Lexie Noelle: Kids & Co. Day Care Pictures

Waiting for Santa

Jenna Jade 2010-2011 Yearbook Picture

K5, Taylors Elementary

Official Daisy Girl Scout: Jenna Jade

Jenna participated in her first Girl Scout Ceremony on Tuesday, December 7th. She earned 2 badges that night. She is a member of Troop 2995, Girl Scouts of Mountains to Midlands!

First off--- Jenna made dinner! :) She and her friends helped prepare a meal for the parents attending the ceremony. We had stuffed shells! She earned her cooking badge and is officially allowed in the kitchen at dinner time. :) haha. watch out now!

Last, but most definitely not least: Jenna stood in front of everyone and said her pledge, and received her Investiture badge (Invested as an Official Girl Scout), and was given her Daisy Girl Scout pin.

Jenna is quite the busy bee... so much going on- and she stays on top. She's excelling in school, her love of theater and acting in both the Greer Little Theater and the Christmas play at church...and then there's basketball on Tuesdays... that child is spreading her wings...and taking off...and all I can do is watch in amazment. God bless you sweet child of mine, I love you, and I am always amazed by you. I am so proud of you- your Daddy is too... We are ALL so proud of you!

This is the Bridge for the "Bridging Ceremony"... this is when a Daisy has completed all her requirements to become a Brownie Girl Scout. Jenna was so excited to see her friends that bridged that night- she couldn't wait to stand on the bridge, and says she can't wait to earn her turn to go on the bridge. the girls go on the bridge as a Daisy, they turn around and say "Twist me and turn me and call me an elf, I look into the water and saw myself!" Jenna already has it memorized, and is so excited to be an official Daisy, and well on her way to her own bridging Ceremony someday. :)

<- this video is of Jenna saying her Pledge and receiving her pin! Way to go baby girl!!! :)

<- this video is of Jenna and her troop's Friendship Circle. I remember doing this when I was a Girl Scout...and I was so excited to see her do it with her friends! :)

Jenna's 1st Basketball Game!

Go Jenna Go!

Plus Inc. Ugly Sweater Contest

sweater from Goodwill: $5
ball ornaments and tinsel: $3
winning the ugliest sweater contest at work: PRICELESS!!!

Well, maybe not priceless--- I won a $15 gift card to Starbucks!!! Frozen Mocha Frappe, here I come! haha! :) I had fun making the sweater....

Left to Right: Becky C. (wearing the FUNNIEST sweater "I said the SCHMIDT House" and Santa's reindeer crashed into an outhouse...haha), Lindsay P. (wearing the BEST LOOKING Christmas outfit... boys, please don't drool on the computer screen over those socks...tee hee), and ME, with the UGLIEST of course! :) www.plusinc.net

Our Family Advent Wreath

At last month's Wonderful Wednesday service, the girls, Eric, myself, and Mike Daily (Eric's best friend, and "Uncle Daily" to the girls) all worked together to make this beautiful Advent Wreath. Can you believe Christmas is almost here??? The countdown to Jesus' birth is here.. and now we have this wonderful Advent Wreath to light together on Sunday's - as we celebrate the coming of our Lord!

Miracle on 475

I took my mom and my girls down to Tifton, GA this past weekend to visit with my Aunt and my Grandparents. I was on Interstate Bypass 475, just after exit 15, and there was a sudden POW and my car was shaking violently. I held on to that wheel just as tight as I could and crossed 3 lanes of traffic on my rim....at 11:45pm at night.

I believe my heart jumped out of my chest.... I don't really remember getting to the side of the road...it was as if God had reached down, picked up my car, and planted it safely on the shoulder of the side of the road.

And that was just Miracle #1.

Miracle #2: My Aunt had left a concert, and when my mom called to tell her, she happened to be just a few minutes from the 475 turn off.... in less than 10 minutes, she was parked behind me. Her car provided a safe place for the children and my mom to be while I handled the issue at hand; and she also came with a much needed hug.

Miracle #3: My insurance (which is awesome) not only covered my roadside assistance, they had help there in less than 30 minutes in the middle of the night.... changed my tire and even waited to make sure I was safely back on the road with the children and my mom back in my vehicle. My dad and my husband Eric were both at home, staying on the phone with us to ensure safety and give advice. Many thanks to them! We were back on the road at 12:30am.

