To Kallie

February 22, 2012

Dear Mrs. T’s 3^rd grade class,

I’d like to tell you a little bit about Kallie. First, you probably already know that Kallie has an identical twin sister name Evie. What you may not know is that Kallie and Evie were born two months early and weighed just over four pounds each. Kallie was born 5 minutes after Evie, so technically she’s the baby of our family. I think she likes that because she frequently reminds us that she’s our baby.

If you know Kallie then you know that she is a really sweet girl and tries to do things to help others. Kallie also loves animals and wants to become a veterinarian when she grows up. Giraffes are her favorite animal and she has a huge collection. At least 10 stuffed animals and several statues. But, what Kallie really wants is her very own, real, live giraffe.  She’s even made me promise that if we ever move to Africa that we’ll buy a pet giraffe!

Kallie likes school, reading, and soccer. She likes to ride her bike and play with her brother and sister. She’s very helpful and she gives great hugs. I really love her, and I’m glad she’s mine!

I could write pages and pages about how great Kallie is, but I don’t have to tell you – you already know her. Thanks for letting me tell you just a few things about my special Kallie!

Sincerely,

Jennie Vaughn (Kallie’s mommy)

A self portrait of my "baby" girl

This week Kallie was chosen to be "Star Student." She got to do something special each day this week and on Wednesday special thing was have a letter about her read to the class. I enjoyed writing the letter about my girl. I don't often take the chance to just sit and think and write about what makes each of our three special. It was a really special experience. I decided to publish Kallie's letter here, and I want to write one for Holdyn and Evie, too.

What things do you do to make your sweeties feel special? Do you find that writing can help you refocus your priorities or rekindle your emotions?

Much Love, J 

Power of Pink

Friday night the girls and I had the opportunity to attend a really awesome event, UA's Power of Pink gymnastics meet. Back in 2004 gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson wanted to find a way to help under-served West Alabama women receive breast cancer screenings and treatment. The Power of Pink match was born and has since spread across campus and throughout the entire SEC. Now the UA women's athletic teams each have one "pink" event each season, but the gymnastics meet is the biggest. We joined 15,075 of our closest friends at Coleman Coliseum Friday night and cheered on cancer survivors and the Tide lady gymnasts. It was a pink-filled night of fun (and maybe a few tears). AWESOME! Evie said it was the best girls' night out EVER! I agree.

Coleman Coliseum all "pinked out."

Best girls' night out, ever!

PS Sorry for the photo orientation! I've tried to fix them but to no avail. If you have any hints let me know.

Much Love, J

Valentine's Round-up

I do enjoy crafting. Really, I do! I just don't get to do them that often. Usually, I save up crafts for when school's out, but then acting as chief cat herder is so exhausting that I never enjoy our craft projects. But somehow, this Valentine's day was different. I don't know if it was because I organized myself (via Pinterest), had most supplies on hand, or just got shot by cupid's arrow, but we had a regular crafting sweat shop here on Monday afternoon. Here's what we made:

All the fifth grade padawan's got light sabers.

The third graders got fortune tellers,

or cootie catchers, whatever they're called.

The teachers got "diamond" rings,

and so did my friends.

Then on the big morning the girls sported heart pigtails. Thank you Pinterest and all you crafty folks out there for making our Valentine's day cheery and crafty! (PS All this V-day craftiness cost less than $10.)

Much Love, J

Winter?

Y'all just don't know how thrilled I am by this mild winter we're having! Really, I haven't heard anyone complaining. Face it, we live in Alabama. Generally, we don't get, need, or want snow. We like it hot. I won't even get into the swimming pool until the water is in the high seventies and the air outside is in the mid-ninties. Seriously!

Yesterday was really nice and we had a little time after school, so we headed to campus, got a smoothie, and took a little stroll. Just look!

Hangin' with Coach Saban outside the stadium

And with the Bear

Holdyn had to have his own picture.

After last spring's awful storms, I'm choosing to view this winter as a gift and blessing! Extra days of warmth and sunshine to boost my very soul. This is a winter I can handle!

Much Love, J