Birthday Party In Pictures!

Every party needs a theme and this one was ...



The Backyardigans!!!! 'Cause that's the show we love so much - at the least the one choice that Mommy could find in the GIRL b-day section of the party store!! Otherwise it woulda been Diego or Cars!

Hattie waited very patiently while we got ready to sing.



She got so excited to blow the candle out, she didn't even let us finish singing!!!



After singing it was present time - we had to let the pizza, chips, dip and other foods of the "junk" variety, that all of the uncles let her eat, settle!!!



Here is just some of the crowd:



Here she is with Nicole who let her share in the magic that is The Spice Girls (we won't talk about what mommy thinks of the spice girls!!!). The girl was getting her groove on ... wish I had video!



Finally ... Let 'em eat cake!!!



An activity that she shared with the 'Yardigan buddies





She really didn't want the festivities to end, after the cake was served and eaten and the plate was taken away, Hattie decided she needed a little more. So, being the self sufficient and independent four year old that she is, she grabbed the spatula and served herself!!!



And the party didn't end there... apparently all of the junk food (thank you for the bag of chips and gallon of onion dip, chips and cheese dip, fritos and Doritos uncles!!) didn't get along with the pizza and cake in her tummy! Mommy had a surprise when she went to get Hattie up this morning!

I don't think I will show you pictures of that!

However, Nothin' beats a warm bubble bath first thing in the morning!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!!

Dear Hattie,
Can it possibly be that you are four years old? The calender says that it's true ... but how can that be when it was just yesterday that you came into our lives? How can that sweet, but hurting baby girl be a four year old preschooler? Where has the time gone? How can I get it back? Everyday you get a little more independent and slip a bit further away from being the baby that needed me so much.



And everyday I am prouder of you, more in love with you and so much happier to be your Mom.
I knew you were sent from God to be my child the first time I held you in my arms. From that moment on you had my heart. I was your Mommy and would go to the ends of the earth for you. I fell in love with you in that moment and that love has not stopped growing ever since.




I have watched you grow from a scared, scarred, angry, hurting, lost little baby who would growl and bite on things in anger (which was completely justified) and frustration into a fun, funny, imaginative, creative, loving, sweet, smart, beautiful big girl in what seems to be such a short time. I am so proud of the girl you have become and the young lady you are becoming. You are brilliant - so smart with letters, numbers, animals and pixar movie & Nickelodeon characters!! You are such a sweet big sister - I am pretty sure that you are Sophie's favorite person in the world. You are getting to be such a loving and SOCIAL girl - this from the girl who, just over a year ago, would close herself off from the rest of the world in any type of social situation. You are becoming such a talker, telling us more and more of what you need and want and sometimes even what you are feeling... I know that that is not easy for you and I am so proud of you for trying so hard. You are absolutely hilarious and I can tell that you like to make people laugh and feel good, I love that about you!



I love snuggling with you when you first get up in the morning and right before bed. I love the way that you won't take a bite of your food til after we have prayed for it. I love the way that you run to the door when Daddy gets home from work. I love the way that you have to know where Sophie is at all times and won't let her out of your sight when there is someone new around. I love the way you say "I love you". I love the way you call me "Mama" for a couple of days after watching the Tigger Movie ('cause Roo calls Kanga "Mama", not "Mommy"). I love the way you stand at the window watching for the bus in the morning and then run down the driveway to climb in. I love the way you say "fishy, fishy, fishy" every morning when I feed the fish - and how you sometimes even hug the tank and tell them good morning! I love reading bed time stories and how we have read your Bible so many times that you have it memorized and KNOW if I say it wrong or have missed a page! Pretty much, I just love YOU - everything about you!



If I could, I would take away every bit of the pain and sorrow that you suffered before coming into our world. I would open your mind and help you to talk and share and tell me everything about your day and what is on your heart. But I would never change, even for a second, who and what you are. You are God's perfect creation and I love you completely, just the way that you are!
I am so vey much in love with you. And I am soooooo very happy that God made me your Mommy.
Happy Birthday sweet girl, I love you!
Love, Your Mommy

Take a Look ...

So, each morning the very first thing I do (after making sure that Sophie is still breathing - IF she wasn't the one who woke me up!) is take a trip to the little girl's room. This time of the day is the ONLY time of day that I have 100%, completely ALL to my self, so this is the way I chose to start it:
I have me some time with God. I pray for my family and friends and give to Him all I have ahead of me for the day. I also have a devotional book that I keep on a shelf above the toity (strange place, I know ... did I mention that I am A*L*O*N*E?!?!?! 'Nuff said?) written by Max Lucado.
All of this to share with you what God - and Max - layed on my heart the other day ... and it still hasn't left. Now, I cannot tell you how many mornings that I read that book and think to myself "self (that's what I call me!), you need to share that with the bloggy buddies!!" and then I leave the bathroom and enter into the realm of Hurricane Hattie, Cyclone Sophie and the chaos that IS my day and I never get it shared. This time though, God has not let me walk away. So, here it is:

"Are you still in love with Jesus? Before you remember anything, remember Him. If you forget anything, don't forget Him....
...Has it been a while since you stared at the Heavens in speechless amazement? Has it been a while since you realized God's divinity and your carnality?
If it has then you need to know something. He's still there. He hasn't left."

