Pillow Pets

Pillow Pets are all the craze at our house. Laura Ann got a new one today (thanks Big Daddy) & decided she would draw portraits of them. They are REALLY good! She's my little artist for sure! :-)

Kicking Off VBS!!

Daniel, Laura Ann & I kicked off VBS this morning! Looking forward to a fun filled week!!

Daniel's Family Party

The celebration continued today with our family. We had a cookout for lunch & enjoyed the absolutely beautiful weather......high 70s in June!! Daniel lived it up again being the center of attention. Birthdays are the best!

Water Wars

Daniel decided way back in January that he wanted to have a Water Wars birthday party with our waterslide & waterguns and he actually stuck with it! I was worried about the waterslide falling over with too many rowdy boys, but thanks to Payton (our extra chaperone), the waterslide made it just fine through the party. It turns out, that Daniel's party idea was the best one EVER!! The party started at 5:00 and ended up lasting until 9:00pm and mamas were dragging boys to their cars then. Those boys played and played and played and played!! They ran wild all over the yard playing football, hide n' seek, basketball, with the waterguns, and whatever else they could come up with. The water balloon fight was definitely a highlight. Those rowdy boys could've thrown balloons at each other all night, but unfortunately, Dan & I only managed to make 140 of them & they didn't last that long!! :-) And they did stop a few times to eat. Daniel had an absolute blast. I can't believe my baby boy is turning EIGHT!!

Who Needs a Maid?

Not me!!! These two cleaned almost the entire downstairs floor with spray bottles & towels. They even raced to see who could cover the most territory. The best part is that they came up with this all on their own......I didn't even ASK them to do it! I'm sure it will never happen again, but I'll take my clean floors for today!! :-)  
 

Sweet Sarah

Look what we got in the mail today!!  

The newest member of the James family surprised us all and arrived 6 weeks early! We are so thankful that she is home and is strong and healthy! We can hardly wait to meet you baby Sarah!!

Hello Gushing Geyser

We finally convinced Dan that it was time for the Gushing Geyser to be rescued from winter storage in the garage today. Oh, how we have missed you!

We Will Miss You Cournoyers!

Good buddies, Daniel, Jake & Joseph  

We are so sad that the Cournoyers are moving (but so excited for this opportunity for their family)!! We met them & the Filasiks today at Fox's pizza for the boys to have one last hoorah before their move. Thankfully, they are only going to Guntersville, so we will still get to visit with them often!

The Compton Clan's Annual Beach Trip

Another Compton Family beach trip is in the books and it was a blast! Daniel, Laura Ann & Kate lived up every minute together on the beach, in the pool & in the bay. The food was good & the weather was beautiful. It was a great visit and we are already looking forward to next year! THANK YOU GRAN & PAPA!!

Randoms from this week

Laura Ann has started eating her breakfast on this stool that Papaw made for us.  I used to eat my breakfast when I was little on one exactly like it that he made for me.  Flashback!!

Laura Ann picked our first squash this week!!  Woo Hoo!!



I so will NOT be missing these being in the laundry!!!!


8:00 a.m. and the driveway is in full swing!  Sweet Summer Time!!!

Daniel's Baseball Pics

Celebrating Summer AND a LOOSE TOOTH!

We went to Chuys for dinner tonight to celebrate the start of summer AND that Laura Ann has her first VERY loose tooth!!

Daniel's Last Day of First Grade

Daniel left this morning for his last day of 1st Grade!! The year has seriously flown by! He has had a fantastic year, mainly because he has had such a fantastic teacher. I will be forever grateful for Mrs. Johnson and the impact she has had in his life. She has been such a blessing! As great as this year has been, Daniel is pumped about summer and so am I. We are looking forward to lazy days and lots of outside fun!! Just a note: My little tough guy does have a sweet side. He runs down the sidewalk every morning, jumps in Dan's truck, immediately rolls down the window to wave & blow me kisses. He hangs out the window waving until they turn the curve up the street. It is the sweetest thing! Love him to pieces!

Meeting Anna Collins

We were so excited that the Karrs visited from West Virginia and we got to meet Anna Collins! She is a doll.....looks just like her mama! We are also excited that Aaron is looking at jobs in the B'ham area and that we may get to visit them more often!! :-)

Preschool Summer Celebration!

Laura Ann had some of her favorite friends over today to celebrate the start of summer. They had a picnic lunch, played in the sprinklers & ate popsicles. Such a fun group!

Growing, Growing, Growing!

Dan rearranged the stone pavers into a path and layed sod around them. So far, the garden is looking good!

