New Haircut = Grown Up!

Morgan has wanted to get her hair cut for sometime now! The appointment I made wound up conflicting with play practice (She will be a ladybug in the upcoming local production of, Sleeping Beauty) so I rescheduled her appointment for today! She is so proud of her new look! Daddy and I are a little nervous about the maturity the new look has bestowed!

Fly Me To The Moon

Merritt's class took a field trip this week to the Downtown Airport where most private planes land and are hangered. A sweet dad from last year's class invited the class for a repeat field trip. We had a great time getting up close and personal with a plane! We even got to tour the control tower! Merritt was most fascinated by the TV in the control tower that had a security camera aimed at the entrance to the tower. When we left I pointed out the camera. She stood there waving to Mr. Les, the tower operator. She was so thrilled when she heard his voice over the intercom say, "Good-bye!" We laughed all the way to the bus! As we boarded the bus to head back to the school, Merritt looked up at me and said, "I thought we were going to fly the plane!" Isn't sweet childhood innocence grand?

Disney On Ice

Friday night Mom and I took the girls to see Disney on Ice! It was a lot of fun! Chilly, but fun! Thanks Poppy for the great seats! You sure know how to pick 'em! I think Merritt was relieved to see chairs! I had been telling her that we were going to sit on the "floor". I guess rink-side would have been a better term! When we arrived to our seats she said, "I thought you said we were sitting on the floor." I said, "We are!" She replied as she pointed to the chairs, "These look like chairs to me!" You can always count on Merritt for a good chuckle!

Merritt wasn't in the mood to have her picture taken but she couldn't stand to not be included!

Don't Blink

In the words of the great country singer, Kenny Chesney, "Don't Blink!" Maybe I'm just a mom still lovin' the ribbons and bows of girls but when Morgan asked to please wear her hair down today, I became a little nervous! It sure changes her look, at least to dear old Mom. What a beauty she already is and will grow to be! Get out your big stick Daddy! So don't blink, because she will be a lady before we realize!

Field Day Friday

Merritt participated in her first Field Day on Friday. The afternoon began with open ceremonies which included the firing of a real cannon. We then had a picnic lunch followed by the relay events. Morgan had already prepared her for the day assuring her that everyone would be a winner! She even described the ribbons to Merritt telling her exactly how many red ribbons and blue ribbons she would get as well as the green participation ribbon with an alligator on it! Morgan and her memory never cease to amaze me!


After lunch Merritt asked her Daddy, "When are we going to get on the bus?" Her teacher provides so many enrichment opportunities which consist of several field trips a month. Surely field day must require a bus too!

The indoor relays were first and Merritt was the lead position for the tricycle race! She can no longer fool us with not being able to pedal her own tricycle! She looked like Lance Armstrong! The only thing slowing her down was the quick looks over her shoulder to make sure her opponent was still way behind her! Too bad I missed the photo opportunity of her giving me the thumbs up as she rounded the cone for the final stretch!

We then headed outdoors for some horse riding and baton racing! She was a champ at both! The weather was beautiful with a nice breeze!

Here's the star with all her blue and red ribbons! Morgan you were right, she got 3 of each! Not that I ever doubted you!

A Daughter, A Daddy Plus Their Caddy

The weather finally cooperated this afternoon allowing Morgan and her Daddy to play 3 holes of golf! Merritt and I joined them for the final hole before heading into the clubhouse for dinner! They had a good time and Merritt was thrilled to carry Morgan's tee and ball. Morgan was thrilled to have her own personal caddy. It was all fun and games until the caddy didn't get to tee off! Do you think Tiger's caddy acts that way too?

Spring Break Can Be Exhausting!

The girls have had a great time this week enjoying their Spring Break stay-cation (vacation without going anywhere). Everyone deserves a break from routine and boy did we make a break! They stayed up as late as they wanted, slept as late as they wanted, had sleep-overs with both grandparents and lots of Wii tournaments completed our week! Morgan even stayed upstairs one day until lunch! Merritt couldn't believe someone could eat lunch without eating breakfast first! She thought Morgan was so funny! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, isn't that what they say? Please pray for our household in the morning as we try to get both girls to school by 8:00 am!

Come Quick, Momma's Pretending To Be a Man!

Today was my regular haircut which has become a ritual in our household because it is always followed by a girl's night with my best friend, Karen. Being Spring Break, Scott took some time off to be with his girls and relax. Today he was playing volleyball with the Downtown Y group and wouldn't be home before my appointment so the girls went with me knowing Daddy would pick them up at the beauty shop.

While I was getting my hair shampooed I decided it was time to have my upper lip waxed. Morgan and Merritt kept coming into the room to check on me. Once the lip waxing began, Merritt peeked her head in. With Momma in full green wax moustache, I tried to convince her I was okay. She ran out the room yelling to Morgan, "Come quick, Momma's pretending to be a man!"

Tennis Anyone?

Granme bought Merritt this dress the other day. When she put it on I thought she looked like a little tennis player so I handed her my racket and took some pictures! Watch out Serena and Venus, here comes Merritt!

Asparagus and Shrimp

In an effort to expand Morgan's palate, it has been suggested that she try a new food each day. That hasn't gone over so well until the past two days. On Easter Sunday at lunch, Morgan announced that she would like to try shrimp! I obliged by peeling her one shrimp which she proceeded to eat and love! Last night she decided to try asparagus and really liked it until I reminded her how much it looked like one of her Vegi-Tale friends! Oooops!

