June's Gone?

I can hardly believe that we are a few days from the end of June. It has been a really busy month here, so I've decided to consolidate the months happenings into one post. It might be a little long, so please bear with me. I might even post it and then come back and add some more so don't be surprised if you see "to be continued" at the bottom of this entry.

Of course there's Elizabeth 5th birthday. Her birthday party was on Saturday, June 6th. She had invited her classmates from school and a few of her neighborhood friends. It was Art Space Studio and the kids had a blast. Each kid got paint the letter of their first name. It was fun to watch them be creative. Even Katherine and one of Elizabeth's friend's little sister (Katherine's age) painted letters. Each child wrote their name on a birthday plate for Elizabeth. Then we had chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-a. That was followed by singing happy birthday and cupcakes from a Hello Kitty pull apart cupcake cake. There was even enough time to open gifts. Elizabeth has thoroughly enjoyed every gift she has received.

The following day, Sunday, June 7th, was Dennis' birthday. He chose to have left over Hello Kitty cupcakes for his cake. He got dinner of his choice that evening. His gift arrived the following week. He bought a new fancy digital camera. I'm hoping eventually the novelty will wear off and I'll get the chance to take some fun pictures of the girls during our daily adventures, but for now it goes almost everywhere with him. He has really enjoyed taking pictures with it and has gotten some really great shots. I'm looking forward to sharing some of them with everyone.


If you don't know already, Elizabeth LOVES race cars (I am too, so her love of them shouldn't be too surprising). Lowes Motor Speedway is here in the Charlotte area and they offer tours of the track. We met up with a few of our friends for a tour. I think that Elizabeth was disappointed that her M&M #18 car was not there for her to see. She kept asking where the race cars were at. We were the last tour that day because there were a few races going on (Legends series and one other), so instead of just getting to do one lap around the track the tour van did two laps.

As many of you know, I've taken up running. We recently changed our gym membership and I signed up for some personal training sessions. The best part about the new gym is that Elizabeth gets to go to the kid zone area where they have two inflatable bounce houses. She loves to go there. I get my workout and so does she. Katherine always has fun at child watch and has made several new friends. I started going there 3-4 days a week in June and now Dennis goes a couple times in the evenings after work (sometimes the whole family goes together) and we all go together on Saturday mornings. It's been a lot of fun. I've even inspired Dennis to run a little. We've been really enjoying working out together. Elizabeth will be the first to tell you she gets a great workout bouncing in the bounce house.

My birthday was next in the cue. It was the following week, on Wednesday, June 17th. We went out to eat at Salsaritas and then I had Tiramisu for my birthday cake. The girls split a cupcake and Dennis passed on both. I was fine with that because that meant more Tiramisu for me. Dennis surprised me with a NASCAR Ride-Along gift certificate. I'm very excited about it. I guess he saw how excited I was to go on the tour at Lowes Motor Speedway. I'm looking forward to that adventure, but it looks like it won't happen until fall sometime.

Also, during that week Elizabeth attended a 3 day afternoon camp at Art Spaces Studio. She made a glass mosaic ladybug (which I'll have to take a picture of), painted a small flower pot (seen to the left with tomatoes and banana pepper from our garden), and a garden stake. The last day the kids got to plant a seeds in their flower pot and we've been watching it grow in our kitchen window. The 2nd afternoon, we skipped Katherine's nap and Katherine and I hung out and painted our own projects while Elizabeth was in camp. Katherine painted a fish (again stay tuned for a picture) and I made a small plate with the letter K for Katherine.

We've had a lot of fun birthday parties to attend and Elizabeth had speech twice a week. It almost seemed as though we had more running around to do over this month than we normally do during the school year. We also had a air conditioner scare.....on a 90 degree day. It turned out to hopefully be just some fluke thermostat issue. In the evenings before dinner we like to hit the pool. Katherine is very fearless and eager to keep up with the big kids. I imagine that both girls will be swimming like fish by the end of the season.

I think that's it for the month of June.....it's only taken my until half way through July to get this posted.

I'm Finally Five!

Anyon who knows Elizabeth could tell you that she's been counting down to being 5 ever since she turned 4 last year. I don't know how many times I answered the question, "Am I five now?" When I'd tell her that she wasn't 5 yet she would almost always reply, "But I'm almost 5, right?" When we finally hit 4 1/2 she slowed down on that question and seemed semi-content with being 4 1/2. The last couple of weeks we've started the count down to the big day and she's gone back to being almost 5. She's so excited to be the big 5!

