Preschool Promotion Ceremony '08

Thursday was a big day for the Shoch family. Not only was it Colby's birthday, but it was also Paisley's preschool promotion ceremony. She graduated from the 2 year old class to the 3 year old class. It was amazing seeing the transformation in her just from Christmas to now. At the Christmas program, she stared at us like a deer in headlights and didn't sing one word (even though her teachers had informed us ahead of time that she was their best singer, and was always singing the songs in class). However, this time, she sat still (except when she squished herself next to her buddy John Brady... leaving him barely enough room to breathe), she sang all of her songs and even did the motions. She was just perfect!

Congratulations Miss P! I cannot believe you're almost 3.
Where has the time gone? I still remember the first time I held you in my arms as if it was yesterday.
I love you, sweet pea!

Happy Birthday, Colby!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Boy

How You Fill Our Hearts

With JOY!

Happy 1st Birthday, my sweet little Colby! I can't believe you're 1 already - it went by too fast. I want to share a few feelings I have for you, although I cannot begin to capture them all in words. 

You make me happy EVERY day!
Your laughter is contagious. Your smile is warming. Your tears are heartbreaking. And your spirit is strong.
I love the way you let me love you - the long cuddles and the way you nuzzle up to me when you are sleepy. I love how you find humor in so many little things in life. You give away smiles and giggles easily... and you are playful and good-spirited every day.
You are accepting of everyone and bring everyone who knows you so much joy. I cannot imagine my life without you and I thank God for "unanswered prayers" - I always wanted a little boy for your daddy's sake, but I never knew how much I wanted one for myself. I'm sure glad God knew what I needed more than I even knew!!!

Thank you God for our sweet little Colby. Please slow down the clock so I can enjoy the time before it disappears and you are all grown up.
I love you, lil' man.

Yes, she does know her manners (too well perhaps!)

Short but cute story to share:
Curtis asked Paisley to go get him a napkin from the kitchen.
She did as he asked.
When she returned, he was in the middle of telling a friend of ours a story so he just took the napkin and continued to talk to our friend.
Paisley stepped into his line of sight, held up her hand to get his attention and wagged her finger at him gently as she said, "No, Daddy. Say 'Thank You, Paisley, thank you... you're supposed to say 'Thank you, Paisley." she said.

Curtis then shook his head in agreement and said "That's right, Paisley, I should have said 'thank you'."
I just sat back and grinned... it's nice to know they actually listen and take things in sometimes.

Mama, I want to get "merry-ted"!

Paisley announced today that she wanted to get "merry-ted". She went into the playroom and got all dressed up in her dress-up clothes (she chose them and put them on herself), complete with shoes, tiara, several hand bags, gloves and a bouquet. After finally deciphering that what she meant to say was that she wanted to get MARRIED, I told her the first step was to choose her venue. "Do you have any idea where you'd like to get married?", I asked. She didn't. It was a beautiful day for a wedding and I thought we had the perfect venue right at our fingertips - our own back yard - with the flowers in bloom, the lake as a backdrop and even the grass newly mowed. Once we were able to check our venue off our list, I began to check off the other necessary ingredients that make-up a wedding.
We had the bride - and she looked exquisite! (see pictures)
We had guests - if you count our labrador retriever, Ranger, 5 painters who were painting our house, and 4 ducks and a snapping turtle hanging out in the lake.
We had the bouquet.
We had the minister - I felt like I would qualify here.
We had the photographer - again, I felt I would qualify as I was already snapping the attached shots.
Now all we needed was a groom. Colby was asleep, but even if he wasn't that would be wierd (with the age difference and blood relation thing... even if it was just pretend). So I asked her "Who do you want to marry?" She thought about it for a bit... and finally said, "Ummmm.... Nana"! (I made a mental note to call Nana later and tell her as I knew she'd love this!) Then I proceeded to explain to Paisley that Nana would be honored that she chose her, but that she was in Tennessee and technically she couldn't get married again, as Pop had already taken her! So, after much careful deliberation... we decided to wait for another groom to come along before taking such a big step. Whew! Her daddy will be relieved! (wink) But one thing is for sure, she was (and will be one day) the most beautiful bride!

