Our Prima Ballerina

Emma-Caroline had her debut recital as a ballerina yesterday at the studio where she takes ballet classes.

After driving home from Pigeon Forge, we quickly placed her hair in a "ballerina bun" complete with a gazillion bobby pins and a gallon of hair gel in order that no "wispies" escape from her scalp. This task was not daunting to me in the least and I'll admit, I quite enjoyed helping to transfer my little girl into a beautiful ballerina. I helped her get her shell pink tights on and then her sky blue ballerina costume which included the piece de resistance, a real board stiff tutu. Yes, I'll admit, I am a proud mother of a little girly girl. Dressing Emma-Caroline for her recital was HEAVEN for me. Watching her perform with all of her classmates was AMAZING. She was fabulous, not only because she is my daughter and all mothers think their daughters are fabulous, but also because she, as well as the others, performed as if they were born doing a pirouette in infancy. It was a beautiful performance and one I will always cherish in my keepsake chest of memories.

Preparing to wow the audience! Lucy is in front.

All of the beautiful ballerinas!

Demi-pointe

Floating like a beautiful butterfly!

One of her many ballet moves.

Performing as the "Blue Skies" with her friends Mary Caroline and Lucy

Look at that poise and concentration!

Receiving flowers after a beautiful performance!

Emma-Caroline with her ballet teacher Miss Michael-Lynn and Lydia

The Beginning of a Family Tradition

We have been having a wonderful time in Pigeon Forge with Howie's Mom and sister. We have made a tradition now of staying at the Riverstone Resort and Spa just outside of Dollywood. Sounds a little contradictory to have a resort and spa 2 miles away from Dollywood but when you are here it seems like you are miles away from everywhere. I highly recommend it if you are planning a future trip to the Pigeon Forge area for several day stay.

As usual we have lots of pics from Dollywood and our stay at the resort. I have only been able to download one since we have been here. It happens to be my most favorite of all the pics which is of the girls with their Disney shirts on at the entrance to Dollywoood. I think Dolly would find it complimentary that "The Mouse" made an appearance at her theme park.

Living In Someone Ele's House

I am taking the opportunity to blog while the girls are taking a bath. Now don't be alarmed, I am right here with them, hence the word "lap top" (thank you dear hubby). I do have to say that I love my lap top as it allows me to multitask from anywhere in the house.

Today has been a day, a good day, but a day. We closed on our house on Swathmore Court today. I have to say it is quite a strange feeling to leave your house that you own, lock the door, back out of the garage, go teach Kindermusik, sign a few papers, have lunch, only to return back to the house you left and have it no longer be yours. Weird feeling. But it's done, and it's a good thing. We will close on our new home on Monday, May 3rd. Some minor things are being done to the inside of the new home so we will be on Swathmore Court until June.

Tomorrow we are off to a biker convention in Pigeon Forge. Yes, I did say biker convention People. You know, because I am definitely biker material. Think bows on a pink Harley and you've got me pegged. All kidding aside, Howie's mother Beverly and sister Rhonda are coming for a visit this weekend and we are heading to Pigeon Forge. It also happens to be the time that 100's of bikers from all around the continental US will be conveniently arriving for our own personal entertainment and dare I say amusement. I am sure Dollywood will be quite the spectacle this go around, as if it isn't all ready.

So tonight, after arriving home, I told the girls to head upstairs and get ready for their bath because we needed to go to bed early so we would be all rested for our adventure to Biker World. As I came upstairs, Sophie greets me at the top of the stairs in her birthday suit, a feather boa, a pair of blue star sunglasses, sparkly shoes and costume jewelry and exclaims, "Mommy, I Fancy!" I couldn't help but say, "You sure are sweetheart!, As fancy as you please."

OK no pics for now, but there will be some for the future. Until next time, peace out fellow Friends! I know you're jealous!

A Good Laugh!

Sometimes in life all you need is a good laugh to make things better, to make you stop and think, "This is all going to be OK, this is what life is all about, rolling with the punches, learning something from it and ultimately having a good time." Now I'm not trying to go all SNL "Deep Thoughts" or negate the real God given purpose for our lives, but if truth be told, I'd say, God would agree that a good laugh every once in a while does the soul a great deal of good.

