Small world

You know that old saying about "6 degrees of separation?" Yeah.....it's a small world. I just discovered that an actor I worked with in college is doing pretty well. He was actually in the first show I stage managed at Ball State. Last season he was in 2 episodes of Jericho.

Jeffrey Parise

Happy Leap Day!

Kaylee was having a rather grumpy "Leap Frog Day" but I had to get a picture of her in her frog-covered dress.

Enjoy your extra day today.....I hope you can find something fun to do with it!

Danny & Travis

I found this amazing video of Danny Tidwell (SYTYCD Season 3) and Travis Wall (SYTYCD Season 2) that you have to see!

Hip-Hip, Chin-Chin

I loved Lacey & Danny's routine to "Hip-Hip, Chin-Chin" last season on SYTYCD. Last night on America's Ballroom Challenge, Max Kazhevnikov & Yulia Zagoruychenko danced an equally hot routine to that number. Danny stole the show on the SYTYCD routine (one of the times we really saw his personality and connection on the show) but I think Yulia was the star of last night's routine. (And her costume was tons better than Lacey's too.)

Max Kazhevnikov & Yulia Zagoruychenko


Danny & Lacey

The Other Boleyn Girl

As a big Philippa Gregory fan, I've been anxiously awaiting this movie! Just 4 more days!

Weekend update

Kaylee has her spring semester school pictures on Friday. She wanted to wear a dress but I shot that down as it was well below freezing that day. Instead she opted to wear a pair of overalls that she had never worn before. She said she was going to be a "farmer girl" for her pictures.


Ruby's soccer team won their game on Saturday. They finished the regular season with 3 wins and 4 losses, ending up in 5th place in their division. Next weekend is the start of the playoffs.


We had a couple of hours between games this weekend, so we got to watch some of Keithen's classmates and former team-mates play between our games. One of his old team-mates got carried off the field but was limping around later in the day.

The team Keithen played this weekend had 2 classmates on it. Unfortunately, Keithen's team suffered it's only loss of the season. They ended the regular season with 5 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie, 38 goals for and only 16 goals against. They are in 1st place in their division. If they maintain their hold on the lead next weekend in the first round of playoffs, then they will automatically advance to the semi-finals.

There is a devotion after the game each weekend. Ruby pretty consistently asks for everyone to pray for her "Grandpa to be comforted because her Grandma died." This weekend she also added "and he has to take care of the doggies" so Grandpa and the dogs were all included.



During Keithen's game, Kaylee FINALLY lost that front tooth that has basically been held in by nothing but spit for a week now. She has quite the gap-toothed grin right now. (Why couldn't she have lost it BEFORE she had her picture taken on Friday?!)

Weekend catch up

I haven't posted in too long so I missed out on sharing all the fun of our long weekend.

Ruby is still really enjoying her tap class. She is teaching tap to her Webkinz at home now, LOL! I think I finally have her convinced that it is "animal crackers in my SOUP" and not "animal crackers in my SUIT."




Saturday was soccer, of course. Ruby's team lost by 1 point. It was a really close, hard fought game. Keithen's team remained undefeated with another win. (Sorry no pictures, I forgot to change the camera batteries.)

Sunday was a birthdy party with the cousins for Keithen, Kaylee, Ruby and their cousin Zoe who is turning 16. the girls were ecstatic to get 2 new Webkinz each. They also got some stuffed unicorns and dogs from Libby Lu that were a hit. Keithen's new electronics kit and Sims Castaway game have both been big hits too. He's driving me nuts with the sound effects from the electronics kit. And of course I can't get much done this week because *I'm* wasting too much time on the DS playing Sims also! LOL!





Monday was a day off from school (President's Day) so they had a long weekend. We went to the Party Tree to spend some of their birthday money on Webkinz. Keithen was nice enough to loan Kaylee some of his money prior to her birthday that is coming up next month. Keithen got 2 Lil'Kinz, Ruby got a Lil'Kinz, a carrier and a Webkinz blue hat, and Kaylee got the Lil'Kinz grey and white cat that she has always wanted.

The girls' main activity the past few days has been Kaylee giving Ruby piggyback rides.

America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS

Has anyone else been watching America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS? Right now it's keeping Ruby and me tided over until season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance starts on FOX on May 22.

Last night there was an interesting Cha-Cha & Paso Doble danced by Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina. It was like ballroom's answer to the awesome Shane Sparks Transformers routine danced by Lauren Gottlieb & Pasha Kovalev in season 3 of SYTYCD.

Lauren Gottlieb & Pasha Kovalev - Hip Hop


Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina - Cha-Cha & Paso Doble


A few similarities there, huh?

RIP Roy Scheider

Roy Scheider, star of Jaws, All That Jazz and The French Connection has passed away. I didn't know until recently that he had never danced prior to filming All That Jazz.....yet somehow he totally channeled Bob Fosse in that movie. Rest in peace Mr. Scheider, our thoughts are with your friends and family.

