HEY! Unto you a CHILD is Born!

Growing up there was one book I read every year without fail during Christmas time.  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was a classic in our house.  The Herdman's story of discovering church and being in a play is one of my favorite stories to revisit every year.  

When I got to college I got put on the speech and debate team.  If you have spent any time around me you probably guessed I hated the whole de

bate aspect, but the speech portion was tons of fun.  My Senior year of college my advisor entered me in the dramatic interpretation. Having seen the movie Shag a thousand times I was all about it, as long as there was no "Yankees in terror" speech to be had.  And of course, to push my limits, she entered me in the serious interpretation.  Again, if you have been around me, you know this is NOT my forte.  I searched for a month for the perfect piece to recite, each one feeling so fake as I rehearsed.  About three or four days before our tournament I was going through books in my dorm closet and my favorite book fell out.  I immediately knew this was it.  Of course my advisor HATED my choice, discouraged my edit, and never really sat down to hear the whole story.  

As we entered the regionals room I grew a little nervous, thinking my idea of this being a dramatic piece would not fly with the judges either.  As I entered the stage, all I could think about was how every Christmas the book got a little deeper in my understanding of the Herdman's and their growth in those three weeks of terrorizing their local church.  I got on stage and made my point in the telling of the 200 page book in ten minutes, Herdman voices and all.

By the final round, my advisor was proud of me for picking a story I could relate to, and that I knew I could tell.  The book is told by a girl that always grew up in church, was there about every time the doors were opened, and never knew or had interactions with someone that didn't fit in the family mold... until the Herdman's came.  After that experience, life really made sense.  

I remembered this chapter in my college life because A) It is Christmas time, and of course my old copy of the book is on my coffee table, and B) I recently took a picture of Sophie doing her new favorite role-play-  a pregnant Mary, just like Imogene Herdman.  To me, the picture below screams the angel Glady's only line she delivered without fail-  HEY! Unto you a CHILD is BORN!

Why I love my husband...

I have the sweetest husband who TRULY surprised me for my birthday with a trip to NYC.  He planned for us to ride in this:

Researched where to find the best pizza so we could stuff our faces with this:

and this:

Took me here for a view of the city:

and eat here and watch the skyline:

Thanks for a wonderful 5 days of just the two of us!   

Start Spreadin the newwss....

Friday is officially almost here.  Why is Friday so exciting?  Well, we are headed to see New York at Christmas!  I have ALWAYS wanted to see NYC at Christmas time.  Even in high school I tried out for a local thing for Mobile called Azalea Trail Maids, not only for the great experience, but for the fact they walked at the Macy's parade!  I made it, and of course my year we happened to go to Dallas.  Nothing against Dallas, but it isn't NYC at Christmas.

Anyway, this week has been busy to say the least.  I have never left our girls for this long, except for once with work, but Lee stayed behind.  Leaving both of them with obligations they must do is a little stressful.  If you could see my notebook of  "girl facts" and the table of outfits and proposed art projects (yes, I leave art projects) you would think I have lost my mind.  But, I know Friday say, around noon, when we land and hit the ground, I will be so glad I have left the house in order to run without us.  Right now, I have to finish my list of organizing toys, scrubbing floors, and finding matching socks and bows for Tuesday's preschool outfit...  but I am humming New York, New York while I do it!

Our first performance

Sophie had her first ever choir performance Sunday.  She is in the three-year-old Cherub Choir at church, and has been practicing since September with her little friends for this fifteen minute performance.  She was adorable!  She pulled her skirt up a few times, pulled one little boy down, and forgot a few hand motions, but all in all was so fun to watch!  I still cannot believe she is old enough to perform on stage, but as Sophie will tell you, she is a big girl and no longer a baby.  Here are two shots from the evening....

Something with Ground Beef....

The holidays are over, at least for a week.  Thanksgiving was wonderful this year.  We hosted my family at our house, which was a Thursday evening of turkey, dueling dressings, cakes straight from a Southern Living magazine, and giggling children filling up on rolls.  Friday was more of the same, with a little shopping, a trip to Build a Bear, game day snacks, and a game too close for comfort.  Saturday and Sunday were spent cleaning the house, decorating, drinking hot drinks and telling new-again Christmas stories from books out once again.

