Prima Ballerina

This week I was able to go in to Gretchen's ballet class for parent observation week! Her studio is pretty strict about allowing parents to watch, but for one week, we get to go in and observe the classes. On Tuesday, I watched Gretchen's ballet, and tonight, I'll be sitting in on Megan's gymnastic's class. 

I took a ton of pictures since DJ couldn't come and watch, and I wanted to be able to share them with our grandparents who all live far away. 

Her class is ran the same way each week. The girls head to the bar to do bar work, their teacher teaches them about ballet vocabulary, and then they run through a sequence. 

After that, they stretch and practice doing the splits. 

Gretchen prefers to do acrobats rather than stretches. 

After, stretching, the girls practice sequences on the floor. 

I think at this point she might have been getting a bit bored! She's loves ballet and she loves to watch ballet videos and dance around the house. The other night we sat on Instagram and watched a ton of videos from the #primaballerina She found a ballet company that she had learned about from her ballet teacher and watched their clips over and over again. 

And, just for fun, here are two clips that I took during her class. 

Show & Tell Tuesdays: Serving Others

I'm linking up today with Momfessionals for Show & Tell Tuesday. Today, is all about service projects or mission trips. I have to be honest, this is an area of major weakness for me. But, this post also comes in a very timely manner. 

Yesterday, the girls and I headed back to church after taking several weeks off due to being out of town, having family in town, late night football games, etc. We just have had a crazy few weeks. I could totally tell though that we needed to get back to church stat, and I'm so thankful that I took the girls Sunday. DJ couldn't join us because he didn't get home until 4:30 am on Sunday from this weekend's football game and he was meeting his uncle (who had been visiting us) for lunch before he headed back to the football office. 

Anyway, our sermon yesterday was on the Kingdom. God tells us that we cannot serve two kingdoms. One being, our own kingdom- money, ourselves- those sinful ways that only benefit one person. Instead, we need to be serving God's kingdom. We do this through loving one another, serving one another, being present, reading our Bibles, going to church... Basically, living the way that Jesus taught us to live.

Lately, I've been thinking about the story in the Bible where Jesus washes his disciples feet. In Jesus' times, that was a servants job- to wash someone's feet. He lowered himself down to being a servant to wash the feet of others. It's such a small act with a powerful punch in the gut. If Jesus, can serve others, why can't we?

As I was preparing this post for today, I came across this verse about serving others: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But, do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather; serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

Here's the deal, sometimes I think that we believe we have to be doing some amazing service projects or going on mission trips to be serving God. I think as one reads through some of the link-up posts today, you may feel defeated. I have never been on a mission trip. It's definitely something that I want to do and I 1,000% feel the need to do so. I have a dream of one day going to a third-world country and serving other people. I want to go to an orphanage and love on those babies. But, the timing has never been there. I know that I am called to serve God, and I know that in God's timing, I will be on a mission trip hugging on little kids who don't have their mother, or I will be in a remote village reading a Bible story to someone who has never heard a Bible story before. 

But, right now, I'm finding ways of serving those that I'm around. 

I found this quote last year sometime, and it rings true to me every single day. Right now, I'm serving my children. I'm teaching my children about God and Jesus and their love. And one day, my kids are going to be able to go on a mission trip too and show God's love for other people because they've seen God's love through me. Oh gosh, I pray they have. I pray every day that I don't fail them in teaching them about God's love. 

Not only do I serve my children, but I also pray that I serve my husband, my family, my friends, and my co-workers. You don't have to go half way around the world to find someone to serve. God puts people in our lives every single day and wants us to serve those people. Give them a hug, let them know you're there, pick them up a coffee, babysit their kids, cook a dinner, give another mother a look of understanding when her kids are being rambunctious and she's at the end of her rope. Offer a smile, a thank you, hold a door open.  

You see, serving doesn't have to be big and bold. It can be small and feel unseen.

