art night

The end of school crept up on us and it was a whirlwind of fun activities. There was the art night where the kids were able to do lots of crafts and show off some of their work from the school year. Morgan showed us her caterpillar and her cat.

Addison showed us her owl that she made.

 Then they each spent so time working on some crafts.

They both think they want to be artist and authors when they grow up. I think they want to be doctors and lawyers, but they don't know that yet.

morgan turns 6

My baby is 6. Wait. When did that happen? It seems like just yesterday that I held her in my arms for the first time. And now, here she is, with her pajamas a size too small. Per our usual tradition, the day starts out with some kind of balloons or streamers.

Then we do a little present opening. This girl is really into Lego's right now. So I upped my Lego game and got a true set that she can put together. She builds the set and then all kinds of other Lego creations.

And because she let's me, we had a little photoshoot at the bus stop. We're always in a rush to get there on time so it's the best place to do it.

This is what 6 looks like. Oh my.

We can't do a birthday sign for one child and not the other? Here you have it.

Morgan's class does a guest reader on Friday's. I signed up plenty in advance to be there on this day. And because Addison thinks she's a grown up now I took her with me to read a book. The kids acutally loved it! They giggled and giggled and Morgan was so proud of her big sister.

 Then we had a little birthday treat. Donuts.

After Addison's supposed-to-be small sleepover and the trip to Disney, I was tapped on on birthday parties. Sorry Morgan. I know you always get the shaft. I let her have her best friend spend the night, we had pizza, did some swimming, and she even had her own special cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery in NYC. 

 I asked Morgan what kind of cake she wanted Aunt Shannon to bring her from New York. Her response?

A chicken cake.

You're welcome kid.

These silly girls. My heart is happy when they are happy.

I hope you had the best birthday ever!

Your silliness is contagious. Thank you for always making me smile!

I love you baby girl.

-Mommy

Happy Birthday Morgan!

My sweet Morgan Lane. Your little soul is filled with life. Your imagination and thoughts run wild. Your silliness brightens my world. Happy 6th Birthday my love! My heart is complete with you.

Addison turns 8

I really can't believe that it's been 8 years since I became a mom. She's so much like me that it's crazy and scary at the same time. She's wise beyond her years and smarter than her own good. She's sensitive and sweet, but full of attitude. But it's her good heart and soul that makes me find myself rubbing her head and kissing her cheeks each night.

Just like years passed, the day starts with a room full of balloons and presents. This year she asked for a foot spa. Easy enough. She'll use it, I'll use it and we'll all be happy.

Then we headed out for our birthday breakfast at Chick-fil-a. This time she let Morgan go with us. Only because it wasn't testing week at school and I was able to do a birthday treat in her class this year.

Speaking of treat, this one was special. She kept asking me if her name was going to be on the sign in front of her school and I blew her off for a week. She was pretty excited to see it when we pulled in that morning.

 An even better treat was this.

I didn't want to do a big party. We were planning a trip to Disney to celebrate birthdays and I just didn't want to. I had this brilliant idea to let her have 3 friends spend the night, that way the numbers were even. Oh man. I had no idea. First there was dinner.

 Then some arts and crafts.

Then lots of swimming and hot tubing. Yes, I got in. With my clothes on.

And you can't forget my favorite part...the cupcakes!

I'm glad I decided to do the sleepover. These girls are such great friends and I hope it stays like that for a really long time. It's important to have good friends in your life.

Happy Birthday sweet girl! I hope all your wishes come true.

I love you!

-Mommy

Happy Birthday Addison!

With you I became a mother. With you I experienced a love like never before. With you I learn, I laugh, I cry. With you I was blessed. Happy 8th Birthday Addison Grace! I heart you more than you know.

TN christmas - gingerbread train

Every year we try to do some sort of gingerbread activity. This year the girls picked a train. As you can see, Addison did most of the work.

Of course Michael and I lent a helping hand when we were needed.

Morgan wasn't far away though. She sat there the whole time, but had more interest in coloring and hanging out with Nana.

However, when it came time for the candy part, Morgan was all about it. She won't pass up a chance to eat a piece of candy.

And there you have it. One gingerbread train.

We moved it to the fireplace mantle where it made a beautiful decoration during out visit. Then I'm sure it got tossed in the trash.