Just a few pics from our Christmas Photo Session

We always try and go to the Franklin Park Conservatory for Christmas pictures because the lighting is just so perfect. The girls feel like little princesses coming down the big white staircase. It is always so beautiful there at Christmas time.
Now nothing gurantees cooperation from the little ones but the stage was set up for us quite nicely. All we could do was bribe the heck out of them with giant candy cane lollipops. We did have some minor issues that led to extra bribes for Shiloh but we managed to squeak out a few.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Gracie had her first great performance last Sunday night for her preschool Christmas program. She attends preschool through the Grove City Christian school at GC Nazarene. It is a pretty large church so when we got there on Sunday night, I just assumed they were integrating their little show into their church service because the place was packed. Really-standing room only. I later realized that in fact it wasn't their regularly scheduled church service-it really was just the GC Christian School Christmas program complete with a pre-concert by the fabulous worship team and choir at the church. Everything was beautifully decorated and put together. I started getting a little nervous for Gracie. Imagine looking out over a thousand people with spotlights in your face as a 4 year old. I started feeling things for her in a way that only a mother can.
Finally it gets to her little group and Shiloh and I race down to the front to get some pictures and reassure her-there was no way she was going to get to spot us in that crowd! We get down right in front of her and she looked so nervous. Her little face was so pale and finally we made eye contact-it was so awesome-she just melted and smiled and waved her little hands. She just needed to see us and all was okay! I loved being there for her in that moment-I loved being the one to take the fear away. My eyes filled up with tears and I could not stop smiling. I was so proud of her! Indescribable!
My little Rudolph with her nose so bright-I will never ever forget that moment!

Tree Picking

So we went to Christmas town a couple days after Thanksgiving and I am just now posting...it has been very busy lately!!
We always enjoy going to the tree farm to pick out our tree. I remember as a kid loading up in my dad's pick up truck with the dog in the back going to pick out our tree. All 4 of us piled in on laps (there were no extended cab seats in the Boyd pick-up)-probably not the safest but always a great memory. It is fun to make new memories with my little ones now!
We have this awesome tree farm near our house that is complete with a bonfire and hot chocolate to warm the tummy. It was a beautiful day and of course we found our perfect tree. It may be leaning a bit to the left as we speak but perfect nonetheless!
Here are a few pics to highlight our fun...and I was not playing favorites here-Shiloh was just not feeling the Polaroid opportunities.

Introducing..

Gracie as "Muno", Shiloh as "Foofa", and Natalie as "Plex"
Cutest little Gabba Friends I have ever seen(sure a little biased)


Homemade costumes courtesy of my dear sweet cousin Ashley! This was so fun! The girls, of course, wanted to dress up as something I couldn't find at Red Dot Boutique(Target) or any other store for that matter so I enlisted the help of my oh so lovely and talented cousin. We spent a couple of hours (times 5 probably) shopping, designing, cutting, sewing, etc. to put together the coolest costumes I have ever seen. What a cool process! Sure they only had them on for a short time but making them was where the fun was at for sure!



Thanks Ash-You Rock Girl!!

Here is a picture of the Real Gabbas just so you know who these goofy characters are anyway.

Little Red Leash

Oh look at Nic here with his new pet! Wait...you can't see it? Sure you can-look again. Don't you see his new little pet on a red leash?

Okay...here's the zoom look. Nic caught a flippin' bee today and played a little trick. He captured him in a bowl and put a lid on him after Shiloh nearly had a heart attack that he was in her kitchen. Nic then proceeded to put the sealed up bowl in the freezer to attempt to put a leash on him. After a few minutes in the freezer, sure enough, the bee was not moving and very cooperative with the tying on of the little red string. The girls were going nuts. It was absolutely hilarious! Nic then decided it was time to see his trick in action. He very carefully "warmed" his little friend by blowing on him in cupped hands. It stinkin' worked and the bee started coming back to life and moving around. He came back to a life in chains friends. He was bound and Nic was on the other end of the string.


Here is our bee on a leash in action. You can see the bend of the red thread-he is trying to fly!!
It is really crazy how long we sat trying to capture "movement" shots for this bee. I had actual tears in my eyes I laughed so hard!

Here is a close up view of our new little friend. This is early on in his shackled life but no worries-we freed him out the front door sans red thread! (wouldn't have really been my option for getting rid of him but the children were highly involved and really did latch on to the whole pet thing!!)

