Oh Beautiful...

Anna had her preschool program today, "Patriotic Preschoolers". Here she is singing "America the Beautiful." She did great! Knew every word!

Recognize this dog?

This is our sweet golden retriever, Wrigley! When we got a golden retriever, we had NO IDEA how much fur she would shed- especially when living in South Florida! I think we could have opened a mattress store and filled multiple mattresses with her fur. We finally sacrificed her beauty for my happiness of not having to vacuum every day and pick dog hair out of my kids' mouths. (she was pretty happy, too, because it is HOT in South Florida!) Now we shave her seasonally and everyone is happy! She is the friendliest, loving-est, happiest dog that has ever been born. Now if we could only find a way to stop her from pooping in the yard...

Water Break

Anna had a great first soccer game! The action shots I got didn't say much, so I thought I'd post a pic of her relaxing and enjoying her break. The best part of the games is that she has a smile on her face the entire time. Her team did great considering they are 4 and 5 year olds and have only had one practice!

The Library

This girl LOVES to read. When I catch her out of her bed when she is supposed to be sleeping, she has usually gotten out books and is looking through them. Every night after we read stories, she has to take one back to her room and "re-read" it to herself before bed.

Cousins are the best!

There is not much my kids enjoy more than spending Sunday afternoons with their cousins.

Happy Anniversary, Emily!!

Today marks the one year anniversary of Emily's stem cell transplant. I was told not to expect Emily to really feel good and back to herself again until the one year mark. Boy, were they right! I can't slow that girl down- she's got a more active social life than me! Congratulations to our sweet girl- she survived hell and is here to tell about it! Here is to MANY more...

My kids' view of me

Not a creative bone left in my body tonight... so, here is my kids' view of me on most days!

Real Life

I promised I would try to record an accurate picture of our life for 365 days- here it was today! I had taken the car seat out of the van, then we had walked out front. After a few minutes I wondered where Casey was- finally I walked back to the back porch and found her here. She had buckled herself in and couldn't get back out! She wasn't upset until I tried to take her picture- but there wasn't much she could do about it, could she? : )

My gifts

Every day Anna, being so sweet, brings me little "gifts" that she's found on the playground at school. Yesterday she emptied her bag and told me she had lots of surprises for me! (rocks, flowers, chapstick, a hairclip, etc) She lined them up so that I could take a picture of them. When they are teenagers I will miss these little tokens of affection. I love knowing she is thinking about me even when she's at school.

First Day of Soccer

Anna had her first soccer practice this evening. We were so proud of her! She is our shy-est, sweetest, least aggressive child and I was expecting some knee-hugging and tears, but she went out there and rocked the practice! She even fell down a few times but got right back up and kept going. Way to go, our little Mia Hamm! : )

Recital Pictures

Here is my beautiful Emily having her makeup applied for her ballet recital pictures. She looks so much like the "old Emily" with her hair slicked back!

Last Day of Spring Break

 

Spring Break came in as winter, and left as summer with highs in the low 80's. The kids even ran through the sprinklers this afternoon! As you can see, Casey has a new obsession- when it is freezing she wants to wear her pink tutu swimsuit, and when it is hot she wants to wear this black velvet winter dress. She even slept in it this afternoon and was running through the sprinklers in it. She's our third, so we have learned to pick our battles. Barb R., I think this is your kids' dress- I'm not sure how it ended up at my house, but don't worry because it's not ruined!

Trip to the Vulcan

Today we went to the Vulcan for a fun "green" expo and some beautiful sightseeing. This was our view of the city of Birmingham, and this was Emily on top of the Vulcan with her dress being caught by the breeze!

Railroad Park

We took advantage of another beautiful spring break day and went to Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham. We have been so busy and off-routine that I have had a hard time keeping up with the blog this week! I am still taking the pictures but am so tired by the end of the day that I don't post them. It's back to the grind on Monday and I won't fall behind any more!

The Zoo!

We had a blast at the zoo today! The weather was perfect! This is Emily and one of her best friends. Roll Tide!!

