Spring Program Part 2

I ran out of gusto last night to finish uploading Sydney's songs . . . and some computer issues. So here is the three songs Syd sang last night. I hate to pick a favorite, but if you just watch one I would choose Whole World in His Hands. The others are cute, but it is my kid I am watching! :) For those who have seen this scenario a thousand times . . . it is what it is a cute kid's program. Sydney had fun watching it while I uploaded it. Hope you enjoy this cute kid on such a cold day!


Praise the Lord! from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

Our Little Performers Part 1

What a night! I had a wonderful evening watching my girls do their spring program at their school. The teachers began our day by telling me how much Savannah enjoys her part in the program. I stayed to watch rehersal and I was really excited to see the performance that night. We got there really early to get good seats. I knew I was excited when I was one of the first ones to show up period. I love watching my kids. They are so much fun. So I am pleased to show you their night. If you have to choose one to watch I would watch the second video to the Wiggles song about monkeys, elephants, and tigers. Sydney did a great job too. She told me her legs hurt from standing so long. I tell you, three songs is a lot to a 4 1/2 year old. I am not sure she enjoys the attention that her little sisters is obvlivious to. Too much fun! I hope you all enjoy!



If you see her get excited, she has just found her "Da"(daddy) and tells her teacher over and over. About half way through (1:20ish) she notices me and says "Ma-ma" in her sweet voice. What is crazy is that girl will hardly utter two words all day and she says those two sweet words on stage for all to hear. Sadly Jacob tried so hard to get her to notice him and she didn't quite see him.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

Okay, this one is the best hands down! It is hard to hear the music because of all the laughter. You can hear mostly Patrick's giggles, but in the background Jacob's laughter can be heard. The arm up in the air was quite a shock around the house because she has been doing it for a few weeks. Since she doesn't talk, I finally figured out it was an elephant and it all made sense in her program. She is also particular to the tiger noise. What cracked me up the most was when she walked over to sing into an empty mic stand. I guess singing for the camera with cousins and her brother and sister has not been lost on her. She is such a gem to me! I can't wait to see what these next few months holds for us as she enters the world of conversation. I noticed while uploading it that she kind of takes a bow at the end. Mamma couldn't be prouder!

We love Ms. Christina and Ms. Melissa!

I have been so glad that the girls have been at Beltway CDC this year. Everything about the program has made me a happy camper. I have always been personally fond of the teachers. So it was no surprise at the lengths they would go to wish Savannah a Happy Birthday. Imagine my shocked when I went to change her diaper and found this:

That's right. There is a birthday message on her diaper! It cracked me up because I would have had a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but these ladies did a great job giving me no clue and made me smile. Can anyone's teachers compete with Savannah's great ones? She had a great birthday and weekend. Thanks for the well wishes!

Happy Birthday, Savannah Grace!

Birthday Girl! Two short years ago, my sweet Savannah Grace joined our family. It has been so much fun watching her grow into the sweet girl she is becoming. I love her hugs and hearing her say "Mama" in that sweet voice that she has. She loves to love on her baby brother and is such a big helper with the dishes and folding/putting away laundry! I love listening to her giggle at her brother and sister. Whatever they do, she thinks she can do too! She has an amazing smile and a very curious personality. Savannah loves to be held and I find her asking others to hold her before she ever asks me. (I guess my arms are a little busier these days.)Savannah's birthday breakfast of choice on the birthday plate.

Jacob and Sydney holding their new baby sister, Savannah

I am amazed how much she lets me hold her. The older two never enjoyed that as much as she does. I also love how she has to hand me her pacifier to get a drink or eat some food. Most kids I know would drop it on the floor or just hold on to it. I love how she sleeps with her bunny and picks it up as soon as she starts to get sleepy. She amazes me how much she enjoys adventure and there is not much that causes her to be fearful. Worries me a little, but she is up for almost any challenge! She loves her daddy and just recently started enjoying holding her big brother and sister's hands. Make's parking lots a lot more fun for me! I look forward to many more memories to come with this sweet little girl of mine.

Proud Mama and Papa holding their sweet little angel moments after she was born.

Posts Galore!

The top is before the posts, below is after. Of course you can see Pat worked so hard he had time to pose for this picture! Just kidding, I caught him right when he turned to look at me.

Just wanted to brag again on my husband and dad. I am so excited if you can't tell by the way I mention it everywhere! Patrick and my dad put in 82 posts in our back yard in about 5 hours. Hard work and I felt so bad that my dad had to then drive back to Dallas all in the same day. We'll hopefull have more pictures to see with the wood on it soon. I am so ready to enjoy the full acre we have, instead of feeling like we are caged in with our temporary set up that the chain link fence has provided. It is amazing how even though we can see our whole yard, it is hard to enjoy it when you have to go around a fence to play or go more than 10 feet beyond the house. You know now that I think of it, our current fenced back yard is probably not any bigger than a lot of homes in the city. I am so thankful for the space and the help that we get to enjoy it. Now all that is left is those wonderful stickers! Praying for a miracle to erradicate those babies! Hope your first days of spring are as pleasant as ours are turing out to be!

