No pictures, just memories

I don't have any good Christmas morning pictures. I tried, but it was so hard to get a good shot and still be in the moment with my family. None of us were very presentable anyway, so I put my camera down and just enjoyed our morning. Since I didn't get any good pics, I wanted to be sure to document it for them.

We had such a nice Christmas. We tried to keep it simple this year and focused more on giving back to our community than the overload of presents that are quickly forgotten. But Santa just can't help himself (herself) and my kids were very good this year, mostly. ;-) While we were blessed with many wonderful gifts and were able to do some nice things for others, nothing will ever compare to the gift of our Savior. My older children know this and it makes my heart swell to see that Linzi is beginning to understand it in her own little 5 year old way. This year was a nice blend of childhood magic and watching her little heart grow.

The big hit was the Wii and the Wii Fit. We are a little late jumping on board with the Wii because we already had an Xbox when the Wii came out. I don't know why we waited so long in getting the Wii. It is so much fun! And the Fit takes it to a whole new level. We have been playing it nonstop for almost 48 hours now! Linzi is a yoga master, Mandi is a yoga trainer and Alex made the bodybuilder level on the strength training. I never imagined our whole family doing yoga together, but there we all were, practicing our tree poses and sun salutations. So much fun!

Linzi got a beautiful new dollhouse, complete with an elevator. Only my child would toss the people aside and set up house with her ponies! She spent most of the afternoon with all of her ponies in the house, lounging on the beds, eating at the table and of course, using the po*tty. She thought that little detail was hilarious!

Our new little kitty got his first taste of catnip! He likey likey! He couldn't get enough of it. Then he spent the whole day hunting with his toy mice. Every time he slowed down someone gave him another whiff of the catnip and he was off chasing that mouse again. Too funny! He slept on my feet last night and I don't think he moved the entire night. This cat that we never intended to keep has become such an important and beloved member of our family. He is one of our greatest blessing of 2008.

Teddy had a good Christmas day too. Of course, everyday is a good day for Teddy. But today was especially good. The thing I love about Teddy is that he is always so happy and grateful for every. little. thing. He had a whole stocking full of treats and toys, but it took him the whole day to get through it all. Each time, we would give him one thing and he was off, enjoying it for hours, before coming back for more. If he wasn't enjoying his treats and toys, he was right in the middle of the action. He tried to lay on the Fit board only because the kids were playing with it. When I made the lasagna dinner, he stayed by my side and supervised my every move. And he was more than willing to help with clean up! My sweet doggy, he is the definition of love, happiness, enthusiasm and laughter.

Santa was good to me too and gave me a new lens for my camera. He even knew exactly which one I wanted. I think DH is home the rest of the holiday season, so we are going to focus on the family for the next week. One of our Christmas presents to the kids is a little getaway for the New Year's celebration. We are looking forward to some fun in the mountains at a new resort that has an indoor waterpark. We are hoping to find snow to play in too. Swimming AND Snow. We must be crazy, it sounds like I am totally setting us up to get sick all over again! Just in time to go back to school. Brilliant. Hopefully, not!

'Twas the night before Christmas

Linzi and I have been very busy getting ready for Santa! At 2:00 this afternoon, it started getting a little dark and rainy outside. That totally threw her off and she thought it was night time. She was ready to go to bed so Santa could come. When we told her we still had several more hours of daytime, she was so disappointed that she pouted for a bit. So we passed the rest of the afternoon away by baking cookies for Santa.

Since Linzi came home, we have a tradition of Chinese food for dinner on Christmas Eve. For our first Christmas with Linzi home, I attempted to cook a big traditional Chinese dinner. I was in way over my head in the kitchen with this idea, so each year afterwards, we have either gone out for Chinese or ordered take out. This works out much better for me and everyone else. :-)

After dinner, we wrote Santa a note.
Then we made some reindeer food. Reindeer LOVE oats, sugar and some carrots. Linzi made sure to put exactly 9 carrots out. Okay, so these carrots look a little dried up! LOL I sure hope the reindeer don't mind. :-)

I have always had a huge thing for reindeer and now it has rubbed off on LuLu. We are Rudolph's biggest fans! I love sharing this tradition and love with her. We always sprinkle the food on the lawn before bed.
After putting food outside for the reindeer, Linzi made sure to make a special plate of cookies and some milk for Santa.

For storytime, we read The Grinch and Twas the Night Before Christmas. We also talked about the true meaning of Christmas and baby Jesus. When I kissed Linzi goodnight, she hugged my neck and said "Merry Christmas mommy reindeer." You have to know that I am usually the mommy pony, so tonight, it is only appropriate that I am a mommy reindeer. My silly, sweet girl!

Finally, it was bedtime. But nighty nights did not come easy tonight. (Imagine that!) Linzi refused to sleep in her room. After much negotiating, Linzi finally fell asleep under the desk in Mandi's room. For whatever reason, this was exactly where she INSISTED on sleeping tonight!
In case you are wondering, the box next to her is her "shoe store". It is packed full of Mandi's shoes and a few purses. She insisted that her "shoe store" sleeps with her". This child's imagination is just too much sometimes but I love it. I have read that a child's active imagination is a sign of high intelligence - my child is a genius.

This momma elf is exhausted and ready to settle down for a long winter's nap.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

update: As I am finishing this post, Mandi was reading in her room and Linzi is sound asleep. Mandi just came in to tell me that Linzi is talking in her sleep and said "Hey, that's my unicorn!" LOL She even DREAMS ponies and unicorns! Sweet dreams baby girl!

Ally is leaving for China - Alaina is coming HOME!!!

Dear Ally, We are going to miss you so much! But we can't wait to see you meet your newest big sister. We are sending our love around the globe to you sweetie! Alaina has two friends who can't wait to meet her and love her too! xoxo, Sheryl & Linzi

I interrupt your holiday celebrations to announce that my sweet, sweet Ally will be spending her Christmas day on an airplane, with her family, on their way to meet her newest big sister!!! How amazing is that?!!! Could you possibly think of a more joyful way to celebrate the most joyful of all holidays?!!! Follow their journey here.