Miracle #4: Just a few miles up....construction had completely blocked off all shoulders. If the tire had blown then, I would have had no safe place to pull over to. Praise GOD that everything happened when it did, at the time it did, and in the place it did....I was so blessed with help from all around, but most of all I had help from above. Again, PRAISE GOD!

What they believe happened, was that I hit something while maneuvering around a wreck I had passed earlier... whatever it was lodged into my tire, and after traveling on it at high speed, it ate away at my tire and eventually just exploded my tire into shreds...

Here is what was left of my tire:

Nehemiah 9:19 "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take."

Wordless Wednesday

**photo courtesy of Two Chicks Photography in Macon, GA. taken at a beach wedding at the Citadel Beach House, Isle of Palms, SC.

Big Day for the Pickle Family

What a day! This morning... Lexie's crib was taken down. Her room was rearranged--- she is now sleeping in the twin size bed, she's no longer a baby- she's a big girl and she was so happy. Jenna has moved up, she's in the full size water bed now--and she loves it.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

Jenna lost her first tooth. Wait....scratch that. Let me re-phrase. Jenna reached into her mouth and yanked out the tooth...so really, she didn't lose it- she just ripped it out of her own mouth. She showed her dad and said "look at the blood! cool!" .... I remember a story about her daddy that pretty much ends the exact same way--when he was little, he pulled his tooth out and showed his mom, excited about the blood too. (Leave it to my husband and child to find blood "cool")

So the tooth fairy visited Jenna's room a few moments ago. Wait....scratch that again. Let me rephrase again. The fairy visited twice. Mrs. Tooth Fairy (cough*me*cough) put $2.00 in the baggy. Mr. Tooth Fairy (cough*daddyEric*cough) said "It's the first tooth- let the rest only be worth a few dollars...this one gets more." Well the only other cash I had was a $10 bill. SO... Mr. Tooth Fairy took my $2.00 back, put it in my purse- and put the $10 bill under her pillow.

I just laughed... and then Eric and I had that little tooth.... in a little baggy, was a tiny reminder that our little baby girl...well, she wasn't so much of a baby anymore. Both of us were a bit sad today... our precious Jenna Jade is losing teeth...and our sweet little Lexie Noelle is sleeping in a big girl bed... man, how time flies!

Denver Downs Farms, 2010

We went with some friends at church to Denver Downs Farms in Anderson, SC. There was so much to do and we had so much fun! Here are some pictures from the trip:

There was a really tall slide that Jenna went on quite a few times- Lexie wanted to go so bad but had to have someone with her. Jenna said "Mom, I'll take her."... so... I sucked in my protective desire to say no...and let Jenna take her little sister up the slide. A volunteer for the farm had to help Lexie up the ladder---and Jenna rode with her down the long slide. :) They were so independant... not sure if I liked it or not yet. :) I'll let you know. haha. Panic! Where did Jenna go? I look around and Jenna had vanished. I had my friend Christina watch Lexie while I had a mini panic looking for Jenna... only to look up and she was on top of the hay stacks wall that stretched the length of the corn field...and she had run clear to the other end, and was headed back. haha! I told her next time to just let me know what she was doing so that I don't panic.We all know Lexie's love of ducks.... and they had water well pumps set up to pump water into a gutter to help push rubber duckies to the finish line. Lexie, of course, squealed with excitement! In this picture- Ethan (Pastors Sean & Maria Miller's son) is pumping the water and Lexie is cheering for the rubber duckie! Lexie wanted to take a duck home...it was quite difficult to explaim to a 20 month old why she couldn't have the duck that seemed so free for the taking. haha. :) After the rubber duckie distraction was gone...the girls found a new favorite activity at Denver Downs = the corn box. You know, its a sand box, only - no sand....kernels of corn instead. haha- I tried to get them to do other things---but every time I set Lexie down...she ran full speed back to the corn kernel box. They buried each other in the corn, put the corn down each other clothes, tossed the corn in the air and laughed... oh, who knew corn could be so fun? The Corn Maze! this years maze, from the sky, looked like Clemson and Carolina football helmets on a football field. It was so neat! And it was interesting trying to find our way through it.....but Jenna liked trying to find the check points- and she and Ethan had a fun time pretending they were Dora and the Map. haha!

