2015

WOW!!! Three years since I wrote something.....sorry girls I feel really bad about that!!! Maggie is now going into 5th grade and Morriah is going into 2nd grade in one month. I'm a little nervous about Maggie because her best friend, Alaina, just moved to Florida and they were inseparable since 2nd grade. I'm sure she will do fine though. We bought a travel trailer last year and love taking camping trips. We have been to Fremont, Indian twice, Silver Lake MI, Torch Lake MI, Cedar Point, Port Huron MI and Monroe MI for their Halloween weekends. We love it!

James quit his job at Marathon last year and started a construction business with his brother David. They do very well and we are so proud of him! I am still working at Summit Academy as a PE Teacher and love being with my kids all day. Maggie is exceptional at gymnastics. She learned a handspring and back tuck in 1 year. Kami Bell and Maggie go to gymnastics together and they love showing off their talent everywhere we go :) Morriah quit gymnastics a few months ago and wanted to do ballet but has decided to go back into gymnastics in the fall. Love my family!

Fall 2012

Back into the routine of school. Maggie is in 2nd grade and her teacher is Mrs. Goodin. Maggie has buddied up with another teachers daughter, Alaina Alexandrou. They are inseperable. Maggie is back to piano on Wednesdays and both the girls take gymnastics on Thursdays. Morriah is in the 4 year old preschool and her teachers are Ms. Sara, Ms. Winnie, Ms. Shannon, and Ms. Stacy. Morriah has bonded with most of her classmates...Soniah, Emily G, Emily S, Ethan (which I think she has a crush on). The girls had a big birthday party in August where we celebrated both of their birthdays. There were about 20 kids and their families. We had it at the house and Mackenzie's family let us use one of their gigantic waterslide bouncies. The kids had a blast. We bought the girls a trampoline for their birthday which has been used greatly this fall.

Poor dad is so busy working. He has been working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. He is such a strong provider. He has another month of this schedule but then we will be planning a little weekend getaway for all of us. Some memorable moments: Took Lucy the dog to a dog costume contest. She was a punk rocker. We must've had 20 people stop to take pictures. We loved it so much, we are going to put her in another one next week. We are slightly retarded.

While Lucy was in the car with us, she jumped on to Maggie's lap. Maggie yelled out "Owwwww, you just crushed my nuts." This is when we had a little talk about the privates of boys and girls.

Dad's Aunt Diane is in the hospital. She has stage 4 cancer. She fell and cracked her skull from front to back and is unconcious. Maggie wrote her this letter. We are still praying. The girls are doing great in school and I try to keep them busy. We go to every festival locally and love to go shopping at secondhand stores. We spent last Sunday at Uncle Steves and Aunt Tanya's carving pumpkins and decorating cookies. I love the fall until all the leaves are gone....then it is so gloomy.

Morriah just got her haircut for the first time. She is my minnie me.

My two beautiful girls.....I pray you will stay strong, always being kind and showing God's love through your actions. I pray you will always be close and be friends, just like this picture when you were 4 and 7 years old. I love you my babes.

Beginning Summer 2012

We are finally out of school for the summer. Longest school year ever.....teachers had to stay until June 21st. Well Maggie is officially a 2nd grader and Morriah will be going in the 4 year old preschool. We are looking forward to a few vacations this year. Next week we will be going with the Bells and Hands to Traverse City. In the fall we are looking at a new place called Hocking Hills with caves and waterfalls. Maggie is in a summer camp from 9-3pm Monday-Friday with Mackenzie. They have games, crafts, and weekly field trips to places like Mills Gymnastics, Stevie B's and the Romulus Rec center for swimming. It's nice because I get to spend a little one on one time with Morriah. Maggie just finished her first piano recital. We are so proud of her. She can read music! She is off for the summer but both the girls are in track for 3 weeks. Maggie is improving every week in Long Jump, the Obstacle Course, Softball Throw, 50 yard and 100 yard dash. Morriah on the other hand.......gives us a good few chuckles every time. We have a new addition to our family. Her name is Lucy and she is an English Bulldog. She is such a character. Always having her tongue hanging out and the huge under bite is so comical. She is a great family dog, house-broken and sleeps probably 20 hours a day. Poor daddy is working 10 hours a day and he built our garage while doing this! Such a hard worker. Looking forward to spending time with him next week on vacation. Favorite quote lately: Morriah was wearing a bikini and she kept pulling the top down past her ribs. I asked her "what are you doing?" She says "I don't want anyone to see my boobies." I explained that her boobies were covered. She then points to her ribs and said "no these boobies." She thought her ribs were boobs.

