The world's best...

HUSBAND, FATHER, MAN

TRUE STORY...I LOVE YOU DARRIN

To be TWO...

My new little two year old,

I may have told you this before but for every birthday for about 4 years before you were born, every time i made a wish before I blew out my candles it was for a little boy to join our family. Sisters were born before you, but you have finally made your way to our family. We are so blessed to have had you for these last two years. You are so full of personality.

I have never met a bigger copycat, you copy everything you see others do. From diving into the pool to wearing Eden's high heels. We often stress over and over again to the girls that you are always watching and they have to be your good example, which most of the time they are.

You love to yell, maybe it's because you are the 4th child and must raise your voice to be heard I am not sure, but you sure do have volume. You share a room with Eden and every morning you wake her up (and the rest of us) by yelling.
Your vocabulary is growing and growing, we are still laughing about the time you said "I got this."

You love to play with your sisters and you don't really care what it is they are doing as long as they are including you. You chase GraCie (the chicken) all over the yard and have just recently been getting in her pen, which really freaks her out. You love to swim, although you are too small to get in the big pool, but you don't seem to mind the baby pool.

You have been going to nursery at church for about 6 months now, and you cry every time I drop you off, but then as soon as I shut the door you start playing. You love to be held and cuddled (which I love). You give great hugs and even good sloppy kisses. I have often seen you from your window blowing me kisses as I drive away, most often as you are crying.

I look forward to so many more years with you, I just know we are going to have so much fun. You are going to be an amazing person.

I love you, thank you for picking me to be your mom.

Love,

Mom

Meet GrayCie

This is GrayCie and she is our chicken.


For several months, maybe even close to a year now, I have had it in my head that all in the world will be right if only our family got a chicken. I love that they lay eggs, we are big egg eating people, and they seem low maintenance, not really a tested theory before I got one, but has proved to be true.
Here is the story of how our lives were blessed by Miss GrayCie...
Jet was a small chick that grew up with a wonderful family called the Stegelemeirs. Now as time passed and Jet grew, so did her sisters. The Stegelemeirs started seeing the blessings of eggs and decided that the next Spring they would get more chicks. Well as most chicken people know (I did not) you can't bring in baby chicks with the older chickens. So Jet's time at the Stegelemeirs came to an end and she was lovingly adopted by another caring family the Dare's.
Sadly though, the Dare's already had their own chickens and Jet was not accepted, something we like to call the Pecking Order is a true thing, and Jet began to be pecked. The Dare children renamed Jet to Baldee, because before long the other chickens had pecked her bald. One day Papa Dare woke up to find Baldee laying lifeless in the cage, the thought that she had finally meet her demise crossed his mind and he grabbed a bag as he went to check on her. But a fascinating thing happened a miracle of events so too speak, and Baldee was not dead, simply playing dead, so she could avoid further persecution. The Dares did the only thing they could and let her roam free in their backyard. Knowing this could not work for long, they decided to find a new loving home for Baldee, and the Case Family eagerly accepted. They did not have a coop, food or a roost but they did have love in their hearts.
After a couple of different names, Mama Case decided that it had to be a girl name, Scooter just seemed too boy, and the Case Children, decided on GrayCie because she is Gray. She now roams the yard of the Case family, she is happy and starting to heal from her head wound. A coop is being built but in the meantime, little boy Case will happily chase her around the yard. Just as I suspected all is right in the world, and the Case family live cluckily ever after. The End.

Soccer Star

I DID IT! This year I really did enforce the rule that each child gets to do one sport at a time. It's hard to actually make this happen, because my kids want to be involved in everything, but with 3 kids in things it's just too much. So our little Baylie choose soccer. I was so happy, I just love soccer, I love to watch my kids play, I love to practice with them too, it's just all around a good active sport.
We always have the incentive that if you score a goal in a game we all get ice cream and fortunately Baylie did score in her 2nd to last game and we got our favorite...Maverik frozen yogurt.
After her soccer party, when she got her trophy, we were walking back to the car and she said "I love soccer mom, I want to play again" being suspicious of the motive I asked her why she liked it, her reply..."because I got a trophy" I had to laugh because my friend Celeste, who threw and organized the end of season party did it solely so that her daughter could get a trophy, I guess trophies really do mean a lot to kids.

A Special Thanks

THANK YOU is not sufficient enough for the wonderful teachers that have taught and loved my girls through the year, but it will have to suffice...Thank You to Mrs Dirst and Mrs Reid (Baylie's Teachers) Miss Lind and Mrs Tate (Jaya's Teachers)

Friday was the last day of school, YIPEE, while all things must come to an end I must say this was one of the more emotional ends for some of us Cases. For some reason as I dropped Baylie off in the afternoon for her last day of Kindergarten, which is half day, it just hit me that next year I won't see her all day. Some may think, my goodness Darcy that is a whole Summer away from happening, which is true, but I will miss my Baylie so much. Having her home in the mornings and Jaya gone, has been such a different dynamic in our family. It was WONDERFUL to get to know Baylie a little better and I discovered what an amazing asset she is. She helps tremendously and will often do what I ask the first time. She is a natural organizer and cleaner, what a blessing to have her around.

After school when I picked up both girls, Jaya had a red puffy face, I asked her what was wrong and she said "I am just sad that I won't be in 2nd grade anymore." So I told her, "Well go back and you can stay in 2nd grade forever!" Really we went back, but it was only because I didn't get pictures. Jaya got to say her final goodbyes and I told her all things come to an end, and I have most often found when something ends, something greater begins, even though it is hard. I love my girls.

JOY School graduates

Another year of Joy School has come to an end. (I taught Baylie 2 years ago). I had my hesitations teaching this year, mainly because it's a lot of work, but this year was great! I think the fact that I wasn't 9 months pregnant by the end of the school year helped, but really the year flew by. The things I LOVE about teaching Joy School are...I get to know my child on a social level...I get to know my children's friends...It forces me to plan and teach my children (I wish force wasn't involved but it most often present)...I always learn more about MY friends and admire each one of them for different reasons. Thanks Mindy, Amy, Celeste and Lisa for being dedicated, creative, loving, patient mothers, you are AMAZING!!!

Future Olympian?