ABC and 123

Isabelle had a wonderful first experience this academic year at Stone Oak Presbyterian Preschool. She loved each and every one of her classmates and felt a real closeness to her two teachers, Ms. Pat and Ms. Ashley. She learned all sorts of fun songs and skills and looked forward to going...most days. She learned all about getting married on the playground and Ben and I learned too that she is going to hear ALL SORTS of stuff at school! She still looked forward to Wednesday each week when she could stay home and play with mom and Olivia and some school days I had to seriously encourage her to get her out the door by 9:00am, but the majority of the days we arrived close to on time! It was a good "safe" place for little Jelly to get her feet wet being gone for a good part of the day, eating her own packed lunch and navigating through the daily hustle and she grew so much over the year. On her preschool report card her teachers wrote that Isabelle had grown from a quiet and shy student to a class leader who would certainly thrive in Kindergarten.

To celebrate the end of the school year, the kids enjoyed a field day full of fun, sun and friends. There was a bounce house, bubbles, face painting, etc. They ate pizza for lunch and watched a movie in the afternoon. We also were thrilled to be invited to a "graduation" program where the PreK class sang 5 different songs and were presented with year-end awards. Isabelle was so pleased when she was chosen as the Mentor Student of The Year!

Even though it was just preschool and not even every single day, we are thankful that now it is time to enjoy the sun and pool for a few months and pretend that little Jelly will not be starting Kindergarten so soon. I know for certain that she will be exhausted going to school every day and all day and know that a whole new set of challenges will come our way, but I am also excited for all the knowledge that Belle will gain and the many many ways that she will continue to grow and bloom. She is definitely prepared for Kindergarten, it's just her parents who are not quite ready.

Soccer Sharks

Although it is called "Spring Soccer" in most places this is called "Summer weather." Although it was smoking hot for the last few games of the season and the kids were pouring water bottles on their heads rather than drinking them, Isabelle thoroughly enjoyed another round of sports at the YMCA. Ben agreed to coach once again and this time found his roster filled with 10 of Isabelle's buddies. The Sharks had so much fun together that most of the time they didn't care if they won or lost, they just wanted to run around and chase each other. Mid season Ben feared that we may have a totally "defeated" season, but every once in a while the group decided to really play soccer and then they were great! The last game was so much fun that we stomped the other team with goal after goal all the while laughing and tagging each other as we ran. Isabelle was thrilled to play with a few of her best friends from preschool and looked forward to each and every practice and game. Our proudest moment as parents was after a game where Isabelle had luckily scored a super goal and when we asked her what the best part of the game was, much to our surprise she excitedly proclaimed When I kicked it away from that big tough girl! She was proud of all of her hard work all season and we were too!

Of course with such a friendly team we had to end the year with a huge soccer party at the park. We had pizza and balloons and each member of the team was given a special award and medal. Lucky for us, we had the son of a fabulous cake baker on the team so we concluded the year and night with a cake that could have won awards on it's own.

Ben did a great job coaching the kids, learning lots of patience and mostly looked forward to his weekly dates with Isabelle. What great exercise and memories for the two of them!

Spring has sprung!

Spring Time definitely reminds me of birth! Not only because it is when both of my own babies were born, or when everything in the yard blooms, but also because it is the Easter season too! We were so excited to share the holiday weekend with another newly born babe, cousin Leo. We enjoyed a weekend filled with egg hunts, Easter candy, ham and eggs, Easter parties, the Bunny and new Sunday church clothes. Leo was a champ on his first road trip sleeping like a baby and letting his eager cousins take turns holding and smothering him. Isabelle thinks she is his first babysitter and feels very experienced now that she has "raised" Olivia. And Livi walks around all day still saying Leo and looking for her new buddy. They are only 11 months apart and actually quite close in size! I think they are going to be the best of friends!

Easter is a wonderful time to remember the Resurrection of our Savior and to be grateful for the gift of Eternal Life. Isabelle is quite thrilled about the fact that we will all live together again as a family and often wishes aloud that the Savior would return to earth TONIGHT! Ben and I feel like we could use a bit more time here on Earth first, but every once in a while share her enthousiasm.

I know that my Redemeer lives, how simple this sweet sentence is.

Baby Belle is 5 Years Old!

We returned home from Orlando just a few hours shy of Isabelle's actual 5th birthday. We were all exhausted after a week-long celebration so we decided that some quiet time at home would be the nicest way to spend the day. Isabelle had already opened many presents over the last several days from her grandparents and extended family, but we had saved a few gifts for the actual March 23rd. Isabelle was beyond thrilled when she opened her very own fish tank complete with rocks, a tunnel, plants, shells and even a bubbling volcano. She especially loved going to the pet store and BUYING some pets, rather than just browsing like usual. She is very proud to now be a pet-owner and takes great care of her fish!