Today?  Well, today is back to reality.  We always put SO much into the Thanksgiving weekend.  It is probably my favorite time of the year... all the great food, gearing up for Christmas, etc, that I put tons of effort into everything we do.  So, this week of nothingness around our house will be a definite change.  For starters?  Got any recipes I can make for supper that involve frozen lean ground beef, beef broth, and some carrots?  Yeah, it is going to be that week around here...  I am grocery-stored and menu-planned out.  And I will probably love every minute of it!  

Being Thankful

It is quite fun to explain thankfulness to a three year old.  You can't get too deep on the matter, but you do want to skim the surface so she can have a little understanding of Thanksgiving besides a really fun parade to watch.  

I have been working with Sophie in our art time this month (yes, we have art time.  call me a nerd, but she loves her art, I love painting, so it works for us.) on thankful projects.  We talk about being thankful for family, and draw a picture of us.  Or, write the number 4 and I write things she really likes around it.  I guess this has finally kicked in.  The other day we were out on one of our wagon rides/flower/weed picking adventures, and I noticed Sophie just stopped and bowed her little head.  I thought we were on the verge of a serious meltdown (hers usually start with a head tuck, fyi) so I cautiously asked what was the matter.  She told me she had to stop and thank God for a particular flower, because it made her day so much better.  I think she gets it better than me now.

a few thoughts on seasons

Since it has turned November,  we had to coax our children into letting us take the Halloween decorations down.  Sophie of course did NOT understand why the candy bowls and black feather boas (yep, you read right) could not stay up year round.  If Halloween is so much fun, why can't we do that go door-to-door thing all the time?

Thus begins the lesson on seasons changing and new focus.  I tried to explain to her how seasons pass each year and we look forward to the next season in life with excitement, and remember the past things as fun things we have done.  Even though Halloween was SO much fun and we love our costumes, we have to have just as much excitement for the next season and what it may bring.  I think we as adults need to remember that childlike lesson.  I especially need to remember this lesson. 

 There are a lot of changes happening it seems.  Our church seems to be having many changes, many which we don't understand.  Growing up as a preacher's kid, you learn church politics are TOUGH.   Also, even though I have been a sahm mom for almost two years( I STILL cannot believe it has been that long), it has been a major change in my life.  I finally cleaned out my closet the other night.  The days of fancy pants, cocktail dresses, and even suits from the first job I had were still hanging in the front, like I would put them on the next morning.  (First of all, I have birthed TWO babies since I fit in those beautiful suits, so there is NO way I will get that 23 year old body back, and second, I must have liked showing leg then as well....)  Even when kids are in school, I think my life may take me down a different path than I will ever have experienced, and suits won't be involved.  But, just as we are telling Sophie, look forward to the new seasons with excitement, and let the past fun you have had be great memories, and not dwell on your past.  I think this has been on my mind because I get somewhat frustrated at not completing goals during the week that I try to do.  As in previous jobs, I usually had a mental idea of what I should complete that particular week at work. Being the teacher's pet I am, I always finished my job.  This week, I have had a few shirts I wanted to do, a house I wanted to clean, and a few projects I want to do.  So what if one of those projects was to polish my toes, it was still a project I wanted to do.  Did ANY of this get complete?  HECK NO.  Between ear infections, teething, napless days, and phone calls, I have nothing to prove for this week.  When I explained my goal-less week to Lee, he quickly pointed out that I don't work for anyone anymore except our sweet girls, and to stop this "I must get things done" mentality.  I am out of that season of life for now.  And as Sophie completed her art yesterday, I realized I am definitely in a great season of life.

These are just two of the seasons that seem to be happening in our lives right now.  I think Lee was SO excited to see my closet cleaned out.  Honestly, the boy has more shirts than I ever dream to have, so he gets a little more closet space now.  

By the way, I TOTALLY digressed what I sat down to write.  It was more of a thankfulness entry about cute kid-like sayings.  I will save it for later.

