Bountiful Blessings

The Storm

2012-01-25T05:16:00.001-08:00

The storm made for one terrified little girl and one curious little boy, so we all ended up in our bed. It was sweet to snuggle with them but Drew kept giving us a running commentary of the storm with a few random words thrown in... "yighty (lightening), yighty, rain, rain, ball, uh oh, yighty, shadwo (shadow), ball, ball". I can see why some people sleep with their kids, it is nice to smell them and hear their breathing, but I think we will keep that for illness and storms. This mama and dada need our sleep and it is hard to catch a wink with two 2 year olds in bed with you.

More Jesus

2012-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading to the kids about when Jesus said to let the children come to Him and then sang "Jesus loves the little children". Now, it has been documented how much my children protest my singing, but this morning Drew swayed as I sang and then at the end said, "More Jesus". We did that a few times and it was a sweet moment with him. Later, as I was getting dressed I was thinking about "More Jesus". That pretty sums it up. More Jesus. That is what I need my focus to be. Often times I say "more sleep", "more time, "more money", or "more caffeine". So my little boy gave me a good reminder today... what do I want more of? Really?

A Makeover

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Today I had an "Ahh haa" moment. Not in a good way. Here is my story...

My kids have been sick this week and we needed out of the house this afternoon. One of my children has been very cranky and so I knew going into a store was like walking through a mine field but I did it.

As I was putting each child in the car I saw two pretty 20ish year old women. When I got the last kid in and was trying to get the stroller to collapse and get the cranky kid to be quiet, the 2 ladies walked up and offered me a makeover. I tried to be nice but I had to refuse their kind offer because my plate was currently full. As they walked away I looked down and saw what they probably saw... it wasn't pretty. I am in major need of Amber ( my wonderful hairstylist) so my grey hair is showing, I had on 7 year old jeans that don't fit well, a hoodie that is a size too big, and the remnants of my 6:30am makeup were gone. Plus, like Annie says "You're never fully dressed without a smile" and I didn't have one on.

I was telling Stephen about the girls wanting to give me a makeover and how I wanted to yell after them "I didn't always look like this". He just laughed. That's it. At least I didn't marry a liar.

Then later tonight I showed Stephen my toes because I tried some of those Sally Hansen nail shields and he cracked up laughing and asked what is was. Then he asked where I got them and I told him Kroger. Stephen in his hick voice said, "Oh, I was just at Krogers looking at the loofahs and purty polish when I saw these and thought those may look nice on me". I was laughing so hard I cried.

The good news is I get my hair done next week and now I am aware.

What's in your bag?

2012-01-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

I usually don't talk about my panties on this blog. Really, I have never had a situation that I needed to... until now. Today my kids went to Sonshine Mother's Day Out (rejoice). When we came home I took all their nap stuff out of the bag to wash and found my hot pink panties had gone to school with them. Lovely. I know for sure the teachers saw them because they were nicely placed under the blankets that the kids used at school, and they were hot pink. Dang that static cling. Being a mom is humbling in many different ways.

Dr. Kick in the pants

2012-01-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

The kids had their 2 year well check today. Sigh. I usually try to take the kids on my own but I have gained some recent wisdom and so I asked Stephen to come help. It was still awful but, manageable. Thankfully the kids looked healthy and seem to be developing on track. I had to fill out this 7 page survey for each child that asked dumb questions like "If you put a cheerio in a bottle will the child turn the bottle over to get it out without trying to put their hand in the bottle?". I was not aware of the oh so critical cheerio in the bottle milestone.

The doctor asked about concerns and so of course I had to voice my frustration over Charis' refusal to eat. I told her the only things I can get Charis to eat. I have tried ALL the healthy foods and natural things but one of the only things she will eat is a turkey dog. Well, the doctor said I can't give her that anymore. I knew it had nitrates in it but I thought that was like sodium. NO, it causes cancer. What the flip, Kip! Cancer. Where is the dang FDA?? Ridiculous.

Next on the list was moving to big beds and new rooms. My doctor has twin grandchildren and so I asked if she had advice. She said not to separate them. Stephen told her I wanted to and she said I can have them nap in their own rooms but at night to let them sleep in the same room in different beds. Oh, by the way potty train your twins.

For reals, I need a nap, on the beach, for a week now.

Nine years ago I was on a beach

2012-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have been married to this guy for nine years now. This is an old pic from last year when the Mavs won! To celebrate our wedded bliss we went to dinner BY OURSELVES. Gigi watched the kids and we ate at Tillman's in Ft Worth. It was great! We had reservations and when they took us to our table Stephen had flowers delivered there that were waiting at the table. It was a quiet little corner table and so pretty BUT the hostess had mistakenly sat 2 women right next to us. When I say right next to us I mean with us. There was maybe 6 inches of space and the other ladies said "Uh, hello" just like I was thinking. So I whispered to Stephen to see if we could move and they moved us to a table up front. The food was great and for dessert we had tableside smores. Yum! They make their own cinnamon graham crackers and marshmallows. We roasted it at our table. It is a neat restaurant. I love all the fun restaurants off 7th St in Ft Worth.

Bucket List

2011-12-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

I guess I got bored tonight, or I was avoiding the work I need to do, so I made a Bucket List. Here it is...

Be in a flash mob

Stay in a hut over the ocean

See the Grand Canyon

Travel to Australia

Go to high tea

Hug George W Bush

Go to Israel

Go on a mission trip with my family

Learn to sew

Do a forward roll and come up shooting my gun

Safari in South Africa

Learn to fold a fitted sheet

Sit on the floor at a Mavs game

See my kids ask Jesus into their hearts

Be in a studio audience

Birthday Video

2011-12-18T19:52:00.001-08:00

The two of us are two!

2011-12-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

The twins turn two this week. This last year has gone by so quickly. We are so thankful for them and the joy they bring.

Charis is a ... well, I don't have words. She loves to dance and really likes it if you watch her. She loves her baby dolls. She has the heart of a teacher/ mother. She is a little me but, it isn't appropriate yet since she is two. When Drew gets hurt she walks over to him and looks at the part of the body he hurt and then says "nope" and walks away, like he is fine don't worry mom. She recently has figured out that Elmo is cool. She loves him, Abby, and Zoe. Really she just likes to look at pictures of them and talk about them because she is pretty disinterested in watching Sesame Street. Beneath her sass she really is a sweet girl. She loves her brother.

Drew is a sweet boy. He has the best laugh and snorts when he gets going. Drew loves anything that resembles an activity his Dad does. He has started to really enjoy books. Drew loves puppies and would play outside all day if he could. He is a good eater and that makes me so happy. Drew is a fun boy and makes us laugh.

For the twin's birthday this year we had a donuts and PJ party. I love their birthdays! It is so special to me to remember the gift God gave us when he blessed us with these 2 crazies. I also love our friends' kids and it makes me so happy to see them all together. I think back to when we all didn't have kids and would stay up late talking every weekend because we could, or when we prayed for their babies, or when we visited them when they were born and now they are all here and it is so amazing to me. We are so blessed to have these people in our life.

Donut cakes

My talented friend, Catherine, has a business and made the flags, invitations, stickers, and party favor sign. Check out her awesome blog here.

We had each kid put their handprint on a canvas

This is the birthday boy sporting his safety goggles, weed eater, and chef's hat.

My friend, Michelle, was nice enough the sew the two on the twin's PJ's. She is crafty and nice.

Charis is ready to bake

Lanterns for party favors

The next day we went to my Mom's and she had a family party there. It was decorated really cute! My Poppi was sick and we missed him and Mimi but it was a great afternoon. My aunt was there and it is always fun to see her.

The kids have partied hard and are so tired but not too tired to drive this...

My Dad got them a Jeep. They wake up saying "Jeep" and "ride". They don't even care if it goes, they just want to sit in it and play.

We are very blessed to have the family and friends that we do. We are so thankful for each of them. Happy Birthday, Drew and Charis! We love you so much and are thankful God let us be your parents.

what we've been doing...

2011-12-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

We have been staying busy. Here is what we have been up to...

keeping the town safe, even when we're nekkid

singing a million renditions of The Wheels On the Bus before bed

riding horses

licking our spoons clean

teaching the kids to drive

swaddling "baby" Charis

tickling

teaching our baby dolls to use their EYES and not hands on the tree

riding reindeer

2011-12-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am behind on the blogging...

Here is a pic of the twins and Stephen trick-or-treating. The kids were pretty confused by the whole thing but played along.

Ho, Ho, Ho

We have been playing inside this weekend because it is raining. The kids have done well being cooped up. We watched the rain for a while with the door open and apparently that was exciting. I love to see how happy they get over little things.

In a few weeks these two guys will be two! I can't wait to see all that they will learn and do this year. They still seems like babies to me but I know in a year they will be real kids that sleep in beds and don't wear diapers (Lord willing:)). So I guess it is time to adopt a baby... not really, unless you have one you want to give me ;).

FOR SALE

2011-11-15T17:04:00.001-08:00

For Sale!

