It's a secret vacation... Shhh!

Rammy (Sasha's school mascot) and Jules) are helping me pack for our vacation. I wonder where we could be going??? Sasha doesn't know either :)

School and Soccer Pictures - 2013

I know two posts in one day... be still my beating heart.  I wanted to post these before I forgot since I just got them.

Kindergarten official picture...


Soccer picture...


Not quite sure where my tiny princess has gone to. All of a sudden this big grown up girl, albeit still a princess, has appeared. We can't blink or we'll miss something... time is going too fast.

- Brooke

We've started Kindergarten!!

First Day of School - Kindergarten: Aug 19th
Ready to head out!


With her teacher Mrs. Moore


Found her seat and right at home


Week 2... her first PE uniform day


On Saturday mornings this fall (and Thursday evenings for practice) we've been at the soccer field. Our girl has improved so much! She really likes the game and it looks like we may just have a little soccer player in the family.


And when Miss Sasha isn't doing school work, playing soccer or just snuggling with us... she's drawing, or writing or doing some sort of craft. She's turned out to love crafts...


I know it's been awhile, but hopefully that's been a good catch up here on the blog. Facebook is typically up to date but I need to remember the blog too :) 

Hugs! Brooke

Needles

When I was about 5 I remember an AWFUL experience with shots... Something about a nurse chasing me around a room rings a bell. Since then it's never been good. I can remember always having a hard time when a nurse needed to get blood. In the ER one time a spot on my wrist had to be numbed ad used because all other places had been tried. I looked away and hummed odd nothingness while blood was taken it was so bad... Nurses always thought it was a song, I said no.

And now... Every 6 weeks (or less) I'm in and out. Use the left arm in the center, and I don't hum.  Sad or an improvement? Not sure.

Butterfly song

Miss Sash is completely loving to perform and create right now; not only singing and dancing, but also drawing and coloring. Here's a little bit of her performance tonight...

http://youtu.be/4H8E-alyrgc

5th Birthday Pictures

Hot from our photographer, I just received Miss Sasha's 5th birthday pictures.  We've gone to Crystal since Sash was 18 months so she's not just someone who takes our pictures for Sash's birthday and family ones at Christmas, but also a friend.  Here's the latest installment...



See them all on our flickr page

Not just Sasha's anymore... I feel old

So this is where I remind you that this isn't just Sash's blog. I need to say some things and just talk somewhere and since I could never keep up a blog for me and her I guess this is my place. Just delete if you want :)

I want to try to document at times where this crappy AS has me. Not only does it let me write, but also, God forbid (and please if you're still reading say a prayer this doesn't happen) if Sash does inherit this, she will know what I went through with it. 

Long story a little shorter since this has gone on longer than I expected... I feel old. I'm 33 and feel at least 60 I'm guessing. Today I have pains in my chest and left arm... Yes you read that right. But with my condition this is just part of it. I can't go with typical warning signs a s such of other conditions or I'd be in an ER every week. I'm sick of it and sure people around me are too. I've found a few boards online and found I'm not alone in how I feel... Thankfully. I don't feel so freakish since I found them but I still feel lazy when I know I'm not. Either way this is me today...

Where in the world?... Dance Recital

Yes I know it's been FOREVER! With an almost 5 year old (who's now 5!), the end of school, helping with end of year activities, husband's travel, and Anky (see the links tab above) slowing me down from time to time... wow, it's been a little hectic!  Thankfully, there's Facebook and Flickr that's captured most of what's going on.  If you haven't seen things there head over there to see pics of the last few months.  If you haven't met up with me on Facebook send me a friend request.  Here's a quick recap.  I'm working to get some of the movies up too.

Flickr has TONS of the pictures!

I'll start with the Dance Recital Rehearsal and the Recital!! Early May... Oh. My. Gosh! She's so big!!!



Pictures with her and all her friends so you can see just how cute they are all together are in the Flickr Dance Recital Set.

Seat buckle safety

We're heading out to dinner and the way J's car is in the garage Sash gets into her carseat then we reach around to buckle or he pulls out of the garage and I buckle her before I get in. (His car is parked really close to the wall on the pass side in the garage).

Sash climbed in and her and J were waiting for me in the car.

Sash: This makes me sad. (Just matter a fact like)
Us: What is it hun? (We turn around)

She's not buckled in. That's how she told us. Well yes, that would make us sad. She is a riot!

Swinging

*Knock on wood* we had warmer weather today! When we got home our girl went outside and showed off her new skill... She can swing herself... Woohoo! Really she is growing by leaps and bounds right now, crazy!

Getting Ready for Easter

Happy Good Friday!  As we go into this Easter weekend I find myself making sure I have things for Sasha's basket, the eggs and egg color, etc... Also, of course the major thing... what time are we going to Mass and what are we doing for Easter dinner :) 

This year though I think Miss S is old enough to start a new tradition along with the baskets, eggs, and church... resurrection cookies.  I saw this a few years ago on a Mom blog and have had the idea tucked away since then.  You make these cookies while talking about Jesus and what he did for us.  The link to the original site is below along with a pdf of the recipe.  I'll try to take pics as we make these tomorrow night.  We have a birthday party for a friend so hopefully it will work out that we get home and she's not too tired. 

