Hallie's 1st Christmas Program

            Hallie was so very excited to be performing in her first ever school Christmas program. Her PopPop surprised her with a very pretty new dress to wear and she looked like a little princess. She has been informing me while we are driving in the car that certain Christmas songs she was hearing on the radio were "her" songs. Meaning these would be the songs she will be singing during the program. I know how extremely lively Hallie is at home and how she sings like a pro in the car to the radio but I was still uncertain how she would react having to sing in front of an audience. I was hoping she would not get shy and just completely shut down up there on stage but that did not at all happen! Hallie stood up on the stage with her class and sang her little heart out! She did such a good job listening to her teacher and singing the songs. I could not have been any more proud of my little girl. Not only did she look so stinkin cute but she sang so pretty and did I mention LOUD!!! She made my heart so happy and I love her to the moon and back. ♥

♥ Hallie performing in her 1st school Christmas program ♥





Family Christmas Pictures



         Well it's that time of year again for the famous family Christmas pictures and this year I was determined to take them myself! We took the girls up to Founders Inn and my parents came too so I could take their pics as well. My mom ended up taking our family pictures and I took the girls pictures with each other and with Josh and Mimi & PopPop! I wanted to go in a total different direction this year with Christmas colors and went for the blue, pink and grey look! Loved the girls dresses from the moment I laid eyes on them and think this years colors are my favorite so far. Every year I look back at the previous Christmas family picture I cannot believe how much my little girls have grown over a years time. This years picture I see how much they are starting to become preschoolers and it just makes me sad because I want them to stay little forever! Love how beautiful my baby girls are and they make me so proud!



Hot Chocolate 5K Weekend



    I have been so excited about this past weekend to be running for the first time in the Washington DC Hot Chocolate 5K. I have been training for this and was looking to get a personal best in time. Me & my brother ran the 5K and my very pregnant sister-in-law walked. Once we finally got to the starting line I was ready to do this! Well I have never ran any kind of race with hills in it before and found out fast that I should not even worry about my time, but just focus on running my pace and focus on getting up the hills! I was so excited when I found my brother looking for me at the last .20 mile mark. He really was able to push me going up the last hill before the finish line and this is the first race we have crossed the finish line together! I just love my brother so much and love the way we push each other to do our best and finish out strong. No I did not end up running the time I wanted but for being bottle necked with the multitude of people for an almost 3 minute walk and then the 2 hills that kicked my butt in the end I don't think having a 36 min finish is bad at all!!!! I know for a fact I would have crushed my 33 min. goal if it were not for those 2 obstacles but I am very happy with my finish time. I am now looking forward to my 14K training and plan on focusing on a new goal for this race! Running this race with my brother has made me excited for running more races with him in the near future! We are already planning on our first Warrior Run together!!! CANT WAIT!!!!!



Oh Boy!!



        I was very excited to be visiting my brother and sister-in-law this weekend beacuse it's been awhile since we have been able to see them. While we were visiting I was able to take some maternity pictures for them. I cannot wait for my lil nephew to make his grand arrival sometime near January 20th!!! I will be a first time Auntie and I just cannot wait to hold that sweet lil boy!!!!! I dont claim to be a professional photographer by any means but I have always LOVED to take pictures and now I am putting that love into taking pictures of the ones I love! This whole weekend turned out to have great weather and on Saturday we went to a park to take these pictures outside. I enjoyed every minute of this day and think the pictures turned out great!!!! Now I cant wait for the lil guy to get here so I can take pictures of him!!!!