This family is so special to me. Oh how I love my sweet Ally! Our red thread was woven when Linzi came home. Maybe even before then. I knew of this family, but not personally. When Linzi first came home, our older girls were in Brownies together. My first real conversation with Lucy was all about Linzi's adoption. Since we had only been home for a couple weeks, I had had many conversations with other moms about our adoption. But this one was so different. I sensed a passion in Lucy, a definite longing and a strong possibility that something was stirring in her heart. She told me all about her experience at a Stephen Curtis Chapman concert and I knew she was hooked. I told her if she ever wanted to talk more about adoption to please call me. I even remember sharing some of the conversation with Eric that night and telling him I just knew it ran WAY deeper than curious questions and well wishes. And after a few months, she DID call me! And so began her journey to Ally. In that early stage, I remember Lucy mentioning that she felt a pull towards an older child. Ally ended up being fairly young. But because of those early conversations, it was no shocker when she announced their plans to adopt Alaina. I believe Alaina has been on her heart for a very long time now. I am just so stinkin happy that it is finally TIME!!!

They (mom, dad, and all 3 sisters!) will leave on Christmas day and will meet her the Sunday after Christmas. Please pray for safe travels, their health, no hiccups in paperwork and most importantly, Alaina's transition. They truly are one of the sweetest, most genuine families I know. I have had the most amazing priviledge of watching Ally blossom in their love and I just can't wait to see the same for Alaina!!!

God is so good. . .

Getting Better - FINALLY!

Now that things are getting better, we are jumping into the holiday season full steam here. I will be posting more pics in the next few days. But for now, this one cracks me up. Linzi wanted so bad to hang out with her Sissy, but Sissy was too busy with homework and shut her out of her room. Linzi NEVER takes no for an answer - so this is what I found when she never came back downstairs! LOL If my girl is anything, she is persistent!

I must apologize for not being on the blogs or responding to emails the past couple weeks. I am slowly rejoining the living here! This past month has been unbelievably hectic and last week, my body succumbed to all the craziness. DH and I were both sick for almost 10 days and pretty much bedridden for 5 solid, LONG days. Everything else in our lives last week ceased to matter. We both went into survival mode and had to let everything else go. Being that sick has only reminded me to appreciate our health. Never have I been so happy to just feel normal again!

BTW, my all time FAVORITE movie is out on video tonight! I am on my way to purchase my own copy of this movie. I am going to crank up the surround sound and get ready to dance and sing the night away! :-) If you haven't seen this movie, YOU MUST! Just make sure you have a few fun girlfriends to watch it with.

Mandi's Birthday was soooo much FUN!!! We hired the limo and she was totally surprised - she says she had no idea. Her friends were just too sweet and so much fun to watch. The music was blaring, the girls were laughing, singing, dancing and acting like typical middle school girls having the time of their lives. I loved seeing my sweet, reserved and all around good girl let loose a little bit. I think I saw a trace of her momma (who did her fair share of letting loose back in the day). :) Who knew?!!! Even though it was FREEZING cold that night, they kept rolling down the window so people could see WHO was in the limo.

The girls thought it was especially cool that our limo driver just happened to be Jane*t J*acks0n's personal butler! I had no idea when I booked him. Apparently he had told her of his moonlighting plans for the evening and she said to send birthday wishes to Mandi! The driver said he tried to get us into her recording studio but was not able to at that time of night. Oh well, the girls just loved that they were riding in her limo and their little brush with fame.



And this is what Linzi thought of the whole limo scene! LOL!!! Actually, she was quite, ummmm, shall we say, challenging that night! It was one melt down after another, starting with the wardrobe change that she insisted on right as the limo was pulling up and Mandi was being surprised. I spent most of the night just trying to keep her consoled. Poor baby. I thought the party was just too overwhelming for her, but it turns out, she was getting sick. The next day was the beginning of what has been the worst sick week I can remember in a long time!

Crazy here. . , Be back soon!

Well, I dropped off the face of the Earth again! My last Thankful post was supposed to be on Thanksgiving, but things have been really hectic since then! Linzi's special post will be up soon. Besides the usual Thanksgiving feast, my MIL is in town, we celebrated our anniversary by attending some very close friends' wedding (how cool that we will share the same anniversary, only they will always be newlyweds to us!), visited with our special Wuwei sister, Lindsay, Christmas decorating, Christmas shopping, party planning, entertaining, keeping the house fit for company, etc. I am wiped out! Tonight is Mandi's party and tomorrow is her birthday AND the SEC Championship. After the pink and black girly party tonight, I will be cleaning it all up to put on a Gator football party tomorrow night! Thankfully that is only for a handful of friends, so it's very casual. I can't wait for Sunday. . . no plans, no pressure. :-) I have one more party to host this season and then I am done! I really do love it, but they always seem to be at the same time.

Tonight is the big night for Mandi. Her special party surprise will be revealed tonight. I have a million errands and chores to pull it all together for tonight, so I am off. More soon, I promise!

Hugs!

Counting My Blessings Part Three

My Daughter, My Friend

I love how as she grows older, our relationship is evolving into a friendship as well. I know some people stress how important it is for parents to be parents, NOT a friend to their child. I agree with the logic behind that statement. But it is different with Mandi. She is such an easy child to raise that there really is no need for me to execute my authority. She has always been this way. She follows the rules, always does what is expected of her and goes out of her way to please. I have honestly never had to discipline her harshly - a gentle guidance or reminder is all she has ever needed. Linzi absolutely idolizes her big sister and their relationship is so very sweet. One of my greatest joys is watching them just hang out together and knowing that they have each other for life.

Some things that make Mandi so very special:

• Her sweet nature and compassionate heart.
• She is so intuitive to others' feelings and emotions.
• Her maturity. She is wise beyond her years in the best way. Sometimes I am amazed by the depth of our conversations and the way she intuitively understands people and situations.
  
