What Would We Do Without Him?

Sometimes (okay, almost all the time) I look at Cole and think about how he wasn't suppose to be here. I remember telling Brad in disbelief that I was pregnant and Brad just staring at me reminding me that the doctors said we wouldn't be able to have a baby after chemo.

I know I've said it before but I'm so glad God is in control and not doctors.

I honestly can't imagine our lives without Cole. We are so blessed, all of us, to have him here.

He exhausts me daily, but I laugh constantly. I smile at him even when he's being naughty, because he's so stinkin' cute.

He loves cheese and MnMs, even at the same time. He can't get enough of cars and playing outside.

He loves playing rough with Daddy and Papa, which I think is adorable.

He loves to listen to books and talk to you about them over and over.

I think we would all agree... he's got us all wrapped.

Dance Recital 2011

Our annual dance recital was yesterday. It was a big day. Brad surprised Zoe with flowers which she loved.

We went to Nana's and got ready. Charity kindly told me that Tiffany's make up looked better than mine so she would prefer that Tif did her make up for recital.

Recital was a ton of fun. The girls did awesome. Their dances and costumes were really cute. Zoe's best friend, Mia, danced with her this year. It was fun hanging out with her each Monday. The little one on the end is Mia's sister, Reese.

Charity and Zoe both did an amazing job. Charity was a little nervous before rehearsal, but not on recital day. Both girls were excited and confident.

This wasn't a great picture, but Grandpa Boots showed up for the recital. We were all so excited to see him! Aunt Sue came to both performances (at the request of Charity).

Here Zoe is with our neighbor girls, Mallorie and Marleigh.

They did a rock and roll song called Heart and Soul for their tap number. It was adorable.

At the end of the song Axle Rose (Hayden) and Bruce Springsteen (Jonah) came out in the middle of the girls and rocked on their guitars. The girls screamed and danced around them. The crowd loved it!

Of course they did Megamind again. It was the dance they did for the Ronald McDonald House charity in Novemeber.Their ballet was called Invisible God. It was really pretty. The choreography was beautiful. It made me want to cry. It talked about all the things we see everyday that let us know God is here. It was amazing to watch your little girl (and sister) up their dancing. It made you realize what a true miracle they are.

I had the priviledge of being the backstage mom who walked the girls up the ramp and backstage. I love listening to them as they excitedly stand and wait to dance. They were hilarious this year. I actually had to say the words, "When you look this beautiful, you probably shouldn't say the word FART." I was laughing as I heard one girl ask the girl beside her "Did you fart?" It just seemed funny when they were dressed so dainty.The little girl standing between Zoe and Charity held her arms in the air at rehearsal and said her armpits were really sweaty. At recital I asked her how her armpits were and she said, "Better because when I took a picture with Mary I put my arms around her and the glitter from her shoulder is now on my armpit." Whatever works I guess!

Taya did three dances this year and I heard she was amazing. I unfortunately only saw one. She is a good little dancer though!Lots of people came to cheer on our girls. They loved it.

It's so fun to see your kids work hard all year and show off what they love. I can't wait until next recital!

What a Great Sister!

We were pretty tired from all our dancing yesterday so we missed church today.

As I was making lunch I could hear Zoe reading Bible stories to Cole. She was taking time to explain things and I think Cole actually understood! She was using her "teacher" voice to tell him all about Jesus.

As we were eating lunch she commented on how nice Cole was being. She explained that she had taught him about how some people were mean to Jesus. Then she told him that Jesus wants us to be nice to people. She looked at me and said "It worked, that was a good speech I gave him!"

God is Good!

Charity danced so beautifully in her recital yesterday. She danced with confidence and joy. Her little brain remembered every move as if it were effortless. Her eyes shown bright and sparkled as she looked out into the audience at all the people who had come to watch her.

It was so exciting to watch her dance like every other girl her age. When she first started dance (again) last August it wasn't easy for her. She hadn't danced in a couple of years and had some catching up to do. The dances were fast and there were a lot of steps to memorize. She was becoming frustrated and wanting to leave the room when it got overwhelming. Ms. Charity (the dance teacher and our amazing friend) realized her frustrations and assigned her teenage assistant, Blair, to help her out. Miss Blair would pull her to the side, teach her the steps and then put her back with the group. She would write out the steps they practiced on little pieces of paper that my mom would put on the refrigerator. Charity started becoming more excited about dance and was learning quickly. She adores Miss Blair, not only for helping her, but for her loving heart. The week of recital Miss Blair hurt her knee badly and wasn't able to dance. It was so sad to all of us, but she sat in the front and cheered all the girls on. When Charity got up to dance I couldn't help watching Miss Blair. She was looking at Charity with such joy and pride. She even gave her a bouquet of flowers after the performance and let her know how proud of her she was.

Thank you God for girls like Miss Blair that Charity and other girls can look up to and love.

Peace, Love, and MAP test

Zoe was in the MAP pep rally on Friday. Her and a group of other kids did a rap wishing the 3rd graders good luck on the MAP test. Her good friends Mia and Mallorie were in it too. It was really cute. Peace, Love, and MAP test...Come on 3rd grade DO YOUR BEST!