Competition

Tomorrow we will be heading to Greensboro with The Dance Company (Danielle & Amber's Dance School) for the third competition of the season.

I love the competitions. It doesn't matter how the studio or my own dancer places - for me it is all about watching all the girls giving it their all and absolutely loving what they are doing!!!

We are very blessed to be with a studio that is full of kids, parents and family members who are there in full force to support EVERY GIRL that is dancing. While this is officially a competition - there is no competitiveness within our studio. I am not just saying that at all...I have seen these girls be so happy for a fellow dancer who wins an award, I have seen the groups have great compliments for the other groups in our studio and I have heard parents yell at the top of their lungs for girls on stage even when their child is not dancing. It is like being at a BIG family reunion where people are just happy to be together and really care about each other.

We are a new studio, this is our first year, and the last competition we went to we won for the outstanding studio of the day...to show you how close knit this group is there were tears being shed all over the auditorium for the studio owner and sole choreographer, Miss Charyl. Parents, kids, relatives all were that happy for her and "our girls."

This is a great environment for young girls to be a part of - it is truly teaching them how to be part of a team, how to encourage each other, how to win or not with with grace and how to be respectful of all the other studios and dancers at the competitions.

For me, we couldn't be spending our money in a better way.

What I hope to teach my daughter

I am slowly learning how different things are for teenage girls in comparison to when I was a teenager. Now don't get me wrong, I won't put anything on teenage boys or girls 100%, I will just say that they are growing up much faster than I did.

Dating is very different now and I want to be prepared to guide Danielle when the time comes. (Many years from now!!!)

I want her to know her own self worth. I want her to get that from within and not feel like she needs to have a boy validate it.

I want her to let prospective suitors know what she expects of them and what they should expect from her right from the start.

I want her to let them know up front where she will draw the line.

I want her to have the strength to let someone go who is undeserving of her and her heart even if it breaks that same heart a little bit.

I want her to come to me or Joe or any of her Aunt's or older cousins that she feel comfortable with if she needs to talk...before it's too late.

I want her to chose friends who have her best interests at heart and I want them to all look out for each other when it comes to boys.

I want her to realize the importance of someone liking you from the neck up well before they like you from the neck down - and I hope she has clarity on that well before she needs it.

I want her to realize that if a man is not willing to sweat for her...she shouldn't let him sweat on her. (A quote from my friend Andre's Pastor)

I want to save her from a major "snake bite" type of heartbreak...even though I know I may not be able to.

With all of that said I certainly understand I can only do the best I can as her mom and the rest will be up to her - I know that there is a boy that may have the power to change or influence everything I have tried to teach her and that is absolutely the hardest part.

If I knew then.....

My friend and I were talking the other day and she said "If I knew then, what I know now..." "There are so many things I would have done differently..."

We were on our daily walk as we were talking about this and I said to her try not to look at it that way...I feel like if we didn't go through certain things in life we would not be the people we are today. Of course I look back and I think about things I could have handled better or should have done differently but there is not a lot I would erase or totally change.

I believe things I went through are helping me be the parent and wife I am today. I believe if I didn't go through certain things I would really not be as appreciative of Joe and the wonderful husband he is today.

I do look at young girls in my life who I love with all of my heart and I want to spare them some of what I went through - but I know I can't. Instead I just share my stories and let them process them on their own, you see there are truly times you need to live and learn, make your own decisions and grow because of your life experiences.

Someone who I respect very much once told me there are two different types of mistakes young people can make. The kind that is like a "skinned knee" - which are the ones we need to just sit back on - and the kind that is like a "snake bite" - those are the ones we need to step in on and do our best to help prevent.

So tell me how you feel about this...would you really change things...or are you happy with what you learned from them???

Easter/Spring Pictures - Part 2

Easter Basket of goodies for all the kids to share

Getting ready for the egg hunt

Action Shot

Isaiah helping Logan - such a good big brother

Love this shot

Easter/Spring Pictures

Tunnel at Bounce U where we went for Easter Egg Hunt

Kayla and Joseph

Danielle, Brianna and Joseph

Brianna and Danielle

Happy Birthday Joseph Ryan

Dear Joseph,

Today is your 8th Birthday...where did the time go!!! You have been pure joy since the day you were born. I will never forget when I called Craig at the office to let them all know you were born, he prayed for you over the phone and in his prayer he said Lord, I know you have big things planned for Joseph, I can feel it already. He was so right...your heart is pure and your motives and intentions are exactly the way God would want them to be. That is what I am most proud of.


Your easy going personality and willingness to think of others makes you a pleasure to be around. Take that along with your comedic ways...your dance moves...your imitations and your love for everyone and we all get to be a part of the sweetest 8 year olds life.



Happy Birthday my sweet, mommy loves you.

April Birthday Boys!!!

We have lots of April Birthday's in my family. Isaiah (4/4) Joseph(4/7) Nana (4/9) and Noah (4/15). We all got together on Easter and we celebrated all the boys birthday's - Nana has certainly earned her own special day at this point!!! So that will come later.

Here are a few shots of just the birthday festivities from Sunday.

Isaiah's cake - he turned 14 but I have always made him this cake when his birthday falls on Easter.

Sponge Bob for the younger boys - I know he should have been way more yellow - I got carried away with my coloring and this was after lightening it up!!!

Joseph (8) and Noah (5)

Joseph, Noah and Isaiah - April's Cutest Birthday Boy's

Isaiah Daniel

My nephew Isaiah is turning 14, today, Easter Sunday. I made a special cake for him - he is sort of old for it now...but I have made it before for him on his birthday so it is a tradition. Pictures of the cake and Easter/Birthday celebration will post tomorrow.

Isaiah is in his last year of middle school and I can remember when he would come spend time with Joe and I at our apartment before we had kids of our own. We would get McDonald's and eat at the coffee table. He was so cute and sweet!!! He is still sweet and a really good kid. He is very active in his Church and youth group and he has a very keen sense when it comes to older people.

He is talented at many things...a personal favorite of mine is drawing. Here are 3 things that I scanned into my computer.

Keep up the good work Isaiah...and most importantly stay exactly the way you are!!!

Happy Birthday - Re-Re loves you.

Let the little children come to me...

Matthew 19:14 says "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

My son Joseph (7) loves to read. When the Church was reading through the New Testament in 30 days he was so excited and he read right along with us...he will often pick up his Bible and pick a random verse to read outloud to us. He was doing this last night...it was an odd transition, he was reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and all of a sudden he picked up the New Testament that he received at Elevation and started reading verses out loud.

I asked him to come sit next to me so I could hear him better because my mom was watching TV in the same room we were in. So he came over and was reading from Corinthians. Then he closed the book, put his little hand on it while holding mine and he said "Mom, I am going to think for a minute and then tell you a verse to read to me..."

Here is what he picked:

Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe in the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:10-14

What a perfect verse as we enter into Easter Weekend...the enemy doesn't stand a chance at our house!!!