• Her intelligence. Mandi has always been in the gifted program and a straight "A" student. She works hard and is very, very focused on getting good grades. The dynamics of our family make it difficult for us to fully acknowledge her efforts without making another feel bad. We have to tread gently and find a balance that keeps everyone's self esteem in tact. This has been one of my biggest challenges as a parent. Thankfully, Mandi understands this, another example of her maturity. In 7th grade, she has already been identified by several talent search college programs and invited to participate in various programs. She is looking at an ecology study trip to Costa Rica and a marine biology course at Duke in the Outer Banks. With her grades and these experiences, she will be golden on her college apps. At some point I am going to have to go back to work to pay for an ivy league education for this one! To say I am proud of her is an understatement! :-)
• She is a "girly" girl, but not a prissy one. There is a big difference!
• She has a sense of style and great ideas. I love shopping with her!
• She loves animals. Both of my girls are big animal lovers and this is so important to me. I am a HUGE animal person. She wants to be a marine biologist, which I think is so very cool!
  
• She is a big sister, the best one ever.
  
• She has a good head on her shoulders. I trust her completely in any situation that I feel she is old enough to handle. It's funny, when I think of my other two children going out into the world on their own, I worry and it is hard for me to imagine them so grown up. With Mandi, I don't have those worriesome feelings. I just know she will be ready when the time comes-not that I am looking forward to it. I don't!
• She is my friend. If she wasn't my daughter and my age, she is the kind of person I would admire and seek out as a friend.

I am grateful for the stability, pride and joy she brings to all of our lives. When I look back at her early childhood, there is one word that stands out. Enchanted. I was totally enchanted by her sweet nature. As she has grown, the enchantment has turned to admiration. I admire her so much. I wish I could take credit for everything that is good about her, but I can't. It's all her!

Counting My Blessings Part Two

My Son

Photo by the Pixel Fairy Princess!

My first baby love, my only son, my sunshine, my first joy!

As I have reflected on my family these past few years, one thing has become painfully clear to me. Before my husband and family, I was broken and lost. I was also a wee bit (okay, alot!) spoiled, self absorbed and totally immature. I was not in a good place, but I was so busy having fun, I didn't notice or care. Meeting my husband was the turning point but my son was the catalyst that changed me and made me a better person. It all happened the year that we got married. All within a 14 month period, my husband graduated from college, got his first job in another state, we moved away, got married, got pregnant and had a baby and moved to our first house. That's right - ALL of that within a 14 month period!!! We were married in November, and in February, we found out I was pregnant. We knew we wanted children, just not so quick! Our emotions when we found out ran the gamut, from being scared to excited and everything in between. But when he was born and I finally got to hold him 5 hours later, my heart was completely transformed. I finally knew what it was to love so completely, unconditionally and with every fiber of my being. Someone in this world mattered more to me than myself and that was a very new feeling for me. As he grew, so did I. My son has been my life's greatest teacher. And he has tested me like no other too!!! LOL

Things that make him so very special:

• His happy go lucky way of approaching life.
• His infectious smile. He smiles like a grown man now, but I still see that sun shiney smile of my little boy. :-)
  
• His pure heart. The most amazing, purest heart I have ever known.
• His desire to serve. Wherever his life leads him, I have no doubt he will serve someone, somewhere. And he will do it humbly and completely.
  
• His innate spirituality. Since he was a small boy, he has always had a very spiritual side to him. He is the one who lead me back to church. I have also witnessed many miracles in my son that doctors said to never expect. God has used my son to teach me, minister to me and through my son, God has been glorified in my life over and over again.
• He is just FUNNY and when you look at the world through his eyes, you can't help but laugh. He really does have a talent for entertaining.
  
• He loves the outdoors, camping, biking, fishing, boating, swimming, etc. These are all the things my husband loves too, so they have plenty of things to share together when they need a little male bonding time away from the rest of us girls.
  
• He is creative on so many levels. His creativity is what has helped him to deal with things that are difficult for him. His teachers love to watch how he handles some things and some have even told me that by watching him, they have a better understanding and idea of how to help other kids.
  
• He is a survivor like I have never known. I know there are big and special things in store for my son. His life hasn't always been easy, but these things have only deepened his compassion and softened his heart.

I am grateful for my son, the joy he brings to my life, the lessons he continues to teach me and the challenges that have forced us to stretch and grow as a family and as individuals. Many times I have failed him as a mother, and I continue to, no matter how hard I try to be aware of my short comings. I only hope that he knows just how deeply proud I am of him and how much I love him. I hope that he will forgive me for my weak moments and understand that I am not perfect. But my love for him is.

Counting My Blessings Part One

(once again, picture by The Pixel Fairy Princess! Thanks Debbie! It's the only current one I have of us together!)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to post a quick little something each day this week about the most treasured blessings in my life.

I will start with my husband, who is the root of ALL my blessings! I am normally so focused on my children. I don't brag on him near enough, and sometimes, I even take for granted the fact that I have such a wonderful husband. I am truly blessed. I am living the life I always dreamed - a wife, a mom, with wonderful children, a comfortable life, nice home, fun vacations and the opportunity to follow most of my whims. My husband is the one who has made it all possible. I grew up in a divorced home as an only child. My mother did the best she could for me and I love her so much for it. But I am so grateful that my children will never know what it is like to experience divorce, or to wish for a sibling to keep them company. They have everything I didn't have as a child, which makes me so very, very happy. He has given me the family I always longed for.

I am emotional, he is the voice of reason. I can be frivolous, he is practical, and again the voice of reason! I tend to procrastinate, he is a "get it done" kind of person. He keeps me grounded. Most importantly, he is a family man. Every choice he makes, he always makes it with his family first in mind. He works hard and is successful, but not to the point of not "being there" for us. He is involved in the kids' lives, and takes time to keep up with school assignments and help with homework.

