Changing It Up!

I am playing around with my blog design so excuse the changes you will see. I have learned that I like to change my blog design like I change purses. :) It works for awhile then i get bored with it and want a new look.

Snow Day!

After a very mild winter of nothing much but cold days the other day we finally got a little bit of snow, about 3 inches. It was enough for the girls to get out and plan in and call off school for two days.

Making snow angles.

Samson had fun playing in his first snow also. The girls kept throwing snow balls at him.

Bree trying to make her snow angle. She kept forgetting to move her legs.

Running and playing.....I think Katie was making a snow ball and Bree was getting a head start.

They both kept trying to go down the slide, but the snow wasn't moving....the did their best to push themselves down to the end.

We have a big snow storm headed our way tomorrow. They say we are to get at least foot possible two feet of snow. I am sure the girls will be thrilled over that....possible more snow pics to come.

Super Reader In The House

Katie started Kindergarten this year. She has loved school and loved learning. She is so excited that she is learning to read. Each month she brings home a chart to fill out and if she reads 20 books that month she gets coupon to get a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. If she completes this chart for each month they are in school at the end of the school year she gets a dog tag saying she is a Master Reader. So currently we are working towards that goal. This week Katie brought home a Super Reader prize, which means she has read 4 books by herself in class. When I picked her up she was so excited that she earned her Super Reader prize. I am so proud of her and how fast she has learned to read. Now that she can actually recognize words all she wants to do is read.

Here are a few pics of some of the work she does in class. They write words and then draw a picture of the word. I love to see her creativity in her pictures.

Here she had to count the dots and then cut and past the correct number to the acorn.

I am so proud of Katie. She learns so fast and love to do everything the right way. That is probably going to be a downfall for her as she gets fustrated when she doesn't learn something fast enough or if she doesn't do something correctly the first time. We are trying to help her understand that mistakes are okay as long as you learn what you did wrong.

We love you Katie and are so proud of you! Keep up the good work!

Bye Bye Birdies

Meet the birdies....they have been a friend to Bree the past four years. From the day we brought her home from the hospital. They have been with her for every nap and bedtime.



They were her first little friends she ever had. I never imagined how much she would depend on the music for her to go to sleep. Everytime she goes to bed she reaches up and turns them, sometimes the run multiple times a night until she is ready to go to sleep. Chris and I always joked she would go to college with these as we thought of how hard it will be to have her give them up. Imagine my suprise when just the other day Bree climbed in my lap and told me she wanted her birdies out of her room. My eyes got really big and I looked at her and I said are you sure. She said " yeah, big girls don't have birdies" and I told her I agree. Then she hopped off my lap and went on. I looked at Chris and said okay I believe it when this happens.



We went through our normal bedtime rountine that night, after bath we were in her rooming getting her pj's on when she said "Mommy, please take my birdies out of my room" I again asked if she was sure and she said yes. So I went over and took them off of her headboard. I put them in the hall closet because I just knew that when it came to going to sleep she would start asking for them. She proved me wrong, bedtime rolled around and she went straight to sleep even slept through the night no problems. It has been 5 days without the birdies and she has not asked once for them. I am beyond amazed. Our little girl is growing up. No more birdie music will be heard in our house. :( I am thankful she decided on her own to give them up.

First Game

Last Friday was the first Upward basketball game for both Katie and Bree. Chris is coaching both of their teams.

Bree is on the 4 year old team, even though she isn't quite 4 they let her play if Chris would coach. So she is getting her first taste of basketball. There are only 4 kids on team and the games they play three on three. Bree isn't quite sure what to do yet but she is learning and excited to try. She got a little shy during game time. I don't think she like everyone watching her. But I think she looks awful darn cute in her little uniform.

Katie on the other hand is so ready to play. She is the only girl on her team but that doesn't stop her from getting in the game. She definitely has the gift of team spirit. Every time one of her team mate make a basket she would jump up in the air and cheer.

You can click here to watch some video. It is quite amusing to watch the 4 year olds try and play. They are so darn little, but the try so hard. It was a little hectic being the first games but you can see them getting their feet wet with learning the game. I will take more video of other games and post later on.

Busting a Move!

Katie got a CD/radio player for Christmas from Uncle Kevin, Aunt Brandy and Matthew. It was a big hit. She has a couple of cd's and she was excited she could now play music in her room. One of the days that Nana and Papaw where here we went to the Disney store at the mall. Katie went straight to the CD section and she picked up the soundtrack to Camp Rock 2. She gave the please can I get this look to her Nana and well....a few hours later we were blaring the vocals of the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato in our house. I got some video of Katie and Bree rocking out and dancing to the Camp Rock soundtrack. Katie is doing her best to imitate the dance moves she has seen in the movie and Bree is just wiggling all sorts of ways. Click here to watch.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year all my fellow bloggers and blog readers, a few days late! I actually love the start of a new year it just seem almost refreshing, a chance to improve, and a new year of adventures for our family.

