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raspberry swirl cheesecake bars
4 days ago
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I Love Your Smile Contest by EllaPublishing Co.
So here's my first digi layout using Photoshop without an instructor walking me through each step. I know it isn't very elaborate but I like it all the same and I'm proud to say I did it all on my own. It's a great start! Plus, I couldn't help but use a pic of Morgie. She's such a Sweet Pea in this one that she really does make me smile!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Toy Story....here we come!
I don't think it is any secret that Braly LOVES Toy Story 1 and 2. So when I heard that they were releasing them back in the theater in 3-D I knew it was something we would have to do as a family. I was hoping that our theater would have it here but alas, we will be driving 1 1/2 hours to Marquette on Saturday to catch the 12:15pm double feature of Toy Story 1&2 with our fancy 3-D glasses to make the experience even more interesting. I'm sure I'll have to try to convince the kids to leave their Toy Story toys at home but I'll settle for at least leaving them in the car. I'm praying that Morgan is totally interested in watching both of these movies on Saturday & doesn't need to run to the potty a million times causing (probably me) to miss the movies. I'll admit it, I really enjoy Toy Story and can't wait till the 3rd one comes out in the theater too. I'm anticipating the release of the 3-D versions on DVD/Bluray for the holiday season. Shhhh...don't tell Braly, if I'm right, he might get them for Christmas. Then he won't insist on watching one of them every time he visits Grammy Cheryl & Papa Blaine. Or maybe he will still want to watch it all the time. He may have been doing it long enough now that it has become his tradition. Guess we'll eventually find out.
Silly Sleepy Boy
Tonight we spent extra time brushing teeth since Gabby & Braly had dentist appointments today & brought home all the fun 'new' goodies like toothbrushes, floss, & kid toothpaste. (not that we didn't already have a cabinet full of this stuff but they got 'new' stuff that they insisted on using & brushed for awhile.) It was finally not a fight to get something like 62 teeth brushed. (Gabby is missing 2 teeth but has all her 5 yr molars in so I think I counted them correctly in my head.)
Ok, so teeth were done & it was time for reading to begin. Braly has just started the Book-It reading program & is supposed to read for 20 mins each day. Gabby is supposed to chart at least 15 mins each day of reading so I read the last chapter of Mary Poppins to Gabby while Braly started doing some reading on his own. Then I headed into Braly's room and read 2 Scooby Doo beginning reader books. Adam is working the pre-load tomorrow so that means he'll be going in to work at 3am so he was in bed reading his book. So you get the picture, everyone is reading to settle down for the night. Not sure how it happened but all 3 kids ended up in our bed with Adam so he could read them one last book. I told the kids they all needed to go into their beds to sleep because they are getting so big that it is getting harder for me to move them back to their beds when they are sleeping & I have to carry the dead weight of their body back to bed. Gabby is the worst, not because she's the biggest or anything but because I have to practically throw her onto her top bunk & I'm a mere 5'2" which doesn't seem to help me out much. I'm sure you're laughing picturing how that takes place right?
So while I was trying to get Morgan to sleep Braly snuck his way into mom & dad's room & was laying under the bed. I might not have known this if Gabby had not mentioned it as she was coming into the room to climb into bed. After Morgan was sleeping I headed into my room to see if Braly was still hiding under the bed & I had a great laugh. he was laying under the bed sleeping. ROFL I should have ran to grab the camera & captured it because it was quite humerous. I told Adam that Braly was under the bed & he practically said "no way!" Guess Braly did a great job sneaking tonight. Adam pulled him out & I carried him to his bed & tucked him in but I still have the image of him sleeping under the bed in my head & it is FUNNY!
