Isabella's Birthday Party

We wrapped up Isabella's weeklong birthday celebration with a party at As You Wish pottery yesterday. Izzy invited all the girls in her Kindergarten class, her gymnastics class, and a few close family friends. The girls had a great time painting together!

Isabella Turns 6!

I can't believe my "baby" turned 6 this week! We've been having a week-long birthday celebration here, starting with a pool party with the family last Saturday. The kids had a blast swimming, and we adults enjoyed the abundance of food that accompanies every Montini Family gathering!






Isabella's actual birthday was on Wednesday. I visited her classroom, where she got to wear a Birthday Crown. The kids made her a special book where each child wrote about their birthday wish for her. We had a mini celebration with Zingers and juice boxes. Here she is with her class of Kindergarteners...




We'll top off the "big week" with a party at As You Wish pottery this Sunday. 15 of Isabella's friends and classmates will be there. Should be fun!

More from Happy Jack

Here are a few more pictures of our fun times in Happy Jack...

That's me! Enough said...

Nancy and Jason

Papap firing up the grill we got him for his birthday.

My sexy husband enjoying a glass of wine in the cool country! Ooh la la! ;-)

Amanda, Isabella, Ben, and Dominic rocking out in the loft with the guitars Papap bought them.

Back to Happy Jack

We just had a fabulous day and night at my in-law's new "mountain home" in Happy Jack! The house looks gorgeous now that all the furniture is moved in, and Judy has truly made it look like a Montini home! I have a ton of pictures to share, so I'll have to post two times!

The girls and Baxter are all settled into the van and ready to roll!

Izzy is a natural on the little tree swing!

Uncle Jason has fun showing the kids a salamandor he found.

Grammie Judy is kicking back at her new home.

Ben and Amanda are dressed for our "performance" of the day. As most of you know, a Montini family gathering would not be complete without a singing and dancing performance from the kids!

Friday ramblings

The girls have been so busy now that they are back in school!

Isabella has her first take home project this week. She has to go find a Community Helper, take her picture with that person, and ask questions about how his or her job helps the community. She wants to visit the librarian at our library. I tried to talk her into visiting the fire station so mommy could also check out the cute firemen, but no such luck! :)

Amanda is loving 3rd grade, but not loving all the homework that goes with it! She's got 25 spelling words each week on top of a big weekly packet of worksheets. She did a report in class on Bridget Sloan, an Olympic gymnast, and loved doing all the research on the computer.

I have taken on the job of Art Masterpiece presenter for both of their classrooms this year. Each month, I will go into the class to present a lesson on an element of art such as lines, color, etc. I will bring in prints of famous art to show the kids, talk about how they relate to the element we're studying, and have them do an activity to go along with it. The program has been put in place throughout the school, so I have lessons and materials provided to me. It should be a lot of fun, and I will be learning too since I know very little about art!

We're heading to Happy Jack this weekend to stay at the new house. We're all excited for some cool weather and time with family! I'll post pictures when we get back!

Amanda's braces

Amanda got her new braces today. She was very brave and never cried, although there were some parts that were painful for her. Below is a before shot, one at the office just after she got everything put on, and one "after" shot outside.

First day of school

Today is the girls' first day back to school. Since they were up and dressed before 6 a.m. (a little excited, perhaps?), I had plenty of time to take their pictures and post this before we head off!

Amanda is entering 3rd grade, and this is Isabella's first day of Kindergarten. They are both very enthusiastic, and a little nervous! Here they are looking forward to a great first day!