Twinkle Toes

Last week, we had internet connection issues on our PC, so I've been unable to blog. We are FINALLY up and running again, so my mother will finally be able to sleep again tonight. She has been anxiously awaiting this post!
Anyway, last Sunday was Addie Grace's dance recital. I am one proud momma!! At home, when I was able to force her to practice, she would just kind of do the dance half-heartedly, so that's what I expected her to do at the recital, too. However, when Addie Grace's group was up, she marched out there on a mission!! I was sitting in my seat, and when I saw her getting into it, I COULD NOT stay back...I was the obnoxious mother climbing over people to get down front to take pictures. Unfortunately, I was so tickled at her, that I still didn't get any great shots! Here are the videos followed by some pictures. Please excuse her PG rated costume...I was scared her daddy was going to make her wear a turtle neck and sweat pants underneath!!
We were so proud of her despite her risque' attire!!




And lastly, a few of my 4,016 pictures...

Here are some of her adoring fans!! Sorry I didn't get you in the shot Kim, Morganne, Kristy, Jennifer and Benjamin!! You are getting your honorable mention here! Since we had never done a recital before and didn't know what to expect, we didn't invite anyone, so it really meant alot to us, especially Addie Grace, that she had such a great turnout from people just asking if they could come!!!


And one more video...whenever Addie Grace would practice, Sawyer would usually end up joining in. This isn't a great video because I couldn't get him to put down his golf club long enough to perform. I wish I could have gotten some of the times that he was really getting into it. He was probably trying to avoid giving me evidence so that he could maintain at least a tiny bit of dignity in 11 or so years! Anyway...here he is halfway doing it...

Thanks for enduring such a long post!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Sawyer!!!

On Thursday, Sawyer turned TWO!! My little boy is growing up! We had his birthday party last Saturday. We had a great time despite the fact that we were missing several cousins due to a mission trip and camps.
Here are some pictures of our day...

On Sawyer's actual birthday we went to the Children's Museum. We were going to go to the Canal and ride pedal boats, but it kind of looked like it was going to rain, so we decided against it. Even though we go to the Children's Museum pretty regularly with friends, Brian doesn't usually get to tag along, so it was a special treat anyway! We had a great day celebrating our sweet Sawyer!

Oh yeah, one last thing...Sawyer's absolute favorite thing to eat is donuts, so we brought him Krispy Kreme for his birthday breakfast...
For a split second, there was a "two" on top of that donut...do you think he enjoyed it??

My Monkeys...

When I was little, I used to give my mother fits by climbing to the highest point that I could possibly climb in our trees, so I guess Addie Grace gets it honestly. We were at my parents this weekend for my nephew's graduation (more about that to come in another post), and Addie Grace found her inner beast monkey. She loved it and that's all she wanted to do. She kept begging us to let her go "just a little bit higher!!" Sawyer was definitely a fan too. Since he couldn't really climb the tree, he would just grab onto one of the lower branches and hold his feet up and swing back and forth. He thought it was great!





Besides the tree climbing adventures, Addie Grace and Sawyer caught some rest in the wagon while making poor Pappy run faster and faster pulling them! Don't feel sorry for him...he's a sucker (and besides, look at the smile on his face...he doesn't seem to be minding it too awfully much!)!!!

So incredibly blessed...

I'm a sucker for sentimental...all of those little projects that kids do in preschool about their handprints on the windows and what-not...those are geared specifically for me. I love them. I can hardly make it through reading them without Brian having to bring out the straight jacket. So, when Brian casually asked if for Mother's Day, I would rather have something sentimental, or something I've been asking for, I of course, jumped on the sentimental! Besides getting breakfast in bed, flowers, and a picnic at White River Park (complete with a surrey ride), Brian made me this cd that, no kidding, I have watched probably 20 times and cried every single time. I love it so much and I will treasure it forever!! It honestly is my favorite gift I have ever been given. I truly don't have the words to voice how incredibly blessed I feel to get to share my life with these three...here are a few reasons why...

just stuff...

Just thought I'd post some random pictures of this past week.

Sawyer has a new obsession with brushing his teeth. I think he might be a dental hygienist when he grows up! He will let us brush his teeth too as long as you don't try and remove his hand from the toothbrush. Apparently, he's concerned that our skills aren't up to his standards!
Addie Grace had Shelby over to spend the night. They are so funny...they called me in the room and asked me to take a picture of them with their sleep masks on (thanks, Aunt Tami!!). I told them to pretend to be asleep...hmm...not sure that they pulled it off!

And Addie Grace finally got to use her EasyBake oven! I don't think anything that I ever cooked in mine ever turned out, however, her cake was pretty good! She wants to cook our whole dinner in it one night for us!

