Kati Ann is 8 & Kie is 5

Kati Ann

1.  How old are you?  8

2. What makes you happy?  being with my best friends

3.  What is your favorite animal? panda

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  chicken 

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  mess with my little brother and play with my cat

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  Totally Spies and Austin and Ally

7.  What are you really good at?  art and ballet

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Tangled

9.  What is your favorite song? Sugar by Maroon 5

10.  What is your favorite color?  pink

11.  Who is your best friend?  Greta

12.  What do you and your mom do together?  paint our nails sometimes

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  mess with each other

14.  What is your favorite sport?  ballet

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  Texas to see my grandparents

16.  What is your favorite book?  Brave Girls, Faithful Friends

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  work at a pet store to work with cats and dogs

Kie

1.  How old are you?  5

2. What makes you happy?  Marshall (from Paw Patrol)

3.  What is your favorite animal? monkey

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  crackers

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  play

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  Paw Patrol

7.  What are you really good at?  exercise

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Big Hero 6

9.  What is your favorite song? Sugar by Maroon 5

10.  What is your favorite color?  blue

11.  Who is your best friend?  Greyson

12.  What do you and your mom do together?  we go to Target

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  we go to Texas

14.  What is your favorite sport?  soccer

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  Target

16.  What is your favorite book?  Big Hero 6 Book

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up? A Stick Man

Kie is 4

Kie answered some of these questions but his attention span was short and I started getting a lot of "I don't know" so for ones that I was really sure of I just answered.  However, most of the answers came from Kie.

1.  How old are you?  4

2. What makes you happy?  Momma

3.  What is your favorite animal? cow

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  crackers

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  I don't know

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  Color Crew

7.  What are you really good at?  

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Planes

9.  What is your favorite song?  In Summer (from Frozen)

10.  What is your favorite color?  blue

11.  Who is your best friend?  

12.  What do you and your mom do together? 

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  

14.  What is your favorite sport?  soccer

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  

16.  What is your favorite book?  The Hungry Caterpillar

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  

7 Years Old

Our beautiful 7-year old

1.  How old are you?  7

2. What makes you happy?  my stuffed animals

3.  What is your favorite animal? elephant

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  chicken 

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  go to school

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  Sofia the First

7.  What are you really good at?  math

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Tangled

9.  What is your favorite song? This Little Light of Mine

10.  What is your favorite color?  pink

11.  Who is your best friend?  Greta & Hannah

12.  What do you and your mom do together?  paint nails

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  go to Starbuck's

14.  What is your favorite sport?  basketball

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  The ROC

16.  What is your favorite book?  You're My Little Lovebug

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  ballet teacher

The Next Step

Today, I took the next step.  Its a long story of what God has been doing in my life over the past several months but the next step for me was starting a ministry website.  So, today I did.  Its not done and doesn't look like its final product but I posted my first blog.  

Check it out at http://bobiann.com 

Let me know what you think and and if you like it share it.  

All I Want for Christmas

Things Kati Ann Likes

Kati Ann drew this at school today.  She told me that she didn't have time to draw me in the picture but it was a picture of her family.  I love the drawing of Jared!

Another Visit from the Tooth Fairy

I captured this picture immediately after Kati Ann pulled her tooth yesterday.  Is she not the cutest thing?  She was so excited.  The tooth fairy left her $.75.  She got an extra quarter since she pulled it herself.  The tooth fairy left pixy dust on her pillow too!

3 Year Old Preschool

Our little man started 3 year preschool on Tuesday.   We are so thrilled that Kie is in Mrs. Lyman's class and will be a Busy Bear just like his sister was 3 years ago!  Its hard to believe that Kie was just 5 4 months old when Kati Ann started Busy Bears and now his is going himself!

!st Grade

Monday was the start of a whole new season of our life.  Kati Ann started 1st grade at Farley Elementary.  Her teacher's name is Mrs. Melton and she loves school.  The very first thing she said to me when she got home was "Mom, can I eat lunch in the cafeteria?"  She thought it was great that they had hot lunch and CHOCOLATE MILK!  So, she ate cafeteria lunch on Wednesday and thought she was big time!
Tuesday morning Jared took Kati Ann to school and had to walk in to put money on her account in the cafeteria and she said to him, "Dad, can't you just drop me off?  I can walk in by myself!"  Of course he explained that he was going in to drop of money in the cafeteria but we were so pleased by her independence.
She is adjusting beautifully to the new school schedule.
In fact, we are all adjusting well.  I was probably most nervous about my own personal adjustment to a new routine but now I understand why parents get so excited when their kids go to school.  I'm kinda digging this new school schedule!  However, I do miss my girl during the day but I'm so glad that she loves it.

