Tennesee

One of Savannah’s gym meets was in Tennessee. Mike’s parents flew out to come with us. It was amazing. Savannah did a good job. She was a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. They had two different meets going on at the same time. She had a hard time focusing, but it was still fun. We booked the hotel that we thought was right outside the convention center where the meet was held. Um, nope. Luckily for us, Mike booked the wrong hotel. The one we stayed at was the “Wilderness Lodge”. We had like five bedrooms and a huge tub that was bigger than the Jacuzzi my grandparents had when I was little. The best part was the indoor water park. Everybody had a good time, me included.

Savannah

Savannah has been so busy this year. She has just completed her competition season in gymnastics. She was excited to be a prep-op gymnast. Up to this point she had always competed compulsory routines. Which meant that every gymnast did the exact same routine. This year she had her own floor music and her own beam routine, and bar routine as well. Optionals are fun. She got to show her cute personality through her routines. I’m really proud of Savannah. She is not the strongest gymnast on her team, but she is always excited for her friends and proud of herself as well. I admire Savannah. She has a strong sense of self. She knows who she is. She’s a good example to her friends and she is a missionary in every situation.

Savannah informed me at the beginning of the season that I wasn't a very supportive mom. Truthfully, there are moms that hang out at the gym the entire time their daughter is practicing. I just don't have nine extra hours in my week. But, I did sign up to be the team mom. This basically meant that I would give the girls a cute treat after each of the meets. The booster club gave me some bags to put the goodies in. They weren't very cute. So, I did a number on them. I think Savannah understood that I love her and support her, but I just can't sit around for 9 hours in the gym.

Before and After

Savannah qualified to compete in the State USAG Prep-op Gold gymnastics meet in Acworth. She did great. She got her first 9. She scored a 9.0 on beam and placed 6th in the state. We’re proud of her .

Arial View

Vault

Bars Beam

Floor
Savannah has decided to take a step back from gymnastics after this. She wants to be home with us more. She wants to be in the school play and run track. She’s going to swim this summer and decide if she wants to swim year round. She is such a talented fun girl. She’s good at everything. I’m proud of her.
Savannah turned 12 just before the first of the year which meant she could play….wait for it…..church basketball!!! Savannah has moves that church ball has NEVER seen.

She hustles better than anyone, and you should have seen the way she led the rest of the bench in a cheer.

She actually did get a lot better as the season progressed and helped the team win the Lilburn Stake championship. The weekend of the tournament Savannah was dying to have a slumber party with her friend Allison from 5th grade. Allison is a rock star basketball player and jumped at the chance to sleepover and play in a tournament. It took Allison a few minutes to gain the respect of the older girls, but it wasn’t long before the whole stake could see that she was a secret weapon. The team won 3 games in a row that Saturday. The championship game was to be held the next weekend. Savannah was going to be in Tennessee for a gym meet. This did not deter coach Amy from contacting Allison and inviting her to participate in the final game. They won the game and I think it was thanks to the missionary efforts of my oldest child, Savannah Mae. Allison and her family had a great time at the game. It gave them a positive outlook on the church. Who knows what could happen?

Savannah is a good sister. She loves her sibblings very much. She'll be a great mom some day.

Alyssa

Alyssa has been having a fun 2011 so far. The week long snow day in January gave her a chance to build a snow fort and ride 4-wheelers with her friends.

Alyssa & Hunter vs. Savannah, Chloe, & Emily

She received from Santa a guitar and lessons. Brother Mitchell from the Lawrenceville ward called us soon after the 1st of January to set up the lessons. Santa is awesome, and so is Brother Mitchell. He comes to our house every Tuesday. He had Alyssa hooked the very first week. His first question to her was, “What do you want to learn?” When she responded, “Taylor Swift and Sweet Home Alabama.” He then started playing Sweet Home Alabama. She was in awe and ready to learn. Every week before he leaves our house he takes the time to tell her how talented she is and how proud of her he is. My Alyssa thrives on positive reinforcement. I’m very grateful for Brother Mitchell. Alyssa loves to play and sing for all of her friends, aunts and uncles, & parents. Alyssa has started her spring soccer season. She has the same team and the same coaches as she had in the fall. Alyssa has been practicing during recess at school. She loves to give me the dailey report of which boy she beat on the soccer field or whos’ goal she blocked. She gets very passionate when someone interferes with the play of the game. Alyssa scored 3 goals in her first game. She has been enjoying the goalie coaching she gets during each practice. She loves to show me how dirty and nasty she gets when she’s goalie.

Keeper of the Year

Fancy Footwork

Give me the BALL!

Throw in

Not Today, This Ball is MINE!

Nice Hustle!

Coach Mike

Alyssa decided that she would like to participate in the science fair at school. She talked with her cousin Cammon about what a good project would be. She decided to test what liquid pansies like to drink. I bought 4 pansies and she labeled each container A-D. She fed one water, one olive oil, one baking soda, and one lemon juice. She thought that the one fed water would thrive the best. I thought so too. But surprise, the lemon juice did the best. Alyssa fed the plants for four weeks. When we were out of town, she arranged with Chuck Dalton, our neighbor, to feed her plants. Alyssa was very proud of herself when we went to set up her presentation. Her teacher, Mrs. Anderson, was there and very attentive to Alyssa. I love to watch Mrs. Anderson talk to Alyssa. She hugs her, she tells her that she is “precious”, she is always loving. I’m very proud of Alyssa. She’s a good girl and a light in our home.