This has me stopping to think, remember and realize. I have thought about the fact that my life is such a combination of miracles that I cannot even begin to share them all. I have an amazing husband - he is the very best man I know and is SUCH a man of God that it startles me at times. He TRULY makes me want to be a better person. A more Godly person. And the way that we came together is SUCH a work of God - ONLY He could have done it! And then there is Hattie ... the story of Hattie coming into my life is a long one (I will share the details another time) and is FILLED to the brim with divine promises and follows a trail of crumbs that could only have come from the bread of LIFE! To have her as a daughter is such a miracle. SUCH a gift from God! And Sophie, oh my sweet Sophie! I knew her even before she was born and I was privileged to WATCH her come into this world. And, oh my word, has she made my world a better place. She has a spot in my heart that I didn't even know was there to fill and I cannot remember life without her - or imagine life without her anymore!!! Two sweet miracles. I am their mommy. They are my children. I did not give birth to them, but my HEART KNOWS that they are mine. Sophie - the spitting image of a childhood Hubby. Hattie - so much like a childhood me. Only GOD could bring it all together. Only God.
I have remembered times that I looked into the Heavens - literally - and SAW God! The day that Paula passed away, at the moment she died, someone she knew was taking a picture of the sky. This picture shows a cloud, the sun poking through a hole shaped like a human form. (I sooooo wish I could show you that picture. I will try to find it for later.) It was - in my mind - a picture of my best friend entering Heaven. AMAZING! And once, as a child, we were on a trip to the Grand canyon. I can remember my mom sitting outside the hotel room on the grass and waiting for what seemed like FOREVER for the sun to set. I didn't understand why ... til it hit the horizon. I was sitting with her, holding her hand and felt her gasp. I looked up and saw it. It was like she KNEW that that day's setting sun would be beautiful. And just for her. And finally there was the time that we were on an outreach with Generation Of Promise. This was a youth ministry with kids from 4 to 18 reaching out to the community. We were having an evening off and were barbecuing. The kids were letting off steam and it was, in a word, CHAOS. So, Lesa and I took a walk. We walked far enough way that you could kinda hear the voices of the kids playing in the background - loud enough to be sweet, soft enough to be peaceful - and we stopped and sat. Lesa is an amazingly special person to me. I have shared things - details - with Lesa that I have shared with no other person on the planet. She is that kind of friend. I love her so very much. That evening we shared a sunset, with beauty I had never seen before and have never seen since, that I believe God sent just for the two of us. We both needed peace and God gave it to us then and there. Oh, my friends, He is so GOOD!
And I REALIZED that, truly, if WE do not praise Him, surely His creation will. A flower, a cloud, a child's smile, a sunset, an ocean view, a mountain view, a prairie view ... so many ways that He shows Himself to us every single day! Do we take the time to see it? Surely not enough. But if we look, He is there. He is ALWAYS there!
I will say it again ... He is SO good! Just take a look.

Too Sleepy To Think Of A Title...

OK ladies and gentlemen (ha ha - like any gentlemen read this!!!), it is 2:34 AM. And this is the second time tonight/this morning/this-period-of-the-24-hours-when -all-is-dark-and-most-are-asleep that I have been awakened. This, after not going to sleep until 11:45! The first was a shorter, "say shh shh shh over and over for a few minutes and she will fall back to sleep" kinda awakeness. This one has become a "change the diaper, make a bottle and leave the room so the other bleary eyed parent can sleep" kinda awakeness! Hubby, he took the first one! Tonight was his lucky night! I must say that he really is very wonderful and amazing and AWESOME about taking his turn! THANK YOU JESUS FOR MY MAN!!!!
Why, you may ask, is this awakeness happening? We have been asking ourselves that very question for a couple of weeks now. Why has our good eater/sleeper suddenly turned into one who refuses to open her mouth for the spoon and wakes up at LEAST once a night? Why does our sweetnatured baby go from happy and joyful one moment to Crying her eyes out the next - this is NOT an embellishment (and excuse me, but when are they gonna fix the spell check thingy already ... I am having to use big words like embellishment 'cause I can't figure out if I am spelling exageration correctly. And truly, I am not even sure that I am spelling embellishment correctly... it is 2:39. AM. should I really be expected to SPELL?!?!?!?!)? Well, today the mystery has been solved. I caught a glimpse of her the inside of her mouth. That glimpse made me feel the need to get a closer look, for which I had to stick my fingers in her mouth, pull her bottom lip one way and push her tongue the other and peek fast. And there they were ... two little wite nubs tryng to poke through her swollen and sore little gums. Yes, that's right ... we are teething! This is not fun. I am not liking this. Sophie is liking it even less. I want to cry for her.
Now, with Hattie, teething was not an issue. She would be going about her business and one day you would notice, hey! There are more teeth today than there were the other day. When did that happen?!?!? I consider us Blessed by that! Truly, I do! Poor Sophie is not so lucky - and by that token, either are we, this time around. I love my baby and would honestly take this pain for myself if I could. How I wish I could!
Anyhoo, it is now 2:45 and I think she is finally asleep again. I am going to attempt to get her to bed without waking her or Hubby up ... pray for me (I am all for backdated prayers!!!! And, as I am sure you are reading this at a sane hour of the day, that is what they would be!).
Blog at ya later.
Forgive the typos and misspellings (stinkin' blogger spell check!!) and rambling ... Did I mention it is 2:49 ... no wait, 2:50 in the morning!!!!

Everybody Say "Aaaaaaaaaawwwwww"

Ok, picture day has come and - thankfully - gone. I am always a stressed out mess thinking that I have to do all things necessary to keep my girls happy till the last frame is captured. Well, I FAILED my friend - F*A*I*L*E*D!!!! Praise the Sweet Lord in Heaven, you cannot tell it from the pictures ... except for the lack of choices in shots!
I was more worried about Hattie than Sophie because H is notoriously moody, grumpy and downright yucky on picture day. I was sure that Sophie would do so very well and be her utterly charming and sweetnatured self. Oh, so wrong was I!!! Oh, so very wrong! But, again ya can't tell.

Here is Hattie:




and my favorite



And here is Sophie - to be noted, we had a pretty dress for each girl and BOTH of them refused to wear them ... We did get Sophie into the silky bloomers though:




Ya gotta love the rolly polly chubbiness that is my sweet baby girl!!:)


And, for your viewing pleasure (and if not yours, well, then MINE!!!), here are the two cutest girls on the PLANET:



Oh yeah, them are my girls! How I love them!!!!!

What I Did This Weekend ...

So, Friday night Hubby and I had a date ... an OVERNIGHT date!!! We went to Ypsilanti (yes, that it is a real place)!!! One of our favorite bands was playing there - Casting Crowns!!