Laura Ann's 4K Graduation

Well, I'm happy to report that after a very emotional day, I managed to pull myself together this evening for 4K graduation and didn't shed a single tear! It really was a happy time because Laura Ann was SO EXCITED and happy to be on stage performing & then get her certificate. She just beamed when she walked in and saw all of us sitting there. She even gave Daniel a high five when she passed by him. The program was precious and I savored every minute of hearing those precious little preschool voices. Laura Ann enjoyed all of the 'after' celebration too with her friends and the grandparents. She has had an absolutely wonderful preschool experience, and even if I'm not ready, I know that she IS ready for big school. We are so proud of you, Laura Ann, you are beyond precious and we know that you are going to do great in Kindergarten! So........gulp........Paine Primary.......look out.....here comes Laura Ann James!!

Laura Ann's Last Day of 4K

Laura Ann's last day of 4K was today and I made it fine until she got out of the car. I completely lost it at that point & cried most of time she was at school. I, for some crazy reason, thought I would be fine to walk in to pick her up and drop off some end of the year gifts in the office. Not so much! Our director, Mrs. Cynthia, isn't coming back next year & as soon as I walked in her office she said, "You tell my Daniel that I just packed up my Spiderman picture from him and it is still in it's frame (she framed it). I'm keeping it forever." (Daniel had a very special relationship with her since he went to the office LOTS of times in 3K! She somehow managed to give him lots & lots of love through all of that & he adores her! :-) Anyway, I had a major breakdown at that point and never quite pulled myself back together. Yep, it was the ugly cry in front of half the preschool. Geez! I am just heartbroken, not only that Laura Ann is going to big school, but that the preschool years in our family have come to close......and WAY too quickly!!! That said, I am so very thankful for the WEE Center......Mrs. Cynthia, and all of the teachers who have loved on my kids over the past 5 years. Daniel and Laura Ann have both left this program feeling so very loved and with a love for learning. They have both had such great preschool experiences. So blessed!

Oh, I should mention that Laura Ann didn't think there was a single sad thing about her last day of preschool.....she was all smiles all day!

The Appliance

Our busy week of big events rocked on today. Daniel had an orthodonist appointment and had his appliance put in. I've been really worried about how he would handle this, but he did great! He honestly was excited about getting it & thinks it is pretty cool. We have to tighten it every day with a special 'key' and Daniel can't eat any of his favorite junk foods for the next year or so until the appliance is taken out. I guess this is a great time to work on a healthy diet!

After we got home, he & Laura Ann played outside in the sprinklers. Daniel is having a water wars birthday party in a couple of weeks & I got a good shot of him with his water gun for the invitation.

So hoping his attitude stays good about all of his orthodontic work because it looks like he will have some sort of appliance, headgear, retainer and/or braces for the next several years. Bless him!

Our MVP

The Braves won their game last night by a big margin (we missed it because we were at Laura Ann's recital) and that put them in the final game of the end of the season tournament tonight.  The game didn't go so well.......the Braves were trailing most of the game.   For the first time this season, they found themselves in the last inning of the game down by 1 run, 9-10.   When it was time for my favorite player to bat, there were 2 outs, with runners on first & second.   Not to worry though, #4 just hit a line drive right down 1st base line to the fence that ended up being a homerun!!!  Not only did his hit save this game & win the tournament, but it also saved their undefeated season.  14-0!!  GO BRAVES!!!  What a way to finish!  Daniel was beyond thrilled to get the game ball & even told Papa on the phone to be watching ESPN....that he just may be on there! Ha! :-) There are some awesome players on this team and they have all worked so hard all season to earn this undefeated status. And the players are led by a group of dedicated coaches who have also worked very hard. Coach Jason told them tonight, "Individually we are all flawed, but together we have been perfect." It was definitely a team effort.
After videoing Laura Ann's recital last night, it occurred to me that I hadn't videoed Daniel playing baseball all season, so I brought the video camera tonight & got his hit on video. It may just be my favorite video yet.....love it all..... Laura Ann with her fingers in her ears, Nanna screaming, the look on his face after he crossed home plate, and most of all, Dan throwing him in the air. It was the sweetest moment for them.   And yes, they were both over the moon!

This season hasn't been without slumps & struggles for Daniel, which is what really made tonight so special.  He has grown so much and learned a lot about sportsmanship, hard work, not to give up when you aren't having your best game, the game of baseball itself, and life in general.  It is just really neat that in the first game of the season, he struck out all 4 bats and was convinced he shouldn't be on the team and in the last game of the season he went 4 for 4, finishing with a game winning homerun.   What a blessing and answer to prayers (improving in baseball has been on his prayer list for the past 2 months).

And, lastly, I want to say how thankful I am that Daniel has a Daddy who remembers on the field that he is dealing with 7 year old LITTLE boys who are NOT in the major league.  He has loved, encouraged & supported Daniel and his teammates throughout the season.  Great job Coach Dan!!!

Our Ballerina

 
Laura Ann's ballet recital was tonight and she did a great job.......was totally 'in her element' being on stage & dancing.  She was all business during the recital with her serious face.  She cracked us up because she kept those shoulders back!  She is supposed to keep her shoulders back, but she automatically sticks her belly out too......so funny!   She was pumped about getting flowers after she danced and was equally pumped that her bff from her class, Fallon, was there.

