tales from a far-land

Our week in Punta Cana was spent mostly relaxing beachside.  But we also found time to enjoy the many of the activities, restaurants and amenities of our resort.   The kids favorite activity during the trip was the resort's Explorers Club.  This is a fully supervised kids club that offers tons of fun activities for the kids to do all day.  The kids loved it!  They literally wanted to be at "the club" from morning to night for most of the trip.  Here are some of the fun activities the kids were able to enjoy: Arts and crafts Playground Treasure hunts Rock climbing wall Indoor game room and video games Face painting Splash fountain Scalable inflatable iceberg Weekly campout adventures Big-screen movies Dinner for children Day one -- dropping the kids off at the Explorers Club Playing on the playground Getting a tattoo Face Painting! While the kids were having fun at the Explorers Club, the adults visited the spa one afternoon for couples

A couple of weeks ago, the Landers and the McClendons traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for the kids' spring break.  Why the D. R.?  Well, none of us had ever been and we all enjoy beach vacations.  So, we figured it sounded like the perfect destination for spring break.  We couldn't have asked for a more relaxing destination.  The sand was fine and soft.  The ocean ranged in color from deep blue to turquoise.  The resort was an all-inclusive which means we were never without a drink in hand or food in our mouth.  Limited cell phone service guaranteed minimal work was conducted.  And, considering we were on a tropical island, there wasn't any rain during the entire trip.  It really was a week of bliss! Our first drinks of the trip in the airport Ready to board the airplane (Madi is into vampire smiles right now) Checking out the cockpit with the pilots Celebrating Brandon's birthday in the Centurion Lounge in Miami Madi and I ready

The Sereno Soccer Club winter season ended last Saturday.  Both kids had a great season.  Sure, there are off days, but for the most part the kids (and parents) are still enjoying themselves.  They played on the Orange Crush team again.  Our team included eight players; small but mighty!  It is so fun to watch the kids start playing as a team.  They have started passing to each other better and staying spread out more.  The kids look so surprised when the skills they practice on Wednesday actually work in the game on Saturday.  It is so fun to watch it all come together from the sideline. Aiden is perfecting his signature pull-back move.  He loves to use it all of the time, even when the ball doesn't really need to be pulled back.  He also still loves playing defense more than offense.  But he isn't afraid to score a goal if he has the opportunity.  Madilyn is becoming a stronger soccer player each game.  She has been focusing on becoming  more aggressive and attacking the

Madilyn Rae turned eight years old on Saturday, February 24th.  Wow!  My little girl is growing up.  She is becoming quite the little lady.  She is independent, strong willed and brave.  She is happy and carefree, most of the time. She is kind, thoughtful, helpful and honest. Although her own self-confidence sometimes waivers, it grows stronger more and more daily. She gets distracted sometimes, but can be hyper-focused when it comes to art, singing, dancing and swimming.  She loves her stuffed animals and will often treat them as members of the family.  She loves to read and often will choose this activity above all others (except maybe art).  She enjoys play-dates with her best friends, Gretchen and Natalie.  She enjoys my cooking, especially soups, spaghetti and Mexican food.  She *loves* art and is very creative.  She is a super hard worker; she is my perfectionist.  She is a good student and loves to learn.  She can speak three languages -- English, Mandarin and Hebrew.  She is my