Christmas Joy.

Another Christmas has come and gone and this year it was incredibly fun with a 17 month old! She is quite the little sport these days. She speaks her own little language and goes to town with it! I'll be happy when someone else can understand her!

Christmas Eve is always a busy time in our house, and this year was no exception. I sing in the choir, so we got all dressed up to be at Mass early for practice. Mass was lovely this year. Lucy is well behaved in church which is such a blessing! The steel drums played and the children's choir joined us. I love the children's choir. They just bless my heart! I envision Lucy singing when she is older and it is so sweet to think of that! After Mass we went to my parents for our first ever Fondue Party. This was an idea I saw on someones blog and it just made me smile. I have two fondue pots from our wedding that have never been used. Mom and I did a little research and bam! Christmas Fondue was born. I loved it. We did a great job and I look forward to doing this every year.
Christmas morning Lucy woke at 6:30....which was a surprise because since I have been on vacation we have been sleeping until at least 8! She must have known something exciting was happening! Santa left presents and a sweet letter. She loved all her presents and had fun opening the few that we gave her. And.... on a total side note, my husband did a fantastic job this year for me...The one thing I care about name brand is my purse. I love name brand purses. I'll rock some Wal-mart bluejeans, but I want a good-stand-the-test-of-time purse. I've been carrying a Coach for about 4 years. I have 2 of them and trade them out often. I am also a huge Project Runway fan also and this year have fallen in love with Micheal Kors. So I've been asking (read: begging) for a MK bag. I knew they were too expensive so I set it aside for another day, but Christmas morning I opened a package and there was a beautiful black leather MK bag! Wooo!!!!!! I also got a Nookcolor which I have not been able to put down and it fits so wonderful in my MK bag!

I digress..... after we opened presents, my parents came over for breakfast. It was delicious! We opened presents with them, cleaned up, and Lucy and I crashed! We were so tired from our fun! After our nap, we headed to Scott's moms for late lunch, which was delish, and opened presents with her. After another nap, we went to MawMaw's for presents (Scott's grandmother) and stayed there and visited for awhile. We are so blessed and received way too much stuff. I got some amazing gifts from my parents (a necklace from mom I wear every day, and a bracelet with LC's birth date on it...pure love!)

We are blessed beyond belief and I thank God every day for the gift of my family. I pray that this new year will be as amazing as this past year has been! Thank you, Lord! I love you!

praying

Today, my heart is heavy for a family of church friends who lost their daddy this morning. Sweet Jenn is a blog writer also. I cannot imagine their pain or grief, I only know that God will sustain (Psalm 54:4). I cannot imagine the road they are going to walk, I only know that God will walk with them (Isaiah 43:2). I cannot understand God's ways, but I know He is faithful (Isaiah 55:9). I also know that there are many who are praying for their hearts, for their pain, for their loss. And I believe that God hears our prayers (Psalm 66:19) and will not leave them.
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Praying....

I heart my Mac.

I won a contest at school over the summer and my prize was a Mac computer for my classroom. I was excited but a little hesitant because I knew they were so different from regular PCs. Needless to say, when I finally hooked it up and and got busy with it, I am a changed woman. I want to pack it up everyday and take it home. I love it. The things I have been able to do with it as a teacher are amazing. We've made videos, recorded ourselves reading, and even made a music video for a technology grant (which we didn't win, btw.) I decided this week after school, I would make something for myself. So with the videos I had uploaded from my last pictures with the kids, I saw some of Lucy. So I jumped at the chance to make a video montage of my child! She loves it! I think its pretty cool too....

It's hard to believe that 2010 is coming to a close! We have been enjoying our December in our household. We are gearing up for Christmas, and even though Daddy has to work a lot, we do have a tree up. It has no decorations, but we do have a tree! And I have put out our stockings and our nativity. I have been in such a thankful mood lately. I am so thankful for our health, good friends, amazing family....It has been a rough couple of weeks in my classroom and I think that is why I have had some good reflection time. If you could, could you please pray for two of my children? (Ya'll know I call my school kids my children!) I have been pretty emotional because they were two very special students with two very sad stories and now I am not a part of their lives. So taking some time to thank the Lord for what I do have, and to remember my two sweet girls in prayer often is making me a little sentimental. All that being said, here is what I am thankful for right now! (in no particular order!ha!)

