not to be forgotten

My baby boy!

He's so smart, so opinionated, so loving (when he wants to be) and growing up so quickly.  I love the way he greets me each morning, groggy, grasping his blue blankie, hair sticking up, giving me a big "love you mama" hug.

He's having a little difficulty adjusting to the girls going to kindergarten; he keeps telling me he is 5 and he needs to go to big school too.  While sweet, it can be a bit frustrating as he'll argue with a wall just to prove he is right.  I have continually told him this week that I was there the day he was born and it has not been five years yet, but ONE day he'll be old enough to go to kindergarten.  It has only been three days so I'm hoping we'll all adjust to the new normal soon!

a first day update

The first day ended up being a great one! I couldn't get to daycare fast enough to pick everyone up and look into their folders! Each afternoon they'll bring home a folder in their backpack that will contain any paper work that needs to be signed, any artwork created, any homework to be completed, or anything else the teacher needs the parents to review. Also, there is a communications notebook where the teacher can leave notes for us and we can do the same. Mrs. Liner wrote Gracie had a great day and that at one point she asked her to "hold you". Mrs. Liner said her now 13 year old daughter used to say the say thing and it brought a little tear to her eye to hear our sweet GTG say the same thing. Mrs. Bell left us an assuring message that Haley was perfectly alright 10 minutes after we left and she did great all day! I actually got a good bit of information out of the girls themselves. They ate spaghetti and garlic bread in the cafeteria which they both liked. They had to carry their food to the table which they apparently handled quite well. Haley said she sat next to a boy and a girl at the lunch table but didn't know their names. They played on the playground at recess and were able to see one another and their daycare friends that are also at Shreve Island. Gracie specifically told me she slept on a Dora blanket as I totally forgot to send their nap mats...strike one for mama, but they had them this morning!
So far so good and I can't wait to hear about today's adventures.

1st day of kindergarten

Today these little five year olds started kindergarten...uniforms and all!

They are going to a great little neighborhood school called Shreve Island.  They are the only Shreveport school on the year round system and I am pretty excited about that.  This should be there home for the next 6 years!

Hoping her thumb will come out of her mouth at some point.  We did manage to leave piggy at home so that was a really big girl move!  Only saw one little tear in her eye...she'll be fine, right?

There were LOTS of tears from this one which brought tears to my eyes.  Her teacher, Mrs. Bell is going to be great and was very comforting.  I'm praying the tears quickly dried and she is realizing how much fun kindergarten is going to be!

Baby brother with crazy bead head in on the action too!  He asked if he could go to kindergarten with his sisters...how sweet is he?!

We're 5!!!!!!!

showing off their happy birthday cards while eating purple pancakes and purple frosted sugar cookies

happy birthday sister!

8/19/10

They've been counting down the days to their 5th birthday shortly after their 4th birthday festivities wrapped up!  And here we are again...another year.  I'm still in slight disbelief that it has been 5 years since these little critters made their silent entry into the world.  As I've said before, this day is always one filled with mixed emotions for me as that Friday morning in 2005 is still freshly seared into my brain.  Obviously it is not something I dwell on often, but as they move forward another year, I take a step back and reflect and the shear magnitude of the day and the 4 months and 3 days we endured after their birth.  Haley often talks about seeing Jesus and with my whole heart, I believe they both saw him on their birth day and in the months to follow.  He showered them with his protection and love then and my prayers are that he will continue do so the remainder of their days!

countdown

The girls have been inquiring about their birthday for quite sometime now. Ever since August rolled around, they wake up asking "is today our birthday? Is is August 19?" I told them this morning, one week to go. They were soooo excited. I made these countdown rings...they'll pull their first one off tomorrow. In 7 short days, we'll celebrate #5...wowzers!

wordless Wednesday

Playing around with Lightroom...

sugar 'n spice and all things pretty

Haley is really channeling her inner artiste these days. Her stick people are evolving and she's writing more words than just her name.  As you can tell from the drawings below, she is all girl and all about some hearts, rainbows and love!  I love seeing her little personality blossom more and more each day!

let's bowl, let's bowl, let's rock-n-roll!

Last Wednesday we loaded up the trio and headed to the bowling alley for our church's family fun night and what a fun night we had!  It was the first time our kids bowled and they had a blast!  It had been a while since I had been myself and I was quite surprised they had little bowling shoes just their size.  With the help of the bumpers and ball rolling contraption, all three managed to beat me (I did not have the bumpers although I obviously needed them).  The excitement of the game combined with pizza made for a great evening.  I had a golden ticket in my shoes that entitles us to one free game...we'll defintely be back!
Sadly, my camera died shortly after our arrival so I didn't get to capture some really great moments, but I am trying out some free software which really changes the look of photos with a simple click of the button.  I picked some old school vignettes.  I hope I don't get too hooked because it is quite pricey to actually purchase said software!

an anniversary

I have no photos to mark this anniversary, only vivid memories.  Five years ago today at I was wheeled into the labor & delivery unit of Willis Knighton South after a quick visit to my OB who told me the news...I was 1.5 cm dilated and leaking amniotic fluid.  If I weren't 21 weeks pregnant, that might be a good thing.
While the day was a whirlwind of tests, ultrasounds, medication, sedation and tears, I can feel my body tensing up right now at the recollection of the event.  Fortunately, I had a team of great nurses, doctors, friends, family, and prayer warriors that helped me and Jason through the ordeal.  And in a few short weeks, we'll be celebrating the birth of those 2 little girls that began their journey much too early.  As my mom says, I don't know how I would have survived then (or now for that matter!) without knowing and loving Jesus. I'm thanking Him now, and always, for perfect peace and protection during the storm.