Easter

The day finally arrived! We have prepared for Easter thoroughly! With all the egg hunts, candy and treats, I was getting a little anxious that the girls weren't getting the true message of Easter! Morgan put my mind at ease. The girls were anxious to see what their Mumsie and Poppa had given them. Morgan excitedly said something about more treats and I said something about that being what Easter was about (sarcastically) and she quickly said, "Oh no, Momma....Easter is about Jesus dying on the cross for us and his resurrection!" Cha-Ching! She gets it! Now we need to work on Merritt, the chocolate bunny queen!



After seeing what the Easter bunny brought, we dressed for church and headed out the door to a gloomy morning greeting us. We got to Sunday school before the rain but heading to the church service we all commented how it looked like night time! Sitting in the service one could feel the uneasiness. A tornado came through our town on Thursday night coming downtown near our church. The atmosphere was well-suited for a repeat performance and many of us were a little uncomfortable. I relaxed a little when I noticed Scott scanning the radar on his Blackberry. At least I knew we would know what was coming before it arrived! Before the sermon, our minister announced that the ushers confirmed the storm was moving more north of us. I think the congregation collectively exhaled at the same time! Whew, now I could concentrate on the meaning of the day, although I felt a little guilty about feeling unsafe in the place I should feel the safest!

The children's message was right on this morning giving an excellent analogy using an empty Easter egg and comparing it to the empty tomb!

After church we headed to lunch where we were joined by Scott's parents affectionately know as Mumsie and Poppa! We all had a great time being together!

After lunch we stopped by Ms. Jo's to wish her a Happy Easter! Uncle John had just left after eating lunch with her. He left behind the biggest most exciting girly Easter baskets you've ever seen! I told the girls that Uncle John did better than the Easter bunny! They replied, "he sure did!" I'll be sure and send a message to the Easter bunny to "hop" to it next year! Maybe he's experiencing the recession!

Egg Hunt, Round 8 ~ Rain Out!

When I woke Merritt up this morning she excitedly said, "Is this the day we have an egg hunt in our front and back yard?" "Uh-oh," I quickly thought, that means 9 egg hunts this year!

Thanks to rain, #9 didn't even have to be organized and #8 was moved in doors at the club while we ate lunch. The Easter Bunny just walked around and handed out eggs. My kind of hunt!

Feeling very full and very tired from all the family activities, Scott and I realize how blessed we are! He grew up all over the world away from his grandparents. I lived a great distance from mine and saw them a couple of times a year. How grateful we are that our children ate lunch today with both sets of grandparents before heading over to their great grandmother's house for more Easter treats! For priceless memories, I'll take this kind of tired any day!

Easter Egg Hunt, Rounds 6 & 7

Easter Egg Hunt 6 was held at a local park sponsored by our church. The girls had a great time hunting eggs, eating hot dogs and being with family! Even Poppy got a kick out of meeting the Easter bunny! We hope he remembers to hop on over to our house tonight!

Easter Egg hunt 7 was a birthday party that Merritt attended in honor of her friend Olivia! She had a great time playing with all her school friends and hunting eggs in their beautiful yard! She was even surprised to see her teachers there! While we were eating cake we discussed Easter traditions that her friends' families have. Morgan has decided this year we need to help the Easter bunny out and leave our baskets outside for him to fill so we decided to ask around to find out what other families do. The consensus at this party was that baskets are left on the kitchen table for the Easter bunny to fill. What's your family tradition?

No matter how you celebrate, may tomorrow be a glorious day as we are reminded of the greatest gift ever given! Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt, Rounds 4 & 5

Both girls had egg hunts at their schools Thursday morning. It was a wonderful way to spend the last day of school before Spring Break! Morgan's teacher is moments away from having her second child so we planned a surprise shower for her. After the children found their eggs, we surprised her with a bassinet full of presents. 80 first graders looked precious hopping down the trail into the local park down the street from their school!
I was able to "hop" on over to Merritt's school just in time to see them playing on their playground following their egg hunt. Scott was there to help Merritt find her eggs, although she needed no help! She was the first one to find all her eggs and then helped her classmates. To make both egg hunts more educational and last longer, both girls had to find eggs numbered (1-8 for Morgan and 1-12 for Merritt).

Our church egg hunt is Saturday and Merritt has been invited to a birthday party/egg hunt on Saturday which will make rounds 6 & 7. Easter Sunday our family will eat together at our country club which will also include an egg hunt, Round 8! Whew! I need to research the history of these egg hunts and how they got started! To quote a favorite comedian of ours, "Jesus is coming, Quick hide the eggs!" Theologian Morgan tells me that we hunt eggs because they are a symbol of life and Jesus brings us new life! Happy Easter, may you find your eggs and your new life!

Easter Egg Hunt, Round 3

One of Morgan's friends from Suzuki Violin class invited us to her annual egg hunt! It was a lot of fun! They have a beautiful home on the bayou with a lovely yard beautifully landscaped. The weather could not have been better! Merritt is an honorary member of the class so she attended the egg hunt too! We had a great time finding eggs but the girls especially enjoyed the tree house equipped with a zip line! Morgan even found a golden egg!

Easter Egg Hunt, Round 2

Merritt's Sunday School class had an egg hunt today to celebrate Palm Sunday! She had a wonderful time hunting eggs with her Sunday School friends! Her sweet teachers gave her a special Easter basket! We ended our Palm Sunday celebrations by having brunch at East Ridge! It was a great family day!

Palm Sunday

We awoke to a glorious Palm Sunday! We go to sleep tonight anticipating a possible freeze! My what a difference a day can make! I'm still hoping to get an Easter photo of the girls with the azaleas but with the impending weather, I'm not sure they will make it until next weekend! So here they are in all their glory with two precious girls! We've decided that azaleas must be mighty hearty since they survived our reign! Here's hoping they continue to survive under our watch!
Morgan processed into church with the other children per tradition, waving the palm branches and singing Hosanna! We were very proud of our sweetie!