Routine Is Our FRIEND!!!

Each day, around 11:40ish in the morning a big yellow bus, carrying my Hattie Grace, pulls up to the end of my driveway. Each day I know it is coming and am prepared for it. I put Sophie in her high chair, have shoes on my feet and am at the door waiting.

The bus came early today.

I was not prepared.

Now, I did have the shoes on my feet, but I had not secured Sophie into her highchair yet. And, when I looked up and saw the bus out my window I did the first thing that came to my mind. I set Sophie down on the couch and ran out the front door.

And, somewhere in the midst of my short trip to and from the bus, Sophie managed to lock the door behind me.



As I am sure you can imagine, I freaked out.

I peeked in through this pretty glass window and saw my baby, wide smile on her pretty face, waving and saying "hi mama" to me.

I BEGGED her to open the door - because, everyone KNOWS that a 21month old baby can UNLOCK A STINKIN DOOR ON COMMAND!!! And yet, shockingly, she ignored my pleading.

So, Hattie and I took a trip to the neighbors house. The neighbors who were NOT HOME!!! So, we went to the next house. They were not in either. Thankfully, however, their cleaning lady was in. And I MUST have been in a panic because I was not even slightly jealous of the fact that, hello, they have a CLEANING LADY!!! She was kind enough to let me use the phone, so I called hubbs.

Because Hubbs is about an hour away, he called his dad.

We ran back to the house to find Sophie was now sitting in the middle of the floor with the container full of cantaloupe that she had somehow gotten down from the counter and was havin herself a little snack.



One more reason to panic in that the pieces were GINORMOUS - I could just picture my child choking on a piece of fruit with me unable to get to her.

Finally Dad B pulled into the driveway, along with our niece Chelsea's boyfriend Joel. They quickly began to attempt to break into our surprisingly secure house. By the time they had attempted every last door and over half of the windows Sophie (and her mommy) had gone into full panic mode. I was watching my baby, through that door's window, cry hysterically and beg her mama to pick her up.

They came to the conclusion that the only thing they could do was break a window. Big, strong Joel found himself a rock and got busy. He was hitting it pretty hard to no avail, so finally he put all he had into it and rammed that big 'ol rock through the glass. Unfortunately, his arm also went through the now broken window. He pulled back his bloody arm and, while I wrapped it in a t-shirt, Dad B reached in, unlocked the window and opened it up.

Against my protests, Joel then climbed through the broken window, bloody arm and all, and unlocked the door so I could get to my baby. As she melted her sobbing body into my arms, Dad B and Joel headed out to the ER for stitches.

NINE stitches but, thankfully, no tissue damage done - so his hockey stick slingin guns will be fine. Two hours later I had MOST of the glass - which flew from the small bathroom window, through the laundry room and all the way to the breezeway front door - cleaned up and Dad B came back to take the window in to get fixed up.

I am SO VERY thankful that everything is OK. Even though Sophie was in the house for close to an hour without her mommy, she was NEVER without her Father. I cannot imagine the fear that would have gripped my heart had it not found peace in His presence.

Thank you Lord for protecting my baby through it all and for allowing no further damage or injury to come upon Joel. You were truly here through it all ... as You always are.

Project 365 - Week 20

I only have a few minutes, so this is gonna be quick ... This week was a roller coaster ride. There were some sad moments (which also came with messages of God's sweet grace!), painful moments and happy moments.

So, I guess this week was, well, LIFE!!!


May 24 - We had some playtime at my sis-in-love's house. The girls ADORE her puppy - and it is mutual! This was taken with my cell phone, so it is not the best quality, but you can see the love!!!

May 25 - Memorial Day. One of Hattie's all time favorite movies is Lady & The Tramp, but we left our copy on an airplane back in November. However, our sweet friend Mary found us a VHS copy at a garage sale for .75!!! The only VCR in the house is in our bedroom, so it gave Hattie an excuse to curl up in Mommy & Daddy's bed to watch ... and she did not move from this spot through the entire movie!!!

May 26 - Saying goodbye. It broke my heart to see my girl hurting this much. It Blessed my heart to see my boy lovin on her the way he did. And it burst my heart with joy and pride to see her process everything and voice her feelings and share a piece of her heart.

And every one of those emotions came to a big ol head when, as we drove home, a plane passed overhead and Hattie cried out "Wait Budder! Come back!!!"

It was almost too much for this mama's heart to bear.

May 27 - Ouch. This is the culprit. This laundry basket grew wings, flew off it's perch and down into my path as I ran through the laundry room. The rest of the story is one post down if you want to read all the sordid details and have pity on me ... or, ya know, LAUGH LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!!

Your choice.

May 28 - Fashion statement. This is what I found when I went to get a certain little girl outta bed. Stylish, no?