This sweet girl. A momma's girl who is funny and sweet...and starting to be a bit stubborn.

Good friends and girl's night out. We all needed that! I love these girls! Big Bunkoooo!

Bundled up baby with amazing eyelashes!

Third Day. 'nuff said. My favorite band since as long as I can remember. Up close and personal. In fact, I am honestly thinking I am going to be a groupie. Either that, or I need to work on my recording contract so I can open for them. I had a blast!

Lucy having sweet friends to grow up with. I pray that she and Foster grow up to be life-long buddies. I am thankful for his mommy, Jolie. I am glad we are friends! And I am also glad we like train-wreck blogs and shopping! ha! :)

I didn't have any pictures of my husband or my family for this month. But I am always thankful for them and their love. In fact, tonight during prayer, Lucy and I prayed for a multitude of things we are thankful for, like warm clothes, a heater, mommy and daddy's job, that Gammy is her daycare, and that she is full of love. We always pray for babies without mommies and mommies without babies. I want her to understand how lucky she is to have a family that loves her and provides for her.

Okay. This post was really just going to be about me getting to see Third Day in concert, and look where it led me! ha! I am thankful for you, blog reader, wherever you are! Praying for you!

"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

16 months

My tiny little girl is now 16 months old. Wow. I have to say, she is one amazing kid. She makes me laugh out loud all the time. I totally love this age! She is doing all kinds of fun things and saying tons. "Oh no" is a word we hear at least 100 times a day. But true to her southern roots, it is more like "ooooohh nooo" so drawn out and southern!

What else are you doing, my sugar plum?

• You weigh in at 23 pounds and are 32 inches long.
• You are in a size 4 diaper.
• You eat salad. and love it. Your favorite part is the tomatoes!





Lucy at the Peanut Festival. The girl loves her roasted corn. She ate two ears!



• You carry a purse. OMG. how I love this. It is so funny!
• You wear a size 18 month clothing. True to size, kiddo!
• My favorite thing you do is when you see a crucifix, cross, or a picture of Jesus. You point and say "Jesus?" I love this. At night when we pray, you almost have the sign of the cross down. You can do "The Father and Son" part. We are working on "and the Holy Spirit." Lately after we pray, when I tell you to tell Jesus you love Him, you look up at your crucifix and blow it a kiss. Love.
• Speaking of praying, we have the ultimate bedtime routine down! You take a bath, get your jammies on, brush your teeth, and then we get a blanket and a stuffed animal and sit on your floor. You pick out a book and we read it together. Then we say our prayers and off to bed you go! You just get right in your crib and go right to sleep. You will either wake up around 6:30 or I have to wake you up for Gammy camp. You sleep from about 8:30 to 6:30.
• You have started to "throw fits" oh, my. This is serious! You will throw your head back and say "oh, no" over and over. They can be pretty rough!
• Fresh Beat Band is your favorite show. Of course, the show mommy hates would be your favorite. I go around singing "it was a great day...." all the time (here it goes again!)
• We got your ears pierced last week. It looks so cute and you have done so well with it!
  
  Why, hello, mini Rachel Zoe in your fur jacket. I would have so bought this for you if I didn't think your daddy would have had a fit! And yes, we did do a photo shoot in the middle of babyGap. Yes. and we would do it again. totally. babyGap? do you want to offer her a modeling contract?
  
• You are growing too fast little girl! I love you so much. I love your dramatic personality (where did that come from? ha!) and I love your love for Jesus already. I love being needed by you and I can't imagine what Daddy and I would be doing without you!

Halloween butterfly. I loved this costume. and we only spent $9.88 on it! Whoo!

How I love these sweet kisses! Even after I traumatized you with piercing your ears! ha! I love you!

"God has given me cause to laugh, and all who hear it will laugh with me!"

Genesis 21:6

Something exciting!

I am super excited about something my class and I did

What a fall!

