Swim~A~Thon Success

Today was Emma's BIG day in the pool for her swim~a~thon and she did not disappoint.  Last night when she told me her goal was 40 laps, I thought I would have to count by FIVES to help her reach it BUT much to my surprise she surpassed her goal.

 

 

41 laps

1025 yards

 10+ football fields

 over a 1/2 mile

she DID it!

 

I was shocked and so PROUD of this girl.  She fought hard, she kept kicking, she never gave up, she loved it, she was so proud of herself and she SMILED the entire time.

The kids swam with their age group and had 45 minutes to swim as many laps as they could.  Emma actually swam for 47 minutes because she was not getting out of that pool till she reached her goal, her choice, her determination and her will.

Taking a little break after lap 21 and waiting for her friend to catch up with her so they could take off again.

 

Emma did such a great job and was so determined.  The kids were allowed to use whatever stroke they chose, so Emma switched between freestyle, back, and some sidestroke.  She also used her kick board on about 10 of the laps when she would get tired and needed to slow down a bit.

 

So far Emma has raised $354 and is in 9th place out of 223 kids for fundraising, she still has some money to turn in on Saturday and then we will know her final ranking.  Notice that she is the last one in the pool for her age group because she was on lap 39 when time was up, but she asked Coach if she could swim more to meet her goal.  I was so EXTREMELY proud of Emma and she has proved to me once again that she can do anything she dreams of doing.

Swim Picture Day

Emma had pictures for swim team today, she was so excited to put on her new club suit and meet up with 222 of her swim buddies to say cheese.  Of course she had to have a bow in her hair and I am certain her Coaches were wishing it would fall out in the pool, but remember this is the girl that wore her pink tutu on the soccer field.

 

 

Emma is ready for Thursday's Swim-A-Thon and is determined to swim 40 laps (1000 yards or 10 football fields), I am exhausted just thinking about it.  Emma is currently in 8th place for donations and still has more money to turn in Thursday.  I was so proud of her at the football game Friday night when she approached people we knew, explained what she was doing and asked them to sponsor her. 

 

 

Emma Lou, we are so PROUD of you and will always LOVE and SUPPORT you in and out of the pool.

My Heart is Full

Somedays I am still amazed at the way God has blessed me.  These two kiddos are more than I have ever dreamed about in this life and my love, hopes and dreams for them is indescribable.  I can't help but wonder what life has in store for these two and how their little hearts are destined for BIG things.  God made them so perfect and he continues to mold and shape them daily.  I pray that they always know and love him as much as he loves them.  

 

 

These two love and protect each other in a way that makes my heart overflow with joy.  I am so thankful that they are so close and so willing to protect one another no matter what.  Gavin even comes at me if he thinks I am wronging his sister, not always a good thing but it still makes me happy because he loves her so much.  Just look at that smile and the twinkle in his eyes, he is smitten about his big sister.   

 

God has given me the HUGE job of being their Mommy and insuring that they are healthy, happy and so much more.  It is a tough job and one that I fail at often.  One thing is for sure, I will never give up and I will continue to get back up and give them the best I have to give day after day.

Emma Caroline & Gavin Thomas,  I will continue to pray and love both of you unconditionally and without ceasing.  I am so blessed to be Mommy to both of you.

Reese & Co.

Emma was invited to the cutest little birthday party today to help her sweet friend Reese celebrate turning the big FIVE!  The theme was a Tiffany party, except her Mommy used her name Reese & Co.  The colors, decorations and activities were all so perfect and our girls had so much fun.

 

 

We have known sweet Reese forever from dance and her Mommy always takes our kiddos pictures with Santa Claus every year. Reese and Emma are in Primary Jazz and Ballet together this year.

 

How cute is this little tablescape?  I love the colors, the jewels and the little blue boxes that were the perfect finishing touch.

 

The girls spent their time getting their fingernails painted Tiffany blue, stringing pearl bracelets, getting their hair done, playing duck, duck, pearls, and getting a crown for the big celebration.  Emma, Melinda and Stephanie all worked on their little trinkets together.

 

 

Emma was so excited to see Macy and Ella today.  We danced with them last year and they are first graders at her school.  She gets super excited when she gets to see them in the cafeteria occasionally.  I enjoyed visiting with their sweet Mommy's today too.

 

Reese got lots of great gifts and was so cute opening them all.  Emma got her the McKenna movie and an American Girl party dress that just so happened to be Tiffany blue.

The birthday girl with her Mommy that did such a great job on the party.  Tracy must be exhausted because she had a party last night for her oldest daughter.