Ok, so teeth were done & it was time for reading to begin. Braly has just started the Book-It reading program & is supposed to read for 20 mins each day. Gabby is supposed to chart at least 15 mins each day of reading so I read the last chapter of Mary Poppins to Gabby while Braly started doing some reading on his own. Then I headed into Braly's room and read 2 Scooby Doo beginning reader books. Adam is working the pre-load tomorrow so that means he'll be going in to work at 3am so he was in bed reading his book. So you get the picture, everyone is reading to settle down for the night. Not sure how it happened but all 3 kids ended up in our bed with Adam so he could read them one last book. I told the kids they all needed to go into their beds to sleep because they are getting so big that it is getting harder for me to move them back to their beds when they are sleeping & I have to carry the dead weight of their body back to bed. Gabby is the worst, not because she's the biggest or anything but because I have to practically throw her onto her top bunk & I'm a mere 5'2" which doesn't seem to help me out much. I'm sure you're laughing picturing how that takes place right?
So while I was trying to get Morgan to sleep Braly snuck his way into mom & dad's room & was laying under the bed. I might not have known this if Gabby had not mentioned it as she was coming into the room to climb into bed. After Morgan was sleeping I headed into my room to see if Braly was still hiding under the bed & I had a great laugh. he was laying under the bed sleeping. ROFL I should have ran to grab the camera & captured it because it was quite humerous. I told Adam that Braly was under the bed & he practically said "no way!" Guess Braly did a great job sneaking tonight. Adam pulled him out & I carried him to his bed & tucked him in but I still have the image of him sleeping under the bed in my head & it is FUNNY!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sassy Little Bugger
This morning I was calling Morgan to come to me so I could dress her. She was in the other room and here is how the conversation went.
Mom: Morgie, come here please.
Morgan: I'm not Morgie.
Mom: Come here Morgan.
Morgan: I can't I'm Morgan Annette Pierce
Mom: (mumbling) oh ok. (Louder) Morgan Annette Pierce, please come to Momma.
Morgan: Ok, I'm coming. (proceeds to run like she weighs a ton)
This girls is just too funny. Right now she's trying to convince me that its ok for her to wear her pants backwards. My rebuttal was, ok then, you won't be able to see the glittery horn then. It worked...she turned them around & is proud to show me the horn with little sparklies on it. She's so cute, even if she is a sassy little bugger. I love this girl!
Mom: Morgie, come here please.
Morgan: I'm not Morgie.
Mom: Come here Morgan.
Morgan: I can't I'm Morgan Annette Pierce
Mom: (mumbling) oh ok. (Louder) Morgan Annette Pierce, please come to Momma.
Morgan: Ok, I'm coming. (proceeds to run like she weighs a ton)
This girls is just too funny. Right now she's trying to convince me that its ok for her to wear her pants backwards. My rebuttal was, ok then, you won't be able to see the glittery horn then. It worked...she turned them around & is proud to show me the horn with little sparklies on it. She's so cute, even if she is a sassy little bugger. I love this girl!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Already 2 weeks in...
Yes, I'm back & longer than EVER!!! well maybe not longer...I won't know till I'm done. LOL
Gabby came home yesterday & told me that her new AR reading score is 3.1-4.1. I was like wow you've improved over the summer. I think her last score was 3.2 and that was the high end of the rage. Then last night I had the opportunity to meet Gabby's teacher. She's very nice & she told me that she's probably going to take Gabby & a few of the other kids that read really well & let them get through their stuff very quickly. I was thinking...hmm that's kinda cool. (Guess I didn't realize she was at such a high level.) Especially since last year she struggled to have time to take her AR tests but as Adam reminded me, her teacher last year said that had to do with her age (she was the youngest kid in her class & some kids were almost 2 yrs older than her) & that we shouldn't worry about it.