Happy Birthday, Jake!

We spent this afternoon in Peachtree City for Jake's 1st birthday party. Jake is my best friend's little boy and he's almost 3 weeks older than Colby so we are excited about how close they will hopefully be as they grow up. (Her daughter - my goddaughter - Riley is 4 months older than Paisley and already they are great friends!) Anyway, it was only family and us (how honored we were!) and we had a delightful time. Wanted to share a few pictures. I can't believe it's been a year already.
Happy 1st Birthday, Jake! We love you!!

Lil' Miss "Correction Officer"

We are learning these days that when you live with a child that is quickly approaching 3, you can expect to be corrected on an hourly (if not more often) basis. It's quite humorous actually. She corrects Grandma and Nana quite regularly when they read to her (I guess I'll take the blame for this one as she thinks the only way to read a book is the way Mama reads it). The other day, in fact, she corrected Nana because she missed a small paragraph in one of her favorite books and made her go back and read it the right way. She also likes to correct us when we tell her what to do or what to say... as if she is the boss (which is, of course, not true - but occasionally we let her think she is).

However, the funniest story that happened recently was when her daddy was drawing with her and he drew what he himself would call a "poor version" of a circle. He then said to her "Paisley, do you know what that is? It's a circle!" to which she responded "No, Daddy, that is an oval!" (Come on, daddy!! Get your shapes straight...haha!)

Welcome Baby Katie!

Some of our best friends, Hope and Randy, just had their first baby, little miss Katie, on Saturday morning. She is dainty and sweet - and has just the most beautiful face and perfect little head. I am fortunate that I met her the day she was born and was able to capture some pictures of her awake. This video is for little Miss Katie (and all who love her so). Welcome to the world, sweet girl! We love you very much!! 

Click play below to see Katie's video:

3Day Walk for Breast Cancer

I am blessed to have had the incredible experience of walking in the Breast Cancer 3-Day already twice in my life and look forward to walking once again in October this year. It is an amazing and life-altering experience! I do not know many things as beautiful as walking 60 miles over 3 days next to someone who has fought for her life and won.

I am healthy; I can run 6.2 miles in less than an hour, and I have never had to sit through an 8 hour chemotherapy drip; but I was tired, and my muscles ached and there were times when I didn't want to take another step. That's when I looked beside me and saw a woman with no hair and no eyebrows; whose body was marked by scars; and who had re-arranged her chemo schedule to participate in the walk. She was wearing what appeared to be an ordinary pink t-shirt, at least until I looked on the back of it and saw one word: Survivor. That's when I knew: I could do this. I could finish the walk.

This year I walk once again in memory of my grandmother, Anne Paisley Boyd, who lost her battle with BC in 1996 and who will always be my inspiration. But I also walk in honor of my 2 friends, Lea Ann Barnes and Teresa Howard, who have battled BC and won. The 3rd reason I walk came into my life in 2005: my daughter, Paisley. I pray that she will one day know a world with NO breast cancer. That she will never have to feel the pain of losing someone she loves to such a tragic disease... or worse - fighting it herself.

I hope that one day you, too, get to experience a life-altering experience such as this!

Daily Blessings

Today I am most grateful for:

