Speaking of Heathens...

 ...One of our favorites came to visit last week!  Ha ha - just kidding Uncle Dan - Mama thought it was an opportunity for a funny and she just can't resist turning you into a punch line.  Ha!  AAAAH!  She did it again!  She is so FUNNY! (HEY!  Whoa!  Is that a MICHIGAN sweatshirt in the background?!  Hey - GO BLUE!)

 Well Uncle Dan and Mr. Nick only got to stay for a few hours which PISSED ME OFF.  No, seriously, it did - I fussed for hours afterwards.  Next time we will have to plan it better.  Uncle Dan, I promise not to puke on your day of arrival so that next time you're in town you can just stay with us.  That is better because then we get more silly time, and we LOVE silly time with Uncle Dan!
This time we went out to eat for pizza as one big, fat Anglo/Slavic family - it was super fun!  I'm sure the server was tickled to death.

And now for your enjoyment - Jack with the camera!

And hey!  Happy belated birthday to THIS handsome fella!
And some more pics for ya!

Thanks for coming to see us Uncle Dan and Mr. Nick!  We love you!
XOXO
Love,
Lilly, Anna Jane, and Jack

I am the Chosen One

Mommy and Daddy take turns reading with each of us every night.  Right now Mommy and I are reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible.  We read a story, then we discuss.  Last night's story was from the New Testament, and the gist of it is if you believe in Jesus you go to Heaven.  When you're 7 like I am, it's easy to think everyone believes what you believe - but as you grown ups all know - that is never the case.  So Mama likes to use teaching moments like this to ask me what I think.  She says, "Where do you think people who DON'T know Jesus go?"  and I had to think, because - we don't all know and believe in Jesus?  Well, no - and that's okay!  (When Mommy was in Sunday school she was taught you believe in Jesus or you go to Hell.  True story, and that's a scary thing to think when you know that not everyone you love believes in Jesus.  So let's rewrite that history...)
"So, if you don't believe in Jesus where do you go when you die?"
Me, "Ummm...hmmmm..."
Mommy, "That is not up to us.  That is up to God.  We hope and pray that when we die and go to Heaven we will be reunited with the people we love.  Just because someone we love doesn't believe in Jesus the way we do doesn't make them a bad person - there are lots of good people that we love who don't believe in Jesus the way we do."
Me, "Like who?"
Mommy (er - sorry Uncle Dan), "Like Uncle Dan!  He doesn't share our beliefs but you love him with all your heart and guess what?  God does too!  Because God loves everyone, even if they don't believe in Him the way we do."
Me, "Who else?"
Mommy (yeah, sorry Uncle J), "Well, Uncle J is a Jew (not raised a Jew - but is a Jew - Mama gets confused - we will sort that out in future theological discussions) and we've learned from our Bible about Jews and Gentiles, right?"
Me, "Yeah, right!  So are Ollie and Vivi Jewish too?"
Mommy, "I don't know!  Maybe some day we can ask them?  I'm sure they would love to talk with you about what you believe and about what they believe."
Me, "Mommy, so does Uncle J like believe that we came from monkeys?  Some of the kids at school think we came from monkeys.  Like Gilad is Jewish, but he said we came from monkeys."
Mommy, "That is called 'evolution' and yes, some people believe in evolution."
Me, "Well, you can tell Uncle J that he's probably right about monkeys.  I mean, Anna probably DID come from monkeys.  But not me.  God MADE me."
Because I am LillyBean - I am the chosen one!
I love these little moments.
Love,
Lilly Bean Made by God, Anna Jane descended from Monkeys, and Jack Who Is Yet to be Determined

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

 Happy birthday, Grammy!  I love this picture - I think we look alike a little!  Don't you?!  We hope you have a wonderful day and an even better year!  Here are some of our favorite pictures from your last visit to Greenville!  Mommy and Daddy tell us you're planning another visit for Mother's Day weekend?!  That is SUPER AWESOME!!  That is Artisphere weekend and it's one of our favorite weekends in Greenville!  We are going to have so much fun!!  We can't wait to see you!

