Party Your Crown Off

We spent an afternoon at a friend's 5th Fancy Nancy Dress-Up Birthday party and Haley had a blast. The girls all got "up-do's", sparkles everywhere, nail polish, jewelry & eye shadow. They thought they were pretty hot stuff:) They then danced, walked the pink shag carpet runway and enjoyed some cake and ice-cream parfaits.

I asked Haley if she wanted to close her eyes and nap in the car on the way home and she said she wasn't tired. Really???

Two Little Fish

We can check one summer activity off our list...swim lessons. Although Evan had a hard time most days when I dropped him off, both kids did a great job at swim lessons this year. Everyone is swimming, face in the water, across the pool. Both can jump off the side and swim to the other side and pull themselves out. It was almost funny to see tiny Evan gliding across the pool under water. Haley was awesome. She would jump in and swim all over the pool without taking a breath. Our two neighbor girl friends we in the class which was a fun bonus:)

They didn't get it from me, the one who clung to the swim instructor for dear life, but my two are little fish like their father:)

Spoon Full of Sugar

Well, I had high hopes of catching up posting pictures last week after the dance recital but the Lord had other plans for my time. We found out with only a couple of days notice that we had to move our church, Restoration, from its location at Sambuca restaurant. Within 8 hours of being notified we had to find a new place to worship, notify everyone and get everything packed and ready for the move. We are now meeting at the Addison InterContinental Hotel and it is great.

So...back to the dance recital. It was PRECIOUS! (long but precious) Haley absolutely loved everything about it. She danced, smiled and jumped her way through "A Spoon Full of Sugar". I think we have a dancer on our hands. She didn't seem nervous at all...even though the high school auditorium was packed to the gills.

We could not be any more proud of our little ballerina.

Naptime Prayer

We've had a busy couple of days and although Haley is a sweetheart, some sassy attitude has emerged. I had to remind her that we always need to be kind. So, during her afternoon quiet time she prayed,

"Dear Lord, please forgive for being unkind to others. Help me be nice and kind to everybody I meet. Help me be happy and have fun today. Amen."

If only she could understand that we all have to struggle each day to be kind to everyone...the person who cuts in front of us at the grocery store (and they don't even have two whining kids in their cart), the driver who didn't signal and moved into our lane, the waitress with a bad attitude or even a friend who has nothing nice to say these days and really hurts our feelings. It isn't easy to be nice...it is a choice. One that takes discipline and practice every day:)

And boy does it change the outcome of our days to find the strength to be nice. Lord, help me put away my unkind thoughts and fill my heart with your love and joy so that my day will be fun.

Haley's Preschool Days are Over

Haley finished preschool a week ago and we couldn't be more thankful for the amazing time that she had at St. Phillip's and all that she learned while she was there. She made wonderful friends, learned more than we could have hoped, and is really excited to start Kindergarten this fall thanks to the wonderful teachers and staff at her school.

Over the past two years Haley has learned to write, spell, read, listen, follow directions, play with others, help out, worship, concentrate on projects, and sing. She LOVED music and Spanish as well as all the program studies about the solar system, the farm, the forest and any other specialized topic they would have for the week. On top of everything, Haley's love for the Lord grew as memorized the Lord's prayer, she sang songs (with hand motions and sign language which she adored) and studied the Bible.

I am going to miss taking Haley to St. Phillip's but look forward to Evan's time there in the fall.

We couldn't be any more proud of you Haley Ann Roseberry and look forward to all the ways that you continue to grow as a student, friend and faithful witness of the Lord's joy! Jed and I have the privilege of continuing to pursue your spiritual growth with you each week as you head to public school to be a bright light in the world. We are excited about all that it is in store even if we aren't ready for you to be gone 5 days a week. I'm really the one who needs prayers...you will do great!

On a side note, when did 5 year old's have to become so well rounded and "ready" for life....I am not sure why all the schools decided to ditch half day Kindergarten and all the play that we had when we were 5....reading my blog you would think Haley is heading to college and sometimes it feels that way. So I am going to have to really dig deep and pursue child like fun & family time each afternoon when Haley returns home after school. My family is choosing to ignore the pressures to be over scheduled and involved and just "be". You can help hold me to it:)