A few new favorite things

1-  Ad papers and catalogs

Sophie has learned that checking the mail and paper is fun these days because of all the toy circulars and magazines we are getting.  She sites down with me and reads her pile as I read mine and circles things she likes.  I LOOVVEEE that she does that.  I remember doing that as a kid.  November is one of my favorite months because of all the anticipation of the holidays.... especially for kids.  All the possibilities of toys, candy ideas to make, projects to do, it just is overwhelmingly exciting.

2- Two walkers in the house

Harper is learning to walk.  She is taking this task on so different than her sister.  Sophie was a determined walker.  She studied and thought about walking for a few weeks, then one day stood up and never looked back, and rarely fell.  Harper will stand up on a whim, take a few steps, and nose dive into the nearest person or doll.  Without a care in the world or second thought, she is slowly become an agile walker. Sophie has encouraged her to no end for a month, and today, her best walking day by far, she informed me that Harper walking may not be such a bright idea.  "But mommy, she will be into EVERYTHING now, and always in my way!"  Can't argue that logic.

3-  Glee

What a fun show.  I have a sincere appreciation for musicals.  Point and yell nerd all you want, I have grown up wishing one day to be some lead singer in a cheesy movie about carousels, state fairs, and paying rent.  One small drawback of this dream is my inability to sing, but Glee is taking musicals to a little cooler status.  It almost makes me want to go back to high school and do the band days all over again.  Almost.....

What I am up to...

Seriously, I finally figured out how to sew this darn turkey, so everyone I know who has wanted a shirt is getting this turkey.  In different color variations, of course.  

Happy Thursday!

Pictures to accompany an earlier post and a few random thoughts.

This picture should accompany the ten things about fall post, and fulfill the "football Saturdays" and "coffee" comments.  Although I wasn't cheering too hard for Auburn, it is still fun to be in a cold stands with a warm blanket, no matter who the team is!

I know I have put up Fair pictures before, but you can never have too many.  By the way, if you look closely at the second swing, you can see Sophie and I holding our hands up!

Our family at Halloween.  I think Lee wins for costume creativity.

Sophie at her Preschool Halloween party.  Seriously, she was adorable with all of her friends.

Harper has a little leftover syrup on her upper lip, indicating the fun of the syrup soppin!

- Two runs down!  I feel like I have asthma after the run, but I am making progress for a not- too- embarassing race in December.

- Fall Back time has proven havoc on our family.  Ask me if I like our new time Thursday.

- If my camera would work, I would show some cute new shirts I am doing.  

- My camera is broken.  

Don't Stop 'Til you get Enough!

Okay, after two years in retirement, one of my favorite songs should now be heard by me AT LEAST four times a week.  I am taking back my (ahem) hobby of running.

I used to run.  A lot.  In college, on summer breaks, on vacation, on treadmills, at the beach.  I loved running.  I loved the high you felt after you broke that wall that running hard can do to your lungs.  I loved waving at people in cars passing by as I was sweating to pieces.  It made me run faster.  I loved stretching my legs after a long run and feeling the release of my calf muscles.  I also loved doing races and the bagels and bananas after the race, and the new t-shirt, and the feeling of stopping for gatorade at the closest gas station after the race and saying, "oh, yeah, I just finished the ____ 5k.  Yeah, my time was good..."

Why am I telling you all this?  Well, I am sort of just telling myself this and hoping to inspire myself once again.  I want to run again.  I have had this minor setback in life called pregnancy and babies and I want to be able to feel the freedom of running again.  I still work out about three times a week on weights and the elliptical and spin classes, but it isn't the same as running.  I don't know why it has taken me this long to decide I want to run again.  If you talked to my sister, she would laugh if she knew I used to love running.  We used to run races together while I was in college.  Halfway through EVERY race I would look over at her and express my extreme distaste for running.  Of course, the following Tuesday when she would mention the upcoming race on Saturday, we would ride to the nearest sign up location and pay our money.

I don't know.... maybe I am just a glutton for punishment.  Or, maybe I want to complete my life goal of completing a big race.  We will see what happens!

