Daddy/Daughter Dance 2013

My poor sweet baby was SO.EXCITED about going to the dance with daddy.  She talked about it every single day last week and especially after I bought her a pretty new dress to wear.  When she came down with a fever and cough on Thursday and then got worse on Friday, I was afraid she wasn't going to feel up to going but she was too excited to go poor baby.  She looks in the pictures as though she has makeup on but sadly it's just her rosy cheeks from having fever :(

I got her dressed and fixed her hair and took a few pictures before they left.  She lasted long enough to walk in, get her picture taken, dance a few songs, and eat some chocolate ice cream with m&ms lol.  I'm so glad they got to go but so sad that she didn't get to enjoy it as much as she would have liked.  I guess she'll have to wait til next year!

College Station Police Dept. Tour

Last Friday we went with our church playgroup to visit the police department.  I have to say again how wonderful and refreshing it is to have such accommodating law and rescue enforcement hear in Bryan-College Station.  They welcomed us with open arms and were thrilled to show us around the station.  Cooper was just as excited to see the police station as he was the fire station a few weeks prior.  Miss K was not so thrilled because she was feeling a bit under the weather (little did I know at the time that her illness would continue to get worse and we would end up in the ER Sunday morning to find out she has pneumonia.  Good news is that we are now on the up and up!).

We got to see the inside where the have discussions with people who come in and want to report something stolen, missing, etc.  We also got to see the room where everything that has been confiscated is kept i.e. guns, drugs, etc.  After looking through the inside, they took us outside where the cars, motorcycles, and a super cool robot were there to greet us.  I didn't quite catch what they use the robot for but the kids definitely thought it was cool and wanted to take a picture with it.  I'm so glad that we are able to do fun things like this with our friends because I really think those fun outings will come in handy this summer when we are all home with boring old mom!

Hopefully the first and last time I see Cooper strapping himself into the back of a police car lol :)

Kyleigh's Dance Class

I haven't posted in awhile about Kyleigh's dance class.  I cannot believe how far they have come since September.  Each one of the girls is really doing phenomenally well!  They are all such sweet girls and truly have developed friendships with each other.  Kyleigh always talks about her "dance friends".  I can't wait for the recital in a couple of weeks so that the families can see how well the girls have progressed over the past year!

They are doing a short dance to "The Butterfly Song".  It's a Christian song and it talks about how thankful we are that the Lord made each of us different and unique.  I think it might be the cutest thing ever when the girls dance and do motions to this song.  Kyleigh is over-the-moon excited because she gets to wear makeup and a beautiful costume with a frilly pink tutu!  Pink is obviously her favorite color, you know.  I can't believe my sweet girl is so grown-up and having her first dance recital!

Kolby, Olivia, Mallory, K, & Mia

Fears of a Mother

This past weekend I helped with a women's conference at our church entitled "From Fear to Faith".  We had Tonya Riggle as our main speaker, Sarah Darby as our worship leader, and various breakout sessions.  I have to be honest and say I was not very excited about attending this to begin with and I fought it all the way to Saturday morning before leaving to actually go to the conference.  It was on a Saturday and I had to get up early to be there and help......let's face it.  I'm not a morning person and ESPECIALLY on Saturdays!  BUT, on the way I prayed and just asked God to reveal to me his purpose in me being there because I am a firm believer that we aren't placed in certain places and situations by accident.  He has a purpose for everything in our lives.

I was SO incredibly blessed by this conference and at the same time very convicted.  I chose the breakout session that was done by Peggy Osborne, the wife of our senior pastor Chris.  Her session was titled, "911: Whom do you call when fear visits your child?"  When I think of fear, as it pertains to a child, I usually think of things like monsters under the bed, the dark, and various animals.  I thought it very interesting when she began mentioning things like separation.  Every time I go somewhere with Cooper, the minute he gets out of the car, he grabs my hand.  I naturally shrug it off and sometimes wish he wouldn't because I am usually in the process of getting other things out of the car and/or getting Kyleigh out.  When I let go of his hand as we are walking into school to open the door sometimes he melts down.  It's always bothered me and I would usually get frustrated and tell him to straighten up.  What I realized after this conference is that he is showing his own personal fear of separation.  I have to say that taking him places now I will feel very differently when he reaches over to grab my hand......partly because of his fear and also because I will probably cry the day he lets go and wants to do things on his own lol.

