ward talent night

 Last night we had a ward party and talent show.  The girls were so excited to show their talents. They both wanted to sing a song and dance.  When it came time, Savanna decided her tap shoes were giving her a blister and she would dance barefoot.  Then she got the giggles...big time.  Probably a case of the jitters.  Neither one of the girls could stop laughing while they danced and it was so hilarious.  Everyone was laughing at their contagious giggles.  Heidi sang, "Jesus loves me" a song she has been working on for her school graduation program.  Savanna didn't really sing anything loud enough for anyone to hear, but she really wanted to.  One day hopefully her desire to do what she wants will outweigh her anxiety to do it. Overall it was a fun night!

puddle jumping

 Rain boots were on sale the other day at our local Aldi and we just had to get them.  We get soggy days and muddy days here enough that I felt like they would definitely be useful.  The girls love them and Savanna especially wears them every chance she gets.  We got quite a storm this evening and the girls could not wait to try the boots out.  They had the best time jumping around and watching the water fly up around them.  After they were done jumping they came in and set up beach towels to lay on while they read books together.  These are the moments that I absolutely love being a mom.

This picture doesn't have anything to do with
the post, but I thought it was so cute.  We went to the

park earlier this week and Caimbree and Savanna wanted their picture taken.  I thought this one of Caimbree holding onto Savanna and Savanna looking so sweet at Caimbree was so precious.  No one makes Caimbree laugh like Savanna does.  Savanna really and truly has the biggest heart of gold.  I have had major back issues this week and Savanna has been my biggest little supporter.  She is always praying for me, asking her dad to give me blessings, and constantly saying, "I'm sorry your back hurts mama".  She is such a good example to me of unconditional love.

maybe it was memphis

 Maybe it was Memphis...Maybe it was southern summer nights...maybe it was you, maybe it was me, but it sure felt right.

I've had that song stuck in my head all day and have been driving Jeff a little batty by singing it to him repeatedly since we spent the day in Memphis!  I'm so funny haha.

So I am high maintenance apparently.  I don't try to be.  It's just that I really, really wanted an apron front farmhouse sink.  In the worst way.  Then Jeff tried to make me practical and talked me out of it.  But when they started doing the cabinets, I asked if it was too late to change.  Jeff looked at me very shocked.  It just kind of popped out of my mouth.  I guess deep down it was more important to me than I thought.  I really have tried to be practical.  Well, it wasn't too late, and Jeff being the kind person he is, let me switch.  The only problem was that as luck would have it, Kohler is on strike.  The sinks are nearly impossible to get now but there was ONE left in Memphis. It would cost $125 to ship it.  The builder would have arranged for someone to pick it up, but we decided we would just go get it and make a little adventure out of it.

 We had an awesome day!!  I have decided that Memphis is a bit on the seedy side and there were parts where I made sure the doors were locked about 3 times, but we got to the zoo and had a great day!  It's a really fun zoo and bigger than the Nashville Zoo.  The girls were in stellar moods and were just so cute and excited about everything.  They especially liked the Panda Bears.  We just checked a book out all about sea otters at the library and they were very excited to see a few of those as well.  Savanna was giggling with delight watching the seals swim under the water.  It really was a wonderful day.  The girls were troopers in the car and everything went smoothly.  The only downfall is that I have been having quite a bit of trouble with my back...I think we need a new mattress in the worst way.  Caimb had a really rough night for some reason and I finally just stuck her in bed with us around 3 AM.  I'm thinking that sleeping funny with her in bed and then a 3 hour car ride really did my lower back in.  I can barely move right now and I am hoping and praying it will relax by tomorrow as it is my turn for sharing time.

We had such a fun time in Memphis!  We probably won't go back anytime soon since it's not super close, but it was on our bucket list of things to do while we are here and we are glad we had an excuse to go...and I'm sure the farmhouse sink is going to be so beautiful that Jeff will be thanking me for making sure we had it...haha elbow, elbow, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.  Love you, Jeffrey!

pre-k graduation photo

Heidi's class is doing a little graduation in a few weeks and they took some graduation pictures for spring.  I thought hers turned out so cute!  I can't believe she will be in kindergarten next year and gone every single day.  I am so incredibly grateful for the extra year I was gifted to have with her.  Heidi is so sweet and so smart.  I can't believe I get to be her mom. We love you, Heidi bug and we are so very proud of you and for the sweet spirit you bring into our home!  Great things are in your future!