I convinced her to do a photo session with me after her recital & ended up getting the
whole dance again!

MOTHER'S DAY

My greatest blessings call me mom......... Love them both to pieces!!

Happy Birthday, Amelia!

Amelia had the cutest ice cream birthday party today at the Three Earred Rabbit. Laura Ann had a great time with some sweet friends!

Dog Daze 2012

We enjoyed another Friday night session of Dog Daze tonight. Lots of music, dancing, running & eating for our group. Love our town & our friends!!

Laura Ann & Kate dancing in the background.  Laura Ann is in the blue outfit & Kate has on a hot pink shirt.

Last Lunch with my 1st Grader!

It has been busy with Teacher Apprecion Week at Paine these last several days, but I couldn't have been happier to be so busy, because Daniel has the best teacher ever. I took the class to lunch on Friday while Mrs. Johnson went to a TAW luncheon & realized while I was sitting there that it was my last time to eat lunch at Paine with Daniel as a 1st grader. There's only 2 more weeks of school & parents are asked not to come in the lunchroom those 2 weeks. So, this is it! How sweet is that face? He's growing up SO FAST!

In Bloom

How happy am I that our hydrangeas are blooming this year? VERY happy! Not sure why, but they didn't bloom last year and I was so bummed! They are my most favorite flower & our backyard is full of them right now. So pretty! Daniel & Laura Ann were running around the backyard, so I snapped a few of them too.

Fun Day for 4K

Dan & I went to the WEE Center today for Laura Ann's 4K Fun Day. It was raining (as it has for every fun day since we've been at the WEE Center), so Fun Day had to move inside. The kids didn't seem to notice the move and had fun rotating through stations......free play in the gym, bubbles, dancing & face painting. They topped it off with Chickfila for lunch. I'm trying not to be sad that Laura Ann is winding down her time as a preschooler. One thing that gave me extra assurance today is that she opened everyone's ketchup at her table during lunch. That means she's totally ready for big school, right?

1st Grade Fieldtrip

Daniel & I had a great time on the 1st Grade fieldtrip to McWane today.  He has the best class this year.........a sweet teacher & such fun friends.   The mamas aren't bad either!  :-)

'God's Retecting You'

It came a really bad storm today while Laura Ann was in ballet and on the way home she was telling me that it scared her. We had the conversation about praying when we are scared to ask God for protection, and that we can always feel safe with Him. She immediately said, "Well, I think we should pray right now." So I told her to go ahead and pray.  She let me know that it was ok for me to keep my eyes open since I was driving & needed to see the road.  Ha!

A little background.....Laura Ann sings a lot of her 'prayers' and they are so sweet and innocent. She just makes them up as she goes.  Sometimes they are petitions, but most of the time, they are praise and thankfulness for all God is and has done.  I always tell her that I'm learning so much about prayer from her because I always pray for my needs and for me, but sometimes forget to just praise God.  Laura Ann never forgets the praise.  I've been trying for awhile to get them on video without her knowing & just haven't been able to pull it off, but I had my phone handy & turned on the recorder for this. Here it is.....

"Lightening and thunder, it's nothing to be scared of
lightening and thunder, it's ok
God's 'retecting' you, God's 'retecting' you
It's ok, because God's 'retecting' you
Amen."

Braves are #1

The Braves received their 1st place trophies today for going undefeated in the regular season at the TBA Awards Ceremony. Way to go BRAVES!! The season isn't completely over yet, though. The 'end of the season' tournament is next weekend. It will be interesting to see if the Braves can hold on to that undefeated record.....
.

Braves Last Game and Party

The Braves won their last regular season game today finishing with a 12-0 record. Wow! Daniel was excited to have lots of fans there today......Big Daddy, Nanna, Gran, Papa, Uncle Sam, Aunt Heather, and best of all, KATE! We all enjoyed watching our favorite center fielder play. After the game, it was time to celebrate a great season with the Braves and their families, and what better way to do it than a backyard barbque complete with waterslides?? The boys and all of their siblings had a ball!

Lunch at Paine

I had lunch with my favorite first grader today.

Daniel & Braden

Baseball Fans

Guess who came to see Daniel's game tonight?? Uncle Buster & Aunt Reta! He was thrilled!

Laura Ann's Mondays

I have so enjoyed still having Laura Ann at home on Mondays & Fridays this year. She usually gets up, plays in her room for a little while, eventually makes it downstairs for some breakfast and cartoons, then heads back upstairs & sometimes stays for hours, literally. She just plays and plays and plays. I can always hear her sweet voice playing with her dolls or in her kitchen. And if she is coloring, she is singing. I LOVE to spy on her......she is so precious and innocent.....wish I could freeze her at this age (yes, I realize I say that at every age!:-) Today, she played with her make up in my bathroom for a little while and came out all 'sparkly'. On another note, the ice cream truck is getting geared up for summer! It came last week, while Laura Ann was gone & Daniel got a treat, and it came today while Daniel was at baseball practice and Laura Ann got a treat. She was thrilled. Guess I need to start a change jar for summer!

