"Fularious"

One of Evan's most adorable traits is his ability to make us laugh. As part of his stand-up act, he now makes up his own words. Our personal favorite (of the moment) is

"Fularious" a combination of the words fun and hilarious.

For example, after we went to see the movie Pirates Band of Misfits, Evan exclaims, "That was fularious!"

Or, after hanging out with our buddy Chip he might describe him as fularious (which is certainly the case).

Thanks Evan for expanding my vocabulary and teaching me new words. I don't know anyone who use to make up their own words to fit the occasion. Hmmmm.

Oh, and Jed gave Evan a mohawk on the 4th of July. I can't say that I am particularly excited about it but it is super easy in the summer and is growing on me. How could this face not be adorable?

Dance Recital 2012

This weekend was Haley's 3rd dance recital and it was so amazing to see how far she has come in three years. She was on the competitive dance team with a precious musical theater number as a Paris dancer. They placed in the top 4 in 8 and under at all three competitions and were recognized with special awards throughout the season. Haley loved being part of this dance team and I am so proud of the way that she pushed through illness, a long commute and many hours in the studio to make this year great.

I don't see myself as a dance mom and feel really out of my element each time I have to do her make-up (which for stage is more than I ever wear), gather all the write costume pieces and find my way to another high school auditorium. But, it has been a great learning process for both of us and I adore watching my girl dance.

She sparkles on stage. Her smile lights up the room and she just loves being on the stage. If you ask her what her favorite thing is about dancing, she will say being on stage. She is such a confident performer. Dancing has certainly shaped her self confidence and given her the ability to do something that could easily make others uncomfortable.

This year Haley also did a ballet dance to Mary Poppins "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and a jazz number to "Strongest Suit" from the broadway musical Aida.

Because we moved south this year we are not returning to our old studio and I hope and pray we find a place near our house that Haley grows as much in dance as we did at Legacy. I don't care if Haley because a famous dancer or performs forever, but this season of life in dance has inspired and challenged her in so many ways and I look forward to see what joy she can share through her dancing:)

Ever After

As my mom, Haley, Evan and I were headed to the dance recital in Allen, when we passed a cemetery. Evan asked what the things sticking out of the ground were and we explained that they were headstones that identify people in the cemetery. Sometimes people even like to write something about the person who has died to remember them.

I asked Evan what he would want on his headstone and he says, "Evan Roseberry was a good guy, he was a Christian and he loved Jesus and God." The amazing thing was that we didn't even give an example of something people would write, but Evan had sweet insight about what was important in life without our prompting.

Its amazing to me how kids have such an awareness in their identity in Christ when we struggle as adults to find our identity in so many places. I will continue to pray that my kids stay rooted in Christ, knowing where to find there identity.

NYC Fashion Week

I have given up posting things in order because I am happy to just get these memories written down. For my Birthday, Jed's mom, my mom and I went to NYC for Fashion Week. It was absolutely dreamy. Even though it was February and a bit chilly, it was so amazing to be in the Big Apple for Jed's little brother's runway show.

We had an awesome room at the Helmsley Park Lane hotel which faced central park right smack between the Plaza and the Ritz. It was amazing. My mom surprised me with a delicious chocolate cake and strawberries delivered to our room and both moms treated me to wonderful food throughout our stay in the city. 

After a trip to the MOMA and a tiny snow shower, we finished our first day with some yummy local pizza. Then, we decided to make Monday all about fashion (to prepare ourselves for the runway show that evening) by spending the entire day hitting the sites...I mean shops around central park. We were able to scope out Thom Browne almost everywhere we went. We had an unexpected Mally make-over at Henri Bendel then a light lunch before getting ready for the show.

Unlce Steve, Kim and one of Daniel's friends met us at the fashion show at the NYC public library...you know, the one with the big lion statues out front. We arrived just in time to see Daniel prepping the models to go in for their final walk. BEAUTIFUL!!! I still can't wrap my head around the fact that all these designs came from Daniel's head, onto paper then transformed into these gorgeous creations. It was so powerful to see his work in person and see "him" in so many of the clothing pieces. Thom Browne invited us all backstage for a toast after the show then we finished the evening with all the runway show details over dinner and dessert.Thom Browne Fall 2012 Video

We did get to spend much of the next day with Daniel and see the NYC highline, have brunch in Soho and do a little shopping before going out to see Mary Poppins that night. 

 Thank you moms and Daniel for a Birthday I will never forget (and Jed for staying home with the kiddos of course)! 

Finishing Up Spring Break

I can't believe that Spring Break is already wrapping up. Even though we were super sad not to make it to Guymon, we were surprised with a wonderful week in Dallas.

