The Daddy Daughter Dance...Oh my word

Well I think these are the moments you think about as soon as you find out that you are having a baby girl. The nails...the hair...finding a dress.  We were so excited to find out that our elementary school would be hosting a Daddy /Daughter dance for Valentine's Day. We have been talking about it for weeks.

We began with the dress. We had planned a dress shopping trip for the whole family about 2 weeks ago.  Well a busy Saturday, a long wait at the Cheesecake Factory, and the king of the castle finding the best coaching slacks EVER didn't give Lil C' much time to choose a dress. Needless to say, she and I headed back last weekend to find her dress. I pretty much let her choose but definitely filtered the ones that we actually took to the dressing room.  She tried on 4 and while looking fell in love with a pink purse. In true girl fashion, she decided that she needed a dress that would match the purse. Oh my word, I didn't realize that this started so young. So, I told her that we could go with the black and white dress that she tried on and add a little pink to it to match the bag.  Shoes, bracelet, and a slight alteration from nana later she was ready to go.  I actually scheduled a hair appointment for her just to help myself out.  Lord have mercy, I didn't even realize a 5 year old could be affected by a hair do they didn't like. Her hair didn't look anything like the picture that I showed the stylist and when we left the salon she just cried and cried. Sounds a bit dramatic, but ya'll it did NOT look good. So after a little convincing that mommy could "fix it" and a promise of a loan on a pair of mommy's earrings, we were back on track. We were so happy with the end result and sorry to be impartial, but she looked Uhhh-mazing.  As you can see from the pictures, she did not mind posing for the camera.

And with daddy... (The official event photo)

And best of all, I think the candids tell what kind of a time she had...

Not a whole lot of pictures with daddy from our camera since he was the one behind the camera, but I'm sure some will surface as the days progress. I know they had a great time and we look forward to many more.

On a side note...our Falcons clinched a playoff spot and will be District Champions with a win on this Tuesday night against Kaufman.  We are so proud of our boys and coaches. This will be the school's first boys basketball playoff run and district title. Great game Falcons, keep it up.

Proud Parents...

Today was parent conference day at our elementary school.  Not only did I have 18 parent conferences of my own, but for the first year I was able to attend my own kindergarten cutie's parent/teacher conference.  Of course I didn't go alone. The king of the castle scooted over between calculus and basketball so that we could meet with her teacher together.  We are so proud of our girl. She's becoming such a wonderful reader and writer. We are also blessed with a wonderful kindergarten teacher that's a great fit for what she needs.

One of my favorite things to do is read the stories that she writes.  She recently brought home what has to be my all time favorite story. On the eve of this second round of falcon district basketball, it seems so fitting to share. The prompt was to write about your favorite game.

For those that don't read "kid"...it says: "I like basketball. I can dribble with one hand. I practice at my dad's gym. I can dribble from one black line to the other."
As you can imagine, I'm not the only one who's a fan of the story...someone else in this house framed it onto the wall. Way to go Lil' C and let's go Falcon Hoops. Beat Ferris.

Is It Ever Too Early To Party Plan?...

Apparently NOT. And according to my child, not only do we discuss our 6th birthday plans daily (which isn't until the end of May by the way) but also themes for her 7th, 8th, 9th....you get the point.  I do have to say she comes by it naturally though and it's not like I actually mind searching for ideas and themes. However, if it's ever crossed your mind that the glitter, centerpieces, and skittle sorting (a handful of you know what I'm talking about) is ALL about me...well just ask the budding party planner that resides in my home!  As discussions and pinning for the 6th birthday party begin, I'm reminiscing past parties and some of my faves.  This keepsake from last year has to be my all time favorite.

It was so simple and she just LOVES to tell me about everyone's hand print from her party. I started with a giant blank canvas, drew the cake, painted the background including the cake, and painted the letters.  (pre-party of course!)

I painted the party go-ers hands with acrylic paint and pressed them on. After some quick drying, they signed their hand with a black sharpie. And the cake topper...well...5 candles from the birthday girl's 5 fingers of course.