We love you, Grammy!
Happy of happiest birthdays!
Love,
Lilly Bean, Anna J, and Jack

Happy Birthday, Uncle Mark!

Hey, Uncle Mark!  Happy Birthday!  We hope 32 is your best year ever!  We hope you get to take lots of them fancy golf trips (maybe score your next hole in one?!), we hope you get to eat lots of them gor-may meals in cool cities, we hope you get to kick it with Aunt Kimber and Stella on the sandy beach, we hope you get to listen to lots of sweet jams - we hope it's your best year ever!  And we love you!  And happy birthday!
Love,
Your Mini Me Anna Jane, Lilly, and Jack

Do You Wanna Be a Rockstar?

I'm sure by now most of you have heard I cut my own hair for the umpteenth time.  This time was no joke, I cut that mess right off.

 No more hair in MY eyes, thankyouverymuch.

 As a reward for my disruptive attack on my own head I got to go get my herrrrdid at the salon.  (Next time, maybe just ASK to go to the salon, Anna Jane?!?)  I know, I got mixed reviews like, "You shoulda just let her hair alone" and "That's rewarding bad behavior."  I know, and I know - but I'm still only 5.  Mommy would rather I conduct these experiments now than in high school.  Maybe I'm working it out of my system?  Maybe?

 #NOREGRETS

 After my haircut at the Salon I came home and started DANCING!  Like a ROCKSTAR!!

C'mon, ya gotta love me!
Love,
Anna Jane, Long-hair 4-EVA Lilly Bean, and Longer Hair Than AJ At the Moment Jack

The Duda Abides

This weekend was the Daddy/Duda/Daughter Dance at the Marriott (it was the YMCA dance this year - for the Greenville YMCountryClubA - really - it's a swanky Y for those of us COUNTRY folks who don't want to pay for the CLUB part!  This year we each got our own special date - our Daddy and our Duda!  We had a ball!  Until the clock struck 9:00 - and I turned into a pumpkin.  When we got home and Mama opened the door I walked right in the house, went straight to my room and into bed.  I barely even put my jammies on!
Thanks for taking us to the Daddy/Duda/Daughter Dance, Daddy and Duda!

Love,
Lilly, Anna Jane, and Stay At Home Jack

P.S. I'm going to play around with the blog format a bit - do you like this?  I like the bigger pictures - what do you think?  Lemme know! :)

LillyBean, LillyBean Where Have You Bean!?!?

Duda brought it to Mommy's attention that we are closing in on 3 months without a blog post.  Wowza.  What a slacker!  And, like, what's your excuse Mama - since you're a bona fide "SAHM"-er and all you do all day is grocery shop, laundry, "work out," and watch Ellen?  Lucille Ball said, "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."  Now that Mommy's not "busy" she gets nothing done.  #Truth.
So, Duda's message did awaken Mommy to something important - and that is that people still check my blog.  She's not going to lie - it's sooooo much easier to "post" something on Facebook or Instagram than it is to login to Blogger, download a picture and try to come up with something clever to say.  And, frankly, since we're all older now our farts and tantrums just aren't as cute as they once were - and we weren't sure y'all wanted to hear about our daily 30 mile commute to horseback riding lessons and gymnastics.  The day to day stuff sure gets in the way of livin' (and bloggin')!
But, Duda - and Grampa (because I'm sure you still check this, too) - I'm going to do you a solid - I'm going to start bloggin' again.  It's for you, it's for me, it's for the best.  Sometimes it's good to take a step back and remember while the days feel long they are flying by and we will be staying out past curfew and coming in smelling funny before you even know it.  So, thank you, Duda for the nudge.  And, I apologize in advance - because I'm going to go ahead and load up on a bunch of posts at once -  it will be good to catch up.
Thanks for stopping by!
Love,
Lilly, Anna Jane, and Jack