First Day of School

The girls started school on August 20th this year. It was a Friday. I guess the thought is that a Friday first day is just enough time to meet your students and then have the weekend to re-arrange the seating chart before the first full week of school (spoken from a teacher's perspective). All I know is that the girls were to precious for words.

My little Bekah is now a big 6th grader! It seems like just yesterday she was starting kindergarten, and now she is officially a middle schooler. Fortunately, she attends a grade school, so the top dogs are the 8th graders. I can hardly believe she is closing the gap on the title of "teenager!"

Savannah Kay was thrilled to begin 1st grade. She is right at home in the crowd and loves being in the sea of friends at school. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in this instance. Although she is only six, she thinks she is just as big as Bek. Don't let the Barbie gown and "Baby" fool you. She is a big sister now!
Bekah had a nice ensemble of jeggings and a t-shirt. For those of you who are not aware of this latest fashion craze, jeggings are jean leggins...hence we have "jeggings." In our house they are "jeggins." She donned her gray Converse and a sweet headband.

Savannah Kay elected to dress very practically...for comfort. I let her pick her outfit. I know, I am making huge strides in the flexibility. However, there are some things that are non-negotiables...therefore, she is adorned in a bow. I have informed her that my child will wear a bow until 4th grade. You can take the girl out of the south, but you can't take the south out of the girl. She was probably the only child wearing a bow. Oh well, at least I can pick her out of a crowd!

Hooray for the first day of school!

Kindergarten Graduate

Our baby girl is now a Kindergarten graduate! I can't believe it. I made it to the program...despite getting out of the hospital just a few days prior to her big performance. I couldn't miss her big night.

This picture is so funny because she was feeling the tag in her skirt during her performance. It was a major distraction. I just had to chuckle. Everytime she looked up Mom and I were giving her the "put your hands down" sign language. Silly girl!



Savannah Kay is my child with super spirit! I love that she is so confident and has no problem busting a move during the performance! This was too cute not to share with you. Can we say ROCKSTAR?!

Bekah Sings...Like an Angel

I forgot to make mention of our other precious child's big moment. A few weeks ago, Bek performed in the Regional Honor Choir. This was quite an honor. She was one of a handful selected out of the entire school of 5th and 6th graders to perform with other selected students from the region. She learned several songs in several languages. Mom joined me for the big concert. I took video of the group, but as she practiced Mom suggested I record her singing all by herself so I could send it to her Daddy. So...I did. I hope you enjoy this. I am so proud of her!

Bear Hug Student and a Birthday

I mentioned that my family made the trip to Manhattan this weekend. It just so happened that my precious Daddy celebrated his big 61st on Thursday the 18th. Their trip was a great excuse to celebrate his big birthday. Excuse the hormonal moment, but I think it is rather important to take a moment to explain just how precious those birthdays are to me. Just 4 short years ago, cancer almost took my Daddy from us. I am so thankful he is here and mostly healthy...and celebrating 61 years alive!

Friday night I took the family to The Little Grill. This is a local place, owned by a Jamaican man. The food is really good and the atmosphere is even better...especially on Friday nights when the owner picks up his guitar and sings. He plays classics from Van Morrison, Elvis, Bob Dillon and others. To much protest from my nay-saying mother, we headed out for dinner to this little Manhattan secret. I think she thought I was taking us to some one's backyard in the middle of nowhere. And guess what....Everyone had a great time! Occasionally I do pull through, Mother.

After enjoying good food, great company and fantastic music...I asked our entertainer to sing "Happy Birthday" to my sweet Daddy. The host promptly ordered a shot of Hennessy for the birthday man...and Daddy took it like champ! It was hilarious! Mom kept asking "What is Hennessy anyway?"

Our singer even sang "Brown Eyed Girl" to the girls. When we left, everyone had a huge smile on their face and swore we would be back soon. The best part was that we felt like we had been on a mini vacation to the islands despite the outside freeze. PS, it snowed on Saturday. I snapped a few photos to remember the evening. We came home and enjoyed carrot cake and presents. It was a perfect evening!

Prior to our big celebration, I made a trip to the kids' school. Savannah Kay was the "Bear Hug Student" this week. This means she took home the class bear and needed to send back pictures of herself and some forms that shared all about her. In addition to hosting Ted E. Bear for the night...she could invite a parent or visitor to come and read to the class. I made the trek to the school (20 miles outside of town) to read a couple of books to her class (just like a good Mommy should). I think they really enjoyed my visit. I read We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Don't Be Silly Mrs. Millie. Both are really cute little books. My sister Rachel came along and documented the occasion for us. Thanks little sister! Hooray for our little Bear Hug Student!