After time with cousins, we had a sweet day with friends in downtown Dallas. We ate at a gourmet food truck for lunch near Thanksgiving Square then headed to Main Street Garden park to play. The kids had a blast spinning and running all around the park. Then, a quick trip to the Farmer's Market left us all ready for a nap but with smiles on our faces.

Today we drove back to the Arboretum for a day with the family. The cousins chased each other and rolled down the hills. I think the theme of this break was certainly "parks and picnics" as we enjoyed another wonderful day outside.

Hearing the cousins laugh and play brings so much joy to my heart. Moses stayed the night while Haley stayed with Gigi and the girls. And theses boys cracked me up. We could hear them playing pretend rescue heroes or encouraging one another to clean up so they could play something else. I thought the fact that I only had to go in once and tell them to calm down and go to sleep made the evening was a success. I think I was more tired than them and certainly just as dirty. Boy night at our house was a success.

I can't believe how much all our friends and cousins have grown and changed over the past year. The kids play less with me and head off to play with each other. As a parent of small children, it is such a HUGE shift in play dates. Instead of entertaining the kids, now I have free time to catch up on my blog or do the dishes. It is so crazy how much our lives have changed from no kids to little bitty kids to school aged kids.

I TREASURE these breaks from school and LOVE having the kids home with me for the week. The time does fly by so fast and I am so thankful for this wonderful week home together. I hope our kids always have this much fun enjoying each day, playing & having fun with friends.

Spring Break Day 3

Gigi surprised us all with 3 cousins for spring break. She met Taye halfway and brought the kids back for the week. Yippee!

The kids had a blast today doing normal kid things. We played at the park, 2 times, we made tents in Evan's room, played army guys, played American Girl dolls, ate ice cream sandwiches and had tons of fun. We were all tired and dirty at the day's end.

It is so sweet to see how the cousins all love each other so much. It doesn't matter how long it has been since they last played, they are ready to move in together by the end of the trip.

They have grown up so much over the years and now they just run back to the bedrooms and play until it is time to eat then they play until bedtime. I don't think there were even any tears today which is amazing progress.

I love hearing their conversations, their laughter and see their love. What a fun surprise day!

Parisian Dancer

I bet you didn't know that I had a Parisian dancer living at my house. Its true. And, it is about the cutest thing you have ever seen.

Haley has LOVED dance since her first class at 4 1/2 years old. She has tapped, twirled and shuffled her way into our heart. I know I am horribly prejudiced, but when they asked Haley to join the competitive dance company last summer, we just couldn't say no.

It has been a lot of work (especially in a winter where we have been unusually sick) but she has loved performing and practicing with her team. In the days of shows like, "Dance Mom" where the moms cry and fight over their daughters being the star, I feel so thankful to be at such a sweet studio where modest dress, age appropriate dancing is still fun.

Yes, she looks twice as old as she is with all her stage make-up, but she is still her bubbly self on the stage. She smiles, she spins and she makes me love dancing every time I watch her on stage. I am so proud of the way that she has committed to be the best she can be on the team.

We have learned so much this year but I am most thankful for the way that Haley has learned to feel confident in front of others and understand what it means to be part of a team.

We danced at Christmas at Six Flag...still working out some choreography kinks and then the girls did awesome at a competition in February winning a special judges pick award as well as top awards in their division. We have two more competitions this spring and are thankful that this has been such a fun experience.

Spring Break 2012

Well, after a week of pneumonia for Haley we are all crawling out of our house and into the world again. It is certainly not easy. With Jed in Belize during the sick days, we are all pretty tired and trying to catch up from our week under the weather. It is crazy how it feels like it was all a bad dream now....3 dr. visits, 2 antibiotics, 5 missed days of school and many missed hours of sleep. The coughing continues but we are trying to build up Haley's strength and get back to life!

So, Monday Jed took the day off and we went to the arboretum with Evan's buddy Ty. The weather was perfect and although Haley mostly rode in the jogging stroller, the boys ran and played for hours. I think Evan was so excited to get out of the house he probably could have run all day long.

We had to cancel our trip to Guymon because Haley was so sick but are excited to have a quiet yet fun week playing in Dallas. I am always so thankful to have both of the kids home and never want to waste a minute of our time together.

Tuesday we had a fun day at the park with friends. If you give Evan his night vision gogles, a light saber and a hand grenade (all pretend of course) he can play for hours. And the boy certainly did!

Here are some other picture worthy moments from the month:)

Winter Leaves

Crazy that it is often January before we have enough leaves on the ground to rake and jump in them, but it is true. I followed the kids outside with a rake and a camera and it turned into a game of camera hide and seek. They laughed and laughed as they ran from me.

You go zoom lens. I think you are the winner today!