Just look at him-so proud of his cool self! A legend in his own mind friends-a legend!!

Riding 2 Wheelers

One day last week Gracie asked me and Nic to help her ride her bike with no training wheels so of course we said yes. Nic promptly takes the training wheels off her little Dora bike. He was ready-he knew his role!! Natalie decided she wanted to try also so they suited up in their little helmets to give it a whirl! It was an absolute thrill to see them attempt this new challenge. Just seeing their excitement as they prepared themselves for the job at hand was enough to make me cry. It didn't even matter yet if they were successful. Seeing them get that pumped showed a lot about their character. They had confidence, not because they knew they could do it, but because they asked and we said yes. That is all they needed to know. We wouldn't have let them try something we thought would hurt them and they knew that. That was all they needed to know. I think that is such a cool lesson. I don't need to know if I am going to be good at something or do it perfectly, I just need to know if my Heavenly Father says yes. That is all the confidence I should need. Thank you Gracie and Natalie for reminding me of that!
They went on to do a great job. They did it. They rode free of training wheels. Sure there were some falls and we do have some work still but they kept that confidence and they learned how to give it a try. I am so proud of you both!!




Of course he got on that tiny little bike-of course he did!
He is such a nerd.

Dancing Machine

We celebrated Grandma Cindi's 50th birthday this past weekend with the most fun party ever complete with a disco ball, candy buffet, and dance floor! The party was at The Now Center in New Albany where Grandma Cindi works. The building alone was beautiful but was topped off with some pretty hot decorations! Gracie's jaw about hit the floor when she saw all of the pink! Grandma Cindi decided that her 50th birthday party would not really be about herself at all but rather a chance to get friends and family together to brag a bit about what God is doing within her group, Girls With Attitude. It was so awesome to see all the people throughout different walks of her life that came together to support her ministry. Some really cool things are happening in lives because of a girl with her bike and an open heart to serve people. I am so proud of her work and so excited to see what is next for this wonderful group!
The party was so fun for the girls. They were tearing up the dance floor with some crazy moves. Regular little dancing machines. I need to be recording this stuff for sure! I looked over at one point and saw Shiloh carrying a piece of cake over to a table with one hand. She was helping herself to some more of that good stuff. Never mind I had already given her a piece. I guess that is what Grandma's birthday is for, right?



This would be a move called hawk in the sky. For all of you that have watched Hannah Montana the movie (yes I do realize that is not many) this move comes from the hoedown throwdown. I may have seen it so many times that I know the dance by heart. Just maybe!

So you think you can dance dance dance dance! Watch out season 20 something!


Low low low low! This would have to be a move she learned from her daddy.
Happy Birthday Grandma Cindi! We love you so much!

Gracie's First Day of Preschool

Gracie started preschool today at the Grove City Christian School(located at the Grove City Nazarene) and I can't even believe she is old enough for this. It is amazing how time flies. I was thinking about how it just feels like yesterday I was cheering for her to take her first steps. Every step of this motherhood journey has taught me so much about the very character of God. I know every feeling of love and adoration I have towards my children is just a small glimpse into how our heavenly father feels about us.
As I sent her off with Daddy this morning to go to preschool, I was just so overwhelmed with pride. I am proud of the little lady she has become and I am so grateful for the gifts God is developing within her. She had such a wonderful time and can't wait until Thursday so she can go back to see Ms. Shirley and Ms. Becky. It is so cool watching her grow up.
Happy first day of preschool Gracie Bella!

Calgon Take Me Away

Calgon Take Me Away! Is that commercial still on? Anywho-that was a memory from my childhood. I remember those goofy commercials where the woman was drawing the largest bubblebath froth ever seen with her permed hair and fluffy robe saying calgon take me away. So you wonder why this is being blogged about right now right? Well, Kindergarten is back in session. Let me slow that back down for you. kindergarten.is.back.in.session
And every year, I wonder why I choose to put myself through kindergarten being back in session.
On day 1 with all of my kindergarten students(another teacher and I are sharing 33 kindergarteners) I was:
1. punching bag punched in the stomach 3 times by a FIVE year old
2. escorting a FIVE year old to the office in a trained hold with my co-teacher and partner in crime
3. told by this very same FIVE year old that he "ain't afraid of nobody"
4. losing my patience as I reminded this FIVE year old that he was just FIVE-slapped my hand on the table in front of him as I slowly said F-I-V-E(yes I do realize that this angry child was not getting my sarcasm but really dude-you are only 5 years old)
5. ducking and covering as a wooden letter U from a puzzle was heaved into the air (by another 5 year old) smashing into the ceiling and quickly bouncing back to try and attack my head
6. tripped up as I was helping another teacher escort a 2nd grader to the office in that same trained hold I mentioned earlier. He was a little bigger-SEVEN years old!
I tripped and fell right on my face into the guidance counselor's office.
You know you are a school teacher when you have a day like mentioned and somehow talk yourself into returning for another day. Now I do not hope this continues in any fashion but I do have to admit that my friend and cohort in this madness and I have some really fun times because all you can do sometimes is laugh. Well after a good cry!!

