300

Blogging since 2008.

300 posts.

I need more pictures!

Overheard

Lady A: "I currently don't know."  (when asked about how she could react to her sister telling her no)

Lady A: "Mama... can I get some more sleep right now?"

The things my girl is saying lately are cracking me up!

For all the Ranger Fans...

I'm sorry.

Maybe next year?

Overheard

Miss E: (every time the phone rings) "That Daddy?" (and then she tries to take the phone to talk)

In the truck at the grocery store:

Lady A to Miss E: "I need to do surgery on you!!"

What will they come up with next?

Sleepover!

The girls are having a sleepover with Grammy tonight.  I am enjoying the quiet.

However, I have just spent the last 4 and a half hours doing math.  My brain hurts.

I think I'm going to bed. :)

B-I-B-L-E

What's that spell??  BIBLE!!

I think every child who has attended a Southern Baptist church knows that song! 

Miss E has decided that she must sing it every day.  Except her version goes "B-I-B-I-B-E! Boo[k] me! Byebye! YAY!!" 

It is so sweet to hear our little one singing songs she has learned at church.

On another similar note, Lady A has requested a meeting with our pastor for Sunday morning.  She wants to talk to him about being one of the "good guys" instead of being one of the "bad guys."    Would you pray that she clearly understands?

Ebenezer

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil. 

Remembering those who perished and those they left behind. 

Remembering those who survived that awful day and those who only caught glimpses on TV.

Remembering the innocence with which we started the day and the knowledge with which we ended it.

Remembering the men and women who gave their lives in the wars that followed.

Remembering the ones who came back, forever changed.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

(from Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing)

Blogging break

In between school and rescuing squirrels, I have realized that I need to let some things go for a little while.  Therefore, I am taking a blogging break.  I plan to keep up with the major events or serious prayer requests, but the other chatty kinds of posts will stop for a while. 

You can always call or email me if you want.  I just may not respond right away.  After all, it is squirrel season. :)

It's Raining Squirrels!

Tonight Michael asked if I could change Miss E's diaper.  I, being the loving wife I am, said, "Sure.  I'll take care of it."

As I walked past Miss E's room, I noticed a strange cat stalking in our front yard.  Near the tree.  Where we found a baby squirrel on Sunday night...

I walked out and clapped my hands loudly to scare it off.  The cat dipped its head, grabbed something small and gray with its mouth and took off running.  But only to the sidewalk across the street. 

I knew it had a baby squirrel and I was determined to chase it down.  As I was walking across our yard toward the cat, I heard a soft crying sound.  There was a 2nd baby squirrel in the grass.  Princess N came out of the house about that time & I told her to guard the squirrel.  I followed the cat, but it disappeared around a corner.  When I got there, the cat was nowhere in sight.

I returned home and got the box back out.  I put a clean sheet in the bottom (the feet can get caught in the fabric of the towels) and filled the ice pack with hot water again.

We watched the squirrel through the window for a while until Princess N called out that the cat was back.  It waited on the neighbor's driveway, watching me.  I finally put the squirrel in the garage.  About 15 minutes later, our other neighbor came home.  I took the squirrel over to show his son.  Our neighbor mentioned that he had seen the cat just sitting on the sidewalk staring toward our house.

Miss E did get that diaper change, but we also rescued another squirrel in the process.

where the wild things are

Princess N: Mommy!  I think a mouse fell out of the tree!
Me: Oookkkaaayyy... show me.

I took a look and asked her to call Daddy and ask him to bring a flashlight.

Michael: It looks like a squirrel.  I can throw it over the back fence.
Me: I'm going to call Laddie.  I'm not as heartless as you!

After speaking with Laddie, we added a hot water bottle to the box and towels where we had placed the squirrel.  Then I called the phone numbers she had given me.  The emergency clinic was willing to take the squirrel and humanely kill it.  The wildlife centers would reopen in the morning. 

I left the box with the squirrel in the garage with the hot water bottle and told Michael I hoped the roaches would not carry it off.  I sat down with Princess N and told her what Laddie told me.  There was a fairly good chance the squirrel would die during the night because of its young age.  We agreed that we both hoped it would live through the night.

