Savannah's 13th Birthday

Well, I am sure you have noticed my blog is behind...well, life has been busy (and I sure you would like to see all of the pictures to prove it!) Our computer crashed back in May. I have been so sad because somehow we lost a chunk of pictures...it was Blayne's birthday, end of the year stuff and Savannah's birthday....I have been hopeful to recover them, but so far it has not happened. I was glad that I had uploaded some of my pictures to my facebook account, so pictures like the only ones I have of Savannah's 13th party are here! We had Savannah's party at our house this year. We were supposed to go to the new Hawaiian Falls, but it opened 3 weeks late!!! So, we instead just hung out here and went to our neighborhood pool. I don't have any of the great pictures of Savannah and all of her friends, but I documented the cake that she wanted me to make....it was a huge effort to pull it off, but it was exactly what she wanted and tasted oh so good!!!! I can't believe that I have a TEENAGER living in my house! Savannah is a precious girl. She is soft spoken, sweet, silly, smart, style-conscious, super organized and special....like all of those S's describing our girl??? We are thankful for our Sweet Savannah and the young lady that the Lord is making her into. Happy Birthday Savannah!!!

End of the School Year

Soooo, we got everyone to the end of the school year. Reagan graduated pre-school, but because of a September 5th birthday, she will be home another year. Savannah finished 7th grade, Whitney sang in the school talent show at her NEW school and finished 4th grade and Blayne finished the 1st grade. Everyone did very well academically, and after a tough adjustment, both Blayne and Whitney are now "at home" at their new school. For the record, I would NOT recommend starting your children at a new school in February!!! Here are some pictures from the end of the year.

Blayne's Birthday

It is hard to believe that Blayne is already already 8 years old. Blayne is a sweet and sensitive boy. He makes friends easily and has a charm that attracts others. He can aggravate the girls and push their buttons, but he can also be funny and entertaining and have us all laughing! He is very smart (more than I realized) He has tested very high on all tests at school, he loves to read, and is learning to enjoy writing too! He is very good at math and enjoys it....must have gotten that from his Daddy and his Uncle Jerral. We celebrated his birthday at Jump for Fun...again...and enjoyed our time with his many friends. John and I had to divide and conquer that night because Savannah was getting recognized for her academic achievements at the Middle School that night. I had to enlist my sister-in-law's help to run the party since I was managing as a single parent that night! It all went very well. We love you Blayne Michael Stonecipher and we look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for your life!

Reagan's Pre-school Graduation

Reagan had a wonderful year at Keller Christian School. She had an outstanding teacher, Mrs. Kimble. She learned a lot and enjoyed making new friends. Her favorite friend is Madelyn. These two girls get a long so well. We plan to keep in touch with her family and keep the girls together with playdates and such. At Reagan's graduation, she was presented with a new Bible. While on stage, it was announced what the children wanted to be when they grew up. There were doctors, race car drivers, mommies, and other community service people. Our daughter's ambition is to be a DANCER and to work at Chuck E. Cheese....hmmm she is not setting the bar real high! The audience laughed...and the fact that she didn't come right on stage because she was admiring her picture on the big screen...then she hopped right up. It is never dull when you have Reagan around!

Easter Brunch

We were invited to our old neighbor's house for the annual Easter Brunch. It was so exciting to receive the e-mail inviation as we did know if we would be invited any more now that we have moved. They had us and The Craycrafts (the family that purchased our old house) all come along with many, many more guests. The food was yummy and it was so nice to have another family with kids there to celebrate. Took some pressure off of me! Made me happy to be there, but also sort of sad knowing that we no longer live on that beautiful street.

End of the Year Party

Reagan had a blast at her End of The Year Splash Day. The teachers worked hard to organize some fun! It was an overcast breezy day, but that didn't hold the kids back from splashing and enjoying eachother's company. There was one child in the class that whined and cried at every game. I mentioned to the teacher that the child "must be having a bad day". Her response "it's like this EVERYDAY with that child"...oh my word, how did she ever stand that? Hats off to Ms. Stannie for fabulous pre-school experience for Miss Reagan Marie. She has another year before she starts school, but we have decided to keep her home and have some fun before "real" school starts. She will be taking dance class and enjoying time with Momma and Bryan. We are also contemplating putting her in a Dual Language program at our new elementary school. She would be taught both English and Spanish. It is a five year commitment and I am inquiring about the program from teachers and parents of students that have/are participating. She has very strong verbal skills, so I think that she would soak it up. How cool would it be for her to be fluent in both languages by the end of 5th grade. We are leaning toward putting her into the program at this point, but thankfully we have another year to get educated on the program and its pros and cons.

Prayer Request

This beautiful angel has been on my heart for the past two weeks. She has been in the hospital sick with pneumonia. A reminder of how a perfectly healthy child can be taken down with a common illness! Her mother, Mandy, was on my Little Dribblers team many, many, years ago...wow...since my reunion is coming up, I guess it was TWENTY years ago! She was a spunky girl with a very funny sense of humor...she sounds to be the grown-up version of that same little girl that I knew so long ago. Take some time to read, and pray for Harper. She is doing so much better, but I think that these past two weeks have been a hard journey for them all!

I haven't Quit!

Just wanted to let you that check in here on me know that I have not quit blogging. Between moving and adjusting to life in our "new" place, and the fact that my computer crashed....I just haven't been able to Blog. Hang in there. I have lots to "show and tell" in the weeks ahead, so sit back and know that it's coming....when you see a long stand of posts, you might want to grab a snack and be prepared to stay for a while!

Vist to Aunt Judy's to Meet Baby Ava

They say that "apples don't fall too far from the tree"....well, it's true! my cousin Jim had their newest addition, Ava Leonida, back in February. She is a beautiful baby, pretty black hair, beautiful blue eyes and Galactosemia..."What you say?" Yes, she has Galactosemia just like Reagan! They have already gone to see Dr. Bassinger (the geneticist) and her levels look good, so she will be like Reagan with a somewhat restricted diet and she will then do the Milk Challenge closer to her first birthday. My Cousin, Jim, decided that this came from Memaw's branch of the tree...Sweet Memaw would be devastated if she thought she caused any harm on these babies! But Reagan does LOVE chocolate and I suspect Ava will too!

We had a great time (but too short) visiting with my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle. I had also made plans to go see their older son while I was up that way. He lives about 30 minute away from them and had his own little farm going! At the last minute, we got invited to a "Back from Boston" party for Libby (will fill you in on that next) so we had to get back for that. So, the Fabuous Five spent around 5 1/2 hours in the car on that one Saturday. On our next visit to my Aunt Judy's we are going to hang around a little longer....if you're reading this, Aunt Judy, that is your warning!





We enjoyed a delicious lunch of homemade lasagna and wonderful coconut pie that is made in the microwave....it was soooo good! I got to see all of the cousins and their wives and kids. The kids enjoyed playing marshmallow wars in the backyard and playing the drums on metal lids. The weather was beautiful and we got to eat outside and visit.

At Jeremy's house, we got to see his donkey names "Donkey"....his dog named "Soup"...and his cow had a funny name too, but it has escaped me at the moment. They are building their own house with their own hands. It sits on a high spot on their property and has great views. Blayne liked playing video games with Jeremy's son Mason, and his daughter, Dalton was sweet to help them out too. The kids enjoyed seeing Jeremy and he kept offering them rabbits...fortunately, they knew better than to accept his offer!











We left Jeremy's and headed back to the Packwoods' home where we enjoyed a cookout and hours of swimming....what a day!