IT IS FINISHED...

The PTA Scrapbook that is. All 78 pages of it. I turned it in today. Just 24 hours shy of the deadline.
YEAH!!! IT. IS. FINISHED. Did I mention the 78 pages? In 28 days?
SO now that that is done, I get to take care of all I have let slide while getting the scrapbook done. Laundry...endless loads of laundry. Vacuuming...I'm not sure what color our carpet is supposed to be. And I think there is a dining room underneath all that scrapbook stuff!
.
I'll be back in a few days after I dig out!

You are invited...

Though the world is a mean place, as we have all witnessed this week,
and Kolby is home with a stomach bug,
and Rhett and Ella Kate can't seem to stay away from her,
and the scrapbook deadline is breathing down my neck,
and the laundry pile resembles Everest,
and the list of things to do is a mile long,
and it is 11AM and I am still in my PJs...
It's a beautiful Spring day in Texas and I feel like having a tea party.

In blog world anyway.
Want to join me?

We will dine on a patio overlooking flower beds of blooming Iris, hydrangea and roses.
Three large hundred year oak trees form a triangular canopy over our patio and lazily stretch out towards the surrounding garden.
There is a mild breeze that keeps us pleasantly cool in the warm spring time sun.
I have set a large round table with a crisp white Belgium lace and linen cloth.
Folded matching napkins hold stems of my mothers sterling silver spoons and forks and are cinched with blade of long meadow grass and topped with the bright yellow head of a daffodil.
There is a beautifully vibrant arrangement of gorgeous spring flowers crowning a low round antique cut glass vase in the center of the table.
Two fat glass pitchers full of Springtime Lemonade and Sweet Iced Tea topped with circular slices of lemon and chucky ice cubes adorn the silver trey to the right of the flowers.
Beside the flower crested silverware, petite crystal cut out dinner plates sit at each place and beckon us to fill them full of the petite sandwiches and iced cookies that spill over the silver trays and crystal platters that dot the table.
We sip from crystal teacups that fit snugly on to their matching saucers.
We talk , laugh, and sigh as we enjoy the beauty of the day and joy of companionship.
Ahhhhh.
It's the perfect Spring Tea Party.
In blog world, anyway.

I'm bringing my Nana's Cucumber Sandwiches. (recipe in comments later) What are you going to bring?
I think the world would be a better place if we had more tea parties. Don't you agree?

A Tuesday

Today Kolby takes the Math TAKS. I'm not as anxious about this one as I was the Reading TAKS because Kolby has done fine in math with no problems. Still it was a red letter day for her. Now that this is over, third grade can hopefully get back to just being third grade, not "third grade preparing for the TAKS". Her class hasn't taken a field trip all year because they wait till the TAKS is over. The TAKS determines so much about the year for them. I pray everyone in her class passes!

Rhett was supposed to have a field trip today to visit a wild flower ranch, but since it is raining, I bet it was canceled. Rhett was sad that I couldn't go with his class but, Ella Kate had her nine month check-up this morning. We had rescheduled already so I wasn't going to back out again. Ella Kate is following in the steps of her siblings and staying true to the 75 percentile for height, weight and head circumference. Dr. K said all looked well and EK is progressing along fine. It was a sort of boring doctor visit.

As I drove home just now in the rain, I was mentally clicking down my list of things to do this week. It's a typical week. Baby shower on Saturday, soccer practice but no game, take a meal to a friend, take a salad to school, a dentist appointment, a field trip, a well check, dance, girls scouts, Rhett has a play date, gotta get that PTA scrapbook done, laundry, get shoes for the baby, take stuff back to Wal-mart... nothing to spectacular or out of the ordinary.... just typical Mom stuff.

Then it hit me how blessed I am to be having this week. This typical ole week. With my three healthy, and for the most part, happy kids, my hard working, loving husband, my messy, but comfortable house, my big family all healthy and near. I didn't do anything special or great to deserve these blessings. I know things can change in the blink of an eye, but right now I'm so thankful to be living this typical week in my life. It feels warm, secure and happy to have this type of week, though outwardly it probably appears boring, typical or mundane.

Perhaps I am feeling especially blessed because of the people at Virginia Tech whose lives are so far from ordinary this week. There was a time in my life when I would have felt a little guilty for being happy and secure in my life while tragedy has struck some one else so hard. If some horrible thing like what happened yesterday happened, I would have submerged myself in the tragedy and thought of little else. But over time God has taught me that for me there is a better way to handle such things. He has shown me time and again that everyone will have good and bad times. Every person on this planet will have splendidly good and terribly horrible times, times of great joy and great sorrow. It's not a matter of if, just a matter of when. The key for me is to appreciate the time I am in and really live it for all it is worth. I have to celebrate the good times and be so grateful for them because we are not assured of what lies ahead. I am only assured of who is in control. And HE commands my appreciation in all things.

And yes! I mourn for all those who were killed and hurt yesterday at Virgina Tech. How can anyone not? It is such an awful, awful tragedy. It hurts just to think about it! But I've come to think that I don't have to stay glued to the TV listening to every gory detail to honor those struck by this tragedy. Maybe the best thing I can do to honor those who hurt and grieve is to really and properly appreciate the blessing I have as I pray for them. Honoring the fallen should make me better, more loving and thankful.

