Project 365 - Week 7

Well, honestly, I had trouble remembering to take pics this week... so I have to say I cheated a bit. I will let ya know when it is a cheater pic.

Stop by to see Sara for looks into even more people's lives!

Here is our week:

Feb. 9 - This is a cheater ... this pic was actually taken on the 7th! But, it does show how rapidly the snow was melting when we got some unseasonably warm temps. This poor snowman was COVERED on Friday, it had gone down this far by Saturday and by Monday ... well, Monday I just took him down because, Hello IT IS FEBRUARY!!!!

PS - Happy Birthday Emily & Heatheroni!!

FEB. 10 - Not only is this the day that the best mom in the entire UNIVERSE celebrated her birthday (love ya mommy :) ), but it also happens to be the day that Sophie learned to blow a raspberry, courtesy of her daddy ... who says that I am a bad influence!

Feb. 11 - I emptied a box of cereal, Hattie found herself a new hat! Can't say she's not creative!

Feb. 12 - The girls like to mix and match their sets of toys. Some days there are some strange combos to be found through out our house. Like this day ... Not sure what was goin on, but it looks like there was some trouble down on the farm!

Feb. 13 - CHEATER ALERT!!! This pic was actually taken on Saturday. However, on Thursday, since Daddy was at church late, we did get out the special V-day shirts that I found on serious clearance at Babies R us (with a gift card none the less!!!) to be sure that they would fit!

Feb. 13 - Hattie's therapist switched us from Thursdays to Fridays ... which is when the other doctors - who share the waiting room - end their days early. So Sophie gets the play stuff all to herself!!!

Feb. 14 - Valentine's Day. Hubbs took all 3 of his girls on a date. Mexican food is the sure fire way to this girl's heart!! But, I think Hattie enjoyed it too!!!

Feb. 16 - Oh goodie ... NASCAR's back. I. am. so .excited ... NOT!!!!

Nothin' says good TV like a bunch a cars turning left for four hours!!!

So, how was YOUR week?

PS - I totally apologize if I offended anyone with the NASCAR comment ... it is a running joke here in our house!

No, really, I LOVE left turns!

A Little Story ...

Six years ago today hubby (then fiance) and I boarded a plane from AZ to the frozen North otherwise known as Michigan. I cannot tell you the nerves that were coursing through my body. See, the purpose of our little jaunt was to meet his family ... his ENTIRE (very LARGE) family!

I was a wreck!

Not only was I meeting them for the first time, but I had to travel across the stinkin' country - on a red eye, no less - to do it! Oh yeah, have I mentioned how lovely I look when I first wake up?

Well, I did meet them - ALL OF THEM!!! - and it went well. IF you do not take into consideration the fact that Hubbs forgot to mention my food allergies (Oh, I have ISSUES!!!) to his mom and she had to make an entirely separate meal just for me. Plus the fact that dessert was a substance that I am also allergic to. So allergic, in fact, that being in the same room with it gives me HIVES!

Hello, nice to meet you ... please excuse my skin condition.

Anyhoo, we survived the trip. And now we LIVE here ... where the temps regularly dip below the freezing mark between the months of Nov and April. And I LOVE it!

Just like I love HIM!

BUT, have I ever told ya the story about how we fell in love? No? Well, let me just say that it was NOT love at first sight! In fact Hubbs (and my sweet, lovely, big mouthed Paula) had a LOT of convincing to do.

I spent quite a while denying the fact that there was anything at all to what everyone else had decided was a sure thing. I played the denial thing for way too long and then one day suddenly woke up and realized that this was the man I was gonna marry!

Yeah, it was an immediate turn around.

Kinda like this:

However, once I did say I was in love - out loud, it was a one way, full speed ahead, all out RUSH to the altar!

I figured it out in (late) November ... we had our first date in mid December ... we were engaged by Christmas ... we were married in June.

It is kinda like what Billy Crystal said in When Harry Met Sally:

"When you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you just want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible!"

And then Meg Ryan says "ya see ... you say things like that and it makes it impossible for me to hate you Harry! And I do hate you Harry .... I really hate you ..." Then she cries like a blubbering idiot and kisses him square on the mouth!