It is a pretty good drive away though, so Aunt Kathy came and took care of the girls (along with Nicole) and gave us enough peace of mind that we were able to get a goodnight's sleep. We did not wake up til 9:15 AM!!!!! They had some people there from World Vision and, so, we picked up a "brother" for the girls. His name is Jono (we call him Jo!!) and he is from Indonesia. He is on our fridge and we will be praying for him as though he is right here with us! Hopefully, with a sponsor now, he can go to school and drink clean water and have a better life!!! He shares a birthday with Hattie and we are hoping that the girls can learn a litle bit about giving back to the world through this. Welcome to the family Jo!!!!
We also made a few stops on the way home. No road trip is complete without a stop here:



Comfort food at it's very best!!! It was crazy busy, a very long wait and so-so service, but hey, I got me some heavy duty carbs and had a date with my man ... can't ask for more that that!!!!
He also let me stop at Old Navy and do some shopping for my girls. Oh so cute clothes at rock-bottom prices!! It has always annoyed me that stores bring in the summer stuff in January when I still have another 4-5 months of cold weather to dress for!!! Of course now that I am trying to be a responsible shopper and have a CONSTANTLY growing little one, I am SOOOO appreciating that all of the winter stuff is on CLEARANCE!!! Add to that the fact that by the time I need warm weather clothes for her THEY will be on clearance!!!! Good times!
In other news ... Pray for us today as we take the girls for Easter/6mos./4 year pics. Hattie - who will be four on Sunday!!!!! - does not like to have her pic taken and there is the language/communication difficulty to factor in... Could be a long evening. But, there is pizza for the girl when it is all over!! All wrongs are made right with pizza for that girl!
Blog at ya later!!!

A Valentine's Day Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a princess (she knew she was a princess, because she was a daughter of the King!) who had many, many friends and a loving family but was still a little lonely. She prayed and prayed and prayed that God would send someone to love her and care for her, but 34 years later, she was still alone. She did not give up though, she just kept praying...
One day the princess had a very bad toothache and the big, bad dentist told her that he had to take some of her teeth out - the princess was VERY afraid of the big bad dentist, but she went anyway and out her teeth came! A few days later the princess and her mommy were at church and a handsome man gave her a beautiful rose. The princess's mommy liked the handsome man but the princess said that he was "just S. Her mommy told her "he is 'just S' now, he will not be 'just S' forever!" The princess thought that her mommy had lost her ever lovin' mind!!!!
Many days went by and she often saw the handsome man, but he was always "just S" ... until one day, the princess's best friend told her that she should be the handsome man's girlfriend. The princess just laughed and told her she was silly. So, the friend went to "just S" and asked HIM if he wanted to be the princess' boyfriend! He said that he did and she told him "then ya better get busy!" After that "just S" sent the princess LOTS of flowers and called her on the phone and sent her sweet emails and did many things to let her know that he liked her ... until one day, she liked him too! Even loved him!!!!
One day the princess realized that her mommy had been right - he was not "just S" anymore .. he had become her handsome prince! And very soon after that the Handsome Prince asked the princess to be his bride, and she cried and jumped up and down and screamed and hugged his neck and said "yes please".
The Princess finally married her Handsome Prince



and they were later blessed with two little girls - princesses themselves



who joined the princes



that the Handsome Prince already had and they became a big happy family that loves eachother very, very much.
The Handsome Prince saved the princess from may things - a VW bug with a propensity for burnt out headlights and a gas tank that would often not open when she needed gas, a small condo with nasty carpets and a hole in the bathtub, a life of plastic Christmas trees, a wish for a family but no way to afford it or have it on her own and, most importantly, a life of thinking that she was not pretty enough or good enough to get a good man to fall in love with her. He loved her for all that she was and she KNEW that he was sent to her by God and she loved him with all of heart - still does, more everyday!!!
And that princess and her handsome prince are living Happily Ever After to this very day!!!!
Happy Valentine's Farmboy!! I love you very much - FOREVER and EVER!!!
Love your Buttercup!!!!

That's My Mommy!!!

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of the woman who gave birth to me ... My Mommy!!!! In honor of her I would like to share a few of the things that make her wonderful ...
So, here it is, 10 reasons my Mom can beat up your mom - not that she would, 'cause ...



10. She is the kindest woman I know. I have only once seen her have a cross word for anyone. And that was at a truckstop restaraunt and my Dad made us wait outside so we didn't get to see the fight ... so, really, all I have heard her say crossly (except to one of us kids when we sassed her one too many times) was "now stop right there"!!! Then the door shut - them inside, us outside! Oh, to be fly on THAT wall (betcha Mom took her!!).

9. She can really hold her liquor - except one New Year's Eve when she went a little too far. She maintains that she "fell asleep", but I say if the pants are either on or off and you are on a bed or other piece of furniture meant for reclining, it is falling asleep, if it is pants HALF on/off and you're lying on the closet floor, it's called PASSING OUT!!!! This only seems bad, but really, it was all very dignified!

8. She really loves her children. We are a PART of her - so much so that if we were, say, at a picnic in the park and someone were to ask her where my little brother was, she may panic 'cause she can't see him playing anywhere ... before realizing that she's been holding him the whole time... in her arms!!!! Quality parenting at it's best ... that's where I learned it my friend!!!

7.She stays calm and cool in a crisis - when I was hit by a flying rock and fell down a mountain with a head injury and had to be driven from the lake back into town to the hospital she kept it together the whole time while keeping me awake and keeping the blood (most of it anyway) off the upholstery. She took very good care of me and made me feel like it would all be ok - which it was!!

6. She always knows when the appropriate time TO panic is ... yep, in the middle of a movie theatre when (in A Christmas Story) Ralphie's dad almost knocked over the Christmas tree. MY mom, jumped from her seat, grunting LOUDLY and reaching to catch the tree that was falling ON THE SCREEN!!!