And Ruby's birthday continues!

Grandpa John took us all out to lunch after soccer and then we went home to open his presents for Ruby's birthday. I think she was very excited about all of them. She got some sparkly "birthday princess" stuff, the Webkinz German Shepherd that she's been wanting for ages and the Hannah Montana fleece blanket that no one could find at Christmas-time. Of course she had to get on the computer as soon as Grandpa left so she could register her new pet. She decided to name it "Pepper" after the German Shepherd that I had when I was little. I'm sure that, come bedtime tonight, she will be cuddled up under her new soft blanket with Pepper.

Soccer - week 5

Ruby took on heck of a header today during her game. There was a loud "thump" and she was knocked flat on her bottom. It *had* to have hurt. I had to run around to the other side of the field to check on her and calm her down. Carson, one of the little girls she knows from the opposing team, was very sweet and brought her a drink when she was crying. She pulled it together and got back in for the final 2 minutes of the game. By the time it was over, she decided she didn't even need the ice pack they brought her. Her team won for the second week in a row.



Keithen's team recovered their winning streak this week, beating the other team 6-1. He played against two classmates, Jake and Austin, and another boy he knows, Josh. He always plays more aggressive when his classmates are on the other team. I think he's not shy about really challenging them since he's known them for a couple of years. He was right up on Austin (who is about twice his size) for most of the game. He played really well. Grandpa John, Grandpa Dollar and Grandma Dollar all made it to watch his game. (My soccer pix are always so blurry. I need a better lens!)

Ruby's birthday, part 2

Ruby got some Disney princess books that came with a CD that reads the stories. She also got a new Colts cheerleader dress, a Hannah Montana outfit and a set of High School Musical dolls.

She asked for a special Hannah Montana cake from Walmart. It had a guitar filled with lip gloss on top and a picture of Hannah.

I'm still wondering where the past 5 years went?!

How can she be *5* years old?!

5 years ago today.....


Birthday morning.....

5 year old "Hannah-fanna" Ruby.....

Sweet sisters.....

(With Kaylee sporting her Sharpay look and Ruby in her new Hannah outfit.)

Thank heavens for Dr. Judy Yordon

My fellow BSU Theatre Department alums will know what I'm talking about when I praise our old prof Dr. Judy Yordon for helping me explain Keithen's homework tonight.

He brought home a poem that he was supposed to read and translate into "ba-bum-ba-ba-bum" sing-song language. In other words, the teacher was asking him to read the poem and then do basic scansion but write it out in silly language instead of marking up the text of the poem. I took him through the poem and we marked the stressed syllables and pauses a'la oral interpretation class and then translated that into "ba-ba-bum" language. We did an extra poem out of a book at home for good measure, just to make sure he understood the concept.

Unfortunately, now both of use are talking in rhymed verse. (You really should be glad I'm not writing this post in iambic pentameter.)

Soccer - week 4

Keithen's team had a VERY hard-fought game on Saturday. It went right down to the buzzer and ended in a 5-5 tie. They are 3W-0L-1T now.

Ruby's team finally won a game! And considering she plays for the Giants, we decided that this was a good omen for Eli Manning. :-)

A big congrats goes out to Eli and team for their Super Bowl win on Sunday. It was really cool to see Peyton so excited for his little brother up there in the luxury suite. Now, if only Belichick could have shown a little class and some good sportsmanship by staying on the field until Eli took his final kneel-down. 18 and 1 baby, 18 and 1.....and that 1 was the one that really counted.

Anyone else hoping for a Manning Bowl next year?

Birthday part 2

Keithen with his birthday loot.

I'm not sure if the wand was to help light the candles, blow out the candles or grant his wish! LOL!

Happy birthday Keithen!

Happy 9th birthday to my big boy!

He got a birthday package from Grandpa John last night with all the Spiderwick books in it, including a journal. It's in a really cool treasure chest box.

This morning he got another book from Mom and Dad before he left for school. He was seriously disappointed to NOT get a snow day on his birthday. The expected 4-6" of snow turned out to be about a half-inch.

Little Miss Tappy-Toes

Ruby had her second ballet/tap combo class last night. They did a ballet warm up and then did "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Then they all came out to get their tap shoes on. They start out holding onto chairs during tap because the floor is so slippery. You wouldn't believe the number of little girls I saw land on their bottoms. Looks like a Cottonelle commercial waiting to happen!

Some of these pictures are a little blurry because I shot them through the window without a flash. I was trying not to be too distracting, LOL! In tap, they are working on a routine to "Animal Crackers in My Soup" by Shirley Temple. I looked up a bunch of Shirley Temple videos on YouTube this morning for Ruby to watch.

I'm trying to convince her to let me try rag-rolling her hair again when her recital comes around. Last time we did it, they didn't hold too well. BUT.....we used more rollers on Kaylee and not too many on Ruby. Maybe if we put them all in Ruby's hair we can get the desired effect.




Isn't she just too stinkin' cute?!