"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1: 15-17 NIV
... two very sweet fairy princesses went in search of an enchanted forest.
Because, being the very lovely and WISE princesses that they are, Princess Sophie ...
...and Princess Hattie...
... knew that they would find wonders beyond their wildest dreams in that forest.
As well as tables set for royalty!
They knew they would find beauty there and that it would be decorated in royal finery fit for a very special party. A party designed by a very special mommy for her VERY special girl.
Because, you see, Sweet Princess Isabelle Rose...
... was turning THREE!!
And it was LOVELY indeed!!!
On top of princesses of all shapes and sizes, they also found one lovely caterpillar ...
... and one tiny, but oh so handsome, little Prince - His Royal Highness, Judah Paul!
**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**
Now, being the mommy that I am, I decided that, since my girls were all dressed up, I would try to get some pictures of them in their finery.
Hattie (in need of a haircut) was NOT cooperating and this was the best that I could get.
I swear, this kid knows when there is a camera present even if I am utilizing a zoom from across the room - or, ya know, FIELD!!!
Sophie, on the other hand, was a little easier to get. So, even though my camera was actin all wonkity wonk and refused to behave, I was able to get a couple of shots.
Just try not to notice that the wings are on upside down, m'kay?!
Today is your birthday. The day set aside to celebrate the fact that you were born. And you better believe that NOBODY celebrates that fact more than I do. I cannot imagine my life without you. You are my very best friend, the light of my life, the person I trust more than any other, the love my heart spent my life looking for and the greatest gift I have ever been given this side of salvation.
I love waking up beside you because I know that I can face anything with you by my side.
I love saying morning prayers with you and over you because I KNOW that without HIM, there would be no us. And I am so very thankful for us!
I love watching you love on your children - the big ones as well as the small ones - because I know that the boys have and are learning to be men from you and the girls are learning what a REAL man is through you.
I love watching you work around the house because it makes me think, if you would work that hard on a HOUSE, how much more attention do you give to our HOME. And, Baby, you ARE my home!
I love watching you go through the bedtime routine with the girls because I know you are making sure they are loved on and prayed over and made to feel as safe as absolutely possible, just by your love.
I love spending the last moments of the day with you, when it's just you and me, because I just like being in your presence.
I love falling asleep in your arms because NOTHING is safer than your arms around me and your prayers over me.
In short, I love YOU,
I love the family we have made ... ... even when it gets a little crazy!
I love the way that you love me ...
... even if my hair IS too short!
I love the way you snuggle your girls at the just the right time ...
... and wrestle, tickle or swing them at THAT right time!
I just love you!!
Father God, thank you for the Blessing of my man. Thank You for knowing just what I would need and creating him for me. Thank You for bringing him to me at just the right time in my life. Thank You for loving me THROUGH him. Thank You, father, for him.
Baby - Thank you for being the man that you are. One of wisdom, integrity, sincerity, thankfulness, tenderness, strength and love. You ARE my heart's desire and all I ever prayed for in a man.
All in all, you still take my breath away and I cannot WAIT to grow old with you. Someday we will put our teeth in matching glasses and rock on the porch while we watch our grandchildren's children play.
Thanks to Sara for hosting this little extravaganza! If you would like to see more, just hop on over to her place and check em out!
It seems we have all settled quite nicely into this new fall schedule. Hattie is LOVING school and Sophie no longer screams as that big yellow beast carries her sister away each morning. She just kinda whines as she says goodbye. It really is pretty pathetic to see how sad she gets ... ya know, in an utterly sweet way!
I love the way their relationship is forming into a very unique kind of friendship. I cannot wait to watch it grow.
Anyhoo - here is our week!!!
Monday - Sophie's attempts to keep from getting bored are often directed toward the cats. I don't think Kali was nearly as excited about this impromptu birthday party as Sophie had expected her to be!!
Tuesday - The season premiere of Biggest Loser sparked a new found fervor for physical fitness. I want to spend YEARS watching my children and their children grow. I will not rob them of years with their mama just to stuff my face!
Wednesday - Salsa Salad ... and, yes, it WAS as good as it looks!
Thursday - in an effort to save the sanity of the cats, we worked on a little art project! She had a blast!
