A rare week

**not sure why there are no pics of Gracie this week!  boo.   I will remind her when she is not feeling photogenic I still need them. 

This was a very rare week that both Jimmy and I had to travel for work.  Normally I do most the traveling and can set my schedule, however this week we both had required meetings.  I was gone Monday afternoon through Wednesday evening (back in time to celebrate a special 4 year olds birthday dinner) and Jimmy was out Monday and Tuesday.   

We are thankful that Jimmy’s Dad was able to stay over from her party and help care for the girls while we were out.   He did a great job getting the girls to and from school.  Thanks Papa for loving the girls and caring for them!    They enjoyed the special time together. 

Maggie was surprised to wake up to a birthday party breakfast (yes, she has come to believe her birthday is a week long celebration).    Papa had it all decorated complete with cupcakes for breakfast!   I enjoyed birthday girl snuggles when I got home.  

Breakfast table decorated 

"do I have to be 4 all day" she asked

Birthday cake at small group.

Maggie wanted to wear the birthday hats for breakfast all week.  

Mommy and Maggie got a good nap today.  I was not feeling well and Maggie was quite grumpy.  

A good reminder for me on a day like today when I don't feel well and have missed some sweet days with the girls.  

Funny Maggie things: 

---when can we go to the “money store” as Maggie put her coins in her big belly bank.    (aka “the bank”). 

--If you ask me to jump on my new mattress can I?   (we ordered her new mattress as she was sleeping on the one that I had before I left home).  

Maggie's Birthday Party Weekend!

The week was crazy with 3 work travel days, but we made it to Friday!      Driving into Nashville Monday for a packed 3 days of meetings, I did not even realize it was the anniversary of our 1st date 13 years ago.  I was sappy thinking about how awesome God is in leading us together and all the butterflies in my stomach that went with that.   The late night talks, the frequent dates, movies and laughter, and the carefree spirit we had.  I guess that is because we were young and I was still in college.   Looking back I know those times were sometimes a sacrifice for Jimmy to spend time with me as he was working full time and started his MBA.   While we have “grown up”, added to our family and managed growing and successful careers we have grown so much together!  I love the butterflies I still get when we are together and as I watch him with our daughters!     Jimmy, while we never knew 13 years ago where life would take us I am so blessed to have partnered through this life with you, as long as life shall last!   

The best husband ever.    He sent these to my office in Nashville to celebrate the anniversary of our 1st date.   Love him! 

Gracie Sunday pic 

Maggie Sunday pic

Sweet sisters!

Maggie at Sunday lunch.  She was having quite a bit of fun!

The girls love to run and play outside before we leave for school.  

Love these girls! 

Saturday we celebrated Maggie’s 4th birthday!  Really?  Can she really be 4?   Our “baby” does not seem at all like a baby (expect when she is up in the middle of the night...).    She was so excited.  Her teachers said she has been talking about her birthday for weeks.   When we try to explain that Saturday was not her birthday, just her party she looks at us as if we have totally lied to her!  It is quite funny.   She had a blast.  We did her party at Pump it Up and watched her play with friends and family!     

Sisters ready to celebrate 4 years of being together! 

Aunt Tammy and Ally came to party! 

Yummy cookie cake (so Mommy did not get the flowers she wanted, but it still tasted yummy)

Birthday favors! M&M (Also for Maggie Martin) 

Snuggling with Daddy after a fun filled party! She was so tired! 

So Maggie decided to see how many of her new toys she could play with at one time! 

Today we wrapped up the weekend with the girls (Grammy, Aunt Tammy, Ally and the three of us) at the Tivoli Theater to watch the Broadway performance of Beauty and the Beast.  It was a fabulous show.  

Mommy and Maggie (baby Joy too)

She looks all of 4 doesn't she? 

She looks more like 14 not 7!   She is quite the young lady.  

These cousins are so close!  I adore their sweetness to each other. 

Papa, Grammy and their grand girls!   We missed the boys!

Family picture!  (yes, Maggie was over it by this point)

Love Love Love this pic!  (even through it is a little blurry) 

Maggie learned how to use chopsticks at lunch (yes she had cheesy noodles)

Ready for Beauty and the Beast! 

Me and the girls ready for the show.  

Family!

This week we decided to change it up a little and Jimmy traveled for work and I got to spend some sweet evenings with my girls which they affectionately call “girls night” which has carried over from when Jimmy taught at Lee (okay so we did not decide our employers did, but none the less a wonderful week).    Both girls really struggled with their Daddy being out, yes they got extra Mommy time and yes I know they love me, but they Daddy’s girls and they know our home is best when we are both home with them!   Gracie said as Maggie agreed “but Mommy we are use to you traveling.  We miss our Daddy snuggles and tickles”.    I am blessed beyond measure! 