Lexie loved seeing all the animals. This picture is the view the goats saw as Lexie just stared at them...haha...She also saw pigs, cows...and 2 donkeys. The donkeys were her favorite...probably because she loves horses so much and they were the most like a horse. One of the donkeys came up to the fence and put his nose to where Lexie was, and she petted his nose and just grinned from ear to ear and let out a girly squeal of happiness. The donkey really seemed to like Lexie, and it just made her day!I let the girls go out into the pumpkin patch and pick out 1 pumpkin each.... Jenna picked out a medium sized, regular orange one. Lexie just kept putting them down...until she found this tiny white one...and it had a gray scar across the top...I told her to put it down and find a better one...and she just hugged it and said "mine, mommy, mine". And so...the little white pumpkin came home with us. But really, I think it was a cute lil pumpkin.Our group...well, the KIDS anyways. haha- I don't have a picture with the adults in it- but I think Pastor Sean does. Anyways- left to right: Emma, Ethan, T.W., Jenna, and a very angry Lexie. Lexie did NOT want to be in the picture....not even a little bit.more pictures at www.dropshots.com/pilkentonpearls

Jenna's First Skate Night

Jenna made a new friend- this little girl was trying to help Jenna learn how to skate. They mostly stayed on the carpet, only getting on the skate rink a few times. I was so proud of Jenna for getting right back up every time she fell. And I was most proud- right at the end.

Jenna fell back, on her back...with a big thud....one that would make you cringe.... and she crawled to the bench and wanted to give up. I told her that before I would take her skates off, she needed to skate to the wall and back---that the rule is every time you fall, no matter how bad it hurts, you HAVE to skate again so that you won't become afraid. She took a deep breath- and skated to the wall and back. In fact... after she got hurt, she skated better than before. I hugged her and told her how proud I was that she skated again---then helped her take her skates off so we could go home. I just can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up.

It was "Halloween Night"...so Jenna wore her witch costume. :)

God Bless My Underwear by Jenna Jade

My 5 year old, Jenna, loves to sing. And mostly makes up her own songs... this one had me laughing so hard it was difficult to keep the camera still...you can hear her little sisters uncontrolled giggles next to me... LOVE IT! Enjoy!

Beautiful Fall!

Just a few pictures I have taken...these were taken at my parents house. The colors of fall seem so brilliant this year, I just had to take some pictures! more at www.dropshots.com/pilkentonpearls

Homemade Halloween

This year, I made the girls costumes. Jenna came up with the idea for hers completely on her own last year, and at the last minute - I came up with Lexie's and made hers.

Jenna was the Wicked Witch of the East! As you may remember, that is the witch that first had on the red shoes, but Dorothy's house landed on her. So, Jenna told everyone "I'm a dead witch! haha!" We even put a frightened Dorothy and Toto in the window of the house looking out. This costume was so cool, Jenna was so clever to come up with it! We bought the witch costume, tights and shoes, but I drew up the idea for the box and Eric (daddy) painted it for us! Lexie was the TORNADO!!! not just any tornado - she's the one from the Wizard of Oz! We figured, since Jenna was the witch the house fell on, and Lexie has the personality of a tornado...that it only made sense for her to be a tornado. I bought a piece of fabric at Wal-Mart and used brown and gold sparkle acrylic paint to make the tornado, then sewed it onto a brown dress she had. Added ribbons for "debri" (she would spin and make them swirl), brown boots - and Lexie was allowed to use make up crayons to do her own face. (I thought, since she was a tornado, that it was completely ok for her to do her own make up HAHA)
Jenna wanted to be scary...and mommy wasn't very good at putting on the face paint....so when daddy got home- this is what he did to her...hahaha...boy, she sure was scary! :) We had so much fun trick or treating at Uncle Mike's neighborhood! I can't help but notice in Jenna's "scary" face paint... her eyes really stand out! haha...perhaps green is a good color for her! hahaha! :)

Spaghetti Head

Lexie has quite the personality these days... She's full of giggles, silly games, and funny moments.

She is learning new words and is needing her pacifier less and less--- I think the "Paci Fairy" will be coming through in the next month or so to take the last paci away. Can you believe she'll be 2 years old in just a matter of weeks?

