sPliSH SplAsh

Today was a great day spent with good friends enjoying lunch, swimming, 4 wheeling, trampoline jumping, dog playing, Popsicles, swinging and catching up. The great thing about these guys is it does not matter how long it has been, we pick up right where we left off.

Emma, Brook, Luke and Gavin getting ready to spend the day in the pool and have some big fun.

Emma and Brook were so big today and just sort of did their own thing.  They would swim for a while, change clothes, go inside to play, get back in the pool and were just so independent.   It was almost like they did not need us.  I guess they really are growing up.

When you grow up in the country on acreage you get to do alot of things us city slickers don't get to do very often.  At the age of 2 Luke rides this thing everywhere and you better not get in his way, he is on a mission. 

He just might be one of the most beautiful little boys I have ever seen.  He is so adorable and those eyes get you from Hello, just look at them.  My favorite part of the day might have been when he told us, "My Daddy is tough" after Gavin requested that Mr. Travis open a Popsicle for him.

These boys played trucks, cars, 4 wheelers and horse trailers all day long.   They would fight a little, trade trucks, make up and play some more.  Boys are so different!

At the end of the day, they were all pretty happy and had a good time.  We can not wait to go back for some more fun under the COUNTRY sun at the "4L Resort".  Thank you Locascio family for having us, feeding us, playing with us BUT most of all for loving us.

Thank You

Swim team is close to coming to an end for us this season, but we will be back next year.  It has been a wonderful experience for us as a family to fellowship with such great kids, wonderful coaches and loving families. 

This year I helped with sponsorships and really enjoyed getting out in the community and socializing with local businesses. Our sponsorship plaques came in a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to deliver them when Emma could be involved in the process and have a better understanding of what these businesses do for a non profit organization.

This morning we got up early before swim practice to make our rounds and say, "Thank You".   I was so proud of Emma as she walked in carrying the plaques, shook the hands of the sponsors and said, "Thank you for sponsoring our swim team this year". 

I think the sponsors were super impressed with her confidence. Each of them took the time to ask her how swim team was going, if she enjoyed it and if she would be returning next year. 

It was a good experience for Emma to come face to face with these adults, engage in conversation with each of them and learn a valuable lesson on being appreciative.  Emma was so intrigued by the sponsorships, asked me tons of questions and really enjoyed recognizing these wonderful contributors.

When we stopped at the last establishment, she was a little bummed that there were no more plaques to distribute.   So proud of this big girl this morning and her courage to say, "Thank You" to some well deserving individuals.

Once again, we are so appreciative for an amazing swim season and look forward to both of our kids being involved in swim next year.

Pooh & Friends

After a missed flight (YES it was my fault), we finally arrived at Disney, only a couple hours later than originally planned.   This year we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside in a Royal Guest Room with a water view, it was Princess Tianna's room from Princess and the Frog.  We loved the resort and especially the fact that it had just been renovated in May. Our room was centrally located to the dining areas, gifts shops, pool and transportation which made it very nice with two little ones.

Emma was super excited and happy when she saw the castle and she was more than ready conquer Disney for the next 7 days straight.

Our first night at Magic Kingdom we had dinner with Pooh and his friends.   The food was nothing to write home about, but the company sure made it worthwhile.   Just to set the record straight, NO Emma is not our favorite child, however she loves to be in front of the camera and Gavin, not so much.  It is almost impossible to get that boy to stand still these days.

Daddy and Emma getting a little love from Tigger, isn't he cute? Our little man likes the characters but he is very selective about who he lets touch him and on his terms, so he chooses to admire the characters from a distance.

This little girl loves them ALL, every single one of them.  Piglet was one of Mommy's favorites too.

Oh Eeyore, you are so cute and you were determined to get a little hug from Gavin before you walked away.

Well, this is as good as it gets with Pooh, his friends and our little man.   He did let Eeyore touch him but notice he has his arm out warning him not to come any closer.  Lets just say when the characters came closer than he desired, they had a good boxing match on their hands (not funny, but true).

This boy cracks me up all day long.  He attempted to straddle the train track in front of Magic Kingdom the entire time we waited for the daytime show to begin. 

Hands down, Buzz Lightyear was Gavin's favorite ride and it is safe to say that we rode it about 10 times over our 7 day visit.

Emma and Gavin both loved the Speedway ride and it was a wild one with Emma as my personal chauffeur around the track.

Our view of the castle as we enjoyed the night time parade and fireworks show.  We all love the castle so much and the festivities that surround it.

Disney's Electrical Light Parade is always one of our very favorite parts and this year Gavin could not get enough of the parade.  All the characters were so sweet when they passed by and truly brought the magic of Disney to life for The Frazier Four.

Magical Memories Made

We are hours home from Disney and I could not go to bed without sharing just a few of the special memories The Frazier Four made this past week while celebrating our sweet Emma's 5th Birthday at the happiest place on earth.