Super Fan

Actually, Laura Ann isn't a super fan at all......hardly watches any of the games, but doesn't she look cute in her Braves tshirt that I made her wear?? :-)

No School!

Daniel was excited to be out of school today for an unused weather day and we were so glad to have him at home! We met the Smileys for lunch at Munoz and then headed to the rock playground for some fun. It turns out that several of Daniel's baseball buddies had the same idea to spend their day out of school at the rock playground too, so he was in heaven. And I have to say that those boys were so sweet to Laura Ann. They never complained about her tagging along & let her play all afternoon with them. And it is no surprise that she has no trouble hanging with the boys. Just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, the ice cream truck came by........snow cones for everyone!

More Baseball

Baseball is life these days and I am happy to report that we are all enjoying it.......even Laura Ann. Dan and Daniel both love the game & ballpark life in general. Laura Ann loves the ballpark too, but her love of it has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. She loves the playground and the dirt. Yes, the dirt. Check her out in the slideshow. That is how she looks by the end of most of Daniel's games. She is usually dirtier than he is. Such a girlie girl!! :-) Oh, and I forgot the ballpark food........they both love it & we end many of our ballpark visits with a funnel cake.

Garden Time!

Dan and Daniel worked hard today getting the garden ready to plant. I can't wait to have fresh veggies in a few weeks!

No Longer......

Amy, Melissa, Me & Carrie Anne at the founding dinner.

I have some amazing friends who have responded to Christ's call to 'look after the least of these' by ministering to and providing for orphans. They founded an organization called No Longer (because inaction is NO LONGER an option). The organization will fund & staff a village in Haiti for orphans along with/through another organization called Global Orphan Project. No Longer hosted a founding dinner tonight and presented all of its plans. There will be a team on the ground the end of May in Haiti to begin the process. SO EXCITING!!! You can visit their website at www.no-longer.com to learn more and be sure to like their facebook page too.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

*And since this is my blog, I can give a big shout out to Dan for the awesome Wooly tees he did for them.....check them out in the store section of the website.*

How Is This Possible?

It was a surreal moment today when I filled out papers for Paine Primary with Laura Ann's name on them!! How is it possible that she is old enough to go to kindergarten? Time, PLEASE slow down!!

Daniel's 1st Grade Pics

Gotta love the school pics!!!

McWane Day

Laura Ann and I enjoyed a day at McWane with Allison, Amelia, Noah, Michelle, Parker & Merritt.   I didn't take my camera, but snapped this pic of the big kids with my phone. They had a blast!

Quote of the day from Laura Ann while straddling the big catfish for this picture.....
"I've got to get down, this is hurting my nuts."
Think she spends too much time with Jeb & Daniel?? I can't convince her that she doesn't have any!!! :-)

Pancakes with Gran

When Gran spend the night, there are always pancakes for breakfast the next morning......

Kate Turns FOUR!

Laura Ann had a blast tonight at Kate's pajama party. Aunt Heather went all out with all of the food & decorations! Kate was definitely in her element with all of her friends. I can't believe she is four......no more 'baby Kate' in our family!!!

Boosterthon Fun Run at Paine

The fundraising side of the Boosterthon is kind of a pain for parents, but the event itself is SO MUCH FUN. At least it is for Daniel......it is a great time for him to do his most favorite thing......RUN! And run he did, mixed in with a lot of skipping, jumping & dancing. He had a blast!

The Johnsons Visit & Meredith's Birthday

Me, Laura Ann, Melissa & William were so excited to get to spend a little time with Natalie, Lee & Davis yesterday on their quick trip to Trussville to check on their house. We met them at the playground & the kids played while the mommies got to catch up. Laura Ann missed Meredith's birthday last weekend, so we picked her up from school today for a treat at Yogurt Mountain and a trip to the jewelry store. Fun times!!

He Is Risen!

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."   Matthew 28:5-6a

We had a great day today celebrating Easter with our family AND celebrating Kate's 4th Birthday! I am especially thankful that we were able to end our Easter Sunday this year at home and not in the ER with a broken arm!!!

Easter Egg Hunt

We were super excited to have our friends over today for an Easter Egg Hunt.  The kids had a blast hunting eggs, eating candy and running WILD and the grown ups had a pretty good time chasing them too!    The best part is, we collected $100 from the kids' $ eggs to buy rabbits & chickens through World Visison for some families in need.   Seems like nothing to us, but a couple of chickens and/or rabbits can drastically change the life of a family on the brink of starvation.  Visit www.worldvision.org  to see how you can help too.   It was definitely a great day all around.  We are so excited to celebrate our RISEN Savior tomorrow!