So I haven't watched much about the shooting. I didn't even let my kids, especially Kolby, see that it happened last night. Today after her TAKS test, and after the authorities know a bit more about what happened and why, I will probably tell Kolby and Rhett what happened. They may already know about it. They may have questions.We may talk about it for a while. Then I'm hoping together we will pray for all those who are hurting because of this. And in that same prayer we will thank God for all our blessings and vow to do our best for HIM every day that we are blessed to be alive. Then, with a deeper appreciation in our hearts, I hope we talk about our day, get homework done, laugh,, eat dinner, do laundry, read and play with the baby. Just typical Tuesday night stuff.

I hope you to are in a place in life where you can celebrate all God has given you and thank him for the blessings of this wonderfully typical Tuesday, while praying earnestly for those going through such darkness.

Happy Tuesday!

Bluebonnets Take 2

Beth Moore prayed like me...

Thanks so much to my blog buddy Tracy who sent me to Beth Moore's blog today. If you want to read all Beth Moore said hop over to see Tracy or go to the Living Proof Ministries blog. I'm not a Beth Moore groupie, but I totally admire her. After reading her thoughts this morning , I admire her even more. This is an excerpt from her post about being a young mother.

Last night at Bible study I taught on being a mom and my mind has been swimming with memories of my girls when they were little bitty. As God would have it, a few weeks ago I happened on an old prayer journal from 1982 when Amanda was barely three and Melissa was a newborn. Those of you in the throes will not be surprised to hear that it was filled with unsophisticated requests for things like more sleep, for Melissa to adjust better to the church nursery, for financial help as I got to stay home with the girls, for Amanda not to catch Melissa's cold, for Keith and I to get along better, for him to want to go to church, for him to stop cussing (I hope you're smiling because I am), for him to...and for him to...and for him to...and for him to...and for us to get to go to a marriage conference, for me to apply what I was learning in my first Dr. Dobson book, for me to have a better disposition (I must have used the word ten times that I could find), and for me to make minutes for my quiet time because "my day goes so much better when I do." Sound familiar?

Ok I have to stop here and say WOW! For the first time ever I think Beth Moore's prayers and mine sound a lot alike. Beth Moore. Spiritual Giant and author of a gazillion "deep thought" bible studies. Yeah, that Beth Moore.When her kids were little she prayed for financial help, more sleep, kids not to get sick, to get along better with her husband and FOR HIM TO.... If I kept a prayer journal I would think somehow Beth Moore got her hands on it. But I don't keep a prayer journal, so maybe my unsophisticated prayers aren't so unique to me! If Beth Moore's prayers once sounded like mine, there is hope for me yet! But there is more. She went on to say this...

Even before I found the journal, I'd begun reliving so many of those experiences as I watched Amanda with her young family. One of the things I enjoy so much as I relive those priceless and challenging days in my memory is Amanda telling me all about her fellow mom-friends and the babies they share. Second only to seeing pictures of Jackson in his Easter outfit, I died to see pictures of Ella and Ava, his best girl buddies who were born within days of him. The pictures did not disappoint. I hang on every word Amanda says as she tells me about this mom and this baby, that mom and that baby. I can't overemphasize how rich my fellow moms made my parenting experience. Particularly one: my best friend, Johnnie. She had two boys and I had two girls and we dragged those four kids to every McDonalds in Houston just so we could finish a sentence. We taught Mother's Day Out together because we were both broke. We home-made family Christmas gifts because we didn't have the money to buy them. (We spent what money we had on our babies.) I hate arts and crafts to this day and still have burns from glue guns. That's not all. I'd decide I'd had it with Keith and I'd leave him in the morning sometimes, go to her house with my unsuspecting girls, drink a cup of coffee, get in a better mood, and be back home by the time he got off work. He'd walk in the door, ask about my day, and I'd say under my breath, "I left you today. That's how my day was." Hee hee. Somehow I'd feel some satisfaction with that, repent, then fall in love with him all over again. It was his looks.

When we lived in Fort Worth and Kolby was a baby, I had several great mom friends like this. We did everything together. Then we had our second babies, and it got harder, and then most of us moved to other towns. I still miss them! I love my friends and family here, but I miss those first mommy days and mommy friends. I didn't realize at the time how much God had blessed me with those friends. Now, I am very aware at how rich I was to have so many good christian young mommy friends. They taught me so much about being a mom, a wife and a christian, and how to do all three simultaneously. When I see young first time Moms now I pray that they too are blessed with other first time Mom friends. But Beth's lesson to me today goes on...

My point is, Moms, you've got to have you a support group of other moms. Many who are peers. Others who are just ahead of you. They will be used of God to get you through everything from the mundane to the morose. As I told my class last night, our ancient female ancestors walked to wells and rivers together to get water. Our great grandmothers quilted and canned together. We, instead, are imprisoned in our minivans driving breakneck speed, thinking a few maniacal minutes on a cell phone can replace a regular play-date where believing moms can take some time to laugh and share. I don't think it's a luxury. It's a necessity for mental (and often spiritual!) health!

