2nd Grade - already? So what does baby sister think?

It's hard to believe but my sweet Lauren has started 2nd grade this year. It seems like yesterday we were preparing to have a Kindergartener. She is very excited to start the school year, but I think that's mostly so she'll have plenty of kids to play with everyday. We have some great kids here in the hood, but nothing like school friends that play everyday. 

Sweet Lexie is lost without her big sister. Every morning she comes down saying "Hey" to a sister that's already gone to school. So far, we've played blocks, called on the pretend phone, climbed into chairs and pulled stuff off of the counters and table, defeated the baby gate and made it upstairs into rooms that are not designed for babies. My challenge is presenting her with enough to do during the day, yet not so much as to bore her quickly. I have noticed in the last few days that she seems to be picking up words much faster than before. You can't really understand what she might be saying, but I think with a little context you can get the gist. She definitely likes to fuss at you if you tell her "NO" or take her away from something she really wanted to be doing. It's actually quite funny.

Lauren came home with her first homework - real homework since 1st grade was a month's worth of suggestions that did or did not have to be done. So far she has jumped into it and finished it right up when she gets home. Let's hope this trend continues so she'll be good at getting it done and then go out to play and wear out some of that extra energy. 

I can't believe how quickly Kindergarten and First Grade went by. While I enjoy quick and easy days, I do find myself trying to make each one count with the girls. They will only be little this one time and so on days that are hard, whiney or extremely difficuly I try my best to be thankful for my sweet little ones. I kiss them everynight and tuck them into bed. I pray over them constantly. I am so proud of my girls. They are good friends and very smart. I look forward to everything La is going to learn this year. I hope she masters the art of Math and continues to keep up with her reading. 

Babies

Better late than never, but our sweet Lexie was born on December 21, 2009. Our best Christmas present ever!

This sweet girl that has come into our lives is amazing. Not just the "she's the cutest thing ever" way, but how god answered my prayers with her. She has the sweetest disposition. She is always smiling. She is amazingly patient. LOVEs to sleep. Is a great nurser and overall eater. Amazing. Have I told you? : )

Babies are truly a gift from our father in heaven. I love waking up to her talking (babbling really) and just delight in the fact that it's a new day. Recently she has started playing while standing up and holiding onto something. It's hillarious and extremely scary. But she's ok. I find that with the second child I'm not as crazy about her falling down or trying things out for herself.

Her big sister is in total heaven. Loves this little baby as if she were her own most days. Wants to hold her all the time. I am really enjoying my front row seat in the relationship that is developing between them. I hope they will always love each other and truly want to spend time together.

A new baby, A new title, and hopefully a LOT more posting!

I can't believe I've been away from this place for so long. I'm sure the few of you that actually looked to see a new post have long given up. Please come back! LOL. My hope and plan for this year is to post more about what is happening with us so our friends and families can keep up with our girls as they grow before our very eyes!

As for the latest news, I am due to have a new baby today. But so far, she's not ready to join us. This will make baby #2 for us and a whole new way of life! Blake finally graduated college today - I'm so proud of him! It's been a long, hard road, but he's been very diligent and tried to make sure everyone was taken care of, school attended and grades made so he could get to this final point in his life. We are SO proud of you!!

Lala is now in Kindergarten and growing like crazy. At last check she was somewhere around 42 lbs. She is over 3 feet tall and getting taller and prettier with every moment. God has been so good to us. We are now anxiously awaiting the birth of "little sister" as we refer to her and hoping for Christmas as a family of 4.

Give aways!

One of my most favorite blogs, Skip to My Lou, is hosting a fabulous give away. She always has great creative ideas and tips for you and your children. Today, she is having a give away for some fantastic photo postage stamps, and a Lil Sprout Greeting Cards. Go check it out. And get ready to get creative for the holidays!

A return to blog land

I realize that I've been absent from this place all summer. It has been a great summer and I really enjoyed being able to do lots of fun things with my family and spend some extra special time with my daughter.

I'm still sorting through photos and what I want to update on so for now, I'll leave you with some of my favorite links.

http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/

http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/

http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Scroll down to the previous post and you'll see Vanilla Joy. They are a new discovery to me but it looks like I'll enjoy that blog for a long while.

