a random picture and a funny memory

 Our builder snapped this picture of our kitchen the other day and I thought it captured the beauty of the space really well.  I love the wood floors we chose and I could not love the coffered ceiling more!  Cabinets went in this week, floors should be done soon, and counter tops come Thursday.  Seeing the beautiful details come together makes us want to move in more and more.  It's funny because Heidi now begs to go see the house and she and Savanna constantly ask when we can move in and are often impatient and say things like, "It's not ever going to be done!"  Which I assure you, did not come from us because we have been so overly patient and not in a hurry at all this time around!!  The thought of moving again is overwhelming, but now that the house is getting closer, the excitement is finally starting to kick in!

So the other day I heard Savanna's door open when she woke up from her nap.  I didn't hear anything for a minute and then I heard this strange scraping sound.  I went around the corner and there she was with a huge grin on her face scooting across the floor on these little bowls.  She looked at me and with the most proud look on her face said, "Look!  I'm ice skating!"  It was hilarious.  For the next few hours she and Heidi got a roll of thread and started trying to tie the bowls onto their feet.  It was so entertaining.  Oh how I love these funny moments!

after the show

 Savanna and Caimbree were very proud and excited for their older sister!  They also deserve some credit because they sat through every single practice all year long, and well, that just isn't always fun!  They were also woken up early every Monday from naps to get Heidi to class on time.

 I've said it a million times and I will say it a million more, Jeff is hands down the best dad on the planet.  He couldn't wait to see Heidi in her costume and kept telling her how beautiful she looked and what a great job she did.  I'm sure he didn't picture his life sitting through dance recitals, but he does it so well and enjoys every second!  I don't know how on earth I snagged this man, but I am so glad he's ours!

 I deserve some credit too since I am the one keeping track of the days, times, payments, washing leotards and tights, keeping tap and ballet shoes in a safe place, and carting everyone to practice every week!  Love my sweet, beautiful Heidi girl.  I am so grateful she has had such a wonderful experience!  We can't wait to start all over again in August!

dancing in the show

 The recital itself was impressive to say the least.  The dance studio uses Brad Paisley's light crew and it was pretty special!  The thing I loved about Heidi's dance was her huge grin. She was smiling the entire time and it was so cute!

 Anyone who loves to watch dance would have loved this show.  The talent was so impressive, especially from the competitive dancers.  It was very entertaining and Savanna and Caimbree didn't have a hard time sitting for an hour at all.  They were mesmerized by the costumes and the lights.  Caimbree was so cute and would clap like crazy when a dance ended.  Both of them were so excited when Heidi's class got on stage and kept pointing at her throughout the performance.  We are so proud of Heidi!  She has really worked hard this year!

dance recital pictures

 What a great year of dance we have had!  Cutest little class, awesome teacher, and super cute costumes and dance performance!  Heidi has learned so much this year!  Her class has been ballet and tap, but for the recital they did a tap number to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Her dance pictures turned out so cute!  She has made friends with the girls in the class and I have made friends with the moms!  We will be having weekly play dates since dance is now over for the summer!

 Jeff took a few pictures before we left for the recital while I was getting ready.  She was too excited to go to really cooperate haha.  Her costume really was so cute. The vest part was really sparkly and she loved it and the tutu was really full and absolutely darling.  She is already talking about dance next year so I guess we will stick with it for another year!

getting soaked

 We started our summer chore charts this week.  They have been going pretty well, although as always, there is some degree of complaining and stubborness from someone.  I set it up so that the chores change daily and once we reach our goal of earning 100 stickers combined, we will pick a fun family activity to do out of a jar.  So far, they really are doing well and Heidi especially has been pretty amazing about doing her jobs early in the morning.

 After the hard week we have had with

 Caimbree I decided we needed a little fun.  I told the girls that as soon as chores were done, we would get out the water squirters.  They were all over that idea and worked like mad!

 Oh boy did they have a blast and it was the first time I have really seen a true and lasting smile on Caimbree in a few days.  She could have played out there forever!   They all looked so cute in their new summer suits!  We will definitely be getting the soakers out more often!

