Aftermath, Hanna, & Week 7 (finally)

Oops...kinda forgot to post an update about Fay. We came out A-OK! There were downed trees, debris, and lots of standing water. The water levels in the golf course lakes were really high as were the marshes and rivers. But, the electricity never went out and we were alllllllllllll good. ;o)

Sean had come in after Fay left for a hot second and then was back out to sea for a little bit. He finally came home and worked through the entire Labor Day weekend. One day he'll get to sleep in. But, now he's back out again. Hanna was looking like she wanted to come and visit us but everytime I check the forecast, she's going out further into the Atlantic. Still, the government likes to protect their multi-billion dollar assets and sent the subs out. Nothing like a huge expensive piece of metal banging into the piers!! So, we're a single-parent household preparing for a possible hurricane again. It's all good though. This'll give us some good alone time to try to clean the house for Sean's birthday (9/6). We're not exactly the cleaning-type of people...but this'll be Sean's best birthday gift ever as well as pull double-duty getting ready to get this house listed on the rental market. =D But, yeah, Hanna doesn't look too bad so far...at least it doesn't look as bad as it did for a while! So...YAY!

On to Week 7. Kaia finished her week off with American Idol. It was very cute. They sung Lean on Me (which had a stereotypical Native American theme to it...not sure what was up with that) & Since You've Been Gone. The latter was really cute and the two main singers were soooo good!!! Mom also surprised Kai-Bear and was she ever so surprised and overjoyed!! It was so cute to see/hear how happy my little munchkin was!!! So, Mom came in just in time to enjoy Kaia's very last camp performance. Kaia had so much fun and was pretty bummed to see it end. But, alas, she now has lessons up the wazoo (may I reiterate how I never thought I'd be putting them in so many classes...shoot, as well as homeschooling too....hahahahaha).

Speaking of lessons, they're loving them. Kaia's hip-hop teacher (Miss Holly from summer camp) actually wants to move her up to the 7-9 year old class. She thinks Kaia's going to make it big one day. That's fine...as long as she goes to college too. ;o)

On to some photos...

Turkey Jaron & Overjoyed Kaia with WGG (World's Greatest Grandma)

Into the Homestretch...Week 6: The Emperor's New Hair

So, we are winding down and about to enter our last week of camp. Kaia's theme last week was jazz & the performance was "The Emperor's New Hair". It was really cute. I also registered Kais for dance for the remaining months that we are here. Yup...dance. I always thought I'd get these kids into martial arts & piano...even though I KNEW that Kaia is naturally gifted for dance. SO, yeah...we're doing dance...but she really wants to do martial arts too. We'll wait on that until our next move though. Jaron is also registed for some classes too! YAY! So, we'll still stay busy (or rather, busiER) for our time remaining. Kaia will be taking ballet/tap/jazz, hip hop, musical theater, a princess class, & Spanish classes. Jaron will be taking a pirate class & Spanish classes with Kai Bear. I never thought I'd be one of those parents putting their kids into everything and their mother, but I guess this is me compensating for robbing Kaia's kindergarten year (well, at least until we move). Yeah, I'm still doubting my abilities to homeschool until we move. BUT, the ever-so-supportive BFF of ours, Jaimee Martino, has sent me a nice book to help me get past this and get ready to give Kaia a rockin' few months with Mommy Kindergarten teacher. ;o) Thank you, Jaimes...I LOVE YOU!

Anyhoo...Sarah, Kaia's buddy, was the Emperor and rocked out the role. It was a really cute skit. Kaia was one of the townspeople. I also had a momentary freakout when I turned the camera on to take a photo of the set...only to discover I had no memory card!!!! I had left it in the laptop AT HOME!! ARGH!!! But, being the one who always plans ahead, I had an extra memory card in the case. I only remembered this after resigning to the fact that I'd be missing out on recording week 6 and Sean wouldn't get to see it. Also, after the performance, the girls kept wanting to go to the art studio to see the baby deer. I had no idea what these two were smoking until we got to the studio and lo & behold...a baby deer!! One of the fathers works with a wildlife foster program. So, pretty neat!