There are so many more that I love to check in on everyday. Hopefully you'll enjoy these 3 ladies and their fun crafts, stories and photos. I'll be back with more links and hopefully a fun post of one of our summer adventures.

A Fun Give Away!

Vanilla Joy is having a fantastic giveaway this week! You should click on this link or the above button to check out all of the fabulous things they're giving away. Lot's of luck. I'm hoping for the cricut so we can have loads of family fun!

Summer time

Sorry to be an ever absent blogger. Life is busy. But you all know that. There is too much going on and I just can't seem to keep up with Lala being out of school and lots of work to do. I'm going to be taking a break from blogging (as if I haven't already) to enjoy time with my daughter, afternoons at the pool, trips to visit family and of course my regular work load. 

I do hope your summer is fun and exciting. I will be back. Take care internet friends.

Wedding Fun

Holy Smokes! I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted anything. We have been very busy at our house and just returned home from a wonderful wedding weekend. My best friend got married up at Brasstown Valley Resort in north Georgia this past saturday. She looked absolutely amazing and we had so much fun. I'm going to post some of them so you can see just how much fun was had. 

Our weekend started by going up early on Thursday s

o the bride could relax and we could finish putting together her goodies for her guests stay and the reception. After that we spent plenty of time relaxing and having a good time without children present. It was a fun night.

Friday was a busy day. It began with a light breakfast and then getting ready for the bridesmaid's luncheon. Held in the tack room at Brasstown Valley Resort, we were treated to a delicious lunch and fantastic gifts from the bride. My daughter, the flower fairy, was able to check out the horses and run around without bothering too many people. After the luncheon we had a few hours to relax and see more of the property. 

The rehearsal began promptly at 4 in the afternoon with the bridal party wearing the shirts given to us from the bride. Pictures were taken, laughs exchanged and a bit of crying as the maid of honor (sister) stood watching her older sister practice her vows. It was a bitter sweet moment and I'm so honored to have been a part of the entire process. After our tears were dried, clothes changed and moods lightened, we all headed to Crane Creek Vineyards to enjoy a fabulous dinner accompanied by delicious wine. Blake and I had been there before for another one of our friends' wedding. We were amazed at all of the changes that had taken place since we'd last been there. 

The children played in and around the vines, took in the view at the lake and picked the flowers (sorry guys!). They were cute and pretty well behaved considering it was bedtime. 

For now, I'll leave you with some pictures from Crane Creek and I'll work on a wedding day post for tomorrow. 

Updates

Well, I had planned to post a whole bunch of stuff about everything going on. We've been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up. I do have so much to tell you all about. For now, I'll just leave you with a fun picture. Hope you are all well!

Preschool Easter Party

The Easter party at the school went very well this year. All of the kids were excited to hunt eggs inside. Our weather was very raining looking and the teachers didn't want to risk getting rained on. I'm not sure the kids would have noticed!

The party mom's brought in some yummy food and continued the tradition of shaped sandwichs. The kids really seem to love them. One boys mom even brought in face paint and bunny ears for all of the kids. They looked so cute. I'm sure you'll agree. Who couldn't resist a sweet bunny face?

More fun to continue this weekend!

A Loss

My grandma, Irene Benefield, went home to live in heaven today. She lived a very long and somewhat complicated life. She was the oldest of 12 siblings. She and my grandpa had 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys. I used to visit her every summer and spend the week. I loved every minute of it and have missed those summers for quite some time. Her house was a place that was unlike any other that I visited. She did not have air condition and her heat was supplied by a gas burning heater.

She had a crazy cuckoo clock that would chime just as you were trying to fall asleep. She never remembered my name, but knew exactly who I was and gave me the nickname "ladybug". She used to put bleach on our mosquito bites so we wouldn't itch. She had crazy feather pillows that weighed 25 lbs. She used funny names for body parts and carried a jar of water in her car before water bottles became popular.