The reason I am writing about this particular thing tonight is because a very good friend of mine just started up her own blog called "Acts of Davis." My friend is a true Southern lady from the DEEP South and speaks with a nice Mississippi drawl. That alone is enough to draw one to her if you happen to love the the whole southern thing as I do. But what I find most appealing about her is her ability to turn situations that could render many people certifiably insane into something humorous and down right fun. If you are so inclined, take a look at her blog at http://www.actsofdavis.blogspot.com/. Many of her entries are about her son Davis, but occasionally she will throw in a curve ball like her latest post on Nascar. I'm still laughing about that one. If you are like me, laughter really can be the best medicine.

An Artist's Rendition

I have a great friend from my high school days at St. Agnes Academy who is an artist and who just recently started her own business called "Paintings for the Heart and Home by Amy Keys". I recently had her paint our house on Swathmore Court as a way of remembering and honoring the house we have lived in for the past seven years, our first home in Knoxville, and the home our two girls were born in. Amy has a whimsical style of painting and I just love her rendition of our home. It completely captures the fun times and love that our home has brought us over the years. Her pricing too is amazingly affordable. This 16x20 canvas of our home is $60 plus shipping. I actually won a contest, so I got it for the cost of shipping only. Check out her facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Painting-For-The-Home-and-Heart-by-Amy-Keys/192438648099?ref=mf I think you might just find something there that strikes your fancy!

Sold!

For those of you who do not already know, we are moving to a new home here in Knoxville just down the street from where we live now. We found a home that gives us more space, is in a great neighborhood and that we LOVE! We have sold our beautiful colonial on Swathmore Court to a wonderful couple Court and Marie. I knew Marie in college and she also just so happens to be the childhood friend of my best friend Kristen next door. I am so happy that our home where we have spent the last seven years and where we brought our two girls home to when they were born is going to be owned by such a nice family. As in all things that change, leaving our current home is bitter sweet. We love our neighbors, our neighborhood and our home. It has housed many wonderful memories and fostered many dear friendships which we will of course take with us to our new home. But it is now time for "The Avery House" to move on to a new place to call home and allow the House on Swathmore Court to become the home of another awesome family. It will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Luck!

When I was a little girl, my mom could go out into a field of clover, look down and pick up a four leaf clover, and then she would go on to find one four leaf clover after another. I use to think that perhaps she must be part leprechaun and could magically make four leaf clovers appear.
I never had the same amount of luck at finding a four leaf clover. I really don't think I have ever found one, now that I think of it. But that's neither here nor there. Anyway, as Emma-Caroline was outside playing in a field of grass, she suddenly ran up to me with a four leaf clover! I was amazed that she had actually found one! Then as her Nana always does, she went on to find three more four leaf clovers, just like that! Must be the leprechaun gene she inherited, or maybe simply just luck!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

This week we went to Kindergarten Round Up at the school Emma-Caroline will be attending next year. We loved the school principal, Mrs. Dunlap, and all of the Kindergarten teachers! They were all so welcoming and Emma-Caroline will be very lucky to have any one of the Kindergarten Teachers at her new school. We were also very excited to know that some of Emma-Caroline's friends will also be attending the same school! There are two little friends named Andie that will be in the Kindergarten class of 2010-2011, one from our church and one from preschool. We have our fingers crossed that perhaps EC will be in the same classroom with one of these two special friends, but if not, it's neat that they will be a part of the same Kindergarten class. Emma-Caroline can't wait to start Kindergarten and asks now every morning if this is the day she will go to her new school. She's ready, but I'm not! It will be here before we both know it, so we're going to enjoy our upcoming summer vacation and then hopefully we'll both be ready for Kindergarten!

Posing with the girls. Daisy is already in 1st grade and Andie will be in the

same Kindergarten as EC. Yeah!
Posing in the Gym! I have to say I think these girls are the BEST!

Andie and Emma-Caroline with Arthur. They were laughing because Arthur's pants fell down. Poor guy needs some new pants. At least he has on long-Johns!

Better Late than Never!