My husband is a good man with a beautiful heart. He is generous and in this economy, he knows just how lucky we are to be surviving these times mostly unscathed and with a sense of security. When we were talking about Christmas plans, he made sure that we budgeted a more significant amount than usual for charity. He said it was more important to him than ever to give when so many people are facing uncertain times. That is just the kind of man he is.

The one thing I find most endearing in my husband is the way he plays with our children. He really plays, like gets out the stuffed animals and puts on this whole silly routine. It is hilarious to watch. Linzi LOVES bedtime because she knows she gets to play with daddy. Her giggles echo throughout the house each night. The most beautiful, happy sound I have ever heard. He was like that with Alex & Mandi when they were little too. Each one has an animal or two that Eric has created a personality for. Each night, they are entertained by these animals and their crazy, stories and adventures. Seriously, Disney really needs to come to our house and listen to these stories. His talent really should be shared with all children!

He has seen the best of me AND the worst of me. And he is still here! This week we are also celebrating our 16th anniversary and he still makes my heart flutter. These are just a few reasons why I love this man so much. I am very, very lucky, I know. I love you honey!

Cheese Alert! :-) Call me corny, but I moved this song to the top of my playlist this week in honor of my hubby and our anniversary. After 16 years of marriage and 20 years in love, this song describes the way I still feel about him!

A walk in the woods with Linzi & Ally

Last week, Ally, Linzi & I took a walk in the woods. I was so inspired by everyone else's fall pictures, you know I had to have my own! Poor Ally wasn't feeling too good, but even though she felt droopy, her sweet spirit and beauty is breathtaking. Linzi was silly, as always and had a blast throwing the leaves in the air. Our little shoot only lasted about 5 minutes since it was chilly and Ally was sick, but I was pleased with what we got in such a short time.

And if you haven't already, please scroll down to my previous post. I need input! ;-) I have to make a decision in the next day or so to get everything rolling.

Here are some of Linzi's best shots. She is just so silly and has this cheesy little grin that makes it very hard to get a natural shot of her. I asked her to stop giving me the silly grin and give me some nice poses. The main pic below is what she delivered. Can we say sassy?!!!And then there is sweet, sweet Ally. This child is absolutely the sweetest child I have ever known. She really is as gentle as her little face in these pictures. How I love her! I am so lucky that her mommy shares her with me! In just a few weeks they will be welcoming Ally's newest big sister. I am so excited for her whole family!And this picture says it all. The bond that these two girls share is so special. Linzi loves Ally as much as I do. She is so much bigger than Ally in size and she is very, very protective of Ally. She always holds her hand, helps her when she can and remembers to share (that one took a little work but we got thru it!).

Which one would YOU rather do?

Photo taken by The Pixel Fairy Princess

Mandi is going to be 13 in a few weeks and I want to surprise her with a very special party. I have been planning this for a very long time. Now that the time has come, I have another idea and I am completely unsure of which one is better. Since it is a surprise, I can't just ask her. Sooo, I am asking YOU!

If you were turning 13 and the best daughter, most deserving of everything under the moon AND a HUGE Gator fan - which party would you want? I realize that both ideas are over the top, but it is a special birthday and she really does deserve it, for many reasons.

Plan A

• A night on the town with a few girlfriends (in a LIMO!!!). Maybe we will go see some Christmas lights at the lake and roast marshmallows at the end of the drive AND/OR ice skating at a little town square fully decked out for the holidays. Afterwards, we'll go back home for a sleepover and a special breakfast in the morning.

OR

Plan B

• Since it is the night of the SEC Championship games and the Gators are playing in our town, we will rent an RV, load up the friends and drive to the stadium, park it outside and have a tailgate party with the rest of the poor souls who can't afford a ticket at $321+ a pop. We can take a grill and cook out and hang out in the RV which has satellite tv or watch it outside if it is being projected (need more info on this). We checked into getting tickets, but a 4 pack of tickets is $1500!!! (ouch)
  

Personally, I would rather do the limo, but I am not as football oriented as the rest of my family. Mandi is the type of girl who will throw a football in her high heels (when she's old enough to wear them, of course!). The tailgating party would allow us to bring more people or even invite our own friends to meet us there. The limo will only allow for a very limited amount of girls - which can be a good thing too! ;-)

Remember, it is a surprise, no matter which one we do. So ssshhhh! Thankfully, she doesn't read my blog unless I show it to her!

Is this bad?!!!

Lately, Linzi is obsessed with the letters, their sounds, how to spell, writing words, etc. Every conversation, no matter what the topic, always ends up being a discussion of all the sounds of the words we are using. It is so exciting to see her little mind clicking and the light bulb is coming on. So tonight, I am completely focused on a video project and listening to the election results. I noticed Linzi flitting around on my side but didn't pay too much attention - even when she asked me to tell her again when we use the silent "e". I had no idea what she was doing until after she left the room and I reached over to the table for a little sippy and found this. Unbeknownst to me, she was walking around the room labeling several things with post it notes, including this: LOL! I sure hope she doesn't share her new spelling word with her preschool teacher tomorrow! :) Notice how she spelled it the way it sounds, then realized maybe there is a silent "e", asked me and then wrote it the right way? My funny AND smart little girl!

From a Ladybug to a Fairy

Ever have one of those days where you just can't pull it all together? That's my day today and not a good day for that either since it's Halloween! We have a block party to set up, a little trick or treater to get ready, a big trick or treater who needs to be at her friend's house at the exact same time as the block party and an even bigger, bloody trick or treater who is out of blood and needs me to run to the costume store for more blood. I called DH and asked him to get some more blood while he is out - not your usual conversation! :-)

I thought I would do a flashback to Linzi's first Halloween home. I remember a happy, sweet little baby. But when I look at these pictures today, I see a tinge of uncertainty, even fear in her eyes that is not there now. Although I was sensitive to her transistion at the time, I don't think I fully grasped just how big of an impact it truly was for her until we reached the other side. Today, the uncertainty is gone from her eyes. This child totally rules our nest - which I am proud AND not so proud to say! LOL

And here is a sneak peak at Linzi's costume this year.

