Last Day of Kindergarten

Madeline has grown up so much! Today was Madeline's last day of Kindergarten. I can't believe that the year has gone by so quickly. All parents say that, but my goodness it is true! I wish I could bottle this day and keep it forever! Here's a picture of her today:



She has learned so much this year - now she can read, add and subtract, she can recite the pledge and explain the symbolism of the flag, and she's a pro at school!

Here she is on the first day of school:



She looks so much bigger now! And you can definitely see the difference, she was so nervous that first day - look how her little hands were clasped together. It makes me sad, and glad :-)

P.S. I had to add a little post script - Madeline cried when she went to bed because she was sad to finish Kindergarten. She said "things will never be the same again"! I know how she feels for sure... I guess Rebecca is right, she's a lot like her Mom. I told her that First Grade would be exciting and she'd love her new teachers - her response was I don't want different, I think things should always be the same. So, she's had one of her first taste of that life long lesson about change. It will always come, even if you don't want it to. I hope to teach her that things usually get better, not worse, and we should look forward to tomorrow and trust in God.

Memorial Day 2008

We had fun in Atlanta this Memorial Day - as always I got tons of pics of my girls - such cuties they are! I have to thank my family for giving me some good support when I got a bit emotional about some news from home. We have made a commitment to spend more time together as a family and I think it has been a real blessing for all of us.

Last Ladybug Game

The Ladybugs had their last game today (yes, it has been a very busy week). Soccer has been a great experience for Madeline. We are planning to play in the fall in the U8 league. Lots of friends and family came for her game - thanks to all of you who did, Madeline really appreciated your being there. Poor thing was really tired though after all of our activities for the week. Our team got a penalty when one of our girls held an opponent's shirt to try to keep her from scoring. Just a few minutes ago Madeline told me she was the shirt holder. It was cute, she came in and said "I did a bad thing today" when I asked her what she did she said she held a friend's shirt. These are the lessons we learn in life - you can't hold someone else back to make yourself win :-) We've had a great spring, but I certainly am looking forward to posting pictures of lazy afternoons here at home!

Dance Recital 2008

After a ton of preparations and practice, Madeline had a great time performing in our dance recital this year. She was more confident about going on stage, and was definitely hamming it up by the second dance. I was happy to see her smile in her success, and glad that it was over all at the same time! I learned that a hair extension can be a very valuable thing and that I need to learn to take a deep breath and go with the flow more, and Madeline got a chance to be in front of a group and to learn that hard work can pay off in the end. A success all around! We had a lot of help this week from Steven, Mom, Dad and Nicole - and Madeline and I thank them for that. We love you all!

Mother's Day

Steven and Madeline have given me a very nice Mother's Day! They gave me a plant that Madeline grew at school, plus a nice basket of Bath & Body Works stuff and a chicken candle holder that Madeline picked herself. Right now Steven is cooking dinner for us. He has very kindly agreed to be in charge of meals for the WHOLE WEEK to help me out while I have my hearings and Madeline's dance recital preparations. Madeline & Steven's kindness is greatly appreciated. Being a Mom is the best thing in my whole life!



We also got to visit with my Mom, who I think liked her gift of gardening tools and supplies. She is a wonderful Mother, and still helps me and teaches me on a daily basis. What a blessing she is! I have to give kudos to my Dad here too, for thinking to ask me if I needed his GPS to get me to my hearing this week. I thank God for such a wonderful family!

We thought of Steven's Mom today as well - although she is not here with us, Madeline reminds us often that she is looking down at us from heaven. She will always be in our lives, as we think of her often and remember the things she did and said.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's out there, I hope that you have been as blessed as I have been this Mother's Day.

Super Ladybug!

Our little Madeline found her inner competitor this week - she was on fire! Note in the top picture she's the only girl in red stealing the ball from a sea of Tiger Sharks. She has gotten a lot more confident and less afraid of the ball as her first season of soccer has progressed. Today she scored 4 goals! I should confess that our team scored like 14 and the other team scored 2 - but I was still proud of her scrappy effort!

