For all you facebook addicts (like me)

This is too funny! 

It's British comedy so there are a few zingers.... 

Enjoy!

Pay It Forward

The Rules

1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own 'Pay It Forward' chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! I will leave a list of names who were the first 3 on my blog as soon as I receive them! I have no clue what it is I will make you, lets see who the winners are first.

I got this from my friend Lesa's blog. I was the FIRST one to leave a comment and am so excited to see what I get! I don't know if I can wait 365 days so I hope it's quick. I will show all f you as soon as I get it. I think this is such a fun idea. Lets see how far it goes. Remember to post your winners and your handmade gift when you're done.

(Ignore that there are already 3 comments... as of right now there are still no winners.)

Heidi Day

The 2nd graders just finished reading "Heidi" at school and had a celebration at the end. The kids were able to dress up and they had food and played games that Heidi would have... they even had wheelchair races, and made cardboard goats (they are actually really cute)! Abby loved the book and was so excited for the celebration. She chose her outfit out of grandma's dress ups and even selected her own hair style. They even gave each of the students a really nice hard bound copy of the book to keep. I am so glad my kids go to a school that really celebrates literature and really dives into the books and brings them to life by helping them experience it. I have loved all the celebrations and look forward to many more!

My Sunshine!

Every day I lay down with Afton for the first few minutes of her nap (okay, sometimes it's more than just the first few minutes and more like the whole thing... just keepin' it real) and I sing her the same 2 songs (at her request, often with her saying "louder" to me as I sing) and then she'll say "now go to sleep" and roll over and actually go to sleep. Is that every mother's dream come true, or what? The other day I caught her at the piano again and thought I would share more of her lovely singing with all of you!

Abby is a Martial Artist.

Last fall we finally started Abby in Taekwondo. She has always wanted to do this (in fact, she's wanted to teach it for years... even though she had never taken a lesson). She started in September and had her first belt test in October. Unfortunately, because we are new to this, I had NO idea what a big deal it is. Everyone else had cameras, video cameras and extra family members on hand... Abby just had me. She did awesome and has been progressing quite well since then. And, most important, she LOVES it. She had another belt test the end of January and this time we came prepared. The whole family went to support her and we have photos and video to share with you all.

Here she is lined up and ready to start. 

These test are actually quite challenging and 

I know she was a little nervous, but she was well prepared.

The first thing they have to demonstrate is their form. 

It is basically a memorized "routine" of basic moves. 

There is no room for  mistakes, they HAVE to do it 100% correct 

and if they mess up they only get one more try. 

She was nervous and ended up doing it twice, 

but she nailed it on the second try.

Then they have to do "attack and defense" with a partner. 

It is a choreographed fight sequence. 

(She starts actual sparring  soon)

Next they do a kick combination... she did great, again. 

Like I said, she was very prepared.

After that they have to recite some memorization. 

I love this part. 

They memorize a different thing for each belt level and they are all things that help them become a better person. 

For example, one of the lines she said this time talked about always facing challenges head on "today especially"!

Then she gets to break a board... this is her favorite part!!

She passed... she was so proud of herself.

Here is some video. I spliced it together. 

It shows part of her form, some partner stuff, her kick combination and her breaking the board. Enjoy.

The Belt Ceremony!

Abby is now, officially, a yellow stripe. She is now working toward her green belt, at which point she gets to advance to a new class. I am so proud of Abby and how well she has done with this. Her teacher is amazing (serious stuff... Olympics, national championships, he is very well respected) and she is learning so much more than taekwondo. He really expects a lot from his students and I have noticed a difference in Abby. Keep up the Good Work!

AHS Dance Festival

Ahhh, the annual dance festival. My kids love this... 

okay Max hates it but this is my blog and I say they love it.

The 2nd graders did the Virginia Reel and Abby was so cute. She was all smiles and had so much energy. Seriously, she did everything 10 times bigger and better than anyone else. And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom and a little biased... she really did a great job!

I was very proud of Max as well because, as much as he hates the dance festival, he didn't let it show and he did his best to have a good attitude about it. I'm not sure what dance they did, but it was really cute and he was able to dance with a bunch of different girls... including one he *likes* a little more than the others (she is not pictured).

Abby's a Winner too!

Abby had been feeling pretty down. She was very disappointed about not making it into the school spelling bee finals and Max was getting a lot of attention for his big geography bee win. Well, her teacher had this really cool box full of ring pops that she hands out when kids do something great to earn them.When the box was empty everyone really wanted it so she had a drawing. Guess what? ABBY WON!! She was so excited... absolutely thrilled.
And she insisted that I take pictures and asked if I would blog it. Doesn't she look happy? We're really *proud* of her. =)