Swimming

Micah is taking swim lessons right now. It's been tons of fun for him, and for Abby and I watch. On Thursday, it was review day. All the kids were reviewing the things they had learned thus far. One of the things was to stand on the side of the pool and show correct diving form. They haven't actually learned to dive, they are just working on form right now. After they had shown the correct form, they were allowed to jump in the water. To be honest, Micah is a little advanced for this class. So, he decided that instead of jumping in, he was going to dive in. I could see it in his face, that this idea was going through his mind, and I wasn't sure how things would end up. So, when it was his turn, he stood up, showed perfect form, and then.....belly flopped. That "SPLAT" sound has never sounded so loud or painful than it did right then. But, Micah just got up, smiled, and clapped for the next kid. After the lesson was over, I asked him if his chest was okay. His reply, "It hurt really bad at first, but I didn't want to be a wimp, so I didn't cry."

I'm always proud of my little guy, but the fact that he "gets it". He gets that sometimes you have to be tough and not let the pain get to you. He's only five and probably way ahead of me in that game. :)

Abby's Dance Recital

Ever since I can remember, I've dreamed of the day that I would have a little girl of my own who would dance in a dance recital. I danced when I was a child and loved it. I hoped that would be the case with my own daughter, so I put Abby in dance lessons in August. She has loved every minute of it.

Her very first dance recital was last week and she stole the show! She started off really paying attention to her teacher (who was standing in front of the stage so the girls could watch her do the moves), but about half way through the dance, she decided that it would be more fun to do a dance of her own creation. So, she finished the routine with something of her own creation. It was adorable!

Just before her dance began (her class was the second dance of the show), they turned the lights off so the audience couldn't see the kids going on and off the stage. As Abby's class was coming on, I heard her say, "I can't see my mommy!" I don't think she was too worried though, because when the curtains came up, she was in full Abby form.

Our beautiful little dancer.

One of Abby's favorite moves (which was choreographed by the teacher) was the one where they sit down and tap their heels on the floor. Anything that makes a lot of noise is fun for Abby.

Paying attention to Alexis (her teacher). Isn't that costume just the cutest?

After her dance was over, we were all laughing and clapping so hard. I even found myself crying. Just tears of happiness from a very proud mommy.

For the shows finale, all the dancer came out on stage for their finally bows. Abby was holding the hand of one of the assistants, when she noticed a little girl in her class, that was sitting at the front of the stage (her mom was trying to get her to go up on stage). Abby kept pointing to this little girl and looking at the assistant like, "Can't you see her? Aren't you going to get her?" After pointing and looking at her several times, Abby decided to take the matter into her own hands. So, she broke away and ran to this little girl. She tried to get the little girl to come with her, but the little girl wasn't having it. And then, Abby noticed that the curtains were closing, so she ran back to her class and spot on the stage, just as the curtains closed on the night.

Ahhhh...we love this girl!

Impromptu Tea Party

I hate to admit it, but I was not a very good mom yesterday. I lacked patience and understanding, with Abby, completely. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, and felt extremely guilty. So, I vowed that today would be better and I would try to make up for it by making today a fun, happy day for Abby (and me).

Her bestie, Isabelle, was coming over today, so I told Abby that we could have a "Tea Party" with her. So, once Isabelle got here, the girls played while I prepared our little tea party. They were so excited to find out that not only were we going to eat fun things, but we were going to dress up in all of Abby's costume jewelry.

They were so excited. It was absolutely adorable to see them "get ready" for the tea party.

All dressed up and ready for the party.

Tea party sandwiches & cheese. This menu was customized to each girl's liking. Abby had turkey sandwiches, while Isabelle chose pb&j. When they ran out of cheese, they each asked for more. I went to the kitchen and brought them each a slice of cheese. Isabelle very sweetly asked, "Can we please have the heart cheese?"

Our apple flower. Couldn't quite think of anything cute or yellow for the center, so we settle for pepperoni.

They enjoyed their food quite a bit.

Ahhhh! It's quite cute to see these girls play together.

I had the girls pose for pictures. Abby in all her glory.

Strike a pose, Isabelle!

During the party, they discovered this fun game.

It went on...
and on and on...... until we stopped to tell Princess stories.

Our story was all about how Princess Abby and Princess Isabelle were playing in the royal parlor when a fire-breathing dragon stole them. They were being kept in the dragon's dungeon until Prince Micah came to their rescue and returned them safely, to the royal parlor where they played with their beautiful babies and lived happily ever after.

Yes, today was a much better day. :)

Micah's New Year's Eve Party

Micah has been dying to have a party lately, so we decided to have a New Year's Eve Eve Party. Normally, I would make invitations for a party and let Micah deliver them, but this was a bit last minute, so I just called all the mom's of the little boys in town and invited them over. Micah was very specific that this party should be a pajama party, be only for boys, have donuts, and that it must be at night so they could "stay up late". I tried to be as accommodating as possible. :)

Noah, Fischer, James, Brock, Micah, Treddon all dressed up in their cute jammies.

