Family Movie Night!

We have tried to start a tradition with the kiddos, Family Fun Night.  Last August, we committed to dedicate Saturday nights to our kids for some family fun.  We played games, we watched movies, we went places, etc.  The kids (us too!)  had so much fun and really looked forward to it each week.  When we moved into our new house, we were so busy unpacking and getting back in a schedule and routine, we kinda got away from it. 

Last weekend after we finalized our Disney World plans (more on this later) for the fall, I decided we are definitely getting back to family fun night, but this time, Disney style.  Each week, we are going to do Family Movie Night Fridays!  Each week will be a different movie, and we are going to mix things up each week so the kids won't know what to expect!

This week, our movie feature was Brave.  It is such a good movie, and so unlike the A-typical princess movies that we have.  Merida reminds me a lot of Emmie Kate!  (If you've seen the movie and you know EK, then you'll know what I mean!)  Anyways, they went to the circus Friday morning, so I knew I really couldn't compete with that, so I went low-key this week...just dinner and a movie!

The Menu

The spread...

Bella and her sassy pose!  She is so not sassy, so when I saw this picture, I laughed out loud!

Charli and Emmie Kate enjoying their food.

 

 

So, I didn't get a picture of Cooper, and I'm not really sure why.  He's had some struggles this week.  He was jumping on the bed Wednesday night and fell off and hit his foot on the bed board.  So far, the doctors are saying it isn't broken, but there is a lot of swelling, so if he isn't walking on it by Monday, we have to go back and get another x-ray.  :(  Please say a little prayer for him, he is in a lot of pain and can't put any weight on it still.  Hate to see the little guy in pain.

 

After dinner, we had a devotion.  In the movie, Merida is trying to take control of her destiny and change her fate.  We read this verse...

 

We discussed how we don't have to worry about our fate, because God controls our fate and he has no plans to harm us!  We discussed how awesome it is that we have something that Merida didn't have, the Bible, and it is full of the plans that God has for us!

 (How awesome is that truth, even for us adults?!)

 

After dinner, we sat down and enjoyed the movie with some teddy grahams and juice boxes for snack!

 

We had  a GREAT time and the kids really enjoyed it! 

They said, "What movie is next week? This is awesome!"

 

:) 

 

 

 



New Year, New School

Back packs are ready, lunches are packed and in the fridge, clothes are ironed and ready, and I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out!  Tomorrow is the big day!  Charli starts 2nd grade and my Bella-boo starts Kindergarten!  (side note, I should not be this old) 
I guess I should give you a little bit of background information...I'm already feeling like "mother of the year" because this is Charli's 3rd school in 3 years.  Ridiculous, I know, but it's just how the cards were dealt.  When we bought our first house, we didn't worry about school zones because at the time, Ben and I were both working at a private school, so we knew they would go to school where we worked. After we left, we were faced with the unfortunate realization that we were in a good school zone, but it was way too far away for us to be able to drop-off and pick-up every day with our jobs.  We decided to put our house on the market with the hopes it would sell before school started and we could move into a better/closer school zone.  That didn't happen.  We decided to put Charli in a private 1/2 day kindergarten that was easier for us to pick her up every day...then our house sold and we had to do something quick.  God just really opened up a wonderful opportunitiy for us to lease a WONDERFUL house in a TERRIFIC school zone right in town from some very good friends of ours.  It's been great, and we thought we would be here for a while, or at least stay in the school zone, but again God had other plans.  Recently, we began to explore the option of buying a new home, and we started our search for the "perfect" house.  I thought it would be a lengthy process.  I even told our realtor that I was going to be extremely picky and it may take a while!  We found THE house on the first day she took us to look.  We are so excited about it, BUT it is in a different school zone.  After praying and discussing and praying and discussing some more, we decided it was a great opportunity for us and it was also a great school zone for the kiddos in the long run.
SO, that's where we are today, packing to move next month, and starting a brand new school tomorrow.  I'm already extremely emotional about Bells starting school for the first time, but I am also extremely anxious to find out how Charli is going to fit in with a new group of friends.  I know both of them will do fine, but I can't help but worry about them!  We met their teachers on Friday, and I'm already in love with them both.  They are so super sweet and I had an immediate peace about the decision to change schools.  They really made me feel at ease! 

 

Charli on her first day of Kindergarten and her first day of 1st grade!

THIS kid should not be starting Kindergarten!

Tonight as we were doing our family devotion, we started studying Jeremiah 29:11.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

I cannot help but worry about them as they go off in someone else's care, but I know the One who truly has them in His care, and THAT gives me an incredible peace.  I just thank the Lord daily for blessing me with these two amazing, totally different, absolutely wonderful girls. 

They're gonna do great....:)

Q & A

Hey guys!  It's been a while since my last post!  I've been busy, busy, busy!!!

 Anyways, my sweet friend Kristen @ Joy in the Journey asked me to fill out this little questionaire. Hope you guys enjoy!

1.  You've been forced to give up all but one item of makeup.  What is the ONE thing you have to keep?
Most definitely my mascara.  I always joke and say that I look like a 12 year old boy without any because my eye lashes are so blonde!
 
2.  What is your favorite online store to shop?
I rarely ever shop online.  Recently the only time I have bought anything online, it has been through Etsy.  I love to browse through there.  :)

3.  What book are you currently reading?
Well, I have every intention of reading several books that I have purchased, but never find time! Currently, I am reading a lot of Western Civilization (stinkin' school) and I started a chronological Bible reading in January. I really, really love to read, but I just find it hard to make time with so much to do!