As a way to close out the previous year and start the new I thought I would give some of my top highlights of our 2010 year....in no paticular order

1. God gave me another wonderul year with my family and friends.

2. My beautiful girls turn 5 and 3....even though I don't like them getting older it is fun to watch them grow.

3. Chris and I celebrated 11 years of marriage! In today's world that is like forever. :)

4. My brother was diagnosed with brain cancer again, this really isn't a highlight but the fact that God is working a miracle right now and healing him...that is a highlight!

5. We went to Disney World with the girls. This had to be the best trip by far, nothing could replace these memories of them just being in total joy over every little thing that got to see and do while we were there.

6. Chris finished his MBA!!!!!!

7. I found a new love......running.

8. Ran two 5k's and started my training for a 1/2 marathon

9. Got our little rascal of a dog Samson.

10. Spent another amazing year at our church. I love our church family and couldn't ask God for more.

I could probably go on for more, but I'll just stick with these top 10 that stand out to me.

To end the year of 2010 I talked my wonderful husband into running a 5K with me. It was called Running in the New Year. It took some convincing but Chris finally said yes and I signed us up. It started at 11:45 and unless you just run really fast you wouldn't finish until the new year. It was freezing cold that night temp of 26 degrees with wind chill of 16. The worst part was just having to wait to start. Once we got going it wasn't that bad. I have been running for about 3 months now, but Chris hasn't ran since high school so I told him if you need to walk any of it just let me know. He said he thought he would be fine, I kind of laughed thinking he was being a little over confident. As usually Chris just has to prove me wrong.....the whole time he was running he was bouncing around, singing his songs and just being silly. I think he could have ran circles around me. I definitely pace slower than him. I kept telling him to run on if I was to "slow for him" but he stayed with me he wanted us to run together which I thought was sweet. Only my husband could run a 5k with no problems without any training. If I had done this I would have been laying out on the ground halfway through.

We stayed in our car with the heat on until we had to get out to line up for the race. I took a quick snap shot of us before the we got out for the race. The trail for the race was by the rive so when it hit midnight they had a firework show. It was pretty cool to be running in the new year in almost complete darkness with the sky being lite by the fireworks. Thanks to Chris for being such a good sport and ringing in the new year my new favorite way!

I woke up Saturday morning not feeling very well. I could tell a cold was coming on. I guess the running in 26 degree weather wasn't the brightest idea, but it was fun! Sunday morning Chris took the girls to church while I stayed home. When they came home my two cuties come walking into my bedroom carryng these beautiful pink roses. They gave me kisses and hugs and said these were to make me feel better. I can tell you it certainly made my day. I thank God for my two sweet kind hearted little girls. Nothing better to start off the new year than beautiful flowers.

I hope each of you have a blessed New Year filled with health and happiness.

Christmas Again!

My mom and dad got to come out for a few days to visit with the girls and us. They got here a couple days after Christmas. The girls were excited to see their Nana and Papaw but I think they were more excited to see all the gifts they brought for them. It was like Christmas all over again.

Nana and Papaw got Katie the Barbie Dream House. This thing is as tall as her, but she loves it.

Bree checking out her Dora tent from Uncle Kevin, Aunt Brandy and Matthew. She has had fun in this. She sits in her tent and watches TV.

Some new clothes from Nana and Papaw




New Elmo play dough set.
Bree was so excited to get her kitchen along with some new pots and pans. Katie and Bree have been cooking up a storm since she got it. Lots of goodies have been brought to me each day to try. While Mom and Dad where her they got to do some fun things with the girls. I only had a couple of days off from work so one of those days we went out to the mall. Katie needed some new shoes so while we were there they managed to talk Papaw into a carousel ride.

They spent lots of time playing at home. Bree getting some help from Papaw with her babies

Lots of cuddle time

Some more play time.

See what I made Mommy.

The days I had to work Mom and Dad took the girls to the aquarium, the bouncy barn and to go see a movie Yoggie Bear. Both the girls came home saying "Hey Boo Boo". They had lots of Chick-fil-a trips, this had become a definite Nana and Papaw request whenever they are in town. My poor parents get their fill of Chick-fil-a when they are here, but I really don't think they mind at all. :) We had a really great visit with them and can't wait until they come back in the spring.

This pics are actually from a few weeks ago, but I just forgot to put them out here. They were took cute not to post.

The girls actually got to open one present about a week early. Their friend Chandler sent them a very special gift. I told the girls they could open it but no more to Christmas. They actually did really well not asking about presents after these.

They both got beautiful shirts with their initial on it. Katie loved hers as it match her sheets in her room.

As you can see Bree was loving her shirt as well. She kept telling Katie "Katie yours has K for Katie and mine has a B for Bree" she thought it was so cool to have a B on a shirt she could wear. Thanks Aunt Joy and Chandler for great shirts!