KB was the kiddo with two classes this year.  She has a class of 8 in Mother’s Morning Out and then a class of 10 in preschool.  I used a Pinterest idea (link on Pinterest page) and did what I do best: tweaked it.  We had a gazillion DumDum Pops for some reason and so, instead of purchasing M&Ms for little bags to attach to shovels, we just used a bouquet of lollipops.  The shovels went to one class, the pails went to the other.

KB designed the card for the pails and even signed them.  Good times.

Bubba has been on a bit of Star Wars kick since every little boy in his class talks about it incessantly.  When it came time to make his valentines, I had to think of how to combine Star Wars and the pencil sharpeners I made the inlaws help me get during school supply sales last summer.  With more inspiration from Pinterest and kisses from Christmas clearance, here’s what I came up with:

And then there was Little.  There are only 7 kiddos in her class but 18 in the school and they party together like a family, so she needed 18 valentines.  Simple and Sweet.

Teachers got a picture in a frame.  I created the photo and the frames were from the Dollar Stop (mini Dollar Tree).

So the tally goes like this:

3 kids

4 classrooms

7 teachers

61 valentines

And I know that Valentines Day is over but as the world turns so are the holidays of our lives; meaning it will be back in 360 days.  So I have uploaded the print for your own enjoyment.  Go HERE to download the 8×10 and HERE for a 5×7.  (Don’t you feel loved!)

I have told you about numbers for the Tim Hawkins fund raiser but I thought I would take it a step further. From the picture above you can see he is just a down to earth guy from St. Louis, MO. What you can’t tell is how absolutely hilarious he is. I can honestly say I have never laughed that hard at a comedian before.

From the picture below you can see how adorable the student body of Promise is. Scroll on down and you can hear those kiddos sing.

The song they sing is “I Am A Promise” by the Gaithers. We grew up singing this song in Locust, NC and it took on an entirely new level of meaning when God gave Little to us. Imagine how special it was to watch our little girl singing, ” I am a promise. I am a possibility. I am a promise with a capital P. I am a great big bundle of potentiality. And I am learning to hear God’s voice and I am trying to make the right choices I am a promise to be anything He wants me to be.”

Dear Jesus, Thank you that you made Little on purpose and for a purpose. Thank you that you are committed to growing her to her full potential and using her for Your glory. We trust that her heart will be sensitive to your voice and that she would make the choice to follow you. Amen.

If you have the time. . . a taste of the humor. . .

It has been fun to order pizza, snuggle down under blankets, and to watch some family films together.  So far we have watched The Sword in the Stone, 1/2 of Alice in Wonderland, The Flo Show Creates a Buzz, and Nemo.

My favorite so far was Nemo.  I put some thought into it and made it a bit more fun.  We had special theme snacks: seaweed, goldfish (colors and s’mores), swedish fish, and turtles (dude).  It was super fun and watching my son giggle about it all was priceless.

It’s one little night a week but I have started really looking forward to it.  I think this week we are going to play games.  Anybody have a favorite?

The plans for the evening included a free meal if you dressed up like a princess,

an “up-do” at the neighboring JCPenney’s salon,

and a free 8×10 from the JCPenney Portrait Studio.  (The line was 1 hour+ so our princess didn’t get the glamour shot.)

What a fun idea and what a great time Honey had with our little one.  I am so very thankful for the folks that invented the chicken sandwich and the values that drive their promotions.  Such good values . . .

And here’s the new marketing gal who was responsible for this event. . . straight to us from a storybook.

KB told me, “I got to meet a REAL princess too!”
I corrected her, “You got to meet ANOTHER real princess, sweetie.”

There’s a discount if you register with a friend – it’s like a class with a buddy system.  So, grab a buddy and come have breakfast with me and my friend Julie!

“Organizing the Kitchen”
Creating Order in the Heart of Your Home

March 24, 2012, 9:00am-10:30am   

So the academic equation would be: kindergartners-singing+choreography=cuteness

“You went to school to learn girl
things you never knew before
like I before E except after C and why 2 plus 2 makes 4
now, now, now
Im gonna teach you, teach you, teach you all about love girl, all about love
sit yourself down, take a seat
all you gotta do is repeat after me

A B C , Its easy as
1 2 3 , as simple as
do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
baby you and me girl

Reading, writing, arithmatic
are the branches of the learning tree
but without the roots of love everyday girl your education aint complete
teachers gonna show you (shes gonna show you)
how to get an A? (na,na,na,na,na,na)
spell me, you, add the two
listen to me baby thats all you got to do

Oh, A B C , Its easy as 1 2 3,                       as simple as do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3        baby you and me girl”

KB and N (the boy on her left) were born one day apart.