Top Ten things about Fall

In no particular order:

1.  Football Saturdays

2.  Pumpkin Patches

3.  Rekindling love affair with coffee and flavored creamers

4.  Syrup Sopping Festival

5.  The Fair (of course)

6.  Nutmeg and Cinnamon

7.  Halloween night

8.  Chili

9.  Fall Back night

10. Pajama Pants 

401 k's

Sophie's latest fun thing is being assigned jobs.  I am not sure why, but if you tell her that eating a certain food, or coloring, or bathing is her job, she is diligent until her task is complete.  So you know I have definitely taken advantage of that.  This morning we were all getting ready for the day and I had to run to the other side of the house to get a diaper.  Harper is at the stage in life where I am her hero( it isn't as cool as it sounds) and hates to see me leave the room unless hero #2 (Sophie) is close by.  I assigned Sophie the job of watching Harper and keeping her happy while I walked away.  And, as the typical first-born pleaser that she is, she kept the room happy and peaceful until I returned.  

After a few minutes of getting the girls dressed, Sophie asked me about Lee's job, and I explained in a 3-year old understanding that daddy makes streams and mommy keeps she and her sister healthy and smart.  Of course her job is to be 3 and watch her sister.  According to Sophie,  Harper's job is to poop and smile.  I think we all need a raise, because everyone is doing excellent at their tasks around here.

Fair Time!

Around the first of September, I start to listen for the tacky commercials that desperately need to be redone. I start to find old jeans and socks and stash them away. I wait for the first touch of cool weather, and I know it is soon. It means the fair is not far off!

I absolutely LOVE the fair. I love everything about it: the smells, the rides, the exhibits, the long walk to the car, the carnies, everything. Now that we have girls that kind of get the whole fair scene, I love it even more. 

Our fair is in town this week, and I casually mentioned to Lee Monday night that hey, if we want to try to go this year, that maybe Tuesday night won't be so bad and we could go for a few hours. I am sure he knew that WEEKS ago I had already planned that Tuesday night, we were headed to the fair whether he liked it or not. By 5:00 pm that afternoon, girls were up, dressed, and waiting at the door, and we hit the road just as Lee pulled in the driveway.

We have to eat at the fair. If you know me, you know I don't eat fried food, rarely let my girls eat fried food, and there always at least one veggie and fruit on their plate. I don't like buffets, or "festival" food, but I love the fair. It is something about the batter and watching people with the most awesome mullets you have ever seen make you crave a corn dog. So, after our corn dog, funnel cake, and candy apple, we hit the rides and games. (just so you know, I did sneak an orange into the girls' meal that night.)

Now that we have had our fair night and got our fill of grease and games, it is officially fall. 

  

Dreamfield Farms

Sophie had her first field trip on Wednesday. I must say, the little girl is a fan of field trips. First, because siblings were not allowed on this particular trip, her Gran and Poppa came up to keep Harper while I chaperoned. Having them around was enough fun, but then to go with all her friends to a farm, she was in Heaven!

It was so cute to see her with her little preschool buddies. Sophie is a popular little girl! All the little kids were screaming hi to her, and she waved like she was the queen. They got to go on a hayride, make butter, see animals, pump water, go in hay mazes, and pick out a pumpkin to take home. The thoughtful little girl she is had to make a stop by the gift shop to get Harper a prize since she missed all the fun. I am sure we will head to the farm at least one more time before Halloween as a family, but Sophie's first visit there with Frazer was just adorable!

And, in case you think Harper missed all the fun, she had a little field trip of her own. I heard she created an audience at Cracker Barrel because she was acting so cute and eating so much food, and was two minutes away from owning a parakeet because she amazed my parents at her love for the birds at the pet store.

woot woot

Since Harper's birthday and traveling, things have been pleasantly quiet around here. It is nice to have a few days of routine. After a summer of pure travel EVERY weekend except one (seriously...) and then getting into a little routine with Sophie's school and ballet, we had a week of just normal. We even had nothing to do on Friday! I let Sophie and Harper dictate our every move. It was really fun. They chose our toys, Sophie wanted some art to do (if this kid isn't an artist or art teacher, I will be shocked. She loves her projects.), Sophie decided lunch of chicken nuggets, broccoli, and mac n cheese, and it was such a fun day. Anyway, it has just been nice for a week of normal.

