Recent Conversations of Abby and Emma

This conversation was overheard a couple of weeks ago:

Abby: You know what, Emma? I figured out how I can get the dog I want that mom won't let us have.

Emma: How?

Abby: When a guy asks me to marry him, I am going to tell him yes but only if he buys me a dog!

Emma: That is a GREAT idea! I am going to do that too!



This week Emma came downstairs for breakfast and the Today show was on the TV. This is the conversation:

Emma: Mom, do you know the brown man on TV?

Mom: No, who?

Emma: BARACK OBAMA, mom!

Mom: Oh, yes. I know who he is. Why?

Emma: I think he would make a great president!

Mom: Why is that?

Emma: Well, he looks like a great president and he has hair like Daddy but no cavities like Daddy!


Emma gets off the bus yesterday and tells me about school. She says that the teacher gives out 3 cards each day to the kids who acted the best. The kids then use these cards to purchase treasures (pencils, pens, notepads, etc) from the treasure chest. Emma received a card earlier this week and got a pencil. Here is the conversation:

Emma: Mrs Clayton gave out cards today but I didn't get one.

Mom: Really?

Emma: Yeah. She called out Tristan's name and I said, " Tristan, REALLY? He gets a card!"

Mom: Emma, did you say that out loud?

Emma: Yes. Mrs. Clayton said, "Who said that?"

Mom: Did you tell the truth?

Emma: Yes. I told her I did.

Mom: What did she say?

Emma: That wasn't very nice!

Here Comes The Bus

Emma had her first full day of Kindergarten yesterday. She has patiently waited for two years to be able to ride the bus to school. She did just that Monday morning. Abby filled her in on all the necessary rules (don't stand up, etc) while Emma absorbed all the info like a sponge. As they got on the bus, Abby had made me promise that I wouldn't cry. But as they got on the bus, Abby sweetly made sure that Emma had a window seat. Emma sat on the side of the bus where I was and waved to me with the biggest grin I had ever seen on her face. My eyes swelled up with tears as I saw how happy she was. Ian and I turned quickly so they wouldn't see me crying, hopped in the truck, and raced off to Publix to take my mind off the day.

That afternoon the rain poured down. The girls were supposed to get off the bus at 4 pm. Emma has said that I had her permission to take a picture of them getting off the bus but not getting on that morning; in her words, "That would be too embarrassing Mom!" So I grabbed my umbrella and shot this video of Abby and Emma getting off the bus. Sorry I don't have zoom but you get the gist of it. Notice how Abby is holding an umbrella over them both!

As the girls began to fill me in on their day, Abby shares some funny stuff about the afternoon boarding the bus at school. Abby had walked Emma to class that morning and was very concerned about Emma getting on the right bus that afternoon. I told Abby that the Kindergarten teachers were making some kind of headband that would give the bus number that the kiddo is supposed to take home. Abby felt better about this but began to explain to me how dismissal played out. Abby raced to the bus from her classroom nervously looking for Emma in the crowd of kids. She didn't see Emma anywhere but then suddenly she thought she might already be on the bus. Abby climbs the bus steps and there in the first seat is Emma. Emma is wildly waving her arms in the air with mouth open and eyes huge (those of you who know Emma know this look well). Oh I forgot to mention that while she is waving like a mad woman, Emma is also sporting an enormous sentence strip (the kind the teachers use) stapled around her head with her name, bus number and a cut out of a big red bus on it. Abby, who before had been so concerned about Emma's whereabouts, sits quickly down beside Emma and tells her in a loud whisper, " Get that thing off you head...you look like a dufus!" Emma immediately complies! Oh the joys of sisterhood!

Emma's First Day of Kindergarten

Wednesday was Emma's official first day with her teacher Mrs. Clayton (who could pass for a sister of my good friend Jen). Emma loves her teacher and the feeling seems to be mutual. Wed. only half the class was there so Mrs. Clayton said it would be a great time to let your child practice buying their lunch since she would eat with them and help them. Emma did just that. Mrs. Clayton told me that Emma chose nachos and got them with every possible topping imaginable. Mrs. Clayton sat next to Emma during lunch and told me that after every bite Emma would say, "This food is delicious...this food is so good." Keep in mind this is the child's first experience with school cafeteria food! She goes again for a 1/2 day tomorrow and then full days starting Monday. She wants to ride the bus with Abby......oh that is going to be hard for me!

Notice in the pictures that Emma has lost her two bottom front teeth! She is very proud of this!

Great News!

Abby is done with her cardiac catheterization! Everything went great and her heart looks wonderful! I am home with Emma and Derreck is with Abby while she is in recovery. She must lie still for 6 hours and then hopefully she can come home tonight. God is so good! Funny story... Abby got to drink some "happy juice" before they took her to surgery. This was to relax her. It worked in about 5 minutes. She was laughing uncontrollably and then she pretended her bed was a race car as she moved her body back and forth and made vroom sounds. She told Derreck and me that she came in second place. When the nurses came to get her to take her to the operation room, she kept staring at the mirrored domes on the ceiling with her mouth opened. As they wheeled her to surgery, Derreck and I said bye. Abby shot up her hand and waved bye. She was feeling very loopy!! I will post more updates later.

First Day of School

Last Year

Abby started fourth grade today. Take a look at last year's first day of school picture compared to this year's. Now I know why I got a little misty taking Abby to school today. Ian had spent the night with Grandmommie

(thanks G'mom!) so this morning went very smoothly. That is until Abby's water bottle leaked in her backpack right before we walked out the door! Abby was a little freaked out but we managed to salvage the backpack and her outfit.

Emma went for Kindergarten testing today and had a blast. She start tomorrow with a 1/2 day. I am not worried about her at all--she is super excited. I, on the other hand, will not fare as well.

Enjoy the pictures of Abby, Emma, Ava and Isaac (my niece and nephew) from Granddaddy's wedding this weekend. The kids were in the wedding and did great!!

Extreme Makeover---Ian Edition

Well the day had finally come. Derreck had been wanting to cut Ian's hair for awhile and I just kept resisting. I couldn't bear to part with the curls. But when I began to realize that my child was bearing a strong resemble to Krusty the Clown, I had to give in to the cut. Derreck did a fabulous job and Abby and Emma kept Ian entertained the whole time by feeding him strawberry Nerds. Check out the before and after.


Abby and Emma start school Monday. Yikes!