Emma's 2012 Thanksgiving Feast

Today was Emma's first Thanksgiving CFA feast as a Kindergartner.   I was shocked when I heard it was at 10 in the morning, but it was a joy to eat breakfast lunch with this sweet girl.  Emma's teacher started her Thanksgiving travels early, so we missed seeing her but the sweet sub made sure the kids had a great day.

  

 

Earlier in the week they had a Native American craft day, a program, Turkey Trot to benefit Diabetes and talked of all the things they were THANKFUL for this year.  

 

 

My heart was warm inside when I saw the list my 5 year old girl generated on her own, spelling every word with no assistance.  I have always said the hardest job I have ever had in my life is being a MOMMY!  When I saw this list and that Emma Caroline put God first, I knew that we must be doing something right as parents.  I pray her little heart always loves and lives for God the way she does today.

 

 

Me and my little TURKEY before the feast began.  I brought Emma Chik Fil A to lunch because I knew what was on the menu and wanted her to eat.  Emma's friends Megan and GiGi ate with us today and it was fun to see them giggle and whisper at the lunch table, silly girls.

 

This is Emma's Principal Mrs. Shealy that we love so much.  She came from a Title 1 school prior to opening Emma's school two years ago and she "gets it".  If you are an educator you will clearly understand what "gets it" means, she is the whole package and puts kids FIRST.  I am so thankful for her and the love she has for kids.

 

Mrs. Jackson has fallen in love with Emma and her wardrobe (ha ha).  She stopped me today and said that her favorite part of everyday is seeing what Emma wears to school.  I told her thank you, but I hoped that she would remember Emma for her sweet smile and her kind heart. She is not one of Emma's teachers but loves to give her hugs in the hallways. 

 

I can not say enough wonderful things or how THANKFUL we are with Emma's school, our school of choice.  Emma is on a transfer to attend this school opposed to our neighborhood school and we are beyond pleased with our decision (one of the perks to working in the district).  We are so impressed with every faculty member, the curriculum, the culture, the other students, her teacher, the programs and the overall positiveness of this place. 

 

Emma Caroline, looks like KINDERGARTEN fits you well girl and we are so proud of you.  Thank you for sharing lunch with me today, it was a joy to sit by you and your friends.  We love you so much and are beyond BLESSED to call you our daughter.

Gavin's Thanksgiving Feast

Gavin's MDO program put on quite a production for their Thanksgiving feast.  Each child was responsible for contributing to the feast and they were assigned an item by age.  Gavin's age group was responsible for the mashed potatoes.

 

 

The church gym was transformed into a dining hall and each person had a place setting that read, "Guest of Gavin" (or their sweet babies name).  After the gym was loaded with 580 people, the teachers began serving a full Thanksgiving meal and desserts.

I was amazed at how well organized and wonderful the entire feast was for all of the families to enjoy.  Gavin got busy munching on some trail mix before lunch was served.

 

When one of the teachers put this in front of my sweet boy he shouted, "Ooohhh yuck, I am not eating that stuff."  Geez, can you just pretend Son?   He wanted this plate out of his sight immediately, so I offered it up to one of the men across the table from us.

 

 

 

I was so impressed with Gavin's Thanksgiving Feast and honored that I could be a part of it.  Gavin was so PROUD that I was there with him.  Today finds me so thankful for this little boy and his love for life.  I am even more thankful that God blessed me with him as a constant reminder of my Daddy, he is a spitting image of that man. 

 

Gavin Thomas, you are a special little boy and the love I have for you is a love that I share with no other.  You have loved me the way only a little boy can love his Mommy and I cherish that. Thank you for an awesome lunch date Son!

Emma got her ears pierced!

Today was the day that our sweet little girl decided she wanted to get her ears pierced.  She has been talking about this since August and weighing the pros and cons, she is so our child.   Back in August she asked me to take her to the store so she could talk to the people about getting her ears pierced.  We went Claire's and she listened while the lady explained and showed her the entire process, then she said, "I will be back when I am ready."   She has talked about it several times since then, but TODAY was the DAY!