She wished...her wish came true in more ways than one.  That my friends is the face of one very happy little FIVE year old having dinner in Cinderella's Castle with FIVE of her favorite Princesses on her FIFTH Birthday.  It was a MAGICAL celebration indeed and one that she will NEVER forget.

To say that I am madly in love with these TWO is an understatement.  They made me laugh, made me smile and made me so PROUD to be their Mommy this past week (oh and there were times I wanted to ring their little necks too!)

This boy loves Buzz and Woody, can you tell (they loved him too)?  We rode those rides over and over and over!  He happened to fall in love with Jake from the Neverland Pirates this trip too.

My sweet girl was not giving up until she got her face painted at Hollywood Studios. When she asked me to join her, there was just no way I could say NO!  There were a couple times when I walked off alone and people would stare at me real funny like, ummm who is the crazy lady walking around with her face painted without kids in tow (ha ha).

Oh this BOY!  So many stories about this wild little thing that had more energy then any toddler in the park all week long.  He would go from sun up till about midnight every night and I will admit that we STRUGGLED keeping up with him.   He is not afraid of anything, loves to wander off and if he sees something that catches his eye, he is RUNNING for it.   Notice the orange bracelet he is wearing, yep that is an ID bracelet that had his name and our numbers on it just in case.  Thank goodness it never had to be used, but I will admit there were a couple of close calls. 

Okay, I am off to bed and praying these kiddos of mine decide to sleep in tomorrow morning since Daddy is getting back on a plane for a business trip in 6 hours.  I do not know who to feel more sorry for, me or him!

So thankful for a great week and even more thankful we made it the entire time, since Emma's Asthma was OUT OF CONTROL all week long.  Bless her little heart she had some pretty bad attacks, some of the worse but she was a TROOPER.

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated Father's Day a little early since we would be at Disney on the official day.  We surprised our Daddy with a new golf bag, gift card to Golfsmith, a Starbucks gift card, a new phone case and Emma got him a special pink golf ball.

Emma and I headed out to do a little shopping one day and she had her purse filled with $28 ready to buy her Daddy a gift with her own money.   When we entered the golf store she spotted a PINK golf ball and shouted, "oh I am getting this for my Daddy and you are paying for it."   I quickly told her I would not pay for it and that she needed to use her money in her purse.  She started crying and telling me that was her money for Disney and she was not going to use it.  Oh this girl, I knew I had to try and turn this into a lesson (like always) and attempt to teach her a little something.  I looked over my shoulder and there stood the salesman all decked out in his TaylorMade gear ready to sell me a golf bag. First of all, let me just say I went in pretty clueless, yet determined to buy a bag that rode on a cart and was legless (ha ha). 

Okay, back to that greedy little girl of mine.  I reminded her about the lesson at church on giving and how God's plan is for us to be givers and in return we are blessed double.  Um, did not go over to well because she started cyring harder and asked me, "so when am I going to see Jesus to get my money back double? Huh?  It will be a long time before I see him to get my money back, so I am not buying the ball.  How will he give me my money back?"  She was relentless and I was speechless at this point, but decided to tell her that he gives it back to us all the time on her Daddy's paycheck.  By this time Mr. TaylorMade was smitten over her and decided to tell her that he was going to give her the golf ball to give her Daddy on Father's Day, but he wanted her to give her money at Sunday school next time she went to Church.  She was satisfied with that and appreciative of his kindness. Needless to say we chatted the entire ride home about being a giver.

A little late, but I wanted to wish my amazing husband a very Happy Father's Day.  Thank you for everything you do every second of the day to devote your life to us, to keep us safe, to insure that we are happy and to put our needs above your own.  You have the kindest heart of any man I have ever had the honor of knowing and it is with that exact heart that you love our kids unconditionally.  You are everything I ever dreamed of in a husband, a friend and MOST of all a Daddy for my children.   Thank you will NEVER be enough for all that you give and do daily for The Frazier Four.  We love you with our whole hearts Curtis!

Dreams Come True

A dream is a wish your heart makes...we are excited to be celebrating Emma's dream birthday with her as she turns FIVE. 

This little girl decided months ago that she wanted to turn FIVE at Disney World dressed as Belle and celebrate in a royal way.   

I love birthday parties, so it was a little difficult for me to turn lose of the fact that we would not be celebrating with all of our family and friends.  We could not let her big day pass by without announcing it to those we love, so our amazing photographer made these announcements that we mailed out, requesting that people mail a card to Emma before the big day.

I am beyond excited that we had about 35+ cards mailed to us that will be presented to Emma on her 5th birthday when we dine with the Princesses in Cinderella's Castle.  Best part of it all, she has no idea about the Royal Celebration that is coming her way.

The Frazier Four are off for the adventure of a lifetime as we celebrate our very own little PRINCESS turning FIVE and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Emma's 5th Family Party

Yesterday after dance recital we celebrated Emma's 5th Birthday with family at the restaurant of her choice, along with cake and ice cream at our house afterwards.  Emma chose to eat at the "lobster restaurant", Papa's Seafood.

Emma decided on a pink celebration with her cake having ballet shoes on it since it was after recital.   It was super simple, yet YUMMY.

