Papa Doc

It's always a pleasure having Doc visit us. I'm so glad he was able to come on his way through Nashville as he prepares for Lads to Leaders at the Opryland Hotel. He is Jason's best friend and one of the biggest blessings from our time in youth ministry in Henderson. They have maintained a great relationship and always pick up right where they leave off. (Especially when Dr. Pepper and burping are involved.)  It was fun showing him our new place and getting to catch up on Henderson and family news. We love to hear about the adventures of his grand girls, Mary Belle and Olivia. We also got to hear about his grand niece, Naomi Elizabeth. Love all these sweet little girl names in our families! 

A big thank you to Debbie for the quiet time books! The girls loved them. As you can see below, they put Elizabeth right to sleep and Mary Charlotte was ready for a second read. We had the Beard story/circle time this morning in bed. Still not a reality that morning circle time can be done in bed with pajamas and no makeup! I'm kind of liking this! :)
Thank you for thinking of the girls, Mrs. Deb! 

Doc came bearing gifts, including two beautiful dresses from another dear Henderson friend, Rosemary. I taught at East Chester with Rosemary a few years ago and love her so much. While living in Henderson, I was able to learn from her in the classroom as well as at church. Her Wednesday night ladies' class was such a treat each week and I still miss going to it. She is a light to all those she touches and I learned so much from her example and encouragement. She knows just what kind of dresses the girls like (or what their Mommy encourages them to like). Thank you for the beautiful, white gowns. I can't wait to play dress up with the girls. She got them from Belk and they are Petit Ami, which is a line I love and had no idea that they carried. We will definitely be visiting there in the near future! Thank you Rosemary!

Whenever we have a Bloomingburg or Beard Bed and Breakfast weekend, we like to share and swap recipes. This is one I made this morning for Doc. It was originally his recipe, created after we told him about eating a granola breakfast dish in Asheville, North Carolina while visiting the Biltmore. The Wright Inn was a wonderful B & B we stayed in and then later on the Bloomingburgs stayed there as well after our recommendation.  It's become one of my favorite breakfast casseroles and a "go to" when I know company is coming. It's very filling and tasty and other than the butter and sugar, not too unhealthy! Ha!

Happy Thursday!

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Cranberry Apple Casserole

*Can be prepared beforehand

3 C peeled, chopped apples 
2 C fresh or canned cranberries
2 T flour
1 1/2 t lemon juice
*Combine and toss to coat and add 1 C sugar.

Place fruit in a buttered 2 quart casserole dish and top with the following:

3 individual packets of instant cinnamon and spice oatmeal
3/4 C chopped pecans
1/2 C flour
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter

*Spoon Oatmeal mixture over fruit and bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.
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And now for what you really wanted to see...two little girls!

 Snuggles with Doc B

 More snuggles with Doc B

 We love our Boppy pillows!

Without headbands, we are happy!

MC and Elizabeth with headbands, a little less thrilled!

 This quilt was made for the girls by Anna Catherine. I featured Jessica's quilt yesterday.
Thank you, AC, we love it!

 The girls with books from Grammy Deb.

LOVE them, Rosemary! Thank you so much!

12 Weeks

Yes, I just realized I forgot to add the chalkboard with weeks on it, but here is the best we could do today! Thanks to our sweet Mississippi friend, Emily, for these cute gowns. Her mother monogrammed them for the girls. Emily and her husband Daniel have been such a great resource for us as they have twin girls, Addison and Hayden. We were introduced through a mutual friend and hit it off immediately. We have a lot in common as we are both teachers and our husbands are attorneys.  When we met with them last fall, who would have thought we'd have four girls in 2014?! 

Thank you for your friendship, Emily and Daniel! 

The quilt the girls are laying on was handmade for them by Jessica. She and her sister, Anna Catherine made each girl a quilt and brought them on a visit to Memphis one week before they were born. We hope Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte are as close as Jess and AC! Love you girls!

 Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte. MC thinks her hand needs to be in sister's face!

 Mary Charlotte hates headbands and starts crying immediately when they are put on her head! Putting the paci in her mouth between pics was the olive branch to get one smile.