Spring Break Pile Up!

It seems if I step off the day to day grind for one moment, the pile up that comes is unbelievable. So this post will be a week in our life in fast forward. From my pile to yours! :)I have so many cute stories to share, but as I have been told many times before that I don't have to share everything that I think. Most of the time it is really only to make me smile anyway, so hopefully these pictures will actually make you smile more than my words!



Daddy showing Sydney how much fun it is to dance right after a bath, but before she got her pjs on! Sydney and I enjoyed a cup of coco during our last cold spell. She wore most of it. Too cute! Savannah got her sister to help her dress up in the bee costume. She is ready to take a nap. I know this because she got her bunny and her pacifier all on her own. Sydney loves to point out when she thinks something would make a cute picture. I must admit that she is right, this is pretty darn cute! Keeli and Sydney having fun in the park doing only what four year old girls enjoy, holding hands and walking everywhere together. Jackson doing what he does best at the park right now . . . sleep!

Jacob loves helping his little sister. He was so sweet to go down the slide with her. She loves the attention! Sydney and me at baseball practice! So much fun to watch Jacob, Jackson, Savannah, and Sydney all at the same time! Only a mom can do that. Grandma got Jacob this cool castle puzzle at the book fair and he loved watching his daddy build it! :) Jackson loves to be swaddled to go to sleep, but I always find him free when I go to wake him up to eat. Savannah loves to be a girl. She has recently discovered her sister's dress up shoes and thinks she is such a big girl to put them on all by herself.

The girls all strapped in a ready to go on our first bike ride together! They love it. They let me ride over three miles in it on Sunday. Such fun times. Maybe one day I'll be cool like my friend Keri and can pick them up for school in it! Plus, now that I know how to upload videos the possibilities are endless! Should I video this or just take pictures. How can I do both?!?!? Here goes that inevitable flow of words that I was trying to prevent. I guess you will just have to wait and see what I decide!

God is Good. All the time He is Good.

One of the verses that God has really brought to life in a new way this season is one I have known by heart for a long time, but it has made it to a new depth in my life. The verse is 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind."

It started with the sound mind. I think on most days I feel as if I have lost my mind in so many areas. God has been encouraging me that I am not loosing my mind for He has given me a sound mind. Whenever I start to feel as if I am crazy, my sound mind comes from choosing to focus on His truth (that comes from His Word) and not what surrounds me or my feelings. I feel as if I am walking in a season of not trusting my eyes or my heart to guide me, but God's Truth to center me. This center is a place I have never been before and requires a trust like I have not been required to give. I find that as I walk in the ways of the Lord I am shown that the old way(even as recent of yesterday) is not going to work for today. My faith must change just as the night changes back to the day. I hope that makes sense. I guess I used to think, way back when I had just accepted the Christ as my Lord and Savior, I thought once I figured it out I could coast so to speak. God is way too all knowing to let me not be engaged every moment of everyday of my life. There is so much to take in. I am realizing how much I am missing out on by fussing about the things that are so unimportant.

So with my sound mind, He has revealed to me the fear that of that is robbing all that God had intended me to have. I wouldn't characterize myself as fearful. I never would have noticed it, it was so minute that I completely dismissed it as just the way I am (I hate those lies the Enemy speaks over me that I accept as Truth). But it has been exposed. Today I am worth all I will ever be. I can not make myself more worthy of anything. Not worthy of God's forgiveness, His grace, His blessings. What a relief. I have spent the better part of my life trying to prove myself to be worthy. (There's that dreaded "T" word Rebekah). I actually have exhausted ways to try, if you can believe it. I never really could pin point the place where that really came from, but it has crippled many of my relationships over the years. So fear of coming to the place where I realize I just don't measure up has run me ragged. I know, now more than ever, that I am loved, I am the Beloved of God, I am captivating, and that I am exactly the woman God created me to be. I am not going to change the core of who I am. What I am going to do is spend the rest of my life walking right where the Lord would have me to transform me to walk in His freedom more and more each and every day. I pray that my words are only vessels to be used by God to have this sink in beyond what my words can ever express.

The ability to do this comes from the power He provides me to do and the love He is and gives to confidently go where my eyes may not know the path. Thank you God for your endless mercies and grace. Thank you that even when I may not understand and question you, that you are still who you are. Thank you for allowing me to come as I am and not leaving me that way. Thank you that when I struggle to let go of something familiar, your Truth gently encourages me to let go and trust you more than I fear the unknown.

