One Amazing Boy!

 Dear Christian,

Defensive Dynamo 

Holiday World

Talent show as Bob Marley

        I am so proud of who and what you have become.  You are my first born, the one that went through all the FIRSTS of child rearing.  You were a little blessing.  Yes we let you sleep in our bed from day one (which was such a no no that years (years and years) later we found out-but I would not change a thing and neither would your father. Those moments reading to you in bed, the sweet cuddles, watching you sleep and breath -you were our baby, our son, our everything and we felt so blessed that God made you ours.

Loved our costumes :-)

Being studious at school

Baseball

First speaking role in a play:-)

First week long camp!! Try to forget that I
checked in on you the third day:-(

I love you!

This has been an incredible journey.  I have not only been your mother but your fourth grade teacher as well.  YOU are beautiful inside and out.  It feels like yesterday  that we were on the couch watching Blues Clues together eating your favorite breakfast of cinnamon toast with apple juice.  I loved dressing you in knee high white socks with your polished Howard Curry name plated shoes.  I would lace up those shoe strings only to find myself stuffing them inside of the little bell that secured them on top.  You were and still are my baby (I don't think this will ever change).  I have so much love for you and only want to push you to be your best.  You are now 10 years old and I love that you still hug, kiss, and cuddle with your daddy and I.  I will be sad the day this will end.  Your smile makes my heart sing and your laughter gives me complete joy.  You will one day understand this unconditional love when you have your first child. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart and soul.

Edible flower science lesson

MOM

Animal Kingdom

Pipa Performance in front of 1,500 people!

Montessori at age 5 with Mrs. Gretta

Winning first place in sparring-you were amazing!

Down at the beach house in your favorite chair.  Love the no teeth look!

Florida, just the three of us!

At the Horse Park.

Enjoying a summer day with Jillian, Jaxon, and Lacy (look how small Lacy was).

Becoming a Big Brother! You did great in the delivery room-so glad we made that choice!

Your daddy did a great job on your Alice in Wonderland costume!  First Play!

Always a great eater!  Your favorite-Oyster Rockefeller

Best BUDS!  

Cardome

Yes, I use to dress us alike quiet a bit!  We actually went shopping that day and I was so proud!

Fun times- vacationing with  MeeMaw, PeePaw, and your cousins.

We love you !

Best football team ever!!!

Day at the Pier-one of my favorite places to be

January Memories

Love this moment with the kids!  Christian on the computer
and Chloe sharing a snack with Lacy.

A friend and I enjoyed taking our kids to Kid's Place, an indoor
playground for the day.  Chloe's first experience driving:-)

Christian and his friends making their first batch
of "Snow-Cream" .  It was pretty yummy!!

 

This would be me trying to talk Chloe out of her tent.  We had to go watch her
bubby play ball for the entire day--she is such a good sport!

Michael and I going to the 8:00 movie on the worst night of our snow storm.  Sis and her kids had come over to spend the night, so we took FULL advantage of having a sitter and braved the snow covered roads and dodged all the salt trucks to have a date night (yes we will go through any means to have a night to ourselves).   Why was my sister coming over.... well  I live in town, so closer to work for her and  I would be keeping her kids the next day due to school closings  (the joys of being a teacher-I am off too).

Chloe and I had attempted a mommy -daughter day at the Mad Potter!!  That is just plain MAD to
do with an 21 month old in a room filled with ceramics!!  We did have fun and a plate was
accomplished-not the prettiest or most craftiest (as I have seen on other blogs)
but beautiful in its own right. 

Here we are sitting behind the viewing window watching Christian
listen as his father/coach draws up a play.