May 29 - First milkshake ... and the last for a while. This is what happens when ya turn your back for just a minute.

It was just as fun as you can imagine to clean up ... and I didn't even TRY to take a shot of the FLOOR!!!

May 30 - Lessons learned. Hubbs, who says I am a bad influence on our children, spent some quality time with our youngest child ...

He taught her to stick her tongue out.

I am so proud...

So, that was our week - head on over to Sara's place for more. You can even join the fun yourself! It is such a pleasure to look back and see our year documented. I LOVE it!

How was YOUR week?

The One That PROVES I Have No Shame Whatsoever...

So, I'll tell you a sweet story and then an embarrassing one ... because, if I did it in any other order, you might not stick around for story no. 2...

Now, you know that Steven was here over the weekend, right? Well, we had a lovely visit - 'cept for that whole middle part where he and the hubbs left us to go hunting. But I am choosing to forget that part (especially on Sunday morning when Hattie and I had "issues" getting ready for, driving to, attending and driving home from church - it was NOT pretty my friends!). But the parts where he was actually, ya know, AROUND? Those parts were GREAT!

Hattie ADORES her big brothers. She looks at pictures of them and wants to talk about them all the time. Once, she even decided to take a trip to see them. I had made her a "train" of chairs while I cleaned the floor beneath the dining room table. But a while later she informed me that it was an AIRPLANE and she was going to "go see Budder (Steven), Kissy (Chris) and Minny (Mindy - Steven's wife)" ... and this from our linguistically challenged little girl - it was PRECIOUS!!!

So, it only seems fitting that while he was here, she had a ball. But then, on Tuesday, we had to take Budder to the airport.

And when we dropped him off, Hattie was heartbroken.



But, like the good big brother that he is, he comforted his little sister and promised her that he would see her soon.



But, as we drove away, she continued to cry, so we sensed the need to enlist our sure fire cheerup method - McD's. milkshake. IT did cheer her up, and for that we are so thankful. But, I can still hear her voice as, somewhere between the airport and McD's we saw a plane overhead and Hattie began to cry harder and said "wait, Budder! Come back ..." .

That was the part where my heart broke just a little.

*********************************************

And now, here is where I put aside any semblance of self dignity and share with you an adventure I went on yesterday...

A couple weeks ago I had taken Sophie to get an "old time" picture taken at Costco. Yesterday was the day when we got to go see the proofs and pic up some prints to bring home. We did a little shopping and had dinner there too - just me and the girls. As we finished up I knew that I had to take care of some "business", but the THOUGHT of taking both girls in the ladies room and wrestling with them while I tinkled was NOT a pleasant one.

I figured I could make it home fine, so - even as I danced in the parking lot - I just pressed on and got everyone and everything in the car for the trip home. The 30 minute trip home - thanks to rush hour traffic!!

Needless to say, by the time we pulled into the driveway I was ready to burst. I jumped out of the car, fumbled to unlock the door and took off through the breezeway/laundry room to the bathroom. But, on the way I bumped the clothes hampers, upon which there sat a laundry basket. Said laundry basket fell OFF of the hampers into my path. I went flying through the air, landed on my knees with my shoulder ramming into the bathroom door frame.

And, just to make matters worse .... Well, let's just say there was not NEARLY as much urgency to make it to the toitey anymore.

Yeah.

Go ahead and laugh ... everyone else has.

30X5 Phase 4 - Shakin It Up!

So, we are ready to start Phase 4 of the 30X5 Challenge, as commissioned by Linda over at 2ND Cup. And, this phase issues the order to shake it up! And, gotta tell ya, I am SOOOOO ready to shake it up!

I am still quite challenged by the Shred DVD, but in truth am getting a bit bored with it. The same workout day after day is getting old. Now, I have moved up to Level two, and that shook it for a while, but now I am used to that too. And, I must say that I have seen level 3 and I am pretty sure I will NEVER be ready to go THERE!!!!

So, on TOP of the Shred, here are my plans:

I did purchase this little puppy right here ...



... and will be throwin this in the mix, as well as some time out on the street workin on training for a triathalon in August. PLUS, I need to check in on where I can do this, but I need to get into a pool and start training for THAT leg, as well as the bike leg. In all honesty it is the bike leg that scares me the most. I have never been a bike girl - not so much a fan! But I will resolve to start becoming one now! If only out of sheer necessity!

And, between all of this, the 3.7 gallons of water per day and the activity that IS my daily life (seriously, have you SEEN how fast Sophie can move?), I should be in size 4 jeans ... oh, I dunno, YESTERDAY?!?!?!?!?!

So, what are YOU gonna do today?

Project 365 - Week19

Ummm, I do not want to alarm anyone, but ... it's Memorial Day Weekend.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!