Whew! It's been a busy time in our household (inserting an Amazing Word from our first grade lesson last week) We have celebrated my birthday, a fall break from school, and tons of good quality time with friends and family. Lucy also turned 15 months old on the 16th. Where has time gone? I need to update some stats about her, so while I wait for my pictures to upload to my computer I'll write about her...
What can I say about that giggly little girl? I honestly looked at her the other day and thought...where did this "kid" come from? She is funny, she is inquesitive and smart, she is busy...so busy. She can eat like a champ, she loves most all food, but is very picky about her vegetables and most meat. She LOVES salad, which cracks me up. She runs when she wants to get somewhere and has a mouth full of teeth. She can say tons of animal sounds, and says a lot of words. She calls me "mom" ha! She can say Daddy, Sissy, Ta-Ta (for Papa), Jesus, pumpkin, JoJo (our neighbors dog), hi, bye, oh no, oh wow, uh-oh, "what's that?" and will mimic anything if you help her. She can climb on the couch. I finally moved her carseat to forward. She is putting herself to sleep at night. She loves to read. She tries to count and can hold a pencil or crayon like a first grader!
Here is our life in pictures this Fall:

This is Lucy before her school one day. She goes once a week. She has to carry a lunchbox!

Lucy and I at the Atlanta Zoo. Lucy at the Georgia Aquarium. She loved counting the fish and watching them swim by.We went to BabyLand General Hospital in Helen, Georgia on our trip. Lucy got her first Cabbage Patch Kid! Gammy, Sissy, and Lucy went on a playdate with some friends to a fun pumpkin patch! Lucy on the front porch. Last year when I took these pictures she had to sit in her Bumbo because she couldn't sit up! Fun times at the park with mom! Got to wear our shades! Well that about sums up our Fall so far! Bye Ya'll!

Happy day!

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband! He is an amazing husband and I am so glad my life plan led me right to him! I am so glad I found him in a bar...yep! I was singing karaoke and came down off the stage and ran into him. I fell in love with his teeth. He had a beautiful smile and gorgeous white teeth! We went on a date...had many more dates and 2 years later were married. 4 months after getting married we found out we were pregnant and then the greatest accomplishment of our lives was born! He is a super father to Lucy and I love seeing how they interact with each other. I love you Scott and I am glad the Father put you in my life and I look forward to the rest of our lives!
Pre baby! Those were the days of spontaneous travels and late night dinners! Scott and Lucy at the beach when she was 6 months.. and then at the beach at 14 months old! He was explaining the water filling the hole they dug!

Oh memories!

Last year for Labor Day we went down to the "Redneck Riviera" (a.k.a the beach) for Labor Day. Since we live so close, this is something we do all the time, but last year, we carted our new baby down with us. She was 2 months old when she first visited the beach. This is my girl last year. We will be making the trip again this year with my family (Happy Birthday Gammy!) and I can't wait to see how different this trip will be! Walking on the beach, playing in the pool....this year is going to be so much fun! I leave you with some of my favorite pictures from her first beach trip! Ya'll have a fabulous Labor Day!
Really...my kid is so stylish! And then she must have a beach themed outfit! :)

please excuse my ginormous header. I am working on it. now I am tired and off to bed. Please forgive the cuteness on my page..tinypic and I are having some words right now.

Like a child

I was blog reading the other day and Angie Smith over at Bring the Rain was discussing prayer (and speaking of her blog, if you haven't visited her site run over there....really, don't walk or skip...get your hiney over there and read her amazing story and love for our Father!) I digress. So she was talking about how she prays and how we sometimes have crazy ideas for how we think Jesus thinks of us as we pray and it got me a'thinkin. How do I pray? Well for starters I pretty much just pray whenever I think about praying, whether it be in the grocery store line or driving down the road. When something hits me, I'll just pray. If you ask me to pray for you, by goodness, I'll just do it right then. No sense in waiting! But my real praying (as if the other is fake) is most often at night when I crawl into bed. I have always wanted to be the kind of
pray-er who gets on my knees, but by the end of the day, I don't do it. So I lay my head on my pillow and pray.

And I thought about what I think when I pray. I pray like I am a child. I envision myself just plopping down right in front of God. You know, He's on His throne, all big, with a white beard and fully robed in bright garb. I sit "criss-cross-applesauce" in front of His throne and just start talking. No bother if He's busy doing something else.