5. She is very cultered and refined ... Once, when she and I had a weekend to ourselves 'cause the boys had gone off to do ... boy things ... she thought I might enjoy a nice musical. Luckily there was one playing at the movie theatre! So, at about 10 or 12 years old I saw my first musical in a theatre ... "HAIR"! Awww, memories. That was the first time I realized that my mom's face - heck, ANY face - could turn that shade of red!!!

4. She took great care in the choosing of our names ... maybe not so much time in the SPELLING of the names, seeing as how at the age of 35 she called to ask how many "k"s there were before the "ah" in my name .... which is REBECCA! She said that at the time she had had a hard time deciding between the Biblical and anglican spellings. So, after 35 years she had still not made up her mind?!?!?!

3. She also had to look it up when I asked her WHERE I was born! Man, them hospitals musta been passing out some strong drugs back then!!!

2. She may, or may not, have some sort of rubber like substance in her body makeup ... I am guessing yes, judging from the distance she flew after bouncing off a closed glass door in a model home when running to see the pool in the back yard. She also has raised some mighty caring kids, 'cause once I stopped laughing so hard I cried (while all of the STRANGERS standing around helped her up) I did help her to the car!

And the number one reason my mom can beat up your mom ....

In all honesty she is the very best woman I have ever known. She is where I get my blue eyes (even though she says they came from Grandma), my love of God (that woman knows her Bible inside and out!), my FAITH in God (she is who taught me - by example - to pray in all things), my love of books (never knew her to be without one ... and she could read "The Recuers" backwards when we were kids - and again when, as adults, we found the boof in a shelf and climbed on the bed and made her read it to us again!) and my love of life. She is wise - got herself and edumacation when us kids had growed, and had to go all the way to Chicagy to get it!!! She is strong - have you SEEN her six kids?!?! She is good, loving and kind to anyone and everyone, always has been ('cept the lady at the truckstop, and really, she had it comin'!)
I remember her reading bedtime stories to me and the girl nextdoor - Little House On The Prairie - and I remember the girl next door being so amazed 'cause she had never seen anything like that before. And for the rest of the book she came over every night to hear the story.
She is the world's best mother EVER and the best Grandma that my girls could imagine. We are so lucky and Blessed to have her. I am so Blessed to be raised by her - if my girls love me half as much as I love her, then I musta done something right!!!
TRULY, she is everything I ever want to be when I "grow up". She is the wife and mother and woman ... the PERSON I pattern myself after. I know I can feel good following after her because she is so set on following after God.
She is my hero in every way.
I love you VERY much Mommy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

p.s. - She also has the BEST sense of humor, so I feel safe in sharing these stories. She also knows that if I didn't LIKE her almost as much as I LOVE her these stories would not be nearly as fun to tell!!!!


p.s.s. - I am sorry about the glass door incident, I should have picked you up and THEN laughed my fanny off!!!!

One More and Then I'm Done

OK, I am sure you are tired of hearing about it ... three posts is quite enough you say, and I hear ya (but I am going for four anyway!!). Barring any unforseen (and THOROUGHLY unwanted) relapses, this will be our last epidemic update.
I just thought I would let ya know that things are getting back to a semi-normal state (normal is a relative term, considering we are ... well ... US) and share some photographic documentation:

This is what happens when you have to keep doing laundry - 'cause Tigger was a victim of a particularly ugly vomit scenario and blankies and clothes have been victims of , well let's just say the diapers have been U*G*L*Y!! - but you have no energy for folding and sorting and putting away the clean stuff, you end up with this:



And when Mother Nature dumps this at your doorstep:



...then, sick or not, a Daddy's gotta do this:



(the sweet thing is that, once again, after ours he did Ms Gerri's next door!!! What a guy!!!)

And when you have enough energy to maybe play, but maybe not, you just gott take some time to ponder the situation...



But don't be fooled by the presumed perkiness of this photo, cause if you look closer you can see the tired, glossy eyes and chapped lips ...



Poor baby!!

And then there is Sophie ... just when you needed something to smile about...

Is That A Light I See?!?!?!

Finally, Praise the healing hand of the Sweet Lord, we can see the light.... still a ways down that tunnel, but light CAN be seen!!!! Hattie finally spoke yesterday evening (after a two day silence - unheard of here at home!!!) and she even cracked a smile right before bedtime! She is eating as I type - pray she holds it down - and has had several cups of liquid this morning. This is a minor miracle in and of itself seeing as how she has not taken a drink by her own power in two days. Sophie seems to be pretty much back to herself and though she still has some flem action when she drinks formula she IS drinking formula again (the Gatorade/Pedialite was really taking a toll on her diaper situation!!!!), she is laughing and talking and doing her best to cheer the rest of us up!!! Hubby took another sick day - says it was to take care of us, but I can tell that he is still not up to par. And I feel like my head would benefit from a swift stab with an icepick to release some of the fluid, but the truck running me over continuously is no longer a semi but more like a member of the small pickup variety. We actually opened up the blinds today 'cause we can stand the light ... over all, we still feel a bit icky, but are on the upswing for sure.... considering that the last few days we felt like we had died and nobody had let our bodies know it yet!!!
Thanks for your prayers - keep em coming!!!!
Blog at ya soon!!!

Sick Day ... AGAIN!!!

Oh yeah, we are still sick here in B Manor. I have thought - more than once - that putting a quarantine sign on the door would not be a bad idea. I have prayed - more than once - that Jesus would come back ... NOW! And I have choked back tears - WAY more than once - when I look into the sad eyes of my sick babies.
Sophie is feeling a bit better today and her fever seems to have passed. I still feel like a large truck has hit me, backed up over me and hit me again but am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hubby stayed home from work today - bills be danged - to take care of his girls. And Hattie, my sweet, sweet Hattie, the only one in the house who actually got a flu shot and she has been hit the hardest. I have actually had to start giving her gatorade through a medicine bulby thing (sorry, I cant spell syringe and the spell check aint working and I am sick so get over it!!!) because it the only way that I can get her to drink anything and I have to keep her hydrated. She has even napped - a phenomenon that has not taken place in almost two years!!! We have had community naps on the sofa - oh so comfortable!! And last night we had to make sure both girls were comfy and cared for so I slept in Hattie's room and Hubby took Sophie. Both girls, THANK THE SWEET LORD, slept all night (although for Hattie I'm thinking it was more like passing out due to all of the puking!!!!!), therefore we slept all night too.
Continue to pray for us - or for Jesus to come back, whatever works - as we struggle through.
And as with all phenomenon (again, I am sick and do not know the plural of Penomenon) I had to capture it on film ...

