Ballerina Kennabear...

Here is a clip from Kennady's first public performance with her four-year-old ballet class. Her teacher posted this video from last Saturday's Festival of Trees Family Day.





**tummy flip**

Kennady's Date with Daddy

Every year there's a Father-Daughter dance here in town and it's just as fun as prom, I think, for at least the moms and daughters. Kennady could not WAIT until the big night. I pulled out this gorgeous little red dress from her closet and her eyes got as big as saucers, amazed at the look and feel of a real princess dress.

I got butterflies, too! This was the dress my cousin Kassie wore in our wedding 7 years ago! Kennady asked to wear it daily, but nope... it was only for the big date night with Daddy.

He took her to the dance for a couple hours where she fell in love with Hannah Montana songs and she and Daddy (who never dances with the Mom) did all sorts of group dances. I wish moms were allowed to watch from behind one of those one-sided window thingies. I would have loved to capture the whole thing on camera.

They went out to IHOP afterward where she, Princess of the Night, finally was able let down her hair... taking off her crown and chowing down on some silver-dollar pancakes. She recalls every detail of that night, including that the side of fruit cost Daddy "a thousand dollars!" (well, $5.00, but it's all relative).

She had so much fun, that she and Daddy might have to "date" more often. Sometimes as Kennady's spending some quiet time in her room or trying to fall asleep for nap, I'll hear her singing a version of the song "I Exalt Thee"...

"I exaaaaaaalt me! I exaaaaaalt me!
At the Faaaaaaaaaaaather Daaaaaaaaaughter Daaaaaaance.
I eeeeeeeeeeeeeeexalt meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Oh Lord."

She actually missed the dance in 2007 because she was sick. But here's Kennabear and Daddy on Date Night TWO whole years ago in 2006...

Hard to believe my baby girl's not a baby anymore!

Cooking with Kellie (lol)

So, my Aunt Penny from Texas sent me a fun surprise. She works at Williams-Sonoma and so I'm always getting sweet late-season stuff out of the blue. And this last package she sent had 4 cookbooks (one was WAFFLES and one was a cooking with kids at the holidays) and the other 2 were these awesome cookbooks for preschoolers.

What's cool about these cookbooks is that they use REAL FOOD (no kool-aid or other gimmicky stuff). There's notes to the parent (the helper) and then kid-friendly instructions for the little Head Chef. And THEN... 2 pages of step-by-step ILLUSTRATIONS.

Kennady and I made French Toast using the illustrations. SHE LOVED IT!

Inside these creative cookbooks are recipes that get kids interested in helping in the kitchen AND actually wanting to eat the food!

CARROT PENNIES
HIDE AND SEEK MUFFINS
HOMEMADE LEMON-LIME SODA POP
NOODLE PUDDING
ZUCCHINI MOONS
GREEN SPAGHETTI
SALAD PEOPLE
POLKA DOT RICE
GREEN GARDEN DIP
CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP AND CRISPY CHEESE CRACKERS
COUNTING SOUP







This is the next recipe we want to try!

Recipe for

PRETEND SOUP

2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 T. honey

2 t. lemon juice

1 small banana, sliced

1 cup berries (any kind, fresh or frozen; if they're frozen, defrost and use all the juice -- it will add color to the soup)

1. Place orange juice in a bowl. Add yogurt, honey, lemon juice.
2. Whisk "until it is all one color."
3. Place 5 banana slices and 2 T. berries in each bowl.
4. Ladle the soup over the berries and bananas. Eat!

Note: You can add other kinds of fruit as well. Slices of kiwi are expecially pretty.

Yield: About 4 servings

One thing that's so cool about being a Mom is actually living vicariously through my kids. I loved loved loved loved cooking and baking as a kid. So much that I would watch Julia Childs as a 9-year-old (after Mathnet and Reading Rainbow, remember those?).

My parents bought a video camera (and it was one of our favorite sources of entertainment as 3-kids-with-no-neighbors-out-in-the-tullies). I would prop it up on a stack of books on top of a card table in the kitchen (this is so dorky, but so me!) and I would film my own cooking show... complete with sheets of paper I would flash in front of the screen with the show's name [COOKING WITH KELLIE] and the credits. Where are those video tapes?!!! I am SUCH a nerd!

Things I loved (or thought I would love as a girl and didn't get to) do, I now have the opportunity to do with my kids. My daughter just eats it up!

Praying in Faith

Last night I had an incredible horrible headache. It was a really long day yesterday. We hit the library for storytime (but it was cancelled) and got McDonald's for lunch, remembered to call the pediatrician's office to see what time Kev's appointment for Friday (not Friday, "it's today at 2:30" said the nice voice on the other end of the phone), so then we laid down to try to sleep for 90 minutes so mommy and children could handle an afternoon at the doctor and possibly a couple errands. NOT SO MUCH. The kids, not one of them closed their little eyes for somr R&R.

So I got 'em up, ran Kev through the bath and we were 20 minutes early (for once) to the doctor. But the kids were on the edge of the melting-point. So, now running to Wal-Mart (to buy the dominoes that so fascinated the kids at the library that morning) was OUT of the question. We came home, I fixed ANOTHER "wunch" and laid the kids down. Only to find that my throbbing head was going to keep me awake. The kids slept for 20 minutes (tops) and then everyone was crying.

Crying, crying, crying!

We were all inconsolable. Dad was filling in for the youth pastor at youth group, so he would be home late. Then I hear screams from the boys room. Not the crying out in sorrow screams that they'd been crying, but outright fearful crying. And then Bryson comes sprinting into my room scared to death. Panic! Kevan's crying, too, goes up a notch and I realize when I walk in their room that the light fixture has fallen out of the ceiling and is dangling by its electrical wires. I breathe a sigh of relief, since it did not come crashing down on one of their heads and assure myself that this is a "monster" that I can handle, not fix, but at least deal with its presence.

I fixed another "wunch" for dinner and then we holed up in Kennady's room, since it did not have any strange dangling monsters. The kids followed me wherever I went, they were so freaked out they wouldn't leave my side. Please come home, soon, Daddy! Mommy's going to fall apart!!!

Just before Bryan got home, the kids and I were getting "cozy" on the floor with their pillows and blankets. And they noticed I was crying.

"You sad, Mommy?"
"Yes, Mommy's head hurts. It makes me feel sad. Would you pray with me?" And hold out my hands as I'm laying on my side with my own "bwankie and pillows."

Bryson reaches for my right and Kennady climbs over top of me to hold my hand and caress my forehead.

I start praying, "Dear Jesus, Mommy's head hurts really bad. You are the Great Physician, You are the best Doctor, would you heal my head and make me feel all better..."

And as I'm talking to Jesus, Kennady is whispering beside me, "Yes, Jesus, yes Jesus, make Mommy all better." And then quietly sings, "Come, Lord Jesus, come. Come, Lord Jesus, come..."

As I open my eyes to peek at her, marveling at the gift she's just given me by what I've heard, she adds: "And pwease bring me a Belle horsey, in Jesus name."

I smile so big and forget my headache for a moment. "AMEN!" That's my girl!

Thank you, Jesus, for the prayers of my babies -- that they'll lay hands on me and ask for what we know is in your power to give! Increase their faith and oh! May they always walk in Your love.