grand ole opry date night

 Jeff's company had some clients coming in from Mexico.  He was supposed to pick them up and then a group of people from his work were going to take them to the Grand Ole Opry.  Truth be told, I was a little jealous.  If you know me, you know I am a huge country music fan.  One of my favorite parts about Nashville is the country music vibe and all the things to do relating to country music.  The people coming in had delayed and cancelled flights because of the flooding in Houston.  So at the last minute they had to find two people to take the extra tickets.  Jeff asked if he could bring me.  I was so excited at the idea of going, but finding a babysitter is not really easy.  I asked my friend who has watched the girls before.  I felt bad asking again, but I was so, so grateful when she said she could do it.  The girls absolutely love her and I knew they would be in excellent hands.  We had such a great time and it was a much needed break.  Jeff's MBA has been taking up all of his time and between work, things to do around the house, and school, we have had very

 little time to even talk to each other.  We saw the Gatlin Brothers, Maggie Rose, Chris Janson, Kelsea Ballerini, and Rascal Flats.  It was a great show and a great night so spend a little time with my handsome hubby.

fire station field trip

 Heidi had a field trip to the fire station on Monday.  She has been asking when it would be for about a week.  The first day her teacher told her about it she came home and said, "We have a field trip to the fire station and I want you to come and don't worry, I already asked Mrs. Jody and she said Savanna and Caimbree can come."  I'm glad she took care of that for me haha!

 Savanna and Caimbree were very excited to go as well.  The fire department had such a great presentation planned!  They let them tour the fire house and the ladder truck and they got to try to spray one of the hoses to knock cones down.  They also took the ladder truck out and put the ladder up and let them watch one of the fire fighters climb the ladder while they moved it all around.  It was really exciting for all of them!

Heidi was very sweet with her sisters and was very glad to have them there with her.  She was mad at me when it was over because I told her it would be easier for me to just take her home since I was already there and the only thing left for them to do at school was recess. She did NOT want to come home and she let me know when we got home that I may not be invited to anymore field trips.  Hilarious.  Once she cooled down she apologized and told me she was just sad she didn't get to play with her friend Macey.  I'm glad she has so many friends

 and that she loves school so much. The last day is going to be a very sad day at our house.

barn doors and other details

 I am getting so very excited to see the details of the trim work coming together!!  We are at a very exciting phase of construction right now!  Trim work should be wrapping up this week and I am dying to see how the coffered ceiling in the kitchen turns out!

 On Friday the barn doors were completed and I could not be happier.  Of course we still need to stain everything, but I can't stop looking at them.  I could not find the doors I was envisioning so our builder had the trim guys build my vision.  Have I mentioned how happy we are with our builder??  They look so good and we are so very pleased!

They also put the fireplace mantel up.  This is the rustic look I wanted in our other house but wasn't able to do because of they put in the fireplace.  Needless to say I am thrilled!  I am not sure when the stone will go up, but I need to figure out what stain to use on the mantel.  The mantel even has an electrical outlet built in to plug in Christmas lights if needed.

The banister is now complete as well and we so happy!  It is very similar to the last banister we had, except that the wood balusters are white to go with the trim we will be using.  The wood parts have not been stained yet.  Everyone has been going nuts over how much they love it and we of course love it too...especially the fact that it makes going up and down those stairs so much safer for the girls!

hand prints

 Yesterday some of the cement was poured at our house and I made sure we got over in time to put hand prints in it!  Heidi was the only child when we built our last home and I wanted to put her hand prints in, but the builder wasn't as accommodating.  Our builder called us early Friday morning and told us they were ready.  It was perfect because Jeff had taken the day off to spend time with his sister and her family.  Caimbree was by the most difficult to convince.  She absolutely did NOT want her hands in or near anything as messy as wet cement!!  It took us about four tries until we finally gave up and left it as a messy mush haha!  Every time we put her hand in, she would try to grab a handful of the cement and mess up the print.  Jeff and I both were trying to restrain her just to get her to stand near the cement.  I'm sure we will laugh every time we see her little messy hand print!