We are selling our dining room furniture for $1100 OBO. It is painted black and we painted the hardware to funky it up but, you can easily paint the hardware black. It comes with a table, 2 leaves, 6 chairs, 2 captain chairs, a lighted hutch, and custom table pads. It really needs to move. We are trying to make room for the kids' big boy/girl rooms. PLEASE pass this on to anyone who might be interested.

A few funnies...

2011-11-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

A few funnies for the week were:

I was telling Charis that Jesus is always with her and then asked "Who is always with you?" and she answered "Drew". She is right. He is always with her, too.

My kids, scratch that, DREW, has been a sleep terrorist this week. He wakes up EARLY and I am dying. So tonight I said (more to myself) as we were driving into the driveway "Tonight we will sleep so good. We won't wake up until 7:30. Can I get an amen?" And from the back Drew piped up and said "amen". He isn't very verbal so it was even more funny.

The other morning Drew wore a hat and Charis kept saying "hat, hat". I was in a hurry and so when I finally looked at her she had her red panties on her head. She wore them that way all the way to Bible study because I enjoyed looking in the mirror and seeing that. In the parking lot I sounded ridiculous saying, " Charis you need to take your red panties off. You can't wear them on your head to Bible study". She complied very easily.

My train conductor and bumblebee

2011-10-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

We are so funny...
Lift on three...
Cheese!
walking together
hold my hand...

This morning I got a few pictures of our train conductor and bumblebee. These kids are so fun. It was hard to get Drew to stand still for a single shot so we will try tomorrow.

Boring mom stuff

2011-10-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

We are taking a fabulous Bible study called Growing Kids God's Way. We had to miss last week because we had a puker but, they talked about structure in the home. I know some people thrive on it and some don't. The teacher in me loves structure and my little Type A child, Charis, loves it as well. Drew, bless him, just lives in the moment and for caca(outside) and Dada. I don't think he even knows we went to Colorado for 3 days. I want to remember what we do when I look back one day so I am putting it below. I know some people start all this in the first year of their child's life but, I was still surviving so this schedule has only been introduced in the last 6 months.

Since I came home from the hospital with two little mouths to feed, bottoms to wipe, and babies to get to sleep we had to have a routine. It worked so well for us. They have always done very well eating at the same time and we have only had minor hiccups in getting them to nap at the same time. As they get older our routine has changed.

My kids have an "independent" playtime in the morning. I use quotes because at this time it is independent of me but they are twins and play in the same room. My goal is to add an afternoon time that is truly independent with them in separate rooms. Being a twin is strange to me. I guess because I am only child but the fact they have NEVER been alone is weird to me. I know they are fine either way but, I want them to have truly independent play time because I want them to learn how to be alone and not depend on the other without even knowing they are. We do blanket time after nap and they enjoy it. Charis loves it because she is type A and feels very good about herself after she accomplishes her blanket time. We do some structured play stuff too. Drew is fine but, his language is a tad behind. He is more physical than verbal. So we have started working on some things together. I am not worried about him but, I am home so I thought we might as well work on it.

I would love to know what activities, games, etc other moms do. We do the typical dry pasta, playdough, water stuff but, I have heard of some pretty creative moms. If you have a fun tip please pass it on. I am just doing some verses with them that I did with my kindergarteners but I would love any recommendations on Bible memory products or cards. I heard there is an ABC verse kit. Does anyone know about that? Okay, that is all the riveting stuff I had to talk about. I am such a party animal, huh?!

Now hiring

2011-10-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am tired and so I decided I need someone to follow me around and be my backbone. They can remind me that it is okay if my children cry. It is not my job to keep/ make them happy. They need to say "you are the parent". It sounds so simple. I think I will refresh during nap time and then with a prayer I can remember these things.

Our week- 22 months

2011-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

The kids are about 22 months old. They are growing so much and learning something new all the time. While we were in Colorado Honey pointed out the airplanes to the kids and told them that Mama and Dada were flying on a plane. So now Charis is really into airplanes. She calls them "airs" and always signs and tells me "more airs". I love that she thinks I have such power in this world that I can command the planes to fly over on her beckon call. I wish I could do that because I have never seen such joy as when she sees a plane.

Drew is really into unscrewing things. Stephen told me Drew unscrewed something on a Mercedes hubcap the other day. He unscrewed our faucets, too. One day I put pasta into different containers that screwed closed and he spent a glorious 30 minutes unscrewing each, pouring the pasta and starting over.

One day I told Charis I loved her and asked "do you know how much I love you?" and she very confidently answered "lots". I was shocked because I first of all didn't know she understood all I was saying and second, didn't know she would answer me. So now she answers who loves her and how much. She says Jesus loves her lots.

Granddaddy came over and read to the kids this week. They love when he comes by. They put on quite a show and think his beard is neat.

I love all these kids. This is Charis with her BFF, Katie, and Drew. Katie is such a cutie. She is a happy girl. They are only 6 months apart so they will be in school together.

I took Drew to the allergist this week and in 14 days we should have more answers about his allergies, especially his peanut allergy. I loved the allergist and she said that in a few years they should be able to start desensitizing kids to peanuts, so maybe Drew could get over this one day! I pray so because he needs to know the joy of a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. He didn't cry at all when took 3 vials of blood. I chickened out and had Stephen take him because I was scared he would freak.

Books

2011-10-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have heard about the Hunger Games trilogy for a while but I finally just read the first book. It was great! I thought they were Christian fiction but they aren't. They are great though. The books are set in the future which normally would turn me off but, it was very engaging and the world isn't depicted all robotish and stuff. So I recommend the Hunger Games.

My next pick is a little treasure that I picked up at Half Price Books when I was looking for a potty training book to help teach the kids. The book is called The Gas We Pass. It is both entertaining and informative. It is not kid appropriate because it is very crass but I, apparently, have the humor of a seventh grader. I included a few pictures of the pages below...

People fart too. Bubbles rise... plip, plip, plip

The illustrations are so bizarre.

When you begin to fart after an operation, it means your intestines have started working again.

That is true. I love the man celebrating with his arms up.

Colorado

2011-10-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I tool our first trip from the kids. We went to Colorado. Stephen had a conference there and so we went early and made a vacation out of it. It was so great to be able to spend time together with no schedule. Colorado is really beautiful and hippie. We spent al lot of time in Boulder which is probably the "Austin" of Colorado. It is small but a college town and very "granola" with a side of left wing politics. They are known as a foodie town and we ate some great food.

On Sunday we took a hike. The hike was labelled strenuous but we made it. It was beautiful and the people in the trail were very friendly. Stephen and I took our time going up because the altitude made it hard and it was great to stop and see the gorgeous mountains. The way down was fast.

On Monday Stephen had to work and so I just shopped a bit and read. Monday night we had a client dinner.

Saturday and Sunday I was with Stephen and busy so I was fine being away from the kids but by Monday I was ready to hug them. The feeling wasn't mutual. We got the cold shoulder when we got home. Oh well. They had a great time with grandparents. We are thankful for the babysitting so we could go. We are blessed with great families. Drew and Charis had a blast.

Miracles happen even in Walmart...

2011-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Charis is "advanced". She is only 21 months and already going through the "terrible two's". She has started throwing some pretty spectacular tantrums. They are impressive in their length and endurance. She threw one on Tuesday that left her with hair wet from sweat and me praying on the floor and Drew riding me like a pony.

Yesterday we went to Walmart. I had made it 1/3 of the way down my list when a tantrum set in. So I hurried to check out line and cringed as I pulled up knowing that I was "that mom". I was ready for the looks. But a miracle happened... God put me in the perfect line. The lady in front of me loved kids and wasn't fazed by Charis. She talked to the kids and didn't act like anything was wrong with my child or me. The sweet cashier told me I was a "special mom" and when I apologized for Charis she called her a blessing! It was so nice of them to treat me with such grace. People love sweet, happy kids but, it was so nice for someone else to see the value of my kid even as she was not at her most loveable.

I know a lot of kids throw tantrums and we will get through this phase. She has a lot of sweet traits and I pray God uses her "spunk" for His glory as she gets older.

Stephen's Saga

2011-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Stephen has been working hard the last 3 days. He had some money from selling his Bronco and so he decided to make a man cave of sorts. We had a unused portion of our backyard that he wanted to make a patio and use for his grill and smoker. Hold a minute. The smoker is being made by Marcus Watson, one of his best good friends. It will be shaped and painted like a golf ball. It is a guy thing, I guess.

Stephen read online how to make a flagstone patio and got to work. It looks great! Tonight he got a chimnea. We call it Grumpy because it looked especially grouchy compared to all the others. Here are his before and after pictures.

Random

2011-09-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

I lots of randomness to share. So here it goes...

Pops and Honey came to town. They have a new camper that they parked at Lake Grapevine and we went out to visit. The kids LOVED the ducks. We started feeding them and then from the farthest reaches of the lake more ducks and GEESE came. Geese are feisty. One in particular bit me 3 times. We all rode the golf cart around and Drew liked it but, was scared to "drive".

My Mimi, Mom, Aunt, and I went to lunch to celebrate my Aunt's 25 th birthday! We love this little tea room and go there for lunch occasionally. It was fun to visit with my girls. The kids hung on until lunch was over and then I had to scoot to put them down for a nap. This is Charis with her reading glasses at lunch.