Do you realize what this means? SUMMER is upon us! How did that happen so fast? Yikes, I MUST be getting old, 'cause all I can think about is the fact that time is FLYIN by me! **sigh**

Anyhoo ... here is our week:


May 17 - This is Sophie's latest vice. She likes to turn the oven light on and off and on and off and ... well, you get the idea. And as many times as she gets in trouble for this, she just goes right back and does it again. Now, so far it is just the light, but we are not takin any chances. Since this photo was taken, the knobs have all been removed.

Yeah, this one is gonna give us a run for our money...

May 18 - Three little girls wanted three different kids of sandwiches for lunch. Hattie - PBJ; Belle - toast with just jelly; Sophie - cheese (and yes, she ASKED for cheese!!!) The sad thing is, I let em get away with it and MADE them 3 different kinds of sandwiches.

May 18 - I usually workout before anyone else is up, but I was runnin late. Hattie, at first, just watched (and laughed at) me Shredding. Then, she flew across the room and jumped on my back mid plank thrust - OUCH!!!! - I was out for the rest of the workout, so look who took over for me.

FYI: until she saw the camera she was doing these double crunches in PERFECT form!

May 19 - It's getting harder and harder to wake this one up for school ... but how sweet is her sleepy little face?!

May 20 - Our oldest son Steven came into town for the spring hunt. These 3 faces look SO MUCH alike it is SCARY!!!!

And, of course, every little girl wants to be just like her daddy and big "budder"!!!

Gotta love a one year old girl in combat boots!!!

May 20 - My sweet friend Sue came over to work her magic on MY hair ... so, of course every little girl wants to be like her mommy! Sophie got hers trimmed up to!

May 21 - While the fellas go up hunting, the ladies usually get together as well. We had big plans but due to technical difficulties, we ended up at our house for a chick flick night!!!!!

And I am SOOOOOOO OK with that!!!

I hope you enjoyed the look at our week. And thank you, Sara, for hosting this fun activity! (Hop on over to Sara's place to see more!)

How was YOUR week?

Saturday Morning Observations

First of all, we are two nights into our three nights without the man challenge of Spring, 2009. So far, we are all still alive. Which is the good news.

The not-so-good-news is that we are all feelin it - especially Sophie who woke up 3 times last night callin for her daddy. I was NOT a suitable exchange for this dilemma ... so we stooped to the bottle. THREE TIMES!

Clearly, the parenting skillz are in short supply at 11:27PM, 12:31AM and 1:52AM around here.

And, with that said, here are my (oh-so-random)observations on a sleep deprived Saturday morning...

* Hattie slept til 8AM, Sophie slept til 9AM ... so, I am at a complete loss as to WHY - after the night that Sophie and I shared - I was wide awake at 6:51AM. I did, however, get in a LOOOOONNNGGGG leisurely shower, in which legs were shaved and everything!

I KNOW!

*There is NOTHING on at 6:51AM on a Saturday morning except infomercials.

*There is a contraption (whose name I cannot recall - even though I heard it repeated eleventy-seven times between 6:51 and 7:00AM) which promises to make ab exercises "fun and simple" to do. OBVIOUSLY this is false advertisement and the Better Business Bureau should be alerted immediately. Because, since WHEN do the words "fun and simple" and "ab exercises" go together ... at ALL?!?!?!

*There are currently two little girls playing in the bedroom. I'm not sure what they are doing (and am afraid to check since it involves loud thumping and banging on the floor), but they are laughing it up back there and THAT sound rocks my world!

*I miss my man ... a lot.

*No, seriously, a LOT!!!!!

*I saw a number on the scale this morning that made me smile ... big and wide.

*It has been warm and sunny this week and every window has been open ALL DAY LONG!

*I am currently wearing capris that were too small for me by the end of last summer, yet, today they are a perfect fit.

*Man, oh MAN ... my legs are WHITE!

*Got my hair cut and colored this week ... LOVE IT!!!!

*OK, that last thump necessitated a check ... jumping on, and then off the bed. Had to put a stop to that one!

*I think the girls and I are in need of an outing today ... lookout Costc0, here we come!!!

*I may even work up the nerve to take em to the park by myself. And, if you have ever seen Hattie forced to LEAVE a park, you will know why that would be a challenge!

*Because of said lovely new "do" from the "hair wizard", I may be in need of a flat iron.

*Who knew that people with stick straight hair would ever even CONSIDER buying a flat iron?!

*Hubby comes home tomorrow.

*YYYYYAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

*Did I mention that I miss him ... a LOT!?!

OK, there is now a not-so-nice sound coming from the bedroom.

Gotta go!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!

All By Myself (well, 'cept for the kids!)