This morning I called several state approved wildlife rehabilitators only to find that all but one number I tried was disconnected.  Out of a list of about 7.  The one place that I did reach is about an hour and a half from where we live.  After a trip to drop some papers off with Michael, we traveled to the wildlife center.  Since we were missing out on a good portion of the school day, I told the girls that I was going to see if they would let us tour the facility and I wanted them to think of some things they wanted to know about the center and the animals they help.  They were going to be required to write a paper about it when we got home.

The volunteer at the center was very kind to answer our questions and she even allowed the girls to take a peek at the vet room where they care for the animals that are brought in to the center.  The volunteer in the vet room allowed the girls another look at the squirrel we brought in and told us how much he weighed.  (48 grams)  She also showed us an even younger squirrel that weighed only 12 grams! 

While we were there, we also learned that Princess N will be old enough next summer to participate in a volunteer program at the center. (with a parent, of course)  I told Michael I thought it might just be a good idea for a summer project for her.

*Photo to be added as soon as I can find the cord for my camera...

2 years old

Sweet Miss E is growing up.  She is just a joy to be around.  She can give a glare that could melt glass, but her smile is sometimes brighter than the sun.

She believes that if her big sisters can do it, so can she.  She is a bundle of energy wrapped up in sheer willpower.  In many ways, she is like her sister Lady A.  What she lacks in physical stature, she makes up with her determination.

We are so very blessed to have her as part of our lives.

Oh my! How did this happen??

Princess N turned 11 years old today!

Our sweet baby girl is closing in quickly on her teen years. 

Happy birthday to a wonderful girl who we are blessed to know and even more blessed to call daughter!

We love you precious girl!

Happy Birthday Laura!

Happy, happy, birthday from all of us to you!

We hope you like your birthday, cause we sure do like you!

There...

Michael went to work last Friday and was very excited that he had Monday off.  A few hours later he texted me and asked me to pack him a bag for a week. 

He left Sunday morning and was supposed to return this afternoon. 

The trip to the airport and then back home was interesting to say the least.  We didn't realize that the toll road went from actual toll booths to a no cash road.  So, we had to find a way across town in order to make it to the airport.  We managed to get there in plenty of time. 

Leaving the airport, I decided to try to take the interstate that goes directly to our town.  I followed the signs until the signs disappeared.  I did what any smart woman would do when lost in an unfamiliar area with 3 children at 6:00 in the morning.  I called my husband who has GPS on his phone.  He couldn't find where I was, so I was on my own.  Backtracking, I missed the turn to get back to the airport.  But I did find the one road I was familiar with. 

Once headed in the right direction, I decided to take the loop around the city instead of going all the way into down town.  Well, when we went to the airport, we went east.  So coming home we should go west, right?  Wrong!  I realized my mistake and took the first exit to turn around.  It was then that I saw the signs for the original road I was looking for.  I managed to get back on the road and take the exit for the interstate.  I still ended up going through downtown, but I was on the right road!

and back again

Last night, after all the kiddos had dinner and cleaned up, I loaded them into Rachel's van.  (We are hanging out with the nephews this weekend) 

Alex kept looking at the time and mentioning that it was time to be getting ready for bed.  Later he mentioned that it was time for him & Miguel to be in bed.  About 20 minutes later, he informed us that it was time for David to be in bed.

We had been driving for about 45 minutes when Lady A asked where we were going.  My response was that we were going for a drive.  They thought that it was an okay idea.  But they were hungry and wanted me to buy them food.  I laughed and told them no.

We arrived at the airport.  Lady A was a bit confused as to why we would be going to the airport when she, her sister & her cousins should be in bed.  I simply deflected any questions with a question of my own.   "What do you think?"  "What do people do at an airport?"

Finally, I received a message from Michael.  I pulled up to the arrivals area.  As we waited in line, Alex asked if we were picking someone up.  I asked what he thought.  Alex said yes.  Lady A was unsure.  She thought about it for a little while and finally asked, "Are we picking up Daddy?"  I asked, "What do you think?"  "YES!!" 

Lady A & Miss E were both very excited to see their daddy!

peace

Numbers 6:24-26

 ​​“The LORD bless you and keep you;

​​The LORD make His face shine upon you,

​​And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

​​And give you peace.” ’

May be off line for a while

So, we got our internet bill in the mail today... It almost doubled with no warning.

