Happy 33 to Me:)

Today marks another birthday for me... I was honestly looking forward to turning 33! A lot of my high school friends have shared how this year has been one of the best so far for them. No matter what, I'm thinking big and holding my head high:) I have a happy & healthy family, great church family, and so many things to be thankful for everyday.

I TOTALLY enjoyed our vacation/road trip over the past two weeks (post to follow very soon). It has been the best birthday celebration in a long time!!!

This is one of my all-time favorite pics, taken with my Great Aunt Margie this week...

Let the fun begin!!!

Road Trip Ahead

I'm sitting here, just about 30 hours out from our 8-day road trip... No matter what trip we plan, there are always many, many things to do the last day before leaving! Maybe it's the rush of adrenaline or the pure nervousness of making sure to get everything for a "perfect" trip, all I know is the official countdown has begun...

We're leaving our cozy home of Tennessee early Tuesday morning for Brandon, Fl. My mom and sister are preparing for yet another adventure. We'll arrive Tuesday evening, waking up bright and early Wednesday morning to begin loading up the moving van once again. (I went to Florida back in January to help her move from the East coast to the West.) That afternoon, we'll travel back to Melbourne for one last stay in the state that held so many good memories, especially with my Dad:)

Thursday morning calls for an early wake-up with the sun! We'll begin our two day trip up the coast to Pennsylvania. I'm very excited, as it was back in 1988 that we moved back to the USA from England, arriving in the Northeast. Can't wait to see everything and share with my family along the way. All of us will stop, possibly in Virginia (again, with three kids, you never know 100% what the plans entail lol) for an overnight rejuvenation before completing our trip on Friday. 

Mom and Tricia will be residing with my Uncle Brian's family in their home... can't wait to finally see what looks like an absolutely gorgeous home! I'm very thankful knowing my mom and sister will be with family:) It'll be great meeting one of my second cousins and all the relatives that'll keep them happy.

Monday morning means we'll be on the road again, headed for Ohio! I'm beyond excited to stay with my cousins and meet two more second cousins!!! We're having a family get-together Tuesday evening at my Uncle's house... truly something I'm grateful for even before we get there... I love my family so much!!! On my list of hopes is getting to take my family to see where my grandparents are laid to rest. William and Kaylie were the only ones to have met them, Makenzie actually only 3 months growing in my tummy when we were at my grandma's funeral, just a month prior to my grandpa passing.  

Wednesday will bring quite a ton of emotions, knowing the trip back home means an end to what will be a GREAT road trip! Can't wait to share things with my kids, both as a road adventure and through conversing with family members:) With 44 hours of travel time before us, here's to some great memories, safe travels and tons of fun for the LaVella Family!

Gymnastics!

There's ALWAYS been a missing link that connected Kaylie back to her passion that Mrs. Jodi helped ignite a few years ago... GYMNASTICS. Kaylie started at the age of three, learning the basics of tumbling, the balance beam and bar. Each week, Kaylie lit up when it was time to go to class! She loved bouncing around, twisting and turning, and especially seeing Mrs. Jodi:) When the gym had to close, Kaylie's little heart was so sad. We knew from the moment she stepped foot into those doors, something had changed in our daughter.

Kaylie kept up with continuously moving, taking part in cheerleading, swimming, and acro dance classes ever since she left the gym. This past year was what we thought a step in another direction to her passion. She enjoyed twisting and bending, learning things from her instructors here in TN, but there was never a real challenge. The class had a good range of abilities, of which the younger ones needed more attention, leaving Kaylie "empty" space where she could have been pushed. The night of her recital confirmed exactly what we knew had happened... she was held back from the other Acro class, one in which she could have completed at least 95% of their activities on the spot. My heart sank seeing what she could have been pushed to make stronger this past year. You never want to see your child held back, especially when you know it's their gift from God. She asked, "Mommy, why didn't I get to do that with them?"...