 Savanna and Heidi were a little hesitant at first, but they were so excited about their hands being in the cement forever that they eventually cooperated and they were so excited after they did it that they wanted to keep doing it!  Now they have to check their hand prints every time we go to the house.  I'm so glad we were able to leave their mark this time!  It was so fun and I know it is going to be so special as the years fly by.

fun with cousins

We love visitors!!  Jeff's sister came to visit us from New Mexico this week and we had such a great time!  We went to the zoo one day and then swimming at their hotel.  It was so much fun and the girls had fun getting to know their cousins.  They have five boys and one girl.  They didn't quite know what to think about all of the boys since boys are so foreign to them, but they warmed up by the end!  Jeff took some of them on a ten mile hike our nephew needed to complete for a merit badge and I got to hang our with his sister and the rest of their kids.  We had a great time.  Once the hike was over we had a bbq at our place and showed them our new house.  It was such a fun day!  The girls were so exhausted from all the fun with their cousins that they were in bed sound asleep by 7:30!  We are so glad they took the time to come visit us!

trim work

 Trim work is well underway and I finally brought the actual camera to the house to try to get better pictures of the exterior.  These are better than the last one I posted, but still don't do the house/colors justice.  I am beginning to realize you kind of need to see it in person to get the true color, but this is at least kind of close.

 The trim has been coming along slowly, but nicely and we are enjoying seeing the details.  We are especially glad the stairs are up and the girls can get up and down much more safely/easily.

 I decided to go with a craftsman style and so far I am thrilled with it.  I love how it's simple but classy.  I can't wait to see it finished and especially once it is all painted.  I am especially loving our master bathroom.  I love the tile and the way I had them lay it.  I also love the window seat.  We decided to cut the tub and I am really glad we did.  We already have a tub on the lower level and honestly, I can't remember the last time I took a bath.  It's just a dust collector for me.  Should I decide I want to take a bath, I can easily take one in the guest bath and it saved quite a bit of money.  The girls love the window seat and I love the hidden storage it provides.

 Heidi was so cute, when she saw me with the camera she would quickly get in the shot and pose.  I love that girl so much.  She really is such a beautiful little girl inside and out.  She plays so well with every single kid who has ever crossed her path.  Everyone wants to be her friend at school and church.  She is so smart.  On her final assessment for school she was far ahead of where they expect at this point.  Her memory is incredible.  And oh what an incredible big sister she is.  She is so good about watching where Caimbree is when we are at the house and makes sure she is safe away from the stairs.  I can't believe how grown up she seems lately.

The girls love, love, love going to their rooms upstairs.  They are so excited with the moulding in their rooms, their closet shelves, and their doors.  I'm crazy about the doors too.  I switched doors at the last minute and I am thrilled I did because I am totally digging the way they look.

 Heidi picked bead board in her room and Savanna is getting board and bat.  Heidi is going nuts waiting for her paint.  I absolutely love their excitement over each step.

The closet shelving looks great and the girls love hiding in the closets.  They have also been leveling the lot and getting it ready for seed and straw.  Jeff is thrilled about not having to install a sprinkler system here and the girls are plotting where to put the trampoline.  Apparently the builder has been getting calls asking if our house is for sale.  Haha...let's hope it's not for sale for a  really, really, really long time.  We love going to the house and are getting antsy to be in the house every single day!

let's go fly a kite

 We were planning on doing a few hikes in Cookeville this weekend but the hotels were completely booked and the weather looked a little chillier than we anticipated.  Jeff had a great idea to go get a kite.  Oh my goodness.  It really was a great idea.  We don't get a lot of wind here and this weekend was a little windy so we made the most of it with this little Frozen kite.  It was really more breezy so the girls had to work to get it up high.  We have a huge yard and the girls took tuns running the length of the yard over and over again.

 They got a great workout!

 Heidi was able to get it high enough that it landed on the roof.  Savanna was a pro from her first run and it was so cute because whichever of the girls were the bystanders would squeal and giggle with delight watching the kite fly.  Watching their joy made my mama heart so incredibly happy.  Even little Caimbree took off with it and when she was done Heidi and Savanna huddled around her to hug her, give her five, and tell her what a great job she did.  So precious.

 I asked Jeff if he ever envisioned his life flying a Disney Princess kite.  He is the best dad ever.  I hope my girls will always realize how amazing he is and how much they lucked out in the dad department.  He is so involved in every single aspect of their life and absolutely LOVES to play with them.

After we were done with kites we had lunch and took naps.  When the girls woke up we went and ran at the lake and stopped by the house to measure a few things.  It was a great day.  The absolute stunning beauty around makes being outside even more amazing.  We have been here almost a year and it just does not get old.  I wondered if it would become so familiar that I wouldn't notice anymore like I did when we first came.  Thankfully, my breath is still taken away on a  regular basis.

Tennessee has completely stolen my heart and I feel so incredibly happy and content to be here raising our girls.