Where did my little girl go?

tween  (twn) n. A child between middle childhood and adolesence, usually between 8 and 12 years old. [Blend of teen and between.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.                On February 9, 2011 my sweet girl turned 8 years old.  I sure do love this girl.  She is sweet and spunky.  She gives awesome hugs.  She's my rock star. Lord she is your child.  Give me wisdom so that I can be the mom I need to be.

First Day of School Pics 2010

Cate was supposed to start school the day after we arrived home from China. But since Wes and I had not seen her in 2 1/2 weeks and we didn't get to bed until after midnight we kept her home to love on that Monday. So her first day of school was the 2nd day of 2nd Grade. She has a great teacher and we are excited about the year. She's growing up and it's so fun to watch but a little sad because she's still my sweet little girl.

Since Reed went to Kindergarten Readiness last year he actually is starting Kindergarten this year. Kindergarten phases in slowly after the rest of school starts. We are looking forward to this year. I think we will really see how sending him to KR last year pays off. He has experience working for him this year. In some ways he seems so grown up but in other ways so young.


I pray this is a great year of learning and exploring for these two precious one. I pray they grown in knowledge, are brave socially, set good examples for others, make lasting friendships and love learning.

Some Pics from Cate's 7th Birthday

The birthday girl with bling in the hair getting ready for school.

Play date with some school friends.

Cake after dinner. Mmmm...Chocolate!

Opening gifts from grandparents!
Ooh...what to buy, what to buy?

This girl loves art.

Gran is an artist, too!

Silly girl. Happy birthday!

February 9, 2003

My precious daughter was born. The years just fly by. She brings so much joy to our lives. She challenges us in ways we never imagined. I still remember when she was a baby and we would sit her on the floor and everyone just sat around her and watched. She was and still is our entertainment. My sweet girl is 7 years old today. She is growing up. Lord I give her to you, but thank You for giving her to us.

Fun in the snow

Having some sledding fun. We have 4-5 inches of snow. Unfortunately it iced over last night. Sledding today was kind of scary. We made the kids go to a smaller hill because everyone kept zinging across the road. It was like a sheet of ice. There was just no way to stop yourself. We had grownups lining the road to catch the kids. The smaller hill wasn't so bad.

Reed and mommy sledding before the ice hit.



Back home now. Warming up. Safe and sound.

A Duet

Cate and Wes playing the piano together.

Cate's Gift

I heard Cate playing a new song in the other room. When she was finished she ran to find me and asked if I had heard. I said yes it was beautiful. She said she was playing for God. The next time she played it she let me make the video. Precious girl.

This makes me smile...

Just gotta brag...

...on my girl!

She's doing so well with her piano lessons. I'm so proud of her. Her teacher was bragging on her today. Just makes me smile. Thanks Rachel.

Introducing.....Cate's Quotes!

Cate: Mom did you know I'm allergic to wigs?
Me: Did you say wigs?
Cate: Yes. Remember when we were at the shoe store and we saw the wig? I stared at it a long time and then I kept sneezing! So I'm allergic to wigs.

Jelly Beans and Chopsticks

We had fun during "Girls Weekend" catching Jelly Belly's with Chopsticks. Cate got pretty good at it. Mommy/Daughter time so sweet.

Girls Weekend

Wes and Reed went to a Braves game in Atlanta and spent two nights at Nanna and Grandpa's. Cate and I made the most of our girls weekend. Friday night we picked up Chinese takeout. Yummy! We watched Nims Island. Pretty good movie. For dessert we fished Jelly Belly's out of a cup with chopsticks. Saturday we started off the day with chocolate chip pancakes. Painted toe nails.


Then met some other girls at the skating rink for Cate's first time skating. She wasn't too sure at first but once she got started she didn't want to leave. I will probably need traction and lots of pain meds after over two hours of skating and a few tumbles. Poor Cate fell about a million times. Only once did it seem to really hurt but she may have a few bruises this week. Maybe I should send a note to her teacher so they don't suspect anything. I was pretty impressed with how well she did in the end. Afterwards she got ice cream. (Sweet tea for momma.) Then we were headed home. (Somewhere Cate got the idea that we were going to play tennis. Ugh. She had to settle for some driveway badminton.) Finally, I convinced her that we needed a break so we went in for leftover shrimp lo mein and watched Kit Kittredge: An American Girl movie. Another good movie. Cate's in bed and I won't be far behind. We did the "girls night" dance a few times. It was a good weekend with my sweet girl.

Cate, my sweet girl.

Remember when she looked like this. Time goes so fast.

Monday was Reed's birthday and at dinner we all went around the table and told Reed what we liked about him. Cate said she liked how Reed loved her and played with her. Tonight at dinner, I think the shots had caught up with Reed and he was an emotional mess. Then he spilled his milk into his plate. We were all trying to get his mind on something else when Cate said why don't we going around the table and tell Reed what we love about him again. Such a sweet girl. She is always looking out for brother. She helps him when he needs it. Shows him the ropes at school. She loves playing with him and is always saying how sweet or funny he is. Cate, one of the things I like about you is how loving you are and how sweet you are with your brother. I am blessed to have such a precious girl.

Another Way to Kiss

I was sitting on the end of my bed when Cate came in and started hanging off the end of the foot board. She kept putting her face up about an inch from mine so I puckered up like I wanted a kiss. She kept popping up and down but didn't kiss me. So when Reed walked in I said, "Reed you won't leave me hanging will you?" He said, "Kiss your hand! That's another way to kiss."

Cate's in 1st Grade

This is the only picture I have of Cate's first full day of 1st Grade. She was so brave that she didn't want me to walk her in to her class. I just pulled up to the curb and she jumped out and never looked back. My little girl is growing up. Lord help me provide her with the guidance she needs, help me be patient with her, help me inspire her, help me guide her into Your tender care.

Reed's quotes 2

The kids were playing upstairs. Cate came down and said they had been exercising and they were sweaty. Reed came down and said, "Mommy, my heart is beeping."

Small Fry Tri

We started the morning off by going to the Small Fry Triathlon. It was really cute and the kids had fun. We actually ran it twice. It was kind of short. The kids got trophies and they both thought they won. Reed kept saying, "that's my first win in Tennessee." He's so funny.

Another Milestone!

Class of 2021

Cate's really growing up!

Cate lost her 1st Tooth!
Reed and I were in her class for an volunteer ice cream social and I heard this commotion behind me. All these little 6 year old girls were squealing and saying, "Cate lost her first tooth!" They were just as excited as she was. Reed was happy that he was there to see it. I just hope the Tooth Fairy can find our campsite tonight.