Blessed!

What a wonderful weekend! It started with an exciting professional day where I was surprised and honored to receive the Saint John Bosco Award for the Total Christian Formation of Students. I feel blessed to spend my days in a wonderful place, with wonderful students, doing a job that I love! I also presented a workshop at the professional day on using a blog in the classroom as a hub for learning. It was well received with about twenty-five attendees. Then, the icing on the cake, a relaxing weekend with my family! We went to our fall happy place: Mountain View, Arkansas. We stayed in the same cabin last year and had so much fun, we decided to go again! The rainy weather didn't dampen our weekend. We enjoyed playing games and getting outside when there was a break in the rain. We even had a visitor! "Goat" came to see the girls often!

School Begins 2014

Here are pictures of my sweet girls as they begin the 2014-15 school year.  My beautiful Buttercup is a junior this year and we are beginning the college tours!  My saucy Snapdragon is starting second grade and will be making her First Reconciliation and First Communion.  Where does the time go!

Time for an Update

Wow, it is amazing how busy life gets. I really have been wanting to update the blog because it is now my primary means of scrapbooking. I am sitting right next to my craft table in our newly dubbed space the "croffice" because we use it as the office and my craft space, but I can just never find the time sit and do the scrapbooking like I used to do. Of course, if you ask Snapdragon what the room is, she will call it the Off Ice. Yes, that is ice with the long i sound, because she says it is a compound word and we all pronounce it incorrectly. Got to love that 1st grade phonics instruction!

It is hard to believe that Buttercup is wrapping up her sophomore year of high school at Saint Agnes. She has joined the French Club this year and is playing lacrosse. She is now driving, and can't wait to inherit the yellow Ford Escape that she picked out for Lou when she was in Kindergarten when Lou eventually purchase a new vehicle in August. Snapdragon is enjoying 1st grade all of the activities that she is involved in. She is taking dance with me at Holy Rosary, she is a member of the Holy Rosary Chess Club, and takes Karate with her favorite teacher, Ms. E, on Wednesdays at Holy Rosary. She is enrolled in Saturday morning gymnastics and Sunday afternoon Chinese school. In her spare time, she is an avid Lego enthusiast.

We just had a wonderful Spring Break in Cincinnati. We visited with family and longtime friends from California. Of course, we found some time to squeeze in some shopping in Nashville and Bowling Green on our drive to and from Cincinnati. Buttercup has some nice updates to her spring and summer wardrobe. When we returned to Memphis, I even found the time to clean out my closet (much needed) and finish a book I started over Christmas Break (The House Girl- which I highly recommend for historical fiction enthusiasts like myself). The photos tell the story of our many adventures since Christmas. Enjoy!

Buttercup had a surprise Sweet 16 party at Embassy Suites!

 

Snapdragon had her first sleepover birthday party for her 7th birthday!

 

Buttercup and I served as DJs for the Girl Scout Father-Daughter Dance! No, I am not sleeping!

 

Celebrating Grandma's birthday in Cincinnati over Spring Break!

 

Snapdragon had a special birthday celebration with Grandma over Spring Break at the American Girl Store in Columbus!

 

We caught up with some of our California besties, Nancy and Annie, who moved to Columbus right before we moved to Memphis.

 

All of the cousins/grandchildren with Grandma on her birthday.

Snapdragon attended her first Girl Scout cookie rally with friends and sold Girl Scout cookies for the first time.

 

Our new driver taking me to the movies.

 

Receiving a wonderful treat from Buttercup over Spring Break!

 

Cousin time at the circus!

 

Eating at the Aquarium restaurant in Nashville.  The coconut crusted tilapia was yummy!

 

Zoo time with the family!

Snapdragon earning her yellow belt in Karate!

Snapdragon reading at Mass

Enjoying our season tickets to the Orpheum!  Wicked was fabulous!

Gymnastics time!

Let the lacrosse season begin!

 

Twas' Two Days Before Christmas...

Twas' two days before Christmas and finally I had a day home at the house (minus the trip to mail off the dance costume order)! The girls and I decided to partake in our annual cookie baking today. While they are decorating, I thought I should take a minute to catch up on the blog. Then it is off to clean up the kitchen and snuggle on the couch to watch A Christmas Story together. The pictures below are random shots of the house at Christmas, our little Scout Elf Glimmer, our trip to Alpine Village, and the girls making cookies, and our "Sister Day" celebration. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!