(I like that movie, can you tell?)

I also felt a little like Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail. When she figures out that it was Tom Hanks that she was falling in love with all along and she tells him "I wanted it to be you ... I wanted it to be you so badly." And then she cries like a blubbering idiot and kisses him square on the mouth.

(yeah, I like that one too! In fact, that one is my FAVORITE!!!)

So, the point I am trying to make is this ...

I REALLY love my husband.

'Nuff said?

Happy Valentine's Baby!!!

My Wonderful Mr.

So, over at We Are That Family, there is a fun little carnival in honor of Valentine's Day. There are some amazing prizes being offered - and who am I to pass up a prize? All ya have to do is post a little tribute to your hubby.

Oh, I can soooooo do that!

'Cause if there is one thing I love to do, it's lovin up my hubby! And I like the way he kinda gets all bashful and blushy when I do it in public ... How do you write a tribute to the person who changed your life? I could tell you he is my very best friend, but that doesn't say nearly enough. I could tell that I love him more every single day, but I have probably said all of that before. So, what do I say to let you know just what he means to me ...?

I know! I will tell you all about HIM and then you can see WHY I love him the way that I do!

The first thing you must know about this man of mine is that he HATES being the center of attention! He doesn't like it when I take his picture (but that doesn't stop me!!).

See what I mean? Silly man!

He REALLY doesn't like when I point him out in public to tell everyone in earshot how stinkin' cute he is! Yeah, he hates that!

But the best example of just HOW shy he is is that almost 6 years ago, when we were planning our wedding, this guy asked to do the wedding from the sound booth ... in the very back of the room. He did not want to be the center of attention! Needless to say, I made him come up front with me. I wanted him CLOSE when it came time for the kissin!!!

The next thing you need to know about the most wonderful man in the universe is that he loves to have fun! He likes people and he is good with them, but he is BEST when it comes to the people he loves most in the world ... his family!

He LOVES his children with complete abandon. He would move heaven and earth to protect his little girls AND his big boys! He is the best daddy I have ever seen! I love to watch him just love on them and share their world for a while. Like this ...

He also loves the out doors, he likes hunting and camping and walking and riding four wheelers and hiking and just the pure simplicity of enjoying nature! He also loves to share that love with his children!

He is extremely patriotic! He served in the US Army and has a slight obsession with airplanes, especially MILITARY airplanes. Another love that he enjoys sharing with the ones he loves!

(I promise, Hattie was having fun with her daddy! She just HATES having her picture taken!)

He is one of those FUN kinda dads and that makes life with him all the more interesting and enjoyable. I love to see him just MAKING fun with his children, but I really love it when I get to get involved too!

So, here is a rundown of who he is - the Reader's Digest version, if you will!

He is HANDSOME. (DUH!! That is a given!)

He is LOVING - I honestly do not go a day without him showing me in some way that I am the one he loves and he is genuinely happy to share his life with me! I am so very Blessed in this area!

He is FUN! He can make two little girls laugh with all they have at a moment's notice!

He is a GREAT dad! - His boys want to be just like him and his girls just want to be with him.

He is a FABULOUS hubby - I cannot say enough in this area!

He is KIND - he would give the shirt off of is back for is fellow man. He truly cares about people!

He is GOOD - he has the best heart of anyone I have ever known.

He is EASY TO LOVE - honestly, I don't know anyone that knows him who doesn't love him!

He is MANLY - he can fix, do, make or run anything!!!

He is CARING - I watched him love on Paula the night before she went to Heaven, Nuff said!

He is my HERO - he has rescued me in more ways than one - too many to count!

He is my LOVE - and lets me know every single moment that I am his!

He is my FRIEND - there is nothing that I cannot share with this man!

So, he loves his family ...

... and he loves his wife ...

(lucky me!!!)

... but more than anything else, and the one reason I know I will love him FOREVER is this:

He loves God with his entire being.

Everything else in his life and in his world is centered around, based on and made possible by this one certainty. He is a GODLY man. Jesus is His center and the rest of it is based on that love. I had no problem at all using the word "obey" in my vows, because I knew I could trust and follow a man who TRULY follows after God.

He makes me a better woman.