We've been opening gifts and cards as she's been receiving them this week. She took the money from a couple of cards to Super Target a couple of days ago. She picked out two cars (a Nascar #18 M&M car (her favorite) and a Dinaco Lightning McQueen) and a Cars movie sticker/coloring book. She got to hand the cashier the money and she had $6.06 left which she chose to put in her piggy bank so she could save up for something big. She was so proud to be able to chose what she wanted and pay for it all by herself.

If she had to recap the day, this is how it would go:

We have had a very busy day today. First, I got to open up a few presents and cards. The first thing I opened was a cool blue soccer skirt (Mommy calls it a skort...whatever) and shirt. I knew I just had to wear it today. I also opened a Ariel music birthday card that I picked out for Mommy and Daddy to give to me. I got a super sweet one from my little sis. I also got a cool color by number Cars and Hello Kitty pictures. I immediately declared that Katherine could have the Hello Kitty one. She thanked me for sharing. I also got a cool Moon Phase light to hang on my wall in my room as a night light. Now it will be like I'm sleeping outside under the stars....but there won't be any stars....just a moon.

Then I went with Mommy to get her hair cut. She tried to talk me into getting my hair cut like a big girl, but I wanted to sit on the motorcycle so I passed on it. I got tired of coloring in my Cars Sticker book so I colored my hand blue. Mommy wasn't too happy about that, but thankfully most of it washed off of my new soccer skort and shirt. My hand despite scrubbing remained a duller faded blue. I just wanted blue fingernails. I guess I got carried away.

We then went and finally mailed Grandma Sue's Mother's Day gift (Mommy's been carrying it around for 2 weeks now). Silly Mommy. I think I left my sunglasses there.

Next was speech therapy with my new therapist at Tega Cay Speaks. Mrs. Theresa is really nice and we got to make up silly stories and blow bubbles. Mommy colored in my Cars Sticker book while she was waiting for me. She likes to outline before she colors. I think that is silly, but that's okay.

From there we went to Clipper Doodles so I could get my hair cut and get a mini-manicure. We just missed the big rush. I got to sit on the motorcycle and watch Nickelodeon while I was getting my hair cut. It's nice to be able to see again. I've been telling Mommy for TWO WEEKS that I need to get my hair cut. I got a blue glitter star on my cheek to match my outfit and hand. Then It was time to get my nails done. I surprised Mommy by choosing red fingernail polish. (I don't think she was too surprised since it's my favorite color.) I know it's silly for a Tomboy to get her nails done, but I like it. Mommy says that's okay because I'm still a girl even if I'm a Tomboy. I keep telling her and Daddy that I'm not girl and just a Tomboy. When will they get it.

We called Daddy so he could start getting everything ready to go to the pool. Then we headed to pick up lunch. It was my choice and I chose Chick-fil-a. When we got there I changed my mind to Burger King. Mommy said that Daddy, Katherine and her were having Chick-fil-a, but she'd drive through Burger King just for me. That made me happy.

We came home and got changed for the pool. When we got there our friends Mrs. Elizabeth, Katrina and Aiden were there. We ate lunch quickly so that we could go and play with them. It was a lot of fun, but they had to leave so that Aiden could take his nap. That made me sad and I didn't want to play much after they left. We did sit out in the sun and get dried off a little before heading home.

It was time for Katherine's nap when we got home. Once she was down, Daddy and I ran out for a few fun errands. We were going to Home Depot (one of my favorite stores and my 2nd favorite Nascar car after the M&M car) and then to pick out desert. Maybe I can even talk him into getting me another toy (maybe a Home Depot car...I saw one at Target yesterday).

We're having my choice for dinner so I chose breakfast. If you don't know, my Daddy is the best breakfast cook in the whole world. Well, that's what Mommy says anyway. He's going to make me my very favorite, blueberry waffles with fresh berries, blueberry syrup, and lots of whip cream. Bacon, too! I can't wait. I think that's better than my suggestion of cake and lots of icing for dinner. Mommy said that was a desert not a dinner, but I thought it would make a fine dinner.
We've been running around way too much! I'm tired and will probably be headed to bed early tonight, but it's SO much fun being FIVE! Next year I want to be ten!
*Elizabeth*

Preschool Graduation

Well, it is official! Elizabeth has graduated preschool and is headed on to Kindergarten next year. Thursday, May 21st, was her graduation day! She got to wear a cap and gown. Thankfully, we didn't have to buy those. She did get to keep her 2009 tassel and receive a diploma certificate.

