Open House At The Kaufman

On Sunday I took Riley, along with some friends, to the open house of the Kaufman Performing Arts Center. And would you believe that 50,000 people came as well? That is crazy!!! The lines to get in were longer than Disneyland lines.

Riley got to hang out with his friend Hannah though, so all was well.

A view from the outside as we were standing in line. If you look really close, you can see the line as it weaves in front of the building behind us.

Inside the Kaufman. Too many people in one space makes me a bit nervous. I was keeping an extra close eye on Riley. Luckily, he is my child who actually cares where I am and tries to stay close. (Unlike my other son....)

The view of Kansas City from inside the Kaufman

My friend Holly who sings with me in the chorus. We love her family!

Menu Monday

The much anticipated MENU!  Please, hold the applause :)

Monday: Tacos OR leftovers
Tuesday: French Toast and Turkey Sausage
Wednesday: Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries, Fruit Smoothie
Thursday: Crockpot Italian Chicken, Steamed Broccoli
Friday: French Dip Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit
Saturday: Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Italian Pasta and Breadsticks
Sunday: Chicken Pillows and Caesar Salad

My Night of Surprises!

I love music...a lot! I especially love to sing. Luckily, I have a husband who wholly supports my love. (And NO Todd, this is not bragging!) Well, I am fortunate enough to sing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus (which you probably all know), but this year is different. This year is special. You see, this year the new Kaufman Performing Arts Center is having its grand opening. This building is BEAUTIFUL! This building is AMAZING! And probably most important of all, this building has SEATING for the choir! Now that is worth its weight in gold.

Here is the building...isn't it pretty?

Well...and now here's the fun part...last night we were having a dress rehearsal (and singing the Brahms Requiem which is a treat in and of itself) and guess who walks in.  No seriously, guess.  Okay, you'll never guess.

Drum Roll please.......

Placido Domingo!!!!  Oh my gosh!  I still can't believe it!  Placido Domingo!!  One of the Three Tenors!  Placido Domingo!!!  He is in town rehearsing Verdi's "La Traviata" and he heard us singing and came to take a look.  And then WE SANG FOR HIM!  And then HE STOOD UP AND CLAPPED!

THEN...as if that wasn't enough (and it would have been enough), we had another visitor.  The one and only Patti LuPone.  The original Evita.  Corky's mom on "Life Goes On" (Oo-blah-di).  We sang a song for her as well, the IV movement of Brahms Requiem (one of my favorites).  When we finished she was in tears.

THEN, our conductor Charles Bruffy, had a little surprise for us.  He let us out of rehearsal early so we could go and LISTEN TO DOMINGO REHEARSE with the symphony.  I sat there in tears as I listened to him.  It definitely tops my most memorable moments list.

I called Todd to tell him about my amazing night...and he didn't even know who Placido Domingo was!  Imagine!  So, I called my Dad, Mom and Sister Emily (It was too late to call you Jenn, but you better believe I'm calling you today when you get back from work).  Well, from my family I got the reaction I was looking for...the reaction I would have given them if they had called me.

What an awesome night!!!!

Thanks Grandma!

Grandma Charlene gave Ava a new "princess" outfit...at least that is what Ava calls it. She pretty much has to wear it every day over whatever pants I have put on her. She is quite vociferous about it too. She absolutely LOVES to dress up! Good thing the skirt is so darling :)

 

Job Chart

We have needed a job chart for a long time...a REALLY long time. So, I finally got up the gumption and made one. I put it up 2-days ago and so far so good. (We'll see how long THAT lasts!) :)

Pizza Rolls

Mmmm....this is a family favorite! I have to say thanks to Robyn for the great idea!!!

Tips for great pizza rolls:

• Don't use spaghetti sauce...too watery! Nothing worse than soggy bread.
• Don't use regular pepperoni...too greasy.  Instead use turkey pepperoni.  We love the mini turkey pepperonis.  
• Use any toppings you want, but if there is something juicy (like pineapple) make sure you drain it really well.
• Make your rolls pretty big and double your bread recipe.  Trust me...you'll thank me later :)

 

 

 

 

 

Riley's First Day of FIRST Grade!

Okay, so I'm a little late on this post (about 1 month late), but better late than never right?!?!? Riley is in First Grade now. It's hard to believe how fast time flies.

Riley is liking school, but he is having a hard time with going to school right after breakfast and being there for 7-hours and 20-minutes. He doesn't like the fact that right after school he has piano practice and homework...and then goes to bed. It's hard to be a kid. I think I'd hate that schedule too! It is a tough balancing act as a parent to make sure that your child succeeds in school and also has time to just be a kid.