 

We decided early on that we would let Emma decide when she was ready for earrings.  We chose not to do it when she was a baby (our personal decision) and that we would let her do it when she asked and was ready.  We wanted it to be about her, not us and I am so glad we waited.  I learned long ago that you have to do what works for your family, so no offense to those who have done it differently than us.

 

Today after church we went to lunch and to run a few errands.  Emma asked me if I would see if there were two ladies working today at Claire's because she wanted to get her ears pierced, but she wanted them done at the same time.  Today was her lucky day, there were two very sweet ladies working and willing to pierce her cute little ears.

 

She climbed up in the chair and was super excited.  It took about 45 minutes to get things signed, sterile and ready.  Of course Daddy gave the final okay on the purple dots and they had to be corrected a couple time to get his approval. We were not allowed to take pictures during the process and all I had was my phone, so the quality of these pictures is not great.

 

 

After the ladies got situated, Emma requested that Daddy hold her hands and I stood in front watching.  She was so brave and really did not cry through the process.  After it was over with I could tell that she wanted to cry, so I said, "Did it hurt baby? It is okay to cry."  As soon as I got those words out she started crying for about 30 seconds and that was it.  Daddy hugged and kissed her and told her how beautiful she looked and after that she was a happy girl.  

To say she is PROUD is an understatement.  She loves her new earrings and feels so sassy with them.   She has talked about them all day long and even helped me turn and clean them tonight.  They really look so cute on her, however it made me a little sad because she looks like a big girl.

A Special Day

Today was a big day, so big that Emma got up at 5 in the morning super excited.  As soon as her feet hit the floor she started asking, "Mom, how much longer till Hannah Claire's party?"  I knew this would be the case, so I did not even tell her about the party till a couple days before.  Hannah Claire is Emma's favorite friend of all times and they share a very sweet connection. 

 

Emma was so cute on the way to the party.  She had not seen these girls since the summer when they said good-bye and all prepared to go their separate ways to Kindergarten.   Half way to the party Emma said, "Mom, do you think they are going to remember who I am?" 

 

 

These FIVE girls attended MDO together since they were all 15-18 months old and spent 4 years with one another day after day.   Ada, Hannah Claire, Gracie, Emma Caroline and Aubrey.

 

Sweet Hannah Claire is a cowgirl at heart and had the cutest little horse party. We arrived to the party about 10 minutes late and the kids were all playing when we got there.  Hannah Claire was talking to her friends and she spotted Emma and took off running to her, they hugged so tight and did not want to let each other go.  It was the sweetest thing and brought tears to my eyes.  From that second on they were hand in hand for the remainder of the day.

 

When it was Emma's turn to ride, she chose to ride double with HC and they were in BFF heaven.  It is so sweet for me to watch Emma with all of her friends, they are such an important part of who she is and she loves them all so much.  HC and Emma have sent pictures and notes back and forth since school has started and sweet HC has Emma's hanging above her bed. 

 

 

Emma had so much fun visiting with all her friends from MDO, she especially loved spending Hannah's 6th Birthday with her.  They held hands, laughed, caught frogs, rode horses and enjoyed each others company.  Last night after we left Hannah told her Mom that the best part of her day was riding the horse with Emma.  We both agreed that no matter how far apart we are that we must make a huge effort to keep these two connected, because they truly share something special and are crazy about one another.  These two girls are excited and looking forward to their time together over Christmas break.  

 

Emma Caroline, I am so PROUD of the friendships you share with so many little girls and am even more PROUD of your sweet soul you so willingly share with others.  Not only did it do your heart good to spend time with old friends, it did your Mommy's heart good too.  I love you more than you will ever know!   

