Been awhile...

It's been almost a month since I blogged and even longer than that since I really blogged. A lot has happened. I must confess that something has been stealing my blogger time. It's this thing called Facebook. Maybe you've heard of it. ;-) It's addicting, I tell ya!


Well, on September 5, Emma turned 3. Hard to believe in most ways, but so easy to believe in others. Those of you with toddlers TOTALLY know what I mean! At her well check visit with the pediatrician she weighed a whopping 25 pounds. I've resigned to the fact that buying clothes to fit her will always be somewhat of a challenge! I have to admit, she does look pretty cute in all her thinness!! We had a Curious George birthday party here at the house. It was fun and she was totally overwhelmed by all the gifts. Gigi and Pops were able to be here from Texas and that was a real treat for everyone. Grammie and Grampie drove down for the day for the party. It was fun to have both sets of grandparents here for the celebration! Here are a few pictures:





Kate has 5 teeth! She got three over the last three days. It's been good times over here, let me tell ya! She's still a joy and smiling ALL the time. She is such a good laid back baby! Here's a recent picture:




I had surgery on Tuesday (a girl thing) and I'm recovering well. I think we may even venture out to the Renaissance Festival tomorrow. :-)

Well, that's a little catch-up. Maybe now I won't feel so overwhelmed and can post more often. :-) (That's if I can pull myself away from FB!! ;-) )

Our little girl is growing up.....

Emma turned three this past Friday and I've been reflecting on the last three years. Nicole and I spend what seems like all of our waking, and sometimes sleeping, hours raising our little girl. There are times when we think that there is no reward for our never-tiring, never-stopping, never-ending, never-sleeping quest to raise our little girl.

However, there is grace from God. There are moments when Emma flashes moments of cuteness, brilliance, and gleeful passion.

A few months ago, she wanted to go with daddy to the storage unit a few miles away. It was very hot and humid and she wanted the windows down in the car as we drove over to the unit. I relented and put them down. For a brief moment, I relaxed and just drank in the warmth and the smells of a southeast summer. I had the music on and I looked back for a moment and will never forget the sight.

The wind was blowing her hair in her face. She had a completely peaceful look on her face. Our eyes met and she just smiled and laughed as she moved the hair from her face. It was like time froze and that scene was replayed in my mind each year for the next 18 years.

I realized then that she is changing. She is changing right before our eyes and we can't see it always.

Our little girl is growing up.....

Aprons...

Yes, I know! It's been FOREVER since I blogged. I'd like to say we've been busy doing exciting things and I haven't had time to blog. That's pretty far from the truth, though. I have been busy...trying to get the new house together (yes, still...)

Anyway, first things first - Kelly, I haven't forgotten about the quirks tag. I promise I will do it. I lay in bed at night thinking about my quirks. If I would just sit down and do the post, I could get to sleep a lot faster!!

Second - I found this on Beth's blog. A free CUTE apron? Sign me up!! Maple Lane Apron Compnay

Third - Uncle Steve visited from Florida this past weekend. Pictures to come soon.

Finally - Gigi and Pops are coming today! Pictures of that to come soon.

:-P Patience, friends!

lawn mower

I have to set the stage by saying that people's possessions are stolen constantly in our neighborhood. Items are stolen, sold, re-sold, and installed in a matter of hours. I'm continually amazed at how quickly things change hands. It is much more efficient than any multi-billion dollar corporation.

We've built a relationship with one of our new neighbors. He is homeless and doesn't have a steady job. Last Saturday, just as I was getting ready to mow, he walked up to me and said that he had a proposition for me. If I would let him borrow my mower to mow another lawn, we would mow and trim mine for free.

Not much thought needed....I said yes.

I didn't get my lawn mowed on Saturday, and I didn't see him either. I thought he might come on Sunday while we were at church, but he didn't show. Then our pastor preached a message on serving the poor and both Nicole and I were very convicted of our selfish and possessive thoughts.

However, I was beginning to be concerned when nothing happened on Sunday, Monday, and then again on Tuesday.

Then on Wednesday my neighbor called when I was home for lunch. He said that he had sighted our neighbor and lawnmower a few houses away. After lunch I drove by and had a quick conversation. He promised that he would come by immediately, return the mower, and mow our lawn.

When I got home late last night, my lawn wasn't mowed. I was crestfallen. We pray for our neighbor and pray that he will honor God through obediance to His Word. Then this morning, he showed up to mow. He appologized, I forgave him even as Emma was calling for him from the back deck. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.....

Update - Mower is now across the street with promises of return later this morning.

Potty success and funny...