She did not love conventionally but was very loved by us. When she would hug you, she would pat your back so hard, you'd think she was trying to help clear your lungs. She was truly a great woman. When my brother and I would visit, she would take us to the store and tell us to pick out what we'd like to eat and then allow us to pick out every sugary thing available. She took me to my first VBS at her church and then had me visit every year so I could continue to go.

I will miss you grandma. I love you. Alisha.

Tea Party / Bridal Shower

My best friend (since we were 12!) Danielle is getting married in May. So, the girls and I (Cole, Courtney and Serina) decided we'd like to throw a tea party shower for her to kick off the wedding fun. Here are a few photos of our fun morning and the rest are posted at Flickr. I'll try to sum it up for my next post. I'll also have to tell you about the toilet paper brides. They were so fun!

Danielle (aka. The Bride)

Dani and Lala

The toilet paper brides

The wedding party girls (minus Jill)

Just some photos to catch up

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been a crazy year so far. So, I'll just leave you with some Valentine photos till I have time to write a proper post. We had a cookie decorating craft for the kids as well as the bracelet craft I brought for them to make. Once I get some photos of that, I'll post them. It's a great afternoon project for the kids if you need to get something done.


Hope your Valentine's Day was great!

10 Random Facts About Me

I was tagged by Brittany, so here goes:

Rules of the Game:

Once you have been tagged, you must write a blog containing 10 weird, random things, (facts, habits or goals) about yourself. At the end, select 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and the reason you chose them. Send them a message ("You're It") and instruct them to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers. Thanks for playing and have fun!

10 Random Facts About Me..:

1. I met my husband at a Thanksgiving party in 1998.

2. There was another guy at that party who thought I was coming to meet him. He was drunk and confused.

3. I have known my best friend since I was in 6th grade. We're still best buddies.

4. Yellow is generally my favorite color. I look better in pink.

5. I love to read. So much that I'll stay up all night just to finish a good book.

6. I originally wanted 4 kids.

7. Someday I will live on the beach or on a tropical island.

8. I am a graphic designer. And I love packaging design.

9. I love spending time with my daughter and husband.

10. I am not great at spelling, in fact, I'm quite horrible at it.

My 10 Friends I want to answer:

1. Blake
2. Laurie
3. David
4. Missy
5. April
6. Dani
7. Carey
8. Jodi
9. Rachel
10. Nessa

Beginning the New Year

(David at Chic-fil-A bowl)

Well, the end of 2007 was quite busy. Luckily, Blake was off and was able to be home to entertain Lala. I on the other hand was busy with the Chic-fil-A bowl. I worked once again with Bob on the photography team and it was a bit more fun this year. Since it was our 2nd time around, Bob was a bit more comfortable letting me see and do some of the activities I didn't get to do last year. I was still the Jedi and had to maintain the files and organize them, which is no big deal, but I also had a blast. The same guys plus one were there shooting and everyone was more relaxed and easy going.

We were stationed at the Hilton with the Auburn team. They were great. The coach was so friendly and the players were pretty nice, when you saw them. The Clemson team was across the street and the players were more friendly, but their coach wasn't so much. I can understand that, being that he's at a bowl game, trying to keep his team in line so they can play well.

Everyone knows at this point that Auburn won, but it was still a great game. My brother and his wife used the tickets we gave them for Christmas and sat in the nose bleeders - sorry David and Missy, but Missy did say how awesome it was to be able to see the entire field and be able to actually follow the ball! Anyhow, I was on the field for most of the game, and even got to take a few shots. They are in the books we published and will soon be available for purchase. I'll put up a link once I have it. So, there we are. Game over and the work after it almost done as well.

So, 2008. What's in store? Well, B was offered a different job with the bank that pays more (yeah god!) and will be moving over there in Feburary. I'm hoping he'll still be close enough to come home for lunch, but maybe not, though it's been so much fun while it's lasted. I have been working on books for the bowl and have a potential opportunity to do more work with one of the wedding photographers I work for. That would be another answer to prayer. Now, to figure out what to do about housing.