Because, you see,...*No day full of dirty diapers has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No tantrum has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No "but, Mom, everybody is going!"
has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No "You hate me!" has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No child's first love has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No child's first broken heart has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No broken curfew has overtaken you but such as is to moms.*No goodbye has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.

And in reading that I realized, how much I still need my friends. I'll be honest, I haven't been the best friend. In the last few years being a good friend hasn't even been on my radar. Survival. Taking care of the kids. Attempting to keep up with the kids and occasionally the house. Being involved in Kolby's school and doing what she needed for her reading issues. Stretching dollars to meet the kids ever changing and growing needs and most of their wants. making great memories with them and cherishing every little stage. That has been my focus. Rob has focused on trying to better our finances, so I could stay home and focus on the kids. Which is all good. But is not all that is good. I not only have not been a good friend to others, I have not been a very good friend to myself.

For the last few months I feel God has been working on me. He has been reminding me of who I am aside from my family. Through Sari working all the old auto shows I used to work, I have been forced down memory lane to visit my single self and remember the goals, drive and abilities I had back then. Now at that time in my life I just wanted to find "the one," get married and have a family. AND I AM SO HAPPY I DID! But looking back I really like that girl who could fly all over the country and talk gear shift ratios and torque with Porsche fanatics, the girl who roller bladed with girl friends several times a week, the girl who took a week off to help her aunt decorate for a big Christmas party, the girl who owned a paint ball gun and played in a league, and the girl who not only taught Kindergarten at church on Wednesday nights, but took the whole class out of town for a field trip one weekend. I am that girl, but I at times she seems like a total stranger.

While pondering these thoughts of reconciling my former and present self, as God would have it, a few weeks ago I was blessed to see an old friend who I haven't seen face to face in twelve years. Unbeknownst to my friend (except that I tell him from time to time) in the twenty plus years that we have known each other God has used him to teach me more than one life lesson. This time was no different.

While I was super happy and proud to introduce him to Rob and the kids, I felt like I have become such a Mom that I'm not sure he could even recognize me. And I'm not just talking looks. I sometimes find it hard to think of much to talk about outside my kids. In talking with him and remembering the good old days, I felt sorta flat. Like I wasn't the bubbly me I used to be. I doubt he noticed or thought much of it. We had a great visit. But that visit from the past caused me to take a long look in the mirror... and I'm not at all satisfied with what I see.

In the great inspirational movie The Lion King (I loved it way before I had a husband and kids) there is a scene where Simba faces the spirit of his father after fleeing the pride lands for the safer, more lazy, bug eating life of the rain forest. In the deep booming voice of James Earl Jones, Mufasa says to Simba "You are more than what you have allowed yourself to become." That statement has been booming in my head for the last few weeks. (Sometimes in the deep voice of James Earl Jones! Do you think God and James Earl Jones could sound alike? :)

And I am working on it. I can't wrap all this up and tell you the conclusion because I don't have one. It's a work in progress. There is a lesson here, but I am still learning it.

So why write this novel length post? Why tell you all this? Because Beth Moore used to pray unsophisticated prayers. Her sharing that gives me hope and makes me feel like maybe all these things I struggle with are not unique to me. Maybe most struggles in life are universal and by sharing them we help each other. Maybe this post will help someone in their journey. Or maybe in 20 years Kolby can look back on this and learn from her Mommy's experiences. I don't know. But it feels good to share and get things out.

I also share because in reading that last paragraph I quoted from Beth Moore, I realized that over the last few years my blog friends have filled a need I have for Christian friends. So it's not face to face sharing. Blog world is no substitute the real world nor are blog friends a substitute for face to face friends. But still, we share our thoughts, our struggles, our experiences, and our love for God. We share and inspire and question and sympathize and laugh and give "blugs". That is what friends do. In a time when I haven't been that great of a friend, God has blessed me with some great friends via blog world. And I am so happy to be sharing this journey with you. So thanks for that. God is just amazing in the way he fills needs before I know I have them.

WELL... Blog break over now. Back to it!
Hope you have a blessed and happy Thursday!

Still scrapbooking....

In case you missed me saying this last week... I am the Historian for PTA. All year I have thought it was a pretty cushy job. But then there is this little matter of a PTA Scrapbook that is due for Competition at the end of the month. I should have been working on it all year long. Anyone want to guess when I started on it? Yeah. So, I now remember why I love to scrapbook (creative, memory recording, artsy thing to do) and why I haven't scrap booked in five years ( kids, life, takes up the whole dining room {which is reserved for laundry folding most days} and darn it, you have to keep up with so much stuff!) I was hoping this would inspire me to get past Rhett being born in his baby book and to start Ella Kate's, but so far...it's not happening.
Here are some EKG pictures. Seriously how did she get to be 9 months old already?????


The last one seems to grow the fastest! NO FAIR!!!

This is one of my favorite EK expressions, crinkled nose and all!

Toodle-ooo! If you need me in the next three weeks, I will be in the dining room scrap booking.

Not your typical Bluebonnet pictures...

Yes, it is snowing here today. So I had to take our first ever snow and blue bonnet pictures!

























Blue eyes in the blue bonnets.



