Today I told Emma we were out of diapers and she had to wear big girl panties. She cried and I mean cried hard and was saying over and over, "I want diaper!" Then I showed her all the prizes I had for her when she went tee tee in the potty. She calmed down and sat on the potty. About 5 minutes later, I heard the potty sing!!!!! YAY!!! She got to pick one of the prizes. She chose the toy saw. Then she wanted the bracelet. I told her when she went tee tee in the potty again she could get the bracelet. She sat on the potty and went again!!! YAY! She's got this prize thing figured out. About 5 minutes after she went the last time, she sat down on the potty again. After a few minutes, this is what I heard her say, "Come on tee tee, come on"! Ha! I laughed out loud. She keeps asking for a diaper, but I think we're off to a good start! :-P

Emma's doll...

Emma has several dolls, but this is her favorite. She never wants this doll to have clothes on, so it's always naked...maybe someday she'll get into the dressing her doll thing.. Anyway, the other day she wanted to go outside and asked if she could take her doll. Of course I said she could. I turned around and she was carrying the bouncy seat to the door with her doll in it! :-)

Cereal...

After we got back from Texas Kate turned 6 months old and I started her on cereal. She wasn't sure what to think. About a week ago, we started sweet potatoes and this week butternut squash. :-)

Finally some pictures...

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Texas. There are some more, but I can'[t seem to find them on my computer...if I do, I'll post them.

The cousins playing in the pool...


In a towel after playing in the pool...

Trent's birthday party...

Jonathan, Reg and Trent playing baseball...


Emma after she found Gigi's night cream...

The cousins bathing together...(doesn't everyone have a picture like this?)

Me and sweet Abby...

Feeding the ducks (Right before Emma got bit by a hungry goose)...

Right after Emma got bit by a hungry goose...

More feeding the ducks...

I know...

it's been forever since I blogged. I promise to update with some pictures soon!


A quick update on Kate: Jonathan's radiologists and Kate's doctor all agree that she did not have a green stick fracture. They think that maybe her shoulder popped out and back in joint. That would cause the pain and soreness. Anyway...she was hurt and is better now! :-P She also had her 6 month (yes, can you believe it) check up. She weighed 13 pounds 1 ounce and is in the 10th percentile for weight.

A quick update on Emma: She is taking gymnastics at the Y and loves it. She can't stop touching her sister so they are passing pink eye back and forth. Yay...

Pictures and more updates to come soon!!

Green stick fracture...

Our vacation in Texas took a wrong turn yesterday! Yesterday morning the cousins were all on the floor playing together. Kate started to turn over (she's getting pretty good and likes to "practice") and Emma "helped" her. Kate's arm got stuck underneath her and Emma continued to "help" her. Kate was crying and was inconsolable for about 30 minutes before we decided she needed to be seen. Mom and I threw some clothes on and went to find the urgent care. We found what we thought was the urgent care, but realized once we got out that it was just a family practice clinic that accepted walk-ins. They also had an X-ray machine. They got us in right away (Kate's screaming probably helped them see the urgency). The X-rays didn't really show anything, but the person reading them is the "go to" person in Lubbock for children with bone breaks. She feels pretty certain Kate has a greenstick fracture in her collar bone. It's called this because the bone acts the same way as a small green stick off a tree. When you try to break it, it will only bend but there's clearly damage. The doctor said Kate should be feeling much better in a few days and should be completely healed in 2 weeks. We were sent to a clinic to get a brace to help stabalize her arm. (I think the brace made it hurt worse, so when we got home, we took it off and she hasn't worn it since.) She cried for a good solid 4 hours yesterday. It was HEART breaking! We alternated Tylenol and Motrin all day yesterday. By the end of the day, as long as she was medicated, she was acting pretty close to normal. This morning she has had no medicine and seems to be back to her smiley wiley self!

We are thankful the Lord caused us to stop at the clinic where we did. We are thankful the injury wasn't worse. We are thankful for good friends who let us borrow a breast pump while Kate was too upset to eat. We are thankful for God's goodness in answering prayers. We are thankful for all the people here (my parents' small group and friends) and others who were praying for Kate and us .

Project update...

We thought this was the project that would never end, but alas it did!! Here is the progress and finally the finished product. We LOVE it! I can't belieive it's the same piece of furniture!!! THANK YOU JENNY for helping us get started. Seriously...it WOULD NOT have happened if you hadn't encouraged us to do it and come over to help us get started!!
BEFORE (the quality of this picture is not great, but you get the idea!):

AFTER:

Her very own (live) doll...

I am not sure that Emma realizes that Kate is her sister and not her doll. LOL! Poor Kate!

Fun with tape...

It's funny what will entertain a little person!! (Jenny - I already bought you a new roll of tape! LOL!)

(Please don't judge my ability as a mother based on Emma's WILD hair. It was after her nap and she didn't want me to fix it. *eyes rolling*)

A Project...

Our friend Jenny (THANK YOU) is helping us refinish our corner hutch. It is a work in progress, but it's going to be awesome when it's finished (which I hope is soon, since everything that was in the hutch is now on my countertops)!! It's going to be all black with polished silver hardware.

