Cooking with Maggie

Whoa, I'm actually here. It took me a few tries to simply log-in to our blog - that's a good indication of how long it's been since I blogged. I do have something I really want to record though, so here I am. Also, Jack is 6 months old (yes, we've had another child since the last time I posted) and I feel as if I'm finally coming up for air. If only for a few quick breaths here and there. I want to do better at the whole blogging thing. I really do. So, here I am today like the little engine that could - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

For the last 3 Tuesdays, I have managed to spend some quality time with Maggie and we like to call it "Cooking with Maggie." It's not technically cooking, maybe once it was baking, but anyway, she has this Fairy Cookbook that she got for Christmas last year. I did make a few things out of it for her 4th b-day in April, but basically it was sitting on a shelf gathering dust. I needed to figure out a way to hold myself accountable to spending some focused time with her. She is in pre-school 3 days a week and I realized that I am totally wasting some of my last opportunities to spend time with her before she goes off to Kindergarten next year. Also, Maggie tends to need a bit more attention. When I break myself away from my to-do list to spend time with Maggie, it's amazing the difference in her behavior. I have to pat myself on the back, b/c 3 weeks in a row we have successfully made some really cute little goodies together. It's been fun (for the most part). She learned the first week that the end result doesn't always turn out just like the picture and since then expectations have been more realistic.

Anyway here are some pictures of our creations:

Week 1- Rainbow Confetti Parfaits

Week 2 -  Frosty Fairy Mints

(These little yum-yums were my favorite treat so far.  Maggie could be very hands-on with these).

Week 3 - Snow Queen Punch

Twas the Night Before . . .

It's the night before Maggie's first day of pre-school. We've been talking about it a lot at home hoping to prepare her for the big event. We've talked about her teachers Ms. Becki and Ms. Myrtle and we've told her how much she's going to love school. She's not in the least bit interested in going, however. At dinner tonight I said "Maggie, are you going to be kind and friendly to the other children in your class?" Her response: "I have no idea." That kid cracks us up!

To be continued . . .

Ballerina Maggie?

Well, our third daughter has officially begun to take ballet lessons. Will Maggie be the dancing star that her mama has always dreamed one of her girls would become? (I know it's a weird dream). I will say she's very enthusiastic about her new extra-curricular activity. She was so excited to get her tights and leotard on and asked me every 5 minutes of the entire morning yesterday if it was time for dance yet? She went straight in the studio with no tears and no looking back. That's a first for Maggie who is definitely my clingy child. Anyway, regardless of whether or not it's her thing long-term, it is for sure her thing right now and I am loving it!

She is so stinkin' cute!

First Day of School 2010

Today was the first day of school for Ella (3rd grade) and Hannah Jane (1st grade). I was so proud of myself this morning, b/c things were going seamlessly. The girls were up and getting ready on their own. I was up and dressed, had popped the monkey bread in the oven and packed their lunches. The process of fixing hair even went smoothly. I snapped some pictures of them with the First Day of School poster and served them their breakfast. Maggie was even completely dressed with hairbow and all when we headed out to the end of the driveway to catch their buses. FYI - there are three Zachary Elem. schools broken up by grade level - k-1, 2-3, and 4-5. Ella and Hannah Jane are at different schools and therefore ride different buses . I had my coffee and my bucket chair out there and was still taking photos as we waited. I was fully prepared for the buses to be running a little late the first day. The first bus came and I checked the number, recognized the bus driver from last year and kissed Hannah Jane on the head and sent her on her way. A neighbor stopped by and we chatted for a bit until Ella's bus pulled up. Only - that's when the smoothness of my morning ended. The bus assistant came down the steps of the bus looking for Hannah Jane. I recognized her from last year as well and informed her I had already put her on the bus. She then informed me that I had put Hannah Jane on the wrong bus!! I was completely confused and insisted that the bus company had mixed up the girls' bus numbers. I coralled the other 2 girls into the car and high-tailed it to the front of the neighborhood to prevent the bus from leaving with the wrong child! I could only imagine Hannah Jane's bewilderment as her bus pulled her up to the wrong school. I managed to stop the first bus before she left our development. I got Hannah Jane off and put Ella on the correct bus. Then we waited for the lower Elementary bus to make its way to the front of the neighborhood and boy, was I relieved to have Hannah Jane on the correct bus at last. Whew! It was truly a close call and quite the fiasco. I went home prepared to call the bus company and be sure that they were informed of the mix-up they made. I decided to check the cards one last time to be sure I hadn't gotten the numbers confused. Oooh so glad that I did. I saved myself some embarrassment, because what-do-ya-know? It was my mistake. Imagine that? I didn't have it all together after all. I think God allows these little moments of stress to humble us. It worked . . .