Because of a normal week, I have had plenty of napping time to monogram and play online. I read about this site called woot. Actually, I think a neighbor of mine told me about it a few months ago, but she is just a little annoying, so I kind of didn't listen when she was telling me, so I feel a little bad now because it really is cool.... but just a little bad. ANYWAY, it is a site(or multiple sites depending on what you like) where they offer one item a day for an extremely low price and they sell only that item for the 24 hrs or until it sells out, whatever comes first. It is so cool! For instance, today's item was a light timer. I don't know how many times I leave lamps on in our playroom or in the girls' rooms until they fall asleep and then have to trek across the house late when I remember they are on. The light timer would solve that problem! However, they sold out before I got to it. Oh well, there will be a new item tomorrow. They have a kids' woot, which is really fun to watch, especially for Christmas. So, if you have a little time, google woot and see what you find!

Happy Birthday Harper!

I cannot believe it has been one quick year since Harper was born. It seems like a blink ago we were laughing at my ever growing belly and just KNOWING Harper was going to be early, only to have her hold on inside until the last minute to come into the world. We should have known then that she was going to be a little girl with her own mind!

To say Harper and Sophie are different is an understatement. Harper is a studier... she knows her surroundings, she looks at objects like she is memorizing them for a test, and makes you work for a giggle or a smile. But, once you get your first smile, they come freely and often from her little gap teeth. She is very easy going and such a tough little girl, but if her feelings get hurt the world knows. She is such a fun personality to spend my days with.

Her first birthday party was typical Harper. She and her cousin William, who is one week younger, shared a fall bash that included art projects, a pumpkin hunt, hay rides, and of course, cake. Harper ate every bite of her cake and never cracked a smile. Her little determination to finish whatever she sets her mind on will be fun to watch as she learns new things in the coming year. Happy Birthday, sweet Harper!

my little speedsters.

Nothing beats the laughter that comes when these two girls are getting along. Most of the time, they play well, with Harper laughing and mimicking whatever Sophie does. But, until we let Sophie drive Harper around, we never knew how much the two of them are really enjoying each other.

The Art of Appreciation

This week has been a long, for lack of a better word, crappy, week. Labor Day was nice, but I have had a nasty cough that finally had given me enough trouble. So, after wrestling 30 3-year olds at the first installment of Cherub Choir Wednesday night, I joined the masses at our local Pri-med for a glimmer of hope from the doctor that I would soon be better. I must admit, after dealing with Cherub Choir, where half of the children did not want to be there, half were comparing items found on the bottom of the chair, and the other half just being 3, the chance to sit in a waiting room by myself was a little nice. After X-rays and tests, I was told this was a classic case of bronchitis in my chest and that only time and rest would heal it. Awesome, because everyone has plenty of time and plenty of rest these days just to let things heal. Of course, I was given a prescription for a ridiculous syrup, steroid and antibiotic "just in case" and sent home. Because of the coughing, I now have a cracked rib. It is really pleasant.

Friday Sophie had her first official public freak out session. I am appreciative she waited until she was three to give me this precious moment, but I could have waited longer. It occurred, no doubt, at our bi-weekly swim lesson which we return to again in the morning... fingers crossed. It was a valid freak out, with a little fear of the deep part of the pool, but it was still a long walk to the car.

Saturday I had my first meeting being on the Alumni Board at Huntingdon College, my alma mater. It was fun being able to see some faces I haven't seen in a while, and will be fun to help for the next three years on the board. It was not fun, however, to hide my hacking cough or cracked rib for three hours. But, I did, and called Lee to meet me with the girls to attend the Huntingdon football game. And this is where I think the appreciation part of the story comes in.

As I waited for the girls to arrive with the stroller, I got a chance to talk on the phone to a few people without any interruptions, sat in the car for a minute without being asked why we weren't moving and where were the cows and what kind of tree is that and can I look at this silly face and can we get ice cream and, and well you get the idea. Anyway, I forgot how nice it was to sometimes just be alone. Then, Lee pulls up.