1. The birth of baby Katie. She has finally arrived and we couldn't be more happy for Randy and Hope. We know that our friendship will only get stronger as they embark on this new journey as parents - we were already wonderful friends before - and now we have the bond of parenthood as well. We look forward to watching our kids grow up together. (I woke Colby up this morning and told him his girlfriend, Katie, was born today... these 2 don't have a chance if Hope and I have anything to say about it -don't worry, Randy, I will raise master Colby to be a stand-up southern gentleman!)
2. Playing tennis with Curtis. We have really enjoyed spending more time together in this way. Who would have thought that we could play tennis together without killing each other. :-) (And for a short time, we were actually tied for #1 in our division... but that was short-lived.)
3. Paisley. Even though she tests me on a regular basis these days... she is strong-willed and I try to remember that it will serve her well one day. This morning, she was testing me quite a bit as I was setting up for a baby shower. I kept telling her I wasn't very happy with her and threatening to send her to time-out or bed if she didn't cooperate and eat her breakfast at the table. When the other ladies helping with the baby shower showed up, I overheard her tell one of them... "my mama is mad at me!" - well, there you have it. There are no secrets anymore (haha). She may make me mad occasionally but I adore her to the core!
4. My health. Every time I am sick, I realize how much I value good health. Especially chasing after 2 little ones. This time it's only allergies getting me down, but boy can that pollen make you feel less than par! (thanks Atlanta... I never had allergies until I came here).
5. Spring is upon us. I love everything about spring. It is the most delightful time of year (well, spring and fall). There is just something so cheerful about knowing the weather will only get warmer and more enjoyable with each passing day.

Take a moment to think about what you are most grateful for today!

I'm back!

Well, after a much needed break from blogging (holidays, vacations, etc. kinda got in the way), I am back. I hope to at least blog once a week. If I set that goal, i think I can live up to it. It wasn't realistic for me to try to blog every day. I just can't seem to keep up. Anyway, if you want to know what I've been up to, it's helping my friend launch her new company and baby product invention - so check out www.ChicksWithKidz.com if you want to learn more. And buy one of our super cute $20 baby tee's while you're out there.

Thanksgiving Blessings

It's Thanksgiving day and a perfect chance to reflect on all of the wonderful things I have to be grateful for in my life - primarily Colby, Paisley and Curtis! The other day, Paisley looked over at Colby and said "I love you, Colby!" with a passion that would warm anyone's heart! It just makes me smile to think about it. She's so full of emotions these days - as your typical 2 year old girl will be - and everything she says is a superlative. "That's amazing!" "Whoa, I can't believe it!" "UMMM, this is delicious!" Wouldn't it be great if we could all live our lives with such zeal.

Here are 5 things I'm particularly thankful for today:
1) Family. I love seeing my children interact with their grandparents, aunts and uncles and other loved ones. It's nice to be able to spend the holidays with those we love.
2) My granddad. I am grateful for my granddad who is almost 90 years old. I am blessed that he's lived this long and that he still has all of his wits about him. And I feel especially blessed that he was able to baptize both of my children.
3) Our anniversary. Today is mine and Curtis' 4 year wedding anniversary. We feel blessed that we have achieved such a milestone and look forward to many more years together. I can honestly say I love him more and more each year!!
4) Seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Watching the Macy's Day parade this AM with a 2 year old gave me such a new appreciation for the event. She got sooo excited to see the bands, floats and balloons. It's so nice to see things through the eyes of a child.
5) Turkey and other thanksgiving goodies. I think that Thanksgiving is my favorite meal. I feel stuffed and happy right now.

Blessings for the day!

Hey everyone!!! I am back up and blogging!!! YEAH! It's been a long, hard road (Google and our computer are not getting along these days and we can't figure out why? Probably spyware or something) but I am finally able to blog again. I hope you didn't forget about me. :-)



