Top 10 of 2012!

These are in no particular order, but last night the family and I got together and picked our 10 most memorable moments of 2012! We even had a couple of honorable mentions and for the most part we agreed on these 10! I love that we get along so well and hope this continues for always!

 1. Weegie making her Confirmation in May! This was a glorious day for her and really the whole program was a life changing experience for her!

 2. This is a two parter because both girls wanted to be included.  Weegie said seeing two concerts (LMFAO and Pitbull) were in her top 10 and Vanessa said so where seeing 5 musicals this year. This picture was taken at the LMFAO concert in June! It was a great concert and so glad we saw them before they broke up!

 3. Squiggler's first dance recital and dancing her own dance, even though she did not have a solo! Weegie performing too and deciding she loves dance and is taking 2 classes this year! Thank you Royalty Dance Academy for a great year!

 4. Canada! Speedy and I going to Canada so she could compete with the Pacoima Singers and win Gold! It was a great experience for her and I!

5. Speedy becoming an Officer for the Pacoima Singers! This is a great honor and she really deserves it! Not only is she a fabulous singer, but she is a straight A student and works really hard!

 6. Going to Mickey's Halloween Party on Opening Night! We got great tickets for a great price! We had so much fun and it was such a great experience! I would definitely go again!

 2. This is part of number 2 and Speedy seeing 5 Musicals this year. She saw Wicked, Mama Mia, Billy Elliot, Memphis and The Book of Mormon. My favorite was Billy Elliot and her favorite was Memphis.

 7. Squiggler becoming the best in her class and winning a trophy for completing her first full year of dance!

 8. Squiggler going to school! She loves it and has the best teacher and is learning so much! She is such a smart little girl!

 9. Squiggler learned to swim! Our little mermaid loves the water, but hates to take a bath!

10. Being together 18 years and still we like each other! :) He is so cute and we are so opposite, but it works! I always tell him that some day he is going to wake up and say, "What the hell did I do?" I hope not! LOL! I love him so much and I am so Blessed for the life that we have been given by our Lord! Happy 2013  to everyone! May the year be everything you want and more then you hope for!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!

 May the True Meaning of Christmas follow your heart now and always! God Bless!

My Heart is Hurting!

My heart was broken on Friday, December 14, 2012! I couldn't even imagine! These are my kids and I would do anything for them! I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt them. They are the sweetest, most loving, brightest, energetic class! On Friday, I heard the news at lunchtime. I didn't dare let them know, but it was hard to keep my composure as I looked into their beautiful faces. It was the last day before we were off for 3 weeks, and we had a lot to do! I gave them their presents and they were so sweet and appreciative. One little boy came up and hugged me and said, "Thank you teacher for the presents." and then the rest of the class came up and we had a big group hug! I told them to be safe and to listen to their moms and dads during vacation. I'm kind of glad we don't have school tomorrow because it would be hard to answer their questions. I once had something terrible happen to my class, but nothing like this! I really just can't imagine and my thoughts and prayers go to Sandy Hook! The teachers, the students, the victims, the families, the community, the town, and to anybody that is hurting!

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38,

When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name,

And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring.

Those children all flew into the arms of their King,

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had,

He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of Mom and Dad."

Then He looked down on earth, the world far below,

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools."

"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"Come now my children, let me show you around."

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Happy Birthday Squiggler!

 Today the Squiggler turned 4! I can't believe that my baby is 4 already! She is such a little girl and so sassy! She makes us laugh everyday and we can't believe how much energy she has! She is so smart and we love her so much! My husband and I both took the day off from school today so we could spend it with her.  She got to sleep in until 8:30 and when she woke up we were both there! She was so happy! We made breakfast and then got her ready for school!

 She had a very special dress for today, it was pink and frilly, just like she likes them!  We took her to school and it was her teacher's birthday too! How special! We ran around and got things for her party then we picked up her special pink cupcakes!  Her teacher loves celebrations and so we took lunch for the entire class! She wanted pizza, carrots, ranch dressing, juice and pink cupcakes. The kids loved it and they are so small that they only eat one slice of pizza.  Most kids don't like cupcakes and only eat the frosting.  Some kids in her class also brought her presents.  She got a Mr. Potato head, princess cups, markers and paper, a drawing set, barrettes, and a stuffed parrot with a pink blanket.  She was so happy!

After school we came home and got ready to go have her picture taken.  We got there early so we got to see Santa Claus! It has been the same Santa for the past 5 years of her life and I shared with him her first picture.  He gave her a coloring book and a stuffed reindeer.  He was really good to her and we were the only ones there.  We get to have breakfast with him in a couple of weeks too! This picture was taken 2 weeks ago,but I love it!!! It captures her perfectly.  We got some great shots of her today too, but not a lot because there were two little girls distracting her during her shoot.  The mother wasn't even watching her kids and they came in to see Squiggler so of course she wanted to talk to them.  We then went to Target so she could pick a toy and I was able to get my Kinder students a nice present too! I was so happy! She picked a Barbie and the Popstar Play thing.  It came with two little dolls and she really likes it. (She asked Santa for the DVD for Christmas.)  Afterwards we came home and I ran to Speedy Cheetahs concert to hear her sing.  She was great! When I came home I expected her to be asleep.  She wasn't, but her daddy was! LOL! We will have cake and ice cream tomorrow because it was just too late. I just wanted to blog today and capture what we did! We love you so much Squiggler! You have blessed our lives in ways we never knew possible! You bring so much happiness to us and we can't believe how fast you are growing! You are so sweet, polite and loving! You have a mischievous side too! You like school and love all your teachers! I will blog more about you tomorrow and hopefully share your Santa picture!