Laurie's Life

Last night we went to Kelly and Scott's for dinner. It was delicious! I took a fruit pizza. This is a recipe I always enjoy making in the summer. It is VERY easy and fun to make: Slice a roll of sugar cookie dough and space them out on a cookie sheet. Bake @350 for 12 minutes In a mixer: 8 oz. cream cheese 1/3 cup of sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla Spread on baked cookie crust and put whatever fruit you like on it! The CUTE baby Hollis! She loves to smile and coo and talk. I could just eat her up! Trying to get three little girls to look at a camera and smile is near impossible. Steve and I have been talking for four years now about getting some trees planted in our yard. We already had one little tree, but have wanted more. Yesterday, we had three trees planted in our yard!!!!! I was soooo excited. It was like getting new furniture or something. I watched from the windows as the men planted our trees. Now....we have to keep them alive!

I am so thankful that Emily has attended a WONDERFUL preschool. These teachers and staff have loved on her so much over the past four years. She loves all of them! Emily is crazy about Ms. Donita and these birds, Einstein and Abigail. They lead them in chapel each week. Emily has learned so much about Jesus during this time. She has told me through the year that those birds were"REAL." This morning as we were going home she said, Those birds are real, they are, I saw their feet in a picture....." The only thing Emily cared about this morning was ME seeing Abigail and Einstein. She told me I was going to get to meet them. She was thrilled. Emily's best friends at school. Korbyn and Summer. They showed a video that made me cry like crazy. They asked each child what they wanted to be when they grow up. Emily's answer was a vet. Bless her heart, she LOVES animals.

This is Sarah Kate on her last day of Mother's Day Out. We call it school. Here she is last August on her first day of school. Here is Emily on her last day of preschool. Here she is on her first day of preschool. My heart has been so heavy today. I have had a good day, but I am sad at the thought of Emily finishing preschool and SK finishing MDO. They are growing up so fast. They have had such good school years this year and we have LOVED both their teachers. Emily has her graduation in the morning. I will try not to make a fool out of myself with crying.

I thought that I would just wait and move SK out of her crib in a few months. But, Friday night she climbed right in her crib and then showed me how she could climb right out. We knew it was time to bust out the toddler bed. I was VERY VERY sad as Steve took apart the crib that we have used for the past five years. Sarah Kate was SOOOOO excited to be in a big girl bed. She has done great in it the past two nights! Such a big girl!

The girls love to watercolor. I do believe I have discovered the most fun toy/ride ever. The highlight of our Branson trip was discovering this Wiggle Scooter. The kiosk showed pictures of women on these things. I let the girls ride and then I had to get on one. I fell in love. I stayed on it longer than any of the children around. Steve's parents bought this one for us/ME. I have enjoyed it a lot more than the girls. I have been tempted to ride it when the girls are at school but I decided that would be too weird. I could just see Steve bringing a co-worker by the house, opening up the garage door and them finding me riding the scooter in the garage. The ad at the kiosk read: "Great for building upper body muscles." hey....that is what I am doing.

Saturday was Steve's birthday! We met his parents in Branson to celebrate. We ate at Joe's Crab Shack for dinner on Friday night. It was soooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could have ordered three steam pots, but I did not. (Out of Order) Me and the girls before church this morning. Pop and Kay-K. Notice the cats that Emily wanted in the picture. We spent all day Saturday at Silver Dollar City. I FROZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did not bring appropriate clothes. It is so discouraging to have to pack winter clothes for a May 15th event. CRAZY WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This little ladybug ride is my type ride. I am soooooo scared of roller coasters. Steve rode them all!!!!!!

Brace yourselves. Stand back! I got a new phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our phone contracts expired on Friday, so Steve got me a new phone. Do I like it? NO Will I like it? I am sure I will when I figure it out. I sure do miss my old faithful, fit in my back pocket phone. I can text in modern style, take pictures and have twitter, facebook and all that. I am moving on up in the world. I know many of you are proud!

For about three months now, my mother has been suffering with pain in her right arm. Finally, yesterday she saw an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed her with Frozen Shoulder Syndrome. The real name for is is Adhesive Capsulitis Syndrome. She will have physical therapy for the next three weeks. If the therapy does not help it, she will have to have surgery. I told the girls yesterday that Meme finally found out what was wrong with her arm. Sarah Kate said," I know, she has blood in it!" Emily: "We all have blood." I said," No, frozen shoulder." Emily said, "I know when it happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.........she ate a fudgesicle at our house at my birthday." Maybe they will be in the medical field one day...................... We spent most of Mother's Day afternoon trying to find me a good seeded watermelon. We paid $7.99 and it was not even good. I bought one today at Walmart and it was just the pits. I called WM and said, Can I return

The pacifier has been replaced! It has been replaced with a "soft brush" as Sarah Kate calls it! A week or so after we took the paci away, SK started asking for her soft brush at nap time and bedtime. She brushes her hair, or a stuffed animal's hair until she is asleep. I find her holding on to her brush when I go check -in on her at night. This is the scene I see every night. I need to buy two brushes because when it is bedtime and I can't find the brush she cries. We went to a birthday party for John Michael on Saturday. He is SK's school and church buddy. Neely and Sarah Kate. Neely is Sarah Kate's best friend. I hear Neely's name about 25 times per day. Mother's Day morning. Sweet little friends- Emily, Harper, Sarah Kate and Neely after church. We had lunch at the Stamps house. Always a fun time. Emily at John Michael's party. She did not want to go because she knew she would be the oldest one there, but she had a good time and acte

Emily was real proud of this outfit she put together. My little princess! My friend Kelly, in Little Rock, gave some tiny servings of Nutella as a part of my birthday gift. A friend recently told me that I should do a blog post of all the things I had put Nutella on. Here is the list: toast candy bar English muffin bagel waffle bread stick ice cream cookies I think that about does it. Haha! Sunday night Emily had her choir performance. They did a great job! Emily and Drew Emily, Sarah Grace, Alex and Jackson Sarah Kate cried her eyes out before the performance got started because she wanted to be on stage singing with the big kids.