Dear Food Network ...

I would like to introduce you to the future winner of The Next Food Network Star ...

Her name is Sophie Lee and she has been an avid chef since the age of three (in other words, for the last few weeks).  She loves to work with fruits and vegetables, but balances it out nicely with cheeses, meats and breads - she likes a well rounded meal.  Her favorite Chefs are Giada, The Barefoot Countessa and Paula Deen.  She has studied under them through her entire career.

Perhaps you would like to see her in action.

Welcome to Sophie - the Small Chef!  Today we will be whipping up our famous all inclusive meal  - this dish has EVERYTHING!  And, I promise, you are going to LOVE it!  Let's get started!

First we are going to peel a banana.  Be careful of those strings - they are yuck!

 Place your banana in a bowel - now I have already lined the bowl with some elegant crackers and the finest cheese (AKA all the ingredients of a Lunchable).

 Now we are gonna add some grapes to the mix.  I love the sweetness that grapes bring to a dish ... and I REALLY like the way they squirt! Especially if you chew them with your mouth open!  

(what?  Hello ... I'm THREE!!)

 Plus, it is REALLY fun to pull them off the branches!

 Oh ... wait ... I forgetted,  We have to cut the banana up first.  Please be safe and use a completely dull plastic knife ... especially if you are under the age of four.

 Now, this is important ... NEVER forget to take a few bites while you are preparing your dish.  (I learned that part from my mama!)

 And ALWAYS share with your sister ... and try to ignore the fact that she is wearing a leotard that is approximately 12 sizes too small. Don't laugh, she thinks she looks bootiful!)

 (HEY!  YOU!  Quiet on the set!!!)

 **Mommy Editorial:  Please also ignore the fact that she is in SERIOUS need of a haircut and that neither of them have had their hair combed - hair and makeup did NOT fit in the budget**

 OK, now we are gonna chest the apple (TRANSLATION: Zest the apple).  This adds flavor and color to our dish.  It is the perfect completion of our preparations.

 There ya go!

 Try it!  It's YUMMY!!!

Thanks for cooking with me ... see ya next time y'all!!!  (I learned that part from Paula Deen!)

So Food Network - what do you think?  Let me guess, you are just dying to sign her up and pay for her college education. Am I right?  Well, that would just be swell! Thanks!

Easter 2011 - Lead Me To The Cross

This year Easter hit me like a ton of bricks. I processed it in ways I never had before. I am still processing it and plan and putting some of those thoughts down on this blogisphere, but that will be another day.

For today, I just want to share how we celebrated the day. Because it was a GOOD day ...

We started off with baskets ...
... of COURSE!
They dug into that candy so fast my head spun!
Then the sugar kicked in and THEIR heads were spinning!
The bunny brought some bling this year!
Which was a hit.
Then we stepped outside to take some pictures in their Easter dresses.

Sophie, of course, hammed it up for the camera.
While Hattie, of course, tried to avoid it at all costs.

Then we headed off to church. But BEFORE we left, we had a mini-church session at home.

At breakfast, I was trying to explaing what Easter really means to the girls. I told that, while the bunny is fun and brings good loot, the real reason we celebrate Easter is because of Jesus. I explained how Jesus had gone to the cross and died so that we could be forgiven of our sins. And then, the following conversation took place at our kitchen table"

Mommy: THEN, on Easter, Jesus came back to life! He was alive again!

Sophie: Why?

Mommy: So that WE can live again after WE die. Jesus took away our sins so that WE can go to Heaven too.

Sophie: Heaven? Just like Auntie Paula?

Mommy: Yes, Honey, JUST like Auntie Paula!

Sophie: YAY! I want to go to Heaven TOO!!!

And, as my mommy heart grew elevnty-seven sizes, I wiped my tears and bowed my knees and asked God to give me whatever it would take to fan that tiny flame into the full blown wild fire of True Salvation.

My truest quest and greatest mission field in this life is right here in my home. I want my children - all four of them - to know Him and to find His salvation to be True. If I can live my life to beat a path for them to follow that leads to the Cross of Jesus, I will have done what I was born to do.

Lord Jesus, let it be. Let.It.BE.

As we were leaving church I remembered that the wall out front has a cross on it and I took the girls there to take pictures, so that I could remember the day and that sweet conversation. Sophie was hungry and tired and grumpy, so could barely be bothered to stand there long, but as I took this picture, I prayed a song that has become a sweet favorite of mine.

Lead me to the cross, where Your love poured out.
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down.
Rid me of myself, I belong to You.
O lead me ...

Lead me to the Cross!

Project 365 - Week 16

OK, I am just gonna save you the agony of havin to sit through over a month's worth of pictures (but, yes, I took them!!) and start with this last week. If you really want your eyeballs to bleed, the pics will be up on Facebook.

OK, here we go....
Sunday: This sweet face was my wake-up call. Gotta love an alarm clock like that!**

Monday: Hattie's first day of official Kindergarten. She was sooooo excited!