My Mimi gave the kids two old cell phones to play with. They love it! This is them in the car. I kept hearing them say "herro", "bye" over and over.

The twins are 21 months old. That is almost 2! My Drewby was sick again today with a fever. As I was rocking him this afternoon I thought about how fast a year has gone. A year ago they had bottles at 7am, 11, 3pm, and 7pm, they ate baby food and some solids. They crawled everywhere. We had a dog. We won't talk about that. They took 2 naps a day and had no hair. Wow, now my babies drink from sippy cups, eat people food, take one nap, run everywhere, talk, and have cell phones.

Side note: if you are taking prayer requests here's one for ya. I KNOW that I am sooo super BLESSED to have healthy children. But, they had a hard winter/ spring last year with being sick and now we have been sick all month. They had a stomach bug, fever, stomach bug, fever. So I know it is all little stuff but, it is hard when they are sick and then Stephen and I get it too. So please pray that they have good immune systems and can stay relatively healthy this fall, winter, spring.

Dina, her sister, and I went to Canton at the beginning of September. Dina showed me this giant doll and said it reminded her of Charis and it did me too. Maybe it was the belly and "ta da" attitude...

Jesus Loves Me

2011-08-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

My kids are not morning people. I tried to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to them while they ate breakfast and this is the response I got. Stinkers. Maybe I will sing it to them when they are in jr high and have friends over. I bet they will like it then.

Mother's Day Out

2011-08-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

These little toddlers started MDO today! I was so excited for them because I knew they would have fun and I could catch up on lots of stuff. The kids and I say thanks to Granddaddy!

When I took them to their class it was so fun. They have sweet teachers and knew all the kids. There were NO TEARS! I didn't expect to be a little sad. They are getting so big. When I picked them up Drew was still asleep on the floor. The teacher said that Charis fussed at nap time and they they held hands for awhile and she fell asleep. Sometimes they surprise me, they really do love each other despite all the fighting. I am thankful they have each other and I always pray they keep a close bond.

I found lunch boxes on Etsy and my mom bought them the matching backpacks to start "school". They were so cute and Charis like to wear her's even though it is bigger than my baby.

A Work of Art

2011-08-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we had some friends over for a painting party. The kids painted canvases and then they went slip n' sliding to get the paint off. It was fun to hang out together. I am sure my kids had fun and I know I enjoyed the girl time. I hung the masterpieces in the play room .

Scalp 'Em

2011-08-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

I can say that because I am an American Indian and I was a Keller Indian. ;)

Today we went to get Drew's hair TRIMMED. I told the nice lady to trim around his ears and the back but I am letting the top grow. What she heard was "he is going to join the Army tomorrow and needs a military cut".

He is cute. But, I wanted to keep him looking little a little longer. He did great though. The hair "stylist" took a very long time and he sat in the chair on his own even when she used the shaver thing.

Stephen also got a military cut that took seriously like 30 minutes for a man cut. Ugh. We were there an hour for boy cuts, and they were getting their hair cut by 2 different people. Stephen likes to tell people that he gets his hair cut at Hair Wizards because he thinks it is funny and reminds him of Napolean Dynamite. I think our trip today ended his fascination with Hair Wizards.

For Sale

2011-08-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine decided he needed a Bronco, like a Ford one. He bought one on ebay. He lives in Bedford, TX and the Bronco lived in Alabama. So my friend drove 22 hours to Alabama and back to get the Bronco.

The Bronco is really big. My friend didn't know it was that big when he bought it. The fact that it had a lift kit and giant tires didn't clue him in. I guess in his love he overlooked those details. So my friend is selling his new Bronco because he works in Dallas and doesn't want to drive it to Dallas everyday.

If you are in the market for a 1996 Ford Bronco let me know. It is in great condition. It is a fun vehicle, especially if you hunt. I don't, but you may.

Decorate my pad

2011-08-17T10:20:00.001-07:00

I need help. I am turning to the internets because I am sure all my friends and family are sick of me asking what to do with my windows. Oh wait! Only my friends and family read this blog. Oh well, help me people!

Granddaddy enclosed our patio last Christmas to make a playroom for the babies. It has been a HUGE blessing for them and us. They love it and I love having a place for the toys. The only issue is that I am left with a design malfunction.

These windows used to look out to a patio and now I want to cover them so people don't see my messy playroom when they walk in. I have tried lots of ideas...

- bamboo blinds (too expensive because they have to be lined and custom)

- sheers (mixed feelings)

- white wood blinds (the rest of my house has them but, I have had various people tell me different things)

- Roman fabric shades

I need to cover 4 windows and a door and I need to not break the bank. Okay, please let me know what to do or nominate me for a HGTV show.

I am a cheerleader

2011-08-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

The only reason I share this is that this blog is for us to look back and remember as the kids grow. Part of that journey is what Stephen and I learn as parents in the process. I am not trying to get all "preachy", this is for me to remember as I look back.

I was reading Phil 4:8 this morning.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

We had a great sermon yesterday on contentment and so I was thinking about how this verse ties to that sermon and then God brought my family, namely Drew and Charis, to mind.

As a parent I am keenly aware of my children's weaknesses because I spend all day trying to teach them and train them to obey and be kind. Sadly, I probably am more aware of their struggles than my own. I pray about their character all the time. I know God loves them more than I do and is in control so that gives me peace. This verse today hit me though. I need to dwell on their God given strengths and be an encourager. I am already their biggest fan but, I want them to look in my face and see love, acceptance, and joy. I will continue to discipline and train but, I trust God with them and to speak to them. I will dwell on this...

and not this...

non advice

2011-07-29T20:26:00.001-07:00

Wow, I must be in a feisty mood tonight. Kelly's Korner is asking for parent advice and while I will not venture to give any I will say this:

I know parenting is a hot button issue and almost a hundred people responded with good advice. I enjoyed reading many of the tips. But, let me just say this... GRACE. I have never been more thankful for His grace and His Spirit that speaks to me than when I became a parent. This parenting thing is tough.

My advice is to listen to that Voice, His Spirit, and respond accordingly. Don't decide what you will and won't do as a parent. Don't say I will never spank or I will never do time out or I will never let my kids eat eat chips and salsa for dinner (that last one may have happened tonight) because God may lead you to do that and you may miss it because you decided that you would never...

God gave you your child(ren) because He equipped YOU to be their parent.

A few years ago we had a speaker at our Women's Retreat at church who told a great story that I was recently reminded of by a great friend. The speaker put a dry sponge in a little bit of water and laid a dry baby sponge on top. She also had a dry big sponge and laid a dry baby sponge on that. As she talked her sponges just sat. At the end she showed us that the sponge that was placed in a little water was wet and so was her baby sponge. Her analogy is that our children will soak up some of the Spirit by being attached to us if we are soaking up His Spirit. I loved that!

P.S. I don't think God led me to let my kid eat chips and salsa for dinner that was just great parenting.

True Story

2011-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have pictures but, I won't share.

I walked into the twin's room today to get them up from their nap and smelled a stink. I said "Eww, someone went poo poo" as I switched on the light. Charis ducked down and popped up and said "boo" and I was laughing at her and then her little face looked up and said "uh oh". I looked down and on the floor there was "you know what" on the carpet in the middle of the room. I looked over at Drew and he looked angry. He had taken his diaper off, thrown the contents in the floor, and then smeared the remnants on his sheets. Lovely.

He was on a roll because ten minutes later as I was getting a snack ready for them, he walked up and grabbed a handful of cottage cheese off Charis' tray and walked into the living room to throw it on the carpet. Then had the audacity to say "uh oh". Oh, child.

It was actually all pretty funny. He doesn't usually act this way but, he was in an "after nap funk".

Charis is a little Mommy. She has now taken it upon herself to check Drew's diaper for poo poo. What is with my kids?

Trip to Pops and Honey's

2011-07-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit to College Station this weekend. We arrived Friday afternoon and played outside for a while. Honey got the kids a splash pad to play on. They also loved to play in the new water feature that Pops and Honey had installed in their yard. It is a pretty little creek and waterfall that Drew really loved.

Saturday morning we took Lil' C in to the doctor and one of her ears was red inside so we got some antibiotics. The kids had a blast playing with a bubble machine and Drew carried one of Pop's golf clubs around all day. That afternoon we went Pebble Creek Country Club to swim in the kiddie pool. We ate dinner at the club with some of our favorite people, the Boyd's. After dinner Drew putted around on the course and took a ride in the golf cart. Charis was exhausted and was not up for a ride.

Sunday was great as always. We LOVE hearing Pops preach. He is going through Psalms right now. He preaches expository (verse by verse) and has a gift for sharing the Word. You can hear him here. Then like every good Baptist we had Mexican food for lunch and then headed home.

Summer Fun

2011-07-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning was pretty outside and so the kids played while I caught up with a good friend from college on the phone. They were entertained and I figured that dirt washes off so I let them play in the dirt. They had a bath by 10:15 am but loved every second of their time outside.

That evening they had their first push-up pop outside. I used to love push-ups. They sat side by side on the back of their tricycle as they ate. After the messiness we had to hose them off before they could come in for a bath. I love the summer. It is so fun to see them play and enjoy being outside.

