Good Bye Pre-School

Dear Kathryn and Kimberly,

This week we have said goodbye to pre-school.  Your Daddy keeps saying "Its the end of an era" and I guess he's right.  Last summer, we decided that we were going to homeschool you for pre-school to see how it went and decide if we wanted to homeschool you for kindergarten.  But, then at the last minute you were accepted into the NC Pre-K program at the Children's Campus, so thats where you went.

On the first day you were super excited and didn't appear to be nervous at all.  I think you guys are pretty lucky to be twins, because you were able to take your sister with you on this journey.  You had a great first day and a fantastic year.  Your teachers and even the director of the school said they loved having you there.

You both learned so much this year, I'm so glad we ended up choosing to let you go to pre-school.  I have seen you both come out of your shells and really start to develop your own personalities this year.

Kimberly, you have always been (and I believe always will be) a very tenderhearted person.  You always want to make sure everyone is happy and everyone is included.  You love arts and crafts, and you love it even more when you get to make something to give to someone.  You love to wear dresses and leggings, and you love to have your hair done in new ways.  You are a sweet, loving, giving person and I pray you will stay that way forever!

Kathryn, you are a very independent person!  You love to figure things out for yourself and you love learning new things.  You are also one of the most helpful people I have ever met!  Whenever I need help with something, I know I can count on you to help.  When I asked you what you loved most about pre-school, you told me when the teachers let you help set up lunch.  You love to wear t-shirts and shorts and you'd prefer to just brush your hair and leave it down.  You are a loving, helpful, determined person and I pray you will stay that way forever.

I am so PROUD of you girls!  Not just for what you learned and accomplished this year....but because you gave your best effort!  Its not always the end product that counts, but the effort you give and the lessons you learn along the way that is important!  No matter where you go in life, I will always be proud of you for giving your best efforts!

Always remember that I love you!  I will ALWAYS love you!!
Mommy

P.S. In case you ever forget all the fun we had celebrating your preschool graduation, here are some pictures for you.

On Tuesday night we had cupcakes and did sparklers with the kids on our cul-d-sac:

Kathryn 

Kimberly

WOO HOO!  We're Graduating!!!!

The morning of your graduation.  Kathryn in polka dots and Kimberly in purple.

Standing with your class

Singing songs

Kathryn receiving her diploma

Kimberly receiving her diploma

Congrats to the graduate!

Ms. Thelma

One Proud Mommy!

Our Family

Your friend Ella who came with us

Granny K

Summer 2012

So, the girls are graduating preschool in 3 days!  (Thats a whole post in itself...I can't believe its happening!  They are growing up too fast!)  Anyway....in anticipation of Summer, we sat down as a family and created a bucket list of things we want to do this summer.  Mommy and Daddy helped with some suggestions, but for the most part these are straight from the kids!  I'm hoping to keep a digital journal of our accomplishments right here on this blog.  As the kids keep saying..."We're going to be super busy this summer!" 

Summer 2012 Bucket List

1. Go Swimming....LOTS

2. Have a cookout at Jordan Lake

3. Go on a Family Date to Sweet Frog

4. Make Homemade Ice Cream

5. Go Fishing

6. Go see Josiah and Joella

7. Visit 3 new parks in the area

8. Play on the Slip N Slide

9. Bake cookies and share with all our neighbors on our cul-d-sac

10. Visit a nursing home

11. Take Mama to Lunch

12. Go to the NC Zoo

13. Have a water balloon fight

14. Eat a sno-cone

15. Find a free outdoor music concert

16. Bake and decorate a cake 

17. Pick out a new recipe and try it

18. Have a family race

19. Make an obstacle course in our yard

20. Go to an outdoor movie

21. Go Bowling

22. Watch fireworks

23. Family picnic at the airport

24. Build a tower

25. Go on a hike

26. Go on a Family Bike Ride

27. Take a Family Walk

28. Visit all 3 sets of Grandparents

29. Sleep in the tent in our back yard

30. Catch 5 different bugs and learn everything we can about each one

31. Watch 3 new movies

32. Take Ms. Carla out for ice cram

33. Read 112 new books

34. Memorize 10 new Bible verses as a family

35. Catch lightening bugs

36. Visit a farm and feed some horses

37. Feed  some ducks

38. Lay in the grass and observe the clouds

39. Visit the free museums in downtown Raleigh

40. Grow something from seeds

41. Take a walk in downtown Raleigh

42. Learn 5 new songs

43. Read the Bible every morning

44. Have a doughnut breakfast picnic at the park

45. Have 3 families over for dinner

46. Sing songs before bed

47. Host a mother/daughter tea/talent show with friends

48. Have a dance party

49. Have a parade with the kids on our cul-d-sac

50. Send a letter to 20 people

Remembering the firsts...thinking about eternity

Maybe its because we've been doing a lot of talk about kindergarten lately, or maybe because I know too many people having babies...but I've been doing a lot of thinking about my BABIES! So, I thought we would take a little picture journey through some important "firsts" for our family....