Ella Kate was a bit overwhelmed with her first snow and first blue bonnets the day before her first Easter.



























Kolby and Rhett loved it!



























Blue bonnets on ice!



























Not your typical day before Easter in Texas pictures... Our house today.


















Pond near by.


















Hope it doesn't keep the Easter bunny away!



























Ella Kate loved the snow...from indoors!



























Happy Easter from snow covered Texas!

9 Months Old

My baby is 9 months old! How is that possible? It's going so fast! I know I always say that, but it is! Somebody slow this ride down!!!!

God blesses me everyday through my little Ella Bella. She makes me laugh out loud. She makes me stop and rock, rock. She reminds me that it is good to hug and give wet kisses at least two or three times a day. She is a bit of a mama's girl right now, and I am honored. It's really the best feeling on earth to have someones face light up every time you walk in the room. Ella Kate makes me want to wrinkle my nose when I smile, and eat cheerios as a snack. She is quite a handful right now, but not in a bad way. She is our sweet baby girl and we all love her so much!

Ella Kate is almost well from her fever virus. This week two more little teeth made their way to the surface, so she has 6 teeth! She is a crawling queen! Just discovered doors and drawers (help!!!) and is pulling up on anything that will stay still long enough for her to get her feet anchored! We are having some fum times!

This week she discovered the trampoline and LOVES it! Though I think her favorite part was getting to hang with the big kids. She was so pleased to be up there in the center of it all. She loves her brother and sister so much and speed crawls to try to keep up with them!

She was quite tickled when I put her on the counter and slid her back up under the cabinets to keep her as far away from the edge as possible. She just laughed and laughed! I guess she thought her crazy Mommy had lost it putting the baby on the counter like she was groceries or something. It was so funny, like she knew she did not belong there.

Speaking of things that DO NOT BELONG... They are predicting SLEET and near freezing temperatures here in Central Texas for EASTER! Wish I had known that before I bought the girls matching islet sleeveless dresses!!! Oh well.

I am the Historian for PTA. All year I have thought it was a pretty cushy job. But then there is this little matter of a PTA Scrapbook that is due for Competition at the end of the month. I should have been working on it all year long. Anyone want to guess when I started on it? Yeah. So, I now remember why I love to scrapbook (creative, memory recording, artsy thing to do) and why I haven't scrap booked in five years ( kids, life, takes up the whole dining room {which is reserved for laundry folding most days} and darn it, you have to keep up with so much stuff!) I was hoping this would inspire me to get past Rhett being born in his baby book and to start Ella Kate's, but so far...it's not happening. If you need me in the next three weeks, I will be in the dining room scrap booking.

So More to come soon!

Happy Easter Weekend!

Flooded Friday

Last Friday was a crazy day. It has taken three days of distance from it to even want to try to post this here.

It started out so typical ..
Rhett had a "Daddy day" at school and was so excited to be back after missing most of the week with Strep throat. Kolby had Girls Scouts and a lock-in at a friends church. Ella Kate had a little fever and was still teething. I had a newsletter deadline and a list of errands to run from being stuck at home with sick kids or sick me all week. Rob had a morning meeting, a half day of work and a dodge ball tournament at Baylor that night. Oh and the cable guy was coming to upgrade our service some time between 8 am and 12. Typical. Busy. Friday. Oh and it was raining. And grey. And almost chilly.