burned little feet

 Tuesday was not the greatest day for little Caimbree.  After she and Savanna woke up from their naps, they noticed the newspaper was at the bottom of our asphalt driveway.  For whatever reason, the girls think getting the newspaper is the absolute coolest activity.  I was in the middle of sweeping the floor and Savanna got excited and said she was going to go get the paper.  Caimbree shouted, "Caim-ee come too!" and barreled out after her sister.  The temperature was maybe 80.  Maybe.  It had been overcast most of the day.  Shortly after they slammed the door, I heard Caimbree screaming a horrific scream.  I went over to the door to let her in and assumed she was screaming because Savanna was carrying the paper and she wanted it.  I gave her the paper but she kept screaming.  I kept asking her what was wrong and and I finally realized she was saying, "hot, hot".  It hit me and I picked her up and looked at the bottom of her feet.  They were blistered and looked awful.  I ran her into the kitchen and put her feet in cold water. She would not stop screaming.  I asked Savanna if the driveway was really hot and what happened and she said, "Yeah, it was hot but I runned really fast."  The only thing I can figure is that when Caimbree realized it was hot, she panicked and stood in one place.  Plus she probably still has more baby like skin.  I felt sick.  I didn't know if I should take her in or what to do.  It was the most horrendous scream.  I called the pediatrician but no one could get the call.  I knew they were closing within half an hour.  Just then the doorbell rang and it was my neighbor.  She came to ask if I could get a package while they were out of town, but when she saw the state I was in she asked what was wrong and if there was anything she could do.  I decided to just load the girls up and take her to urgent care unless I could get in touch with the pediatrician on my way.  My neighbor offered to come to help me with the girls in the office.  What a blessing!!  Luckily I got in touch with the pediatrician and she told me to just come right then.  So we did.  Having my neighbor there was so helpful.  I love people in the south.  Seriously.  The doctor told me they were superficial burns which is why it hurt so bad and that she would be okay.

 She put Silvadene cream on them and wrapped them.  Caimbree did not stop screaming...so at this point she had been screaming non stop for an hour.  She must have been in so much pain.  Our doctor is the best.  I mean, the best. I am so grateful to have a good pediatrician.  She scooped me up a bunch of cream and sent me home with a heap of gauze and wraps and vaseline pads and told me what to do and what would most likely happen in the days to come.  She also tried to make me feel better about the horrible, awful guilt I was feeling.  Heidi and Savanna thought Caimbree's "yellow shoes" were so cute.  Caimbree continued to scream non-stop for another two hours before she finally calmed down a little.  I thought she was going to be up all night but I think the crying wore her out because she was only up once.  The next day she put a little weight on her "yellow shoes" and Heidi enjoyed trying to be her caretaker and hauled her around the house.  This last week we have let her have binky far more than we have been letting her to try to soothe her.  As the blisters are popping and the skin is peeling she goes through spurts of more pain and times where she feels a little better.  She is now walking with shoes and we wrap the worst foot at night because it hurts her pretty badly by the end of the day.  She has almost completely lost her voice from screaming so much.  It is absolutely heartbreaking.  She has also been sleeping absolutely horribly since the first night. I am not sure if it's because of her feet, or the awful diaper rash she has, or the two year molars I think are starting to drop, or just because she has gone from my best sleeper to my absolute worst sleeper for who knows what reason.  I think we are definitely going to go up from here on out and I am looking forward to her feeling less pain.  I have tortured myself with the guilt of not thinking about her shoes, about not stopping my sweeping to go with them to get the paper so I could have picked her up, so.much.guilt.  Jeff gave her a blessing the night it happened and I have been praying my heart out for my sweet baby to heal quickly and for the pain lessen.  It is definitely a day I would like to re-do and never re-live again.

paint and flooring

 Exciting things have been happening at the house lately.  The paint has been done for about a week or so and we are in love with the colors we chose.  Phew!  Today they put some of the hardwood floors in and they are absolutely gorgeous.  Last time we went with engineered hardwood and we don't know if it was the subfloors or the installation, or the floors themselves, but it was one area we were very disappointed in last time.  We could not be more thrilled this time.

 When the girls walked in, they on cue threw their shoes off and started running laps around the kitchen squealing with delight!  It was so cute!  It was like all of the sudden it clicked that we are getting very close and it felt like "home".

Savanna's pink room might be my favorite.  It is extremely bright.  We tease her that it might glow in the dark. She picked the color herself and it fits her personality so much.  She walks in and a huge grin instantly hits her face every single time.

 The bonus room, the guest room, and the master bedroom are a blue/gray.  So pretty.  Caimbree is convinced the bonus room is her room.  It is hilarious.  When we pass it she says, "Caim-ee's room".  She just wants to be by her sisters.  As soon as she is in a big girl bed we will put her with Savanna.

Heidi picked a dark gray for her room and it is beautiful.  Her room is the only color we changed.  At first it was a lighter gray and it almost looked blue.  She was disappointed and I told her it was just primer at first and we could change it.  So we found the darker gray and it looks much better.  I'm glad we changed it.