Fall Festival Fun

We are ticketed out!   Today was both kiddos fall carnivals at their schools so we made a day of it.  Both of these events serve as major fundraisers for their schools and we wanted to give back to the two places that give so much to our sweet babies.

 

 

Gavin was mesmerized by this chicken in the petting zoo, he kept begging the man to put it down so he could do who knows what to the little fella.

 

These are 2/3 ladies that are responsible for Gavin at MDO daily.  They are so super sweet, love him, but provide a very strict and challenging environment daily.  Did I mention it is exactly what he needs and he is doing wonderful?   At Gavin's previous school he was "king of moving his clip" and often times left his teacher in a tizzy.  Hmmm, the best thing we did was change his environment and it has been wonderful. 

 

One can not attend a carnival without eating cotton candy and making a sand candy stick, we did both and now have two kids bouncing off the walls.

Gavin loves his new school and it is obvious that he is so comfortable and well loved there.  There was one little girl in his class that ran up to him during the carnival, kissed his hand and ran off (ha ha).

 

As soon as we finished with one festival, we were off to another.  Emma was so excited to get to her school, see all her friends and play some games.  We are absolutely in love with Emma's school and the people who work there.  No matter the event, it is obvious that "KIDS MATTER MOST" at her school and I love that.

Gavin loved this huge obstacle course that had little ones running around in it like crazy.  We were so afraid he was going to get hurt with all the rambunctiousness, it did not seem to phase him.

One of Emma's very favorite friends from school, Megan.  Megan started dancing with Emma when they were 3 and are now Kindergarten table partners.

 

Both schools have a silent auction that brings in an "over the top" amount of money.  Each class creates a project that is auctioned off and this is the one from Emma's class.  It was the sweetest canvas (4ft x 3ft) I had ever seen.  It was BIG or I would have bought it (out of wall space over here).  I was so nervous when I first saw it and quickly prayed that Emma Caroline was not holding a  sign that said, "Breast Feeding Mommy".  Looks like she was redirected or dreamed of  being a teacher that day.   My favorite is the little boy at the bottom holding the sign that reads, "Disney Parade Leader", that's awesome! 

 

 

Lack of sleep, sugar, bounce houses and being over stimulated always leads to this!  Wasn't easy to drag our two social butterflies away from the fun, but we are finally home.  So thankful for the two wonderful places and the people that our kids are surrounded by at school daily.

Happy Halloween

Our two little trick-or-treaters are in bed for the night in spite of all the sugar they inhaled this evening.  

Gavin was a dragon and loved walking around shaking his dragon tail tonight.

 

Emma was a Princess, of course.  She actually bought this costume with her own money while we were at Disney this summer.  

 

 

These guys did not want me taking pictures of them this afternoon, they were just ready to get the party started.  They were eagerly waiting on two other families to join us for pizza, sweets and trick-or-treating.

Every Princess needs a Dragon and every Dragon needs a Princess to love.  These two love each other indeed and nothing makes me happier.

Pumpkin Patch 2012

Today we made our yearly visit to the Pumpkin patch to let the kiddos pick out the perfect little fella that would soon become our Jack O' Lantern.  The middle of the day is not the best time to go because my red headed children do not do well in full sunlight, they are quite the squinters.

 

 

Every year we visit a local church to support their Pumpkin Patch fundraising efforts, they had some great pumpkins this year.

 

Here they are, my little squinters that could barely stand to open their little eyes.  Of course Gavin is over my picture taking in about 10 seconds, so this is the best I could get.

 

 

I will never forget the first time we took this little girl to the Pumpkin Patch, she was only 3.5 months old, where has the time gone?

This boy ran in and out of the pumpkins like they were a maze.  He tried to sit on them, stand on them and pick them all up.

 

Finally got him to stop for a second to take a picture for his Momma, doesn't happen often.

 

 

Sweet Daddy carrying our Pumpkin to the car and excited that he gets to bring this guy to life.  My kids are so blessed by this man and do not even realize how lucky they are to have such a kind, considerate, good hearted and dedicated father. No doubt in my mind one day they will know the value of having a hands on Daddy that never missed a single event in their life, led by example, worked hard and loved them unconditionally. 