Here are my blessings that I want to say thank you for today:
1) I'm able to blog again. Who knew I'd become so addicted to writing my thoughts on the computer for anyone and everyone to see??
2) Sonny Perdue is our Governor! He organized and hosted a prayer service outside the state capital yesterday to pray for rain to relieve Georgia (and the southeast) of this draught we are in. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/08/georgia_turns_to_prayer_to_ease_drought/?p1=email_to_a_friend What a wonderful idea - let's ask God to help us in our time of need!! I love this man and this is just one reason why! He's getting criticism for this (imagine that) and protestors even came out to show their dislike of the partnership of church and state in this quest. I guess they don't care if we run out of drinking water in GA... just so long as our children don't pray in school, there is no mention of God on our currency and we remove the Ten Commandments from our court houses. Well, I hate to let them know, but they can strip God from our courthouses, but they cannot strip him from our hearts. He can and will always help us in our time of need. In fact, as I write this it is pouring down rain outside my window (just 24 hours after our prayer service - hmmm... coincidence?). Thank you, God, for hearing our prayers. Thank you, Sonny, for standing behind your faith despite the opposition.
3) My good health. I have been extremely ill these past 3 days, all the while trying to take care of my 2 year old and 6 month old alone and I can honestly say that it has been one of the toughest weeks of my life to date. However, thanks to my good friend, Kristin, and her herbal remedy... along with some anti-biotics from the Doctor... I am much better today. If I didn't before, I definitely appreciate my good health!!
4) Great shoes (on sale). Ladies, do I really need to elaborate here? I think not!
5) Laughter. I got the greatest email today and it made me laugh and laugh. So I sent it to a bunch of my friends who hopefully got the same joy from it that I did! Laughter is good.

Grateful Thoughts

Here are my grateful thoughts for the day:
1) Paisley's Happiness at School. When Paisley first started her 2 year old class at Mother's-Day-Out this year she wasn't happy. She'd cry on her way to school and she'd cry when I picked her up. And she never wanted to discuss her day. I discovered she was in a class that was for the younger 2's and wasn't being challenged very much (it was more of a babysitter situation) so I pushed to have her moved up to the older 2's class (where they were following a curriculum and stricter schedule). She is a different child now. She smiles when we pull in to the parking lot and she's happy when I pick her up. She loves to tell me about her day and she is excited about her teachers. I feel that God was telling me all along that she needed to be in this class... I just didn't act on it right away. I am so grateful now that she is where she was meant to be and that she is happy to go to mother's-day-out!
2) Brian and Lu. My friend's Brian and Lu got engaged on Monday night and it was such a beautiful moment. The best part is that I got to witness the whole thing (as well as a few other of our friends). Not many people get to experience two people they love getting engaged and it was priceless. May they have much happiness in their new life together.
3) Fall. The weather is getting crisp and cool and the leaves are beginning to fall. It's the most wonderful time of year. I love it!
4) Babies. I have several friends who are having babies or just had a baby. Janene is due any day now. Kellye and Sally are due in December. Hope is due in March. Kristin and Susan are due in April. Angie just had her little boy in September. It's just such a blessing to be surrounded by such love. Babies ARE happiness!
5) Curtis is home! Curtis just arrived home after being gone this week. It's always nice to have him home safe and sound. (Not to mention an extra set of hands to help with the kids!)

Be sure to be thankful for something in your life today!

Suicidal

I guess I have to be careful about everything Paisley hears these days, including my ringtone for my cellphone. The song that plays (er... played) whenever my cell phone rings is a huge pop hit on the radio that goes something like this "Oh, you're so beautiful girl! That's why it'll never work. You've got me suicidal... suicidal when you say that it's over." And you'll never guess what word my 2 year old decided to pick up from that chorus - that's right "suicidal". She thinks it's so much fun to say. She actually sings it as if she were singing the chorus, only she doesn't sing any other words besides "suicidal, suicidal". I can't wait until she does it in front of my minister one day!! Our babysitter. Raz, was here last night and she was singing a song to the kids (I think a Barney song about love) and Paisley interrupted her to say "No Raz! It goes 'suicidal, suicidal' " (sigh) So much for all those times she appears to be tuning me out. Now I know the real story!

Technical difficulties

I have been having some technical difficulties with my computer which have prevented me from being able to blog for the past few weeks. It has been devastating!! I have had so much I wanted to journal but no way to access my account. I am still not sure the problem has been permanently fixed, but I am working hard to resolve the problem and in the meantime I was at least able to log on to write this one blog and update everyone as to why I haven't been on lately! Hopefully all will be back up to normal soon. Stay tuned!