He makes me a better person.

Because He makes me love and thirst after God all the more.

I simply love this man!

I <3 Silly Faces

Well, here we are again... time for another picture for the I Heart Faces Photography contest. This week's theme is "Silly" - which works for us, because "silly" is one of Sophie's favorite pastimes!

Recently, when a camera appears, she runs toward it screaming "CHEESE" and then she will give this silly little smile for the photo! Afterwards, she wants to look at the picture of herself so she can say "hi Baby" and giggle!

But, seriously, who could resist this sweet, silly, lovable smile?

MAN, I love this kid!!!!

Don't forget to check out I Heart Faces blog for more silly photos and maybe even enter one yourself!!!

Project 365 - Week 6

Can you believe that we are already 6 weeks into 2009? WOW! Just this week I was looking at my girls and marveling (or, ya know, CRYING!!) over how fast they are growing up!!! Craziness!

So, here is a glimpse into our week:

Feb. 1 - I totally intended to introduce you to my sweet Katy Todd. She had a layover here in town on her way to Africa - yes, I said Africa! That girl is a born missionary! I had the joy of getting to meet her at the airport and spend a couple of hours with her. However, I forgot to take a picture! STINK!!!!

Instead, you get a pic of me. Sorry :( Because the other item up for Sunday was a haircut. It has already grown past the "short" picture length and we are just about to the "middle" picture length!!! It is growing pretty fast and I am both excited and distressed - because I have had to break out the hairdryer!!! What's next ... the CURLING IRON!?!?!?!?! Oh, say it aint so!

Feb. 2 - This is our friend and neighbor Rocky. Rocky, you may have noticed, is a squirrel. The girls LOVE to sit and watch Rocky through the window, and on this day he gave Miss Sophie quite a show (H was at school!!) with all of his tree climbing acrobatics!

Feb. 3 - This is my sweet natured little Sophie ... who has recently been showing signs of the *GASP* approaching "terrible two's". Here she is throwing a major "Nelly Olsen" style fit over the fact that I would not let her pull the chair - the one she had just pulled over onto herself - around the room! Mean 'ol mom!

Feb. 4 - AKA terrible two day 2 ... After three unsuccessful attempts to feed her breakfast, it became clear that she did not want the pancake, graham crackers or Cap'n Crunch. Oh no, my girl wanted Mini Wheat's ... just plain 'ol wheat squares. They were her favorite food for at least two days!!!

Feb. 5 - I forgot to take a pic until about 9PM ... this is a pic of my mic and music stand at Praise Team practice!

Feb. 6 - Meet my new best friend. This cute little bee fingernail clipper has won my heart! Why, you ask? Because Hattie, who normally throws monumental fits over nail clipping time, let me clip all 10 fingernails AND 10 toenails without so much as a peep!

This MUST be what Heaven feels like!!!

Feb. 7 - Not only is this the day that my sis had a sweet baby boy 20 years ago (Love ya Moe!!!), but it is also the day that temps here in the frozen North hit high enough to step outside for more that 3.2 seconds without fear of losing appendages to frostbite!!!

So, what is a family to do but play outside!? Hattie's favorite activity of the day was being tossed by her Daddy into the snowdrifts that were up to her waist! She flew threw the air and straight down into said drifts like a little nail. And then Mommy or Daddy would have to go dig her out! It was a stinkin' blast

Now, if you would like to get a glimpse into other people's lives, head on over to our Project 365 host Sara's site for more fun!!!

Well, that was our week ... how was yours?

Dear Me

I have seen this on a few other blogs lately and thought it might be fun. Here is a letter to my 20 year old self ...

Dear Becky Jo,

Yes, I used your middle name and no, you are not in trouble. In a few years you will prefer it this way. You will be completely over your "leave the southern roots behind" mentality and actually wish you had your accent back. Hard to believe, but oh, so true!

So, I am writing to you today to let you know that you ARE going to get married! I know that, at 20 years old, this is your biggest worry. You will also be a mom. In a few years you are gonna have some "issues" that will put that into question. It will be tough, I am telling ya now, but you WILL get through it. God will carry you through some pretty dark days, but on the other side of that darkness is life. Life and a man and a family. Just trust God when He tells you to do the unthinkable. It will seem to be the end of your dreams, but it will really just be a side road. And, girl, the view on that road will be so worth it.