Heaven Help us!!!

****Let me first preface this by saying that my Hubby is NOT a whiner - even when sick****
That being said, had you asked me last week what could be worse than a sick husband I woulda told ya nothin' ... NOTING is worse than a big strong man reduced to the likes of a needy child. That's what I WOULD HAVE said. Ask me now!!
NOW I will tell you that the only thing worse than a sick husband is a house full of two little girls and one woman (the biggest whiner of all!!!) who are all down with the same thing and depending on a husband/daddy who STILL is not feeling well but must return to work 'cause the bills don't pay themselves!!! THAT is worse my bloggy buddys ... THAT IS WORSE!!!!!
Sophie can't breath, Hattie is a pukin' and I am wishin' I could pass out in the bed!! However, as I said, the bills don't get paid all on their lonesome so the Hubby had to go to work today, so I can't. Aaaaaahhhh, the joys of motherhood. Nothing says love like NOT throwing your child to the floor when she is filling your shirt with the vomit!!
And now that I have given you a nice visual image that will hopefully NOT stay with you for long, I must bid adieu ... Sophie is needing her mommy and Hattie is wanting to eat ... That could be frightnin' in 'bout a half hour!!!
Whoooo Lordy, Heaven help us!!!!

He Giveth ... and He Taketh Away

The last little bit has been a very trying time - oh, no ... the girls are great (yesterday was such a sweet day of fun with both girls in happy, laughing moods!!!) and all is fine and dandy here in B Land. However, last weekend my Sweet Aunt Helen passed away - she was my Mom's Dad's sister and the last of that generation on that side of the family. She was such a wonderful woman and I learned alot from her, not just about our family (she was a WEALTH of information in that area) but about life. She had just a kind and generous and content soul and I loved her so. Then, late last week my uncle Ed passed away - he was my Daddy's sister's husband. When I was in high school and right after he and Aunt Phyllis had an RV and they used to travel across the good ol' USofA a couple of times a year and that is when I got to really know them. He, as well, was a wonderful man. He had a fun sense of humor and was a gentle man with a kind heart. Both of them had been "ailing" for a while so neither was really out of the blue, but are we really ever prepared?
Also last week I learned that my sweet friend Amanda's grandpa was quite ill - he and my grandma (who passed away in November) had taken turns being in the hospital for the last year or so and he was back in there. Yesterday morning her hubby Darcy told me that he had suffered a major stroke and they were headed out to be there after church. I spoke with Amanda this morning and learned that he had passed away.
However, yesterday they had been able to share a sweet time with him as a family ... as she told the story I was reminded of the bittersweet time of goodbyes spent with my sweet Paula...



She had been fighting cancer for a while and had developed Valley Fever. She was put on a ventilator and never awoke. A choice had to be made when it was learned that she would most likely be spending the rest of her life on some sort of life support and, because the valley fever had moved into her brain, would not be herself. We took her off of all the machines and held her and sang to her while she went on to Heaven. It was so beautiful. Her favorite song was The Wonderful Cross: and as we sang it she began to fade. We came to the part that says "The wonderful cross, bids me come and die and find that I may truly live" and that is when she went on to her true home. I was holding her beautiful head in my arms and felt her last breath on my face as she left this world. It was THE hardest thing that I have EVER been through and also is one of the most treasured memories of my life. She was my very best friend and I miss her every single day of this life and am in constant anticipation of the day when I will leave this life for the eternal reward of being with Jesus ... and, now, of being with Paula, Grandma, Aunt Helen, Uncle Ed and Amanda's sweet Grandpa - I can't wait to meet him!!!!!

Snow Day - part two

So, yesterday was a snow day - as I already explained in the previous post - and that makes today the snow FUN day!!!! And Hattie Grace and her Daddy did have FUN!!!!!

Hattie still loves making snow angels ...



... and throwing snow balls!!!



She has now discovered that sliding into snow is right up there with sliding into leaves!!!



And while she was playing (when he wasn't playing with her) her daddy was doing this ...



... and this!!



And when he finished our yard he did our nextdoor neighbor's yard - 'cause I just happen to be married to the most wonderful, selfless and giving man there is!!!
And if these pics look a little fuzzy it's 'cause they were taken from the warmth and comfort of INSIDE the house where THIS was going on ...



Don't let the hand up in the air fool ya, she is fast asleep!!! Lazy Saturday afternoons with just us and our girls. Can't beat that!!!

All's Quiet ... For Now!!!

So, it has been a fairly quiet week here at B Manor ... Of course, now that I've said that all you-know-what is probably gonna break loose!! So, I will enjoy the peace while it is here. A fairly uneventful week, but here is a recap anyway...
The week started out warm - yes, I said WARM. So sunny and "toasty", in fact, that all the snow melted away on Monday and Tuesday, and it RAINED!! However, By Tuesday evening the temp was dropping FAST! On Wednesday I put Hattie on the bus in a chilly 14 degrees ... but the wind was blowing so hard that I'd be willing to bet ya it was WAY below zero! Also on Wed. Hubby called in sick to work. If you know my man you know that aint something he takes lightly so he was REAL sick. Poor fella, he was miserable :( Then he called in again on Thursday - bad for him, good for me... I got to stay for the WHOLE Bible study at church. Usually I have to leave early to meet Hattie's bus but he was here and told me to enjoy myself! Even sick that man is a keeper!!! Just as cold as Wednesday but no wind so it felt MUCH better. Last night a snow storm rolled in and now Miss Hattie is having a snow day today. We are all still in our pj's and LOVING it (except for Hubby who went back to work today)!! Add to that the joy of new episodes of Diego and Backyardigans this afternoon and life is swell for my girl!!! Pretty stinking great for Miss Sophie too 'cause watchin her sis play is the best thing since strained squash - her favorite food by the way!!! I have no explanation for the squash thing except to say that she did NOT get it from me!!!! Do they make chocolate for babies, cause we could do some serious bonding over chocolate!!!! I think that would be a very special time for us both!!!
Here is the big news for the week ... if you can call it that. I got me a new do. I got a cut and color from my buddy Ms Lori!! I am pretty excited, but here is a glimpse....drum roll ... are you excited yet ... really, are ya .... are ya o OH, O.K. ...