 

There were about 20 little girls total and they were all so cute and so sweet.   Many of these girls either dance, swim or go to school with Emma and she enjoys all of their friendships.

 

These cute little goody boxes were filled with blue jelly beans and a diamond ring for all the girls to take home.  Every girl big or small loves a little blue box, right?

 

I normally would not stalk a party like this, but Reese's Mommy emailed me last week and asked if I would take pictures for her because she would be too busy to get any.  I did not mind, but it is a little embarrassing taking pictures for a professional photographer (ha ha).    If she is like me, she will just be grateful to have party pics.

 

Reese, we hope you had a very Happy 5th Birthday. Thank you for inviting us to your sweet little party filled with jewels, cupcakes,  trinkets, nail polish, friends and all the things a little girl loves.

Best Lunch Date Ever

Me and my sweet girl had a fun little date today and she was surprised to say the least.  Once a month our school district has an early release and the kiddos get out half a day.

 

 

Mommy decided to take a half day off too, pick up her sweet girl and head to the Bistro for lunch.  I did not tell her where we were going until we arrived.  She requested Olive Garden but I knew she would be way more excited to visit the American Girl store and have lunch.

Emma has been so excited about her date with Mommy all week long.   Our Nanny picked little man up and spent the afternoon with him, so it was strictly girl time today.  Mia her Bitty Baby came along with us and Emma made sure she had plenty of pink lemonade with her lunch. 

 

When we got to the store and she realized where we would spend the afternoon, she screamed with excitement.  We looked around a little before our lunch reservation and then we made our way to the table where Emma started counting her money to see what she could afford.  She had $12.00 saved and decided she was going to buy something special with it.

 

Emma loves Mia so much and has slept with her every night for the last 4 years.  I hate to break the news to Mia, but Emma has her eyes on a new AG doll that she is asking Santa to bring.  I thought she would change her mind when we got to the store and saw all the dolls, however she still loved the same one with straight shoulder length red hair, olive skin, freckles and green eyes.  

No lunch date with Mommy is complete without dessert.  Emma picked the mini ice cream treat and loved it, she even shared a little with Mia.

 

This little store has everything, including a rack to hang your doll on when you go to the potty. Sure wish they sold these little gadgets because it would be a great way to organize dolls in Emma's dress up corner of her room.  Look at sweet little Mia, she is probably one of the prettiest dolls I have ever seen and Emma loves her so much.  She will be an heirloom for sure and I am so proud that Emma got her from her RaRa (my BFF) on her 1st Birthday.

 

This Volkswagon is the cutest thing ever and my girl would love to have it, but not for $349!  We are hoping Target comes out with a look a like. 

 

We spent hours in the store just looking around, shopping for a birthday gift for Reese Ivy's party Saturday and dreaming about all the things we would love to have.  I will admit that I love this store as much as Emma does and we can not wait to go back.  Emma chose to spend her money on a little rabbit in a basket that is super cute.

 

Emma was so appreciative of our afternoon date, thanked me at least 10 times, told me how much she loved me and also told me that she was so thankful we were rich.  She said, "rich with blessings Mom because we know God and we are all so special to him."  I love her heart and her mind so much, she is such a special little girl and such an old soul.  When the ladies in the store kept asking her if she was getting a doll today she said, "No ma'am we only get things for Christmas and our Birthday unless we buy it with our own money, so I am going to ask Santa for it."  She was smart enough to tear the tag off that matched the exact doll she wants (#37) , so Santa would not be confused. 

 

Today I am thankful that I slowed down, took time off, picked my girl up from school  and spent some quality time with an amazing little girl talking, laughing and dreaming.  Emma Caroline, I love you more than I ever imagined possible.

Tent, Two Teeth & Three Weeks

Not a very fun weekend at The Frazier Fours!  Saturday morning found us in the waiting room at the Dr., two screaming kids and two swabbings later resulted in two kids with STREP THROAT.  My kiddos turn into monsters when the word swab is mentioned, instantly brings tears.

 

 

Since it was convenient we thought we would go ahead and get Emma re-vaccinated with another Hep A shot.  She got a note sent home on Friday saying that she had her Hep A shot before her 1st birthday and it did not count.  I quickly remembered that this was done because we traveled out of the country with her at 10 months old.  Needless to say, she loved the nurse at her school prior to the note she sent home on Friday, not sure how she is going to feel about you now Nurse Blake.

