Ainsley is the funniest...

So, Ainsley has been quite the funny girl recently.  She always has a little twinkle in her eye, but recently she has had me laughing more than usual.  A little sampling from today...

Me - Ainsley, are you excited about school this morning?
Ainsley's response - No, I'm afraid I might have to learn something.

Tonight, after we were reading bedtime stories, we talked about her day at school.  She was recapping the day and telling me who had been good or bad.  One little boy in her class has quite the reputation for some unkind behavior, and she was telling me about an incident today...

Ainsley - "G" snatched from some of us today.  That was unkind...
Me - Yes, it was.  Would you ever snatch from a friend like that?
Ainsley - No, I would never snatch at school like that.  I would only snatch at home!

True, true!  :)  I'm so loving watching her little personality blossom - what a gift!

Princess Madeline

Spotted my sweet Madeline reading on the sofa this morning, with a princess crown on, of course!  Thanks, Aunt Dawn!

First day of preschool!

Little Miss Ainsley also started preschool last week!  She will be going 3 mornings a week and loves having a "big girl" backpack and "big girl" teachers.  :)  Praying for a fun year for her!

Silly

Serious

With Kade, her sweet neighbor and best bud! 

First day of kindergarten!

So, the first day of school has officially arrived!  Over the past year, we have been praying about our school decisions for Clara, and although I am still unsure about next year, I am thrilled that we decided to keep her at Wesley this year.  She has 2 great teachers, loved her first week, and is still home in the afternoons and Fridays - yay!

She was extremely excited to get to school, although she did tell me as I dropped her off, "You know that I would rather be at home with you, don't you, mommy?"  Sweet girl...

Riding a bike!

So, be still my heart...time is going too quickly!  First day of school and training wheels off all in one week.  How much can this mommy's heart take?  :)  Clara is so excited to be riding her big girl bike!

Ballet Camp

Last week was ballet camp for the big girls.  Clara and Ainsley were so excited about Summer ballet, and the week did not disappoint.  Fairies, princesses, crafts, music, dancing, tutus, and sweet friends - could it be more fun?  Ainsley was especially excited as this was her first ballet experience, after watching Clara for the past 2 years.  She had a ball, and is really looking forward to starting classes in the fall.

Ainsley making sure the feet are correct

Perfect! :)

Point and flex

1st position

1st position

With sweet friends

Circles

My precious Ainsley came up to me and sweetly cupped my face in her little hands.  She then proceeded to point to the circles under my eyes and softly say, "Mommy, when I grow up to be a mommy, will I have those?"

Yes, my sweet one, you surely will, and it is worth it a million times over!  :)

Sweet Day

 
Ed had to round this morning at the hospital, so the girls and I had a special "treatsy date" at Dunkin' Donuts.  The girls were thrilled to take an unexpected trip, especially because they are used to Daddy being home on weekend mornings, and they missed him.  So, off to the donut shop we went.  On the way there, the girls talked about what flavor they wanted....strawberry, cherry, chocolate, sugar.  Imagine their elation when they saw a pink heart donut with sprinkles - obvious choice!  Madeline enjoyed some yogurt melts and the new sights.  Fun morning!

Funny girls!

Ouch!

Ainsley tripped this morning on the way to school (actually about 10 feet from the preschool door) and smacked her head on the sidewalk.  I knew at the sound of it, she had a huge bruise coming her way and, boy, does she - a huge goose egg on the left side of her forehead.  A very kind stranger and a friend's husband helped me herd the girls aside, and I went to work on Ainsley with an ice pack, band-aid (placed to the side of her bruise - but it always helps!), and lots of kisses.

Clara was very concerned about her sister's injury, but as she assessed the situation further, she noticed something else important: "Oh, no!  Ainsley tore her tights!"  Girls....:)

So, Ainsley is home with me this morning, instead of at school, just so I can keep an eye on her.  Praying for a quick recovery!

Stump and Tell

Thursday is "Show and Tell" day at Preschool.  Each Monday, a letter of the week is introduced, and on Thursdays, the kids bring an item that starts with the letter of the week.  At the beginning of the school year, Clara was choosing simple items, but as the year has progressed, she likes to think of something that the kids will not guess - something Ed and I affectionately call "Stump and Tell".  :)  

Well, last week, the letter of the week was "N" and in true Clara form, she did not disappoint.  She quickly (on Monday afternoon) decided she wanted to bring a nudibranch to school - to which her dad said, "a what?"!  She has a book on her VReader about ocean animals, and the nudibranch is one of her favorite animals in that book. So...after hunting for the perfect nudibranch on Google images, we found a good example and printed it for her to take to school.  She proudly walked in with that picture on Thursday and was excited about showing the students.  (I did give the teachers a little "heads up" with the nudibranch - not to insult their intelligence, but I was a biology major and didn't know what it was until 3 months ago!)  