2011-07-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

On the Fourth of July we celebrated with our good friends the Watson's, their family and our friends the Scheufler's. It was a great time! We ate dinner and then went to watch Hurst fireworks. I really wanted to babies to come even though it was late but, poor Drew was exhausted because he didn't get a good nap that day. We took the kids home and put them to bed and then left. Hold on. It was okay to leave because Aunt Lauren was there. Stephen and I went to watch the fireworks and then came home. Hurst has great fireworks. It was fun but, I am really looking forward to having the kids see the fireworks next year. I know Charis will love it.

Kelly, Ryan, Katie and Blue Bell

Well check and a virus

2011-07-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to a new doctor for their 18 month well check. They did great with the shots and we love our new doctor. Everything looked good for the babies and she gave us an epipen for Drew's nut allergy. She also said that our lil' buckaroo might need to mosey on into the orthopedic doctor if he is still bow legged in a few months. His bow legs have straightened out some, when he first started walking he looked like he had just got off a horse. I swore to myself that I will not take both kids to the doctor again by myself until they are a little older. It is hard.

We made a trip back to our doctor this week when Drew came down with a fever. It is just a virus, no strep. Since God is loving it worked out that Stephen got off work a little early and he was able to meet at the dr office just when things were starting to get "hairy". Can I get an "amen"? The doctor said Charis was "outgoing" and then preemptively told me about temper tantrums. I think she has a handle on my daughter. Drew is feeling much better and I pray Charis is in a few days.

Charis didn't feel well and watched me make dinner

Father's Day

2011-06-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am so sad I didn't get any pictures of Father's day. What kind of mom am I?

We had a super day! I tried to let Stephen sleep in but it was cut short. We brought him breakfast in bed and all played in there for a while. Drew and Charis are so blessed to have Stephen as a dad. He is so great with them and I never worry leaving them with him. He takes excellent care of them and they love him.

After church my dad came over for lunch. It was so good to see him and hang out. The kids always get very excited and put on a show. I am blessed to have my dad. He is very kind, thoughtful, loving, and generous. He is sweet enough to drive to see us whenever he has a day off and we are so thankful. The kids love reading books and goofing off when he is here. Dad got Stephen a buffalo hide for Father's Day. A real one that his friend shot. Stephen is going to use it as a rug in the office.

We didn't get to see Stephen's dad because he is preaching in Roaton this week. That is a tropical paradise in the Carribean. We missed him but, didn't feel sorry for him. We are blessed to have him. He is kind, loving, wise, and hilarious. He is such a great father-in-law.

Late in the afternoon, after a much needed nap, we stopped by to see my grandparents and we were able to see my family that was all there. The kids loved playing with the dog and playing with everyone.

I love family days. I know it was Stephen's day but I felt blessed to spend my day with people I love.

Golf trip

2011-06-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Stephen just went on a golf trip with his Dad and his Dad's friends to Pebble Beach. They got to play Pebble Beach, Spy Glass, and Spanish Bay. If you are like me you may think... that's nice. However, if you golf then I hear it really is great! He had so much fun. He loved spending time with all the guys. They stayed in Carmel and he said it was a quaint town. They way he described it makes me want to go sans the golf. I am glad he had fun. He is already talking about wanting to go back, what happened to "once in a lifetime" ;).

Stephen and his Dad

Stephen and his caddy- at Pebble you get a caddy automatically- so funny

The guys

My reminder

2011-06-18T18:17:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by saying my kids are sweet and I am blessed. With that being said, like EVERY other person they are big fat sinners. Not more so than other kids but, enough so that they are building my character and theirs. Drew is very charming and smiles a giant cheesy smile at me while he does what I very clearly just told him not to do. Charis is more obedient but can already shoot me a look of death. So when I saw Dr. Dobson's Strong Willed Child book at Half Priced Books I knew it was manna for me.

The first night I read through it and went to bed. In the middle of the night I woke up with the words TEACH, TRAIN, and CORRECT in my head. I knew it was God because I hadn't read that in Dr. D's book and lately as I have been disciplining I have heard that little voice in my head say "Did you teach him or just tell him not to do something?". These are all things I knew as a teacher but, once the doctor handed me my own child(ren) I have been, at best, inept. I read lots of books and took a breastfeeding class so I thought I would rock that but, as I called for the lactation nurse for the third time one night I told her "I read all about this but, now I can't remember anything". That was just the beginning of me forgetting things that I used to know so easily. Due to that I needed to put those words on my fridge so I made this sign to remind me.

Dina let me use her fancy machine to cut the letters and then I modge podged them on canvas. I know it may be weird but, I will take encouragement where I can get it. The paper bubbled in places but, it still serves it purpose for me.

18 months old

2011-06-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

This week our babies turn 18 months old. That is not a baby anymore. Waaaaa! Stephen told me he would wake me up every 3 hours crying to help me get over my baby fever that has set in now that my babies aren't babies.

Our offspring now take one nap a day! They sleep well at night and I am very thankful. Very.

Charis is hilarious! She has such a sense of adventure and no fear. She loves to dance and especially loves some Praise Baby. If you don't know about Praise Baby, then you can thank me later. They are videos, like Baby Einstein, but set to Christian music. I know the whole "TV is the devil and your children will go cross eyed and drool until they're 10 if they happen to catch a glimpse of TV" research study. And I agree but, the 15 minutes that my kids spend dancing around the room to praise songs is so worth it. Sorry, I think I got off subject. Charis... she loves any dairy food but, not much else. She still loves books. We are so thankful for her, she makes me laugh everyday. She has a bit of an independent spirit in her. She loves to be held but, find ways to amuse herself (and us). She still only has 8 teeth but, I can see some that are working on coming in soon.

Drew is a sweet boy. He loves to hug and give kisses. He likes to eat dairy and some fruit. He is also very ornery. He tries to charm me with a very cheesy smile when he is misbehaving. The problem is that I laugh. I try not to but, it is so stinking cute. He has started to give "love bites", that is not funny. He has a mouthful of teeth.

Both have recently learned to use a spoon, kind of.

Fun Story of a Mavs Fan

2011-06-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Our friends Dustin and Lyn moved 14 months ago to be missionaries in Thailand. They are big Mavs fans and it was killing Dustin to be in Thailand while the Mavs are in the Finals. Dustin made this video and sent it to Mark Cuban to try to persuade Mark to buy him a plane ticket to go to the game. Mark emailed back but said that he couldn't help. :(

At this point, I would have given up, but not Dustin. He managed to sell his season tickets to the game and buy cheaper ones to games 3,4, and 5. The really neat thing is that he made $1300 on the tickets and found a flight from Thailand to Dallas for $1300. He landed an hour and half before game 3 started. So his great adventure has been funded by his ticket sells.

I love that his wife was like sure, go to America to watch some b-ball. Dustin travelled 36 hours and 9000 miles to cheer on the Mavs. They better appreciate it and win!

2011-06-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

An Old Osborne Proverb

2011-06-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

It is better to live in the corner of your roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman (or baby who won't nap)."

-Proverb 25:24

Just kidding. I would much rather live in my house with these little guys. I am toughing out the one nap transition. Prayers and caffeine are welcome during this time. Drew is doing fabulous and instigated the transition. Little Charis just struggles. She only naps a little over an hour and then gets very fussy about dinner time. I hear that she eventually will adjust

Favorite things again

2011-06-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things about the people in my house...

DREW

1. He snorts when he laughs.

2. He has crazy hair.

3. He surprises us with giant hugs after he runs top speed into us.

4. He waves at everyone like Prince William.

5. He hides and giggles when it is nap or bedtime.

CHARIS

1. She lets us hold her and love her as long as we read her book after book after book.

2. She loves Praise Baby and calls it praby.

3. She is adventurous.

4. She has a mullet but, manages to make it look it cute.

5. She yells "COOKIE" after dinner.

STEPHEN

1. He loves Jesus.

2. He makes me laugh everyday.

3. He is great at finding a good deal.

4. He works hard and does a great job at work.

5. He is a great Daddy and husband.

6. He lets me sleep with the fan on.

Cleaning

2011-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

This cracks me up. This kids new "thing" is to want a paper towel and then... no , not eat it (shocking) but, CLEAN. It is hilarious. My Dad just sent the kids these precious new tricycles, that they love and Drew and Charis are cleaning them here.

Cousins

2011-05-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

I get to take care of Wes, my nephew, this week and it has been so sweet to see the kids with him. Drew is our lover. Bless his heart, he has the sweetest heart but doesn't quite understand how to not suffocate people (mostly Charis and Wes) with his love. Drew wants to constantly pat Wes or rub his face on him and give kisses. He waves at Wes all day and tells me to shhh when Wes is asleep. Charis is intrigued by Wes and says "baby". She walk up to him and says "hi" and then touches him gently and backs off.

Wes is such a good baby. He is sweet and naps well. I am thankful I get this time with him and that the kids love each other.

Paci and Lovie

2011-05-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

This little baby was so tired this evening. Poor thing cried and cried. She usually LOVES bath time but, even that didn't cheer her up. I couldn't get her in the tub without her paci (she found one hidden) and her lovie. I know, I am the parent. But, I was alone tonight and fought it for hours, so in order to keep some sanity I gave in. I'm weak, but look at that face.