 

 

When you get cabin fever, you ask your Daddy to build a tent in your room to entertain yourself for the day.   I ran to the store and came home and found Emma snoring away under the tent with her portable DVD player.

 

 

To top the day off  Emma lost her 2nd tooth yesterday and was happy to welcome the tooth fairy again last night.  She loves to stick her little tongue in and out of the hole where both teeth are missing.

 

We have successfully completed three weeks of school and everyone is happy as can be, including Mommy.  Our new Nanny is wonderful, the kids love her and she has quickly fallen in love with them.

 

Hoping everyone is fever free in the morning and ready for the crazy week we have before us that will be filled with dance, swim, community pep rally, Daddy's Fall campaign at work, football and homecoming festivities.

 

Back in the H2O

At the end of last dance season Emma's dance teacher suggested that she try out for Company, which is the studios competition team.  All summer long Emma talked about it and looked forward to tryouts (even though I felt like she was a little young).  When it came time for tryouts and we talked about the commitment, she started having second thoughts and expressed how much she missed swim. It was at that time that she asked if she could swim year around on a select team and said she would rather swim opposed to dancing with Company.  Well, then there was the day I came home from work and she stated that she would like to just play football (ha ha) she was serious!  I never want to choose my kids activities for them, so I have left the decision completely up to her.

 

 

Swimming year around is also a HUGE commitment and one that I wanted her to fully understand, so I have been completely honest with her about all of it.  We have talked about her just starting kindergarten, 2 hours of dance a week, adding swim practice and monthly meets.  None of this seemed to bother her and she is still up for the challenge.

This week she is working out with the team and she will make her FINAL decision by Friday after she has experienced a full week of her scheduled activities.  Yes, it is alot for a FIVE year old but she is one determined little girl and I feel like we need to be supportive as long as she can keep up and have a smile on her little face.  When April rolls around she will go back to swimming with our neighborhood swim team and only swimming monthly meets with her select team.

Once again, I was a PROUD Momma today.  Emma walked into practice and picked up right where she left off at the end of summer swim.  She is accustomed to swimming in an outdoor pool, so I was a little worried about how she would react to the indoor pool, 70 degree water, the noise and the obnoxious smell of chlorine.   She did not skip a beat, walked over to her practice lane, introduced herself to the coach and got right to work ALL BY HERSELF!  Practice is 45 minutes long and involved them doing non stop drills with/without the kick board, fin/finless and finally freestyle.  There are about 6 kids swimming in each lane and the coach stays on the deck, needless to say she was not intimidated by this set up at all.  

Emma Caroline, at five years and three months old you simply AMAZE me.  You are so committed, driven and passionate about everything you do.  I pray you never lose your drive in life and that you are never afraid to try new things or be in new situations.  No matter what your decision is on Friday, me and Daddy will support you and always be your biggest fans!

Three and a Half

Last Monday our very own little Superhero turned 42 months old and boy are we ever so thankful to have him in our life.

 

 

Gavin has officially been potty trained with no accidents for 2 months and we are so super proud of him.  He loves to potty in the yard and we have to watch him when we are outside because he will pull his pants down and just go.  Matter of fact at cousin camp two weeks ago we were at the resort pool and we all turned around to find him with his swimming trunks around his ankles, yikes!

 

 

Yep, he is a boxer brief boy and is currently wearing a size 3/4 clothes and a 9.5 shoe.  At his last check up he weighed 40 pounds and was 38.5 inches tall. 



This little boy is always on the go and running is his only mode of transportation when those little feet hit the floor. 

 

He is a creator, a dreamer, has a huge imagination, is a problem solver and loves the outdoors.  He has been at his new MDO for one week and loves it.  We are so impressed with the program and all the hands on activities he has engaged in so far.   The teachers are wonderful, organized and sweet. 

 

Gavin is still a very picky eater and his diet consist of fruit, peanut butter, wheat thins, chicken (only from Chik Fil A), bean/cheese chalupas, shredded cheese, waffles, hot dog buns, pizza, milk and yogurt.  It sounds horrible and we have tried everything to get him to eat other things, he just refuses.  Our pediatrician tells us to keep offering it to him and hopefully one day he will accept.

 

This summer Gavin settled down quite a bit, don't get me wrong he is still a WILD CHILD but he has become more affectionate and lovey.  My favorite part of everyday is when he slows down long enough to wrap his little arms around my neck and says, "I love you Mom" (I like to pretend like I did not hear is the first time, so he has to repeat it to me).