While I will stumble and skin my knee so to speak, I am thankful for the forgiveness and grace to stand back up and do it again until I see Him fully.

This one is for those who really love my family!

Not that you don't love me if you don't want to watch videos of my kids. I think they are pretty fablulous, but they are my kiddos right? One is of Jackson and all the excitement he is these days . . . compared to the day he was born he is a riot right now. The second is my lovely voice singing so Savannah can jam and show off her ability to self entertain these days. Lastly is my angelic Syd singing away at her first opportunity the song I sing so "lovely in the video before. Each one is less than a minute . . . so to those who will, enjoy! Don't forget to mute the music player at the bottom so you can hear the kids.


Jackson Talking to His Mamma! from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

Savannah Dancing to "I'm a Little Teapot" from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

Syndey singing Teapot Song from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

Jacob's Debut as the Big Bad Wolf

I am so proud of myself! I uploaded and embedded this video all by myself. It is a little abrupt, but I will do better next time. I hope you enjoy this as much as you can tell his dad did. (That is his laughter in the backgroud.) Don't forget to pause the muisc at the bottom before you push play. Enjoy!

Untitled from Tammy Fogle on Vimeo.

My Little Ballerina

We were just hanging out during ballet class like any normal Monday. I had happened to bring my camera because the teacher leaves the door open during class if we are quiet enough in the waiting room. Today was a surprise treat because we got to go in and watch the girls do their routine for the May recital. They are doing their dance to the theme song to Gunsmoke. They have such cute costumes!

I was so proud to watch her. We missed the parents class in December because I was in the hospital or just home from the hospital after having Jackson. So I had to catch a few pictures of her. She is so funny. When she is excited or proud, she gets really with drawn looking. It makes her look mad or shy, but it is like she can't show she is excited because it is a secret she must keep. So while I was holding Savannah and keeping an eye on Jackson I only got a few good shots. I know how to get a better spot next time. Push, push, push! Just kidding!

De Ju Voix (SP?)

Savannah enjoying her stickers. She has no cute name for them because she refuses to talk! How appropriate is the shirt she is wearing. It is a passed down from the co-title holder, her sister!

I was helping Savannah sit on the counter while I cooked dinner recently and she found a sheet of stickers. She started sticking them on her all over her face. I was very entertained to watch her enjoy stickers like her sister did not that long ago. I am amazed how much they remind me of each other, yet are completely two different people. It keeps me on my toes and fills my day with mostly smiles.

Like today, watching the girls follow me to the place where Jake was practicing baseball was a hoot. Savannah walked the whole way and stayed about 20 feet behind me. I know I walk too fast. Yet the smile on her face as she made her way to me, melted my wind blown heart. Love those girls. She also had to let everyone smell the weed that had a miniscule flower on it that she stuck up her nose to smell. Thank goodness for parents who understand the importance of smelling a flower.

So all in all our first official day of Spring Break was great. By bedtime I was defintely ready for a break. Too bad we will only have one more nice day before it gets nasty . . . just in time to put in the posts for our fence. I hope my dad can handle the cold with my husband!

Sydney enjoying her "tickers"

Going Ons

It seems just when I think I have found a grove, something pops up to test me. I guess the more in the family, the more opportunities to have it happen. I just was commenting, yesterday I think to be exact, how I am so glad that it is March and the threat of illness is getting less and less each day. I should Bite my tounge sometimes. . . okay lots of times! :) Jacob has the the stomach bug, so no fun Friday night, no fun showing off the Vegetable Vehicle I spent all that money on at the store :), no playdate that I was looking foward to with some friends, and did I mention no time to let the children play today?!?!? Other than this new development, we have had a great week. My mom got to come with my grandma to see my son's debut performance in the "Three Piggy Opera". He was the wolf and this mom was very proud. We also had our first baseball practice for Jacob. I have tried for two years to get him signed up in time and I always miss it. I can't imagine why! Spring Baseball that starts in April has sign ups in the end of January. Thank goodness for ice days to give me time to get my act together.

I don't know what it is about baseball that I love. Practice is about as slow as the real game, but I guess I have so many fond memories growing up playing baseball with my dad, brothers, and our annual whiffle ball game on Easter weekend. This should be a lot of fun for our family. We practice on the Wylie Junior High Track that has mats and a fence to keep the girls safe from my distracted mind. Spring break is here and while we don't have any exciting trip planned. I am hoping I might have posts put in for our backyard. I'll keep you "posted"! (Oh, am I clever or what?) Enjoy the pictures!