Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Yesterday was a snow day at our house. So we made cupcakes...

And licked the batter spoon again and again...
And played legos for hours, while dressed in "Daddy Shirts"...

and we watched cartoons...

It was a fun, lazy day.

Happy! Happy!

Lilly Claire has started a precious little thing to tell us how she's feeling. If she's really happy, she sings, "Happy! Happy!" She will say it over and over. The first time she did it was one evening when we met Jody for dinner after work. We were sitting in the car in the parking lot when Jody's truck pulled up beside us. He got out and Lilly Claire saw him. She started screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Happy! Happy!" It seriously was one of the most precious things I have ever witnessed. The second time she has done this...I was prepared with my camera and video. We were at the American Girl Store bistro eating lunch. She had her whole family surrounding her AND a baby doll sitting next to her in a highchair. She started singing, "Happy! Happy!"

I hope I make her as happy as she makes me.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

I had an awesome birthday this year! First, my mom came the weekend before and made me a cake, let me sleep late and just hung out. Then, on my actual birthday, I got breakfast in bed with lots of presents to open. On Friday, the Oefinger girls brought me lunch and we had a fun play date and mommy chat time. Then, on Saturday, 3 couples and us left the kids with two babysitters and we headed to Allen to eat at P.F. Changs. We had the best time and didn't arrive back home until after midnight. All of the kiddos were asleep, including the 3 big girls who totally enjoyed having a slumber party. Then, on Sunday, we had a knock on our door about 2pm and I opened it to a huge surprise...Grandfather, Nee Nee, Katie and Nicklas came to visit! They brought me a present and took us out for ice cream! Seriously, this was the best birthday ever!

Go, Eagles, Go!

Irresistable little cheerleader feet.

Elizabeth, Houston, Danielle and Savannah Grace

Sisters

Best Friends

The cheer uniforms came in! All of the little sisters of Jackson's Eagle basketball team are on the cheer squad. At the basketball practices the girls learn new cheers and practice their cartwheels and jumps. The uniforms have the girls names embroidered on them and they are so cute! Go Eagles!

Playdates!

Olivia, Savannah Grace, and Houston

Our weeks are full of after school playdates. Savannah Grace loves to have friends over to play house and dress up. These girls are such sweeties. They LOVE putting on make-up and they often go home with tinted faces and glittered hair. One day, Olivia's mom asked me to tell Olivia to refrain from glittering her hair...only because Olivia refused to wash her hair for several days after the last play date. She simply didn't want the glitter to wash away.

The Simple Life

Today, as we were driving to meet Jody for dinner...life is too crazy on Mondays for an actual cooked meal...Jackson said something that has stuck with me tonite.

Of course, he had been to school, to PSIA Storytelling practice, he had done his Kumon, read his AR book, practiced his spelling words, and entertained himself on my iphone while his sister finished dance class.

Anyway...back to the "simple life" post...he says..."Mom, my favorite things in life are friends and rocks."

That is exactly what I think my six-year-old boy should say!

Nee Nee's Photo Shoot

Nee Nee takes such great pictures! I was so excited that while Jody and I were in Italy, she took advantage of a Texarkana photo shoot with the babies. I think they turned out so good! Thanks, Nee Nee!

A Fun Day with Googie and Pappy

Savannah Grace and Lilly Claire...they LOVE to help in the kitchen and they love to lick the mixer!
My girls and Googie making me a birthday cake.

I love how they spelled "birthday". :)

Googie and Pappy came to visit us today, since they were off for MLK day. Savannah Grace didn't have school today and so we just played all day. We hardly got out of our pajamas! Googie and the kids made me a birthday cake...the big 33 is coming up! Also, when I got home from taking Jackson to school today, mom told me to go get back in bed...I could sleep as long as I wanted! The best birthday present ever! Thanks, Mom!

Celebration of Life

When a child attends Belden Street Montessori School, their 5-year-old birthday is a very exciting time. This is the time of the birthday celebration. For the past year and a half, since Savannah Grace started school, she has kept a celebration book that captures herself in baby pictures, her 1-year-old self, all the way up to now...5-years-old. The book talks about things she learned to do during those periods of her life, likes, life changes, etc.

On the day of her celebration, which was this past Tuesday, our whole family filed into her classroom and were greeted individually by each child in the class as they shook our hands and introduced themselves. Then, the Celebration of Life began. Here are the words to the Celebration:

A Celebration of Life

by Ms. Scottie Johnson

So light, light a candle that represents the sun

And represents that you were born,

That very special one.

And the people who loved you,

Who were waiting for your birth,

Were so very glad you came to earth.

Chorus:

But the earth keeps moving

In its orbit 'round the sun
And the months keep passing, one by one.

Pretty soon a year is done, so.....

Light, light a candle that says that you were one.

You'd learned to crawl; you learned to laugh.

You were a lot of fun!

And the people who loved you,

Who you kept on the run,

Were so very glad that you were one.

Chorus...

Light, light a candle that says that you were two.

You'd learned to walk; you'd learned to talk

There's so much you could do.

And the people who loved you,

Who said the year just flew,

Were so very glad that you were two.

Chorus....

Light, light a candle that says that your were three.