It’s good to have peeps with whom to walk through it all.

AND with whom you can better tolerate mom’s with cameras.

Until a week ago we had been experiencing a super mild winter.
Bubba said, “Momma, is this winter going to have ALL the seasons in it?”

Honey channels his inner Jobs

Christmas Day was on a Sunday and that added certain logistical opportunities that we had not yet been privileged to maneuver as parents.  I have to say that I LOVED going to worship on Christmas Day and how it really made the celebration focused on our Savior’s birth; the greatest gift ever given.  I think I would vote, if there ever was a worldwide Christian vote, to meet with one’s church family for worship EVERY Christmas.  I guess we could always purpose as a family to go somewhere for a service ourselves.  Hmmm.  It’s worth thinking about.

Our kids slept past 6:00AM for the first time in . . . years . . . and we even had to WAKE UP KB!!!! We all trooped upstairs and climbed up on the bed to read God’s Word.  Honey read from the ESV and then Bubba read from the Early Readers Bible.  (He even asked us the “were you listening” questions at the end.  When KB got an answer wrong, Bubba replied, “That’s almost right, KB.  Anybody want to try and help her?” HA!) After singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Joy to the World, we headed downstairs where I put breakfast in the oven and then WALKED OUT THE BACK DOOR AND AROUND THE HOUSE to get into the living room and ready for pictures.  (We cover the door with wrapping paper each year to keep children out of the living room until we are ready for them.)Each child had two or three “Santa” gifts to greet them as they burst into the room and they opened their stockings.  We then ate and got ready for church.

Christmas 2011 was spent in St. Louis without any extended family.  We have family in three different time zones, all are believers who would be worshiping with their church families, and each church had service at a different time of morning.  We had pretty much NO interaction with extended family on Christmas day.  My parents and I Skyped for a few minutes and then my sister tried to patch in, but that made everything freeze up and then I was needed back downstairs, and that was that.  Honey’s parents both had food poisoning, or something, and Jeriald could barely talk to Honey before having to go back and lay down.

marshmallow shooters were a BIG hit!

It was hard to have them miss the squealing and excitement over their generosity.  My mom didn’t get to see Little’s ecstatic response to the LeapPad they gave her and the complete tunnel vision that followed.  Jeriald and Linda didn’t get to see how KB tried to ride her scooter around the house from the minute she saw it – even from present to present before the floor started getting too crowded.  And I was sad that my brother didn’t get to see Bubba open the pop-up Star Wars book that he picked out for Brooke to give Bubs.  Anna would have loved to see KB with her pink guitar and the jam session that followed.

(surgery eyes)

a wannabe American Doll

"A pig just like Fern's"

It’s weird that I haven’t written how much my Honey loves the ottoman he received or about the way God provided a Groupon and well-timed online sale to make the ottoman affordable.   Then there is my waffle maker – JUST like one you would find in a hotel! It makes the greatest Belgian Waffles and was just what I wanted.  It takes just long enough to cook that I can read three pages on my new Kindle for every waffle! Sigh.

We enjoyed each other so much and the slow pace of the day.  The only dip in the proverbial road was when Bubba stepped on an ornament Little had given me for as a gift.  It was one of those glass ornaments that had been “filled” with paint and then swirled around to create a beautiful mix of colors.  Well, Bubba stepped on it, crushed it and covered his foot and the carpet with that mix of colors + red (blood).  Honey took Bubba and cared for him and I took the carpet and cared for it.

And then the day was over.  And then Honey had to leave town and Little had two days of Winter camp.  And Bubba had to have follow up on his eye.  And And And. . . it was unlike any other Christmas I have ever had – good and bad.

Hope yours was just as memorable.  Can you even remember one thing now in February? Leave a comment and tell me something particular to this past Christmas.

“All,

Both shows have SOLD OUT!!!
Please praise God with me!
–
MWH
Promise Christian Academy – Administrator”

So, the Tim Hawkins fundraiser this weekend is sold out! Thank you for praying.  Thanks for buying tickets.  Thanks for telling your friends.  Little is so grateful too.