Original Blog post from "Living with Three Hobbits and a Giant"

Resurrection Cookies Recipe pdf

Here's a picture from yesterday at school just before the Easter egg hunt... adorable!

Losing a Teacher

As I dropped Sasha off at school today things were very different. We weren't allowed in the front doors and everyone was directed to the cafeteria. Typically, I'd drop her off via the carpool lane (which was very backed up itself) but we had Easter treats.  Teachers weren't letting anyone but the "upstairs" (middle school) kids out of the cafeteria once we got in.  Something was definitely not right.  Sasha had never been in this large room full of "big kids" before school and was not quite feeling her typical confident self.  She clutched my arm as we proceeded through the field of uniformed kids and backpacks to a mom and daughter we knew.  All she had heard was that a teacher was possibly having a crisis.

After 10-15 mins (just after 8am), the PK kids were given the all clear to go to their rooms with any parents still there assisting.  Something had definitely happened... teachers and staff had red eyes, whispers were going on, and one of our parish priests was in full "uniform" coming towards us (not typical for this time of day). 

Our school had lost a teacher, one of it's own... this is what had happened. No one was prepared, she hadn't been sick.  That's hard for adults to understand, let alone the 4 and 5 year old of her class and those that she had been with just a few years before.  While Sasha didn't have her in class, she was in the same grade and she often got her out of our car in the mornings. 

God bless Ms Cathy, her family and all those missing her.  Asking God to comfort her family.  May He help the children to understand and the parents to have the wisdom to answer the questions they may have.

Change it is a comin'

No, I haven't been in the south so long as to begin talking like this (okay, well maybe I have). But, no really, change is coming to my dear girl's Sasha Spot blog.  I've tried several times now to start a second blog to keep up with all of the craziness of life with PCOS, allergies, and now AS (ankylosing spondylitis). Heaven forbid our girl have to deal with any of these (literally almost daily I pray she won't!), but if she does I want her to have a journal of what's gone on. I have very little to no medical history on one side of my family and this will help her.  Plus, it helps me have a record and keep everyone posted :)  I'm also hoping to do a better job of just keeping up with our life in general anyway.  Soooo... while the website address is still sasha-spot the title is transitioning to "Sasha's Spot... and her parent's too", because really aren't we just the after thought most times now that she's around... haha!

I'm hoping to update with some of the posts that I had on my other (now debunk) blogs. I'll add some new pages/tabs at the top for some things as well.  Stay tuned for these changes and hopefully more frequent and regular posts!

- b

Big girl furniture - part 2

It's been delivered!!! Mattress comes early next week

Big girl furniture - part 1

We've been in the process of getting our princess "big girl" bedroom furniture. It's been ordered and was said to be delivered roughly next week. So naturally, I have myself setup for that. Today I get the call, we'd like to deliver it Thursday... As in two days from today. Mama wasn't exactly ready for that, nor was her room but we all became ready real quick... Oh yeah and Daddy will be out of town tomorrow and Thursday.

So last night ended up being her last one in her toddler bed in her room *sniff*. Her room is now cleared to make way for big girl furniture. Her and her toddler bed are in the living room. She's loving it!



So, now we need the furniture and mattress... We already have the bedding :) Can't wait to see it all done!

Ready to Read!!

We had a parent/teacher conference last week. Our girl is academically doing off the charts... Literally! She's counting to 100, knows letters, is correctly writing most letters and numbers (and writes them all well enough to know them), Is doing patterns and rhyming... You get get point :) She's ready for kindergarten! Actually during the talk it also came up that she even ready to take the next step and start... Reading!!! She loves books so much I can't wait so here's our first set of true early readers... They just came!

Happy belated Mardi Gras! Hello Lent!

Mardi Gras is a big deal around Sasha's school so they celebrate quite a bit.  Last Saturday, we (minus Sash) went to a large Mardi Gras themed fundraiser put on by the Mother's Club... it was a BLAST! Then Tuesday Sash had a parade, decorated masks, there were beads... fun for all! 
Here's pic of our girl at school today with her mask from the parade:

So now it's Ash Wednesday and time for Lent! From the picture, I think Sash already received her ashes today in school.  J and I will be going tonight. This year I'll be reading Welcome Risen Jesus with Sasha each night through Lent.  We have a similar book for Advent that we've used for two years now and I love it.  Sasha actually looked forward to the readings this year.  I also have my own daily devotions/readings as well for each day.  Once Easter comes, hopefully we'll both have gained some things in this journey.

Blessings to all of you as we enter this Lenten season!!

Ice day, not a snow day

Sasha, and me for that matter, got out early today due to the bad weather heading our way. I questioned it since often Memphis doesn't get what's predicted. So far we have some ice accumulation... Sash wanted a picture of her swing set since "there's so much ice on it!!!" What can I say, she's a Memphis girl :)

Penguin Parade

Had to share this from Sasha's class... This week they have been learning about Arctic animals; yesterday was penguins.  She came home and was telling us all about how the daddy's will take the egg and hold it in their feet and move around.  We watched how she showed us and then she really wanted us to do it as well.  It's so great to see her excited about learning!

Ms Nicole's Blog - Penguins

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