You may have noticed that I said GOD would carry you. I even told you to listen to Him. I know right now you think you got that whole Christian thing goin' on, but you have not even scratched the surface. There will come a day when every choice you make will be prayed over first. You will take every fear, every joy and every moment to Him. I know right now that seems absurd, maybe even confining, but it will SET YOU FREE! You will love Him in ways you never imagined!

So, about this man. The one you will marry. Let me tell you here and now, it is NOT Doug. Part of me wants to tell you to not even go there, to run as far away from that as absolutely possible. But, there are lessons to learn there and you DO make it safely through (although one late summer night in particular, you will wonder.) Let me just warn ya, when driving home from the bowling alley, if you happen to notice that truck following behind you and the thought pops into your head to duck into a dark alley drive to lose him - DON'T DO IT! Stay on the well lit roadways and drive to a public place. Trust me, there is no one at home and you do NOT want to have that fight alone with him in the dark!

So, no, it is not Doug. And it will be a while before "he" comes along. A loooonnnngggg while. But, he is so worth the wait. He is everything you ever dreamed of. He is all of the prayers that you lifted up answered. He is a strong, caring, loving, wonderful man who will treat you like a princess and love you beyond your wildest expectations.

I really wish I could tell you who he is, but you will have to figure that out on your own. See, you will know him for a long time before you wake up and smell the Cherry Limeaide (yes, you will figure it out in a Sonic parking lot!!!). But it HAS to be that way because you are not ready yet and he is not exactly available when you first meet. But you WILL find your way to each other and your wedding will ROCK!!!!! You will proudly wear that white dress down that aisle - and don't blow it one cool night in a hot tub, it will be close that night .. too close!!! ;) - and the honeymoon will be everything you dreamed of. Who he is will surprise you at first, REALLY surprise you, but then you will look around and say to yourself "DUH!!!!!" and laugh.

And now I want to give you some advice about your life. I know you think all "old people" are stupid, but maybe you will listen to yourself...

**Stop calling yourself fat. You, in your size 6 jeans! And, take my advice, start working out now and do not stop ... it will be REALLY hard to get going later. And that whole pizza that you can eat all by yourself in one sitting ... run now before it catches up to ya!

**That little Hyundai Excell - I know ya hate it, but you are gonna have it for a while so, do yourself a favor ... CHANGE THE OIL EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE!!!

**Learn to handle your finances now ... you are gonna need it someday. REALLY need it!!!

**Your mom - she is smart. I know you don't think so now, but she is just about the smartest woman you will ever know. And she will be one of th ebest friends you will ever have.

**Your Grandparents - they are not gonna be around forever, love them hard while you can.

**NO! Face it, you DO NOT tan. You never have, you never will. And NO, that cooking oil and tin foil will NOT help. You will just get a really bad sunburn. Do me a favor and get some 100 SPF sunscreen. You are not gonna like dealing with the after effects of trying to get the all elusive tan! Trust me on this one!

**When a guy in your Spanish class asks you out on a date say yes (he's nice), but DO NOT let him pick you up at your house when all of your siblings are in town. They just might plaster every single face (including brothers and sisters in law, parents, nieces and nephews) in every single window of the house, putting the fear of all fears into the poor fella! (by the way, he is not the "one" either, but he is sweet)

**FYI - do not go on a first date to a double feature of Beaches and Steel Magnolias. Not only will you have a sever headache from all of the crying, but it will be the UGLY cry ... no second date there!

**When you want to buy a cute little VW Bug (and yes, you will. They will not always be goofy antiques), don't do it. That whole finances thing ... remember it! Although there will be a certain day when you have to call a certain gentleman to come and rescue you at the gas station when the gas tank won't open ... that night is worth it. Maybe you should go ahead and buy it. He turns out to be your knight in shining armor in MANY ways!

**That fancy white dress you want ... when the mayo gets smeared on the front of it and you think you're broke, TAKE IT TO THE CLEANERS ANYWAY!!!! If ya don't, that is just $99 down the drain... Mayo stains and the red dye does NOT work! PS - the dress really isn't all that great in the 1st place!!