One Fine Girl

Clearwater Florida 2009

Dear Chloe,  

     It's a GIRL!  I never thought it would be this much fun to have a girl.  You are the funniest, sweetest, most loving little blessing.  Your daddy brags all the time that he was the one that got to stay home with you for the first year ( I was a little jealous but knew you were in good hands).  Watching you play with your babies as if you were a mommy yourself has been so fun to watch and having you try to be me is even funnier.  I don't know how many times I have had to clean lipstick and eyeshadow from your face.  You have the softest little voice and if you think you have hurt someone then you bend down and ask if their "KAY" meaning okay and then gently give them a kiss.  You are so independent! You love your bed and will not sleep unless you are in it.  You love to eat and will snack all the time.  You are in love with your passie      passies !! You have one in your mouth and one in each hand.  You are still taking a bottle ( I call this your cup of choice) and I really do need to start giving you your sippie cup more often-so it is totally my fault.  I just love you being happy and I know this stage will not last forever.  Your words started around 18 months and to be honest I was a little worried but NOW you can say any word and will talk in complete sentences.  I really think going over the flash cards and CD's  I bought you has helped your language development.  I look forward to all the girlie things we can do together and know that we will have the closest mommy -daughter relationship ever!  I live in the moment with you and enjoy all your milestones  into becoming a little lady.

Love you ,
Mom

D

Chloe has so much hair now!!!  2010 (15 months)

She is so going to be my BFF :-)

One of my favorite consignment dresses that I paid $70.00 for!!  (What was I thinking)

Coach's Corner

          Our team the Kentucky Elite is made up of 9 and 10 year olds.  Michael is one of the coaches along with our friend Chris whose son is also on the team.  I don't know if you have ever heard of AAU basketball, but here in Kentucky it is taken quiet seriously.

Michael handing Christian his award.

          The difference between AAU and league ball is that the kids are hand-selected to be on an AAU team (you don't just sign up and pay your fee).  It is nice that Michael can coach Christian but there are drawbacks.  You tend to give fewer breaks to your kid when they do something wrong on the court.  We are both working with Christian's shooting form right now.  His body and mind works so fast that having him slow it down to focus on his shot is a challenge for him right now.  I love that he is all about the good time of sports and that it doesn't upset him win or lose.
         During ball season, our days are spent in the gym.  You become one big family with the kids and the parents on the team.  It is nice spending time with this extended family.

Sharing a box of popcorn (post-game)

         I have always gone and rooted Christian on but now days with our newest little addition ( Chloe), I find myself chasing her around and trying to find the right location in order to keep her from bolting out on the court.  This is our life during the basketball season, one gym to the next gearing up for the state tournament in March.  I love this group of kids, they are all so unique and talented.  What a great way to spend our winter weekends.                                                                                    

Weighing In

      I have NO, repeat NO excuse for keeping these extra pounds on my body.  I will probably not have any more children and my body is now 20 months post delivery, so there is no excuse not to take charge of my lingering weight issue!!  I have always been one to exercise, I think it comes from being an athlete in high-school and college.  Athletes have many advantages:  1. They are ALWAYS in the best of shape 2.  They never worry about their weight  3.  They can eat more than the average bear .
     Now that I am in my late thirties (there I said it "late" thirties), I am having some difficulties with understanding I am NO LONGER an athlete or even athletic. My work out regimen consists of CD training tapes of Gilad or Jillian Michaels and to be honest they never know that I sometimes may cheat or not give it my best effort.  Back in my college days of running hill sprints and suicides I never thought of my calorie intake for the day but now as I look down at this foreign number on the scale I become angry!  Angry that I have not had enough discipline to control how I eat.
      I know that now is the time to make changes with my life!  I would like to lose about 20 lbs.   My first step was to get the app for my I -Phone called Lose It.  Can't say enough about how much this has helped me lose my first 8 lbs ( yes, I am down 8 lbs).  I can log all of my food intake for the day and it helps me stay within my budget and if I want to go over then I will just exercise so I can add more calories to my day.  So far so good!  I will say that it has been a slow process.  I am truly losing 2 lbs a week nothing more!
     I am no longer on a diet but in a war with my excess weight and I am trying to take control of the foods I eat and making better choices in the process. I want to feel fit and fabulous before I hit the other F-word FORTY!!

