Where Has the Time Gone?

Today is a BIG day for my little Luke, although I guess I need to drop the little because today is a big boy day! Each year his preschool takes all the 4 year old classes to the elementary school for a preview for next year. Today was Luke's field trip to kindergarten and I don't think I am ready for this! I cannot believe he is about to turn 5 and enter big school! CPES - Are you ready for this???

Eli's Induction into the Beta Club

I have to take a moment to brag on my sweet and smart Eli. He was recently inducted into the National Junior Beta Club at school! He is such a good student along with all his other activities! Eli, we are so very proud of you. Keep up the hard work!

A Big Day - Part Two!

After Jill's run we made our way to Cameron Oaks Farm, the farm where Jill takes riding lessons. As you probably know, we have been in the market for a pony for several months now. Jill has "lost" a couple of ponies to other buyers and had one that she loved but that had a vice that she couldn't tolerate, so this experience has been heartbreaking at times. Well, when we got to the farm, our trainer, Deana Hunter met us at the car to say that someone had bought Sporty, the most recent pony we had been trying out. She said that the little girl was coming to get her and asked Jill if she would like to go see him before he left. Jill, stone-faced agreed, and I am sure was thinking, "Here we go again." We got into the barn and Sporty was in his stall with a big red bow on his saddle - or maybe I should say, Jill's saddle. She realized immediately that it was her saddle and was confused. It took a minute for her to figure out that she was the little girl who would be getting Sporty - That he was finally hers!!! Once she figured this out, she was ELATED! Enjoy her story in pictures...

Heading into the pony barn to say goodbye to Sporty - or so she thinks...

"Hey, that's my saddle."

I LOVE this pony!

And now, He is ALL mine!!!

35 degrees with a 20 mph wind - it was frreeeezzzing, but she was the happiest girl on the planet!!! Welcome to the family, Sporty! You will be well LOVED!

A Big Day!

Yesterday was a BIG day in the Alexander family. We started our day in downtown Birmingham where Jill ran the last mile of her Mercedes Kids Marathon. Over the past three months she ran 25 miles while training at home and at school. Yesterday she completed her marathon by running the last mile! Since she is only in the 1st grade I got to run with her. Let me tell you that she ran EVERY step without so much as breathing hard! To this asthmatic mother, I was elated by that fact!!! She ran her mile in about 10 minutes which is actually the pace I run. She promised me that when she is 16 she will run the Mercedes half-marathon with me. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will pick up my love for running! What better running partner could a Mom have?
Getting ready to go! It was soooo cold, 35 degrees with 18 mph winds at 10:40 a.m.!!!

The family ready to cheer Miss Jill on!!!

And she is off and running!

Still going....

Eli and Luke are so proud of their sister!!!

Our Gingerbread Barn

Every year the kiddos beg me for a gingerbread house and I always fall for it and buy one from Wal Mart. It never turns out the way it is supposed to and I find sticky icing all over my kitchen for days. Sooooo, this year I had put them off and put them off and thought I would get away without having to do this lovely holiday craft this year.... WRONG and it is all MY fault!!!

I was in Tractor Supply the other day just browsing (don't you all go in Tractor Supply just to browse?) and came upon a gingerbread barn kit! Well, we spend so much time at the barn that I thought this would be perfect for our family... WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!? Perfect in theory, but a barn goes together just like the house does and it does not work! Within 5 minutes of getting the roof on the barn, it collapsed. (Fortunately no horses or ponies were injured in the making of our gingerbread barn.) What you will see below is a very lovely, very sticky open air gingerbread barn which by the way, Jamie and I did 90% of... where were the kiddos you might ask - well they would run in and check our progress, stick on a piece of candy or two, then head back down to the basement for a much more exciting time...

Merry Christmas from our barn to yours!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The Alexander Crew just loves this time of year!!! We are counting down the days to Christmas and were so excited when Santa, the big man himselft, made a stop at our house this past Saturday! He read the kids "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and let them tell him exactly what they want for Christmas. He also made a very special delivery... our elf JingleMint! The kiddos have been looking for JingleMint since Thanksgiving and have been so worried that he might not come back. They were thrilled when Santa pulled him out from behind his back and handed him to Mom! Now to be good for 20 more days - can we do it?!?!?