4.  What is your favorite vacation spot?
Call us lame, but we love to go to Atlanta.  That is probably one of our favorite places!  I also am a BIG lover of the Disney World. So much, in fact, that Ben and I are going, without kids, for our anniversary. Ha!

5.  If you could go back and choose a different career path what would it be?
Oh, wow, well, I've asked myself that a lot lately.  I'm really not sure.  I absolutely love what I do, and I love working with kids, so I'm thinking I wouldn't change it.  However, for the questionnaire's sake, I'm going to go with party and event planner.  If I could plan birthday parties all the time, I would probably be a pretty happy girl! :) 

6.  Do you have any hidden talent or something you are good at?
I always say I am probably the least talented person in the world.  I don't sing, I can't dance, I can't draw.....I can play the piano....a little....maybe? Ha!

7.  What is playing on your ipod right now?
Sadly, Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift have taken over my life...

8.  List the places that you have visited from around the world.
Again, with the travels.....I have never been out of the country and I have not traveled outside of the Alabama border states....So sad.  

9.  What is your favorite clothing store?
 This has to be the least interesting questionnaire ever, but I never shop.  Outside of Walmart, Publix, and Target, I just don't.  I could not tell you the last time I bought clothes for myself.

10.  What goals do you have for the next 5 years?
I must finish school. I definitely need to be more organized, at home & at work.  I would love to be debt free in 5 years. 

Here are my questions: 
1.  If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
2. What is one item that MUST be in your purse at all times?
3.  What is your favorite home cooked meal?
4. Name one item you absolutely cannot live without.
5. What is your all time, favorite quote?
6.  Name three things that are on your "bucket list". 
7.  What is your dream job?
8.  What is your favorite cereal? 
9.  If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? 

If you have time, please play! ;) 

Rissie @ Just Living the Dream

Jessica @ The Boring Bailey's

Brittany @ The Painted Parsonage

Chandra @ The Martin Family

Flyer's Adventures

This year, Santa sent us an Elf on the Shelf to watch the kids.  We were given an elf and had to name him.  Emmie Kate chose the name "Flyer", which seemed appropriate! :)  They were so excited about him and couldn't wait to see what he did every night while they were sleeping.  They would jump out of bed and say "let's go find Flyer!"  Haha!  It was so much fun!  Here are some of his adventures....

The day he arrived...there is a book inside that explained what his job is! 

The first night, he made a big mess in the sunroom and had a tea party with friends!

Flyer looking over his tea party!

This was a family favorite.  He put Cooper's super hero cape on and was flying around the ceiling fan!

Out on the town with Barbie!

Flyer sleeping under the tree (notice I didn't even have our tree skirt down yet!)

Always mischevious!

He made a hammock in the dining room out of my plate rack!

Bella said, "Well, that's just not very nice!"

Lounging in a "bubble bath", elf style!

Zip line across the kitchen!

The girls were not happy that he used their toothbrushes!

And the night before he left, he toilet papered our Christmas tree!!

Silly elf!

 Santa picked him up on Christmas Eve night while he was delivering presents.  We are going to miss him! Well, at least the kids will miss him...Mommy & Daddy are exhausted!!! ;)

'Tis the Season!

     Okay so get ready for a whole bunch of posts about my favorite time of year.  I love, love, LOVE Christmas!!  We always have so many events each year to attend, and typically I capture all of those on camera, but my camera has been really weird lately.  I'll take a few pictures and then it will tell me some kind of error and tell me to turn my camera off, remove the battery, and turn it back on.  It always works after that, but only for a few shots, then it starts right back again.  It's driving me crazy!  Because of this, I didn't get to take as many pictures as I wanted to! Grr...anyways...I got some good stuff, though!
     These pictures are from the first event of the Christmas season, Charli's first grade Christmas party.  I should tell you that the week before the party, I emailed her teacher and told her I would be happy to help in any way.  Two days later, I got a phone call at 9:00 at night (which if you know me you know that's WAY past my bedtime!) from the classroom party mom.  She was way to excited for it to be 9:00, and she was even more excited about this party.  She told me I could either bring drinks or make a snack and if I was going to buy a snack, I should probably just bring drinks. Ha!  So, I happily volunteered to make a "super cute and super fun" (in her words) snack for the class.  So, the night before the party, Charli and I made these cute little "super fun" snacks.  (Thanks pinterest!)

We had a good time, Charli's job was to insert all the noses and I did the rest. You would be surprised at how difficult it is to break pretzels to look like antlers.  It definitely was!  Cooper enjoyed them though!  ;)  Anyways...here are a few shots from the day of her party!

 This is Charli and her teacher, Mrs. Scott!  Her teacher is so sweet and absolutely awesome for Charli!  We gave her this sign for Christmas.  I had Aunt Ruth make it for her.  She loved it!  Charli was so excited to give it to her!

Making her craft

Enjoying her snack

Her best friend, Mary Mac

Another friend, Denisha

Mommy & Daddy with their girl

Christmas Card "Photo Shoot"

So, I typically take our Christmas cards every year.  This is probably not a great idea, but since I wait until the last possible minute to do them, I really don't have a choice! So, here ya go!!

Yeah, so, I almost used this picture, and if you know us, you know why!

"Run to Mommy!"  Too bad Charli decided to drag Emmie Kate along the way! She was okay...just got grass stains on her tights!

This one is just too cute!



Just not working...



You guys like how Weesa just sat up there, perfectly where she would have been if she were another one of the kids?

"Smile Cooper!"

And here's the winner!

 I should really get our pictures made next year, but then again, this is WAY more fun!! :)

Cheese!

Look at these three!  Aren't they just precious?!