PreSchool Graduation. . Hooray!!

Ansley's big day arrived. . .she "graduated" from PreK--Class of 2023!

Yesterday was Ansley's Preschool Celebration. They aren't supposed to have graduation since its a Georgia PreK program, but they did have a great little presentation and ice cream party.

The most memorable part, was playing the graduation music while each child came and shook Mrs. Dawn's hand to receive their diploma. I didn't cry at all except the night before when I took a little trip down memory lane. It just seemed liked yesterday I held her in my arms for the first time while she smacked like a baby bird. I had no idea why she was doing it. "She's hungry" everyone said. "Well what do I do with her?" I asked. "Feed her!" they said. "How?" I asked. Its funny now to think back to that very first conversation I had with my family as a new mom holding my newborn, but I was so nervous five years ago. Today. . I am just filled with JOY! My big girl will be starting kindergarten in August at Shiloh Point and I am so proud of her. She has grown, matured, and learned so much this year.

She is a kind, sweet, and thoughtful spirit. She often thinks about others feelings because she doesn't want to hurt them.
She is a comedian. Her teacher says she loves to make others laugh.
She is very bright. She is like a little sponge and picks up knowledge so easily. She loves sharing new facts with me and I have learned SO much from her.
She is strong-willed. . .not sure this is a great character trait right now, but I can see this developing into a strong sense of independence in a few years.
She is artistic. She loves to paint, color and create.
She is very emotional. I have read that being super emotional is a sign of intelligence. Lets pray this holds true and transforms into some awesome college scholarships one day!
She is loving. She loves all people and animals. Although she has never been overly affectionate(except to mommy and daddy), animals are drawn to her and she reaches out to them. Just ask Ariel. . our new bird friend. Its a neat side of her we don't often see. Let's not forget that she loves, loves, loves her sister!
She is outgoing. She loves her friends and is always ready to go play!
She is a girly-girl. Give her pink anything, jeweled and sparkled everything and you have one happy little child!
She is my angel and I love her more that she will ever know!

Here are a few pictures. I had an awful spot in the room and couldn't get many good pictures. The classroom is tiny with all those people and the camera kept focusing in on the other people's heads. ( I have since learned to use the manual setting for times like this :-)). The 7 minute video is awesome, but I have to figure out how to upload it. Once I get that done, I will post it. Its so good and you can see her entire graduation. The rest are from her ice cream celebration that followed her party.

 There she is peeking from the second row.

 Shaking Mrs. Dawn's hand and getting her diploma.

 Presenting Class of 2023!

 Best buds!

 Ansley and another of her best buddies, T.

 Another Bestie. . M.

  Thank you Mrs. Dawn adn Mrs. Wendy for everything!

Soccer Party

Ansley's 1st Soccer season is coming to a close. I know she had fun even when she didn't act like it.  This past Tuesday, was her soccer party. She was one proud gal when she got her trophy! We are so proud of her!

                                        Her team and coaches (minus a few kiddos). It was unseasonably cold and windy. Look at some of their faces, can you tell?

Her last game is on Saturday! Hopefully she will give it her all. Pictures to come!

Its Officially, Official!

I can't believe my baby will be starting kindergarten in a few months. We had a Meet and Greet at her school on Tuesday night and she was so excited to know so many kids. Mommy is the "fish out of water." But God knew that working through my kids is the most effective way to talk to me so I would listen. And, I am so glad He led me to make the decision that we made.

By the way. . . she will be Class of 2025 :-)

Happy Mother's Day!

Me and my girls (no that is not Ansley's real hair.)

My special hat.

What a great Mother's Day this year! It started off on Friday when both my girls made me a special gift at school, which I will always treasure.Kylie painted me a special box and made a card. Ansley painted a flower pot that holds a flower pen and decorated a personalized card.  Both made my afternoon,.

Yesterday, Ansley and her daddy went shopping at the mall to pick out my gift. First, she brought me home a beautiful basket of flowers in which she said, "Mommy, I am going to go put it on your table by your bed so you can seem them first thing in the morning when you wake up. "--so sweet!
This morning, the girls gave me a very pretty bracelet and a special hat. Ansley picked them both out herself and although I laughed hysterically about the hat, I love it because it came from her. (You can see part of it in the picture above.)
We also went out for a yummy lunch at Buca de Beppo. For all of you that live out of town, this is a yummy Italian restaurant that serves family size portions. I was a little nervous taking the girls since they can get a little out of hand at times, but they were amazing! The server brought them pizza dough to play with and this occupied them the whole time. I was so proud of them for being such big girls at lunch today. By the way, Chris was making me feel  bad about not wearing the hat. So I did. . . in the car to and from the restaurant.Ansley smiled and said I looked like a cowgirl.  Blossom hat, golf hat , beach hat, cowgirl hat. . .. . whatever. . .it came from her and that is all that matters.

Kylie and I on the otherhand spent time together yesterday afternoon for a while, while Daddy and Sissy went shopping. That was her portion of her Mother's Day gift to me and I couldn't have asked for anything better from her. We went and petted the puppies at a pet adoption in front of Petco. She loved giving them treats! Then we went to Brain Freeze for some frozen yogurt .She was so funny and very specific about the toppings she wanted. You can tell she has been there a time of two-haha! Her $1.95 yogurt was certainly enjoyed!  Next, off to Kohls we went to buy some new pillows for the sofa. However, I do need to mention, she is quite the shopper. She constantly browsed and threw things into the cart. She even insisted on pushing it around those narrow isles. She came to a corner and tried to turn it but ran it into the shelf and said, "Crap!" I cracked up!! It sounded more like "cwap" but it was too funny. I had never heard her say that before and it was hysterical. I love spending time with her. She is such a good, happy, little girl and always enjoys every minute we are together. Its not often she gets one-on-one time with just mommy. I need to start making it a priority to do it with her more often.

Finally, I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for my own mom. She always worked hard, loved lots, and sacrificed a lot for us growing up. Thanks mom for everything! She even made me a special Mother's Day bracelet that I will always cherish. Happy Mother's Day to you Mom! I hope you have enjoyed your day!

Here is Ansley modeling my hat and bracelet yesterday for her daddy.

Sharks!

Watch out Sharks. . here we come! Here's to a new beginning. . .its a little bittersweet, but I am super excited too.  I will be changing schools next year.  More so, Ansley will be a Shiloh Point Shark next year. Details to come! Keep checking in!