What its all about

Since most of you who read my blog talk to me pretty regularly, you probably already know that our family is currently in the middle of the end of the school year/soccer/getting ready for dance recital frenzy. To add to the excitement I have two major hearings next week. This morning I drove to work doing one of those "I can't do all of this" type freak outs. I reminded myself this evening while running back through photos of tonight's dance stuff that Madeline is what it's all about! If our house is a mess, if her spelling test isn't perfect, if we miss a dance photo requirement, IT DOESN'T MATTER! She loves the recital, she loves soccer, and if her Mother is a nervous wreck I'll diminish her experience. The reason we signed up for all of this stuff is so she could have a lot of life experiences. So, it's time for Me to get a grip and let it ride!

Post Script:

At bedtime we always read a book of Madeline's choice. Tonight she picked Dr. Seuss' "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are" which begins like this:

"When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad... you should do what I do!

Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky! Some people are much more... oh, ever so much more... oh, muchly much much more unlucky than you!"

Wise words from a children's book - timing is everything, isn't it!

Derby Fun

Derby Day is always a great day, whether it's a beautiful Spring day like today was, or whether it is snowing like it has in a couple of years past that I recall. Such a spectacle with the hats, the horses, the race track fun make it one of my favorite days every year. Plus I think it's a little like Christmas in that remembering Derbies past seems to be one of people's favorite Derby Party things to do - "one Derby when I was in the infield...." seems to be the beginning of many a crazy story people love to tell. I'll spare you the stories (and I do have a few - Dad, remember the year we went in the fancy outfits?). Anyway, maybe it's the Eight Belles thing that has me all sentimental. This year was as fun as any - we went to the Hite party, which is always a big thing. The thing I'll remember about the party this year was the wind! It seemed that the tent we were under was literally going to blow away! I didn't get many pictures due to that - a lot of the time was spent in the garage. I wasn't a winner, but Steven was, so I think we came out OK :-) I LOVE SPRING!

Tribute to a Great Girl

I was saddened today to see Eight Belles (she's on the left) put down after running to second place in the Kentucky Derby. Fillies don't generally run the Derby, the last one ran in 1999. She was a strong girl, and a Kentucky horse, and I was betting on her to win. It's hard to think of such a beautiful animal losing it's life basically for human entertainment. This was her trainer's comment: "She ran a whale of a race. She ran the race of her life." Madeline cried, and said she hopes that Eight Belles is "running in a big field of flowers, with a big pile of apples." I hope Madeline is right :-)

More Horsey Pics

I found a couple more pictures from our visit to Bridget's the other night that were so cute I thought you had to see them :-)

Joel Osteen

I guess I'm a blogger today - I just wanted to comment momentarily about Joel Osteen. I have recently been listening to him , and must say that I've found him to be quite inspirational. I tend to dwell on only the positive with Madeline, but on the negative regarding myself. Pastor Osteen preaches self affirmation and hope, and a lot of times I need to hear that. It's definitely a lesson that I need to absorb. Recently I've discovered that many people are critical of him saying that he doesn't delve deeply enough, that he doesn't preach the gospel enough. My thinking is this, I need all of the spiritual food my soul can get. Pastor Osteen's message serves a need that many of us (including me) have - it may be, however, that for the deeper scriptural lesson that I need to get it elsewhere. I have in the past steered clear of "mass marketing" type preachers, but I find him compelling for some reason. I am curious as to what my friends think of this....

Baby Horsey

Madeline and Buckley had a play date last night, and my goodness did they have fun! They giggled so much at McDonald's that a couple of old ladies came over to comment about how wonderful it is to have a best friend to have fun with. Then they sang at the top of their lungs all the way out to Bridget's house, where they got to see her new Baby Horsey (one day old). You know, those ladies were right, it is good to have a best friend!

Kindergarten Liturgy

Madeline had her Kindergarten Liturgy today at school, and did a wonderful job with her little reading :-) Steven, Johnny and I attended, and were blessed to see what a great job the school is doing with the kids. After the service, we ate lunch with her in the cafeteria, and good times were had by all!

Madeline and Johnny:



and Madeline and Daddy: