so much to catch up on

i've got to start somewhere!!! getting updated. i plan on going back to february and playing catch up. but i also am going to start updating the current craziness as well.

my sweet anna claire started 2nd grade today! wow! i am so proud of her and i am just grateful to be her mommy today and always. she got a great teacher and has friends in her class from her 1st grade class too. it's going to be a great year. she is so grown up acting and wants to be a lil teenager....uhhhh!!!

i hope she knows how proud we are of her and how very much she is loved. bubby and baby sister look up to her and talk about her all day!!!

school days.....

first day of kindergarten

first day of first grade

D.O.G.S.

D.O.G.S. stands for dads of great students. A.C Steere started a DOGS program this year...one of the amazing dads of a student has done a great job of getting dads involved in school. They do some fun things like grill during teacher appreciation week for all the teachers, work on the school grounds, but the main thing is each dad that can signs up for one (or more) days to be on campus all day. Do carpool, lunch duty, read in classes, help teachers, go to recess/and or P.E. It's been amazing and Matt has done 2 days and he has loved it. needless to say anna claire loves it too...
                                                                                                                                                              before school (dad brought his lunch too)                                                                                           

through the eyes of anna claire

don't want to forget this one:


last night a.c and i were talking about school and she said they have been talking a lot about the president and some other political figures. then she looked at me and said so very serious "mom, why do the call Obama's wife the first lady? I thought Eve was the first lady?"


wow! now that is priceless! love it! love how you think a.c.

snow 2011

Good Times

I'm so behind. Life is getting busier every time I turn around!!! It's a good type of busy though. And we are excited about holidays!

Some highlights of our November and early Dec.

Anna Claire:

 She still loves 1st grade and is doing wonderful!! We love her teacher and sweet friends at A.C. Steere. We had a field trip to a retirement home and it was so sweet. The kids sang their Thanksgiving songs for the residents and it was just precious!

Back in Nov. they had their 1st grade Thanksgiving program and she was a pilgrim. She had a speaking part and did SO great. We are so proud of her.

Acording to Anna Claire:
favorite food: ice cream
place to go: Claire's and Build-a Bear workshop
thing to with Leighton: monster trucks
Thing to do with Caroline: lay with her in her bed
favorite toy: Barbies
what are you scared of: monsters
what makes you happy: Leighton
favorite thing about school: my teacher
best friend: Ella
T.V. show: Jonas L.A.

She is taking dance now.....Hip hop class. Ha! I don't know why that makes me laugh!

She is into all things shiny and sparkly and sassy. Her style is all her's and it is just so funny to me. We have to tone her down often, and it is not easy. She is VERY DRAMATIC when the clothes she has to wear aren't her pick.

 She recently had a sleep over and had two friends spend the night. These 2 above woke at 3 a.m. That's why the nerdy mom I am made them hold up 3 fingers. They stayed up doing nails and having a pretend salon. I even got one fabulous massage. :)

 Anna Claire is a natural with the little ones. She is enjoying being a big sister. That does not mean that they don't fight because they do, but for the most part she is a really good big sis!

 Decorating the tree. They were so excited they couldn't even get one complete thought out as we were getting into the Christmas decorations.

 On Thanksgiving at Uncle Ross and Aunt Ann's house. She loved Kes and Kam too!

Brother, baby girl and I miss her terribly during the week when she's at school, we can't wait for the Christmas break.

Me and my big girl went to Dallas last weekend for a girls trip. We went to American girl, ice skating, and enjoyed some much needed time together just hanging in the hotel room!!! We stopped to visit my sweet friend Kimala and her family on the way home and had a great visit with them. This was an amazing weekend and I am so grateful my sweet husband made it possible for us to go. 

 Anna Claire and Clara ready to leave for Dallas

                                                          such a special couple of days!
                                     Me, Anna Claire, Kimala, Anna and Emma. We miss them!

She lost her 6th tooth while we were eating pizza in the hotel room!