And here are some new pics of the girls ('cause I know that is REALLY what you came to see....





This weekend is looking to be pretty uneventful, but again, now that I have said it .... Ah heck, just pray for us!!!

Bumble Bees, Bone Tired and Bible Study

OK, here is the scary part first ... Last night the girls had their bath and all was going oh so well. Sophie finished up and I took her out to dry off. I laid her on the pad on the counter and noticed that she had a little boogie action in her nose so I turned to get a tissue. HUbby turned to look at her just as I turned back and we both saw it ... a yellowjacket on the baby's chest!!! FREAK OUT! He swats it away, being the hero that he is, but it lands IN her towel. Before we can get the towel opened up and the bee out of there it STINGS MY BABY! She is screaming, I am freaking, Hubby is killing a bee and Hattie is watching it all quietly (Bless her heart!!). We have NO idea how it got in the house or if it has friends elsewhere. BUT, at least we now know that Sophie is NOT allergic to bees - THANK GOD!!!
Now, the frustrating part. We had a very - and I do mean VERY - rough night last night. Hattie did NOT want to go to bed. And that is, thankfully, very rare! But she threw a WHOPPER of a fit that lasted for quite a while and included her coming out of her bed and room TWICE! She is usually very easy to put to bed, so this was a puzzle. Her fit woke up Sophie and it took FOREVER to get her back to sleep. She finally went down around 11:00!!! Then she woke up around 12:30, we got her back to sleep pretty quickly but not for very long - she was awake again a couple of hours later. This time we had to changer her diaper and give her a bottle to get her back to sleep. About the time she finally fell asleep Hattie woke up. Usually when Hattie has a "crib party" (which is why she is still in a crib - we are afraid she will roam the house and fall down the stairs!) we let her hang and do her thing 'cause if we go up there it just lasts longer. However, given that she had already gotten out of her crib TWICE last night I felt the need to stay awake and listen to her party to be sure that she stayed in bed. After a couple of hours she finally fell asleep ... just as Sophie was waking up AGAIN!!!! Then by the time she fell back to sleep it was time to get Hattie up for school. Needless to say I am TIRED, almost called Hattie in for school and let her sleep while Sophie and I napped ... but I didn't!
Which leads to the Blessing part. I started a new Bible study at church this morning, one which I have been VERY excited about for quite a while. For Christmas Hubby got me some Beth More 90 day devotionals - one on Daniel and one on Jesus, The One And Only and that is the study that we are doing this semester!!!! YAY! So, I had to be there - for everyone's survival of the day I need me some Jesus! I absolutly ADORE Beth Moore, no one can make the Bible come alive for me the way that she does. I tell people that she is one of my very best friends, I just haven't met her yet! Anyway, this morning did not dissapoint! I am so refreshed by the Word and am so Blessed by the message! Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to dive in!!! And for the energy to get my tired hiney in gear to get there for the study!!!!
So, there ya go ... a day in the life of the B Bunch. Sorry it drug out so long, but hey, you KNEW it would ... didn't ya?!?!?! And thank you Lord, we are all still here to tell the story!
Blog at ya later!

Brilliant All The Same...

So, I would like to tell you that my brilliant daughter took to potty training like a duck to water ... that we put on the panties and never looked back! I would like to, but I can't. What I can tell you is that my brilliant daughter has taken to playing the system like a fiddle!!! She can go just enough to get the praise and the treat and then 5 minutes later finish ... in the panties!!!! She was doing swell until she decided that she wasn't so much liking the Dora/Princess/Curious George ('cause we went through em all folks) panties if it meant that she had to stop what she was doing every 30 minutes for a bathroom trip!!!!
Now, I must say that she not only went number one on the potty but number two as well (or for all of you Elmo Potty Time viewers out there we can call it poo-poo or woo-woo or .... must I go on?!?!?!), so I am thinking that she must have an inkling as to what she is doing right? Add to that the fact that she goes a little, stops, little more, stops, little more .... C'mon now, that takes skill!!!! THEN after wetting the pants she goes to the diaper cabinet and says "want a diaper?" Like she wants me to ask her if she would prefer that big soggy, droopy, wet thing in her drawers! I am at a loss!!
I am now opening the floor up for suggestions ... anyone? Can ya help me? She is back in the diaper 'cause I refuse to put her on the bus in single digit temps with what could be wet panties by the time she gets to school! HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPPP MMMMMMEEEEEEE!!!!!!
On the other hand, she has mastered that fine art known as "playing the parents". Yep, that's my girl ... BRILLIANT!!!!
Gotta love her!

Hattie's Big Adventure ...

