We Have A Graduate In The House

We have a graduate in the house! I remember taking this little girl to preschool when she was 2 years old. She was very timid and shy. She did not speak at school the entire first year but would come home and act out everything she observed at school. She was always sad when I dropped her off but was always smiling from ear to ear when I picked her up. Her teachers loved her and nurtured her. I got so much joy in watching how God uses other people besides me to mold her.

It is amazing how much she has grown. She went from a 2 year old who would not participate in the Christmas play to a 5 year old saying a Bible verse at her graduation ceremony. I remember praying for a child with a sweet spirit. God is so faithful. The first time I layed my eyes on her, I said she looks like she has a sweet spirit. I could see it in her eyes. So at graduation, tears rolled down my face when her teacher announced her name and said "Future ballerina and awarded the sweet spirit award."

So here is my 5 year old. She loves skirts and t-shirts. Imagine that! I wonder where she gets that from?

She loves her friends and having playdates.

She loves ballet.

She loves dress up and her new scooter.

I am so thankful God gave me this sweet blessing. I am proud to be her mommy.

I love you Pumpkin!

The Fun of A Three Year Old

It is hard to believe my baby is 3 today! There is something about a little boy that pulls at those Mommy heart strings. Since I had a girl first, I had lots to learn about boys. I learned from day one that God made them very different. Different, in a good way. He is a little warrior at heart. He loves superheros and establishing who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. He turns sticks into swords and puts on his game face when playing. He is one tough little boy. He will fall flat on his face and get up laughing. Deep down through all the toughness, he has a sweet and sensitive heart. He will squeeze my leg and say I love you. He has brought lots of laughter to our house. There are times when I just watch him and laugh.

He loves his best buddy.

She makes him laugh out loud!

She plays chase with him. Usually, he is chasing her and probably will be when he is 16. She is a cutie!

He does not care that he has strawberries all over his face and hands. He just knows they were yummy to eat.

His cape gives him superhero powers unlike his madras shorts! Long sleeves are a must because superheros wear long sleeves.

I love this little guy! Happy Birthday!

What Have I Done?

What have I done? I was not thinking when I said I wanted to give my binky away. How was it that I had 4 binkies just 2 weeks ago and all of a sudden I have none? Please anyone....send me a binky but don't tell Mommy. You can just put it in the mailbox and I will get it.

It's Been A Good Day

A Mother's Day eating grouper salad by the water with my 2 kiddos and hubby is a good one.

We have been at the beach all week. Beautiful weather and fun times. Provisions is one of our favorite places to eat as we are headed home. It is decorated in high class....plastic chairs and tables. My kind of place.

So I told my hubby I wanted a Mother's Day picture. I have a zillion pics of the kids with the big guy but today I wanted one of me and the two that call me Mommy. You should have heard me give instructions on the picture taking. If you know the big guy....you know he was thinking, just smile and let me take the picture. So I smiled right into the sun!! Look at our eyes.

Wait honey, can you take one more? You are such the man. Now Keenan, you are going to get a spanking if you don't sit here and take the picture. Please do this for mommy. Ok, everyone say Happy Mother's Day. :o)

We had big excitement at the mailbox this evening. Keenan had a package he wanted to mail. Can you guess what it is?

Any guesses? Come on, guess.

Bye Bye Binky!

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I love you my little pumpkin and buddy and thank God everyday for you.

What Does Your Friday Night Look Like?

So what does your Friday night typically look like? Our Friday night looked like this....

There is something that gets the kids after bath time. The sillies come out. Little guy just wanted to play. It did not matter that he did not have clothes on. This time of night is usually Big Sister's time to let it all out. She dances (she may be shaking it a little too much) and sings and makes sounds that I have no idea what she is saying or doing. So on Friday night, I let them play and dance a little bit later than usual. It's a big deal to stay up late because during the week mommy is done at 8:00!!

I hope your Friday nights are relaxing and fun!! And yes, little guy still has his binky!

What Have We Been Up To?