 

 

We just got this boy in bed and in the process he went into great detail about his grandfather that lives in outer space with the aliens that he goes to see.  He explained to us that he waits to see the big wheel that spins around and then he gets on the spaceship and he goes. He provided us with so many details about the little adventure he would go on after we left his room.  I asked him if his (imaginary) pirate friend Will was going with him and he said, "no I put him in a box and I am not letting him out".  Poor Will, not sure what he did but he is not getting to go to outer space to visit grandfather tonight so it must be something serious.  All of this is just a small part of why I love Gavin Thomas so much, he truly carries my heart around in his little pocket every single day.

 

I love his energy, I love his smile, I love his attitude, I love his spunk, I love that he is so passionate about things and heck, I even love his pirate friend Will.  This boys life is so full of PURPOSE that it amazes me and I pray daily that God will use him in ways that are far greater than we could ever imagine. 

 

Gavin, I can never THANK YOU enough for the laughter you bring to my life and our home.  You truly have rocked by world and I hope you will invite me to outer space with you soon.

Spirit Stick

 

Emma is determined that her class is going to win the spirit stick today for having the most kids in their spirit gear.  Not only do they get the spirit stick, but they also get a visit from Percy (the school mascot) along with being on the school news.  This girl is beaming with school pride after 2 short weeks and it makes my heart so happy.  She is a lover of school and everything about it.

First Day of PreK Three

Wow, our BABY started Pre K THREE today at 42 months old.   It is a big year for Gavin for several reasons (1) he has started a new MDO program, (2) for the first time ever he is not with his BIG sister (3) he is completely potty trained and (4) he is taking a lunch to his new school.



 

 

Big day for our little BOY, but he handled it like a rock star.  Look at those sweet little fingers wrapped around that chalkboard.

 

I am CRAZY in love with this little dude and he makes me laugh hysterically because he is some kind of funny.  This morning was no different and he had me laughing from the time he got up until we hugged and kissed him goodbye.

 

 

Taking pictures of him is tricky and it was nearly impossible to get him to stand still, look at the camera, hold the sign and smile.  

 

He is also a little dramatic and loves to put on a show, especially if he is getting some extra attention or making me laugh.  Nope, he was not sad in this picture, he was just putting on a show for me.

 

He woke up this morning and when I told him it was his first day of school he shouted, "really Mom, really? It is my first day of school?  Yay."  We have taken him by his school all summer long to get him prepared for the changes and it paid off this morning because it was a super happy day for all of us.

 

 

The promise of a starburst will get me a smile anytime I ask for one.  Little stinker, he truly has me wrapped around his chubby little finger.  I also happen to think he is one of the cutest little boys I have ever seen.

 

On the ride to his new school he was tapping his finger on his lip in very deep thought and he said, "Mom and Dad, are you thinking what I am thinking?"  Of course we asked him what he was thinking and he said, "I am thinking I am really excited to meet my new teacher today." 

 

He talked the whole way to school about playing on the pirate playground with his Pirate friend Will.  We have yet to meet his Pirate friend Will, but he talks about him often (yes, he has an imaginary friend that just happens to be a pirate too).  Oh I love this kid and everything about him!

 

When we got out of the car Daddy put his little backpack on and tightened it up.  Gavin looked at us both and said, "Bye Mom and Dad".  I had to remind him that we would be walking him in even though he would have been just fine with walking and signing himself in this morning (ha ha). 

 

One of the things I am MOST proud of is how confident, secure and brave our children are in new situations.  As long as they know the plan they are good to go and always seem to have a smile on their face and are excited for their next little journey. 

 

Being a working Mom is difficult at times, but I must admit Emma & Gavin make it so much easier on me.  When my kids are happy, I am happy and I look forward to hearing their stories when I come home at the end of everyday.

 

 

Gavin was smiling, playing and completely comfortable hugging us bye this morning.  We are so PROUD of our baby and thrilled about his new little school.  He is going to be able to experience so many wonderful things from Spanish lessons,  computer class, chapel daily, library time, field trips, projects, move it & groove it, specials and so much more.  We are looking forward to the extensive lesson plans they have provided us and the structure that is offered through their program.  

 

Gavin Thomas, you bring us so much joy and you constantly keep us laughing.  Thank you so much for reminding us to laugh daily and not take life to serious.  You fill our house with so much energy and we are BLESSED to call you our SON.  Have an amazing school year in the Little Lambs class with Mrs. Marie and Mrs. Mandy (Handy Mandy) as you like to call her.  We hope that you and your pirate friend Will  had a great first day and don't ever forget matey,  we love you so much!