I got a little story for ya Ags

2011-05-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

If you didn't go to A&M then (may God bless your poor soul) you won't understand the title. It has nothing to do with my story but, Aggies start a parable that way.

WARNING: This post is not approved for those with weak stomachs

Okay, Stephen came home from work this wonderful Thursday evening and it is his Friday and so I suggested we go out for dinner. We don't usually go out so I was excited. We went to On The Border and had a great time. The kids were good and ate VERY well. That always makes me happy. After dinner we went by Home Depot and then came home to give the kids baths and get ready for bed.

It was a night like any other, until...

then as I was talking to Stephen, I looked down into the tub and all I could say was "Oh no"! Drew had made a deposit. This is actually his third offense. Good thing we aren't a three strikes and you're out kind of family. This was his worst. We wisked the kids out of the tub and moved the bathing into our bath. Poor Charis kept saying "Uh oh, uh oh" and pointing to their bathroom. Once we cleaned them up and put them down it was time to tackle the duty (get it?). All I will say is that all of this defensive attire was necessary and I now have the cleanest bathroom and tub toys on the street.

kitchen makeover

2011-04-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

We are finished! Hale-lu-to the -uah! I can live with this. I am sorry if you don't like but, please don't tell me. My cabinets can't handle any more paint. I still have touch ups to do but, most of the work is complete. The built in still needs some work and is not as blue as this picture. They are the same. Over and out.

Easter

2011-04-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

It is almost Easter! I love Easter. I think I am going to go ahead and say that Easter is my favorite holiday. I love Christmas also. Christmas is an amazingly busy time for us. We tried to cram every major life event into one week and succeeded! The week of Christmas is Jesus' birthday (obviously), our anniversary, and our two children's birthdays. So, although I love all those things, combine that with trying to see all our families and you get STRESS. I have a point... It is, while the true celebrating of Christmas is such an amazing part of the year, I love to celebrate Easter.

Easter encompasses so many emotions. On Good Friday as we reflect on Christ's crucifixion I am filled with sadness, pain, and hurt for Him. I feel guilty for my sins that put Him there but, know that He has even freed me from the guilt. On Easter Sunday I filled with such joy and victory knowing that my Savior conquered the grave and lives today! It is unfathomable to me.

This is Holy Week. Approximately 2000 years ago (I don't do numbers) Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the people celebrated. Things certainly changed in a few days. This Friday is Good Friday, the day He was crucified. I look forward to teaching Drew and Charis why we celebrate. I remember riding in the car with my Dad one time when I was a surly kid and he asked me if I knew why we celebrate Easter and I popped off "because Jesus died and rose again". He asked how long was He dead and I didn't really know but, with complete conviction I said "a couple of days". Good guess. I remember this talk because even though I heard the pastor say it before, I don't think I truly grasped the reason we celebrate until my Dad asked and I had to verbalize it. I bought a resurrection scene last year at Hobby Lobby on sale with the intention that my kids could play with it and retell the story. Well, I got so excited to break it out that I forgot my kids are at a way destructive age so within minutes I was running around asking "where is the soldiers head". He was decapitated pretty early on and then poor Mary got it. I will have to buy another one to put away until my kids are older.

My Mom got the kids the cute clothes and so we took pictures at the Boy's Ranch last week. Which is where Stephen I first said I love you and I where I told him we were having a baby ( I didn't know it was 2 babies). Drew loved throwing bread to the ducks. Charis held her bread out and expected them to come to her. That pretty much sums up our little girl.

TIRED

2011-04-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

I am half way done painting my cabinets for a third time. Crazy. Kim Cogburn brought her paint swatches over and we finally found one I can live with. My goal is to be finished by tomorrow night (late of course). I will post pictures when we are done and after I have had some sleep. Meanwhile, tonight I will pray for the painting fairy to come finish for me. I would even trade a tooth...

stuff

2011-04-13T08:43:00.001-07:00

The kids are almost 16 months old and funny. They each have such different personalities. Drew is a pretty rough little boy. He loves to hide! He hides but it is easy to find him because he giggles so hard you know where he is. He is very mischievous. He looks right at me and smiles when he knows he did something wrong. I know when he has hit Charis because he runs at me and hugs me so tight before I can even get to her. He is a little charmer but, I am not fooled by his cute smile and hugs. Drew has to know EXACTLY where the boundaries are. If I say No, don't touch the picture frame" he tries "can I touch the top of the frame? No, okay the side? No, umm the shelf the frame is on?".

Charis is usually pretty obedient. She hates to be in trouble but she can throw a doozy of a fit. The drama. She is 15 months going on 15 years. She loves to show her eye, nose, belly button and "talk". She will come up with words and Drew repeats them so it is a strange language over here. "Caca" is outside, "baby" is pretty much everything they give you.

SUYL Mother's Day Ideas

2011-04-08T07:45:00.001-07:00

On Kelly's Korner blog she is hosting a Show Us Your Life Mother's Day Ideas. Okay, let me begin by saying I am not a creative, nor crafty person. I want to be. My spirit is willing but, my flesh is weak. Last year for Mother's Day I snagged this idea from a Bible study I had done called Keepers of Your Home(or something like that). In the study they suggested having a quiet time basket with all you need for your quiet time inside. I LOVED the idea! It was so nice to not have to get up once I started and also they suggested having a candle and cup of tea or coffee. How cozy. So last year I gave our mom's quiet time baskets. I don't have a picture but you can get stuff like

cute baskets at Home Goods or TJ Maxx

candles

a throw

journal

Bible or devotional book

plus pens, highlighters, and notecards.

There are lots of things you can put in there but, this is what I chose.

This is what I want for Mother's Day

or a nap...

I would love to hear your ideas and your Father's Day ideas.

PSA

2011-03-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is a Public Service Announcement because I was so happy with the results. My papooses are now too big for their carriers but, still need to be rear facing (that sounds funny, only right then). Stephen and I had a hard time getting the seats in to where I felt they were secure so I called around and lo and behold Euless Police Department has a certified officer to install car seats... for FREE. We spent about 45 minutes (longer for me because our seats were all jacked up and we have two) and he taught me all about our particular brand, how to secure the seat, why, and where all the belts should go on the kids. He also reprimanded me because I had a basket of toys in the back seat that apparently could become a flying weapon in the event of a crash.

I was super easy to meet with him and I feel so much better now that I know how to work the seats and that the kids are safe. I wish I would have known this before so I thought I would pass the information along.

15 months

2011-03-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

The twins are 15 months old! They are transitioning to one nap a day because Drew is DONE with a second nap but, Charis needs it. So we are trying to figure out to make them both happy and me sane. They are growing so fast and are starting to enjoy each other more and more. When Drew is awake and Charis is napping he runs into their room and stands by the crib to wake her up. One day I tried "room time" and I was playing with Charis while Drew played on his own. That lasted for 3 seconds when Charis jumped up and ran to Drew yelling "Dew, Dew".

Charis is trying to talk. She can say:

mama

dada

bye

uh oh

ball

baby

her nose is her mo, more is also mo

outside is caca (I don't know)

Drew is more physical than verbal. He loves to carry big things around outside. He always wants to know how something works and if he can take it apart.

Neither one of my kids are big eaters but, they drink lots of milk and are growing well. We go to the doctor on Wednesday. We are thankful for all the hugs, laughs, and joy they bring.

Baby News

2011-03-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

My sister in law had her baby! Lauren had a sweet baby boy on February 21, 20011 at 5:31pm. He weighed 7 lbs and 5oz. Lauren did great! She is no bigger than a minute but worked and got Wesley out without a C Section. His name is Wesley Christopher and he is a good baby! Welcome to the world, Wes, we love you!!

These are a few of my favorite things

2011-03-02T08:13:00.001-08:00

Around my house these are a few of my favorite things...

This sign I got at Queen of the Trailer Park in Colleyville. I read about them on my friend Dina's blog. They have CUTE stuff!

I love Robin's Eggs! Christmas is usually my favorite holiday but, I think this year I am more excited about Easter. Not for the eggs. I love the candy but, celebration of Jesus' resurrection is exciting. I look forward to watching my kids learn about why we celebrate.

Sonic drinks. That is all I have to say about that. This one was a gift from Dina- love her!

I am pretty smitten with these guys. They are now 14 months old and so funny. They have matching ouchies here. Charis took a tumble in the driveway and Drew got a bruise in the same place when he fell in the play room. They are learning how to "be gentle" and they clap for themselves when they are gentle. Actually, they clap for themselves when they do pretty much anything: sign language, gentle, eat, etc. My kids have low self esteem.

Baby feet. I love em. They are so cute and chubby.

This guy. I kind of like him. He is funny, godly, helpful, and cute.

Tubes

2011-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

On Friday Charis had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids out. We went to the ENT on Monday and he had an opening for Friday and we took it. I am so happy that she had this done. I really pray it helps her to breathe, sleep, eat, and be happy.

She did great! We got her up early and had her at the surgery center by 6:45 AM. She waited in the waiting room for a long time and was a trooper. She got nose drops that made her a little loopy before they took her back. The whole procedure was over in 25 mins. She did great coming out of anesthesia. She drank juice and slept.