If I want to finish this post this week I will have to abbreviate the rest of the days events.
Kolby and Rob get off with much Drama. What is it with girls and their hair?
Get Rhett up.
Clothes issues.
Phone rings. Rob's car has died. Won't start. Won't go.
Are you out of gas? (Broken gauge,can't ever tell.,waiting on part.)
No. Just filled up. Come get me. Five miles away.
Get baby up, get Rhett ready to go with Papa.
Pull clothes on .
Rhett leaves. I'm getting baby to go....
Phone rings.
Rob is on way home with cousin Robby who happened to pull up behind him.
Feed baby. Spits up entire bottle. Fussy, FEVERISH and sleepy.
Rob home.
Call garage (that we are all too familiar with) to tow car.
Can Rob make 9AM meeting?
Too late.
Call office.
Cable guy is here.
Practically takes Entertainment center apart.
Glad Rob is here to help him.
Scrap plans to run errands.
Raining + Rob takes van to Daddy Day.
Work on newsletter. Computer freezes. Puts Xs on all graphics! UUUGGGHHH!
BLAH BLAH BLAH
EK very cranky, has some fever. Eats.
Spits most up.
Sits in my lap and falls asleep.
Again..
Rob and Rhett home.
Garage calls. Paid to have car towed. It's just out of gas.
OUT OF GAS!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone syphoned our tank???
EK up. More tylenol. Still fever.
Drop Rob and Rhett to get car and race to get Kolby at school.
REALLY RAINING NOW!
Pick up line takes 30 minutes.
I think EK is asleep again because no noise. ( I can't see her)
Kolby gets in. Is EK asleep?
NO. Eyes glazed and very lethargic.
Get home. Rob and Rhett there.
New cable remote broken.
Take babies temperature.
104. Rectally.
Can't be right.
Shake shake shake.
104.1
Panic.
4:10 PM on a Friday and a baby with 104.1!!!
Call doctor.
We're coming in.
20 minutes till closing.
Send big kids to across street to my parents.
Rob and I hop in van with baby.
I drive...I'm faster.
On cell phone with Mom on why kids are at her house.
Can you take Kolby to Girls Scouts by 4:30?
Three miles from home.
RAINING SO HARD!
Tornado sirens go off.
Yes.
TORNADO. SIRENS. GO. OFF!
Call Mom.
No Girls Scouts.
Kolby crying.
They are going to the closet with radio and flash lights.
Me driving on. People driving crazy in rain and sirens.
Doctor calls cell phone. Says tornado on ground ...Where are we?
Five minutes out.
Drive faster.
Pull into doctor's.
Run in .
All nurses watching TV.
Weather showing tornado on a path to our house.
Doc waiting for us. Takes us right back.
Does rapid strep test, but throat looks good.
Ears clear.
Nose clear.
Nothing looks abnormal.
Fever high.
Eyes red.
Baby screaming.
Looks pathetic.
Negative strep.
Fever virus, with touch of stomach bug.
All this for a virus!!!
We stay at doctors and wait for things to clear up at home so we don't drive into a tornado.
20 minutes later.
All is clear at home. Tornado blows over with out touching down near our house.
Mom mentions flooding but, we head out. Rob drives.
High water. Turn around to find different route.
Raining very hard. Water rising.
What is that smell?
Van completely over heated. Stalls.
Won't budge.
Where are we?
Not a good place to get stuck.
Water rising.
PRAY PRAY PRAY.
Car starts, reverses 100 feet away from water .
Car dies.
Cools off. Starts. Goes 100 feet. No power steering. Battery dieing. Car dies.
Repeat this process numerous times for the thirty minutes it takes to track six blocks back to doctors office parking lot.
Why? Because I feel it is safer than the surrounding neighborhood.
Rob turning red.
Rain stops.
Now what?
Belt about four feet long hanging down from van engine and visible to passers by ...
who stop to tell us...
Thanks.
We know.
Call for the second tow truck of the day.
Sick baby.
Husband frustrated beyond words.
Streets flooded all around.
Wait. wait. wait.
Call Robby to come get us in truck.
Again, second time today.
Rob can't even talk.
How much will this cost?
Pray. pray. pray.
Man walks out of doctors office.
Mechanic.
Worked on car for 35 years.
Care if he takes a look?
NOT AT ALL!
Looks.
Takes a certain tool to reattach belt.
Tries tire iron, steel pipe and everything else we can find.
Robby arrives.
Man decided to try bare hands, even though that has never worked. In 35 years.
Because it takes a special belt-attaching tool.
It works.
Seriously.
Belt in place.
Van starts like nothing ever happened.
But miracles do happen.
Seriously.
Our God sent mechanic will not take anything but
baby wipes to clean his hands and arms
and our deep and unending gratitude.
WOW!
Call off tow truck.
Almost 6:45 PM.
If they hurry
Rob and Robby
Can still make dodge ball tournament at Baylor.
Rob had clothes in Van.
Seriously?
Kolby calls that she is going to be late for lock in.
Hello?
The world does not appreciate our miracle and trauma.
Dazed, I do.
I drive home as Rob leaves with Robby
To take out his aggressions on unsuspecting college kids.
Rob will throw extra hard tonight. Good release.
I get Kolby from Mom's & leave Ella Kate.
Rush home to pack bag and get all her stuff together.
We are twenty minutes late.
Pull out of drive.
Cell phone rings. Lock-in canceled due to weather.
Kolby heart broken. BUT can she spend the night with friend?
THANK YOU! Yes!
Kolby to friend. Go get baby.
Rhett is spending the night with my parents.
Walk home past flood debree laying in the street.
EK's fever breaks.
Sweet baby falls asleep on my shoulder.
I am alone.
At home.
WOW.
SG prays and has a good happy cry.
Angels watching over us today.
So many bullets missed.
So many tragedies avoided.
My heart feels flooded.
10:00PM
Lost in thought when Rob calls.
They won. Second year in a row.
On his way home.
Another day is done.
God is so good.

Here is a picture of a street a mile away from our house. It wasn't that bad here, but we can see where the water came up in the yard.

This picture was taken five blocks away from where our van first stalled at about that same time

Happy that this will be Good Friday! We will stay home from school/ work, dye eggs. make cookies, take pictures in the blue bonnets and be grateful. Happy Monday Everyone!

Did she say bye bye?

Last night I think Ella Kate may have uttered her first word, sorta. Rob and I both think she said bye bye. Eight months is a bit young for that, but she has been very verbal since birth. (Don't know where she gets that!) Rhett was off to bed for the fourth time and we were telling EK to wave bye bye. And she did, in the way that only she can then she said it. "Bahi, Bahi" with that little sing-say infliction that perfectly mimicked us.
"Did she just say bye bye?" I asked Rob.
As if she thought I was asking her, she said it again and with the biggest grin on her face waved her chunky little arm madly!
"I think she said it twice." WOW!

