terrific kid

josh and i have always known that jake is a terrific kid.  he is obedient, kind, thoughtful, smart, helpful, funny, sweet, loving, etc....the list could go on and on.  so now that he's in elementary school, we have this award called "terrific kid" sponsored by the kiwanas club.   the award is only given to three students from each class who display positive relationships with their peers, good self-esteem, perseverance, reach their goals, excellent behavior, and are just an all around good kid.  parent's are notified a few weeks in advance if their child will be given the award.  well, me being a teacher, knew the day was coming soon, and i hadn't been contacted by jake's teacher.  no big deal.  maybe another kid needed/deserved it more than jake.  i was ok with that.  jake would never know the difference.  then i get this email from jake's teacher saying he was the terrific kid.  i instantly got all teary-eyed and was sooo proud.  even though i knew in my heart that jake was MY terrific kid, now everyone would get to see how terrific he is!  you know me...i pretty much invited my whole family and the entire church.  yes, jake had his own personal little cheering section in our school cafeteria.  i am so incredibly proud of jake and didn't need this award to prove that he is indeed a terrific kid, but it sure did build his confidence level up.  thanks mr. plumblee and mrs. bazemore for being fantastic teachers and writing such a sweet note to jake!  his first grade teacher will have some big shoes to fill!

walking to the stage

he looks terrified (he said he was)

our principal reading jake his terrific kid letter

the 2 K4 terrific kids and 2 of the K5 terrific kids

all the K4 and K5 terrific kids

coming back to his seat

proud parents of a terrific kid

dinner

jake and allie are in the kitchen "cooking" dinner for josh and i.  jake walks over to me and says "dinner is deserved." (instead of dinner is served) he brings me macaroni cookie and cheese.  of course i gobbled it right up.  he walks back to the kitchen and tells allie to bring her dish to me and whispers to her 'tell mommy that dinner is deserved.'  so allie prances over with her "green beans" and proudly says "dinner is dessert!" with a huge smile on her face.  

thanksgiving (and a little catch up)

clearly i need to do a better job of blogging.  i've been a little, a lot slack. however many new and exciting things have come my way.  i am thankful for many, many blessings this year....so let's get started on this thanksgiving and "catching up on life" post.

i was asked to be the team leader for the first grade team at my school.  on top of that, i am an inclusion teacher on my first grade team.  i have THE MOST AMAZING class this year. (yes....i totally got two fantastic classes back to back.....trust me, i'm sure it's unheard of.)  i was just recently named the 2016-2017 teacher of the year for my school.  so when i say blessings....i mean it.

here's another HUGE blessing.  jake is doing fantastic in school.  the first few weeks, there were some tears, but he quickly got over that when great-gran said she'd pay him a dollar for doing his "job" and walking to class in the mornings by himself.  jake has made about 3 close friends.  and even has a little boy in his class who was in his K4 class.  i am so incredibly thankful for the progress jake has made.

allie is still our little firecracker.  we were so worried she was going to be a "little pistol" forever, but she is quickly learning to follow the rules and is becoming the sweetest, funniest and most caring little girl.  (prayer works!) she recently had to have a procedure done due to way too many UTI's.  it was horrible for her and for me and momma to endure.  we arrived at the hospital at 7.  the procedure wasn't until 8:30.  they gave her some meds to make her a little loopy and i kept telling the nurses they may want to double that dose. the procedure time came. they had to put a catheter in to fill her bladder and watch her bladder expand to make sure there wasn't any reflux.  (there wasn't.) but talk about a fighter.....lord have mercy.....the nurses joked and said "no wonder you kept saying she might need double the dose of loopy meds."  it took 4 people to hold her down (me, momma, a nurse and the doctor).  so there's yet another blessing....no surgery required for our sweet allie.

thanksgiving was a little different this year.  no thanksgiving at my grandma betsy's.  no thanksgiving at josh's grandma's house either.  both our grandma's were put in an assisted living facility earlier this year. but i was sooo excited that i finally got to go to grandma fiske's thanksgiving! then i wake up on thanksgiving day with a terrible stomachache.  i never threw up that day, so i went on to try to enjoy thanksgiving with the fiske family. an hour into our dinner, i told josh to take me home.  i felt terrible.  i was freezing, had a fever, and felt very nauseous.  the blessing in all this is josh took care of me and tended to the kids.  he even cleaned up after i threw up and sanitized the whole house.  never once did he complain or lose his cool.  i also didn't get to go to thanksgiving at my in-laws either.  bummer.

even though i didn't get to enjoy any of the yummy thanksgiving meals, i still have so much to be thankful for.  my Lord and Savior, my very handsome hubby, my sweet children, my amazing family, my wonderful church family, a roof over my head, cars to drive, fantastic friends in our couples class at church, a job, my awesome kiddos at school, and the list could go on and on.  i pray the Lord pours many blessings on your family this holiday season.