Cabinets come Monday and we can't wait to see them!  All of the excited stuff is coming next.  I'm glad the girls are as excited as we are about their new home.

friday bowling fun

 These pictures are pretty lousy since the lighting was so bad and my phone doesn't take the best pictures, but we had a fun Friday!  We went bowling with my friend Liz this morning and her kids, Dakota and Grayson.  We signed up for the free summer bowling again this year so I am sure we will be going a lot!  The bowling alley has a big indoor playground with bounce houses and tunnels and slides so we played there for awhile too.  It was pouring rain today so it really was the perfect day to be at the bowling alley!

picking strawberries

 The girls all have their own little tastes and don't agree on many things they like to eat, but they all three LOVE strawberries.  I buy strawberries year round and they eat them almost every single day.  There are a few farms around us that have strawberry patches you can go and pick.  I knew we had to try them out.  Thursday was a beautiful day so I called a few friends and headed to the strawberry patch!  My friend Karen has become really close to our girls and the girls all adore her.  She has watched the girls for me a few times and I am so grateful for her friendship!  My friend Liz also came with her little boy, Grayson.

 The girls looked so cute carrying their little buckets looking for the best looking berries.  They let you eat strawberries while you are picking and Caimbree had one or two!

We had such a fun morning, the weather was perfect, and the berries were so delicious!!  The girls successfully devoured the gallon we bought in two days!  Next year we are going to get a bunch more and make some jam.  We love all of the fun things around our area!

preschool graduate

 It's official!  We now have a preschool graduate!  I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear or two taking Heidi into her classroom for the very last time...especially since her teacher is leaving.  Oh how we wish she would stay long enough for Savanna and Caimbree to benefit from her gift!

 The program was so, so cute and she came home with all sorts of darling things including a little photo album of all kinds of pictures from the beginning of the year to the end.  Jeff and I have been absolutely amazed at the work that has been put into this school year and we are so grateful our daughter was able to be a part of it.

Heidi made so many great friends, and I had so much fun getting to know the other moms.  This picture is with her friend, Caden.  They will be going to the same school next year, along with two of her other friends.

These are her amazing teachers, Miss Hannah and Mrs. Jody.  I have no words to describe my appreciation for their dedication, organization, and the way they made my baby feel so special and loved.  It has been such a wonderful year and it flew by far faster than we were prepared for!  Kindergarten here we come!

Congratulations, Heidi Bug!

last day of pre-k

 Today was Heidi's very last day of pre-k.  It was very, very sad for her and very, very sad for me.  It has been an incredible year with incredible teachers and she has made so many fun friends!  Had we not moved, she would be ending her kindergarten year and as I have said many, many times, this year was the biggest gift I could have ever been given.  I was blessed with a whole extra year of Heidi's life!

 Two days each week for half a day was perfect for her, for me, and her sisters who missed her terribly every day she left.  Her favorite part of school was all of the fun crafts, and they did tons of darling crafts this year.  I will miss seeing all of the fun stuff in her backpack.

Today Heidi said her day was amazing and filled with games, games, games, and popsicles!

Hooray for a terrific end to a terrific year!

fall creek falls

 Saturday morning we headed to Fall Creek Falls.  It was so much fun!  It was not the easiest hike, but the girls were amazing.  I could not believe how well little Savanna did!!  At the beginning of the hike you go over a bridge that takes you over the falls.  The girls called it "the wobbly bridge".  It was so cool walking over the falls.  The weather was so perfect and definitely not too hot.  Like all hikes we have been on since moving here, it was absolutely beautiful!

 There were some cool overlooks and the girls were good about being careful.  The trail was not easy!  It was pretty steep and there were some really rocky sections.  I was seriously amazed at how well the girls hiked and there was very minimal complaining!

 Caimbree was probably the most difficult.  She didn't sleep well at the hotel and was on day 2 of not really having a nap.  She wanted me to carry her and she finally passed out.  She slept for about 45 minutes, but at least it was something and she was happy to be awake when we reached the base of the fall.

One of things I loved about this hike was that there was a lot of different types of scenery to see.  Most of it was forested, but when you came to the base of the falls it was really rocky and you went under a bunch of rock and climbed this big rock piles.  That was probably the most difficult part, especially because I was packing Caimbree at that point since she was screaming if I wasn't the one carrying her haha.  The older girls did amazingly well, because it really was tricky footing!

The girls were happy to reach the base and wanted to pose.  I was so cute.  Savanna was so hilarious because she kept telling us that if Caimbree's water bottle was empty she had an idea that we could take it and fill it up at the waterfall.  She is so hilarious when she tells stories and her mind is always thinking of some plan she wants to tell us about.  She always tells these stories in the most animated way with the biggest grin.  It is the cutest thing ever.

The hike itself was just under four miles, which isn't a super
long distance, but because of the tricky trails, it took us

longer than it probably normally would have.  The girls were very happy when we made it back to the playground area.  They were so tired, they didn't play too long and the two littlest fell asleep shortly after we hit the road.  It was such a fun weekend.  We absolutely love hiking together.  It is such a great way to spent time together and there are so many neat places to see around here.  Such a fun weekend!  We will definitely take the girls again!