A Tulip Weekend

Our spring weekend started out by visiting the beautiful Cheekwood Botanical Garden. The tulips are currently in peak bloom season. They looked and smelled absolutely amazing! Saturday's weather was perfect for getting out and strolling around. We loaded the girls up and decided to head out before a busy afternoon with family. Jason is such a huge help and makes me feel like an outing is possible any time! I really enjoy getting out and try to do something outside of our home each day, even if it's just a run to Target! It's amazing what a  little fresh air and sunshine will do. After a sunny morning, we headed down to see our niece, Nora Kate as she was performing in a play. She's been practicing since January and she did such a great job. We just about missed it as our first born had a blow out right before we walked in. Nora Kate didn't seem to mind and she enjoyed flowers Jason picked out for her. The girls love bright colors so Uncle Jason knew exactly which ones to choose. After the play, the girls got to meet more family for the first time. Seeing Aunt Patsy and cousins, Brian, Lauren and Tyler was fun. Even the most masculine of men melt when they hold sweet baby girls! We also got Easter outfits this weekend at a super cute store, called Once Upon a Time by Amy. I thought we had everything we needed for Easter weekend, until Jason suggested we go by another children's shop named Molly Anna's. Now we have two sets of Easter dresses and bonnets. These girlie clothes are becoming increasingly dangerous! We are looking forward to a baby brunch shower and first church service next weekend in Illinois. Now we'll have to decide which dresses to wear to which event! Haha! Happy Monday, everyone!

http://onceuponatimebyamy.com/ 

Mrs. Beard's Buckaroos

Lori has been such a blessing to me since I came to Lakeland. Her youngest son, Carter was in my first group of Buckaroos when I came to L.E.S. She was my amazing room mother my first year at a new school. Who would have known, that four years later she would  be teaching in my classroom? It was so wonderful of her to agree to take on five days a week with 20 little ones. She is doing an amazing job!  My grade level enjoys working with her so much and all my parents have nothing but great things to say about her teaching ability. I'm just so thankful I don't have to worry about my Buckaroos because she is there. My students are learning so much each day and are being loved on. I know it's a huge sacrifice for her and her family. I appreciate them being so patient with me and I  have no idea how I can ever repay what her time has meant for our new little family. I was so surprised when I got a package in the mail sent from her and my kindergarten kids. It was so nice to hear from everyone. I miss my kids, but I'm so thankful to be able to stay home with my new loves, Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte. Thanks Lori, for all you do each day!

 Lori and Carter on his first day of Kindergarten.

 Carter on Farmer Friday with his milk mustache.

 Lori helping with a class party. I can't believe that Carter is in 3rd grade this year!

 The Buckaroos this year. I have such a sweet class. This was on the day I told them I was expecting twins!

I passed the ultrasound pictures out and had my students guess what they thought they were. After having just completed a science lesson about reptiles and amphibians, babies were the last thing on their minds. After I told them they were babies, they began looking all around the room to find them. Glad they didn't ask how they got in my belly!

The sweet letters I received from my class. Thank you, Lori. You made my day! 

The Pink Ladies

The girls are enjoying their new, pink swaddles. Mary, one of my sweet teacher friends monogrammed them for our school shower. They were one of my favorite things! It's no surprise that she knows what southern girls like because she has three of  her own. Her three girls have a special place in my heart. I had two out of three in my kindergarten class and I'm still trying to figure out how Emma could just do kindergarten in Nashville! I love these little ladies and love that Mary has always been such an encouragement to me and has shared her pink sweeties with me before we had any! Thanks Mary! Love you Sally, Abby and Emma! XOXOXO

 Elizabeth is wondering why Mommy is squishing her head during nap time.

 "Yummy, I like the taste of pink fur! So much better than blue!"

 The Beard home version of center time. Using my kindergarten skill set to manage centers.... It's a little easier with 2 instead of 20! The girls use the swing and Boppy during awake time after eating.

 Elizabeth and turtle in serious conversation.

Watch out, Daddy....we are scheming!

 Mary's girls

Sally was very concerned that the doctors told me wrong when they said I was having twins. Of course it was very early on, but she kept telling her mom, "There's no way Mrs. Beard has two babies in there. I hope she's not disappointed."

 Where my pink inspiration comes from. Love these little ladies!

Thank you, Emma for sharing your bows with my girls!