Birthday Bash

Today was Grace's 4th birthday and her party. I cannot believe how big she is getting and how much she is becoming less and less of a baby everyday and more and more of a little kid and her personality comes out so much more now. It is amazing to see it develop and see what its going to be. I cannot wait to meet the young woman she will become 20 years from now.

She was so excited today and she really knew the party was for her. She was excited to see all of her friends and family. She didn't stop until I put her in bed at 8:30 tonight. Shes been going, going all day long. She had cake and juice and cupcakes all day long. It was a great party and I think everyone had fun.

Family stayed longer and it was nice, we got some wonderfully awesome presents from everyone and thank you all. She had a blast and so we did. Pictures will be added later. Thanks everyone for making my daughters birthday bash wonderful.

She always knows just what to do

So tonight when I was stressing over some things in the Kitchen while making dinner. Grace came to the doorway and said "Mommy, look at me." Still stressing I looked up and there was my daughter in her Cinderella Princess crown, and my shoes. She looked at me and said, "Mommy am I a beautiful princess or what?" I told her she was. How is it that every time I am stressing or worrying about something my daughter always can do something to cheer me up?

Peace, Love, and Happiness,
-Sam

Grilled cheese and shindigs.

So I went to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning before our trek to NC to see everyone on Cliff's side of the family. I love visiting family. They are my family too. I bought some amazing bread at the Farmer's Market. I bought spinach feta, rosemary garlic, and rustic sourdough. Last night I was too tired to cook so for dinner we had Gourmet Grilled cheese. Let me share this recipe with you. Trust me if your child(ren) like grilled cheese, most children do, then this may be something you want to make so they are getting more than just bread and american cheese. I used 2 kinds of bread and 2 kinds of cheese. Grace and I had Rosemary Garlic bread with Muenster cheese and Sharp Cheddar......delicious. Clifton had Rustic Sourdough with Muenster and Sharp Cheddar cheeses. It made a delicious grilled cheese. It is a spin on the regular plain Grilled cheese and it is very healthy with different breads and cheeses. Trust me the bread is delicious. I am hoping to use the bread to also make a turkey and cheese grilled sandwich. If you or your kids are tired of regular grilled cheese check this out.

So that is the awesome Grilled cheese sandwich I made. Just so you all can see it.

I am also writing today because not only did I want to share that awesome recipe with you. I wanted to share about my amazing trip to visit family on Saturday.
We went to NC to visit some amazing people. They are crazy, I thought my family was crazy but let me tell you when you have a bunch of Conner's in a room together it is crazier than a gathering of Cooper's and I thought that was IMPOSSIBLE, apparently its not. I also love hearing the crazy stories from his family and the crazy things that happen, like fingers getting hurt(But trust me they are ok). I cannot believe I have been a part of this family for 4 1/2 almost 5 years(in November). It is amazing, his family is amazing and has always welcomed me with open arms. My family treats my husband the same way and let me tell you it is amazing to not have to deal with the "horror" stories that I hear other people talk with in-laws and what not. I feel like I have been a part of his family for a long time and I hope he feels the same way. I always feel rejuvenated and full of spirit when I leave Conner family gatherings. Just writing because it has been a blessing.

Have a wonderful day
-Samantha

What my Pre-schooler taught me today.

When you have a preschooler you never know what is going to come out of their mouth. You may get asked "Momma, why do trees have leaves?" or "Hey, why do bugs like to bite me when I play outside?" or my favorite one is "Mommy, why do we have to wear clothes?" I always seem to be asked these questions when I cannot stop and find the real answer for her on the computer, we are usually in the car, at the store, or playing outside. Sometimes the questions are so crazy I don't think even Google would know the answer.
Today's inquisitive question went like this "Mommy, why are my eyes blue and Makayla's brown?" So I proceeded to say "Grace thats just how they are" She looked up, I could see her in the rear view mirror and she said "No mommy, how did hers get brown and mine get blue?" Trying again I said "Grace it is how God made them, and it is how genetics works." She then asked "Mommy whats genafics(genetics)?" I said "Its what makes different people have different color hair and eyes." Looking at me with this astonished look on her face, she said "oh, ok mommy." Like that was all she needed, that was it. I was so shocked I was trying to figure out how to explain the complexities of genetics to a preschooler and that is all she needed? I was amazed.