The program was adorable. It started out with a photo slide show of the class photos for our kids "class" starting from the 2's through the 4's. It was amazing to see how drastically some of the kids have grown up and changed. Then it went through each 4's class. First with the class photo and then a few photos of each child. It included a baby picture, a few from school, and finally their picture in their cap and gown. Very cute.

The children entered the worship center next. Mr. Music (who visits once a month at school and is also named Chris) played the graduation precession on his Saxophone. Then Mr. Chris (Pastor of Music and Worship) led them in several songs. The kids were adorable. They even played their recorders (which they got to bring home) for us.

That was followed by the handing out of the diplomas. Several of the teachers were very emotional during this part. Each set of teachers haded out the diplomas to their class. The kids gave each teacher a big hug (well, most of them did). Elizabeth was eager to get back to her seat.

At the end each child was given a carnation. I could see Elizabeth's initial disappointment when she didn't get a red one. That girl and her favorite color red! Then they exited out of the worship center.

Unfortunately we're fast discovering that our not so old digital camera is old and slow and not so good at catching shots. We missed quite a few cute photo opportunities because the camera or Katherine was not cooperating. I ended up having to leave the ceremony a few times because she as loud and squirming too much. I think she would have loved to be up there on the stage with Elizabeth.

The good thing was that both the camera and Katherine kept me busy enough that I didn't have the opportunity to shed a tear! Phew, that was a relief. There had been quite a bit of chatter between the Mom's about bawling about this milestone accomplishment during the graduation ceremony. I'm glad I escaped that one.

Afterward we returned to the classroom to get Elizabeth where we got a few more photo opportunities. The teachers were also presented with the adorable picture frames that all of the parents had chipped in to have made for them. (Many thanks to Sarah who headed up the idea.) The kids then gave their carnations to their Mom's. Katherine had run to give Elizabeth a big hug and had quickly claimed (as she decapitated it) the carnation for her own. Then we headed down to the multipurpose room for cake and refreshments. It was a wonderful day and a big milestone!

You can view additional pictures here.

MS Walk

This is the 4th or 5th year that I have participated in the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Walk. This was the first year that I was going to run the event. Many thank yous to my family and friends that supported me in this event. I exceeded my initial $250 fundraising goal! If you wanted to make a donation but didn't get a chance yet, they are still accepting donations until mid June. Here is the link to my participant center.

The local National MS Chapter had changed things up quite a bit this year. We were walking in a new location and there was very little information on the website. That was a little frustrating. There was no map course and the only time listed was for check in. So I was there at 7:24 for checking in. They don't make out your shirt so you have to sign in to get it. There was hardly anyone there. After I checked in I found the coffee tent and got a cup of coffee. Then I found my way to the information tent where I learned that the walk was not starting until 9am. I also found a turn by turn written out course instructions for the 2 mile and 4 mile courses. NO map. GREAT! It really seemed like they were not that organized this year at all. That was a bit disappointing.
With at least an hour and a half to kill I was bored out of my mind. Alison was unable to make the event so I was on my own. I did find another really nice gal, Stephanie, that was walking the event on her own and we started talking. We both have girls similar ages and a few other things in common so we hit it off. She was walking for herself since she was diagnosed with MS not so long ago. I had not even thought about bringing a camera, so Stephanie offered to email me her photos. Thanks to her I have some great shots to share with all of you.

Before we knew it, it was finally 9am and Larry Sprinkle started talking on the stage. They had us do warm up stretches.....only to talk for almost another 30 minutes. They had a beautiful balloon release. Each balloon represented a participant that had MS. for each person

Finally at 9:27 we started to move. The bad part was that the first couple of sections we were suppose to stay on the sidewalks. Imagine 1500 people of different paces trying to all stay on the sidewalks. Some cyclist had showed up to participate and I was sure I wasn't the only runner in the bunch.

