♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥: May 2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Pomp and Circumstance

There is just something about seeing a preschooler in a cap and gown that makes me smile. I mean, how cute is that?!! Her graduation ceremony was so fun to watch. The kids sang songs and they all got to walk across the stage to receive their "diplomas". While Emmy was walking across the stage, her teacher said, "Emmy's favorite thing about preschool was getting to go outside for recess". Yep, that's my girl! Emmy graduated preschool, but I've decided that since she is one of the youngest in her class, to hold her from kindergarten until she is 6. She will attend Pre-K next year. So bittersweet that this is the last preschool graduation I will attend. Sniff.

Singing, "Nothing is impossible to God" Luke 1:37

Happy Birthday to You!

Well, I'm nine days late in posting this, but I guess that's better than 10! It's so hard to believe that Jolee is already 7 years old. She is growing into such a sweet little social butterfly! We decided to let her have a sleepover for her birthday. She invited 5 friends to spend the night. I was so amazed at how well they all got along and how EASY this sleepover was! Jolee and her friends had a blast. I was lucky enough to have my mom here for the weekend, too. I love spending time with her!! Tom and Judy visited on Sunday and Monday and were able to catch one of Emmy's soccer games and one of Macey's softball games. Then, on Monday (Jolee's actual birthday), we all surprised Jolee at school during lunch time. We sat at the visitor's table and Jolee invited two of her cute, little friends to join us. I just love watching her interact with her friends. Happy birthday to my sweet lil' blue-eyed blonde!

Grandma and her grandbabies

Opening presents with her friends

My baby is 7!

Birthday morning pancakes!

Jolee and her sweet buddies at school

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Peonies...my favorite flower

When I was growing up, my grandma and grandpa lived out in the country. They had a small, white farmhouse and a separate one-car garage. I remember all along the garage, my grandma had planted peonies. Every spring they were SO beautiful! When I was still little, they decided to move to town. Once again, my grandma planted peonies, but this time they were right in front of their porch. Ever since then, whenever I saw peonies, they reminded me of my grandma. And, the smell...oh, the beautiful smell! Takes me back to my childhood every time! Well, now that I have my own house, I have peonies in my front yard AND my back yard! I love them and they are gorgeous...it's like a little piece of grandma is here with me every day in the spring. And, if we ever move, the peonies are coming with us!

Mother's Day 2011

Sunday was Mother's day, and once again, it was a great one. In the morning, Grady woke up the girls and said, "It's Mother's day!", Emmy shot out of bed and starting running downstairs. Grady said, "Well, Emmy, aren't I gonna get a 'good morning'?", and she said, "no time to talk!" and ran off to get the present she made for me! She is so funny sometimes!

So, after they all gathered their homemade presents, we gathered in bed so I could open them. I opened Macey's first. She made a sweet card for me and wrote a fun story about her and I going to watch the KU girls softball team play. Of course I cried...I can NEVER get through Mother's day without crying! I also received a portrait that she drew of me in art class. She is a pretty talented little artist! Next, was Jolee's turn. I didn't even get through the first sentence without tearing up!...I'm such a sap! She made the sweetest card for me (complete with adorable 1st grade spelling errors). Sometimes I wish she'd never learn to spell! haha! Emmy drew a nice picture of her and I, and she also made me a cute memo holder at preschool. Homemade gifts are the BEST!

Then, we all got dressed and went out for breakfast. Going out for breakfast is a real treat because this is something we never do. The girls ordered chocolate chip pancakes...oh. my. goodness....can you say, 'heaven on a plate'? We were all so stuffed we practically rolled out of the restaurant.

The rest of the day was spent watching Emmy at the soccer fields (she scored a goal, too!) and watching Macey on the volleyball court. It was a great day! Oh, and I didn't have to cook at all! Yay!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Speedy Gonzales!!

This past weekend, Grady ran in his first official 5K and Macey ran her second. It was the Run for Mercy that's held right here in western Shawnee.  This run is held by the Oceans of Mercy, a Christian organization dedicated to helping children in South Africa who have been orphaned due to AIDS.  This run and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure are my favorite 5Ks to be a part of.

Macey ran this race last year for the first time. She placed 3rd in her age group with a great time of 30:03. This year, she took a whopping 5 minutes off of her time and placed 1st in her age group with an AMAZING time of 25:02 (that's an 8:04 pace!). Overall, she placed 65th out of 888 finishers (and, 19th out of all females)!  We are so proud of our little Speedy Gonzales!! And, yes, for the record, she is faster than her mama!!!

Grady also did a great job. He had a goal of breaking 30 minutes and came in at 29:17! He placed 25th out of 71 in his age group!  I think he even surprised himself!

I'm SO proud of my runners! How does that saying go?...families that run together stay together?...or something like that!

Click HERE for more pictures of race day.

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!