Emma-Caroline informed me this morning that we hadn't dyed Easter Eggs. I had bought the dye, however, with all the Easter egg hunts, church services, and other fun activities, I completely forgot. So we dyed Easter eggs today in all shades pastel for Spring. As the old saying goes, "Better late, than never!"

Getting ready to dye eggs!
Pink first!

Now blue!

Beautiful spring eggs!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

We had a fun-filled day today at the Knoxville Zoo with our friends from church, the Taylors. Emma-Caroline and Sophie love playing with Katie and Davis and today was extra fun getting to see all the animals with their friends as well as their mom Miss Vaiden. We all enjoyed seeing the Red Pandas, River Otters, Rhinoceroses, Elephants, Black Bears, Penguins, Camels, Zebras, and Giraffes. No we didn't exactly see the Lions and Tigers, but it was a fun day anyway. We'll see them on our next trip to the zoo.

Emma-Caroline, Sophie, Davis, and Katie
"Looking Up" to see the Red Panda

Watching the Rhino

Feeding the camel.

Taking a ride on the lion!

Easter Reflections

We have had a wonderful Easter Day enjoying early morning church services, brunch with our friends the Taylors and a nice afternoon playing outdoors in the beautiful Spring weather. This morning, Father Brett's Easter message was very inspiring and a challenge I will try to implement in my own life. He spoke of the living Christ, not just as we picture Him after His resurrection but as He lives in each of us everyday. Father Brett is a young priest, but I always find his sermons very uplifting and wise. In every day life encounters with others he suggested that we would be able to see Christ if we decide to look for Him there. Sometimes this may be hard to do, as not everyone we meet seems to behave in a manner that we would expect Christ to behave in. But if we ourselves, think, "Christ lives in this person," it may change the outcome of how we perceive that person, as well as perhaps the situation in which we encounter that person. I know I am not doing justice to the sermon Father Brett gave today, however, I do know that I will try and see the living Christ as he appears in those I meet everyday. Happy Easter. I hope you all have had a very blessed day!

"Eggstra, Eggstra! Read All About It!"

Emma-Caroline and Sophie topped off pre-Easter festivities with 2 Easter Egg hunts today, one in our neighborhood, and one at our church. Lots of eggs were found and lots of candy was eaten! It was an "egg-citing" day!

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail!

Yesterday, we went to visit the Easter Bunny at the mall. It's always fun to go see Mr. Cotton Tail, and this year no one was scared of him!

Hip Hoppy Easter!

My Aunt Brenda sent this to me and I thought I'd pass it on to you all. Enjoy a little Easter Bunny Fun! http://i.flowgo.com/greetings/rapeasterbunny/rapeasterbunny.swf

Headline or Headband News!

I recently sent out a query on Facebook about hair accessory options for Emma-Caroline. I got lots of great ideas, one of which was the headband. We found the perfect first headband in Emma-Caroline's favorite color, pink complete with her favorite flower, the daisy and her name! Wow! I want one like that! She LOVES her new headband and announced that she already feels like a big Kindergartner. Amazing what the right hair accessory can do for you!

Lady and the Tramp

No pics of the girls today, but just a note on how much I love to hear them when they pretend play. One of Sophie's favorite toys is her "Tramp" dog from "Lady and the Tramp." He goes everywhere with her and she affectionately calls him "Shrimp" as I am sure this is her best attempt at pronouncing his Disney given name. The girls love to pretend play pet shop or that they themselves are dogs and cats. Today was like any other day of play until Emma-Caroline found her long lost "Lady" dog. The excitement was grand at her discovery and the girls are now happily barking around the house with their two little side kicks, "Lady" and the "Tramp." It has been announced that in honor of Lady and the Tramp we should dine on Italian food tonight. Good thing I have a lasagna in the oven. "Oh, this is the night, it's beautiful night, and we call it Bella Notte!"

Big Girl Bed

Yesterday, Sophie finally got her big girl bed! It was delivered by the furniture store and set up by the delivery men much to the amazement of both Sophie and Emma-Caroline.

Sophie is so proud of her new bed, and although I am some what sentimental about taking down the baby crib, I am happy that Sophie is so excited about her new bed.