Tuesday: No babies today. And, with Hattie at school, it was just Sophie and me. So, we had ourselves a little date. Library, shopping and lunch! What a blast!**

Still Tuesday, but I LOVE this picture!!!**

**(Sunday and Tuesday's pics brought to you by my trusty cell phone!)

Wednesday: This is the kind of mommy I am. She hates writing ALMOST as much as I hate her hitting habit recently.
(So much change, so fast, with school seems to be a bit overwhelming for this sweet girl. This was only one of a FEW such notes she had to write this week. Poor thing.)

Thursday: Our Bible Study group had a celebration because one of our sweet girls finished her last round of weekly chemo this last week. And, we LOVE our Kim!!!

Friday: Slumber Party! Here they are dancing to one of the songs in the movie Despicable Me! They had a BALL!

Saturday: This sweet little girl's mommy and daddy are gettin married! And, I get the sweet job of photographing their big day. This was the day of the wedding shower, so we took a little practice run.

They are gonna be SO.MUCH.FUN. to photograph!

Thank you sweet Sara for hosting us ... LOVING this fun project!

So, how was YOUR week?

H and the Big K

Yesterday was the day.

THE day.

The day my sweet little girl took a very large step.

She started Kindergarten.

And, to be truthful, I still cannot write that sentence without a lump in my throat.

It started off just a wee bit rocky, but even the "mix up" details were a Blessing for this mama's heart. See, she rides a bus, that has always been part of her routine and I am fine with that. But this was going to be a REAL bus, full of kids and just dropping her off in front of a big ol school. I gotta say, I was nervous. And I really struggled with whether or not to follow the bus and make sure she got where she was supposed to go - plus, I wanted pictures!

So, when, on the Friday before Spring Break, I still had not gotten any word on WHAT TIME that bus was going to pick her up, I called to inquire. The lady at the transportation office told me that the bus would be here by 9:25. But I KNEW that couldn't be right because Hubby and I had seen the class - in full swing - at 8:45 on our visit. I asked more questions, but she insisted that the class didn't start til 9:30. When I tried to call back to speak to a supervisor, they were closed for the break so I had to wait until yesterday. I finally got it straightened out (they had her scheduled for the wrong program and on the wrong bus ... hello! Make a mama nervous!), but it was too late for her to be picked up THAT day. Which means that I got to take her!

And I was just fine with that!!!!!

So, we loaded up the car and headed to the "big new school". You will have to take my word on this, because Hubby asked that I not publish pics of the front of the school, but it is H.U.G.E. Like, really HUGE! Two stories, ginormous cathedral ceiling in the lobby, kids EVERYWHERE, HUGE!

I have more pics than just these, but I didn't want to post pics of OTHER people's kids. I am sure you understand...

Here's how it went: We walked through the front doors with two bus loads of kids and both girls (Soph was along for the fun) just looked around in awe. Suddenly Sophie looked at me and said "MOM! I need a back pack! All the kids have a back pack!" And I realized that she thought that she was staying... uh oh.

But I wanted to focus on Hattie, so I asked her if she was OK and she smiled at me and said "this is fun!" Well, there ya go! We got to the class just as Mrs Pulk was opening the doors - perfect picture op!
Just wish I could've gotten them both to look at the camera at the same time! (Is that not the sweetest, happiest teacher face EVER?!?!?!)
She had been for a visit earlier, so she knew right where to go to find her desk and posed for a couple of pics for me. (Which, for her, is a big thing!) I thought she was starting to look a little nervous for a minute, but she composed herself and did great! When we left, we left a VERY happy girl behind.

Just wish I had taken a happy girl with me...
This is Sophie pouting because I would not let her stay.
(the jacket says it all!)

I am told she had a great day and did very well - only had one issue sitting still for reading. In her other class, they sit on chairs for stories, but in KINDERGARTEN, they sit on carpet squares!!! She will have to get used to that!

I am so stinkin proud of how far she has come - That girl is a trooper for sure!

(PS - this morning she was VERY excited to go to the new school.

And THAT tells me that she is gonna do just fine!)

Sophie's Turn

I messed up ...

I'm not proud of that fact, but, tis true.

You see, as I was editing Hattie's seven year pictures and placing them in the appropriate folders, I realized that I had never done Sophie's THREE year portraits.

Ummm ... Sophie turned three is September.

SEPTEMBER!!!!! (i am ashamed)

So, I promptly dressed my girl up and remedied the situation...

While Sweet Alexis napped, the Sophster and I took a wee walk outside.

Now, it was not the most pleasant of atmospheres ...

... as we had just had a bit of rain.

But, in the frozen tundra in March, we will TAKE the rain!!!

My sweet girl, decked out in her "colka-dots" - all the way down to her rain boots - had.a.BALL!

She danced, twirled, splashed and strolled her way even further into my heart.

(as well as the hearts of any who may have been looking out their windows, I am sure)

Because, I ask you ...

... really ...

... who could not love this face?

No, seriously ... who?