I have been getting that "move to another place" feeling for quite some time now, but I know that God has a plan and purpose for us and I'm waiting for him to move us. These last couple of days have been a bit of an answer and so I feel that it's ok to move forward with at least looking. If the financial aspects continue to back us up, God provides a place, then we can get this place finished and on the market. It is so scary to actually type that. I've been thinking it for quite some time, and we've slowly but surely been working on things here and there. I am finally seeing just how much we need to do now and it's a bit overwhelming.

So, now that you know what's up, let me get back to what I should be doing! Have a great day!

(Missy at the bowl)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year blogland. I've been away and quite busy the past few weeks. New Years was great. I have much to tell. It will have to wait though, as I'm still playing catch up. I hope yours was great. Here's a picture to tide you over until I can post about our adventures.

Game time is a comin

I am fortunate to be working the Chicfila Bowl again this year with one of my clients. Bob is shooting for the 2nd time and he's bringing back the team from last year. My team went and won the bowl, but this year it's Clemson vs. Auburn, so I'm excited but not as excited as last year. Trying to figure out what to do with my tickets will be the hardest part. I know so many Auburn fans it's not even funny.

Right now the plan is for Blake and I to go to the game, but I'm thinking of letting B go and take a buddy so he can have a really good time. Not too sure how the boss will like that one, but maybe he'll be ok with it since B will still be going. Tonight I worked on a prelimanary game book for the bowl. Bob is going to run it by the comittee to see if it's something they want to do and if so, then cool! I'll get to have a credit in the back showing that I worked on this book. How awesome will that be? Naturally I'll have to order a copy to keep showing I actually got published somewhere big.

Now, my hope is someone else will need my handy graphic design services. I can only hope.

Feelin that Holiday spirit

Husband bought me the new Josh Groban cd Noel. I'm loving the songs on it. It would have been nice if he had included "O Holy Night" on there as well, but no big deal since I bought it on I Tunes.

I love this time of the year. Family and friends visiting, putting together Christmas cards and adding our special touches, talking about Jesus with Lala and enjoying her reaction to the Christmas trees and everything that goes with it. There's just something about the Christmas carols, listening to the choir in the sunday service, shopping for our Angel Tree child, and going to the women's Christmas dinner that really warms my heart.

This year is tough though. I find myself thinking an awful lot about my aunt. I really miss her. It's almost like I don't want anyone to ask about her because it makes my heart sad that she's not here this year. It's all I can do to keep my composure when someone asks my cousin or my grandmother if they're doing ok. I don't think there is an adjective out there to describe how they are. I think most days my grandmother runs the gamut of feelings. I don't know about Rachel. I really just don't know what to do for her or how to help her, so i'm hoping that support and love will do for now. I know how much I miss her mom and so I can't even bear to think about how much she misses her.

Well, so much for a happy post. It's just that sometimes I get so caught up in the busyness of life that I don't really think about what is actually happening. I pray for all of you that your Christmas season is filled with Christ, love, time to remember and reflect on those you love, peace in your hearts, and a joy that's unending.

Photos

I'm so behind, forgive me. For any of you that would like to see pictures from our UGA vs. Auburn game day at the lake, check my photos. Sorry there weren't any "game" photos. We were too busy hanging out by the fire pit. It was a lot of fun. Some people drank a bit much and were tossing up entire trees for us to burn. I wonder who that could be? I'm just sayin.....

Lizary :: our new friend

Well, as some of you now know, we have a Carolina Anole living at our house. In a cage. He chose us as his winter vacation resort this year. We were just as suprised as he was. Anyhow, we've gotten him a larger cage and some food from Petsmart. I don't know how long Lizary will be living with us, but we've already bought the book, gotten the crickets, pimped out the cage, and we're thinking of getting a more permanent place for him to stay. At least while it's cold, or that's what we keep telling ourselves. Lala thinks we'll have him forever. Oh dear!

So far, Lizary (lala's name for him) seems to be a pretty happy camper. I'm worried that he'll get too cold in our house, but my husband says all he needs is a desk lamp and some leaves and the occasional cleaning of the cage and he'll be just fine. Does this mean that I'm in charge of all of this? Ummmm, no. I won't touch a cricket and you can forget cleaning lizard poop. I can't imagine there's all that much of it but people I have done my duty. I saved the little guy from our Jack Russell's. The husband? He can do it.