An Open Letter to my Daughter

Dear Kati Ann,
Today we received a private tour of your new school.  It was unplanned and just another example of how God is in the details of preparing all 4 of us for this new chapter of our life.
Words are not sufficient to tell you how much I treasure the chapter we're closing.  You introduced me to love like I had never known.  I have never been so tired, so spent or so drained at any other time in my life than when I became a mom.  However, I have never been so blessed, so full and so grateful at any other time.  We are closing the chapter of our life when you receive almost entirely all of your influence from your dad and me.  We're not done but now our voice and influence will be mixed with other voices and other influences.  Some of those voices, I have prayed for.  I have asked for them because they are necessary for who you will grow and become.   Some of the other voices I am afraid of.  I am afraid because they will be filled with lies and distractions.  Understand, you are not the first child to turn this page, your daddy and I both faced this chapter with our parents so many year ago.  However, you are OUR FIRST child to turn this page.  Your daddy and I want to help you.  We want to be there to help you recognize the difference in the truth and the lies.  But we won't always get it right and neither will you.  You'll hear lies and believe them.  You'll make choices that will cause you to hurt and certainly cause me & Daddy to hurt.  But there is ONE that won't mess up.  There is a voice that will never let you down.  God is always right.  He knows your mistakes, your fears, your frustrations.  You can and should always go to Him.  There are things you won't want to talk to me about and that's okay.  But always talk to HIm.
As we turn the page on this new chapter, know without question that we are so proud of you.  Not because you are perfect but because you are Our's, at least for a little while.
We are your cheerleaders.  We want to dream with you as you dream.  We want to encourage you and cry with you.  We look so forward to all that God  has in store for you.  Trust me, Child, He certainly has a plan for you.  Thank you for being my little princess and loving me and laughing with me and being you.
I'm cutting just a little bit more of those apron strings because my  job is to let you go with every passing day.  You're not gone but you're going...into the next season, the next adventure.  You are treasured, you are loved and you are ready.
Love,
Your mom

Super Sweet at Six

This girl just turned 6.  Where did the last year go?  We've had a great year.  Kati Ann makes us so proud.  She has such a sensitive, compassionate heart.  We can't wait to see how God will use her.  We know He has something special just for her.

1.  How old are you?  6

2. What makes you happy?  my toys and a movie

3.  What is your favorite animal? kangaroo

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  chicken with ketchup

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  play and watch a show

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  Sofia the First

7.  What are you really good at?  putting away the silverware

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Peter Pan

9.  What is your favorite song?  "I'm Not Ready to Be a Princess" on Sofia

10.  What is your favorite color?  blue

11.  Who is your best friend?  Greta

12.  What do you and your mom do together?  love and cuddle

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  sleep together

14.  What is your favorite sport?  ballet

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  Appleby's (we've seriously been there 2x in 2 years to eat pancakes for a fundraiser)

16.  What is your favorite book?  Tangled

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  partners with Greta as doctors and ballet teachers

Disney 2013

We love Disney.  That's it.  We do.  As parents, we love the look of wonder in the eyes of our children and to see the magic come to life for them.  We took KA when she was 4 and said we weren't going back until Kie was 4 but we couldn't wait.  We just had to go back.  Well, it had a little to do with the fact that if we went before Kie was 3 he got in free so we decided to go back just before he turned 3.  What an adventure we had.

On our first day, we met Tiana.  Obviously Kie wasn't real sure about her and used his sister to hide but  it didn't take him long to begin warming up to the characters and discovered that he LOVED the rides.  At first, he didn't much care about standing in line (but of course neither do we) but he quickly caught on.  He didn't, however, ever catch on to the idea of a ride being over.  He was devastated every single time.

 We enjoyed having a character breakfast with the Disney Jr. characters.  Of course, our favorite character is Jake from the Neverland Pirates.  You can tell Kie certainly warmed up to the characters.

We finished our trip at Animal Kingdom which we all 4 thoroughly enjoyed.  We got to see Pluto and Goofy as well as lots of real animals.  It was such a treat.  It was such a sweet time of making memories together.  

Christmas in Texas

As usual, we made what I've begun to call our Nomadic Adventure to Texas for the holidays.  Jared refers to it as the Tour of Texas but either way it involves a lot of driving but some sweet times with friends and family.

Our first stop was to see our dear friends the Funderburks.  We served alongside the Funderburks on staff when we served in Nacogdoches, TX.  Regina and I have a special bond with one another.  To type that so quickly makes it seem flippant but it is something both of us cherish.  The Funderburks now serve on the mission field in China and have recently adopted two beautiful twins from Ethiopia.  I fell in love with Esther and Eden and we enjoyed sweet time with the rest of the Funderburk crew

Jared with sweet Eden

my precious Regina

Our next stop was on to Bryan to spend time with my family.  When we got there my MiMi was in the hospital so we visited her.  We also got to spend some time with my Marcus and Holly as well as my cousins and aunts and uncles.  It is always sweet to be with our large, loud family.

