Curly Q

So, one of Emily's new vanities is that she really wishes her hair was curly! What? She's 6 and already she's wanting to look different than she does. Ugh!

Anyway, she asks me A LOT to braid her hair while its still wet from the shower so that she can sleep on it and wake up to curly hair. Problem is, Daddy does NOT like the crimped look on her. So, we waited until Dad was traveling for business to tickle her fancy:)

In the morning when she took out the braids, Case said, "Wow. You look like Aunt Mel"! Ha! Kind of does...and that's a good thing cause she's a looker!

So, here is Em's "preferred" look. At least for now. Heaven help me when she's 13!

Target practice

While I'm ready for Spring, I'm thankful for the fun snow-filled days we've had. My kids were too little to remember their previous experience in KY, and FL offered none. So, we've tried to make the most of them here. My only regret this year was not sledding. But, I feel very prepared for next year after finding the scoop on some great hills:)

During our last snow, Daddy decided to take target practice to a whole new level. You can see that he definitely left his mark....and with quite a windup I might add:) I was sitting in the chair by the window and I think I jumped EVERY time one hit! Whew!

Take the bull by the horns

We scored some groupon tickets to a show at a local theater here to see Ferdinand the Bull. (It's the book that Leanne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock read to Michael Ohr in the movie the Blindside.) The two highlights were that the the real Leanne Tuohy read the book on stage before hand, and that we sat in the balcony! Such a fun experience for the kiddos!

So...a needle pulling thread.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for a recent prayer time. I was praying through my mom-anxiety about whether I should put my kids into activities, how many, which ones, etc. I just want to give them opportunities to learn new things and be ready to be whoever it and whatever God has planned for them. The world tells you that to be a good parent you have to be maxed out, driving to and from, and expose them to everything so that they eventually can excel at something. Then there are those circles that say contrary...that activities are the enemy and take away from family time. As usual, I live some where in the middle....trying to take the best of both sides. I DO want to expose my children to different things so that they can learn skills and also build confidence, team building, etc. I DO want to protect our family time and use it wisely to disciple them while they are still young. But what is the balance? Some families have struck that balance by saying one activity at a time or one per child at a time. It's different for everyone, and I don't think that there is a "wrong" way to do it. But, I do think that the Lord cares EVEN about this detail. And if we seek Him as parents (or guilt and anxiety ridden mothers...just being honest), we will find that He does have a plan.

Anyway, this prayer time where I was confessing to the Lord that I really needed Him to lead led me to really desire a way for my kiddos to learn transferrable life skills....cooking, sewing, etc. Things that are most definitely learned abilities, but are useful. Emily asked me the other day if she would take a class in college to learn how to cook like me. Precious, but no. That is my privilege as a parent...to pass on any giftings/skills I may have, but also to introduce them to others that I don't. I am blessed to live in the same city as dear family, one of which is my mother-in-love (yes, love...a term I picked up from a friend). Nana sews! I thought, this is great...Em can learn to sew AND spend time with one of the most amazing, servant-hearted, wise, and loving women I know....her Nana. I'm thankful that Nana said "yes"...and not just half-heartedly, but joyfully. She loves her grands. She pours into them each and loves them each (all 5, soon to be 6) for who they are individually. She prays over them, pursues them, and knows them inside and out. And they ADORE her for it!

At any rate, a few weeks ago the sewing session began. At the very first one, Emily didn't want to quit even after about 4 hours of work!!! Some of that is her incredible work ethic, but some of it is her high need for closure (have no idea where she gets that from:)). Since then, they've enjoyed several sewing sessions where Em has made a blanket for herself and dolls, a pin cushion, and several tooth fairy pillows for herself, brother, and cousins. I think she is hoping to make a blanket for our sweet Ethiopian niece/nephew next....the one we are so prayerfully hoping will join us soon.

Here are some pics of her at work.....

Just a swingin'

We've SOOO enjoyed the nice warm weather we've been having. There are tons of trails and greenways right outside our neighborhood. So, we've been using this time to explore. Here's a shoot off from a trail that leads to a river bank full of sand and a homemade rope/wood swing! So fun!

