She's 5!!

Sadly, I have to report that my baby girl is now a whole hand(as she puts it).  Where has time gone?  I can't believe that she will be going to school in August.  She had her 5 year old checkup and here are the stats: 43 lbs and 43 in.  She has come a long way from 4 lbs and 18 in.

We celebrate birthday week in our house, and she had a great week.  We celebrated with family and a few of her favorite girls. The birthday party had a princess theme at Gattitown(the best birthday party yet).  We celebrated her actual day of birth with mommy/daughter lunch and shopping.  Then we had a cookout with daddy, grandma, papa, aunt K, and of course CPW.  She tells everyone we meet that she is now 5.  We will wrap up the celebrations in a week when we visit the Happiest Place on Earth(aka Disney World).

Pumpkin Carving

Sorry that it has been forever since I've posted something. Things have been a little wild around here.

On Sunday, we decided to do something fun with our little lady. We had a long and busy weekend, so we needed some downtime. OKW has been asking to carve a pumpkin because Special Agent OSO showed her how. We went to Publix and picked the biggest pumpkin we could find. OKW and I were amateurs at pumpkin carving, but CTW was a pro. I don't think I have even seen the inside of a pumpkin. I know I am so deprived. We all took turns scooping the insides. CTW and I carved the face(Ok, so I only did one eye). We put a candle in it and lit it. OKW loves lighting it every night and has showed it to everyone who has come by(even the UPS guy). It was a fun activity and may become a tradition. We may get a little fancier next year.

First Trip to Carowinds

CTW's boss decided to reward all of its employees by taking them and their families to Carowinds for the day. So we loaded up and headed to the Charlotte. OKW had her first experience riding rides by herself and was tall enough to ride her very first rollercoaster. She still hasn't decided if she liked the rollercoaster or not, but she loved the other rides. The park wasn't very crowded, so CTW and I got a chance to ride a few rides too. OKW was such a good girl and really enjoyed every minute of her day. It was a great day for us to spend as a family. Thanks to Bucky's for a great day!!!

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Our Rainbow Ballerina

In September, OK started taking a dance at Re's Studio of Dance. Yesterday, we went to her dance recital. She has been so excited about dancing on stage. She loves to dance and her favorite show for a while was Dancing with the Stars(we aren't watching this season). She performed three dance routines--one tap, one ballet, and one jazz. She really impressed us with how she remembered all the steps. Her teacher was standing on the side behind the curtains and she only looked a couple times. Enjoy a snapshot of the fun!!

OK's 4th Birthday

4 years ago, my baby was born. After a very scary 3 weeks, the doctors decided to go ahead and deliver our tiny, but very strong little girl. My April baby was born on Feb. 27, 2007. Where have the past 4 years gone? I can't believe how much she has grown.

She is definitely a lot like her mom, but looks like her daddy. She has such an amazing soul. She loves to dance and sing. Her favorite toys are her princess dolls. Everything is amazing to her and I love to she her eyes light up when she is telling us a story. There is definitely some sort of drama in everything she does. She still sleeps with her teddy and blanket. She learns something new every minute. She can recognize about 20 of the 26 letters of the alphabet and has recently learned her right from her left. She has an amazing vocabulary and she has learned how to draw stick figures. Her favorite non playing thing to do is hidden picture puzzles. She is so good at them. She loves her friends and talks about them all the time. Playgroup may be her favorite days. CPW remains her best friend(since they are as close as sisters).

We celebrated today by spending the day as a family. We went to church in the AM and then had lunch at her favorite place(Moe's). We came home and took a nap. When everyone was refreshed we went to Toys R Us to get her crown, balloon, and spend her $3 prize from their birthday club. Then we went to the park and ran around. We ate supper at the Olive Garden(thanks to Granna and Pappy for the gift card). We finished the night with her free cone from Brusters. It was an amazing day.

OK--Mommy loves you so much. I still can't believe the miracle that you are. God gave me a miracle the day you came into my life. After a scary month or so he gave your daddy and I the most amazing treasure. You are amazing and I am so honored to be your mom. My prayer is that God gives me the guidance to raise you into an amazing woman of God. I hope that you will set your goals high and continue to raise them everytime you reach one. You have an amazing heart and soul. Continue to love life and enjoy it's amazement. God gives us each day, make the most of it. Continue to grow my sweet girl and you will always be my little pumpkin.

Birthday Party

We had a party at CTW's restaurant to celebrate OK turning 4. All she asked for during the planning was to have a Rapunzel party and there had to be a Pinata. A friend loaned us his bounce house. We played pin the tail on the donkey and ate hot dogs. I think everyone had a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone that helped out and joined us to celebrate. Here are a few pictures.