Anna Claire can be found at the table drawing or writing a story on any given day. She also likes to play school, swing outside, and she is still a Barbie girl. Playing with  a friend is still a favorite, and she has really enjoyed playing with Leighton lately too. They are so cute to watch!Oh and shopping.....oh my she LOVES IT! We could go all day if money grew on trees. We're in
T-R-O-U-B-L-E with this one.

My Leighton 

 He loves to play outside, whether it's at the park or home, he really would prefer to be outside. And he loves to do anything daddy is doing.

 Thanksgiving party at school.

He is really into making funny faces. A lot of my pictures he is making this one hilarious face. Leighton is loving preschool and his sweet teacher. He goes 3 days a week, half a day. 

We wrapped up the soccer season which was a lot of fun. He did great, and I think will really enjoy it next year. Oh....he had a really hot soccer coach by the way too. :)

Playing with our neighbor Matthew, his friend Jackson, or hanging out with Grandpa or daddy are all favorites.  He also loves to swing, play legos, any remote control toy he LOVES LOVES LOVES!!! My parents have picked him up a couple of times from school in their jeep and taken him to lunch, which is a big hit. His teacher said everyone in the school knew "Granny and Papaw were picking him up" on those days. He loves to tell stories, true or not. 


The last one above cracks me up. He is a little stinker. 
I love to kiss those cheeks and I can't believe my boy is getting close to being 4!!!

He loves his Caroline and Anna Claire. He and baby girl spend LOTS of time together! He really is a good big brother to her. 

Favorites according to Leighton are: TV: Tom and Jerry, Wubbzy, and Diego. Food: Pizza, scrambled eggs, and cheese. Thing to do: play at Sci-port and play legos. 
What's your favorite thing to do with Anna Claire: play in the rain. 
with Caroline: nothing. 
Best friend:Zeke
Favorite thing to do at school: play and get magic beans
not like about school: not getting a magic bean when I'm bad. 
Scared of: monsters
what makes you happy: monster trucks

Caroline:

I have so much to tell about little miss Caroline. I have not recorded as much about these sweet days as I wish I had, but never doubt how sweet the moments with her are. The lack of updates is a product of time and energy. 


Here's some things I want to remember about Caroline at about 22 months:


- she is in a toddler bed because she climbed out of her crib ALL THE TIME!
- she is climber, monkey
- loves her baby dolls and cars (she plays with big brother)
- she has just started to color a lot. She loves to sit at the table with big sister and color, or color on the dry erase board. Or her wall, our furniture, her clothes, her body, etc. 
- she is very loveable, especially with mommy. Says "hold me hold me" all the time and then lays her head on my shoulder :)
- Still wakes up most nights, and walks into my room and says "hey mommy"
- loves her paci and blanky, I think there is a gene in our family for paci/blanky combo. love to see her with her pink silky blanket. 
- she acts really cute with Matt, she kind of flirts with him, and ALWAYS wants us to look at her.....she loves to be laughed at.
-she will fight back to big bro and sis for toys, etc. I mean fight hard not to lose the battle. 
- she is talking in sentences. 
- loves milk
-favorite foods: banana, blue berries, oranges (loves fruit), breakfast sausage, spaghetti, chicken and rice, gold fish, pop-tarts, and pizza to name a few. 
- she is going to MDO on Tuesday's and LOVES it. She goes to our church/Leighton's preschool, so on Tuesday and Wednesday she goes with me to take him but she dosen't go to "her school" and gets so upset. Mr. Tom and Mrs. Cupp are her teachers and they are such a blessing....she loves them. she talks about the "buggy buggy" which is a cart they push the kids around in. 

Caroline you are a blessing to us and everyday you find new things to smile and laugh about. You are loved by all of us!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I have so much blogging to catch up on, but for now Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am counting my blessings today (and always).

It's all good!

              Goodness and mercy are following me and I haven't done one thing to deserve it.

God's goodness is amazing, beautiful, abundant, undeserving, unbelievable, awesome and more appreciated than I could ever express.

                          

As if it wasn't enough to die on a cross to save me from myself and my sins....He gave me all of this in addition to my salvation.

Blessed is an understatement! Some post on my blog can't do justice too the amount of gratitude I feel!