Taylor Swift sums it up the best!

Do yourself a favor - scroll down through the music play list and listen to "Never Grow Up". I love it and feel it should be the blog theme song, as well as our family theme song at this state of life. I love it - you will too. Get the tissues ready!:)

This is Happy Easter, Hear the Bluebirds Sing!

I can't think of Easter, and not think of a few favorite lines from old Easter hymns we would sing at church growing up. I'll be honest, that line is probably all that I remember for that song - I think then I would have to go into the "avoid the word" hum, so we can move on!

Easter was great this year. We went to Caneyville and spent some time visiting with family and had a few egg hunts (the church, as well as the "cousin" hunt). Ella found the prize egg at church and was estatic. I'm not sure who was more excited - me or her! I remember always really wanting the prize egg, but it was usually always Marita or Tyler that would find it. Strange what sticks with us, right? Bless her heart, though, she was willing to give away anything out of her prize that Owen or Kinsley wanted. Such a sweet spirit - I find myself praying often that I don't do anything that might crush her generous heart or spirit of thoughtfulness towards others.

We came home, and what a blessing! We had amazing weather the whole trip back, which is saying something since the storms probably let up for the exact amount of time we were on the road. Easter Sunday was very low key, which was nice (especially after Ronnie had 5 services). The girls loved their basket treasures and new lunch bags from the bunny. Apparently, the bunny inadvertedly changed things up this year and didn't do the "hunt" around the house for the basket with clues like he did the past two years. I guess it slipped his mind that he had created a tradition and didn't realize it. I'm sure he will be more on top of that next time around!

On schedule for this week - figuring out something to do to help the victims of the Alabama diaster. We'll keep you posted!

Gatlinburg Spring Break

What a fantastic, relaxing trip we had last week to Gatlinburg! We had never been during nice weather, and we loved it. We hiked, saw a bear, enjoyed the outdoors and 80 degree weather, and spent a lot of laid back time just as a family. I'll be honest, we purposely try not to just throw money at things on a vacation. I don't know if it is 100% to safe money, or more just to help our family see spending money doesn't equal having a good time. The girls love to ride the kid rides there close to our cabin, so we are always frequent visitors there. Ella has discovered "mining for gold". She seriously gets it honest and probably inherited whatever gene is connected to that sort of thing. I LOVED this up until probably college (and only that age because that is the last trip I remember taking there and pursuing the gold mining endeavor). Other than that, we usually enjoy the "hot pool", a.k.a. hot tub at the cabin, enjoy cooking dinner together at the cabin, visited some local parks, and some of the great hiking / outdoor trails. We also like to drive into Gatlinburg (we technically stay in Pigeon Forge) and just walk the strip. If you haven't learned by now, we are simple people and pretty easily entertained! It was a great trip.

Circus!

I remember going to see Ringling Brothers & Barnum Bailey as a kid. When we heard they were coming to town, I knew the girls would love it. Ella was amazed and sat in her seat watching the whole time. I'm pretty sure Kinsley didn't sit down for one second. She jumped, danced, and waved while screaming HI to everyone and every animal the whole time. I enjoyed the circus too - almost as much as watching our sweet girls experience it for the first time!

Your Legacy

Pepa Brown (Brown's Ashland hat), Pepa Garner (fancy hat:), and Chris at first beach visit. Pepa Brown and I

Pepa Brown and Mema Brown - she is so beautiful - love this picture!

Mema Garner with Kinsley, who is headed out of there!

Ever wonder what kind of legacy you will leave behind? I do - not often (that would probably seem a little morbid!:) But, when I think of my two sweet girls as they grow, I think about what will stand out, or what they will remember in 20+ years.

I am at my parents, and came across a video of my Pepa Brown. It was taken in 2000, and it is pretty much him talking about his life. (If you knew him, you know this wasn't something he was necessarily comfortable doing. My mom is asking him questions - he isn't offering up any tidbits freely :)

So, it caused me to think, what do I / will I remember most about my ancestors? My grandma Johnson was quiet. I always had such a deep respect for her because I know her faith has a huge impact on why I am a Christian today. She was faithful, good hearted, and so humble.

My other great grandparents I remember distinct things about their home - mainly all the family photos and antiques. They both had amazing smiles, too.

My Mema Brown (paternal grandmother), passed away when I was young. However, I remember her closeness. Whenever I was around her, I remember being held by her, close hugs. I remember the first time they came to visit us in Florida and we took them to the ocean. I remember her quilts around the house.