And then, I came across this being shared on Facebook, and it hit home that the girls and I could get involved in some random acts of kindness next month. Wow! What a way to serve other people. 

I challenge each of you to take a part too and find a way that you can serve others, but in a small way, not a "pat yourself on the back because oh look at me and all the amazing things I'm doing" sort of way.

Thanks for reading today.

If you want to join the link, here's the list for the rest of the year. 

And, you can find my other Show & Tell Tuesdays posts here.

Friday Favorites

Hello Friday. I am SO glad you are here! I'm linking up today with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites!

Before we get to my favorites from the week, can we just all take a minute to breathe. In, out, in, out. Whew, that's better! This week has been a doozy! I've had meetings, worked late one day, two nights of dance, and a really emotional Thursday. I can use a Friday. And, more than that, I can use a weekend. This is the first weekend in a LONG time that we have NO plans. Other than DJ's uncle coming in for a bowling tournament and a little sleepover tonight- NO plans. I'm going to clean, sew, run to the grocery store, and RELAX. Well, I guess I do have some plans, but cleaning and sewing put me in a happy place, because I'm weird like that. 

Okay, let's get started with some Favorites!

Addy Pearl was all smiles Monday night. 

She even helped me clean up a bit. I'm telling you, cleaning is one of my Favorite things to do (so long as my house stays clean, which it never does) and I love it even more when my kids help me!

Megan decided a little dress up was in order. She put on an entire show in our living room Monday night. Dressing up is one of her Favorite activities. 

Every night before I go to bed, I routinely use these essential oils. I made an Immune Booster roller with Thieves and coconut oil, and I apply it to both of my big toes. Then, I add a drop of Cedarwood to help me sleep, and finally, Lavender Lip Balm on my lips for smooth lips. And then I put on my sleep mask, and I'm out. Just ask DJ, I haven't been able to fall asleep so quickly in years, and now I'm out as soon as my head hits the pillow. 

I wore my Happy Camper shirt from Sashy Pants earlier this week. And it instantly made me in a good mood. Like, it might have been my best day all week. Graphic tees are my Favorite. 

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I came across this picture on Addy's preschool's Facebook page. It's from their Holyween day. The kids get to trick or treat up and down the hallway, and the big kids from the private school come over and give them candy. Her flower pot costume was my Favorite and I do think it's adorable that it kept falling in front of her eyes! Poor girl! 

And then one night two of the girls came home coughing and with runny noses. The weather is finally getting cooler (maybe too cool) and sniffles are settling in. I diffused this blend of lemon, lavender, and peppermint to ease their sniffles and coughs. Plus, it smells amazing. I often diffuse it in Megan's room when she's coughing, and it seriously keeps her from coughing the entire night. Using essential oils rather than medicine is my Favorite.

Awe, fresh clean babies. Addy Pearl snuggled up with me while I was glued to a Wife Swap marathon earlier this week. She was being uber cute, and I wanted to take her picture, but she wouldn't look at me. So, I said, show me your eyes, and this is what she did. 

I was trying to get her to look at me with her eyes, but instead she just poked herself. 

And, I finally broke out my blanket scarf yesterday. It was one of my Favorite scarves last season, and I'm loving it again this year!

A friend shared this on facebook and I laughed out loud. I've seen it before, so it's definitely a Favorite. 

And, like I mentioned above, I had an emotional day yesterday. My grandmother is going through some health issues right now, and it's hitting me a bit harder than I thought it would. And, then work was crazy yesterday- I am swamped- so I texted DJ and asked him to bring me home a giant cup of chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups. Followed by "Seriously". And, he did, and he scored major brownie points because he tucked the girls in, and I locked myself in our bedroom to eat a super large cup of ice cream and watch an episode of Big Bang Theory. 

Once my ice cream was gone, and the girls were in bed, we stayed up late to watch Trainwreck. And, I don't want to give too much away, but it definitely was a Trainwreck. I love Amy Scheumer, and think she is hilarious! This movie is light, it's funny, but there's definitely some naked male bodies that I could've done without. And, I think the movie wasn't quite what I expected from the trailers. 