I hope to get the Halloween pictures up this weekend after the big game. I hope everyone has a great night! GO GATORS!!!!

Thankful Thursday

This week has been full of so many beautiful blessings! Where do I even begin?

• For starters, I am thankful for my beautiful daughter! She is my rock and some days, my source of sanity. As I watch her grow, I am inspired by the young woman she is becoming. She is wise beyond her years, in the most wonderful way. Her patience is remarkable (didn't get that from me!) and she teaches me a thing or two about life everyday. I truly am not worthy of this child!

• Yesterday's meeting left me full of hope for my son. Something that I cling to with every fiber of my being. He inspires me with his perseverance and courage.
  

• This week, two friends blessed me in the most profound and beautiful ways.

The Pixel Fairy Princess shared her talent and her friendship. The pictures - oh my! I don't even know where to begin! My mind is spinning with all the ideas of what to do, what to have printed for what, presents for grandparents, etc. I will treasure these always. Thank you for capturing a moment in time with my family and I love the music you chose for the DVD too.

Heather - I am still trying to find the words to properly respond to your email yesterday! You just can't even begin to imagine how encouraging and uplifting your words were for me. I WILL respond to you privately sometime tonight and I can't wait to talk to you in person soon. Your wisdom, life experience and most of all, your sweet spirit is a blessing to all. I am so fortunate to be on the receiving end of your beautiful heart. I only hope I can give to someone what you gave me in a simple (but long LOL) email.

• I am continuing to lose weight, not sure how since I haven't been to the gym in TOO long. But my jeans are only getting looser. There are a few that I can't even wear anymore, for fear of - well, you get the picture! ;-) I have a long way to go, but I am on the path and that is all that matters.

• My DH and I are looking forward to planning a little romantic get-away next spring in San Francisco. We are planning on spending some time in the city, Chinatown and taking a Napa Wine Valley tour. One more motivation for the weight loss. I am looking forward to some one on one time with the man I love so very much. I am grateful not only for this opportunity, but for the anticipation. Just knowing we have these plans makes me happy.

• Both Mandi & Alex got a sad dose of reality at church last night. They each spoke to friends who are going through some really tough stuff right now. Things so awful, things that no child should ever have to endure. My heart breaks for them but it also made me realize how thankful I am to be able to give my children a stable environment and that they will never have to suffer the pain that their friends are going through right now. I am also proud at how moved they both were, to share it with me, to pray for them and to offer friendship and support. Thankfully, both kids have reached out for help at church and hopefully, will find peace and resolution.

• And only because I have been so focused on everything special about the "big" kids, I just have to add how grateful I am for my not-so-little one too! She is the light of my world - which so obvious, it goes without saying!

I hope your life is filled with many blessings too!I just noticed a little error on this LO. The stitching is not placed correctly, it should be stitching the ric rac and the picture and it should probably be a little longer. I am still such a novice! But the purple rose is very strategically placed - I loved this image of Linzi, but she just happened to be holding a cat dish with crusty, half eaten cat food. YUCK!

So much Promise!

For reasons way too personal to share publicly, this simple little LO perfectly sums up my feelings after a very important meeting this morning. It's all good. I am so very proud of my son. It is a beautiful day outside, even if it is a bit chilly. The sunny sky is almost as bright as the sunshine that this boy brings to my life. I am filled with pride, love and most of all - HOPE. . .

I LOVE the fall! It is absolutely my favorite time of year. Crisp, breezey days, leaves falling, the colors, the clothes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, football game days. . .these are all some of my favorite thing!

Our Photo Shoot w/ PFP

How lucky am I to call the Pixel Fairy Princess my friend AND to have my children's portraits by her?!!! We met her downtown and had so much fun. I just can't wrap my mind around her level of creativity. She is nothing short of genius. These are portraits that I will treasure FOREVER. My walls will never be bare! Go see for yourself. She has posted a sneak a peek on her blog and if you click on one of the photos, it will take you to her flickr account where she has 64 pictures posted. When I first saw these pictures last night, I couldn't see through the tears. She captured each of my children in such a beautiful way, both outside and inside. They are everything I hoped for and so much more!

Linzi was so incredibly cooperative. We only had a few very minor moments, but they were manageable. She was exhausted and fell asleep as we drove away. She slept for the next 2 1/2 HOURS. We even got her out of the carseat, into the stroller, walked in the park for an hour, put her back in the carseat and drove home. She slept through each transition and then she slept all the way home until we got off at our exit. Modeling is very hard work. ;-)

Alex's Baptism

Alex was baptized but there is so much more to this story. I am currently working on a scrapbook page to capture it all. I wrote a little about it here. He was baptized during the high school worship service. Up until the day, Alex insisted that I couldn't go because he would be "the only one in the history of our church to have his parents come to high school worship". ;-) I made all kinds of promises - I will not walk in with him, I will not draw attention to myself, I will NOT take pictures, I will hide in the back and never make a peep. I explained to him how much it meant to me to be able to be there and pray over him silently. He flat out refused. I made peace with this decision and accepted it. On the night of, I drove him to church and he surprised me by asking if I was going to stay! Go figure. So I sat by myself in the Starbucks Cafe (yes, our church has a Starbucks!) until it was time for the service. As I sat there, someone mentioned that there was a beautiful rainbow outside. When I went out to see it, it was the most vibrant, double rainbow I have ever seen in my life! Since I had promised not to take pictures and I never expected to be allowed to stay, I did not have my camera. But I ran outside and captured it with my cell phone.
I am sure that it was a sign - the angels in heaven were rejoicing along with me over my son's precious heart. As the service began, I noticed I was NOT the only parent in there. Three kids were baptized that night and I am sure that all of their parents were there, hiding in the back with me. During worship music, Alex texted me and asked where I was. He couldn't see me and he was actually looking for me! Another wonderful surprise - no matter how grown up he gets, he still needs his momma. :-) I will never forget watching him raise his hands in praise as we sang the most appropriate of all contemporary worship songs.