Riley gets lots and lots of incentives. If he is good in class all week, then he gets $7 on Friday after school. This may sound kind of excessive, but Riley is learning how to control his emotions and this helps so much! This child is amazingly bright which is great, but it makes it really difficult for him to control all that he is thinking and feeling. Another incentive has to do with the dreaded XBox. We usually only let the boys play XBox on Fridays after school and Saturdays, BUT...if Riley practices the piano every day for 10-minutes AND passes off his songs during his lesson, then he gets to play XBox on Wednesdays after his piano lesson. Also, if Riley does all of his "chores" in the mornings before school, then he gets a small chocolate in his lunch. Umm...I think that's it :)

We love you Riley-Boy!!!!!

 

 

 

To Church We Go...

Tanner got a haircut on Sunday morning and shaved about 10-lbs off his total weight! Holy Cow that kid had SO MUCH hair!!! We put him in a tie for the first time and when Todd saw him his comment was, "It looks like he went on one of those makeover shows". He looked so handsome. So, we put Riley in a tie too for the first time. Then we put Ava in one of her new dresses and did up her hair. And what do you know...everyone looked like a million bucks. Well, when everyone looks good, it's picture time. Never mind that I was late getting to choir practice...meh, who needs a pianist anyway...we just HAD to get a picture while the moment lasted. Any mom out there knows how it is :)

Say Cheese...

So, trying to get a picture of Riley and Tanner together...looking decent...without fighting...or being silly...is near impossible. They were really pushing each other's buttons when we went to the Old Settler's Day festivities this weekend and I just had to capture it on film for posterity's sake.

Pudding...For Breakfast?!?!?

Okay, here's a question for you: Who gives kids pudding for breakfast? I'll give you a hint: It starts with a Na and ends with a Na. Did you guess? That's right...Nana! I went to take Riley to school and came back to this. What a fun little surprise! Well, at least Nana thought to take Ava's shirt off before giving her free reign of the pudding cup. (And Grandpa Paul, don't think I'm not holding you responsible too...reign your wife in would ya!) :)

Weekly Menu

Sunday: Chicken and Veggie Skewers, Corn on the cob, Pretzel Dessert
Monday: Taco Soup and tortilla crisps
Tuesday: Eggs, Sausage, Fruit
Wednesday: Chicken and Rice Bake
Thursday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Fries
Friday: Pizza Rolls, Green Salad
Saturday: Dutch Babies and fruit
Sunday: Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Rolls

Pizza Rolls: 
Your Favorite Bread Dough

Pizza Sauce

Your Choice of Toppings

-Roll your dough out like you were going to make cinnamon rolls. Spread pizza sauce over dough then add your toppings. Roll up like you would cinnamon rolls and cut. Put in your pan and let rise until doubled in size. Bake :)


Easy Pizza Sauce:
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1  6-oz can tomato paste
2 tsp oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp white sugar

Mix together until smooth.


Dutch Babies:
-preheat oven 450
-put butter into a 9x13 pan and put in preheating oven
-Beat 4 eggs until frothy
-Add 1 cup milk and 1 cup flour, mix until frothy
-Take pan out of oven and pour egg mix over top of melted butter.  Put into oven for 16-minutes.  Take out and sprinkle cinnamon and powdered sugar over the top.  Top with maple syrup and enjoy!

The Zoo

Before school started we took a little trip to the Kansas City Zoo. It had been so blasted hot here and the fist semi-not hot day we jumped at the chance to get out of the house. Todd took a half day off work and we headed to the vast wildlife preserve we call a zoo. We had a lot of fun running around, VERY grateful to be outside!!!

 

 

First Day Of School

Tanner is now a big preschooler and he LOVES it!!! He goes to a class where the high schoolers come to learn how to be an early childhood educator. The room is full of teenagers and 4-year olds and Tanner is in hog heaven. This child is unbelievable social. He thrives on being around people. He walked in to his classroom and immediately launched into a conversation with every body. It went something like this:

"Hi! I'm Tanner. I'm 4 and 1/2. My brother is Riley, he's 6 and 1/2 he goes to first grade. Ava is my baby but she doesn't go to school yet. Is that playdough? Doh! I love playdough. Can I play with that? You have a sandbox here? Mom! They have a sandbox! Is that for me to play in...."

The string of consciousness went on from there. Everyone was laughing. He is a riot. He's the kid who NEVER stops talking :) It makes me so happy to have a child who loves school and wishes he could go every day instead of just 3 times a week.