Since I knew I would be spending much of the day unpacking, doing laundry and playing catch-up I told Jelly she could invite a friend over for a birthday playdate. She immediately said she wanted to invite Caleb A. over so when his mom dropped him off shortly after breakfast she was thrilled. They had fun together playing, make-believeing, eating lunch and just being silly 5 year olds.

We ended the day with a yummy ice cream cake from HEB and hopped into bed early. It was a perfect end to a wonderful celebration. Isabelle is such a special little girl and is definately wise beyond her years. She has always been very rational and never ever stops thinking. What a joy it is to be her parents!

Ten interesting things about Isabelle at Age 5:

1. She still loves cheese! Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Cheese, Cheese stick or a Cheese Quesadilla...she eats at least one of these daily.
2. She is still very clingy and has seperation anxiety! Sometimes when I run to Target she calls me crying because she misses me SO much... and she is home with Ben! Sometimes it's hard to be so loved.
3. She loves to travel!!! After a few days at home she is packing her bags and back ready to get on the road.
4. She loves to play on a sports team. So far she has loved two seasons of soccer and basketball.
5. She loves to read books and is getting close to figuring out how to read on her own.
6. She prefers to wear a fluffy dress or skirt everyday and twirl all day long.
7. She is a wonderful big sister. She adores Olivia and lets her steal all her toys and knock down all her towers constantly. All day long she tells Livi You're the best baby!
8. She would rather not go to church. Every week she begs to not go.
9. She likes to wear make-up. She has some glitter blush which she calls cheek and she often puts it on in the morning with a little lipstick of course.
10. She still has a huge imagination and plays make-believe most of the time. She loves all of her stuffed friends as if they were real and they usually play a major part in our day.

We love you Isabelle!

Celebrate a Dream Come True...

Tara is always traveling all over the world with her fancy job and staying in fabulous hotels while eating yummy rich food. She invites us often to join her and we have enjoyed a few trips over the last few years visiting different cities and watching all of the sequins and feathers foxtrot across the ballroom floor. When she told us that this year's Arthur Murry Dance-A-Rama would be in Orlando, FL at the Waldorf Astoria Disney as well as the week of Spring Break and Isabelle's 5th birthday, we had no choice..we had to go!

Isabelle was thrilled with the idea of a birthday with Mickey and the gang and started saving her money in a homemade Disney Jar a few weeks before the day arrived. When Grandpa Elmo emptied his piggy bank into her Disney Jar just a few days before our journey began, Jelly had plenty of spending money for the trip. Finally our bags were packed and it was time to board a quick flight to Orlando. Isabelle and Olivia sat as quietly as two girls could who were filled with anticipation and excitement for the coming weeks adventures.

The first magical moment of the trip happened right away when we stepped off the plane and met Grammie at the Orlando airport waiting to join us in all the fun. She had taken a flight from Houston just shortly before we left San Antonio and I am not sure who was the most excited to see her...Belle, Livi or Ben and I as we quickly passed her our newly independent and super wiggly 1 year old! We were so blessed to have my mom share this vacation with us. Not only did she spoil the girls like usual but she was a much needed extra set of hands in a very busy place with two very young and spirited girls!

The Orlando airport is a site all by itself, with Disney everywhere, so the excitement and fun began immediately. We grabbed a quick taxi and made our way to the Waldorf Orlando Hotel. As mentioned in posts previous, Isabelle's dream is to be just like Eloise at the Plaza so a week of Isabelle at the Waldorf with her own queen-sized bed and chocolates left on her pillow each night was a week in paradise. (She was ready to move in permanently.) The resort was fabulous with pools, a lazy river, ponds with ducks, fountains and more. As soon as we met Aunt Tara and found our room, Isabelle climbed into the huge fluffy bed and said this is where I am sleeping! Lucky for us, since Tara was running the show, we were blessed to not only have a suite to stay in for the week but the adjoining room as well! The best part was that the hotel was right inside the Walt Disney World community and we could see the various parks right out our bedroom window. We had soft fluffy robes and white slippers to wear around the room and a little kitchen that Grammie and Tara had filled with snacks and drinks! Isabelle loved the beautiful room and was especially glad when they came for turn down service and left chocolates on her pillow each night! Olivia was thrilled to have space to explore and loved going out on the balcony and looking down to the grounds below.