She had a hard day when we got home. Thankfully, my mom had Drew and I could just hold Charis all day. She snoozed off and on but she had quite a bit of pain and couldn't lie down on her own. She got some gifts for her big surgery. Our wonderful church gave her two books, my mom gave her a stuffed animal, Stephen bought her a book, and the nurse gave her a stuffed animal. She has played well since the surgery but, still hasn't eaten much.

Going home

Waking up from surgery

Good Cake

2011-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

My Dad's birthday was Sunday (the same day as Ronald Reagan's bday- my Dad loves that) and we had him over for lunch. It was great to see him and he read Charis a bunch of books. He left his cake and so I gave the kids a little bit with dinner because they hadn't had any since their birthday. Drew had it all over him and I asked him "Is it good cake?". Charis started trying to say "good cake" after that and it was hilarious. She says it best at the end of the video. Aunt Lauren was there and we were laughing so hard. This may be one of those "you had to be there" moments but, I wanted to save the memory.

Shout out to Drew

2011-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

I want to give a shout out to my boy, Drew, for the great party he threw until 3 AM last night and then for the "after party" at 6AM. I had fun eating yogurt, playing, and singing every song I know with you.

My poor son a had a bad cough that woke him up just as we were going to bed. Once he was awake he was wired! I had never seen him so hyper. We played in the living room until he conked out at 3AM. I am not going to lie it was frustrating and I was super tired but, it was nice to have some time with just him. If I could choose I would have chosen 3PM, not AM but it was great to play and cuddle with my sweet boy.

Because they go from this to a big boy so fast...

Wooo Weee

2011-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

I have so much decorating and painting I want to do!! I found some new blogs that tickle my fancy (I don't really know what that means). All I need is my kids to take a nap for a couple of days and I can get it done.

Otay, for starters, I have always lamented the fact that our cabinet doors are a different color than the cabinets. Why? That is the word that I say in my head everytime I see them. But I have a super solution thanks to www.theletteredcottage.net.

See that fun color on the bottom of her cabinets? I want to do that. I will paint the top ones white or cream but I have to leave my doors on because my cabinets are not purty inside.

Okay, thing 2, if I am feeling spunky I may paint the door to my laundry room like this lady did. I am so sad I missed a Girl's Night for our Sunday School and they made cute "Family Rules" pictures that night. I need someone to teach me how to do that. They are so creative and fun!

This got me all thinking about fun things for the bathrooms, too. I love stealing ideas from creative people.

GLAMOROUS

2011-01-07T17:46:00.001-08:00

It is a very glamourous life I lead. I won't mention that I have been thrown up on 5 times and had the big D on me once all in one day. But, I will tell you that I took Charis' diaper off for her bath and turned around to get Drew. When I turned back my precious angel had already teed on my carpet and let one dirty surprise drop and was working on a second. Nice. It's her new thing. She loves the freedom, it makes her go.

I also have a question for all those blessed with front loading washes and dryers. I do approximately a billion loads of laundry a day. Really about 2 a day. Do front loading machines hold more? Are they awesome? Do they come in pink? Will I not even care that I am doing laundry because they are so pretty? I also heard they have a sanitize button. That is great! I could put my carpet in there.

Anniversary Video

2010-12-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

Stephen and I just celebrated our eight year anniversary. It was so great! Stephen made me a video of our marriage this far. It was so sweet of him because he only has about an hour and a half of down time each evening and he spent it making this video. It begins when we were dating goes to this past year. Please forgive me for the overalls in the video. I promise they were socially acceptable back then. Our first year of marriage, all in one week, I turned Stephen's underwears pink and made pancakes that were runny inside and burnt outside. I have learned a few things in the past eight years.

On our anniversary we spent our first night away from the kids! It was supercalifragilisticexpialidoschis! My mom kept our kids for the night and we hot footed it to Dallas. We had dinner and then checked into the Hotel ZaZa. After checking in we had massages and relaxed. It was so great to wake up on your own without a little precious crying. I love those little preciouses but, a night away was wonderful! The babies slept great for my mom and the whole event was a success! I think we may start celebrating half anniversaries!

For a laugh...

2010-12-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

I don't mind questions about our babies at all. In fact, Stephen and I both know that God gave us this story for a purpose and we are willing to share it anytime. It is really His story anyway. However, this video is hilarious because I have this conversation several times a day.

1 Year Old!!

2010-12-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Drew and Chris turn one on Wednesday the 22nd but, we celebrated this Saturday. It was such a wonderful and blessed day! The babies did great and loved having friends and family here. We did a Thing 1 Thing 2 theme. Charis is one minute older and so she was Thing 1 and Drew was Thing 2. They loved their smash cakes. It was so fun to see them try cake for the first time.

Charis was not a fan of her flower headband. That really breaks my heart, I NEED her to wear bows and girly things. Oh well, it was her birthday.

At one year they are SO fun! They love to wave and clap. Charis tells us "bye bye" when she is ready to leave and if I am on the phone and say bye. Today she was clapping like crazy to Oprah's "My Favorite Things" show. I think she wanted the VW Bug, too. They are both walking! Drew has 3 teeth coming on top and has 2 on bottom. Charis has 2 on bottom. They sleep from 7:30 to 6:30am. Charis is still not taking bottles but will drink a little at a time from a sippy cup. We are taking her at the end of the month to the ENT to see about her breathing and eating.

Charis dug in face first

Drew loved the cake

Charis resisting the flower

twins

food table

cute cookies from Nicki in College Station

11 months old!

2010-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

My babies are toddlers! In a few weeks we celebrate their first birthday! That means I have kept them alive for 365 days! They are asleep now and so I will have to take pictures later.

The highlights this month have been that they each have taken a s few steps and Drew is walking, not like we could go to the mall and stroll but like 8 steps at a time. They are funny. Drew learned to play peek-a-boo and just randomly hides his face to play. Charis pushes everything across the floor as she walks. Drew learned a sippy cup!! Charis has turned into Miss Piggy with her solids. She loves to eat pasta, cheese, and yogurt.

I can't lie, this has been a hard month! The babies were sick back to back so for over 2 weeks someone was sick. Prayers would be much appreciated at this point because Charis quit taking a bottle 15 days ago. The problem is she doesn't know how to use a sippy cup. I have tried EVERYTHING to get liquids in her. We tried cups, sippy cups, straws, syringes, different nipples but she screams and spits it out. This began because the poor baby had an ear infection and the bottle hurt her ears. Now she still won't take it. We have been to the doctor twice and urgent care the last 15 days. She is still on antibiotics. I pray all day that the next feeding she will take one and so far no progress. I am worn out. I have to sneak liquid into her food to keep her from getting dehydrated. I also don't want her lose weight because she is teeny. So PLEASE pray for her to either learn and LOVE the sippy cup or submit to the bottle. The good news is that she is happy and precious, just a major character builder for her mommy.

What did you do today?

2010-11-16T17:26:00.001-08:00

Today I took a journey to Oklahoma, our friendly neighbor to the North, to see the medicine man about a toothache. Not really a medicine man but, kind of. I am 1/8 Chickasaw Indian (can you tell?). The story is that our tribe has made so much money on... you guessed it CASINOS that now we can get free medical services from the Chickasaw Nation.

This is all true.

So bright and early I left my papooses (or babies as the white man says) with my mom and I drove to Oklahoma. I got a free checkup and a referral for a root canal, crown, and wisdom teeth all for FREE! I am so excited! Don't laugh. Should I feel bad that I am benefitting from my ancestors oppression by the white man?

10 months old WHAT?

2010-10-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? Drew and Charis are ten months old! Only 8 weeks until their first birthday. I say it every month but, this is such a fun stage. So here is what they are up to:

Drew is standing on his own and may walk soon. Everyone says to watch out when that happens but, I am already going full throttle so we will see happens next. They eat four times a day and Drew will eat most anything. He still is totally devoted to puffs. He waves bye bye and says mama, dada, bye bye and grunts when he wants something. That last one I am trying to break with some baby sign language but it is funny. Drew loves to put his mouth on Charis' head to kiss her.

Charis crawls like a big girl and can stand a few seconds. She laughs at herself while she stands. She is a PICKY eater or noneater I should say. I stress. She loves sweet potatoes, peaches, yogurt and bagels. She says mama, dada, bye bye, and blows alot of bubbles. She is a little ham and loves an audience. She makes me laugh all day.

My block idea didn't go so well this time. They don't lie still unless asleep now days.

At the Patch Again

2010-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met Dina, Anna, and all their kiddos at the Pumpkin Patch. It was a beautiful day and we all had fun. I dressed my kids in their cute John Deere outfits that my aunt got them. My original plan was to take their picture by the tractor in the John Deere clothes but, then I saw the tractor. It is huge. We got other cute pics though.

Charis has a MAJOR crush on Jackson. She laughs so hard at him and flirts. We have our hands full with her but we love her choice of boys. Oh, funny story: the night before we were all having dinner and Hayden was watching me make a bottle and he asked "what is that" and I told him "it is called formula" and Hayden said "Oh, I love California". Close.

