Barn Dance

Each year in PE, the kids learn how to do a "Barn Dance." Tripp did it the year he was in kindergarten and cried the entire time and never took his fingers out of his mouth. He's never done it again. Makinley, on the other hand, was super excited! The weather postponed the dance by a week, but she was still super excited when the day came!

 We got her as decked out in country gear as our closet allowed. We aren't necessarily 'country' dressers around here, but we were able to pull it together.

 Unfortunately, there were far more girls that showed up for the dance than boys. So, Makinley was not too happy when her partner had to be a girl. She was looking forward to showing us how she could dance with a boy! Ha!

 Look at this face below! Hilarious!

 Addie Grey got really into it a couple of times. She would stand up and stomp her foot like she was watching the big kids do.

 Then she made her way out onto the floor saying her "Dissy's" name and raising her arms for Makinley to pick her up.

 She did a great job! We were so proud of her. This one doesn't have a shy bone in her body.

 When the dance was over, we let the kids play on the school's playground for just a few minutes before coming home to start the nighttime routine.

One more memory for the books!

Snow Day Take 2

The snow stuck around long enough for the kids to enjoy it a couple more times!

And I would be totally fine with not seeing anymore for a few more years!

SNOW!

My kids got their wish! It snowed in Georgia!

All Addie Grey wanted to do was eat it. She is cutting her two bottom eye teeth and I think the cold felt awesome on her gums!

Sweet faced girl!

My hottie husband acts like a five year old right along with them!

We have the best neighborhood and I love it that all the kids love to get outside and play together.

Now that we've had our one day of snow, Spring can come any time it wants to. This momma is tired of layers and ready for flip flops!

These Days

Trying to do a little better with taking pictures of day to day things without just using my phone. Over the weekend, we decided to get Makinley and Tripp to help us make their lunches for the week. They each counted out pepperonis to put in baggies and goldfish. Saved Joey and I little time.

 Addie Grey enjoyed some of her sister's GIGANTIC sucker while the big ones worked.

 I should have blogged this long ago, but Makinley FINALLY lost her first tooth! Her two bottom teeth have been loose for so long that her grown up teeth have already fully come in. She finally lost one of them, but you can hardly see the gap because the big one is right there. She was excited though and was a champ while her daddy pulled it out. And, of course, you can see the sucker ALL over her face!

 This week was the 100th day of school! So hard to believe the school year is more than half over and we have less than 80 days left. To celebrate the day, the kids both dressed up like they were 100 years old. We didn't go all out, but they still looked super cute.

Now, I've been home for over an hour, and it's only 3:45, because of the snow falling from the sky. School has been cancelled for tomorrow too, and I hope to get some pictures of the kids playing in it later today and tomorrow. This happens so rarely that we have to document it!

A 90's Style Party

I've joined a new women's bible study group for the spring, and one of the ladies turned 30 last week. To celebrate, she had a 90's themed pop culture party and you had to come in costume. This is WAAAYYY out of character for us, and I had the hardest time trying to think of something for us to do. At the end of the day, we went as our version of Zack and Kelly from Saved by the Bell. Instead of Bayside...it was Morgan, but whatever. Joey wore his letter jacket and a shirt he actually wore in the 90's. I borrowed a cheerleading uniform, and we called it a day. It was fun to have a night out with lots of great couples. There were some hilarious costumes. From Monica and Bill to Pamela and Tommy Lee.

They partied into the wee hours of the morning, but we called it a night at 10. We had a baby sitter on the clock...and we're old!

A New Year

And just like that, it's January 12th. I can't seem to keep up with time, and the blog falls farther and father behind. But, Joey is determined that I continue doing it, and I know I would be sad not to have my book at the end of each year, so I keep on. They are just more sporadic and far apart. Maybe I'll be able to get back to posting at least once a week this year. I'll make it a goal! :-)

Speaking of goals, there are a few going on in the Lancaster household right now. Joey and I started P90X3 a couple of weeks back and we are both loving it so far. Trying to just continue improving on the changes we made last year. It feels good to be starting at the point we're at now instead of at the point we were at a year ago. I'm also doing the best I can to make sure my family is eating healthier meals. I'm trying to do more fruits and veggies and less processed stuff. It's hard. And it's expensive. But I know the health benefits are a really big deal, so I'm trying.

The kids are all doing really well. Tripp is blowing me away in how much he is changing and maturing. Can definitely tell he is about to enter into his later elementary years instead of his early. He's grown at least 4 inches this year, and has decided he wants his hair long. His daddy isn't really feeling it, but I think he looks so cute. He took a nationwide test recently (not everyone in the nation takes it, but everyone in the nation COULD take it, if that makes any sense) and he scored in the 95% percentile for both reading and math. We are going to have him tested for gifted at the end of second grade. He may not make it, but I won't have a peace about it if we don't at least try. I'm fine with either outcome. He's playing basketball right now and he will audition for the school musical in a couple of weeks. I know he is mine, and I am VERY biased, but I really feel blessed by how well rounded he is. He is strong across the board academically, he loves sports, but he also really likes to sing and act. Who knows what God's going to do with him in the years to come. Whatever it is, I'll be in the front row screaming the loudest!

Makinley continues to keep us on her toes. It is so obvious now that she was always destined to be the 'middle child' and she will do whatever it takes to make her presence known! She really is incredibly loving and has a huge heart. She is my biggest helper. I can give her chore after chore, and she will usually do it with a joyful spirit. But, man oh man, I really didn't know there was a level of stubbornness like hers. It is unreal. When she sets her mind to something, that's it. And, as Joey likes to say, she stirs the pot. She stirs every pot she can find to stir. We are trying so hard to figure out how to parent her and keep peace around here. She and Tripp continue to either be best friends or act like they want to kill each other. She is in gymnastics right now and will play soccer in a few months. She wants to start dance back up next year. I really don't know what she'll end up doing. She is so tall for her age, and Joey thinks she will make a great athlete. But, as much as she loves to perform for us and make up her own dances, I'm wondering if that's the direction God will take her. Who knows? She also took the same test Tripp took and she scored in the 97% for math and the 95% for reading. Joey says they got their good looks and their brains from him! :-)

Addie Grey grows and changes faster than I can keep up. I wish I had continued doing her month by month, but I totally dropped the ball on that. At 16 months, she weighs around 23 pounds and is right around 31 or 31 inches. She has 12 teeth and has started saying more and more words. Her favorite to say is 'daddy'. But, she can also say: ball, woof woof, dog, ice, bubba, sissy, poppa, 'side' and she tries to mimmick a bunch of other things that we say. She has turned the corner with sleeping and has started sleeping a 10 hour stretch most nights before waking up. Because she isn't drinking all night long, she has started eating like a little pig during the day. We can't seem to fill her up, and she is our most adventurous eater. She tries new things that her brother and sister wouldn't try at this age. She is definitely a mommy's girl and follows me pretty much every step I take. She is super busy and loves to climb on top of stuff. I'm surprised we haven't had more injuries. We have had a black eye and a knot on her head. She is hilarious and keeps us on our toes. It's so hard for me to believe that she is already 4 months into her second year.

I know this year is going to fly by like every other year. I'm going to do my best to document as much of it as I can!