We're BACK!!!!

After a brief hiatus from the blogging (life got in the way and I kept forgetting to get around to it), we are BACK!  The dog days are summer are here and I have to admit that we are a little sad.  We have had the best summer- lots of beach trips, long days at the pool, a visit to the Homestead, 2 long weekends at the lake, lots of family time, day camp, VBS, movie nights, playdates, picking blueberries and that is just the beginning-- and now it is almost over!  In just 2 1/2 weeks, Joanna and Libby start school again.  It will be Joanna's last year at St. Paul's Preschool and Libby will be in the 2 year old class.  Where did time go?  I feel like I just took Joanna for her first day at SPP and she was only 4 months old---next week, she turns 5!

Today, we started out with a lazy day and we had fun playing in our pajamas and hanging out for a few hours of the morning.  It was so nice to not rush out the door.  After finally getting ready, we made a trip to the library and had so much fun!   The Reynolda Library is always quiet and not crowded and the perfect place for the girls to be able to look at all the books and sit on the floor and read.  We love to read so much in our house and I am thrilled that they both inherited my passion for books.  Joanna was able to get her very own library card today and we came home with quite the selection of books. Also, Joanna painted a tote bag at Camp We Wonder this year when they had book week and it has made the perfect library tote bag for us!  She was so excited to use it!

After our library outing, we had a "Ladies Lunch" at the Golden Apple!  We are definitely three ladies who love to lunch and I had the best time with my girls.  They were perfect lunch companions and they thoroughly enjoyed their grill cheeses, cookies, lemonade, and jelly beans!

Joanna's first ballet class of the year was next!  She couldn't wait to get there and was so glad to see her friends and her old teacher Ms. Debbie who she gets to have again this year! 

After our busy day and dinner with Daddy, we wanted just a little more girl time.  It was time to paint our nails with Mommy!  Joanna wanted multi-colored toes and nails and Libby was just thrilled to have "Ariel" polish and bright red toes like Mommy!  We had the best time and then we read some library books while their nails dried!  Another fun summer day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Joanna and Libby,

  So I took a little hiatus from the blog, but don't worry, I am back and I will catch up with everything we have been doing....you all have been keeping me busy!  (Stay tuned for tomorrow).  Thank you so much for making Mother's Day 2011 so special.  What a great day and an eventful weekend too!  I loved waking up to breakfast in bed (thanks to Daddy and Dinners on the Porch), my pink golf clubs Joanna picked out, my beautiful cards, my special gifts you all made at school, and church and lunch at Old Town.  The best part was really just being with both of you and Daddy all day long.  It is such a privilege to be your mommy and it is the best job anyone could ever have!  I love you more than you will ever know and the fact that I get to be with you every day is such a blessing! 
  Joanna, you are such a sweet girl and my favorite thing about you is how loving and caring you are.  You are always giving me and Daddy hugs and kisses and you are the best big sister ever!  Thank you for always looking out for your little sister....seeing the way you and Libby love each other melts my heart every day.  You are always looking out for her- helping her with her coat, putting on and taking off her socks and shoes for her, getting a drink for her, and all the other sweet things you do to help!  You certainly make my job a lot easier and sometimes, I wonder if I am Libby's mom or if you have taken over the job!  You told me last week that Libby was your very best friend and that was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard.  I hope you all will always love each other this way.  You are also such a smart girl and I am amazed at some of the things you tell me.  I am so proud when you say the whole Lord's Prayer in church or you tell me stories about things you are learning in school.  What a treat it is to hear about your day! You love to read books, play with your dolls, play princesses, run and jump outside and on the trampoline, make art and be with your friends.  You are such a special special girl and I am so proud to be your mommy!!!!! 
  Libby, my precious baby girl....my favorite thing about you is your sweet personality! You are so loving too and when you run up to Daddy and me with your kisses, I can't think of anything any cuter.  You are growing up fast like your big sister and you are talking so much now.  I love it that you have named yourself  "Big Girl Boo".  You tell us it is your name and when we do get you to say your real name, you insist on spelling it too...LBBY.  I know you know it is missing a letter but I think you just say it that way so Joanna and I will correct you a thousand times!  You, too, love your sister so much!  Every day, you can't wait to see her and the days that she goes to school and you are home with me, I know you ask me at least 10 times- Go get Joanna now?  You run to her when you get upset and she hugs you fiercely. You ask her to help you with your shoes and you want to do everything she does.  I love it that you all love each other so much and I am so proud of my girls!  You are such a smart girl too and your vocabulary astounds me.  Every day you say something that often causes me to do a double take!  You love to laugh, you love to play with trains and cars, you love to carry things around with you, you love Mickey Mouse and Ariel and you love to wear a bow in your hair- you insist on never leaving the house without one!  You are our special baby girl and I am so proud to be your mommy too! 
  Mother's Day is special because being your mom is the best!  It is also a little bittersweet because I miss my mom so much and I am sad that you won't get to know her. JoAnn Slaughter was the best mother ever and she truly dedicated her life to me.  She was one of the strongest most loving people I have ever known.  You might not be able to see her now, but know she is your guardian angel in heaven and she is watching over you!  I see so much of her in both of you and what a blessing that is.  I know she is one proud Mama Jo in heaven! 
   Thank you again for making today and every day so special for me just because YOU are YOU!  I love you more than you know!  Your Mommy
 