After a little bit of research we found the place Kaylie belongs, Foothills Gymnastics. Kaylie took a class last week proving she's hasn't skipped a beat in the gym!!!! I'm seriously crying while typing... my baby girl looked "at home" in that gym... she had a smile from ear to ear... moving so gracefully across the equipment. She's on the Heat Showteam, a group of gymnasts that perform at local events and can only be invited to join once certain skills are learned. It was amazing seeing her jump right in, not afraid, and give it her all! The first thing she said after coming off the floor was, "Oh! Mrs. Jodi would love it here! Would she think I did a good job?" "Yes, Kaylie... I know she'd be so very proud of you!"

It's been two classes since she's started at the new gym. Kaylie can now complete a round off back handspring BY HERSELF!!! She has so much confidence now:) Kaylie seriously can't walk two feet without doing a cartwheel, round off, back walkover, flip, etc... it's actually pretty cool. Even cooler is the encouragement she gets from her little sister and brother. They love watching her:)

Even though we had plans to allow Kaylie to join the competitive Acro Team in the Fall, she has completely abandoned the WHOLE idea of staying at the dance studio... she found her way back to what she loves. Kaylie will continue her two hour class, one day a week throughout the Summer and continue in the Fall. We are SO proud of her and hope to watch her grow, be challenged, and share that beautiful smile:) It may have taken a few years, but my baby is back, and with a passion!!!

Here's a montage of a few video clips from her very first class at the gym, just last week:)

Kaylie's newest gymnastics spot...

LOVE YOU!

Craft Center

I've been putting off organizing my craft center for MONTHS... my kids kept having to scrounge around for crayons, digging through drawers to find pencil sharpeners, and complaining about where to find "soft" paper for crafts. With all three in Vacation Bible School, I knew there was no more putting it off... 

 Besides spray painting the entire hutch, I had Kaylie, Makenzie and Dannen put their glittered handprints on the drawer fronts and up the sides:) I also covered a wall hanging and put their initials on each compartment. Not sure what these will be for yet, maybe to hold their reward notes?

I found these at the Dollar Tree... pretty sure these will come in super handy:)

 Lots of storage for different items. LOVE my newest Thirty-One All In One Organizer... it holds our felt and sponge papers, bubble wrap and envelopes. Each kiddo has a drawer to hold their special creations.

 These little containers came from Target's $ section... glue/tape, Twistables, pens/pencils, and scissors:)

 The upper shelf holds gLiTtEr (MUST KEEP AWAY FROM KIDS lol), empty play-doh containers, and a bucket full of different types of paint:)

 Since my kids like to learn sign language, I attached the alphabet strip to the shelves for easy viewing:)

 The white drawers hold writing paper, coloring books, educational learning books, stickers, and construction paper:) The cute little desk I scored a while back works great, holding the markers and allowing for creative space. I had to decorate the wall with some of Dannen's school creations:)

 Super easy access for fun!

 I absolutely love all the different colors and patterns:)

 This little container holds things like puzzle pieces, safety pins, push pins, clothes pins, paper clips, decorative rocks, bows, and all the "little" things to make a project extra special:)

Hopefully this organization will help make craft time a bit easier to enjoy!

Breakfast in the Mountains

 I LOVE living in Tennessee... the views are amazing and absolutely gorgeous!

After taking William to work one morning, my kiddos and I made a quick stop at Pigeon Forge's Krispy Kreme and headed to the mountains...

 Still kinda sleepy, jammie wearing, happy kids with donuts... perfect! We drove up to Gatlinburg's scenic area and made ourselves comfortable:) A little lesson in scenery before breakfast...

 YUM!!!

 It's super sunny!

 Pantless jammies means cuddling up in Gramma Tammy's blanket:)

 Bug watching is a must!

 Cheesing it up for Mommy...