Found Love beyond all reason
You gave Your Life, Your all for me
Call me Yours forever

Caught in the mercy fallout
Found Hope, found Life,
found all i need
You´re all i need

The time has come
To stand for all we believe in
So i for One am gonna
give my praise to You

Today, today it´s all or nothing
All the way
The praise goes out to You
Yeah all the praise goes out to You

He couldn't see me, but I could see him, and I saw EVERYTHING beautiful about my child that night. I am in awe of my son's faithful spirit. Who would have thought I would learn such things from my own child.

Fall is in high gear here and the holidays are right on the tail. I am finding it harder and harder to keep up with the blog. Part of me wants to close it down only because I just can't make time for it. But I just can't bring myself to pull the plug. Blogging has served so many purposes for me. It was originally meant to be a journal/scrapbook and a way to share with our family and closest friends. I do plan on printing it in a book each year, starting with this year. So many (but not everything) significant moments in our family's life is documented somewhere in this blog. It has also been therapeutic at times to sort my feelings out or just say what is on my heart. But the most amazing and surprising part of blogging has been all of the wonderful people I have met, both online and in person. Friendships that are so precious to me have started right here. There are some who have reached out to me and I only wish we lived close enough to meet in "real life" so I could just hug you and tell you in person just how much your words have meant to me. (Heather, Lisa, & Linette, just to name a few!) And how I have grown as I learned from all of you! I am constantly inspired emotionally, creatively and intellectually as I visit all of my bloggy friends. Some days, your posts are exactly what I need to push myself to be a better mother, wife and all around person. And sometimes, I just need a good laugh. For these reasons and so many more, I am NOT closing my blog. I am making a promise to myself to make it more of a priority to keep up with it and with all of you. I know I haven't been around to comment much and I am truly sorry. I promise I am going to try to do better! XOXO XOXO :-)

I have another post coming about Alex's baptism and I hope to get Mandi's post done for cheerleading today. We have a very busy weekend ahead, but by Monday, I hope to get back on track.

I am so, so, so excited for tomorrow! We have a very special photo shoot planned with none other, than the Pixel Fairy Princess herself! Another very precious friend that I would never have the pleasure of knowing without this blog! I can't even tell you how much these photos mean to me. PFP has the most amazing ability to capture the soul in her pictures. I know I am biased, and my children are beautiful, but the real beauty lies in their hearts. If anyone can capture that, it is the PFP. She doesn't just do your typical shiny, pretty pictures where everyone looks good. Her work goes so much deeper. It is truly a work of art that stirs the heart and brings emotions to the surface. If you don't know her then go on over and see for yourself!

A girl and her kitty

I think I have done this title before, but not with this kitty. I know, the kitty posts are getting old. But these pictures are too sweet not to share. I am also working on a special post for Mandi's cheerleading competition this past weekend and for Alex. He was baptized last night. It was such a sweet and amazing night. I want to do it justice. More on that later.

Linzi and the kitty have such a special bond. He loves her the most and will let her do anything with him. She is so sweet and gentle with him. I just love watching them together. I don't know how DH can possibly resist the kitty after seeing how happy he makes our LuLu. Speaking of DH, it was raining this morning and HE is the one who went downstairs and let the kitty in! When our own naughty cat tried to pick a fight with the kitty, DH scooped her up and dumped HER outside and let the kitty stay in. I was still in bed and had nothing to do with this little development. Do you think he is softening?

BTW, I just got a new lens and flash for my camera. There is so much I don't know!

Just an Ordinary Day & Ordinary Miracles - Thankful Thursday

This post should be titled "My Glamourous Life as a Mom"! ;-) DH has been out of town all week, so it has taken me 2 days to pull this one together. It's long and sappy, so considered yourself warned! And since it is now Thursday, this is also my "Thankful Thursday" post.

Today was one of those days where chaos ensued and my patience was put to the test. Add to that the fact that hubby is out of town and I have no back up - well, it could have been a really bad day! But instead, God nudged me gently and reminded me to STOP, enjoy the moment, enjoy the blessing! And what blessings and ordinary miracles there were to be found.

Ordinary Miracle #1
The day started off by me waking up late (like that never happens - yeah right!). Alex has to be up by 5:40 AM and on the bus by 6:15 AM. Now getting Alex out of bed is a monumental task that requires HUGE amounts of patience that just doesn't exist in me at that time of day. Today, I gave the poor boy just 20 minutes from regaining consciousness to jumping on the bus and all that must be done in between. Totally not fair to him, but he was a champ. He actually got out of bed, hurried through getting dressed, grabbed a bite and was off without too much pushing from me. Small miracle indeed - and one I was very grateful for. If he had missed the bus, I would have had to yank Linzi out of bed at dark-0-thirty to drive him to school. It is 20 miles round trip and Linzi would have been crying and whining the whole way. Let's just say that she shares her brother's resistance to mornings. Kindergarten is going to be tough.

Ordinary Miracle #2
My house is clean! The night before and after I got Alex off to school, I actually got every. corner. of. my. house clean before the rest could get messed up. All beds were made, all rooms clean, floors mopped and vacuumed, etc., etc. For one whole glorious day, it was all done at the same time. What's my trick? Do it while the kids are in bed and then when they wake up, LEAVE THE HOUSE AND DON'T COME BACK! LOL I am sure all moms can relate.