And, earlier this week, DJ posted his video of our team's post-game celebration from the locker room from last week's football game. Tulsa uploaded his video to twitter, and then his video was shared on Football Scoop! I thought it was a pretty big deal, until he reminded me about his video that was on ESPN this summer. I think most of you know that DJ is a college football video coordinator, which means he's responsible for filming and editing practice and game film and he also produces a highlight video for the end of the year. You can read more about our football life in my Football Wife Life posts.

And, that's it for Friday Favorites! I hope your day is a great one! 

Thanksgiving with HPA

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. We're finalizing plans, gathering our favorite recipes, and making sure the house is fully decorated for the holidays. 

Thanksgiving might be one of my favorite holidays. It's a time where we are together as a family, and there are no other expectations than to be together and have good food. Seriously, who doesn't love a holiday where you just have to get together and eat. It may be the best holiday ever. 

I found this activity on Pinterest, and I thought it would be really fun for Megan to make. 

I wasn't able to make a new canvas for Halloween, so we're going to be sure to make handprint turkeys on a canvas. I love being able to pull out a hand made holiday project that I can look back on the previous years. 

Last year, my girls had Turkey dresses to wear for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, they still fit this year and I haven't had to remake them an outfit to wear for the holiday. 

We are breaking out all of the fall clothing and getting lots of wear out if it right now. 

This shirt pretty much describes every single person in my family on Thanksgiving day. 

And, if you're still needing some Thanksgiving decor around your home, these are a few of my favorites:

I love the neutral colors and how each piece will blend with any decor style. They make a simple statement with a big punch of impact.

And, since this is the time of year to reflect and be thankful, I think it's also really important to study scripture. I'm not the best about studying my Bible every day, but I found these Thanksgiving Scriptures and I love this scripture writing plan. I think the scripture writing plan would be an easy way to add in some scripture study. I don't know about you, but if I write things down, I'm able to remember it better.

And, if you're needing some more Thanksgiving inspiration, you can follow my Thanksgiving pinterest board. 

Follow Elaine's board Thanksgiving on Pinterest.

A Gretchen Update

A few weeks ago, I started writing a separate post on each of the girls and I said I was going to write about one girl each week. I was able to write Megan's update, and Adalyn's and then I got to the week of when I was going to write Gretchen's update and life got crazy! So, today, it's all about our oldest. The little girl that made me a mommy. 

Gretchen is in the 2nd grade, and I still have no idea how she's big enough to be in 2nd grade. She'll be 8 years old in January, and she often reminds me that after that she'll be 9, and then 10, and then 11, and then 12, and then a teenager! I sort of hyperventilate when I realize that double digits are just two years away. Like, it doesn't even seem possible. 

Every day, she helps take her little sister to school. She usually is always running ahead of us and beats us to the door all of the time. She signs Megan in to class, and they give each other a hug and a kiss before we have to leave to head to our school. 

Gretchen comes to my office each morning, unless we're running late, and will read or play before heading to class. I stop by and see her every day at lunch, and she arrives in my room promptly at 3:30 every afternoon. 

We usually do her reading fluency and she practices her spelling before we head home. 

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, she goes to ballet after school. She decided this year to take just ballet, which is two days per week, rather than tap. She loves to dance, and will dance every where. She puts on little recitals for us at home. She tells me that ballet is boring because they do the same thing over and over again. I think as the year progresses and she learns her dance for the recital, she'll enjoy it more and more. 

She asked to play basketball this year. We found a league at a church that runs December through February, and they only practice one evening a week. Their games are on Saturday, so when she asked, DJ agreed that she could play and promised he would help take her as much as he could. 

She knows that Tulsa is our favorite team. We live in a state where the other teams are big college level teams, and if someone forgets about Tulsa she's sure to remind them! 