It is hard to believe that it is already mid April! I love spring. It is my favorite season. I think spring is just another way God shows us His love. The ultimate love gift was Jesus and his death on the cross. With Jesus, we have a new life!

Speaking of new....The brown head girl in our family decided to try out a new sport. She was very excited about the accessories! There were a few tears the first practice. The perfectionist in her comes back to bite her occasionally. My motto in life is all about having fun. Who cares if you do it perfect or not! So it has been and will always be a learning experience for both of us. Anyway, she got comfortable after she realized it was about having fun. She ran up and down the field smiling the whole time....never touching the ball!!! She had fun, right! Well, the next practice she scored!! Ok, I will have to be honest. At this age, it really is not a game but in her mind she scored in a game. And guess what? I was NOT there to witness it. But I think it is great her dad was there. Dads don't get to witness to many first. I was happy for him.

Little brother did not understand why he could not play and why HIS ball was going up and down the field. He was a good cheerleader, shouting "Go Sissy, Go." Oh, I so know how he feels as being the second child. I always wanted do what my big brother was doing. Your time will come buddy! Thanks for your happy spirit.

We have been having fun with our school friends. The kids enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt on the ball field. They were surprised to find other things besides candy!

We had lots of Easter Egg Hunts this year. But I am so glad the reason for Easter did not get overshadowed by the hunts. The kids did not even talk about the Easter Bunny until the night before. We talked lots about Jesus and the cross. They loved doing the resurrection eggs and enjoyed eating resurrection biscuits. And believe me, the biscuits were EASY to make. Remember, I am not a baker.

Don't you love the little guy's shorts that look like capris? Oh, he so not going to like this when he is 16. In fact, he does not like it now. That is another post for another day.

Another milestone....ok, I know it was a small one but I was so proud of her. Now she loves to hop on the swing and swing away while the little guy and I play chase around the yard.

Our clown in the family.....

Enjoying a cupcake at the Easter Egg Hunt. A few minutes later she says, "Mommy, my tummy hurts and I feel like I am going to get sick." Yikes! Thankfully, no sickness just too much cupcake.

So after all the fun activities, we need a little rest.

I just had to share this picture. Aren't his little feet cute!



We hope you are having some fun days as well. I know some days are better than others but enjoy the little moments.

The Ordinary Days......

Our little family has been busy but not too busy to enjoy simple days. One of the things that our family agrees on, is what we call, "Situated Time." Pronounced SITCH-U-ATE-ED. We are all about going and doing but love to be at home. So before I post all the activities we have been doing, I will leave you with some pictures of our ordinary days.

Bailey hangs out at the computer while I make dinner. I love hearing her say, "Yes, I got it right" or "Oh Man. I can't figure it out." Her little brain is at work.

My little guy loves his farm and animals. Lately, the super heros and pirate have joined the animals at the farm.

We love to play games. We recently learned a new card game called SNAP. Daddy deals the cards face down. The youngest goes first and turns over his top card. Then everyone else has a turn. You yell SNAP when you see a match. Whoever yells SNAP gets the other person's cards. Whoever has the most cards wins the game. Even a 2 1/2 year old can play! He just yells SNAP the whole time.

For those of you who know me in real life, know that I am not a baker. I am not sure why I don't really jump up and down and get excited over baking. I know myself...if I bake, I will eat it all!!! There are times when I do like to do little baking projects with the kids. Bailey and I made chocolate easter lollipops for her friends at school. We also tied a ribbon around it and attached a note that said, "Jesus is Alive." The message was her idea! So thankful, that she is learning the real reason for Easter. Not sure why I did not get a picture of the finish product but here is Bailey holding up the sticks for the lollipops.

Just trying out some big boy underwear to see if that would get him excited about potty training. Nope! Not going to do it right now. Since his birthday is coming up, I told him the doctor said he has to start when he is three. He agreed to it so we shall see. He sure did look cute in his undies for a split second.

We hope you are enjoying some time at home as well!