Black Friday Shopping 2011

~~~~ Black Friday Shopping 2011 ~~~~

   Thanksgiving this year consisted of sleeping in later then normal, spending time with my family watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and eating our traditional ham biscuits, then off to our family lunch with my mom's side of the family! The one thing that would be different this year is that this mommy would be going black Friday shopping starting at 10 pm Thanksgiving day! Some people think black Friday shopping is stupid or a waste of time but I feel otherwise. For me it is a very fun experience to share with your close friends and to get amazing deals for everyone on your Christmas list. This year me & Denise started our adventure at Walmart at 10:15 pm. It was amazing to us that I ended up with a front row parking spot seeing how packed the parking lot was at that time! We already knew this was a good sign of what was to come! We were in and out of Walmart in less then an hour and a half and got everything we needed! Not to mention we walked straight up to an empty check out lane and was able to make our purchases fast! Carrie met us as we were putting bags in my car and now it was time for our official girls shopping trip to begin! We made our way to Macy's and with the help of my mother-in-law we already had our boots waiting for us :-) $50 boots for $20 ummmm YES PLEASE!!! We then spent the next 6 hours at the mall crossing items off our list left and right! Chick-fil-a helped us get through the early morning with a much needed breakfast and of course Starbucks became  our friend later on in the day :-) Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping then we were finally done!!!! At 11 am we sat down for a nice sushi lunch before I headed home to wrap every single gift which is now placed under the Christmas tree!!!! I would have to say I accomplished ALOT yesterday getting close to 95% of my Christmas shopping done! LOVED shopping with my girls Carrie & Denise and the stories we could share of our night/morning are priceless!!! As I tell people who keep telling me I am like that woman on the Target commercials, She's got NOTHING on me ;-)

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas.....

This weekend has to be one of those exciting times I absolutely cant wait for. This is the weekend I get our Christmas decorations down and start decking the halls! I started off my morning with our traditional putting up the outside lights. Me, my mom and dad started with putting up the Christmas lights at my house. This is my 7th year and this year I hit my personal best of putting up the lights on my house in 35 minutes! No it's not a race but every year I try to get better at it LOL! Next we went to my parents house and once again it only took me 35 minutes to string up their outside lights. I think I am a pro at this now ;-) just saying! Last night was a night my little girls though were looking forward too. Me, Josh, the girls and my parents went down to Virginia Beach Town Center for the annual Christmas parade and lighting of  Town Center! The girls could not wait to see Santa in the parade and their excitement just made my heart happy. Starbucks, Christmas Parade, Christmas Lights and 2 very happy little girls made this night so much fun. Cannot wait to deck the halls inside the house today, and the girls are just super excited to help decorate our tree! It's definitely beginning to look alot like Christmas around the Roth house and I'm LOVING IT!!

♥ Enjoying the Christmas Parade ♥



God's Perfect Plan ♥

         Still cannot believe my little Avery beans  is 3 yrs old. I took her to her 3 yr check up the other day and boy I have never seen a child so disappointed that they did NOT get shots!! I think she just wanted a band aid. She did so well at her doctors visit, she is still my lil tiny thing just getting herself into that 50% for her weight, which has been a struggle since she is so tiny, and she is over the 50% for her height. I mentioned to the doctor at this visit how me & Josh were concerned with her hearing lately. It's not that we think she just cant hear but it is more concerned with the quality of hearing. The nurse did a simple hearing test to both of Avery's ears and for her right ear she only scored 50% and her left side completely failed. At this moment I think fighting back tears for me was the hardest part. I felt so bad for my baby girl, yet I knew she had no clue what had just happened. Feeling crushed the nurse told me that she could be seen at a different location for a more intense hearing test that would help us understand better to what exactly is going on. Today I took Avery for this test and once again Avery did not have a clue to why mommy was so nervous. Avery did so well for this test today all she needed to do was sit still and she did that like a champ :-) The test came back and her right ear is just fine! BUT her left ear failed the test 3 times. I was so happy but yet confused and worried all at the same time. I know I had to have tubes put in my ears more then 3 times by the time I was 3 yrs old and I was wondering if this could be the same route we need to take with Avery. The next step in this process is waiting......waiting for the doctors office to call me and see what the next plan of action is to determine why her left ear is not passing these test. I pray it is only fluid and that we can fix the problem soon but I know that if it is more in depth then we have anticipated that God will see us through it. Never ever do I want something to be wrong with my baby girls so this is heartbreaking to me to right now not even understand what the problem could be. I know God's plan for our lives is much bigger then the one I have planned. No matter the outcome I know that God is so good ALL the time. ♥