Each of the 6 days we were there, we took our time sleeping in and getting ready before we headed out for the day. We stopped by the ballroom each morning for a bit and watched some of the dancing before we boarded the shuttle to one of the Disney theme parks. Both girls loved all of the glittery costumes and music in the ballroom and especially loved all of the attention they received from the many dancers. Both girls would have run straight out onto the dance floor to compete in a cha cha themselves if we hadn't held them back but were fortunate enough to have some of the ladies take them out on the floor and let them give a few spins of their own in the big ballroom during breaks in the competition.

After the ballroom visit each day, we headed to the wonderful Walt Disney World! We spent multiple days at Magic Kingdom, visited Downtown Disney for dinner and a dance party and discovered all sorts of fun at Animal Kingdom! Both Isabelle and Olivia loved riding all of the rides and were good sports to wait in line for their turn. Isabelle was tall enough to ride Splash Mountain and was completely in love with the thrill of the ride. She rode it 3 different times and sat in the front row when ever it was available! Olivia's favorite ride was Prince Charming's Regal Carousel and rode it several times as well. The line was even short enough one time that Grammie took her right off a horse and walked back on for a back to back spin. The worst part of the trip for little Livi was when the rides would end and she would have to get off! (She didn't quite get that concept!) A few of the other favorite rides over the week were Dumbo, Peter Pan and It's A Small World.

Another major highlight of the trip were the Disney parades each day. The girls loved all of the characters dancing and singing and we looked forward to parade time each afternoon. One night Ben and I had an extra special date with Isabelle and went back to Magic Kingdom after dinner for a big girl's only late evening. Grammie stayed at the hotel with Olivia and put her to bed while Ben and I enjoyed some one on one time with big sister. We rode rides Livi was too small for, ate ice cream and danced with Goofy and the Chipmunks during a show, etc. Luckily we were there late enough to see the Main Street Electric Parade and enjoyed all of the lights and sounds of Ben and my youth. We had planned to stay late enough to see the fireworks but after the parade Belle was so tired she looked at us and said let's go to bed! We left to the sound of fireworks behind us and carried our own Sleeping Beauty back to the hotel.

Following in her sister's footsteps to enjoy everything loud and wild, little Livi had a wonderful time on the vacation. She danced with the Bears from the Country Bear's Jamboree, ate all sorts of new foods and waved constantly to all of the characters. She surprisingly loved getting her picture taken with all of the princesses and no ride was ever too fast for this little nut. She loved eating all of the many treats and especially enjoyed the messy churros and her very own ice cream cone.

A major highlight from the trip was Isabelle's birthday dinner at 1900 Park Fair. We all feasted on dishes from around the globe while we visited and mingled with the characters from Cinderella. Even the Ugly Step Sisters came by to wish Belle a Happy Birthday and during a special moment in the evening, Prince Charming led Isabelle along the dance floor for a little waltz of their own. The night was capped off with a HUGE Disney cupcake and an ice cream sundae for the birthday girl.

Another memorable moment was seeing both the Becksteads and Griffiths families in Orlando. Both had formally lived in San Antonio and it was so fun to see familiar faces in such a busy place. Isabelle had a great time visiting with one of her first friends, Brooklyn, and Olivia and Lexie did their best to keep up with their big sisters.

Thankfully, Aunt Tara was able to sneak away from all of the dancing one day to have fun at Magic Kingdom with us. It was great to share the magic with her and let her enjoy the art of Disney through children's eyes again. Of course the week came to an end much too quickly and it was time for us to head back home before we knew it. Walt Disney World truly is The Happiest Place on Earth and this was a dream vacation for all of us! (Ben's Blackberry was kept at a very reasonable usage throughout the week.) What a fabulous 5th birthday for our own little Princess!

Little Dribblers

*The above photos are courtesy of http://www.jaimiehaleyphotography.com

Isabelle has wanted to play basketball since she was old enough to have an opinion. Maybe it is because it was both her parents sport of choice, or maybe it's because she loves to go to the Spurs game, but either way she was thrilled when she was finally old enough to play on a real basketball team. Ben kindly obliged her request and was the coach of the Little Dribblers Orange Sharks this winter. (Named by the 4 year old team!)

Isabelle signed up with her friend from soccer Austin, and as luck had it, Jelly was the only girl on her team! I think she was a little intimidated at first, but she quickly warmed up and loved when her coach yelled her name to run into the game. Although she made hoops, as she called them, during practice, she never made a basket during a game. She rarely even shot the basketball during game time but she had many assists and was a great passer. She also was one of the best dribblers and took her time and brought the ball all the way down the court dribbling the entire way!

Although the score was never officially kept, we think the Orange Sharks may have been undefeated for the year! Ben was a perfect coach, teaching the kids the basics but letting them have fun along the way, and it was a successful first attempt at Jelly becoming a basketball star!