3 Cheers for Aunt Heather

Why are were cheering for Aunt Heather? Because she is making it possible for Paul and me to go to Italy. She is taking vacation time to come out and watch her nieces and nephew and all she's asked for in return is a souvenir bag that says, "Good girls go to Heaven; Bad girls go to Italy." (She missed her chance to get it last year when she was in Italy) Now I think that this sacrifice earns her the favorite aunt (and sister) award for the year. She also has earned this award for 2002, 2004, and 2007 because of her willingness to watch the kidlets when the grown-ups escape for a vacation. The benefits of this award aren't always tangible--you get kids who beg to sleep over at your house, ask if you can be the mom instead of their real mom, and tell their mom how funny you are. You also get a sister and brother-in-law who are indebted to you for life!
So those of you who know Heather will need to check in on her periodically and make sure she's okay and that her sanity is intact. After all, she's going from 0 to 3 kids in one fell swoop (for 9 days)!

Ballet

Afton loves ballet-she practices her dance steps at home and tells me she also wants to take tap class next year. Each semester there is one day when the parents can come in and watch class. I was amazed at how much they have learned since last fall--they know the French terms for all their steps. I actually just love little girls in pink leotards--I think they are adorable! The lighting isn't great in the studio-my pictures didn't turn out well. In the video, the girls do a little Maypole fun dance--it's not the greatest display of their talents, but at least you can see a some of our little ballerina! (she's on the teacher's right)

Happy Easter

We started off the weekend by dyeing our Easter eggs--Halle just liked to crack them, so we ended up with three less...The Easter Bunny visits our house on Friday night so we can do the fun stuff on Saturday. We're trying to get the kids to focus on the importance of Easter on Sunday--we're off to a slow start, they're still just interested in their loot.



Sunday morning was really nice--Paul had no meetings and got to help the kids get ready and drive with us to church! That was a blessing for me! The kids were so cooperative that they let me take a picture of them in their spring Easter outfits. (We still wore them, even with 8 inches of snow!)
We hope you had a lovely weekend as well!

Trip Preparation

So Paul and I are finally taking a trip to Europe--and we chose Italy. Rather, I chose Italy. I have always wanted to go and Paul said that was fine. He put me in charge of all the plans except the flights. We'll spend 3 days in Rome, 2 days in Florence and 2 days in Venice. If either of you two readers out there have recommendations for things we must see, let me know. The trip planning (and subsequent wardrobe planning) is the only thing getting me through our cold, yucky winter and Paul's multiple days away from home. He sent me a text-message this morning to cheer me up--only 11 days until Italy!

Where I've Been...

Sadly, I have not been anywhere fun. On Monday, my computer decided it was done working. After spending countless hours on the phone with Mikey and Kevin from India, having a new CD sent out to me, installing various applications and whatnot, I am back online. Although, it comes at a cost. I had not backed up two months of pictures, had not saved a few documents in a place other than my hard drive, and have lost many addresses/contacts. If you know me, please send me an e-mail so I can get you back into my address book! It's amazing how lost I felt without my internet connection!

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home...

Paul has been traveling quite a bit these last few months and when he's in town, he usually has to go downtown--that means he's up and gone by 6:15 to catch the train and doesn't get home until nearly 7. The kids love to play with their dad and count down the minutes until he's home! Paul takes it well, but he is usually mobbed by all four of us when he gets home!

Typing Test

My friend Amy had this link on her blog, so I decided to try it out. I think I did pretty well--I inherited my dad's speedy typing fingers. He used to beat all the girls in high school in typing tests--and that was when they had those hard manual typewriters. I used to love type class in 8th grade. No homework, sit in class and chat with friends while you practiced typing! Try it out and tell me how you do! (Dad, I'm expecting you to show us your stuff!)

87 words

Speedtest

Casimir Pulaski

Here is the information on Casimir Pulaski--he's not a Chicago hero, but rather a Polish hero. Because there is a large Polish population in Chicago, we celebrate Pulaski day. A few other cities also celebrate Pulaski and there are offical Pulaski parades on the official Pulaski Day in October. I enjoyed Christie's guess about a hot dog--they are famous around here! My favorite was Ashley's guess that he was the Polish cousin to Nancy Pelosi and that he is also linked to Barack Obama--currently the most talked about Illinois citizen! Thanks for guessing--you will be getting a surprise from CHICAGO in the mail!

Sometimes called the "Father of American Cavalry," Casimir Pulaski was born March 4th, 1747, in Warka, Poland. (It may have been 1746 or 1748.) He became a national Polish hero in 1771, when he and his army overwhelmingly defeated Russian forces in Czestochwa, Poland. Pulaski was wrongly accused in a plot to capture and kill the King of Poland and was banished from Poland.

While in Paris, Casimir heard of the American Revolutionary War and the colonies' struggle to break free from England. He wrote Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris, to ask if he would consider hiring him to fight against the British. After hearing of his reputation as a great leader, Franklin recommended him to General George Washington.

Washington knew that the colonists had no trained cavalry, so he met with Pulaski and introduced him to LaFayette and John Hancock. In September 1777, Washington convinced Congress to give Pulaski temporary command of the small, new cavalry detachment. On the same day Pulaski saved military supplies and pushed back the British at the Battle of Brandywine. The next day he prevented a surprise attack at an area called Warren's Tavern. Congress acknowledged Pulaski's leadership and bravery and commissioned him as Brigadier General. He was placed in command of four light cavalry regiments.

During the winter at Valley Forge in 1777-78, Pulaski wanted to train the cavalry properly, but was instructed by Congress to rest his men during the winter, as was customary at the time. Later in 1778, Pulaski became frustrated that his cavalry had not been involved in any important battles. Considering resignation, he asked Washington to allow him to start his own legion. He offered to recruit men, outfit them, and train them his own way. He would prepare this cavalry for active duty. After many letters from Pulaski, Congress finally agreed. With 68 horses and 200 foot soldiers, the Pulaski Legion would become the colonists' first true fully-trained cavalry.

He recruited many men, European and some Americans. At first, some of the American soldiers did not like him because he did not speak English, but they soon began to respect him in battle for his courage and intelligence.

During a battle in Savannah, Georgia, Casimir was wounded by a cannon. He died from complications of this wound. The first Monday in March has been designated Pulaski Day in Illinois. There is also Pulaski County honoring this great war hero. The Pulaski National Monument is located in Savannah.

Pulaski Day

So the kids are off school today (again) for Pulaski Day. If you live outside of the Chicagoland area, you probably have never heard of Pulaski Day. I'm going to let you take a guess (without googling it) what Pulaski Day is and why Chicago kids get a day off from school. Comment by the end of the day and I'll let you know tomorrow. There may even be a couple of prizes--one for the correct guess and another for the most creative!