A fear that I feel like I constantly struggle with is Cooper's schooling.  I fear that he will struggle and no one will take the time to help guide him through whatever he's doing.  I have had this fear since way before he was in school because I've always had I guess what they call "mother's intuition".  I have always known that he was a little slower than most kids his age but got a huge wake up call when I visited the school he now attends.  I visited the 4 year old class and couldn't believe the things they were doing in there.  I immediately felt like I was going to have a breakdown until I realized that he would be able to start school in the 3's class.  Now that the school year is almost over I'm SO glad that I did.  He has done amazingly well in this class and I have truly felt a peace not just because he has a ROCKSTAR of a teacher in Ms. Amy but also because he's getting the attention he desperately needs from someone who knows what they are doing in education, unlike me.

This really seems like I keep rambling on but I wanted to get these thoughts down so that someday I will look back and realize this was all so trivial in the grand scheme of things.  Thank you for anyone who took the time to read this!  

Maroon & White Game 2013

It's Aggie Football Time, Jack!  Not really, but I wish it was.  This past Saturday was Parents Weekend (ugh) and the annual Maroon & White Game.  It's the first chance for fans to see the old favorites and the new recruits for the upcoming football season.  We have never been before but I thought this would be a fun family outing and a cheap way to see whether or not Cooper is interested in possibly going to a real game this fall.

We had a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the first half of the game with our friends, Chad, Kelly, and their kids, Cooper and Hadley.  Cooper had so much fun with his BFF Cooper Chambers.  I love too that their other BFF's Will and Weston call them "The Coopers".  I can't wait to watch these boys grow up and form lifelong friendships.  Pause for a tear.....ok.  I think Cooper might finally be ready for his very first Aggie Football game this coming fall and I long for the day that BOTH kids are old enough to enjoy the excitement and we can indulge in season tickets.

Fire Station 6 Tour

Last year, College Station built a new fire station on University Drive that is really spectacular.  Every time we drive by I'm in awe because it's a huge building and has a lot of architectural interest.  Last Friday, we got to tour that building with the playgroup at church.  It is just as beautiful on the inside as the out.  We got to see the two-story atrium, modeled after an old fire house, the kitchen, tv room, dorm rooms, and garage that houses all the trucks, vehicles, and equipment.  They even have 2 fire poles!!  Cooper was in hog heaven and he had such a great time meeting his heroes.  Kyleigh too had a great time and I was super impressed with our local firemen.  They are the nicest group of guys and could not have been more hospitable to a bunch of rowdy youngsters.  I'm sure we will be visiting them again in the not so distant future!

Easter 2013

The weekend before Easter, we had a cookout and Easter egg hunt with a bunch of our friends from church.  I had planned on taking lots of pics but that got cut short when Kyleigh fell in the backyard and busted her lip and had a bloody nose.  I spent the majority of the evening playing nursemaid to my sweet girl who just wanted to sit with Mommy.  Thankfully, she recovered enough to hunt eggs and play on the giant playscape.  I'm so glad we did this and I hope we make it an annual event!

The weekend of Easter we traveled to Pleasanton to spend the weekend with family.  We had a great time but the weekend didn't quite turn out like I expected when Kyleigh woke up on Saturday morning with 101.5 temperature.  I took her in to urgent care and they told me it was just a bad cold.  She again recovered enough to hunt eggs at Aunt Amy and Uncle Clifton's house.  We had such a great time and I really missed being with everyone and it reminded me what it was like when we still lived in Ptown.  I can't wait to get together with them again!   I feel like this was just a rough couple of weeks for my girl but she has now fully recovered and is once again causing my hair to prematurely turn grey...just kidding :)

Waco Zoo & Children's Museum

During Cooper's spring break from school, some of my friends and I took our kids to the Waco Zoo and Children's Museum.  It was a FULL day to say the least but we had such a good time!  We spent the morning at the zoo and then had lunch at Ninfa's.  After lunch, we headed over to the Children's Museum.  I can't wait to go back soon but maybe next time we will split it into two different days!