Making her presentation board

Day 1

Baking soda, week 4

Logan

My Guy

Poser

I never even dreamed that having a boy in the house would be this fun. There are a few things that are just uniquely boy.
1- Obsessions with dirt and tractors.
2- Hugs that can melt your heart.
3- Thinks bodily noises are hilarious.
4- Hates winter because he just wants to go outside

5- Wants Daddy when it's time to play and Mommy when it's time to snuggle

Logan has had kind of a rough go of it so far this year. He had tubes put in and his adnoids taken out. Alyssa had the same surgery when she was 18 months old. her recovery was absolutely nothing. But, poor Logan, he fevered for a full week afterward. He really wasn't my happy guy for two weeks. We are all hoping that the tubes will solve our ear infection woes.


All smiles on his way into the hospital, not so much on the way out

Gracie

Emma Grace is at such a cute age. She keeps us smiling even when we feel like crying. Here are a few of her latest:

1- At church a month or so ago I found myself in the hall with two rowdy children. (Logan and Emma Grace) While we were wondering the halls Logan discovered that he is now tall enough to play in the water fountain. Oh what joy, he was just so cute that I didn’t have the heart to stop him. And, truth be told he wasn’t completely soaked, so why bother. He was finally happy. Well, Emma Grace knows that playing in the water fountain is not acceptable Sunday behavior and she was going to see to it that her brother learned his lesson. On her approach toward Logan I warned her not to touch him. So, she stopped a few feet away, started performing a beautiful tap dance accompanied by a lovely song about not playing in the water fountain. She really put on a good show and had Logan paid any attention at all he maybe would have learned his lesson. As it stood, water is far to distracting. Emma Grace seeing that her quest was futile, stomped her feet, marched back to where I stood watching, put her hands on her hips and with a big sigh said, “Well, that didn’t work.”

Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam

2- Our little darling started attending the “Sunbeam” class in “Big Primary” at church. I just have to say before I start that Emma Grace really hated nursery. It wasn’t the leaders in nursery. I’m not really certain what the problem was, but the child would not go to nursery unless Mike or I stayed with her. So, it was with baited hook that we waited to see what her reaction would be to Sunbeams. We taught her the “Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam” song, we talked, but not too much, about how great big primary is, and then we took her to her new class.
Oh happy day, she loved it! Sister Hammond was there to greet her as soon as we walked in the door. Emma Grace looked at her and said, “Hi, I am Emma Grace. I’m 3 days old.” (I keep trying to tell her that she years not days, but when you’re nervous you revert back to old habits.) Anyway, she absolutely loved it. Her only complaint was that I took too long to come and get her. I guess I’m glad she missed me. I missed her too. But, I still get to enjoy nursery because she taught Logan everything she knows before moving on.

3- Emma Grace loves pink. She loves the color so much that she feels it a very important part of who she is. It is not a rare thing to hear her say, "hello, I'm Gracie. My fabrit color is pink."

Pink, Pink, Pink!

4- We love to play tea party and store. While shopping at Hobby Lobby the other day Gracie put her selections on the counter and said, "Hello my maam. We would like these please."

Gracie and Lacy

5- Gracie is so full of love. There are times when she just cannot contain it. Her prayer a few nights ago was a great example. In a not small voice she started, "Heavenly Father, I Love EVERYONE. I love mommy and daddy and Granny and Mommy and Cozettie and Nanna and Mommy and Lissy and Grandpa and Mommy and Grandma and Mommy and Logan and Grandad and Daddy and Mommy. Amen" I felt pretty special that I was not left out of her outburst of love.

6- Gracie is starting to sing, ALOT. She makes up little ditties about anything she has to say. My favorite goes like this: I really love as you, you I love as you. I really really love as you.

She sings it over and over, and if you interupt or think she is finished she lets you know how rude you are to interupt her beautiful music.


7- Gracie loves to dance. Her and Logan enjoy improv.

Note the prints on the dishwasher, they're footprints

8- Gracie can wink with both eyes!

Right eye

Left eye

It starts

As part of Alyssa's Christmas class party Mrs. Anderson planned a Christmas in the Big Woods. The parents brought in breakfast of hot cakes, biscuits, bacon, sausage, grits, and O.J.

We played games, and then the kids had a square dance. Mrs. Anderson told the kids that at a real square dance there was no teacher to assign partners. The boys were in charge of asking the girls to dance, and the girls were to be polite.

Well, if that wasn't enough to cause a rukus I don't know what would. The kids were all in a flutter. While they were eating their breakfast the boys would sneak away to ask a girl to dance. The girls were giggling and discussing how many boys had asked them to dance. I asked Alyssa if she had been asked. She said that Luke had asked her and she had told him maybe.

I then walked by the boys table to hear them dicussing the same thing. Some of them were talking about who they were going to ask. One little guy said he was going to ask Alyssa. Well, you should have heard the uproar from Luke. "I already asked her, she's mine." "No. She didn't say yes. Maybe is not yes."

I went back to Alyssa and told her that she needed to say yes or no. That she was causing some drama at the boys table. So, she walked over to their table, waited until she had Lukes full attention and then said, "Yes." Then she walked away.

"Yahoo! Yes! That's the way to get the girl! Give me five!" These are the exclamations heard from the boys. I heard Luke tell Mrs. Anderson all about it. He was very excited.

When the time for dancing came Mrs. Anderson disappointed the Romeo crowd by making them dance with their Moms. The last dance she let them dance with whomever they chose. Timidly they paired off and danced the dance.

Luke and Alyssa have been buddies since kindergarten. He's a sweet boy, but I don't want anyone putting designs on my baby just yet.