These two kinda love each other

There is nothing like enjoying my dad's bread when we're together

KA was a big help opening presents (as always)

Kie and I feeding the fish

A beautiful C6 Ranch sunset

Jared & the kids went and helped feed every morning & had stories to share!

Kie got a few tractors!

From Bryan we made a stop in Beaumont where Jared preached at LaBelle Baptist Church.  It was a sweet little church out in the middle of nowhere!  We traveled from Beaumont to Carthage to see Jared's family.  We made sweet memories including opening our presents in the dark.  We lost power early Christmas morning and didn't get it back until almost lunch time.  It was fun (and maybe a bit challenging) but who are we to complain about a little electricity as we open gifts that represent our abundance.

Note my father-in-law holding the flashlight behind Jared

Note the candles

Jake's ship is just as fun in the dark!

We are so blessed.  Christmas is exhausting but so worth it to spend time with our families.  We are always glad to be home and what a blessing it is to have a place to come home to.

A lesson from Doc McStuffins

So, I did something strange yesterday.  Something that as a mom seemed a bit unnatural.  I returned a gift that I had bought for Kati Ann for Christmas.  I returned Doc McStuffins.  Doc McStuffins is the only the thing Kati Ann had asked Santa for and as her mom I really want to give her everything that she wants.  However, as I began considering all that Kati Ann was getting for Christmas not just from us but what I knew about from grandparents, I realized that she was getting EVERYTHING that she had asked for.  That sounds like a great thing but I quickly realized that as her parent, at this point in her life I'm responsible for shaping her character.  I realized that her getting absolutely EVERYTHING she asked for was not what I considered the best thing for shaping her into a godly young woman.  I don't want her to feel entitled to getting every single toy or gift that she wants.  I want her to appreciate what she has and be excited about the gifts she is getting and I feel that sometimes too much "stuff" can get in the way of shaping that attitude.  So, I wrapped Doc up and shipped her back to Amazon.  As I did, God spoke directly to me.  Isn't that what God does for me?  He is concerned about shaping my character.  Because He's my Heavenly Father, He wants to bestow on me every little wish my heart desires but because He loves me so much He doesn't. He withholds things from me that He knows will distract me or cause me to depend less on Him.  Had KA known that I had returned Doc yesterday, there probably would have been some disappointment or some push-back and don't I do that with God?  Yet, I feel like God gave me a gift from Doc.  He gave me a reminder of His love.  He reminded me that He knows better than I do about what I need.  He knows that though I enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and nice things that those aren't always the things that are best for shaping me into a godly woman.
You never know when God will use something as cute as Doc McStuffins to teach us more about Himself.

Christmas Memories

Yesterday was one of those days where I wanted time to just stand still.  I wanted to take in as much as I could and store it my memory for forever.
I had the sweet privilege of going with Kati Ann's kindergarten class to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Grissom High School.   I don't know if I had ever seen that play before but what a wonderful story with a wonderful message.  Kati Ann has a precious class and the teacher decided this year it would be fun to have the Christmas party at a local restaurant.  So, we left the play and went to FlyBoys with 15 kindergarteners and had a party.  KA's teacher talked to us about what a special group of students she had this year and what a good reminder they were to her of why she went into teaching.  All the moms were there and we all got teary just knowing how much love our children were getting.  After the kindergarten party, Kati Ann and I got in the car and headed back to the school because Kie was having his first ever class party.  It is the first time the 2 year old class has done a party and again I was so blessed by the love of his teachers.  One of the teachers began crying telling us how much she loved those kids and what a special class they were.  My heart was about to burst.

 After nap time that day, Jared and I had some Christmas plans for our family.  We had been on a date to Bridge Street the week before and saw that they were running the Bridge Street Express during the holidays and we knew 2 kids that would love it so we loaded up to take our 2 on a Christmas train ride around Bridge Street.  To watch their faces (especially my train lover) made my heart skip a beat.

We finished our train ride and got cookies at the The Great American Cookie Company and then left to drive through the Botanical Gardens Galaxy of Lights.  It was do fun now that Kie is old enough to really enjoy the lights and the whole experience.  It might not sound like a lot but it was better than any Christmas party or celebration I could go to.  To talk about why we decorate and prepare for the birth of the Messiah, to share hugs and laughs with my sweet family is such a gift and as Mary did, I'm trying to treasure all these things in my heart.