Voila. A fabulous party keepsake and instant room decor.  Just love. Now what am I is she are we going to do this year? haha.

Peace, Love, and FALCON BASKETBALL!

Tomorrow is a big day for the Curtis Family. Coach and his NFHS Falcon Hoops crew begin district play on the road against a tough Ferris team. This is what they've been working for. This is where the season really begins.  Time for brownies and cookies for the boys, packing toy bags for the stands, and butterflies in my stomach.  Time for royal blue clothes (accessories at least), snacks for the car, and late night game analysis conversations (by ME.) We love no time of year better....well Summer runs a close second. Good luck to the Falcons and of course our favorite Coach in the world. We'd love any support and hope if you can't make it to the game that you cheer us on from wherever you are. If you need me I'll be courtside...my legs nervously shaking and eyes glaring at the scoreboard counting down the seconds.  Peace, love, and FALCON BASKETBALL baby!!!!!

TEAM FIRST, TO BE THE FIRST TEAM

Yum Yum!!!

Just a quick drop in to share a little food love.  It's no secret I'm slightly obsessed with pinterest...well I attempted to cook/make a handful of pinterest inspired yummies over the holiday.  Here's one I'd like to share...

Cinnamon French Toast Bake!

Ok, obviously it's not my picture because I actually didn't take a picture of the one that I baked but you get the idea. With us leaving the house by 7:00am in the mornings, I don't get the chance to try recipes for breakfast during the week. By the time the weekend arrives, we are so exhausted that we sleep too late to have a filling breakfast! Christmas break was the perfect opportunity to try something new.

It was very easy to make (using a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls!). Oooohh I also got to use a brand new bottle of wonderful natural vanilla that one of my fabulous friends gave me for Christmas! Mmmmm....I actually left out the pecans though because the king of the castle isn't a fan.

Here's the verdict on this one:

The King - He thought it was OK. (Y'all if he ever said wonderful, delicious, awesome, or anything other than "pretty good" I would just die!) Wasn't a fan of the egg addition. Don't forget though this is a cinnamon french toast bake.

Me: I enjoyed it! Warm, sweet, cinnamon, easy to make. What's not to like?

Lil C: Here's where this becomes blog worthy...ATE THE REST OF THE PAN for the following 3 days!! Absolutely loved it.

I will definitely be making this again and recommend that you try it too. Haha!! Use the link below for the recipe. And don't forget to let me know what you think. Happy baking!

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

Bloggin' It Up in 2012!

Well I'm not big on "resolutions" but now that I have established my teaching blog, I'm going to put forth a great effort to give my family blog some much need attention in 2012! I'm starting today. The Curtis' had a fabulous Christmas so I'm going to start there. I could go on and on about the beautiful season, but instead I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.

Jaci performed her hip hop and tap Christmas routines at the Crandall Christmas Festival!

We made this family fun night basket for Jaci's Kinder teacher.

Nana whipped up the cutest Cindy Lou Who dress for Whoville day at school!

We had an amazing Curtis Christmas at my brother in law and sis in laws house in Georgetown!

Here are a few of my snack contributions...Cheddar Bacon Ranch Bread and Reindeer snacks for the girls! (Thanks pinterest!)



This is one of my FAVE Christmas Gifts!! Weekly dinner planning made by my talented Sis in Law - Karyn! Love!

Christmas morning.



Andy and I spent the afternoon with the Mavs and Heat! (and Khloe Kardashian but she wasn't accessible!)

However, I did manage to meet the beautiful Demi Lovato!

It's been an amazing break, but it's back to work tomorrow. My 22 firsties (first graders) will arrive on Tuesday morning. No more sleeping in till 10:30 AM for my kinder cutie! And the falcons continue to hoop on and prepare to head in to district play.  The Curtis family hopes that 2012 brings to you all of the wonderful things that you hope for and we are thankful that you stopped by our little blog.

Happy New Year!

Long Time, No Blog!!

It's time to catch up!!