The Letter P

Last week was a very fun week at Mother's Day Out for the girls.  The letter of the week was "P", which not only begins our last name (which Selah can spell almost as fast as I can when asked) but also pajamas and pancakes.  Selah was so excited to get up on Thursday morning and not have to change out of her pajamas, and even though she did change her mind, to not even have to eat breakfast!  I'm sure if Rinnah knew the difference she would have been just as excited as her big sister.

They got to school in their pj's and got ready to eat pancakes.  In Rinnah's class the teachers filled the kids plates, but Selah got to pick all her toppings! It was a guaranteed sugar high day.

Christmas with the Portis Family

This was a busy Christmas for us, but a wonderful one.  I was so glad to get to actually talk to Selah about the real reason we celebrate Christmas, and her actually be able to understand.  It made the holiday much more meaningful.
We spent a lot of time with family and friends, tried to focus on time for us too.  We have begun a tradition of going to look at Christmas lights after Christmas Eve service at out church.  This really is a favorite of mine.  The girls enjoy the music at church and then oh and ah over the lights around town.
It was so much fun to wake up Christmas morning in our home and have the girls enjoying their "prizes" that were waiting for them. 

We didn't take too many pictures, but here are some really great ones.

Nativity

Well, Merry Christmas...er, I know.  But I just had to post about this.
Selah was Mary in the nativity scene at school, and she was so excited.  She was also in charge of bringing a doll to be baby Jesus, well, I was.
It was a crazy morning and I'm not sure how it happened but we forgot.  Selah freaked out when she remembered, but it was too late.  We were already at school.  So we milled around until we found a doll that was to her liking and wrapped it in a blanket,... there, got that taken care of.
She was a wonderful Mary.  She held the baby so carefully and would look down at it like it was real!  It made me smile, and brought a tear too.

It seems she took her role as Mary very seriously because as I saw her throughout the day she was still holding that baby, wrapped in the blanket, very carefully and gently.  That too made me smile.

Selah's Christmas Recital

Selah performed beautifully in her Christmas dance recital.  As we were driving home that night she said to me, "Mommy, that was so much fun!"

I did make that tutu... she loved it.

Uh, oh, we may have trouble on our hands.

Thanksgiving

We had a fun time making these shirts for the girls to wear on Thanksgiving. 

My girls...

Here are a few pictures of the girls just being the girls.  I love those two so much.

Selah and I baking something yummy, I'm sure.

Rinnah climbed in the toy stroller all on her own.

They really do love to play together.  I makes me so happy to see.

Dress up time!

My star performer.

This cracks me up... Rinnah snuck into Selah's room and started playing while she was still asleep in bed.

playing their new computers.

Pumpkins.

Me and the girls started going to a play group this fall that met once a week, and did some pretty great things.  There was a service project planned each month, which was so awesome!  The list included nursing homes, kids homes, and stocking pantries.  Love it.
The fun stuff was great too.  One day we took advantage of the free pumpkin patch in town.  The kids loved the hay maze and "trying" to pick up the pumpkins.

Proud Momma

So, a few days ago many hearts celebrated a special birthday of a special lady.  It was my mother in laws birthday on December 29th.  She lost her hard battle with cancer years before I started coming around, so I never actually knew her, but I can tell you this much...
She would be a very proud momma today. 
I will do my best to honor her through her kids in this post.
Lori was a teacher for many years.  It's what she loved to do, and from what I hear she was great at it.  I can only imagine the number of kids she impacted in all those years, but it seems whenever we are visiting Lockhart we always run into one of her students who has nothing but praises for her and what she did.
I can imagine if she was here today she would be beaming at her own kids.  In a short time, all three of them will be teaching.
PJ teaches in the town they grew up in.  She is an amazing teacher, I have had the pleasure of witnessing this myself.
Bubba (my wonderful husband) teaches high school here in Rockwall.  He also teaches at our church.  I love that I get to be a part of his gifting.
Stoney will be starting grad. school soon.  Once that is finished, he will begin teaching at West Point Military Academy.

Taken by Ali Portis

Like I said before, I never knew Lori, but I find it very hard to believe that she would not be so incredibly proud of her three children... following in her foot steps, each in their own way.

Fiesta at Christmas

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Where have you been?
What's been going on?
Where are pictures of the girls lately?

So many questions lately about me not having posted anything new in... well, forever.  I have been pretty busy.  Here is a list of excuses why I haven't had a post in over two months, and I really hope at least one of them is good enough for you.

• Chasing around two little girls.
• Chasing around two little girls while forming another one in my womb.
• Taking care of the house.... errr, just promise me you'll call before you come by for a visit.
• Sewing, lots and lots of sewing lately.  This included lots of gifts and items for a table I had at a Christmas bazaar type thing.  I did pretty well, actually, thanks for asking!
• Working many hours trying to fix my sewing machine in the middle of all the projects I had to get done in the above bullet.  Still not fixed, but have no fear!  I received money for Christmas that is going towards a new one! Yay!!!!
• This and That for the girls.  This includes birthday parties (sometimes up to 3 in a weekend), dance recitals, Christmas programs, other school "things".  We seemed to have something every weekend.
• And the last excuse I'll give is.... holidays!  We were so busy with family and friends this season that I rarely had a free moment to even type anything out.  Craziness!!!

Thanks for understanding.  I feel so much better now.