Sometimes I think it would be great if we could just go with the easy explanation. Why do we always have to make everything much more complex that it really is? But you know sometimes things are that easily explained and we take it and twist it and make it much more complex than it really is. Take Math for example, you can take the simplest problem 1+1=2 and you can add letters, and such and make it much more complex. But in the end it really was a simple problem. I think sometimes we that with our own lives. We take a problem we are having and we twist it and turn it and mesh it into other situations until it is so big and so complex that we cannot work our way back out of it again. If we all just looked at everything in a simple way, the way young children do maybe this world would be a much better place. Twisting and turning problems in your life does not get you anywhere, it just makes you more stressed and more confused. I also use this example with the bible. I take the bible and read it, I believe what it says. I do not try to mold my beliefs or my bible around my life, I try to mold my life around the bible and my beliefs. Sometimes that is hard to do, because we have our own agendas and our own wants and desires but if I stop trying to make every passage I read in the bible more complex than it and stop trying to mold it to fit my life, instead mold my life to fit God's will, I think I will be a better person in the end.

If everyone just kept everything simple and less complex what kind of world would we live in? I think complexities make this world a stressful place to be in. Trust me if we all could live by the simple answers like those that a preschooler accepts than I think we would be doing pretty good.

~Samantha

P.S. Thank you Grace for teaching me a lesson today.

Our Family Dynamic.....a Dynamic like no other

My three (almost 4) year old has been testing me a lot lately. She is also very funny. From what I understand her imagine and her testing me at this age is so Normal! Thank goodness, well trust me our daughter is not going to be that normal. I mean I am a person who tries to reuse just about everything, whether its a milk jug into a flower planter, a coke bottle into a tornado, or a milk carton into a bird feeder there is nothing I truly do not like to waste (except trash that cannot be reused.) I would even have compost but my husband is not to keen on the idea. So she is probably going to be a child who thinks its "normal" to reuse. I do not reuse as much as I would like right now, however I am getting there. Also with a daddy who is kind of obsessed with sports and 2 artistic parents we are going to have a unique child. Trust me our household dynamic is pretty interesting.

Needless to say We are a family who likes the ARTS we like music, photography, and for goodness sakes Clifton has a Fine Arts degree need I say more. Grace is loving ballet so trust me we are in for a family dynamic like no other and it has already started. Listening to the "little family" my daughter has made up she is passing on our dynamics to her "Pretend children and cats" it is pretty funny. She is an amazing child though. She makes me laugh every time I listen to her and her talking about her little family. I cannot believe she is as big as she is. It just blows my mind that my baby is almost 4.

So when I sat down and looked at our family from the outside its kinda interesting to see how different each person in the family is but then how similar we all are too. It was just what was on my mind today. I may have another blog entry later today I heard part of an interesting sermon on Focus on the Family radio today so a post may be coming soon about the entire sermon once I actually have time to sit down and listen to it.

Great day full of Surprises =)

So my day yesterday started out like most days. Grace and I were eating breakfast and then we had plans to have lunch with Daddy later that day. Well so we went to lunch with him. On the way to lunch one of Best Friends from Washington, PA called. She was in GAFFNEY! I was like what? So the rest of the day I spent hanging out with her and her awesome friend;). It wouldn't have been such a big deal except I have not seen this friend for like 2 1/2- 3 years I cannot even remember the last time I went to Washington. It was crazy. I was so excited that everything I had planned to do went out the window and literally nothing got done. Trust me seeing one of my best friends was so worth it. She was visiting Charlotte and ended up in Gaffney they were supposed to go to a strawberry farm. I hope she had more fun hanging out with me for like 7 hours. Next time she comes she will have to stay with us. Trust me it was totally worth not getting anything done.

Grace is doing much better with leaving her glasses on and she even asked me to put them back on her when watching TV. I think she realized she can see better with them. I hope thats the case.

I am off to do my quiet time and to call the church. I am still distraught about loosing my bible =( It will show up I am sure. I have chores galore to do today.

Busy week!

Ok well it has been a very long week and a half. I cannot believe it has been that long since I have posted. I am loosing my mind. I have misplaced my bible at church, and my prayer journal at the house. So hopefully I will find them soon for my quiet time or I will have to buy a new NIV bible. It makes me sad and I want to cry because these are very important things to me.

Grace got her glasses today and I do not think she is very fond of them currently but I told her it will take a few days to get used to them. She wrote the letter A today and she got frustrated so we had a little dry-erase marker fight. I think she will do much better tomorrow. Doing "Summer" school with her. Figured we would get ahead instead of behind. If I can get ahead then when she does start school it will be good whether we do Online charter schools, private school, or public school we will decide. I think it is looking more and more towards the first option but we will have to see.

I am off so tired.