I started jogging on the shoulder when there was no on coming traffic and caught up to the lead motorcycle cop. I asked if it was okay for me to run ahead and he said it was fine, but I was on my own for traffic. I was fine with that so I was off and running. Shortly there after 4 other runners joined me. We lost one runner once we crossed the road.

I figured if I could just keep them in sight I could keep going. We all took our own little walk breaks along the way. We'd catch up to each other and then fall back off and on, too. There was not a single water station over 3 miles of the 4 mile course. The first/last water station was when we rejoined the 2 mile course. I am guessing that was at the last mile maker. We really had no idea how far into the run we were at any point.

While taking one of my last walk breaks, I looked over and I was walking next to my new friend Stephanie! I was glad to see that she was doing well on her 2 mile walk. I was loosing sight of the other runners in the mix of the large crowd of walkers, so I picked the pace back up. I joined up with one of the other runners and we finished the last uphill run together. I crossed the finish line at 10:07am. I ran/walked 4 miles in only 40 minutes! That's a 10 minute mile pace. My legs certainly felt it.

I stretched out and chatted with the other runners. We were all surprised that there were not more runners there for the event. Then watched to see if I could see Stephanie cross the finish line. I didn't see her, but she saw me! We chatted a bit more and had our picture taken together. I look forward to getting to know her better.
It was a beautiful, warm, and very humid morning, but it was not raining! Well, at least it didn't start raining until I was almost home. Thank you again for all of your support!

Easter Fun

Easter day was a very busy day for us. The second Sunday is when I work in the nursery, so we attended the 8:30am service instead of the 10:00am one that we normally attend. That way the girls and Dennis could go home and come back and pick me up after once the 11:30am service started.

That made the Easter Bunny's visit a little late at our house. He knew that I would want to be there, so he didn't come to visit until Dennis & the girls came to pick me up. It had not crossed my mind, but another nursery worker commented that he didn't envy any of the nursery workers or Sunday School teachers today since the kids would be so hyped up on sugar. Not the case for Elizabeth and Katherine.


When we arrived home the girls were initially disappointed that it didn't appear that the Easter Bunny had visited our house. Dennis then sent them on a scavenger hunt checking each room with the playroom being the last one for them to check. Sure enough on each of their bean bags were their baskets filled with all kinds of goodies. Dennis and I had asked the Bunny to go easy on the candy this year and he'd done just that. The girls had a blast going through their baskets.

Then they headed outside to find all of the eggs that the Bunny had left for them out there. They had a blast, but Elizabeth was very sad that many of the eggs were empty. We explained that for every time she'd not listened the Bunny had emptied an egg. That only worked for.....a few minutes, lol. They still had fun finding all of them.














You can check out more of our Easter pictures here.

First Build-A-Bear

I'm a little late on getting this out there. It seems with spring time comes a lot activity.

Elizabeth had two very fun friends birthday parties in March. She even picked out her friends birthday gifts all on her own. Both were hits. It was fun to watch her decide which ones she thought her friends would like.

One was a Build-a-Bear party. We have kind of avoided this place. Anyone who has been there can probably imagine why. Thankfully, Katherine was at home with Dennis. Elizabeth's entire 4 year-old class (12 students) were in attendance along with a few of Haley's friends from her class last year. The process is not a quick one with that many kids. I was impressed on how patient and well behaved all of the kids were.

First they got to pick their stuffed animal. All of the boys and Elizabeth chose a Koala bear and the girls were fairly mixed with their choices. Then they received a cloth heart that they got to place inside their animal. The gals chatted away and asked questions while the kids one by one got to fill their animal with stuffing and have it stitched closed. Then they had a group picture taken. We managed to bypass all of the stuffed animals accessories. PHEW! From there we headed to the food court. The kids had ice cream cups and a piece of a giant chocolate chip birthday cookie. They enjoyed watching Haley open gifts. Elizabeth did a great job picking out her gift for Haley. Haley was moving away the next morning so it was wonderful that the kids got to have one big celebration with her before she left.

The other one was at Little Gym, which Elizabeth has not been to in ages. It was as if she had never stopped going and a few of the things that intimidated here didn't bother her at all. If anything she was a step ahead of all of the other kids since she kind of knew what to they would be doing. Haley even made it to the party and the kids loved seeing her again.