We are shopping for a new provider unless they are able to work with us.  The department we need to speak with is closed already tonight.

At any rate, I just want to let you know that we may be only reachable by cell phone for a while.  We do have unlimited texting, so feel free to call or text.

Love you!

Back to School!

Today, we embarked on a new journey as a family.

Today, I sat with our girls, all three of them, around the kitchen table and studied the Bible.  We learned about Joseph and some of the trials he faced in his life.  Some as a result of his choices and others as a result of his brother's choices. 

Later, we created a "collage of many colors".  The girls had a good time discussing the story while they cut and glued and laughed.

Then, as we talked about the coat that Joseph was given, I asked the girls if they knew how cloth was colored in that time.  I grabbed what was on hand and steeped some tea and threw some frozen blueberries in a bowl with some hot water.  We took 2 pieces of white fabric and swirled them around in the water.  Princess N said she thought the fabric in the tea would turn a reddish color and that the one in the blueberries would be blue.  She was surprised to see the one in the tea turn brown.

Afterward, we watched "The Ballad of Little Joe."  We had been anticipating our next door neighbor's son's arrival, but I found out that he was going to a friend's house today instead of ours.

It has been a good first day of school.  Lady A still protested a bit that she didn't want to have school at home, but she did well through the lessons.

I just pray that tomorrow things go as smoothly!

Invasion! Of health!

I am so very thankful that this round of illness went very quickly!

I am also thankful that I had completely caught up on the laundry.  So when we needed 3 sets of clean sheets and 25 towels right away, we had them available.  And clean!

Of course that now means I have 3 sets of dirty sheets that still need to be washed as none of us have been back to full energy until today and Sunday is a declared no work day.  As in, we spend the day with each other rather than focus on piles of laundry or cleaning bathrooms.  (Bathrooms were done on Friday anyway...)

That is the update and thanks so much for the prayers!


Note to Mom: I have an offer of a car if you have not yet found one.  Love you!

Play it again, Sam!

Yes.  That is correct.  We are repeating the same old song and dance.

Or is that heave and wash?

Either way you look at it, 3 of us are already sick and another (me) hasn't been feeling so great for the past few days. 

Laundry is piling up faster than our poor washer dryer can handle.  Since we've had to run the dryer two times to dry one load, the laundry cycle has been lengthened. 

I would appreciate any prayers you might want to offer on our behalf.  Though ones that include this passing quickly and that no one else gets sick kinda top my list. :) 

PS: We have inadvertantly exposed our next door neighbor's son, who has in turn gone to football practice every night this week.  See where this is going?


UPDATE: All of us are sick... Princess N was the last at about 4:30 this morning.  Lady A is currently on the couch crying because she is thirsty, but she has only been able to keep down about 2 ounces of juice so far.

The countdown is on!

I try very hard to not allow my feelings about our political climate spill over into my blog.  However, I will simply ask tonight that you pray for our leaders.

• Pray that they will have an encounter with God that completely changes their life.
• Pray that they will fight to restore moral (and fiscal) sanity to our government as a result of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Pray that our leaders will be able to work out a plan for our nation's finances that will help our nation's economy to recover.

Clean Sweep

I've been working on purging several rooms in the house.  And pretty much trying to do them at the same time.

In some ways, it has worked well.  In others, not so much.

Trying to gather all of the toys in the same room has been a bit of a nightmare.  However, gathering all the outgrown clothing has not been an issue.

Right now, I have one storage tub of clothes that Miss E has outgrown, one that Lady A has outgrown, and one that Princess N has outgrown.  Today, I went through them and sorted out all the clothes I want to donate to our church's yard sale.

I am finished with the majority of the clothing and even found some more clothes that fit Miss E which is something I was talking to Michael about just yesterday.  I just need to have Princess N go through her t-shirts to see which ones will be going.

The toys though have been a challenge.  I had everything in the playroom sorted and placed into bags.  Then Princess N & Lady A cleaned their rooms and put the toys from their rooms in the boxes I'd already cleaned and organized.  So, I need to go through that again, but it should be much easier since I pulled out all the toys that I am willing to part with!  :)

The (kids) books have been pared down to a slightly more managable number.  There are more that I would like to donate, but I am waiting for Miss E to outgrow them.

