Dear Hattie ...

Where do I begin?

I could tell you that I love you ... but I do every day.

I could tell you that I am proud of you ... but I hope you already know.

I could tell you that you are prayers answered and hopes come true ... but that's a long story that will have to wait until you are a bit older.

I could tell you that you are the strongest, most resilient child I have ever known ... but you won't understand what resilient means.

So, let me tell you this...

Your smile is a light in my world.

Your eyes are the windows to a wholesomely beautiful little soul.

Your humor never ceases to make me smile.

Your love of life brings life to my world.

Your tenderness melts my heart.


Your love for your daddy makes my soul sing.


Your love for your sister and brothers brings me more joy than you will ever know.


Watching you get on that big bus and roll off into the world makes me so very proud.


The way you love the outdoor - in any season - makes me want to teach you more about the One who created it.


When I look at you I see one of my heart's deepest desires brought into being. I see proof that prayers are heard and answered by the Lord and that HIS plans are so much better than our own. I see that my life with you is better than I could ever have imagined motherhood would be.

I am so proud of who you are becoming and the sweet, tender heart that is emerging from your being. You have to work harder than some kids at just "being", but you remain carefree and are a constant breath of fresh air into our lives.

Sweet Girl, I LOVE being your mommy. I pray that I can live my life in a way that points you to the One who brought you to me. He is so faithful and True, I hope you will know that. I hope that you FEEL that. My greatest prayer in this life is that you, your sister and your brothers will come to love Him the way that your Daddy and I do - He truly is the greatest gift we could ever possibly give you.

You are loved, my sweet Boo, more than you will ever know. Your life has not been easy, but you have never gone unloved - even in the darkest days of life before you came to our home. You were loved before you were born. As a dream and a prayer held in my heart, you were loved. But, even more than that, you have never been unloved by the One who created you. The One who loved you first and most and always.

Happy Birthday Sweet, beautiful girl.

Love,
Mommy

Hello Fourteen ... or Should I Say GOODBYE?

It's Wednesday, which means it's weigh in day. Honestly, I was more than a little nervous getting up there today. I stayed steady last week (which I did not post because Blogger was all wonkity!) and let it bum me out. Friday and Saturday were emotional days - nothing big, just emotional - and I kinda fell off the wagon. But Sunday I pulled it together and jumped back on. I was just nervous that the damage done in the days before were gonna wreak havoc. So, I was, ya know, nervous.

But, the scale was kind ... I hit 14 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoo Hoo!

I am soooo excited. This workout and healthy eating combo seems to be effective ... WHO KNEW?!

Also, you may remember that I was going to participate in the Shrinking Jeans Olympics. Well, I wasn't able to do as many events as I had hoped, BUT ...

I DID win a STINKIN GOLD MEDAL!!!!!!!!!! I did a 3 min., 21 sec. plank hold (go into push up position and hold it) and it was the longest hold. I was in shock, trust me! So stinkin shocked!

Finally, today starts a new challenge for the Shrinking Jeans - why don't ya pop on over and check it out. There is nothing better than getting healthy ... and doing it with support and accountability - wow! Gotta love THAT!

Monday Musings

(AKA a whole lotta random!)

First of all, my friend Rebekah is having a giveaway. I shouldn't send you over there, because that would seriously diminish my own chances of winning. So, whatever you do, do NOT go HERE.

Mm'kay ... movin on...

Friday night our church had a worship concert. I am telling you ...



It.



Was.



SO.



Very.



Good.

On a different note - remember, the random ... don't say I didn't warn ya! - Sophie has learned the art of dressing like a girl. This girl HEARTS dresses. And they are ALL she wants to wear. If I DARE dress her in pants, she rebels by putting a skirt on over them. (Did I mention that the teen years with this one are gonna be a BLAST?!)

Hattie, in contrast, has never been a big fan of the whole dress thing. So, guess what we do not have a lot of. DRESSES!

Yeah ... that would be a problem.

So, I put put out the SOS and my church friends came to the rescue. Now, as one would expect, Sophie was chomping at the bit to get in them. But, in a surprising twist on our story, so was this one ...


Umm ... anyone have any more dresses we could borrow?

Today is a snow day. Otherwise known as "HATTIE STAYS HOME SO THE ENERGY LEVEL IN THE HOUSE GOES UP ABOUT 500% BECAUSE - OH.MY.WORD. - SOPHIE LOVES HAVING HER SISTER HOME!!!!!!!!" Yeah, gotta love it.

Let's see ... what else ... Ummm, yeah. That's all I got right now. Perhaps the fact that I was up at 6AM this morning to do a new workout DVD has something to do with that. And, can I just tell you that Denise Austin is like Jillian Michael's on steroids ... but with a smile. And, strangely enough, the smile makes it just that much worse. Cause it's like she is ENJOYING kickin my tail.

I do need to giver her some serious props though. Homegirl did the ENTIRE workout with us - talking the whole time. She only stopped once in each set (cause, yeah, I did BOTH workouts!!!) to point out safety instructions. She was even sweating at the end. Gotta respect her for that.

Oh, and my H-girl turns 6 on Wednesday. My heart can hardly stand that. Oh, how I love this sweet girl!