Sweet Katie Belle

The Gang

Show us your...

2010-10-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

nurseries. On Kelly's Korner she is hosting us a show is your nurseries. This is Drew and Charis' nursery. I had a hard time coming up with a gender neutral room. I put the bedding together at polkatotdesigns.com. They were great and got it to me fast. I was in heaven when it came!

My super talented friend Jenn painted the silhouettes over their beds and the verse over the changing table. She free handed that! That verse was special to us as we were going through infertility and so I wanted it their room. I thought maybe it would be a good pick me up for 3am feedings- ha.

Stephen painted the room and did the bead board, or beat board as he calls it! He did an excellent job!

The rocker was my parents and they used it to rock me. We painted it (against my Dad's wishes- sorry Dad) and recovered it to match the bedding. I really enjoy their room and hope they love the bright colors. We were so blessed to have gifts from family to set the room up. All we really spent money on was the bedding. HUGE blessing! My mom got us the changing table and my Dad got the cribs

Sweet brother

2010-10-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

As we showed you below Charis LOVES her a good bath. Tonight she was so excited she kept sticking her face in the water and then choking (at least she's pretty). Stephen was patting her on the back to help her get it out and Drew watched and then scooted over and starting patting her back too, Stephen stopped and Drew kept patting her and then rubbed her back. It was so sweet. I wish we had the video on but, we missed it so I have to write these moments on here so I don't forget. It is fun to see them interact with each other.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

We took the babies to the Pumpkin Patch tonight and they loved it! They loved being pulled around in the wagon and touching all the hay and pumpkins. I tried to get some good pictures but it was all so exciting that I couldn't get them to look at me. Here are some of my favorites.

It's a trim

2010-10-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

My little man has been sporting a mullet. The sad thing is he doesn't have much hair but the hair on the back of his head grows nicely. I didn't take a before picture but, imagine Billy Ray and you get the idea.

So when I went to my friend, Pam's, she helped give the back a little trim. She cuts her cute son's hair and so I knew she could help. We pulled him outside and snipped the back. He did great! He looks very handsome and more professional.

Help!

2010-10-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am raising a little clepto. He isn't even sneaky about his stealing, he just out right does it. I have tried everything I know of to stop this criminal behavior. Drew steals everything from Charis. I will give them both a measuring cups and he takes hers, two sippy cups = he has both, he takes pacis that aren't his. I have tried saying no over and over and redirecting him one thousand times in a row and I have even tried swatting his little hot hands (gasp, I know totally not pc). Today I even gave hers back and took his away, that was mean of me but I was desperate.

So, do any of you have any solid advice and how to turn my wayward child back to the straight and narrow? Poor Charis and I are tired of this behavior.

Bath Time

2010-09-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Drew and Charis love baths! Charis has a party splashing around and Drew is our inspector/ engineer. Last night he took the drain apart.

We have moved to Bedford and love it! It is such a great location. We love having visitors, before we were so far out nobody stopped by but now we can have people over. We are closer to church and Stephen's work also. We are still decorating and getting settled but, we are almost done (I think).

Nine Months

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Drew and Charis are nine months old today. It has been an amazing, fun, hard, and blessed nine months. We are so thankful for them. They each such different and wonderful personalities. We go to the dr on Thursday and I am excited to see how much they weigh.

Charis is now sleeping 11 and a half hours a night! She loves baths! She is a little picky about textures for food but, loves anything sweet tasting (I don't know where she got this). She love to play with Drew and laughs at him. Charis is still army crawling but, can move fast and pulls up on everything. She is a funny baby and makes us laugh alot. They both have just started only having four bottles a day and eating solids 3 times a day.

Drew sleeps about 11 hours at night. He is fast and into everything. He puts everything in his mouth (gross). He is a good eater and will eat most anything but, his true love is puffs. He loves puffs, he may have to go to baby Betty Ford for his addiction. He literally shakes when we pull the container out. He cuddles by putting his face on yours and his mouth on your cheek.

2010-08-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have some catching up to do. Well, we sold our house and bought another one today. We will close at the end of the month and then have about 2 weeks to transfer everything over. On the day the people came to see our house we had to leave and so we took the babies to Cabella's. They loved the dead animals. They wore their safari outfits that Honey got them and were so good. This picture is after we got home and it was nap time.

email

2010-08-08T18:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I am a little embarrassed that my hotmail account was hacked into. The hacker sent an inappropriate link advertising a certain medication to everyone I have emailed. It sent the link to MY PASTOR, FORMER EMPLOYERS, and friends/family. Nice. So, if you received this email just know it wasn't me.

Shopping and Sonic

2010-07-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the JBF sale. It is a consignment sale in Grapevine that happens a couple of times a year. I usually get some cute clothes for the wee ones. My friends Pam and Michelle met me there and then we hit Sonic. It was so fun to sit and talk with them for a while. Pam taught high school before her cute little son was born and still teaches Summer school and subs sometimes. She always has hilarious stories about her students and knows pop culture stuff I don't know. Last night she informed us that Sonic has a secret purple drink. So being the mature moms out for the night that we are- we dared her. Actually Pam dared me, I dared Michelle and Pam stepped up. I don't know what reaction we wanted them to have but, all they said is that they don't know what we talking about but we can have a grape slush- boring. Maybe the secret purple drink is only in Frisco. Here is a picture of some of my loot. I love a good deal!

Hookey

2010-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it is Sunday morning and my whole family is at church sans me. Stephen wouldn't let me go. He said I had to stay home to rest to get better. I sure hope he meant my throat getting better and not my attitude. I get ulcers bad. They go down my throat and in my mouth. When I was pregnant I didn't get ONE, is that a good enough reason to be pregnant again? Stephen just gave me a look when I suggested it. I am very thankful for my rest time. I took a nap and now I am chillin on the computer.

Yesterday we thought it would be great to get out in the evening and drive around to look at some neighborhoods. That is not a good idea. It is very bad. I brought bottles but, when we got the furtherest point from our house the screaming began. We stopped to feed and they weren't interested because when the bottle is in their precious little mouths they can't scream. SO we drove home through the yelling. I crawled in the back a few times to entertain them with my songs, hand, and tickles but it didn't last long until they would tell me what they thought about that. I heard somewhere that the CIA plays a CD of a baby crying to torture suspects. Genius! Don't get me wrong we love them a ton and are very thankful for them. When we got home we fed them and as their punishment they went to bed without a story. They didn't mind a bit, poor little things were so tired.

Chef Drew R Dee

2010-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor is doing invitro and we made them dinner on her surgery day. Who knew a simple meal could turn out to be so crazy. I haven't cooked real meals in a long time. Drew helped me in the kitchen. He is into everything right now and I hoped that measuring cups were a safe alternative to all the other stuff he found to get into. He had fun banging them around for a while. I got over half way into this project and then had to put them in the car and go to the bank. Did I really need to go to the bank? No. Why did I go? Because I was pretty sure if I didn't strap Drew in something like a car seat that he was going to get hurt. I can barely keep up with him. We left the kitchen a mess and drove to the bank, even Isabelle came. She jumped in the car and I had no energy to get her out so off we all went.

Peaches

2010-07-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Charis has been making some funny faces lately. While she eats she has started to smack and blow bubbles, she has no table manners. This video shows her enjoying her peaches.

The babies have 2 new friends. Precious Katie Belle Watson was born July 14th! Sweet Ella Kay Word will be born tomorrow at 6:45 am. I am so excited for both families. I wonder which one Drew will marry, those are his only options.

Baby Love

2010-07-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

The babies had such a sweet moment last night. They are really starting to understand and acknowledge the other baby. Last night after they ate Drew was really fussy and wanted out of the high chair so he was crying. Charis looked at him and started making sucking sounds, he looked at her and stopped crying and starting laughing so hard. Then she blew bubbles at him and he stared and laughed at his silly sister. It was so sweet to see them interact.

Drew is crawling EVERYWHERE and stands in his crib. He crawls on top of Charis and sucks on her head while they play on the floor. Sometimes she laughs and other times it hurts and she cries. He pulls up in the crib to play with the monitor and laugh at Charis.

At five months I wanted them to stay that age because it was so great but, now I LOVE this age. They are learning something new everyday and it so fun to see their personalities. So bottom line: we think they are pretty great!

Fifth month

2010-06-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

Our babies are six months old. Wow, half of their first year is over. We are soo thankful for them and have loved watchingthem grow. In their fifth month they grew so much. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for each of them. This last month the babies have started eating a little solids. Drew sleeps like a champ and Charis is getting better as she gains more weight. My favorite things about this month have been Charis rolling over and Drew starting to reach for you. I know I better hold on tight because the next six months will be wild

Charis has skills

2010-06-30T07:26:00.001-07:00

Yay! After much prayer my baby girl is rolling over. She did it for the first time on June 19th but, then wouldn't do it again for a while. I started to get worried and now she is rolling like crazy. Her new skill threw her for a loop for a bit. She couldn't sleep for a couple of days because she is a big fan of the swaddle and we had to ease her out of it now that she is such a big girl. She woke every 45 minutes screaming. She is not a CIO baby because she throws huge tantrums for something so small and kicks her little legs so hard the mattress comes up. Now we use a sleep sack and put her on her tummy (don't tell) and she sleeps better, only waking a couple of times at night. We are so proud of her new little skill!

