Girlfriends

Tonight I was able to go out with some of my girlfriends for a much needed girls' night out! I went to school with these girls at Dayton Christian and have known many of them since I was a little girl. Dayton Christian was truly more like a family than a school. I am so thankful that I am still friends with many of my classmates! We try to go out every couple months and we always have a great time reminiscing. There is a lot of talking, laughter and every once in awhile... a few tears! Love you girls!!

WICKED

My mom and I went to see WICKED tonight at the Schuster Center and I have only one word to describe the show... AMAZING! It was such a great musical. It was funny, sweet, sentimental and well performed. Many of the performers were right off Broadway and they were beyond talented. My mom and I have been to most of the big shows and this one ranked at the very top! If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it!

Sledding with Daddy

Today Daddy took the girls sledding while I worked. They had a ton of fun and were at the sledding hill for almost an hour and a half! Ben said that Claire got very brave and sled down on her belly! She refused to let Ben help her up the hill and climbed up with her sled all by herself!

Notice Anna following close behind? She has to do everything Claire does! Thankfully, Claire is usually a very good example for her baby sis!

Valentine's Day

Just some cute pictures from our Valentine's morning! Before church, Ben gave the girls their Valentine's gifts!

I hid their little Valentine's boxes (I put candy in them). Claire's new thing is to have me hide anything & everything and search for it! I knew she's love it if I made a treasure hunt out of it!

Daddy passing out gifts!

The heart shaped PEZ dispenser and coloring books were a huge hit! It doesn't take much!

Sweet girls!

They really do love each other!

My Valentines!

Roller Skating

Grammy & Papa took the girls roller skating over the weekend so that Ben & I could go out for Valentine's Day. They had so much fun and Grammy said they got the hang of it very quickly! I bought Claire pink roller skates for Christmas and both girls practice with them a lot at home! We appreciate Grammy & Papa taking the girls on a fun adventure so we could have some time together for V-Day!

Claire started out holding onto the wall, but quickly progressed and...

...was skating all by herself! GOOD JOB, Claire!

Anna skated all by herself as well! Such a BIG girl!

Having so much fun!!!

SNOW DAY

We have gotten close to a foot of snow in the last week. So, the girls and I ventured outside today for some fun in the snow! I got Ben's old Radio Flyer wooden sled out and pulled the girls along in the yard. I definitely got my exercise in for the day! Sophie ran around like a maniac, Claire shoveled and the girls actually played on their swing set for a bit! It was nice to get some fresh air... even if it was just 15 minutes!

Who says you can't swing in the snow???

The Evolution of a Greyhound Stride

Greyhounds were created to run in sand not snow, but Sophie adapted well to the snow as these pictures depict! If you have never seen a Greyhound run in a full out sprint... you're missing an amazing sight. It is pretty spectacular to see their stride and how God made them so aerodynamic. Just perfect for sprinting. You all know I love the Greyhound breed! Here are a few facts about them that I bet you didn't know:

-The Greyhound breed is the oldest recorded breed. They originated some 8000 years ago in the Middle East and were used to hunt jack rabbits (which is why I said they were built to run in the sand).

-The Greyhound is the only breed mentioned in the Bible. (Proverbs 30: 29-31)

-They are the first breed mentioned in literature, in 800 BC in Homer's Odyssey. Also, Shakespeare mentioned the Greyhound breed several times in his writings.

-Greyhounds are the fastest dogs and have been clocked at up to 45 m.p.h.

-Sadly, because of their deep chest cavities (similar in size to children and small women), and because of their docile temperaments, they are often used in medical research. Thankfully, Greyhound adoption is on the rise and racing these beautiful creatures is becoming a faux pas. Tracks are closing all the time and only 12 states have legalized dog racing now.

If you're interested in adopting one of these lovable, sweet, laid back dogs, just let me know! I volunteer for a great rescue called TEAM Greyhound Adoption of Ohio. www.teamgreyhound.com

Worn out from her wild running in the snow! Greyhounds are sprinters, not long distance runners!

V-Day Party

So... what do you do when you're snowed in with two little girls a couple days before Valentine's Day??? You have a Valentine's Day party! Today the girls and I made Valentine's Cookies, made a Valentine's craft and played games! We had so much fun!! I truly enjoy this time with my sweet girls. I understand that this undivided time with them is fleeting, so we try and make the very most of it!

I LOVE their cheesy smiles! This is one of my new favorite pics of them!!

Mixing the ingredients for our cookies (and a little sampling, too!).

They love using the rolling pin and they're pretty good!

Using the heart shaped cookie cutters!

While the cookies were baking, I taught the girls the fine art of doing dishes! Hey, if you make it into an exiting water game, you can make even chores a fun activity!

Icing the cookies!

Red sprinkles!! FUN and messy! (Notice we made one cookie for Sophie in a dog bone shape per Claire's request! So sweet!!).

Great times with my girls!

Valentine's Day craft! Lots of hearts involved!!!

My Cuties

My cuties... I do love to dress them alike, if you haven't noticed! I may as well do it while I can because I know a day will come when I may meet some resistance!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Bethie!

Today is Aunt Beth's 25th birthday! We celebrated yesterday after church and had a fun time celebrating with one of our favorite people!! The girls adore their Aunt Bethie and it's sweet to see their interactions! It's hard to believe, but Beth was just an eight year old little girl when Ben & I started dating! She has grown into a beautiful woman right before our eyes! We love you, Beth! Have a wonderful day celebrating YOU!!!

Lighting the candles...

Singing Happy Birthday...

...and FINALLY blowing out the candles (with a little help from two little girls!).

You can definitely tell these three are related!

Claire & Anna loved helping Beth open her gifts!

Happy Birthday!!!