Here we go!

So anyone that knows me very well knows that I have a hard time staying at home all day....I LOVE to be on the go.  I love my house and I love downtime too, but I love to be out doing things and you all, Joanna and Libby, both got this honestly from me.  You love to GO too!!!!

So here we are at the end of Day 2 for spring break and today we have been on the go!  Yesterday, we woke up to snow and bitter cold and it definitely put a damper on our plans.  We were supposed to go to the zoo this week and Lazy 5 Ranch, but this is not spring break weather.  I wanted the 70s and 80s weather of last week....but these are the things we have no control over.  I am just so glad that we have these days- cold or warm- to be together and do fun things!  So Day 1, we had pajama day and you all stayed home all day.  The markers, paper, and playdough got lots of use and it was a treat to get to watch Pocahontas and a couple of TV shows too....(you must have thought I had lost my mind since I let you watch that much TV!!!)

When I woke up this morning and saw the bright sunshine, I knew we had to get out of here and it turned out to be the best weather day!  We loaded up the car and headed to Greensboro to the Nature Science Center.  I have always loved this place but we had not been here since last summer.  You all had the best time!  We started off inside with the snakes and sea life and Joanna, you asked a million questions about each thing.  I love your inquisitive mind....and I am amazed how much you retain!  Libby, you were most excited about all the fish we saw and the water.  You love water.....I can't wait for the pool this summer because I don't think I know any child who loves water more than you.  You pointed it out in each exhibit and wanted to see the bubbles and touch the water!  How fun it was for you all to get to touch the starfish, the sea urchin, and helmet crab. 

Then we met up with some friends and headed outside to see the animals.  A turkey greeted us at the door and came right up to us.  I have never been that close to one and you all weren't scared one bit....I, on the other hand, was doing a good job to pretend that I wasn't afraid either.  Then we went to see the sheep and goats and you brushed their coats and we had the best time seeing tigers, monkeys, alpaca, burros, wallabies, and more....

with Margaret and Hunter Blythe

 

It was such a fun day and you all loved being outside together.  It was so fun for me to watch you all together- Joanna and Libby. There was a great bridge in the woods and Libby needed help going down the hill and Joanna, you were so sweet to come get here and take her by the hand.  You all had so much fun running together that you must have gone over that bridge and through the woods four or five times! 

   After most of the day at the museum, we loaded back up in the car and headed home, but we made one pit stop on the way home- Swoozies.  Another things my girls love as much as I do is shopping and what fun we had looking around and making lists for the Easter Bunny!  Everything is fun with the two of you! We left some tired girls and now it is time for Mommy to come with a plan for Day 3- Spring Break 2011. 

I Love You!

We have had a busy week just doing everyday things like going to school, ballet, and gymnastics.  Mommy has also had a few meetings and was trying to get a lot done before spring break!  There has not been anything extraordinary this week, but every day with you is special.  The thing that has warmed my heart the most this week is how much you, Libby & Joanna, love each other! 

I grew up with my parents telling me every day how much they loved me and I don't think any phone conversation with them since I left for college has not ended in "I love you!"  To this day, I never hang up with my Daddy without us telling each other "I love you"  Your Daddy and I are the same way....even if I talk to him 10 times a day, we always say "I love you"  And you all have certainly heard those three little words A LOT in your short life!  We tell you all the time.....

But my very favorite is when I hear you all tell each other how much you love each other.  I love that when we take Libby to school, Joanna walks her to her classroom and hugs and kisses her before we leave and says "I love you Libby"  and she says "I wuv you Janna (as she calls you)"

And as soon as I pick up Libby from school, she runs to me and says-"Get Jannna Now, Get Jannna Now"  She loves her big sister so much and has the biggest smile on her face when Joanna walks out of the school to the car.  And Joanna gets in the car and often goes to Libby's seat and kisses her.  It melts my heart each time!  When Libby gets hurt, Joanna is often the first to run and kiss her and console her.  Libby also likes to make sure that Joanna is okay too!  You all play so well together now and I hope that you will always be close.  Being an only child, I always wanted a sister and I love that you all will always have each other. I would be remiss if I didn't say that you all have your moments when you don't share and Libby pulls your hair, Joanna, and bops you on the head,  and Joanna, you, take some toy from her, but your love for each other is big and that is what is most important!  The random times we are riding in the car or when you all are playing and you say "I wuv you Janna" or "I love you Libby" are truly extraordinary moments!  Of course, I love to hear "I wuv you Mommy" too!!!!!!!



Daddy's Girl

Tonight was the annual Father's Day Dance at Old Town Club!  It is such a special night because she gets to go on a date with, according to Joanna,  "her favorite boy in the whole world."  She absolutely loves her Daddy so much and the feeling is definitely mutual.  She has had him wrapped around her finger since she entered the world.

Daddy and Joanna went to the first Father-Daughter dance last April and she had so much fun that she has been talking about it for the past year.  Here are a few pictures from 2010...

Father Daughter Dance 2010

2010

Joanna loves to get dressed up and insisted that she have a "beautiful twirly princess dress" for the Father-Daughter dance.  Ever since we mentioned the upcoming event, she has been talking about this twirly party dress and describing exactly what she wanted.  After suggesting a few options in her closet, I realized that my 4 year old had in her mind exactly what she wanted and that she loves clothes as much as I do, a trait I inherited from my mom too!  So off I set to find a pink twirly party dress.....I searched high and low and thanks to a good friend, we found this one!  My little girl was thrilled and the look on her face when she saw it was worth all the trouble.  She put her hands on her face and exclaimed. "Oh Mommy, it is beautiful and Daddy is going to love it!  Let's surprise him and not tell him about the dress."  Funny thing, she was so excited about the dress that as soon as Daddy walked into the house on Tuesday night, she said to him "we have a surprise dress for the dance but we can't show you!" 

Daddy made the night more special by bringing home flowers and a corsage for his pretty little date and she was thrilled! 

And they were off....to take pictures with some other sweet little girls and their Fathers.



Helen Wilson, Alice Neelon, Hillary Dunn, Joanna, Lucy Neelon, Mercer Sullivan, Anna Frances Wilson, and Nell Chandler




Dads and Daughters



 Joanna and Daddy had a great time and she danced the night away! She loved dancing with her friends, eating ice cream sundaes and having some special dances with her Daddy!  She came home with adorable picture frames and she went to bed with the picture of her and her first love on her bedside table!

What a night....

Libby and Mommy had our own date too, and she got to have dinner with her special friends Oliver and Charlie at West End Cafe!  All three of them were so good and loved seeing the goldfish!  Sweet Libs will get to go next year and she can be Daddy's girl too.  Right now, she is into Mommy!  Daddy asked Libby for a kiss the other night and she said, "No Daddy....I Mommy's girl" and promptly came over and gave Mommy a kiss!  I have to admit I was thrilled because both girls have been Daddy's girls from day one!
We love these girls so much!!!!!  I hope they will always be Mommy and Daddy's girls!

Next year will be my turn too!

  

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day has become quite the holiday around our house....the excitement for today has been building up for the last week and finally it arrived!  At school, both girls have been learning a lot about shamrocks and leprechauns.  They have had class parties, built leprechaun traps, had green snacks and played with all green toys for the past few days! 

We have also been getting ready at home....Last night before bed, we read our books about those funny little green men who are always looking for the pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow and we set our trap....we filled a shoebox covered with aluminum foil (because leprechauns are attracted to all things shiny) with Lucky charms and Joanna put it in her closet because she was sure that is where the leprechaun would come. 

Sure enough, that silly leprechaun came to see us....but he somehow managed to avoid our trap.  He ate all the Lucky charms (and he spilled a few on the floor) but he left us a box full of coins.  Joanna was right, he did visit her closet!  He also mananged to pull a few tricks so we would know for sure he was here.  He turned our potty water green, left green confetti in all the sinks, and left shamrocks scattered all over the floor upstairs and all the way down to the kitchen!

When we went down to the kitchen, we found the surprises the leprechaun left us!  He left us our own pot o' gold chocolates and gold and green necklaces and shamrock glasses!  He also left us green dresses to wear to school!  We were ready for St. Patrick's Day!

To add to all the excitement, we made rainbow cupcakes to celebrate the special day and to share with our friends!  Joanna is quite the baker and she loved adding the food coloring to make the different colors and also the using the mixer!

We love holidays at our house and any excuse for crazy fun!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  May all your blessings outnumber the shamrocks in the field! 

Let's Start from the Very Beginning...

I have been wanting to write a blog for a long time now and reading some of my friends' great blogs have truly inspired me.  Also a very special book called Lift  by Kelly Corrigan reminded me that I should record all of this for my girls so they will know their childhood. 

Corrigan writes to her two girls "I heard once that the average person barely knows ten stories from childhood and those are based more on photographs and retellings than memory.  So even with all the videos we take, the two boxes of snapshots under my desk, and the 1276 photos in folders on the computer, you'll be lucky to end up with a dozen stories.  You won't remember how it started with us, the things that I know about you that you don't even know about yourselves.  We won't come back here.  You'll remember middle school and high school, but you'll have changed by then.  You changing will make me change. That means you won't ever know me as I am right now- the mother I am tonight and tomorrow, the mother I've been for the last eight years, every bath and book and birthday party gone.  It won't hit you that you're missing this chapter of our story until you see me (your mother) push your child on a swing or untangle his jump rope or wave a bee away from his head and think -Is that what she was like with me?"

When I read this book a year ago, this struck a cord inside of me, and I have gone back to it a lot as it sits on my bedside table every day.  I think it particularly hits home because I think of my mom and how she died before Joanna and Libby came along and how I don't know exactly what she was like when I was a little girl.....I have the pictures and lots of great memories but I don't know the day to day.  It is time to start what I have been putting off for way too long! Here goes...


Dear Joanna and Libby, this is for you- a record of your childhood.  Joanna, you are 4 1/2 now and Libby, you are 2, so Mommy has a little bit of catching up to do, but I will get it all here eventually!  I hope that it will be a glimpse at what every precious day is like with you and what a blessing you are to Daddy and me. You make our life complete and we couldn't love you anymore.  I thank God every day that He entrusted you to Daddy and me.....the best things that have ever happened to us!  Here's to holding onto every memory!