Good Friday

Daniel was out of school today so he & Laura Ann made the most of it! They dyed eggs & we said a jelly bean prayer with our jelly bean snack this morning. It was good time for us to reflect on what Good Friday is and what Jesus went through for our sins. Then they played outside in the sprinkler & with water guns all afternoon. We headed to the ballpark this evening to make up Daniel's game that was rained out last night. Gran, Papa, Nanna & Big Daddy met us at the ballpark to cheer on Daniel. It was a fun, busy day!

Our Little Artist

We enjoyed going to the Art Show at the WEE Center tonight & seeing some of Laura Ann's art work. There is definitely nothing my girl loves better than creating art!! I somehow deleted some of the pics I took at the show of her work, so I took some of them hanging up at home.

A Busy Day

We decorated our Easter tree when Daniel and Laura Ann got home from school today & enjoyed chocolate covered peeps for a snack. Laura Ann 'helped' Daniel with his IXL math homework and then we were out the door for a fun night of baseball. Laura Ann is loving the ballpark this year and has made a new friend, Crystal. Crystal's brother, Juan, plays on Daniel's team, so it working out great that she has a playmate for every game!

Top Dog

Check out who was Mrs. Johnson's Top Dog this week! He was super excited to take pictures & items to share with his class about himself this week. Dan went to eat lunch with the Top Dog today & got his picture in front of the Top Dog board in his class.

Palm Sunday

I never get pics before church anymore because Dan & Daniel leave an hour before me & Laura Ann, so the after church shot will have to do complete with rumpled clothes & messed up hair! :-)

First Game for the Braves

The Braves played their first game of the regular season tonight against the Astros.  It was a big game because the Astros beat them twice in the preseason tournament.  The Braves played tough & came away tonight with a big win & guess who got another game ball after two homeruns??   Way to go #4!!

Hunger Games

As with the Twilight series, most of my besties & I enjoyed the Hunger Games series & have anxiously awaited the movie. Carrie Anne, who can throw an awesome party, decided to rent a theater for the premier and that she did. It grew to be quite the event! There were freebies and prizes given for the 'best dressed'. I was a looser who didn't dress up and didn't take a single pic all night, but here are just 2 of the many 'characters' I got to watch the movie with.......Carrie Anne as Katniss & Ashley as Effie. It was a blast!

Morning Cartoons

Love seeing these two snuggled up in my bed watching cartoons in the mornings!

Spring Break Adventures 2012

We had a fantastic spring break that included a trip to the zoo & the carnival. And thanks to beautiful weather, we spent lots of time playing outside!! I can hardly wait for summer......except that means my two favorite kids will be promoted in school, so maybe I don't want it to get here quite so fast.

Laura Ann announcing Daniel & Jeb for their basketball game........listen to her 'growl' when she says Daniel's name.........so funny!!

Daniel & Jeb on their 'roller coaster'.  Can't tell you how many times I've had to stop them from doing this on their bikes!

Bunny Session with Stephanie

Pics to come soon!

1st Grade Program

Nanna & Big Daddy joined us tonight for Daniel's first grade program and open house. Daniel did a great job singing & dancing.

He came home last week and announced, "Mom, you are NEVER going to believe what I have to do for my program.....spin a GIRL around!! Gross!! I sure hope she likes armpits, because she is going to smell mine!"

I laughed until a cried.....poor girl! The 'girl' ended up being sweet Halle-Brook (pretty redhead in the pic with him). I literally had to force them together for a pic after the program......they were so embarrassed! Ha! Anyway, after the program, we headed to his classroom to see what he has been working on lately. He was super proud & excited to show us everything. I am SO VERY THANKFUL for his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Johnson, and all the sweet friends he has made this year. I can hardly believe he only has 2 months left in 1st grade!

Game Ball

Daniel's league has a preseason tournament every year to raise money for the park & the tournament started Thursday & ended today. The Braves lost 2 very close games & came in 2nd place! Way to go, Braves!! Daniel got off to a very rough start......struck out all 4 times at bat in the first game of the season. Even though they had only practiced twice before this game, he expected to do much better & was totally & completely heartbroken. He cried for 2 hours after the game & was so "embarrassed". Bless him! It was quite heartbreaking for mama & daddy too. This is the first time something like this has happened where he was heartbroken & we couldn't 'fix' it. He played terrible and nothing we said or did could change it. And believe me, we tried all of the "It's ok, you did your best" talks and Dan told him story after story of time that he had played not so well......didn't matter one bit to Daniel. The big difference now verses last year is that he was aware of how he played and is old enough to feel embarrassed. He has had bad games before, but just didn't know any better or care. This year, instead of goofing off in the dugout, the boys are serious & actually watch the game. It's not just about fun anymore....they want to play well & win. I know this was a good experience for him......learning how to fail, but it definitely was not fun! As my sweet friend Ann always says, 'It is great character building'. I sure hope he built enough character to last awhile! On a better note, he played MUCH better in the next 3 games and even earned the game ball one game!! Yay! I also have to say how thankful we are for his coach, who gave him LOTS of encouragement through all of this, called to check on Daniel after the bad game (he knew how upset he was) & even met Daniel & Dan after school Friday for an extra batting practice with Daniel. Thanks Jason.....MUCH appreciated!!!