Fevers and Fashion

Haley has spent the last 2 days in bed with a 102-104 degree temp and a nasty cough. While spending the day in bed, I used the time to catch up on our blog (the Birthday story) and she used the time to do some fashion drawings.

I love seeing her create things. She made me my very own design and wrote this sweet note on the back (I will have to admit it came after she read what I wrote about her on her Birthday). I will take this sweet encouragement any day.

Nothing better than being thanked after a hard day of caring for a sick kiddo and a not sick jumping bean...I am Evan.

Haley Turns Seven

I had to bypass the Christmas pictures AGAIN to just keep up with where we are today and that takes me straight to Haley's 7th Birthday.

We had a wonderful celebration this year filled with family, friends and dancing fun. On Haley's actual Birthday we opened presents early in the morning before school...new lunch box & back pack, barbie clothes and matching AG and little girl clothes to name a few. The big gift from all the grandparents and us was another trip to the AG store for accessories. Haley bought Kit's bed and now Kit and Ruthie sleep comfortably side by side in Haley's room.

The party was so precious with our friend, Rachael, as the wonderful ballet teacher. She brought all the kids together...many who do not dance at all...and had them smiling and pointing their toes in no time. We cleared all the furniture in the living room and let the girls fill the space. (Haley got a little ambitious with he verbal invitations this year and we ended up inviting all the girls from her class at school plus some other friends = 15 dancers.)

After a handprint tutu craft and making a purple wooden bead necklace, the dancers got right to business giggling and leaping their way through the afternoon. After some amazing cupcakes from Society Bakery (thanks to Amy Flickinger) and some awesome chocolate chip cookies from Gigi together with some purple and pink punch, the girls wrapped up the party with an out of control game of freeze dance. They couldn't be any cuter!

I am sure I will say this every year for the rest of my life but I can't believe Haley is 7. It was only yesterday that we were in the hospital in Sewickley, PA watching the snow fall out the window while we held our perfect baby girl.

These days Haley is full of love and laughter every day. She still loves to dance and is even competing on her company dance team. If she could choose she would play outside all day long and spend the day imagining great adventures. She is a great reader, her current favorites include anything about dogs and Magic Treehouse series. I don't think I mentioned that she was student of the 6 weeks in first grade this fall and enjoys being at school almost every day. We couldn't be any more proud of Haley for the ways that she is kind to others, cares about her friends and tries to include everyone. What a joy she is in our lives. We love you Haley Ann Roseberry and look forward to many more fun years ahead.

Dad's Day Off

Evan and I always look forward to Fridays because they are Jed's day off. Since Evan is still home with us, we can enjoy some fun time with Dad. Evan always wants to do something, "fun". In his book, "fun" is something that includes an outing to a place with lots of activities and games. Generally Evan begs to go hit golf balls, eat at Chuck E Cheese or go to Adventure Landing.

Since we were really not up for a full family outing we took Evan to Cici's Pizza. I know you are wondering what is so fun about a pizza buffet? Well, they usually have a small arcade room in the back...old school where the machines take quarters.

So after running some errands Evan was begging to do something fun with daddy so we pulled over at Cici's and Evan ate as quickly as possible to go play games. Jed said it was filthy...I think Evan's hands were black from touching all the games. But Evan could care less. He had a blast with Dad and was thrilled to put a couple quarters in the little toy vending machines to get a stick on mustache.

It really is just great time with a dad who will play with you that really matters. I am so thankful that Jed understands the importance of quality time with our kids and I feel honored to have a husband who makes sure we all feel loved with some "fun" time of our own.

When I Grow Up

The kids are studying the life and ministry of Christ in Children's Church and came home with a color sheet about what they want to be when they grow up. (I think they ran out of time so Evan has a beard but no eyes and the details are a little rough)

Haley is really interested in dogs these days. In fact, before we went to church they spent all morning playing veterinarian and doggie daycare. They would "drop off" dogs in Haley's room and bathe them, walk them, give them a check up and play with them. In fact, for about 3 months the ONLY books Haley brings home from the library at school are books about dogs. How to pick the best pet, how to take care of your pet, what dogs are good pets and (my personal favorite) the life cycle of dogs...thanks to it we got to have a great birds and bees talk:)

Anyway, she not surprisingly said that she wanted to be a vet when she grew up.

Evan, however, told the class that he wanted to be a ninja. Hmmm, I am not exactly sure how lucrative the pay will be or what kind of schooling will be necessary to achieve this coveted job title. It probably includes kicking your sister and possible stealing her stuff.

The others in the class chose things like paleontologist, flight attendant, fire fighter, etc. Only Evan went way out on a limb to be a ninja:) Can someone tell me exactly what they do?

Haley's Sweet Prayers

Even though first grade Haley is a lot spunkier and goofy, that sweet girl is still in there.