Fast forward to this afternoon when she gave me all her papers from school. She had her STAR test results and as I read the results my eyes teared up. Yup, call me an emotional sap if you must...I won't deny it. (And doesn't that make you feel sorry for Adam when I was pregnant & had more emotional stuff to deal with. LOL) Back to the present, as I read the results I was totally impressed & proud of my little girl (whom isn't so little anymore. Well she's still really tiny compared to other kids her age but she's growing up fast.) Apparently her results stated
"Gabby reads at a grade level equivalent to that of a typical 4th grader after the 3rd month of the school year. She reads at a level greater than 97% of other students nationally in the same grade. This score is above -average. She is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending reading material. And she is at least 80% proficient at reading 3rd grade words & books. And her Zone of Proximal Development is 3.1-4.8." It may seem like I'm bragging a bit because....well, I am. But not because I think she is more brilliant than any one else's kid. This is more of a relief to me that we made the right decision to push her into the class that we did when she started elementary school. This is me being extremely happy for her that she excelled in something when I think she has always felt like she was lagging behind & would sometimes get frustrated with her school work. I am so proud of her & feel as though all the time we've invested in her is finally showing. She still struggles with adding & subtracting & it was getting to the point that I was nervous that she just wouldn't get it but tonight she was telling me ways I could figure out that 7+7=14 if I didn't know it. If I knew 6+6=12 then I know that I just have to add 2 more to get to my answer. This isn't how she was thinking just a few days ago. And she still struggles with being quick to get things done but as she's maturing I see her speed quicken too...she may just blow us COMPLETELY out of the water & I'd LOVE to see that happen. She's just exceeding my expectations & I'm lovin' it!
Though I haven't talked to Braly's teacher yet to see how she gauges his abilities; I have no doubt that he's doing well. He has been reading for quite a long time & is getting better at sounding very large words out. He's been able to count well over 100 for a long time too so he's doing great there but he struggles with the fine motor skills of writing his name and coloring in the lines neatly. I think that has to do a lot with his personality so I'm not overly concerned. I was hoping that he wouldn't get bored in his class since he knows all the letters & the sounds & that is something they are working on as they learn to read. The great thing for Braly is that they changed the way they are teaching the kids the letters & the sounds by incorporating sign language. It's fabulous & he's really enjoying it. He's been coming home & showing me the letters that he's learned & signing them. I'm glad that I learned them when I was little so I can help him out. It's pretty cool to be able to relate to what he's working on. I find it funny that he thinks I'm a cool mom since I know the stuff that he's learning. Kinda like this summer when I started playing Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Game Boy Advance with him. He told me I was pretty cool since I can beat so many of the levels. I dare say that I'm even better than dad. LOL. Braly talks about several kids in his class & tells us of things that he's been playing with some of his new friends & some old friends (from previous classes at Headstart) while they are out at recess. He is quite the social butterfly.
One of the best things about this year (I am unbelievably thankful for) is that Gabby & Braly get on the same bus at the same time in the morning. They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!! No, I really mean it! They hold hands as they cross the street to get on their bus & then sit together & wave, make faces, blow kisses, etc to Morgie & me as the bus drives away. This is the BEST thing in my book. I no longer have to struggle to get Gabby on the bus & Braly too. He gave me a hard time a few times last year. oh.... Gabby has been difficult for the last 4 years that she's been attending school. NOT this year & I think it makes a HUGE difference in her demeanor and in her school work as well. It has been wonderful for me to be able to wave "see ya later" to them and walk in the house with a smile on my face & not have to collapse on the couch from emotional exhaustion that I had to force my child to get on the bus because I knew it was the best thing for her to do, that she likes school, and would be fine by the time she reached the end of our block.
Today was a great day and I thank God & my family for this wonderful glorious day that I have been privileged to have enjoyed. All praise to Him! Now it's time for me to get some sleep. At least its Sat & we get to sleep in. horray!!!
Gabby came home yesterday & told me that her new AR reading score is 3.1-4.1. I was like wow you've improved over the summer. I think her last score was 3.2 and that was the high end of the rage. Then last night I had the opportunity to meet Gabby's teacher. She's very nice & she told me that she's probably going to take Gabby & a few of the other kids that read really well & let them get through their stuff very quickly. I was thinking...hmm that's kinda cool. (Guess I didn't realize she was at such a high level.) Especially since last year she struggled to have time to take her AR tests but as Adam reminded me, her teacher last year said that had to do with her age (she was the youngest kid in her class & some kids were almost 2 yrs older than her) & that we shouldn't worry about it.