pretty girl

how lucky that this adorable little girl has a super talented great-grandma who can sew like no one's business.  this dress has horses on it....and horses are allie's absolute favorite animal.  she got lots of compliments on this dress at church on sunday.  thanks great-gran!  (oh, and there are two more outfits to come!)

great aunt carol also spoils allie too!  she bought her this beach outfit.  allie clearly loves the camera and making a thousand different faces and poses.  she is such a natural in front of the camera.  thanks aunt carol for keeping her so very stylish!

bible stories....uh, sort of

as the sun was setting, we all went to sit on the front porch.  josh was reading his bible, i was listening to worship songs, and jake and allie were "reading" their bibles too.  i turned down my music to listen to them "read" their bibles.  here is what i heard::

allie::  jesus loves the little children.  and jesus says "no more monkeys jumping on the bed."

jake::  jesus was walking down the streets of gold.  he saw some bad guys and started fighting them.  because jesus is the strongest superhero in the world, he beat all the bad guys and saved the whole world.

naturally, we talked with jake about how jesus doesn't fight.  but i love that jake has such a big desire to learn about jesus.  and allie, well we just laughed with her on her bible story.  these kids.  i just love them.  

family vacation 2015

the countdown to family vacation began in may.  jake would ask every single day, "mommy how many more days until we go to the beach?"  you could sense his level of excitement. finally, the day came.  we woke up early....EARLY....in the morning to drive down to the beach. jake and allie slept majority of the way and were absolutely thrilled when we arrived.  jim found the most amazing (and i mean AMAZING) condo for us to stay in.  not to mention that it was a private suite with it's own elevator.  yeah, we felt like royalty.  the condo was ginormous and beautifully decorated.  we literally threw all our bags in our room and took off to the beach with the kids.  it was allie's first time at the beach and she LOVED it.  jake was fearless in the water, which i'll admit, make me very nervous.  we  went to church on sunday morning and ate lunch as a family afterwards...all 12 of us.

there was lots of playing in the ocean, jumping waves, building sandcastles, ice cream on the beach, suncreen being applied a thousand times, naps, pringles cans, and most of all lots of laughter and family time.  nothing spells love quite like T.I.M.E.  josh and i even got to take a day to go on a date and play a "rematch" round of putt-putt.  i beat josh (for the first time ever WITH a 30 lb. baby on my hip) and he was a little bitter about that, so we had a rematch.  he won, but i'll totally take that one win!

i absolutely had a blast at the beach with josh's family and can't wait to do it again!!!

mother's day interview

i asked jake these questions.  i can't argue with the truth!

1. What is something mom always says to you? 
**thank you for helping me
2. What makes mom happy?
**when i help you clean up the house
3. What makes mom sad?
**when i get you something so beautiful, sometimes you cry
4. How does mom make you laugh?
**when i do something silly
5. What was your mom like as a child?
**quiet
6. How old is your mom?
**18
7. How tall is your mom?
**46
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
**sit down and relax
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
**you miss me
10. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for?
**building legos
11. What is your mom really good at?
**helping me when i build something wrong, you help me take it apart and build it again
12. What is your mom not very good at?
**sometimes you are good at cooking, and sometimes you're not
13. What does your mom do for a job?
school
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
macaroni and cheese
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
because you teach so good and you make your kids at school be good
16. If your mom where a character who would she be?
Wonder Woman
17. What do you and your mom do together.
pretend that we are super heros
18. How are you and your mom the same?
our skin is the same color
19. How are you and your mom different?
you're bigger than me
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
because you tell me you love me all the time
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
he protects you
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
mexican restaurant
23. How old was your mom when you were born?
21

happy birthday allie

this precious little girl just celebrated her 2nd birthday.  she loves being outside and getting dirty.  she loves to swing. she loves to "play elmo" on my phone. she loves to wear high heels and dress up like a princess. sometimes she's shy and other times she's not.  she had a fantastic 2 year old check up. she weighs 28 pounds and is 36 inches tall.  she is almost completely potty trained.  she loves to eat....anything and anytime! she is fearless. she is sensitive. she is our special gift from God.

Allie celebrated her 2nd birthday with an elmo party. 

her elmo cake and cupcakes.

her decorations.

presents time! 

simply the most adorable picture EVER! she loves her daddy.

legos so she can play with jake.

blowing out her candles.

we love you, honey.  we pray that the Lord will mold you into the person that He wants you to be. here are allie's answers to her 2 year old questionnaire:

1. what is your favorite color? pink

2. what is your favorite toy? elmo and baby dolls

3. what is your favorite thing to eat? chips

4. what is your favorite tv show? sid the science kid

5. what is your favorite animal? cows

6. what is your favorite song to sing? if you're happy and you know it

7. who is your favorite person? ju-ju (junior)

8. what is your favorite book to read? animal books

happy birthday jake

who told this sweet boy he could turn 5!??!!!  it sure is crazy how fast the years go by.  my sweet jake....where do i begin? you are the best helper. you love to do every household chore.  you love star wars, legos, power rangers, books, and doing school work.  you are still very shy in new situations.  your teachers brag on you all the time.  you are full of energy and love going outside.  your 5 year check up was great! you meet all the developmental milestones and even exceed some of them! you weigh 43 1/2 pounds and are 43 1/2 inches tall! (what are the chances of being the same exact weight and height again??!?!? lol)

this year you wanted a star wars party.  

so a star wars party is what you got!