♥ Girls Pictures ♥

   Today I took the girls to The Founders Inn to take their fall pictures and what a beautiful day it turned out to be. It was a perfect fall day and the sun was shining so bright. I have always wanted to be the only person that photographs my little girls but not having a nice camera has made that pretty much impossible for me to do. I borrowed my mother-in-law's really nice camera and could not wait to get out and experiment with it. I have used it alot before but not for a photo shoot! Lets just say I have fallen in love with her Canon! LOL!!! I will be getting mine soon and CANT WAIT!! I have always enjoyed taking the girls pics here and there and now to know I can finally have nice photos that I have taken makes it even more desirable. I believe these pictures turned out great today and I am already planning our Christmas pictures! Love this time of year and love making memories and especially love sharing these memories through pictures.

So BOOOOOTIFUL it's SCARY!!!!!!

What a booootiful night for trick or treating!!! The girls could not wait to put on their Halloween costumes and go out to get some candy! This year the girls decided not to be a disney princess which if you know my girls that is a big thing! This year Hallie wanted to be a black cat and Avery wanted to be a butterfly. They were the cutest lil cat and butterfly ever!!! We started our night at a trunk or treat and the girls made out with their 2 bags full of candy! They got their faces painted and had balloon swords made before they hopped onto the a hayride! After this we took them out for trick or treating. The girls had so much fun and I didnt think they would ever want to stop! Well the final stop of the night was at Granny Lo's house where they once again got plenty of candy to fill their bags! It is so wonderful to watch the girls have so much fun and be truly happy! I know the girls are already excited to dress up again for next year. :-)

♥ Avery turns 3 ♥

        On October 20,2008 God blessed me & Josh with our 2nd beautiful baby girl. From the the moment I find out I was having Avery I was in love with her but to hold her for the first time was the best feeling ever. I cannot believe she is now 3 years old. I wish I could stop time and let her be my baby forever but I am enjoying watching her grow everyday into an even more beautiful little girl. ♥ My life is sweeter with her in it and couldnt imagine my life without her. I am so blessed to not have 1 but 2 beautiful little girls to go through life with. God is so good all the time. ♥

    
     Avery this year decided on her theme for her Birthday party to be Snow White!!! I was very happy she picked this theme because I had many ideas of what to do for the party! Avery dressed up in her Snow White dress and shoes and just looked so stinkin cute. My mom made Avery's cake as she does for each of the girls birthdays and she did a great job!!!! Avery had alot of her friends and family join her on Saturday to help her celebrate her 3rd birthday! After pizza time we made caramel candy apples which turned out to be a big hit!! The kids LOVED making their own!!!! All in all her party was very nice and I am so glad my baby enjoyed her magical day. ♥

♥ Mommy & Daddy with the Birthday Princess ♥



Girl Trip With My Mom ♥

   What a fun weekend I had! Me and my mom have been planning this weekend for awhile now. Usually we take our annual girl trip in November but this year it came a month early. We left early Friday morning and drove down to North Carolina where we stopped for some much needed shopping :-) Love shopping with my mom! Of course being the mommy I am I bought way too much stuff for my lil girls for this fall/winter! Lets just say they def made out on my shopping trip! After our shopping adventure we drove to another city in North Carolina where we attended a Ladies Retreat. This is my 11th year attending with my mom and we have great memories from years past going to this retreat. I love my  little girls so much but I was nice to just have a relaxing weekend with no responsibilities. Nice to get a full night sleep with no interruptions and nice to sleep in as well :-)  I love road trips with my mom because I cant even tell you how many Cracker Barrel's we stopped at to look around and of course get a yummy bite to eat. All in all it was a wonderful, much needed, spiritually uplifting weekend. Already looking forward to next year's girl trip with my mom. ♥

