Birthday Princess

Savannah's New 'Do

Three months ago, Savannah found the scissors and gave herself a haircut:

The hair stylist did some damage control and gave Savannah a pixie cut:

Well, today Savannah got her first haircut in three months. 

The stylist trimmed Savannah's bangs, but kept the top long 

so Savannah's hair can grow into bob in the coming months:

Sofia the First Birthday Party

On February 15, we had a great time celebrating Savannah's 5th birthday 

with 35 family and friends at our house:

Tal and Savannah (and Lambie)

Uncle Benny, Harper, and Savannah

Aunt EJ and Savannah

Grandma Barbara and Harper

Grandma Barbara and Savannah

Great Grandaddy and Savannah

Gran, Grandaddy, and Savannah

Savannah was delighted that her friend Liza 

(who lives behind us) came to the party:

Savannah also loved playing dress-up with her friends from preschool:

I love the pictures below because they show how happy and special 

Savannah felt while everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to her:

Blowing out the candles

Opening presents

Savannah loved receiving Teen Beach Movie 

from Grandma Barbara:

For her party, Savannah requested a Sofia the First theme:

I bought Savannah's personalized T-shirt from Etsy:

Custom Party Invitations from Etsy

For decorations, I purchased this printable party (also from Etsy):

Water Bottle Wraps

Cupcake Toppers

I filled apothecary jars with shredded construction paper 

and dressed them up with some coordinating ribbon:

We kept the menu simple. 

We ordered pizza and snacked on chips and salsa, chips and dip, 

and carrots and hummus.

Happy 5th Birthday, Savannah!

Happy Valentine's Day!

After being snowbound for the last two days, 

Savannah had a great time celebrating Valentine's Day 

with her preschool friends today!

Savannah and Claire are preschool BFFs:

Valentine's Day snacks

After eating her snack, Savannah received a 

 paper bag with Valentines from all of her friends:

Savannah was so excited to receive this Little Mermaid Valentine:

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Savannah's 5th Birthday!

 Our sweet Savannah turned 5 on February 12!

School was canceled due to an impending snow storm:

Before the snow started falling, Savannah and I 

celebrated her birthday at Chick-fil-a:

At Chick-fil-a, we ran into Savannah's friend Isabella. 

Savannah and Isabella had lots of fun playing together:

 When it started snowing, Tal left work at 2 P.M., so he could get home for Savannah's birthday. 

Unfortunately, Tal got stuck in this gridlock (photo courtesy of local media). Tal's normal commute is 45 minutes. Yesterday, it took Tal 5.5 hours to travel 25 miles. Savannah and I gave Tal lots of hugs and kisses when he got home at 7:30 P.M.!

Today was another snow day for me and Savannah:

 We enjoyed spending the day inside with Tal who worked from home today:

Big snowflakes fell today:

We're looking forward to Savannah's Sofia the First 

birthday party on Saturday!

Happy 5th Birthday, Savannah!

15 years ago today...

On February 10, 1999, I packed up my car and moved 900 miles from Illinois to North Carolina to start my teaching career. I only knew one family in NC. Looking back, I can't believe I was so courageous and adventurous at age 22!

Below are some highlights from my first 15 years in NC:

• 1999-2007: taught 7th grade English
• 2005: bought my first house
• 2007: earned my master's degree
• 2007: got married 
• 2007: started my career as a teacher-librarian
• 2009: gave birth to Savannah
• 2010: bought our forever home
• 2012: earned my National Board Certification

I'm thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and many blessings over the last 15 years!

Happy Harper