I don't usually use this blog for anything except sharing the news of our family for those few family members who want to keep up from a far, but today I want to tell you a story.

This little girl I know, was adopted when she was a 9th grader. She actually wasn't an orphan. She had two parents who loved her. She knew her Adopter (who I'll refer to as "A") pretty well, in that she knew who "A" was and knew some basics about "A". But she had NO idea that "A" was longing to have her as a child, a daughter. "A" longed to give her a better life, one she couldn't have otherwise. But more than that...."A" longed to be connected to the little girl, and vice versa....to become family. That day in 9th grade, was all "A" ever had wanted. It was their "gotcha day". "A" was so excited to call the little girl daughter. "A" wanted to bond, become attached, and help the little girl heal from any past wounds...to rescue her. And really the past no longer mattered....all "A" wanted was to give this little girl a future full of hope and love.

That little girl was me. And it was on that day in 9th grade that Abba looked at me and said, "You are my daughter; today I have become your Father" (Ps. 2:7).

Snow Day-Part II

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SNOW DAY!!!

Countdown to Christmas

This isn't your typical countdown (just don't say I didn't warn you). I thought of writing this post out to the 12 days of Christmas, but I'll spare you.

So, we've had our Christmas decorations up for exactly 5 days.

Day one, Case broke the Mickey & Minnie snow globe that I lovingly and trustingly (read stupidly) put on the shelved mirror in their bathroom. How'd he do it? By twirling with arms spread wide while brushing his teeth. When I put it in there I jokingly asked Chad to hedge a bet on how long it would last before Case broke it (he's notorious for such irresponsibility and destruction). Chad generously bid a week. Should have put money on that b/c I would have gone WAY less.

Day two, Case decided to walk past the Christmas tree and "bounce" a ball ornament up and down on a branch. It shattered. I actually felt bad for the kid since he'd just been lectured a mere 24 hours previously on making wise and responsible choices and not just going with his instinct w/o thinking. He stood there with his hands on his head, tears streaming down his face and said, "Oh no! I did it again!" Poor guy! I'm sad to say, though, that said ornament was not a replaceable one. It was one my parents brought back from a cruise for me b/c it had a turtle on it and that was my sorority mascot. I got a little choked up.

Day three, Case decided to try to open the door on the Noah's ark ornament on the kid tree in the upstairs bathroom. (Does this kid EVER learn?) The ornament came crashing down, and a pair of elephants and zebras went overboard. Fortunately, they no animals were harmed during the making of this tragedy and can readily be reglued back into the ark.

Day four passed rather peacefully (I think).

But no worries, we made up for our uneventful day today. I left to pick up Em from an afterschool club. Case decided to stay home while I ran to get her (Chad works from home, people, so don't be calling DCS on me). As I'm driving the mile route back home, Chad calls and says, "We have another Christmas casualty". Me: "What happened (sigh, eye roll, sigh)." Chad: "Pound Puppy was taking rides on the banister and landed on the wrong side. The Christmas tree side. He broke another ornament." Me: (laughing on the inside b/c of how Chad's deflected all responsibility to my childhood stuffed toy that Case has now hijacked as his own. poor pound puppy. who can be ticked at him?) "Which ornament?" Chad: "Your UNC ball". Me: "Seriously? Why couldn't it have been one of the generic stupid snowman that I'll probably pitch after this year anyway? Ugh! Another non-replaceable one.

But that's not the end people....

So, after dinner the kids are be wild....running around the house. And Emily is chasing Case with her stuffed kitty cat, complete with leash. The leash whips around as she is flying through the family room, and CRASH....the angel Gabriel lost his wings. I cried a little. Chad picked up the pieces. Emily profusely apologized. And I have to believe Case was feeling a little relieved (I know I would have been if I was him). In a small and maybe weird way I was glad Em broke something. She can be slightly prideful and just earlier today when Chad had called to warn my of Pound Puppy's destruction, Emily piped up when I hung up the phone and said, "I bet I know what happened." Me: "Emily, it is not your concern or business. Please don't stick your nose in this (trying to protect poor Case, I mean Pound Puppy)". Emily: "I'm just saying, I bet Case broke something else (poor guy does have a reputation). Well, Miss High and Mighty (I love the girl, but she can be such a nudge)....I'm sure Case will strike again, but just remember YOU went after one of God's angels! Yikes! :)

What not to wear...