After sleeping on it one night, Sophie declared this morning, "I sleep gwate on my new bed! I wuv it, Mommy!"

Sweet dreams little Sophie!

Big Girl Bed all made up!

Diva Days!

I have heard many friends, who have 3 year olds or have had a three year old, that the three's are much more terrible than the two's in a child's life. I am starting to fear that this may be true in our little Sophie. Although she is still two years and almost nine months old, the "terrible three's" are starting to rear their ugly heads. Our sweet, easy going, little Sophie is starting to become a Super Diva in her own right with out right demands, throw-down tantrums, and blatant stubbornness. It's, by no other words, simply exhausting to be the person on the receiving end of her Diva capades. As in all things, I am reminded of the wise words I use to hear my grandmother say, "This too shall pass." But, with that being said, I will take it all in stride and take the "Diva" stage for what it's worth, a time for my little girl to exert her independence and to learn how to be in the world with patient parental guidance.

Happy Spring!

Today was the perfect day for having a picnic at the park. We all loaded up in the van, headed to Lenny's sub shop, and then drove on to the park where we had a wonderful lunch and lots off fun playing. At one point I thought, "I can't believe I don't have my camera!" But oh well, I could take pictures in my mind for me to remember our wonderful day together. Luckily for me, and Emma-Caroline, one of Emma-Caroline's friends from preschool also happened to be at the park, and her mom did have a camera! She got a couple pics of the girls playing and so nicely e-mailed them to me. I hope you all are enjoying some nice sunny Spring weather!

Celestina and Emma-Caroline BFF's
Giddy Up Horsey!

Potty Training Blues

First I will begin by saying that anyone who can potty train a child in one day is like super human or something and all I have to say, a la Flo on "Mel's Diner" is "Kiss my grits!"

Second, whoever invented Pull Ups is probably laughing themselves all the way to the bank at how many parents unknowingly have bought these things thinking it an easy transition from diaper to big kid underwear only later to discover that your kid (being smarter than you) realizes they are still wearing a diaper and chooses the Pull Up over the potty 95.9% of the time.

With all that being said, I vowed, after the horrible go of potty training EC before age 2, that I would wait until I felt Sophie was "ready" to be potty trained, which happened to be 2 and a half. She did great, until she realized my second point stated above and then we were back to square one. So I ditched the infamous Pull Ups for thick cotton panties. She's been doing remarkably better except for going number 2 in the potty. We have had accidents and conversations about how when you feel your tummy hurting you can go to the potty.

Lately, though, Sophie has been hiding her poop in places all over the house. Yes, I said hiding. She has put it in the linen closet, her diaper cabinet, and sometimes the trash can. Now, mind you, she always changes her panties and cleans herself up, but it's the hiding part that catches me, or my nose off guard.

This morning, as I went to grab my brush out of my vanity, I found a little present. There in my drawer pasted to my bottle of hairspray was a rather large piece of poop! UGHHH! After promptly removing the poop and sanitizing my entire drawer, I asked Sophie, "Did you put poop in Mommy's drawer?" to which she replied in the most sweet innocent and Southern voice, "Yayesss!" I couldn't help but laugh on the inside as I calmly told her, "Well sweetie, poop has to go in the potty, OK?" "O-tay Mommy, I put my poop in the potty next time!" And she did, the big girl way!

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy . . .

". . .Down in my Heart!" My birthday celebration couldn't have been better beginning on Friday with a wonderful 1 hour and a half massage at Belleza Salon that Howie had given me a gift certificate for. It was Heaven! On Saturday, the girls and Howie surprised me with birthday cupcakes and a gift certificate to my favorite place to shop, Southern Market! We had lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Don Gallo, and then had a wonderful night out with our friends Kristen and Pete at the Melting Pot in the Old City. It was a fabulous day and I certainly feel loved with all of the birthday wishes from friends and family, thoughtful gifts, and flowers from my sweet Daddy. I definitely have the joy down in my heart!

Yummy birthday cupcakes!
Making a wish before breakfast!

Birthday lunch at Don Gallo

Out with the Pearsons at The Melting Pot

Hilarious that we actually had coordinated outfits without consulting each other! We had such a great time out by ourselves!