HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We always go to Scott's Aunt Betty's to start the night
Ready to go

Cutest cheeseburger ever!

Months ago, Kate and I started discussing what she would like to be for Halloween. I had her talked into the Cat in the Hat until I tried the makeup on her (black nose/whiskers) and she freaked out, so she decided that she would like to be the cupcake on the front of Pottery Barn Kids. We went online to order the costume and they were SOLD OUT! So we had to go to plan B and I talked her into the spider costume and sold it to her as the Itsy Bitsy Spider which she loved...until the costume came in and she refused to wear it (5 days before Halloween)...now plan C..."well Kate, what would you like to be now?"..."well, I think I'll be a cheeseburger"....WHAT?? I am stressed out thinking how will I ever pull this off and remember that my sweet friend Robin's little boy Riley had been one the year before and so I start praying that she still has the costume. I text her and beg to borrow it and she was thrilled for us to use it, so instead of anything "girly", Kate was a cheeseburger!!! We trick or treated around the block with our neighbors, one of which was a skeleton which Kate was terrified of!

PUMPKIN PATCH

Kate and her friend Silas

Sliding down the hayslide

Momma's girl!

Scott and I went with Kate on her first field trip today to the Pumpkin Patch...how fun!!! She had fun on the hayride and playing in the maze with her friends...she cried when she found out that you actually have to go home when it's over!

MSU/FLORIDA GAME

Tailgating is hard work!

Kate and her daddy

Precious face!

She loves ringing that thing

Dan is our man!

Thank you Lord, for cooler weather! This was the best game yet because it was finally comfortable. Kate had a ball and was obsessed with the Florida Gators...she stayed in this one tent next to us admiring their gator and had to have her picture taken. I must have taken the Gator pics with my phone...will upload on a different post if I find them.

THE FAIR

Scott and I took the afternoon off today and took Kate to the State Fair after school. It was sooooo cold! Less than 2 weeks ago, we were still sweating to death...go figure! Kate loves riding just about any ride and loves climbing the big slide with her daddy...good thing, because I am not a fan of climbing all of those steps! HA!

GO DAWGS

Ring that cowbell

Loving the slides

Kate and Perry Powell

Not sure what we did in September besides get back into the swing of school, because I don't have a single picture from last month...oh well, we have been enjoying taking Kate to Starkville for the football games. She loves all the activity...I will be glad when she is mature enough that I don't have to worry about her wandering off like she did at the first game of the season...surprised I didn't have to be hospitalized after that!...it was as hot as blazes, our tailgate area was soooooo crowded and two things i don't like are heat and unnecessary crowds...and guess what, neither does Kate...I turned my head for a second to clean up a mess and she was GONE!!! When I tell you it was so crowded, I mean it was wall to wall people and I started crying knowing there was NO WAY I would ever find her!!! I was that hysterical momma screaming her name and totally about to lose it when out of the corner of my eye, I spy her sitting under a tent that no one else is in but her...When I get to her (before I about shook the life out of her) I said, "Kate what are you doing?" to which she frankly replied, "Mom, I just wanted to be by myself." I totally got it and in fact, 10 minutes before the game started, I made Scott go and get the car so that Kate and I could go home because while games are fun, sometimes there is no place like home...and it started raining while we were loading up and besides heat and crowds, I also don't do football in the rain. Bless Scott's heart, he LOVES football season and was so excited about the first game, but he piled in the car to go home with us instead of staying with friends.

SESAME STREET LIVE

Ready for the show to start
Oscar the Grouch

Abby Cadabby

Zoe

Wow!

Scott and I took Kate to Sesame Street Live for the second year in a row and she was so excited. She told everyone before going that she would be sitting on the front row and she was. It was so great because all of the characters would come down on the floor at some point and hug her or shake her hand...she was in heaven!

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

At home before the big day sporting the name tag!

Marking the day outside the front door of school


Running to her class!

Kate with her teacher, Mrs. Lana Perkins...too busy to pose!

Kate wins the prize for being non-compliant!