So, earlier in the week I told ya about Sophie's adventures for the week, now I will tell you about Miss Hattie's!
She went to the movies - We saw the new Veggie Tales movie. Now, Mommy & Daddy LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE the veggies and, usually, so does the girl. She was really enjoying it until the cheese curls came to life. Her eyes were pretty much hidden behind her hands for the rest of the flick. Still, an adventure none the less. She did enjoy the nachos!
She ate dinner at the mall - which means PIZZA, her favorite!! She also got to walk through the mall - usually she rides, but she is really getting the "response to request" thing down and stops or comes back when she is asked so we gave it a try. She did GREAT!!!
And the big adventure .... I mean the REALLY big adventure ... (insert drum roll here) ... she started POTTY TRAINING!!!!!! Can I get an amen and a big yeehaw?!?! Now, she turns four next month (pause while I cry for a sec.... ok, better now) but because of her communication delays we are a bit behind. However, she has started showing an interest both at home and at school so we figured we would give it a try. We had a 4 day weekend from school and thought that it would be as good a time as any. So, we busted out the big girl panties that Santa brought, put some "keep-her-on-the-potty-as-long-as-possible" entertainment in the bathroom and prayed for the best.
On Friday she kept her diaper dry all morning and decided that she wanted to wear the panties in the afternoon. Her diaper was wet after lunch so rather than a new one we put on the big girls. She kept em dry all evening (although there was no pee-peeing on the potty as of yet)!
This morning she wanted the panties on again and kept em dry all morning. She finally "went" on the potty this afternoon - yay! And the had an accident a while later ... then another one shortly after that. Hubby caught her at the beginning of the second accident and got her to the potty on time and she finished there and I think it clicked cause she has been going on the potty ever since.... (she says with hope in her voice and a prayer in her heart!!!).
So, everything I have read says that once they are in the undies not to go back, which means church tomorrow... PRAY FOR US!!!!! That will be the real test.
All in all, it has been an exciting adventure for us all!!!! Hattie is a big girl, Mommy is so very proud and Daddy doesn't have to pay for diapers anymore!!!!! And again I say AMEN!!!!

The Excellent Adventures of Sophie Lee

So, Sophie got a new toy ... OK, actually it is an old toy (Hattie and SEVERAL foster children through the years have used it!!), but to HER it is new! She has had several new adventures this week ... baby food (applsauce bad, banana GOOD!!!), moved to the porta-crib (outgrew the cradle - when I was there to CATCH her as she FLIPPED out of it, we decided it was time!), new carseat (yep, outgrew that too!), and now, a new fun toy!

Here is how it went down ......



What's this? For MOI?!?!?!?



WOW!!! Are you sure this is all for me?!?!



OK, this is a LOT to take in, I am just a baby ya know.



Sophie LIKE!!!!

New adventures are sweet! Witnessing your child taking new adventures ... even sweeter!!!
I LOVE being a mom (even if I am a bit disfunctional!).

Quality Parenting At It's Best

So, Hubby says that I am a bad influence on Hattie. He says that I teach her things that I (meaning HE) would be embarrassed for her to do at school or, Heaven FORBID, church. Simply because we are inclined to break into "slap fights" with no warning. or stick our tongues out at each other and laugh. His favorite is when we threaten to "beat you up and slap you around" and then mock punch and slap each other. He inexplicably cringes every time! I don't get it...
And now that she is really starting to talk he is REALLY worried. I am obsessed with the show "Reba" and absolutely ROLL with laughter when she gets flustered and growls the word "craaaaaap!!" ... so I have started to say it at times (not my proudest moment) and thus Hattie has said it twice now. OK, I understand his frustration over that one and have made a very concerted effort to stop saying it. YESTERDAY, however, she had me crying with laughter at something that would have made Hubby just ... well, cry! She has taken to putting the box for Sophie's high chair box over her head and walking around the house. It is hilarious 'cause she runs into EVERYTHING and just bounces off like a pinball. So yesterday she was running into the couch over and over and saying "I'm ok" which made me giggle. And THEN she missed the couch and fell flat on the ground... silence for a few seconds and then "ah GEEZ". I CRIED!!!!
Now, for some reason Hubby HATES the word Geez. I think he thinks that it is a shortened version of "oh Jesus". but that is simply not the case. To me it is a shortened version of "geez louise" which I have said FOREVER....
What is you opinion on this delicate subject my bloggy friends? Am I a bad influence on my child?!?!? I need to know ... is geez bad? Be honest, I can take it.

One other thing, is it bad that I have not started either of the girls baby books yet? Can this blog count as a memory book? I need help.
Did I mention that I am a quality parent? I can soooo see my girls on the Oprah show someday. Or at the very least, a therapists couch..... Did I mention that at this moment Hattie is sitting in her lunch chair not allowed to get down because she refuses to eat her BOLOGNA (sigh and ashamedly looking aside) or that Sophie is in her swing waking up and as I look over at her I realize that she has not only spit up but her bib is so turned around that she looks like a mini supergirl. Mother of the Year, that's me!!

One More Change....

Last night the girls took a bath, Sophie has real dry skin and so we have been using a more conditioning shampoo hoping to create less flakes. What we got was a rash and breakout of the face. The Doc gave us some new stuff to try. So we washed them both up and got em all ready for bed. For Sophie that included her bed-time-rice-cereal-laced-sleepy-time bottle. You will notice in this pic her post bottle lack of an upperlip face, but do you notice anything else (something that comes from NOT having a lot of conditioner in the hair?)




Can't see it, look closer.....






Still nothing, get closer ....






Yep, it's a curl!! My baby has curly hair! YAY!!!!

Oh yeah ... she rolled over today!!!!! WooHoo!!! Can a mama be prouder?!

No Dry Eyes Here ...

I remember hearing, on multiple occasions and from more than one person, that my Grandpa Straight used to say that nobody should ever leave a church service with a dry eye ... Well, I must say that yesterday's service brought more than a tear, it brought a RIVER!!!! Man oh man, it was sweet - the sermon was on leadership and it was so well spoken - kudos to Pastor Andy!!! The music, led by our brand-spankin' new worship leader (approved by the congregation just yesterday) Aron, was powerful, moving and, may I say, ROCKING!!!!! And then, the new Elders and Deacons were inducted into service. Now, I have to tell ya, the sight (yes, I opened my eyes!!!) of big grown men on their knees in humility while other big strong men laid hands on them and prayed over them was soooooo moving to me. Would it not have been wholly inappropriate, I woulda taken my little phone out and taken a picture - Dern that Emily Post and her stinkin' manners and rules!!!! THEN, the band started in with "Glorious One" .... I was gone! Simply DONE!!! Gotta tell ya, as my sweet Beth Moore would say, "I love me some Jesus!!!" The Good Lord was movin big in that place yesterday, in my heart as well!!!!! Sweet, sweet, SWEET!!!! I could go on and on.....