JingleMint is back!!!

Santa told the kiddos a very big secret... He told them the name of his sleigh! Do you know what it is???

A Girls Trip to NYC!!!

When Jill and Katie were itty bitty, we told them that when they were 6 we would take a girl's trip to New York. Well guess what happened this year... they turned 6!!! Donna and I could not have been more excited. This was one promise we did not mind keeping! So on Tuesday, November 22, Donna, Anna Beth, Katie, Jill and I boarded the 6:15 a.m. flight to New York City, New York! After a little delay in Birmingham due to fog in Charlotte, NC, we were on our way. We made it to New York shortly before noon and we hit the ground running.

Now, I have to apologize because the pics are in no particular order as I am trying to do this post quickly. We were in New York from Tuesday to Friday and we packed as much into that short time as humanly possible. Donna and I laughed each morning as we re-charged ourselves with a Starbucks and Motrin. And by the time we made it back to our hotel each night, the girls would almost fall asleep before their heads hit the pillow. As a matter of fact, Jill and Anna Beth almost missed dinner on Tuesday night when they nearly fell asleep at the table. And on Thanksgiving night, Jill was less than impressed with the dinner so she did fall sound asleep. Hope you enjoy the pics and I apologize for the poor quality of them as many were made on my phone...
Top of the Rock... (Rockefeller Center). The Empire State Building is directly behind us. We decided to do Top of the Rock verses The Empire State Building as there was no line. We walked right up, bought our ticket, hopped on the elevator and made the quick trip to the top. It was freezing and very windy but the view was UNBELIEVABLE!!!

No trip to New York would be complete without a hot dog or soft pretzel from a street vendor. Here the girls are enjoying theirs.

One of the beautiful catherdrals. I wish I could remember which one this is.

This was our ride to the airport on Friday. The girls flipped when they realized the limo was for us!

Ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Behind us you can see the famous Christmas tree. At this point the scaffolding is still around it but on the day we left they were starting to take it down to get ready for the lighting.

Anna Beth enjoying the ice skating.

And little Katie enjoyed herself too!

We had to stop in Toys R Us so the girls could ride the Ferris Wheel. Jill, Katie and I rode in the M&M car while Donna and Anna Beth rode in the pink Barbie car. We hit Toys R Us on black Friday so you can only imagine what a mad house this place was!!!

On our first night in New York we went to see Mary Poppins... AMAZING!!!! Even though we had to walk 1.3 miles back to our hotel in the freezing cold rain afterwards, I would have done it all over again just to experience this show. Poor Jill and I didn't even have our big coats as my big suitcase didn't make on our flight. My scarf had to act as a shawl for Jill and by the time we made it to the hotel I could wring out her socks. But she was a trooper!!! We got my suitcase around midnight that night and I studied the NYC map so as not to feel so lost again. By the next morning we were good to go!

One of the girls favorite things about our trip was the American Girl Store. We had brunch there on Wednesday but of course we had to go shop as soon as we got there on Tuesday. All three girls got the Girl of the Year, Kanani. We loved shopping all three floors of this store and if the girls could have, they would have bought the place out!

The girls inside Radio City Music Hall waiting to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. What an amazing show it was!!! The girls were not able to take their Kanani dolls to brunch on Wednesday because it was raining so they were so excited to be able to take them to the show.

The Nativity scene at the end of the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular had to be my favorite part. They had live camels, sheep, and donkeys.

On black Friday we apparently were glutens for punishment and decided to hit Macy's. Standing outside were 4 of New Yorks finest, members of the NYPD. They gladly posed for a photo with our sweet girls. Macy's was unbelievably crowded but so worth the experience. The girls loved seeing the wooden escalator and we rode it all the way to the ninth floor.

Windows outside the American Girl Store.
Our trip to the Plaza hotel to shop at the Eloise store. While we waited for the store to open we took a bicycle "rickshaw" tour of Central Park.
Of course one of the main reasons we went to New York at this particular time was to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We got to our spot around 6:45 a.m. and had to wait until around 9:15 for it to make it to our location. The wait was tough but the parade was worth it! Ironically, in all of New York City, we ended up watching the parade next to a college friend of my sister's!!!

I had a blast with you three sweet girls! Where are we going next?