Well the big day has come and Kate is in Preschool!!! She is going to school 3 days a week at Pinelake Christian Preschool which is at our church and across from PCS where I teach. She rides to school with me and our sweet friend Gayle Matherne picks her up and takes her across the street for school. She was so excited on her first day...I was so scared that I would cry, but surprisingly, I did not! I was quite proud of myself. Thanks to my sweet friend (and parent of one of my students), Dana Graf and her precious daughter Breanna, I was able to leave my classroom to take Kate for her first day of school! She literally ran to her classroom...I could barely get pictures. When we got to her room, all of the other children were sitting at tables playing with playdough and the teacher said, "Kate, come sit down and play with some playdough", to which Kate replied, "No thanks" and hopped over to the toys! I was mortified being a teacher and tried to get her to come sit down. Her precious teacher said, "It's fine if she gets something else out", but I was still completely embarrassed that my child was the only one who wouldn't do what she was supposed to...dear Lord, I know you and I will have lots of talks about this in the years to come!!! :0) The last picture posted above shows all the kids sitting and the teacher talking and Kate hopping around behind her...gracious!!! Scott almost died when he saw the picture and heard the story!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

We got back from the beach just in time for the 4th with a group of old friends. We all gathered at the Powells super fun pool and the only pics I took were of Kate eating a cookie!!!! I have got to buy a smaller camera that just fits in my pocket so that I can carry it around anywhere. Well, at least it is a cute picture.

THE JASPERS LOVE THE BEACH

To say that we love the beach is a huge understatement...we love everything about it (except for the fact that I am still not thin, when i vowed that i would be while we were here last year...oh, well, maybe 2010 will be better!)...Kate's swimming lessons definitely paid off...she is swimming up a storm...in fact, we couldn't even go down to the beach but once, because she just wanted to swim!!! People kept stopping us at the pool to remark at what a good swimmer she was to be so little. She jumped in the deep end, which is of course over my head before i could tell her NO!!! she didn't seem to mind that we both almost drowned as i huffed and puffed to get us both to the side...(i can swim, but i quit lifesaving lessons on the first day because i dropped the weight we were passing around in a circle and refused to swim to the bottom of the deep end to hoist it back to the surface...no thank you, i worked at the bank that summer instead of sitting in a cute chair working on my tan at the pool!) Our sweet friends, the Powells were at the beach while we were so we were glad to get to go to dinner and hang out with them at Cobalt. I think our favorite part of the trip this year was ordering in from Louisiana Lagniappe and eating dinner on the balcony...nothing like family time!

SWIMMING LESSONS

DAY 1: LOOK AT THAT FACE!!! POOR THING!

DAY 2: STILL SAD

WEEK 2 AND THE EXCITEMENT HAPPENS!

AND THEN A SMILE!

GETTING READY TO HOLD HER BREATH!

Kate started swimming lessons last week and things seemed very bleak for the first 3 days. I thought day 1 would consist of getting her used to the water since this was her first time at lessons...WRONG!!! Literally the teacher demonstrated how to hold her breath and then under she went!!! The only time she was not crying for the first 3 days was when she was under the water holding her breath! Poor Ms. Kay...I do not covet her job!!! Week 2 has been much better...she has actually been excited about going and loves jumping off the side and swimming to her teacher. We leave for the beach in a couple of weeks, so we are hoping the lessons will pay off!

SUMMER'S A SPLASH

What would summertime be without a good ole plastic backyard pool if you can't have the real thing??? Kate loves the water and is starting swimming lessons for the first time tomorrow...I will be saying lots of prayers for Kay Crotwell tonight!!!

School's Out and Kate Gets a Pet

Today was the last day of school and since it was a half day, my precious headmaster let Kate come to school with me since only a few of my students were coming for the last day! It was such a treat for Kate...she thought she was such a big girl! It's so funny how she thinks school is big fun...of course, her idea of school is coming to work with me in my classroom when no kids are there and I clean or do plans and she watches dvds...I'm wondering how her thoughts will change once she is actually in K3 in August!!

My precious friend, Jillian, who Kate adores, asked Kate if she would like to have her class pet (a beta fish) to take home for the summer...Kate was happy to help her out...She named her fish Dorothy (after Elmo's fish, of course!)...Scott was not as excited about the fish as Kate was!! I must say I am not thrilled knowing I will be the one to clean out the nasty fish bowl; however, Kate's face was enough to make it worth doing...

So glad to see that summer is here, even though I LOVED my sweet class this year and will miss seeing them this summer! Thank you, Lord for summer!

SUPER BULLDOG WEEKEND

She had just woken up from a little snooze.
Look at that face!

I still cannot believe she got this close...

We took Kate to Starkville for her first Super Bulldog Weekend and she had a blast! We went to the spring game and to the baseball game. She loved wearing her cheerleader suit.

HAPPY EASTER!

THANK YOU EASTER BUNNY!

SCOTT, KATE AND POPPA D

THE THREE OF US

Kate loved checking out her Easter basket this year! Today was a big day because our church did not have children's activities and Kate had to sit through the entire church service. We were amazed, because she only got antsy one time. She was blown away everytime the music would start.