Happy Birthday Abby

A Lesson On Being Thankful

Wow, it has been a long time since my last blog post. I would like to say that I have been crazy busy but I think the truth is I have been crazy lazy. :) Hope all my readers are well (all 4 of you) and that 2012 is treating you great so far.

I wanted to tell you a quick story about something that happened with Abby today. As we were getting ready to leave for school this morning she was complaining big time about how much she hated her coat. I just wanted to get that child to school so I did not do the usual "you should be so thankful speech" or talk about "all the little kids in Africa or Canada or wherever that do not have coats". I let her complain and very happily dropped her at the front doors of the school and said a prayer of thanks that the school day is 7 hours long.

So when that quick 7 hours was up I went and picked up my sweet girl, gave her a snack and then informed her she needed to go spend some time in her room and think about how lucky she is to have a nice warm coat on such a cold day. She stomps off and about 20 minutes later this letter comes floating down from upstairs:

Dear Mom
I, am srre abawt the cot bekas I was being srretascic (sarcastic) bekas I wot (want) to be thancful but it dasit (doesn't) work out for me bekas somtims I just forget to be.

Love Abby C

First of all let me just say how proud I am of my girl for hearing all the sounds that she hears when she writes. Remember - we were told this child might not walk or talk. But what really hit home with me was how this statement is so true in my own life. How many times a day do I complain about something minor or get frustrated over something silly? How many times a day do I forget to be thankful?

I would like to think that I am teaching her all this great stuff about life but the truth is that most days she is teaching me.

Thankfully yours,
T

and because no post is complete without a picture... here is one from our recent trip to Disney.

Halloween Lookback

 17 months

 4

  6

 7

My how time flies.

Mo Willems

A few weeks ago Abby wrote a letter to one of our favorite authors, Mo Willems. He is the author of the Knuffle Bunny books, The Elephant and Piggie Books and one of our all time favorites, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

Well imagine how excited we all were (yes, Adam also) to open up the mailbox one day and find a letter from him.

Want to write a favorite author/illustrator? Check out this list for mailing addresses for some of the more notable.

Back to School

Homemade Volcano

Abby and I have been wanting to make a volcano for a while now and finally got around to doing it recently. We took some baby food jars and molded some old play doh and model magic around to make the mountain.

There are lots of great sights on the web telling you how to do this.

Cousin Lacy pouring in the vinegar.

Warning! This will kill your grass. We now have two big dead spots in the back yard. My bad.

Enjoying the View

So summer is here and I have been enjoying the view and I don't mean the show with all the ladies talking over each other. We found a place close by that rents kayaks and gave it a try a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time and look forward to doing it again soon.

How is your summer going so far?

Happy Birthday Abby

Abby turned 7 last week and then just a few days later graduated from kindergarten.

How can this be???

1 Smile and 2 Frowns

11 Facts About My Daddy

1. He wakes up happy and stays that way all day. This was very annoying to me as a teenager.

2. He is a wonderful grandpa.

3. He always has a pen handy in his shirt pocket. (see all photos)

4. He preaches a mean sermon, and by mean I mean good.

5. He loves to sing and has a deep voice that can be heard from miles around.

This was also very annoying to me as a teenager.

6. Butterflies like him.



7. He is not afraid to wear a hair net.

8. He loves Little Debbie Snack Cakes.

9. He goes to the gym 3 or 4 times a week.

10. He is very adventurous.

11. Today he turns 76.

Happy Birthday to the best Daddy in the whole world. I love you so much!

Spring Break Snap Shots

We had the best spring break this past week. dying giant coffee filters to make butterflies
playing in the creek with friends

dying eggs

singing in the rain

jam session in the yard with friends

Headed out to Easter church service. I was the only one not wearing pink.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

oh hail....

We had a nasty storm come through Saturday night with egg size hail falling from the sky.

We were very lucky and did not have too much damage. It did smash the 4-runner windshield.

Also knocked a board loose on the tree house. No big deal in the grand scheme.

More Good Reads

Loved this book. If you have liked any of the other books I have posted about I really think you will enjoy this. Click here to read more about it. For the younger crowd Abby and I would both like to recommend Little Mouse's Big Secret. Such a sweet story with great illustrations.

Now I am in a book slump. Any suggustions????

Random Acts of Kindness

This week we decided to do something nice for our school crossing guard. Abby made a stop light card and we added some Chick-Fil-A bucks so he can buy himself some lunch. Notice someone is learning about quotation marks at school. Abby said he was so happy when she gave it to him that he hugged her TWICE. My friend Jennifer emailed and told me about something really cute her son is doing. It is called Ding, Dong, Ditch. Ring a neighbors door bell, leave a bag of candy and kind words and run like crazy. So cute. I love this idea.

My friend Mary reminded me of the the book and movie Pay It Forward. Read it or rent it. You won't be sorry.

Julie shared a great book on her blog called Have You Filled a Bucket Today. Imagine that everyone you encounter has an invisible bucket they carry around. When you do something kind for them you add to their bucket. If you are rude to them you are a bucket dipper. What a great way to teach kids that their actions affect others. A good reminder for us big folks also.

So go forth and fill buckets my friends. Holler back at me if you do and I will share your ideas next week.

A Good Read

If you liked this...
I think you will like this...

Wordless Wednesday - Goat Hugs

Are You Up For a Challenge?

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi

Two blogs that I read have done post this week about Random Acts of Kindness and Paying It Forward. They both inspired me to take action and do something nice for someone. I really would like to make this a regular thing for us. This week we took Moon Pies to the staff at our local library. So I want to challenge you to do something special for someone this week. If you do, please tell me about it. I would love to do a post next week sharing all the ways my readers are spreading kindness and love. For more great ideas check out Unplug Your Kids and Katherine Maria

Valentine Stuff

Lots of Valentine stuff going on here that I want to share...

I received this shadow box of hearts from a student (and her very crafty mom) yesterday and I just love it.

The next two ideas came from this great blog. Love, love, love Abby's little pink Love Birds.

Thought this would be a great card for Abby's teachers.

I made a little Valentine Advent for Abby.

These little magnetic tins came from Ikea.
I have them lined up around the fire place but they would also work great on the fridge.

Each tin has a little love note and sweet treat.

If you can sew - check out what my friend Julie made at Three Queens and A King. I love these so much.
Any Valentine stuff going on at your house?