he’s trying to play a game.
7. Rice. Christmas. Tree.
   Somehow this got confused with Rice Krispy Treat. I think…
8. Open shop; closeitup.
   This means open it up and close it up, but they go together. Always.
9. Yeahhhh!
   Whenever we say someone is coming or we are going somewhere, he likes to shout this, especially at breakfast when we are talking about the day.
10. Meesh-eesh
    I had to ask Merayla for the translation of this one. It means “move.”
11. Come Lay-la
    And if she doesn’t come right then, he keeps saying it until she does. Another one that goes along with this is, “Watch out, Lay-la!”
12. Go. Wimming dit.
    Translation: I want to go swimming. Anytime. Any season. We must have good memories from the summer.
13. Pocc-u-kook
    This means popsicle. And he loves them!
14. Look. Me.
    When Oliver says this, he puts his hands together above his head, and then dives at the floor while turning in a somersault-ish cartwheel.
15. Look. Me. (at the table)
    When he says, “Look. Me” at the table, he wads his hands into fists, puts on this crazy grin with huge eyes and acts like he is madly driving a truck. Guess you’ll need a video to catch the full moment, but it’s pretty funny.
16. I. Robot.
    With a cardboard box on one arm.
17. Vvvvvvvvvvv.
    This is vrooming (driving). Lots of things vroom: cars, trains, vacumn attachments, food…
18. Foo-goo-dot..
    I didn’t know what this meant—though he and Layla say it all the time to each other—until Oliver finally explained it to me the other day: “Foo-goo-dot orange” is “Want orange.” Translation: I want whatever follows the word foo-goo-dot. Haha! No idea the word roots on this one!
19. Have any socks.
    This means he does not have any socks, which really means that he’s taken them off and they are right beside him on the floor.
20. Eek-up, Mommy.
    Wake up, Mommy. Self-explanatory.
21. Picy Coo-Bus.
    This means Spicy School Bus, and it refers to hot sauce, of all kinds. Oliver says it pretty much anytime we eat something spicy, or when Cristian is having hot sauce on something mild, which is pretty much every time we’re not having something spicy. So, normal language at our table = Picy Coo-Bus.

Charlyn, Christina, and baby Savannah got to come for a long weekend, and it was tons of fun. We did some extreme hairstyles, hiked the Natural Bridge with our babies, celebrated Bird’s birthday, and stayed up late into the night playing the princess matching game. For real. It was great. I miss them already.

Natural Bridge 2 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

At the party, Bird loved the cream puffs and the candles and played really well with his little friend Violet. Everyone got a name tag with the way Oliver says their name (as shown in the pictures). My favorite was that Char and Christy both got to be “Char,” but I didn’t get a pictures of it. Oliver was cute and has grown up so much lately. Next post to contain all the fun phrases that he is saying now. Two-years-old is such a fun age. He is full of so much love.

Oliver’s 2nd Birthday VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Chop, chop. I’ve been called Tinker Bell, Julie Andrews, and Beib so far. I totally like it. Tressa Rowe did a great job, if anyone’s looking for a stylist. Christy and Char got in on the fun as well, and we had a great time.

Drum roll…

Great performances to follow…

Piano Recital VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Applause and pictures…

Everyone worked hard and did a great job. I’m thankful to all of my students for letting me be a part of their music. Keep on practicing (me too) !!!

The “Halloweekend” Recital was the first recital I’ve attended as a teacher. I think I was more nervous than my students! Thankfully, I didn’t have to organize it, and the folks at Gist Piano Center did a great job of making it fun for everyone. Merayla wanted to dress up as a pioneer, so Cristian was a cowboy and Oliver kept saying “no” to all dress up options so he ended up in shorts and a coat. I was a Spaniard—or the closest I could get with a mascara mustache—to match my duet partner, a Spanish dancer. My students performed “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” “The Goblin’s Ride,” and “Fandago.” They did an excellent job, and the costumes were superb. Another round of applause for Carson, Haylee, and Morgan!!!

Halloweekend – 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL