Madison's CBS Christmas Songs

Walking in holding the rope...  "Hi Mama & Daddy!"

Last Wednesday Precious Girl performed some songs and verses for parents at Community Bible Study! This year she and I have been going together without her best bud, Lulu. Madison misses her, but loves to tell her all about the friends and fun stuff she does without her (it sometimes makes her jealous... I think my little spitfire knows this ;)

Just look at that smile... she was SO proud of herself ;) Daddy came from work to see her sing, and we were both in the front row to cheer her on. She wanted to wear her "pretty sparkle dress" and shoes to her performance, Thanks Nonna!!

Waving to her adoring fans!

I thought she looked so grown-up in this picture... how is it that my baby will be THREE in just a few weeks?!? What a beautiful, beautiful girl she is ;)

Here's a quick video of Madison 'singing'. She did a little singing, but mostly just hanging out and jumping. Their favorite song to in CBS is "Jump into the Light" and they have a blast singing it every week. Her little friend Courtney was so sweet and wanted to put her arm around her. LOL.

Madison and Teagan... sweet friends ;) 

Love you sweet Maddie Gracie! So proud of you learning about Jesus every week and singing for us ;) We love to hear you singing, whether we are sitting in an audience or listening to you in the car, you make us smile and sing along!

Madison's First Movie

During Uncle Matt's visit, we took Madison to see her very first movie, "Peguins of Madagascar." I don't know which one she loved more, the movie or the popcorn and sour patch kids. LOL!

Daddy, Maddie and Uncle Matt getting their tickets. She was so excited!

Mama, Maddie and Lulu waiting for the movie to start.

Uncle Matt bought popcorn and sour patch kids and shared some with Madison and Lindsay... I think they ate their weight in special treats!

New Do'.. If you notice from the picture above, I got a haircut!! In October I donated over 10 inches to a fantastic organization that makes hair pieces for cancer patients. What a joyful way to try out a new look... I hope it will make a precious lady in the battle of her life feel special and pretty ;)

Sweet girl with big feet (not really)

She sat next to Daddy and wanted him to hold her hand if she got scared ;) Thankfully, it was a pretty funny movie and there wasn't any 'scary' parts! She laughed at the jokes in the movie and watched it all the way through, with only 1 bathroom break. I haven't been to the movies in a while, and I was shocked with the amount of trailers- 45 minutes worth?!? Not cool for kids. Or adults.

Lindsay and Maddie had to try out the arcade in the theater too. They played the dance game and sat in the photo booth before we left to go have lunch! Yay big girl Maddie!! Family movie times ahead!

Thanksgiving & Uncle Matt's Visit

Uncle Matt came to visit the east coast and have Thanksgiving with us this year! We had a lot of fun and made some sweet memories ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Uncle Matt was a good sport and played along with his nieces's pretend-play. I think he was a famous chef, a school teacher and attended at least four tea parties...LOL.

We showed Uncle Matt around Princeton, and we were so excited he was here for the first snow of the season!

We ate hamburgers (Matt's favorite meal since I can remember) at 30 Burger in Princeton

Matt in front of Nassau Hall.. Roar!

Inside the Chapel on Campus at Princeton... I think the stainglass windows were his favorite!

With all the snow and frigid temps, we couldn't wait until it warmed up a bit to take the girls to the park. Uncle Matt had fun pushing the girls on the swings and helping them climb the jungle gym ;)

Jarrett took ] Matt into NYC the day after Thanksgiving and had fun showing him around the city. First on his stop was the World Trade Center Memorial.

911 Memorial

They walked to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty across the harbor...

Lady Liberty

Took a taxi uptown to Times Square...

Say Cheese!

There is just something magical about NYC at Christmas time. The city is ablaze with lights and decorations, and there is lots of sparkle! It was around this time the first time J and I visited NYC 9 years ago, and it was fun to share our expereinces with Matt.

Radio City Music Hall

They walked to Rockefeller Center and saw the skating rink and famous tree (unlit), the lighting was scheduled for a few days later.

Alhtough it was black friday, they didn't do much shopping, unless you count looking in store windows ;)

The gorgous star that would go on the top of the tree in Rockefeller Center.

Swarovski crystal...serious bling!

Jarrett snapped this pic and texted it to me...

Check out Harry Winston...A building bedazzeled with jewels. Fabulous!

Seeing all the Christmas decorations in NYC got us in the spirit to decorate at home!

The girls have their own tree (my old one from my first apt) in their playroom they decorate and re-decorate.

Thank you for a wonderful visit Uncle Matt! Come back to visit soon!! Love You!!

TEN Year Anniversary

One of J's gifts, hung in our bedroom ;) 

On November 27th, my sweetheart and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary!! This year it happened to fall on Thanksgiving, and although we shared it with a holiday, we found time to exchange gifts and commemorate our milestone ;) 

In the morning I woke up to two little ladies hopping into bed and yelling, "Happy Anniversary Mama!" They were excited to take me downstairs where Daddy had set up some presents. They were beautifully wrapped, and after ten years being married, knew Jarrett must have found someone to wrap them for him..lol. A special thank you to the sweet lady in his office :)

A Tea set!!

Jarrett knew for years I have wanted a tea set, and having two little girls meant it would get lots of use! One of my favorite memories when we visited London was when we had high tea at Harrods. It was so fancy, and I just loved the china, teacakes, cream, sugar.. the whole experience. J, being the kind and thoughtful husband he is, gave me the gift of re-creating that precious memory with my girls :)

Now, Jarrett is the king of gift-giving in our house. I really do try, but he ALWAYS out does me. Every year. For example, for our five year anniversary, I was big and pregnant with Lindsay and thought he had completely forgotten. I got him a card (we always agree to do cards) and then he went ahead and left a ring box on my dessert plate, which had my wedding ring (which I couldn't wear because of fat fingers) with an upgraded diamond!! And all I say is, "Where's my pie?!" In my defense, I was pregnant after all. But seriously, don't mess with a pregnant lady's pie. 

So this year, being a milestone I was determined to surprise him. After ten years, he knows me pretty well and I have a hard time keeping secrets. Plus we share a bank account. LOL. My idea was to create a slide show of precious memories we've shared through our years together. Enjoy!

As we watched it together we laughed, smiled and cried. Seeing his face was the best gift ever ;) 

God has blessed me beyond measure with you as my husband, and every day I am honored to be your wife :) Through the good times and bad, through sickness and health, and after ten years and forever, I will always say "I do!" I love you, J. xoxo

Lindsay's Thanksgiving Show

Sassy little Miss!!

 Lindsay's preschool had a Thanksgiving show and feast! Her Pre-4 class were dressed as Pilgrams, and the Pre-3 class were little turkeys ;) They performed on the stage in the gym, and it was too adorable.

 Daddy and his Pilgram and Turkey ;)

Lindsay has been in a skirt phase since summer. Every morning we have the same discussion:
Me: Let's wear jeans today! (In an excited voice)
Lindsay: I want to wear a skirt.
Me: But it's FREEZING outside. Just look- (we open the window to see snow)
Lindsay: I hate cold. I wish it were warm. I want to wear a skirt. I guess I will wear tights maybe leggings. How about snow boots? (as opposed to pink sparkly Mary Janes)
Me: (laughing) Your teacher is going to think I am crazy sending my daughter to school in winter with a skirt every.single.day! What about playing on the playground? Won't you be more comfortable in jeans or pants?
Lindsay: Nope. It is too cold to go outside. (Touche little one. Touche)

Needless to say, I let her wear a skirt over leggings most cold days... I keep thinking, how long will this last? Then we show up at preschool and I see five other girls wearing skirts in frigid weather and realize it is a pretty common problem! Lindsay has always been a girlie girl, and feels pretty in skirts, so we will just enjoy this season of life and take lots of pictures to remember these sweet days ;) There is plenty of time for jeans...LOL.

 Here we are at the feast.. I brought carrots, cucumber and ranch. I thought for sure no one would eat it next to all the goodies, but shockingly, it was empty. I guess there are some healthy eaters in her class. You can see on my girls plates they opted for the sugar. LOL.

Artwork by Lindsay, 4.5 years

What we've been up to...

1. Lindsay had her first field trip to the local firehouse this week. It was adorable that they were able to walk from the school a block to the station. She came home and told me all about Stop Drop and Roll and to call 9-1-1. Papa would be proud!!

2. Grammy sent me Gigi's (my Grandma's) pudding cups. One of my fondest memories was making/ eating chocolate pudding from these cups and I got to carry on the tradition with my sweet girls...

3. We got a Charming Charlie's in the shopping center by our house, and what girl doesn't love a store dedicated completely to accessories?!  The girls had fun trying on tiaras and playing princess!

4. Enjoying the last few days before it gets C-O-L-D. The three amigos, Lindsay, Madison and Teagan at our favorite park.

 5. Where's Molly?! Madison had fun hiding all her friends in unexpected places lately, which makes bed time even later when you can't find her special puppy, Molly...LOL.

 6. Enjoying the season of colors... The girls and I went for a walk in the park by the lake one day to just admire God's glorious work. The water was so still it looked like glass and we could see the reflection of the trees.

 7. Leaves, leaves and more leaves. The big tree in our yard keeps me busy raking.. too bad we can't wear tank tops in winter, because my arms are going to be toned! LOL. Madison loves help me by jumping in the pile and throwing the leaves in the air ;)

Halloween

This year for Halloween we carved pumpkins, did some trick or treating and attended lots of parties! As the years pass, I find myself dreading Halloween. The girls enjoy the elements of dressing in costumes and candy, but the celebration of death, evil and gore bothers me as a follower of Christ. 

As the girls grow older, I am beginning to see this holiday as an opportunity to talk about evil in our world and the message of redemption and eternal life in Christ. This year we started a new tradition, and read the story of  The Pumpkin Patch Parable as we carved our pumpkins. The story is about a farmer who picks out a special pumpkin from his garden, and scoops out all the messy "goo" to make room for his light to shine from inside. In the same way, God's transforming love can fill each of our hearts with joy and light. 

EWWW!! Gross! 

Lulu dressed up this year as Ariel the Mermaid.

While Lindsay went to her preschool party, Madison and I went to the Farmers Market where they had a costume contest and children's sing-a-long.

Madison was a Cowgirl, from her favorite show Sheriff Callie.

We also want to wish Auntie Sarah a very Happy Birthday!!

Sheriff Maddie (2.5 yrs) and Mermaid Lindsay (4.5 yrs)