Wednesday, December 10, 2014

November Highlights

It seems I have let my blogging slide lately! We have been having so much fun, so I will do my best to cover the highlights. :)

We had a great time picking out our real Christmas tree again this year. We opted for a Fraser fir this time...smells fabulous!

Jackson was mesmerized by the tree preparation process :)
All decorated!
Jackson's preschool Thanksgiving feast!
 
I was pleasantly surprised with how much he ate! Even sweet potatoes!
And then there was our own Thanksgiving feast! Delicious as always!
We missed Aunt Carissa and Christopher- who was home sick :(

Black Friday, the guys went hunting while the girls had a mommy/daughter day! So fun!



Jackson was keeping close eye on the deer ;)

What a great month!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Lily is 8!



Somehow another year has passed and we now have an 8-year-old daughter! Every year, we have had the privelege of watching Lily grow more and more into a young lady. Daddy and I are amazed with her maturity in handling responsibility. She has been given additional responsibilities (chores) at home, which she has taken on without complaint.  She is always willing to help which this mom absolutely loves! :) She has grown in her faith and knowledge of God and is planning to be baptized on Dec. 14th! She has asked many complex questions about God and Daddy and I are amazed with the depth of knowledge she has at 8-years-old! We have been able to see Lily grow in her friendships and speak unashamedly with her friends about God and the joy He has brought to her life.
Lily has also developed a competitive streak, which we were able to witness through her Fall season of soccer. After deciding to take a break from dance, we were surprised to see how well she followed direction in playing her assigned position on the field! Lily also learned to ride a bike without training wheels and had her first full summer without a life jacket in the pool! As mentioned in my previous post, Lily does not have stage fright :). She loves performing and using her dramatic ability- something we have known she has had since birth!
Lily, we are so proud of you and look forward to many more exciting adventures to come in your 8th year! We love you so much!


NAME: Lily Mae

HEIGHT: 49"

BEST FRIENDS: Autumn, Chloe, Kayla, Lola, Lainee, Madison, Brooklynne

AGE: 8

SCHOOL: Blackburn Elementary

PETS: Kelsey

HOBBIES: art, music, reading

FAV THING TO DO IN SUMMER: go to California, go to the beach, stay at the beach house

FAV THING TO DO IN FALL: play in the leaves

FAV THING TO DO IN WINTER: play in the snow

SPECIAL SKILLS: learning to play soccer, adding three-digit numbers

WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP: Hairstylist

FAV SINGER: Jamie Grace

FAV SONG: Shake it Off- Taylor Swift

FAV COLOR: Pink and Turquoise

FAV FOOD: Banana Bread and Hashbrown Casserole

FAV DRINK: Sprite

FAV SUBJECT: Library

LEAST FAV SUBJECT: "I like it all!"

FAV TOY: Barbie dolls and stuffed animals

FAV BOOK: Ultimate Fairy Guide and Smile

FAV MOVIE: Frozen

FAV ANIMAL: Pony

FAV HOLIDAY: Christmas

FAV WEATHER: Summer

FAV CANDY: Chocolate

FAV T.V. SHOW: Shake it Up

FAV SPORTS: Soccer

FAV PHRASE: "Really?" (in a sarcastic Valley-Girl tone)- this one has lasted another year :)

SEVEN WORDS TO DESCRIBE LILY: Affectionate, Caring, Independent, Helpful, Leader, Sweet, Determined

Friday, November 21, 2014

Lily's 2nd grade performance



On Tuesday night, Lily had her 2nd grade musical performance, "The Biggest Frog in Australia". She had mentioned a couple of times that she had a part that would require her to get in front of the microphone. I did not realize she meant two speaking/singing parts and a solo on the drums!

Unfortunately, I was not as prepared with my camera (nor my emotions!) to capture these special moments. Lily did a fabulous job.  She had a singing solo which started the program, then moved to the drums, and ended with a speaking part. We were so proud of her confidence! Excellent performance, Lily!  We loved watching you shine on stage :)

starting the program with her singing solo


on the drums



Friday, October 24, 2014

Preschool pumpkin patch

Yesterday, Jackson had a field trip with Preschool to the pumpkin patch! This is one of our favorite field trips. It's actually held on the Preschool Director's property! So much fun. Enjoy some pictures!


His prize pumpkin!
For a kid who has had quite a bit of fear of bounce houses, he was in this one for a LONG time!

this huge ball is always a major hit! 


on a hayride chomping down on freshly made kettle corn- yum yum!
the kids all had an opportunity to feed the "bad" kettle corn to the cows ;)

S'more time!
He even made one for me! :)

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Roaring River 2014

The second weekend of October, we headed out for our annual Fall camping trip to Roaring River State Park! Unfortunately, we were also bringing a weekend of rain with us :(  But, we had fun regardless and I have never been more thankful to have our camper than I was this weekend!

The most amazing thing I have realized about our kids is that they have fun regardless of the weather. The only complaint I heard from them was not wanting to put on their raincoat.  Other than that, they carried on as usual...fishing, riding bikes, playing in the dry creek bed, and just hanging out with their cousins and friends.

We love camping and all of the memories we are making with our kiddos.  Enjoy some pictures of the fun!
Maria, Christopher, and Jackson- the 4 year old trio!

Lily, Lola, and Bailey- girlie girls
lunch time!

Aunt Sarah brought the coolest teepee!  Too bad the rain didn't allow her to keep it up :(
Riding bikes in between rain showers
Aunt Carissa brought the face paint!  Jackson was a crocodile :)

I printed a Nature Scavenger hunt off of Pinterest and the kids had fun finding little treasures. Here's Daddy rewarding them all for their hard work with what else? Candy!!
Some adult time by the fire


The kiddos watching "Elf" in our camper
Jackson went fishing with Daddy!  Check out that catch!
I absolutely love these shots Daddy took.  Jackson loves fishing!


The dads and kiddos out at the river
Lily, Lola, and Grandpa
Christopher, Powell, Colin, Maria, Lily, Lola....love these kids!


I changed my font at thecutestblogontheblock.com