Ordinary Miracle #3
As the weather cools off, I am in desparate need of new clothes. I used to be very fashion conscious. That was when I still wore a size 5/6 and everything looked good on me. It was also before I had children. So today I tried on several things while Linzi, Ally & I had fascinating conversations in the dressing room. I am sure everyone else in the dressing room enjoyed our conversations as well. ;-) Nothing fit, nothing looked quite right and I left empty handed. Didn't even buy so much as a t-shirt. Where is the miracle here, other than the fact that I save DH a ton of $$$? Well, nothing fit because I am slowly, slowly losing weight. I am down one complete size and in between the next size down! I left empty handed and motivated to come back in a couple weeks to buy jeans 2 sizes smaller than I bought last year! Yeah baby!

Ordinary Miracle #4
Thank God for olive oil and the internet! I indulged Linzi with a pack of gum today. As we are standing in the middle of a certain girls' store in the mall, surrounded by a gazillion toys and bling, she only wanted a pack of gum and a Webk!nz. It seemed like a reasonable request, considering that the Webk!nz were on sale for $5.90 (normally $15.99) IF you made a purchase and the gum counted as a purchase. So I obliged, as long as she promised to share with Ally. She did. So how does olive oil and the internet fit in? Well, when we got home, Linzi had a HUGE wad of gum in her hair. And I did not have any peanut butter in the house. It never worked that well for me anyway. (Yes, I do have some experience with gum in the hair!) I was sure we were going to have to cut it out. It was smack on top of her head, cutting it would have created a nice little rooster tail at the crown of her head. Let me just also add that Linzi's hair grows very slowly and we would be haunted by the reminder of this incident for many months to come. The internet saved me with the suggestion of olive oil. IT WORKS like magic! All moms, tuck this away in your memory banks because, if you allow your small children to have gum, you WILL find yourself in this same situation sooner or later. Linzi's hair is now silky, shiny clean and not a single broken hair on top of her sweet little head.

Ordinary Miracle #5
Linzi took a nice nap today. This doesn't happen often. I cherish the afternoons that she drifts off. It gave me a chance to focus on some things I needed to do. There is A LOT I need to do.

Ordinary Miracle #6
Alex did ALL of his homework before 6:00. HUGE for him. Homework is a battle with him and me. It is the necessary evil and one that I am often afraid will be the thing that pushes him away from me. Today, there wasn't much of a battle. It did help that he was looking forward to what I had promised him later in the evening.

Ordinary Miracle #7 & 8
Mandi has been working so hard for her cheerleading competition this weekend. Her squad is AMAZING! Tonight, I got to see their full routine. They looked so good and tonight, I took pause to realize just how proud I am of my daughter. She has always been my "easy" child, and sometimes, it is really easy to lose sight of just how special she is. There is nothing ordinary about the miracle of my daughter and I am grateful to be reminded of this. While all the other parents were commiserating on how glad they were that this was the last practice and how inconvenient the schedule has been, I didn't feel the need to join in. It has been difficult shuffling all three kids, homework & dinner around this schedule. But the girls have worked so hard and that's what it's all about. The girls, this experience and that moment of glory in the middle of a huge arena. I am grateful that God gently adjusted my attitude - it would have been so easy for me to feel the same way as some of the other parents.

Mandi has a great position in the routine and will be easy to spot from the top rows of the arena that they will perform in. Shallow, I know. But I am secretly pleased that she will not be lost in the crowd of girls when the mamarazzi is filming. A very small, ordinary miracle for me and our family archives. :-)

Ordinary Miracle #9
While Mandi was at practice, I gave Alex his first driving lesson with me. He has only driven one other time with Eric. Today, it was my turn. There are so many thoughts, moments and emotions tied up with this one. Both funny, nostalgic and emotional. First of all, the huge miracle is that there was a time that it was altogether possible that my son may NEVER be able to learn to drive a car. Every milestone that we reach with him is so much more appreciated because of where we have been and we could have gone. My faith journey began at the lowest point in my life - when my son's future was in question. God has moved mountains for my son. He is a survivor. I have witnessed miracle after miracle with him. So the simple act of teaching him to drive a car brought up much more complex emotions than one would expect.

On to the funny parts. We found the perfect empty parking lot to practice in. It is a strip mall that is still under construction so there are no stores or traffic yet. The parking spaces are in place, there are medians to negoitiate, and perfect scenarios to set up. As we are changing places, Linzi says "GuhGuh is going to drive?!!! GuhGuh doesn't drive yet. Can I get out?" Sorry honey, if this plane goes down, we are all going down together!

At one point, we were stuck going toward the other end of the parking lot where there was a little traffic. I felt pretty comfortable in the moment, so I told him to just keep going. A few cars went by in the oncoming lane, and as they passed, Alex waved at each one. The first one or two, I barely noticed. But after the third one, I realized that he was going to wave at EVERYBODY who went by. LOL That's my sweet, friendly boy and that's why we have always called him "Sunshine". I was laughing so hard as I told him he did not need to wave at all the cars in traffic. Then another car passes, and he waves again! Can you just imagine him driving down the interstate, waving at everyone?! We had a great moment laughing hysterically together. We haven't had one of those moments in a while. The miracle of this moment was the laughter we shared and the glimpse of that sweet, sweet little boy that hides behind a typical, brooding, "I am way too cool for you" teenage boy's face.

And of course, I had to take pictures of this monumental event, much to his chagrin. :D I will post them after I have scrapped them.

Ordinary Miracle #10 & 11
Alex has always been very spiritual. Along with the desperation I felt in our situation when he was young, it was his own pull toward God that brought me there too. I don't know if I would have ever taken that step if it weren't for him. God used my own son to call me to Him. Now that he is in the high school youth group, Alex wants to be saved. He has completely initiated this on his own. Tonight, he asked me to review his email that he is sending to his youth group Pastor asking to be saved. It was three sentences long. Three of the most meaningful sentences I have ever read in my life. My son wants to publicly declare his faith. He wants to grow in his relationship with Christ. This email was his top priority tonight. Nothing ordinary about this one!