Ella Kate has had a great week of independence crawling all over the house. Her favorite break a away place to go is Rhett's room. She will work up a sweat huffing it down the hall as fast as her little hands and knees can scoot . Rhett and Kolby are amazed by her and keep exclaiming "Mom the baby crawled into the ..." We are all having to watch her closely though as she is a little hoover picking up the smallest particle in her path. I have had quite a few chuckles watching EK excitedly race to "beat" me around a corner, then looking back to make sure I am coming, squealing when she sees me, and taking off as fast as she can. She is so proud of herself. What a little mess!Is there anything cuter than the site of a diapered baby bottom scoot down the hall? I had forgotten how sweet a sound a swooshing diaper makes as the little bottom wearing it races on. I'm in love with this baby. Can you tell? :)

Speaking of diapered bottoms... EK had her first bad diaper rash yesterday. It came on quite suddenly. I thought I had unwrapped a package of hamburger meat when I changed her. It was awful! Dr K once told me with Rhett to use a hair dryer (on the lowest, or coolest setting) to dry out diaper rash in between changes. So I put EK on a towel on the floor of our bathroom, and attempted to do what the doc had prescribed.

All was going well when I got a bit distracted and looked away for a minute. Suddenly I realized Ella Kate was spitting like she had something in her mouth. When I turned to see what it was, I realized the hairdryer was blowing some liquid in her face. Looking down I saw a little fountain gurgling up from between her folds and then being blown and splattered from her belly button to her nose! YUCK!!!! She had to have a bath instantly, which only made the diaper rash more damp. I opted for a towel this time! I got so tickled by it all and then she would laugh mimicking me, which made me laugh harder. But all is well that ends well. After using some miracle cream given to us by nurses at my grandmothers nursing home, I am happy to report that EK is all clear again! Gotta love Happy Hiney! (Seriously, that is what they call it!)

Have I over shared? Perhaps. Is getting pee blown in your babies face at all funny? I think I am now "one of those parents" who think that every little thing their baby does is the cutest thing ever. And I love every minute of it! Happy Thursday!

"Mom" my life

Check out this you tube video spoof called "Mom my Ride"
My van looks a lot like that without any help.

Lately I feel everything about me has been MOMed. I have a Mom car, Mom habits and hobbies, lots of Mom friends and even Mom jeans. I walk, talk , look, sound (and perhaps even smell) like a Mom. Not a bad thing. Just sometimes I feel much more mom-ish than others. Lately, I feel the mom-ness flowing through my veins and imagine it oozing out my pores, alerting anyone within ten miles that I AM A MOM!

Today I'm feeling particularly mom-ish because Rhett and Kolby are home with strep throat. Kolby started running fever in the night Sunday and I took her in yesterday afternoon. Rhett said his throat hurt so I took him in this morning. Our pediatrician has been gone for awhile and it's been a few months since we've seen her. I was really starting to miss her. But after two appointments in 18 hours, I feel we're all caught up! :)

This is Rhett's fifth case of strep in one year so we have earned an ENT referral to talk about yanking those tonsils. However, Kolby had her tonsils out at four, and she still has strep throat about once a year. But I guess once is better than five times... I had the doctor check Ella Kate's throat while we were there. Luckily her baby throat looks pink and healthy. I'm hoping it stays that way!

Rob took Rhett to the dentist yesterday while I took Kolby to the doctor. Three cavities, one needing a crown. THREE CAVITIES! I was really upset. How can he get three cavities in just 6 short months? We brush, we floss, we don't eat sugary things or drink sugary things with out brushing afterwards. We take the kids in EVERY six months for cleaning. We have had all of Rhett's sealable teeth sealed. He has cavities just below the sealants. Frustrating. So frustrating. Not to mention costly. Very. Costly. Yesterday was one of those frustrating days when I wonder how I'm doing as a Mom with my kids getting strep throat and cavities so often.

Then I came home and read an e-mail from a fellow Mom. This Mom has a little girl a month younger than Kolby and a little boy a month younger than Rhett. She is 32. She works at Kolby's school. I had e-mailed her earlier in the day to offer to help with her kids in the next few weeks. This Mom found out a week or so ago that she has cancer. It was out of the blue. No prior health concerns. No family history. Nothing. Then boom. Cancer. It is a rather fast growing kind, from what I have heard. She will undergo 6 weeks of chemo and radiation before having surgery, and surgery in this area is never without great discomfort. She has a long road ahead of her and she knows it. But she is very optimistic and is asking for prayers for healing and for her family. I have a feeling she has never ceased in praying since the moment she found out. I imagine she is more worried about how this could impact her kids than she is about herself. She is that kind of mom.

After reading her e-mail, strep throat and cavities just don't seem like much to deal with. All that is "mom-like" within me hurts for her and her family and pleads for her healing. Complete healing.

Being a mom is the greatest privilege. I want to be around to be a mom until my kids are old and grey. I'm very happy to be their mom.

So Lord, if you're reading, please heal my friend. And thank you so much for the blessings you give me when you "Mom" my life!

The Crawler

Ella Kate started crawling about 24 hours ago. In that time she has taught me (or at least reminded me of) a few things...