Gretchen loves to read. There's hardly a moment where she doesn't have a book in her hand. She's reading on a 4th grade reading level, and she's the 2nd highest reader in the entire 2nd grade according to an assessment that our school uses. She's doing a book report this month on Anne of Green Gables. She reads every night after we tuck her in the bed, and she reads in the car. She reads anything and everything. A few weeks ago, she told my sister in law that she was reading The 5 Love Languages. Thankfully, my sister in law told me and I was able to remove that book so she can't read it anymore!

Her math skills are pretty amazing too. She tested 9th out of the 2nd grade for math. Although she is missing some 2nd grade skills, her teacher went ahead and gave her an assessment for 2nd grade end of the year math, just to see what she still needed to learn. We definitely don't practice math as much as we should, so she recently started an online math program to help us practice more. 

She's doing okay in spelling. It's probably her weakest subject. I know she tries hard, and I'm trying not to be too hard on her about it. We practice every day for a little bit and then we move on. If I try having her spell words out loud she gets really frustrated. 

This is her best friend at school. Last year, she moved from group to group and played with different girls throughout the year. It was always changing. Now, she has one good friend, and I'm really glad they've found each other!

I have been really impressed that Gretchen is beginning to show signs of maturity and she's beginning to be more and more helpful. Sometimes she shocks me because she's not always considerate and when she is it just kind of floors me. I'm not sure if considerate is the right word or not... she definitely uses her manners, but she just surprises me when she shows a higher level of maturity. She can be really helpful, really kind, and sweet and caring. It's in those moments that I take a breath and realize that she really is growing up. 

This girl loves Jesus. She enjoys reading her Bible, and I'm so thankful that this summer she accepted Christ. 

She is silly. Sometimes I don't know how to handle her when she's silly. I am definitely more serious, and I think she's silly when she wants to be cute and funny. So, it's something we're working on. There's a time to be cute and funny and there's a time not to be, and she's learning to tell the difference of when and where it's okay to be silly and when and where it's not okay. I definitely think that's a struggle we're going through. 

She is definitely strong willed. She comes by it honestly. She wants to be able to explain herself and tell you why she's doing what she's doing. She's also sneaky and will swipe candy when she has a chance or try to take something that doesn't belong to her, but that she wants to play with. 

Her favorite toys are her American Girl dolls, books, Barbies, and Princesses. She still loves to dress up and she loves to perform. 

I know we have hard days, but I'm so thankful that she's mine. 

Football Wife Life: Mid-Season Woes

Well friends, we are over half way through the football season and the mid-season woes are setting in. This is the time of year that I begin to strongly dislike my husband's job. 

Around this time of year, I start to get overwhelmed with the girls- between school, after-school activities, preparing dinners, keeping up with the laundry, the house work- it's just all too much for one person. 

It's this time of year that I just want my husband home and the season to be over with. 

So, how are we surviving?

To be honest, some days, I really don't know how we are making it. I feel like I'm swimming just to stay afloat and I can see the end in sight.  Other days, are great- game days, those wins, knowing how much he loves his job. Those things make it 1,000% worth every bit of missing him and hating him at the same time. 

When DJ and I first started dating, he looked me in the eyes, and told me that this was his job. It would take him away from me and that in no way could I ever be upset about it or mad at him about it. 

Ten years later, and life definitely looks different. That girl that was head over heels in love definitely didn't fast forward to 10 years down the road and imagine how hard life would be with three kids in the picture.

 Would I do it over again? Absolutely.

You see, there are hard days. Man, they are hard. But, there are also some pretty amazing days mixed in! We'll get to those in a minute! 

We're in the middle of the season, where I not only want my husband home, but the girls do as well. I would love to have DJ be able to help pick Addy up from daycare, or pick up the girls from dance and gymnastics so I can get home and start dinner. I'd love for him to be able to help clean the kitchen, give the girls a bath, or put away laundry. 