Do the Monkey

Anna and Casey were playing the Wii yesterday morning, and I caught them dancing to the Wiggles song, "Do the Monkey"- Casey is pretending to be a monkey here.

Pretty Toes

The girls are having a sleepover tonight and giving each other pedicures was part of the agenda.

Lazy Morning

The girls earning a jelly bean by playing nicely together on the computer..

Spring Break!

The kids are really enjoying the 70+ weather! Do you have any idea how hard it is to capture a decent picture of 3 kids on the swings? I finally decided on this one because it captures their mood very well.

Busy Day

Taken with my iPhone- we were at Lowe's shopping for patio furniture and Anna and Casey were giving us their opinion on what they liked.

Bubbles

Enjoying the afternoon in the sun on the first afternoon of spring break. (finally!)

Jelly Bean Jar

We are all trying to be better people around here for Lent this year. I'm trying to be a better mom, which means less yelling, which means more positive reinforcement, which leads to the jelly bean jar. Every time the girls do something especially nice for us or each other, they may put a jelly bean in the jar. We will all share the jelly beans on Easter! This is a picture of the first jelly bean placed in the jar today- Casey couldn't find her lamby for naptime, and Anna graciously offered to let her sleep with her beloved elephant. (unprompted) I will repost a picture of the jar near Easter- here's hoping for a full jar!

Barbie Picnic

All three of my girls actually played TOGETHER all afternoon and hosted a Barbie picnic. They were so cooperative and well-behaved I actually got my taxes finished while all 3 of them were home. A minor miracle on Ash Wednesday!

Bathtime Fun

Nothing better than hearing true belly-laughing coming from the bathroom during bathtime.

More from ballet..

This time I was peeking through the closed curtains. The girls were trying on their recital costumes- they are going to be butterflies in an Alice in Wonderland production in May. This is a big year for Emily- she will be completing her 5th year of ballet, and will receive a 5 year award at the recital. Last year would have been her 5th, but she was too sick to dance. She jumped right back in this year, and is doing great!

Longing for Warmer Days..

Casey got a swimsuit for her birthday that she insisted on wearing all day yesterday. So, of course, Anna wanted to put hers on too. We have been having a beautiful early spring until yesterday when it didn't get higher than 45 degrees- they are so ready for summer!

Happy Birthday Casey!!

Then and now... as much as I said I would be happy when I don't have a two year old in the house anymore, I felt pretty sad today that my littlest one is now 3 years old. Emily was 3 when Anna was born, and she seemed so big at the time! Here is a picture of Casey at 4 weeks old, and a picture of her blowing out the candles tonight. Happy Birthday to the funniest, toughest, cutest kid I know with the biggest personality I have ever seen!

At the grocery..

After yesterday's post, I had to post a picture of Casey behaving, because I was told that she was very good at school today! She is so excited about her birthday tomorrow that she can hardly stand it.

Only 36 more hours...

Only 36 more hours of having a two year old in my household! (she turns 3 on Saturday) I know they are growing up so fast, but I will NOT miss the terrible twos! Casey was clearly frustrated with her sister. You can really see where she knocked out her tooth in this picture, too.

Couldn't Decide

Some days I really struggle with finding a picture that is important to me- today I couldn't decide between these two, so I figured I would post both! The first (Casey) is what happens when the we are outside late in the afternoon and the ice cream truck happens to come by at exactly 5:30 (dinnertime). The kids are hungry, and I'm too tired to resist. The second is Ryan reading the girls a bedtime story.

Best Buddies

Casey and Daisy entertaining themselves outside on a nice afternoon! I love to listen to their conversations.

5 year checkup

This was Anna's expression when she realized there was a possibility that she was going to get shots. She did get them, and was very dramatic about it. Later that day, after Casey's nap, she told Casey, "I got two shots today." (keep in mind, Casey was present at the doctor's office). Casey said, in a very annoyed tone, "I knooow Anna. Stop talking about it!"

Lots of energy

Anyone want to babysit my kids?? They won't wear you out. Really.