It wont be like this for long....



♥ Avery Elizabeth ♥

♥ Hallie Madison ♥

        It's hard to believe that my baby will be 3 years old on just a few short weeks. It makes me start to wonder where has the time gone? I found myself in the car just the other day listening to Darius Rucker's song "It Wont Be Like This For Long" and just balled my eyes out. I've always loved this song and can remember listening to a little after Avery was born. I tell my girls all the time I don't want them to grow up, I want them to be my little babies forever! Hallie being the smart little 4 year old she is told me the other day, " No mommy, I want to be big!!" It's like yesterday I was bringing them home from the hospital, laying them in their crib for the first time and just watching those tiny little ladies sleep so peacefully. I have enjoyed watching them grow up to this point in their lives and cannot wait to see what beautiful young ladies they will become in the future. Even though they are getting big and becoming more independent they will both always be my babies ♥

♥ Beautiful Little Girls ♥

♥ He Carried Me ♥

Footprints in the Sand

       One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

         I was reminded of this poem today and I began to really think about these words. It is so easy when during this life everything seems to be going just right to forget that God is there for me and rarely do we cry out to Him at this time in our life, but how easy is it for me to cry out to Him during the hard, difficult times in my life and forget that He has been with me throughout it all. I find it very comforting to know that God is there through the good times and is there to carry me through the hard times. What an amazing God I serve. ♥

Hitting The Pavement

    

     Well, I am really enjoying training season. I am definitely a cool weather runner. I love summertime but towards the end of summer I find myself longing for the cool crisp Fall days and evenings. I am super excited about my last run. On Sunday, me and my cousin Trina went down to the beach and went for a run on the boardwalk. We had made a plan of running 3.5 miles, but that was soon over ruled! We made it to 2.5 miles and decided to push for 4 miles. By the time we had reached our new goal of 4 miles we had already determined to run a full 10K, 6.21 miles. Well lets just say that goal soon changed as well!! We ended up sprinting and yes I mean SPRINTING towards our 7 mile goal with 6.9 miles completed. It was the BEST feeling ever!!!!!!! We had such an awesome run finishing our 7 miles in 1hr 17minutes. I must say I could have probably put out another 6 miles to finish a half marathon. The weather was in the high 60's low 70's and it was overcast as well. For me this is the perfect weather to run in. I am so excited to know that in 1 month I will definitely be ready for our Wicked 10K!! Team Glitter will be going on a 4 mile run this weekend and I cannot wait! We are all so excited about our first team 10K this coming up October :-) WE GOT THIS LADIES!!!!!!!

Adding another lil gymnast to the house ♥

    Well Saturday was a big day for Avery, it was her very first day at Gymnastics! She has been wanting to go for almost an entire year now ever since Hallie started so she was definitely ready. Saturday morning I woke her up to get her breakfast and dressed for her big day. She could not wait to put on her gymnastics leotard and boy did she look like a cute little gymnast in it ☺ Once it was time for her class, she took Hallie by the hand and they both walked out into the gym for their class. I could not believe how well Avery did. She listened so well to each coach and was already learning certain skills. I was shocked she was able to already do some things on the bars that I know it takes little ones her age and alittle older alot more time to accomplish and this is her first day. Sometimes I have to take a step back and say to myself , "Tara, she is still only a 2 year old." It's like there are times I really think she can pass for an older 3 year old. I am just so proud of her and I know she had an absolute blast out there on the floor. Love watching now both my little princesses during their gymnastics class. Excited to watch them both start learning and accomplishing more and more at each class!!!

She was very excited to be starting her first class!

♥ They sure do love each other ♥

Avery did such a fantastic job during her first class!



♥ Hallie's 1st day of school ♥

     