My Pepa Brown passed away in 2010. Luckily, I have so many amazing memories of him. He was quiet, but so funny. His laugh could light up a room. If I could only remember 10 sounds in life, his laugh would be one of those. He had lingering hugs. You know how some people hug, then let go . . . Not him. He would hug and hug and you felt like you may be there for days!:) Another great thing about him was his hands. For the rest of my life, I will remember those hands. Those hands that worked a hard life, but were still amazingly soft. (He always had Corn Huskers lotion in his bathroom - that must have done the trick!) I have been told he wasn't much to say I Love You or be overly affectionate while his children were growing up. I'm not exactly sure when the changed occurred, but my memory of him is the opposite. He would always say I love you. Anytime you would call or visit, he would always want to know when you would be back. When visiting, it would always be a time to sit down and talk. He never was preoccupied with other things and would really focus the time. Oh and he loved Bluegrass music! You could never sit beside him without him grabbing your hand or holding on to you in some way. He was never quick to boast or brag, lived a modest life, but leaves with me a legacy of affection, laughter, and prioritizing family.

I am still blessed to have my other grandparents. My sweet Mema Garner is humble, such a gentle spirit. She always wants to make sure she says I love you and gets a response on the phone - so she knows you heard her! She is thoughtful, kind, and hard working. My Pepa Garner is a young man trapped in an aging body, but he doesn't let that slow him down one bit! He is so funny and so positive. You would never know if he is having a bad day. He is hard working, loves the outdoors, patient, and easy going.

So all this leaves me to think - what type of legacy will I be leaving? Will I be remembered as affectionate, humble, kind and gentle, positive, and so loving like so many of my grandparents? I hope so. Thank you God for such a great ancestry. And thank you for the little blessings, like a sweet video of my Pepa Brown from this morning to hear that great laugh!

Art Day!

This weekend was beautiful! We spent most of Saturday at Anchorage Walking Trail, and Sunday afternoon at Seneca Park. Then we wake up today to sleet, rain, and cold wind! So we decided today was a Jammie / Art day. Ella and Kinsley love to spend the day in their pajamas. Kinsley decided this morning she was going to wear panties today and used the potty. That lasted about 45 minutes . . . but I guess you have to start somewhere! Here are some photos from some of our art projects today.

Recent Fun Randomness!

Not a great deal of excitement to post from the Cordrey household. We had a pretty severe storm about 2 weeks ago sweep through around 4:30 am. Sad to say I was awake for the whole thing, but didn't take the kids downstairs. I figured starting the day at 4:30 am wasn't a top priority to me! Probably not the wisest mom move, because an F1 tornado passed by during the storm! We didn't have a great deal of damage to our home / yard like some neighbors, but we are getting a new roof out of it! We were actually kind of excited about that. Moral of the story for me, though, is to always go downstairs during a tornado warning . . .

Ella is still taking gymnastics and loving it. She is really doing well and most of all, I love the confidence that she is developing as a result. I am still teaching the 4s class at preschool, making me Ella's teacher. I love being there with her. We recently have Mamas in Pajamas day, as well as celebrated Dr. Suess day (see pictures). I can't believe she will be starting school next year! SO crazy. If you are familiar with the Louisville area, you know that the school issue is huge. The school busing / acceptance deal is so crazy. You may live 1 mile from a school, but based on requests and demographics, may be sent downtown. Our "home reside" school wasn't a great choice for Ella, so we looked into other placements in our area. After a few visits and conversations, we were told we probably wouldn't get any of them, we have settled on Christian Academy for her for next year. It was a hard decision, especially for an avid public school teacher myself. We view it as a possible one year decision to help her adjust to the 5 day a week school concept, then go from there. Maybe we will move to a surrounding county, or I will take a teaching position - who knows. We are praying about it, though, and she is excited to start next year.

Kinsley is growing and changing. She talks constantly and is so fun loving. Her newest trick, that she loves to show off about every 5 minutes, is "Why?" Especially when you tell her to do something. We are loving that!!! I hear my mom echo in my ears often as I say, "Because I said so . . . " I don't actually remember my mom saying that often, but I think you always hear that phrase and reference it as something you won't repeat. Here's for saying never . . .

So not much of an update, but just a few recent pictures to share. We are healthy, happy, together, and loving the simple moments everyday brings us. What more could we possibly ask for?