Where are Stacy and Clinton when you need them? I sleep in for few hours on Saturday morning and I wake to find this....

To my horror, I discover that not only has Daddy said she could wear this, but that he also allowed her to go out in public! WHAT? Let's just say that I'm thankful we had a party to go to later that day that required dressing up....whew!

And please take note of how my husband is dressed while cooking breakfast in the background. Yes, he HATES winter and yet is too cheap (I mean frugal, honey, if you are reading this) to crank up the heat. So, instead he wears this to cook. Oh how I love that man!

A Long, long time ago in a galaxy far away....

So, we kept it simple for Case's party. We had it at the park in our neighborhood, a super cool one. We did pizza and cake and just let the kiddos play. The adults got to hang out, the girls climbed and slid, and the boys played Star Wars (which as the party theme).

Here are some pics....

Case and his "best friend in the universe", Jack! Jack is the son of our dear friends Shad and Veronica. It's so great to have little boys in Case's life that are fun and come from families who love Jesus!

Jack, Case, and Austin eating cake and making disgusting boy jokes! What is it about little boys being together that brings out the wildness? Ha! They were great! Austin is my precious nephew. He is such a neat little guy....great character, smart as a whip, and a total goofball! Case canNOT get enough of him. You would think that they would tire of seeing one another, but every time is like the first time!

Here is my attempt at the Death Star cake. Ask Erin for the story on this one...she had me convinced that it was the easiest cake to make (she made it last year for Austin's birthday), so I went for it. About 5 minutes in I wanted to cuss. Come to find out that she is WAY more talented than me (which is NOT news), and her skill combined with her hubs' artistic ability is why it felt easy. I should have let her make it when she offered....next year, E, it's all you, kay? Love you!

Case and Austin dueling. Case is Luke (hence the blue light saber, apparently), and Austin is Darth Vader (which requires a red light saber for those of you that are Star Wars ignorant)! Ha!

Emily as Padme and Case as Luke. Emily's costume was a total throw together at the last minute. She loved it, though, so much so that she ended up ditching the idea of being Belle for Halloween and went as Padme. Gotta love that!

Case's Birthday

So, since last month we've celebrated Case's 5th Birthday. He's such a funny, charming, smart little fella. He truly is my shadow ALL day long, but he can play so well on his own and with others when asked. We started his day with "hat day" at school. He was the "Star of the Day" for his birthday, which means he got to bring the book for story time and also a special treat for snack time. He chose to bring "My Lucky Day", which is a favorite of ours to read and he chose a cookie cake for his treat.

We then celebrated by making him the guest of honor at dinner, where he got to choose what we had. He chose hamburgers (and a hotdog for Emily), rosemary and garlic baked new potatoes, and caesar salad. Thanks to Nana, we then enjoyed yummy cupcakes from a local bakery for dessert!!!

Over the weekend we had a party for him as well...those pictures to come....

Friday funnies....

Has it really almost been a month since I posted...ugh! As much as I want to capture life and all that is happening, I stink at it. Sorry!

Okay, so funnies from the mouths of my babes..

1. Emily was asking about something that Nana and I did together, but I missed the first part of her question so I said, "who?" She replied, "Nana, you know your assistant mom." (a.k.a Mother-in-Law).

2. While reading with Case I try to remind him when a vowel makes a short or a long sound in the word he's trying to sound out. So, I said, "Case, this one is a long E." And so he proceeds by saying, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. was that long enough, Mom?"

3. While driving, especially to church each Sunday, Case often asks, "Mom, is this the short cut or the long cut?"

4. Emily while playing a game with Nana one night after dinner at our house says, "I"m so tired I could pass out."

OKay, so that's all that come to mind....but I'm sure there are more b/c these two keep me in stitches. Stay tuned for some photo updates...