You'd grown so much that you could say,

"hey, look, my friends, it's me!"

And the people who loved you,

Who'd set you running free,

Were so very glad that you were three.

Chorus....

Light, light a candle that says that you were four.

No longer a baby,

You'd grown to something more.

And the people who loved you,

Who'd been watching you explore,

Were so very glad that you were four.

Chorus....

Light, light a candle that says that your were five.

The world so full of wondrous things,

It was good to be alive!

And the people who loved you

Who'd helped you grow and thrive

Were so very glad that you were five.

--------------------

The Celebration involved Savannah Grace walking around the sun model that was on the floor for each year of her life and then lighting a candle. It's really special and emotional for parents. But, I survived and actually didn't sob like I did in Jackson's. I guess I was more prepared for what to expect. I don't like my babies growing up so fast!! During the celebration, I kept thinking about how Savannah Grace has been waiting for this moment for a whole year. She couldn't wait to be five! This celebration was another sweet moment with our precious girl, who is simply growing up too quickly.

Basketball 2010

The TCS Eagles...Jackson, Hunter, Kaitlyn, Tate, Lucas, Ethan, Liam


The start of the game...Jackson got the ball!

Jackson dribbling down the court.

Happiness after a cheer.

Go Eagles Go!

A Cartwheel!

This is Jackson's first season to play basketball. I am so excited about it because all of his team members are also 1st graders at his school. Their team is called the Eagles. He had his first game last Saturday and he did great! He made 3 freethrows and 2 points. Jackson got to pick his number for his jersey, and of course he picked 13...just like his dad.

Because there are so many little sisters on the team, we decided to form a cheerleading squad, complete with uniforms, half-time cheers, and pom poms. The uniforms haven't come in yet, but they did a great job cheering at the first game!

My American Girls

We have been celebrating Savannah Grace's birthday for the past month! First, we went to Disney World where she was the birthday princess for 5 days, then we had her party on her actual birthday, then Nee Nee came and babysat last Saturday night and they had a big party for her...I saw at least 20 presents wrapped :0....then for her actual present from us, we headed down to the American Girl Store.

This year, Savannah Grace is totally into American Girl Dolls. I've been into them since she was born..haha...but now she is! Yay! I handed her the American Girl Store magazine before Christmas and gave her a marker and told her to circle things that she liked. When I picked it up a few hours later, everything on every page was circled. :) So, I decided that a trip to the store would be a perfect birthday present.

I dressed her and her doll alike, since dolls are as welcome in the store as the child is! She carried her baby around while she shopped. She definately knows what she likes! There is no fickleness in that little girl! She finally decided on a new doll named Ruthie and a few accessories for her bitty baby dolls. We also had to get a tap shoe outfit for the dolls.

After we shopped, we ate at the bistro in the store. I love this place. Jody says I love it as much as Savannah Grace does. When you check in to go eat, they ask the little girls how many dolls they have with them. Then, every doll gets a highchair that attaches to the table. The entire meal, we discussed all the dolls around us and what outfit they had on and whether their hair had been professionally done. Yes, there is a doll hair salon at the store.

Jackson and Jody were such troopers as we spent about 2.5 hours at the store! And, as soon as we got home, Jackson got his tools and started putting all of the gifts together for Savannah Grace.

It was a fun day...maybe we can go there for my birthday? :)

White Christmas 2009

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas 2009 was a wonderful Christmas. Jackson was 6, Savannah Grace was 4, and Lilly Claire was 20 months. The season was full of the wonder of what Christmas is all about. Savannah Grace still played with and even slept with the baby Jesus' of our nativity scenes. Jackson broke our newest nativity scene by throwing balls constantly around the house. (I'm ok with this...I want him to play!!) Lilly Claire liked to climb under the Christmas trees and eat candy canes thru the wrappers. The first presents under our tree were the ones that Savannah Grace made in the craft room for Jody and I and wrapped herself. They were perfectly cut snow flakes. So much time and detail and thoughtfulness.

We spent the Christmas Eve in Texarkana. We celebrated Christmas with MaMaw and PaPaw Lipscomb on Christmas Eve at noon. That night, we spent it with the Nicklas family. Around 9pm, we headed home...trying to beat Santa. We ran into some bad weather outside of Sherman, but thankfully God and our 4-wheel-drive got us home safe. The kids must have been good, they sure raked it in this Christmas. Jackson got tons of "spy gear" and Savannah Grace got "hair stuff". She had requested play curling iron type items and she got it. Lilly Claire got a kitchen for the playroom and lots of babydoll items.

On Christmas morning, we woke up to a white Christmas. One of my favorite pictures is of the three kids looking out Lilly Claire's window at the snow, before heading down to see what Santa brought. There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground Christmas day! We played and played all day Christmas day and then we read the Christmas story and opened family gifts that evening. The next day we headed back to Texarkana for Christmas at Googie and Pappy's and then Christmas at MeeMaw Gass' house. We are so blessed with such a large and loving family to spend the holidays with!

Christmas Dance Recital 2009

Dancing her heart out!
Christmas Recital 2009

Savannah Grace loves to dance! Her dance was to the song "Suzy Snowflake". For a recital gift, we gave her a ballerina music box that we bought for her in Greece a few weeks ago.