BCS in DFW

2010-06-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our Fightin Texas Aggie Class of 2032 babies got duded up in their Aggie gear. There was no game and we weren't in BCS but, it would be awful if they outgrew their Aggie gear with no pictures so we are sporting it today. They are going to love their 4, okay probably 5, years at A&M.

declined

2010-06-10T19:16:00.001-07:00

In the words of Dwight K Schrute, "Identity theft is not a joke". For real. I have been embarrassed all over town because as I drag my babies through a store just in time for one to start crying in line (strike one against me), my card is DECLINED (major strike two- people are way judging now). So when that happened yesterday I thought it was a fluke, like God was just needing a laugh. Today I did all my Father's Day shopping and got up to pay and the same thing happened again (minus the crying). So I hot footed it over the Chase and apparently they froze my account because there was "unusual activity". Someone got a hold of my info and used my card to buy, get this, a table tennis set and a body building set to the tune of $500. I am guessing it was Forrest Gump. So I am now waiting a week to get a new card and writing checks like in the 90's. I need to break out my Dooney and Burke wallet to go with my checks.

Zoo Day

2010-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

My Mom and I took the babies to the zoo last Friday. It was really fun. We rode the train, saw some animals and ate ice cream. Charis loved looking at everything go by on the train. We had fun!

Nappy Kids

2010-06-07T15:51:00.001-07:00

Today was almost relaxing. I didn't have to work and the babies were super duper nappers. They took an hour nap this morning and then (get ready) a 2 and a HALF hour nap this afternoon. THEN after being awake two hours after that they were tired again and are taking a quick nap now. I can get on board with this kind of growth spurt. We have been really busy lately and they haven't had a full day home in a long time, so I think they were plum tired. Poor babies! I didn't know what to do with my free time. I took a 45 min nap, read Francine Rivers new book, and did laundry. I also killed about 40 flies. Sick, I know. I sometimes sit on the back porch with Baby A while Baby B is napping and leave the door open so I can hear Baby B. I guess I will have to use the monitor for now on because the flies snuck in.

Oh, by the way, our house is for sale. So if you want it come and get it. Otherwise, please pray it sells super fast because I hate cleaning and I really want to move to Bedford.

Dr. Evil likes green beans

2010-06-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

Poor Drew scratched himself when he was playing. With his little bald (but beautiful) head and the scratch he looks like Dr. Evil's child. I made some green beans in my new food processor and it was easy, even for a microwave chef like me. I froze it but, Drew tried a little and he was interested. I need to put a little water next time to get it to a smoother texture for him.

Today we are heading to the zoo. I am praying for a breeze to follow us all day, because you can pray for anything.

Granddaddy

2010-06-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

My Dad took us shopping at Target last week. He got the babies high chairs, some toys, and me a food processor to make baby food with. It was so sweet of him to bless us this way. He pushed the stroller while I pushed our cart. Now we are all set for some solid food. Drew is getting pretty good at taking it. Charis is not quite ready. This is Granddaddy in the parking lot with the babies.

Showers!!

2010-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was super fun because I was able to help to host two showers for two of my most favorite people. The morning shower was for Dina and baby Katie. Dina is such a great friend and has given a bizallion showers so we wanted this one to be special for her. It was at Anna's house and Anna decorated super cute! We can't wait to meet Miss Katie and she got some cute things.

The second shower was for Brandy. We have been friends since we were 5, that is 26 years. Side story: The first time Brandy came to my house to play her mom told me that I had to tell her when it was time to go home because she couldn't tell time yet. I took this responsibility very seriously so at the appointed time I told her ," you have to go home now". When we were on a double date in college we told this story and her date felt bad for her. He made her the "timekeeper" for the evening and kept asking her what time it was all night so she could feel special. Okay, back to the shower. We were so happy to celebrate Ella. This was Brandy's first shower because her son came too early and had complications every time we rescheduled his shower. So Brandy finally got her shower and lots of cute things!

I just found out I was adopted

2010-05-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just found out I was adopted. My Mom says I wasn't and she has a scar to prove it but, I know I was. Ever since I had these babies I have known I am really Italian. There is a big Italian momma in me that comes out. The most important thing to me now days is that my babies eat. It determines my mood, outlook on life, and cheery dispostion. When they don't eat I get upset and when they do eat I feel so happy. I am like a big Italian momma saying "Manga! Eat!". I know I need to relax but, I can't. I am happiest when my babies are full.

Perspective

2010-05-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those rough days that momma's have with babies. Neither baby would eat and we were off our routine so I begged a baby to eat all day while the other slept or cried. Finally about 5 pm I had been trying to feed Drew but he was doing backbends and chewing on the bottle so in desparation I told him "No" in a stern voice. He just looked at me and smiled so big that my heart melt. It broke my heart how innocent he is. He doesn't even know the difference between a stern tone and a loving tone yet. All he knows is his momma was talking to him and so he smiled. I love that boy! That changed my perspective of the day.

Speaking of perspectives, Stephen's boss told the best story. One day when her now 28 yr old daughter was 3 she was alone with her dad. They went to run an errand and ran out of gas. This was in the day before cell phones (remember that day?). Me either. So her Dad had to carry her on his shoulder to the store and back and forth several times because it wouldn't work. Finally they got home and her Dad was in a very bad mood. That night it was her time to pray and so little 3 yr old Jessica prayed "Thank you God for the best day ever with my Daddy". She thought it was great to ride around on his shoulders all day and be with him.

Four Months

2010-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

The babies have made it through their fourth month of life. This month has been fun and full of growth. Drew learned how to roll over and Charis has started to eat alot more. Drew sleeps pretty well and only gets up once. Our little girl is a hungry thing and eats twice through the night. They have done well with all their shots and dr appointments. They were dedicated to church this month also. We are introducing rice cereal slowly. Drew is warming up to the idea but Charis does not like the spoon. They are slowly realizing that there is another baby around. Here are some pics of them exploring the strange baby beside them.

Baby Dedication

2010-05-10T08:27:00.001-07:00

On Mother's Day we were able to dedicate our babies to the Lord.

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 1 Sam1:27-28

We were thankful to all those who could join us. Drew and Charis did well and didn't even cry even though it was time to eat. We are so thankful for our church and look forward to raising Drew and Charis with these special people. I had everyone sign a mat to frame their pictures in. I pray that one day they will look back and see the prayers that have been prayed for them and be thankful as they walk with the Lord.

5 Love Languages

2010-05-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

My great husband surprised me this morning with a donut in bed. He hit two of my love languages in this single act: sleep and sweets. Sometimes it is hard for me to know what my love language is from the book The Five Love Languages, so I made my own list. My 5 Love Languages are (in no particular order)

Sleep

Sweets

Sonic/ Starbucks drinks

Watching something besides Sportcenter but, still staying on the couch with me

Feeding a baby

First Visit to the Park

2010-05-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today went on our first park visit. We met Michelle and Jack at Chisolm Park this afternoon. It was beautiful weather and we had fun sitting on the grass and playing. The babies enjoyed being outside. It started getting really windy so we left. I sat in the back seat of the car and gave the babies their bottles while I listened to Dave Ramsey before we left. It was a relaxing time.

Trust

2010-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

This week is Infertility Week (preceded by the very important National Pretzel Day, I hope you all took off work). This week a year ago I was only a few days pregnant and was waiting to find out if our in vitro had worked. It was a rough nine days. I only worked part time and so I came home each day and pretty much prayed all afternoon. I had several scriptures that really encouraged me at the time. They were:
"May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 115:14-15

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Heb 11:6

"One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is H"e who fights for you, just as He promised you." Joshua 23:10

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:4

and Amos 3:3 "Do two walk together unless they are agreed?" This one was very important to me because I KNEW that God was sovereign and His plan is better than mine, even if I don't like the circumstances, BUT when I read this I realized that at times I didn't agree that this was best for me and I really wanted to walk with Him through this and everyday. I had to seek Him and get to the place where I was at peace with WHEREVER He was leading me.

I am praying this week for everyone who is waiting on the Lord. I am praying for those couples who are waiting on a baby, singles who are waiting on a godly spouse, and families waiting on healing. This is such a special week coming up to honor Mothers but, I know this week has pain for others. It is hard on those who have lost their Mom or child or those who want to be Moms. Not to be a Debby Downer but, I want to encourage those people that He is faithful and will carry you through the times of hurt.

Steam Mop

2010-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know anything about the Shark Steam Mop? I think I really want one but, I wanted to know if they are good. I also keep breaking vacuums and thought about getting a Roomba next time. What is the word on those? Am I boring you yet? Wow, I am getting old, next week I will be asking about where to get a good pair of elastic waisted high rise jeans.

Rolling with the babies

2010-04-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Drew rolled over today! We have been waiting on it. He has been rolling up on a shoulder and then deciding to fall back down for a few weeks now. Today my friend, Taryn, was in town from Colorado and we were talking while he was playing on the activity mat. We watched him as he decided to go for it. I am so thankful I was able to see his first roll. Tomorrow is their 4 month birthday!