Daniel's Painting for Gran

Gran spent the night last night & got Daniel to do a painting for the new beach house too. It will look great with Kate & Laura Ann's.

Wonderful Weather!!

These two are enjoying every minute outside they can! The weather has been fabulous!!!

Merrill's Movie

Merrill did a presentation for her 5th grade class on Westward Expansion & decided to make a movie with her ipad to go along with it. Daniel & Jeb were Louis & Clark. Laura Ann was a Native American. They were thrilled to get to be 'actors' & Merrill made quite a good director!! :-)

Dr. Suess's Birthday

Fun times at school today!

Moulton Visit

Laura Ann & I decided to make a quick trip to Moulton today to visit Mamaw since she has been so sick lately.  The boys had baseball practice.  Sam, Heather & Kate met us there.  We enjoyed lunch at the Steak House & then some playtime at Gran's.   We visited for a little while with Mamaw & Gran said that today was by far her best day in a long time.  Yay!  We are praying for her to feel better soon!
Les & Lydia were also visiting Mamaw, so we got in some good playtime with sweet baby Lydia.
Gran & Papa are almost ready to start decorating the latest beach house & Gran wanted Kate & Laura Ann to paint a beach scene to hang in the bunk room.  Heather & I didn't think this idea was so great, but let Gran go ahead with her plan.   They surprisingly turned out very, very cute!

A Night to Remember

WHAT. A. NIGHT!!!  We drove down to Tuscaloosa this afternoon for the Auburn basketball game.  We stopped for a quick supper at 15th Street Diner (Dan's favorite) & then headed over to the coliseum for the game.  The game was great, very close, but Bama pulled it out at the end.   Auburn's SGA president presented the Iron Bowl trophy to Coach Saban & the football team at halftime & then led the crowd in 'Yea Alabama'.  Daniel thought all of this was grand!  Daniel & Laura Ann both caught t-shirts thrown by the cheerleaders during time-outs.  Daniel made the FAN cam cheering and dancing- he was ecstatic!!  He got high-fives from everyone around us after that.  And we got lots of waves from Jane-Anne & Caroline (our favorite dance team girls) throughout the game (I sent them a message & gave them a heads up before the game that we would be there).   It was nonstop fun, seriously!
The fun was only getting started though, when the game ended.  We met Jane-Anne & Caroline at the railing & got to go down on the court, meet the Crimson Cabaret & get pictures.  It was literal *Sparkle Girl* heaven for Laura Ann!!  Daniel didn't complain one bit about it either.  We got to visit with the Elliotts & McCulloughs for a few minutes, who were there for Caroline's last home court game.  We missed seeing our favorite college student William though......he was the dedicated student who stayed home to study for his French test tomorrow.  We finally said our goodbyes & started to leave.   Laura Ann & I stopped at the bathroom on the way out & when we came out, Daniel had found Brandon Gibson (Bama football player).  Daniel asked him for a picture & explained that I was in the bathroom with my camera, so he kindly waited with Daniel for me to come out.  Such a nice guy!  Anyway, it was a super, super, super fun trip for the whole family to our most favorite place! 

Favorite quotes of the night:
Daniel- One time during the game, the Crimson Caberet lined up in the aisle & Jane-Anne was right beside us.  She waved at Daniel & he said, "MOM, Jane-Anne just waved at me & it made my face feel hot!  I think it's red!"

Laura Ann- Walking to the car, "This was the best night EVER!  My favorite part was when Caroline stood up in the middle & did that wiggle dance!"

NIKES

Who knew that New Balance shoes aren't cool??? Apparently, all of the cool kids wear Nike and I am happy to report that Daniel is joining the cool kids in Nike kicks today! He was one happy boy leaving for school this morning. Oh, and we went to get these cool Nikes yesterday after his orthodontist appointment. Apparently his bite is total mess AND he doesn't have enough space for his teeth to come in AND one tooth is laying sideways in his gum. Looks like we will be spending lots of time and money with the orthodontist. :-( Since I had to check him out before his lunch for his appointment, we made a date of it. Of course he chose Cracker Barrel for lunch & had pancakes. He literally talks my ears off on our 'dates' and I love every. single. minute of it!!

Saturday Morning Coffee

Daniel's last Upward Basketball game wasn't until 12:30 this morning, so I was thrilled to get to sit in bed & linger a little longer enjoying my coffee than most days. This is what greeted me at 6:30 a.m.........on a Saturday, no less!

Gymnastics!

Laura Ann LOVES gymnastics!!