All I have left is to review my books, clothes, and various knick knacks along with the kitchen things.  And maybe somehow get Michael to do the same. :)

Edited to add: I managed to clean out 2 more boxes in the garage and I know that 2 of the remaining ones belong to Michael.  That means I don't have to worry about them! ;)  I did stop half way through one because of the roach who had taken up residence. 

Orange and creamy is kinda dreamy

I made the best cupcakes today.  And by best, I mean the BEST EVER.  One of my favorite treats was an orange creamcicle.  The blending of the orange and vanilla was almost heavenly.

Well, I discovered this recipe. 

Out of 12 cupcakes, we now have 3 left.  Though in my defense, we did have guests tonight to help us eat them.  I did NOT give my girls multiple cupcakes.  I did however allow them to also have 2 (small) Congo Bars to go along with their cupcakes...

It's been a long week

The above average temps (and poor Rachel tent camping...) and humidity have contributed to some crankiness in our household.

Princess N has been out back a couple of evenings to practice her archery.  (need to upload the photos)  Unfortunately, one of her arrows has already broken.  The plastic nock broke off most likely from bouncing off the fence.  We have not been back to the library this week so Princess N has been a bit bored staying inside the house.  I don't mind the girls going outside, but I know that inside is much more comfortable at the moment.  At any rate, she has been reading several books about archery so it at least has been a bit productive in that regard.

Lady A has been enjoying having her dress-up clothes back.  We had taken them away a while back as part of an effort to teach her to think of others in addition to herself.  I believe the time away was beneficial because she will point out when someone is thinking of someone else, regardless of if the someone else is her.  However, Miss E has enjoyed playing with the jewelry which has cause some tension with Lady A.

Miss E has been taught to open the trash can.  My dear, sweet husband taught her how to open the lid so he we wouldn't have to get up to help her.  I deliberately did NOT teach her because I did not want her to play in the trash.  Well, I woke up from a nap the other day to discover that Michael & Princess N were cleaning up the mess Miss E had made with the trash she pulled out of the trash can.  My thought was "at least I slept through it!" ;)

The best part of the week though were the two days we got rain.  One day it rained for about 5 minutes but Thursday it rained for almost an hour!
That is what has been happening here.  Hope your week was cooler than ours!

Enjoy!

Spending time with Daddy!

Great friends!

Limbo...

Last day of school

Last day of school

Isn't she cute?

The girls tell me I picked a good watermelon.

Trying on a pair of chaps at George Ranch

Tex had a friend with him this time.

Missed seeing this on the first trip.

These two had quite the conversation.

She takes after Andrew.

What could be better than curling up with a good book?

Learning how to splash in a puddle...

splashing all by herself

What could be better than playing in the rain?

Perhaps playing in the puddle at the end of the driveway?

Or maybe playing in the rain TWO days in a row!!!

When drowning doesn't look like drowning...

http://gcaptain.com/drowning/?10981

A good reminder as we frequent pools or other water-filled areas this summer!

Miss E - again

Miss E is sick again.  She was up very early this morning fussing.  I held her from 2:20 until about 7:15.  Her fever was 103.3 when I got her up and 100.4 when I put her back in her crib.

Please pray for our little girl.  I hate that she is so miserable.

Thanks

I saw the sign: Part 2

Well, tonight the sign said...

7:31

91

I'm not sure which is worse.  84 degrees first thing in the morning or 91 degrees in the evening.

Opinions?  Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

I saw the sign...

It read:

8:22
84

That's right... 8:22am and 84 degrees.

A bit hot for my taste.  Welcome back to Texas!  :)

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday to 2 great guys!

Hope it is a wonderful day for Michael and Brent!

Memorial Day

A day when we remember.

A day when we honor our troops, both past and present.

I stumbled across a thought provoking article when I was browsing Michelle Malkin's website.

night and day

I do believe our sweet Miss E will be on Aunt Sarah's schedule.  Or maybe Laddie's.

She woke up around 1:30 this morning.  It is after 4 and she is still awake.  I held her on the couch for a couple of hours before putting her back to bed.

I'm off to attempt a couple more hours of sleep before we start the day.

No new ear infections!!!

Miss E had her appointment on Monday.

