Catherine Ballerina

On Tuesday, I got to observe Catherine's dance class to see everything she's been learning this fall. She is improving her dance skills greatly. I especially enjoy hearing her say the technical French ballet terms and that she knows what they all mean. She really enjoys dance and was excited for me to watch.

The other person who was excited to watch was Anna. Yes, that is Anna in the middle of dance class. I could not keep the kid sitting down with me. She would just scream, which I eventually decided was more disruptive than her just standing up there with the big girls. Thankfully Catherine's dance teacher didn't mind. I hope it didn't bother the other parents too much. I definitely felt like "that mom" who couldn't control her child! I guess Anna really wants to take dance too. She thinks she's a big girl like Catherine.

A real daddy

Will likes to dress like "a real daddy". For him that means a button up shirt, sweater or sweater vest, and a tie. Sometimes it's so mis-matched that he can almost pull it off. Here's what he wanted to wear yesterday for me to take pictures for our Christmas cards.

His Majesty

"Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty....How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all...May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works."

(Psalm 104: 1, 24, 31)

BedHead

Anna woke up with some serious bedhead the other day!

13.1

Last Saturday I ran the Spinx 1/2 marathon here in Greenville. Jay and I both trained for the 1/2, but then we decided I would run it and he would bring the kids to watch. (He mapped out and ran his own 1/2 early one morning a week or so beforehand.) This is my 3rd half marathon and I really do enjoy them. It's a challenging distance, but not so crazy far that I'm injuring myself or anything. The most difficult part is having the time for training. We've pretty much given up every Saturday morning for the past few months for us to take turns doing long runs and my kids are a little tired of going to the gym.

The most challenging part during the race is usually more mental than physical. I don't run with music or anything. It gives me time to think and pray. I thank God for my legs, for my lungs, that I physically can run. The morning of the race, I was very thankful for the beautiful weather since it had been raining up until 6am that day. I pray for Jay and our kids. If I start feeling really tired or discouraged, I tell myself that if one of my children was at the end of this race and needed me, I know I could run there. I tell myself that this lasts a lot less and hurts a lot less than labor. I repeat phrases to myself, like "just keep running." or "I am strong. i am healthy." This may all sound crazy....but my point is that you just have to get your head in the game. So I'm glad I ran this half. My goal is always 2 hours or less; this time I finished in 1 hr 59 mins! And it sure was great to see Jay and the kids at the very end!!

All Dressed Up

The dress up fun started for us about a week before Halloween. Chick-fil-A had a Pirates and Princess night for the kids to receive free kids meals. (You know I like a good deal.) So we took our two beautiful princesses and our handsome policeman (he didn't want to be a pirate) out for a fun night. Then Catherine has a dress up birthday party and Catherine and Will both had Halloween parties at school and wore their costumes there.

On Halloween, we joined some of our friends for our annual Halloween fun in their neighborhood. They all live in the same neighborhood and are kind enough to let us join them. We ate pizza before trick or treating and then headed down the street with a mob of about 16 kids. It was crazy fun!
Anna still likes to make her "smile."
We felt really safe having Will with us.
Quite the collection: a bride, a policeman, and a chicken! Maybe one year we'll coordinate these things.
Anna and her birthday buddy Harper were both chickens! Laura and I didn't even plan it.
People really like to decorate for Halloween.
I don't think we even lost anyone!
Anna really liked getting candy. And she liked the noise her pumpkin made with the candy in it when she put it on the street.
Beautiful (and cold) bride. Catherine told me after Halloween that her dress was so fluffy that at school she had to stand up at her desk!
We had a great time with the kids. I never liked Halloween when I was a kid, but I really enjoy having fun with our little ones.

he loves her

Will loves little Anna so much. He takes his job as big brother so seriously. With Catherine being at school every day, he really enjoys playing with Anna. I think he adores her. Just look at this sweet pic of them!

As soon as he hears her wake up in the morning or from a nap, he asks if he can go up to see her. Before I can get up there, he's in the crib with her, giving her toys. He likes to help her put her shoes on, brush her teeth, and pick out her clothes. And if we're in public somewhere and the sweet child is not staying close enough to me, Will just picks her up and totes her back over to me (while she's screaming). They're really sweet together. I'm so thankful Anna has a big brother.

Our new photographer

Will had a private photo session with Anna the other day. Too Cute!