Oreos and Bubbles

Laura Ann's most favorite treat is oreos and milk.  She asks for it daily & is quick to remind me when the oreo bag is empty & that I need to get to the grocery store to buy more.  I am always encouraging both her and Daniel to make healthy choices with food and Laura Ann is generally very good about it, but oreos are her weakness.  She'll say, "I know they aren't healthy, but I just can't stand it."  She said the other day, "Mom, I sure do wish God would've made oreos a healthy food."  Ha!!

And, the bubble baths continue to be a huge hit.  I let her take one tonight while the boys were at practice & left her unattended while I was working on supper.  When I checked in on her, she was almost overflowing the tub with bubbles.  She admitted to adding 'just a little bit' more soap after I left the bathroom.   Just a little......yea, right.

First Baseball Practice

We found out a couple of weeks ago that Daniel will be playing baseball for the Trussville Braves this year and that his coach will be our friend, Jason Blake. Yay! He is so excited! I snapped a quick pic as he & Dan were heading out the door this evening for their first practice.

The Stomach Bug Bites Again!

There's nothing like sitting down out dinner with friends in Birmingham and getting the call that Daniel has started throwing up......in Georgia at Big Daddy & Nanna's. Lovely! We rushed through dinner & headed home, where I changed, packed a bag & headed to Douglasville at 10:00 pm. Dan had to stay home with the dogs. Daniel was a pitiful sight when I got there at midnight & was sick a good part of the night. We were a sight to see heading back home this morning. Daniel had gone for several hours without being sick & had nothing on his stomach anyway, but I was just waiting on Laura Ann to start. So, I used about every towel in Nanna's linen closet to line my car & got out the barf bags from Children's that we aquired during Laura Ann's stomach bug stint last year. I'm happy to report that as of this blog post, the rest of us haven't gotten sick....yet.  Did I mention how much I HATE the stomach bug!?! My poor babies!

More Valentines & TEAM IMPACT

Daniel and Laura Ann were very excited to get Valentine Surprises in the mail from Big Daddy and Nanna today. Daniel didn't have time for a pic though, because he had a Team Impact show to perform in......there was a new feat today.......crushing a coat hanger.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We had a great time today celebrating Valentine's Day! In addition to celebrating our love for each other and the love of Christ, we got to celebrate Daniel's first spiritual birthday!

More Team Impact

Daniel got home from school today and immediately changed into his Team Impact 'suit' and started performing. Jeb rang the doorbell in the middle of his show & was so excited to tell Daniel that his mom had brought home REAL phone books from school for them to use in their show. They headed outside & this is how I found them a few minutes later...... GREAT idea, Ann!! Haaaaa!! I am happy to report that I remained calm, praised their great effort & informed them that they did not have a stage crew & must clean up every single shred of it. They were so giddy & impressed with themselves that they did clean up every single shred without any argument. Love these two!!!

Show Girl

Laura Ann refuses to be outdone by her brother, so she has started doing performances for us as well. At least once a day over the last few days, we have to go up the playroom for a dance performance. It has to be in the playroom because that is where her stage is........the train table. It's awfully small for a stage, but she makes it work. And can I just say how much I love that table!?! It really looks awful....Dan is ready to dump it, but I already know that I will keep it forever in exactly the same state it is currently in......covered in etched train tracks. I look at those ugly etches and see a precious 3 year old Daniel!!

Her performances are pretty precious too. She is quite dramatic and my favorite so far has been the one where the lights had to be out and Dan had to keep a flashlight shining on the stage......he makes a pretty good spotlight guy!

TEAM IMPACT

They are BACK!!! Team Impact is back at our church this week and guess who is PUMPED about it?!? Daniel absolutely LOVED the show last night and of course, we got a full show of our own today complete with Big Chip and an announcer.

Disney Art

Laura Ann spent the afternoon today working on this drawing of Disney World............  I especially love that she made up a 'Mickey Ride' with Mickey & Minnie.  And of course, it isn't Disney without a Castle and some princesses.

Deer!

Just before lunch today, I heard something outside & looked out our bedroom window in our front yard. There were 3 female deer on our driveway & I was hearing their hooves! Laura Ann and I quietly moved to the back deck and watched them walk down our driveway, through the Bettis' backyard and into the woods. Not long after that, something caught my eye again & when I looked out the window, this buck was in our front yard, no doubt after those females. I grabbed my camera & Laura Ann and we went on the front porch to watch him. He didn't seem to be too bothered by us. When he started around the house, we moved to the back deck & watched him take the same path as the females. Dan sees them all the time EARLY in the morning, but they aren't usually in our yard this late in the day. So neat to watch them!

Every. Single. Day.

This is what Daniel does every single day after school, as well as on weekends......plays a football game in our side yard. Sometimes he plays by himself & sometimes Jeb joins him. Notice that he is still sporting the 'dreadlocks' (aka coonskin hat).

A Valentine Package

It was all excitement today when Gran's Valentine package arrived in the mail!