The first time I held Kathryn. She was roughly 4ish hours old here.

Holding Kimberly for the first time. Due to some breathing issues I didn't get to hold her for 24 hours....I was so happy to finally have her in my arms.

The first picture of the girls together....I wish I could remember my thoughts at this moment...

Our first family of 4 picture (wow I look rough...but it is our first family picture)

My first kisses to Jeremiah. I got to hold him like this for all of like 30 seconds until they whisked him away and then I had to wait another 5 days to pick him up and hold him. Man was that hard!

Daddy holds Jeremiah for the first time

Kimberly holding Jeremiah for the first time (Kimberly is 1 day shy of being 2 years old in this picture)

Kathryn holds Jeremiah for the first time (Kathryn is also 1 day shy of turning 2 in this picture)

Our first picture as a family of 5! :)

Its fun to walk down memory lane and think about all these moments of firsts that have created our family. It also makes me think about how quickly time passes...it feels like just yesterday...

Which makes me think about how our time here on earth is such a short blip on the timeline of eternity. Although, I have to admit that thought is actually one of comfort to me...because I know it won't be long before I see my Savior face to face and get to spend eternity in His presence.

Which leads me to think about the people in my life that DON'T know Jesus and thus won't spend eternity with Him. It reminds me of the importance of bringing my children up in the WORD...it reminds me of the importance of living so that God's love is spread...it reminds me the importance of stepping outside of my comfort zone so that others may be reached.

May today be a another day of firsts...a first for someone to meet Jesus!

Ordinary Days...Extraordinary Moments

Sometimes the most "ordinary" of days, bring about the extraordinary moments that become memories over the years. Today was one of those days for us. We started the day at an open house for a possible school next year, then spent a good part of the rest of the day outside. We even went to the park in our neighborhood for awhile...

The girls have discovered how to climb on top of the monkey bars

And aren't they cute? Reminds me of when they were little and I had a billion pictures of them together...I'm thankful to have captured one of them today! :)

Jeremiah is trying to be as tall as his sisters, instead ended up kissing the bar...(if he's sick in a few days at least I'll know why ;) )

Jeremiah can't climb on top of the monkey bars, but he can do the big ladder.

And he even takes a second to pause and say hey to Mommy!

Kimberly has even discovered how to do the big girl monkey bars

Look...Kathryn can do it too!

And look we can even do it together...

Kimberly did get a bit impatient waiting on Kathryn to finish

And just in case you wanted to see it in action

One day they'll be too big for the monkey bars...but for today its a memory it the making.

What extraordinary moments did you have in your ordinary day?

Starting Again...

So, I've been thinking for sometime about starting the blog back again. A couple of months ago I tried, but couldn't remember the password to log in. So, tonight I looked up an old post to share something with a friend and after reading through old posts, I'm reminded WHY I wanted to do this....It's SO much fun looking back through and seeing what the kids were up too...so here I go again, lets try again. Maybe I will actually make this about more than just the kids too...but I'm not sure what else to talk about, but we'll see what I come up with. Anyway, thanks for coming back to my blog and joining me on this journey. Maybe one day soon I'll get around to updating the pictures at the top, but for now, I'll just give a quick update on where everyone is now, and of course some pictures! :)

When John is not busy playing Pretty pretty Princess, he works at HCL America in Cary, NC. He's very happy there, as he is support Boeing...and anyone that knows John knows how much he LOVES airplanes!! I'm sure no one is shocked to learn that John is an excellent father. The kids have him wrapped around their little fingers, of course, but they also know without a doubt that their Daddy loves them and cherishes them!

Kathryn is now 5! Its crazy how fast time flies! She is in pre-school and loving every minute. Well, maybe I shouldn't say every minute, she tells me she doesn't like naptime, but other then that she's loving it. Kathryn is one of the most helpful little kids I have ever met. She definitely has inherited her Daddy's servant heart. She likes to help do the laundry, dishes, dusting, take out the trash...just about anything she can to help. She's also my more serious child, as you can see in this picture. She has a beautiful smile, but she's not as willing to share it. Kathryn loves to play soccer, football, basketball...or any other activity involving a ball. I believe there'll be many sports teams in her future.

Kimberly is also 5, DUH! Her and Kathryn are in the same class for pre-school, although surprisingly they don't do much together. It's neat to see their individual personalities popping out. Kimberly is full of laughs and is one of the bubbliest people I have ever met. She talks constantly and is always trying to make me laugh. She also has one of the biggest hearts! She is so compassionate and really wants to make sure everyone is well taken care of and well loved. I believe she'd give a hug to everyone she passed if I'd let her...but then we'd never get anywhere!! She definitely has a heart for those that are hurting and wants to help them feel better. I believe we might have a nurse in our family one day!