Fall break

Fall break has been fun. laid back and fun. day one we went to the library and out to lunch at Chick-fil-a. day two we went to the the play area at our botanical gardens (where the kids love to dress up and pretend in the outdoors...see picture) with Nana and the Crenshaw girl cousins (Livi and Elle Belle). day three we had a picnic at the park and loaded up to drive to Arkansas for the rest of the week to see my sis and her fam (hopefully more pictures to come of our time there...counting on Mel for those). Anywho..it's been lovely here....campfire by night, walks in the woods in the day, cousins playing anything and everything, adults playing Catan, watching a movie in bed with my sister, breakfast each day prepared by my b.i.l (his specialties), and then men even preparing a mexican feast for us gals last night! i've LOVED it. I know that so many people feel like the time with their kids at home (on breaks from school) are stressful...but I feel just the opposite. there is no schedule, so nothing HAS to be planned. we can just roll. love it!

Photo Diary-Cookies with Case

Now that we are living near Nana, we are always kept in the know of all the local happenings, deals, etc...she's the BEST!

So, here are some shots of Case and I enjoying Free Cookie Friday...

Photo Diary-Case at play

I'm trying to enjoy each day that I have with Case, as I know that I will miss him terribly next year when he goes to school for Kindergarten. As it is, this year's been a HUGE transition with him gone to school two days and with Nana to Bible study another day. On our two days together I try to take him to parks, on playdates, or try to be intentional to play with him at home. It doesn't always work out, but we've had a lot of fun when it does. One of our new favorite outings is to the botanic gardens where they have a play area just for kids...it's so super creative and since we go with Aunt E and the girls (Elle Belle and Liv) we always feel like its a treat!

Here is Case in one of his favorite areas...the walking creek.

Photo Diary-Emily's Muffins with Mom

Emily's school hosts a Muffins with Mom. So, true to Woelke form Emily picked the Double Chocolate Muffin! I do NOT understand how you people can eat chocolate so early in the morning! My! But, she LOVED it. We got there pretty early, so we had our muffins (and thankfully coffee) and then played on the playground before school started. Here are a few of Em scarfing down her daily dose of chocolate and then playing...

Photo Diary-Case's accomplishments

Okay, so Case may NOT know how to tie his shoes, cut food with a knife, or even say his "L"s exactly right yet....but he has mastered the art of crossing his eyes. We are ever the proud parents!

Photo Diary-Case's fuel belt

Okay, so clearly I can't keep up with the blog these days. I WANT to. I WANT to keep track of all the funny things the kids do and say. I WANT to log all our fun family adventures, but I'm surrendering it. I won't say that I'm quitting, but I'm surrendering what I had hoped it could be and allowing it to just to be what it can. That might mean more posts like this...with a little picture and a story, but I figure that's okay by all of you...who wants to hear my ramblings anyway, right? Ha!

So, I'm apparently CRAZY enough to train for another 1/2 marathon. This one is still a few months away, but I'm already incorporating a few long runs into my week. As such, it's been hot and I've needed more water than normal. So, I've been taking my "fuel belt" along with me....you know, the belts that go around runner's waists and hold water bottles.

Well, the other day while Case and I were in the kitchen (where my fuel belt bottles were drying in the dish rack), Case grabbed one and in an attempt to mimic me he put it down his pants and ran in place! The placement was HILARIOUS, but so was his running (if only I had thought to capture that for your enjoyment)! HA!

First Day of School

Okay, it's catch up time....here are the kiddos on their first days of school. Em started first grade and transitioned beautifully. She was such a great student in Kindergarten, and thus far has continued on in like fashion. Here she is on her first day in front of our new home and then with her teacher, Mrs. Buchholz!

Case began preschool (his first schooling ever) this year. He goes to a 2 day/wk. program at a local church. I was nervously praying for him all summer, as he's my kiddo who doesn't always take to transition so well. When the day arrived, he was SOOO excited that he kept asking when it would be time to leave. He was actually driving me BATTY so I set the timer in the kitchen for him. The sweet boy literally sat at watched the time tick by, ever-so-often calling out a time update for me. Needless to say he waltzed right into his classroom and the rest is history. Here he is on his first day (notice the totally Case pose) and then one with his teachers, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bailey.