1. The only thing harder on carpet than a baby who spits-up a lot, is a baby who crawls and spits-up a lot.
2. There is a big difference in being "kid proof" and "baby proof." "Baby proof" is much more extensive.
3. I need to vaccum more.
4. An open door is an invitation to trouble.
5. There is no point in trying to fold clothes in the living room floor anymore.
6. No matter how disgusting, shoes look like teething toys to a baby.
7. The magazine basket has to find a new home.
8. All trash cans should have lids.
9. Ant traps can not be left under the corner of the kitchen cabinets anymore.
10. The Exersaucer is a very good thing!

I tried for an hour to get a good video of our newly mobile baby, but this was as good as it got! It's about 3 minutes long but she does eventually crawl, as well as show off her baby crunches.



Here is another video attempt that is a bit shorter.

Happy Thursday!

Computer Quandry

We need a new computer. Ours is almost eight years old, a dinosaur by computer standards, but we have made it work. In addition to being promoted at work and taking on a more managerial position, Rob is in graduate school and needs a computer for research, for papers and to run Excel. I am on the computer a lot. Besides blogging, I store and edit all our families photographs, print a newsletter for the PTA, and hope to do more with wed site design in the future. I have lots of files in ms word that I want to transfer. The kids are getting to the gaming stage so I would like the new computer to be better able to do some of that. SO...What brand, model do you guys suggest? Anyone just Love or really not love their computer? Any one with service issues? I want to hear from you!

To crawl or not to crawl

To Crawl Or Not To Crawl...
By Ellla Kate

OK. Since you keep cheering for me to crawl and you have the camera out, I'll give it a shot.

Hands down. elbows straight...

Knees bent, rear up...

Just kidding! I really don't want to crawl today.

This morning started like every mornig for the past week or so, Ella Kate hinting that she might crawl and then promptly deciding that she prefers to roll. Yesterday in the nursery at church she crawled about six inches and then went to rolling again. She did the same thing for my Dad yesterday afternoon. So in a matter of days, or maybe even hours, and my baby girl will be mobile!
Yikes!
I've got to run go childproof the house and vaccum!
Hope you are having a great Monday!

PS I have a little miracle to share this Monday morning!
THIS baby came home last week and I actually got to see him in person yesterday at church! If you have followed any of his story, you know what a miracle that is! God has truly blessed baby David and blessed me by getting to watch his journey home via this web site! I just love stories like this! Happy Monday!

With Three Kids

LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN DALLAS.....
(revised with pictures 3/16)
The kids, my mom and I are currently in Dallas with my sister. She is working and we are playing. Last night I braved the DART rail with Mom, three kids, and a stroller to dart on down to the Dallas Auto show.The kids and Mom wanted to see Sari at work. So we did. (Out of duty to my former profession, I must clarify that I never, ever suggest taking a child to an Auto Show unless the tickets are free and you plan to leave less than an hour after arriving, as was our case last night.)




It was an adventure. I think DART is great, but probably better during the day. Rhett and Kolby saw things they have never seen before and had to learn not to stare! But we did it, and lived to tell! :)



This morning we ate breakfast in the Plaza of the Americas and went Ice Skating. Next we plan to go to the Aquarium and then maybe swing by a mall before heading home. This is our one big spring break outing. Truthfully, I find that going anywhere with three kids is bit of a challenge. Just packing for one night away took as long as it would take me to pack for just me for three weeks.

When I was a teen we used to make joke by adding "in bed" to the end of songs or sentences. Now it seems the joke is on me as life has added "with three kids" to all my endings. AND just like "in bed", those three little words change everything. For example:
I went to the grocery store with three kids.
We stayed in a four star hotel with three kids.
I got my haricut with three kids.
We ate at a great little Chinese place with three kids.
You get the picture. AND I AM NOT COMPLAINING! Being here in the hotel and going to the show makes me very aware how much my life has changed since my own auto show days. Changed for the better, changed in the exact way I wanted it to, but changed none the less. I guess I'm still adjusting to life with three kids. I think my Mom and sister are gaining a new respect for me. :)


The kids are doing pretty well and having a great time. Ella Kate is a good hotel baby! Rhett and Kolby are so enamored with this hotel. From the ice machine to the little shampoos, they are in awe of it all. I love how each detail thrills them. I hope they always love hotels as much as they do now.


The kids were blown away by the view of downtown Dallas from our room last night. (Actually I was to!) We are high enough to make cars look small and have a great veiw of the skyline.

Even though this is a short trip, it has been packed with fun. In a few more hours we will head back home. I cherish times when we can get away and live outside our normal routine. lt is so fun with three kids!
Hope you are having a great Spring Break!

In the "rainbow light" made by one of the giant prisms in the Plaza of the Americas. They are my pot of gold!

Spring Break & A Good Day

This is our first day of Spring Break and the kids and I are being SOOOO lazy!

It was a good idea to have Spring Break the week after the time change. I don't know if it was on purpose, but it sure is going to make the day light savings time transition easier on us! Not sure what all we will do this week, but does it really matter as long as we get to sleep late?! :)

Thank you for all the support after my very bad day last Friday. Sometimes we just have those days. It is nice to have people there to pray for us and remind us that a bad day is just that, a bad day. If you didn't read the comments over the weekend let me assure you I was feeling much better by Saturday. In fact Saturday was a good day, a very good day.