Jeremiah is now 3....and every bit of 3! Tantrums and strong willed and so cute I could eat him up! He has a very strong temper, but the amount of love he showers on us outweighs that big time! He loves to run to me and beg me to dance with him. His favorite stuffed animal is his little lamb, which he has named "nunya". He did have 2 Nunya's but he recently gave one of them to me....and knowing how much he LOVES these lambs, I must say I am very touched to have one that now sleeps with me. Probably one of the sweetest gifts I have ever been given.

Well, thats about all I have to say for tonight. Here's to hoping that I'll follow through with updates this time. For now, just a few more pictures....

The kids being silly...or every day life!

The kids on Christmas Eve in their new jammies and dolls/bear with matching jammies. Notice the 2 lambs in Jeremiah's right arm...those are Nunyas.

While I'm here

While I'm here, I might as well go ahead and give you an update, right? Well, we are now living back in the Triangle area for me to work at Duke. John is enjoying being a stay at home dad right now...although I've been told many times by the girls that its time for Daddy to go back to work so that Mommy can stay home again. LOL! It sure is different for me to be back in the working world, but it seems to be going ok. Kathryn and Kimberly turned 4 last month and Jeremiah turned 2 just for that. Its hard to believe they're getting so old! Kimberly is the proud new owner of glasses...when she doesn't lose them!

Anyway, my camera has been missing for the last few months so I don't have any pictures to share right now. I'm hoping Santa will read this and bring me a new camera ;).

Hope all is well in your worlds!

Free Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Hey Everyone!! I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I hope you'll all come over and see this because if you blog about Shutterfly then you can get free Christmas Prints! Shutterfly has some great prices on all kinds of things, so be sure to flutter over to Shutterfly: www.shutterfly.com

http://blog.shutterfly.com/5570/2010-holiday-card-collection6/

Please be praying for us!

Several things that we could some prayer on right now:



1. John lost his job last week. Please pray for a job for one of us, doesn't matter which one, and quickly!

2. Kathryn has her tonsils/adnoids out tomorrow.

3. Jeremiah has had a fever/rash since June 2, and they have run every test they can think of and still no explanation. The doctor suggested today to admit him to the hospital and monitor him for a couple of days, but I just couldn't do that with Kathryn having surgery tomorrow. So, they're going to do some stool samples, they did a TB test, and I have to keep a very detailed journal for the next 6 days. We go back on Monday morning and if the fever is not gone, then they'll probably admit him then. At least by then Kathryn should be feeling mostly better and I could focus on him for a few days.

4. KIMBERLY! She's the only one not dealing with any medical issues, but I think she's the one that has had the hardest time lately. She's my sensitive child and has the biggest heart of any 3 year old I have ever met. When one of her siblings gets hurt, I think she cries harder then they do. Knowing how she was handling things is another reason we asked the doctor to hold off putting Jeremiah in the hospital. As soon as the doctor mentioned it John looked at me and said "that would seriously push Kimberly over the edge." So please pray for her right now. On Thursday she is going to Nana and Poppa's house, so hopefully the one on one attention will help her right now. She already has plans to be Kathryn's nurse tomorrow when she gets home, but I really think going to Nana and Poppas house will do her good after that!

Thanks everyone! :)

What to write about?

Well, I sat down here to update the blog (trying to be good to my word) and was trying to think of something to say. Nothing inspiring has come to mind, so maybe I'll just post a few pictures and try to think of something to say later. I'm sure you all would rather just see pictures anyway, right? ;)

Jeremiah being silly and wearing one of the girl's old hats.

Daddy's Happy Fathers Day Cookie...the girls took it upon themselves to bring it to the table, and Jeremiah helped himself. LOL!

Kisses for Daddy!

Daddy wearing his new shirt/tie he got for Fathers Day.

Wow! I can't believe its really been a year since I have updated! I am so sorry! So, here's a quick recap from the last year: Last June, John was still unemployed, so we spent a lot of time together as a family (including a nice vacation to the beach thanks to Granny K and Papa Gene!). Then in October, John was offered a position at Velocity Solutions in Wilmington, NC. They wanted him to start immediately, so they put us up in a condo at Wrightsville beach for a month. During that month, Jeremiah turned 1 and Kathryn and Kimberly turned 3. Then we moved into a townhouse in Leland, NC, just over the Cape Fear River from Wilmington. Since then we have really enjoyed getting settled in here, spending as much time as possible at the beach and exploring the area. We've gotten involved with East Coast Baptist Church, which is a new church to this area, and John is leading the music for Church, and loving every minute of it! We are so excited to be back in NC and closer to family. I didn't want to overload the blog with pictures, so I compiled pictures from the last year into a video and added some music and so when you have about 12 minutes to spare and want to be overwhelmed with cuteness and laughter, its worth the time it takes to load! (Of course I might be a bit biased, LOL!) I hope all is well with you and your family and I hope I can be better about updating over the next year then I was in the last year!