The Carrell Spa

We flew from North Carolina to Arizona and stayed overnight with Dawn and David (thanks guys!) and then flew another 6 hours to Hawaii.  The kids did well, but it was still a long, long way...

But then, I looked out and saw my little masseuses working on their dad and grandpa and suddenly everything was totally worth it.

The 3 year old and her brother

I saw these two sitting on the stairs one day and had to take a few photos.

(Look very closely here...)

I love them.

BREATHE! and Push pix

Aunt Jill and Uncle Ben just had a little baby (welcome to the world Miss Kaitlyn Liberty!) and we just felt like maybe we could help a little bit through the labor and delivery process.

Claire, Emery and Shelby demonstrate proper breathing techniques

AND...

 

PUSH!

So Jill had her baby au naturale- we're pretty sure that these pictures helped her through the tough spots.

Crazy Hair Day!

Highcroft Drive Elementary spirit week- the favorite day?-  The craziest of course!

My two favorites-  straight and curly (Shelby) and the girl with three pigs (Claire)- sorry you can't see the back.

Totally love these girls.

The First 5k

We are trying to be a healthier family, so some of us participated in our first 5k. 

Actually, the only reason that Shelby and Kailey wanted to run was because of these cute girls.

Shelby, Daisy, Kailey, Sadie and Madison

Shelby and Daisy were totally ready to run!

It was a beautiful morning and the air was crisp- some of us ran like the wind and others of us just tried to keep moving!  

The results? 

Kailey - 37 min 45.2 seconds (#110 of the women)

 Shelby - 33 minutes 56 seconds (#92 of the women)

Diane - 32 minutes 22.2 seconds (#86 of the women)

Danny - 29 minutes 12.1 seconds (#74 of the men)

After the race was when the real excitement began.  Kailey had pushed herself pretty hard and complained that she needed to throw up.  (Kailey has been known to be a bit dramatic at times...)  Danny told her to just be sure to do it in the bushes.  A few minutes later, we found out that she actually did!  It may be a while before Kailey runs in another race.

The Terrific KID!

Claire and the school mascot- a husky.

Every month at the Elementary School, they highlight a character trait and award a student in each class who best exemplifies this trait.  They are known as the Highcroft Drive Elementary School Terrific Kids.  Claire was chosen for SELF DISCIPLINE.  She totally deserved it!  Claire just does what needs to be done.  I love that about her.

Claire with Jane Ann Hughes- the Principal

They had a special recognition ceremony for all of these kids.  Each one was presented a certificate and a magnet for the car (and then they took pictures with the Principal).

Claire with the other 2nd grade honorees.

We are so proud of Claire!  We think she is one of the best Highcroft Huskies EVER!

February Happenings

An update on the kids...

 Kailey went from this...

to THIS!!! (and her gums were a bit swollen- you should see the cute girl now!)

 Emery had an unfortunate incident with a brush- RIGHT before church!  (She was actually really good and we were able to remove the blow dryer brush and then we threw it in the trash)

Jake and Stella have a great time with each other- however I woke up one morning last week with the puppy looking like THIS-

Meet Hitler Dog or you could call her the Clown Puppy.  If you can't see- it is red bubble gum that is covering her upper lip.  (Stella LOVES gum and it is very bad for her!  She actually dumpster dives into garbage cans to get used gum!  We are always cutting gum our of her beard and mustache.  Thankfully we got her groomed the next day and now she is cute as ever.)

Claire is one of Highcroft Elementary School's TERRIFIC KIDS! (More on this later...)

Shelby has been learning about Human Growth and Development.  So, I asked her how it

was going.  She said, "fine."  I asked- do you have any questions?  "No."  Has anything sicked you out yet?  "Yes."  Me- "What?"  Shelby, "When Mr. Kellogg talked to us."...  It wasn't the content- it was the fact that her MALE teacher did the talking! (I didn't think she would want me to add a picture of this...)

AND- last but not least- do you see the button this sweet little thing is holding?  This was after we got it out of her nose.  We have had several discussions about how we never stick anything in our eyes, ears, nose, belly button or bottom- and we only put food in our mouth!

It's never boring at our house.

Happy Valentines Day!

Sending kisses and hugs your way!!!

The Next Great Iron Chef from Chopped Wars

The kids LOVE the food network.  Kailey and Shelby had their own competition.  The ingredients they had to use were peanut butter, applesauce and pop tarts.

 

A view of the creations!  Each girl made three different tasty samples.

 

Kailey's apple croissants

Shelby's Old School/ New School Peanut Butter Bowls

The creations really were good!  They were judged on taste, originality and presentation.

The judges!  (Sorry about the poor picture quality- had to use the cell phone...) After tasting- each judge had time to critique the creation.  My favorite quote was from Danny. "It pops on the plate- but fizzles on the palate."  (Food brings out the poet in that man...)

The First Lost Tooth

Emery lost her very first tooth!

She's smiling- but look at that little tear on her cheek!

There's the tooth! AND the tooth fairy was very nice!  Em is growing up too fast.  Hopefully no more loose teeth until she turns 6!