A New Life

With Mother's Day just a few hours away, I began to reflect on my life before and since becoming a mom.  Five years ago, almost to the day, I gave birth to our first child and my life was changed dramatically.  However, its funny with the first how I still tried to hold on to some aspects of my pre-child life.  Though over time, I realized that my life was a stark contrast to the life I lived before bringing a new life into the world.  Not only is my schedule, check book, car and standard of cleanliness different, but I'm different.  I recognize that though I might have some of the same personality traits...I'm a different person.  With the birth of Kati Ann came the birth of a new me.
How similar is that to our relationship with Jesus.  When He entered the picture, I got a new life.  One that gave me a different perspective and leash on life.  I have purpose and satisfaction in the person of Jesus.  In Him, I find approval, acceptance and affection.  My needs are met in the person of Jesus.  But just as I tried to hold on to some of the things of my previous pre-child life...I sometimes try to grab hold of my things from the old Bobi Ann.  I pick up some of the insecurities or worldly pursuits that marked my previous life and try to make them somehow fit with my new life in Jesus but they don't.  It doesn't work.
Mother's Day usually makes me think of the joys of having sweet kids that mess up my house and give me more laundry than I could have imagined but I was just reminded today about the fact that they gave me a new me...alot like Jesus did.  I'm thankful for both.

Ballet 2012

Jared & I have some strong opinions about kids and extracurricular activities and so when Kati Ann approached us about wanting to take ballet, we were a little hesitant.  We really didn't want to start her in anything so young.  However, she didn't just ask once.  She continued to ask and virtually begged.   So, we gave it serious consideration.

I had heard of this sweet little ballet program at Whitesburg Baptist Church that met for one hour, once a week.  It was a relaxed atmosphere that just allowed the girls to enjoy themselves without being competitive or overly serious about it.  

So, we signed her up and it turned out being such a blessing for all of us.  Besides Kati Ann getting to dance every week, I made a precious friend with one of the other moms that I cherish.  We hung out at the indoor playground in the building where KA took lessons and Kie got to have a great time.  It was all around such a positive experience.  I'm so glad that we did it and as you can see Kati Ann truly enjoyed herself.  We're planning on continuing next year in the same program.

They had a little recital at the end of the year where the 5 classes danced to some precious worship songs. The whole recital lasted 30 minutes and my girl enjoyed every second.  I thought she looked gorgeous and we were so proud of her.

Five and Fabulous

Kati Ann turned five and we had a party in our backyard with 4 of her closest friends.  It was a sweet time of riding bikes, painting and just hanging out.

For Kati Ann's birthday, I asked her some questions that I hope to do every year to see how she grows and changes.

1.  How old are you?  5

2. What makes you happy?  When Daddy makes me smile

3.  What is your favorite animal? elephants

4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  chicken & sauce and apples and strawberries

5.  What is your favorite things to do?  watch a movie on Daddy's phone or iPad

6.  What is your favorite TV show?  My Little Pony

7.  What are you really good at?  cleaning up toys

8.  What is your favorite movie?  Tinkerbell

9.  What is your favorite song?  Twinkle Toes  (I'm pretty sure she made this up)

10.  What is your favorite color?  pink and purple

11.  Who is your best friend?  Carly, Greta, Campbell

12.  What do you and your mom do together?  play

13.  What do you and your dad do together?  love

14.  What is your favorite sport?  ballet

15.  What is your favorite place to go?  Wal-Mart

16.  What is your favorite book?  Cinderella

17.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  a princess

Two with Thomas

For Kie's second birthday, we headed to Chattanooga for Day Out with Thomas.  We got to ride the train, jump in a bounce house, pet farm animals, play with trains and more.  It was such a sweet day.  We hope to go again as Kie gets older because he wasn't quite tall enough for the table they had with the trains (though he didn't seem to notice!)

Star Student Week & A Sleepover

This is a special week for Kati Ann. She gets to be the star student at school. That's a pretty big deal. It starts with bring "Buddy" home for the weekend. Buddy is a stuffed dog that all the students got to bring home for a weekend. Buddy went virtually everywhere Kati Ann went.
During Star Student week Kati Ann gets to be the leader all week, choose the prayer for the food, tell everyone what the weather is like and be the Teacher helper for the whole week. It's pretty special to be the star student. We also bring a star student snack for the whole class. KA wanted to make blue & pink cookies (blue for the boys & pink for the girls). So, we added some food coloring to some sugar cookie dough & we had our snack.
On top of getting to be star student, KA had her first friend sleepover. After ballet on Thursday, Greta Russo came over & spent the night. They haddock much fun & both did so well.
When did my girl get so grown up?