Sunday, June 17, 2012

June 2012 {10 on 10}


10 on 10 

June 2012
7:30 - new nail polish 

8:30 - hair done and earrings on

9:30 - new skirt and sandals

2:30 - Disney movies are on sale at Costco right now
Love Cars!

3:30 - my beautiful gladiolas 

4:30 - tomatoes from the garden

5:30 - sticking magnets on the fridge

6:30 - chopping nuts for cookie making

7:30 - mommy and daddy cups of tea

8:30 - helping hands in the cookie dough



ten on ten button


Saturday, June 16, 2012

Memorial Day 2012


We didn't do a whole huge lot on Memorial Day weekend. It was just us, no family or friends, so very quiet. A date on Monday + take-out with the girls, church on Sunday and the buying of a very large anniversary present, and on Saturday lots of relaxing and playing. In the evening we decided to take Rosie over to the school ball field and start practicing riding her bike without training wheels.
 She had received a glider bike for her 3rd birthday and had gotten really good at it and loved riding it. But when we switched her to a bike with peddles, it was all a bit too much coordination for a newly minted 4 year old to try and balance, steer, and peddle all at the same time. So we pulled the training wheels out and stuck them on. She was happy and we were a bit chagrined that the whole idea of the glider bike had seemingly not worked. Fast forward 6 months to May and by this point she had been begging us for 2 months to please take her training wheels off. Our long weekend at home seemed like a perfect time to try.

We walked over to the feild, shut the gates (to keep the boy captive) Mike took off the training wheels and she hopped on. 1st time around the feild, he was holding her up and she was crying that she couldn't ever learn it. 2nd time around the field, he held her less and she was still frustrated that she hadn't gotten it yet. 3rd time around the field, he let go and she took off. He ran along side, gently tapping her sides if she started leaning to far over. 4th time around required nothing. She had it. All in a space of about 5 minutes.
We were amazed and she was so proud. There is nothing quite like the look of proud accomplishment on your child's face when they conquer something they were struggling with.

We spent over an hour, going round and round, learning things like; how to start, ("give yourself a little kick") and most importantly, how to stop on command ("red light, STOP!") That it's ok to go "fast like a rabbit" sometimes, but often times "slow like a turtle" is safer and best. Sticking together and always keeping mommy and daddy in sight are very important. Don't always try to race big sister, (my little competitive middle child!) please avoid running over baby brother and other people it at all possible, and never cross the road without a grown up.

It was an amazing evening, seeing your baby grow up before your eyes. The weather was perfect, no bugs, and the light was perfection. I took a ton of pictures.
Sweet Rose, you are now a full-fledged two-wheeled bike rider! We are so proud of you!

 taking the training wheels off

 2nd time around, she's still upset she can't do it on her own

 3rd time around, she's doing it herself!

 the lil man was just happy to be free and in the dirt!

 catching their breath

 Miss O. who didn't want her picture taken

all my loves doing their thing

 
She was so happy and proud. <3


Thursday, May 31, 2012

And today we celebrate...





10 years ago I said, "I do" to this man.
He's pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.
We agree that we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, if it was still to each other.
We think on the same brain wave length pretty frequently.
I think that's ridiculously cool.
I know his likes and dislikes better than my own.
We don't fight very much any more.
Discuss? yes. Heatedly? eh, some. Disagree? occasionally. Out right fight? It's been a long time.
I think he looks even better now than he did 10 years go.
We've learned an incredible amount of things together and grown in that knowledge.
Somehow, we've even discovered and developed interests and hobbies in the same things along the way.
He stands by me and gives me his support in even the craziest situations.
Some days his analytical-problem-seeking-and-solving-brain drives me berserk but most of the time, I can only say "Thank you Jesus for making this man the way he is!"
He can look at something going on in our life from an unemotional view point and see it so much clearer than I can.
He thinks it's awesome that he's converted me to bell peppers and kind of to mushrooms.
I can trust his gut instinct every time.
Most of our detailed conversations happen in the kitchen while we're cooking.
But our in-depth soul-bearing heart-breaking moments usually take place late at night, lying in bed. And there's usually a small child lying in between us. 
We dance in the kitchen almost daily.
We always hold hands in the car.
I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that he's right 98% of the time.
Hence why I do a Snoopy dance and write it down when it's the other 2% of the time.
He disagrees with the above statement. :)
We both think we are introverts, not sure how we ever managed to talk to each other in the 1st place.
We aren't perfect by any means, but even with all the tough stuff, life is pretty sweet.
We're definitely looking forward to the next 70-some years together.





Saturday, May 26, 2012

May 2012 {10 on 10}


This months 10 on 10 was challenging, but full of memories. We were on vacation for a week in the Smokey Mountains with Mike's parents.It was a full but fun day. One I know that our girls will remember and talk about for years. A few of the pictures were taken by Mike's mom as I was not allowed to have my camera during part of the day. And this month, no consecutive hours. I had a tendency to take a whole bunch for 1 or 2 hours and then be busy (or in the car) for an hour or so.
Oh well, it was our day!

 9am - yes, we slept till 9am! 
Must have been a combination of the king size bed, 
 the roaring creek right outside our windows, and the pitch black nighttime. 
All things we are unused to in our subdivision home.
We also had this little visitor crawl in bed with us, unbeknownst to us until we woke up.

 11am - breakfast on the balcony overlooking the creek

 12pm - Samuel, ready to go!

 2pm - Olivia on her 1st horse ride.

 3pm - Samuel and Grandpa looking at the pond, 
waiting for us to get back from our horse ride.

 4pm - Olivia sifting gemstones

 5pm - Samuel, after splashing in the water slough.

6pm - dinner at a local wood-fired brick oven pizzeria.

  8pm - momma's dessert, vanilla ice cream 
topped with crunchy peanut butter and homemade granola

 9pm - one very tired little man.





ten on ten button



Sunday, May 06, 2012

Spring time Celebrating



This past week, we were very generously given free tickets to go see a local ballet company's Spring Time Celebration performance. The Robert Ivey Ballet Company is a long-time dance studio in the Charleston area (they are celebrating their 35th year!) and it was definitely a treat to take my girls. They were especially delighted to go, since they still very vividly remember The Nutcracker ballet from Christmas-time and enjoyed it so thoroughly.

We were a bit late, missing the 1st two dances, due to my misspelling of the street we were supposed to be on. Thankfully James Island is only a hop across the river to downtown Charleston! But the next performance had my girls glued to their seats and eyes on the stage. It just so happened to be a dance preformed by  the Company dancers.
This was a real live ballerina friends! Pointe shoes, white tutu, hair in bun, grown-up ballerina.
The dance was amazingly beautiful as were all of the following acts by the  Company members.
We had fun watching the Junior Company dancers with their Michael Buble and Enya numbers. I had to laugh that my nine year old recognized both songs.


After a short intermission we were treated to a performance of the third act of Coppelia by the Company, Junior Company, and Children's Company. Around 40 dancers all on stage! The girls loved seeing the folk costumes and ohhh-ed and ahhh-ed over the tiny little girl who played as the mechanical doll.
It was a very lovely introduction to classical ballet and the story-telling that it does.


Many thanks to the Robert Ivey Ballet Company for inviting us to come and giving our entire family tickets.
I know it will be a sweet memory for my girls in years to come! Photos are curtsey of Sudie Alexander.

 
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