From Our Family to Yours

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! We hope Santa was good to you! We had Jimmy home for a few days - that was the best gift of all!

Our Nutcracker with an Attitude

Well, our performances are coming to a close. Kali did a wonderful job as a Russian Hoop Dancer. Her one handed cartwheel executed while holding her hoop was stellar! The theater was full, smiles were a plenty and our twist on the traditional Nutcracker was well received. Peyton was very excited to see her sister and her Mom on stage. Thank God it's over. Both girls are starting to dream of Christmas Sugarplums and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jimmy on Thursday and Santa on Monday. Kali has one more performance on Wednesday morning for the homeless of Akron and then The Nutcracker with an Attitude is a wrap. Peyton has visited Santa twice and has high hopes for Christmas morning. The second trip to the "big man" did bring some reality with it. Kris Kringle told Peyton she had to clean up her toys everyday and stop splashing water in the bathtub - maybe he CAN see everything they do! The look on Peyton's face was priceless. It was more effective than threats of Jack Frost.
Merry Christmas!

All Dressed Up

Before Jimmy left for Greece we managed time to snap a family portrait. Merry Christmas!

Our Sweet Angel Boy

Bonehead

1991-2006

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

Well, the holidays are upon us and we are up to our elf ears in rehearsals, performances and yuletide fun. Thanksgiving was uneventful - the 1st holiday without my Mom was a bit trying for everyone, especially my Grandma. But, since we are dancing maniacs, we had very little time to dwell on it. So far, the performances are going well. Kali will be performing on Saturday and on Wednesday. Then it's HO,HO,H-over. As you can see, Jimmy was here to put up the tree and kick off the Christmas season. The kids had a great time. I am having just a terrible end of 2006. I lost my beloved cat, Bonehead, 2 weeks ago and I am still trying to come to terms with that. He was my very best friend and was always at my side. I know I was absolutely blessed to have such an incredible animal in my life for 15 years and I do find some comfort in that. Losing my Mom and my best friend in a matter of a month has definitely taken the wind out of my sails. Bless Kali's heart, not a day goes by that she doesn't give me a hug or write me a letter about my losses. She is grieving for her Grandma and for her pet, as well, but never misses a chance to console me. She is one special little girl. It looks like Jimmy may be leaving for Patras, Greece soon. He is ready to start playing, but we have really enjoyed him being home. I'll keep you posted. Check back next week for pictures of Kali and the Nutcracker!!!

Birthday Bashes

Well, it's official, I am the proud mother of an 8 year old and a 3 year old! Although the birthday parties had the sadness of my mother's death over them, I believe a great time was had by all. Kali and 16 of her friends baked delicious pies - Kali made an apple one, Peyton's choice was cherry - and the entire baking bunch ate lunch in a vintage train car at Quaker Square. Peyton's party was a full blown Curious George extravaganza! The theme - Curious George Goes to the Circus - seemed to please all 60 people there! We had a clown who made balloon animals and hats, lots of games and, of course, a pinata! The birthday's were a resounding success, but Jimmy and I are all partied out! It seems like I've been writing thank you cards for a month! Being surrounded by family and friends is what I am most thankful for. Our friends turned out in force to support my family during my Mom's funeral, I felt blessed by Love. This past weekend I was able to bring everyone together for a much happier occasion - Peyton's 3rd birthday - and enjoy their company under much better circumstances. The events of the past month have definitely caused me to pause and reflect on my life. I realize that Jimmy and I are so very blessed. I'm not sure what we ever did to deserve so many wonderful people in our lives, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Thank you to everyone, near and far, for love and friendship. That's what makes life so very worth living!!!

In Loving Memory, Roseanne H. Klir

Grandma-with-the-black hair, Peyton and Kali
Aunt Kelly, Grandma-with-the-white-hair, Grandma-with-the-black-hair, Uncle Joe
On October 20th, Kali and Peyton lost their loving Grandma. She made the very unexpected trip to Heaven during an afternoon nap. Kali is dealing fairly well with her grief, she has 8 years of great memories to get her through, plus an ever growing faith. Peyton is still waiting for her "Grandma with the black hair" to come home from Heaven. She doesn't understand that her Grandma is finally Home. We all are still reeling from the shock and the reality hasn't set in. We will need your prayers in the upcoming months more than you know.

For the Love of a Princess and a Pirate

It was a hauntingly happy Halloween at 730 Hampton Ridge Dr. October 31st was a resounding success for our resident princess and pirate! They each collected 2 bags full of candy while trick or treating. The weather cooperated - clear skies, bright, spooky-spooky moon and no rain!