And it really reminded me of my school children. I sit in that big blue chair while they are on the carpet and they have to look up to me. I am teaching, they are listening, I am trying not to laugh at their silly stories, or their interesting questions, or the fact that I wore eyeshadow today and they are all discussing how different I look. And I have power. I can calm the class, or continue to let them talk, or I do the teaching. God is the same way. And I need to open myself up to the fact that sometimes I do need to close my mouth and just listen. I do a lot of talking. I need to listen more to Him. What is His plan for my prayer? I just have so many prayer requests and needs!

We as Catholics are never really "taught" how to pray. We have memorized prayers...which I love because they make it really easy. Our mass is one big long prayer from beginning to end. But ask a Catholic to "spontaneously" pray at a meeting and you'll get no hands for the pickin. I attribute my quick prayers to Methodist school. I was taught to pray there. I am grateful that I did.

I also do a lot of praying through song. I love to sing and praise and worship music make it wonderful. I am teaching Lucy to sing "Our God is greater" and it just makes my heart melt when she tries to sing with me.

I wish I was a devotional person. I want her to see me spending time with the Lord. I want her to know it's okay to pray whenever and that we have times spent each day reflecting on our behavior and fostering our love for our Lord. That is one of my goals this year. To find something she and I can do together and also find something I can do as a mom to quiet myself in front of Him.

Something I love this year in school is that we stand for the pledge as a whole school in our classroom and then we have a moment of silence. I tell my kids they can pray, think about the day or just be still, but that we are taking a moment to prepare ourselves for the day. I can't tell you how wonderful our day goes when I can stand before my class with my eyes closed and pray right over those kids. I do think this is one reason why I am having such a good year. I start the day off with Jesus.

Oh, I have rambled on this post. I want one day when Lucy reads her blog that she knows that I am a lover of Jesus, a full-on Christian. That when I leave this world that I am going to meet the One who loves us, created us, thought of us long before we were born, who Abraham saw stars for long ago.

How do you pray?

"I always thank my God for you as I remember you in my prayers"

-Philemon 1:4

I was blog reading the other day and Angie Smith over at

Toddler Time.

So.... my sweet little baby is now ONE. One. as is a whole year gone by. And in this year, I have grown as a person, as a mommy. Grown in my attitude, grown in my love, and grown in my faith. I have worried, cried, laughed, and worried more, but overall... this has been the best year of my life. How in the world did I live my boring life without Lucy?

We celebrated her first birthday with a cupcake themed party here at our house. She got way to many presents and is already so blessed in the friendship department. I love all my mommy friends and I love all my regular friends. They each bring something so great to Lucy's life... and mine!

Lucy and I on her birthday. We celebrated at a local mexican restaurant. Yum! They came and sang to her... which she hated! She loves to hug her babies. She says "aww" and pats them on the back. I love this! I so wanted her to have babies and love them! Libby is the new baby she got from her daddy and I with a new baby stroller.
Lucy's birthday party. So, the kid freaked out when we all started singing and then would not eat her smash cake her Nana made her. She finally got to enjoy it when the party was over! All of Lucy's friends. We are so lucky to have these children in our lives! I used to babysit the two oldest children on the left back. I kept them since they were babies. Makes me sad to see them so grown up!
My table decorations. Lucy's Nana (my MIL) made all the cupcakes. She used to own a bakery and all her cakes are amazing. So glad she could make them for us!

As for Lucy being one year now, here are some of her highlights!