She is 25 pounds and growing!

She also did NOT have an ear infection for which we are giving all praise to God!  Thank you for your prayers.

Prayer request

After all the sickness going through our house, we think Miss E has another ear infection.  She has an appointment on Monday (her 18 month well check!) so we will just keep her comfy over the weekend. 

Would you pray we can finally break this cycle of ear infections?  She has been congested since January and just finished her 3rd round of antibiotics earlier this week.

Thanks!

Since I last posted

We have:

• taken time to recover fom surgery (me) which took longer than I anticipated to be fully off the prescribed pain meds
• spent 2 weeks waiting to be cleared to drive (mostly because of the meds)
• Gone through another round of antibiotics for another ear infection (Miss E) 
• completed and presented my final project for psychology (me)
• had fun on a field trip (Princess N & me)
• spent several consecutive days recovering from a stomach bug - Lady A started on Saturday morning, Miss E began late Sunday night, Princess N decided to wait until about 1am Monday morning, Michael got in on the action on Tuesday morning and I prayed it would hold off for me until after 3pm on Wednesday.  I got sick Wednesday night.  I had missed my class on Monday to stay home with sick girls and Wednesday was the last day I could take my math final exam.  I was very thankful that my prayers were answered.
• And to top it all off, I finished both of my classes with an A. 

So, that has been our last couple of weeks.

How have things been for you?

Photos

Lady A - can't quite reach the wing

Galveston Gal - photo of the original plane & pilot

Princess N & Lady A outside the Fine Arts Museum

Miss E getting comfortable - her feet are resting on a glass top table at the museum

Lady A isn't sure about touching the horse, but Princess N has no problems!

Princess N ropes a "cow"

Sweet, tired girl - and the day had just begun...

This horse decided to cool it's feet in some water.

Views from the barn

Tex - His horns are about 7 feet across.

Photos

Barns at George Ranch

Bridge over a waterway (the turtle splashed into the water just as I took the picture)

Another building & tractor at George Ranch

Start with these...

Arrange them like this...

And now you have a sunflower!

Bounce house at our Easter Celebration

Miss E pointing at the animals

She held the bunny, but not for long!

Watch out! They SPIT!

This little guy was brand new!

Pastor Brett & Miss E after a long day.

Princess N held the bunny much longer that Lady A did.

Our Easter Celebration was wonderful!  We invited the folks who live in the homes next to our church out for an Easter egg hunt and then back to the church for live music, food, an all around good time.  We also got together with a predominately Hispanic church and it was an amazing time!

update

surgery went well.

a lot more pain than I anticipated.  I knew that I use my stomach muscles for a lot of things, but not just HOW often I use them.

Breathing is tough at times because very deep breaths are painful.

I think the worst at the moment is the pain in my right shoulder.  I can't seem to keep it comfortable.

Today I am doing better.  I have been able to sit for longer than just a few minutes and I have been able to sit up without assistance most of the time.  Still taking the pain medication though. 

Thanks for the prayers and help.

Love you!

Surgery

Finally rescheduled and on for tomorrow morning.

Will update everyone when I get home.

Overheard

We were driving to the grocery store. Princess N asked me about us getting some stickers while we were there. And not just any stickers, but STAR WARS stickers.

ME: I think we will just stick to our list for today.

N: (holding the list and a pen... Pretends to write "stickers" on the list)

Silly girl!

Overheard

Princess N: "Mama, I would like to get a pet."

Me: "You mean your sisters aren't enough?"

Princess N: (gives me a look) "I said a pet, not a PEST!"

wild, wild week!

Last week was Spring Break! Time off school to hang out with the kiddos & Michael's parents. We were very busy. I think the only days we didn't go, go, go were Sunday and Tuesday.

Monday, we visited the Lone Star Flight Museum. It was pretty interesting. Especially the conversation I had with the cashier. According to her, the museum recently aquired a plane that was similar to one a pilot had flown in WWII. The pilot called his plane "Galveston Gal". Well, the museum had the plane painted in similar colors and put the name "Galveston Gal" on the plane. On the day it was due to be delivered to the museum, the casiher said that a car came screaming into the parking lot. The man got out and asked if the plane had arrived yet. It was the pilot of the original "Galveston Gal." He wanted to be there when his plane arrived. You can read a little about it here.

