Southern Bell/Chatty Cathy

I'm raising a very, very, southern girl. She really has no hope of being anything else since we are so deeply rooted in the south (and proud of it). She told me she wanted melk (milk) the other day. Wes and I chuckled at her and now that's how the word is pronounced Melk, with quite a drawl. Listen to her, sorry she's on the potty but she was real chatty and you gota catch 'em when they're in the mood, amen! :)

"What's your favorite drink?" "MELK"

Well, I think I mentioned in a previous post that Rachel talks ALL day long and if she's not talking she's singing/humming. Don't get me wrong I love to hear her talk but at the end of the day, around 8:00 the sound of silence is nice. This was Rachel last night before bed, a little wound up!

Last Day of Pre-School

Today was Rachel's last day of pre-school, what a great year we've had! Rachel's teachers have been outstanding and have given her a great start to school!! We're so pleased with all Rachel has learned this year. She has gained such Independence and has come so far. WOW!

We had a little program today where the children sang several songs then the four year olds graduated. Afterwards we had lunch and said good-bye to all our friends. It was a bitter-sweet day as this will be one of our last activities at FBC. We will miss our friends and teachers so much but we know that our circle of friends is only growing larger.

Wes got to come and see the program today which was a real treat. He worked so hard to get off for a few hours. Watching him, watch his daughter, stole my heart. He had the biggest smile on his face, he is so proud of his little girl and loves her very much! He's a really GREAT dad!

I took a few pictures of Rachel this morning before school (while she was fresh). These turned out so cute!
THE PROGRAM

"Rachel, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you! You sang beautifully and did such a great job! We love you very much!"

Rachel's teacher, Mrs. Linda and the girls.

Good friends, Rachel and Julia, hug and play.

What better way to end the year than playing on the play ground!

See how much Rachel has grown in one year! This was the last day of school last year (May 2009). WOW! What a difference!

Rachel Update

Rachel is doing great these days! Growing and talking so much. In fact she rarely stops talking. She ask lots of questions during the day and she will ask it over and over until you answer her. She definitely has her own opinion and knows what she wants and how she wants it. She still loves playing with her baby dolls, books, and puzzles. She likes to run around outside and could do it for hours. She's getting into movies so we've joined the Disney Movie Club to start our collection of Disney films. Lately her favorite movie to watch is Alison which translates Alice in Wonderland. We also discovered a DVD by Leap Frog named Letter Factory that I HIGHLY recommend to any child learning letters and letter sounds. Great video! Rachel has learned almost all of her letters and letter sounds by watching this video.

Rachel (sad to say) LOVES McDonald's. In fact, M for McDonald was the first letter/sound she learned (I know, I know report me to SS). The other day she ran an errand with her Grammy and Grammy treated her to a milkshake from her favorite place....McDonald's. Don't worry she didn't drink the whole thing.

We read books with Rachel before bed, this night Rachel decided she would read to us. We've also decided that Rachel will either be a teacher or a lawyer because she's either mimicking her teachers or negotiating for something of importance.

Riverbanks Zoo

Today we drove down to the Riverbanks Zoo. It was a great day for the zoo. It was warm but not to hot. Rachel enjoyed seeing all the animals and walking around. She did really well - I was impressed! We had a great time and can't wait to go back with daddy!

The elephants

Say, "elephant" and wave!

Giraffes

The small giraffe is 2 months old.

Koala Bear asleep in a tree.

Lorikeets

We paid $2.00 for Rachel to feed the Lorikeets. It was so worth it! The birds are very friendly and will come up to your cup and drink. I held the cup first and then Rachel wanted to try. She did a great job feeding the birds and was not afraid at all.

Tigers

Lions

We actually saw this lion climb up on the rock.

Baboons

Penguins (my favorite to watch)

Love this picture of Rachel!

Catherine, Sophia, and Rachel pose with a dinosaur.

Flamingos

The Chimps were right infront of a picnic area where we ate lunch. It was nice to watch them swing around while we got our food and ate.

Beach Trip

Rachel and I went on a short beach trip with Wes' family over Spring break. The weather was good, a little windy and chilly at times, but overall sunny. We played on the beach, in the pool, went shopping, ate ice cream and had a fun time. Thanks Parsons for letting us tag along. Back to the grind on Monday. :(

Easter 2010

On Easter Sunday, we got up to see what the Easter bunny had bought Rachel, then we got dressed and headed for church. After church we came home to a great time with family. We had a cookout with my mom's side of the family and it was wonderful. What a great day to celebrate what the Lord has done for us!

Good Friday

On Good Friday, the whole family attended services at Calvary Church. It was a very meaningful services. We got one picture of all the grandkids after the service, it was a hard one to get. This was the best of 5 that we took. :)