About two years ago I shared with blog world that we had recently learned that Kolby had a reading disorder, probably dyslexia. Since then she has spent 9 weeks of the last two summers in a morning reading camp at Baylor. I have also pulled Kolby out of school twice a week for two hours of tutoring and language therapy at Baylor for the last year and a half. She ended tutoring at Baylor this past semester because I felt she needed to just have a normal school week in light of the TAKS and TAKS preparations taking place in school. And really we just needed a break.

Well, Kolby took the thirds grade reading TAKS a few weeks ago with out any dyslexia accommodations. I strongly felt she needed to just take the regular TAKS like everyone else, which was sort of a gamble. In Texas you must pass this test to go on to fourth grade. It is all reading... basic understanding, applying knowledge of literary elements, analyzing strategies and critical thinking. I was nervous for her, but felt she would at least pass. At least that is what we were praying for! The test came and went and Kolby felt good about it.

Just last week Kolby found out at school that she did indeed pass. Based on the very limited information her teacher was given, we thought Kolby did pretty well on the test. We were so proud and happy. Then Saturday we got a letter in the mail that told us exactly what Kolby's score was.

I in no way want to brag, but Kolby did extremely well. So well in fact that tears streaked down my cheeks as I read the report. Two years ago I never thought I would read a report like that. Never! I felt like one of those parents in the Sylvan commercials and half expected to hear the Sylvan music play as I shouted for Rob and Kolby to come see the great news! WOW! What a blessing! My little girl really is going to be OK!!!

Kolby will always have to work hard, maybe harder than most, but she can achieve great things. This test score brought that home in a way that nothing else has. Can I ever say thank you enough to God for sending us to Baylor? And for giving Kolby incredible teachers and tutors both at Baylor and in school? Can I ever thank those teachers enough? How do I even begin to tell them what their influence has meant to Kolby and to us? And how much it will mean for years to come? There are no words.
So you could say Saturday was a good day, a very good day!

And that is the wonderful crazy thing about this life. One day can be so bad that you can't breath for the weight of your heart being crushed, and the next day can be so good that your heart and spirit soar to heights words can not capture! Usually my life is more even keeled, not so low and so high so suddenly. But I feel God was speaking to me in the valley and on the summit. I am grateful now for both. God is like that you know, present and good during the good and bad. I feel very blessed. And, I know if I could ask each of you, you would say the same. What an Awesome God we serve!

Happy Spring Break!

Even on a bad day

Today was a hard day.

Something I had

looked forward to,

thought about,

and hoped for

fell through.

It was very

disappointing.

I was hurt.

My friend was

also hurt.

It was not fair.

I feel betrayed

and very

under appreciated.

Just yesterday

I felt

passionate

and

inspired

about this thing.

Now

I am down

and discouraged

about this thing

that will not be.

I don't

understand

what I did

or didn't do

to deserve

to have this thing

fall through.

These feelings

don't come often.

It was a

very hard day.

Then I came home

to this....

And somehow

my hard, bad day

just doesn't seem

so important.

That thing

that I was

so worked up about..

Who needs it!!!

Truth be told,

I am better off.

My friend is better off.

My family is better off.

God has other plans for me.

And I have this great life,

with good friends

who encourage me,

a great husband

who loves me,

sweet kids

who bless me,

and a precious baby girl

whose laughter

melts my heart!

Even on bad days.

I am so blessed.

God continues to bless me.

He loves me.

He comforts me.

He gives me strength.

Even on bad days.

He is there.

How can I let

this thing,

anything,

get me down?

That thing...

It doesn't hold a candle

to what truly matters.

Thank you God

for reminding me of that!

This video is guaranteed to make you smile.

Even on a bad day.

A little housecleaning...

Been needing to add some updates to the blog for my family. Pardon the dust as I wrap up some things!

Here is video from Rhett's school program last week...


Here is a video from the party that cracks me up...


In addition to Kolby's slumber party, Rhett's team, Blue Force, had their first game Saturday AM.

I was blurry eyed and 20 minutes late, but I made it! It was really fun. Rhett and Justin each scored 4 goals and had a blast! Go Blue Force!



On Sunday, Rob, Rhett & Kolby worked what I think is the last cookie booth for us this year. I'm not sure exactly how many boxes of cookies we have sold, but I think it is close to 600! That's a whole lot of cookies! :)

And lastly, EKG is 8 months old today. EIGHT MONTHS!!!! I can't believe it, let alone talk about it! She is such a happy sweet baby who is growing so fast! Long days, Short years!

Now I'm off to do some real house cleaning! This week is quite busy so I might not check in for a while. Happy Monday blog family!

Pictures of Success

A good time was had by all. It was very, very loud most of the time but other than the shrill volume, the girls were great. We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun.

Rob showed the girls how to make balloon animals. They made some very interesting species!

The pictures below are from our glow in the dark dance session that was followed by glow in the dark hide and go seek.

We also had three crafts and played musical pillows and cell phone. It was a great group of girls! We had a blast!

Will write more later as I am off to bed!