In other news, Miss Sophie is now 4 months old!!!! And somewhere in the middle of the holiday season she has undergone a serious transformation. I was holding her at church yesterday (and this has happened more than once) when someone came up and asked where MY little one was. This is her, I say and the jaws drop to the floor. She is holding herself up in my arms now - doesn't like to lay down anymore, she wants to sit up so badly and is almost there!!!! She is social - talking to anyone who will listen and flirting with anyone who will look her way ... so cute!!! Then in the last few days she has been waking up in the middle of the night again and wants to eat. So, after being advised by many - including the doctor today - we have begun the BABY FOOD!!!!! At first she was NOT impressed! But, today .... applesauce - a HUGE success!!!!!! She is in her high chair now and loves that too! She is - are you sitting down? .... Seriously, are ya? - 17lbs and 7oz.!!!! Too big, they say for her baby car seat. On one hand I say "thank You Jesus, I don't have to carry that thing around anymore!!!" but on the other hand ... where is my baby?!?!?! Ahhhhhh .... the ups and downs of motherhood!!!!
These pictures are pre high chair, but the first meal.....



Yep, thats's my baby... now there really is no dry eye!!!!!

Glorious One, Glorious One
Light of the world, You outshine the sun
King of all Kings, Eternity sings,
GLORIOUS ONE!!!!!!

May He Bless you all, my bloggy friends!

BRRRRRRRR!!!!!

OK, two posts in one day - crazy I know, especially since I don't really have too much to say except - IT IS COLD!!!! Hattie went back to school today and I had to put my poor Sweet girl on the bus in the 6 DEGREES, snot freezing, barely light out, COLD morning weather!!! Last year they called "cold days" because there wasn't enough snow to use up all of the snow days, I think this morning was cause for a cold day!!!
So, here is the new layout and I think I will keep this one for a while, at first I thought it was a bit too brown, but it is growing on me and fits with my New Year post. PLUS, my Bloggy friend Kate likes it and helped me to tweak it up a bit (except I still can not make the switch putting the posts on the other side of the pictures, about me and counter stuff!!) so I am really liking it now. Let me know what ya think!!!
One more thing - I am still looking for pictures to show ya, but the other day I put my sweet baby Sophie in an outfit that was one of my faves on Hattie. Sophie is 3 months old, Hattie came to us at 9 months.... hmmm, guess that means that she was at LEAST 9 months old - and I ma thinking that she got the outfit for Christmas which would make her 10 months old - when she wore it. Meaning that Sophie is BIG!!! Now, I know that she will thin out when she starts crawling and stuff, but she won't get shorter!!!! I am so sad to be putting the tiny clothes away - but am so loving the stages she is in. She laughs, coos, responds to our voices and touch and is getting so much fun to interact with. She tries to have conversations with us and it is so fun to see her grow! Just can't believe she is growing so FAST!!!
And, one more thing - ow much does it stink that the most popular name for girls in '07 is Sophia?!?!? I did the research, it was pretty far down on EVERY list! Apparently it jumped quite a few spots this year to take over the number one spot. Now, I named Hattie with a name I had picked in high school and was so happy because it doesn't even appear on any list, meaning there won't be 20 girls in her class with the same name!!! Of course this also means that nobody says it right. But c'mon, Hattie isn't that hard is it?! We get Haley, Hadley, Mattie, Happy, Hate-y (sounding like the other name for Hell!!!) and my personal favorite ha-tie (emphasis on the tie!!!)! But poor Sophie will always and forever be Sophie B., or some other variation that distinguishes her from the other million and 1 Sophies in her class. i am so sorry Sophie lee - Mommy tried!!! Stupid research that apparently is NOT kept up to date after all!!!
OK, tirade over, I feel better now. I guess they can call her Pretty Stinking Amazing Sophie - cause you KNOW that she will be the prettiest, smartest and most wonderful of all of the other Sophies out there!!!!!

New Year ... New Beginnings!

The new year always brings thoughts about what we can change or make new .... as if WE could make anything new!!! At church on Sunday both pastor Mike and Mr. Brolan (who was leading worship) talked about New Years Resolutions. Pastor Mike went through a list of resolutions from the past few years - each year trying to lose a few more pounds ('cause instead of losing pounds they were actually GAINED!!!) etc... Mr. Brolan went online to look at the most popular resolutions and noted that they are mostly about losing weight (duh!!), getting a new job, in shape or a new "thing" - house, car etc... - but that knowing JESUS better was nowhere on the list!
Resolution - by definition - is to dedicate oneself to something. RESOLVE to be a better person, get in shape, make more money, and so on. What better to resolve yourself to that knowing God?! He created you, knows you better than anyone else and LOVES you more than anyone else! Can't the one who created your body help you to know it and care for it? Can't the giver of all gifts show you how to better use yours? Can't the Creator of the earth and life show you how to enjoy it more? Can't the giver of life make yours better? YES!!! Yes to all of these questions! Now, I am the first to say that I need to lose a few pounds and a few bad habits, but I think the very first thing that I will resolve myself to this new year is to know Jesus better and to devote more of me to God! If I can do that the rest will happen, I just know it will!!! So, here is to quiet times with God - I WILL find time to make time for HIM. Here is to looking for strength from HIM when I want to do something unhealthy. Here is to giving my temple back to HIM and letting HIM show me how to care for it. Here is to giving my FAMILY back to HIM and letting Him show me how to best take care of THEM! Here is to FILLING my prayer journal and not leaving it to gather dust by mid January and feeling guilty for the rest of the year because I am "too busy" to write things down. Here is to letting the creator of the universe get a little creative in my life - I give it all back to Him!!
SO, if you are reading this, I hereby charge you to hold me accountable and help me stay on track. I also CHALLENGE you to go deep and look inside yourself. We all can do better - after all if we were perfect we would already be in Heaven!!!
Happy New Year my sweet fRamily - let's make it a good one!!!!!