Micah graciously agreed to let Abby come to the party. While there, she developed a bit of a crush on Jake. She did not leave his side all night. She even kissed him! Jake was a very good sport and just kind of went along with it.

Since this party was held at night (6-8:00 p.m.), the basement was dark, so we turned it into a "real" movie theater. We watched, "Despicable Me", which also happens to be one of our family's new favorite movies.

To fulfil Micah's requests, we had pizza, Capri Sun, and donuts. This boys can really eat! By the end of the night they had finished off 7 pizzas, 2 1/2 boxes of Capri Sun, and 2 dozen donuts.

These boys are great kids. Micah is very lucky to have so many kids to play with.

The whole group.

I love throwing parties for my kids! Next up, Abby's pink party. She's been asking for this one ever since her birthday party, in October. We'll do it in February. Seems appropriate. :)

My Baby is in Preschool

Abby started preschool today. She was so excited and asked several times when it was time for "my cool". She did great too! She was a bit nervous when I left, but Mrs. Stephanie said she warmed up in no time and fit right in. She said that Abby followed directions really well and made friends very quickly. I am so excited for this new adventure in Abby's life, but I would be lying if I said it didn't choke me up a bit. She is my baby and the last one to do these things. I guess I just got a first (Micah) and a last (Abby), no in-between to get used to.

Abby picked out what she wanted to wear. We keep her "good" clothes in the closet and she knew, without me telling her, that that was where her school clothes would be. Doesn't she look cute?

I took her shopping this past weekend, for a new backpack. Every kid needs a backpack when they start any sort of school. At first, Abby picked a giant, yellow, Spongebob backpack. I was freaking out a little about that. Then, she saw this one and was trying to decide between the two. I was so relieved when she chose this one. It's adorable and unique.

Here is Abby with her teacher, Mrs. Stephanie. She's great! Micah went to this preschool when he was 3 too. Abby got a little nervous when I turned her over to Stephanie, but by the time I picked her up (2 hours later), she was hugging Stephanie and telling her, "I see you ater". Preschool wiped her out though, because less than a minute into our drive home, she zonked out in the car.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Yesterday was the first Sunday in January, which meant a new Primary class for Micah and Abby coming into Primary officially. She was really excited to be a Sunbeam. So, on our way out the door, I snapped these pics.

As you can see, Micah wasn't quite as excited about having his picture taken. He warmed up though. And yes, we still have our Christmas tree up. :)

Seriously, could they be any cuter?

Abby insisted on telling Micah "somsing". Micah said it was a secret.

Neither of them would tell me what it was.

It must have been a good secret, because this hug is what happened right after.

Primary was a bit chaotic, with the transition to new teachers and new classrooms, but it went better than I had expected. Micah was great! He gets reverence and tries really hard. Abby on the other hand, well, that will unboubtedly be a work in progress. :)

Recent Funnies from Micah & Abby

It's been awhile since I last posted. Life has just been busy, but I vow to do better with my blog. I really do enjoy having a record of the things my kids do and say.

Micah and Abby are growing like crazy and they say the funniest things. Yesterday, we took the kids to lunch at "Red Robin". As we were eating, I noticed that Abby's shirt was wet. I said, "Abby, how did your shirt get wet?" She just looked at me and said, "Oh! The water did it." Duh, mom. :)

Micah is a quiet kid, but make no mistake, he likes to be the one in charge. The other day, he reinforced that when he said to me, "Mom, I like being in charge." I said, "What do you like to be in charge of?" I was expecting him to say something like, "picking out the movie", or "which shirt I wear", or "what game to play", etc., but he surprised me with his answer. So, what does Micah like to be in charge of? "The things Abby does." That's a direct quote. :)

Micah is also super sweet. Last night, he and I were laying on the couch, watching, "Santa Buddies". Out of nowhere, he asked, "Mom, who is your best friend?" I said, "I have three best friends- you, Abby, and Daddy." He said, "No. I mean, who do you like to play with?" I explained to him that if I could play with anyone in the world, it would still be him, Abby, and daddy. I then turned the question on him and asked, "Who is your best friend? Who is the person you like to be around the most?" He replied, "You." The kid melts my heart.

My kids are the best! I count myself blessed on a daily basis. :)

UPDATE: I forgot one.

A few weeks ago, Heath took Micah to the store. It took Heath by surprise when he realized that Micah had been filling the shopping cart with snack items he wanted. When Heath asked him about it, Micah said, "How about you buy your stuff and I'll use my own money for my stuff?" So, when the time came to pay, did Micah pony up? "Oh no! I forgot! I left my money at home," were his exact words. Uncle Jeremy is famous for that very same trick. Kid learns fast. :)