A little taste of our new neighborhood...

So, many of you have asked how we've settled in to our new house. Let me tell you a story to help you better understand when my answer comes after a brief hesitation.

This morning Jonathan left for work earlier than normal...before either of the girls (or me for that matter) were awake. Emma woke up at about 7 and I got Kate out of bed at about 7:30. While I was feeding her, Emma was playing in her room. I kept hearing something and I couldn't figure out what toy she could possibly be playing with. Well, it turns out that it wasn't a toy. It was someone in the street yelling. He or possibly she (it was hard to tell) was pointing and yelling and was very animated. I couldn't see anyone that she could possibly be yelling at so I thought, "Great, there's some wacko yelling in the street. I could call the police, but what are they going to do to someone who clearly isn't breaking the law...just yelling?" Not long after this thought, this person started taking their clothes off. "Good," I thought, "The police will come now!" So I quickly dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that there was a person in the middle of the street taking his clothes off. The dispatcher asked if it was a man, because they had some other calls about a woman. I looked closer and realized it was a woman...STARK naked right in front of my yard! Yes, she's totally naked. My neighbor Chris was outside the whole time...here's his email...

"So, ***(name concealed to save the innocent ;-) ) came to pick me up at about 7: and had his first Belmont prostitute experience. Apparently coming down off of crack is a pretty miserable thing. I was watering my front yard and this junky walks down the street mumbling to herself. She was soliciting every car that drove by and the mumbling got louder and progressively louder. *** pulls up and her voice gets louder still. She tells us that not only is she going to kill us, after we strip off all our clothes, but she was going to get into ***'s truck and take off. Well. She didn't get into his truck, but she did keep insisting that both *** and I take off all our clothes. Luckily, she let us off the hook - we were not depantsed during the affair, but we did catch this bit of hilarity. She decided to strip to nothing in the middle of my street while yelling something unintelligible and doing a little jig...What a way to start the morning! ***'s all growed up now."

This was Jonathan's reply...

"Ah, yes, I recognize her from my own ‘first Belmont prostitute incident’. At 6:45 this morning, I grabbed the Wall Street Journal from the front yard and drove to the corner of Harrill and Parkwood (50 yards from the incident [above]). It was then that the individual pictured stepped nearly in front of my car to stop me. She came up to the window and I foolishly rolled down the window about 3 inches. She put her face up to the window and just laughed and kinda snorted. I asked ‘Can I help you?’ She never said anything!!! She was CLEARLY higher than a kite!!!!

Picture for a moment a white guy in a suit with his Wall Street Journal stopping at 6:45 to talk w/the neighborhood hooker. Dude….when I think of hooker, I’m thinking of Pretty Woman."

Jonathan didn't even realize she was soliciting him! HA!

So, the police did come. By the time they got here, she was dressed. They did handcuff her and eventaully took her away. I'm not sure what happens to a person for taking off their clothes in the middle of the street. Anyone know?

Welcome to Belmont!

Happy Father's Day Daddy...

We love you more than you can know. Your hard work for our family does not go unnoticed. We often take you for granted and we rarely tell you how much we appreciate you, but today we want you to know how special you are to us. Thank you for all you do for us. Thank you for all your hard work so that I can stay home with the girls. Thank you for loving us like you do. Thank you for your committment to being the spiritual head of our home. Thank you that you love God more than anything else. Thank you for being my husband and the girls' Daddy. We love you!

Paintings done by Kate and Emma for Daddy...

Trimmer from Mommy...

Red and Black Sharpies...

I just now am able to blog about this... :-P Week before last, I was feeding Kate and Emma was way too quiet for my comfort, so I got up and found her with a red Sharpie in her hand. I wish that I could say I cought her before any real damage was done, but I didn't. She was quickly disciplined and then I went for the Magic Eraser...with NO luck! Note to all you flat paint lovers, it's hard to clean...even with a Magic Eraser. The next day I was in the bathroom fixing my hair and once again it was too quiet. This time I found Emma with a black Sharpie...you know the rest of the story. So, you say to put up the Sharpie's where she can't reach them...I thought I had... *eyes rolling*. Thank goodness the person we bought our house from left us with paint, or else we wouldn't have a clue what color to buy!!

Planting flowers...

Our neighbor across the street, Ms. Sophease, is in her 80's (she's as sharp as a tack, I tell ya!!). She has some flowerbeds in her front yard that were empty and I mentioned to my other neighbor, Gina, that we should fill them for Ms. Sophease. Gina had already been thinking about doing that, so last weekend we bought flowers and planted them for Ms. Sophease. It was so much fun and she was thrilled!!

Mainly for the grandparents...

Here are two videos of Kate. One is of her playing, but of course as soon as I got the camera out, she stopped playing. The second is of her doing raspberries. :-)

More helping Daddy...