 

We have had a family fun filled day, that is not over yet.  We are still roasting pumpkin seeds and watching the Spooky Buddies Halloween Hound. Nothing better than the memories we are making today as the Frazier Four!  

Nanny Love

One day this week I came home to three smiling faces that were so proud of the pumpkins they created. Our Nanny came to work with a bag full of goodies for the kids and they spent their day crafting away.

 

Just realized I never introduced our new Nanny that came to work for us in July, so meet Miss Becca.  She has worked out wonderfully and loves our kids as much as they love her, can you tell?   I am so thankful for this sweet girl who helps keep our home running smoothly, our son in MDO and Emma in our school of choice.  She has blessed us in so many ways and has allowed us to keep our kids on a schedule we/they love.  Gavin is in school from 9-2 and Emma attends from 8:05-1:50.  We scored when we snatched her straight out of the water, she just happens to be one of Emma's summer league swim coaches too.

Becca is our 3rd Nanny (all have been beyond amazing) and we are praying she stays with us for at least 2 more years and then we are hoping to juggle it all on our own, once little man starts Kindergarten.  In the meantime we will continue to enjoy all the help we can get.

My Pirate Boy

"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope." ~ Dr. Suess

 

 

This is probably my favorite picture from his 3 year old photo shoot and just sums up who is in a nutshell.

One of the things I love most about this amazing little boy is his ability to dream, imagine, tell a story, pretend and live life.  He is such a great story teller that he has his sister asking, "Mom, is Will really a person?" (when Will is his imaginary friend).  Sunday morning he woke up telling us that he rode a dragon to a fishing hole and spent time with his Grandfather.  He loves to tell us about his trips to outer space, his visits with his grandfather (that lives in heaven), sailing the seas with his pirate friends searching for gold and about the monsters that come to life at night when all the rest of the world is fast asleep.  I love to listen, I take in every word he says, I ask questions and MOST of all I encourage him to keep dreaming. 

I am blown away daily at his ability to role play and be so creative with his 3 year old mind, it is interesting, it is different, it is fun to observe and it is GAVIN THOMAS.   He is a dreamer, he is a leader, he is a creator, he is strong willed, he is smart, he is witty, he is hilarious, he is mischievous, he is active, he is wild and HE IS MY SON. 

 

This kid NEVER meets a stranger and is the first one to extend his hand and say, "Hi, my name is Gavin."  I love hearing him say it.   Last week when our Nanny picked him up from MDO he saw  a little boy with his Mom and shouted, "Wow, you have a really cool Mom."   His vocabulary increases daily and his new favorite words are, cool & actually.

 

I loving walking in the door after work and hearing his little feet run across the kitchen screaming, "Mooooommmmmmmaaaaa!"  He usually jumps up in my arms and squeezes my neck super hard, lays his head on my shoulder, says I love you and then wiggles his way back down to the floor and is off to play again.

 

...there is nothing like the love a little boy!

USA swimming ~ First Meet

Woo, we are beyond exhausted but it was a great weekend supporting Emma Caroline in the pool.  Started yesterday at 7 in the morning and ended today at noon for us.   Long two days for sure, but it was packed with warm ups, swimming, playing with friends and cheering on the cutest little 5 year old that went off the dive block.

 

This girl was so excited to compete, navigated her way around like she had been doing it for years and determined to improve her times.

I love this picture!  Anyone who knows me in real life, knows that this is my personality to at "T" and always has been.  She might look like her Daddy, but this girl is ALL me!

 

Emma posed like this and declared it her, I can not be beat pose.  She cracked me up all weekend, seriously.  Far from her dress, ruffle pants, pointed toe and hands on her hips picture, huh?

