School Pictures!

Some how DMH Photographics gets my kids to smile perfect EVERY SINGLE time!  I think they have a magic trick up their sleeve that I don't know about ....  (I apologize for the not so great image quality ... a picture of a picture!)

Pre K

Barely 2's Preschool 

We finally made it camping as a family of four a few weekends ago!  We went to Shades State Park and had a blast! :)  Here are a few pictures we have of our memories together!  I am confident to say it went WAY better than I ever expected and I look forward to doing it again!

Helping daddy put up the tent!

Story time while mommy cooks dinner

It was about 40 degrees when we woke up Sunday morning!

Happy Hikers

My girl!

BOO!!

Earlier this month we drove out to the local orchard and took some pictures by the big farm equipment!  Love this one!

Hope you are having a wonderful fall!!

Last Day of Preschool! Bring on Pre-K!

Today was Sophia's last day of 3-4's preschool!  Next year she will be in Pre-K!  I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone!!  This time next year, I have a feeling I will be an emotional mess with the thought of her going off to Kindergarten!

Looking back at her picture from the first day of Preschool, I can't believe how much she has changed over the past year!  Wow!  What a difference!!

1st Day - 9/2012

Last Day - 5/2013

Looking at the two pictures ... I have GOT to do something with her hair now!  It is a mess!  Looked so much better back in the fall!  Ha!! Ha!

Excited to go to school today, but she was VERY sad it was the last day!

Sophia had the best preschool teachers this year!  I am so thankful for their amazing influence in her life!  She has such a sweet relationship with both of them, and is really sad that she can't be in their class again next year!  She loved playing "doctor" and taking Miss Heather to the hospital!  During playtime, Sophia would always end up on Miss Heather's lap, just to talk and hang out!  She and Miss Pam had a running joke that made her day ... One day Sophia wore her BUTLER cheerleading outfit and Miss Pam called her a "Bulldog!" From that day on, every day during the bathroom breaks, Sophia would ask Miss Pam "Do I look like a Bulldog?"  Miss Pam would always say YES and Sophia would giggle!  Miss Pam called Sophia her favorite Bulldog Princess!  I am so thankful for these two ladies and am thankful for all the time, effort, and love they poured into her over the course of the school year!!  

Miss Heather and Miss Pam!

Sophia and her buddy Isaiah!

Isaiah, Cooper, Sophia, and Maya -- some of her classmates!

Wow, what a fun year it has been!  I can't believe she is going to be old enough to be in PRE-K!  I am excited about our summer together and hope we will make so many wonderful memories!

Anyone graduate in your household?

Singing, dancing, and twirling ...

Here are a few pictures from Sophia's Spring Program at school as well as Mother's Day!!

Can you find Sophia's face?  Her teacher's are on the watering can!
  Oh how we LOVE Miss Heather and Miss Pam!

Yes, she is "cheesing"! 

"Thank you Lord"

"Rrrr"

Aligators saying Thank you Lord!

Sweet Girl!

 Mother's Day with my BLESSINGS!!

Love this girl so much even tho some days she drives me crazy!

Best one of all three of us!  One day there will be a great picture ... until then ...

Love her!

 

You can tell these three kids were THRILLED to have their picture taken!
  Sophia is the only one we can bribe with dessert for a smile!  The other two could care less!

Happy Mother's Day to a WORLD CLASS MOTHER!

Mimi and her grand kids!  

I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the blessings and "Mothers" in your life!

A twist on Christmas gifts for the teachers!

I felt lead to do something different for Sophia's teachers this year!  Last year I made some super cute crafts thanks to a Pinterest idea.  Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Pinterest, but I hoped for a more meaningful gift this year!  The day I felt led to do something different, my Christ's Hope International Christmas gift guide came in the mail!  I flipped through it and found out we could donate a school backpack "fully loaded" for a child in Africa!  I knew that would be the perfect gift!

I wanted to find a creative way to display it, maybe something they could even hang in their room and use for a teaching lesson about the less fortunate children in Africa, many of which are struggling with HIV themselves, or a family member has the disease!

I thought it turned out quite nicely!

Here is the letter "Sophia" wrote to her teachers!  She still has to write in her name below!

Have you ever done a non-traditional gift for a teacher before?  If so, what?  

Cheese!

This morning was school pictures!  I wanted to get a few for myself in case Sophia decided not to smile for the photographer!!

Our little girl is getting so big!

Excited to go to school!

On our way home from school, I tried to ask Sophia about her day, what she did, how they did school pictures ... Yes, basically 20 questions!  She looked at me as serious as ever and said, "Mom, I was just chillin' out waiting for my pictures! Actually, I was just chillin' out all day long at school!"

I have never heard her use those words before, and I had to keep from busting out laughing!  "Chillin' out!"  Wonder where she learned those from?  Probably school!  Ha!

First Day of Preschool

I am not sure who was more excited about preschool starting .... Sophia or her mama!!  Ha!  I imagine many of you have been there ... felt that way ...

She had an awesome first day back in Preschool!  She going two days this year = more time with Jackson and the incredible opportunity to tackle BSF (Bible Study Fellowship)!  I am really looking forward to digging into the Word with awesome women of all ages!  In the midst of having little ones at home, it can be SO draining physically and emotionally.  I am blessed with the opportunity to recharge myself one day a week at BSF!  

Cheese!!  

Big girl -- 2012 school year

Wow, what a difference a year can make huh?  (2011 school year)

What a sweet picture!!

She immediately ran in and gave Miss Pam a hug!

Waving bye-bye after hanging up her name tag on the apple tree!

Nate and I were talking that this time next year Jackson will be able to go 1 day per week in the barely 2's class which would mean I would have 4 hours EVERY week to myself!  Ohhhhhh ..... Ahhhh ... SIGN ME UP!!