He had THE LOOK. The look I think I have 90% of the time. The "I must wear my sunglasses even though it isn't sunny but to cover my crazed eyes from the morning". I imagine that if Lee had long hair like mine it would have been up in a pitiful ponytail, even though he would have attempted to fix it and just gave up. I smiled and asked how their morning was and he just handed the bag of stuff that accompanies our girls at every moment and just said, "Oh, my. I feel like I have been frustrated since 8. What is their deal?" I think he attempted baths, a trip to the grocery store, and that is it. But, in girly-world, that is a marathon of events. He had them in adorable outfits, and forgot one set of bloomers. No big deal, right? The funny thing was his reaction of this minute detail is exactly what would have been my reaction had I done the same thing. He immediately looked defeated in his efforts and switched bloomers around so the one without would be less noticeable. I had to had a smile here. I hate he had a frustrating morning, but I am 1) thankful he probably realizes now why some nights I am so tired and so on edge I can't think straight, and 2) thankful it isn't just me who gets this way. But, when we returned home from the day, Lee did say that once the girls were asleep, I should go get a pedicure. Is that because of my terrible pain that he felt sorry for, or is it because he realized his morning was a typical 9 hour episode for me? Either way, I'll take the pedicure.

Don't get me wrong. I think our girls are great. For the most part, I am tired from playing games and keeping up with the fun-ness that comes with toddlers. We don't have many days or weeks that are filled with timeouts or trying moments. It is just keeping up that wears you down. I am living on the motto : I will sleep later.

P.S. I did not go get the pedicure. I opted for a trip to Hobby Lobby and Target by myself, a mecca for me to not rush out of either store b/c we either knocked something down or they were out of toilet paper.

Random Thoughts

- Sophie and I were at Target the other day and she saw an old interview of Gene Stallings and Jay Barker. I don't recall seeing any football on, but she immediately said, "Oh, look, mommy! There is Alabama! I love Alabama!" There is hope for me yet.

- Speaking of football, I am so ready for tailgate food. I don't remember the last time Lee and I actually went to a game early enough to completely tailgate, but it had to be before we were married. However, we have not given up tailgate food. It is the only time of year that snacks and dips qualify as a complete meal as long as you throw celery in the mix. You also have to have new pajamas for the season. It is completely acceptable to change into pajamas at 3 pm and start your snack supper, but only if the temperature is below 65 degrees. We have a while, but there might be a clause that you can turn your AC down enough to justify 5 pm. I am checking on that one.

- Sophie doesn't tell us much about school. Her favorite answer to any question is I don't know. However, if you play school with her, you get the play by play of her day. For instance, today I know some kid named Nathan was line leader and was the holder of the "share bag" (their version of show and tell), and apparently the power went to his head. He hid in the puppet theatre from the teacher and got put in the thinking chair. In Sophie's version Nathan was a panda dressed in an Ariel costume. She also had goldfish but couldn't share with the boy that has a peanut allergy.... During our playtime, I was the peanut stricken child. It was a pretty interesting role play.

Our new Friday Nights

Since Sophie is in preschool and apparently has "themes" each week... ( BTW, did we have theme weeks at school? I don't remember that.) I thought it might be fun to have her help me on Fridays to incorporate her theme of the week into our Friday night plans. Yeah, we are wild around here. This week's theme was colors. So, I decided to turn our dining room into a restaurant. Sophie helped me set a "fancy" table, and gather candles to create a mood romantic enough for two toddlers. Then, she got some paper and make a menu. She had to color three boxes with different colors and that is the color of the meal I would make tonight. Her appetizer color is red, so we are having tomatoes and strawberries. No, they are not together, but I want a fresh tomato and I know no one else will eat that, hence the strawberry addition. Her second color she picked was yellow. Luckily, this corresponded to the meal Lee has been hinting around to make lately, our chicken carbonara. I think even if Sophie picked the color purple we would have made carbonara work. Her third choice of color was pink, so I made a strawberry cake.

I have decided we are dressing up tonight. I told Sophie she had to wear a fancy dress and she immediately informed me her Sleeping Beauty costume was perfect for her colorful meal. Let's hope Lee gets into the spirit and gets a fancy outfit together!