As I am still reeling from this, I was getting dinner out for the kids, checking on kitty outside, carrying on a phone conversation with DH and completely caught up in my chaotic little life. I motioned to Alex that dinner was on the table and left the room to find everyone else. When I came back, I found him, sitting alone at the table, saying his blessing before he ate. I was so touched by this ordinary moment. There was no one to say the blessing with, no one to remind him to say the blessing, no one to notice if he said the blessing at all. It was just him and God. That simple little act was proof of his conviction. I have never felt more proud. At the same time, my heart broke for the fact that I was so busy in the moment, that he had to sit by himself and say the blessing alone. I felt so ashamed of myself while I was bursting with pride for him.

Ordinary Miracle #12
Linzi ratted me out to daddy. DH is standing strong on his stance with the kitty. He doesn't mind us feeding it and taking care of it. He has a soft heart and would never let an animal go uncared for. But he refuses to go one step further and let us actually claim the cat as ours. He says if I have 3 cats, I will officially be a cat lady and he does not want to be married to the cat lady. He conjures up an image of an old, haggard lady with 20 cats- not attractive. So as soon as he leaves to go out of town, the kids are like "Hey, Dad's gone. Let's bring the kitty in!" The first night, I did the right thing and said we can't do that behind Dad's back. The second night, tonight, as I am talking on the phone while Alex is saying his blessing, the girls were not at the table because they had the cat in the house. I didn't even know what was happening when I handed the phone to Linzi to say hi. She gets on and says "Hi Daddy! We are petting Oliver in the house. He's sweet. He needs a family. Will you pet him in the house too?" Thanks dear! Luckily, Eric found humor in this and we laughed at the great example we are setting about honesty. He still hasn't budged on kitty though. Does anyone know of a good, loving home for the sweetest little kitten ever?! He is currently sleeping in a comfy basket on my doorstep and has claimed us. I am hoping DH will soften - not a far stretch, but a stretch all the same. :D

Thank you God for this life, for these children and for the reminders that You gave me today! It would have been so easy for me to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Instead, I am grateful and humbled by all that they teach me, the joy they bring to my heart and the honor of being their mother.

And if you are still reading, just one more ordinary miracle! LOL May your life be filled with the same small blessings that make each day a gift. Hugs to all!

Little Black Kitty Without a Name

I know this is not profoundly interesting to anyone but me, but it's better than complaining about the economy, elections and the fact that I only have a quarter tank of gas and all of the gas stations in my area are out of gas. Seriously, if I don't find a gas station with gas in the next day or so, I will be home bound until this crisis blows over! These are scary and crazy times. So I am choosing to focus on the more mundane and amusing things in my little bubble of a life - and today, that happens to be my little stray black kitty. :-)Well, we still haven't decided on a name for Kitty yet, but he is soooo sweet. He has met the other cats and he minded his manners perfectly. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my two girl kitties. They were not happy about our visitor and took their aggression out by fighting with each other - not kitty. Nice. Maybe it is a female/male cat thing. Apparently, there is a reason why the term "cat fight" is only used for girls! Kitty watched the girls fight with a sleepy, half interested smirk in his eye.

Then kitty caught sight of a scary beast coming out of the bushes . . .

Poor Teddy was greeted with this little show of affection. LOL

Teddy was unimpressed and uninterested. He just ran off to play with Linzi. He loves cats, they are just another playmate to him. In no time, these two will be best of pals, I am sure of it.

Update & random pictures

First of all an update - My mother is FINE!!! Her tests showed nothing abnormal. She was referred to another doctor to take care of what has been making her feel so bad. But it is not anything near as awful as we feared. Your thoughts and prayers were so cherished this past week. I am so grateful to be blessed by you! Lisa, I read your message before I knew what my mom's prognosis was. I wanted to wait until I had answers before I responded and the weekend hit and my computer was forgotten. Please know how moved I was by your message, I WILL get back to you personally soon! :-)

I am sure most of you have been following this family. Is our God awesome or what?!!! I am so honored to have witnessed such an amazing show of His grace and mercy. This story and this family is one of the most amazing testimonies I have ever seen. Little Susannah still has an uphill battle, but after this past week, there is NOTHING this little girl can't overcome! They are on their way home from China right now - which is a HUGE miracle in and of itself.

Last week, we met up with Sharon & Ella Kate of Blooms & Blessings for lunch. Linzi, Ally & Ella Kate are so cute together! I only wish we all had more time for play. I am working on Ella Kate's video and the further I get into it, the more I just love this family!
This next one is for Lucy. Sweet little Ally is THRIVING - but I don't understand where her nutrition comes from because this child refuses to eat her fruits & veggies. No matter what I do, I cannot get her to eat anything remotely healthy. Linzi on the other hand, is the healthiest eater I know, she LOVES her fruits & veggies. At lunch, I ordered broccoli for Linzi and Ally just reached over and helped herself! Sharon saw it too! She even went back for more several times. I was so shocked, I had to take a picture just to prove to her mommy that I didn't make this up. :-)
Mandi has been having so much fun cheerleading this year. I have so many pictures I need to edit and post. In a couple weeks she will go to the Cheer Off competition - her squad is awesome and I just know they are going to rock the house! I am not sure who is having more fun with the cheerleading - her, or Linzi & I. Linzi is learning the cheers and next year, she will be old enough to be a team mascot. How cute would that be?!!! My two girls cheering together!

Alex had his first homecoming dance last weekend. Sigh... I look at this picture and wonder what ever happened to my little boy.
After I made this LO, we decided to change the kitty's name. Mandi had named him Prince Charming (Prince for short) because it suited his personality. But it just doesn't feel quite right and the boys in the family refuse to call him that. Eric is calling him BlackJack or BJ (I am sooo not liking that!). Linzi calls him Prince Casper or Casper. Mandi likes Oliver (for black olives - Linzi's fave condiment). I like Jett, but we have an Uncle Jett so we can't use that name. I also like Prince Boo but the rest of the family thought it was too silly. Major decisions here! What do you call a little black cat (boy) who shows up just in time for Halloween? Any ideas?!!! BTW, our other pets are Annabelle, Sophie & Teddy.