Hubbs, at this very moment, is on his way home from the airport with our oldest boy. Which means ... STEVEN IS IN THE HOUSE!!!

For a whole 12 hours. At which point they will BOTH vacate the premises for the woods and all of it's manly glory. They are going hunting for the weekend and will not be home until Sunday.

Now, a GOOD son woulda brought his WIFE along so that the mama could have a little fun. But, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

(I'm NOT bitter ... much)

This will be the first time, in this house, that Hubbs will not be here to protect us from all of the things that go bump in the night. Now, I had pretty much gotten used to all of the noises that the old house made and could actually sleep through the night when he was gone. I am praying that I can sleep here too. This house has some, shall we say, "issues", that cause it so creak and such. Add to that the fact that the HVAC unit seems to have a mind of it's own, the sump pump goes crazy at times and the toilet is constantly running and we have a possible mental breakdown in the making. But I'm NOT worried ... much.

So, if ya think of it, could ya lift up some prayers with our names on it while he is gone. As well as a few with the fella's names on it. 'Cause, ya know, we all remember the time they went hunting and came home early because of Steven's BROKEN KNEE!!! We do NOT want that to happen again. Thank you and Amen!

Also, there is that little issue of me just not liking, AT ALL, being away from my man.

Yeah, there is that...

I Heart Faces - The Choice was TOUGH!

This is a big week over at I Heart Faces! We are supposed to enter our very best photo - even if we have already entered it.

Can I TELL you what a terribly hard choice this was for me? But after much input from friends and family (and of COURSE the hubby!), this is the photo that was chosen .....

I LOVE the expression on her sweet face - the innocence of just enjoying herself and forgetting all about the rest of the world. (Don't we ALL wish we could?) I also like the composition - it's off centered but not so much so that the simplicity of the subject is lost.

I also happen to REALLY love the subject of the photo. She's a beauty, wouldn't ya say?!?!

If you would like to see more - or even enter your own - hop on over to I Heart Faces and check it out!

"I am submitting this photo into the www.iheartfaces.com Blurb Book photo contest. I am granting I ♥ Faces permission to use my photo in a printed version of a book for commercial use and possibly advertising of a photo book on both the Blurb and I ♥ Faces web sites."

Project 365 Week 18

I just want to thank Sara for hosting this little carnival over at her place. I have really enjoyed the daily reminder to capture so many sweet memories. And, I HOPE that you are enjoying reliving them with me!

Thanks Sara!

That being said, here is our week ...

May 11 - THIS is what handsome looks like.

And he still makes my heart go pitter-patt.

LOVE HIM!!!

May 12 - This is a total cheater shot ... not only did I not take the picture, but it wasn't even taken on this day! HOWEVER, this was the day I stole it off of Kayla's MySpace page ... does that count?

May 13 - There is nothin quite like crackin open a new Bible Study/Devotional! ESPECIALLY when it is written by Beth Moore ...

May 14 - My Mother's Day roses still lookin beautiful, especially when reflecting the morning sun.

May 15 - Hubbs was still home when it came time for meeting the bus. He and Hattie had a bit of fun while waiting for the ride. How happy does she look?

May 16 - We have started a new thing here in B Manor. We each take one of the girls out to do somethin special one day a week. Today I took Sophie to get her portrait taken and Hubbs took Hattie out for ice cream. Here they are just getting home.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE that man?!?! Truly, I am so Blessed to share my life with not only an incredible husband, but also an AMAZING father to our children! I could not ask for more!

So, how was your week?

And Hattie thinks she is a bootiful princess!

Saturday was prom night for the local High school. That lovely time of year where are the girls and boys dress up like royalty for one sweet night and enter a fairy tale wonderland where dreams come true ...

My niece Kayla was, I am SURE the prettiest belle at this ball!

Doesn't she LOOK like a belle amongst all of those magnolia blossoms?

She took some picks with grandma and grandpa (the two who planted that magnolia tree in the first place!) Kayla's parents (hubby's sis Melissa and HER hubby Harry) bought the house that they had all grown up in and now HER children are growing up there too!

Hattie and Sophie were enthralled with their cousin and Hattie is STILL talkin about the "bootiful princess" they saw ... wonder if she even realizes that it was her own cousin!

Here she is with the OTHER most beautiful belle of the ball. This is her sidekick (and our not-quite-but-close-enough OTHER niece) Jessica. MAN, are they not stunning?!

Prince Eric provided quite the chariot for their ride to the ball! But Kayla was quick to point out that SHE is the BOSS!

But, I would be remiss if I left without showing you THIS picture...

Because THIS one sooooo needs to be seen!

All pics courtesy of my FABULOUSLY talented sis-in-law Melissa! Or, as the girls call her, Auntie Weezer!