Sweet Gracie

August 2009

{Written by Joanna Rogers} Jaime was singing a duet with her friend, Courtney, in the Sunday evening service at Pine Terrace Baptist Church. One of Jaime's dreams growing up was to sing for the Lord, so Mom, Dad, and Gigi were happy to among those in attendance to hear her sing. Upon entering the church, it occurred to Mimi that Sydney and Gracie may need to be present at the service as well. I thought it would be a blessing to them to see and hear their mommy sing. When retrieving the girls from children's church, I notice that they were quite disheveled and not real coordinated in their attire, (see explanation for this), so for a moment, I reconsidered whether or not they should come into "big church". Swallowing my pride, it seemed only right to bring them in. The service was lovely and we were all enjoying Jaime ministering through song, when I cast a glance at Sydney and Gracie and noticed that tears were streaming down Gracie's face. After Jaime's song concluded, I walked them over to children's church. During that time, I asked Gracie why she had been crying in church. She said, "Because it was so beautiful, Mimi!" Wow!!!

Explanation: Mommy did not dress the girls for church that evening, as she had to be there early to rehearse her song :)

Sydney and Gracie in Gymnastics

Three days ago, I got to see my girls in their gymnastics class. Sydney takes it very seriously. She stays engaged the entire time doing roll-overs, cart-wheels, head and hand stands, etc. She is actually pretty good. She is an active child, so this is right up her alley.

Gracie, on the other hand, likes to play and she is not yet as strong as Sydney. So, Gracie kind of flops her way through her moves. The teacher worked with Gracie a bit on her cart-wheels and head stands. So, Gracie is up against this soft wall thing and is desperately trying to do a head stand when the instructor comes to her and helps her lift her body. She falls and before trying again she says, "This thing is heavy!". Her instructor can't help but laugh. The "thing" she is talking about is her hind side and legs. She finally achieves a nice head stand with the giggling instructor's help :)

A Snow Day In the Florida Panhandle!

On Friday, February 12, 2010 it snowed in North Florida! Schools closed and we all had the chance to spend the day together. It was me and the three girls (Sydney, Gracie, and Alliana). The snow didn't stick, but it sure looked beautiful falling from the sky!

"Kitty Bou"

When I was in high school I had a cat named "Bou". Her name meant Blessed Of Us, therefore her name was Bou. She was a sweet cat. She was multi-colored cat who just liked to hang out. When my mom and step-dad married I had to get rid of Bou. I was devistated. Fast forward 7 years and I adopted a brand new Bou or Bou 2 as I called her. She was also a multi-colored cat. I loved her too, but she went crazy after having kittens so back to the shelter she went.

3 years later, in 2010, my kids still talk about "Kitty Bou". They loved her so much and she was extremely patient with them, until she had the kittens. They have asked me over and over to get another Kitty Bou. Should I grant them this wish?

I will try to pull up a picture of Kitty Bou and post it soon :)

A Priceless Conversation that was Meant for Secrecy

So, I am folding clothes in my bedroom when Sydney, Gracie and their friend from next door, Aliana, come walking into their room. I decide to listen in to their conversation. This is what I heard-

Aliana was telling Sydney that a boy named Justin likes her. Justin had told Aliana that he would do anything to be Sydney's boyfriend. He would carry her books. He would buy her jewelry. He would hold her hand and tell her that's she's a cool girl. Aliana says that if Sydney won't agree to marry him "He will wait forever for her". Aliana was doing her best sales pitch. I was really trying to stifle my laughter. Then it got better...

Sydney tells Aliana that she doesn't like Justin like that. She wants to marry Benjamin. Benjamin is, in my opinion, an annoying little boy who is 2 years older than her. Aliana says that Benjamin is not a good boy and he will be "like 40" when she is "like 20". Aliana says that Sydney won't like her life with Benjamin because all he will do is sit around and boss her around. She is still trying to convince Sydney that Justin is the better choice. Sydney still insists that she doesn't like Justin, so Aliana says, "Fine! It's your choice, but he isn't going to make you happy!". By this time, I can barely contain myself. I can't believe that I am hearing this conversation.

5 minutes later, Sydney changes her mind. She doesn't like Benjamin anymore... Now, she want to marry Preston! Oh man! How priceless is this!?

In the end, they got the big bear from the living room and they are now dancing with the bear... pretending that he is Prince Charming! I LOVE little girls!

The Little Girl With a Huge Heart

Last year, I taught first grade at Benny Russell Elementary School. I had some precious little ones in my class. There was one little girl in particular that impressed me. Her name is Christy. She is a little blonde-haired, blued eyed, precious little girl. Close to Christmas, we were starting to exchange gifts. Kids brought me flowers, candles, and bath stuff. I just loved getting little gifts from my students. It touched my heart.

One morning, Christy came in with two small packages. One for me and one for the person I co-taught with. Inside my package was a little bear. It was obvious that the bear had been someone's toy. It was a little dirty and matted. I hugged Christy because the gift was so sweet. A day later, her mother wrote a note to us. Her mother said that Christy wanted to give us a gift and since they did not have money, Christy looked through her toy box and found two stuffed animals that were special to her. She gave us two things that meant so much to her. I was so touched by that one little girl who gave so much to me. I still have the bear. I will always keep it and treasure it.

The gift is not what matters. It is simply the heart with which one gives a gift. The bear is like gold to me. So precious. To be young again and have the heart of child. A heart that is not hard- a heart that digs deep and gives everything it has.

Sawing Pumpkins

The kids came home in great moods today. Logan, Sydney, Gracie, and the neighbor girl, Alianna, were playing happily in the back yard. I watched them as they climbed trees and read books. Since they were playing peacefully, I decided to do some Christmas shopping online. I bought a couple things for Sydney, Gracie, Luke, Logan, and Marty. I was proud of myself. I spent 30 minutes online and found some good deals. During my shopping time online, Sydney was outside with a little keyboard singing "The Star Spangled Banner". She loves to sing.

So, it got kind of quiet and I decided to investigate. As I walked out the door, I noticed several small pieces of pumpkin on the picnic table. Gracie was filling a small glove with water. Logan was playing with Alianna. Logan and Alianna were standing close together with their hands behind their back, looking quite suspicious. As I moved closer, I noticed Logan give Alianna whatever was behind his back.

To make a long story short. They had one of Marty's little saws. They had been sawing pumpkins. While I thought it was humorous, I also thought about the safety factor. So, I told Gracie that she had time out. She proceeded to scream at me, so she ended up with ten minutes and two stikes (three strikes and you're out!). Logan ended up with fifteen minutes time out and two strikes because he was the one playing with Daddy's saw without permission. There were many tears and complaints, but they finally chose to submit. They cleaned up their mess and faced their punishment. See, if they got three strikes they would miss "SpongeBob Squarepants: Truth or Square" (movie) and roasting marshmellows.

What makes kids decide to do stuff like saw pumpkins?