Interestingly enough, the funniest part of this story is that one of her friends, Brett, knew what it was and guessed it!  Ha!  Shows how smart these Pre-K students are...keeping me on my toes! 

Career Day

Last week, Clara had "Career Day" at preschool.  They were discussing community helpers at school, and each child was to pick a profession and bring a few items to help them describe what that worker did.  I immediately remembered several years ago (around age 2) that when you asked Clara what she wanted to be, she would say a doctor and a gaga mahmah (scary monster).  :)  Well, times have changed here.  She decided she wanted to be an artist!  She took a paintbrush with her and a canvas she had drawn.  When I asked her why she wanted to be an artist, she told me, "When I grow up, I want to make beautiful things - just like my Aunt Dawn"!   She had a great time at school that day, and even wore a dress that her Aunt Dawn has made for her.  Here's to a budding artist!

You've got mail!

I love getting mail.  There is something about checking the mailbox and finding a card or note from someone special.  I have always loved writing (even though I am not always great at keeping up on here), and it is something that I hope to instill in the girls.  Clara is already becoming quite the letter writer - she leaves special messages in the mailbox of our neighbor, Emma, at least twice a week now.  I love Emma's excitement over receiving fun cards, and I especially love Clara's joy in working on something special for a friend.

Over the Christmas season, my dreams of mail really come true.  I love opening up festive envelopes and seeing pictures or reading notes of what friends and family are up to, especially ones far away and mostly out of touch.  It is difficult once Christmas is over to part with these sweet notes and pictures - I don't want to throw them away!  But, clutter runs rampant in my house, even without extra mail, so what to do?

This year, in answer to my dilemma, we have decided to do something a little more intentional with our cards.  Each of the cards we received was tossed into a bowl on our kitchen table.  Several times a week, we pull the top card out, talk to the girls about this family (how we know them, where they live, where we met, etc) and then pray for that family.  It so far has been a fun way to introduce the girls to families that they don't well (or at all) and to be more faithful in praying for our friends.  It also makes the parting of the picture/note a little easier!  I think this will be a fun tradition for our family, and also a way to prompt me to love others throughout the year with notes of encouragement.

Along those lines, I recently had a chance to review some cards through Dayspring's blog (in)courage.  I am always on the hunt for a fun card, and this collection of cards did not disappoint.

I love the fun colors and fonts, and each one has a sweet nugget of scripture tucked inside - love! I'm really looking forward to sending these out over the next few weeks.  Thanks, Dayspring!

Thankfulness

Sweet Clara has finally finished up her thank you notes from Christmas.  She received so many sweet gifts from friends and family and has diligently been writing her notes every night.  Once she got into the groove, it became easier for her; she memorized how to write the greeting and quickly remembered to state what the gift was and how much she enjoyed it.  My favorite part was that each note had a "personalized" drawing on the back of things that she knew the giver liked...horses, flowers, castles, rainbows, cars, etc.  As she finished her final note (and I crossed it off of my to-do list), she asked for the next one.  I told her that she was done for now - whew!  No more notes!  She then said she had one more to write and that she didn't need any help at all.  A little while later, she returned with this...

A thank you note to God - written all by herself!  She drew a picture on the back; she was standing with Jesus in a flower garden, under a rainbow (so girly!).  She asked me to give it to God when she went to him in heaven.  It is displayed on our fridge now - as a reminder to be thankful.

This was one of those moments - a reminder of the sweetness of parenting little ones and even more, a reminder of the Lord's hand and faithfulness in the life of our family.

Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  Psalm 107:8

A New Year

I am not big on resolutions.  It's not that I don't believe in them, or have things that I want changed in my life.  It's just that I have never really bought into the New Year's Resolution bit.  This year, as we have done with the oldest girls, Madeline gave up her pacifier for New Year's.  It has become a small tradition with the kids, and also an easy way to say goodbye to the pacifier before they are able to name it!

As I have been thinking about changes for my own life with the new year...exercising more, more consistent prayer, deeper investment in relationships with friends...I have come back to one common theme.  Change and newness are not natural to me.  It is not my natural desire to change, well, anything.  I tend to like things how they are, if for no other reason, it is comfortable.

As I have chewed on this for a week or so, I have been reminded through God's word that it is the Lord who changes and creates - not me!  He is the one who makes all things new (Rev 21:5) and who causes us to be born again to a living hope (1 Pet 1:3).  It's not natural for me to change because it's not supposed to be.  This new year is a reminder to me of my inability and his ability, of my lack and his sufficiency.  I have put off the old self and put on the new self (Eph 4:22-24) - not because I have changed anything, but because he has changed and is changing me!

Blessed be the God and Father of out Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  1 Peter 1:1-3

Happy New Year!

Christmas Sweetness