                                                                                    

Snow Days

View of the snow-covered pond behind our house.

Snow Day! 
   These were two of my favorite words as a kid and I don't think this has changed much except that I have changed my role from student to teacher.  This winter the snow started to fall and it doesn't look like there is an end in sight.  I am beginning to wonder if I will have a summer or if I should put my bathing suite on now and toss the beach ball around the living room with my kids. I love many things about my job but one of the things that stand out above the rest is the time I have off with my children (it is a blessing).  I am allowed this great job that works around my kid's schedule. 
   I love being a mom and I love the relationship that I have with my kids.  My kids are both so unique and an amazing gift that is given each day to me.  Today, Michael wakes me to give me the news of "Snow" ( which I am not surprised).  I think he gets just as excited as I do.  His excitement comes from the fact that he does not have the chore of taking Chloe to his mom's small home daycare and can get to work a little earlier than usual.  That is another blessing for us -to have our children's MeeMaw take care of them without having a complete stranger look after them.  I don't know if I would feel as comfortable at work as I do without the help from the grandparents.  I know, no matter how bad my daughter may be that day, that there is an unconditional love that will overlook all her shortcomings;-)
    So, today I wait anxiously for Chloe to wake--she is the last one to rise because she is such the little sleeper!  She wakes at 9:45 and our day begins.  Christian is lying in front of the television already eating a nutritional breakfast of powdered donuts and watching the HIstory channel.  I love the fact he is watching such an educational channel until I realize once again  that the show is about weird phenomenons!  This time it is about "Big Foot" and all his sighitngs.  Last time it was about UFO sightings.  I LOVE him!!  His quirkiness makes me smile.  I spend the rest of my day hunting pacifiers, playing in Chloe's tent, re-starting Sesame Street and singing the monster song with Chloe and doing laundry in between.
   Our snow days are a wonderful time for me to interact and hopefully give my children fond memories of being home and having thier mom play and talk to them, a place where they feel safe and loved, a place that is ours, a time that is ours, and even though it is simple and nothing extraordinary, this was our time at home cherishing our beloved snow day together:-)

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Bests of 2010

As we begin the new year, we reflect as a family on some of our most favorite moments

Christian (age 10): 

BEST:

My team the Dolphins winning the Junior Tackle championship!!  Winning MVP for best defense.

Labor Day weekend going to Holiday World with my best friend Berk.  Going to Animal Kingdom with my family. Camping out at the Horse Park for Halloween.

Chloe ( age 20 months)
Best:  When I attended the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom.  My favorite all time movie coming to life!  It was won-won- wonderful!!

Playing in the water at Holiday World for hours while Bubby rode rides.  Mommy and me playing in the tiny rocks and burying our feet.

Misty (age 37)

Best:  Michael and I finally having our king bed to ourselves (no kids or dogs allowed)!  Getting $300.00 tickets for a Charity Dining Event held during the World Equestrian Games.  Michael and I dancing through-out the night in Louisville.  My I-phone 4!!!  Moving to Canewood.  Watching Chloe's face light up as she rides her first amusement ride.  My heart pounding out of my chest as I watch my son deliver his lines from his first speaking role in the play "EX-Caliber".  My excitement to see my 75 lb son tackle players to the ground each game.  Having my son in my classroom this year as my student has to be another favorite because I was able to see him interact with his peers and see him in a different light.   Having a daughter to do girl things with:-)  Getting my name in the paper for a teaching strategy I am using. Having an amazing class this year. 

Michael (age38)

Beginning a job at Minova on March 1st.  Moving into our home in October.  Proud father of a son playing a sport that I know little about and Excelling!! Spending the first months of 2010 staying home to care for my daughter (what a blessing in disguise)!  Winning the "Deliver the Promise" award at work for providing most cost savings.