And, I'm sure the girls would love to have someone other than their mother disciplining them. Someone else to play with, talk to about their day, cuddle up with, or play games with. Because, they're missing their dad, they are testing me and my limits. And my friends, those limits are pretty thin right now. 

Now, I don't want you to read this and think, poor pitiful Elaine, poor little girls..... while it's hard for us all, I know it's hard for DJ too. He works 12+ hours 7 days a week, and then he gets to come home to a wife that is exhausted and kids that are going crazy. 

He gets to come home and see where I've fallen short every day. Some days, he comes home to a kitchen that is a mess, trash bags sitting by the door ready to go out, lunches that need to be fixed, laundry that needs to be put away, girls that still need a bath, or girls that need to be tucked in. 

Sometimes he comes home and he has to pick up my slack. And you know what, he's pretty good at it! I try to make the season easy for him at home, but those days where I'm at my breaking point, he steps in and comes to my rescue. 

We've learned teamwork over the years. If it weren't for our team approach, we'd definitely be loosing in life. This year, he agreed to take Adalyn to daycare every day. That alone has given me the gift of extra time in the mornings. I'm able to sleep just a little bit later, which is another area where being a team has us winning. He knows I'm tired and I need my sleep, so he gets up first to get in the shower. Anyway, he takes Adalyn each day which gives me a few extra minutes every morning to make the bed, load the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, or pick up any mess in the living room. 

Since I'm able to get those things done in the morning, I'm able to come home to a house that is partly clean. The girls get a snack, I fix dinner, we do homework, and then I try to get the kitchen cleaned, lunches started, and a little laundry put away- or I sweep and vacuum the floors.

This way, when he gets home, there's a little less slack that has to be picked up, and he's able to relax. 

He gets home around 8, which means he usually misses putting Adalyn in the bed, but he almost always gets to tuck in Megan and Gretchen. 

Those moments are precious. He sees the girls about an hour or two each day. And, those few moments need to be positive. They need to be able to really spend time with him. 

Every Saturday, the girls and I load up and head to the football game, so long as it's a home game. If it's an away game, we're home watching it on t.v. These girls are growing up knowing how important this game is to our family. That every game played can make a big impact on our family. They learn to appreciate the wins, and their sad when we loose. They're beginning to learn the ins and outs of the game. 

Gretchen told me a few weeks ago, that she wanted to do something. I can't remember exactly what she wanted to do, but I told her we couldn't because we had a football game, and then she said, "well, we can do it next weekend." Again, there was the excuse of "we have a football game then too", and she tired one more weekend, and you guess it- we had a football game. She gave me an exasperated look, and I told her to face it, her life revolves around football and she better get use to it!

I can probably guess that you're thinking how pitiful that can be for a young girl. But you know what, coaches kids are some of the most resilient kids I've ever met. They've moved states, they've left friends, they've adjusted, and then they've done it all over again. They learn to love their dads and they learn to love the game. These kids go to school, and hear about teams winning, teams loosing, and opinions that everyone has. It's about this time of year, that coaching staffs begin to change. Coaches are fired, coaches are hired, coaches move, and football "family's" are broken apart. It's a pretty terrifying time of year. If I can give you one piece of advice right now, as we're nearing the end of the season. If you're team isn't doing so great, if they're struggling, if there are rumors of coaches being fired- don't add fuel to the fire. Remember that there are family's whose lives are uncertain at the very brink of every single decision. And that's a hard pill to swallow. Even for those of us that have been in the game for years and years.

These ladies. These ladies right here are the ones that I can count on. The only people that know exactly how I can feel when my husband is away, and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I am so thankful for these ladies near and far that can understand my frustrations in the season. 

So, we're over half way through. We have three games left to play, and with any luck, we'll have four. We need to have four. We want to have four. 

And, at this point, I can look back and know that we're making it. We're surviving yet another season, and pretty soon, life will be back to "normal". 

You can read my other Football Wife Life posts here. 