Notice Hannah Jane getting on the wrong bus. I even have a photo to prove it. Ha!

Summer in N.C.

My mom flew down to Baton Rouge to spend a week with us at the end of June. We timed it so that she could spend some time with us in Louisiana and then ride back up with us to NC for an extended trip that we had planned for the summer. I so appreciated not having to make the long drive up by myself. We made a few stops on the way to break up the 14 1/2 hr drive.

The first day we drove to Atlanta and spent the night with my cousin Meg. She recently moved to Atlanta from Raleigh and she kindly opened her apartment to us. It was like a big sleepover. The girls were on their sleeping bags, mom slept in Meg's bed and Meg and I crashed in the living room - she on the couch and me on an air mattress. It was so nice to have a place to stay and I really enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with her, which we don't do often enough.

The next morning we drove on to Charlotte, NC to spend the night with my grandparents - aka - Gran-Gran and Grandmother. It was a really nice visit. My grandfather has Alzheimers and each visit  with him I count as a blessing. He was doing so well while we were there. I think the little girls bring out the very best in him. Maggie was completely enamored with him. This picture says it all. The look on her face is priceless.

The girls did all of their favorite things to do while visiting Gran-Gran and Grandmother. They held and played with several of the dolls in Grandmother's doll collection, ate shrimp at the fish camp, picked out candy at the candy store, helped Gran-Gran fill the bird feeders and bird baths, and played on the church playground down the street. Maggie had my sweet grandfather (85 yrs old) giving her under-doggy style pushes on the swings.

Back-to-School dinner

I copied this idea from my friend Jennifer Conant. I thought it was so creative and such a perfect way to really kick off a new school year.

Thanks for sharing, Jen.

Our dinner menu (by request):

-grilled pork tenderloin

-mac 'n cheese (Kraft)

-green beans

-cantelope

Dessert:

-Paula Dean's Chocolate Mousse Pie (egg and nut free - God bless you, Paula Dean!)

Beverage:

-Welch's sparkling grape juice

The menu was selected carefully by Ella & Hannah Jane. And Ella really got into helping me set a very fancy table in our dining room. She loves that she got to drink out of the crystal wine goblets, for this is very grown-up, you see.

Our theme verse for the year is:

Cory toasted to the year and we each wrote down and shared some of our personal goals.

We also wrote down some prayer requests for each of the girls teachers'. We ended the night by praying over the school year. It was truly a wonderful and memorable time as a family. It will become a Thompson family tradition - the vote was unanimous.

End-of-School Year Memories

The 2009-2010 school year is complete! Ella finished 2nd grade with flying colors and Hannah Jane had an excellent Kindergarten year with her beloved teacher - Mrs. Thorne. We are so incredibly proud of their achievements and so grateful for the opportunity for them to attend such amazing schools here in Zachary.

I selected a few photos to highlight the end-of-year activities.

Hannah Jane danced in her dance studio's spring production - Alice in Wonderland. She was a garden sprite. It was an adorable, performance - very creatively done by her instructor - Laura Peterson.

I absolutely love the way she smiles when she's wearing lipstick. The flowers are from her adoring fans.

The piano recital was a fun event, because both Ella & Hannah Jane were participating. I use the word fun very loosely because it was a very long night. Trying to keep Maggie seated quietly for the entire 3 hrs nearly caused Cory and I to lose our minds. Ella played "Yellow Rose in Texas." Hannah Jane played "Matchmaker." We did video their performances but I can't seem to get it to upload on our blog. Moving on for the sake of time . . .

Hannah Jane's class went on a field trip to New Orleans. They chartered a bus and made a day of it! I was able to leave Maggie with a friend and join in on the fun! We went to the N.O. Audubon Zoo and to the Insectarium. It was a really awesome field trip! When I asked Hannah Jane what her favorite part of the trip was she said "watching movies on the bus." God love her!

At the Insectarium Hannah Jane and I tasted chocolate-covered crickets!! A little chewy for me.

The best part of the trip!

Hannah Jane with her best buddy Whitney in front of the elephant fountains at the zoo.

The best Kindergarten teacher ever - Janet Thorne. This picture was made in the butterfly garden.

For Ella, the end of the school year ushered in her first softball season. What a walk down memory lane it was for me. She started practices just as the school year ended and she improved her game in every way. It was a machine pitch league, but she played the defensive position of pitcher. Her team colors were purple and gold and the girls named themselves The Tigers. Their team didn't have the best record, but a snack at the end of the game was always the cure for a disappointing loss.