Lexie Noelle

favorite color: blue (we get a balloon when we go to the store, and she always says "blue! blue! peez!"

favorite place: beach (her first time in the ocean, she danced and sang to the waves- she was so full of joy and cried for "my beach, mommy, my beach" when it was time to leave)

favorite thing to do: swing (she could swing for hours if you let her, and the higher she goes, the more she laughs) she usually stands by the back door and says "Mommy, mommy, seeeng, sweeng, smeeng, peez!"

favorite show: Sesame Street, more specifically Elmo (She has watched her new Elmo Dvd 4 times and my parents got it for her less than 24 hours ago. She only left it to watch Sesame Street on regular tv...she loves all the characters really...but her favorite is definitely Elmo) She tries to say Elmo, but it always comes out "Mo, Mo!"

favorite food: spaghetti. it's the only thing we can get her to eat a lot of....and she will not eat it with noodles and cheese. She insists on having spaghetti sauce. She even ate the meatballs I cut up and put in her plate to add to her favorite dish the other night. She is just like her daddy- loves that italian food! And yes, in the picture= that is spaghetti in her hair....and so, I lovingly titled this post "Spaghetti Head".

Jenna Jade, an official Taylors Topcat

Jenna is a student at my old alumni--- Taylors Elementary School. She is doing so well and we are so very proud of her.

Math

Her class was tested on their math level by having them write as many numbers as they could. The rest of her class made it to 11, maybe 12 before they began skipping numbers. Jenna had to be told to stop when she reached the number 40, to which she said "Thank you for stopping me, my hand was getting tired." So they put her in advanced math---while the rest of the class is learning to understand numbers to 100--- Jenna is already learning addition and subtraction, ordinal numbers, and graphing. (The ordinal numbers and graphing is actually being done by the entire class, and they are all doing very well! -Jenna is given addition and subtraction problems as a "Level 2" assignment)

Reading and Writing

The rest of the class has set a goal to write at least 2 to 3 sentences on their own by the end of the year. Jenna can already write 1-2 on her own as it is....so she is in a "challenge" program and has signed her name to a goal set by her and her teacher that she will write a paragraph/story containing 5 sentences by the end of the year. Jenna said "Mrs. Baggott, I will write 10! I love to write!" :) I loved to write stories when I was younger... just for fun even--- so I see a little of me in that sweet girl, and its a neat feeling. :)

Jenna and another child were the first in her class to receive the "Terrific Kid Award" and she also received an award for perfect attendance.

We are so proud of her, and we see a LOT of her Aunt Brandi in her.... so very smart and loves to learn! The only thing we are trying to improve on is her behaviour, which isn't bad at all- but could use improvement. You see, every day the teacher gives her one of three: green smiley (great day!), yellow straight face (a bit of trouble today), or red sad face ( very bad today).

Jenna has never once received a red face. And she has only received a yellow about once every other week or so. One week, she got two yellow's in one week, but the teacher always leaves notes as to "why" and we always sit with Jenna and make sure she understands what she did wrong and not to do it again. We have an allowance system: If she gets green every day for the entire week, she gets $10. She is learning also to save her money, because sometimes she wants to buy something that is more than $10, and she'll save it in her wallet. :) She gets that from her Nana! She is so bright, and I really think that a "yellow day" every now and then is completely normal for her age...if she never received a yellow, I might be concerned I would think! :)

Way to go, Jenna! You make us so proud! You are going to go so far with that brain of yours!

MIA: I have returned!

I haven't blogged in so long - I've just been so busy it seems! Jenna started Kindergarten at Taylors Elementary this year, she also joined a Girl Scout troop and a basketball team. And to add to my already busy schedule, she landed a role in Greer Children's Theater production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Practices started just this past week: performance dates are February 25-27 and March 4-6).

But to get us up to that point- summer. The highlight of my summer was when we took Lexie to the beach for the first time...and then our trip back to attend a wedding on the same beach. Jenna has always loved the beach, though she feared the waves a bit when she was little. Lexie, however, was a different child on the beach. her smile has never been so bright as it was the days we spent on the sand--- and her laughter has never sounded so joyful than when she was splashing in the waves and dancing with her toes in the water... Lexie loved the ocean, the sand...the entire beach so much that going back to the hotel for meals and bed time meant a sad little girl crying "my beach, my beach, mommy, my beach" the entire way.... Jenna also had a little something to get some attention at the beach. Her previous fear of the waves.... vanished. We look up and she is running full speed into the ocean, cheering and laughing--- my friend Stefanie Parker ran after her and as she scooped her out of a wave, Jenna dramatically said "oh, thank you! you saved me! I just got so excited!".... Jenna tried to go out further every day, and loved jumping up as the waves hit her. Yes, if there is one thing I know about my daughters...its that they are the happiest when they have their toes in the sand or in the ocean and the sun is on their face. :)

Just a few snapshots of summer:



Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."