Snuggles before school.  

Maggie enjoying some rest before school.  

Love these sisters!   

We started to back to small group this week so that was fun to have Wednesday night with the families we share our lives with and work to encourage and challenge each other.    We took the summer off with all the crazy vacation schedules but we were all eager to be back.  The girls love the time too with their friends.   

My Mom and Dad came in late Thursday night to spend the weekend with us and celebrate our birthdays.  With the distance and how many grandchildren they have (8 and counting....) it is just not possible for them to be at every birthday party so they decided to do special weekends!  We loved the weekend and I am certain they did as well.     They kept Maggie home from school and visited Gracie at lunch, yummy Friday night birthday dinner and the best chocolate cake my parents make, they got to watch the girls at gymnastics,  play with them at a birthday party and meet some of their friends, and then spend some time with Uncle Gabe, Aunt Katelyn and Ellie.   It was a low key but fabulous weekend.  The sad thing was it had to come to an end!   We are thankful for several visits planned over the next few months to get to see them again.  

Gjysh reading to Maggie! 

While Gracie finished school Friday Maggie played with Gjysh and KK.  Can you tell she enjoyed it? 

Birthday party time! 

Ellie was in on the party! 

Gracie is such a sweet big cousin.  She adores Ellie and wants to always hold her (hard for Ellie as she is crawling and moving all over!)

Gjysh and KK played with us at the gymnastics party! 

Gracie hanging upside down!  

Maggie, Gracie and Ellie hanging out while we visited!  Love these Tennessee girls!  We are begging Uncle Gabe and Aunt Katelyn to have Ellie sleep over! 

A big weekend ended in some great Daddy snuggles!   

Another Note: 

Maggie continues to do great without sucking her fingers, however a side effect we are working to deal with is her waking up 1 to 2 times a night and right at our bed.   We have worked to encourage her to stay in her room and snuggled but that has not worked.  She has developed the idea that she must be with us to go back to sleep.   We are going to put a baby gate at her room to see if that helps keep her in in room and encourages her to fall back asleep on her own.   I am not very optimistic this is the solution because when we talk t her about doing this her response is “that is fine” or “so when are you going to put the baby gate up?”  

New Routines!

Sisters!

Gracie is now in the swing of school and so are we.  We have figured out great ways to do homework which include great apps on the iPad, motions for our LONG memory verses, math homework concepts with cubes, and setting time limits for working on specific subjects and concepts.  We have learned that Gracie is much more fresh in the morning so we try to focus on learning most at breakfast and on the way to school so the evening she can have some rest and downtime.   This seems to really be working well and are thankful for the grace we give each other to figure this out.  

Gracie 7 1/2 years old

Maggie is working to put herself back to sleep without her fingers.  This progress of breaking her of the habit of sucking her fingers has been much easier than I ever would have expected it to be.   Just about 3 weeks into this she now does not even talk about wanting to suck her fingers and she no longer needs any nasty stuff on her fingers at night to help her remember.  However, she now has perfected coming down to our bedroom somewhere between 12am and 4am with her pillow and monkey fully prepared to just crawl in bed with us.  We are about 50/50 on the times she stays in bed with us and the times I march her back up to her room.   We need to become more consistent in taking her back up.  She has also been waking up about a half hour early (5:30am vs. 6am) which throws my morning schedule off a little but gives me extra snuggles with the Doodle.   Funny thing is she wakes up asking for gummies and to watch Disney.   O sweet daughter, no way! 

Almost 4 and so excited for her birthday! 

Mommy snuggles!  

A few funnies and great accomplishments from the week: 

-- Maggie’s vocabulary is really expanding and growing.  So much so that I hear often “and you were concerned about her lack of verbal development”  (remembering the days when she did not talk at all).   Maggie this week said “I appreciate that” and moved right now.  It was such a grown up way to articulate.  

Watching Sports Center Saturday morning with Daddy!

--Maggie when asked how to spell her name days “M A G G K”.  Ha, then she will respell it with an “I”.   or she will say “Magg spells ME”.
--Gracie got a 100 on her first math test!  We are so proud of her not for the score but for really trying her hardest and putting everything into it!  She was so proud of herself and we were too!  --
--Gracie is quite the artist.  She says she is “just like Gjysh”.  

Gracie's lion artwork.