White Christmas

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Christmas 2010

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Gingerbread House

I have never made a Gingerbread House, so we bought one while we were out doing last minute Christmas shopping. OK was estatic about decorating it. CTW and I put it together ahead of time and allowed it to dry per the instructions. Then we set up the decorations. OKW had a blast putting candies on it. The only problem is she wanted them all on the roof. Too much candy on the roof caused it to cave-in, so I don't have a picture of the finished product. We had a great time decorating and singing Christmas carols.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! CTW is at work and will be for a while tonight, since Bucky's smokes at least 600 turkeys during Thanksgiving week, and I am sitting on the couch going over all the things I am thanksful for. The last several months have been tough for me with some major changes going on around me, so it is nice to look at the things I am thankful for.

1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--Thanks for providing for my family. When we think we aren't going to make it through, you always remind us of your provision and presence. You show up through all of the below. Your word encourages, teaches, and leads us. You show us when we need to step up and when we need to step back. You lead us step by step through this amazing journey.

2. CTW-he is the most amazing husband. I give him a hard time and sometimes he really gets on my nerves, but he is the one constant in my life. So amazing at loving me and OK. He provides comfort, laughter, and a swift kick in the behind when needed. He values me and loves me through everything. He lifts me up when I am my lowest and he helps me celebrate the highs. He loves our little girl like no one else ever will. He takes care of us and works so hard to get us through. Thanks you CTW for being the greatest.

3. OKW--she is the most amazing thing God has ever given me. She gave us a huge scare getting into this world, but here she is so vibrant and full of life. Her love and laughter gets me through the days. She tries me in every way imaginable, but she shows me how much I can love. Thanks to my sweet and loving girl.

4. My family--I wouldn't make it through without them. They lift me up and set me straight when I need it. Thanks to the greatest family ever.

5. Friendships--Since OKW was born, I have struggled finding myself again. I haven't truely recovered from everything that happened and where I fit. Thanks to the wonderful friends that have helped me find a hint of myself again.

6. Our God-Loving Church--Thanks to TFBC for having a preschool minister that loves our children and to our SS teachers that love us and encourage us. Thanks to the Lord for new beginnings. We look forward to seeing where our church will go.

There are so many things that I am thankful for and these are just a few. I hope you all can take a moment to reflect on the things that you are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families!!

Bedtime Songs

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There's just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all Heaven and Earth proclaim

Kings and Kingdoms

Will all pass away

But there's something about that name

CTW and I were both raised in Southern Baptist Churches and I am the daughter of a Music Minister, so hymns come to us naturally. I can remember instead of singing lullabies to OK in the middle of the night, singing good old fashioned hymns. For some reason this one has stuck and now OK requests it before bed every night. She can sing pretty much the whole thing by herself and loves singing with us.

Lately she has been asking a lot of questions about Jesus and we do our best to answer them on her level of understanding. Today in the car, she told us that she didn't want any stinky boys knocking on her door, just Jesus. I almost cried. She is so funny! I am amazed how much she gets and how much she changes things around.

Tonight when putting her to bed, I was reminded at how amazing(and scary) the job of parenthood is. She absorbs everything we do and never forgets. I love that she has picked up my love for hymns and I hope she will always remember that there is truely something about the name of Jesus.

Dance Class

Last year when we attended CPW's dance recital(or recycle as OKW called it), OKW has been begging to take dance. My sister gets a discount for enrolling a second child, so thanks to aunt KC, OK started class last week. She did really great and enjoyed herself, especially getting ready to go. I think she pulled her tutu and leotard out three weeks ago. We will see how things go. Here are a couple of pictures.

My New Nephew

Welcome to the world little Elijah Rome. He was born June 2, 2010 at 12:07 am. He weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ozs and is 20 inches long. Mom was a real trouper and everyone is doing great. I am so amazed at the joy a baby brings. OK was fascinated with him and kept telling everyone we encountered that he was the cutest baby in the world. She did really great with him and only kissed him 100 times. Thank you Lord for letting everything go great and giving me a new person to love and pray for.

I'm a Slacker

I have been a real slacker about posting lately, so I have updated with several posts below. Enjoy!!!

The 1st Swim Day of the Summer

My parents opened their pool a couple of weeks ago and Saturday was the first day we got a chance to get in. It was definitely a hot day. It took OK all of 2 seconds to get in the water(my little water baby). She enjoyed jumping in and swimming around. She is so very proud of herself for getting in the deep water.

Trip to the Columbia Zoo

On May 1st we made a trip to Columbia to take OK and CPW to the zoo. It was definitely hot, but not as hot as it could have been. We bought a bottomless ICEE cup and filled it up at least 8 times. Needless to say, none of us want an ICEE for a while.

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Strawberry Picking

My mom, sisters, and I threw my sister-in-law a baby shower a few weeks ago. My mom and I thought it would be a great idea to serve fresh strawberries since they are in season. On a very hot Friday morning we loaded OK up and went to the patch. She had a blast. I instructed her that she could only pick the ones that were red all the way to the end. The first one she picked, she squeezed it so I told her to go ahead and eat that one. I think everyone that she picked after that, she ate. There was no denying how many she ate since the evidence was all over her hands and face. I think she ate at least 20. Hope you enjoy the pictures.