aaahhh..... the life

Being a stay at home mom is a choice Lee and I made for our family about two years ago after much talking and prayerful consideration. I loved my job, loved my child (one at the time), and the two worlds didn't seem to mesh well with the ideas we had for what we wanted our children to experience as they grew. Some days of an at-home mom are ruthless, some days are boring, some days are laughter-filled, and some days are very trying. Today is an awesome stay at home mom day. Sophie had preschool, so I just had Harper for three hours by herself. We went grocery shopping, had some quality playtime, got a room clean during a nap, and picked up one hungry little 3-year old, who instantly told me in the car as we left carpool she missed me so much today. We have lunch of orzo and sliced cheese and strawberries, and Sophie volunteers to take a nap so she can rest her eyes for playtime later. Harper is playing independently as I lug clothes to the living room. As soon as Harper settles I plan to continue my lunch of monkey munch, fold clothes, watch some ridiculous reality show about 5 year olds being spray tanned and paraded around for a pageant, and set up our playroom for a fun art project. Seriously, about 4 years ago if you would have told me while I was writing 50 page papers for my MPA that I would love cutting letters from a magazine, I would have given you a sarcastic sneer.

School Daze

We are officially in our school years around our house. Sophie started preschool last week! She was so excited to meet her new teacher and new friends and figure out what the difference is between Cherub Church (her Sunday School), Bible School, and Pre-school. Once we get all that straight, I think she will be flying high!

Sophie was so cute and independent going to school the first day. She picked out her own outfit, complete with ribbon and lacy socks... typical Sophie. She didn't want to hold my hand into class, but got a little close to me when it was time to introduce herself to Mrs. Kohn. There were no tears on Sophie's part, but I must admit Lee and I had a big gulp as she marched to her room . I am already dreading Kindergarten!

I am sure I will have plenty of posts regarding other way overprotective moms, bully kids, and carpool (by the way, I messed up on carpool the first day...) but for now, just a sweet picture of Sophie and her new hero- Mrs. Kohn.

Pictures... bday and ballet

Here are the promised pictures of Sophie's birthday, and a few of her first ballet class!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

I will only do this a little in this post, but I CANNOT believe my little girl is 3! It seriously seems like yesterday I was in those hideous blue Gap khakis I thought were cute (noone told me they were ugly), waddling around our house, waddling around the hospital for 36 hours of contractions 3 minutes apart, and finally seeing the absolute cutest baby ever. Sophie has changed our lives in many ways, from how we view our weekends (no sleep, more zoo) and how we view our jobs (or lack of job for me) and showing us what is important in life. Happy Birthday, my sweet, innocent, quirky, sometimes a little whiny, dancy, prissy, smart, and beautiful Sophie!

Okay, back to the non-sappy parts... Her birthday has been a BLAST! I think I truly missed my calling in life by thinking of fun things to do for kids' birthdays. I love it! I know some people may hate buying noise makers, writing invitations, and cleaning up wrapping paper, but I LOVE IT. Every single minute of it. We (well, me) originally thought it would be so much fun to have a tea party at our house. After seeing our expanding guest list, we thought otherwise. Her party was at Gymboree, and it was a blast. I will post another section with pictures (I seriously have to learn how to add pictures IN a post... volunteers to help me with that?)

For months Sophie has wanted a "racecar" like our older and cooler neighbor friend Savannah. Lee picked out her car, and it is an awesomely tacky blinged out FJ cruiser with princesses plastered all over. She is in love. We tried the low gear in driving, but went straight for fast after the second cruise. For her birthday in 2023 I suggest everyone clear the roads. The funniest part about her birthday has been her present excitement after every absence from the gifts. Whenever Sophie takes a nap, leaves the house, plays outside, etc, I have put the presents on display. They are slowly finding their homes, but for the few in the living room, I arrange them neatly. If she walks in the room to see them, she just squeals "Oh, all my gifts are all still here! yyeeaahh!"

It has been a fun weekend. Now, bring on Harper's birthday!

Go War Eagle Biscuits

Yesterday, Lee called and had suite tickets to the Montgomery Biscuits game. As it has been unbearably hot this summer, we have not taken the girls to the game, holding on to the chance we would get AC seats... score one for us! Sophie was still napping, so I started getting our stuff together for the game.

For everyone who knows Sophie, she llooovveeesss her daddy. She likes me and all, but Lee is definitely her pick for seats in a restaurant and hand holding. You must know this to fully appreciate the following from our afternoon wake up.