Love, Love, Love my family!

A New Year 2012

Well we made it through another year of the busy holidays. It is so overwhelming sometimes and it really hasn't been the same without my mom and dad being married and my grandpa passing away. There is a small feeling of emptiness but we managed and tried to make the best out of the holidays. So the girls were allowed to ask for 4 gifts this year. Maggie's big gift was an ipod (I know, I know....a 6 year old getting an ipod....but I was tired of having to share mine and it really does keep her busy). Morriah got a Dora kitchen set. They were so fun watching them scream the morning of Christmas because Santa ate the cookies and the reindeer ate their carrots. Santa even left a note to Maggie explaining that this year she had been naughty and nice and he expects her to be only nice next year. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to phase her.

We celebrated the new year at home watching movies and then Dick Clark's ball drop (that's what she said). We are enjoying having a full week off after the New Years before we have to go back to school.

So Maggie's big issues right now is how comfortable her pants fit. She has banded jeans and any type of elastic pants cannot be tight. If she does not like them, she wines....and wines....and wines....until I finally give in and tell her to find something else to wear. After this continues on for 3 or 4 pairs of pants, it usually ends with a full blown breakdown. So I went out to the stores and bought her some new pants. They were not good enough. So I took her shopping and she tried on pants in the fitting room. She found 4 pair that she really liked. When I put them on her the next day....they all of a sudden didn't feel right anymore. So she wined....and wined.... and Gosh Darn It.....We made her wear them ALLLLL day. She threw a fit but after an hour, she forgot all about them. Sweet Jesus....please let this be a little phase that will go away. I cannot even imagine what we will have to go through when she realizes fashion is more important than comfort :)

Morriah's phase right now....is announcing to everyone that she has to go the bathroom. She will not go the bathroom until she comes up to us and says "Mom....Dad....I have to go poop." And it's the same thing we say every time "GO POOP THEN!" I am hoping this is also a phase....can picture her telling her professor one day "I have to go poop."

I can't even count how many times a day these girls make me break out in a full blown laugh, a full blown cry, or a full blown meltdown. I love you girls.

Fall 2011

The girls started school last month at Summit Academy, where I am Maggie's gym teacher! Maggie is in 1st grade and has Mrs. Campbell. They have a behavior chart in the class which Maggie is "off the chart" almost every day, which is a great thing. She had her first spelling test and got 100% She loves school and has a buddy named Mackenzie. They go to art class after school on Mondays at Ms. Ubers house, which was my art teacher in elementary school! Maggie is in gymnastics on Wednesdays and piano on Thursdays. She lost both of her top teeth which is hilarious when she smiles. Maggie and daddy love playing a game called "Angry Birds" and shooting their guns in the yard at targets. She has a pink BB gun.

Morriah is in preschool and has 3 teachers - Ms. Sara, Ms. Winnie, and Ms. Lauren. She too loves school. On my lunch, I go down and hang out with Maggie for a few minutes while she eats. I then go down to Morriah's room where she is getting ready for a nap so I get to rub her back and sing a song. She is obsessed with having her back rubbed while we sing either - Twinkle, Twinkle, Your are my Sunshine, or I love you Ria. Her body is so frail and delicate. You can feel every little bone. She went to the doctors yesterday with dad and she weighs 29 lbs! She is healthy, just sooo tiny and petite. Morriah is in gymnastics and we crack up at her uncoordinated little bean pole body trying to walk across a balance beam.

You girls both stayed home from school with me today. Morriah is recovering from a nasty cough so I just kept Maggie home too. Right now I am listening to you girls inside your fort you made under the dinner table. Morriah just said "I don't want my cheese stick actually." What 3 year old says "actually"? Maggie is sitting in Morriah's car seat and says "Taxi, can you bring me to 5565665665 yellow street." Hahaha.