• You weigh 21 pounds.
• You are 31 inches long.
• You are almost completely off the bottle. She takes a night bottle, but lately, she doesn't want it so it's really almost a waste!
• You love stuffed animals and babies!
• Gammy and Papa (my parents) bought you a kitchen center that you love. You play and cook all day!
• They also bought you a picnic table. You eat breakfast and lunch there. You look sooooo cute when you sit there!
• You can say mama, dada, bye, yeah, no, star, what's that, and you know four animal sounds. My personal favorite is the lion. You roar so loud! You know a cat, dog, lion and a cow. We are working on a pig and a duck!
• You run. No walking. Full on go. You strut. You swing one arm out when you walk. so funny! You also do a beauty pageant wave when you walk by people.
• You are wearing a 12 month clothing.
• You dance. Omg, it is so funny. You get to going and I can't stop laughing!
• You push anything when you walk. Chairs, tables, anything that can move does.
• You love to swim and take a bath.
• You give the best kisses.
• When I dress you in the morning I hold you up to the mirror and tell you how pretty you are. You pat your chest and say "awww." So cute!
• You will hold my hand when we walk. love it.
• You sleep from 8:30 till 8. Now that school started you are getting up earlier.
• You take 2 naps a day, morning and afternoon.
• You can put away some food!
• You love your daddy. When he comes home, you like to "show off" and instead of running to him, you take things to show him, like you are so proud of your stuff.
• I made a great decision to not send you to daycare. I just couldn't do it. Gammy Camp is back in full swing! You love going to my parents house. You act like you own the place (and you pretty much do!) You love Maize. You love Sisterbeth. Gosh, you love her. You hugged her for the longest time tonight.
  She is such a special aunt and she loves you so much. You adore Papa, and you LOVE spending time farming with Gammy. She takes such good care of you and teaches you so much while Mommy is at work. It makes my day so much easier knowing you are taken care of by my mom!
• Your godmomma b and auntie c bought you a little blue box for your birthday. It was the sweetest "L" charm. Made me mad because I want a Tiffany box!
• You are growing much too fast. Slow down little one!
• I LOVE YOU!
  

Lord,

You

have abundant love.

are mighty. everlasting. true.

created my child and know each part of her. inside and out.

made her in Your image.

know her thoughts.

know the plans before her.

created her with a purpose.

created her with a love for You.

show your workmanship. Your handiwork.

will use her life to Your glory.

have covered her in Your precious blood.

I

will praise you daily, moment by moment.

will be forever eternal to You.

can imagine how Your mother felt about You.

look at her life as a testament to Your love and grace.

know what You give is a joy to others.

will thank you constantly.

look at human life differently.

love you.

Emotional me, writing my prayer to the Lord, knowing I don't have to write this for Him to know my thoughts and feelings, but knowing that He is all deserving of just a small token of His love. I have been blessed beyond to have Lucy in my life for this past year. I can only imagine the next many years to come.

Glory be to God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth!

11 months and Father's Day!

Lucy Clare--- You are now eleven months old. This brings a tear to my eye because this time next month, you will be known as "years" and not months! What happened to my little bitty baby?

What are you into these days? You are so funny, and have a shining personality! You are truly your mother's child!

• You are walking! Yes, you are walking. You took your first steps last week while we were on our cruise! You got your walking legs at sea! When you fall down, we all clap and yell "yeah!" and you clap and get so excited! I am so proud of you!


• You are eating "grown" people food exclusively. You have a variety of things you like to eat, particularly mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese (you love cheese like your momma!) chicken, all vegetables, pears, mandarin oranges, strawberries and bananas. When you are done, you will either push the plate away, or start throwing the food down on the floor.


• You are still in a size 3 diaper.

• You wear 12 month clothing and a size 3 shoe.
  
  
• You are down to 2 bottles (maybe 3 a day)



• You sleep from 8:30 to 8:30... wonderful!
  
  
• You hug and kiss your babies!



• You will carry your stuffed animals in your mouth when you crawl. I think you got this from Maize, mom's chihuahua! It is so funny!



• You say "momma" "da-da" "yeah" and "oh" sometimes I swear I hear you say "mon" as in "c'mon" because I know I say that to you all the time when you follow me all over the house.



• You definitely know what NO means and shake your head no when you are not supposed to do something!



• You hand me things you know you cannot have, or when we ask you to give us something you will hand it over.



• You don't watch a lot of tv, but when it is on you and you see something you like, you will say "oh" over and over.



• You smile and laugh all the time.



• You wave good-bye and hello.
  
  
• You point at things constantly.



• You went on your first 7 day cruise! and did WONDERFUL!



• You are starting to get stranger anxiety and away from mommy anxiety.



• No body can make you smile like your Aunt Heather!