Soccer is well underway. Addie Grace is loving it, and Sawyer is dying to play. Sydney (Shelby's little sister and Sawyer's buddy) is always content to sit and watch the game...not Sawyer. I usually have to wrestle him off the field during the practices and the games. Luckily, his cousin Jack was there at the last game to keep him somewhat preoccupied!
Miss Linda (Addie Grace's preschool teacher) came out to support her 3 students on the team! We LOVE Miss Linda!

Jack and Sawyer thought something was funny!

Enjoy your weekend!!!

The Result of Negligent Parenting...

Sawyer got caught playing in my mascara this afternoon!!! I wish you could have heard the startled squeal (his, not mine!) when I walked into the bathroom!!! Little rat!!

a McCool family Easter...

For almost every Easter Sunday in my lifetime, we have gathered with my Dad's side of the family at my grandparents' house to celebrate Easter. Since Poppy's death (and now Mawsie's too), we haven't been carrying on the tradition. Even though Addie Grace and Sawyer have celebrated Easter and had egg hunts and everything that goes along with it, somehow, each year, I felt that they were missing out. With talks of Mawsie and Poppy's property being sold, this year we gathered together and celebrated the way we have for most every other year for the last 36+ years. It was such a special day. Mawsie and Poppy's house and most of the property looks exactly the same way that it has my whole life. There was something so special about watching my kids and my cousin's kids trample through the yard and the field looking for Easter eggs in the same exact spots that I used to. I loved standing at the "creek" (a very ambitious description of the drainage ditch that runs along the front yard and under the driveway) with my cousin Wendy and telling our girls stories about us growing up at Mawsie's and Poppy's on Easters...just like this. I loved telling them the few sure fire spots to find the golden egg (which didn't pan out). I loved the laughter, the reminiscing and just being together. We ended the day at the family cemetery that is behind the house and we sang songs and we prayed. We stood together, being thankful for our heritage. Thankful for an earthly heritage that has always pointed to our spiritual heritage. I feel so blessed that Mawsie and Poppy were Godly examples who raised faithful children, and I'm beyond thankful to get to gather with my family to celebrate for the most important reason of all...an empty tomb!

I know I'm posting ALOT of pictures, but believe me, I've cut out ALOT!!

Before I post the ones of Mawsie and Poppy's house, here are the ones leading up to Easter.
Here are Addie Grace and Sawyer coloring Easter eggs...

And here they are at Mom and Dad's after church. I tried and tried to get a good picture of both of them, but it just wasn't in the cards. (I made their Easter outfits this year! I was afraid that they were going to fall apart as we were walking into church or something, but they didn't!! As I said, these pictures were taken after church, and they are still intact!!! Hooray!)

now at Mawsie and Poppy's...
the older, wiser ancestors...(my camera got put on a weird setting and it shot in black and white for some reason)...
waiting to go and hunt...and they're off...

Addie Grace hunting...

and Sawyer hunting...

pleased with his loot...

cousin Beth and Albert needing some attention...

some of the McCool offspring...

great-grandkids youngest to oldest (can you believe this isn't all of them?!?)

swinging...

enjoying a cupcake...
Cassie showing Sawyer a caterpillar that she caught
wondering if the swing will hold them up...

running off some of the Easter sugar high...

checking out the caterpillars that they caught...

Addie Grace loving on sweet baby Kyle (my cousin Christy's foster child)...

at the family cemetery...

I hope you are feeling as blessed as I do this Easter!!!

A five year old lives under my roof...

How is it possible that Addie Grace is five years old?? It really is mind blowing! I was finally getting used to her being four, AND NOW SHE'S FIVE!!!
I'm not going to get sappy and drone on and on about how I wish I could push a slow motion button on her life. And I'll try not to blabber on about how I have treasured every single second of the last five years, watching my sweet baby girl grow into this amazing little creature, who is beautiful both on the inside and out...I'll just take a few valium deep breaths to ease my pain and get on with the show...
The night before the party, Addie Grace went to bed on time, but at midnight, she got up to get a drink. When she came downstairs, she saw everything decorated and apparently, she got really excited. When I went upstairs at one, I went into her room and she was laying in the dark playing with her leapster, so I told her she HAD to go to sleep. At TWO, I went in to check on her, and she was still just laying there (no leapster) and I said, "Addie Grace, WHAT are you doing?!?" and she said, "just waiting for my party to start!". I was really worried that she was going to be a grump through her whole party, but she was surprisingly okay.
Here are some pictures of the party...
(FYI, Mom and Dad...you can click the collages to enlarge them...not that I'm calling you computer illiterates or anything!)

We also went to the American Girl Place in Chicago. It was so much fun! Addie Grace loved it! My sister Tanya and two of her girls tagged along too, and it was a really fun day! As you can imagine, I took a few pictures. At the table, Addie Grace said, "Oh! My birthday has turned into a picture day!!" Oh well...here's proof that she is honest...

Okay, I'm off to put a book on Addie Grace's head.