Thankfulness in 2011

Thanksgiving rolled around this year in what felt like a hurry! It snuck on me, as it sometimes does. We have so very much to be thankful for and we are so blessed to share our lives with a loving family and supportive group of friends. May I never lose sight of all I have to be thankful for.

Our school had Thanksgiving lunch and my mom and dad came to eat lunch with Grace. Her class had dressed as Indians that day in celebration. Grace was so proud of her pillowcase Indian dress and her head dress!

We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving lunch at mom and dads on Thanksgiving Day. It was definitely a time to be thankful for all of our blessings!

Pumpkin poses, tricks and treats...

After we bought our pumpkin, I asked Grace to "pose" with it for a few autumn pictures. She was agreeable to that, and these are the best shots I took that afternoon...

We followed tradition this year and went trick or treating with our good friends, the Morse's. Grace declared way back during the summer that she would be Rapunzel for Halloween, having fallen in love with Rapunzel when Disney released it's latest princess movie, Tangled. Abigail wanted to be Rapunzel too, so we collected candy with the two sweetest little blonde haired princesses in the neighborhood, plus a cute St. Bernard (Abby's baby brother, Daniel)

The kiddos got tons of candy and had a lot of fun!

Fall Festivities

Fall is my favorite time of year because there are so many fun things to do!

In early October, DJ's mom came over for a visit. We went to our local amphitheater to listen to a band play. We made Halloween cookies with her and enjoyed our time together!

My two loves waiting for the show to start

Deej and I

Grace loves to dance! She was showing off her moves in this shot!

My silly girl

Our Halloween cookies---Grace was a big helper in making these

Yummy treats!

Such a silly helper! She will do anything for a laugh!

DJ and Grace practicing shooting the paintball gun. She LOVED it!

She looks so tough! HAHA!

DJ had to help her a bit, but he was proud of her.

We carved our pumpkin into a kitty cat this year. Grace wanted to do a Hello Kitty pumpkin, but I am not that skilled at pumpkin carving. So, just a plain kitty was what she got! She helped me with the scooping and decorating.

Our school had a Fall Festival one Friday night. It was a time to enjoy some dancing, dinner, and fun games! Here is Grace with her two sweet teachers, who we love very much!

Grace and her best "boy" friend, John at the dance

Sweet Rapunzel

Some of our closest friends went with us to visit the pumpkin patch again this year. This is an annual tradition that we have enjoyed since Grace and Taylor, one of her dearest buddies, were not quite 2! We always have a great time!

My annual picture of Taylor and Grace. This was the fifth year of getting this shot!

Our little pumpkin

It was a perfect fall!

We've Got Spirit!

Following the success of the week long cheer camp over the summer, Grace signed up for Upwards Cheerleading in September of 2011. Upwards is a Christian based program our church started this year and in the fall it hosts football and cheerleading. Grace loves to cheer and dance and really enjoyed herself! It was a super fun season!

Grace at her first game

Resting with Papaw

Leading a cheer at her first game

Later in the season

Grace, her coaches and most of her team mates

Tellus Science Museum

DJ and I took Grace to her first science museum over Labor Day weekend. She LOVED it! We visited the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville and enjoyed everything from dinosaurs to planets to archaeology. Grace loved the hands on science experiments in the "Big Back Yard" section of the museum and digging up the dino bones. There were just so many things to do and see, as soon as we left, Grace was begging to go back! Apparently we have a little scientist on our hands!

Krazy for Kindergarten!

Gracie girl started Kindergarten this year. KINDERGARTEN! I still can't believe it. In my eyes, she will always be my tiny little girl. It seems like only yesterday, she looked like this:

And now, the morning of her very first day of Kindergarten, THIS is what she looks like.

Grace is one of the best things to ever happen to me. She makes me exceedingly proud everyday. She is now 5 years old and LOVES to be the center of attention. She is a jokester and a giggler, delighting in any type of silly dance or crazy face. She wears a size 12 shoe, always wants me to braid her hair, loves to dress up in princess dresses and sings all the time. She reads constantly, swims like a fish, is a Papaw's girl, and can say some of the sweetest prayers you ever heard. She likes to be called Boo Bear or Zena, instead of Grace. But no matter what her name is or what grade she is in, she will always be my sweet, baby girl.

Here's hoping your Kindergarten year is as special as you are, Grace!