Creation Museum

Catching up here on some summer fun we had! We went to the Creation Museum a few weeks ago for a girls weekend. It is located about 10 minutes from Cincinnati in Florence Kentucky. I know, I always remember Florence Y'All on the water tower when we would travel south as a kid. Do Y'All remember Florence Y'All or is it just me??
Anyways, any trip staying in a hotel with a swimming pool is fun for the girlies. They are quite easy to please! We did have a great time. The museum was a little more geared for the older family but we enjoyed our time looking at how God created this amazing universe we live in. The best part of the trip was the exotic petting zoo. The girls got to feed an enormous camel as well as pet zorses(zebra horses) and billy goats. Gracie even got a chance to snuggle up with a Wallaby(spelling??). Here I am with my fresh Mater's Degree and I don't even know what a Wallaby is or how to spell it for that matter. I am calling for Gracie to come see the baby Kangaroo at the museum and a 12 year old corrects me that it is actually not a Joey at all, it is a Wallaby. So there you have it friends-Gracie held a Wallaby, not a baby kangaroo! What is the difference anyway??

It is official....

I am officially a Master's Degree holder. I have no picture of the degree for you to prove my accomplishment but it is real babies!! I just got my grades today! 4.0 Chicas-I finished with style!!
I know many of you were thinking something else when you first saw my it's official title-so sorry to disappoint!!
What does that mean for me? Well it means a bit more pay (nothing much friends) and my teaching license has been renewed for 5 more years until they can think up the next hoop I must jump through. Maybe they will require me to carry a doctorate to educate 5 year olds. We will just have to wait and see on that one!
Celebrate good times!

Harvest Time Once Again

Last week we did some harvesting at my grandpa's lovely garden. We picked potatoes, more zucchini, okra, and cabbage. The girls were very in to the digging and I learned a great deal about planting and harvesting potatoes. For example, you actually quarter the rotting potato when it starts sprouting it's craziness and that is what you plant under the soil. When harvesting the potato you can actually pull the beginning quartered piece out of the ground and see how the whole plant started. Very cool! I know I have left a bag or two in the pantry a bit too long and seen the sprouts but I never really put that together about using that to start the potato plant. Anyways, the potatoes all grow underground but the actual plant sprouts up out of the ground so you can pull it as you dig around the plant to loosen the potatoes. Then you just pull the plant up and bunches of little potatoes are hanging on and then some are just down buried in the ground because they fell off the plant. It was an actual harvest the girls could really get into because they could pull them off the plant and dig in the dirt to find the hidden treasure. I couldn't help but snapping some pictures because they looked so cute getting their hands dirty. Gracie asked me before we left the house to go harvest if I thought she looked like she had good farming clothes on. The girl was definitely preparing to get her little dig on!
I am really getting quite addicted to this whole gardening thing. I can't believe how crazy fun it is to plant, grow, harvest and eat these little goodies. I know I need to get out more!! I am looking for recipes now to help me use all of this zucchini. I have been making some zucchini bread lately that is so tasty. Who knew? I guess when you put 2 cups of sugar in the bread, it can't go all that wrong now can it?

Random Sightings of Future Olympian Hurdler

Mimi and Poppy blessed Gracie with a set of hurdles for her birthday so she can follow in the footsteps of the old momster. She loves them for sure and wants to be taught and coached how to do them better. It is so wildly fun but I must remind myself that she is 4 and only 4. Working on the 3 step might just need to wait a year or two at least :)
Here is the making of a future olympian hurdler(or maybe 2 because Shiloh has really taken to it as well!)