Me: (entering Sophie's room after nap) Sophie, you need to wake up, we have to get ready!
Sophie: (not really liking waking up) I don't want to get up! What are we doing?
Me: We are going to a Biscuits game!
Sophie: (jumping on her bed now) Yippee! We can go eat a hotdog, and yell War Eagle. Oh, and I guess we could yell that other thing too.... what was it again?

Where did I go wrong? By the way, the picture is the girls and I at the game. The shirts I whipped out in 30 minutes for the game! By the way, soon I will figure out how to actually put a picture somewhere besides the top of the post. Baby steps...

My first thing i will let the girls wear out....

I made this!!! woohoo!!!

Now I understand

When I was younger, there were a few people we knew, either through church, family, or friends, that amazed me. They were nice people and all, but I was amazed because their houses were always a COMPLETE DISASTER. I am not talking about every now and then, but consistently the grossest place you have ever been. I know our house would get dirty some, especially if all my brothers and sister were home, but we also knew how to clean up. These people never did. And now I get it. It isn't because of kids, even though all of them had children. It isn't laziness, because they all were involved in church, school, work, etc. It is because of sewing. And after this weekend, I get it. And that is because I got an embroidery machine!!! Those ladies could sew anything. I have dolls, quilts, and clothes they all made me. Once I got over the initial shock that no food or pet hair was stuck to the homemade item, I always loved what they made me. Now, I am taking back all those comments I thought about how they didn't know what a broom was.

If you don't know how excited I am about this, just call me and you will find out. I am so extremely pumped that a) I actually got a machine, b) I got it set up without major damage to our house, my patience, and without new profanities and c) I have made a few things that I would show out in public!

Going back to the dirty house thing.... Our house is a w.r.e.c.k. It is awful. I have kept dishes washed, but other than that you can give it up! Lee and I both have been completely enthralled with this machine! Even Sophie sits in my lap and watches her name appear on her hair ribbon. It is awesome. And, I have only broke one needle! Why, you may ask, am I taking a break from it now? Well, I am online trying to find applique patterns so I can go make a bigger mess cutting out fabric and stabilizer. Seriously, it is so much fun. What are my girls doing right now? Well, Sophie is painting (yes, I am watching her... she is right behind me.) and Harper is eating cereal off the floor. And that is my cue to sweep the floor.....

Agent Blue

Okay, so after following numerous posts of blog-savvy moms, I have found that my most favorite bloggers rename their kids.  Being the newby blog writer that I am, I simply cannot think of awesome nicknames for our girls, my husband, dogs, etc.  That is my new mission: to think of code names for our family.  They have to be catchy, so they will make you like reading about them even when the post is somewhat boring.  They have to be cute, because we ALL know I always want my girls to be cute.  They also have to have a backstory.... not just kid1 and kid2(although, technically, they are kid1 and kid2, so if all else fails I will delete this sentence of the post and that will be their names).  

Any suggestions?

Setting up an "easy" blog

So,  I have finally given in.  I said I never would do it, and every other version of that phrase, but I did it.  I started a BLOG.  It isn't that I think my life is so cool and interesting that everyone should flock to my spot every day or put me as a favorite to hear the awesomeness of our daily triumphs and struggles.  I honestly think it might be interesting to see how much I actually do this, and since there are several blogs out there I read and laugh at or am inspired by every day, I thought maybe I can contribute to someone's morning cyber read!  Don't hold your breath on that, but I will certainly try.  

Setting up a blog was easier than I thought.  I basically just went to a website, typed in my name and email and a password, and after a few hitches, here we are!  My hitches, by the way, are 1) those ridiculously annoying "can you read this" word box, which I got wrong three times!  Seriously, I know my sight isn't that great, but they are really hard to read.  That, and I was holding Harper and I am sure she is what caused a few extra letters to be thrown in. My second hitch was apparently there is already a blog UNDER MY EMAIL!  I swear, unless Lee is secretly writing a blog, someone hopefully isn't writing a crazy story under our name.  I may need to research that.  

Anyway, my goals for writing a blog are to write down stories about our family that I am sure I will forget in years to come.  ( I forget half of the funny stuff that happens the next day, so my confidence in my memory isn't so hot these days).  

For now, I will try to post a few pictures of why I want to remember our fun, sometimes cranky, sometimes awesome, days.  I want to remember them for our little Tiara and Tutu wearing girls!