 

 

She was so excited that Aunt Stacey, Hunter & Camryn came to cheer her on as she dove off block #2 ready to go.   We were so proud of this girl in so many ways.  There were 23 girls swimming against her in the 25 Free and she placed 8/23.  We were ecstatic, especially since she was swimming in the 8 and under category as a 5 year old.  When we picked up her baby blue 8th place ribbon, she was thrilled but she said, "oh Mom I wish it was PINK" (ha ha).

 

This is one of Emma's best friends Lauren that she has loved since she was three.  Lauren is in 1st grade and Emma looks up to her so much, she is an amazing swimmer also.  These two have danced together forever and now they have swam summer and select together too.

 

My sweet girl waiting for the signal to make her way up to the block.  The lady at the block fell in love with Emma instantly and found us today to see how she did.

 

 

Look at that face. She is concentrating so hard and is ready to go, she knows if she has a false start she is disqualified.

 

There she goes, check out that dive that she is still working hard to perfect.   Getting so much better, but she knows if she dives down she can take 10+ seconds off her time.  She will be attending a dive/starts clinic soon.

 

Her strokes were beautiful on her Freestyle, almost perfect and we were so proud of her.  She must have told me 5 times this weekend how much she loved swimming on this team.  Never did I dream that this girl would fall madly in love with swim and I would be inhaling Chlorine for 15 hours straight on the weekends.  I am so glad she has found something she truly enjoys and is surrounded by such great kids.

 

This smile says it all, she is having a great time and never complains about the early mornings, freezing pool or tight fitting suit (ha ha).  She was also super excited that Grandma came to support her today.  Sure wish I had gotten a good picture of Emma with my Mom today.

 

Sweet secret time shared between sweet friends.  There were about 400 kids that joined us for this meet, but these two stuck together.  It is so funny because Lauren swims in a different heat then us, but her and Emma both always sit in the bleachers when the other is swimming and cheer each other on.

 

When they are not in the bleachers they are asking me to take silly pictures of them and sometimes they have to be redirected.

 

These two make me smile, they share a special friendship.  Every time they are together they beg to go home with the other one and are heartbroken when they have to go to their own home.  

 

Emma is also just like me in the friendship category.  She loves her friends like crazy, all of them are her best friends and she is so affectionate with them (hugs, kisses and she really loves to pick them up).  Most of her friends are not touchy/feely, but they accept that Emma is a hands on friend. She instantly meets people no matter where she goes and acts as if they have known each other forever.

 

I was not able to get many pictures today because it was super crowded on the deck.  However Emma swam the 25 backstroke and got 6th out of 15 swimmers in the 8 and under category, not bad for a 5 year old.

 

Two more funny things Emma said this weekend that I never want to forget.  She came home from school on Friday and said, "Can you please quit your job and come work in the cafeteria at my school, I would love it."  She also told me she was going to tell her principal I wanted the job (crazy kid).  Then tonight before we put her to bed she said, "Mom I think it is really gross when you and Dad kiss.  I am never going to kiss my babies Daddy because you get bumps all in your mouth."  Who knows where she heard all of this stuff, HILARIOUS!  Emma, you are truly one of a kind girl.

 

End to a great weekend, but we are exhausted and have a very busy week ahead.  Oh wait, all our weeks seem to be very busy these days.  I would not have it any other way, now Curtis would love to slow down a little bit.

 

Once again, Emma Caroline we are so PROUD of you and think you did a great job rocking the pool this weekend.   8th (freestyle) and 6th (backstroke) are great places to be.  Keep up the great work and remember, all we ever ask is that you do your BEST baby girl.

 

There is so much potential inside each of us and it is our choice how we choose to use it, that is God's courtesy for us all.   I hate to think about all the potential buried in the ground because people were afraid to try. Thank you for being a "tryer" sweet girl.  I can not wait to see where God's courtesy takes you and lil' man in the years to come.

 

Disclaimer: Gavin refused to have his picture taken this weekend but he was so proud of you.