Oh yeah, like an embarrassing mother I'm destined to be (ok, I hope not), Kaia has her first major crush. Well, I'm hoping it's actually her SECOND major crush with Kuya Austin (Martino) having been the first. But now she's older and getting all giggling and shy (yes, I said shy) when she mentions Liam. Liam had told me a few weeks ago that my "daughter is very, very beautiful". ;o) What a little charmer! He's even come to the car to help Kaia get out before too. This past week, he had given her a ring he made in class. I had pulled out a pipe cleaner with a "L" bead on it in the morning, only to find out from Alexandra (Liam's mom) that he had given her a ring the day prior...which was the pipe cleaner bead thing I had found. Ahhhh...Kaia's following the tradition of Lee girls having blond haired, blue-eyed first crushes. Kim's first crush was blond, but now she likes 'em dark...hence my brother Jason. ;o) I tend to like 'em darker, but there's something about Legolas...maybe those ears. ;o)

Alrighty...on to the good stuff.

The townspeople walking in.

Townspeople in front of the Emperor's wigs.

Sarah & Liam

Of course, No Fear Lee-Espiritu is closest to a wild animal.

Still the closest...w/other No Fear Lee-Espiritu bringing up the rear.

Savannah, Kaia, Liam, & another classmate (sorry classmate, I don't know your name!)

Week 5: RaFUNzel

Kaia concluded week five with a performance of "Rafunzel". The theme was ballet/creative dance and folk art/jewelry & textiles. Kaia was a bee in the performance. She was having so much fun. This week was a good one in that the mean girls were acting up again, but she knew how to handle it better. I hate to have my kids go through painful situations like these, but in just 5 weeks, she knows how these situations work and how to navigate stuff like this.

Kai-Bee

Anyhoo...our week was great. Mom is coming down to visit us next week and surprising Kaia...because she's fabulous grandparent/parent like that!!! I can't believe next week is already the last week!!! Time is going by fast (mostly) and dragging (sometimes) at times. Other than that, we're good and keeping busy.

Jaron's as funny as ever. He's a big turkey and can be either really funny or really frustrating. Either way, those chubby cheeks & Mama's boyness always gets me...but I try not to let it show. ;o) He started getting sad this week when we dropped Kaia off. One day he even cried. It's nice to see him expressing his emotions and showing how much he loves Kaia. He's also singing the beginning of Chris Brown's "Forever"....hahahaha. I'll write a list of the non-kid songs that my kids like to sing.

We've also been inundated with thunderstorms either everyday or every other day...we're talking, at times, bad enough that we have downed trees. The kids (human & canine) aren't frightened of them too...so that's a blessing! Not to mention, we're saving on our water bills...cha-ching!! FL water bills are insane...we're talk either high $100s but more likely mid to upper $200s!! Yup...makes me love FL even more! ;o)

Our PSP finally is breaking down. We've been using it as our DVD player. So, it's time to join the times and buy a DVD player. Thank God they're pretty reasonable nowadays!

Now, for the good stuff. VIDEOS!!!!

Kaia's Bee Performance...sans stinger.

Rafunzel Finale

Goldilocks & the 3 Bullfrogs

Yup, it's Friday and that brings us to another end of fabulous week of summer camp for the Kaister. Three more weeks to go! Kaia had fun being splatter-painting, sculpting clay, etc. She's had so much fun and it was TOTALLY worth the money to send her there! Definitely money well spent. This week also brought some tears. I think with Kaia being sick, she was just a bit bogged down. Since Wednesday, she's been crying right when I say goodbye because she said she's really going to miss me. My goodness, that poor little girl...I would NOT miss me! =) But yeah, poor baby has been upset but the only reason why is because she'll miss me. Other than that, she continued her reign as Ms. Popular. The teachers are just so amazed what a little people magnet she is. It's really nice to hear because that means we're doing a good job raising a nice person with a good heart...who happens to be so funny and bubbling over with personality. I'd like to say I'm biased but this girl really does have a huge personality. Ok...time to deflate my head.