The Bubble Bath Craze

When we moved almost 2 years ago, we quit bathing the kids together in our tub & started bathing them in their own bathrooms, and Daniel has since started showering himself. But even when we did bath them in our big tub, neither one of them liked the jets......they were afraid of them......especially Laura Ann. And we seldom ever do bubble baths.....mainly because the soap we have to buy for their sensitive skin is $10 for a tiny bottle. Anyway, while Laura Ann was sick, I decided to bath her in our tub, just for convenience & because she still felt so bad. I offered a bubble bath, along with the jets & she surprising agreed & L.O.V.E.D. it!!!! She has had several & guess who else just had to be in on the fun????

Poor Laura Ann!!

Poor Laura Ann got her annual visit from the stomach bug yesterday. Bless her!! The rest of us are loading up with apple cidar vinegar in an effort to stay well.......

Saturday Fun

Big Daddy & Nanna came to cheer Daniel on today in his Upward Basketball game. I managed to snap a few pics before we left for the game.

Daniel's Big Day

The day started out with putting the finishing touches on his Main Idea Mobile for him to take to school today. He wasn't excited AT ALL about working on this, but was surprisingly excited to take it to school once he was finished with it. When he got in the car this afternoon, he immediately announced that he had had a BIG Day!! First of all, he was awarded Good Citizen by Mrs. Johnson, got to go to the office & get a ribbon from Mrs Schmitt to wear the rest of the day. And secondly, he lost a tooth in the afternoon that has been loose forever & that the orthodonist was supposed to be pulling on Monday. Yay! I'd say it was a pretty big day! :-)

And yes, I realize that he is wearing shorts & short sleeves to school in January. I grew weary of fighting that battle long ago.

Too Close to Home

Our state had yet another bad tornado outbreak & this time it was too close to home.....only a few miles away. Dan & I spent some time, along with friends, on Wednesday & Thursday helping some victims sort through what was left of their homes. There are pics of 3 of the homes from the neighborhood in the slideshow, but many more were lost. These families lost mostly everything, but in spite of that, were so thankful for their lives & were reminding all of us workers throughout the day that 'these are just material things'. They were such a blessing to meet & work with!

Carrie Anne was super sweet to bring home all of the laundry strewn about one of the houses we worked in, so I picked up Meredith & Barrett from school that day so she could finish it up. Daniel & Laura Ann were THRILLED to have extra playmates today!

Tea Parties & Time Outside

Laura Ann has countless tea parties around her little table. I so wish I could freeze her like this!

And while she is having tea parties, the boys are running wild outside. Getting them in is a chore.......even after dark!!!

More Basketball & a Visit from Gran

Rosemery and a Report Card

Laura Ann was thrilled to get some mail from our friend in Guatamala, Rosemery. She and Laura Ann share the same birthday & have the same size hands! Laura Ann also got another good progress report from the WEE Center today.

Outside Fun!

We are loving the mild temperatures and are spending lots and lots of time outside!!

Fun at the Lake with the Girls!

I enjoyed a super relaxing little trip with some of my favorite friends to Carrie Anne's lake house this weekend. We relaxed, ate and talked nonstop for almost 24 hours. Shhhh.....don't want all of the husbands to know how late we stayed up!!!

Lunch at Big School

I took Laura Ann to 'big school' for lunch with her brother today. She thought she was big stuff going through the line by herself (with a little help from Daniel). Daniel was excited that we got to sit with his friend, Anderson.

Laura Ann Starts Gymnastics!

Laura Ann decided to give gymnastics a shot this semester & she has been SO EXCITED about going! She did a little routine in the driveway before we left.......I'm not so sure she understood exactly what gymnastics were at that point, but she caught on fast once her class started!! :-)

Celebrating #14!!!!

Dan & Uncle Matt got a Christmas surprise from their friend, Boyd.......tickets to the National Championship game!  Dan left Sunday morning & they all met in New Orleans Sunday afternoon for a few days of fun.   Daniel's 5:00 basketball practice & a very late kick off on a school night made it hard for me, Daniel & Laura Ann to make big plans for the game, but we didn't let that stop us.  Laura Ann worked all day on Monday making decorations for our National Championship 'party'.  When we picked Daniel up from school, we headed straight to the grocery store and bought party food and balloons.   We partied until time for basketball practice & then some more when we got home.   I let Laura Ann stay up until the end of the first quarter & then got her in bed.  I decided to let Daniel stay up with me.  HE HAD A BALL!!  He is finally understanding most of the game & was all into it!   It was a great win for the Tide, so of course, Daniel was pumped!  Dan was welcomed home this afternoon as if he played in the game himself.......banner and all!  Ha!   What can I say, we like to celebrate here in the James' house and our team bringing home #14 is a pretty good reason!  Roll Tide Roll!!!

More Bike Riding

Laura Ann wanted to show off her bike riding skills to Jeb & Daniel this afternoon. She still hasn't mastered the brakes, which makes me a little nervous on the pavement!!