An Evening at the Circus!

The elephant painted a picture with his trunk!

This was Gracie's first time to go to the circus. Looks like she is enjoying it, right?!

Cotton Candy! A favorite of Gracie's.

The beautiful American Flag. So thankful to live in this great country.

A refreshing Snow Cone at intermission.

During the pre-show the girls tried on some "circus wear" and took their picture with one of performers.

Emily seems to like the Cotton Candy too!

The four of us. Good Times!

Seven, yes, SEVEN motorcycles riding around the inside of this metal cage at one time!

Emmy had her eye on this horse from the start! Yes, we now own it :) Gracie chose a boomerang.

A breath of fresh air!

"Here Mom, this is for you!"

Run Emmy Run!

Letting go is a hard thing for a Daddy to do.

A stop at the neighborhood park after Gracie rode her bike.

Friday Night Fun

It was time to set the bounce house up in the garage again. Jack and Jordan came over right after they got home for school and all 4 of them had a great time jumping, sliding and screaming!

Look at that hair! Must be a little static electricity in the air.

Gracie and Jack having popcorn and reading together after gymnastics.

My sweet little Emmy fast asleep with her "Mousie". It looks like he is snoring too!

Open House at Powhatan Elementary

Gracie doing a "Happy Dance" on the way down to her classroom.

Strike a pose girls!

The title of this bulletin board says it all!

Gracie showing me her art portfolio.

I want to frame this one! Very proud of my little artist.

Grace's cubby where she keeps her backpack, coat and other "stuff".

Gracie giving her daddy and sister a tour of her First Grade classroom.

Gracie demonstrating the Smart Board. They've come along way since the classic blackboard!

Gracie and Emmy sampling the Skittles in the reading enhancement room. Look at those full cheeks!

Enjoying the reading corner and some good books.

We met Auntie Sandra and Luke on the way out.

The girls posing in their new Valentine outfits that Nana sent for them!

The Stage!

One evening last year Rocky and I were helping the girls clean up the playroom. There is a little nook off of the main part of the room and it just seemed like we should make it in to something fun for the girls. We always set aside a certain amount of money for both of the girl's birthdays each year and we decided that this year we would build them a stage! They both LOVE to perform, and have been having plays and music shows for quite a few years now. As with every DIY project our family takes on it seemed to become a little "bigger" project than we had envisioned.

Thanks to my dear brother "Uncle Lyle" sturdy plans were drawn up and Rocky set to work measuring, cutting and assembling the structure.

Gracie and Emmy took a few minutes out of their busy performing schedule to tell Daddy that he was "The BEST Daddy in the world" and thank you for making them a stage!

After the structure was built he installed the stage lights and then it was time for the hardwood floors. Once again Uncle Lyle was very helpful in the installation of the hardwoods.

When the floor was done it was time to go and choose the fabric for the cornice and the curtains. Nana and I spent most of a Saturday afternoon figuring out a pattern, how much material we would need, how to make the pleats fall right and choosing fabric. Wow! Did I mention that this project turned out to be WAY more work than I had thought it would be? The next evening Nana and I (Papa helped too, but I don't know if he would want to admit to this) layed out, pinned and sewed away!

After many weeks of "When will our stage be ready?" and "Are you done yet?" there was a finished product! With curtains that open and close, working stage lights and hardwood floors that make lots of noise when they are danced on, we had two very happy and excited little girls!

February 9, 2011

I have been paper scrapping for about 7 years now... I have enjoyed it as a creative outlet as well as a way to keep up with the family memories! I always look forward to meeting a friend or two for a evening crop at Archiver's over dinner and lots of girl talk! The colors, papers and embellishments make me happy as soon as I walk in the door. It was only recently that I have become really interested in digital scrapbooking. It has a couple plusses in that there is no clutter, I can sit down for just a few minutes if that is all I have and save my project to continue working on it later and I don't have to drive all the way into Raleigh in order to have all of the colors and designs I could ever want at my fingertips. I have also become intrigued with the idea of using a daily blog to create our family memory book for the year. Maybe I can blend the digital scrapbooking in with my blog and then print out the blog into a hardcover book at the end of the year? This way I will have my finished album at the end of the year, and my close friends and family will be able to keep up with life at the Lien's!