Both mean girls from the first week were reunited this week...but w/o any problems. Charlie happened to return to sour puss, but the other girl Bella turned out to be nice. Kaia was really puzzled why Charlie was nice the other two weeks but not this week. Ahhhhhh, my darling daughter has so much to learn about the finnickiness of girls/kids. Either way, Charlie's grouchiness had no impact on Kaia...which is GREAT!


Anyhoo...the skit was really cute. Kaia was a bullfrog & a fish. We're just really proud of her (Jaron & I, that is...Daddy will be seeing these performances at a later time).


All is well here....the kids are convalescing and hopefully this weekend will bring them much needed rest. I have bought a ton o' paint & materials so they can paint their own t-shirts. I'm planning on turning Kaia's shirts that she paints into tanks & dresses...something jazzier than t-shirts. Last weekend I also started Movie Sunday/Saturday (whichever day allows it) and we watch 3 kid movies that I've ordered from Blockbuster's Total Access program. It's a nice chill day and gives us some good cuddle time too. We'll see about hitting the pool. The weather's been icky and, like I said, I'd rather take it easy so they can get better. I DID want to hit the outlets but oh well.


Ooh...Mom also told us that she's visiting us again in August!!! I thought it was going to be another extended weekend trip but Her Royal Hotness informed us that it's just shy of two weeks!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Too bad Sean's not here because he loves when The Fam (or parts of The Fam) visit since they're always so much help and fun!!!!


Anyway...photos & videos!



Kaia & her fish puppet.

Jaron trying to watch (notice his arm on my leg...he's so cute)!

Kaia & her Hip-Hoptastic teacher Holly. Holly is the one who swears Kaia is going to be famous.

Bullfrog Performance but no Hip-Hop




This one actually has hip-hop in it.

Le Grand Finale

The Fam & High School Musical...Sorry, this one's a LONG one!

Ahhhhhhhh...another week done. Last week, the camp was on vacation because of the abbreviated week. That left us with no camp and no daddy. *sigh* It's all good since the three of us were sick and getting ready for The Fam (Sean's collective title for Mom, Kim, & Jason) to come down to FL to visit. I had the attempted abduction stuff to keep my mind off of Sean's departure.

We had a great weekend with The Fam. As usual, they took FABULOUS care of us and we loved spending time with them. Even though our weekend was jammed pack, it was still relaxing. After dinner at Burrito Gallery in downtown JAX, we watched the fireworks in downtown Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. The weather was FABULOUS and, more importantly, NO BUGS (I sound like my hubby now)!!!

Kaia getting beads from a pirate (pirate history is rich in Fernandina)

Jaron having his pirate experience since he was a bit scared the first go-around.

"Sword fighting" with glow sticks.

They weren't DC fireworks, but they were nice.

We also hit up Savannah, GA and Silver Springs, FL. On Monday, Kaia decided to stay home from camp (which actually was a pretty difficult decision for her given that she loves camp AND that it was High School Musical week). When they left, on Tuesday...it was pretty rough on them. Kaia was crying on and off the whole morning before school (we went to the airport at 5am). Sean didn't get any tears from them!!! I guess that's a good thing because I'd rather it be like nothing for them when Sean goes out to sea rather than it being heartbreaking everytime. Anyhoo, as usual, it was hard to see them leave. They are some of the biggest blessings in our lives...that's for darn sure!

Savannah, GA was great...in between the THUNDERSTORMS! Yup...as soon as we got there, the skies opened up and laid a can of whoop a$$ on Savannah. It was still beautiful...and yummy there!

After our DELICIOUS buffet at The Pirate's House...one definite thing I'll miss about the South...FRIED CHICKEN!

Po-po & A-yi taking pictures of the local pirate.

Our family seems to love buying our kids these ginormous lollipops wherever we go!

