Proud Mamma

Hi guys! Hope you all have been well. We've been having a good time up here, I really can't complain about life. The above picture is Julie Cutts and I, we had a 7 year reunion this last month. (She's now living 1 1/2 hours away from me). I grew up with her and it was so great to talk and catch up on things. It's a wonderfully small world. Here are some updates from this Leavitt family:

1. I gave my dreaded talk this past Sunday. The neat thing was that it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I got my weeks mixed up and prepared my talk a week early, so I had all this past week to review my talk nightly. By the time I was supposed to give it, I was really familiar with the content and able to speak comfortably. It was a really good experience. I think the next time I'm asked to give a talk, I wont stress out. :) I just have to remember to prepare my talk a week early.

2. I'm so proud of my little girls. They are so cute and make me laugh daily. This is my little brag time for Claire. Today I was updating my play list and the girls and I were grooving in the kitchen to Beyonce's irreplaceable song. At the point where she sings in the song, "Can you walk and talk at the same time?" Claire piped up and said, "I can!" :) She was so proud of herself for that. The other funny thing she did happened at her gym explorations class. Claire was in a class with 8 other 4-5 year olds and they were playing the game "Captain May I." (The same game as "mother may I," different name.) The teacher was telling all of the kids to move a certain amount of steps forward, and then it was Claire's turn. The teacher said, "Claire, take three steps backwords." Claire said, "Captain may I?" She then immediately turned her back to the front of the room and took 3 big steps backwards towards the teacher. :D We all laughed about that, and I was so proud of my clever little girl. The funny thing is that that really defines Claire. She is such a practical little thing. She didn't even think about what she was doing, she wanted to move forward and so she made it happen.

Claire playing hockey (so cute!)




Claire playing soccer (I love how she would put her foot on the ball when she was listening to the teacher)


Cady is doing well also. She's taking a ballet class now and is so precious in it! (Her pictures are on Bryce's laptop, I'll add them later). Her favorite moves are making a sailboat with her legs (stands on one leg and lifts the other foot up to the side of her knee) and jumping like a frog. It's exciting seeing her learn and grow. She's still my little bookworm and loves to read to herself.

3. I've started a hobby of collecting...Calico critter things! It all started this past Christmas when my inlaws bought the girls a calico critter house and some animals. Now, I find myself looking on ebay daily and making bids on things I don't need but really want. :D I think I like these things more than my girls. I just have this vision of a huge table (like one of the big train tables) and a whole village of calico critter houses, playgrounds, shops, and families. Doesn't that sound like fun? Fun, but dangerous. I find that I get so caught up on ebay in bidding and wanting to win that by the time I remember to factor in shipping costs, I haven't really gotten as good of a deal as I thought. I've only bought two things so far. :) I'm trying to pace myself.

4. I just finished reading a wonderful book-- Left to Tell, by Imacule Ilibaganza (not sure that's the exact spelling of her name). It's a true story written by a Rwandan holocaust survivor and how her relationship with God helped her through the ordeal of hiding in a bathroom stall for 3 months with 7 other women. It really was an exceptional story, it really changed my perspective on life and made me more grateful. I awoke this morning feeling so thankful to be alive, safe, and living in America with my freedoms and with my beautiful family.

5. We went ice skating as a family this past weekend. It's the first time Claire and Cady have ice skated. They were so cute! They loved it. By the end of the night they both had skated on their own without holding on to us. Bryce and I were so proud of them! We're thinking about signing them up for ice skating classes, as a tribute to their Minnesota heritage. :)





6. I'm doing a preschool co-op with 2 other moms, and I taught this week. One of the days we talked about babies. I went somewhere that I'm now regretting...I let them use baby bottles during snack time. Claire has been asking me to let her drink from the bottle again for the last 3 days now! I forgot how much she loved the bottle, guess she still hasn't outgrown it. :)Sound familiar to anyone else?

Well, that's all of the current events I can think of right now. I guess I'll end this post by saying that life is good and we love and miss you all. It's wonderful to be in touch with all of you. Technology is amazing. Hope you are having a great day, and thanks for checking up on us!