Fast forward to this afternoon when she gave me all her papers from school. She had her STAR test results and as I read the results my eyes teared up. Yup, call me an emotional sap if you must...I won't deny it. (And doesn't that make you feel sorry for Adam when I was pregnant & had more emotional stuff to deal with. LOL) Back to the present, as I read the results I was totally impressed & proud of my little girl (whom isn't so little anymore. Well she's still really tiny compared to other kids her age but she's growing up fast.) Apparently her results stated
"Gabby reads at a grade level equivalent to that of a typical 4th grader after the 3rd month of the school year. She reads at a level greater than 97% of other students nationally in the same grade. This score is above -average. She is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending reading material. And she is at least 80% proficient at reading 3rd grade words & books. And her Zone of Proximal Development is 3.1-4.8." It may seem like I'm bragging a bit because....well, I am. But not because I think she is more brilliant than any one else's kid. This is more of a relief to me that we made the right decision to push her into the class that we did when she started elementary school. This is me being extremely happy for her that she excelled in something when I think she has always felt like she was lagging behind & would sometimes get frustrated with her school work. I am so proud of her & feel as though all the time we've invested in her is finally showing. She still struggles with adding & subtracting & it was getting to the point that I was nervous that she just wouldn't get it but tonight she was telling me ways I could figure out that 7+7=14 if I didn't know it. If I knew 6+6=12 then I know that I just have to add 2 more to get to my answer. This isn't how she was thinking just a few days ago. And she still struggles with being quick to get things done but as she's maturing I see her speed quicken too...she may just blow us COMPLETELY out of the water & I'd LOVE to see that happen. She's just exceeding my expectations & I'm lovin' it!
Though I haven't talked to Braly's teacher yet to see how she gauges his abilities; I have no doubt that he's doing well. He has been reading for quite a long time & is getting better at sounding very large words out. He's been able to count well over 100 for a long time too so he's doing great there but he struggles with the fine motor skills of writing his name and coloring in the lines neatly. I think that has to do a lot with his personality so I'm not overly concerned. I was hoping that he wouldn't get bored in his class since he knows all the letters & the sounds & that is something they are working on as they learn to read. The great thing for Braly is that they changed the way they are teaching the kids the letters & the sounds by incorporating sign language. It's fabulous & he's really enjoying it. He's been coming home & showing me the letters that he's learned & signing them. I'm glad that I learned them when I was little so I can help him out. It's pretty cool to be able to relate to what he's working on. I find it funny that he thinks I'm a cool mom since I know the stuff that he's learning. Kinda like this summer when I started playing Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Game Boy Advance with him. He told me I was pretty cool since I can beat so many of the levels. I dare say that I'm even better than dad. LOL. Braly talks about several kids in his class & tells us of things that he's been playing with some of his new friends & some old friends (from previous classes at Headstart) while they are out at recess. He is quite the social butterfly.
One of the best things about this year (I am unbelievably thankful for) is that Gabby & Braly get on the same bus at the same time in the morning. They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!! No, I really mean it! They hold hands as they cross the street to get on their bus & then sit together & wave, make faces, blow kisses, etc to Morgie & me as the bus drives away. This is the BEST thing in my book. I no longer have to struggle to get Gabby on the bus & Braly too. He gave me a hard time a few times last year. oh.... Gabby has been difficult for the last 4 years that she's been attending school. NOT this year & I think it makes a HUGE difference in her demeanor and in her school work as well. It has been wonderful for me to be able to wave "see ya later" to them and walk in the house with a smile on my face & not have to collapse on the couch from emotional exhaustion that I had to force my child to get on the bus because I knew it was the best thing for her to do, that she likes school, and would be fine by the time she reached the end of our block.
Today was a great day and I thank God & my family for this wonderful glorious day that I have been privileged to have enjoyed. All praise to Him! Now it's time for me to get some sleep. At least its Sat & we get to sleep in. horray!!!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Our 10th Anniversary!
What? It's seriously been 10 years already? Time sure does fly by and yet at the same time it doesn't seem that 10 years has already gone by. I sure do love Adam & I know that he loves me. I am thankful that he is so patient, kind, loving, a great role model, awesome father, a hard worker, intelligent, family oriented, godly man, handsome, man of great integrity, leader, talented, etc... I feel completely blessed to have said "I do!" 10 years ago on the most beautiful summer day in front of God & many of our family & friends. Truly Blessed!!!! Thanks Babe for 10 years...we've got a lot more ahead of us. :)
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