Friday, December 19, 2014

November Update

November was good.  It got cold a few times, which we weren't ready for.  But Harper was excited because she's been waiting for it to turn to "winter day."  It even snowed, though it wasn't enough to stick for more than a morning.  We even got the dogs some straw so they would stay warm in their dog house.  They actually love the straw and Dixie digs through it and plays around in it.  They are such crazy, funny dogs.



Harper has done great in preschool lately.  She has learned about half her alphabet sounds, about 10 sight words, and all about holidays and nursery rhymes and the community.  She loves preschool. She loves cutting, gluing, and watching youtube when she doesn't understand the concept of something.  She loves typing on my computer, which I don't let her do often, but she still always begs for.  She likes changing the color and typing her name and any other words she knows.  She is such a smart girl.  I'm always so impressed by what she knows and does.  



Her dance is going well.  The best part is that Tessa joined her class and she loves getting to see Kelly and Tessa more often.  She is always asking for her and wondering if we will get to see them and play.  Plus, she is never sad to go into the class anymore because Tessa goes with her.  She still loves to dance and now is constantly telling us that she made up new dances, which are awesome by the way.  They don't get to do tumble as much, so she might have to take a gymnastics class next year because she loves that.




I am loving our routine.  We go to the gym everyday but Wednesday and then run errands, go to dance/library, come home and clean, etc.  She doesn't always like to go to the gym, but she manages.  Most mornings, she changes clothes before she even comes out of her room, and usually into her wonder woman dress or her sofia nightgown.  So when I make her change clothes, she screams and fights me.  It's a rough 15 minutes but eventually she gets dressed.  A few times in class we have done little moves that remind me of her and I can tell she is going to love dancing and being a nut forever.  She is a great helper at the grocery store and she loves picking new books from the library.  She loves her BSF preschool class and always comes home telling me about God, Jesus, Moses, and singing songs.  She sings a "Good Morning God" song and one about "Go Down Moses."  



She still loves to dress up and I sometimes don't have to dress her at all.  She wears wonder woman, sofia, and her cowboy hat.  She borrowed the cowboy hat from the Spiegel's at the beginning of October for Halloween and won't give it back.  She loves it.  She is constantly pretending to be Sheriff Callie and loves that hat.  She is still having bathroom issues so we go naked a lot also, but she just doesn't seem to mind anymore.  She just keeps on going with life and pretends she's not.  



Harper is 3 and is dealing with all that that entails.  We have power struggles, and she doesn't understand that she can't talk to us the same way we talk to her.  She can't control us or reprimand us like we do to her, etc.  And it seems like she has a bad day every three or so days, but thankfully most of the time we have just bad moments and then get back on track.  I love her heart and her sweet spirit and how much she loves on others, especially babies.  I love her creative mind where she can play with one item for hours, pretending it's something else and making up stories with it.  She is just such a fun kid!



This season has been rough for A&M but we played Auburn when they were top 5 and we actually won.  It was a big game, a GOOD game.  When they fumbled with only 1 minute left, there was a bit of a celebration at our house.  Pillows were tossed, screaming commenced, and there was much joy.  Hopefully next year will be even better. 

Thanksgiving Play Date

We had our Thanksgiving play date at the Petty's house.  Leah and Tina were sick, but we still had a good crowd.  The kids got to make turkey hats and play all morning.  They had a great time.  The moms might have had more fun, but that's sometimes the point.  We made paninis and talked and hung out while the kids ran around.  It was a fabulous day.  







Wednesday, December 10, 2014

My 32nd Birthday...

My 32nd birthday.  At this point, it's just another day and it's nice to just spend it with family.  On my actual birthday, we didn't have much planned.  Harper and I went to the gym and then went shopping.  I just wanted to get out of the house and walk around.  Somewhere I wouldn't have to clean or work.  We ended up at IHOP for lunch because I got a free lunch on my birthday.  She loved it and asks about the pancake place now.  I had already planned to make something, so I made dinner and Cody brought home Buffy's cupcakes.  We relaxed and had a nice evening.     






The next night, Buddy and Serena took us to dinner.  We ate at Jalepeno Tree and then had dessert at their house.  It was nice to relax again and just let someone else do everything - one of the best parts of birthdays.



Then, Saturday, we went to my dad's and celebrated with the family.  The McCools came over and Taylor and Carleigh were both there for a little while after work.  Kristi made a good dinner and individual chocolate melting cakes that were so good.  The kids were all good and had a blast doing the craft Pop created for them. They got to paint birdhouses for an hour and they loved it.  Grayson is meticulous, Reese is a little spastic, and Harper is a little all over the place.  They did great though.  After dinner, they all played football with Pop and had such a good time hiking it, throwing it, catching it, and doing touchdown dances.  We stayed a little later so Harper could have a bath and we could watch the A&M game until halftime.  It was a great evening.  
























Monday, December 8, 2014

Operation Christmas Child

We had another Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party this year.  We melded groups and invited our play date group, gym group, dance group, and friends.  It was such a great day!  We let the kids play around while the moms talked and got to know each other.  Then the kids watched a short video about the OCC concept and what the shoeboxes were for.  They were so cute, saying they were so excited for each toy they bought to put in the box.  Then, they colored pictures for their boxes and filled boxes.  It was nice because most of the kids were older and were able to participate more.  They picked out their toys and their toiletries and filled their boxes.  The moms finished the boxes while the kids were off playing again.  Then we had lunch and just sat around and talked for awhile.  It was a great day and we had such a good time!  Plus, we sent 16 shoeboxes to kids in need, which is such a huge thing!








Everett Courtright, Aaron Shilling, Leah Bullard, Chase Courtright, Alex Pillow, Lucy Piazza, Alex Piazza, Kate Draper, Evelyn Pillow, Tessa Spiegel, James Petty, and Harper