Weekend Wrap UP: Pedis, Football, and Pinkitzel

This weekend was a whirlwind! I may or may not need another day just to recover! 

We had lots of family in town and we were busy!

Friday, DJ's mom stayed home with Adalyn. We gave Megan the option of staying home and she insisted on going to preschool. So, DJ headed to the dentist, I took the girls to school, and Addy and her Nana stayed home. They worked on laundry, baked cookies, and cuddled. I'm sure they had a perfect day.

Once the big girls and I were home from work and school, we headed to get pedi's! Nana treated us all, and it was the perfect ending to the long day that I had. 

Gretchen was so excited! 

And so was Megan! I never know how Megan will react to these things. But, she loved it and thought she was pretty hot stuff. 

My girls getting some pampering. 

And, Addy Pearl just hanging out with a sucker in her mouth. She won't even let us cut her nails at home, so I didn't really think she'd be up for a pedicure. She did pick out her nail polish color though and really enjoyed her sucker!

Both of the girls had a mini-mani.

And Addy thought she should get in on the fun. 

She finally crawled up in my lap and I had a chance to get some snuggles in. 

Gretchen was the last one to finish up. 

And then we headed over to let our nails dry. 

Megan had purple sparkles with a zebra stripe. 

It really was fun spending some bonding time with the girls. Hey, DJ- we may have a new Friday night tradition!

Meggie showing off her nails. 

After getting our nails done, we went to pick up doughnuts, grabbed a quick dinner at Panera and headed home because my sister, niece, and nephew were on their way!

After some fun and giggles Friday evening, we put the big girls to bed in our bedroom, and we all called it an early night. 

Saturday was game day! Kickoff was 11, so we had to leave the house by 9:30. With everyone helping, we were able to get out the door and to the game on time! 

Once we got settled, I tried getting a quick picture of the girls and their nana. Addy just wanted to lay down (it was pretty close to nap time) and the girls weren't cooperating much with the sun!

Nana and Addy Pearl were big buddies this weekend! 

Gretchen loves her football Saturdays!

And Addy Pearl handled it like a champ! But, she did figure out if she said "potty" that she would get to leave the stands and head in to the offices! She had finally had enough, so Nana took her in to DJ's office, rocked her, and she had a little cat nap!

It was so nice to have an extra set of hands!

Megan decided she was freezing, so we went in and got her coat, and then she layed down on the bleachers for a while. 

Taking in a Tulsa game with my sister and niece. 

The girls and their friend with Captain Cane. 

Tulsa pulled out our 5th win of the season, and we headed home so DJ could finish up game film. The girls played in the yard, and DJ brought home pizza. 

Gretchen practiced her math skills on the computer. 

And the rest of us cuddled up for some Saturday night football! 

DJ's mom and I stayed up late Saturday night because DJ had to run back in to the office. He finally made it back home, and I went to bed!

Sunday morning, my sister, niece, and nephew left and the rest of us did some cleaning up before heading out for lunch at Los Cabos. 

Adalyn loved getting an Elsa balloon! Elsa is quickly becoming her favorite!

DJ went in to work, while we made a quick trip to Target before dropping the big girls off at a birthday party. I took DJ's mom to the airport, and then headed back to the party. 

The party was held at the cutest cupcake and candy shop in downtown Tulsa.  They kids played games, ate cupcakes, and were spoiled with cotton candy and gigantic suckers. 

Megan had so much fun! 

Seriously, I think Gretchen had two scoops of sugar for her cotton candy!

It was the best pink bubblegum flavor!

Megan waiting for her cotton candy. 

Hers was pretty big too!

And Adalyn had her first try of cotton candy. 

Yum!!!

After the party, the girls and I headed home. Addy and I cuddled on the couch and watched the end of The Croods while the big girls played upstairs. We picked up the house, and got ready for our week ahead! 

I know I'll be counting down to this weekend. We have no plans but a relaxing weekend at home, and it is needed!

Have a great one, my friends.