I set the table up just like I would for a normal party at our house, so she could feel extra special on her day.  The sign on the table will hang on our door at Disney for the week we are there in honor of her 5th Birthday.

This little girl is so super excited about being the big FIVE that she can  not stop smiling or talking about it.

My sweet girl blowing out her 5 PINK candles on her cake.  I love this girl to pieces and can not wait to celebrate her special day in the MAGICAL KINGDOM soon.

Recital 2012 ~ Stand

Once again we are beyond blessed to have completed our 2nd year with such an amazing DANCE family.  I am convinced there is no other studio in the universe like the one we call home, for so many reasons.  This years recital theme was, STAND!

Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.

Philippians 1:27

I am beyond PROUD of this little girl and even more blessed to call her my daughter.  Emma, again you have blown us away at the age of FOUR.  You took the stage with such confidence, no fear and with the attitude that you were going to have a blast.

Emma loves all of her dance friends and is so excited to be attending school next year with most of these happy faces.   When we went to tour her new school she saw so many of her friends from dance and it gave me such a sense of peace to see her interact with each of them.

The stage and set were absolutely beautiful for this years recital.  Jesus was a huge part of everything about the day and I am so honored that Emma gets to be in such a loving environment year around while she does something she has such a huge heart for, DANCE!  Between each performance was a short video clip that ministered to the audience through scripture, song, world affairs, prayers and promises of God's grace. 

These sweet girls worked hard on this jazz routine which was incredibly tough and had a ton of transitions for them to remember.  They were even called to several extra practices because they struggled a bit, but in the end they delivered big time.

Lauren is Emma's favorite friend from Dance and she spent the week with us before recital. She was so cute and asked me to type out all the moves so they could practice. 

My sweet girl loves being on the stage and I love that she is having so much fun and smiling.  No hesitation in her heart, her smile or her feet.  Emma, you were amazing sweet girl.

Look at those pointed toes and that form, way to go Emma Lou.   You are so cute and I could watch you dance forever and never get tired.

The entire Jazz class getting ready for the big ending. All of them did such a great job and looked so cute up there together.  They danced to Do Your Thing from Happy Feet.  That is one of the things I love most about our Dance Studio, all of the music is Disney or Christian music and every costume is always appropriate.  

Lauren and Emma transformed into beautiful little Ballerinas after their jazz routine. Their primary ballet class danced to Music Box Dancer.

Such sweet sweet girls and they all looked so adorable up there on stage.  Look at those little leaps, melt my heart.

I love seeing the huge smile on Emma's face when she dances.  She was assigned to the sweetest little group on this dance and I am so proud of how she embraced the differences within her small group.  Emma, you are such an old soul and I admire your ability to love everyone (remind me to share this story with you when you are older).

Getting ready for their final positions on stage and to twirl one last time.   Great job Primary Ballet girls, you little ladies were beautiful and stole the show.

Emma Caroline, we are so PROUD of you and all you have accomplished in your first FOUR years of life.  When we see your dedication to everything you love and do there is not a doubt in our minds that your life is going to be filled with many wonderful adventures and what an honor it will be for us to walk this journey with you. 

Our prayer is that you continue to STAND up for what you believe in, STAND up and always show your love for Christ, STAND firm in your faith and STAND for all that God intended for your little life to be.  We love you more than we could ever describe.  

It is Official

As of noon today, I am the Mommy to a KINDERGARTNER and a Pre K 3 year old, summer has started and The Frazier Four are ready to have some fun.  Mommy has 2 days of school left and then I will be off for 47 days straight with these little people and we have an activity packed break planned.

We are about to embark on a whole new adventure with Emma as she prepares to enter public school for the first time.   Mommy has been part of the public education system for 16 years, but she is still a little nervous about sending this one off.  No doubt in my mind Emma will do extremely well socially as well as academically, she is beyond excited about going to "Big School".  Congratulations sweet girl, you did it and YES you are a going to Kindergarten. 

This big boy is looking forward to starting a new MDO program at a church closer to home.  Not sure he gets it just yet, but he seems super excited about the changes.  My heart is a little sad that my children will be separated during the day while attending different schools, but I know they are both going to grow from this experience.

Summer is officially here Emma & Gavin, so lets get this party started.  Mommy can not wait to spend the Summer of 2012 making special little memories with the two of you.

Emma's MDO 5th Birthday

I grew up with a SUMMER birthday and often felt cheated that I did not get to celebrate with my school friends, so I have always tried to make sure that we recognize Emma's birthday before school is out each year.   Today she celebrated her 5th Birthday with her MDO friends and she was so super excited.

Hard to believe this little girl is almost FIVE years old.  She was most excited about this silly little ribbon from Target that she picked out.

She decided to go with a Princess theme since that is what this years birthday is all about, so we ordered mini cupcakes from a yummy cupcake shoppe where we live.

  

Her teachers made sure she had a very special Birthday celebration at school by giving her a crown, bookmark, stickers and a Birthday book.