On Tuesday, we took the morning off but went to the Museum of Natural Science later in the afternoon. We enjoyed to Butterfly Center, but the rest of the museum was crowded and there were many staff members and caterers setting up for a banquet that was to be held later in the evening. We'd like to go back to visit, but Michael insists it will NOT be during Spring Break. Of course, later I found out that the livestock show & rodeo was still in its last week.

Wednesday was quiet. We did some shopping. On Tuesday, while at the museum, one of the wheels broke off of Miss E's stroller. It was a critical failure as it was one of the single back wheels instead of one of the double front wheels. We found a nice little umbrella stroller that has handles high enough to push comfortably, even for Michael. As an aside, I put the stroller out with the trash on Friday and about 5 minutes later, a man pulled up and asked if he could have the stroller. I told him the wheel was broken, but he took it anyway. Back to Wednesday... Michael & his dad found a nice little music store with some amazing guitars. Or so they tell me.

Thursday, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts. Free admission. It was great! Well, the traffic wasn't so great, but we all agreed that we'd need to send Laura by herself one day and then the rest of us could go later. But we did modify that to having Laura & me & maybe some of the kiddos go along. There were some amazing works of art, but I really enjoyed a photography exhibit down in the basement of the museum.

Friday, we were tired of Houston traffic. Plus Michael's mom had wanted to go to a place called George Ranch. The original plan had been to go to the zoo, but Michael's parents received a phone call about an appointment they needed to be back for on Tuesday. So, instead of leaving Sunday, they needed to leave on Saturday. The decision was made to head to Richmond instead of Houston. It was so much fun. Until we had to deal with sunburns later that night. :/ We had the opportunity to learn how to rope cattle, we watched a demonstration that included an overview of what the equipment the cowboy carried was used for. We got to see a 6 year old Longhorn. (picture to come) All in all, we had a really good time. The workers clearly had a passion for what they were doing. They took time to answer any questions we had.

Saturday, we said goodbye to Michael's parents. It was a little sad because it did not feel as though a week had passed. It was a good week and we can't wait for them to come back for another visit!

Pictures to come! I need to download them from my camera.

Update on our family

I just wanted to give all of you a quick update on us.

Michael is finally well. A bit sore from some new workouts, but not sick anymore.

Princess N and Lady A are both well.

Miss A is on her 2nd round of antibiotics for a double ear infection. She has not had fever for any of this but she has a cough that is making her miserable.

I have not yet heard back from my doctor to know if I am cleared for surgery. I currently have an appointment with a GI doctor in April. But, I am hoping that the issues I have been having are related to my gall bladder. My doctor looked up specific symptoms and the symptoms I am having can be related to either disease I have been diagnosed with.

I have had a difficult time with this. When we talked to the surgeon, we were ready to get things taken care of and back to as normal as possible. Instead, we have waited and waited and waited. I have cried and prayed and told God and anyone who would listen that I am so tired of being sick. We know there is a way to take care of the pain, but we can't take that step. Yet. So, we wait.

Is 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

postponed

The stomach bug I had back in January has turned into something a little more serious.

My surgery has been postponed until I am cleared by my regular doctor.

Michael is still not back to his normal self. He is still having some stomach issues as well.

Please pray for healing for my family.

Also, would you pray that I can keep up with my school work while all of this is going on?

surgery it is...

My appointment with the surgeon went well. I will be having surgery to remove my gallbladder on the 22nd. (not sure yet what time)

Please pray that my girls will do well and that my school work will not be too difficult to make up.

And also, would you pray that I'd find out if I have endo? The surgeon said he has seen it in previous surgeries though he doesn't remove it. It is something my doc suggested that we look at because of my periods. I didn't want to do too much invasive testing without cause, so this is actually a blessing.

Thanks!

Birthdays and anniversaries

Well, one of each at any rate.

Happy birthday to my big, and only, brother!

And Happy Anniversary to my brother & his beautiful wife!

Hope today is blessed!

He needs a theme song...

Stealth-Man that is... 

Maye something along the lines of Bond.  James Bond. 

What do you think?

Or Batman...

Hmmm...

Either way, the Double Mint gum commercials would work too.

Cause, ya know, he just turned double digits!