Sometimes, I'm not sure if our kids remember that WE are their parents. ;o)

Silver Springs, FL is near Ocala, FL. None of that means anything to me either. ;o) We visited Silver Springs and luckily narrowly missed a thunderstorm! We toured the natural springs of the park (where movies/shows such as Tarzan, Seaquest, parts of The Crocodile Hunter, etc. were filmed). The cloudy day worked in favor for us giving us respite from this lovely FL heat. Oh yeah, we did pass Jumbolair. It's a neighborhood of AVIATION ESTATES. Yes, every house has it's own hangar. John Travolta has an estate here. Craziness.

1 of 3 Glass Bottom boat tours that tour the springs.

I'm not going to lie, 80 ft. high and who knows how old this bad boy was...I almost needed a diaper and a vomit-catcher.
The Fam Minus 1 standing inside the Horseshoe Palm Tree...5 years good luck if you pose in the middle.

So, this week was High School Musical...one of Kaia's favorite movies that she still hasn't watched in its entirety. ;o) She had a blast!!! Enrollment was tripled this week...so there were LOTS of new faces and LOTS of older kids. She told me how all these big kids like picking her up and calling her cute. The teachers told me how she's Miss Popular and also that the older kids all adore her. I kid you not, it took an extra 10 minutes to leave because all these big kids were all hugging, kissing, and loving on her! It was really great to see. They were all telling me all cute she is and was a sweet girl she is. They even started loving on Jaron too...who got all super shy and clung to my thigh. Kaia told me how the older girls want to be her mom while they are at camp. How cute is that? Anyway, I'm really proud of her (does it show) and she's totally excelling. We're really blessed to have these two boogers.

I know, it's really hard to spot Kaia...heh heh heh.

Kaia and one of her "moms" Justine.

"Ice" (apparently that's his nickname) and the lead of the show & Ms. Thang. Daddy might not be too happy with this shot (as with the other shot of her & Jordan during Hip Hop week).

Kaia & her Groupies. L to R: Christine, Kaia, Rachel, Megan, Justine, & Ice.

The Groupies/"Mommies+Daddy" saying goodbye again...I think we were actually holding up the rest of their performance.

Seriously, how cute is this??

Of course, I wouldn't leave you without video clips. You can always catch more on our YouTube.

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Something New

Get Your Head in the Game

Kaia May...Future A-Lister

Posing post-performance w/flowers from Jaron.


Yup, I call it now...my daughter is going to be a celebrity...;o)

Kaia had her first summer camp performance. She's currently enrolled in Northeast FL's Premier Summer Arts program...a 7 week summer camp. She was FABULOUS and stole the show at times...seriously. At one point, everyone looked at me and Jaron...with big grins and giggles (them AND us).

Only low point of this first week...MEAN GIRLS!! Boooooo. Kaia constantly tried to befriend two older girls who weren't having it with her. They kept getting meaner to her as the week progressed. Don't worry, I was a good girl @ the performance and didn't do anything evil...hehehe. But seriously, it was very hard to see Kaia start to have to navigate these types of social situations and watching the pain she went through yesterday...when the older girls told a younger girl (and friend of Kaia's) to go hit Kaia (which the 3YO did). Poor Baby Girl. My sweetheart is a tough cookie and isn't afraid to let bullies know they're being bad (in general...like the time she had a gang of younger kids behind her and she made this 8YO boy bully cry because she yelled at him for not being nice to the younger kids...yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-uh!!). But, to see her cry & be so depressed yesterday was heart & gut-wrenching. It really takes a LOT to get to her since she has such a wonderfully thick skin. Poor girl. But, now her teachers know and she said today was a good day. =)

Anyhoo...she was a butterfly in the play (and might damn good one at that) and wearing her t-shirt that she made this week. OK, I picked the two best clips...the third clip I wanted was too large to upload...boooooooo. Seriously, this girl ROCKED!!!! She is just so amazing and AWESOME. BTW, did you know that "awesome" was banished in 2007? Whatever...my daughter BROUGHT IT and was AWESOME! Plus, her teachers think she's such a natural (not a surprise with Ms. Tippy Toes) dancer and was really surprised that she didn't have any prior dance experience.

Enjoy!

Scene Stealer.

Spiderella Ballet Dancing