• You tried an Icee the other day and about let the entire Wal-mart know when I took it away!



• You cry on command. Like when I tell you no, you will wait a few seconds, bring some tears up and then fake cry.



• You love to swim!


• You are so independent. You free play by yourself all the time, and are just so content playing with all your toys.


• You love to read!
  

You are growing so fast before my eyes! Mommy and Daddy love you very much! You are so blessed to have so many people in your life that love you so much!

I want to also take this time to say happy Father's day to my two favorite men in my life. Scott is an amazing father and husband and takes such good care of Lucy and me. My dad is an amazing dad, but I have seen things in him with Lucy that are so wonderful as a grandfather.It makes me so proud.She is his little girl, and will always get what she wants from him! He is so overprotective of her and truly loves her so much.

For Scott's first father's day, Lucy bought him a tree so they could plant it together and watch it grow. Scott calls LC "sugar plum" and has since the day she came into this world, so we bought him a plum tree to plant in our yard. We had to give it to him on Saturday because he will be working and gone for Father's day. He loved it! I was so glad to give him something that they both can cherish for years to come!

Someone was trying to walk off the porch, so hence why she is so blurry! I had to hurry and take the picture!
My next post will be all about a fabulous cruise we all took.... cruising with a then-10 month old was the most interesting cruise we have taken! Fun, fun, fun, but way different that the old days of cruising!

A ten month trip

Lucy Clare--You are now ten months and you are busier than ever! You are talking, moving, laughing, and all around having a ball. I love this age right now. You are funny. You are so independent! You are growing so fast! You've done a lot lately, so here is a trip in pictures!

10 months photo shoot. This is THE ONLY picture I got of you sitting in your spot. You would not sit still this month!

You have learned to give a "high five." It is so cute!

Not sure what you are doing in that above picture, but that's how I find you most mornings when I go to wake you up! And you have learned to laugh and smile when something is really funny to you! Ha!


You have learned to love the grass!

You have really liked this ride along/push thing Gammy bought you! Look at you go! (and major props to Godmomma B for your super cute shoes!)

What else is going on?

• you have 6 teeth and are working on 2 more.
• you are almost totally on solid food. You like mac/cheese, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, chicken.... ok, you really pretty much like anything I put down in front of you! :)
• You sleep from 9 to 6:30 every night. I love this!
• You are such a good baby, and everyone says so. I can take you anywhere!
• You are a daddy's girl. You melt his heart every day!
• You are going on your first cruise next month! Wow! I am so excited!
• You can "cruise" holding on to furniture. You are still a little scared when you let go as to what to do!
• I love you!

I am so ready to spend the summer with you! 5 more days till it is summer vacation! Tons of swimming, sleeping, and cuddling.. along with some great trips!

Love you!

Support

I mentioned in my last post that I had become a ZUMBA instructor last month. I haven't taught many classes (ok, just two) but I totally enjoyed making my friends sweat! Ha! Some of you may know that I was once our church's Youth Minister and I still help out when I can and the new YM and I are pretty good friends. Every summer our youth kids go on a mission trip called "Catholic Heart Work Camp" and it is an awesome experience for them. They help fix houses, help around different communities, and share their faith, all within the United States (which is a big deal to me.) This year 30 kids will be heading down to South Florida to help for a week. 30 kids is a great number, but with that comes the cost of sending all those kids on a mission trip. We have been thinking of different things we could do to help defer the cost for the kids and I decided I would have a ZUMBA fundraiser. I will have a hour long class and give all the money right over to the church so they can help send the kids!

I am super excited and I hope we really get a good turn-out. So for those of you in my area, please join us! Feel free to email me for exact times and location!

I have a number in my head that I am going to pray that God will fulfill for us. I pray that the church community will rally around us and burn a few calories while raising money! For those of you who don't live near us, please pray that God will bless us as we try to raise the money and especially pray for our teens as they travel to spread God's Word!