           As Hallie woke up this morning, Tuesday, Septmeber 6,2011, I think she was nervous and excited to go to school for her first day. She kept informing me this morning she was not big enough to go to school and that she did NOT want to learn!! HAHAHA! She soon became more excited to be going and got dressed in her school uniform that was only complete with her new shoes :-) As we were leaving the house this morning I kept looking at her and thinking I just cannot believe this is happening! I mean didnt I just bring her home from the hospital???? Didnt she just have her 1st birthday???? Well wake up call, she is 4 years old and ready to go to school! The car ride to school was filled with excitement as Hallie just couldnt wait to get there. We finally arrived at school and now its time to walk her in. Hallie puts on her new Jessie the Cowgirl bookbag and off to her class we go. Hallie went to her Mimi's classroom first to show off her new stuff and then she was able to see her Nana and Aunt Jessica! Watching her walk down the hallway to her classroom made my eyes start to water. I knew no matter what I could not be the first one to cry! Well as Hallie sits at her seat I know she is not going to shed a single tear and is so ready for this day to start. Looking at her made me want to just wish she could be little forever and I really wanted to just stay with her but know that is not an option and plus she is so big she wants to be on her own at school. We said our goodbyes and she was still all smiles :-) I remained calm and had a smile on my face the whole way back to the car, but then I became super emotional. I just busted out crying!!! Josh turns to me saying " Are you being serious??" I just told him I am just sad because she is growing up so fast. I told him too I have every right to cry she is my baby!! LOL! As I picked Hallie up today from school she was so happy to see me but was so happy to be at school! She had a great first day and the first thing she tells me when she sees me is that she wants to go home and cut something with scissors!!! hahahaha!!!! I know she is very excited to continue to go to school and I am very excited to watch my little girl in this next chapter of her life. ♥

Gotta Love a Bargain!

      For Hallie's first day of school I told her she could get any shoes she wanted and I thought she would say like any 4 year old that she wanted purple or pink shoes, but I was wrong. She informs me she has been wanting Twinkle Toes!!!!! Yes these ever so popular and might I add expensive shoes are very cute and I sure did want to get them for her but I just couldn't see me spending more money on her little shoes then I would spend on shoes for me so I started looking for a "look alike". I spotted some that were so adorable at Payless but unfortunately Hallie's size and even Avery's size shoe had been sold out. I called my mother-in-law and she let me know that if I went back to that store and had them look up these shoes in the system to see what store did have them I would be given a coupon for these!! Well that is what I did and to make a long story short I was able to get both the girls these "twinkle toes" shoes for the small price of.........drum roll please............$7.00!!!!! And no this isn't $7.00 per pair this is $7.00 for BOTH pair of shoes!!!!!! Original price $20.00 a pair so I saved $33.00 on new school shoes!!! My girls are two very happy campers today as we laced them up and had fun watching them light the way!!!!! Boy do I love me a good bargain!!!!! Here's to happy school shopping!!!!!!

Exciting Times Are Just Around The Corner

          Cant believe tonight I just took my 4 year old baby girl to see her teacher and classroom for this upcoming school year! I still cannot believe she is already a 4 year old much less she is starting school. Hallie is super excited to start school though so this makes it alittle easier on me.......I think.  It will be I'm sure a little more quiet around this house during the day when she is not here with me and her little sister. I just cannot wait to pick her up after her first day of school and just let her talk and talk about her first day :-) The next few days will be us taking her to get her school supplies and the one pair of shoes she has been asking for...Twinkle Toes. Wish I could hold onto her forever but I know this is a new yet exciting chapter in not only mine and Joshua's lives but in Hallie's as well. LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!!



You Find Out Who Your Friends Are.......

         


            I have realized so far in life some people will come and go. Some people you once thought were true friends will one day show their true colors and become just a memory of your past. Then there are those other people that come into your life and stay there forever. I must say I am so thankful to God for these people He has placed into my life. You know that song "You find out who your friends are" well its very true. God has given me a handful of girls in my life that I am a better person because of them. Some girls I see all the time and some I only see now and then but no matter what it is like we pick up where we last saw each other as though no time has passed us by. There are gonna be ups and downs in any relationship, but when you can get through the downtimes together you know that friendship is a strong bond. God has placed certain girls in my life right when I needed them most. I can go to them with anything and know that they are there to listen and help me. What can I say I am so blessed!! To you girls, you know who you are, I love you and thank God for you. Your friendship means more to me then you will ever know.

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."
~Abraham Lincoln