Tonight she prayed instead of me and said something like this,

"Dear Lord thank you for this day. Please be with all the boys and girls in America to give them a good night's rest. Please give shelter and food to those who are in need. Watch over the kids in Africa who need shelter. Help find a home for kids who don't have parents and help them to love the kids. Help me be nice and sweet like you know I can be and help me obey my parents. Help me be kind to others and make sweet friends. Amen."

Lord, let my children know you intimately all throughout their lives and may they cling to your grace & love forever.

Burrito Theory

Evan LOVES burritos. I have been joking for months that if we put it in a burrito he would eat anything. So tonight, we tested the theory.

Tonight I made shepherd's pie, which the rest of us love but Evan can't stand. He doesn't like mashed potatoes...really what is not to love about mashed potatoes? He doesn't particularly like ground beef. If it is disguised in a taco he will generally eat it but not always.

However, he loves onions, avocado, pico, salsa, peppers and other unusual things. So, tonight instead of fighting him I just rolled up his shepherd's pie into a burrito, poured salsa on top and gave it to him. (We actually called it a crunchy potato burrito for all the Bueno fans)

He ate it and asked for seconds. I may have a new way to get the little guy to eat anything I want. I am definitely heading to the Hispanic grocery store down the street to buy some fresh whole wheat tortillas. Let's see what kind of burritos we can create.

Gigi's Surprise 60th Party

Other than hosting an open house for about 75-100 people three weeks after we moved into our new house, Gigi's 60th party was my first big event at our new home. And, this wasn't just any event, it was an amazing celebration of 60 years of vibrant, passionate, love centered living for my precious mother-in-law.

For weeks, all Fran's siblings, David & the kids were plotting and scheming to have a surprise party that she would never forget. She specifically said that she did not want a party, she only wanted to spend time with family so they all came (almost all...one brother in NY could not make it). But, this was the first time in years that she had her brothers, David's mom and all her kids together at one time and we pulled it off...she was completely surprised.

She thought she was going to a musical down town and instead ended up "dropping" a book off at our house on the way. Before she knew it she was swept into one of the prettiest dining rooms ever created at my house (thanks to Daniel and Liz's flower power). Then, our barn doors opened and the kids and Grandma were there. Total shock. Then, she went around into the kitchen to find two brothers and sister-in-law (from CA and NY). Complete teary mess. It was AWESOME!

I think Gigi cried for at least 45 minutes, maybe more. It was such an amazing gift to have all her family together and I couldn't be any more thankful to be a part of making it happen. It was the most work I have done for any party. We hired a photographer, had things printed, made precious gift boxes with her favorite candle as party favors, cooked food, bought flowers, arranged flowers, hired kitchen help, hung lights, bought liquor...the whole nine yards. I am officially and adult!

The evening ended with mini desserts, all her favorites, and the delivery of her gifts which were all made by each relative. Nothing store bought. Only things created, sung, written, sewed, painted, performed or said. It was priceless.

What a memorable eveing. And, I am so thankful I don't have to tell any more lies about why I need her china or what I am doing tomorrow night. The secret is out. Gigi is one of the most precious gifts we could all receive and we are all better for knowing and being loved by her.

Thanksgiving 2012

I have to start somewhere so Thanksgiving seems as good of a place as any. We had a wonderful trip with the Baggerly crew to Fossil Rim. We spent the holiday "hiking" trails with dinosaur fossils and life size figures.

The cousins had a blast spending time together running between hotel rooms, playing with toys for the "thankful turkey" (who left thanksgiving dinosaur stockings for each of us) and terrorizing the few people staying at the Best Western with us.

A highlight of the trip was taking a bus tour of the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center where they have opened up a ranch for all kinds of exotic animals. Giraffes, deer and emu's were eating out of our hands. It was so amazing to see the animals up close and get to pet them. The kids just giggled with delight as the giraffe's giant head poked into the bus next to them and licked food from their fingers. Priceless.

Not only was it awesome to just show up and eat an amazing Thanksgiving lunch at a darling Bed and Breakfast type of house, but I didn't have to cook or clean the whole weekend. Awesome. And to top it all off we got to spend a few days all together with my family with nothing to do but play. Wonderful memories and a great adventure!

Plans that don't work out

You know how you make plans to do something new and it doesn't work out just as you hoped. Well, that's what happened to me when I decided last year to not print pictures each month and instead just "print my blog" at the end of the year. It didn't work because I have been terrible at posting this year. Between renovating and moving the church then showing our house and moving our family, life happened and my plans didn't work out the way I hoped.

I feel like I have lost some memories, gained some new ones and put other things on hold....like this blog. But, I am ready to live again. No more boxes at our house. The car is nestled nicely in the garage for the first time since the move and I am ready to get my life back...well, as much as any mother does:) ha.