First Grade Bible Presentation

Today was a fun day at church for A.J. As part of tradition at Pepperell, each first grader is presented a new Bible with their name engraved on it. Today was A.J.'s turn to get his new Bible. He loved it because it was a nice leather bound Bible with "real" pages! He looked through it the entire service.

Another part of the annual tradition is showing a slide show with a few pictures of the first grader growing up. Unfortunately, their computer was having some issues, and they weren't able to show the pictures. But, they are going to show them next week. I decided to post A.J.'s pictures on here, so you can see how much he has grown!

Here is a video of the Bible presentation:

Here are A.J.'s pictures from his slide show for church:

Left Alone with Daddy

Last night, I was gone for a short time, and Allan was home with the kids. While playing checkers with A.J. at the kitchen table, Abigail fell asleep. When I got home, this picture was in my camera!

So, I guess the lesson of the story is when you are left alone with daddy, you can do whatever you want (including sleeping on the kitchen table).

Emily's Baby Shower

Sunday, I was privileged to help with a baby shower for Emily Meredith. Emily and I went to Seminary together, and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. Her husband, Gary, was the connection that led us to serve at Pepperell Baptist Church. So, needless to say, she is very important to me, and I was very excited to see her.

Emily and me (our first picture together since my wedding):
The shower hostesses:
The diaper cake centerpiece Ashley and I spent hours making (with the help of 3 children):

My Crafty Side

I have really debated on whether or not I should post these pictures. There are several reasons I have been hesitant to post the crafts I have done to brighten up Abigail's room. First, it was my first attempt at both projects, and neither are done to my expectations.

Second (and the main reason) is because I know I will get mixed reactions from my friends. There will be those of you who are crafty who will be so proud of my attempts (thank you Jawan for making me do this). Then, there are my working mom friends who will say, "how nice!," but not in a nice tone because I have so much time on my hands these days (or so I am supposed to anyway). Finally, there are those friends of mine who will say it's great, but they would never try it.

To all my friends... I did the craft, and I am finally proud enough to post it! I was inspired by others, and Abigail's room needed a pick-me-up, so here is my attempt to be crafty:

First, I was inspired by Grace Violet (my favorite blog to read) to try decoupage. Although it isn't close to being perfect, I made small initials for Abigail's wall. (Maybe when I named her, I should have realized "amp" meant she would have power and energy)!

I also made this fabric box following the instructions from a new blog I like (One Crafty Mama). It is the perfect place to store Abigail's headbands and makes a cute accessory in her room.
So, there you have it. My attempt to be a crafty mom. We'll have to wait and see if I ever do it again!

Tumbling

Abigail has been very excited to start tumbling this week. Sherry (a friend from church) passed down 2 leotards to her. She was so excited to get them, she has been wearing them all day every day around the house. She wore herself out in it so much Monday, she fell asleep in the study looking like this:


When Wednesday rolled around, I could hardly contain her excitement to go. That 30 minutes seemed to be over in about 3 minutes. She is already asking how much longer until she goes back. When I tell her next week, she always says, "next week takes a long long time!" I guess you can say I have found something she is passionate about. Enjoy these pictures and a video clip of her flip.

A Few New Things

Back to school always brings new things to the wardrobe of the kids. This year, we are thankful for new Crocs (Thank you Grandma and Pa). Both kids LOVE to wear Crocs, and have a few pair that have lasted 2 years. However, they get icky looking and the tread on the bottom tends to wear down smooth. I let both kids pick their own new pair (with suggestions from me of coarse), and this is what they chose:
A.J. wanted the Endeavor style (which means no part of the foot shows). He thinks he has crooked toes, and he likes his toes to be covered. (However, we discovered at the beach that he got those toes from Uncle Kevin, and that did make him feel better!) He also likes no holes because rocks and dirt don't get in as much.

Abigail always loves her Mary Janes. And, of course, purple was the color to pick!

Abigail is also sporting a new back to school hair cut. I love her hair cut like this, and I think it makes her feel a little older. She also discovered this weekend during Ashley's Just Ducky party, that she loves a headband. That is all she has worn since we went to the clothing show. I think it looks great with her new haircut!

Tutu and Toboggan

Tutu and Toboggan??? I realize that is probably not a title you were expecting today. However, that is what Abigail was sporting around the house the other day. We had to take EVERYTHING out of her closet to get into the attic to find a water leak (yes, we have no other way into our useless attic). While the bed was covered with all of the junk we shoved in her closet, she found a purple tutu I bought her last year for Halloween (which she never wore). She also came across her winter hat from last year. And the result... a tutu and a toboggan. Watch this clip!