 

 An older couple was kind enough to take a picture for us... yes, I'm not enjoying the picture of me, all makeup-less and wearing spandex shorts LOL, but hey, it's a good memory hahahaha

~~~I couldn't haven planned a better morning with my loves~~~

Donut anyone? :)

"Pink Panther"

 

Kaylie's hard work this past year definitely paid off during her performance of "Pink Panther". She was at the top of the class, being super flexible and already attempting her round off back handsprings! The Acro dancers did such a great job:)

Everyone got to line up with their groups at the end...

Fun times with her friends:)

Kaylie's best buddy, Olivia:)

We're SO VERY proud of your hard work, Kaylie!!!

Even though her Acro dance has ended, she has a big future ahead... LOTS of changes since my last post about Summer Plans... stay tuned............

"Never Fully Dressed"

 

My sweet Makenzie did GREAT at her recital! She performed Annie's "Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" with 6 other little girls. We're so very proud of all her hard work this year... with sometimes only 4 girls showing up to class, I think they pulled out a great performance:)

Here's a great picture of her smile, taken by my friend...

The finale was when all the different groups came out together and performed a little tidbit from "Live It Up"... Makenzie is on the far left with Brittany:)

Waiting on stage to get her medal, looking for Mommy & Daddy:)

Makenzie ABSOLUTLEY loved her teen instructor, Brittany (who by the way is a truly amazing dancer!!!).

 SUPER proud of you, Makenzie!!!!

 Walking to the van, I asked, "So, what do you think about performing?". She repsonded, "Oh Mommy, I loved all the lights being on stage!".... might be a change of plans in her future for the Fall... :)

Happy 11 Years

Today marks 11 years since I said I do to my best friend. We've been through SO many ups and downs, heck even sideways zigzags and loop-de-loops! No matter what, I wouldn't change a thing...

I'm so thankful for the best gift, our three beautiful children! Without him, they wouldn't exist lol

Since it's 11 years, that must mean this year will be 10 TIMES as good as our first year together!

Thank you for being my partner in life... I LOVE YOU!

SpLaSh!

It's been a long time coming... Makenzie and William's Daughter/Daddy day. He's been really busy with work and she's been finishing up the school year and preparing for her dance recital. With Dollywood's Splash Country starting the Sevier County Days (residents and workers in our county get to go to the park for only $5!), William and Makenzie marked their date on the calender! She's definitely our little fish, loving anything with water. William said she played super hard and was even brave, testing all the slides and rides. Her favorite was a ride that the got to go down solo, the Fire Tower Falls:) I'm so proud of her! Glad they both enjoyed their Daughter/Daddy day together!

Newest Toy

I'm ALWAYS searching for the next bargain when it comes to toys or clothes for my kids. A great online yard sale through Facebook led to our most recent find... A VTech system with controller, 6 games and the Art Studio... all for only $30!

Not sure if it's from watching Daddy play all the time, but MAN was he into the games LOL Oh, and do you like his gaming chair? We were cleaning out the van, so he pulled the car seat right up to get comfy LOL

 Scooby Doo had to hurry and spell words without being eaten.

Dannen wakes up every morning begging to play his games on the tv:)

Dress Rehearsal

Kaylie and Makenzie have been waiting all year for their dance recitals. Last week was dress rehearsal time for both...

Kaylie showing off her flexibility

 Makenzie showing her pose

We can't wait for this Friday and Saturday!

Croup & Bronchitis

It's always very hard when your child gets sick. You want to have that magic button to cure them fast! Dannen is usually pretty healthy... that is until what we think was a dirty pool. The school year was coming to an end, and with beautiful weather, Dannen and I enjoyed the swimming pool a good five days in a row. The last night he was swimming, William noticed how cloudy and "yuck" the pool looked. Wouldn't you know, that night Dannen started coughing a lot. Three days later with high fevers and a sore belly from coughing, we found out Dannen has Croup and Bronchitis! My poor little guy sounded like a dying seal:( Nights are the hardest... if we get him down rather quickly (which honestly is easy), he'll make it a good amount of time before coughing for a few minutes. Gotta give him lots of credit for covering his mouth, even while turning bright red during his coughing spells:( He's on two different meds which seem to be helping already. We did get to see that he's at the 43" mark... very tall!!! Thankful this won't last too much longer... if anything, I'll enjoy the extra cuddle moments:)