**The perm you think you want ... just say NO!

**The trip to Hawaii ... step away from the Mai Tai's!

**That girl you think is your best friend ... watch the jewelry when she's around.

**Your little brother ... turns out, he is not so bad!

**Your older brother .. surprisingly, he isn't either.

**Your sisters and oldest brother ... visit them, make the effort to get to know them better!

**That diver's license pic that you think will be sexy and mysterious if you pout ... yeah, it won't!
**That little tiny wrinkle in the middle of your forehead - start putting the cream on it NOW!!!!! Otherwise it will become a CRATER!

**The Friends you will make the next few years, treasure them. You will lose a few of them and it will break your heart. Make the most of the time you have with them and tell them you love them.

**Get used to the fact that cancer sucks. You are gonna have to deal with that reality a LOT.

**I am gonna tell you this again... you WILL get married, you WILL be a mom and you WILL love it ... more than you can possibly even imagine now.

Enjoy your life, it is gonna be a good one!

And believe me when I say that God is gonna rock your world in the next few years. You will never look back and you will never be the same!

Love,
yourself in 20 years

PS - learn to love yourself now ... it will only get harder later!

The Eyes Have It

This weeks theme for the fun-ness over at I Heart Faces is "The Eyes Have It". And Hubby wants to enter one for each category! Here are our humble entries ...

In the Adult Category: This is Hubby's entry - in his words: "My lovely wife thought it was chilly out as we watched ice bergs float by on our honeymoon cruise in Alaska. I love her blue eyes poking out from under the blanket"

In the Children Category: Hattie loves adventure! Here, she is climbing a rope structure, I love the way her blue eyes say she is loving every minute!


Stop by I Heart Faces for the fun - enter one of your own if ya want!

Project 365 - Week 5

Once again, Sara is hosting the Project 365 fun, and I have been having so much fun visiting all of the other participants - it is AMAZING how much you can learn about a person with a once a day snapshot into their lives!!! If you visit Sara you can find links to a whole bunch of other blogs offering this weekly insight into their worlds!

In the meantime, HERE is a glimpse into ours:

Jan. 26 - Now, isn't the snow just so stinkin' pretty when in is new fallen and sparkling in the warm sun? Yeah ...

Well, don't let it fool ya, cause in just a few short minutes (23 to be exact) it can go from this lovely shot to this ...

... Seriously, will it EVER stop? I mean, c'mon!!!

By the way, Mr. Al Gore, if you would like to come explain that "global warming" thing to me, that would be groovy. 'Cause, I gotta tell ya, I just aint gettin' it!

And, maybe you can shovel my walks while your here!!


Jan. 27 - Yeah, I finally caught the bug that has been spending some quality time amongst my family.

Jan. 28 - Sweet Miss Sophie Lee! I took this pic for a very specific purpose, if ya scroll down to the next post you will see why. However, if you are visiting from Sara's sight, you only get this post, so I will give you a clue. This is Sophie, and THIS ...

... is Sophie's Daddy - the man of my dreams - many moons ago. See how they look so much alike? Yeah, she IS her daddy's girl!

Hey, did I happen to mention that we adopted our little angel?

Yeah, God is just that BIG!!!

Jan. 29 - You will have to excuse the quality of this pic, it was taken on my cell phone. But this was the day I had been waiting for! Our new Bible Study - Esther; It's Tough Being A Woman - started. The lady on the screen is the author. You may know her, she is my PBFF (Pretend Best Friend Forever), a little lady by the name of Beth Moore!

Yeah, she kinda ROCKS!!!!

Jan. 30 - Sweet Belle came to play today! So did Caleb and Cassie, but I forgot the camera while they were here! Let's just say there was a bit more "energy" when they were here!!!

Jan. 31 - Hubby has re-caught the dreaded bug. I tried real hard to keep the girls quiet so he could sleep in, but to no avail. THIS is a picture of my peace offering.

Noting says "please forgive me, Baby" like some good 'ol comfort breakfast food!

And, yeah, he forgave. He is just a little awesome that way!

So, that was our week ... how was yours?