Double -man, double-man...  Nah.

Happy Birthday!  Hope it was a great day!

But wait... there's more!

"More?" you ask. 

More.

My sweet, caring husband was up last night around one in the morning.  Throwing up.  He has fever this morning.

And we need to go to the grocery store if the girls want to eat lunch...

Oh the joys!

Oh the gall!

You read that right.  Gall.  As in gallstones.  In my gallbladder.  And the referral to the surgeon is in the works.  Unless things get really bad over the weekend.  Then I call Rachel to get the girls and Michael to take me to the ER.

But the good news is N's bloodwork results came back today.  Everything is good there.  As they said, she is normal.  Though with our family, that is quite an accomplishment! (kidding!)

So, will keep you updated as I can.

it begins

We took N in for a consult yesterday to see if we could figure out what may be causing her issues with focusing and being easily distracted.

We should get the results of the bloodwork in about a week.

Please pray with us about where we go from there.

Another Birthday!

Mr McQ, who has been a wonderful part of our lives, has a birthday today.  Last time we discussed birthdays, I believe he was turning 47.  Not sure what number it will be today. 

So many of my good childhood memories include the McQs.  From boating to borrowing an absolutely amazing camera to just stopping by to chat.  They have been and continue to be great friends.

I am so blessed to have them as a part of my life AND that my children also know, and love, them as well. 

So, happy birthday Mr McQ and a belated happy birthday to Mrs McQ.  We love you very much!

She might be Mrs. Jenkins

At least that was my very first thought when I walked into my math class this morning.

We will see how it goes.

Miss E did well when I dropped her off at day care this morning.  But she started crying hysterically when she saw me this afternoon.  A 30 minute nap might have had something to do with that.

Happy Birthday!!

Double digits!  Can you believe it??  My oldest nephew is 10!

Happy Birthday David!

Please pray for one of our Coast Guard family

One of the families stationed at a nearby unit had their 3 month old baby die on Tuesday night.

Please pray for this family as they grieve.

Happy 2011!  Hope it is a blessed year for you and yours!

Wednesday

On the agenda for Wednesday:

Grocery shopping
Bake Pumpkin Bread
Bake Mint Brownies
Bake cupcakes - ice cupcakes
Polar Express Party at the school
Pizza for dinner...
Church

How does your Wednesday look?

Error: Giraffe not found

Called & visited Walmart.  Still no giraffe.

I've been pretty sad about it, but God reminded me that it was not mine (or ours) to begin with.

We lost a giraffe

I know this isn't major in the grand scheme of things, but we lost a giraffe toy in Walmart.
It was something we bought for Miss A when she was 2, right around the time Michael was overseas for a year.
It is not something I can just replace. Miss A slept with it practically every night when Michael was gone. It was one of our last family times before he left.
In my heart I know it is just a toy, but it was a special toy to me.
Please pray that someone finds it and turns it in.

Games

David wanted to watch the game.  Andrew suggested the radio.  Rachel tried getting the game on my computer.  (largest screen)  Eventually, David, who was totally against the radio idea suggested listening on the radio.

David is not anywhere near the radio any more...

Overheard

A: "Alex can spell 'what'! W-H-...what??"

Overheard

A: "N, you're so bossy!" said in a snotty tone of voice.

N: "Well, you are too!" said in an equally snotty tone.

test went well

Maxed out the score on the reading portion, but that isn't surprising.

Math, on the other hand, was quite a bit more difficult.  I stared at the fractions and drew a total blank.  Though I did get a few of them right.  The test switched from elementary algebra to arithmetic.  And it was still tough.

But registration begins on the 30th.  I just need to speak with an advisor and see where to go from there.

25 pounds

I am now officially 25 pound lighter than I was in May of this year.

I am able to squeeze into my size 16 jeans.  Which is a very good thing considering my other 2 pairs had either too many holes to wear modestly OR one hole in a very critical place.

Quite a few more to go before I am where I think I will be comfortable.

Guess I'd better get back into the swing of things with monitoring my eating again & exercising more than just walking girls to school & back.

Happy Birthday!

To all of our beloved Marines:

Happy 235th Birthday!

Semper Fi!

Hanging out, Miss E's new trick, Girls & Miss A's birthday