what is going on?

We have been busy....too busy to document our exciting lives on this blog. I have no pictures to share right now but my baby brother is home and he gave me a free and very valuable photography class. I remember blogging a while ago about all of my new discoveries from my camera manual. It turns out that I can't read! I was wrong about 50% of what I claimed to know about photography and camera's. He is my new mentor. I am getting a new lens in 2 weeks. A lens that Joe claims will change my pictures completely and he can't believe I don't have one. So that is exciting for me but I don't feel like using my current lens because it is just not good enough.:) I hope this new lens lives up to my expectations. I have such high hopes for this lens.....in the same way this nation has such high hopes for Obama....but on a smaller scale. :)

Kaitlin is already rocking basketball in her 1st season. She is a natural and she's loving every minute of it. I think she is built for basketball. I am enjoying watching her and watching Eric coach. It's really cute. She is also in the school play and taking hip hop classes weekly so she keeps us BUSY! (This is starting to sound like a Christmas letter)

Jack is now a "gamer". He got a Nintendo DS for his 5th birthday (per request) and he L.O.V.E.S it. It's all he wants to do. It is hysterical to watch my 5 year old son, who was just a baby yesterday, "defeat the level". He FREAKS when he can't "defeat the level." We have tried to get him into sports but he is not interested yet. I am surprised by this considering his genes but honestly have no idea how we would fit his sports schedule into our lives right now. I'll just let him enjoy being a gamer (for now). I'm one of those people who thinks it's good for children to play video games (in moderation). It's really good for their problem solving skills. I deal with kids everyday who have no idea how to solve even the tiniest of problems by themselves.

Example:
student: "Mrs. Stark"
me: "yes"
student: "I found this piece of trash on the floor."
me: "Well, what should you do with a piece of trash?"
Student: "Um.......put it in the garbage?"
Me: "Yes, that sounds like a great place for trash." :)

These are very bright, successful children who ask these questions. I spend a lot of time as a teacher and a parent trying to teach my kids how to BE a problem solver. My saying: "If you have a problem, find a solution." I took that saying from KK's 3rd grade teacher. So let's hope Jack's new love for video games helps him in some way. If nothing else it is keeping him happy during these cold winter months. Ahhhhhhh.

My favorite Jack moment: Last week he was walking to the bathroom and he turned around and looked at me and whispered "mommy". I said "yes"...and he smiled, blew me a kiss and said "i love you".....out of nowhere. I melted. Nothing sweeter.

My favorite Kaitlin moment: Kaitlin said she needed to talk to me about something. I went upstairs to her room and sat on her bed with her. She went on to ask me questions about being a teenager, getting married, having kids, prom, first loves, ect. She wanted to know it all. We talked for a while. She just wanted to have girl talk with mom. It made me smile. Raising a daughter is hard, but very cool at the same time.

Everything else is the same. Eric and I are doing great, his business is picking up (finally). I'm having a good year as a teacher and I can't wait to have Jack at my school next year.....both kids in one building. It will be so nice to have them both walk into my classroom at the end of the day.

I saw a mom struggling with her screaming toddler in the grocery store the other day and I smiled. I felt her pain. I am just very glad that I know longer have to do that. Life is good.

Meet Jilian Grace Matilda St. Onge

A teacher friend of mine had this little doll last month. I offered to take some pictures of her. She was perfect throughout the hour-long photoshoot. I was sweating, but she was super calm and happy. She smiled and cooed and posed like a professional model. I posted these for the teachers at our school to see but the rest of you just get to enjoy looking at a really beautiful baby. She doesn't even look real in the some of these pictures!

Jilian Grace Matilda St. Onge

Baby Jilian

Big Red turns 5!

Jack turned 5 on January 10th! It is hard to believe he is 5. He was just this tiny little red-headed baby with a mouth so big you could drive a truck through it! The mouth is still big, only the boy grew into it.

The kids get to pick what kind of birthday party they want every year. And every year Jack says he wants his cousins and family to come over and eat a cake. Done. We had our family gathering yesterday. I looked around the room and felt lucky. 40 family members, yes, FORTY family members came over for his Big Day. He got a lot of great gifts and played with his favorite people in the world (his inner circle). He had an absolute ball.

I love having my family all in one house. All forty of them. It's always a good time. Of course, I have to share my favorite pictures of the Big Day. My Jack....he is the loudest, most expressive, most hysterical, most adorable boy in the world. I can't believe I have a 5 year old and an almost 10 year old. Hallelujah! This is a very nice time in my life.

After all of the guests were gone Kaitlin shared with me that she has always wanted to slam her face into a birthday cake. I told her she should embrace life and do it...just let me save some of the cake first. She did it! Again, and again, and again. It was fun to watch. How cool of her to just go for it! She laughed so hard, I am so glad I got a picture of her face.