Friday - Two princesses on their way into the Enchanted Forest for Princess Belle's third birthday party! It was BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to show you more!!
Saturday - An old fashioned blanket fort - I think Daddy had just as much fun as his girlies did!
Sunday - We took a little road trip after church and at one point I glanced in the back seat and found this.
Ya ever have one of those days when you look around and realize that it is nice and quiet and you have nothing pressing to do. You can just chill for a while.
I love those days.
But, here in B Manor, those days are usually followed by weeks of crazed schedules and obligations up the wazoo.
Guess where we are right now!!
Hattie is LOVING school, she is hot so hip on waking up early and hates eating breakfast first thing (she likes to take her time with her morning routine!) and being forced to get dressed, but she LOVES to climb up on that big old bus and head off to school.
Sophie, on the other hand, hates to see that bus take her sissie away. Today is the fist time she didn't scream her little head off as the bus drove away. She wasn'y very happy, but she didn't scream. Guess I need to take this in small steps, right?!
She does have the house - and the cats - to herself, so it isn't so bad. The other day she found the leftover birthday hats and had herself a little party! The guest of honor? Kali Cat! She and the cat BOTH wore hats ... oh yeah, Kali LOVED it!!!
Can't ya tell?!
As for me, I am currently in the midst of two Bible Studies. Yes, two. I AM crazy ... crazy indeed! We are doing Beth Moore's study The Inheritance at church on Thursday mornings. And you KNOW I love me some Mama Beth! She IS my PBFF, after all! This one, however, doesn't come with homework, so I figured I had time to do another. Then some of my bloggy buddies (AKA Imaginary Friends) decided to Priscilla Shirer's study One In A Million. Now, I have never done a Priscilla study, but I figure anyone that can get Mama Beth to rap ...
She did SOOOOOO not dissapoint! It is kickin my tail ... in the very best way! I am LOVIN it!
I'm also lovin all the Wild Women who are on this adventure with me! I'd be lost without you ladies!
I am also gettin back into the swing of the workout. After the Shin Splint debacle that kept me form the triathlon, I decided to take it easy. I had only planned on laying low until after the 3Day, but the legs flared up again on the event, so I took a little longer off than I had planned.
But I am back now!
And, speaking of "back" - Biggest Loser is back too! Last night was the new season premier.
Oh. My. WORD. This is gonna be a good season! There were some heart wrenching stories to be told. One girl, Tracey - a marine wife, ended up in the hospital after the first challenge and was there the rest of the first week. But, her partner, Coach Mo (who also went to the hospital after the challenge, but was out soon), lost enough weight to keep them both safe for another week! There were also so many of them with young children. One lady, Abby, had a family, but had lost them in a tragic car crash a couple years ago. She says that she must still be here for "something bigger" so she is NOT giving up! They are all so motivational.
But there was a moment last night that woke me up more than ever before.
One of the gentlemen (I think it was Sean, the youth pastor) was talking to the doctor and getting a ginormous wake up call about how close to death he really was. You see, he had filled out the health forms saying that he had "no known health problems". But he quickly learned that he has a MESS of health problems, one of them being Type 2 Diabetes. He immediately began crying because he had not realized what he was doing to himself. He has a very young family at home and the thought of not being there to watch them grow up was too much for him to take. And he said something that I really identified with.
"Am I so selfish that I would take time away from my children just to put a cheeseburger in my mouth?"
And I sat there for the rest of the show asking myself the same question.
I don't have diabetes, that I know of, but my biological father did. He was morbidly obese and, because of that, had Type2 Diabetes ... in fact, it killed him. But only after it took his legs, his eyesight and any quality of life he could've hoped for.
And, lucky me, I took after him. At least as far as my body type goes.
So, after the show ended, I grabbed some paper and a marker and started posting signs around my house.
They are now posted on the cabinets, fridge and shelves where any type of snack food is stored.
And, so far, it is working.
And, I am hopeful for the success it will help me attain.
Because I cannot IMAGINE growing insensitive to the prospect that my children would pay for my selfishness.
For them, I CAN avoid the mindless eating and unhealthy snacking habits that I have attained.
And, for them I will.
