Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

happy birthday to you...
happy birthday to you...
happy birthday to mommy...
happy birthday to you...
hope your enjoy this special day!

You are the best mommy in the whole universe !!!!!!!!
thank you for raising  me love livi !!!!!!!!

hey mama i will keep to nice and short so here it goes ..... i am so proud of all the things you have done for me and our family weather that be getting up when you are not feeling good to take to to a birthday party so i love sooooo much even when we drive each other crazy, ella beane.

babe, I could not ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with. every day you show us how courageous you are. you definitely are my hero and I know the girls look up to you for every thing you do, no matter how big or small. I love you to the moon and back!...

what livi is up to in gt so far in 2nd grade

in livi's gt class they've started the unit for the year, -ologies!  they began by looking at scientists.  they read a book about albert einstein as a child, and how his curiosity and endless questioning led him to become one of the world's greatest thinkers.  they brainstormed by drawing stereotypical scientists...most included things like beakers and test tubes, bubbling (or exploding!) concoctions, crazy hair and lab coats.   they then looked at pictures of real scientists and discovered there are many different ways to be a scientist.  they learned that an -ologist is an expert in a field of science.  This year they will focus on a different -ology every few weeks. their first -ology is neurology...the study of the brain.  they are learning about the power of our brain as the "control center" of our whole body.  they looked at a cool life size jello model of a brain and measured its weight.  they read about the plasticity of their brains and found that the way to make them grow is through trying difficult tasks and even making mistakes.  they  made "brain hats" and rotated through activities that exercised the different lobes of the brain and the different thinking and body functions they control.  

my birthday

well yesterday i turned 12 & it was a busy day. i forgot to set my alarm so mommy crawled in bed with me waking me up singing happy birthday. then i was attacked on my way out of my bedroom with crepe paper that mommy surprised me with. it was pretty funny because i didn't have my glasses on & i had no idea what was happening.

when i made it into the bathroom i couldn't see myself very well because mommy had written "you're 12" all over my mirror & of course i'm going to leave it up because it's so fun.

then after i was dressed & ready to go, daddy surprised me with donuts for breakfast... yay! the only bad thing about my birthday this year is that it falls in my 6 week exams so i had to take a major test on my birthday! no worries because i got a 92 on it! after school we went to go eat chinese at my favorite restaurant but we forgot it was closed on tuesdays. so then we just went to the next closet chinese restaurant & it was the worst dinner ever but we had the best time being together as a family & laughing at how horrible everything was! mommy's soup smelt like it had been made from armpit sweat & we couldn't believe when she actually ate some of it!

after dinner we headed to my favorite sweet place for the best french macrons ever! definitely made up for our yucky dinner.

while daddy & i walked down to get the mail livi taught herself how to play happy birthday to you on the piano to surprise me & it was awesome! that girl is way to to to smart!

then it was time to rip into my presents! i got the vera bradley wristlet i've been wanting, the delish marshmallow pumpkin latte soap, a shirt from ivory ella that i've been waiting for forever & the money from their sells help save elephants, money to treat myself to anything i want (within reason of course). the biggest surprise is that my favorite musician is coming to houston next month which i didn't know & i got 3 tickets to go see her, so i can take a friend with mommy & i!!! after all that excitement it was back to studying for my next exam which was not easy at all! 

happy happy birthday to me

happy birthday to me cha cha cha, happy birthday to me cha cha cha, happy birthday dear meeeee, happy birthday to me cha cha cha. i'm gonna have grrrreat day!!! can you believe i'm a BIG 12yr old?!?!?! whoo hoo!!! 

open house

tonight mommy & daddy got to go to my school for open house. which meant they got to go to all my classrooms & meet all my teachers while trying to follow my schedule in a timely manner with school bells & walking in one direction in the hallways only like we do! let's just say, the students won this round & there was a lot of tardy parents. i have to say i do feel bad because there was a lot i mean a lot of lost parents! our school is very confusing when you're just 1st learning it. mommy & daddy really liked seeing all my different rooms & getting to see what i see every day. they really like my teachers & are really happy with how dedicated they are to us. in my math class daddy even got up to participate so my math teacher could show the parents some go the things she does to help us. they feel better after being able to walk the same hallways as me & finally having faces to go with the names from all the emails. 

happy happy birthday nonie!

 happy birthday to you cha cha cha, happy birthday to you cha cha cha, happy birthday dear nonie, happy birthday to you cha cha cha! we wish you a day filled with all things that make you smile & we love you so so so much!!!

happy happy birthday helpa

happy birthday to you cha cha cha, happy birthday to you cha cha cha, happy birthday dear helpa, happy birthday to you cha cha cha. helpa, we love you so much & hope your day is filled with all things that make you smile!!!

coupon day

this year in livi's class if you don't get a mark on your behavioral chart for 3 weeks you earn either extra recess or get a special coupon from mrs. dickson. livi has been looking forward to that 3rd friday since the 1st day of school when she heard about the coupons. you can always earn ways to get extra recess but the collecting a coupon takes it to a whole new level. so last friday it was her turn to choose a coupon & she picked "stuffed friend"! that coupon allowed her to bring a stuffed animal to school that got to sit on her desk all day & went wherever she did! she decided on bringing pollie because she's smuggled sausage to school in her backpack already because he's little but not pollie. she was so excited leaving the house this morning with pollie hanging out of her backpack knowing what an adventurous day they were going to have. livi is already thinking of what coupon she's going to pick next time & she's narrowed it down to eating with a friend in another class at their lunch table or getting to sit in mrs. dickson's rolling chair all day! now we just have to see if she can keep her behavioral chart clean... dun dun duuun!

happy grandparent's day

GRANDPRENTS

Grandparents bestow upon their grandchildren

The strength and wisdom that time

And experience have given them.

Grandchildren bless their Grandparents

With a youthful vitaity and innocence

That help them stay young at heart forever.

Together they create a chain of love

Linking the past with the future.

The chain may lengthen,

But it will never part...

~Author Unknown~

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley

grandparent's day lunch

every year at dickinson they have a grandparent's day lunch to celebrate grandparent's day. every year momo has been out of town visiting her family in mexico so mommy has always gone in her place so we'd have someone there! well this year momo was in town & livi was so so so happy to have her at lunch today to celebrate her & introduce her to all of her friends!

color war

before: all in perfect white

ok, one of the best things ever about being in middle school is now i'm in the big group at church & it rocks!!! the big group consists of middle school, junior high & high school. we meet every sunday & wednesday night to worship together & break into our small groups. they've created a large group environment that attracts students like us. they make this time as fun & as relevant as they possibly can with energetic songs, fun games & talks. they also go one step further & do two things that they believe is vitally important to us: they pay attention to whats going on in our lives, & they care about us. this happens in our small group environment, where each week we leave the large group & spend more time in an intimate setting, talking, processing & praying about what's going on in our lives. the goal is to leave us feeling energized to go out there & tackle another week. tonight at "the scene" (that's what our group is called) we had a COLOR WAR with a live dj playing music! all the grades were assigned a color & then our youth leader yelled go & chaos ensued for the next hour. it was the funnest night ever!!! i'm so thankful we go to such a rocking church that loves us & makes a decision to engage with us no matter how crazy it gets. i'll be cleaning green powder out of my ears for the next week, but i'd do it all over again & hopefully soon!

after: an awesome color kaleidoscope 

first spirit friday

whoo hoo for our 1st spirit day... go amistad house!

rocking my orange