A Great Big Pile of Leaves

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Nothing says autumn like a trip to the pumpkin patch! Peyton and Kali love everything about pumpkins - picking them, carving them, eating them and most of all, roasting the seeds. This is our 1st round of the big orange gourds. We still have a couple pumpkin farms to visit and we never leave one empty handed. A friend of ours has a farm, we have to ask him for some "undesirables" to hack up for their seeds. There are never enough pumpkin seeds to satisfy my family. We even have to share them with Kali's teacher. Apparently, Kali is the only kid in the class who delights in seed roasting and Mrs. DeBerry made it clear she wants to cash in. I think Kali can continue her straight A's without the bribe, but we send them in for a little insurance! This is my favorite time of year. The foliage is gorgeous, the air is clean and crisp and the pumpkin spice latte has returned to Starbucks. Life doesn't get any better in Akron, OH. Add to that the pumpkin-flavored donuts, bagels, cream cheese, cakes, pies.......You get the picture. Somewhere I've heard how healthy pumpkin is for you. If this is true, I am simply exuding good health!

89 and Going Strong

We spent Sunday afternoon celebrating my Grandma's 89th birthday! The whole family came together to make it a very special day for Kali's "grandma with the white hair." We teased her that next year, the big 9-0, will warrant a bona fide "shindig" - her word, not mine.

Kindermusik Fun

Peyton is up to her ears in fun this autumn. Kindermusik, Storytime and Explorations in Dance class... she has us hopping. Jimmy is still home and Peyton is eating up every minute. Kali is busy with school and dancing. She is looking forward to making her dancing debut with the Akron Symphony Orchestra later in October. The arrival of October brings birthday planning with it. Kali has decided she wants to bake pies at The Pie Factory at Quaker Square in beautiful downtown Akron. Can't wait to see 18 kids up to their elbows in flour! The best part of this party will be the 9 inch pie each kid gets to take home! We will rent the partyroom at our condo for Peyton, she chose to have a "Curious George" party. Clowns, games and a pinata will be on the ticket - your typical 3 year old garden variety birthday. Should prove to be an exciting month!

All is "Fair" in Geauga County

Well, the girls returned to the county of their birth for the final "Country Fair" of the year. The Geauga County Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ohio. We had a great time. My aunt and uncle moved to this area a few years ago and we are continuing to discover the beauty of Amish country. Of course, for Kali and Peyton it was all about the greasy food and the friendly (or not-so-friendly) animals. We ate homemade and delicious (read, unhealthy) food, saw the most lovely animals and rode some pretty scary looking rides. The girls were able to interact with all kinds of animals - little rabbits to draft horses and everything in between. The llamas and the alpacas were especially interesting to Kali. Peyton liked the miniature horses and the sheep. Good, wholesome family fun! The food selection was mind boggling. We all agreed that the fried sweet potatoes were wonderful, but nothing beats fried shoe string potatoes with malt vinegar! Can you hear my arteries clogging?

Back to School Blues

Well, it's official, Kali will be in school here this year. She started 2nd grade yesterday. She is excited, I was a little sad to see the summer end. We had a fantastic 3 months! Kali seems to like riding the bus, even though I think she is on there way too long! I'd prefer to take her in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon. Oh well, it's only for 3 months. The new school building will be finished in December and they will move over Christmas break. Kali is really excited about being part of the 1st group of kids in the brand new school. Miss Peyton reached a milestone yesterday, as well. She took her 1st dance class!!! She had a great time! Next week she starts Story Time at the library and the following week she begins another session of Kindermusik! We are going to be busy this fall!

A little bit of Africa in Sandusky, Ohio

Jimmy and I took the girls to Kalahari, an indoor waterpark/resort, for a last summer "Hurrah." We had a great time! Kali is really starting to enjoy playing in the water and Peyton is a kamikaze! She was on every water slide Jimmy could talk them into letting her ride!

Butterfly Magic

The summer is quickly fading and we are trying to make the best of the last few days of Kali's freedom. A trip to Cleveland's Zoo proved to be a bunch of fun! A day full of playful polar bears, hungry sting-rays and beautiful butterflies! The girls love going to the zoo, our membership got quite a workout this year. Kali's favorite part of this trip was the TOUCH! exhibit. She was able to pet sting-rays and sharks! The sharks circling the pool made her a little nervous, but she plunged her arms in and had a wonderful experience. Peyton's favorite animals were the reindeer. She insisted on looking for Santa, but couldn't find him. Go figure, August in Ohio, is it any wonder why Santa was a no show!?!?!?

Lazy Days of Summer

As Kali was cooking her heart out at The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, Peyton spent a day feeding the animals at the Akron Zoo and she enjoyed an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese. We have had a GREAT summer and we are looking forward to a couple more days of excitement before we settle into our Autumn schedule.
Bonehead and Jasmine are getting old and these days they just seem to lay around the house and sleep. I managed to catch them with their eyes open! Our sweet cats!

Working at the Car Wash.....

Jimmy spent a beautiful summer evening washing his beloved GMC Cyclone. The girls had to be content washing their wagon! Summertime in Akron! Ain't life grand!?!