I love working out ... well, kind of a love/hate thing ... but have always used it as an excuse to snack - because, hello, I was not chowing on ginormous bowls of cereal ... I was carb loading. There is a HUGE difference. But no more. I am learning new ways to eat and live. And, ya know, they are not at all half bad!
For instance, here is what I had for lunch today:
Now, I really need to go to the store, so there is not a lot of fresh stuff available at the moment. But, I did manage to find a yellow tomato. AND, Hubs made some fresh homemade salsa just the other day. SO, I sliced the tomato, sprinkled it with cheese and smothered it in salsa. Then I heated it just long enough to melt the cheese.
Let me just tell you ... YUM!
I was seriously feelin all Rachael Ray for a minute there.
So, between the salsa and the tomato, it worked out to about 2 veggie servings. The smoothie that I had for breakfast, along with the slice of toast, was my fruit for the day and one of my starches, as well as a dairy serving.
And, yeah, did I mention, I am keeping track? Cause I have learned that that is the ONLY way for me to keep myself accountable. I have to write down EVERY SINGLE THING that goes in my mouth.
EVERY.
SINGLE.
THING.
But, if that is what it takes to be here for my girls, I am soooooo OK with that.
Time for another look into the daily lives of the B family! I really have missed this fun project. I hate that I lost all those weeks of pictures, but, there's nothing I can do about that now, and at least I have the memories. BUT, for this week ... I have MORE than memories:
Monday - Is it weird that I have to color coordinate my straw with whatever receptacle I'm drinkin out of?
Tuesday - We took Hattie to meet her new teachers and see the new classroom all put together. I think she's gonna LOVE it!
Wednesday - Waitin for the bus in her kickin new shoes!
Thursday - Sophie was chasin the cats ... and I just love the effects of this pic. Try to ignore the fact that her t-shirt and PJ bottoms do not match AT ALL!
Friday - Kali likes to sleep (and hide from little girls) her day away atop the kitchen cabinets. One slight problem is that she has to walk her kitty litter laden feet across my counters to get up there! So ....
Saturday - Hubbs and I put together this rather redneck barrier along the tops of the cabinets in the hopes of keepin her down ...
... it sooooooo didn't work.
Sunday - THIS is what ya get when mama is down with a sinus infection. And, seein as how I STILL have a headache, earache and head so stuffy I can hear my heartbeat (and that's about all), it's not lookin like it's gonna get much better today.
*** WARNING: High probability of picture overload ahead!***
They say a picture paints a thousand words, so it IS possible that the following pictures could stand completely on their own ...
BUT, we all know that there's no way I'm gonna take that chance!!!
On Saturday, our sweet Sophie turned two years old (and, yes, I am still in shock over that fact - and in some instances, complete denial as well!).
Here is a glimpse at how her day went down:
Good morning sweet birthday girl!!
3:02 PM - the precise moment she turned two.
And, not long after that, the first two-year-old meltdown.
Ya KNOW we had us some cake!
Our drive (or, in this case, run) by blower. Hattie ran up and blew the candles out at LEAST 4 times!!
Gotta give the girl credit for tryin!!
Finally, Sophie gets a turn!
The day before her birthday, we welcomed two new members into our family. I think Soph thinks there were HER birthday gifts.
Here is Miss Holly
And Miss Kali - in hiding under the table.
THEN, on Tuesday, we took Hattie to a meet and greet in her brand new classroom.
In case ya cannot tell, she was mildly excited!
Sophie wanted to play school too!
Ms. Christine!
The next day was the first REAL day of school, so we HAD to make it a family affair and all go out to meet the bus together.
My big school girl!
My little WANNABE schoolgirl!
Gettin big ol bear hugs from daddy.
Silly faces (note: I did not have to make a silly face, because the sheer fact that I am allowing a picture of me without MAKE-UP is silly enough!!)
LOVE this litte girl!
Here comes the bus ... let the adventure begin!
I made her pose at the top of the steps.
And then she was off ... and gone all day long. It is a huge adjustment for everyone. Hattie seems to love the new normal so far. I miss her through the day, but I know that this is what she needs so I'm pretty OK with it. SOPHIE, on the other hand, really misses her big sis.
Good thing she has a couple of cats to torture ... er, I mean, ... to keep her busy all day!