And finally, just cuz I think this little one is so dang adorable... her is a picture of Ms. LC doing what she likes to do.. Stand! Isn't she just so beautiful?! ♥

9 months and a workout

Hello! It has been awhile since I have posted, mainly because I have been busy, but really I have just been procrastinating and too busy reading other people's blogs! I thought I would catch up so Lucy will have her baby book one day! Lucy turned 9 months on the 16th. I can't believe she is thisclose to being a year old! Her personality has just broken loose lately. She is babbling, crawling, trying to walk, and into everything!

What else are you up to these days, sweet one?

I like this picture because your eyelashes are so fabulous, but I love the little bit of sweet potatoe on the tip of your nose!

• You are wearing a size 3 diaper.
  
• You eat solid foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You have tried lots of new foods lately!




• You drink 6 to 8 ounces of formula at each bottle feeding
• You are crawling everywhere, and will follow me into every room I will walk into.
  
• You have become "clingy" to me when we are out, until you become familiar with people.
  
• Da-da is your word of choice, even though you still say "yeah!"




• You do this break-dance spin on the floor. You will move around in circles on your butt. It is the cutest thing!




• You love to play on the floor with your toys. You especially like cooking utensils!
  
• You throw a "fit" when you don't get your way!
  
• You are back to sleeping through the night, and putting yourself to sleep!




• You have three teeth that have come through. Two bottom and one on top. The others are not far behind!
  
• You like to dance holding on to the tv table. You bounce up and down to the music and kick one leg up!




• You are wearing a size 9-12 month clothing.
  
• You sleep on your tummy with your hiney in the air!




• You love watching other children.




• You love your daddy! You reach out to him when he gets home from work and clap!
  
• I love you. Really. I love you. I can't say it enough!
  

Now, this little priss actually sat still for her 9 month pictures! Praise God! I took these pictures the night before I left for a ZUMBA training workshop. I am officially a ZUMBA teacher! It was 9 hours of pure hell but worth every minute! I decided a few months ago to give ZUMBA a shot and I loved it. If you haven't tried this amazing workout, you are missing out! It is an hour of fun Latin dancing where you burn some major calories. I have lost about 10 pounds and a ton of inches just doing ZUMBA. I love it and it totally does not feel like I am working out. I went and got trained and plan on teaching my own classes this summer!

I am also excited that school is coming to a close this year. My summer will be full of hanging out with this amazing kid. This will be a new kind of summer for me as a mom. We have a cruise planned and beach trips with friends and tons of swimming on the agenda. While I love my school kids, I am ready for a break and the whole summer to spend with my sweetie!

Ya'll have a good week!

teaching... it's a gift.

I teach. I am good at it. I love it. I teach first grade at a low income school in my city. I have always taught children like this. It is very hard. It is very challenging, but I love the outcome in the end and what difference I make in the life of a child each day.

Now, Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is having a Show us Your Life.This week is Teacher Gifts. She has these a lot, but this one was the first one to catch my eye. I KNOW about this topic! In my fantasy world, I would love to get gift cards to get a massage, a really good book, a dinner gift card, or a really cute snack basket I could keep at school. You know, something that has things they don't carry in the snack machine.

In my real world, I get used batteries. Half empty bottles of perfume. A school picture from kindergarten. An old necklace. A coffee cup from the dollar store.

I wouldn't trade this.

I make a huge.. read... HUGE deal when a child brings me a present. It just doesn't happen. My kid's parents don't have the money to even think about their child's teacher. I squeal, laugh, and downright almost cry when a child gets a gift and it is all wrapped or in a present bag. This past

Christmas I actually had two little girls get an outfit for my baby! I was beyond the moon.

I love my kids. I love the thought that my child put into my gift. "Man, Mrs. B likes coffee. I bet she would like this coffee filter!" My favorite thing is a sweet note that a child has really put effort into making. I get one weekly from a little girl that says "i love mrs. b. i love her husband. i love lucy clare. i love mrs. b mommy. Truly, i love them."

and this is why I teach.

So, for those of you who can afford a gift for your child's teacher, do it. I know that sometimes it would be nice to get a gift like I will give my child's teacher. (oh, to have a massage!)

The biggest gift I can ask for all teachers is prayer. We take home 18+ little peoples problems every night. I wonder what my kids eat when they get home. I wonder if anyone is even there with them. I wonder what they see in their neighborhoods. Please pray for them!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6