The weather is now started to get cold and leaves are changing. We have 3 trees in the back yard that have all the autumn colors in them. I love sitting by the bonfire with your dad at night, swinging on our cushioned swing with a glass of wine and admiring those 3 trees and the wonders of God's creation, like when deer come right into the yard and eat apples from the apple tree. We really do have a beautiful yard and I am thankful for your dad takes pride in it and keeping it looking so good. Though I don't know if we want to stay here too much longer. There are too many creepy people walking the streets here and your dad wants a place with more property for hunting.

Well, I am going to make dinner....that's a joke. I don't make dinner. Well, I am going to call dad to pick up dinner. :) Love you girls with my whole heart!!!!

Lil' Comedians

The first video is Morriah having a obsession of licking her lips and the second video is Maggie and her best friend Kami swimming. This camera is flippin cool and can go under water!





Some funny stories and quotes the kids have said lately:

Morriah was picking her nose and had a nice sized booger on her finger.  She was walking around the house with it saying "I have a booger, I have a booger."  She then comes up to me and shows me the booger and says "Mom, is my booger beautiful?"

Maggie asked grandma what handicapped means but before grandma could answer, Maggie asks "Is it when they don't make any sense?"

Maggie and Morriah are in the backseat playing "Raise your hand if you like......."  Morriah ends it with "Raise your hand if you like kicking someone in the face."  They both raised their hands.

Maggie dropped a doll in the backseat and asked me to pick it up for her while I was driving.  I told her I would get it when we got home.  She kept whining about it and finally Morriah says "Maggie you better stop or mom is going to FREAK out."


Morriah just had her 3rd birthday on July 22 but we are not truly celebrating it until August 20th where both girls will have a birthday party here at the house.  It is going to be fairy themed.  They are obsessed with fairies and smurfs.  Actually I think I am the one obsessed with the smurfs.  Growing up I had tons of those little figurines and watched it every day.  Now McDonalds has those figurines in the kids meals and I drove to 7 different McDonalds yesterday trying to collect all 16.  I only have 8 so far.  Then I spent hours on ebay trying to get Gargamel and Asreale figurines.  Jim finally told me I was crazy so I gave it a rest.

Morriah had her first dentist trip....1 tiny cavity on her chewing tooth.  Maggie did not have any cavities and thankfully never has.  I was so nervous for Morriah to get happy gas and a shot but the cavity was so small that they didn't need to do either.

We are so enjoying this summer.   Me and the girls spend most of our days at our friends the Bell's, usually swimming and then when Jim gets off work he comes over and we grill out.  It has been so relaxing and the kids love to swim.  We will be doing our annual lakehouse next week with the Bells, Hands, and Hicks.  Can't believe I only have 3 weeks left of summer before I have to go back for professional developments for 2 weeks and then school starts again!

Father's Day

I have to admit it was a very nice Fathers/Mothers day.  We all went out to breakfast at a family diner in Trenton and then went and had daddy pick out a fishing pole for Fathers Day near Elizabeth Park.  As the fishing pro did his business at the park, I took the kiddies to the playground at the park and a walk in the woods.  Maggie caught a toad and daddy caught 3 silver bass and then then the girls went on a pony ride at Elizabeth Park.  Grandma Finley watched the girls while the old folks got a hot stone massage and went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. 

Jim has built a "fairy house" in the mulberry tree on the side of our house.  He built a little door in the trunk of the tree that opens to a hole.   Maggie places a surprise in the hole for the fairy's to take and every few days the fairy's take the present and leave something for Maggie.  She gets so ecstatic, I have got to start recording it...it's so freakin hilarious.   Today they received from the fairy's a coloring pad of Tinker Bell which they spent an hour on the porch coloring.  The night ended with the girls sleeping together in Morriah's bed (a very unusual experience because they usually start a wwf wrestling match within 15 minutes) but they were sound asleep after a short movie.

I love my Pan Pull and..........
Be kind and show love.