"princess lays" chips and "fruit light sabers"

storm trooper cupcakes

R2-D2 cake made by your fabulous Aunt Carol 

happy birthday jake! we are loving watching you grow into the person that God wants to you be.

to end this post, here is his 5 year old questionnaire::

1. what is your favorite color? red

2. what is your favorite toy? power rangers toys

3. what is your favorite fruit? strawberries

4. what is your favorite tv show? power rangers 

5. what is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? mayo and banana sandwich

6. what is your favorite thing to wear? star wars shirt and blue jeans

7. what is your favorite game to play? power rangers

8. what is your favorite snack to eat? fruit loops

9. what is your favorite animal? snakes

10. what is your favorite song to sing? darth vader theme song

11. what is your favorite book to read? star wars books

12. who is your best friend? preston

13. what is your favorite cereal? fruit loops

14.what is your favorite thing to do outside? play with my daddy

15. what is your favorite drink? milk

16. what is your favorite holiday? christmas

17. what do you like to take to bed with you at night? my blankets

18. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? blueberry pancakes

19. what was your favorite thing you got for your birthday? my R2-D2 cake

20. what do you want to be when you grow up? a power ranger

memories

i've wanted to write this post for a while.  so here it goes.

memories.  they are truly something to cherish and certainly something to make. i have such fond memories of my pa crain.  i remember spending many nights with my pa and grandma betsy when i was younger.  they made my brother and i cheese popcorn and coke floats before we went to bed and waffles and bacon in the morning.  pa always took us fishing.  he always put the worm on my hook because i hated touching the worm. we even made the front page of the newspaper one summer! if it was raining, he'd take us in the basement and we'd ride our big wheels all over the place.  he and grandma took my brother and i to the mountains just so we could play in the snow.  pa crain came to the rescue when i was sick at school.  as i got older, i remember wearing make up to his house for the very first time and i'll never forget what he said. "whatcha got all that stuff on your face for?!"  i remember getting my permit and him letting me drive to get us lunch.  "elizabeth slow down! (i was going a whoppin' 35 mph), watch out for that light (that was still green), watch out for all the idiot drivers out here, put your blinker on (we weren't turning until like 3 roads up)."  memories, i tell you. they never fade.  they are embedded in my brain.  i'll never forget him meeting his very first great grandchild....although he wouldn't hold him until he was about 2 months old. my pa crain and jake had quite a bond.  you see, my pa always had my favorite things to eat at his house.  and if he knew jake was coming, he'd go buy fruit snacks, juice, and ice cream sandwiches.  pa would always take jake in the formal living room and let him play the organ, or go get out all the toys for jake to play with.

fastforward to the week before christmas.  my pa went to the doctor saying he didn't feel very well.  they couldn't find anything wrong with him.  then two days later, he slipped and fell in his bathroom and hit his head (badly).  he went to the ER and luckily didn't need stitches.  then two days later, grandma said he wouldn't get out of the bed.  she turned on the light and his lips were blue.  his fingers were blue.  he was rushed to the hospital.  pneumonia.  pa pretty much lived in the hospital/the cottages for a month after that.  he had ups and he had downs.  i kept telling him i would bring jake and allie to see him.  but then because of the flu outbreak, kids weren't allowed in the hospitals.  so finally, pa got to come home (because there was nothing more they could do).  i brought jake and allie to see him.  everyone had told pa "bye" because they knew the end was drawing near.  he was talking to "people" that weren't even in the room.  as many times as i had been to see him, i couldn't make myself tell him bye.  i just couldn't.  we let the kids play for a while and wanted it to be their decision when to go see pa.  after about 30 minutes, jake asked to go see pa. at first, jake was scared and so was allie.  but after a while jake went back in the room and colored three pictures for pa right beside pa's hospital bed.  then they both played the organ for him.  the kids left the room and it was just josh and i in the room with pa.  i leaned over kissed him on the head and said "bye pa. i love you."  he passed 30 minutes after we left.  pa was waiting.  he was waiting for jake and allie.  wow.  jake asked on the way home if pa was going to bring the pictures with him to see Jesus.  needless to say, the pictures that jake colored for pa were buried with pa.  i was told pa had them in his hands.  memories.  sweet, precious memories.